Chapter Eight: Where Gods and Demons Begin to Bleed
Blood and sweat ran freely down my body, soaking into cracked earth and scorched stone.
My muscles burned. My breathing was heavy.
The red orc, however, stood before me as if untouched—its crimson skin unbroken, its presence sharp and oppressive, its gaze calm and calculating.
To be honest… if this had been a truly skilled martial fighter, I would probably be dead by now.
Yet this creature was no fool.
As the strongest of its kind, it had survived countless battles. Its unreasonable adaptability and terrifying rate of power growth placed me in genuine danger. Each exchange made it stronger, more efficient, more aware.
I exhaled slowly and forced my racing thoughts into silence.
Focus.
Judging by the nature of its energy, there was no doubt about it anymore.
After its transformation, the orc had stepped into the Divine Realm.
What unsettled me wasn't that it had reached this level—but how.
Had it always possessed this power, sealed away until now?
Or had it truly awakened it mid-battle?
More troubling was the shift in its behavior. Earlier, it fought like a mindless brute—raw instinct, overwhelming force. Now, its movements were deliberate. Efficient. Calculated.
This wasn't just power.
This was understanding.
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The Divine Realm
All beings, all things, are born with energy in some form.
Divine Energy is not a separate force—it is the ultimate refinement of ordinary energy, driven beyond mortal limits.
The awakening of Divine Energy is violent and unforgiving.
It is akin to igniting a controlled nuclear reaction within one's own body.
To even attempt this transformation, a being must already possess an immense reservoir of energy. Without it, the result is guaranteed death—the body torn apart by the pressure of its own power.
Only when one reaches the absolute ceiling of the Mortal Realm, when both body and energy have been refined to their final limits, can the transition into the Divine Realm be attempted.
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Nature of Divine Energy
Divine Energy is not merely stronger.
It is energy refined to perfection—denser, purer, infinitely more efficient.
Where ordinary energy strains the body as it is forced outward, Divine Energy harmonizes with the physical form. Control becomes natural instead of forced.
Because of this refinement, a single point of Divine Energy can overwhelm trillions of points of ordinary energy—not through raw output, but through superior structure, precision, and authority.
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Authority Over Universal Laws
One defining trait of Divine Energy is resonance with the laws of the universe.
Those who wield it may communicate with and utilize fundamental forces such as:
Gravity
Time
Space
Motion
Causality
These laws already exist everywhere.
Divine Energy does not create them—it commands them.
It is the difference between cutting down a forest with an axe… and erasing it with a single bolt of lightning.
Through this resonance, even a weaker Divine Realm user can defeat vastly stronger mortal opponents.
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Efficiency, Healing, and Endurance
Divine Energy vastly surpasses ordinary energy in versatility and sustainability.
It allows natural regeneration. Wounds heal, poisons fade, negative effects dissolve as the user aligns with the universe itself.
Unlike brute-force healing, which drains stamina and risks death mid-combat, Divine Energy restores with minimal strain.
More importantly, it grants access to external energy flow.
Rather than relying solely on internal reserves, a Divine Realm user may draw power directly from the universe—allowing prolonged, near-endless combat.
The burden shifts from the flesh to the will.
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Paths Outside the Divine Realm
It is possible to grow stronger without converting one's energy into Divine Energy.
Such beings often possess superior raw strength and durability.
But they lack efficiency.
They lack authority.
They lack resonance.
Against a properly wielded Divine Energy, they eventually fall.
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Innate Divine Beings
Some beings are born with Divine Energy already present.
This occurs when one or both parents are gods—or Divine Energy wielders.
These individuals awaken earlier, grow faster, and possess natural affinity.
However, those given Divine Energy are often inferior to those who achieve it themselves.
They are superior to mortals—but pale beside true ascendants.
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Demon Gods and the Demonic Path
Demons can also reach the Divine Realm—but their path is far more brutal.
Due to their violent nature, demons must reach the absolute limits of their bodies before forcing a breakthrough—often through sheer domination and survival, much like the red orc I was facing now.
They do not resonate with the universe.
They command it by force.
I was certain of one thing—this orc did not possess Divine Energy when our fight began.
But now?
It had forged it.
And with its natural reserves… perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised.
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I was torn from my thoughts by motion.
The red orc was already in front of me.
Charging.
Like a raging bull.
I reacted on instinct—deflecting its right punch with my left hand, forcing its guard wide open.
Victory—
No.
A trap.
Its left arm swung instantly.
Its massive body slammed into mine.
CRACK!!
The impact crushed my organs as it tackled me, lifting my body onto its shoulder before racing upward at insane speed.
Then—
It turned.
And slammed me back-first toward the ground.
I drove my elbows down again and again, striking its spine, trying to break free—
—but judging by its complete lack of reaction, I was only tickling it.
DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!
My instincts screamed.
The ground was inches away.
Our bodies blurred beyond sonic speed.
Nanoseconds later—
BBBBBOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!
I vanished at the final instant.
Reappearing in the air, I stared down in shock.
A crater had formed—over five hundred meters wide, plunging a thousand meters deep.
The shockwave rippled outward like a planetary wound.
I appeared moments later, body tense, instincts screaming, heart pounding like a war drum—each beat echoing through my heightened senses.
The hunt had escalated.
And now—
Gods and demons were beginning to bleed.