"From this day forward, I serve no gods. I'll use your corpses to send a message to the beings you call gods."
The declaration from Asher seemed to provoke the stormy sky further, as if the gods themselves were listening to his every word.
Gad had finally had enough. Impatiently, he raised his hand, pointing directly at Asher and his soldiers.
"Seize them!"
His voice thundered across the massed ranks behind him, echoing with authority.
At first, no one moved. The men around Gad exchanged nervous glances, fear vividly etched on their faces. The sheer intensity of the aura radiating from Asher made them hesitate. This wasn't the hero they had known—the one who always wore a smile, even in dire situations.
Standing before them now was no longer a beacon of hope but a cold, murderous ranker, ready to cut them down without hesitation.
His gaze alone told the story. He was prepared to fight back, without mercy or restraint. Gad had initially planned to exploit Asher's soft heart, believing the hero wouldn't dare harm ordinary citizens. But even Gad couldn't believe his eyes.
The Asher he had known his entire life—the man who despised bloodshed despite his immense strength—now radiated an aura so cold and filled with murderous intent that the night air felt sharper than the storm's wind. It was as if he intended to slaughter them all.
At that moment, Gad understood. Asher had cast aside his moral code for the sake of his family. Swallowing hard, Gad felt the weight of the brewing storm bearing down on him.
But he couldn't falter now. If he let the moment drag on, his army might lose its nerve, and such cowardice would disgrace both him and the empire.
Gathering every ounce of his resolve, Gad called out to Asher, his voice loud and commanding, hoping to rally his soldiers.
"Asher, do you really think that you alone—a mere Nine-Star Imperium Rank—can stand against thousands of us? Rankers of the Common and Imperium Ranks alike?"
The question sparked a ripple through the army. Murmurs spread among the ranks, and fear began to fade, replaced by growing confidence.
"He's just one man!"
"Even a hero's stamina has its limits!"
Chuckles turned into laughter, filling the air with mockery. Encouraged by this shift, Gad pressed on, his voice rising above the storm.
"This is the will of the gods! We are on the righteous path! The hero has turned against the heavens—he's no longer our savior, but a villain!"
The soldiers rallied behind his words. The fear of divine wrath was replaced by fanatic zeal. They were now fully convinced that they were fulfilling the gods' will.
Blinded by greed and a chance to claim a god-tier reward, the rankers' fanaticism ignited into a frenzy. Like beasts starved for blood, they awaited only Gad's command.
At the perfect moment, Gad raised his hand and shouted.
"Attack!"
A primal roar erupted from the ranks, and they surged forward like an unstoppable tide. Some glowed with mantra energy, others summoned beasts to their sides, while clerics cast buffs and mages unleashed long-range attacks.
As the enemy forces charged, Asher and his soldiers stood unmoving, statuesque. Dark, ominous expressions adorned their faces as they watched the oncoming wave of zealots.
The jeers and insults from their enemies struck harder than any blow, but the silent fury within Asher's ranks began to manifest. Tremendous mantra energy radiated from their bodies, burning with rage.
All they awaited now was their leader's command.
Asher's deep, unwavering voice cut through the chaos.
"Who are we!?"
The Wolven Warriors roared in unison, their voices filled with righteous fury:
"We are the Wolf Banes! We fight for the Alpha, for the pack, and for honor!"
The chant sent a shiver down the spines of the front-liners in Gad's army. The sudden, unified display of resolve from Asher's men made them falter, and doubt crept in.
Just as the two forces came within ten meters of each other, Asher moved.
His cold gaze remained fixed as a sword began materializing in his right hand, glowing with divine energy. In his left, a golden sphere of light erupted, forming into a shield that gleamed with honor and purpose.
Time seemed to slow.
The sword, known as World Breaker, radiated with mantra energy, vibrating with the intensity of living lightning. A Divine-grade artifact famed throughout the six mortal realms, it had been Asher's trusted weapon in countless heroic battles.
Without a word, Asher extended his blade, slashing it in a precise arc. The energy from the swing tore through the front lines of the oncoming army, leaving a path of utter destruction in its wake.
Armor, flesh, and steel alike were cleaved asunder. Dozens of men fell in a single stroke, their screams filling the night.
For a heartbeat, silence fell over the battlefield.
Then, Asher turned to his men, his face fierce with determination, and roared:
"Eat them alive!"
The wolvens, already energized by their leader's actions, sprang into motion as one. Each ranker radiated tremendous mantra energy that swelled around them like an approaching storm.
They charged into the enemy ranks with relentless speed, the clash of swords and the echo of spells reverberating across the battlefield.
In just thirty minutes, the air was heavy with the scent of blood and the desperate cries of men scrambling to defend themselves. Despite their smaller numbers, the wolven warriors began to dominate the battle. One by one, the enemy forces crumbled.
Gad, engrossed in the chaos, could only bear witness to the one-sided slaughter. Something was wrong. The wolven warriors were annihilating everything in their path like a pack of wolves on the hunt. Yet what made it truly horrifying was their leader, the Alpha of the pack—Asher.
With a few effortless swings of World Breaker, enemy rankers fell like paper under his devastating energy-blade attacks. Each strike tore through their defenses with raw, destructive force, over and over again. Truly deserving of the title "Humanity's Strongest," Asher's rank and class specialty as a Guardian, combined with his weapon, made him a near-impossible foe to contend with.
Not wanting to be outdone, Gad poured more mantra energy into his attacks, smashing down any wolven warrior in his path. As the battle raged on for nearly an hour, countless had fallen, a few barely clung to life, and the strongest on both sides fought relentlessly.
Amidst the carnage, a fated moment unfolded. Asher's gaze locked onto a familiar face in the crowd—a face twisted in a smug grin.
Gad.
The two froze, staring at each other across the field of death and devastation they had wrought. The sound of battle faded into the background as Gad met his brother's gaze. He was both startled and pleased by the encounter; he hadn't expected to face Asher so soon but welcomed the opportunity.
"Now I can cut you down with my own hands, brother. What perfect timing," Gad said, letting out a long, exaggerated sigh as he spread his arms wide, feigning disappointment.
"Ah, Asher," he murmured in a mocking tone.
"You know, I don't want to hurt you."
A smirk twisted Gad's lips as his eyes burned with determination. Slowly advancing toward Asher, he added with a biting edge...
"But I can't help it. Every time I see you, I get… annoyed."
Gad preparing to attack, stretched out his right hand covered in green aura, within his grip a miniature spinning hammer engulfed in green mantra energy materialized, gradually expanding into a massive war hammer—nearly as tall and heavy as the wielder.
Although not as renowned as World Breaker, it was a weapon of considerable fame in its own right.
This was an energy weapon, much like Asher's, but of a high-tier legacy-grade artifact. If Gad grew stronger, there was a chance his weapon could ascend to the divine grade, similar to World Breaker.
With a crazed expression, Gad pointed the war hammer at Asher, his body radiating a dark, violent green energy aura that pushed aside nearby warriors—friend and foe alike.
Gad was no longer an ordinary ranker; he wielded the power of the C-Rank stage, though he restrained himself from going all out just yet—just like Asher. In a mocking tone, he declared:
"This, brother, is Colossus. It's not the same weapon it used to be. As I grew stronger, it evolved from a mid-tier legacy-grade artifact into a high-tier one with new abilities." He paused, grinning wickedly.
"And soon, perhaps in just a few years, it'll ascend to a divine artifact with a soul-consciousness—just like World Breaker."
Asher responded with nothing more than a slight tilt of World Breaker, the weapon glowing with a radiant golden aura. He was clearly prepared to strike, uninterested in Gad's boasting.
Gad's rage flared at Asher's indifference.
He shouted desperately, "You won't even say anything, Asher?! I've trained every single day of my life just to catch up to you! And yet, no matter what I did, you were always ahead! You did so little, yet you were always stronger…" His voice trembled with anger and desperation.
"But now, I've ranked up to Imperium Rank, just like you! Even if I'm a few stars behind, I refuse to believe you can completely overwhelm me like before. I've grown stronger, and I'll make you acknowledge it!"
Asher, noticing the desperation in Gad's eyes, gave a faint smile. His golden gaze glinted under the moonlight as he raised World Breaker and pointed it at Gad, mimicking his brother's gesture.
"Show me, then," Asher said calmly.
"Show me how strong you've become. Show me how you'll defeat me here… Come on, brother. Show me."
Gad, now tasting his own medicine, burned with fury at Asher's smile and mockery.
Without hesitation, he raised Colossus high above his head, green mantra energy surging around him.
With all his might, Gad swung the hammer downward, releasing a devastating arc of green energy that tore through the battlefield toward Asher.
Asher's golden eyes reflected the incoming attack. Raising his left hand, he summoned a guardian shield glowing with energy. The barrier he projected successfully intercepted the strike.
Without a moment's pause, the brothers lunged at each other. World Breaker clashed against Colossus mid-air, creating shockwaves that rippled across the battlefield.
The sheer force of their impact split the ground beneath their feet, causing nearby rankers to stumble and shield themselves from the debris and dust flying around them.
The two warriors exchanged blow after blow, each clash sending tremors through the earth.
Mid-battle, Gad lifted his hammer and unleashed a skill. "Earth-Shattering Spikes!"
Slamming Colossus into the ground, green energy spikes erupted, surging toward Asher and cutting through nearby foes.
Asher reacted swiftly, sidestepping the attack and countering with rapid swings of his blade. Energy-wind blades tore through the air, obliterating Gad's spikes and overwhelming his offensive strike.
Meanwhile, the two rankers had captured the attention of everyone on the battlefield. All eyes were fixed on them as the spectators witnessed the intense exchange between the two relatives.
Back to the fight, it seemed Asher was being forced onto the defensive. Gad swung his hammer sideways, aiming for Asher's ribs, but with precise timing, Asher parried the attack with his shield. Using the absorbed force from the impact, Asher countered by slamming Gad in the face with his shield, taking advantage of Gad's inability to recover his hammer in time.
The strike sent Gad staggering backward as he struggled to regain his footing. After a few paces, he finally stopped a short distance from Asher. He touched his face and, upon lowering his hand, saw blood trickling from his nose.
"You bastard! I'll make you pay for that!"
-TO BE CONTINUED