"As mentioned before, this is the title bestowed upon me by His Majesty. It appears you possess the power to shatter Divine Authority and seal away abilities."
Melusine's tone carried a hint of pity.
"But it seems that without understanding my true nature, you cannot employ such an attack."
Forcing the use of two Incarnations simultaneously, Verethragna was already like a candle guttering in the wind.
Knowing he had no other cards to play, he abandoned pointless speculation and spoke with resolute acceptance and anticipation.
"Indeed, it seems this contest has now reached its final stage."
"Then, allow me to grant you the defeat you so earnestly seek but cannot obtain."
In her knightly form, Melusine acted with decisive swiftness, showing no intention of listening further to the words of the defeated.
The blades on her wrists once again radiated incredibly potent energy.
"To wield power of this magnitude repeatedly… just what are you…?"
Inherently vulnerable to high temperatures and now in a severely weakened state, even Verethragna couldn't imagine how he might achieve his customary, seemingly predestined victory.
Yet, he still chose to attack first without a moment's hesitation.
Their speeds had long since reached unimaginable levels.
The hundreds, even thousands, of exchanges in that single second prior were not Melusine's limit.
But the Verethragna of this moment could no longer match that earlier standard.
Even though he held the very concept of 'being faster than the opponent,' excruciating pain wracked his body and organs, preventing him from exerting his full power.
His movements were distorted, his coordination off. Various external factors made this speed as insubstantial as a castle in the air.
In the first second, Verethragna was struck hundreds of times.
Dazzling blue light surged from his wounds, the terrifying heat instantly cauterizing and sealing them shut.
By the second second, despite his desperate defense, Verethragna was unavoidably pierced dozens of times through his heart and vital points.
When the third second came, a Verethragna whose body and spirit could bear no more weight was sent back to the realm of myth, without even a chance to utter a final word.
Melqart witnessed it all. It wasn't that he didn't want to help; he simply couldn't.
Against this unfollowable speed, all his methods of attack seemed utterly useless. The gap in sheer power had, at this point, transcended any fancy tricks or techniques.
Though maintaining his storm-form could prolong the battle, having witnessed Verethragna's desperate struggle, Melqart chose to release his storm-body.
He resolved to meet the end of this fight with this unknown dragon-serpent deity in the most honorable manner possible.
The curtain of rain in the sky gradually dissipated.
For ordinary people, today was merely an inexplicable experience of earthquakes, storms, and torrential rain.
But as inhabitants of an island city, the people of Sardinia weren't overly panicked. They had weathered many such disasters; today was just particularly intense.
But for Erica, who observed the entire spectacle, and for the shrine maidens who watched via Spirit Vision and magic, this battle was utterly terrifying.
A free-for-all between Heretic Gods?
No, it was a complete and utter rout from start to finish.
That silver-haired, blue-armored Heretic Goddess had, with overwhelming force and speed, successively defeated two other deities who stood at the pinnacle of myth.
The entire process hadn't even lasted five minutes.
Five minutes to kill two Heretic Gods? Was this a dream or a joke?
But it was fact.
Countless individuals sought to glimpse this goddess's true identity, but their efforts yielded unsatisfactory results.
What they could perceive through the goddess was only the knight named Lancelot.
Yet, no matter who looked, no one could connect that Lancelot with this goddess.
Putting aside the incomparable difference in their power, the more critical point was that the Lancelot they saw—while not necessarily male—was far taller and larger in stature than this goddess.
Even if they couldn't see past the full-body armor, the mismatch in physique alone prevented any connection between the two.
It wasn't until a shrine maiden recognized the twin blades springing from the goddess's fist-weapons as Arondight that the truth dawned.
No way… you really are Lancelot?
No matter how hard it was to believe, this flying, petite goddess, identified by the Heretic Gods as a dragon-serpent, could only be linked to Lancelot.
Is this what a Heretic God is?
Not only having little connection to their myth, but even contradicting it, yet being acceptable precisely because they are Heretic Gods?
Everyone could only swallow this bewildering, subversive answer.
But all that was for later.
Erica had heard of battles between Heretic Gods, of battles between Campiones and Heretic Gods, and even of battles between Campiones themselves.
None of those conflicts were ever decided so swiftly.
As the pinnacle of the world, the Gods and Devil Kings who trampled over it, their fights lasting hours wouldn't be surprising—even days and nights of combat wouldn't raise an eyebrow.
But… how much time had passed just now? Ten minutes? Five? Or even less?
Erica couldn't even muster the mental clarity to calculate the time. She simply stared, dazed, as the battle began and then concluded.
"What's wrong?"
Melusine, having returned to the ground, looked at Erica's somewhat absent expression and asked, "The danger is over. How long are you going to stand there spacing out?"
"Ah…! My apologies, Lord Lancelot!"
Though her reaction was a beat slow, Erica swiftly performed a courteous bow.
Remembering the words 'It'll be over soon' spoken before the fight began, Erica couldn't help but feel a complex mix of emotions.
It really was over 'soon.' And judging by Lord Lancelot's condition, it didn't even seem like she had gotten serious.
"That just now… made for a decent warm-up after waking… But more importantly, let's head back quickly."
Melusine frowned slightly at her damp, disheveled hair, made messy by the fight, and simply used her energy to vaporize all excess moisture from her body.
"Huh? Ah, yes…"
Erica wasn't sure how the topic had jumped so quickly, but she called Arianna, who had been evacuating the crowds.
Before long, Arianna arrived in a black sedan, pulling up before the two.
The driver this time was also an ordinary person. Even for Italians, Melusine's appearance and current attire were incredibly eye-catching.
However, with Erica present, Melusine didn't need to cast any magic to lower her own presence.
For Lord Lancelot's mention of 'going back,' Erica naturally assumed it meant 'returning to the place where they first met.' But upon noticing the car's route, Melusine corrected her.
It wasn't Milan they were heading to, but back to Lucretia Zola's place. She still had unfinished business here.
Following her instructions, Erica felt increasingly at ease.
With such formidable power, choosing to become Lord Lancelot's attendant knight was clearly the correct decision.
Meanwhile, the youngest Campione—having slain gods like Nuadha, Siegfried, and Vulcan, and now ruling over Italy and all of Eastern Europe—Salvatore Doni, received word of the events on Sardinia.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.