"Yo! My dearest friend! I never thought you'd actually come out to meet me. I'm truly moved!"
As Su Mo and Erica arrived on the beach, the King of Swords, Doni, who had just walked all the way up from the seabed, greeted Su Mo with an incredibly enthusiastic and cheerful tone.
Looking at the state of this Godslayer, even Erica, who knew his husky-like nature, found it a bit much to watch. To say nothing of the members in the chat group, who believed a Godslayer should exude an air of coolness.
Tohsaka Rin: "Yikes!"
Madoka: "No offense, but... is the person with a whole strand of seaweed hanging from his head really a Godslayer?"
Tohsaka Rin: "Yeah, didn't Erica always say Godslayers were kings and conquerors?"
Tohsaka Rin: "His title, 'King of Swords,' sounds so impressive... so why does he look like a homeless guy?"
They didn't doubt his identity as the King of Swords. Anyone who could walk from the bottom of the sea to the shore, rather than swim, was clearly no ordinary person.
It was just that his image was far too shabby.
He was soaking wet, with seaweed and shellfish clinging to his clothes. Aside from the long, narrow case on his back which was well-protected, he was pretty much indistinguishable from a vagrant.
Erica: "Don't doubt your eyes. This guy has always been like this."
Erica: "He's known for being a savant who's brilliant with a sword and a complete disaster at everything else."
With Erica's explanation, the group could rationalize it as one of those quirks that geniuses often have.
However, beyond his appearance, they had another question.
Kanae: "Wait! Isn't this the King of Swords' first time meeting Lord Su Mo? Why is he calling him 'dearest friend'?"
They all knew Su Mo was from another world and couldn't possibly know Doni. Even if they had met after the stream was cut yesterday, it was highly unlikely they'd have become "dearest friends."
So, what was with that title?
Tohsaka Rin: "Don't tell me... he has a few screws loose?"
Rin offered a rather bold hypothesis.
Could a mentally unstable person actually become a Godslayer? The topic was actually worth studying; there was no shortage of unhinged individuals among the Godslayers.
Erica: "While I've never seen the King of Swords be this enthusiastic with anyone else, it's probably just his personality, right?"
Erica: "As for being mentally ill... I'd say probably not."
Recalling the King of Swords' many bizarre antics, Erica couldn't exactly guarantee it.
"Your Excellency, Salvatore, what is the purpose of your visit?"
Although she already knew his objective, Erica still performed her due diligence and inquired.
"Oh! You're that... that one person... Right, Dahlia! I remember you!"
Seeing Erica, Doni scratched his head and gave her a surprised glance, but his attention quickly returned to Su Mo.
"My purpose for coming here is simple, and I'm sure my dearest friend already knows what it is!"
He flashed a smile that was hard to tell if it was simple and honest or just plain goofy.
Hearing this, Erica's mouth twitched.
"If you can't remember my name, don't just make one up on the spot! I can introduce myself again. I am Erica Blandelli of the Copper Black Cross, the lead knight serving under Lord Su Mo. And for the record, Lord Su Mo does not have a 'dearest friend' like you."
Initially, Doni hadn't paid much mind to Erica's name, but upon hearing she was Su Mo's knight, he finally seemed to take her seriously.
As for her rebuttal, he had his own line of reasoning.
"After sensing my intentions, not only did he not shy away, he walked right toward me! A battle-loving style like that clearly belongs to my dearest friend!"
Having unilaterally declared their friendship, he reined in his excitement and gave Su Mo a warm greeting.
"Yo! New comrade! So your name is Su Mo. Sounds like you're from the Far East, just like the Cult Master. My name is Salvatore Doni. You can call me Doni or Dearest Friend!"
Hearing his greeting, Su Mo's gaze swept over Doni's back, noticing his hand was already resting on the long, narrow case.
"Let's skip the pleasantries," Su Mo said bluntly. "From the looks of it, you're planning to make your move now. In that case, we can save the conversation for after the fight."
As soon as he spoke, the atmosphere on the beach instantly tensed up.
Doni's eyes, however, lit up.
"Dearest friend! Are you saying you'll accept my challenge right now?!"
Good heavens, for a battle junkie like him, finding a suitable opponent was harder than climbing to the sky. Heretic Gods were rare to begin with, the other Godslayers were all eccentrics, and their whereabouts were unpredictable.
The only two he could reliably find were either Marquis Voban, with whom he had a feud, or Cult Master Luo Hao, whom he couldn't beat even if he risked his life. Neither was a suitable sparring partner.
He had originally just come to test the new Campione's combat prowess, but he never expected the other party to be so straightforward and decisive. It was exactly to his liking.
"Of course."
Su Mo's answer did not disappoint him.
"For the sake of efficiency, the sooner I contain you, the better."
"Excellent!"
A delighted smile instantly spread across Doni's face.
He didn't know what "contain" meant, but that didn't matter. As long as he got a good duel, all was well.
With that, he eagerly reached back and drew a mass-produced, standard-issue longsword from the case on his back.
"Then I won't hold back, dearest friend!"
Sensing from a single glance that Su Mo was no simple foe, he didn't hesitate, activating his Authority first.
A mysterious silver substance enveloped both his wrist and the longsword, and a sharp, murderous aura filled the battlefield.
"Here I swear: I shall not permit anything to exist that I cannot cleave. This sword is the invincible blade that can sever all of creation!"
With the chant of the divine words, the Authority usurped from the Silver-Armed God King, Nuada, unleashed an astonishing presence.
Right from the start, Doni had played his trump card.
Faced with this display, Su Mo showed not the slightest hint of tension.
Recalling the results of his research on Divine Status back in the Astral Plane, where he had used himself as a test subject, he quickly decided on his path to victory.
"Perfect timing to test out the Mythical Thaumaturgy I just finished composing."