When Erica returned, she was carrying large and small bags of desserts, making Yusei extremely eager.
Erica, however, sighed inwardly.
Here she was, a stunning beauty, spending all day by this young man's side. They were almost the same age, yet he showed absolutely no interest in feminine charms.
This deeply frustrated Erica.
'Do I really have no allure at all?'
Especially seeing Yusei's anticipation for the desserts, she couldn't help but roar internally with indignation.
'I'm even worse than desserts?!'
Watching the Campione enjoying his dessert with a satisfied expression, Erica sighed inwardly.
Though disheartening, there's nothing to be done. She still has to put on a smiling face and ask, "Does it suit your taste?"
In a sense, it was indeed rather depressing.
Yusei ate his desserts while Erica sat nearby reading a magazine. This afternoon tea seemed quite pleasant.
However, peaceful moments are always easily interrupted.
Just as Yusei was still enjoying his dessert, a massive tremor shook the ground, like an earthquake.
The dessert that hadn't yet reached his mouth was shaken onto the floor, putting Yusei in a slightly worse mood.
"Does Sardinia get earthquakes?" Yusei looked at Erica.
"An earthquake... I think it's more likely a Heretic God."
As soon as Erica finished speaking, the frequency of the tremors intensified.
Finally, a boar that looked as tall as a small mountain crashed through the villa's courtyard and charged straight towards them.
Yusei's eyes swirled into the Mangekyo's pattern. A massive arm of the Susanoo Armor instantly materialized, firmly pressing down on the charging boar.
What was somewhat surprising, however, was that his Susanoo Armor seemed a bit different from before.
It was still the blue energy construct, the skeletal arm, but now that blue arm was wreathed in a layer of lightning.
'Is this the change brought by the Thunder Authority? It feels significantly stronger even in its basic state.'
Yusei looked at the boar pinned firmly under his grasp, lost in thought.
Erica's princess gown had vanished, replaced by relatively light combat attire. She held her sword, watching the boar intently.
"So, do you know its origin?" Yusei looked at Erica.
"This... I'm afraid not. There are all kinds of Divine Beasts. Similar forms exist, making it hard to determine exactly which one this is. But there's no doubt this is the descent of a Heretic God."
Erica's expression was grave.
Yusei nodded, not overthinking it. He had only asked casually.
'Probably this ability was the one used by the original protagonist, right?'
He just hadn't expected the boar to charge straight to his location right from the start.
However, this so-called Divine Beast was indeed quite weak.
Yusei's Susanoo Armor arm exerted force, and the boar, the size of a small hill, was actually lifted directly off the ground by Yusei.
Ignoring Erica's dumbfounded expression, Yusei simply hurled it away.
After obtaining Takemikazuchi's Authority, his Susanoo Armor had been greatly enhanced.
Now, even just a skeletal frame with one skeletal arm possessed such immense strength. Yusei was now looking forward to the Complete Body and Ultimate Body forms of the Susanoo Armor.
'Presumably, by then, a single strike would truly be capable of destroying all creation and rewriting the map, right?'
…
Far in the center of Sardinia.
The God of Victories, Verethragna walked along the deserted streets, evacuated due to the emergency, a look of anticipation on his face.
The impending duel with Melqart filled him, a god and a warrior, with excitement.
Suddenly, he spotted a spiky-haired boy ahead, clutching a stone slab book tightly.
The knowledgeable Verethragna immediately recognized the power of a certain 'thief' contained within it.
"I see."
Verethragna seemed to have thought of something, a playful smile appearing on his face as he slowly walked forward...
...
After the Divine Beast was thrown out, Yusei didn't idle around, preparing to go out and search for the so-called Heretic God.
As his knight, Erica naturally followed closely behind.
Outside, traces of destroyed buildings were everywhere, forming a straight line.
Clearly, this was the path the rampaging boar had taken.
"Fortunately, the evacuation was timely, and there were no casualties," Erica said.
"Mhm. Are your people searching for the Heretic God's location now?" Yusei asked.
"Of course. But please wait a moment, Yusei-sama, the information still needs to come back."
"No need. I'll go find it myself."
As he spoke, Yusei's body suddenly shot up from the ground. Blue Susanoo Armor wrapped around him, instantly forming a figure nearly a kilometer tall, reaching into the clouds.
Erica on the ground stared blankly at Yusei in this form.
Although she knew Yusei was a Campione, she had never witnessed the Complete Body Susanoo.
It wasn't just her, anyone seeing the Complete Body Susanoo for the first time would likely have this expression.
"This... is this the power of a god?" Erica looked at Yusei in this form, her eyes dazed as she murmured.
Yusei paid no attention to Erica. Leaving behind the instruction 'Evacuate the residents', he flew off at high speed.
Erica used her hand to block the wind pressure, barely managing to keep her eyes open as she watched the Susanoo Armor, now a distant speck, her face turning grave once more.
"Such power, such speed... It seems a reassessment of this Yusei-sama is necessary. He might possibly be the strongest Campione."
…
Yusei, flying towards the city center, was using all his cursed power to sense the presence of the Heretic God.
However, he found that no matter what, he couldn't sense it, which frustrated him.
With his eyes' extreme visual acuity and his cursed power perception, this near-carpet search yielded absolutely nothing.
"Did it just vanish into thin air?"
Suddenly, Yusei sensed a faint fluctuation. It was only for an instant, but Yusei still caught it.
The direction was roughly east.
Yusei immediately charged eastward, soon arriving at the place where the fluctuation was sensed.
But there was no one here now, only residual traces of a divine Authority that could be faintly perceived.
Seeing this situation, Yusei could only sigh.
Sardinia wasn't particularly large, but it wasn't small either. His power couldn't cover the entire island to search for the Heretic God.
"Forget it, let's head back for now."
The first attempt to hunt a god ended in failure simply because he couldn't find it.