Chapter 7

When Skarmory and Circe's Eagle clashed, it didn't take long for both sides to know who would win. That is how obvious the difference between them was.

Eagle was a divine beast made from an Authority of wind. It was fast and agile but its main prowess lied in the manipulation of wind. Each flap of its wings stirred up hurricane level wind which howled something fierce and deafening.

But for all that it looked scary, it was not as effective as it should have been. Kyosuke's eyes picked on how the dark clouds previously gathered by Circe's Cyclops were being disturbed by Eagle.

It was obvious the goddess wasn't used to summoning multiple divine beasts like this. If she was, Eagle would have merged the clouds into its winds instead of working against them like the current scene. It would have incorporated the lightning flashing there into its wind and it would have easily doubled its speed.

Since Kyosuke could spot that, the same went for Circe. Her lips pursed and she raised her free hand, intent on rectifying that blunder. Her other hand was busy healing the wound Riptide had carved into her shoulder and as expected of a goddess of magic, that wound was healing at a good pace.

But before she could work on the clouds, Skarmory and Eagle crashed into each other and the goddess' expression changed for the worse.

This world has a special type of gods which don't exist in other media - steel. It represents victory in battle, overcoming hardships and improving oneself, like the forging of a blade. Gods of steel are the most powerful in battle since that is the core their myths are based on - victory in battle, whether it is killing monsters or defeating armies.

Naturally Kyosuke had to incorporate this attribute in his arsenal. The first thing that came to his mind was that Pokemon also has the Steel type, although it is different from the gods of steel. Gods of steel are not weak to fire and actually have the advantage against gods of earth.

Since Pokemon as a franchise does not exist in the world, Kyosuke looked at the Shop at all the various Steel type Pokemon for ideas. Since he already had a frontline fighter on ground in the form of Leviathan Hound, he decided to make a shikigami similar to Skarmory for aerial dominance.

Skarmory was more like a fighter jet given the capability of close combat instead of a bird. Its wings were sharp blades that could cut through most things and its talons iron claws which could shred any prey caught. Even better was its durability and speed. That armoured body was not just for show.

It could take a lot more punishment than the other bird type divine beasts Kyosuke has encountered. The closest thing he came across were the stymphalian birds from the Greek myths. But those were weaker individually and would only be troublesome to gods and godslayers after reaching a certain numbers.

But even then a large area of effect Authority can wipe them out, so they wouldn't be a threat. At least not enough to make a big difference. So Kyosuke focused on creating a single individual unit that can fight against dragons with an advantage because for some reason the dragons in this world are all considered of earth attribute because the earliest dragons were just snakes with legs.

The wings and breathing fire part came later. Initially dragons, or drakons, were just larger, faster and more poisonous snakes who could traverse the land and underground like a worm with legs.

So when the two bird divine beasts started fighting, Skarmory came on top. It let out metallic screeches which visibly shook the air around and blew away the winds under Eagle's control. When the wind and errant lightning struck its armoured hide, it let out a 'ding' sound continuously, like bullets pinging off a steel plate uselessly.

Meanwhile its attacks cut deep in Eagle, throwing feathers about and injuring it badly. Already blood was falling from wounds which littered it as the metal bird fought like a close combat specialist.

Kyosuke just loved training his shikigami in unexpected Skills. Considering Skarmory was based on Pokemon, Skills like [Close Combat, [Aerial Ace] and [Steel Wing] were a must. The result was gratifying to see.

Kyosuke smirked and Circe's temper rose. The goddess had to support Eagle so it doesn't lose quickly. The winds around Eagle started rippling as their temperature increased quickly.

More than wind plus lightning, wind plus fire is a better and more commonly used combination. Since Circe specialised in sun and light based spells, she was channelling the same into Eagle, which was soaking it up pretty well.

While doing this, Circe had Cyclops rush Kyosuke. The clouds were being disturbed a lot, especially Skarmory was deliberately dispersing them to prevent bombardment towards Kyosuke. So Circe stopped wasting effort on them and decided to just make use of Cyclops super strength.

A bellow which shook the ground grabbed her attention. Circe looked to the other battlefield and her expression became, if possible, even more furious.

That was the battle between Leviathan Hound and Warrior. Not only did it look more visually stunning than the fighting in the air, it was more destructive as well. And all of that solely due to Leviathan Hound.

Kyosuke had given it only limited earth control, just enough to sense any hidden enemies and travel underground to sidestep any mobility issue. The rest of its stats were fully dumped in physical might and limited regeneration as long as it stays in touch with the ground.

Its claws were more suited to smashing and sweeping attacks than slashing. It was meant to tear up the battlefield and disrupt enemy tempo. Against an army, it would rush in and break their formations while sweeping away large numbers of them.

Against a single enemy, like how it was fighting currently, it was meant to be a force of nature that can only be confronted by brute force. As shown by how Warrior was mostly dodging around and only able to get a few shots in before the behemoth would close the gap, it was working.

Warrior was clearly made from a long range steel type Authority. Although it was durable just because of its attribute, it wasn't a match for something tailor made for that. But that didn't mean it was weak.

Case in point, it was able to injure Leviathan Hound deeply with just one single arrow it used. And since none of them missed, the shikigami was littered with wounds very quickly. Especially when more than one arrow would strike at the same point or bury itself deep in an open wound.

Kyosuke had to marvel at its aim. The first time it got struck, it was not a direct hit and was just clipped in its side. But even that much was enough to send it ragdolling away, carving huge trenches into the ground. Since then it has been continuously moving and creating distance from Leviathan Hound, not letting the shikigami get another hit in.

But the Leviathan Hound was enormous. It was 300 meters in height and in one stride it could cover distance which took Warrior about a dozen or so steps. So it couldn't help Circe or Eagle and was entangled away from the main battle.

Each swipe of its claws rent the earth and carved deep gullies. As its limbs stomped the ground, an earthquake would erupt and destabilize Warrior's footing. Even from this distance, Kyosuke could feel the tremors and the wind whipped up as his current greatest masterpiece rampaged freely on the battlefield. It was truly a juggernaut which would be a threat to any Campione and Heretic God.

So naturally for Circe, her emotions were a direct opposite of Kyosuke's. Her teeth were gritted and her hands flexed into fists, divine power coiling around her and turning her vicinity into a sun. What really infuriated her was the regeneration the shikigami was showing. In one glance she could tell that its regeneration would only activate when it was in contact with earth. Or soil or some similar variant.

Coincidentally, this plain was very similar a variant, so the condition was fulfilled. Circe looked at Kyosuke with murderous eyes and finished healing her wound. She looked at the shikigami he had which were matching Authorities turned into divine beasts and then at the legendary blade he was holding.

The last made her limbs feel phantom pain. In her fight with Alexander Gascoigne, she had lost all her limbs and had to replace them with prosthetics. If she hadn't reacted quickly and with all her might back in the palace, she would have lost one limb again by now.

But no more. She was a goddess. How can she lose to a mortal? And that too like this? Defeated in direct combat, her magic countered at every turn by other spells and a legendary weapon? Her divine beasts defeated with some shikigami?

How ridiculous was that?!

"You have truly and utterly infuriated me, mortal." If she could, she would have turned Kyosuke into ashes from her gaze.

Actually, if it were some ordinary mages, then she really could have turned them to ashes like that. But since this was Kyosuke, she did not attempt so. Instead, she chanted and used her Authority again.

Kyosuke looked up in interest as Eagle suddenly burst in flames. Those flames mixed in with its wind and turned it into eagle shaped flames. The temperature increased across the plains they were in, several dozen miles more than just this area where the battle was occurring.

Kyosuke could feel the scorching heat emanating from Eagle- no, it was Firebird now. He could feel the immense heat it radiated just by existing, which became worse when it flapped its wings. It was way more intense than what he felt inside the palace when he confronted Circe with his spells.

When Skarmory struck Firebird for the first time, it was engulfed in fire. Kyosuke whistled, impressed. The outer armour was actually heating up to a point it seemed about ready to melt off Skarmory.

And just like that the situation reversed. Now Kyosuke was losing one battle and he didn't really have any combo he could do like Circe's.

A surge of divine power made him look back at Circe. She was still chanting and it seemed like she was about to bring out her last divine beast.

'Looks like the battle is reaching the final stage.' Kyosuke looked in his Inventory for more catalysts to use. 'I should give a good performance as well. It won't do for anyone to think I am careless or carefree when fighting.'

Due to the existense of the Akashic Records, or as they are more commonly called in this world as the Memories of the Void, there is no way for this fight to remain hidden. Kyosuke will not brag about it, but people can still find out despite this area being very deep in the Netherworld.

But that was acceptable. It will make whoever finds out wary of him and they can slowly spread word about him being the new Campione. Even if they don't and keep it to themselves, its fine. Maybe they will come to him for cooperation or something? He wouldn't mind starting some work after a few years.

It would be good to break the monotonity of everyday life.

The catalyst Kyosuke chose was also an orb. Just like the previous two, it was also made from knowledge bought from the Shop and which were far superior to what the mages of this world know.

It was a pure white orb and looked like a piece of snow. It also emanated a ton of divine power which caught Circe's attention. She continued her chant and locked eyes with Kyosuke who was pumping the catalyst full of magic power.

One looked a curious mix of enraged and serious while the other was an errie calm. The roles were all wrong with the goddess sporting the former expressions and the human being the calm one.

They were done at the same moment and two more divine beasts appeared on the battlefield.

An enormous sea serpent appeared on Circe's side and coiled around her protectively. It was a dark green color bordering on black with a length of more than a hundred meters and width of several meters. It looked like it could gobble up a truck in one gulp easily.

That or a small house.

On Kyosuke's side a polar bear appeared. It was three meters tall on four legs and was sleeker than a real bear. It looked more agile. Each breath it took was visible due to the temperature dropping simultaneously. Frost slowly spread on the ground without it even doing anything and just standing there.

Kyosuke hefted Riptide and gave a quick glance to the fights happening.

Skarmory was losing and would no doubt be destroyed soon. But Leviathan Hound was winning handily, so the numbers would even out there.

"You are the most exceptional mage I have seen." Kyosuke tilted his head at the sudden praise. It was strange Circe was suddenly complimenting him when she clearly wanted to turn him to ashes. "But that is all you are. A mage."

And as expected she had to praise herself.

"For the humiliation I have suffered, for destroying my palace and not showing any respect to this goddess, you are sentenced to death."

Kyosuke scoffed at the arrogant tone she had. "That depends on someone being capable of carrying out the sentence." Then a battle hungry smile spread across his face and Bearic beside him let out a powerful roar. "If no one can kill me, then it would not be a sentence but a joke."

Deciding that was enough banter since he wasn't used to any, he charged. Beartic followed beside him, staying level and not going ahead or falling behind.

With a wave of hand from her, Cyclops and Serpent also charged ahead. Circe turned her attention up and away from Kyosuke. She was going to first destroy one of those shikigami while her divine beasts keep Kyosuke busy.

Circe assumed that Kyosuke would not be able to win against a divine beast quickly. How wrong she was.

Kyosuke neared the divine beasts rushing him and could see all details clearly. The ground beneath Cyclops shook with each step, an imprint forming as it prepared to use all of its strength. Serpant slithered a bit behind, but that's not to say it was slow or anything.

Its maw was open, showing sharp fangs which would easily divide a human into pieces which would then be swallowed by it.

When they were in reach, Beartic pounced on Cyclops. The ground beneath its feet cratered and spiderweb cracks spread, a shockwave forming from its launch.

Cyclops brought up its arms to punch it and Beartic returned in kind. The result was Beartic losing out on strength by a considerable margin and being embedded in the ground. Another crater formed and the ground shook again.

Kyosuke did not bother to slow and continued rushing ahead, ignoring Cyclops. The divine beast moved to attack him and take advantage of this sudden overconfidence when it stumbled.

A white arm had grabbed on its leg. Its lone eye traced it to the crater where it had just slammed its enemy into. Beartic let out a low growl and Cyclops staggered as its leg almost froze completely.

Beartic lost to Cyclops in physical might and would also lose in durability. But it could use its elemental powers without needing to set up. Ice spikes suddenly formed in midair and pelted Cyclops from behind, drawing out a pained roar from it.

Kyosuke sprinted past them as the two shikigami started exchanging blows. Beartic had jumped out of the crater and was now punching Cyclops. It could fight well on two legs because of being more sleek and thinner than regular bears.

Each blow it received from Cyclops staggered it back and it growled in pain and anger. While each of its blows which landed resulted in ice forming on Cyclops, hindering its movements and slowing it down.

The two did not dodge or fight with any technique. It was a contest of brute strength and exchanging blows. Since Beartic could stack [Freeze] effect courtesy of being created by Kyosuke, it would be the final winner. So Kyosuke wasn't worried about it and focused on the enemy in front.

Serpant was coming for him with an open mouth and sparks flying across its length. This divine beast could control lightning but there was one condition - it could not launch it. It could only cover itself in it and fight physically.

Although that was not exactly a problem since it had immense bulk, was agile enough to dodge around most enemies and also had its poison, if the light sheen of green Kyosuke could see on its fangs were not just decorative.

Plus there was the factor of such a large snake being intimidating enough on its own without any external factors.

Kyosuke shut out everything else and focused only on the target before him. Circe would regret letting Serpent close in on him. Just because he hadn't shown any great close combat moves doesn't mean he lacks them.

Since he has a weapon, it would be a real shame if he lacks an awesome Skill to use with it. And just like Domain Expansion, it should be something never before seen.

After all, he knows touki as well. It is thephysical skill anyone can learn, so it would be a real pity to not make use of it for some ace.

Very quickly the distance between them closed up. Kyosuke activated [Thought Acceleration] and could see each scale on Serpants face. He could see the fangs dripping with poison and count each spark of lightning with ease.

Everything moved in slow motion from his perspective. Except him. He pushed [Reinforcement] to his current limits so he could move as fast as his body could handle. He even used touki and used it to make him more durable to handle this next move and raised Riptide.

[Nine Lives]

It might be because she sensed the way Kyosuke's magic power usage had increased severalfold in an instant and he was protecting himself with touki. Or it might be because of a goddess' intuition telling her something important, something never seen before was about to occur. But whatever the reason, Circe divided some of her attention from the fight in the sky she was about to win and looked at Kyosuke.

One…two…three…four…five…six…seven…eight…nine.

Nine consecutive slashes were made, the interval between each so small it might as well have happened simultaneously for even a god.

Then Circe's eyes narrowed to pinpricks as Serpent was divided into a dozen pieces. The divine beast couldn't even react before Kyosuke crossed it and it fell apart. The pieces hung in the air for a moment before they turned into motes of light. These were dispersed in an instant due to the harsh wind blowing around courtesy of the aerial battle above.

Circe forgot about everything else for that moment. When Firebird won and destroyed Skarmory, it did not matter. When Leviathan Hound finally managed to catch Warrior, smashed it into the ground and stomped it out of existence, it did not matter.

Even the sound of Cyclops' roars dimming until they could no longer be heard, because of it becoming a scary popsicle, did not matter. Nor the fact Firebird had landed beside her and was watching the injured Beartic join Kyosuke and a slowly healing Leviathan Hound lumber towards its creator Kyosuke.

Beartic looked like would lose to Firebird, which although not as energetic as earlier, still looked raring to go. But Leviathan Hound was regenerating, albeit slower than before. There were two wounds which went very deep and were seeped in steel type divinity, fighting and slowing the recovery process.

No, what mattered to Circe, the only thing that mattered was Kyosuke's last attack.

"What was that?" Kyosuke did not answer, busy as he was steadying his breath and cooling down from the previous rush. Riptide was pointed down and his stance was loose.

[Nine Lives] is as amazing as it is difficult to perform.

It is, after all, the pinnacle technique of Heracles from Type Moon franchise. Not even Kyosuke can completely master it while juggling multiple other main priorities simultaneously. For now he can only perform it with the help of [Thought Acceleration] and [Reinforcement].

These Skills allow him to keep up a speed which makes it seem like all nine strikes land at once and not allow the enemy time to react. He also lacks the main attribute of immortal slaying which makes it such a fearsome Noble Phantasm, but that is not really needed by him.

But still, even the current version he can perform is very fearsome. As evidenced by Circe looking at him in shock and a little bit of fear, though it vanished very quickly and lasted for only a moment. Anyone else except Kyosuke would have missed it.

"That was not magic!" Circe pointed a finger at him in anger. "What are you?! No mortal can do that! But you don't have any divinity so you aren't a demigod. It is impossible for a mortal to kill a divine beast like that!"

For a moment she had thought a god of steel was there instead of Kyosuke. The fear appeared because of that and now Circe was angry. If the object of her astonishment knew this, he would be pleased at the high praise.

As it is he only raised a single eyebrow. "I am Kyosuke Sachi. I am going to become a Campione now. As for a mortal not being able to do what I just did?"

He shrugged and sent her a look which said 'Are you serious?' and hefted Riptide up again, pointing it at her. "I think all Campione prove what is and is not possible for mortals. They all kill a god while being mortal after all, so I don't know what else can convince you about their potential."

Different emotions cycled across Circe's face. There was shock, surprise, anger, comtemplation, realization and more. Kyosuke was kind of surprised at such a reaction. He thought she would move on from the surprise like she did about his shikigami, but guess he was wrong this time.

He underestimated how shocking this was.

'Ah well. Nothing to do about it, I guess.'

Leviathan Hound had healed halfway to full heath by now. Kyosuke used some Skills to speed up its recovery and also started healing Beartic.

Circe did not respond to his declaration verbally. She took him by surprise when she jumped on Firebird's back and took off to the sky. She wasn't running away, obviously. No god would run away when faced with a mortal.

Some might do when about to lose against a Campione and decide it was better to retreat and try again after healing up. But it would never happen against a mortal. Gods have more pride than that, otherwise there wouldn't be any Campione in history.

Circe started bombarding him with lasers. She wasn't going to just allow him to heal up his shikigami. She was prideful, not stupid.

Well, not completely anyway. It would take a lot of time for her divine beasts to be usable again. If she can drag the fight till then, that is good. Although she felt it was unlikely for him to have reserves which can sustain such high intensity combat for long.

The best outcome in her eyes is obviously killing Kyosuke. She doesn't believe that he can survive even a single direct hit from her. Till now he had been careful to not get hit and any attacks reaching him were cut through by Riptide, so Circe's deduction made sense.

As for the chance he might have a catalyst to cast a shield strong enough to defend against such blows continuously? Circe thought there was a very low chance of that being true. Low as in impossible.

It would be ridiculous if Kyosuke not only had an endless amount of catalysts of a divine quality but also knew how to use them for different purposes. Circe can stomach him making divine beasts. Maybe he is just that exceptional in that area of magic?

But if he can do other magics on par with shikigami creation, then Circe will know for sure something was fundamentally wrong. If it were so easy to match the gods blow for blow just by using divine materials, then why would those factions which have existed for many centuries and even more than a millennia cower before Heretic Gods and Campione?

If power boiled down who has more resources, then the vaults of the oldest factions would ensure they would dominate the world. So Circe did not even think something like that world happen with Kyosuke.

And it wouldn't happen. Kyosuke wouldn't attract so much suspicion on himself. What he has shown till now is already pushing it to the realms of impossible. He doesn't need the world to be convinced that he has some big secret.

Lastly, deep in Circe's mind, a thought which she did not acknowledge lingered. In the worst case, if killing him was not possible, then she can at least drive him away. It would also be an outcome she can stomach after some self encouragement.

Didn't the Fourth Campione also run away when he couldn't kill her? That cowardly thief was a complete opposite of Kyosuke. He couldn't even face her head on for more than a few moments. He even started the fight with a sneak attack. It was like the pride of a Campione was absent from him.

Unlike Kyosuke who did not skulk around and faced her directly. Circe's mind stabilized when she made this comparison and focused on the fight fully.

The result was the sky being covered with orbs of light looking like mini suns. They were so densely packed and filled the sky that it wouldn't be wrong to say that an army of mages was preparing them.

Kyosuke looked at the attacks unperturbed. Individually they were weak when compared to her attacks inside the palace. But the sheer quantity had a quality of its own since they were all cast by her. Even an individual laser was enough to erase a Great Knight easily.

"Cover us."

Kyosuke started preparing a spell after giving the order. Beartic slammed its hands on the ground and ice erupted. The scale was on a different level than anything shown by Kyosuke's side in this conflict till now.

Ice continued to form around and rose. Beartic slowly lost its shine, growing paler and paler by each moment rapidly. A veritable glacier had formed around them by now, cocooning them inside it.

Not a small feat considering that the target of protection was not limited to Kyosuke but Leviathan Hound as well. The behemoth had moved to cover Kyosuke got in a crouched position, ready to burst out if needed.

After the glacier reached a certain scale and quality, Beartic started falling apart. Its limbs were the first to go, followed by the torso and head together. A small white orb floated into Kyosuke's outstretched hand and put away in his Inventory.

It was a dull color now, a murky white. But since the core was safe, it could be brought back to a usable state with less resources than needed to create a whole new core, as is the case with Skarmory.

The attacks started falling before the defense could be erected fully, but Kyosuke ignored them. And as he had calculated, the bulk of the glacier was enough to survive them without breaking. Even if it breaks, there is another sturdy wall present.

He stabbed Riptide in the ground before him and started on preparing his next spell. He held his hands forward, open and facing each other. Magic circles lit up the space around him. The symbols on them were densely packed to a ridiculous degree.

Magic circles also appeared on his hands, overlapping with them. It seemed like his hands were the core for them, which was true. Then, as always, he started pumping an absurd amount of magic power. Slowly a black dot was visible, hovering in the center of the space enclosed by the magic circles.

But Circe did not sense the spell forming. There was the glacier and the shikigami in between, so the magic circles were enough to suppress its aura. Although if she could see it, it would be obvious this was a big one. But since that was not the case, Kyosuke was free to prepare it.

As free as he can be, hiding behind crumbling defenses while being attacked by a goddess.

In the air, Circe was also preparing a finished of her own. Firebird was shrinking in size, its power getting compressed. Then Circe changed the lasers aim and started cutting away at the ice below methodically. Huge chunks fell away as she showed why she was a goddess of magic.

If it were a Paladin, they would be completely helpless. But Circe cut through it pretty fast, her spells combining and splitting to form a web that cleaved through it.

Her lips curled in a cold smile when the ice fell away. When the shikigami came in view, she put that last bit of divine power required and doubled the amount of mini suns hovering. With a flick they were all sent down themselves, becoming bullets instead of the turrets they previously were.

Then Leviathan Hound shifted and Circe saw the spell Kyosuke had prepared. She sent Firebird, now the size of a regular eagle, down immediately. There was no hesitation whatsoever in her actions.

Kyosuke spread his hands outwards and swept his arms apart, making a motion similar to stretching something to the limits. The black dot expanded like ink on white paper and grew.

In a blink of an eye it expanded and stretched acros the whole area covered by Circe's attacks. The beams of light struck and nothing happened. It was like something had been thrown into an abyss. There was no reaction.

Then Firebird came down and the blackness was swept away. It was greeted by Leviathan Hound leaping into the air, its mouth wide open like a whale. It swallowed Firebird whole without trouble.

Inside its stomach, Firebird glowed and its flames expanded. Outwardly, the shikigami started glowing, like earth heating up just before magma shoots out of that spot. The stone statues on its head let out hissing sounds as it happened, their shapes deforming rapidly.

And as described, the shikigami exploded after one last reverbating sound which struck deep in the bones. Superheated chunks of stone like material were sent flying all over like missiles.

One particularly bright missile streaked for Kyosuke. It was Firebird whose power had considerable lessened. That last move took a lot out of it and it was visible.

While his last shikigami was exploding, Kyosuke had picked up Riptide and brought it out of the ground. He then got into a stance different from every other he had used till now. Lightning started racing along his arm and into the sword, letting out small cackles and pops.

The moment Firebird exploded and came out, Kyosuke took aim and threw his sword. It was accompanied by a sharp crack!of electricity which would have made anyone snap at attention.

[Railgun] was a lesser used Skill of his. Its power depended on the Skill's own level and the quality of the projectile used. Since Kyosuke used a legendary weapon that had enchantments specifically made to counter Firebird, the divine beast stood no chance.

The sword tore through it instantly and without pause. It cut a blow line straight from Kyosuke's position to Circe's.

The goddess on the receiving end of yet another unexpected attack threw up a shield in time. Unfortunately for her when the weapon struck, it broke it and embedded itself into her stomach, coming out of her back.

"Impossible!" She coughed out blood and looked at the hilt sticking out in a daze. Her eyes widened as she recalled what had happened the last time she was stabbed and reached for the hilt.

If Kyosuke got the chance to use [Telekinesis, he would be able to bisect her. Circe could feel the sword damaging her as it continued to resist her healing attempts. The moment her fingers touched it, however, her expression became a cross of confusion, alarm, understanding and bitterness.

Then the delayed [Mana Burst] added to the hilt activated. It blew up inside Circe and tore through her back, shredding what would have been the heart, spine and lungs on a human. Her torse was obliterated and the weapon dislodged due to the extensive damage, the hole being large enough it slipped through and towards the ground.

Circe followed suit and both landed on the ground with a thud, kicking up dust and dirt. The dirt was displaced when the sword flew through it and into Kyosuke's outstretched right hand. He caught Riptide and slowly made his way towards the defeated goddess.

He could already see her through the dust. Her condition was immediately fatal and already flakes of divinity were breaking off her. With her form suffering irreparable damage, it wouldn't be long before she will return back to her myth in the Domain of Immortality.

Hearing his footsteps, she coughed some more and tilted her head in the direction they came from. Seeing him from this close, with her mind being empty of the previous anger and disdain, she could see just how young he was.

It also drove home the contrast between them. Here she was, lying on the ground and dying with her upper body nothing but motes of divine power. While Kyosuke did not look injured in the slightest.

Only now did Circe realize she hadn't landed a single hit on him. The only indication he had been in a fight were his ruffled and dirt soaked clothes, nothing he cannot sort in a few minutes.

He definitely looked ready to go another round.

"Human…" She said weakly. Kyosuke did not strike her down because he could not sense any hostility. Since he was already the winner, hearing her out was not a problem for him.

After all, Circe was not exactly dying in a final sense. If he mocks her or says something that offends her to her core, he will make an enemy who will relentless come after him as much as she can.

He has read about Campione who made such enemies with a god that the god in question would bless others and help them as much as possible to bring the Campione in question down. And if the god could muster up the will, they would descend as soon as possible to confront the godslayer.

Most gods put the ones who kill them out of mind after returning to their myths. Why someone would deliberately make an enemy out of them when they can resurrect and come down again is beyond Kyosuke.

So Kyosuke listened silently as Circe spoke.

"Who…are you?"

"I am Kyosuke Sachi. The strongest non-divine being in history." By now Circe was almost motes of light, so he kept his introduction short and to the point.

"I see." She muttered and her form collapsed completely. Only her last words remained, lingering long enough for Kyosuke to hear them. "Then…become the strongest…divine being…now."

And so Kyosuke finally killed a Heretic Goddess at the age of 15. He even did it exactly he had planned out, without taking any injuries and showing enough power and trump cards that anyone coming across the record of this fight will know not to mess with him.

On cue, he head the system notifications as well.

Ding!The Ritual of Usurpation has begun! You are being transported to a special area - Domain of Immortality. Please select carefully which Divine Skill you want to obtain from Goddess Circe.

With that notification, he felt lightheaded and slowly lost consciousness.

When he came to, he saw he was in a place covered in fog. He was standing- no, floating in the air a few inches above the ground. Or at least, Kyosuke thought it was the ground.

He couldn't be sure because it was covered in white fog which condensed to cover it completely. He was also restricted in what he could do, but at least he could tilt his head and move his eyes.

Campione do not remember their first meeting with Pandora, but who cares about it? He is not going to be an ordinary Campione anyway, so trying to fit a mold is meaningless.

Also, he still lacks a Skill related to acting, so he won't fool anyone even if he tries.

"Incredible! Absolutely incredible!"

Sitting beside and looking down on him was a teenage girl who looked about 13 years or so. She was the one who had just praised him and looking at her, Kyosuke could see she was genuinely happy.

She had pink hair done in twintails and green eyes which looked out of place on a face so young. It is said that eyes are the window to a soul, so seeing someone's eyes can tell you a lot about them.

Pandora's eyes reminded Kyosuke a little bit of when he used to look in the mirror in his early teen years. A young face with a look that said that age is not a requirement for experience.

Or wisdom if he wants to praise himself some more.

This was Pandora, the All Giving Woman and the adoptive mother of Campione. She was the reason why humans could rise to match gods consistently and stay above the rest of the supernatural races.

She was the reason Earth was not dominated by non-humans. She was the reason why tyrants like Campione existed, being the necessary evil in most cases for humanity's betterment.

The woman who opened the box which unleashed all the disasters of the world and a ray of hope.

"To think my newest child would be so amazing! You defeated a goddess of magic using magic!" She clapped her hands together and buzzed with energy, her actions matching her appearance even if her words were not.

"It was the first time I have seen such shikigami. You must be the most exceptional when it comes to creating them. The way you brought out the full potential of divine materials was a first in all my life. Well done, well done indeed. And that sword technique you used? It felt like a god of steel had somehow replaced you for that moment. That is how impressive it was."

She patted his head with a smile, looking like a proud parent. Her voice was cheerful and happy, with a small amount of awe when she referred to [Nine Lives].

"Thank you." Kyosuke managed to speak when she finally fell silent.

The reaction he got was unexpected. Pandora's hand froze in midair, her expression mirroring her arm. Her head tilted mechanically towards him and when she saw him awake and looking back, she blinked.

Then she blinked again, and again, and again.

"You are awake!"

With that shout, she grabbed his shoulders and effortlessly brought him up. Kyosuke felt like his limbs were lead and all his strength had been removed when he tried to see if he could move. He failed and only succeeded in keeping his head steady as Pandora started swinging him excitedly.

"Oh will the surprises never end today?! But this is the most pleasant of them all! You are awake Kyosuke." She brought him close and looked at him with shinning eyes.

Kyosuke tilted his head backwards to make some space. "I am awake alright. Can you make some space though? I can't move and it feels weird only being able to move my head."

"Oh! Of course, of course!" She hurriedly agreed and laid him down. This time she started running her hands through his hair and kept beaming down at him like a child finding their birthday and christmas were all on the same day.

"Is this fine?"

"Yes its fine." He said with some doubt creeping in. Why was it such a big deal that he was awake? From what he knows, even if other Campione aren't lucid the first time the ritual occurs, they should be aware after repeatedly coming here, right?

Pandora picked up on his silent question and chuckled. "I can see the question written on your face. To answer it, yes, you are the first of my children who is awake during your ascension."

She looked at him closely and hummed. Her head tilted and her eyes squinted, like she was searching for what made him different from the rest. "Ah. So that's why." She made a noise of understanding as her eyes scanned him from head to toe.

Then she looked at him with pride again. There was some excitement too. Kyosuke kept [Observe] and other danger detecting Skills active, but fortunately there was nothing that might turn out negatively for him.

"Not only are you an exceptional mage, the type that come once in millenia, but you are also a sage. This means you are very aware of your psyche and you must have a lot of control over it, which is really surprising. Humans aren't able to do that. It makes sense why you are aware despite coming to my domain for the first time."

"Psyche huh." Kyosuke muttered curiously.

"Yes." She raised one finger like a parent explaining something new to their child. "It is what makes you, you. I think it is rather well known among the supernatural these days, not at all like how it was just a few centuries ago. Do you know that?"

She grew silent when he gained a thoughtful look. To be honest, Kyosuke doesn't care about philosophy. In his opinion, those who can invest time in somethnig like that are those whose life is most likely smooth sailing. If not, then they don't have any major troubles and have enough free time to devote it to things which are not immediately related to their life.

But for this question he already has an answer. It is a rather well known fact among the supernatural.

"What makes me, me." He muttered and recalled what other people have to say about that.

Normally people might say their mind, conscious and unconscious combined, makes them who they are. Very few might argue that their bodies also play a part. Different people have different needs and instincts depending on their health and any external stimuli. So they would react differently to the same situation.

Those who believe in religion will say the soul is who you are since it is what will move on to the afterlife or reincarnation cycle.

But those aware of magic will say that the soul is only the most important factor, and not the sole reason.

Magic power, or the respective energies of the other races, all initially depend on their soul and body. A talented body will have more capacity for magic power and a less talented will have less capacity. If you are a Spirit Inheritor, then your soul will be stronger than norm and you will have more magic power.

A Spirit Inheritor is someone who has inherited the power of a famous ancestor of theirs, like King Arthur, Hercules or such. Although the famous person in question is dead and there is a god based on them, it doesn't mean that this person's only legacy is the god.

They might have descendents and who might inherit their powers. This is a concept from DxD. Usually Heretic Gods avoid Spirit Inheritors of the same name since they technically originate from the same source.

Now, magic power can be increased by much effort. It basically depends on talent and potential. But it is growth, then it also depends on external factors like their experiences.

And magic power can affect the soul, mind and body further. As an example, a malevolent spirit will be weak to purification spells when a regular human would not. But if this human is possessed by that spirit, then the resulting entity will have a weakness to purification spells albeit diminished.

So soul, mind and body are all connected. They influence each other with magic power as the medium and change according to the experiences of the person in question as they live. Kyosuke personally knows this quite well, considering how similar he is to his previous life, both in appearance and mindset.

He is not a carbon copy because his experiences have changed the old him according to the new circumstances.

So psyche refers to the person as a whole rather than one specific component that makes them up.

"I know. A combination of my soul, mind, body and all the experiences I have gained over my life."

"That's right." Pandora clapped her hands. "So when my children come to my domain, initially they cannot comprehend this place."

She gestured to the fog all around and Kyosuke recalled the notification that said he was in a special area. Since Pandora is a true god and not a Heretic, this means she is in her home.

"We are in the myths." He said, startled. "Your myths, right?"

"Correct. A human's existence is far from that of a spirit, let alone us gods who are the pinnacle of said spirits. So adapting to the unique way of existing in the Domain of Immortality takes time." A pout formed on her lips and she put her hands on her waist. She looked really annoyed and frustrated. "The first time my children arrive, they are incoherent and can only listen to me speak. They are capable of conversation as they visit more, but then they forget more than they remember after leaving."

'[Abnormal Status Resistance].' Kyosuke guess the reason at once. Delirious and Unconscious are also considered abnormal states, so the Skill resists them. That is why Kyosuke is lucid like this.

Then there is [Gamer's Body]. Because of that he is already adapting to this special kind of existence, just like how he slowly adapted to survive longer periods of time on a decreasing amount of outside sustenance like food and water.

"So you can see how amazing you are." She sent a smile his way and praised him genuinely. Then she muttered to herself in a hopeful tone. "Maybe some more of my children can also be like this? The number of Campione has been increasing more and more as times change."

Kyosuke did not burst her bubble. No one else will be like him, so her hopes are not going to be realized.

"I see."

"But look at me." She suddenly slapped her forehead with a hand. "Instead of wasting time, we should talk about happier things!"

And with that Pandora started chattering, reminding him of those aunties who can spend hours and hours on phone and not run out of stuff to talk about. Kyosuke always marvelled at that considering he himself cannot hold a conversation for more than 10 minutes.

He did not interrupt Pandora and just let her speak. He occasionally hummed and responded with a few words. But apart from that he did not talk much about mundane things. He did ask a few questions in between and Pandora answered them without hiding anything.

It really cleared a lot of things for him. Like how the Circle of Usurpation, the item responsible for the Ritual of Usurpation, is one of her Authorities. But on its lonesome it is not enough to do the ritual. The Circle can only gift an Authority to a mortal from a god who willingly gives it and it won't even transform the human's physique.

The Ritual, on the other hand, is 'a ritual that stands in a league of its own when compared to other rituals and no one, mortal and god, can create something to match it'. These were Pandora's words.

Kyosuke did not sense any arrogance and felt like Pandora was stating a fact rather than boasting.

He also found that it is completely up to her if she wants to give an Authority to a Campione. Naturally Kyosuke asked about what happens if a Campione kills another Campione? Since she considers them all her children, how does she reacts?

The answer surprised him but after a second thought it made sense.

Pandora is not human. Her morals and common sense is different from humans. So if Campione fight and kill each other, she does not interferes since in her own words 'it will make her a partial parent when she loves all her children equally'.

That put one of Kyosuke's worries at rest. He wasn't going to hold back if other Campione became his enemies. But now he can rest easy. It would have been a real pain if Pandora would become his enemy.

He knows that many Campione in history have killed other Campione, but it is better to get a confirmation.

Kyosuke didn't know how much time had passed when he was prompted to choose one Divine Skill from Circe. He naturally chose Hero Confinement. It was the only reason he had chosen her after all.

The moment he selected it, Pandora jolted up and looked around. "Oh dear. Seems like I got carried away."

Kyosuke could feel himself fading from this place already. He felt a tug on himself and instinctively knew the other end was his body.

"Remember to visit often!" Pandora's voice was lowering in volume and seemed like she was speaking from far away instead of beside him. Her features also grew fuzzy and started blurring into the fog around. "Now go and live as you desire! No need to worry about a thing for you are the newest godslaying king, a Supreme Ruler, a Campione! And be sure to get along with your older siblings! I get that all of you are headstrong, but you must try to get along. There are plenty of other opponents you can seek instead."

The last part was delivered in an admonishing tone. In the background, Kyosuke could hear faint shouts of outrage and anger. Before blacking out, he realized with a start that those must be the other gods.

Obviously. Since this place is in the myths, other gods would be present in their true form in their own myths. It's just that they cannot enter another god's domain without permission, so they can only helpless rage at the act of blasphemy occurring - something which has happened every time a Campione is born.

Pandora ignored them since she was used to them while Kyosuke wasn't bothered. A bunch of gods who cannot face him at their full power will never be a threat. They cannot even ally together in sufficient numbers, so any who dare to descend for him will die fruitlessly.

Then as suddenly as he was dragged there, Kyosuke was back to the Netherworld. He was lying on the ground on his back and the first thing he felt was the raw powercoursing through him.

He sat up straight and on cue the notifications sounded and became visible before his eyes.

Ding!The Ritual of Usurpation has been completed successfully. You chose the following Authority from Circe - [Hero Confinement].

Changing the Skill to better suit you. Taking in consideration your existing Skills…Collating all rewards…

Ding!You have received a new Divine Skill - [Insight]. You have gained a new Stat - Divinity. You have received a new Title - [Godslayer]. Your Race has changed from Human to Divine Human.

Kyosuke read the notification and blinked. It more than he expected, mostly the last part.

But still. "Awesome."

He sprang up to his feet and just that movement felt different from before. He clenched his right fist and channelled magic power there. Even without looking at the Status he could tell that his power had increased by a ton.

It was a qualitative improvement. When he made a slashing motion, the attack which came out carved a huge trench kilometers long effortlessly. Not only was the power greater than earlier, but he could feel his magic power flowing more smoothly.

He looked at the result of his small test some more before deciding to leave. Further and more in-depth tests will be conducted in the Dungeons, away from any prying eyes.

'But before leaving, there is one last thing to do.'

He took out another orb from his Inventory and threw it into the ground. Its leaking divine power slowly decreased in intensity until the orb could not be differentiated from any random stone on the ground.

It fit perfectly with the destroyed and ruined landscape, with the earth all torn up and deep groves carved here and there. A few places were charred black and some were wet from the melted ice. This plain is more sturdy. If this were Earth, then there would be patches of frozen ground and glassed soil from the attacks thrown previously.

He gave one last look to his catalyst which had blended in perfectly and was ready to leave.

'And that concludes my business here.'

A magic circle enveloped him and he disappeared with a flash of blue light. The plain fell silent, only the devastating aftermath left behind providing evidence for the major event which had occurred in this place, deep in the Netherworld and away from most factions area of surveillance.

Unless someone comes here specifically for the now dead Heretic Goddess, they wouldn't think a goddess had fought here. Most people will attribute the damage around and the lingering divinity to strong divine beasts.

They wouldn't exactly be wrong either considering particularly strong divine beasts wereinvolved and the main culprits behind most of the damage.

xxx

A few days after Kyosuke had become the newest Campione, a small squirrel arrived in the plain. The soil at one point shook a bit and then parted. The squirrel jumped out and started looking around and sniffing the air.

It first looked at the destroyed palace in the distance and was stuck staring, like it couldn't believe what it was seeing. It then scurried towards it and started running across the destroyed sections. It moved through the small gaps in the ruins and methodically went through it all, lingering for longer moments on the areas which had deformed.

These looked like they had melted under extreme heat and then solidified. Then it turned away started traversing the battlefield, stopping at the burnt and wet parts. It slowed down when it arrived at one of the larger gashes carved by Leviathan Hound. It peered down and then back to some more specific spots, looking as if it understood that different beings were responsible for different types of damage.

After circling around the area affected, which was about several dozen kilometers, it returned back to the hole it had come from. It then jumped in and disappeared, and the place returned back to its lifeless and silent state.

A few days after the squirrel had appeared, a magic circle lit up over that hole in the ground. It was large than the one Kyosuke uses and the reason became apparent when the people responsible appeared.

It was a large group of eight people. All were dressed smartly in suit and pants of varying shades of black or dark blue. Six of them were stone faced and surrounded the remaining two in the middle like bodyguards. They moved in sync and were on alert for danger, scanning the place using various spells while not moving an inch from their position.

The two in the middle were also using spells to survey the area. One of them was an older middle aged man with black hair and red eyes. If Kyosuke could see him, he would be able to spot the similarities he had to a certain fire wielding clan leader. This was Hanezu Himejima, an outcast of the Himejima Clan.

Standing beside him was Kazuhisa Douman, an outcast of the Douman Clan. Unlike his companion, the young man was not calm at all as he sent various clay dolls floating into the air. But despite looking angry, he kept his mouth shut and investigated the area from high up using those shikigami.

These were members of Utsusemi Agency. That group which was hoping to use Circe to destroy the Guardian Clans. The same group who was in contact with Director Ayanokouji in secret before his death and the fiasco with the Institute.

This was the same group whose latest scheme went up in flames the moment Kyosuke killed Circe.

The group silently did their investigation. After a full hour of this, after they had collated all their findings with each other, Kazuhisa could not stay silent any further.

"Dammit!" He kicked a rock fiercely and it went flying like a shot from a revolver. The sound of the launch and the subsequent impact which threw up dirt did not faze any of the others one bit.

"What bullshit is this?! Someone killed Circe just when she was healed completely and we were so close to our goal! And the guy responsible is the new Campione! Where the hell did this Seventh pop out from anyway?! It was never said that guy was this strong!"

Hanezu let him rant and rave to his heart's content. He himself was equally upset, but being the leader he did not vent like Kazuhisa. Instead he would throw himself into the next plan with much more fervor. He has found that it works best when it comes to handling his emotions whenever the Guardian Clans are involved.

Besides, this is very big news, what happened here. A new Campione will change the world and shift the power balance among all the factions drastically. So Hanezu is curious why there hasn't been any such news.

Logically by now Kyosuke should have brought the Committee under his control and become the king of Japan. Because if there is one thing that can be predicted about the godslayers, despite them not following common sense like the rest of the world, it is that none of them can stay still and quiet.

They have a need to show off how powerful they are. It can be overt like smashing down the doors of the ruling mage association of a country and declaring themselves king like Voban and Luo Hao. Or they can continue on and do as they please, disregarding all consequences of their actions whether beneign or malignant like Madam Aisha, John Pluto Smith and Salvatore Doni.

But regardless, they do not stay quiet and away from the spotlight. They never blend into the background like how Kyosuke was currently, so this made Hanezu intrigued and apprehensive.

He knew about Kyosuke because they had managed to catch a glimpse of the last parts of the battle. With a face and knowing the target is Japanese, they were able to quickly find out Kyosuke's name and well documented history.

Although the Committee had suppressed the news about him expertly to not lose face that someone that strong in their country is not aligned with them, as long as one investigates enough they can get the full picture easily. The fact the Utsusemi Agency has insiders only makes the process easier and faster.

So Hanezu is intrigued by what else the newest Campione might be hiding. He is apprehensive on what plans he might have. If he takes control of the Committee, then the Guardian Clans will have the protection of a Campione who seems too competent and in control of himself. Very unlike the rest who can be guided to an extent so long as one is daring enough.

It would make their revenge even harder to accomplish if they have to take someone like that into the picture and that too against them. It was hard enough as is when he was a neutral party in the same country as their targets of revenge.

Unlike what others may think, escaping notice of someone who has been tracking and killing monsters and threats to humanity from a young age is hard when you are a big organization trying to operate in a country as small as Japan.

"First that trash Ayanokouji went and blew up his little hole like a braindead idiot and we had to lay low because he was burning through human subjects like common wood! And now some random nobody from that shitty place has ruined our plans again! Damn them! Damn all of those fucks who can only suck up to those clans-"

"That is enough Kazuhisa." The younger man shut up at the sharp undertone in his leader's voice. Hanezu did not shout or raise his voice, but the look in his eyes ensured the rant was over for good.

"Do not let your emotions control you and keep in mind who you are talking about. That is a Campione you are referring to. He is a neutral party to our cause and unless he takes the History Compilation Committee under his control, we will not consider him an enemy. Someone like that can wipe us out without trouble. What will happen to our revenge then?"

He sent him a look that said his word was final. "We will not antagonise him. Is that understood?"

The younger man looked back mutinously but kept his mouth shut. He nodded reluctantly, no matter how much he just wants to kill Kyosuke himself.

He knew Hanezu was right and thinking of Kyosuke as an enemy would be foolish. He had to keep a cool mind and not provoke needless enemies, and that too one of the absolute monsters that stand above the rest of the world and who I only matched by a handful of individuals in the world.

It would also be an instant death sentence if he had declared Kyosuke his enemy, as the voice that sounded out dictated.

"So one of you has some sense. Guess I won't be killing you off today then."

Unlike the voice that sounded amused, those on the receiving end were not. The group got in formation immediately, the bodyguards bringing out swords and staffs and looking around intently for the culprit. Their expressions did not waver despite someone sneaking up to them without giving off a single hint.

Kazuhisa and Hanezu's expressions were not so composed. Their bodyguards were death soldiers who would throw away their lives without flinching, but these two were different. Someone evading all their senses and magic spooked them something fierce. Especially when the words heard are taken in context with what Kazuhisa just said.

Their backs were covered with cold sweat as they looked around but could not sense Kyosuke. Not even a hint of divinity was around, which was weird.

"Greeting to your majesty." Hanezu gestured for the bodyguards to stand down and said with as much composure as he could muster.

It was impressive considering just who he was facing. "We did not mean any disrespect. Please, accept our apologies. We will do anything to rectify this blunder."

He bowed low to the ground, his wait bent a complete 90 degrees despite no one being visible. Kazuhisa followed after a split second of hesitation, staying silent. All he could think of was about his revenge and how everything he had done till now after being exiled from the Douman Clan would be worthless if he gets killed this moment.

A snort was heard and then Kyosuke spoke again. But his figure was still not visible and despite trying his best, none of those present could pinpoint his location. They could not even sense anything amiss while he spoke, which showed just how large the gulf between them was.

Hanezu's mind was racing on how this could be possible. Either Kyosuke had integrated the use of divine power into his arsenal at an absurd speed or he had been this capable even before becoming a Campione.

Both options were terrible and so he could only hope to not be struck down where he bowed.

"Spare me the nonsense. I am not like the rest of those people you are familiar with who can be manipulated by pandering to their ego. An inflated ego is a weakness, one which I threw away long ago. Otherwise you would be hearing about there being a Seventh Campione all over the world by now."

The Utsusemi Agency members' hearts sank as Kyosuke confirmed he was different from the norm for the strong.

"Now, I have much more important things to do so I will keep this brief. The Guardian Clans do not like me and the feeling is mutual. I don't care about your agenda so long as you keep innocents out of it and do not harm Japan. You can wipe them out for all I care, but start territorizing innocents and I will kill you lot in the most painful ways possible."

They felt a chill crawl up their spines at his words. They could hear the certainty when he spoke. He would do as he said. It also gave them hope for the future.

"I hate trouble but I am very good at removing the sources of those troubles from existence. Do keep this in mind for the future."

No one said anything for a long while after Kyosuke stopped.

"We will. Thank you for your mercy." Hanezu said after the silence stretched on for 15 minutes with no comment from Kyosuke.

The two bowing men stayed that way for a whole hour before standing up straight. They did not speak but could tell they were thinking the same from the look on other's face.

Unlike other Campione, Kyosuke did not show off his raw strength. Knowing there was a Campione with such skill he could evade them entirely while being close enough to kill them was more terrifying than the usual monsters who mostly know to throw city destroying attacks.

Both are scary but of different kinds. Sort of knowing that there is a ghost around you but you cannot really do anything about it. It is elusive and you cannnot touch it or see it.

You can only helplessly wonder when would it strike and end you. It was not a pleasant feeling at all.