On the snowy mountain, an old man and a young man were climbing steadily. Ace, still bleeding slowly from his entire body, looked utterly terrifying.
Thanks to Calderon's earlier antics, Ace had been thoroughly screwed over.
The only good news was that he was now completely free of any connection to Calderon.
Even his talent, Near-Death Power Up, was no longer usable.
Worse still, Ace had to climb the mountain with Shadow Nine.
Fortunately, this snowy mountain was highly unusual. Under its unique rules, everyone was reduced to the level of an ordinary person.
At least Ace wasn't slowing Shadow Nine down.
As they climbed, Shadow Nine suddenly stopped, his expression tense as he scanned the surroundings like a cornered beast.
Ace, sensing the shift, grew nervous and whispered,
"What's wrong?"
Shadow Nine replied seriously,
"Do you feel it? Ever since a mont ago, it's like... soone's been watching us."
Ace: ???
"You an the one deep inside?"
It wasn't unusual for the Supre Demon God to be watching them.
Shadow Nine shook his head.
"No, it's not the Supre Demon God."
He didn't elaborate further.
Whoever it was, their gaze carried no malice, so Shadow Nine decided not to dwell on it.
The priority now was to reach the summit.
Turning back to Ace, he barked,
"Climb faster!"
Ace:...
Earth, at a rehabilitation center.
White Dog had managed to find Shadow Three, who happened to be passing by, and enlisted his help to bring the injured back to Earth.
Though they were back, it was hard to say they were "safe and sound."
Terenas had suffered the least damage. His involvent in the recent events had been minimal-he'd only needed to push Michael forward.
Michael, however, was now slumped over Cerberus's back, completely motionless.
He was, for all intents and purposes, done for.
For the next twenty years, he had no hope of breaking through to Ultimate Lord.
Not that it mattered much-Michael had never had much hope of breaking through in the first place.
As for Calderon, the once-invincible master of the "punch technique," he now had empty sleeves that swayed in the wind, a shadow of his forr self.
Trying to withstand the Gate of Truth had been beyond his capabilities.
This was the price he had to pay.
The fact that he'd managed to survive at all was already a miracle.
After a brief period of treatnt, Calderon was soon back to his usual self-energetic and lively.
The injuries that could be healed had already been dealt with.
The ones that couldn't be healed... no amount of ti would make a difference.
Even a Supre Being couldn't fix the damage Calderon had sustained.
Unless the fifth-generation potential Supre Being turned out to be a master healer, Calderon's condition was permanent.
And with the looming battle between Apollo and the Supre Demon God, every ounce of strength was precious.
Wasting resources on Calderon would be... well, a waste.
The researchers at the rehabilitation center had suggested creating a set of prosthetic arms for Calderon. These would not only function like normal arms but could even enhance his combat abilities.
But Calderon, with his limited literary skills and stubborn pride, couldn't appreciate their good intentions.
To him, his empty sleeves were his final elegy.
Compared to Cedric, however, Calderon's situation was far better.
Cedric had forcibly unleashed his strongest move, and the price he paid was unimaginable.
His SS-level talent was completely destroyed.
Barring a miracle, he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
The only silver lining was that his Double Pupils were gone. The eerie, cataract-like appearance of his eyes had vanished, making him look less unsettling than before.
Thus, the rehabilitation center beca ho to a peculiar sight:
A white-haired patient sat motionless in a wheelchair.
Behind him, an armless old man used his feet to kick the wheelchair forward, all the while
cursing loudly and spewing insults.
Trailing behind them was a White Dog.
If anyone else dared to behave like this, the staff would have intervened long ago.
But with these two?
No one dared to stop them.
After all, who in humanity would dare to ddle with these two?
The only ones who could rein them in were the Supre Beings.
And besides, if Calderon was kicking Cedric's wheelchair and Cedric wasn't complaining, who
were they to interfere?
Cedric, temporarily unable to speak: ...
Outside the Tower of Truth, on the ninety-ninth floor.
After losing track of Thor, Maxen was feeling uneasy.
Apollo had returned to the Tower of Truth, proving that no matter where one wandered,
ho was always ho.
Apollo seed perfectly content living on the ninety-ninth floor and had no plans to move.
It was indeed peaceful here.
Maxen sat in a chair for most of the day, not even spotting a single bird. He couldn't help but
yawn.
With his Second Godfather ascended, the greatest crisis had been averted.
Maxen had thought this was a happy ending for everyone.
Who would have guessed that Thor would head to the Supre Abyssal?
What was Thor planning?
Maxen didn't know.
But he did know one thing: for humanity to survive the next hundred years peacefully, Thor
was essential.
Thor hadn't even asked about his survival rate before charging into the Supre Abyssal.
Maxen couldn't help but feel that White Dog's presence had been suppressing Thor's
potential.
Still, from his previous encounters with Thor, Maxen had a clear sense of one thing:
Thor was likely incredibly powerful.
Even in the Supre Abyssal, Thor should be able to protect himself.
Suddenly, Maxen had a strange realization.
He might now be the most powerful human below the Supre Beings.
But instead of feeling proud, he felt... empty.
Maxen sighed.
"When will my Second Godfather co back?"
Apollo, sitting nearby, suddenly spoke.
"Not within a hundred years."
A hundred years...
Maxen started calculating on his fingers.
That was a hundred years of not having to give his Second Godfather any money...
Huh-
Things were looking up?!
The mortal realm was still boring.
Apollo had already figured out the hardest question, and he was satisfied.
There wasn't much left he wanted to do.
As he watched a white cloud drift across the sky, Apollo reflected on all the things he'd done.
He'd accomplished many things befitting a Supre Being of humanity.
What was left?
One by one, he thought through the possibilities.
After a mont, Apollo found his answer.
He turned to Maxen, who was still sitting in his chair, and asked casually,
"Maxen, how about becoming my godson?"
...Huh?
Even Maxen, a self-proclaid godson professional, was montarily stunned.
He had fantasized about the day he might beco Apollo's godson, completing the trifecta of
having three Supre Godfathers.
But... he'd never imagined it would happen so suddenly.
He wasn't ready!
After a mont of hesitation, Maxen didn't imdiately agree.
Apollo was known as the most eccentric of the Supre Beings. Accepting him as a Godfather
required careful consideration.
But Maxen also knew that if he missed this opportunity, it might never co again.
After a long silence, Maxen asked a new question.
"After your battle with the Supre Demon God... will you survive?"
In a way, Maxen felt he was rather unlucky.
His Supre Godfathers didn't exactly have the best quality of life...
He didn't want to bring bad luck to Apollo.
This question wasn't difficult. Apollo didn't even need to calculate.
"I will."
Maxen, who had been preparing himself emotionally, was caught off guard.
"...Huh?"
This wasn't the answer he'd expected.
Shouldn't Apollo have said he was destined to die?
Apollo found Maxen's reaction strange.
"Is that surprising?"
If Supre Being Ares could survive, why couldn't Apollo?
Among the three Supre Beings, Ares was undoubtedly the strongest in terms of raw killing
power.
When Thor eventually beca a Supre Being, he might surpass Ares in destructive
capability. But for now, Ares held the title.
However, when it ca to survival, Ares only had Fate's Reversal to extend his life once.
How could that compare to Apollo?
If Apollo wanted to live, there was no force in existence that could kill him.
A battle to the death with the Supre Demon God ant sacrificing all his power and going
all out.
At the end of such a battle, there was a chance of death-but also a chance of survival.
For example: Ares.
In other words, starting with Ares, every human Supre Being had a chance to survive a fight
with the Supre Demon God.
They would be left in a near-death state, and whether they could recover depended on other
factors.
But for Apollo, as long as there was a chance, he would succeed.
He wouldn't die.
The Supre Demon God, however, would eventually perish.
Hearing this, the gloom in Maxen's heart lifted slightly.
He imdiately changed his tone and said,
"Godfather, I've been feeling like I'm on the verge of a breakthrough, but I can't quite grasp
the final layer. I can't create the strongest swordsmanship skill..."
Having just accepted Apollo as his Godfather, Maxen wasted no ti in seeking guidance.
This was second nature to him.
Apollo, ever precise, corrected him.
"It's Third Godfather."
Maxen quickly adjusted. "Yeah, yeah, sure, Third Godfather!"
After chatting with Maxen for a while, Apollo decided it was ti to head out again.
There were still things to be done.
Leaving the Tower of Truth, he first went to the Forest of Truth.
There, Violet was crouched on the ground, seriously discussing with Shadow One whether she
should challenge Shadow Two or Shadow Three.
A middle-aged man appeared in the distance.
Shadow One's expression froze for a mont before returning to normal.
The ordinary-looking man walked over casually and asked,
"Got a mont?"
Violet, caught up in her conversation with Shadow One, exclaid in surprise when she saw
Apollo.
"Senior? How did you get into the Forest of Truth? Oh, right, you're at least a Nine-Star
Lord..."
Shadow One:...
Apollo had asked Violet if she had ti.
After exchanging pleasantries, Violet replied earnestly,
"Senior, just give a mont. I'm almost done talking with Shadow One!" Shadow One, struggling to maintain her composure, decided to end the conversation quickly.
"Shadow Three is a Primordial Demon God. At his peak, his combat power is on par with mine.
Shadow Two is... special. Only a Supre Being can kill him."
Violet: ???
Sothing wasn't adding up.
She'd thought Shadow Two and Shadow Three were just ordinary Nine-Star Lords, maybe
with quasi-Ultimate Lord combat power at most. Before Violet could process this, Shadow One disappeared.
Left in a daze, Violet turned to her "senior" and asked blankly,
"Senior, what's up?"
Apollo pointed to the blade at Violet's waist.
Violet had once wanted to challenge her senior. At the ti, Apollo had said he was too busy.
Now, Apollo had ti.
Violet's eyes lit up with excitent, and she nodded eagerly.
"Sure!"
She placed her hand on the hilt of her blade.
Shadow Nine had once taught Apollo that the mont an enemy placed their hand on their
weapon, it was fair ga to attack-it wouldn't count as a sneak attack.
So, Apollo struck.
A flash of blade light appeared before Violet's eyes.
She "died."
Thanks to Guardian Shadow, Violet was resurrected.
But she was left shaken, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
The terrifying blade strike replayed in her mind over and over.
Helplessness. Despair.
No matter how she analyzed it, she couldn't find a way to survive that strike.
It was an unbeatable blade.
After a long period of contemplation, Violet ca to a reliable conclusion:
Her senior was at least an Ultimate Lord!
That day.
Apollo remained on the ninety-ninth floor of the Tower of Truth.
Even without looking, he could sense everything clearly.
As if sensing sothing, Apollo calculated with his fingers.
After a mont, he lowered his hand and nodded slightly.
His voice drifted on the wind as he spoke calmly,
"Today is a good day for a final showdown."
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