Life or Death?

At this moment, Hera was completely terrified.

When she saw Dustin effortlessly dissolve her attack, she had already started thinking about retreating.

Her instincts told her that Dustin was not someone to be trifled with --- he was an extremely dangerous individual.

Still, she clung to a sliver of hope, thinking that with Zeus by her side, the two of them together might still stand a chance.

But now, after watching Zeus get severely injured and lose an arm with just one strike, she completely panicked.

Her strength was already a bit weaker than Zeus’.

If even Zeus couldn’t withstand a single strike from Dustin, there was no way she could either.

So, the instant she saw Dustin raise his hand again, Hera didn’t hesitate for even a moment.

She pushed off with her feet, launching herself into the air like a streak of light, fleeing rapidly into the sky.

At this point, all she wanted was to save her own life.

As for Zeus’s survival? That was no longer her concern.

Right now, Dustin had reached the realm of a Celestial on Earth. Unless the Divine Lord personally stepped in, no one in the entire Pantheon could defeat him.

“Do you really think you can escape?”

Dustin chuckled softly.

He raised one hand above his head and then slammed it down forcefully.

“Boom~!”

With a thunderous roar that echoed through the heavens, a massive golden hand suddenly burst through the clouds, descending like a mountain to crush Hera.

The golden palm was larger than a mountain. When it appeared, it blotted out the sky, casting a massive shadow over everything below.

Compared to this giant hand, Hera looked no bigger than an ant beneath a towering cliff.

“Ah?!”

Seeing the golden hand crashing down toward her, Hera’s face turned pale with terror, her very soul trembling.

Even at full power, she couldn’t escape the range of this colossal hand.

In the end, with a shrill scream, Hera was grabbed out of the sky by the golden hand!

After that, there was no more movement.

Moments later, the golden hand vanished.

Hera’s broken body plummeted from the sky, landing heavily at the entrance of the ancient temple.

All the meridians in her body had been severed, her bones crushed to dust. Blood leaked from her mouth and nose. She was barely clinging to life.

This was the result of Dustin holding back intentionally.

Otherwise, that golden hand would have completely obliterated her.

Even so, she wasn’t much better off now.

Seeing Hera’s seemingly lifeless body lying on the ground, the monks and temple guards at the entrance were filled with shock and fear.

They didn’t know exactly what had happened inside. All they had heard were repeated booms and sensed waves of terrifying pressure that made it hard to breathe.

When the explosions stopped, they saw Hera soaring into the sky, attempting to flee.

Then, in the next instant, a golden hand emerged from the clouds and easily captured her.

By the time she hit the ground, Hera was already on the brink of death --- unable to move even a finger.

Could it be that a peerless expert from the Celestial Observatory had intervened?

Otherwise, how could Hera, a God King, have been crushed so easily?

Thinking this, everyone couldn’t help but feel hopeful --- perhaps they were saved after all.

Meanwhile, inside the temple.

After finishing off Hera, Dustin turned his gaze to Zeus, who lay dozens of meters away.

Zeus had lost an arm. Blood was pouring from his mouth and nose, his face pale.

While not as critical as Hera, he was still gravely wounded.

“How is this possible? How did you become this powerful?!”

Zeus clenched his teeth, both shocked and furious.

Even though he had guessed that Dustin had broken through, actually experiencing such overwhelming strength was something he couldn't accept.

Just days ago, Dustin had only been at the level of an Ultimate Grandmaster.

He hadn't even reached peak level.

Now what --- ten days had passed? Or was it only seven?

In less than ten days, someone who hadn’t even reached the peak of the Ultimate Grandmaster realm had somehow become a Celestial on Earth, a peerless powerhouse?

He couldn’t understand it, let alone accept it.

He himself had been stuck at the peak of Ultimate Grandmaster for decades.

So how could Dustin, in less than a month, do what he couldn’t in thirty years?

What had happened?!

“Impressive, right? It was all bought with my life,” Dustin said with a faint smile.

In truth, during his breakthrough, he nearly lost his life --- his body almost shattered, and his soul nearly scattered.

At the critical moment, a powerful surge of vitality arose from within him, pulling him back from the brink of death.

It was by riding this wave of life force and the dragon’s essence that he barely managed to break through.

It wasn’t just bravery --- it was a perfect alignment of timing, fortune, and opportunity.

Perhaps this was the great destiny Margaret had spoken of.

“I won’t accept it! I can’t accept it! Why do you get to break through while I can’t?!”

Zeus let out a crazed roar.

He already knew what his fate would be.

Let alone in his wounded state --- even at full strength, he stood no chance against Dustin, now a Celestial on Earth.

Hera’s fate just moments ago made that abundantly clear.

He was doomed.

But before he died, he wanted to vent.

“Maybe… you’re just uglier than me,” Dustin replied seriously.

“You brat! I’ll take you down with me!”

With a furious roar, Zeus surged forward, his figure becoming a blur as he charged at Dustin.

Dustin calmly raised one hand and clenched it in midair. Zeus instantly froze in place, suspended helplessly in the air.

Then Dustin turned his head and looked at Margaret beside him, asking plainly, “Life… or death?”

“Death,” Margaret replied coldly with a single word.

“All right.”

Dustin nodded, then clenched his fingers.

Boom!

With an explosive sound, Zeus’s body burst like an overinflated balloon.

He died without leaving a single piece intact. - Ton