Chapter 848

【 OATH RENEWAL 】

Hodur vanished into nothingness.

Similarly, his Divine Kingdom of Darkness and Shadow, which had clashed violently with the Kingdom of the Dead, trembled slightly before collapsing with a thunderous roar along with its master.

From afar, all that could be seen was the spectacular sight of a shattered Divine Kingdom filling the sky, with the Goddess of Death standing at the very center of it all in midair.

Eventually she put away the Scythe in her hand, its radiance somewhat dimmed while the Divinity of Darkness and Divinity of Shadows left behind after Hodur’s fall transformed into two profound streams of light—one black and one gray—before returning to Hela’s hands.

She gently clenched her hand and put away the two Divinities. Then, her dignified gaze slowly swept across the undead confronting one another on the battlefield.

“Hodur, the traitor, has fallen. In the name of the Netherworld’s True Master, I grant all of you, his servants, a choice: either submit to me… or perish…”

Her voice was dignified and solemn, resounding throughout the Netherworld, traveling far and wide.

At that moment, the entire world seemed to have fallen completely silent.

Upon witnessing the fall of the True God they worshipped and hearing Hela’s divine decree, some of the fanatical believers and divine envoys of the Lord of Darkness and Shadow were left dazed.

For a moment, they simply stood there in disbelief, unable to accept that their revered Patron Deity had fallen so suddenly. Their faces were filled with grief, and some even trembled as they stared blankly at the fragments of their Lord’s shattered Divine Kingdom.

Then, their expressions gradually twisted with ferocity.

Driven by grief, despair, and blind fanaticism, they let out furious cries and charged toward Hela like madmen, seemingly determined to avenge their fallen Lord even at the cost of their own lives…

However, they did not get very far.

Hela merely glanced at them.

In that instant, an invisible and terrifying pressure descended upon the battlefield and every resisting existence trembled violently. Their expressions contorted in pain as their bodies were seized by an irresistible force. Then, under the influence of that mysterious power, their bodies suddenly exploded into fragments and were reduced to dust…

There was no struggle, nor was there any opportunity to resist.

This was the authority of the Netherworld’s Sovereign. Every existence belonging to the Netherworld was subject to the restrictions of its master, who held absolute dominion over their life and death.

Seeing this, Hodur’s servants who were still struggling widened their eyes in disbelief. Their bodies instinctively trembled as the realization of what had happened finally sank in.

They could no longer suppress the shock and fear in their hearts. The fanaticism in their eyes gradually faded, replaced by profound awe as they looked toward Hela.

Clatter.

No one knew who had been the first to throw down their weapon.

The crisp sound of metal striking the ground seemed especially conspicuous amid the sudden silence. Soon, the soldiers of the Undead Legion who had just been fighting against the Heroic Spirit Army of Death began throwing down their weapons one after another…

A continuous series of weapons striking the ground rang out across the battlefield. One after another, the Netherworld creatures who had participated in the rebellion finally abandoned their resistance. The Shadow Monsters, who had previously fought with terrifying ferocity, also trembled in fear and crawled onto the ground, no longer daring to make the slightest move.

The tide of the battle had completely turned.

Everyone slowly knelt in Hela’s direction, lowering their heads in submission.

Even the God of Eternal Slumber and the Lady of Silence were no exception.

Their gazes were complicated yet filled with awe. They likewise abandoned their resistance, withdrew their divine power, and bowed before the Goddess of Death…

The Patron Lord they had followed had already fallen. As Netherworld True Gods who had not even reached Intermediate Divine Power, they had no qualifications to resist at all. Faced with the absolute authority of the new Netherworld Sovereign, any struggle would only be futile.

Thus, they could only bow their heads in submission and plead for the forgiveness of the new supreme master of the Netherworld.

“Hail, Sovereign of the Netherworld, Goddess of Death, Her Majesty Hela…”

They lowered their proud heads and respectfully bowed before Hela, their voices carrying a mixture of reverence and fear.

Following the actions of the two mythical beings, the other Netherworld creatures belonging to the Undead Legion also lowered their heads and respectfully echoed:

“Hail, Sovereign of the Netherworld, Goddess of Death, Her Majesty Hela…”

The immense voice slowly resounded throughout the vicinity, spreading farther and farther until it seemed to reverberate across the entire Netherworld.

Meanwhile, on another battlefield, in the underground region of Seigués…

All the Temples of Death that enshrined Hela’s holy statues began glowing with a profound light as divine radiance shot into the sky one after another…

At that moment, an invisible change seemed to sweep across the entire region.

Every believer who worshipped the Goddess of Death felt a faint tremor deep within their hearts.

The priests of the Church of Death were the first to realize what had happened.

They stared in shock at the power continuously surging through their bodies. They could feel their connection with the Essence of Death rapidly growing stronger, while their faith, which had mysteriously reconnected, underwent a tremendous sublimation.

The divine power flowing through them was purer and more profound than before. Even their perception of the laws of death seemed to have become clearer.

Their faces were filled with surprise and excitement, realizing that the Goddess of Death had undergone a transformation.

And this transformation had also brought an unprecedented blessing to all her believers.

Then, one after another, they knelt in the direction of Hela’s holy statues and bowed in worship, their hearts filled with reverence and joy.

“Praise the Goddess of Death…”

Their solemn voices echoed throughout the temples.

Soon, countless believers followed their example and knelt down, offering their prayers to the Goddess whose presence had once again become so clear within their hearts.

At the same time, on the battlefield outside, the Shadow Army participating in the siege suddenly lost control and began slaughtering one another.

The situation spiraled completely out of control. The Dark City-State Alliance could no longer control the Shadow Monsters, and the army that had once moved under their command immediately turned against itself, causing the alliance to suffer a devastating backlash.

Meanwhile, the Dark Priests of the Dark Alliance collapsed onto the ground one after another, their gazes vacant and their expressions filled with disbelief. Quite a few of them even burst into tears…

They could clearly sense that the divine power they had once relied upon was rapidly fading. The connection between them and their Lord had been severed, leaving behind only an empty and terrifying silence.

Brin, the Chief of the Blade City, was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Dark Alliance army, which had just been fighting the elves with overwhelming momentum, had suddenly descended into chaos and was rapidly collapsing.

“What happened?”

He looked toward the temple, his eyes filled with astonishment.

“It’s Her Majesty the Goddess of Death! Her Majesty has become the true master of the Netherworld!”

The voice of Firebeard, Death’s Godwarden, came from nearby. Tears streamed down his face, and his expression was filled with fervent excitement.

As the Godwarden of the Goddess of Death, he was connected to their Patron Deity through a mysterious spiritual resonance. Thus, no one understood what had happened better than he did.

The Goddess of Death had succeeded.

She had truly become the supreme ruler of the Netherworld.

“The true master of the Netherworld…”

Brin’s eyes widened.

As a believer in the Goddess of Death, there was no one who did not understand what this title meant…

It meant that the deity they worshipped had officially become the supreme ruler of the Netherworld and had stepped into the rank of Higher Divine Power!

At that moment, Brin finally understood why the situation on the battlefield had changed so abruptly.

His expression soon turned excited, and he likewise knelt in the direction of the temple.

“Praise the Great Sovereign of Death, Master of the Netherworld!”

༺⟐༻

On August 2, 1072 of the Eternal Era, the Goddess of Death, Hela, ascended to Higher Divine Power and officially unified the Netherworld.

On the same day, Hodur, the Lord of Darkness and Shadow fell, and the Church of Darkness became a thing of the past.

The Dark Alliance army also collapsed, whereas the City-State Alliance and the Elven reinforcements formed a coalition army and launched a counterattack against the Dark City-State Alliance…

But that was a story for later.

With the Dark Alliance having lost the protection of their Patron Lord and suffered the backlash of the uncontrollable Shadow Army, the Dark City-State Alliance’s ability to resist had been greatly weakened.

Rather than calling what followed a war, it would be more accurate to describe it as a one-sided advance that completely crushed the opposition…

The Church of Death achieved victory after victory, and the underground region, which had been plunged into a crisis of faith, finally saw the dawn of unification.

However, Hela’s ascension to Higher Divine Power on August 2 was not the only event that shook the entire universe.

There was another.

During this civil war in the Netherworld, another famous figure had appeared.

It was the Goddess of Life, Evé, who had gradually become active in Seigués several years ago and had ascended to Higher Divine Power at an astonishing and unstoppable rate…

—No.

She could no longer simply be called the Goddess of Life.

While assisting Hela in suppressing the rebellion, she had formally revealed her true identity.

She was none other than the Master of the Silver Era, who had been besieged by the Heavenly Gods a thousand years ago and ultimately fallen, the World Tree, Yggdrasill!

For a moment, the gazes of one mythical being after another turned toward the Netherworld and the World of Seigués. Some were enlightened, some relieved, some complicated, some wary, some horrified, and some grim…

The World Tree Yggdrasill…

It was not merely a name.

It was a symbol of an entire era.

In the Kingdom of the Dead, Hela stood atop a towering mountain, her expression languid and her gaze playful.

“I originally thought that after ascending to Higher Divine Power, I would become the focus of the entire Cosmos, but I never expected you to steal the spotlight from me so quickly.”

Evé smiled.

“There is no longer any need to hide my identity and that was the perfect time for me to officially step onto the center stage.”

She stood beside Hela and looked down the mountain.

There, countless tiny figures were moving about. They were the innumerable undead and Heroic Spirits repairing the Divine Kingdom of Death that had suffered through the recent war.

Hela also looked in that direction. After a moment, she withdrew her gaze and sighed.

“Your Grace Evé… thank you for your support. I never expected my ascension to come so quickly. I had not even had time to prepare, thereby allowing Hodur to take advantage of the situation.”

“If it weren’t for you, I might have suffered tremendous losses this time.”

Evé smiled faintly and shook her head.

“We are allies. Helping each other is only natural.”

Hela was about to say something, but Evé interrupted her.

“Your Majesty Hela, do not make a decision so quickly. I know the path we agreed upon was only supposed to last until my identity was exposed. However, I would like to continue discussing these matters with you.”

“Now that you have ascended to Higher Divine Power… I think there is a place you should perhaps go and see as well…”

Evé’s gaze was sincere.

Upon hearing her words, Hela let out a deep sigh.

“I think… I know what place you mean. That is precisely what I wanted to say as well.”

As she spoke, she looked at Evé, her gaze profound.

“You mean the Cradle of Origin, don’t you?”

A trace of surprise appeared in Evé’s eyes, but Hela continued.

“After ascending to Higher Divine Power, I obtained the complete inheritance of the Primordial God of Death, Lord Yeager… and learned certain things about our Universe.”

“Lord Yeager was once a friend of Lord Neo and knew many of the secrets of the Universe. Before his fall, he concealed all the secrets he knew within the inheritance of the Netherworld’s True Heir.”

“Those secrets could only be obtained after becoming the True Master of the Netherworld.”

“I think… I already know what you wanted to tell me.”

“At the same time, I finally understand… why Lord Yeager chose me as his successor and instructed me to become friends with you in the future.”

Hela sighed softly, her expression complicated.

She raised her hand. Divine power rippled outward, and profound essence of Death gathered at her fingertips, transforming into various incredible divine miracles. Yet deep within her eyes was a trace of melancholy.

“I originally thought that ascending to Higher Divine Power and becoming the true master of the Netherworld would allow me to fully control my own destiny. I never expected… that I was merely a bird content to amuse itself inside a cage…”

“Then… would you like to see what lies beyond the cage?”

Evé put away her smile and asked solemnly.

Hela fell silent.

She slowly turned around and met Evé’s profound gaze.

After a moment, she smiled faintly.

“Of course…”

“As a True God, how could I willingly spend my entire life deceiving myself and hiding within a prison destined to decay?”

However, Hela’s tone suddenly changed.

“However…”

“I hope that, just as you did back then, you can give me a little more confidence. After all… judging from the inheritance I received upon ascending to Higher Divine Power, we do not have much time left.”

Hela’s expression was solemn and serious.

Evé was already prepared for this.

“Your Majesty Hela, actually I have already obtained control over Lord Neo’s Key.”

She went straight to the point and revealed her greatest trump card in her struggle against the Eternal Lord.

Hela was one of the True Gods Evé had befriended not long after arriving in this world. Moreover, she was not only a friend of Evé’s predecessor, but had also shown goodwill toward her.

She was a True God with whom Evé had no conflict of interest and who could become an ally when the apocalypse arrived.

Evé had already reached this conclusion long ago.

Hearing her words, Hela was slightly stunned, then her expression became enlightened.

She looked deeply at Evé and let out a long sigh.

“So that is how it is. I finally understand…”

After saying this, Hela’s expression gradually became serious.

“Your Grace Evé, are you willing to reestablish the oath that we agreed upon in the past?”

Evé smiled sincerely.

“Of course. I would be delighted to have an ally possessing Higher Divine Power, after all”

༺⟐༻

Evé remained in Hela’s Divine Kingdom for three days.

The two beings of Higher Divine Power formally established a new oath and became allies who would watch over and assist one another.

However, the purpose of this new oath had changed. It was no longer about improving their respective strength, but about something far more difficult and fundamental…

True liberation, and escaping from the Seigués Universe, which was like a prison.

Of course, this alliance was established in the Cradle of Origin. The two mythical beings ultimately took advantage of the opportunity to visit the Cradle and established the true objective of their alliance in that unmonitored place.

It was worth mentioning that Hela never mentioned the Eternal Lord from beginning to end, nor did she ask Evé what Neo’s key actually was.

This made Evé wonder whether Hela had learned some hidden secret from the inheritance she received from the Primordial God of Death, causing her to be pessimistic about the path of the Eternal Lord.

However, Evé did not press her for answers.

Every mythical being had their own secrets. Even Evé had not told Hela what Neo’s Key was or where it was. She had merely said that she already possessed the ability to control it.

As long as they sincerely helped one another, that was enough.

Hela promised that she would assist Evé in any war that might occur in the future. If Evé needed anything, she would also provide her full support.

After renewing their oath, Evé returned to her Divine Kingdom.

The first thing she planned to do after returning was to eliminate the separate dimensional space concealing her identity and allow her true body to officially appear once more outside in public.

Besides, the battle in the Netherworld had already revealed her identity to every mythical beings and now was the perfect time to reveal her true form to the ordinary living beings as well.

This time, she would not appear merely as the Goddess of Life, but as the World Tree, Evé Yggdrasill.

Whilst seated high upon her divine throne, Evé dispersed her divine incarnation, allowing her main consciousness to return to her true body.

Once again, she returned to the observational perspective of the “World Tree.”

Immediately afterward, she no longer hesitated. She transferred her true body from the separate dimensional space concealing her identity to the core region of the Elven Forest and devoured the fake withered “World Tree” that she had placed there in the past…

Radiance flashed, and space trembled as the hidden Chosen City slowly emerged outside, officially appearing in the core region of the Elven Forest once more.

Meanwhile, the withered “World Tree” regained its vitality in an instant.

It was Evé’s true body replacing the false one and once again displaying its power.

The next moment, a vast and magnificent aura, brimming with vigorous life force, officially descended upon the World of Seigués.

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