— — — — — —
When Ryo opened his eyes, he found himself in a stretch of rugged wilderness.
Thick undergrowth sprawled in every direction. A narrow dirt path wound through the base of an unmarked mountain, the area still untouched by development.
"This kind of teleportation really sucks."
Unbuttoning his collar, Ryo grimaced and scanned his surroundings with his psychic sense. Judging by the terrain and aura, he was in East Asia.
After a moment's thought, he took a step—and appeared outside the leader's mountain of the Holy Cult. He lifted his hand and knocked lightly on the door.
"Who's there?"
A voice came from above, followed by a head poking out from under the eaves.
It was Asherah—the Leviathan.
"King?"
Startled, she leapt down into the courtyard and hurried to open the gate from inside. "Didn't you just leave two days ago?"
Seeing her, Ryo sighed. "Looks like I didn't end up in the wrong world."
The Campione world had countless parallel versions. Though the odds were low, it wasn't impossible for him to have been dropped into a different branch world altogether. If that had happened, it would've been easier—because it would mean the gods in the Little Garden were barking up the wrong tree.
But no such luck.
Following Asherah into the quiet hermitage, he asked, "Where's Pandora?"
"Just as you ordered. For the next ten years, Lady Pandora, Lady Ena, and I will remain here in seclusion," Asherah said. "Though Ena went up the mountain for training this morning. She hasn't come back yet."
She led him into a small side room. Inside, the sealed realm that contained Pandora was linked to a modest bedroom.
Ryo leaned slightly toward the window, peering in like a schoolteacher checking on a sleeping student.
Inside, Pandora lay sprawled lazily across her bed.
Asherah spoke softly beside him. "It's eight-thirty. Pandora doesn't usually wake up until after eleven. Shall I wake her?"
"No need. It's fine like this."
Ryo waved a hand, letting out a small breath of relief.
Before leaving for the Little Garden, he had made his preparations.
Asherah —with her godlike power—and the capable Ena were to stay here with Pandora. Meanwhile, Liliana, Erica, Alice, and Lu Yinghua were in charge of managing the existing organizations.
With most Campiones' divine powers weakened due to the temporary disappearance of the gods, this world only had ancestor-class beings left to worry about. Given that, this setup was more than enough to maintain stability for now. And in case of emergencies, Ryo had left them a communication channel through the Dimensional Forum.
Of course, now that Little Garden's heavy hitters were descending, this arrangement was looking a bit… flimsy.
"Asherah," he said after a moment of thought, "contact Lily and the others. Tell them to report their locations—I'll bring them back here."
His eyes flickered with calculation as he spoke.
There were only a few people directly tied to him, and only those few knew he'd fought the King of End. If he gathered them here, it'd be enough to cover his tracks.
Still, Ryo didn't like hiding.
He preferred to move. To turn the gods' investigations in a direction that favored him.
"Should I take the risk?"
He narrowed his eyes, already leaning toward yes.
It would expose him to divine scrutiny, but Ryo had faith in the Dimensional Forum's hidden systems. He knew Kurma—a two-digit existence—was already on her way here. If even she couldn't find anything suspicious, then no matter how much suspicion lingered, the gods would chalk him up as an "innocent mortal."
Besides… he'd have to face the gods eventually. Better to do it on his own terms, while they were still looking the wrong way.
As Asherah went to make arrangements, Ryo let out a long exhale, then smiled faintly to himself.
"The gods, huh?" he murmured, glancing westward with a playful look.
---
Rome — Rebuilding the Papal States
Near a half-finished construction site, a white-haired boy stood watching the workers. He was small, almost delicate—he could've passed for a middle schooler.
Beside him was a girl about the same age, holding a rolled-up piece of beast hide.
"Your Highness," she said after a quick look around, "I think this is the place."
"Mhm."
Highness nodded slightly, eyes flickering as he listened to the wind. "This… used to be the Papal State."
Rin blinked in confusion, staring at the bulldozers and cranes around them. "It looks like a construction site to me."
Highness closed his eyes, nostrils twitching faintly.
"There's lingering power here. Faint, but strong enough to tell—this place was destroyed about a month ago. The culprit used divine authority… though it feels weak."
"Wow, we just got here and already hit the jackpot," Rin muttered, pulling out a new scroll. She began inscribing notes with her willpower, grumbling as she worked.
"Seriously though, why did headquarters make us jump through so many hoops? Taking out the Cross's investigators and pretending to be them—what's the point?"
"And why send you personally to investigate the King of End?"
"No idea." Highness shook his head, looking puzzled. "My spirit rank is still sealed, so I don't know the details. But it must mean this mission has some hidden significance."
He turned to her and added lightly, "Also, don't call me 'Your Highness' down here."
"Huh? Then what should I call you?" She blinked, then seemed to catch on to the need for disguise. "...Bishop?"
"That'll do."
Highness smiled faintly and glanced westward.
"The source of that power's coming from that direction. Let's check it out."
"My instincts say the one who destroyed the Papal State is connected to the King of End."
"Then let's go see for ourselves," Rin replied. But mid-sentence, she froze, eyes shifting westward.
Highness noticed it too, his expression sharpening. "A spiritual communication broadcast?"
Then, unexpectedly, he smiled.
"Looks like someone's trying to steal the spotlight."
---
Tokyo, Shiba Park
Under a utility pole stood a tall woman in a tailored suit, her long ponytail swaying as she glanced at the girl beside her.
"This is weird. Why would the Queen bother sending you to handle something this trivial?"
Across from her, Scathach—dressed casually and looking mildly annoyed—rubbed her temple.
"And the Buddhist side actually sent you here, Kenshin? Figures."
Uesugi Kenshin took a slow bite of her ice cream before replying, amusement glinting in her eyes.
"More accurately, it was Indra who sent me. But yeah, the higher-ups clearly had a say."
She chuckled. "Honestly, it's been ages since I've seen that useless god panic like that."
Scathach smirked. "Guess the fluctuation in divine ranks rattled him. Probably realized he's competing with some nasty opponent for an incomplete rank."
"Unfortunately," Kenshin said with a shrug, "when I left, he was flirting with a hostess at a club."
Scathach snorted. "Right on brand for a married-goddess simp."
They both turned their eyes west at the same moment.
"Huh? That signal's coming from Greece?" Scathach said.
Kenshin's gaze sharpened. "Word is, they've sent that famous demigod over."
"Then that's worth checking out," Scathach said with a grin. "Wanna go together?"
Kenshin licked the last of her ice cream off the stick and smiled.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world."
.
.
.