After his wind-element divine clone became a Sovereign, Beirut's dark-element divine clone also gained Will amounting to eighty percent of a Paragon's.
Combined with Beirut's original body's physical toughness, which rivaled that of a divine spark, his dark-element divine clone was not much weaker than a true Paragon.
In fact, because of Beirut's extraordinary physical body, his material defense was even slightly stronger than that of an actual Paragon.
Even without using his Will, Beirut's original body plus his dark-element divine clone were enough to be considered "suspected Paragon" level.
...
"Huh? That fellow Beirut actually became a Sovereign?"
Within the Amethyst Mountain Range, after Reisgem learned from the Amethyst Sovereign that Beirut had become a Sovereign, he couldn't help but sigh at the unpredictability of fate.
Back then, the reason he had chosen to follow Rena was, on one hand, because he had been attracted by her personality, willingly addressing her as "Big Sis."
On the other hand, Reisgem had regarded Rena as the new generation's Godeater Rat. To ensure that he wouldn't one day become the target of the Godeater Rat's innate divine ability, Godeater, he had decided to firmly cling to Rena's thigh.
Only...
What Reisgem had never expected was that as he came to know Big Sis Rena better, he eventually discovered that the "thigh" he had chosen to cling to was far thicker than that of any so-called Godeater Rat.
Unfortunately, in the end, Reisgem failed to become a Destruction Paragon.
He fell behind while following Rena, losing the qualifications to continue residing on Mount Nether and having no choice but to return to the Amethyst Mountain Range.
Even so...
He had still obtained a divine spark weapon that suited him perfectly.
Reisgem's current strength could likewise be described as "suspected Paragon."
Even compared to Beirut, the Godeater Rat whom he had once regarded with such great apprehension, he was no weaker.
But now that the Godeater Rat had obtained a Sovereign spark and advanced to become a Sovereign, Reisgem would never again have the opportunity to fight Beirut and determine who was truly stronger.
No matter how arrogant Reisgem might be, he didn't believe that his current self could compare to a genuine Paragon.
"Mm."
The Amethyst Sovereign's voice remained as gentle as ever.
"Not long ago, Beirut's divine clone left the Yulan Plane for the Netherworld."
"The Light Chief Sovereign Augusta pursued him there in an attempt to kill him, but ultimately failed."
"Afterward, Beirut announced Chief Sovereign Locke's decision within the Yulan Plane."
"Now, nearly half of all the Prefect-level experts from the Seven Divine Planes and Four Higher Planes have gathered on the Yulan Continent."
"They all wish to enter the Necropolis of the Gods and compete for the Sovereign sparks."
"I hope that you'll make a trip to the Yulan Plane."
Hearing the Amethyst Sovereign tell him to go to the Yulan Plane, Reisgem asked in surprise,
"Mother, you just said that the Sovereign sparks in the Yulan Plane were taken by Beirut from the Light Chief Sovereign Augusta after the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns fell."
"I only have a Destruction original body."
"The remaining water, fire, and earth Sovereign sparks don't match my affinity."
"Not to mention that my chances of obtaining one are already slim—even if I did obtain one, I still couldn't become a Sovereign."
"No, Reisgem."
"This time, I'm not asking you to go to the Yulan Plane to seize a Sovereign spark and become a Sovereign."
"I want you to secretly lend the Four Divine Beasts clan a helping hand..."
The Amethyst Sovereign then told Reisgem about the events between herself and the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns.
Had this been the Reisgem from before he followed Rena, the Amethyst Sovereign might have worried that his strength was insufficient and that venturing outside would get him killed by stronger enemies.
Indeed...
That had been exactly the case.
On the several occasions when the Amethyst Sovereign had allowed Reisgem to go out, he had provoked quite a number of powerful enemies, surviving only by relying upon enormous quantities of Sovereign's Might.
At that time, although Reisgem ranked among the top ten Prefects in strength, the people he offended were either Paragons or experts suspected of being Paragons.
Now, however...
After spending time traveling with Rena, although Reisgem still hadn't become a Paragon, his strength had reached its own absolute limit.
After leaving Mount Nether, Reisgem had also participated in several Planar Wars, fighting experts from other planes.
He had personally faced the Wind Paragon Bayer...
The Light Paragon Clementine...
And the Water Paragon Borhaus...
Yet he had successfully escaped from every one of them.
It was precisely because Reisgem possessed such accomplishments that the Amethyst Sovereign felt confident enough to send him to assist the Four Divine Beasts clan and repay the favor she owed.
After all...
The fact that Reisgem could escape from Paragons already proved that, among Deities, she no longer needed to worry about his safety.
As for persecution from Sovereigns...
No matter what, she was still the Amethyst Intermediate Sovereign, one of the five strongest Intermediate Sovereigns beneath the Chief Sovereigns.
Under normal circumstances, other Sovereigns wouldn't risk offending her merely to attack Reisgem.
And if someone at the level of a Law Chief Sovereign wished to make a move against Reisgem...
They would first have to consider whether Chief Sovereign Locke would permit it.
Sovereign Rena was Chief Sovereign Locke's most beloved junior.
Reisgem had once followed Rena, and the two shared an exceptionally deep bond.
Although Reisgem ultimately failed to become a Paragon and left Mount Nether...
He would forever remain Sovereign Rena's "little brother."
If someone truly angered Sovereign Rena...
They should first see whether Chief Sovereign Locke would protect his own.
No one should assume that simply because Chief Sovereign Locke would never violate the Sovereign Covenant established by the Death Chief Sovereign, the Chief Sovereigns could rest easy.
More than a thousand calendrical eras ago...
The Death Chief Sovereign herself had already demonstrated exactly how the Sovereign Covenant should be interpreted.
The Blood Peak Sovereign Pash hadn't dared leave his Sovereign's Palace for several hundred years because of the Death Chief Sovereign's handiwork.
As long as someone wasn't beaten to death...
It didn't count as violating the Sovereign Covenant!
What Sovereign could endure being beaten by Chief Sovereign Locke every single day?
And if one carelessly voiced one's resentment aloud...
Congratulations.
Chief Sovereign Locke probably wouldn't mind adding another Chief Sovereign spark to his reserve.
"I understand."
After learning that the Azure Dragon Sovereign had stepped forward to help when his parents had been attacked, Reisgem's expression turned solemn.
Just as his mother had said...
Although the Azure Dragon Sovereign Redding's assistance hadn't saved his father's life, the Amethyst Sovereign's lineage had accepted that favor.
Now that the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns had fallen...
That debt naturally fell upon the Four Divine Beasts clan.
"Don't worry, Mother."
"I'll go to the Yulan Plane and lend the Four Divine Beasts clan a hand."
"However..."
"Before going to the Yulan Plane, I'd like to visit Mount Nether first."
Reisgem stood up and walked toward the exit of the Amethyst Sovereign's Palace.
"After all, according to Sovereign Beirut, he placed the Sovereign sparks within the Necropolis of the Gods on Chief Sovereign Locke's orders for Deities to compete over."
"But I can't ignore what Chief Sovereign Locke's true intentions might be."
"So I want to ask Big Sis Rena personally and find out whether there's any hidden secret behind this competition for the Sovereign sparks."
Hearing this, the Amethyst Sovereign smiled as well.
It seemed that when Miss Rena had come looking for them back then, it had truly been a blessing for the Amethyst Sovereign's lineage.
Every other living being—including the Sovereigns—could only speculate about Chief Sovereign Locke's motives for intervening in the affairs of the Yulan Plane.
The Amethyst Sovereign's lineage, however...
Could simply go to Mount Nether and ask directly.
Without anyone realizing it, the Amethyst Sovereign's lineage had already become connected to Chief Sovereign Locke's faction.
Unfortunately...
Watching Reisgem's departing figure, the Amethyst Sovereign shook her head with a bitter smile.
Locke's faction was not so easy to join.
Up until now...
Only two Sovereigns could truly be considered members of Locke's faction.
Teresia...
And Levlenxia.
Among them, Teresia was the Wind Lesser Sovereign and a Wind Paragon.
It was Teresia herself who had declared that anyone who hadn't become a Paragon wasn't qualified to follow Lord Locke.
As for Levlenxia...
She was the Water Chief Sovereign.
From Teresia's words, it was obvious that Levlenxia herself hadn't originally qualified to become part of Locke's faction.
However...
She was Chief Sovereign Locke's daughter-in-law and therefore counted as one of Locke's own family.
The successors who later descended from Mount Nether likewise proved Teresia's words correct.
Among the countless experts who had followed the younger generation of Locke's lineage...
Only those who became Paragons were qualified to remain on Mount Nether and continue cultivating.
Those who failed to become Paragons all departed in disappointment.
Up to this point...
Locke's faction not only possessed many Sovereigns...
It also possessed many Paragons.
Every direct blood descendant of Chief Sovereign Locke who became a Paragon ultimately acquired absolute strength comparable to that of a Sovereign.
As for the other Paragons who attached themselves to Locke's faction...
Because they weren't descendants of Locke, they couldn't cultivate the Laws of Space or the Laws of Time through the bloodline's affinity for space.
Even so...
With the aid of large quantities of spatial divine beast blood essence, they steadily accumulated greater understanding of the Higher Laws.
Although they still hadn't comprehended even ten percent of the Laws of Space and thus remained inferior to Sovereigns...
Compared to other Paragons...
They were terrifyingly powerful.
"Sigh..."
Reisgem looked up at the sky.
When he met Big Sis Rena again this time...
Just how much stronger had those people become?
Back then...
Before them, he had been no different from an ant.
Now...
Was he perhaps not even as significant as an ant?
...
Whoosh!
Within the Netherworld...
As Reisgem looked at the sea of mist ahead surrounding Mount Nether, a trace of fear flashed through his eyes.
After Big Sis Rena became a Paragon...
Their group had returned to Mount Nether.
Back then...
After learning that the three layers of mist surrounding Mount Nether had been laid down by Chief Sovereign Locke, and that passing through all three layers would earn an audience with a Sovereign...
Every expert following Big Sis Rena had eagerly rubbed their hands together, wanting to see whether they could overcome the three layers of mist.
Reisgem had been one of them.
It was here...
That they suffered the greatest setback since beginning their journey.
Aside from Lady Ninisa and Big Sis Rena, who ignored the third layer of mist entirely and entered Mount Nether directly...
The remaining five of them were trapped within the third layer of mist for nearly a thousand years.
At first...
Whenever they lost consciousness, the mist simply controlled their bodies and forced them back out from its depths.
Later...
After failing repeatedly, they began trying various methods.
Eventually...
They forged a chain stretching from outside the third layer of mist all the way to the foot of Mount Nether.
One end was anchored at the foot of the mountain, while the other remained outside the third layer of mist.
For experts like Reisgem and the others, whose strength was at least at the Prefect level, accomplishing this wasn't difficult.
The mist surrounding Mount Nether only affected the soul.
It possessed neither offensive nor defensive capabilities.
Afterward...
They attached rings and suspension ropes to the chain.
One person remained outside the mist pulling the ropes, while the other four secured themselves to them.
This ensured that even after they lost consciousness, instead of allowing the mist to control their bodies and send them back, those waiting outside would continue pulling them deeper through the mist.
At the time...
Reisgem and the others' actions left all the experts between the second and third layers of mist completely dumbfounded.
Of course...
They weren't the first people to think of such a method.
However...
Those seeking an audience with a Sovereign generally wished to earn the Sovereign's favor, receive a Sovereign artifact, or become a Sovereign Emissary.
If they resorted to such a method...
Then even if they succeeded in meeting the Sovereign, they would probably be thrown out immediately.
Only reckless people like Reisgem and the others, because of their relationship with Rena, dared to employ such blatant cheating.
Naturally...
Everyone else also wanted to see whether they could truly pass the Sovereign's trial using such a method.
Of course...
Many people also believed that a Sovereign couldn't possibly leave behind such an obvious loophole.
There was simply no way Reisgem and the others could pass through the third layer of mist like this.
Regardless of what everyone thought...
When Reisgem and the others began their attempt, numerous experts gathered nearby to watch what would become of them.
Reisgem still remembered...
Back then, he had been one of the four people suspended from the ropes and dragged forward.
At the beginning of the journey...
Just as before, Reisgem and the others gradually lost their five senses...
Then completely lost consciousness.
Under normal circumstances...
At this point they would already have been controlled by the mist and sent back to the area between the second and third layers.
But this time...
Because their bodies were secured to the ropes, even though their legs instinctively walked backward, the rings attached to the chains continued dragging them deeper toward Mount Nether.
As the four of them were pulled farther into the depths of the third layer of mist...
They triggered the hidden measure Locke had left within it—
The Eye of Hell.
Although the Eye of Hell that the mist could support back then wasn't especially powerful...
Of the Eye of Hell's eighteen levels, the third layer of mist could only support the first three.
Even so...
The perception of time within those first three levels of Hell had been distorted by Locke to a ratio of one thousand to one.
In other words...
For every single second spent within the mist...
One would endure nearly seventeen minutes of torture in Hell.
From the moment Reisgem and the others fell under the influence of the Eye of Hell until they finally passed through the third layer of mist and reached the foot of Mount Nether...
Only a little over ten minutes had passed.
Yet for Reisgem and the other three...
They had endured nearly five hours of torture within the third level of Hell.
(End of Chapter)
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