The massive sword, formed from a blue crystal-like substance, was raised high, then came crashing down from above, colliding with the black sword that was only a third its size.
"Boom!"
The shockwave from the clash of the two swords slammed into the artificial island out at sea, making the entire island tremble violently.
"Clang!"
In a single blow, the blue sword shattered the black sword. Carrying on with the same momentum, the purple sword, refined down to the molecular level, plunged into the chest of the Hundred-Form Monster.
The blue sword's overwhelming force had not yet run out. It drove the Hundred-Form Monster across the ground, smashing through countless buildings and carving a deep trench into the earth before finally stopping.
Watching the monster scream and thrash on the ground, Cid released his control over the blue sword's Magical Power. The purple sword pinning the Hundred-Form Monster to the earth began to fade.
"Aaaaah!"
Sensing the blue sword's power weakening, the Hundred-Form Monster let out a furious roar, ripped the blue sword from its chest, and staggered to its feet once more. This time, however, the wound in its chest did not heal as before. The bluish-purple Magical Power, refined to the molecular level, was preventing the Fourth Primogenitor's undead nature from restoring the Hundred-Form Monster's body.
Seeing that, Cid fell silent for a moment. He carefully looked over the hideous, disgusting, eye-searing monster in front of him several times, yet still found it hard to believe that his friend, Kojou Akatsuki, had turned into this thing.
With a thought, the Magical Power within Cid began flowing into his eyes, which glowed with a purple aura. His crimson eyes, which had previously been all style and no substance, began to shine with a strange light as the Magical Power poured into them.
His gaze passed through the surface of the Hundred-Form Monster's body, through layer after layer of flesh and texture. After searching for a moment, Cid finally found him. Inside the Hundred-Form Monster was a gray-haired high school student, completely fused with the creature and wrapped within Nalakuvera, while the immense Magical Power inside him was being siphoned away by Nalakuvera.
"So that's it. This isn't a rampage or some dark transformation. He fused with the monster and became its battery? You're pretty impressive, Kojou."
Even as he muttered in admiration, he threw the purple sword again, pinning the Hundred-Form Monster as it charged at him once more. The purple giant raised a hand to the sky, gathering immense Magical Power into its palm. A small sphere formed there and rapidly expanded as more and more Magical Power poured into it.
"You really did get lucky this time, Kojou..."
Murmuring under his breath, Cid had to admit that Kojou Akatsuki's luck was absurdly good. He had almost killed the Hundred-Form Monster in front of him, along with Kojou Akatsuki, who was trapped inside it as its battery.
Under normal circumstances, once the Hundred-Form Monster had exhausted every method it had and still failed to so much as scratch him, he would have ended it with a single Atomic strike.
The so-called immortality of a Primogenitor was nothing to him. Adjust the precision, attack the soul, banish it into the void. He could think of ten different ways to deal with it.
The only problem was that he could not say whether Kojou Akatsuki would still be alive afterward. If the Hundred-Form Monster's second phase had not felt strangely familiar to him, he would never have bothered to look into it further. The creature in front of him was genuinely revolting. When he got back, he was absolutely going to the treasure vault to wash his eyes.
As things stood now, though, it was actually simple enough. Even though Kojou Akatsuki had already fused with the monster before him, all Cid had to do was be careful. He only needed to target the Hundred-Form Monster's soul and make sure his Magical Power did not touch the parts that belonged to Kojou Akatsuki.
"It's a bit of a shame I can't use an Atomic bomb..."
There was a hint of regret in his voice as he weighed the enormous sphere of Magical Power in his hand, already hundreds of meters across. After lowering its precision slightly and stopping right at the limit of what Kojou Akatsuki's body could endure, Cid flicked his index finger upward and sent it flying into the sky.
Silence. No sound at all. The hundred-meter Magic Blast floated into the air like a rubber ball. Once its upward momentum ran out, it began to descend slowly toward the ground.
"ROAR!!!"
As it watched the Magic Blast slowly falling toward it, the Hundred-Form Monster let out a desperate roar and began struggling wildly. Its beastlike instincts were screaming at it that this attack could truly kill it. The chances of the Fourth Primogenitor's immortality saving it were next to none.
But its weak struggle could not shake the purple sword embedded in its chest in the slightest. It could only watch helplessly as the Magic Blast drew closer and closer, until it swallowed both the monster and the shattered ruins around it whole.
"Bzzz..."
After devouring the Hundred-Formed Beast, the magic bullet detonated, yet only a low, droning hum echoed out. Itogami Island merely trembled faintly in resonance with the sound for a brief moment.
Impressive as the attack was, compared to the earlier strike that had triggered an earthquake just by hitting the ground, this one gave off a subtle sense that Shadow had reached his limit, much like a certain three-headed Evil Dragon.
"Weren't you planning to take the Fourth Primogenitor? Shadow looks like he's hit his physical limit after using that ultimate move. This is a perfect opportunity. Are you going in?"
Looking up at the hundred-meter giant before him, Aži Dahāka raised a brow, then glanced toward Giada on a nearby building, his tone brimming with anticipation.
Just moments ago, he had been fighting the Third Primogenitor from World No. 2 when he noticed Shadow appear before the Beast-God-transformed Gardos. With no other choice, he had immediately disengaged, worried that if Shadow noticed him, he might get dragged into the fight and killed alongside Gardos.
It wasn't fear of Shadow. He simply had no intention of dying before accomplishing anything. Being able to resurrect didn't mean he was willing to throw his life away.
Rather than dying for nothing, he preferred to keep building his strength and wait until he could actually win... like now.
"That attack was seriously powerful. If it had been aimed at me, I wouldn't have had any chance to dodge. I'd just be waiting to die.
But it's exactly that kind of ultimate move that pushes someone like Shadow, one of the strongest in the world, to his limits."
After saying this, Aži Dahāka stared at the purple giant with burning battle intent as several Magic Circles materialized around him out of thin air.
Giada, who had remained silent, heard his words but said nothing. Instead, she summoned her Beast Vassal, further suppressing her presence.
The three Primogenitors, due to their immortality, had never cared much for defense. After all, if they couldn't die, what was the point?
That hadn't changed even after the worlds merged. Their immortality was still among the highest tiers. Aside from the Lord of Netheril, she had never felt a true threat of death from anyone. Not even when she was caught in the chaotic battle between the three Dragon Gods in the Underworld.
But now... she felt it.
When that magic bullet descended from the sky and struck the Hundred-Form Monster, she felt a genuine threat to her life. It was faint, but undeniably real.
And yet, such a terrifying attack caused almost no disturbance upon impact. She didn't even need to think to know who had dispersed its force.
If the three-headed dragon in front of her wanted to charge in, that was his business. Trying to bait her along? She wasn't buying it. There was no way Shadow would be weakened from just that one attack.
"Tch..."
Seeing that Giada had no intention of moving, Aži Dahāka dismissed the Magic Circles around him as well. Without someone to take the hits, what was the point of going in?
In the brief span of their exchange, the Magical Power Cid had drawn into the sea began to reveal its might. The water near the shore receded wildly, as though something massive and circular was forcing it back, exposing the seabed below.
The ocean surged violently. Countless waves gathered and merged, forming a cataclysmic tsunami nearly a thousand meters high, crashing toward Itogami Island with unstoppable force.
"Slash!"
A flash of sword light cut through the air.
The colossal wave, powerful enough to wipe out the entire island, was split cleanly in two and swept past Itogami Island on either side.
...
Staring at the towering purple giant, both Giada and Aži Dahāka fell silent.
There was no doubt. If they had rushed in just now, hoping to take advantage of the situation, they'd already be lining up for resurrection.
After a moment, Aži Dahāka looked toward the battlefield as the situation shifted once more. His three heads exchanged glances, each breaking into a sly grin.
"Since we've gathered enough experimental data and pinpointed the flaws in that deification ritual, let's squeeze the last bit of use out of that trash."
"That useless Beastman couldn't handle it anyway. I've got no objections to pushing straight into the final phase. Let's see just how strong the so-called strongest in the world, Shadow, really is."
"Burn all his faith to ashes. Let the Cult of Diablos lose everything they've invested. Partnering with us Evil Dragons? Who does he think he is?"
Standing still, Aži Dahāka took out a black crystal. Several Magic Circles appeared and branded themselves onto its surface. Then, with a firm grip, he crushed it into pieces.
With that done, he turned his gaze back to the battlefield, his expression filled with excitement.
...
Struggling to block the Nalakuvera lunging at her in the form of a tiger, Sayaka Kirasaka rolled to the side, trying to break through the encirclement and strike directly at Petos, the Nalakuvera's controller.
"Sayaka, behind you!"
Yukina Himeragi's voice rang out.
Trusting her without hesitation, Sayaka Kirasaka immediately abandoned her attack and pivoted into a defensive stance.
A wolf-shaped Nalakuvera had somehow circled behind her and launched an attack. If not for Yukina Himeragi's warning, her heart would have already been pierced.
Sparks flew as her greatsword clashed against the wolf's claws. Even with the warning, she was locked in a direct power struggle with the beast.
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
The sound of wings beating cut through the air above.
An eagle dove down at her.
Damn it!
The thought flashed through Sayaka Kirasaka's mind.
She was locked in a struggle with the wolf and couldn't move. If she tried to evade the eagle, the wolf would seize the opening and drive its claws straight through her heart.
What do I do? What do I do? What do I do...
"Bang!"
Just as Sayaka Kirasaka was scrambling for a way out, something suddenly went wrong with the eagle diving toward her. Its Magical Power vanished, its trajectory veered off, and it slammed heavily into the ground, transforming into a blue-haired loli wrapped in a bio-protective layer.
"That useless Gardos..."
Hidden behind a swarm of Nalakuvera, Petos saw the now-powerless blue-haired artificial lifeform and his face turned livid as he cursed angrily.
Switching her sword into a bow in one fluid motion, Sayaka Kirasaka cleaved the giant wolf blocking her path aside, then immediately turned, drew a cursed arrow, and aimed straight at Petos.
She had no idea what had just happened, but she didn't need to. As long as she could take down Petos, the controller of the Nalakuvera, that was all that mattered.
...
Retracting the sword he had used to split the waves, Cid turned his gaze toward where the magic bullet had landed. A faint breeze swept through, dispersing the lingering dust and revealing Kojou Akatsuki lying on the ground.
Cid stood atop the purple giant's chest without moving, staring intently at Kojou Akatsuki, a trace of confusion in his eyes.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
A deafening heartbeat echoed out as Kojou Akatsuki's body began to twist and convulse violently. Blood vessels bulged across his eyes, and sharp fangs extended from his mouth.
Watching this unfold, Cid was genuinely stunned for the first time.
"I already drained your entire health bar, and you can still enter a third phase, Kojou Akatsuki. You really are something else."
Chunks of flesh began rapidly growing from Kojou Akatsuki's body, each sprouting features of different animals.
In just over ten seconds, a third-phase Hundred-Form monster appeared. Even more grotesque and far larger than its second-phase form.
"Didn't expect this, did you, Shadow? The Beast God cannot die. No matter how many times you defeat me, I will return, stronger each time."
"That's just substituting lives. I'm more curious how many of your subordinate Gods are willing to throw everything away just to bring you back."
Cid clicked his tongue, not believing a single word the Hundred-Form monster said.
Records in the archives clearly stated that if a subordinate God willingly sacrificed their divine status and power, they could bring the God they served back to life ahead of time.
What Cid hadn't expected was that this thing, something that wouldn't feel out of place in a Cthulhu myth, was actually a main God. And that it even had subordinate Gods willing to sacrifice their positions and power for it.
No... the fact that anyone believed in this thing at all was already absurd. With that appearance, wouldn't any normal person immediately assume it was some kind of Evil God?
"Enough nonsense. I have over a hundred subordinate Gods who are devoted enough to die for me. If you know what's good for you, step aside now and I'll spare your life."
As if struck at a sore point, the left head of the monster, Gardos, glared fiercely as he issued the threat.
Oh...
Cid narrowed his eyes slightly and commanded the purple giant to step forward, raising his twin purple-blue swords to block the Hundred-Form monster's path.
You think I'll move just because you said so? That would be embarrassing.
Seeing Cid stand his ground, Gardos was nothing like the confidence he tried to project. Instead, he instinctively took a step back.
It was true he had plenty of subordinate Gods willing to die for him. But unlike true main Gods who gained followers through sheer strength, if he lost more than half of them, his divine status would become unstable.
Beastmen worship strength. It was ingrained in their instincts. For a Beastman God to truly hold faith, they had to possess overwhelming power, the kind that remained absolute even without belief.
But Gardos himself wasn't strong. He had obtained his divine status through a trick involving the Fourth Primogenitor.
To prevent the power of faith from eventually rejecting him, due to the Beastmen's instinctive reverence for strength, he took advantage of the Beast God's existing divine seat and deceived the power of faith once again.
He forcibly appointed artificial lifeforms as the racial Gods of each beast tribe.
The artificial lifeforms that absorbed Nalakuvera possessed enough power to qualify as racial Gods for most beast tribes. Combined with the Beast God's forced appointment overriding racial limits, the power of faith would acknowledge them.
These racial Gods effectively acted as representatives chosen by each beast tribe, collectively determining whether Gardos was fit to remain as the Beast God.
But because of this system, the moment more than half of those subordinate Gods were lost, his position as Beast God would become unstable.