Hate Me, Witch!

A violent explosion kicked up a massive cloud of dust and sand, the smoke and debris gathering in the sky into a looming shadow.

It was supposed to be the brightest, hottest time of the afternoon, yet the mushroom cloud formed by the massive dust completely blocked out the sunlight, casting all of Camelot in a dim, dusky gloom, like nightfall had come early.

It looked exactly like the “nuclear winter” countless scholars had speculated about in Xia Ya’s previous life.

And beneath that darkened sky, on the ground of Camelot—

Blood-red veins were slowly spreading across the enormous jet-black mech.

Crystal formations like rubies, starting from the blazing Magitech Reactor Core, continued corrupting the Undying Metal, staining the entire Black Knight mech with a twisted, bloody hue.

It looked no bigger than a clenched fist—just the right size to fit into a chest cavity—but within that Magitech Reactor Core were warped spatial fractures.

It was connected to another subdimensional space.

……

A crimson halo slowly rippled outward from the Star Chalice, carrying divine mental waves.

“I didn’t get completely wiped out? My consciousness is still intact?”

“I actually survived that Golden Elf’s one-finger strike?”

The divine thoughts of the Scarlet Moon surged with disbelief.

As an ancient god who had survived since the First Era, no one—no god—understood the power of “One-Finger Godslayer” better than It did.

It was a technique that surpassed divine arts, supernatural powers, and divine authority itself. Its very essence represented the full meaning of the word “annihilation.”

“Looks like being banished to the dimensional void for multiple eras really weakened that Golden Elf’s strength.”

“Otherwise, that one finger wouldn’t have just destroyed my divine power and divine kingdom in the Starrealm and knocked me down into the Material Plane—that would’ve been far too merciful.”

With a twitch of Its divine will, It began probing the surroundings.

The Scarlet Moon’s thoughts stirred again.

It could sense that It was inside a subdimension created by humans.

It could even clearly feel that the mind and soul of the one who controlled this subdimension were still present inside it—very close, close enough to launch a soul invasion at any moment.

That spiritual force was strong, and unusual—but the Scarlet Moon could tell it was only at the level of a Six-Ring Titled Beastmaster. Not yet at the Legendary Tier.

And at this moment, although It had lost all of Its divine power and divine body from the Starrealm, Its divinity and authority still remained.

Relying on Its essence as a true god, dealing with a Legendary-tier’s spiritual force might take some effort, but corrupting and invading a Six-Ring? That was child’s play.

This was basically a vessel being hand-delivered for Its return and resurgence.

“Must be some foolish mortal who couldn’t resist the temptation of leaping to godhood through devouring the Star Chalice, trying to claim it for themselves.”

“What a shame… not even having stepped into the Legendary Tier, and yet thinking you could grasp divinity. All you’ll become is someone else’s stepping stone.”

“I’ll be taking your body now.”

Without the slightest hesitation, the Scarlet Moon began activating Its true god’s authority, preparing to invade the body of the one coveting the Star Chalice—turning them into Its servant and blood thrall.

Just like the Blood Clan Princes and a few of the Legendary Round Table Knights It had corrupted before.

However, that thought had barely surfaced in the Scarlet Moon’s divine mind—

When, in the very next instant—

Its divine will suddenly trembled.

It felt a vast, majestic force surging from behind.

This was different from the nuclear explosion earlier.

If that first blast was just an uncontrolled burst of pure energy—

Then what was forming behind It now was a real star.

Not an unstable, self-collapsing burst that burned out in an instant.

But a stabilized structure of black rings radiating outward, anchoring the massive core within.

Not a fleeting detonation,

But a true sun, burning long and steady.

In the next second—

The Scarlet Moon felt an overwhelming gravitational pull yanking It toward the source of that majesty and mystery.

A few heartbeats later—

The massive solar disk engulfed the blood-colored Star Chalice in infinite light and heat.

All the mystique, divine authority, and divinity that once belonged to the ancient god “Scarlet Moon,” birthed from the Abyss in the dawn of the First Era—

Was completely burned away as the purest of fuel, sustaining the star’s eternal blaze within its core.

And all the concepts tied to that ancient god—

From that moment on, truly became relics of the past.

……

Around the Black Knight mech, the blood-colored crystal growth that had been corrupting and spreading suddenly halted for a split second.

In the next instant, all the red crystals dimmed at the same time—then shattered.

Almost simultaneously, the Magitech Reactor Core inside the Black Knight mech had its blood-red glow suddenly replaced by a brilliant white light.

With a thunderous engine roar, the blazing flames burst forth.

The flames pierced through the radioactive clouds left by the nuclear blast, lighting up the dark yellow sky over Camelot.

Xia Ya slowly extended his hand, and the Undying Metal inside the cockpit reshaped into a dagger.

Gripping it, Xia Ya sliced his pinky.

Watching the blood flow—this time not instantly healing as before, but dripping red until he applied a healing salve—he couldn’t help but smile faintly.

“Looks like I can finally say goodbye to the Scarlet Moon.”

Based on the principle of “Lepton Fission and Fusion,” Xia Ya had long conceptualized two mechanical constructs.

And for years, he and Suren had poured time, money, and effort into them.

Now, those grand blueprints had finally become reality.

The first was the “Tsar Bomba” he used earlier to make all of Camelot suffer—in terms from his past life, a “hydrogen bomb” or “nuclear explosion.”

It gave up all constraints and control, focusing solely on maximum destruction. That single strike annihilated the Scarlet Moon’s divine kingdom along with Camelot, buying time for his mentor to strike in the Starrealm.

The second was what now powered the core of the Black Knight—the blazing starfire spreading magic energy throughout the entire mech. The Magitech Reactor Core.

Xia Ya had named this reactor—far beyond traditional steam-powered cores—the “Artificial Star: Solar Furnace.”

It operated on the principles of stellar fusion. Or to put it plainly: “controlled fusion.”

The hardest part about dealing with a true god was their immortality.

Even if they fell, as long as their divinity remained, they could return from the depths of the Starrealm one day.

But now, at this very moment—

Consumed by the Solar Furnace, built upon the very laws of stellar operation, and turned into fuel for the star’s core—

The former “Scarlet Moon” was no longer merely “fallen”—It had been erased, conceptually, from the entire multiverse.

【Congratulations on meeting the title upgrade condition】

【Your title “Blasphemer (Purple)” has been upgraded to “Godslayer (Gold)”】

【Godslayer (Abyss)】

【Rarity: Gold (Cannot be Upgraded)】

【Title Holder: Xia Ya Egut】

【This is not mere blasphemy, nor a simple defeat.】

【You have once truly slain the very concept of an ancient god in the mortal realm.】

【Title Attribute 1: While this title is equipped, you and your Summoned Beasts deal 500% bonus damage against enemies with divinity.】

【Title Attribute 2: While this title is equipped, you will be viewed as the ultimate mortal enemy by Abyss-aligned True Gods, mythical creatures, cult leaders, and fanatics.】

【Note: Throughout the history of the Western Continent, those who defeated divine avatars or defiled gods have been rare, but they did exist.】

【However, since the end of the Second Divine Era and through the conclusion of the Third, you alone have slain a god.】

【This is the highest martial merit achievable by any being of Order, and also a wound carved into the Abyssal Monolith—a hatred that will never fade with time, one that ends only in death.】

……

“Finally… it’s done.”

Xia Ya’s gaze lingered on that dazzling golden title Godslayer, especially the panel that read “500% Divine Bonus Damage.”

With the sudden surge in output from the Reactor Core, the entire Black Knight mech, composed of Undying Metal Dracoserpent Mercury, trembled faintly as the excess mana surged outward.

Only then did Xia Ya slowly focus his spiritual energy on the solitary throne.

Or more precisely, on the slender figure holding the Holy Sword seated atop it.

“This is the only way… I’ll ever be worthy of standing before you.”

“Your Highness.”

Xia Ya smiled faintly and equipped the “Godslayer” title.

From beginning to end, whether it was Augustina, Sylvia, or the hints given by his mentor,

Or his own intuition, everything had been telling him one undeniable truth.

That compared to the ancient god Scarlet Moon—who’d already been battered and broken at the end of the First Era, hadn’t recovered even now, and had no true will to fight—

The opponent in front of him, the Crimson Empress, was far more dangerous, and far more formidable.

She had lingered in the world for nearly a thousand years—Isadella’s strength and divinity couldn’t be measured by the mere standard of Throne-tier.

Not only did she wield the Holy Sword, but as the master of the Imaginary Belt, every second she spent here granted her immense power.

Within this space, neither Augustina nor Sylvia could defeat her. Even delaying her required their utmost effort.

Xia Ya, piloting the First-Generation Black Knight, might be able to contend with a normal Legendary-tier opponent—but against Isadella, at full power and enraged, he might not even survive a single blow.

Only now, stacked with the 500% divine bonus from the Godslayer title and fueled by the complete Star Chalice of a fallen god, the mech’s output had been pushed far beyond its limits.

Only now did he have the qualification to stand before the ruler of the Imaginary Belt.

But even so… it was just a qualification.

With the fall of the Scarlet Moon, Xia Ya had also lost his so-called immortality.

Before an enraged Throne-tier being, a single mistake could cost him his life.

Even so—

Xia Ya moved without hesitation.

Step by step, he walked toward the highest level of the ruined palace.

The mech clanged with each step, leaving deep dents in the still-molten metal-and-lava ground.

At last, he stood before the doorway to the throne chamber.

Then, Xia Ya raised the ink-black longsword held in the mech’s hand, pointing it diagonally toward the silent girl standing before him.

His spiritual energy reached out—what it returned was an entirely different, icy concept.

She was no longer the Second Imperial Princess, born of the royal family, who had once sworn to purge the rebels and make the Fresta Empire great again.

Nor was she the Knight King, revered and admired by the masses, who commanded awe on the battlefield and compassion off of it.

As Sylvia had guessed—standing before him now was a figure whose original face was unrecognizable.

She was the King of the Imaginary Belt, godlike and high above all.

So—

“Your Majesty.”

Xia Ya spoke softly.

“I’ve come… to send you to your death.”

……

BOOM——

Golden sword light flared violently, piercing through the mighty metallic walls.

Walls forged from the hardest steel, capable of withstanding a full-power strike from a Titled-tier powerhouse—yet now, they were sliced open like tofu by the sharp golden glow.

And that… was just the aftershock.

The jet-black mech locked onto by the Golden Sword was, in almost the blink of an eye, blasted out of the throne chamber, hurled across the sky above the ashes and rubble.

Not a single word exchanged.

The moment Xia Ya drew his sword, the battle had begun.

This might be the most magnificent battle ever to erupt on the lands of Aisgania.

Even the recent clash between Futigon and the Knight King—the war of succession between the New King and the Old—couldn’t compare.

If one were to watch from the ground, the battle would seem like thunder raging across the sky, lightning bolts of steel flashing again and again, illuminating the gaps between the clouds.

As if a primordial dragon from before the First Era were weaving through the storm, breathing lightning into the skies.

Unfortunately, in this Imaginary Belt, detached from history, even the last remaining two spectators had left not long ago.

Even the mythical beings of the Starrealm could only peer into the burst of brilliance and anomalies through the River of Time—yet they could not truly see what was happening within the belt.

One wielded the Holy Sword as the ruler of the Imaginary Belt.

The other had burned the full Star Chalice of a true god to gain, in a fleeting moment, power beyond his level—power that shattered limits.

Every clash between them annihilated massive amounts of mana and matter, as sonic winds sliced through the radiation dust clouds lingering above all of Aisgania from the earlier nuclear blast—sometimes superheated, sometimes freezing cold.

A few of their exchanges occurred close to the ground, slicing through molten rivers that hadn’t fully cooled, revealing massive chasms carved through the earth. Other times they collided high above, punching enormous holes in the stratified upper atmosphere laced with radioactive debris—only for clouds to surge in and fill the gaps a few breaths later.

Camelot’s territory was already far too small for a Throne-tier being and Xia Ya, who now temporarily stepped into that realm.

And so, their battlefield drifted high above—from the skies over Camelot to the entire expanse of Aisgania.

From the towns and villages near Camelot, to the small border village where Isadella had once drawn the Sword in the Stone to claim her crown, and even to the former Holy Cathedral of the Church of Dawn, now desolate and abandoned after negotiations had prompted a full withdrawal.

In the end, their battlefield—

Fell upon the Valley of the End, thousands of li away from Camelot.

Thick storm clouds suddenly shattered as two figures—one black, one gold—collided in the distant sky like falling stars, then separated once again.

Xia Ya plummeted toward the depths of that vast, all-too-familiar canyon.

The jet-black greatsword formed of Undying Metal in his hand shattered apart, disintegrating into countless fragments no larger than fingernails, scattering as an obsidian meteor shower beneath the gray skies.

Xia Ya barely managed to control the Black Knight mech, leaping out of the massive crater left by his impact with the ground.

But even that one motion cost him everything—he fell to his knees.

All across his body, the once-perfect Black Knight mech was riddled with massive fractures, with blood spilling from the cracks and pooling on the ground.

As a construct forged from Undying Metal—Dracoserpent Mercury—the Black Knight should have possessed infinite self-repair capabilities.

But at this moment, faint golden light lingered at the edges of every break, halting the flow and healing of the liquid metal.

The higher mystique of the Holy Sword overwhelmed the mystique of Dracoserpent Mercury, and thus, every slash left irreparable damage on the Black Knight’s frame.

Even the Magitech Reactor Core—“Artificial Star: Solar Furnace”—which once blazed with radiant starfire, now bore several deep gashes. The once-daylight-bright flames had dimmed considerably, and its output was no longer what it had been at its peak.

Cough—

Xia Ya coughed lightly, swallowing the metallic tang of blood and bits of crushed internal organs along with it.

This outcome was only natural.

His real self was still only a Titled Beastmaster, not even having stepped into the Legendary Tier. Even with a mech powered by controlled nuclear fusion, even with the Star Chalice burned and the temporary divine bonus, he had barely managed to fight on equal terms.

But that power—it had never truly been his.

Great for stomping weaklings, but when facing someone who had fully made power their own, this kind of patchwork, boosted strength would lose eventually. It was just a matter of time.

On the other side of the Valley of the End—

That solitary figure bathed in golden light slowly descended.

Isadella gazed down coldly at the battered and kneeling Black Knight mech before her.

Through the gaps in the armor, she could just barely make out the slender figure in a red-clouded black robe, wearing a swirling mask.

In truth, the only reason this battle had lasted so long was because the ruler of the Imaginary Belt had been holding back.

And the reason she held back, of course, was because the figure before her resembled Kayin—so very much.

But—

That faint, impossible hope in her chest had ultimately turned to cold, hard truth.

Isadella’s crimson eyes fell, a ripple of emotion flashing through them that she couldn’t completely hide.

“You… aren’t him.”

“You’re not Kayin.”

For the first time, her cold and indifferent voice held sorrow and loss.

Even though the youth inside the mech before her—his armor, his clothing, his facial features, even the subtle details of his form and voice—all of it was nearly identical to the Kayin from back then.

No, not nearly. It was exactly the same.

And yet, a single brief clash was enough to expose the chasmic difference between the two.

The one she remembered, the one etched into a thousand years of longing and reverie, was so valiant.

In her memories, the very first time they met, Kayin had fearlessly blocked the encroaching Monster Tide that was besieging the city.

In every battle afterward, he was always at the front, always charging first, never caring about his own injuries or safety.

He was the embodiment of the Eight Virtues of Knighthood—especially “Valor” and “Sacrifice”—a man who, in countless desperate moments, rallied a demoralized allied force under the title of the Ever-Victorious King.

Later, with only his own strength, he had held back Futigon’s half-body, several Vampire Princes, and other Legendary foes at the gates of the Valley of the End.

Even at the cost of his life, he never hesitated.

That heroic figure—that was the one Isadella had fallen for. The one she built the Imaginary Belt to someday find again.

But now, from this man… she couldn’t sense a single trace of those memories.

He was cautious. He was cunning.

Never trading blow for blow. He relied on underhanded tactics, always looking for the dirtiest way to win.

Even when spotting an opening, he wouldn’t leap at it blindly. He’d carefully lay traps, apply strategy, and only act after three steps of consideration.

This fighting style… was the complete opposite of the Kayin she knew.

The youth before her—he wasn’t the Kayin of the past.

If the mind, personality, spirit, and soul were no longer there…

Then no matter how identical the body, it was meaningless.

Just like Merlin once said—this was nothing more than necromantic magic desecrating Kayin’s body and soul.

Whatever undead creature emerged from that would only be a blasphemy to the real Kayin.

Yet standing before the ruler of the Imaginary Belt, facing that question—

Xia Ya only nodded slightly.

“Yeah, I’m not Kayin.”

“That perfect, courageous guy who would sacrifice himself for the greater good and light up the darkness with the dawn? He never existed.”

“The real me is just someone who always overthinks things. Call it ‘cautious’ if you want to sound nice. ‘Coward afraid of death’ would be more accurate.”

“I’ve never been that selfless. All that righteous talk I spouted was just me farming favorability points. I’ve never had the conviction to sacrifice the few for the many.”

Xia Ya’s voice was calm, without the slightest hesitation.

“With that so-called immortality, I built a flawless mask—bright and noble, shining with heroism.”

“But now that immortality’s gone, that mask has burned away in the sun. It can’t hide anymore.”

His face was pale as he spoke, each word clear.

“To put it bluntly, I’m just a scummy online scammer.”

“I used something that wasn’t mine to create a perfect online ‘dream guy’ persona. Then I cheated a girl out of her money and her feelings, and made her do something stupid she could never take back.”

“A romance scammer like that—anyone with a normal sense of morality would probably just spit on him.”

Xia Ya gave a bitter smile.

And even as he spoke, he slowly raised the longsword with the mech’s arms.

“And now, I’m even pushing my luck—about to destroy that girl’s entire livelihood, everything she’s ever worked for, everything she poured her heart and soul into.”

“Looking back on it… I really do seem like that so-called Heavenly Fate Villain.”

Xia Ya’s gaze sharpened.

At the heart of the battered Black Knight mech, the dimmed Solar Furnace roared once more to life.

Blazing with a radiance even brighter and more intense than before.

The entire mech began glowing with a crimson brilliance, scorching hot, humming violently—as if it might explode at any second.

「Overload」

A skill activated by burning through the remaining lifespan of the Magitech Reactor Core.

If the battle wasn’t decided within thirty seconds, then there’d be no need for the opponent to make a move—the Magitech Reactor Core and the Black Knight mech would collapse and disintegrate on their own.

“In that case, let me do what a true villain is supposed to do.”

“Your Majesty—”

Xia Ya gripped the reformed jet-black greatsword, pointing it straight at the girl before him.

「Bloodburn」 activated.

All of Xia Ya’s remaining spiritual energy, buried deep within his soul, ignited at once, transforming into azure-blue flames around the Black Knight mech.

“Take this strike, or die by my hand.”

……

A mask?

Online scammer?

Isadella silently mouthed these unfamiliar terms in her heart.

Did he mean that he’d used necromantic magic to steal Kayin’s body, read his soul’s memories, and that was why he resembled Kayin so much?

But quickly, feeling the immense pressure suddenly surging from the jet-black mech, Isadella’s expression instinctively hardened.

She could feel it—this was his final strike.

A desperate, all-in blow, burning all remaining spirit and strength.

Faced with such a fatal attack, even someone like her had to treat it seriously.

The Holy Sword rose high, a vast torrent of power gathering at its tip.

In the next moment—

She saw the mech turn into a streak of black lightning, surging toward her with an unstoppable force.

Block the attack, then capture him alive and bring him back to the capital—interrogate him thoroughly and find out exactly how Kayin’s body had been recreated.

Camelot may have been reduced to ruins, even the Scarlet Moon had fallen, but none of that mattered much to Isadella.

With the Scarlet Moon as a reference, she had already touched the Divine Realm through her own power. Even now that he had fallen, she herself could still attain immortality.

And as long as she lived, the Imaginary Belt would continue to exist.

Camelot, those phantoms of the past—they could all be rebuilt eventually.

With that in mind, the Holy Sword in Isadella’s hand burst into sharp brilliance, cleaving toward the oncoming black meteor.

A single breath later—

Isadella suddenly felt her hand go light.

She watched as the pitch-black Undying Metal—Dracoserpent Mercury—voluntarily disintegrated. The once-imposing mech, a defensive behemoth even she found troublesome, simply dissolved on its own.

And inside the mech, the slender figure in the red-clouded black robe…

Let go of the massive metal sword.

Then—he gave up all resistance.

He stepped directly into Isadella’s Holy Sword, which could pierce even refined mythril.

Isadella’s pupils shrank sharply, but it was already too late.

Splurt.

The razor-sharp Holy Sword pierced through that frail body.

Straight through, blooming like a twisted, beautiful blood flower in the desolate canyon.

Clink.

The swirling mask shattered along with the strike, falling into scattered shards.

Revealing, beneath it—

The black-haired, dark-eyed face of the boy.