As the ever-victorious war god, Verethragna possessed more Authorities than other gods, and they were also extremely diverse.
"Strong Wind," "Bull," "White Horse," "Camel," "Boar," "Youth," "Phoenix," "Shepherd," "Goat," "Warrior"… His ten incarnations, each possessed its own ability, each was an independent Authority, and not a single one was useless.
By flexibly switching between his various incarnations in battle and using different abilities against his enemies, Verethragna could always find one incarnation that had a miraculous effect, always find one incarnation that could gain the upper hand in battle and ultimately defeat the enemy.
Ten incarnations, various distinct abilities, a combat style of flexibly choosing according to the battle situation and the opponent—this was the reason Verethragna could remain undefeated.
Among the ten incarnations, the ability of the seventh incarnation, "Phoenix," was Divine Speed.
So-called Divine Speed referred to the ability to enter a world of supernormal acceleration.
It was not an ability of "moving from point A to point B at high speed," but rather an ability of "shortening the time it takes to move from point A to point B."
In other words, it was not a power that accelerated on the physical level, but a power that could distort time during movement.
Therefore, the wielder of Divine Speed could not only perform movements that were physically impossible but also execute actions that defied the laws of physics, making the body exceptionally light and capable of three-dimensional motion, reaching a realm faster than the speed of sound, equivalent to lightning.
That kind of speed was completely imperceptible to the naked eye. Even gods, if they lacked special eyesight or senses, could not react to such Divine Speed.
This ability was particularly advantageous in battle, which was why one of Verethragna's favorite incarnations to use was the "Phoenix."
Now, Verethragna transformed into a golden phoenix and launched a charge at Kaiser.
"Swish!"
The golden phoenix shot out like a phantom at extreme speed, brushing past the hastily dodging Kaiser and stirring up a fierce gale.
Gripping the Trident tightly in his hand, golden patterns flickered within Kaiser's body, causing his body to move naturally, allowing him to evade the Divine Speed assault in the nick of time.
Although his eyes couldn't keep up, and his mind nearly lagged behind as well, as long as he held a weapon in his hand, Kaiser could naturally enter a battle state and fully unleash the power of his weapon.
This battle state was actually very similar to the one Campiones would enter automatically when facing gods or crises—it was one of the reasons why Campiones could contend head-on with gods.
Thus, Kaiser completely entrusted his body to his Authority. As he fused with the Trident in his hand, he naturally dodged the golden phoenix's charge and suddenly slashed down the Trident as it passed by him.
"Boom!"
A surging tide instantly rose upon the already tumultuous sea, lifting the golden phoenix away.
The golden phoenix twisted within the waves and transformed back into the form of a youth, a fearless smile surfacing on the youth's face.
"I am the strongest, the one who holds all victory, whether facing humans or demons—one who crushes all hostility from all foes! I shall destroy any enemy that stands before me!"
In order to defeat the formidable enemy before him, Verethragna began chanting a Kotodama.
Kotodama, unlike spells, was not something that absolutely had to be used.
Whether gods, Campiones, or even ordinary magicians and sorcerers, their purpose in chanting Kotodama was mainly to activate their magical power and allow it to erupt with explosive force.
Just like Kido in the Soul Society—chanting it would unleash its full power, and though skipping the chant would weaken the power, it could still be used. Kotodama worked in much the same way.
So, chanting Kotodama was not a requirement to use an Authority, but rather a way to keep the Authority active—like a flame igniting gasoline.
The Kotodama Verethragna chanted at this moment was a sacred hymn from ancient Persian mythology, which he had chanted upon descending into the world.
As the sacred hymn was sung, Verethragna's magical power instantly ignited like a blazing flame within him.
"O protector of the righteous, I invite and offer myself unto you, bearer of victory and grace, please grant me the correct path and light!"
Verethragna's Kotodama became righteous and majestic, causing a goat-shaped apparition to appear behind him.
At this moment, Verethragna used the ninth incarnation—"Goat's" ability.
"Boom!"
As Verethragna stretched out a palm, scorching lightning suddenly erupted and shot forth at incredible speed, striking the surging waves and dispersing them.
The ninth incarnation—"Goat"—possessed the power of lightning attacks.
Lightning pierced through the waves, repelled the water, and with scorching air, blasted toward Kaiser who was behind the tide.
"Bang!"
Kaiser swung the Trident, striking the incoming lightning and knocking it aside. The lightning turned into a flash of thunder and flew into the sky.
"Again!"
Verethragna's eyes lit up. Seeing Kaiser easily strike down the lightning he had launched, not only did he feel no anger, he seemed even more delighted, launching bolts of lightning repeatedly with both hands, causing countless lightning strikes to rain down on Kaiser.
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"...
Kaiser struck away the incoming lightning one by one—some were knocked into the sky, some were slammed into the ground, and some were even blasted toward Sardinia, striking buildings and setting them ablaze as they collapsed.
The Trident in his hand not only controlled the sea but could cleave mountains, turn stones into islands, summon storms and tsunamis, submerge continents, shatter the heavens and earth, smash all things to dust, cause massive earthquakes, and unleash unprecedented catastrophes.
Controlling the sea, summoning storms and tsunamis, smashing all things, causing earthquakes, forming islands… The Trident held all these powers—naturally, striking down mere lightning bolts was no issue.
Kaiser calmly struck away all the lightning and pointed toward the sea. The surface once again surged with wave after wave, transforming into towering water curtains that rushed toward Verethragna, who was unleashing lightning.
However...
"Begone!"
Facing the layers upon layers of water curtains, Verethragna merely gave a light shout, and the waves actually froze mid-air, as if driven back by the shout, all retreating from around Verethragna.
This was the power of Verethragna's sixth incarnation—"Youth."
A radiant fifteen-year-old youth, in the doctrine protected by Verethragna, this image symbolized the "hero."
When receiving the command of the Lord to bring order to a chaotic world and to subjugate rebellious Heretic Gods, Verethragna would take on the form of this youthful hero.
For this reason, although Verethragna had ten incarnations, he most favored appearing as the "Youth," for it best represented his identity as a guardian deity of his people and protector of royal authority.
In this form, Verethragna also gained Authorities related to protection and kingship, granting him powers to bestow blessings upon others and to dominate external forces.
Just now, Verethragna used his power of domination to seize control over the waves and repel them with a mere shout.
"I see… I've almost figured out the divinity of that sacred artifact in your hand."
Though Verethragna fought with high excitement, his eyes remained calm and sharp, fixed on the Trident in Kaiser's hand, seeing through its true identity.
"Lightning… Trident… Helm of Invisibility… This was forged by the Cyclopes of Greece to assist those three brothers in overthrowing their father."
"They aided those gods in toppling the tyrannical rule of the Father God, allowing the twelve gods to ascend Mount Olympus and become the Twelve Olympians."
"Later, the three brothers drew lots to divide their realms of dominion. The one who drew the sea became the god who ruled the ocean—owner of this Trident."
The words Verethragna spoke were not just idle talk.
With every line he uttered, dazzling spheres of light would appear around him—the more he spoke, the more numerous and brighter the spheres became. Eventually, they solidified into actual power, causing the Trident in Kaiser's hand to suddenly dim and lose its radiance.
"Clang!"
Vaguely, Kaiser seemed to see a golden sword falling, striking the Trident in his hand and severing it.
This didn't happen in reality, yet the Trident in his hand, though not physically broken, lost all its power—becoming nothing more than scrap metal.
This was—
"The Golden Sword that severs divinity!"
Kaiser's gaze sharpened.
Verethragna's tenth incarnation—"Warrior"—often appeared in ancient Persian mythology wielding a golden sword.
As the guardian deity serving the God of Light, Mithra, Verethragna was frequently entrusted with the task of subduing numerous hostile gods who defied the chief deity.
The golden sword of the tenth incarnation "Warrior" was the ultimate sword used to sever divinity, cut off divine power, and seal Authorities. It was also a sword of knowledge and wisdom.
When one had sufficient understanding of the enemy god and deep knowledge of their associated myths, that knowledge could be used to refine the Golden Sword, making it sharper and stronger.
In other words, once Verethragna fully understood and saw through a god, that god could no longer defeat him.
When using the "Warrior" incarnation, every line Verethragna spoke to expose the enemy's essence would become Kotodama, forming a radiant Golden Sword to slay the enemy god.
At the same time, Verethragna's physical abilities would also be enhanced while using this incarnation, and he would gain the eyes to perceive the essence of the enemy god.
Indeed, being too famous was also a kind of flaw. As the Trident—Poseidon's primary weapon as one of the Twelve Olympians in Greek mythology—its reputation was simply too renowned. It was immediately seen through by Verethragna, and its divinity and divine power were instantly severed, rendering it powerless.
"Truly a power that can be called a cheat in this world..."
No wonder the "Warrior" incarnation was the original protagonist's trump card—whenever the protagonist encountered an unbeatable enemy, it would help him overcome and win.
Kaiser put away the now powerless Trident and abandoned the idea of using the True Longinus.
As strong as the True Longinus was, its name was even more renowned than the Trident. If he dared to take it out, Verethragna would see through it at a glance and use the Golden Sword to seal it before he could even throw it.
To counter the "Warrior" incarnation, one must use a weapon never mentioned in mythology.
With that in mind, even the True Longinus might be unusable before Verethragna, because its origin was the spear that pierced Jesus Christ—the Lance of Longinus.
As for the Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing, the Red Dragon and White Dragon both originated from the ancient dragons of Welsh legend. The cores of these two Sacred Gears symbolized the Ouroboros, the eternal cycle—one of the world's oldest mythological symbols, appearing in Aztec, Middle Eastern, Native American, and many other ancient mythologies including Christianity, Hinduism, and Norse myth. If he dared to reveal them, Verethragna would definitely see through them as well.
In other words, the best options Kaiser had now were Orga Luxes and Zanpakutō.
Although Kaiser's Orga Lux had grown significantly stronger after becoming a Campione, it might not be enough to slay a god.
In that case, the choice of weapon became obvious.
"Sit upon the frozen heavens..."
A blade suddenly appeared in Kaiser's hand—a sword with a crescent-shaped chain at the end of its hilt.
"Hyōrinmaru!"
At that moment, an endless surge of cold air turned into white mist, erupting from Kaiser's body.
The chill froze the atmosphere and the moisture in the air, forming a dragon of ice and water around Kaiser that let out a mighty roar.
If Hitsugaya Tōshirō were here to witness this, his eyes would surely pop out in shock.
Because the ice and water dragon surrounding Kaiser was at least a thousand times larger than the ice dragon that appeared when he released his Zanpakutō!
The enormous ice dragon could swallow a mountain with just its head. Its roar froze even the storm itself, turning the downpour into blizzard, and the tempest into a snowstorm that engulfed the entire ocean.
"Crack crack crack...!"
Amid the chilling sounds of solidification, the sea surface froze at astonishing speed.
In the blink of an eye, an icy world descended, turning the Mediterranean Sea into a frozen ocean.
"What?"
Verethragna was greatly shocked, and was immediately struck by the blizzard, his whole body blown away and frozen within the snowstorm.
"Swish!"
Kaiser stepped with Shunpo, flashing amid the snow and ice, arriving above Verethragna's head.
"Boom!!!"
A whip kick landed heavily on the ice statue that was Verethragna, shattering the ice and sending the youth flying like a cannonball, crashing into the frozen sea.
Massive ice currents gushed forth, surging like spray.
Verethragna's figure vanished beneath the icy sea, his whereabouts unknown.