Chapter 38: Wrath of the Godslayer
"Endless death...?" Renia repeated Sol's threat just as a foreboding feeling captivated the area surrounding the mercenaries using demigod powers.
"What have we gotten ourselves into?" One of the women among the mercenaries shrieked as she felt death come knocking, her bones quivered, fear became physically present amongst them, and any hope of breathing in the next few minutes became the distant dream of an impossible future.
The leader drew his sword and rushed outside terrified of whatever awaited him, but at the same time still brave enough to try and prevent his fate.
And following him were three more who had yet to lose the will to move their legs.
"Bastaaard!!" The man shouted waving his sword as he searched for Sol. "Show yourself!"
[Activated cursed blade]
[All magic in this area has been completely sealed]
The system announced, and the man watched horrified as his sword lost its cursed property and became normal again, and then Sol appeared in his peripheral.
"Wh-"
[Divinity lv1 has been pushed to its maximum capability, calculating appropriate consequence-]
[Error]
[Divinity has leveled up]
[Divinity has leveled up]
"A..." The mercenary leader stared at Sol at a loss of words, this was not what he had signed up for a month ago, this thing was not human, it was no god, it was a pure devil with the evilest intent, Sol's appearance was nightmarish as he walked toward them, the air around him burned and reformed, it bent and contorted and swirled, magic particles in the atmosphere became a visible spectacle of blue and crimson that was being absorbed so quickly that it was being drained faster than the Arkadian soil could reproduce it.
"W-what am I witnessing?" Renia's hand shook and sweat dripped down her forehead. "Chaos magic, destruction magic, death magic, calamity, draconic magic, time and space... He keeps evolving right in front of my eyes!"
"Stop, stay away from me!" The mercenary shrieked and turned to run, but on the opposite side he saw Sol as well, and then more in the other corners as well, the wagon and everyone else was completely surrounded by them.
[You can lament on your sins in a hell you made me create just for you!]
All of the Sols spoke in tandem causing the air to erupt in magic.
The others that were in the tent were dragged out and thrown down before the four bravest, and while this happened the original Sol stood in front of Ikaris with his hand extended toward them, his eyes burned crimson, and his teeth gnashed sparks, causing even his own goddess to seem sheepish in his presence.
She had never once seen Sol Vestic this enraged, she knew of his endless potential for growth, but his powers had risen three times the potency in a matter of seconds just because of his emotions getting the better of him, it was scary.
[The Godslayer has read your memories using; sandman]
[The Godslayer has cursed you with immortality]
[The Godslayer has cursed your flesh and soul with hypersensitivity]
[The Godslayer has cursed your soul to suffer mortal pain]
[Your soul has been forfeit]
[Lamentation awaits]
[Hell awaits]
Sol balled his fists and created a hundred foot wide sphere around the mercenaries and his clones who continued to morph into more pure demonic entities shedding the last of their humanoid appearances, gaining extra limbs, extra heads and multiple weapon-like appendages as they began mercilessly attacking the mercenaries, tearing them apart with roars and cackles of sadistic delight as their screams and cries arose.
[Clockwork]
Sol murmured casting the sphere into a hyper dimension where time passed five times slower.
[Breath of chaos]
He squeezed his fists tighter mimicking chaos magic and draconic magic, causing the inside of the sphere to ignite with swirling chaos fire that burned and shredded against everything it touched.
[Collapse]
Sol clasped his hands together and the ground began to tremble, slowly the earth beneath the sphere opened up, revealing magma that poured into the sphere as it slowly sunk, and then he shut the hole and took a deep breath.
[Now suffer for the rest of eternity]
"...Master?" Ikaris watched him slowly turn to her. "Are you okay?" She observed his appearance change and reform to human once more.
"Ikaris, forgive me," Sol fell at her feet and pressed his forehead against her abdomen. "This all happened because of my carelessness, and my selfishness," He admitted, and she hesitated to reply to his claim.
"Sol, it was my-"
"If I hadn't made you promise to not harm anyone you could have protected yourself, but instead you were subjected that bastard's touch," He spoke up again, and Ikaris went quiet; indeed he was right, she felt defiled and unworthy of him now that someone else had touched her; such was the devotion the goddess held for him.
"Um..." Renia cleared her throat and announced her approach while staring at the wagon that stood by itself. "If you wish to, and are not opposed to it I am sure the pantheon would-"
Before she could even finish speaking, Sol took Ikaris's hand and vanished. "Well, it was worth a try, at least." She chuckled nervously as the revelation of her and the pantheon's situation became apparent: Sol was a human who had gained divinity through Ikaris's blessing, foregoing the stage of demigod completely.
Sol was already more powerful than eighty percent of the pantheon, this most recent feat proved that he could wipe out half of them within a single breath, and he was appaently capable of getting stronger whenever he lost his composure as seen with Psiko, Diablos, and now those unfortunate basards.
Then what could be said of the one who bestowed that power onto him?
Just how mush stronger was Ikaris who by his own words was infinitely stronger than he was, what kind of fate would befall the gods of Arkadia if they managed to enrage the goddess of that abomination?
[The pantheon is in shock]
[He was treating the gods themselves as a side-quest] Dr'ul chuckled with herself, closing the window and sitting down.
Within the span of two hours, Sol had managed to shock her more than she could ever care to admit, it was fascinating. [He learned Diablos's divine power after being hit once with it, what in the stars is he?] She asked with a growing smile and blush, squirming in her throne and caressing her sword as her imagination took over.
[Hnn~ I truly wish to battle you, Sol Vestic~!] She moaned in delight.
Back in the camp, their numbers had been cut in half, with the entire army being strengthened by general Grim and Han's leadership buffs they were still completely overrun by enemies using artifacts and demigod-tier abiliies, though most of them were half-assed they proved the gap in power between regular soldiers and those blessed with godlike strength; Had the general and commanders not been there it would have been a complete disaster.
Several hours had now passed, and he bloody night was starting to get washed away with the life of daylight.
"Give me that," Eris reached for a small glass vial from her assisting medic, drinking it and sighing when the blue liquid replenished her mana.
"Lady Eris, that is your third bottle, you should stop and rest a little," The young man tried stopping her, but Eris defiantly wiped away her sweat and shook her head.
"Look around you Garam, everyone is either passed out from mana overuse or too afraid to even circulate their magic and heal the wounded, it is just you, myself and lady Idria, and I am the only one who can heal and recover someone's mising limb completely," Eris pressed her hand against the wound of the man who was screaming beneath her and wiped the sweat off her forehead again leaving a streak of blood.
"I am the Hero of Healing, this is my duty, so just keep doing your job and find me someone who hasn't bled out."
"...Yes ma'am," Garam sighed and stood.
"I think Eris is the strongest amongst us," Usami sat next to Dina with a sigh.
"How did you come to that conclusion?" Han asked from behind them, his head was wrapped with a tourniquet bloodied after he had been hit over the head with a mace, luckily he was one of the first people Eris healed.
"Look at her, she genuinely cares about every single person here, Ikaris and Sol never even showed up even though they are as strong as the capains and commanders, but Eris was right there in the heart of the battle, she fought like hell and walked out unscathed, Eris is amazing," Usami clutched her spear.
"I agree," Bruce cancelled his shield summon and took a seat next to Han. "That woman is tough... well speak of the devils," He gestured to Sol and Ikaris as they approached from the far side of the camp.
"Where the hell have the two of you been?" Dina snapped at them as soon as they were within hearing distance, but as they drew closer she realised that Ikaris had an expression of worry and underlying trauma, and Sol's arms an torso were covered in blood, he was shirtless, and his armour was missing, but most of all, his expresion promised merciless violence if he was provoked any further.
"What the hell happened to the two of you?" Han asked, devoid of his usual spite he seemed concerned at what he was seeing.
"I need to speak to the General, where is he?"