Chapter 417: Hime-Miko
The Netherworld.
"Is this really alright? Leaking such information will also attract other Campiones."
The woman clad in a twelve-layered ceremonial robe—Princess Yuri—frowned as she spoke.
"It shouldn't be a problem. Everything has already been negotiated."
The one who answered was a rugged man wearing coarse traditional clothing—Susanoo.
Under normal circumstances, if Campiones heard about the appearance of a Heretic God somewhere, they would never let it slide.
Some would come purely out of a sense of justice, to prevent destruction.
Some came simply for the sake of a challenge, driven by their combative nature.
Others merely enjoyed hunting gods, seeking to acquire more Authorities.
This time, however, it was estimated that only one Campione would be drawn here—the sect leader from Jiangnan.
After all, the bait that was thrown out was related to the myths of that region, and that sect leader would absolutely not sit idly by.
As for Marquis Voban, he was particularly dangerous and combative, and under normal circumstances, he would never pass up an opportunity to hunt a Heretic God.
However, Marquis Voban and Luo Hao of Jiangnan were especially at odds; if they met, they would inevitably engage in a fierce battle.
Unless absolutely necessary, Marquis Voban did not want to fight this sect leader.
It wasn't that Marquis Voban feared her, but rather that if they fought, neither side could completely kill the other, which would ultimately delay many matters.
Especially since Marquis Voban was recently preparing to summon a Heretic God again—an opportunity he couldn't afford to miss.
Summoning a Heretic God wasn't something that could be done at any time; it required a specific timing, and with that time approaching, he didn't want to miss it.
Of course, to ensure Marquis Voban didn't actually get involved, they had also agreed to provide him with Hime-Miko.
What about the other Campiones?
Lady Aisha was said to have once again traveled to an unknown place through a random cave, while the Underworld King John and Black Prince Alexander were also unlikely to come due to some matters.
It might be related to Lady Aisha's caves; there seemed to be some hidden secret there.
That left only one remaining Campione—Salvatore Doni, a man who did as he pleased, a Campione who had little interest in anything besides fighting.
He was the most likely to show up.
However, he would be no match for Sect Leader Luo Hao.
In fact, if he appeared, he might cause some trouble for Sect Leader Luo Hao, which would give them some room to maneuver.
Otherwise, the sheer power of Sect Leader Luo Hao made it difficult for them to interfere in the mortal world.
What about the Prometheus Secret Art?
They had already obtained it—from Pandora.
Although that woman was very reluctant to hand it over, they currently shared a common goal—to prevent the awakening of The Last King—so she had no choice but to give it to him.
After all, it was Susanoo and other Heretic Gods who had hidden and sealed away The Last King.
"I hope to minimize unnecessary casualties."
Princess Yuri could only sigh in resignation.
She increasingly felt that cooperating with these people from the beginning had been a mistake, leaving her powerless in the current situation.
"Don't worry, humans are resilient. This nation won't be destroyed~"
Susanoo said this while drinking large gulps of alcohol, laughing heartily.
His behavior only deepened Princess Yuri's disgust.
Indeed, this nation probably wouldn't be destroyed—after all, it was the human nation he had painstakingly managed to infiltrate and manipulate from the shadows, a country convenient for his schemes.
If it were destroyed, wouldn't that be equivalent to cutting off one of his own arms?
As long as it could generally still serve his purposes, how many humans died meant nothing to him.
Near Tokyo Tower stood a shrine—Shichiyu Shrine.
A brown-haired girl wearing a white top and red hakama entered a waiting car.
This vehicle belonged to the [History Compilation Committee], which had invited her to visit Seitengū.
Actually, she was accompanying someone in her capacity as a guardian—her elementary school-aged sister.
Her sister was also a talented Hime-Miko.
The so-called Hime-Miko were shrine maidens who inherited bloodlines from Witches known as God's Ancestors. Due to this lineage, they possessed innate spiritual abilities from birth.
Although her sister was still young, she had already demonstrated considerable talent, making early training preferable.
The older sister herself had begun her training away from home at the same age.
Now her sister was supposed to undergo training at Seitengū.
But was that truly the case?
Early this morning, while combing her hair—Mariya Yuri—the comb suddenly broke, which she took as a warning that something unfortunate might soon occur.
She should have refused this matter, but couldn't—the other party insisted strongly, and as a Hime-Miko without powerful family backing, she couldn't resist.
Additionally, Hime-Miko had the duty to protect this world, and Hikari had agreed to go.
Thus, she became the guardian accompanying her sister, determined to protect Hikari with her life if anything happened.
"Sister? What's wrong?"
"Nothing"
"Yuri, don't be too nervous. You'll make Hikari-chan nervous too"
The speaker was a beautiful person in a suit—so handsome they could make even men question themselves. In reality, this was a Hime-Miko who dressed as a man.
She and Mariya Yuri had trained as Hime-Miko during the same period—her name was Sayanomiya Kaoru.
She currently served as director of the Tokyo branch of this country's History Compilation Committee, a pivotal figure holding power over the Kanto committee.
Mariya Yuri never imagined this fellow shrine maiden would become someone she had to look up to.
However, the other party was also the next heir of one of this country's four great families.
"Mmm"
"So, relax~"
Kaoru smiled, trying to infect her friend with her own relaxed atmosphere.
In truth, Kaoru also felt somewhat uneasy about this sudden request.
Logically, they shouldn't be this rushed—she sensed there might be some other purpose behind it all.
This might be related to those hidden in the Netherworld, as the "History Compilation Committee" was actually established by those very individuals.
Therefore, they would soon welcome another person to join them—a shrine maiden from the same generation as her and Yuri, named Kiyokawa Hena.
The fact that she was also coming made Kaoru suspect it was related to a Heretic God—specifically, the Heretic God enshrined in her family, Susanoo.
It felt like some kind of conspiracy!