WHIRRRRRRR————
The sound of helicopter blades echoed from high above. By the time Erica and Liliana finally arrived at the scene, Roy had already slain Verethragna.
The helicopter swayed violently as it was buffeted by the hundred-meter-high waves, only stabilizing after a long struggle. Seeing this, Roy retracted both the Holy Right Hand and the massive sword. Transparent wings of light unfurled behind him.
Aiwass appeared at Roy's back. With a single motion of her hand, she seized Verethragna's dissipating spiritual foundation before it could fade entirely.
Aiwass could not interfere with the material world, but once a Heretic God perished, it was no longer bound to it—allowing her to intercept and preserve the spiritual foundation that would otherwise return to nothingness.
"Lord Roy!"
Erica and Liliana leaped from the helicopter, using magecraft to hover midair before they could plunge into the sea, then swiftly flew to Roy's side.
"The Heretic God… is already… dead?"
The two girls scanned their surroundings but found no trace of the Heretic God. After a stunned pause, they stammered out their question.
"Yeah, I already cut him down."
Roy casually slipped his right hand back into his pocket.
Erica swallowed hard, awed by Roy's power. Even for a Campione—even for ancient ones like Marquis Voban or Luo Hao—slaying a god was never a simple feat. Each battle was a desperate struggle.
Roy slaying gods was as effortless as eating or drinking. In the brief time it took for her and Liliana to board a helicopter and head out to sea, Roy had already slain the deity—a power that defied all reason.
"I remember... there was supposed to be another one."
Liliana frowned slightly, glancing at Roy before cautiously adding, "...The Seven Sisters Alliance in Italy witnessed two Heretic Gods. Since you've only killed one, Lord Roy, the other..."
Roy simply waved his hand and chuckled. "...The other Heretic God is Melqart."
"Melqart? The god-king worshipped by the Canaanites and Phoenicians? Hmm, Melqart is also known as Baal, one of the 72 Pillar Demons of Solomon."
Erica, with her vast knowledge of mythology, quickly pieced together Melqart's origins.
"Right, that Melqart. But as a Heretic God manifesting in this world, He has no connection to Solomon's 72 Pillar Demons. Right now, He's recuperating on Sardinia, so I won't bother Him. Luo Hao should already be on her way from China to finish Him off."
Roy adjusted his clothes nonchalantly as he spoke.
"Luo Hao?"
Both Erica and Liliana exclaimed in surprise.
They never expected the reclusive, century-old sect leader, who rarely moved, to travel all the way from distant China to Italy for a Heretic God. It was truly unbelievable—especially since the sect leader had never gone out of her way to hunt Heretic Gods before. Stranger still, Lord Roy wasn't seizing the opportunity to slay a god so close by, even though Campione grew stronger with each divine kill.
After some thought, Erica and Liliana could only assume that Roy and Luo Hao shared an unusually close relationship, which was why the domineering king would willingly forgo a divine kill and leave it to the sect leader. They wondered what exactly had transpired during Roy's recent visit to Mount Lu to foster such intimacy between them.
Of course, Erica and Liliana had no idea that Roy wasn't killing Melqart because, after slaying Verethragna, his capacity for spiritual foundations had already reached its limit. Killing Melqart wouldn't benefit him further, so he might as well leave the god for Luo Hao.
Not long ago, Roy had visited Mount Lu to meet the sect leader. In her small wooden cabin, the two engaged in dual cultivation. While Roy gained her knowledge of Chinese Daoist arts, he also taught her the ritual of Spiritual Foundation Ascension.
This was why the once-reclusive sect leader had suddenly begun scouring the world for Heretic Gods, hoping to slay one compatible with her and achieve a qualitative transformation.
However, Roy wasn't optimistic about Luo Hao's chances. His own flawless execution of the Spiritual Foundation Ascension ritual had only been possible thanks to Aiwass.
After all, Roy's first attempt at the ritual—using King Solomon's spiritual foundation—had been a partial failure, resulting in an imperfect fusion. It was only when Aiwass personally intervened, intercepting the spiritual foundation before it dissipated from the material world after the Heretic God's death, that the ritual reached perfection.
Luo Hao, the sect leader, did not have the assistance of Aiwass. Presumably, when she performed this ritual, she couldn't achieve the same level of perfection as Roy.
'Even so, by using this ritual to fuse the Spirit Foundations, the sect leader's power will still be enhanced, surpassing that of an ordinary Campione. For Luo Hao, who hasn't made progress in over two hundred years, this result should be acceptable to her.'
Roy thought to himself. He would actually prefer Luo Hao to grow even stronger before the final battle with the Last King, buying him more time to activate the grand magic capable of destroying the Last King. But Roy merely entertained the thought—there weren't so many Heretic Gods in the world for Luo Hao to slay. If she could find one or two Heretic Gods compatible with her before the Last King awakened, it would already be an immense stroke of luck.
"Let's head back. Erica, Lily, there's nothing more to see here. We don't need to worry about Melqart either—Sect Leader Luo Hao will handle it."
Roy called out, signaling the helicopter to descend. He boarded the aircraft with Erica and Liliana.
The two girls found it slightly odd. In the past, after Roy slew a god, he would always experience a few seconds of dazedness—a side effect of his consciousness traveling to the Netherworld to undergo Pandora's Circle of Usurpation. But today, after killing this Heretic God, Roy showed no such reaction.
Though puzzled, Erica and Liliana weren't particularly knowledgeable about Campiones or Heretic Gods, so they didn't press further.
The wind from the helicopter's rotors stirred the sea's surface as they left the Tyrrhenian Sea and flew toward Rome.
…
The moment they returned to his home in Rome, Roy ignored everyone else and immediately retreated to his bedroom, eagerly declaring, "...Aiwass, let's begin the ritual!"
The purpose of Pandora's Circle of Usurpation was to grant Roy new Authorities, while the Spirit Foundation Ascension ritual evolved his existing Authorities and granted him greater magical power. That was why Roy hadn't traveled to the Netherworld after slaying Verethragna—he didn't want the War God's Ten Avatars Authority. Instead, he intended to fuse it with his own Holy Right, allowing his Holy Right to undergo its final evolution!
"Everything is prepared. Begin, Roy!"
Aiwass, who had been floating behind Roy ever since he killed Verethragna, spoke softly. With a flick of her wrist, the intercepted Spirit Foundation crystal drifted from her palm. Simultaneously, an intricate ritual circle materialized on the floor of Roy's bedroom.
He was about to complete his final task in the world of Campiones. Once done, Roy's power would swell to near the true limits of this world!
----------
For advance chapters join my Patreon.
[email protected]/Aarvan