CHAPTER 354: CHAPTER354-THE SCORPION DEMIGOD

Deep within the stormy seas, hidden away in a mysterious space unknown to the outside world, a powerful existence slowly opened his eyes. His voice rolled out like thunder.

"How strange... I clearly set up a formation to prevent this, and yet a demigod of the Summoning Domain has still appeared!"

For a moment he was surprised, but soon after, a smile of dark satisfaction crept across his face.

"But perhaps this is not a bad thing. In fact, it is perfect. My ascension ritual requires twelve demigods of the same domain to pave the way. As long as I destroy them, I will be able to ascend into the demigod rank myself."

He let out a low chuckle.

The truth was, stepping into the divine path was never about effort and strength alone.

Past a certain level, fortune became just as important as hard work.

To reach a higher tier required more than training—it required completing the ritual demanded by fate.

Each ritual was different.

For someone seeking to enter the demigod rank, the requirement was particularly cruel: one had to kill twelve other demigods of the exact same domain.

Killing one was not difficult. Two, maybe three, was still manageable. But twelve? To find so many of the same domain was something that relied heavily on luck.

Krel, the being within this hidden space, had long known this. And so, in preparation, he had already made arrangements. He set traps and lures to draw in awakeners of the Summoning Domain, ensuring he would not have to wait centuries for fortune to smile on him.

There was another reason as well. Newly ascended demigods were generally fragile. Their grasp of divine authority was shaky, their bodies not yet adapted. They were easy prey.

When Krel’s senses brushed across the presence of Charlotte, a newly risen summoner who had just inherited her divine seat, his lips curved in hunger.

"At last. The final one. The pitiful little bug I’ve been waiting for."

His eyes gleamed as he stood.

"That ruin she crawled out of... it isn’t far. I’ll reach it soon enough."

Yet even in his eagerness, Krel did not forget himself. His expression darkened into cold seriousness.

"Still... I must not be careless. Even now, I must remain vigilant."

He pulled out his communicator, flipping through his contacts, and pulled several long-time comrades into a group conversation. His message was terse but filled with suppressed excitement.

"My old friends, my ascension ritual has reached its final step. I need your help. The last prey is in the Yellow Sand Ruins—you all know the place. Success or failure lies here. Remember, do not kill her outright. Just restrain her. If I ascend to demigod, I will not forget this debt."

Messages quickly poured back in, filled with banter.

"Krel, this caution doesn’t sound like you at all. Since when did you start being so careful?"

"Your strength is something we’re all familiar with. There’s no need to go this far with all the caution."

"Still, a demigod rank... how enviable. It seems I should start preparing my own ascension ritual."

These friends were all beings of the same level, other powerful awakeners who had reached demigod rank in their own domains. Their ties with Krel were old, and lending him a hand was not difficult. After all, if he succeeded, then they would have the favor of a demigod in their debt. That was not something easily refused.

At the same time, elsewhere, a scorpion-man demigod sat with a communicator in his claws, staring at the screen with a strange smile.

The Yellow Sand Ruins? That was his territory.

A demigod’s divine seat, ripe for the taking... Even though it was not of his domain, the thought alone stirred his greed.

A laugh, low and sinister, escaped his lips. "Heh... it seems this time I can profit greatly."

Meanwhile, Krel, seeing the enthusiastic responses of his allies, allowed himself a faint smile. In his mind, he could already see the day of his glorious ascension.

Once he became a true demigod, all others of the same rank would be like ants beneath his feet. He dreamed of the reverence, the awe, the power.

As for stepping beyond into the realm of the so-called Fake Gods? Krel doubted he would ever reach such heights. But that did not matter. For now, demigodhood was his prize.

He sent one more message to the group.

"My friends, I am nearly there. Remember—do not kill her. Just seal her. Restrain her for me. That will be enough."

The scorpion-man demigod’s eyes gleamed with greed as he read the words. His body was already close to the ruins, his pace quickening. After a long moment of thought, he tapped a message back to Krel.

"My old friend, tell me—your ascension ritual doesn’t have any special requirements, does it? If the target is a beautiful female, then let me have a taste before you take her."

Krel snorted in disdain, though his lips curved with mockery. He knew very well what kind of creature the scorpion-man was.

"Of course. As long as you don’t kill her, the rest is yours. Restrict her, and I will even give you a few days with her."

When the scorpion-man demigod read this, his eyes burned with desire. Opportunities like this did not come often. Especially not in a barren place like this.

His gaze locked on Charlotte, the blood clan girl who had just emerged from the ruins.

"A blood clan, is she? How very tempting..."

He licked his lips. In his mind, there was no real danger. Summoners were nothing in front of him. He was of the Agility Domain, a natural counter to summoning demigods. What could she possibly do against him?

With that certainty, he activated his stealth arts, his body fading into near-invisibility, and dashed toward Charlotte’s position at blistering speed.

But just as he closed in, his heart lurched.

An immense, oppressive power erupted nearby. A monstrous wave of abyssal energy surged into being. He barely had time to react before a massive abyssal beast appeared above him, its shadow blotting out the light.

At that same moment, he realized something horrifying—his body was no longer moving with the same freedom. His agility was declining, dropping rapidly, as if an unseen weight dragged him down.

He panicked. His agility attribute, the very foundation of his strength, was being stripped away. Within just a few breaths, his agility had fallen to one third of its normal state.

"What is this?!"

His eyes widened in disbelief as he looked up at the abyssal monster that loomed over him.

"A gold-rank monster? Impossible!"

This made no sense. She had just inherited her demigod seat. There was no way she could summon gold-ranked creatures. Even Krel, who was already at the peak of demigod rank, could at most summon silver-ranked beasts.

So how could this blood clan girl possibly do it?

Meanwhile, Charlotte only stretched lazily, her arms raised as though she had just woken from a nap. The trial earlier had shown her the truth: her limit was summoning gold-rank creatures. If she tried for platinum rank, she could clearly feel the restriction within her soul, an invisible wall she could not cross.

That was fine. It was her limit, but it was enough. She gave a small shrug.

"This isn’t all that interesting," she muttered, turning away.

She walked toward the outside of the ruins, casual and unhurried. Behind her, a dense swarm of abyssal creatures followed—hundreds of them.

The scorpion-man demigod froze in shock. His eyes bulged as he counted, his mouth working soundlessly.

Dozens of gold-ranked monsters. Over a hundred silver-ranked ones. All marching in formation behind a single young woman.

His entire body went cold.

"No way... I must be seeing things..."

But no matter how he blinked, the vision did not change.

These monsters—all of them—had been summoned by that blood clan girl.

"This... this is impossible! Don’t joke with me!"

The scorpion-man’s confidence shattered. What he had assumed would be easy prey had revealed itself as something far beyond his comprehension.