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

As Boris's massive fist was about to smash Hades into the ground, Morette couldn't help but cry out.

How could the man who seemed like an invincible deity possibly lose?

This was the same Hades who had effortlessly slain five Ashen gods, leaving them no chance to resist. So why now, against Boris, did he appear so weak?

Had Morette misjudged him?

Was it possible that Hades had relied on some rare artifact to kill the Ashen gods? Or worse, had the entire spectacle been a ruse—a carefully staged performance meant to deceive them all?

It wasn't just Morette. The other gods whom Sterl had saved wore the same expressions of doubt and disbelief.

Many of the other gods glanced at them with pity.

Hades was their chosen savior, the one they had brought back with them, and just moments ago, they had even gone along with him to deceive the high-ranking god. Even if they hadn't known, they wouldn't escape punishment entirely.

The sight of Diana's distraught and horrified expression brought a wave of schadenfreude to the watching gods.

Wasn't she just fervently supporting her so-called "god of choice"?

Now, her beloved "god" was about to be crushed before everyone's eyes, forced to kneel and beg for mercy!

The thought of this scene sent a thrill of anticipation through many gods' hearts. Their gazes locked onto the unfolding battle in the Temple Space, eagerly awaiting the moment when Hades's face would twist with panic and terror.

However, to their surprise, Hades remained expressionless, calmly observing Boris, whose overwhelming aura of violence swept across the battlefield.

It was as if he saw Boris as nothing more than air.

"He's really good at keeping up appearances," someone muttered, sneering. "Still pretending even at death's door."

"Hahaha, you don't get it, do you? He knows he's doomed. This is just his attempt to preserve a shred of dignity before the end."

"I honestly don't understand him. Why not just surrender quietly?"

"So arrogant. I've hated him from the start. Too bad Boris beat me to it."

The mocking jeers in the temple grew louder, their scorn directed at Hades, while Diana and the others grew increasingly pale.

"You'd better watch closely! The only trash here is YOU!"

Seeing Hades's unchanged demeanor, Boris let out an enraged roar. His massive sand-formed fist, brimming with divine energy, slammed down with unrelenting force.

The space trembled violently. The sheer power behind the blow seemed capable of punching through the very earth itself. Even the residual pressure radiating outward caused some of the weaker gods in the temple to feel a sense of suffocation.

This was no ordinary attack—this punch could overpower two or three gods simultaneously without effort.

BOOM!

Under the watchful eyes of dozens of gods, Boris's devastating punch completely engulfed Sterl. The combined force of his three Divine Authorities erupted simultaneously at that moment.

If this attack had taken place in the mortal world, it would have reduced an entire kingdom's capital to ruins.

This was the power of a god—enough to overturn the heavens and rend the earth, a walking catastrophe in humanoid form.

"This is the price for underestimating me."

Boris's body emanated an unstoppable divine aura as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, not even sparing a glance at Hades, whom he assumed was half-dead. He exuded the demeanor of an invincible champion.

Then, with a casual sweep of his gaze, Boris looked toward the temple's projection of the battle.

What he saw filled him with a rush of euphoria and satisfaction—the faces of the gathered gods frozen in shock, their expressions a mix of disbelief, horror, and awe.

You see that?

They were stunned, utterly blown away by his strength.

He had hidden his true power for so long, just for today, for this moment when he makes an incredible impact!

These fools—just minutes ago, they were fawning over Hades with all their concern and care. But now? He was the victor, and they must be drowning in regret.

From this day forward, the name Boris would echo throughout the royal city—no, across the entire world!

He would lead the Orichalcum Nation to crush the Ashen, subdue the world, and become its sole ruler!

"You've lost. Considering your contributions to the Orichalcum Nation, I'll spare your life. Sign the Spiritual Bond now, and from this day on, you will serve me, Boris, forever as my sla—"

Boris turned toward the battered, defeated Hades as he spoke. But as soon as his eyes landed on the scene before him, the words caught in his throat.

Your next read is at empire

His eyes widened in disbelief, his body frozen in place, utterly shocked by what he was seeing.

Before him lay a massive crater, as if a meteor had struck. With the power of his punch, creating such devastation was effortless.

But above the crater, a figure hovered in midair, exuding an unshakable presence, staring calmly down at him.

The figure was none other than the Hades he had imagined lying half-dead at the bottom of the pit.

But Hades showed no sign of injury—there wasn't even a crease in his clothing.

It was as if Boris's devastating punch, an attack powerful enough to pierce Subspace, to obliterate anything hidden within, had been nothing more than a puff of air, utterly insignificant.

"This… this is impossible!" Boris cried out, his voice trembling with horror.

Almost simultaneously, the gods watching from the temple erupted in astonished exclamations.

"He… he's completely unharmed?"

"By the heavens! Did Boris's attack hit nothing but air?"

"What is going on? Wasn't Hades completely drained by the Curse Divine Power and immobilized by the Desert Law?"

One by one, the gods stared in stunned silence, their disbelief painted clearly on their faces.

Meanwhile, Morette, Diana, and the other gods who had been saved by Hades stood momentarily frozen. Then, their faces lit up with boundless joy and relief.

As expected! They hadn't misjudged him after all. Hades hadn't been paralyzed by fear or despair moments ago—he had simply chosen to completely disregard Boris's outburst of power.

It was as if an adult were watching a child's make-believe battle. What the child perceived as an epic display was, in the adult's eyes, utterly boring and devoid of meaning.

"I nearly doubted my judgment," the high-ranking deity muttered.

Even they hadn't anticipated such a dramatic reversal. However, with their superior strength and perception, they had managed to glean some understanding of what had just occurred.

In that critical instant, Hades had used Shadow Stealth to slip into the shadow world, evading part of the attack's force. The remaining power had indeed landed squarely on him, but the high-ranking deity couldn't fathom why Hades emerged completely unscathed.

Perhaps it was some unique ability or the activation of a rare and valuable artifact. Regardless, it was all part of his strength.

"Pathetic… utterly weak. So weak that you can't even pique my interest," Sterl said, his gaze cold and disdainful as he stared down at Boris, who looked as though he had been turned to stone in shock.

To be fair, Boris's attack had been formidable. If Sterl had taken it head-on, the combined might of the Curse Divine Power's weakening, the Desert Divine Power's confinement, and the Law of Battle's killing force would have undoubtedly obliterated him in an instant.

However, that was contingent on the attack actually landing.

In that brief moment, Sterl had activated Stardust at maximum capacity to amplify his Shadow Stealth ability. This, combined with his Divine Power, neutralized the spatial constraints of Boris's divine authority, allowing him to enter the shadow world.

Then, he activated Eternal Reincarnation, a nearly invincible ability that reduced incoming damage by 99%. Paired with the Star Power recovery ability and various passive buffs, Sterl didn't even need to use the invincibility power from the golden code he possessed.

Though the process carried its risks, the result had been extraordinarily effective.

Sterl glanced at the gods in the temple, their faces filled with stunned disbelief. He couldn't help but smirk internally. This was exactly his goal—not only to secure a bargaining chip with the high-ranking deity through his display of strength but also to utterly dominate the perceptions of these gods.

As for Boris? From beginning to end, he was nothing more than a pawn who had willingly stepped onto the board.

"The gap between you and me is far beyond what you can comprehend. I've taken one of your attacks. Now… it's your turn."

With that, Sterl raised his hand slowly. Careful not to reveal too many of his trump cards, he casually unleashed a sliver of his Temporal-Spatial Law, freezing Boris in place.

To the onlookers, it appeared as though Boris, still reeling from shock, simply hadn't recovered enough to react.

Then, the Iridescent-Level ability, Destructive Light, was unleashed!

In an instant, a terrifyingly brilliant beam of light surged from Sterl's hand, appearing before Boris with blinding speed. Boris immediately realized the danger, his face twisting in horror as he desperately tried to mobilize his Divine Power to resist.

But his body, frozen in place by the Temporal-Spatial Law, couldn't move an inch.

With no time to react, Boris was completely engulfed by the devastating force of the Destructive Light.

BOOM!

The ground trembled violently as a massive, scorched trench carved its way through the landscape, extending far into the horizon.

At the center of the destruction lay Boris, collapsed and broken, his body sprawled pitifully within the trench.

His once-pristine garments were shredded, his entire body covered in wounds, his aura weak and flickering. Gone was the proud and confident demeanor he had shown just moments ago.

Even now, Boris's mind was reeling in confusion.

How had Hades managed to avoid his full-powered attack? Or worse—was it possible that his best effort had been so insignificant in Hades's eyes that it had been brushed aside like a mere gust of wind?

He couldn't comprehend how a fellow god, also classified as a weak Divine Power, could possess such overwhelming and destructive strength—enough to leave him half-dead with a single strike.

Before he could piece together an answer, Hades's figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

The abruptness of it sent a jolt through Boris's body, like a bolt of lightning striking him awake. Instinctively, he tried to retreat, but his path was blocked by the glass-like, solidified earth behind him.

Hades raised his hand slowly, pointing it directly at Boris's head.

"Now, do you understand?"

The calm yet chilling voice reverberated in Boris's ears, wrapping him in an oppressive killing intent.

It felt as though, at any moment, Hades would unleash another Destructive Light, utterly annihilating him without mercy.

The crushing weight of his defeat, coupled with the overwhelming fear flooding his heart, shattered what remained of Boris's fighting spirit.

His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, kneeling before Hades. His head bowed low, trembling as he stammered out his plea.

"I… I surrender. Please, Lord Hades… spare my life. Don't kill me."

…