I have heard it said time and time again: Campiones and Heretic Gods are fight-hungry maniacs, but they are not idiots.
A Heretic God, at the very least, knows that dying isn't truly the end, which allows them to act with more confidence and sheer madness.
But for a Campione, death is permanent—unless, of course, they possess the authority to resurrect.
However, having the power to resurrect isn't always useful, as the example of Marquis Voban has shown us.
Annie was certainly no fool. She came here out of her own sense of justice, mixed with a tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny bit of memory.
After all, she was nearly wiped out by that Divine Ancestor last time.
She would retreat when encountering an enemy she couldn't defeat, just as she had done moments ago; even a hero considers a strategic retreat.
But that premise hinges on having room to retreat. If the opponent is an evil that must be destroyed, and she is backed into a corner, she would rather fight to the death.
"May I ask," Annie began, "what is your purpose in coming to Japan?"
"Hmm? You dare question me under these circumstances...?" Melusine's eyebrows arched slightly.
The scabbard pressed closer against Annie's throat, the look in her eyes growing increasingly dangerous.
However, upon seeing only a slight change in the other's expression and no intention of withdrawing the question, the silver-haired girl withdrew her aura and revealed a faint, acknowledging smile.
"Very well, I shall answer your question."
The tension in Annie's chest finally eased, and she exhaled internally.
In her current state, she did not believe there was any way she could survive.
No matter how confident she was in her reflexes, the reality was that the opponent's Godspeed was inevitably faster.
Annie was certain that without an Authority of Godspeed, one wouldn't even qualify to stand on the same stage as this Lancelot; the only outcome would be instant annihilation.
"I came to Japan for two reasons: to summon the Last King, and then to kill both the Last King and the Divine Ancestor, Guinevere."
...What?
Hearing this answer, Annie instinctively wanted to activate her authority, but thankfully, her reason promptly reminded her of her current predicament.
She was acquainted with Alexander, and she had her own network in the Netherworld, so she was naturally aware of the Divine Ancestor's purpose and the existence of the Last King.
This goddess, clearly related to dragons and serpents, actually wanted to wake the mortal enemy of all Dragons, Serpents, and Earth Mother Goddesses?
Annie could not understand. Although she couldn't grasp the logic, she knew things had become immensely complicated.
The arrival of the Last King had to be prevented at all costs, both for her own life and for the sake of the world.
At this moment, Melusine undoubtedly aligned with her goal of fighting to the death, but... she lacked the capital to fight.
Without an Authority of Godspeed, her life was currently held in the other's hand.
"I will leave this country," Annie said.
Even though she comforted herself, calling it a strategic retreat and a rational choice to return only after obtaining speed, her churning frustration made it difficult to digest the emotion.
"A wise choice."
Melusine didn't care about her complicated feelings.
She could more or less guess the other's intentions—after all, the Wolf King was the same in this regard.
But... setting aside whether she could actually defeat her after obtaining a new authority, by the time they finished obtaining it, Melusine's own business would have long been concluded.
Therefore, she nonchalantly moved the scabbard away, jumped down through the hole created when she first entered, and flew all the way back to the shrine.
Athena, who had known all along that this trip wouldn't take much time, hadn't even left Melusine's room.
Instead, she had arranged the luggage they brought, which consisted mostly of models Melusine had assembled.
Although they were only staying temporarily, it was better to have familiar things around.
When she saw the Blue Comet returning from afar and slowly reducing speed, she walked out of the house to welcome her.
"Didn't I say I'd be right back?" Melusine remarked, seeing her still in her room. "You should have just gone to eat."
"It was quick anyway, so I just did some things I wanted to do while waiting for you," Athena said, lifting both her forearms to her sides and asking with a blank expression, "How do I look?"
"Hmm?"
Thinking something had happened to her, Melusine examined her carefully but found nothing amiss. "I don't see anything wrong. Perhaps you should have Liliana look at you."
If that failed, she could ask Guinevere; as a Divine Ancestor, her Spirit Vision was superior even to Alice's.
Instead, hearing Melusine's suggestion, Athena's already expressionless face developed a few hints of chill.
"That is unnecessary. The food is still warm; do not waste time."
"Understood."
Knowing Athena possessed the Authority of Wisdom and even she said it was nothing to worry about, Melusine didn't ask further.
After nodding, the armor on her body transformed back into the yukata she had been wearing, and she returned to the room.
Mariya Yuri never expected that a Heretic God would not only know how to eat but would personally cook.
Athena, a goddess standing at the pinnacle of myth, walked into the kitchen right before her astonished eyes and proceeded to prepare ingredients and dishes on her own.
Yuri had originally thought this was a test of her own conscientiousness and had proposed to take care of everything herself, only to be rejected.
Confused and somewhat helpless, Yuri was simply shooed out of the kitchen by Athena.
When the night was quiet and deep, Yuri left the shrine and boarded Amakasu Touma's car.
Immediately afterward, she recounted everything she had seen that day and mentioned the information she had obtained through Spirit Vision.
"The Primordial Dragon, Albion..."
Listening to Yuri's description, Touma's brow furrowed tightly.
The sense of relief that had arisen due to Yuri's report that 'Melusine is not a difficult god to get along with' vanished completely.
It was widely known that dragons were the embodiment of ley lines.
Killing a dragon would cause the ley lines to wither, and ley line wither would cause water sources to dry up and the earth to crack, no longer able to sustain any life.
If killing a dragon of a certain ley line causes that place to 'die,' then what about this so-called Primordial Dragon?
At that point, wouldn't the entire Earth enter a state unable to sustain life?
Not only that, he had never heard of this 'Dragon of Albion' in myth or legend.
If he had to force a connection, he could only think of Albion, the giant son of Poseidon, or the Island of Albion named in his memory.
However, if linked to 'Lancelot,' this Albion was highly likely derived from the Latin pronunciation of the ancient Celtic word for "white."
Because the white cliffs overlooking the sea at the port of Dover were a place everyone passed when entering or leaving England in ancient times, over time, people coming from afar used its color as a substitute for the original name of Great Britain.
But no matter which it was, it had nothing to do with a dragon, right?
Touma racked his brain but couldn't find a single clue. Yuri, however, brought up another matter.
"How is Kusanagi-san doing right now?"
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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.