"A vicious criminal has infiltrated Rockpeak City! The City Guard is acting under orders to apprehend the culprit!"
"All unrelated personnel, withdraw immediately!"
"Anyone who refuses will be treated as an accomplice to the criminal!"
A booming voice echoed throughout Rockpeak City. In that instant, everyone who recognized the voice was stunned.
"T-That's Vice City Lord Ryan's voice?!"
"Which criminal is bold enough to break into Rockpeak City?"
"Hurry up and leave! Anyone who can make Vice City Lord Ryan mobilize this much force is almost certainly a Highgod!"
"If you don't want to get caught in the crossfire, get back indoors—now!"
In an instant, more than half of Rockpeak City erupted into chaos.
Those closest to Locke fled at top speed, scrambling to escape the encirclement of the City Guard.
The guards didn't stop them. Instead, they kept their eyes locked on Locke, weapons in hand, Law aura surging—ready to strike at any moment.
"Oh?"
"That guy's not stupid," Locke muttered.
At this point, how could he not realize he had been framed?
Among the six Gods he had killed earlier, two had possessed clones.
The moment those clones—still within Rockpeak City—learned of their counterparts' deaths, they must have immediately reported everything to the one pulling the strings.
Even if Locke hadn't returned to Rockpeak City, this Vice City Lord named Ryan would likely have gone out of the city himself to intercept Locke and reclaim his metallic lifeform.
Locke's direct entry into Rockpeak City simply made things easier for him.
A tall figure hovered above Locke and Little White.
Brown hair fluttered wildly behind him. His upper body was bare, muscles gleaming under the sunlight. Some kind of beast hide was loosely wrapped around his waist, barely covering his lower half, giving him an air of wild arrogance and unrestrained dominance.
Behind him stood two Demigods.
At this moment, both were looking at Locke with lingering fear in their eyes.
"Vice City Lord Ryan, it's him!"
"That's right! Even if he turned to ashes, I'd still recognize him!"
"He's the criminal! He attacked our metallic lifeform and killed four of our fellow City Guards!"
"Even our strongest divine clone was slain by him!"
"Please, Vice City Lord Ryan—seek justice for us!"
Locke was extremely familiar with the auras of these two Demigods.
After all, just ten minutes ago, their God-level clones—along with four other Gods—had been crushed to death by a single strike from him.
Their exchange was clearly heard by Locke.
What he didn't yet know was whether Ryan himself was the mastermind behind the ambush—or merely a fool being manipulated.
Locke slowly rose, stopping at eye level with the burly man.
He would take revenge—but he had no intention of becoming someone else's blade.
"You're Vice City Lord Ryan, correct?" Locke asked calmly.
"That's right. I am."
Ryan looked Locke over with curiosity.
"Judging by your aura, you're nothing more than a God. I'm very curious—what gave you the nerve to enter Rockpeak City after killing our City Guards?"
"Heh."
Locke chuckled softly.
"Vice City Lord, I'm curious about something too. Why are you so sure I was the one who ambushed them?"
"As you can see, I'm just an ordinary God, accompanied by a single Demigod subordinate."
"But the City Guard I encountered consisted of six Gods—and they even had a metallic lifeform."
"Tell me—how suicidal would I have to be to try and rob them?"
"Hm?"
Ryan froze.
That… actually made sense.
How could a single God ambush several Gods?
And metallic lifeforms were faster than even most Highgods. With a God's flight speed, how could anyone possibly catch one?
Ryan turned his head and looked at the two Demigods behind him.
Meeting his gaze, both panicked, waving their hands frantically.
"Vice City Lord, don't listen to his lies! He's not a God at all—he's a Highgod!"
"We didn't even have time to react before he killed us in one move!"
"Oh?"
Ryan looked back and forth between Locke and the two Demigods.
"Hey, you—are you a God or a Highgod?"
"Why do I only sense a God's divine power from you, yet these two insist you're a Highgod?"
With a thought, Locke instantly expanded his Divine Domain.
"Vice City Lord Ryan, appearances can be faked—but surely no one can fake a Divine Domain?"
Boom!
A powerful aura burst from Ryan, instantly shattering Locke's Divine Domain.
"Indeed. That is a God's Divine Domain."
Ryan's expression darkened as he grabbed the two Demigods—one in each hand.
"So, you dared to lie to me?"
"N-No—mercy!"
"Vice City Lord, spare us! It was Vice City Lord Evan who ordered us to do this!"
"Yes! It was all Vice City Lord Evan's idea—it had nothing to do with us!"
"Hmph. Evan?"
Anger surged across Ryan's face. Now that he knew who was behind it, he no longer bothered with them.
He released his grip, and the two Demigods immediately tried to flee—
But a Divine Domain descended instantly, engulfing them both.
"Sorry about this, gentlemen," Locke said calmly.
"Vice City Lord Ryan may have spared you—but I never said I would."
Terror filled their eyes as endless cold spread from Locke's Divine Domain, creeping across their divine bodies.
In just a few breaths, both Demigods were frozen solid.
Crack! Crack!
They shattered into countless shards of ice, leaving behind only two Demigod divine sparks.
"Hm?"
Ryan paused, surprised by the sight.
"Hey—you. Don't you know that only the City Guard is allowed to act within the city?"
"Violating Rockpeak City's laws right in front of me—are you pretending I don't exist, or do you think I'll let you go just because of that earlier misunderstanding?"
His voice turned icy.
"Apologies, Vice City Lord Ryan," Locke replied lightly.
"I'm not a very patient person. When I have a grudge, I settle it on the spot."
"As for Rockpeak City's rules…"
Locke lifted his head, a faint smile on his lips.
"When I'm willing to follow them, they're rules."
"When I'm not—I am the rule."
"Arrogant!"
Ryan roared in fury.
A terrifying aura exploded outward, accompanied by overwhelming binding force—
A Highgod's Divine Domain!
Little White's face turned pale as he instantly expanded his own Divine Domain to resist it.
But he was only a Demigod. Even though his domain offset part of the suppression, his strength was still cut in half.
This was the power of a Highgod.
The raw difference in divine power between a Highgod and a Demigod was already a hundredfold.
Add in the suppression from a Divine Domain, and unless Demigods formed a coordinated battle formation, no amount of scattered Demigods could threaten a Highgod—they would be slaughtered like livestock.
Locke frowned slightly.
Divine Domains—this was the "talent" bestowed by the heavens upon all gods, governed purely by rank, not strength.
Higher-ranked gods could suppress all those beneath them through their domains.
To completely negate a higher-ranked Divine Domain, one would need three divine clones, all deploying fused Divine Domains simultaneously.
With a thought, Locke expanded his own Divine Domain once more.
Unlike before, he compressed it tightly around himself. Icy cold surged outward, dispersing most of the suppression pressing down on him.
By his estimate, Ryan's Divine Domain was currently suppressing only about ten percent of his strength.
"Hmph."
Sensing that his domain hadn't suppressed Locke as much as expected, Ryan was visibly surprised.
Ordinary Gods, even with their domains active, usually lost at least twenty percent of their strength under a Highgod's Divine Domain.
This was the first time Ryan had ever seen a God whose Divine Domain could resist so much suppression.
By sheer strength alone, it rivaled the fused Divine Domains of two God-level clones.
"Vice City Lord Ryan," Locke said calmly,
"Those two may have lied to you—but in one thing, they weren't wrong."
"Though my realm is that of a God, my strength is in no way inferior to a Highgod."
"Hmph. And so what?"
"Even if you truly were a Highgod, violating Rockpeak City's laws means you must be punished!"
Ryan shouted, then waved his hand toward the surrounding City Guards.
"Matthew! Sabah! Take the others and fall back."
"This battle is not something you can interfere in."
"Yes, Vice City Lord!"
With his permission, the hundreds of City Guards immediately retreated at top speed.
This was a battle between Highgods.
If they didn't flee now, they'd be lucky to survive the aftermath—let alone avoid death.
(End of Chapter)
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