Evening came before he knew it.
Although Hikaru was confident in his power—enough to take on a Heretic God head-on—it was like trying to land a punch on thin air. If he couldn't find a god in the first place, there was no use in being so strong.
Of course, if finding a god were really that easy, it wouldn't be him who found one first, but people like Marquis Voban or Doni, the other Campiones.
They said Marquis Voban was already over three hundred years old—he'd killed his first god in his teens, so he'd had at least three centuries since then.
Even counting the events of volume two's "Campione in the God Realm," he'd only managed to kill nine Heretic Gods in total. That averages out to one sighting of a Heretic God about every thirty years, a rate so low it's almost absurd.
Hikaru couldn't wait thirty years. If he still had no leads soon, he would simply go straight to Sardinia, Italy. After all, he had no idea how far along the plot was right now.
If Kusanagi Godou, the original protagonist, went on to slay Verethragna with the stone tablet and become a Campione in the usual way, it'd be a huge missed opportunity for Hikaru.
…
Just as his patience was running out, he finally spotted a familiar figure along the Yamuna River. It was a silvery, dazzling vision—an undeniably beautiful young woman.
Even among heavily photoshopped celebrities, her looks would be extraordinary. Her delicate, fairy-like features and slightly childish face gave off a serious but adorable vibe.
She wore her long silver hair in a ponytail and dressed in everyday clothes—an embroidered blouse on top and jeans below—completely incongruous with the polluted Yamuna River around her.
Liliana Kranjcar.
Hikaru recognized her at a glance: a knight from the Italian magic association "Bronze Black Cross," who'd already earned the rank of Great Knight at a young age.
Along with Erica Blandelli of Copper Black Cross, she formed Italy's "twin stars"—praise not only for their talent, but for their beauty as well. What's more, Hikaru had once studied briefly at a Bronze Black Cross branch.
"How is the 'Heavenly Knight' of the Bronze Black Cross here in India?" Hikaru murmured to himself.
He started forward, planning to greet Liliana. In the past, he wouldn't have been so bold, but now he needed someone native to the mystic side of things—better to talk to someone he already "knew" rather than a total stranger.
Just as he was about to make his move, Liliana took off. She answered a phone call, her expression turning serious. From the shape of her lips, it seemed she said something like "Got it," then hurried off downstream along the Yamuna before getting into a black sedan. The driver was also European—likely someone from the local Bronze Black Cross branch.
As one of the world's top-ranking magic associations, Bronze Black Cross obviously wouldn't limit its operations to just Italy. Meanwhile, Copper Black Cross—split off and at odds with Bronze Black Cross—was part of the so-called "Seven Sisters Alliance," which had formed the Italian Magic League and sworn loyalty to the Sword King, Salvatore Doni.
Since Doni only cared about fighting and avoided politics, the Alliance tried to cater to him by searching far and wide for traces of Heretic Gods.
Bronze Black Cross, on the other hand, had ties to the world's oldest devil king—Marquis Voban—and served him. Like the Sword King, Voban craved god-slaying.
In fact, he treated it like hunting, a twisted hobby. Around three or four years ago, he'd gathered witches and priestesses from around the world for a grand ritual to summon a Heretic God under optimal conditions—only for the Sword King to barge in and hijack the whole thing.
Infuriated, Voban drove Doni off, but he wasn't satisfied. He ordered his subordinates to continue tracking any sign of a Heretic God. Liliana's presence here was likely tied to that.
"There's a group of suspected cultists holding a ritual at some ancient divine ruins?"
As she read over the documents the driver handed her, Liliana's expression grew solemn. The car continued on, and Hikaru followed from above. Better to rely on a local insider than grope around in the dark by himself.
…
Eventually, Liliana stopped at a spot off a country road on the outskirts of New Delhi. People rarely came out here, but it was actually tidier than the city center. The air smelled far less complicated.
"A barrier?"
The moment she got out, Liliana sensed something at the entrance to a winding path leading up into the mountains. The barrier was easy for her to break—witch's blood ran through her veins, after all. In just a few seconds, she found a way to dispel it. But that only made her more cautious; clearly, someone was trying to hide whatever lay ahead.
The mountain path was narrow and winding, so Liliana instructed her driver to stay behind. She ventured off on her own. Hikaru couldn't help admiring her courage—heading in without knowing what was out there.
Once she was gone, Hikaru appeared openly. Seeing him, a Bronze Black Cross mage waved an arm and tried to warn him off. Hikaru ignored him and knocked him out with ease. Then he followed after Liliana.
After a short walk past the entrance, the road opened up. But instead of a beautiful vista, Hikaru found himself in a cavern. All along the way, he passed odd, time-worn items: strange earthen dolls, scattered talismans, and old parchment as ancient as a museum's exhibit—except these were the real deal, brimming with magical power. Hikaru barely gave them a glance, because up ahead he heard sounds of fighting.
Deeper into the cave, he spotted Liliana doing battle with a group of suspicious-looking individuals—definitely not the friendly type.
~~~
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