Roland Phils remained silent.
On the side, Icarus seemed to guess a little of his thoughts.
"Master cannot fight that man, at least not right now. Their powers are too strong. If they clash head-on, even the aftershocks would be enough to destroy the entire planet. Unless Mephisto is dragged permanently into another dimension, which would consume an enormous amount of your divine power. That would only harm you greatly," Icarus explained.
Hearing this, the ship girls nodded, finally understanding.
"So that's how it is. We meant to save the Earth, but if a battle broke out, the Earth would be destroyed instead!"
"But Commander, as long as Mephisto lives, he is a threat to us. What should we do?" The ship girls still looked worried.
"It's simple. We just need to keep making ourselves stronger, so that no enemy can make us afraid. The reason I had you form the battle formation this time was to temper you. I believe you've already gained insights, haven't you?" Roland Phils smiled lightly.
"Yes, Commander! I feel like I'm about to break through. It shouldn't be long before I reach Level 8 Legend! Gulp!" Laffey grinned as she took a habitual sip of her wine, looking very cute.
"Commander, I feel the same. Although I can't directly step into a new realm like Laffey, I have indeed gained a lot," Bismarck said seriously with a nod.
"Me too!" Enterprise and Icarus spoke in unison.
"Good. Battle is the best whetstone for your strength. To fully resist foreign invaders, it's not just about you. The overall strength of the Holy Light Order is just as important. Only when more strong people appear in this world will it be able to survive even greater shocks in the future.
Effie, after this incident, the Life Church will expand at an exponential rate. More and more believers will come to the temple. You must be prepared and handle this properly. If manpower is not enough, you have the authority to appoint new priests." Roland Phils looked at Effie seriously.
"I will follow your will. Effie will not let you down!" Effie replied respectfully.
"Commander, will this world face disasters even more terrifying than this one?" The ship girls caught onto something from his words.
Hearing this, an image appeared in Roland's mind, a purple-skinned figure with a twisted head, along with even more powerful beings. He nodded slowly.
"Yes. One day, beings far stronger than Mephisto will descend. When that time comes, we will not escape a brutal war. You must raise your strength with everything you have."
"We understand. We will never disappoint you!" The ship girls nodded solemnly. If their Master treated such beings so seriously, their power must be monstrous.
"Alright, the war is over for now. I need to return. But you don't need to rush back yet. Search the cities and see if any demons slipped away. Make sure they are completely eradicated." Roland instructed.
"Understood. We will go now!" They nodded.
As they spoke, Roland's body turned into divine light and disappeared.
Back at the Phils Manor, the internet was still buzzing with videos of the catastrophe, causing a storm of discussions.
"Was that really the Gate of Hell?"
"That old man, was he really a lord of Hell? He was terrifying!"
"Thankfully the Lord of Life descended with divine might, otherwise we humans would be doomed."
"The Lord of Life looks so young, and so handsome. He's like my Prince Charming!"
"He's everyone's Prince Charming!"
"Is this even the same world I once knew? Too many unbelievable things have happened lately!"
"Clearly, something is very wrong with this world."
"First there were strange mutants and superheroes, now even Hell and gods have appeared!"
"My God! How can we even live like this!?"
"Where is the temple of the Lord of Life? I want to go worship!"
"Me too! I want to become a follower of the Lord of Life!"
The discussions spread like wildfire. People weren't fools. They had all seen with their own eyes the massive Gate of Hell and the holy light that blotted out the sky. This was no movie or illusion. It was reality, right before them.
After such a terrifying event, people truly believed only the Lord of Life could save them. Believing in him felt like the safest choice.
If such videos had appeared in the past, governments would have blocked them immediately to prevent panic. But now, none of them did. They couldn't. Everyone had seen it with their own eyes. To deny it would only worsen the fear and perhaps collapse entire nations.
As Roland expected, people across New York and even the world began inquiring about the temples of the Lord of Life.
During this time, Roland sat beneath the Tree of Life in his divine realm. Divine light radiated from his body, majestic and overwhelming. His face carried a joyful smile.
After this battle with Mephisto, his believers had increased again.
[Saints]: 3
[Apostles]: 2
[Fanatics]: 21,312
[Devout Believers]: 222,186
[True Believers]: 412,882
[Casual Believers]: 5,215,000
"I didn't expect Effie to become a Saint!" Roland was a little surprised. After gaining his trust and witnessing his greatness in this battle, her faith had risen to a whole new level, directly advancing from Apostle to Saint.
But even more astonishing was the growth of the other groups of believers. Twenty thousand fanatics, two hundred thousand devout, four hundred thousand true believers, and five million casual believers. This was an unimaginable treasure.
Fanatics each provided 10 points of faith power, totaling 200,000.
Devout believers each gave 3 points, totaling 600,000.
True believers each gave 1 point, totaling 400,000.
Together, Roland could now gather 1.2 million faith power in just one day.
One million faith power could condense a strand of divine power. One hundred strands equaled one divine force. If he could gather one hundred divine forces, he would step into the realm of a mid-level true god.
But at present, Roland only had 112 strands of divine power, still nearly 9,888 short. At this pace, condensing only one strand per day, it would take him 27 years without rest.
"My path to godhood is still long," Roland sighed. The joy from his sudden increase in followers was tempered with helplessness.
Hell Dimension.
"Damn brat! I will make you pay! I will return!" Mephisto's furious roar shook the endless hellscape. Flames erupted wildly, burning everything around him.
This time, he had truly suffered. His son, Blackheart, was killed before his eyes. The descent of the Hell Gate failed. Even his endless undead army betrayed him under the influence of the Gate of Reincarnation. It was a triple humiliation.
While he raged, a ripple appeared before him. A dark shadow manifested, within it a skull shrouded in demonic energy.
"Dormammu, why are you here? Shouldn't you be fighting those hypocritical sorcerers right now?" Mephisto narrowed his eyes.
The shadow was none other than a projection of Dormammu, lord of the Dark Dimension.
"Hmph, then why are you in the Hell Dimension? Shouldn't you be fighting that damned brat?" Dormammu sneered, clearly in a foul mood.
Mephisto's face twisted. After hesitating, he admitted bitterly, "I failed. That boy's strength far exceeded my expectations. He tricked me, and I was forced to retreat. What about you?"
Dormammu froze, his face turning just as ugly. "So we share the same misery. I also failed. I was outmaneuvered. My true body is trapped in a time vortex. I cannot escape. I had to strike a deal with the enemy. I came here to warn you, but now it seems there's no need."
"…," Mephisto was stunned.
"How could the Ancient One do this? She was already near death," Mephisto asked in disbelief.
Dormammu was silent for a moment, then admitted reluctantly, "The Ancient One was already gone before I arrived. It was her disciple, a man named Doctor Strange, who stopped me. He is the new Sorcerer Supreme."
"…," Mephisto had no words.
"A mere new Sorcerer Supreme, and you failed? Pathetic!" Mephisto mocked.
"Ha! And what about you? Your opponent has been around less than a year, yet he drove you back to Hell. Do you even have the face to insult me?" Dormammu retorted.
"Enough! I don't want to hear you anymore. Get out!"
"Hmph! If not for our pact, I'd devour your Hell Dimension right now!" Dormammu snapped.
"Come on then! I'm dying to vent my rage. Let's see if I don't burn your Dark Dimension to ash!" Mephisto snarled back.
If Roland knew these two cosmic overlords were arguing and fighting because they couldn't devour Earth, he would probably laugh and cry at the same time. To make two universe-level beings this helpless was quite an achievement.
Although the invasion only lasted a single day, cities around the world were affected to varying degrees. New York, being the battlefield, suffered the worst.
Even so, from this disaster emerged many superheroes who stepped beyond human limits. Among the most renowned were Iron Man Tony Stark, Spider-Man swinging through skyscrapers, and Captain America, the battle-hardened warrior.
Others like Black Widow, Hawkeye, Daredevil, and Moon Knight also stood out.
For these heroes, that day felt like a year. They fought countless battles, swinging between anger, despair, and finally hope when the Lord of Life descended.
They also witnessed the terrifying might of the Holy Light Order and the unshakable power of the Lord of Life. Each had their own views of him, but one feeling was shared: reverence. Whether ordinary people or heroes, none could deny it.
While the world celebrated their survival, in a secret northern military base, a group of men in black carried a locked black case inside.
"Careful! This stuff isn't easy to collect. It's the last one left in the whole world."
"I know! Stop nagging already!"
"Why does the boss want such a dangerous thing?"
"Who knows? Just do as told. Some things are better left unknown."
"Exactly. The more you know, the worse it ends for you."
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1711 Words