And once the God Curse was unleashed, its power would undoubtedly be world-shattering, certain to affect the safety of the entire Weihai City. Therefore, as Blaze began casting his magic, Mo Han swiftly joined forces with the Pope of Light and several other powerful human mages to erect a massive, sturdy magic barrier around Weihai City, shielding the majority of the allied human soldiers within the enchantment.

To defend against the influence of Blaze's magic—after all, they weren't facing the God Curse head-on—Mo Han held considerable confidence that the barrier could withstand the magical fallout.

However, because the number of soldiers outside the immediate battlefield was too vast, even with Mo Han and the others exerting their full effort, they couldn't shelter everyone within the magical enclosure. They could only safeguard the bulk of the human soldiers. Fortunately, the Saint Dragon Patriarch noticed the predicament Mo Han and his group were facing and quickly commanded several giant dragons of the Saint Dragon race to cast their own magical barriers, protecting the remaining coalition soldiers.

As Mo Han and his allies finished their preparations, Blaze’s ultimate spell was nearing its culmination. That dazzling sphere of red light had now been compressed by Blaze to a volume of only half a meter, yet the radiance emanating from above the red orb illuminated all of Weihai City. The entire battlefield was bathed in a grim, blood-red glow cast by the sphere.

“Hmm, not bad, you certainly have some strength. But it’s a pity; with your current power, you still cannot defeat me.”

Hades’s calm voice echoed once more from within the black Netherworld Barrier.

“Then let’s test it,” Blaze roared suddenly.

Instantly, the brilliant red sphere shot like lightning toward the Netherworld Barrier cast by Hades, rapidly closing in on the barrier’s perimeter.

A sound of cataclysmic thunder erupted, and the entirety of Weihai City shook violently under the force of the magical collision. Mo Han could feel the very city walls tremble under the sheer power of the God Curse, giving the illusion that they might collapse at any moment.

Yet, Mo Han wasn't worried about the walls falling.

Because long before the Nether race invasion, Mo Han and the others had already cast several high-level Earth magic spells above the walls of Weihai City to reinforce their sturdiness. At this moment, the strength of Weihai City’s walls was in no way inferior to that of Tianlong City, the capital of the Tianlong Empire. Unless directly bombarded by a God Curse, they would not crumble so easily. As for the residual waves of magic, they posed no fatal threat to the outer magic barrier Mo Han had erected.

Where the magic made direct contact, nothing was visible beyond the blinding flashes of light.

Mo Han even began to doubt internally whether Hades could withstand Blaze’s God Curse attack.

Although Mo Han knew in his heart that given Hades’s power, he shouldn't be defeated so easily by a single God Curse, Mo Han desperately hoped that Blaze could prevail. This was because the magical prowess Blaze had displayed already surpassed Mo Han’s own magical ability.

If even Blaze couldn't defeat the Lord of the Underworld, then the only path left to confront Hades. was through sheer martial force. But when facing a master of Hades’s caliber, Mo Han truly had no certainty whatsoever. It was the first time Mo Han felt so unconfident facing an opponent. After witnessing the strength Hades had previously displayed, Mo Han’s confidence wavered for the first time.

After a long while, the dazzling light in the sky finally receded slowly. The land extending several miles in front of Weihai City had been scoured away by at least one layer under the influence of the God Curse’s power.

This was merely the result of the magic’s aftershocks, illustrating just how astonishing the power of this God Curse was.

As the residual magic faded, everyone rushed to fix their gaze upon the spot where Lord Hades had stood. The previously pitch-black Netherworld Barrier had completely vanished. In the entire sky, apart from Blaze’s silhouette, no other creature could be seen. As for the dragons, they had long since flown far away, led by the Saint Dragon Patriarch, to escape the God Curse’s might the moment Blaze began casting.

Seeing Hades’s Netherworld Barrier disappear, all the allied human forces erupted in thunderous cheers, celebrating the apparent demise of the Lord of the Underworld under the might of the God Curse.

But Mo Han, standing atop the walls of Weihai City, wore an expression of unbelievable skepticism. Mo Han truly could not believe that Lord Hades would conclude his centuries-long machinations like this—by dying under Blaze’s God Curse.

Though Mo Han intensely wished that Lord Hades had indeed perished by Blaze’s spell, a powerful feeling persisted in his heart that Hades had not vanished. It was only because Hades was nowhere in sight that Mo Han began to doubt his own judgment.

Just as everyone was reeling in shock, a colossal black silhouette slowly materialized in the air where Hades had stood. It was Hades himself, whom everyone had presumed dead by the God Curse, only now his physique was magnified countless times, reaching a height of several dozen meters—truly a towering giant.

Behind Hades, a massive black cloak appeared, draped tightly across his back.

“Dragon youth, not bad, managing to shatter my Netherworld Barrier. Too bad; with your strength, you are still no match for me. However, I haven't had this much fun fighting in a long time. With your power, if you wished to join the Nether race, you would undoubtedly be the top candidate for the position of the First Nether General. What do you say, Dragon youth? Consider it.”

“Dream on,” Blaze spat back.

At this moment, after exhausting his life force to unleash the God Curse, Blaze’s spirit was utterly depleted. Seeing that even his most prized Ancient Dragon spell failed to deal with the Lord of the Underworld—failing even to scratch him—Blaze’s heart filled with profound disappointment.

Hearing Blaze’s reply, Hades sighed with resignation. “The opportunity was given to you; you simply failed to grasp it. Now you cannot blame me. I am a fair man. Since I withstood your first round of assault, if you can survive my next round of attack, I will naturally let you go.”

From the exchange just now, Blaze clearly understood the gap in strength between himself and the Lord of the Underworld. Even at his peak, he probably couldn't withstand Hades’s offense, let alone in his current exhausted state.

If Blaze agreed to Hades’s terms now, the Lord of the Underworld would surely spare his life. But the pride of the Dragon race compelled Blaze; even knowing he couldn't withstand Hades’s attack, he resolved without hesitation to accept the challenge.

“Wait,” Mo Han interjected.

Just as Blaze was about to speak, Mo Han launched himself forward, flying next to Blaze, and regarded the Lord of the Underworld with a smile.

“Your Majesty Hades, since you grant Brother Blaze an opportunity, I wonder if you dare accept an attack from me? It wouldn't be too late to deal with Brother Blaze after you withstand my attack, would it?” Mo Han asked, his gaze fixed on the towering figure of Hades not far away.

“Heh heh, clever human boy,” Hades replied in his signature smiling tone. “While I very much wish to grant your request, I am no fool. You hold the Creation God Sword; even my Netherworld Barrier is not certain to resist the power of the Creation God Sword. Furthermore, you now possess a fraction of the strength of the Holy Angels. Do you think I am unaware of you, merely because I haven’t met you recently? Do you truly believe I am foolish enough to agree to your terms now?” Seeing that Hades was not taking the bait, Mo Han clenched his jaw and said, “Since that is the case, then I have no choice but to formally challenge Your Majesty Hades.”

As Mo Han finished speaking, a flash of white light appeared, and the unassuming Creation God Sword was instantly gripped tightly in Mo Han’s hand. Sensing the surging, pure energy within the Creation God Sword, Mo Han’s confidence rocketed to its peak. Instead, he looked forward to an exhilarating battle with the Lord of the Underworld to test his true strength.

Seeing the Creation God Sword in Mo Han’s hand, Hades’s entire body instantly erupted with an astonishing aura. His eyes, which had been dark and bright, now faintly betrayed a blood-red glow.

“The Creation God Sword, it truly is the Creation God Sword,” Hades muttered with sudden awe. “It has been tens of thousands of years since I last saw the Creation God Sword. I never expected to encounter it again. Boy, it’s a pity you are not the Holy Angel in his prime. You only possess a fraction of the power the Holy Angel deposited within the Creation God Sword. If you could reach the true realm of a High Sword God, coupled with the aid of the Creation God Sword, perhaps you could reach the legendary Ultimate Sword God, and then you might have a chance to defeat me. Sadly, you are not the Holy Angel at his peak, so even with the help of the Creation God Sword, you are still no match for me.”