Chapter 408: The Omniscient and Omnipotent Book
From the golden sword, Athena could feel a powerful threat.
So, when the sword she failed to break came slashing at her again, she hurriedly raised her scythe of death to block it.
The moment they collided, Athena's expression shifted slightly once more.
She felt the divine power enveloping her weapon being severed. As a result, the impact of the blow shook her hands so violently that she nearly lost her grip on the scythe, almost sending it flying.
Clang, clang, clang...!
Sparks flew incessantly as their weapons clashed, and Athena found herself struggling more and more.
Previously, with divine power covering her weapon, she could wield the divine artifact steadily, making it feel like an extension of her own body, moving freely.
Now, with her divine power constantly being severed by the opponent, she had to endure the full impact of each strike.
If she failed to hold onto her scythe even for a moment, a single slash from that golden sword could prove fatal.
"There's no mistake. This sword—it's Verethragna's ability, isn't it?"
While parrying, Athena revealed the truth behind the opponent's golden sword.
At the same time, she couldn't understand why the opponent was able to use Verethragna's ability.
The other party was like a human Campione who had slain Verethragna, which is why he could use Verethragna's Authority?
But from Athena's perception, the other party was a Heretic God.
No—when they first met on the street, her senses told her he seemed just like a human.
This left her deeply puzzled: both human and god?
Perhaps it wasn't impossible.
By now, she had a speculation about his origins: he should be the Apocalypse Knight—the Plague Rider—from that Pantheon.
And in the woven myths, she had also heard that the Apocalypse Knight was one of that being's incarnations—a division of his power.
So, for someone to be both human and god, he must also be a Trinity.
Rumors say one of them is human.
Yet it was still somewhat strange. This guy should be tightly watched by Fate, absolutely impossible to be released.
After all, this one is very special.
His related myths have too great an impact on the human world. The myths woven by humanity did not divide his power but instead seemed to strengthen it, which is why Fate keeps a close watch on him.
It could be said that aside from Campiones, most of the magical powers used by mages and knights in the human world today are blessings bestowed by him.
This one can be said to be a myth woven by humanity in their quest for a true guardian, so the woven myths were not meant to restrict his power but to strengthen him for the protection of humanity.
Thus, that woman would absolutely never allow him to descend to the earthly world.
So, if he came to the earthly world, it would have to be as the Apocalypse Knight, right?
But even so, Athena still couldn't understand why he could use Verethragna's power.
"You're mistaken. This isn't Verethragna's Authority—it's my Authority," Renji corrected the goddess before him.
Although the ability he was currently using was indeed identical to Verethragna's, it now belonged entirely to him.
For example, when using this Authority and invoking the spell words, they weren't the same as Verethragna's spell words but his own.
Just like how in different Pantheons, there are gods who govern lightning, right? When using lightning, their invoked spell words are all different, aren't they?
His current situation—seizing others' Authorities to use them himself—was more like that.
In truth, he himself possessed countless Authorities, but they were like unlearned skills, all grayed out.
After slaying other gods and seizing a related skill, he could use it to activate his own skills of the same type.
Of course, this wasn't an ability inherent to the Apocalypse Knight card character but came from fusing with a book given by this world's God of the Bible—the Omniscient and Omnipotent Book.
However, the book he obtained was completely blank, as if everything in it had been erased, and he had to collect it all himself.
"Your Authority? I see," Athena began to understand.
In the woven myths, he possessed omniscient and omnipotent power. It was precisely because of this unique, singular divine nature that he was so tightly watched by that woman.
It was like being imprisoned—sealed tightly by that woman.
For someone hailed as omniscient and omnipotent, being able to use abilities from other Pantheons wasn't strange at all.
However, in Athena's view, there must be limitations.
It wasn't as if he could obtain any ability he desired. If the current opponent were truly omnipotent, wouldn't he be able to defeat her with a single thought?
Not long ago, she had just awakened and sensed Verethragna's descent before leaving. It was likely that he had encountered Verethragna and, through some method, replicated his abilities for his own use.
I see, it must be that book!
She saw it—through the owls fluttering around him—that open book.
It was an almost entirely blank book, and on the opened page was the power of the Authority currently in use.
Come to think of it, when she descended to the mortal realm, back in the divine realm, she had also heard such rumors.
The reason that woman had humans weave such myths was because she, too, attempted to attain omniscience and omnipotence through this method.
Whatever Authority humans wove into their myths for her would be intercepted by that woman.
Later, when Athena was about to descend to the mortal realm, the two sides finally erupted into conflict. That woman resisted forcefully, but the consequences remained unclear.
Because it was precisely due to their conflict that Athena took advantage of the woman's distraction to escape the world of myths and come to the earthly world, all to reclaim her own power.
After arriving in the earthly world, she spent most of her time in slumber to prevent herself from going mad.
After all, as a Heretic God, the longer she wandered the earth, the more likely she was to lose her rationality.
She would only awaken when she sensed what she was searching for.
"So, how about becoming my subordinate?"
He must think he already has victory in the bag.
"Hmph, joking? This body will not admit defeat."
In response, he simply smiled faintly, and the swords embedded in the ground rose into the air, their tips all aimed at Athena.
Then, the moment his raised finger pointed at her, countless golden lights tore through the air toward her.
"O darkness! My beloved, the sanctuary that coexists with me, become the loyal guardian when your queen faces destruction—this is my decree!"
Darkness erupted from Athena's [Metis] body and materialized, forming a hemispherical black barrier!
Thus, the golden lights collided with the black barrier!