Chapter 20: Haru vs Heretic God Siegfried

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The sky, shrouded in a thick blanket of dark clouds, loomed over the Balkan Peninsula like a vast, ominous curtain. 

In a mountain basin somewhere in the Balkans, a group of witches performed a ritual dance, their movements a prayer to the gods. 

Etched on the ground was a massive and intricate magic circle, composed of countless nodes that emitted a faint, ethereal glow.

Each node in the circle corresponded to a specific star in the celestial expanse. The arrangement of stars had been meticulously replicated, etched onto the nodes of the earth's ley lines.

This ritual mirrored the ancient concept of the Three Powers – Heaven, Earth, and Man. The arrangement of stars represented Heaven, the earth's ley lines represented Earth, and the witches themselves embodied the concept of Man.

At the center of the magic circle lay an ancient stone tablet. Carved upon its surface was the story of the Nibelungenlied, an epic saga from Germanic mythology. Its weather-beaten appearance spoke volumes of its long history.

Before the tablet, a witch, controlled by Voban's Death Authority, gazed at the stone with an expression of fervent devotion.

The alignment of stars, the pulsating earth's ley lines, the presence of skilled witches, a priest fueled by an insatiable desire to summon a god, and the Nibelungenlied – a myth that would serve as a vessel for the god's descent, a story widely known throughout the land – all the necessary elements for the summoning had been assembled.

A majestic figure, drawn by an unseen force, descended from the realm of the dead, falling towards the world of the living – towards the realm of myth.

On the edge of the basin, Haru and his companions hid within a lush forest. James, leading a team of scientists and Copper Black Cross members, supervised the installation of advanced equipment. Devices with a futuristic aesthetic, seamlessly integrated into the natural environment, were connected to specialized surveillance satellites orbiting in space.

"Sora, you'll be monitoring the surveillance feed. If you detect any signs of a god or any unusual activity from Voban, report the location to me immediately through the communication device. Remember, speed is paramount." Haru, his face serious, handed Sora a headset. 

Sora nodded resolutely, then her brow furrowed with confusion. "Why don't you observe the situation yourself?"

"I can't. Or rather, *only* I can't. My Campione instincts would alert him to the presence of another King. I'm the only one who can't look in that direction." Haru explained, a hint of frustration in his voice. The egg, during its analysis of Pandora's magic, had thoroughly researched the nature of a Campione's beastly intuition. It was a terrifying precognitive ability, a fusion of heightened senses, a sixth sense, soul perception, premonitions, and a rudimentary understanding of time.

After giving Sora her instructions, Haru walked to the edge of the basin, closed his eyes, and began meditating.

Sora, headset in hand, walked towards the central monitor. James, having finished directing his team, joined her. As the equipment came online, the specialized satellites in orbit adjusted their positions.

A faint magical glow emanated from them, piercing through the clouds. The live feed, transmitted via radio waves, flickered to life on the monitor. An image of the Balkan Peninsula appeared, then zoomed in, focusing on the basin.

"This is!" Amakasu Touma, who had just entered the monitoring room, seemed to have noticed something.

"Zoom in on the top right corner!" He shouted to the technicians.

The technicians, caught off guard by Amakasu Touma's overstepping of his authority, looked at each other, then turned to James for guidance.

"Do as he says," Sora said, her voice flat, her gaze fixed on James.

"Yes! Right away!" James, acknowledging the princess's command, immediately instructed the technicians to adjust the satellite feed.

The image on the screen zoomed in on the top right corner of the basin. A young man with golden hair appeared, lying on the ground, wearing a tattered white coat that was caked in dirt and grime. He had a Western sword strapped to his back.

"It's! Lord Salvatore!" James's eyes widened in recognition.

"This is the worst-case scenario! Three Devil Kings gathered in one place? Is the Balkan Peninsula about to sink?" Amakasu Touma exclaimed, his voice trembling as he frantically wiped the sweat from his forehead.

*Why does he always have to be involved in such dangerous situations? Can't he just live a peaceful life with me?* Sora thought, her brow furrowed with worry. She picked up the microphone. "Haru, can you hear me?"

"Yes, what is it?" Haru's calm voice came through the headset.

"Top right corner. The blonde idiot we met this morning is hiding there."

As Sora's words reached him, Haru's eyes snapped open, his gaze sharp and intense as he focused on the designated location.

Salvatore Doni, sensing Haru's gaze, looked up and met his eyes. A look of surprise crossed his face, then he placed a finger to his lips, signaling for silence. He mouthed the words, "May the best man win!"

Haru nodded, then closed his eyes once more.

The summoning ritual reached its climax. The Death Witch's body, under the immense pressure of magical energy, threatened to crumble.

She knelt before the stone tablet, her body wracked with tremors as waves of power surged through her. The combined magical energy of the witches, the aligned stars, and the pulsating ley lines flowed into her undead form.

Her body repeatedly shattered and reformed, a testament to the destructive and regenerative powers of Voban's Death Authority. Her expression contorted with madness, her voice a frantic cry as she chanted the Nibelungenlied etched on the stone tablet.

Suddenly, the thick clouds parted, pierced by a blinding light.

A majestic figure descended from the realm of the dead, materializing on Earth. It was a young man with long, flowing gray hair. He wore bone-like armor and a black leather coat, his hand gripping a massive sword shaped like a monstrous fang.

He hovered above the ritual circle, radiating an aura of immense divine power, his presence warping the very fabric of space. Siegfried, the Heretic God, the Unyielding Hero, had arrived.

The moment the god appeared, Sora quickly grabbed the microphone and reported his location. "45 degrees upwards, 500 meters!"

At the instant of Siegfried's arrival, Voban's eyes blazed emerald green. He activated his Authority – Eyes of Sodom. Dark clouds returned, engulfing the sky once more. Rain lashed down, accompanied by thunder and howling winds, as if a tempestuous storm was about to sweep across the land.

Siegfried's movement abruptly ceased. The unseen force of the evil eye held him captive, pinned in place by the relentless assault of rain, wind, and lightning.

At the same time, Doni leaped to his feet, his hand reaching for the Western sword strapped to his back.

As his hand moved, his wrist began to shimmer, taking on a silvery sheen. By the time he grasped the sword's hilt, his entire arm had transformed into an unknown silver metal.

He activated his Authority – Silver Hand, which could rend all things. Doni's hand moved with blurring speed, seemingly slow yet incredibly fast, as if striking with one sword and countless swords at once.

He cleaved through the clouds, the atmosphere, the mountain, even the very fabric of space. His sword energy, a silent whisper of death, sliced towards the immobilized Siegfried.

Haru's unleashed a surge of magical energy ten times that of an ordinary Campione. With a single step, the ground buckled beneath him, creating a crater. A sonic boom reverberated through the air like a clap of thunder.

The space before his fist shattered, and his iron fist, imbued with an overwhelming force capable of breaking the void, slammed towards Siegfried's back.

Siegfried, still acclimating to the world of the living, was caught off guard by the three-pronged attack. However, his expression remained calm. For the Steel Hero God, who had walked the line between life and death countless times, this was merely a Tuesday.

He calmly assessed the situation, identifying the threats. The greatest danger came from the Sword King, Doni, and his steel-rending Silver Hand. Next was the Wolf King's combined power of wind, rain, and lightning. Haru's fist, though powerful, was not an Authority. Siegfried, having bathed in the blood of the evil dragon Fafnir, was confident that even a direct hit to a weak point would only inflict a minor injury.

But there was no time for hesitation. Instinct, honed through countless battles, guided Siegfried's actions. With a jolt, he broke free from the Eye of Sodom's grip. He grasped Gram tightly, channeling his divine power into the blade as if it were a raging waterfall. He chanted the divine words:

"O. sword of light and shadow, rending all things, the world has reached its twilight hour. Strike down the dragon of evil!"

Siegfried drew his sword. Accompanied by the echoing chant, a torrent of light erupted from the blade, resembling the final rays of a setting sun. The light clashed with Doni's earth-shattering sword energy. For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath, then the very fabric of space groaned in protest as the two terrifying forces met.

At that moment, Haru's void-breaking fist slammed into Siegfried's back. Siegfried, summoning his remaining strength, chanted another incantation, "O blood of the evil dragon Fafnir, grant me immortality!"

A shadowy figure, with bat-like wings, a lizard's head, and a long, serpentine body, materialized around Siegfried. His divine power surged, and he attempted to withstand Haru's attack with his dragon-blooded body. But Haru's fist, deceptively slow yet incredibly fast, connected.

"Now, egg, annihilate!" Haru gave the command the instant his fist made contact.

A triumphant smirk spread across his lips as a look of horror dawned on Siegfried's face. It was too late.

The armor of Fafnir vanished without a sound. As Haru's fist tore through space, it also tore through Siegfried's chest, leaving a gaping hole twenty centimeters wide.

"You win," Siegfried said, a resigned smile on his lips. Then his expression contorted into a demonic mask of rage as he raised Gram, channeling all his remaining divine power into the blade. He swung the sword towards Haru, whose arm was still lodged in his chest.

"Take my final blow, Devil King!"

Haru instinctively raised his left arm to block. Blood splattered as his forearm was severed clean through.

"Hahahaha!" Siegfried laughed maniacally, then his form dissolved into dust, carried away by the wind.

With Siegfried's death, the Usurpations ritual began.

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To be Continued..

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