The Heroic God Slayer
New authorities chapter
I know this isn't what most of you reading this tale want to see. But I realized that I tossed in a bunch of authorities for Marcia previously, and didn't explain much about them. Let alone the fact I need to detail some more about Izuku's and Jonathan's. Here we go.
Izuku Midoriya
Herakles: Nemean Hide. This authority grants Izuku super dense skin and muscles. Making him virtually invulnerable. He can withstand the rough equal to what he can output with his own strength. No need to worry about recoil of any kind from throwing too strong of a punch.
There is the complication that it is only surface level protection. And it doesn't grant him defense against poisons or certain words of power if injected. And it comes with a caveat of still being damageable by strong mystic foes.
Herakles: Herakles Might. Gives Izuku immense physical strength, demonstrated by throwing a large robot out of atmosphere. However, his potential strength is far greater. Given Herakles in myth was able to hold up the skies of the world for a time. And while he may not possess the stamina of Atlas to equal that or Herakles's own, he could gain it in due time.
Also grants Izuku a bit of understanding of how most things could be a weapon, but he has yet to fully take advantage of this. Likely due to lacking understanding of magic and often thinking of this authority more like a quirk even though he knows better. Thus he often relies more of the innate strength and durability of these authorities.
A major factor with both of Izuku's Herakles authorities is a condition he is only slightly aware of: there must be a challenge or task issued to him to prove himself. Much of this is circumvented by his mentality, as Izuku has lived his whole life facing challenges and his perception is that he always has to prove himself.
Horus: Glaive of Retribution. A special staff weapon that can sever the divinity of a Rogue God. It can even sever two if need be. The two gods to sever must be linked or related, however. As magic travels along the length of the staff and blades.
Speaking of; the glaive has the ability to separate into individual kopesh blades. Granting another, with some minor worry, a god killing weapon if need be. The catch is that enough must also be known about the gods in question, or it will not sever their link to the realm of immortality. What's more, he must land true blows to sever the divinity. As the authority doesn't work like the Golden Sword of Verathragna, where it creates a space to barrage the enemy.
Horus: Wings of Vengeance. Grants Izuku the ability to fly with magical hawk wings from Horus. To use them, there must be a target that Izuku wants to reach or deal with. Be it due to injuring or nearly killing himself, or someone he cares about. Can also command the winds to an extent to disrupt some storm or wind-based deities. Unless the deity's level or status overrules Horus's own. Such as Kukalkan. But it can still keep Izuku from being injured by said winds.
Horus: Defender's Rush. If a person thinks about Izuku hard enough, the winds will swirl around him and draw the teen to the one who thought of him. It doesn't require line of sight or a place where wind can flow. As long as someone calls out to him, the winds will pull him to his ally. Though it does require a more intimate type of calling to him.
Xbalanque: Shadow Steps. Typically, more of a movement or agility enhancement, in the dark or during the night this authority shows it's greater strength. It allows Izuku to move through shadows and darkness to evade or sneak up on enemies. But as stated, this works much better at night compared to just a shaded or dark room. In broad daylight however, he doesn't have much in terms of dexterity.
Xbalanque: Stun Darts. If Izuku knows the name or names of the deity he is up against, he can produce a poison dart that will paralyze the enemy. They must strike the body of the target to take effect, but said effect is near instantaneous. Paralyzing the target and leaving them open to attack.
During the day, he can only produce one dart. But at night, Izuku can create three more darts to impact his foes. This can be used for tricks and traps if necessary. Or a feint if an opponent knows about how the darts work.
Momotaro: Yasutsuna. A blade that can make divine energy bleed out and weaken an opponent. It does not require anything to be known about said enemy, and it can make a foe weaker over a long battle. At the same time, this authority grants the user exceptional knowledge of kenjutsu. Making whoever wields the weapon a master swordsman.
There are a few weaknesses though. For one, it can only work on corporeal items. If an entity is of an elemental or similar nature, then the cuts will not affect the foe. Also, it does little good on an enemy that is equal in speed to Izuku. As it still requires that the foe be cut by Yasutsuna.
Momotaro: Beast Partners. While most of the time this authority would allow the summoning of the creatures associated, there are other ways to use a subordinate god authority. In Izuku's case, he can grant the power of his beast to those he chooses. And each beast grants a different ability and boost.
The dog increases the wielders strength and durability, as well as creating a weapon suited to the user. In the case of Xeimei, a naginata to give her more range alongside her jian. The monkey grants the user such speed that they can barely be seen. It also boosts the agility of the one possessed. It also grants a weapon, but more often one suited for much closer ranges. Claws being the weapon granted to Mina. The pheasant gives the enhanced individual flight as well as an increase in strength to fly the master away from danger. And the weapon is of a long-range form typically. A bow in Reiko's case.
Something fun, depending on your perspective of the matter, is that the blessings give animal features to those enchanted. As well as clothes to fit the need for each member of the beasts. The dog gives the person the ears and tail of said creature, and a few of the mannerisms typical to dogs. Monkey ears and tail are one part of the transformation. But the user often gains blonde hair as well for some strange reason. The pheasant makes a pair of wings grow from the back of the wielder. Though awkwardly, this form is the most scantily clad. Perhaps to cut down on weight while flying.
Njord: Harpoon of the Sjǫ. Izuku can use this weapon and tool at close range or at a distance. While the blade can do quite a bit of damage, its greatest strength is that it grants Izuku the ability to make ocean water rise up and be used. The obvious catch being that he needs to be near the ocean to use it and doesn't work on freshwater. But it also has some collateral damage potential given it could cause a tidal or rogue wave to destabilize boats at sea.
Njord: Skíðblaðnir. An odd authority, in that it gives the wielder the ability to summon a boat that can change to the wielder's needs. Originally, it was a more normal (though very spacious) Viking esque boat. But after some guesswork, ingenuity, and a bit of advice from Jonathan to make bigger ships, Izuku learned he could make Skíðblaðnir become whatever he needed to fit the moment at hand. Unfortunately, it cannot turn into more combat capable forms. Transportation and leisure are the main selling points.
Athena: Strategist Foresight. A fitting authority gained from the defeat of Athena. It can grant Izuku the capability to perceive various moving pieces of a battle and how to make them work together. The activation conditions though are difficult to achieve. It requires that Izuku know all of the major pieces and needs others to truly work at its maximum potential. At lower levels of activation though, it can grant Izuku a measure of foresight and clarity on some matters. But nothing to the scale of a large battle.
Izuku is quite cunning and analytical in how he fights. But in a battle with a Rogue God, sometimes logic and analysis doesn't help. So he's been learning to adapt to the moment to moment incidents. And growing in his understanding of his authorities and skills. Not to mention his partners to be enhanced by his authorities.
Aside from that, he consistently forgets where he stands as a Campione. Not just because he is immature. But also (without meaning to) he keeps seeing his authorities more as quirks. And thus puts himself in that mindset.
Samson Jonathan Fredrickson
Amaterasu: Divinity of Nature and Celestial Command. The first authority Jonathan gained after defeating one of the mother goddesses of Japan. With a gesture he can cause a variety of effects related to nature in various ways. Likely due to Amaterasu's relationship to nature, and the bounty of the earth in Japan. From making plants bloom, causing small or windstorms, or lightning strikes with a gesture. (Yes I borrowed this authority from Okami. But it was just so good I couldn't resist)
The power used to be limited to 10 uses a day and prolonged use in pitched combat though can drain most of the ink and thereby cripple his powers. To the point, he actually loses his authority over nature for a period of time. Usually about a week.
Jonathan has found a way around this by realizing that it wasn't that kind of link. Instead, he found that inside his inner world he linked to a cosmic ink that he could draw with to cause effects. But he often used up an entire well of it with each use. He's learned to be more economically efficient with the divine ink.
Ratatoskr: World Tree Traversal. Grants the ability to move anywhere within the realms in an instant. Originally Jonathan was only able to move through just the nine realms of Norse myth. Often used for short range teleporting to get the drop on some enemies, he can also warp targets to other realms by creating sigil of the World Tree beneath himself.
After some testing and other adventures, he found he could move to almost any magical realm. "All the realms are linked if you think about it hard enough. The branches of the world tree go beyond what we could begin to understand," he described to one of his grandchildren.
There is another complication that he failed to mention to others though. Namely, if he transports multiple people he needs to recharge or let his power cool down for a few days. Which is the actual reason he left the students to fend for themselves for three or four days.
Kukalkan: Gem of the Nine Winds. The stone that Kukalkan kept for himself to command the winds. Jonathan gained this gem after defeating the serpent god and it gave him control of the winds. Allowing him to fly by manipulating the wind under him or make small funnels (For those who know, at this state he's basically at Inasa's power capability. Rather weak against gods, so it's used more for disrupting or distracting enemies at this level)
Jonathan has claimed that with a thought he could summon a hurricane or similar. However, this isn't entirely true. Given that type of storm is under the purview of a different Mayan god: Huracan. But the gem can let him get up to that level. He just has to sacrifice some blood to the gem and lets him summon a massive storm. He rarely uses this though as it is overkill when dealing with some gods and could lead to collateral damage.
Kukalkan: Divine Serpent Incarnation. The more direct combat authority, Jonathan can turn into a form reminiscent of the Kukalkan himself. Aside from the advantage of a massive dragon-like body, he can use the Gem of the Nine Winds to full effect in this form. Creating spirit energy-based wind blasts and devastating whirlwinds to deal with enemies.
Such power though, comes at a cost. Namely, that it requires a large blood sacrifice to enact. If there is already a disaster looming and multiple people have been harmed, it can be taken from that. But it didn't sit right with Jonathan to let people die or be hurt. The alternative for the blood sacrifice was to use his own.
However, it required so much blood that it would often leave him vulnerable in his serpentine form. It was hard to make up enough of the blood to keep a large body conscious after being virtually ripping his heart out. This led to Jonathan taking measures to try and find a way to circumvent the problem. And unfortunately doing that, by repeating something a predecessor of his had done. Forcing mages to summon a god for him to slay and gain a new authority.
Asclepius: Restoration. This authority grants accelerated healing of Jonathan's body. Boosting the strong recovery rate that most Campione have by double. And letting Jonathan restore lost limbs and similar to others. He can boost the recovery even further to rapidly regrow large portions of his body. At one point in his history, his head was cut off. And he regrew it in less than a second. As well as sliced in half vertically and horizontally. And he restored his body to its proper form. Though the cost is that he has to do without the passive for a month after supercharging.
This was the power he sought to try and circumvent his blood loss problem when using the Serpent Incarnation. And it cost the lives and sanity of dozens of mages. "I do feel guilt at how I used those people. But it was necessary. There will be far more lives saved now that I can heal myself. And I can use this for others if necessary." Jonathan described when questioned about the matter.
Psyche: Soul and Minds Eye. This more niche ability allows Jonathan to both protect his mind and use it to attack. As Psyche's divinity relates to the soul, it also gives Jonathan the ability to use astral projection to possess others.
The main limits being that he can only posses or affect those who are weaker minded. And thanks to the effects of the quirk virus, virtually everyone with a quirk is extremely weak minded. Aside from this, he can influence the weaker minds of others and cause them to constantly see visions of their greatest fears or failings, tortures or similar inside of their minds. Causing many to go insane in minutes.
Pythia: Oracle of Delphi. Grants Jonathan the ability to glimpse into the future. The events and types though are often random and unpredictable. And it has a strange activation requirement. He needs to be wet or have worked up a sweat of some kind for the visions to occur. Making it more annoying and random to deal with. Especially when bathing. It also comes with the problem that he can't give anyone a straight answer or explanation about what could be happen. Likely due to the cryptic nature of the Pythia as is.
Ares: Chains of Retribution. Inspired from the chains that bind the god in question's statues, the flaming chains of hate can entrap and burn those caught in them. Normally used for traps or similar, Jonathan has found other ways to use the chains. Namely by swinging with them after throwing out the shackle ends. Which wrap or clasp onto a point allowing him to pull himself to certain points. At least when hidden blooms are not around.
Jonathan has access to at least a dozen other authorities after battling gods for three centuries. Some from major pantheons, some from lesser known realms with even more niche abilities. As well as his own cunning, problem solving, and tactical combat style built over time. Carries a variety of mystic weapons gained from his various journeys. While most know of his swords, mirror shields, and magatama strings, he has other weapons hidden away in mystic tattoos. Just in case.
His age, experience, and perception makes it to where he is much more cunning and creative with his authorities. Able to think around and outside of normal limits most who would gain said authorities consider. And his predating quirks, as well as knowing their origin, means he can see past what most obsess over or get distracted by pertaining to said powers.
Marcia Serafim
St. Sebastian: Saintly Stamina. Grants exceptional strength and stamina to the wielder. While not fully up to a level like that of Herakles, the stamina of St. Sebastian gives Marcia the ability to fight and dance for incredibly long periods. It also lets her shrug off any grievous wound once a day and she can recover to full strength. But this day aspect is one of the biggest issues. Especially since she has to wait for a few days after to use the authority again.
St. Sebastian: Javelin Rain. At a location, Marcia can call down a barrage of javelins to pin or injure a foe. It does not have a limit, but it can only effect a small area and takes a few seconds to activate.
Kokabiel: Starlight Spotlight. Allows Marcia to fire down a beam of light. To incinerate a point or just create some good atmosphere. This starlight aspect allows Serafim to also summon a meteor storm as well. She also has a set of black fallen angel wings when she uses this power.
The wings she can summon at any time, and even turn them into clothing to wear when she wants. But the summoning of the light or meteors requires time. She has to chant and properly aim where she wants to strike. Even across an area. Meaning, she needs to lock down or trap her foes before using this powerful authority.
Grand Bois: Chamado da Floresta. A more recent acquisition (70 years prior to the start of the story), it grants the power to command and control plants. Marcia uses this to create plant beasts for attacking and bind others. The control it grants is very impressive and allows for variety thanks to the rainforest.
It's main activation is that an "offering" must be fulfilled every hour. These mostly fall in line with what Grand Bois enjoyed or was commonly offered in prayer. For Marcia though, she works it in by having a drink of rum every hour or so. Or even eating various healing herbs as they are.
Raksha: Consumption or Cannibalistic Blades. A pair of fang like swords that Marcia can summon with a chant. Aside from being vicious blades that can leave deep cuts, they possess a more dangerous power. They can devour the power or even the body of a foe with enough cuts.
The cost of the power though, is that the blades can also consume Marcia as well. If she doesn't land enough blows or impale an enemy with the blades, the weapons and authority will start consuming her power as well. Thus she only reserves these for foes with greater physical strength and ones she knows she can at least land some blows on.
Roc King: Simoon Fans. Another authority that grants a weapons to Marcia. This time large folding fans made of the feathers of the Roc King. It grants the ability to summon powerful winds and sandstorms with a wave. As well as flight and an increase in strength due to the myths of Rocs being able to carry off elephants.
To use them though, requires a bit of a sacrifice. Namely, Marcia must take a few strong hits or injuries before she can summon the fans. Similar to Godou's camel aspect. And the winds can be disrupted or overridden by authorities higher ranked than hers.
Kali: Kali's Black Rage. A powerful burst of dark magic energy in the form of black flames. The power of these flames can possibly consume armies or go even further and destroy nations.
The activation condition for these flames is sufficient anger and destruction having been caused by an outside source or opponent. Relating to the slaying of Raktabīja, and the need to destroy the ever-multiplying demon.
This authority though comes with a more problematic cost. It can't be stopped easily and could keep burning without Marcia's consent or direction. Sometimes requiring that Marcia herself take the brunt of the flames to stop the destruction.
Shiva: Steps of Destruction. An authority that plays into Marcia's love of dancing. With a series of movements, she can unleash devastating waves of magic. The authority can cut clean through even defensive authorities and spells. It was this authority that cut Master Jonathan in half. To do that though, requires that all of the steps to be performed and for said steps to be aimed and directed properly.
Marcia is an accomplished model, dancer, and fighter. Predominantly with her nation's martial art, Capoeira; as well as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. She makes use of it by using her feet to wield her weapons at times. Rapidly kicking and slashing with her swords in hand or foot. Same for the fans. As well as channeling Kali's power to a few kicks or other blows in limited fashion. And as the second oldest Campione, she has quite a wealth of experience and understanding of combat.
Ahnika Owasu
Anansi: Spinning Sights and Binding Threads. Owasu can create a web that casts and illusion over an area to trip up and trick her foes. As well as normal threads that can entrap her enemies and leave them open for her other authorities.
Anansi: Spiderlings. The empress of Africa can send out multitudes of young spiders to watch over her territory. In fact she has them in every room of every home within the region she calls home and rules over. Sometimes using said spiders to take control of her "subjects" though most don't even know she is doing it.
This allows her to summon a massive army of civilians to fight for her or funnel an enemy toward traps. Two things of note; the spiderlings can't be seen by anyone who doesn't have magic so most have no idea they are nearby.
The second is that the spiderlings can bite the controlled subject and turn them into a stronger spider creature. Some humanoid, some more like giant arachnids. Giving even more strength to her armies.