XElenea
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Ch. 334 Loyalty Rewarded
🕑 Added 2024-03-25 16:00:10 +0000 UTC"Your Majesty, can't you stay?"
Selena, who exuded an irresistible allure from head to toe, looked at Russell sitting on the throne with a pitiful expression, as if she were a pet about to be abandoned by her master.
"No!"
"I am not a demon. I cannot stay in Hell forever."
Russell refused without hesitation.
He had indeed experienced great pleasure with Selena and Heather, pleasures that words couldn't describe, but he wasn't the type to let beauty distract him from his responsibilities.
"Then, Your Majesty, can you take us with you to the mortal realm?"
Upon hearing Russell's words, Heather immediately asked.
"No!"
"You are demons. Having you appear in the mortal realm would cause a lot of trouble."
Just like before, Russell chose to refuse.
Despite Selena, Heather, and the others currently obeying him, they were still demons.
There's an old saying: "The leopard cannot change its spots."
Russell didn't think he could change the fundamental nature of demons like Selena and the others.
Their current obedience was purely due to his overwhelmingly superior strength.
"Your Majesty, are you really this heartless? This city was built by you, and without you, it won't be long before it falls into ruin."
Selena continued to speak to Russell in a pitiful tone, attempting to dissuade him from his plan to return to the mortal realm.
"Even if I'm not here, you can still manage this city. After all, you are the talented individuals I handpicked."
"However, I'm not the type to casually abandon my subordinates."
"You have followed me for a while now, and even if you haven't accomplished much, you've still worked hard. So, I'm giving you a choice."
Upon hearing this, Selena and the others looked at Russell with hopeful expressions.
"I mentioned earlier that one of the reasons I came to Hell was to establish a divine realm."
"The divine realm has now been established, and it was formed based on the City of Sin."
"Although I can't take you to the mortal realm, I can allow you to enter my divine realm."
"My divine realm isn't very large right now, but it can easily accommodate tens of thousands of people. Moreover, my divine realm will continue to expand and develop towards the real world."
"Even though you are demons, you can still live in my divine realm. The environment there won't be worse than Hell, and it's even more suitable for you to enhance your strength."
"The only issue is that if you enter my divine realm, you will no longer be demons of Hell; you will become my followers."
"Your connection to Hell will be severed, and your path of advancement will change."
"Even your essence of life will undergo a transformation."
"I'll give you one day to think it over, and you can tell me your decision tomorrow."
After saying this, Russell raised his right hand casually.
Selena and the others in the hall instantly disappeared, returning to their original locations.
They were originally summoned by Russell using his Hell authority, so all he had to do to send them back was to end the summoning.
When Russell was the only one left in the hall, he closed his eyes and began to adjust to his newfound Skyfather-level powers.
In terms of types, the powers he possessed now were the same as before.
Kryptonian physiology, divine power, magic, Hell power, and so on—all were still intact.
However, due to the promotion in rank, these powers had undergone a qualitative transformation.
Although he had ascended to the Skyfather level the moment he successfully established the divine realm, he still needed time to readjust to his powers.
This was similar to a person whose strength had skyrocketed needing to adapt to their newfound power before they could live a normal life as they used to.
Otherwise, even the slightest action could cause significant damage to his surroundings.
Fortunately, Russell had plenty of experience in adaptation. Although the Skyfather-level power was a bit stronger, adapting to it wasn't particularly difficult.
Time passed quickly.
A day passed in the blink of an eye.
Russell, sitting on the lord's throne, opened his tightly closed eyes.
Then, he raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.
As soon as he snapped his fingers, Selena and the others, who were in different locations within the city, once again appeared in the hall.
Even their positions were exactly the same as yesterday.
For demons, a day was a very short time.
However, Russell didn't intend to give them any more time for consideration.
"It's been a day, I wonder what you've decided."
Russell said calmly.
"I'm willing to go to Your Majesty's divine realm," Selena spoke first.
Noticing Selena's quick response, Heather hastily added, "I'm also willing to go to Your Majesty's divine realm."
After Selena and Heather announced their decisions, the brutal demon Paris, who had followed Russell closely, knelt down with a serious expression and said:
"I can become a high-ranking demon, all thanks to Your Majesty's grace."
"From that day on, I swear that I will be the most loyal servant to Your Majesty throughout my life."
"I, Paris, am willing to follow Your Majesty, regardless of the trials!"
After speaking, Paris lowered his head, awaiting Russell's response.
"You may!"
Russell didn't refuse Paris and replied with a smile.
Although Russell's encounter with Paris had been a coincidence, Paris had proven himself interesting and truly loyal to Russell over the past six months.
With Selena and Paris expressing their intentions, several other demons followed suit with their decisions.
In the end, about three-quarters of the demons in the hall were willing to enter Russell's divine realm.
Although they didn't know exactly what Russell's divine realm entailed, they knew it was similar to the City of Sin, and they chose to follow Russell.
As the saying goes, if you treat your subordinates well, they will naturally repay you with loyalty.
As for the demons who didn't want to enter the divine realm, Russell didn't force them.
However, he relieved them of their positions within the City of Sin.
Since they were unwilling to enter his divine realm, Russell wouldn't continue to let them manage the City of Sin.
Additionally, there was something Russell had deliberately kept hidden from them the day before.
His divine realm had free access.
This freedom of access didn't mean anyone could enter his divine realm, but the believers within his divine realm could freely come and go.
In other words, even if Selena, Paris, and the others entered Russell's divine realm, they could return to Hell at any time, provided Russell allowed it. They could even use a divine realm portal to come directly to the mortal realm if Russell permitted it, though he had no intention of granting such privileges.
"I'm glad you've made this decision."
"Since you've chosen to be loyal to me, I won't betray your loyalty."
With those words, the hall overflowed with Hell power.
"These are your rewards."
As soon as he finished speaking, Selena and the others began to absorb the Hell power in the hall without hesitation.
Although Russell couldn't promote Selena and the others to the rank of Demon Lords, among the high-ranking demons, there were varying degrees of strength. After Selena and the others started absorbing the Hell power in the hall, Russell's figure vanished into thin air.
The next moment, he appeared in the backyard of the Lord's Mansion.
For Selena and the others, Russell was willing to give them a choice, but for the succubus servants in the Lord's Mansion, he wouldn't offer any options.
These succubus servants were useful to him, and he intended to bring all of them to his divine realm since he needed servants there.
After Selena and the others finished absorbing the Hell power in the hall, Russell reappeared before them.
Accompanying him were the succubus servants from the Lord's Mansion.
Without saying a word, Russell raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.
The next moment, Selena and the others disappeared before them.
The Astral Plane.
Russell's divine realm, the City of Sin.
Now a Skyfather-level being, Russell could connect to the Astral Plane at any time and bring others or items into his divine realm.
Although Selena and the others were high-ranking demons, they were completely baffled. It wasn't until they realized there was no Hell aura in the air that they discovered they were in Russell's divine realm.
"I built this divine realm based on the prototype of the City of Sin. Although not everything will be the same here, your living quarters remain intact."
"As for any missing items, once you've acclimated to the environment, you can create them using your own powers."
Russell spoke to Selena and the others while sitting on the lord's throne in the hall.
After giving some instructions, he let Selena and the others leave.
Once they had all left the hall, he began preparing to return to the mortal realm.
Before becoming a Skyfather-level being, he had intended to use the Space Stone as a one-time item to forcefully open the barrier between Hell and the mortal realm to return to the mortal realm.
However, after becoming a Skyfather-level being, he no longer needed to use that method.
Although Skyfather-level demons couldn't break the barriers between Hell and the mortal realm, he wasn't a demon.
The Secret Covenant wouldn't prevent him, a "human," from returning to the mortal realm.
Moreover, he wasn't in Hell now but in the dimensional rift known as the Astral Plane.
Hell and the mortal realm each had their own dimensional barriers, and the Secret Covenant reinforced the barriers between the two dimensions to prevent demons from easily entering the mortal realm.
However, the Astral Plane wasn't part of Hell, so Russell could easily open the dimensional barrier to the mortal realm.
As for how to open the dimensional barrier to the mortal realm, it was simple: casting a Dimensional Gate spell.
Unlike Hell and Heaven, there was no Secret Covenant in place between the mortal realm and other dimensions. By casting a Dimensional Gate spell in the mortal realm, one could easily travel to other dimensions.
Russell wasted no time and, sitting on the lord's throne, cast the Dimensional Gate spell.
After becoming a Skyfather-level being, he could cast almost any spell instantly, except for Legendary magic.
With a thought, a circular Dimensional Gate with a radiant crimson glow appeared before him.
Once the Dimensional Gate was formed, Russell stood up and walked through it calmly.
As soon as his figure disappeared completely, the Dimensional Gate shattered like broken glass and dissipated into pure energy.
Earth.
Suburbs of New York.
The Justice League Headquarters.
Russell had set the exit of the Dimensional Gate directly on the grassy area outside the Justice League Headquarters.
As he emerged from the Dimensional Gate, he immediately sensed the entirely different aura of the mortal realm compared to Hell.
While the mortal realm's air lacked the rich energy found in Hell, breathing the mortal realm's air brought Russell an indescribable sense of relaxation.
In Hell, he always felt like an outsider, even though the Hell Authority didn't reject him, that psychological discomfort couldn't be resolved by Hell Authority.
Now back in the mortal realm, a circular portal with sparkling golden sparks appeared in front of him.
Walking out of the portal was the Sorcerer Supreme, Ancient One, dressed in her bright yellow robes.
"You're back," Ancient One said calmly as she regarded Russell.
"Yes, I'm back," Russell replied calmly.
"This time in Hell, you've gained a lot, but you need to address the Hell aura around you," Ancient One continued.
"I'll take care of it," Russell replied.
Even though Russell had completely merged with Hell Authority and had become a Skyfather-level being by establishing his divine realm, he still carried a strong Hell aura.
After all, he had spent more than half a year living in Hell, and it was only natural to pick up some Hell aura.
Moreover, he had embedded Hell Authority into his Thunder Divine Power, and even the City of Sin, in his divine realm, was imprinted with Hell Authority.
With so many connections to Hell, it would be abnormal for him to have no Hell aura at all.
"Judging by your appearance, you've just finished establishing your divine realm," Ancient One remarked.
"When you've adapted to your current power, come to the Sanctum Sanctorum. There are some matters I need to discuss with you."
Ancient One's tone was as calm as ever.
"Alright."
Upon hearing Russell's reply, Ancient One didn't hesitate. She cast the portal spell again.
Then, without looking back, she walked through it.
Once Ancient One had left, Diana, who had noticed Russell's return, quickly approached him. Without a word, she embraced him.
Although Russell still exuded a strong Hell aura, Diana didn't mind.
"You've been through a lot during this time," Russell said gently as he held Diana.
"It was worth it," Diana replied, releasing her embrace.
Ten minutes later.
In the headquarters' living room.
Russell used his Skyfather-level abilities to inform Kara, Gwen, and the others about his return.
At this point, Kara, Gwen, and the rest had all gathered in the living room, looking at Russell with curiosity.
"I know you're all curious about where I've been for the past six months."
"Now that it's over, I won't keep it from you any longer."
"For the past six months, I've been in Hell."
"As for why I went to Hell, it's simple. I went there to establish a divine realm and further enhance my powers."
Russell didn't intend to keep his actions a secret from Kara and Gwen any longer.
Not only were they trustworthy individuals, but they would also eventually enter his divine realm.
He didn't want his divine realm to remain empty.
"Divine realm?" Kara and Gwen, who were unfamiliar with magic and divine powers, didn't understand what a divine realm was.
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Russell patiently explained what a divine realm was and the fact that he had ascended to the level of a Skyfather.
Of course, he didn't directly tell Kara and Gwen that he had become a Skyfather-level being, but rather that he had increased his power by another level.
