Multiverse's Holy Right

Artemis' Arrow—this was Annie Charlton's Authority, and also her most offensive one. Like many of Roy's Authorities, Artemis' Arrow had usage restrictions, typically limited to five or six times per month.

But this limitation came with absolute destructive power. The cataclysmic explosion, the world-shattering force—had Annie not fired the arrow into the sea, its sheer intensity would have been enough to reduce Manhattan Island to ruins.

"Phew... It's finally over."

Annie let out a sigh of relief as she looked at Asherah, who was floating on the sea's surface, her body crisscrossed with wounds and completely exhausted.

Having restored her dragon-serpent form from her Divine Ancestor state, Asherah had gained power comparable to a Heretic God. Combined with her death-seeking resolve, her fighting style could only be described as frenzied. Under these circumstances, Annie had fought cautiously, which was why the battle had dragged on for so long.

In the end, when Asherah prepared for a suicidal, self-destructive attack, Annie finally seized the opportunity and pierced her with her arrow.

"Damn you, damn you!! Damn you, Campione! I'll kill youuuuuuu——————!"

Asherah, with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a white serpent, roared curses at Annie in fury. But contrary to her menacing posture, her divine power was depleted, and her breathing was weak.

"That's right. I am the Demon King. I am the Campione. Divine Ancestor Asherah, it's time for your exit. Because you forcibly restored your dragon-serpent form, you've lost the immortality of a Divine Ancestor. This time, it's farewell forever."

Annie's expression beneath her mask was eerily calm. Ignoring Asherah's threats, she drew a revolver from her waist.

This revolver had been crafted for her by dwarves from Norse mythology, whom she had sought out in the Netherworld. When wielded by a Campione, it possessed the power to harm a Heretic God. Now that Asherah was grievously wounded, a single shot to the head would be enough to destroy her body and soul.

Asherah felt no fear in the face of her impending death. If she had truly feared it, she wouldn't have done any of this. She simply glared contemptuously at Annie and the gun's muzzle, awaiting the end of her life.

Just then—

"Spare her!"

A loud shout forced Annie to halt her trigger pull—because the person who had shouted was someone she couldn't ignore.

Putting down her pistol for the moment and turning around, Annie saw Roy walking across the sea's surface, approaching from the distance with Athena and Alice by his side.

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

During her battle with Asherah, Annie—being a Campione—had caught the scent of a Heretic God. Had she not known that Roy, another Campione, was present in the city, she would have faced a dilemma: whether to stop Asherah from destroying Manhattan or to confront that unfamiliar Heretic God.

Seeing that Manhattan was unharmed, she assumed Roy had driven away the Heretic God and asked gratefully.

"It was the Divine Ancestor Guinevere and her guardian, the Heretic God Lancelot. Oh, and Black Prince Alexander Gascoigne also came," Roy said casually.

"That Campione from England—I've long heard of him but never met. Is he still here?" Annie asked curiously, though a chill ran down her spine. North America now seemed to be gathering far too many Campiones, Heretic Gods, and even Divine Ancestors. The slightest misstep could bring collapse even to the world's strongest nation, the United States.

"You'll probably never see him in this lifetime. Since he was in my way, I killed him."

Roy's offhand remark made Annie's scalp tingle, cold sweat breaking out unbidden down her back.

You killed him just because he was in your way? That was a Campione—and your own kin at that! And you… you killed him for such a trivial reason?!

At that moment, Annie suddenly felt a surge of relief. If she hadn't stopped when Roy shouted "Hold your fire!" earlier, would this ruthless Campione of the Vatican and Italy have turned his wrath on her and casually ended her life as well?

Annie was confident in her own strength, but facing Roy—who had already slain two Campiones, Marquis Voban and the Black Prince—she didn't dare entertain thoughts of victory. Instead, she wondered only if she could escape alive.

"Oh… so he's already dead."

Annie chuckled dryly behind her mask, feeling an inexplicable fear despite being a Campione.

Facing a Heretic God, no matter how powerful, a Campione would never feel fear. Instead, they would fight with the resolve to perish together with the deity. But when confronted with a cruel and tyrannical fellow human, it was only natural for a Campione—still fundamentally human—to feel dread.

"Mr. Roy, why did you ask me to keep Asherah here?"

Annie quickly changed the subject.

Roy didn't answer Anne directly. Instead, he turned his gaze to Asherah, who had now fully reverted from her white serpent form back into a human body. This fallen Earth Mother Goddess, now a Divine Ancestor, was completely unclothed—even the bandages that usually wrapped around her body were gone, exposing the girl's pale, delicate form and the smooth, untouched plane of her skin.

Asherah appeared no older than twelve or thirteen, her skin like flawless jade, her figure petite. Yet beneath that youthful, unripe exterior lay a ripe, mature allure that tempted one to pluck her like forbidden fruit.

"Annie, do you know about the Heretic God that Luo Hao has been searching for?"

Roy withdrew his gaze from Asherah and looked back at Annie.

Since everyone present was in the know, Roy didn't bother using her alias.

Annie frowned behind her mask, thinking for a moment before shaking her head. "...I'm afraid I don't."

"The Heretic God Luo Hao has been seeking is the Monkey King. Of course, he's better known by another name—the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. Long ago, this god was tricked by other Heretic Gods and sealed away in Japan. Luo Hao believes that a god of our land being imprisoned in a foreign island nation is an insult, a stain upon her name. So she wants to break the seal and personally slay the Monkey King to erase this disgrace."

"...But even Luo Hao can't undo the seal alone. One crucial condition is the manifestation of a dragon-serpent. This Asherah, as a Divine Ancestor, is precisely such a dragon-serpent. With her blood as a sacrifice, the final condition will be met."

Roy summarized the situation in a few short sentences.

Annie's eyes widened in realization. "...So, Mr. Roy, you intend to hand Asherah over to Luo Hao?"

"Exactly. Luo Hao possesses the method to break the seal, and now, with Asherah, all the conditions are in place. Like her, I'm interested in the Monkey King—or rather, in his indestructible, steel-forged body. I'll provide the dragon-serpent, Luo Hao will provide the rest of the ritual, and then we'll compete fairly to see who can kill the Monkey King. I'm certain Luo Hao will gladly accept this proposal."

A sharp glint flashed in Roy's eyes. His current body was far too fragile, leaving him vulnerable to fatal dangers. In the world of Campiones, the fastest way to grow stronger was to slay a god—and Roy had set his sights on the Great Sage's invincible steel body.

"Campione! I'd rather kill myself than let you use me!"

Having heard every word, Asherah let out a desperate scream, gathering the last remnants of her divine power to end her own life. Even death was preferable to becoming a tool for a Campione.

"Stop, Asherah!"

Athena suddenly spoke in a low voice, her cold tone making Asherah tremble as she stared blankly at Athena. "...A-Athena-sama?"

"Even if you must die, you will do so only after helping Roy complete his task."

Athena's voice was almost cruelly merciless.

"Y-yes... I understand."

Facing Athena, who still retained her Earth Mother divinity, Asherah instinctively obeyed. Though she didn't understand why Athena would help a Campione, she dared not ask further.

The commotion caught the attention of Roy and Annie. Seeing Athena resolve the situation, Roy gave her a grateful smile. The goddess with a loli appearance merely snorted lightly, turning her gaze away from him—though the corner of her mouth curled slightly upward.

"Once we're done using this dragon serpent, she'll lose most of her power. Coincidentally, my villa just built a new aquarium-style tank. I'll keep Asherah there afterwards—no trouble for you. What do you think, Annie?"

The true form of the Divine Ancestor Asherah was a godly beautiful white serpent. Roy planned to keep her in the tank as an ornamental creature—refining his spirit during the day, and at night, pulling her out to transform into her alluring (albeit flat-chested) goddess form for further... refinement. Roy found the idea of such leisurely serpent-taming days quite appealing.

"If you've already decided so, Mr. Roy, what else can I say?"

Annie gave a bitter smile. Roy had explained everything to her so amicably—if she still refused to cooperate, she wouldn't just offend Roy but likely provoke the notoriously temperamental Campione King as well.

"Thank you for your generosity, Anne."

Roy maintained a degree of respect for Annie—a Campione who dutifully protected the people and upheld her responsibilities.

"Master, something terrible has happened!!!"

Suddenly, Aisha's voice rang out behind Roy.

"What is it, my lady?"

Roy turned back, puzzled.

"My Authority is about to go out of control!!"

Aisha's expression was frantic.

"Out of control? No big deal. I'll help you handle it."

Hearing it was such a minor matter, Roy waved his hand dismissively.

"But... but this time it's not Charm or Curse—it's Fairy's Corridor!!"

Aisha nearly wailed in despair.

At this, not only Roy but even Annie and Alice paled dramatically.

***

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