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"A draconic spirit? But... you're not the one." The shadowy figure's blood-red eyes locked onto Zhuyue, finally speaking. His deep, rumbling voice sent chills down the spine.
Even Zhuyue had reached peak tension.
Sure, draconic spirits could sometimes go toe-to-toe with weaker god-race beings by manipulating time. But that only applied to newly born gods with incomplete power.
A god-race being capable of creating an entire species? That's on another level—way beyond what a single dragon spirit could handle.
Especially Gagras, the Shadow God. He might not be the strongest among the god-race in natural power, but in stealth and assassination, he was absolutely top-tier.
"Are you looking for me, Gagras?" Suddenly, three figures appeared above Zhuyue. Riku stepped forward and spoke calmly.
"Oh? A Flügel, a Machina… and a draconic spirit. And yet, you're human—and you actually command them all. I must say, I'm impressed. So, with all this power gathered, what are you planning to do?" Gagras' blood-red eyes radiated an overwhelming presence as he stared hard at Riku.
"The recent chaos in the world—all the major disturbances—you're behind most of them, aren't you? Whether it's the Wise Dragon or the Flügel army's moves," he added.
"Interesting. As expected of the Shadow God. When it comes to stealth and detection, there's really no one better than you," Riku's eyes gleamed with interest.
Gagras didn't reply immediately. He just stared at Riku in silence, seemingly deep in thought.
"Lord, you've returned." A swirl of black mist appeared as Sonia emerged and respectfully bowed.
Gagras merely nodded at her, his gaze never leaving Riku.
"So, tell me. Why have you come to me and the race I created?" Gagras finally asked in a deep voice.
"If I told you my goal is to defeat the War God, what do you think I came here for?" Riku's eyes glinted meaningfully.
"I see. No wonder the Wise Dragon's presence didn't vanish after your battle—you must've formed an alliance with him." Gagras slowly replied. "So… you're here to bring me and my race into that alliance too?"
"No, no, that's where you're mistaken." Riku raised a finger and denied it.
"Hmm? Then what is it?" Gagras frowned. For once, he didn't understand Riku's intentions.
"My fight with the Wise Dragon showed me he's someone I can trust. But you? I don't trust you," Riku said bluntly, shrugging. "After finally defeating the War God, the last thing I want is to have the glory stolen by some other god-race jumping in at the end."
"Heh... I see." Gagras fell silent for a moment, then chuckled.
He understood. If Riku really managed to beat the War God, he'd definitely be far from full strength afterward. If Gagras swooped in then—using his unparalleled stealth—he could possibly steal the Star Grail and become the ultimate victor.
That was a real risk. And clearly, the human in front of him had come here to eliminate that risk.
"——!" Down below, Sonia's pupils shrank sharply as she overheard the conversation. Was Riku here to take out her creator? No way… that can't happen!
"So, you're here to eliminate me?" Gagras asked calmly, showing no signs of panic. His tone was steady, almost indifferent.
At the same time, the pressure around him began to rise rapidly. The already-dim sky grew darker, like the night was falling early.
Riku couldn't help but admire his opponent's calm demeanor.
As expected of a god-species—always so damn impressive.
"'Eliminate' might be a strong word. I'm just here to remove a certain... problem," Riku said lightly.
"But before that, let me see what kind of power a god-species like you is packing."
Right then, Riku's energy spiked sharply, his aura turning dangerously sharp.
"Forbidden Hand."His right arm was suddenly covered in a sleek, crimson gauntlet. As the words left his mouth, red light enveloped his entire body.
When the light faded, Riku appeared fully armored, and his power had surged.
But that wasn't the end of it.
"Gate Four—Pain Gate, open!"With a low growl, Riku's already blazing red aura was now engulfed in green flames. His power climbed to a terrifying level.
The sheer force of it made the air around him ripple and warp. Wild winds howled through the skies from the pressure alone.
"—!"Sonia couldn't help but tremble. Her body moved on instinct, her face frozen in shock as she looked at Riku.
She had known he was powerful—felt it in him—but she never expected it to be this insane. He'd gone far beyond the realm of any normal being.
Honestly? Power-wise, he might even be stronger than the one who created her.
The weakest human... was stronger than the strongest god-species? That was just ridiculous. And yet—here it was. Reality, slapping her in the face.
In that moment, even Sonia's mental strength cracked. Everything she thought she knew—shattered.
"Well then, let's begin," Riku said coolly, eyes locked on Gagras.
"Krrshhh—!"With that, Riku and Gagras shot toward each other like bullets.
The distance between them—barely 100 meters—was gone in less than a fraction of a second. Man and god collided with explosive force.
Riku threw a punch, tearing through the air, blasting apart the space between them. Shockwaves burst out like cannons, pulverizing everything in their path.
But the black mist around Gagras suddenly formed a dark shield, blocking the blow.
What shocked Riku was that his full-powered, destructive punch had been blocked so easily.
No—absorbed. The punch had lost its force.
"Interesting," Riku smirked and turned up the heat. In an instant, blue and red energy exploded from him, shattering the black shield like it was made of glass.
At the same time, the dark mist behind Gagras condensed into hundreds of black spikes that shot at Riku like arrows.
But Riku vanished in a flash—Heaven Shift.
Meanwhile, Gagras, whose shield had just been blown apart, was sent flying like a comet, crashing into the distance.
First clash: Riku completely overpowered Gagras, a god-species.
"....."