After some banter about Arthur King's gender (which Arthur insisted was male, much to Ethan's disappointment), the group focused back on the mission. Arthur's barrier was nearing its one-hour limit.
Suddenly, Kuroka's ears twitched. Her playful expression vanished. "I think I sense Loki's aura..."
"Where?" Ethan's eyes lit up.
"Six or seven minutes ahead if we keep going."
Arthur was hesitant. "I can only hold the barrier for ten more minutes. If we get lost in the Gap, we might never return."
"I'll handle the target in under a minute," Ethan promised.
They pushed forward. Five minutes later, they saw it—a featureless, slime-like humanoid mass. It was Loki's residual consciousness. Seeing Ethan, the slime immediately tried to flee, weaving through the dimensional turbulence to stall for time.
"Three minutes left!" Arthur shouted, sweat pouring down his face.
Ethan flew out of the barrier to avoid breaking it with his shockwaves. The slime was only at the level of a Low-Class God, but it had the home-field advantage. Ethan realized that if he didn't end this instantly, the resulting instability could still trigger Ragnarok.
"I hope the dimensional walls are sturdy..." Ethan muttered.
A crimson armored suit materialized around him. Balance Breaker.
Vali watched in shock at how seamlessly Ethan transformed. But Ethan wasn't done. He began to chant the ancient, forbidden words.
"I, who am about to awaken, am the Heavenly Dragon who has stolen the principles of supremacy from God..." "I laugh at the 'infinite,' and I grieve at the 'dream'..." "I shall become the Red Dragon of Supremacy..." "And I shall sink you into the depths of the crimson purgatory!"
"JUGGERNAUT DRIVE!"
This was the second time Ethan had used this form. The first time, against Azazel, he had nearly lost his mind after ten seconds. But now, with his Half-Step Dragon God status, he felt no burden at all. He felt like a god.
The sheer pressure of his aura made the slime-Loki freeze in terror. Ethan reared back, his clawed hand glowing with enough energy to erase a small star. The final strike was coming.