"Mithra, Lord of the Sun, Father of All Flames, here I offer my prayer. Witness my heart, my thoughts, and the deeds I am about to accomplish. Let holiness purify filth, let light dispel darkness, let protection ward off misfortune. Sacred Prayer!"
At the same time, amid that rapid chant, three arrows, one in front and two behind, tore through the air wrapped in burning golden solar flame.
Boom!
A sharp cross-shaped gleam flared in Samael's eyes. He thrust out his spear, and the three arrows, each carrying the force of a cruise missile, exploded one after another in midair.
Out of the mass of fire, that pitch-black figure charged straight through without a scratch, dozens of flickering Rune symbols circling around him in glowing rings.
Hum!
As the spear swept forward, the violent shock further stirred those dozens of Runes into life. At once, they transformed into shining stars and plunged through the air toward a certain point.
Not good!
Arash's pupils shrank sharply. The moment he saw those flying Runes coming for his hiding place, he sprang into motion, vaulting and weaving through the streets and rooftops.
For a time, the Rune symbols locked onto the Persian great hero's presence and came crashing down after him, detonating one after another along the way. The relentless pursuit left Arash in a sorry state, too busy fleeing to do anything else.
But that brief delay was enough for Cyrus, down in the crater, to recover. He immediately rose to his feet, smeared blood across the golden greatsword, and began a solemn chant.
"I am the strongest, the one who holds every victory in his hands. The one who crushes the fighting spirit of every enemy. I shall..."
Splurt!
Before Cyrus the Great could finish his divine words and awaken the artifact's power, Samael dropped straight from the sky, the fiercely burning black cross-spear smashing down with the force of thunder.
Cyrus the Great made an immediate decision, cutting off his chant and raising his sword to block. But the sheer force was unbelievable. The instant the weapons met, his body was driven several meters into the earth and stone.
The Persian King spat blood. Fresh blood poured from wounds ripped open by shattered rock, and his aura visibly weakened.
Hum!
Seeing that he was on the verge of being crushed until bone and muscle gave way, Cyrus the Great's ten golden halos suddenly lit up behind him at the critical moment.
At their center, a long golden hand and a short golden hand pointed respectively toward the figures of [Ram] and [Bull].
"Baa!"
In an instant, a profound force of law spread out. [Ram] was the first to raise its head and cry out. Cyrus's battered body, riddled with broken bones and torn muscles, recovered at an astonishing speed, healing in the blink of an eye.
"Moo..."
Immediately after, [Bull] lowered its head, pawed the ground, and let out an angry bellow. Cyrus the Great, who had been completely overpowered, swelled with muscle and, with strength far beyond the ordinary, forcibly knocked aside the descending cross-spear.
The divine law aspect of [Bull] granted the user overwhelming monstrous strength beyond human limits, while also strengthening the body.
And the larger the opponent, the greater that monstrous strength became.
Even so, the authority of Verethragna, the Persian war god, within Cyrus was fundamentally incapable of matching Samael on that level.
After all, what he was facing was the Midgard Serpent, a being with the "power of the world." In terms of pure strength alone, not even Thor, God of Thunder, could wrestle head-on with that monster. Much less a mere human god.
So the enhancement granted by [Bull] did no more than let Cyrus barely keep up with this monster wearing human skin.
Samael swept his arm sideways. Cyrus the Great's feet carved a trench a hundred meters long through the ground, and only after staggering back several steps did he manage to steady himself.
But before he could even catch his breath, the Ancient Serpent, also racing against time, burst forward and pressed the attack.
For a moment, the spear moved like a dragon. Its hooks, lifts, and thrusts were restrained and fluid, yet every strike fell like heavenly thunder, like a mountain ten thousand meters high toppling down. One mistake from Cyrus would be enough to shatter his divine core, rip open his belly, and kill him on the spot.
In just a few breaths, the two exchanged no fewer than a hundred blows. Cyrus the Great, who had already burned through nearly half his Mana and was carrying hidden injuries, was driven back again and again. With every step, blood sprayed from wounds reopening across his body, and the golden halos behind him were already on the verge of shattering.
Boom!
Defense could not hold forever. In one moment of carelessness, Cyrus the Great was ripped open beneath the ribs by the small side branch of the cross-spear. Two ribs snapped, and he was violently sent flying.
The Persian King smashed through several statues displayed in the square before crashing to the ground, kicking up dust everywhere.
Bang!
But just as the Ancient Serpent was about to press his advantage, a giant blue fatty dozens of meters tall dropped from the sky, sitting upright as it came crashing down on him.
"Get lost!"
With a fierce shout and a hard frown, the red-black Ether streaming from Samael's body instantly burned away the blue giant, whose head was wrapped in a turban and whose lower half looked like drifting blue smoke.
But the roadblock that had twisted apart into blue smoke reformed again in the blink of an eye, though its color had faded considerably. Furious, it swung a massive palm down at him.
Looking to die!
Samael sneered, raised a hand, grabbed the creature by its index finger, and with a sudden heave casually hurled it more than a thousand meters away.
The scene was jarring and absurdly impactful, like watching an ant lift a tyrannosaurus and throw it, carrying a sense of shock so strong it bordered on surreal.
After tossing aside the blue blob that clung like chewing gum, Samael turned and cast a sinister look toward a half-collapsed section of the Palatine.
At once, Scheherazade, hiding behind the rubble, was frightened out of her wits and nearly threw away the magic lamp in her hand. The Mana she had just gathered immediately went out of control and backlashed on her, leaving the secret Magus even more flustered.
At that moment, having sensed her, Samael suddenly clenched his hand toward the dark-skinned beauty from afar.
Crack!
The sound that followed was like glass shattering. The space in front of Scheherazade split apart like fractured crystal, and dozens of wavering figures tumbled out of it. At the front were the three Roman emperors who had been trapped inside the Reality Marble.
Caught by this sudden reversal, the Old Men of the Mountain of the Assassin Order and Scheherazade the secret Magus had no time to spare for anything else. They could only turn to face these old enemies now charging right at them.
But even after shaking off one set of trouble, the barrage of Egyptian Magecraft and the enormous golden cobra lunging down with jaws wide still made Samael's irritation rise.
This just never ends!
"O spear, O Runes, in the name of the great god Odin, grant me strength!"
"Goddess Andraste above, bear witness to my oath. In the name of this sword, I call for victory!"
At that moment, Brynhildr, racing through the sky on her pegasus, and Boudica, driving her chariot straight down the avenue, each moved to intercept the two female Pharaohs, Nitocris and Cleopatra, buying time for Samael.
The centurion and the First Princess of Britannia led their Celtic soldiers and Druids, joining the reorganized Roman troops to intercept the Meteor Legion and fend off the Assassin Order's harassment.
So I actually forgot... I have allies too!
Seeing the interference swept aside, Samael slapped his forehead and let out a relieved breath, his gaze turning sharp and fierce.