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Next came the level-up.
This time, there was no special Development Ability to choose from, so Alex picked Smithing.
Name: Alex Level: Lv.8 Stats: Strength: I0 | Endurance: I0 | Dexterity: I0 | Agility: I0 | Magic: I0
Development Abilities: Luck C, Mystery D, Divinity E, Godslayer F, Demon King G, Godhood H, Smithing I
Authorities: Eight-Nine Mystical Art, Sovereignty of the Sun, Lord of the Sky, Fairy Corridor, Black Dragon of the Underworld, Eastern God of War, Rending Silver Hand
Magic:Type-Moon Magecraft, Godslaying Magecraft, Jobless Magic, Fairy Tail Magic
Skills:Martial God, Godslayer's Body, Infinite Regeneration
Level eight.
Once he returned to Orario, he would officially be among the highest-level adventurers alive.
After finishing the level-up, Alex returned to the spirit-descending ritual and placed the second holy relic onto the altar.
Athena had expended a great deal of divine power activating the ritual last time and still hadn't fully recovered, so this time, Luo Hao took over.
Once the ritual activated, the scene was mostly the same as before. The difference was the god being summoned, which caused the phenomenon of heaven and earth to change as well.
This time, dark clouds swallowed the entire Land of Sakura. A torrential rain poured from the sky, and bolts of lightning as thick as barrels flashed through the clouds.
Then Alex saw it.
A massive silhouette coiling within the storm.
"That is… a dragon?"
Good grief. It was actually a Chinese divine dragon.
Athena frowned slightly when she saw it.
In the Godslayer world, whether dragon or serpent, eastern or western, they all belonged to the category of dragon-serpent gods, aligned with the Earth Mother faction. But the Chinese divine dragon served the Eastern Heavenly Court instead.
That meant it had essentially betrayed the Earth Mother's camp and joined the Steel Hero Gods instead.
Alex found the setting pretty bizarre, but he didn't care enough to dwell on it.
He activated the Eight-Nine Mystical Art again, his body expanding as a gigantic hand reached straight into the storm clouds. He grabbed the dragon and yanked it out.
Compared to Alex's colossal form, the enormous dragon looked almost ridiculous in his grip, wriggling like an oversized loach.
"Damn you, Rakshasa King! You actually possess the Eight-Nine Mystical Art!" the black dragon roared, thrashing wildly and spewing dragon breath, though it didn't even scratch Alex.
Alex tightened his grip slightly.
The black dragon was crushed to death.
[Group Member Alex has slain a god. Gained 5000 points!]
[Group Member Alex completed Nine-Star Mission: Godslaying. Reward: 100 points!]
Just like last time, Alex dispelled the Eight-Nine Mystical Art, and his consciousness was drawn into the Netherworld.
This time, his divine power reached nine times that of an ordinary Godslayer, and he gained a new Authority: Command Wind and Rain.
Honestly, it overlapped again with Lord of the Sky.
After slaying gods twice in a row, Alex had accumulated ten thousand points.
That was more than enough to spend freely for quite a while.
He bid farewell to Luo Hao, returned to the hotel, and then brought Arianna, Karen, Mariya Yuri, Seishuuin Ena, Mariya Hikari, and Sayegami Arisu back to Orario.
Arianne and Karen were Erica and Liliyana's attendants, and Alex had already spoken to them beforehand. They knew they were heading to another world and were practically vibrating with excitement.
As for Mariya Yuri, Seishuuin Ena, Mariya Hikari, and Sayegami Arisu, Alex didn't explain anything at all. Whether they agreed or not, he took them with him anyway.
He didn't bring Athena to the Dungeon world. That world already had its own Athena, and if the two sensed each other, his secret would be exposed.
To be safe, he left her behind in the Godslayer world to manage the Seven Sisters Alliance in Europe.
After slaying Sun Wukong, Luo Hao didn't return to Mount Lu either. Instead, she directly took control of the Land of Sakura and began investigating Susanoo's position in the Netherworld.
…
Orario. The night before the War Game.
Alex returned.
And this time, he brought six girls with him.
When Erica and Liliyana saw Arianne and Karen, they were overjoyed. The four of them immediately gathered together, whispering excitedly.
Meanwhile, Mariya Yuri and the others were completely stunned.
Where exactly had they been brought?
Mariya Hikari tugged curiously at Alex's clothes. "Demon King big brother, what is this place?"
Alex patted her head. "This is another world. How about you live here from now on, Hikari?"
Her eyes lit up instantly. "Really? Like the isekai novels? With dungeons and monsters, elves, dwarves, beastmen, and all that?"
Alex laughed. "That's right. You're sharp, Hikari."
Once it was confirmed, she became even more excited. She was still a kid at heart, after all.
But her sister Mariya Yuri, along with Seishuuin Ena and Sayegami Arisu, were far from calm.
"No way. We actually came to another world?" Ena frowned, her cute brows knit together.
"I finally get it," Sayegami Arisu said, breaking out in a cold sweat. "No wonder the Official History Compilation Committee could never trace the Seventh Godslayer's origins. You're from another world. That means Luo Hao knew too. You've been hiding a secret like this!"
Alex looked at them calmly. "Since I brought you here and let you learn the truth, you have only one choice from now on. Swear loyalty to me. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless."
The four girls trembled in fear.
The other members of the familia watched the scene in shock. They had never imagined that their usually gentle captain could show such overwhelming dominance.
He really did look like a Demon King.
Merlin smiled faintly. "Looks like my skill is doing its job."
He was clearly referring to Hero Creation, the art of artificially shaping and cultivating kings.
Alex no longer carried the aura of an ordinary shut-in. He was starting to look more and more like a true ruler.
At that moment, Hestia stepped forward. "That's enough. They're part of the familia now. Don't scare them anymore."
Alex nodded and said nothing.
He gave Hestia a look. She understood and nodded back.
The two of them left the hall together.
As for explaining the basics of this world to Mariya Yuri and the others, that was left to Roxy and the rest.
Hestia followed Alex into his room and asked impatiently, "Alright, what do you need?"
"Obviously, I need you to update my Blessing," Alex said with a grin.
As he spoke, he unbuttoned his shirt and took it off.
Hestia rolled her eyes. "You could've done that in the hall. Why come back to your room?"
Alex replied, "I'm the captain, and now I'm a Godslayer too. Taking my clothes off in front of everyone would be embarrassing."
Hestia shrugged. "I don't think it matters. You were cuter before. Now you're starting to feel different."
"How about I only drop my pride in front of you, then?" Alex teased.
"Alright, alright, I get it." Hestia blushed lightly and turned him around. "I'll update it now."
She pricked her finger and let a drop of divine blood fall onto his back.
Then the update began.
Stats:Strength: I0 → SSS9999 Endurance: I0 → SSS9999 Dexterity: I0 → SSS9999 Agility: I0 → SSS9999 Magic: I0 → SSS9999
All stats maxed again.
Next came the level-up. There was no special Development Ability this time either, so Alex chose Magic Guide.
Once the upgrade was complete, his new status appeared.
Name: Alex Level: Lv.9
Stats:Strength: I0 | Endurance: I0 | Dexterity: I0 | Agility: I0 | Magic: I0
Development Abilities:Luck B, Mystery C, Divinity D, Godslayer E, Demon King F, Godhood G, Smithing H, Magic Guide I
Authorities: Eight-Nine Mystical Art, Sovereignty of the Sun, Lord of the Sky, Command Wind and Rain, Fairy Corridor, Black Dragon of the Underworld, Eastern God of War, Rending Silver Hand
Magic:Type-Moon Magecraft, Godslaying Magecraft, Jobless Magic, Fairy Tail Magic
Skills:Martial God, Godslayer's Body, Infinite Regeneration
Hestia stared at his status and sighed. "You reached Lv.9 already. If the other gods found out, they'd probably go insane with jealousy."
"Please don't," Alex said quickly. "If those chaos-loving gods learn about me, nothing good will come of it."
"I know. I'm just saying." Hestia shook her head, then continued, "By the way, Alex, you have so many Authorities now, and some of them overlap. Have you ever thought about fusing similar Authorities together?"
Alex blinked. "Authorities can be fused?"
Hestia nodded with a smile. "Of course. Authorities are manifestations of natural laws and cosmic rules. Different gods might give them different names, but the underlying power is often the same. Take sun gods, for example. Almost every pantheon has one. They all control the sun. The abilities are similar, but the names differ based on cultural interpretation and the degree of control."
"..."
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