Chapter 334: Against The Gods

The instant Arthur's figure disappeared, the already tense atmosphere turned into absolute chaos. Thalassor's pupils shrank as his instincts screamed a warning, yet before either Godking could react, Arthur had already crossed the distance separating them and materialized directly behind Gaius, his sword already descending in a clean, merciless arc. 

There was no roar announcing the strike, or unnecessary movement. It was simply a perfect slash delivered with overwhelming speed and terrifying precision. Gaius reacted entirely on instinct. 

The muscles across his massive frame tensed as divine energy surged into the ancient stone vambrace covering his left forearm. He twisted his body at the last possible instant, raising the vambrace to intercept the descending blade. 

CLANG! 

The collision produced a metallic sound that echoed across the surrounding area. A violent shockwave erupted outward, shredding the surrounding clouds while the already fractured floating island split apart even further beneath the pressure. 

Cracks appeared on Gaius' bones even with the protection of the vambrace and the force behind Arthur's strike drove the enormous Godking backward through the air like a cannonball. His body carved white trails through the sky due to vapour condensation before he finally stabilized hundreds of meters away, his entire arm trembling faintly. 

The blade had not pierced his artifact, yet the sheer physical force behind the strike left cracks on his forearm bones and his shoulder momentarily numb. Gaius stared at the black blade with widened eyes. "Impossible..." he muttered under his breath.

Arthur never bothered confirming whether the strike had succeeded. The instant his sword rebounded from Gaius' defense, he allowed the momentum of the slash to continue naturally. His body rotated smoothly as though performing a practiced sword form that he had done thousands of times previously, the blade tracing a flawless crescent through the air before redirecting toward Thalassor without losing even a fraction of its speed. 

The transition was so fluid that the two attacks appeared to be parts of a single uninterrupted motion. Thalassor had already begun retreating the moment Arthur vanished, his countless years of battle experience allowing him to anticipate the follow-up. A wave of divine energy erupted around him as layers upon layers of water gathered before his body. 

Unlike ordinary water, each layer possessed incredible density, compressed by his divine authority until it resembled polished sapphire rather than liquid. In less than an instant, dozens of overlapping barriers formed between himself and Arthur. 

The black blade struck the first layer with a thunderous crash before cutting through it effortlessly. The second shattered moments later, followed by the third and fourth in rapid succession. Every broken barrier released torrents of water that flooded into the surrounding sky, yet each successive layer slightly reduced the sword's momentum. 

By the time Arthur reached the final barrier, the accumulated resistance had finally achieved its purpose. The remaining wall exploded into countless droplets of water that were sharp enough to draw his blood, forcing Arthur to halt his advance instead of cleaving directly into the Godking. Thalassor used the brief opening to retreat another several hundred meters, his calm expression betraying the signs of concern in his eyes.

Neither Godking spoke immediately. They simply watched Arthur as though seeing him for the first time. They had expected him to be strong. After all, no ordinary opponent could destroy a divine palace with a single strike. But witnessing that strength firsthand proved far different from imagining it. 

Gaius flexed the fingers of his left hand, quietly testing whether his arm still responded properly. Throughout countless millennia, he had prided himself on possessing one of the greatest physical bodies in the Divine Realm. Even among the nine Godkings, few willingly challenged him in direct close combat. 

Yet moments ago, a single exchange had pushed him backward despite successfully blocking the attack which proved that Arthur was physically stronger than both of them. Thalassor arrived at the same conclusion almost simultaneously. His barriers remained intact only because he had sacrificed dozens of defensive layers at once. Had Arthur's strike landed directly, even his divine body might have suffered serious injury. 

He narrowed his eyes slightly before glancing toward Gaius. No words passed between them, yet both understood exactly what the other was thinking. Facing Arthur individually would be foolish. Whatever this mysterious young man truly was, he already possessed strength worthy of standing against multiple Godkings simultaneously, at least physically.

Arthur slowly lowered the Godkiller until its tip pointed toward the shattered island below. Divine energy erupted from Gaius’ body in a violent torrent as the surrounding fragments of floating islands began trembling uncontrollably. Entire mountains hidden beneath the sea answered his authority. 

Gigantic pillars of black stone with sharp ends burst upward from below, each one several hundred meters thick, twisting through the sky like colossal spears aimed directly toward Arthur. The air groaned beneath the sudden increase in gravitational pressure as Gaius spread both arms wide. "You think..." he growled, "...that raw strength alone is enough to challenge a Godking?" 

The enormous stone pillars accelerated simultaneously, surrounding Arthur from every direction before converging upon him like the closing jaws of some primordial beast.

Arthur observed the incoming attack without moving. Only when the first pillar approached within several meters did he finally disappear. The enormous columns collided where he had been standing, producing another deafening explosion that sent shattered stone flying across the battlefield. 

Yet Arthur had already reappeared atop one of the collapsing pillars, running on it effortlessly despite the violent destruction occurring beneath his feet. He lightly pushed off with one foot, launching himself toward Gaius once again. Before he could close the distance, however, Thalassor finally made his move. 

The calm ocean surrounding the floating islands suddenly erupted. Countless torrents of water rose into the heavens, spiraling together to form gigantic serpentine dragons composed entirely of compressed water. Their translucent bodies shone with deep blue light while every scale carried enough divine power to pulverize mountains. 

The creatures released a roar before charging Arthur from multiple directions, their enormous forms weaving effortlessly through the sky. His eyes briefly shifted toward them. Unlike Gaius' straightforward attacks, these constructs constantly changed shape, splitting into countless streams before recombining elsewhere. Their fluid nature made predicting their movements considerably more difficult.

He smiled faintly and without slowing his advance, swung the Godkiller in a broad horizontal arc. A crescent of violet Aether burst from the blade, colliding head on with the nearest water dragon. Instead of simply cutting through it, the attack completely disrupted the divine authority maintaining the construct. 

The dragon exploded into billions of glittering droplets that scattered across the sky like rain. Yet before those droplets could fall, each one transformed into countless razor sharp water needles that instantly reversed direction. What had begun as Arthur's successful counterattack became another offensive technique under Thalassor's control. 

Millions of projectiles descended simultaneously, each carrying enough penetrating force to pierce the toughest metals. Arthur's expression remained unchanged, space folded repeatedly around him as he vanished and reappeared dozens of times within a single heartbeat, weaving through the impossible barrage with movements so precise that not a single needle touched his clothing. Every teleportation placed him closer to his opponents until, in the blink of an eye, he emerged once again in front of Gaius.

Gaius reacted immediately, abandoning all attempts to maintain distance. His enormous fist shot forward like a falling mountain, wrapped in divine energy that distorted gravity. Simultaneously, Thalassor extended one hand toward Arthur, causing the surrounding moisture to compress into an impossibly thin azure blade of pressurized water capable of slicing through almost anything it touched. 

Their attacks arrived from opposite directions with perfect timing, demonstrating the battle experience accumulated across hundreds of thousands of years. One relied upon overwhelming force, the other upon unrivaled precision. 

Faced with both simultaneously, Arthur neither retreated nor attempted to evade. Instead, his left hand calmly rose to meet Gaius' incoming punch while the Godkiller descended toward Thalassor's water blade. For the briefest instant, the battlefield seemed to freeze as three supreme powers prepared to collide once more, each side silently testing just how far the other could truly be pushed.

The collision came a fraction of a second later. The unimaginable forces compressed together until the surrounding atmosphere could no longer withstand the pressure, exploding outward in a spherical wall of blast that swept across the floating seas, tearing apart the surrounding clouds.

Small floating islands several dozen kilometers away tilted violently as waves hundreds of meters high erupted across the ocean. Minor Gods stationed around the battlefield were hurled backward despite standing tens of kilometers away, many instinctively activating barriers simply to remain standing. The floating debris from the destroyed palace instantly disintegrated into dust beneath the violent pressure radiating from the clash.

Cracks suddenly spread across the divine energy surrounding Gaius' fist. The muscular Godking's expression changed as he felt an overwhelming force crushing his fist. Arthur's fingers, despite appearing almost effortless, continued advancing inch by inch. The divine energy reinforcing Gaius' punch groaned beneath the pressure before finally collapsing altogether. 

BOOOM!

As a last resort, Gaius detonated the divine energy in his fist and his massive body was blasted backward like a meteor, ripping through the sky while shockwaves exploded behind him every few hundred meters. Before Gaius had even regained control of his flight, Arthur's sword finished cleaving through Thalassor's compressed water blade. 

Seeing Arthur disappear again, Thalassor abandoned the attack entirely as another series of defensive barriers materialized around him. One after another they burst apart under the advancing slash, buying only enough time for the Godking to narrowly evade the blade itself. 

Even so, the lingering sword pressure carved a shallow line across his left shoulder, drawing a thin stream of blood into the air. It was hardly a serious wound, but the sight alone caused every observing Minor God to freeze. It had been countless ages since anyone had managed to injure a Godking.

Thalassor glanced toward the wound before silently placing his fingers against it. Divine energy flowed through the injury, healing it slowly, yet the unease in his eyes only deepened. "You think using the Godkiller comes without cost..." he said as he looked towards Arthur. "Stop this madness before it’s too late." But he stopped his next words, seeing Arthur ignoring him.

Gaius landed several kilometers away upon one of the remaining floating islands, his feet carving enormous trenches through solid stone before he finally stopped. His left arm still throbbed violently from Arthur's earlier strike while his right fist ached from the most recent exchange. 

He slowly clenched and unclenched his fingers, feeling a sensation he had not experienced in an unimaginably long time, pain. "Damn monster..." he growled, glaring toward Arthur. "Where did someone like him even come from?" 

Unlike the Minor Gods watching from afar, both Godkings understood exactly what had just occurred. Their attacks had not been inferior in destructive power. If unleashed freely, each possessed enough power to devastate a huge chunk of the moon. Yet Arthur's physical body alone surpassed theirs to such an extent that every direct collision gradually shifted in his favor.

Arthur slowly lowered his left hand before flexing his fingers once. Apart from a slight numbness lingering across his palm, there was little indication he had just blocked the full powered punch of a Godking using nothing but raw strength. "Your strength is impressive," he admitted while looking toward Gaius. "If that punch had landed on me a few days ago, I could have died." 

Gaius snorted coldly. "Save your praise." He rolled his shoulders before an enormous smile gradually spread across his rugged face. "It's been a very long time since someone forced me to fight seriously." Thick veins bulged across his muscular arms as his divine aura expanded once again, this time far denser than before. 

The floating islands throughout the surrounding territory immediately began trembling. Mountains rose from beneath the celestial sea while enormous pillars hidden below the water slowly emerged into the sky. Arthur watched the phenomenon with mild curiosity. He could clearly sense Gaius no longer limiting himself to manipulating ordinary stone. Every fragment of earth within the surrounding domain had become an extension of the Godking's body.

Thalassor likewise abandoned his earlier restraint. His calm expression disappeared as countless ancient runes lit up beneath the surrounding oceans. The waters suspended throughout his territory answered his will without hesitation. Gigantic whirlpools spanning hundreds of kilometers formed across the celestial sea while waterfalls hanging between floating islands suddenly reversed direction, surging upward before gathering around their master. 

The amount of water responding to his authority continued increasing until it resembled an entire ocean rising into the heavens. Mist rapidly spread across the battlefield, reducing visibility while carrying overwhelming pressure within every droplet. Arthur immediately realized this wasn't ordinary moisture. 

Every particle had been compressed through Thalassor’s divine authority until even breathing became difficult for weaker beings. Had a Minor God entered the mist, their body would have been crushed flat almost instantly. The surrounding Minor Gods instinctively retreated even farther, unwilling to remain anywhere near the expanding battlefield.

"Interesting," Arthur murmured. The moment the words left his mouth, gravity abruptly increased several hundredfold.

The floating island beneath his feet shattered as massive stone hands erupted from below, each one larger than an entire mountain, attempting to seize him from every direction. Simultaneously, innumerable high pressure water beams descended from the ocean that formed above them and slashed through the gaps between those colossal hands with frightening precision. 

Neither Godking attacked recklessly anymore. Instead, they coordinated flawlessly. Gaius tried to restrict Arthur's movement while Thalassor targeted every possible escape route. Arthur found himself surrounded by attacks from every direction before he had even taken a single step.

Rather than teleporting away as expected, Arthur suddenly kicked downward. The already broken island beneath him exploded. The force of his kick generated a shockwave powerful enough to pulverize Gaius' approaching stone hands before they could fully close around him. Chunks of mountain sized rock scattered through the air while he himself shot upward like a comet, directly towards the descending water beams. 

The compressed water beams collided against his body from every direction, with enough pressure to flatten entire continents, yet Arthur's physical body barely slowed. His Aether coated skin withstood the assault with minor injuries that healed rapidly. Before either Godking could alter their techniques, Arthur had already reached the highest point of his ascent.

Then he muttered, “Judgement.”

Gaius' instincts screamed, he raised both arms and crossed them as an enormous black spear collided with him.

BOOOOOOM!!

The impact sent tiny cracks racing across the divine vambraces protecting his arms. His entire body plummeted uncontrollably toward the sea below before crashing into one of the newly raised pillars with catastrophic force. The collision shattered the pillar apart, sending huge chinks of rocks flying in every direction. 

Before Arthur could continue his assault, a deafening roar echoed from behind him. The second ocean floating above him, which Thalassor had spent the entire battle gathering, finally completed its transformation. 

A colossal humanoid figure composed entirely of compressed water slowly rose behind the God of Depths. Its head disappeared into the clouds while its lower body remained connected to the endless sea beneath it. Every movement caused tidal waves to spread throughout the territory, and the divine authority radiating from the construct eclipsed every previous technique Thalassor had displayed previously.

Arthur slowly turned to face it. And Thalassor's calm voice echoed from within the colossal avatar. "You wished to know who sent the Minor Gods." His azure eyes narrowed. "Then survive long enough to ask again."

The gigantic oceanic giant slowly raised its hand, and the entire Divine Realm seemed to tremble in response.

***

Become a patreon member and read 35 Chapters ahead:

/New_Horizon1

You can join my discord channel to discuss my novel and find artwork of this novel!!

.gg/PmkQsrAdMY