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Chapter 40 - chapter 39

Chapter 39

Clash of the Titans (2)

Arthur raised his sword high toward Cthulhu.

In that moment,

he unleashed everything he had left—

all his might,

all his tyranny,

all his will—

toward the entity that stood in defiance of the entire universe.

For a fraction of a second—

Cthulhu felt Arthur's energy.

It turned.

And with that turn alone,

the crushing, destructive pressure descended upon Arthur's body once more.

Had it not been for the staff bound to Cthulhu's own power,

Arthur's body would have been pulverized in an instant,

without the slightest resistance.

Beneath the massive writhing tentacles,

a smile appeared.

A small smile…

yet enough

to plant pure terror in Arthur's heart.

Cthulhu smiled.

Then—

it reduced its size.

From an entity that blanketed the universe,

to one roughly the size of a planet.

It looked at Arthur.

The gaze of an elephant

upon an ant.

No—far worse than that.

And it spoke.

But its words

were not merely sound.

They were the scream of the universe itself.

[[Γνώρισε τη θέση σου, μικρή θνητή]]

In that moment,

Arthur felt as though existence itself

was screaming inside his head.

He did not understand a single word Cthulhu had uttered,

yet the meaning…

arrived with lethal clarity.

Contempt.

Dominion.

Absolute judgment.

Arthur smiled with a strange calm.

He raised his hand toward Cthulhu's face.

And said in a steady voice,

despite his smallness,

despite the terror:

"Let me be the first rebel

against the ruler."

Arthur roared with everything he had left

and launched himself toward Cthulhu's body.

He drove all his strength behind his foot,

struck space itself,

and shot forward at tremendous speed toward the colossal being.

But—

before he could even reach it—

he was struck.

A single blow.

An unimaginable force.

Arthur's body was hurled through space,

flying at insane speed,

flung an inconceivable distance from Cthulhu's body.

When his awareness flickered back for a moment—

he felt a pain that tore at his soul before his body,

a horrifying agony unlike anything he had ever felt in his life.

A pain that nearly made him truly wish for death.

Arthur gathered his strength and looked at his body.

It was red…

soaked in blood.

His veins had burst.

His bones shattered.

His internal organs torn apart.

It had been only one strike

from one of the tentacles on Cthulhu's face.

One strike

that nearly killed him.

The tentacle had struck from his left side—

his arm vanished completely,

and a large portion of his body with it.

Nothing remained of his left side

but torrents of blood

erupting into the void.

In the final moments of his life—

without thinking—

Arthur extended his trembling right hand

toward his pocket.

He pulled out three bottles.

He tried to lift one to his mouth,

but his hand stopped.

It no longer moved.

With immense effort, Arthur shifted his eye and looked.

His right hand

had been crushed…

and fallen from his body.

In that moment,

he knew.

'I will die.'

But—instinctively—

his mouth moved.

In his final instant,

he placed one of the bottles into his mouth.

The bottle dissolved immediately,

as though it were not matter,

but pure condensed energy.

It entered his body.

Within mere seconds—

everything changed.

His body was reconstructed.

His left arm returned.

The missing part of his body restored.

His right hand returned to normal.

Arthur opened his eyes.

And the first thought that crossed his mind was:

"Damn…

I will definitely die."

He exhaled slowly

and looked around.

The galaxy…

was gone.

Nothing remained.

No planets.

No stars.

Only—

Arthur,

Cthulhu,

and the Sun.

Everything else

had been consumed.

Arthur looked at the remaining potions before him.

"If I use them…

my body may explode and I'll die because of my weakness."

He took a deep breath.

"And if I don't…

I will certainly die at Cthulhu's hands."

He smiled, exhausted.

"Death…

is the only thing left

in this empty universe."

Arthur sighed softly in sarcasm.

"Where are those gods now? Humanity worships a thousand gods, and I don't see a single one here helping me."

He raised his gaze upward, toward absolute nothingness.

"If there is any god, ruler, or whatever watching right now—

I'd like to say, damn you all."

He grabbed the first potion

and swallowed it.

Then the second.

Four seconds passed—

nothing.

Then five more—

Heavenly fire erupted inside his body.

Celestial flames.

They burned his bones.

Burned his organs.

Burned his very existence.

His body transformed into a mass

of sacred fire.

Then—

it evaporated into space.

Meanwhile,

Cthulhu finished absorbing everything.

Only the Sun remained.

It devoured stars,

planets,

even black holes.

Its speed

was inconceivable.

In mere moments,

it traversed millions of light-years.

It left nothing behind.

Cthulhu moved through space

as though strolling across its own courtyard.

It reached the Sun.

It extended its hand toward it

to end everything.

But—

at that exact moment—

it felt something.

A great power.

Standing behind it.

A terrifying force…

a mighty force.

Cthulhu turned swiftly—

but before it could complete the motion—

it was struck.

A direct blow

to its dark, hideous face.

Its body was sent flying through space.

Cthulhu regained its balance quickly

and looked.

Before it stood a being

exactly equal to its size.

A luminous entity…

grand…

majestic.

It bore a human form.

Its face resembled the Sun.

Long hair flowed behind it.

Silver armor encased its colossal body.

And in its hand—

a sword.

It was—

Arthur.

Arthur, who had consumed the two potions.

The first:

all the energy he had previously absorbed

from Cthulhu's soldiers.

The second:

the Ruler's Power Potion.

A potion beyond price.

Even the Heavenly Store

had placed no value upon it.

Arthur gambled his life.

And spoke to the System—

after Cthulhu had disabled it.

"System…

I do not know who you are,

nor why you chose me,

nor why you were sent to me.

But Cthulhu is a great entity.

If I flee now…

one day he will come

and destroy the world of One Piece

and other worlds as well.

There will be no refuge from his evil.

He will continue consuming planets

until the end.

So—

my request now…

perhaps my final request…

Give me

the Ruler's Power Potion."

The System's reply appeared—

distorted,

fragmented:

|H-host…

your body will not endure…

you…

will die…|

Arthur smiled softly.

The smile of a man

who had made his decision.

He felt genuine, pure concern

emanating from the System's distorted words.

Arthur did not truly know the cause of that concern.

Was the System truly worried about him…

and unwilling to see him die?

Or was it simply

unable to grant a priceless potion?

Or had their fates become intertwined?

If Arthur died…

what would happen to the System?

Would it vanish?

Shatter?

Remain stranded in the void?

Arthur did not know the nature of the bond between them,

nor the essence of that mysterious concern.

Yet—

he smiled.

A calm, sincere smile.

He slowly extended his hand toward the blue System screen floating before him,

as though trying to touch it gently…

as though it were a living being.

And said in a low voice,

carrying pure gratitude:

"I am truly grateful to you

for everything you've done for me

since I was sent to the world of One Piece after my death.

Without you…

I would not have survived.

I am certain of that.

So—

give me the potion.

I will die anyway.

So why not fight…

for the last time

together?"

Silence fell.

Then the System's words appeared,

distorted, fragmented—

but clear in meaning:

|…..∆∆§§×÷§∆×§§§

Very well…

let us kill this bastard ruler.|

Arthur's smile widened.

A smile of satisfaction.

In the next instant—

four bottles appeared before him.

---

In space…

Two great beings stood

in forms beyond human comprehension.

One—

Cthulhu.

The other—

Arthur.

They were now equal in size.

But—

the balance of power

still favored Cthulhu.

Even so—

Arthur did not wait.

Before Cthulhu's instincts fully reawakened,

Arthur seized his long celestial sword—

a blade forged of pure white cosmic energy.

Then—

he charged.

With a single burst,

his heavenly body shattered the space behind him,

as though existence itself cracked beneath his force.

Arthur lunged with overwhelming might,

and swung his sword toward Cthulhu's head.

One strike.

The blade collided with Cthulhu's head

and descended with force.

Arthur lifted his gaze.

And saw—

for the first time—

a wound.

A small wound

upon Cthulhu's head.

Disgusting green blood

began to flow from it.

Cthulhu roared.

A heavy,

mighty scream

that deafened all.

Space itself trembled from its cry.

But what was truly terrifying—

was that in the moment Arthur's sword

swept over Cthulhu's head—

space tore.

A rift appeared.

A black fracture

in the heart of existence.

Arthur had torn space itself—

his strike

had sliced through the fabric of the universe.

Arthur smiled with dominance.

Then charged again.

He did not grant Cthulhu a single moment.

He struck.

Swung.

Clashed with his very body.

Relentless pressure,

merciless assault.

But after only a few seconds—

Cthulhu spread its wings

like those of an ancient dragon.

It rose into space.

Then—

it tore off its left hand

and placed it against its right.

The wound began to heal,

and its hand regenerated.

As for the severed hand—

Cthulhu compressed it,

reshaped it.

It transformed into a solid sword—

green…

revolting.

And it charged.

A single strike

from Cthulhu's sword—

split space

in two.

With that blow,

Cthulhu cleaved the universe.

And with it—

Arthur's left arm vanished.

Arthur smiled.

A smile of madness.

He did not utter a single word.

He surged toward Cthulhu once more.

And the two titans clashed

in space

without mercy.

Without retreat.

Without compassion.

This was—

the Clash of the Titans.

---

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