【 OCEAN DIVINITY AND STORM DIVINITY 】

—

A surge of divine power coursed through Eve’s body, which made the operation of the divine laws even more effortless under her control.

Although advancing to the rank of Higher Divine Power had only doubled her divine power reserves, Evé could feel that her efficiency in utilizing it had greatly increased.

She had the distinct feeling that, if she wanted to, she could now create tens of thousands of Oak Guardians with Silver-rank strength at any moment, while the divine power consumed by ten of them combined would still amount to less than a single digit in total.

As for reviving players and creating new avatars for them, the cost had become much lower, reduced to merely one-tenth of its former amount. This finally gave her the opportunity to open the path for players to advance to Gold-rank.

Meanwhile, the effects of various divine spells and incantations cast using divine power had been greatly enhanced.

If she were to wield the Sword of Damocles again now, Evé felt that she would do so with complete ease, without the slightest concern of exhausting her divine power.

In addition, the strength of her divine soul had been further elevated after her advancement. As a result, even without relying upon her network of faith, she was now capable of directly hearing the voices of all her believers, despite their numbers having already reached an astonishing scale.

At the same time, after absorbing the origin power of the Realm of Mindel and gaining full control over the world’s sealing mechanism, Evé had completely taken control of this hidden world and become its sole master.

While within the mysterious ruins, a mere thought from her could sweep across the entire realm, thereby allowing her to know everything taking place within this world.

Whether it was the quarrel of a married couple in some village, or a butterfly fluttering through a patch of grass…

What minerals existed in any given location, where extraordinary beings had once buried treasures, or even the mana density and climatic changes throughout every region of Mindel, all of it lay within her grasp.

Even within the vast oceans, nothing escaped Eve’s sight. Therefore, every follower of Leviathan was now exposed under her observation.

Only a handful of Sea God temples protected by divine power remained beyond her perception, and even that was merely because she had not deliberately expended her divine power to directly observe them.

With a single thought from Evé, her status window once again appeared before her eyes, and the various data displayed upon it now showed incredibly exaggerated values.

【Name: Evé Yggdrasill】

【Race: World Tree (Ancient God)】

【Level: 150 (Mythical-rank)】

【Status: Higher Divine Power】

【Divinities: Nature, Life, Elvenkind】

【Titles: Goddess of Life, Mother of Nature, Matriarch of the Elves】

【Divine Power: 223143/1000000】

【Number of Believers: 18.65 million (Saints: 5, Fanatics: 11,000, Devout Believers: 3.045 million, Shallow Believers: 10.61 million)】

【Types of Believers: Crypt Spider Queen (1), Dragons (564), Oak Guardians (105), Elemental Fairies (10,000), Elves (437,600), Half-Elves (2.1221 million), Humans with Elven Bloodlines (3.425 million), Humans (10.455 million), Halflings (753,000), Half-Merfolk (214,000), Half-Orcs (16,000), Dwarves (2,154), Dark Dwarves (3,242), Goblins (678)…】

【Abilities: Absorption, Communication, Bestowal, Enlightenment, Healing, Summoning, Divine Descent, Celestial Domain, Weather Phenomena, Tracking…】

【True Divine Artifacts: Scepter of Life, Crown of Nature, Heart of Withering, Gate of Reversal, Sword of Damocles, Trident of the Sea God】

…

【Number of Players: 1.12 million】

【 Iron-rank Players: 324,000 (Max Level: 281,000, Below Max Level: 43,000)】

【Silver-rank Players: 796,000 (Low Silver: 741,000, Intermediate Silver: 55,000)】

【Player Controlled Cities: Grey Haven, Mountpeak City, Winterhold, Shangjing, Atlantis, Lordaeron, Eden】

【Registered Player Outposts: 1,541】

【Player Guilds: 3,335 (4 Super First-Class, 13 First-Class, 101 Second-Class, 3,217 Third-Class)】

Even though she had mentally prepared herself, when Evé saw the various indicators, especially the changes among her believers, her heart still trembled slightly.

Half a year was enough to change many things.

For example, the consolidation of believers throughout the Mindel Realm, as well as the assimilation of human faith within the Maple Moon Free State.

These two regions alone had provided her with an astonishing number of new believers.

The types of believers had also become increasingly varied.

Especially after the consolidation of faith within the Realm of Mindel, all kinds of strange and unusual races had begun to appear as her believers.

Nevertheless, her primary source of faith still came from the elves, half-elves, and humans with elven bloodlines. Among them, the proportion of devout believers and fanatical believers remained the highest, and the quality of their faith was likewise the purest.

Moreover, the number of Saints had increased to five.

In addition to Saintess Alice and Aurora, the Star of Dawn, there were now the Shadow of the Night, Eris, the legendary elf Kerez, and the Frost Elf Gando, who had advanced into the Legendary-rank.

As for the player’s side, aside from the increase in their overall average strength, there had not been many major changes.

The additional tens of thousands of players were newcomers gradually summoned from Earth over the past six months according to the arrangements Evé had established before entering her slumber.

By now she had long since decided to stop holding special large-scale beta tests, and instead chose to release a limited number of new slot registration every month instead.

These many changes filled Evé with satisfaction.

However, just as her mood brightened, an overwhelming flood of information surged through her network of faith…

Specifically, they were the inner voices and prayers of her believers.

As she listened to those sincere and devout prayers, a trace of warmth surfaced within Eve’s heart.

Back when she was previously lost in that dream world, it was precisely the prayers of these believers that had awakened her once more.

Thinking about it now, that dream was something akin to the “inner demons” found in xianxia novels, and the mere fact that she could experience such a thing in this fantasy world was rather interesting.

Of course, Evé had already awakened from that dream.

Her goals for the future had become firm and unwavering.

Suddenly, at that very moment, scene after scene flashed across her mind…

They were visions from the battlefield unfolding within Maple Moon, as well as the countless battles raging throughout the Elven Forest.

Within those scenes, demons blotted out the skies in endless swarms, covering the skies like a tide of darkness.

Meanwhile, the players fought with fearless determination, charging forward again and again despite the overwhelming enemy forces before them.

At the same time, her Mythical-rank subordinates struggled desperately against the siege of the Abyssal Myths.

Seeing these scenes, the joy Evé had just felt after her advancement immediately faded.

Her expression gradually turned cold, and a dangerous glint surfaced within her gaze.

“Heh… do these demons really think the players and my believers have no one backing them up?”

With a curt snort, divine power surged around Evé as she summoned the Gate of Reversal, preparing to return.

However, at that very instant, she paused slightly as her gaze shifted toward the ocean beyond the continent of Mindel.

Evé’s eyes gradually turned ice cold.

“Hmph, so you actually dared to come in here?”

“Perfect. Azazel still lacks some lackeys, and the Labyrinth Dungeon still needs more personnel. Fine, have it your way. I’ll use you to test my new power first…”

→⟐←

Beyond the continent of Mindel, deep within its ocean.

Inside an underwater city established by the Storm Murlocs.

Suddenly, the seawater churned violently as corrupted divine power rippled outward. Under the fearful and reverent gazes of the Murloc priests, a huge majestic figure slowly appeared upon the central altar of the city.

The moment the figure appeared, it instantly vanished, leaving only the Murlocs kneeling upon the ground in continuous prayer.

The next second, the majestic figure appeared above the surface of the sea.

It was none other than the Fifth Demon Lord, Leviathan, the deity who governed the three divine authorities of Jealousy, Ocean, and Storms.

He slowly raised his head, his expression solemn as he looked toward the sun in the sky.

Golden light surrounded the sun, while mysterious runes continued to orbit around it. Yet in Leviathan’s eyes, it was evident that those runes had undergone some subtle changes…

At the same time, within Leviathan’s perception, the world’s limit on power levels had also changed. Now, it was no longer restricted to the Demigod rank, but had instead risen to the Mythical rank.

Such a phenomenon could only occur under two circumstances.

The first was the elevation of the world’s magical energy level, such as becoming a Mythical Realm or an Abyssal World.

The second was the appearance of its ruler, wherein a Mythical-rank existence had successfully fused with the world’s origin core, thereby becoming the Master of the Realm, which forcibly altered the upper limit of divine power the world could accommodate through their authority.

Although the mana density of Mindel had indeed changed and, for unknown reasons, increased greatly compared to before, it was still far from the level of a Mythical Realm, nor had it been dragged into the Abyss.

That left only one possibility…

“It already has a master? This world actually now has a master? No… how is this possible? Could it be that she… no… how could she possibly accomplish such a thing? That’s impossible!”

Leviathan’s face was filled with disbelief.

And just as he stared at the sun in shock and fury, a cold and ethereal voice suddenly echoed from behind him:

“And what exactly is impossible?”

The moment he heard that voice, Leviathan’s expression stiffened slightly.

His face darkened as he slowly turned around.

There stood the Goddess of Life, less than a hundred meters behind him.

Feeling the overwhelming divine power radiating from her body, Leviathan’s expression immediately grew serious.

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

“I have truly underestimated you. Not only did you defeat that fellow, but to think that you actually also became the Master of Mindel… Heh, Evé, it seems that if given enough time, you might really become a new World Tree through that Tree of Life…”

“But unfortunately… your strength is still too weak. A mere Intermediate Divine Pow—”

He never finished his sentence.

Because within his perception, the divine power surrounding the other person suddenly rise at a terrifying speed…

The true body of the World Tree could not move, so the one Evé had brought here was still her divine incarnation.

However, after advancing to Higher Divine Power, her incarnation had likewise undergone a transformation.

Although it still could not freely deploy a domain like her true body, it was now capable of wielding the power of a True God at the Higher Divine Power rank.

Under Leviathan’s stunned gaze, divine power surged around Eve’s incarnation as her power instantly broke through a certain boundary.

“Higher… Divine Power…”

Leviathan’s eyes widened, his pupils filled with shock and disbelief.

“N-No… that’s impossible!”

His expression became incomparably distorted.

Yet no matter how unwilling he was to accept it, the overwhelming divine aura coming off Evé could not deceive him.

Boundless pressure spread continuously outward, carrying a force capable of destroying heaven and earth.

Had the wielder of that power not been Evé, the Master of the Realm, who was capable of controlling the world’s limit of endurance, then perhaps the entire world of Mindel might have begun collapsing at that very instant…

Even so, the space around Evé continued to distort endlessly.

Were it not for the golden runes suppressing it one after another, the surrounding void would likely have shattered immediately.

Leviathan did not hesitate in the slightest as his figure instantly dissipated.

The next moment, he reappeared before the altar through which he had initially emerged.

Under the reverent gazes of the Murloc priests, he immediately leapt onto the altar without hesitation, preparing to withdraw from this world.

However, as the somewhat disheveled Lord of the Sea returned, the surrounding Murlocs’ expressions shifted from reverence to shock and confusion, as though they could not comprehend what had transpired.

Just as Leviathan was about to depart, a streak of sword light suddenly slashed forth from the void itself.

Sensing the terrifying power of laws contained within that strike, Leviathan’s expression changed slightly as he hurriedly dodged aside.

The sword light descended without mercy, instantly reducing the entire altar to dust. A massive scar resembling an ocean trench was carved across the seabed, stretching for tens of thousands of kilometers.

In the same instant, the murloc city on the ocean floor was swallowed whole as magma erupted violently from beneath the seabed, tearing through the ancient seabed crust.

Terrifying waves of energy spread outward in all directions as the seawater churned and roiled like a boiling abyss.

To Leviathan’s horror, he discovered that the passageway connecting Mindel to the Abyss had been completely severed.

“The Sword of Damocles…”

He spoke through clenched teeth.

At the same time, deep fear and apprehension filled his gaze.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, Leviathan directly detonated the divine power within his body, choosing to self-destruct.

Yet at that very moment, a crimson flash streaked across the waters and sank into his body, causing him to instantly lose control over his divine power.

Leviathan’s expression changed drastically.

Meanwhile, as Evé looked upon Leviathan, who had been restrained by the Withering Heart, she frowned slightly.

“Tsk, just a mere incarnation…”

She carefully examined the Fifth Demon Lord from head to toe, her expression carrying a trace of disappointment.

No wonder he had chosen to flee immediately after witnessing her reveal that she had advanced to Higher Divine Power, without even attempting to deploy his domain.

It turned out that his current form was merely an incarnation.

However, since it was only an incarnation, why had he even bothered to flee in the first place?

A trace of confusion surfaced within Evé’s mind.

But soon, as she carefully scrutinized Leviathan’s fearful eyes, her heart suddenly stirred.

After carefully sensing for a brief moment, Eve’s eyes brightened slightly.

She cast Leviathan a meaningful glance before suddenly smiling.

“So that’s how it is.”

Then, she raised the Sword of Damocles once more.

Leviathan’s expression changed dramatically.

“P-Please wait! Lady Evé! I…”

Evé glanced at him without hesitation and brought the sword down in a single strike.

Accompanied by a dazzling burst of radiance, a platinum-golden sword light swept downward and struck Leviathan’s body.

As he looked upon the descending golden brilliance, traces of shock, fury, and panic flashed through Leviathan’s eyes.

“No—!”

His voice was swiftly drowned beneath the endless sword radiance.

With a single strike from the sword, Leviathan’s body was severed into two halves.

Under Damocles’ law of absolute severance, his incarnation rapidly cracked apart and shattered.

Only two hazy clusters of light remained suspended within the water.

One radiated a deep ocean-blue glow, looking mysterious and magnificent.

The other was smaller, surrounded by swirling white cyclones.

With a gentle wave of her hand, Evé gathered them into her grasp.

As her gaze swept across the two clusters of light, new information surfaced within her field of vision:

【Ocean Divinity】【Storm Divinity】

Evé smiled faintly before storing the two divinities away.

At that moment, she finally understood how Leviathan had managed to gather faith despite possessing the body of a demon.

The power system of Demon Lords determined that they fundamentally could not obtain the power of faith in the same manner as faith-based gods.

For Evil Gods, what believers provided was not faith, but the power of fear.

It turned out that from the very beginning, Leviathan had never fully fused the Ocean Divinity with his true body.

Instead, he had separated an incarnation of himself, using both the Ocean and Storm Divinities as its core, thereby creating a Sea God incarnation whose divine power could infinitely approach Higher Divine Power, yet would never truly reach that rank.

Had Evé merely destroyed the incarnation through ordinary means, the Ocean and Storm Divinities would undoubtedly have returned to Leviathan once more.

But unfortunately for him, she possessed the Sword of Damocles.

Its power of absolute severance granted Evé the ability to cut apart all things. At the instant she wielded the divine sword with the overwhelming might of Higher Divine Power and severed the connection between the incarnation’s divinity and Leviathan’s true body, those divinities no longer belonged to him.

“What a pity. I originally wanted to find Azazel another lackey.”

Evé shook her head with slight regret.

“Oh well, I’ll just look for another Evil God instead.”

The next moment, her figure gradually faded from view and disappeared completely.

→⟐←

The Abyss, Third Layer of Hell.

Within the Demon Lord’s Palace, Leviathan, the Fifth Demon Lord seated high upon his divine throne, suddenly trembled before violently coughing up a mouthful of pitch-black blood.

His aura instantly collapsed and weakened, his power destabilizing in an uncontrollable surge, nearly dropping below the rank of Higher Divine Power in an instant.

His expression was filled with terror and fury, his face twisted with hatred as he ground his teeth and roared:

“Eve!!!”

But soon afterward, Leviathan’s expression changed once again.

“This is bad!”

“Notify every Abyssal Legion, retreat immediately!”

〘 PREVIOUS 〙

〘 NEXT 〙

— —