With the fall of Ares, the blood-red mist that had choked the Himalayan peaks dissolved into nothingness. But the silence that followed was more terrifying than the roar of any war. Across the globe, through satellite feeds and flickering screens, humanity watched in stunned silence. A God of War, a being whose name had inspired terror across galaxies, lay broken in the snow—a mere mortal, gasping for breath.
Arthur did not sheath his 'Concept Blade.' The violet glow in his eyes had deepened, reflecting a power that no longer felt human.
[Ding!]
[Target 'Ares' has been neutralized.]
[Absorbing remnant Divine Essence...]
[100x Multiplier Applied!]
[You have gained: 5,000,000 Divine XP!]
[New Title Unlocked: 'God-Stripper' — The One who denies Divinity.]
Arthur looked at his hands. He could feel his Mana Core vibrating at a frequency that defied the laws of physics. At Level 900, the fabric of the world looked different to him. He could see the 'strings' of reality—the codes the gods called "Laws," but to Arthur, they were just fragile vulnerabilities.
"Only two down," Arthur's voice echoed through the freezing wind, cold and sharp. "Ten more still sit on their high thrones, waiting for their turn to bleed."
Suddenly, the sky didn't just darken; it groaned. The Golden Rift, which had remained a gateway of light, began to fracture. This wasn't the mourning of a fallen comrade; it was the fury of the 'Higher Heavens.'
At that exact moment, every human on Earth felt a sharp pain in their skull. A voice, ancient and resonant, bypassed their ears and struck their very souls. It wasn't spoken in any language, yet everyone understood it.
"Mortal... you have crossed the line that no 'cattle' has ever dared to approach."
A new portal opened in the center of the sky. Unlike the violent, metallic rift of Ares, this one was blindingly white and eerily silent. From the light emerged a figure. He wasn't a giant of muscle and scars like the War God. He was of average height, dressed in flowing white robes, carrying a set of golden scales that shimmered with a terrifying brilliance.
[Warning!]
[Anomaly Detected!]
[Identity: 'Themis', The Arbiter of Cosmic Law (One of the Great Twelve).]
[Danger Level: Immeasurable!]
"Themis..." Arthur curled his lips into a deathly smile. "So, they've finally sent their Judge. I was wondering when the 'High Council' would stop hiding."
Themis looked down at the scrap metal that used to be Ares's divine armor with expressionless eyes. "Ares was a soldier, Arthur. He fought with emotion and rage. But I am Law. And the law of the universe dictates that the harvest cannot slaughter the farmer. You have tipped the scales of existence."
Themis raised a hand, and suddenly, the ground beneath Arthur's feet began to 'digitize.' The solid obsidian was turning into raw binary code, dissolving into the void. Arthur felt his own physical form being targeted—the System was trying to 'delete' him from reality.
[System Alert!]
[Target is attempting to 'De-compile' Host's Physical Form!]
[Counter-measures initiating...]
"Law?" Arthur roared, his aura flaring into a dark gold flame that defied the deletion. "I don't recognize laws written to keep me in chains! If you are the Law, then I am the 'Error' that will crash your entire world!"
[100x Multiplier Activated!]
[Skill 'Void Step' multiplied x100!]
In a flash that transcended speed, Arthur vanished. He reappeared directly behind the Arbiter, his Concept Blade humming with enough energy to split a continent.
Themis's eyes widened for the first time. The golden scales in his hand tilted violently. "How... how can you move outside the System's execution path?"
"Because," Arthur whispered into the god's ear, the blade pressing against the white robes, "my multiplier wasn't a gift from your System. It was forged from the very souls you tried to eat. Now tell me, Judge... can your scales weigh the weight of my vengeance?"
The sky erupted in a choir of thunder. The remaining nine gods were no longer watching—they were preparing. This was no longer a trial. This was the start of the 'Monarch's Rebellion.'