Meruem's expression remained unreadable, his mind briefly registering the unfamiliar terms—Seastone? Haki?
But then, just as quickly, he dismissed them.
The words of the weak did not concern him.
"It doesn't matter."
He tightened his grip.
And the darkness constricted—
But then, Malphite's desperate howl suddenly stopped it.
"Wait!!"
"I am still a member of the Sea Clan! I can still use some of my abilities!"
"We are both beings from another world. The gods surely wouldn't want us to kill each other!"
"Shouldn't we be building this world together? Isn't that the right path!?"
With his long lifespan, Malphite understood the fear and confusion the Zerg had felt in the beginning. He had overheard many of their conversations and was now certain—
The Zerg, much like the Sea King species, had also been transported here by some unknown force.
Though Malphite had always found the idea of divine intervention somewhat absurd…
At this moment of crisis, invoking the name of a god was his only hope for survival.
However—
What Malphite didn't realize was that the Zerg King standing before him, an entity so overwhelmingly powerful that he could barely resist, knew nothing of gods.
In fact—
Meruem was a staunch atheist.
"GOD!?"
Meruem's gaze darkened instantly. With a flick of his wrist, a massive, ethereal void hand formed in the air and clamped around Malphite's throat.
This was his second ability—
Paramecia—Aura Fruit.
Its power functioned much like telekinesis, allowing one to manipulate the world with sheer mental force. It was an exceptionally useful ability, especially in battle.
Meruem's usual calm expression twisted into something cold and menacing. Lifting Malphite effortlessly, he declared with a voice full of killing intent:
"There is only ONE god in this world!!!"
"And that god is ME—"
"Meruem, God of the Zerg!!!"
BOOM!!!
The moment his words fell, his immense Aura force reversed, and Malphite's enormous body was slammed into the sea.
The impact was so tremendous that it sent waves thousands of feet high surging against the coastline.
With a mere level-90 power, Malphite was nothing more than a toy in Meruem's hands.
Had it not been for his elemental abilities, even a low-ranking guard captain could have easily defeated him.
Now, Malphite lay sprawled in agony, letting out yet another wail of pain.
But Meruem found the sound grating.
Without hesitation, he shut off his telepathic link to drown out the noise.
With Malphite dealt with, Meruem gave a curt order to his three Royal Guards:
"Take him to the Queen."
Then, without sparing another glance, he launched himself into the sky and flew toward the throne.
Although his expression remained as cold and impassive as ever, an inexplicable rage burned within him.
God… God…
Always this nonsense about gods!!!
He recalled those times in his youth, watching his Queen Mother lead the Zerg in bowing before an unknown entity.
Even back then, it had infuriated him.
He was the one who had led the Zerg to countless victories!
He was the one who ensured the Zerg's dominance over the continent!
And yet—
Under the Queen Mother's decree, the entire Zerg race had been forced to revere a god they had never even seen!
Even worse—his own mother had the audacity to claim that the Zerg owed everything to this so-called "GOD"!
In Meruem's mind, this was nothing short of absurd!
Ridiculous!
At the time, he had found it disgusting but had never truly cared.
He had always believed that the "GOD" was nothing more than a fabricated spiritual crutch, created by the Queen Mother during the Zerg's darkest days.
For that reason, Meruem never interfered with the annual worship ceremonies his mother had established.
After all, as time passed, more and more Zerg had begun to follow him instead.
Through his strength and his royal bloodline, he had amassed a loyal faction—one that did not participate in the Queen's worship rituals.
Like him, they did not believe in the existence of gods.
But today…
For the first time…
He had heard a member of the Sea Tribe utter the word "GOD."
At this moment, Meruem sensed something was wrong.
He knew that the Sea Clan had a far longer lifespan than the Zerg, granting them greater knowledge and insight into the world.
A powerful sea creature like Malphite had been recorded in Zerg history over a hundred years ago—
An ancient being that had lived for so long…
Yet it still believed in GODS.
This realization stirred an unsettling thought deep within Meruem's mind:
Could it be… that the gods the Queen Mother has been worshiping all this time actually exist?!
Once the idea took root, it clung to his mind like an inescapable snare.
At the same time, a boundless fury rose within him.
As King of the Zerg, he would never allow another entity to rule over his kind!
He would never tolerate the Zerg looking past him to obey the will of another!
Even if that entity was a so-called god!
Because he—Meruem—
King of the Zerg!
Possessed the power to kill gods!
A flash of light.
Meruem descended directly into Queen Sarah's palace.
Unlike the heavily fortified Royal Court, the Queen's dwelling was far more discreet.
The main chamber where she resided was hidden deep within the underground rock formations.
As the Mother of the Zerg—the very foundation of the species—she had to be kept concealed at all times, protected from any potential assassination attempts by the Sea Clan's special operatives.
Before Meruem was born, the Zerg and the Sea Clan had waged countless battles, pushing and pulling across the land.
There was even a time when the Sea Clan had seized numerous cities on the surface.
But then, Meruem appeared.
His unparalleled power had driven the Sea Clan back into the abyss of the deep ocean, securing Zerg dominance over the entire world.
That was why he was so proud.
He had conquered everything—yet Queen Sarah still worshipped another being!
How could he possibly accept that?!
Deep within the underground palace, Meruem stormed into Sarah's incubation chamber, completely disregarding the guards who tried to stop him.
At that moment, the Zerg Queen Sarah was in the midst of laying a massive egg.
Her once-great fertility had waned with age.
A century ago, she could lay hundreds of eggs daily, producing a near-limitless army to fight against the Sea Clan.
But now—
She could only lay dozens a day.
Even though the quality of each egg had greatly improved, the undeniable truth remained—
She was getting old.
In order to give birth to a stronger Zerg King, Sarah had endured the agonizing process of delaying Meruem's birth, extending her suffering far beyond its natural course.
But in the end, it had all been worth it.
By merging Sea King-class genes with the genetic factors of the Devil Fruit, she had successfully created the ultimate being—
Meruem.
A warrior so powerful that he shattered the world's limits the moment he was born!
Sarah had never forgotten her true mission.
Her purpose was to ensure the Zerg's endless proliferation, expanding their dominion across the world.
She wasn't sure whether the Zerg had fulfilled the gods' will yet…
But until the gods themselves appeared, she could not stop laying eggs.
If not for the fear that future generations of Zerg might forget the god and incur his wrath, she would have already given birth to a new Zerg Queen.
But she could not afford to fall just yet.
Until she received the god's approval, she had to continue reproducing—no matter the cost.
Squeak—
The heavy door groaned as it was pushed open from the outside.
Fresh from his return from the far west of the continent, Meruem strode into the chamber without hesitation.
He didn't care that Sarah was still in a weakened state from childbirth.
Lifting his head, he glared at the most majestic hall, where an imposing statue of a god stood at its center.
Expression cold, he pointed at it and demanded—
"Who is that supposed to be?"
"Insolence!!!"
Sarah's face darkened instantly.
Hearing Meruem's blatant disrespect toward the GOD sent a jolt of fury through her.
At that moment, she even forgot about the egg nutrient fluid still trickling from her body.
Ignoring her own weakness, she lunged forward, trying to forcefully break Meruem's arm!
"You will not disrespect the gods!!!"
However—
Sarah was far too weak.
She could not even budge Meruem, let alone restrain him.
Meruem turned to her, his gaze sharp and merciless.
Seeing his mother's desperate expression only irritated him further.
"This world… has no gods!!!"
"It doesn't need gods!!!"
"Because I am god!!!"
Meruem's voice rang through the chamber like a thunderclap.
A concentrated beam of Aura energy formed in his palm, aimed directly at the statue of Leo.
BOOM!!!
A blinding blast of energy tore through the air.
In an instant, Leo's statue exploded into rubble.
Dust and shattered stone fragments filled the palace, raining down in chaotic disarray.
But just as quickly as Sarah's fury had ignited—
Her entire being froze.
Her eyes lost focus.
Her body, once filled with defiance, suddenly seemed drained of all strength.
She stared at the pile of broken stone, staggered back two steps—
And then, with a hollow thud—
She collapsed to the ground.
Muttering like a madwoman, she whispered:
"It's over… it's over…"
"The Zerg… are doomed."
In that moment, as the shattered remnants of Leo's statue lay scattered across the palace floor, Sarah knew the truth.
She, in her frailty, could no longer do anything to stop Meruem.
Not anymore.
At this moment, the entire Zerg race would inevitably begin to abandon their belief in the gods under Meruem's influence.
And when the gods finally took notice... what awaited the Zerg would be his supreme wrath!
"So, has it truly come to this?"
Sarah staggered to her feet, no longer paying attention to Meruem. Instead, she returned to the incubation pool, picking up the remaining Sea King meat and chewing it absentmindedly.
Panic had completely overtaken her. She no longer knew what to do or how to respond.
The only thing she still clung to...
Was the mission Leo had once given her.
To reproduce. To multiply. To ensure the Zerg's existence.
That was the only thing she could do now.
On the other side of the room, watching Sarah's dazed expression, Meruem became even more convinced—this so-called god was real.
Anger surged through him.
"Mother, you're overreacting!!!"
"Maybe that god has the power you claim, but that's only because you've never witnessed what true power is!!"
"From the moment I was born, the Zerg have entered a new era!"
"Just watch! I will show you... the power of a real god!!!"
BOOM!!!
With that declaration, Meruem shot into the sky, tearing through the underground palace's ceiling in an explosive ascent.
Dark flames erupted around him, swirling like a violent storm.
His humanoid form twisted and transformed within the inferno, shifting into a massive, ferocious black hound.
Phantom Beast—Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Amaterasu!
This was Meruem's Zoan ability!
And with his terrifying potential, he had awakened all three of his Devil Fruit abilities many years ago!
This allowed him to break past the limits of the world itself!
In the past, Meruem had little interest in the affairs of the gods.
But now, he wanted nothing more than to challenge this so-called deity!
If gods truly existed in this world...
Then they must be beyond this world.
If that was the case, then he would pursue them beyond the world!
BOOOOOM!!!!!!
The raging flames twisted the air, distorting space itself.
Meruem launched himself toward the heavens, soaring like a blazing meteor!
In mere moments, he pierced through the sky, leaving the planet's surface far below as he entered the upper atmosphere.
However—
Just as he was about to push further, to see what lay beyond the sun and stars...
An invisible barrier stopped him cold.
"What... is this? The edge of the sky?!"
Meruem, now impossibly close to the sun, paused in shock.
But the next moment, his fury ignited once more.
A colossal force erupted from his body!
In this moment, to uncover the truth of the world, he activated his telekinesis and Darkness Fruit abilities simultaneously!
Among the Zerg, only the King could wield three Devil Fruits at once!
And even for Meruem, summoning such immense power demanded a heavy price.
His life energy drained rapidly, his body pushed beyond its limits again and again.
And then—
LEVEL 120 LIMIT—BREACHED!
"I AM THE ONLY GOD!!! BREAK!!!"
A deafening roar shook the heavens.
Across the world, every creature paused, gazing skyward.
They watched as the sun itself seemed to be swallowed by a towering shadow.
And then—
A crack appeared.
Not in the sky.
But in the very fabric of reality.
Sensing his chance, Meruem unleashed everything—shattering the world barrier in one final, cataclysmic burst!
The next moment...
Darkness.
His vision dimmed.
His body no longer felt solid.
He had entered—
Nothingness.
Before him stretched an endless void, brimming with floating dimensions of every size, glowing like distant stars in the abyss.
Meruem was speechless.
But then, a strange sensation crept over him.
His mind... was emptying.
A numbing void wrapped around him, erasing his very sense of self.
Nothing mattered anymore.
Meruem's remaining consciousness screamed in warning—something was wrong.
He tried to summon his power, to fight back against the force invading his thoughts.
But then he saw it.
His body—disintegrating.
Piece by piece.
His will crumbled.
His thoughts faded.
He was dissolving into the void—his essence breaking apart, scattering into the Origin energy of existence.
Soon, he would vanish completely—either absorbed by another world or fused with other energies to form new world laws.
The arrogant King of the Zerg was now paying the ultimate price for his ignorance.
Meanwhile...
In another world.
Leo stretched lazily, letting out a long yawn.
"Mmm—~"
"It's been a while... I suppose it's time to check on the progress of the new world."
With a casual step forward, he vanished into the void.