Chapter 214: Chapter 48: A Sword and Fragments

Though he was the same person, the God of the Ocean felt a completely opposite sensation in just an instant.

As the words of the robed deity in front of him fell, Oceanus suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of oppression emanating from deep within. The surface of the great river that enveloped the present world invisibly dropped by a third, as if it could not bear the unbearable weight.

This was the fourth time the God of the Ocean had felt this way. Once had been when facing the Heavenly Father in the distant first era, a hundred years ago when confronting Cronus, and not long before, that shadow which seemed like a Primordial God. But during those three times, he was not alone in facing this pressure.

But now, no one could stand in front of him.

“What are you going to do, are you going to be my enemy here?”

Suppressing the palpitations in his heart, Oceanus did not know what kind of change had occurred in the god before him. The power of a god was innate; surely he wouldn’t have inexplicably broken through the innate limits like Cronus did.

Divine Power was mobilized, and the waters gathered in his hands to form a spear as the God of the Ocean spoke threateningly. Yet in front of him, Laine showed no intention of stopping.

On his right hand, the black ring grew deeper. Since the time the Well of Reincarnation was built, this sublimated Death had always existed as a part of it, and Laine had never tried its power alone.

Now, it had been temporarily extracted, leaving only a small part to maintain the stability of reincarnation. Using it to kill a deity was certainly impossible, but Laine was somewhat eager to see what effects it could actually produce.

“Against you, you’re thinking too much.”

Speaking calmly, before the Ocean Deity Sovereign could breathe a sigh of relief, the authority of Death transformed into a long sword held in Laine’s hand.

He indeed had no intention of being an enemy to the other, after all—

“After all, to be my enemy, you’re not worthy.”

Clang—

The Black Sword was raised on high, slicing through the void, and in the next moment everything in its trajectory suddenly fell silent. Air, moisture, light, even space itself—under the power of the Great One, they were all ‘killed’ by Death, losing all traces of their existence in the world.

Facing this sword, the God of the Ocean could no longer care about Laine’s previous words; he felt only a surge of fear in his heart, instinctively knowing he must not let this sword fall upon him.

“Laine, this is my domain!”

Fear turned to anger, and anger fueled strength. When the primal instincts of the Titan deity were aroused, with a furious shout from Oceanus, the river waters churned in response.

The god-tainted river water surged towards the Black Sword. The Ocean God could tell that this sword was not a Divine Artifact, but merely a temporary manifestation of some authority, no different than the spear gathered in his hands.

Without the blessing of a Divine Artifact, how dare the other oppose him on the Circumterrestrial River?!

“Your domain?”

“Now, it is mine.”

With a slight exertion of force, in front of Laine, the waters of the Circumterrestrial River rushed along with the Titan deity’s spear, but he simply held onto the sword hilt and slowly pressed down.

In the next moment, both the spear and the river waters blocking his way ‘died’ inch by inch as the Black Sword approached. Across from Laine, Oceanus watched in horror to find that his connection with this part of the ‘river’ appeared to be temporarily erased.

“Ah—”

A roar of fury and pain erupted, causing the river waters to rage violently. But this instinctual counterattack was obviously futile; before the edge of the Black Sword, the giant wave was split, the surging tide was suppressed, until at last, it struck directly onto the ‘riverbed’ that seemed to be made of void.

Boom—

The river trembled, and the symbol of the Ocean God’s divine authority was directly hit, causing him as much pain as the Sun once did. But Laine’s sword-bearing hand finally met resistance, seeming as if the powers before his eyes were not sufficient to cause further damage.

After all, the channel of the Circumterrestrial River was no ordinary thing; it actually existed as a barrier at the edge of the present world. It was not a physical entity but an existence on a conceptual level, making it difficult to touch, let alone destroy.

“No, the power of Death, even if not yet complete, is far more than that.”

Narrowing his eyes, perhaps the Ocean God was simply unlucky. Laine’s understanding of Death was not originally profound, but the sense of decay he felt from the other had given him some inspiration.

Gripping the ‘hilt’ with both hands, Laine tried to replicate that feeling using the divine authority of spirituality, enhancing the sword’s edge.

The somber and desolate sensation seemed to fit well with the authority of Death, so much so that Laine could clearly feel the Black Sword in his hand rise sharply in power, like magic being shaped into witchcraft.

With a satisfied smile, he then pressed down hard.

“Open—”

With a soft cry, finally, under the incredulous eyes of the Ocean God and accompanied by a sound that shook the source sea, the sword’s edge continued to sink.

The river was split open, and the power of decay and finale spread along the cut toward both sides of the channel. Laine felt that due to the erosion of Death, the Circumterrestrial River was no longer ‘complete’. Even this force was extending into the past and future along the current timeline, intending to completely and eternally sever this long river.

But regrettably, whether it was Life or Death, their parts in the Spirit Realm were only after fusion and sublimation that they became great, turning their unification into a Genesis Artifact. And the one using it now could hardly be said to have complete Great Divine Power.