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

Doni's dumbfounded exclamation went completely ignored by the two combatants. Nuada, now aware that Su Mo had uncovered the true nature of his divine weapon, let his blade expand once again, surging dozens of meters in length. The sword pulsed with radiant energy, the light from its blade gleaming like the very sun itself. After all, the Sword of Victory—formed from light—was never bound to a single form.

"So, what if you know its true nature?" Nuada growled. "If you can't counter it, it's still useless!" With no understanding of Su Mo's Authorities, Nuada launched another heavy strike. But this time, Su Mo didn't retreat. He stepped in. His golden blade, now honed to perfection, easily caught Nuada's slash.

Unlike his previous duel with Doni—where he'd chanted a verse about Nuada's divinity to suppress his godly nature—this time, Su Mo's chant was targeted at the very essence of the sword itself: Claíomh Solais. And because of that, neutralizing the divine weapon was now much easier. With superior technique, Su Mo slipped in an upward slash, creating a small but fatal opening. His golden sword thrust forward, piercing Nuada's side and sealing the power of the Sword of Victory.

"What?!" Nuada watched in disbelief as the light drained from his blade. Only then did he realize what Su Mo had truly been aiming for.

"A blade that can seal divinity... Damn it!"

His greatest weapon had been taken from him. In a desperate move, Nuada slammed his palm into Su Mo's chest.

Whoosh—

A violent gust burst forth, knocking Su Mo back several paces. At the same time, a mist began to form over the beach. The clouds above twisted into new shapes, and the sea beside them began to stir ominously.

"Even without the Sword of Victory, I am still the God of War!"

Nuada had no intention of conceding. Fierce winds whipped across the shoreline, and the ocean roared in response. The Tuatha Dé Danann, the last divine race to rule Ireland, were said to hail from the sky itself. And the name "Nuada" could also be interpreted as "Cloud-Maker." Beyond the titles of Silver Arm and Swordbearer, he was a god of weather, one who commanded the sky. He also wielded the Authority of Water. So even without his sword, Nuada didn't believe he had lost the fight. But Su Mo merely snapped his fingers.

Snap.

[Lord of the Skies]—his Authority—activated. Both Nuada and Su Mo wielded powers that governed the heavens, but Su Mo's dominance was far greater. Immediately, all of Nuada's conjured clouds and wind were seized and dispelled. With the power of the skies stripped away, Nuada was left with only one Authority—Water. Thankfully for him, while not proficient in healing, he was highly skilled in manipulating raging torrents and floods. This power still posed significant danger.

However, Su Mo had no intention of prolonging the battle. He had seen all he needed to see. Even when pushed to desperation, Nuada had revealed no power greater than the Sword of Victory. That confirmed it—his most valuable Authority had already been sealed.

"It's time to end this."

Activating the Authority of Verethragna, Su Mo summoned a radiant halo behind him. Of the six divine emblems within the wheel, one began to glow—the symbol of a thunder-tipped spear. A golden spear of lightning appeared in his hand.

The God-Slaying Spear. The thunder of Indra himself.

"Perish, in this final thrust."

The overwhelming force of divine power gathered at the tip of the spear—ready to strike. The divine spear of thunder and light, capable of destroying any singular existence—even gods—erupted with overwhelming presence.

"Burn to ashes!" Su Mo chanted the words of release. "God of War—submit to death!"

The golden spear radiated unmatched brilliance and heat, piercing through the torrential waters summoned by Nuada in an instant. It drove straight into the Silver-Arm God King's chest.

The lance pulsed violently with thunder and lightning. Until it had annihilated its enemy, it would not cease. Even the King of Silver Arms, stripped of his trump card, could do nothing to stop a divine weapon of such caliber. Bathed in radiant lightning, he was completely obliterated.

The debut of the God-Slaying Spear ended in a flawless victory—decisively terminating the divine life of the god before him.

After taking down Nuada, Su Mo turned and walked toward Doni. Because he had pre-emptively reinforced the summoning circle with the Man of Steel, the aftermath of the battle had left the area untouched. And so, under Doni's speechless gaze, Su Mo once again activated the summoning ritual for a heretic god.

"My dear friend, you've already stripped me of all my powers. You really still want more?" Doni couldn't help but complain.

Watching how quickly Su Mo acquired authority after authority, he could barely contain his envy. In less than a single day, Su Mo had already extracted Doni's most powerful abilities. If the Marquis Voban found out someone was summoning heretic gods this easily, he'd probably cough up blood from sheer rage.

No—at the rate Su Mo was going... targeting the Marquis himself was probably just a matter of time.

The thought of Voban being used as a summoning catalyst, forced to stand aside and watch Su Mo grow stronger—that stirred something in Doni, who had been beaten up by the Marquis once before.

"Hey, Su Mo! If you ever plan to go after the old man Voban, count me in!"

People naturally take joy in others' misfortune. Sure, Doni had it rough—but at least Su Mo had promised him intel on a heretic god. A powerful one, at that. So, it wasn't a total loss. But with the Marquis' nasty temper, he really might end up as nothing more than a tool. Which was why Doni, who had a grudge, very much wanted to see him get humiliated. Hearing Doni's suggestion, Su Mo shot him a glance.

"What do I need you for? To slow me down?"

"To deal with the Marquis Voban, I don't need anyone's help."

Though Voban possessed many Authorities, most of them were geared toward bullying the weak. When facing an explosive-type powerhouse, he wasn't necessarily unbeatable.

Doni had lost to Voban because his steel body couldn't withstand the intense heat and he couldn't overcome Voban's lightning. But Su Mo—despite his own version of the Blessing being similarly weak to heat—had the Authority of the [Lord of the Skies]. Just as he had overridden Nuada's control of the weather, he could directly steal Voban's [Storm and Drive]. Which meant lightning was ineffective against him. Add to that Su Mo's countless other abilities...

To Su Mo, Voban might actually be easier to deal with than Doni. In the end, it would just be a matter of dropping a few big moves. Now that he had unlimited magical energy, Su Mo was already setting his sights on the King of the End. Naturally, someone like the Marquis wasn't even a concern.

Hearing Su Mo's rejection, Doni didn't give up.

"Hey hey! Don't be like that!"

"My dear friend! I just want to watch the show!"

What he really wanted was to enjoy Voban's downfall. Secondarily... maybe there'd be a chance to swoop in and grab something valuable. Not that he could say that out loud. Su Mo, half-guessing Doni's real intentions, casually replied, "Do whatever you want. I'll let you know in advance. Whether you make it in time or not, that's your problem."

"I'll definitely be there!"

Doni thumped his chest confidently. Even if he couldn't get a freebie, just watching the Marquis get humbled was more than enough. As they spoke, Su Mo continued to attempt the ritual—again and again. Just as he had expected, however, the magic circle remained completely unresponsive. Even his vast reserves of patience had limits.

From noon to nightfall, he had tried nearly a thousand times... but not once did the ritual succeed. Eventually, even he had to admit—he had wrung this woolly sheep dry. There was no more to be gained here. He gave up decisively.

"Maybe it needs a cooldown period before I can use it again?" With that thought, he turned to Doni, who was idly playing in the sand out of sheer boredom.

"You're off the hook."

"Huh?" Doni looked over in confusion.

"I said—you're free."

Su Mo clarified, "The pact from your earlier defeat has been fulfilled. Feel free to go back to your sandcastles."

"Thank god!" Doni visibly relaxed. He'd been stuck here all afternoon. Even if he wasn't tired, it had gotten unbearably dull. Watching Su Mo mess with the magic circle nonstop was impressive in its own way. The guy had some serious tenacity, testing it for hours before finally giving up.

"I can finally go back to playing with the sand—wait, no!"

Doni stopped mid-sentence, realizing what he'd just said. He hadn't come here to play!

"What about the heretic god's intel?"

Doni turned back eagerly, staring at Su Mo. "You did promise to give it to me, didn't you?"

"Of course. I wouldn't go back on that." Su Mo nodded. Doni's usefulness had already been completely exhausted. It was time to toss him somewhere far away—preferably where he couldn't interfere. Besides, it was about time to start preparing for the King of the End. With all this in mind, Su Mo decided to be generous and pass on the information about a heretic god. After all, with that idiot's tenacity, he probably wouldn't die even if things went south.

"The heretic god I'm talking about is currently in slumber."

"But he's extremely powerful. If you can't beat him, make sure you run."

"And if things really get desperate, come find me. I'm not heartless enough to just watch you get chopped to pieces."

Although Doni could be a handful, Su Mo didn't bear any real ill will toward this thick-headed companion. Naturally, he wouldn't just send him to his death. So, there was still crucial intel to be shared.