The gap was simply too vast. The shockwaves from the clash of [God's Strike] expanded throughout space, causing the very fabric of the vacuum to vibrate. At the center of the collision, space twisted completely, forming a miniature black hole.
The void of space churned as the celestial powers tore at the foundations of reality.
However, the moment that black hole appeared, it was smoothed over by raw power. Immediately afterward, Ren Isana's strength was completely swallowed up, and Artosh's [God's Strike] came hurtling toward him at a terrifying velocity.
Faced with this, Ren Isana instantly deployed every defensive spell in his arsenal, forming a comprehensive protection net in front of himself. Yet, the God of War's [God's Strike] still consumed him.
Most of the defensive magic he had constructed was annihilated in an instant. When the dust finally settled, only a single [Magic Circle] remained in front of him. Ren Isana stared at his shattered defenses, his heart filled with immense shock.
That was too close. His magic was almost wiped out entirely. However, this also confirmed something for him: he *could* withstand the God of War's power. Otherwise, he wouldn't have survived the initial impact.
*It's a bit of a stretch, but it'll have to do.* With that thought, Ren Isana locked his gaze onto the approaching Artosh. His [Omni-Weapon Mastery] manifested in his hands, and with a wave, a knight's lance appeared.
"[Anchor of the Holy Spear]!" Though no sound echoed in the vacuum of space, the lance in his hand instantly transformed into the golden holy spear. As this power, brimming with hope, appeared in the heavens, many observers below noticed it immediately.
This time, it could be said that over half the world witnessed this light of hope. Watching the golden brilliance erupting in space, Think Nirvalen's pupils dilated with shock. *This power... it's simply too incredible.*
*I really want to analyze it... I want to learn that!* She felt that this magic was incredibly compatible with her and the Elves. Once this was over, she was determined to have Ren Isana teach her. With that goal in mind, Think Nirvalen was practically buzzing with excitement.
This radiance also brought hope to many others. *Will the war finally end? It has to, right?* Now that the light of hope had appeared, all they could do was wait for the final result.
[Rhongomyniad] was a Divine Construct meant to maintain the texture of the world, using the form of a holy spear to anchor the planet's future. Although Ren Isana had learned a version of the spear reconstructed through Morgan's [Magecraft], it was functionally no different from the original.
Golden light erupted from the depths of the cosmos, blasting directly toward the charging God of War. This time, the holy spear was even more powerful and terrifying. Feeling that light of hope, Artosh's face broke into a bloodthirsty smile.
"What a brilliant light! It makes me want to destroy it even more!!" As the pillar of light descended, he did not dodge. He wanted to experience the weight of this power personally.
The pillar of light from the holy spear completely swallowed Artosh. However, Ren Isana didn't dare lower his guard. He didn't believe for a second that his attack could defeat Artosh so easily. That monster was likely 'tasting' the flavor of the holy spear right now!
And it was exactly as Ren Isana suspected. After the God of War experienced the power firsthand, his voice rang in Ren Isana's ears. "Impressive power. It feels like something meant to support the world itself. But if this is all you have, you won't be able to defeat me!"
With that, Artosh moved. He lunged in front of Ren Isana, a pitch-black battle-axe appearing in his hands as he swung it down. Ren Isana, who had been on high alert, quickly moved to defend!
Clang!" The lance in Ren Isana's hands vanished, replaced by two swords crossed to block the God of War's strike. Because they were in space, Ren Isana had no point of leverage to dissipate the force; he was sent hurtling backward like a projectile.
Ren Isana turned into a shooting star in the vacuum, flying over a hundred kilometers before finally coming to a halt. Just as he stabilized his body, he suddenly felt a lethal threat as a dense barrage of light pillars surged toward him.
The God of War gave Ren Isana no time to catch his breath. The follow-up attack arrived the moment he stopped. Seeing this, Ren Isana was forced to move continuously through space.
A dense swarm of tracking light pillars trailed behind him. Even when Ren Isana used [Intermediate Blink], the attacks followed relentlessly. Ren Isana realized that simply dodging wouldn't be enough to shake them off.
Ren Isana analyzed the attacks and immediately launched a counter-offensive. An equally vast number of [Magic Bullet] barrages appeared, intercepting the incoming strikes. Having done this, Ren Isana locked onto Artosh's position and fired an attack even more terrifying than [Heaven's Strike].
Seeing Ren Isana's counterattack, the God of War didn't budge. The moment Ren Isana's attack arrived, he simply reached out and crushed it with a squeeze of his hand, dispersing the energy instantly.
This scene made Ren Isana want to curse. *Damn it, this mission seems impossible. I'm completely outmatched.* Ever since the fight began, he had been entirely on the defensive.
"Do you feel it? This is the power of the God of War. I am Artosh, therefore I am the strongest. This is the causality defined by this world!" Artosh's voice echoed slowly, as if he were simply stating a fundamental fact.
He didn't press the attack this time. Instead, he began to explain something to Ren Isana. Hearing his words, Ren Isana was confused. *Why is he telling me this?*
"My Divine Core is War. The more war there is, the stronger I become. The stronger the enemy, the stronger I get—until there are no opponents left, and the world can no longer find a being capable of rivaling me," Artosh continued.
Ren Isana fell silent upon hearing this. This was a form of 'innate strongest'—the world itself had designated him as the peak. Therefore, if anyone in this world wanted to defeat the God of War, there was only one way.
They had to explode with power greater than the God of War in a single instant to defeat him. If you gave him any opening at all, he would simply grow stronger and more terrifying. You think you're stronger than him?
In the next second, Artosh would become even stronger than you. The window to defeat him existed only for a fleeting moment. In the original timeline, the Ex-Machina and Riku had seized that exact moment to defeat Artosh and allow the Star Cup to manifest.
"In truth, it is quite dull. I have always hoped for the day an opponent would appear who could defeat me. But throughout the endless ages, every opponent I looked forward to has fallen by my hand." There was a profound sense of regret in his tone.
It was the loneliness of the peak. From the moment of his birth, he had stood at the top of the world. He was the God of War, yet he had never found an opponent who could truly make his blood boil. He had long since grown tired of such a life.
After finishing his piece, Artosh's gaze fell on Ren Isana, appearing as though he could see right through him. He slowly spoke again, "You are special. You are not of this world, nor are you an Old Deus, yet you possess a talent that even the gods would envy!"
Taking advantage of Ren Isana's momentary distraction, Artosh suddenly appeared behind him and delivered a powerful whip-like kick. Caught off guard, Ren Isana felt like his entire body was about to fall apart.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and then... Ren Isana was hit in the face by his own blood. Because he was flying forward at high speeds, his face was instantly stained red. At the same time, Artosh's voice whispered in his ear.
"Sometimes, learning many things is not the same as being strong. You... are not there yet. Come, unleash everything you have learned and... defeat me!! [God's Strike]!!" Those were the last words the God of War spoke.
By now, Ren Isana had recovered thanks to his powerful regenerative abilities, but an even greater crisis was looming. An incredibly terrifying force was approaching from behind him.
Turning instantly, Ren Isana saw the horrifying pillar of black light. His pupils constricted. Without hesitation, he unleashed his [Spatial Magic], pouring out his [Magic Power] like a flood.
He deployed a [Spatial Barrier] with a diameter of several kilometers to block the path. He didn't dodge this time; the planet was right behind him. If Artosh's attack hit the surface, the entire world might just blow up.
Artosh's [God's Strike] was diverted into the depths of space by Ren Isana's [Spatial Magic]. Once the threat was neutralized, Ren Isana began to push his innate talent to the limit, using [Jianjigu] to frantically learn everything about the God of War.
The clash began once more. Seeing his attack diverted, Artosh's smile grew even wider. He rushed forward to engage Ren Isana in [Close Combat], but... Ren Isana was essentially just taking a one-sided beating.
Ren Isana had never felt this frustrated. Even back when he was at his weakest and taking beatings from Shizuka Hiratsuka, it wasn't this bad. At least with Shizuka Hiratsuka, he could learn and improve during the fight.
But against the God of War, he couldn't keep up with the learning curve. The moment he finished learning one thing, Artosh would pull out something new. How could the accumulation of tens of thousands of years be learned so easily?
Ren Isana was finally beginning to understand why the God of War had said those words. The stronger the enemy, the stronger he became—because Artosh was also constantly learning and improving. To defeat him, Ren Isana had to learn from him and then surpass him!!
Ren Isana began to resist with everything he had, learning at a frantic pace. The two continued to trade blows in space, a legendary battle witnessed by the entire world. Ren Isana was constantly wounded, only to recover and be wounded again.
Gradually, the things he learned began to stack up, and his strength grew. He had learned many techniques in the past—some he rarely even used—but today, he was forced to utilize every single one of them.
Artosh was like a strict master, ruthlessly testing everything Ren Isana had ever learned while simultaneously forcing new knowledge upon him. Ren Isana's [Jianjigu] was pushed to the absolute limit. It was a cycle of learning, learning, and more learning.
Eventually, he integrated everything he had learned into his own foundation, merging them into a form that suited him best. Furthermore, the energy within Ren Isana's body was undergoing a qualitative change.
The traits granted by his God Slayer status were now fully merging with his energy. In addition, the concept he had learned from the God of War—the idea of 'the stronger the enemy, the stronger I get'—began to fuse into his essence.
Artosh watched Ren Isana's gradual metamorphosis, a flash of pleasant surprise in his eyes. He had seen Ren Isana's frantic progress during their battle. Now that the transformation had finally begun, it was truly wonderful. However... it still wasn't enough. *If you only copy me, how can you ever walk your own path?*