Whether it be God-Slayers or Heretic Gods, they both possess extremely high resistance to attacks fueled by magical power—even against Authorities themselves.
An Authority that would cause ordinary life to wither and die merely makes them sluggish; an Authority that could kill ordinary people or even great knights is, to them, just something they can "grin and bear until it passes."
Only attacks that exceed their capacity to endure or possess inherent advantages against them can deliver decisive damage.
Yet, even though high heat indeed held a considerable advantage against her own concept of Steel, Melusine only felt something like "a static shock brushing past her."
That sensation merely caused her movements to hesitate for a moment.
But that moment of hesitation was enough for Verethragna to extricate himself from the deadlocked struggle.
Freed from that defensive battle where countless exchanges happened every second, Verethragna felt no relief.
The resistance from pushing his speed past its limits brought even him, a Heretic God, intense pain—so much so that he wondered if his body would simply fall apart on the spot.
At the same time, the side effect of his Authority tormented him further, akin to performing anaerobic exercise without pause.
Add to that being struck directly by lightning, and he was now enduring triple agony.
If not for his willpower far surpassing that of an ordinary being, he would have lost consciousness right then and there.
But this level of effort wouldn't bring victory. To win, he had to find a way to counter his opponent.
Relying solely on high heat just because she had a touch of Steel's nature was a poor strategy—as her unfazed state made perfectly clear.
To truly target her, the best approach was to exploit her dragon-serpent characteristics.
Melqart obviously realized this too, but… the awkward truth was, although his weapons granted him the divinity of a forge god and thus the concept of Steel, that concept belonged to the weapons, not to him personally.
It wasn't that he couldn't launch attacks imbued with Steel's concept, but his methods were extremely limited.
Beyond commanding swarms, he only had direct assaults—ill-suited against a small, high-speed target like Melusine.
Verethragna, of course, understood Melqart's predicament.
He had sought out Melqart not only because other options were scarce, but also because he himself embodied Steel, while Melqart could wield the high heat that countered it.
But… when it came to awkwardness, he was in the same boat.
His strongest Steel-based Authority was undoubtedly the [Warrior] incarnation.
Once invoked, it could materialize tens of thousands of golden swords, achieving both offense and defense in one.
It even carried the trait of being able to sever Divine Authorities.
Under such an overwhelming assault, no matter how fast the opponent, they would inevitably be hit.
The problem was, he might not be able to use it at all.
Great power came with great restrictions. The [Warrior] avatar required him to fully understand his opponent and articulate their true nature before it could be unleashed.
"Melqart, can you hold her off for a moment?" Verethragna sent the mental message.
"Such an impudent brat…" Melqart sensed his temporary ally might have some plan.
Though he grumbled, the storm he had become shifted forward slightly, enveloping Verethragna within tempests and torrents.
"Looks like round two is starting?" Melusine didn't rush to pursue immediately.
After all, so far, her condition had remained at a "morning jog" level—more like a warm-up to reacquaint herself with her body and pass the time.
Neither Melqart nor Verethragna replied.
Melusine didn't need a reply. Blades of platinum-white shot forward from the fist-blades on her wrists, and her body surged toward the storm like a comet.
Not underestimating her in the slightest, Melqart unleashed his lightning with all his might—the only thing that had shown some countering effect.
Serpents of electricity writhed across the sky as if with minds of their own, attempting to encircle and intercept the blue streak, but with almost no success.
He wasn't surprised by this outcome. Instead, he weaved the lightning into shimmering walls of light, not seeking to inflict damage, but hoping to wear down her stamina.
He couldn't help but feel a twinge of frustration.
As Baal, the true form of Melqart, he was a divine authority that couldn't take root in lands with distinct seasons.
Born from desert and wilderness, he was a storm god born of both the blazing sun and torrential rain.
In other words, while his lightning appeared formidable, his true Authorities leaned more toward water and storms—both of which happened to be largely ineffective against his foe.
Meanwhile, Verethragna took a deep breath.
His ten avatars were undoubtedly powerful, hence their severe restrictions. But these limits were not insurmountable.
Using two avatars simultaneously was something he'd never have considered before—it would cause excruciating headaches, pain as unavoidable as the side effects of the [Raptor], impossible to alleviate by any means.
Enduring such distracting agony in battle could easily turn the tide for the worse.
But in this inevitably losing situation, there was no "worse" direction left.
Even though he longed for defeat, he would never hold back. The defeat he craved was one that came after giving his all.
In the next moment, countless golden swords enveloped and illuminated everything around him. Amidst the splitting headache, Verethragna, now bearing fourfold agony, could barely speak.
Yet, driven by his thirst for victory, even in a voice as faint as a mosquito's hum, he began to chant.
"Lancelot, you are the Knight of the Lake from the Arthurian legends, hailed as the most Perfect Knight, the Knight among Knights."
Struggling to maintain consciousness, Verethragna heard a muffled grunt.
"She's entered the storm! I can hold her off a while longer, but not for long!"
As the words fell, the already raging waterspouts grew even more violent, shielding Verethragna while surging toward Melusine from all directions.
A blue radiance burst from the girl.
[Innocence Arondight], reforged and encased within her own exterior, was now under excessive strain, causing the power hidden deep within to erupt uncontrollably.
The unstoppable light vaporized the oncoming seawater in an instant, forming a vacuum around Melusine that nothing could approach, rapidly expanding outward.
"To possess such intense heat as well?!"
This wasn't ordinary seawater—it was driven by his Authority! Aren't your characteristics a bit too well-rounded?!
Teetering as if about to collapse at any moment, Verethragna knew time was short.
He continued, "As a knight from a foreign land, Lancelot placed greater emphasis on the individual over the kingdom of Britain, thus perceiving the irregularities within the King and the Round Table."
"Infuriated by Tristan's departing words about 'not understanding the human heart,' he found common ground with Queen Guinevere, who also wished to share the King's burdens…"
"But! In his interactions with the Queen, he developed impure feelings, staining King Arthur's reign with an indelible blemish!"
"Wishing to atone but finding no path, he ended up unable to save even his own King."
"The so-called noblest of knights betrayed his lord; the so-called knight among knights couldn't uphold the most basic sense of honor! This is your essence!"
A golden brilliance flared brightly in Verethragna's hand, but before any hope could rise within him, it faded just as swiftly.
Gazing up at the silver-haired maiden now standing above him, having pierced through the waters, Verethragna sighed—he had expected this.
"So… Lancelot is not your true essence after all…"
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.