"Missed me?"
The King of the Outer God. The same being that had sent both Luka and Albert into a spiel of helplessness the moment we had seen it. That same being was now in front of me.
Fucking Eugene Hall… what kind of gift was this? Did he really just drop me in front of the Final Boss?
A large smile spread over my face as I glared at the being. Just looking at the place was enough to make us fall to our knees and bleed from our noses before, but now, I could make it out well.
The giant pillars of purple stars made its room. The grand carpet of black, the place that was lit up by chandeliers, golden like the light of the sun.
And the throne that the Outer God sat on, with its eyes widened.
The being of pure white larger than anything now looked just like any other human being, though its entire body remained like a shaky cloud. I could see its figure but at the same time, I couldn't. Almost like an illusion.
Even its words that made no sense before, were now easy to understand. Having gained strength, more and more of the principles and laws that made everything around us became clearer.
The profoundness hidden in the 'Concept' of the king of the Outer Gods…
Now seemed trivial.
[What are you?]
The Outer God's voice rang in my head. It seemed as if there was no sound, yet I could understand it.
It felt as if something was rising from deep within me, a concept that forced me to answer him.
This was how he had sent us all reeling back to wherever we were supposed to be.
In the blink of an eye, the deep ocean of Cataclysm swimming within me rose and suppressed whatever the damned Outer God had used.
The chains on my neck whirred.
Since I was here already…
[How do you resist!?]
"There's no point in speaking to the dead."
I brought my hands together and clapped.
"Stage…"
The Outer God lifted its back from its throne as many more started to fill the grand chamber of their king.
"Five."
A burst of energy swept out of me and sent a storm breathing out of the entire place. Boosted up by my authority for over a thousand years, this was the first time I had entered the fifth stage.
[End this being]
"Catene. Unleash."
The stretch of my authority didn't have to end at just myself. Just like I had changed the energy within me, I had also sealed Catene into ten stages.
The chains hanging around my neck glowed and formed a spear in my hands.
The ground below me crushed apart as I shot ahead.
One of the Outer Gods came straight for my neck, no this wasn't an Outer God.
The concept in its existence was far too weak to belong to something that ruled it. What was this? More clones? No… these seemed like, offsprings of the Outer Gods? Remnants of a greater being.
The first one swung its fist straight at me. I jumped into the skies faster than anything could keep track of.
Catene's spearhead stabbed into the head of the remnant. Cataclysm streamed out of the spear and in the next moment.
—BOOOM!
The entirety of its existence exploded into oblivion. I stepped into the air and dashed ahead.
[DISAPPEAR!]
The king screamed, its ability pushed me behind from its words alone, I resisted it all and kept reaching closer.
A beam of destruction came rushing for my head. With a swing of my hand, hundreds of thousands of violent butterflies fluttered toward the remnant, swallowing its attack and its existence.
More kept reaching toward me, but I walked straight. Anything that came in my way was shredded into bits.
My entire soul was being pushed back, every cell of my body, every atom of my being, every single shred of energy that made up anything within me was resisting my actions but I kept moving.
The Outer God leaned further ahead, its eyes tinged with disbelief as I walked closer yet.
It raised its hands and the assault of the remnants stopped.
I stepped up the stairs, the grin never leaving me.
[I have never seen something like this]
Its eyes curved down in amusement and excitement as the King of the Outer Gods donned a bright smile.
Ignoring it all, I continued to step upward. My fist tightened as the force pushing me back grew stronger.
And yet I moved.
Up the stairs to its throne, closer and closer.
[Intriguing. Oh, so intriguing. I have not felt excitement like this in ages]
Three more steps.
[Oh… I will await you…. I WILL AWAIT YOU!!]
TWO.
I clenched my fist and pulled it back.
[O! Protector of this Realm!!]
I slammed my leg in front of it, my body twisted back.
"Protector…? Hah… Don't give me that."
The Outer God laughed. With all my strength, I pulled my hand forward.
A thousand years.
The force of training for a thousand years. The force of the world that the Eugene couldn't save. All of it came together in a single punch.
There was no need for any titles. Whether he was the King of the Outer Gods or I was the one from the world it had set its eyes on.
"I am only your end."
[COME! STRONGEST OF THIS REALM!]
My fist hurled straight into its face.
And in the next moment.
My eyes blacked out.
***
Everything around me disappeared as I was sent zapping through the skies again. Unlike before, the Outer Gods' King had used all of its abilities to make me 'disappear' from its sight.
As I flew through the black void, I clapped my hands once more and sealed all five stages. Catene changed into a small chain as well and hung over my neck.
Below me was the sight of another world just like before. A world covered by dark clouds.
I tore through them all and slammed straight into the ground.
Rubble from all around was crushed and blown away as I rolled on the ground.
"Haah… I guess, this is one of those ruined worlds?"
After a thousand years, or maybe just five.
The Strongest had returned.
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