Confrontation. This was God versus Humanity.
Or perhaps, this was God versus Mesopotamia?
Or perhaps, this was the Counter Force versus Humanity's free will?
The scene, grim and deadly to the extreme, seemed frozen. No words were spoken. The blood raining from the sky fell on Ryuya's shoulders.
Hearing the words of Marduk and the other gods, Ryuya remained motionless, as if time had stilled upon him.
But... the magical energy boiling to its limit, the flow of blood, the devoured power being reborn, the destroyed body reappearing… Ryuya, undergoing this cycle, knew Marduk spoke the truth. He couldn't hold on much longer.
As his gloomy eyes fixed intently on Ryuya, Marduk brandished the blade in his hand.
The Underworld trembled under the power of this God King. The golden radiance was the pinnacle of divinity.
Lurking opposite Ryuya, Marduk knew this battle would draw the final line between Human and God, between Mesopotamia and the Counter Force.
The battle began.
There were no intricate skills, no clever tactics. Both Ryuya and Marduk engaged in a direct, face-to-face life-and-death struggle.
No retreat, no evasion. Only the eruption of power and the language of their blades.
Stamina was depleting, his body growing cold, his heartbeat accelerating. This was the long-lost feeling of battle.
"Sun-Crowned King, you are ultimately only human. Humans... have their limits."
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Marduk understood Ryuya's current state clearly. This opponent was strong, incredibly strong, strong enough to pressure even him, the King of Gods.
But the curse and Saint Graph of a Beast were not something a mortal could bear.
Just like a certain boy trying to use a heroic spirit's arm, the erosion over time was a curse no one could escape.
"Before that happens, I can cut you down. All of you."
Facing Marduk was one thing… although the gods had poured most of their divine power into Marduk, several first-generation gods still had strength to fight.
The first-generation God King Anu, the Sun God Utu, the Atmosphere God Enlil, the God of Wisdom and Water Ea, and so on.
Although this was his first battle with these gods, Ryuya felt an intense familiarity and rage.
Familiarity because they were all children created by Tiamat. Rage because these beings had betrayed their Mother Goddess.
A wind from nowhere shattered the sky above the Underworld. With the momentum of raging waves and storms, Ryuya tore off his tattered garments.
His perfect upper body was inscribed with various scars. The dignity unique to a King of Men made him not the least bit inferior to the gods. Alone, he eerily suppressed dozens of deities.
No need for words, only the unrestrained release of his power. Having forgotten the simulated life, forgotten the mission, Ryuya in this moment only remembered he was a King.
He was the King of Uruk, the King of the other tribes, the King that Tiamat and the others awaited.
The originally bright Underworld plunged into darkness again, leaving only those silver dragon eyes.
"Eternal Nation, Ea - Righteousness, God of Sun and Justice."
Light, like thunder, surged from Ea. Before the blood on Marduk's body could drip to the ground, Ryuya's figure vanished.
A tremendous impact echoed. His figure was sent flying, directly out of the seventh layer. Marduk was blasted an unknown distance by this strike.
By the time he regained his senses, he had crashed into a massive chasm in the abyss.
Without another word, Ryuya's hovering figure moved again, slashing towards the other gods.
"This bastard..."
Starting from one eye, a deep wound was carved across his body. Marduk was enraged.
"Everyone, hold nothing back! This opponent clearly doesn't care about life or death anymore. If this continues, we'll all die here."
Several afterimages flew across the battlefield, marking the passing of more gods.
His speed was beyond what afterimages could describe. Each of Ryuya's strikes was filled with rage… a tactic of trading life for life.
He let out a wet cough. As blood surged forth, Ryuya, struggling to control the overwhelming power, also fell from the sky. Opposite him stood the gods, their eyes crimson with fury.
Faced with Ryuya's repeated assaults, the gods went mad. They used everything they had, all preparing to strike Ryuya down.
If they didn't destroy this Sun-Crowned King here, they had no future.
Sonic waves, illusions, auras, physical attacks, mental assaults… all sorts of attacks surged forward. The wailing in his ears sounded like the Underworld itself. Ryuya knew these were the gods' Divine Authorities.
For example, the Sun God's radiance, the Water God's fluidity, the War God's strength, etc.
The reason the first and second-generation gods were so powerful was precisely because they possessed these Authorities, abilities granted by Mesopotamia itself.
Yet, these were also the tools they used to crave eternal life.
"Is this all?"
Under mountains and rivers of blood and flesh, the throne forged from white bones stood empty.
As the land composed of countless skeletons trembled, Ryuya, holding Ea, slashed down without mercy.
"How foolish, to think such attacks could affect me?"
The obsession forged within the Rashomon had created Ryuya's will of steel. Listening to the various cries and howls around him, the Sun-Crowned King's eyes remained unwavering as he swung his blade.
"Lord of the End, Ea - Star of Babylon."
Thunder erupted suddenly, vast like a sea of clouds.
Slaying several more gods, Ryuya's body staggered.
Just as Marduk had said, he couldn't hold on much longer.
Or rather, he could extract Tiamat's Saint Graph now and let Tiamat become the Beast again.
But the cost would be the Creation Mother Goddess losing her reason and returning to the Sea of Imaginary Numbers.
Or, simply like before, erupt with everything and return to nothingness.
"The King acknowledges!"
Even if it looked unsightly, Ryuya would persist to the end.
"The King permits!"
His stamina had reached its limit, but Ryuya would not retreat, nor would he sacrifice his loved ones.
"The King bears the entire world!"
His consciousness was fading, but Ryuya would not stop. He was Mesopotamia's final bastion. Countless lives revered him as King.
He would end this, conclude this endless fate.
At this moment, Ryuya saw his past: when he became King in Camelot.
When he became the Master of Youkai at Rashomon.
When he became the King of the Myriad Races in Uruk.
Thinking about his life, the clatter of hooves and the ring of blades suddenly echoed in Ryuya's ears.
"The charge's momentum… advance, no retreat!"
"The will to break formations… death before surrender!"
Startled by these shaking, awe-inspiring voices, Ryuya looked back.
He saw the soldiers who had followed him since Camelot.
He saw the countless armies of Uruk who had died in battle.
Thousands of troops and horses, by the King's command.