Initial Report on the 7th Campione and the Washington Incident.
Report Written by: Thomas Andre, 6th Seat of the Knights of the Round Table and Head of the Department of Tombs of the Illuminati Society.
*Simplified version of the Report would be delivered to the High-Ranking Members of the Illuminati Society
Report is being sent to the: Knights of the Round Table and Executives of the Illuminati Society.
I, Thomas Andre, 6th Seat of the Knights of the Round Table of the Illuminati Society, was tasked with the description of the events that transpired during the birth of the newest Devil King.
I hereby give my report on the now-named "Washington Incident" that took place on 17. 08. In 2008, in Washington, D.C., United States of America, when Heretic God Odin, God King of the Aesir and Chief God of the Nordic Pantheon.
On the incriminated date, Heretic God descended down in the city, unbeknownst to anyone else, as the Heretic God was concealing his descent to the world. The fight between the Heretic God and the person who was to become the newest Campione took place on the roof of one of the high-rise buildings in the city.
It was noted that despite the previous occasions when the Heretic Gods descended to the world, there was almost no to no destruction of the environment. From the statement of the newest Campione, there isn't much known about the concrete fight between the Heretic God and the newest Campione, aside from the known result.
Because of my power as one of the Grand Knights of the Illuminati Society and one of the strongest Mage Knights of the Magic World, aside from the Magic Saints, I was tasked by the Society to submit a report on the newest Campione.
After careful deliberation and observations of the newest Campione, and a fight with the Heretic God Odin. It wasn't every day that one had the opportunity to witness the birth of the Supreme King of the Magic World.
Tsuchimikado Yakou, born in Japan, date unknown, the only known thing is that he is twenty-five years old. It is confirmed that he grew up on the mundane side of the world and had no contact with the Magic World until he was 17 or 18 years old; the precise year is unknown.
The newest Campione is a very talented Onmyōji and Mage, belonging to the category of Campiones who were already experienced Mages before they became Campione. Aside from Black Prince Alec and Luo Hao, he is the third Campione to be supernatural before becoming Campione.
During the fight with the Heretic God Odin, His Majesty showcased much cunning and ruthlessness when he bet his own life to kill the Heretic God. In regard to personality, His Majesty is very similar to the Marquise Voban, due to his ruthlessness toward his enemies, which is mainly attributed to his previous work for the Yakuza, assassination organizations, and primarily for the Momobami Clan, but also lately worked for the Mamyia Family when the former Head of Family died.
Contrary to the other Campiones that were generally uninterested in the aspect of Rulerships, one of the first things done by the new Campione Tsuchimikado Yakou was joining the Illuminati Society as the King of the Round Table with the 13th Seat behind the Round Table.
His Majesty is immensely interested in politics and managing the internal affairs of the Illuminati Society and American politics. I had the honor of becoming the sparring partner of the newest Campione and experiencing firsthand the terror of the Campione. Their Magic Resistance toward all sources of the Mortal Magic is frightening, far more than one would have thought.
I can solely confirm that His Majesty is a very combative person, probably no less than Lord Salvatore Doni, most probably as the inheritance trait from the Heretic God Odin, as it was confirmed by His Majesty Himself that he obtained the Legacy of the God-King Odin.
Another trait of His Majesty is his obsession with Magic and magical knowledge. During the first few days as Campione, His Majesty spent most of the time studying Magic, which he was picking up with frightening speed. If not becoming Campione, His Majesty would have certainly become a Magic Saint before the age of forty.
One of the things that His Majesty inherited from Odin are the two Odin's ravens, Huginn and Munnin, that act as his Familiars or Shikigami and accompany His Majesty everywhere he goes.
Despite the fact that His Majesty is Japanese, he has no ties to Japan in any form, which could be mainly attributed to the destruction of the Tsuchimikado Clan at the hands of the Seishuuin Family and Kuhoutsuka Family of the History Compiliation Committee.
It is still unknown if His Majesty harbors any animosity toward the Seishuuin Family and the Kuhoutsuka Family of the History Compilation Committee. From the Knights of the Round Table, I can safely say that I have developed some sort of friendship with the newest Campione, and much to the surprise of the other Seats of the Round Table.
His Majesty is also very interested in developing the Magic Corps of the U.S. Military, and to the surprise of many, His Majesty willingly participated in several missions of the Illuminati Society and the U.S. Military against criminal organizations backed by Mages or against the organizations of Dark Mages.
Summary of the Report of the "Initial Report on the 7th Campione and the Washington Incident" written by Thomas Andre, the 6th Seat of the Knights of Round Table and Head of Department of Combat of the Illuminati Society.
***
United States of America, Washington D.C., Around One Month Later, October 2008
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States.
The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with Maryland to its north and east. It was named after George Washington, the first president of the United States. The district is named for Columbia, the female personification of the nation.
Washington D.C. served both as the capital of the United States and as the headquarters of the Illuminati Society, which had its headquarters deep under the city, in an underground complex that was built several kilometers beneath the U.S. capital.
It was built together with the city, as the outlines for the headquarters for the Illuminati Society started in 1801, together with the Congress passing the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, which officially organized the district and placed the entire territory under the exclusive control of the federal government.
For the past month, Yakou has been spending them mostly by familiarizing himself with his new powers as Campione or studying Magic from the archives of the Illuminati Society. He joined the Illuminati Society with everything, and he got the 13th Seat as the Knight of the Round Table.
Aside from being the Campione of the Magic Association, he also had a formal position within the Magic Association, and he was very active in the decision-making and policy-making process. He also got citizenship of the USA for a mundane purpose, and over time, he got acquainted with the higher-ups of the Association and the country.
Though...
Sometimes the lines were blurred between the two.
Even though there were overall thirteen seats, the 8th Seat, the 9th Seat, the 10th Seat, the 11th Seat, and the 12th Seat were empty right now because the Society wasn't able to find a suitable candidate for the seats.
From what he learned about the Illuminati Society, even though they had a much higher proportion of non-Mages, their highest ranks that non-Mages could achieve within the Association were to become a member of the Executive Board.
To become one of the Seats of the Round Table...
It was an overly complicated and arduous process.
From the current seats, the ones he had most contact with were Thomas Andre and Keira Clark, because both of them were most martially-oriented from the current seats of the Round Table.
Though lately he was also a lot in contact with the 3rd Seat of the Round Table, Eve Rockefeller, who was one of the few Rockefellers who became a Mage, because most members of their family didn't have an aptitude for it.
She was a pretty serious type of person, though she was also very smart and cunning, the exact type that one didn't want to have as their enemy. She was also someone who shared his obsession...
Power.
Though...
This was also applied to General Cark because the General of the Magic Corps of the U.S. Military was obsessed with power and getting stronger like there was no tomorrow, and thus, they often sparred together.
Yakou needed to control his power a lot, because he was Campione, and even a casual punch from him could bring down some huge buildings like the U.S. Capitol if he wasn't careful. Yakou was someone who believed that all knowledge was useful, and he was learning from the Seats of the Round Table.
Even though he was Campione and knew the power of the Divine Authorities, he didn't plan to abandon everything in his arsenal in favour of the Divine Authorities. While mortal Magic or some Arts couldn't compare to the Divine Authorities in terms of sheer raw power, they were still immensely useful.
Not to mention...
Even some random Spell cast by Campione contained tremendous power. So during this time, Yakou was learning everything he could, and with one of the Divine Authorities obtained from Odin, the Divine Authority:Mímir's Well, it became extremely easy.
Fortunately, due to the All-Seeing Eyes of God, he didn't lose one of his eyes when he drank from Mímir's Well, even though it was only a conceptual one. Still, aside from training and so on, he also participated in a few combat missions together with Keira Clark.
Now that the Illuminati Society has obtained the backing of the Campione, they have started expanding and are even dealing with some problems that were previously left unaddressed.
Obviously, this was something that was discussed during the meetings of the Knights of the Round Table, and while nobody asked it directly, Yakou joined on his own. First, he wanted to demonstrate his power to everyone, in and outside...
Secondly, he wanted to contribute to the Magic Association in a more direct way so that he would be taken as a true member of the Association and not just some lofty King sitting on his throne.
This was more or less some whim of his, but he had to admit that it was a pretty interesting experience. The first thing that the Illuminati Society decided was to deal with the Mexican Cartels operating in the United States, as many of them were directly connected to some Dark Mage Guilds and Associations.
Previously, due to the lack of Campione, the Society refrained from taking the most drastic measures, but now...
The tables have turned, and the situation is far different from what it was in the past. Now that they had the backing of the Campione, they could do many things that wouldn't be possible in the past.
What made it worse for their enemies was the fact that the Campione himself was leading the charge and coordinating his efforts with General Clark, who had been given special authority by the U.S. Senate to systematically deal with these elements.
President Jacob Grey, in a speech to the Senate, declared martial law, supported by the Senate with a vote of 100:0. Yakou found it rather interesting... usually, it was the Republicans or Democrats who hated each other, but once the power of the Campione was on the board, everyone behaved like good schoolchildren.
Though it was no wonder.
Anyone with half a functioning brain could see that the newest Campione was much different from the previous ones and that he was meddling in practically everything. Not to mention, American politicians understood that having such Campione on their side was a tremendous advantage for their nation, like never seen before.
Just one week after the announcement, the Special Operation Code Name: Dragon, which was the Mage-Knight Blazer Corps under General Keira Clark, started sweeping operations against the criminal elements in the southern area of the United States.
It was something in which Yakou eagerly participated as he got a good opportunity to test the limits of the Magic Resistance towards the Mortal Magic and also the Steel Body Divine Authority, because...
Wel...
It seemed that there were a lot of Mages on the enemy side, but no matter what they were doing, everything was futile against the Campione. They managed to root out many criminal elements, and President Grey used this event to boost his rating.
He was starting his third year of his first term, and his popularity was stagnating for some time, but after the clean-out on the southern border, the numbers went through the roof. One of the welcomed benefits was that they seized all of the assets that the enemies of the state possessed.
Though the biggest surprise was that, they managed to find one of the bases of the Oración Seis, which was one of the largest Dark Mage Organizations in the world. Many of them were cultists of the evil entities and worshipped Evil Gods or used Magic for the most evil purposes that one could imagine.
Dark Mages were a particular type of Mages in the Magic World. Most of them were termed such because they broke some sort of taboo or were committing unspeakable crimes with the Magic; some even went mad from the overuse of the Dark Magic or conducting forbidden rituals.
The Dark Mages were often gathering together to fight back against the orthodox Magic Associations, though, for example, Marquise Voban was known to shelter a good number of Dark Mages over the period of history if they presented him with something valuable.
Because Oración Seis was one of the biggest Dark Mage Guilds in the entire world, they possessed a lot of Magic Knowledge and Lore. Even from the random base that they managed to raid in Texas, the Illuminati Society obtained a really nice amount of knowledge.
This was the typical approach of the Illuminati Society when it came to procuring more knowledge, Grimoires, and Magic Tomes on Magic. The Illuminati Society was very young compared to the major Magic Associations like Witengamot, various Knight Orders, or a few others.
The Illuminati Society was making up for it with their sheer influence in the mundane side of the world. Many of their leaders were aware of the fact that they were losing on the front of heritage, but they were making up for it with their influence and power in the mundane side of the world.
It was rather surprising how much they could achieve with powerful technology on their side, combined with the presence of Mages and Knights. In the cooperation between the two, they were able to destroy many of their opponents and assimilate their knowledge.
Right now, Yakou was as usually spending his time in the library of the Illuminati Society in their headquarters, though he wasn't alone as he was together with Eve Rockefeller. Both he and the blonde, short-haired woman were looking intently at the Tome that she was reading.
"So, what is on the program of today?"
Yakou asked as he was reading the Tome. The effects of Mímir's Well lasted only two hours per day, if he really stretched it out, and now, he had a few last minutes of the effects, and he wasn't wasting even a second.
The good thing about this Divine Authority that he had obtained from Odin was that it could be trained, and the time it was effective could be prolonged with enough training and usage of the Divine Authority.
Yakou, as the newest Campione, spent a lot of time training his Divine Authorities. Though the one that he was training the most was his single offensive Divine Authority, Gungnir: The Spear of Heaven, which has proved to be an extremely powerful Divine Authority in terms of attacking power.
Gungnir: The Spear of Heaven has proved to be very effective, be it in its passive mode or when he used the active ability of the Gungnir: The Spear of Heaven, which was called "Declaration of Great God" when he would unleash one devastating attack that was able to ignore all of the defenses.
Divine or not.
"Grey wants to annex Canada as the 51st State of the Union, and right now, he is gathering political support for that."
Canada was a country in North America. It's ten provinces and three territories extended from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's second-largest country by total area, with the world's longest coastline. Its border with the United States was the world's longest international land border.
The country was characterized by a wide range of both meteorological and geological regions. With a population of over 41 million people, it had widely varying population densities, with the majority residing in urban areas and large areas of the country being sparsely populated.
Even though Canada was technically speaking, part of the Commonwealth and fell iunde the Royal Crown of Great Britain, it was an independent country in everything. Aside from the pure imperialist intentions of several politicians in the USA, the reason for Canada becoming another State of the Union was to connect the homeland of the United States with Alaska.
Canada also possessed enormous natural resources like Gas, Oil, and other minerals that were of strategic importance. Yakou wasn't really surprised that Jacob Grey was interested in expanding the territory of the United States.
It would be a historic achievement for the American President to expand the territory of the United States.
The last U.S. president to significantly expand the territory of the United States was William McKinley.
Under McKinley's presidency, the United States acquired several overseas territories as a result of the Spanish-American War in 1898. This expansion marked a shift from continental expansion to overseas imperialism.
However, Jacob Grey's ambition was far higher than that of McKinley, and he sought to annex Canada. Among the Knights of the Round Table, it was no secret that Grey also aspired to annex Greenland and several Caribbean Islands.
Yakou learned about the differences between the Magic Associations around the world, but the integration of the Illuminati Society with the nation in which they resided reached a different level.
Though considering the origins of the Illuminati Society and their rather loose heritage in the Magical Origins, they needed to compensate for it in another way. Compared to the old Associations like the Witenagemot, various Knight Orders, or the Holy See, their Magical Foundation was much weaker.
"Does he want help with this directly from me?"
Yakou asked as he finished reading the Magic Tome and put it away.
"Only against the Witenagemot, Your Majesty. It's clear that once the process starts through the subverting operation and manipulation of public narrative, the Witenagemot would immediately start countering our influence, and as much as the public is aware, Your Majesty is only the patron of the society. They are not aware that you are part of the organization and one of the Knights of the Round Table."
Eve Rockefeller answered, because right now, aside from the Knights of the Round and from the members of the Executive Board, nobody was aware that Tsuchimikado Yakou was also a direct part of the Magic Association and part of their highest leadership.
Directly.
"Witenagemot... this could be a good opportunity to extort some resources out of them."
Yakou saw the potential conflict with the Witenagemot as something good because, through this, he could obtain more Magical Knowledge when there was conflict with the Witenagemot.
Attacking the Headquarters of the Witenagemot was also a possible option, but...
Yakou always found this rather suspicious. These Magic Associations with very long lineage and history managed to withstand the passage of time and survived many Campiones, so maybe his paranoia was getting ahead of him...
But he was feeling that they must have some trump cards in their sleeves in case they were pushed too hard by some Campione. While it was clear that the Magic Associations couldn't stand against the power of Campione, there were also other means of fighting back.
Nobody could guarantee that there were some very powerful Relics capable of injuring even Heretic Gods and Campiones. When he was still in Japan, he once heard, though not from any very refined source, that the History Compilation Committee had two trump cards.
Susanoo, a Heretic God who was backing the History Compilation Committee, and apparently, they also managed somehow to seal another Heretic God, one of the more powerful ones, Sun Wukong.
Previously, Yakou didn't take these words very seriously, but after he joined the Illuminati Society, he learned from Dairenji Shidou, who also somehow ended up in America, that these rumors were actually true.
Obviously, Susanoo was their real trump card, and due to some circumstances that were also unknown to the former leader of the Twin Horn Syndicate, the Heretic God couldn't easily act and descend into the world.
And another Heretic God that was sealed in Japan, Sun Wukong, was their true last resort, because once he was released from the seal, the first ones that the Heretic God would slaughter would be the members of the History Compilation Committee.
"Anything else?"
Among the Knights of the Round Table, every Knight was taking care of something. Everyone had some area of influence that they were managing in the name of the Illuminati Society, and Eve Rockefeller was overseeing the Department of Vaultbank.
Basically, she was managing the resources, money, treasures, and anything of value that was obtained by the Illuminati Society. Right now, due to the ongoing operation against the Dark Mage Guilds and Orácion Seis, she apparently has a lot of work.
"I would like to ask Your Majesty to accompany me to the Tomb of the Feather Serpent that was discovered in the depths of Mexico."
Tombs.
Tomb was a magical place that was seethed in Magic, and it wasn't much different from the concept of a Dungeon in fantasy literature. Most of these Tombs were also materialized from the myths and legends that appeared in the world.
Sometimes they appeared together with the Heretic God, or sometimes, just the Tomb alone materialized and descended from the mythos. The Tombs were homes to the Divine Beasts, creatures of Mythology, or just traps and other things.
Many of the precious Relics, Magic Tomes and Grimoires were obtained from the Tombs by Mages that were brave enough to enter them. Yakou knew that in Japan, only a few Tombs appeared, and most were connected to the Heretic Gods in one way or another.
Thus, they were considered a no-go zone.
The History Compilation Committee managed to clear out one Tomb and obtained from it the knowledge and power to resist and exterminate even the old Clans like the Tsuchimikado Clan.
"As you wish... at least I can get a chat with Keira."
Yakou agreed rather easily, as Even noticeably scoffed at the mention of her fellow Seat of the Round Table. It was no secret that Keira Clark and Eve Rockefeller were not really fond of each other for many reasons.
There were only two women among the active members of the Round Table. Yakou managed to learn that Keira Clark viewed Eve as a weakling who knew only how to scheme and plot, not to mention that she was often calling her an entitled brat.
And Eve Rockefeller, on the other hand, viewed Keira as a brute who only knew how to fight and was useless for anything else that didn't require violence. Apparently, this rivalry or fre-enmity was something that had lasted many years already, since their youth.
Nevertheless, this wasn't something that he was interested in, as getting into their conflict would do him no good and only bring annoyance and trouble.
Right now, he was rather eager to enter the Tomb of Feathered Serpent... even though the Mages of the Illuminati Society had confirmed that there were no traces of the Heretic Gods; at least, there could be some powerful Magic Relics or something.
Another reason why someone high-ranking, such as Eve Rockefeller, was going to personally go to Mexico, even despite the tense relationship between the United States and Mexico, was the amount of treasures and several vaults that the Society seized from the Orácion Seis.
***
Two Days Later, Private Jet of Momobami Clan, Sovereign Airspace of the United States of America
For the Momobami Clan, this was a great bet on their future.
Their entire Clan was based in Japan and belonged to the highest elite of Japan, and their financial influence on the nation was even above that of the History Compilation Committee, but at the same time, compared to the might of the Magic Association, they were just a bunch of elite criminals.
Yet, the thirst for power was something that was natural for every human being.
Greed was a great motivator.
For the Momobami Clan, this was especially true.
From ordinary rōnin to one of the first criminal organizations.
In feudal Japan, a rōnin, 'drifter' or 'wandering man', lit. 'unrestrained or dissolute person'.
Rōnin was a samurai who had no lord or master and in some cases, had also severed all links with his family or clan. A samurai became a rōnin upon the death of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or legal privilege.
During the late years of the Edo period, the -bami Clans started merging together, until they created the Momobami Clan in 1851 and became Yakuza. And then during the time of World War 1, they transitioned to a semi-legal entity, and then, during and after World War II, they became one of the most powerful Clans in Japan.
Not only involved in the criminal underworld, but also in the rest of society. The Momobami Clan emerged as an economic hegemon, with numerous industries that had developed following the end of the war.
Most of them were established from the generational wealth of the Momobami Clan, which originated from illicit sources, until they became one of the wealthiest families not only in Japan but also in the world.
In Japan, the entire criminal underworld was strictly controlled by strict rules, and many businesses and corporations were directly or indirectly owned by the Clan.
Yet for the Momobami Clan, this wasn't enough.
They longed to become an entity with real power.
No matter what, despite everything, they were just an ordinary family with a little bit of power in front of true hegemons. Mage Families and Lineage of Mages that dictated the rules and wielded true power.
Kirari Momobami was more ambitious than the previous Clan Heads, not to mention she was also more intelligent and ruthless than most of the heads of terrorist organizations in the Middle East.
Now, due to the unforeseen circumstances that could be attributed to pure luck, the opportunity has presented itself to the Momobami Clan. Who would have thought that the man with whom she was occasionally sleeping around would become Campione?
Supreme Ruler of the World.
Devil King.
Godslayer.
Pinnacle of Humanity.
It was also attributed to the luck that she became pregnant, as she didn't want the man in question to use condoms, or she herself wasn't taking any pill. There was a certain kind of thrill in the gamble of her becoming pregnant or not.
Not to mention, the Momobami Clan needed han eir.
And Tsuchimikado Yakou was a very powerful Mage and a descendant of the prestigious Tsuchimikado Clan.
However, the situation developed itself even beyond her wildest expectations.
"We will soon be landing in Washington, Momobami-sama."
Suddenly, the eyes of Kirari Momobami opened as she looked at the middle-aged man with silverish hair, who belonged to one of the branches of the Momobami Clan, the Honebami Branch.
The Honebami Branch was acting as the Enforcers of the Momobami Clan, and all of their members were trained as assassins and killers from a very young age. When there was a need to use force, a brutal and raw force of the Clan, then it would be left to the Honebami Clan.
"I understand, Igor-san."
Igor Yevgenyevich Jovanovich, originally a member of the KGB during the era of the Soviet Union, belonged to one of their cleaners. People who were tasked by the KGB to eliminate targets from within the USSR or foreign elements.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, he became one of the Captains of Bratva. After the annihilation of the branch of Bratva that he was leading, he fled to Japan and became a prominent member of the Yakuza.
He joined the Honebami Family after he married the heiress of the family, and right now, he is the Patriarch of the Honebami Family. As the Head of the Honebami Family, he was also in charge of the security for the Momobami Family and had oversight over everything related to the usage of brute force.
Kirari knew that, due to the internal strife of the Momobami Clan, even though she was Clan Head of the Momobami Clan, there were many who were eager to see her fall so they could take her place.
She didn't doubt that many had already begun planning something in the dark.
But...
In front of absolute power, it was useless.
And because she was, or would be, the mother of Campione's child, she was untouchable in the entire Supernatural World. Nobody wanted to enrage Campione, because enraged Campione was a terrifying sight.
When Campiones lost all of their reasoning, the only ones who could stop them were other Campiones or Heretic Gods.
If they were powerful enough to do so.
And now, there was the possibility of the Momobami Clan joining the Magic Association as their full-fledged members due to her special status. In Japan, there was no way that the History Compilation Committee would let the Non-Mage family join them, or rather, to become part of the leadership.
She understood that the Mages were inherently proud and looked down on the normal humans.
Rather greatly to that extent.
As soon as the plane landed down at Andrews Air Force Base.
Andrews Air Force Base is the airfield portion of Joint Base Andrews, which is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force.
Andrews, located near Morningside, Maryland, in suburban Washington, D.C., was the home base of two Boeing VC-25A aircraft with the call sign Air Force One when the President is on board, which serve the President of the United States.
Obviously, due to the special nature of their visit, they were landing at the Air Force Base and not at the commercial airport. From there on, they would be escorted by a military escort consisting of the U.S. Army and several troops from the Magic Corps Regiment.
Evidently, the Illuminati Society was going all out when they were informed that Kirari Momobami was carrying King's child. Nothing was left to the accident, and security was even tighter than when the U.S. President himself was going somewhere.
In the Airbase, even the 6th Seat of the Knights of the Round Table, Thomas Andre, was personally waiting to receive them.
Not like he was excited to act as bodyguard, but if the girl's words were true, then there was no other way around it. The Momobami Clan had too many enemies outside and within, so they needed to protect themselves.
The only thing that was a shame was that the child was conceived when Tsuchimikaod Yakou was just an ordinary Mage and not a Campione. If it were otherwise, then the strategic value of a child born to Campione would be immense.
Even though the children of Campione wouldn't inherit the traits of their parents, like their Divine Authorities or most of their abilities... they were still like beloved children of Heavens.
Their lifespan would be naturally much longer than that of an average human, and their talent in Magic and combat was usually out of the charts.
At the same time, the children of Campione could easily reach the so-called Human Limit and become the "Saints", and some, after some rigorous training, could even reach the realm of Divine Ancestors and High-Level Divine Beasts if they were lucky and were born with higher talent and higher concentration of Divine Blood.
One of the most famous cases was the founder of the Copper-Black Cross Order based in Naples.
The Copper-Black Cross Order was one of the numerous magical societies that descended from the legendary Knights Templar, which covered much of Europe in Medieval times. Like their ancestors, they also act as a financial institution, managing several businesses as a corporation, and use that as their cover in the non-magical world.
The Copper-Black Cross Order was stated to be one of the strongest descendants of the Knights Templar. Its founder was the illegitimate son of a Campione and an ancestor of the Blandelli family.
César Blandelli.
The man in question lived for more than three centuries and developed the Copper-Black Cross Order into a very powerful Magic Association and Knight Order. Not to mention, the Blandelli Family ruled the entire Knight Order till now, and they were producing one Great Knight or Great Mage after another, with many Saints being produced by them.
For any Magic Association that has the Blood of Campione among them, it would mean that any of their descendants would reach the levels of Magisters of Magic or the Grand Knight at a minimum.
So, practically, everyone was eager to have a Blood of Campione among them because it represented the collective strength of the Magic Association.
Thomas Andre was aware of the Momobami Clan to a certain extent and knew that they were basically overglorious gangsters. However, he himself didn't really care about that, because it was nothing of his concern.
He only cared about their power and usefulness, and he had to admit that it was very high, as the Momobami Clan essentially controlled the entire criminal underworld of Japan with an iron hand, and even on the legal side of the business, they belonged to one of the richest families in the world.
Not to mention obtaining some influence within Japan would be good for the Illuminati, as the History Compilation Committee was holding the reins on Japanese politics, and even though the USA and Japan were allies...
Alliances could often break.
The Momobami also had a lot of influence in the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces, and even though Japan belonged to the defeated nations after World War II, due to the power of their Mages, they never really surrendered.
On the contrary...
In Asia, Japan had the second strongest and largest army and was considered the local hegemon due to the quality and quantity of its forces. Obviously, even then, most of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces fell under the influence of the History Compiliation Committee, but there was still a good part that fell under the influence of the Momobami Clan.
Thomas knew that Tsuchimikado Yakou was still Japanese, and the grudge between him and the History Compilation Committee ran deep. If it were him, he would have probably wiped them out at the very first opportunity that he got.
Although it seemed that the newest Campione was biding his time on that one, and maybe it was a good decision, it became contrary to the other Magic Associations; the Illuminati Society also needed to take into account the development of the Mundane World.
If the newest Supreme King wiped out the entire History Compilation Committee, then the relationship between the USA and the Japanese Empire would reach rock bottom, which would be, in turn, disastrous for the American influence in the Pacific.
So, from the pragmatic standpoint, it was a good thing, but he was sure that the newest Godslayer was scheming something. Thomas thought that Tsuchimikado Yakou was such a type...
The scheming one.
More dangerous than the ones that fought directly head-on without care for anything in the world. Not to mention, he was also pretty ruthless, probably not really that far from the old man Voban.
Nevertheless, the business of the Campione was not his own, and if His Majesty wanted to annihilate the entire History Compiliation Committee, then the Illuminati Society could only support the notion.
And find out how they could profit from it.
Because, certainly, the destruction of the Magic Association would be a big thing, and for the Illuminati Society, it was an even bigger thing, because they would be able to assimilate the legacy and foundation of the destroyed Magic Association.
***
Japan, Japanese Alps, Hida Mountains, Mount Hotakade
The Japanese Alps are a series of mountain ranges in Japan that bisect the main island of Honshu. The peaks that towered over central Honshu have long been the object of veneration and pilgrimage.
These mountains had long been exploited by local people for raw materials, including timber, fuel, fertilizer, fodder, meat, minerals, and medicines. Many visitors have come to the mountains for pilgrimage, especially to the Buddhist temples located within them and the sacred peak of Mount Tate.
The Japanese Alps encompass the Hida Mountains, the Kiso Mountains, and the Akaishi Mountains. These towering ranges include several peaks exceeding 3,000 m in height, the tallest after Mount Fuji. The highest are Mount Hotaka at 3,190 m in the northern area and Mount Kita at 3,193m in the southern area.
Since Mount Ontake was far from the Hida Mountains, it is generally not included in the Hida Mountains, but it was often mentioned together with the Japanese Alps in mountain guidebooks.
Mount Ontake was well known as an active volcano.
The Japanese Alps belonged to one of the most remote and secluded parts of Japan, and it was very hard to access them. In the modern age, there were not many visitors to these mountains, and over time, due to their very harsh conditions, they were even abandoned by the Mages and Magic Associations.
Everything in the Japanese Alps was covered by snow, and it was freezing. In the depths of Mount Hotakadake, carved inside the sturdy stone of the mountain range, there was a hideout.
It was constructed in the style of the ancient Japanese house and protected by massive, powerful wards. Observing the tranquility of the Hida Mountain Range was a middle-aged man wearing a black kimono and having a very stern expression on his face.
He had short black hair and black eyes, and despite his looks, he was one of the most powerful Onmyōji in all of Japan. As he was observing the Hida Mountains, suddenly a pair of ravens landed in front of him. The Black-colored Raven looked at the man and then started waving its wings theatrically.
"Greetings, human! We bring a message from His Supreme Majesty, the glorious and strongest one! Our Master, the 7th Campione! For the remnants of the Tsuchimikado Clan to relocate to the United States and join the Illuminati."
The ravens were Huginn and Muninn, both of whom were remanded in the world after Odin was slain, and they were then contracted by the newest Campione, who was entrusted with the care of the ravens by Odin.
"Yes, yes! So pack up your things and carry out the order of our Master! And give us treats! We still have a long way before us!!!"
The white raven flapped its wings and started talking, and soon enough, both ravens were rambling about various things, as the man who was sitting in the cavern looked at them with a complicated expression.
Tsuchimikado Yasazumi was one of the very few surviving members of the Tsuchimikado Clan, and he was a distant relative of the Tsuchimikado Yakou. With the deaths of Yakou's parents, the only other member of the Main Branch of the Tsuchimikado Clan was Yakou.
The others who survived here and there were typically members of the Branch Families who managed to avoid death during World War II or the purge conducted by the Seishuuin Family, Kuhoutsuka Family, and the rest of the History Compiliation Committee.
There were still some members of the Tsuchimikado Clan who survived the purge, but most of them were scattered throughout Japan, hiding in the most remote corners of the country and hoping to be overlooked.
Even with the resources of the entire History Compilation Committee, it would be very hard to completely eradicate the Tsuchimikado Clan to the last member, as the Clan was simply too large and had too many Members.
At the same time, it was the Clan that had existed and operated within the borders of Japan for many centuries, and they were the descendants of Abe no Seimei. After he became the Campione, Yakou ordered Huginn and Muninn to scour Japan and search for the people with a Blood connection to him.
He did it for a rather simple reason: he was sure that there must be someone alive from the Clan. Though... unfortunately, the ravens were not particularly successful because even after everything, they managed to find only three people.
"As you wish."
The man sighed heavily because he didn't want to abandon the country. The reason why even those who survived the purge remained within Japan was simple. The Clan has lived here for many centuries; their very own identities were strongly tied to the nation, culture, and history of Japan.
For many, it was impossible to leave.
The duo of ravens then started rambling something about the greatness of their master and "asked" Yasazumi to feed them and give them some meat; nothing less than Wagyu A5 or other equal measure was acceptable for the ravens.
The man stared at the two birds in annoyance as he listened to them ordering him around, and he subconsciously released some of his Magic. Despite everything, he was still the proper Magister of Magic and a powerful Onmyōji.
"Aaaa, you know what, humans, we need to go away."
As soon as the two ravens sensed the power of Magic, Huginn stated with a panicked look.
"Just as Huginn said, there are still some people that we need to visit."
The white raven Muninn finished in place of Huginn as the two ravens were panicking now that they were fearing from possible harm.
Huginn & Muninn were very prideful and talkative, despite only being birds, they see humanity as inferior beings, and they take full advantage of their relationship with Odin, and now with Yakou, the newest Campione. However, since they are only a weak pair of ravens, they usually stop talking immediately when feeling threatened.
Instantly, they fled away from the dwelling of Yasazumi somewhere else, as they managed to find several more descendants of the Tsuchimikado Clan in Hokkaido, but there were not many of them.
Tsuchimikado Yasazumi was fairly powerful; he was Magister of Magic, which was a title for a Mage on the level of a Grand Knight. Yet, in front of the old liege like the History Compiliation Committee, he knew that it wasn't anything.
As one of the surviving members of the Tsuchimikado Clan who had access to at least a partial legacy of the Clan, he knew the reason why the History Compilation Committee and especially the Seishuuin Family and Kuhoutsuka Family dared to attack the Tsuchimikado Clan.
Support of the Heretic God and having Relics that were able to elevate some of their members to the level of Magister or Grand Knight was something that even the Tsuchimikado Clan lacked.
Especially the first one.
Even the Saints would fall in hundreds against the might of the Heretic Gods, not to mention the Magisters and Grand Knights. After the end of World War II, the strongest person who remained in the Tsuchimikado Clan was barely at the Grand Knight Level.
And the History Compilation Committee was preparing for their move for a very long time, that much was clear. The political friction between various families in Japan was common, just as it was practically everywhere.
The weak got devoured by the strong and perished.
The strong devoured the weak and got even stronger.
Such was the cycle of life.
***
Somewhere in Japan, Tokyo, Undisclosed Location, Headquarters of the History Compilation Committee, Unknown Time Period
The History Compilation Committee was founded during the Meiji period by one of the Four Families, Sayanomiya. Seishuuin Family, Kuhoutsuka Family, and Renjou Family joined at a late date.
All four families were long lineages of the Mage Families that were consolidating power and banded together to resist the pressure of the Tsuchimikado Clan that ruled the Magic scene of Japan for many centuries.
Now, though...
There were dark clouds gathering around the History Compiliation Committee, and it wasn't looking good for them.
New Campione was born and was of Japanese origin.
Unfortunately, it was a descendant of the Tsuchimikado Clan that was exterminated and destroyed by their Magic Association, mainly by the Seishuuin Family and Sayanomiya Family, who were most vocal in that.
What was worse was the reaction of the newest Campione as they heard the report about the meeting of the representative of the History Compilation Committee with the newest Campione.
Only the head was sent back.
This was more than enough for them to see the current stance of the newest Campione towards them. Not to mention, they lost one of their Grand Knights as one of the Elders of the Association was killed by Yakou on the spot.
They had to admit that the newest Devil King was more ruthless than they had thought, as he killed the messenger on the spot.
Which meant two things.
Firstly, Tsuchimikado Yakou didn't care about the History Compilation Committee and wasn't interested in having any kind of relationship with them. By extension, it was clear that it was only a matter of time iunitl he would personally attack them, most probably, and they would need to use their trump cards to survive.
Secondly, the new Campione was an extremely ruthless person and most likely approached the levels of the Marquise Voban, who had a tendency to execute people he didn't like.
This was rather a terrible eventuality because not only did someone who bore a strong animosity towards their Magic Association become Campione, but it also meant slaughtering someone who couldn't be manipulated and had rather a ruthless streak, like Marquise Voban or Luo Hao.
The Association sent one of their Elders to make contact with the Illuminati Society and request an audience with His Majesty. To that point, they dispatched Patriarch of the Renjou Family, who was also a Grand Knight, to the USA.
Several days later, only his severed head was delivered back.
Though contrary to their expectations, Tsuchimikado Yakou joined the Illuminati Society and started supporting them in their every move, often even participating in their attacks on the Dark Mages and Dark Guilds.
"Has there been any notable change to the movements of the newest 7th Campione?"
One of the Elders of the History Compilation Committee asked because, since the ascension of the 7th Campione was known, the Elders of the Magic Association couldn't sleep at night at all.
The fact that a descendant of the Tsuchimikado Clan managed to become Campione was the worst nightmare for the History Compilation Committee, especially for the members of the Seishuuin Family and Sayanomiya Family, who killed a lot of members of the Tsuchimikado Clan.
When the History Compilation Committee agreed to move against the Tsuchimikado Clan, they agreed on the basis that they would exterminate the entire Clan. Now, it seemed that some people slipped away, and now, it was highly problematic.
"According to the latest observations from our spies in America, the 7th is joining General Klark in the suppression operation of the Orácion Seis in Mexico."
The developments in the United States were troubling.
Normally, when Campione joined the Magic Association or affiliated himself with one, they wouldn't be really doing much for the Magic Association. Maximally, they would make a move when the very own existence of the Magic Association was threatened, but aside from that...
There was nothing.
Yet, this time, the newest Campion was breaking the tradition as he was actively helping the Magic Association to expand its reach and influence. During the past month, the Illuminati Society has already destroyed several branches of the Orácion Seis and even headed to fight them in their homeland in Mexico.
Not to mention, the USA was preparing to annex Canada, which would lead to an inevitable clash with the Witenagemot.
"There is something more to report."
The man who was reporting to the Elders of the History Compilation Committee suddenly said as he was preparing to leave.
"Several days earlier, the Clan Head of the Momobami Clan had departed for the USA again and met with the newest Campione and several other prominent members of the Society, among them even the members of the Knights of the Round Table. We also noticed that several compounds of the Momobami Clan are now being guarded by the Mages, mostly Americans, from what we can say."
Hearing that everyone cringed because this news wasn't good for them. In Japan, aside from the Seishuuin Family, Kuhoutsuka Family, Renjou Family, and Sayanomiya Family, there were only a few influential and rich families.
Among the few, there were some that, while not capable of challenging the might of any of the Four Families of the History Compilation Committee, were still capable of creating a lot of problems for them if they did not obey them.
***
Somewhere in the sovereign aerial territorial space of the United States of America, on the private jet of the Rockefeller Family
Originally, the private jet of the Rockefeller Family was heading toward Mexico to meet with General Keira Clark and excavate some ruins, but as they were flying over Texas, the news arrived.
Apparently, someone named Kirari Momobami arrived at Washington, D.C., and told the highest leadership of the Illuminati Society that the Momobami Clan wanted to join the Magic Association.
Which itself wouldn't be that much surprising.
What was surprising was the next thing that she said, and that she was pregnant with Campione's child.
This news was relayed to the Illuminati Society only half an hour before the Momobami's plane landed at the Andrews Air Force Base. The moment Yakou was told the nest, he ordered her to return to Washington almost instantly because he knew that the chances of her speaking the truth were rather high.
Yakou knew very well that the chances of her speaking the truth were rather high, but he indeed maintained a sexual relationship with the Clan Head of the Momobami Clan. Who knows why, but she did what she wanted, and he wouldn't say no to beautiful young women who showed interest in him for whatever reason.
Obviously, it was clear that it was not out of emotional reasons; she was too logical and pragmatic to be swayed just by her emotions alone. Nor did he care about it, and rather enjoyed the moments; it was also a pretty good boost for his ego to have such a woman interested in him.
Not only was she very beautiful, but she also had a very high social status, and her personality was exactly up to his tastes.
Ruthless, pragmatic, genius...
Kirari was also the first woman with whom he was on an intimate basis, as he didn't really have time for the frivolities of life, like pursuing relationships and other things. For Yakou, training his Spells and expanding his Magical Knowledge was more important.
She was also a woman who looked down on most of the people around her, if not outright all, and it was extremely hard to win her favour. Although Kirari was a refined and proper lady on the outside, she is in truth a calculating, manipulative, psychopathic individual with little regard for anything other than herself.
A complete narcissist, she belittles everyone besides herself, believing everyone is to play by her terms alone and finds pleasure in degrading those whom she believes to be lesser.
What was rather important for Yakou at that time was that she was hiring him, and the Momobami Clan paid a lot for the protection services, as they had more enemies than one could count, and thus, they became his permanent clients.
Yakou remembered that it was around three years ago? Or something like that... when she was fourteen and just named as the Clan Head, it was around a few months after that, they had sex for the first time.
He noted that she had a thing for older males, because he was around 8 years older than her. Not like they met often, but it was on a periodic basis, at least once every few months, as she needed to release stress and everything, and for him, it was equally pleasurable for the same reason.
Not though...
There was a problem.
He never intended to get her pregnant.
Yakou knew that chances for a Mage to have a child were significantly lower, but that madwoman insisted that they were doing it without protection and that he always came inside.
Well... this was rather problematic, and how to deal with the situation, especially now that he was Campione. Previously, socially speaking, Yakou never really cared about the restoration of the Tsuchimikado Clan, because it was mission impossible.
He was aware that once something like that started, the History Compilation Committee would finish what it had started and kill him and everyone of his blood. Now, though, that he was Campione, the situation has changed once again slightly.
Or rather, it has changed a lot, because now the restoration of the Tsuchimikado Clan was the real thing.
For that reason, he sent Huginn and Muninn to scour Japan and search for the surviving members of the Clan, if there were any. All of the survivors of the Tsuchimikado Clan were ordered by his Decree as the Patriarchs of the Clan to come to the United States, where they would participate in the re-establishment of the Clan once again.
Soon enough, the plane that was carrying him landed at the Andrews Air Force Base, where a convoy was waiting for him, and soon enough, they were en route to the headquarters of the Illuminati Society.
Even remained on the plane, because Yakou planned to only talk with the mother of his child, and also, to confirm the paternity of the child, though he was sure that it was his. Kirari's disdain for others and her own arrogance wouldn't allow her to choose someone else once she had settled on her choice.
When the Magic Association was informed of her pregnancy, they took every single precaution and increased the defenses and protection detail to the extreme, as nobody wanted to risk an enraged Campione.
When Yakou arrived at the headquarters of the Illuminati Society, he was led to the meeting room, which was used to welcome guests or people of high importance. As he saw there, he recognized his former lover, his current lover, or what they exactly were.
Nobody knew.
He was sure that neither Kirari was sure what exactly they were.
"And this is the reason why I never understood your obsession with gambling... so many uncertainties and variables that could affect the final result."
Since Yakou entered the room, he used several Spells, including the Blood Magic, and he was able to confirm that she was indeed pregnant and the child was indeed his.
Magical connection in blood never lies.
"You don't understand the thrill of the game..."
She stated as she waved her hand gracefully as they sat opposite each other.
"But we are not here to reminisce about the old times, are we, Your Majesty?"
Kirari decided to cut to the chase as time was money, and in the case of the Momobami Clan, this was especially true. And she knew that Yakou must be busy as well, because well... he was Campione, one of the supreme rulers in the world.
She found it rather hard to accept as reality, but at the same time, she was rather pragmatic and didn't dwell on the fact for too long. Even though she was pregnant with the man's child, she still considered it a win.
For the Momobami Clan, it was the best outcome possible, and for her personally, even better.
"Now we are not... so what do you want precisely?"
Yakou asked as he knew that she wasn't someone who would be doing something without a reason. He was aware that she wasn't here just because she was pregnant; if only that, he seriously doubted that she would make the journey at the earliest convenience that she could.
If it were only that, she would probably handle it through a phone call.
"I want for the Momobami Clan to join the Illuminati Society."
Her request wasn't really that much surprising. Yakou could imagine the ambitions of the Momobami Clan, considering the fact that they rose as the first generation of Yakuza and similar vagabonds to the level where they were right now.
Obviously, Kirari Momobami wanted to elevate, at least her own branch of the family, to the status of Mage Lineage, and perhaps it would work for her today.
Unbeknownst to her, she was right... at least in a certain sense.
"That could be arranged, considering the power of the Momobami Clan, becoming a member of the Executive Board shouldn't be a problem... Of course, only under the condition that you manage to clean out the dissent within the Clan."
Yakou spoke as the young, silver-haired woman visibly cringed, but soon enough nodded her head slowly.
"I will order the Society to send someone to act as your personal guards against the Hostiry Compilation Committee in the case they try something, but I seriously doubt that... the most important thing is the protection of the child."
The newest Campione planned to accept the child as his own and be part of its life after it was born. This would be a resurgence of the Tsuchimikado Clan, and if not for Kirari's stubborn, like beyond stubborn, personal toy, he would have forced her to live in the United States.
But he could see that it was a pipe dream...
At least for the time being.
"That's actually a better result than I expected."
Kirari muttered as they then continued their talk for some time, as they discussed several things, especially the fact that was not sitting the best with her... that the child that would be born would be a member of the Tsuchimikado Clan and bear the Tsuchimikado Name.
Yet, simultaneously, she was aware that there was no possibility of refusing.
Even though Yakou was speaking with her rather courteously, because he was oddly fond of her, in the end, no matter how much he wanted to deny the fact, he wasn't the kind of person who could have sex with someone without developing some sort of affection for the other party.
Still, she wasn't pushing in her luck in any case, considering the fact that the other party was Campione. Still, for her own position within the Clan, this was already a win, and she could profit too much from it.
And on top of that, she managed to get the Momobami Clan to join the Illuminati Society, which was all attributed to her own personal relationship with Campione.
While she was disappointed that the child would be a member of the Tsuchimikado Clan, suddenly a glint appeared in her eyes as she looked at the newest Campione, who was currently writing something on his phone.
"Now that we have ended our discussion, I have some important things to attend. Once I am finished, I will come to visit you. In the meantime, your protection would be entrusted to the Enforcers."