Chapter 50: The Storm and Thunder Are Now My Domain
"Demon King of the earth, to think you could actually resist my Golden Sword. I must admit, I underestimated you," Verethragna said with a calm expression. He gave off the aura of a deity looking down upon the mortal realm from on high—and indeed, he was.
The next instant, the golden wheel manifested behind Verethragna once more. Upon the dreamlike wheel, nine divine beasts of varying forms were engraved.
"—Lightning! Lightning! Lightning! I am the conqueror who wins a hundred over a thousand, a thousand over ten thousand, and ten thousand over tens of thousands. Now, for the sake of me who stands on the side of justice, emit your brilliant radiance and grant me divine power! It is I who shall crush all enemies and hostility—both man and demon!"
As the wheel spun rapidly, the pointer finally landed on—[Goat]!
At that very moment, lightning began to weave through the thick clouds above. Massive bolts of thunder crashed down in an instant! Facing this strike, Shirou had absolutely no intention of dodging.
"Storms and thunder are now my domain!"
As Shirou made this declaration, the Authority usurped from the "God-King" Zeus—『Heaven's Wrath』—was activated!
The lightning falling from the dark clouds was caught in Shirou's hand in the next breath, promptly turning gold. Dazzling golden electricity spread and flickered around Shirou, making him look like a celestial god standing in a realm of thunder.
In the Authority 『Heaven's Wrath』, control over the sky domain acts as a "passive skill," while 「Myriad Thunders」 is the "active skill."
Verethragna watched as the lightning he had summoned was held in Shirou's hand and even transformed into gold. His pupils shrunk, and his face filled with disbelief.
"How is this possible!?"
The lightning he had released was being held by his opponent. This was a situation Verethragna had never anticipated. But it was happening.
Before Verethragna could process his frustration, Shirou violently hurled the golden thunderbolt!
"Fear the one with wings! Both the wicked and the powerful shall fear me, the winged one! My wings shall bring you a curse! The wicked cannot strike me!"
Facing the incoming spear of lightning, the golden wheel behind Verethragna spun quickly and pointed to—[Raptor]!
This incarnation grants Verethragna agility and jumping power far exceeding an opponent when he is about to receive a rapid attack. At the moment the Authority activated, Verethragna's body left an afterimage; the lightning spear struck only the phantom.
Just as Verethragna thought he had escaped, he suddenly heard Shirou's voice.
"It's not over yet!"
In the overcast sky, golden lightning drifted between the cloud layers. Then, following Shirou's command, a massive pillar of golden thunder crashed down!
"This is—!?"
Verethragna could sense the divine aura within that thunder. It was undeniably an Authority of the lightning domain. If he were hit by that, he would certainly be severely wounded! Realizing the power of this strike, Verethragna didn't dare linger. Using the [Raptor] incarnation, he pushed his speed to the limit, attempting to fly toward the sea.
However, just as he neared the ocean, he saw waves and waterspouts churning in reverse on the surface of the sea.
"Even the ocean is within his Authority's reach!?"
Verethragna froze, staring at the scene in disbelief. He wasn't the only one; Melqart, who had been watching from the sidelines (disdaining a two-on-one fight), felt the same way.
"That Demon King... just which gods did he slay...?"
As Shirou unleashed his power, Melqart felt a strong sense of déjà vu, as if the domains he himself commanded had already been occupied.
Meanwhile, the battle continued.
"I am the Undefeated War God; I will never lose to a fellow like you!"
Verethragna understood that since the sky, the earth, and the sea were all within the domains Shirou commanded, changing the battlefield was a futile effort.
"Thou hast violated the covenant and brought sin to the world. The Lord says—sinners shall be punished. Crush their backs, dig out their sinews, hair, and brains, and trample them along with the blood and mud. If I am the one with sharp fangs whom none can approach, then I shall follow the Lord's word and grant the hammer of destruction to the covenant-breaker!"
At this moment, the golden wheel behind Verethragna spun frantically, finally pointing to—[Boar]!
With the activation of this incarnation, the sky where Verethragna stood filled with black mist. Space cracked open like a gate connecting this world to the netherworld, and a massive divine beast—a boar over twenty meters long, weighing hundreds of tons, and covered in pitch-black fur—charged out.
This divine beast, known as an incarnation of destruction, can crush mountains with a single strike. It is the form Verethragna takes to annihilate the enemies of the God-King Mithra. Its roar becomes an ultrasonic wave that levels surrounding buildings, and its gallop triggers earthquakes of magnitude 5.0. It will not stop destroying everything in its path until the target is reduced to dust.
"A divine beast, huh..."
Facing the Boar charging at him with the momentum to obliterate everything, Shirou simply raised his right hand.
Golden lightning fell from the dark clouds, condensing above Shirou's palm into a giant lightning spear a hundred meters long. Controlling this spear, Shirou swung his raised right hand toward the rampaging Boar.
The golden spear of thunder, carrying the momentum of world-ending destruction, tore through the sky and collided with the divine beast.
BOOM—!!!
Lightning and hurricanes erupted instantly. When the storm cleared, the divine beast Boar, struck by the thunder, had been completely annihilated.
"You defeated my [Boar]... that lightning..."
Verethragna looked at Shirou, light flowing in his eyes.
"Zeus the 'God-King' and Poseidon the 'Sea-King' of the Greek [Twelve Olympians]... You, who could defeat them both, are the strongest 'Campione' I have ever met."
Verethragna looked at Shirou with a solemn expression. That vast, surging divine power was something even he found shocking. As a War God, under such an immense gap, he had already concluded that he would inevitably lose.
However, even knowing he was outmatched, as the "War God of Victory," he would give Shirou the utmost respect in the face of a direct challenge.
"I am the God of Struggle, I am the God of War, I am the God of Constant Victory! I never evade any challenge; I never compromise in the face of oppression!"
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