"Hmph!"
"Having lost his reason and left with nothing but instinct, the so-called god-king is nothing more than a brainless beast."
Diablo easily took the upper hand in the fight against Zeus.
As for Zeus…
After his final burst of desperate power, his momentum began to fade. In the end Diablo's sword severed his arm and sent him crashing to the ground!
Boom!
Without giving Zeus a chance to rise, Diablo descended like lightning and drove his blade straight through the god-king's body, pinning him to the earth.
"Lord Damien!!!"
Diablo had already beaten Zeus into a helpless state.
This was the perfect moment!
"Thank you for your hard work."
Damien appeared beside Diablo. Without the slightest hesitation he took the morning-star sword that was offered to him and brought it down on Zeus's neck.
There was no exchange, no dramatic moment of mutual respect between heroes.
To Damien the Heretic Gods of this world were nothing more than prey he had set his sights on—and resources he could use.
Do you form emotional attachments to a piece of meat?
Don't be ridiculous.
Damien casually returned the morning-star sword to Diablo.
He watched Zeus's remains scatter into golden particles, then closed his eyes and felt the transformation brought by the Ring of Usurpation.
Under normal circumstances becoming a Campione wasn't this simple.
This was the classic "big shot carries the newbie" scenario.
The former crippled the Heretic God, the latter delivered the finishing blow, and then the transformation into a Campione occurred.
The Ring of Usurpation would never accept such a thing.
In its judgment, without accomplishing a miraculous feat there was no way to activate the ritual Pandora had left behind to steal a Heretic God's power.
In other words, Damien should not have been able to obtain Zeus's power.
But!
That rule applied to the people of the Campione world!
In front of Damien, those complicated rules meant nothing.
"Violet!"
Other people needed the power of the Ring of Usurpation to become Campiones. Did Damien need that troublesome thing?
No, he did not!
Damien had Violet.
The instant he successfully slew the god, Violet had already analyzed the Ring of Usurpation and made it hers!
[This is the paean in which a Campione boasts of usurping the Authorities of the gods.]
[This is the challenge issued by one who became a Demon Lord while still human, directed at the gods he views as enemies.]
[This is the fierce declaration of will to seize the Authorities of the god he has slain.]
[Gods of the heavens, hear my words and rage at the death of your insulted kin.]
[Gods of the earth, hear my words and curse the violence of the Campione you will one day meet.]
[Gods of the sea, hear my words and weep and sigh at the elegy of your inescapable fate.]
[I am the enemy of all gods.]
[I am the usurper of divine power, the Beast that slays gods!]
A hymn-like chant rang through the sky as Violet activated the Ring of Usurpation.
The storm clouds parted. The hellish karmic flames began to die out. Light once again bathed the mortal world.
Only one figure remained, standing atop the wasteland with his back to all living things!
"So this is magical energy?"
Unlike other Campiones, Damien did not fall unconscious or enter the Realm of Immortality to meet the loli goddess named Pandora.
Yes—although the result was the same and Damien had indeed received an Authority from Zeus.
He had nothing to do with Pandora.
If he were to call anyone "Mother," it would be Violet.
After all, Violet had conducted the usurpation ritual and bestowed Zeus's power upon him in the form of an Authority.
"Haa…"
Damien clenched his fist. He didn't bother checking the Authority he had gained; instead he focused on the changes to his body.
First, the benefits of becoming a Campione went far beyond a single Authority.
If Authorities were the software loaded onto a Campione, then the true difference between an earthly Demon Lord and an ordinary human lay in the hardware.
"A human who becomes a Campione automatically learns a thousand languages, gains night vision, and develops an extremely tough body. Their bones become harder than any alloy in the world, their muscle fibers nearly impossible to tear, bleeding stops almost instantly, and their sense of pain grows dull…"
"Furthermore, a Campione's body contains hundreds of times more magical energy than an ordinary magician. By strengthening the flow of that energy they become immune to external magic, and wide-area spells are automatically nullified."
"At the same time, Campiones possess powerful resistance to magical energy. Both benevolent and malevolent spells are repelled. The only way to make magic or potions temporarily effective is to deliver them directly into the body mouth-to-mouth."
"And that's not all."
Damien carefully sensed every benefit that came with becoming a Campione. "No matter who the opponent is, they will always be able to find a path to victory."
That miracle-like talent was the most troublesome part of facing a Campione.
"No matter whether it's knightly swordsmanship, Chinese martial arts, magic, or any other skill, if they wish they can instantly reach the pinnacle of mastery."
Campiones also possessed terrifying learning ability—the very reason they could constantly dig deeper and develop their Authorities.
All in all, the advantages of becoming a Campione were almost on par with an Awakened Demon Lord in the Central Continent.
When you added in Authorities comparable to Ultimate Skills, they might even surpass the average Awakened Demon Lord in raw power.
[Authority: In the Name of the Father]
Chant: Before the heavens and earth took form, that which enveloped all and filled the cosmos was one single essence, now called Chaos.
Earth, abyss, Eros, darkness, night—you who gave birth to all things and gods, you should kneel before me!
I am the one who holds the power of Olympus. I am the father of the gods.
In the name of the sky father, I command all gods!
"In the Name of the Father?"
Damien had expected to usurp something related to judgment, thunder, sky, or storms from Zeus.
What he received was completely unexpected.
The Authority "In the Name of the Father" was not simple elemental control. It was a divine decree.
In simple terms, it was all-encompassing and nearly omnipotent.
When using this Authority, Damien would become the Greek god-king, enthroned on Olympus, issuing commands to the gods and forcibly using their Authorities.
^^^
If you want to read up to 50 chapters ahead, don't hesitate to visit our patron: pat reon . com/XElenea