Chapter 389: The World Gains Beings That Should Not Exist
The Netherworld—a realm situated between the domain of the living and the domain of the undying.
Of course, it wasn't the only name for it.
Heretic Gods referred to this world as the boundary between life and deathlessness, while different nations in the human world had their own terms for it.
The ancient Eastern kingdom called it the Netherworld or the Underworld, Persia called it the Spirit World, Britain called it the Astral World or the Fairy World, and so on.
It was also known as the void land between the human reality and the mythological world, the gap world of Yomi.
In this world dwelled some special beings: grand magicians or saints who had attained undying divinity, as well as high-ranking fairies and spirits whose power rivaled that of the Fairy King.
Fairies and spirits were semi-divine spirits that fell short of the divine realm but possessed high spiritual attributes. They were considered special entities in mythology but weren't qualified to be called gods—more like divine servants.
Besides these, there were also Heretic Gods who had previously roamed the earthly world. Ultimately, instead of returning to the divine realm, they took up residence in the Netherworld.
The so-called Fairy King is not the king of fairy creatures, but rather a title denoting a specific status.
Therefore, some Fairy Kings could also be Heretic Gods.
Thus, in theory, a Campione could also become a Fairy King.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the Netherworld...
"Was the Prometheus Technique taken?"
"Just like that? Didn't that Witch see the message left on it?"
"Moreover, the God of War and the God King have already returned to the myths, meaning someone defeated them."
"Couldn't they have perished together?"
"Are you stupid? If they perished together, they would have returned to the myths simultaneously, not one after the other."
"Could it be related to the Biblical God System? Isn't there someone trying to forcibly break away from the world of myths?"
"That's truly exaggerated—directly bypassing the Netherworld and forcibly connecting the world of myths to the human realm, intending to descend in their true form?"
At this point, everyone fell silent.
What had happened to this myth, which had the greatest impact on the world?
Had it caused their plan to fail?
"So, what do we do next?"
Several figures turned their gaze to an elderly man wearing rough traditional clothing but possessing a robust physique.
"Without the Prometheus Technique, things will be difficult,"
The next speaker was a monk, one with skin that looked as if it had been peeled.
"Shall we continue with the plan to set that child on that path?"
The voice, tinged with apparent dissatisfaction with the plan, belonged to a woman—a beautiful woman dressed in a twelve-layered ceremonial robe.
"It's simple—we just need to take it back."
Though the words were spoken, it wasn't meant to be taken as a literal, brute-force retrieval.
Thus, the elderly man—Susanoo, the Heretic God—narrowed his eyes with a dangerous glint.
He had not returned to the myths and had detached himself from the human world—after all, the longer one stayed in the mortal realm, the more likely they were to lose their rationality.
However, residing permanently in the Netherworld, while seemingly free, was essentially equivalent to imprisonment for beings like him.
Thus, in their pursuit of freedom, they were scheming to create a Campione of their own.
The human chosen for this role was named Godou Kusanagi.
Judging by his surname, he was likely connected to Susanoo, right?
After all, in the myths, Susanoo possessed a divine artifact known as the Kusanagi Sword.
In fact, this was indeed related to Susanoo—in a way, Godou could be considered his descendant.
Therefore, making him a Campione was a crucial step in their plan to escape the Netherworld.
To interfere with Godou Kusanagi in the real world, they naturally needed influence there, so they had secretly developed real-world power, controlling the government of the Far Eastern island nation.
"I hope they don't act recklessly,"
The beauty in the twelve-layered robe sighed.
If not for shared objectives, she would never have conspired with the others present.
She was well aware of Susanoo's ambitions.
Meanwhile, in another corner of the Netherworld, stood a building known as Plutarch's Residence.
A man in a blue formal suit, draped in a black cloak, and wearing a mask designed like an insect's compound eyes, hurriedly arrived from the real world.
This man was also one of the Campiones, named John Pluto Smith, a Campione of North American origin, and also a Fairy King.
He, having once defeated a Fairy King, had inherited the responsibilities and obligations of kingship, and thus learned certain secrets.
"What happened? Why the urgency in summoning me here?"
He shrugged his shoulders as he addressed the white-haired, white-bearded elder before him.
The elder was intently staring at an easel, but instead of holding a painting, it displayed a stone slab.
"Did that Lady cause trouble in the past again?"
The identity of this elder was extraordinary—he was the Guardian of Time, master of Plutarch's Residence.
The stone slab he observed recorded events of the past. Any alteration appearing on the slab indicated someone was tampering with history, and that person was likely Lady Aisha.
Such repeated actions infuriated the elder, whose duty was to maintain historical accuracy. Each time changes occurred, he would leap through time to correct them.
If possible, the elder would have preferred to eliminate the troublesome Lady Aisha. Unfortunately, though he possessed power surpassing that of magicians and could traverse time, he was no match for a Campione.
Why not simply travel to before she became a Campione and kill her then?
Impossible. His time-travel ability wasn't to be used so recklessly. His duty was to protect history, and such an act would violate his responsibilities. Generally, he could only traverse time when historical distortions occurred.
This summons likely meant Lady Aisha's time travels had once again disrupted history.
"No, that's not right—I should say it's related to her as well!!! This time, the problem is huge!!!"
The old man who spoke these words wore an unprecedented severity.
"This time, it seems she has opened a hole to a parallel world."
"What?"
John couldn't help but exclaim, and the sound that escaped was strangely unmistakably a woman's startled voice.
The existence of parallel worlds was originally known only to the master of Plutarch's Residence. John had learned of it only because Lady Aisha's recklessness had angered the master, causing him to inadvertently let slip the existence of parallel worlds.
Moreover, the God of the Bible from mythology had once connected with a parallel world.
"We can no longer observe her presence in this world."
In other words, had Lady Aisha traveled to a parallel world?
If that were the case, in a way, it would be good news for the master.
He had once thought about tampering with Lady Aisha's hole, causing it to go out of control and sending these reckless Campiones to a parallel world.
Of course, that was just talk. If it were to be implemented, one would also have to consider the possibility of something from the parallel world crossing over.
"At the same time, something that should not exist in this world has appeared here."
The master's unusually grave words made the delicate face beneath John's mask completely change, turning slightly pale.
This was an incredibly serious matter...