Chapter 36: Battle of the Storm God (Patreon)

BOOM!

A dazzling lightning bolt streaked across the sky. The previously raging storm seemed to momentarily still.

At this moment, in stark contrast to Melqart's disheveled state, Haru's condition was excellent—so much so that it could be described as "explosive."

Yes, he had "exploded"!

A blood-like aura burned around his body like blazing flames.

The white mist of cursed energy he had erupted with earlier gradually tinged with a bloody steam, forming a faint, hazy, graceful silhouette behind him.

The silhouette wasn't solid, merely an illusion, yet it was enough to instill an immensely heavy pressure in the hearts of everyone present.

Crack! Crack! Crack!—

And that wasn't all. After unleashing this terrifying aura,

Haru stepped into the air, as if the very heavens and earth were collapsing under his feet. Countless spiderweb-like cracks appeared beneath him.

An overwhelming gale and shockwave, seemingly capable of tearing the sky and earth apart, swept forth.

Where the impact passed over the originally dense forests and grasslands, large trees were uprooted and sent flying, leaving deep trenches in their wake. This demonstrated the astonishing power he was unleashing now!

Although his figure seemed slender compared to Melqart, the terrifying pressure and strength he exuded were not inferior… or perhaps even stronger.

Then, in the next second, without any preamble or wasted words—

Just as the enraged Melqart was rising from the crater in the mountain, the blood-steam formed by the aura transformed into a long rainbow.

BOOM!

Before Melqart could even form a thought, as he barely managed to raise his arms to block—

The moment they collided, the immense force sent Melqart's tall body flying back like a cannonball, causing another cataclysmic impact in the blink of an eye.

This time, he was sent flying out of the battlefield at an even greater speed.

Yet, even so, Haru, having successfully struck again, did not let up. The rainbow light persistently clung to Melqart, followed by—

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

Blow after blow, each one erupting with a deafening thunderous roar.

The fierce wind and torrential rain, the display of divine might, the unstoppable force, shaking the heavens and earth.

From a distance, it looked as if countless palms were simultaneously and continuously striking the giant's body!

Steam boiled, the blood-like aura spread, forming a wondrous spectacle of soaring dragons and dancing phoenixes, encircling Haru as they continuously collided and impacted the towering deity.

"Th-That is?!"

"Yes, without a doubt, it's the Flying Phoenix Twelve Divine Palms of that Sect Leader (Luo Huo)!"

"No, it seems somewhat different from the legends. When that Sect Leader uses it, there are no dragon-shaped energy currents."

"It must have been modified. It looks much more biased toward sheer force than the rumors suggest."

"..."

The gale raged, lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled.

At the edge of the battlefield, Erika and Lucretia, bracing against the shockwaves, watched the fight from afar.

When they saw Haru erupt with power and momentarily beat Melqart into a state of helpless defense, to be honest, they both thought they were dreaming.

After all, that was a Heretic God!

Moreover, every single strike from Haru possessed the power to shatter mountains and part seas.

Melqart's massive body was like a puppet on strings in his hands, completely unable to fight back, only able to endure the beating.

They also recognized that what Haru was using was the renowned "Flying Phoenix Twelve Divine Palms" of Luo Hao. It's just that the power far exceeded their imagination.

With this level of destructive might, they would believe it if someone said the Sect Leader herself was personally acting.

For no other reason—it was simply too terrifying!

The Heretic God Melqart was like a human-shaped ball at the moment, being continuously and fluidly comboed in mid-air by Haru.

At this moment, if someone claimed Haru was a God-Slayer, the two witches present wouldn't doubt it in the slightest.

So strong. Impossibly strong. Strong in a way that defied all logic.

And what was that gradually fading phantom behind him?

BOOM—

The previously majestic deity had now completely become Haru's punching bag.

Under the dragon-shaped attacks formed by his blood-steam, the giant body was sent flying back into the battlefield by the terrifying force, then slammed heavily into the ground.

The earth trembled, and the aftershocks blasted a bottomless crater into the ground!

The roar and impact were so strong that the two witches watching from the periphery nearly lost their balance or were sent flying.

It wasn't until they flashed backward, putting a significant distance between themselves and the battlefield, that they withstood the residual pressure.

[Gah!!][Urgh...]

Then, as the dust and debris settled, Melqart, lying in the deep crater, spat out divine blood.

But soon, an enraged roar erupted, accompanied by the reverberation of a heavenly voice.

For a god like Melqart, humans were equivalent to stones on the roadside or ants.

But at this moment, he had been beaten to this state by a human he looked down upon. This was, of course, a tremendous insult to him!

[Come, come! That was just a warm-up! Wind, rain, thunder! By the name of I, Melqart, I summon you! Storm, heed the call of the Cloud-Rider, come swiftly!]

Melqart's robust body dispersed into a storm. Hundreds of lightning bolts flashed from all 360 degrees, directly enveloping Haru in mid-air.

But the sky-filling lightning seemed to flow into an ocean as if usurped by something. Then, arcs of dazzling electricity began to flicker around his body, seemingly amplified, as he shot forward at an even greater speed.

BAM—

Another heavy palm strike, swift and fierce, slammed into Melqart, burying half of his body into the earth!