I Am Hades, The supreme GOD of the Underworld!

"The third one."

"Heh heh heh..."

Mephistopheles's face brimmed with satisfaction as he looked down at the third soul of a hero, tainted by one of the Seven Sins.

Pride.

Wrath.

Lust.

These three souls, each marked by one of the Seven Sins, were now in Mephistopheles's possession. For heroes, these three emotions—pride, wrath, and lust—were often the most accessible. For anyone, but especially heroes, these feelings were inevitable; they could not be absent. With just a small nudge, Mephistopheles only needed to guide these emotions slightly to draw them out.

Smiling, Mephistopheles murmured, "Greed, envy, gluttony, sloth—only four more to go."

"Finally," he whispered. "It's all finally coming together."

As he said this, a flicker of mixed emotions flashed in his eyes, and his aura began to tremble slightly. After all, Mephistopheles had climbed his way up, step by step, from the rank of a mere demon to his current status as a powerful god. He was all too familiar with the struggles and challenges of this journey.

So, standing now on the brink of success, Mephistopheles found it almost impossible to bear. His whole being felt as though it could barely contain the reality before him.

After years of trials, years of painstaking effort, he was about to grasp the success he had longed for. Could it really be true?

He felt an immense joy at the thought. "This is it!" he whispered. "The final stretch."

Slowly, with steady steps, he continued forward, unwavering and determined. Mephistopheles knew his future was bound to be glorious; as long as he continued faithfully alongside his king, his destiny would only grow brighter.

His path, he knew, was to simply keep moving forward, unyielding and surefooted. His future would manifest in full glory, and he was certain of it.

The passage of time continued, and in what seemed like a blink, another four million years had passed. During this time, the gods had refrained from taking any drastic actions, preferring instead to bide their time and observe.

To be blunt, none of them wanted to be the first to make a move. They chose instead to watch and wait.

And why should they, the smaller gods, act while the great powers stayed silent? Why rush headlong into things? After all, they weren't fools and had no desire to play the pawn. The gods, too, understood the value of waiting.

Would the Earth Goddess not make her move? Surely, she couldn't simply sit back and watch. After all, it was she who initiated this whole game; without her, the gods wouldn't even be here. If she refused to act, why should they rush? None of them intended to be played for fools, to act first while others benefited.

So, the gods observed, indifferent and patient, without urgency. Despite seeing an opportunity, they didn't feel compelled to seize it immediately. And after all, the chance was already in front of them; why act recklessly?

Success or failure mattered little to them. For now, with the situation at a standstill, they were content to sit back and let events unfold. Surely, the Earth Goddess herself must be feeling the pressure to act.

Thus, the entire world seemed to slip into an eerie calm, an equilibrium that only deepened as the gods watched and waited.

For Mephistopheles, however, this period of calm was a blessing. He had spent seven million years gathering the seven souls of heroes, each imbued with one of the Seven Sins.

Finally, he returned to the Underworld, to the familiar surroundings of his Contract Hell.

Gazing at the place he knew so well, he felt tears well up in his eyes, slowly falling down his cheeks. Despite his composure, the joy of nearing his ultimate goal overwhelmed him.

Mephistopheles had finally reached the last step, and for him, nothing could be better.

Regardless of the challenges, he had made it, standing now at the very brink of victory.

With a steady hand, he absorbed the seven souls before him, each one bearing a mark of the Seven Sins.

In an instant, an overwhelming surge of divine power erupted from within him.

The rank of God-King.

He had finally ascended.

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