Heretic God.
A title given to those gods who have defied the myths from which they were born.
In terms of sheer power, Heretic Gods are no different from the divine beings who dwell in the celestial realm. But their personalities—their goals—are often the opposite of what the legends describe.
Take Verethragna, for instance. He is a war god, the embodiment of victory itself. By all rights, his divine nature should make him obsessed with triumph, with crushing his enemies beneath his heel.
And yet, as a god of rebellion, he had turned his back on that path.
Rather than seeking victory, Verethragna descended to the mortal realm in search of defeat.
That was the reason he sought out Melqart—not to win, but to lose. To be bested in fair, glorious combat.
Of course, he had no desire to throw a match. If it were just about losing, he could surrender right away and be done with it. But that wouldn't be satisfying.
His battle with Melqart had ended in mutual destruction. Both sides suffered heavy losses. That outcome thrilled Verethragna to his very core.
He never imagined the God-King of the Mediterranean would have the strength to scatter his divine essence into ten fragments.
And now, he had begun the process of reclaiming those fragments—each a separate incarnation of his being—so that he might restore his full strength and challenge Melqart one final time.
Yet fate, it seemed, had one more surprise in store.
As he came to retrieve his final avatar—the [Boar]—he encountered something unexpected: a human magician whose mastery of magic was so refined that even a god like Verethragna had to take notice. And this magician… had challenged him to a god-slaying duel.
After laughing uproariously at the absurdity and delight of it all, the youthful-looking war god's expression turned somewhat troubled.
"One is the King of Gods. The other, a fearless challenger with eyes set on slaying a deity... Both are such rare and delicious opponents. How am I supposed to choose which battle to prioritize?"
He spoke like a spoiled child who had just found both Optimus Prime and Iron Man on the toy shelf and didn't know which to spend his allowance on.
To Verethragna, whether it was the God-King or this mad human, both were once-in-a-lifetime opponents.
Hearing his words, Su Mo responded with a gentle smile.
"You don't have to overthink it. You'll be returning to myth soon enough. None of it will matter by then."
"..."
Verethragna blinked.
This was the first time he had encountered a human so arrogant.
"If your confidence rests solely on that magic you cast earlier," he warned, "then you may be in for a disappointment. That spell won't work on a god."
He genuinely thought Su Mo might be overestimating himself and felt a need to clarify. If the human had misjudged the gap between them, the fight might not be as interesting as he had hoped.
"Relax. I'm not foolish enough to believe gods are that easy to kill." Su Mo shook his head calmly.
"Oh?" Verethragna's eyes lit up, a flicker of intrigue dancing across his face. "So you've got more tricks up your sleeve?"
Now that was a surprise.
For a human to wield such powerful magic was already impressive. But to have more god-slaying aces in hand?
"You don't really expect me to lay out all my cards before the battle, do you?" Su Mo said with a wry smile.
Even if you were as powerful as Ultraman Tiga, it would be pure idiocy to hand your opponent a full dossier before the fight.
Gods possessed a multitude of unpredictable abilities. Until the god was slain, one could never afford to be careless.
Hearing this, Verethragna grinned. His eyes now shimmered with pure battle lust.
"Very well. Since you wish to face me at full power, I'll grant you that honor."
In that instant, the atmosphere shifted completely.
Where before their interaction had felt almost casual—like banter between acquaintances—it now turned sharp, tense, and laced with the scent of impending violence.
As a war god, Verethragna never treated battle lightly. And now, for the first time in ages, his opponent made even him feel a flicker of danger.
"I am the strongest—the one who seizes every victory. Man or demon—any who stand in my way shall fall. I will crush all who dare to defy me!"
The youthful god murmured an incantation, chanting sacred words to amplify his divine authority.
A translucent golden sword materialized in his hand—radiating with divine light.
This was one of the most unique among his ten divine incarnations.
In the original story, it was this very power that allowed Kusanagi Godou to cheat fate and defy gods. The Golden Sword was a divine weapon, crafted solely to battle gods. Naturally, it was not meant to be used on Su Mo.
With a graceful flick of the wrist, the pale golden blade sliced through the air.
"Shhhk!" That was the sound of divine flesh being pierced.
"Boom!" The divine beast—the Wild Boar incarnation—collapsed with a heavy thud.
Having lost all ability to resist, the massive divine beast dissolved into thousands of golden motes of light, which then surged back into Verethragna body.
Before the battle began in earnest, Verethragna had chosen to honor Su Mo's wish: he retrieved his final incarnation and returned to his complete form.
Now fully restored, the War God turned his gaze toward Su Mo.
"You blasphemous mortal who dares to dream of slaying a god— I have reclaimed all my power. If you seek victory over me, the god of war, Then face me with your full might!"
He declared his name with dignity and power:
"I am Verethragna — The god of victory and war, The radiant warrior of light who fights in defense of the sacred fire!"
A formal, glorious introduction befitting a true deity.
Su Mo responded cleanly, without any hesitation:
"I shall meet you with everything I've got."
A slight smile formed on his lips as he added calmly,
"My name is Su Mo. I may not carry a grand title in this world yet… But as luck would have it, I too am a Warrior of Light."
He raised his hand, smiling faintly.
"So let me show you the power that belongs to my Warrior of Light."
"TIGA!"
A blinding light erupted from his body.
From within that explosion of radiance, a colossal giant more than fifty meters tall rose up from the earth.
Red and blue armor gleamed under the sun, and the sheer scale of his presence was overwhelming— A being as mighty and divine as a god.