However, this particular god was not in very good condition.
Embedded deep in his thick chest was a golden sword.
The blade had snapped in half, so there was no hilt, and only about two-thirds of its original length remained.
Incidentally, this sword was actually Verethragna's Golden Sword.
As mentioned before, Verethragna possessed ten incarnations—in other words, ten Authorities.
One of them was the Warrior Wielding the Golden Sword.
Once Verethragna possessed detailed knowledge about the god he was fighting, he could chant words of power that transformed into tens of thousands of spheres of light, which then assembled into a radiant Golden Sword.
Against a god, it was essentially both the ultimate shield and the ultimate sword.
However, continuously maintaining it consumed the weapon just like an actual sword.
This Authority was extremely powerful.
It could even seal the Authorities of a Campione, although it could only seal one at a time.
While the ability was active, Verethragna's physical capabilities would also increase, and he would gain the eyesight necessary to perceive the true nature of gods.
The golden radiance created from his words of power formed a sword capable of severing both a god's body and divine power.
It was an attack that could directly cut apart divinity itself.
The reason Mekal had yet to recover from his severe injuries was entirely because of that Golden Sword.
"Do I need to introduce myself, unknown god and human?"
Mekal asked the two of them with amusement in his voice.
Rowan shook his head.
"That won't be necessary. You're Mekal, right?"
"Indeed! I am Mekal!"
The god laughed heartily.
"I am also rather fond of the name Baal. Baal Hadad is another fine name. But on this island, I suppose I should be called Mekal! Hahahahaha!"
Mekal's booming laughter caused the entire underground temple to shake.
And that was not a metaphor.
The ground really trembled like an earthquake.
The walls shook.
Even the ceiling quivered.
As for why Mekal also called himself Baal, that had to do with the rather chaotic mythology of the Campione! world.
In this world—
Mekal was the king who ruled over the ancient Phoenician pantheon.
His original name was Baal.
His mythology later spread into Greece, where he became one of the prototypes for the hero Heracles.
In Christian tradition, he was also associated with the Demon Lord of Gluttony, one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
Milton's Paradise Lost portrayed him as a demon king capable of standing alongside God.
He was also identified with Beelzebub, King of Demons, and Bael, the Great Emperor of Darkness who stood at the head of the seventy-two demons.
In short—
the mythology of the Campione! world was unbelievably tangled.
Even Athena could not escape being heavily rewritten, to the point that she and Medusa were effectively treated as the same being.
So Mekal possessing the name Baal was hardly strange.
"Tell me, unknown god."
Mekal's tone sharpened.
"Why have you come here?"
"Have you come to take advantage of my injuries?"
Rowan nodded without the slightest attempt to hide his intentions.
"Don't make it sound so polite, Mekal."
"I came here precisely to kick you while you're down and take advantage of your weakened state."
"I originally thought you were merely a despicable god."
Mekal looked somewhat surprised.
"I did not expect you to be so shamelessly honest about it."
Even so, he had no intention of simply surrendering.
He might have been gravely wounded—
but he still had enough strength left to fight.
"Pursue! Exile! O pursuers, twin weapons that have become my claws and fangs—pursue!"
"Let him witness the might of my wrath!"
Mekal chanted his words of power.
Violent lightning appeared out of nowhere.
In the next instant—
it crashed toward Rowan and Erica.
Erica instinctively hid behind Rowan.
As an ordinary Great Knight, facing even an injured god was simply far beyond her level.
She had absolutely no doubt that a single bolt of lightning from Mekal could kill her instantly.
So hiding behind Rowan was unquestionably the best choice.
Meanwhile, faced with the sky full of lightning descending upon them, Rowan did not even attempt to dodge.
Instead, he raised his right hand.
An invisible black hole appeared before his palm.
Whoosh!
In an instant, every bolt of lightning was sucked into it.
Mekal froze.
He had just been about to praise Rowan's technique when he saw Rowan casually shake his hand.
The next second—
the lightning that had just disappeared reappeared.
Only this time, it erupted from Rowan's hand and blasted straight toward Mekal.
Mekal's pupils trembled violently.
He did not even have time to evade.
Boom!
The lightning struck him head-on.
His massive body was sent flying backward like a cannonball before crashing into the temple wall with a thunderous explosion.
The entire underground temple shook violently.
Erica stared in astonishment.
Mekal was a god-king worshiped by Semitic peoples such as the Canaanites and Phoenicians.
Locusts were his servants.
He was a god of storms.
A god of the sea.
A god of the sun.
And a god of life who governed both harvest and desolation.
He could summon winds powerful enough to blow away entire cities.
He could call forth armies of the dead from the underworld.
He commanded waves like great floods.
And thousands upon thousands of lightning bolts like spears descending from heaven.
Yet now—
Mekal had actually been injured by lightning.
"How did you do that?"
Erica asked curiously.
"You bastard…"
Before Rowan could answer, Mekal's certain voice rang out.
"You stole my Authority, didn't you?"
"Stole it?"
Erica suddenly realized.
"The Prometheus Grimoire?"
In the original story, Godou Kusanagi had used that grimoire to steal Verethragna's power and then used Verethragna's own power to kill him.
Now the grimoire had fallen into Rowan's hands.
Erica had personally seen Lucretia give it to him.
She had not expected Rowan to decipher the artifact so quickly.
"That's right."
Rowan said,
"It was the Prometheus Grimoire."
"I've already comprehended the essence of the power contained within it."
"That's why I can steal the Authorities of gods and use them for myself."
Mekal burst into laughter.
"So that's how it is!"
"A thief of divine fire, eh?"
"What a troublesome power!"
Although he was severely wounded, had just been blasted away by his own lightning, and was already nearing the end of his strength—
Mekal's bearing did not weaken in the slightest.
If anything, he appeared remarkably calm.
That calmness probably came from the unique nature of gods in this world.
When gods died in the world of Campione!, they did not truly disappear.
They simply returned to mythology.
If they wished, they could descend into the mortal world again.
For example, in Volume Eleven of the original story, Mekal appeared once more at full strength and fought Godou Kusanagi.
The battle ultimately ended in mutual destruction, after which Mekal returned to mythology again.
So when it came to death—
these gods were generally quite open-minded about it.
After all, it wasn't real death.
Rowan turned toward Erica.
"You."
"Go slap him twice."
"Hah? Me?"
Erica pointed at herself.
Mekal immediately erupted in fury.
"Are you humiliating me, nameless god?!"
It was obvious that if he still possessed even a little more strength, he would probably try to drag Rowan down with him in a suicidal attack.
"My mistake."
Rowan corrected himself.
"Go kill him and become a Campione."
"Me?"
Erica stared at him in disbelief.
Rowan was actually willing to let her become a Campione?
She could not understand it.
Why would such an unbelievable stroke of fortune suddenly fall into her lap?
Could it be that compared with having a mere Great Knight in his harem, this god would rather have a Campione?
Once that thought crossed her mind, Erica stopped hesitating.
She walked toward Mekal.
At first, Mekal had not regarded Erica as worth noticing.
But now, realizing that he was going to die at the hands of a mere human, he could not help feeling somewhat depressed.
"I never imagined…"
"That I would ultimately become your stepping stone."
Erica took a deep breath.
Then she solemnly bowed toward Mekal.
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty, God-King."
"It matters not."
Mekal replied.
"Before long, I will regain my full strength."
"When that time comes, the spearhead of my wrath shall be directed toward you!"
Simply put—
he would remember Erica.
Once he returned to full strength, he would break free from mythology again and give her a pleasant surprise.
"It would be my honor."
Erica replied.
Then she raised the sword in her hands and loudly chanted her words of power.
"O heart of the Lion King—you are immortal steel!"
"So long as my heart does not yield, my sword shall never break!"
"O lion, manifest once more within my hand!"
"O steel of the lion, reveal your immortal and eternal authority!"
To ensure Mekal's death, Erica chanted several spells in succession, strengthening herself.
Then—
with one final strike—
she severed Mekal's head.
And with that—
Mekal officially died.
After cutting off the god-king's head, Erica turned around, intending to thank Rowan.
But suddenly—
her eyelids closed.
Her entire body went limp, and she collapsed.
This was not because she had exhausted herself.
Rather—
the reincarnation ritual had begun.
Why did humans gain the Authorities of gods and ascend to the heavens in a single step after slaying one?
Naturally—
because of this reincarnation ritual.
Only after undergoing the ritual could a human truly become a Campione.
And the one who presided over the ritual was none other than the mythical witch—
Pandora.
In this world, Pandora's origins were anything but simple.
Before the Olympian gods came to dominate Greece, Pandora had been a powerful Earth Mother Goddess possessing tremendous Authority and wisdom.
She was also a goddess who bestowed blessings upon both gods and humanity.
Normally, she resided at the boundary between life and immortality, presiding over the reincarnation ritual.
Anyone who fought a god and emerged victorious would, with Pandora's assistance, receive the defeated god's Authority and a body capable of contending with divinity.
The victor would then be transformed into a Demon King.
In other words—
a Campione.
And the reason Rowan had allowed Erica to become a Campione—
was Pandora.
No.
More precisely—
it was the reincarnation ritual controlled by Pandora.
Rowan did not know Pandora's exact location.
Furthermore, in the eyes of the people of this world, he himself was a god.
Even if he killed another god, there was no way he could undergo the ritual and become a Campione.
So Rowan used Erica instead.
The moment Erica's soul was drawn toward Pandora—
Rowan immediately knew where Pandora was.
Because he had already tampered with Erica's soul slightly.
He had left a mark on it.
And when Erica entered the boundary between life and death to meet Pandora—
Rowan took a single step.
His entire body vanished from the temple.
When he appeared again—
he was already standing beside Erica.
And Pandora.
His sudden arrival startled Pandora so badly that she nearly jumped out of her skin.
~~~
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