"Excellent… ninefold Highgod divine power in my Fate clone."
After storing the newly formed divine spark within his soul-space, Locke allowed himself a satisfied smile.
With the natural amplification of ninefold Highgod divine power, his Fate divine clone had already reached the strength of a Four-Star Fiend.
It still lagged far behind his Water divine clone.
But its growth speed?
That was on an entirely different scale.
Over a hundred Prefecture Lords were simultaneously constructing Fiend Castles across their territories. Once they returned with Locke's crafted beacon amethysts and colossal face-statues, the establishments would be complete.
And that process would not exceed ten thousand years.
Which meant—
Within ten thousand years, his Fate divine clone might reach Paragon.
The upheaval in Hell did not escape the Sovereigns.
When their divine senses swept across the entire plane, they were stunned by the frenzy surrounding Fiend Castle construction.
On Bloodpeak Continent, Pax, the Bloodpeak Sovereign, stroked his chin thoughtfully.
He was curious about Locke.
Extremely curious.
But Pax was cautious by nature. He would not offend another Sovereign lightly.
Thus, though intrigued, he had never approached Locke directly, wary of provoking the Sovereign behind him.
He had, however, tested the waters.
Three thousand years ago, he secretly provided three drops of Destruction Sovereign's Power to the Bloodriver Prefecture Lord—hoping that under sufficient pressure, Locke's hidden patron might reveal something.
The result had surprised him.
Even empowered by Sovereign's Power, the Bloodriver Lord had been decisively suppressed by Locke—who had already stepped into Shura-level strength.
Yes, Sovereign's Power granted terrifying regenerative capability.
Yes, it allowed temporary resistance.
But the gap remained obvious.
Now, with Fiend Castle's expansion accelerating, Pax felt uneasy.
He wished to interfere.
But he had already acted once.
If he moved again, Locke's backer might detect a pattern.
His gaze shifted—
Toward Muya Continent.
After casting a wary glance toward Youlan Prefecture on Bloodpeak Continent, Pax closed his eyes and maintained full divine-sense spread.
Silently, he condensed a rule-based clone within a towering palace on Muya Continent.
A Rule Sovereign's clone differed from a Sovereign Projection.
Sovereign Projection: Formed from vast Sovereign Power, capable of wielding Willpower offensively.Elemental Projection: Strong against mortals, useless against gods.Rule Clone: A controllable embodiment of rule-power itself—comparable to Law Sovereigns' elemental clones.
"Pax?"
The moment his rule clone formed, a dignified voice echoed.
"Muya Sovereign. It has been some time."
Pax looked up toward the throne.
Upon it sat none other than Muya.
But—
That, too, was a rule clone.
"You're not here in person?" Pax asked.
Among Hell's seven Destruction Sovereigns, Pax and Muya were both Low Sovereigns, similar in strength, and maintained a relatively cordial relationship.
"I'm traveling in Hell," Muya replied casually.
"If you've nothing urgent, don't interrupt my leisure."
"I came precisely because I have something important."
Pax's expression hardened slightly.
"What do you think of the Fiend Castle?"
Muya blinked.
"I quite like it."
"When I travel incognito, I hate lining up at city gates."
"Now I'm a Five-Star Fiend—entry everywhere is convenient."
Pax sighed internally.
"No, Muya. I mean—whose work do you believe it is?"
A pause.
"Wasn't it yours?"
Muya sounded genuinely surprised.
"Among the seven of us, you're the most cunning."
"I assumed it was your design."
Pax felt faintly insulted.
"So, my reputation is that poor?"
He shook his head.
"No. I possess only my Sovereign body. No divine clones."
"Before observing Fiend Castle's methods, I didn't even realize that Law Profound Mysteries could be fused in such a structured classification system."
Rules and Laws differed fundamentally.
Elemental Laws required fusion to reach Paragon.Rules required full comprehension of the unified whole.
Neither path was easier.
After a moment's silence, Pax spoke plainly.
"The Sovereign's Power used by Bloodriver's Prefecture Lord two thousand years ago—was mine."
Muya's interest sharpened instantly.
That admission carried risk.
If revealed, Pax could anger Locke's backer.
His credibility rose.
"Fiend Castle will cover all of Hell within ten thousand years," Pax continued.
"At that point, it will harvest nearly half of Hell's faith."
"Would you allow another Sovereign to monopolize such power?"
Hell gathered the strongest beings from countless planes.
Even half of its faith surpassed trillions of mortal-plane believers.
Whoever gained it would surge forward in strength.
Muya fell silent.
No Sovereign wished to remain inferior.
Not even among equals.
"What do you propose?"
Pax leaned forward.
"You possess a Lightning divine clone, do you not?"
"How many Profound Mysteries has it fused?"
"Four," Muya replied calmly.
"By Fiend Castle's classification, I'd be Seven-Star."
He did not mention—
His Lightning clone carried a fraction of Sovereign Willpower.
Not even one ten-thousandth of a true Sovereign's might—
But in the realm of gods?
Invincible.
And he had another thought entirely:
If one Sovereign body granted his clone a trace of Willpower—
What if that clone also refined a Sovereign Spark?
Would dual Sovereign Sparks grant tenfold Willpower?
A hidden path to greater strength?
"Seven-Star is insufficient," Pax said bluntly.
"You remain below Shura-level monsters like Locke."
"I will provide you with some of my accumulated faith."
"Accelerate your fusion."
"Once you reach Shura-level, replace one of Locke's challenged Prefecture Lords."
"Defeat him publicly."
"Shatter the faith in Locke's invincibility."
"Faith will destabilize."
"Then I shall establish a rival organization."
"Slowly erode Fiend Castle."
"Eventually replace it."
"We will divide Hell's faith."
Fifty percent.
Shared between them.
Muya's wariness deepened.
Pax's calculations were formidable.
Yet—
The temptation was undeniable.
Even a fraction of that faith could elevate him further.
"Very well," Muya agreed at last.
"Send the faith."
"Let our cooperation prosper."
Pax's rule clone dissipated.
Muya's rule clone did the same.
But—
When the aura faded—
What remained upon the throne was Muya's true Sovereign body.
He had masked it in rule-clone aura, deceiving Pax into believing he was absent.
However—
He had not lied.
He was indeed traveling.
Just not entirely.
And in Hell—
Deception was often the first move of cooperation.
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