"Hmph, human, I won't give you any chance!" Apollo's expression was grim as he released his overwhelming aura, shaking the void with his voice deep and threatening.
As he spoke, Apollo channelled his immense power, the radiant wings of light on his back shining ever more brightly. Sunlight and divine radiance fused together and crashed toward Riku with unstoppable force.
On the other side, the Great Roc unleashed its might without holding back, golden flames surging like a tidal wave toward Riku, evaporating and melting space itself, exuding terrifying destructive power.
"Haahhhhhh!!!"
Faced with these overwhelming attacks that few in the three-digit omnipotent realm would dare underestimate, Riku did not dodge, nor did he attempt to evade. Instead, he clenched his fists and let out a powerful roar.
A deafening boom erupted.
In an instant, the golden aura surrounding Riku became even more intense, swelling outward while arcs of radiant electricity crackled violently around him.
His upright golden hair grew thicker, with a lock of golden bangs hanging down his forehead, and his gaze turned razor-sharp. The Great Roc's golden flames and Apollo's fusion of sunlight and light slammed into Riku's aura, only to be stopped cold by the fiercely sparking, expanded golden ki, unable to advance an inch.
"You were hiding a transformation state?!" Apollo's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
"Riku… just how many trump cards are you hiding?" The Great Roc gave a bitter smile, feeling a sense of helplessness. Riku's hidden cards were far too many, and every one of them was enough to shake the entire Little Garden. Before, his ability was clearly not tied to his spirit rank, and could explosively multiply his power more than a hundredfold, a feat already unheard of. And now, he could draw out even greater strength, multiplying his power several times over. It was absurd.
At that moment, Riku's sharp gaze swept over both Apollo and the Great Roc without a word. The golden aura around him swelled again, sparks dancing in a dense web, blasting apart both the golden flames and the fused sunlight attack that had been pressing in from both sides.
This was Super Saiyan 2, a form that consumed vast amounts of stamina and energy. Normally, for someone like Goku or Gohan, this kind of sustained, forceful use of power would quickly drain them dry.
But Riku had his Third Perpetual Motion Engine, so stamina was no concern at all.
For Riku, it meant he could maintain this full-power Super Saiyan 2 state indefinitely, boosting his strength more than fivefold.
A standard Super Saiyan multiplies power fifty times, slightly more at full power. For Riku, his base Super Saiyan 1 state was over a hundredfold. Super Saiyan 2 doubled that full-power state, while someone like Future Trunks might achieve four times Super Saiyan 2 full power, equal to 200× base Riku's was on an entirely different level.
Because he wasn't just a Saiyan, he had divine star-born mass and the Third Perpetual Motion Engine. The result was astonishing: just going Super Saiyan 2 boosted his base strength more than 500 times, a figure unthinkable for a normal Saiyan.
Right now, Riku was stronger than Super Saiyan 3 Goku. In the original story, Goku's Super Saiyan 3 fight with Kid Buu destroyed the Supreme Kai's planet, a celestial body about 0.2 times the size and mass of the universe's average something normal three-digit omnipotents could never match. That kind of power placed one at the absolute peak of the three-digit realm.
Riku's base power couldn't be directly compared to Goku's at that time, but it was certain—he could match, if not surpass, a Super Saiyan 3. He was a peak three-digit powerhouse.
"So… who should I take out first?" In Super Saiyan 2, his temperament shifted slightly. His sharp eyes moved between Apollo and the Great Roc before locking on the god's solemn face. "Apollo, huh? You irritate me a little. Let's start with you."
"Human, do you think victory is assured? I am Apollo, one of the Twelve Olympian Gods, the Sun God! I will never lose to you!" Apollo's face darkened, his voice rising in anger.
The light wings behind him shone with divine brilliance.
That light condensed into a golden arrow, flying toward Riku faster than starlight itself.
This was the Golden Delphic Arrow, Apollo's war arrow as the God of Light.
Apollo was the protector of mankind, the God of Light, the God of Prophecy, patron of travellers and seafarers, the God of Healing, and the God who banished disasters.
From these vast achievements came this ultimate divine arrow. Its power could pierce through an entire world's conceptual framework.
Against this strike, very few among the three-digit realm would dare to stand their ground. This was Apollo's strongest trump card.
But Riku didn't even flinch. He neither blocked nor stepped aside.
"This fool is too arrogant!" Apollo's lips curled upward, as if seeing the dawn of victory.
The Great Roc's eyes, however, narrowed. Riku was too calm. Even though they had only fought for a short while, the Roc felt that Riku had everything under control. His instincts told him that even this arrow might do little.
A moment later, the Golden Delphic Arrow pierced through Riku's golden aura and struck his body.
A metallic ring sounded.
Apollo froze. It wasn't the sound of flesh being pierced, but of metal clashing. His strongest arrow hadn't even pierced Riku's skin.
"Bronze skin, iron bones… immunity to weapons… Leo's Sun Authority. You… you actually hold both Leo and Sagittarius Authorities?!" the Great Roc said, his face changing.
Even an arrow that could pierce a world's conceptual boundary couldn't overcome the defensive ability of a two-digit, full-domain Sun Authority of such importance to Little Garden. As long as it was classified as a 'weapon,' it couldn't harm Riku; that was the power of Leo's Sun Authority.
"Not an opponent I can beat… I'll have to retreat and find another opportunity!" Apollo's expression stiffened, his anger fading, leaving only anxiety. The Leo Sun Authority had completely nullified his strongest trump card, and his strength was no match for Riku's. If the fight continued, defeat was inevitable, an outcome he could not accept.
Gritting his teeth, Apollo turned without hesitation, transforming into an aurora and fleeing at an incredible speed.
But while he was fast, Riku was faster. In the next instant, Riku appeared right in front of him, blocking his path and radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure.
"Human, get out of my way!" Apollo roared, his face tense. The wings of light behind him gathered immense divine radiance and fired a barrage of luminous attacks at Riku.
With a resounding BOOM, Riku didn't so much as flinch. He took the attacks head-on, attacks that, to him, were nothing before driving his fist forward. Space itself cracked as his punch slammed into Apollo's body, sending his insides into chaos.
Apollo coughed up a mouthful of divine blood, which instantly vaporised upon contact with Riku's golden aura. He looked at Riku in pain and hatred; if looks could kill, Riku would have died ten thousand times over.
"I'm a god! How could I possibly lose to a human?!" Apollo's expression twisted with humiliation as he tried to strike back.
But Riku vanished from sight, reappearing just above him, and brought his leg down like an axe. The ruthless blow shattered Apollo's defences and sent him hurtling toward the ground like a meteor, his skull caving in under the strike.
BOOM!
RUMBLE!
Two deafening impacts followed, the ground trembling violently. Within a radius of a hundred thousand li, the land sank and collapsed, earth and stone surged upward, fissures split the ground, and mountains crumbled into ruin.
At the centre of a hellish crater, Apollo lay embedded in the earth, his once-majestic form now battered and bloodied, the divine wings of light on his back gone, his state utterly pitiful.
At that moment, Apollo was killed and kicked to death by Riku.
Even gods had vital points, and the head was one of them. That Apollo's body wasn't split in two or blown to pieces was a testament to his formidable durability.
Not far away, Roc looked on in silence. Riku's current power was simply too terrifying. Coupled with the trump cards he had already revealed, Roc knew his odds of victory were slim, in fact, nonexistent. With his straightforward fighting style, he was no match for Riku.
"You didn't take the chance to strike just now. I'm a little surprised," Riku said, turning to face Roc, his expression calm.
"Heh, I don't much care for Apollo either," Roc replied with a shake of his head. "Besides, even if I had attacked just now, it wouldn't have been an effective strike against you."
"Oh?" Riku raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected such words from one of the proudest of the Strongest Races.
"Honestly, running into a monster like you in the preliminaries is a real headache," Roc sighed. "There's no point in continuing. It'd just end with me getting beaten into the ground. So, I'll concede."
"What a strange guy," Riku muttered.
"You're one to talk. I've never heard of any 'Disboard' or your name in the Little Garden, yet here you are, ridiculously strong." Roc returned to his human form, shaking his head. "Well, if you ever get the chance, come visit me sometime, I'll be sure to treat you well. For now, let me be the first to congratulate you on passing the preliminaries."
Without waiting for Riku's reply, Roc calmly took his own life, entering a death state.
Dying during the Sun War had no serious consequences; once it ended, participants would be revived. This was why Roc accepted his loss without hesitation.
Watching Roc's choice, Riku shook his head. The guy was hard to dislike.
Riku then deactivated his Super Saiyan 2 state, returning to his normal form, and left the area.
With bow in hand, and aided by the system's map, he easily located Chiron and shot him through the throat.
Thanks to the Sagittarius Sun Authority's perfect accuracy, his arrow could not miss. As for killing Chiron, Riku felt no guilt; it was merely an NPC manifestation created by the Little Garden's sovereignty. After that, he rescued Prometheus, allowing Chiron to become Sagittarius and thus completing the preliminary stage. In truth, it seemed there had only been two other contestants in this round, Roc and Apollo, who had conveniently crossed paths on the second day.
The moment Riku completed the Sun War's preliminary round, a parchment appeared before him, glowing faintly.
Gift Game: Sun War Preliminary Round
Trial of Sagittarius – Winner: [Disboard] Riku Dola
The winner is granted qualification for the Sun War finals.
Upon confirmation, Mr. Riku Dola will be transported to the final venue of the Sun War. If this causes you any inconvenience, we apologise and ask for your understanding.
Pledge: The Sun Authority War Management Committee guarantees the fair execution of the above game.
[First Sun Authority War, Executive Supervisor: Little Demon Laplace]
As Riku read the parchment, sunlight enveloped his entire body.
His figure gradually faded from the scene as the preliminary arena crumbled and vanished.
In the next moment, his view changed from the Caucasus Mountains to an expanse of pure white.
Looking around, it was nothing but a single endless line. Even with Riku's keen eyesight, he couldn't see where it ended. Perhaps it had no end at all, stretching infinitely.
This was the Horizon of the White Night.
Above that horizon, a set of twenty-four suns floated along a horizontal path. Yet all of them were dim and lifeless.
As soon as Riku arrived, the Sagittarius and Leo Sun Authorities lit up, declaring his results.
"Looks like I'm the first to clear the preliminaries. Not bad luck," Riku murmured with a faint smile.
Though it might seem a little childish to take pride in it, finishing before powerhouses like the Lord of the White Night was something to be proud of and happy about.
"By the way, what is this place? It's absurdly huge," Riku said, glancing around in awe.