The ground cracked open as Kazuma's body crashed down, the force of Zodia's strike leaving a massive crater. Smoke and fire erupted around him. His arm was seared, burned badly from the attack.
Gritting his teeth, Kazuma shouted upward in frustration, his voice echoing through the ruined skies.
"Why…?! Why are you doing this?! Just answer me! What is your reason?!"
Zodia floated above him in the air, he kept quiet for a moment as his eyes were locked on Kazuma.
"Why I'm doing this… is something I have to carry by myself."
Struggling, Kazuma pushed himself up despite his entire body being in pain
"You know, Zodia. I believe every action has a reason for happening. No one just wakes up one day and decides to commit mass genocide or destroy the world. There has to be a reason! So tell me!"
Zodia gazed down at him from, his expression unreadable. Then, unexpectedly, a smirk tugged at his lips.
"You believe everyone has a reason to be who they are…? I think I've gained a new respect for you. Very well, Spirit Lord. I will tell you my reason for chaos the tale of how i entered this path of complete destruction."
The god's voice boomed as he began to explain
"I am the son of the god who created the universes—the one who forged the concepts of reality and humanity. My father… Bansha. In his arrogance, he thought it wise to give everything that had life one percent of his divine power. That was his mistake."
Zodia's tone darkened, the weight of his memories bleeding into every word.
"When I was young, I was weak. I could not wield energy like my brothers. No matter how hard I trained, I never met my father's expectations. My elder brothers, Zerio and Andragore… they were praised and loved for their power while I was cast aside. To my father, I was nothing but a failure. A mere weakling that couldn't do anything."
Kazuma muttered under his breath with a teasing smirk, "…sounds like you had daddy issues. Sorry—go on."
Unbothered, Zodia continued.
"Our home was a place that resembled this earth world. It was a world that habited beings who were called demi gods. It was the demi god world, far different from Earth. But just like Earth, war was endless there. Bloodshed, fighting, hatred—it never stopped. It was exactly like the wars this world had, but 10 times worse and more dangerous. I had two close friends, Shenron and Mizuho. They supported me, stood by me despite how weak I was. We were very good friends who supported each other until another war far crazier than the previous ones claimed both their lives. The Demi god world's constant killing stole their very lives.".
His crimson eyes gleamed with fury as he spoke.
"I begged my father to strip that world of their power. I told him these abilities only fueled violence and domination. But he called me weak. Useless. A son unworthy of his name. I sought help from my brothers—though kinder than our father, they still dismissed my warnings. So I left that forsaken world.".
"When I returned… it was not to plead. It was to destroy."
The god's voice thundered like a storm.
"I slaughtered the beings in that world. I battled my brothers, killed them both, and obliterated that planet. Bansha had already dissappeared in hopes to reincarnate himself into a different being, so I knew I had a chance to change everything. I wiped out that world and started crossing star systems to monitor other worlds and determine if they were worth existing or not! Other beings that lived in other worlds were all the same, some even wanted to go to other planets to dominate, so I started to destroy it all!"
Kazuma's face tightened, but he let out a heavy but lazy sigh. Kazuma started to rub his head.
"You've been through a lot. And I understand where you're coming from. The strong oppress the weak. The weak grow bitter, rise up, and destroy the strong who had wronged them. It is an endless cycle.
"I had a friend killed simply because others feared his power. One of my students almost met the same fate, saved only because his friend sacrificed his life. That cycle you speak of—it's very real. I know it well.". He looked at Zodia "But damn. For you to be travelling accross star systems to be blasting away other beings just because of your experience is just next level hate mahn!".
Zodia's eyes widened with grim satisfaction. "Looks like you understand my hate."
"But—" Kazuma continued to explain. "That doesn't mean I'll let you do as you please! As the Spirit Lord of this land, I will stop you!"
Countless purple magic circles materialized around him, ancient runes glowing with power.
"No matter how sadistic and relatable your story is, I'm not letting you destroy this country. I am its lord after all. And if I cant beat you, I'll just seal you away.".
Zodia smirked. "You protect your people, and you even try to understand your enemies. Kazuma Starion the Spirit Lord you really are a good man. I respect you."
The circles erupted, firing beams at Zodia.
Zodia darted between them at blinding speeds, his eyes calculating every single movement. His mind raced endlessly.
"These beams…! Each one can seal away anything they touch. Even the slightest graze will bind me forever."
Dodging relentlessly with insane levels of skills, Zodia suddenly countered. He spread his hands wide.
"Heaven's Light!"
A colossal golden beam bursted out of his hands colliding with Kazuma's barrage and detonating in a massive explosion.
Before the smoke cleared, Zodia creted another technique.
"Lightning Technique: Majestic Destroyer God!"
The blast of yellow lightning dwarfed the previous explosion, engulfing the battlefield in destruction. The sky got covered with an explosion of lightning, the mountains and wastelands below were obliterated in mere seconds.
When the smoke parted, Kazuma still stood—battered and bloodied. He was tired and beat up.
Zodia descended slowly, his expression solemn. "You really are a good guy, Kazuma. But this fight is over."
Kazuma chuckled hoarsely, a grin curling on his lips. "Are you sure about that?"
Purple markings suddenly lit up across Zodia's body, glowing fiercely as energy chains began to wrap around him.
"A… sealing mark?!" Zodia's eyes widened, though his tone remained calm. "You placed it on me knowing I'd be too focused with your other attacks. Smart move."
Kazuma nodded, his voice heavy with regret. "Yeah. Sorry… but as much as I sympathize with you, I can't let you win."
The sealing power intensified, purple energy surrounding Zodia.
Yet the god only smirked. "You have sharp intuition, Spirit Lord. But I already planned for this."
Hs started to perform hand signs. A colossal surge of energy erupted from his body, shattering the seal in an instant with tramendous levels of power.
Kazuma's eyes widened in disbelief. "He broke free… with only half his power?! No! He's not holding back anymore!".
From the swirling chaos, Zodia emerged holding a blade forged out of powerfull amounts of energy, it was yellow in colour. This amount of power actually shocked Kazuma.
"This is the Sword of Calamity—forged from my hatred of every living beings! With it, I now wield seventy percent of my true power. It's actually stunning how I'm calculated about what level of power I can produce.".
The sealing marks flared again, tugging at his body, but Zodia only clicked his tounge with annoyance.
"I'll be sealed either way. But atleast it would be kind of cool to straight up leave with a bang before i go. Dont you think, KAZUMA?!."
Kazuma shouted desperately, "YOU CANT DO THIS! PLEASE!!"
"You can't change the mind of a man who's made his decision!" Zodia said to Kazuma with a straight look on his face. A massive magic circle appeared above, it was so large to the point it covered the entire continent. "Despite this being just 70 percent, I can atleast straight up blow up half of this world. But in my current condition, that would be too much energy.".
His arms stretched wide as the sky turned to fire.
"Calamity Technique: God of Destruction!"
End of Chapter 16