One Strike Decides the Outcome. / The Docile Judgement of Shamash.

"Heh... I won't let you down."

Gwen looked at Siegfried, whose aura was now violent, like some kind of prehistoric beast, and chuckled. But he no longer dared to be arrogant and adopted an offensive stance.

"This is..."

Seeing this strangely familiar scene, Siegfried raised an eyebrow.

"Did Lixue's master teach you martial arts?"

Indeed.

Gwen nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"It would be best to unleash the Heavenly Fire: Unleashed beforehand, otherwise I'll take it away later, and you'll lose face in front of Kiana."

"Heh... brat..."

Siegfried laughed and cursed upon hearing this, but readily took out another Heavenly Fire Judgment and called to the Raiden Ryoma behind him.

"Ryoma, step back a little, be careful not to get hurt."

"...good."

Raiden Ryoma remained silent for a moment, then retreated.

Originally, when Gwen proposed fighting two opponents bare-handed, Raiden Ryoma was somewhat confident about the match.

It should be noted that even the so-called S-class is still a mortal being. If they are bare-handed, they will die if they touch the blade made by his cutting-edge technology, and they will be injured if they are not touched.

Moreover, Siegfried possessed the renowned Heavenly Fire Judgment, a key to the Divine Keys, so Raiden Ryoma was quite confident that the two of them could win.

However, the fact that he couldn't even get close to the battlefield and even had to actively stay away cast a shadow over Raiden Ryoma's heart.

While Siegfried was calling out to Raiden Ryoma, Gwen, though merely watching, quietly contacted Kevin and shared his perspective.

After resolving his life-or-death crisis that day and thanking Kevin, Gwen, eager to consolidate his own power, didn't contact Kevin much.

Kevin, who had anticipated that Gwen controlled their connection, was not surprised by this.

He never concealed his dangerousness, so it's normal for Gwen to be on guard.

However, even with Kevin's composure, seeing the familiar Dual Pistols in the suddenly restored connection stirred a ripple in his heart.

Upon seeing Siegfried, now only possessing one arm, Kevin in the Sea of Quantum subconsciously frowned.

Kevin witnessed almost the entire final battle at the end of the Second Honkai War 3rd and knew that Siegfried did not lose an arm in the end.

So... is this another disastrous consequence of internal strife, just like the Flame-Chasing Moth back then?

As Kevin pondered, his heart turned cold again, and he asked:

"What is it?"

"Do you think I can snatch the Heavenly Fire Judgment from him?"

Gwen asked with a smile.

"..."

Kevin paused for a moment upon hearing the question, glanced at the spirited Siegfried, and gave his answer—

There is hope—

Your strength surpasses his, but that surged only a few days ago, while the Heavenly Fire Judgment he wields has been with him for over ten years.

Kevin didn't say the rest, but Gwen understood—

Siegfried's use of Heavenly Fire: Unleashed poses a significant threat to Gwen, and similarly, Gwen could finish off Siegfried if he were to unleash his full power.

As for taking the Heavenly Fire Judgment from Siegfried with bare hands, that would be extremely difficult.

"Heh... I'm also a little curious whether I can withstand Siegfried's Heavenly Fire Judgment right now."

Gwen chuckled softly, and the vast, river-like power within his body suddenly began to circulate, making Gwen shine as brightly as a sun that had fallen to earth.

"Them..."

Noticing the unusual light behind her, Kiana, who was pulling Mei back with her, instinctively turned around and looked on in astonishment.

Wasn't it agreed that she would be the one to start?

Why has it started already?

"..."

Beside Kiana, Mei stared at the blinding light in the distance, biting her red lips, a sense of powerlessness rising within her.

Although it wasn't time to cry yet, Raiden Mei had already experienced what it meant to feel "I can't do anything"...

Under the girls' gaze, a terrifying aura, which was not as dazzling as the golden light but equally blinding, rose up and spread in all directions, causing the two girls to hold their breath.

But the flames that shot into the sky were like heavenly fire descending upon Sodom, falling straight down and causing the air to churn.

291

Chapter 291 One Strike Decides the Fate of the World.

Faced with this perfectly aimed celestial fire, Gwen could easily dodge Siegfried's simple downward strike.

However, Gwen, whose purpose in coming here was to demonstrate his power to Siegfried, did not choose that path. Instead, he took root in the ground, and as energy flowed around him, layers of colorful barriers suddenly formed, dazzling and beautiful.

However, before the heavenly fire that illuminated the night, whether flowing freely like water or as solid and unyielding as a mountain, each barrier could only hold out for a moment before shattering and being burned into nothingness by the heavenly fire.

"It truly possesses terrifying power..."

And is this energy consumption... due to the special nature of the Heavenly Fire Judgment?

At the very center of the barrier, feeling the consumption was much higher than expected, Gwen remained calm, golden light flowing in his hand, a terrifying aura brewing within.

Outside, the heavenly fire, which seemed to fall from the sky, broke through five layers of barriers with unstoppable force, only to crash into five almost identical barriers once again.

This time, the heavenly fire destroyed the barrier more slowly than before.

Siegfried was unaware of the details here, only noticing that Gwen had not collapsed under the heavenly fire, which surprised him somewhat.

Siegfried's move was originally just a gesture to let Gwen know the power of Heavenly Fire Judgment, so that he wouldn't actually die here.

But now that Gwen hasn't crumbled under the Heavenly Fire Judgment, and has even shown some resistance, Siegfried is no longer going to hold back.

After all, if Gwen could really defeat him with his bare hands, who wielded the Heavenly Fire Judgment, he would truly entrust his daughter to him to be raised in Schicksal.

As for whether Gwen would die suddenly again, Siegfried wasn't worried at all.

In his view, having gained an understanding of the power of Heavenly Fire Judgment, Gwen should no longer be caught off guard by its Heavenly Fire Judgment.

Given Gwen's speed, dodging his wide-ranging attacks shouldn't have been difficult.

"Drink!"

With a low growl, the weathered man revealed a ruthless expression. A dense Honkai Energy rose, vaguely transforming into the phantom of a wild beast on his face. The flames of the Greatsword of Heavenly Fire in his hand also intensified, and his previously sluggish descent accelerated again, shattering several layers of barriers.

However, the barrier formed by the ever-flowing Five Elements Qi within Gwen's body was inexhaustible and grew increasingly strong. After several dozen layers, the downward momentum of the Heavenly Fire was once again blocked, causing Siegfried, whose neck veins were bulging, to be taken aback.

While Siegfried was stunned, the golden orb in Gwen's hand, which was constantly within the barrier, flickered and emitted a terrifying aura, actually smashing through several layers of the barrier from the inside.

"This is already the limit that can be controlled..."

With a muttered thought to himself, Gwen didn't delay any longer. He looked up at the celestial fire crashing down from the sky, and forcefully thrust the golden orb in his hand towards the ball of celestial fire in the air.

Although Gwen doesn't possess the Absolute Annihilation the golden statues, Gwen has managed to develop some rudimentary techniques, thanks to his experience in controlling energy and the guidance he's received from Elysia over the past few days, in order to unleash the power of Absolute Energy within him.

But after the golden orb left Gwen's palm, it swelled against the wind, shattering the layers of ever-flowing barriers. In the blink of an eye, it was on par with the flames, shattering the layers of ever-flowing barriers, and collided head-on with the falling heavenly fire.

But then the gold and red colors intertwined, and the two equally domineering forces clashed with each other, producing a series of explosive sounds.

However, after only a short while, the still-expanding golden light completely engulfed the fire, blooming in mid-air and illuminating the distant St. Freya Academy.

As the golden light illuminated the heavens and the earth, a deafening explosion resounded throughout the deserted island.

Amidst the explosion that made the nearby Raiden Ryoma instinctively cover its ears, Siegfried, one of the instigators, was sent flying like a rag doll, blood gushing from his mouth and nose—

The defeat in the recent collision caused Siegfried, who was fully wielding the Greatsword of Heavenly Fire, to suffer a considerable backlash. Fortunately, his body was already exceptionally strong, so he was not in mortal danger.

However, before Siegfried could land, a ghostly figure appeared beside the temporarily powerless Siegfried amidst the blinding golden light, and pointed a finger at Siegfried's wrist.

Siegfried's already contorted face from the pain became even more grim, and the Greatsword of Heavenly Fire he had been gripping suddenly loosened, falling into the hands of Gwen who had arrived gracefully.

With one hand gripping the Greatsword of Heavenly Fire, Gwen grabbed Siegfried's body with the other and charged forward for several hundred meters before stopping to help Siegfried calm the raging energy within his body.

"Cough cough..."

Siegfried spat out a mouthful of blood, but felt a little better. He stopped resisting and glanced at the Heavenly Fire Judgment in Gwen's hands, which was still quiet but had not returned to its Dual Pistols state, before turning his gaze to Gwen.

"I lost."

"I appreciate your concession."

Gwen nodded slightly, his face showing no sign of pride, and simply said calmly.

"If you hadn't been testing me out just now, I wouldn't have won so easily."

"Cough... Losing is losing, I'm not so bad as to be ashamed of admitting it."

Seeing Gwen's attitude, Siegfried suddenly felt that Gwen and Otto weren't so similar anymore, nor so annoying, and couldn't help but smile.

"Don't speak yet, let me help you sort out the disordered energy."

Seeing that Siegfried had already conceded defeat, Gwen smiled and began to calm the Honkai Energy within his body, which was showing signs of going berserk.

Although obtaining the manual didn't make Gwen a medical genius—he even had a scar from treating the Wuse Huohuo that he had to cover with a scarf—it did give him some insights into the use and management of energy, so he wasn't completely helpless in dealing with Siegfried's situation.

Of course, Gwen didn't forget about the Raiden Ryoma on the other side, and shouted:

"Uncle Longma, shall we continue the contest?"

"... You won."

Although Raiden Ryoma was unwilling, seeing the golden light in the sky that had not yet completely dimmed, he did not persist any longer, sheathed his sword, and walked towards where Gwen and the other man were.

At that moment, Raiden Ryoma, with a somewhat bitter expression, suddenly understood the meaning of Gwen's words, "I can't do anything."

"It's over, come back."

Seeing that Raiden Ryoma had also conceded defeat, Gwen smiled and, while helping Siegfried regulate his energy, called Kiana and Mei back from afar.

Before long, the two worried girls arrived.

"Didn't we agree to wait for us to call 'start'?"

Why did you guys start attacking directly?

Kiana, her face full of worry, grumbled as she carefully checked on Gwen and Siegfried, her tone brimming with concern.

Even though Gwen had assured Kiana that everything was alright, Kiana couldn't help but worry a little when she saw her stinky father's expression.

Moreover, considering that Gwen had just faced his father's Heavenly Fire Judgment, Kiana couldn't help but feel a little worried when she looked at the smiling Gwen.

"Ha... I was just afraid you'd worry."

Gwen smiled and said casually.

"While you're waiting for the start call, you're also building up pressure."

"Wouldn't everything be fine if we ended this competition that's making you all worry before this pressure built up?"

"Loquacious!"

Kiana raised her little fist, wanting to punch Gwen a couple of times, but considering that Gwen was still treating his stinky old man, she could only wave it twice as a show of force.

292

Chapter 292 The Heavenly Fire Judgment.

"Ha... This time I'm on Gwen's side..."

Seeing Kiana's adorable appearance, Siegfried, feeling much more comfortable, chuckled and teased her.

In an instant, Kiana shifted her gaze, her little fists itching to punch. If it weren't for the blood still on her father's lips, she probably would have already given him a good whack.

He disappeared without a word for several years, and when he reappeared, he didn't even have time to catch up before taking her away. Kiana is now itching to get her hands on Siegfried.

However, although it wasn't appropriate for Kiana to lay a hand on her elderly father, seeing that Siegfried seemed unharmed, she felt somewhat relieved and immediately began to speak without holding back—

"Tch, you talk too much, but you still got wiped out by Gwen in no time..."