Rhode gazed into Hela's black and white eyes, giving his final ultimatum.
"Now, either sign a contract to become my subordinate god and transform this hell with me."
"Or refuse my invitation and become my enemy, in which case I will let the God of the Underworld personally experience a hell from the human world."
"What is your choice?"
Silence.
After a deathly silence, there was an unrestrained burst of laughter.
"Hahahahaha, there's actually such a thing, it's impossible for an existence like you to be born in this world!"
Hela clutched her stomach, laughing so hard she was bent over, her image as a cool and aloof goddess completely gone, and even tears streamed from the corners of her eyes.
"Too interesting! Too interesting! Is this the good fortune that comes from occasionally being kind? I actually get to experience something like this!"
Rhode just watched her quietly, waiting for her answer.
After a long while, Hela finally stopped laughing. She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and her right hand, cold as snow, slowly reached out to Rhode.
"Do I still need to think? I've long been tired of all this boredom."
Her eyes lit up with an unprecedented glow.
"Whether it's exploitation or kindness. The power of the Goddess of Death, from today onwards, will only be used for you."
"Congratulations on successfully contracting Hela, the Queen of the Underworld, who governs death, disease, and old age!"
Rhode smiled and reached out to hold her slender, fair hand.
"You won't regret it."
Hela was already a little impatient: "Now, what do you want to do?"
Rhode's tone was terrifyingly calm, as if he was talking about a trivial matter.
"First, give me a list."
"Gods who are absolutely intolerable by human values, and… gods who can still be pulled in as allies."
Hela, realizing what Rhode was about to do, had no intention of dissuading him. Instead, she eagerly began counting on her fingers.
"Most of the gods in Bergen are related to the Underworld. If we're talking about those who are barely acceptable…"
"Lavellna, the Goddess of Thieves, Izanami, the Goddess of the Underworld, Morrigan, the Goddess of War. Besides them, almost all the rest are incorrigible individuals."
Hela paused, then looked at Rhode slyly, and asked tentatively.
"Of course, there's also another goddess, Lamashtu, whose beauty is also said to be exquisite, you know?"
"But, she is a goddess who specifically harms pregnant women, steals, and kills infants, and she is also the main god behind the 'Parts Yard'."
Rhode glanced at her, his expression speechless.
"Do you think I'm so starved that I'd even eat rotten meat?"
This remark was clearly Hela teasing him, having already seen through Rhode's preferences.
"Hehe."
Hela covered her mouth and chuckled, then looked at the girl not far away who was already conversing fluently with Liu Lu, and sighed.
"…Her luck is truly good."
Then, she turned her gaze back to Rhode, her eyes burning.
"Now, you should tell me what to do next, right?"
Rhode's expression was indifferent, his tone understated.
"First, sign contracts with the goddesses you've chosen, then send all the remaining gods away."
"All the sinners in the entire City of Sinners will receive a fair judgment according to the laws of the human world, based on their previous transgressions."
"You four gods will preside, and I will have people assist you."
"Those whose sins are unforgivable will be killed on the spot; the rest will be arranged for labor reform according to their sentences."
Hela's expression was astonished.
"I appreciate such a clean and decisive plan, but putting aside those gods, this city is currently full of unruly villains. Controlling them would require a lot of manpower."
"Could it be… you brought a lot of subordinates this time? How many people do you have?"
Rhode slowly stood up.
"How many people do you need?"
"Hm?"
"I'll go and 'recruit' a batch right now."
"Eh? Eh eh eh???"
In a luxurious room somewhere.
The goddess, with a ferocious expression, unhappily knocked over a cup, and a chilling divine power erupted.
"What did you say? Someone killed all the guards in the Parts Yard?!"
"Was it done by people from other factions? Apache? Ravana? Or… did an outsider break in?"
"No matter who it is… I will never allow anyone to touch my toys! Gather everyone, find that guy!"
However, there was no response from her faction members behind her.
Lamashtu frowned and turned around, only to meet a pair of indifferent heterochromatic eyes.
The left eye azure, the right eye crimson.
The anomaly that had quietly arrived in the room at some unknown time stood before a floor covered with dismembered corpses.
Her usual subordinates had clearly died in an instant, without even having time to scream.
The black-haired loli, with two horns on her head, had viscous blood dripping from her claws.
"You… many」."
Lamashtu had just uttered a word when her vision went black!
Typhon expressionlessly teleported in front of her, pressing a claw on her head, and mercilessly slammed it against the hard corner of the table in a completely unpitying manner.
Bang!!!
"Ah ah ah ah ah—damn it, how dare you…!!!"
The goddess, with bursting eyeballs and a face covered in blood, let out an angry curse.
Detecting a fatal injury to her divine body, the sealed divine power was about to trigger the automatic repatriation mechanism, and incidentally, blast the assailant who harmed her into pieces.
However, Typhon casually flung the goddess like trash at her feet, stepping on her face with her right foot and grinding it expressionlessly.
Buzz—
The divine power that was about to brew instantly fizzled out.
"!!!"
The goddess's face was pressed tightly against the cold, dirty ground, and she stared in disbelief with her only remaining eye.
An emotion called "fear," which she had never experienced before, instantly crawled into her heart like a cold venomous snake.
"How is that possible… this feeling… wait, are you a Divine Assassin?!"
Typhon tilted her head and said in an innocent tone.
"I… am not a Divine Assassin… Master said… I am the Judge of Gods."
If human sins could only be judged by gods, then who should judge the sins of gods?
Rhode had no intention of becoming a righteous avenger, but he also didn't mind occupying the moral high ground.
If repatriation to the Celestial Realm was the greatest punishment that the so-called righteous gods could inflict on these evil gods, then what Rhode wanted to do was… drag them all into hell and turn them into his sustenance!
Her body was slowly being corroded by darkness, and her consciousness gradually began to become chaotic.
"It's not malice from the Dungeon… but a judgment from humanity…. Hehehe…"
Lamashtu laughed, letting out a sorrowful and deranged curse.
"It truly is the Lower Realm, full of unknowns; anything can happen, but I will never be lonely… I'll be waiting for you all there… Hahahahaha!"
After sending Lamashtu into Kamui Space, Typhon slowly walked into the shadows, her faint voice echoing in the empty room.
"There are… six more…"
Immediately after, Ravana, the God of Rakshasas, Esh, the God of Trickery, Chernobog, the God of Darkness, Ah Puch, the God of Death, Mot, the God of Drought, and Angra Mainyu, the Evil God.
A total of seven evil gods were one by one nailed to crosses that bound divine power, accompanying their predecessor, Apollo.
Having lost their main gods, all factions in the entire City of Sinners instantly fell into chaos.
Bloodthirsty villains broke free from their last shackles, brandishing swords and madly slaughtering each other.
Battles were erupting in every corner of the city.
"Stop."
Pride's figure quietly appeared in the center of one of the most chaotic battlefields.
However, no one paid her any attention.
Instead, several men, whose minds were clouded by desire, laughed and lunged at her.
Pride's expression remained unchanged; she merely waved her hand casually.
Poof!
Those few people instantly exploded into a bloody mess of flesh and mud.
She continued in that flat tone, saying, "Stop."
As she spoke, she indiscriminately pulverized every moving creature within her sight with her bare fists.
In a short while, the place had become a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
A man, with only half his body remaining, glared at her venomously, squeezing out a few words from his throat.
"I clearly… already stopped…"
Pride casually kicked his remaining torso, blowing it apart.
"Too slow."
Rhode sat on the throne in the central tower of the City of Sinners, propping his chin with his hand, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest.
Skill: Monarch's Domain!
This was a new power he had gained after further enhancing the Shadow Monarch's power!
In an instant, an endless darkness, with him at its center, swept over the entire city like a tsunami!
Amidst unwilling roars, those villains who had just died returned from the Yellow Springs.
Their hollow eye sockets ignited with dim soul flames, transforming them into the Monarch's most loyal warriors, wielding their blades against all who resisted.
By the tower window, the four Goddesses who had just signed the contract looked at each other, their faces filled with shock.
Izanami sighed mournfully.
"This power… is almost no different from our own authority, is it?"
Morrigan, however, had a look of fanaticism and excitement on her face.
"Hahahaha! Undying soldiers! This is simply a supreme weapon born for war! If he wishes, he can conquer the entire world!"
Lavellna secretly wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, glancing at Rhode, who was feigning sleep on the throne.
"Isn't the most crucial question… that although all other Gods' auras have disappeared, we haven't seen any light pillars returning to the Celestial Realm?"
Hela narrowed her eyes, gazing at the shadowy tsunami below that had already submerged half of the City of Sinners.
"Which means he either has God-made weapons or can command God's assassins."
"But no matter which possibility, it's no longer important to us, is it?"
The other three Goddesses fell silent for a moment, feeling the absolute contract in their minds, and sighed helplessly.
Although life in the City of Sinners wasn't particularly pleasant, suddenly becoming a subordinate God to a human still made them feel a sense of disparity.
However, this novel experience didn't cause the Goddesses much negative emotion; instead, they felt quite a bit of curiosity and anticipation for the future.
Morrigan patted Hela's shoulder, a relieved smile on her face.
"Although becoming someone else's subordinate God makes me very unhappy. But compared to the fate of those guys, I really have to thank you."
"And… hehe, if it's a guy with this kind of power, I don't dislike him."
One hour later.
There was no longer any sound of fighting in the City of Sinners.
It was as silent as a dead zone.
Half of the city's population was killed on the spot, and all remaining people were herded by the Shadow Soldiers to gather in the plaza below the tower.
Everyone's faces were filled with fear and bewilderment, trembling all over, not daring to even breathe.
Silence reigned.
Rhode opened his eyes, descended from the throne, and walked out to the terrace of the tower.
Swish—
On the outskirts of the plaza, tens of thousands of Shadow Soldiers knelt on one knee in perfect unison!
This scene terrified everyone in the plaza, scattering their souls; they instinctively prostrated themselves on the ground, burying their heads deep.
They knew that the being in the tower was the instigator of the great purge, but they dared not look up, their hearts filled with awe and terror.
"The remaining people will face fair judgment."
Rhode's calm voice echoed clearly in everyone's ears.
"Everyone will be sentenced according to their crimes and undergo labor reform. After completing their atonement, they may leave this place and gain a new life, depending on the circumstances."
Someone in the plaza couldn't help but exclaim, their heart filled with excitement.
Leaving… this hell that one could only enter but not leave?
They seemed unable to believe their ears.
"However, those who leave will also be monitored by my Shadow Soldiers. If any further crimes are committed, they will be executed on the spot."
Everyone couldn't help but shiver.
These elusive, immortal Shadow Soldiers had clearly become their most terrifying nightmare.
"Children born in this city will receive unified education, and depending on the situation, will be assigned corresponding positions or sent outside to be adopted."
"Now, everyone, in order, will receive judgment from the four Goddesses."
The four Goddesses slowly walked out and bowed to Rhode.
"Yes."
Seeing that Rhode seemed to be serious and not just making empty promises.
A young girl couldn't help but boldly raise her head, looking towards the tower. Although she couldn't clearly see the figure above, she still used all her strength to shout hoarsely.
"Long live, Lord!"
After a brief silence, a fervent roar, like a mountain and a tsunami, resounded throughout the entire City of Sinners!
"Long live, Lord!!!"
The Goddesses' ability to discern people's hearts made it impossible for anyone to lie.
With anxious yet excited hearts, they honestly confessed their crimes.
For convenience of statistics, Rhode also sent out all the Loli Apophises.
As Rhode grew stronger, the number of Loli Apophises also exceeded fifty thousand!
Each of them was connected to the [System], able to access storage and computation at any time.
With their help and that of the Shadow Soldiers, it only took one day to quickly classify and judge the remaining people.
Among them, about another ten thousand were executed on the spot. These individuals' crimes outside were not capital offenses, but after coming to the City of Sinners, they had committed great evils that both Gods and humans abhorred.
The remaining people numbered around forty thousand.
Rhode signed an absolute contract with everyone!
However, this time it was a subordinate contract based on their sentences.
The contract required them to complete corresponding labor and prayer tasks within the specified years, after which they would have a chance to be released.
And after these individuals were released, all information about the City of Sinners would be deleted by the Phantom Spirit Codex.
Besides that, they also had no exchange function, meaning they would purely work for Rhode for free.
Of course, he couldn't be considered exploiting them.
After all, it was inevitable for these individuals to do good deeds and accumulate virtue, and atonement was also a matter of course; it just ultimately generated prayer points for Rhode out of thin air.
This contract instantly dispelled all remaining doubts in everyone's hearts, transforming into fanaticism for Rhode.
These individuals, who would have spent their entire lives here, finally saw hope for the future. Now, any existence that dared to obstruct them would be torn to shreds by them!
The blind faith and worship in their eyes even made the Shadow Soldiers feel a chill!
Rhode released the Dragon Kamish, leveling the entire city's Dungeon structure, preparing for a complete reconstruction.
And the first thing the sinners did was not to build their own homes, but to strongly demand a statue of Rhode be erected in the center of the plaza.
Apophis, who was overseeing the work, reluctantly agreed after declining three times.
The entire City of Sinners would be divided into eight districts, referencing Orario.
Industrial Zone, Commercial Zone, Agricultural Zone, Residential Zone, School District, Entertainment Zone, Church Zone, and Garrison Zone.
Among them, in the Industrial Zone, since there was no Dungeon in the City of Sinners, most of the people here also did not possess extremely high forging skills.
So Rhode had Morrigan lead a group of people who had some forging skills to be responsible for forging farm tools, which could be traded with the Demeter Familia in the future.
"You want me, a Goddess of War, to forge farm tools instead of weapons?"
Morrigan's beautiful eyes widened, her face full of disbelief.
Rhode took a sip of the black tea Izanami had offered and retorted.
"Is that not allowed?"