Multiverse: Library

Kaiser was thoroughly enjoying his meal, while Erica ate with a sullen expression, looking displeased from start to finish.

When Kaiser finished eating and left the restaurant, the young lady followed him without hesitation, continuing to display her unhappy demeanor.

The two of them walked through the gradually darkening Cagliari, strolling along the portside streets, one walking in front, the other behind. Surprisingly, it created a somewhat peculiar atmosphere.

It wasn't until the sky had completely darkened and the lights in Cagliari began to shine one by one that Kaiser, having arrived by the sea, finally spoke.

"Say, how long are you planning to follow me?"

Faced with Kaiser's question, Erica's face returned to its usual confident and composed smile.

"Until you explain everything," Erica said. "At this point, don't even think of telling me you don't know anything, alright?"

"I've never said I didn't know anything, have I?" Kaiser said leisurely. "I only said I'm not familiar with that boy we met today."

"But you two seemed to get along quite well." Erica didn't intend to let Kaiser off the hook, and like a seasoned hunter, she began to weave her words. "I don't believe you know absolutely nothing about that boy. At the very least, you know much more than I do, don't you?"

"What's this? Is the Copper Black Cross's prodigy trying to coax valuable intel from someone with this level of wordplay?" Kaiser turned to look at Erica with a half-smile and said, "Even if you're right, that doesn't mean I'm obligated to tell you what I know, does it?"

"Assisting the local magic societies in resolving god-related incidents is the duty of all mystic-side individuals, you know?" Erica spoke eloquently. "Could it be that in your country, there are those who cower before a god, ignoring the lives of others and the fate of their homeland?"

"In that case, I'll have to reevaluate you."

Undoubtedly, this was a provocation.

Although Kaiser wasn't provoked, he understood that what Erica said was the truth.

Even Hime-Miko like Mariya Yuri, though not belonging to the History Compilation Committee, still had the duty to assist in their operations.

Such situations were not uncommon across the world. When facing a Heretic God like a natural disaster, if humanity didn't unite and gather all available forces to resist, the end result would simply be everyone buried together under the rubble.

"So? What is it that you want to know?"

Kaiser crossed his arms and spoke to Erica.

"First of all, your identity and background," Erica began, but then quickly changed her tone. "That's what I'd like to say, but considering the current situation, if we don't quickly determine the true identity of the Heretic God that descended upon Sardinia, incidents like today's could keep happening."

"So, let me ask about the Heretic God first."

Erica's composed yet serious words made Kaiser view her in a slightly new light.

"Not bad—you know how to prioritize," Kaiser praised. "However, even if I didn't say it, you already have some guesses about the identity of the Heretic God that descended on Sardinia, don't you?"

"...Just a little."

Erica didn't deny it, her expression growing more serious.

"What appeared in Bosa was the 'Camel.'"

"What appeared in Oristano was the 'Shepherd.'"

"What appeared in Barumini was the 'Bull.'"

"What appeared in Cagliari was the 'Wild Boar.'"

"And then there was the 'Strong Wind' we saw today, and the flash of golden sword light that dealt the final blow to the 'Wild Boar'…"

The answer was already quite clear.

"The Heretic God that descended upon Sardinia is the Persian god of victory—Verethragna."

Erica stared directly at Kaiser and said each word clearly.

"I'm not wrong, am I?"

Verethragna, also known as Uruzlaghna.

His Persian name is Bahram. In Armenia, he is called Vahagn, considered equivalent to Heracles in the West and the War God in the East.

In Indian mythology, he corresponds to Indra. During the time of Alexander the Great, under cultural fusion, he came to be viewed on par with the heroic god Heracles, even acquiring the Hellenized name Artagnes. After Alexander's death, it's said some of his subjects, under Pompey's guidance, migrated to southern Italy—the very region where Kaiser and Erica now stood.

In mythology, he is the War God who commands victory, guardian of kingship and people, a fusion of many divine elements—the very embodiment of the concept of victory.

He was originally a war god under the chief deity Mithra of ancient Indian mythology. Later, he was described as a heavily armed and incomparably powerful warrior who battled humans and demons, overwhelming his enemies and attaining exalted honor.

He is known as the undefeated God of Battle, always able to seize victory in any situation and conquer his enemies. The reason for this ability is that he possesses ten incarnations.

He can always appear in the most suitable form, adapting to the battlefield, fighting in ever-changing guises, and securing victory firmly in his grasp.

These ten incarnations are: "Strong Wind," "Bull," "White Horse," "Camel," "Wild Boar," "Youth," "Phoenix," "Shepherd," "Goat," and the "Warrior" wielding a golden sword.

Each of the ten incarnations has its own ability and uniqueness.

By piecing together the Divine Beasts that have appeared across Sardinia, Erica was able to confirm that the Heretic God who descended on this island is this undefeated and unconquered God of Victory.

"Correct." Kaiser nodded and said straightforwardly, "The Heretic God who manifested on Sardinia is Verethragna."

"But there's a problem here." Erica frowned deeply. "Why are the incarnations of that War God appearing individually all over Sardinia?"

"Did that War God intentionally manifest his incarnations to run wild on this island?"

"Judging by what happened today, that doesn't seem to be the case."

The Divine Beast that appeared in Cagliari was clearly Verethragna's fifth incarnation—"Wild Boar."

But after rampaging for a while, it was suddenly swept into the sky by "Strong Wind" and then scattered by the golden sword.

That brief flash of golden sword light must have been the slash from the golden sword wielded by Verethragna's tenth incarnation—"Warrior."

Whether it was "Strong Wind" or the "Warrior" wielding the golden sword, they were both incarnations of Verethragna, just like the "Wild Boar." So why were they fighting among themselves?

Something clearly wasn't right.

Adding to that the "Bull," "Camel," and "Goat" incarnations that had appeared before but mysteriously vanished...

Erica had reason to believe that those three incarnations, just like the "Wild Boar" today, were all defeated by other incarnations.

What was this supposed to mean?

The War God Verethragna... was fighting himself?

Is that even allowed?

"He has no choice—he needs to reclaim the incarnations that were scattered."

Kaiser naturally saw through Erica's thoughts and didn't keep her guessing, telling her directly.

"The Divine Beasts that appeared across Sardinia are all parts of Verethragna, not the War God himself."

"The God of Victory who descended on this island, in pursuit of victory, in pursuit of powerful enemies, due to his ties with this land, summoned another Heretic God."

"At the very beginning, didn't an abnormal celestial phenomenon occur in Sardinia?"

"That was caused by the battle between two gods."

At these words, Erica's expression changed slightly.

"Two gods descended at the same time…!?"

Erica could no longer remain composed.

Each descent of a Heretic God is a major blow to the human world.

Ordinarily, one Heretic God would already be terrifying and troublesome enough, but now she was being told there were two gods on this island?

"...Even I, Erica Blandelli, wouldn't dare to boast that I could handle a divine descent of this magnitude."

Erica took several deep breaths, trying her best to stay calm.

"You can still go back now, you know?" Kaiser teased. "The Copper Black Cross finally produced a prodigy—if they lost you, the Blandelli family would probably be upended."

"Anyway, you can't possibly handle a god. Leaving this incident to someone else wouldn't be a bad choice, would it?"

Kaiser's provocation earned a sharp glare from Erica.

"How could I possibly do something so cowardly? That's an insult!" Erica snorted coldly, then bit her fingernail and said, "Since the two Heretic Gods that descended upon Sardinia have already fought, then the current situation is easier to understand."

"The battle between the two gods must have ended in mutual destruction."

"The War God Verethragna was scattered as a result of that battle, and his incarnations are now spread across Sardinia."

"And the other god either returned or is wounded as severely as the War God and is recuperating."

Kaiser immediately clapped.

"Exactly right!" Kaiser said with a smile. "Congratulations—you've seen through the current state of Sardinia!"

The reason why Sardinia hasn't suffered greater catastrophe yet, and only a few Divine Beasts have caused trouble, is because both manifested gods are in poor condition.

Verethragna is reclaiming his incarnations, and the other god is doing everything possible to recover from their wounds. That's why things are relatively peaceful for now.

However, once both recover to their peak conditions, Sardinia will once again face disaster.

This is the current situation.