Muria was not in a rush. With eternal life came endless possibilities. While he currently lacked the power to kill the Evil God, he was certain that one day he would possess such strength.
Moreover, his bold idea wasn't entirely impossible. If Muria could inflict three devastating strikes like his earlier world-smashing attack, the odds of killing the Evil God on the spot would increase significantly. He doubted the Evil God had the resources to revive himself from such catastrophic damage three times. If he did, he wouldn't be at his current level of power.
That said, Muria admitted to himself that he wasn't willing to destroy his world just to crush the Evil God. While smashing the Evil God might work, it would obliterate the world Muria had painstakingly claimed and nurtured. Such a loss was irreversible. With time and care, the damage caused by the Evil God's minions could be repaired, restoring the world's vibrancy and prosperity.
Even if he could kill the Evil God by such means, the losses would outweigh the gains. After all, destroying the very world needed to absorb the Evil God's spoils would leave him with nothing to show for the effort. That approach was entirely impractical.
Unless the Evil God made a critical mistake, Muria had no other surefire way to kill him. But the Evil God seemed far too cautious to make such an error. Still, Muria couldn't dismiss the possibility—what if it happened?
"He's preparing to flee," Muria muttered, watching the battle between Mikaela and the Evil God. He noticed the subtle maneuvering, as the Evil God kept shifting the fight further away from Muria. At first glance, the Evil God's actions seemed like standard combat tactics, but when viewed through the lens of escape, his intentions became clear.
"You came all this way; you can't leave empty-handed," Muria murmured. He reached behind him, summoning a spear forged from over ten types of legendary metals. The weapon, the Sunseeker Spear, gleamed brilliantly in his grasp.
As Muria readied the spear, arcs of lightning coiled around his body and flowed into the weapon. The spear began to radiate an increasingly blinding light, until it resembled a concentrated beam of pure lightning.
Muria didn't attempt to hide his actions. The terrifying energy he channeled into the Sunseeker Spear immediately caught the Evil God's attention. Realizing the impending threat, the Evil God decisively swung his scythe-like limb, crafted from legendary metals, to unleash a powerful slash that forced Mikaela back. Then, without hesitation, he turned and fled.
"Now's the time to run," thought the Evil God. Staying meant certain doom, as there was no way he would survive being battered to death by these two scions of terrifying lineages. The vast void was still unexplored—why risk dying here?
"He's actually running?" Mikaela, momentarily stunned by the Evil God's actions, voiced her surprise. Retreating in the face of certain defeat made sense, but the Evil God wasn't at a disadvantage. In fact, she believed he had enough strength to hold his ground, even against both her and Muria.
Before Mikaela could dwell further on the Evil God's behavior, a streak of golden light shot past her, chasing after the fleeing deity. Muria had hurled the Sunseeker Spear, now transformed into a bolt of lightning, toward the Evil God.
With a thunderous roar, the Sunseeker Spear left a trail of lingering light in the void before striking the Evil God squarely in the back. The spear's golden lightning dissolved the flesh it touched like frost melting under the sun.
In the next instant, the spear embedded itself deep within the Evil God's body, eliciting a pained howl. But rather than slowing down, the Evil God used the impact to propel himself forward, increasing his speed.
"He took your spear with him," Mikaela noted, glancing at the fleeing Evil God. Despite its past success at piercing any target, the Sunseeker Spear had failed to maintain its record, instead becoming lodged in the Evil God's body.
"I see that," Muria replied, sounding somewhat resigned.
"Aren't you going to summon it back?"
"I can't," Muria admitted, rubbing his brow. He could feel the spear's presence, but it was deeply embedded in the Evil God's body, making retrieval exceedingly difficult.
"Then why not chase him?"
"I'll wait until he stops. I can still sense the spear; it's not going anywhere." Muria's tone was calm, confident in the unbreakable bond between him and his weapon.
"Aren't you worried he'll find a way to take your weapon?"
"That's easier said than done," Muria scoffed. "Before he even thinks about stealing it, he'll have to figure out how to remove it from his body. Now that I've stopped summoning it back, the spear will be his nightmare."
"True," Mikaela agreed with a chuckle, aware of the unique properties of Muria's weapons. The Sunseeker Spear's power ensured that even if it didn't kill its target outright, it would inflict relentless torment.
"This Evil God is such a disappointment," Mikaela lamented. "He never fought us with everything he had."
"His behavior makes sense if you think about it," Muria replied, unperturbed. "Evil Gods, or any epic being that takes the path of destruction, are anything but mindless beasts. Their actions are always calculated, driven by self-interest. Glory and pride mean nothing compared to survival."
...
"What rotten luck," the fleeing Evil God grumbled, having abandoned his minions to save himself. He winced as the Sunseeker Spear continued to wreak havoc within his body.
Muria's attack didn't merely end upon impact. The spear's true devastation lay in its lingering effects. This strike was the culmination of Muria's power since assimilating the Seven Calamity Demon God's strength, infused with every rule and law he had mastered.
The spear's myriad laws—nearly ten in total—prevented the Evil God from expelling it immediately. The energy wreaked havoc on his body, carving deep wounds and stifling his regenerative abilities. Lightning surged from the spear, creating tunnels within the Evil God's flesh that solidified into crystalline formations.
The Evil God was no pushover, however. While the spear caused him significant pain, the power it carried was limited compared to his own. The spear's energy couldn't outright kill him, but it was enough to make his escape agonizing.
...
Back at the battlefield, Muria observed the remnants of the Evil God's abandoned army. "He discarded his forces so easily. His foundation must be quite deep."
"It's likely he has more than one mid-sized world to cultivate his minions—or perhaps even his origin world," Muria speculated.
"His origin world?" Mikaela asked, intrigued.
"Yes. A wounded beast always retreats to its lair. I wonder if this Evil God will return to his origin world," Muria mused.
"He's an Evil God, not a mindless beast."
"I know. But even Evil Gods exhibit beast-like tendencies. For him, his origin world would be the safest place in the void."
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