The grotesquely swollen tiger claw came crashing down, smashing Petos, who had still been mouthing off, into pulp.
"Gardos, what are you trying to do? Now that you've become the Beast God, are you planning to burn the bridge after crossing it?"
"Ha. Me, burn the bridge? I heard every word you said to her just now. Besides..."
With a savage grin, Gardos, whose body was still continuing to swell, brought his paw down again and crushed Petos to death once more.
"With this power, why would I still need to cooperate with the Cult of Diablos!"
Feeling the overwhelming power surging through him, power already enough to destroy an island and still climbing, Gardos spoke with utter arrogance.
"I'll warn you once. Since we can create you, we can destroy you too. Stop attacking now, and we can still continue cooperating. Do you really think the Cult of Diablos would make the same mistake we made a thousand years ago?"
"I'm very grateful to the Cult of Diablos for placing this power in my hands, but unfortunately for you, you understand nothing about it."
Like a cat toying with a mouse, Gardos kept smashing Petos to death with his beast claws, while Petos could only rely on his immortality to dodge frantically.
"Quite the show, but I'm not in the mood to watch."
Putting away the camera in her hand, Zeta flashed forward and thrust straight into Petos' path of escape, blowing away half his body in a single strike.
"I don't care what you plan to do with that power, but that assumes you stay out of my way."
Sensing the attack that came right after Petos, Zeta spun around, and the Golden Wheel in her hand collided with a beast claw. The shockwave from the clash, mixed with Magical Power, completely blasted open the ceiling of the underground space.
When the exchange ended, Zeta was sent flying by Gardos' attack. She rolled several times to bleed off the force before finally steadying herself.
Gardos looked much better by comparison, though even his huge, bloated body was pushed back several meters.
"What tremendous power, Zeta. I admire you. If you're willing to become my subordinate and help me rule this world, I can overlook your earlier offense. Once I conquer the world, I can even give the Golden Leopard Clan's faith to you."
Looking at the wound on his beast claw, Gardos was surprised by Zeta's strength and began to entertain the idea of recruiting her.
"What a joke. Rule the world? What makes you think you can?"
"Because this power I possess now is in no way inferior to anyone's. No, this is the strongest power in the world. Submitting to me would be nothing to be ashamed of."
"Pfft. Hahaha..."
Hearing that, Zeta could not help bursting into laughter, even while facing Gardos head-on.
She seriously suspected Gardos had spent too long around the people of the Cult of Diablos if he honestly thought this little bit of strength was enough to rule the world.
Here was the funny part. The five greatest powers in the world were all extraordinarily mysterious, and almost never showed themselves or acted openly.
Because of that, the two strongest factions in the underworld of World No. 3, the Cult of Diablos and Shadow Garden, had completely different understandings of what the world's top-tier fighters were actually like.
There was no need to mention Shadow Garden. Their leader was one of the world's absolute strongest, so of course they praised Shadow without reservation.
The Cult of Diablos, on the other hand, was far more interesting. They believed Shadow's power was about equal to that of the Demon King Diablos from thousands of years ago, the one who had nearly destroyed the world. In other words, they thought Diablos ranked among the top five in the world.
Based on the errors in those intelligence-based calculations, the Cult of Diablos concluded that Shadow was stronger than a Transcender, but that a top fifteen fighter, if willing to go all out, could still injure him.
They even believed that with enough skill, the right preparation, and a well-placed strike at a weak point, someone in the world's top fifteen might not be unable to defeat someone in the top five.
In truth, all the major top-tier factions had polished up their records a little to keep their pride from taking a hit when it came to their clashes with the world's five strongest powers. And that embellishment included, but certainly wasn't limited to, the following...
Great Red battled an Evil Dragon from another world and caused massive damage to the world. To prevent further destruction, the experts of the major factions proactively negotiated with Great Red and opened up a world battlefield.
Shadow attacked the Three Worlds alliance conference and was driven back after fighting the experts of the major factions. After that battle, the three worlds recognized the importance of cooperation and signed a treaty.
The despicable Lord of Netheril won dishonorably by launching a sneak attack and killing the First Primogenitor before he could summon his Beast Vassal. Fortunately, the First Primogenitor had prepared in advance and used a resurrection-type Beast Vassal.
The Infinite Dragon God revived the legendary Evil Dragon to destroy the world, but fearing the major factions and worrying that he would be sealed deep within the world, he only dared to hide in the shadows and send Evil Dragons to plunder the wealth of the major factions to strengthen his foundation.
As for the God of the Bible... he was already dead, so there was no record to embellish.
Because of all that polishing, this was not just something the Cult of Diablos believed. Most people in the world believed it too.
Although Zeta was an extreme Shadow devotee and had always believed that even if the other four strongest in the world joined forces, her master could still beat them all with one hand, she still acknowledged the strength of those other four.
But Gardos in front of her... pfft. All Zeta could say was that he had gotten completely carried away.
Seemingly enraged by Zeta's laughter, Gardos swung another claw. The claw, several meters tall, slammed down with immense force, causing the already crumbling structure to begin collapsing on a massive scale.
For all her mockery, Zeta was still wary of Gardos, so she dodged the attack the instant it came.
"Just this much power?"
With open mockery on her face, Zeta kept blasting Petos, who was trying to pull something, while throwing the question back at Gardos.
"You don't actually think that last hit was my full strength, do you? I'll show you my real power."
After being taunted again and again, Gardos finally snapped. With a furious roar, his aura surged once more as violent Magical Power erupted from his body. A massive pillar of Magical Power shot straight into the sky, while black Magical Power spiraled outward and spread across the heavens above Itogami Island's surrounding seas.
No matter where anyone stood on Itogami Island, the moment they looked up, they would see that black pillar piercing heaven and earth, and a sky that looked like a gaping black hole.
"Do you see it? This is the power of the Beast God. Once I completely master this power, Gods, enemies from other worlds, all of them will be nothing but trash. This world is destined to be conquered by me.
"Your master, Shadow, will be no exception. Zeta, I'm giving you one last chance. Submit to me."
Looking at Gardos in front of her, Zeta stopped mocking him. Instead, her expression turned grave as she raised the Golden Wheel and carefully guarded against his next attack.
Feeling the crushing pressure weighing on her, there was no doubt about it. Using the Fourth Primogenitor as the core, Gardos had successfully absorbed the Beast God's thousand years of faith and truly stepped into the realm of the world's top fifteen.
To be honest, under normal circumstances, when it came to a powerhouse on this level, Zeta's policy had always been simple. Avoid them if possible, run if necessary.
But after glancing at Petos, who was secretly doing something in the back, Zeta narrowed her eyes. Gardos had been blinded by his new power and paid no attention to what Petos had said, but she had been listening. If she left now, it would be the same as handing the Cult of Diablos a Transcender-level fighter.
If she wanted to stop that from happening without interfering with her master's infiltration plan, there was only one way...
Letting out a slow breath, Zeta lowered her hands and looked at Gardos.
"Show me."
"Hm?"
"Let me see your strength. A weakling cannot become my king."
"Hahahaha, good, Zeta. Then I'll show you my strength."
Laughing loudly, Gardos roared again, and the Magical Power flaring from his body rose to another level.
The next second, the pillar of Magical Power that connected heaven and earth spread open like an umbrella, and everything caught beneath its expanding canopy was crushed apart by the beam.
As the Magical Power lingering in the air gathered together and the umbrella fully opened, a pitch-black spherical mass appeared high above Itogami Island. Ripples of Magical Power flickered across its surface from time to time, and the Magical Power inside had grown so dense it had condensed into liquid, making it look almost like a giant orb of water.
Idiot. And with this, you still dare tell me to submit? Power without wisdom will only get you killed without even knowing how you died. Unlike my master, who possesses not only the greatest power in the world, but also the greatest mind. As expected, my master is the one true God who should rule the world.
Silently staring at Gardos, whose massive body had already burst through the confines of the building, Zeta gave her judgment of him.
That single attack held enough power to wipe out the entire island along with everyone on it. Doing something like that was no different from declaring war.
Anyone reckless enough to start a war at a time like this, no matter who they were, would be jointly exterminated by all the major factions within minutes unless they possessed the power to destroy the world single-handedly.
Everyone feared the same thing. That when a top-tier powerhouse watched their own faction be destroyed, they might decide to take the enemy down with them and defect to the other side on the World Battlefield.
And once this island is destroyed, once the powerful figures of the major factions realize that this newly risen Transcender has no intention of coexisting peacefully with them, Gardos can look forward to being beaten to death by a mob.
As Gardos' frenzied voice rang out, the sphere in the sky, filled with terrifying Magical Power and carrying enough force to destroy the heavens and the earth, began to descend. The immense Magical Power pouring off it constantly tore open spatial rifts as it fell, only for the world itself to repair them just as quickly.
Attacks kept rising from the ground in an attempt to stop the magic sphere, but the moment they touched it, they scattered. Worse, the dispersed Magical Power was drawn in by the sphere's momentum and adhered to its surface instead.
Several dark shapes also appeared in the seas around Itogami Island. Angels, Vampires, descendants of the gods... anyone on Itogami Island who had the ability to escape the sphere's blast radius had already begun preparing to flee.
The magic sphere had already reached the roof of the tallest building on Itogami Island.
There was no explosion, and no falling debris from shattered walls either. Anything that touched the sphere was simply crushed out of existence in an instant.
"Wow, this attack is a little too strong. Looks like I really can't block it by myself."
Standing on the rooftop and looking up at the strike falling from the sky, Giada compared it against the abilities of her Beast Vassals. She had Beast Vassals that could clash head-on with a Magic Bullet, but none that could defend against this attack. With a sigh and a shrug, she gave up on the idea of protecting the building.
"The Fourth Primogenitor is still useful to me. I'm taking it back before the people from the other factions arrive. If you want to stop me, then do it now. I can accept fighting two at once."
Calling out to Aži Dahāka beside her, Giada released a purple aura as all twenty-seven of her Beast Vassals stood ready to move.
"Fine. A good chance to stretch a little while I observe."
"I'm enough on my own. Working with that useless Beastman would be a disgrace."
"Let the other worlds witness the might of the Evil Dragon."
Several Magic Circles lit up around him, and bloodthirsty smiles spread across the faces of Aži Dahāka's three heads.
...
Darkness drew closer and closer to Itogami Island. Under the magic sphere's influence, the sea around the island began to surge backward, and an abyss started to form in the ocean.
Looking up at the sky, at that scene that resembled a gaping maw swallowing the world whole, Gardos' eyes filled with madness as reason was gradually overwhelmed by beastly instinct.
"Hahahaha, this is the power of the Beast God. A power beyond the Dragon God, beyond other worlds, beyond Shadow. A power enough for me to conquer other worlds."
"Is that so?"
The sky was still cloaked in darkness, but in a fleeting instant, a bluish-violet flash appeared within it from nowhere.
In the very next moment, that bluish-violet flash swallowed the darkness whole.
"Doesn't look like much to me."
The voice, from nowhere in particular, continued speaking. As the words fell, the bluish-violet light that had devoured the darkness burst apart in the sky, and the aftershock of that Magical Power swept across the entirety of Itogami Island in an instant.
The darkness mixed with bluish-violet Magical Power and dispersed, but the force of the explosion remained. The sonic booms created by its friction with the air echoed across the entire island.
"Wings that are half insect and half swan, octopus tentacles for a lower body covered in all kinds of animal fur, hands that are neither tiger nor bear nor human, and a Beastman head with fish gills on both cheeks..."
A man in a black coat descended from the gaping hole blasted open above, his back turned to the twilight. Looking at the enormous Gardos, he spoke in an almost impressed tone.
"To think there's actually a creature like you in this world, something that can only be described as unlike anything at all. The world really is full of wonders."
"Shadow!!! How dare you insult the Beast God! Atone for your crime of insulting the Beast God!"
The moment he heard Cid's voice, veins bulged across Gardos' forehead. He looked as though he had gone berserk as the tentacles beneath him lashed violently toward Cid.
"If simply stating what I see counts as insulting you, then the only reason you exist is to insult yourself."
Cid ignored Gardos' attack entirely. He only gave Gardos a glance before turning and walking toward Zeta, who was kneeling on one knee. Several tentacles automatically extended from his black coat, swatting the attack aside, piercing straight through Gardos' heart, then gathering Magical Power and detonating Gardos' body from within.
By then, Cid had already reached Zeta and stood quietly in front of her.
"You caused this?"
"Mm."
After answering, Zeta lowered her head and kept it there. Cid also seemed to fall into thought, one hand resting against his chin.
"Clang!"
Bluish-violet Magical Power lashed out in an instant and blocked the sneak attack coming from behind.
"Hmm..."
Turning his head toward Gardos, who had already regenerated from a pile of minced flesh and now had blood-red eyes, Cid shrugged.
"Looks like this conversation will have to wait. Zeta, go handle your own business first."
Watching Cid walk toward Gardos, Zeta pressed her lips together, then turned to look at Petos and Sayaka Kirasaka's group, who were trying to quietly slip away nearby.