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Red sand stretched out as far as the eye could see, with a faint glow hanging in the sky above. Now and then, dragon-like creatures could be seen flying overhead, roaring into the sky.
This was Unlimited Blade Works, a manifestation of Riku's inner world. But compared to the first time he used it, this version was on a whole different level.
Whether in terms of natural power or stability, it was leagues beyond what he used against Jibril. That's no surprise—his current strength far surpassed what he had back then. Plus, he was now using both the Forbidden Hand and Wounded Gate at the same time.
"This place is...?" Gagras looked around, slightly surprised. "A pocket dimension made from special magic?"
"Technically, it's magecraft, not magic," Riku said with a small smile. "There's a difference."
As soon as he finished, his body suddenly disappeared from the shadow realm and reappeared high above it.
"Magecraft...? I didn't expect you to escape my domain so easily." The writhing black shadows shrank down, reforming into Gagras's human shape as he shook his head.
"If your domain is built on top of the original space, then all I had to do was drag this area into my world. And in here, I'm in control. Breaking your domain? Easy." Riku spoke with calm confidence.
With his strength, activating this Reality Marble-level magecraft was no problem—something even Red Archer and Shirou Emiya couldn't achieve. On top of that, he'd made some small improvements of his own.
"So? Still want to fight?" Riku raised his hand slightly, and all the projected weapons embedded in the sand around him rose into the air, each one aimed directly at Gagras. Every weapon glowed with Riku's chaotic energy, each one radiating an icy, deadly light.
"I concede," Gagras said after a moment of silence, withdrawing his power.
"Smart choice." Riku smiled faintly, clearly satisfied.
If an assassin is forced to face off against a warrior of equal rank in a head-on battle… he's already lost. Odds are, that's a fight to the death—and not in his favor.
"You said you wouldn't kill me, just that you came to eliminate me as a threat. That means your goal is to seal away my god core and put me into slumber, right?" Gagras looked calmly at Riku and spoke flatly.
"Talking with a smart god is so much easier. Yeah, that's exactly what I'm here for." Riku shrugged, not bothering to hide it.
"Got it. I'll seal my own god core shortly. If you're not sure about it, you can add a layer of protection yourself." Gagras nodded. "But I have a condition. Let my people join your alliance."
"Sure." Riku blinked in surprise, then said slowly, "That was my plan anyway."
He didn't expect the Shadow God to care this much about the race he'd created.
"Thank you," Gagras said with a small bow.
His vampiric race had amazing stealth skills, but they weren't of much use in a war against the God of War. For Riku to allow them to join his alliance—it was more generous than he had hoped.
Outside, Zhu Yue, Jibril, Zhu Bi, and Sonya all stared blankly at the spot where the shadow domain had just vanished. Riku and the Shadow God were nowhere to be seen.
Jibril did recall that small world Riku used when he fought her, but she shook the thought off. There was no way something like that could've shattered a domain this powerful.
Then, after about a minute, two figures suddenly reappeared in the sky. The girls all looked completely dumbfounded.
Neither of them was injured. It was like nothing had even happened.
"Master, did you win?" Sonya stared at her creator, struggling to keep calm, her voice a little shaky.
Riku's power just now had been terrifying. Even though she believed in him, her heart couldn't help but waver.
"I lost," Gagras said calmly, glancing at Sonya.
"—!"
That single sentence was like lightning in Sonya's mind. Her expression changed instantly as she stared at Riku, who looked completely unfazed.
"Hehehe, as expected of my master. Even the Shadow God admitted defeat willingly~" Jibril said dreamily, clearly in awe.
"Riku never loses," Zhu Bi added firmly.
Zhu Yue just shook her head slightly. She had seen too many miracles and impossibilities. Riku losing before even facing the God of War? Now that would've been weird.
"Sonya, from today onward, you're now one of Riku's followers. Also, the vampire race will now be under Riku's full command," Gagras said, looking down at Sonya.
"—!"
Hearing this, Sonya's crimson pupils contracted, and her face finally showed visible shock.
"Master, what about you?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"I'll seal my god core and go into slumber. Once all of this is over, I'll wake up again," Gagras said, gazing at the darkening sky.
Artosh… maybe, this divine war really will be ended by the very humans we ignored. Maybe you—the so-called strongest god—will fall to the weakest race of all.
"I understand." Sonya glanced at Riku, then bowed her head respectfully. She had no ill feelings toward him—especially not now. He clearly had the power to defeat or even kill their creator… and yet he chose not to. That alone made her respect him even more.
Besides, this was something decided by her creator. She had no right to refuse.
"Another new follower... Looks like that guy Gagras actually did a decent job for once..." Riku and Jibril exchanged a look, both silently thinking the same thing.
As for Sonia, the vampire queen, Riku was definitely a bit tempted. He hadn't expected Gagras to basically hand her over like that.
"Heehee~ Master, even the vampire queen's joining your harem now. Still wanna argue that you're not building an all-race harem?" At that moment, Jibril teleported right next to Riku, smirking mischievously.
"Shut it, Jibril." Riku rolled his eyes and flicked her forehead without mercy. Thinking something and actually saying it out loud were two very different things.
And honestly, he wasn't planning on making a harem of every race. Some races were just... yeah. Plus, if he was going after girls, he'd only go for the ones he liked. It wasn't some kind of weird collector's hobby.
"Riku, another girl again?" Schwi said with clear annoyance in her voice.
Hearing all that noise, Sonia twitched a little. Had she just boarded a pirate ship without realizing it?
Still, if this man really was going to become the One True God in the future... maybe it wasn't such a bad deal.
Sonia glanced at Riku, thoughts running wild in her mind. Even though she always put on that cold, queenly front among the vampires, she'd had her share of fantasies. And Riku... aside from not being the same race, he actually fit her dream guy to a scary degree...
"....."