Chapter 209: Ch 209 : Thorn’s Fate

[Talent Name: Raging Engine][Grade: SS]

[Description: Every attack you deliver to an opponent has its power increased from the previous one. This effect stacks infinitely.]

This was the talent that Uranus has bought using his hard earned merit, a talent he thought of after looking at the talent of Immuno.

As this was perfect counter to the Immuno’s immunity.

As the thousands upon thousands of "weak" attacks Uranus had delivered, each one harming himself, had been a calculated investment.

He had been powering up his engine. Immuno, immune to the damage, had been completely unaware that the force behind each punch had been stacking exponentially.

The first punch was a pebble. The ten-thousandth was a mountain. The final punch had surpassed the limits of his immunity, breaking his "turtle shell" in a single, catastrophic blow.

Now, the real fight began. Immuno, no longer invincible, roared in a furious, pained cry.

His body also empowered by the stored energy from thousands upon thousands of attacks by Uranus, and his own counter-attack was now ready.

The battle descended into a brutal, primal brawl. For an entire day, the two demigods tore at each other, a clash of titans that shook the arena to its foundations.

In the end, they stood a few meters apart, heaving deep, ragged breaths. Their bodies were mangled, bruised, and bleeding, their divine energy utterly spent.

"Haah... haah... you truly are a best rival, it..." Uranus panted, a bloody grin on his handsome face. "It was... fun."

Immuno just laughed weakly, a wheezing sound, and then, in their exhausted state, both demigods collapsed, their bodies hitting the ground at the exact same time.

Adam looked at the two unconscious, battered demigods and sighed. "What a bunch of magnificent brutes."

He was about to declare the match a draw, but his gaze shifted to the edge of the arena.

A second, angelic figure, who had been watching the entire duel with a serene, worried expression, floated forward. It was Gaia.

She drifted over the two fallen warriors, and a gentle, warm light, the Aura of Life, poured from her hands. Their bruises faded, their bleeding stopped, and their broken bones began to knit back together.

Adam smiled. "Well," he announced to the universe, "since Demigod Gaia is still conscious, the winners of this round are Uranus and Gaia!"

A wave of protests erupted from the live chat, the fans of Immuno crying foul.

Lifeform3672: "NOOOO! It was a draw! A clear draw! Why is Uranus the winner?! This is rigged!"

Lifeform8484: "Technically, the team of ’Uranus and Gaia’ had one member still standing. It’s a valid win, just... an annoying one."

Lifeform8494: "BOOOO! I support a draw! Rematch! Rematch!"

But their protests slowly died down as the next match was announced. The battles continued, but none held the same earth-shattering drama as the clash between Nova and Mammon, or the brutal, tactical war between Uranus and Immuno.

The numbers dwindled, until finally, only two demigods remained.

The names flashed on the screen, and a hush of pure, confused anticipation fell over the multiverse.

Nexus vs. Mammon.

Lifeform2682: "I guess this is the end of the tournament. Congratulations, God Emperor. Nexus is unbeatable. He’ll just kick Mammon out like he did the others."

Lifeform8383: "You should wait a little. You might get a surprise. Mammon is not like the others."

And then, a new, unexpected person joined the chat, a message from a being of authority and power.

Nova: "It is going to be a legendary battle."

The chat exploded.

Lifeform84949: "WHAT?! A DEMIGOD?! GREETINGS, LADY NOVA! I AM YOUR BIGGEST FAN!"

In the arena, Nexus, the small black slime, quivered. "Brother Mammon, don’t expect me to go easy on you," his voice echoed, polite but firm. He held respect for his elder brother, but he would not lose.

"Hehe, you don’t need to," Mammon replied, his sinister, aristocratic form materializing on the opposite side of the arena. He raised a hand. "I just want to see... if I can overcome that little trick of yours."

He activated Talent Resonance. He wove all of his void and space-related talents together, creating a new, temporary power.

With a sharp gesture, he locked the space of the arena, superimposing his own will over Nexus’s.

Then, he exuded a sphere of pure, devouring void energy around himself, a bubble of reality where nothing but his own law could exist.

Nexus could no longer expel him. The arena was no longer just his territory.

’A clever trick,’ Sunny thought from his throne, a genuine, appreciative smile on his face.

He then shifted his gaze, looking through the perception of his God’s Domain, and saw a lifeform.

This lifeform with the aura of a demigod, was sitting by a quiet lakeside in Veridia, fishing. It was watching the match on a system panel. "Maybe in the next tournament, I will be fighting like them too," the lifeforms mused, before shaking his head.

"Nah. Your fate is not to fight, fool." He said as he popped a peanut into his mouth.

A shimmering, divine avatar of Sunny materialized next to this lifeform. The lifeform recognizing his God, immediately stood and knelt. "Greetings, my God," he said.

Sunny’s avatar gestured for him to rise. "I came this time to ask... what is your fate, Thorn?"


Thorn, the first apostle, the Miracle’s Hand, looked at his God, his eyes burning with the pure, unwavering conviction of his epiphany.

"My fate?" he said, his voice low, passionate and calm. "My fate is to show all lifeforms the way to live. To show them that coming under your protection, my God, is the greatest blessing one could ever ask for."

"Good," Sunny’s avatar replied, his voice calm, like a father guiding his son. "But where do you think these lost lifeforms are?"

Thorn, in his simple, profound faith, pointed to the sky, to the unknown. "In the Realm of Advancement, my God. Out there, in the chaos."

Sunny’s avatar simply shook his head, he said, "No... The lifeforms that are suffering are not there. The whole realm of advancement is already under my control"