Chapitre 304: Chapter 304: The Youngest Sword God in History!
"We have nothing to do with the Human God, and we're certainly not his followers!"
"Even if someone had encountered this so-called Human God, it would only have been me. What does any of this have to do with Wood?!"
At first, Rudeus had no idea why Orsted had been so hostile toward him and his brother. But after hearing Orsted's words, the reason suddenly became clear.
The so-called "Dragon God" standing before him was apparently an enemy of the "Human God" who had previously appeared in his subconscious realm with a pixelated face.
Because Rudeus had come into contact with the Human God and even received certain benefits from him, his aura had become tainted with the Human God's influence, leading Orsted to view him as an accomplice.
Rudeus could understand why Orsted would target him, but why was Wood being dragged into this?
Could it be that Wood had also encountered the so-called Human God in his subconscious?
That seemed impossible. Based on Rudeus' previous interactions with the Human God, it was clear that the deity was unfamiliar with Wood.
Moreover, if the Human God had known about Wood, he wouldn't have provided Rudeus with false information about his brother's death. That lie had only increased Rudeus' suspicion toward him.
From the very beginning, Rudeus had been trying to connect with the Human God again, hoping for his assistance.
But no matter how hard he tried to summon him, the Human God, who had always been quick to respond, was nowhere to be found, as if he had disappeared completely.
The Human God and the Dragon God were mortal enemies. When Rudeus recalled that it was the Human God who had sent them on this path, everything made sense. They had been completely manipulated by him!
Although Rudeus couldn't understand why the Human God's attitude toward him had shifted so dramatically—he had once gone out of his way to please Rudeus, clearly trying to use him to achieve some goal—now, the deity had turned around and used Orsted to try to eliminate him.
When had things started to change? It had to be after Wood appeared. Could Wood's presence have made the Human God wary?
Rudeus may have been a shut-in, but he wasn't stupid. In his previous life, as a veteran gamer, his analytical and logical thinking skills were top-notch, and it didn't take him long to piece it all together.
However, at this point, even if Rudeus knew that they had been played by the Human God, what could he do? It didn't change the fact that Wood was on the brink of death at Orsted's hands. Rudeus' fury surged within him. Even if he had been used as a pawn by the Human God, he could never forgive the Dragon God, Orsted!
As for Orsted, he had originally assumed that Wood and Rudeus had merely been unwittingly marked by the Human God, hence carrying his taint.
But after hearing Rudeus' words, Orsted's expression shifted for the first time.
The Dragon God, who had previously maintained a stoic, expressionless demeanor, now had visible veins bulging on his forehead. His expression turned fierce and furious as he glared at Rudeus and demanded, "So, you've actually met the Human God. Tell me, where is that bastard now?!"
Orsted had been searching for the Human God for an unfathomably long time. If it came to a one-on-one fight, the Dragon God was confident that he could defeat and even seal away the Human God.
But the Human God was far too cunning, always choosing to hide when Orsted was in a weakened state.
The Human God had an uncanny ability to manipulate people's minds, easily turning powerful individuals into his puppets, having them act as his disciples and execute his will.
Meanwhile, the Human God himself would bide his time, gathering strength in the shadows until he was powerful enough to face the Dragon God once more.
"Even if I knew where the Human God was, do you think I'd tell you? Especially now?" Rudeus responded coldly.
If Orsted had approached them with questions rather than attacking from the start, Rudeus, who was already wary of the Human God, might not have minded exchanging information with him.
But now that Orsted had nearly killed his brother, Rudeus considered the Dragon God nothing short of an enemy, regardless of any misunderstandings between them.
"You're asking for death!" Orsted roared, his deep-seated hatred and resentment toward the Human God clouding his judgment. He had lost all reason at this point and launched a powerful Dragon technique at Rudeus.
Just like Rudeus' specialty, no-chant magic, the Dragon God's techniques required no incantations and were far more potent than regular magic.
Orsted had already lost his ability to think rationally, having been through hundreds of cycles of reincarnation, which only deepened his obsession and hatred toward the Human God.
At this point, he no longer cared whether Rudeus was truly a disciple of the Human God. All that mattered was that Rudeus had seen him, and that was enough. Orsted was determined to extract any information he could from Rudeus, regardless of the cost.
Streams of light, like laser beams, shot from Orsted's hand—this was one of the Dragon God's secret techniques, with power on par with King-level magic.
These beams required no incantations, and their speed far surpassed that of regular arrows.
As the beams rushed toward him, Rudeus, with the help of his "Foresight Eye," could see their trajectories, but he knew full well that his physical capabilities wouldn't allow him to dodge the attack.
"I'm sorry, Wood. It looks like I won't be able to avenge you after all.
I wonder if Zenith and the others will mourn us if we both die here..."
Rudeus gripped his staff, the "Arrogant Water Dragon King," unleashing a Water King-level spell enhanced by the staff's power.
Yet, his "Foresight Eye" had already shown him that his magic wouldn't be enough to block Orsted's Dragon God technique.
Facing death once again, Rudeus felt an eerie sense of calm. He couldn't even remember how he died in his past life, only that he had been useless.
The gods had given him a second chance at life, but he had failed to cherish it, and now he was about to die without having accomplished anything.
In the face of death, Rudeus felt neither fear nor regret, only concern for the grief his family would feel when they learned that both he and Wood had died here.
It didn't matter what happened to him, but Aisha and Norn—those two little girls—would probably cry their hearts out, especially since they had always idolized Wood and looked up to him like a hero.
As for his regret, it was that he had trusted the Human God's lies, dragging Wood into danger along with him.
Just as the beams of light were about to pierce Rudeus' body, and he had closed his eyes to accept death, a massive stone wall suddenly rose from the ground, intercepting Orsted's attack.
Among everyone present, only four individuals were capable of casting magic at this level: Orsted, Rudeus, the Magic Wolf King, and... Wood.
Orsted certainly hadn't attacked Rudeus while simultaneously casting a protective spell over him.
The Magic Wolf King was capable of using advanced magic, but only in the fire element—not earth.
Rudeus had been ready to embrace death and definitely hadn't conjured the magic himself.
That left only one other possibility—it had to be Wood!
Seeing the stone wall before him, Rudeus turned around in surprise, only to see his brother, who he had assumed was dead, clutching his bleeding chest with one hand while inscribing a brown magic circle on the ground with the other.
"Wood, you've got a hole in your chest, and you're still alive?!"
Rudeus was both shocked and overjoyed to see his brother alive. He couldn't help but marvel at the absurd resilience of otherworld protagonists—his brother had literally been pierced through the chest and yet was still standing, fighting as if nothing had happened. It was like he had some sort of cheat code!
"Do I look fine to you, idiot?!"
"Stop with the nonsense. I'm going to buy you both some time. Get out of here while you can.
He's too powerful. If we all die here, at least let me be the one to buy you a chance at survival."
Rudeus, who had been overjoyed at seeing Wood alive, immediately grew emotional at his brother's words. He quickly retorted, "If someone has to stay behind, it should be me!
It's my fault for trusting the Human God's lies and putting you in danger in the first place. So, I should—"
"You think you should stay behind? Get real! Rudeus Greyrat, do you think you're strong enough to buy time?
Besides, in my current state, even if I survive this, I probably won't last long.
Great power comes at a cost. My current strength comes at the expense of my life. Don't let me waste it!
Also, if you see Zenith and Paul, tell them I'm sorry. And let Aisha and Norn know that their brother died a hero."
Before Rudeus could finish, Wood cut him off, coughing up a mouthful of blood as he spoke.
Wood's condition was beyond dire. Although the healing magic circle engraved on his body had immediately started working on his injuries, healing magic had its limits. While it could treat wounds, it couldn't regenerate destroyed organs.
Earlier, when Orsted had struck at his heart, Wood had barely managed to dodge a fatal blow, allowing him to cling to life.
But many of his other internal organs had been crushed in the attack.
Combined with the toll the "Heart of God" exacted on his life force, Wood was losing strength with every passing moment.
As he said himself, even if he did survive this fight, he wouldn't last much longer, and at best, he would be left a broken shell of a person.
Rudeus had more to say, but before he could, Wood had already drawn his twin blades and launched himself at Orsted, shattering the ground beneath him as he charged.
With his back against the wall, Wood fought recklessly, without regard for his own safety.
With the Heart of God activated at maximum power, Wood's attacks reached an unprecedented level of strength.
A green magic circle spread across Wood's chest, glowing in harmony with the silver runes etched into his skin.
Thanks to the amplification from the Heart of God, the effects of Wood's healing magic circle had been significantly enhanced.
The gaping wound in his chest had already closed up by the time he charged at Orsted, leaving him looking almost as if he hadn't been injured at all.
Of course, this was merely a facade. His organs remained shattered, and although the flesh had regenerated, it was only skin-deep.
With a blue glow illuminating his blades, Wood swung his sword at Orsted with enough force to threaten the Dragon God's life. For the first time, Orsted didn't dare catch the blade with his bare hands as he had before, and instead pulled a magic sword from his spatial storage to block the attack.
Boom!
The two blades collided midair, but this time, the situation was different. Wood was no longer being completely overpowered by Orsted.
Orsted, wielding his sword in one hand, was taken aback. The sheer strength transmitted through the blade was far greater than he had anticipated.
Orsted's magic sword, Jisei, was slowly being pushed down, while the ground beneath his feet began to crack and give way. Soon, rocks and rubble rose up around them, obscuring both Orsted and Wood from view.
With a single swing, the entire Dragon King Mountain Range quaked, and the force of Wood's sword created a massive gorge hundreds of meters long, slicing the mountain in two.
Such devastating power far surpassed the level of a Sword Emperor or an Emperor-ranked magician. This was truly the power of a "God-level" being!
Wood's mastery of Sword Emperor-level swordsmanship, combined with the attribute magic formed by an Emperor-level mage, enhanced by the Heart of God, had turned each of Wood's strikes into an attack worthy of a true "Sword God."
Though he had achieved this "pseudo-Sword God" level through an unconventional means, it didn't change the fact that Wood had stepped into the realm of the gods, becoming the youngest Sword God in history.
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 400+ at p@treon.com/Betek (@->a)
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SO this is the end of the free chapters so 500 power stones?
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone