The setting of the shrine truly took Melusine by surprise.
Situated upon a spot where the earth's magical ley lines converged with incredible intensity—a place where one could summon dragons and serpents at a moment's notice—the sheer comfort of it made the two Heretic Gods feel as though they were soaking in a hot spring.
It was as if they had been transported back to the age of myths.
Of course, this illusion did not last long.
Whether they were Heretic Gods or Campiones, their adaptability to environments was formidable, not just for extreme conditions, but for comfortable ones as well.
Melusine felt a pang of regret that she couldn't fully indulge in the luxury, but even without that initial wave of euphoria, the comfort here far exceeded the outside world.
It was no wonder the Japanese maintained shrines with such fervor.
What set this place apart from the outside wasn't just the environment.
As a place serving the gods, the staff consisted entirely of Shrine Maidens—six in total—and each one possessed aptitude surpassing that of Erica.
While Erica never considered herself particularly talented in that regard, that was only when compared to her abilities as a Great Knight.
In reality, even though Erica looked down on her own skills as a witch, she was already superior to roughly seventy percent of practitioners.
With beautiful appearances, pure hearts, and an extreme affinity for the gods and the Netherworld, even Athena—despite their cultural and cusToumary differences—had to admit she had come to a fine place.
For someone who despised male gods associating with ley lines, the shrine was the perfect vacation spot.
Melusine wasn't nearly as demanding; she didn't care about the location as long as she could get some decent rest.
However... trouble always had a way of finding her.
"The fool from America is arriving in Japan soon." Athena brought news from Guinevere.
She was actually displeased about becoming a messenger, but she reasoned it was better than letting Melusine (the child) interact with Guinevere (the villain).
She felt pity for Guinevere and the other Divine Ancestors, true, but that did not mean she liked them.
No matter what kind of goddesses they had been in the past, right now, they were acting to resurrect the mortal enemy of the Earth Mother Goddesses—the Last King.
"The Campione from America... that Pluto, huh."
Melusine didn't have much of an impression of her anymore; she only remembered a person like that existed.
"If that fool joins the battlefield, things will become far more complicated." Athena nodded, then reiterated Guinevere's exact words:
"She followed us—or rather, followed the prey she was supposed to have killed—here."
"For the sake of the plan, I need to use this prey to break Sun Wukong's seal. If possible, I ask Melusine to intercept this Campione."
With only the Martial King and Kusanagi Godou present, things were manageable. But if Pluto were to join them, Sun Wukong would surely return to myth.
Although Guinevere could use the Holy Grail to resurrect Sun Wukong, there was no need to take such a roundabout way.
Since the invincible Melusine was on her side, why bother avoiding the edge of these Campiones' swords?
"More work, huh..."
She had just finished acclimating to the local customs by changing into a Japanese yukata and lying down on the tatami mats, only to receive this request for help.
Melusine couldn't help but sigh. "Even if it's true that 'the capable are overworked'... asking a dragon to work right after getting off a plane is too cruel..."
"I can go instead," Athena said, her face expressionless.
"I'll handle it," Melusine said, finally standing up from the tatami.
As blue magical energy flowed over her body, the light-colored yukata instantly turned to ash, replaced by blue armor forged from scales.
"May fortune favor you," Athena said.
Melusine raised an eyebrow.
With her strength, did such words need to be spoken?
"When in Rome..." Athena lightly adjusted the collar of her own yukata. "Dinner is already made. Come back quickly."
Fine, then.
Without another word, Melusine's figure vanished from Athena's sight in the blink of an eye.
A minute later, she was already standing before a private jet.
Normally, John Pluto Smith, who had departed earlier than them, should have arrived in Japan first.
But because she had been busy tracing Annie's aura along the way, she was actually one step slower than Melusine and her companions.
Since the opponent wasn't aiming to kill her, Melusine didn't attack immediately. Instead, she moved in parallel with the plane, releasing her cursed power to make her presence known.
As it turned out, that wasn't even necessary; Annie had sensed her presence long ago.
"Why is that 'Lancelot' here?!"
Having fought Alexander and known his strength, Annie could only feel a massive headache coming on.
She had only discovered by chance that the Ancestor she once killed had been revived and was investigating the situation, which led her here.
How did she run into such a killing machine?
Despite her internal complaints, her actions were not slow.
After quickly preparing to use her Authority, Annie planned to... go straight to the Netherworld.
Don't joke around; she wasn't brain-dead. She had already witnessed three Campiones killed; did she look like a reckless battle maniac to her?
Yes, heroes couldn't flee from the battlefield, but she was just doing a strategic retreat!
She truly lacked the power to defeat the villainous boss Lancelot right now!
If this were before, she might have been able to escape.
But things were different now.
Guided by Princess Alice and Athena, the Netherworld and its aura were no longer foreign to Melusine.
Seeing that John Pluto Smith planned to flee there, Melusine didn't hesitate to break through the window before that could happen.
She pressed her hand onto the shoulder armor covered by the opponent's cloak, slamming the figure—who looked quite a bit taller than Melusine—straight down to the floor.
Thud!
Although she knew the opponent possessed the Authority of Godspeed, Annie's understanding of that speed came from Alexander.
Alexander's speed was nowhere near this level, where she couldn't even react.
The rushing air caused wind pressure that made Annie's cloak flap loudly, but Annie showed no signs of hostility, realizing the opponent didn't intend to strike again.
Seeing she wasn't fighting back, Melusine continued, "If you have no intention of fighting me, leave now. Do not step foot in Japan again."
"....What are you planning to do?"
After a long silence, Annie spoke up.
"It has nothing to do with you."
The scabbard on the back of Melusine's gauntlet abruptly flipped ninety degrees, holding the edge of the scabbard right against Annie's throat.
The scabbard was not sharp, but it clearly conveyed its owner's attitude.
If an unsatisfactory answer was given, the battle would break out immediately.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.