The "King's" Fury / The Women's Rivalry

Marquis Voban's failure to die completely did not cause Roy much regret or anger.

His "Divine Right" had already calculated the marquis's power. Even if Marquis Voban revived, Roy would not need to fight him again the next time they met. He could simply summon the Third Hand and defeat the marquis with a casual wave.

Unless the marquis could obtain even greater power in an extremely short time, rendering the output calculated by the "Divine Right" ineffective, he would have no chance of fighting Roy again.

However, judging by how a Campione's strength soared in a single bound before advancing more and more slowly afterward, Marquis Voban's talent as a Campione had already reached its peak.

Unless he stopped being a Campione, it was impossible for him to undergo another qualitative change. Moreover, this world had no power greater than that of a Campione. Roy could completely declare that he had eliminated the oldest Demon King.

"I have no way to completely eliminate immortality. Ordinary immortality would be one thing, but if I encounter another existence with absurdly powerful immortality like Marquis Voban, it really will give me a headache."

Roy examined the blood-red cross-shaped longsword in his hand, dissatisfied with the situation.

The absolute counter to immortality in this world was the Steel Hero who had slain the Earth Mother Goddess. Although Michael had also defeated Ancient Dragon Satan and could himself be considered a Steel Hero, legend said that Michael had merely driven Satan back to Hell rather than killing him completely. Therefore, Michael was not a pure Steel Hero and had no particularly good way to deal with immortality.

"I need to upgrade this sword. At the very least, I need to give it the ability to counter immortality."

Although Roy's cross-shaped longsword was a top-grade Divine Artifact, its primary function was to activate the authority of the "Sword of Judgment." Compared with a sword, it could be said to be closer to a staff.

Michael's attribute was "fire," and in the mystical Tarot, fire was symbolized by the wand, while air was symbolized by the sword. Thus, this cross-shaped longsword belonging to Michael was essentially a staff. The sword was merely its appearance—this particular staff just happened to be rather sharp. That was the fighting style of a mage.

Just as Roy was considering how to upgrade the longsword, Aiwass suddenly appeared behind him. In her beautiful, pleasant, and human-sounding voice—which Roy always felt contained more irritability than anything else—she said:

[The results of the analysis of Pandora's Dark Offering are partially complete. The next time you slay a god, I will try to see whether I can strengthen your power.]

"Partially complete? As expected of Aiwass."

Roy was stunned at first when he heard Aiwass, then he was overjoyed.

It was exactly like someone delivering a pillow when he was sleepy.

[Based on my analysis, I strongly suspect that Pandora's Dark Offering does not belong to Pandora alone. This ritual has already been solidified. Pandora is merely the key that activates the ritual, not the inventor of $!$##!#$.]

Floating behind Roy like a true "Holy Guardian Angel," Aiwass possessed an increasingly strong "human touch" in her words—that carefree, playful attitude of someone treating life as a game.

"What does that mean?"

[In terms you can understand, this ritual for usurping authorities should be the ability of some object. Pandora is merely the owner or custodian of that object.]

"In other words, Pandora is not actually as mysterious and powerful as I thought?"

Roy raised an eyebrow as he asked.

[Correct. Your previous guess was wrong. Pandora does not possess much power, nor could she be some mastermind behind the scenes. She is merely a special goddess.]

Aiwass confirmed Roy's statement...

"Good. In that case, the next time I see Pandora, I won't need to smile obsequiously and tread so carefully. I can be a little more forceful with her. I thought she had invented this ritual, but it turns out she was merely taking advantage of someone else's generosity and using borrowed authority to intimidate others."

The corner of Roy's mouth curled up, and his tone relaxed.

He had been afraid that Pandora would see through him and that something would go wrong with this ritual for slaying gods. That was why he had acted like an obedient child in front of her. Now that he knew Pandora was only pretending, he no longer needed to be afraid.

[...]

Aiwass fell silent without saying anything.

[Roy, what you need now is to acquire as much knowledge as possible. Later, I will teach you a variant of the "Ritual for Usurping Authorities." However, completing this ritual will require you to do it yourself.]

Aiwass reminded him at this moment.

"I am very confident in my ability to comprehend things, but acquiring knowledge is something that requires time."

Roy considered how to solve the problem.

As the son of Aleister Crowley, Roy had completely inherited the world's greatest magician's intelligence and comprehension. In other words, he could turn anything he learned into practical knowledge in the shortest possible time.

When Roy had been in the A Certain Magical Index World, the main reason he had been a third-rate magician who knew only a few spells was that he had lacked channels through which to obtain knowledge.

The apartment where Aleister had once lived contained only some advanced grimoires on "philosophy and thought" that Aleister had left behind. It contained none of the basic theories or knowledge. No matter how powerful Roy's comprehension was, even the cleverest housewife could not cook without rice. Without learning the basics, he could not study magic.

With Roy's intelligence, if he had been given enough time, he might have been able to use those works on "philosophy and thought" to reason backward and develop magic. Unfortunately, before he had reached the point of using his intelligence, Aleister had killed him.

Now Roy had a channel through which to obtain knowledge, but acquiring knowledge was a process. He needed to read books one by one, memorize their contents, and then use his intelligence to understand them. Reading book after book would take an enormous amount of time.

"I remember that this world has a method of obtaining knowledge through 'the exchange of bodily fluids.' However, the knowledge obtained that way is only borrowed and does not directly become one's own. I can try modifying that magic so that the knowledge remains in my mind for longer, then comprehend and assimilate it with my own insight before it disappears."

"...Modifying this magic will not be difficult. The difficult part is finding women who possess vast amounts of knowledge and are willing to teach it to me. Men would work too, of course, but I wouldn't be willing."

"Being a Demon King has its advantages. Women are practically available for the asking."

Roy laughed cheerfully.

Aiwass neither approved nor disapproved of Roy's choice. Sex Magic was originally an ancient Witch's art, a completely orthodox magical method that existed in many worlds and cultures.

The angel merely reminded him:

[Someone nearby is watching you.]

"Hmm? Is someone hiding nearby?"

Although Roy phrased it as a question, he did not doubt Aiwass's words in the slightest.

The forty-ninth chapter: The "King's" Wrath

(It looks like both books have been recommended. The pressure of keeping up with updates is killing me...)

Roy was in Tokyo's Shinjuku Gyoen, a national park covering fifty-eight hectares. In the past, it had been a garden managed by the Imperial Household Agency.

Shinjuku Gyoen was thick with vegetation. Apart from the lawn where Roy currently stood, there were also patches of woods in the distance. If someone were hiding in those woods and spying on him, it would indeed be difficult to notice them.

A Campione was not naturally good at perception unless he possessed a special authority.

"Although Campiones aren't good at perception, anyone spying on me from this close without triggering any reaction would be an extremely rare type even among Great Knights and magicians. Therefore, the person spying on me is most likely neither a magician nor a knight... Hmm, I think I can roughly guess who it is."

With only a little thought, Roy guessed who was hiding in the woods.

Aiwass did not comment. In the past, Aiwass had watched the world as an "observer." Now, because of Roy's special choice, she had intervened in it. Intervention did not mean managing Roy's life completely. She would only remind him when necessary and teach him the knowledge he needed when required.

The Third Hand on Roy's right shoulder had not disappeared. Although the Light of the Right could now be used only once every seven days, once he summoned the hand, Roy could keep it manifested for some time. Apart from releasing the "Light of the Right," this Divine Right now possessed several other functions.

Several clusters of radiance flew over from the distance. They were the Angels of Light Roy had summoned earlier. After Marquis Voban's defeat, the werewolves summoned by the marquis had also disappeared. With no enemies left, these angels returned to their commander.

Only a dozen or so angels remained. The rest had died in the battle with the werewolves. The remaining angels surrounded Roy completely, protecting him like loyal guards.

Roy then raised his right hand and recited the Word Spirit once more:

"...Your sin has reached the ears of the Lord. Brimstone and heavenly fire shall burn everything!"

"Be destroyed, sinful Sodom and Gomorrah!"

The clouds churned across the sky, transforming into fiery clouds. Vortexes appeared like terrifying sights from the depths of the universe, descending with crushing pressure, as if the heavens and earth were slowly closing together.

At the same time, the earth began to tremble. Hot air carrying the stench of brimstone rose into the air, while Hell's magma and flames erupted from cracks in the ground.

The area between heaven and earth covered the entire fifty-eight hectares of Shinjuku Gyoen. With a wave of Roy's right hand, the sun's heavenly fire crashed down, while Hell's earthly fire erupted upward.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom—"

The earth roared, the sky thundered, and the vegetation released anguished cries. As the flames of heaven and earth collided, this famous imperial garden of Tokyo vanished completely from the map.

Blazing flames raged as if the world had returned to the Second World War decades earlier, when the American army had launched massive air raids against Japan. The Third Hand on Roy's right shoulder looked as though it had been forged from gold. Protected by more than a dozen angels, he walked through the flames with reckless arrogance, displaying to the world exactly what it meant for a Demon King to do as he pleased.

Amid the roar of the flames of heaven and earth, a figure transformed into lightning and shot into the sky from the woods that had burned to ash. As if terrified, the figure did not look back and immediately activated Divine Speed, fleeing the area. At that speed, he could probably fly out of Tokyo in the blink of an eye.

"As expected, it was Alexander Gascoyne. That guy is the typical type who plans before acting. After being frightened, he immediately chose to run. If it had been Salvatore, he definitely would have raised his sword and charged at me."

Roy exhaled a breath of stale air. With the use of Sodom's Sin, he had truly exhausted his authority this time. Apart from the remaining Magic Power he could still use to unleash the Fist of Israel, all his other abilities had been spent. He was at his weakest now. If some Disobedient God or Campione came looking for trouble, all he could do was flee.

Fortunately, the only Campione nearby was the Black Prince. The scene of Roy defeating Marquis Voban with a single swing of the Divine Right had probably frightened him badly. Now, after Roy had made another show of force and compelled him to reveal himself with his authority, the Black Prince had likely believed that Roy still had strength to spare and fled in panic.

Roy did not feel much about having frightened a Campione away with a single authority.

Just then, something stirred in his heart. He immediately extinguished his authority. As the heavenly and earthly fires vanished, a flat expanse resembling a burned wheat field appeared before Roy. A figure stood ahead of him.

"Princess Alice, what brings you here?"

The figure before him was Princess Alice's astral body. Whenever she used this ability, she could make her astral body appear anywhere in the world.

"Marquis Voban, the oldest Demon King who possessed the greatest number of authorities, was actually killed by you. Roy, 'King,' you are truly astonishing. This result will shake the entire mysterious world."

Princess Alice's voice was filled with admiration, and her elegant, aristocratic eyes were brimming with intense curiosity about Roy.

Roy did not correct the error in Alice's words. Marquis Voban had not truly "died." He merely asked, "...I know that you like joining in the excitement, Princess Alice, and I guessed that you would use your astral body to hide nearby and secretly watch my battle with Marquis Voban. But since you came directly before me, you must have a reason beyond celebrating my victory."

"Roy, 'King,' you are too clever. Being too clever can take a great deal of fun out of life."

Enchanting colors danced in Princess Alice's eyes as she stared at the Third Hand on Roy's right shoulder. Her expression was full of wonder and curiosity, while a faint fear of the bizarre hand could also be seen.

"...Your knights Erica and Liliana have run into trouble. I consider my talent as a Witch unparalleled beneath heaven, but when it comes to combat, I can only admit my inferiority. If you do not want anything to happen to them, I suggest that you hurry over."

Princess Alice finally delivered the message she had come to tell Roy.

"Erica and Liliana are in trouble? Marquis Voban has already been defeated, so the authority of his Dead Servant should have become ineffective. With Erica and Liliana's strength, what trouble could they have encountered? Could it be the Historical Records Compilation Committee?"

A trace of anger appeared on Roy's face. If the Japanese Historical Records Compilation Committee truly dared to attack his knights, Roy would not mind showing them what a Demon King's wrath was. They would be completely disregarding the dignity of their "King."

Although Roy currently had almost no authority available, as long as Jacob's Ladder and Sodom's Eye remained, he was a Campione whom no ordinary human could possibly defeat.

Reciting the incantation for the Flying magic, Roy flew away with the dozen-plus angels guarding him. The power of these angels alone was enough to give any country's mysterious forces a headache.

The fiftieth chapter: The Women's Rivalry

"Mr. Kasukabe, how much farther... how much farther do we have to run?"

In an alley in Tokyo, a girl dressed in a miko's uniform was running quickly alongside a man in his thirties. As they ran, they kept looking back, afraid that their pursuers would catch up.

The girl's breathing was labored. It was obvious that she was not good at running long distances.

"Almost there, Wanitani. Once we get out of this alley, someone will be waiting to receive us. I will do my best to draw away the pursuers. Wanitani, you take a car to Haneda Airport. The Historical Records Compilation Committee's plane is already waiting there. You only need to board the plane and leave Japan."

As a descendant of ninjas, Kasukabe Touma possessed excellent stamina. Even while running, his breathing remained steady, and he had enough breath to explain everything to Yuri Wanitangi.

"Is... is that Campione, the marquis, back in Tokyo again?"

Yuri Wanitangi's petite body shuddered as she ran. She remembered being captured in Eastern Europe two years ago and forced to serve as a ritual miko. The brutal Demon King had never cared about a miko's wishes, forcibly recruiting her through extremely cruel methods.

During that ritual to summon a Disobedient God, Yuri Wanitangi had also personally witnessed many Witches and mikos dying horrific deaths. Even now, she still dreamed of their pained expressions and unwilling eyes whenever she slept.

Thus, Yuri Wanitangi felt intense fear and rejection toward Campiones. It could even be said that she hated them.

"This time, it isn't just the marquis. The new 'King' has also come to Tokyo. Their target is you."

Kasukabe Touma gave a bitter smile. Perhaps this was what they called, "An innocent man gets in trouble because of his wealth." Japan was a small country without a Campione or sufficient mysterious means. Once it possessed a supremely talented and powerful miko, it could easily become the object of others' covetousness.

Hearing Kasukabe Touma's words, Yuri Wanitangi felt disgust toward her own abilities as a Shrine Maiden. If she did not possess these abilities, she could have lived an ordinary life as a normal student instead of constantly living in danger and causing enormous trouble for those around her.

"But... if I leave Tokyo and the marquis and the new 'King' can't find me, won't they do something terrible to Tokyo?"

Yuri Wanitangi suddenly stopped and said stubbornly, "...I can't leave, Mr. Kasukabe! If Tokyo is harmed because of me, that is absolutely not something I want to see."

Seeing Yuri Wanitangi stop, Kasukabe Touma's expression became anxious. He grabbed her hand and continued running. He hated the girl's stubborn personality. Why couldn't she understand what was good for her? How could the conclusion reached after the Historical Records Compilation Committee's extensive discussions possibly be abandoned because of her personal stubbornness? If she stayed in Tokyo, that would be the true disaster!

"Trust me, Wanitani! Leaving Tokyo is the safest option for you. Besides, those two 'Kings' have already started fighting. An entire district of Tokyo has probably been destroyed by now. Only after you get far away from Tokyo can those two 'Kings' stop fighting to pursue you!"

As far as the Historical Records Compilation Committee was concerned, the two Campiones should have great difficulty determining a victor. That was why they wanted to redirect the danger elsewhere. If the two "Kings" could easily determine a winner, the Historical Records Compilation Committee would not need to be so cautious. They could simply offer Yuri Wanitangi to the victor.

For the Historical Records Compilation Committee, the situation they feared most was a battle between two Campiones. The aftershocks of their battle alone would be enough to destroy heaven and earth.

"Knowing that a 'King' is searching for this girl, you actually dare to flee with her? How audacious!"

At that moment, a stern girl's voice came from behind them.

"Be careful, Mr. Kasukabe!"

The miko's Spiritual Vision allowed Yuri Wanitangi to sense the danger. She hurriedly cried out a warning.

As a ninja, Kasukabe Touma was also highly alert to danger, but he was ultimately a step too slow.

"Splurt—"

A sharp blade pierced straight through Kasukabe Touma's chest. The middle-aged man stopped in the middle of his sprint. He looked down in shock at the sword tip protruding from his chest as blood trickled down the blade. He felt a sudden pain in his body, then lost consciousness completely.

"Mr. Kasukabe! Mr. Kasukabe!"

Yuri Wanitangi supported Kasukabe Touma and cried out anxiously.

Standing behind the fallen Kasukabe Touma was a beautiful girl. Her silver hair was tied into a ponytail, and a blue-and-black shawl was draped over her shoulders. Beneath her knee-length black skirt were slender legs clad in white stockings. Blood still dripped from the longsword in her hand.

She was Liliana.

"You?! The new 'King's' knight!"

Yuri Wanitangi cried out in shock upon seeing Liliana.

Not long ago, she had been volunteering at a nearby shrine when the silver-haired girl before her and a blonde girl had suddenly appeared and tried to "kidnap" her. Although Yuri Wanitangi was a Shrine Maiden with powerful spiritual abilities, she possessed almost no combat ability. As a result, Erica had captured her in a single exchange.