The two faced each other on the now-empty island. The Herrscher stood on high, looking down at Shu.
He was scruffy and unkempt, but his eyes were bright, even radiant.
In contrast, Shu? He stood in the center of the orphanage's square, covered in startling blood. The long robe that should have billowed in the wind like flames was soaked in blood, hanging heavily on his body.
Even though they were a great distance apart, the Herrscher could still clearly see Shu's blood-dripping hand trembling slightly...
No, it was more like Shu's entire body was trembling, quivering uncontrollably like a person fearing the cold in a harsh wind. The tremors were so great that his fingers would twitch from time to time.
With his body in a state of constant spasm, Shu had actually managed to stand up again. The Herrscher hadn't even noticed when he had arrived.
This was not good news. It meant that if the conditions were right, he might not even have time to react before he was beheaded.
But would he do that?
A smile appeared on the Herrscher's face.
He wouldn't... at least not the Shu of now.
Even more potent than his visible weakness was his severe, undisguised killing intent. It was hard to imagine that a person who had mastered such an ability would reveal such pure malice. Even though the other had done nothing yet, he already felt the threat of death.
Unlike the malice of those who plotted and schemed to bring people down, the emotion Shu expressed had only one effect.
And that was...
"Come, let us—" As the sailboat carrying the others left a certain tacitly agreed-upon boundary, the Herrscher raised his hand, wanting to begin the final act.
Her movement was actually very fast, but at this moment, Shu was faster.
---||---
Amidst the tossing waves, Sin Mal gazed at the island, which was now smaller than her palm, a sense of worry in her heart.
"He'll be okay, right?" Sin Mal asked, supporting the newly-awakened Sirin, her tone irritable.
"If you think that, the probability of something happening will only be greater," Sirin said. Although her face was pale and she had to lean on Sin Mal to stand, her tongue was as sharp as ever.
Sin Mal immediately remembered the Herrscher's power, and her face darkened. "Then is there nothing we can do to help? You must have some trump cards, right?"
Sirin sighed, speechless. "There's no need... as long as Shu can make a move, there's nothing to worry about..."
"Really?"
"Of course it's true!"
After a brief silence, Sin Mal suddenly spoke. Although her tone was suppressed and calm, Sirin could still hear the extreme horror in her words.
"...I believe you..."
Sirin looked up in surprise, following Sin Mal's almost fixed gaze toward the island...
No, that was a sun blooming on the sea!!
"First Rated Power of the Judgment of Shamash—"
The condensed crimson sun erupted in an instant with energy sufficient to destroy molecular structures. Where the invisible light covered, vehicles, buildings, even the ground and the air—everything disappeared in an instant!
The land where the flames spread became a forbidden zone for life. The near-absolute vacuum repelled all life.
The moment the light dimmed, the surrounding scorching air began to flow back toward the vacuum in the center. The atmospheric pressure created a violent explosion. Even the people on the ship, who were a great distance away, covered their ears in pain.
"What is that!!" Sin Mal, whose vision and hearing had been successively assaulted, shouted, trying to hear her own voice. The distance had truly saved their lives. She didn't dare to imagine what would have happened to her if she had been exposed to such an explosion at close range!
Before the steam from the evaporated seawater could form a mushroom cloud, Sin Mal struggled to open her eyes, only to see a giant crater in the sea, which was being crazily filled by the inrushing seawater.
Her heterochromatic pupils contracted violently.
"The orphanage... is gone?"
Not just the orphanage, but the entire island had disappeared under the shroud of the blazing sun!
Along with the island's foundation.
In the central region, in the vacuum, the Herrscher was retreating frantically, his body's surface repeatedly going through the process of charring, peeling, and charring again.
To be greeted with such a devastating gift right off the bat, how enthusiastic!
The Herrscher's muddled thoughts were rapidly recovering. The Honkai energy in his body surged several times before he could re-establish a complete defense as the brilliance of the fire weakened.
And just as the Herrscher was about to adjust his internal state, which had been messed up by this sword strike, the inrushing atmosphere slammed into him, leaving him completely disoriented.
In that momentary daze, the Herrscher felt a black shadow appear in front of him. It reached out to him, who could barely control his body, and grabbed his head.
And when he realized his position again, the Herrscher had already left the giant crater and was on the surface of the sea.
The turbulent sea surface did not create a huge wave when the Herrscher entered the sea. Instead, a smooth depression appeared on the sea surface.
Only when the seabed was hit hard and vibrated did a monstrous wave rise from the sea.
In the giant crater at the bottom of the sea, the Herrscher felt his body was not listening to him. He was still fighting for control of his body when an attack that seemed to be aimed only at him arrived.
Shu had arrived at the bottom of the sea almost immediately after the Herrscher. Around him was the cavity in the seabed created by the Herrscher's entry. Before this fleeting cavity could close, Shu raised his fist at the Herrscher's twisted body.
One punch? Not enough.
Ten punches? Also not enough...
No matter how many, it wasn't enough. A hundred punches weren't enough, a thousand punches weren't enough!
The cavity, which hadn't had time to close, could no longer close.
The force and density of Shu's punches were enough to send every drop of approaching seawater flying.
Each punch could destroy a part of the Herrscher's body, and then another would follow before it could begin to heal.
Strangely, Shu's punches seemed to have no force, as if he were simply going through the motions. There was no feedback other than on the Herrscher's body.
Until a punch was thrown at the Herrscher's head, and the Herrscher, who had finally regained control of his body, tilted his head.
Shu's movement paused for a moment. The cavity at the bottom of the sea closed instantly. And where the two were at the bottom of the sea, a deep crack appeared because of that one missed punch.
The Herrscher, whose body had been twisted into a grotesque shape, suddenly extended what was probably a hand and swiftly whipped it toward Shu's temple.
Tch—!!
Before that attack could hit, Shu added another punch, and then, with a backhand, grabbed the hand that had resisted and pulled it outward with force.
An arm, broken into dozens of pieces, was casually tossed into the sea by Shu.