The gods of this world were not quite what Jaden had imagined.
In most cases, gods were never perfect.
Even Poseidon, who was often praised as flawless, merely possessed overwhelming speed and attack power. Even he could not simultaneously maintain invincible defense while mastering both speed and offense.
But-
Jaden was exactly that kind of existence.
His Observation Haki allowed him to see the future, and at its highest level, even hear the voices of others. Yet if someone were to ask him which of his three forms of Haki was the strongest-
He would answer without hesitation.
Armament Haki.
Although he had failed to complete the final special mission of the Garp template, the template itself had reached ninety-nine percent fusion.
That meant his Armament Haki...
Was even stronger than Garp's.
Garp's physique and Armament Haki had been superimposed onto him.
And Jaden's own Armament Haki had never been weak to begin with.
So when Armament Haki capable of shattering mountains was used purely for defense...
Even a meteor falling from the heavens and smashing directly into him would leave him completely unharmed.
Jaden had no weaknesses.
He was fast.
He was strong.
With Moonwalk, he could extend special movement techniques across land, sea, and air alike. Thanks to Iron Mass, his body had no weak points.
His defense was strong.
After merging the Garp template, his recovery ability was strong.
His stamina was strong.
His learning ability was strong.
To the gods-
Jaden was a monster with every attribute maxed out.
And more than that, he could see the future and hear thoughts. Combined with the Thirteen Royal Orbs on his body, once he believed he would win, the Orbs would continuously guide him toward victory.
So when facing a being like this-
The moment Odin's spear struck Jaden head-on and was deflected, the gods felt something instinctive rise within them.
Powerlessness.
Despair.
Earlier, Jaden had already crushed their pride, forcing them to huddle together in fear.
Now, he shattered the fragile sense of security that their numbers provided, dragging them back into a fear even deeper than before.
Standing uninjured at the center of the crowd, Jaden spread his arms.
His Conqueror's Haki surged outward once more.
Finally-
Some gods were so terrified that they were knocked unconscious on the spot.
Seeing this, Odin's expression darkened further.
Loki, standing beside him, looked at Jaden surrounded by the gods and shook his head, wearing a strained, mocking smile.
"Oh dear... an aura powerful enough to function as an attack. What a frightening individual..."
As he spoke, Loki's figure began to distort, like a reflection rippling across water.
"However... individuals like this tend to be simple-minded. Their understanding of power is usually very straightforward~"
With those words, Loki vanished.
He was different from the other gods.
Most of them were like Zeus-possessing powerful physiques and relying on Divine Weapons to unleash terrifying frontal combat strength.
Loki was not.
His Divine Weapon was an indestructible dagger, but he was never the type to use it to forcibly break through defenses.
He was rare among the gods.
A god who specialized in Illusions.
At this moment, he cast one.
Using Illusion, he concealed his presence and dragged Jaden into an illusion that was nine parts real and one part false-right at the peak of Jaden's aura.
After doing so, Loki confidently walked toward Jaden from the front, his smile growing wider with every step.
Loki's physique was not strong.
He could hardly be considered a warrior.
But-
"Precisely because of that, killing a powerful warrior is far more enjoyable~!"
He spread his arms, approached Jaden, and drew his dagger.
"Farewell, powerful warrior~"
The dagger thrust forward toward Jaden, who appeared completely defenseless.
And then-
Clang!
The blade was blocked.
Jaden, who should not have been able to react, stopped the attack with Armament Haki.
Loki froze.
He raised his head and met Jaden's eyes.
Clear.
Perfectly clear.
"My Illusion... how could it be ineffective against you!?"
Loki stared in disbelief.
As he spoke, Jaden's hand closed around his neck and lifted him off the ground.
"That's the question you should be answering for me."
"What made you think your Illusion would work on me?"
Jaden smiled as he looked at the terrified god and spoke slowly.
"Farewell."
"The Best Clown."
Snap.
With one hand, Jaden twisted Loki's neck.
Golden dust dispersed from his fingers.
Jaden turned his gaze back toward the remaining gods.
They were retreating.
Some could barely keep their weapons steady.
Just as Jaden was about to speak, he suddenly threw a punch to the side.
Bang!
It looked like he had struck empty air.
But in reality, a man who had crossed two swords to block the blow was sent flying, tumbling backward before regaining his footing with a midair somersault.
The ones most shocked were not Jaden.
It was Hercules.
And Ares.
Because the one sent flying-
Was Hermes.
A god who, in their eyes, should not have been this strong.
"Your speed is decent," Jaden said calmly, his gaze shifting slightly. "But if this is all you have, it's far from enough."
Hermes vanished the instant he landed.
When he reappeared, his staff had already split into twin swords, and he stood on Jaden's opposite side.
Jaden swung again.
This time-
Hermes dodged.
At the instant the punch was about to land, Hermes pulled back in an utterly unscientific motion.
He rotated his neck, looked at Jaden, and smiled slowly.
"You might be very confident in your speed. But if I adapt a little..."
"You won't be able to touch me~"
The eyes of the surrounding gods lit up.
Jaden had filled them with despair.
It had felt as though no god could surpass him in any aspect.
But now-
Hope appeared.
Hermes's speed...
Might actually be faster.
Just as that thought surfaced-
They noticed Jaden smiling.
Smiling brightly.
Then he raised his right fist.
"You're confident in your speed," Jaden said lightly. "Honestly, I have at least three ways to deal with you."
"But if we're talking about the most interesting one..."
He lifted his fist and blew on it.
At that moment, Zeus's pupils contracted violently.
He raised his hand.
"Hermes, run-"
Before the sound could fully travel-
Everything stopped.
Time itself seemed to freeze.
Then Jaden appeared directly in front of Hermes, his right fist raised.
Hermes wasn't completely frozen, but his movements were unbearably slow, almost motionless.
The fact that Jaden could still move freely proved just how terrifying his speed truly was.
As for Zeus-
He hadn't entered combat mode yet.
He couldn't react in time.
Jaden looked down at Hermes.
Hermes could still look back at him.
But despair hadn't even had time to form in his eyes.
A smile more terrifying than a demon's spread across Jaden's face.
This was a technique he had learned from Zeus.
-A punch that transcended time.
"See you~"
Bang!
The force slammed down.
By the time anyone reacted, Hermes's headless body was already kneeling before Jaden. Blood spread across the ground as his twin swords slipped from lifeless hands and fell into the pool beneath.
The contrast was so severe that several gods nearly fainted.
At that moment-
Zeus stepped forward.
His Titan form expanded, muscles swelling as he cast his staff aside and emerged from the crowd, staring at Jaden with fury.
"Unforgivable. I don't know where you learned that move, but it is utterly unforgivable, mortal!"
Jaden smiled wider.
"You're only saying that now? Don't be naïve."
"You gods came to provoke me, talked about destroying humanity, and now you speak of 'unforgivable'?"
"Do I need your forgiveness?"
"Are you even worthy of it?"
"From the moment I stormed your domain, I was prepared to kill all of you. Yet you still haven't shown the resolve to fight me to the death."
"You bore me."
"I should be the one saying 'unforgivable.'"
Veins bulged across Zeus's forehead.
His body flushed faintly red with rage.
He didn't argue.
He gestured for the other gods to withdraw.
Then he stood alone before Jaden.
"If that's the case," Zeus said coldly, "you won't be bored anymore."
"I won't need the others."
"Just me... alone is enough to kill you."
Zeus knew it.
Without Divine Weapons, he would likely lose.
This King of Man was a monster.
But-
Using Divine Weapons was another matter.
The Helmet of Uranus.
The Boots of Hermes.
The Spear of Ares.
The Shield of Athena.
The Armor of Gaia.
Golden light flashed.
In an instant, full-body divine armor enveloped Zeus's Titan form.
As the armor settled, his massive body rapidly shrank, matching Jaden's size perfectly. The armor adapted seamlessly.
The surrounding wind fled outward as savage pressure erupted from Zeus's position.
He stood at the eye of the storm.
Shield raised.
Spear lifted.
Lightning flowed across every Divine Weapon, crackling through the narrow slits of his helmeted gaze.
A sight rarely seen.
Long awaited.
The King of Gods entered his fully armed combat stance.
And only in this state-
Was he worthy of his other title.
-The Strongest God.