Battle with God
What's going on?
Higashino Makoto paused for a moment.
The colors of the space have changed.
It was no longer Void white, but a deeper, darker red, like congealed blood.
The air became thick, and Higashino Makoto's skin began to sting.
Then he saw it.
God.
Its entire body was composed of twisted, black, unidentified matter. That matter flowed slowly, like asphalt, like magma, or like countless intertwined snakes.
It retains a minimal human form, with a head, a torso, and four limbs of varying thickness.
It has no face.
The head had only a few irregular dents, as if it had been dug out by something.
A dark red light flickered inside the cave, each flicker accompanied by a low, chilling buzzing sound.
Psykos has disappeared.
It's unclear whether it was blasted to ashes by the attack or devoured by a god.
He really didn't want to break his promise.
Oh well, I can just revive her later.
But Higashino Makoto was still somewhat unhappy, and his brows furrowed.
"You bastard."
God did not speak.
It just stood there, the black substance churning on its surface like a pot of boiling asphalt.
All four limbs rose simultaneously. Countless black tentacles emerged from its body, surging towards Higashino Makoto like a tide.
Higashino Makoto did not dodge.
The Catastrophe Mantle, Phase Two.
Red and black magic surged from his body, forming a double layer of armor on his skin.
Tentacles extended from the back, waist, and shoulders, entangled and fought with the black tentacles.
The red and black clashed with each other, producing a sizzling sound, like hot oil meeting water.
The tentacles were torn apart, then regenerated.
The tentacles snapped off, then coalesced again.
Higashino Makoto raised his hand, and the spear, formed from the compressed, calamity magic, instantly reformed.
His figure vanished from the spot and reappeared behind God.
The spear thrust out, aiming straight for the largest indentation on its head.
The moment the spear tip pierced the black substance, there was immense resistance, as if it had pierced a steel plate.
But the tip of the spear still went in, penetrating about half a meter.
Higashino Makoto twisted the spear forcefully, then pulled it out.
A black substance, like blood, gushed from the wound.
There were no screams, no roars.
God simply turned around and looked at him with the dark red light from the recesses.
"You... are one of our kind..."
Its sound was intermittent, as if it came from a very far place, or as if it seeped from the depths of the earth.
Each word carried an unsettling resonance.
Why... matter... humanity... dies...?
Higashino Makoto did not answer, and thrust his spear out again.
This time, God did not take the hit head-on.
Its body suddenly disintegrated, turning into countless black fragments that scattered and flew in all directions. The spear missed its target.
The fragments reformed ten meters away, returning to human form.
"Evolution... contamination... calamity..."
"Are you done talking?"
Higashino Makoto's voice carried a hint of impatience.
"I don't understand, and I don't want to hear, so shut up."
The dark red light within the concave part of the god's head flickered even faster.
It sounded like anger, yet also like deep thought.
Its body began to swell.
The black substance surged out of its body, pushing it from two meters high to five meters, ten meters, and twenty meters.
A colossal black giant stood in the space, its head almost touching the dark red dome.
The giant raised his foot and stomped down on Higashino Makoto.
Higashino Makoto did not take the hit head-on.
His figure vanished from his spot and reappeared above the giant's head.
The spear pierced its head, the tip penetrating the black substance, and immense magical power erupted from within, blasting its skull into fragments.
The giant, however, recovered quickly as if nothing had happened, raised his hand, and slapped it down on his head.
Higashino Makoto drew his spear, vanished again, and reappeared on the giant's chest.
The spear pierced in, was pulled out, and then pierced in again.
Each attack was accompanied by a magical explosion, taking away a large amount of black matter.
But those substances quickly regenerate, as if they could never be exhausted.
Higashino Makoto sensed the magic power draining away.
Maintaining the Catastrophe Mantle requires a large amount of magic power, continuous teleportation requires a large amount of magic power, and the condensation and repair of the spear also require a large amount of magic power.
He checked his MP.
The second tube of blue solution is 60% complete.
At this rate of consumption, in about an hour at most, he will become a melee Battle Mage who can only rely on hand-to-hand combat.
"Why is my mana being consumed so quickly? Does this thing have a built-in mana-draining aura?"
The giant disintegrated once more, turning into countless fragments.
This time, instead of reforming, it transformed into countless black needles, shooting towards Higashino Makoto from all directions.
Higashino Makoto unveils the third layer of his Catastrophe Mantle.
A red and black magical energy formed an impenetrable barrier on the body's surface.
The fine needle struck the barrier, making a crisp, tinkling sound, before dissipating into black mist.
But each strike of the needle consumes a sliver of magic power. Little by little, his MP drops at a visible rate.
Five and a half, five and a half, four and a half.
"No, we have to think of something."
He tried to expand his little world to cover this space.
But the rules of the small world encounter enormous resistance here, like trying to push a piece of foam into water, where the water repels it.
The Garden's overall effect was also diminished.
God's Authority was not completely severed, but only partially suppressed.
Escaping is an option.
He has doors, miniature worlds, and spatial magic.
Once he can find the boundary of this space, he can tear a hole and get out.
But the question is, will this god be able to find his way back through space?
If it followed him into the small world, or into Novas Etier, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Forty percent.
Higashino Makoto gritted his teeth, took out the Bag of Sin and the Holy Grail to replenish his mana, and first tested whether the opponent's health bar was truly infinite or finite.
Then he felt it.
Something is vibrating against my chest.
Each one has a pulsating, heart-beat-like rhythm.
One, two, three, faster and faster, stronger and stronger.
He reached out and touched the key to his chest.
The Solomon's Key.
The silver-white key was burning hot in his palm, the dense runes shimmering, and golden light peeked through his fingers.
"What's going on? I didn't mean to use you!"
The key did not answer.
It just got hotter and brighter, and the vibrations got stronger and stronger.
It activated on its own without Higashino Makoto's active intervention.
This is the first time something like this has happened!
His face was somewhat gloomy.