The moment Ren Isana finished speaking, the Ex-Machina retreated rapidly, clearing the core of the battlefield. As they withdrew, the pitch-black [God's Strike] in the sky came crashing down.
Ren Isana released his [Holy Spear] first to meet it, followed immediately by [Kũkuu Dai-Zero Kago〘Void 0th Protection], [Marrow Blast], and other attacks. Countless pillars of light collided, and the sheer power erupting in that instant tore the very fabric of space apart.
A massive spatial turbulence formed at the epicenter of the explosion. A terrifying storm rippled outward in all directions; the Dwarf warships closest to the center were blown away like leaves in the wind by the aftershocks.
The world witnessed an apocalyptic scene. The sky and earth lost their color as the [God's Strike] unleashed by the Fl6gel was finally halted by the combined efforts of the allied forces—though the cost was nothing short of tragic.
Only half of the Dwarf fleet remained. An entire continent had been hammered into the sea; the land that once stood there had vanished completely, replaced by a bottomless, yawning abyss.
Up in the sky, the Fl6gel had shrunk into loli forms because of that single [God's Strike]. The saying *Under [God's Strike], lolis everywhere* was definitely no joke.
Having exhausted their power, they began to fall from the sky like dropped dumplings. Though the other races had blocked the attack, they weren't in much better shape. Ren Isana was glad he had ordered the Ex-Machina to retreat beforehand.
His eyes lit up as he looked at the completed magic formulas. Without hesitation, he activated [Jianjigu] to read them, while simultaneously issuing a command to the Ex-Machina: "Capture all those Fl6gel!"
The Fl6gel were now lambs to the slaughter. The moment Ren Isana's order was given, the Ex-Machina who had evacuated the zone moved back in, weaving through the wreckage to seize the Fl6gel according to his instructions.
"My part of the mission is done. The rest is up to you!" Riku's voice rang out. Having pushed the battle this far, his work was finished. The coming confrontation with the God of War was something only Ren Isana could handle.
Hearing Riku, Ren Isana glanced toward Avant Heim and remarked, "You say that, but you definitely have other plans, don't you? If I fail, your backup plan will kick in."
Ren Isana didn't believe for a second that Riku would place all his hopes on him alone. There had to be other arrangements. Riku simply smiled and remained silent; he naturally had other plans, though there was no need to state it aloud.
The Fl6gel struggled wildly as they were caught by the Ex-Machina. They never imagined these people could actually block their ultimate trump card. They were in serious trouble now.
"Let go of me, you damned scrap metal!!" The captive Fl6gel began shouting curses. Though their power was gone, their mouths still worked just fine. They unleashed every insult and profanity in their vocabulary.
Some Fl6gel even tried to bite the Ex-Machina. It was a comical sight. Biting scrap metal? *They really are stubborn to the end; their mouths are the only things still hard.*
Ren Isana ignored the Fl6gel and focused his gaze on Avant Heim. He felt the surge of his current power. Perhaps... he could try it now. He also had the [Star Breaker] that the Ex-Machina had completed!
This version of [Star Breaker] had been derived around Ren Isana's [Holy Spear], making it vastly stronger than the one in the original story. It didn't just contain the trump cards of other races; it even incorporated the [Heaven's Strike] from just now!
Ren Isana fully absorbed the knowledge, yet his strength failed to break through to Tier 10. Instead, he felt stuck. This puzzled him greatly; his Excelia was clearly sufficient, yet the breakthrough wouldn't happen!!
*Is it because I'm too far ahead of the current world version? Since the world hasn't 'updated' yet, I'm stuck here?* In cultivation terms, he was at the peak of Tier 9, though the power he could actually unleash was far more terrifying.
After a moment of thought, Ren Isana's figure vanished. Since things had come to this, he would charge the God of War. Perhaps he could find the path to his future through Artosh?
Ren Isana appeared above Avant Heim without warning. His gaze pierced through layers of obstacles, finally landing on a massive figure. It was a robust young man whose face remained blurry and indistinct.
The figure had nine pairs of enormous wings behind his back. Just by standing there, he exuded an aura of absolute terror. As Ren Isana watched him, the other was also watching Ren.
Clearly, he had noticed Ren Isana. Seeing this, Ren simply used [Spatial Teleportation] and appeared directly in front of the God of War.
Compared to the God of War, Ren Isana looked like a dwarf. His 185 cm height wasn't short, but next to Artosh, he felt like a child. Ren didn't let that bother him, though.
While Ren Isana sized up Artosh, the God of War did the same. Neither spoke; they just stood in silence, staring at one another. At that moment, Ren's innate talent was already active.
Ren Isana began learning certain traits from Artosh through [Jianjigu]. Sensing something, Artosh spoke slowly, "You are very special. Similar to me, yet you are much freer."
Hearing these sudden words, Ren Isana was momentarily stunned. What did he mean by being freer? He looked up to meet Artosh's eyes, and the god seemed to perceive his confusion.
"You feel lost regarding the path ahead, don't you? I was once the same. After reaching a certain level of strength, the future became filled with uncertainty. That is why I created the Fl6gel—to seek help from the world. But I ended up being restricted!" Artosh said somewhat cryptically.
As his voice trailed off, Artosh's aura became increasingly terrifying. He watched Ren Isana with approval and added, "But you are different. You still have a chance. If possible, it is best not to be restricted by certain things."
Ren Isana fell silent upon hearing this. He looked at Artosh and asked slowly, "Are you saying that if I want to keep breaking through, I will be restricted? Or rather, that I haven't found my own path yet?"
He understood the god's meaning to some extent. His strength had indeed hit a bottleneck, and he was at a total loss as to how to proceed.
"It is good that you understand. In the future, you should consider things carefully before you attempt to break through. But for now, let us begin!" As the God of War finished speaking, his aura reached its zenith.
His figure vanished instantly. When he reappeared, he was right in front of Ren Isana. In the next moment, Ren felt as though he had been struck by something unimaginably heavy, and his body was sent flying.
He was launched like a meteor by the God of War's strike. Intense pain instantly flooded his body, but it vanished in the blink of an eye as it was healed. Ren Isana's unparalleled recovery ability was working at its full potential.
The pain was only momentary, and he recovered quickly. Adjusting himself, he realized what had happened—he had been punched by the God of War and sent straight out of the atmosphere.
Seeing the planet below growing distant, Ren Isana immediately held his breath. The [Noble Phantasm] he wore shifted, enveloping his entire body. This was his first time being knocked into outer space.
Although he had never been out here before, with his current strength, operating in space shouldn't be a problem. Still, he needed to take precautions just in case.
By the time Ren Isana had composed himself, the God of War had also charged out. The battlefield shifted from the planet's interior to the void of space; otherwise, the planet really wouldn't have survived the God of War's rampaging.
Ren Isana watched the approaching Artosh, a fierce light flashing in his pupils. The next moment, his blood began to boil as a massive Magic Circle formed instantly.
"[God's Strike]!" This was the very same [God's Strike] Ren had just learned from the Fl6gel. Artosh wasn't surprised to see Ren using his own creation's attack; he responded immediately.
"[God's Strike]!!" The two [God's Strike] attacks clashed, and a fierce battle erupted in the vacuum of space. The collision of these two terrifying powers lit up the entire planet. Below, those watching the appearance of a second sun in the sky couldn't help but swallow hard.
At this moment, Riku could see the situation through Schwi's vision. Watching the struggle between Ren Isana and Artosh, he murmured something to himself before quietly issuing an order to the Ex-Machina.
They were to analyze the battle with everything they had. If Ren Isana showed any sign of losing, they were to execute Plan B immediately. He could not allow this campaign to fail. If necessary, he wouldn't hesitate to attack even if Ren Isana was caught in the blast.
Ren Isana had told him that he wouldn't die even if he was blown to ash. He could recover from anything. Though it might be a hassle, it wasn't a fatal problem. Thus, Riku felt no psychological pressure about the prospect of hitting Ren alongside the god.
If Ren Isana didn't have that ability, Riku might have hesitated. But now? There was no need. Since he couldn't die, they would go all out and blast away!!
Upon receiving Riku's orders, the Ex-Machina began to operate. Units distributed all over the world quietly linked together as a spell formula began to run silently in the background.
Only the final step remained. Riku hoped it wouldn't come to that, but that was contingent on Ren Isana actually being able to defeat the God of War. Otherwise, he would have to use his final trump card.
Of course, if even the final trump card couldn't stop Artosh, then they could only lie down and wait for death. He had already exerted every ounce of his effort; if that wasn't enough, there was nothing left to be said.
Ren Isana was unaware of this as he focused entirely on Artosh. Since his debut, this was the first time he had felt such immense pressure. The God of War before him was the most terrifying enemy he had ever faced!!
Was he Tier 10? Or perhaps even stronger? Ren Isana couldn't analyze it. He had never even seen an entity above Tier 10; the strongest person he knew was Director Ken at Tier 9. He had absolutely zero contact with anything higher!!