Everyone in the hall was shocked or surprised by such a development.
The ceiling had collapsed with a sudden crash, and in the middle of the suspended dust that old woman remained standing.
Still, there were some who knew exactly what was happening.
Sándor was the first to truly react. His body leaned forward and his hand clenched the golden staff tightly.
He seriously considered attacking immediately, crushing the threat the moment it had appeared. His instinct told him to strike at that very instant, before it was too late.
But he hesitated.
Only a fraction of a second — but he hesitated.
Because he did not know what kind of repercussions that action would bring upon Princess Ariel.
It was too politically complicated a situation, and that fraction of a second of thought was enough to stop him at the crucial moment. His instinct told him to attack, but his logic pushed him back.
However, there was someone who did not hesitate for even an instant.
Timothy Britz.
The current Sword God advanced without even waiting for the reactions of the others. For him, political repercussions didn't matter, only the opponent in front of him.
He had carried a principle with him since the first time he held a blade.
Attack first. Attack fast.
When Gall Farion took over the Sword Sanctuary, this became even more important. His teachings wholly and exclusively reinforced that dogma.
And there was a particular case, a specific warning Gall Farion had given his students.
A warning about a woman. The reigning Water God, Reida Reia.
Gall had said:
"If she is your enemy, strike before you even talk.
If she can activate the Deprivation Sword Realm, it's game over.
Even I would lose."
Obviously, Gall Farion was fast enough to defeat her before that, and so he was regarded as the strongest swordsman of his generation.
Even knowing he might not be as fast as Gall Farion, Timothy attacked.
Timothy's body became a blur. He advanced with absolute determination, without considering orders, politics, or repercussions.
His blade vanished like a streak of light even to the most trained eyes — there was no warning or preparation.
But however fast he was, however perfect his attack...
He did not overcome the old woman.
For a thousandth of a second, he was late.
An oppressive, indistinct sensation filled the entire space, as if an invisible dome had been spread over the hall. A short metallic clang echoed.
CLANG!
His blade was deflected upward — casually.
The counterattack passed close enough to superficially tear the Sword God's clavicle.
Reida could not kill him with a single counter-blow.
But the result was still clear.
The Longsword of Light had been deflected.
Timothy's eyes shone with bitterness and disappointment at the failure, but also relief at survival. He knew that not defeating Reida there, at that moment, would be a harsh blow to the reputation of the Sword God Style.
Still, he did not dare make a single additional move under the pressure of the killing domain.
He stopped only five meters from her.
Everything had happened in milliseconds. Now, finally, everyone could see the real situation.
The old woman was small in stature, her skin marked by deep wrinkles. She held her beautiful yellow-golden sword naturally.
She spoke, surprised:
"My goodness! I really thought I was going to die right now. Gall taught you to be fierce, Timothy… you've grown a lot."
She then looked directly at Darius.
"Well… I suppose I can pay my debt now."
The next to react to Reida's sudden appearance was Arumanfi of the Bright.
In the blink of an eye, he moved directly behind the old woman — and was cut in two at the same instant.
His body dissolved into particles of light, vanishing without even touching the ground.
Next was Rudeus Greyrat. He activated the ring on his finger, and at the same moment Reida cut his left hand. It was not severed thanks to the magically enhanced gauntlet, which absorbed the impact.
Next was one of the high nobles at the table. He tried to flee, rising desperately… Reida cut the tendons of his leg in the same instant.
A second blow fell upon him, silencing his cries. She had used the blind side of the sword.
None of the bodyguards dared to move.
Not even Sándor, a North God. And not Timothy, the Sword God.
Reida had pinned them in place like insects in an insectarium. By that point, everyone had already realized that the entire room was within her reach.
Any movement would be instantly fatal.
It seemed that everyone had frozen.
"All right then, Auber."
When Reida turned her gaze toward him, Auber stood rigidly still like everyone else.
"W-What can I do for you, madam…?"
"You can cut off some heads, to start. Let's see…" she raised a finger, pointing as one chooses ripe fruit "Go kill Timothy, Ariel and Perugius. And the Magic King as well."
But, instead of taking a step forward, Auber looked at Reida with an uncertain expression.
"You… you want me to do that?"
"Use your head, boy. Who else will do it?"
"But…"
Auber cast a quick glance at Sándor. Reida noticed from the corner of her eye and spat with disdain on the floor.
"Of course having your master on the other side would be a problem, huh? Going to hesitate now? You've already received your payment. If you don't kill them, they'll come to kill you later."
"...I guess you're right."
At that moment, Auber drew his sword. He began to walk toward the head table, where Ariel sat.
Sándor's face tightened. He was ready to act. After all, he had immortal blood — as long as he didn't receive a fatal blow, he could survive.
Trying to save Ariel was his priority.
Rudeus, for his part, was secretly preparing a Lightning spell, ready to electrocute multiple nobles at once if necessary, just to get a chance to strike Reida.
Perugius just watched unconcerned, as if watching a theatrical play.
As Auber walked across the hall, Darius and Grabell cheered inwardly. Grabell wore an inward smile full of self-indulgence; Darius, for his part, displayed a repulsive expression, twisted in barely concealed satisfaction.
But then, something changed.
Auber suddenly flinched, as if hit by an invisible wave, and stopped in mid-step. He bowed, hands trembling.
A large drop of sweat ran down Reida's face.
It wasn't just those two.
Almost everyone in the room began to tremble. It was not a voluntary tremor — it was as if their bodies were responding to something their minds could not process.
Their faces went pale. Their legs shook even without moving. This happened even while they remained frozen by Reida's Technique.
"Well, this isn't good…" Reida murmured.
"W-What is this? What's happening?!" Darius shouted, panicking. "Why can't I stop shaking?!"
Reida did not hesitate for an instant.
"Change of plans, Auber. I hate to do this to you, but… can you take Darius and flee? Now."
The overwhelming sensation increased by the second. It was as if something abominable was approaching.
Auber wanted to question — Why save Darius? — but under that terrible pressure, he did not hesitate further.
He ran to the noble, grabbed his hand and began to pull him toward the exit.
Before Reida could say anything more…
BOOOOOOM!
The central doors of the hall were ripped off at once, flying as if they were made of paper.
And a figure entered.
The silence transformed instantly into pure terror.
Some nobles lost control of their bladders. Others fell to the ground convulsing with fear. Some stared at the figure as if it were their mortal enemy.
Timothy looked at the newcomer with pure murderous hatred, but forced every fiber of his rationality not to move. He knew that if he attacked, he would die.
Sándor had an analytical but equally hostile expression.
And everyone thought almost the same thing:
"He's going to kill all of us."
Only Rudeus seemed particularly relieved.
The man who entered had silver hair, like Perugius's, and his eyes were also golden.
Orsted had arrived.
Reida was tense, but her voice sounded casual.
"It's been a while, Dragon God. Are you here to take an old lady to the afterlife?"
"Yes. You are an apostle of the God Man. That means you have to die."
"An apostle, huh? Hmm… so I wasn't your target before because I wasn't an apostle at the time? Good God… I guess I'll end up fighting a hellish opponent, at least."
Orsted took in the room with a single glance. And then he took a step toward Reida.
He did not hesitate.
"Deprivation Sword Realm!"
Reida's golden blade turned into a blur, so fast it seemed to disappear. With each step Orsted took, she struck him — or tried to strike him — briefly connecting them by an illusory golden thread.
And yet Orsted repelled every strike.
With his bare hands.
Sparks filled the air, ricocheting off the marble floor. Reida increased force and speed — and Orsted kept advancing.
One step. Two steps. Three steps.
She was being surpassed by an absurd margin.
But before Orsted could get even closer…
BOOOOOOOM!
Another violent crash tore through the hall.
Prince Grabell was nearly crying. Is everyone trying to bring down this palace today?!
The outer wall was demolished as if it were glass. Several nobles were instantly crushed. And a blue-silver light sliced through the air toward Orsted.
The Dragon God's reptilian eyes contracted.
And, unbelievably, he dodged.
A laugh echoed through the hall:
"Hoho! Looks like we're late for the party!"
Blue flames dominated the hall, illuminating everything with a mystical glow.
Rygar entered the hall accompanied by three people:
Jino Britz, Eris Adoldia and Ghislaine Adoldia.
Jino looked around curiously, Ghislaine was serious, and Eris wore a bloodthirsty smile.
Rygar walked between the flames as if they were part of him.
"I was wanting to test something new…"
He looked at Orsted with an unmistakable murderous glare.
"I hope you'll act as my guinea pig, oh Dragon God Orsted!"
The moment he said that, a black armor with golden details began to spread over his body like a living liquid.
It fed on the blue flames emitted by Doomsday, taking shape, growing as if it had a will of its own.
The aura emanating from that armor was overwhelming. A silver-sweaty sheen covered the armor, giving a sense of invincibility.
It was impossible for ordinary people to look directly at it. Several nobles had their eyes burned in an instant.
"Aaaaah!"
The shiny black metal seemed to contain an entire sun within.
The Dragon God looked at the unknown armor with caution.
And in this way, at the heart of the Kingdom of Asura, a battle began that would redefine the concept of the world's power.
---
Meanwhile, at the same time, in the vast and endless Red Dragon Mountain Ranges, which crossed the Central Continent like natural walls, another group advanced with a mission.
They were exploring the deepest part of the range — the central territory, where the Dragon God's Hole was located, one of the Three Great Labyrinths of the Six-Faced World, situated exactly at the heart of the mountains.
Even one of the Seven Great World Powers would be helpless in that place.
But the group in question didn't bother to pass through the place stealthily. What was left behind was a trail of unprecedented destruction.
If anyone else had appeared to witness what had happened there, they would probably say that a True God had descended to the world and walked through those mountains.
Monsters' blood flowed in great amounts, forming red rivers that wound through the mountain range.
Hundreds of fierce Red Dragons lay dead. Some crushed. Others cut into pieces. Others reduced to wreckage.
The very landscape had been destroyed. Mountains were shattered, peaks broken, valleys ripped mercilessly.
Everything showed that whoever had passed through there had no intention of remaining hidden.
The tracks led, without exception, toward the highest mountain in the world, known as the Dragon's Roar Mountain.
Nothing in its path had been spared.
At the highest point, the cold wind was so violent it seemed capable of cutting skin — but even so it did not disturb the small dwelling built at the peak, motionless as if part of the mountain.
The door opened. A man stepped out of the small house.
He had long silver hair, pure white clothes that fluttered in the wind, and two long wings on his back.
His pupils were reptilian and golden, shining with calm.
He stepped out of the dwelling with a calm smile, as if he had been waiting for it. Curiously, he was carrying a long silver spear.
At that very instant, a laugh burst in the sky — so loud and powerful it seemed to make the whole mountain tremble:
"FWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
A gigantic Golden Armor appeared from the sky, descending as if it had leapt from an absurd point, defying any physical law.
It landed near the peak, the impact resonating like thunder. It emanated an infinite fighting spirit, as if made of pure will to fight.
The Armor was over three meters tall, with six arms projected majestically.
The golden metal it was made of shone intensely, and emitted a faint glow constantly.
The efficiency of the design, combined with that shimmering gold, created a hypnotic effect for anyone who looked.
A voice inside the armor roared:
"I am the Fighter God Badigadi! Fwahahaha! Technique God Laplace, I challenge you to a one-on-one duel!"
"No, no, you idiot! It won't be one-on-one!"
One detail to note is that on the shoulders of the golden giant, two figures were sitting.
One was a man with a monkey-like face. The other, a youth with black hair, carrying an enormous sword on his back.
The youth leaped, his sword almost the size of his body, speaking impatiently:
"That's right! Uncle Badi, how can you want to fight Laplace alone?! Where do I fit in?!
Hahaha! I am the North God Kalman III! And I also challenge you the same way, Laplace!"
Geese sighed as he also leaped from the shoulders of the giant, moving away to ensure his own safety.
But then another laugh echoed — a light, cheerful laugh.
"Hahahahah! Seems I underestimated that God-Man! Well! I guess that's why he gave me this thing!"
Technique God Laplace laughed as he withdrew from his clothes something like a communication device of the Iron Legion.
He pressed a button.
Geese's expression changed upon seeing this action. Meanwhile, Badigadi did not seem interested in it.
Laplace advanced, skillfully wielding his spear.
The sky began to change.
A storm was forming. Thunders shattered the air.
Lightning tore the clouds above them.
And then, two other figures appeared behind the Fighter God.
One of the men, with a pale, skull-like face, commented:
"This could be problematic… He must have called the Beast God to come here."
Badigadi laughed:
"Fwahahahaha! If he arrived now, wouldn't it be interesting?!"
The other swordsman who had arrived laughed: "I have to agree with him!
Geese was increasingly worried, and said:
"This is not important right now! Anyway… remember the plan!"
And so, on the top of the highest mountain in the world, a battle began — a battle involving several members of the Seven Great World Powers.
In two different places in the world, two confrontations that would shake the sky and earth.
-----
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