Reborn As a Pirate - Chapter 205

Chapter 205: Promoted to the Second Level!
Despair crept into Ryan’s heart as he faced the familiar frustration of an impenetrable defense. The sphere’s resilience far exceeded his own limits of destruction; not even his most powerful strike could mar its surface.

“Hahaha…” The Pope’s taunt echoed anew, his visage now whole once more. “This is the power of the supreme god, a miracle beyond your mortal grasp!”

Ryan stood firm, the weight of his sword in his bloodied hands, facing the daunting truth of his foe’s words. But within him, the resolve to find a way burned fiercer than ever.

With a measured exhale, Ryan dismissed the Libra Pope’s taunts as mere noise. He quickly steadied himself, his resolve firm despite the dire circumstances.

The miraculous “resurrection” power embedded within the God’s remains granted Pope Libra and the divine vestiges near-infinite regenerative abilities, contingent upon the integrity of the “Core of God.” Yet, having exhausted every tactic and pushed his body to the brink, Ryan knew that his reserves of “gluttony” and “blood” were depleted. If he allowed the remains of god to fully recuperate, defeat was certain.

Determination crystallized within him, the “Core of God” had to be shattered now!

Suddenly, his space ring flashed, revealing a seed bathed in a pure white halo, nestled in his blood-streaked palm.

[Holy Seed]: A rare bloom from the tainted soils that, upon its death, yields this seed. It possesses miraculous properties once consumed.

“I thought to save this for a time of peace,” Ryan murmured to himself before popping the [Holy Seed] into his mouth.

Instantly, his heartbeat accelerated dramatically.

Knock, knock… knock, knock…

His blood surged like a mighty river through his veins, carrying a surge of profound spiritual energy into every fiber of his being.

Externally, a subtle white glow began to emanate from beneath Ryan’s helmet, his hair and eyebrows shimmering faintly. A mark resembling the undying holy flower appeared on his forehead, mirroring its eternal bloom.

[After consuming the [Holy Seed], you will enter the ‘Spiritual Explosion’ state. For three minutes, your spiritual capacity will increase by 3.0. After this period, your base spiritual capacity will permanently rise by 1.0.]

Ryan glanced at the digital prompts that appeared before his eyes and refocused on the “Core of God,” which the brain tissue was rapidly encasing once more.

As his spirituality broke through the 10-point barrier, Ryan’s perception of the world transformed. For a moment, he envisioned an immense river flowing through and interconnecting every aspect of reality, only for this vision to vanish as quickly as it had appeared.

Ryan’s sudden transformation and the emerging mystical aura briefly stalled the Libra Pope’s mocking tirade. However, confidence quickly returned to his voice, “Even with third-level spirituality, what can you do? You don’t truly believe—”

But he cut off abruptly as he watched Ryan lift his greatsword to his shoulder.

Thump—thump—thump!

Ryan completed the three stages of power charging in an astonishingly short time, fueled by his newly amplified spirituality.

“You…” Pope Libra scoffed, his arrogance undiminished. He conceded that such a powerful strike could overcome the physical defenses of the divine remains, yet he was convinced that it would be futile against the “Core of God.” Previous failures by the masked warrior had proven as much.

But his smirk faltered the next moment.

After achieving the three stages of extreme power, Ryan didn’t unleash his strike. Instead, he continued to channel even more energy into his blade, the air around him crackling with anticipation.

At that critical juncture, Ryan’s perception shifted dramatically. The revolting sight of the “Core of God” enveloped in brain tissue morphed into a titanic, roiling wave, hundreds of meters tall, surging and crashing in front of him. He stood defiant at the prow of his vessel, a lone resistor bellowing against the overwhelming might of nature.

“Crack!”

In the darkness of his mind, it felt as though chains had shattered. Ryan’s understanding of the “storm” ascended to an unprecedented height.

At the peak of his spiritual and physical exertion, his energy coalesced into a dense, almost tangible sphere, then burst forth with ferocious power.

[Storm Sword Skill—Sea Splitting]!

“Take my charged slash!”

The flames licking the edges of his greatsword intensified manifold, casting a hellish glow.

Ryan’s veins stood out starkly against his skin, pulsing like serpents under his flesh. His potent blood created a mist that clung to the flaming sword, turning its blaze from a stark white to a vivid, blood red.

“No!!!”

The Libra Pope, sensing the imminent threat of annihilation, twisted his features into a grotesque mask of terror. With his body not fully regenerated, his legs still absent, he could do little but extend a trembling hand in a futile attempt to halt Ryan’s strike.

A massive spectral claw, formed from the Pope’s dark spiritual energy, lunged towards Ryan. But it was effortlessly repelled by the resilient “blood barrier” that Ryan had conjured.

“No!”

The Pope’s scream was drowned out by Ryan’s thunderous roar as he brought his sword down in a decisive arc.

The spectacle was beyond words.

The air itself seemed to cleave, parting eagerly around the blade’s path.

“Crack—”

All eyes were riveted as the blood-drenched sword made contact with the “Core of God.” Time froze for a breathless moment before a fierce, white shockwave erupted, radiating out from the point of impact.

As Ryan held his sword steady, a small fissure appeared on the surface of the core. This initial breach was swiftly followed by a cascade of cracks, spreading rapidly across the sphere.

Amid the Libra Pope’s cries of despair and defiance, the “Core of God” shattered with a resounding “bang.”

The colossal frame of the God of Destruction shuddered to a halt, then began to disintegrate; its flesh, fur, and blood sloughing off like decayed matter, leaving behind nothing but skeletal remains.

“Boom…”

Ryan’s boots hit the ground solidly, standing before the skeletal remnants of the God, which, under a gentle breeze, crumbled into ash.

The Libra Pope, now reduced to just his torso, collapsed. Devoid of divine support, his visage reverted to its frail, elderly form, white-haired, deeply lined, his life’s vigor spent.

As he lay there, the Libra Pope stared up at the clear blue sky above the Holy Duel Arena, the darkness draining from his eyes, leaving them a dim, faded gray.

As the final moments of his life ebbed away, a fleeting spark of enlightenment flickered in the dry eyes of Pope Libra. He whispered, his voice tinged with a mix of wonder and regret, “Is this… what it feels like to become a god? What a pity…”

With those words hanging in the air, the light vanished from his eyes, signaling the extinguishment of his life. A Pope, the spiritual and theocratic leader of the Holy Libra Church, had met his end.

In that instant, a profound silence enveloped the spectators, both commoners and professionals alike, who had been watching the duel unfold on the light screen. The magnitude of what had transpired left them in a stunned hush.

Back in the sacred duel arena, Ryan approached the fallen figure of Libra Pope. The white flower mark that had graced his forehead dissolved into light and ascended, leaving behind a deepened sense of spirituality that wove seamlessly into his soul, fortifying his inner strength permanently.

With a resonant “clang,” Ryan sheathed his greatsword. He stood alone in the center of the arena, bathed in a convergence of golden holy light and the sun’s rays, his figure casting a formidable shadow like a blood-stained god of war.

Around him, the arena was a stark tableau of blood and mire. Amidst this chaos, particles of white light danced in the air, and it seemed, for a fleeting moment, as if a small white flower swayed gently in the breeze, a holy flower born from filth, a miraculous beacon in the encompassing darkness.

Ryan lifted his gaze to the digital prompts that floated before him. With the death of Pope Libra and the destruction of the God of Destiny, a flurry of notifications appeared:

—

[Theocracy is ruled by gods. You have performed an ‘act of godslaying’ which perfectly meets the criteria for [Pirate (Level 1)], achieving 100% professional compatibility!]

[You have earned the title—[God Slayer]]

[Witnessed by tens of thousands, your ‘Gluttony Joy’ paired with this ‘act of godslaying’ has garnered the approval of the masses. The ‘Joy Ceremony’ is deemed perfectly executed!]

[Having completed the ‘Gluttony Pleasure’ four times, your compatibility with [Gluttony Hunter (Level 1)] has reached 100%… Analysis underway…]

[1. Basic attributes: [Spirituality] ≥ 5.0, [Physical Fitness] ≥ 5.0 (completed)]

[2. Pleasure Ritual: In a significant gathering, complete an act of ‘pleasure’ acknowledged by over a hundred people, the embodiment of desire and the pinnacle of excitement. (Completed)]

[All conditions have been fulfilled…]

[Initiating second-level career promotion!]

—

As these prompts cascaded through his field of vision, Ryan stood resolute, the enormity of his victory and the path forward unfolding before him. His journey was far from over, but today, a new chapter of legend had been etched by his hand.