>11< Slaying Melqart

Chapter 11: Slaying Melqart

Zaimokuza gripped the golden sword and pointed it angrily at Melqart.

"Hey, God King! It seems my woman has received a lot of 'care' from you. Let me turn you into a hedgehog, you damned monster! Get ready!"

At this, Melqart exploded in fury. "You're just a mere human! Don't think being a Godslayer means you can defeat me!"

"Is that so? If that were true, why not wait for my ceremony to end before settling this?" Zaimokuza retorted.

"Hmph! Nonsense! I will crush my enemies in the cradle!"

"Really? So the so-called God King is just a coward after all. Hahaha!" Zaimokuza laughed heartily.

"Slick-tongued human, let's see the truth of your claims in battle!" Melqart, clearly furious, unleashed a swarm of locusts infused with the aura of death toward Zaimokuza.

"To victory! Come forth before me! Undying sun, grant me the majestic steed! Spirit of the swift horse, bring forth the wheel of light that symbolizes your master!" Zaimokuza activated the White Stallion power. With a sound like a neighing horse, flames erupted like the sun as he charged toward the locusts. An explosion followed—the swarm was instantly annihilated, and the White Stallion continued fiercely toward Melqart.

"How is this possible?" Melqart, astonished by the power of the White Stallion, barely had time to react before it crashed into him, creating a massive explosion that engulfed him in flames.

"Ugh!" Melqart cried out in pain.

Without giving him a moment to recover, Zaimokuza unleashed the Raptor power.

"Fear those with wings, O wicked and powerful ones! My wings will bring you curses! The evil cannot strike me!"

With a powerful stamp on the ground, Zaimokuza burst forth with incredible speed, creating a crater beneath him. Moving at supersonic speed, he raised the golden sword and slashed toward Melqart's right arm.

As for why he didn't take the opportunity to sever Melqart's head, it was because Zaimokuza still remembered Pandora's instruction to draw the true god out, erasing him entirely from myth to gain all his powers.

Although Zaimokuza didn't know why he hadn't lost his memory upon leaving that mysterious space, he theorized it was because he retained some memories from another world, including memories of Pandora, allowing him to remember the events he had just experienced.

"Slit!" Melqart's massive right arm was severed by Zaimokuza's strike, tearing through his divine essence.

Blood streamed fervently from the severed limb.

"Damn you! Foolish human, you will pay for your actions!"

"Hmph! Is that so? Let's see if you're still saying that after I rub your arrogant head in the dirt!"

After Zaimokuza spoke, he prepared to activate the Raptor power again and charge towards Melqart. However, Melqart, realizing that in his current state with a severed arm, he couldn't effectively strike back, immediately wielded his sky powers to envelop the surrounding area in thick fog.

As Zaimokuza attempted to strike, he swiped at empty air and found himself surrounded by blinding mist. A face devoid of eyebrows flashed through his mind, and he thought, "The Mist Technique failed? WTF." Zaimokuza felt utterly exasperated.

Suddenly, a massive object surged toward him with great force. Zaimokuza reacted instantly, but it was too late; he swung the golden sword to block the attack.

"Bang!" Zaimokuza was struck by the giant club and sent flying, smashing through several rock pillars before finally stopping.

"Cough, cough, cough." He spat out blood and mucus, quickly getting back on his feet, cautiously watching his surroundings. Thankfully, his body had been enhanced; otherwise, that last blow would have killed him.

"Since I can't see, I'll light up the area with fire," he decided, activating the White Stallion power again. With a loud neigh, the massive flames illuminated the fog.

There, to Zaimokuza's right, he saw Melqart raising his club, preparing to unleash lightning upon him.

Without hesitation, Zaimokuza released the White Stallion.

The lightning and flames intertwined in the air, resulting in a massive explosion that obscured Melqart's vision with smoke.

Taking advantage of this chaos, Zaimokuza moved at supersonic speed and again slashed at Melqart's left arm.

"Ugh!" Melqart cried out in pain this time.

"Why don't you just kill me outright, you human?" Melqart angrily questioned Zaimokuza.

"Nothing much, I just want you to taste the power of the 'ants' you so casually mentioned," Zaimokuza replied, downplaying the exchange, which only fueled Melqart's rage further.

"I will make you regret not killing me the first time!" Melqart spat through gritted teeth.

"Oh really? Then I'd love to see that," Zaimokuza laughed arrogantly.

In a fit of fury, Melqart summoned the true god to descend upon the world. A colossal surge of magical power engulfed the island in an instant, causing it to shake violently.

Since the injuries from his previous avatar were still fresh, Melqart wasted no time. He activated his sky powers and aimed a lightning bolt capable of cleaving Sardinia in two directly at Zaimokuza.

Zaimokuza felt a chill run down his spine as he sensed the colossal lightning locking onto him. He lamented internally, thinking, "I shouldn't have taunted him. This time, I might have been too greedy, trying to directly slay a true god-level deity."

"Foolish human, pay the price for your arrogance!" Melqart shouted.

The giant bolt of lightning descended in an instant, and Zaimokuza summoned the majority of his magical power to deploy the White Stallion ability in an attempt to meet it head-on.

Once again, lightning and flames clashed in the air.

However, even with all his might, Zaimokuza realized he couldn't withstand the force.

The only option left was to let it explode in the air; this way, it shouldn't affect Erica. Although he considered using the Raptor ability to escape, he recalled Erica's willingness to sacrifice her life for him. He didn't want to be a heartless person. If he did run away, he would forever be a weakling, never able to become a true strong warrior.

With unwavering determination, he tightened his grip on the golden sword, preparing to charge toward the now weakened giant lightning after the White Stallion ability dissipated.

Erica seemed to understand Zaimokuza's intentions and shouted anxiously, "King, you don't need to worry about our lives! Just escape for yourself!"

Hearing this, Zaimokuza couldn't help but smile, his gaze growing increasingly resolute.

He charged toward the colossal lightning, swinging his golden sword directly against the thunderbolt.

With a monumental "Boom!", the lightning erupted in an explosion akin to that of a nuclear bomb.

"Bwahahaha! Human, pay the price for your foolishness!" Melqart laughed triumphantly.

Erica knelt in the grass, tears streaming down her face. "This is impossible! The king is so powerful!"

.....

In the Underworld, at a Private Castle

Sirzechs furrowed his brow as he reviewed documents and quickly called out to his queen, "Grayfia, please connect me to Rias."

Grayfia, startled but without asking questions, immediately cast a spell.

"Hmm? Brother, what's wrong?" After a while, Rias appeared on the screen, leisurely sipping red tea.

Sirzechs let out a sigh of relief upon seeing that his sister was unharmed and then spoke, "I received news that the skull ring I gave you seems to have been shattered by a tremendous force. That's why I was worried and contacted you. What happened? That ring was supposed to withstand a full strike from a High-Class Devil; how could it be destroyed?"

Rias furrowed her brow at his words, remembering that she had lent the ring to a junior. "I lent that ring to a junior. I think the name was…"

"Yoshiteru Zaimokuza!" exclaimed Koneko, the little cat. In her eyes, Zaimokuza was a good friend, and their time spent playing games and snacking together was precious. She looked at Rias with concern.

"Whew, good thing it's not you in trouble, Rias, but your junior might be in serious danger," Sirzechs sighed again in relief.

"How could this happen?" Koneko murmured, lost in thought.

"Koneko, let's not jump to conclusions. The damage to the ring also indicates that it must have protected Zaimokuza from harm," Akeno, who stood nearby, reassured her.

Koneko held on to that glimmer of hope.

Only Rias sighed deeply. From what the little cat reported, Zaimokuza was a definite ordinary person. Even with a ring that could withstand the full force of a High-Class Devil, without it, his chances of survival were likely very slim.

...

As the dust settled, there was nothing left in the air.

Melqart rose, preparing to fade away and return to myth. However, a beam of light swept across his neck, and with a "slit," blood gushed forth. Melqart's eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed, "How is this possible? How are you still alive?"

Zaimokuza gasped for breath and replied, "I guess I'm just a tough one to kill, haha!" He couldn't help but feel relieved that he had borrowed that ring from Koneko. The massive explosion created by the lightning strike had been largely absorbed by the skull ring. Although he sustained some injuries, he had managed to survive.

"Damn it! My magical power is insufficient to unleash my full abilities now. Am I really going to die like this?" Melqart cursed.

"Alright then, God King, this time I won't be careless," Zaimokuza declared as he activated the Warrior's power, instantly enveloping Melqart in a world of golden swords.

"Words are light. Incantations are light. Therefore, light, oh incantations, become my sword, my blade!"

Melqart's true form was Baal, worshipped by Semitic peoples such as the Canaanites and Phoenicians. The locusts served Melqart. He was the god of storms, the sea, the sun, and the life god who presided over both harvest and desolation. With winds strong enough to uproot cities, he could summon armies of the dead from the underworld, unleashing waves as fierce as floods and thunder as piercing as arrows from the heavens. His weapons, Yagrush and Aymur, symbolized banishment and repulsion. With them, he drove the dragon king Yam from his throne and killed him, securing his ascension to the throne of the gods.

As Zaimokuza recited those words, countless golden swords pierced Melqart's body, truly transforming him into a hedgehog.

"I will remember you, human. If we meet again, I will repay your pain a hundredfold."

In that moment, Melqart's divine essence was shattered. Thus, the God King Melqart was completely erased from myth, and Zaimokuza successfully absorbed all of Melqart's powers.