As mentioned earlier, Quetzalcoatl is a benevolent God.
But she is not merely a benevolent God; she also holds various other divine roles: God of Culture, God of the Sun, God of Wind, God of Rain, God of the Serpent, Goddess of Venus... As one of the pinnacle South American Gods, Quetzalcoatl commands multiple divine roles and possesses a wide array of authorities.
Among them, she also holds the role of God of War, and in mythology, she is known as the Maya Conqueror King, displaying a brutal and ferocious side.
Now, she was showing this side to Naoki.
If Naoki wanted to gain her strength, he had to subdue her with even greater power.
If he couldn't even defeat her, there was no hope of defeating the Creator Mother Goddess.
"Alright, that works too." Naoki stretched his arms and legs.
"I never thought I could convince you with just words. Since we're both warriors, the most straightforward way to settle things is naturally to knock the other side down. Simple and brutal, right?"
"You get it. Looks like you're not exactly a good boy~~~"
"I never said I was a good boy." Naoki swung his Holy Sword. "By the way, let me confirm again—if I win this duel, you'll help me fight Goddess Tiamat, correct?"
Quetzalcoatl nodded: "Yes, that's right. But if you want me to help against Gorgon, that's not possible. I can't break the Three Goddess Alliance contract."
"That's fine. I'll take care of that too. I'll deal with all the members of the Three Goddess Alliance one by one."
"You're really greedy and confident." Quetzalcoatl smiled. "So, are you ready?"
"Do you even need to ask—"
Before he could finish, accompanied by a storm-like surge of Mana, Naoki shot toward Quetzalcoatl. A straightforward punch filled with immense Mana struck her chest directly!
*BANG!*
A deafening explosion like an earthquake rang out. Quetzalcoatl's figure bent into an acute angle from the blow, shooting off like a falling star into the distance!
(So fast!)
The thought flashed through Quetzalcoatl's mind. She hadn't expected Naoki's speed to be so great that she could barely track him. She only caught a glimpse of a residual shadow before her body was struck!
Fairies adjust their strength according to their opponent's power, stabilizing it at a level sufficient for a dominating battle.
Quetzalcoatl knew this, but it was her first time experiencing it directly.
*CHIIIRRR!*
Lightning suddenly tore through space. Before Quetzalcoatl, still airborne, could land, Naoki transformed into a bolt of lightning and chased after her like a shadow. The two, who had been separated for less than half a second, met again at close range!
Then, in another blink, they separated again!
*BAM!*
A kick wrapped in ferocious lightning struck Quetzalcoatl's head with speed and force, forcibly altering her flight path and sending her crashing into the depths of the dense forest below!
*BOOM!*
A massive crater formed where Quetzalcoatl landed, creating an open clearing. The shockwave from the impact leveled the surrounding forest vegetation.
(That was a powerful attack. It almost shattered my consciousness… But!)
*BOOOM!*
Brandishing her serrated sword to sweep away the dust with a storm, Quetzalcoatl stood in the crater, gazing at Naoki with a face full of joy, and unleashed a full-powered slash through the air!
*POFF!*
The authority of the God of Wind and the authority of the God of the Sun activated simultaneously. Scorching solar flames and a raging storm combined into a slash that shot toward Naoki at godlike speed!
This was a serious attack from a South American Main God.
Even for a fairy, taking this would surely cause significant damage.
But Naoki did this—
*CRUSH-BANG!*
He shattered the slash, along with the space itself, with a single kick!
Imaginary Manifestation: Space Destruction
It was, in simple terms, a highly weakened version of a dimension-reducing attack. With Imaginary Manifestation, if he began preparing when Quetzalcoatl launched her slash, he could pull this off with effort.
Quetzalcoatl's expression froze for a moment. She knew her attack wasn't likely to succeed, but she hadn't expected it to be neutralized in this way.
(He's really planning to crush me head-on with the most direct force.)
(Crush you head-on with the most direct force!)
The same thought crossed both their minds simultaneously.
Naoki knew that to defeat the benevolent God before him, using cunning might be one way—for example, destroying Quetzalcoatl's Sun Temple to weaken her power, then attacking when he had the upper hand.
But… that was the way of the weak.
The weak need to rely on cunning, strategy, and various forms of assistance to defeat the strong.
And now that he was the strong one, he didn't need to hide. Just use full power to crush her head-on!
"Put in more effort! Didn't you eat!?" He could do it!
Quetzalcoatl could see that.
"Great! That's the spirit to make it exciting!"
Completely abandoning her benevolent God side, Quetzalcoatl, now fully embodying the God of War and Conqueror King, chose the same approach as Naoki.
Her pride as a God wouldn't allow her to not meet the warrior's challenge before her with the utmost respect!
*CLANG!*
The Holy Sword and the serrated sword clashed fiercely, and the erupting shockwave spread through the dense forest once again!
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
In the city of Ur within the dense forest.
Jaguar Man, who had brought Tomoe here, suddenly trembled violently several times after hearing the deafening roars from deep within the forest, her tail standing straight up.
"This tremor is…"
"Kukulkan and that guy have started fighting!"
Jaguar Man's explanation made Tomoe's face grow even grimmer.
(He's already started fighting the Forest Goddess? Natsukawa-sama…)
Since it had come to this, stopping him might be impossible, especially since Tomoe knew full well that she, who couldn't even withstand the Goddess's pressure, had no right to join the battle.
Though deeply reluctant, she could only entrust the matter of the Forest Goddess entirely to Naoki.
(Tomoe will pray for you here. Please return victorious and safe, Natsukawa-sama.)
*RUMBLE!*
Another earth-shaking roar erupted, as if two wild beasts were rampaging through the dense forest.