Chapter 144: Identity Exposed

“Don’t look at me with those eyes; you’ll make me feel embarrassed.” With that, the Star of the Heavenly Leader, Yaoma, cast a flirtatious glance at the Grim Reaper Danaos, causing Danaos’s face to darken instantly.

“Why are you here?” Danaos demanded.

Yaoma laughed heartily. “Did you really think the gods wouldn’t investigate a blasphemer?”

Danaos’s vigilance sharpened at Yaoma’s retort, and he called out to the sky, “Show yourself.”

Sure enough, Hypnos, the God of Sleep, appeared beside Yaoma. Gupo, usually unshaken, stared at him in surprise.

“If not for Yaoma, I might have been deceived still, wouldn’t I?” Hypnos remarked.

Seeing that Danaos did not respond, Hypnos continued, “I never thought my brother’s divinity could be stolen by you.”

Danaos sensed something, then asked, “Where is Hades?”

Hypnos replied calmly, “The Holy War is at a critical juncture. It’s fitting that I handle this matter.”

Though Hypnos was composed, as the mightiest of the gods, he indeed possessed the power to confront Danaos.

At that moment, Yaoma chuckled and said from the side, “I know as a blasphemer, you must have contingencies, but before Lord Hypnos, everything will end.”

Hypnos nodded and added, “Then let me see what power you, a blasphemer, truly hold.”

Suddenly, the pentagram on Hypnos’s forehead glowed, and in an instant, the space around them transformed into a two-dimensional plane of intersecting lines.

Yaoma then executed a teleportation, vanishing from the scene.

“Eternal Slumber!” Hypnos’s ultimate technique—once it strikes, the victim falls into an unending sleep, never to awaken.

A vast purple microcosm immediately engulfed Danaos.

Drowsiness rapidly overcame him; even gods yearn for rest at times.

As Danaos drifted into a haze, Hypnos unleashed another divine secret technique.

“Exile to the Otherworld!”

This was Hypnos’s extraordinary power, turning all fantasies and illusions into reality. It is also known as the Realm of Imagination.

In truth, Hypnos created a unique dimension where he was the god of creation. Even gods, once banished there, became helpless prey.

Danaos’s divine form was swiftly sucked into this otherworld, vanishing without a trace.

When normality returned, Hypnos merely remarked coolly, “Is that all?”

But no sooner had he spoken than a crack appeared in the sky above him, followed by a rift.

The entire space shattered as Danaos violently broke through the domain and returned.

Hypnos was visibly surprised—he had not expected Danaos to break his realm.

Then, noticing the flames lingering around Danaos, he muttered, “Olympian Sacred Fire!”

Indeed, every fantasy and illusion has a tangible counterpart. One of the sacred fire’s powers is to turn the illusory into the real, even illuminating illusions to reveal the true path.

While Hypnos was still taken aback, a black eye fixed its gaze upon him.

It was as though Hypnos faced Death itself—a deathly will that could shatter even the strongest Golden Saints, driving them to despair or suicide.

Danaos whispered softly, “Death’s Gaze!”

Snap!

Hypnos shattered, his entire body breaking into fragments like shattered glass scattered across the ground.

Suddenly, Hypnos reappeared elsewhere, stating directly, “It seems the divinity you stole rivals that of my brother. The essence of death in your Death’s Gaze is identical.”

Danaos showed no surprise. Instead, he launched a mental assault, engaging Hypnos’s mind in a fierce struggle high above.

With another snap, the psychic battle ended in mutual destruction.

Both took a step back, realizing that neither could claim victory anytime soon.

...

Elsewhere,

Athena, holding her scepter, stood before Hades, the Lord of the Underworld.

The two highest deities tested each other’s divine power, and the immense force they unleashed forced each to retreat a step.

At that moment, Virgo Shaka stood beside Athena, bursting forth his cosmos energy as he charged forward with a punch.

Yet the divine pressure forbade mortals from touching them. Even Saints who had attained the Eighth Sense were mere mortals in their eyes.

Seizing the opening, Athena Saori swung her Victory Scepter, attempting to strike down Hades.

However, unskilled in combat, she was swiftly disarmed as Hades knocked the scepter flying.

Even the divine scepter of Victory fell to the ground.

Facing two opponents, Hades held his ground without faltering.

Suddenly, the Star of the Heavenly Leader, Yaoma, appeared in the palace, shouting, “Lord Hades! The Grim Reaper Danaos has been possessed by a blasphemer and is about to launch an attack!”

“A blasphemer?” Hades faltered.

In that instant, Athena Saori launched a surprise attack, wielding a golden dagger capable of killing gods.

With a faint “thud,” the golden dagger pierced Hades’s abdomen, blood flowing immediately.

Hades retaliated, sending Athena flying.

The sudden turn stunned Virgo Shaka, but Yaoma remained smiling as he approached Hades, quietly collecting his blood as if a sly thief.

...

Meanwhile,

Both the Grim Reaper and the God of Sleep sensed a shift in Hades’s condition. Their expressions changed instantly.

“Shall we cease for now?” Danaos proposed, unwilling to waste time battling Hypnos.

Hypnos, aware that he could not defeat Danaos quickly, replied, “You must not interfere with Lord Hades’s body!”

“Agreed.”

The two made a temporary truce, and Hypnos immediately teleported away.

When Danaos regained his senses, he found Seiya had vanished from the ground, leaving only the unconscious Hyoga.

Carelessly, he threw Hyoga’s body into the divine pathway, where Hyoga’s remnants were ground to dust.

[Notification: Acquired the soul of Cygnus Hyoga. Automatic decomposition yields 100 points of Death Power.] (Current Death Power: 2000 points)

Danaos’s expression shifted; he knew he must soon make a decisive choice with Yaoma.

Just as he was about to leave, two Golden Saints blocked his path.

“Leo Aiolia, Gemini Kanon!”

Yaoma’s voice echoed, “Alexis, here’s a gift for you. Hope you like it.”

These two Golden Saints had been teleported by Yaoma, darkening Danaos’s face further.

“Danaos! It looks like we’re in for a fierce battle.”

Leo Aiolia and Gemini Kanon’s cosmos blazed fiercely, as if confronting an evil god. Yet this time, Feng Zhe himself was the sinister force.