Chapter Forty-One: "You Are Guilty" (Original) / Chapter Forty-Two: "Tower of Babel" (Original~) ...

Faced with Marquis Voban's killing move, he had no choice but to use the sixth ability of Divine Right—Sword of Judgment!

"Who can compare with this 'Beast'? Who can fight against it?"

He recited another new Word Spirit...

Chapter Forty-One: "You Are Guilty" (Original)

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"Who can compare with this 'Beast'? Who can fight against it?"

This Word Spirit, which sounded like a question and answer with himself, came from the Revelation. It proclaimed to the world that the only one who could fight Satan's red dragon, the 'Beast' opposing Christ, was the supreme archangel, Michael.

A blood-red longsword resembling a cross was held in Roy's hand. It looked exactly like the one depicted in the countless statues and murals of Michael in churches. Surging Magic Power gathered along the blade. It was the sword that judged sin.

"You are guilty!!"

Roy raised the longsword and pointed its tip at the enormous wolf's head in the sky, passing judgment upon it!

The Sword of Judgment was an object for judging sinners. If it judged the earth guilty, it could cleave the earth apart; if it judged the sky guilty, it could tear the sky asunder.

This ability forcibly assigned a crime to its enemy. Whether material or conceptual, organic or inorganic, everything could be judged guilty and split apart. What could be condemned depended entirely on Roy's understanding and the amount of Magic Power he infused into it.

Concepts such as "time" and "the world" were completely beyond Roy's ability to sever with his current Magic Power and understanding. But if it was merely one of Marquis Voban's abilities, he could tear it into two.

"Awooooooooooo—"

The wolf's head above the sky finally stopped expanding after reaching a diameter of one hundred meters. It was an enormous wolf-shaped skull, completely different from the werewolf Marquis Voban had transformed into earlier. Roy had no doubt that if Marquis Voban unleashed this ability with all his might, its range would be enough to cover an entire city.

However, an ultra-wide-area ability like this became weaker when facing a Campione or a Disobedient God. That was why the marquis had compressed the wolf's range to a few hundred meters, increasing its power by compressing Magic Power.

If that wolf's head fell, this entire district would certainly be reduced to dust.

"Brat, let me, your senior, teach you what manners are! Devour everything, Doomsday Wolf!"

The enormous wolf-shaped skull opened its great maw. A black hole seemed to be hidden within it, and terrifying suction burst from its mouth. The surrounding high-rises broke into fragments and were sucked into the wolf's jaws. Even the asphalt, trees, and telephone poles were torn out by their roots and drawn into that 'black hole.'

People on the streets screamed in terror, but in the face of Marquis Voban's overwhelming ability, human resistance was meaningless. They could only be swept into the sky like ants and turned into nourishment for the wolf's head.

Roy exerted himself and discovered that the terrifying suction was pulling him in place, making it difficult for him to move. As the wolf's head descended, his Campione instincts made his hair stand on end. He believed that if he were sucked inside, he would be reduced to ashes and completely pulverized.

"Doomsday Wolf? The 'Fenrir' from Norse Mythology that devoured Odin? The Council of Sages never recorded Marquis Voban having this ability. Did he succeed in killing a god somewhere no one noticed, then never use the ability afterward?"

Although Roy was somewhat surprised that Marquis Voban had used an ability he knew nothing about, he felt no fear. The wolf's head symbolizing Ragnarok had already been judged 'guilty' by him!

The Sword of Judgment could judge only one thing guilty each day. But once something had been judged guilty, the cross-shaped longsword could easily cut apart the 'sinner' upon contact. In Roy's view, this ability was more like the power to alter 'priority.' Before this sword, strength made no difference, because it could manipulate 'order.' It was like a mortal's gun being able to slay the Son of God. Before 'order,' everything was as thin as brittle paper—even a feather could easily kill a human.

However, this ability also had major flaws. First, Roy could alter only one priority each day. Second, he had to make close contact to cut his opponent apart. If Aiwass's Pandora's Dark Festival could improve it, then this ability would have tremendous room for evolution.

The enormous, terrifying wolf's head descended from the sky. It swallowed the sun and plunged everything into the darkness of dusk. If it reached the ground, all of Tokyo would probably be wiped clean.

Roy took a deep breath. He gripped the longsword and beat his wings, just as depicted in the sacred murals of churches. The angel charged toward the demon king without hesitation, then used the longsword in his hand to cleave the demon king apart!

"Receive judgment, wolf of Ragnarok! This is the sword of condemnation!"

Roy's body rushed to the wolf's mouth. Just as the terrifying suction within reached its peak, the cross-shaped longsword in his hand flashed red and came slashing down.

"Shraaak—"

It sounded like silk being torn apart.

"Aaaaaaaaaah—"

Marquis Voban's mournful scream followed. From top to bottom, the Fenrir skull capable of devouring the gods was neatly split in two by Roy.

The enormous wolf's head and its black-hole-like suction vanished, saving this district of Tokyo. But in that brief instant, countless people in the district had already perished.

The angel and werewolf continued fighting and destroying everything around them, like a war taking place within Tokyo itself. From inside the torn Fenrir skull, Marquis Voban, once again transformed into a werewolf, emerged and crashed heavily onto the earth.

A deep bloody gash ran from the werewolf's head to his abdomen. However, Roy's Sword of Judgment had not severed him completely. His sword had split 'Fenrir,' not the Greedy Wolf Pack. Without the support of an ability, the sword in Roy's hand was merely an extraordinarily sharp divine weapon. It was still difficult for him to kill Marquis Voban's werewolf body with it alone.

Although his muscles had been torn open, Marquis Voban's werewolf body possessed astonishing regenerative power. After spraying out a sheet of blood, the ripped muscles began slowly knitting back together.

"Brat, you've truly enraged me!"

The werewolf howled at the sky. In an instant, the heavens were covered by boundless dark clouds. Wind, rain, and thunder roared together. The fierce winds and torrential rain mingled with the lightning spewed from the werewolf's mouth, becoming nature's furious roar and recreating the calamity of ancient mythology.

This was the same signature ability Marquis Voban used in his werewolf form, an ability the Council of Sages called Gale and Tempest. It was said to have been seized after he killed the three-in-one Wind Master, Rain Master, and Thunder Duke of Korea. Roy had always suspected that those gods should actually have belonged to the Ancient Eastern Kingdom, but in the end he could only marvel at the world's foremost nation for managing to alter mythology through shameless fabrication.

Roy relaxed his right hand, and the cross-shaped longsword vanished. Even without an ability attached, that sword was a powerful Divine Artifact. But Roy had nothing to do with the title of "Sword Saint." He knew no sword techniques and could not become the Sword Saint of Avalon, so he might as well remain the Fist Emperor.

"Moses Parts the Sea!"

He raised his left hand, turned it into a blade, and swung it down with force. The palm force capable of splitting the sea directly parted the raging wind and rain, creating a clear space between himself and Marquis Voban like the calm after a storm.

Roy activated Divine Speed and shot through that clear space to Marquis Voban's side.

"Brat, you're courting death!"

The werewolf Marquis Voban opened his sharp teeth and viciously bit at Roy.

"Ten Plagues Coercion!"

Roy suddenly pulled back his fist, changing from offense to defense. This was the only defensive counterattack among Jacob's Ladder...

Chapter Forty-Two: "Tower of Babel" (Original~)

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In the Bible, Moses led the chosen people across the Red Sea toward the Land of Canaan. God had once coerced the pharaoh of Egypt with the 'Ten Plagues,' making him witness the greatness of God.

Roy had incorporated this Biblical story into Jacob's Ladder. The essence of this move lay not in the 'Ten Plagues,' but in 'coercion.' It was the divine wrath that threatened the pharaoh of Egypt: if he prevented the Israelites from going to Canaan, disasters would descend upon him.

The beastly instincts of both a Campione and a wolf allowed Marquis Voban to sense the danger hidden within Roy's move. At the instant his fangs were about to bite Roy's arm, he stopped just in time. He had a premonition that if he completed the bite, he would indeed injure Roy, but he himself would suffer the curse of the 'Ten Plagues' in retaliation and receive even more serious injuries.

Seeing Marquis Voban stop at the critical moment, Roy could not help admiring his opponent's combat instincts and experience. His plan to exchange a minor injury for a major one had failed. Roy immediately changed from defense to offense, transforming Ten Plagues Coercion into Abraham Sacrifices His Son!

Two fingers shot out like they were piercing tofu, punching through the fur of Marquis Voban's werewolf body and stabbing a bloody circular hole through his chest.

The pain drove Marquis Voban mad once again. Blinding lightning erupted around him, connecting with the thunder beneath the dark clouds. Amid booming thunder, it struck toward Roy like a Heavenly Tribulation.

Roy rapidly activated his Divine Speed and dodged the lightning at a speed faster than the bolts themselves. Even so, one bolt struck his body. The pain and numbness made him grunt, but he endured it and quickly closed in on Marquis Voban again. His hands shifted between palms, fists, fingers, and blades as he engaged the marquis in close combat.

With the perfect control granted by Lord of Light, Roy moved and shifted within an extremely narrow range, like a butterfly weaving through flowers or a bee's stinger. Appearing alternately to the left and right, he fought Marquis Voban at close quarters with the power of Jacob's Ladder.

The marquis struggled to defend himself and repeatedly unleashed furious roars. Under Roy's near-constant storm of attacks, scarcely a part of his body remained uninjured. Wounds covered him everywhere.

Roy did not dare retreat from Marquis Voban. Otherwise, if he fell into the marquis's Gale and Tempest, he would lose his mobility. As long as the marquis used this weather-controlling ability to wear him down, Roy would soon be unable to continue and would meet his defeat.

Only close combat with Marquis Voban could prevent Gale and Tempest from trapping him. At the same time, because the two were so close, the hurricanes and lightning could not unleash their full power, allowing Roy to fight with ease.

Moreover, Roy had discovered that Marquis Voban relied entirely on the instincts of a Campione and a beast in battle. He was not particularly skilled in human techniques, giving Roy an opportunity.

More than two hundred years ago, when Marquis Voban was still an ordinary person, he had been neither a magician nor a powerful knight or martial artist. He possessed no particular talent in either field, and the only thing he could fight with was his abilities.

Roy had never trained in swordsmanship or fist techniques either, but Jacob's Ladder had directly granted him insight into the 'pinnacle of martial arts.'

Compared to Sect Master Luo Hao and Salvatore, two extraordinarily talented people who had already been masters of sword and palm techniques before becoming Campiones, Roy's insight was somewhat lacking. But it was more than enough to bully Marquis Voban.

After a fierce assault, Roy temporarily stopped his body, which had been constantly darting about with Divine Speed. He needed time to recover some of his expended stamina.

In his battle with Marquis Voban, he seemed to have the upper hand, but Roy knew he could not keep fighting for long. He had to end the battle quickly. Marquis Voban was not merely a punching bag, either. From time to time, he counterattacked by exchanging wounds for wounds. Roy had a wound across his abdomen torn open by the werewolf's claws, which he had forcefully sealed with Magic Power to stop the bleeding.

The battles between Campiones were contests in the allocation and application of Magic Power and abilities. Just like with Roy's Jacob's Ladder, every punch and palm strike he made consumed Magic Power. Once his Magic Power ran out, he would be unable to use the ability.

The total amount of Magic Power possessed by Campiones did not differ greatly. How to distribute limited Magic Power among different combinations of abilities to achieve victory was the most important thing to consider in a battle between Campiones.

"Brat, your fighting style reminds me of that old nemesis of mine. This is truly the fighting method I hate most!"

Marquis Voban, still in werewolf form, was panting somewhat like Roy. Their previous battle had been a clash of blows, and although it had not lasted long, both had fought explosively.

"Are you referring to that Five Prison Sect Master from the East, Marquis?"

Roy did not need to think to know that the only person whose fighting style resembled his own was the sect master who ruled the Ancient Eastern Kingdom.

At the same time, Roy discovered his greatest weakness: his body was too fragile.

Although Roy was a Campione and his physical strength far surpassed that of ordinary people, among Campiones, his body was truly among the weakest. He was like an assassin in a game with high attack and agility but a frail body. If he were carelessly struck in the head or another vital area, it would kill him outright.

Marquis Voban, on the other hand, was clearly extremely durable. Although Roy's fierce assault had injured him badly, he showed no sign of being unable to continue.

"Hmph! That troublesome woman, of course. But she is indeed my greatest enemy."

Marquis Voban's expression was cold. It was obvious that he had no favorable impression of Sect Master Luo Hao.

"You launched such a fierce assault without testing me first. It seems you can't fight for long."

"I remember that you have killed only two gods: Michael and Metatron. The ability you used in the hotel came from 'Metatron,' while the abilities you're using now should come from 'Michael.' Although I don't know why killing 'Michael' gave you so many abilities, surely they cannot be without limitations. Your fighting style makes it clear that 'time' is your greatest restriction."

·········· support me with flowers······

The voice coming from Marquis Voban's wolf head was savage and cold. He kept his head lowered and did not dare look at Roy's face. After being ambushed earlier, he had already guessed the conditions for Roy's Face of God. During the battle, he had kept his head lowered and relied entirely on instinct to fight.

"I never expected someone as junior as me to receive the attention of an elder like you, Marquis Voban. Should I call that an honor?"

Roy had already steadied his breathing. Every muscle in his body was taut, and he had no intention of saying more to Marquis Voban. He could not waste his precious time on pointless words.

"Brat, you've suddenly become so polite. Is it because you know you're no match for me and want to beg for mercy...? Whether I spare you will depend on my mood!"

Marquis Voban burst into laughter. His wolf body suddenly leaped backward. From the look of it, he actually intended to use a delaying strategy to wear Roy down.

Marquis Voban was a cunning wolf, not a fierce tiger. He did not care about how his fighting style looked. After learning Roy's weakness, he would not foolishly pit his own weakness against his opponent's strength. Even if this delaying tactic damaged the reputation of the oldest demon king, for a cunning wolf, victory was the most important thing.

Roy's heart tightened. These Campiones truly were not easy opponents. Even an ancient demon king could put aside his pride and choose the most correct method of fighting.

"A birdman flying around like a fly is truly troublesome. But, brat, let me show you the foundation possessed by a dying old man!"

Earlier, Roy had relied on his Divine Speed and ability to fly to leave Marquis Voban nowhere to escape, forcing him to fight head-on. Now Marquis Voban used another new ability—Chanted Grimoire!

A strange Grimoire appeared before Marquis Voban. It opened on its own, releasing powerful magic. It was the 'Flight' magic that only high-level magicians could use. Supported by a Campione's Magic Power, Marquis Voban could fly for a long time, granting him control of the air.

When a flat battle on the ground became a three-dimensional battle in the sky, it gave the marquis much more depth and space, allowing him to drag out the battle more easily.

"How could I give you that chance? Marquis, let me show you a fist technique specifically designed to deal with magic!"

Roy once again activated Divine Speed and charged into the sky. Seeing Marquis Voban use a new ability, he was not alarmed but delighted.

It's almost time. The pieces are nearly complete. Once that incredible ability is activated, victory will definitely belong to me!

After closing in on Marquis Voban, Roy's right hand became a claw and viciously clawed at the empty space before the marquis.

The fifth of the seven forms of Jacob's Ladder—Tower of Babel!

Chapter Forty-Three: A Man Should Be Bold

Bible: Genesis recorded that after the Great Flood, God made a covenant with humanity. At that time, everyone in the world spoke the same language and had the same accent.

The people joined together to build a tower that reached heaven. Because they shared a language and worked together, they built the prosperous and beautiful city of Babylon, whose tower pierced the clouds.

However, this act alarmed God. He believed that His oath had been doubted, something He would not permit. Thus, God changed and divided human languages, causing humanity to lose the ability to communicate and scatter in every direction. The Tower of Babel was abandoned halfway through, and humanity thereafter found it difficult to communicate with one another.

This original language was called 'Adam's Tongue.' In mysticism, it possessed powerful symbolic significance. Every word and character in this primordial language could be said to possess magic. It was the language of God, an absolute Word Spirit, and countless magicians pursued 'it.'

Whether Eastern or Western, magic possessed one important element: incantations and Word Spirits. Modern humans recited incantations in various simplified languages to bestow mystery upon them. God's division of language was equivalent to scattering mystery and separating magic, making it impossible for modern humans to display the secrets of the Age of Gods, because humanity had even lost the language needed to cast them.

The fifth form of Jacob's Ladder, Tower of Babel, was Roy infusing this mythological power into his fists and palms, scattering people's hearts and separating magic.

With one claw, Marquis Voban's body suddenly stopped. A series of sounds like bubbles popping came from around his body, and the magic supporting him instantly failed. Even the Grimoire summoned by the marquis through his ability dispersed with a mournful cry.

As the Flight magic failed, Marquis Voban, who was a hundred meters in the air, suddenly lost the ability to 'fly.' His body plunged straight down, producing a whistling sound like a shell falling under the acceleration of gravity.

"Boom—"

A residence beneath him was smashed apart by Marquis Voban's ten-meter-long werewolf body. The earth was cratered by the impact. If Marquis Voban had not been a Campione and activated Greedy Wolf Pack, an ordinary person would have been crushed into meat paste.

"Chanted Grimoire was an ability seized from the evil god Baphomet. It could forcibly take knowledge from magicians and use it for oneself, providing considerable convenience to a marquis who knew no magic... But Marquis, this ability is extremely weak against Campiones and Disobedient Gods. How could mortal magic possibly affect a god?"

"...You possess many abilities, but most of them can only be used to slaughter mortals. How many abilities do you truly have that can be used to fight gods and Campiones?"

"If those are all the abilities you possess, then today, ancient demon king, you shall taste the suffering of being defeated by a newcomer!"

Roy shouted from the sky. He descended like a meteor, enormous Magic Power gathering in his limbs as he crashed into the earth.

The crater Marquis Voban had created exploded again, and the entire surface collapsed inward.

The combination of Jacob's Ladder, Lord of Light, Divine Speed, and the fists of the Bible was Roy's favorite fighting style under normal circumstances. His other abilities were tremendously powerful and could serve as killing moves, but in battle, ordinary attacks posed the greatest threat.

"Arrogant, ignorant brat, let this old man see how long you can last!"