Multiverse's Holy Right

Returning to his luxurious cabin aboard the yacht, Roy began examining his new power. The Pandora's Circle of Usurpation had once again bestowed upon him a new authority—『The Face of God』!

In legend, Metatron bore the title of "The Face of God." It was said that mortals could not gaze directly upon the divine, and among the many angels, only Metatron held this honor—to meet God's eyes and behold the magnificent visage of the Supreme Deity.

This authority originated from that very legend.

"So that cursed weakness I felt upon seeing Metatron's face on Ponza Island came from this authority," Roy mused, seated in his ornate antique wooden chair as he felt the yacht accelerating toward the Italian mainland.

"This world doesn't have the Cthulhu Mythos... Though that makes sense. For myths to form requires centuries of development, intertwined with human history. Cthulhu has only existed for about a hundred years as a literary creation. For such a mythos to birth Heretic Gods would take several more centuries—and that's only if humanity still remembers the Cthulhu Mythos by then."

"...In the Cthulhu Mythos, those who behold the Old Ones go mad because the human mind cannot comprehend such entities, becoming corrupted by their mere existence. The same principle applies to Yahweh—human cognition cannot grasp the magnificence of God, so seeing His 'Face' brings a curse."

"From this perspective, whether it's eldritch gods or any other deities, they're fundamentally the same, aren't they?"

Roy exhaled softly, recalling how when Metatron used this authority, he had indeed glimpsed another supreme being through Metatron's face, suffering terrible curses that even weakened his magical power.

When actively employed, this authority would make those who saw his face feel as though they had beheld Yahweh, causing cognitive dissonance and debilitating weakness under intense curses.

If it were a Campione with high magic resistance, a curse would at most weaken them. But if an ordinary person with little to no magic resistance saw it, they would go insane or even die on the spot. This was a genuine Authority that could literally "charm" someone to death.

"Even if they kill the same god, different Campiones obtain different Authorities. This depends on the compatibility with the Campione themselves. So why did I end up with this Authority?"

Roy touched his face and muttered self-deprecatingly, "...Could it be because in the past, I wasn't particularly good-looking and always complained about not being handsome enough to get a girlfriend? Maybe that subconscious desire led me to acquire an Authority that can 'charm' people to death."

Though he said it jokingly, Roy couldn't help but feel there might be some truth to it.

During his battle with Metatron, the angel had used two Authorities: one was "The Face of God," and the other was an Authority usurped through written means.

The usurped Authority seemed powerful, but its activation likely came with many restrictions. Roy's Holy Right already had enough limitations as it was, and since Holy Right was already extremely versatile in combat, Roy had zero interest in Metatron's usurped Authority.

As for The Face of God, Roy found it quite suitable for himself. This auxiliary-type Authority had no restrictions and could significantly enhance his combat effectiveness.

Fortunately, this Authority could be freely controlled, with both "active" and "passive" modes. Otherwise, Roy might have had to wear a mask and only remove it when he needed to "charm" his enemies to death.

In its passive state, the Authority naturally bestowed upon Roy a divine majesty, making him appear more sacred—in simpler terms, it made him seem more like a charlatan. It worked like a curse, making people more inclined to believe him, as if he were a "divine child."

When actively used, the curse became far more potent. Roy figured that in the heat of battle, where both sides would be intently watching each other, suddenly activating this insidious, unpredictable Authority would catch the enemy completely off guard. The curse would create a fatal opening, giving him the perfect opportunity for a decisive strike.

An incredibly useful auxiliary ability, whether in daily life or combat—that was Roy's assessment of "The Face of God."

"Still, compared to gaining a new Authority, what I really want is for my 'Holy Right' to evolve, bringing about a qualitative change in my power."

Roy frowned and clenched his fist. After killing Metatron, just as he had expected, his divine power showed no signs of stacking—it was no different from after his first godslaying. His Holy Right Authority also remained unchanged.

If this was what it meant to be a Campione, then even if Roy killed dozens of Heretic Gods, the only change would be a more diverse set of Authorities—no qualitative transformation whatsoever.

Having a variety of Authorities naturally meant more options when facing opponents of equal strength, making victory easier to achieve. However, the fact that Campiones couldn't grow stronger in "quality" also became their greatest weakness. It was like a limiter, firmly restricting their potential.

In Roy's view, the legends of Metatron and Michael overlapped significantly in every aspect. Yet even after slaying both gods, nothing had changed. Thus, he surmised that killing other Heretic Gods would likely yield no different outcome.

"Worry not. The core of the Heretic God Metatron—what you refer to as the essence—has been preserved by me."

At that moment, a radiant glow emerged behind Roy. The golden-haired, halo-crowned Holy Guardian Angel, Aiwass, clad in a white linen robe with hair cascading to her waist, manifested in an ethereal form.

"Metatron's essence bears a striking resemblance to Michael's, making the fusion highly probable. Once I fully decipher and alter Pandora's ritual, I can apply the new rite to you. This will allow you to break the limitations of a Campione, witness Pandora's Circle of Usurpation once more, and deepen my understanding further."

"...However, even upon completing this new ritual, not all Heretic Gods' essence can merge with you. Your first deicide was Michael, which imprinted his nature upon you. Thus, only deities similar to Michael can be assimilated—the closer the resemblance, the greater the benefits from slaying them."

Hearing Aiwass' words, Roy found clarity in his lingering concerns. His face brightened as he exclaimed, "...As expected of Aiwass, to have intercepted Metatron's essence."

"As a spiritual entity, I cannot interfere with the material world. Only because you slew Metatron, and his essence was on the verge of dissipating from the material plane, was I able to accomplish this."

Aiwass spoke calmly, her voice carrying strong human-like emotions, yet devoid of any hint of pride in her words.

"Still, Roy, you must be cautious. My role is limited to altering the ritual, but $^*@$%^*%!@&... Therefore, you must acquire more knowledge."

Part of Aiwass' speech dissolved into incomprehensible static—knowledge beyond Roy's grasp. Frowning, he pieced together her meaning after a pause.

"...You mean you can only modify the ritual, not enact it? Thus, you must impart the new ritual's knowledge to me, leaving me to perform it myself? I must possess sufficient understanding to comprehend what you teach?"

"Precisely. Human language conveys too little. Some concepts defy explanation—you must interpret them through magic."

Aiwass gave a slight nod.

"I see. So I must continue studying diligently. 'The ugly must read more'—had I this drive back then, I'd have made it to Tsinghua or Peking University."

Roy chuckled self-deprecatingly before retrieving the ancient ring he had unearthed from the ruins of Solomon's Temple.

***

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