"Human, forcing me to fuse eight avatars—this is truly worthy of praise; I acknowledge you as the strongest among humans."
"But… the strongest human is still only the strongest human—whereas I am the strongest among the gods!"
"I've had my fill, so… this ends here."
Verethragna brought his hands together in front of his body as divine power rapidly gathered between his palms.
Soon, a dazzling magic circle appeared, and a herd of blazing steeds formed from sunlike white radiance surged out, charging straight at Lucas.
The white solar flames completely engulfed Lucas, scorching him like a flamethrower.
Boom—!
The volcano in the distance had its peak sheared off by the blast.
Rumble—! The long-dormant volcano began to stir again, thick black smoke billowing from its crater.
[Rin: "Lucas!!"][Shinobu Kanae: "Lucas!"][Erica: "Lucas!!"][Whitebeard: "Brat!!"]
Everyone watching panicked and cried out.
A moment later, the blazing white solar flames compressed into a massive fireball, hanging in the sky like a newborn sun.
Verethragna turned his back.
"Human powerhouse—making me fuse eight avatars and unleash solar flames is an achievement worthy of pride; you may die without regret."
Suddenly, a voice sounded from within the white fireball.
"Delicious!!"
"?!"
Verethragna whirled around, eyes wide, staring at the blazing sphere.
The group chat instantly lit up with hope—Lucas's voice meant he wasn't dead.
From inside the fireball, Lucas's voice continued: "Delicious!! So delicious!!"
Then, before everyone's eyes, the white solar flames began to shrink.
Soon they saw it clearly: at the center, Lucas had his mouth wide open, devouring the solar flames, gulping them down until not a trace remained.
"?!!"
For the first time since the fight began, Verethragna completely lost composure.
[Rin: "Ehh—?! Σ(;д;lll)"][Kanae: "Ehh—?! Σ(;д;lll)"][Erica: "Ehh—?! Σ(;д;lll)"][Whitebeard: "Ehh—?! Σ(;д;lll)"]
Lucas wiped his mouth and smiled.
"Thanks for the meal."
Verethragna pointed at Lucas in disbelief.
"…You… ate my flames…"
"Yep. I ate them," Lucas finished for him.
"Ate them?! Impossible! Those were flames equal to the sun!"
[Rin: "That's a monster!! (╯°Д°)╯"][Kanae: "I knew Lucas wasn't ordinary, but swallowing flames is beyond imagination."][Erica: "That's already in the realm of divine authority."][Whitebeard: "Young man's got an appetite."]
Whitebeard's comment made the chat go awkwardly silent for a beat.
Lucas's aura surged as the power he'd swallowed rose within him.
"Since you treated me, it's only polite I return the favor—take my flames."
"Fine! Then bring it on!"
Verethragna was shocked that a mere human could do what only gods should, but his pride as a god—and as the 'strongest'—would not allow him to retreat.
Lucas drew in a deep breath; the suction whipped up a gale as the surrounding air was dragged toward him, his chest swelling as if it might burst.
"Dragon God… Roar!!"
A huge crimson-black magic circle flared before Lucas's mouth.
A violent inferno-storm erupted from his jaws, blasting straight into Verethragna's divine barrier.
Verethragna roared and poured out divine power to reinforce it, but the barrier still melted visibly under the torrent.
Verethragna's expression changed sharply.
Boom—! The flames finally broke through and struck his body.
"Aaaaargh!!" Verethragna screamed as the fire seared him relentlessly.
[Rin: "He got him!!"]
No one else spoke—everyone stared at the screen, tense and breathless.
"I am the Victor! The ever-triumphant, undefeated god! I cannot lose to a mere human!!"
"Ram!!"
The 'Ram' emblem appeared on Verethragna's body, the flames extinguished, and he restored himself completely.
[Kanae: "He can do that?!"]
Erica's voice turned heavy: "The 'Ram' is one of Verethragna's ten avatars—its power is resurrection: die once, then the body is reborn and revived."
Erica's face sank.
Verethragna had fused nine avatars now—his status and power were near their peak—while a magician's spells still consume energy.
After such an intense battle and a roar of that scale, how much power could Lucas possibly have left—one-fifth, one-tenth, or nearly empty?
[Rin: "…Isn't that cheating?!"]
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