Undoubtedly, the figure standing above the firmament was Shinji.
This time he did not retreat, engaging in an earth-shattering battle with the Hegemon within the spatial barrier of World No. 5!
Because of the Hegemon's special ability, he could not fight while maintaining a state of thinking. Thus, this battle was exceptionally bloody and cruel; he held almost nothing back, unleashing his full combat power.
Consequently, the two sides fought for nearly three days and two nights.
Even with the surging chakra Shinji gained from consuming three 'Chakra Fruits', it was difficult to maintain such high-intensity combat for so long. Therefore, after fighting for only half a day, he was forced to exit the 'Kamimusubi' transformation state.
While in the 'Kamimusubi' state, Shinji was practically crushing the insect swarm in a one-sided manner.
However, his jutsu struggled to inflict fatal damage on the swarm. Whether it was Fire Release, Lightning Release, or even the 'Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion' condensed from nine 'Truth-Seeking Balls', nothing could completely tear the swarm apart. So, in the end, he directly employed the 'Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion', which possessed greater offensive power, using the dazzling golden sword to counter the swarm.
In this phase, Shinji directly annihilated one-third of the swarm.
However, the scale of the swarm was simply too massive. Even though Shinji killed countless flying insects with the 'Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion', the swarm still blotted out the sun!
Subsequently, due to severe chakra consumption, Shinji had to exit the 'Kamimusubi' transformation state.
In this phase, the battle shifted from Shinji's one-sided domination to a stalemate.
Shinji could still exterminate the swarm with the 'Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion', but the swarm gained the power to resist, constantly causing trouble for him.
Fortunately, Shinji had brute-forced the swarm's strongest ability using genjutsu, so both sides were forced into a war of attrition.
This phase lasted for about two days and one night.
The Sky Dome Mountain Range was affected during this phase of the battle. Under the shockwaves of the fierce fight between Shinji and the Hegemon, large swathes of it were leveled.
The mages and bounty hunters of World No. 5 noticed the anomalies in the Sky Dome Mountain Range during this phase and ventured into the mountains to investigate.
The result goes without saying.
Before these adventurers could even get close to the battlefield, they were hit by the shockwaves of the battle between Shinji and the Hegemon. Many people were inexplicably wiped out along with the mountains, vanishing into ash and smoke.
Of course, there were also some cautious or timid ones who did not rashly venture deep into the mountains but climbed the peaks on the edge to watch from afar.
However, they did not realize that facing a Hegemon, even watching from a distance would subject them to immense pollution and impact. Therefore, their incoherent and insane state upon returning to Giant Rock City was not solely because they were greatly shocked, but also because they had been polluted by the Hegemon.
By the latter half of the battle, which was when the three major Mage Groups—Black Domain, Temple, and Fire God—entered the Sky Dome Mountain Range to investigate, the situation turned back into a one-sided crush by Shinji.
As the manifestation of the Hegemon's power, the insect swarm had lost seventy to eighty percent of its forces after the previous intense battle. Coupled with the fact that its ability to bewitch and control minds had been cracked by Shinji's genjutsu, once the number of insects was reduced to a certain level, the balance was broken, and the swarm could no longer pose a substantial threat to Shinji.
This led to the scene witnessed by the Black Domain Mage Group.
The sky-filling swarm was bound around Shinji by 'Bansho Ten'in' (Universal Pull) and then slowly, methodically burned by the 'Amaterasu' black flames. At a glance, it looked as if the entire sky was burning!
The reason the mages of the Black Domain Mage Group on the airship did not suffer mental collapse like the previous adventurers was that the swarm had been completely suppressed by Shinji. Whether it was the pollution carried by the swarm itself or its mind-bending abilities, they were all bound by Shinji's 'Bansho Ten'in', unable to escape the range of Shinji's control.
Shinji naturally noticed the approaching airship as well.
With just a wave of his hand, a massive repulsive force suddenly appeared, sending the airship flipping far away, distancing it from the ruined mountain range.
Although Shinji now held the absolute advantage, he didn't want any accidents to happen because of the natives of World No. 5. After all, he wasn't sure if the swarm had any other abilities, so he simply repelled the approaching airship.
On the Airship.
After a dizzying spin, when they came to their senses, the mages of the Black Domain Mage Group found that they had actually returned to the periphery of the Sky Dome Mountain Range.
They marveled at the power of the "God." At that time, many people were on the deck of the airship. Under normal circumstances, such a spin would have thrown everyone on the deck off the airship, yet every single one of them was unharmed.
"God, it really is a God!"
"The Sky Dome Mountain Range really is the dwelling of Gods..."
"Heavens, we saw a God with our own eyes!"
A fanatical atmosphere enveloped the entire airship.
Even the Vice Commander, who was over fifty years old and knowledgeable, was emotionally overwhelmed at this moment, his face covered in tears, unable to control himself!
Although they only watched from afar, they saw a shocking scene: the mountain range that was almost leveled, the burning sky, and the noble figure standing above the firmament!
At this moment, they couldn't distinguish what exactly happened in the mountains, but there was one thing they were absolutely certain of now: they had encountered a God!
Obviously, not only the Black Domain Mage Group, but the Temple Mage Group and the Fire God Mage Group exploring from other directions also saw the astonishing scene deep in the mountains and, like the Black Domain Mage Group, were sent out of the mountains by a wave of Shinji's sleeve.
Therefore, within half a day, the news of the deity's manifestation spread from Giant Rock City.
The major kingdoms and factions nearby were all shocked by this news. They put down their affairs one after another and sent their most powerful and capable personnel rushing towards Giant Rock City.
The Mage Groups who had seen Shinji's true face began to compile their own sacred texts. In these texts, they recorded what they saw and heard in the Sky Dome Mountain Range, describing Shinji, who stood above the firmament, with the highest praise.
Since the accounts of the Black Domain, Temple, and Fire God Mage Groups were almost identical, these three major Mage Groups united under the name 'Sky Dome' to form the Sky Dome Order, worshipping Shinji as the Order's deity without his knowledge!
If World No. 5 had a future, then the Sky Dome Order and the sacred texts they compiled would become the most direct evidence of the existence of gods in World No. 5, and the Sky Dome Order would undoubtedly become the strongest faction in the entire world.
Because in a low-magic world, a deity represents supreme authority, the unity of power and will. Faith in the deity is the only way out for all living beings...