"Oh? So the mysterious power that hid beside Erica and helped her defeat Athena was you—and you even obtained Athena's authority?"
Voban narrowed his eyes as he looked at Satsuki emerging from the darkness.
He sat upright on a crude lead-pipe chair, yet carried himself as though he were an emperor upon a throne.
"With that power and that appearance, calling you a Godslayer feels inaccurate. You look more like the goddess Athena herself. Has modern Japanese magic advanced to such a degree? It seems this long journey of mine has yielded an unexpected harvest."
Perhaps it was due to old age. Or perhaps because he rarely had companions worth conversing with.
The Demon King from the Balkan Peninsula was unexpectedly talkative.
However, though Voban's attitude and tone appeared calm, it was nothing more than an illusion.
His true nature was the exact opposite—wild as a beast, selfish in action, and steeped in blasphemy.
"Four years ago, I made use of a great number of shrine maidens to perform the ritual of Divine Summoning. And now, I encounter someone who can truly call down a god. It seems fortune has finally favored me."
As he spoke of the sins he had committed, his lips twisted into a savage grin.
A chilling aura radiated from his tall, gaunt body. His sharp emerald evil eyes gleamed like a tiger's pupils.
Such intimidation might work on others. But Satsuki, clad in her divine aspect, paid it no mind. When she opened her mouth, it was to deliver a taunt wholly in her own style.
"I've heard about that incident too. Four years ago, a certain Campione painstakingly prepared a ritual to summon a god, only to have the fruits stolen by an unknown knight. After swallowing that silent humiliation, he found himself powerless against the one who had become a Godslayer…"
The event four years ago—when Salvatore Doni snatched away the summoned deity—was an absolute taboo for him. Any being who dared mention it in his presence had been turned into salt, their souls imprisoned within corpses, condemned to eternal unrest.
Yet Satsuki did not stop. Instead, she continued at an unhurried pace.
"Oh, and I also heard that this Campione prides himself on 'hunting the strong,' only to end up killing third-rate gods—Osiris, Inanna, Baphomet—deities hardly anyone has heard of. Some weren't even true gods at all, merely heroes or guardians of oracles from myth without any real divinity…"
"Oh? It seems you possess quite a bit of information about me. Who told you? Salvatore? Or someone else?"
Though Marquis Voban's words remained measured, the deep gouges his fingers carved into the armrest of his throne, and the increasingly intense green glow within his demonic eyes, made it clear that his mood was anything but pleasant.
His gaze, like that of a starving wolf, locked onto Satsuki so fiercely that one might suspect he would activate his saltification authority in the very next instant.
"Have you lived for centuries and developed nothing but muscle, not a brain? A question this simple requires someone else to answer it for you?"
"Whoooo—"
The Balkan Demon King drew in a deep breath. The airflow within the room instantly roared and shook as if a typhoon had swept through, the building trembling with thunderous noise.
It was almost as though the old man intended to blow the entire structure away in a single breath.
However—
In the end, the Demon King shifted his perilous gaze into empty space, using the scant bit of restraint cultivated over centuries to suppress the urge to strike immediately.
"Excellent. Such sharp eloquence, such an aggressive tone—and the composure to remain unshaken before the oldest king…"
As he spoke, the green glow within his evil eyes gradually dimmed. "State your name, girl. Since you dared come here of your own accord, you must be prepared."
Yet Satsuki, divine as ever, seemed entirely unconcerned. Her heterochromatic eyes regarded him calmly.
"You've revealed a flaw, Demon King. Even after provoking you like this, you restrained yourself instead of attacking outright. It seems the instincts of the 'wolf' are quite keen—you sensed danger, didn't you? For the sake of your life, and to avoid suffering another mental scar, why not leave before you fall? Return to the Balkan Peninsula and spend your remaining years in peace. In this era, a Godslayer as old as you is practically an endangered species. If I kill you, even the goddess Pandora would feel regret, wouldn't she?"
Even the system within Satsuki was stunned speechless.
Host, when it comes to provoking hatred, I bow to no one but you.
"Ha… hahahahahahaha."
Voban burst into laughter. He was already consumed by fury, yet just as Satsuki had said, he did not dare act rashly.
His beast-like instincts were constantly warning him that the existence before him possessed power unlike anything he had ever encountered.
And not merely powerful—
But unfathomably so.
Since the day he slew his first god centuries ago, even when he clashed with the Eastern leader of the Five Prisons Sect, he had never sensed such immeasurable depth.
Yet in the face of such provocation, even he was finding it difficult to hold back.
...
Meanwhile.
Blandelli and the King of Swords simultaneously sensed the divine aura Satsuki had released.
"That's Athena's divine power? No—it's Satsuki. In such a short time, she's already mastered power of this level?"
However, this was all according to plan.
Through a secretly connected familiar, Satsuki had informed Erica of her intentions.
"When you sense an abnormal fluctuation of divine power, immediately bring the King of Swords. I have a grand gift for him—consider it a token of alliance."
Though she could roughly guess what this "grand gift" might be, Erica still felt an instinctive worry for Satsuki's safety. She understood just how powerful Satsuki was, yet such feelings could not be suppressed by reason alone.
So, after quickly using projection magic to inform Andrea—who was by the King of Swords' side, since the Campione himself did not use magic—she immediately set off toward the source of Satsuki's divine aura.
As a Godslayer, she was exceptionally sensitive to the presence of her divine nemeses. Moreover, Satsuki had made almost no attempt to conceal her power, making the pursuit effortless.
However—
Her path was blocked by another girl.
More precisely—by the girl's voice and magic.
It was a lovable voice, yet not sweet in a coquettish way. Instead, it resembled fine steel—both resilient and supple.
"O uncrowned King who plays a wondrous melody, hear the oath of the knight Liliana Kranjcar."
The girl who owned that voice approached with measured steps.
Silver hair tied in a ponytail. An icy-like beauty. A slender, fairy-like figure. She possessed an air that felt removed from reality itself.
"I am the heir of the Raging Stone Monument, descendant of the Cross Knights! My heart gallops across the heavens! O winged King of Knights, let the essence of fantasy manifest in my hand!"
As she declared her name, a silver sword appeared in Liliana's grasp.
The blade was long and elegant, its form traced with gentle curves.
"Come forth—foundation of my martial arts, White Silver Giant!"
She wore a blue-and-black vertically striped mantle, along with a blue-and-black battle outfit strikingly similar to the red-and-black attire Erica currently wore.
Upon seeing her figure, Erica showed little surprise.
Instead, she revealed an expression that clearly said Just as I thought.
"Lily, so it was you. The one who passed information to that guy Doni before—it was you, wasn't it?"
"Don't call me so intimately, Erica Blandelli. I am not your friend, nor do I have any reason to be addressed so familiarly by you."
The trump card of Bronze-Black Cross, the silver-haired Sword Fairy, known as the Blue Berserker of this generation—such was the identity and true nature of the girl standing before her.
On the surface, she was the sworn rival and competitor of Erica Blandelli, the treasured jewel of Bronze-Black Cross, once hailed as the "Red Devil."
However—
Judging by the way Erica had greeted her earlier, the two seemed rather familiar with one another.
"Yes, now truly isn't the time for reminiscing."
Worried about Satsuki's safety, Erica drew her beloved sword Lion King's Heart without hesitation.
Yet the target she intended to face was not the silver-haired swordswoman before her.
But rather—the Death Servants emerging from the surrounding shadows at that very moment, roughly twenty in number.
"Lily, staying among these creatures really lowers your standards—have you considered pledging yourself to another Campione instead?"
"Hmph—"
Liliana already knew that Erica had become a Godslayer. Strictly speaking, she herself was merely a Great Knight, while the other was now a Campione. The gulf between their ranks was insurmountable.
But—
The moment she saw that smug expression on Erica's face, and recalled how she had once been "threatened" with the romance novel she had secretly written and hidden in her drawer, Liliana's irritation flared. She showed no courtesy in her reply.
"Erica Blandelli, even if you've become a Godslayer, you should understand what stands before you. Each of these servants possesses strength comparable to a Great Knight or a witch. Do you truly have the confidence to face so many opponents who once stood on equal footing with you?"
Liliana retorted in a forceful tone.
Yet Erica's lips curved into a calm smile.
Then—whoosh.
Her figure carved an afterimage through the air. It was the authority of the Raptor incarnation, granting her unparalleled divine speed.
At the same time, the sword in her hand cleaved into the ranks of the Death Servants, tracing a dazzling arc of crimson light midair.
Clang—clang clang, clang clang clang clang clang…
Fast. So fast it defied comprehension. One could not even perceive when she drew her blade. All that reached the ear was the sound of steel slicing through the atmosphere.
Before Liliana's eyes, it seemed as though multiple Ericas had manifested within the same space.
Every Death Servant touched by the swordlight froze in an instant. The space itself appeared divided into mirror-like fragments by the crisscrossing beams.
Like a spider's web, the red swordlight wove intricate patterns in midair. Under Liliana's stunned gaze, that crimson brilliance blossomed into the shape of a fully opened lily.
In the span of a blink, the supremely swift figure completed the final stroke of that living tableau. The red radiance converged once more into Erica's gallant form, golden hair fluttering in the wind. Her motion shifted from absolute speed to absolute stillness in an instant.
With the motion of sheathing her blade—
The patterns formed by the swordlight burst outward, transforming into countless razor-sharp rays that sliced every surrounding Death Servant into their most fundamental particles and ash in a single instant.
Even the Kotodama authority entwined around them was severed, ensuring that these dead could never be revived again.
Only then did the Sword Fairy feel the storm-like killing intent that had swept across her own body.
Cold sweat trickled down her forehead as she stared at Erica, who still wore a teasing smile, unable to utter a single word.
"Lily, these corpses don't seem quite as impressive as you claimed~"
"Tch—so becoming a Godslayer makes you that impressive?"
"Well, becoming a Campione does allow one to act as they please. But before that, I haven't abandoned my conduct as a Knight."
Erica casually twirled her sword in a flourish. "The observers around us have all been cleared out. You can finally relax now, Lily."
"Honestly… at least leave one or two for me."
Erica laughed at that.
"What are you saying, Lily? So you barged in happily because you wanted to vent some accumulated stress with a grand slaughter? I almost thought you were here to attack me."
"Shut up. I'm not bottling up any stress. Don't spout nonsense."
Liliana frowned as she spoke.
"You can't fool me."
Erica looked at her mischievously. "Given your personality, you would never willingly follow that Demon King who drags disaster upon everything around him merely for his own pleasure…"
At that point, realization dawned upon Erica.
"I see. Since you're at Marquis Voban's residence, you must have come along as an escort or for some similar reason. If I recall correctly, your grandfather is a devotee of the Marquis. To think he would so easily send his own granddaughter."
Upon hearing Erica's deduction, Liliana's complexion changed—clearly she had been struck at the heart of the matter.
"Your sense of justice clashes with that Marquis, doesn't it? There must be many things you cannot say—and dare not say—while being forced to witness deeds that contradict your conscience. Wouldn't that build up stress?"
"Y-you—shut up, shut up! I only passed information to Lord Salvatore. How do you even know that?!"
Liliana raised her voice roughly to stop Erica from continuing.
In terms of strategy and wit, Erica had always held the advantage over the straightforward berserker Liliana.
The reason they had once been evenly matched was that Liliana possessed superior combat aptitude.
But now Erica had become a Godslayer. In raw battle power she overwhelmed her entirely, turning what had once been parity into a one-sided situation. Liliana was no match for Erica's sharp tongue.
"Oh? Did Lord Salvatore not mention that he and I have already formed an alliance?"
"What!?"
This time, undisguised shock appeared on Liliana's face. "Why would the King of Swords form an alliance with you?"
"Isn't it obvious? Campiones must clarify their respective positions and spheres of interest to avoid accidental conflict. After resolving matters here, I intend to visit several of the other Campiones as well."
At this point, Erica glanced in the direction of Marquis Voban's location. "However, since I have already become an ally of the King of Swords, you needn't worry. That old man will certainly tuck his tail and scurry back to Eastern Europe this time."
"Lord Salvatore has come here as well?"
"Yes. The moment he received the signal, he advanced toward the Marquis' location via a different route of attack. If you came here to block me, then the other side should be breached very soon."
Hearing this, Liliana felt a subtle sense of discord.
"A signal?"
"Perhaps you couldn't detect it due to the distance, Lily—but it was a fluctuation of divine power. For us Godslayers, it's as obvious as a beacon guiding the way."
With that, Erica pointed toward a certain hotel—the Marquis' current location. Then divine radiance once again shimmered across her body.
"Lily, I don't have much time to catch up with you. Leave this area as soon as possible. Once the battle begins, I won't be able to spare any attention for you."