"Not bad. This is a god-killing weapon?" Mithra asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's a product of trial and error. It seems some humans and beasts are quite skilled at crafting," Phaselos replied.
"An ordinary weapon, after sufficient refinement, imbued with sufficient power and quenched in the blood of gods, can also become a god-killing weapon..." Mithra murmured, recalling something from the materials Phaselos had provided before.
"Except for Wandering God miracles, under normal circumstances, other miracles are ineffective against Wandering Gods. The concept and creation of god-killing weapon arose from this. Only a god can kill a god," Phaselos explained.
"No wonder the fight felt strange," Mithra recalled some of the confusing aspects of her battle with the Night Hunter. But then she felt puzzled. "But I still defeated it?"
"Your victory was due to several factors. First, its resurrection was incomplete, not even a fraction of its true power. Second, your other form is a fledgling god, possessing the potential to kill a god. Finally, Ki miracles can exploit loopholes in the rules. If you can absorb a god's Ki, then naturally, your Ki can harm a god."
Mithra nodded thoughtfully.
Phaselos continued, "Speaking of god-killing weapon, my request is related to them."
"Tell me."
"Gather as many god-killing weapon as possible."
"What's the point?" Mithra asked.
"I'm curious about the next generation of god-killing weapons. I want to see them. And for you, having various and unique god-killing weapons can greatly increase your combat power. Of course, suppressing and controlling weapons imbued with the blood of gods isn't easy. For example, this greatsword can easily awaken the will of the Hunter."
"...It's not a strict requirement anyway. Even if you hadn't asked, given your influence on me, I would have tried to collect them eventually," Mithra said.
"Influence is a passive and one-sided change. Your proactive approach in our initial test was very satisfying to most of us, so I decided to communicate with you directly. This is more equitable."
"I've already received the gifts; I'll do the work eventually," Mithra didn't care about the method of communication.
Being treated as a tool wasn't a problem.
She could even accept being manipulated and forced to collect deaths.
In fact, she was grateful for these entities, regardless of how torturous their gifts might be.
She had no goals, no needs, and no motivation, so everything was fine.
Phaselos seemed to understand Mithra's thoughts and sighed. "Your attitude frustrates some of us. Personally, I prefer people with more ambition. More desire makes it easier to stimulate inspiration, allowing us to give you gifts and activate the prices... Ah, of course, that doesn't mean I dislike you."
"Disliking me is pointless. I'm probably someone you all chose," Mithra said calmly, tilting her head.
"Ha ha ha, you don't oppose us, but you don't fear us either. Just basic gratitude... Very well. It was pleasant chatting with you. I look forward to our next meeting. Good luck, young one,"
The voice faded away.
Mithra stood there for a moment, then reached out and grabbed the hilt of the greatsword.
Clang!
The moment her hand grasped the hilt, the thirty-four eyes on the blade opened, their dark pupils, just like Mithra's, turning towards her.
Her hand seemed to be stuck to the sword. Even if she wanted to let go, she couldn't.
Mithra felt the Night Hunter's distilled sense in her other hand resonate with the sword.
The sense flowed into her body, forcibly absorbed, or perhaps, merged!
Mithra glanced at her now empty hand, a grotesque claw reflected in her dark eyes.
But she had been prepared. She couldn't leave the sword. Experiencing something similar to Safin was inevitable. However, before the true ordeal even began, a gift appeared.
[Event —— "Transform into a Beast"]
[Bicester's Gift: You will absorb this powerful beast sense in a more stable manner.]
[Price: Awaken the beast within, transform into a beast.]
[Bicester's signature: This will be your third face. Roar.]
[Accept?]
Mithra gripped the sword. Blue fur sprouted on her body, her bones subtly shifting.
"Accept," she said, seemingly oblivious to the changes, and accepted the gift.
The words flowed into her, and her body seemed to lose control. Dark blue fur began to grow, only to be overtaken by black and white fur.
Her muscles bulged, her bones warped.
Especially her head. She retained her human ears and eyes, but her skull reshaped into something between canine and feline, grotesque and terrifying.
Her hind legs bent like a beast's, losing the ability to stand fully upright, but gaining explosive power.
Black claws and fangs also grew larger.
As a long, black mane sprouted from the back of her head, this grotesque creature, somewhere between beastman, human, and god, stood amidst the pile of corpses.
"Roar!" After venting a primal scream, Mithra looked at her hands.
Had she completely transformed into a beast?
No, this was a strange in-between state.
It was the product of her bestial nature taking over, similar to how the "Stranger" was the product of heightened emotions activating and enveloping her normal body.
Bicester had been trying to induce this transformation, and now he had finally succeeded.
Unfortunately, the final form wasn't quite what he had intended.
Bicester's ideal beast form for Mithra was probably not this half-baked state.
She instinctively crouched. This body's structure didn't allow her to stand upright easily. It deviated from the beastmen standard and was closer to the poorly bred Night Hunter, although Mithra's beast form seemed to have overwritten it, the influence was still there.
Even the fur on her left hand, which held the sword, had patches of dark blue, a mark of the Night Hunter.
Clang!
Looking at her left hand, she instinctively lifted it and easily drew the Hunter's greatsword.
The eyes on the sword examined Mithra, then slowly returned to their forward gaze, seemingly acknowledging her as its wielder.
The beast form wasn't like the Stranger.
It wasn't as strong, but it was still stronger than her normal body.
It didn't have Unified Sense either; its progress in that area was synced with her human form.
Besides not driving her insane as quickly, it seemed rather pointless.
However, this form allowed her to fully merge with the Night Hunter's essence and utilize the special Hunting miracles and wield the greatsword more effectively.
Mithra pressed a hand to her forehead.
The sound of barking echoed in her mind, along with the urge to hunt, to kill, to devour, to hunt eyes.
It wasn't like the Stranger, a pure release of emotions overwhelming her normal consciousness. Intelligent beasts had more complex desires, but they pulled Mithra away from her humanity.
Crack...
Her body suddenly shrank, her bones returning to their normal shape, her fur disappearing, the long mane shortening into shoulder-length hair. Mithra was human again.
She took a deep breath, regaining her human consciousness.
She couldn't maintain that form for long. It was gentler than the Stranger, but only slightly.
She glanced at the greatsword in her hand. With the beast form gone, the thirty-four eyes were closed.
In this state, the Hunter Greatsword was just a well-crafted sword, its special powers dormant.
She stabbed it into her abdomen and slowly sheathed it within her body.
She felt slightly heavier, but the satisfaction of acquiring a new weapon was genuine.
After all, this was her first god-killing weapon.