Luo Cheng spent the entire day wandering.
He was confident in his strength, believing he could directly confront an Unrighteous God. But just as an unlanded punch is meaningless, finding a God was proving to be an impossible task. If the Gods were that easy to find, the first to locate them would certainly not be him, but the God Slayers like Voban and Tony.
It was said that the Marquis Voban was over three hundred years old, having slain his first God in his teens, giving him at least three centuries of experience. Even including the "God Slayer of the Divine Realm" plotline in the second arc, he had only slain nine Unrighteous Gods in total. On average, this meant he encountered an Unrighteous God only once every thirty years.
That probability is alarmingly low.
Luo Cheng couldn't afford to wait thirty years.
If he didn't find any clues soon, he would head directly to Sardinia, Italy, as he didn't know how far the plot had progressed. If the original male protagonist, Godou Kusanagi, were allowed to develop naturally and use the stone tablet to kill Verethragna and become a God Slayer, it would be a huge setback for him.
Just as Luo Cheng's patience was wearing thin, he finally spotted a familiar figure near the Yamuna River.
It was an existence as bright and beautiful as silver. Even among heavily photoshopped celebrities, her beauty would stand out. Her face was as exquisite as a fairy's, a slightly childish face that was cute yet stern. Her silver-white hair was tied into a ponytail, and she wore casual, everyday clothes: a collared blouse and a pair of jeans. She looked completely out of place against the polluted backdrop of the Yamuna River.
Liliana Kranjčar.
Luo Cheng recognized the girl instantly. She was a witch belonging to the Italian magical society "Bronze Black Cross," and despite her youth, she had achieved the rank of Great Knight. She and Erica Blandelli, a knight from the "Crimson Black Cross," were known as the Twin Stars of Italy, a compliment to both their talent and their beauty. Furthermore, Luo Cheng had trained at a branch of the Bronze Black Cross for a period.
"Why would the Heavenly Maiden of the Bronze Black Cross appear in India?" Luo Cheng muttered to himself.
He then walked forward, preparing to greet Liliana. In the past, he would never have been so reckless. But now, he needed a native from the mystical side to help him. Rather than searching for strangers, it was better to find someone he already knew.
However, just as Luo Cheng was about to act, Liliana moved first. She received a phone call, her expression immediately turning serious. By reading her lips, he saw she likely said, "I understand," before hastily leaving down the Yamuna River. She eventually got into a black sedan. The driver of the sedan also had a European face, suggesting a local branch of the Bronze Black Cross was stationed here.
As one of the world's foremost magical societies, the Bronze Black Cross naturally wouldn't limit its activities to just its small territory in Italy. The Crimson Black Cross, a splinter and opposing magical society, had formed the so-called "Seven Sisters Alliance" with other magical societies and then established the Italian Magical Alliance, swearing allegiance to the King of Swords, Salvatore Doni. Since the King of Swords was preoccupied with battle and avoided politics, the Seven Sisters Alliance began searching for anything related to an Unrighteous God within their means to curry favor.
The Bronze Black Cross, due to its head's relationship with the world's oldest Demon King, swore allegiance to the Marquis Voban. Compared to the King of Swords, Marquis Voban's desire to slay a God was just as intense; he even had a hobby of treating God-slaying like a beast hunt. About three or four years ago, Voban gathered witches and hime-miko (sacred shrine maidens) from all over the world, aiming to fully secure the advantage in terms of timing, location, and personnel, to hold a grand ritual of God Summoning. However, it was stolen by the King of Swords who burst in halfway through. This infuriated Voban. After chasing off the King of Swords, he was still unwilling to give up and ordered his subordinates to continue searching for traces of Unrighteous Gods.
Liliana was dispatched under these circumstances.
"Suspected cultists are holding a ritual at a divine ruin, then," the girl said, looking at the documents the driver handed her, her expression serious.
The car continued to move, and Luo Cheng followed above them. Compared to searching blindly on his own, relying on a native was clearly more convenient.
Liliana eventually stopped near a highway on the outskirts of New Delhi. The surrounding area was sparsely populated but cleaner than the city center. The air was also free of complex odors.
"There's a barrier here?" Liliana felt a strange sensation from the rugged path leading into the mountains the moment she stepped out of the car. However, such a barrier was child's play for her, with her witch's blood flowing through her veins. Within a mere ten seconds, she found a way to break it.
This situation, however, made Liliana anxious. The barrier had clearly been set up by humans. This meant there was something inside that they didn't want others to see. The mountain path was winding and narrow, so Liliana instructed the driver to stay put and ventured in alone.
Luo Cheng had to admire the girl's courage. She dared to push ahead so rashly without knowing what lay ahead.
After she entered, Luo Cheng's figure boldly appeared at the spot. A sorcerer from the Bronze Black Cross saw Luo Cheng and walked over, waving his hand, telling him that the path was closed.
But Luo Cheng ignored them.
After easily knocking them unconscious, he followed the path the girl had taken.
The path was narrow at first, only wide enough for a person to pass, but after a few dozen steps, it suddenly opened up.
However, Luo Cheng didn't see beautiful fields or scenery; instead, he entered a mountain cave.
The cave was lined with many items that looked quite ancient: strange clay dolls, fragmented amulets, and some very old parchment. It was like stepping into an antique market. But these items were not fakes; they were genuine mystical artifacts imbued with magical power.
Luo Cheng didn't stop because he heard the sound of fighting ahead.
Then, what came into view was the sight of Liliana battling a group of people who looked like anything but good guys.