Chapter 446: The Satans Gather Together, A Great Melee!
Killing Susanoo and his clone Takeru alone wasn't enough.
Renji would later alter the myth of Takeru as well, thereby truly erasing Susanoo's existence.
After all, there was still one of him in the form of a Heretic God, and upon death, he would merely return to the myth where his true body resided.
By altering the myth, his existence would be completely wiped out.
"How about it? Become my saintess and you can live."
He suddenly extended such an invitation to a girl with long, straight black hair.
"Sain...tess?"
Ena murmured in slight astonishment, then her expression twisted slightly—a consequence of using the power of Ame-no-Murakumo, as her body was being eroded.
Thus, the skin beneath her clothes was darkening, seemingly turning charcoal-like.
"Feels less like an invitation and more like a notification," Ena continued.
"Correct."
"Heh."
So, she had just escaped the wolf's den only to stumble into the tiger's lair, hadn't she?
The next moment, a carved-like magic circle appeared at her feet, and she felt a force invading her. Her lips also seemed uncontrollably compelled to activate something.
"Hmph!"
Fortunately, the power of Ame-no-Murakumo within her resisted it, so she bit her lips hard.
"Do you intend to die just like this? Are you willing?"
Willing? Of course not!
Glancing around with the corner of her eye, Ena spotted a figure—Mariya Yuri, who had already fainted.
That child...
"You plan to make that child a so-called saintess too, don't you?"
"Very clever."
These words made Ena glare fiercely at him.
Thus, she gave up resisting, and a somewhat vaguely understood spell spilled from her lips.
The moment the incantation was fully chanted, a card-like object merged into her body, and she sensed a special connection between herself and this person.
At that moment, black mist surged from the other and enveloped her.
What is this?
Her damaged body was being repaired, and the erosion was being expelled.
In an instant, the fierce carbonization that had begun to appear on her face vanished, revealing once again her porcelain-smooth complexion.
Sensing something, Ena pulled open her collar and looked at her right side, where a seal resembling a curse mark had appeared.
This was the mark of the contract.
Shifting her gaze back to the other, Ena saw him walking toward Yuri. Then, as Yuri lay unconscious, he performed the same saintess ritual on her.
Witnessing this scene, Ena could only watch in silence. She neither tried to stop it nor offered to take Yuri's place.
It was clear that the other had set his sights on Yuri and wouldn't give up.
That was also why Ena had chosen to give up resistance and join—it would make it easier to look after Yuri.
Thus, without her knowledge, Yuri had become one of his followers.
Her gaze then turned to another person. Though disguised, Ena could tell they were quite young, probably around her age.
This one, upon seeing him adding members, seemed rather displeased.
Suddenly, the surrounding space began to ripple violently.
As the ripples intensified, the area became somewhat transparent, revealing the outside world—Mount Nikko.
The cause of these ripples was an attack from a masked figure.
"John Pluto Smith..."
Ena murmured these words under her breath.
Her pupils contracted as she also caught sight of the other Kings.
There was the Black Prince, dressed like a gentleman, and the King of Swords, clad in casual, somewhat flippant attire, carrying a sword over his shoulder.
From their reactions, it seemed they couldn't see through to the inside.
This meant that the rippling, transparent barrier was one-sided—only those inside could see out.
Abruptly, the three Kings also turned their gazes upward, where a figure was slowly descending—an elderly man.
"Marquis Voban!"
The one who uttered these words was not Ena, but a silver-haired girl who had emerged from the vanished stage of myth.
It was likely him who had targeted her earlier.
"With this, aside from Lady Aisha, all the Kings have gathered here."
Liliana, murmuring in a daze, was visibly flustered.
Especially toward Marquis Voban, she felt an instinctive fear.
With such a lineup, winning seemed impossible.
"Lili, don't lose heart. Even if these Kings have appeared and set their sights on the one we serve, it doesn't necessarily mean we're in dire straits. Remember, as Kings, they are prideful. Cooperation? Do you think someone like Luo Hao or Marquis Voban would take orders from anyone?"
Erica, sensing Liliana's unease, pointed this out.
If these five could join forces against the one they served, it would indeed be alarming, but such a thing was impossible.
It was more likely to devolve into a chaotic free-for-all.
Suddenly, they saw him approach Ena again. Without giving her a choice, he selected an Authority on his own and infused it into her body.
The same was done to Yuri.
Then, with an unexpectedly gentlemanly expression, he turned his gaze to Ena, making Erica realize something and purse her lips in displeasure.
He was going to replenish his magical energy.
And the best candidate for this was, of course, Ena.
After all, those outside were unaware that she was already aligned with him, so they were unlikely to harm her, who possessed no power.
Erica and Liliana, on the other hand, needed to conserve their strength to assist him in dealing with the encircling Kings.
As for Lucretia, she was not inside the barrier space but outside.
Using game character terms, as a mage-type who was not adept at close combat, she had hidden herself at a certain distance from Mount Nikko, preparing to use her Authority to support them from there.
"What is this?"
Ena was astonished to sense the newfound power within her. Was this the power of a god? A divine Authority?
Could she command it?
Was he capable of seizing the power of a slain god and bestowing it upon others?
Suddenly, sensing something, Ena sharply focused her gaze forward as he drew closer.
He lifted her chin, smiling at her in a way that made her uneasy.
"Don't worry, I'm just replenishing my magical energy."
What did that mean?
What was this?
Ena felt her own magical energy draining away, flowing into him.
This sensation of loss made her increasingly uncomfortable, growing more intense by the moment.
Finally, her expression shifted dramatically, and she bit her lip hard, nearly letting out a strange sound.
She then collapsed weakly into the arms of the person before her.
"Oh? You actually held back—impressive."
Though praised, Ena felt no joy. She had come dangerously close to losing control.
Crack, crack, crack!
The barrier world began to fracture, on the verge of being shattered from the outside.
What followed would be an even more perilous and chaotic battle!