Son of the Hero King

Chapter 781

Euphoria's aura exploded outward, pink and gold motes of divine light washing over the devastated landscape. This time, there was no playfulness in her power. No sadistic joy. Only pure, desperate fury. Unbridled hatred for her foes.

If only she could use her Cosmic form. If only she could access her Divine Kingdom and Throne. If only she were not limited by this world.

This whole fight was entirely and utterly unfair. So many restrictions and limitations that stopped her from actually fighting like a true god should have.

This made her want to tear her hair out of frustration and scream at Fate.

"Your face is full of grievance; I am sure you must think this is incredibly unfair to you, and I mean, I understand. I really do. It must feel shitty being so restrained while getting beaten up by a bunch of mortals that you think of even less than ants."

She glared at him, wishing nothing more than to punch his smug face, cockily mocking him right now.

"But you know what is funny? Limited you might be, but do not forget that you are facing nothing more than a Demigod, a False Demigod, and a King… and yet you are struggling? Complaining about unfairness? Pfft~! Hahaha!"

He gave her a look swimming with mockery and utter derision. "How pathetic."

Euphoria felt something break inside her, collapse and vanish without a trace. For the first time, she truly felt genuine hatred for someone else. A burning hatred that bubbled from deep within her very core.

"Fine! If you want to die so badly—"

｢ All-Encompassing Hatred ｣

The curse spread like wildfire, invisible tendrils of divine malice reaching out to poison reality itself. The very air turned hostile for everyone she deemed a target and in her insane state… that was the Mortal Realm itself. The ground rejected their weight. Light itself bent away from them, trying to deny them sight.

She could not use Celestial Wrath, but the usage of her Authority over Hatred should have been more than enough to restrain these bastards.

But then—

Nothing happened.

Euphoria's eyes widened in genuine shock for the first time.

The world was not responding to her, at all. No, no, she could feel it responding, responding clearly… but… it was not to her.

"What... what is this?"

Sol stood there, completely unaffected, as reality itself seemed to slide off him like water off oil. Around him, space twisted and folded, creating a bubble where the laws of the Mortal Realm simply did not apply at all. Reality could not touch him, because he deemed it beneath him to touch him.

『 Dimension Encroachment -::- Inverse World 』

"Did you really think that would work on me? A Dimensional Mage?" Sol's voice was almost pitying as he looked at her like she was a naive child not an ancient goddess. "I don't follow this world's rules, goddess. I make my own."

Euphoria snarled and switched tactics immediately.

｢ All-Encompassing Love ｣

The fight resumed. The world should have bent to protect her. Should have guided attacks away, twisted fate itself to ensure her survival. It had worked before. Worked against the two demigods that made everything a struggle. It always worked.

But this time, the response was... wrong.

The world shuddered.

And then, with a sound like breaking glass, it rejected her completely.

"No... NO!"

Euphoria staggered as an invisible weight slammed down on her shoulders. The Mortal Realm itself was pushing back against her presence, trying to expel her like a foreign body. It was like how a person’s immune system would attack a foreign body taking root and trying to spread disease.

"Impossible! The world should love me!"

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"You damaged it," Echidna said coldly, stepping forward from between the trio looking down at the goddess with utter contempt and ridicule. Her eyes glowed, vertical pupils contracting to thin slits. White scales with obsidian patterns rippled across her skin, covering her arms and face in a mesmerizing mosaic of interlocking patterns. Her lower body had partially transformed, serpentine coils replacing human legs.

She was observing, analyzing, and gathering data. This was the first time she had fully observed this kind of phenomenon.

"Twice, you threw a meteor that could have caused an Extincion Level Event. You flooded the realm with divine energy it is simply unable to handle and not made to contain. You broke the rules of the world, goddess. The world has tolerated you enough."

Ambrosia's flames began to spiral around her, gold and crimson mixing into something terrifying as she finished Echidna’s words. "And now the world hates you for it. The Mortal Realm rejects you."

The irony was perfect. The goddess who could make anything love or hate her had made her greatest enemy— the world itself. The very Mortal Realm was going to work against her now.

Euphoria's form flickered, becoming less substantial. She was being pushed out, forcibly ejected from the Mortal Realm by the very reality she had tried to dominate. She gritted her teeth. She knew what would happen when she threw the meteor. Nevertheless, it was happening too fast. Far too fast. She thought she still had days, not minutes or seconds. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong.

"I won't... I CAN'T—"

"Too late for regrets," Sol said, and snapped his fingers.

Three portals opened simultaneously.

From one emerged Lilith, her blade already drawn, ready to sever.

From another, Ambrosia descended, flames condensed into a miniature sun with a blinding radiance that dwarfed anything she had thrown at the goddess before.

And from the third came Echidna, her true form further manifested— a chimera of human and serpent, white scales with black geometric patterns covering her body, her fangs elongated and dripping with venom.

They struck as one.

Lilith moved first, her body a blur of violet and iridescent light. The insights she'd gained from severing the meteor made her understanding of the concept she wielded crystallize in that moment, and all of it flowed into this single strike.

｢ God Slaying Art -::- Severed Moon ｣

Her blade traced an arc of pure severance through the air. This was not just mere cutting of space or flesh— it was severing the very concept of connection. The bond between Euphoria and her divinity. The link between her and the Mortal Realm. Even the tie between her body and her soul.

Everything that made her real was being cut apart— severed into non-existence by Lilith’s concept.

The crescent wave of energy flew forward, reality itself splitting along its path. Euphoria raised her hands to block, divine energy flaring—

And screamed as the attack passed through her defenses like they did not even exist in the first place, carving a deep wound across her torso. Had Lilith been a god, this strike alone would have been enough to end Euphoria. Yet, as it was, it was still strong enough to create a wound that would never heal.

Before she could recover, Ambrosia struck true.

The Book of Akasha opened, pages turning faster than one could blink and perceive. Light poured from its ancient text as Ambrosia's form began to change. Her aura shifted from gold to crimson to black, cycling through colors that hurt to even perceive, even for a being of her rank.

｢ Records of Akasha —::— Avatar -::- Shiva ｣

For a moment, Ambrosia was not herself anymore. She was wearing the power of the Witch of Destruction like a cloak— a halo wrapped around her like silk, channeling abilities that had once reduced entire kingdoms to ash in mere moments.

Her hands came together, and between them formed something that defied description. A ray of pure, concentrated destruction mixed with fire, her own Genesis Flames— the antithesis of creation itself.

"Burn away. Leave nothing behind, not even ashes or cinders."

The blast hit Euphoria dead center, and for a moment, part of her simply ceased to exist. Her form was partially disintegrated, matter and energy dissolving into nothingness where the flames touched.

But gods did not die so easily. They were cockroaches through and through.

Euphoria reformed a dozen meters away, her body half-dissolved, regenerating slowly. Too slow for her comfort. "You... how dare you—"

She never finished the sentence.

Sol was there, and he was different.

Silver scales had erupted across his body, covering his arms, chest, and face in draconic armor.

War Form.

His eyes blazed with rainbow colored flames, shifting to forms and patterns that went beyond the visible spectrum, and his teeth had become fangs. He could have transformed completely if he wished, but what he needed now was speed.

His half-dragon form radiated power that made even Euphoria pause.

"My turn." Sol grinned manically, and his fist began to glow.

Like Ambrosia, he channeled the power of Destruction; The ⦗Light of Annihilation⦘ wrapped around his knuckles like a gauntlet. But this was not enough. He knew that it definitely could not be enough.

Which was why—

“My name is…” He channeled the power of his name and concept in his fist. Not much. He did not even finish his sentence, worried that doing so would make him lose control of himself and he would have to wrestle with DEUS.

｢ Boundaries of Creation and Destruction ｣

Then he brought forth the concept of Balance— perfect middle ground between the Origin and the End.

Dozens of eyes formed on his arms, and Euphoria locked eyes with them.

“What–?”

Her mind froze for an instant right when she locked eyes with those eldricth things. Her mind reeled as a torrent of information flooded her brain beyond what she could instantly handle. Still, as a goddess, this only slowed down for three seconds.

Sadly for Euphoria, in the current situation, three seconds were no different from an eternity.

Sol moved before even the first second could pass.

Reality shattered in his wake as he closed the distance in a single step, his fist drawn back and already in motion. Euphoria tried to dodge, tried to activate her concepts, tried to call on the world for help…

But the world was not listening to her anymore. Worse, it was actively working against her.

Sol's fist connected with her chest.

And for one perfect moment, time stopped.

｢ Collapsing Fist: Big Bang Impact ｣

Then utter destruction erupted all at once.