Chapter 23: A Battle Between Gods (Patreon)

"..."

So Melqart is a deity deeply connected to Sardinia. As she said this, Lukulazia added a few more sentences, "Around Greece, Melqart is depicted as a large man holding a club. A few days ago, I witnessed the god Melqart manifesting in this form."

"But Lukulazia, didn't you initially say it had nothing to do with Melqart?"

In response to the girl's question, the older witch, unhurriedly, addressed the interjecting Erika. Holding her cup lazily, she continued, "Yes Aren't there menhirs near Sassari? About five days ago, I psychically detected an unusual concentration of divine power there. I went to observe the situation

What I saw there was the spectacle of two gods fighting. One was Melqart, the other was a deity in the form of a warrior, holding a golden sword. The result of their fierce battle was that both sides were severely wounded in the end I have to say, it was quite an opportunity"

Lukulazia let out a sigh. Her previous injuries were caused by this very event, which is why she was still in a weakened state, requiring rest and recuperation for some time.

"Melqart used his club, and the other god used his golden sword to deliver final blows to each other. Both were gravely wounded. Melqart transformed into lightning and flew away, while the golden sword god shattered to pieces."

"Shattered?! So he lost his physical form?" Erika exclaimed in surprise. If that were the case, wouldn't this incident become even more troublesome?

"No. The sword god's body seemed to break into pieces, and each piece assumed a new form. One was a wild boar, another was a phoenix, and there were others like a horse and a goat, among other creatures. These avatars immediately scattered, flying off to the sea or the sky~"

Lukulazia shook her head slightly, her cleavage nearly dazzling in the process.

In other words, the giant beasts appearing all over the island were actually avatars born from the shattered golden sword god.

"Then the 'wind' god that defeated the beast at the harbor earlier was Melqart's avatar?"

Naturally, Erika wouldn't let the mature witch's beauty distract her from the main point.

Instead, frowning slightly as she thought about the immense power and destruction caused by that giant Divine Beast, which she still found hard to forget, along with the wind that ultimately defeated the boar, which also left her in awe.

"Who knows? Whether it's Melqart or the sword god, it's impossible for them to recover in such a short time If they had recovered, my spirit vision should have detected some omens, just like when I sensed the boar's appearance earlier... But there were none. It's also not impossible that the others have left Sardinia"

In response to Erika's question, Lukulazia simply replied "Who knows?" and shrugged.

But she knew that things probably weren't that simple. After all, a variable had already appeared in this matter—namely, the only young man present!

Was it his own intention, or that of the Cult Leader?

If it was the latter, then things were seriously troublesome. Lukulazia was even considering packing her bags and making a run for it later.

"Eh? You were caught up in a battle between gods?! And judging by your current condition, you don't seem to have been affected."

Two Heretical Gods?

Just thinking about the damage and impact caused by one Divine Beast was already immense. Erika couldn't even imagine how earth-shattering a battle between two Heretical Gods would be.

But she carefully examined Lukulazia a few times and found that the other party showed no signs of injury whatsoever. On the contrary, she seemed full of spirit and vitality, with only an ever-present laziness about her.

It was more her exaggerated "assets," along with her attitude towards her "companion," that made the girl feel quite envious and concerned.

The mature aura emanating from Lukulazia was something she couldn't match. It must be very attractive to men's eyes, right?

After all, what guy wouldn't like someone as ample as Lukulazia?

"Yes To protect myself on that battlefield, I had to use magic beyond my limits. Thanks to that, my cursed power was completely depleted at the time. It will probably take about three months to recover, and during that period, I can't use large-scale spells temporarily. Even moving my body is a bit of a struggle"

Even though she was describing a predicament, her tone was very relaxed and casual, and she maintained a lazy demeanor throughout.

As the twilight of sunset turned into genuine darkness, the room gradually darkened as well.

"Ah It's already this late? If you don't mind, why don't you both stay here tonight? You know, this place is quite remote; there aren't any decent hotels around. Especially at this hour"

"It's alright, I still have matters—"

"I don't mind."

"—It's not like they can't be handled later. Well then, we'll trouble you~"

"..."

Seeing that night had fallen and rare having company, Lukulazia warmly offered for them to stay.

In response, Erika, of course, shook her head slightly. After all, she still had things to do.

Moreover, this was another witch's home.

But before she could finish her sentence and drag her "companion" away, she heard him speak calmly.

Instantly, the girl's expression turned slightly awkward, and she pivoted, agreeing to stay as well.

Even she herself didn't know why; she just felt inexplicably concerned.

Especially when she thought about this guy staying overnight with the mature witch, laughing and talking together, an inexplicable fire ignited in her heart.

What the heck? I was here first!