Regardless of the era or country, it is fundamentally humanity that bestows names and myths upon gods.
In primitive times, they had no names.
Humans simply looked upon the vast sky and the earth with awe, finding the forms of gods within them. They feared the storms and floods brought by divine wrath and worshiped dangerously powerful beasts as incarnations of the divine.
However, as long years passed, humanity gave the gods names and wove myths for them.
simply put, they wove the formless, untouchable "unknown" into mythology, granting them personalities, authorities, and duties...
Gods who possess names and myths do not perform acts that transcend these two things. When granting blessings to humans or receiving retribution, they act according to their duties.
Therefore, people can prepare for a god's threat or blessing.
These can be said to be rituals created by insignificant humans to prevent the divine might of gods from becoming too powerful.
However, should a god perform deeds that transcend the meaning represented by their given name and myth...
Should a god return to the primitive era where there were fewer mythological constraints...
Such a god is called a "Heretical God."
They run counter to the myths woven by humanity and wander the earth. When they roam the nations of the people who gave them their names, it is like water flowing over land devoid of greenery.
To gods who steadfastly adhere to their duties, these Heretical Gods, filled with madness, are undoubtedly existences to be loathed.
For this reason, to deal with Heretical Gods, the gods allowed the birth of God-Slayers.
However—
The God-Slayers, who possess the Authorities of gods, are themselves disasters.
Holding divine Authorities, they are no more benevolent than the so-called gods; in fact, it could be said they are even more malicious than gods or demons.
To deal with them, the role born into existence was the Hero who subjugates the Demon King.
That is, the King of the Last Manifestation.
—The Hero who manifests in times of crisis, slaughtering the Demon King with the sword of salvation to save the world.
There is more than one King of the Last Manifestation.
This is a very logical matter.
The world of Campione! operates on a typical Type-1 Multiverse worldview, where there are countless parallel universes with identical physical constants but different particle arrangements.
Expecting a single King of the End to rely on sheer grinding to solve a disaster prevalent across the multiverse would be tantamount to murder.
Even the most diligent King of the End couldn't shoulder such a heavy burden.
Therefore, a King of the End exists in every universe.
Different Kings of the End have different personalities and different attitudes toward God-Slayers.
In the worldline where Rama is the King of the End, the number of God-Slayers reached double digits, yet that "Strongest Steel" was still hiding in outer space, sleeping.
As long as I don't see them, there are no God-Slayers in this world.jpg.
Completely opposite to Rama's attitude is Mithra, whose work ethic would make a donkey on a production team call him an expert.
He does not allow any God-Slayer to exist. As soon as a God-Slayer is born, he takes his Divine Sword of Salvation and goes to chop them down.
And now, standing before Li Zihan, was that very King.
"The order for execution has been given. Stretch out your neck and await slaughter."
The Monarch, who had entrusted Verethragna with bringing the Child of the Sage to his Divine Realm, held the divine sword upward, the blade pointed high toward the sky.
The blade was about 100 centimeters long, thick as a cleaver, and shimmering with a platinum radiance.
This was the Divine Sword of Salvation.
—The blade of Demon King Annihilation begins to display its... power, right here and now!
Next, a platinum sphere of light manifested high in the sky.
It was as dazzling as if a second sun had appeared.
Seeing this scene, a heavy sense of crisis crawled over his body like a cold venomous snake. Even in Li Zihan's heart, a frantic warning signal surged.
If I take a hit from that thing, I definitely won't be walking away.
[Authority: Lightning Speed]
[Incarnation: The Phoenix]
[Incarnation: The Wind]
Without hesitation, he activated three god-speed Authorities in a single breath, fleeing rapidly.
Once that sword was fully deployed, it was something that wouldn't even spare a star; its attack range was simply terrifying.
"Do you think you can escape?"
Watching the boy who had almost fled his field of vision in an instant, the Monarch, whose divine lifespan was running short, looked on indifferently, killing intent surging in his eyes.
The Divine Sword of Salvation swung forward, and the platinum sun fell.
He didn't aim at the enemy.
Because there was no need.
BOOM————!
An earth-shattering noise resounded through the entire sky.
Centered on the falling platinum sun, a terrifying shockwave expanded in a ring shape, whipping up a tsunami-like gale that surged outward in all directions along with the blast.
The platinum sun struck directly downwards and detonated completely, instantly enveloping the territory of the God-King in the resulting explosive flash.
Within the flash of the explosion, a scene terrifying to the extreme occurred.
The desert ground was destroyed inch by inch; rocks and rubble were annihilated bit by bit.
Everything seemed to be melted by the scorching high temperature, vanishing without a trace.
That scene was truly as if a small star had directly struck the ocean, stirring up a terrifying commotion.
It caused the earth to continuously self-destruct, spreading outwards in a straight line from the edge of the massive crater along the direction the 'King of the End' had swung his divine sword, continuously vaporizing the land, rocks, and mountain ranges within the field of vision...
This was the result of the Divine Sword of Salvation piercing the earth.
If this were on Earth, it could leave an indelible scar upon the entire planet!
Under such an attack, even a god would face only immediate slaughter.
A simple strike, yet it possessed the terrifying power to churn heaven and earth.
"Guh—!!!"
Much like how Li Zihan beat up the 'Mop-Head' (Altera), even though he possessed the Authority of the domain of god-speed, he was still affected by the power of the falling platinum sun. He was blown away, smashing into the ground like an arrow released from a bow string, plowing a gully hundreds of meters long into the earth.
"Although I knew the King of the End would be absurd when serious, this is just too absurd."
The boy, smashed into the underground, coughed violently. Blood fell to the ground like bright plum blossoms.
A single strike had injured Li Zihan, who had been beating Verethragna as if bullying a novice.
This was the power displayed by the King of the End, Mithra...
No, that's not quite right.
This attack was merely the first strike of the King of the End; it didn't represent his full power at all.
"That was... truly a merciless blow."
The boy, who was also waiting for his reinforcements, staggered to his feet from the massive crater.
Although dragging things out now would ensure the final victory belonged to him...
However—
Being beaten and running away without fighting back wasn't his style.
As if a stormy night was descending.
His golden eyes took on a dense divinity.
Rumble————!
The entire sky surged with wind and clouds, as if welcoming the most terrifying storm. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled back and forth within the pitch-black cloud layers, intensifying with every passing moment.
The sky looked as if it were being constantly stirred by an invisible hand. The black clouds rotated like a vortex, causing the air itself to become chaotic.
Feng Bo (Wind Count), Yu Shi (Rain Master), Lei Gong (Thunder Duke): These were the wind and rain gods circulated in the East Asian and Southeast Asian cultural spheres centered on China, their images varying according to different eras and regions.
Marquis Voban had obtained the Authority named "Sturm und Drang" (Gale and Billows) after slaying this trinity of weather gods in Korea.
"Let me play with you."
The sky became even darker amidst the thunder that exploded with a boom. Massive thunderclouds accumulated continuously, shooting out bolts of lightning from within.
Using the boy's voice as the trigger, lightning that densely filled the field of vision and covered the firmament poured down from the sky like torrential rain.
A bolt of lightning struck the ground—
BOOM—!!!
Several kilometers of land vanished.
Followed by a second, a third, a fourth...
In the range of several hundred square kilometers of the earth surrounding the Divine Realm, several hundred meters of soil depth were completely vaporized, permanently disappearing—even erased along with their concepts.
And those were merely the aftershocks of the lightning.
The same Authority, in Li Zihan's hands, was far more terrifying than in the hands of that old wolf.
Having once used the God-Slaying Spear as a trump card, he had completely analyzed it after obtaining the Herrscher of Reason core.
Under this premise, the lightning he summoned possessed the same power as Verethragna's Indra's Thunder: the might to destroy matter, souls, and even concepts.
One could imagine that such an attack was simply the projection of death.
When those divine bolts of lightning fell, the only destiny for the existence hit by them was destruction.
And hundreds of thunderbolts all bombarded toward the top of the 'King of the End's' head and body.
In just an instant, the vicious thunder had already struck his body.
One could imagine the scene that should follow: a body blasted into a bloody mess, scorched into a miserable charred blackness.
After all, the strength of the King of the End is built upon the Divine Sword of Salvation.
And Mithra was merely a God-King whose divine life had been burned out, living only because the God of Time had frozen the moment before his death.
As long as it hit, this God-King, who could not merge with the Divine Sword of Salvation to gain supreme immortality like Rama, would fall.
However—
Even knowing that he would die if hit, the God-King, who resembled the setting sun, took no defensive measures. He simply stroked the sword in his hand.
Leisurely, as if taking a stroll.
He believed in his comrade—the Warlord named Verethragna.
"Don't forget about me."
Facing the howling thunder, the Warlord with the name of Śakra (Indra) extended his hand.
The violent thunder seemed to be pulled by something, yanked away in a single breath to the side.
Like rivers returning to the sea, it caused no harm whatsoever.
However, the phenomenon of absorbing the thunder created rings of white light that surrounded Verethragna's body, elevating his aura to its peak.
"Tch—"
As if encountering something very unpleasant, the boy who had just activated his Authority let out a sound of annoyance.
Sturm und Drang was the Authority Marquis Voban usurped from the Korean trinity of wind gods, 'Feng Bo, Yu Shi, and Lei Gong.' Their entire aspect was the summoning of storms and the manipulation of wind, rain, and lightning.
Because it is an Authority that manipulates three types of weather, its dominance over any single aspect might be inferior to a specialized one.
Verethragna, holding the identity of Śakra, had far stronger control over lightning than him.
Added to this was the fact that the internal composition of the lightning contained the power of Śakra. In a scenario where Verethragna was present, it was very difficult to cause harm to Mithra.
"Child of the Sage, the situation is very unfavorable for you," Verethragna said, his smile carrying a hint of playfulness as he looked at the boy who had cornered him not long ago. His body seemed to have been repaired after devouring the massive amount of lightning.
After the weapon named the Divine Sword of Salvation appeared, the tides began to turn.
Now, the one cornered was this Child of the Sage, whose hard power far surpassed both himself and Mithra.
He was strong, but not strong enough to kill the three of them (Mithra, Verethragna, Zurvan) in an instant.
Knowing full well that a comrade governing time was still hiding in this Divine Realm, Verethragna looked at the Sage's Child, who had fallen into the trap due to arrogance, with pity in his eyes.
He was an excellent warrior. If his deeds were preserved, they could be written into a myth.
At that time, perhaps a god very similar to him would be born.
It was a pity that he was about to die.
The King of the End is the executioner elected by the gods; no one can escape the brilliance of the Divine Sword of Salvation.
I really wanted to fight to my heart's content.
The Warlord thought that the desire for victory was far less intense than the desire to fight to his heart's content and then be defeated.
However, being able to hunt down such a Hero together with Mithra was also something worth being happy about.
Thinking this, his mood became slightly more cheerful.
Mithra also gazed from afar at the boy who had taken some injuries but still gave him a gloomy sense of crisis like a venomous snake. His eyes also held respect.
He believed that he himself could absolutely not dodge a strike from the Divine Sword of Salvation.
Yet this guy had relied on double god-speed to avoid the critical damage in an instant, and then launched a counterattack against him.
Without a doubt, that was a most excellent warrior.
Therefore, he would display the highest level of respect for him.
The hand of the King of the Last Manifestation gripping the divine sword tightened a fraction more.
—Kill them all.
The boy, who had long ago chosen enemies for Mithra, narrowed his eyes as he looked at the two God-Kings who were clearly fighting side by side.
Did these two guys take me for fish on a chopping block?
"Oi, oi, are you underestimating me?"
The voice of the boy, who didn't like fighting but didn't hate it either, was very cold.
"You are about to die."
Succinctly, Mithra stated his view.
"You don't actually think you're invincible just because you're holding a knife, do you?"
Knowing full well that Mithra did not have the ability to deploy the Divine Sword of Salvation to its maximum level, the boy narrowed his eyes.
He shouted aloud, calling upon the great achievements of the First Beast.
"Then let me show you! Witness the end of your journey, the cessation of human history, and the moment my great work of rebuilding this planet is completed!"
Author's Note:
PS: Still a two-in-one chapter.