"Roughly one hour, at 1732 hours, Greece time, the reappearance of Heretic God Ares was confirmed in the city of Lamia. The evacuation of the civilians is ongoing, but the effects of Ares's Authority are slowing efforts down. Currently, anyone within a 700-meter radius of him falls into a frenzy and attacks anyone else nearby, even each other. That area of effect is slowly increasing, and is expected to encompass the entire region by daybreak, and spread to other parts of the country." The Asgard personnel reported to him.

Yuu didn't find that particularly surprising. The same thing had happened 23 years ago during Ares's original appearance, the momentous event that had revealed the existence of Heretic Gods and magic to the mundane.

The Heretic God had only stuck around for two hours back then, but that alone had been enough to utterly devastate the capital of Greece.

It had taken almost a full decade for the iconic city to be restored back to its former beauty.

Yuu suspected they were going to have a lot more rebuilding to do once he and Ares were through with each other.

He and the Asgard employee that had gotten stuck with the duty of briefing him were currently sitting in a military transporter aircraft bound for Kozani National Airport in Central Macedonia, about the furthest point they could get away from the mainland to avoid being caught up in the projected range of Ares's Authority by the time they landed, while still being close enough for Yuu to act.

It was technically a national airport, with only domestic flights, but an exception was made in a time of emergency.

Any delay could result in more casualties after all.

The Midgard personnel were also onboard, seated nearby so that they could also listen in on the briefing.

They, along with Yuu, were originally supposed to head for the tropical island fort, but the reappearance of the first Heretic God to make himself known to the mundane put a monkey wrench in those plans.

They were actually supposed to return to Midgard without him, but he guessed Charlotte B. Lord pulled some strings using her connections and/or her Dominance to get them clearance to come along.

It would be good for the Dragon Subjugation Squad to get a firsthand look at the power of a Heretic God up close rather than from secondhand footage.

However, she had made it clear that they were not to attempt to engage Ares in any way, and to leave the actual fighting to him.

Yuu backed her up. Heretic Gods were not beings that humans could fight, Ds or not. As he reminded himself many times, his own victory over Gawain was through a series of incredibly lucky circumstances.

There had been so many factors involved in that battle, and if even just one of them gone differently from how it did, Yuu was certain he would be ashes in the wind right now.

Even as a Campione, his chances of victory were not absolute. There was a reason why there were only 7 living Campione at the moment, despite the legends of the God Slaying Devil Kings going back several millennia.

Heretic Gods were all, without exception, monsters beyond human imagination.

Then again, the same could be said of Campione.

Perhaps that was why Yuu did not feel the slightest bit of fear at the idea of fighting another Heretic God when his first encounter with one had gone so horribly.

There was one thing bothering him though.

"Why am I the one being requested to deal with the situation? Since it's Greece, the closest should be Salvatore Doni. He could get there much faster than us."

Which was the truth. Yuu may be a beyond human existence now, but he still couldn't instantly cross half the globe by himself.

He still needed transportation, and as fast as military aircrafts could go, they were still going to need roughly half a day to get there.

In just one hour, Ares's rage-inducing Authority had already covered a 700-meter radius.

In 12 hours, the entire region and the closest parts of the bordering regions were expected to also be affected.

Italy was very close to Greece, and by flight, it would only take an hour or two.

Salvatore Doni, who was based in Italy, should be better suited to responding than he was.

So, why was Yuu the one being asked instead?

"Unfortunately, neither our branches in Italy nor the independent Magic Associations of the region have been unable to get a hold of Lord Salvatore Doni. The last they heard, he had gone off a week ago on another expedition to Egypt to find and challenge Madame Aisha."

"…Seriously?"

Yuu vaguely heard Miyako mutter under her breath in disbelief.

Yeah, that pretty much summed how he felt too.

He resisted the urge to punch the cabin wall.

While he was sure that even his newfound strength would not allow him to punch a hole in the cabin wall with a mere halfhearted punch, he didn't want to damage the structure and screw up the internal pressure.

He wasn't too keen on finding out if his Campione body was capable of surviving an 11 kilometer drop in a metal deathtrap.

But seriously, what the hell was wrong with his senpai?

He heard that the Campione of Italy was irresponsible, and apparently even mentally retarded, but he hadn't thought it was so bad that he would remain unreachable in a time of emergency.

If all of the other Campione were like that too, he could understand why Asgard had been so desperate to have him affiliated with them.

"Has Ares himself made any moves?"

"No. Surveillance shows that Ares is still in the center of Lamia, where he appeared. He has shown no indications of moving."

"Exactly the same as 23 years ago." Charlotte noticed.

During his first emergence, Ares also did not move from where he had appeared in Athens. Though he had demonstrated his obscene power by thrusting his spear once and leveling a part of the capital as a result, he mostly just stood there laughing as the nearby citizens and soldiers went nuts from the effects of his Authority and did most of the work for him.

"In that case, there's also the possibility he'll disappear before we get there, just like he did back then."

Ares had left roughly two hours after emerging the first time, so if he was following the same pattern he was back then, he would do so again.

"No, I'm afraid that does not appear to be the case." The Asgard personnel said as he pulled out a laptop and opened it up to reveal it already turned on, the screen showing paused footage of a massively-built man with burnt red hair, dressed in blood-stained golden Ancient Greek infantry armor, a flaming plume atop the helmet, holding a spear made of stained red metal, and a barely visible blood red aura around him.

Probably footage taken using drones.

Yuu's eyes narrowed at the sight of the Greek God of War, Ares.

His heart started pumping faster as the bulk of his mental faculties all focused on the image of the Heretic God.

The employee hit the spacebar, causing the video to play.

[Hahahahaha! Now, isn't this a glorious sight!? Blood! Violence! Death! But, this is no war! This is but a simple massacre! Where is my worthy opponent!? I will not be satisfied until my own blood has been spilled!]

A brutish male voice spilled forth from the laptop's speakers, causing Yuu's ears to ring unpleasantly.

Thankfully, the Asgard employee hit the spacebar again, causing the image to freeze and the audio to cut off.

"We surmised from his words that he has no intention of leaving until he fights an opponent capable of drawing blood from him. Needless to say, no human could possibly do this under normal circumstances. That is why we are asking for your help."

Yuu nodded absentmindedly.

If Ares, a Heretic God, was demanding a worthy opponent, it could only be a Campione, another Heretic God, or perhaps a Dragon.

And the latter two were both unfeasible options.

Trying to pit him against another Heretic God was just stupid.

Yuu seriously didn't think that Asgard would be able to conveniently find another Heretic God in Ares's vicinity, and if by some unbelievable miracle/calamity that they did, he had no idea exactly how they were going to lure them towards each other, or if they would even fight when they met.

For all they knew, they might work together to wreak even more havoc.

As for Dragons, Yuu wasn't too sure about their effectiveness against Heretic Gods.

Yggdrasil was way too flimsy to fight against Divine Authorities. That was made very clear when Yuu singlehandedly vaporized its terminal with one shot from Galatine.

He didn't know whether Ares had such a spectacular Authority, but he didn't think the Green Dragon would be able to put up much of a fight.

The only thing the Hekatonkheir had going for it was its immense size. It was laughably fragile, even more so than Yggdrasil's wooden body.

Ordinary weapons were capable of destroying its body rather easily, with a recent bombardment of incendiary weapons by NIFL successfully vaporizing it completely, though it did regenerate soon after.

If human weapons were capable of doing that, then it was beyond the shadow of a doubt that a Divine Authority could do the same.

If anything, the power of a Divine Authority might even be enough to prevent its regeneration.

He didn't know much about the other Dragons, having never encountered them before, but he could safely say that the Purple Kraken wouldn't stand a chance either.

Its power, Absolute, consisted of mithril tentacles and an eye capable of firing antimatter bolts, dubbed the strongest defense and the strongest offense by Asgard.

But, that was only when facing humans.

Mithril was a durable substance, stronger than even diamond, but it was no different from paper in the face of a Divine Authority, or even a divine weapon like Galatine.

Antimatter, as its name would suggest, required matter to react with in order to explode.

He wasn't sure what composed the bodies of Heretic Gods, but he was fairly certain that if they were anything like his own current body, antimatter wouldn't affect them.

It wasn't visible to the naked eye, but Yuu could feel the highly condensed layer of magic energy covering his skin.

That solved the riddle of why Campione were unaffected by mortal magic. It was a natural defense that mowed down the force of spells before they could even reach his physical body. It wasn't at a level where anything short of Divine Authorities was capable of piercing it.

If Heretic Gods possessed that same type of body as Campione, antimatter wouldn't be able to reach them, and the explosion resulting from a reaction from the surrounding air wouldn't even get through the defense.

As for the Red Basilisk's lasers that reduced everything they touched to ashes, dust or salt, it didn't seem like it would do much against said defense either.

The Yellow Hraesvelgr…he didn't even begin to understand what its power was, so he couldn't say whether its supposed invulnerability would stand up against Divine Authorities, and even if it did, he wasn't sure how an overgrown pigeon was going to fight a Heretic God.

Now, the White Leviathan, on the other hand…that would be an interesting fight.

Antigravity could reflect everything from physical matter to energy.

He wasn't sure whether it would work against Divine Authorities, but if it could…well, he imagined having their own Authorities thrown back into their faces with full force wouldn't be a pleasant experience for any Heretic God.

But, the point was rather moot, because the Leviathan was a sea-bound Dragon.

It could probably come onto land with some application of Antigravity, but he didn't think it would be very effective if it had to release the Antigravity field for some reason or other and then flop rather uselessly around on the ground.

Which left only the Campione.

The Elder Three were all recluses in their own ways, the Fourth did as he pleased, and apparently only showed up when his interest was piqued, the Fifth rarely left America, and the Sixth was evidently a fucking idiot.

Which basically meant that it all fell down to him.

Great.

"But, we won't be able to do anything about Ares until half a day later. By that time, no matter where we land in Greece, it'll be a battle in itself to actually get to him." Charlotte added, causing Yuu to grimace.

Ares's Authority might very well envelop the entire country by the time they get there.

Which meant Yuu would have to get through wave after wave of crazed citizens and NIFL soldiers to get to the God of War.

Trying to push past a massive crowd of angry humans while not injuring or outright killing them with his new strength might prove to be an even greater challenge than actually fighting the Heretic God himself.

Yuu was not looking forward to it.

"In any case, we won't be there for another 11 hours. Mononobe Yuu-sama, please rest until then. Would you care for any refreshments?" The Asgard employee stood up and asked, his tone quickly changing to an oily one, much like what Yuu had been experiencing from almost everyone the past 2 days.

Yuu hung his head in exasperation.

"…No, it's fine. I just need something to fill my stomach before we land." Yuu said with a sigh.

"Yes sir! Of course!" The man yelled exuberantly in response before scurrying off to the back of the plane, presumably to prepare something for him in the galley.

Yuu rolled his eyes, slumping in his seat in exhaustion.

"You really got a lot on your plate now, bro. Barely two days passed since you became a Campione, and you had to fight a Dragon, and now a Heretic God too." Miyako commented with a wide grin.

"Tell me about it. Maybe I should apply for vacation after this." Yuu lamented.

His eyes turned to regard the night sky outside.

If he remembered correctly, Japan and Greece had a 6 hour time difference.

Which meant that when they reached Greece, it would be around 6am local time.

Just in time for sunrise.

He wouldn't have to worry about not having access to his full power right from the get go.

The question was whether or not he would be able to reach Ares and defeat him before sunset.

The most ideal situation would be for him to start and end a fight before the sun set.

If he had to, he would start a battle in the middle of the night, even if it meant that he wouldn't be able to use the Chivalrous Knight of the Sun, at least not until the sun rose.

At the very least, he would be able to fight consistently, and even get a boost in power if the battle was dragged on long enough.

But, if he fought in the day and dragged on into the night, he would suffer greatly, because he would instantly and abruptly lose a great deal of power the moment the sun disappeared below the horizon.

There would be no way for him to recover from that. It was likely that the battle was over the moment that happened, and his life forfeit.

That was why he needed another Authority, and quick, before that weakness got him killed.

And it looked like Ares was the perfect candidate.

Air built up rapidly in his throat as his ears popped slightly, and though he tried to hold it back, Yuu couldn't help but yawn.

Not with his mouth wide open, of course. He probably covered the orifice with his hand.

Still, the action did not escape the notice of the others.

"Mononobe Yuu, if you are tired, you should get some sleep. A daunting task awaits you tomorrow. That goes for the rest of you too. You may not be fighting a Heretic God like he is, but you can be sure that we will need to be prepared for anything that could happen while in Greece." Charlotte B. Lord said to him, before addressing the Midgard group.

"…I guess it'd be good for me to get some shuteye." Yuu admitted as he shifted in his very comfortable seat and closed his eyes.

Around him, he could hear the other shuffling around, their seats squeaking as they got comfortable.

And just as he was about to drift off, Mitsuki said something, causing his eyes to shoot wide open.

"…By the way, Nii-san, I've been wondering since yesterday, but have you contacted Otou-san and Okaa-san yet?"

…Oh.

…Oh, shit.

Yuu mentally cursed as he finally remembered a very important detail that he had completely forgotten up until this point.

Forget Dragons. Forget Heretic Gods.

Having to call up his parents after almost a whole year of unexplained disappearance and telling them that he was a former soldier-turned Godslayer, and that he was on his way to the other side of the world to fight one of the most dangerous beings in existence might very well be the most herculean task he would ever have to perform.

It was a loud commotion that woke Yuu up, a cacophony of loud, panicked voices that stirred him from the land of dreams.

His eyelids creaked open, still heavy from his slumber, and he immediately got an eyeful of bright light, making him quickly turn away from the source.

Once his sight had adjusted, he turned back to see that the sun had begun to rise over the horizon.

Had they reached their destination?

He leaned closer to the window, looking downwards to find land below.

The plane had apparently descended to a lower altitude, past the clouds that would have otherwise obscured the view.

But that wasn't what Yuu was thinking of right now.

At the forefront of his mind was, without a doubt, the very suspicious looking translucent red dome of energy engulfing a large part of Greece, extending far up into the air, not high enough to reach the plane, but high enough for the distance to be uncomfortably small.

"What…is that?" He asked under his breath as he stared at it.

Just looking at the angry red energy was causing him to tense up.

The commotion that had been going on for a while reached his ears again, and he turned to find the Midgard group crowding around the entrance to the cockpit.

Frowning, he got up, his bones cracking after being in the same position for hours, and approached.

"What's going on?"

Everyone turned to face him.

"You've already seen that red dome down there, right? That appears to be Ares's Authority."

"What? We didn't get any reports of anything like that during his first appearance or last night."

"From the reports from NIFL soldiers who have yet to fall under the influence of the Authority, it appeared 6 hours after Ares did. And the behavior of those inside the sphere is becoming more and more erratic. The death toll is quickly rising. Furthermore, the Authority is spreading faster than we imagined. Both Kozani, the city where we were supposed to land, and the nearest city with another airport, Kastoria, have already been engulfed. We can no longer land safely, and by the rate at which the Authority is spreading, there isn't anywhere on mainland Greece where we will be able to land without the risk of being caught in the dome."

"Landing on the adjacent islands will not do. It would be suicidal to approach the mainland by a sea route." The Asgard employee added.

"In other words, there's no way for us to reach Greece?"

A stiff silence fell over them as they contemplated the situation.

With such a sudden change in the situation, even Asgard would not be able to respond in time to switch over to sea travel.

By the time a vessel was ready, the Authority would have already spread over the coastline.

And even if Yuu somehow reached the coast of the mainland, who knew how long it would take to get to Lamia, located in the heart of the country, especially with all of the locals in the middle of an Authority-fueled craze?

At this rate, Greece, and possibly the surrounding countries would fall under Ares's influence until the God of War chose to leave.

Was there nothing left that they could do…?

Yuu thought deeply as he turned to peer out at the world below through the window.

Was there nothing he could do from up here…?

…Up here?

An idea popped into his head.

It was crazy, borderline suicidal, but it might just work.

It looked he would be taking the plunge.

Literally.

He turned to the pilot.

"Does this aircraft have bay doors installed?"

"Eh!? Um…well, yes. This is a transport aircraft after all."

"Good. Fly over Lamia while keeping away from the dome. Then, open the bay doors. I'm gonna need a parachute."

"M-Mononobe-kun, you're not going to do what I think you're going to do, are you?" Firill asked, her face paling as she imagined what those instructions implied.

"Yup, I'm jumping out." Yuu replied in an almost casual manner.

"D-Don't be insane! That's an 11 kilometer drop! This isn't a level that can be called skydiving! You'll freeze to death before you can even deploy the parachute!" Lisa protested, looking like she was about to spontaneously develop acrophobia at the thought of the humanely impossible drop.

"I'm a Campione, remember? Superhuman durability comes with the package. Plus, my Authority is one of the Sun. I doubt I'll get so much as frostbite."

"Judging by your words, even you are not 100% certain! It's too risky!"

"The more time we waste, the more Ares's Authority will spread. At this rate, it might even reach other countries. This method is the fastest I can think of, but if you can think of a better, I'd sure love to hear it." He countered.

That caused any further protests to fall silent.

As crazy as his idea sounded to the group of humans, plus the sole human-shaped Dragon amongst them who had been raised with human standards, it was the only one that was feasible at the moment.

The sooner he got to and defeated Ares, the sooner the situation would be resolved.

Plus, Yuu was well aware.

His body temperature would not drop as long as the sun was up, no matter how low the ambient temperature was up here.

The benefit of having a powerful Sun Authority.

He couldn't see another way.

"Mononobe-sama, we're almost over Lamia's general region. If you intend to jump, you have to do it within a minute, or we'll miss the window." The pilot added in an urgent manner.

"If there aren't any further objections, I have to get going. If we keep delaying, we'll really be out of options."

The dome was not just expanding across the surface. It was also extending upwards, and sooner or later, it would reach them all the way up here at 11 kilometers.

The rest kept silent, seemingly unable to come up with another idea.

Yuu turned, heading for the bay doors located at the other end of the aircraft.

"Nii-san!"

Yuu stopped when Mitsuki called out to him.

He looked at her, expecting her to protest what he was about to do.

Instead, she appeared to be struggling with herself, trying to decide what it was she should say.

Eventually, she just smiled sadly.

"Please come back safely." She said…no, pleaded.

Yuu really wished he could reply with absolute certainty.

But, he couldn't.

Luck was a major factor in a battle with Heretic Gods.

No matter how prepared he was, no matter how many advantages he had on his side, he might defeat Ares without a scratch…or he might get one-sidedly slaughtered by the God of War.

There was no certainty when it came to battles between beings that vastly transcended the world's logic.

So, instead, he…

"Don't worry. I have no intention of dying so easily."

That was all he was able to say to her.

Yuu's body lit up with white hot flames as soon as his feet touched the ground, rapidly melting the thick layer of frost that coated him.

The temperature at 11 kilometers altitude was seriously no joke.

If he was an ordinary human, he probably would have died before he could even deploy the parachute.

As he had thought, his body temperature hadn't dropped even at the negative temperatures, but it hadn't stopped ice from forming on the surface of his body as he descended.

He had refrained from using his flames before he landed because he didn't want to accidently burn his parachute and plummet the rest of the way.

He looked up at the dome and frowned.

The sun's influence was being blocked.

The Sun-Blessed Knight had definitely activated, as proven by his ability to produce divine flames around his body.

However, it felt somewhat muted, as though it was being prevented from reaching its full potential.

As expected, it had to be because of the dome.

"Hm?"

Yuu let out a sound of inquiry when he felt something, a whisper of some sort, so small that he had almost missed it.

It was gone as soon as it had come, preventing him from identifying it.

"Something wrong, Mononobe Yuu?"

Yuu's hand went up to his right ear, where a wireless earbud had been wedged into the aural cavity, Charlotte B. Lord's voice projecting directly inside.

"Did one of you say something just now?"

"Huh? No, not at all. Why do you ask?"

"Could have sworn I heard something…must be my imagination. I have to say, this thing is pretty amazing, being able to survive an 11 kilometer drop with the accompanying changes in air pressure and temperature."

"It's a prototype that was made for NIFL operations that involve extreme conditions, so it's quite durable. That being said, it obviously won't survive being hit by an Authority. It was expensive to make, so try not to break it."

"No promises. Getting back on topic, where exactly did I land?" Yuu asked as he looked around.

He was inside the red dome, that was for sure, but it was hard to land precisely without knowing where to go, so he just focused on getting as close to the center as he could.

He was currently in the middle of some mountainous area, surrounded by greenery, taller mounds, and not much else.

"From the GPS readings, you're currently in the Othrys mountain range, just a few kilometers northeast of Lamia. You should be able to see the city if you follow a downward path."

Yuu followed her instructions and proceeded down the inclined slope of the mountainous region.

Eventually, the natural scenery gave way to something far different.

"Do you see it?"

"Yeah, and I can't say I like what I see. It's seriously like a scene from Hell." Yuu replied with a grimace.

And he wasn't exaggerating.

The town of Lamia, situated at the foot of the mountain range he was on, was a scene of carnage.

The entire city was on fire, so intense he could feel hot wind blowing in his direction despote still being a distance away.

Considering that nothing else in the surroundings under the dome appeared to be on fire, he was gonna go out on a limb and say that that was not the result of Ares's Authority, but rather, the actions of the frenzied humans.

Who he could vaguely make out even among the flames.

He had seen scenes like this on battlefields, with a slight difference.

Usually, civilians caught in the chaos would be running around in a panic, but most of them would be running in a similar direction: away from the source of their panic.

Here, they were just running around in seemingly random directions. Some left the city's boundaries, others remained inside, and some who wandered out eventually wandered back in, all the while attacking practically anything that moved, and even some things that didn't.

And in the center of the city, Yuu could sense it.

It was probably unperceivable to normal humans, but to him, it was as glaring as a massive lit beacon in the dead of the night.

There was an intense feeling of divinity coming from the center of the city, something that Yuu instinctively recognized as his enemy.

If the presence of the red dome around them wasn't proof enough, that certainly was.

Ares was there.

And then he realized something.

If he could sense Ares's presence all the way from here, then it was pretty much a sure thing that Ares could sense his as well.

It was the same concept as the other party also being able to see you if they were in your field of vision.

Then, as if on cue, the erratic behavior of the frenzied humans changed.

While they were all initially moving around randomly, they had all changed directions and were heading the same way.

Towards him.

"Oh boy."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that Ares knows I'm here. I'll have to cut communications." Yuu reported, and immediately switched the earpiece off.

He would need all of his focus for this.

Most likely, Ares had sensed his presence and was now actively using his Authority to influence the frenzied humans to attack him.

Yuu was now a Campione, but he was a freshly minted one, who still acted more like a human most of the time.

Which was why he found the sight of a veritable tsunami of humans heading in his direction to be a little intimidating.

That feeling was quickly crushed down as Yuu steeled his spirit.

What should he do now?

They were hostiles right now, but they were still civilians.

He couldn't exactly use his Authority against them without destroying every last trace of them.

"No choice. I have to knock them out."

Yuu dashed forward to meet them…and almost grinded to a halt when he realized how fast he was moving.

It was completely different compared to how it was back when he was a human.

Even Fafnir paled in comparison to this, though that might be obvious, considering that Loki had explained that Code Lost did not actually increase the power of its possessor in any way, but altered causality itself in order to kill humans.

He wasn't moving at some crazy superhuman speed that would shatter the sound barrier, but he guessed that he was currently moving as fast as an Olympic-level runner.

Maybe even a bit faster.

And while he was under the sun, he guessed he could go even faster.

Yuu smiled.

With this speed…wasn't it possible for him to just run past them?

Picking up speed once more, Yuu dashed right towards the approaching humans…and went right past them.

As expected, even if they were currently being influenced by a Divine Authority, they couldn't keep up with him at all.

Though, that was probably because this Authority wasn't one that granted blessings of power in the first place.

Yuu zoomed right past horde after horde of berserk humans, easily sidestepping or outright leaping over debris in the way, until he finally came across his target.

The Greek God of War languished atop a gruesome pile of human bodies, purposely contorted in a way that formed a bloody, fleshy throne for Ares to overlook his handiwork.

The worst part was that they were still alive, because Yuu could see them squirming underneath him, as though trying to escape, but unable to.

Which probably had something to do with the red-stained spear driven right through their bodies and into the ground.

Yuu almost tripped over his feet when Ares suddenly turned to look at him with his flaming eyes.

He had been spotted!

Yuu stopped abruptly, just in time for him to see Ares pull his spear out of the pile of bodies, drawing anguished screams from them as he did so before they fell silent, likely dead.

He kicked off the ground, moving to the side when a red flash shot like a comet through the spot that he had just vacated, and would have torn right through his sternum rather accurately if he had not moved out of the way in time.

The spear landed and pierced the ground a short distance away, and Yuu gulped at how close to death he had been once again.

"Oh, how impressive! To think one as young as you was capable of seeing my spear! No, I suppose one capable of slaying my kin at your age would be most skilled. Tell me, are you my worthy opponent, boy?" Ares asked, an amused expression on his face.

Yuu did not reply, and simply summoned Galatine.

The sword roared with white hot flames, its full power exhibited while under sunlight.

He frowned as he noted the frenzied humans backing away from them.

Whether it was because their survival instinct had kicked in even despite the influence of Ares's Authority, warning them that they did not want to be anywhere near the epicenter of a clash between a Campione and a Heretic God, or because Ares was ordering them to leave so that they wouldn't interfere with the fight, he did not know.

Ares's grin widened, and he held out his hand.

His ears picked up the telltale sound of something large moving rapidly through the air, and Yuu ducked just in time to avoid the War God's spear, the butt of which would have slammed very painfully into the back of his head if he had not done so.

The red-stained spear shot into Ares's hand, which closed around the shaft.

The Heretic God pointed the tip at Yuu, and spoke.

"I am eager to do battle with you, and I can see that you feel the same. However, first, a test! It would not do if you did not possess the power to match me!"

The God of War inverted the spear in his grip as he declared proudly, slamming the tip into the ground as he did so.

"Come to me, Warriors of Blood! Gather under my banner of bloodshed, wage your wars and feast upon the entrails of the fallen!" Ares incanted.

The ground rumbled as cracks spread through the surface in a spider web pattern, originating from where the spear had perforated the concrete.

An ominous red light shone from within the cracks, growing brighter and brighter…until a skeletal arm broke through, jutting out from the ground.

Yuu twitched as the osseous fingers flexed, as though their owner was getting used to feeling them, before the entire appendage slammed down on the cracked concrete, giving the rest of the forming skeleton leverage to break out.

One by one, the process was repeated all over the place, until Yuu found himself staring at an army of human frameworks, still increasing in number by the second, moving impossibly without a nervous system or any muscles…

Nope, spoke too soon.

Blood vessels, cartilage, muscles, organs and skin soon began to form over the bones, quickly followed by chitons and Ancient Greek military armor and spears that, while not as ornate or imposing as Ares's own equipment, still looked very intimidating for such an obsolete form of warfare, making for a macabre yet awe-inspiring sight as the mob of skeletons turned into a legion of well-built, almost identical male soldiers, all with soulless, glowing red eyes that were directed at him.

Yuu could tell just by looking at them.

They weren't like the frenzied citizens, who had all but vanished from senses' perceptual range, likely out of the city by now.

They were humans who were under the influence of a Divine Authority, but they were ultimately still just that: humans.

These were bona fide physical manifestations of another of Ares's Authorities, probably the one that governed war.

Calling these things humans was like calling the Hekatonkheir a midget.

"Behold! My army! A gathering of the finest followers, loyal to me even well past their time! They will be your opponent, boy! Prove yourself worthy of my attention!" Ares shouted flamboyantly, his lips curled into a wide grin, like a proud parent praising their children.

As one, the soldiers moved rapidly, forming ranks in rows of 20 men.

The front row, facing Yuu directly, placed their round shields firmly in front of them, forming a metal wall, pointing their long spears between the gaps between adjacent shields at him.

The rows behind them, held their shields over their heads, with the four rows behind the first placing their spears just over the shoulders of the first row while the rest kept theirs pointed skywards, though the soldiers that formed and were near the flanks of the group held their shields and spears to the exposed sides, making the whole formation look like some slightly misshapen, spiny iron porcupine.

Yuu vaguely recognized this as the ancient military formation, the phalanx.

It was something that was invented by the Ancient Greeks, so he supposed he should have expected this.

This didn't look good.

The shields they were holding were fairly small, the entire diameter probably the length of Yuu's own arm, so they couldn't cover the soldiers' entire body, exposing vulnerable parts.

However, small shields meant that they were easy to maneuver, meaning that they could probably shift to protect whatever part of their body was being targeted.

And this was assuming that one could get past the spears that extended far in front of the front row.

And the length of the rows meant that it would be difficult for a single person to attack the relatively more vulnerable flanks.

Logic dictated that this phalanx formation put Yuu at a massive disadvantage against his opponents.

However…

"In the end, common sense like that only applies to humans." Yuu muttered as he raised Galatine above his head.

He really had to thank Ares for making the humans leave.

Now he could go all out without the worry of incurring collateral damage.

"O Immortal Sun, let your light shine down on this blade and bring forth the dawn of victory!" Yuu incanted, reciting the words of power that would activate his offensive Authority, using an abbreviated version of the full incantation to lower its power.

A great conflagration ignited around the divine sword, growing in size until the city was bathed in reddish golden light.

Yuu swung Galatine, and a sun crashed into the phalanx formation from above.

They held firm for a second, holding the fireball back with their shields.

And then it exploded, washing the area with white flames.

Needless to say, the formation was destroyed.

Forget just them, the blast had been large enough to engulf the entire area, though with the army taking the brunt of the Authority, the damage wasn't too bad.

At the very least, the city hadn't been utterly annihilated.

The same could not be said of the army.

The soldiers were immolated, turning to ashes along with their equipment.

Even if they were created by a Divine Authority, they simply weren't as strong as an actual Heretic God.

He hadn't used Galatine's full power, wanting to limit the destruction he caused to the once beautiful city, but with how powerful Sun Authorities were in general while under said celestial body, even that restrained power was enough to obliterate anything short of an actual Heretic God.

And also…

Yuu looked past the flames that ignited the surroundings, and quickly picked out Ares from among the wreckage.

The Greek God of War had also been in the range of Galatine's blow, but unlike his troops, he had been able to weather the blow quite easily.

Not that Yuu had expected otherwise. There was no way a real Heretic God would be defeated by a restrained Authority.

But that was not to say that Ares had gotten away completely unscathed.

The visible skin of the God of War was charred in several places, mostly concentrated on his arms, which he had likely brought up to defend himself from the fireball.

Other than that though, the Greek God was pretty much in the pink of health.

However, he was no longer smiling.

And that, strangely enough, made Yuu smile.

"So, do I have your attention now?" He asked on an impulse, before the rational part of his brain kicked in and told him that taunting a being beyond human comprehension probably wasn't the best idea in the world.

Ares stared at him impassively, causing a small shiver to run down Yuu's spine.

And then he smiled.

"Indeed! You have proven yourself, boy! In light of that, this Ares shall use his full power to crush you!" The Greek God declared as he brandished his spear.

He turned into a red blur, speeding towards the newest Campione.

Yuu immediately held Galatine up.

A loud clang reverberated through the area, and a strong, painful shudder through Yuu's arm accompanied it.

He gritted his teeth as his arms trembled uncontrollably from the sheer force behind the impact that had almost knocked him right off his feet.

But while he had remained upright, the blow had evacuated all of the air in his lungs, and he struggled to control his breathing once the pain had died down.

It felt like he had been hit by a cannonball.

He was naïve.

This wasn't anything like the battle with Gawain.

The Knight of the Round Table had underestimated him severely, and had not used anywhere close to his full power until the end of the fight, when Yuu had already gained the upper hand against him.

Now was different.

He was a Campione, and Ares knew it.

Thus, the Greek God of War was not holding back like Gawain had.

At least not to the same degree.

He did not think that Ares was completely serious yet.

Yuu, for one, would certainly not look so amused if he was fighting an opponent who was just as capable as he was.

However, the fact remained that while his strikes had a lot less finesse than Gawain's, far more barbaric than the knight's precise attacks had been, they were at least twice as strong, something he had not expected, considering Ares's build was not all that different than that of the chivalrous knight.

So, this was what it meant to truly fight a Heretic God.

This was bad.

The sun may be up, but it was being partially blocked by the dome that was Ares's Authoriry.

And even if it wasn't, at its current position, the Sun-Blessed Knight only had enough power to prevent his body from directly receiving external injuries.

It could not stop internal injuries.

For example, if he was struck by a sharp sword, he would not be cut by its blade.

However, if there was enough force behind the attack, it could not stop his organs from rupturing.

That was the whole reason he had been able to match Gawain while the sun was still up.

If it had been anywhere close to noon, when the sun reached its zenith, he wouldn't have stood a chance.

But, they had fought when the sun was already close to setting.

None of his attacks would have direct effect on the Heretic God of the Sun, but he could still be stunned by powerful blows, like the blow he had delivered to his head to interrupt his Authority.

And power, Ares had in spades.

Yuu clicked his tongue in annoyance.

The moment Ares's army had been vaporized, he should have used Galatine again and done the same to the Heretic God.

It wasn't like he could throw his Authority like it was going out of fashion, but while under the sun, it was certainly easier.

If he had done so, the fight would already be over.

A change of strategy was in order.

Avoid rather than block.

He wasn't powerful enough to do anything else.

Not yet anyway.

Yuu quickly applied his new strategy as Ares jabbed at him again, ducking under the spear as he moved closer to the Heretic God to swing Galatine upwards at him.

The loud screeching of metal rang shrilly in his ears as the burning blade raked across Ares's armor, leaving a long, melting scratch on the chest plate, but not going deep enough to actually reach the Heretic God's body.

The Heretic God took a step back, though it wasn't clear whether it was because of the force behind his attack, or because of the shock of Yuu actually damaging his armor.

However, Yuu did not hesitate to capitalize on the opening and closed the gap, swinging Galatine once more, this time aiming for Ares's neck for a fatal blow.

The War God removed a hand from the shaft of his weapon and placed it in the path of the divine blade.

His gauntlet shattered, metal fragments sent flying by the impact, and some of the shrapnel pierced the flesh of Ares's arm along with the divine blade, cutting deeply, all the way down to the bone by the way the blade abruptly stopped moving.

Yuu drew Galatine back, and had the wind knocked out of him once more when something, Ares's foot, he was guessing, crashed into his gut.

He was sent flying backwards a short distance, tumbling over the ground until he lay sprawled on his back.

He caught a flash in the corner of his eye, and he quickly rolled over, avoiding Ares's spear as the War God attempted to pierce him while he was down.

He quickly sprung back onto his feet, just in time for Ares to close the gap between them again.

There was no time to evade in this instance.

Which meant that the only thing he could do without taking the blow head on was…

Yuu lifted Galatine again in an attempt to block the spear.

Ares's weapon crashed mightily into the silver blade, with all the force and subtlety of a freight train.

However, Yuu did not put any effort into standing his ground.

Doing that would only ensure that he would receive heavy damage.

Instead, he allowed the blow to carry him off his feet, launching him away from the War God.

As he flew through the air, Yuu caught sight of the expression of surprise on Ares's face.

He probably hadn't expected that.

Yuu crashed into the ground a distance away, but with the Sun-Blessed Knight absorbing most of the impact, he had received less damage than he would have had he tried to withstand the blow.

If he tried taking that, he had no doubt that several of the bones in his arms would have cracked, or even broken, and he didn't even want to think about what would happen to his much more fragile muscles and blood vessels.

Yuu quickly recovered and raised Galatine.

Allowing this gap to open up between them would be Ares's undoing.

"O Immortal Sun, let your light shine down on this blade and bring forth the dawn of victory!" Yuu roared, activating his offensive Authority for the second time.

Ares dashed towards him like a bullet, but he would not make it in time.

Yuu swung the raging inferno in his hands down.

Ares grinded to a halt and raised his arm to defend just as the blaze engulfed him, and then exploded thunderously.

Yuu watched as the plaza they had been in was reduced to a burning wreckage, its once beautiful architecture lost beneath the flames.

He cautiously watched the fire, looking out for any signs of Ares's survival.

He had abbreviated the chant again, since there was no way he would be able to make it in time if he had used the full chant, so the power had been reduced once more.

However, this time, Ares had taken the full brunt of the blast.

It wasn't a sure thing, but there was a chance that that had finished him off.

And then his instincts started screaming at him.

Yuu tilted his head, and Ares's spear shot out of the flames and soared right past him.

The God of War was not looking happy.

The surface of his armor, helmet and all, had been melted down to slag, distorting the once pristine appearance of the Heretic God's equipment.

His visible skin was either completely charred black or completely raw from the burning.

However, he was less injured than Yuu had been expecting.

Something that could be attributed to the lump of metal that looked to have fused to his left arm.

Likely the remnants of a shield that Ares had used to block the fireball.

By the looks of it, it hadn't held up for long, but it absorbed enough of the blast to let Ares survive with relatively minor injuries.

The battle was not over yet.

Yuu brandished the divine sword in his hands and prepared to unleash its power again, when Ares spoke.

"…I see that I have been too lenient in this battle. Or perhaps simply too dismissive of you, who bears the appearance of a mere child. However, that ends now, God Slayer. Allow me to show you just how terrifying the God of War is."

Yuu could immediately tell that he wasn't joking by the look in his eyes.

Cold sweat formed on his brow as he felt an immense sense of impending death boring down on him, like a sharp blade had been placed at his throat.

This was…the murderous intent of a Heretic God.

He had never felt anything like this against Gawain, because the knight Heretic God had not seen him as an equal until the very end.

An adult would never fight a child seriously. It was the same concept.

However, Ares was a different story.

Before, perhaps Ares had still been holding back because of his young appearance, but having been struck by Galatine twice, the God of War had now fully acknowledged him as someone who stood on the same level as him.

And he was responding as such, by fully intending to kill him with every last bit of power he had.

And Yuu could feel that seriousness in his murderous intent.

It was completely unlike anything he had ever sensed.

Not even Loki or Hreidmar had ever managed to terrify him to this degree.

The logical part of his brain told him that he should act now. Blast Ares with Galatine again.

His armor was damaged, his shield was destroyed. If Yuu acted now, there was a good chance that he would be able to finish him off and stop whatever he was planning to do before he could actually do it.

That was what logic dictated.

But there was nothing logical about a Heretic God, a Campione, or a fight between them.

That was something that Yuu knew very well, and had been keeping in his mind since the battle with Gawain.

There were no such things as certainties when it came to illogical beings.

In the face of that murderous intent, his instincts were screaming at him to get away from Ares, and that was exactly what he did, jumping back from the Greek God.

And he immediately wondered if he had made the wrong decision, for Ares did not go after him.

"Blood shall paint our path! Screams shall pave the way! Be with me, my eternal companions! Now is the time for chaos!"

Black fog billowed out from the tip of Ares's spear, quickly spreading and covering the area in darkness.

Yuu swung his flaming divine sword at the inky blackness as it neared him, but his blade seemingly had not effect on it, as though it did not actually have a physical form.

And then, it vanished, leaving the surroundings as they were, burning to a crisp, with absolutely no visible difference.

Yuu blinked.

What the hell just happened?

He was sure that Ares had activated an Authority, but as far as he could tell, nothing had changed.

And judging by the look on the War God's face, he was pretty surprised that nothing was happening either.

And then a look of enlightenment came over him.

"Ah yes, the power of a God Slayer is not to be underestimated. An Authority spread thinly will not have even the smallest of consequences. Very well then!"

Ares raised his hand skywards.

An ominous rumbling gave Yuu a bad premonition

He looked up...and paled.

"Uh oh."

Yuu dropped to his knees, a sudden feeling of weakness permeating his body.

The flames around his body and coating Galatine died down to mere flickers.

He already knew what the cause was.

The dome that had been high above their heads, even piercing through the clouds above, had suddenly condensed itself.

In return for shrinking down to a size that barely covered all of Lamia, it had become completely opaque.

He could not see anything past the wall of black-speckled red.

And that also meant that the sun's influence was unable to pass through.

Thus, the Sun-Blessed Knight's power had dropped drastically, to the point where it was negligible.

Yuu smiled wryly.

To think that he would be reduced to this state even while it was still broad daylight out…battles with Heretic Gods were truly as unpredictable as they came.

And more importantly…something was wrong with his head.

He could feel something encroaching on his mind, trying to enter and infect it.

It hadn't succeeded yet, but that was only because Yuu's mental faculties were fully focused on keeping it from doing so.

The moment he dropped his guard for even an instant, that something would flood into his mind like an endless tsunami.

And worst of all…

"Hahahaha! How do you feel, boy? In addition to Madness of the Battlefield, the Authority I activated first, I have now also activated Deimos and Phobos, War's constant companions, and concentrated both of them right here in this citadel! How long do you think you can maintain your sanity!?"

Deimos and Phobos…if Yuu's knowledge of Greek Mythology was correct, those two were twin sons of Ares and Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of Love among other salacious domains.

The Gods of Terror and Fear.

Ah, so that was it.

That thing that was encroaching on his mind…it was those very emotions.

Rage, Terror and Fear.

Ares's Authorities were working to infect him with those emotions.

Which meant that…this was a race against time.

He could hold back the Authorities' influence, but that was only when he was fully committed to doing so.

However, he also had to continue to fight Ares.

Needless to say, trying to fight a Heretic God without any focus was tantamount to suicide, even for a Campione.

That meant that he had to split his mental faculties between the tasks of holding back the effects of Ares's Authorities and actually taking Ares himself on.

With anything less than his full concentration, Ares's Authority would be able to leak into his mind, albeit at a slower rate.

It all came down to whether or not Yuu could defeat Ares before his mind was fully encroached.

Yuu picked himself off the ground and brandished Galatine.

The real fight had just begun.

"How far along is the evacuation of the region?"

"While the evacuation of Central Greece failed for obvious reasons, most of those closer to the coast were safely relocated to the outlying islands, with further preparations being made to evacuate them to Asgard shelters in nearby countries. However, at the rate Ares's Authority is expanding, it is unlikely that we will make it in time. Even we are in danger up here. In an hour or less, even this airspace will be engulfed."

"And there has yet to be any further contact from Mononobe Yuu, so we cannot tell how the situation is developing…"

"Surveillance drones also cannot get close to Lamia for fear of being destroyed in the battle, but from a distance, they were able to capture footage of Mononobe-sama's battle against Ares. It still appears to be ongoing, but at this point it is impossible to say who has the upper hand at the moment. The flames engulfing the area in particular make it difficult to continue surveillance."

Mitsuki half-listened to the conversation going on between Charlotte and the Asgard employee, but most of her attention was focused out the window.

She stared intently at the red dome, as though glaring at it would reveal exactly how her brother's battle against the Greek God of War was going.

"You know, staring at it isn't going make the fight go any faster or smoother for bro." Miyako said as she approached her best friend from behind.

Mitsuki sighed and turned to her.

"I know. But, I can't help but be worried."

She had been ever since Yuu had jumped off of the plane and plummeted through the red dome into mainland Greece.

She could not shake the feeling that Yuu was in grave danger.

Which was obvious, considering he was engaged in combat with one of the most dangerous beings in existence.

The fact that Yuu himself was now also one of the most dangerous beings in existence didn't really sink in just yet.

"He'll be fine. You saw how powerful he is. He kicked Yggdrasil's butt pretty easily. And he did win against a Heretic God before."

"And according to everyone who saw, he almost died doing so, and would have had he not become a Campione." She retorted.

"You're being really negative, you know that? He'll be fine. You have faith in him, don't you?"

"Of course, but…"

"Then, stop worrying. Instead, why not think about…I don't know, throwing him a welcome party when we get back to Midgard? You've been working on your cooking, right?"

Mitsuki blinked.

She had spent time improving on her cooking so that she would one day be able to treat Yuu to a wonderful meal.

She smiled, turning slightly red at the thought of the future, when she and Yuu got married and settled down, with children running around the house.

And then she turned redder at the thought of conceiving those children.

But now that Yuu was a Campione…

Mitsuki's face fell again.

As she was now, was she even capable of standing by his side?

Miyako did not fail to notice her best friend's rapid change in mood, and smiled both knowingly and understandingly.

She placed a palm atop her head.

"Yeah, I get it. I'm frustrated too. In the end, despite all of our training, we couldn't do anything at all. We had to leave everything to bro."

Mitsuki's hands unconsciously clenched tightly, almost enough to break her skin and draw blood.

Once again, when faced by a Dragon, she had been rendered completely helpless.

Just like back then, against the Hekatonkheir that was destroying her beloved home.

And once again, Yuu had to take care of everything.

In the end, Yuu had to protect her again.

How could someone like her, who could only be protected over and over, be worthy of remaining by his side?

"I…have to become stronger. Much stronger than I am now. Or I won't be able to stay with him…"

Mitsuki trailed off, her eyes widening in surprise when Miyako wrapped her arms around her.

"I know. So, let's get stronger together. Once we get back to Midgard, we'll train until our limbs fall off."

"…That goes for us too." Firill said as she and Lisa approached the best friends.

"That feeling of utter powerlessness before Yggdrasil…we never want to experience something like that again. So, we have to become stronger as well." The heiress of the Highwalker Group spoke, a bitter expression on her face as she recalled the recent event.

"Mm hm! Let's train together! Well, you heard us. We'll be counting on you, Onee-chan!" Miyako declared happily as she waved to her older sister.

Haruka looked over to them and smiled.

"So be it. I'll work all of you to the bone." The student council president of Midgard proclaimed.

Mitsuki felt herself smiling.

She did not think it would be possible for her to become as powerful as a Campione, beings who had transcended mortal bonds, but at the very least, she did not want to be weak anymore.

She needed to be strong, in order to be worthy of Yuu.

Even now, he was fighting alone…

"…Huh?" Mitsuki let out a sound of confusion when she looked back out the window…and did not see something that was supposed to be there.

"What's wrong?"

"The dome…it's gone!"

Indeed, the dome that marked the expanding effective range of Ares's Authority had vanished from sight, returning the view to its normal coloring.

If it had disappeared…did that mean, Yuu had won?

"What in the…Principal! Come take a look at this!" Haruka called to Charlotte, who had been in the cockpit with Maika and the Asgard employee, speaking between themselves and the pilot about the situation.

"I'm aware. Look carefully. The dome didn't disappear. It shrunk." Charlotte's calm voice reached their ears from the front of the plane.

Mitsuki looked out the window again, so close that she was almost pressing her face against it.

Charlotte was right.

It was almost invisible from this height, but the dome was definitely still there.

Where it had once spanned several hundred kilometers in length, almost covering the entire mainland, it had now shrunk down to maybe just a dozen kilometers, rising into the air less than a kilometer off the ground.

It was just big enough to cover Lamia, and nothing else.

However, the dome had become completely opaque, and in addition to its original red color, she could make out flecks of black marring its surface.

Rather than shrinking, it might be more appropriate to say that it had been compressed.

Just what was going on down there?

Yuu deflected Ares's spear over and over, desperately dividing his attention between fending off the Heretic God's physical attacks and his Authorities' assault on his mind.

He thrust Galatine, now only a paltry amount of flames licking around the Divine Sword, at Ares's face.

Compared to Yuu's harried movements, Ares fluidly blocked the attacks headed his way, since he wasn't fighting two battles at the same time like the new Campione was.

This was really bad.

Yuu's performance had dropped after most of Sun-Blessed Knight's power had been cut off by the dome above them.

He was still strong enough to keep up with Ares, but while he had been pressing the God of War before, the opposite was now happening, with him barely able to find an opening to exploit in his opponent's frenzied barrage.

Already, the red spear had gouged him twice, though he had managed to twist out of the way on both occasions and avoid injuries to his vitals.

At the rate that he was losing ground…he had to find a way to end this quickly, or he would most certainly die.

"I'm scared…"

"I'm angry…!"

Yuu immediately suppressed the involuntary thoughts that had sprung to the forefront of his mind, the result of Ares's Authorities that he wasn't able to completely keep out.

He couldn't let those rampant emotions take over.

There was only one real option for him to take in order to turn this situation around.

"O Immortal Sun, let your light shine down on this blade!" Yuu chanted.

Galatine's blade flashed for a moment as his Words of Power began to instill the flames of the Sun into it.

Ares's foot lashed out and caught him in the gut, interrupting him.

Flying backwards, Yuu cursed as the gathering fragments of the power of his offensive Authority abruptly faded away.

He landed on his feet and immediately ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction, trying to keep as much distance between them as possible.

"O Immortal Sun-!"

His instincts screamed, and Yuu hastily positioned Galatine over his back

A crushing force crashed into his back, lifting him off the ground again, and Yuu knew that if it weren't for his inherent durability as a Campione, he would have been reduced into a bloody paste by that single blow alone.

As it were, he could practically hear his spine creaking, protesting the rough treatment it was being subjected to.

It might have been a miracle on its own that it had not snapped like a twig.

"What's wrong, boy? Is running all you're capable of doing!?" Ares taunted him as he tumbled across the ground.

Yuu did not dignify that with a response and quickly took to the nearby rooftops, taking care to move as erratically as possible to keep Ares off of his back for a while.

The near instantaneous loss of his footing along with the loud sound of something crumbling beneath him told him that his efforts were in vain as Ares chose to simply destroy the building he was on rather than chase after him.

He leapt to the next rooftop, which quickly experienced the same fate.

And the next, and the next, and the next…

This was getting annoying.

Yuu just couldn't find an opening to take advantage of.

What could he do?

He had no hope of landing a decisive blow on Ares with anything short of Galatine's full power, but he didn't have an opportunity to incant the Words of Power.

As foolish as Ares seemed, it appeared even he was aware of how dangerous it was to allow him a chance to use his offensive Authority.

He needed a distraction, something that could take the heat off of him and give him time to strategize...

But what?

All he had was a weakened Galatine, and the physical capabilities afforded to him as a Campione, which might have been enough against any other Heretic God, but against one whose domain was literally combat itself?

Yeah, not a chance in hell.

He could feel his mutated Fafnir, dubbed Fenrir by Loki, reacting to Ares, but it wasn't providing him with the same overwhelming power it was with Gawain.

It was like…it was missing something.

It was heightening his instincts, which was what was allowing him to defend against the worst of Ares's attacks, but that was about it.

Then…Dark Matter Generation?

Marduk, being a weapon from an ancient civilization that technologically surpassed the modern era, might be able to put a dent in Ares, but he wouldn't count on it.

As incredible as it was, it was nothing more than a manmade weapon in the end, and it was well established by now that manmade weapons were as good as pea shooters before Heretic Gods.

…Or were they?

Manmade weapons could not directly harm a Heretic God…but what about an indirect way?

"Worth a shot."

A sphere of dark matter formed over Yuu's palm as he leapt to the rooftop of the local church, and quickly solidified into a metal cylinder with circular holes in its frame and a lever secured by a pin.

It was one of NIFL's standard stun grenades, not meant to cause injury, but to disorient the foe.

"Man, I hope this works…"

Yuu pulled the pin out and chucked the grenade behind him, watching it fall towards the ground where he knew Ares was.

As he leapt away from the rooftop, he shut his eyes and clasped his hands over his ears.

Just in time, for a deafening bang coupled with a blinding white light filled the streets below, right in the War God's face.

Yuu uncovered his slightly ringing ears and heard Ares's enraged bellows.

"Curse you, God Slayer! I will kill you! Every humiliation you have caused me, I will inflict on your flesh tenfold!"

He could hardly believe that it had actually worked.

But now that he knew that it did…

…No, attacking was not a viable option.

A stun grenade would overstimulate a human's senses for about five seconds before the effects wore off, but he doubted it would last that long on a Heretic God.

That wasn't anywhere near enough time to invoke Galatine's true power.

In that case, the only thing he could do now was…

Yuu dashed across the rooftops, searching for a place for him to hide and formulate a proper plan.

And as he expected, Ares recovered and started chasing after him within two seconds.

But, that was fine. He knew how to deal with him.

Several spheres of dark matter rapidly formed in Yuu's wake as he moved, solidifying into unsecured grenades that fell to the ground in front of Ares.

Rapid and simultaneous materialization like this would have been impossible for Yuu before, but with his current mental capacity, something of this level wasn't even enough to leave him winded.

The War God grinded to a halt and raised his arms to block the impending shock to his senses.

Continuous bangs and flashes erupted in the streets, eliciting another angry roar from Ares as he received yet another blow to his senses, along with thick clouds of black smoke from the smoke grenades Yuu had mixed in.

Yuu quickly suppressed his presence as he escaped from the scene.

He hoped that would be enough to completely disorient Ares and buy him more time.

Now for a place to hide…

…There.

A densely forested area.

If it was here, he should be able to maintain cover for a while.

He leapt from the rooftops, crossing an incredible distance and landing in the middle of the forest.

Even in the forest, he kept moving.

He couldn't afford to stop. He needed to make sure that his adrenaline kept pumping.

If he stopped now, all of his accumulated fatigue would catch up in an instant.

Now then, what to do?

Ares must have recovered by now and searching relentlessly for him.

As well hidden as he was, it wouldn't be long before he was found.

Should he activate his offensive Authority?

…No, with the dome blocking the sun's influence, he wasn't sure if Galatine would have enough firepower to kill Ares in one shot.

But, if not that…then what else could he do!?

"I'm scared…! I'm scared…!"

"Dammit!"

And then there was that…!

Ares's damn Authority had taken advantage of his momentary doubt to attack his mind.

He had to get rid of that damn Authority, before it overtook him!

But how?

The only way to dispel an Authority was to kill its user.

…Wasn't it?

That was when it hit him.

The fact that the dome was capable of hindering Sun-Blessed Knight proved that Authorities were capable of directly interfering with other Authorities.

Ares, as a Heretic God, was durable, enough that Yuu wasn't confident that Galatine in its weakened state was capable of taking him out.

But what about the dome?

Divine Authority though it might be, it looked pretty damn fragile.

A human could never hope to make a scratch on it, but a Campione?

"O Immortal Sun, let your light shine down on this blade! I hereby vow, all things shall be burnt, melted and incinerated, their ashes scattered to the wind! As I raise this sword, what I bring forth is the dawn of victory!"

Galatine roared to life as flames coated the entire blade.

Still less power than it should have at this time of day, but strong enough to be felt from faraway.

Yuu really hoped that this worked, because he had basically blown his cover.

He swung the divine blade upwards.

The plume of flames shot up and slammed into the dome with enough force for it to audibly groan.

Now, the question remained whether or not that was enough power to break it.

If it wasn't…he was as good as dead.

As the flames began to dissipate, having spent their power, the dome did not appear to have a scratch.

Yuu's heart sank like a rock.

He was worn out from that attack, and he could feel Ares rapidly approaching his position.

Even if he hid himself now, Ares wouldn't need any longer than a few seconds to find him.

It was over.

*CRACK*

…Crack?

Yuu inspected the dome, looking for the source of the sound.

There, right where Galatine's flames had struck the dome, a crack had appeared.

It was small, infinitesimally so compared to the rest of the dome.

But that one tiny crack quickly spread across the rest of the dome.

And with a resounding shatter that was music to Yuu's ears, the dome collapsed, its glass-like fragments dissipating mid-fall.

Immediately, he felt a massive surge of power well up within himself as Sun-Blessed Knight returned to its full power.

"There you are, boy!"

Ares roared in sheer rage as he tore his way towards Yuu, levelling the woodland between them in the process.

"DIE!"

Ares chucked his spear at the God Slayer.

A red streak shot like a comet towards Yuu, moving at a speed a human could never hope to comprehend.

Yuu deftly caught it by the shaft with his left hand.

He exhaled softly, and turned to look at Ares with a dispassionate gaze.

Even the enraged War God paused when confronted by that look of complete and utter apathy.

"You were saying?"

Before Ares could respond, Yuu tossed the spear right back at him.

The War God barely shifted his body in time to get out of the red comet's path.

Not that that did him much good.

Yuu crossed the distance between them and struck him in the face with a heavy fist, sending him sprawling a good distance back.

The feeling of something giving way beneath his fist told him that Ares's nose had been broken by the impact.

"You bra-"

Ares's nasally voice began to call out, but was immediately cut off when Yuu slammed a knee into his already broken nose.

A spurt of blood shot into the air as the appendage suffered even more abuse.

"It's payback time."

Yuu leapt at the downed Heretic God, Galatine roaring with flames.

Ares lifted his spear horizontally, seeking to block the flaming divine blade with the shaft.

It worked for all of a second.

It was a result that was to be expected. Both were Divine Weapons, but Galatine was additionally coated in Flames of the Sun.

And more significantly, Galatine was borne of Steel.

There was a reason why Steel was considered the greatest of all Divine Domains, and it was perfectly demonstrated.

God of War though Ares may be, he was not a God of Steel.

And that made all the difference.

Galatine cleaved right through the spear and tore into Ares's flesh.

The War God roared in pain as a cauterized scar, throbbing an angry red, was carved into his skin.

"Damned Abomination! Mine Chariot, thunder across the blood-soaked battlefield! Mine Steeds, trample mine enemies underfoot!"

The ground split open, a red mass spilling out with an unearthly roar before solidifying beneath Ares's feet.

The War God now stood in a red and gold chariot, images of gruesome death carved into the body, spiked extensions at the axles of the wheels, clearly designed to maim and mangle anyone unlucky enough to come in contact, pulling the reins of four black-furred horses with red orbs for eyes and blood-colored manes.

If it weren't for his misshapen nose, Ares would actually look terrifying.

As it were, he just looked somewhat silly.

His own steeds were more intimidating than he was, though perhaps, that was the intention to begin with.

The four equine divine animals neighed menacingly, spittle flying from their muzzles as they charged at him with a ferocity better suited to rampaging bulls.

There was no doubt that each of them on their own possessed the power to flatten the forest in an instant.

Four of them together? They could level the entire city.

And none of it mattered to him.

Yuu bent his knees, lowering his body to brace himself, as though about to push against an massive object.

He held his hands out just as they reached him, catching the two steeds in the middle by their heads.

The ground beneath them was shattered like glass as what was essentially an unstoppable force collided with what was essentially an immovable object, producing a shockwave more destructive than anything the two combatants had thrown at each other the entire fight.

The stalemate lasted for all of a second before Yuu was slowly pushed back by the immense power of the divine horses, his feet beginning to create deep grooves in the devastated earth beneath.

Yuu was not worried.

The force he was facing was tremendous.

If he had tried this while the dome was still intact, he had no doubt he would have been completely overpowered and violently trampled, even with the nigh magical immunity and incredible endurance of a Campione.

Even so, he was not worried.

Under less than favorable circumstances, he wouldn't have dared to even try to take this head on.

But with the Sun-Blessed Knight in effect and growing ever stronger?

This barely qualified as a nuisance.

The sun overhead continued to move ever so slowly to its zenith, and with passing moment, his power rose.

With renewed strength, Yuu made his move.

Rather than directly opposing the horses by pushing back at them, he twisted his arms to the left.

The two horses he was holding on to let out an alarmed sound as they were spectacularly overturned, colliding into the leftmost horse, causing the last horse, the chariot and Ares himself to follow suit as they were knocked over onto the ground.

Not giving them the chance to recover, Yuu beheaded them with a swing of Galatine.

The headless carcasses flailed wildly on the ground for a moment before they stilled and dispersed into clouds of golden dust.

Yuu turned his attention to the War God, and stared at the sight of him.

Ares, shakily rising to his possibly broken feet, fixed him with a glare of manic hatred.

"You…my soldiers, my battlefield, my spear, my stallions, my chariot…! How dare you…! How dare-!"

*CRUNCH*

"Yes, I dare." Yuu declared calmly as he interrupted the War God with an elbow to his already broken nose.

Ares stumbled backwards, his hands covering his bloody olfactory organ, groaning in agony.

Yuu lashed out with a foot and tripped him, causing the War God to fall on his ass.

His foot shot out again and caught Ares in the throat, causing him to sprawl backwards, choking and wheezing painfully.

Yuu reached down and tightened a hand around the War God's throat, using the leverage to drag him to his feet before nailing him in the solar plexus with a fist,

As much as Yuu would love to turn him to ashes at that moment, he would have to put that off until a little later.

Even though Galatine's restrictions were practically non-existent under sunlight, he had used it three times in less than an hour, albeit two of those being weakened versions.

He had to wait a bit longer before he could use it at its full power again.

Plus, it really was incredibly cathartic to just wail on the War God like this, providing him with an outlet for his anger.

And at the rate that Ares's body was breaking under his assault, he might not even need Galatine.

*CRUNCH*

The War God cried out in pain as something audibly broke when Yuu slammed Galatine's hilt into his torso.

Assuming the anatomy of all humanoid Heretic Gods was identical to a human's, that was probably the sound of his left ribs cracking…

*CRACK*

…And that would the sound of his lower jaw shattering.

Warm divine ichor gushed from Ares's maw, splattering onto Yuu's face.

Just a few days ago, something like that would have had him reeling in disgust.

Wanting to retain his humanity, he didn't even aim for vitals if he could help it, aiming to incapacitate rather than kill.

With Fafnir and Nergal, his weapon of choice, which was basically a highly advanced taser, it had been easy, with next to no bloodshed.

The amount of blood gushing out of Ares's mouth right now was more than all of the blood Yuu had ever drawn from his opponents, including Gawain.

And yet, he did not feel a thing at the sight of the gore.

Did it come with being a God Slayer? Or perhaps it was because he had accepted that he wasn't human?

Either way, he wasn't really interested in pondering on that.

The only thing he was focused on right now was…victory.

Ares let out a roar of incandescent rage, lashing out with a bloodied fist, swung with a force that would make most men flinch in fear and be reduced to a fine red mist as a result.

Yuu wordlessly sliced off said appendage with a single stroke of his divine sword.

His ears rang as the War God fell to his knees and let out a shrill scream, clutching desperately at the stump.

Yuu pressed the tip of Galatine against Ares's throat and tilted the War God's head upwards, forcing him to meet his gaze.

Through the mangled, bloodied mess that was once a somewhat handsome face, Ares's blood red eyes glared hatefully into his passive blue ones.

"Any last words, God of War?"

There was no room for mercy, not in a battle like this.

In a fight between mutual predator and prey, only one could walk away alive.

If it wasn't Yuu, it would be Ares, and that was an unacceptable outcome.

One way or another, the War God's corpse would be hitting the ground.

Ares looked like he was going to say something, but with his jaw shattered and blood filling his mouth, it just came out as a gurgle.

Yuu raised an eyebrow.

"Well said, I suppose."

Yuu swung Galatine.

Ares's head fell from his shoulders, what remained of his face still twisted into an expression of pure hatred.

The severed head hit the lightly scorched earth beneath, followed quickly by the rest of his body.

…What next?

No, seriously, was he supposed to do something?

He couldn't remember anything from after the fight with Gawain, mostly because he was unconscious, so he had no idea what came next.

He knew that Campione received at least one new Authority from each Heretic God they killed, but…how?

Ugh, he didn't have to mutilate the corpse, did he?

As if to answer him, Ares's decapitated head and body began to glow and disperse into golden sand-like particles, drifting in the air for a moment before being carried away by the wind.

At the same time, he felt something pressing against him.

Not in the physical sense, but more spiritual.

That something met only a token resistance before entering and melding with his soul.

Immediately, knowledge poured into his mind, the details of his new Authority and the Words of Power required to summon it.

He grimaced at the thought of having one of the warmongering God's powers, but acknowledged that out of all of Ares's Authorities that he had seen, the one he got was probably the tamest, or at the very least, won't invoke mass hysteria upon manifesting.

Well, except maybe from those with equinophobia.

Finally, his heightened senses died down, returning to a normal level that didn't make him feel like he was having a constant adrenaline rush.

He was glad that the sun was still up, for there was no way he would be able to remain conscious with the fatigue and pain he had accumulated throughout the fight without Sun-Blessed Knight.

It hit him out of the blue.

Ares was dead.

The first Heretic God that the world at large had ever seen. The one that had quite literally struck the fear of God, or rather, Gods, into the hearts of mankind, the boogeyman that made everyone wonder when they would become another victim, become just another statistic in the swathes of casualties inevitably left behind in the wake of a Heretic God's descent.

He would eventually reform, and there would always be more and more Heretic Gods to take his place, but today…maybe just for today, the world would have cause for celebration.

He had to make a report to Asgard…just as soon as he got patched up and had taken a shower.

It would probably be bad form to show up to a meeting with the world's highest authorities smelling of blood and ashes.

He stirred.

Horribly weakened, as was his curse, yet barely maintained enough clarity to comprehend events that had just transpired.

How long had it been since he had fallen into his deep slumber?

Decades?

Centuries?

Millennia?

It mattered not. The passage of time held no sway over He Who is Eternal.

What was it that had caused him to stir?

…Ah, yet another one of his mortal enemies had been born.

Nemeses they were to all Gods, but for He is Born to Slay the Demon Kings, they were doubly so.

He held no personal grudge against them, any of them, but he had been summoned to kill them, and thus his enemies they were.

With the newest addition, there were now…7 Demon Kings walking the Earth?

The world had not seen that many since the Bronze Age when he had first been summoned.

Three were old, though still babes in his eyes.

The remaining four were young even in the eyes of mortals, the newest one especially so.

It was truly incredible that he was able to slay one of his kin at such a young age.

And his own nephew, no less?

How interesting.

Perhaps it was only natural that he would stir.

And perhaps…the time of his awakening was approaching.

And done.

This is an addendum to Chapter 3 since I noticed that this was way too short to be a chapter on its own.

I was originally going to write a much chapter with a more detailed fight scene, but upon reexamining the novels, I noticed a certain trend.

Authorities of Sun and Steel are fucking overpowered.

I have yet to see Godou, aka the youngest Campione, struggle against any Heretic God that wasn't of Steel.

Then again, the non-Steel Heretic Gods that he has fought were Melqart, Athena and Circe.

Granted, Melqart fought him to a draw, Athena managed to squeeze out a win against him, and Circe did actually make him squirm for a while, but one had lost before to him after being hit once by his Stallion, would have died had Godou not chosen to spare her and only won after she developed a fighting style specifically tailored to counter the Warrior, and another could steal his Authorities.

And keep in mind that Melqart had also fought Verethragna to a draw.

Verethragna, the original holder of Godou's main Authorities, and arguably the more skilled user.

Godou fought the very same Melqart to a draw while not knowing what the fuck he was doing.

So yeah, Sun and Steel too OP, plz nerf.

Anyway, that was my reasoning for why Yuu was able to win so easily against Ares.

Rest assured, it won't get any easier. He will be fighting Gods under less than favorable circumstances, Gods that can outright counter his Authorities, and of course, other Gods of Steel.

Sorry it took so long to write this chapter, but I have been very busy with university life.

That's all for now, as always please read and review.