The awe-inspiring, blindingly radiant hand reflected across the sky, merging with the golden sword array, transforming the entire world into a sea of gold.
Roy stood expressionless in the void, staring at the pale-faced Verethragna before him as he demanded, "...Come, Verethragna! Tell me, can you seal even this Divine Hand?"
The deafening voice reached the ancient Persian God of War's ears. The youthful-looking deity staggered back two steps in midair, his golden eyes fixed intently on the sacred hand resting upon Roy's right shoulder. Countless golden swords pointed their blades toward it, yet after a long silence, Verethragna's face flushed and paled alternately before he finally admitted in defeat:
"...Incomprehensible. Unseverable. What manner of existence is this hand? My swords cannot react to it in any way."
He looked at Roy with hopeful expectation, clearly desiring an explanation about the mysterious hand that had entered his blind spot of knowledge. The sacred, majestic hand made Verethragna suspect its existence surpassed even Heretic Gods, transcended mythical deities, and might even be an unknown power beyond this world.
"Precisely. This is your limit, Verethragna—the boundary of all Heretic Gods!"
Roy nodded slightly, having obtained the answer he sought.
The golden swords summoned by Verethragna's Warrior incarnation could be considered this world's most refined power. Even the authorities Roy had stolen from Michael had been severed by this true Sword of Wisdom.
However, Verethragna didn't know that while Roy's Holy Right appeared to contain seven authorities, it actually only possessed six. The final Light of the Right—the "Holy Right" manifesting as the hand upon Roy's shoulder—wasn't stolen from Michael at all. Rather, this hand had spontaneously emerged after Roy fully comprehended the essence of knowledge contained within the Book of 777 and Book of the Law, the distilled wisdom of Aleister Crowley and Aiwass.
This was power belonging solely to Roy—not taken from anyone, not stolen from another. Roy had merely included this hand within his Holy Right authority to complete the sacred number "seven."
With Verethragna's definitive confirmation that the golden swords couldn't seal this hand, Roy became certain: once he killed Verethragna and claimed those swords for himself, he would truly stand at this world's pinnacle, with no remaining opponents in the entire Campione universe.
'There's still the Last King...'
Roy silently contemplated that name. While the Last King Rama's personal power wasn't greater than Verethragna's—perhaps even weaker than the God of War—the "The Great Ritual of Oath Covenant" formed from the mission bestowed upon him by all gods granted Veeraj strength beyond reason.
The Great Ritual of Oath Covenant represented this world's sole exception-breaking power.
However, the Great Ritual of Oath Covenant was the gods' collective agreement—a force that could only manifest within this world's framework.
"Now that I've witnessed this world's limits, Persian God of War... let your myth end here and now!"
Roy's eyes suddenly widened, fixing Verethragna within his eerie double pupils. The Holy Right on his right shoulder trembled slightly, as if adjusting its aim. Then, Roy raised his right hand and unleashed a heaven-shaking verbal incantation:
"I ask you—Who is most like God?!"
A radiance that enveloped heaven and earth erupted in an instant, flooding Verethragna's vision with a golden tide. The countless golden swords forming the sword array melted away like snow under the brilliance, vanishing into nothingness in the blink of an eye.
There was no dodging—even moving faster than light itself would be futile. For the light emanating from that golden hand was not mere illumination, but the supreme mystery of Christianity—the Light of the Right!
The golden sword shattered into two pieces. Behind Verethragna, the illusory disk dissipated, and the remaining nine avatars turned into nothingness. The divine power that had allowed Verethragna to fight fiercely against Roy melted away in an instant. All the elements of victory that the Eastern God of War possessed were laid bare under the radiance of this light.
After the brilliance faded, Verethragna, who had been floating in the air, fell like a torn sack and crashed into the sea. A fall from such a height, which in the past would have caused him no harm, now sent searing pain through his chest and abdomen, blood gushing from his mouth.
Lying on the surface of the sea, he gasped violently, his eyes still filled with confusion. Though Verethragna had anticipated his defeat, the manner of his downfall was beyond his expectations.
As the God of War who wielded victory, the agony of having every "element of victory" stripped away far surpassed that of ordinary gods. Perhaps only Athena from ages past could somewhat understand the emotions he felt now.
"Hahahahaha!! The undefeated god has finally met his defeat—baffling yet inevitable, fallen at the hands of the most powerful Demon King across all time!"
Verethragna laughed heartily, his mirth unburdened by resentment or hatred. As a god, even the undefeated God of War, he possessed the dignity to acknowledge his loss.
"Truly an enlightening experience, mighty Demon King! You have made the undefeated god taste the shame of defeat. Remember this glory well, for I shall return one day. There will be no second time—when I descend again, I will surely defeat you!"
Verethragna gazed at Roy, who was descending step by step from the sky, coughing between bouts of laughter.
"There won't be a next time, Verethragna! And even if you were to descend again as a Heretic God, before me, you would only taste defeat once more!"
Roy came to a stop a hundred meters away from Verethragna. The massive hand on his right shoulder clenched the air, and a crimson sword stretching a thousand meters long was grasped within that Holy Right Hand.
"Hah, you truly spare me no face. As the defeated general, can you not even allow me the indulgence of a few grandiose words before my end?"
The ancient Persian God of War let out a bitter laugh. Roy hadn't expected this guy to still be capable of joking.
"Never mind. Strike me down here, Demon King! Take my power and grow even stronger! I know what you are about to face—the natural enemy of the Demon Kings, the Last Steel whose purpose is to slay them. Let my power merge with yours, and together, let us shatter that Last Steel! Do not be defeated, Demon King. My undefeated glory now belongs to you—you must remain invincible!"
The undefeated God of War proclaimed loudly, as though bestowing upon Roy the divine blessing of his words.
"Thank you for your auspicious words, Verethragna!"
Roy smiled faintly at the God of War, and the Holy Right Hand on his shoulder also moved, preparing to strike.
"One last question—tell me your name, Campione who has made the ever-victorious God of War taste defeat!"
"Roy Crowley!!"
As Roy's voice rang out, the thousand-meter-long sword descended.
BOOM————
The entire sea was split in two by Roy's Sword of Judgment. A slash of sword energy cleaved through the ocean, reaching all the way to the distant horizon where sea met sky. Only after the magical energy of the slash gradually dissipated did the parted waters collapse inward, sending up towering waves a hundred meters high. And the God of War who had once triumphed over the three-headed demon dragon was now utterly annihilated, leaving not even a trace behind.
"At last, the final moment has arrived!"