"What is that...?"
No God Emperor muttered while looking at the diamond-shaped devices that were hanging in the sky. He could feel threatening energy coming from those things. It made him aware that these things were something that could endanger this vessel.
"Do you really think that I would let myself get attacked by you easily?"
No God Emperor smiled and he changed his stance once again. If they were going to attack him, then he was going to attack them too. He wouldn't bother defending himself as he would focus on attacking them directly.
"I'll gamble on it..."
His aura rose sharply to a higher level. The amount and fluctuation of energy that he was emitting right now was familiar to the Souta, Alexander, and the rest.
He was going to use a big move.
"[Archetype: Heaven's Downfall]."
Cracks appeared on No God Emperor's skin. He shouldn't use this skill anymore or else it would heavily damage this vessel. It was already beyond recovery.
But he didn't care at all. He wanted to respond to the determination of the people that were fighting him.
[Second Step: Brilliant Light of the End]!!
A brilliant light erupted, engulfing everything in the vicinity.
Souta and Ibis raised both of their hands. They created several layers of barriers to defend themselves against No God Emperor's powerful attack.
"Argh!! This is insane!!" Souta gritted his teeth as he felt intense pain all over his body.
The power of their opponent's attack was no joke. It felt like this world was going to collapse.
Souta and Ibis couldn't do anything except pour their energy on their barrier.
They resisted with all of their might.
"ARGHH!!"
Alexander roared as he raised both of his hands. Souta and Ibis created a barrier to protect him so that he could safely launch a powerful attack on their opponent.
"Take this!!"
This would probably be his last attack since it's taxing his body too much. It was sapping his energy as if there was no tomorrow and his body was slowly turning numb.
Bang!!
Souta and Ibis couldn't hold any longer. The barriers were shattered and the golden light was smashed into their bodies. Their skin and muscles took a direct hit as their defensive field collapsed. Their blood vessels exploded and blood poured out of their pores.
Argh!!
They didn't last long. No God Emperor's attack was too much for them. A figure stood in front and held Souta and Ibis' hands.
Swoosh!
Alexander used this chance to jump in the air and pressed both of his hands downwards.
Shiing!!
A loud sound echoed as the diamond-shaped devices shot several white laser beams at No God Emperor. Each of the lasers was condensed energy fused with his elemental powers. It was so strong that it literally tore the space and arrived just right above the target.
No God Emperor lifted his head before the lasers landed on his body causing a massive explosion.
At the same time, No God Emperor's attack swirled around before it exploded. The two explosions collided causing an extreme reaction that shook the entire planet.
BOOM!!!
A mushroom of clouds covered a quarter of the planet's surface. The waves coming from the explosion traveled through the cracks in space, it arrived in different parts of the star system. Some of it even tore through the Hall Plains, causing massive damage.
Although the explosion was powerful, none of it still managed to pass by the crimson net. A higher level of power was needed if one wanted to achieve it.
The central regions directly suffered from it. The cracks caused by the activation of ancient ruins were left there so the energy waves from the battle passed through it.
It heavily devastated the land, directly killing hundreds of thousands of people in the central region.
It was horrifying.
Swoosh~
The whole scene on the surface of the planet was like the end of the world. It was covered by thick smoke and soft burning rock filled the ground. An entire layer of the planet was just scraped out by the explosion.
The ground was still shaking and the other side of the planet had begun crumbling into pieces. The explosion before disintegrated a quarter of the planet's crust so the effect of it was occurring. It was so powerful that the planet's magnetic field collapsed and it was pushed out of orbit.
The temperature continued to rise.
Rumble!!
A figure burst out of the molten rocks. His body was full of injuries and blood kept pouring from these wounds.
He was No God Emperor.
Even after taking that powerful attack head-on, he still managed to stand. He lives up to his name as the one who challenged the entirety of Imperium.
"Ahahaha, that was close! Just a little bit more and you guys would be able to defeat me!"
No God Emperor laughed. He praised them for their courage and strength. His opponents were the best of the best at their levels. They managed to put him in a situation where he could fail or not.
It's been a while since he felt this emotion. The thrill of whether he could win or not.
"If given more time, you guys will be able to stand at the peak of the world."
No God Emperor said. He was exhausted after experiencing this thrilling battle.
Seeing this scene, Alexander felt that he failed. His vision gets blurry before he falls to the molten rocks.
Bang!
He loses consciousness. That last attack was so powerful that it literally drained all of his energy. He wouldn't be able to pull off that massive attack without the relics that he buried in the past. Unfortunately, his current power was too weak to create an even more stronger attack.
Cough!
Souta slowly opened his eyes. He raised his head and saw No God Emperor floating in the air. He realized that Alexander had failed to defeat this guy.
"Is this the end...?" He muttered to himself. He looked around and found that Alexander and the rest didn't have the strength to fight back.
"I..."
Souta glanced at his hand. There was a small bottle with orange liquid inside it.
A monster potion.
Just right before they got blown away, Governor Ray pushed himself to the limit and helped them sustain the shockwaves. He gave Souta his remaining monster potion in hopes that he could end No God Emperor.
'That's right, Governor Ray...'
Souta turned his head. Governor Ray was laying on the burning rock. His left arm and left leg were missing. His skin was gone leaving the visible muscles to hot air.
Cough! Cough!
Souta heard a cough behind him and found that Ibis stood up while holding her head with one hand. Blood kept pouring out of the wound on her head.
"Grain Leader Ibis, are you okay?" He asked.
"Somehow..." Ibis answered. She stared at Governor Ray and said, "That guy saved us so I have to respond to his brave will. I can still fight but I can probably last for another minute."
Souta grew silent when he heard her words. Alexander, Governor Ray, and Gerxuzs couldn't help them at this moment. Only he and Ibis were left here. The worst case was that both of them were on the verge of collapsing. No God Emperor was the same but they were at a disadvantage in terms of strength.
If they fall here, Alice, Yuko, Eilish, Amanda, Isabella, Torkez, Franklin, and everyone from Astros would die.
He couldn't let that happen.
He turned to Ibis and said, "Ibis, I'll leave the defense to you. Protect me at all costs."
"What are you pla-" Ibis stopped when she show the determination in his eyes. She nodded and stood in front of him, ready to sacrifice herself. "Just make sure to take out that guy."
Souta dived into his mind. He was standing in front of Saya. He said, 'Saya, I'm going to use it...'
'But that would make you...' Saya was shocked at his words.
'It doesn't matter.' Souta shook his head and the corner of his mouth curved upward, "I want to win."
He removed the cap of the bottle and drank the liquid in one go.
"I... want to win..." He threw the bottle to the side and smiled, "...No matter what!!"
Saya lowered her head and sighed. After a while, she looked at him. She flashed a smile and said, "I know! You really are... so stubborn!"
In his mind, he and Saya bumped their fist. At the same time, Souta's aura grew stronger passing through the limits. Crimson-colored energy flowed through his veins.
No God Emperor was breathing heavily. He was focused on controlling the crimson net to send another solar flare that would annihilate this star system to complete his ritual.
Suddenly, he noticed a burst of energy in the distance. He turned his head and saw Souta and Ibis getting ready to fight him once again.
No God Emperor smiled and said, "You guys really are the best. I'm not gonna lie, I'm also at my limit so if you want to stop me then give me your best shot."
Souta pointed his sword at No God Emperor. He smiled and said, "I'm gonna defeat you this time. Me and my partner will drag you down from your throne..."
"Saya!!" He said loudly.
'I know. So stop calling my name loudly.'
A silhouette of a woman wearing red clothes appeared behind him. Both she and Souta tightly held the vajra sword.
"Sorry, about that..." Souta gently smiled and slowly said, "...Archetype!"
