In the current Campione! world, there are a total of ten God-Slayers.
The original seven, plus the outlander Kevin who harbors ulterior motives, Li Zihan who was purely here for tourism, and Ana, who received the gift originally intended for Sirin.
Excluding these three, seven God-Slayers still existed in this world.
Sasha Dejanstahl Voban, the Wolf King of the Balkan Peninsula in Eastern Europe, the oldest living God-Slayer, an old man who possesses the strength to make a sport of killing gods.
Luo Hao, a martial artist born during the Manchu Qing dynasty of Shenzhou. Even among Campiones, she is a fiend of the highest order, comparable to Marquis Voban, a Bandit King who calls herself a Martial King.
Madame Aisha, a God-Slayer from India and a super-invincible European Emperor. A shit-stirrer who was able to disgust the Last King of a parallel world, Mithra, so thoroughly with her sheer luck that he could only pinch his nose and let her live.
Salvatore Doni, the "King of Swords" who commands the magical societies of Southern Europe, a true "warrior" with little interest in anything besides battle.
Alexander Gascoigne, the Black Prince of England, an adventurer full of intellect, skilled in strategy, who dislikes direct confrontation and prefers to devise counterattacks.
And then there was Annie, who acted as a superhero under the name John Smith.
However, none of the above characters were the focus of Li Zihan's discussion.
The one he wanted to talk about was Kusanagi Godou, who had recently killed the war god Verethragna.
---o---
"Kusanagi—to kill as if mowing grass."
Lord Pluto, who hadn't seemed to be thinking along mythological lines, recalled her compatriot who had slain a god in silly Italy.
"It sounds a bit bloody, but a surname isn't something one can choose. Is there a problem with it?"
As she said this, she suddenly paused.
She remembered a sword.
A divine sword that emerged from the body of the terrifying monster, the Yamata no Orochi.
"Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi."
The youth uttered the name of that divine sword.
In mythology, the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi first appears, according to both the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, when Susanoo vanquishes the Yamata no Orochi.
Exiled from Takamagahara, Susanoo wandered the lands of Ashihara no Nakatsukuni. After slaying the eight-headed serpent, he found a weapon in its tail even sturdier than the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi—the sword of the gods.
That was the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, also known as the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi or the Tsumukari no Tachi.
It was Susanoo's personal sword.
"You suspect that the King of the Far East has a connection to Susanoo."
As if struck by a flash of inspiration, Lord Pluto, suddenly understanding why Li Zihan was so concerned with the King of the Far East, stated her conclusion.
"He is connected to the Heretical Susanoo, who has been controlling the government of the Far East all this time."
Li Zihan, who was well aware that a certain Heretical God in the Astral Plane enjoyed peeping on the mortal world, chuckled lightly.
---o---
Connected to the Heretical Susanoo?
Beneath her mask, Lord Pluto's expression changed instantly.
It was quite normal for a God-Slayer to have a connection to a god.
If nothing else, the mother of all God-Slayers, Pandora, was an earth mother goddess of unknown origin.
But being connected to a Heretical God was another matter entirely.
Heretical Gods were the mortal enemies of God-Slayers.
And...
Judging by what her newborn compatriot was saying, this so-called Heretical Susanoo had taken control of the government of the Far East.
A Heretical God controlling a government.
And a King of the Far East with a suspected, significant connection to that Heretical God.
Such a combination...
"Could you elaborate?"
Suddenly learning from her compatriot that the Far East had a massive problem, Lord Pluto's normally hoarse voice became somewhat sharp.
There was nothing wrong with the surname Kusanagi itself.
But when a Heretical Susanoo with a strong desire for dominion existed in the Far East, and Kusanagi Godou was the ostensible King of the Far East, the problem became immense.
Kusanagi Godou was likely a pawn.
---o---
"I have no desire for the Far East. However, I am very interested in the fellow hiding there, using the special nature of the Astral Plane to spy on the outside world."
Right after he had killed Lugh, the System had complained to him that the people of this world had absolutely no privacy.
By using the Astral Plane—the realm between life and death—as an observation point, one could directly see everything in the world.
However, that was all in the past now.
When the Astral Plane of this world tried to analyze Li Zihan, who carried the System, the System released a tiny bit of its own information. The Astral Plane promptly crashed and lost its observation capabilities.
Thinking about it now, that old peeping tom in the Far East must be going crazy.
The youth, who was clearly planning to go and kill Susanoo, a God of Steel, broke into a slight smile.
The God-Slayer ritual was established by simulating the nature of a God of Steel.
In that case, if one were to continuously slay Gods of Steel, would it be possible to obtain an Authority with an effect similar to the divine tool, the Ring of Usurpation?
If he succeeded, the payoff would be enormous.
Killing an enemy and getting a reward for it—that was practically on par with a loot drop system in an online game.
It was a function that not even his System possessed.
The youth, who had unintentionally thrown some shade at his System, smiled cheerfully.
And considering that a God-Slayer's Authorities were all skills from the "I-reckon-it-works" school of thought, it wasn't impossible to forcibly confiscate things like knowledge, magical energy, divinity, and skills as spoils of war.
As long as he could kill his way to an Authority similar to the Ring of Usurpation, he could get his hands on the Three-God-Garment very soon.
The youth, who had long wanted to create the Three-God-Garment but had yet to gather the corresponding divinities of balance and destruction, mused to himself.
After all—
I reckon divinity is also a spoil of war and can be taken away.
---o---
"Now, due to certain changes, the Astral Plane that could monitor all of humanity has lost its observation function. Wouldn't it be too much of a waste not to take this opportunity to find him and kill him?"
The youth smiled, his interest in the God of Steel—who could potentially drop an Authority with power similar to the divine Ring of Usurpation—piqued beyond measure.
The canine teeth revealed between his lips glinted with a cold light.
The sight was reminiscent of a vicious beast that had scented the sweet aroma of fresh blood and was preparing to hunt.
"Do you... need my help?"
Lord Pluto, who was likely one of the most good-natured among the God-Slayers, had a voice thick with killing intent.
She was well aware that Li Zihan was hiding many secrets that needed to be investigated.
But—
At this moment, she had learned of the existence of the Heretical Susanoo.
Using his geographical advantage to watch humanity like monkeys, and even planting his own puppet within the ranks of the God-Slayers...
Clearly, the Heretical Susanoo was a much bigger draw for Lord Pluto's attention—or rather, her hatred.
The youth, who would definitely be heading to the Far East next, stood up and stretched.
"When the time comes, I will naturally inform you."