Satsuki had experienced many battles before, but this was the first time she had ever seen someone drop to their knees and beg for mercy immediately after being defeated.
She slowly walked up to him. The tall foreigner was still speaking in clumsy Japanese, repeating things like "I'm sorry, please forgive me" over and over.
"Tch. Sending this level of small fry to probe me—are the people behind them brain-dead?"
Inside her sea of consciousness, the system clicked its tongue. Satsuki had once dealt with a Heretic God incident together with Erica. Did they really expect such a half-baked test to yield any meaningful results?
"I'm also curious how big a heart someone must have to take trash like this as their underlings."
Their brief mental exchange ended. In the outside world, Satsuki raised her hand unhurriedly. A blade formed from chakra sliced open the man's mask.
When she removed it, she found that his face was quite young—likely only eighteen or nineteen, perhaps in his early twenties. His talent for magic was extremely low. No wonder the spell power around him was so pitifully weak...
Thinking this, Satsuki extended one hand.
A sphere of chakra light formed in her palm. Before the white man could react, she slammed it directly into his chest.
The Tenseigan's chakra sphere could control another's will and actions, and it could also extract their thoughts.
However, Satsuki rarely used this ability.
"What was your purpose in stopping me?"
After being struck by the chakra sphere, the man's consciousness and movements fell under Satsuki's control. With slight modifications, this had become an extremely convenient interrogation technique.
"We came from Milan. Recently, rumors about you began spreading there."
"What rumors?"
"Although their authenticity hasn't been confirmed... there are rumors that near Sardinia, two witches fought a god. One of them became a Godslayer. Then our alliance leader, Lord Salvatore, said something like 'my territory was thrown into chaos,' and he seemed very angry."
"Salvatore..."
Hearing this, Satsuki's heart stirred—another Godslayer?
But why would he be angry?
Perhaps sensing her doubt, the man controlled by the mental sphere curled up and answered, "Because Lord Salvatore loves battle. Whenever a Heretic God appears, he insists on fighting it himself. If prey that should have been defeated by him is taken by someone else, he becomes extremely angry. He might even personally come to Japan."
"Tch. Another battle maniac?" the system muttered inwardly. It dared not say it aloud—after all, its own host was a battle maniac.
Information about Salvatore was recorded in the books of the Witch of Sardinia. He was a figure akin to the leader of the Southern European magical associations. Although he did not possess much ambition for leadership, his strength as a Campione was acknowledged and feared by local magicians.
It was hard to imagine that someone of that level would have any direct connection with these minor underlings.
"The Campione did not directly issue orders to magicians of our level. We received instructions from our higher organization, the Copper-Black Cross."
"The Copper-Black Cross—the institution Erica belongs to?" Satsuki looked skeptically at the group of fools before her. Compared to them, perhaps Erica truly was outstandingly talented in both magic and martial skill.
"No. We only belong to one of their subordinate organizations. We follow instructions from above, handling miscellaneous tasks and underground work."
That explanation made things clearer—different branches under the same umbrella organization.
Judging by standards, the institution these people belonged to likely did not even qualify as third-rate. They were mere cannon fodder.
And within that already insignificant group, these individuals were probably the lowest of the low—expendable pawns at any time. No wonder they were so useless.
Satsuki and Erica had at least participated in subjugating a Heretic God. For such a handful of people to brazenly attempt to probe them—it could only be said they had tremendous nerve.
However—fools sometimes had their own kind of luck.
These men were laughably weak, and they belonged to the Copper-Black Cross. Satsuki had no interest in killing them.
"Could this have something to do with Erica?" the system sphere said within her mind. "After all, she was the only one present at the scene."
"Why not just call and ask?"
In modern society, contacting someone was extremely convenient. Before long, Satsuki dialed Erica's number.
After exchanging greetings, Satsuki's first sentence was:
"Do you know someone named Salvatore?"
"Salvatore? That battle-crazed lunatic? Did you run into his people?"
Satsuki replied calmly, "I just encountered a few small fry from a subordinate organization under the Copper-Black Cross."
From Erica's voice, Satsuki immediately detected anxiety and concern—but it seemed Erica had also anticipated this possibility.
"Copper-Black Cross..." There was a brief silence on the other end. Satsuki could hear the subtle change in Erica's breathing when she heard those words—it had grown slightly more hurried. "Do you suspect me?"
"No—my intelligence hasn't dropped to the level of a certain sphere." (The system protested: deeply offended.) "I simply want to learn more detailed information about Salvatore from you."
On the other end of the line, Erica had already paused her studies in mastering her newly acquired Authority. The matter she had feared most had finally come to pass.
After becoming a Godslayer in such a muddled manner, the first thing Erica felt was not joy—but an overwhelming sense of crisis.
Her organization was not without a Campione. Salvatore, the alliance leader who ruled Southern Europe, was the supreme head of their entire structure.
And in any organization, there was usually only one highest ruler.
Thus, by unspoken convention, if a Heretic God appeared in a certain region, the existing Godslayer of that region would handle the subjugation. Otherwise, if another miracle occurred and a second Campione appeared within the same territory, the consequences were often catastrophic.
Part of the reason the Witch of Sardinia had voluntarily handed over the Prometheus' Grimoire stemmed from this.
Erica, however, had never imagined she herself would become a Godslayer. Though she was hailed as a genius, her ability was far from sufficient to battle a god.
Yet the final result had unfolded through a twist of fate—she had become the seventh Godslayer.
After ascending to that status, Erica knew that sooner or later Salvatore would come knocking. The only question was whether he would seek her out—or Satsuki.
At the very least, she herself was still a member of the Copper-Black Cross. Salvatore would not immediately storm her doorstep seeking blood.
But Satsuki—as a witch—if she were targeted by a Campione, the situation would be extremely dangerous.
For that reason, Erica had even decided to accompany Satsuki back to Japan. Earlier, she had already used her status as a Godslayer to contact Japan's local forces—the Committee for the Compilation of True History.
By leveraging her own value, she sought to have those Japanese powers provide protection for Satsuki, and she subtly hinted that another existence akin to a Campione might soon arrive on Japanese soil.
But now it seemed her plans had still been too slow.
Salvatore had already set his sights on Satsuki.
"Lord Salvatore Doni is the sixth Godslayer born in Italy, the alliance leader who reigns over the magical society of Southern Europe."
"That isn't exactly classified information. What I want to know goes beyond that," Satsuki said calmly over the phone.
Making such a request was somewhat inappropriate—it was practically asking Erica to divulge information about her own superior.
However, Erica only pondered briefly. After organizing the intelligence in her mind, she revealed the details about their alliance leader to Satsuki.
"Before becoming a Campione, Salvatore was merely a knight. He has little interest in ruling. His talent in magic was almost worse than that of the lowest-tier magicians. But he possesses terrifyingly high talent in swordsmanship. He once apprenticed under Saint Raphael, the original owner of the Reinhardt sword, and mastered that sword art in a very short time. With it, he defeated a god."
"Defeated a god relying purely on swordsmanship?"
Satsuki expressed doubt.
Leaving aside everything else, every god possessed a Divine Protection barrier. How could mere swordsmanship possibly break through it?
"I do not know the specific details of that battle..."
Given Erica's intelligence and her understanding of Heretic Gods, she naturally knew there were many hidden aspects that had never been recorded. But at her former rank, she had not been qualified to access core intelligence.
"So the greatest possibility for him targeting me is simply to fight me?"
"Perhaps that is not his only objective."
After all, the Godslayer publicly recognized at present was Erica. As a member of the Copper-Black Cross, Salvatore would not openly force his subordinate into a duel. It was possible he might instead apply indirect pressure—threatening or intimidating Satsuki first, provoking Erica into stepping forward on her behalf.
That way, he could naturally duel Erica, a fellow Godslayer.
If that were truly the case, then Salvatore was someone who would stop at nothing for the sake of battle.
"Choosing someone like that as alliance leader—your magical associations must have rather ambitious leaders," Satsuki remarked.
As the supreme leader of an organization, personal ability was important, but not the most critical trait. Especially someone with Salvatore's temperament—clearly unsuited for governance—yet elevated to such a high position. That could only mean the figures beneath him were unwilling to relinquish their own authority, but still wanted to use his martial strength as a deterrent.
Put that way, Salvatore's function increasingly resembled that of a nuclear weapon.
"Magical organizations never possessed strong structural cohesion to begin with. Strength is the only hard currency. Even though Salvatore lacks magical talent, after becoming a Godslayer, even if all Southern European magicians united to challenge him, there would be no chance of defeating him. That is how terrifying a monster he is."
After giving this evaluation, Erica's tone revealed obvious worry.
"And recently, I have been feeling unsettled. I keep having ominous premonitions..."
"Ominous premonitions?"
"According to information from headquarters, Salvatore has already left Southern Europe and vanished without a trace. Now it seems highly likely that he followed us to Japan."
Hearing this, Satsuki recalled what the foreigner she had controlled with the mental sphere had said earlier.
He had mentioned that Salvatore once said, "Perhaps I might personally make a trip to Japan."
So he had come in person?
The moment that thought formed, Satsuki's Tenseigan suddenly detected an immense surge of energy.
Unhurriedly, she hung up the phone. Through vast stretches of space, her Tenseigan locked onto the target.
A blond young man.
Though lean, he possessed the toned physique of someone well-trained. His attire was casual, as though he had just returned from vacation. Slung over his shoulder, however, was a slender cylindrical case.
Beside the blond man stood a familiar figure—the graceful Witch of Sardinia.
If it were an ordinary witch or Grand Knight, facing a Campione would mean only one choice—escape.
After all, the power of a Campione was absolute. Aside from another Campione or a god, no force could defy a Campione's will.
Yet Salvatore's face displayed a hint of amusement—his target had not fled. Instead, she seemed to be walking toward him.
Before long, the three met in a park.
The moment their gazes met, Salvatore froze. Judging from his expression, he too appeared momentarily stunned by Satsuki's appearance.
After a short while, the blond youth changed his tone.
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Satsuki. It seems my incompetent subordinates put on quite the farce."
Having changed out of her school attire after class, Satsuki now wore her kimono. The illusion concealing her presence had been removed. Her allure required no elaboration.
"I heard that the esteemed King of Swords has great difficulty remembering people's names correctly. For you to say mine properly upon our first meeting—perhaps that rumor was nothing more than nonsense."
"Oh? You know of me?"
Salvatore paid no mind to the teasing in her words. Instead, he leaned toward Lucretia at his side and whispered, "Miss Luke, I think my memory is quite good. Who spread that rumor?"
The woman addressed as Miss Luke revealed an awkward yet polite smile. "Perhaps some fool spread it around."
"I thought as much."
After clearing his throat, Salvatore turned his gaze back to Satsuki.
"This beauty and bearing, and the courage to face me directly—Miss Luke was right. Miss Satsuki will make a fine opponent."
Lucretia could only respond with a helpless expression.
"Don't make me sound like some informant, would you? Besides, I do not believe you are her match."
"Ha! That makes my trip to Japan worthwhile."
Though often labeled an idiot or fool, he unexpectedly carried a certain regal presence—or perhaps simply reckless stubbornness.
In any case, he was no ordinary fool.
Faced with such a person, Satsuki's reply remained light and casual, yet laced with unmistakable provocation.
"Is that so? A Campione crosses the ocean personally—merely to seek a battle? Are the magical associations of Southern Europe playing house?"
It sounded remarkably similar to the capriciousness of a certain War God.
"Yes, that's the tone. Miss Satsuki, you may provoke me even more if you like. So duel me. It will certainly be interesting."
As he spoke, he opened the cylindrical case and withdrew the sword stored within.
It was indeed a sheathed longsword. This Campione possessed no aptitude for spell power, which was why he carried it with him at all times.
The blade measured roughly eighty centimeters in length—a large double-edged sword. Yet in appearance, it seemed no different from an ordinary weapon, utterly incomparable to the Reinhardt Erica could summon.
"I am not good with words," he declared. "So I will let you experience with your body what kind of man I am. Satsuki, I swear to you—I will ignite a fire in your heart that will make you yearn to fight me with everything you have!"
"Tch. I've never heard such shameless words in my life."
Before Satsuki could react, the system in her mind could not hold back.
"Host, teach this guy a proper lesson. Show him why the flowers are red!"