For as long as Elder Rooney could remember, he had always believed the divine stage was the pinnacle of evolution—the highest point anyone could reach.
But now, standing in the presence of Gbághàrám-Moth, he realized he had been wrong. There was a level beyond it: the level of godhood.
Back on Earth, the nine divine beings claimed to be gods with authority over all life. To some extent, that was true. On Earth, no one could oppose them—at least, no one who had revealed themselves.
Yet meeting Gbághàrám-Moth made Elder Rooney understand there was far more to the universe. The energy radiating from Gbághàrám-Moth felt somewhat similar to the aura of the nine divine beings on Earth, but there was an undeniable difference.
For one, Gbághàrám-Moth's energy was far more potent. It surrounded him effortlessly, as though it was a natural extension of his existence. It was possible that Gbághàrám-Moth was simply another divine being from elsewhere, stronger than those on Earth. But Elder Rooney suspected otherwise.
His doubts stemmed from his studies of the Pendragon Book of Knowledge. Over the years, he had encountered inconsistencies—loopholes in the stories of the past. Whenever he tried to investigate these gaps, he would reach a dead end, as though the book itself was withholding information.
Despite multiple attempts, he could never uncover the missing details. But now, as he stood face-to-face with Gbághàrám-Moth, Elder Rooney felt certain: this being was beyond the divine stage, beyond anything he had ever imagined.
The weight of this realization pressed on him, and he knew he had to warn everyone about the grave danger they were in—including Qudsiyah and Zarathul.
"I've already told you—we've dealt with beings like this before," Qudsiyah said, her tone steady and fearless.
Her confidence made the others exchange uneasy glances. None of them could understand how she and Zarathul planned to handle such a powerful entity.
Gbághàrám-Moth, meanwhile, seemed to be done with his display of power. His piercing gaze fixed on Qudsiyah and Zarathul, and a sinister smile spread across his wide mouth.
"Prepare to face the wrath of a god like me!" Gbághàrám-Moth roared, his voice reverberating through the air.
With a swift motion, he pointed his hand directly at Qudsiyah, the air around him crackling with energy.
A bright burst of blue energy shot out suddenly, with no buildup or warning. It was massive, fast, and ferocious, tearing through the air toward Qudsiyah and Zarathul.
In response, Qudsiyah and Zarathul became surrounded by a radiant white light. When the energy hit, a series of powerful explosions erupted, spreading destruction outward.
But then, as though time itself had reversed, the expanding explosion was drawn back to its origin. Within moments, Qudsiyah and Zarathul emerged from the chaos completely unharmed, not a single scratch visible on them.
"Now that you've attacked, prepare to be sent back to the reincarnation cycle," Qudsiyah said coldly. She raised her hands and hurled a sphere of energy toward Gbághàrám-Moth.
The energy struck Gbághàrám-Moth and exploded on impact, but it did nothing to him. He stood there, unmoved and unharmed.
However, before Gbághàrám-Moth could retaliate, Zarathul flapped his massive wings and launched himself toward the godlike being. His speed was incredible, and within an instant, Zarathul reached his target.
In the blink of an eye, all three—Zarathul, Gbághàrám-Moth, and Qudsiyah—vanished into the distance. Their figures disappeared so quickly that it was impossible to track where they went.
The remaining group stood stunned, unsure of what had just happened. The battle had only just begun, and already they were completely in the dark about how it was going.
"Should we use this chance to get out of here?" Graham suggested, breaking the silence. "The ship has a self-destruction system. If we activate it and escape through the portals, we can destroy both the ship and the portals behind us."
Caspian scoffed. "I didn't know a Stage 8 Paragon could be so scared."
"We're not running," Stan said firmly, his voice steady with determination. "At the very least, I need to see how this fight goes."
Without waiting for a response, Stan prepared to follow after Zarathul and the others.
"I figured that would be your decision," a voice said suddenly from the side.
Everyone turned quickly to see Qudsiyah standing before them, calm and composed as though nothing had happened.
Everyone stared at Qudsiyah in confusion.
"I thought…" Stan began, his words trailing off.
"I can do a lot of things," Qudsiyah interrupted, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"If you want to see how the fight is going, I can help by giving you a better view," she said.
Suddenly, a small moving cloud appeared in front of them. Without hesitation, everyone climbed aboard, and the cloud began to soar into the distance.
"Why are you treating this so lightly?" Elder Rooney asked, his tone serious. "Do you even realize what you're up against?" He found it strange how calm and relaxed Qudsiyah seemed in the face of such a powerful enemy.
Instead of answering directly, Qudsiyah smirked. "Pendragons… you might just be the weakest active generation I've ever seen," she remarked, her words dripping with disdain.
They didn't have time to dwell on her comment because soon they spotted the ongoing battle below. Zarathul, Gbághàrám-Moth, and Qudsiyah's other form were locked in combat.
The group watched as Zarathul clashed fiercely with Gbághàrám-Moth. The impact of their strikes sent both combatants flying far from the others. Gbághàrám-Moth managed to free himself from Zarathul's grip and landed firmly on the ground, his movements smooth and calculated.
Moments later, Zarathul's massive body slammed down in front of him, the sheer weight of his landing shaking the earth. His muscular frame radiated power as he prepared for another attack.
Without hesitation, Qudsiyah leaped off Zarathul's back and landed gracefully on the ground. She didn't waste any time. Slamming her feet against the earth repeatedly, she triggered an immediate reaction.
From the ground, sharp ice pillars shot upward, their razor-sharp tips aimed directly at Gbághàrám-Moth. The icy assault was swift and relentless.
But with a casual wave of his hand, Gbághàrám-Moth shattered the ice pillars into nothingness. He barely seemed fazed.
In retaliation, he unleashed a massive energy beam aimed at Qudsiyah. The attack tore through the air with incredible speed, but Qudsiyah didn't move to dodge. Instead, she raised her hand and absorbed the beam directly into her palm.
Just like before, the energy had no visible effect on her. She held it with ease, as if it were nothing more than a simple object.
While Gbághàrám-Moth was still focusing his energy, a powerful kick struck him from the side. The force of the kick was immense, and it came from Zarathul, who had appeared beside Gbághàrám-Moth without warning.
Gbághàrám-Moth's body was sent skidding across the ground, carving through the terrain like a plow tearing through dirt. Before he could regain his balance, more kicks followed, hitting him from all sides with relentless precision.
"Arghhh!!!" Gbághàrám-Moth roared, his frustration erupting in a massive burst of energy. The surge spread outward in a circular wave, ripping through the area like a tidal force.
Seeing this, Zarathul didn't press the attack further. Instead, he retreated, returning to Qudsiyah's side.
As the energy wave reached them, it split apart, leaving both Qudsiyah and Zarathul untouched.
The momentary pause gave Gbághàrám-Moth the opportunity to regain his focus. Though pain coursed through his body from Zarathul's relentless kicks, he forced himself to push through it. Slowly, he rose into the air, floating above them while glaring down at his opponents.
"You... Both of you are titans,"
Gbághàrám-Moth growled. "You're those damn Divine Slayers-those who conspire with dragons!"
"Now you know," Qudsiyah replied with a charming yet mocking smile. "Have you realized your mistake? You should have left when I gave you the chance."
"Hahaha...!!!" Gbághàrám-Moth laughed maniacally, his voice booming and echoing across the planet.
"You... You're so arrogant," he sneered. "Today, I'll show you that you've chosen the wrong side to fight for!"
Qudsiyah scoffed, her smile unfazed. She gave a quick gesture to Zarathul.
"Go ahead," she said. "You can keep toying with him."
Without hesitation, Zarathul flapped his massive wings and launched himself at Gbághàrám-Moth with blinding speed. His body became a blur as he hurtled toward his target.
This time, however, Gbághàrám-Moth was ready. As Zarathul closed in, Gbághàrám-Moth's hands began to glow with a fierce blue light. Timing it perfectly, he swung his glowing hand, striking Zarathul mid-air and sending the massive beast crashing down to the ground with incredible force.
"Hahaha..." Gbághàrám-Moth laughed, his tone dripping with disdain.
"You Divine Slayers are always weak," he taunted. "You need to understand- you will never become like us. You will never be true gods!"
After his declaration, Gbághàrám-Moth's body began to spin rapidly, creating a whirlwind of energy around him. The force of the spinning wind increased as he descended from the sky like a tornado, aiming directly for Zarathul.
"Die...!!!" Gbághàrám-Moth roared as he plummeted toward his opponent with all his might.