The Eye of Sodom, the Pack of Greedy Wolves, Gale and Storm, the Prison of Death’s Servants... These were the four most well-known Authorities of Voban, also the ones he most frequently used since his first appearance. But at this moment, Voban was shocked to discover that these four Authorities had all been sealed. He couldn’t activate them anymore, couldn’t even sense them. "The Golden Sword that seals Authorities..." The old marquis, covered in wounds, suddenly looked up and gazed at the Golden Swords hovering around him, instantly realizing everything. "This is Verethragna’s Authority!" "You, you usurped this Authority from Verethragna—not the slash that can burn everything, but the Golden Sword possessed by the ’Warrior’ incarnation?!" "How could this be...?!" Voban’s astonishment was completely written across his face, utterly devoid of his prior superiority. The countless Golden Swords circling him flew into the air and gathered into Kaiser’s hand, forming the most dazzling golden blade, tightly grasped by him. Kaiser looked down at Voban standing on the watchtower, his voice clearly reaching Voban’s ears even amidst the storm. "I never said that the Authority I obtained from Verethragna was the slash that burns all things, did I?" Aymur wrapped in whirlwinds and the Yagrush entwined with electric light pierced through the storm, returning to Kaiser’s side. At the same time, they rapidly shrank and transformed into short rods only a meter long. Thıs content belongs to 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⁂𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⁂𝘯𝘦𝘵 "Aymur and Yagrush are Authorities I usurped from Melqart." "The Golden Sword is the Authority I usurped from Verethragna." "As for the slash that burns everything..." In Kaiser’s other hand, a pitch-black demon sword appeared. "You meant this one, didn’t you?" Dark patterns swirled around the pitch-black blade, coursing downward and finally pouring into the crimson Urm-Manadyte, causing a vivid red brilliance to bloom. Extreme heat radiated from the sword edge, evaporating the rain, throwing the storm into chaos, and distorting the very air. At that moment, Voban understood that the power he had always assumed to be the slash that burned everything came from this sword. "That’s also one of your Authorities?" Voban’s expression flickered. "Is this the Authority you usurped from Odin?" It didn’t make sense. There didn’t seem to be any necessary connection between Odin and this kind of Authority. Even if the Authorities usurped by a Campione from a Heretic God weren’t necessarily the god’s original powers—could even undergo inexplicable changes, becoming unrecognizable—there would still be some link to the god. Odin wasn’t a god of swords, nor did he have legends involving flames or high temperatures. Why would someone gain a demon sword that could burn everything as an Authority from him? Even if there really was some unknown reason that allowed this boy to obtain such a sword from Odin, what about that steel-like body? Voban couldn’t make sense of it no matter how hard he tried. "Don’t bother," Kaiser’s calm voice interrupted Voban’s thoughts, making the old marquis’s face darken. "Let me just tell you." Kaiser looked at Voban and suddenly smiled. "Whether it’s this demon sword or my current body, neither of them is an Authority." "Impossible!" Voban blurted out without thinking, flatly denying it. "Whether it’s that demon sword or your steel-like body, they’re both of divine-level strength!" "That sword might barely pass as a divine tool I don’t know about." "But your body, it’s absolutely impossible for a human to possess that kind of physique. It must be the undying body usurped from a God of Steel!" Facing Voban’s rebuttal, Kaiser merely shook his head. "That’s why I said, don’t bother. You won’t figure it out." Kaiser landed in front of Voban and stood once more atop the watchtower. "There’s no such thing as absolutes. How do you know it’s impossible?" "If my body truly came from a God of Steel as an undying body, how could those divine beast-level familiars you just released have forced me to evade them?" "Compared to Salvatore’s Protection of Steel, my physique might not fall short in raw capability. But that guy doesn’t need oxygen or food, can survive submerged in water or even in a vacuum for years without dying, and can enter a false-death state to dodge fatal attacks. I don’t have any of that." "So, my body is merely powerful—not an undying body." Of course, this referred to his physical body alone, without accounting for the immortality granted by the Hōgyoku. That undying attribute ultimately came from the Hōgyoku, not from Kaiser’s body itself. Now that his body had undergone metamorphosis both internally and externally, the most inhuman aspect of it—besides its sheer strength—was a regenerative capability rivaling High-Speed Regeneration. Taking that into account, it was indeed fair to regard Kaiser’s body as a power equivalent to a divine Authority. However, that strength still came from his body alone, not from any Authority. "Even before becoming a Campione, I had already possessed several divine tools capable of slaying gods due to my special nature. Ser-Veresta was just one of them." "And my body, also due to certain special reasons before becoming a Campione, had skin akin to armor with incredible hardness." "After successfully slaying a god and undergoing the rebirth ritual, the uniqueness of a Campione’s body merged with my original uniqueness, resulting in a qualitative transformation." Kaiser explained calmly. "Therefore, this body is not something acquired through a divine Authority—it’s my own." Upon hearing this, Voban finally understood why this brat, who had only become a king less than a month ago, could immediately charge into another battlefield after slaying a god and proceed to slay two more gods in Sardinia. Ordinary Campiones could never do such a thing. Only someone inherently extraordinary could accomplish such a feat. "By the way, the number of gods I’ve slain isn’t three—but four." Disregarding Voban’s shock, Kaiser grinned. "Before slaying Verethragna and Melqart, I had already slain Poseidon, the Sea God, at Point Nemo." "Also, when I returned to this country—just yesterday—I also indirectly slew a subordinate god." "If you count that one, then I’ve already slain five gods and obtained five Authorities." Kaiser’s words rendered Voban completely silent. Even that detestable Salvatore hadn’t yet acquired that many. Salvatore Doni was known to possess four Authorities—this was common knowledge. As for the American Hades and the British Black Prince, they were estimated to have five or six, only slightly more than Salvatore Doni. But this youngster, who had been a king for less than a month, already possessed a number of Authorities no less than those three—and his body and powers were even more exceptional. "Heh heh... Haha... Hahahahaha...!" After a long silence, Voban suddenly burst into laughter. His laughter grew louder and louder, until it turned into wild, unrestrained cackling. Kaiser merely watched him in silence, offering no reaction. Under such circumstances, Voban laughed while shouting: "Unbelievable. Unbelievable! Among us, a monster like you has been born—what is this?!" The look in Voban’s eyes had completely changed. He no longer viewed Kaiser as a junior or a peer, but more like a Heretic God—an enemy. "Even I, who have lived for centuries, have never encountered a freak like you before!" "To think a guy like you actually became a Campione... What kind of hellish joke is this?" "Pandora must have gone senile or something! Otherwise, how could she do something as absurd as turning you into a Campione?!" Voban laughed so hard that he even shed tears. "Have you laughed enough?" Kaiser’s attitude was icy cold. "I’m praising you, brat." Voban wiped his tears, smiling fiercely. "You should feel honored. Even among Campiones, only Luo Hao has ever been treated by me this way—and now, there’s you." "Do you know what that means?" "It means I see you as an equal!" To that declaration, Kaiser responded with a gaze that said are you stupid. "How is that something to be proud of?" Kaiser said bluntly. "I’ve never thought of being your equal as anything honorable." "You’re just tooting your own horn." "You’re about to become a defeated opponent, and you still have the audacity to say something like that?" At those words, Voban didn’t erupt in rage like he had before. "Defeated opponent?" Voban shouted, "I haven’t lost yet!" The disheveled old Devil King suddenly burst forth with terrifying Magical Power. "My Authorities aren’t just limited to four!" The Eye of Sodom, the Pack of Greedy Wolves, Gale and Storm, the Prison of Death’s Servants—though these four had been sealed, Voban realized that his other Authorities remained untouched and still usable. The Golden Sword that could sever Divinity—this sword was the strongest spear and shield against gods, capable of cutting through their bodies and divine powers. But against Campiones, who had no Divinity and only Authorities, it was not so fatal. When facing Campiones, the Golden Sword could only seal the Authority the opponent had already used—and only one at a time. This was true even for Kusanagi Godou in the original novel. Unless under special circumstances, he could only seal one Authority per opponent. Of course, Kaiser was not bound by the same restrictions as Godou, since he didn’t inherit the ten incarnations—only the "Warrior" incarnation that granted the Golden Sword. Therefore, he was far less constrained. And since Kaiser had enhanced the Golden Sword with his own Authority, he could use it freely. However, when facing Campiones who hadn’t used an Authority, the Golden Sword could not target it for sealing. The Golden Sword, also known as the Sword of Wisdom, the Sword of Knowledge, grew stronger the more the user understood about the enemy god. Knowledge of the enemy god directly translated into power for the Golden Sword, making it sharper and more potent. When using the Golden Sword, Kaiser also gained insight into the enemy god’s true nature, significantly boosting its threat. But if the Campione hadn’t yet used a particular Authority, the Golden Sword couldn’t recognize or target it—even if Kaiser knew about it from the original story. And as the Campione with the most Authorities, Voban still possessed many even after four had been sealed. Losing four Authorities had an impact, but it wasn’t decisive. If he wanted to keep fighting, he could definitely continue for a while. However... Kaiser no longer wished to waste time. "You think the reason you haven’t lost yet is because I lack the power to defeat you instantly?" Kaiser put away Aymur and Yagrush, and also the Golden Sword—he withdrew all the Authorities he was currently using. "Weren’t you curious about what Authority I usurped from Odin?" Kaiser slowly raised his hand. "Now, I’ll show you." As his words fell, a spear suddenly appeared in Kaiser’s hand. Its shaft was formed from branches of the World Tree, brimming with life energy. Its tip was forged from the strongest steel, engraved with runes. Ancient divinity emerged from this spear, instantly filling the heavens and earth. Voban, his body ablaze with tremendous Magical Power, froze the moment he saw that spear. He stared fixedly at the ancient divine spear and uttered its name word by word. "Gungnir, the Eternal Spear!" The spear of fate that never misses—there was no way Voban wouldn’t know its name. "So that’s it... so that’s it..." Voban seemed to understand something as he glared at Kaiser and the spear. "This is the weapon that allowed you to slay two top-tier gods at once?!" The old Devil King had once again come to the wrong conclusion. But it didn’t matter anymore. Kaiser no longer cared to explain. "With this spear in hand, I have stood in an invincible position from the very beginning." "And you were destined to be the loser from the start."