Chapter 420 - 419 - A Defeat Is a Defeat

A small purple flower grew.

It was a common species from the Human World, the kind that grew quickly as long as there were enough nutrients in the soil. Anywhere else, it would not have drawn much attention. It would have been only a simple flower in the middle of a green field.

But in that place, it was very important.

Beside the flower, two people observed in silence.

Days had passed since Rygar and Aisha activated the stabilizers. Since then, they had created soil with Earth Magic, scattered seeds, and added fertilizer to produce fertile ground.

For obvious reasons, they had chosen a plant capable of growing even without sunlight. After watering everything and adjusting the local conditions, they waited patiently.

There was nothing else immediate to do. They had already done everything within their reach to create an environment capable of producing life. The rest was up to the world.

And the answer had been positive.

Aisha stared at the flower for some time, still with a doubtful look.

"Does this mean it worked? I mean... did we really do it?"

Rygar looked around.

Although it was only a delimited area of ten kilometers, the difference was obvious. The rest of the Beast World was still completely dead, but within the stabilized space, there was fertile soil and a small purple flower growing.

Even without a God, that small part of the world was undeniably alive again.

Rygar scratched his head.

"I think so. Yeah, it’s... well, it doesn’t feel like such a great achievement now that it actually worked, hahaha! How did they say it back on Earth? One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. Hm, wait, what would the equivalent of mankind be for all races?"

Aisha ignored her husband’s final delusions and simply nodded as she stood up.

"I have to agree with that feeling. I don’t know what I was expecting. Maybe some inexplicable sense of accomplishment."

She also looked around to see if she would feel anything more, but felt nothing.

"This means we can go home," Aisha said.

Rygar looked toward the horizon, seeming to see something beyond the suspended landmasses and the cracks in the sky.

"Well, since we’re ready, let’s leave quickly. Apophis has been prowling around this place for some time. We can leave before she comes to us again."

Aisha sighed wearily.

Of course, during those days, while he had not done much besides wait, Rygar had suddenly created a special method to locate that strange monster.

And then he said she was the mad genius. Half of his feats seemed to be performed by an alien. Well, they said one madman recognized another, so perhaps she was a little crazy too.

She spoke sarcastically:

"Why don’t you take the monster with you? Who knows, maybe it could be good company for Sköll and Leo."

Rygar retorted without hesitation:

"Her name is Apophis, not monster. And I would definitely take her if I could understand half of her abilities. Unfortunately, she really is unique."

Aisha rolled her eyes, and Rygar smiled.

The two began collecting the equipment, which was obviously much faster than installing it. In about four hours, they were ready to leave again.

During that time, Rygar kept trying to convince Aisha that Apophis could become friendly if tamed, but she did not seem very receptive to the idea after nearly being swallowed.

To Aisha, the fact that the creature was interesting did not erase the detail that it had tried to kill her during their first meeting. To Rygar, apparently, she was merely very intriguing.

In the end, Rygar swore to himself that one day he would return to that world to see that monster again.

Aisha seriously questioned whether Rygar’s strength was not making him insane. Who the hell looked at a monster of that magnitude and had friendship as their first thought?

When she questioned him about it, Rygar denied it vehemently.

"Apophis isn’t even that dangerous."

Aisha stared at him for a few seconds, not knowing whether he was joking or truly believed that.

And so, after thirty-five days in the destroyed Beast World, the two finally returned to the Human World.

---

POV: Godbard of the Splendid Celestial Peak

I had truly heard quite a lot about what the Human God was like.

Among the upper ranks of the Kingdom of Gaia, everyone had taken an interest in him at some point. After all, there were not many people stupid enough to become enemies of the Beast God, and this so-called Human God seemed to be one of them.

To be honest, I was not very impressed when I heard about him. From what they said, he seemed quite dependent on manipulation and had few results to his name.

Of course, I was no brilliant strategist, but even a drunk dwarf could recognize a fellow who talked too much and did too little.

And recently, I had even less time to worry about that nonsense.

No, I was far too busy drowning myself in good dwarven beer.

Ah, it comforted me like nothing else.

I must say, my sorrows over losing the title of Ore God were washed away with every gulp, and my memories of my treacherous disciple surpassing me in my own field were momentarily forgotten.

My current situation was not very good, I admit, but let us look on the bright side: now I could truly focus one hundred percent of my time on forging.

Of course, except for the time spent sending those stubborn dwarves away. Those guys really could not accept defeat.

I had already lost. I, Godbard, former Ore God, had been defeated by Rufus in a forging contest.

That was humiliating, painful, and irritating in many ways, but it was also simple. A dwarf could be stubborn, could be proud, and could drink until he forgot his own name, but a defeat is a defeat.

Even if my situation was not exactly my peak, I truly did not expect to be doing so poorly that I would receive a visit from the noble Human God.

"Think about it! That ungrateful disciple of yours and all the dwarves who followed him abandoned the honor of the dwarves! You will be able to take revenge on all of them!"

He seemed quite enthusiastic.

Well, I was not very good at talking, so I did not have the nerve to interrupt him right from the start.

"Do not worry about the strength of your enemies. They have weaknesses to be exploited, and you will not be alone in this. I still have a few cards up my sleeve!"

Man, this Hitogami really talked a lot.

I am a stoic person. A dwarf needs to be stoic, but everything has a limit. He had already been talking nonstop for ten minutes, and I just wanted to sleep after collapsing drunk.

"Hey, man, enough!"

He finally stopped talking.

Although I could not see his appearance clearly, he gave me a feeling similar to my own.

A drunk loser.

I spoke sincerely:

"Look, man, I’m somewhat aware of your situation. That mess on the Demon Continent was your doing, wasn’t it?"

He said nothing for a moment.

So I continued.

"Look, man, I ruled the dwarves for a long time, and I ruled very well. I am a harsh and stubborn ruler. I am a dwarf. But even I know when I’ve lost."

The presence of the Human God seemed to grow a little colder, but I had already started, so there was no point stopping.

"He beat me, man. Rufus beat me by forging a sword. It wasn’t some strange locomotive, or a lantern-heater, or any of those stupid things he invents in his free time. It was a sword!"

Hitogami retorted quickly:

"You do not need to surrender because of one defeat. No one does! You yourself said he will drag the honor of the dwarves into the dirt by abandoning tradition."

"Enough. Enough. Yes, I said that, so what? Man, you failed to bring him down when he was a child, failed in the Asura Kingdom, failed in Begaritt, failed in that last stupid attempt to capture his children. Why the hell do you think you will succeed against the Beast God now that he is at his peak?"

Hitogami fell silent.

Finally.

What a noisy guy.

"You have no generals, no army, no information. I am not very versed in battles, but even I can see you are at a disadvantage. You even resorted to me, a drunk loser! Sometimes, simply accepting your death can bring enormous peace, you know? Why don’t you follow my example instead of jumping around like a monkey?"

The connection was suddenly cut.

I woke up with a slight headache. Perhaps it had been the barrel of alcohol I drank by myself before sleeping.

I laughed heartily.

"Hahahaha! He seemed irritated!"

I got up and went to my communicator. It was better to report this before anything else. But man, that Hitogami was getting more and more shameless. What had Rygar done to him?

Well, it was not really my business.

---

Inside a mountain covered with trees, in the Combat Temple, there was a small picturesque cabin.

Nearby were logs, rocks, and other training tools. A few dozen meters away, there was a vegetable garden with several vegetables, where a man in white robes, with long wings on his back, watered the plants peacefully.

Anyone who looked at that friendly old man would never imagine that he was one of the greatest martial artists in the entire world, surpassing even the Beast God in that specific field.

Beside the garden ran a small river. Farther ahead, upstream, there was a waterfall. And sitting beneath it were two boys.

One of them was a blue-haired human.

The other was a silver-haired beastman.

Both looked like young teenagers and remained motionless beneath the waterfall. They were Nel and Perseus, the firstborn sons of the Martial God and the Beast God.

The two had always been rivals, for as long as they could remember, although Perseus had considered himself superior for many years.

That happened because, although talented, Jino’s son had always lagged far behind him due to the Laplace Factor. Perseus’s strength would always be superior to that of his peers, and that was enough to feed his confidence from an early age.

But that changed when Nel became a Sword Saint at eleven years old, after mastering the Longsword of Light, and decisively defeated Perseus in battle with a single strike.

It had a great emotional impact on Perseus.

At that time, he had still not become a Beast Saint, nor was he making much progress in trying to control his Battle Aura.

Aurora, with her magic, also dominated him in combat, and the natural strength that had once seemed sufficient began to show itself incapable of taking him where he wanted to go.

That was a severe blow to his ego.

Mainly because his ambition was to defeat his own father.

But that episode also served for his growth. Rygar spoke with him and advised him, because he knew that was a moment when his character could be shaped decisively.

After losing to Nel, someone he had been superior to since childhood, Perseus began to change. Before, he thought only when he was forced to. Now, he truly tried to think on his own.

It was at that moment that his golden opportunity appeared.

The Technique God was looking for disciples.

His father had already tried to train him personally, but Perseus refused. Since he wanted to defeat him, learning directly from him seemed counterproductive. So Rygar recommended that he participate in Laplace’s test, and Perseus accepted.

That was, without a doubt, one of the best decisions he had ever made in his life.

Although Laplace’s training methods were strange and often boring, his determination held out long enough for him to see the results. After almost a year, Perseus finally became a Beast Saint.

He could recover a little of his confidence.

And he could, once again, aim for first place in the Dawn Cup.

Perseus opened his eyes beneath the waterfall and stared at Nel, who was only five meters away from him. A smile appeared on his face.

This time, he would prove to everyone who was the strongest!

He would make Aurora regret her provocations from the last few years.

But this time, he would do it with more patience, waiting for the right moment like a tiger about to pounce.

Perseus closed his eyes again and returned to focusing on his training.

----

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