A massive magic circle unfurled, centered around King Solomon.
As the magic circle rotated, the ground within its circumference vanished, replaced by a seething darkness.
Perhaps it could be described as a black hole, upon which King Solomon now stood.
This hole exuded a bone-chilling aura, as if it were connected to the abyss of hell itself.
"What kind of aura is this?"
"This presence... it feels like it's coming straight from hell."
"No, not just 'like'—it is hell! He's actually opened a gateway to hell!"
Those gods who had visited hell before could clearly recognize this as the same hellish aura they had once experienced.
But what made their hair stand on end was that the dense energy emanating from this newly opened hellgate was countless times more intense than what they had previously sensed.
Especially that other living presence—the scent of demons.
No, not ordinary demons—this was the aura of Demon Gods!
He had encountered a Demon God before, but the current presence was on an entirely different scale.
The Demon God aura he sensed now was dozens, perhaps even hundreds of times stronger than before.
It was as if this hole had opened right beside a group of Demon Gods?
A group of Demon Gods?
Could it be... was he truly summoning the Seventy-Two Demon Gods?
T-this couldn't be possible... could it?
In the next instant, black miasma erupted from the hole, casting the entire arena into an eerie gloom.
Above, the sunlight began fading as leaden black clouds—appearing from nowhere—started blotting out the sky.
As a result, the arena grew progressively darker.
"Gulp!"
Göll swallowed hard. The current scene gave her the terrifying impression that the entire arena was being dragged into hell.
The terrifying aura made her legs tremble uncontrollably, forcing her to clutch her elder sister Brunhilde's arm for support, lest her shaking knees give way and send her collapsing to the ground.
"Is he really summoning the Seventy-Two Demon Gods?"
Brunhilde murmured softly, her gaze a mixture of anticipation and unease.
Her anticipation stemmed from the fact that if he could truly command the Seventy-Two Demon Gods, dealing with Beelzebub shouldn't be a problem.
Yet she also felt uneasy—would these Demon Gods truly obey his commands? After all, their last service to King Solomon had been millennia ago.
Would they still heed his orders now?
What if they turned against him instead?
"What's happening, Archangel?"
The angels in Heaven grew restless. Having battled the Seventy-Two Demon Gods before, they recognized this aura all too well.
Were these hellish demons truly being summoned?
And of all people, the summoner was a human who had once received the Lord's blessings.
This was nothing short of a slap to the Lord's face.
"I don't know!"
Though the Archangel—Heaven's vice-regent—answered thus, his heart was filled with unease.
Knowing certain secrets, he didn't believe the Seventy-Two Demon Gods were something this King Solomon could summon and control.
Not even the Lord's beloved true Son had been granted such authority.
So what exactly was happening now?
Could this be some new arrangement by the Lord?
"Now this is interesting."
The words came from Shiva, watching from a corner of the spectator stands.
His hands gripped the armrests so tightly that cracks began to form in the seat.
Originally, the second round was supposed to be his turn to take the stage.
Who would have thought that Beelzebub would suddenly cut in line? It truly infuriated him.
So, the way he now appeared to be gnashing his teeth wasn't out of anger at Beelzebub stealing what should have been his turn in the second round of [Ragnarök].
No—he was exhilarated, so much so that he could barely contain himself, growing increasingly eager to engage in battle with humanity.
"This man is truly remarkable."
The one who spoke these words was Aphrodite, the Goddess of Beauty, who licked her lips with a flick of her tongue.
This King Solomon—such a man was exactly to her liking, and she couldn't help but yearn to savor him properly.
Ah, but that captivating face was no longer visible, for the entire arena had plunged into pitch-black darkness.
This sudden darkness sent waves of panic through the audience.
Then, in a flash, a streak of white light—lightning—illuminated the arena for the briefest of moments.
In that fleeting instant, those gods and humans who had been watching closely noticed four additional figures standing beside King Solomon.
The first held a massive hammer in his right hand and a ghostly orb of lightning in his left, wearing a conical crown with two horns atop his head, riding upon the very lightning itself.
The second bore the face of a woman yet the form of a man, adorned with a jewel-encrusted crown.
The third resembled an angelic figure astride a shadowy, dragon-like monster, his skin dark as night, exuding a miasma of black energy.
The fourth possessed three heads—those of an ox, a man, and a ram—along with the tail of a serpent.
Those who recognized these four figures felt cold sweat trickle down their backs.
Were these not the Four Supreme Kings among the Seventy-Two Demon Gods?
Could it be an illusion?
After all, the lightning had vanished as quickly as it appeared, and darkness swallowed the arena once more.
But the next moment, hundreds—no, thousands—of bolts of lightning crackled incessantly, flooding the entire arena with a brilliance surpassing even daylight.
Now, there was no mistaking it—
"They—they've multiplied!"
"No longer just four..."
"Seventy-two?"
"All—all of them have appeared!"
The Seventy-Two Demon Gods had manifested in full, their overwhelming presence saturating the entire arena.
Some of the weaker gods trembled uncontrollably at the sight of these terrifying figures.
Yet, what was even more horrifying was the fact that these Seventy-Two Demon Gods were now kneeling on one knee before King Solomon in a gesture of submission.
No... this couldn't be!
What kind of joke was this?!
Countless spectators gasped in shock.
If King Solomon truly could command the Seventy-Two Demon Gods, it would mean he wielded the power of an entire mythological pantheon—he would be the supreme god of that system.
Wait, but something still felt off.
A few individuals and gods furrowed their brows in confusion. Hadn't there been rumors that Beelzebub was the Demon God Baal?
Now, it seemed even that rumor was mistaken.
Those with sharper eyes would have noticed, the moment the Four Supreme Kings appeared, that Baal had glared at Beelzebub with a gaze so venomous it seemed he wanted to devour him alive.
As if they shared some irreconcilable enmity...
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