"Haha, Melqart, just as I'd expect from you."
Facing the oncoming lightning, Verethragna's face was full of wildness and madness:
"I am the strongest, the one who holds victory over all... the one who breaks down all obstacles."
As his voice echoed, Verethragna punched out.
The punch contained power beyond description, capable of shaking space.
Boom!
The void rippled, as if turning into a sea surface, churning with enormous waves.
Visible power, carrying air and overwhelming magical energy, swept forward directly, targeting Ayato and Melqart.
This was his second incarnation, the Bull.
It allowed him to unleash strength beyond his limits.
Moreover, the stronger his opponent, the stronger he became.
In this moment,
The three were mutually opposed.
Each would simultaneously face the power of the other two.
[Origin +1001]
[Origin +1003]
Seeing all this, the corner of Ayato's mouth curled up as he slowly raised both hands.
Magical power far beyond anyone's imagination erupted.
Boom!
The entire sea surface seemed to sink at that moment.
The next instant,
A giant blue magic circle appeared beneath his feet.
Then,
Brilliant and magnificent lightning, like a raging tidal wave, surged out instantly.
Rumble!
In an instant, the powers of the three collided directly.
The sky shook, the sea churned, and a mushroom cloud shot straight into the heavens.
The earth-shattering explosion seemed capable of destroying the world.
With one clash, none of the three had moved; clearly, no one had gained an advantage.
"Hahaha, a worthy opponent, indeed a worthy opponent."
Melqart laughed loudly, his massive body shooting into the sky.
"Wind, rain, thunder, by my name I command you, crush all enemies!"
The moment his voice fell, Melqart's massive body seemed to transform into storms and lightning, unleashing his power indiscriminately in all directions.
"I am the God of Victory..."
Verethragna was full of wildness and madness, more like a battle-crazed madman than a god.
"All weapons of the world are under my control."
This was the power of his words, capable of performing all sorts of incredible feats.
Crash! Crash!
The sea churned endlessly. Under the command of his words, countless columns of seawater shot up, transforming into spears, swords, halberds, and axes.
Each weapon radiated an indescribable aura.
The countless Noble Phantasms of the King of Heroes would likely pale in comparison to these weapons.
"This is... the first time I've felt such a rush of adrenaline."
Facing the renewed attacks of the two Heretic Gods, Ayato murmured softly, the magic circle beneath his feet reappearing.
Crackle! Crackle!
Lightning rampaged, like countless serpents, sweeping across all the incoming attacks.
Rumble!
In an instant, it seemed as if the sky were splitting and the earth were cracking.
The sky-obscuring black clouds began to explode one after another, shockwaves racing in all directions like a thousand troops.
Amidst this apocalyptic scene, the three clashed again and again at superhuman speeds within the endless smoke and fire.
Melqart controlled wind, rain, and thunder, summoning boundless natural disasters with every gesture, living up to his name as the Storm God.
Verethragna's words flowed endlessly, wielding the power of his incarnations with ease.
He displayed the power of the God of Victory to its fullest.
And Ayato, the magic circle beneath his feet shining brightly, faced the myriad techniques of the two Heretic Gods with nothing but lightning.
None of the three yielded an inch.
All clashed head-on, strength against strength.
The three simply kept attacking each other.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As time passed, the battle grew increasingly intense.
Even though they absorbed the vast majority of the power themselves, the scattered aftershocks still caused the sea to churn endlessly.
"What... kind of battle is this?"
Erica's golden hair was soaked by the rain, but she stared fixedly at the distant battle.
Especially at the figure flapping its Devil wings.
"Mr. Devil is truly amazing. This is the power of a true Devil-sama!"
Her eyes shimmered, faintly revealing a hint of admiration.
The strong admire strength; it's a universal truth.
Even a genius like her was no exception.
Instinctively, she looked at Ayato's school uniform.
'Still in school... This Mr. Devil was probably from the younger generation of Devils.'
'That made it even more frightening.'
'To be already at the level of a Devil King at such an age was truly terrifying.'
'Thinking about it that way...'
'Becoming a Devil King's servant didn't seem like an unacceptable thing.'
'Wait!'
'What am I thinking?'
Erica shook her head vigorously, her cheeks flushed with unnatural redness.
'Even if he could rival a Devil King, he was still just a lecherous Devil who coveted my body!'
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Amidst the lightning, thunder, wind, and rain...
The three sides had clashed at least a hundred times.
Hum!
Innumerable magic circles spiraled and bloomed all around Ayato, firing terrifying lightning as they battled the two Heretic Gods.
Melqart and Verethragna were definitely the strongest opponents he had ever faced.
He had been fully stirring his magic power, casting spells, but had not caused them any harm.
Thus, from beginning to end, he had not used his Origin Magic.
After all, he had never really been in any proper battle.
And now, these two opponents were rare, and their various Authorities could provide him with plenty of Origin Points.
Boom!
Another earth-shattering collision, and Ayato and the two Heretic Gods were sent flying in three different directions.
A series of sonic booms trailed through the air in their wake.
Ayato flapped his wings, golden light flickering in his eyes: "This battle... it's time to end it."
The Heretic Gods were indeed very strong, but he was stronger.
Now that he had harvested enough Origin Points and battle experience, it was time to try... could he become a Campione?
"Devil, how dare you speak such nonsense?" Melqart roared: "Even if I acknowledge your strength, that's no reason for you to talk big."
Having said that, he transformed into a bolt of lightning and charged at Ayato.
"Devil, such boasting cannot go unheard."
Verethragna also smiled dangerously: "In that case, you will bear the consequences."
Silently, he activated his incarnation, the Gale, transforming into a boundless storm, seemingly intent on tearing Ayato apart.