Verethragna floated effortlessly in midair, as if gravity itself had no hold over him. The violent winds and rain naturally parted around his figure, leaving him untouched.
"Could it be that the wounds I left on you last time were so severe that you've only now finished recovering?"
In response, Melqart let out a disdainful snort.
At that moment, the heavens split with a brilliant flash of lightning, its thunderous roar seemingly intent on shattering the raging winds.
"You're as arrogant as ever. To the point of awakening me from my slumber just to face a worthy opponent. Even if I shatter you, it seems your hubris remains unshaken!"
Melqart shifted his mountainous body, reaching for a massive wooden staff adorned with symbols of wind and lightning. Thunder roared louder in the skies above, growing in ferocity.
"Then this time, I shall grant you the failure you so desperately seek! Learn firsthand the consequences of angering a king!"
"Hahaha! If you think you can, then come and try it!"
The boyish, cocky laughter of Verethragna drowned out even the thunder.
The air crackled with the clash of their battle spirits.
Just as the battle was about to ignite, another overwhelming presence suddenly erupted onto the battlefield, its intensity rivaling the two gods.
"Hey! All eyes over here!"
With a wild, unruly grin plastered across her face, Mordred appeared, her magic sword slung over her shoulder. She met the eyes of both Melqart and Verethragna without a shred of fear.
"Now this is more like it. You two were getting all hyped up before I even showed up. What the hell is that about?"
"Interesting. A third god?"
Melqart, encountering Mordred for the first time, couldn't help but pay attention. Her divine aura, no less potent than his own, demanded his regard.
Verethragna spoke up, his tone smug.
"Not quite. She's here because I invited her."
Confidently, he added, "I am the strongest, the one who holds victory itself. The more enemies, the better—don't you agree?"
"How insolent! As the God King, even I am not enough to satisfy your arrogance?"
Melqart shot Verethragna a scornful glance before turning his attention to Mordred. His thunderous voice reverberated through the stormy skies.
"Then, goddess recognized by Verethragna, state your true name before me—Melqart, the God King of Phoenicia!"
"My name is Mordred! You'd better carve it into your memory before you die."
Gripping her sword with both hands, Mordred pointed the blade downward at the ground behind her. Her crimson eyes burned with defiance.
"But I'm not planning to remember yours… because you're not worthy!"
The next moment, a terrifying surge of power erupted, shattering the hill beneath her feet.
Crimson lightning, like blood itself, tore through the storm and wind, hurtling straight for Melqart's head.
"So, I'm the first target, am I?"
Melqart's voice carried both excitement and fury as he swung his massive staff, unleashing a force of unparalleled might.
"Crush everything! Pursuer!"
The ancient staff collided with the scarlet lightning, and in an instant, the menacing bolt was pulverized. Mordred's body was hurled backward, crashing into a distant mountainside.
"What just happened?"
Mordred's face twisted in confusion.
She could feel it—her defeat hadn't come from a lack of strength. Some inexplicable force had directly acted upon her body, throwing her back.
Before she could dwell on it, Melqart's booming voice cut through the storm, reaching her ears.
"Hahahaha! What's wrong? Is that all you've got? Where's all the bravado from earlier?"
The taunt made Mordred's blood boil.
"Damn it—!"
Scarlet magical energy surged like flames around her.
Thanks to Artoria's seemingly endless reserves of mana, the energy Mordred consumed replenished almost instantly.
At that moment, a powerful gale swept in.
The once-sturdy mountain beneath Mordred's feet was caught in the wind and began disintegrating into dust at an alarming speed.
"If I get ignored, it'll really piss me off," Verethragna quipped.
With his Greek-inspired cloak fluttering in the storm, Verethragna grinned mischievously.
"Don't think it's dishonorable of me to take advantage of the situation. On the battlefield, eliminating the weak first is just common sense."
Suddenly, from amidst the sea of lightning, a crimson thunder serpent roared forth.
The devastating red bolt pierced through the raging tornado, obliterating it instantly. Mordred emerged unscathed, standing firm amidst the storm.
"Come at me, both of you, for all I care! My plan from the start was to wipe the floor with all of you!"
Seeing Mordred survive the combined assault and still manage to issue a challenge, Verethragna's once-gentle smile twisted into a feral grin, his teeth bared like a beast.
"Interesting! That's the way it should be!"
Golden magical energy churned, stirring the heavens. His chant echoed with divine authority.
"I am the strongest, the one who holds victory itself! Whether human or demon, I crush all who dare to oppose me! I shall conquer any who stand before me!"
With his proclamation, Verethragna's presence expanded, his mana roaring with newfound vigor, as if he had only now fully awakened.
Mordred, sensing his rising power, focused her own mana into her blade. Crimson lightning gathered around her weapon, forming a massive blade of red thunder.
"This is the cursed sword meant to destroy my Father!"
"Take this! Consider it payback for your earlier strike!"
The red thunder roared like a dragon as it surged forward, scattering the storm and rain in its path, aimed directly at Verethragna.
"Good—bring it on!"
With a triumphant roar, Verethragna summoned a gale with a wave of his hand, intercepting the scarlet bolt.
He raised his right hand and chanted once more.
"Don't forget—lightning is also my domain!"
"Oh lightning! Oh lightning! Oh lightning! I am the conqueror who triumphs over hundreds, defeats thousands, and lays waste to tens of thousands! Shine brightly for the righteous and grant me your divine power!"
The blackened sky split open as a blinding white bolt of lightning descended, colliding with the crimson thunder. The clash erupted in a radiance brighter than the sun.
Maintaining the flow of divine lightning, Verethragna's entire body surged with power as he roared.
"To crush all enemies—man and demon alike—and shatter all malice and defiance, that is my destiny!"
The white lightning thickened, its intensity doubling as it shattered the crimson bolt and surged toward Mordred.
As the blinding strike approached, Mordred gritted her teeth, raised her magic sword high, and brought it down in a decisive swing.
"[Clarent Blood Arthur—]!"
The gathered crimson lightning surged forth, forming an even greater torrent of red thunder. It tore through the white lightning, grazing Verethragna's side as it shot past him.
But then, from the corner of her eye, Mordred caught sight of an ancient, weathered staff hurtling toward her, shattering the surrounding storm and rain as it carried its overwhelming momentum.
---
T/N: sorgee for late updates a reminder that patreon members is currently half off during this month
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