Marvel: Godhood Unlocked, I Choose Sci-Magic Dual Cultivation

"What do I need to do?"

Dane thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered something.

"How much do you know about ancient Aztec mythology?"

"A little, but not much."

Although Diana worked at a history museum, she knew the most about Greek culture. She knew very little about the Americas.

"But I heard that all the Aztec gods are gone."

Dane's expression turned enigmatic. "Not entirely. At least in this city, there's still one god barely clinging to life."

Most gods in Aztec mythology favored human sacrifice and were no different from evil gods.

To obtain enough sacrificial victims for their gods, the Aztecs launched Crown Wars against neighboring cities to capture prisoners for sacrifice.

Such a detestable civilization naturally vanished quickly, along with those gods who loved human sacrifice. Lacking faith, they too faded away.

Yet one god had survived to this day. It was hiding somewhere in Los Angeles, waiting to rise again.

It was the ancient Aztec god of death—Mictlantecuhtli.

It now lived beneath a pork slaughterhouse, surviving by absorbing the energy of dead animals.

Even so, Mictlantecuhtli still possessed a certain amount of power.

In the original story, it had even killed five demons on its own. Though badly wounded afterward, that was still an impressive feat.

Dane had always wanted to forge an artifact of his own.

He already had the materials needed to make one, but he still lacked something crucial—a divine spark.

A divine spark could bless an artifact and grant it power akin to laws.

Wonder Woman's Divine Shield was that kind of artifact. So long as the shield remained intact, the person behind it would not be harmed.

Even shooting her in the foot would be useless.

But now, Dane might have a chance to acquire a divine spark. The god of death's divine spark was his for the taking!

For justice, even the god of death had to die!

Now, This Is What You Call Thorough

"Are you sure that 'god' is staying in a place like this?"

Diana looked at the neatly arranged frozen pork in the slaughterhouse and covered her nose in discomfort.

This place smelled awful.

She thought that even at his lowest point, Ares would never stay in a dump like this.

"Mictlantecuhtli is a god of death. It needs death energy to sustain its life."

Dane tossed out a ball of light and had it follow the two of them automatically, lighting their way.

"Ordinarily, the place it should be staying is a primitive shamanistic tribe."

Death energy was not produced merely by the presence of corpses. It could only arise from the complete process of a life going from living to dead.

In other words, worshiping this god of death required an act of murder, whether deliberate or accidental.

"But pure-blooded Aztecs have basically been wiped out."

"There are no followers of its left on this land. It cannot rely on human sacrifices from believers to restore its power."

"It can only obtain a negligible amount of death energy in a place like this, enough to maintain the bare minimum of vitality."

Slaughtering pigs was an unmistakable act of killing, and it involved the complete process of life becoming death, fulfilling this god of death's sacrificial ritual.

But the death energy produced by humans could not compare to that produced by animals. It was like someone who once feasted on meat and fish now surviving on nothing but porridge.

This god of death was likely weaker now than at any other point in its history.

Dane sensed where the death energy was most concentrated and stood above it. He glanced at Diana.

"I'm not very skilled with dark magic, so we can only barge in and fight."

Diana gave a dashing smile. "Just what I wanted!"

Dane smiled and began chanting.

"Mictlantecuhtli, god who governs bones, the gate to the spirit realm, and the beginning of death, open your gates here."

No matter how destitute Mictlantecuhtli had become, it was still a god of death. Its residence was hidden within an illusory realm between life and death.

Just as The Rock of Eternity was concealed in a dimension beyond time and space, outsiders could not enter without the owner's permission.

Normally, after being reduced to this state, one would at least be somewhat cautious.

But aside from fighting one another, Aztec gods rarely had experience dealing with outside enemies.

Thus, when the god of death Mictlantecuhtli heard Dane's incantation, its first thought was actually to blame him for failing to offer sacrifices.

Then Dane and Diana discovered that an unfamiliar magic circle had suddenly lit up beneath their feet.

The enraged god of death was summoning them.

It seemed to have mistaken them for some of its few surviving followers.

Dane and Diana exchanged a glance, both unsure whether to laugh or cry. This god did not seem very bright.

"What now?" Diana had already equipped her artifacts.

Dane kept it simple. "We go down and cut it down!"

The moment he spoke, the magic circle cracked apart like crumbling tofu.

At the same time, the floor tiles split open, revealing a pitch-black pit leading straight underground.

They did not resist gravity's pull and simply plunged into the abyss.

Before long, they spotted a dim yellow light source below.

Both had excellent eyesight, and they saw a heap of animal carcasses directly beneath them.

Dane took Diana's hand and flew her over the pile of corpses.

There were no clouds or lightning here for her to grab onto, so flying was rather inconvenient for her.

"It smells even worse down here!"

Diana covered her nose, her delicate face nearly scrunching into a ball.

The corpses here had been left for quite some time.

They did not rot, but the stench of blood was so thick it could not dissipate, harshly assaulting the nose.

If Superman had been here, the smell would have knocked him unconscious on the spot.

Dane looked around and found that this place resembled an altar.

The animal corpses piled in the center were the offerings.

"How did you find me?"

In the darkness, a pair of huge yellow eyes lit up. Judging by the position of those eyes, its body was extremely tall.

The creature asked again, "How did you find me?"

Dane turned to Diana. "Ladies first?"

Diana proudly raised her chin, gripping her round shield in her left hand and drawing the Sword of Vulcan with her right.

Only then did the god of death Mictlantecuhtli realize something was wrong.

"Wait, you aren't mortals!"

"I am Diana, daughter of Zeus, king of the gods. Heretical evil god, face me in battle!"

Feeling deceived, Mictlantecuhtli roared in fury, "Damn heathen god, die!"

It opened its mouth and spewed flames, which spread outward and instantly engulfed where Diana and Dane stood.

Yet the next moment, Diana's battle cry echoed through the altar.

A figure burst from the flames, and the round shield smashed straight into the god of death's face, sending it flying!

Though Mictlantecuhtli stood over three meters tall, it was little more than skin and bones.

That collision nearly scattered its bones apart.

Diana had honor. She did not press her advantage, instead standing where she was and waiting for the god of death to recover.

As a proud Amazon warrior, she would not ruthlessly kill an opponent she recognized while they were unarmed. That was not battle. That was slaughter.

"Take up your weapon and fight me fairly!"

Mictlantecuhtli flew into a rage. "You have some nerve!"

It spat out a burst of firelight, and a crudely made Obsidian Spear appeared in its grasp.

Dane's eyes flashed. He sensed an intense concentration of death energy from that spear, along with a portion of the power of a divine spark.

That unremarkable spear was an artifact!

Instead of being alarmed, Diana laughed. She swung the Sword of Vulcan once and charged forward.

The god of death's fighting style was broad and forceful. Despite its enormous body, its footwork was exceptionally nimble.

Diana, meanwhile, was highly skilled. After joining the Justice League, she often sparred with Dane...

Superman was weak against magic, and his technique was nothing special either.

Besides, he spent every day basking in the sun, so he grew stronger by the day. He often relied on wild, clumsy punches to contend with Diana, and she had no interest in practicing with him.

The death energy gathered around the obsidian spearhead also made Diana wary. Fortunately, the Divine Shield was as unshakable as a fortress, protecting her completely.

Relying on its size advantage, the god of death gained the upper hand for a while.

But soon, having adapted to its rhythm, Diana began to counterattack.

The Sword of Vulcan flashed with icy brilliance as it clashed against the Obsidian Spear. Mictlantecuhtli could not withstand the force.

Startled, it swiftly pulled away from its opponent. But with Diana's battlefield instincts, how could she possibly give it time to react?

She raised her shield again and knocked aside the spear's thrust. Then, with lightning speed, she swung the Sword of Vulcan and severed one of the god of death's lower legs.

That lower leg was thicker than an adult man's thigh, yet as it flew through the air, it seemed weightless.

Having lost a lower leg, the god of death immediately lost its balance. It instinctively used its spear as a crutch to support itself.

That was exactly the moment Diana had been waiting for. She adjusted her stance and thrust her sword straight at its eye.

But Mictlantecuhtli had some quick wits. It opened its huge mouth, spewing raging flames that engulfed Diana again.

"You're really using the same move twice?"

Diana's disappointed voice came from within the flames, and the god of death froze.

Within the firelight, Diana used her shield to block the torrent of flames and advanced step by step.

The god of death could not help backing away, a trace of fear rising in its heart.

Just as it tried to swing its spear, a flash of cold light filled its vision.

Then came a sharp pain in its jaw, as though the top of its skull had been ripped open.

If Dane knew that was what it thought, he would have sincerely told it that it was not merely as though—the top of its skull had truly been split open.

Diana's Sword of Vulcan had already pierced Mictlantecuhtli's head, passing through its jaw and straight out the crown.

Now, that was what you called thorough!

Batman: I. Am. Super Rich.

Diana pulled out the Sword of Vulcan. The god of death Mictlantecuhtli's eyes had already lost their light.

Without the Sword of Vulcan supporting it, its massive body collapsed to the ground.

"Is it dead already?" Diana sounded dissatisfied. It had not been nearly satisfying enough.

Dane walked over to inspect the god of death's corpse and shook his head: