Hero of Darkness

As the battle concluded, it became clear that Kahn/Byakuya had won this bet. And the victor of this battle, only spared a despondent glance at the defeated enemy, almost as if pitying them.

"No! We can't lose!

Use it! Use the ultimate weapon!" shouted the sacred divinity, scared of its current state.

RUMBLE!!

Crack!

The sacred divinity made a last-ditch effort, creating a 100-meter-wide violet-colored crack in space, and tried to summon something from a different dimension that even Kahn couldn't sense before.

"Divine Weapon, Yamata No O…"

Boom!

Crack!

Rumble!

However, before the summoning could even complete…

Shatter!

The wormhole summoning the Hero of Space's divine weapon suddenly shattered, only leaving a 5-meter-long small void crack behind.

"Hisss~ You insects dare summon us?! Hisss~

Our contractor is not even in control of his own body and yet you have the audacity to use our power? Hisss~

Know your place, you damn filths!" cursed the divine weapon from beyond the rift, its powers and appearance unknown.

However, the furious tone perfectly relayed its wrathful nature.

The voice of the divine weapon then redirected its discontent.

"Sasakibe Ryuken… If you can't even control these parasites who dared to commit such transgression… then we shall acknowledge you no longer. Hisss~

The next time such disrespect occurs… Forget the Demon God; it shall be us who will devour your soul from within. Hisss~" spoke the divine weapon from the violet rift beyond realms.

Shatter!

The rift finally shattered and disappeared from existence, leaving no trace behind. This scenario took place so fast that nobody even had time to digest the gravity of the situation.

"Ah, fuck…"

And just right then…

Woosh!

Kahn's Crimson Asura mode finally ended. Making him return to his original Masamune Byakuya persona.

15 minutes had passed since the battle began and now it was already just a few minutes away from the finale.

But the Sacred Divinity suddenly tried to do something that even Kahn knew would backfire.

He himself owned a Divine Weapon called Amaterasu. So he was fully aware of the condition… that the divine weapon can only be used by the true contractor aka the chosen Hero/Heroine of the God/Goddess.

They would never yield their control to anyone else under any circumstances.

And because of this forced last-ditch effort, all the remaining strength and world energy, was completely spent.

However, the fact remains that Kahn has bested the Hero of Space even though he didn't get to see Ryuken's remaining Divine Abilities or even the Divine Weapon for now.

"NO! This is unacceptable!

How can we, the most divine existences of our world, be defeated by a mere human?!" shouted the sacred divinity loudly.

The fact that they were collectively bested by an insignificant being in their eyes, was unfathomable and incomprehensible to them.

Because this was the very first time they tasted defeat ever since Ryuken was summoned in Vantrea by the God of Space.

Prior to this match, he was forced to assume the form of Sacred Divinity twice.

One time when facing a legendary rank monster, out of pure necessity.

And the previous one where he faced a mythical rank monster; and that to because he had no choice, lest the delay in killing that monster would have resulted in thousands of innocents dying.

It was then, that Ryuken chose to infuse the 7 spirits into his domain and created the Domain of Sacred Divinity… a power he would use only out of absolute necessity.

The very fact that they were undefeatable even by a mythical rank monster that was many ranks above them… had become a monumental victory, signifying their pride.

Thus, this defeat they faced at the hands of Masamune Byakuya felt like a nightmare that they couldn't accept as reality, hoping that they'd wake up in a few minutes and realize that all of this never happened.

"Do you know why you've lost?" asked Kahn/Byakuya.

"Because you're unified only in mind and body. Not in a shared goal or a determination.

You may walk the same path together, but if your intentions differ from each other at every step… the ending results for each of you will be different." he declared in a firm tone.

[Maybe that was why the fight felt like a mere skirmish.

They only have overwhelmingly raw power. But there was no form, no technique, and no viable strategy. Unlike Ryuken, they're not seasoned warrior, just powerful beings who rely on their explosive abilities.

Even those katanas manifested from their unique powers felt like a gimmick too. For the weak and inexperienced, they would look unparalleled in every sense.

But to veterans of war and skilled warriors like me, the flaws would be visible from the very beginning.

Kahn then spoke in a domineering tone, his words filled with discontent and scrutiny as he addressed the sacred divinity…

"You're holding him back." he spoke in an admonishing tone.

Swoosh!

Shing!

But before the sacred divinity could reply, the domain diffused on its own, turning into mere smoke as there wasn't any world energy left to sustain it.

The massive titanic form of the sacred divinity dwindled in front of naked eyes…

And at the destroyed battlefield, the Hero of Space, Sasakibe Ryuken emerged, his body lying on the devastated ground, riddled with wounds.

Woosh!

Kahn quickly teleported next to him and used his healing spells to help Ryuken.

In a few moments, Ryuken completely healed, yet he lay on the ground, unmoving.

"Owari da (It's over), Sasakibe Ryuken." declared Kahn with a cold gaze.

Ryuken on other end... stopped moving. The body was healed, but his eyes looked dispirited, devoid of hope.

"Who are you?" asked Ryuken as he looked at the ever-devouring Black Sun in the sky, not even making direct eye contact with Kahn.

"Does it matter who I am?" asked Kahn with an emotionless countenance.

"Hah!" chuckled Ryuken.

"I tried so hard and got so far…

But in the end, it doesn't even matter." said Ryuken, his tone filled with destitute.

"Why?" asked Kahn in a similar tone.

"I lost against a man who doesn't even have any Divine Abilities or a Divine Weapon. If I can't even defeat you… then how am I going to defeat the Demon God when I finally face him?" said Ryuken as he questioned his own existence.

At this moment, it felt as if Ryuken had lost his will to fight… No, he had lost his purpose as the Hero of Space.

"Let's find that answer together."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Instead of responding in an uninterested tone, Kahn/Byakuya spoke in a quaint tone.

"Look into my eye." he commended to Ryuken.

Now, a surprising event took place as Kahn lifted the eyepatch on his left eye.

Suddenly, one of Kahn's hidden powers was revealed to Ryuken.

The left eye Kahn was hiding under the patch, now turned glowing dark blue, revealing an otherworldly aura that left the hero speechless.

Kahn with his calm demeanor, softly muttered…

"World Creation."