Damn, I Have to Marry the Strongest Antagonist at the Start? - Chapter 254

Chapter 254: Chapter253-Half-Human, Half-God John
Seated on the throne, John’s blood-red eyes stared fixedly at Owen. His massive body, taut with bulging veins, exuded a twisted aura of hatred and murderous intent. The frenzied energy exploded outward, pressing down on the ground like an invisible landslide, causing the stone floor to creak under the strain.

This chaotic aura was at the level of a god-tier being!

And it was all directed straight at Owen.

“I am now a half-human, half-god being, and my power has reached god-tier!”

“Owen, what do you have to challenge me?!”

An overwhelming surge of power coursed through John, further distorting his features with madness. His gaze remained locked on Owen, as if he wanted to tear him to shreds.

“God-tier?”

Even Owen couldn’t help but show a trace of shock as he sensed the terrifying aura warping the space around them.

Before entering the Demon Realm, John had only been at diamond-tier, level 1.

Now, after such a short period, he had already reached god-tier!

He had leapt over master-tier, grandmaster-tier, sage-tier, and finally god-tier.

Four entire tiers in one go!

It was a meteoric rise, to say the least!

Blackened by hatred, he was not just ten times stronger, but a hundred times more powerful!

Madelyn, standing behind Owen, could feel the terrifying god-tier aura emanating from John. Her mouth dropped open in disbelief.

A god-tier mage?!

How could John’s strength have grown so rapidly?!

It was almost as if she were in a dream.

His advancement was so fast that even in her mind, he seemed to have surpassed the once peerless Owen—someone who appeared unrivaled among his peers.

“While you may have stepped into the realm of god-tier mages, strictly speaking, you can no longer be considered human. You’ve become a monster.”

After a moment of shock, Owen regained his composure and shook his head slightly.

John’s heart had clearly been completely blinded by hatred, forcing him to use such extreme measures to increase his power quickly.

By merging with the body of the Dark God, he had indeed gained true divine power, undergoing a complete transformation in all aspects. But this power wasn’t his own. His true combat strength couldn’t compare to a genuine god-tier mage.

“Haha! Any method that increases my strength is the best method! Only the weak care about so-called rules and morals!”

Instead of being deterred by Owen’s scorn, John burst into wild laughter.

In his now twisted mind, he believed Owen was jealous, that he was afraid!

“Look at your current level—grandmaster-tier, level 1—while I have become a god!”

“We’re no longer even in the same league!”

“Now, kneel before me!”

He slammed the armrest of his throne heavily, causing a deafening boom like a clap of thunder. A more terrifying pressure surged down on Owen, trying to force him to kneel!

Simply killing Owen was no longer enough for him.

He wanted to break Owen like a dog, tormenting him repeatedly!

However, under the crushing might of his terrifying god-tier aura, Owen stood calmly in place. The pressure had no effect on him, as if it didn’t even exist.

John’s pupils shrank suddenly, and the crazed grin on his face almost froze. Then, in a voice filled with disbelief, he roared through the palace:

“How is this possible? Why aren’t you kneeling before god-tier might?!”

God-tier mages were what he had long dreamed of becoming. Reaching this tier meant transcending mortality, becoming a revered being among mages.

Now, he had finally taken this step through merging his body with the Dark God’s remains!

He thought he would easily crush Owen, but to his shock, Owen remained completely unaffected.

Had he somehow broken through to a false god-tier instead?!

“You’re nothing more than a false god. And even if you were a true god, so what? Even gods, I shall slay.”

Owen looked at John as if gazing at a clown, a cold smile on his lips.

It was obvious that, being in the depths of the abyss, John had no idea what had happened outside.

A god-tier mage might terrify, crush, and break the spirits of other mages.

But for Owen, who had already slain nearly a handful of god-tier mages, this level was nothing to fear.

“Arrogant fool!”

Before Owen could finish speaking, John’s heart surged with boundless rage. He leaped from his throne, and instantly, the entire blood-red palace roared. A torrent of blood-colored mana swirled around him like a hurricane, sealing the surrounding space with its overwhelming killing intent.

“You’re just a grandmaster-tier insect! How dare you boast in front of a god like me?”

“Today, I’ll make you regret everything you’ve done. I’ll show the world who truly dominates this era!”

With a mighty step, John’s energy locked onto Owen. The next moment, the sound of rushing water echoed through the air, and the blood pool outside surged violently, flooding into the blood-red palace and filling it nearly to the brim.

The blood tide crashed forward, and Madelyn instantly felt an overwhelming sense of dread. The blood waves seemed alive, corroding the void and emitting a harsh hissing sound.

Gripping her staff tightly, she formed a protective barrier around herself to fend off the encroaching blood tide.

But John’s attack, now empowered by his god-tier strength, was far beyond Madelyn’s ability to withstand.

The barrier lasted only a moment before shattering completely.

Madelyn’s heart clenched in fear, but at that moment, Owen flicked his fingers, and a sphere of light intertwined with flames and lightning appeared above her head, forming a protective globe around her.

The blood tide crashed against it but was burned away by the intense heat or shattered by the striking bolts of lightning.

“Stay here for now. John is not someone you can contend with at the moment.”

Owen’s voice transmitted to Madelyn as a pair of pure white angelic wings unfurled behind him. He shot forward, straight towards John.

Owen’s speed was astonishing. Despite John keeping a close eye on him, he was taken aback. In the blink of an eye, Owen was already in front of him.

“Fine! If you’re so eager to die, then I’ll grant your wish!”

John’s face twisted into a cruel smile. His gleaming white teeth, stained with the hue of blood, made him look almost demonic.

With those words, he gripped a bone sword that seemed to be forged from the spine of some unknown creature and swung it in a mighty slash!

Heavenly Evil Slash!

The bone sword, covered in densely packed joints and ridged with wave-like bone blades along its edges, exuded a razor-sharp aura that sliced through the void like a blade through silk.

John knew that Owen’s swordsmanship was formidable. Thus, he too wielded a sword!

He wanted to show Owen that he had surpassed him in every way!

The chilling sword energy roared forth, filling the air with biting frost. Owen gripped the longsword formed by the Godslayer Staff and clashed head-on!

Clang!

The sound of metal colliding rang out, and countless sword energies erupted from the point of impact, spreading outward like a storm. The surging blood sea was torn into chaotic, fragmented waves, churning wildly around them.

Immediately, an even more terrifying force rippled outward from beneath their feet, creating a series of shockwaves that shook the air into visible distortions. The sturdy floor of the palace shattered, and even the thick stone pillars of the hall cracked under the pressure!

For a brief moment, they were deadlocked. Owen stood immovable like a mountain, while John was sent flying back. His hand, which had been gripping the bone sword, trembled slightly, and the webbing between his thumb and forefinger split open, dripping blood.

John’s eyes blazed with hatred.

He had finally broken through to god-tier.

Why, then, had he lost to Owen in a single sword clash?!

He couldn’t accept it!

With a roar of rage, John’s body—now merged with the Dark God’s remains—flared with an unnatural crimson light. With a single step, he shattered the void and transformed into a blazing streak of energy, charging at Owen once more.

As John’s figure closed in, Owen’s heart filled with a hint of astonishment.

After all, the power of that sword strike was shocking. If not for the fact that the Godslayer Staff had been unlocked four times…

Especially with its [Slaying God] passive ability, which enhanced his combat power tenfold against god-tier beings…

That previous clash might not have gone in his favor.

Therefore, as John charged at him again, Owen’s expression turned more serious.

John was no ordinary god-tier mage.

Whether it was his fate as a chosen one or his merger with the Dark God’s remains, these were not things others could replicate.

Right now, John’s combat strength was likely on par with many god-tier veterans who had spent years refining their power.

But…

That’s all it is!