Chapter 636: The End of the Invasion
The last clash between Graenk and the true Battle God lasted just an instant.
"You did it well, but you were still a step behind."
The true Battle God spoke after he successfully evaded Graenk's attack awhile cutting him by half simultaneously.
"You are right. I am still a step behind you in a fair clash, but I promised to survive, so I needed to play a bit dirty."
The true Battle God heard that voice at the same that he noticed that he had been stabbed from behind.
Usually, that wouldn't be enough to kill him since he was just stabbed, and he knew how to heal himself, so a wound of that level wouldn't end provoking his dead. It wasn't a deadly wound even with the problem of a True God, although it would a close to being it. If he was stabbed like that while being unconscious for a long time, he would die, but that wasn't something likely to happen.
However, he could feel that he was already doomed. That sword that stabbed him wasn't the one Graenk had been using before, and he was sure that it had something special to provoke that situation.
"I was sure I cut you. I acknowledge that I lost since I am powerless, and I am going to die, but I want to hear how you did it."
He could only speak. There was absolutely nothing he could do to continue the battle. He didn't remember having felt so weak in his life. It was as if he was as powerless as a corpse but still being alive. At least he could speak.
"A small trick I learned from my daughter and my grandson. Laugh if you want, but the talent of each generation is more monstrous than the previous one. If it wasn't for her personality, my great-granddaughter would be really scary, given her talent. Those three make me proud of them as family, but at the same time, I feel inferior to them."
Graenk sighed.
"This is just a basic usage of the Minor Time Divinity. You hit a mere shadow of the past. Even after asking my daughter, who is Kroh's disciple, and my grandson, who was the next after Kroh to get this Divinity, I only reached this level..."
He felt really ashamed. Those two really taught him properly despite sending incarnations instead of going themselves since they were busy, but he only managed to reach the Minor Time Divinity, and not too much before his time limit.
Of course, the problem was that he was comparing to the wrong people. In his family, there weren't biological siblings in all generations after him, but each one of them obtained the Time Divinity and far better than him. Of course, those three were proper inheritors of a soul fragment that was partially from Kroh, while Graenk himself just obtained a part of the power of the soul fragment, so it was more difficult for him.
He knew it, but he also knew that Yale should have had it more difficult than Kanai since he only inherited it, but he managed to get it first. Even Alrein, who didn't have any relationship with that soul fragment, did it before Kanai.
Thus, he couldn't accept that he was worse just because he never received the full power of the soul fragment or inherited most of it.
Still, he was someone who managed to get the Minor Time Divinity, so there wasn't a lot better than him, but he knew all of them, which made that he valued it less than would someone unrelated to the others who obtained it.
"Although I don't like the Time Divinity, saving your trump card to the last moment is perfectly valid. Only a fool would die instead of using a trump card. Sadly, I can't do anything else for this damned sword."
The true Battle God didn't harbor any hatred for Graenk. He believed that dying in that battle because Graenk outsmarted him was far better than being executed by someone later.
"This sword can determine death. As long as an injury made with this sword has the possibility to kill, it will happen. It was recognized that you died despite you being alive at the moment you were stabbed. Sadly, this weapon can only be used for a single attack before it breaks."
That weapon was made by Tofesh with Yale's help. Yale asked for it since the true Battle God was the major problem among the rebels that would invade Alrein's universe.
That sword required that the wielder had at least the Minor Time Divinity to use it, and it could only be used one time despite how difficult it was to make even for Tofesh with Yale's help, so it wasn't something that could be created in mass, but it was perfect for that battle.
Graenk knew that in the worst situation, he would need to use it even if he needed to be shameless. He knew that he was still inferior to his opponent after battling with him, so he used that last clash to create a chance to use the sword.
Only those with at least the Minor Time Divinity could use it, but it also meant that only those with at least the Minor Time Divinity were immune to it, and Kroh knew everyone who got it. It wasn't possible to get it without Kroh noticing it.
Thus, once the true Battle God was stabbed, it was the end. It didn't matter if Graenk spent the remaining time speaking with him.
The other battles at the universe had already finished at that moment. The invasion had been a complete failure. Not a single person of Alrein's universe died while the invaders had been annihilated.
"You even used this treasure to kill me, I think I can be satisfied."
The true Battle God laughed despite being at the doors of death. His death couldn't be avoided. It was the same that happened when traveling though time to True Gods, who died in the original time. After all, the sword was created by trying to imitate that effect.
"Aren't you angry?"
Graenk didn't feel that he would like to lose a battle due to the enemy using tricks. However, he still used them because they weren't having a battle merely to see who was the stronger, the other party invaded the universe, and he wouldn't doubt to kill everyone if he wasn't stopped.
"Not at all. Your methods are perfectly valid, it is my fault for not considering that you could have a method like that and lowering my guard."
He laughed again.
He always thought that being able to speak with an opponent after an intense battle would be great, but all his opponents were dead after they finished. If the opponent wasn't dead, it meant that the battle would continue, his battles were always deathmatches. He never expected that after being doomed to die and without chances to battle back, he would still have time to speak with his opponent.
"Your name was Graenk, right? As the one nicknamed as the Battle God, I allow you to inherit my title. I hope that you like it. Farewell."
He laughed again before disappearing. In the end, he didn't have a single regret. He lived and died like he wanted.
"A real madman until the end, but I will accept this title. I am sure one day I will be worthy of it."
His opponent wasn't there to hear it, but Graenk spoke anyways.
He would have preferred to win the title in a fair battle relying just on his power and not on traps and tricks. He could understand that in a real battle, everything was valid and that his opponent didn't think that it was unfair at all. However, he still wanted to become stronger as to be able to reach that level without the need to rely on external things.
Graenk was already someone considered powerful even at a multiverse level, but he still was inexperienced as a True God compared to others, so his main problem would be solved with time.
If he wasn't that powerful, not even with traps and tricks, he would have been able to kill his opponent. Stabbing him like that wasn't something anyone could do, not without real ability.
"Graenk! Or I should call you Battle God now that you got that tittle officially? Anyway, came here, the invasion has ended, and it seems that our grandson almost finished in the main battlefield by how small it has become. Let's go to celebrate!"
The person who brought Graenk out of his thoughts about the previous battle and his plans for the future was his wife. She had been battling against another of the most powerful invaders together with other people of their era.
"You are right, but we should wait in alert until the end, it will be soon."
Although Yale had told them that once they killed the intruders, everything would have finished, Graenk decided that it was better to be cautious since it would be a short time.
Of course, a short time because of the difference in time flow between them and the main battlefield.
A lot of things happened in the main battlefield while Graenk battled, but those outside the main battlefield could only judge by the size of the universe.
Yale had told them that the smaller it became, the nearer to the end the Second Calamity would be.