Chapter 163  Gods and Dragons……

“God? No, I haven’t….”

The young man’s response was immediate, and Sumaru could feel the truth of it resonate through the air.

‘Truth…’

Sumaru thought, his eyes narrowing as electricity crackled around them. He couldn’t believe it, yet the truth was undeniable, clear as day.

What the young man had said was the cold-hearted truth of the situation—he hadn’t met the god clinging to him.

It doesn’t make sense… Sumaru’s mind raced, trying to piece together the puzzle.

How could this young man, so filled with the presence of that evil goddess, have not encountered her yet?

Not in dreams, not in premonitions, not even through some form of possession?

Typically, when a god shows interest in a mortal, signs always manifest—whether it’s through visions, strange occurrences, or an overwhelming sense of being watched.

Yet none of these signs were reflected in the young man’s words or his demeanor.

Sumaru had been prepared to kill the cursed child standing before him, even if it meant incurring the wrath of the god who had taken an interest in him.

He knew the risks, but the logic was clear—prevention was always better than the cure.

Letting this young man live, tainted as he was by the goddess’s mark, could lead to disaster.

Sumaru could not allow history to repeat itself.

He had seen the consequences of such things long ago, thousands of years in the past, and he was determined not to let that nightmare unfold again in this era.

The young man before him represented something dangerous, a potential threat that needed to be eliminated.

His instincts screamed at him to act, to crush this potential incarnation of the goddess before it could fully awaken.

Regardless of the truth in the young man’s words, Sumaru knew that leaving him alive posed too great a risk.

A peaceful future—one without the shadow of that dark goddess—depended on his actions now.

Sumaru’s muscles tensed, ready to strike. His claws, sharp and deadly, twitched with the impulse to tear into flesh.

The storm within him, barely restrained, threatened to unleash itself upon this cursed cub.

The air hummed with tension, the electrical charge in the atmosphere growing denser as Sumaru’s resolve hardened.

But even as he prepared to deliver a death blow, a small voice of doubt flickered in the back of his mind.

The truth he had seen in the young man’s words was undeniable—no matter how improbable it seemed; this boy had not yet met the goddess.

‘Could it be possible that he was still… redeemable?’

As Sumaru’s piercing blue eyes delved deeper into the young man’s soul, a thought took root—a chance, a possibility that hadn’t occurred to him before.

He saw within the boy not just a cursed soul, but a potential opportunity.

If Sumaru killed the young man now, it might be seen as a direct provocation toward the evil goddess, Erebil herself. ‘

Who knew what sort of unpredictable chaos she might unleash upon the world in retaliation?

The thought of it sent a shiver of unease through Sumaru’s divine essence.

The last thing he wanted was to invite the wrath of such a foul entity.

But if he kept the young man close, if he could contain and lock up the dark fate entwined within the boy’s soul, perhaps there was another way.

Restraining the presence of the goddess’s divine darkness with the power of another god might be the best prevention he could muster.

It wasn’t without risk, but it offered a more controlled means of dealing with the threat.

Rather than allowing Erebil to fully claim the boy, Sumaru could shield him, bind his fate with a divine contract that would neutralize her influence.

“Cursed Cub…,” Sumaru growled, his voice carrying the weight of ancient storms.

The young man looked up at him, curiosity flickering in his eyes as he responded to the call.

“For reasons even unknown to me, it seems you have attracted the interest of the most foul goddess in existence,” Sumaru continued, his tone laden with gravity. “Your fate is bound for absolute darkness. Her presence, her hands, have already begun to loom over your shadow. Whether you like it or not, you will die long before time grants you a peaceful death.”

The young man listened intently, his eyes unwavering, as though he had already accepted the inevitability of what Sumaru was saying.

It was as if he had come to terms with this grim destiny long ago—a fate that could not be avoided, a destiny that would soon be fulfilled.

There was a haunting emptiness in his gaze, a resigned acceptance of the darkness that awaited him.

And yet, within that emptiness, Sumaru noticed something else—a flicker of defiance, a spark of rebellion against the fate that sought to claim him.

Sumaru couldn’t help but smile at the sight. There was something admirable in the boy’s quiet resistance, his refusal to fully succumb to the darkness that stalked him.

“Cursed Cub,” Sumaru said, his voice softening ever so slightly, “form a contract with me, and accept my blessing….”

The offer hung in the air like the calm before a storm. Sumaru knew what he was asking was no small thing.

A divine contract was a bond that would tie their fates together, intertwining their destinies in a way that would alter the course of both their lives.

For the young man, it was a chance to escape—or at least postpone—the dark fate that awaited him.

For Sumaru, it was a calculated risk, a way to keep the boy under his watchful eye and perhaps, just perhaps, defy the goddess who sought to claim him.

The young man’s eyes widened slightly, the spark of defiance growing as he processed the gravity of Sumaru’s words.

This was a lifeline being offered, but it came with its own set of chains.

To accept would be to bind himself to the will of a god, to live under the protection—and the scrutiny—of Sumaru.

But it would also mean a chance to fight back against the darkness that sought to consume him, a way to resist the inevitable.

Sumaru watched closely, the crackling of electricity in the air growing quieter as he waited for the young man’s response.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t,” came the young man’s response, his voice steady yet tinged with regret.

“Then let us proceed—excuse me?” Sumaru’s brows twitched in disbelief, his thoughts racing.

What does he mean, he can’t?

The audacity of this human, to refuse an offer from a god.

“Are you refusing my offer, Cursed Cub?” Sumaru’s voice deepened, a dangerous edge creeping into his tone as his patience wore thin.

The idea that a mere human would turn down his gracious offer had never even crossed his mind—until now.

“No, I’m not refusing,” the young man clarified, sensing the brewing storm within Sumaru. “Your generous offer is honestly too much for a mere mortal like me to take. The reason I can’t form a contract with you is because my soul is already bound to another….”

He paused, carefully choosing his next words.

“Though I can accept your blessing, a contract is nearly impossible for now. I don’t have enough power to balance the mana synergy between the two of us….”

Sumaru’s eyes narrowed as he absorbed this information. “So, you have a bond?”

“Yes,” the young man replied simply, the word hanging in the charged air between them.

Crackle! The air around Sumaru buzzed with electrical sparks, his divine fury barely contained.

The young man had dared to compare a bond with Sumaru, the Lightning God, to that of a mere magic beast or spirit?

The very thought was an insult of the highest order. But even in his anger, Sumaru was not blinded to the truth.

He knew the young man was correct—forming a contract with a god while already bound by another would be akin to carrying two gallons of water in a single cup.

It was not just impractical; it was impossible.

The mana imbalance would tear the young man apart, and even Sumaru’s immense power couldn’t prevent such a catastrophe.

Sumaru’s eyes flared with divine light, his claws crackling with pent-up energy.

“Summon your familiar!” he commanded, his voice a thunderous roar that shook the very air.

If the young man was already bound, then the solution was simple—Sumaru would kill the existing bond.

With it gone, the problem would be solved, and the young man would be free to form the contract as Sumaru had intended.

The young man hesitated, his eyes widening at the sudden demand. “But—”

“Now, Cursed Cub!” Sumaru’s voice brooked no argument. He was a god, and his will was law.

The young man would obey, or he would suffer the consequences. There was no middle ground.

Taking a deep breath, the young man nodded reluctantly.

[Skill: Tempest Wolf Summon]

“Heed my call, Raijin….”

The air around him began to shimmer, as if reality itself was bending to his will.

The temperature dropped sharply, and the sky above, once clear, darkened as storm clouds began to gather.

These were no ordinary clouds; they crackled with electricity, brimming with an energy that echoed the very essence of the divine storm god standing before him.

Yet, it was clear that this storm, this power, was a mere shadow compared to Sumaru’s own, much weaker and far less imposing.

Rumble~!

Rumble~!

The ground trembled as the clouds churned, and the tension in the air reached its peak.

Then, with a deafening BOOM!!!, a bolt of golden lightning crashed down from the heavens, splitting the air with a blinding flash.

The earth beneath them shook with the impact, and in that instant, the young man’s familiar—Raijin, the Tempest Wolf—descended upon the scene.

Raijin was a magnificent beast, its fur a swirling mass of dark clouds, its eyes glowing with the intensity of a storm barely contained.

The air around it buzzed with static, each hair on its body crackling with electric energy.

It was a creature born from the very essence of the storm, a rare and nearly impossible species to summon, let alone control.

The wolf’s snarls rumbled through the air, its presence as fierce and commanding as the storm that had birthed it.

The sheer size of Raijin was impressive, nearly matching Sumaru’s own incarnated form.

The similarities between them were uncanny—the same divine aura of storms, the same relentless energy coursing through their veins.

And yet, Sumaru could not allow himself to admire the wolf’s power. Instead, he felt a deep sadness, a regret that such a magnificent creature would have to be destroyed.

Sumaru’s eyes flicked from Raijin to the young man who had summoned it.

There was a flicker of pity in his gaze, a brief moment where he considered the bond between the two—a bond that was about to be severed forever.

But the sadness in Sumaru’s heart was quickly overshadowed by his sense of duty.

For the sake of the world, for the preservation of balance, this bond had to be broken.

There was no other way.

Without warning, Sumaru’s eyes hardened, his resolve crystallizing into action.

His claws, already crackling with latent energy, suddenly sharpened into solid lightning, each talon glowing with an almost blinding intensity.

His muscles tensed, coiling like a spring ready to release, and then, with the speed of a lightning strike, he launched himself forward.

The world seemed to slow down in that instant.

Sumaru’s form became a blur of motion, his body a streak of pure energy as he closed the distance between himself and Raijin.

But just as Sumaru’s claws were about to rip the head off the wolf, something unforeseen occurred.

It happened in an instant—a moment so brief that even a god’s perception struggled to keep up.

A dark, ominous power surged forth, enveloping Sumaru entirely.

The world around him warped, the scenery and atmosphere shifting so dramatically that it felt as though reality itself was being torn apart.

The once-familiar peaks of the mountain and the biting cold of the air vanished, replaced by an overwhelming sense of dread.

Before he could fully comprehend what was happening, Sumaru found himself standing in a place unlike any other—a vast, endless pool of dark, viscous blood.

The stench of iron filled the air, thick and suffocating, as if the very essence of death permeated this realm.

The eyes were unlike anything he had ever seen—cold, calculating, with vertical pupils that cut through the darkness like knives.

The blood was unnaturally thick, its surface undisturbed save for the ripples that formed with each of Sumaru’s hesitant steps.

And then, from beneath the surface, two enormous reptilian eyes slowly emerged.

The eyes were unlike anything he had ever seen—cold, calculating, with vertical pupils that cut through the darkness like knives.

These were the eyes of a predator, of a being so ancient and powerful that it threatened to consume his very existence, his very soul.

The sheer malevolence in those eyes sent a shiver down Sumaru’s spine, a sensation he had not felt in millennia.

Sumaru didn’t need a moment to recognize what type of creature lurked beneath the bloody waters.

He had fought beings like this in the far past, during a time when gods and monsters clashed for dominance over the world.

These were no mere mortals, no ordinary creatures.

They were the apex of all life forms, the most powerful and feared entities to ever walk the earth.

‘Dragon…’

But something was different about this one.

The power emanating from the creature was too overwhelming, too pure, too destructive for it to be just any dragon.

It was as if the very essence of chaos itself had taken form, a force that could tear apart worlds with a mere thought.

‘What’s going on?’ Sumaru thought, his mind racing.

How could such a being exist without him knowing? How had he never seen or heard of such a creature?

“Who are you?” he muttered, his voice barely audible in the quiet, bloody realm.

His eyes scanned the darkness, searching for the source of this unimaginable power.

His gaze landed on a figure standing across from him, just beyond the reach of the blood pool’s edge.

It was a woman, strikingly beautiful yet terrifyingly eerie.

Her long, white hair cascaded down her back, a stark contrast to the dark and bloody world they now inhabited.

Her skin was pale, almost translucent, and her presence exuded an otherworldly aura that seemed to distort the space around her.

But it was her eyes that captivated Sumaru the most—piercing red, they glowed with an intensity that could rival the fires of the underworld.

The woman stared at Sumaru, her gaze unwavering and filled with a quiet, lethal intent.

“A mere cat dares to touch my property….” she murmured, her voice as soft as a whisper yet carrying the weight of a thousand storms.

Sumaru’s instincts kicked in, the primal urge to survive overriding all rational thought. There was no choice now—no room for negotiation or retreat.

The unfathomable power radiating from the human before him was unlike anything he had ever encountered.

It was as if he was staring into the abyss itself, a force so ancient and terrible that it threatened to unmake him with its mere presence.

His divine nature, once a source of pride and invincibility, now seemed insignificant in the face of this overwhelming dread.

Lightning crackled and danced around Sumaru’s body, his natural element responding to the surge of adrenaline coursing through him.

The storm god’s mind was no longer in control; instinct had taken over, the same primal instinct that had served him in countless battles throughout the ages.

He became like a wild beast, driven by the desperate need to survive, to fight back against this impossible threat.

GRAAAGHHHH!!!!

With a feral roar, Sumaru lunged forward, his body a blur of electrified fury.

His claws, sharp as lightning and charged with the full might of the storm, aimed directly at the woman’s heart.

If he could strike her down, perhaps he could break free from this nightmarish realm and reclaim his dominance.

His movements were swift, precise, a testament to his eons of battle-hardened experience.

But as he closed the distance between them, the woman—this being of unimaginable power—barely reacted.

Her tired, crimson eyes followed his approach with a detached, almost bored expression.

It was as if she was watching a child throw a tantrum, an insignificant display of force that could not possibly harm her.

“You may have attained ascension,” she murmured, her voice carrying a cold, mocking edge. “But I guess a cat is a cat after all… How barbaric.”

Her words sliced through Sumaru’s resolve like a knife.

There was no fear in her tone, no sense of urgency or concern.

To her, he was nothing more than an annoyance, a minor inconvenience to be dealt with and discarded.

The lightning god, who had once been revered and feared across realms, was nothing in her eyes.

Then, with a languid, almost disinterested motion, the woman parted her lips slightly opening her mouth slightly as if trying to say something.

But she didn’t speak.

Instead, she simply closed her mouth again, a simple gesture that seemed meaningless at first glance.

And then, it was over.

…

RUMBLE!!!

RUMBLE!!!

BOOM!!!!

The sky above erupted with violent blue lightning, crackling and dancing like a celestial storm unleashed.

The powerful bolts of electricity arced through the air, illuminating the landscape in stark, ephemeral flashes of brilliance.

The thunderous roar seemed to shake the very fabric of reality, reverberating through the night and sending shockwaves that made the ground tremble beneath my feet.

As the blinding flashes subsided, the chaotic dance of lightning began to fade.

The storm clouds, once thick and oppressive, dissipated into the ether, allowing the serene night sky to reclaim its dominance.

The two moons, distant and ethereal, hung like sentinels in the sky, casting a muted light over the darkened landscape.

Their soft, pale glow bathed the world in an otherworldly luminescence, a stark contrast to the recent display of raw, primal power.

I stood there, stunned and disoriented, my eyes wide with disbelief as I tried to process what had just happened.

My thoughts raced, a chaotic whirlwind of confusion and shock.

Wasn’t Sumaru advancing towards me just a moment ago?

Why did he suddenly bolt up into the sky?

Before I could fully grasp the situation, a sudden, unexpected sensation jolted me from my reverie.

A series of warm, wet licks met my face, catching me completely off guard.

I looked down to see Raijin, my familiar, in his normal wolf form.

His red eyes, usually so fierce and intense, now glistened with a mix of pride and joy as he lavished me with affectionate licks.

“Why do you look so proud?” I mumbled, my voice tinged with both confusion and curiosity as I regarded my familiar’s exuberant antics.

Raijin’s tail wagged energetically, his body radiating an infectious sense of satisfaction.

The red glow of his eyes seemed to glisten in happiness for some reason….

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