Don't Die, Roy! / I Have a Bold Idea About This White Snake

Why did Athena follow us?!

Alexander Gascoyne was puzzled. He and Roy had both used Divine Speed to travel from America to Canada in such a short time. Could it be that Athena also possessed Divine Speed?

It was only when the Black Prince saw the snakes surging up from underground that he suddenly understood. Athena had not kept up with them because she possessed Divine Speed. As the Earth Mother Goddess, she had traveled through the earth's veins, using Roy as a landmark to keep up with his Divine Speed.

But even after learning how Athena had followed them, it was meaningless now, because that arrow was already closing in on his chest.

Alexander Gascoyne was certain that if the arrow pierced his chest, he would be gravely wounded. In this situation, where escape was impossible by land or sky, that would mean certain death.

Unfortunately, he had no way to dodge. His strongest Divine Speed was being restricted by Roy, and Gascoyne had nearly exhausted all his options.

"Even so, I won't let you have it easy!"

The Black Prince hardened his heart. Instead of dodging, he charged straight at the arrow while unleashing the strongest Authority he could use in battle—Vengeance Goddess!

This was the Authority Gascoyne had usurped from the Erinyes, the three Greek goddesses of vengeance. It could summon the three goddesses and unfold a field of vengeance, returning all the damage he suffered to his opponent. However, this Authority had one enormous flaw: as the person activating it, Gascoyne also had to endure the same damage.

This was originally an Authority like Roy's Divine Right, one that should only be deployed after the opponent used a powerful move, allowing the opponent's ultimate attack to be reflected back and securing victory. But Gascoyne knew that if he did not unfold the field of vengeance now, he might never get another chance!

"Splurt—"

The arrow pierced Gascoyne's chest, but at the same time, the field of vengeance unfolded. An identical arrow shot back toward Athena.

"Alecto, Megaera, Tisiphone. So it really is you three."

Athena coldly watched the three goddesses summoned by the Black Prince. As the Goddess of Wisdom of Greece, Athena naturally knew the three goddesses of vengeance.

She stood gracefully atop the giant serpent's head like a blooming marigold. Her amber snake eyes fixed on the goddesses of vengeance, while the smile at the corner of her mouth showed her complete ease.

Athena had long since prepared for the reflected arrow. She raised her Medusa's Shield and easily blocked it.

"Gascoyne, this move, Vengeance Goddess, is your final measure, isn't it? You summoned the Vengeance Goddesses long ago and concealed them at your side, waiting to reflect a fatal attack when your enemy struck. It is indeed a sinister yet effective tactic. But once your preparations are known, this Authority becomes useless."

Under Roy's Clairvoyance, all of the Black Prince's moves had long since been exposed. That was why Roy had asked Athena to fire what was actually a harmless arrow. Its power was not great, but it was enough to seriously injure Gascoyne and force him to use this Authority. Vengeance Goddess was powerful, but that very power came with restrictions. After using it, Gascoyne could not activate it a second time for a short while.

Vengeance Goddess could not reflect every attack. Unlike Roy's Divine Right, it had limits. An attack exceeding the Authority's maximum could easily break through the field of vengeance. Even so, the strongest attack the field could withstand would still be reflected back.

Since there was an easier way to win, Roy naturally would not choose the more difficult one.

Now that the field of vengeance had unfolded only to reflect an ordinary arrow from Athena, the Authority had effectively been wasted.

The Black Prince, an arrow lodged in his chest, said nothing. He was gradually finding it difficult to breathe, and blood spilled from his mouth whenever he opened it. From beginning to end, this Campione skilled in schemes and stratagems had been calculated and toyed with by Roy as if he were in the palm of his hand. It was utterly tragic.

Whatever the scheme or strategy, the most basic thing it required was information. Roy's Clairvoyance could obtain all of Gascoyne's information, while Gascoyne could obtain none of Roy's. With such an overwhelming information gap, he had been outmaneuvered at every turn, left frustrated and utterly unable to fight back.

This was what Roy considered Solomon's Wisdom!

"It's over, Black Prince! This is where you meet your end!"

Roy waved his hand, and the angel army in the sky transformed into a torrent of slaughtering forces that charged toward Gascoyne.

Athena merely raised her head slightly from atop the earth. The Dragon-Serpents also charged into the sky, carrying cruelty and bloodlust with them.

Surrounded by the angel army and the Dragon-Serpent army, Gascoyne fled in every direction. The three Vengeance Goddesses he had summoned were swallowed by the armies as well. After unfolding the field of vengeance, the three goddesses could still be used as familiars, but before the angel and Dragon-Serpent armies, even the familiars formed from the three goddesses could do nothing but struggle helplessly.

However, as a Campione capable of creating miracles, Gascoyne did not give up even when trapped in a desperate situation. Amid the angels' blades and the Dragon-Serpents' bites, he dragged his wounded body along and chanted another Word Spirit, summoning a gigantic monster resembling a mermaid.

This was his other Authority, Faceless Queen!

Almost all of Gascoyne's Authorities involved escape, summoning, or traps. He possessed no direct offensive ability whatsoever.

When Roy saw the mermaid he had summoned, he had not even moved yet when Athena, standing atop the giant serpent's head, had already donned her armor. Holding a shield in her left hand and a blade in her right, she leaped into the air. Her long blade traced a dazzling arc, and with a single strike, she severed the head of the Faceless Queen!

How could a mere half-human, half-serpent monster possibly stand against Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and War?

Witnessing Athena's martial skill, which had already reached the divine realm, Roy could not help but praise her. If that skill had not come from the War Goddess's divine nature—if it were not something Athena had possessed innately, rather than something developed step by step from mortal martial arts—he would have worshiped her as his teacher long ago.

With the death of the Faceless Queen and the Vengeance Goddesses torn apart by the angel and Dragon-Serpent armies, the Black Prince truly had no options left.

"Roy!"

The War Goddess called out sharply. Roy gave a slight nod to show that he understood. Then, working together with Athena, he surrounded the Black Prince from front and back while simultaneously activating his magic eyes.

Snake eyes and Double Pupils fixed upon Gascoyne.

With Medusa's Eye before him and Sodom's Eye behind him, the Black Prince's body began to undergo a bizarre transformation. Starting from his hands and feet, the front half of his body became stone while the rear half turned into pillars of salt. In the blink of an eye, the Campione, already at the end of his strength, lost the ability to move.

Roy approached Gascoyne from behind without haste and raised the Sword of Judgment in his hand. Without regret or hesitation, he calmly drove the blood-red cross-shaped sword into Gascoyne's chest. Magic Power erupted from the blade, shredding all of the Campione's internal organs.

The Campione, the earthly demon king, the Black Prince Alexander Gascoyne—was dead!

The Black Prince's abilities were all related to traps and schemes, and his fighting style resembled that of traditional magicians: he needed to make exhaustive preparations. Faced with such a sudden situation, Gascoyne's Authorities were completely ineffective.

The Black Prince was also weaker than Marquis Voban. Moreover, Roy had made tremendous progress since defeating Marquis Voban. Whether it was his doubled Magic Power or the evolution of his Authorities, Athena's assistance alone had allowed Roy to kill Gascoyne with overwhelming speed.

"Now there is one fewer Campione in this world. I think I'm actually suited to the work of the Last King."

Roy pulled the sword from Gascoyne's chest. The Black Prince's organs had been completely shattered, and he was surviving only through the Campione's powerful vitality. Ordinary magic could no longer save him. Only an extraordinarily powerful healing Authority could do so, or perhaps an Authority that granted resurrection.

But Roy's Clairvoyance told him that, for now, none of the Campiones in this world possessed an Authority capable of healing such injuries. Even Lady Aisha's healing Authority would have little effect on a Campione, while Gascoyne possessed no resurrection ability at all.

"Let's go, Athena!"

Roy called out to Athena and turned to leave.

After killing the Black Prince, Athena had returned to her loli form, and her Gorgon Stone had returned to Roy's body. The Goddess of Wisdom opened and closed her mouth, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately said nothing. She trotted after Roy, and only after reaching his side did she cast him a sidelong glance.

"...You're really going to leave them alone together?"

"Mm. No matter what, they were friends for more than a decade. For someone who's about to die, give him the chance to say goodbye to his friend."

Roy knew exactly what Athena meant. He gently ran a hand through Athena's silver hair, making the goddess bristle with displeasure. Then he burst into laughter under her angry glare, swept her up by the waist, and crossed the sky with her in his arms.

After Roy and Athena had gone far away, a beautiful and elegant woman appeared beside the Black Prince. It was the spirit form of the White Princess, Alice.

"Cough, cough... What are you doing here? Are you planning to mock me even at the end of my life?"

A Campione's vitality was indeed tenacious. Even with all his internal organs shattered, Gascoyne used his Magic Power to force himself to cling to life, speaking in a weak voice.

"Ah..."

Alice sighed softly. She walked slowly to the fallen Gascoyne and lowered her head to look at him, watching this man's final wretched moment. Her expression complicated, she asked, "...Do you regret it?"

"When did you become so ladylike? At a time like this, shouldn't you be mocking me with your vicious words for overestimating myself? The way you're acting now makes me uncomfortable."

As if experiencing a final resurgence, Gascoyne's face flushed. His entire body seemed to regain its vitality, and even his speech became smooth and forceful.

After pausing, this somewhat tsundere Campione set aside his grudges and spoke much more gently. "...Forget it. At a time like this, picking a fight with you makes me look pathetic... Regret it? I've never regretted anything, Alice! This is the fate of a Campione. Death is the end of every Campione. I merely reached that end a little earlier."

"...From the day I became a Campione, I knew I would eventually die. I simply never expected to die like this. I did not die at the hands of a Disobedient God, nor at the hands of the Last King. Instead, one of my own kind brought me down."

The Black Prince gave a self-mocking smile. "...I'm different from those other thick-headed Campiones. The moment I learned that Campiones existed, I began wondering why none of the ancient Campiones had survived. Why had they all vanished? From that day onward, I knew that one day I, too, would become an insignificant wave in the history of this world, just like all those who came before me."

"When I was born, thousands bowed in worship. When I die, I'll vanish without a trace. Of all the Campiones who died in the past, who still remembers their names now? No one. Not a single person. That is the tragedy of a Campione. Even if they are 'kings' while alive, they leave no mark on history after death."

Listening to the Black Prince ramble on, Alice did not interrupt him. The Black Prince of England could not be considered a hero, but he had always seen things clearly and lived in his own way.

"There isn't much time left, Alice... I may have caused you plenty of trouble in the past, and even nearly gotten you killed several times. But even at the end of my life, I won't apologize. I absolutely... won't apologize..."

Gascoyne's eyelids grew heavier and heavier. His vision gradually blurred, and his voice became broken and intermittent. In the end, his strength could no longer support him, and his eyelids slowly closed.

The Black Prince's breathing gradually faded until it stopped. As his life departed, the temperature of his body began to cool.

"Even in death, you still care about saving face. You really would rather suffer than lose your dignity."

Alice was somewhat saddened. She had never liked Gascoyne very much, but she could not say she disliked him either. Besides, over the years, Gascoyne had been one of the few people who could trade barbs with her—a friend, in a sense. Yet now, this friend she had known for more than a decade had finally departed.

On the roof of a skyscraper in Manhattan, Roy and Athena stood watching the battle between Anne Charlton and the Disobedient Leviathan in the distance. The fight between this Campione and the Divine Ancestor, who had temporarily regained divine power, was still raging. Roy and Athena, however, had already killed the Black Prince and returned from Canada to Manhattan using Divine Speed.

As Roy and Athena calmly watched the battle ahead, the spirit of Princess Alice also returned from Canada.

The famous European princess showed no trace of sorrow. Smiling brightly, she complained the moment she saw Roy, "...Roy, you let me be alone with Gascoyne at the end. As a man, you were certainly generous, but for a girl like me, it was rather heartbreaking."

Alice's mournful complaint did not move Roy in the slightest. He merely smiled and said, "...What do you have to be sad about? I gave you the chance to say goodbye to an old friend."

"Shouldn't an ordinary man feel jealous when he cares about a woman? Yet you let me be alone with my 'old lover' without the slightest jealousy. You didn't even ask what Gascoyne and I talked about after seeing me. It makes me suspect that you don't care about me at all."

The beautiful princess, with platinum hair and exquisite features, looked as though she were about to burst into tears. She was pitiful and vulnerable, with sorrowful reproach in her eyes.

Roy ignored her sorrowful expression and merely winked at her. "...Alice, you should look at it from another angle. This is my trust in you! Besides, since you already belong to me, no one can take you away. Certainly not some dead man."

Roy's tone was arrogant, carrying an unquestionable command.

Alice laughed despite herself and shook her head. "...You really are an overbearing man, but that is the bearing a demon king should have."

After speaking, the White Princess restrained her smile and slyness. She stepped forward and clasped both of Roy's hands, her expression gradually becoming solemn.

"...Don't die, Roy! I don't want you to follow the same path as all the other Campiones!"

Alice's voice was sincere. Her beautiful, star-like eyes were filled with deep concern and worry.

Gascoyne's words had made her think of something frightening. Roy was also a Campione. Could it be that he, too, would eventually meet the inevitable fate shared by all Campiones?

The thought filled Alice with fear and worry.

Roy's expression gradually softened. Although Alice was only a spirit now, he seemed able to feel the warmth of her palms and the fear in her heart through her trembling hands. "...I won't die, Alice! You have my word!"

"Boom—"

The instant Roy finished speaking, a beam of light shot into the heavens over the distant sea. It was as though a nuclear bomb had exploded, and a thunderous roar shook the world.

Anne Charlton and the Disobedient Leviathan had decided the victor.

"I Have a Bold Idea About This White Snake"

Artemis's Arrow was Anne Charlton's Authority and her strongest offensive Authority. Like Roy's many Authorities, Artemis's Arrow had restrictions on its use. Under normal circumstances, it could only be used five or six times a month.

But what those restrictions brought was absolute destructive power. The earth-shaking explosion and world-destroying might would have been enough to blast Manhattan Island into ruins with a single arrow if Anne Charlton had not fired it into the sea.

"Whew... It's finally over."

Anne Charlton looked at Anshiela floating on the surface of the sea, her body covered in crisscrossing wounds and completely drained of strength, and let out a sigh of relief.

Returning from her Divine Ancestor form to her Dragon-Serpent form had given Anshiela strength equal to that of a Disobedient God. On top of that, she had already been determined to die and had fought with utter madness. Under those circumstances, Anne Charlton had fought cautiously, which was why her battle with Anshiela had lasted so long.

In the end, when Anshiela prepared to launch a suicidal, explosive attack, Anne Charlton finally seized her opportunity and pierced her with her arrow.

"Damn you! Damn you! Damn you, Campione! I'll kill you—aaaargh!"

Anshiela, human from the waist up and a White Serpent from the waist down, roared and cursed at Anne Charlton. Yet in stark contrast to her thrashing body, her divine power had already withered, and her breathing was faint.

"That's right. I am a demon king. I am a Campione. Divine Ancestor Anshiela, this is where you leave the stage. Because you forcefully returned to your Dragon-Serpent form, you have lost the immortality of a Divine Ancestor. This time, it will be a final farewell."

Anne Charlton's expression beneath her mask was utterly calm. Ignoring Anshiela's jeers, she drew a revolver from her waist.

The revolver had been crafted in Yomi by a dwarf from Norse Mythology whom Anne Charlton had asked for help. In the hands of a Campione, it possessed the power to harm a Disobedient God. Anshiela was already gravely wounded, so one shot should be enough to blow off her head and kill both her body and soul.

Facing her impending death, Anshiela felt no fear. If she had truly feared death, she would never have done any of this. She merely glared at Anne Charlton and the gun barrel with contempt, waiting for her life to end.

Just then—

"Hold your fire!"

The shout forced Anne Charlton to halt her shot, because the person who had called out was someone she could not ignore.

Temporarily lowering the gun, Anne Charlton turned around and saw Roy walking across the sea toward her, with Athena and Alice following at his side.

"Mr. Roy, what happened in the city earlier? I sensed the appearance of a Disobedient God."

During her earlier battle with Anshiela, Anne Charlton, as a Campione, had sensed the presence of a Disobedient God. If she had not known that Roy, another Campione, was in the city, she would have been caught between two crises, uncertain whether to stop Anshiela from destroying Manhattan or deal with the unfamiliar Disobedient God.

Now that she saw Manhattan was unharmed, she assumed Roy had driven the Disobedient God away and asked gratefully, "What happened?"

"It was the Divine Ancestor Guinevere and her guardian, Disobedient Lancelot. Oh, and the Black Prince Alexander Gascoyne came too."

Roy spoke casually.

"I've heard of that English Campione, but I've never met him. Is he still here?"

Anne asked curiously, though her heart tightened at the same time. There seemed to be far too many Campiones, Disobedient Gods, and even Divine Ancestors gathered in North America. If anything went wrong, even America, the world's foremost superpower, could collapse.

"You may never see him in your life, because he got in my way, so I killed him."

Roy's offhand remark made Anne Charlton's scalp prickle. Cold sweat unconsciously broke out across her back.

You killed him because he got in your way? That was a Campione—and one of your own kind! You killed him for such a simple reason? Just like that... just like that?!

At that moment, Anne suddenly felt fortunate that she had stopped when Roy shouted, "Hold your fire!" If she had not, would this ruthless Campione of the Vatican and Italy have taken his anger out on her and killed her as well?

Anne Charlton was confident in her own strength, but against Roy, who had killed both Marquis Voban and the Black Prince, she did not dare think of victory. Her only thought would be whether she could escape.

"S-so he's already dead..."