Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 451: Clash of Titans

Chapter 451: Clash of Titans

"S-Samantha...?"

Dee had stayed with Samantha as her personal protector. She may not have been capable of writing magic circles or participate in the Heavenly Magic, but if there was somebody Samantha needed to hightail it out of here when shit hit the fan, that person was the Olympic spearwoman, Dee.

Except this...

Bang! Bam! Bam! BAM!

Samantha dared to whisper only when she knew nobody could hear her. "What the hell am I watching?"

Samantha believed in strength in numbers. No matter how great an individual, if they were surrounded by a hundred weaker than them, they would die. She still believed that.

Kazi and the Blue Bake-kujira, racing around Lake Shinji and clashing at the speed of sound. Sonic booms erupting everywhere. Rain falling in huge drizzles.

This was not a battle, this was a natural disaster.

How was Samantha supposed to run away when the enormous skeleton whale was ten times faster than her? How was Dee supposed to carry her out? How was she supposed to act?

The blonde woman clutched her staff and swallowed thickly. "Everybody, ready yourselves."

"S-Samantha, you don’t actually want to fight...?"

"Getting in the middle of that?"

"Everybody..."

She turned. She smiled.

’Are you fucking kidding me, of course I don’t. But because Kazi is stealing all the damn credit, I gotta act tough. I gotta fucking act like I’m going to do something here!’

"...if we give up now, we’ll be splintered. That thing...does anybody think they can outpace it?"

It was faster than a bloody jet. On foot, in the air, nobody here could match it much less deliver a single blow— save maybe Dee or Skullmask. The maniac was nowhere to be seen and Dee was just one woman—and one who might (key word on might because judging by the look on Dee’s face, she did not look confident in it) possessed the speed but would certainly get crushed by its strength.

"For the people," Samantha blabbered on, "for all the hearts that have joined together for this fight, we can’t retreat! We must stand!"

"Agreed!" said Dee. "If it’s coming straight at us, then we’re at least confident in stopping it."

Hell fucking no. They would die if that situation arose.

"Let’s trust Samantha. I know I do."

The Children of Athena mumbled amongst themselves and slowly...

"We are the Children of Athena!" Samantha had her back turned to all those on the ship. "Let us live up to that namesake!"

To turn utter fear and shock to commitment and confidence. That was Samantha’s greatest strength; to change the whims of man’s wishes.

***

His kicks were countered by a headbutt. Every time, no matter what, the monster whale did not regard his comparatively inferior frame as a weakness.

Children learned fast.

Kazi did a triple flip and slammed his leg against the temple. There was a mighty shake. ’Damn! This one inherited every bit of his mother’s toughness!’ His kick had struck and delivered. His kick only stopped and heaved the massive creature off the water for a fraction of a second. Its landing was not graceful, a rush in order to dash, but it was still a landing.

’No steam missiles like his sister or steam that counter very threat like his mother!’ Kazi chased after the Blue Bake-kujira ’I can kill this thing if I get a couple Gargantua Super Strikes in...!’

His arms were fried blue from the effort of the previous attempt. Right now, he could only use his legs. That wouldn’t be the case for long. Ultra Divine Healing Circulation was wringing through his system and cleansing it. His innards, the very nerves of his mana manipulation in his limbs, they were healing faster than ever. The gift of genius granted this phenomena: of learning and adapting from a previous attempt. From knowing exactly what to do and how to do it.

Bang! Bam! Bam! BAM!

They clashed again and again and again. It did not feel like he was fighting a creature twenty times his size. The weight and, most of all, the agility and speed...

It reminded him of his battle with Jack the Ripper. A high-intensity, highly critical battle.

’Although in this case, nngh, there are no wits!’

His foot stopped the Blue Bake-kujira in its tracks, or perversely, the whale stopped him. They clashed, they clashed, they clashed—

BOOM!

A shockwave exploded outward. Space was formed between them. Kazi was suddenly hovering over Hikawacho Sanbuichi and dashed forward. The Blue Bake-kujira...

’That little bastard...!’

Was right for land! It didn’t know! It didn’t know that land was dangerous for it and that it couldn’t live for long! It didn’t know because he had alive for ten minutes—less! Kazi had no time.

Both hands clapped and then flicked up. The Blue Bake-kujira was fast. No time for Foresight, he had to calculate purely based on his speed.

Rumble...

His hair turned blue.

The Blue Bake-kujira nearly reached land, only to be flung up and back from the water. An illogical thrust of water caused by one Kazi Hossain. The Blue Bake-kujira was twisting and turning, nearly fifty feet in the air and vulnerable. Crying for help, screaming in rage, and accidentally exposing every bit of its weakness.

Its immaturity.

Kazi smiled and then held a hand up. "Cast! Activation! Stabilize Balance! Realize! Cast!" His hair and garbs turned yellow. The electricity in his hand rose to the occasion and magnified itself a hundred fold. Mana swelled. Power converged. Lightning danced at his fingertips as the blade in his hands grew.

Bigger.

Bigger.

A hundred feet long.

"Overdrive!"

The Gargantua Super Strike.

Electricity crackled in the sky, drawn to the monstrous blade of lightning that extended from his grip. It hummed with impossible energy, arcs of plasma splitting the very rain as they fell.

The Blue Bake-kujira sensed its doom. It sent out a mist of acid from its mouth.

He swung.

The hundred-foot lightning blade surged forward. The very storm bent away, as if fearing the blade’s wrath. The strike did not miss. The Blue Bake-kujira’s body was impaled through the ribs.

DETONATION.

Lightning engulfed everything.

The lake was blinded in white.

At the very same time, the Emberhive bombs went off on the sister Bake-kujira. Both siblings had been born so soon and so soon did they have to face the greats of humanity. Its evil. Its good. Its might.