The sheer montum alone created a wind capable of leveling buildings but Zerath was no longer that weak.
Now, he could not only see her attack..., he could react to it.
His arms shot forward as his body shifted to the right.
Using both palms, he pushed against the side of the axe blade.
The murderous intent radiating from it was overwhelming.
Even with his improved body, he had no doubt , if that axe touched him directly, it would slice him apart like a hot knife through butter.
Bang...
The axe slamd into the ground, the surroundings trembling violently.
The massive blade sank deep, forming a ravine nearly five hundred ters wide and over fifty kiloters long.
Seeing the destruction alone made Zerath’s hair stand on end.
Zerath shot into the sky, then quickly circled behind her.
Before Aluma could react, his leg whipped out like a blade.
Pah...
The air molecules scread as they were violently compressed. A sound like a gunshot rang out as his leg collided with her neck.
Whrooooommmm
Her body leaned to the side as she nearly lost her axe. Her blood flow seed to halt for a mont as her vision darkened.
From the impact point, a powerful wind tore through the forest, clearing a path nearly a kiloter long.
But Aluma wasn’t going down that easily.
Her left palm slamd into the ground, using the rebound to launch her massive body back up.
Seeing this, Zerath retreated dozens of ters away.
Aluma looked at him, then touched her neck.
"It tingles..." she whispered, unimpressed.
Zerath fell into thought.
From this brief exchange, he noticed sothing..., her speed had dropped.
Of course, his own strength had increased... but Aluma wasn’t just at the planetary realm, she was above it.
Yet with this transformation, her speed had drastically decreased, while her strength and durability had skyrocketed.
And this... gave him an advantage.
Speed.
An opportunity to defeat a god.
Zerath didn’t realize it yet but the thought excited him.
For so long, he had grown numb to killing beings he considered ants.
To him, they were nothing but beasts with little intelligence. There was always a gap...he was always stronger.
And without equals... how could he ever see them as real?
Boom...
Zerath moved.
His speed surged instantly, reaching several tis the speed of sound.
The surrounding air compressed violently as powerful winds tore through the trees.
In an instant, he appeared in front of Aluma.
Boom
He threw a punch. It connected imdiately, snapping her head back.
From that alone, Zerath confird it, her speed had indeed dropped significantly.
Suddenly, Zerath shifted to the side as a sharp gust sliced past him, cutting into the ground.
Even if he was faster, he still had to be careful.
With that, the battle entered a new phase.
Boom.
Boom.
Bang...
They clashed though it was more like one side attacking relentlessly while the other evaded.
Zerath was at a disadvantage here. He couldn’t afford to trade blows. Every attack from her whether with her body or her axe was lethal.
anwhile, his attacks barely fazed her.
But then again... could such a transformation last long?
Ti blurred as their clash tore through the land, the battle dragged on for hours. The sun began to set.
And finally... what he had been waiting for happened.
Crack...
His bone creaked as he glanced down at his leg.
A massive hand grabbed him. Zerath felt his body go cold as Aluma smiled.
"Finally caught you," she laughed, lifting him into the air.
The force disrupted his vision and then...
Nothing.
He felt himself being lifted but he never ca crashing back down.
Looking below, Zerath saw Aluma’s body begin to twist.
Her bones creaked, her limbs trembled, veins bulging like divine chains
Then suddenly....
She released him.
Boom.
Her knees slamd into the ground as her aura weakened drastically.
Zerath floated in the air, staring down at her...
"So this is the power of a god..."
Zerath floated closer to Aluma as her shoulders trembled.
Aluma raised her eyes. They were filled with rage but more than that, sha. Blood streaked from her eyes and from the corner of her lips.
She felt humiliated. How could she, a mber of the God Race, lose to this puny being? She had disgraced not only herself, but her entire race.
"You are the first, apart from my Master, to defeat ... to show that there is soone stronger. So, I thank you."
Zerath paused.
"Years and years of killing weaklings have dulled my instincts. But now... now you have shown that there are races out there that can threaten . I am grateful for that," Zerath said.
Aluma replied, her voice sharp with anger.
"You cocky bastard. Your race is nothing but rats that feed on the crumbs of the God Race. If not because—"
Aluma began speaking as she forced herself to stand. For a mont, Zerath frowned as his heartbeat accelerated.
Her four-ter-tall body lood over him, her divine aura beginning to rise once more but then...
Thud.
She dropped back to her knees.
"Accept your loss and die as a warrior. You, a mber of the God Race... lost to —a mber of the Aethernox race," Zerath said as he landed and lifted her axe. The sheer weight caused his veins to nearly bulge out.
What he didn’t notice was the shock that flashed across Aluma’s face when she heard the na of his race.
"No wonder I lost..."
Her frown softened into a smile as she watched her own weapon descend toward her neck.
Shk—
Her head was severed cleanly from her body.
Thud...
Her head hit the ground as her massive body collapsed shortly after.
Boom...
Zerath crouched, picking up her head. Golden blood stained his hands as he looked at the axe in his right hand and her head in his left... then back at her lifeless body.
Zerath slowly floated into the sky, gazing down at the destruction they had caused.
Cratered lands stretched endlessly—holes ranging from a few ters to dozens of kiloters scattered across the planet.
Many of the planet’s inhabitants had already perished in their battle... but many more were still alive.
Soon, he reached the clouds.
He strapped the axe to his back and brought out a small orb, pulsing like a heartbeat.
He released it.
The orb fell under gravity, striking the ground... then began sinking, burrowing deep until it reached the planet’s core.
Monts later, Zerath watched as the planet began to compress.
Screams echoed across the world but to him, they sounded like music.
Everything, life, matter, essence ...was reduced to a single point.
The planet’s history, the evolutionary path of its dominant race, even the existence of a god like Aluma... all of it was extracted.
Then... silence.
*******
Seeing the past slowly unfold before her, Chu Su felt that her heart could no longer calm down.
Zerath could evolve during battle...
If so, then...
She gazed at Zerath, who rely flashed her a faint smile.
"Was that not even a warm-up for you?" Chu Su asked.
Zerath simply shook his head.
"Not even close... but I could not disappoint you, Miss Chu Su," Zerath replied softly.
Chu Su frowned slightly, lowering her head as she fell into deep thought.
Zerath remained patient.
After a while, Chu Su slowly raised her head once more.
"Thank you... for that," Chu Su spoke softly.
She could feel the swirling energy within her. That brief spar had helped her far more than she could have imagined.
She was grateful.
"It is alright," Zerath replied.
And with that, a portal opened behind Chu Su as she stepped into it.
The mont she disappeared...
A massive throne appeared behind Zerath, and he slowly sat upon it.
His expression beca filled with curiosity as his form gradually changed, becoming more conceptual in nature.
"Void... is it?" Zerath muttered.
A large grin slowly spread across his face.
User Comments
0 comments from readers