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CRACKKKKKKKKKKK!!!
Two overwhelming forces collided, causing the surrounding space to shatter into a howling black void. Black lightning surged like crazy, bursting with raw destruction.
Everyone present, aside from Riku, was completely overwhelmed by the pressure. The 51 Winged Ones who had used up all their energy had to rely on their comrades to escape the area fast.
Even for a Winged One, getting too close to a collision like this could mean instant death.
On the other side, Jibril, Zhuyue, and Zhubi also quickly backed away. But their eyes never left Riku.
At this point, the Heavenly Strike and Riku's energy cannon were deadlocked in the sky, the clash growing more unstable by the second. But if you looked closely, you could see the massive Heavenly Strike slowly pushing back the blue-crimson energy cannon.
Which made sense—after all, the Heavenly Strike had the full power of all 51 Winged Ones behind it, while Riku had only been testing his strength and wasn't even using his full power.
"We won…?" Azril stared from afar, heart trembling. If this still wasn't enough to win, then they'd truly lost for good.
"Not bad," Riku said casually, eyes locked on the Heavenly Strike, "But if you think this is enough to beat me… not quite."
"Fourth Gate—Wound Gate—Open!"
In the next moment, Riku spoke again, calmly. Instantly, the blue flames around his body darkened, interwoven with crimson spirit energy, and his power surged even higher.
The sudden boost was so intense that even Riku seemed to struggle. Veins bulged on his forehead as his body strained to handle the energy.
Though it felt like he was about to burst, and his whole body was aching from the pressure, he still managed to hold it together.
"Haaahhhhhhhhhh!!!"
With a thunderous shout, the red and blue energies swirled together and exploded outward, supercharging his energy cannon and blasting the giant Heavenly Strike backward, hurling it high into the sky.
Then—BOOM! The massive strike shattered into countless fragments, raining down like a black, glowing storm—strangely beautiful.
But beneath that beauty was deadly danger.
The moment those energy fragments hit the ground, they detonated violently. Explosions rocked the land for millions of meters, blowing apart mountains, tearing the earth into massive cracks. Everything was scorched, the oceans boiled and rose in massive waves before being vaporized entirely.
The planet took another devastating blow—it was almost like it cried out in pain.
Some unlucky alien species nearby were instantly vaporized, unable to resist at all.
And even after smashing through the Heavenly Strike, Riku's energy cannon didn't stop—it shot straight out into space and obliterated a nearby moon, reducing it to floating space rubble.
This shockwave shook the entire world. Every powerful being on the planet stared in stunned silence.
Even the War God opened his golden eyes and smiled faintly, clearly impressed by Riku's power.
Gulp…
Azril and the other Winged Ones just stood there, dumbstruck, swallowing hard, completely silent. It was starting to sink in… they'd seriously messed with a monster.
Even Jibril, Zhuyue, and Zhubi—Riku's own allies—didn't say a word. Their stunned faces said more than any reaction ever could. Words felt meaningless at this point.
"Retreat…" Azril finally said, face full of frustration and helplessness.
They had no chance of winning now. Staying would just be suicide. And while they weren't afraid of death, dying for nothing was pointless.
"Leaving? Did you ask me first?" Riku said flatly, eyes cold. He threw a punch.
Instantly, a terrifying wave of force tore through the sky, demolishing everything in front of it, engulfing all the Winged Ones.
It was so fast, most of them couldn't even react.
Despair filled Azril's face. Was this how it would end? After leading her forces here, were most of her sisters going to die right now? How could she ever face Lord Altresius again?
BOOM—!
Just then, a golden light suddenly appeared in front of Azril. An unmatched energy flared to life, forming a golden barrier that completely blocked Riku's punch.
The punch only caused ripples across the surface of the shield—it didn't break it.
"This is… Lord Altresius's power? He saved us!" Azril froze, then spoke in both joy and shame.
They were supposed to be his blade, and now they had to be rescued? How humiliating.
"So, the War God… Altresius," Riku muttered, narrowing his eyes at the golden shield. Even though he hadn't used his full strength with that punch, the fact that Altresius could block it from such a long distance spoke volumes.
Still… Riku hadn't managed to break that barrier. After feeling just how powerful he was in this form, that realization brought him back to reality.
Even after unlocking the Fourth Gate, his body nearly breaking from the strain… he still had no chance of beating the War God.
"Brave human… We await your challenge once you've become stronger. Show me what it truly means to be the strongest."
A deep, commanding voice echoed through the heavens, making Riku's golden eyes flicker.
"Heh… interesting. Then you'd better be ready. It won't be long before I drag you down from that pedestal," Riku said calmly, canceling his Forbidden Hand state and crossing his arms.
"Heh…" A faint chuckle followed. And with that, both the War God's presence and the Winged Ones vanished from the sky.
Riku looked up at the black-gray clouds overhead, his eyes glinting.
"Didn't think the old guy would actually step in to save Azril and the others. He always seemed so stiff and distant," Jibril said, teleporting to Riku's side, clearly surprised.
"Did he really do it for her?" Riku asked flatly.
"…Uh…" Jibril froze. Then it clicked.
The War God Altresius only cared about one thing—the meaning of true strength. He didn't even flinch when his own followers died. Years of observation proved that.
His only reason for showing up here… was Riku. Saving Azril was just a bonus.
Still, being seen by the War God like this… might turn out to be a huge problem.
"....."