Her dress bloomed like a lotus leaf. Though Pandora's true age was unfathomable, her appearance remained that of a girl of fourteen or fifteen—fresh and youthful, standing out like a beacon in the misty gray world.
Though Pandora seemed unremarkable at first glance, sharing similarities with the younger forms of Athena and Aphrodite among the women Roy had encountered, this millennia-old goddess exuded a bewitching aura from her seemingly unassuming figure, one that could dizzy the senses.
Roy took a deep breath. He hadn't expected Pandora to be so straightforward. He had assumed she would tease him coyly, playing a few jokes before relenting. Yet Pandora had barely hesitated before laying all her secrets bare before him.
This sudden openness left Roy momentarily at a loss.
"What's wrong, little Roy? Won't you come to Mother?"
Pandora's still-youthful eyes glimmered with an astonishing allure, misty like a dark fairy tale's temptress luring him to ruin, making it hard for Roy to keep his composure.
"That form of address feels a bit awkward to hear right now," Roy said with a wry smile, silently acknowledging Pandora's reputation as the witch bestowed upon humanity by the gods—her demonic charm was truly terrifying, stirring restless desires.
Pandora's playful demeanor faded, her expression and tone turning uncharacteristically calm. "...It's just a title. Haven't you seen past such things yet, little Roy? Besides, in Greek mythology, this is hardly unusual. You must have read far more scandalous tales in the myths."
"...Though I wasn't originally Pandora, but an older earth mother goddess, the shifts in myth have shaped me into Pandora. My nature and actions now align more with how people perceive her."
Pandora took delicate steps forward on slender legs, closing the distance to Roy. Tilting her head up, she gazed into his double pupils and giggled softly. "...Well then, hurry up. Didn't you say you wanted knowledge? Do to me what you did with Athena and Aphrodite."
"...At first, I worried you might not favor my form, but after seeing how you were with Athena and Aphrodite, I felt reassured. Come now, while Susanoo's death has triggered the ritual—hold me tight, and I shall grant you the knowledge you seek, the knowledge necessary to defeat the Last Steel."
Under Pandora's urging, the disc once again appeared above her head. The death of Susanoo had triggered the ritual's activation conditions, causing the disc to spin rapidly. However, its rotation was gradually slowing down. Roy knew that once the disc stopped spinning, the ritual would fail—so time was truly running short for him.
Roy flashed a carefree smile, gazing at Pandora's divinely gifted, perfect human form, and staring into her seemingly shy yet profoundly deep eyes.
...
Time was immeasurable in the Netherworld, where moments stretched endlessly. Roy lay on the desolate, ashen-gray earth, feeling the flow of newfound knowledge.
In acquiring Pandora's knowledge, he had also completed another godslaying.
This time, however, Roy did not claim Susanoo's authorities. As the god of storms, those powers held little interest for him. Moreover, accumulating more authorities was meaningless—it would only lead him down the same path as other Campiones.
With Pandora's backdoor assistance, Roy directly proceeded with the fusion and selection of authorities. He discarded Susanoo's authorities and instead chose the power of his subordinate deity, the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi. As the embodiment of Susanoo's steel, the sword possessed an immensely potent steel attribute. Roy extracted the 'steel' from the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi and fused it with his Sword of Judgment.
In other words, Roy's Sword of Judgment now carried an overwhelming steel attribute, granting it tremendous lethality against 'immortality.' Under this blade of the Cross, any creature's immortality would be nullified—even abilities like reincarnation could be severed. 'Steel' had always been the bane of the undying serpent.
Of course, this severing of immortality had its limits. If the opponent's immortality surpassed the sword's mystery by too great a margin, the blade's power would fail. Yet, after much deliberation, Roy concluded that even across countless worlds, few mysteries could surpass the immortality of an Earth Mother Goddess. After all, an Earth Mother Goddess was a deity—no mere common existence.
With this ability secured, Roy finally felt at ease. Though his previous authorities had been versatile, Michael's weak steel attribute had left him struggling against foes with extreme regenerative abilities. Now, with the Sword of Judgment empowered to slay dragons and serpents, Roy no longer feared those unkillable adversaries.
His body was already the nearly indestructible Body of the Holy Son, and now he wielded a blade capable of slaying dragons and serpents. Roy's abilities were growing ever more comprehensive. Even if the strength of these authorities wasn't yet unrivaled, he had laid a solid foundation. By advancing step by step, he would one day truly reign over infinite worlds.
It could be said that the wish Roy had made in that mysterious space had been fully realized. In the world of Campiones, he had obtained everything he desired and laid the groundwork to become a true powerhouse. The authorities of the Campione world were like a foundation, preparing Roy to construct a towering skyscraper in the future.
Even the mysterious object in his right hand had grown active again. Roy could now leave the world of Campiones at any time and return to his own world.
'But I've prepared such a grand gift for the Last King. Leaving now would render all my efforts wasted.'
Roy muttered to himself. Right now, he could simply walk away and wash his hands of this world's affairs. But if he did that, whether it was the sect leader Luo Hao, Aisha, Annie Charlton, or even the Sword King—they would all perish at the hands of the Last King. And Athena, the Earth Mother Goddess, would undoubtedly be slain by the Last King as well, her essence stolen away.
Roy had promised Athena he would break the Last Steel for her. He was a man of his word. Even though his mission in this world was already complete, for the sake of that promise, Roy would stay and ensure the Last Steel was shattered in two before taking his leave.
He couldn't bear to see the disappointment in Athena's eyes.
'Susanoo's spiritual foundation has also been intercepted. That makes four. There's only one more spiritual foundation I can fuse with!'
Roy calculated the last shortcut he could take to rapidly grow stronger. Once he fused with the fifth spiritual foundation, Roy would reach the true limits of a Campione. His period of rapid growth would come to an end, and he would enter a phase of slow, steady progress. In the future, Roy would no longer be able to achieve the kind of earth-shattering transformation in strength he had experienced over the past few years. From then on, it would be time for Roy to forge his own 'path' and advance steadily.
"What are you thinking about, little Roy…?"
Pandora lay sprawled across Roy's chest, her delicate chin resting on his torso as she gazed at him with a playful smile.
***
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