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Mika had long since touched the threshold of the Ninth Sense.
He understood it, felt its power, but he had never taken that final, crucial step. His original plan was to first achieve godhood through Falna, then comprehend the Ninth Sense from a divine perspective.
But now, he needed to break through immediately.
To transcend oneself in the heat of battle—this was a familiar story for the Saints. It was how many had achieved the Eighth Sense.
But the Ninth Sense was a different beast entirely. It was a realm few had ever reached.
And now, Mika would follow in their footsteps, achieving that legendary feat in the crucible of this battle.
He succeeded.
In the moment before death, Mika transcended himself, ascending to the true realm of the Gods.
Though he had yet to acquire the divine body that corresponded with the Ninth Sense, his spirit, in that instant, seemed to live for an eternity.
It was a complete and utter sublimation.
He now possessed a spirit that could never be extinguished. If he were to reform his Divine Sword into his God Cloth, he would be practically invincible.
But he had no intention of doing so.
He had only one desire: to kill the God of War.
As he stepped into the Ninth Sense, the countless laws he had mastered began to show signs of a qualitative transformation. But he ignored them. This wasn't a time for balanced growth.
It was a time for absolute focus.
What law would serve him best?
Not time, not space, not matter, not energy, not death, not destiny—none of these grand, esoteric concepts.
It was the simple, fundamental law of 'Fire.'
Fire was his essence.
It had been with him from the very beginning, the law he understood most deeply. It was the law that would forge his destiny.
The fire burned.
It blazed on the greatsword in his hand as he swung it, shattering Artosh's ultimate punch and cleaving deep into his chest.
It was the most grievous wound he had inflicted. The relentless, back-and-forth struggle came to an abrupt halt.
"To improve so rapidly..."
"Magnificent, Mika! To have met you at this moment!" Artosh roared, his hand clutching the wound, his voice filled not with pain, but with pure, unadulterated ecstasy.
It was the first time he had been so severely injured.
It was the first time he had faced an opponent who had surpassed him.
Yes, in terms of offensive power, Mika was now his superior.
As the God of War, empowered by the strongest God Essence, Artosh's fighting style was unique. His lower limit was as high as his upper limit. Every punch was his strongest. This was what made him so terrifyingly powerful.
But it was also his greatest weakness.
Once his opponent surpassed him, he had no way to counter.
He had already reached his peak. He could not improve. This was why he had no desire for the Star Grail. He was already the strongest; what need had he for a title?
But as the God of War, the desire for greater strength was ingrained in his very being. And so, through countless years of trial and error, he had developed a single technique that could surpass his own limits: Godly Smite.
"BEHOLD! THIS IS THE ATTACK THAT SURPASSES ALL!"
"Godly Smite!"
Artosh raised his hand to the sky, pouring every last ounce of his power into the attack. On Avant Heim, the Flügel moved as one. They, too, raised their hands, unleashing their own ultimate technique: Heavenly Smite.
Their attacks soared through the sky, not towards Mika, but towards Artosh, merging with his Godly Smite, amplifying its power exponentially.
Seeing this, even Athena, who had been watching from the shadows, ready to intervene, was stunned.
She couldn't block that attack.
"MIKA!" she cried out.
But he didn't seem to hear her. His gaze was fixed on the greatsword in his hand, on the roaring flames that engulfed it.
"Godly Smite, is it?"
"It seems this is the final blow."
"Then let this attack be the final punctuation mark on my mortal life."
He raised his sword, and the flames surged. He had already analyzed Artosh's technique, his ability to absorb the Flügel's power. And with his own infinite magic power, it was a technique that was far more suited to him.
His magic poured into the blade.
The ultimate sword was born.
"Heavenly Fire: Calamity Annihilation!"
The blade of ultimate destruction descended, cleaving through Godly Smite as if it were paper. The stalemate lasted only for an instant.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!
————
The blade fell.
Godly Smite was shattered.
The searing edge of the sword passed through Artosh's body, striking the very planet beneath them.
Artosh disintegrated into dust.
The planet was split in two.
A torrent of energy erupted from its core, and in its wake, a small, unassuming cup appeared.
The Star Grail.
It floated towards Mika, hovering before him.
"So, this is the Star Grail..." he murmured, reaching out and taking it.
'As I thought. Only a Divine being can wield the Star Grail.' Mika smiled. He was prepared.
"Then let the final upgrade begin."
At his command, an infinite amount of power erupted from him, enveloping him. The God Essences he had collected, including that of Artosh, flowed into him.
The Star Grail responded, and Mika, in the midst of his transformation, ascended to the throne of the One True God.
"So that's how it is."
He now understood everything.
This world had been created by a transcendent being, a God from beyond the stars. The Star Grail was its central processing unit, a conceptual device that controlled every aspect of this reality.
This was why its wielder became the One True God. Even the weakest of Gods, upon obtaining it, would become the master of this world.
And a new idea was born.
He activated the Star Grail, and all the unactivated God Essences of this world flew towards him. The Gods who hadn't participated in the war, like Tet, were stripped of their God Essences, reborn as Phantasma-like beings.
And Mika, still in the midst of his transformation, absorbed them all, mastering every concept, every law of this universe.
"I AM OMNISCIENT AND OMNIPOTENT."
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