"You damaged my sword?"
"Your sword wasn't sturdy enough," Android 18 said.
Gorr's body began to glow.
It was not his skin that glowed, but the dark red light emitted as the Necrosword's energy flowed through his veins.
The cracks across his body, those root-like patterns, all lit up like blood vessels burning in the darkness.
Something began to gather in his eyes. Not pupils, not irises, but pure energy.
Black, nonreflective energy that absorbed all light like a black hole.
"You think my power comes only from this sword?"
Gorr's voice was no longer hoarse. It had become like clashing metal, echoing through the hall and producing countless overlapping reverberations.
"You think I am a puppet controlled by the sword? No. The sword is me. I am the sword.
"My will and the sword's will have already fused into one. Damaging the sword means damaging my body.
"You injured my body. Do you know what happened to the last god who injured me?"
He rose to his feet, his black robe snapping in the energy field. The Necrosword was in his hand, and the dent in its blade was slowly being repaired by dark red fluid.
But the repair was very slow, because Android 18's power had left residual energy within the blade, preventing the Necrosword from restoring itself.
"He died. It took three years. I hunted him for three years, killed all his followers, destroyed all his temples, and when he was at his most desperate, I killed him.
"Slowly, one slash at a time, I carved him apart. You will be the same."
Android 18 looked at him, her blue eyes still calm.
"Are you done?"
Gorr moved. This time, he was several times faster than before.
The Necrosword turned into a streak of black light in