— — — — — —
In that instant, Hercules' face flashed through shock, fury, and pure disbelief.
Was a god of his caliber—a near–four-digit irregular freak—really about to die like this?
Killed indirectly by a lower-ranked deity he could've crushed with one hand before descending to this lower world? All because his current form could only exert five-digit strength?
Damn it, no way was he going out like that!
Cornered, Hercules' rage exploded. A massive battle axe appeared in his hands as he roared,
"Like hell I'm dying like this!"
Muscles bulged, his body swelling from just over two meters to nearly five. Blue lightning danced over his skin as he turned into something between a man and a miniature Titan.
He forced out the full upper limit of his five-digit power. With terrifying momentum, he swung the colossal axe straight toward the Divine Sword of Salvation.
Axe and divine sword met in a single blinding flash.
But at that same moment, a violet light flared across the surface of the Sword.
BOOM.
Black lightning erupted where the two weapons collided, and space itself seemed to twist and buckle.
For a few seconds, everything froze—then came a sharp crack.
Fissures spread rapidly across the sword's body.
And then, the Divine Sword of Salvation shattered, bursting apart into radiant fragments that streaked toward Ryo, merging into his body as if drawn there by destiny itself.
The sword had mistaken him for Mithras—trying to repair itself by merging with what it thought was its master.
Hercules blinked, dazed for a moment, then turned to Ryo, whose fingertips still flickered with that strange violet glow.
His lips moved weakly. "...Thanks."
Then his eyes rolled back and he collapsed, out cold.
The entire clash had lasted only a heartbeat.
Uesugi Kenshin appeared at Hercules' side in a blur, placing a hand on his head as his body slowly shrank back to its normal size.
After a few seconds of silence, she let out a helpless sigh. "This guy… actually got lucky."
"Huh? Lucky?" Rin tilted her head, giving the unconscious Hercules a weird look.
Getting targeted by Mithras, almost killed, barely surviving and then passing out—that's good luck?
Ryo, still holding a flickering, pale-blue flame—Mithras's residual soul—looked equally confused.
"He actually fainted? That blast was strong, sure, but it shouldn't have been enough to knock Hercules out."
Scáthach stepped forward, crouched beside Hercules, examined him for a moment, and clicked her tongue. "No, Kenshin's right. Lucky bastard."
Seeing Ryo's puzzled expression, she explained, "He's out because his divinity's evolving. His authority just began transforming."
"Transforming?" Highness froze, then his eyes widened with envy.
"He actually ascended? At a time like this?"
As someone born a natural two-digit candidate still stuck at four digits, Highness couldn't help feeling a sting of jealousy.
Ryo stared at Hercules, stunned. "The divine right…?"
When a god's authority reaches its ultimate form—expanding beyond its domain until it touches omnipotence—it evolves into a divine right, a crucial step toward reaching the three-digit level.
And Hercules just… leveled up?
From that little scuffle?
Ryo looked at the unconscious Hercules, curiosity burning.
If this weren't such an awkward moment, he might've been tempted to dissect the guy just to study it.
This was the first time he'd ever seen someone actually transcend into a divine right.
Noticing his expression, Scáthach couldn't help but explain further.
"No need to be shocked. That big oaf's been stuck on this threshold for at least fifteen hundred years. Finally stepping over it now is… well, about time."
"You sound jealous," Ryo said dryly, turning to her.
Her smile froze, and she glared daggers at him.
He really knew how to push buttons. She'd been stuck at the same digit for ages, and he had to bring that up now?
One more word and she'd happily kick him into the next dimension.
Kenshin, watching quietly from the side, murmured, "No wonder my intuition warned me not to interfere. I must've sensed that stepping in would've ruined his opportunity."
To block someone's path to ascension was a sin beyond forgiveness.
If Kenshin had helped a moment ago, eliminated Mithras's final trick, Hercules might have missed his one chance to evolve.
Realizing that, she turned toward Ryo, her gaze landing on the faint soul-flame in his hand.
A strange smile curved her lips. "Ryo, you really came out of this ahead."
Ryo frowned. "Did I?"
"Of course," Kenshin said, grinning slyly. "If you hadn't pulled Mithras's soul away at that exact moment, the Divine Sword of Salvation would've gone berserk. Hercules never would've found that opening to transcend."
"At best, he would've shattered the sword, ended Mithras's possession attempt, and that'd be it. But because you extracted Mithras's soul, Hercules evolved without any interference."
"You get what that means, right?"
Ryo blinked, then gave her a look halfway between amusement and disbelief.
"So basically… I just earned myself credit for saving the guy's ascension?"
"Better believe it," Scáthach said, rolling her eyes. "A favor owed by someone who is about to step into three digits is no joke."
Her expression turned oddly teasing. "At this point, you can try to be Hercules' daddy, he may accept it just to pay the debt."
Ryo chuckled. "I'll pass. I'm not really interested in Hera."
The room went silent for a beat.
Technically, Hercules' divine parentage came from Zeus—but it was Hera who elevated him from demigod to divine godhood.
Which meant, in a sense, she was his divine mother.
So when Ryo said he wasn't "interested in Hera," the implications got… weird.
You're not interested in Hera? Does that mean she's the one interested in you?
Scáthach looked torn between laughter and exasperation.
Highness, meanwhile, just sighed in relief. "Well, in the end, the King of End's destiny still went to Ryo. Guess that makes it a double win."
Indeed, the King of End's mantle had successfully settled on Ryo—and the Divine Sword, damaged beyond repair by Hercules' semi-three-digit power, would likely just become nourishment for Ryo's future weapon.
Which meant their mission to the Campione world was basically a success.
"So why," Highness wondered miserably, Why did he feel like the only one who lost out?
Ryo profited. Hercules ascended. Kenshin and Scáthach completed their objectives.
And him?
He got nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Hell, he even lost face on behalf of the Cross.
"Talk about a rollercoaster," Ryo said with a sigh, then looked around. "So, do we stick to the plan?"
"Yeah." Kenshin nodded, glancing down at the unconscious Hercules.
"Once this lucky idiot wakes up, we can wrap things up."
Finally, their long investigation into the Campione world was nearing its end.
Ryo let out a breath of relief.
.
.
.