At this moment, the entire city of Nikko suffered.
When the massive sea of stone crushed Huaguo Mountain, it also crushed one building after another, raising clouds of dust like mushroom clouds. The rolling waves of dust spread through Nikko like an avalanche, blowing street-side vehicles, lampposts, trash bins, and other objects high into the sky.
Trash flew everywhere, and shards of glass shot out like bullets. Even the ever-present monkeys were affected—one after another, they were swallowed by the dust storm and blown away, their incessant screeching echoing through the air.
If they were just ordinary monkeys, there would surely have been heavy casualties by now.
But ever since Sun Wukong leapt out of the stone, bathed in the divine power of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, these monkeys had entered a berserk state. Though they hadn't become Divine Beasts, they had transformed into beings similar to divine familiars, possessing a certain degree of Magical Power, no longer as fragile as humans or ordinary monkeys.
So, although Nikko City was plunged into a disaster-like state, the monkeys active in the area were almost unharmed—at most, they were only injured.
Naturally, Erica, Liliana, and Mariya Yuri, who had been fighting at the foot of Huaguo Mountain, had long since evacuated.
Mariya Yuri's Spirit Vision had already sensed the premonition of danger, so Liliana decisively activated a flying spell to escape with her. Erica covered the rear, also using a leaping magic technique to quickly withdraw, avoiding the most dangerous zone.
Meanwhile, in the sky, the battlefield between Campione and Heretic God had resumed.
"Swish!"
Suddenly, without anyone noticing, Sun Wukong had returned to his normal size. Once more riding clouds and mist, he entered the Godspeed Domain and launched a surprise attack on Kaiser.
"Golden-hooped Ruyi Staff, Wind-Blade Xuanhua Axe, guard front and rear to strategize, transform and soar to claim victory!"
Chanting words like a poem, Sun Wukong extended his Ruyi Jingu Bang toward Kaiser in the state of Godspeed.
"The Four Seas and Eight Rivers are witnesses, the Ocean-Calming Divine Treasure holds immense power, the Milky Way is anchored by the Divine Treasure Staff, a staff named Ruyi stands supreme in the world!"
With the effect of the chant, the Ruyi Jingu Bang, which had been sealed by the power of the Golden Sword, once again radiated brilliance, breaking free from its dimmed state and glowing with dazzling golden light.
"Take a strike from your Grandpa Sun!"
Sun Wukong swung the golden Ruyi Jingu Bang, unleashing a strike of Godspeed.
"Clang!"
Kaiser couldn't see Sun Wukong within the Godspeed Domain, but his Authority was still in effect. His body instinctively moved, raising the Trident to block the heavy blow instantly.
"Language is light, Kotodama is the sword—strike hundreds to defeat thousands, strike thousands to annihilate tens of thousands!"
Kaiser also chanted a Kotodama, causing the Golden Swords circling around him to whirl into motion, transforming into a golden storm that surged toward Sun Wukong.
"That damnable sword again?!"
Sun Wukong's voice seemed to come from the void, shifting left and right, fast then faster, clearly dashing around in the Godspeed state to dodge the deadly rain of Golden Swords.
For Campiones and divine artifacts, the Golden Sword's role was to seal their power. But for gods, the Golden Sword was the ultimate spear and the ultimate blade—it didn't just cut Divinity, it could cleave even a god's body.
So, Sun Wukong dared not get struck by the Golden Sword—it was simply too fatal.
"As the God of the Sword, how can you despise this most supreme sword of god-slaying?"
Kaiser stowed away the Trident and summoned Yagrush and Aymur instead, his voice echoing powerfully.
"Aren't you supposed to have a head of bronze and arms of iron, an indestructible diamond body? Let's see if the Golden Sword can cut through you!"
As he spoke, the Golden Sword storm expanded outward like beams of lasers, indiscriminately slashing across the entire sky, making it look as though countless golden lights were flickering above—a scene that was unexpectedly beautiful.
"Aiya! That hurts like hell!"
Sun Wukong suddenly exited the Godspeed state, crying out in pain. One of his hands was already dripping with blood.
There was no doubt—that hand had been grazed by a Golden Sword.
Kaiser didn't hesitate. He immediately commanded all the Golden Swords to converge into a single, sky-covering golden blade.
"Psshh!"
The massive Golden Sword slashed down. The blood-drenched Sun Wukong was immediately cut in half, blood spraying on the spot.
"Hm?"
Kaiser was momentarily stunned, then his expression shifted.
"No! That's a clone!"
Just as those words fell from Kaiser's mouth, Sun Wukong's voice entered his ears.
"Exactly!"
Another Sun Wukong appeared behind Kaiser and struck with his staff.
"Boom!"
With a thunderous explosion, Sun Wukong's Ruyi Jingu Bang didn't hit Kaiser but instead struck Yagrush, which had suddenly flashed to his side.
Yagrush was wrapped in swirling winds, and the moment it clashed with the Ruyi Jingu Bang, it released a tremendous gust that blew Sun Wukong away.
"Shhh!"
At the same time, Aymur also shot out, its body wreathed in electricity, flying toward Sun Wukong.
"A mere staff forged by a foreign god—how can it match my Ocean-Calming Divine Iron?"
Unwilling to back down, Sun Wukong brandished his Ruyi Jingu Bang and engaged Aymur in a fierce melee.
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"...
The two staffs continuously collided, generating shockwaves that stirred the very atmosphere.
The electricity-wreathed Aymur burst with shocking speed, attacking Sun Wukong again and again, but each time it was blocked by his ferociously spinning Ruyi Jingu Bang. Even when Yagrush joined the fray, Sun Wukong handled it with ease.
Kaiser mobilized the remaining Golden Swords to join the battle. Sun Wukong dared to confront Yagrush and Aymur head-on, but he didn't dare touch the Golden Swords. Relying on Godspeed, he kept his distance.
Kaiser tried to surround him with a swarm of Golden Swords, encircling him—but Sun Wukong excelled at the Seventy-Two Transformations. Every time he was surrounded, he used his divine abilities: either creating clones to counterattack or transforming into one of the Golden Swords to sneak away and strike at Kaiser.
Before long, Kaiser himself found himself surrounded.
Hundreds of Sun Wukongs appeared around him, each brandishing a Ruyi Jingu Bang, leaping about him. The spinning staffs looked like wind wheels, making Kaiser feel dizzy.
Annoyed beyond measure, Kaiser had no choice but to draw Gungnir—only for Sun Wukong to seize the moment.
"Freeze!"
With a thunderous shout, Kaiser clearly felt an invisible force bind his body, rendering him immobile.
"Boom!"
In the next instant, Kaiser's abnormally high resistance to Magical Power activated, repelling Sun Wukong's immobilization technique.
But even that brief moment was enough for Sun Wukong to make his move.
"Namo samanta vajra nānaṁ, chalma maha rushaṇa, saphāta ya, hum, tāraka hanman."
Sun Wukong immediately chanted a Kotodama.
The true nature of that chant was a Buddhist spell—one that forcibly manifested the core doctrine of "lay down your butcher's knife and instantly become a Buddha."
Among all magic, Buddhist spells could be considered the most tyrannical and overwhelming.
Thus, as Sun Wukong recited this Kotodama infused with the essence of Buddhist teachings, Kaiser felt his Gungnir suddenly become incredibly heavy. Unconsciously, he loosened his grip, and the spear fell from his hands.
"You..."
Kaiser looked at Sun Wukong in astonishment.
"You think your Grandpa Sun didn't notice what kind of terrifying divine power that spear held?" Sun Wukong laughed heartily, looking like he had just pulled off a successful trick. "You're dangerous enough already, not just with that Golden Sword that can sever Divinity, but even with a divine spear like that—feels like you've got more treasures than the Grand Supreme Elder himself!"
"…Aren't your tricks just as numerous?" Kaiser looked deeply at Sun Wukong, golden light flashing in his eyes. "I've faced many gods before—some even king or main god class—but among all the gods I've fought, you're overwhelmingly the strongest and most exceptional."
"In just a few short days, could you really have accumulated such immense power?"
Kaiser began to have doubts.
Indeed, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, was an extremely powerful deity—comparable even to the god kings and main gods Kaiser had fought before. But the Sun Wukong before him was far beyond merely "comparable."
His strength was astoundingly immense, and it only continued to grow with time—especially his Magical Power, which now seemed almost equal to Kaiser's own.
That was a truly shocking thing.
One had to know—Kaiser had sacrificed multiple gods he defeated, not only gaining Authorities from them but also repeatedly absorbing their Magical Power.
As a result, from the moment he became a Campione, Kaiser's Magical Power had already been several times that of an ordinary Campione. Now it was even more terrifying—perhaps greater than the combined power of the other six Campiones in the world.
By logic, although gods might possess far more Authorities than Campiones, who could only obtain one per kill, there shouldn't be such a massive gap in Magical Power.
At least, every Heretic God Kaiser had encountered up to this point had been this way—when it came to Magical Power alone, Kaiser had always outmatched them all.
But the Heretic Sun Wukong was different.
From the very beginning, his Magical Power had far surpassed that of any other Heretic God Kaiser had fought. At the time, Kaiser had simply assumed it was the result of the vast power Wukong had accumulated over time.
Yet as the battle continued, as time passed, Sun Wukong's Magical Power only increased—his strength continued to rise. Even the Golden Sword, one of Kaiser's trump cards, couldn't touch him. Gungnir had been knocked away by a single Kotodama before it could even be thrown.
This wasn't strength a normal Heretic God could possibly possess. It wasn't a normal performance for a Heretic God at all.
Could it be...
Thinking of certain things from the original lore, Kaiser vaguely guessed what had happened to Sun Wukong.
"This power is indeed not something I could have accumulated on my own."
Sun Wukong didn't hide it. He openly revealed what had occurred to him.
"This is the power granted by the Ancient Covenant. Honestly, I didn't expect it to be triggered because of you."
The Ancient Covenant Sun Wukong mentioned was a pact that existed only among gods.
"When beings like Campiones are born on Earth and come into the view of the gods, what we first feel is not fear—but anger!"
"Humans should obey the gods, fear them, and worship them. That is the truth of the world!"
"But the emergence of God-Slaying Beasts symbolizes mankind's rebellion against the gods, rebellion against the heavens, forgetting their place, rebelling against transcendent divine beings!"
"Moreover, whenever a new Campione appears on Earth, the world descends into chaos. The balance and order between this world and the underworld are disrupted!"
"Campiones... you monsters are true Demon Lords—irreligious, rebellious, disruptors of the world, and ought to be punished!"
As he spoke, Sun Wukong no longer looked like a mischievous monkey, but rather a true god, lofty and indifferent.
"To punish you Demon Lords, the gods established the Ancient Covenant!"
"To vanquish the Demon Lords who slay gods and restore peace to the Earth—that is the divine mission of the gods!"
"Based on this Covenant and divine mandate, certain sword gods with special traits—if they manifest on Earth and meet certain conditions—can draw destructive power from the heavens and stars to destroy you!"
Just as Campiones feel surging power within themselves when encountering gods—enabling them to perform all manner of impossible feats—these special sword gods, when facing overwhelming disadvantage against Campiones, can draw supreme power from the heavens and stars to overcome their foe.
The Heretic Sun Wukong was one of these special beings.
"If it were one of those legendary heroes born in accordance with divine fate, they could even activate the Covenant Ritual at will and gain power greater than all gods!"
"For every Campione on Earth, the hero born of fate would gain power equal to them—the more Campiones there are, the stronger the hero!"
"Unfortunately, while your Grandpa Sun is indeed one of the rare sword gods under heaven, I'm not a hero born of divine fate—so I shouldn't have been able to use the Covenant Ritual in a one-on-one battle…"
Sun Wukong's gaze grew deep as he looked at Kaiser.
"But fellow Campione, you seem to be special—your Magical Power alone rivals that of all the Campiones in the world combined."
That was precisely why Sun Wukong had barely met the conditions to activate the Covenant Ritual this time.
After all, facing this one Campione was no different than facing all of them at once.