"Yo! My dear friend, I didn't expect you to come meet me personally - how touching!"
After Ryuga and Erica arrived at the beach, the King of Swords Doni, who had walked along the seabed all the way up, greeted Ryuga with an extremely enthusiastic and cheerful tone.
Looking at this Campione's appearance, even Erica, who knew this husky's true nature, found it hard to watch, let alone the chat group members who thought Campiones should have inherent presence.
[Tohsaka Rin: "Ah, this!"]
[Madoka: "No offense intended, but is this person with a whole strand of seaweed hanging from his head really a Campione?"]
[Tohsaka Rin: "Yeah, didn't Erica always say Campiones were kings and overlords?"]
[Tohsaka Rin: "The title sounds impressive - King of Swords and all... why does he look like a homeless person?"]
They didn't doubt the King of Swords' identity.
Anyone who could walk from the ocean floor to the shore, rather than swim to shore, clearly wasn't ordinary.
It was just that this guy's image was too poor.
Soaking wet all over, with seaweed and shellfish tangled on his clothes - except for a narrow box behind him being well-protected, everything else looked no different from a homeless person.
[Erica: "Don't doubt your eyes. This guy has always been like this."]
[Erica: "Once called a weirdo who excels only in swordsmanship while everything else is a complete mess."]
Hearing Erica's explanation, everyone could understand it as geniuses often having quirks.
However, besides his appearance, they had another question.
[Kanae: "Wait! Isn't this King of Swords meeting Ryuga-sama for the first time? Why is he calling Ryuga-sama his dear friend?"]
They all knew Ryuga was from another world and couldn't possibly know Doni.
Even if they met during yesterday's cut-off livestream, it was unlikely they became close friends.
Under these circumstances, what did the King of Swords' address mean?
[Tohsaka Rin: "Could it be mental problems?"]
Rin made a quite bold guess.
Could mentally ill people also become Campiones?
This topic actually had research value - there were quite a few mentally abnormal people among Campiones.
[Erica: "Although I've never seen the King of Swords be so enthusiastic toward others, this should just be a personality issue, right?"]
[Erica: "As for mental illness... probably not?"]
Recalling the King of Swords' various bizarre operations, Erica couldn't guarantee it.
"Salvatore-sama, what is your purpose in coming here?"
Despite already knowing the other party's purpose, Erica still conducted a managerial inquiry.
"Oh! You're that, that who... right, Dahlia! I have an impression of you!"
Seeing Erica, Doni scratched his head, looked at her with some surprise, but still focused his attention on Ryuga.
"My purpose in coming is simple - I'm sure my dear friend already knows!"
He showed a smile that was either honest or full of foolishness.
Hearing this, Erica's mouth twitched.
"If you can't remember the name, don't make one up on the spot! I can introduce myself again - I am Ryuga-sama's chief knight, Erica Blandelli of the Copper-Black Cross. By the way, Ryuga-sama doesn't have you as a friend."
Originally, Doni didn't pay much attention to Erica's name, but after hearing she was Ryuga's knight, he immediately took notice.
Facing Erica's questioning, he had his own theory.
"After knowing my thoughts, not only did he not avoid me but actively came toward me - this battle-loving style clearly shows he's my dear friend!"
After unilaterally declaring friendship, he restrained his eagerness and enthusiastically greeted Ryuga.
"Yo! New comrade, so your name is Ryuga. It sounds like the Cult Leader's name - seems like you're from the Far East. My name is Salvatore Doni - you can call me Doni or dear friend!"
Hearing the other party's greeting, Ryuga's gaze swept past Doni's back, noticing his hand was resting on the narrow case.
"Let's skip the pleasantries."
Ryuga spoke directly.
"From your appearance, it seems you're planning to act now. If so, communication can be left for after the battle."
At these words, the entire beach's atmosphere became tense.
Doni's eyes lit up.
"Dear friend, do you mean you're willing to accept my challenge right now?!"
Heaven knows, for a battle maniac like him, finding suitable opponents was harder than reaching the sky.
Heretic Gods were already rare, and other Campiones each had strange personalities and unpredictable whereabouts.
The only two he could find were either Marquis Voban, who had a grudge against him, or Cult Leader Luo Hao, who he couldn't win against even if he tried his hardest - neither was suitable as sparring partners.
Originally, he just came to test the new comrade's fighting ability, but didn't expect the other party to have such a straightforward personality - it couldn't be more to his taste.
"Of course."
Ryuga's answer didn't disappoint him.
"For efficiency's sake, the sooner I contain you, the better!"
"Excellent!"
Doni immediately showed a delighted smile on his face.
Although he didn't know what "contain" meant, it didn't matter - as long as they could have a good duel.
So he couldn't wait to reach behind and take out a mass-produced regulation longsword from his case.
"Then I won't be polite, dear friend!"
Sensing from sight alone that Ryuga was extraordinary, he didn't decline and immediately activated his authority.
Silver mysterious substance enveloped his wrist and longsword together, filling the entire battlefield with a sharp, murderous atmosphere.
"I swear here - I do not allow anything I cannot cut to exist. This sword is an invincible blade that can sever all things in the world!"
Along with the spirit words' chanting, the authority usurped from the Silver-Armed God King Nuada bloomed with an amazing presence.
Right from the start, Doni pulled out his trump card.
Facing this momentum, Ryuga felt no tension whatsoever.
Recalling the results he had obtained in the Netherworld by using himself as a test subject to research divine nature, he quickly decided on his victory method.
"Perfect for testing the mythological formula I just successfully compiled."
To be continued…