Mike stowed the Thunderclap Hamr, feeling pretty darn good about himself. He'd accomplished his mission, and even scored a sweet upgrade for his weapon.
After sealing the Seventh Demon God's soul, Ares seed to... fade a bit.
Mike frowned, unsure if he was seeing things or if it was a side effect of pushing his body too hard.
Ares sheathed his sword and approached. "What are the side effects of forcing your talent's third awakening?"
"Not sure yet," Mike admitted. "Hopefully, I can find soone to help fix it. If not, I'll figure sothing out."
Ares nodded, approvingly. "Good attitude."
After praising Thor, Ares turned and walked towards the depths of the Abyss, his sword servants following close behind.
"See them off," Ares instructed Cedric.
"Will do." Cedric nodded, escorting Mike back to the Ninth Abyss.
On the way, Cedric, in a rare display of taking the initiative, said, "My son should have contacted you already."
Mike blinked, then realized what Cedric was referring to.
Professor Gregory had approached him earlier, discussing Ares's injury.
Professor Gregory had asked Mike to take a look at it after his third awakening.
"Yes, he did," Mike confird.
"Once you've dealt with the side effects of your third awakening, co find us in the First Abyss," Cedric said. "After this battle, the Seventh Abyss will return to the Tower of Truth, and the Ninth Demon God will take over the Eighth."
Mike did a quick ntal calculation. There were thirteen Abysses in total.
Currently, the following Demon Gods were still alive:
First, Second, Fifth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth.
In other words, since Thor's awakening, five of the thirteen Demon Gods had kicked the bucket.
Of the surviving Demon Gods, the Fifth Demon God was a non-issue, the Ninth was on their side, and the Demon Gods ranked tenth and below were relatively weak...
That left only the Archdemon and the Second Demon God as significant threats to humanity. If those two decided to side with the Supre Demon God, things would get dicey. That's why Ares and his sword servants would be guarding the First Abyss from now on. Understanding the situation, Mike nodded gravely. "Understood."
"Here you are. You can head down now." Cedric dropped them off at the edge of the Ninth Abyss and turned to leave.
Under Maxen's protection, Mike rejoined Shadow Four and returned to the battlefield.
From his classmates' perspective, Mike had been diligently cleaning up the battlefield, even finding so decent loot.
Back in the Ninth Abyss, Mike felt exhausted.
After hopping between Abysses and soloing the Eighth Demon God, it was only natural to be tired.
Two shadows slipped into Mike's shadow.
"Fourth Bro!" Bad Man chirped. "Now that Shadow Three is gone, do I get to be your bodyguard?"
"Not exactly." Mike rubbed his temples, lowering his voice. "For one, I won't be entering the Abyss anyti soon, so I don't need a bodyguard. And two, you have a new mission."
"Yay!" Bad Woman cheered, revealing her true feelings.
"By the way, weren't you upset about your travel allowance?" Mike smiled kindly. "I had a good chat with your father. He's paid for your... extended stay."
"Wait a minute—" Bad Man's voice trembled, a sense of foreboding washing over him. "Fourth Bro, you don't an..."
Mike nodded, confirming Bad Man's suspicions. "Have you ever heard of anyone getting paid to attend kindergarten?"
Bad Man and Bad Woman burst into tears.
"You're only eight years old," Mike said, his voice gentle. "If people found out I was
employing eight-year-old demons, I'd be reported!"
"Shadow Nine told us working for the Guardian Shadow was a blessing! He said we could empty our shopping carts..." Bad Woman wailed. "And now, the blessing is gone!"
"Don't cry! I'm just kidding!"
Mike wasn't actually going to withhold Shadow Two's salary.
"Don't worry, you'll get every penny you're owed," he promised.
The crying subsided, and Bad Man whispered, "Bad Woman, is this a fake Thor? He's actually going to pay us."
"Maybe our dad beat him silly?"
Speaking of Shadow Two's father, Mike suddenly rembered sothing. "What did you guys do when you went ho?"
Bad Man and Bad Woman answered in unison, "We prepared a surprise for our dad!"
...
In the Fifth Abyss, after the human powerhouses had departed, the Fifth Demon God returned
to his domain.
His face was dark, his mood thunderous.
His latest attempt to die had failed.
"The Seventh and Eighth Demon Gods, those useless idiots, are dead?" he lanted. "So
many Demon Gods have died. Why can't I be one of them?"
He returned to his Demon Emperor's Hall.
The Nine-Star Lord bear who usually guarded the entrance was nowhere to be seen. The hall
was a ss, all the valuables gone...
The Fifth Demon God ignored the chaos, walking towards his cold throne.
As he sat down, two loud bangs echoed through the hall, followed by a shower of confetti.
A cake materialized before him.
A fresh cream cake, looking delicious.
Written on it in red icing were two lines:
"We've run away from ho for 300 years!"
"Wishing Dad good health and a billion years of life for our family!"
"So that's the surprise," Mike chuckled, imagining the Fifth Demon God's reaction.
While cleaning the battlefield, Mike reviewed his trip to the Abyss.
His achievents were undeniable.
He had killed the level 1,000 Progenitor of Ghosts, the level 1,000 Eighth Demon God, and
countless other demon creatures.
As for his gains...
The third awakening of the Eye of Truth was his greatest reward.
Although he often joked about his talent, his SSS-rank talent was incredibly powerful.
Without the thrice-awakened Eye of Truth, he wouldn't have been able to target the Eighth Demon God with the Chaotic Lightning Tribulation.
Detect, lock-on, strike...
The most effective duels often involved the simplest tactics.
Why wasn't Joseph particularly impressive among Nine-Star Lords?
His talent had unlimited stacking potential, and he was a skilled fighter, capable of hit-and-
run tactics.
But in practice, his skills were too easy to dodge!
He would painstakingly stack his talent, only for his final, devastating blow to miss its target.
That's why he had been practicing his archery, hoping to prove himself!
Then... he t Thor.
Losing to Thor hadn't bothered him. After all, Thor was the future Supre Being.
Joseph's case highlighted the importance of the Eye of Truth.
Apart from the third awakening, Mike had also acquired a bunch of Abyssal Pearl fragnts
and the Seventh Demon God's soul, sealed within the Thunderclap Hamr.
"Not bad."
As for the costs...
He owed the Mystic Market 400,000 Lord rits for Shadow Three's bone, and he hadn't paid
for the 21 portions of awakening materials.
The thought made him wince.
"I can't think about that now."
Debt? What debt?
As long as he leveled up fast enough, his creditors would never be able to collect!
Ahem...
Considering that the Mystic Market was Apollo's business, he probably should repay his
debts.
It was a matter of principle.
With the battlefield cleaned and his gains assessed, Mike and the other students were
gathered together.
"Dude, you won't believe what happened!"
Back at the base, Mike ran into his old friend, Kaelum. "You almost didn't see again!"
Kaelum recounted his harrowing experience at the front lines with Anderson, ntioning Blaze's breakthrough.
"Impressive," Mike said, suitably impressed.
After exchanging pleasantries, Kaelum led Mike towards the back of the base.
"Co on, my nephew is here. He's having a barbecue."
Joseph was back?!
"Maybe later," Mike said, trying to decline. "It's warti. I don't want to take up his ti."
He hadn't forgotten about the void fragnt Joseph had picked up from the Fifth Demon God.
It was a valuable item.
But it had been tainted by Afterskin!
Bad juju!
Joseph was going to have a string of bad luck.
Kaelum chuckled. "It's fine. He specifically asked for you."
He didn't elaborate, leaving it at that.
A Nine-Star Lord, during warti, inviting him for a barbecue?
Sothing was up.
Mike frowned, then realized what was happening.
He had been missing in action in the Abyss for a while. His na hadn't been completely
cleared yet.
This barbecue with Joseph wasn't just a friendly gathering. It was another form of
surveillance.
He wouldn't be completely exonerated until the Guardian Shadow's report ca out.
Very thorough, very efficient.
The only problem was... the Guardian Shadow was now under Mike's command.
Understanding the situation, Mike didn't refuse. He followed Kaelum into a tent. He wasn't the only one under observation.
Dozens of people were already inside, gathered around four barbecue grills.
Joseph had stolen that many grills?!
Before Mike could get angry, Joseph pulled out another grill, inviting him to sit down.
"Co on, there are still so leftovers from last ti..."
Mike: ???
Just how much food had Joseph taken from him?!
Joseph, oblivious to his impending misfortune, urged Mike to eat and drink his fill.
"Don't tell anyone where this food ca from," he whispered conspiratorially.
Mike nodded, suppressing the urge to yell at him.
He glanced around, spotting Jas in the corner.
Jas, still recovering from his injuries in the Fifth Abyss, had been brought here shortly after
regaining consciousness.
Dressed in black, his expression cold and distant, he sat alone, ignored by the others.
A group from the Blood Sea Corps arrived shortly after, taking Jas away.
As he ate, Mike sent a ssage to Shadow Four, asking who was compiling his file.
With Shadow Nine, the history inventor, in charge, the Guardian Shadow was adept at
fabricating information.
They could make up anything!
Then, he received a surprising answer.
"Shadow Two is in charge of your file."
After a mont of silence, Mike sent another ssage to Shadow Four.
"Dock your pay this month."
Shadow Four: ???
Letting Shadow Two compile Thor's file? Was this a joke?
Did he even have the skills for that?!
Inside the tent, Joseph continued to receive ssages.
Groups of people ca and went, so cleared of suspicion, so still under observation,
and so... facing judgnt.
After two hours, still waiting for Mike's report, Joseph sent a ssage to the Guardian
Shadow, urging them to hurry up. Finally, a short report arrived. He opened it, his eyebrows shooting up.
"Mike lied!"
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