— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
My vision trained on the land below, it didn't take long until a glint of metal caught my eye.
I summoned a gust of wind to slow my speed, gravity taking hold as I began falling towards the front of a clearing, landing a moment later as a cloud of dust shot up around me at the force of my impact.
While I had seen quite a few strong people race through the forest towards our side, this guy had remained here instead… as if he was waiting for me.
And from how much touki was flowing through him… well, there was really only one opponent that could make me so cautious.
The Fighting God, the third ranked world power, and the one who had the strength to force the Dragon God Laplace to split when he had both the power of the Demon God and the Technique God.
Since I was facing such a threat, I couldn't afford to pay any mind to those behind me.
I just had to trust in them, and in return, fulfill their trust in me.
As the dust began to clear, I stood back up as I looked towards the other end of the clearing, where a man in large golden armour with multiple arms sat against a fallen tree trunk, with a helmet set on his leg to reveal his face.
And his face… it was one that I had met before.
That of the Demon God Badigadi, who I had duelled all those years ago.
It wasn't a surprise, considering Orsted had already informed me of his true identity as the Fighting God, but I was still a little surprised that the man I was able to win against when I was much weaker was that very legendary world power.
So most of the power of the Fighting God really came from that Golden Armour, huh?
From what Orsted told me, there were four things I needed to worry most about when facing the Golden Armour.
First, was its ability to self repair, which, when paired with Badigadi's natural immortality… well, any normal attack was unlikely to defeat him.
Second was the power enhancement that it granted the user thanks to the abundant mana infused into the armour, which would only make Badigadi's natural strength much greater.
Third was the armour's magic resistance, so any magic but the most powerful of spells would be completely useless.
I guess my magic would only be good for movement and utility in this fight, since only Rudy would likely have strong enough pure mana for his magic to be useful.
And lastly, and likely most importantly… was the sentience of the magic armour, which it had gained from having so much mana.
The sentience itself wasn't a problem, but along with that sentience, came the near-limitless amount of battle knowledge and skill, allowing the wearer to become an expert at any weapon and style, no matter how good they were originally.
When planning the fight, when I learned that the Fighting God was Badigadi, I had initially thought that it would be quite simple, as his lack of skill would make any amount of power useless against me.
But Orsted quickly revealed to me the truth of this matter.
Haa… yeah, this was going to be tough.
"Leon Greyrat… I guess it's been a while, huh?" Badigadi said, a wide smile on his face as he stood up. "I've been waiting for an exciting battle like this for a while, so I won't bore you with any useless talking. Excite me once more, Elemental God!"
Good thing I didn't want to talk, either.
As he placed his helmet on his head, I slowly unsheathed my sword, narrowing my eyes as I waited for him to attack first.
No matter how much Orsted had explained to me the power of the Fighting God, there was only so much you could learn without an actual reference, so before I could plan how to attack this fight, I needed to know-
My thoughts came to a halt as a golden fist appeared in my vision.
Huh?
I… didn't even see his touki fluctuate.
So how…
I dodged to the side, but with only an instant to move, while I was able to evade the fist, the pressure from the strike blew me away, causing me to flip in the air, casting some wind magic in order to land on my feet.
Fuck… that was close.
And if I hadn't had dodged… well, with the line that had been ripped through the forest, sending a storm of trees into the air, it was obvious that I wouldn't be able to simply shrug such an attack off.
The Fighting God turned to me, resetting his stance as he retracted his fist.
"You dodged that… how surprising," he said, its voice distorted, as if it was the mix of Badigadi's and the armour's.
But yes… even though I did dodge it, it was just barely.
How did he hide his touki?
It was like the North God's techniques, but… way more advanced.
But if that was the case… I wouldn't be able to rely on my demon eyes to predict his movements.
Haha… I guess this must be what the Technique God meant by needing divinity to defeat a 'God', though I doubt he meant it in this context.
I coated my blade in touki and mana, extending the enhancement to my body as I took another leap backwards to increase the distance between us.
Alright… let's do this.
I took a short breath in, and with my touki bursting beneath my feet, carrying me forward faster than the speed of sound.
I appeared next to the Fighting God as I swung down, my blade weaving through the air as it was then blocked by the armour, my sword digging into the metal, but not enough to cut off the arm.
And unfortunately… this guy had five more of them.
I dislodged my sword as he attacked, my body moving to the right to evade three of his fists, my hand reaching out to deflect another, and with the last one heading towards my chest, I angled my blade as I flowed touki into the side, parrying it away as I converted the energy from his strike into my own.
I transformed the mana in my touki at the same moment, holding the Fighting God in place with gravity magic as my sword raced towards his body, slashing through his torso before I leaped back to evade any possible counter-attack
There, I had hit him.
And with the gash cutting through half his body, giving me the gruesome view of organs and blood beginning to fill the empty space, my attack had been quite serious.
But… it only took a moment before his skin began to regenerate, with the armour's gap mending a few seconds later as he completely recovered.
Damn… so even that much damage meant nothing.
But I didn't have any time to ponder about that particular information, as once he had recovered, the Fighting God launched another attack, appearing in front of me with three fists punching out with that same unreadable attack.
Was it because of the concentration of mana in the armour that I was unable to see any touki?
Either way, it was incredibly annoying.
I was able to defend the first two by deflecting them with my hand and sword respectively, but that left me completely open to the third, sending me flying backwards, skidding across the ground before I came to a stop.
Luckily, the damage wasn't bad since I had enhanced my touki to defend against the strike, but the difference in our number of limbs was going to be a problem.
And also, as evidenced from that exchange… our power was mismatched.
Even with the strength I had accumulated over the years… it still wasn't enough.
While I had expected my opponent to continue his onslaught of attacks, instead, he remained standing, extending one of his arms between two on the other side as he seemingly reached behind him.
The hell?
My confusion was quickly dismissed as he then pulled out a large greatsword with a dark black edge, one of obviously extremely high quality.
But that only made me more confused.
How did he get that? Was it absorbed by the armour or something? Maybe a sort of summoning magic?
Either way, it didn't really matter much now.
And as for the other question… why?
Badigadi, from what I knew, only used his fists in battle and was much too hardheaded for swords, yet from what I could see as he readjusted his grip, he seemed extremely experienced with it.
So this… this must be that armour influencing him, as well as giving him all the battle experienced the user lacked.
The Fighting God stood still for another few passing moments before it once again moved onto the attack, it's speed allowing it to cross the distance between us in an instant, despite the bulky frame.
I was hardly able to react to the first hit, and as soon as I moved to evade, I was forced to raise my sword to deflect his slash, the opening allowing him to land another strike at my chest.
Fuck…
As we continued to exchange strikes and parries, one thing quickly became very apparent.
The Fighting God's swordsmanship… it was incredible.
It was able to use all three sword styles, and while he didn't mould them together like my style did, he was able to use it seamlessly with his many arms, and read my own attacks like a children's book.
And that wasn't all…
"Guh!" I grunted, feeling a shock spread through my body as I barely parried his strike to the side, and despite my defences, I still felt a flurry of slashes tear through my arm.
An application of touki that was completely different from any of the three great styles.
A technique I couldn't understand.
And that wasn't the only one he had used… I guess it was true that this armour was able to absorb any technique that it ran into.
Due to all of those factors, I was quickly finding myself overwhelmed by his power, and his skill.
And then… there was also that subtle pressure I couldn't explain that reverberated with every one of his strikes.
A pressure I could not explain no matter how many times I felt it… though if I had to try, it reminded me of when I battled against the Technique God in the past.
Wait… the Technique God…
The Fighting God's blade slipped past my guard, cutting a gash across my leg that tore deep enough to shatter the bone.
My sword twisted down to deflect his blade, and with me leaving another opening, I quickly found a fist embedded in my face, sending me flying upwards in a momentary daze, only to be broken by the feeling of me legs being grasped before I was thrown hard against the ground, a crater forming around me as a shockwave ripped through the nearby trees.
Ahh… fuck.
To think there was someone that wasn't Orsted who could leave me in this state.
My vision tinted red, likely from my blood that had dripped down into my eyes.
Honestly… just what was I doing.
I healed my leg as I slowly stood up, my sword raised to defend against another potential attack while I briefly wiped my eyes.
Right… the Technique God… the realm of focus I had attained back then…
The Fighting God closed in, his sword heading right for my neck, and while I was able to parry it to the side, I was met with two more fists approaching me on my left.
My arm raised to block them, and while I was successfully able to, the force shattered my touki defences as soon as they made contact, my arm being left mangled as I was flung back once more.
With another leap to create some distance between us, I closed my eyes as soon as I landed, healing the major injuries in my body as I held onto my sword.
Focus… focus on nothing but the sword… don't even focus on the opponent in front of you.
I felt something impact my side, and the faint feeling of pain and movement flashed through my mind, only to leave as soon as I reset my stance once more.
Did I get sent flying again?
No, that didn't matter.
Just… focus…
I felt a flash of instinct, and heeding its call, I twisted my sword to block it.
Yes… find it… that realm of untouched focus… the one that impressed the Technique God…
My body moved on instinct, my sword clashing into another as I twisted by blade, the resulting counter sending a rush of delight through my mind.
Ah… there… that felt good.
I opened my eyes, seeing the sight of the Fighting God picking up one of his arms to press against his opened wound, the flesh and armour quickly melding together.
But I didn't care.
I couldn't even think about anything right now.
My mind was completely blank, emptied so that I could focus on the Fighting God, who was the only thing I could sense right now.
His mana… his touki… his movements, both those happening right now and those in the future, which were like flashes of premonition that danced across my vision.
Was this some kind of advanced form of intuition?
I didn't know, and I didn't care.
Instead, I was simply focused on defeating this guy.
His two fists thrust towards me, my body having already dodged before they even initiated their movements.
The Fighting God suddenly stopped, remaining standing as he looked down at his two outstretched fists and then over to me.
"To think I would see something new… that hasn't happened in many, many years," he said, his tone brimming with glee. "Haha… you excite me, Elemental God!"
My eyes narrowed at his joyful exclamation.
Whether it was still Badigadi, or if it was the Golden Armour taking over, it didn't change the fact that he was a battle maniac.
His form blurred as my sword struck forward, meeting his as he bore down on me, the shockwave forcing us to separate before we both leaped towards each other yet again for another exchange.
Left, upward, twist, avoid, turn, strike.
My mind still focused solely on the battle in front of me, our fight continued once more, but this time… it was on equal ground.
Technically, in a normal fight, I would actually be winning, as many of my strikes were able to land and deal damage to the opponent, while I had only been injured a couple of times, but the Fighting God just healed himself each time I struck him.
Like this, our fight would go on for much longer, and the first one to be hit by fatigue… would be me.
I needed to reach another realm.
Something higher… stronger… clearer…
I knew I was close, in the current state I was in, and I had reached that higher realm once before against the Technique God, but I needed to do it again… and I needed to do it even better than before.
Not only better, but more consistent.
I had everything I needed, and my foundations were sound, so now I just needed to perform another power-up mid-battle, like I had done many times before.
I moved an approaching fist to the side with my hand, while my sword flickered forward to deflect a strike.
Closer…
I slashed forward, the ground parting beneath us as an arm flew through the air.
Closer… I felt closer… like I was at the edge of finding it.
I came to a stop, allowing the Fighting God to reach down and reattach his arm as I raised my sword, my vision blurring as I focused all my concentration into my mana and touki, the two mixing together as it flared outward.
The Fighting God, now whole once more, attacked once again, his body twisting as his sword swung outward faster than the former Sword God's fastest attack.
But… I ignored it.
His sword struck my side, tearing through my touki defences before shredding my body.
But I ignored it.
Instead, with my sword held overhead with my two hands… I swung down.
It was slower than my usual strikes.
Like a swing that you would take to perfect your form before performing practice swings, not one to be used in battle.
But as soon as it struck the helmet of the Fighting God… it tore through it, continuing to slice through his body as if it was paper and into the land below, the distant rumbling of the shifting earth entering my ears as I released my state of concentration.
Stepping back, the Fighting God's sword slid out of my side as I began healing the deep gash, a sudden wave of exhaustion overtaking me as I did so.
Damn… my mana was wearing thin.
I restored my stance and raised my sword, preparing for another attack from my opponent.
But… the two halves of the Fighting God that had fallen to the ground… they never reformed.
The helmet slowly fell off the sides of Badigadi's head, revealing his face with a wide smile and empty eyes.
Wait… was he… dead?
One second passed as the helmet's metal slowly melted, beginning to stretch across the ground to connect with each other.
Another second passed, as the two sides of the helmet slowly reformed back together… yet the body of the armour remained still, as did its user.
Even more moments passed in silence as I stared down, but still… nothing changed.
My eyes widened as Badigadi remained lying there, unmoving.
Was he… dead?
Like… really dead? Like, not going to revive again dead?
And not only that, the armour… it was broken, despite how Orsted said that it was practically immortal with the amount of mana it had pumped into it.
So… how?
Was it… was that final strike, where I reached that state… was that what allowed this to happen?
The power of divinity… perhaps this is what the Technique God actually meant by needing it to kill a god… did it have some kind of special property other than making me stronger?
I didn't know… but either way, without that, I would have probably needed Orsted's help to win this.
But… I did it.
It was a tough battle… but I had won.
And as for the others… well, I guess they were alright.
I was so absorbed in the fight that I hadn't even noticed how close they were.
As I turned around to face the forest, I waited for a few moments as the presences of mana drew closer.
"So… what are you all doing here?" I asked as they slowly entered my vision, our entire group reconvening once more. "And… what's with the guests?"
That was the Ogre God and the Death God, right?
They both looked quite a bit beaten up, but were standing next to their respective opponents without a word of protest from either side.
There must be quite a story there.
But more importantly… they had all survived.
That definitely filled me with quite a bit of relief.
"Well, you were making a lot of noise, so it was easy to know where you were," my father said, his hands clasped on the back of his neck. "And it was easy to know when it ended as well. We didn't have any doubt you would win, so it was just a matter of those crashes quieting down… honestly, you're a bit insane, dear son of mine."
I slowly looked over to my side, the devastated land spread out before me, with a brand-new ravine cutting through the middle of the clearing.
Ah… well, I guess it was a good thing that our battle was not near any towns or villages.
"I see… then, did your side of things go well?" I asked, my eyes looking over to Sara, who was hugging Rudy, as well as Roxy and Sylphy, who were both safe and sound and making their way towards me.
"Yeah… yeah, we took care of things," my father said, his smile dropping a bit.
Right… it must have been tough, considering Geese was his close friend.
My arms wrapped around Sylphy and Roxy, who had both come in for a hug, as I looked over at Eris, who was standing near the others with her arms crossed.
But with that look in her eyes… just what was she hesitating for?
Some sort of pride?
"How did your duel fare, Eri?" I asked.
"Fine. I won, just as I promised," she said, flicking her hair behind her.
"I see… good job," I said, a smile spreading across my face. "But I was quite worried, so can you come give me a hug?"
Her lips quirked up for a moment as she began walking over.
"Hmph. If you need one that much, then I suppose so," she said, her pace quickening as she found her place at my side. "And… good job to you too."
Honestly… just what was with that conflicting attitude?
Was it because this was a battlefield that she was hesitant to act like her usual affectionate self?
How cute.
"And Rudy. Isolte. I see that you two won as well," I said, nodding towards them. "But just how did you beat their immortality? I was expecting to have to go over to help finish things."
Although, with my mana so low, I guess it was a good thing that it didn't end up that way.
"Well… I wasn't able to kill the Demon Lord, since she regenerated each time I wounded her… but I eventually encased her in stone from my earth magic, and she's still there at the moment," he replied, having finished burying his face in Sara's neck, much to her embarrassment.
"And after that, I was able to kill her knight. I can only assume it was due to his immortality being linked to the Demon Lord," Isolte added, a calm smile on her face as she rested her hand on her sword.
I then looked over to Ghislaine and Ruijerd, where the Ogre God was standing behind them, his inhuman face looking down away from me.
"And? Did he… surrender?" I asked.
"Yes… and more importantly, I think that he is a good man, so I don't think there is a need to kill him," Ruijerd said, bowing his head slightly. "As a fellow leader of our people, I understand that he was simply working for the good of them, with that very thing being used to manipulate him, so… I hope that you can find it within yourself to forgive him."
That very thing being used to manipulate him… what did that mean?
A sort of threat?
It must be, right?
Well… if the Ogre God lost to Ruijerd and Ghislaine, he wasn't stronger than me or Eris, so we weren't in danger.
And if it was Ruijerd saying it… then I didn't have any reasons to refuse.
"That's fine. Perhaps he can even help your tribe be accepted in the nearby nations, since he is the king near there, right?" I said, looking at the ginormous man. "And I am guessing that Geese threatened your people? With the Fighting God at his side, you couldn't take such a threat lightly…"
The Ogre God nodded.
"Yes… I am Malta, the leader of the Ogre race of the Ogre island, and I have some influence in the neighbouring Biheiril Kingdom, so I will do as I must in order to repay this debt," he said, his voice calm and collected. "And that is exactly what happened… though I did try to fight, at first, but quickly found myself outmatched…"
I see… just as I had thought.
Well, if he could help out the Superd people, then good for Ruijerd, I guess.
As long as he didn't target my family, I was fine.
And as for the other guest…
"I was forced to join for a similar purpose to him, as they were threatening my liege and his family. But with their side completely dismantled, including the fearsome Fighting God, I have no need to keep my promise," the pale, thin man said as he bowed his head, his eye not covered by his eye patch staring at me.
"You're liege?" I asked, confused.
"Yes… Pax Shirone of the Shirone Kingdom, alongside his wife and young son," he said, nodding his head. "Again, I have no animosity towards you, as I was simply forced here under threat… But I suppose that isn't enough of an excuse, so while I would prefer to remain alive to keep them safe, I will do anything else for forgiveness."
I looked over to Rudy, and seeing him shrug, I looked back to the Death God.
Again, if he wasn't going to target my family out of animosity, it was fine… and by killing him now, I could possibly make an enemy of the Shirone Kingdom, which would definitely be annoying.
"We don't really need anything, as the only thing we care about are our own family and children and their safety," I said, feeling Sylphy, Roxy, and Eris hug me tighter.
"I see… then, I suppose I can offer something of my own accord," he said, kneeling down. "I, Randolph Marianne, also known as the Death God, will promise to protect any of your family shall they visit the Shirone Kingdom, and if you wish, I will offer the chance to take them under my tutelage."
Learning under the Death God?
Uhh… I wasn't really sure about that, but he did seem quite truthful about this all, so I think it would be fine to let him live.
And speaking of that… Orsted didn't seem to disagree either.
"Why do you not mind, Orsted? I thought you would want to cut off any possible loose ends," I asked the man.
He looked over at me for a moment, his face calm as he shook his head.
"There is no need. I can attest that his words are truthful, and for the foreseeable future, there is no need to worry about him becoming an apostle… so there is no need for such violence," he said as he began walking towards me, or more specifically, towards the armour behind me.
And his face… it looked incredibly relieved.
The only time I had seen it like this was when I had returned from the Dragon World.
I guess… he was happy about being one step closer towards our goal.
He then knelt down, his hand reaching to pick up the reformed helmet of the Fighting God before he traced his fingers along the back before suddenly pulling something out, revealing a glittering gem.
"This is the final sacred treasure," he said, lifting the gem to the light as the helmet began to crumble into dust, the sections of the armour that remained on Badigadi's body separating into pieces. "Fusing to the armour… I didn't know that was possible, but I suppose that is why the Fighting God was stronger than I had expected… not that it mattered to you, Leon Greyrat."
Oh… he was stronger than he thought?
He did mention how the Fighting God's armour was weakened after it's fight against the Dragon God Laplace, but… I guess I was at that level now.
"While I did use some of my mana in the earlier battle, it is not enough to affect the activation of the five sacred treasures, so this battle… we can consider it as a complete victory," Orsted said, standing up as he turned to face the rest of us. "So, everyone who joined me today… I thank you for your contribution."
And thus, on the eleventh month of the year K430, in the middle of a desolate region of the Strife Zone, the feared Dragon God both thanked a group of people, and revealed a warm smile, for what was perhaps the first time in all the worlds he had been through.
"L-Leon… hold me tighter," Roxy said, shivering into my side.
"M-Me too," Sylphy added, her grip tightening on my ripped shirt.
Even Eris had pressed closer to me.
Well… even with a smile, I guess it didn't change some things.
…Too bad that his curse wasn't gone yet.