Hitman with a Badass System
chapter-1281

As Noah faced Michael, he upheld his principle of fighting honorably. He refrained from underhanded tactics such as using smoke bombs or leveraging Salesi's Soul army to create distractions. Instead, Noah engaged directly, relying solely on his twin swords and the power of his Light flames.

However, Michael's approach to combat was starkly different. While he hadn't resorted to any dishonorable tactics up to that point, he wouldn't rule them out. For Michael, each battle was a matter of life and death, a desperate struggle where any means to secure victory were justified.

The prolonged battle allowed Michael to discern Noah's primary weakness—his honor and the distractions caused by his concern for the civilians in Icefair. The city, once resplendent with its ice towers and buildings, now lay in ruins, devastated by the collateral damage of the battle between the two hydras above.

"His focus is splitting," observed Evil Andreas through their telepathic link.

"He needs to secure this win," Salesi responded, her voice tinged with growing concern. For her father's scheme to succeed, Michael, the God of Darkness, had to fall. Yet, as the fight dragged on, it appeared increasingly likely that Michael was gaining the upper hand by exploiting Noah's divided attention.

"Noah, concentrate on the fight. I'll ensure Icefair's safety," Salesi called out amidst the chaos, trying to refocus Noah's efforts.

But as Noah attempted to regain his focus, Michael seized the opportunity to employ a more ruthless strategy. Raising his hand, he released a cloud of smoke from a mechanism on his palm. The thick smoke swiftly enveloped Noah, stinging his eyes and obscuring his vision. Without access to his celestial energies to dispel the smoke—courtesy of Mugashuku's void effect—Noah was effectively blinded.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Michael charged forward. Though Noah's instincts allowed him to partially evade the attack, Michael's spear still found its mark, piercing through Noah's waist. At that moment, a strange phenomenon occurred—the light around the world seemed to flicker, echoing the severity of Noah's injury, as if the sun itself stuttered in shock.

"Shit, what was that?"

"Did you see that?"

"What the hell is happening?"

Panic surged among the soldiers fleeing from the devastating battle between the two hydras. They shouted and pointed as an unusual flickering of light manifested across the sky.

Salesi's expression turned grim as she witnessed the phenomenon, understanding that Noah, the God of Light, was severely wounded, and it was affecting the very fabric of the world's light.

"He's losing, Salesi. You need to intervene," Evil Andreas's voice echoed in her mind.

Despite Noah's insistence on fighting honorably, Michael was unburdened by such scruples. Already pushing his physical limits with three doses of the berserker potion, he knew he couldn't risk more without incapacitating himself. It was time to end this. Michael raised his hand, releasing another cloud of smoke, this time also activating the arch energy crystals embedded in his armor. The glowing lines along his dark armor remained hidden to Noah under the cover of the thick smoke.

Without a moment's delay, Michael cast a silence spell, using the arch energy to warp time around them. The world slowed, giving him the perfect opening.

With deadly precision, Michael lunged forward and drove the god-killing spear straight through Noah's heart. The weapon vibrated violently, nearly wrenching itself from Michael's grasp with its power.

Blood gushed from Noah's mouth as excruciating pain overwhelmed him. Then, suddenly, a brilliant light burst forth, enveloping him completely. Noah's body became a beacon of pure, radiant light, casting stark shadows across the battlefield.

As the blinding light disappeared along with Noah, the realm crack suddenly widened significantly, becoming large enough for a hydra to pass through. The sky erupted with hundreds of black lightning strikes, creating a cataclysmic display as if the world itself was pausing in shock. Slowly, the sky began to lose its vibrant colors, and the light from the sun no longer shone bright and dazzling; instead, it cast an eerie orange and red glow across the world, with darkness gradually overcoming the light.

Feeling the potent effects of the berserker potion, Michael began to weaken significantly. His muscles cramped painfully, and his vision blurred, a clear sign of the potion's toll on his body. He staggered slightly, trying to maintain his balance as the world around him seemed to tilt and sway.

As Michael stood there, the god killing spear in his hand disintegrated into dust, leaving nothing but the residue of its once fearsome aura. He staggered, barely keeping himself upright, his strength draining rapidly.

"Fuck, what just happened?!" a soldier yelled out in disbelief, mirroring the shock rippling through the ranks of those still on the battlefield.

"Holy shit, did you see that? It's like the sky just opened up!" another exclaimed, his voice laced with fear and awe.

"No, no, no, no..." Salesi muttered under her breath, her plans unraveling as quickly as the fabric of reality seemed to be tearing. Her face, usually composed and cunning, now wore an expression of sheer panic and disbelief.

The world around them darkened ominously, a shadow cast over everything as the sun's light dimmed to an eerie orange and red glow, barely illuminating the devastated landscape. Fires raged unchecked across the battlefield, the only light in the overwhelming darkness that was quickly engulfing the world.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for killing the God of Light and a seal bearer, Noah. You have earned 250,000 Experience points and 1 million Badass points.]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for demonstrating ultimate badassery. You have been awarded an additional 6 million Badass points.]

[Congratulations to the host for eliminating another God and a longstanding adversary. The system grants the host an additional 4 million Badass points.]

As these notifications cascaded through Michael's consciousness, lending a bitter edge to his victory, Mugashuku seized the moment amidst the chaos enveloping the world.

"This is our chance!" one of Mugashuku's heads roared, its voice booming across the tumultuous battlefield.

With renewed vigor, the massive hydra exerted its colossal strength, its multiple heads coordinating in a deadly ballet of power and precision. Vedora, still reeling from the fierce onslaught, found itself being methodically herded towards the now gaping realm crack.

Mugashuku's body slammed into Vedora, pushing it relentlessly. Each of Mugashuku's heads attacked strategically; one head clamped down on Vedora's struggling neck, another twisted around its opponent's massive body, immobilizing it. The third head delivered a series of powerful blasts, a mix of red beams and physical strikes that hammered Vedora backward towards the tear in reality.

Vedora roared in fury and desperation, its body crackling with residual lightning. It thrashed wildly, attempting to break free from Mugashuku's ironclad grasp. Yet, for every desperate escape attempt, Mugashuku countered with overwhelming force.

"Push it through!" another head of Mugashuku commanded, its voice echoing like thunder. But when Mugashuku was slowly pushing Vedora toward the realm crack, a sudden silence fell over the world as though a running generator was suddenly stopped. As the bizarre silence enveloped the battlefield, the air seemed to thicken with tension. This moment of quiet was abruptly shattered by a sound so out of place it sent shivers down the spine of every soldier still capable of fear. It was laughter, wild and unhinged, reverberating through the air and unsettling even the battling hydras.

Michael, struggling against the debilitating effects of the berserker potion, squinted upwards. His vision, though blurred, caught the glimpse of a silhouette emerging from the realm crack. The figure seemed to float, its presence ominous and chilling as it descended into the chaotic scene below.

The laughter continued, growing in intensity as the figure became more visible against the backdrop of flashing lightning. As the mysterious figure descended, his presence commanded an eerie stillness across the chaotic battlefield. Adorned in a suit of armor that shimmered with hues of silver and gold, his long, pure white hair billowed like a banner in the tempestuous air. The contrasting golden and silver eyes radiated a volcanic anger, adding a menacing edge to his otherwise striking features.

The mere raising of his hand was enough to alter the dynamics of the battle drastically. A visible bubble of energy encased Vedora, freezing the hydra in its violent thrashings against Mugashuku. This sudden pause in the combat drew all eyes to the newcomer, whose arrival seemed to exert an overwhelming pressure on the very fabric of the mortal realm.

Around the world, cities buckled and crumbled as if crushed by an unseen force, a testament to the immense power leaking from this being. The ancient barriers, set long ago by a previous Dark Lord to separate the realms, now groaned under the strain of containing such a formidable presence within the mortal plane.

"Father…" Salesi finally whispered, her voice barely audible over the sudden, oppressive silence that enveloped the battlefield.

This figure was none other than Andohr himself, the God of Time and Space. And now, he had come with vengeance against the God of Darkness…

"It is payback time…my dear God of Darkness…" said Andohr.