And when the torment ended, the damage inflicted upon the soul would erupt outward in an instant, manifesting physically.
If not for the Sovereign's Power still burning around them—constantly restoring their divine bodies—then even if they had endured that nightmare of punishment, the accumulated injuries would have detonated at once and shattered their godly forms, killing them on the spot.
"…What just happened?"
Most of the spectators hadn't noticed the strange gleam in Locke's eyes.
All they saw was this:
Solaris and Andrena had been charging toward Lord Locke when, without warning, both let out agonized screams. Their bodies erupted with horrific wounds, and they fell from the sky onto the dueling platform, unable to rise again.
The entire arena fell silent.
It wasn't just the audience who were stunned.
Even Beckel and Merman—who had already conceded—stood there frozen in shock.
And above them all, the ten Sovereigns observing through their divine senses revealed unmistakable surprise.
Solaris and Andrena were still under the effects of Sovereign's Power.
That meant more than just a hundredfold boost in strength.
It meant absurd regeneration.
When a god used Sovereign's Power, unless the enemy could kill them in a single blow, any injury would be instantly restored. As long as the Sovereign's Power remained active, they were nearly impossible to kill—unless the gap in strength exceeded a hundredfold.
Yet Locke's attack had nearly overturned that iron rule.
Even with Sovereign's Power amplifying them—and even wielding offensive Sovereign Artifacts—Locke's advantage over Solaris was only about ninefold, and over Andrena roughly four to fivefold.
Under normal logic, that wasn't enough to instantly kill them.
Which was precisely why the five had been able to hold their ground against him earlier, despite lacking material defense Sovereign Artifacts.
Everyone already suspected that Locke's soul attacks would be terrifying. After all, a god whose divine power was nine times stronger than a typical Highgod must possess a terrifyingly refined soul.
But suspicion was one thing.
Proof was another.
Now Solaris and Andrena had become that proof.
Even under Sovereign's Power—
Even protected by its regenerative flames—
Locke's soul attack had nearly killed them outright.
And though their physical injuries had already healed, something had clearly broken inside them.
The will to fight was gone.
"I… I concede."
"So do I."
Once they regained the ability to move, Solaris and Andrena raised their hands in surrender and withdrew from the battle for the title of Legendary Shura.
After experiencing thousands of years of torment in the blink of an eye, they would rather face punishment from their Sovereigns than endure that hell again.
The two staggered off the platform, still wreathed in Sovereign's Power.
The audience's shock defied description.
Moments ago, they had seen Sovereign's Power in action. Before Locke unleashed his soul technique, the five challengers had endured his attacks head-on and continued fighting.
Yet now, with Sovereign's Power still burning around them, Solaris and Andrena left the arena in utter humiliation.
What kind of soul attack could accomplish that?
Curiosity—and fear—spread like wildfire.
With Solaris and Andrena gone, only one challenger remained on the platform.
Muya's lightning divine clone.
Locke glanced at him. When Muya made no immediate move, Locke spoke first.
"At Fiend Castle, strength is judged not by realm—but by real combat."
"External consumables are excluded. We must be responsible to our clients."
"Beckel, Merman, Solaris, Andrena—"
"I acknowledge that the four of you possess the strength of Seven-Star Fiends."
"But unless you can guarantee an endless supply of Sovereign's Power in every battle, I cannot recognize you as Shura-level combatants."
"Do any of you object?"
"No," Solaris replied at once.
He and Andrena were in far better condition now than they had been moments ago.
"We know our own limits."
"Without the weapons granted by our Sovereigns, we wouldn't even qualify as Seven-Star Fiends."
Locke shook his head.
"You're mistaken, Solaris."
"A weapon is part of a Fiend's strength."
"Sovereign's Power is consumable. Once used, it's gone."
"But a weapon can accompany a god for life."
"The amplification it provides is part of your true combat capability."
Solaris gave a wry smile but did not argue further.
The Seven-Star recognition stood.
Now—
All eyes returned to the final man standing.
The founder of Thunder Punishment Castle.
The one who had originally issued the challenge.
Yamu.
The crowd's anticipation reignited.
This battle had always been meant as a duel between Lord Locke and Lord Yamu for the title of Legendary Shura.
The other five had been late additions.
But their display of Sovereign's Power had made one thing clear—
Behind each of them stood a Sovereign.
And now, the true confrontation remained.
Locke had defeated five Sovereign-backed emissaries without using Sovereign's Power himself.
Jiro had been cast into spatial turbulence and was almost certainly dead.
If Locke used Sovereign's Power—
How strong would he become?
Surely Yamu also had a Sovereign behind him.
Would they both reveal their full strength now?
Legendary Shura.
The strongest among Shura.
What level of power would that truly represent?
Under countless expectant gazes, Muya's lightning divine clone slowly rose into the sky, stopping level with Locke.
He smiled.
"Locke. I've looked forward to this battle for a long time."
"We're the same kind of person."
"I know what you showed just now wasn't your full strength."
"So let me see—"
"How strong this divine clone of yours truly is."
His aura exploded outward.
Boom.
With a casual wave, Muya tore open a massive spatial fissure beside him.
But something was strange.
Despite the enormous rift and its violent suction—
Muya remained completely unmoved.
As if gravity itself no longer applied.
"…That… that's Will?" Locke's pupils contracted sharply.
Impossible.
In this era—
How could a Paragon already exist?
Will was exclusive to Sovereigns and Paragon Highgods.
The most powerful force in the Coiling Dragon universe.
Locke's heart pounded.
According to his own calculations, he could at least fight a Paragon who lacked Sovereign's Power and Sovereign Artifacts.
His estimate had placed himself at 8.1 million combat strength versus a Paragon's 10 million.
A gap—but not an insurmountable one.
But if a Paragon used Sovereign's Power—
That number would skyrocket to a billion.
Add Sovereign Artifacts—
And it could exceed ten billion.
Even if Locke used perfectly compatible water-type Sovereign's Power—boosting himself three hundredfold—his base strength of ten thousand would only reach thirty million.
All his amplifications stemmed from his own divine power.
Ninefold Highgod strength.
Eighty-onefold fusion power.
Even hundreds-fold Sovereign amplification—
They all multiplied from the same ten-thousand baseline.
If the foundation was weaker—
No amount of scaling would catch up to a true Paragon.
Not even close.
And yet—
Though dread surged through him, Locke's expression remained calm.
His thoughts raced.
No.
Something's wrong.
He narrowed his eyes.
"This man said we're the same kind."
"But outwardly, I've only shown the fusion of five Profound Mysteries."
"If he were truly a Paragon, he would know that only the complete fusion of six Profound Mysteries grants Will."
Which meant—
Muya was not a Paragon.
But then—
What was he?
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