You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

Iori continued, "If an ordinary magician asked you this question, wouldn't you be able to answer it?"

"Ah!"

Tony chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Of course he knows!

Because there's no need to answer at all; even if humans tried their best, they couldn't harm the god-killer—that's common sense!

Would anyone be surprised that a lynx lost to a tiger?

If this applies to humans and god-killers, then what about Tony and Iori?

Although he didn't want to admit it, the gap between the two was so vast that they were practically on different levels!

But this... is too unbelievable!

Gods and god-slayers are already the most powerful beings in this world; there's no reason for such a vastly different hierarchy to exist between them...

"How did you become so powerful? This has overturned my understanding."

"This is a very complicated question. It's not that I'm unwilling to answer it, but there are many things you can't understand."

Iori spread her hands: "If I had to say, you are revered because you have advanced to become 'Godslayers', but I had already reached a higher level before becoming a 'Godslayer'."

"Well... I'm not very bright, but I understand what you mean."

Tony pondered for a moment, then said, "Can I become that powerful too?"

"It's hard."

Iori said seriously, "Your magic sword power is already at a certain extreme in terms of destructive power in this world. Even if you increase your spell power or obtain other powers to assist you, it will only be a change in scale and quantity, and there will be no essential difference in realm."

"So how can we overcome this?"

Tony asked eagerly, but Iori shook her head.

"Perhaps the only way is to leave this world and seek new strength on a broader stage."

"Leave this world?"

"Don't you know? There are parallel worlds where there are also disobedient gods and god-slayers, some weaker than here, and some stronger."

"Are you... also from a parallel world?"

Tony seemed to suddenly realize something.

Iori shook her head in denial: "No, I came from a much more distant place...and it has nothing to do with the parallel lines of this world."

"I don't understand so many things... Anyway, as long as I go to other worlds, I'll have a chance to break through my limits, right?"

"That is, you find a stronger god... but that's true."

"it is good!"

Tony, amidst Andrei's utter astonishment, shouted, "How can we go to other worlds?!"

"good question."

Iori smiled slightly: "What a coincidence, I have a plan that can send you all together. However, there are a few small problems that are bothering me quite a bit~"

Upon hearing this, Tony realized there was indeed hope and asked without hesitation, "What's the problem?"

“I want to send all the Godkillers away at once—or kill them outright, but I can’t find Voban, the Black Prince, or Lady Elsa right now, so there’s no way to do it in the short term.”

"That's easy to say!"

Tony patted his chest confidently: "I know the Marquis very well, we're on very good terms, it's easy for me to get him to come visit me!"

Chapter 392 Enough with the nonsense, hurry up and transform!

Now that Tony has gone to see Marquis Voban, given their "friendship," the Marquis will likely clash with Tony sooner or later. Meanwhile, Prince Alexander, who has a deep grudge against Guinevere and covets the Holy Grail in Iori's possession, will surely appear before him as well.

There are two god-slayers that we cannot yet control. One is Hades of North America. Although his identity is mysterious, his range of activities is relatively fixed. And just like superheroes have assistants, "he" also has someone to help clean up his messes. It is not difficult to find him if you really want to.

The second is Lady Elsa, who is truly elusive, as she doesn't even have a hometown or territory. She is even more unpredictable than Marquis Voban, and is similar to the Golden Slime, belonging to the category of extremely rare monsters.

Iori has already mobilized magic societies in Britain and Japan to search for them, and the Southern European forces nominally led by Tony have also been mobilized. Moreover, with the two god-slayers at their disposal, magicians from all over the world dare not be negligent.

As for when we can expect to hear back, that's hard to say...

Another thing that is equally unpredictable is Athena's defiance.

She was also within Iori's elimination range, but after some pragmatic consideration, Iori decided to fatten her up before killing her, so she also gave the [Gorgon Stone] as a mission objective.

Although the task was quite difficult, it was nothing to the magicians who were used to being oppressed. Compared to something like "collecting hundreds of priestesses for sacrifice," it was actually quite easy, so they not only did not complain but were also quite enthusiastic.

Although they were unaware of Iori's grand plan to "clear the field" (if they had known, they would have been ecstatic), they understood that this was a demon king among demon kings whose power far exceeded their imagination, even surpassing that of veteran god-slayers!

The magicians were utterly flattered by the fact that such a supreme being had only made a few requests…

In their eyes, although Iori was warlike and, like his kind, disliked contact with mortals, he was undoubtedly a person with common sense. He would even take the initiative to open up battlefields and avoid cities. They were very happy to serve such a king.

If it weren't for the awe-inspiring presence of Iori, which deterred them from coming rashly, countless people would have prostrated themselves in worship, offering their loyalty as if on a pilgrimage.

Even so, many organizations' representatives contacted the Council of Wise Men and the Committee for the Compilation of Official Histories, hoping to ascertain Iori's intentions. Iori, of course, was indifferent; he simply needed a result. It didn't matter who did it; in fact, the more people involved, the better.

Iori left such matters to the Council of Sages to handle themselves, while he diligently studied the methods of using power.

Power is a very special kind of force. It is "complete" from the moment it is born. Even a complete novice can unleash considerable power as long as he follows his instincts and the knowledge instilled in his mind.

From another perspective, powers are also very "naive". Users can continuously develop their potential, and the upper limit is very high, even exceeding the god who was killed.

Because it is not pure divine power, but a product of the combination of divine power and the abilities of the god-slayer himself.

Although it has a great deal of randomness, it is indeed related to compatibility in general. When a god-slayer obtains the right power, he can often play it with unparalleled skill. Of course, energy is limited, and it is impossible to fully develop every power.

Many godkillers possess multiple powers, but only one or two seem to be "useful," while the others are merely icing on the cake.

This is not a pattern, but the result of human selection.

Godslayers are all absolute egoists!

Rational god-slayers are virtually nonexistent. Unlike the meticulous protagonists of fantasy novels, they don't use their powers based on mere personal preference. If they don't like something, they'll simply leave it unused, no matter how useful it may be.

For example, Tony likes "swords" and Voban likes "wolves," and they are the most knowledgeable about these two powers.

While Tony's "Guardian of Steel" and Voban's "Black Dragon (Resurrection)" are also powerful, they are not the first choice unless absolutely necessary.

To take it even more extreme, a grandmaster-level martial artist like Luo Hao wouldn't specifically hunt down gods to increase his powers; basically, having the Mighty Vajra and the Roar of the Tiger and the Cry of the Dragon powers is enough.

If Iori were an ordinary god-slayer, she would most likely follow the same path, building her own power system around the "life-saving hair".

But what can you do when he's extraordinary?

He is both energetic and talented, and when faced with such a situation, he never makes a choice but wants it all!

Therefore, he calmed down and carefully studied the upper and lower limits of each power, and how to combine them to achieve a result greater than the sum of its parts.

As for the fusion of different powers... there are still some problems, mainly because different divine powers are not so easy to coexist.

Fortunately, almost all the powers he collected were from the Steel Heroes lineage, and he possessed a divine artifact like the "Savior Blade," which could serve as a medium between different divine powers.

In short, the deeper he delved, the more he realized the immense potential of this system, which was not as simplistic and crude as depicted in the animation. Gradually, it ignited his passion as a researcher, leading him to become somewhat engrossed in his work, even moving to the Sahara Desert to create a sufficiently large testing ground.

However, his quality of life did not decline as a result. The magicians were considerate and attentive in every way, and even in the heart of the desert, they sent many guards and maids to serve him. His residence was decorated like a royal palace in the Arab world.

Alice and the others naturally moved in to be at his beck and call, but Iori was so engrossed in his research that he didn't pay much attention to them. This continued for about half a month until one day the White Priestess Princess brought over an unusual stone.

"Since they called me back from the firing range, hopefully it's something of value."

Iori stretched his neck and then took the fist-sized stone emblem from Alice's hand.

It looks more like a medal or seal, only a bit thicker. There's no particularly ingenious carving technique to be seen. Its appearance is quite unremarkable, even rough.

However, the moment she got her hands on it, Iori suddenly raised her eyebrows, somewhat surprised.

"Hmm, this is... I thought it was just an ordinary antique, but I didn't expect you to bring something extraordinary, Alice."

Only then did he begin to carefully observe the stone's specific shape, his brows gradually relaxing as he nodded in satisfaction.

"It seems the Council of Sages has been working hard; they deserve praise."

He had already recognized the stone! A murderous intent flashed through his mind...

The stone badge resembles polished obsidian, or perhaps a similar material, with a crudely carved female face on its surface, like a child's drawing, surrounded by dozens of intertwined snakes.

At first glance, the snakes resembled the hair on this human face.

Alice accepted the king's praise with pride and then said, "Your Highness, this is the [Gorgon Stone] you mentioned. In ancient legends, it is a symbol of the Earth Mother and a signpost guiding many goddesses to the source of the earth. Like the [Prometheus's Book], it can be considered a type of magic book."

"No, books are for the general public, though there is a price to pay... but this is clearly not something that mortals can use; it is a divine tool prepared specifically for certain goddesses."

Iori's tone was somewhat dazed, "Apart from the true Earth Mother Goddess, I doubt even the God Ancestor could absorb it."

"Ah."

Alice nodded, agreeing with Iori's point of view, and then continued, "European magicians accidentally obtained this grimoire. At first, they didn't recognize what it was. Later, after being appraised by professionals, they determined that this was what you were looking for. So, through the [Council of Sages], they sent me to bring it to you to obey the king's decision. I just don't know if you need to keep this?"

"Why do you ask?"

Iori asked curiously, "This thing is priceless to the oldest Earth Mother Goddess, and it could attract a goddess who wants to advance further at any time—like that silver-haired little girl we met once. Of course, we have to keep it; otherwise, why would I look for it?"

If the goddess of wisdom who was outmaneuvered dares to come knocking, Iori will naturally reason with her kindly. Iori is known for her kindness, and Athena will surely appreciate it and choose to return to mythology, leaving Iori with a power.

"No, of course I know your original intention... What I'm curious about is whether you plan to keep it and wait for that goddess to come to you, or place it somewhere and set some traps to prevent her from escaping, to lure her in..."

Alice suggested, "That Black Prince is very skilled at this kind of trap tactic of waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out, and he has achieved quite a lot. Are you interested?"

"That's the goddess of wisdom, it's difficult enough to scheme against her, let alone set a trap for a goddess."

Iori shook her head. "Besides, there's absolutely no need for that, is there?"

"really."

Alice smiled in response, clearly full of confidence in Iori.

“I will accept this stone. You [Council of Sages]...and those European magicians did a very good job, you deserve praise.”

“You’re exaggerating. Now that the Gorgon Stone has appeared in the world, it will inevitably attract the Earth Mother Goddess. It’s a time bomb for humanity, and we don’t have the ability to defuse or destroy it.”

Therefore, your willingness to help us deal with this troublesome stone is a great blessing for us.

"Perfect, this position... even if we go all out and have a fight, it won't have any impact."

Iori toyed with the stone and said casually.

"Get ready, Athena will probably be here soon."

Upon hearing this, not only Alice but also Huina took it seriously.

"To try and take the Gorgon Stone from Lady Aizen... I truly despair for that goddess."

"Don't say that. Athena is a very powerful goddess."

Iori said seriously, "Even I have to be on high alert... Anyway, let's start with an iced cola."

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but the Coca-Cola in the middle of the desert seems to taste better than in other places.

If that goddess truly possessed "wisdom" and the corresponding insight, she should have understood how difficult it would be to forcibly take it from Iori, and it wouldn't be impossible for her to simply give up the operation.

However, neither the rebels who emerged from mythology nor the demon kings who slayed gods are, in essence, people who would admit defeat, let alone be cowardly before the battle even begins.

Even though Iori's record was so terrifying, it still couldn't stop the Marquis. When Tony came to challenge him, he naturally couldn't scare away the mighty goddess of wisdom.

Just two days later, an inexplicable gloom enveloped the desert like fog, blurring the line between day and night, and the whole world was shrouded in an ominous shadow.

An invisible magical force spread throughout the manor, but the servants and maids, who were just ordinary people (even though many of them were magicians), all felt extremely tired and fell asleep within seconds.

"It seems our guests have arrived."

Alice was enjoying afternoon tea when, after gaining a healthy body and being able to experience various things like a normal person, her life became much more colorful, and she even became somewhat addicted to it for a short period of time.

As the gloom swept over the entire manor, she, as a member of the Iori family, did not exhibit any unusual symptoms, but she did sense the negative cursed energy in the surrounding atmosphere and stood up with a serious expression.

First, he helped several maids who had fainted to their feet and sat them down. Then, he left the small garden unhurriedly. On his way to the shooting range, he encountered Hui Na, who was holding a sword. The two looked at each other, neither of them too panicked, just tense and serious.

When the two arrived at the shooting range, in the open space that resembled a football field, besides Iori, the original owner of the manor, a strange, petite figure appeared and confronted them.

—A god who does not obey!

This sense of oppression is unusual!

"I knew you really wanted this, but I didn't expect you to get it so quickly."

Despite the sudden appearance of the silver-haired little girl, Iori remained calm.