"Melusine..."
The backlash of repeatedly rewinding time was a burden even a Campione couldn't shoulder.
Although the Furies had not yet vanished, Melusine had reduced them to a mere flicker of existence just to maximize her counterattack against the Heretic God before her.
In this state, they were useless as a fighting force.
Furthermore, because the time reversal had spanned less than a second, the Faceless Queen was nowhere to be found within the rewound Authority.
Besides... even if she were there, what difference would it make?
In his current state, Alexander couldn't even trigger his Authorities. Forget using his powers; it was a miracle he was even keeping his sanity.
"Guinevere's plan... what exactly was it?" Knowing he was at death's door, Alexander at least wanted to die with his eyes open.
"Guinevere?"
Melusine hadn't expected him to suddenly drop that name, but seeing his desperate expression, she quickly pieced together why he was asking—and why he had come here in the first place.
As Melusine realized the truth, Alexander naturally read the situation through her reaction.
Realizing he'd been played, he felt his blood pressure skyrocket.
It turned out this 'Lancelot' and Guinevere weren't allies at all! But Lancelot having no connection to Guinevere? Who could have possibly predicted that?
But... why would Guinevere lure him here just to die?
He didn't harbor any delusions that they were on good terms, or that she'd be sad to see him go.
In fact, he knew perfectly well that if one Campione had to die, Guinevere would pick him—her constant thorn in the side—every single time.
But the circumstances were different now.
The Sword King was already dead.
The Wolf King had become Melusine's next target.
If Alexander was killed right after, the world would lose three Campiones in one fell swoop.
Excluding Madame Aisha, that would leave only two Godslayers remaining in the entire world.
That certainly wasn't a scenario Guinevere would want to see.
Which meant she actually hadn't intended for him and the Wolf King to perish here.
"Watch out for that woman. She truly stops at nothing to get what she wants. She's been lurking in the shadows, orchestrating incidents across the globe for ages."
Even on the verge of death, Alexander intended to stir up some trouble for Guinevere and draw some heat her way.
"I only ended up here because of her. She lured us in, clearly having prepared something to deal with you, but she failed."
The reason for that failure was obvious to anyone, as Alexander had been defeated by the exact same thing.
It was Melusine's speed—a terrifying, explosive velocity that far surpassed anything she had shown before when facing the Furies.
Melusine knew he was trying to poison her mind against Guinevere, but she didn't have a high opinion of the woman anyway.
She just hadn't bothered to hunt her down since Guinevere hadn't interfered with her yet.
However, since the woman had now shown open hostility, Melusine wasn't about to leave a loose end that might try to claw at her later.
After finishing off Alexander without a moment's hesitation, the grand labyrinth that seemed to bridge heaven and earth did not vanish with its master.
It wasn't sustained by active magic; it was a physical construct created by it.
That said, it still required magical energy to maintain its structural integrity.
Without someone providing that fuel, it would crumble away within two or three months at most.
But that was of no concern to Melusine. The moment she emerged, she cast her sensory net to its absolute limit, conducting a high-speed, 360-degree sweep of the surroundings.
Guinevere was nowhere to be found.
That meant the woman's hiding place was either the Boundary of Life and Immortality or the Astral Plane.
Melusine knew a bit about the Astral Plane, but not much; her understanding of how to enter or leave it was half-baked at best.
As for the Borderline of Life and Death, she had no clue at all.
After a moment's thought, Melusine simply flew back to Sardinia.
Athena was already there waiting for her.
She actually had some bones to pick with Melusine for not bringing her along.
She wasn't just a Goddess of Wisdom, after all; she was a Goddess of War and Victory.
Though her brand of warfare differed from Ares's chaos and violence—favoring wisdom and strategy—she was still a Heretic God now.
Heretic Gods possess an instinctive drive for battle and destruction. If her wisdom hadn't always held the high ground, Athena would have been no exception.
"Welcome back from your triumph, Lady Melusine." Erica was also waiting, though unlike the previous incident with the Sword King, she was fully prepared to receive Melusine properly this time.
Liliana stood half a step behind her, mirroring Erica's knightly salute.
"It was just a bit of exercise." Melusine felt their grand welcome was unnecessary. After all, the entire trip—the fight and the flight back—had taken less than twenty minutes.
Though she had drained some of the leyline's power, the death of a Campione had replenished a portion of it. The planet's total energy had actually increased rather than decreased.
"Melusine, you look as though you are brooding over something." Athena noticed the expression between Melusine's brows was different from her usual lazy, carefree self.
"Mmm... while I was in the Balkans, I didn't just run into the Wolf King. I met another Campione, the Black Prince Alec."
Melusine didn't hide anything, recounting the entire sequence of events.
"So, now I'm looking for a way to get to the Astral Realm and the Boundary of Life and Immortality."
"I see. You intend to smoke out the pest." Athena nodded slowly, her face expressionless.
"Surprising. Traveling to the Borderline or the Astral Realm should be instinctive for one such as you—like a mouse knowing how to dig a hole."
Though surprised, Athena didn't dwell on it. Instead, she brought up another matter. "Since the Wolf King has fallen by your hand, I assume I may now reclaim my complete form?"
"Yeah." Melusine nodded. That had been the deal from the start.
At this, the corners of Athena's mouth curled into a slight smile.
With a wave of her hand, the Gorgoneion burst through its carrying case and landed squarely in her palm.
Then, she looked at Melusine.
"To return to my full self under your gaze brings me joy. And since humans are present, this is a fitting stage for the revival of the Trinity Goddess." Athena was in high spirits.
The human, the dragon-serpent, and the goddess—the scene felt perfectly orchestrated for her return.
"Then, let you all bear witness."
"I chant. I sing the song of the ancient Goddess who once ruled the Heavens, the Earth, and the Darkness. I sing the lament of the Queen slain as the forbidden serpent. My name is Athena! Once the Mother Earth who birthed all things, the Mistress of the Netherworld who governs the dark, and the Queen who holds the wisdom of the Heavens! Athena hereby swears to reclaim her ancient self!"
A thick, pitch-black mist and eerie purple flames enveloped Athena.
With the resurrection of the Trinity Goddess, the sky should have been swallowed by darkness, but Athena remembered their agreement and suppressed the grand scale of the phenomenon.
Still, the sheer magnitude of her divine power and presence, which now eclipsed even a Chief God, sent shivers through every priestess with high spiritual vision.
Even Erica and Liliana, watching from nearby, felt a chill run down their spines.
Melusine wasn't surprised by this display of power.
Athena's strength was among the elite even for Heretic Gods. As a Trinity God-King, her return to wholeness placed her at the very pinnacle of mythology.
As the mist and purple flames dissipated, revealing Athena's form once more, Melusine expected to see the grown-up version she remembered... Wait, she hadn't changed?
Noticing Melusine's confused look, Athena smiled.
"If I were to reveal my full stature, it would cause you trouble, wouldn't it? Though my divine power is restored, I shall maintain this form for the time being while on this earth."
That's actually quite nice, Melusine thought.
"Can you take me to the Astral Realm now?" Melusine asked.
"Certainly. However... Melusine, how do you plan to find this Guinevere?" Athena countered.
This made Melusine frown. "With my speed, how long would it take to fly across the entire Astral Realm?"
Athena shook her head. "I do not know."
Before Melusine could explain her top speed, Athena continued, "The so-called Boundary of Life and Immortality—the Astral Realm—is a dimension where spirit and soul matter far more than the physical."
"It is a place that records every event since the birth of the universe and every possible future. It is a vast world composed of disconnected dimensions and barriers, woven together like a spider's web of countless independent spaces."
Hearing this, Melusine realized that searching the entire Astral Realm through pure speed alone would be an exercise in futility.
"There is more," Athena added gravely. "Each independent space changes according to the whims of its master. Within their own domain, they can even rewrite the laws of that world. While everything has its limits, if you rely on mere luck, you might never find anything."
In other words, if Guinevere really wanted to hide, Melusine might never find her in a lifetime.
At this thought, Melusine's expression soured.
It wasn't that she was out of options. She could technically call Amber over.
In an omniscient and omnipotent state, Amber wouldn't even have to break a sweat; she could do anything with a single thought.
But... she was already being treated differently by the others because of her laziness.
Was she really going to be the first one to go running to the original body for help?
The mere thought filled her with resistance. Her brain, which she usually kept in 'idle' mode, finally started whirring to life.
A moment later, a new plan formed.
I can't find you, but I have a way to make you come looking for me.
And once her plan was set in motion, there would be plenty of "activity" (fighting) to go around. At the same time, she might even earn a higher approval rating than Amber!
With that, Melusine was suddenly full of drive.
That's right! After lounging around for days, it was time to actually put in some work!
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.