"That is no longer anything important."
Voban narrowed his monster-like yellow-green eyes.
Within those pupils lurked a terrifying Authority. To ordinary people, even meeting that gaze would bring death—the Evil Eye itself.
"Originally, I summoned you here to continue the ritual from four years ago—but..."
Liliana met the Demon King's face without blinking. In an instant, several scenes from memory flashed through her mind.
Four years ago—that was when he had gone to tremendous lengths to prepare a grand summoning ritual to call forth a Heretic God, all for the sake of battling a god once more.
A Heretic God was, in essence, a twisted manifestation of a deity—an aspect that refused to submit to the constraints of its name and became embodied.
To humans or to gods alike, such beings were ominous existences. Yet this oldest Godslayer paid no heed to such concerns and instead sought to summon precisely that kind of inauspicious presence.
One could easily imagine the immense sacrifices that ritual must have required. As for why he would attempt something so dangerous—
Was there even a need to ask? The very name Godslayer already provided the answer...
However, that operation had been ruined by the then still-just-a-knight King of Swords, Salvatore. The god Voban had painstakingly summoned became another's prize instead, which enraged him immensely.
And because of that, when Salvatore ascended as a Campione, what followed was the malice of the oldest Godslayer, Marquis Voban.
Those leaders of the magical associations, who deeply feared the authority of this ancient Campione, had no choice but to support the King of Swords as their champion.
It was not because they valued his personal charm or leadership ability—or rather, as a mere Knight, he possessed neither.
But he was the only one capable of standing against Marquis Voban.
And that alone was enough.
"I hear that things have been rather lively in Japan lately?"
As he spoke, Marquis Voban suddenly shifted his gaze behind Liliana.
—In that instant.
A bone-chilling cold swept across her back. Liliana instinctively sensed that someone had appeared behind her.
To slip behind her without the slightest notice, despite her being a Great Knight—what sort of figure could that be?
Unable to maintain her knightly composure any longer, Liliana swiftly drew her beloved sword from her waist—the White Silver Artisan—and spun around sharply...
But when she clearly saw the figure before her, she froze where she stood.
It was an old man clad in black robes. More precisely—it could not even be considered human. At best, it was a moving corpse.
Perhaps "puppet" would be a more accurate description.
In response to the question Voban had just posed, the black-robed puppet nodded stiffly, like a mechanical device running out of oil.
Beneath the shadow of its hood, the pale face bore not a trace of human expression. There was neither reverence nor fear appropriate before a Demon King.
Even the eerie candlelight flickering around them produced no change in its vacant eyes.
Within those hollow eyes there was no glimmer of reason, and the pupils were dilated outward.
This was the unmistakable visage of death.
And it was also one of this ancient Campione's Authorities—Servants of the Dead.
Those killed by him would reappear in the world as living corpses and become absolutely obedient servants.
What a tragic fate that was. Liliana could not help but think so.
This dead man had likely been a mage who, as a mere mortal, dared to oppose the Demon King. Such an act required extraordinary courage. For that, she felt respect.
Yet this Authority defiled the deaths of those brave souls, diminishing their dignity.
Realizing this, she could not help but clench her teeth.
As the heir to the prestigious Kranjcar lineage and a member of the Bronze Black Cross, Liliana could neither resist nor defy the Demon King. If not for that, she would have wanted to leave immediately.
...To oppose such a Demon King, only another Demon King would suffice.
If the leader promoted by the Italian mages—Salvatore—were willing to grant her family protection, perhaps they could break free from this Demon King's control. But given her current position... what could she possibly do?
Just as Liliana sheathed her sword once more, Marquis Voban spoke again.
"Kranjcar, you were one of the many shrine maidens I gathered four years ago. Do you remember which among them displayed the most outstanding spiritual power? If I recall correctly, she was also from that same place."
Shrine maidens...
At that word, Liliana's thoughts were pulled back into memory.
Four years ago, in order to summon a god, Marquis Voban had used the coercive authority of a Campione to assemble dozens of shrine maidens.
—After the ritual ended, two-thirds of them lost their sanity, their minds grievously scarred.
Liliana was among the remaining one-third who emerged unharmed.
Such an experience could only be described as a nightmare. Thus, although she now faced the Godslayer with the courtesy of a knight, what she truly felt within was another matter entirely.
"Yes. Her name is Yuri Mariya. She is Japanese and should now be a princess shrine maiden."
Liliana deliberately emphasized the other girl's identity in her reply, subtly warning Marquis Voban that Yuri Mariya had organizational backing.
If it were merely an ordinary organization, that would be one thing. But now that the King of Swords was also in Japan, the situation was different.
Upon hearing this, Marquis Voban did not expose the silver-haired knight's small scheme. Instead, he offered an unexpected response.
"That place has indeed seen many interesting developments. A newly born Godslayer, a mysterious figure capable of defeating Salvatore in swordsmanship, and traces of a fleeting descent of a Heretic God... Perhaps making a personal trip to Japan would not be a bad idea. Come to think of it, it has been quite some time since I last crossed the sea."
Hearing his decision, Liliana was momentarily stunned.
"A Marquis of your stature, a Godslayer, intends to go in person?"
"From time to time, I also wish to breathe foreign air. Is that not quite pleasant? I am merely an old man with little time left, wishing to enjoy a leisurely holiday."
The Demon King's utterly unamusing sense of humor left Liliana no room to object.
"However, having an attendant would indeed be convenient. Therefore, I appoint you to this role. Do you have any objections?"
Even if she did, she could never voice them.
Voban looked thoroughly satisfied as he watched Liliana accept the arrangement.
"Then I shall give you one hour to prepare. Do not make me wait a single second longer."
...
"Hmm, it's barely passable."
Satsuki stepped back as she evaluated the silver-haired lady before her with a critical gaze. The woman stood with her arms folded across her chest, dressed in a white robe of ancient Greece, her entire being radiating a sacred aura.
If Erica were here, she would surely point at this girl in stunned disbelief.
—Athena?
And indeed, it was. That breathtaking beauty, along with her silver hair shining like moonlight illuminating the night sky.
Her iconic attire and the flowing hem of her robe fluttered like velvet in the wind. Her milk-like smooth skin and the graceful curves beneath the robe were enough to drive both gods and mortals mad.
The only difference lay in her eyes.
Previously, Athena's violet eyes carried a divine indifference. But the one before her now—though identical in form and power to Athena after merging with the Gorgon Stone—had an entirely different expression.
It was the look of: "Fine. I give up. I'm not struggling anymore."
Even as a deathly wind capable of wiping out hundreds of gods raged around her, the goddess maintained a completely indifferent, almost lifeless expression as she looked at Satsuki.
Satsuki ignored the goddess' resentful look and asked instead, "How does that body feel?"
"...My chest feels a bit heavy."
Though the words alone could stir one's blood, her flat, machine-like tone instead conveyed an intense sense of restraint.
This stark contrast created an oddly alluring charm, enough for Satsuki to raise an eyebrow and glance briefly at her chest.
"A bit exaggerated, but still within normal proportions... more importantly, what about your divine power?"
"Let me see."
As she spoke, an immense purple divine power surged out of her body, enveloping her like flickering flames.
Within that vast power lay the essence of the Mother of Earth, the sovereign of death, the underworld, and darkness—and the radiant goddess who governed war and wisdom.
A trinitarian goddess.
Athena, the Heretic God.
Her true identity: the Oceanid, the goddess of wisdom and thought, Athena—the mother of Poros—Metis.
"It seems there's no issue with controlling divine power. As for practical usage, the Gorgon Stone should contain relevant records. With the help of the Akashic Records, you shouldn't take long to master this divine body."
"Phew..."
Letting out a deep breath, the floating Athena finally relaxed—this was already the eighth time she had been reconstructed.
In previous attempts, there had always been various flaws, either in the body itself or in how the divine power manifested.
Each time, Satsuki had ruthlessly dismantled and rebuilt her from scratch.
Although the system could not feel pain during the process, such a brutal method still made its metaphorical heart race uncontrollably.
As an aside, to reduce the sense of incongruity in the system's portrayal of Athena, Satsuki had deliberately altered its speech pattern, replacing "I" with "this one."
"Host, now that it's complete, can you put me down?"
"Sure."
A glint flashed in Satsuki's eyes as the gravity surrounding Metis dissipated.
Like a beam of silver light falling into the mortal world, Metis dropped abruptly to the ground—but seemed momentarily unaccustomed to the body's forward-shifted center of gravity.
As soon as she landed—thud, thud, thud—she stumbled forward.
And directly in front of her stood Satsuki.
"—Uh."
Realizing what was about to happen, cold sweat broke out across Metis' forehead. But controlling this body was far more difficult than she had imagined.
In her panic, she accidentally stepped on the hem of her robe. Any attempt to regain balance failed completely. What had been a stumble now turned into a full-on fall—straight toward Satsuki.
Under normal circumstances, a protagonist faced with such "good fortune" would awkwardly protest while honestly acting as a cushion for the beauty.
But Satsuki did not.
She directly used the spatial ability Amenotejikara—
And swapped their positions.
"Ahhh—!"
Caught completely off guard, Metis could only let out a cry before crashing headfirst onto the tatami where Satsuki had been sitting.
"It seems you still need time to get used to that body."
Satsuki's calm voice came from behind her.
"Also, this place has been separated into an independent space using the newly acquired Amenominaka. You can freely test your powers here. The outside world won't notice."
With that, Satsuki vanished from the room.
When she reappeared outside, the sky was finally clear—a long-awaited sunny day. At last, there was no need to carry an umbrella.
At that moment, she heard a voice from behind.
"Good morning, Sister. You're up early again... are you going to that young lady's place today?"
"That young lady" referred to Erica, who lived not far from Satsuki's apartment. She had originally wanted to live next door, but due to her status as a Godslayer, she ultimately chose a slightly more distant location.
While Satsuki had been conducting her experiments, she had received a message from Erica via a familiar. So after completing Metis' reconstruction, she planned to meet her.
However, today felt a bit unusual.
Her younger sister, Shizuka, stood at the entrance hallway, blocking her path.
Her gaze resembled that of a soft yet stubborn kitten.
"Sister... um... it feels like I haven't seen you at the tea ceremony club much lately."
The tea ceremony club—originally, Satsuki had joined it to get closer to Yuri Mariya. But after the incident involving Athena, she no longer needed that connection.
"I've been busy lately. I probably won't be going to the club for a while."
Toward her adorable little sister, Satsuki rarely softened her tone—but this time, she did.
"Then... what exactly have you been busy with?"
Ever since leaving their grandfather's library, her sister had mostly only interacted with Erica. She had barely spoken to her own younger sister...
And she had secretly prepared several new cheongsams and kimonos, tucked away in the dressing room drawer...
Not being able to see her sister wear them would undoubtedly be a heavy blow.
Fortunately, Satsuki had no intention of using the Tenseigan to peek into her sister's thoughts.
Otherwise, she might very well have chosen to move out.