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

"Did you notice it, Artesius?"

At this moment, Iori made no attempt to conceal her intentions, stating directly, "Our power has already exceeded the limits that a divine species should possess. Ordinary gods cannot withstand even a single blow from us, which also means that—if the [Divine Essence] is hit, it will be directly destroyed!"

"Just end your life before that happens, and I can fully activate my [Divine Essence] to annihilate any enemy. You are welcome to give it a try!"

Artesius burst into laughter, the feeling of hovering on the edge of life and death making him lose himself in the moment.

The whole world was plunged into darkness in an instant—

Unable to sense spirits or light and darkness, the five senses of the body were stripped away, and even the spirit was frozen.

It was as if this were the end of the universe, the end of the torrent of time, and the final destination of all things in death.

Iori emitted an extremely dazzling light, like ripples covering the world, dispelling the surrounding chaos and extending infinitely towards the other side of nothingness.

At the same time, Altshu clearly sensed the change in Iori:

Countless identical auras appeared simultaneously in the space he was in, yet they were able to merge perfectly into one without any conflict... To Iori at this moment, the planet was nothing more than a slightly larger ball.

"Dimensional folding...is it coming? Your true trump card!"

Altshu's body trembled, and his body began to expand continuously, as if he had sensed the threat from Iori. Power surged into an unknown height.

"If this is all you can offer in the end, then it's just another dragon that's already dead!"

"Artesu—you have caused countless deaths, you are the embodiment of war, and you bear the resentment and sins of billions of lives!"

As if it were proof of original sin, black and red patterns wrapped around Altshu's body. The God of War's pupils shrank, and he immediately shook his hand in an attempt to break these chains that had appeared out of nowhere, but his power seemed to have no effect on them!

"No need to bother, that's not an external attack, it's something you already possess."

Iori's eyes shone with pure golden light under the blessing of the [Sword of Judgment and Karma], and she clearly saw the various causes and effects wrapped around Altshu's body - indeed, the blood light was overwhelming!

"That is what you have accumulated over these ten thousand years. If you are your shadow, you can defeat all enemies, but how can you defeat yourself?"

A violent burning sensation swept through his body, causing Altshu's muscles to tense up. This was something an individual could absolutely not bear; it was the accumulated sins of a planet over countless years, on a scale that life could not contain.

"...Do you consider yourself a righteous person?"

Artes looked at Iori at this moment and uttered words of admiration.

"Trying to kill me through karma and retribution? How naive, human!"

"Of course!"

After Iori closed her eyes, she slowly opened them again, her vision encompassing all things, and reflecting the giant-like body of Altshu.

On that body burdened with sin, only one place stood out, the source of everything—undoubtedly the very essence of Altshu's power!

"I'm just an ordinary human being seeking revenge!"

At this moment, he transforms into a young god, judging the wicked, avenging humanity's enemies, expressing hostility towards the gods, and loathing war—

"Divine Blade!"

It has no real name; it needs no words to embellish or describe it. Its very existence is proof of sword and steel, the sole vessel of courage and anger, redemption and hatred.

"Magic gun!"

No pity needed!

No explanation needed!

The strong are meant to trample everything!

Artes is the strongest; there is no such thing as a counter to him, nor are there any natural enemies.

If these causes and effects reduce his chances of winning, then he only needs to increase his power again to the point where he can ignore these conditions!

boom! ! !

A violent surge of energy engulfed everything, even the God of War's majestic body was swallowed by the storm. This, of course, couldn't determine the outcome, as it was merely a routine exchange between the two.

Artesh used his wings to fan away the chaotic air currents, and the next second Iori was already in front of him. The divine sword and the divine spear complemented each other, playing a rhapsody of steel!

Collision, separation, charging, intersecting—in a mere second, the man and the god had exchanged hundreds of blows, the chaotic timeline completely disrupted, as if hundreds of Iori and Altshu were fighting simultaneously.

"Ha ha ha ha!!!"

"drink!!!!"

Bang! ——

With a single, all-out strike, the divine blade shattered!

Clang!

The magnificent spear, forged from brilliance, was also broken in two!

At the same time, countless wails and prayers echoed in the deepest part of the void, as if celebrating the demise of the spear—in Iori's eyes, countless dark red causal lines were falling apart!

Without hesitation, Altshu, whose strength far surpassed Iori's, thrust the broken spear down, but Iori caught it with her other hand, slightly deflecting its trajectory so that it pierced through her ribs—

puff!

The cracked, broken sword was plunged into Altshu's abdomen, and then twisted violently as if lifting a torch!

Time stood still at that moment.

Artesius felt the intense pain within his body, and looked behind him. He saw the crimson chaos rapidly returning to its original form, and his war domain was visibly receding.

He wasn't surprised, because his exchange with Iori had fully activated Iori's essence, only to have it shattered by an external force at its peak...

At this moment, he still possessed the power to easily destroy a world, and he was indeed stronger than Iori, but... victory slipped through his fingers.

"This is unbelievable, is this what they call 'death'?"

Artesius pulled his body away, looking in surprise at his still-unrestored body and the broken spear in his hand.

"Hmm, this feeling... isn't bad!"

Chapter 547: Let's have more monster girls for world peace.

"My time will stop at this moment, and if this is the end... it's not unpleasant."

"...Yes, it's over, Altshu."

"I'm curious about what 'death' really means. After I close my eyes, will I be met with eternal darkness and nothingness, or will I return to the primordial state and enter the endless cycle of the Elven Corridor?"

"Who knows? In the mythology of my hometown, the souls of mortals go to heaven or hell, but where the souls of gods go is unknown."

"It's strange. I had imagined my death, which should have been a glorious and magnificent moment, and I would have accepted it with satisfaction and without any regrets... At this moment, the legend we leave behind is indeed unprecedented and unparalleled, but I unexpectedly feel a little reluctant to leave."

The man sighed and shook his head: "If I could have another chance... Is this regret? As the [strongest], I actually have things I crave but can never have."

Aizen Iori, until the very end, I was still stronger than you, but in the end, you were the victor. Was it because I revealed my true power, or because your level had surpassed the boundary of "strongest"?

"There has never been a rule in this world that the weak cannot defeat the strong. The difference between the strong and the weak does exist, but it is not immutable. That is why battles are full of uncertainty."

Who wins depends on their desire to win!

Artes, you are the embodiment of the strongest, residing at the pinnacle of the divine race, yet you merely revel in the battle, never considering how to achieve victory.

"This is so boring..."

"Because I am the 'weak one'."

"..."

Artesius was silent for a moment, then his face showed a look of realization.

"Because of our 'weakness,' we exert all our strength; because of our 'weakness,' we are single-minded; because of our 'weakness,' we utilize everything that can be utilized..."

Humans themselves do not use magic, but they can still create fire sources and tools to continue living in this lifeless world.

Because they are weak, they must become strong, more proactive and eager than any superior race—and I, born with power, do not possess such a strong 'heart'?

Artesius finally understood what he had been pursuing all along. He had once thought that what he lacked was defeat and death, but now he realized:

He was clearly the "strongest," yet he didn't derive any enjoyment from it!

Victory was something he took for granted, so his gun was fatally lacking in "desire"!

To become stronger, one must grit one's teeth and never give up, even if it means losing limbs—that is the privilege of the weak!

If I also possessed the mindset of a wild beast, I probably could have taken Aizen and Iori down with me just now...

Artes didn't do that because he didn't know what the point would be. It was only after Iori's explanation that he suddenly realized the truth.

"I thought I had the whole world under my control, but in reality, my vision never covered everything... There are too many things that a superior perspective cannot see."

Ha! You humankind who knocked me from my heavenly throne and brought new life to this world, accept your spoils!

And then... no matter how many years and reincarnations pass, I... will surely meet again!

Even the very essence of the body was pierced, the concept of the God of War lost its vitality, and the strongest divine species that opposed Iori disappeared.

"But when we meet again... I will not allow any victory to slip through my fingers..."

Om-! ! !

As the origin of all things, the invisible Elven Corridor, which runs through the entire planet and even connects to the origin of the universe, released an extremely large amount of power in an instant.

It possesses a power powerful enough to erase the world in an instant without leaving a trace, and also enough to rebuild the world.

At that very moment, the star seemed to transform into crystal, and in the radiance that illuminated the universe, something emerged from the star's core and slowly drifted to Iori's side.

It was like a simple crystal of light, with a dodecahedron displaying pentagram patterns.

——【Star Cup】!

The supreme throne of this world, the unification of all concepts, although it appears to be conceived in the star's core, is actually the origin of this planet and even the entire universe.

This is the cause of the great war, and it will also be revealed when the war ends.

Iori calmly looked at the [Star Grail], and slowly extended her hand—

The next moment, every race and every life form in the world witnessed that scene simultaneously.

This story would surely be compiled into a book and passed down as a chapter of creation. But at this moment, the beginning of the myth is actually happening before our eyes.

In the beginning, the world was enveloped in the light of dawn.

From the ends of the world, extending to countless realms of the universe, all the spirits were enveloped in radiance and instantly transformed into pure elves. On the barren and empty land, changes began to occur under the coverage of this radiance.

Having grasped the boundary between heaven and earth, they caused the entire world to lose its color, and then naturally gave it life.

The gentlest of powers embraced all life, as if turning the planet itself into a cradle.

"Start now!"

Thousands of star trails streaked across the sky, flowing like an endless cycle. Iori's eyes reflected everything, and a vast amount of information flowed through his mind, far exceeding the scope of the "wisdom of the sky." At this moment, his mental power extended almost infinitely, and he even sensed the pulse and changes of countless nebulae deep in the universe.

Time, fluctuations, existence...

Soul, balance, light and darkness...

Sun, earth, sky...

"The time for birth has come!"

None of the races on Earth could comprehend this scene, yet they all silently gazed upon it all.

A blue sky and a dazzling sun—a fairytale scene only recorded in literature.

"Ah, the war is really over."

Only now do I truly realize what has happened:

Then, rules, races, concepts, and world structure were all redefined!

……

[Ding! CG has been added]

The Divine Sword of Salvation

(A divine artifact reforged after incorporating new power, it itself symbolizes the divine essence of [the strongest] and [steel].)

Add a term:

the strongest.

Regardless of numbers or race, their strength will always be greater than that of the "enemy," but their attributes will not change.

If quantified, the pure ability stats will be increased above those of the "enemy," but special attack and buffs will not be increased.