Seeing Utaha Kasumigaoka's wide-eyed, inexperienced expression, Ren Isana couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth curl upward. "As a student of Natsuki, it's only natural that I know a little bit of [Spatial Magic], isn't it?"
Utaha's forehead was instantly covered in black lines at his remark. She said speechlessly, "Natsuki-sensei taught me as well, but I could never learn her [Spatial Magic]. For that matter, no one in the entire sophomore class can. It's simply too difficult."
"Maybe I'm just more talented!" Ren shrugged, not dwelling on the topic. He turned his gaze toward the ruins not far away. The sun was already dipping toward the west, and the area surrounding the excavated ruins was now completely deserted.
Seeing this, Utaha brought out her magic book and activated her power. Soon, a new line of text appeared on the pages. After reading it, she spoke slowly, "The dragon will appear at twilight. It should be soon!"
Ren nodded after hearing her words. He could indeed sense the aura rising from beneath the ground growing stronger. Once the dragon's presence manifested, it wouldn't be long before Perseus appeared.
All Ren had to do now was wait quietly. Utaha wasn't nervous either; with this junior of hers around, her heart was filled with a sense of security. Ren's performance just now had been far too dazzling.
"Junior, I have a question. That new world that appeared previously... were you the ones who explored it?" Utaha looked at Ren with curiosity. When that new world emerged, Natsuki had allowed the sophomores to participate.
Unfortunately, she hadn't been at the school at the time, so she missed the opportunity, which she had regretted for a long while. It was rumored that the students from the freshman Special Class were the ones who conducted the exploration.
Now that she had finally encountered someone from the Special Class, she naturally wanted to learn more. After all, they were the vanguard team for world exploration.
"That's right, we were indeed the ones who developed it. Natsuki-sensei had us go over and participate directly." The two of them chatted amidst the ruins. As time ticked away, the sun vanished completely below the horizon.
The area where Ren stood fell into a brief darkness. Suddenly, a powerful aura erupted from the ruins, causing both Ren and Utaha to stop talking.
Following the explosion of energy, a dragon's roar echoed through the sky. A surge of teal energy suddenly manifested above the ruins, slowly gathering together until it formed a massive dragon.
With the appearance of this giant dragon, the surrounding atmosphere instantly became incredibly oppressive. Utaha suddenly felt her breathing become difficult, her face turning pale as a heavy pressure weighed down on her.
Seeing this, Ren silently took a step forward, completely dissipating the pressure that had fallen on Utaha. She let out a long sigh of relief and looked at Ren with gratitude.
Before she could say anything, another change occurred. A flash of golden light streaked through the air, and a figure appeared out of thin air in front of the dragon. In the next instant, the dragon's head was severed. Seeing this figure radiating a divine aura, Ren's lips curled into a smile.
"Roar!" The dragon, which had been slain just seconds after appearing, let out a final howl before transforming into golden energy and dispersing into the world.
Ren and Utaha finally got a clear look at the person who had slain the dragon: a handsome blonde young man wearing a white cape. This person was none other than the Heretic God, Perseus.
"Senior, look for an opportunity to land an attack later. Otherwise, you won't get another chance." After saying this, Ren charged straight ahead.
Hearing this, Utaha hurriedly retreated to leave the battlefield to Ren. At the same time, she didn't forget to begin her divination to calculate the most suitable moment to strike. Watching the contents of her magic book, she waited quietly for her chance.
Ren rushed toward Perseus at an incredibly eerie speed, his Tang Dao appearing in his hand. Without mercy, Ren thrust the blade directly toward Perseus's heart.
Perseus, having just finished his dragon-slaying, suddenly felt an extreme sense of danger. Without a word, he spun around and swung his golden longsword, clashing against Ren's Tang Dao. With a sharp *clink*, Perseus saw the newcomer clearly, his pupils shrinking as he shouted, "A Fool!"
"Fast reflexes!" Ren was somewhat surprised to see the opponent block his strike. He knew exactly how fast his attack had been.
Yet this Perseus had reacted and blocked it instantly; his reflexes were quite impressive. Ren didn't care about Perseus's roar; instead, he silently unleashed a burst of power that Perseus couldn't withstand.
Perseus felt a terrifying force transmit through the blade he was holding. In an instant, his entire body was sent flying by this monstrous strength. This irresistible force filled Perseus with absolute horror.
He crashed into the ruins below like a cannonball. Utaha, who had been waiting for this, didn't hesitate to seize the opening. She released an [Energy Bullet], aiming it directly at the spot where Perseus had fallen.
The attack hit its mark, and Utaha immediately turned to run. This wasn't a fight a small fry like her could participate in. Furthermore, her attack was like a slap to Perseus's face.
It didn't hurt much, but it was incredibly insulting. No god would tolerate such a thing and would likely look for a chance to kill her instantly. Thus, she hit him and ran.
"Damn you!" Perseus, who had been slammed into the ruins and then subjected to such an insulting attack, was instantly consumed by rage. He activated his [Authority], immediately locking onto Utaha's silhouette.
Just as he was about to strike her, Ren's voice suddenly rang out. "Don't forget that you're still fighting me."
The moment Ren's voice fell, a sword light slashed toward Perseus's position. The aura of the attack made Perseus's pupils shrink, forcing him to give up on bothering the woman.
Instead, he quickly dodged away. Once he had gained a safe distance, Perseus stared at Ren with a look of extreme resentment. A moment later, his gaze was drawn to the weapon in Ren's hand.
It was stained with the blood of gods, a sight that would make any deity frown. He stared fixedly at the weapon and said in a heavy voice, "Fool! You are committing sacrilege!"
Noticing Perseus's gaze, a flash of surprise crossed Ren's eyes. He lifted his Tang Dao and said, "Are you talking about this? It has only absorbed the blood of three gods. How can that be considered sacrilege?"
After speaking, Ren performed a stylish flourish with his blade, completely disregarding Perseus's words. In this moment, he understood why the World Will had told him what it did.
Only three, and these gods were already making a mountain out of a molehill? How interesting. However, Ren didn't care. He gave the opponent no time to think, vanishing from his spot as soon as he finished speaking.
He appeared before Perseus as if using [Spatial Teleportation]. His Tang Dao, wrapped in [God-Slaying Blade] energy, swung down toward Perseus's head. Perseus hurriedly raised his sword to parry, and a massive collision occurred as blade met blade.
A thunderous *boom* echoed through the ruins. With Perseus at the center, the ground instantly collapsed, cracking like a spiderweb into a massive crater. Standing in the pit, Perseus violently coughed up a mouthful of golden blood.
*What is with this damn strength? Why is it so terrifying?* It was like this in the first clash, and it was the same now. Moreover, his speed was eerie. Even as a dragon-slaying hero, Perseus was struggling to keep up.
"Dammit!" Perseus cursed, then decided to temporarily avoid the brunt of the assault. He decisively activated his [Authority], transforming into a streak of light to distance himself from Ren.
"O fathers of mine, radiance of the East, grant me strength!" Perseus's [Incantation] rang out. Having pulled away, he transformed into a sun, illuminating the dark surroundings.
Seeing it was the sun, Ren immediately laughed. Wasn't this like trying to show off sword skills in front of a master? Furthermore, Ren felt that the other's [Sun Authority] wasn't particularly impressive. With a thought, Ren slowly uttered a single word: "Disperse!"
The light on Perseus, who had just transformed into a sun, vanished instantly. This sudden change made Perseus unable to believe his eyes; he was completely stunned.
"This... how is this possible?" Perseus couldn't believe his [Authority] had no effect. Or rather, the opponent's [Authority] was superior to his own, which was the only reason his own would be suppressed.
Ren raised his Tang Dao and spoke slowly, "Do you know? The first god this blade killed was Apollo, and it was his main body. As a half-god, half-human, you want to show off [Sun Authority] in front of me? It's a complete joke."
Hearing the name Ren mentioned, Perseus's eyes widened. *Apollo?* No wonder... No matter how weak Apollo might be considered by some, he was still one of the twelve main gods. Although Perseus had the blood of Zeus, he couldn't possibly control the sun in front of someone who had slain Apollo.
"It's time to end this. Please return to myth. I need to go get dinner!" Ren's voice faded as his figure vanished. In the blink of an eye, he lunged in front of Perseus. This time, Perseus had no time to dodge.
The Tang Dao instantly pierced through his chest. Golden blood flowed out and was absorbed by the blade in Ren's hand. Perseus looked at Ren with a complex expression in his eyes. He had been truly unlucky to encounter such an opponent.
As Perseus thought this, his body slowly transformed into golden light and dissipated. Most of the light gathered and surged into Ren's body, while a small portion flew toward Utaha.
Seeing Ren successfully slay another god, Utaha's face broke into a joyful smile. *Being a carry-dog doesn't seem so bad after all. This feeling of being carried to victory is amazing!*