Chapter 52: The King of the End is a Bit Depressed
The God-slayers were brought back to the ground by the wind, confronting the King of the End once again.
However, the lingering cold sweat on the faces of Doni and Uldin indicated that their state of mind was not as calm as it appeared on the surface. Their Authorities had just been easily crushed by the opponent. Although no one expected a dignified god to be wounded casually, everyone present had slain gods more than once, yet this was the first time they had encountered such a situation.
It was complete and total devastation.
Never before had they felt so deeply that, as God-slayers, they were still living beings on a different level from the gods. It wasn't that they were afraid, but they were indeed a bit startled at first; on second thought, it was actually incredibly thrilling.
In contrast, Hikigaya was not as flighty as them; he was very serious. From the King of the End's previous strike, he felt a power that transcended what could simply be defined as "vitality" or "natural force." If he hadn't planned to dodge from the very beginning, he wouldn't have handled it so easily.
Hikigaya looked toward the large hole not far away; the opening was smooth, and the inside was bottomless. He withdrew his gaze and looked at the enemy who, for some reason, had stopped his attack.
The Annihilator of Devil Kings, called the "Holy King manifested at the end of the world" by the Goddess and bestowed with the name "Atis."
The King of the End.
Meeting Hikigaya's searching gaze, this king spoke amiably: "In an era long past, you gifted your weapon to me," the King of the End said. "The gods invited you to join our ranks, but you refused, claiming that God-slayers are the heroes of the earth."
"..." Hikigaya searched his memory.
Did such a thing happen? He didn't remember it; besides, he didn't have the habit of praising strangers so enthusiastically.
"You've got the wrong person, haven't you?" he replied indifferently.
"Perhaps," the King of the End actually nodded. "Maybe I remembered incorrectly. However, since I have descended to the mortal world at the request of my titular mother, I must continue to fight you."
Having finished speaking, the King of the End raised the divine blade with both hands.
"Please be careful."
That was the last thing he said.
In the next instant, surging divine power gathered on the divine sword once again, and the familiar light blossomed once more.
'Are you freaking kidding me? Again? Can't you switch to a different move!'
Before he could complain, Hikigaya struck first. A long, straight blade appeared in his hand.
"Xihe is wallowing in excess, neglecting the seasons and chaoticizing the days; I shall chastise it!" Hikigaya shouted, using a Word of Power he hadn't used in a long while, and slashed toward the King of the End.
With a single slash, a solar halo appeared. The world was obscured by the anomaly, and the earth turned to scorched soil. A Golden Crow, carrying a blazing sun, charged toward the two deities on the hill. The "Setting Sun" Authority from the sun god's family didn't necessarily require a bow and arrow as a medium; swords and blades could also set or chase the sun.
Although Hikigaya didn't know the logic behind the opponent's giant orb of light, since he could bypass the strike earlier with the power of the setting sun, he should be able to weaken it before the opponent fully unleashed it.
"Is it really you..." The King of the End's face remained calm. Holy light erupted from the divine sword, forming a massive orb of light in the sky that was even more brilliant than the blazing sun.
"Go." He struck the orb toward the high heavens. The Golden Crow, fueled by the power of the setting sun, followed the trajectory of the orb and surged upward, colliding in mid-air.
A violent flash erupted in the high altitude, triggering a chaotic firestorm that tore apart the Golden Crow and the anomaly of the "Ten Suns in the Sky." A vast sea of clouds was destroyed, creating an apocalyptic scene in the heavens.
On the ground, Hikigaya and the King of the End both raised their weapons, reaching each other in an instant. Amidst the sound of clashing metal, their weapons pressed together, erupting with light once again.
In the sky, a vast expanse of thunderous light suddenly appeared, breaking through the constraints of the storm to rush toward Hikigaya. But before it reached halfway, a giant wind carrying flames blew in from the void, cutting horizontally into the lightning and grinding it to pieces.
This was no place for science...
A tall figure appeared on the hill, wrapped in white cloth, wearing leather armor and a mask. Seeing Hikigaya already engaged in close combat with the King of the End, the figure immediately dived down from the hill holding a large blade.
But a sword light slashed in from the side, forcing him to leap horizontally to avoid the strike. A smiling Doni blocked him—or rather, this guy's fundamental goal wasn't just to block. Following the masked warrior's steps, Doni quickly unleashed a new series of slashes.
This time, the masked warrior easily raised his blade to parry the strike, but the weapon, as the direct recipient of the blow, was sliced in two by Doni's sword.
Noticing this, Hikigaya refocused his mind on the King of the End in front of him. With just that split second of distraction, his shoulder was grazed by the Divine Sword of Salvation, and blood splattered.
Amidst the cry of a phoenix, several crow-shaped flame shadows burst out from the Wind God Blade as it clashed with the Divine Sword of Salvation again, lunging straight for the King of the End's face. Hikigaya took the opportunity to fly backward and wiped his shoulder with his hand. The wound vanished instantly, restored to its original state.
The King of the End across from him had also easily broken through Hikigaya's facial-harassment technique and was preparing to charge forward again with his sword.
Hikigaya had to admit that in terms of swordsmanship, he was no match for the opponent.
Strangely enough, even though he had been distracted, the guy across from him didn't seem to be fully concentrated either. Though it sounded like he was belittling himself, the King of the End gave Hikigaya a very strong sense of "depression."
Hmm... it was similar to the vibe he used to have when he stayed up until three or four on a Friday night, only to be woken up by a call for overtime at six-thirty the next morning.
The famous "Get up and party, screw sleep" series...
But he didn't think such a thing would happen to a god, especially the King of the End who specialized in slaying God-slayers. Moreover, that giant orb of light was just too much; no matter what, he couldn't let the opponent charge it up properly again.
So, he pulled himself together, met the opponent with his blade, and clashed with the King of the End once more.
At this time, there were three people left in the field with nothing to do.
"This is bad. Everyone started fighting before we could have a proper talk." Aisha looked at the two pairs already fighting chaotically, feeling a massive headache.
"Talk about what? Having kids?" Uldin found it incomprehensible. Seriously, his two peers had moved way too fast; they were already fighting before he even had a chance to make a move. Stealing someone else's opponent wasn't his style.
So, he gave Aisha a sarcastic retort and turned his gaze toward the Goddess on the hill. Although she had been "gutted," she seemed to still have plenty of combat potential. Besides,
she had said it herself—she only looked for help because she couldn't kill so many God-slayers in one go.
Meaning, one-on-one was no problem, right?
Uldin expressed that he not only liked human girls but also enjoyed fighting goddesses. He had always had a dream: to make a goddess his wife. Thinking this, the gaze he directed at the Goddess was not only full of battle intent but also carried a very suggestive undertone.
Seeing him like this, Aisha made up her mind. The situation was already out of hand with two pairs fighting; if the pervert next to her started fighting the Goddess too, she wouldn't know what to do.
Look, the sky is still red even now!
"There's no other choice. I must make everyone calm down..." Aisha took a deep breath and began to chant her Words of Power.
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