Seeing all the current Campiones and the sole Heretic God who could walk the earth of her own will appear before him, Salvatore was momentarily stunned. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself up from the ground and laughed heartily, "...I never expected so many people would witness me in such a sorry state. Fine then! I intend to repay that sword strike—let's hurry and confront that Last King for the final battle!"
Salvatore was itching for action. One moment he was severely wounded, the next he wanted to charge back into battle against the Last King. No normal person would think this way. Seeing this, Roy could only sigh—the ultimate fate of creatures like Campiones was inevitably destruction. If they couldn't suppress their Campione instincts with their own willpower, they would eventually be influenced by these foreign thoughts, just like Heretic Gods, until the day of their demise arrived.
"Um, Mr. Doni... your current physical condition is extremely poor. In this state, you possess little combat capability. I suggest you rest and recuperate instead. Although I possess healing authorities, their effects on Campiones are rather limited."
After a moment's hesitation, the kind-hearted Lady Aisha offered her well-meaning advice.
Roy's magical power had only pulled Salvatore back from the brink of death, unable to heal his injuries. His newly fused authority, The Son's Repose, was effective against Campiones, but this authority only worked to dispel curses and similar effects. The resurrection aspect could only be applied to himself, not others.
"Thank you for the reminder, my lady, but I can still fight! These are just minor wounds—I've endured far worse countless times before!"
Salvatore patted his chest, speaking without any pretense. In the past, when he was still an ordinary man, the Sword King had no talent for magecraft, leading to repeated defeats. Yet he fought again and again, challenging others and pushing himself in training, often coming perilously close to death.
Among the Campiones, only Roy, Salvatore, and Luo Hao had endured hellish training and possessed unbreakable willpower. These three were also the strongest when matched in power.
"With that battered body of yours, I could knock you out with a single punch right now. Don't embarrass yourself further!"
Luo Hao glanced dismissively at Salvatore and lifted her chin, her tone haughty. Yet there was a hint of admonishment in her words—a rare sign of respect from her. Had anyone else acted so stubbornly, she would have already struck them down in anger.
"I—"
Before Salvatore could say more, Roy suddenly appeared behind him and swung a fist at the back of his head. The next instant, stars burst before Salvatore's eyes as he collapsed, unconscious.
"This guy is as stubborn as a mule. Better to just knock him out. If you'd kept arguing, my sister would've killed you."
Roy chuckled, watching Salvatore sprawled on the ground, then gave him a light kick for good measure.
Luo Hao clapped her hands in amusement. "As expected of my wise younger brother. Had he uttered one more word, I, Luo Hao, would have slain him here and now. In such poor condition, he'd only be a hindrance in battle. Why delude himself?"
"Is Mr. Doni alright?"
The kind-hearted Lady Aisha approached with concern, about to kneel and check on Salvatore. She possessed an authority capable of instantly healing others—though ineffective against Campiones, it was nothing short of a miracle for ordinary people, capable of reviving the dead and regenerating flesh. This ability had also given her some medical knowledge.
But before she could kneel, Roy suddenly seized her slender wrist with his right hand while his left arm wrapped around her waist. Before Aisha could react, he pulled her close, lowering his head toward hers.
"Eek! M-Master, what are you doing?! Have you finally succumbed to your beastly desires?!"
Aisha panicked, trying to pull back, but Roy's strength was far beyond hers. Trapped in his grasp, she could only widen her eyes helplessly as his face drew nearer—until their lips met.
"Mmmph—!"
Lady Aisha struggled, but her efforts were feeble. It was unclear whether Roy's grip made it impossible for her to break free or if she simply hadn't intended to resist with much force.
However, in the next moment, Lady Aisha realized something was wrong. She felt all the magical power in her body being uncontrollably drained into Roy's. This time, she finally began to resist in earnest—but it was already too late. Without her magical energy, she couldn't even activate her authorities. As Roy released her, she collapsed to the ground like a puddle of slime.
"M-Master… what did you do to me…? My magical power is gone… Y-You're not going to kill me, are you?!"
Gasping weakly on the floor, Lady Aisha cried out in a trembling voice.
"Your Daoist Arts are truly impressive, sister. To think you could even absorb the magical power of a Campione. Now, Lady Aisha won't be able to recover her energy anytime soon—she won't be causing any more trouble."
Roy wiped the corner of his mouth, ignoring Lady Aisha's distress as he grinned at Luo Hao.
"Hahaha!! Well done, my worthy brother! I was just wondering how to deal with this woman who always stirs up trouble. At first, I considered simply killing her to be done with it. But since she's lost her magical power and can't interfere anymore, we might as well spare her for now!"
The sect leader laughed heartily, thoroughly approving of Roy's actions—though her flawless face flushed slightly in embarrassment. Just recalling the method by which this Daoist Art was taught made her want to kill someone.
"Waaah~~ How could you do this?! Master, Big Sister—you're both bullying me!!"
Lady Aisha wailed like a child as she lay sprawled on the ground.
"How many times must I tell you not to call me 'Big Sister'?!"
Luo Hao's voice turned thunderous as she appeared beside Lady Aisha in an instant, delivering a swift kick that knocked her unconscious.
Roy watched as Lady Aisha tumbled through the air like a ball before crashing to the ground, completely out cold. His brow twitched—Luo Hao was truly ruthless. Still, a single kick wouldn't be enough to kill a Campione. This was simply the consequence of Lady Aisha's loose tongue.
Then, Luo Hao turned her sharp gaze toward Athena and demanded coldly,
"…Athena, the Goddess of Discord. Can you earn my trust in battle?"
"I have no need for your trust, Luo Hao, the Demon King of the East. As long as Roy believes in me, that is enough."
Athena's voice was icy as she responded, her petite form moving closer to Roy. Her delicate fingers grasped the hem of his clothes, and she met Luo Hao's piercing stare with equally sharp eyes.
To Roy's surprise, Luo Hao seemed satisfied with Athena's answer. Clapping her hands, she laughed.
"…Good, good, good!! If my worthy brother trusts you, then I, Luo Hao, shall trust you as well!"
Just then, Annie Charlton, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up.
"…Roy, I thought you would have chosen to kill both Salvatore and Lady Aisha."
Anne was genuinely puzzled. Given Roy's usual temperament, he should have opted to eliminate them to weaken the Last King. If he had spared Aisha for her beauty, it was strange that he hadn't killed Salvatore either.
As if sensing Annie's confusion, Roy smiled and said, "...I know what you're wondering, Annie! But I do rather admire Salvatore, so I'd prefer not to kill him if possible... Of course, the main reason is that I've already completed the grand ritual that will secure victory. Without it, I might have truly chosen to weaken the Last King by killing you all."
Hearing Roy speak so honestly about his intentions, Annie felt reassured. After a moment's thought, she asked, "...Now that we're at this point, Roy, shouldn't you tell us what this grand ritual you've prepared for the Last King actually is?"
As Annie Charlton's words fell, even Luo Hao and Athena turned their gaze toward Roy. Until now, Roy had kept it tightly under wraps—none of them knew what ritual he had prepared.
Everyone pricked up their ears to listen.
"Since you asked, Annie, I'll tell you."
After a moment of contemplation, Roy countered with a question: "...Do you know how to kill a god? Not the kind that sends them back to myth, but complete and utter annihilation!"
Annie's heart stirred as she grasped Roy's intention regarding the ritual. She blurted out, "...There's only one way to kill all gods—by killing all humans! If humanity perishes completely, myths will cease to exist, and the gods born from those myths will naturally vanish!"
That's right—this was the best method to kill the gods in the world of Campione!
"Exactly. However, I have no intention of killing all gods, nor do I plan to exterminate humanity... But if it's just the Last King, then erasing the segment of history where his myth resides would naturally erase him from existence!"
"...The ritual I've prepared was inspired by a gift from a certain friend. Though I feel somewhat guilty for using his gift this way, this is truly the best method to kill the Last King permanently, ensuring he can never revive. And this ritual is called—"
"Human Order Incineration Protocol!"
Roy enunciated each word clearly.
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