Just as Bell's hand was about to pierce Gugalanna's eye, the massive creature's body swiftly descended, narrowly dodging Bell's strike.
In that split second, Gugalanna's horns locked onto Bell's torso, driving forward.
"Thud!"
The situation flipped instantly.
Bell, who had just seized the opportunity, was now the one caught. Gugalanna, who had been in a tight spot, was now the one setting a trap.
This sudden shift caused everyone in the audience to leap to their feet.
In an instant, the sounds from both worlds began to rise in waves.
"What's going on? He had the advantage just now! How did it turn into this so suddenly?"
It was hard to fathom how someone who had been in control could suddenly be impaled by horns.
Was this supposed to be a trap for the Golden Bull? Wasn't this actually setting a trap for himself?
Not only ordinary people were asking these questions; even the gods atop the Tower of Babel were momentarily taken aback.
"What's happening?"
Of course, many of the gods quickly regained their composure.
"Look at Gugalanna's front hoof."
"!?"
All the gods immediately shifted their gaze.
At that moment, Gugalanna's front hoof had sunk beneath the ice. Even though it was partially submerged, the injured part of the hoof had been torn open, nearly ripped clean off.
In that instant, the gods understood: Gugalanna had sacrificed its front hoof to deliver a fatal blow to the youth within the trap.
"Sacrificing a foreleg just to deliver that one lethal strike. This guy is incredibly decisive."
Even the gods felt that Gugalanna's choice was reckless.
To willingly sacrifice a limb for such damage—this ruthless trade-off struck fear into the divine beings.
"But that decisiveness paid off."
The gods' faces grew solemn as they watched the projection of the youth, now impaled by the bull's horns.
The youth, once full of spirited vigor, now hung from the horns like a ragged scarecrow, swaying with the wind.
Huh?
A scarecrow?
The projection zoomed in at that moment.
As the image drew closer, the gods saw the true form beneath the trench coat.
"No... it's a scarecrow! A stand!"
A god who noticed this immediately shouted.
The figure beneath the trench coat wasn't a normal human. It might have retained some human essence, but it was just a scarecrow.
At that very moment, a figure—nearly impossible to lock onto—appeared in the corner of the projection.
"Pfft!"
"Moo!!!!!"
Blood splattered from Gugalanna's right eye, accompanied by a painful wail.
But quickly, a black substance began to spread from Gugalanna's right eye, like veins branching out, extending throughout his body.
No one knew exactly what this black substance was, but judging by Gugalanna's increasingly agonized screams, it was clear it wasn't something good.
Gugalanna shook his head violently, trying to shake the figure from his eye. But the result was far from what he expected, only intensifying the pain.
Meanwhile, Bell, with his hand still lodged in Gugalanna's eye, remained completely still. His body was unwavering.
"The next opportunity will decide the outcome."
It was as if Bell was calmly explaining the situation to the still-struggling Gugalanna, his voice steady, as if discussing something ordinary.
The black substance rapidly spread through Gugalanna's body. In just thirty seconds, a layer of black had covered his skin.
As Gugalanna's body became increasingly covered, the divine beast no longer made any sound.
Only then did Bell withdraw his hand from Gugalanna's eye.
"Sizzle!"
The pierced eye began to regenerate rapidly.
But this time, Bell didn't remain on guard. Instead, he turned, waving his hand, catching the trench coat that had fallen from Gugalanna's horn.
Once the coat was on, Gugalanna—whose body was now covered in the black substance—returned to his original form.
But the fighting spirit he had earlier was completely gone.
"Moo!"
Gugalanna trembled, but his eyes now conveyed submission and acknowledgment.
The front legs, previously torn and strained, had fused back together with the severed parts, allowing Gugalanna to kneel on all fours.
"Hmm."
Bell couldn't help but like this clear display of attitude from the animal.
"Stay at my place for now. Once this business is finished, I'll handle your issues."
"Moo!"
Gugalanna let out a low bellow, signaling his understanding.
Large black patches appeared on the ground as Gugalanna's body slowly sank into the darkness.
Bell stood on the solid ground.
"The subjugation is complete."
This was Bell's first subjugation of a four-digit god.
"The preliminary preparations were a bit excessive. I only completed the subjugation after gathering intel on Gugalanna. It took more time than necessary."
Had Gugalanna's Authority continued to deplete more slowly, Bell wouldn't have been able to suppress him so quickly.
"Overall, this guy's greatest advantage is his tough hide. He's highly resistant to both physical force and divine powers, but he has no resistance to power that can kill gods. I suspect all gods share this weakness."
"No wonder they say Type-Moon's divinity is all debuffs. That statement couldn't be more accurate."
And after facing Gugalanna, Bell now understood a widely circulated saying within the Type-Moon universe.
"Counterplay trumps divine might; special attacks defeat even gods." Only now did Bell fully understand how fitting that phrase was. But he also knew this principle applied everywhere.
As long as you find an enemy's weakness and deliver a targeted strike, no matter if they're gods or not, they won't stand a chance.
However, this principle of countering was especially pronounced when dealing with deities.
"...It seems this isn't unique to the Type-Moon universe. The same holds true in the Box Garden."
The deities within the Box Garden are also firmly countered by the Demon King, especially with the "Final Trial of Humanity," where killing a deity truly results in their demise. That's a perfect counter.
Of course, the "Final Trial of Humanity" works the same way. It's not intimidated by gods—in fact, the more gods there are, the happier it gets. Only pure humans can inflict irreversible harm on it.
This counterbalance is extremely clear.