After the light faded, the divine beast boar collapsed heavily to the ground.
"He really did it—!"
Erica's eyes widened in disbelief. Although she had imagined the possibility, she hadn't expected someone could actually defeat the divine beast that she couldn't even get close to.
It was unbelievable.
Even her uncle, Paul, or the Paladin Saint Raffaello, didn't have that level of power.
Was this man perhaps one of the extremely rare Paladin Grand Mages?
Or maybe... a newly ascended God Slayer?
As for Hajime, he looked at the fallen boar without much joy—only mild surprise.
"It's still alive?"
Even after taking a direct hit from [Fairy Law], the beast had only collapsed—it hadn't died.
"As expected of a divine beast. Its magic resistance and vitality are absurd."
Although the boar had no strength left to fight, and Hajime could kill it with another strike, he was reminded that the boar wasn't even one of the more durable divine beasts.
Creatures like dragons and serpents had far greater resilience.
If he had faced one of them, he doubted [Fairy Law] would have even made a dent.
"No wonder in the original story, Makarov never considered using this spell on the black dragon Acnologia."
He must've known it wouldn't work.
Given the regenerative powers of dragons and serpents, even serious injuries might heal in seconds.
Thinking that, Hajime didn't rush to finish off the divine boar.
Instead, he suddenly spoke aloud.
"Still hiding? God of War of Zoroastrianism—you're not the kind to hide in the shadows, are you?"
As soon as he spoke, the wind stirred, and a boy appeared before him.
"Did you really have to go that far?"
The boy had purple hair and golden eyes glowing with divine light. His tone was slightly helpless.
"I even gave you time to finish your prey and boast of your accomplishment."
There was no doubt—this was the Heretic God, Verethragna, the God of War of Zoroastrianism.
"So this really was a trial?"
Hajime sighed.
"But this is modern society, not the ancient world. People don't parade around with enemy heads to show off anymore."
"That's a real shame. Such excellent traditions lost to time."
Verethragna shook his head, genuinely disappointed.
Displaying your defeated prey had been a custom in the age of the gods.
"You really don't feel bad about this?"
Hajime glanced at the boar with pity.
"That's one of your incarnations, right? You're okay with letting it be destroyed?"
Verethragna responded solemnly, "A trial, even if born on a whim, must be endured in full by a god. If I were to go back on it now, I'd have no dignity."
Though losing an incarnation was no small matter, Verethragna valued honor and ritual over mere power.
If a god couldn't even accept the loss of a divine beast, how could he demand trials from humans?
Hajime admired his spirit.
"As expected of the God of War."
Then, with a grin, he asked, "Since this was a trial, doesn't the one who passes it deserve a reward?"
"Of course," Verethragna nodded. "But first, you should finish off the [Boar] and complete the ritual."
He wasn't stingy, but he did care deeply about ritual and honor.
All Hajime had to do was strike the final blow. The divine boar had already lost most of its vitality.
But to Venethragna's surprise—
"Must I kill the [Boar]?"
Hajime immediately shook his head.
"Then forget it."
He was about to give up the reward entirely.
Verethragna grew even more intrigued.
He had only come to gather his incarnations—but never expected to meet someone so interesting.
"Why?"
He couldn't help but ask.
"You still have enough magic left to cast that spell again. Killing the [Boar] should be easy."
To this, Hajime replied with a bright smile.
"Simple. I heard that if a Heretic God isn't slain, they don't grant authority."
His tone was casual, like chatting with a friend.
But the meaning behind his words made even Venethragnabfreeze.
Then, the God of War burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
"So that's it. You're just like those Foolish Children—you're after my life!"
"How delightful! I never thought I'd meet someone like you before my final duel with Melqart. It seems this trip to the mortal world wasn't wasted after all!"