For the first time in the fight, Esterópes let out a painful, but also furious howl.
Having his arm split in half was a loss he definitely had not expected.
Even more unthinkable was the fact that that little insect in front of him seemed, somehow, immune to his ability.
The sea roared in response to his fury, as if sharing the giant's wrath.
The repulsive force concentrated again, ready to hurl Rygar away.
But this time, he was already prepared.
Even under the suffocating pressure of the yellowish aura, Rygar gathered his mana and forced the creation of a Physical Barrier Magic.
Poorly made, misshapen — but enough. Before the repulsive force could throw him back, he leapt against the Barrier raised in the air, using it as a platform.
Doomsday whined as its flames grew angrier.
Instant Light Flow.
Rygar climbed along the length of the cyclops's split arm, slicing it into ever smaller pieces.
In less than half a second, dozens of cuts passed through muscles and bones, reducing that colossal mass to burning fragments.
But before he could reach the enemy's neck, the repulsive force finally hit him.
The impact launched him away like a bullet, exactly like the last time.
This time, however, Rygar understood the mechanism.
It really wasn't Gravity Magic.
It was mana repulsion.
The principle was similar to all ordinary magics.
For example, a Stone Bullet cast by magic is not moved by gravity, but by the manipulation of the earth itself through mana.
It's easy to be mistaken about this, but it's quite simple. If you have the ability to manipulate fire, you do not manipulate the gravity around the fire, but the fire itself.
The same happened with water, wind, all the elements.
But Esterópes did not seem to manipulate an element itself.
His ability pushed the mana directly. And it seemed to work according to the amount of mana of the target.
In Rygar's case, it was at once easier and more complicated, due to his great amount of mana.
For Esterópes, finding the target would not be difficult, but pushing it would be.
The giant was vulnerable now. The arm was destroyed, completely shattered. It was time to press the advantage.
Rygar advanced.
Thanks to constant elemental control training, he could still cast some spells, even if rudimentary.
Mainly with fire.
Doomsday seemed more alive with each strike.
It burned with the intent to scorch and destroy everything in its path under its master's control.
The giant was consumed by the searing heat, and even the surface of the sea burned without cease.
But still Esterópes regenerated.
Even carbonized wounds, which should have been irreversible, were closed by his strange restoration ability.
The fight soon took on catastrophic proportions. From the instant Rygar cut the cyclops's arm, he gave it no time to fully regenerate.
He kept the pressure, never allowing rest.
They were like deities colliding in the center of the ocean.
The sea trembled and writhed. The battle moved ever deeper into the ocean.
Rygar thanked himself for having followed Oldgar's advice and fighting in the ocean.
Not only Esterópes, but even his own blows proved too destructive.
Had he waited for the cyclops to reach the shore of the Kingdom of Gaia, the result would have been devastating.
The entire Hobbit Territory could have been wiped out merely by the consequences of their collision.
Even now, in the open sea, Rygar knew that tsunamis and seaquakes would inevitably form.
But it was inevitable; he had already reached a level where his fights could not be contained.
Oldgar, in the Guide of the Future, had not detailed Esterópes's abilities.
Rygar only knew about Regeneration through research he had conducted in the future.
Even so, he had the impression that he was doing better than Oldgar in this fight.
Perhaps it was a matter of perspective.
After all, he had already killed this guy in another Timeline.
Doing it again was only a matter of effort.
But Rygar did not lose himself in those thoughts.
For now, he simply focused on understanding his enemy's abilities and killing him. Definitely.
---
While the fight between the two transcendent beings unfolded, other smaller — yet significant — events were happening nearby that battle.
Right at the start of the confrontation, Lusarina was flung away by Rygar. As soon as she managed to recover, the first question in her mind was:
'What is happening?!'
She gripped tightly the strange waterproof paper the stranger had given her.
The page didn't look like much, but when she analyzed the lines drawn on its surface, she recognized it as a Magic Circle that humans used.
She didn't know exactly what it was for. But she remembered well the words of the man who had handed it to her.
Still, the mermaid was hesitant about using the unknown spell on Jogord.
Would this save him? Or kill him for sure?
For a moment, she wavered. But after thinking it over, she made a decision.
Jogord was probably already doomed if she did nothing; if there was any chance to save the sovereign's son, she could not waste it.
She took Ku and moved across the ocean. Shortly after, a shock wave ran throughout the sea.
The combat had begun.
Lusarina was shocked. Who was that man? Who dared challenge the very Guardian Deity of the Sea Race?
After a while, she found Jogord. The whale prince was at death's door, his body destroyed after being crushed and casually thrown by Esterópes.
Without further hesitation, Lusarina pressed the Magic Circle against the whale-man's body and poured in all the mana she still possessed.
The symbol shone, and a green light spread across Jogord's body. The flow was so sudden that the mermaid's mana was drained dry.
She nearly fainted, feeling her mind spin.
But then… Jogord opened his eyes.
"What…? Where am I?!" his voice was panicked.
The first thing he did was look for his weapon.
Still tired, Lusarina told everything that had happened. Jogord listened in silence, and soon reached a conclusion.
"That man… can only be the Beast God."
The woman's shock rose to a new level.
"The… Sixth World Power?!" she murmured, incredulous. "But why would he face our Guardian in the ocean? Is he crazy?!"
Among the Sea Race, it was common knowledge that the two Guardian Deities were practically invincible and immortal in the ocean.
Therefore, the Sea Race could afford to remain neutral amid conflicts. Invading them was an almost impossible task.
Jogord, however, did not let himself be trapped by astonishment.
"It doesn't matter if he is crazy, arrogant or simply foolish. The fact is he saved us. That already says a lot about his attitude."
He narrowed his eyes as he looked toward the direction from which the shock waves came.
"Let's fall back farther. A fight at this level can spread in dangerous ways."
Without wasting time, he took Ku, and the three began to retreat quickly, swimming until they left the coral formation.
Even so distant, they could still feel the tremors of the battle.
It was in this interval that Ku regained consciousness.
Learning how long he had been unconscious and how the situation had unfolded, he asked the question that was in everyone's heart:
"What kind of monster could fight for so long against the Guardian? Is he… of some Immortal Demon Race?"
Lusarina shook her head.
"No… he didn't seem demonic. He was certainly of the Beast Race. Maybe he's one of those beings born with divine talents, like Aldebaran, from four thousand years ago, or Laplace, from four hundred years ago."
Jogord replied:
"Well, regardless of what he is, if he survives this fight, we will owe him a debt. Mandrake has already ordered a total attack on the Kingdom of Gaia, and the Beast God will certainly be furious with the Sea Race… but, at least, the fact that he spares our lives means he does not plan to massacre all of us in revenge."
Lusarina agreed with a silent nod. She was about to say more when her body trembled and she turned abruptly.
The Tribe of the Superior Mermaids could hear the voice of the sea. Their perceptions in the depths were unparalleled.
"Someone is coming," she whispered. "He is approaching the fight. Could it be… Mandrake?"
Ku raised his trident.
"Let's find out."
Following the indicated direction, the three intercepted the mysterious presence.
A figure emerged from the deep sea; it was a man of the Planctom Tribe named Nuuso, a rare variant.
He was known for his unique ability — he could share his senses with other races.
A notable detail: he was a central member of Mandrake's faction.
There was no conversation. Ku advanced at high speed and drove the trident into the Planctom's skull. The blow pierced the brain, and life drained away instantly.
The dead body sank into the waters without resistance.
A casual act.
And yet, that simple movement interfered with the plans of a certain malicious god and a certain monkey-faced adventurer.
---
Meanwhile, the man known as Mandrake Ocluno lived the worst moment of his existence.
He had dedicated his entire life to the religion of Zeroth, the Guardian Beast of the deep seas.
He had worshiped him, built temples and spread his faith with conviction. But receiving the news of his death had been like a dagger through his soul.
Still, there was a crucial difference between Zeroth and Esterópes.
Zeroth, the Kraken, was a protector.
His function was to protect the Sea Race from the dangers of the ocean: seaquakes, storms, whirlpools, hurricanes.
He was not a warrior guardian, but he was irreplaceable.
Even the Seven World Powers, although capable of defeating him in direct combat, would probably find it difficult to destroy him completely.
Esterópes, on the other hand, was a Warrior God. The One-Eyed Giant was born for combat.
He had opened the Ringus Sea to his subordinates of the Sea Race and become their Deity of Battle.
Colossal sea monsters, invaders from the outside, even legendary heroes — all who dared challenge his sovereignty in the ocean were crushed under his fists or incinerated by his luminous fury.
Only one name in history had defeated him, the Fighter God.
Mandrake grew up with this truth as dogma.
Esterópes was invincible.
And yet, now, the impossible revealed itself before his eyes.
He could not even see the fight in its entirety, only feel the tremors and see the apocalyptic waves deforming the ocean.
But the mere fact that the combat lasted so long terrified him. Each minute was confirmation that Esterópes was not as invincible as he had expected.
His heart was torn between faith and despair.
He wanted to shout, curse, tear that malicious smile from the God-Man who had not warned him about the existence of such monstrosity.
But deep down, he knew he had no one to blame but himself.
And then, something worse happened.
The protective barrier that surrounded him — the one Esterópes had raised to shield him from the aftermath of the fight — dissolved.
Mandrake's body was thrown by the currents and he fell, spinning uncontrollably in the dark waters.
It was at that moment that a forbidden, heretical thought appeared in his mind, one that made him shudder.
What if… Esterópes was also defeated?
The very thought filled him with hatred.
"It doesn't matter. If the Beast God is here, the Sea Race's warriors must have already invaded the Kingdom of Gaia. Even if, by some absurd miracle, Esterópes is defeated, we will have avenged ourselves. The Sacred Beast of the Great Forest will be gutted, and Zeroth's remains can be recovered."
Clinging to that thought, Mandrake turned his body and began to swim.
Esterópes's order was to kill the Beast God. As long as that objective was fulfilled, the method didn't matter.
The battlefield was beyond the understanding of ordinary mortals, and he did not want to die like an insect crushed under colossal feet.
But Fate, cruel and indifferent, did not seem willing to let him escape.
As he swam, he noticed a red spot in the darkness.
His heart froze when he finally managed to make out the shape coming toward him.
A crab-man.
It was Ku, the Sea Race warrior.
Mandrake trembled.
-----
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