Chapter 157: Usurping the Divine Authority! The Divine King Invites a Battle! (The Magical God Slayer Chapter Begins)
When Arthur opened his eyes again, the dizzying sensation of the world spinning had receded, replaced by an boundless, deathly gray.
Gray mist devoured everything here; as far as the eye could see, there was only nothingness, and even the boundary between heaven and earth melted into this chaotic monochrome.
"Fuwu?"
"This is…"
"This is the Underworld, the void realm between the human world and the divine realm, an Different Space located between the domain of life and the domain of undeath."
A brown-haired man in a floor-length robe appeared, his gaze filled with a long-lost joy and apprehension.
Arthur keenly caught the fanaticism in his eyes, and subtly clenched his right hand, starlight faintly appearing in his palm.
"The Underworld? Then who are you?"
"My apologies." The brown-haired man hastily adjusted his robe and bowed, "My name is Epimetheus, the fool who constructed the reincarnation ritual."
"Epimetheus?"
Hearing this name, the doubts swirling in Arthur's mind increased rather than diminished.
Given the current bizarre environment and the sensory alert, the possibility of the other party being a chuunibyou patient was virtually zero.
In other words, the Epimetheus who played such a significant role in Greek mythology was now standing alive before him?
"Prometheus's brother, Pandora's husband, the 'Afterthought' who endowed all beings with the instinct to survive?"
Listening to Arthur enumerate his past, a trace of reminiscence flashed in Epimetheus's eyes, then he shook his head bitterly.
"I am merely a fool clinging to life; it was so in the past, and it is so now."
"Child of the Stars, this world is also suffering from the erosion of the unknown entity. I hope your arrival can extend our vitality."
As he spoke, Epimetheus took out a scarred, broken disc from his sleeve. It was engraved with a dragon totem, surrounded by sword-patterned imprints.
Arthur's pupils constricted after sensing the aura emanating from the disc.
"Divinity? Is this thing a divine artifact?"
Epimetheus nodded and then shook his head, raising his hand to send the broken disc into mid-air, explaining in a mournful tone.
"This item is called the ring of usurpation, a divine tool that can reproduce the power of the gods. In the past, Pandora always presided over the reincarnation ritual."
"But not long ago, an outsider descended, devoured the power of the ring, and even… Pandora."
Arthur raised his hand to interrupt him: "So my task is to help you repair this disc? You can't do it yourself? And what is the reincarnation ritual?"
Epimetheus shook his head and said, "You misunderstand. His task for you has never changed; you only need to focus on dealing with the unknown entity."
"Repairing the ring of usurpation is merely a small plea from this world and this fool. I hope you can generously lend a helping hand."
Arthur nodded understandingly. This wasn't his first experience being asked by a world representative to do odd jobs, so he gestured for the other party to continue.
Seeing this, Epimetheus's eyes flashed with gratitude and ecstasy, and he clasped his hands together, bowing deeply.
"I am extremely grateful. As for the reincarnation ritual you are curious about…"
"It is a forbidden spell that allows a human body to commit the act of Godslayer, usurping their authority and making it their own."
After hearing this explanation, Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said mockingly.
"Humans committing Godslayer? Usurping authority? Your world is quite chaotic, to be able to do such things?"
Epimetheus gave an awkward smile. After all, this situation was indirectly brought about by him and Pandora, so he had no confidence to refute.
"Now that the ring of usurpation is destroyed, this world's defenses are increasingly weak, the unknown entity is eyeing it covetously, and may even have already infiltrated its interior."
Arthur nodded, unsurprised, and said directly.
"Understood. I will help you while clearing out the unknown entity. Send me away."
Epimetheus waved his hands repeatedly, urging him with anxious eyes.
"Please let me finish! With your current power, unless you expend that last bit of starlight in every battle, there's no chance of victory!"
Upon hearing this, Arthur's mind raced. He raised a hand to point at himself, his tone a bit cautious.
"Even if gods are everywhere in your world, I wouldn't be utterly powerless, would I?"
He said this naturally with a basis. Even if the Holy Sword was still transforming, he was a sub-Servant who had received the blessing of divine grace.
At full power, he should be able to defeat some gods who were not good at combat.
Yet Epimetheus believed he had to forcefully draw his sword to be qualified to enter the battlefield?
The Mysterious Voice's assignments had always taken his strength into account. Was it planning to kill him, this employee, this time?
"I am not the one who sent you to this world."
The starlight mark on his palm felt warm, and the neutral voice of the Mysterious Voice echoed in Arthur's mind.
For some reason, he even heard a hint of helplessness in it.
Realizing that his black-hearted boss was unreliable this time, Arthur looked up at Epimetheus, his voice sinking a few shades.
"You say I lack power on one hand, and then ask for my help on the other. I presume you have a solution?"
Epimetheus tilted his head slightly, casting his gaze towards the severely damaged ring of usurpation in mid-air.
Arthur followed his gaze, his brows tightly furrowed.
"The reincarnation ritual can still be used? Didn't you say it was destroyed?"
Epimetheus nodded with a grim expression, then explained with an uncertain tone: "For others, that is indeed the case."
"But you are the only Miracle, Child of the Stars. Perhaps you can still activate the ring of usurpation, igniting the last embers."
Arthur tapped his chin with a finger, pondered for a moment, then calmly nodded.
"I see. Then I will go to the present world to find a suitable god and try to kill him."
"No need for such trouble! This old man has been waiting for a long time! Child of the Stars, step forward and fight me!"
A thunderous roar erupted from the ring of usurpation, its divine might shaking the very space of the Underworld!
He turned his gaze to Epimetheus, whose expression showed no surprise, and the corner of his mouth curved slightly.
"The ring of usurpation can still store divine power? And who is the one challenging me from within the disc?"
Epimetheus, adhering to the principle of answering all questions, patiently explained.
"The other party is the deity worshipped by the ancient Phoenicians, Mekal, the King of Gods, who holds multiple authorities such as storms, lightning, and the sky."
"After the outsider descended, he devoured the power of the ancient Persian undefeated war god within the ring. And I, hidden in the shadows, preserved the power of this God King as a backup."
Arthur chuckled softly, shaking his head: "You hid it quite well. The 'Afterthought' of Greek mythology doesn't seem to be entirely an afterthought."
Epimetheus shook his head calmly: "You flatter me, I could only do this much. Whether you can gain the God King's recognition still requires you to try it yourself."
Arthur nodded slightly, battle intent rising in his eyes, his sharp gaze piercing through the gray mist, directly at the ring of usurpation.
"Then, let me commit Godslayer on this legendary King of Gods!"