If the core of magic is manipulating the laws of the universe to create miraculous effects…
Then the divine power of the gods are the laws themselves.
They represent Authorities that govern aspects of creation… powers that simply exist on a higher plane compared to magic.
Anything below the 6th tier is fundamentally incapable of reaching the realm of the divine.
Which was why Judas never bothered using any of his normal magic spells.
The seventh-tier spell he had used earlier required days of preparation… so trying to cast another one in the middle of an intense battle was impossible.
This was also the stage where magic power began evolving into something capable of rivaling divinity itself.
The 8th tier was the stage where someone achieved complete mastery over their Inner Will.
The 9th tier was where the evolution of magic power finally reached completion… where it fused together with the Inner Will, allowing a mortal to gain an Authority and stand on equal footing with the gods themselves.
Judas had already experienced this once through Estelon's memories.
Still… that didn't mean all divine power was the same.
'The properties of Artemis' divine power are different from what I am used to.'
Judas was not unfamiliar with the feeling of wielding divine energy.
However, it would still take him time to efficiently wield Artemis' Arcanum.
The Authority governing the Arcanum he was using now was completely unfamiliar to him…
So he needed time to adapt.
Right now, he could only use this power to manifest basic aspects of her divinity.
His situation was like a mage who had only wielded fire magic his entire life suddenly trying to cast ice magic.
They simply wouldn't be as proficient with the new element right away.
He was using this battle as an opportunity to slowly learn and familiarize himself with how to wield Artemis' Arcanum more effectively.
'Well… Antares is probably the same… but it has the advantage.'
Right now, Judas only possessed 30% of Artemis' power compared to Antares' 70%.
In terms of raw stats, the monster was nearly twice as strong as him.
If both of their learning speeds were the same… then Judas would inevitably be at a disadvantage.
Thankfully, because of his experience, it didn't take long for him to gradually become more familiar with Artemis' Arcanum.
His control steadily refined itself over time.
The cloudy, turbulent blue aura surrounding his body suddenly sharpened.
'I am getting the hang of it.'
Judas clenched his fist and drove a heavy punch straight into Antares' face, sending the beast hurtling backward with a deafening sonic boom.
Antares flew for miles before forcibly anchoring itself mid-air. It let out a furious roar and flickered out of existence.
Judas could tell that his opponent was becoming faster.
'It is learning as well…'
Judas thought as his pupils darted from left to right.
The moment Antares reappeared at his flank, Judas narrowly slipped past an incoming kick aimed squarely at his chest.
Creating some distance, he manifested dozens of massive arrows made of solid light behind him.
With a sharp sweep of his outstretched arm, the volley launched toward the beast.
Antares roared and opened its mouth, unleashing a massive red laser cannon that intercepted Judas' attack.
The collision caused another catastrophic explosion that shook the entire continent.
Without stopping, the monster swept the beam toward Judas.
Judas moved out of the way and flew around in circles as Antares continued firing relentlessly, the laser tracking him without pause.
Behind him, distant mountains unfortunate enough to be clipped by the beam were cleanly severed horizontally, their upper halves instantly incinerated into ash.
Judas intentionally flew higher into the stratosphere to prevent further catastrophic damage to the landmass below, all while Antares continued firing the gigantic laser cannon toward him nonstop.
…
Somewhere in an unknown land on the other side of the continent, a giant flying ship drifted through the night sky.
It was so enormous that it could cast a shadow over an entire city with ease.
If one looked up, most would immediately recognize what this colossal flying vessel was.
The School District.
What had once been a sea fortress designed for the subjugation of the Leviathan, one of the Three Great Quests, now served as an educational institution that housed several Academic-Type Familias, gathering talented individuals from all over the world.
It was also considered one of the world's greatest powers and was often dispatched to resolve international conflicts across the continent.
Right now, in the middle of the night, most students should have been asleep preparing for tomorrow's classes.
However, students could be seen gathering along the edges of the ship, all staring in the same direction.
Even the professors did nothing to stop them because they were doing the exact same thing.
"Are you guys seeing this? I can feel the air itself shaking."
"What is going on over there? Are Gods actually fighting?"
The students spoke amongst themselves as they pointed into the distance.
The phenomena caused by the battle between Judas and Antares were visible even from here… the giant red laser cannon tearing through the sky, the nuclear-like explosions blooming endlessly in the distance…
No wonder people couldn't help but gather to watch.
"Lord Baldr… are there actually Gods fighting out there right now?"
Inside the Headmaster's office, a tall man with lion-like long blond hair and golden eyes stood in front of the window.
This man was Leon Vardenburg, the other known Level 7 adventurer widely revered as the Knight of Knights.
"Hmm… I have no doubt about it… that battle over there is definitely between two Arcanum wielders, but they are not Gods."
"I have a feeling this must be related to the monster sealed within those ruins and the second moon we saw earlier."
The one who replied was a man with wavy blond hair, the same person Leon referred to as Lord Baldr.
'Artemis… I see you have bestowed your power upon a child… but will it be enough?'
Despite his appearance, this man was a God and also the headmaster of the entire School District.
"I see…"
Leon murmured, his sharp gaze fixed on the irregular phenomena flashing across the horizon.
He visualized the sheer intensity of the combat required to project such power across the continent.
A single question burned in his mind.
'To be able to wield the power of the Gods… I wonder who this adventurer is?'
Leon thought to himself as he glanced toward a calendar hanging on the wall.
There were still a couple of months left before their scheduled return to Orario.
…
On another part of the School District…
"Look at that… those lights in the sky… I wonder what is happening over there?"
Nina Tulle said aloud, leaning over the railing.
The young half-elf... the younger sister of Eina Tulle... adjusted her long brown hair as the wind caught the front tuft of her bangs, her green eyes wide with curiosity.
"Nina… please be careful not to lean over too far."
A gentle voice cautioned from behind.
Nina turned her head, recognition instantly flashing in her eyes.
"Mika! You're here! Look over there, are you seeing this? It feels like some sort of final battle is happening."
Her classmate stepped forward, her figure momentarily silhouetted by the moonlight before revealing her face.
She was a dark elf of a similar age to Nina, distinguishable by the fact that one of her eyes remained permanently closed.
She came to a halt beside Nina, her singular eye tracking the violent flashes of blue and red light on the horizon.
'Judas…?'
For some reason, a boy from her memories suddenly surfaced in her mind.
She didn't know why, but at this very moment, she couldn't help thinking about him.
As she stared deeper into the flashing sky, her single eye widened in realization.
She reached out, urgently tapping Nina's shoulder.
"Hey Nina… am I seeing things, or is that another second moon?"
…
Back to the battle.
Feeling the wind brushing against his skin as he flew at extreme speeds, Judas closed his eyes and took a deep breath, blue light surrounding his body.
'Concentrate.'
He thought to himself before opening his eyes once again.
A miniature silver crescent manifested within his pupils.
High above them, extending past the atmosphere and reaching into the cold void of space, a secondary moon had fully coalesced out of pure, condensed Arcanum.
The blue light swirled violently, folding in on itself until it assumed the gargantuan shape of a celestial bow and arrow aimed straight down.
'Looks like Antares was too busy attacking me to notice it.'
It was the same attack Antares had once used to threaten the Lower World.
And now Judas had recreated it.
'Target locked.'
The arrow's aim was fixed on a single target.
It had completely locked onto Antares.
Judas snapped his fingers, and a massive, silent shockwave rippled out, shaking the very fabric of space as the arrow began its descent.
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