The Monarch

"Congratulations, boy," Jarvis's voice echoed in Kayden's mind. "You're not a genius, you're an abomination."The god couldn't even put into words what Kayden had done—it was simply insane.

From that moment on, the battle shifted paradigms completely. Every single bolt of lightning Kayden cast was now capable of piercing through the waves entirely. One bolt alone could tear through two or three waves with ease. Gradually, the god began to be overwhelmed. Kayden was growing stronger by the second, while the god was growing more and more exhausted.

He was a god at the peak of the second level. That was roughly the ceiling Kayden could face in an even match. But something had changed—something felt different. Kayden wasn't exactly crushing the god, but he was subjugating him slowly and methodically.

The god's honor was now at stake. He had to see this through to the end, or bow out in shame and let the other gods defend his organization. Either way, it would be disgraceful. No matter how he attacked or defended himself from Kayden, nothing worked. Those green lightning bolts were absolutely maddening.

Little by little, the battle reached its turning point, until…

BOOOM!

The sound of the whale's body slamming into the ground echoed everywhere. One of Kayden's bolts had completely shattered the god's defense. This wasn't a light attack—it had nearly killed the god on the spot. Just as a single wave could leave Kayden in pieces, the smallest mistake here meant death.

"Master!"

The gods nearby began to attack Kayden without hesitation. Dozens of different spells surged toward him with no pause. There were so many that they often ended up canceling each other out. Of those that actually reached him, very few had any real impact. His lightning simply evaporated them.

Gods of the second level could cast spells powerful enough to destroy one of Kayden's bolts—but the real issue was the chaotic mess of magic in the air. Many spells nullified each other. Kayden, however, managed to perfectly counter the stronger ones and dodge the weaker ones.

Unlike what many expected, Kayden did not stop. He kept attacking without pause.

Each of his bolts was stopped by at least a dozen divine spells, but for every bolt that passed through, a god fell to the ground half-dead. It made no sense—the sheer number of lightning bolts Kayden could unleash, and the way he could defend himself from so many gods, defied all logic.

Within minutes, the number of gods had dropped miserably. Kayden had taken down dozens in a matter of minutes. This forced the master of the organization to make a swift decision.

The ship's defenses rose. Divine runes of the third realm activated and launched flames that no ordinary boy could hope to withstand—at least not alone…

A divine barrier erupted from Kayden and absorbed all the flames entirely. The barrier shattered afterward, but it had fulfilled its purpose. He wasn't some rookie—Kayden was always prepared. He had had plenty of time for that.

"At no point have I launched a single attack capable of killing any of you."Kayden's voice was calm—so calm it sent a chill down everyone's spine.

BOOOM!BOOOM!BOOOM!

This time, Kayden did not stop attacking. His next series of strikes… killed at least three gods in the blink of an eye. There was not a shred of mercy. He didn't care in the slightest. These were gods who, in the end, had no great tricks left to use against him—at most, maybe another rune at that level.

It was a large organization, but in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't a particularly powerful one. They had wide reach and a lot of resources, but that was it. They lacked superior runes or anything of true quality—because only strength could bring those.

What good were resources if a stronger being could just come and take them?In the end, they could only reach as far as their leader's ceiling. Possessing a third-level rune was already an extraordinary feat for them. Unfortunately for them, they hadn't accounted for the resources Kayden had collected over his long and storied life.

There was no mercy. The gods began to fall like ants. The scene was devastating—it felt like something ripped straight from a war. The few minutes they bought with their lives were just enough for the shark to rise completely.

"That's enough," Kayden stopped attacking. The deaths had shaken the god to his core. "Present us your terms."

Kayden's power wasn't even the main factor behind their surrender. They could've tried a few more methods—used more runes—but… it wasn't worth the cost. Kayden had already proven himself to be utterly insane. And his aura… it was heavy. It smothered their minds. It made the gods feel like children in the presence of a true god.

"Kayn, do you know their names?"Kayn muttered a few random names with a trembling voice. The recent events were still painfully fresh in his mind.

Within seconds, the god brought them forth—five mortals and a level-one god acting as support.

"This morning, they broke my apprentice's arm."Kayden smiled. The mortals trembled violently."Your lives will be spared, but…"

Kayden snapped his fingers.

And every single bone in their bodies shattered.

Each tiny fragment of bone was reduced to dust. Their bodies were resilient, but their minds weren't nearly as strong. They collapsed to the ground, screaming in agony. They were quickly taken away for help, but…

"I'm not able to heal them," said the healer, voice dragging.His statement wasn't up for debate, because—

BOOOM!

Kayden killed the god who had been with the mortals without a hint of pity. In just a few minutes, he had crushed almost an entire organization. His methods were cruel. His execution worse than offending the Ody family itself.

"The next offense will result in the end of your organization."Kayden flew off with Kayn, his speed absurd. Within seconds, he was seated in his chair again.

"Kayn."Kayden's tone was strange, not exactly friendly.