Chapter 266: The Dawn of the Future!
For a brief moment, silence reigned. The air itself seemed to hold its breath, thick with tension. Then, in an instant, chaos erupted.
The first lesser god didn't even have time to scream. Justin appeared before him, a blur of golden energy. With a single punch, he shattered the divine aura that shielded the god, sending him crumpling to the ground, unconscious. The sound of the impact echoed like a thunderclap, silencing the murmurs of the crowd.
The second and third gods lunged together, their attacks synchronized. But Justin sidestepped effortlessly, his tiny fists glowing faintly with an otherworldly golden light. His strikes landed with the force of a tempest, hurling both gods through the air like ragdolls. They landed in a heap, motionless.
The crowd watched in stunned silence, their disbelief growing with each second.
"Impossible…" one murmured.
"He's toying with them," another whispered, his voice trembling with awe.
Justin became a whirlwind of destruction, darting between the remaining gods with such speed that even the most experienced eyes in the crowd couldn't follow. Each strike was precise, devastating, and final. He wasn't merely fighting; he was delivering judgment.
The lesser gods fell one after another, their divine energy no match for the overwhelming power Justin wielded. To the onlookers, it was as if a child were dismantling giants with the flick of a wrist.
Watching his subordinates drop like flies, Demacles' composure cracked. Anger and despair warred within him. He knew the consequences of this defeat would be severe. Erodius would demand answers, and whether or not he succeeded in capturing Tessa, Demacles' failure would not go unpunished.
In a fit of rage, he shoved past the remaining six lesser gods, who were struggling against their impending doom. They were like meat on a chopping block, utterly incapable of altering their fate in the hands of their executioner. Justin, his golden energy blazing like the sun, was unstoppable.
"You… you little monster!" Demacles roared, summoning a massive wave of dark energy and hurling it at the child.
Justin didn't flinch. Raising a single hand, he flicked his tiny fingers. The wave of dark energy evaporated like smoke in the wind. His piercing blue gaze locked onto Demacles, his expression one of faint disappointment.
"That's it?" Justin said, his voice eerily calm. "You're weaker than I thought."
Demacles staggered back, his confidence in tatters. Behind him, the unconscious forms of his companions lay scattered like broken dolls.
Justin smiled faintly, his aura intensifying. "My turn again…"
He moved with the speed and ferocity of a storm. His tiny hands slammed into each remaining lesser god, their divine forms disintegrating into ashes upon contact. His energy burned like the heart of a star, consuming his enemies effortlessly.
The sun inheritance Justin had taken—or rather stolen—from his mother surged within him. Combined with the immense reserves of Kaelrian energy he commanded, he was a force of nature, an unstoppable tide.
When the last of the twelve lesser gods fell, only Demacles remained. His once-proud form now trembled, his mind teetering on the edge of collapse.
Justin turned to his mother, his expression serene. "Mom, can I finish him, or do you want to keep him as a pet?"
The crowd, which had been holding its collective breath, erupted into laughter. The earlier tension was replaced by sheer awe and disbelief at the baby's casual dominance.
Tessa smirked, her arms crossed. "Leave him. Let him crawl back to his master and deliver the message."
Justin sighed, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Fine. But next time, I'm not holding back."
With that, he turned and walked back to his mother, his tiny frame exuding an aura far beyond his years. Jordan rushed to greet him, holding up a bag of coins he'd collected during the chaos.
"You did great, Justin! We're rich now!"
As the crowd buzzed with a mix of reverence and fear, Bandel Blue stepped forward, his gaze fixed on Tessa. His voice trembled as he spoke. "What have you become?"
Tessa glanced at Bandel Blue, her smirk softening into a knowing smile. "The future," she said simply, her voice carrying an air of finality.
Tessa bent to pick up her twins, not that they couldn't walk—her boys had already demonstrated feats of strength and brilliance that no ordinary one-month-old could possess—but sometimes she preferred to cradle them close, as if shielding them from the world. Or perhaps, she admitted to herself, it was her way of pretending, even for a fleeting moment, that they were just children, and not higher gods in baby forms.
With Justin and Jordan securely nestled in her arms, she straightened and began her purposeful stride toward the ancient temple ahead. Each step she took was deliberate, exuding an aura of quiet dominance that seemed to ripple through the air. The earth beneath her feet appeared to recognize her power, trembling subtly as if paying homage.
Behind her, Bandel Blue hesitated, his mind racing as he struggled to process the events that had just unfolded. His sharp instincts—honed over centuries as the Blue Thieving God—failed him now, leaving him stunned. What he had witnessed was beyond comprehension: Tessa had unleashed a side of herself that was utterly monstrous, her strength and rage reducing Demacles and his companions to nothing but scattered ash. Yet even that paled in comparison to the raw, mind-numbing power her babies had displayed. They hadn't wept or wailed during the chaos; instead, they had glowed, their tiny forms radiating an energy that made the heavens shudder.
From the distance behind them, the sound of Demacles' roar shattered the silence. The defeated god's voice was thick with fury and desperation, a futile attempt to salvage his pride.
"You will regret this!" he bellowed, his fists clenched and trembling, his knees barely supporting him. His words echoed across the battlefield, falling on deaf ears.
But Tessa didn't so much as glance back. Her strides were calm yet firm, the weight of her children no burden to her. Her aura radiated finality, a silent message to Demacles that his words were as meaningless as the ashes of his fallen comrades.
Bandel Blue followed a few steps behind, his mind a storm of conflicting thoughts. He, who had been revered as one of the most formidable lesser gods, now felt like a shadow in Tessa's presence. For centuries, he had wielded his god-eyes, his unparalleled agility, and his cunning mind to outwit and overpower his enemies. His legend had been whispered across Base 137 and beyond, his name synonymous with fear and respect.
And yet, beside Tessa, he felt like nothing more than a pebble on a mountainside. Her strength was not the kind born of brute force alone; it was layered with a commanding presence, an unshakable will that made her seem untouchable. Bandel's chest tightened as he thought about what she truly was. She was not just a higher being—she was a predator in a world full of prey, and her twins were no different.