Chapter 182: Certain Death.

Chad heard Seris behind him, but he didn’t turn, nor did he hesitate. The storm was biting cold, its freezing winds clawing at him as he pushed forward, everything ahead was little more than a blur of darkness and chilling killing intent.

The Storm Blizzard God didn’t seem to register the warriors attacking it, and with good reason. It was simply too powerful. Their attacks amounted to little more than insignificant disturbances against its colossal body, and none of them had truly succeeded in drawing its complete attention.

They could strike, retreat, and try again, but the creature continued moving as though their efforts meant nothing. Against something like this, even the strongest Awakened were reduced to pests struggling to make themselves noticed.

So when Chad came before the god, he resembled exactly what he was: a mantis trying to stop a chariot, perhaps even worse. A mortal trying to stop a god.

He planted his feet and raised both hands, bracing himself as the Storm Blizzard God’s massive hind legs came down before him. The collision sent an immense shock through his body, but Chad held firm, meeting the divine monstrosity head-on. For the first time since the battle began, the god’s roar abruptly fell silent. Its enormous form came to an unexpected halt, and for one brief instant, Chad had managed to accomplish what none of the others had. He had stopped a god, dead in its tracks.

The weight bearing down on his small, meagre form was immense. The ground beneath his feet strained under the force, and his arms trembled as he struggled to keep the god from advancing.

Yet despite everything pressing against him, Chad was still stronger. That was a given, a law of his nature. No matter who or what he faced, he would always possess slightly more power than his opponent. It was an advantage he’d grown accustomed to relying on, something he could trust even when everything else failed him. It didn’t matter if his opponent wasn’t a mortal being. His status effect made no distinction between the mortal and the divine.

At least, that was what he had always believed.

The massive hind leg shifted backward before slamming down onto the ground again, releasing a powerful gale that swept through the surrounding ruins. Snow and ice scattered beneath the force, and the wind struck Chad hard enough to nearly tear him from his footing.

He staggered, his legs threatening to buckle beneath him, but he managed to remain standing. The effort left his entire body shaking uncontrollably. Every breath scraped through his lungs, and he needed a moment to gather himself after that single collision. He had stopped the god, but the strain of doing so was already pushing him to well beyond his limits.

Chad slowly lifted his head, only to find himself paralysed once more. This time, however, it wasn’t the god’s roar or the force of its movements holding him still. It was fear.

A giant pair of brown pupils stared directly at him, each eye so enormous that it seemed as though he were standing before a pair of moons. The Storm Blizzard God’s head had lowered until it was level with him, the god was studying him.

Chad’s breath froze in his lungs as the full weight of that attention settled upon him.

Chad couldn’t stop himself from trembling beneath that gaze. He had charged forward believing he could at least make himself an obstacle, but standing face-to-face with the creature made the difference between them terrifyingly clear. His ability might grant him slightly more power than his opponent, but what did that even mean when the being before him was so far beyond anything he had ever faced?

"Storm Blizzard God?" Chad managed to squeeze out, his voice heavy with the effort of drawing breath.

Then the god’s massive head shot upward, and whatever attention it had given him disappeared. Without another glance, the creature resumed its advance, its enormous legs rising once more before carrying it past Chad. It had stopped, looked directly at him, and dismissed him as though he weren’t worth the effort of dealing with. The god was moving toward Seris, and Chad had done nothing to change its destination.

He remained where he stood, watching its colossal form move away. The fear in his chest hadn’t disappeared. If anything, being noticed and then discarded had made him painfully aware of just how little his strength meant here.

He could keep telling himself that his ability would always give him an edge, but it wouldn’t matter if he couldn’t make that advantage count. And he couldn’t simply stand there while the god continued toward the people he was trying to protect.

Chad clenched his fists, suppressed the fear threatening to overwhelm him, and turned to chase after it. His voice erupted into a furious roar as he ran through the swirling darkness, refusing to accept that his efforts had meant nothing.

"Hey, we’re not done yet! Don’t you dare ignore me!".

Seris didn’t wait to find Chad’s corpse, she ran after him the moment her body could move again, but she was never really a fighter, and her instincts were dull compared to others, so by the time she realised what was before her, it was far too late.

The storm blizzard god’s leg came crashing down without any regard for her or anyone’s life and death. Seris felt paralysed as its paw blocked out the already darkened sky.

Her pupils shrank as certain death fell towards her.

She fell backwards as her legs gave in faster than her mind did.

"Serisss!".

Chad’s unrestrained roar was the last thing she heard as the dark miasma around them was pushed away by the force of the god’s movement.

Seris was convinced, after all, who could possibly stop a god, but the long awaited end never came, so she took the risk of opening her eyes.

What she saw shook her to the core, it was Chad, his hands were held up as blood continued exploding from all the pores in his body.

Above him was the paw of the storm blizzard god.