"So, who the hell was that?"

The question hung heavy in the air of the Sixth Abyssal Layer. When Leonidas voiced the doubt plaguing the entire group regarding the identity of their mysterious savior, the silence was deafening.

"It doesn't matter who he is."

Arthas cut through the introspection, his voice cool and calculating. While the others were still reeling from the battle, he was already looking at the balance sheet.

"Out of the five Demigods that ganked Orion, two of them are still holed up in their own territories," Arthas said, outlining a plan that instantly grabbed everyone's attention. "We should seize this opportunity. We go in, we kill them, or we shake them down for everything they're worth."

He paused, a ruthless glint in his eyes. "Even if things go south later, we walk away with their stockpiles. We won't be leaving empty-handed."

When it came to sheer pragmatic ruthlessness, Arthas was in a league of his own. It was the optimal play: maximum profit, minimal risk.

"Bro!" Leonidas grinned, turning to Orion with unmasked anticipation.

Edward, Alexander, and Arthas all shifted their gaze to Orion. They were waiting for the green light.

"I'll lead the way," Orion said, already moving. He wasn't stupid; in this world, you didn't pass up a chance to kick a dog while it was down—especially when that dog was sitting on a mountain of loot.

Leaving the post-battle cleanup of the Conquest Legion and Foundry Citadel to the grunts, Orion and his inner circle abandoned the main force. They made a beeline for the territories of the two enemy Demigods, Brodin and Grefiel.

Those two had projected their Demigod Phantoms for the earlier fight, which meant their main bodies were sitting ducks back at base. Orion didn't need to kill them both; trapping just one would be enough to extort a king's ransom in gear and resources.

The thought of raiding the personal vaults of entities who had been hoarding wealth in the Abyss for centuries sent a jolt of adrenaline through Orion's veins. With the mindset of a raid team heading toward a loot piñata, the Champions Alliance sped toward their targets.

Unknown Space. The Divine War.

For entities at the Demigod Fourth Stage and Fifth Stage, conflict was no longer a mere brawl—it was a Divine War.

"Kaidric, what is the meaning of this?"

The speaker was Julius, the Abyssal Ruler of the Sixth Layer. He stared down the entity known as Kaidric—one of the pillars of the Death-Soul Race. Julius didn't know him personally, but the reputation of the Death-Soul Race preceded him.

"No hidden meaning," Kaidric replied, his tone bored. "I've taken a liking to the Sixth Layer."

He looked at Julius as if he were a stain on the floor. "Two choices: get lost, or get dead."

Kaidric's attitude was a stark contrast to Commander Thresh's. Where others might show professional courtesy, Kaidric showed only contempt. He completely snubbed the Fourth Stage Julius.

"Kaidric, think this through," Julius growled, his face darkening. "This kind of aggression... are you trying to start a full-scale war between our races?"

Julius wasn't stupid; he knew why Kaidric was here. It wasn't a coincidence that this powerhouse appeared exactly when Julius was vulnerable, right after the other Demigods had been dealt with.

It was infuriating. The position of Abyssal Ruler was coveted. The previous holder had fallen under mysterious circumstances, and Julius had burned through his family's resources and exhausted his own Divine Power to purge the "Gray World" corruption and seize the title. He had barely secured the Divine Calling.

And now, Kaidric had shown up to swoop in and steal the prize at the finish line.

"A war between races?" Kaidric laughed, a cold, sharp sound. "You think you're worthy of that?"

His eyes narrowed. "Do you think we don't know the dirty little games you Abyssal Demons play in the dark? We just haven't bothered to pin the evidence on you yet."

Kaidric's expression turned icy. He had originally intended to let Julius flee—if the demon had just tucked his tail and ran, Kaidric would have let the universe deal with him later. But Julius had made a fatal error: he tried to use the Death-Soul Race's politics as leverage.

"Since you have a death wish, allow me to escort you to the hell."

A pitch-black ring materialized on Kaidric's left hand.

Before Julius could react, the black ring expanded, blooming like a dark sun. In an instant, it swallowed the entire dimension. Julius was engulfed.

"A Demigod Artifact!" Julius screamed. As a Fourth Stage Demigod, he knew exactly what he was looking at.

"Good eye," Kaidric sneered, his voice echoing from everywhere and nowhere. "This is the Infinite Soul-Ring. And just so you know... you aren't the first Divine Calling holder to die inside it."

Kaidric's voice dripped with malice. There was no going back now. Once the artifact was drawn, the witness had to die.

The Infinite Soul-Ring activated. Inside its event horizon, time and space bent to Kaidric's will. For Julius, who had not yet condensed a true Divine Spark, the manipulation of infinite time meant only one thing: total erasure.

"Kaidric! What do you want?" Julius shouted, his composure cracking. "A Divine Calling isn't worth this! I can give you whatever you want! Name your price!"

Julius was a tyrant, not a coward. He wouldn't beg for mercy, but he was rational enough to negotiate. He offered significant concessions, desperate to avoid the inevitable.

"You still don't get it," Kaidric sighed, his voice slowing, savoring the moment. "You offended the wrong people. You think House Julius is powerful? Please. The real powers just haven't bothered to step out of their front door to crush you yet."

Kaidric looked at Julius's massive, demonic form—not as an enemy, but as a resource. He scrutinized the demon with the eye of a craftsman inspecting raw materials.

"A Fourth Stage Chaos Demon..." Kaidric mused. "A generous gift from an old friend. Now... what should I forge you into? A statue? A god-blade? Maybe a lance?"

The humiliation burned Julius worse than the magic. For the first time, he realized that in Kaidric's eyes, he wasn't a ruler. He was a mob. He was fresh meat.

ROAR!

The massive Chaos Demon bellowed, thrashing against the fabric of the infinite void, trying to shatter the constraints of the Demigod Artifact.

But it was futile.

The gap between the Fourth and Fifth Stage was the difference between a candle and a bonfire. As long as the laws of the artifact held, the space was inescapable.

A Demigod Artifact was powered by a Divine Spark. And the difference between a Divine Spark and a mere Divine Calling was the difference between a masterpiece and a cheap knockoff.

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