"W-what am I looking at?"
Edward could not count how many times he had said this to himself—whether with his lips or in his mind.
He was too flabbergasted to think straight, but his eyes and senses did not remove themselves from the sight before him. They couldn't, even if he tried.
The effects of the battle could be seen everywhere. There was no place to hide where the shockwaves or blasts of destruction would not touch. The entire world was shaking—breaking apart.
And it was all because of the two beings in the sky.
"Martial Blade God…" Edward muttered to himself as he watched him cleave an entire ball of devastation into nothingness.
The blast was sent beyond their world, and the shockwave shook the whole planet once more. Edward knew what would have happened if it had been allowed to explode just a bit closer to civilization.
It would have marked the end.
All Edward and everyone else could do now was watch the sparks in the sky, and the supernova that painted the expanse above them.
He and his allies were currently being protected by the joint efforts of everyone's Magic, and they were quite a distance away from the battle that was taking place. Even though they maintained their distance, it was only for safety.
They hadn't forgotten their mission of stopping the Nether.
Fortunately, the areas that had been affected were devoid of living entities—the work of Elrich, they suspected.
"My scout will confirm," Beruel assured the team, so they only focused on the Nether—waiting for when their turn would come.
However, after watching all that had occurred—all the power being displayed by both the Nether and the Martial Blade God—they weren't so sure about what to do anymore.
What else could they do, but watch?
… And pray.
Even though they all had multiple thoughts in their minds, and several impressions of the Martial Blade God, the allies were similar in one respect. Their minds were connected on a particular matter.
They prayed for the Martial Blade God to emerge victorious.
Whether he was on the side of good, evil, or neutral—everyone internally agreed that the Martial Blade God was a better side to support. As such, even from their distance, they all wished the best for humanity's current champion.
The Martial blade God himself!
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"Haaa…" The Martial Blade God smiled.
Once again, he had surpassed what he considered his limits. He had been able to deflect a world-breaking attack, sending it far beyond their world before it could explode.
Unfortunately, it had expended all the energy he had.
'I would have had unlimited Aether if it weren't for the compromised state of this world. I suppose it's only expected because of the Nether's presence.
No, that wasn't the only reason.
'I'm not a Singularity.'
Singularities had a personal bond with Aether, and a straightforward channel to the power that brought it about. Unlike Singularities, he had to rely on the power he had amassed from reaching such a height, and his allocation was limited.
If the Nether wasn't here, things would have been different, but… what could he say? There were no excuses he could make.
'I always knew this.'
A smile of satisfaction spread across his face as he watched the Nether's face scrunch up with shock.
"You look stunned, Nether. Why? Was my performance that spectacular?" The Martial Blade God smiled.
"Yes. You are more amazing than I gave you credit for." The dark entity spoke, his voice a troubled calm.
"Really? Well… may I ask a question?" Once he saw the Nether nod, the Martial Blade God proceeded with his question. "Among all the humans you've ever fought… am I the strongest?"
For a moment, silence reigned. Both entities stared at each other with nothing but honest eyes. It was as though, at that moment, they were not enemies.
"No. You are not." The Nether finally replied.
"Oh? Is that so?"
"There are two who I will consider stronger than you are. However…" The Nether's face tightened, almost as though admitting defeat.
"You are the first to have ever pushed me this far despite utilizing nothing but your power. You used no Familiar, and neither did you have any assistance from allies. You also never relied on the main source for power, since you are not a Singularity."
The Martial Blade God remained still, unflinching despite the Nether's compliments.
"Singularities are anomalies in this world. They are special beings chosen by the Root itself as its representative. It would be a stretch to even call them humans, at this point." The Nether sighed, now smiling.
"I have changed my assessment. You are definitely the strongest human I have ever fought—undeniably so."
"Is that so? Oh, well…" The Martial Blade God once again gripped his blade tightly. "... Thank you, Nether."
"Hahaha! Now that we've got that out of the way, let us finish this!"
"Indeed. This will be my last move. If you can survive it, then victory is yours."
The Martial Blade God readied himself, watching the Nether very closely. His opponent did the same.
Both parties seemed to be waiting for the other to move first. However, after taking a proper stance, the Martial Blade god finally lunged straight for the Nether.
Throwing his blade like a javelin, the Martial Blade God kept rushing towards his opponent.
Twisting higher into the air, the Nether evaded the blade, and this was the perfect opportunity for the swordsman's avatar to completely close their distance. And, when it was done…
"YOU CAME INTO CLOSE RANGE? YOU FOOOOLLL!!!" The Nether made to corrupt the Martial Blade God's avatar by grabbing the huge target.
However—
>SHHWWWUUUUSSSHHHH!!!<
—The swordsman's avatar suddenly vanished.
No, it didn't just disappear. It was more like it coalesced so quickly that it seemed like it disappeared.
And where did this energy condense to?
Well…
"W-WHAT?!" The Nether no longer saw the Martial Blade God's manifestation, but rather, the Martial Blade God himself.
He was rushing upward, moving past his chest now.
"YOU FOOL! NOW THAT YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR SHELL, I CAN EASILY—!"
Before the Nether could conclude his statement, he was distracted by the hand of the Martial Blade God.
Every ounce of energy that belonged to the avatar could now be spotted on the fist of the Martial Blade God. And that fist was headed straight for the Nether's jaw.
"I won't let yo—!"
The Nether made to intercept him, but the flying blade that was evaded earlier suddenly appeared and pierced him from behind, causing yet another moment of distraction.
And then—
>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!<
The blunt force of the combination of all the power gathered on the Martial Blade God's fist sent the entire area into utter chaos, and it also sent the Nether flying out of the world.
"This is the end. My final move…" The Martial Blade God whispered, flying straight for the Nether.
He swiftly caught up to the completely stunned and utterly damaged Nether—too occupied to offer any resistance—and unleashed all the power left within him in the most powerful way possible.
A concentrated, decisive strike.
"#100: Martial Blade God Requiem!"
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