Ares stood in the massive crater he had created, his breathing heavy and ragged. He had never felt fear before. As the God of War, he thrived on the terror of others. But looking into Arthur's violet eyes, Ares felt like he was staring into a bottomless abyss that was slowly erasing his existence.
"You... you are just a human!" Ares roared, trying to force the fear out of his voice. He raised his blood-red spear, the weapon glowing with the souls of a billion fallen warriors. "I am Ares! I have conquered systems you cannot even imagine! I will not be defeated by a porter!"
Arthur didn't even draw his blade further. He simply walked toward the god, his footsteps cracking the obsidian floor. "The problem with gods like you, Ares, is that you believe your own myths. You think because the system gave you a title, you are invincible. But the system is just code. And war... war is just a shadow of the void."
[Ding!]
[100x Multiplier Activated!]
[Skill 'Sovereign's Pressure' multiplied x100!]
The gravity around Ares suddenly increased by a factor of a hundred. The air became as heavy as lead. Ares's bronze armor began to crack, the metal groaning under the weight of Arthur's presence. The War God fell to one knee, his spear shaking in his hand.
"How?!" Ares hissed, blood leaking from beneath his helmet. "No mortal mana core can sustain this much output!"
"My core isn't mortal," Arthur whispered, standing directly over the fallen god. "And my multiplier isn't a skill. It's a law."
Arthur raised his 'Concept Blade'. The dark purple energy around the hilt began to spiral, forming a vortex that seemed to suck the very light out of the crater.
"100x Multiplier... Concept Cut: Divinity!"
Arthur swung the blade in a vertical arc. There was no explosion, no flash of light. Only a silent, absolute wave of purple energy that passed through Ares's body.
[Ding!]
[Divine Concept 'War' has been severed from the Target.]
[Ares has been stripped of his Godhood.]
The blood-red mist in the sky vanished instantly. Ares himself looked down at his hands—they were no longer glowing with celestial power. They were the hands of a scarred, aging man. His muscles withered, and his bronze armor fell off like rusted scrap.
"My... my power..." the man who used to be Ares whispered.
"I've given you a gift, Ares," Arthur said, turning his back. "Now you can experience what it's like to be the 'cattle' you so despised."
[Ding! LEVEL UP! Host has reached Level 900!]
Arthur looked toward the Golden Rift in the sky. Two gods down. Ten to go.