[Outskirts of Bitter Maja, 500 km from the South Gate of the Wilwatikta Kingdom]
White sand swirled into the air, carried by the gentle breeze that rustled the swaying trees. It continued to rise, carried by the forest wind, migrating to another place.
If it weren't for the damp air of the Bog forest causing the grains of white sand to clump together, a sandstorm might have obscured the view. But even in its smallest form, the tranquility of the Bog forest would remain undisturbed.
However, sometimes it wasn't just the humid air and dewdrops that caused the white sand to clump together. It was also blood pooling.
*BAM!
*CPRAAT!!
*BAM!
*KRAK!!
*BAM!
*KRAK!!
*BAM!
*CPRAAT!!
The sound of hard objects colliding, splattering blood, and breaking bones filled the rhythm of the drifting white sand carried by the wind. Like a melodic composition of water droplets amidst the silence of the Bog forest.
Raiden remained conscious, but unfortunately, he could no longer think clearly. He believed that life consisted only of green fists pummeling his face relentlessly. Unfortunately, he couldn't just faint and escape.
The resilience possessed by a Level 5 Constellation Mage exceeded what was deemed superhuman by ordinary humans. They could stay alive even if their bodies were cut into pieces. They also had a higher pain threshold than ordinary humans. Therefore, a non-severe trauma wouldn't be enough to render them unconscious.
Unfortunately, this was not an advantage for Raiden at this moment. He no longer had the strength to fight back, but his opponent didn't want to end the battle just yet. Raiden tried to stop the torture, but his adversary seemed determined to inflict painful humiliation as revenge for his wife's injury.
As a result, Raiden found himself trapped in a sad and agonizing cycle. Raiden was thrown—Moku pulled out his karambit—Raiden's face was struck hard.
Moku's skill with the karambit couldn't be described as anything less than mastery. When the karambit pierced his opponent's body, Moku could control his adversary like a marionette manipulating a puppet. There was no room for Raiden to maneuver, except to endure the harsh blows to his face.
Unfortunately, Moku never struck with his full strength or used his biofield to harden his punches. He only delivered regular punches that were as powerful as Asura First Evolution. As a result, Raiden only suffered minor injuries that didn't immediately kill him.
However, even minor injuries, when inflicted hundreds of times, would still be a painful torture. Raiden's face was no longer handsome—his nose was broken, his teeth were missing, his eyes were swollen, his cheekbone was fractured, and his face was covered in blood.
Even his flowing blue hair, reminiscent of a calm ocean, appeared disheveled and matted. But the most gruesome sight was his hand impaled by the karambit. Stripped of flesh, Raiden's hand looked ghastly, exposing his white bones.
*BAM!
*CPRAAT!!
Moku sighed deeply and admired his artistic creation. He felt neither pity nor a sense of futility. Moku could have killed Raiden right then and there, but for some reason, he had a feeling that he shouldn't kill Raiden so easily and should torment him first.
Moku didn't know where this feeling came from, but sometimes vague feelings could yield better results than logic. So he exercised patience and followed the guidance of his ambiguous intuition.
However, he was starting to feel bored with torturing Raiden. Moku looked towards the east, where the monsters and Raiden's troops were battling. Although he couldn't see it directly due to the distance and obstructing trees, he could sense the intensity of the fight.
Nevertheless, Moku wouldn't assist them. He realized that some of the monsters felt uneasy around him and considered themselves useless. No matter how much they developed, they always ended up relying on Moku to fight formidable enemies.
However, for Moku, the growth of the monsters had already exceeded his expectations. In just two years since he became the leader of the Dawnmist Tribe, the monsters had become so strong that they could be considered the true rulers of the Bog Forest.
However, the monsters themselves were often unaware of this. To Moku, this was extremely dangerous. Someone who didn't know their own strength would become a threat to those around them and to themselves.
This was because if we didn't know how strong we were, we couldn't become stronger or learn how to control that power. However, assessing one's strength couldn't be based solely on the number of evolution gates opened or the mastery of Asura's Path.
To understand our true strength, we need an enemy who can engage us in a fierce battle—a battle that can only be won by utilizing our full power.
".... I... surrender... my... soul..."
"Hmm?" Moku heard a whisper from Raiden in front of him. Frowning at Raiden's babbling mouth, Moku sensed that danger was imminent if he didn't close Raiden's mouth. On the other hand, he felt that this was the answer he had been waiting for. Consequently, Moku did nothing but stare at Raiden, who continued his incoherent muttering.
".... my... body... to... the... god... of... death... exchange... myself... for... a... fraction... of... your... power... make... my... enemies... regret... their... arrogance... before... the... god... of... death..."
"The god of death? Is that the deity you worship? Heh... he sounds incredibly weak... Only concerned with death? What about life? Fortune? Love? Or anything else. Can't he oversee those matters? A feeble god indeed. If you worship such a weak god, it's no wonder you're in this sorry state before me. Because my god is far stronger than yours."
Raiden paid no attention to Moku's words. He had no energy left to respond to Moku's insults, even though Moku clearly undermined his beliefs. His mouth continued to babble as if in prayer.
"Don't you think it's foolish to worship a god with only one power? If his abilities are limited, then he shouldn't be called a god. A god should be a unique entity! The one and only! There is no equal to him! His power and authority should be boundless! He doesn't depend on anything, but everything depends on him!"
Moku didn't know why he spoke like this, as theology was not his interest. Although Moku believed that something cannot be created by nothing, he had never sought the figure of a supreme creator throughout his life. However, for some reason, he now had a strong desire to explain his perspective of that figure.
"He should be something different from creatures. He should be someone who needs nothing and no one! He doesn't eat! He doesn't have a spouse! He doesn't have children! He is the Almighty! The true embodiment of perfection! REAL PERFECTION! THE BEGINNING AND END OF EVERYTHING!"
"A god doesn't have to be a benevolent being. It's not a necessary criterion for godhood! A god simply has to be the strongest! If there is someone stronger than him, then he is not a god! If there is someone who does him favors, then he is not a god!"
"That's why God must be THE ONE!"
At this point, Moku suddenly fell silent, his face turning pale. Why did he utter that name? Wasn't it just an imaginary figure he created to facilitate his control over the monsters? Why did he suddenly claim that his imaginary figure was the true god?
Did he want to convert Raiden to his religion? Did he want to preach in front of the monsters as usual?
NO and NO.
He was going to kill Raiden, and currently, all the monsters were at a sufficient distance that they couldn't hear his voice, even if he yelled. So why did he say it?
Moku was startled. His mind suddenly reminded him of the conversation he had with Garuda earlier.
"Who is the strongest?"
And Garuda replied, "You know who."
Moku quickly shook his head, trying to dismiss those imaginary thoughts. He felt like he was going crazy, making his imaginary figure into the true god.
"Sigh... It seems my feelings were wrong. Forgive me for wasting your time. It's time for you to surrender your head to me," Moku said to Raiden, lifting one of his karambits.
"He... hehe... hehehe... hehehehe... hehehehehehehahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
Suddenly, Raiden burst into uncontrollable laughter, spewing blood. He looked so delighted that his opponent was now prepared to kill him.
Moku's hand, holding the karambit, froze. "What's so funny?" he asked.
"Hehehe... hehehe... hehehe... hehehe... I remembered the words of my mentor, Aquaenar. He said not to rejoice prematurely before severing the head of your enemy," Raiden answered, smiling widely.
"Oh, do you mean you still have an ultimate weapon that can turn the tables? Do you think I will allow you to recite a spell or channel your mana?"
"Hehehe... I've already recited my spell, and this spell doesn't require mana to activate." Raiden grinned, his face a horrifying sight covered in blood.
Moku's forehead furrowed even more. He remembered when Raiden was babbling, as if in prayer. Was Raiden reciting a spell at that time instead of praying? However, Moku didn't sense any mana movement from Raiden's body, so he let it be. If this spell didn't require mana to activate, then what did it use?
"Hehehe... there's only one payment that can attract the God of Death, and that is SOUL!"
[Forbidden Magic: Rite of Soul Sacrifice]
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