Multiverse: Becoming a Giant of Light, Godslayer from the Start

Seeing Doni realize his mistake and immediately throw down his weapon, Su Mo finally released the contract's punishment and extinguished the sunfire engulfing his body. Feeling the flames vanish, Doni sighed in relief. He no longer dared to covet Su Mo's target. But he still couldn't understand something.

"Wait… according to the contract, I already fulfilled my end. I stood by and let you complete the summoning ritual, right?"

He looked genuinely puzzled. "So why were you still able to punish me afterward?"

Though crafty at times, Doni was also someone who honored his promises—especially when bound by contract. This was no ordinary agreement. It was backed by the power of Authorities. He wasn't stupid enough to test what would happen if he broke it. The only reason he made a move on Dionysus was because, in his mind, the ritual was already over. The god had been summoned. That was the end of the deal… right?

But Su Mo raised an eyebrow and asked with perfect confidence, "When did I say that the ritual mentioned in the contract referred only to the summoning ritual?"

Doni froze.

Thinking back carefully, he realized Su Mo had only said "the ritual I intend to perform."

That meant…

"My ritual also includes the transfer of Authority from the Heretic God," Su Mo said calmly. "In other words, until I defeat him and extract his Authority, you're not allowed to interfere." It was a trap—laid from the very beginning. He had anticipated Doni's antics and prepared accordingly.

"…That's way too sneaky!" Doni was dumbfounded. The city's tricks were too deep. He wanted to go back to the countryside.

"You're the one who didn't read the fine print," Su Mo replied with a look of disdain. "Besides, even if the contract didn't exist, would that make it okay for you to steal my prey?" He was the one who summoned this god, after all. And Doni's behavior was nothing but habitual loot-snatching.

"…Fine," Doni mumbled, unable to argue back.

It really was unfair to steal someone's summoned target. But expecting a godslayer not to fight a Heretic God... was like expecting a dog not to eat the steak you left in front of it. Unrealistic at best. Since there was nothing he could do now, Doni simply plopped down on the sand and decided to spectate.

"You make a good point, my friend," he said, adjusting his sitting position. "But don't underestimate that guy. He might be more troublesome than he looks." Despite his casual tone, his words carried a rare hint of seriousness. Su Mo nodded, keeping the warning in mind.

Dionysus, after all, was one of the Twelve Olympians in Greek mythology. While he wasn't a war god or a combat deity, and was considered weaker than most gods, there was still danger there.

That's why Doni had assumed he could instantly kill him if given the chance. But for Doni—someone who had fought and slain this very god before—to offer a serious warning? That said a lot about how tricky this god could be. Even if he wasn't particularly powerful, he was definitely dangerous. And Su Mo wasn't going to take him lightly. Su Mo had already anticipated the trump card his opponent might play.

Standing before the two godslayers, Dionysus, the god of wine, couldn't help but grow irritated as he listened to them discuss him so casually.

"So that's how it is… both of you are godslayers."

"To think mere sons of man would dare view me—son of Zeus—as nothing more than prey on their plate!"

Though Dionysus had few legendary achievements of note, what he was best known for—aside from being Zeus's illegitimate child—was mankind's worship of wine. And precisely because of that lineage, he held a deep pride in being the son of the king of gods. Feeling thoroughly disrespected, his temper flared.

He let out a manic laugh, his divine madness beginning to surface. "You godslayers! How you boast of stealing power from us gods! And now you dare belittle me, the son of Zeus, an Olympian deity!"

"But have you ever thought—what are you without those Authorities you stole?"

Looking at them with disdain, Dionysus pulled out a wooden wine barrel from who-knows-where and drank it down in one swig. Wiping his lips, he began chanting a chaotic incantation:

"O priestesses of the wine god... summon forth the divine child. Drunk on the godly brew, abandon your homes, lose yourselves in the wild, and worship your god!" With the invocation complete, Dionysus's Authority erupted.

A wave of intoxicating fragrance spread across the beach, filling the air with a strange sweetness. He wasn't a war god, nor did he wield divine weapons. His Authorities had no direct offensive capability.

But the divine wine he wielded could intoxicate even gods themselves. Under its influence, magic, divine powers, and even Authorities would go berserk and spiral out of control. The effect was so overwhelming that even other Heretic Gods could lose control over their own power.

Of course, godslayers were no exception. Their powers, Authorities, and even magical abilities would be sealed. This was Dionysus's hidden card—a power to level the field against stronger foes.

He knew that either of these two would be difficult to handle. Thankfully, their bickering had worked in his favor. Doni, who had slain him once before, had already been sidelined.

But even then, Su Mo exuded a sense of danger that Dionysus couldn't ignore. Not daring to delay, he immediately deployed his ultimate Authority, sending the battlefield into chaos. Even if his own powers were sealed in the process, Dionysus didn't mind. After all, he didn't have many offensive Authorities to begin with.

"This should make things fair," Dionysus said, grinning as he looked at Su Mo.

Twin horns sprouted from his head like those of a wild bull, and his physique grew broader and more powerful. This was his true divine form, a manifestation of his heritage as Zeus's child.

In mythology, horns often symbolized strength. Across cultures, beings with horns were seen as embodiments of raw power. Dionysus was no exception. Though he had started life as a demigod and only later ascended to true godhood, his body was as powerful as any divine beast. He didn't possess Authority over raw strength like Heracles, but his natural physique was nothing to scoff at.

"This is what a battle between a child of the gods and a child of man should truly look like," he declared arrogantly. "Come now, foolish son of man! Witness the power of Zeus's bloodline!"

He assumed a confident combat stance. As a youth, he had torn apart panthers and tamed wild bears with his bare hands. He had hunted through mountains and forests, forging combat instincts as strong as his body. Against a mere mortal, without any Authorities in play, he believed victory was assured. But Doni, watching from the sidelines, buried his face in his palm.

—Has this guy learned nothing?

—Or does he seriously think Su Mo's martial skill is inferior to mine?

Back when Doni had slain Dionysus, it had also been under these same circumstances. His Authorities went berserk, leaving him with only his sword and the strength of a godslayer's body. Even then, it had taken him considerable effort to finally bring the wine god down. Dionysus's body was tougher than most gods—stronger than a typical godslayer's physique. But Su Mo? His strength and physique already exceeded common sense. With his almost mythical swordsmanship, Doni couldn't imagine a scenario where he would lose.

Facing Dionysus, Su Mo tested his own powers. Indeed, his mana and spellcraft were completely sealed. He couldn't activate any Authorities, nor use any form of magic. Even Haki from the pirate world was inaccessible. However, curiously enough, abilities like his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception—despite being magical in nature—remained untouched. But against this opponent, he didn't even need those. Gripping the mass-produced longsword Doni had left behind, Su Mo walked calmly toward Dionysus.

"Oh? Not running away? You're approaching me instead?" the god said, looking confident.

"But I can't kick your ass and send you back to your myth unless I come closer." Su Mo replied casually.

Then he paused, reconsidered, and added, "No, actually... I guess I don't have to get close to you." With that, he stopped walking, raised the blade, and tightly gripped the hilt. Dionysus instantly sensed danger and rolled to the side just in time. A moment later, a massive wave of sword energy slashed across the beach, tearing a canyon through the sand and even splitting the sea beyond.

"—That's something a human can do?!" Dionysus stared in horror at the deep gorge that had formed barely a centimeter from where he had been standing, and at the massive trench carved through the ocean.

He was utterly dumbfounded.

How was this godslayer even more ridiculous than the last one?! Su Mo approached, dragging the sword behind him, and spoke in a calm, teasing tone.

"I think I heard someone say earlier… that godslayers are nothing once you take away their Authorities?" Standing over him, Su Mo looked down with a smile that was as gentle as it was terrifying.

"Well then—let's see how much divine dignity you've got left." And with that, a storm of sword energy descended—an overwhelming tempest of blades.