"Hold your horses, Veldora."
Damien didn't approve the Storm Dragon God's request to charge in.
Unlike Velzard, Damien wouldn't let his companions take risks.
Even Veldora was someone he valued.
Fortunately, the new world's level wasn't so high that Veldora would go in and never return.
Damien didn't mind if Veldora caused a ruckus.
The problem was, causing chaos wouldn't help them acquire Ultimate power!
"That world has its own rules."
Damien shook his head, sighing. "Ultimate power can't be seized directly; it must be obtained by following their rules."
"Ugh..."
The chuuni dragon was stumped.
Scratching his head, Veldora sat back down, visibly embarrassed.
The current Veldora hadn't inherited Rimuru's memories and wasn't some sharp-minded shogi grandmaster.
Asking him to clear a game by following its rules was a bit too much.
"So..."
Diablo said, "Not only will we be suppressed, but we also have to follow their rules?"
"Correct."
Violet explained, "While the God of the Void's power has improved the frequency, effects, and flexibility of our crossings..."
"We're still far from being able to act recklessly."
"May I ask, then..."
"How do we acquire this Ultimate power?"
"By slaying gods!"
"???"
At that, Rimuru's head sprouted several question marks. Perplexed, she asked, "Slaying gods? Like, killing deities, the way I'm thinking?"
"Similar, but not entirely accurate."
Violet said, "This new world, Damien and I have named the 'Campioneverse.'"
"In ancient times, incredibly powerful beings appeared on the earth."
"They had no names, no fixed forms."
"These ancient creatures sometimes threatened humans, while other times, they bestowed blessings based on their whims."
"This is the origin of the beings known as 'gods.'"
Violet explained the essence of the 'gods' in that world.
At first glance, they resembled the spiritual lifeforms of the Central World, like the True Dragons.
"Later, humans discovered these great beings."
"They stood indifferently on the vast earth, watching gods manipulate storms, unleash thunder, and wield boundless might, bringing disasters to the world."
To restrain these gods, humans devised a method: crafting 'myths' as shackles to bind them.
Gods given names and myths wouldn't act beyond those constraints.
When granting humans blessings or receiving offerings, they acted according to their roles.
This allowed humans to prepare for the gods' threats or boons.
This method was less a seal and more a ritual.
It wasn't mandatory.
Initially, it likely involved sacrifices, worship, and faith, gradually luring the gods into the poison of 'myths.'
Over time, the World's Will sensed this human behavior.
It then inscribed a new set of game rules into the root, forcing all gods to comply.
"But not all gods were willing to be bound by myths."
If a god acted beyond their given name and the meaning of their myth...
If a god reverted to the primordial era with fewer mythic constraints...
Such a god would be called a 'Heretic God.'
"And in this new world, there exists a special ritual that allows one to seize the Authority of a Heretic God by killing them."
"Those who slay a Heretic God are called Campione, the Devil Kings of the earth!"
Hearing Violet's explanation, everyone turned their gaze to the blue planet before them.
"Campiones, Devil Kings..."
Carrera's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Sounds interesting!"
The Cardinal World had no gods.
The closest to the concept of gods were the divine spirits created by Damien.
However, while there were no gods, there were angels and daemons.
By the Campioneverse's definition, Primordial Daemons like Diablo would, in terms of status, be no less than the Seven Sins.
In that world, they'd easily rank as main god-level Heretic God.
"So, we're to compete with these Heretic God for their Authorities?"
"Fighting gods sounds like fun!"
Rimuru, shedding her earlier hesitation, perked up as long as it didn't involve slaughtering innocents.
You're a Demon Lord? Well, so am I!
Who's afraid of who?
As long as morality wasn't at stake, Rimuru was all in for the fun.
"Ahem!"
Damien signaled for silence before continuing, "Becoming a Campione is quite difficult."
The mere requirement of a mortal achieving the feat of slaying a god would stop Damien and his group in their tracks.
Even if they abandoned their powers to challenge gods as mortals...
What were the odds they'd become one of those lucky few?
Not one in a million... more like one in a billion!
"What we want is the gods' Authorities, not the achievement of godslaying."
"Just as I gave up on forceful plundering," Damien said, "the world's rules have given me enough leeway."
Pandora had her ritual; Damien had his methods.
Through the God of the Void's rule invasion, Damien had essentially hacked into the Campioneverse's terminal, gaining some authority.
Thanks to Violet's efforts, Damien had found a loophole in the godslaying ritual.
"Now, you have three options."
"First, occupy the divine status of a Heretic God, then, in that world, kill other Gods or Campione."
This method had pros and cons.
The advantage was that the Demon Lords would gain a Heretic God's 'account,' accessing all that god's abilities.
Even if they died, they'd only lose the account, not harm their true bodies.
The downside was obvious.
They couldn't use their original powers, severely limiting the combat strength of Damien's Demon Lords.
Plus, aligning with the Heretic God risked drawing the ire of Campiones.
"The second option is to enter as 'humans.'"
"Of course, by 'humans,' I mean you can't use Ultimate abilities."
In other words, to become Campiones by killing gods, they could choose this path.
***
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