197 - The Unattainable God

Rygar activated his Demon Eyes as soon as he finished speaking. Immediately, everything around him began to slow down.

Every detail, every movement, every trace of mana in the air became sharp, revealing a world hidden to ordinary eyes. The silhouettes of the soldiers around him gathered by the hundreds, assuming new positions with speed and precision.

Some ran to encircle him, others took firing positions, and others spoke with their commanders seeking orders.

There was no one very close to Rygar anymore, only the charred remains of bodies and floating embers, illuminating the field with the red-orange glow of the flames left by his Hell Slash.

That strike had opened a circle of destruction around him, a ring of death that isolated him from his enemies for a few seconds, which was exactly what he needed.

The troop movements—mages, shooters, and elites—were being executed with astonishing coordination. They had prepared for this, for him.

This was truly worthy of being called a trap to bring down a warrior at the God level.

Rygar thought, for a moment, that even a monster like Gall Farion, or an expert swordswoman like Reida, would be caught by surprise and potentially killed.

But for him... it was different.

He had the Beast God Style Prediction, a sixth sense akin to future sight, which allowed him to detect any direct danger to his life.

He had the Golden Demon Eyes, which allowed him to see and understand any magical trap and observe his situation calmly, slowing his perception.

His Touki was among the most powerful in the world. And even without Touki, his body was naturally rock-hard and powerful like a magic monster.

Moreover, he possessed a Regeneration Magic that, up to that moment, he had not even needed to use since the beginning of his solo campaign against Milis.

Adding that to his absolute proficiency in the three most renowned martial styles, and his natural gift with all schools of offensive and healing magic, one could say that, among all living warriors, he was one of the few truly prepared to go through this 'ambush'—and emerge unscathed.

Against anyone else, this preparation could have been fatal. Against Rygar, it lacked lethality.

His eyes swept the field once more. He immediately identified the most dangerous ones.

The two generals. Leonor, the Flash Sword, and the King's Sword, Saint McEarntown. Both exuded a sharp presence.

Interestingly, McEarntown was the only one among the Ten Generals of Milis that the Iron Legion agreed needed to be kept alive.

Preferably captured. He would be very useful for what would come after the war.

The others who were supposed to be 'dangerous' were the warriors at the Saint level, but Rygar couldn't quite figure out how to distinguish them from the Advanced level.

They were faster, stronger, and more skilled than Advanced-level warriors, but one thing remained the same: the gap between Rygar and these warriors was immense.

They simply couldn't do much more than an Advanced warrior could against Rygar.

Even if any of them managed the miracle of landing a direct hit on him, they would hardly penetrate his Touki. Unless they aimed at vulnerable points, like the eyes—and even then, they would have to reach him first.

On the horizon, he saw small ballista being positioned. They were smaller, more agile. Rygar deduced that they might be magical armaments.

Still, he wouldn't rely solely on his resilience—he would stay alert.

But none of that mattered as much; there was still the most important thing: the three barriers.

The first was a Magic-Nullification Barrier, Emperor-level. It surrounded the entire area like a dome of translucent blue energy. Milis probably believed he couldn't break through it.

It was a reasonable assumption: Emperor-level mages were exceedingly rare. And there were no Emperor or God-level mages among their forces—only Kings. But they had performed a joint ritual, uniting dozens to create it.

Even so... they underestimated Rygar.

He could indeed destroy it. He just needed time to concentrate enough mana and amplify a simple spell to the God level.

A simple Fireball, elevated, would cause an apocalyptic explosion. A Barrier, if elevated, could become almost indestructible. A Stone Bullet... could become a Bullet of Extinction.

Of course, amplifying a spell was something that required concentration and focus.

The second Barrier was physical, also Emperor-level. Rygar assessed that he could destroy it with a single charge. But he wouldn't do that. Not yet. It would be better to keep the enemies confident and gathered.

The third was enigmatic. It seemed to emit a healing aura. Its effects appeared linked to certain armors among the enemy warriors.

It was King-level, and although it did not pose an immediate threat, its exact function was unknown.

All these thoughts and analyses were instantaneous, processed in fractions of a second by his mind amplified by naturally accelerated perception and the Golden Eyes.

The strategic advantage of the Milis knights evaporated before the absolute understanding of the Beast God.

At that moment, Rygar deactivated his eyes. A faint golden glow disappeared from his irises.

And then—he moved.

With a devastating surge, Rygar activated the Wild Dash, slicing across the field like an arrow, a blade among smoke and embers.

Tsukikage, his sword, was no longer aflame, but it still burned with fury in his right hand.

And then, he drew another sword with his left hand.

Nighthunter.

---

The combat was less intense than the Milis knights could have imagined.

At the same time that Rygar expected some level of resistance from his enemies, much of his opponents also believed they could at least pose a challenge.

Unfortunately, reality was cruel for the knights of the Sacred nation.

In the first confrontation, two Saint-level swordsmen attacked him simultaneously, one on each side, while seven Advanced warriors charged ahead, using varied styles and wielding weapons of all sizes.

All had expectations—they hoped at least to force him to exert himself and give their leaders an opportunity to kill him.

But a single strike was enough.

By combining the secret technique of the Water God Style, Instant Flow, with a North God Style technique that cut through multiple opponents at once, Rygar sliced them in half with a single fluid movement.

The entire vanguard that had been carefully organized to stop him was shredded.

And he did not stop.

Using the four unarmed combat styles masterfully, Rygar advanced through the horde of enemies with controlled intensity, like a storm of blades.

At one moment, he felt a slight premonition of danger from his flank.

He dodged easily—and in the next instant, McEarntown, the general, swung his heavy ivory sword exactly where Rygar had been a second before.

The attack failed. And like all the others before him, McEarntown suffered the counterstrike.

With a fluidity more reminiscent of water than flesh, Rygar slid his black blade, Tsukikage, under the general's armored arm, making a precise cut.

McEarntown staggered back feeling the deep cut, stunned. The expression on his face was disbelief—a look that Rygar knew well.

He had seen that same reaction on General The Hill. On the Sword God. On the Water God. And on all the high-level combatants he had ever faced.

It was the expression of someone who had devoted their entire life to combat, was hailed as a prodigy and hero... and suddenly realized that their strength meant absolutely nothing.

Rygar had once worn that same expression—when he faced Orsted.

He prepared to launch a follow-up attack. He couldn't kill the general, but he could certainly seriously injure him.

However, before he could act, a golden flash shone to his left. A blade made of pure light advanced at breakneck speed toward his neck.

Rygar recognized the technique instantly: Longsword of Light. A version as swift as Ghislaine's when he first met her, and also amplified by the mysterious luminous sword.

By a snap of instinct, Rygar canceled his attack and activated Savage Slash, exploding his touki and abruptly changing the rhythm of combat.

The luminous figure's sword was violently deflected, and a hum cut through the battlefield.

It was her. General Flash Sword.

The same look of disbelief as her companion was etched on the golden-haired woman's face when her technique was easily deflected.

Rygar had no time to pause—a ballista shot flew toward him, and other warriors surrounded him from behind.

It was a coordinated attack, well trained, probably rehearsed for months. But... it was not enough.

What followed was not so much a fight as an execution.

It seemed like not much had changed, Rygar looked no different than when he was fighting an ordinary army.

Rygar moved like lightning, alternating styles with absolute perfection. The two King-level warriors were the only ones able to pose any threat—but even they could not even touch the cloak of the Beast God.

With his Holy Beast Battle Aura, Rygar was untouchable. Not even Gall Farion landed many blows when he used that technique.

Soldiers threw themselves in front of him, sacrificing themselves to protect their commanders. They shouted curses. They fought with determination.

Flash Sword—Leonor—persisted. Her attacks were swift, fierce, charged with emotion, trying to hit Rygar at all costs.

She was an excellent warrior. But her eyes... her eyes were misty.

Rygar did not know whether the tears were for the soldiers sacrificing themselves for her or for finally understanding that, even with the best Longsword of Light she had ever executed, she could not touch him.

He was always one step ahead.

Moreover, while her soldiers and even she herself already showed signs of fatigue, the Beast God smiled fiercely without any sign of exhaustion.

Magical armors cracked. Swords shattered as they collided with his blue blade. And McEarntown, the general, visibly weakened, victim of Nighthunter's silent poison.

The General began to despair.

But even though the fight was easy, they were still hundreds. Rygar fought a war of attrition with them, but it was for a good reason.

And then, after ripping the head off a Saint warrior with his claws, Rygar finally sighed. He retrieved his black sword, still embedded in a soldier's leg, and leapt. In the air, he pointed a finger at the sky.

If anyone there had a Magic Eye, they would see: the colossal amount of mana gathered at the tip of his finger was... absurd.

He himself did not remember ever gathering so much magical energy in a single attack during a real battle. But here, on this field, it was possible.

Because here... it was easy.

Despite casting his enemies into the abyss of despair, Rygar was still holding back. If he wanted, he could have killed them already.

But he wanted to ensure that those on the outside could not escape, and for that, he needed to break those Barriers.

Elemental-level Magic began to form.

A simple Stone Bullet, spinning with absurd speed, so compact, dense, and energized that it looked like a small fragment of the sun in his hand.

Even Rygar was momentarily impressed by what he saw.

This was merely Elemental magic elevated to the God level. And if it were Advanced level? Or even King? What would it be like to use a God-level Hurricane?

But he knew that, unfortunately, against a truly dangerous enemy, he would never have time to prepare something like that.

Here, it was possible. Because it was easy.

Then, he unleashed it.

The Stone Bullet cut through the sky like a laser beam. It pierced Emperor-level Magic Barriers as if they were paper. One. Two. Three. Each one shattered in sequence. It did not stop there.

It rose. It broke clouds. It tore the firmament until it disappeared.

Silence.

Everyone stopped to watch. The sky, opened. The air, vibrating. The fragments of magic still sparkling in the air.

What did that mean? Had the Beast God just broken an Emperor-level Magic Containment Barrier?

Did that mean... the world now had one more living God-level mage?

It was such an absurd revelation that it was difficult to conceive.

It was Rygar's voice that broke the silence, amused:

"Oh? So impressed that you thought of surrendering?"

Leonor, the Flash Sword, snapped out of her stupor and attacked. Many followed. Others, however, hesitated. They exchanged glances... and fled.

Leonor shouted with a hateful expression:

"Foolish cowards!"

She charged with her blade of light, but Rygar was no longer having to concentrate to amplify a spell during combat, it was much easier now.

He calmly used the secret technique Counter-Flow Current.

Tsukikage slid along the blade of light and forcefully redirected it with breathtaking fluidity. Leonor lost control, spinning across the battlefield like a rag doll.

She bounced on the ground several times until colliding with the inner walls, destroying everything around and disappearing under the rubble.

More enemies stopped, seized by fear. And Rygar spoke, provocatively:

"How fragile your faith is... You surrendered only because things didn't go as you expected?"

He stepped forward. McEarntown still tried to stand, fighting the poison. But Rygar was already moving.

With the barriers destroyed, nothing else prevented him from killing everyone there.

And thus, the fierce battle gave way to the true hunt. The Beast God dashed off, and everyone else ran for their lives.

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