Myriad Tendrils, End It All!

"An adult Venom, in its current full-coverage symbiotic form, might really be able to defeat an injured and weakened godlike creature!"

Kyle mused, clenching his fist and feeling the ample boost in strength. His raw physical power was now thirteen times that of an ordinary human—

Don’t underestimate an increase of less than one-third. Not only his strength, but his physique, speed, sensory perception, and more had all risen dramatically by an entire tier!

Moreover, Venom’s naturally tough, bulletproof defensive coating and its various combat forms perfectly compensated for the Super Soldier physique’s lack of offensive and defensive extremes, allowing him to transform without reservation into a creature born purely for battle!

"Though your appearance has become savage and terrifying, I’ve torn apart even ancient giant alien monsters with my bare hands. A mere human thinks he can compare to the gods?"

Kratos spoke in a deep, imposing voice, but his gaze grew increasingly grave. A faint divine radiance spread across his body, and the pressure of one standing above all living things leaked outward.

Kyle remained unmoved, a faint savage grin curling across his face. Cold light flickered in his crimson eyes, while a violent, evil, murderous, feral, and utterly fearless fighting spirit surged from his body!

Human or god, it made no difference! He would fight either way! Strike while you can and finish them off!

Thud!

The floor shattered beneath him as Kyle suddenly exploded forward, becoming a blurred black afterimage as he launched a savage assault on Kratos.

His opponent was still dizzy from the fall and wounded, while Kyle had returned to his peak after Venom’s return. There was no reason to wait for Kratos to recover!

Kratos quickly looked up. A brilliant flash of blade light streaked down—it was Kyle’s left arm, which had completely transformed into a massive blade. His shoulder formed the hilt, and the razor-sharp edge sliced through the air as it came crashing down from above.

Kratos crossed his arms before him and blocked the slash. The blade only cut through a thin layer of skin.

But then, a fierce glint flashed in Kyle’s eyes. He swiftly extended his free right hand, transforming it into a tough black whip that shot out and coiled around Kratos’s neck.

Kratos’s expression changed slightly as he reached to tear away the whip, but how could Kyle possibly give him the opening to retaliate—

"Aerial Sprint, burst for me!"

Kyle gave a cold, savage grin and activated Aerial Sprint. A chaotic surge of energy erupted beneath his feet, launching both him and the whip-bound Kratos thirty meters into the air in an instant.

"This is for earlier!"

At the highest point in the air, Kyle yanked the whip with both hands and violently flung it backward in an over-the-shoulder throw.

Boom!

Kratos was smashed hard into the arena floor, his bald head taking another brutal hit and leaving him dizzy.

"Again!"

Kyle clearly still held a grudge over what had happened earlier. He glided downward, dragging Kratos, who had yet to break free of the whip, toward the edge of the arena.

He climbed onto the Duel Arena wall and stood upside down upon it. Tugging and swinging the whip, he hoisted Kratos into the air and repeatedly slammed him into the floor.

Rubble flew everywhere, dust billowed, and the entire Duel Arena trembled faintly.

"Heavens. Is that really Mr. Kyle?"

Anli, her brother, and Bai Bo were seated near the front of the stands. Watching the scene at such close range, they could only stare at one another in shock.

"Are you done yet?"

Within the Duel Arena, Kratos suddenly roared. Frustration and fury were written all over his face. As he was slammed down once more, he planted his feet firmly on the ground and, with nothing more than a backward jerk of his neck, actually yanked Kyle off the wall.

Kyle reacted swiftly, immediately canceling the whip form of his left hand. Using his wings to glide through the low air, he tried to swiftly pass over Kratos’s head.

Kratos crouched and leaped, his astonishing jump carrying him close beneath Kyle. He threw a punch meant to blast him away.

"Claw Form!" Kyle narrowed his eyes. Three Dark Claws extended from his clenched left fist and collided with the god-powered punch.

Crack!

The Dark Claws shattered inch by inch, from their tips all the way to his fist.

"As expected, taking a god’s punch head-on is still a little too difficult."

Having suffered a disadvantage, Kyle sighed helplessly and clutched his throbbing left arm as he glided away from the follow-up attack.

In the Duel Arena, Kratos was even more frustrated. Setting aside Kyle’s countless attack forms in Venom’s full-coverage state, his movements were simply too agile. He could even glide and briefly remain airborne.

A god without a divine artifact was like a bird with broken wings. Not only was their strength greatly reduced, but they could not fly through divine power alone.

"I wonder where my divine battle axe is. If I still had my artifact…"

Kratos gritted his teeth and landed weakly on the ground.

Not long ago, he had still maintained a faint connection with the damaged battle axe. But a few days earlier, that connection had suddenly been severed completely.

How could Kratos know that the axe was inside Kyle’s Card Space, having become a privately collected Item Card?

For the rest of the battle, Kyle no longer chose to clash head-on with Kratos. Instead, he deftly made use of his agility and flexibility, employing attacks in multiple forms to slowly wear down and torment Kratos’s divine power and spirit like a hunter stalking prey.

Kratos was not afraid in the slightest. His divine body was thick-skinned and tough, and with divine power coating it, his resistance to physical attacks was off the charts. Even Kyle’s strongest blade strikes generally inflicted only superficial wounds.

For a time, neither could do anything to the other, and their battle fell into a deadlock that seemed as though it could drag on forever.

Even so, the spectators in the stands watched with pounding hearts, their eyes never leaving the fiercely contested Duel Arena for even half a second.

"This can’t go on forever…"

Kyle had just jumped and glided away, dodging Kratos’s divine punch, when a thought flashed through his mind. What other combat form haven’t I used yet?

As though it knew what he was thinking, Venom quickly offered a reminder through their mental connection.

"Right, there’s still that new move."

Kyle took a deep breath and closed his eyes to adjust his state. Hovering ten meters above the ground with the aid of his wings, he clenched both hands as he gathered power, slightly nervous.

In the next instant, all the strength in his body was completely drained away!

At the same time, Venom’s keratinous membrane coating gave off a dim black glow, as though something was being brewed within it.

"What new trick are you pulling now?" Kratos snorted coldly. He kicked off the floor and shot upward like a cannonball, rapidly closing in on Kyle in the air.

At the instant Kratos approached him, Kyle abruptly opened his eyes. Crimson light flared in his pupils as he gazed forward with calm indifference. "Sorry, but the victor has already been decided!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Countless sharp black tendrils, glowing with a dark luster, erupted outward from his body in a dense, explosive barrage!

Like deathly fireworks blooming in hell, they blossomed to their fullest in an instant!

Myriad Tendrils, end it all!!!