The void could no longer hold.
The moment the four Heavenly Kings clashed, reality split apart like glass cracking from the inside. There was no explosion, no sound, but the entire battlefield was forcibly torn open.
Layers of void formed one after another. If an S-rank battle could lead to the destruction of the capital, this battle could lead to the destruction of the entire country.
The power of Heavenly Kings was almost at the ceiling of the world. Anomalies like Demi Gods were extremely rare, and a very long time had passed since the last time they had participated in a battle.
Even the last time they had made an official appearance was long ago. That was why Heavenly Kings were more or less officially recognized as the strongest powerhouses in the world.
And now a battle at this level was taking place.
Daniel stood facing Valkraz in one of the deep layers of the void.
Here... there was nothing. No light, no darkness, not even a sense of direction.
Only "nothing."
A place where Laws had not yet been fully written.
Valkraz calmly looked around, as if this space was familiar to him. Then his gaze locked onto Daniel. The sense of danger this kid gave off was much stronger than Schneitz.
For that reason, he decided to deal with this one himself.
He was also genuinely curious how this kid had suddenly gained the power of a Heavenly King, because from what he had seen of the battle earlier, this kid could barely fight against the two S-rank twins.
What was the source of his power? An item? If that was the case, he had to obtain that item.
"Tell me, how did you manage to gain the power of a Heavenly King? Tell me and I’ll let you live."
"First stay alive... then I’ll explain," Daniel slightly raised his sword, The Heaven’s Honor. An aura of lightning and death slowly coiled around the blade.
A very faint smile appeared on Valkraz’s lips, as if this kid needed to be taught some manners.
And then he moved.
The space around Daniel... began to go out. Part of his shoulder disappeared. It wasn’t cut, it wasn’t burned, it simply... no longer existed.
Daniel’s eyes narrowed for a moment.
"..."
This attack had no collision. It simply happened.
Valkraz said calmly:
[Void Law: Existential Fade]
And this time, the entire space around Daniel began to fade. His mana went out, the flow of his lightning was cut off, and even his death aura trembled for a moment.
But at the same moment, his body was covered in a gentle light.
Mana Healing.
The erased tissues reformed under the pressure of energy.
Daniel took a step forward and disappeared without warning.
[Bloody Shadow Dance]
There were no shadows in this void, but the "nothing" itself became a path for him. His presence became unpredictable.
For the first time, Valkraz raised an eyebrow slightly. Suddenly a blade of lightning and death descended from behind his head.
The Heaven’s Honor, with an aura of destruction and lightning, came down toward his neck.
[Strike Of Destruction]
But the blade, before hitting, sank, not into the body but into the void.
Valkraz, without turning around, said:
[Void: Devouring Singularity]
A small black point formed in the path of the sword. It had no gravity, no understandable pull, but anything that came close was swallowed.
Daniel’s blade sank halfway into it.
The destruction energy, the lightning, even the death aura were all pulled in.
Daniel immediately pulled his hand back, but the energy he had lost was clearly felt.
Valkraz turned around calmly.
"Interesting." He took one step forward and space collapsed again.
"But you still don’t understand what you’re fighting against." Suddenly several layers of void fell on top of each other.
[Void: Layered Oblivion]
Each layer was a level of erasure.
In the first layer, mana went out. In the second, the body weakened. In the third... existence began to fade.
Daniel was forced to dodge for the first time.
His body moved quickly through different phases. Lightning flowed through his muscles, but every time he moved, one of the layers came closer.
"...Damn it." He raised his hand.
[Demonic Twilight Shield]
A dark-red shield formed around him. When the first layer collided, it wasn’t just deflected, part of it was absorbed.
The raw void energy entered his body and immediately merged with his death and lightning energy.
His eyes shone.
"So... it’s like this?" Daniel smiled.
And this time he attacked. Without stopping, he raised his fist and slammed it down. Lightning, like a compressed explosion, gathered in his fist.
[Thunder Of Lost Dreams]
But this wasn’t just lightning. When the strike landed, the void around Valkraz trembled for a moment and something inside it cracked.
Nightmare.
Suppressed senses.
Something that even Valkraz couldn’t ignore for a moment. His eyes narrowed for the first time.
"Mental attack?" He had never thought that after reaching his current level he would be hit by mental attacks again.
His mind should have been immune to such attacks, but it seemed he was wrong.
The strike hit and space broke, but his body wasn’t completely destroyed. Instead, part of it... faded for a moment and reformed.
Valkraz didn’t retreat, but his gaze changed.
"Looks like I shouldn’t have underestimated you." He realized that his enemy, even if he was a kid, was not someone who could be underestimated.
Daniel took a deep breath. His body was still not completely stable. The energy inside him fluctuated, sometimes too much, sometimes too little.
But his control had gotten better. He raised his sword and this time his eyes shone.
[Eyes Of Destruction]
Two beams of pure destruction shot straight toward Valkraz. They were not light, not energy, but "end."
Now that he could use this Law and at his current level he could easily use conceptual-level attacks.
These two beams alone were so powerful that if they hit the capital, nothing would remain of it.
Valkraz raised his hand.
[Void: Abyssal Sovereign Pressure]
A massive pressure, not just on space but on Daniel’s "will" itself, came down.
The beams were deflected for a moment, but they weren’t completely stopped.
One of them passed by the side of his face and for the first time created a scratch, not on the skin but on his "existence."
Valkraz slowly ran his hand over that spot and then frowned deeply. His face grew colder. Existential damage was extremely hard to heal.
Daniel breathed out and laughed. The more he used the power of a Heavenly King, the more addicted he became to this power. He really felt like a god!
But he wasn’t stupid enough to fall into such an illusion. Sooner or later, even without using a skill, he would have the power of a Heavenly King.
[Everlasting Edge]
One strike.
But not an ordinary strike.
A blade that had no end.
Its movement didn’t stop.
Even when Valkraz tried to erase it, the blade... continued.
Space split, the void moved aside, and the strike hit. Valkraz’s body was pulled backward. A massive wound opened in the middle of his stomach.
Although there was no blood, the created gap healed, but Valkraz’s spirit became unstable and it seemed his light was dimming.
His eyes grew colder. He realized he had lost the upper hand in the battle and couldn’t let it continue like this
"Congratulations, you managed to make me angry, and that won’t be good for you."
"You’re still under the illusion of victory?" Daniel lowered his sword and his gaze turned cold.
At the same time, he glanced at the remaining time of [Transcendent Self].
[20:02]
Only twenty minutes left until the skill ended!