Chapter 555: Manifestations of the Gods

The [Heretic King] wasn’t moving, yet Leon could feel that the figure’s gaze was fixed directly on them.

Even from such an incredible distance, the king seemed to be looking through their souls.

"We can’t let that thing live," Leon replied, his expression turning cold. "It’s probably the most dangerous servant across all the Higher Domains."

If the [Heretic King] managed to reach the [Eternal Domain] with his current strength, his power would likely increase even further.

With the blessings of three gods, he could become one of their most powerful servants.

Leon couldn’t allow that to happen.

’But how is it possible for him to serve three gods?’ Leon wondered as he continued staring at the figure. ’The God of Souls, God of the Sea, and God of Light supposedly fought against each other in the past, yet now they’re cooperating, and even most gods don’t support each other, yet they’ve even allowed someone to receive blessings from all three of them.’

He wanted to learn the truth, but there was no guarantee that the [Heretic King] would be willing to answer his questions.

And even if he did, Leon couldn’t trust anything coming from someone who worshipped the gods so devotedly.

At that moment, the figure atop the mountain finally reacted.

ROOOOAR!

A terrifying roar erupted from above, shaking the entire island and causing the surrounding village to tremble.

Judging from the sheer fury contained within the sound, the king was far from pleased with their arrival.

There was no longer any doubt that he knew exactly who they were. And he was enraged.

[You shouldn’t be fighting yet, King!]

[Please back down before using your powers. We will get rid of them.]

[They stand no chance if the King acts, just let him do what he wants!]

[But the entire island would be at risk. We are already so close to ascending...]

These panels appeared around the [Heretic King].

But despite the warnings and pleas of the remaining commanders, the king’s gaze remained fixed on Leon and the three girls, his eyes filled with an overwhelming fury that seemed to grow stronger with every passing moment.

The commanders were clearly terrified of what might happen if he decided to unleash his full power.

They could only watch from a distance and hope that their warnings would be enough to prevent a disaster.

However, the [Heretic King] didn’t seem particularly interested in listening to them.

He slowly opened his mouth, raising one hand and pointing directly toward Leon.

"C...C...Cele...st...ial..."

The moment those words escaped his mouth, every remaining commander froze in disbelief.

It had been many years since the [Heretic King] had spoken, and hearing him utter even a single word was enough to shock them.

Ever since he had received the blessings of three gods, the king had struggled to communicate normally, spending almost all his time trying to control the overwhelming powers that had been granted to him.

His situation was unlike that of any ordinary player or native.

Even a relatively strong individual could struggle to handle the blessing of a single god, and receiving the blessings of two gods at once was enough to kill someone who wasn’t properly prepared.

The power involved was simply too great for most people to withstand, and even those who survived often suffered severe consequences.

As for receiving three blessings simultaneously, the consequences were far worse.

The most powerful players and natives across the Higher Domains would likely lose their minds if they were forced to bear such an enormous amount of divine power.

Their bodies might survive the initial transformation, but their minds would eventually collapse under the pressure, leaving them unable to control the abilities they had received.

The [Heretic King], however, was an exception.

He was a one-in-a-billion individual whose body and soul had somehow managed to withstand the blessings of three gods.

Even so, that didn’t mean he had completely mastered their powers, and the danger of losing control remained a constant threat.

This was precisely why the three gods had placed him among their highest priorities across the Higher Domains.

They constantly watched over him, ensuring that nobody interfered with his training or caused him to become unstable.

If his emotions were pushed too far or he was forced to unleash too much of his power, there was still a chance that he might lose control and go berserk.

The consequences of such an event would be disastrous.

The [Heretic King] possessed enough power to threaten all the higher domains.

That was why they had ordered him to remain on [Heretic Island] until he could properly master the abilities he had received.

Once he reached that point, he would finally be allowed to ascend to the [Eternal Domain], where he would receive even more power and continue his training under their guidance.

However, the situation had suddenly changed.

The [Heretic King] had encountered a [Celestial], and for the first time in many years, he seemed to have recognized someone important enough to make him speak.

The gods weren’t about to ignore such an event.

At that moment, several extraordinary phenomena began to unfold across the island.

The sky above them suddenly twisted as an enormous portal appeared in the heavens, its edges spreading like a wound through the clouds.

Within the darkness of that portal, a gigantic eyeball slowly emerged, its immense pupil turning downward to observe the island and everything upon it.

At the same time, the sun began to shine far more brightly than before.

Its golden light grew increasingly intense until the entire island was bathed in a dazzling radiance.

Then, something unbelievable happened as the center of the sun slowly opened, revealing an enormous iris that seemed to stare directly at Leon and his companions.

And finally, the ocean began to move.

The waters surrounding [Heretic Island] spread apart as something colossal rose from beneath the surface.

A titanic figure emerged from the depths, its enormous body shrouded in darkness as it ascended high above the sea, towering over the island and gazing down at the people below.

Three overwhelming presences had descended upon the island.

The manifestations of the God of Souls, the God of the Sea, and the God of Light were now directly observing the situation, their divine auras spreading across the entire region.

"What the fuck..." Emilia muttered, her expression turning grim as she stared at the enormous figures. "T-This is insane! What is happening?!"

Fwoosh!

The divine manifestations continued to release their overwhelming auras, making the surrounding air feel heavy enough to crush an ordinary person.

Leon, however, remained relatively calm.

Until now, whenever Leon had fought a servant of the gods, he had occasionally received notifications stating that their respective gods were watching the battle.

However, those messages had never been accompanied by anything particularly noticeable, and he had never actually seen their manifestations appear directly before him.

This time was different.

The gods had descended in person, or at least through their manifestations, and their attention was focused entirely on the [Heretic King].

It wasn’t difficult to understand why.

The king was an incredibly valuable piece in their plans, and the three gods had invested an enormous amount of power into him.

They wanted to witness the situation as closely as possible, especially since the appearance of a [Celestial] had clearly caused him to react in a way that hadn’t happened for many years.

Their attention wasn’t directed toward Leon because they feared him. At least, not yet.

The God of Souls was the first to speak.

[Do not do anything that you would regret, human.]

The enormous eye in the sky remained fixed on Leon, its pupil narrowing.

The God of Light followed shortly afterward.

[We will destroy you.]

Then the God of the Sea spoke, his voice carrying across the island with enough force to make the surrounding waters tremble.

[Leave this island at once, and your life shall be spared.]

Their threats were direct, and there was no attempt to hide the hostility they felt toward Leon.

However, he merely smiled.

"You aren’t going to do anything, and I’m going to kill him."

[FOOL!]

The God of the Sea immediately lost his temper.

His enormous manifestation raised one hand, causing the surrounding ocean to rise violently.

A gigantic wave formed in the distance, rapidly growing until it was larger than the entire island itself.

Its towering surface blocked out the horizon, and the immense amount of divine power contained within it was enough to kill anyone caught in its path.

Even Emilia, with her incredibly high Constitution, would have been unable to survive such an attack.

The wave rushed toward them, threatening to engulf the entire island and destroy everything in its way.