After considering his options, Barbatos ultimately decided to use his hundredfold increase opportunity on his Hierophant, Eldric.
'Divine wars are crucial, especially for gods below the rank of Main God. A weaker Upper True God can even defeat a stronger one by winning a divine war. When a god wins a divine war, the opponent's strength is weakened by two small realms, while the victor's strength is increased by two small realms.'
'In other words, if I were to lose to a Two-Turn Demigod in a divine war, that demigod would be strengthened to a Four-Turn Demigod, while my power would be reduced to a Two-Turn Demigod.'
Reflecting on this possibility, Barbatos reassured himself, 'Even so, my foundation is stronger than most demigods. I might still be at Four-Turn Demigod Peak Stage, almost a year since I reached Four-Turn Demigod Initial Stage, but not all demigods grow as fast as Restara.'
'The last time I saw Restara, three days ago, she had already become a frickin Seven-Turn Demigod, making her a Gold Demigod. At her current growth rate, she'll become a True God soon, widening the gap between us even more. Still, my divine talents are of Origin-rank, far stronger than hers, so I should be able to catch up and even surpass her eventually.'
'For now, I need to focus on my growth and not be distracted by Restara's advantage. Slow and steady wins the race. As long as my foundation is stable, I can fight against enemies across power levels. However, if I were to lose a divine war to a Seven-Turn Demigod, their power would increase to Nine-Turn, and mine would drop to Two-Turn. That's a gap I can't bridge.'
Realizing his greatest shortcoming wasn't his foundation or power but his believers, Barbatos acknowledged that his low-rank wolf beastman race was weak compared to mid-rank and high-rank races. Additionally, his followers were fewer in number compared to other low-rank races.
Barbatos knew that if a divine war broke out, he would likely lose because he was a newly ascended demigod with a minimal foundation in terms of believers.
This was the biggest disadvantage of being a newly ascended demigod in the Endless Void. Even demigods who had spent a thousand years in the Eternal Continent had at least a hundred thousand believers.
With a solemn expression, Barbatos spoke, "I've decided. Eldric is a fanatic, and he is loyal and will never betray me even if his life is at stake. It's best to use this hundredfold increase opportunity to enhance his power and bloodline a hundred times."
"Although a year has passed, none of the wolf beastmen have reached Fourth-Order Mortal. Even Eldric, who is at the peak of Fourth-Order, remains stuck."
"But if I use the Six-Colored Honey to help him break through to Fifth-Order Initial Stage Mortal, and then use the hundredfold increase opportunity on him, not only will his bloodline elevate to that of a high-rank wolf beastman, but he will also become a Seventh-Order Epic."
"My annual sacrifice opportunities don't stack since they must be held each year, but my hundredfold increase opportunity can be accumulated, generating a new chance each year. Waiting for Eldric to break through to Fifth-Order Mortal won't affect the cooldown time for my hundredfold increase opportunity."
With his plan set, Barbatos left the ancestral hall and headed outside.
Seeing Barbatos emerge from the ancestral hall, Eldric and the other believers' expressions became even more devout and pious. They knelt even more submissively, with their wolf ears folding down and their wolf tails lowering in reverence.
Barbatos nodded in satisfaction, appreciating the display of faith from his followers.
He then spread his divine perception and waved his hand. Divine power emanated from his hand, transforming a nearby land into a habitat for the Six-Colored Honey Bees. The area now boasted tall trees and a flower field, creating an ideal environment for the bees.
For gods like Barbatos, anything within the range of their divine perception could be accomplished with the use of divine power. Whether it was time acceleration or creation, these feats could be achieved effortlessly with just a wave of their hand.
Barbatos retrieved the hive of the Six-Colored Honey Bees from his inventory and placed it at the center of the newly created habitat, allowing the bees to establish more hives.
After positioning the hive, Barbatos snapped his fingers, extracting two drops of six-colored honey from it. He extended his hand toward Eldric, causing the two drops of six-colored honey to float in front of the hierophant.
"I am pleased with this year's annual sacrifice. Take these two drops of six-colored honey and use them to break through and become a Fifth-Order Mortal as soon as possible," Barbatos commanded.
Hearing his lord's order, Eldric pressed his forehead deeper into the ground in a gesture of profound submission, "This humble hierophant of the lord god will follow the lord god's order and accomplish it as soon as possible!"
Barbatos nodded in acknowledgment, "Ensure that you accomplish it swiftly."
With that, Barbatos re-entered the ancestral hall, leaving his believers to their tasks.
…
A week had passed. After cooking for Restara and feeding her, Barbatos immediately returned to the Eternal Continent to check on Eldric.
When his divine projection appeared on the Eternal Continent, he noticed that Eldric was already kneeling outside the ancestral hall. From the power emanating from Eldric's body, it was clear that Eldric had successfully become the first wolf beastman to reach Fifth-Order Mortal.
Seeing that Eldric had accomplished his task within just a week, Barbatos felt even more confident in his decision to use the hundredfold increase opportunity on Eldric.
Anyway, a demigod had virtually infinite lifespan, so he could have as many hundredfold increase opportunities as he wanted. He could get one every year, so he only needed to live for a year to obtain it.
Barbatos appeared outside the ancestral hall, hovering above it and looking down at Eldric, who knelt below him.
In a commanding tone, Barbatos asked, "Eldric, are you willing to sacrifice your life for your lord god?"