Arthur’s boots touched the ruined marble with a soft thud. He didn’t radiate a blinding light. He didn’t emit a suffocating planetary pressure.

Through the absolute control of his Dimensional Breaker Physique, Arthur had completely suppressed his aura.

To the naked eye and to the divine senses of the Apex Overseer, Arthur looked like an ordinary powerless mortal man wearing a clean dark coat.

Kaelen stared at the man. Then he looked down at the pitch-black sword pinning his World-Suppressing Halberd to the ground. His golden eyes twitched with a volatile mix of confusion and extreme insult.

"You," Kaelen hissed. His divine pride violently rejected the reality before him. "You are the anomaly? You have no magical core! You project no divine authority! You are a speck of dust!"

Arthur slowly pulled his hands from his pockets and rolled his neck until it popped.

"And you are a mid-level manager throwing a temper tantrum in my lobby. Look at this mess. Do you know how much it’s going to cost to re-tile this courtyard?"

Across the world, trillions of mortals watched the broadcast in stunned terrified silence. A man without an aura was casually insulting a God of the Apex Realm.

"I will flay you alive!" Kaelen roared. His golden armor flared as he gathered a massive orb of concentrated searing divine light in his hands.

"Wait," Arthur said while holding up a single finger.

[Ding!]

[Target Identified]

↳ Apex Overseer Kaelen.

↳ Initiate Binder?

"Bind him," Arthur commanded.

An invisible thread shot from Arthur’s chest and latched securely onto Kaelen’s soul. The Overseer didn’t notice a thing because he was too blinded by his own arrogant rage.

"I am Kaelen of the Heavenly Court! Witness the absolute power of the Upper Realms! Divine Art: Sun-Shattering Ruin!"

Kaelen thrust his hands forward. A beam of golden incinerating light massive enough to vaporize the entire academy shot directly at Arthur’s chest.

Sylvia took a step forward but the shadow beneath Arthur’s feet bubbled and expanded.

Morwenna rose from the darkness. Her pale skin and pulsing black tattoos radiated sheer abyssal dread.

Sylvia and Morwenna locked eyes for a fraction of a second. The Arch-Mage of pristine ice and the Empress of the demonic void stared at each other.

It was a sizing-up glance. It was an immediate unspoken acknowledgment of power and hierarchy. They were polar opposites yet they were anchored to the same monstrous man.

Morwenna offered a sharp predatory grin. Sylvia gave a slight respectful nod. They both stepped back and left their Emperor to his work.

Arthur didn’t dodge the beam of light. He just stood there.

"BOOM!"

The divine beam slammed into his chest and exploded into a massive pillar of golden fire that swallowed him entirely.

Kaelen laughed. It was a booming arrogant sound. "Trash! Nothing but mortal trash."

[Ding!]

[System Remark]

↳ Target Kaelen has utilized Divine Art: Sun-Shattering Ruin.

↳ 10,000x ROI Multiplier Activated!

↳ Host has acquired: God-Tier Insight into Divine Light Manipulation.

↳ Analyzing flaw in Target’s technique. Flaw detected: Over-reliance on stolen environmental mana. Core foundation is hollow.

The golden fire raging around Arthur abruptly stopped. It didn’t fade. It was sucked inward and absorbed entirely into Arthur’s palm.

Kaelen’s laughter died in his throat. His jaw dropped.

Arthur stood completely unharmed. There was not a single scorch mark on his clothes. He was tossing a compressed ball of Kaelen’s own divine fire casually in his right hand like a baseball.

"You call this a Divine Art?" Arthur sighed and shook his head in profound disappointment.

"It’s inefficient. You’re bleeding energy from your meridians because your stance is too wide. And you’re using ambient mana as a crutch to compensate for a weak internal core. Your foundation is garbage."

"H-How. How are you alive?!" Kaelen stammered. He took a terrified step backward.

"I learn fast," Arthur said coldly. "Let me show you the correct application."

Arthur didn’t throw the fireball. He simply squeezed his fist crushing the divine light into his knuckles and blurred.

Kaelen couldn’t even track the movement. Before the Overseer could blink, Arthur was standing inside his guard.

Arthur drove his glowing light-infused fist directly into Kaelen’s armored stomach.

"CRACK!"

The supposedly indestructible golden armor shattered like glass. Kaelen’s eyes bulged from his skull and a sickening spray of golden blood erupted from his mouth.

The kinetic force lifted the Overseer off his feet and bent his spine at a horrifying angle.

Before Kaelen could fly backward, Arthur grabbed him by the throat and slammed him face-first into the ruined marble.

"BOOM!"

A massive crater spider-webbed out from the impact zone. Arthur casually stepped his heavy boot onto the back of the God’s head to pin his face firmly into the dirt.

The entire planet watching the broadcast erupted into absolute pandemonium. The untouchable terrifying Apex God had been dismantled and physically stomped into the dirt in less than ten seconds.

Arthur reached over and yanked the World-Suppressing Halberd out of the bedrock. He held it up to his Ebonheart Sword.

"Cube, eat," Arthur commanded.

The black sword rippled. It opened a jagged geometric maw that clamped down on the divine Halberd. The sound of crunching metal and screaming magical laws echoed as the Cube greedily devoured the weapon.

"Aargh," Kaelen choked. He struggled weakly beneath Arthur’s boot while spitting out teeth and golden blood.

"You. You are a dead man. You think this is the end? Tristan. Young Master Tristan will descend personally for the Apex Tournament. He will bring the true Vanguard. He will kill you."

Arthur applied an extra fraction of his weight pressing Kaelen’s skull deeper into the crushed stone.

"The Apex Tournament?" Arthur mused. A cruel corporate smile stretched across his face. "A live event. Excellent. I needed a venue for the IPO."

Arthur leaned down. He grabbed Kaelen by his golden hair and hauled his battered bloodied face up to meet his cold gaze.

"Tell Tristan to bring his best assets," Arthur whispered. His voice was completely devoid of mercy. "Tell him to bring more loot. Because this drop?"

Arthur’s grip tightened. His Dimensional Breaker physique effortlessly snapped the Overseer’s neck with a wet sickening crunch.

"This drop was garbage."

Arthur tossed the dead God’s body aside. He turned to face his two Queens and the rest of his newly acquired world.