Verethragna, of course, was unaware of the teasing and sympathy from the members of the chat group. He did, however, admit that he could not answer Su Mo's question.
Compared to humans, who constantly explored themselves and surpassed their limits, the general behavior of gods was somewhat unenterprising. Few ever thought of surpassing their existing limits.
Although being rendered speechless by a mere human seemed to damage the dignity of a god, he still maintained his divine composure and did not become angry. Not only that, but he also revealed a pleased smile.
"Words are light, words are swords. As a god, I must praise your eloquence. Your words are sharper than any blade; even a god may not compare."
As a god who was inherently skilled at manipulating language, he acknowledged Su Mo's advantage without any resentment.
Then, his tone shifted.
"However, thinking and reflecting are matters for a god of wisdom to consider! For a god of war, the only thing that needs to be considered is victory."
As he spoke, the smile at the corner of his lips grew sharper, and his entire being seemed eager for a fight.
"How about it? Care to experience the power of a god firsthand?"
His constantly rising aura and the ever-accumulating divine power were clear signs that he was preparing for battle.
"Can't win with words, so you plan to solve the problem with force?" Su Mo asked with a placid expression. "Even when facing a mere human, your competitive spirit is this strong?"
"Can't be helped. I am the god of victory, after all!" Verethragna shrugged nonchalantly. Unlike when they were conversing, his eyes were clearly more joyful when facing battle.
"The purpose of my descent to the lower world this time is to seek defeat. Although I feel a bit sorry for my previous opponent, let the God King Melqart wait for a while. I think fighting you will be more interesting!"
Mentioning the God King Melqart, a childlike, unsatiated expression appeared on Verethragna's face.
Not one, but two Heretic Gods had descended this time. Previously, he had been in a battle with the Heretic Melqart, during which his divinity had been shattered by his opponent's divine artifact.
This was what caused his incarnations to scatter across the land, transforming into various strange Divine Beasts.
Now, the battle between the two Heretic Gods was not yet over; it was merely a halftime break. He shouldn't have been changing opponents at this time.
But the greedy god clearly didn't want to let such an interesting human go, so he planned to settle things with Su Mo first.
Seeing that Su Mo showed no signs of refusal, the smile on Verethragna's face grew wider.
"If you can defeat me, you will become a God-Slayer. Then you can study divinity up close. You wouldn't want to miss such a good opportunity, would you?"
Eager for a fight, he directly used the spoils of war to entice Su Mo.
Such a low-level trick was, of course... actually quite effective.
Su Mo did indeed want to study the structure of divinity up close, to understand what truly made the so-called gods so powerful.
A Heretic God would clearly not be a willing and obedient test subject. The simplest way to study divinity was to first become a God-Slayer.
Therefore, he would not refuse the other's invitation.
It was just...
"I don't mind communicating through battle. However, let's wait until you've gathered all your incarnations before we fight." Su Mo said.
"That will also make it more convenient for me to obtain the complete Authority, saving me the trouble of having to collect it from all over later."
Based on his understanding of the original story, it seemed that killing a Heretic God who had no ability to resist did not grant an Authority.
Although the conditions for the first kill of a Heretic God would surely be more lenient, considering the maximum benefit, it was more cost-effective to wait for the opponent to recover their full strength.
Hearing Su Mo say this, Verethragna was slightly taken aback.
The battle hadn't even started, and he was already thinking about the spoils of victory. To be so overconfident in the face of a genuine god... this was the first time he had met someone so self-assured.
Are all humans this bold nowadays?
"If that is your request, then so be it."
Out of basic respect for his opponent, Verethragna did not refuse this request. The Divine Beast Boar that had been slain had already returned to him. He only had one more incarnation to retrieve, which wouldn't take long.
However, as a god, having to prepare fully and wait until he was at full strength to fight a human... the feeling was quite awkward.
So, after thinking for a moment, Verethragna added, "To challenge a god with a mere human body, I acknowledge your courage! For the sake of fairness, since you are willing to wait for me to recover my full strength, I am willing to let you prepare for battle in advance. How about it?"
A battle between a god and a human, and he had to wait until his health was full to begin... it would be too embarrassing if word got out. He felt he should give Su Mo some advantage to balance the scales.
"Are you sure?"
Hearing this, Su Mo, who had no particular attachment to the idea of a fair duel, confirmed with a slightly surprised tone.
"Of course, I'm sure!" Verethragna said decisively. "If I don't even have this much leeway, what right do I have to hold the position of a god of war?"
Never mind that this battle was a god crushing a human; even if it weren't, what difference would it make to let Su Mo prepare for a few minutes? What could he possibly do?
It was just a mere human's technique, after all. No matter how much he prepared, for a god, it was all a useless effort that could be broken with a casual gesture. What significance could it possibly have?
"Is that so..."
Seeing Verethragna's confident look, Su Mo did not decline.
"Then I won't be polite."