Verethragna's fighting spirit blazed fiercely.
He was the God of Battle, the God of War, the Undefeated Victor. He would never shy away from a challenge nor yield to the pressure of a stronger foe.
The moment Roy declared his intent to fight, Verethragna's warrior essence surged through his entire being. The pull of the nine merged incarnations was drawing the final one back to his side.
"Verethragna, if you still uphold the light as its guardian, then let us change the battlefield! Before you fully return to your identity as a Heretic God, surely you would not wish to bring disaster upon humanity because of our clash!"
Roy's voice was low but firm. The reason he had assured Erica and Liliana that their battle would not destroy Rome was because he knew Verethragna—before the ten incarnations fully merged into the Heretic God—remained the benevolent Guardian of Light.
Sure enough, the youthful God of War laughed heartily, "...I was just thinking the same. Though you are the enemy of us gods, O Demon King, cursed by the divine, you still possess a heart for the people. This pleases me greatly. Follow me!"
As his words fell, an ethereal yet tangible disc materialized behind Verethragna. The pointer on this disc aligned with the 'Phoenix' emblem, and with the cry of an immortal bird, Verethragna transformed into undying flames that soared skyward, streaking southward toward Rome. In the blink of an eye, he vanished into a distant speck of firelight.
The location was the Tyrrhenian Sea, where Sardinia meets mainland Italy.
"A heart for the people? Hah, I possess no such thing. It's simply that Rome and the Vatican are now my stronghold, and only a fool would fight an enemy in their own base."
Roy chuckled lightly as flames and lightning erupted around him. Entering a state of Godspeed, he transformed into a streaking meteor chasing after Verethragna.
Left behind, Erica and Liliana exchanged glances, their faces filled with astonishment. They hadn't expected Roy and the War God to depart so swiftly.
"Erica, what should we do?" asked Liliana, uncertain.
Gritting her teeth and stamping her foot, Erica replied, "...There's no way our magic can keep up with Lord Roy and the Heretic God. Quickly arrange for a plane. Even if we're of no use there, as Lord Roy's exclusive knights, we should be by his side when he achieves victory."
Liliana nodded and immediately sprang into action.
...
Meanwhile, Roy, following Verethragna, traversed hundreds of kilometers in an instant, arriving above the open sea. There, he saw the youthful-faced War God floating above the ocean's surface.
Unlike the protagonist of the original story, while Verethragna's avatar authority had "target restrictions," there were no usage limits when employed by its true master. Possessing ten avatars, Verethragna was exceptionally versatile in combat.
Though the Phoenix Avatar wasn't pure Godspeed, its velocity was still immense, rivaling true Godspeed. This single avatar alone significantly enhanced Verethragna's combat capabilities.
The handsome youth clad in desert attire waited until Roy arrived before slowly raising his hand.
"Let it be here, Demon King! In this place, the aftermath of our battle shall not bring excessive suffering to the world."
This radiant fifteen-year-old form symbolized the "hero" in the doctrines he protected and was also Verethragna's combat stance.
His expression grew solemn and dignified as he spoke slowly, "...I do not wish to resume my identity as a Heretic God. Yet I know that in my current incomplete state, battling you would only end in my defeat. Only by restoring my full power can I earn the right to fight you!"
"...This is respect for a warrior, this is reverence for strength! Demon King, behold my final avatar!"
Without further words, Verethragna's divine power surged, his battle intent erupting fiercely as his raised right hand swept downward.
"For victory, hasten to my side! O immortal sun, bestow upon me thy radiant steed! Let the swift-footed spiritual horse bring forth the halo of its master!"
"Neigh——————"
The sound of galloping horses echoed across the sky as the azure heavens turned crimson like a falling sun. From the distant east, a magnificent steed charged across the void, its hoofbeats growing louder. Behind it trailed a massive sun—no, it wasn't the sun following, but the horse pulling the sun forward.
This was one of Verethragna's ten avatars—the White Stallion!
"Sinful one, great sinner with a body of steel! Burn to ashes beneath this sacred flame!"
BOOM————————
The sun descended from the heavens, and the seawater beneath Roy's feet began to boil. He tilted his head slightly upward, gazing at the sky where his vision was filled entirely with crimson. Within that crimson, solar flares burned as if Roy had been instantly transported from Earth to the surface of a star.
Roy's body was stolen from the Steel God, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven—a Holy Child's Body as unyielding as reinforced steel. And what the Steel God feared most was the fire of the sun. Verethragna, wary that his other authorities might prove ineffective, immediately unleashed the Solar Chariot, capable of reducing Roy's body to molten iron.
The White Stallion incarnation represented divine punishment upon sinners who brought suffering to the people. Roy, who had caused the deaths of 300,000 in Tokyo and Kyoto, was the very embodiment of 'great sin'!
"Babel's Ascent!"
Facing the White Stallion, Roy smirked. Clenching his left fist, he punched toward the sky, and an illusory tower soared upward—the Tower of Babel that had once provoked the wrath and fear of God, its path leading straight to Heaven!
The phantom tower pierced the heavens, its peak colliding with the sun drawn by the White Stallion. The scorching, all-consuming heat eroded the tower, and in the next moment, the structure meant to reach Heaven could no longer withstand the temperature. With a mournful cry, it collapsed in a thunderous crash...
Yet Roy's Babel's Ascent was akin to the 'Regretful Dragon' stance from the martial arts novel 'Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms'—its true power lay not in the 'dragon's rise' but in the 'regret' that followed.
The true killing move of Babel's Ascent was not the united human spirit that built the tower to reach Heaven, but the chaos it brought to the world when the tower crumbled.
Humanity had once united their tongues to construct the Tower of Babel, but as it fell, it symbolized the scattering of mystery itself!
BOOOOOOM——————
The illusory tower conjured by Roy's fist collapsed, bringing with it the fragmentation of mystery. The great sun shattered into countless fragments as the tower fell, raining down with the burning debris into the sea.
Innumerable fiery meteors descended from the sky, striking the ocean and sending towering water columns hundreds of meters high. Yet both the tower Roy had punched into existence and the sun summoned by Verethragna vanished beyond the horizon.
As the magical energy dissipated, even the remnants of the tower and flames sinking into the depths of the sea faded into nothingness. The sky cleared once more, as if nothing had ever happened.
Not far ahead of Roy, Verethragna stood suspended in midair, his expression grave. In his hand, he now gripped a Golden Sword!
The White Stallion had been the last of Verethragna's incarnations yet to be fused. He had summoned it in hopes of catching Roy off guard, never expecting that the sheer disparity in raw power would allow Roy to shatter both the White Stallion and the sun with a single punch.
Had this been Roy just after arriving in this world and succeeding in deicide, facing Verethragna's White Stallion incarnation would have been a fierce battle, likely requiring a desperate struggle to overcome it.
However, after Roy underwent four Spiritual Foundation Ascensions, his sheer power had reached an overwhelming level. This was the simplest method of combat—overcoming skill with brute force. Each punch he threw carried immense momentum, capable of shattering any intricate spellcraft with sheer might.
"Exactly as I said, Verethragna! All your convoluted avatars are useless against me. You should have used your strongest power from the very beginning!"
Facing the Golden Sword in Verethragna's hand—the most troublesome Authority in the world of Campione—Roy's eyes gleamed as he laughed heartily.
***
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