In Los Angeles, on a luxurious passenger ship docked in the harbour, like a Venetian Carnival, a group of men, women, and children dressed in strange costumes were gathered.
They wore various colours of gowns, capes, hats, or scarves, like costumes from a mistaken era. And there were masks, with only holes for the eyes, elaborate masks of all kinds.
This was not a masquerade ball held on a whim by a group of leisurely gentlemen and ladies. If anything, it was more like a gathering of evil sorcerers performing some kind of ritual.
"O gods who protect us, please grant us the grace of our Queen!"
"O gods who protect us, please grant us the grace of our Queen!"
"O gods who protect us, please grant us the grace of our Queen!"
Everyone in the circle chanted strange incantations, immersed in the ritual of dark magic.
In the center of these people lay a young girl in a crystal coffin, with a delicate body, beautiful face, and long, light purple hair that almost reached her feet.
If someone familiar were to see the young girl in this crystal coffin at this moment, they would surely cry out in astonishment—
Ancestor Asherah!
That's right, the girl's identity was none other than Asherah, the leader of the "King of Flies," who was resurrected with the immortal divinity of the Perverse Serpent, Leviathan, after a self-detonation with the Holy Guardian.
Although her life was saved, Asherah was incredibly weak at this moment, and her injuries were extremely severe. However, as the evil sorcerers continuously chanted peculiar incantations, streams of magical power poured into Asherah's body, and the grotesque scars on her body slowly began to heal…
…
It was the usual way to school, but the scenery was more beautiful than ever.
In his hands, he carried two identical, adorable little lolis, almost impossible to find in the real world, and behind him followed two beautiful foreign girls, one with blonde hair and one with silver hair. Any of these sights alone would be enough to make the heads turn by two hundred percent for Sora and his companions as they walked!
Great Witch Zola had gone ahead, which surprised Sora. He hadn't expected that careless and unscrupulous witch to be quite responsible. He had originally thought there was no hope for the guys in his class under the mischievous influence of that fairy woman, but unexpectedly, after being utterly mesmerized by the Great Witch, those guys became even more energetic!
Well, he had to admit, they were all simple and youthful kids…
Sora had also asked Ena if she wanted to come along to school, but that girl was naturally someone who couldn couldn't sit still. Making her quietly listen to those lullabies would be less enjoyable than just cutting her down with a single stroke!
Since that girl didn't want to go, Sora didn't force her. In fact, he himself found it rather uninteresting.
If she didn't want to go, then she didn't. Sora let Ena train the Secret Sword Maidens at home. Seeing Ena's excited expression and the bitter faces of the Ichibei, he guessed Ena must have "bullied" them a lot in the past.
As for the maid, Arianna, she had made some progress under Karen's special training. Though she still looked pure and delicate, dealing with three to five ordinary strong men was no longer a problem.
Seeing the resentful look Arianna gave him, he guessed the scheming little maid Karen hadn't tormented her any less. Pretending not to see the maid's pitiful appearance, Sora still told Karen to continue.
Walking along, Sora glanced back at Shizuka, who had fallen far behind them, feeling a surge of speechlessness.
That girl was thin-skinned and couldn't stand those strange stares. It had been like this ever since Erica and the others arrived. Before, Asuka used to keep her company, but later Asuka also disappeared, leaving this little girl all alone.
Tokunaga Asuka. Speaking of which, it had been a long time since he last saw that childhood friend. He wondered if she was still alive, or if she had kicked the bucket?
Alright, enough of this dark humor. Sora decided to go and see her on the way today.
They hadn't walked far along the school route when Sora and the girls arrived in front of a food store. Asuka's home was right there.
Although it was quite concealed, Sora easily spotted the small head that abruptly retracted from the second-floor balcony. A strange glint flashed in his eyes, and a wicked curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Idiot Sora! Damn Sora! Dead Sora…"
Behind the balcony railing, an energetic girl in a school uniform with a backpack was leaning against the railing, hiding. Her expression held a hint of unusual indignation and resentment, as she softly cursed him over and over again.
"Miss Asuka, are you perhaps cursing me?"
Suddenly, a voice rang out, seeming somewhat familiar.
"Hmm, yes, it's… Ah!!!"
Subconsciously, she was about to reply, but when she suddenly snapped back to reality and saw Sora crouching on her balcony railing, holding two little loli sisters, Asuka immediately shrieked.
"So… Sora, you… how are you here?!"
Getting up and backing away, Asuka had a look of astonishment on her face.
The thought that everything she had just said had been heard by this guy made Asuka feel a little awkward along with her astonishment, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"Hehehe… I just found out someone dared to peep at me, so I jumped up to take a look."
With a chuckle, Sora looked at Asuka with a teasing expression and replied.
"Stealing… spying? I… I definitely wasn't!"
Her face instantly flushed crimson. She didn't expect that little sneaky move of hers to be caught by this guy, but Asuka still stubbornly tried to deny it.
"I never said it was you who was spying; that was your own admission!"
Sora gave a look that said, You're so clueless, with a slight curve of a smirk at the corner of his mouth.
"I…"
Opening her beautiful eyes wide, Asuka knew she had just been teased by this annoying guy again!
Although she felt so embarrassed and angry she wanted to pounce and bite him to death, as childhood friends, Asuka wisely gave up that unrealistic idea and turned her small head to the side.
Looking down at Erica, who was smiling and greeting her warmly; at Liliana, who politely bowed to her; and at Shizuka-chan, who kept waving her small hand, Asuka forced a stiff smile and waved back, barely managing to greet them properly.
Shizuka was one thing, but every time she saw Erica and Liliana, Asuka felt like they exuded an overwhelming pressure like a huge mountain!
Not daring to look at Erica and the others anymore, she turned her gaze to the two little loli sisters Sora was holding—and was instantly stunned.
She had been so nervous and flustered because of Sora earlier that she hadn't noticed. Now looking closer, Asuka realized a huge problem!
"A… A-Athena-chan, there are two!!!"
Eyes wide in disbelief, pointing at two exactly identical little lolis, Asuka was so shocked she could barely speak.
Of course, Asuka knew Athena. Not only her, but everyone in Jounan Academy—from teachers to classmates, even her Uncle—knew Athena!
And if you asked who had the highest popularity at Jounan Academy now, it wasn't the queen-like elegant Erica, nor the fairy-like pure and beautiful Liliana, and not the gentle and wise miko Yuri.
It was the loli goddess Athena!
With her adorable appearance, top student reputation, and even that cute chūnibyō (middle school second-year syndrome) characteristic, Athena won over everyone regardless of gender or age!
Although many people loved Erica and the others, there were also plenty of jealous rivals; but Athena was the exception. Almost everyone wanted to hug this cute little loli and cuddle her. People who came every day to offer gifts and seek her favor were endless.
Of course, no matter how many people desperately wanted to hug Athena and play with her, it was impossible because that was an exclusive privilege of Sora.
Just like everyone else at school, Asuka was also one of Athena's many fans. Seeing the little goddess she admired appear in two copies shocked her beyond words.
Two Athena-chan! So cute! So amazing! I want them so badly…
Filled with endless excitement and joy, looking at the two identical Athena-chans, Asuka's eyes almost turned green with envy.
"She is the real Athena. This one is Metis—I just picked her up. You can call her Metis."
Sora shook Athena and Metis in front of Asuka, looking at the girl's endlessly eager expression, wearing an evil grin, and tempted her.
"How about it, Asuka? Want one? If you want, I'll give you one."
"I want one!!!"
Her eyes lit up, and without hesitation, Asuka pounced towards Sora. However—
Bang!!!
With a muffled thud, just as Asuka was excitedly about to reach Athena and Metis, Sora suddenly sidestepped, causing her to fall to the ground.
"Hahaha...you idiot Asuka, I was just kidding!"
"Athena and Metis are both mine, I'm not giving them to anyone, so you can just dream on!"
While rubbing the two little lolis' soft and tender cheeks, Sora laughed and provoked Asuka, his smug face making people want to tear him to pieces.
"Damn it! Give Athena-chan and Metis-chan back to me!!!"
Like an enraged lioness, Asuka's expression was ferocious. Not caring about anything else, she got up and pounced at Sora again.
"Those... those two idiots!!!"
Stunned, watching Sora and Asuka who were actually fighting above, Shizuka, Erica, and Liliana's eyes twitched below, unable to recover for a long time...