— — — — — —
On The Plane
Ryo was getting more and more used to traveling by private jet.
A whole plane, only three or four passengers, the rest all flight attendants—it was spacious, comfortable, and quiet.
Aside from being slower than going solo, there really wasn't a downside.
Of course, it wasn't like he had so much time to kill that he wanted to take a plane. This was simply the less troublesome choice. Teleporting straight to Japan would be faster, sure, but then came the annoying part: proving his identity, arguing with local small fry, and inevitably ending up in some face-slapping charade.
Too much hassle.
...
Ten minutes before landing at Chiba International Airport, Ryo cracked open his eyes and waved his hand.
Liliana, who had been massaging his temples, straightened up and sat beside him on the sofa.
"How's the intel from Europe? Is it confirmed?"
At his question, Liliana answered seriously, "Erica replied just now. The Divine Ancestor Guinevere really has gone to Japan. Her movements are mostly pinned down to the Kanto region."
Ryo nodded as if that was expected. "Annie wasn't lying to me. The only thing I don't get is what the fairy kings are actually plotting."
As for Annie's nonsense about saving the world—Ryo didn't buy a word of it.
Being a Campione who steals myths and plunders gods, sure, he could live with that. Savior of the world? Now that was just comedy.
Across from him, Athena had just polished off a small cake. She wiped the cream from her lips and said, "This body can sense the stirrings of the Netherworld. Some fairies from there seem to be helping me receive revelations."
She paused, then let out a mocking laugh. "My link to Rama has also stabilized. If Guinevere comes within five kilometers, I'll be able to lock on to her instantly."
"Guinevere, huh? If I remember right, she's supposed to be a fanatic loyalist of the King of the End."
Ryo frowned slightly, his tone dry. "A Mother Goddess, devoted heart and soul to serving a steel hero. That's… bizarre, to say the least."
"..."
Athena's lip curled, obvious disgust flashing across her face. She clearly had no fondness for Guinevere.
"Open the Netherworld for me," she said flatly.
"Asherah's arrangements still need adjustments. Once she regains her divinity as Leviathan, the Serpent-Dragon Heretic God, the Monkey King will attack her."
"I'll need to leave her some power to survive that. And the authority within the Circle of Usurpation—I need to reorganize it carefully."
"You're awfully diligent," Ryo chuckled, slicing open space and forming a gate to the Netherworld.
Athena stepped toward it, her tone a shade more serious than usual. "The King of the End is not far off. Even I cannot afford to be careless."
She was about to leave, but turned back to ask curiously, "How much further until your… influence is complete?"
Ryo took out his pocket watch. The hand had been stuck pointing at 9 for some time now. He shrugged.
"Been stuck there for a while. No movement."
Athena muttered, "Could it be you really have to slay the King of the End before it's finished?"
From what Ryo had pieced together, reaching that required "influence" wasn't about raw power—it was about accomplishing some great feat worthy of a protagonist.
In the Demon Slayer world, he had killed the "nameless" Demon King and even altered WWII.
Here in the Campione world… it probably meant defeating, or outright killing, the King of the End.
That was the annoying part.
The King of the End's immortality was infamous for being an absolute pain.
"I've made some preparations," Ryo admitted. "But I'm not sure yet. Maybe the Bearer of Fate who tied Rama to the King of the End could serve as a substitute target."
"Compared to the King of the End, fighting fate itself is easier," Athena mused. "At least she doesn't have much in the way of combat ability."
With that, she disappeared into the Netherworld.
Her voice floated back before the rift closed, "When it's time to free the Monkey King, remind me. I'll need to coordinate carefully with Pandora."
"Got it."
Ryo replied, then turned his gaze toward Lu Yinghua, who was standing stiffly near the cockpit door.
"Yinghua, everyone else is gone. Want to sit down?"
The huge cabin had only Ryo and Liliana now, with more than enough sofas to go around.
But Yinghua gave a quick bow and said, "Thank you, but this disciple suffers from… allergies. I wouldn't want to intrude."
'Allergies, huh? More like a crippling fear of women.' Ryo sighed inwardly. Such a good kid, ruined by Luo Hao's training.
"Wake me when we land," Ryo said, closing his eyes again.
"Yes, sir!"
Liliana nodded, then glanced at Ryo, then at the empty seats around them.
…Sleeping Alone?
Her heart skipped. She quietly edged closer to his sofa.
"Cough!"
Yinghua's loud throat-clearing cut through the moment. He fixed her with a very stern look.
Liliana's face stiffened. She shot him a dark glare, but dared not move further.
Finally, she had a chance to be alone with Ryo—and this idiot ruined it!
Yinghua, meanwhile, lifted his brows proudly.
'Lord Yagami, don't worry—I'll protect your purity. I'll shield you from the greatest evil of all… women.'
— — —
Chiba Airport.
A member of the History Compilation Committee trudged over to a jeep and reported to Kaoru Sayanomiya, sitting in the passenger seat.
"Chief, it's peak travel season. The government says they can't just clear out the entire airport."
Already furious, Kaoru exploded. "Then set up a magical barrier and drive the people out! To hell with 'peak season'! This damn Yagami, we can't trust him anymore."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Relieved that the order wasn't his problem to answer for, the subordinate hurried off to begin preparations.
Inside the car, Kaoru rubbed her temples in frustration. "Damn it, why Chiba of all places? Why this airport? That new King is unbearable! Couldn't he just teleport or something?"
Grinding her teeth, Kaoru growled, "Why the hell did the higher-ups insist on sealing the Monkey King? Wouldn't it have been smarter to just throw him out?!"
"Isn't it obvious? The new king's been bewitched by Luo Hao! He must've come for the monkey—to give it to her as a wedding gift. Yeah, that's gotta be it."
"Ughhhh— I wish these two die a horrible death."
At the wheel, Amakasu Touma kept his head down, pretending he heard nothing. Words like that were best left unspoken.
Minutes later, a subordinate rushed back. "Chief, he's here."
Kaoru froze, then let out a long, weary sigh. "What must come, comes."
...
Stepping off the plane, Ryo looked at the rows of bowed figures waiting on the tarmac. He raised an eyebrow, amused.
"Well, what's this? A whole welcoming committee? You didn't have to go through all this trouble for me."
At the front stood Kaoru Sayanomiya, the one in charge here. She lifted her head with a polite, professional smile.
On behalf of the History Compilation Committee and the entire Kanto region, we welcome King Ryo Yagami back to his homeland, Japan," Kaoru said, emphasizing the word 'Japan'.
She then continued, "We'll do everything in our power to make your visit a success.
Ryo's lips curved as he strode forward. With one finger, he lifted her chin playfully. "Everything in your power, huh? And what exactly does that mean?"
The flirtatious gesture caught Kaoru off guard. She stiffened, then quickly forced a reply.
"It means… complete and wholehearted cooperation."
"Interesting."
Ryo patted her cheek lightly, his smile widening. "Good. Tonight, you'll do."
"…What?" Kaoru's eyes went wide. She opened her mouth to protest—
But Ryo tilted his head, frowning in mock confusion. "What, you think that's too little?"
"N-no, I…" Kaoru stammered, completely thrown off.
'Too little? Too little of what?! How lustful are you?!'
'But maybe that'll tie him to us even more… I am way better than that chinese leftover, after all.'
So it's too little." Ryo was already grinning. "Then throw in a few high-ranking shrine maidens. Don't need too many—eight or nine will do."
Kaoru's face froze, an odd look flickering across it. "Shrine maidens… that's your fetish?"
"What are you talking about?" Ryo asked, clearly confused.
"What are you trying to do?" Kaoru blinked.
"What else?" Ryo smiled like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"To summon a Heretic God, of course."
"In Japan?! HERE???" Kaoru twitched.
"Of course."
"With OUR shrine maidens?!"
"Obviously. Who else?" Ryo raised an eyebrow.
Kaoru's heart clenched painfully. She wanted to cry, but the tears refused to drop.
.
.
.