While those words were spoken to maintain her persona, they were, in fact, the simple truth.
Melusine had never believed that being a formidable fighter was something to brag about.
From the moment she began studying the Taixu Sword Qi under her master, Fu Hua, her only goal had been self-preservation.
Even now, when she was no longer so cautious, she only drew her blade when it was absolutely necessary.
"–!?"
Rama knew none of this.
To him, Melusine's statement didn't sound like arrogance so much as the product of a completely alien set of values.
In her eyes, he couldn't find even a flicker of worship for power or pride in her own overwhelming strength.
It was as if, to this silver-haired girl, the power she possessed—a power that transcended all things—was merely a triviality.
But realization soon dawned on him.
"The strongest, huh..."
It was precisely because she was the strongest that she had no interest in conflict.
It was why she treated all people with the same detached impartiality.
Realizing this, the shadows vanished from Rama's expression.
"It seems... I was the one being arrogant."
The title of "The Strongest" was one that Rama, despite his personal distaste for it, knew belonged to him.
It was an objective fact; his very purpose for existing was to slay those who stood at the pinnacle. By that definition, he was undeniably the strongest.
Yet, understanding Melusine's mindset now, he realized his own disdain for the title was its own form of conceit.
He only loathed it because he cared about it.
Melusine, who was far more powerful than him, simply accepted it as a natural reality and viewed the world through the lens of that fundamental truth.
"My apologies! I've said too much!" Bracing himself, Rama spoke no more.
He focused entirely on pouring every ounce of his remaining strength into his display against Melusine.
His combat power was already plummeting.
If he had been fifty times as strong as a standard Campione before, he was now at thirty, and the number continued to drop.
At this point, Melusine could have easily ended his life. He didn't know why she hadn't struck the final blow, but he no longer cared.
As they tore through time and space, Melusine slammed Rama's body into the earth. Suddenly, she ceased her pursuit and drifted gracefully to the ground.
Rising from the crater, Rama noticed the shift and finally disengaged from the heat of battle to survey his surroundings.
He knew Melusine had been leading him in a specific direction, but he hadn't known their destination.
"Where is this...?"
Before him lay a vast, grey expanse. Such sights were common in the Netherworld, but the familiar aura drifting through the air allowed Rama to make an educated guess.
Before he could observe further, a crisp, melodious voice—gentle yet sharp—rang out from behind him.
"I didn't expect you to go this far. Honestly, it makes me feel like a bit of an idiot for hiding away ahead of time."
Rama turned instinctively.
Standing there was a young girl with long purple hair parted down the middle. She wore a thin white dress and was quite short—barely taller than Lady Melusine herself.
Though it was their first meeting, Rama could guess her identity. "You are... the Usurping Witch...?"
"I much prefer the name Pandora," the purple-haired girl said with a smile before turning to Melusine. "What's wrong? Why the silent treatment?"
"I can't sense the aura of that Goddess of Fate," Melusine said, her back to the two of them as she frowned at the horizon.
"She won't come while you're standing here," Pandora replied, as if she had expected as much.
"Unless you can enter that place. That isn't just a physical space; it is 'Fate That Can Be Touched.' As the Goddess of Fate, she won't allow anyone to run amok there."
Melusine shot her a sideways glance. "I recall you saying this matter was 'in your hands'?"
The two had met back in England, starting when Athena taught Melusine how to enter the Netherworld and the Borderline of Immortality.
Pandora, dwelling in that immortal realm, had long known of Melusine's exploits.
She had initially tried to keep her distance, but because she saw a vision of their meeting in Melusine's future, she had ended up intercepting her for several days straight.
Her foresight was hit-or-miss, but when it hit, it was dead accurate.
"Of course. I wouldn't be here otherwise," Pandora nodded confidently.
She had been playing the antagonist to that "other person" for thousands of years.
She had long prepared a way to enter the Domain of Fate, though she'd abandoned the search because it seemed impractical. But now?
Hmph. Now that she had someone powerful backing her up, she didn't have to spend her life hiding in the shadows.
"You plan to enter the Domain of Fate and confront the Pusher of Destiny directly?" Rama finally grasped their intent. But... why bring him here? Wait...
Thinking back to the process of creating a Campione, Rama finally understood why Melusine hadn't killed him yet. But... why?
A Campione was born when Pandora used the Circle of Usurpation to absorb a god's power and transfer it to a mortal.
The mortal had to kill the god with their own hands, using the god's life as a sacrifice to trigger the ritual.
But... Lady Melusine shouldn't need his power, should she?
Rama was plunged back into confusion.
Seeing his baffled expression, Pandora laughed. "Prince of Legend, you look like you have a lot of questions."
"Ah... indeed. That's right... you are the 'Mother' of all Campiones. Forgive my rudeness," Rama greeted her, his expression a complicated mess.
Their relationship was awkward, to say the least. Pandora was the mother of the Godslayers, and Rama had spent a great deal of his existence killing her "children."
Furthermore, Rama felt a certain level of respect for Pandora—a being who had created the Campiones specifically to resist the Pusher of Destiny—even if he was the one constantly thinning their ranks.
Pandora merely smiled. "It's true, we've spent a long time contending with each other through my children, but you aren't the one I hold a grudge against."
"I see." Pandora's reasonableness eased Rama's embarrassment, allowing him to regain some of his composure.
He then asked, "I do have one question. I understand now that you've appeared on why Lady Melusine didn't kill me when she had countless chances, but... why?"
"You've misunderstood, Prince Rama."
Pandora shook her head. "Melusine's goal is indeed to use the Circle of Usurpation, but the target isn't you. It's the Goddess of Fate."
"...What? The Pusher of Destiny?" Rama truly hadn't considered that. But that was equally puzzling. Given Melusine's strength, surely she didn't care about the position or Authorities of a Fate Deity?
The Goddess of Fate was the one hiding from her.
Besides, if that were the case, what did that have to do with keeping him alive?
"I intend to usurp the Goddess of Fate's ability to manipulate destiny," Melusine finally spoke.
"And then, I will take the destiny of the 'King of the End' currently bound to you, and tether it to myself."
--+--
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.