Roy looked at Erica with some amusement. Her beautiful blond hair was singed, her fair face was smeared with soot from the flames, and her brilliant appearance had become filthy. Her dress was torn in places like a patchwork of rags, while disgusting blisters covered her delicate arms.
"...But I'm not much better."
Roy glanced at himself again and gave a self-deprecating smile.
He had accidentally fallen into the sea earlier. Although he had activated his Authority and flown out of the water, he was still drenched.
"Are you worried about me, Erica... Worried that something might have happened to me, so that your 'Bronze Black Cross' found a backer only to lose him again?"
Roy gazed at Erica, sensing the fear and helplessness in her heart. In the end, she was only a fourteen-year-old girl. No matter how mature she was, she still possessed the unease of a young girl.
"It was discourteous of me to let you see me in such a sorry state, 'King'! I don't know why you distrust me so much. Although your reason is one of the things I was worried about, the main reason is that you have already made me your exclusive knight. As a knight, of course I would be anxious about the 'King's' safety."
Erica sighed bitterly. She had long since noticed that Roy still distrusted her, as though their relationship was maintained solely by Roy's overwhelming power—more like an employer and employee.
She secretly blamed herself, wondering whether she had made some mistake in her previous work, or perhaps acted too shrewdly and caused the 'King' to become wary of her.
"You call yourself a knight... Then, Lord Erica, as a knight, just how far are you willing to go for me?"
"If the 'King' commands it, I am willing to give everything I have!"
The elegant, noble-looking girl spoke with resounding conviction.
Roy stared deeply at Erica. Her bangs were disheveled, but her sapphire-like eyes were clear and resolute.
"So, Lord Erica, you're a good girl after all... From now on, I'll try to trust you completely."
Roy could sense Erica's sincerity. Aside from the powerful instincts he possessed as a Campione, he had recently studied magic related to lies as well.
"Thank you for your trust, 'King'! I will not betray it."
Erica was just about to salute when her body suddenly trembled. The magic supporting her feet vanished, and she plummeted from the sky.
This flight magic consumed an enormous amount of Magic Power. Erica had used it urgently during battle, and flying in the air for so long had nearly drained her completely.
As the girl cried out in surprise, Roy caught her soft, slender waist in a bridal carry and smiled faintly. "...Then, my knight, you've done very well. From here on, let me, your 'King,' take you somewhere safe."
His wings spread behind him. Roy activated Divine Speed and vanished from the sea in an instant.
He needed to find somewhere to rest, and also examine his newly acquired spoils...
"Face of God"
A streak of light crossed the sky and landed on the deck of the luxury yacht at a speed beyond the limits of human reaction.
The wings of light and flame folded away. Roy had previously used the Authority produced by those wings to shield Erica from the environmental impact of the outside world while in the state of Divine Speed.
As the wings turned into specks of light and disappeared, the halo above Roy's head faded as well. He changed from an angelic form back into that of a human.
He gently set Erica's delicate body down. The Italian girl's face was flushed as though she had a fever, and her heartbeat had quickened. Erica had once held a position in the 'Bronze Black Cross' equivalent to that of a princess. What man would dare treat such a beauty carelessly?
In the end, Erica was only a fourteen-year-old girl. Although her body had developed unusually well, she was still at the age when a girl might fall in love. Being held so intimately by Roy, who was 'around her age,' and with her dress torn so that even the delicate skin no man had ever touched had been held in his hands, even a dignified knight would feel embarrassed.
"Mm, having this yacht sail as far from Ponza Island as possible was indeed the right decision. Otherwise, I would have had to carry you all the way to mainland Italy."
Roy was already over thirty in actual age. He was not some shut-in who had never even touched a girl's hand, so he did not feel awkward about ambiguous behavior with women.
The yacht's staff were not ordinary people, but magicians sent by the 'Bronze Black Cross.' When they saw someone suddenly land on the deck, they became fully alert. Only after recognizing Roy did they lower their guard, their expressions turning respectful and fearful.
Although they had not witnessed Roy's battle with Metatron directly, they had seen the devastation that had swallowed Ponza Island and the roaring tsunami. That terrifying power and dense Magic Power had left the magicians utterly horrified.
Now that they saw their own princess seeming to be so close to the 'King,' they exchanged glances and quietly withdrew one after another.
"Pardon me, 'King'! Please allow Erica to wash up first. Afterward, I will return to attend you before the 'King.' I truly am unfit to be seen in my current state."
Erica took a deep breath, suppressed her embarrassment, and gave a knight's salute.
"Now that you mention it, I may need to tidy myself up a little too."
Roy looked at his clothes. His cardinal's robe was protected by magic, so soaking in water had not left it wrinkled or dirty. However, his body still carried the fishy smell of seawater.
"Then... allow me to serve the 'King' by cleaning you first. After I have attended to the 'King,' I will tidy myself up."
"Serve me? What kind of service? Will you strip naked in the bathroom and use that youthful body of yours to help me relax?"
Roy suddenly teased her.
Erica was aghast. She had never imagined that Roy, who normally presented himself as cold and indifferent, would suddenly start making lewd remarks. Could it be that she had gained the 'King's' true trust, allowing her to see a side of him that others never knew?
The Great Knight's thoughts became chaotic, and even her usual sharp tongue grew halting. "...'King,' please conduct yourself with a little more restraint... Of course, it's not that I would refuse. Although spending the night does not fall within a knight's duties... if you truly want me to do so, I hope you will give me a title!"
Erica was ultimately not her close friend Liliana, who would lose the ability to think whenever she became shy. She quickly regained her composure and even calmly put forward a demand.
She also knew that once she became Roy's subordinate in the name of a knight, there was no way she could escape if the 'King' harbored improper intentions toward her. She had some confidence in her beauty, but simply throwing her body away was absolutely not what Erica wanted. What she wanted more was a formal status.
Erica's personality was simply like this. She always thought about and resolved problems in the way that maximized her interests. Once she knew there was no escape, she even dared to use her body as a means of obtaining greater benefits. This woman was a little too shrewd, and sometimes that made her unpleasant. Yet there was no denying that when she devoted herself wholeheartedly to someone, she made everything incredibly easy for them. Her abilities were exceptional.
"Ah, I was only joking. Don't take it seriously, Erica."
Roy restrained the teasing smile on his face and became calm and indifferent again.
The sudden change in his attitude left Erica somewhat uncomfortable and even anxious. Was the 'King' uninterested in her, thinking her appearance insufficient? Or did he believe she was unworthy of a formal title?
Amid her complicated feelings, Erica said with slight disappointment, "...Yes. Then, 'King,' please wash up first."
"No, you go first, Erica. I'm not in a hurry..."
After pausing, Roy suddenly grabbed Erica's arm. Seeing the layer of burn blisters on her fair skin, he gently brushed over them with his finger and asked warmly, "...Does it hurt?"
Roy's sudden change from cold to gentle made Erica's thoughts even more chaotic. She raised her brows slightly. "...Compared with the training I underwent before becoming a knight, this pain is nothing. I simply lack enough Magic Power to cast healing magic right now. I'll apply some medicine first, then heal myself with magic once my Magic Power recovers."
Hearing how little Erica cared about the pain, Roy said nothing. He merely whispered an incantation. To Erica's surprise, he cast magic and healed every blister on her arm.
"Unlike other Campiones, I'm quite interested in magic. It seems my first attempt at healing magic worked well. Girls should take better care of themselves. Don't leave scars on such delicate skin."
Roy gently rubbed her slender arm with his palm, then said, "...Go on, Erica. Clean yourself up."
"Understood, 'King.'"
Erica hugged her injured right arm with her left hand and walked toward her room on the yacht in a daze, as though she had yet to recover from what had happened.
Only after the girl's back disappeared did Roy press a hand to his head and speak self-deprecatingly. "...I was never shy around girls, but I wasn't exactly eloquent either. How did I suddenly become so talented?"
"...Could this be another ability I inherited from Aleister Crowley? I never displayed it because Laura was the only woman in my life... No, come to think of it, I always liked teasing Laura too."
Roy exhaled and walked toward his own room. As the saying went, a gentleman naturally desired a beautiful lady. Now that he was the devil king of the earth, perhaps it was perfectly reasonable for him to domineeringly gather beautiful women for his pleasure.
If he really became the sort of scumbag who casually toyed with girls' hearts and bodies one day, it would not be his fault. It would definitely be Aleister Crowley's fault. Aleister was a villain who deceived women's feelings, and Roy would merely be following in his father's footsteps.
Roy soon felt at ease and stopped dwelling on the matter. Instead, he focused his attention on the new Authority he had obtained by killing Metatron—
Face of God!
The Authority to 'kill enemies with his face'
After returning to his luxurious room on the yacht, Roy began examining himself. This time, Pandora's Dark Festival had once again granted him a new Authority—Face of God!
Metatron was known in legend as the 'Face of God.' It was said that ordinary mortals could not look directly at God, and among the many angels, only Metatron possessed the honor of gazing upon God and seeing the magnificent face of the supreme deity.
The Authority known as Face of God originated from this legend.
"So the weakness I felt after seeing Metatron's face on Ponza Island was caused by this Authority."
Roy sat in his luxurious, antique wooden chair and felt the yacht speeding toward mainland Italy.
"This world has no Cthulhu Mythos... But that makes sense. A myth needs hundreds of years to ferment, and it must be connected to human history. Cthulhu was ultimately shaped over only a century, and it was merely a novel. For that mythology to give birth to a Disobedient God, it would take several hundred years. Even then, humanity would have to remember the Cthulhu Mythos centuries later."
"...In the Cthulhu Mythos, anyone who sees an evil god goes mad because the human brain cannot comprehend such an existence and becomes corrupted by it. The same conclusion applies to 'Yahweh.' Humanity cannot comprehend the greatness of God, so seeing His 'face' brings a curse."
"From this perspective, evil gods and all other gods are actually the same?"
Roy exhaled softly. Recalling Metatron's use of this Authority, he realized that he really had seemed to see another magnificent existence through Metatron's face, which had inflicted a terrible curse on him and even weakened his Magic Power.
When actively used, this Authority made anyone who saw its wielder's face feel as though they had seen 'Yahweh,' causing their perception to become confused and leaving them terribly weakened under the powerful curse.
If the victim was a Campione with high Magic Resistance, the curse would at most leave them weakened. But if an ordinary person with little Magic Resistance saw it, they would go insane or even die. It was a true Authority that could 'kill someone with its looks.'
"Even when killing the same god, different Campiones obtain different Authorities. It depends on their compatibility with the Campione. Why did I obtain this Authority?"
Roy touched his face and muttered to himself, "...Could it be that I used to look ordinary and always complained that I wasn't handsome enough to find a girlfriend, so that desire gave me an Authority that could directly 'kill people with my looks'?"
Although he was only joking, Roy felt that this might actually be the truth.
During his battle with Metatron, Metatron had used two Authorities. One was Face of God, while the other was an Authority stolen through writing.
That stolen Authority seemed powerful, but its activation should have many restrictions. Roy's Divine Right already had enough limitations, while its combat applications were extremely comprehensive. Thus, Roy had no real interest in Metatron's stolen Authority.
As for Face of God, Roy felt that it suited him very well. An auxiliary Authority without restrictions like this could further enhance his combat power.
Fortunately, this Authority could be controlled freely and was divided into an 'active' and a 'passive' mode. Otherwise, Roy might have had to find a mask to wear, removing it whenever necessary to 'kill the enemy with his looks.'
In its passive state, the Authority automatically bestowed Roy with the 'majesty of God,' making him appear more sacred. Put simply, it made him look more like a religious fanatic and caused people to believe him more easily through a method resembling a curse, as though he were a 'Son of God.'
When actively invoked, the curse became much stronger. In Roy's view, during an intense battle, both sides had to keep their eyes fixed on each other. If this sinister, unexpected Authority suddenly activated, the enemy would have no time to react. They would become cursed and expose a massive opening, creating an opportunity for Roy to kill them in one blow.
It was an extremely useful auxiliary ability, both in daily life and in battle. That was Roy's evaluation of Face of God.
"Still, compared with obtaining a new Authority, I would rather evolve Divine Right and undergo a qualitative transformation."
Roy frowned and clenched his fist. After killing Metatron, just as he had expected, his Magic Power had not accumulated at all. It was no different from after his first god-slaying, and his Divine Right had not changed either.
If this was what being a Campione meant, then even if Roy killed dozens of Disobedient Gods, he would only gain more varied Authorities without undergoing any qualitative change.
Having more varieties of Authorities naturally gave him more choices against enemies of equal strength, making victory easier. But the fact that Campiones could not grow stronger in 'quality' was also their greatest weakness. It was like a limiter that completely restricted them.
In Roy's view, the legends surrounding Metatron and Michael overlapped greatly. Yet even after killing both gods, he had undergone no change. Thus, killing other Disobedient Gods would probably not make any difference either.
"Do not worry. I retained the 'core' of the Disobedient Metatron—the thing you call a 'Spiritual Foundation.'"
At that moment, a radiance appeared behind Roy. A figure with waist-length golden hair, dressed in a white Linen Robe and crowned with a halo, appeared in a phantom-like form. It was the Holy Guardian Angel Aiwass.
"Metatron's Spiritual Foundation has a very high degree of similarity to Michael's. The chance of a successful fusion is extremely high. Once I have fully analyzed and altered Pandora's ritual, I can apply the new ritual to you and allow you to break through the limitations of a Campione. Seeing Pandora's Dark Festival once again has also deepened my understanding."
"...However, even after the new ritual is complete, not every Disobedient God's Spiritual Foundation will be able to fuse with yours. Your first god-slaying target was Michael, so you already possess Michael's nature. Therefore, only those similar to Michael can fuse with you. The more similar a god is to Michael, the greater the benefit you will obtain from killing them."
Hearing Aiwass, the matter that had troubled Roy for so long finally seemed to have a solution. His expression brightened. "...As expected of Aiwass. You actually managed to retain Metatron's Spiritual Foundation."
"As a spirit, I cannot interfere with the Material World. I was only able to do this because you killed Metatron, allowing me to leave the Material World just as His Spiritual Foundation was about to dissipate."
Aiwass spoke calmly. Her voice contained strong human emotion, but there was no trace of pride in her words.
"However, Roy, you must pay attention. I can only alter the ritual, but #%#*... Therefore, you need to learn more knowledge."
Part of Aiwass's words became an unintelligible signal. They were concepts Roy could not understand. After frowning, he only gradually grasped her general meaning. "...You mean that you can modify the ritual but cannot conduct it yourself, so you can only teach me the knowledge of the new ritual and have me activate it on my own. I need sufficient knowledge to understand what you tell me?"
"Exactly. Human words convey too little meaning. There are some things I find difficult to explain. You need to understand them through magic."
Aiwass nodded slightly.
"I understand. In other words, I still have to keep studying. If you're ugly, you should read more books. If I had possessed this motivation to study back then, I would have gotten into Tsinghua and Peking University."
Roy gave a self-deprecating laugh, then took out the ring he had found in the Solomon Sanctuary Ruins.
The Witch's Spiritual Vision and Clairvoyance
Roy leaned against the back of his chair. He rubbed the antique ring in his hand and fell into deep thought.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
Rhythmic knocking came from the door behind him. Without turning his head, Roy said, "...Come in, Lord Erica!"
Even without looking, Roy knew the visitor was Erica. Only Erica would come to his bedroom. The other people on the yacht would not dare disturb his rest.
With a soft click, the door opened, and a delicate fragrance spread through the vast, luxurious bedroom. Roy had an excellent sense of smell. It was Erica's scent, the fragrance of the body wash she commonly used.
Only then did Roy turn around. He saw Erica standing straight at the doorway. She was young, yet possessed an astonishing figure.
Her dress had been damaged, and she had rarely changed out of the red gown into ordinary clothes. Her long golden hair had not dried completely because it was so thick, and steam still rose from its damp strands. Her tender skin was flushed pink from her bath.
"'King,' you may go wash up now, or, if you require my service..."
The dazed girl had completely regained her senses. Her voice was clear and lively, carrying a faintly alluring, teasing tone. Her beautiful eyes held a seductive charm far beyond her age.
"No rush. The smell of seawater is unpleasant, but it isn't unbearable."
Roy boldly gazed at the girl's straight, jade-like legs beneath her long skirt. Erica had finally removed her white stockings, revealing skin as smooth as jade. Even the back of her foot, clad in red high heels, showed faint blue veins.
As one's status changed, even an insecure person could become confident—let alone Roy, who had never felt inferior.
At that moment, Erica noticed the ring in Roy's hand. After sensing it briefly, she raised her delicate brows. "...'King,' the item in your hand has a very faint magical fluctuation. Judging by its appearance, is it a Divine Artifact?"
"Mm. I found it among the ruins of the Temple of Solomon—assuming that place really was the Temple of Solomon."
Before you continue