Veeraj's face was etched with urgency as the Divine Sword of Salvation in his hand unleashed a barrage like thousands of artillery pieces. Endless thunderbolts served as its ammunition, bombarding the earth. The sheer scale of destruction he wrought alone surpassed that of an entire artillery corps during World War II, nearly annihilating the world's largest uninhabited island and the surrounding seas.
Faced with the Last King's frenzied assault, Roy had no choice but to rely on his divine speed to evade. Yet, prolonged defense inevitably led to a lapse. Eventually, a bolt of thunder struck Roy, blasting him out of his lightning-fast state.
BOOM——————
The divine weapon within the thunder, carrying terrifying kinetic force, sent Roy flying. His body was hurled deep into the sea, only for hundreds more thunderbolts to rain down from the sky. Like a storm of arrows, the countless bolts pierced into Roy's momentarily immobilized body.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—whoooooosh—
Boom, boom, boom, boom—
One after another, divine artifacts transformed into lightning bolts and struck the sea, like countless underwater mines detonating simultaneously. The explosions sent towering waves hundreds of meters high crashing into Devon Island, nearly shattering the massive landmass spanning fifty thousand square kilometers.
After what felt like an eternity, the colossal waves finally subsided, the seawater splashing back down to the surface. Yet the ripples on the ocean refused to fade, twisting into enormous whirlpools instead.
Roy, who had been struck by the thunderous divine artifacts summoned by the Divine Sword of Salvation and plunged deep into the seabed, struggled to crawl out of the soft sand. His body was riddled with weapons—swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks—while countless other mystical armaments were embedded in the ground around him. Each weapon pulsed with dense divine power, proclaiming their status as arms of the gods.
"Good thing I have the Body of the Holy Son..."
Roy opened his mouth underwater, releasing a stream of bubbles. A normal human would have drowned long ago, and even a Campione would be in danger without oxygen in such an environment. But Roy's body was now "forged of steel," capable of enduring the crushing pressure of the deep sea—or even the vacuum of space.
Roy's crimson cardinal robes were already tattered, his body crisscrossed with countless bloody wounds. His skin resembled steel battered by bullets, the numerous dents proof of just how powerful the Last King's enraged strike had been.
Though Roy appeared grievously wounded—even his normally bloodless body was now bleeding, staining the sea red—most of the divine weapons had merely pierced his skin's surface. His Holy Son's Body had blocked them from penetrating deeper into his muscles. Only a few divine weapons had managed to pierce through, but such injuries were nothing to Roy, who had endured Scáthach's brutal training.
As long as he still drew breath, Roy's Battle Continuation would allow him to fight on.
At this moment, Roy was immensely grateful that he had completed all his spiritual foundation ascensions and unified his Authorities before facing the Last King in this decisive battle. Otherwise, even with the Human Order Incineration Protocol as his ultimate weapon, it would have been useless if he couldn't cast it. Had he not forged his body into the Holy Son's Body, Veeraj's earlier attack—Armory of the Gods—would have ended his life right then and there.
Veeraj's Divine Sword Mandala wasn't simply tossing divine weapons like trash. Each weapon was infused with Veeraj's immense divine power, which was why they manifested as streaks of lightning. If they had been thrown haphazardly, Roy's Holy Son's Body would have shrugged off all but a few divine weapons with piercing properties—at most, they might have left faint white marks.
His body was an indestructible, diamond-like vessel.
In terms of projectile weapons alone, Veeraj far surpassed the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh. Of course, that was also because Gilgamesh lacked the mana reserves to envelop every weapon with such power.
Roy took a deep breath, and magma-like cursed energy erupted from him once more. The terrifying heat caused the sea to steam and mist. Then, with a violent surge, the cursed energy exploded outward, blasting a massive hole in the ocean. Before the waters could close, Roy shot back into the sky.
Drenched in blood like a demonic god, he hovered midair, staring at the Last King standing amidst the rubble of Devon Island's ruined coastline. With a wild grin, he roared, "...Last King Veeraj! What other tricks do you have left? Is your arsenal still stocked?"
His arrogance was boundless, his presence domineering, his laughter unrestrained—like a Tyrant Descending Upon the World, embodying the very essence of a Campione's kingly and tyrannical might!
Veeraj remained silent. Now was not the time for words. He had to end this battle swiftly—otherwise, the Human Order Incineration Protocol would be completed. If it were only his own death at stake, Veeraj wouldn't care. But Roy's actions would affect millions, playing with countless lives as if they were toys.
The Last King swung his Divine Sword of Salvation once more. A mandala-shaped magic circle formed, and countless streaks of lightning surged forth.
"Hmph! Back and forth, is this all you've got?"
Although Roy's tone was dismissive, his expression was grave. Veeraj indeed had few methods to confront enemies, but under the enhancement of the Great Ritual of the Old Covenant, he didn't need flashy techniques—just a few moves were enough to annihilate the Demon King. This was truly a case of "one trick to rule them all"!
Facing the incoming Divine Sword Mandala once more, Roy's right hand manifested the Sword of Judgment. His gaze sharpened as he raised the great sword high and pronounced judgment upon the endless divine weapons:
"You are all guilty!"
With a light swing of the Sword of Judgment in his hand, the majority of the thousands of thunderbolts were extinguished. Divine weapons rained down like a storm, clattering noisily, while the remaining thunderbolts posed no threat—Roy dodged them all with godlike speed.
"What?!"
Veeraj gasped, his expression finally changing this time.
...
"You didn't think I was just running away earlier, did you? Though myths in this world are numerous, named divine armaments are few. The number of weapons you can project each time is fixed—even if you can retrieve and reuse them, the quantity remains the same. It can never exceed that limit!"
"...And while fleeing, I memorized every weapon you used. I recognized most of them, and though a few might come from obscure myths I couldn't identify, as long as I recognize the majority, my sword can sever them all!"
Roy laughed loudly, the blood-red Sword of Judgment in his hand shimmering with a sacred crimson glow.
After absorbing Verethragna's Golden Sword authority, this Sword of Judgment had been endowed with the power of "wisdom." As long as it could analyze something—whether a concept or a physical object—this sword, capable of reversing the "order of precedence," could cut it down.
...
During his earlier evasion, Roy had recorded and analyzed every divine weapon Veeraj had launched, enabling him to activate this "order reversal" ability and cleave through all the divine armaments his wisdom had deciphered!
"So I ask you—does your arsenal still have enough ammunition?!"
Roy challenged once more.
The Last King gave a bitter smile and sighed, "...These are all the weapons I possess. You've seen through most of them, rendering the remainder meaningless."
His Divine Sword Mandala relied on quantity, not the quality of individual weapons. With Roy having destroyed over eighty percent of them, the remaining few were meaningless against a Campione as powerful as Roy.
"Though I deeply disapprove of your actions—you are the most ruthless Demon King in history—I must still acknowledge that you are also the strongest among all the Demon Kings I've encountered in my lifetime. It is an honor to battle a demon lord as mighty as you."
Veeraj tightened his grip on the Divine Sword of Salvation. Even as he seethed with anger at Roy's brutality and fury at his disregard for human life, anyone who faced Roy couldn't help but grant him due respect—just as Veeraj possessed the charisma to inspire loyalty and make others willingly follow him, so too did Roy have his own unique allure.
If Veeraj, the great hero of Indian mythology and noble king, embodied the orthodox "Way of the King" that inspired others to follow and serve him unto death, then Roy's path was the absolute "Way of the Tyrant"—defying heaven and earth like an overlord. Yet his solitary, arrogant, and self-assertive demeanor was enough to attract followers and earn the respect of his enemies.
"Ahhh—!"
A sudden scream made Veeraj's expression change drastically. He turned to look into the distance behind him and let out a mournful cry: "...Brother!!"
***
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