Angela, the Serpent of Apostasy—her mythological origin is none other than Leviathan, the great sea beast that made its appearance in various texts starting from the ancient Egyptian scriptures. This also refers to the divine status that was altered when the Mesopotamian goddess Asherah was cast as a demonic beast.
At this moment, Angela, at the cost of her eternal life, broke free from the Progenitor God's restraints, returning to her most ancient form as the "Serpent of Rebellion." A vast, savage power, brimming with the aura of primal chaos, surged within her. The authority of an ancient god hissed beneath her scales.
"I am Heaven! Thou shalt tremble before me! I am Earth! Thou shalt curse me! My head is that of Garuru, my face is the light of noon!" Angela—no, she who should now be called the serpent god Leviathan—raised her head and uttered the primeval divine words that shook the very void.
A rather familiar scene appeared before Seiya's eyes, like a reenactment of history. The serpent god before him was employing the combat style of the God King Melqart, whom he had fought before, commanding the light of the sky and summoning petal-shaped blades resembling the unique anatomy of a woman, which carved arcs of celestial light across the heavens.
The blade sliced through the beastly form of the serpent god as smoothly as cutting through air... No, it was cutting through air, leaving only an afterimage in its place. In an instant, that youthful face was already right before him.
The Pegasus Cloth instantly materialized on his body, and at the same time, an incredibly familiar light was released from his palm—Pegasus Sun Serpent Fist!
Yet, under this light, the serpent god actually reached out her hand, meeting the Sun Serpent's light wheel that could only bring destruction to a serpent.
"The sun... The sun, symbol of the day! Usurper...!" Amidst her roar, the Serpent of Rebellion's chest was thoroughly pierced by the Sun Scorpion Torrent! A heat of tens of millions of degrees erupted from within. The serpent's enormous body seemed to be lit up from the inside in an instant, like a giant piece of porcelain covered in a spiderweb of cracks, on the verge of shattering, yet still trying in vain to devour, to swallow this light.
"I am Heaven. Thou shalt tremble before me! I am Earth..." On the brink of death, Asherah was still struggling, chanting her divine words.
After a brief moment of shock, Seiya's expression turned to one of pity.
"Another Earth Mother God driven to madness."
In the earliest Mesopotamian myths, Asherah was an independent, great sun goddess, closely associated with the rising sun and the dawn. In Akkadian, "Aya" means "dawn," symbolizing new life and hope. She also governed love and youth, often appearing as a "giver of light," representing the power of the sun's daily ascent.
As the mythological systems evolved, she met the same fate as all Earth Mother Gods. In the wave of pantheon systematization and the rise of male deities, she was forcibly subordinated, becoming the consort-bride (Kallatum) of the chief sun god (Utu/Shamash). The suppression of her divinity never ceased, until she was ultimately vilified as that serpent.
If she could touch this solar radiance, perhaps she could truly reclaim a portion of her ancient sun goddess authority... but that was now an unattainable fantasy. The serpent would never see that day.
—Snap!
Seiya snapped his fingers.
The next moment, the once-brilliant solar wheel collapsed, and within the serpent's body, a vast and mighty Dark Sun manifested.
The massive, crack-covered body of the serpent completely disintegrated, transforming into a jet-black singularity that frantically collapsed inward—that Dark Sun! An utterly terrifying gravitational force erupted in an instant, like a devouring maw, greedily swallowing all of creation around it!
The seawater off the coast of California was sucked dry in the span of a breath, exposing the silent, barren seabed. Terrified crowds surged inland like a tide; they knew that what would follow would be the cataclysm of an endless tsunami!
However, on the coastline, nearly a hundred figures remained. They were the unique guardians of this land—the North American Superheroes. They held their breath, witnessing the man who fought the Progenitor God Angela, and the final outcome of that battle. Just as their taut nerves began to relax, a voice with a peculiar rhythm rang out in astonishment:
"Bravo! Saint from the Far East, that was absolutely magnificent!"
It was a person wearing a European court-style outfit and a mask; Seiya had sensed her presence long ago. With her arrival, the people of the city began to cheer in unison, "It's John Doe!" "It's Lord Hades!" "I knew he wasn't dead!" "He died and was resurrected, that's why he's Hades!"
The Fifth Myth-Slayer, Hades John Pluto Smith. She had appeared almost immediately after a spatial transfer but had not interfered in the deadly battle. It was clear she knew what would happen if she intervened rashly.
"It seems you are deeply trusted by the people here." Seiya glanced around at the surviving humans and superheroes, the reverence and joy on their faces undeniably real. This made him narrow his eyes slightly, reminding him of a similar scene in another world.
"Whether I'm trusted or not is unimportant to me. I simply wished to deal with those bothersome sorcerers, and in the process, I happened to gain their trust." Hades John touched her lips.
Seiya had a rather good impression of this Hades John. He could feel that their compatibility might be even higher than his with Tony. "Oh, my apologies. It seems I've stolen your opponent."
"It's fine. The result I sought was the elimination of this Grand Commander of sorcerers who has been a plague for centuries. As long as that result is achieved, it is enough." Hades also noticed that Seiya lacked the peculiar aura that came from usurping a god's power. "But it seems you didn't acquire an Authority, either."
He had fought a Heretical Serpent on par with a Heretic God, yet had not obtained an Authority. There were many possible reasons for this.
First, it could be because this was an incomplete Heretical Serpent. Second, it could be that her essence was that of a Progenitor God rather than a Heretic God. It was also possible that because she had previously fought a great battle with himself, from his foster mother's (Pandora's) perspective, this did not count as a fair act of deicide.
"None of those. That serpent was merely a sacrifice." Seiya gazed towards the East.
"A sacrifice? What could possibly require a Heretical Serpent as a sacrifice?!" Hades was somewhat shocked.
A dragon-serpent manifested from ley lines, with the proper ritual, could potentially summon a Heretic God. But to use a Heretical Serpent as a sacrifice... Hades even doubted if such a being existed.
Perhaps it did. "There really is such a thing. The Scorpion King suddenly recalled a god that symbolizes the ultimate."
Faintly, she seemed to sense something. Just as she was about to ask, she saw Seiya cross his arms. "Pardon me, I have something to attend to. I must take my leave."
With that, he transformed into a beam of celestial light and vanished from sight.
—Nikko Toshogu Shrine, Seitenkyu, Kakuriyo no Baka.
"A dignified hero of Cathay, caged by Japanese pirates and treated as a plaything... This is an unforgivable crime! To know of this ape's existence and allow it to continue is a stain on my, Luo Hao's, prestige! Therefore, this moment of reckoning was long overdue!" Luo Hao stood alone, frost gathering on her peerless face, her phoenix eyes filled with killing intent as she stared coldly at the unremarkable stable.
Lu Yinghua stopped his flattery. He shrank his head back and stood obediently to the side, not uttering a word.
"Begin, Miko of Yamato." Luo Hao's voice was devoid of any emotion, like a command.
"In the morning mist of Akashi Bay, a boat with hidden birds recalls a traveling friend..." A cold, clear spell-chant began. Wielding the Dragon-Slaying Saber as her vessel, Mariya Hikari swung the blade down in the four cardinal directions: east, south, west, and north. What controlled her rigid body now was not her own will, but an ancient sorcery hidden within the Dragon-Slaying Saber—the Power of Steel, originating from the core of the Kyoumeion Ritual!
"Man is yang and woman is yin, they unite and conceive; what is first called Hitomaro. After ten months in the womb, it becomes human; though it has not left my body, you must know Hitomaro."
Using clumsy steps, Hikari circled around the Monkey God-Lord, swinging her sword and chanting.
—The corridor entrance connecting the mortal world and the Otherworld, that four-cornered hole, was originally just large enough for a person to pass through, but now it suddenly expanded. Even the walls of the stable expanded in an instant.
Seishuin Ena's pupils contracted again. She saw in the distant sky a coiled, crimson-black serpent shadow formed from the essence, blood, and resentment of the Heretical Serpent, solidifying from illusion into reality! The next moment, a storm of blood and gore, imbued with divinity and curses, crossed space and descended dismally upon the land of Seitenkyu!
Waaah—!
The final restraint, no, the final torrent of binding black lead, shattered with a crack!
The internal enemy constructed by the Kyoumeion Ritual for five hundred years completely disintegrated at this moment!
The ferocity that had been suppressed by the Kyoumeion Ritual for five hundred years was fully unleashed. Amidst a raging tide of spiritual power and the shaking of the earth, a streak of golden light shot into the sky!
"What was that sound?" Inside a hotel in the Nikko mountain scenic area, the wealthy, lost in their debauchery, were terrified by the violent tremors and the light that pierced the night sky, all turning their heads in a certain direction. They could only see a pillar of light connecting heaven and earth shooting out from the direction of Seitenkyu, illuminating the night.
At this moment, they remembered how during the day, shrine staff had intercepted everyone and urged them to go home as soon as possible. Only they hadn't taken it seriously. Now, they finally felt a lingering fear. With that earth-shattering roar, could the world really be turning upside down?
That laughter echoing between heaven and earth... if that truly was a human voice, how much suppression must it have endured, how utterly cathartic and exhilarating it must be.
The moment Luo Hao witnessed this heaven-piercing golden light, a genuine, pure, and blazing smile finally bloomed on her peerless face. "Come!" The aura around her erupted like a volcano, her sleeves billowing without a wind! Her slender, jade-like hand pressed forward in a seemingly casual motion—
BOOM!
A golden giant's palm that blotted out the sky, imbued with the supreme might of Buddhism, materialized from thin air and slammed down toward the source of the golden light with the power to crush mountains and rivers!
But before the giant palm could land, a streak of platinum light that pierced the heavens arrived from behind, crashing into Seitenkyu.
"King of the Eastern Seas, how dare you!" Luo Hao's shout was like a crack of thunder!
But the response she received was a warning from her own mind. She instinctively turned the golden Buddha palm upright, just as a ferocious torrent of atomic lightning flooded her vision.
The ceaseless atomic lightning clashed with the ever-proliferating golden torrent. Even as Luo Hao pushed her Authority to its absolute limit, she detected a flash of light from the future—a sword light that could even tear apart a Vajrapani.
—The Granting of Death, Excalibur Unsheathed!
A more sacred gold tore through the golden Buddha palm before her. The light, with its remaining power, sliced through the palace complex behind Luo Hao as well. And amidst this shattered creation, a single figure stood tall.
The fusion of motion and stillness was declared here. In the torrent of this spiraling vortex, the figure shining with golden light was like a star on the earth. His posture was so light, yet the sound of thunder followed in his wake.
The Seventh Myth-Slayer, and the one rumored to have defeated the most ancient Demon King, Voban, a junior with the qualifications to contend for the title of the strongest Myth-Slayer.
And the second person, after herself, to have slain a Heretic God with their own power.
"Under normal circumstances, I might have welcomed you, junior. But you should not have come to disturb the battle between myself and that cunning monkey, King of the Eastern Seas, Seiya."
But Seiya's only response was a faint, indecipherable chuckle.
With a single thought, the sky filled with a marvelous, overflowing light. An infinite number of Pegasus Meteors shot towards Luo Hao, she who called herself the strongest.
This was a Saint's combat technique, almost unassailable from the perspective of gaining the initiative. But what if one could first perceive all of the enemy's attacks? Luo Hao was just such a person. The moment she opened her mouth, a shockwave turned the land before her into a wasteland.
The next moment, she vanished before everyone's eyes. Only Seiya could see the spatial afterimage. Luo Hao's Divine Speed had reached the pinnacle of perfection. On this land, her movements were completely unrestricted! The moment she activated it, the six directions were hers to command.
—Shukuchi-ho: Divine Speed. This was a movement art that high-level sorcerers of the Western Continent had to learn, but ordinary sorcerers would need time, money, and a massive expenditure of spiritual power to use it. But Luo Hao had trained it to the point where she could travel the world with a mere thought.
The phantom of the Vajrapani guardian, once torn apart by the holy sword, materialized before Seiya again, glaring with fury! But Seiya, ignoring it as if it were nothing, raised his leg and struck horizontally to his right.
An explosive shockwave swept across the entire battlefield as palm and leg collided. Luo Hao, who had appeared there, was forced to block his right leg with both her palms. Her expression instantly changed. The Mighty Vajra divine art she had channeled into her body, powerful enough to move mountains and fill seas, had failed to completely dissipate this immense, irresistible force! A tearing power penetrated her protective aura and golden armor, striking straight into her lower abdomen!
"Hmph!" Luo Hao grunted, a savage grin spreading across her face! She stomped her feet hard on the ground, unmovable as a mountain, forcibly channeling the terrifying force into the earth beneath her! The ground within a hundred-meter radius abruptly collapsed! Before the dust could settle, she had already closed the distance again like a phantom, her jade palm, containing the power to shatter mountains, striking towards his chest with even greater ferocity!
In sheer close-quarters combat, she feared no opponent!
It was at this very moment that a violent torrent of elements erupted from beneath their feet, even piercing through the sky.
The whole of Tochigi Prefecture could hear that laughter. It was like welcome rain after a long drought, like a hero who had stolen a nation reclaiming his dominion—a vast, open-hearted laugh that came from the depths of the soul.
That figure, illuminated by the sun, moon, and stars, would remain frozen in legend for millennia to come.
"Take a taste of Old Sun's staff!"
______
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