Chapter 34: Battle Begins (Patreon)

The Heretic God Verethragna—or rather, this was his "Youth" avatar, one of his scattered authorities.

Haru hadn’t taken the opportunity to slay the god while he was weakened before.

According to the conditions for becoming a God-Slayer, it wasn’t strictly necessary to fight a god at their full power.

But at the very least, the god being slain must possess a certain level of combat capability. Then, in a fair duel where both sides acknowledge each other, the human must demonstrate sufficient "talent" and deliver a spectacular battle.

Finally, by defeating the opponent, they would be accepted by Pandora as her "child," becoming a God-Slayer whose status equals that of a god.

Simply put, it means forcing the god to submit through one’s own power.

External help cannot be relied upon, and simultaneously, the slain god must serve as the sacrificial offering to initiate the transformation. Only then can one succeed in god-slaying, and this ritual is only effective for humans.

Therefore, even if he killed one of the avatars, it would be pointless and wouldn’t count.

As the three of them stood watching from the nearby hillside, they saw the giant divine beast in the sky immediately charge toward the tornado formed by the "Youth."

Facing this tornado—the same one that had previously captured even the giant boar divine beast, lifting it into the air—the Phoenix, the Goat, the White Stallion, and others each unleashed their own powers as they flew toward its center.

For example, the Phoenix, instead of being swept up, flew in the opposite direction of the tornado’s rotation.

Based on some unknown principle, due to the Phoenix’s super-high-speed flight, the tornado’s momentum gradually weakened.

In an instant, the tornado vanished. But in its place, beside the Phoenix, a dazzling golden light began to shine, revealing a gleaming golden sword!

A massive piece of golden steel, with a blade that rivaled the wingspan of the Phoenix.

It was a double-edged sword, or perhaps something between a sword and a blade.

This giant sword floated in the air, confronting the several divine beasts. It was a very bizarre sight, as if an invisible giant warrior was holding the sword in a ready stance.

"As I thought... that divine spirit changes its form according to the situation. A war god with many avatars should be..."

Besides Erika, Lukulazia also stood by Haru’s side, murmuring softly.

The three of them watched intently as the divine beasts battled the giant sword, while the giant himself stood by, observing and waiting.

They saw the sword first engage the Phoenix in a chase through the air at nearly invisible speeds.

Whenever shockwave-like winds swept down, the ground below was ravaged. It wasn’t quite supersonic, but it was still incredibly fast.

Even so, the giant sword held the advantage.

Facing its super-fast opponent, it danced through the air with graceful, soaring movements, delivering slashes with precision, its blade skillfully cutting into the circling Phoenix.

With each successful strike, golden feathers scattered through the air, and blood stained the earth red. The moment of final decision arrived.

In the end, a single golden slash cut deep into the Phoenix’s body, cleanly bisecting it.

Then, the bisected bird of prey crumbled into sand-like particles, which were absorbed by the blade of the giant sword.

But it wasn’t over yet.

Next, the golden sword pierced the Goat on the ground, delivering a final thrust through the neck of the incapacitated, fallen giant beast—a decisive, merciless final blow.

Thus, the Goat’s massive body also dissolved into particles of light, completely absorbed by the giant sword. Immediately after, it flew toward the White Stallion.

At some point, the rain on the battlefield had stopped, and the wind and thunder had vanished, forming a clear combat zone.

"No! I have to stop them. We can’t let them run rampant in this world!"

Watching the impending godly battle, Erika gritted her teeth, wanting to intervene even though she knew her power was insignificant before gods.

But as a knight, she couldn’t remain passive in such a situation.

Tap~

"Haru?"

But before the young maiden could act, a hand rested on her shoulder.

Needless to say, it was Haru, who had prepared himself sufficiently.

"What are you going to do? Face two Heretic Gods at once?"

"Something like that."

"Eh?!"

"..."

Hearing Haru’s words, the two witches didn’t speak. Instead, they exchanged a glance, nodded, and then—

Each, in turn, gave him a quick mwah!

Well, to be precise.

They were using this method to impart the knowledge they possessed about the two Heretic Gods before them.

Therefore, even when she saw Haru and Lukulazia engage in a deep French mwah, Erika merely puffed her cheeks in slight displeasure and turned her head away, without stopping them.

At this moment, every bit of intelligence was crucial.

And time was short, so this was the only way to convey it quickly.

"Alright—I'm going!"

"May fortune favor your blade~"

"I'll be waiting here for you."

Nods~

Looking at the two witches, one older and one younger, Haru didn’t hesitate or show fear. Resolutely, he turned and walked down the hillside.

Step by step, he advanced toward the battlefield. With each step, the aura emanating from him intensified.

A moment later, a soaring fighting spirit erupted from him, as if a slumbering ferocious beast had awoken at that very instant.

[Oh? An interesting human. Strange... not one of us, nor one of those fellows...]

"Melqart."

[A mere mortal who doesn’t even understand the etiquette due to a king. Do you seek to defeat me and become a God-Slayer? Even in my current state, I am not one to be offended by humans like you.]

"Enough talk! Let’s fight!"

[Arrogance! Human, you will pay the price for your insolence! An ignorant fool, actually wanting to become our mortal enemy! Very well, I shall oblige you! I will make you face divine punishment!]

"..."

The god-slaying battle was about to begin!