Level Up Legacy

Chapter 1468: The Sovereign of Death - Part 21

Herlixion was silent in response. His face was covered with golden veins, as if the spring of divinity was flowing through them. His aura had also shifted, becoming more threatening and more authoritative.

"I would expect no less than a godslayer," he said. "You're right. As long as we are using our incarnations and not our actual celestial bodies, we are immortal. But it comes with a seal on our powers."

Arthur noticed that the god was calm again, which made this a lot more difficult. His calm was a problem on its own, but it stemmed from a much deeper confidence that the god now had.

"I apologize for the earlier display," Herlixion said while raising a hand. This time, he didn't summon a weapon, but created it out of thin air. It materialized slowly, but each golden strand that worked to form it seemed to devour the reality around it. "This time, I'll be the champion that I introduced myself as."

Arthur didn't doubt the man's words, but he was running out of time as well. If Severis was working against them, that meant that the god in front of him was a decoy. After all, the undead general would be no match for Ozyrae.

"I won't hold back either," Arthur said as his flames burned brighter and began to gather atop his chest. They coalesced to form a black gemstone that embedded itself into his chest.

Arthur's body was brimming with the power of wrath now. Black cracks appeared across his skin, like a vase threatening to break. The gemstone shone a bright golden color as it absorbed his spiritual energy.

"I know that the Path is restricting your abilities to suit this realm," Herlixion said as his sword finished forming. It was a giant sword that was almost the size of the god himself. "And maybe it would be unfair for you—but that is life."

"No need to feel pity," Arthur said with a grin. "Despite revealing your true powers, you're still no match for me."

"If that's the case, then that's life as well." Herlixion was not provoked by Arthur's obvious attempt. He waved his sword, and it sliced reality apart and created fissures.

Arthur placed a hand on the gemstone, and felt it beating with wrath. He didn't want to use the flames inside his body, no matter how much more powerful that would make him. Wrath was fire, and it didn't discriminate on who to burn down.

Herlixion bolted forward without warning. Arthur was still feeling the flames within him burn, and then turned his gaze toward the descending god. He was faster and stronger, with a might that could topple mountains and rip apart the ocean.

Flames leaked out from Arthur, followed by a strange steam. Before the divine sword could cut him in half, he disappeared. Arthur reappeared behind the divine being with a hand balled into a fist.

Arthur punched, and it sounded like a thunderclap. Herlixion used his free hand to catch the strike as he twisted his body. Then, he attempted to cut Arthur down, but received a kick in the middle of his chest.

Each exchange caused an explosion.

Each strike carved its trajectory into the soil.

Arthur and Herlixion were a blur of black and white. They exchanged ten strikes in less than a second. Their speed was far beyond what anyone else could spot.

Neither side could push the other person back. Arthur was using the gemstone in his chest to burn his spiritual energy by using his wrath, giving him immense power. However, it couldn't overpower the god in front of him.

Herlixion was not bragging earlier. He was a true champion in both skills and strength. After he unsealed himself, he became a force of nature that could split mountains open and burn down seas.

Arthur felt a suffocating sense of urgency overwhelm him. He hoped that Ozyrae could last long enough for him to intervene. However, he couldn't abandon his position to rush toward her.

The entire realm would be dragged into their fight.

"Is this all you have, godslayer?!" shouted Herlixion. "I'm disappointed! I expected more from the man prophesied to bring down Devaheim!"

Arthur didn't let the provocation get to him, but it kind of did. He was pushing himself to the limit but still felt overwhelmed. If he used more wrath or spiritual energy, even just a speck, his physical body would collapse.

Blood began leaking from his mouth, but Arthur forced himself to swallow it down. He refused to show weakness in front of anyone, and especially not the god in front of him.

Arthur shouted as he infused more spiritual energy into his gemstone, wishing to obtain a burst of power that would let him kill the god before he could recover from the surprise attack. However, instead of power, he felt a distinct pain in his chest.

Then, the gemstone cracked.

Spiritual energy leaked out as his wrath began destroying his body. Arthur screamed, but couldn't retreat from the god's onslaught of attacks. He had to use the remaining wrath within him to burn his spiritual energy just enough to push back.

Herlixion seemed to notice the sudden change, and jumped backward instead of pushing forward. He avoided the last attack, but he didn't continue attacking. Instead, he stared at the breathless Arthur.

"Pathetic," he said. "I can see how you can match me. You are burning away your soul just for transcendent power. Is this worth it? This realm is unrelated to you. To me, it looks like you are just a mindless slave, not the omnipotent king that nothing can chain."

Arthur didn't respond, and instead collapsed on one knee. Herlixion was right. He was indeed burning through his soul for strength, but he didn't think it would get to this point. After all, he had already killed more than one god.

The problem was in Arthur's inability to use his powers of creation. They used to be the catalyst that could bring down his wrath once it flared, allowing him to control it better.

"I'm sorry for the earlier display," Arthur said as blood leaked down his mouth. He wiped it off, tainting the white shirt he wore. "But it seems that this realm cannot handle all my power."

"You have enough power to kill three of me," Herlixion said, surprising Arthur. "But you are a brute. Everything is wasted. You have power but you lack the wisdom to use it."

"Is that so?" Arthur said, not offended.

"That is so," Herlixion said as he prepared to strike again. "If I had a third of your powers, I would be ruling over the gods. A pity."

Arthur let out a laugh that surprised the god himself.

"You laugh in the face of death?"

Arthur stopped. "Death?" he asked as he raised his golden eyes at the god. "Far from it. I laugh at it, because it can never claim me."

"Arrogance is a sharp sword, but it cuts both ways," Herlixion said with a shake of his head.

"This is no arrogance," Arthur said with a bloody grin. "This is well-placed confidence. You're right, Herlixion. I am indeed a brute."

Herlixion stared at him, sensing that something was amiss. Instead of rushing forward, he began gathering his divine mana into his sword, preparing for a finishing strike.

"I might lack my dear Nightmare," Arthur said as he crouched down. "But that doesn't mean I can't use my Godslayer Art."

Herlixion's expression changed. He bolted forward, destroying the ground beneath his feet. He turned into a white blur as he struck toward Arthur.

The sword struck Arthur's neck and passed through. The god stopped a few feet behind Arthur as his head fell from his body. He turned, looking at the gushing blood of the collapsed corpse.

"After all that talk," Herlixion muttered. "You still couldn't do a thing."

"Is that so?" a voice answered, and Herlixion snapped his head forward. He saw Arthur standing in the same place, with the same stance. His eyes widened, and he looked back to find no corpse.

"An illusion?" Herlixion asked, but he was unconvinced. "You have lowered yourself to using such useless tricks? An illusion cannot save you, Arthur Netherborne."

Arthur gave him a bloody grin.

"How about you try again?"

Herlixion took his stance again and bolted forward.

This time, he pierced through Arthur's chest and destroyed his sword. The giant sword ripped through his chest, spilling out its contents on the ground. The god then swung his sword and looked down.

"How about you try again?"

Arthur's voice echoed again. Herlixion blinked, and his corpse was gone. Instead, Arthur was standing in the same place, with the same bloody grin on his face.

This time, Herlixion lost his composure.

He roared, releasing his spiritual energy in hopes of destroying this illusion. However, even after he did, and killed Arthur a third time, Arthur was still back in the same place.

After a dozen times of the same process, Herlixion collapsed to the ground, tired. He stared at Arthur as if he was a demon from hell.

For the gods, he might just be.

"How are you doing this?" Herlixion asked.

"Wrath can sever anything."