A Man's Promise

This is the ark that traverses the universe— the Radiant Galaxy Temple Ma'anna!

When it fully manifested, all the stars in the entire Cosmo dimmed as if they were paying homage to this temple, which was also a sign of goodwill towards the primal goddess.

Iori wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and suddenly revealed a maniacal smile, "Temple Ma'anna... This is more interesting."

He clasped his hands together in front of his chest, touched his palms together, and when he opened them, you could see a mark like Möbius strip on each palm. Suddenly, a golden light, brighter than the sun, shone in his eyes—

"[Fluctuation]!"

With a talent inherited from a certain Hero Race, all fluctuations of power are under her control. Even if the enemy is a goddess of galactic level, Iori will be invincible!

"Dimensional Overlap Infinite Chain!"

Immediately, a thought struck Iori, and her very existence became blurred, causing countless semi-transparent figures to suddenly appear in the void opposite her.

Each one is a possibility of "Iori Aizen"!

There were samurai wielding the Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi, death gods clad in White Haori, scholars wearing glasses, and even a boy with an immature appearance... During the previous exchange, Iori had already used dimensional overlap to enhance his combat power, but now he was clearly going even further!

These phantoms from different timelines merged into his body like All Rivers Flow into the Sea, and with each one he merged with, his aura surged.

But that's not enough.

"[Exist]!"

No matter how vast the energy is, this concept ensures that Iori can control it successfully.

The Platinum Divine Blade shattered in his hand, transforming into countless points of light that merged into his limbs and bones. At the same time, a rift spanning a galaxy suddenly opened in the void beneath his feet—

"Descend, Golden Ark Uranus!"

A colossal ship, its entire body gleaming, burst forth from the sky. Its prow resembled that of an angelic beauty, with outstretched arms protecting the Golden Ark.

Countless statues stood on the deck, depicting scenes from mythology. The entire ship was bathed in the True Sun Fire, and the heat emanating from it caused the surrounding spatial structure to become disordered.

A hint of surprise flashed in Space Ishtar's eyes. "The Sun God Authority from Other Universe?"

"Surprised? You're not the only one with 'celestial' power, Goddess."

Iori smiled, but his friendly words did not affect the fact that his magical energy was increasing exponentially.

However, he knew that Temple Ma'anna was a galactic-level Spirit Origin, which Golden Ark couldn't even come close to at the moment, so he could only try to make up for it with other abilities.

"Snort!"

Without saying anything more, Rin snorted coldly, the divine markings on his forehead lit up, and a pillar of light shot out from the void, piercing through heaven and earth. At the same time, Iori's figure disappeared from the spot, and a phantom of a divine sword appeared.

Clang—!

The Platinum Divine Blade and the Star Spear formed from beams of light collided in the void, and the sparks that erupted turned into countless fireballs, Burning themselves out like miniature suns, and dissipating into spiritual light.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

A series of destructive beams of different attributes attacked, Iori neutralized them one by one, but the pressure was increasing, and she seemed to be on the verge of being overwhelmed.

Their battle has transcended the limitations of the laws of physics. Every clash causes spacetime to collapse, and every move they make seems to want to reverse the nebula!

After an unknown amount of time—in this distorted spacetime, time had lost its meaning— Iori suddenly snapped out of her daze and stepped back.

His breathing was slightly erratic, and his right arm, which held the knife, was covered with fine cracks, proof of the excessive force he had endured. In terms of sheer power output, Iori had already surpassed his opponent, but this difference was far from enough to determine the outcome.

Moreover, given his current physical strength, it is truly unbelievable that his body would be damaged: the superimposed dimensional power has exceeded the limits of his current physical body.

If it were the original Dragon Race, the mere fact that its body was damaged would be fatal. Fortunately, Iori did not have that defect.

"It seems... conventional methods really can't get to you."

He took a deep breath, and a crystal-clear Holy Grail suddenly appeared in his left hand. Its shape was somewhat like a short staff, but the cup was engraved with countless mysterious runes, and inside it rippled a liquid that looked like the materialized starry sky.

"[Star Grail] - Activate!"

With Iori's low shout, the liquid in the cup was poured out, and the moment it fell, it transformed into countless dazzling threads of law, instantly weaving into a vast net covering the entire universe.

Each thread shone with an incredibly rich starlight, a light powerful enough to dominate and rewrite reality. Wherever it passed, it was as if a new layer of spacetime was being covered and rapidly expanding, and the fundamental laws of the universe began to be reconstructed!

Although not the Almighty like in "Game Life," and can only be used in a limited way in this New World, even with so many restrictions, it can still serve as Iori's trump card!

"In the name of the Star Grail— "

Iori's voice echoed in the void, "Redefinition: The [Sun] is the center of the universe!"

Buzz!

Uranus radiated a golden light that illuminated the entire universe!

"—!"

Space Ishtar's pupils suddenly contracted.

The Ma'anna Temple beneath her feet suddenly trembled violently, and the star charts on the bricks went out one by one. The Golden Ark, as the "center of the universe," gained absolute dominance, and the temple, having lost this concept, began to have its very existence become blurred.

"Why... is this?"

"Your power cannot be measured numerically. No matter how many dimensions of possibility are superimposed, it cannot surpass the scale of energy of the universe itself—even if my divine blade can break through the limitations, it will only slightly exceed them. The reason you possess such great power is that you are the Venus Goddess born from the primordial universe."

That was the most dazzling star in the chaos, and also a manifestation of part of the Cosmic Truth; this is the so-called 'first goddess'.

The image of 'Ishtar' was merely a product of the worship of intelligent life forms... To defeat you, we must strike at the source!

Iori smiled slightly, "Since ancient times, the sun has been the center of mythology and cosmology. Of course, this is only a rudimentary understanding of mankind. But after I activated the Star Grail and redefined mythology in the current universe... things became much simpler."

After all, you see—the Sun is far more suitable than Venus to be a symbol and embodiment of 'Cosmic Truth,' isn't it?

"You actually..."

For the first time, her voice wavered, "The baseline of the universe has been altered... How could such a thing be possible..."

This was the first time Ishtar had shown a shocked expression since she appeared, or rather, since she gained intellect, she had never experienced anything so unbelievable, which even made her feel... angry.

Of course she was angry, because Iori's actions left her "unable to refute" them!

Which is more important, the Sun or Venus? There's no need to even discuss this!

Of course, her ability to become a "humanoid galaxy" also incorporates a more powerful concept, making her more than just a Venus Goddess... But now, Iori has used the [Star Grail] to give the sun a more powerful meaning, surpassing her in every way.

As a result, the Ancient Temple Baal Ma'anna, which served as the vessel for her Spirit Origin, was suppressed by the Golden Ark Uranus!

"It's not over yet."

Iori raised the Star Grail high, its light merging perfectly with the Golden Ark. With her free hand, she drew a magnificent Great Golden Sword from nothingness.

"Word of Power... Completed!"

What is that?!

Ishtar's pupils contracted sharply, as if she had seen something incredibly terrifying, and she stared intently at the Great Golden Sword.

No!

We can't let him use this sword!

The goddess reacted instinctively, and the Temple Ma'anna summoned a galaxy-level phantom of the goddess, powerful enough to squeeze the Burning energy of a planet into a beam of light—and there were thousands upon thousands of such beams rushing through the temple at this moment!

If this attack were fully unleashed, it could potentially level an entire cosmic region!

Once you're inside this Cosmo, there's no way to escape!

However, the radiance released by Uranus swept across everything like a physical entity, and the entire Other Universe froze, forcibly delaying the goddess's movements for a moment.

Clang!

Numerous identical Golden Longsword appeared in the void, all shooting towards the goddess—

"...Um?"

In a daze, the goddess suddenly came to her senses, and the Golden Sword that had been stuck in her body had disappeared.

But before she could even feel relieved, her connection with the temple was almost completely lost!

To Rin's shock, the Space Ishtar Noble Phantasm, "The Crown That Shines in the Primordial Universe (Edin Shugurra Quasar)," which had been poised to be unleashed, had silently dissipated, forcibly pulling her and Iori back to their initial standoff!

She tried to reactivate the Noble Phantasm, but to no avail...

All aggressive behavior was forbidden by the newly emerging Cosmic Laws. His own divinity and Primal Magic Power were unable to evolve into aggressive energy, leaving him powerless, like a snake whose fangs had been removed.

"How is this possible... What did you do?"

"Ishtar asked in a murmur."

"I didn't do anything special, I just found that I couldn't win no matter how I stacked the numbers, so I used a little trick."

Iori smiled politely and kindly.

For those who love mechanics, play with numbers; for those who love numbers, play with mechanics; and for those who love both, go straight for the [Star Grail] plus [Word Spirit Sword] combo!

—Playing games should be fair; if you're not happy, don't play!

The starlight in the void gradually subsided, and the celestial bodies shattered in the previous battle began to reassemble.

In this now peaceful starry sea, Iori sheathed the Word Spirit Blade that resembled a decapitation sword. Although she had used all her trump cards, she revealed a victor's smile:

"Now... can we have a proper talk, My Goddess?"

Chapter 562 A Man's Promise.

The Depiction of Nature and Society – Unveiled!

As Iori gently extended her left hand, a traditional Chinese ink painting scroll, shimmering with a pale golden light, slowly unfurled in the void. The ink-wash landscape on the scroll seemed to flow as if alive, with glimpses of upturned eaves peeking out from amidst the swirling clouds and mist... Of course, this was only the surface; the actual inner world was quite different.

This is World Item he obtained in "King of the Dead," capable of creating independent mini-worlds. While it's no longer a trump card for Iori now, it can undeniably provide significant convenience in certain situations.

"It seems rather impolite to speak in a place like this."

Iori narrowed his eyes, and the small worlds within the [Depiction of Nature and Society] flashed through his mind, searching for a suitable map.

Meanwhile, Space Ishtar narrowed her eyes slightly, starlight swirling in her pupils, easily seeing through the true nature of this item.

"Bounded Field? No... This is a higher level of existence, a completely fixed, independent spacetime."

"Good eye, this is one of my collections."

Iori gestured invitingly, "Instead of talking in this turbulent energy flow, why don't we find a quieter place?"

The goddess remained silent for a moment, her slender fingers gently tracing the void as she sensed the image of the Depiction of Nature and Society. After confirming its stable spatial structure, she finally stepped inside.

Even a goddess of galactic caliber must be careful not to step into an alien world dominated by enemies.

Fortunately, although there are special Rules within the [Depiction of Nature and Society], its strength is not very high. Even if there is any accident, Space Ishtar can forcibly tear it apart and climb out!

Buzz~

The space rippled like water, and in the blink of an eye, the two found themselves in an elegant Japanese garden.

In the center of the courtyard is a meticulously manicured Karesansui, with wavy patterns outlined on the white sand. Under the eaves, there is a low black lacquered table with a white porcelain tea set on it. Wisps of steam are rising from the teapot spout, and the air is filled with the faint Gyokuro tea.

It's like they've been preparing for a long time, waiting for the guests to arrive.

"Please sit down."

Iori knelt down on the futon first, skillfully lifted the teapot, and poured the amber-colored tea into the cup, creating fine Utakata.

"This was brewed with spring water. I don't know if it suits your taste."

Space Ishtar knelt down, her thick, long robe, a blend of scarlet and black, spreading out on the tatami like a carpet. She picked up her teacup but didn't drink immediately. Instead, she thoughtfully observed the reflection in the cup—not her face, but a magnificent, swirling nebula.

Strictly speaking, this should be her "appearance".

"Interesting."

Space Ishtar took a small sip, and a slight change appeared on his usually expressionless face. He raised an eyebrow and said, "This tea... was actually freshly brewed."

Unbelievable!

If it were something that was already prepared and was taken out to "thaw" in order to serve guests, then Space Ishtar could understand it. But as soon as the tea swished between his lips and teeth, he automatically collected a considerable amount of information.

Then she discovered that the tea was undoubtedly brewed by hand, and was not made by Magecraft or anything else... But how could that be?

Seeing Space Ishtar's slightly furrowed brow, Iori felt a surge of pride. Even an omnipotent Superman couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment.

It's easy to do this; just go back in time slightly, brew the tea, and then jump back to the current point in time.

The result is this scene that astonished the Venus Goddess.

"It tastes pretty good, doesn't it? It incorporates ingredients collected from the Mesopotamia Singularity."

Iori smiled. "According to records, the Venus Goddess loved this recipe the most. Although you and she are not the same person, there should be some similarities."