Liliana's defeat did bring Voban a twinge of pity, but not disappointment.
After all, it had always been a probing move; its success or failure had no bearing on his overall plan.
As for the declaration of war from the rogue deity 'Lancelot,' he treated it as an outright joke.
To be the pinnacle of the world, yet still show consideration for mere mortals—this lack of a conqueror's bearing he saw as a sure sign of his own inevitable victory.
While he held the Sword King in utter contempt, he had to acknowledge she possessed the same domineering spirit as his own, a spirit that ruled the world. Voban could at least respect that.
And it was precisely for that reason he loathed her. The world had no need for two kings.
Three days slipped by quietly. Melusine and Athena were the calmest two in the entire world.
One was supremely confident in herself, the other supremely confident in Melusine.
They had already mapped out Voban's demise in intricate detail, both before and after the declaration of war.
Compared to them, Voban's mood was equally placid. He was the oldest Godslayer, the one who had fought the most deities.
Heretic Gods had long ceased to be a source of difficulty or tension for him; they were merely providers of Authorities, nothing more.
Guinevere and Lancelot were hardly any less composed than Voban.
Both were puppet masters operating from the shadows. For them, this incident had only three possible outcomes: 'nothing happens,' 'we win,' or 'we win big.'
The only one genuinely troubled was Alexander.
He had already warned Voban, cautioning him that this battle was likely a trap. The only response he got was Voban's mockery.
Neither cared for the other. In fact, friendly relations between Godslayers were exceedingly rare.
After his warning fell on deaf ears, Alexander couldn't be bothered to say more.
He'd definitely be sticking his nose in when the time came, anyway.
Alexander spent almost all his time laying traps within his Great Labyrinth. Even with the power of a Godslayer, the effort left him feeling severely drained.
Fortunately, the results were gratifying. His Labyrinth was now a vast, inescapable net. He was confident he could kill even this 'Lancelot.'
The Great Labyrinth could create enormous mazes underground or within buildings, dragging opponents inside.
Its use wasn't even limited to the earth and structures; it could target the sky and sea as well, transforming the terrain into bewildering forests, demonic seas, and the like, depending on the environment.
As the master of the Labyrinth, he possessed privileges such as instantly teleporting to its center, freely positioning and summoning or recalling his familiars at will, redirecting attacks from his Authorities to any location within the maze, and freely changing the positions of his familiars and himself.
But such a powerful Authority came with a harsh restriction: it could only be used once a month.
He had already used it within his own territory to set his preparations in place.
So how could he transfer the Great Labyrinth to the battlefield in the Balkans?
There was, in fact, a way.
'Time Reversal.' This was an Authority Alexander had usurped from the past goddess, Lachesis.
It allowed him to reverse the time of his target or himself. While it had the drawback of temporarily immobilizing him after three consecutive uses, he didn't need to use it that many times in a single burst.
By using Time Reversal on his 'Great Labyrinth' Authority, he could effectively teleport the entire maze.
Everyone waited in silence, and the third day finally arrived.
From the moment the clock's hand passed midnight, the world's attention focused on the Balkans. But... midnight passed, then morning, then noon.
Time ticked by, second by second. No one could maintain their intense focus forever.
Voban, already prepared, even began to wonder if he'd been duped. Alexander was sweating, anxiously pondering if this was a smokescreen from Guinevere.
Finally, at two in the afternoon, an azure comet rose from Sardinia, and two minutes later, it descended upon the Balkans.
By then, the Balkans were nearly a ghost town.
The recent declaration of war had been quite effective; the evacuation, carried out by the magic societies, had been executed perfectly.
Voban paid it no mind, offering no resistance whatsoever.
Watching the blue light crash down before his palace, a look of pleasure crossed Voban's face, but inwardly, he didn't relax his vigilance one bit.
"The Authority of Godspeed. So that's how the little swordsman died so quickly by your hand," Voban remarked as he descended from his throne.
Countless knights materialized from the shadows that stretched across the entire palace floor before him.
Melusine took a cursory glance.
There were over a dozen Great Knights alone—all corpses of powerful beings Voban had collected over the years through his 'Undead Servant.'
But... too weak.
Just as she thought this, all the knights surged towards her as one.
The steel weapons they carried, however faint, all bore the aura of 'Steel.'
But still, the same thought: too weak.
Without even a blink, Melusine's figure wove through the battlefield. In the same instant she sent every last knight to the underworld, her scabbard was already thrust towards Voban's throat.
Fast! Truly fast! But Voban had been prepared for this.
He didn't possess an Authority of Godspeed, but he did have ones that enhanced his velocity.
"O wind, blow."
"O rain, come. Become sleet, and call for the snow."
"I call the wind, subdue the rain, and gather the lightning. Know that both the scorching wind and the freezing wind are mine to command. I shall bring──the fury of storm and raging waves to this land!"
For a Godslayer or a Heretic God, a divine incantation was never an impediment in battle.
The so-called 'limitations of human speech' were a joke to them. Uttering a hundred words per second, let alone ten, was no difficulty at all.
The simple fact was, their bodies were not human.
Wreathed in storm and thunder, Voban's figure shot into the sky in the blink of an eye, his speed several times faster than sound.
But Melusine was faster.
The moment he launched himself, her bronze scabbard-blade had already severed both his legs. At the same time, the diminutive dragon girl was already waiting in his path, high in the sky.
What just happened?
A strange look crossed Melusine's face.
She should have killed Voban.
But when she refocused, Voban, whom she should have decapitated, was below her, still in the process of flying upwards, completely unaware he had already died once.
Voban's expression was grim.
He knew a simple acceleration Authority was no match for Godspeed, but he had faced opponents with that power before.
The gap shouldn't have been this vast!
So-called 'Godspeed' isn't merely 'the ability to move from point A to point B at high velocity.'
It's 'the ability to shorten the time required to travel from point A to point B.'
It's not just about speed; it's an ability that interferes with time itself to a certain extent.
That said, without some inherent understanding or cognition related to time, one's Godspeed would never be truly formidable, sometimes not much different from simple acceleration.
Voban knew none of this. All he understood was that his arrogance had complicated the situation.
Just as he was preparing his next move, a force warping space rapidly enveloped everything around him. When he came to his senses, he was in a dense forest.
This Authority belongs to... that brat from Britain?
--+--
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.