Divine Right of Various Anime and Manga

"That's right, it's Yuri Wanitangi. Our new 'King' wants to emulate the Marquis and perform a summoning ritual for a Disobedient God. And the Marquis has always regarded Yuri Wanitangi as his important property—he will never yield her to the new 'King.' We cannot sit idly by. This is likely the greatest crisis I've faced since being promoted to head of the Tokyo Branch."

"...Kasukabe-kun, find Yuri Wanitangi immediately, then take her out of Japan. It doesn't matter where—even if you dump her in some desolate wilderness!"

Saya no Miya Kaoru suddenly issued an extremely cold order.

Kasukabe Touma was startled, then realized: "...You mean to use Yuri Wanitangi as bait to draw the attention of the two 'Kings'?"

"Exactly. The Historical Records Compilation Committee's duty is to ensure the safety of Japan's land and people. Before two 'Kings,' we lack the power to protect Yuri Wanitangi. So the only thing we can do now is hope the two 'Kings' don't clash on Japanese soil—especially not in Tokyo! Compared to the nation's safety, a single Shrine Maiden holds no value, no matter how talented she is or how much she incites the greed of two 'Kings'!"

"...Kasukabe-kun, don't hesitate. Carry out the mission now!"

Saya no Miya Kaoru gave the order with resolute finality, while the other members of the Tokyo Branch remained silent. Sacrificing one Shrine Maiden for Japan's safety—in their eyes, this was the correct decision.

"Understood, Branch Chief!"

Kasukabe Touma accepted the order and moved swiftly.

In the top-floor presidential suite of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Tokyo, Japan, the daily accommodation cost ran into the millions of yen. But to a Campione like Roy, money was truly an external thing—no different from numbers casually scribbled on white paper.

"Where are your two knights?"

Princess Alice, seated at the table, eagerly sampled the various delicacies laid out before her, a happy smile spreading across her face.

In the past few years, her frail health had kept her bedridden, her body too weak to enjoy the pleasures of human cuisine. Now that she could finally move with her physical form, and her digestive functions had improved, she naturally indulged herself.

"I've already sent Erica and Liliana to capture Yuri Wanitangi. I don't trust this country's Historical Records Compilation Committee at all. Those hypocrites will likely spin me a bunch of nonsense. Rather than waiting for them to deliver Yuri Wanitangi, it's more convenient to have my people grab her directly."

Roy kept his right hand in his pocket, his left pressed against the floor-to-ceiling window as he surveyed all of Tokyo.

"The Japanese Historical Records Compilation Committee probably won't deliver Yuri Wanitangi to you personally, Roy 'King.' Let me tell you something: the oldest Campione, Marquis Voban, has already arrived in Tokyo. Meanwhile, in the English countryside, that fellow Gascoyne has also started stirring."

The elegant, noble princess cut a corner of cake and brought it to her lips, savoring it. As the former chairwoman of the Council of Sages of Greenwich, her intelligence network was among the best in the world—after all, the Council of Sages was a gathering place for gossips.

"The Marquis Voban's move was within my expectations. That old man came to Japan this time to play the 'hero saving the damsel in distress.'"

Roy chuckled teasingly, then turned to face Princess Alice, raising an eyebrow. "...As for the Black Prince, Alexander Gascoyne—if he saw you like this, would he lose his mind with rage?"

Princess Alice before him was dressed quite lightly. She wore a translucent gauze robe, beneath which was nearly a three-point undergarment, revealing large swaths of snow-white skin in the room. Especially in a hotel setting, it easily conjured thoughts of intimacy between the two.

Princess Alice's features were exquisite, impeccably refined, with an innate noblewoman's aura and a slender figure that drew admiration. She was like a lily blooming in a royal garden—a woman no man could ignore.

Her painted brows furrowed slightly as she said with mild displeasure: "...My relationship with Alexander Gascoyne is not what you imagine, and it cannot satisfy Roy 'King's' peculiar interest."

"Then you should put on more clothes. Before you stands a man in the prime of his vigor."

"Anyway, you've already seen all of my body. A few more glances won't make much difference. In the past, I had to wear heavy nightgowns to keep warm. Now that my health is good, I naturally want to liberate myself a little."

The two gradually fell into a light bickering, nothing like a kidnapper-and-hostage relationship.

Just then, a heavy sound of footsteps came from outside the presidential suite. Hearing it, Roy's expression finally shifted.

Chapter 39: The Red Back

A heavy, violent surge of Magic Power erupted, shredding the door of the Ritz-Carlton presidential suite. It was as if a Category 12 hurricane had swept through the room, the roaring Magic Power blowing everything inside away, turning the place into a garbage dump in an instant.

Princess Alice's face turned pale, her delicate body swaying slightly. Although she had accepted Roy's Authority and her physical condition had greatly improved, as Roy had said, she was not fully healed and still needed follow-up treatment.

Even as Europe's most powerful witch, Princess Alice's spiritual power was extraordinarily strong—but compared to a Campione, her power was like a small witch meeting a great one.

As the door was torn open, the footsteps outside grew heavier and clearer. Under Roy and Princess Alice's watch, a spirited old man slowly walked in from the corridor outside. In the corridor, all the hotel service staff had been turned into pillars of salt.

The old man had neatly combed graying hair, wore a long trench coat over a clean shirt and tie, and had white gloves on his hands. By all appearances, he was a refined elderly gentleman, evoking the word "kindly." But when one looked into his pale green, wolf-like pupils, the deepest chill and terror erupted from within.

"Marquis Voban!"

Princess Alice, her body shaken by the Marquis's violent Magic Power, spoke in a hoarse voice. Her expression was haggard, with a hint of fear. Compared to Roy, a newly born king, the terror that Sasha Dyangar Voban had brought to the world over two centuries was far more deeply ingrained.

Even the famous White Witch was, in the eyes of this oldest Campione, nothing more than an insignificant ant.

Just as Princess Alice trembled with cold from her body's instinctive fear, a red figure stepped in front of her. At the same time, she felt warmth on her body—Roy had draped a coat over her thin frame, covering her exposed, fair skin.

"In the presence of a strange gentleman, Princess Alice, you should be more reserved. At least put on proper clothes—even if that gentleman is an old man with one foot in the grave."

Princess Alice's pale hand clutched the coat on her, looking at the red back that shielded her. A warmth spread through her body and heart, an indescribable emotion welling up, making her unconsciously smile. Even the fear of facing the ancient demon king vanished completely.

Though the boy before her was four or five years younger than her, not even an adult yet, his broad back was like a warm, sheltering harbor, blocking all storms before her. For the first time, Alice felt a sense of security she had never known.

She was Princess Alice, the former chairwoman of the Council of Sages. She had always stood at the front, shielding others from the wind and rain, facing the demon kings of the surface alone. But this time, she tasted the feeling of being protected—something Alexander Gascoyne had never done.

"Don't worry, Alice! I'll protect you. With me here, you need not fear an old man with one foot in the grave."

Roy smiled gently, his tone tender. He raised his left arm to shield Princess Alice behind him, but his eerie pupils held no trace of mirth—only cold seriousness.

Despise the enemy strategically, but take them seriously tactically. Roy wouldn't really underestimate Marquis Voban. Though in Roy's view, the Marquis's greatest strength was the sheer variety of his Authorities, making him less threatening in actual combat than the Eastern Patriarch or the King of Swords of Italy.

This was because no matter how many Authorities a Campione had, their quality had limits. And since Campione didn't increase their Magic Power, the oldest Campione and the newest didn't have a qualitative gap. Still, Marquis Voban couldn't be underestimated—in battles of equal level, his diverse methods made him quite troublesome.

"Heroic sentiments, tender affections—these are the privileges of the young."

Marquis Voban's tone was harsh, as if reminiscing about the past, but his wolf-like, vicious eyes burned with even greater brutality.

He was never a docile old man, but a demon king who toyed with the world, amusing himself by slaying Disobedient Gods.

"My newborn kin, I won't criticize your actions. Every Campione has their own personality. But as an old man with one foot in the grave, as you put it, I still offer you a piece of elder's advice: being too sentimental is not a good thing. You can protect the girl behind you, but can you protect those two little girls you sent to capture the witch?"

Roy frowned, recalling that Marquis Voban seemed to have an Authority related to the dead, allowing him to resurrect humans he had personally killed, trapping their souls as loyal servants while preserving their strength from life.

This Authority is not particularly useful when fighting other Campione or Disobedient Gods, but against ordinary magicians and knights, it is an overwhelmingly powerful ability. He knew that the witches the Marquis Voban mentioned capturing were Erica and Liliana, and that the Marquis had likely already activated this Authority, sending his servants to intercept them.

Roy was not worried about Erica and Liliana's safety. No matter what, those two maidens were the geniuses of this generation from the "Bronze Black Cross" and the "Black Bronze Cross." Having them face a Campione or Disobedient God alone was impossible, but against mere resurrected servants, even if they couldn't win, they could definitely escape.

However, if that miko, Yuri Wanitangi, were captured by Marquis Voban, it would be quite troublesome to take her back from the Marquis.

"Hmph, I didn't expect that one of my servants, Kranichar, would have such an outstanding granddaughter as a witch. I've paid him too little attention in the past. Regardless, I must thank you, my junior, for your help. Because of you, the young girl behind you has been healed. The ritual that would have taken me another two years to complete can now be held early."

"...But, my junior, you are too greedy. Taking an elder's property without asking comes with a price you must be prepared to pay!"

Marquis Voban's voice was cold and arrogant, but he did not underestimate Roy. Those who become Campione are no ordinary men. Two years ago, he had suffered a loss at the hands of Salvatore Doni.

'Liliana's grandfather is actually one of Marquis Voban's servants...'

Roy was hearing this information for the first time, but he wasn't surprised. No matter how famous the great families and powerful figures in the magical world were, before a Campione, they could only be servants.

"Marquis, for those of us who have achieved greatness by slaying gods, verbal sparring is meaningless. In the end, it comes down to a real fight."

Roy's double pupils locked onto Marquis Voban's wolf-like, ruthless eyes, letting his own reflection shine in the Marquis's pupils. This was the trigger for one of his Authorities.

"Hahaha! Well said, young kinsman. It seems you are not a pedantic man. For that, I commend you!"

Marquis Voban laughed loudly, his laughter cold and booming like a great bell, shaking the walls of the room with a rumbling sound.

At that moment, Roy showed Marquis Voban what it meant to strike first—

The instant the Marquis's laughter faded, Roy directly activated his Authority—"Face of God"!

Chapter 40: Authority Six, "Sword of Judgment"

(I feel like it might suddenly get published. If it does, I won't care anymore and will just try to speed up the updates.)

(If it really gets published, I'll ask for a first subscription.)

"What nerve!"

Marquis Voban clearly hadn't expected Roy to activate an Authority without a sound. When he saw Roy's face, it was as if through Roy's visage he saw another great existence, its body wreathed in sacred radiance. The light that was, is, and ever shall be pierced through Roy's features like the glare of the sun, stabbing into the Marquis's eyes, forcing him to close his eyes and turn his head to avoid the overwhelming holy light.

The Marquis roared in anger, his body hunching over. He felt a strange curse surge from Roy's face into his body, disrupting the magic power that allowed him, as a Campione, to dominate the world. His limbs felt as heavy as lead, and his nose stung, even causing blood to flow.

"Saint Martha Subdues the Dragon!"

Roy shouted softly. Magic power erupted from his feet, blasting a large hole in the floor of the top-floor hotel room. His clenched fist gathered the immense strength to subdue a dragon, and he swung it fiercely at Marquis Voban's chest.

"Crash—"

A dull sound, like bones breaking, came from Marquis Voban's chest, and his entire body was sent flying like a bullet from a gun, blasted away by Roy's punch.

"Boom, boom, boom—"

The top floor wall of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel shattered, and even the outside of the hotel was blasted into a large hole. Marquis Voban was hurled into the sky like a cannonball. Broken glass and fragments of steel bars fell from a hundred meters high, causing screams from the people on the street below.

"Alice, be careful. Voban's servants are likely nearby."

If that punch had hit an ordinary person, it would have turned them into a pulp. But against a powerful Campione like Marquis Voban, one punch couldn't win. Especially when Roy's fist struck the Marquis's chest, he clearly felt as if he had touched fur.

"Don't worry about me, King Roy! Ordinary Great Knights and magicians can't do anything to me. Instead, King Roy, you must be careful. Marquis Voban has roamed the world for over two hundred years; he is not an easy Campione to defeat."

Princess Alice frowned slightly. Her noble, elegant eyes looked at Roy, her fair face full of concern.

"You in the Council of Sages have studied Campione the most. These past days, I've relied on you to tell me the detailed information about the Campione of this era. Marquis Voban doesn't know much about my abilities, but I know his thoroughly. In terms of information, I have the advantage."

Roy kept his right hand in his pocket, tilting his head slightly, leaving Princess Alice with a view of his back.

"Then I wish the King a triumphant victory~!"

Princess Alice smiled gracefully. She held the lapels of her dress with both hands, her demeanor refined and elegant. Her platinum-blonde hair and full, beautiful features made the ruined room seem to bloom with flowers.

"If you can still stroll around leisurely, Princess, go help Erica and Liliana!"

"The King actually asks a hostage to help his own knights in distress? That's quite an unreasonable request... But I do like Erica and Liliana. I'll do my best to help."

Alice showed a cheerful expression. This woman, who loved to stir up trouble, revealed her true nature once the danger to her life had passed.

"Good. Then I'll leave this place to you."

"Holy! Holy! My glory shall fill heaven and earth!"

With Princess Alice's assurance, Roy directly chanted a Word Spirit. Facing an enemy like Marquis Voban, Roy dared not hold back.

As the Authority "Lord of Light" activated, a pair of massive wings of burning light and flame spread from Roy's back. A sacred halo appeared above his head, within which was a cross. To the right of the cross was a sword, to the left a scale—the image of Michael.

The next moment, Roy, transformed into an angel, activated 'Divine Speed,' turning into a streak of light and flame as he shot into the sky.

Marquis Voban was arguably the worst possible opponent for Roy. Roy's Authorities were suited for explosive, quick-draw battles, while Marquis Voban, with his many Authorities, excelled at prolonged fights. Their battle would hinge on whether Roy could end the fight before his Authorities' effects wore off, or whether Marquis Voban could withstand Roy's storm of attacks and win through endurance.

But Roy still had absolute confidence in himself. His Authorities had a final trump card, a sure-kill move that would guarantee 'victory' if used. All he needed to do now was gather the necessary elements to activate that ability.

Using 'Divine Speed,' which had a mere ten-minute duration, Roy had essentially become pure elemental light and flame, surpassing the physical laws humans could endure. In the blink of an eye, he arrived at where Marquis Voban had fallen.

By then, Marquis Voban had transformed into a massive werewolf, over ten meters tall. His emerald eyes were filled with murderous brutality, and the fangs in his wolf's mouth could easily crush steel bars.

The feeling Roy had earlier of hitting fur was precisely Marquis Voban's werewolf form. After transforming into this giant wolf, the Marquis's physical abilities had greatly increased, allowing him to withstand Roy's sneak attack punch.

"Hahaha!! Our prey is right before us! My hounds, tear him apart!"

The giant werewolf, now on the ground, stomped the earth and spoke in human tongue. Marquis Voban laughed wildly, ignoring that it was broad daylight and the people around him screaming and fleeing in panic. As the Marquis's magic power surged, dozens of people around him let out agonized screams, then were branded with the wolf's mark, growing gray fur from their skin.

In an instant, dozens of werewolves, taller than horses and faster than cars, appeared before Roy. These werewolves howled, their emerald eyes fixed cruelly on Roy, the angel hovering in the sky. Using their powerful leaping ability, dozens of werewolves pounced into the air, creating a spectacular scene of 'a hundred wolves besieging an angel.'

"Angels, sound the trumpets of the apocalypse!"

Seeing so many werewolves charging at him, Roy frowned. Though it would be trivial for him to evade their encirclement with his Divine Speed, he had no intention of wasting his limited usage time on a brawl with these werewolves. He raised his right hand high and once again chanted the Word Spirit.

From the sky came seven trumpet blasts heralding the Day of Judgment. The ability "Sounding the Seventh Trumpet" activated, and a holy Gate of Heaven burst open, from which flew out over a hundred genderless Angels of Light.

"A—an angel! An angel!! We're saved!"

"God, please save us!"

"Why are there wolf monsters like this in Tokyo?"

"Waaah—my leg... my leg, someone help me!"

"I'm a believer, a true believer!!! Lord, please protect me, please save me!"

"..."

On the chaotic streets, people screamed as they ran, wept, and cursed. Seeing dozens of people lose their lives without warning and transform into werewolves, fear completely filled their hearts.

But when they saw a great angel appear and summon angels down, the people cheered and prayed as if they had found a savior. The fame of angels in the world was immense, and angels were always linked to words like 'justice.' These terrified people, upon seeing angels, first thought that the angels had come to save them.

But soon, their thoughts changed.

The angels flying out of the Gate of Heaven clashed with the werewolves the moment they appeared. Though neither the angels nor the werewolves were as strong as Great Knights, to ordinary people and common magicians, they were beings nearly impossible to defeat. The angels and werewolves tore into each other, paying no heed to the fleeing crowds.

The asphalt road was slashed open, houses and utility poles collapsed, cars were flattened into iron pancakes—this street in Tokyo had become a full-blown apocalyptic scene from myth.

"Boy, let me see if the strength beneath that arrogant exterior of yours matches your bluster. Don't get torn apart by me right away—that would be far too boring, hahahaha—Awoooooo!!!"

The werewolf that was Marquis Voban shifted from laughter into a wolf's howl. The ten-meter-tall giant werewolf leaped up, soaring a hundred meters into the air. Then his body began to rapidly expand, his limbs retracting, and his entire form twisted like a tumor into a massive wolf's head over a hundred meters in diameter.

This wolf's head was completely different from the werewolf form Marquis Voban had taken before. The abnormally viscous, vast Magic Power told Roy that this was likely one of Marquis Voban's ultimate killing moves.

Roy's expression turned grave. His right hand, which had been tucked in his pocket, extended outward. A distortion like a mosaic appeared again at his shoulder, and at the same time, he grasped empty air with his right hand. A Red Cross-shaped Longsword materialized in his palm.