Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 441: Step Five

Chapter 441: Step Five

An army of monsters about to kill yet weakened. The samurai and players could have handled it on their own at this point.

However, the Bake-kujira...

"It’s retreating!" Matty yelled, landing beside Kazi and Booker with Jules in his arms. He set her down. "Jules?"

"Yes—oh! The Ibong Adarna! It’s back!" The rainbow bird settled down. It must have been recovering after Booker threw it away from the monsters. "We can fight—"

"Relax." Kazi raised a hand. "Take your time. Cast buffs on your summoning. Don’t immediately head out."

"But the monsters...!" Matty pointed out, shield at the ready, "we won’t be able to kill them all in time. It’s going to escape!"

Being massive as it was, a hundred feet wide, it was obvious to spot when it was turning or trying to. In a minute, it was sure to face the other way and swim at full speed to escape.

"Do you hear that?"

Kazi was deceptively quiet and calm. Jules and Matty didn’t get it. Booker shook his head and pointed when the other two didn’t understand.

They saw it. They heard it. The voices. The chants.

The Children of Athena. Twenty or more mages in perfect synchronization. A single magic circle and much chanting. The voice and power in their hearts over immense knowledge.

A singular voice rose above the chant, Samantha’s. She stood at the forefront of the large vessel. The owl sigil of Athena at the tip of her staff, commanding the collective power of her guild. It was no larger than a person, floating and not drawn.

The sigil broke.

The scattered pieces separated and broke further apart. They never fell. No, the pieces took shape—shimmering yellow orbs of light.

And there were so many of them.

Hundreds, no, thousands of magical missiles materialized and formed from the pieces. The spiralled upward like a constellation of guided stars, ready. The final chants were done.

Now, only Samantha had to speak.

"Oh gracious Athena, allow these stars in our hands to release. Heavenly Spell #3: Stars of Athena!"

The missiles erupted from the sky, streaking down in synchronized waves. Each orb split into smaller fragments, each fragment glowing with purpose, each purpose seeking out the monsters that plagued the battlefield.

The effect was immediate.

The swarms of spectral horrors stood no chance. The missiles struck with pinpoint accuracy, each impact detonating in bursts of searing light. The abominations disintegrated on contact, their twisted forms unraveling into nothingness.

"Holy shit," Booker muttered, watching as the monstrous tide was obliterated. He had seen magic before—hell, he’d seen some of the Wizard fights in Valhalla’s Colosseum—but this? This was artistry.

"That chick seriously isn’t to be messed up."

Booker was confident in blinking in between machine gun fire. But this? He didn’t think he would be able to survive this.

Beside him, Kazi didn’t say a word. His gaze remained fixed on the display, unblinking, unwavering.

Step four was supposed to involve Samantha’s guild, the Children of Athena, killing the spawning monsters as they came to life. Not just that but the hundreds of light missiles that did not kill monsters went and hit the Bake-kujira. It tried to flee and shift toward the other direction but the light missiles were there too.

This was going to take a while to end.

This was perfect.

"Step four is complete," Kazi called out.

The Bake-kujira’s steam was its main method of countering. Against so many, it should have countered with ease. It didn’t because it couldn’t sense them properly. Behind, in front, left and right...

Everywhere, it could not sense.

Everywhere, its steam could not go.

However, everybody was faster than they guessed. Boats had spread out. The formations were going perfectly. Samantha’s cooperative spell worked.

"Looks like we won’t need the bombs. Let’s go kill it." Booker reloaded his gun. "You ready?"

"Not quite. Everybody’s attacks are still nothing more than failed cuts. It’s like hitting rubber. We’re denting it and beating at it but nothing more. At this rate, I estimate it will take thirty minutes to kill it. I have something new planned. Are you ready?"

"Be more specific."

"You saw the papers. You have the anti-magic bullets. You’ll know what to do."

The waters around the Bake-kujira began to stir—not in wild waves, but in a controlled and deliberate flow.

The lake’s surface rippled unnaturally, the movement becoming circular and precise. Then, suddenly, a massive column of water began to rise around the monstrous whale. It wasn’t gradual—it was as if gravity itself had reversed. The water lifted higher and higher, encasing the Bake-kujira in a shimmering, undulating bubble fifty feet in the air.

The beast thrashed, its massive form crashing against the edges of the bubble. Its attempts to break free sent shockwaves rippling through the water prison, but it was no use. Every time it tried to swim or breach, the bubble constricted, tightening its hold.

The answer came not from Kazi but from the heavens. Dark clouds began to gather, descending unnaturally low, swirling above the trapped Bake-kujira like a storm given life. The tension in the air was electric—literally. The first bolt of lightning struck the bubble with a deafening crack.

It did not strike. First, it hit the blade that had managed to bury itself into its bone.

Astrid’s pink sword. It became the conductor for his lightning to attack the Bake-kujira from the inside-out.

CRACK! THOOOM!

Astrid herself had been separated from her blade and desperately clung onto the skull. While Kurōtarō fell, she was able to keep a grip. She pushed herself up to her feet, arms out to steady herself from the insane shaking, and ran to her sword.

It was crackling. It was glowing.

CRACK! THOOM!

It was getting struck by lightning and she didn’t know why. All she knew was to grab it.

CRACK! THOOM!

The lightning struck and merged with the blade and flowed into Astrid. The pink woman turned electric, buzzing and spasming under control, and started...laughing.

This lightning was supercharging her.

"Heh, I dunno how this is happening but..." Astrid raised the blade. She waited for the lightning to arrive.

CRACK! THOOM!

It did. It funnelled into the blade, through her, and then into her spell.

"Yngling Sigil Circle...Hagalaz! Monarch’s Wrath!"

Bam!

The crack spread to the ends of the creature’s hole. This was no tiny, two inch thick gap that they had slowly worked for. This was a giant X-mark.

A scar.

The Bake-kujira let out a guttural, bone-shaking roar. Steam hissed and rose from its wet body, but the crack...the crack stopped it from attacking Astrid. The lightning didn’t stop. Bolt after bolt crashed into her and fueled her.

"Hagalaz!"

A second downward thrust. The whale convulsed.

On the boats, the local samurai and players were just as baffled.