Verethragna charged forward in the realm of divine speed. Countless golden light orbs encircled him, all surging toward Luo Guang. In this moment, the golden radiance reigned supreme. The dark shadow enveloping Luo Guang's body began to dim. The two divine powers were locked in a fierce confrontation.
Noticing Luo Guang's speed falter, Verethragna wore a cunning smile.
"Heh heh... No matter how fast you are, it must be driven by divine power, and the blade that cleaves divine power is in my hands!"
As if seeing the light of victory, Verethragna gathered his momentum and flew toward Luo Guang, wielding a dual Golden Sword. Every swing he made created a golden wave of light and Cursed Power. Each strike, even if it didn't hit Luo Guang, caused the shadow covering him to grow dimmer as it drew near.
The Rahu Authority was not weak, but Verethragna's Golden Sword was superior. This Authority was arguably the most overpowered ability in the original work. By reciting the corresponding myth, he could create a Golden Sword that countered and overwhelmingly sealed the opponent's power. In the original story, Godou Kusanagi used this Authority to defeat other Unconquered Gods and Campiones.
Yet, Luo Guang, in Verethragna's eyes, showed no fear. His speed might have slowed, but his offense became sharper and more ferocious. The God of War, constantly closing the distance, suffered several new cuts. A colossal force, which made his body groan in protest, transmitted from the parrying Golden Sword. The sharpness of the Demon-Slaying Holy Sword even bit into the blade of the Golden Sword.
Ochre-red Tribulation Fire surged from Luo Guang's arms. If Verethragna hadn't let go of his sword in time, his arms would have been charred. The God of War's expression shifted from confidence to disbelief.
"What is happening? Your power should be weakened by the Golden Sword, so why can you still keep up with my speed?" To counter Luo Guang's divine speed, Verethragna had long activated the Phoenix Authority. Now, he was also using the Golden Sword to further weaken him. He should have had the upper hand, but fate had other plans.
Swoosh—!
During the God of War's moment of stunned confusion, Luo Guang instantly closed in. Dragon hands extending from the emerald-colored jewels restricted Verethragna's movements, forcing the God of War to desperately use his remaining sword. Luo Guang's eyes flashed, and the Demon-Slaying Holy Sword slashed out in an instant. Though restricted for less than half a second, the God of War's right arm was severed amidst spraying blood.
This was not a severe injury for a god; it could be repaired with divine power in just a few minutes. However, in a battle that was almost "evenly matched," such a minor wound could be the factor that tipped the scales of victory. Losing his right arm meant losing one hand for holding a weapon, which meant a deficit in both offense and defense. Such an error often proved fatal.
Verethragna adjusted his stance at top speed, preparing to switch from offense to defense. The golden light orbs continued to strike Luo Guang; the moment his Authority was sealed would be the moment Verethragna declared victory.
But Luo Guang wouldn't give him the chance. His figure accelerated again in that instant, virtually vanishing before the God of War's eyes. As a god, the passive ability of "Mind's Eye" was innate. Even without sight, he could perceive danger approaching based on his senses alone. But perception did not equate to safety.
At this moment, Luo Guang activated another Authority usurped from Vishnu—the Incarnation of the Dwarf Vamana. The power of this Incarnation was similar to that of the Phoenix. It didn't accelerate Luo Guang's own time, but directly granted him the power of transference, short-distance teleportation, and even spatial traversal. Everywhere his sight reached, Luo Guang could instantly teleport. Unfortunately, this Incarnation couldn't send Luo Guang to unknown locations.
Even so, it was enough to give Luo Guang the upper hand in this critical moment. Through a series of consecutive teleportations, he disrupted the God of War Verethragna's judgment. Finally, Luo Guang appeared to Verethragna's right. His arm was slowly regenerating, and without a weapon, he couldn't mount an effective defense.
"This is bad!" Verethragna's expression finally crumbled. In a battle of this caliber, any mistake was the cause of defeat. Even the powerful Verethragna was no exception. Although he anticipated his downfall, his consciousness frantically issued commands, but his limbs failed to obey. By the time he reacted, the sharp Holy Sword had already swung down from extremely close range.
The blade, carrying immense energy, sliced through Verethragna's upper body like cutting through butter.
The decisive blow occurred in a flash of lightning. Scalding hot blood sprayed from the severed body, but quickly transformed into basic Aether particles and vanished. Verethragna opened his mouth, unsure how to bid his farewell. The severed half of his body flew past Luo Guang, who remained in his attacking stance. He seemed to hear a faint "Well done" before Verethragna's body dissolved into golden particles and disappeared.
The death of the last god on Sardinia signaled the end of the battle. The thunder was gone, the rain and wind ceased, and the storm clouds rapidly dissipated.
Luo Guang raised his eyes and looked east. At some point, the sun was slowly rising above the horizon where it had set the day before. The morning sunlight shone upon the crimson figure, leaving a faint shadow on the ground.
In this very moment, in the eyes of Erica and Liliana, Luo Guang's tall figure overlapped perfectly with the sun. He seemed to be born from the sun itself. The brilliant sun radiated light around him. And that light was too dazzling for them, for everyone on Sardinia.
The silver-haired knight was utterly captivated. Liliana stared blankly at the figure, a complex mix of excitement, emotion, and devotion churning in her heart, yet unable to fully describe her feelings.
Erica was in a similar state. Despite being completely drenched, she didn't care. She just stared blankly, murmuring to herself.
"Is this the reason he calls himself not a King? Is he... the Radiance of the Sun?"