You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

"Haha, do you think I care? Since you're researching the power of the Dragon Essence, why don't you just think of yourself as the Dragon King!"

"Appearance and size don't matter. Since you possess similar properties, you can call yourself the Dragon King!"

Artes didn't care at all. To put it bluntly, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He always wanted a "hero versus demon king" kind of battle of destiny, where he would sit on the throne in the sky and let the weak challenge him.

But he's been lonely for too long and is indeed a bit bored... Now he just wants to have some fun ahead of time to satisfy his craving.

"I--"

You can't refuse!

Artes laughed heartily, more carefree and cheerful than in reality—he was probably finally able to relax and let loose.

"Come on, Blue... Final Dragon!"

"You let it slip!"

……

Jinna was immediately sent into the [Map of Mountains and Rivers] by Iori... Yes, he could actually have made Jinna less afraid, but he simply wanted to see her reaction, which is why he hadn't helped her.

Then, without warning, space collapsed.

Before even a sound could be heard, the mere clash of two wills caused the surrounding rocks to collapse.

The sky trembled as fiery meteorites fell, as if witnessing the start of this battle.

The might of the God of War crushed the earth, and magma erupted forth!

Without testing each other or competing in terms of ability, the two who had reached their peak abandoned the most superficial aspects of victory and defeat, and directly engaged in battle based on their essential power.

This is not the outside world. They are not competing on numbers, but on their souls and wills, and the level of skill they have reached!

With a slight tremor of the spear, space itself shattered. The God of War swung his arm, gathering countless fragments like blades, creating the most dangerous spatial storm in the world, capable of shattering everything, enveloping Iori's tiny body within it.

however--

This is just something like a "warm-up".

If we were to use weapons as a metaphor, the spatial storm would be nothing more than the scabbard, while the true "blade" would be the spear that Altshu throws out, piercing through everything along the core of the spiral.

It hit without a doubt, and Iori's body was sent flying like a meteor to the end of the sky!

With just a single, "serious" strike, the God of War, Artesius, easily sliced ​​through the blood-red clouds with his spear.

The so-called "spirit remains," the karmic legacy of this planet, were annihilated without any resistance under the spear of the meteor.

It is nothing but the residue of death, yet the power of the God of War can make even the residue evaporate.

What about Iori, who took the hit head-on?

There is no chance of survival under a spearhead that can pierce through all things in the universe—this is just a normal judgment.

However, those who transcend logic can disregard it and reach bizarre places that others cannot even imagine.

Artesius understood this, so he continued his pursuit of his enemy.

Perhaps due to excessive excitement, he crossed a realm of tens of millions of miles in a single step and reached out to recall his spear.

Crimson blood slowly dripped from the spearhead—

Before it could drip, the blade sliced ​​it open.

There was no ripple of wind, no groaning of space; it was as quiet as a child swinging a sword, a strike so simple it was almost plain.

It cut through its own blood, and also through countless boundaries, slashing towards Altshu at a speed immeasurable, which could only be described as "light".

This sword strike could probably cleave even a planet in two; the moment it was unleashed, the possibility of failure was already eliminated.

However, even light could not defeat Altshu.

He is the strongest, the man who stands on the throne of the world, and the embodiment of war.

No one can defeat him; even those who are considered the "strongest" will inevitably be surpassed by him.

How could a king of eternal glory and eternal solitude be defeated by a mere ray of light?

If the other becomes light, then all you need to do is become something above it.

Beyond infinity lies still infinity; his flawed theory made him the strongest. Even if he were the last person left in the world, with no need for comparison, he would still be the lonely "strongest."

“Interesting… I haven’t had such a thrilling battle in a long time.”

However, there are still those who dare to offend the majesty of the gods.

Aizen Iori seemed to have suffered no harm whatsoever; his soul was eternal, and he could calmly bear even the greatest pressure.

Nothing in this world is eternal.

"Artes said softly."

There is no absolute strongest.

Iori chuckled.

"Humph~"

"Ah!"

……

That was a battle that even the [God-like beings] could hardly imagine.

A terrifying scene that would leave all races on the continent speechless; a world-shaking attack unleashed from the hands of the God of War and the challenger, writing a myth that transcends all.

However, the ending of this myth was already predetermined.

The God of War will prevail, and the challenger will fail—this is an unchanging fact.

As the embodiment of the concept of "war" on this planet, Altesh spreads destruction and death to the world and receives feedback from this hellish world. He is an invincible and eternal embodiment of victory.

In other words, as long as he exists in this world, there is no being able to defeat him.

If an even more powerful individual emerges, he will not fail; he will only expand his own existence with incomprehensible concepts and continuously surpass the other.

The concept of "powerful" is inherently a concept that only has value when compared.

Altshu's strength is "predetermined," regardless of his opponent; this strength is utterly irrational.

So far, Iori has not shown any means to deal with him.

"Is this the end? I'm disappointed, Aizen Iori..."

Even in battles that are merely "interesting," Altshu wouldn't hold back, and verbally provoking others is also a tactic.

Just as Iori was about to retort, the flow of time shifted again—

"Roar!!!"

A colossal red dragon, gleaming with golden light, burst through the walls of time and collided with Altshu, sending him flying.

"You have called my name, Artesius!"

Oh, tragic God of War... I hold no grudge against you, but if you desire a defeat, I'm naturally happy to help you achieve it.

—The End of the Dragon!

It actually gained consciousness!

Wait... Could it be that this guy didn't die at all?

Iori and Altshu were both somewhat surprised, especially the God of War, who looked at the dragon for a moment before slowly and firmly shaking his head.

"He really did die."

"Correct."

Iori also realized, "However, the Dragon Spirits are beings that exist in both the past and the future, and the Final Dragon is the strongest among them. Although his physical body has been destroyed, he has not completely disappeared from the timeline... he just can never appear in the 'present' again."

This is the drawback of the Dragon Spirit's ability: once it is defeated, it will be erased from the "present" timeline.

Fortunately, Iori possesses the concept of "existence," which allows her to circumvent this issue; otherwise, she wouldn't dare to explore this power.

"Haha, I never thought that after falling to this state, I would one day be able to fight against the God of War, Artes, and make up for my regrets."

Zhong Long didn't mince words: "Count me in on this battle too!"

"A three-way brawl? Not really my style, but it's also quite novel."

Altshu was quite happy to experience a free-for-all for the first time—where could he find more than two beings who could fight on equal terms with him?

This is absolutely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

"Don't die right away, Dragon King!"

Lightning surged around Iori, coalescing into a spear that could pierce through everything with a swing of her arm. She mimicked the God of War's previous technique, instantly piercing through the atmosphere, with thousands of lightning snakes leaping within the spacetime bubble.

This shot was naturally returned to the God of War!

"Ha! Come on!"

Artesius, without fear, stepped forward.

The Dragon King spread its wings and flew high, intending to capture the two of them in one fell swoop, but Iori and Altshu turned around almost at the same time, and the attack, which was faster than the speed of light, landed on the Dragon King and knocked it into the deep strait.

The man and the god continued to fight, but after only a few moves, they felt a huge crisis approaching.

"call--!"

At the unfathomable depths of Naraku, the crouching dragon king raised its wings, its emerald-green eyes flashing with sharp light, and with a slight flap of its wings, it stirred up a storm that soared into the sky.

"Roar! Are you underestimating me, the Dragon King?!"

A terrifying shockwave shattered the lightning, and the Dragon King appeared amidst the raging wind.

For it, it was merely a simple action akin to turning over, yet it caused the earth to tremble and space to shatter, as if a giant tortoise bearing the continental plates had awakened.

"drink!"

Iori lowered his body slightly, then leaped forward, shooting out like a cannonball to intercept the dragon before it reached its peak.

Originally, capturing the incredibly fast-moving Dragon was as difficult as capturing lightning.

However, Iori possesses incredible speed, not at all inferior, and even surpasses it.

"Om-!"

The sword in his hand shone with an unprecedented brilliance. As a weapon for slaying dragons, this world-saving divine blade could almost be considered the natural enemy of dragons.

The hero, watched by the fate of the world, unleashes a devastating blow that shatters a thousand mountains against the Dragon King of the End!

"Bam—!"

The visible ripples spread rapidly outwards from this point.

"Roar……"

A deep, rumbling sound, like surging magma, was brewing in the dragon's throat, but its scales remained intact.

In other words, Iori's powerful attack did not reach its maximum power limit.

As Iori paused, a fist came flying from her side—it was the God of War, Artes!

He didn't use a spear, but if that punch landed, it would send the person flying tens of thousands of meters.

"drink!"

Iori turned and parried back, using the same punch to deflect the opponent's attack.

But the next moment he was whipped away by the powerful dragon tail—along with Altshu.

"Click~"

Both sides experienced the same impact, but their physical strength was indistinguishable due to the absolute difference in their structural principles.

But it had nothing to do with the hardness of the tail; some deeper factor caused the strange sound to come from the dragon's tail.

"This is?"

"I tried to cut it, but I didn't expect that the dragon scales could distribute their power to other versions of myself in other timelines, thus neutralizing my attack."

After Iori steadied herself, she raised the Platinum Divine Blade, instantly drawing the attention of both the Dragon King and the God of War.

In such a fierce battle just now, how did he even have time to slash with this sword?

Even Altshu didn't pay much attention...

"Hehehu..."