Chapter 42: The Ten Incarnations (Patreon)

“—Words of power! Become my blade!”

In an instant, the Strong Wind, the Bull, the White Stallion, the Camel, the Wild Boar, the Youth, the Phoenix, the Goat, and the human warrior wielding a golden sword—the ten incarnations of the undefeated God of War—descended together.

He was the ancient Persian God of War, the guardian serving the light god Mithra. In West Asia he was revered as the Guardian of Light, and in lineage he shared the same root as the Indian Thunder Emperor.

Bridging both the Eastern world and Western civilization, he was even regarded as Heracles by some cultures.

A war god transcending East and West—a true martial deity—had descended upon the earth, wreathed in radiance, surrounded by countless golden lights.

“I, Verethragna, am the sword, the martial hero!”

Countless golden rays gathered in Verethragna’s hand. The light condensed gradually, forming a long sword of pure gold. He swung it through the air with a brilliant arc.

This golden sword could sever or temporarily seal authorities, but Haru wasn’t concerned in the slightest.

If someone lacked knowledge about what kind of god their opponent was, the Sword of Wisdom would force them to confront the essence of the deity. But this was the last thing Haru needed to worry about.

First, it could only seal one authority at a time.

Second, he did not rely on authorities for combat. Losing access to them would not cripple him.

With his strength now explosively enhanced, the Sect Leader’s “Flying Phoenix Twelve Divine Palms” alone carried a power comparable to an authority.

And since it wasn’t an authority itself, it couldn’t be severed or sealed.

With martial arts alone, he was now fully capable of clashing with a Heretic God.

As for the Sword of Wisdom—without the required knowledge—it might as well have been just a shiny golden blade. Not even on par with other divine tools.

In gaming terms, it was like a magic-suppression field: devastating for mages, but barely an inconvenience for warriors.

“…I am the strongest, the one who holds all victories!
When you face disaster and persecution, simply chant the words of power I bestow upon you…
Humans, receive my protection!”

The battle began. As Verethragna raised his sword and chanted the words of power, a certain concept—an abstract law—attempted to settle upon Haru.

Though the words spoke of protection, the true effect was the opposite.

“Hm?”

This was the authority of Youth, one of Verethragna’s ten incarnations, the divine power he used to grant “protection” and inspire submission among humans.

While offering protection, it simultaneously caused humans to become his servants.

A wave of irritation rose in Haru’s chest. Then, in the next heartbeat, his cursed energy flared violently—shattering the invading concept in an instant.

Had he been his former self, he would have succumbed to reverence, worship, or even faith toward Verethragna. That would have put him at an immediate and absolute disadvantage.

But now, as a God-Slayer, it was as though he had developed immunity—like his “magic resistance” had been maxed out.

“Wind, rain, thunder, heed the call of the Cloud-Rider—come swiftly!”

BOOM—

It was rude not to respond in kind.

As though his arm had become an extension of the heavens themselves, the moment Haru raised his hand toward the sky, a raging storm answered.

Lightning and thunder tore across the heavens. A massive tempest formed instantly, sweeping toward Verethragna. From every direction—hundreds, even thousands of bolts of lightning erupted, striking the undefeated God of War relentlessly.

The scale was overwhelming. Within a single moment, the entire basin was drowned in pillars of lightning.

Even the two women watching from afar were nearly blinded by the light and forced to retreat further to avoid being caught in the storm’s reach.

Between heaven and earth, lightning wove a blinding lattice, linking sky and ground in a single, shimmering network.

The battlefield became a thunder-forged purgatory in the blink of an eye.

“Five Thunders Striking the Crown” couldn’t compare—not even close. This was Ten Thousand Thunders Striking the Crown.

Countless lightning pillars fell like divine punishment, swallowing everything beneath the sky.

And Haru felt it vividly—as though he had become the Sky God himself, able to move and command the heavens at will.

Storms, torrential rain, thunder, lightning.

This was Melqart’s first authority—Domination of the Sky.

The power to control the sky freely, to command winds and thunder, to summon storms at will.

And this was only one of the authorities he had gained. Haru could feel it—his fortune this time had been extraordinary.

Besides “Domination of the Sky,” he had gained several others:

Authority Two: Dragon-Slayer.

The power to “slay dragons,” overwhelmingly effective against beings with the dragon attribute.

Authority Three: Life Recovery.

As the name suggested, it restored life, healed wounds, and cured illnesses.

Authority Four: Resurrection.

Melqart’s underworld authority. Its meaning was clear: he could resurrect after death.

However, resurrection required time, and the duration was unknown—he would have to die once to find out.

There was no known limit on how many times it could be used, but the cooldown time was still uncertain.

Furthermore, could it be used on others? If so, the value of this authority would skyrocket.

Authority Five: Ocean Control.

The ability to summon tidal waves, move and breathe freely underwater, and communicate with or command marine life.

Of course, among Melqart’s authorities, a significant number were “dropped,” so to speak—left behind because Haru had no affinity for them. Perhaps because he disliked locusts and underworld creatures, he didn’t obtain those domains.

Even though he gained numerous authorities, in this battle, only Domination of the Sky offered immediate combat utility.

The rest were either supportive or passive.

Rumble—