Chapter 111: Manigoldo's Swagger

Veronica of the Heavenly Skill Star was dead, but the power of the God of Death he left behind would not vanish in an instant. Behind this lingering power lay the residence of Thanatos, the God of Death.

Manigoldo gazed at the sight with a look of longing, then stepped directly inside. The next moment, he brought his foot down, shattering the chessboard shared by Thanatos, the God of Death, and Hypnos, the God of Sleep. The two deities remained expressionless, not even the pieces they held moved an inch.

"So, you are Thanatos, the God of Death?"

Cancer Manigoldo pressed his insolent face right up against that of the God of Death. Feng Zhe almost felt that if Manigoldo stuck out his tongue, he could have licked the deity's face.

As if encountering some common vermin, Hypnos, the God of Sleep, showed no interest and stood up sluggishly. "Let us finish this game when I return." He cared nothing for such a skirmish, remarking only that this was the other's responsibility to handle, before vanishing.

"Do you realize that this is supreme blasphemy before a god?" Thanatos looked at Manigoldo with icy seriousness, but the Saint cared not, crushing the board beneath his boot. He stood before the divine, lecturing the God of Death as if he were a child.

"Oh, so you really are Thanatos, the God of Death! Personally, you are the god I want to beat up the most!" Manigoldo unleashed a punch, intent on pummeling him.

Thanatos merely held up a single chess piece, effortlessly blocking the furious strike. He sneered, "You cannot even shatter a tiny piece? How pathetic!"

Suddenly, a foot descended from above, striking that very piece and shattering it instantly. Feng Zhe landed on the board and grumbled at Manigoldo, "Why the rush? You aren't doing a very good job as a guardian."

Moments earlier, upon seeing the power of the God of Death, Manigoldo had rushed off. Tenma and the others had wanted to follow, but Feng Zhe had blocked them. It took much persuasion to keep them behind. Feng Zhe knew this place was far too dangerous for them to be involved. He had arrived a few steps late, just enough to let Manigoldo have his moment of bravado.

The God of Death looked at Feng Zhe with disdain. "Another pest has arrived!" With a surge of divine power, he blasted Feng Zhe and Manigoldo into a corner. Both struck back with their fists, but the seated god batted them away; Feng Zhe managed to land on his feet, while Manigoldo slammed hard into a pillar.

The chess piece reappeared in the god’s hand and was placed back onto the board. Instantly, the ruined board restored itself, and the grand hall grew grim and terrifying, filled with a suffocating purple glow. Feng Zhe recognized this as the raw power of the God of Death; it seemed this vessel was not only perfectly compatible but highly awakened. For all intents and purposes, there was little difference between this body and the god’s true form.

Suddenly, a giant knight materialized beside Manigoldo, lunging at the Cancer Saint. Fortunately, Manigoldo was no slouch; he leapt up and hammered his fist into the knight's spear. Simultaneously, Feng Zhe found himself surrounded by chess pieces, their spears and axes forcing him into a desperate retreat. Both men were plunged into crisis.

"Sacrifice! Ghost Flame! Praesepe Ghost Flame!"

The two men unleashed their techniques—one the sacred fire, the other the Praesepe—and as their ultimate moves converged, a massive explosion rocked the hall. The chamber became an ocean of red and blue flames, a strange, fused power that incinerated the chess pieces to ash. Even Thanatos stood unmoved amidst the conflagration.

At that moment, Thanatos donned his Surplice; the flames could not inflict even the slightest harm upon him. With a wave of his hand, a gateway to the Elysian Fields opened above the hall—a super-dimensional space that no mortal could tread without being torn to shreds. A powerful suction dragged Feng Zhe and Manigoldo toward the sky. It was clear the God of Death was no longer playing.

Feng Zhe looked toward the heavens; behind that sky lay the true body of Hades. But he could not enter yet; these two second-tier gods had to be destroyed first.

"Perish into dust at the end of time and space!"

Just as the situation reached its zenith, a flash of lightning tore through the sky, creating a breach in the divine gateway. An arm emerged, wielding a paper talisman. It was Pope Sage. He had broken through the shackles at the critical moment, temporarily sealing the gateway.

The God of Death recognized him instantly. "The brat from Cancer who survived the last Holy War!"

It was clear that Sage harbored deep hatred for the god, a hatred so profound that he had to take the field himself to bring Thanatos down. Feng Zhe looked at the Pope and sighed, "I told you not to get involved. You came anyway."

Feng Zhe had schemed to keep Sage away, even having him confined, but the Pope had followed him the moment he left. Who was Sage? He was a Pope who walked a step ahead of even the gods; how could he not see through Feng Zhe's plans?

"If it weren't for the barrier, I would have killed him already!" Manigoldo muttered, shrugging his shoulders with feigned indifference.

Sage replied sternly, "You are on the outskirts of the barrier. You were never affected." Manigoldo looked awkward, forced to accept the rebuke.

Thanatos remained unimpressed. Whether it was one old man or a hundred, the outcome would be the same. In the eyes of a god, humans were nothing more than vermin.

Suddenly, the hall grew sinister once more as the god swept his hands. "Terrible Providence!"

Countless spirits charged the trio, radiating the chill of death. These were not ordinary souls, but death warriors cultivated by Thanatos in secret—beings who served only him, with powers exceeding those of the Specters. As the ghosts swarmed, Feng Zhe felt them attacking not just his body, but his very soul.

Just as Thanatos prepared to suck Manigoldo into the super-dimension, the Saint smiled.

"Praesepe Soul Burial!"

Instantly, the spirits ignited like a powder keg, a massive wave of destructive force sweeping across the sky. The attack was so powerful that it left a bleeding gash on the handsome face of Thanatos. This technique was the ultimate secret of the Cancer Saints—the stronger the spirit, the greater the devastation. The army of death warriors, cultivated over countless ages, was wiped out in a single stroke.

Thanatos was enraged. In all his eons, this was the first time a mortal had wounded him.

"Checkmate, Lord Thanatos!"

Cancer Manigoldo struck a cool pose, his expression as irritating as ever. Feng Zhe watched him and muttered to himself, "In the end, he still stole the spotlight."