"By my name, I proclaim—Archangel Michael, Vice-Regent of Heaven!!"
"Fear me and retreat, Michael! I am the one who shatters all obstacles! Neither the mighty nor the unjust can defeat me!!"
Verethragna solemnly gazed at the laughing Roy before him, reciting his strongest incantation in a resonant, almost operatic tone, summoning his undefeatable divine sword.
The ancient Persian god of war, servant of the god of light, possessed ten avatars—'Gale', 'Youth', 'White Stallion', 'Ram', 'Raptor', 'Bull', 'Camel', 'Goat', 'Boar', and 'Warrior'. These ten Authorities encompassed support, crowd control, solar flames, speed, strength, technique, resurrection, summoning, and even a sure-kill technique—making him practically a bug among bugs. Despite their many restrictions, his abilities were absurdly comprehensive.
Among all the Heretic Gods and Campione that had appeared thus far, only Roy's Holy Right could rival Verethragna in terms of versatility. However, Roy's Holy Right was less a usurpation of Michael's power and more a result of the mystical forces from the two arcane texts he had mastered—the Book of 777 and the Book of the Law—which had altered Michael's Authority.
Had anyone else slain Michael, they would never have obtained Roy's Holy Right. Yet, slaying Verethragna would almost certainly grant all his avatars. This eastern god of war was truly an anomaly among anomalies.
In Persian mythology, his feats were legendary. His true name was Bahram, with Verethragna being his Greek epithet. Even the three-headed dragon Dahaka had been captured and bound to Mount Damavand by him. Countless evil deities in Persian mythology had fallen to him—his mythological strength was downright absurd.
But the Verethragna before them was merely a Heretic God. The strength of Heretic Gods was never determined by their myths, but by their self-awareness. And no matter how strong their self-awareness, their Spiritual Foundations had limits—they could not exceed a certain threshold. Facing Roy, a Campione who had undergone four Spiritual Foundation Ascensions, even this eastern god of war—this self-aware guardian of light—felt an insurmountable dread, his movements growing hesitant.
Verethragna clearly knew that his other avatars were useless against Roy. No matter how masterfully he wielded the powers of his incarnations, they would all be shattered by Roy's brute-force punches—mere tricks to be broken with a single strike. Only his strongest divine killing move, the 'Warrior's Power' capable of severing divine authorities, stood a chance in battle against Roy.
If he could sever Roy's authorities, Verethragna believed that no matter how vast his magical energy reserves were, they would become unusable!
As luck would have it, Roy possessed very few authorities to begin with—he had fused them all into the Holy Right. To Verethragna, this was nothing short of divine providence, the only path to victory for this god of war.
"Fear me, Michael! Tremble before my name and might! I am Verethragna, the guardian of light and sacred domains! Tremble before me, Bahram, Michael!!!!"
The youthful incarnation of Verethragna wore a solemn expression, treating Roy as if he were a malevolent deity from myth—a foe even the three-headed demonic dragon wouldn't compel him to draw his strongest sword against.
Golden orbs of light manifested around him as Verethragna's incantation reached its crescendo.
"Words are light, and incantations are light! Thus, O light, O words, become my sword, transform into my blade!!"
Countless golden orbs surged from Verethragna's body, encircling him before rapidly expanding outward.
"I know thee, Michael! Thou art the chief warrior by the Lord's side, the supreme commander of the angelic host, one among the archangels!!"
"Thou sharest the same divine authority as Sirius, the god of Egyptian myth, and bear traces of mutual influence with Hermes of Greek myth and Mercury of Roman lore!"
"Even in Sumerian and Persian myths, thy archetype exists!"
With each proclamation, one of the countless golden orbs transformed into a radiant sword of light.
"Thou art the guardian of Eden, thy name meaning 'He who is like God'!"
"Thou art the Prince of Light, upholding the Lord's dominion, thou who slew the ancient dragon Satan, who standest against the enemies of the Lord!"
"Thou art the messenger of Yahweh, aiding the ancestors of Israel in the Lord's name, thou art the Son of Light, who battled the Prince of Darkness by the Dead Sea!"
"Thou rulest over the highest of the seven heavens, thou art among the seven angels who sound the trumpets of the apocalypse! Thou guided Abraham through Canaan, thou mourned for Isaac's salvation, thou wrestled Jacob at the ford of Jabbok, thou appeared before Joshua, thou led the Israelites forward, thou rained sulfur and heavenly fire upon the cities of sin!!"
The golden light reigned supreme over all. The hundreds—no, thousands—of golden orbs surrounding Verethragna transformed into golden swords, forming an immense sword array that trapped Roy within like a Reality Marble. Countless blade tips pointed menacingly at Roy as Verethragna's final incantation reached its peak. With a thunderous roar, millions of golden swords shot forth in a relentless barrage.
Unable to resist, incapable of opposing it with any authority—all because the authority Roy had usurped from Michael became completely ineffective the moment Verethragna uttered his first incantation. No matter how Roy tried to mobilize it, this authority remained unusable.
Verethragna's Golden Sword had one major flaw: it could only target a single authority of the enemy. Against Campiones like Marquis Voban or Luo Hao, who possessed numerous authorities, even if Verethragna sealed their strongest one, a fierce battle would still ensue, with the outcome remaining uncertain.
However, Roy's authority was essentially just the Holy Right. Even his Face of God had been integrated into it. Since this authority was usurped from this world's Michael, Verethragna's Golden Sword was its perfect counter.
"Compared to Athena's Sword of Wisdom, your Golden Sword is far more deserving of the title 'Sword of Wisdom,' Verethragna!"
Roy made no attempt to stop the descent of the golden swords—even if he had wanted to, he couldn't. Countless blades pierced through his body, yet not a single drop of blood was shed. These golden swords inflicted no physical harm; what they severed was divinity itself!
Once the countless golden swords had completely impaled Roy from head to toe, his authority was utterly severed. For a short time, it would be impossible for him to use it again.
"It's over, Demon King! Victory has never been determined by superficial strength. I know that in terms of brute force alone, I am no match for you. But before this light-wrought sword that severs divinity, you have lost the power you rely on most!"
Seeing the Golden Sword perfectly sever Roy's authority, the undefeated God of the East made his decisive declaration.
Then, behind the youthful war god, that illusory disk reappeared, its needle pointing to 'The Ox.' With Roy's authority cut off, Verethragna was confident that no matter which incarnation he used, he could defeat Roy.
A Campione without their authority, no matter how vast their magical power, would have no means to wield it.
"Yes, Verethragna, it's all over! Your Golden Sword is indeed formidable. But precisely because the White Stallion and this sword are your greatest strengths, you now stand no chance of victory."
"...Undefeated God of War, I, Roy Crowley, shall bestow upon you the maiden taste of defeat!"
A sudden sense of foreboding struck Verethragna.
A fear he should have long forgotten surged from the depths of his heart.
A colossal golden hand—a true Hand of God—slowly emerged from Roy's right shoulder. Its fingers stretched wide, as if to encompass the heavens and earth, blotting out the sun.
"What is this?!"
Like all who witnessed this hand for the first time, even the God of the East couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
It was a sacred power far beyond his comprehension!