"You figured it out that fast?"
As one of the goddesses, Loki understood the key reason behind the immortality of the gods, but she never expected Bell, that kid, to analyze it after only a few minutes of exposure.
"Well, it wasn't exactly a hard answer to reach. Just some basic theories."
Bell rested his chin on his hand, replying casually as he thought.
It was simply a conclusion he could draw from observation.
Considering the nature of gods, it was inevitable that their immortality would be directly tied to their Authority.
"Given the special nature of gods, thinking in that direction is actually the correct approach."
"Although there are great limitations on gods, the bond between their essence and Authority is something that can never be changed."
"And since I've been lucky enough to use a power similar to Authority, I've naturally learned a few secrets."
That was true.
Loki thought for a moment. Bell's omnipotent Authority meant it was only natural for him to know more about such secrets.
She then glanced with pity at Ikelos, wailing on the laboratory table.
'Who told you to be so unlucky? You actually went and threw yourself into the most dangerous situation. If I don't deal with you, who else?'
After his explanation, Bell continued to focus on the severed arm and the fragment of soul.
"It can only be cut off."
That part of the soul wasn't like an ordinary person's, which would be cleanly severed, leaving the whole incomplete and thus losing the right to reincarnation.
Even after being cut away, the soul of the god Ikelos did not collapse.
Two runes appeared in Bell's vision. Through them, he could see more clearly that the severed arm and the soul attached to it still maintained an inseparable link with Ikelos.
Just as he had suspected, a god's soul was unique. With Authority acting as the adhesive between body and spirit, killing a god inevitably meant confronting Authority itself.
'To truly resolve the problem of Authority, I'll have to sever that connection.'
'But that won't be easy.'
'Forget it. For now, I'll just try extracting the Authority and see what happens.'
Bell let go of the severed arm, reintegrating the detached soul back into the limb. He then reattached the arm to Ikelos's shoulder and healed the wound.
On closer inspection, Bell realized that in the process of healing, he had even restored the soul of the god Ikelos completely.
This made him sigh in amazement:
'A god's soul is practically like clay.'
Even while marveling at this, Bell continued observing the changes within the soul.
Authority exists within concepts. Since a god's soul and Authority are bound together, Authority must exist within the complete soul.
Yes, within the complete soul.
Authority acts as the adhesive of a god's soul, capable of reshaping it even from the tiniest fragment.
Thus, Bell concluded that every fragment of a god's soul must contain the concept of Authority. To extract Authority from a god's soul, the soul must first be reduced to "one." Otherwise, separation would be impossible.
But this concealment went beyond what the naked eye could see.
So, even after Bell examined carefully, he still couldn't find the source of Authority within Ikelos's body.
'Looks like I'll have to do this directly.'
Bell rolled up his sleeves. Runes floated over his skin like surgical gloves.
The laboratory table, once flat, suddenly shifted upright.
Ikelos, bound to the table, was not much affected. Having recovered slightly from the earlier tearing pain, he finally focused on the boy before him, who had already surpassed all his expectations.
His face was ghostly pale, bloodshot eyes glaring, features twisted in a feral grimace. Yet at his lips, he forced out a mocking smile and sneered:
"Child of Genkai. You will never kill a god."
"..."
Bell simply looked at Ikelos without responding. He was not one to waste words.
Once ready, Bell raised his hand and drove it straight into Ikelos's chest.
"!?"
There was no sound of flesh being pierced—because Bell's hand had plunged directly into Ikelos's soul.
Since Authority resided in the soul, he would drag the concept out from there.
Though he felt no physical pain, dread surged in Ikelos's heart, setting off alarm bells.
"What are you doing?"
His body began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Stop! This is an affront to the divine—"
"!?"
Ikelos suddenly felt something. His eyes went wide with terror, his lofty tone vanishing, replaced with pure horror.
"Don't!!!"
But words alone could not stop what had begun.
Bell ignored him, gripping the fragment in his hand and pulling with force.
Yet Authority clung to a god's soul even more tightly than he had expected.
Bell had no choice but to use all his strength. If he let go, Authority would retreat back into Ikelos's soul, and dragging it out again would be even harder.
His arm trembled, muscles quivering. He could only wrench it free bit by bit, unable to move quickly.
"Noooooo!"
The arm that had been completely submerged in Ikelos's soul was now being drawn out, already up to the wrist.
This set every warning bell ringing in Ikelos's mind. He could feel his Authority being torn away by force.
He could feel his strength slipping with every inch pulled out.
So long as that arm clutching his Authority emerged further, his power would drain away rapidly.
If only he could use his divine power, he might have fought back. But sealed as it was, he could only watch helplessly.
No matter how he resisted, Bell's hand steadily wrenched the thing called Authority out of Ikelos's soul.
With one final pull—
"Aaaaaah!"
Accompanied by Ikelos's despairing scream, the last fragment of Authority was torn free from his soul.