— — — — — —
Erica stayed kneeling on one knee, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
In front of her, Ryo smiled lightly, though his expression revealed nothing of what he was truly thinking.
Off to the side, Godou Kusanagi scratched his cheek in confusion.
The whole exchange had been in Italian, so he didn't catch a word. All he knew was that a stunning blonde girl had come speeding in, leapt off her car like she was in an action movie, exchanged a few words with the silver-haired beauty… and then dropped to her knees like she was swearing loyalty.
So… uh wait a sec.
What am I doing here? Who am I? Where am I? What happened?
Godou found himself sinking into the great questions of philosophy.
Meanwhile, Ryo gave Erica another glance and said calmly, "To be honest, I don't like your personality very much."
Erica froze, forcing herself to remain still. She didn't dare react.
Then Ryo continued with a lazy smile. "But I do like your body. So I'm confused about what to do now."
At least playing with you would probably be entertaining."
"What?!"
Liliana slapped her hands over her face, gasping. "Play with— this is so rough…"
Her cheeks were burning red. She didn't dare look at him directly, as if she feared she'd be dragged into the same humiliation. And yet, every few seconds, her eyes flicked back toward him, quick and furtive, betraying a little curiosity she didn't want to admit.
For Erica, however, it was nothing short of a public insult. But she couldn't lash out. She couldn't even show anger. Instead, she forced a smile and murmured the only words she could: "It is an honor to be so favored by you."
The smile on her lips was polite. What she actually thought—that was locked deep in her chest.
Ryo spared her no more than that and turned to Liliana. "Tell her. It's only useless information anyway."
Liliana drew in a deep breath, smoothed her composure, and finally spoke to Erica: "The one that manifested here… is the Persian war god, Verethragna."
She offered nothing more than the name.
She left out the fact that this god was incomplete. That much was deliberate—if Ryo intended to target a god, then the fewer people who knew the details, the better.
Verethragna. Ten incarnations. The undefeated war god of ancient Persia. And now, a Heretic God walking the earth.
Erica's teeth ground together. Her ambitions suddenly felt out of reach.
She was only sixteen. A Great Knight, yes. But still… at best she could handle a single beast. Against a true god, her strength was nothing.
And now there was already a King—an actual Campione—standing right in front of her, eyes set on Verethragna. What chance did she have?
She lowered her head and said with forced respect, "Thank you for enlightening me. With your permission, may I withdraw to report this matter to the European societies?"
If she could just leave intact without being punished for her earlier rudeness, that would be a blessing.
Athena gave her one sharp look, then dismissed her, clearly uninterested.
But Ryo's gaze pinned her again. His voice was calm. "So. You want to become a Campione yourself?"
Every muscle in Erica's body went rigid.
Yes or no? Either answer was a trap.
But lying would be worse. So she clenched her teeth and whispered, "Yes. Just as you said."
Damn it. Bullying Liliana really did earn me karma, didn't it?
By admitting her desire, hadn't she just declared she wanted to steal his prey? That she'd compete with him to slay Verethragna?
Wasn't this basically asking to be killed on the spot?
Ryo chuckled. "Interesting. It's been a while since I've seen someone this arrogant."
The insult cut sharp, but Erica could only keep smiling awkwardly. Normally, she'd fire back. But against this man, whose mood was unreadable, defiance would be suicide.
If she died alone, fine. But if she dragged down her uncle and all of Copper-Black Cross with her? No way.
And so she endured.
Ryo finally said, "Alright then. I'll give you a chance."
'No. Please, no. Don't give me a chance! I don't want one! I just want to leave.'
Inside she was screaming. Outwardly, her smile never wavered. "Your generosity is beyond measure. I would never dare refuse."
'He is going to kill me, isn't he?' Erica thought bitterly.
Then Athena's cool voice cut through: "It comes."
A guttural, bestial roar thundered from the direction of the sea.
And there it was.
Charging down the avenue was a monstrosity dozens of meters tall. Black fur bristled across its hulking frame, tusks the size of buildings jutted from its jaws. A boar—hideous, colossal, radiating godly power.
"That's… Verethragna's incarnation. The Boar."
Erica's face blanched.
Godou screamed beside them, but she ignored him. She looked only at Ryo, whose eyes gleamed with something like encouragement. Then she looked back at the beast, ten stories high, its divine aura boiling like a furnace.
Her stomach dropped. Against this thing, she'd last less than a second. One misstep and she'd be paste beneath its hooves.
But a Campione, a real godslayer, was watching her.
Was this… a test?
Ryo's voice was smooth, almost teasing. "So. Will you challenge it?"
Every fiber of her wanted to say, "I'm sorry, I was wrong!" But pride, the pride drilled into her since childhood—the pride of a prodigy knight, a Great Knight at sixteen, heir to her family's legacy—held her tongue.
Instead she drew a breath, summoned her beloved sword, Cuore di Leone (Heart of the Lion), through space magic, and charged forward.
"Hey, what are you doing? Are you insane?!"
Godou had been ready to run. But when he saw her fling herself toward the monster, something in him snapped. He glanced between Ryo and the charging knight, then grit his teeth and sprinted after her.
"Oh? That boy…"
Athena's eyes lingered on him. She narrowed them, intrigued.
"The scent is faint, but… yes. The trace of an authority. Not of Mother Earth's bloodline. Then…"
Her lips curved into a cruel smile. "The work of Steel."
Normally she wouldn't care about a mortal. But now, she welcomed every excuse to draw the gods' wrath and steal their power.
And so, before Godou could reach Erica, he tripped and crashed hard to the ground.
"What—?" He scrambled up, bewildered. Something coiled at his ankles.
A snake.
A grimy, gray snake.
"There weren't any snakes here just now!" he shouted. But more were already slithering up from the cracks in the street.
They poured from the earth like an endless tide, writhing and hissing. In moments they swarmed him, coiling up his body, forcing their way into his ears, nose, and mouth. Then they dragged him down into the Netherworld.
Ryo blinked in mild surprise. "Oh? You acted already?"
"This boy's bloodline leads to a rogue god," Athena said simply.
Ryo let it drop. He had no interest in Godou Kusanagi anyway.
"I've heard a little about that," he mused. "Supposedly Susanoo is hiding in the Netherworld."
"Then perhaps, after Sardinia, we should pay him a visit," Athena replied airily.
Neither gave another thought to the boy's fate.
...
Meanwhile, not far away, Erica charged the monstrous boar with death in her eyes—
Like Icarus, his fragile wings of wax trembled as he defied the sun.
.
.
.