So, that guy must be my enemy.
Kusanagi Godou thought as he looked at the youth standing not far away, his body overflowing with a level of magical energy almost impossible for a human to possess.
In his hand, the youth held a divine spear that seemed to be condensed from light itself, brimming with the aura of brilliance and the sun. At his waist hung a short sword with a razor-sharp edge that made one's eyes sting just by looking at it.
The divine spear Brionac, which symbolized Lugh's divinity, also known as the "Crusher of the Five Stars."
And the demonic sword Fragarach, the "Answerer," gifted to Lugh by his foster father, the sea and craft god Manannán mac Lir.
The moment he sensed the hostile aura of his compatriot, Godou had followed his instincts and easily found this place.
And there, at the center of that aura, he found this person.
A youth bearing the spear and sword of Lugh.
Did he usurp an Authority to summon armaments from Lugh? Kusanagi Godou wondered. If so, my advantage isn't as great as I thought.
He knew very well that the demonic spear and the demonic sword were of different "classes."
The demonic spear corresponded to the god of light, Lugh.
But the demonic sword originated from the god of the ocean, Manannán.
So, which one of them should I seal? Or should I wait and see if he has other powers?
---o---
"It seems you are the compatriot who has challenged me."
Once he entered a combat state, Kusanagi Godou's entire demeanor changed, and his eyes grew dangerous.
His blood was boiling, the power in his muscles was gathering, and magical energy surged within his body.
Clearly, he had already entered combat mode.
However, as a pacifist, it was obviously not appropriate to attack just like that.
"Devil King from a foreign land, can you withdraw from this territory?"
The man named Kusanagi Godou issued his final ultimatum, looking at the youth in the distance who kept his head down, fiddling with the watch on his free hand.
"I'm not actually that interested in this land."
The youth, who seemed to have finished adjusting his watch and was ready to start the timer, stated a simple fact.
"If it weren't for the power of 'Steel,' I wouldn't have bothered to come here."
What is this guy talking about?
Kusanagi Godou was completely confused. One moment this guy was declaring himself the King of the Far East, the next he was claiming to have no interest in it.
However, one thing was certain—
This guy is the enemy, isn't he?
A cruel arc formed on the lips of the God-Slayer, who had always enjoyed the thrill of battle.
"Although I don't particularly want to fight you, since you have declared your intention to invade the Far East, I cannot stand idly by."
It was a declaration like that of a hero before討伐 a villain.
Kusanagi Godou fixed his gaze on the earth beneath the youth's feet and the sky far above.
And then—
The words of power from the undefeated war god began to chant from his lips.
"O tusk that rends all, grant the hammer of destruction to the one who breaks their covenant!"
Verethragna's fifth incarnation, the [Boar].
The earth began to split apart.
Like an earthquake, the ground trembled violently.
In a mere instant, a black beast wreathed in immense magical energy—a moving natural disaster—leapt from beneath the ground. It raised its savage head, ready to pulverize everything in its path!
Its sheer presence seemed to shake the heavens and the earth.
One could only imagine the fate of anyone struck by this colossal beast that symbolized the undefeated war god.
But faced with the massive beast, the targeted youth acted as if it were nothing but air. He nonchalantly turned his head and mouthed something to the two girls in the distance, informing them that the bet had begun.
Is this guy insane?
Kusanagi Godou, who was directing the [Boar] incarnation—one of the most destructive of the ten—to launch a large-scale attack in an attempt to force his opponent to reveal powers beyond his armaments, was utterly stunned.
If he were to be hit by the [Boar]...
Just as the words of power described, his muscles, bones, hair, brain, and blood would all be mixed into the earth and trampled into a bloody paste.
Anyone with eyes could see that.
A God-Slayer's constitution was extraordinary, but only that!
Yet, that guy didn't dodge, nor did he defend.
And then—
In the next moment, Kusanagi Godou understood why.
The youth's figure vanished without a trace. The next instant, he had crossed the intervening space and appeared directly in front of Godou, the tip of his divine spear aimed straight at Godou's heart.
So fast!!
Kusanagi Godou's heart leaped.
Seeing the sharp spear point, he twisted his body violently, but the forcefully thrusting spear still sliced through his arm.
Blood splattered.
The pain caused Kusanagi Godou's features to contort.
But—
His reason told him that this was no time to cry out in pain, because the demonic sword at his enemy's waist was already floating into the air!
It was Fragarach, the "Answerer"!
The sword from Celtic mythology that could pierce any armor and possessed a will of its own to attack.
Once wounded by it, the injury would be cursed and could never heal!
"Fear the one who has wings! The wicked and the mighty shall both fear me, the winged one!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Kusanagi Godou dismissed the [Boar] incarnation.
He lacked the ability to use multiple incarnations at once. Now that he was in close quarters with a highly skilled martial opponent, he had no choice but to abandon the [Boar] to gain god-like speed.
The incarnation of the [Phoenix].
When facing a high-speed attack, it grants agility and leaping power that surpasses the opponent's. The strain on the body is immense.
It was as if time itself had been stretched. In his perception, the speed of the Answerer's lunge became sluggish.
Kusanagi Godou retreated, barely managing to escape the demonic sword's grasp.
Then, something utterly unbelievable happened.
The speed of the demonic sword had decreased, but—
The speed of that demonic spear was still closing in on him.
This was completely illogical. The [Phoenix] incarnation granted speed that was absolutely superior to the enemy's. There was no reason his opponent should be able to keep up.
Then, like a flash of inspiration, the scene before him overlapped with the memory of his enemy appearing in front of him in an instant, brandishing his spear.
Cold sweat beaded on Kusanagi Godou's back.
He understood.
His speed had always been superior to that of the spear.
It was just that—
The spear and its master weren't relying on high-speed movement to close the distance. They were traversing space directly!
This is spatial movement!!
A method of movement that could perfectly achieve the paradox of "the spear is slower than the Phoenix, but it can still catch the Phoenix."
He couldn't keep running.
Completely bewildered as to how his enemy could predict his movements and pursue him with spatial travel, dense beads of sweat formed on Kusanagi Godou's forehead.
The [Phoenix] incarnation could not create distance between them!
A blind retreat would only put him in a more disadvantageous position. He had to gain some advantage.
"O bull with shining golden horns, grant me your aid!"
Verethragna's sixth incarnation, the [Bull]. Its activation condition is that the opponent possesses inhuman strength or power, a warrior who surpasses human limits.
"Hah!"
Immense power poured into Kusanagi Godou's body, as if every drop of his blood was on fire.
He seized the shaft of the demonic spear, intending to bring the divine weapon under his control.
The youth opposite him, however, seemed completely unconcerned.
Before Kusanagi Godou's increasingly horrified eyes, he suddenly appeared in front of him, his already clenched fist expanding in his vision.
In the calculations of the Type-Moon world, Kars, who was merely a type of vampire, possessed a grip strength of 36 metric tons after becoming the Ultimate Life Form.
So, what was Li Zihan's grip strength?
And what was the punching power that corresponded to that grip?
Li Zihan had never tested it.
Now, Kusanagi Godou would help him find out.
A force that was conceptually beyond human erupted.
Kusanagi Godou, who had been trying to wrestle control of the spear, was sent flying like a cannonball. He crashed heavily into the distant forest, felling a row of large trees.
And then—
An immense gravitational force erupted from the ground, viciously pinning the heavily injured man to the earth.
"Shoot him."
The divine spear of the God-King materialized in the youth's hand.
Then, blood splattered.
Within Kusanagi Godou's body, the [Goat] incarnation, which symbolized resurrection, activated.
If nothing unexpected happened, the deceased Kusanagi Godou would revive in approximately six hours.
It looked like a lot of effort, but I actually got the first kill in under thirty seconds, the youth thought.
If I just let him lie there, I'll definitely lose the bet.
In that case, I'll just delete those six hours.
Time began to pulse around the youth, who had forcibly stolen the Emiya family's near-miraculous magecraft and elevated it to a terrifying level by incorporating knowledge of the Law of Order.
"Innate Time Control: Crimson King."
Kusanagi Godou's six hours were deleted, leaving only the result of what would have happened after six hours.
The power of the [Goat] incarnation repaired all his injuries.
And then—
"For victory, come forth before me! O immortal sun, grant me a radiant steed!"
The response to Li Zihan's presence was a scorching torrent hot enough to melt buildings and highway overpasses.
A surging inferno spiraled between heaven and earth, releasing a temperature that seemed capable of incinerating all creation.
How utterly boring.
The youth, who had appeared behind Kusanagi Godou in a single instant, thought to himself.
No matter how strong a power is, it's useless if it can't hit its target.
And then—
Black and red feathers danced into existence.
Power, carrying the properties of both the Herrscher of Erosion and the Herrscher of Consciousness, descended upon Kusanagi Godou.
It was like a sudden death.
Kusanagi Godou, having suffered an unprecedented blow on the mental plane, fell down stiff as a board.
"Game over."
The youth, who had essentially been practicing his spearmanship and magecraft, spoke to the girls who were watching from their hiding spot in the distance.
"Time elapsed: approximately one minute."