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

After being forcibly ejected from the Netherworld, Su Mo listened to the embarrassed fury of the loli goddess and couldn't help but find it hilarious. From the way Pandora acted, it was clear—once her competitive spirit was riled up, she could get very proactive.

At this rate, Su Mo mused, he might just become the father of the other godslayers. The idea of someone like Marquis Voban calling him 'father' was just too absurd—but if it were someone like Luo Hao…

A beautiful, yet infuriating woman with a terrifying personality—well, that could be interesting. Besides, as the 'father' of godslayers, wouldn't it be reasonable for him to borrow their bodies from time to time? Maybe use them as vessels to summon other gods?

That didn't sound unreasonable at all, right?

"Yo, my friend! You're back!" From the side, Doni greeted him cheerfully—completely unaware that his best friend was currently entertaining the thought of becoming his dad.

Seeing Su Mo return, Doni greeted him with a wave.

"You've got the authority you were after. That means I can leave now, right?"

According to the contract between them, Doni's role was to stay until Su Mo's magical ritual was complete. Now that the heretic god had already been summoned and returned to mythology, it should be over, right?

However, Su Mo immediately shook his head in denial.

"Nope."

He met Doni's surprised gaze with calm eyes. "I told you before when we discussed the terms—you'd have to stay until I complete the ritual several times."

Since he hadn't obtained the exact authority he wanted, Su Mo had no intention of stopping now. The authority of Dionysus, the god of wine, had indeed been acquired—but it was more of a wildcard than a reliable trump card. He needed something better.

Doni blinked in surprise. As the catalyst, all he had to do was be present, so it wasn't particularly taxing. Granted, it was frustrating not being able to strike down a god himself but compared to the torment of violating a contract—like the burning punishment he'd experienced with the sun's curse—it was tolerable.

The real shock came when he realized—

"Wait, your divine summoning ritual… it can be reused?" He was stunned.

In this world, the ritual to summon a god was already borderline miraculous if it worked once. Not only did it require an enormous amount of rare magical materials, but it also demanded the sacrifice of a highly talented shrine maiden—a type of person who was incredibly scarce worldwide.

Only under optimal conditions—time, place, and harmony—could such a ritual possibly succeed once. And even then, performing a second one within a few years was nearly impossible.

Which made the idea that Su Mo had successfully summoned a god once… and was immediately starting again… without consuming materials or sacrifices… absolutely absurd.

If this were truly possible, wouldn't that make him invincible? He could just summon whatever god he wanted, whenever he wanted? Seeing the disbelief on Doni's face, Su Mo easily guessed what was running through his head.

"It's not as powerful as you're imagining," he replied casually. "The catalyst is still quite rare, after all." He gave Doni a sidelong glance. After all, there were only six other godslayers besides himself. It would take quite a bit of effort to gather them all just to perform more summoning rituals.

"Besides, the success rate isn't particularly high," Su Mo added.

"Ah, right!" Doiy scratched his head, finally remembering that he himself was part of the ritual—and that the summoned god would always be connected to him. In other words, endlessly summoning gods wasn't really possible.

"Still, that's impressive. If old man Voban finds out, he'll definitely come charging over to steal it."

Of all the godslayers, none had more obsession with slaying gods than Marquis Voban. He had long since lost interest in everything else in life.

Su Mo smiled at the mention of the old man. "Wouldn't that be perfect? Then I'd have a new catalyst to use, besides you."

"Hey! Don't talk like I'm just some tool!" Doni immediately snapped back, though it was clear he still hadn't realized he was fated to be a tool character in all this.

But that didn't matter—as long as Su Mo got what he needed.

Because of the lingering effects of Dionysus's authority, the spiritual energy and mana in the surrounding area had gone berserk. Even though the wine god had already returned to mythology, traces of his influence remained.

Even a divine summoning ritual from the Nasuverse couldn't function properly in such conditions, without a stable mana supply. Thankfully, Su Mo had already obtained the god's authority. With just a bit of effort, he released its power. The wine-scented air immediately cleared, and the out-of-control magical forces returned to normal.

With the berserk "buff" finally cleared, Doni stepped back into the ritual circle with practiced ease. Su Mo began the summoning once again. This time, the circle lit up properly—indicating the ritual was successfully in motion. However, just as the spell reached the final stage—where it sought a connection with a god—the circle's light suddenly snuffed out.

"Looks like that one failed," Su Mo muttered without surprise. After all, there was only about a thirty percent chance of success. That the first time had worked was a lucky exception.

He activated the ritual again. And again, it failed at the moment of divine contact. Su Mo suspected that the ritual might be randomly reaching out to the recently defeated Dionysus—and that the god, having been thoroughly thrashed, was outright refusing to descend again.

Whether or not that guess was accurate, it wasn't until the seventh attempt that a god finally responded. The summoning circle blazed with radiant light. And when that light faded—

A warrior appeared, clad in armor, astride a majestic steed, sword in hand.

The white horse's nostrils snorted out tiny crackles of lightning—not powerful, but unmistakably divine, proof that it was a descendant of a divine beast. The warrior's expression was stoic and resolute. He didn't seem particularly warm, but his aura inspired immediate trust.

Unlike Dionysus, who had appeared dazed and confused, this disobedient god clearly knew why he had descended. He glanced at Doni, seated within the summoning circle and not making any moves.

Then his gaze fell on Su Mo.

He spoke in a calm and clear voice:

"Which of you seeks battle?"

"I do," Su Mo answered without hesitation.

Gazing at this renowned god, a broad smile spread across his face. Because the god who stood before him… was exactly the one he had been aiming for.

"Should I call you Siegfried, or Sigurd?"

Well-versed in myth, Su Mo had recognized him at a glance. The white horse he rode was none other than Grani—a descendant of the sky horse Sleipnir, steed of Odin himself. And the sword he carried was the prototype of the Sword of Promised Victory—crafted from the shards of the Gram, the legendary dragon-slaying blade.

——Balmung.

In the Nasuverse, the weapon had another name.

Phantasmal Greatsword—Felling of the Sky Demon…

Anyway, it was the infamous "fantasy-class" greatsword that had felled even demonic gods. The presence of both Grani and Balmung confirmed his identity without doubt. This was none other than the heretic god whose authority had once been stolen by Doni from Marquis Voban. The source of the [Man of Steel] authority.

"You can call me Siegfried," the warrior answered.

....

The heretic god hearing Su Mo calling out his name had his expression softened slightly. He hadn't expected that, even after thousands of years, his name would still be remembered. Even if it was a god-slayer who spoke it, it was still something to be glad about.

As the famed dragon-slaying hero, he had many names—Sigurd, Siegfried, Sigurðr—appearing in Völsunga Saga, Nibelungenlied, and Der Ring des Nibelungen. But that wasn't important. What mattered was that he was one of the original archetypes of the dragon-slaying warrior. The hero who bore the sword and battled dragons and serpents. In the world of god-slayers, he was the very embodiment of the steel-blooded warrior deity, with a purity that could not be higher.

"My name is Su Mo. I've come to claim the authority you hold as a god who defies myth." Su Mo introduced himself plainly and made his intent clear.

To that open declaration of hostility, Siegfried responded with quiet resolve. "I understand. So now, after the dragons and serpents have been slain by warriors of steel, it is time for the gods themselves to fall before humanity." He sighed faintly but accepted the challenge with honor and composure.

Off to the side, Doni watched with eyes full of envy. "Man, I really want to fight too!"

As a god-slayer who couldn't participate in the duel, he was practically drooling with frustration. But then he remembered the last time he stole a target from Marquis Voban and got thrashed by the old man. That memory brought him back to his senses, and he looked away from Siegfried with a shudder.

Facing this dragon-slaying warrior, Su Mo had no intention of underestimating him. He opened the battle by casting a buff on himself.

"Priority order: Sword above, Steel below!"

With the Light of Execution ritual invoked, he forcibly reversed the natural priority order of divine concepts. Normally, no sword in Su Mo's hand could have pierced through Siegfried's [Man of Steel]. But with priority inverted, even such a terrifying divine defense was rendered meaningless.