Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 266: Time to kill a God

Chapter 266: Time to kill a God

Freya’s eyes blazed with killing intent as she poured all her strength into pushing against Emperor Dimitry’s sword, but the deadlock remained unbroken.

The air around them crackled with raw power as their weapons clashed, neither giving an inch. Freya’s focus was razor-sharp, without hesitation, yet deep within, she was surprised that the Emperor could match her strength.

The battles in Santana City had been grueling, pushing her beyond her limits. She had made significant progress in the Totem Path of Power, her totems growing exponentially in strength as she sacrificed powerful enemies to the Primordial God of Bloodshed and Battle, Odilvaldr. Moreover, thanks to the constant infusion of Origin Force, Freya’s only true weakness—the Level System—had grown substantially, greatly expanding her energy pool and making her even more formidable.

Freya had believed that once the actual battle started, she would have no problem defeating the Emperor. Yet, facing Dimitry, she realized this man had reached the peak of the empire’s power, not through politics alone. For a moment, she couldn’t help but wonder how he had grown so powerful.

Those thoughts quickly vanished. Freya’s mind erased everything unnecessary for the fight. It didn’t matter how strong the Emperor was. What mattered was that she had to kill him!

Their weapons remained locked for three agonizing seconds, sparks flying as neither managed to overpower the other. Then, in perfect synchronization, they both disengaged, taking a single step back before launching their next attack.

Freya moved first, her mace whirling with totemic energy as she brought it crashing down toward Dimitry. The Emperor parried with his glowing sword, the force of their clash sending shockwaves through the throne room.

With a swift motion, Dimitry spun around, aiming a deadly horizontal slash at her midsection. Freya blocked with her shield, the impact reverberating through her arm as she countered with a quick upward strike of her mace.

Dimitry stepped back, narrowly avoiding the blow, and immediately retaliated with a flurry of strikes. His movements were fluid and precise, each slash carrying deadly intent. Freya dodged one, blocked the next, and countered with a powerful downward strike that Dimitry deflected with expert skill.

Their exchange of blows was relentless. Each swing of Freya’s mace was met with the graceful, deadly precision of Dimitry’s sword. She used her shield to block and bash, deflecting the Emperor’s attacks while searching for an opening. Meanwhile, Dimitry’s footwork was impeccable, always keeping just out of range of her crushing blows.

"CLANG! BOOM!" The kinetic blasts from their strikes sent ripples through the air, shattering pieces of stone and sending debris flying across the room. Freya’s totemic energy surged with every strike, her blows growing heavier and more forceful. Dimitry, in turn, moved with the poise of a seasoned swordsman, his glowing sword carving arcs of light with each swift motion.

As the two warriors clashed, their battle was mirrored by the chaos in the throne room, where the four Bloodline Soldiers fought valiantly against the monstrous Life Statues. Kimil, Orland, Michael, and Alexy each displayed unique fighting styles and abilities, their powers enhanced by the Demon Soul Master Strength System they wielded with deadly precision.

Kimil, the tallest of the Bloodline Soldiers, was a whirlwind of speed and agility. His Demon Soul was that of the Crimson Panther, a demon Champion capable of incredible reflexes and speed. The Bloodline Soldier darted around the humanoid Life Statue he was facing; his twin blades a blur of motion. The statue swung its stone fists with crushing force, but Kimil was always one step ahead, dodging and weaving with graceful ease.

Every time Kimil dodged, he countered with swift, precise strikes, his blades glowing with a crimson hue as he infused them with his Demon Soul energy. His attacks chipped away at the statue, slowly but surely breaking through its defense.

Orland, on the other hand, was all brute force. His Demon Soul was the Earthshaker, a colossal demon of raw strength, and he wielded a massive hammer infused with seismic power. Every swing of his weapon caused tremors to ripple through the ground. The two animal-like Life Statues he faced roared as they charged, their stone claws slashing at him with deadly precision.

Orland grinned, meeting the beasts head-on with a swing of his hammer that sent shockwaves through the air. The force of his blows cracked the statues’ surfaces, and chunks of stone flew in all directions with each impact. His brute strength was unmatched, and every strike brought the Life Statues closer to crumbling.

Michael, the skinniest of the group, fought with a different kind of elegance. His Demon Soul was the Azure Serpent, a demon of wind and illusion. He weaved through the battlefield, his spear dancing in his hands as he struck at the Life Statues with precision.

The serpentine form of his Demon Soul surrounded him after activating its demon ability, its ethereal body flowing like wind as it deflected the Life Statues’ strikes. Michael’s spear was sharp and deadly, slicing through the air with such speed that the Life Statues couldn’t keep up. Each time the statues swung, they met nothing but air as Michael moved like a phantom, slipping through their defenses and delivering piercing strikes that chipped away at their forms.

Alexy, the last of the Bloodline Soldiers, fought with an aura of corrosive mist. His Demon Soul was the Blood Reaper, a demon Champion whose blood was corrosive acid. His attacks with his twin sickles were infused with a dark energy that eroded anything they touched.

The Life Statues he faced had monstrous, hulking arms that swung like hammers to crush him. But Alexy was relentless, parrying the strikes with his sickles, each swing leaving dark, festering marks on the statues’ stone surface. The more he struck, the more the stone seemed to weaken, eroding and crumbling under the corrosive power of his attacks.

The room was a vortex of energy and destruction. Freya and Dimitry continued their deadly crash in the center, their weapons clashing with the force of titans. Around them, the Bloodline Soldiers battled the Life Statues, their unique fighting styles, and Demon Soul Master powers giving them the edge in a fight that pushed them to their limits.

Amidst the chaos, Dimitry’s sneer faded as the reality of the situation dawned on him. He still held to the belief that his enemies were nothing more than brutes, but he had to admit that he had underestimated the Xaos Kingdom.

The Emperor had waited inside the Imperial Castle and not gone to the frontlines because he knew that his power would reach its zenith within these walls. He had hoped his enemies would come to him, expecting to crush them easily, but now it was clear: these soldiers were no ordinary foes. They were monsters in their own right, each one pushing him and his creations to their breaking points.

....

A few thousand meters from the Imperial Castle, where Freya and the Bloodline Soldiers clashed with Emperor Dimitry, and far beyond the chaos of the southern front where Ouroboros and the Royal Guard faced off against Pope Jerom, another, even more critical, battle was about to begin.

Vlad stood in silence, gazing at the towering, golden cathedral before him. It was an imposing structure, far more majestic than even the Imperial Castle. Its spires reached into the heavens, each adorned with intricate carvings of angels and divine symbols, glowing faintly with sacred energy.

The air around the cathedral was thick with a heavy, otherworldly pressure—a presence so overwhelming that even Vlad, with all his power, felt unease. The oppressive aura emanating from within the cathedral was due to the immense power of the one inside.

He had arrived several minutes ago but had yet to make his move. Vlad was not one to hesitate, yet this was different. The Depravita of Wrath knew that the enemy waiting inside would not be simple—and might very well be the strongest entity in all of Terra right now.

Within that holy temple was Goddess Lucia, the deity worshiped by the Church of Glory, the very soul of the Azarin Empire. Her twisted beliefs had caused the deaths and mutilations of countless men, women, and children she deemed "tainted."

Vlad’s sharp eyes scanned the cathedral, searching for any movement, but nothing stirred despite the ongoing war’s mayhem.

’She is the soul of the theocracy. If I kill her, all the soldiers of the empire will lose their will to fight, and the war will end.’ Victory could mean the end of it all, but Vlad knew things would not be that easy. ’The pressure coming from inside this place is suffocating, and my instincts are flaring like never before.’

Just as he debated his next move, a small yellow flash appeared in the distance, rapidly approaching with incredible speed. Within moments, the blur took shape, revealing the familiar figure of a small cat.

Vlad’s gaze shifted from the cathedral to Jormungandr. The two Depravita locked eyes, their expressions devoid of fear, replaced only by cold, calculated determination. No words were needed between them; their mission was clear.

Time to kill a God.