"There's a lower deity who seems willing to help us," Maev said.
"He's willing to send his own follower legions to the major battlefields to assist our forces against the Zerg."
Hearing that, Peter gave a cold, mocking laugh.
He casually propped his boots up on the luxurious table, his tone dripping with disdain.
"Help us? Hmph. Impossible."
"I know those lower deities far too well!"
What Peter showed was not arrogance—
it was genuine familiarity with their kind.
"These weak, greedy parasites would never truly cooperate."
"If I'm right—and I usually am—this one just wants to use the chance to boast that he's 'working with Heaven Mountain.'"
"And if we actually agree to his terms, he'll probably send a token handful of soldiers, then pretend he's done his best~!"
"Every one of those so-called cooperating deities before him did the same—smiling faces at first, only to pull their troops back into their own realms!"
"Hahaha, that reminds me of a joke, Maev. Want to hear it?"
Maev's icy face showed no emotion.
"I do not."
"Uh… anyway."
Peter shook his head helplessly.
"This guy definitely isn't sincere about helping Heaven Mountain. That's the truth! Maev, tell him—I refuse his request!"
"Heaven Mountain isn't some random alley where every stray dog can—hmm?"
Before Peter could finish boasting, Maev handed him the data Adeline had brought back.
It contained records of the demons' battles against the Zerg.
Admittedly, though the demons had been at a disadvantage,
the gap wasn't large.
And more importantly,
when the Zerg changed tactics and sent large numbers of legendary-tier creatures,
the demons actually began to hold the upper hand.
Of course, that only applied when both sides had similar numbers.
Once the Zerg unleashed their endless swarms,
the demons were still crushed.
Even so, their performance caught Peter's attention.
"These twisted, filthy, ugly creatures—are they that deity's followers?"
Peter frowned.
To him, these creatures were hideous—disgusting, even.
Some were so deformed and grotesque that they made his stomach churn.
But he couldn't deny one thing:
many of them fought incredibly well.
At least better than most low-tier Heaven bio-soldiers.
Despite lacking tactics,
when they fell into their berserk rage,
they could go head-to-head with the Zerg in many encounters.
In Peter's eyes, the demons were excellent "consumables."
If he could truly make use of them,
many battlefields might turn in their favor.
"Yes," Maev replied calmly. "They are indeed that deity's followers. Besides combat footage, we also have biological data."
"These creatures' parameters are far superior to many of our own troops. The deity's offer of support isn't a bluff."
"We could use these beings to reduce casualties and accelerate the extermination of the Zerg."
Peter hesitated.
"Maybe… but I still don't trust him. He must have an ulterior motive."
"Every god has their flaws," he muttered, "but they all share one trait—they're cunning and deceitful."
Maev continued in her flat, mechanical tone.
"You're not wrong, Peter. Because that lower deity did include one important condition in his proposal."
"What kind of condition?"
Peter inhaled sharply, now giving the matter more weight.
"He said that if we allow him to deploy his forces, he wants resources. Before his world was consumed by the Zerg, he had just invaded a secret realm, so he's now in a resource shortage."
"How much?"
Maev gave him a number.
Peter almost leapt to his feet.
Even though Heaven Mountain had brought an enormous amount of resources to sustain their armies,
Chu Hao's demand still left him reeling.
"That much?! He's insane—no way!"
"But he said he'll use it all to breed his armies to kill the Zerg," Maev added.
"He also said, if we don't trust him, he can first send one wave of troops,
and only after receiving our resources will he deploy the next."
"What do you think, Peter? Shall we reply?"
Peter rubbed his chin, visibly torn.
"So that's what he wants… resources."
"Well, that makes sense. No one sacrifices everything selflessly."
"But if it's just resources…"
Eventually, Peter agreed to Chu Hao's proposal—
to send troops and cooperate.
However, ever cautious,
he only allowed Chu Hao to dispatch his army to several battlefields of his choosing.
When Adeline relayed this to Chu Hao,
he smiled calmly.
For what he sought was never just the resources.
Yes, they were valuable—
but not his true aim.
What he truly wanted
was to gain Heaven Mountain's official permission
to spread his army across the vast battlefields of this universe.
---
Once the agreement was established,
the tendrils of the Endless Abyss
finally extended—with Heaven's assistance—
into every corner of the nascent multiverse.
Countless demon legions, laughing madly,
descended upon their designated warzones.
To them, killing needed no reason.
Slaughter and death were their delight.
But this time,
their master had given them a grander purpose—
to pollute.
To contaminate the multiverse's newborn fabric,
to scatter the seeds of decay and corruption everywhere.
And as they fought beside Heaven's soldiers,
they would quietly taint them too—
sowing disaster and doubt
in the hearts of those weary warriors.
Chu Hao stood beside Angel Adeline,
watching as the hordes of demons marched out from the Endless Abyss.
A faint smile curved his lips.
If everything went well,
he would soon witness the mortal soldiers of Paradise—
showing their ugly side.
And he was even more eager to see
how the angels themselves would respond.