"You can guard against him, but can you guard against me?"
The Wolf God pressed forward, and while Zenkichi's guard was formidable, even he couldn't cover every angle at once. Against two enemies working in tandem, one was bound to find an opening.
The dragon man struck, his massive tail whipping through the void and slamming down on Zenkichi with the force of a falling star.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The impact rattled space itself, and though Zenkichi absorbed the blow, his shoulders shifted slightly under the crushing weight. The sheer force was overwhelming, enough to stagger almost anyone.
For most, the strike would have been decisive. But Arakawa Zenkichi was not "most."
The truth was simple: the three of them stood on the same precipice, each infinitely close to stepping into the realm of the Heavenly Father. The difference lay not in raw power, but in will, in skill, and in the ability to dominate at the right moment.
"Damn it…"
Zenkichi's eyes flashed with irritation. Not at the pain, but at the audacity of being struck so cleanly. In response, he reached out with one hand, seizing the dragon's tail mid-swing.
The dragon man's expression twisted. He tried to retreat, his serpentine body coiling away, desperate to avoid the iron grip. He knew better than anyone what would happen if Zenkichi caught hold—being pummeled mercilessly.
But Zenkichi's speed was greater.
"Got you."
Crack!
His fingers clamped tightly around the dragon's tail, refusing to let go. With a surge of strength, Zenkichi roared, "Fall!"
He twisted his body, hurling the dragon man through the void with such force that the behemoth slammed into a nearby planet. The impact sent tremors rippling across its rocky surface, shattering craters into its crust.
This was no accident. They fought in the vastness of the cosmos, surrounded by countless celestial bodies, and such destruction was merely part of the battlefield.
"Do you want to die?"
The Wolf God's snarl tore through the silence as his fury erupted. He lunged again, enraged that Zenkichi had not only withstood their combined assault but had counterattacked and humiliated the dragon man.
Zenkichi met the glare with calm certainty. "If you want to continue, then follow me. We'll settle this properly on the ground."
Without hesitation, he shifted his footing and descended toward the planet where the dragon had fallen. Fighting on solid terrain was more to his liking; it gave him the leverage to draw out every ounce of his monstrous strength.
The Wolf God followed quickly. He too despised combat in the starry void, where every movement felt restrained. On solid earth, his fists could swing freely.
The planet itself was colossal—fifty times larger than Earth. Its barren surface was made of dense rock, hardened over eons under the constant bombardment of meteorites. There was no atmosphere, only raw stone and endless exposure to starlight. Yet that very harshness had tempered the ground into an unyielding battlefield.
Zenkichi landed with a heavy step, the ground cracking beneath his feet. His eyes swept the horizon until they fell on a familiar figure.
The dragon man had already risen from the rubble. Though blood seeped from fresh wounds, his gaze was locked on Zenkichi, burning with fury and humiliation.
The anger was expected. After all, Zenkichi had seized his tail and hurled him into the planet, leaving him battered and scarred. Though both sides had exchanged blows, the dragon man had taken the worse of it, and he knew it.
"Still standing?" Zenkichi said with a faint smirk. "Good. It wouldn't be much of a fight otherwise."
The Wolf God descended beside the dragon man, his massive frame casting a shadow across the scarred landscape. "Don't underestimate us," he growled.
Zenkichi straightened, his aura flaring as if answering the challenge. "Then come. Both of you at once. I'll crush you here and now."
The planet groaned under the weight of the three titans as the next phase of their clash prepared to ignite.
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