CHAPTER 671: THE SIX STAGES OF DIVINITY - AWAKENED DEMIGOD?!

Asmodeus held his axe loose, the tip dripping with blood and black mucus from the bodies of the damned. He’d been killing for hours... instead of using his Divine Aura, he noticed something strange the moment he focused on physical might and poured the strange aura from each kill into his body and muscles.

"Haa... It’s still a little tiresome."

Despite being a demigod, or something of that nature, he’s swung his axe thousands of times to kill the infected. ’I can’t believe the abyss has been seeping into the flesh of the living and the bones of the dead...’ He looked at the mass of corpses burning in his blood-red fire.

"The abyss, how long has it’s aura been distorting this land?"

His gaze lingered on the Taken he massacred. Some carried modern clothes, weapons and clearly died recently. However, there were corpses hundreds, maybe thousands of years old, and it wasn’t just humanoid races.

"How could the monsters be corrupted by that strange Iron Maw..."

Asmodeus poked his fingers into the sticky, silvery-purple goo left behind. The moment his finger touched it, the goo burst into life. Tiny purple tendrils stabbed into his palm, pumping the goo into his veins. ’It’s like a reverse mosquito.’

"It’s a liquidised metal and pure abyssal energy..."

His veins ached with a dull burning pain from the moment it flooded his system. Asmodeus narrowed his golden eyes, watching as the liquid clung to his cells and fused with his body.

"Ngh..."

[Honey, please stop doing dangerous things alone!]

Serena’s voice scolded him as the dark outline of her figure hovered beside him.

"I’ll be fine, darling. Look... It’s increasing my power."

[Hnnnnng... don’t do it!]

The second female form beside him crunched up, making a fake cry, causing him to stop. His muscles tensed, clamping down as Asmodeus cut off the goo, blocking its movement completely. It writhed and wriggled inside his veins but could no longer fuse with him.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you too Lumia."

The forest looked horrible after his battle, each swing destroying several trees that might have existed for decades. Asmodeus gripped his arm tight to stop the fusion while closing his eyes. ’I don’t have a visual or idea how this is helping me.’

[Hmmm? Why don’t you just create a system like me and Lumi did for you and the heroes?]

"Can I do that?" He didn’t consider it, rather. He forgot!

’Sometimes being a god feels no different to when I was a normal human.’ He looked up at Lumina and Serena’s figures, who both stared at him with affectionate eyes. "I’m too happy being you girls and our little ones."

[Oh my, you’ve become so affectionate, my dear husband. I remember when you beat me and shouted that you wouldn’t accept me all the time!]

Lumina’s eyes became deeper red as she leaned closer.

Despite their figures being ghostly, he could feel their warmth and bodies thanks to binding himself to them at the soul level. ’To think you’d bring that up when your body is completely mine.’

He watched his lover blush while examining her abdomen with his golden eyes. Her divine core carried more than half of his power. The golden light and blood-red aura mixed beautifully inside her womb.

[Don’t tease Lumina too much, honey.]

"I know, it just feels great that if you grow stronger, I grow stronger... and if I grow stronger, you all grow stronger."

He smiled back at his empress.

Although Asmodeus didn’t want to prioritise his wives, Serena and Yumiko held a place in his heart that the others couldn’t quite reach. Though in another way, Asmodea and Lumina also had a special place in his heart.

’Like this, it’s as if I’ve divided my heart into countless pieces, with the largest pieces being Yours.’

When he spoke honestly, his emotions and deep feelings transferred through the divine cores and shards that held his soul. The moment he thought about his women, their faces became brighter, and the seductive arachne turned bright red.

[Fufu, isn’t it great that he loves us so much, Lumina?]

[Y-yeah]

"What’s wrong?" He didn’t expect Lumina to be so embarrassed.

[I just didn’t think I was also important to you...]

"Fool... I would die for you. For every one of you." He shrugged, flicking Blood Reaver as it vanished, then he sat on a huge boulder. Asmodeus gazed at the sky, slowly lighting up, which meant he could soon return to the camp. "How can I make my system?"

[We will help, but what do you want it to do?]

[I’ve created countless, but they seem pointless for you, Master.]

’I love it when Lumina reverts to her submissive mode!’

He leaned back as a screen popped up without information. He didn’t want to cram it full of needle information. The power levels of humans and those below him didn’t matter. His goal was higher, above him and his current abilities.

[Well, honey. Let’s start with the important thing.]

"What’s that?"

[Are you stupid, Master? Your name...!]

Serena spoke gently, while Lumina, although submissive, had a more frank and amusing tone. ’Okay, let’s keep it simple... can you help me measure the amount of this divine aura I need to reach the next stage?’

He didn’t know exactly what the maximum stage was, but thanks to Lumina and Serena, they helped teach him about the levels of divinity.

[I’m going to teach you about the divine... open your mind and it will flow into you.]

[Divine Rankings]

Rank 1: Demigod – Mortal foundation touched by divinity. Limited domain control.

Rank 2: Awakened Demigod – Fully conscious divine core; capable of sustaining worship.

Rank 3: Lesser Deity – Can form domains and grant minor miracles.

Rank 4: Greater Deity – Commands universal laws within a limited scope.

Rank 5: High Deity / True God – Has complete control over a domain or concept.

Rank 6: Overgod / Primordial / Supreme Divinity – Transcends the concept of domain; influences reality frameworks or cosmological constants.

The information shocked Asmodeus, because he already thought he’d reached godhood. But there were many more steps. ’Why did they call me a lesser deity then?’ He asked the two goddesses who stroked his chest.

[Although you are currently at Rank 2... your combat power and divine core have the quality of a Rank 3]

Serena spoke first, before Lumina interrupted with a proud and delighted tone.

[My dear husband, when at full power, your aura almost reaches the level of Rank 4 when using your domain.]

Name: Asmodeus Vincenzo De Lumeria

Age: 21

Race: Demon

Title: God Emperor

Divinity: Rank 2 Awakened Demigod

Abyssal Sovereign - Progress to Next Rank: 58%

[Ah, it looks like our time is up!]

Serena hugged him tight, kissing his face dozens of times, while Lumina clung to his back and squeezed him with all eight of her extra arms. The duration of their manifestation couldn’t last long as they’d just recovered their divinity.

"Thanks for the help."

Asmodeus took a while to understand the different levels while quietly absorbing the abyssal energy. He wanted to ask them about why Abyssal energy could improve his divine aura if that were the pinnacle.

’Hmmm, the two powers feel quite similar in nature.’

He held out both palms, one with the black, purple aura of the abyss and the blood-red light of his divine power. ’It’s like the difference between being a demon and human... the same power source, just a unique element or property.’

Abyssal Energy decayed, destroyed, and devoured.

Divine Aura empowered, elevated, and created

With everything finished, he realised one thing he hadn’t asked the pair.

"What was their original rank?"

***

Asmodeus trudged back up to the camp with a slightly tired expression, his eyes half shut, and the pristine glow of his cheeks now dull. "The barrier remained, thank god." The moment he came close, two people jumped out with their weapons, while in their nightclothes.

"Don’t come closer!"

"Who are you?!"

Logan and Nerim both held their weapons. Logan wore a funny onesie with stars on it, and the mermaid’s babydoll didn’t match the situation they were facing.

"Hm?" That was until Asmodeus noticed the gills along her sides and scales on her thighs that looked a little dry and sore with slight pink skin around the edge. "You look rather nice." He joked with her, as she blushed and suddenly jumped back into the barrier.

"Laddie, I worried about you."

"Me?" Asmodeus tilted his head, confused at the dwarf’s words.

"Look in the mirror, yer covered in filth and the sound of combat lasted hours!"

"Ah... sorry about that Old man."

"Tsk, just hurry and come enjoy breakfast."

The dwarf shook his head with a faint blush, but it filled Asmodeus with a warm tingle as he stepped closer to the barrier. That’s when he noticed why Logan worried. ’Oh, I look like shit.’ The filth and blood of the Taken he slaughtered covered his clothes.

Stepping into the barrier, he decided to reach the dungeon before the next night came. No matter how much he needed to exert himself.

’After all.. I want to reach Rank Three.’