Everything is Anime! Chapter 94: One Down... (Patreon)

Hikaru raised an eyebrow but didn’t react.

Ordinary people should consider the consequences before challenging a Heretic God. With just a flick of a finger, a god could easily reduce a human body to cinders.

In the original story, Kusanagi Godou at least relied on the Prometheus’ Grimoire to steal Verethragna’s White Stallion incarnation—and that was only because Erica assisted from the sidelines, plus Melqart happened to launch a sneak attack on Verethragna at the same time. Yet even then, Verethragna had tried to nullify Prometheus’s power with his spell words.

But now Erica and Liliana had both retreated, and Melqart was on full alert against Hikaru. In other words, at this moment, it was a simple matter of Kusanagi Godou alone versus Verethragna. If all he had was the Prometheus’ Grimoire, his death was basically guaranteed.

Hikaru had watched it all. If someone dares challenge a Heretic God, then they must take responsibility for defeat. Clearly, with no external help, even the original protagonist could only fail. In Hikaru’s eyes, if he so wills it, he is the center of this world.

Having dealt with that mortal, Verethragna turned to Hikaru with a bright smile.

“You refrained from attacking while I was busy with Prometheus—your sense of fair play is rare. If I weren’t in a Heretic state, we might have made fine friends.”

But Hikaru said nothing, merely beckoning to both Heretic Gods. The casual gesture spoke volumes of his caprice and confidence.

Seeing that, Verethragna got serious and began chanting another spell for his Golden Sword, this time aimed at Hikaru. Meanwhile, Melqart finally finished building up his divine power. At a flick of his hand, a savage wind tore across the earth, sweeping everything from the ground.

Even ignoring that intense power, the howling gale was enough to keep most people from standing upright or even breathing—so thin had the air become. Bolts of lightning rained down on Hikaru from all directions. Amid the hazy downpour, Melqart’s booming voice echoed like thunder:

“I am the storm of the rainy season—both Heaven’s blessing and Heaven’s destruction made manifest! Let me see just how formidable a god-slayer truly is! Wind, rain, lightning—by my rightful name of Baal-Hadad Melqart, heed my call! Storm, come swiftly at the beck of the cloud-rider!”

His mountainous body dissolved into a living storm, while thousands of thunderbolts struck at Hikaru from every angle. Meanwhile, Verethragna’s incantation also rang clear through the storm:

“I am the strongest! By my spell words, let justice shine forth! These potent, eloquent words shall be the sword that summons victory!”

“Rahu was once an Asura of Indian myth who stole the amṛta and was beheaded by Vishnu, yet still did not die—chasing the sun and moon and causing eclipses!”

In response to the War God’s call, tiny golden spheres began appearing. Their numbers multiplied alongside his words. Although Verethragna and Melqart were adversaries, it was obvious who posed the greater threat.

So, in order to avoid being slain and having their Authorities stolen by a Campione, these two Heretic Gods now tacitly worked together. Naturally, they would never admit it, insisting only that they must outpace one another in killing their prey first.

None of that shook Hikaru. Even two gods at once wouldn’t unnerve him.

A dragon-like shadow swiftly cloaked his body, and his surging magical force burned like coal in a steam locomotive’s firebox. His energy was depleting at a startling rate—he probably couldn’t maintain this mode for more than three minutes. But for Hikaru, that was more than enough.

When the shadow sealed itself perfectly around him, Hikaru entered a wholly new realm. Suddenly, the world in his eyes came to a stop—or, more precisely, it wasn’t time that froze but that his speed accelerated. He stepped into a very special domain, where a single second stretched out infinitely, feeling like ten minutes—or even longer.

Raindrops tumbling from the clouds seemed to halt in midair, and the lightning spearing in from all sides crept at an agonizing crawl. Melqart’s storm-swept form likewise inched toward Hikaru as if moving through sludge.

Troublesome? Of course it was. But as Hikaru had declared before the fight: if he so wills it, both destiny and victory will bow to him.

In that frozen rain, Hikaru threaded through at will. The Heretic Gods could still react within this realm of supernatural speed, but even then, his velocity outstripped theirs.

Facing the storm that was Melqart, the Holy Demon-Slaying Sword in Hikaru’s hand suddenly radiated dazzling light. Even Melqart felt his heart jolt at the sight. This power came from one of the Authorities Hikaru had wrested from Vishnu—the Rama Incarnation.

Rama was one of Vishnu’s ten avatars, a crucial figure in the Ramayana epic, who vanquished the ten-headed demon lord Ravana with aid from Hanuman the divine monkey.

Ravana had been blessed by Brahma with a boon that prevented gods or demons from slaying him, yet he was eventually killed by Vishnu’s avatar Rama.

This Authority was born explicitly to kill those deemed “unkillable.” Ravana was decapitated by Rama’s blade, and now Hikaru infused that incarnate power into the Demon-Slaying Sword.

Facing the onrushing storm, Hikaru swung the sword from above, releasing a shining strike that instantly tore through the tempest—and through Melqart’s body. The god howled in pain but quickly fell silent as the storm dissipated, along with the fierce winds, rain, and lightning.

“One,” Hikaru said softly.

To Verethragna, those words struck like a death knell. Seeing Melqart’s end with his own eyes, then meeting Hikaru’s gaze, the Invincible Warrior God instantly hurled the hundreds of floating golden spheres around him toward the Campione. Each sphere held a sword within, loaded with the power to sever Rahu’s divinity.