"Tenmou Metsu!"
That massive demon-faced gate transformed under his control into a streak of purple-black light, carrying the supreme authority to devour and destroy all things as it hurtled toward Cloud!
Space shattered in its wake. Even light was devoured!
Facing this attack capable of erasing Geese Tower from the map—a strike operating on the level of fundamental laws—Cloud's expression grew deadly serious.
He knew the next exchange would determine South Town's future.
"Guess I can't hold back anymore if I want to deal with you."
He drew a deep breath, burning every last drop of Battle God Golden Flame within him—along with that transmigrator's peculiar "love" for this world—without a single reserve!
"I've never had big ambitions in life."
His voice cut clearly through the howling wind to Geese's ears.
"I don't want to rule the world. I don't want to be some messiah."
"I just want to live in my nice mansion, drink my ice-cold cola, and occasionally chat about life and dreams with a few pretty girls."
"Anyone who dares disturb this simple, humble retirement plan of mine..."
His eyes erupted with golden radiance so brilliant it could shame the sun and moon!
"I'll personally... send them to meet God!"
"Heavenscorch Scripture—Final Ultimate..."
Behind him, a figure manifested—a god of battle dozens of meters tall, wreathed entirely in golden flames, seemingly woven from pure light itself!
"—Divine Myriad Gods Orochinagi!!!"
Cloud roared, moving in perfect unison with the divine phantom behind him, unleashing his all-or-nothing finishing move!
A heaven-splitting, earth-cleaving slash of pure golden flame erupted from his fingertips!
That strike was so pure, so overwhelming!
It seemed to concentrate all the "righteous" power in existence!
It would cut through not just the Rashomon before him, but the evil and darkness that had shrouded South Town for decades!
The golden light of creation and the purple-black gate of annihilation collided at South Town's highest point, under the horrified gazes of countless witnesses below...
The impact was cataclysmic!
In that instant, all of South Town seemed to lose sound, lose color.
Only absolute light and absolute darkness remained, devouring and annihilating each other in their eternal dance!
In the end, Cloud's will—that more overwhelming determination to protect his "retirement lifestyle"—proved superior!
The golden slash released a heaven-shaking roar and cleaved the dimensional Rashomon cleanly in two!
"No... IMPOSSIBLE!!!"
Geese let out the most incredulous scream of his life!
He watched helplessly as the golden strike passed through his shattered demon gate and consumed him utterly!
...
When the dust finally settled.
Half of Geese Tower had vanished.
Cloud knelt on one knee, drenched in blood, gasping for breath—but he had won.
Geese lay at the rubble's edge, body charred black, barely clinging to his last breath.
He looked at that godlike young man, then down at the city he'd spent his entire life fighting for. A manic smile of release spread across his face.
"Heh... hehehe..."
"You... won..." He coughed blood, voice rasping. "Your flames... truly do... counter the power of gods..."
"But... do you really think... this is over?"
A final flicker of madness... and something like pity?... gleamed in his eyes.
"The Riot of the Blood within me... was merely... a few scraps the Divine Tribe deigned to bestow..."
"They... are this world's true masters..."
"Soon... they will descend..."
"The entire world... will tremble... at their feet..."
"I'll be waiting for you... in hell... Hahaha... HAHAHAHA..."
With that crazed laughter, Geese Howard—South Town's first emperor—spent his final strength leaning backward, spreading his arms wide like an emperor embracing death, and plummeted from the top of Geese Tower, hundreds of meters into the darkness below...
Cloud watched his figure vanish into the night and fell silent.
The Divine Tribe...
Orochi...
He knew a far greater, far more terrifying storm was coming.
But that was a problem for later.
For now...
He slowly straightened, gazing at the city below as it gradually awakened in the light of dawn.
He knew that from this moment forward, the dark clouds that had shrouded South Town for decades had finally parted.
And South Town... had welcomed its new king.
...
When dawn's first golden rays pierced the clouds that had covered South Town for decades like a blade of light, the storm that had swept through the city finally subsided.
Geese Tower—once the symbol of absolute power and endless evil—now stood in the city center like a hat with its top sliced off, both ridiculous and pitiful.
Atop the ruins, the surviving heroes greeted the sunrise, sitting or standing among the wreckage.
Terry leaned against a massive chunk of concrete, guzzling a beer he'd found somewhere, wearing a smile of profound relief and satisfaction.
The joy of vengeance fulfilled and the exhaustion of pushing past his limits mixed in his eyes, lending him a certain weathered handsomeness.
Andy and Joe—partners in suffering—supported each other as they watched the sun rise in the distance, hope for the future gleaming in their eyes.
Ryo and Robert—the "best supporting cast"—quietly tended to their wounds nearby. Even amid the rubble, their master's bearing and aristocratic elegance made them look like they were shooting a fashion spread.
...
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