Visible ripples of distortion spread amid the moon's dust. The ground beneath Roland kept sinking, completely obscuring his vision along with it.
The theoretical explanation for this state was that the energy within Artosh was increasing, but to Roland, it looked more like an increase in the information comprising his very existence.
Just as when he had fused from a Demon into an Angel, his body had become a gigantic being of light, capable of locking down even the laws of a plane.
But producing that terrifying effect had required two purple Contract Spirits, Mana and Lilith, along with a soul crystal formed from more than half the lives in the Lower World, and an entire floor of the Dungeon as materials.
Artosh clearly had not performed that most crucial step just now. His actions violated the laws of thermodynamics outright.
Even True Magic merely used spirits to replace the scope of energy exchange, thereby distorting physical laws. Yet Artosh's existence had clearly expanded beyond merely enveloping the planet, to encompass even heaven and earth and the concept of the world, making them manifest in tangible form.
"Tch."
Roland clicked his tongue. It was one thing for the weak, but if someone strong believed that Artosh would enter a weakened state after using Divine Strike and eagerly tried to kick him while he was down, they would surely die without a grave.
According to the Ex-Machina's calculations, Artosh would retain only 12% of his strength after using Divine Strike. Although that still far exceeded an ordinary Old Deus, the number itself did not sound despair-inducing.
It was impossible that no Old Deus had considered this tactic during the great war of the past, but clearly, they were all thoroughly dead.
The reason was precisely what was happening now.
"The strongest