Quitela's claw froze in midair.
Inside the barrier, the air seemed to solidify in that instant.
This time, there was nothing on Zeno's face but pure blankness.
"I've been exposed again."
His voice was calm, but to the nine Gods of Destruction, it felt like they had been plunged into an icy abyss.
"G-Grand Zeno?!"
Quitela, the God of Destruction of Universe 4, stood there stiff as stone. He still held the mascot head in his hand, but neither throwing it away nor returning it seemed possible. He dared not move in the slightest.
"It... it really is Grand Zeno?"
"How could this happen?" Heles's beauty paled in shock.
Thud!
All the Gods of Destruction went weak at the knees and dropped straight to the floor. Then they threw themselves down in full prostration, bodies pressed flat to the ground.
Quitela in particular was utterly terrified.
He had touched Grand Zeno's exalted body.
He had even damaged His clothing...
"Grand Zeno! I didn't mean it! Please forgive me!"
"Please spare us, Grand Zeno! We deserve death!"
"We had no idea it was You! Please forgive our disrespect!"
"It was Champa! We were all misled by that idiot Champa! Yes, it was all his fault!"
First they begged for mercy, then they tried to explain themselves, and in the end, they shoved all the blame onto Champa.
If they all had to kneel as fellow Gods of Destruction, why should Champa get to stand there?
Right now, all they wanted was to drag the last standing God of Destruction down with them.
Off to the side, Champa rolled his eyes so hard they nearly turned inside out.
He had already knelt and apologized back when he pulled off Grand Zeno's costume head.
These idiots were not only stupid, they were shameless. They did not even stop to think about why they themselves were still alive and standing here. And now they wanted to dump all the dirty water on him alone.
"Damn it! You idiots were the ones who offended Grand Zeno just now!"
"Enough." Zeno frowned. "You're too noisy."
The nine Gods of Destruction instantly fell silent, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
It was over. Completely over.
At that moment, however, their survival instincts seized on one last lifeline.
Belmod raised his head and pointed furiously at Levos.
"Grand Zeno! It was him! This man called Levos used despicable means to absorb the nine of us and drain a massive amount of our divine power. Releasing us now must mean he has some ulterior motive!"
"It's true we offended You, and that is our crime. But what this man did, absorbing us like that, is far worse! Please, Grand Zeno, deliver justice for us!"
The moment he said that, the other Gods of Destruction all joined in, embellishing and amplifying Levos's crimes.
They believed that if Grand Zeno acted, Levos would inevitably receive the harshest punishment.
At that point, not only would their own offenses be lightened, they could even take revenge.
However, what happened next nearly dislocated their jaws in shock.
Zeno merely glanced at Levos and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Oh, Levos already told me about that."
T-told him already?
"You were the ones who attacked him first, and then got beaten back," Zeno said flatly. "Sounds like you were in the wrong."
The Gods of Destruction collectively turned to stone, their minds going blank.
What did Grand Zeno mean by that?
Grand Zeno was so obviously siding with a mortal?!
Then Zeno's next sentence made things crystal clear.
"I don't care about your business. Here, I listen to Levos."
What?
The gods thought they had misheard.
Grand Zeno had actually said something like that?
Was this really the same Grand Zeno they knew?
One cautious, probing glance after another turned toward him.
No matter how they looked, his bearing, divine aura, even his posture, all matched the Grand Zeno in their memories.
It really was Grand Zeno.
A sense of utter powerlessness shattered the last of their mental defenses.
In front of this man called Levos, forget reason. Even the title of God of Destruction carried no weight.
To provoke him was to ask for misery.
And in their eyes, Grand Zeno's attitude toward Levos had already gone beyond mere favoritism.
It was practically on the level of replacing the Grand Priest.
And vaguely, truly vaguely, they could even sense a trace of the Grand Priest's aura from within Levos.
They were numb. Completely numb.
In any case, reality was stronger than pride.
Once they realized that, the attitudes of the Gods of Destruction finally changed.
Quitela of Universe 4 was the first to react.
He looked at Levos with an ingratiating expression.
"Mr. Levos, may I ask why you chose to release us at this moment? What would you have us do?"
The way he said "Mr. Levos" came out so naturally, so smoothly.
As though Levos had truly become the new Grand Priest.
The other Gods of Destruction came to the same realization and swiftly buried all their anger and resentment, replacing them with entirely different expressions.
"Mr. Levos, sorry about earlier. It was all just a misunderstanding."
"We didn't realize you held such an important place in Grand Zeno's heart. That's why we offended you again and again. We truly apologize."
"And also, thank you for releasing us. We're grateful for your magnanimity."
Champa stared blankly. The speed with which these people switched faces was so outrageous it defied belief. They truly had no bottom line.
After a long stream of flattery and appeasement, one of the Gods of Destruction finally asked the real question.
"So, Mr. Levos, now that you've released us, is there some task you'd like us to carry out?"
Levos looked at this group whose faces changed faster than flipping a page. His expression did not shift in the slightest.
He spoke slowly.
"In a moment, I'm going to remove the barrier. Your presence here is meant to conceal Grand Zeno's identity and, at the same time, give the people outside a reasonable explanation."
The Gods of Destruction were no fools. After asking for a few more details, they instantly grasped Levos's intention.
"We understand!" Sidra, the God of Destruction of Universe 9, stroked his beard with a grave look. "Grand Zeno's identity absolutely cannot be exposed. To divert everyone's attention outside, we need to throw out a major piece of news."
"In that case, let us take part in this tournament ourselves. That way everyone's attention will be drawn to us!"
"Exactly! Although this is just a mortal competition, for the sake of keeping Grand Zeno's identity hidden, we have no choice!" Iwan of Universe 1 also declared his support.
In their hearts, however, they did not think highly of this so-called tournament at all.
A game put together by mortals was no more than children playing house.
With their power, they believed that if they released even the tiniest fraction of their aura, these so-called strong fighters would drop to their knees in terror, and the tournament would be over in an instant.
"My, my." Vados let out a soft laugh. "My lords, you would do well not to underestimate this tournament. I suggest that all of you use your full strength from the very beginning."
"Full strength?" Mosco, the God of Destruction of Universe 3, voiced his doubt. "Vados, are you joking? If we fight at full power, forget this arena. The entire Seventh Universe could collapse."
"Why not try it and see?" Vados said, her smile never fading.
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