Awakening：The Infinite Evolution of My Talent as a Low-Level Awakener

The assassination plot—how long these indigenous forces had been planning it was anyone's guess—was entirely driven by the intention to annihilate the nation of Orichalcum in one fell swoop.

If the assassination teams sent by the Southern and Northern War Preparedness Zones were anything like the one here, these two regions would undoubtedly fall! The gap in the royal city would be brutally exposed and easily exploited!

"Dammit! These natives are utterly despicable and treacherous!

I must contact the royal city for reinforcements, or else, if they succeed, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

The smile on Morette's face, which had appeared when he successfully invited Sterl, instantly vanished, replaced by a serious and urgent expression. This was nearly a matter of the royal city's survival.

Even though he had managed to recruit this powerful and mysterious figure, if the north and south were to be overtaken, it would create a gap in the strength of the gods—essentially a difference of ten gods' worth of combat power. Adding in the Ashen army's two formations, it would be a twelve-god gap. Even with this mysterious powerhouse named Hades, Morette didn't think he could face such a number of gods in one battle.

After all, when numerous gods unite, the combined might of their Law Powers and divine authorities can easily suppress any individual of equal rank, to the point where they cannot even release their Divine Power. To Morette, Hades was indeed powerful, but he could only be considered roughly equivalent to three or four weaker gods at the Divine Power level.

As for the earlier attack, it was simply this powerful figure taking advantage of the Ashen gods' focus on him to set up a long-planned sneak attack. In a direct confrontation, there was no way the battle could have been so easily resolved.

"Contact the royal city? No need."

Sterl waved his hand dismissively. Such an intense battle among gods could not have gone unnoticed by the royal city of Orichalcum. Reinforcements had already been dispatched, but they were being delayed by those reckless legendary demigods. It would be impossible for them to arrive in time.

As for sending more reinforcements, the gods of Orichalcum were no fools. They had probably already guessed that, given the situation in the three War Preparedness Zones, sending more gods would only serve to offer up their lives as sacrifices to the indigenous forces. Under such circumstances, the only viable strategy was to retreat to the royal city, fortify it, and rely on its strength to buy time and a chance to catch their breath amidst the heavy losses.

"This... Mr. Hades, though these natives are despicable, their strength cannot be underestimated. What if they have other ambushes waiting? If it's just the two of us, we may be in danger," Morette spoke, his voice tinged with concern, and he began contacting the royal city's forces through special channels. However, after a brief moment, his expression darkened, and his face grew grim.

Because the message he had sent was completely blocked by some kind of force, unable to reach the royal city, the power behind it immediately reminded him of the Shielding Power that had once helped conceal the gods of the Ashen forces.

As expected, the enemy was fully prepared for a total war with the nation of Orichalcum and had no qualms about their actions. This was an all-out attempt to sever the three War Preparedness Zones completely.

Sensing the gaze of Hades beside him, Morette's mood continued to sink. He attempted several more times to contact the royal city but still couldn't get through.

"Don't waste your time. Let's go. Ashen is nothing. I can handle them on my own."

Sterl spoke with an air of mystery.

"Ashen is like small potatoes before me, hardly worth mentioning."

Hearing this, Morette stiffened slightly. The Ashen forces were, without a doubt, one of the most powerful indigenous factions in this world, almost on par with Orichalcum itself. But in Sterl's mouth, they were small potatoes? Was this confidence or arrogance?

Looking at Hades, Morette saw that his expression was calm and indifferent, radiating an air of absolute disregard for everything around him, as though nothing mattered. There was also a hint of an overbearing fearlessness, as if he truly believed that, by himself, he could handle the situation. Perhaps... he really could do it.

Sterl inwardly chuckled as he observed Morette's reaction. He had intentionally shaped his personality to appear arrogant and domineering, hoping to lower the vigilance of the Orichalcum gods. He wanted them to believe that Sterl was just a mercenary powerhouse who worked for money, with no ulterior motives or schemes.

It seemed like he had already achieved that goal, at least to a large extent.

"Let's clear the trash in the north first, then return to assist the south."

He glanced at the map module and spoke decisively.

At that moment, the Northern War Preparedness Zone had become as precarious as the Eastern one had been earlier. Aside from the god with dual divine authority, who was barely holding on, the other three gods were severely injured after being surrounded by four others of equal rank.

As for the south, it was slightly better. The God of Thieves' assassination attempt had failed, and while one of the gods in the Southern War Preparedness Zone had been gravely injured, there was at least no immediate risk of a fatality.

Therefore, Sterl had no intention of assisting the south just yet. What he wanted to see was not Orichalcum's victory over Ashen, but rather the two sides tearing each other apart in a bitter dogfight, both suffering heavy losses.

He needed to wait until the south had suffered the same kind of losses as the north and east before making his move. For now, the situation needed to be delayed.

Morette didn't overthink the situation. Since he didn't have access to a map module, he couldn't see the status of the northern and southern zones. If he had known, he would have immediately rushed to support the south, which might have ensured that no major losses were sustained there.

Otherwise, if he headed to the north and then returned, by the time he made it back, the south might have already been on the brink of collapse, and no one would be able to assist in time.

Before long, Morette followed Sterl, flying toward the Northern War Preparedness Zone. Along the way, Sterl deliberately slowed his pace and even began leading Morette in circles. After all, no gods had died in the Northern War Preparedness Zone yet. At least two or three more needed to fall before he would make his move.

Otherwise, if he went there too soon, the Ashen forces might suffer even heavier losses, and the Orichalcum gods would gain even more combat strength. That would diminish his own absolute value in the eyes of both sides.

At that very moment, in the Northern War Preparedness Zone, the Orichalcum forces were being fiercely resisted by the Ashen gods. Diana, the dual-divine-authority goddess who controlled Archery and Swamps Divine Authority, was struggling to hold off their relentless assault.

Everything had happened so suddenly, without warning. The Ashen God of Ghosts had somehow infiltrated the area and unleashed his most powerful abilities, assassinating one of the gods before launching a barrage of attacks like a violent storm.

Looking down at the fierce battle, the soldiers of the Northern War Preparedness Zone were retreating steadily. These were warriors of at least third-class rank, top-tier fighters in the outside world, yet they were being butchered and trampled by the Ashen forces as if they were nothing more than livestock, completely powerless to fight back.

Perhaps it was due to the current degradation of her divine power, but Diana felt a wave of pity rise within her. A beautiful, sorrowful expression appeared on her face, and for a moment, she seemed almost like a mortal in her empathy for the suffering of her soldiers.

This display only fueled the Ashen gods' excitement. They watched as Diana's perfect curves and her noble divine nature were revealed in battle, stoking the flames of their base, human desires.

They could barely resist the urge to suppress her on the spot, to publicly violate and humiliate her in front of so many soldiers below!

However, while Diana's strength was comparable to his own, and the god who commanded Flame and Curse was even a bit stronger, her abilities were particularly troublesome. She avoided direct confrontations with him, using her Swamp Law and Archery Law to delay him from a distance, buying time as she waited for reinforcements from the royal city.

Not only that, she occasionally loosed an arrow to support the other three gods who were barely holding their own. Without her aid, those gods would have long since been slain one by one.

Even so, the three gods were now in a desperate situation. Their Divine Power was almost entirely depleted, and after maintaining a state of heightened tension for so long, they were utterly exhausted.

At that moment, a terrifying force suddenly gathered in the army below. Nearly ten demigods, along with a number of legendary third-class warriors, combined their strength with the power of the military formations, unleashing a force that reached the level of gods.

But instead of targeting Diana, as in the Eastern War Preparedness Zone, the assault was aimed directly at the other three gods!

The sudden ambush caught the three gods completely off guard. They had no time to react, especially under the relentless assault of four enemy gods. Even though Diana sensed something was wrong, she was unable to provide any support in time.

A deafening explosion rang out!

One of the gods was instantly enveloped by the force of the military formation. A mix of powers tore through his Divine Power barrier, and simultaneously, the other two gods seized the opportunity and launched a lethal strike!

The god let out a chilling scream as his Divine Power shattered, his divine authority crumbled, and even his very soul turned to ash—there was no possibility of resurrection.

"We're done for."

Diana's heart sank.

The situation had already been dire, but with one more god now dead, the entire battlefront would collapse in an instant!

"Hahaha! Did you see that? This is the wisdom of Ashen! You foolish invaders will pay for your actions!"

The God of Curse and Flame laughed maniacally, continuously releasing waves of powerful flame to suppress Diana. In the midst of the chaos, Diana's focus was compromised, and she unwittingly found herself afflicted by a weakening curse!

This was no ordinary curse—it was the power of divine authority and Law, a force only gods could wield!

Immediately, a wave of weakness washed over Diana. At the same time, another scream echoed, and another god from Orichalcum fell.

Before long, the last remaining god, surrounded by four enemies of equal rank and the army below, which was now on par with divine strength, could only let out a final, angry roar before being completely overwhelmed by the various Law Powers.

Once that was done, the four Ashen gods, their strength now freed up, immediately moved to surround Diana. They closed in, trapping her from all sides.