Silver Guards began firing arrows and other long-range attacks at Gin.
In his weakened state, he was taking every hit.
His healing ability had already been neutralized by the disease ravaging his body.
Ten arrow wounds.
One sword wound through the chest.
Two deep slash wounds.
Right eye blown.
And countless smaller injuries.
Yet he continued holding his ground against Tensu.
The rage.
It was his fuel.
His eyes had turned completely white.
He was already drifting into unconsciousness.
His body should have collapsed long ago.
Yet his muscle memory kept pushing him forward.
Kept dragging him into battle.
Gaja attempted to assist Gin.
Then he witnessed the power of rage.
The ground trembled.
An earthquake erupted beneath their feet.
The ground split apart.
The sea itself rebelled.
A colossal wall of water rose into the sky, drowning nearby islands beneath its fury.
For the animals living there, it was nothing short of a nightmare.
Then something even more horrifying happened.
The sea vanished.
The battleships crashed onto the exposed seabed, shattering under their own weight.
The gigantic walls of Ruin Society collapsed as well, crushing countless Bronze Guards attempting to force their way inside.
The Ganas sensed the danger immediately.
Without hesitation, they retreated toward the shoreline.
The confused and wounded guards remained stranded upon the dried seabed.
Gin kicked Tensu away.
The impact launched him directly into the middle of the soldiers.
Another earthquake followed.
Tensu rose again.
But nobody paid attention to him.
Not anymore.
A shadow had appeared.
A massive shadow.
One so large it swallowed everything within sight.
Everyone looked upward.
And froze.
Even Gaja, standing safely on the shore, widened his eyes.
The Ganas began sweating bullets.
Above the dried sea floated a colossal sphere of water.
It carried the weight of an entire sea.
A floating ocean suspended in the heavens.
Nobody could comprehend the sight before them.
It felt less like sorcery and more like a natural disaster given form.
Gin raised his blade.
Then slammed it into the ground.
The ocean fell.
The gigantic globe crashed downward.
The world shook.
Water devoured soldiers.
Battleships.
Silver Guards.
Bronze Guards.
Everything.
The barriers created around Ruin Society by Gin and the Ganas barely protected it from complete destruction.
The resulting earthquake dwarfed the previous ones.
The tremors reached far beyond Ruin Society.
Even the Capital felt them.
Even distant regions trembled beneath the impact.
When the chaos finally settled, a handful of Silver Guards near the shore suddenly disappeared.
Or rather...
They switched places with someone else.
Tensu.
Several of his bones had been displaced by the attack.
Yet before anyone could react, he dashed toward Gin.
His speed reached its absolute limit.
One final attack.
One final gamble.
His sword pierced through Gin's neck.
Then exploded.
The force destroyed part of Gin's neck but also cost Tensu one of his hands.
The explosion threw Tensu away.
He landed and burst into laughter.
[Tensu]: That was worth it!!Hahaha! Die, you fool!!
He continued laughing.
His eyes closed.
Then suddenly—
Blood streamed from them.
His heart tightened.
An unfamiliar sensation seized him.
Fear.
The feeling of prey standing before a predator.
Something grabbed his neck.
Lifted him from the ground.
It was Gin.
His neck was still bleeding.
Half of it had been blown apart.
Yet he remained standing.
Gin had already lost his right eye against Irin.
Now his left eye had gone blind as well.
Yet Tensu could still feel the rage burning behind that sightless gaze.
[Tensu]: It hurts!!ARGHHH!!
Gin's hand began glowing.
The next moment, he smashed Tensu's face into the shore.
The impact obliterated what remained of the coastline.
Shockwaves tore across the unstable sea.
Massive waves surged outward in every direction.
Crack.
A horrifying sound echoed.
Tensu's skull.
It had cracked.
Gin grabbed him again and hurled him away.
Rock formations shattered one after another as Tensu's body bounced through them.
Yet somehow—
He was still alive.
Crawling.
Barely breathing.
Trying to escape.
Then he saw Gin walking toward him.
For the first time in his life, Tensu experienced true terror.
[Tensu]: Don't come near me, you monster!! WAAAHHHHH!!
At that moment, Tensu realized the truth.
Gin had been the real monster all along.
He finally understood why Grandor had kept Gin imprisoned.
Why she never allowed him to remain healthy.
Why she never allowed him to train properly.
If Gin had been free...
If Gin had reached his full potential...
He might have destroyed Grandor's rule by himself.
Gin kicked Tensu away once more.
Every strike became heavier.
Every strike became more painful.
Every strike pushed Tensu closer to death.
Then—
Just as Gin stepped forward to deliver the final blow—
His heart stopped.
The disease claimed him before his self-destructive power could.
Gin remained standing.
Motionless.
Silent.
Lifeless.
The strongest warrior of Asen had fallen.
For several moments, nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Even the death couldn't make him kneel.
Even Tensu couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Then panic overtook him.
He scrambled to his feet and began running.
Screaming.
Crying.
Terrified.
The image of Gin had already been carved into his soul.
It would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Gaja finally returned to his senses.
He slowly raised his sword.
[Gaja]: For the bravest warrior of Asen.
His blade flashed.
A powerful slash crossed the battlefield.
Tensu's body split in half.
His escape ended there.
The Eastern Ruin Society War had ended.
Victory belonged to Ruin Society.
Cost:
Two Ganas.
Gin.
Enemy losses:
All invading forces.
All battleships.
Collateral damage:
Several nearby islands.
To be continued...