Multiverse: Library

The intelligence provided by the History Compilation Committee also mentioned information about Heretic Gods suspected of having been defeated by Campiones.

According to this information, Kaiser already knew that before he became a Campione, there were already six Campiones in existence.

And the one who became a Campione before him was Salvatore Doni, who had succeeded in slaying a god four years ago.

"If I remember correctly, the protagonist in the original story became a Campione in the fourth year after the sixth King was born, right?"

Then, according to the intelligence, some unusual phenomena had recently appeared on the island of Sardinia in the Italian Peninsula.

Those phenomena resembled signs of the descent of a Heretic God, so mystical factions around the world who received the news were paying close attention to the matter.

Especially Italy, which was one of the birthplaces of magic and had a very orthodox and ancient magical heritage. The major magic associations stationed there were all showing interest in or even taking action regarding the anomalies on Sardinia. Reportedly, they even intended to contact the local King to inspect the site.

Interestingly, the Italian Peninsula happened to be the territory of Salvatore Doni, who became a Campione four years ago. The magic associations there had basically all pledged allegiance to him as their lord.

Currently, that Campione was in South America, not in Italy. Thus, the Italian magic associations only sent scouts to Sardinia to confirm whether the descent of a Heretic God was true.

"Sardinia, huh…"

Kaiser naturally understood the significance of this place.

He knew that the protagonist of the original story became a Campione precisely by slaying a god there.

"In other words, my life experience this time is unfolding during the timeline where the original story officially begins."

Unlike the last world, where he had to wait decades before the original plot began, this time, Kaiser had arrived right at the moment when the original plot was about to unfold.

At this moment, the god in Sardinia had not yet been slain, and the protagonist had not yet become a Campione. His unstable and unwanted journey had not officially begun.

That being the case…

"Then don't blame me for kill-stealing."

Without any psychological burden, Kaiser made this decision.

Because the protagonist of this world was different from those of the previous worlds—particularly difficult.

Clearly a sovereign King, yet always yearning for a peaceful life.

Clearly possessed the power to change the world, yet constantly resisted it, unwilling to accept the fact that he had become a Campione.

He kept saying he hated fighting and killing, yet always rushed to the front of every storm.

He was extremely reluctant to get involved in supernatural incidents, yet always ended up being the catalyst of those very incidents for all sorts of reasons.

In short, this person was very contradictory—especially so.

Amagiri Ayato was already very laid-back, right? But even he knew when it was time to fight, he had to fight!

Hyoudou Issei was pretty much a loser, right? But even he understood that once something happened, it couldn't be avoided!

And Kurosaki Ichigo didn't even need to be mentioned—for the sake of protecting his companions, he had always been pushing his limits, desperately trying to become stronger.

Therefore, when facing these people, Kaiser didn't mind giving them a bit of help—neither too big nor too small.

If it hadn't been for his severe lack of strength in the beginning, and the fact that he didn't even have a personal weapon and was desperate to grow stronger, he wouldn't have chosen Ser-Veresta as his Orga Lux before Amagiri Ayato, even though he knew Ayato was the original wielder of that sword.

After choosing it, Kaiser had considered compensating Ayato. But once he obtained the Wole-Zain—another of the Four-Colored Magic Swords—and confirmed Ayato didn't suffer any loss because of his appearance, he let it go.

This shows that Kaiser actually wasn't someone who would steal others' fortunes at any cost.

However, the protagonist of this world was different. His personality was so contrary that Kaiser felt stealing his "boss kill" would actually be a good thing.

Since he didn't want to become a Campione that badly, and yearned so much for a peaceful and stable life, then let him have it.

As for the god in Sardinia—Kaiser would gladly accept.

...

Shichio Shrine, inner sanctum.

After leaving Kaiser, Touma Amakasu immediately returned here to report to Sayanomiya Kaoru, who was still there.

"Don't make me take on such life-threatening jobs again."

Touma Amakasu complained to his superior, but Sayanomiya Kaoru treated it like passing wind and directly ignored him.

Sayanomiya Kaoru merely looked toward Mariya Yuri, who was sitting in front of her, noticing her absent-minded state, and smiled as she spoke.

"Still thinking about that King?"

Sayanomiya Kaoru thought Mariya Yuri was still feeling shaken by the earlier events, so she intended to console her.

But what Mariya Yuri said next made Sayanomiya Kaoru's expression tighten.

"…I just feel like that King is going to cause a huge disturbance in this country in the future."

Mariya Yuri's worried statement made the smile on Sayanomiya Kaoru's face disappear instantly.

"Are you serious?"

Even Touma Amakasu looked shaken.

Although Mariya Yuri had used the word "feel," which made it sound like she was just overthinking things, no one would dismiss such a "feeling" as baseless when it came from a Hime-Miko with extraordinary Spirit Vision and spiritual intuition.

At the very least, neither Sayanomiya Kaoru nor Touma Amakasu believed that the feelings of Mariya Yuri—the highest-ranked Spirit Vision practitioner—were useless.

This could very well be a revelation, an oracle.

Sayanomiya Kaoru and Touma Amakasu didn't dare to ignore it at all.

"I already filtered the information," Sayanomiya Kaoru said, staring at Mariya Yuri, articulating each word clearly. "None of the intelligence about gods that could bring trouble to our country was included in what we provided to that King."

"Even so, he'll still cause trouble here?"

"…It's just a feeling." Mariya Yuri lowered her eyes and said softly, "Although I didn't see anything through Spirit Vision, I have this premonition that something the King wants is here."

"So, he'll take action here."

Sayanomiya Kaoru fell silent on the spot.

Touma Amakasu began to seriously consider how to write his resignation letter.

"What do the upper levels of the Committee think?"

Unable to suppress her anxiety, Mariya Yuri asked Sayanomiya Kaoru.

This wasn't something she was supposed to concern herself with, but her worry had reached a point where she broke form and asked anyway.

"What can they think?" Sayanomiya Kaoru rubbed her temples and said irritably, "Those old men may be stubborn and rigid, but they're not stupid. They won't go against a Campione for no reason and without any benefit."

"Unless the people in the Netherworld have some bold idea, otherwise they'll only have one attitude."

"And that is: try to satisfy the King's demands, don't provoke him. Even if it means sacrificing something, they must make the King feel satisfied and pleased."

Even though the Witenagemot lacked sufficient understanding of Campiones and experience in dealing with them, no one in the society would dare to challenge a Demon Lord's authority.

That would be playing with their own lives. If anything went wrong, they couldn't afford the consequences—not personally, and not as a group.

In view of this, the History Compilation Committee and the entire Magic Society were monitoring everything behind the scenes.

Without certainty and confidence, none of those people would come forward to make contact with Kaiser.

"Then… what if he really wants to do something here?"

Mariya Yuri felt a deep unease.

"…If it doesn't threaten the foundations, the Committee probably won't choose to resist." Sayanomiya Kaoru sighed. "Besides, we can't resist."

This time, it was Mariya Yuri's turn to fall silent.

"If only we could know in advance what he plans to do here."

Sayanomiya Kaoru sighed while subtly suggesting something.

"That's not possible." Mariya Yuri pressed her lips together. "If I use Spirit Vision to pry into the King again, I will definitely bring disaster to this country."

After Kaiser's warning, Mariya Yuri no longer dared to use Spirit Vision on him and could only rely on vague intuition to sense things.

"If…"

Mariya Yuri's face showed hesitation, and after a while, her expression suddenly firmed up as she spoke.

"If it really comes to a last resort, I will use Spirit Vision."

At that time, just like before, she would take all the blame upon herself.

Sayanomiya Kaoru knew what Mariya Yuri was thinking, but she couldn't stop her.

Because that was already the best course of action.

They couldn't just sit here and do nothing, knowing something would happen.

She believed those stubborn elders, upon learning of this matter, would also unhesitatingly choose to sacrifice a Hime-Miko.

Sayanomiya Kaoru naturally didn't want to see that happen, but as the director of the Tokyo branch of the History Compilation Committee and the future supreme leader of the organization, she had to take responsibility for the people of the entire nation.

So…

"This matter—you decide for yourself, Yuri." Sayanomiya Kaoru had no choice but to harden her heart and say, "I believe that with your ability, you can steer things toward the best possible outcome."

Hearing this, Mariya Yuri lowered her head deeply.

Could she really do something like that?

Thinking back to the incident four years ago, when she had also been powerless to stop everything, Mariya Yuri felt a wave of confusion in her heart.

But then, she regained her resolve.

She… must do this.

She could only do this.

...

As for the conversation at Shichio Shrine, Kaiser naturally knew nothing about it.

After resting for a day, spending all the money he had left, and enjoying a big meal, he left this country.

His next destination was Sardinia.

There, two entire gods awaited him…