Standing in the middle of the swamp, surrounded by the quietness of the murky lands, Bubastis stood in front of an alligator that had been slain.
"...Forgive me." She whispered, though she wasn't sure if the apology was meant for the creature, the swamp itself, or the goddess she was about to call.
Bubastis knelt down and dipped her fingers into the alligator's blood, letting it coat her palms.
"This is enough." She murmured, knowing what she was invoking.
Ningikuga, the Goddess of Swamps.
The Mother of Murk.
The one who slept beneath the wetlands, dreaming in the darkness under the earth.
Most creatures of the swamp prayed to her from a distance, but no one sane called her directly.
Though Bubastis had no choice.
Not after hearing about how Sasobek slew a god and obtained the title, 'Heavenly King.' She needed such power in order to defeat him.
Someone had to do something.
And she was the only one with the bloodline capable of this, thanks to her nature as a Divine Beast.
Bubastis drew a shaky breath and pressed her bloody hand into the mud.
All of a sudden, the swamp started changing as bubbles rose to the surface of countless puddles around her.
"By the waters that drown. By the roots that choke. By the darkness that devours the forgotten..." The mud beneath her hand started to glow green as she continued. "I offer blood... in exchange for your summoning!"
The swamp reacted almost instantly as a deep rumbling came from below, vibrating up her bones. The water started rippling violently around her as the Goddess of Swamps was finally waking up.
"...Ningikuga!" She called out. "Come forth!"
The swamp suddenly became quiet as a shape slowly rose from the mud in front of her. Quite humanoid, it appeared as a towering silhouette made of shifting mud and moss. Their eyes opened in the darkness, glowing gold.
"Ah, the Blessed of Bubastis... why do you disturb my slumber?"
Bubastis stepped forward, furrowing her brows.
"I've come to challenge you to a duel, Ningikuga."
The muddy goddess, awake after so long, widened her makeshift eyes in disbelief.
"...Pwa ha ha! Have you gone insane, perhaps?? To challenge a Goddess, is to challenge Divine Authority itself."
"I'm well aware of that." Said Bubastis, unsheathing her Kopesh. "But I will take the title of Heavenly King and use it to my advantage. Then I will slay down Sasobek, the tyrant."
"Ahh, so that is your goal, hm?" The muddy figure smiled, almost menacingly. "You wish to achieve the Heavenly King title for the sake of slaying another." Ningikuga chuckled. "How foolish! Even if you were blessed by Bubastis, I still have Divine Authority. I'm leagues beyond your power."
With Divine Authority being a governing principle that defined how existence behaves, it would be foolish to slay a god. If Ningikuga, the Goddess of swamps, were to die, then the concept of swamps as a whole would die alongside her.
Divine Framework was global and retroactive. The world would not merely lose its swamps, but it would realize it never had them—causing swamps to never exist, history to rewrite itself, and making species dependent on swamps 'paradoxed.'
"You're just a lesser Authority! Nothing in comparison to the Primordial Gods." Said Bubastis, furrowing her brows beneath her hood.
The muddy goddess, frowning, lifted her hand as a magic circle came forth.
"You dare?!"
Bubastis, preparing for their attack, analyzed the goddess carefully, understanding her strength and power. One mistake would mean certain death.
The magic circle in front of Ningikuga's hand completed itself with a dull glow as the ground beneath Bubastis suddenly opened.
"Abyssal Mire!"
Bubastis felt muddy hands wrap around her legs and sink her into the ground. First her waist, then her ribs. It swallowed all light, sound, and resistance alike, and struggling only hastened her demise.
"Pwa ha ha, how fragile!" Ningikuga shouted. "Even the Blessed struggle when the land decides to rest!"
Bubastis clenched her jaw and stopped moving, but all of a sudden, the pressure started to ease.
"...So that's how it is..." Bubastis whispered, closing her eyes. "All Gods use Divine Skills."
She suddenly lifted her arm from the mud, moving it to strike at blinding speeds.
"What?!"
Bubastis silently slashed upward with her kopesh, carving a crescent through the swamp, and the goddess's stomach.
"Gaaaah??!"
The Blessed of Bubastis tore herself free before jumping out of the hole as the Goddess of Swamps held her muddy stomach in disbelief.
"You injured me? How is this possible?!"
"As I said, you're a lower authority."
There was something known as a hierarchy of the Gods. Lower Divine Authorities, Major Divine Authorities, and Primordial Divine Authorities.
Each God was ranked, with the creator of a mythology being the highest known Authority, usually referred to as Creator Gods, or Primordials.
Ningikuga was at the lowest in this hierarchy.
"...Tsk! I won't be beaten by a lowly mortal like you!"
With complete control over the swamp, and the ability to enforce her desires into the world with Divine Skills, Ningikuga cast a magic circle.
"World-Rot Invasion!"
All of a sudden, a wave of blackened water erupted outward, dissolving the terrain and spells alike as though they were already overdue for decay.
Everything was forced into aging.
Everything it touched would experience centuries of degradation in a mere second, leaving behind nothing but sludge.
But Bubastis was not so easily defeated.
Dashing forward, she jumped over the spell and lifted her Kopesh blade. With elegant maneuvering, she slashed at lightning speeds.
"Claw of Ninefold Execution!"
With a single, elegant swipe, Bubastis released nine overlapping slashes of divine force, each one striking a different layer of her existence.
Flesh, Bones, Atoms, Willpower, Mind, Soul, Aura, Resistance, and Essence. No defense could block all nine, and even survival guaranteed permanent loss, as something essential is always left behind in the wake of this Divine skill.
Ningikuga's body split unevenly as layers of her existence were torn apart. Mud and moss scattered everywhere as the Divine Beast's Golden eyes stared her down.
"Ugaaaaahhh!"
Her torso caved inward with peat and sludge spilling where blood should have been. A normal person would have died instantly, but instead of that, a new muddy figure took her place. A clone perhaps.
Mud surged together with the swamp itself flowing upward, creating a new Ningikuga.
"Ahhh, much better." She smiled at her recovery. "Did you honestly think that would be enough to kill me?"
Bubastis furrowed her brows.
"...You changed bodies at the last second."
"Bwa ha ha! That's right! I can freely move my essence into other clones of myself! You will never find the real me!"
She lifted her hand.
"Stillwater Oath!"
Bubastis turned to face Ningikuga and tried to advance, but her muscles refused. Her blade felt weightless—then meaningless—as the intent behind her strike unraveled.
"...So that's your answer to everything, huh? Restraining me like a coward?"
Ningikuga smiled before taking a single step forward. Thus, everything around her collapsed inwards. Roots and mud slammed against Bubastis as if she were a black hole attracting the entire swamp itself. Pressure crushed her from every side, driving her to one knee as her bones cracked beneath the force.
"I will end you here."
Bubastis felt her vision blur and her limbs tremble. A deep, unbearable exhaustion pressed into her chest. Stillwater Oath was a skill that caused an overwhelming urge to kneel, rest, or simply lie down and stop struggling.
"...No!"
Bubastis whispered, gritting her teeth
"Not yet!"
She forced herself upright, shocking the Goddess of Swamps to her core.
"W-What?! That's not possible!"
"You're part of a Lower Authority! Lady Bastet ranks above you, and so should I!"
Ningikuga widened her muddy eyes.
"Since when did Divine Beasts obtain the power to rebel against Divine Authority of any kind?! I refuse to believe this!!"
For the first time since Ningikuga had awakened, the wetlands did not immediately obey her will. Bubastis stood tall with her kopesh still raised, defying the Lower Divine Authority.
"I will cut you down for good!"
"Shut your mouth!"
Ningikuga raised both hands to the sky, constructing a massive magic circle.
"This will be your grave!"
"Hnnn??" Bubastis looked to the sky and widened her eyes.
"Blackwater Calamity!"
A sphere of lightless swamp water formed above the battlefield before falling downward in a crushing deluge. Bubastis prepared for the inevitable, wielding her Kopesh blade with both hands, but it was no use.
Anything caught within the spell was subjected to overwhelming pressure and the sensation of being buried alive beneath an ocean, corroding their flesh all the way down to the bone.
Pressure crushed in from every direction, bending her spine and forcing the breath from her lungs. The water felt like it was burning her in a corrosive fashion and with the power of divine smiting.
Even her kopesh nearly slipped from her grasp as she was thrashed around in the collision, flowing through the swamp on its waves.
"Ghnnn...!"
It was a miracle she was even alive, nearly losing her consciousness as Ningikuga laughed.
"Bwa ha ha! What a fitting end for a fool! You stood no chance against me, Bubastis. Even if you can defy Divine Authority, I'm still more experienced than you will ever be."