Divine Confusion, the Authority stolen by Salvatore Doni from the god Dionysus, could create a zone where magecraft, magical energy, and even other Authorities ran rampant and out of control.
Its potency was such that it could even send Doni's own Authorities into a frenzy.
Using this power forced opponents into the pure close-quarters combat where Doni excelled most.
Although the Authority he used most frequently—and was best known for—was the Silver Hand, Divine Confusion was his true final trump card.
To unleash its full effect required considerable preparation time, but it was possible to employ a smaller-scale version with only a brief charge.
When it came down to it, a Godslayer's application of their Authorities was far more flexible and adaptable than that of a Heretic God.
Having maintained her charge, propelling them both a vast distance of over five thousand kilometers, Melusine suddenly felt her internal magical energy descend into chaos.
A stifling sensation, as if she couldn't draw a proper breath, made her frown.
Of course it was uncomfortable, but... wait? What was happening?
The barrier that had been blocking her assault was crumbling away at tremendous speed.
Doni drew the longsword at his hip, striking it against its scabbard to alter his trajectory. The momentum of his flight carried him away from Melusine before he slammed heavily into the ground.
Even for a Godslayer's physique, the inertia left him momentarily dazed and reeling.
The wound on his arm was already beginning to heal, the pain subsiding rapidly, bolstering his confidence in victory.
Watching the blue comet descend from the sky and land before him, Doni grinned and raised his sword, pointing it directly at her.
Melusine's expression grew increasingly perplexed.
"What have you done?"
"Feeling out of sorts, isn't it? I'm using an Authority I took from Dionysus. From now on, within a hundred meters of me, any magical energy or Authority will go berserk."
"Forget about using them to enhance yourself; you'll be lucky if they don't tear you apart from the inside."
Doni made no attempt to hide his intentions, a smile spreading across his face.
"I'm calling you Lancelot, but your Authority has nothing to do with that name. That speed-type power of yours is something even I can't effectively counter, so I had no choice but to disable it."
"...Disable my Authority?"
Melusine's expression grew even more peculiar, as if she were watching a pig that had managed to commit suicide by running into a tree.
"Leaving aside this one's Authority for a moment, using that move means you'll have to rely solely on your swordsmanship and physical body, won't you? Do you truly believe you can defeat me like that?"
"Ah, you mean the famed physical prowess of the Dragon-Serpents? When it comes to a straight-up sword fight, as opposed to clashing Authorities, I'll never fear anyone."
Doni was well aware that the girl before him, despite wearing Lancelot's guise, possessed the essence of a Dragon-Serpent.
To Gods and Devil Kings alike, such a truth was apparent from the very first meeting.
Yet, he remained utterly unruffled.
Leaving aside the fact that a Godslayer's physical capabilities were on par with deities—something an ordinary Dragon-Serpent could never match—even if she were one of mythology's most formidable, he held no fear.
If combat and slaughter were determined solely by physical conditioning and magical skill, humanity could never have hoped to defeat gods from the outset.
A Godslayer was, by definition, one who overturned common sense and the very concept of disparity in power.
"Should one call it confidence or arrogance..." Melusine sighed, her expression betraying not a single flicker of panic or wavering.
Instead, her gaze held a hint of pity.
This caused Doni's smile to fade slightly, but without hesitation, he swung his sword and charged.
However, he only perceived a flash of white streaking before his eyes.
By the time he registered it, he saw his own blood spraying into the air.
The pain in his chest wasn't searing, but it was enough to make him realize a colossal wound had been carved there, one nearly cleaving him in two.
Had instinct not rooted his feet to the spot, he would have been severed completely.
Her speed... hadn't diminished?!
"Are all Godslayers this troublesome...?" Melusine frowned, deeply displeased with the current situation.
He had come to kill her.
There was no reason for her to spare his life.
He approached with a cheerful grin, intent on her death—did he honestly expect her to smile back and say, 'It's fine, you can go now'?
She didn't particularly dislike this 'Sword King.' That was precisely why she intended to end him swiftly and decisively.
Yet he stubbornly dragged the fight out, turning it into a grueling affair.
"I see... That speed isn't an Authority, but your intrinsic 'trait'... No, is it pure physical capability?" Doni could only find it absurd.
As the delayed sensation of being cut finally caught up with him, bringing searing pain, his face contorted.
Offering no reply, Melusine immediately followed up with another thrust.
The golden-haired youth crumpled heavily to the ground. A torrent of magical energy dispersed from his body, returning to the leylines.
The sheer volume surprised Melusine slightly, but she quickly dismissed it from her mind.
While impressive by ordinary standards, to her—an incarnation of the planet's very leylines—it was merely a welcome supplement, like adding gilt to a lily.
Perhaps a greater influx of Godslayer essence might make the flower bloom more vibrantly, but that was a matter for another time.
After sweeping her gaze across the various observers watching through clairvoyance or familiars, Melusine once again soared into the sky.
"...How terrifying! Just who is she!?"
Only upon opening her eyes did Guinevere feel the chill running down her spine—the clammy cold of clothes soaked through with cold sweat.
"...What happened?" Lancelot had a grim suspicion, but couldn't bring herself to believe it.
"The Sword King... has been killed..."
"...!"
From the moment Guinevere announced their encounter until now, less than two minutes had passed, surely? How could it have ended so swiftly?
Both women were filled with a profound sense of dread.
A God overpowering a Godslayer wasn't unusual.
A God and Godslayer reaching a stalemate wasn't unusual.
A God driving a Godslayer into a corner wasn't even unusual.
But a God killing a Godslayer—that was utterly extraordinary, almost an impossibility.
Even if a Godslayer were truly slain, they should resurrect and turn the tables on the god.
Indeed, it was precisely because of this ability to return from death and claim victory that Godslayers could be felled by gods in the first place.
"The Sword King... doesn't seem to possess an Authority that revives him from death." Guinevere's voice unconsciously turned hoarse. "His magical energy has already flowed back into the leylines..."
Was he truly dead?
At the Wise Counsel.
Alice's face was ashen as she looked towards Alexander. Calling her Spirit Vision the strongest in the world might be an overstatement, but labeling it top-tier was certainly no exaggeration.
Spirit Vision was the ability to extract Memories of the Void from the Boundary of Life and Death within the Netherworld.
Most believed seers could foresee the future, but correctly speaking, the ability used inspiration to read events occurring in the present, and then subconsciously extrapolate possibilities of what might come to pass.
Alice had honed this faculty to its peak, even able to project the visions of her Spirit Vision before others through magecraft.
Though Alexander's complexion remained passable, his expression was no better than Alice's.
A man renowned for his intellect and wisdom, he could not even conceal the shock and gravity weighing upon him now.
A battle lasting less than two minutes, the majority of which was apparently dialogue. The actual time spent fighting was under a minute...
And in that fleeting span...?
Just who in the world was that Heretic God?
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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!
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If you guys wanna check it out.