In the skies not far from Izumi—
Verethragna hovered in midair, staring at him with barely restrained excitement.
He had witnessed everything.
The battle just now.
The overwhelming power.
The absolute dominance.
Too strong.
Far too strong.
And because of that—
His blood boiled.
Facing such an opponent, Verethragna felt no fear.
Even if Izumi was stronger than him—
He still wanted to fight.
With fanatic passion blazing in his eyes, Verethragna laughed loudly.
"HAHAHAHA! Is it my turn now?"
"Then come—!"
Divine words thundered across the battlefield.
[I am the strongest, the bearer of all victories!
Before any enemy, I shatter their will!
No foe shall stand in my way!]
[For the sake of victory, come forth before me!
Immortal sun, grant me your radiant steed!
O divine horse of miraculous speed—bring forth your master's shining wheel!]
Unlike the protagonist of the original tale—
Verethragna's Authorities carried no artificial limitations.
The White Horse, which normally required the target to be a heinous sinner—
Ignored such constraints entirely in his hands.
If Verethragna acknowledged someone as an enemy—
The Authority would activate.
As his chant concluded, a blazing white horse wrapped in roaring flames descended from the heavens.
Like a falling sun, it charged straight toward Izumi.
Izumi made no attempt to evade.
Instead—
A massive black hole opened directly in the horse's path.
The divine steed plunged straight into it.
In the very next instant—
Another black hole opened behind Verethragna.
The same white horse burst out—
And slammed straight into him.
Direct hit.
BOOOOM—!
A colossal explosion tore through the sky.
This was spatial transfer, one of the Authorities granted by the Void Herrscher Core—
Opening dimensional gates to redirect attacks.
Naturally, that meant—
The attack could be returned to its sender.
As the explosion bloomed, Verethragna was blasted out of the sky—
And smashed violently into a seaside building.
CRASH—!
Fortunately, the area had already been evacuated due to an incoming typhoon warning.
Otherwise, countless lives would have been lost.
Izumi calmly watched Verethragna embedded in the ruins.
To him, Verethragna's strength barely reached S-rank.
Not worth concern.
As the dust settled, the wounded god reappeared in Izumi's view.
"…Incredible," Verethragna said, laughing breathlessly.
"Spatial power?"
"You're truly monstrous."
Despite his words, there was no despair on his face.
Only greater excitement.
His wounds began to regenerate.
This was his Authority—The Ram.
No matter the injury, recovery would occur within hours—
As long as he had once been pushed to the brink of death.
Which meant—
He had nearly been killed by his own attack.
Izumi regarded him with interest.
"A fine Authority."
"I'll admit—it's remarkably well-rounded."
Verethragna burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHA! Praise from you is an honor."
"But even so—my Authorities are still insufficient before you!"
"Then—let us continue!"
Another divine chant echoed.
[Fear the one who bears wings!
The wicked and the mighty alike shall tremble before me!
My wings bring curses—
Those of evil cannot strike me!]
With those words—
Verethragna exploded into motion.
BOOM—!
The ruins behind him were obliterated as his body vanished—
Reappearing instantly before Izumi.
This was his Authority—Phoenix.
Unmatched speed and leaping power.
As he closed the distance, another chant followed.
[I am the strongest, the bearer of all victories!
Whether human or demon—before any enemy, I shatter their will!
O bull with shining golden horns—lend me your strength!]
The Bull—activated.
Power beyond comparison surged through him.
Phoenix plus Bull—
Verethragna's speed and strength reached their absolute peak.
He charged straight at Izumi.
Izumi's lips curled upward.
He stepped forward.
Raised his arm.
And swung.
CRACK—!
SPURT—!
Izumi's forearm slammed directly into Verethragna's neck—
Shattering his throat.
Golden blood sprayed violently from his mouth.
It looked less like Izumi attacked—
And more like Verethragna had smashed himself into him.
Verethragna's eyes widened in disbelief.
This human… is a monster.
Izumi lifted him effortlessly with one hand and spoke calmly.
"You lost."
Verethragna laughed.
"Kh…kh…kh…"
A broken, ghoul-like sound escaped his shattered throat.
Though he could no longer speak—
Divine words still echoed from nowhere.
[O evildoers—fear my might!
I now wield the strength of ten mountains,
the force of a hundred rivers,
the endurance of a thousand camels!
Behold—the savage mark of the Camel!]
Camel—activated.
Power surged into his legs.
Even while being held aloft, Verethragna kicked toward Izumi.
Izumi didn't even look.
He simply hurled him away.
The speed difference was absolute.
Verethragna's kick missed entirely—
His body was thrown into another building.
The camel's power struck the structure instead.
BOOM—!
The building disintegrated into dust.
Verethragna collapsed to the ground, utterly spent.
He lay there staring at the sky.
Golden blood flowed endlessly from his mouth.
His life was slipping away.
Yet—
The smile on his face was radiant.
Despite the miserable state he was in—
He was satisfied.
Because for the first time—
He had tasted defeat.
"Ha… ha… hahaha…"
"So… this is… defeat…"
As he laughed, his body began to dissolve into light.
Those fragments streamed straight toward Izumi.
Still conscious, Verethragna watched with surprise.
"I see…"
"You absorb my power… as nourishment."
"You are strong."
"I hope… we may clash again."
"Next time… I will be stronger."
"Until then…"
"Do not lose… before we meet again."
With those final words—
Verethragna vanished completely.
Reduced to pure divine energy—
And absorbed into Izumi as fuel.