Chiyou, the god of war and weaponry, was a figure of great renown.
Before the Han Dynasty, historical accounts of Chiyou were largely positive, despite his status as an enemy of the Huang Emperor. In fact, the Huang Emperor himself deeply respected this formidable opponent.
After defeating Chiyou and unifying the Central Plains, the Huang Emperor incorporated Chiyou's totem into his military banners to inspire his troops in subsequent campaigns.
The Book of Feng and Shan Sacrifices records that the state of Qi worshipped the Eight Gods, with the third being the Lord of Armaments, Chiyou. Thus, Chiyou was permanently enshrined in history as the god of war.
Although later Confucian texts demonized his image, mythical traditions continued to venerate Chiyou, with associated worship practices enduring.
For instance, Ren Fang's Records of Strange Tales from the Southern Dynasties mentions a Ji Province folk dance called "Chiyou's Play," where participants clashed while wearing ox horns. In villages near Taiyuan, people continued to worship Chiyou as a deity. Qin Shi Huang personally sacrificed to Chiyou as the War God of Armaments, one of the Eight Gods. Subsequent emperors and military commanders often sought his divine favor before embarking on campaigns, praying to Chiyou for protection.
Phoenix watched Chiyou ahead, but she didn't immediately attack. Instead, she waited.
Chiyou was slowly striding in a specific direction, his destination unknown. Though his pace seemed leisurely, his colossal body, hundreds of meters tall, covered nearly a hundred meters with each step. In reality, he was moving quite quickly.
It wouldn't be long before he completely left the small city. Beyond its borders lay a sparsely populated, undeveloped mountain range. Phoenix was waiting for Chiyou to reach that area before engaging him.
After all, battles between Campiones and Heretic Gods involved immense destructive power. A single misstep could completely obliterate the city.
Though these people held no personal significance for Phoenix, as a guardian of China—even if not her own China—she saw no harm in waiting a little longer, as long as it didn't jeopardize her own interests.
Several minutes passed before the gargantuan Chiyou finally left the city and entered the remote, undeveloped mountain range.
At that moment, Phoenix could no longer restrain herself. She surged forward, her eagerness burning like a flame as she charged toward Chiyou.
"Hmm?"
The Heretic God, Chiyou, who had been striding forward, suddenly halted. Turning to look behind him, he sensed an unfamiliar surge of Cursed Power rapidly approaching.
Though the power was insignificant to Chiyou, as a mighty Heretic God, he could perceive even the faintest traces of it. Moreover, far from being faint, the aura grew stronger as it drew closer.
"Another god who has broken free from myth... or..." Chiyou muttered, gazing into the distance with growing curiosity.
Before long, a beautiful young girl materialized before him, clad in a Blazing Battle Robe.
She wasn't the Heretic God Chiyou had anticipated, but a human.
Normally, beings like Chiyou, lords of Cursed Power, wouldn't spare mortals a second glance. Yet this human defied such disregard. She demanded his attention.
Chiyou frowned slightly. "I didn't expect to draw out a Campione from the human world."
As a Heretic God, he possessed an instinctive sense for god-slayers. He could distinguish between Heretic Gods and humans at a glance, for their Cursed Power differed fundamentally.
A Campione's Cursed Power was transformed through rituals, originally belonging to gods before being seized by the god-slayer. This was fundamentally different from the Cursed Power of a Heretic God.
"It seems my movements were too conspicuous. I've barely manifested, yet I've already attracted a human Demon Lord."
After frowning, Chiyou gazed at the Campione girl before him with calm amusement, showing no trace of panic. Instead, he wore a composed smile.
As the chieftain of the Jiuli tribe, born for battle, Chiyou had never known fear. His very existence was defined by warfare.
While others were still using stone tools, Chiyou had already discovered metal and invented weapons.
His fearsome image was so intimidating that the Huang Emperor had it painted on his military banners to inspire his troops to fight bravely. The mere sight of Chiyou's likeness was enough to make many feudal lords surrender without a fight.
-
Chiyou stood atop the mountain range, an immense figure resembling a celestial giant whose outstretched arm seemed capable of piercing the heavens.
Mist swirled around the giant, and dark clouds pressed down from above. The sight sent shivers down one's spine.
"Campione, god-slayer, depart at once! The great Lord of the Nine Li has pressing matters today!"
Chiyou's voice boomed with overwhelming authority, like the roar of a gathering storm. With each word, an invisible pressure intensified.
Yet Phoenix remained suspended in the air, her face composed and showing no sign of retreating. "You must be Chiyou, the War God! Your Authority... it must be quite valuable, wouldn't you say?"
Phoenix gazed at Chiyou as a hunter eyes its prey. Undaunted by the Archon's terrifying presence—a being whose mere sight could terrify others into submission—she showed no trace of fear.
"Little girl, don't think that becoming a Campione means you can look down on all gods. Let me show you just how vast the gap is between a truly powerful Heretic God and those second-rate deities!"
Hearing Phoenix speak as if she were the hunter and he the prey, Chiyou couldn't help but chuckle bitterly, his anger boiling over.
Abandoning his journey, he brandished four or five colossal weapons in his six arms and swung them directly at Phoenix. Invisible shockwaves, traveling at near-instantaneous speeds, slammed into her in the blink of an eye.
Seeing his casual strike land squarely on the Campione, Chiyou's face twisted into a mocking sneer.
Mortals who stumble into becoming Campiones often delude themselves into thinking they can slay all gods. But the reality is that they're hopelessly weak, pointlessly throwing their lives away.
The disparity between Heretic Gods was simply too vast.
After a moment of mockery, Chiyou sheathed his weapons, turned his back, and prepared to resume his journey. He didn't believe this Campione could survive his attack.
As the God of Weapons, Chiyou possessed unparalleled mastery over arms, wielding countless divine powers and Authorities that could amplify his weapons' destructive power to utterly despair-inducing levels.
"Not bad. As expected of Chiyou, I'm growing increasingly fond of your Authority."
Just as Chiyou turned to leave, Phoenix's voice rang out again.
"What? How is that possible...?"
Chiyou froze, momentarily stunned.