Chapter 211: The Battle of the Gods

Chapter 211: The Battle of the Gods

Heavens fell, earth split, seas wept, and mountains wept.

It seemed as though the end of the world had arrived prematurely, with day and night reversed and the seasons in turmoil.

The sun, which had just emerged from the darkness, was instantly shrouded by thick, black clouds, casting the world into complete darkness. The sky and earth were blurred into a chaotic mass by the fierce winds and torrential rain.

Amidst the endless storm, the massive water cannons, manipulated by the malevolent god, rapidly formed. Luk, holding the sword of Return, stood atop the dragon's head, facing his opponent with utmost caution.

The goddess of creation and destruction had demonstrated her power to alter the very fabric of the world from the very beginning, and the pressure was immense.

But it wasn't impossible to win!

While the most advanced version of Luk among his current forms was the near-divine Luk, the Luk who had accumulated the knowledge and abilities of multiple worlds was far from ordinary. He had no weaknesses, no vulnerabilities, and a myriad of means at his disposal.

With the right buffs, it was not impossible to turn the tide and triumph!

The goddess's body radiated a brilliant light, her perfect form enveloped in a magnificent robe of crimson, black, and pure white. She raised her hand gently, and the earth shook violently. Abyssal fissures opened, and mountains crumbled and shattered.

The mountains of Barum defied gravity, lifted as though they were mere toys in her hand.

"Pain is the first lesson a child should learn."

Her voice was gentle and loving, with a mesmerizing charm. Without hesitation, she hurled the mountains, which blocked out the sky, towards Luk with immense force.

Amidst the storm, Luk watched the mountains bearing down on him. His arm flashed with myriad lights, and he swung his sword. A devastating blade of light, emanating from the blade of Return, sliced through the air.

Silently, the mountain was split in two, turning to ash in mid-air. The blade of light, capable of tearing through space, aimed directly at the goddess.

Ding—

A sharp sound echoed, and an invisible barrier appeared between them. The blade was deflected, slicing through the sky, but the goddess remained unscathed.

Luk's analysis activated, and the surface information of the barrier appeared in his eyes.

It was a barrier woven from countless protective spells, including the barrier magic of Baz, the undying sage. However, it was a rather ordinary type.

The overlapping of over a dozen worlds had pushed Luk's computational power to unprecedented heights. He was an expert in analysis magic, and with the help of Ditto's analytical abilities, his efficiency in breaking spells had increased a thousandfold.

However, the goddess's magic was terrifyingly complex, encompassing the accumulated knowledge of countless ages. It included not only the protective spells of this world but also many that Luk had never encountered or studied, from entirely new magical systems of previous worlds.

"How many times have you destroyed the world?"

Luk rushed to the goddess, activating his magic to dispel the barriers he could. In the moment of weakened defense, he concentrated all his strength and struck.

Crack—

After a moment of tension, the barrier shattered with a grating sound. The blade of Return, skilled in destruction, pierced through the barrier and stabbed towards the enemy, only to be caught by her delicate fingers, as gentle as a caress.

The goddess's smile remained unchanged. "Twice or three times, I suppose. I'm not as evil as you think. Generally, I don't interfere with the world; everything has its own path."

"That's not what I see."

The blade of Return suddenly disappeared and reappeared, stabbing the goddess. Caught off guard, a shallow red mark appeared on her flawless face.

"That's because of you. Your arrival has rekindled my interest in the world. Otherwise, it would have remained in a long-lasting peace and tranquility."

Her voice was soft, and she seemed unusually relaxed, as if this wasn't a battle at all.

"Because this world was meant to be a fairytale, where the demon king invades the land, and the hero saves the world, restoring peace. Your arrival changed that trajectory."

Luk sneered, intensifying his spiritual pressure. The blade of Return's destructive aura grew stronger, and a small wound appeared on the goddess's flawless face.

"Are you saying this is all my fault?"

"No, it's not a fault."

"The world is my garden. I can let the flowers grow as they please, or I can carefully prune them to see beautiful blooms. I can also destroy all the flowers and plant a new batch."

"Your birth is a blessing. You are far more important than those flowers that I've grown tired of."

The destructive force began to spread, but it progressed with great difficulty. A hint of pain caused the goddess to furrow her brows, but she wasn't angry. Instead, her smile became more sincere.

"Pain, I almost forgot what it feels like. Indeed, I cannot give up on you."

The goddess gently touched the insignificant wound, and it disappeared as her fingers left it.

Although the setting is one of destruction, strength determines everything. As they say in Bleach, a Shinigami’s battle is a battle of spiritual pressure.

He lifted his gaze to look at Luk, "You say it doesn’t concern you, but you’re still a bit unsettled. The appearance of those powers seems to have also greatly revived your humanity."

Three powerful magic spears appeared, the spell known as the "Three Spears of the Goddess," wielded by the deity herself, attacked Luk with a speed that was almost impossible to react to.

Just a second before the attack hit, space transformed into an endless barrier, stretching the distance between the magic spears and Luk’s body, an inch at a time, as if it would never end.

In that brief moment, Luk withdrew, evading the attack. The spears’ speed returned to normal, crashing into the ground. The earth let out a mournful wail as it was easily pierced and torn apart, triggering a continent-wide earthquake.

Luk’s brow furrowed. Before he could assess the extent of the damage and casualties, he looked up to see the goddess’s golden, divine eyes, and her pronouncement.

"Since you refuse to be a god, then drown in human desires."

Without much time to react, Luk activated his boundless defense, which spontaneously enveloped his entire body.

...

Luk’s vision blurred, and he found himself sitting in a lavishly decorated restaurant.

A crystal chandelier spanned the four-story atrium, its clear and sparkling droplets hanging down to the hall, the warm lighting casting a cozy glow over the environment. Neatly dressed waiters stood on either side.

In his right hand, he held a pair of chopsticks, his mouth already full of food, as if he had just started chewing.

A variety of delicacies were served on exquisite platters: roasted meats with a golden crust and accompanying sauces, fresh fish bubbling in a rich broth, and crisp fruits cleaned and ready to eat, their glistening flesh emitting a sweet and rich aroma.

Each dish was steaming hot, with a perfect blend of color, aroma, and flavor, filling the entire hall with a mouthwatering scent.

A maddening hunger surged within him, and Luk suddenly felt his stomach empty, as if he were back to the point of desperate hunger from birth.

His appetite and survival instinct exploded, urging him to eat.

Luk gritted his teeth, resisting the waves of pain in his abdomen.

He dropped the chopsticks, spat out the food, and clamped his mouth shut.

This was undoubtedly the goddess’s illusion. Although he could see no flaw in it, one thing was clear: the more your enemy wants you to do something, the less you should do it.

Luk felt his body shrink from hunger, but his strong will kept him steadfast, firmly refusing the steaming hot delicacies.

"Eat a little, didn’t Lainis starve you? This is your compensation."

"Eat a little, just a little..."

The goddess’s voice came from all directions, and Luk, who had been enduring, began to wonder if this was just an illusion.

The hunger continued to surge, trying to break Luk’s will, but even as his body became nothing but skin and bones, he did not touch the food.

After a long time, the scene before him dissolved into smoke, and the hunger and pain vanished.

Luk, his face grim, touched his stomach, trying to break the illusion. He tried for a moment but could not sense any energy within him.

The scene blurred again, and this time, Luk found himself in a library.

Luk was sitting at a desk, holding a magic tome that looked quite sophisticated, already halfway through it.

Luk tried to put down the book, but the magic tome seemed to stick to his hand, impossible to shake off.

He stood up, and the endless rows of bookshelves stretched out of sight, countless volumes opening before him. As he focused on them, the knowledge within them flowed into his mind without needing to turn a page.

The efficiency of this reading was terrifying, and Luk quickly closed his eyes, his brow furrowed.

If the last illusion was about appetite, this one was about the thirst for knowledge, and it seemed his ability to resist was weakening.

Last time, he could spit out the food, but this time, the magic tome was stuck to his hand, and the knowledge chased after him.

"Isn’t magic your favorite, the pursuit of knowledge? I can give you all of this, share everything with you if you just accept it."

The goddess’s gentle voice carried a mesmerizing power.

"The knowledge of the gods, the wisdom of creation, the treasures of time and civilization, everything is here."

"Without effort, the knowledge will flow into your mind as soon as you open your eyes."

Luk ignored the seductive voice, keeping his eyes tightly shut, suppressing his curiosity and desire to explore, blurring his senses.

The voices gradually faded, but Luk did not open his eyes.

No matter what temptation comes next, as long as I don’t listen or look, I will remain unaffected and free from thoughts.

He rapidly processed his thoughts, trying to find a way to save himself using the knowledge he had.

From what he knew, most illusionary magic was relatively crude, as the foundation of magic was imagination, and imagination was a very complex thing, especially when it came to creating a continuous and unbroken scene.

On the contrary, the illusionary magic of demons and monsters didn't rely on imagining the environment but on invading the mind, using the victim's memories to weave the-illusion. The once legendary Grasam, the Seventh Collapse Sage, used a similar method.

The goddess's illusion was undoubtedly more real and terrifying, not only in the authenticity of the environment but also in the way it drew out the inner desires of the victim, accompanied by seductive whispers. However, as long as he maintained his sense of self, he should be fine. It was almost like a test.

Suddenly, he heard a gentle rippling sound, and he felt his body relax, warm spring water enveloping him, washing away his fatigue.

He frowned, hesitating whether to open his eyes, when he suddenly felt a pair of hands gripping his wrists, followed by something wrapping around his waist.

The sensation from below made Luk's body stiffen. He clenched his fists tightly and opened his eyes abruptly.

"Trel—"

He found himself lying in a hot spring from a distant memory, surrounded by thick mist. The towel he had been wearing was now lying aside.

It wasn't a familiar face from his memory but a beauty so stunning it could take one's breath away.

The goddess's hands pinned his wrists to the edge of the wall, her long legs wrapped around his waist, and she smiled at him.

Luk's face turned ashen. He slowly lowered his head and, through the obstruction, saw an embarrassing scene. The object, now described as brutal and crude due to the shared golden finger, was already halfway inside.

"This is the taste of betrayal."

The goddess nuzzled his cheek, her voice soft. "Indulge."

"It's just an illusion; it can't affect me."

Luk closed his eyes, refusing to dwell on its reality, and began to struggle violently. However, the goddess's grip was terrifyingly strong, causing the bricks of the wall to crack, yet she didn’t loosen her hold.

In response to his resistance, the goddess simply smiled and lowered her body, making Luk feel as if he were being entirely consumed. The pleasurable sensations were so overwhelming that they paralyzed his entire body.

Objectively speaking, the goddess's body was on an entirely different level from that of ordinary humans. The perfect compatibility between deities meant that the experience was intensely pleasurable, reaching the peak without any need for restraint or cooperation.

The pleasure, capable of melting the mind, relentlessly attacked his reason. Luk struggled to remain calm, biting down on his tongue with his teeth, feeling the instinctual reactions building in his body. He resolved to bite down hard.

A muffled groan echoed.

Intense pain mixed with the blood flowing into his mouth filled his senses. Sweat dripped from Luk's forehead as he spat out the severed piece of his tongue, the blood turning the surrounding area red, and the metallic smell of blood hit his face.

Faced with such a gruesome scene, the goddess—whether an illusion or a real being—seemed to lose her interest, stopping her actions. She stared at him for a few seconds before releasing his wrists and stepping back.

The scene around him dissipated, and the pain faded.

Luk's face was slightly pale as he regained consciousness from the pain.

He opened his eyes, and in the real world, only an instant had passed. Yet, powerful magic with overwhelming fluctuations was already raining down on him from all directions.

While "no limits" could stretch space, there were still limits to how much it could be stretched. The goddess's magic clearly exceeded this boundary, and the brief delay caused by his resistance was enough to shatter it completely.

Luk's body was thrown back by the terrifying impact, and a cloud of dust enveloped the entire battlefield.

The goddess's smile faded, and she watched calmly as Luk emerged from the dust, his eyes spinning with tomoe, completely unharmed.

"As long as you're willing, a place by my side can be yours."

Luk, having reset his body using the Mangekyou Sharingan, chose to answer with action. He prepared a massive water cannon, aiming it at the goddess from the sky, showing no intention of stopping the fight.

The goddess's smile vanished completely.

"I thought I had been lenient enough with you."

The goddess extended her right hand, and the earth obeyed the commands of the creator goddess, splitting apart. A corner of the continent transformed into a towering giant, its height indiscernible, and a flood of water rose, forming a water elemental giant of the same size.

At the same time, Luk sensed a controlling force vying for dominion over the concept of "water."

Truly, the goddess, who knew all, likely had control over all elements in the world.

Seeing that he was about to lose control of his attack, Luk calmly placed his index and middle fingers together.

"Domain Expansion—Heaven's Curse."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end