At this mont, Kaiser was leisurely strolling along a main street in downtown Tokyo.
He had no particular destination; he simply wanted to find a restaurant and grab a al to reward his stomach first, then figure out what to do next.
"Even after becoming a Campione, I still need to eat..."
Rubbing his growling stomach, Kaiser muttered inwardly.
In fact, if he wanted to, with the power of the Hōgyoku, he could evolve a body that required no sustenance.
But he didn’t do that, because he never thought that not needing to eat was a good thing.
There are many pleasures in this world, and enjoying delicious food is one of them.
If one were to lose the joy of tasting food, then a large part of life’s enjoynt would vanish as well.
Before becoming the Librarian of the Fantasy Library, due to his harsh and frugal lifestyle, Kaiser had little opportunity to savor gourt food.
Now, he had the chance to taste all kinds of cuisine—even foods from different worlds. Such an exciting prospect was certainly not one he wanted to lose.
Anyway, because of the Hōgyoku, he was already immortal. Even if he didn’t eat, he wouldn’t die—at most, he’d feel hungry. There was no need to transform himself into sothing inhuman.
Eating was a habit he would continue to maintain.
Thinking this, Kaiser reached into his pocket and found a wallet on him.
The wallet was very thin. After all, the background he received was that of an outsider who had to live off part-ti jobs. It contained only a few bills, and their denominations were not high.
"This is even more miserable than my life before becoming the Librarian."
Kaiser laughed and shook his head, but he didn’t mind. He directly found a ran shop and went inside to order a bowl of tonkotsu ran, with extra chashu, double portion.
"Tonkotsu ran, extra chashu, double portion. Please enjoy!"
A delicate-looking ran shop waiter quickly served a large bowl of ran, finally allowing Kaiser to treat his stomach, which was just as flat as his wallet.
It seed this wasn’t the ran shop’s peak business hour. Inside, there were only a few scattered custors: an uncle with a briefcase, an aunt with a child, an elder dressed in traditional clothing—and him. The atmosphere was rather quiet.
But the television in the ran shop was broadcasting news about a massive tsunami that struck the coastal region, drawing the attention of the idle boss, the staff, and the custors, all of whom looked toward the TV.
"How could a tsunami appear so suddenly?"
"Luckily, there weren’t many casualties."
"But... with such a huge tsunami, how could there be so little damage?"
"Who knows? This is probably an unsolvable mystery."
The custors chatted idly, not realizing that the greatest culprit behind this event was right beside them. That person rely glanced at the TV before losing interest, quietly continuing to eat his noodles, thinking about where to go after finishing.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Kaiser paused mid-bite, as if sensing sothing. His brow raised, and he looked toward the void.
At the sa ti, a gaze seed to travel across ti and space from afar and landed on him.
Kaiser and the gaze’s owner looked at each other across a great distance, and both could actually see the other’s current appearance.
Kaiser saw Mariya Yuri, who was sitting upright in the shrine entertaining guests.
Mariya Yuri also saw Kaiser, saw him sitting in the ran shop eating noodles, with a strand of noodle still hanging from his mouth.
"..."
Silence.
An indescribable silence.
After the silence, Kaiser slurped up the noodle with a "whoosh" and murmured quietly.
"There are so things in this world... that shouldn’t be looked at."
At that mont, Kaiser’s inhuman resistance to magical power activated.
The gaze sent from afar was instantly repelled, and Kaiser vaguely heard a surprised gasp.
After the gasp, everything stopped abruptly, as if nothing had happened.
Kaiser also nonchalantly quickened his pace, finishing even the broth and leaving the bowl spotless before pulling out a bill and casually walking away.
The direction he went—was toward the Shichio Shrine.
......
"Ah!"
Inside the Shichio Shrine, Mariya Yuri, whose eyes had suddenly gone blank, let out a startled cry, as if soone had pushed her, collapsing to the ground.
"What’s wrong?"
Sayanomiya Kaoru was imdiately shocked and quickly stood up.
The middle-aged man behind Sayanomiya Kaoru tensed up all over in an instant. Though he looked like a useless office worker, at that mont he exuded a disciplined aura.
Mariya Yuri finally ca to her senses, her delicate face turning pale.
"I-I caused trouble!"
Mariya Yuri cried out in a voice laced with sobs.
"Trouble?" Sayanomiya Kaoru was clearly a clever person and instantly made a connection, her expression changing slightly as she said, "Could it be..."
Sayanomiya Kaoru’s speculation was quickly confird.
"I-I saw the new king." Mariya Yuri’s face was pale, her voice trembling. "He’s... on his way here now!"
With these words, Sayanomiya Kaoru’s heart sank completely.
Even the middle-aged man behind her was montarily dumbfounded, then blurted out:
"Can I request to leave early? My job description never ntioned dealing with a Campione!"
The two had co here specifically to inquire about the new king.
First, since this event occurred in their country, they needed to uncover the cause and consequences as soon as possible.
Second, because Japan had never produced a Campione, they had only heard terrifying rumors about them and didn’t know how to interact with one, so they ca to Mariya Yuri.
Mariya Yuri had once participated in a summoning ritual for a Heretic God involving an ancient king. Although it was a traumatic experience and a past she would rather forget, she had indeed interacted with a Campione before and could offer so useful advice to Sayanomiya Kaoru and her companion.
Moreover, the new king seed to have so connection with the Shichio Shrine and possibly with Mariya Yuri herself. She had used Spirit Vision to witness a divine descent before the incident even occurred, which is why Sayanomiya Kaoru and the others ca to consult her.
But who would have thought—before they could even consult her, the final boss was already on his way?
Who could they even complain to?
Clever as she was, Sayanomiya Kaoru was now also feeling flustered.
As for Mariya Yuri, she was even worse off—her delicate fra trembling from fear.
She rembered the hellish ritual she participated in years ago.
Although the ritual succeeded, nearly all the participants went insane. Only a few, including herself, escaped without losing their minds.
That ritual was extrely dangerous—Mariya Yuri had foreseen that much with her Spirit Vision before participating.
But the king who orchestrated the ritual paid no heed, as if the ones being sacrificed weren’t dozens of precious Hi-Miko and witches, but lumps of at from who knows where. He forcibly carried out the ritual.
And the reason he insisted on the summoning?
It was just because he was bored. He wanted entertainnt. He wanted to slay a god and gain a new Authority—so he needed to summon an opponent.
That was a true Demon Lord, a monster who viewed humans as ants—just like the gods.
The forces of Japan’s mystic side didn’t understand how terrifying Campiones were or how to face them—but Mariya Yuri understood all too well.
These were not beings ordinary people could talk to.
They were terrifying existences that could endanger an entire nation.
Soone like that—she only wanted to stay far, far away from. Just the thought of eting him again made her panic.
After what just happened, she didn’t even dare to activate Spirit Vision to look at him again. She couldn’t even prepare by learning about his temperant and finding a way to approach him.
In the end, it was Sayanomiya Kaoru who took a deep breath and regained her composure first.
"No matter what, since it’s already happened, we must think of a way to deal with it."
Sayanomiya Kaoru was indeed decisive.
"We’ve all heard enough rumors to know how terrifying a Campione is."
"Although our country has never produced one or interacted with one, to be safe, we must maintain the right attitude."
"Rember—keep reminding yourself to treat him with awe. If not for ourselves, then at least for the country. Our deaths are minor, but dragging the whole nation into disaster would be a catastrophe."
At her words, the middle-aged man imdiately raised his hand.
"I’m just an attendant, a naless nobody. I’m not qualified to et a king. Can I retreat now?"
Unlike the middle-aged man who desperately wanted to flee, Mariya Yuri, though afraid, still mustered her courage and showed a determined gaze.
"It was my disrespect that made the king co. I will apologize with everything I have, and not let others suffer because of ."
Mariya Yuri recalled yesterday, when she had a face-to-face conversation with him here.
It was only just now that she realized the new Campione was the one who had been sweeping here yesterday, the one who had triggered her intuition.
No wonder she had felt so uneasy yesterday.
No wonder she beca so fixated on him after eting him. And after learning his na, she had directly witnessed the descent of a god.
Because a Heretic God was about to descend, she had panicked and failed to think deeper about it.
If only she had realized it back then—perhaps she could have done sothing, anything.
Mariya Yuri felt a pang of regret.
But unfortunately, there is no dicine for regret in this world.
And they could no longer stay here.
Because—the king had arrived.
......
The Shichio Shrine was located not far from Shiba Park and Tokyo Tower.
Surrounded by luxury hotels, schools, TV stations, radio stations, and embassies, the number of shrines and temples nearby was unusually high. Shichio Shrine was just one of them.
Right beside a main road, a narrow and winding path sat. Following this path led to a stone staircase with two hundred steps.
At the top of these steps stood the Shichio Shrine, surrounded by lush greenery and beautiful scenery that attracted many worshippers.
Though not a particularly famous shrine, Shichio Shrine employed many shrine personnel due to the fact that its shrine maiden was the Hi-Miko overseeing the spirit users of Musashino.
But today, all those shrine personnel had been dismissed. Only Mariya Yuri and Sayanomiya Kaoru stood atop the platform, facing the stairs, awaiting the arrival of the Demon Lord.
The middle-aged man behind Sayanomiya Kaoru—Touma Amakasu—was feeling very bitter.
"Are you really not letting go? What right do I have to et the new king with my status?"
He made no effort to hide his desire to escape.
To that, Sayanomiya Kaoru simply replied:
"If sothing happens because you leave, I’ll make sure to drag you down with to take the bla."
Her heartless statent rendered Touma Amakasu completely silent.
"...You really are a great boss."
"Of course. I’ve always been very considerate of my subordinates."
"I didn’t expect my boss to be so utterly lacking in self-awareness. The History Compilation Committee is dood under your command."
"Thank you for the complint. If it were any other ti, I’d make sure to dock your entire year’s salary."
Perhaps trying to find humor in hardship, the two bickered like master and servant.
But Mariya Yuri wasn’t in the mood. Her heart was beating faster and faster, her hands tightly clenched together in anxiety.
Until a certain mont—Sayanomiya Kaoru and Touma Amakasu simultaneously fell silent and held their breath along with Mariya Yuri.
The three of them could feel it: the atmosphere around the shrine had changed.
This was a place that served the gods.
This was sacred ground that enshrined the divine.
Normally, it was quiet, tranquil, peaceful, and holy—a place that brought serenity to the soul.
But at this mont, even the very air had grown heavy.
Because the God-Slaying Beast that defied all gods had boldly stepped into this place.
"Clack!"
A clear footstep echoed, and a figure appeared at the base of the stone steps.
He walked up slowly, one step at a ti like an ordinary tourist, passed through the torii gate, and entered this sacred domain under the weight of the heavy air.
Dressed in simple white, he looked no different from a regular shrine priest, entering as if nothing were out of the ordinary.
"Just one day without sweeping, and there’s already so many fallen leaves and dirt."
The Demon Lord who had already beco a Rakshasa approached with a half-smile, speaking his first line.
"My part-ti shift doesn’t seem to be over yet. Coming here now—I must be seriously late, right?"
"Will I get docked pay?"
"If I start sweeping now, is it still in ti?"
His playful words made both Sayanomiya Kaoru and Touma Amakasu hold their breaths, not daring to make a sound.
Neither of them had ever faced a Campione before. They had no idea how terrifying one could be.
But now—they knew.
As mbers of the mystic side, their instincts were screaming in alarm.
As if wailing and shrieking...
----
Author’s Note: Give so stones!! I’ll drop so extra Chapters later if we get to top 20
----
🔹 Read 100 Chapters ahead! → patreon/NiaXD
Reviews
All reviews (0)