Cirebon, known as the City of Shrimp with a population of over three hundred thousand, had transformed into a vast flood that swept through streets, invaded homes, and turned the city into a murky, ever-expanding lake in just a few hours since the Heretic God Batara Guru appeared.
Worse still, the global-scale grand magic ritual, Day of Silence—designed to put 99% of the world's population into a deep sleep to conceal the Prime War from the public—had become a curse. Across the globe, humans fell into slumber. In the drowning city of Cirebon, this effect spelled a horrific end.
The government?
They were unprepared.
How could they be ready?
A system filled with people more adept at dodging responsibility than taking action, more skilled in rhetoric than response, had utterly collapsed.
Evacuation?
The remaining personnel were overwhelmed and desperate. They were too few, the disaster too vast, and time too short.
Only 10% of the population survived. The rest? They died in their sleep, never knowing what killed them.
When the Day of Silence ended, the government would broadcast a statement full of lies about an unexpected storm and a failed early warning system, covering their negligence and incompetence with a veil of deceit.
Back to the main topic.
Amid this vortex of tragedy, at a location that was once a thoroughfare but now a swirling mass of dark water, the conflict that sparked it all reached its climax.
*⚡⚡⚡*
The air trembled, not just from thunder but from the magical energy emanating from two entities. Torrential rain slashed visibility, and lightning illuminated two figures facing each other.
On one side, Ren, a Campione—a Godslayer.
On the other, Batara Guru, the Heretic God whose wrath had flooded an entire city.
"You should feel honored to die by my hand, Campione." Batara Guru's voice boomed, overpowering the roar of thunder.
Without giving Ren a chance to retort or respond, he raised his right hand to the sky and began chanting an incantation.
"Dark clouds, descend from the palace of the heavens! Lightning and rain, bow to my command—I, the Guru of the Cosmos, tear the earth asunder with the fury of the heavens!"
*⚡*
It was as if the world paused before exploding. Batara Guru didn't just summon rain; he summoned the essence of a storm.
Celestial lightning streaked in a blinding web of white light.
The already heavy rain turned into a solid wall of water.
The wind howled, ripping apart anything not anchored to the ground.
And the scale was no small matter. From outer space, a meteorological phenomenon was visible: clouds forming a massive spiral, a cosmic vortex enveloping the entire West Java Province.
"Die!"
Following Batara Guru's command, the focus of his wrath converged. Countless bolts of lightning, each carrying the fury of the heavens, bombarded the spot where Ren stood.
*⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡*
"Blessed by Surya, I am an impregnable fortress! The light that shields me repels all destruction, burning away any malicious intent that approaches! Even gods shall witness that this body is indestructible!"
Steel Body Divine Authority!
This was the Divine Authority Ren gained after defeating Karna, the son of the Sun God Surya!
*⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡*
*⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡*
*⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡*
The celestial lightning struck with deafening force. The area around Ren was instantly consumed by destructive power.
Houses, vehicles, power poles, and everything in the vicinity were reduced to dust and ash in an instant. Mercilessly, the heavenly punishment continued to pound, tearing the earth and burning the remnants of civilization.
Yet, at the center of this vortex of annihilation, where the lightning sought to erase him, Ren stood firm. A shimmering golden aura enveloped his body.
Every bolt of lightning that struck him shattered, losing most of its power before touching his skin.
A direct strike above his head merely dispersed its energy like water hitting a rock, leaving only faint sparks.
Steel Body Divine Authority reduced the impact of physical and conceptual attacks by 90%. Batara Guru's heavenly punishment, capable of leveling a city, felt like an ordinary thunderstorm to him.
"Is that all you've got?"
"Hmph! How about this, then!"
Enraged by Ren's mockery, Batara Guru realized his celestial lightning was futile. He changed his strategy.
"Arise, warriors of the heavens! From the light of the sun and the embers of lightning, come and serve me, Batara Guru!"
As Batara Guru finished his incantation, a golden rift burned open in the sky, already darkened by the spiraling clouds.
*RUMBLE!*
From that rift emerged a colossal gate made of light and thunder, adorned with carvings depicting the glory of ancient Javanese kingdoms. With a soul-shaking roar, the gate opened.
"Subordinate gods, huh… As expected of the King of the Gods. Each warrior is stronger than a Paladin." Ren muttered, his voice calm but filled with acknowledgment.
However, that acknowledgment wasn't fear. It was fighting spirit. Then, he activated his Primodial Might Divine Authority!
"I shall never falter, for my strength is unmatched. For none but I can shatter mountains, shake the earth, and sunder the heavens from their beloved."
An aura even more terrifying than Batara Guru's power began to radiate from his body. Boundless strength surged through every vein, filling every cell.
This Divine Authority came from Atlas, the Titan destined to bear the heavens—a raw power that redefined physical limits.
"Kill him!" Batara Guru's command echoed loudly.
"OOOOOOHHHHH—"
Thousands of ancient warriors roared in unison, their voices deafening. Then, like a tidal wave, they charged at Ren from all directions, trampling the floodwaters that turned to steam in their presence.
"Trying to overwhelm me with numbers? Naïve!"
With a wild grin and gleaming eyes, Ren charged back fearlessly. He didn't dodge. He met the first wave with his fist.
*BAM!*
Primodial Might Divine Authority granted him superhuman strength. Each punch and kick carried the raw force of hundreds of millions of tons. His fist slammed into the air, and the impact alone created a visible shockwave, reducing every warrior within a fifty-meter radius to fading sparks of light. The ground beneath him caved in, forming a new crater instantly filled with boiling floodwater.
*BAM!*
A warrior tried to stab him from behind. Ren didn't even turn. A casual back kick not only obliterated the warrior but unleashed kinetic energy that carved a straight line through the horde, annihilating dozens of others and toppling the remnants of collapsed buildings in the distance.
*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*
*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*
Every movement was a disaster. Every punch was a localized earthquake. Every kick created a hurricane. Ren was the epicenter of a storm of pure physical violence.
*BOOM!*
A half-collapsed building, struck by the shockwave of a missed punch, crumbled entirely, its dust scattering over the water.
*WHOOSH!*
The continuous shockwaves from their battle spread like ripples in a pond, shaking the foundations of the already dying city.
Ren spun, parrying attacks and countering with mountain-moving force. He kept moving, attacking relentlessly, each motion producing devastation.
The unfortunate city of Cirebon was further reduced to ruins.