Chapter 556: The Heretic King Attacks!

"W-What is that?!" Emilia exclaimed, her face turning pale.

Celeste also looked alarmed as she watched the enormous wave approaching.

Leon and Violet remained completely still, however, neither of them seemed particularly concerned.

After all, they already knew what would happen.

The very moment the wave was about to crash down upon the island, a tremendous impact resounded throughout the sky.

BAM!

The entire wave disappeared.

It didn’t break apart or lose its momentum gradually. Instead, it was completely erased from existence, leaving behind nothing but the ocean that had been beneath it.

A panel then appeared high above the island.

[One more mistake, God of the Sea, and you will cease to exist.]

BOOM!

The manifestation of the God of the Sea suddenly exploded.

A terrifying roar of pain spread across the island as the enormous figure was blasted apart, its divine aura momentarily vanishing from the surrounding area.

Emilia and Celeste stared at the sky in disbelief, struggling to understand what had just happened.

"The Heavenly One won’t allow the gods to do anything," Leon explained casually, glancing toward the girls. "They can threaten us all they want, but if they actually attack, they’re the ones who will get wiped out."

That was one of the few advantages they had against the gods while still in the Higher Domains.

After a few seconds, the manifestation of the God of the Sea began to reappear above the ocean.

[You are lucky, Celestial, but the moment you reach the Eternal Domain, be sure that we will get rid of you immediately.]

Leon simply yawned and waved his hand dismissively, "Whatever."

[YOU...]

The God of the Sea seemed ready to explode with anger once more, but he eventually restrained himself.

He had already been punished once, and there was no reason to repeat the same mistake.

"Just ignore them," Leon finally said, turning his attention back toward the [Heretic King].

The gods were nothing more than spectators now, and he had no intention of wasting any more time dealing with their threats.

The [Heretic King] was the real problem.

The moment Leon looked toward him, he noticed that the king had begun holding his head with both hands, as though he were suffering from an unbearable headache.

His entire body trembled, and the divine aura surrounding him fluctuated wildly.

Tthe three blessings inside his body were struggling against each other, threatening to overwhelm his mind once again.

The gods immediately began sending him messages.

[Calm down!]

[Control your powers!]

[Do not allow yourself to lose control!]

But the king didn’t seem to be listening.

Two swords appeared in his hands, and the king suddenly leaned forward before disappearing from the top of the massive skull.

In the next instant, he appeared directly in front of Leon.

The distance between the mountain and the village had been enormous, yet the [Heretic King] had crossed it in the blink of an eye, moving so quickly that even Leon barely had time to react.

The king’s sword descended with terrifying force.

SLASH!

Leon raised his weapon and deflected the attack, but the tremendous impact forced him several steps backward.

His feet dug into the ground as he struggled to stabilize himself, and the force of the collision sent a powerful shockwave through the surrounding area.

The [Heretic King] immediately released another roar.

ROOOOOOOOAR!

However, Leon wasn’t particularly impressed by the king’s anger.

’Celestial’s Might didn’t activate,’ he thought, his expression becoming serious. ’That means... I need to fight him alone.’

The absence of the skill’s activation was enough to confirm his suspicion.

Only in a one versus one would the battle be considered "fair" as otherwise someone like Emilia would be able to kill him when weakened.

"Get out of here!" Leon immediately shouted toward them. "Go deal with the remaining heretics in the other villages. I’ll only be able to win if I fight him alone!"

The girls didn’t hesitate.

They had already understood how dangerous the king was, and they knew Leon wouldn’t ask them to leave unless there was a good reason.

Violet immediately transformed into her dragon form, spreading her enormous wings as Emilia and Celeste climbed onto her back.

The [Heretic King] noticed their movements and immediately turned toward them.

He clearly had no intention of allowing Leon’s companions to escape.

His body shot forward, and both swords were raised as he prepared to slice through the three girls in a single attack.

However, Leon wasn’t going to let him do that.

TIME STOP!

The world suddenly froze.

The [Heretic King] stopped in the middle of his movement, his swords suspended in the air as time itself came to a halt.

Leon immediately moved forward and kicked the king with all his strength, sending him flying away from the girls as his movements resumed.

The king crashed into the ground and rolled several times, his body tearing through the dirt as he roared and groaned in anger.

However, Violet had already spread her wings and taken to the sky. The girls were safely away from the battlefield.

Leon watched them disappear into the distance before turning back toward the [Heretic King].

"Just you and me," he said with a smile.

The king slowly rose from the ground, his movements filled with an unnatural sense of rage.

Now that Leon could see him properly, his appearance was far more intimidating than he had initially imagined.

His body was covered in primitive armor made from monster hides, rough leather, bones, and thick pieces of dark metal.

A massive skull-shaped helmet concealed his entire face, with a strange beast’s jaw extending around his head like a crown.

Faint divine energy leaked from its empty eye sockets, glowing with an eerie intensity.

In each hand, he held a massive blade, one engraved with the symbol of the God of the Sea and the other bearing the emblem of the God of Light.

Leon immediately rushed forward, his weapon cutting through the air as he launched another attack.

The [Heretic King] reacted almost instantly.

Despite his enormous physique and primitive armor, his speed was astonishing, and he easily dodged Leon’s strike by shifting his body to the side.

The attack passed harmlessly beside him.

Before Leon could adjust his position, the king had already raised one of his swords, preparing to counterattack with a devastating slash.

However, Leon’s expression suddenly changed, a wide grin appearing on his face as what he had been waiting for finally came.

CELESTIAL’S MIGHT!

’Finally,’ Leon thought, his grin widening. ’I got you now, dumbass.’