I Reborn as a God Within a Statue, And You Ask Me to Enslave All Gods?-Chapter 173 --The Vast Gap

The ferocious evil devotee was obliterated almost in an instant.

The other divine devotees trailing behind Thomas and his companions stood frozen in shock. They stared, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. What kind of terrifying power was this?

In a single encounter, those dark god devotees didn’t even have a chance to react before they were completely annihilated.

It felt like a dream—utterly surreal.

If not for the carnage that littered the battlefield—the blood-soaked ground and the pungent stench of iron hanging heavy in the air—they might’ve believed they had imagined the entire scene.

It was just too unbelievable.

They vividly recalled their own gods warning them repeatedly: should they ever encounter other dark god devotees, they were to go all out. The enemy devotees were not to be underestimated.

And yet, the moment they set foot on the battlefield, those supposedly powerful dark god devotees lay strewn across the ground, their bodies torn and bloodied. There had been no need for the new arrivals to even lift a finger.

All they could do now was report hurriedly to their respective gods:

"Great One, the dark god devotees have been completely annihilated!"

The truth was, Thomas and his group were simply too powerful.

The others hadn’t even had a chance to make a move. They could only stand and watch in awe as Thomas and his comrades tore through their enemies like a hurricane through dry leaves.

Soon, with the titanic footfalls of the Life Giant pounding the earth, the dark god devotees approaching from the other four directions were likewise crushed the moment they appeared—reduced to misty sprays of blood and gore.

Once these dark god devotees had been eliminated, Thomas promptly turned to deliver his report to Owen:

"Great Deus Initium, the dark god devotees have been swiftly dealt with!"

Frank, meanwhile, looked up at the divine throne with deep reverence. His eyes locked onto the figure of Deus Initium—Owen—sitting high above.

Having just witnessed the annihilation of the enemy devotees, Frank cast his gaze toward the depths of the fog, where he saw, atop a verdant mountain range, five massive thrones.

Seated on those thrones were figures that radiated divine majesty—gods of immense presence.

Yet, as Frank’s eyes lingered on them, an odd feeling stirred within him.

Somehow... somehow, he sensed that their combat strength wasn’t higher than his own.

Compared to Owen—Deus Initium—those dark gods were nothing but trash!

The difference was simply astronomical.

An overwhelming desire surged in Frank’s chest—a temptation to test that feeling, to prove whether it was truly a misjudgment... or if those lofty, high-and-mighty dark gods really were just that unimpressive.

But having already experienced a god-battle firsthand, Frank understood: once the devotee battle concluded, it would no longer be their stage.

Next up would be the clash between Vassal Gods, Infernal Envoys, and ghosts.

Owen cast a sweeping glance over the fired-up Frank and the others. The earlier battle, as earth-shattering as it was, had been nothing more than a warm-up.

Compared to those dark god devotees, their own levels and strengths were on a completely different tier—a crushing difference.

Just then, a glowing line of text surfaced before Owen’s eyes:

[Please select a Vassal God to engage in battle!]

As the text appeared, so did the images of all his subordinate Vassal Gods, one by one, presented clearly before him.

"The strongest god on the opposing side is only a 2-star Ancient God," Owen muttered to himself. "And they don’t even have any proper Vassal Gods under their command. Even if they do, they’re probably insignificant."

Knowing the enemy’s strength wasn’t anything remarkable, he saw no reason to deploy all of his Vassal Gods.

A decision quickly formed in his mind.

"James, take a few Infernal Envoys with you. That should be more than enough to achieve total domination."

The moment Owen made his decision, a tall and imposing figure began to materialize on the green plains before him.

"A Vassal God?"

Lassal, who had been watching Owen closely, immediately noticed that only one Vassal God had appeared by his side.

He had been feeling defeated a moment ago, but now, joy once again lit up his face.

"As I thought! Most of his energy went into cultivating his devotees. I, on the other hand, have pursued balanced development—I have three Vassal Gods!"

Elated, Lassal felt triumphant once again.

But had he probed more seriously, he might have noticed that the aura surrounding James, though concealed and ominous, was anything but ordinary.

This wasn’t just any 1-star Vassal God. This was a peak 1-star Vassal God—an entity at the extreme limit of that rank!

This placed James an entire major tier above Lassal’s subordinates.

A half-Godhood rank difference—an overwhelming gap that no number advantage could overcome.

As James appeared, more and more Infernal Envoys began emerging around him, each exuding the freezing, soul-chilling aura of Hell. The infernal energy swirling around James obscured much of his presence, rendering detailed spiritual perception difficult.

Otherwise, they might have immediately noticed the true terror of his power.

"A peak 1-star Vassal God?!"

"And so many elite Infernal Envoys as well?!"

Unlike Lassal, the other three gods had long suspected that Owen was anything but simple. After all, even his devotees were this overwhelming. Naturally, his Vassal Gods had to be extraordinary as well.

So, they had made the effort to probe.

And what they found left them speechless.

A peak 1-star Vassal God?!

They knew full well that many gods still hadn’t even reached the 1-star Ancient God stage. And yet, Owen’s subordinate Vassal God had already reached the peak of the 1-star realm?

That was horrifying!

A Vassal God of this caliber could surpass the combat power of most gods themselves!

And yet, he was merely a subordinate to Owen.

Upon hearing this, Lassal’s excitement evaporated. His face turned black as ink. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

A peak 1-star Vassal God?

Wasn’t the earlier devotee battle already ridiculous enough?

Now even his Vassal Gods were monstrous?

He was certain—his own three Vassal Gods wouldn’t stand a chance against this James.

The difference in Godhood rank was simply insurmountable. As a god, Lassal now understood that reality more deeply than ever.

With Owen sending out a peak 1-star Vassal God, it was like watching a father discipline his children.

This wasn’t a battle—it was a slaughter.

The opposing side wouldn’t have even the slightest chance.

"This bastard..." Lassal stared at Owen with trembling lips, his scalp tingling, his heart sinking into utter despair.

This time, the first place... was certainly out of his reach.

"Still," Lassal thought, a faint glimmer of hope reigniting in his chest, "second place isn’t impossible."

Aside from that freak Owen, he truly believed no other god could compare to him.

Just then, a thunderous roar echoed across the battlefield.

A massive Rainbow Bridge, stretching across the void, suddenly manifested before them. Its shimmering radiance was laced with an icy killing intent that instantly engulfed the entire battlefield.

The battle of the Vassal Gods had officially begun!

At that moment, every single Vassal God present had only one thought:

Kill!

James was already familiar with such scenes. Without hesitation, he raised his arm and charged forward like a warlord leading his troops into a storm.

Behind him, the Infernal Envoys followed in unison. Each of them gripped their Hell’s Scythe tightly, their shadows merging into an overwhelming tide of blackness as they surged ahead.

As James made his move, the summoned Vassal Gods from the other factions instinctively followed suit, also dashing toward the center of the Rainbow Bridge.

In no time, the Vassal Gods from both sides clashed violently in the heart of the bridge.

However, contrary to what the dark gods had envisioned—an intense, evenly-matched battle—it was a massacre.

A complete and utter one-sided massacre!

That massive, imposing Vassal God—James—struck only once.

Just one swing.

And the Vassal God before him was sliced cleanly in two. The expression of disbelief was still frozen on the severed face when the corpse turned to mist and dispersed into nothingness.

One-hit kill.

An absolute, overwhelming one-hit kill.

The other Vassal Gods watched, aghast, as James plowed forward like a tiger charging into a flock of sheep, conducting a ruthless solo slaughter.

Even the other 1-star Vassal Gods, no matter how fiercely they activated their god skills or how desperately they tried to resist, couldn’t withstand a single blow from him.

And the most terrifying part?

James wasn’t even using his god skills.

He didn’t need to.

The difference in Godhood rank was so vast that ordinary, unaugmented strikes were more than enough.

He didn’t need to display flashy power—just a single, plain, unembellished swing of his scythe... and another Vassal God vanished.

Even if they had been 1-star gods from other planes, facing that casual blow, they too would have perished without resistance.

"What terrifying power! His Vassal God’s combat ability is insane!"

"Even a peak 1-star Ancient God might not survive against him!"

"And he’s just a Vassal God—not even a true Ancient God!"

Watching James demolish the opposition with such ease, Lassal and the three other gods were left reeling in disbelief.

James hadn’t used a single god skill from beginning to end!

"We all descended into this realm at the same time. So why is his Godhood rank improving so much faster than ours?"

"Exactly! Whether it’s his devotees or Vassal Gods, all of them are unbelievably strong. It’s like he’s cheating!"

At that moment, all four gods plunged into a deep spiral of self-doubt.

They had been selected to accompany Owen because they were among the finest—whether in talent, opportunity, or diligence, they believed they stood at the top.

But now, standing on this battlefield, watching Owen’s performance...

They began to feel as though the gap between them and him wasn’t just growing.

It had become immeasurable.

It was as if Owen was standing on a summit so high... they could no longer even see his shadow.