Cinia Pacifica Posts

I'd totally watch that shit.

The consciousness overlaps with trillions of other consciousnesses uploaded into the same network of the military-grade androids.

You have the power of become one with the world.

You literally gain what you heal from others.

You have the power to command anyone with a single look.

#1 dad. apparently.

I claim Hoshimiya Ichigo from Aikatsu!

Still on the process of trying. Fate really is going against me at the moment. One walls after another.

Yeah, but you have to understand that some years ago, parody h-animes were absolute trash. My head spins with the Naruto hentai I found in the past. Nowadays we got some 3D hentais which aren't exactly the best alternatives, either, but I guess they work, and rarely a gem would turn up like Rush Rise Line's Renamon one, though that's on the furry realm so it's not everyone's thing, kek.

Can't say about the seeds but here you go: http://sukebei.nyaa.se/?page=view&tid=158184

It's pretty good, especially with the visuals, but it lacks the wet noises so it's a bit of a turn-off for me personally.

Apparently a really busy guy o 3o

Saishuu Chikan Densha NEXT Molester Episode 2.

Around 2008-9 was the most active upload period. When Jacob started adding things again, that was around 2011-12, starting with Immoral Sisters due to a partnership with a certain company... which didn't seemed to go so well, since we never really heard anything about that again.

They also had Zero no Tsukaima hentai I think, School Days hentai anime, Stringendo and Accelerando: Ultimatum. I don't know about Aki Sora, but they had Kiss X Sis episode or two. Then there was... Sora no Iro, Mizu no Iro (both episodes).

Basically, a long time ago Fakku uploads were being added regularly, until it suddenly stopped. Think that was around the time Raze left. And just in case: here's where you can find all Fakku hentai anime releases.

Fights in Campione will always drag, regardless of who criticizes. I'll follow how the LN does for that. For me it was personally Gloria vs Yagami that was the favorite.



Yeah, that's true. It was my aim, but remember, this is only act 1. The big pillars won't be toppled so soon.

The area they were to do battle in was dense woodland in the area of Kanagawa. Trees covered rolling hills and sunlight seldom pierced the dense canopy of the forest. The sound of birds and flowing water could be heard, an area mostly untouched by man despite its closeness to Edo. There had been plans to work on the area but none had been put into play thus far, leaving nature to grow.

Within the shade of the trees, Yagami had blended with the shadows. Gloria had arrived moments ago and he watched her every step, observing how she hunted as her eyes searched for him. He clasped his hands together before uttering an incantation.

(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9j1z430_qo)

“O Red Lady of the Pestilence, I beseech thee to open the Eye of Ra, and unseal the blood thou hath claimeth from the victims of thy plagues! O Lady of Terror, let thy bloodlust be unleashed, and bring forth winds of crimson reaped from humanity untold!”

A sandstorm thus took place.

A large black hole formed where the Campione willed, it was large—encompassing an entire kilometer nearby, letting out the sands and the winds.

To anyone else, this would look extremely strange, especially considering the atmosphere of Japan, and the environment being full of trees and greenery, but to the True Queen, this was but a natural happenstance, for she was facing a King. Regardless, blood-filled sand was something quite distasteful to the British Queen.

Unable to locate the ninja due to this poor weather brought forth by the Authority of the War Goddess—the Campione was forced to remain vigilant. A small grin seemed to form on her facial expression from excitement, which was cut short as a multitude of tiny hands began to crawl up on her person, latching onto her legs and the dress. They seemed to weigh her down with their grabbing just as streams of red burst out from the sandstorm overhead, arcing downward and splashing onto her body like tar.

Through this blood-red, she could see the trees perishing in a particular location from whence the stream of red struck her.

A golden lance formed in her hands and she swung it hard against the bulge of red that was pushing her back, the Divine force eventually stopping it. Despite the hit she took, her dress didn’t appeared to be too tattered yet. Instead, there were worms and maggots crawling upon it. The British King thus focused her magical powers and they draped her form with azure—meting out the filths from her now-resplendent form.

She dashed with great speed, each steps seemingly looking like small leaps as she approached the Eastern King’s location. Having deduced it from her senses, the King of Ninjas could already tell that his hiding spot was now a lost cause.

Before he could leap into the shadows of the canopy, the True Queen thrust the tip of the lance against him. He moved back thanks to his trained reflexes, otherwise it’d have directly stabbed his heart. He let the weapon pass over dangerously close to his body as he arched his body backwards, flipping to the side in a leap. He vaulted over Gloria using the trunk of a nearby tree, attempting to disappear into the sandstorm.

A flash of red prompted Gloria to dodge to the side, flying past her and turning a few trees into splinters but she didn’t expect to be caught around the ankle on its rebound, her skin burning from the contact. She winced as she looked down upon it. It snapped tight and she lost her footing, momentarily sliding along the ground before she was flung airborne at breakneck speed. Yagami could be seen at the other end of the whip before she passed the mouth of the portal and disappeared out of sight.

The wind of the black hole that was the originating point of the sandstorm Authority was attempting to suck the True Queen into the underworld that laid beyond it. She crawled out from its edge desperately, her eyes glowing cerulean, infuriated.

She barely pulled herself up as her lance reformed in her grasp. Thrusting it at the air in Yagami’s direction, the very air and the blood were sliced, crushing a tree in its path, but by that time the British monarch noticed that the ninja wasn’t there.

Her instincts screamed at her and she whipped her head backwards just as Yagami’s boot whiffed over it. Pivoting on a heel, he kicked at her again, this time aiming for her side. Unfortunately for him, the warrior he faced had sharp instincts comparable to that of a lioness—grabbing his foot in that very instant and stabbing it with her lance’s tip, reaping through his flesh and skin, letting blood ooze out of the freshly-formed wound.

“Accursed woman!” Yagami bellowed, literally and figuratively cursing Gloria’s being.

His shozoku fluctuated for nary a second before it exploded outwards in tune with his shout, turning the earth and air around with an innumerable amount of curses. They rolled and unfurled outwards from him, despoiling the area around him for hundreds of meters.

Forced to release Yagami from her grasp from such a violent wave—she watched as the curses attempted to devour her very being, with her dress beginning to rot away in clear view.

Her eyes squinted and her expression scrunched up from the unique sensation of suffering she experienced—this was truly a taste of hell indeed. She could barely move in this state thanks to the torrent of filth that flooded the earth and air both. Her hand quivered as she drew her hand upward, as if reaching for the Heavens above to call out to God.

(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INfPOxihWr0)

“To win glory and victory…! I summon the Heavenly lightning… O grand God of Sky, may thine holiest chariot that traverse the ethereal stars—honored by Victory—be brought upon the mortal realm… for it is the decree of the Heavens!”

The dark gray clouds sealed the sky, blotting out the sun. A thunderous roar echoed across the region. The people of Yamato from Edo looked up to this fierce announcement of the storm, including those in the roads, the outcasts, and even the British troops that were stationed far from the undeveloped woodland. Indeed, it was an oversized bolt of lightning that was descending from the Heavens. It was too bright for one to notice the chariot pulled by the four ethereal steeds.

“Nnnn?”

Yagami looked upwards just as the bolt of lightning streaked down. Raising a hand immediately, a faint glow encompassed his person just as the Authority struck him, cratering the cursed ground. The chariot ground away against his momentary shield and Yagami slipped backwards, disappearing halfway into his shadow just as the shield gave way. Even in that split second, Gloria’s Authority pierced his body and wracked him with it. The Cursed King grit his teeth as the shock and power transmitted throughout his body and knew that had it not been mitigated, he probably would have been destroyed.

“Do not look down on me, King of the East. Fight seriously if thou wisheth to triumph,” the True Queen called out after she noted his receding figure. Her pupils aglow an azure flash.

The sandstorm howled in response, the wind transforming into a gale as the skies turned red from the sand. The portal seemed to be alive, belching out even more of the accursed red into the area around it.

“Hoh, thou art not used to the ways of the east then. We do not always clash blades on the field like the westerners.”

The voice carried on the gale, a distorted sound that echoed all around Gloria.

Space warped around her, like a water droplet would cause ripples on a still lake, just as Yagami burst out with blades of red flashing. They sought to part her flesh, squirming little things flailed upon his weapon. She dodged expertly. Yagami’s figure momentarily spawned from the shadowy earth to chip away from the True Queen her flesh and blood—but the superior senses of the Campione responded in turn, allowing her to block the perilous strikes in turn.

A horizontal strike came here, and a fast diagonal strike there—as he worked her way at her defense—while the foreign King danced with poise and grace, retreating into an elusive state to avoid the dangers of the cursed blades that the eastern King wielded.

“Such irritable shadow thine Authority possesseth. If the east prefers to dabble in these shadows then allow mineself to be the first to bridge the two sides of the sphere by forcing thou to change thy ways.” At this moment, Yagami noticed the magical power in Gloria rise by an astounding rate as she chanted thus:

“I am the victorious—the undefeated—and the sacred guardian of Asgard!”

Stabbing the lance against the earth, she caused the now-barren field to perish. Yagami’s form could be seen, half of which arched out from a piece of ground on which a black blotch was located, a portal formed by his Authority.

The True Queen threw the lance at his direction with deadly precision. Due to the nature of the attack, the Cursed King couldn’t react in time, and so the tip of the lance was embedded itself within his arm, drawing forth crimson blood.

He flinched as the weapon pierced flesh and bone but soon enough curses could be seen crawling over the weapon, corrupting it as red veins sprouted all over its golden body. Soon enough, the lance disappeared in a cloud of red dust and reappeared in Yagami’s good hand and he gave it a test swing.

“Not a bad one, I’ll be taking this for now,” he hissed, the sound amplified by the smog that constantly seemed to surround his body.

“Such an unpleasant Authority thou wieldeth indeed,” the western Campione remarked.

“The Authority has its uses,” he stated in a matter of factly tone. “O Red Lady, I beseech thee to hasten thy drunken rancor!” The sandstorm picked up once more in intensity as he chanted the Spell Words of Sekhmet.

Hefting the lance, he darted towards Gloria like a bullet. Now weaponless, she was forced to use her arms to block his blows. Unused to the lance, Yagami wielded it more as a battering weapon instead of the way it was meant to be used but a single misstep on Gloria’s part was all it took.

She slipped ever-so-slightly, losing her footing and he surged forwards. He impaled her twice in the span of a second, once on the thigh and once on her hand as she tried to ward the blow off.

“Fall into the underworld!” he shouted and thrust the red lance, curses forcefully propelling both it and Gloria who had been impaled down into the pit once more.

She thus coughed blood and fell into the pit of darkness, her hand outstretched towards the gray sky.

(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ITCnDIeHcY)

“The underworld…?” the Campione uttered, but it was too late.

She couldn’t move.

She couldn’t breath.

She couldn’t speak.

It was cold. Extremely cold. As cold as Death itself.

Truly the end itself… is it?

A strange feeling was invoked in her mind. A devil from the corner of her heart told her that it was finally okay. It was acceptable to close her eyes and allow everything to sink into the bottomless darkness of the underworld.

A beguiling feeling.

The door of death could be felt creaking open.

So it… is acceptable for me to… rest at last…

Various memories came to her as she resigned herself to her fate. The days from over a hundred years ago—when she was still a mortal who knew nothing of the Magic World that existed in the early-eighteenth century Europe. She only fought with wit and natural talents that she was gifted with to overcome the many challenges that were placed before her.

She was a complete novice when it came to magic.

If it was one thing she knew—it was her sheer luck as a Godslayer that remained a constant companion. Until now.

(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGUPsCxRbS0)

She could see a Celestial beauty clad in glistening armore before her, holding up to her a hand, offering her an embrace.

In this darkness, that was all she could see.

She gasped in utter surprise.

“Thou art…” her voice finally returned, but she felt as though it was wasted on these words.

She wanted to run up to her, but she could hardly move. Each step felt as though she was moving through a floor of tar that was sticking to her feet. She struggled—it felt as though she was crawling through solidified mud. It felt like an eternity as she waded through the darkness to reach the ethereal figure—who stood still like a statue, ever-accepting of her fate.

Yet the True Queen at the doorstep of Death stopped.

Tears ran down her cheeks. She was an inch away from the embrace with the one person she had sought to meet for over a hundred years, but she couldn’t move said inch forward.

The luster in her eyes returned.

Her will yielded not.

“No, not yet am I to reunite with thee. Fulfilled mine promise I hath not.”

In this moment, she was not a noble, nor a conquerer, nor a warrior—a Campione.

She was simply Gloria Odetta.

She made a smile unlike any other. It possessed not the sagacity, the serenity, nor the valor of a peerless lioness. No. This smile came from the bottom of her heart indeed—full of warmth and love—and the other Goddess returned such a smile to her at the same time, her form turning to a white sparkling shower of dust before it vanished.

She frowned.

A great feeling of anguish and frustration washed over her.

Was this all she could do? Wallow in despair and face death obediently?

“No, there are tasks only I mayeth accomplish—for I am the True Queen!”

Her instinct sparked thus. A new power that she had never known before was then made available to her, and she called upon it with great majesty befitting her position as a Godslaying Devil King.

(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATDESnBfjBQ)

And so, she raised this new light that she received from her Authority towards the unseen Heavens that were veiled by the darkness of the Underworld.

From the Cursed King’s view, there was a sudden torrent of shimmering cerulean coming up from the pit of the underworld that he sent the True Queen to. A vortex was claiming the portal. The magical energy was soon seeping out like blood all across the sandstorm.

“Nnnn, this is quite the predicament on my hands,” Yagami remarked as his own sandstorm was being eaten away.

He could feel the Authority dying and the wind beginning to still. The blood could be seen disintegrating. In a matter of moments the sandstorm stopped.

Before Yagami was a large and deep crater that replaced the portal to the underworld, and at its center he found the True Queen. A radiant light gave away from her form as she repaired her tattered dress with magic, a waning illumination was witnessed as she put away the power that defeated the sandstorm Authority.

With a simple Leap spell she flew up from it and stood before him. Her skin was more or less blemished and ruffled thanks to his attacks, and from some places she was bleeding—especially from her left arm, right thigh and her abdomen—but she was very much alive.

“Thou art look lively,” the King of the East remarked. “Most don’t quite come back from a trip there.”

“Twould seem so, thanks to thee,” the True Queen spoke with her eyes closed before she opened them, two beads of azure flashed as she reignited her determination for the battle. “Shall we proceed to the second round, Eastern King?”

A blade nearing her face was his answer and they began anew with Yagami launching a series of swift blows. The blades were put against her palms and heels on the field. Powerful kicks and fists were sent his way, which was unexpected of the westerner. In truth, the female Campione could wrestle a man with bare hands if she wished, for it was one of the first things she learned in her life.

They dodged, they countered, they went back and forth—alternating in their positions as they performed the dance of death—both combatants were at an impasse, each blocking the other. The True Queen had indeed gotten what she wanted—the east and west were bridged together upon the fields.

She backflipped and landed on the ground, the feral bout between the two coming to an end.

“Mn, I must admit, thou art the first King to have pushed mineself this far,” the True Queen acknowledged, making a calm and composed smile despite the situation.

“Thou art the second King I have fought, though against the first—I could scarcely be counted as an opponent. Now, at least there is one that I can do battle with!”

“Hoh. Very well. I shall reveal one of mine vaunted Authorities. Thou wouldst do well to prepare that lance thou stoleth.” She raised her right hand, showing her gloved palm as light-blue portals formed facing her back, each shimmering brightly—carrying ripples originating from their centers, looking similar to his own shadow Authority. “Behold, the Gates of Ishtar.”

About hundreds of these rippling portals formed behind the True Queen, sharp and perfectly-crafted blades and spears arching out of them. It was akin to summoning an entire army. Before such illumination, the True Queen’s figure was but a shadow before the Gates of Ishtar—a majestic portrayal of power.

(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvlI20oftow)

“Interesting! Let us see it then, this treasured Authority of yours!” Yagami exclaimed as he charged towards her, tentacles erupting from his back.

“Have at thee.” Gloria thrust her arm forwards, and the treasured blades of the Gates of Ishtar responded—launching one vaunted treasure after the other, bursting out with great force and power.

Each of the blades exploded, causing destruction across the lands of Yamato as the battle raged on, passing at unimaginable speeds that would be hard to follow with the naked eyes.

Yagami danced across the battlefield as he met these mythical weapons of war. The red lance he held was used like a club, smashing those that came near which resulted in them exploding whilst his free hand grabbed, flung and smashed others. It was a testament to his agility that he hadn’t already been skewered head on as the ninja danced and weaved his way through the hail.

The tentacles hadn’t been idle either, snatching more of the swords out of the air and returning them towards Gloria at breakneck speed. Yet it wasn’t enough to end the barrage and so he needed more of them, more limbs.

The blades that were tossed back at Gloria were simply met with more of her own blades from the Gates of Ishtar, exploding mid-air before they reached her. Indeed, the majestic True Queen stood as she watched the Lord of Ninjas dance with great agility.

“O will of the dark and festering curses—manifest into this world and devour everything in mine path!”

The magical power was raised in the eastern Campione’s as he chanted. Numerous tentacles surged forth from his person, thinner than the normal ones he usually used as each sought a partner in the incoming hail of swords. Those they did touch, were corrupted. Becoming red, becoming his. And used them he did for they were used in the fashion that Gloria had wielded them, shot like a rain of steel arrows.

The European Campione acted swiftly in return, waving her hand to send another wave of blades, meeting the cursed hail with a holy hail of her own.

“I am of the War—the incarnation of he who rules the world—ever hailing from the heavens the vaunted blades of the King of Heroes!”

The corruption on the blades were reversed as Yagami used the defiled weapons, the raised magical powers of Gloria cleansing them. With particles of bright azure spilling forth, the weapons in his employ were regained by the True Queen—only to be reused against him—adding to the rain of swords and lances that racked the lands of Yamato.

Despite his great speed, the King of Yamato was certainly not unscathed, for he suffered from the burns brought forth from the massive destructions incurred each time he deflected the weapons of yore. Each of these weapons carried a frightening amount of magical energy, and the detonations were only barely evaded from rupturing his body whole.

The only stolen weapons remaining were the two in his hands, a pair of blades that he flung back at her. Naturally, they were deflected—turning into another set of explosions—and Yagami burst forth from the clouds of smoke, darting in with fists coated red. He struck swiftly and precisely, aiming for the weak spots of the body. Punching upwards into her abdomen, a curse shot itself into Gloria’s stomach like a dagger and began to corrupt her body.

She grit her teeth in pain but held her groan back. At that moment, a pair of blades erupted from the Gates of Ishtar and she grasped them.

She countered with the dual blades she held—curving them upwards as she dug through his muscles and flesh—a rough yet satisfying squelch was heard. Blood sluiced from his body, even bursting through his mouthpiece before the body poofed into a cloud of smoke, only to find a wooden doll of a ninja, cracked down the center.

The Gates of Ishtar ended, the portals ceased as the Goddess of Britannia gave a slight wave of her hand. Her instincts as both a Godslayer and an experienced warrior called out to her. She pivoted on her heel immediately as he reappeared behind her, tossing the two blades she held at him.

Yagami grabbed the first sword out of the air, pivoting and using that momentum to smash the second away. Only the hilt remained of the sword he had used so it too was discarded.

“Now what, King of the West?”

Just as he finished, he found the fist of the True Queen in front of his face. He could only gasp as the Campione of the West ripped the shokozo apart from his face with brute force alone. Her right fist smacked his cheek hard as his face was revealed.

“Ouch. You punch harder than some of my men, they could learn a thing or two,” Yagami commented, letting the hood off completely as he put a hand to his chin, straightening out his jaw. For the first time as well, his voice was not distorted with a metallic tang.

Now he looked at her with his own two eyes and she, him.

“It appeareth thy face is more handsome than I hath assumed initially,” the foreign Campione said with a mirthful look. “A shame thou keep it well-veiled.”

The eastern Devil King stood stock still for a moment, his face unreadable before breaking out into laughter.

“I thank thee for the compliment, King of Britannia, for I feel the same way about thou. Of all times though to say it though, thou art interesting indeed.”

“Ah, a brief respite is but the gathering of warriors.” She turned an eye to the corner in the general direction of Edo and then faced him again. “Shall we end this?”

“I believe this has gone on long enough,” Yagami nodded, showing her a feral grin that had laid unseen all this while.

She showed the savage smirk of the proud lioness in return, distancing herself appropriately as she could feel something powerful coming from him. It was the call of bestial instincts perhaps. Indeed, one could say that Yagami felt the same way from her.

And so, she sang the Words of Power that came to her mind by Divine instinct:

(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLtgo5w2FpU)

“O tremulous Dawn! O glimmering Moon! I beseech the Celestial bodies to meet once more in this world with mine Words of Power!”

“Lust, Avarice, Sloth, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony, Hubris—I shall gather all the sins of this world in this body of mine!”

The cursed armor that protected his body churned as if chains were sliding all over it. Hooks shot into the ground from his legs and arms as if to tie him down, anchor him to the earth and they pulsed with vile motions in tune with his heartbeat. The ground seemed to turn even more desolate than before as his curses stained the earth a deep crimson.

At the same time, Yagami noticed the sky illuminating tremendously with each passing moments, a powerful and bright cerulean aura cradling the form of Gloria.

“Lustrous and Immortal—let the forgotten promise be fulfilled once more! May the world rejoice in this sacred reunion! The Gods shall be entranced, the devils shall be smitten, and the mortals—enlightened!”

“O Angra Mainyu, gather the filth—and the miasma—that this world possesseth, for I am the incarnation of Death and Pestilence itself! All the gloom shall loom upon mine ghastly soul. All the grievances shall be groomed by mineself clad in black! All the perils shall be courted by this crimson heart of mine! And now I bring this great evil upon the greater good! For it is the only greater and misleading replacement that shall ever be sought!”

There was a loud echoing heartbeat and an orb of violet and crimson materialized above him, spinning slowly on an axis. Maggots, worms and all manner of filth began to sprout and crawl across its surface as the sphere grew, feeding off the negative emotions. The once magnificent forest began to wilt and, in its death, only fed Yagami even more. The curses crawled across his right arm, encapsulating it in deep crimson. On the back of his hand, the skin parted with a sickening sound, revealing an oversized eyeball which stared unblinkingly at Gloria.

“†˜Tis an extraordinary enough strength thou possesseth—how revolting,” Gloria commented, making a grimace for the first time in this battle. This impressive accumulation of power was surely something she hadn’t seen before, but she steeled her will against it.

From the east, one could see the brilliant and radiant sun. From the west, one could see the glimmering and shining moon. They rose up slowly, seemingly anchored by the Words of Power sang by the True Queen. This Celestial event made all the people of the surrounding regions look in awe and fear. The sky itself quivered as a reverberating cry of vibration rang. The Victorian Campione stood proudly against the mighty evil brewing before her—having recovered from viewing the sight but moments ago—bringing forth Divine judgement in the world.

“Nnnn, this Divine energy,” Yagami said, breathing in as if he was intoxicated. “The smell of it just makes my blood boil, to rend, tear, eviscerate, consume!” He descended into mad laughter for a moment, now looking up at Gloria with his own crimson eyes. “I will violate thee to the core.”

“Bold words. O Cursed King, let it be known that it shall be I who purifies thine most distorted soul! Tremble before mine Divine wrath!”

His lips curled back into a grin, his figure all but defiant. “Never.”

From the sphere of crimson and violet was released a powerful piercing beam that cast a great shadow across the earth. It was wide and long, creating a screeching wail like the souls of the dead as it traversed across the air—meeting with the intertwining silvery lume of the moon and the blazing solar flares of the sun. An ominous cry rang across the fields of Yamato as these unimaginably powerful forces of supernatural nature clashed—the Authorities of both Devil Kings meeting in what appeared to be a stalemate.

The earth shook from the pressure it generated as if in fear, but the True Queen kept her gaze upon the Cursed King and the Cursed King kept his gaze upon the True Queen—firmly, the eyes of both burning with fearsome power and emotions.

The Cursed King was the first to feel a prickling pain in his mind—his instinct informing him that his Authority’s power was beginning to wane like the flickering flame of a candle facing a strong gale. He soon started to feel the intense blazing noises, and the vibrations come closer and closer with each passing second—spreading shockwaves and heat across the lands—reaching lethally close to the combatants on the field, the woodland of which was more or less decimated some time ago in the battle.

A puddle of dark water formed around his feet and the figure of Yagami was receding onto it. The True Queen’s Authority would no doubt reach him and yet he felt no fear, only a burning desire in his heart to continue this battle despite the odds. Yet even he knew that there would not be much of a fight after this, if he even survived at all. Yet the dark lunar circle was starting to vanish and his descent into the world of shadows was beginning to decelerate. He felt both chill and sweat roll down at the same time around his body.

With the curses extinguished, there was only the beautiful and blinding light of the sun and moon—now perilously close to Yagami. The True Queen only watched as Yagami attempted to evade this blightful Authority, but the lights of the Celestial bodies were taking away from him even the shadows of the moon that he could conjure as his final measure of protection. The shokozo shrouding his body was melting away from his form, the filth receding into the blackness under him.

The lights struck at him at last.

The Cursed King could feel an extremely cold and burning hot sensation at the same time. Common sense would dictate that such forces would cancel each other out generally, but such would be the folly of a mundane mind. He could feel only his upper body suffering from this frightening force, while his lower body only felt a calming coolness from the world of shadows. Thankfully, before he felt that his upper torso was going to disintegrate completely into mere dust, the flames and light of the sun and moon ended abruptly. Perhaps it was the force of Angra Mainyu that weakened this Authority particularly, otherwise he’d definitely not live to witness the light of tomorrow.

Thus Yagami lived, his body stuck against the earth due to his Authority of Tsukiyomi being completely nullified.

He pulled his lower body out from the earth and stood up straight. His upper-half was scorched to say the least. However, his skin was incredibly pale at the same time. Perhaps it was an effect of the moonlight. Either way, his vitality was still intact. Even for a Campione this kind of survivability was absurd, but at the same time it was believable, because they were the fearsome Devil Kings. Incredible feats were completely natural for them. Even the fact that the True Queen could survive despite falling into the pit of the Underworld was a rather overwhelming achievement.

So, it was indeed true that they both nearly killed each other on this very day.

“Ufufu, I must commend ye for being able to live through mine Authority,” the True Queen stated. Despite having claimed that they needed to finish this, she was aching to continue their battle.

The Cursed King stared at her, the crimson fading from his eyes as they regained their natural color. “So long as light exists, so too will shadow,” he stated, his breathing heavy.

“I deny not the principles of Yin and Yang, the natural forces that hold the reins of balance.”

“Finally, something I can relate to!” Yagami said, throwing his hands up in the air. When he looked back at her, there was a sparkle of amusement in his eyes.

“I assume thou wisheth to continue our duel?” The True Queen burned with a cerulean magical aura, her eyes a clear azure, intently gazing at the elder Campione.

Yagami huffed once, shaking his head at her attitude before raising his fists. It was clear that he too wished to continue doing battle with his wonderful opponent. “Whenever thou art ready.”

“Well now, I wouldn’t continue this farce any longer if I were either one of you,” a third voice finally spoke.

He was a slender tall man wearing spectacles, clad by a suit that dictated him to be of high-ranking military from a western country. Yagami could vaguely tell that it was either British or American.

“Thou art conceited to believe thou may speak to us in liberty,” the True Queen said, her gaze was something that could make even a steel-hearted man faint. Such was the solemnity of the gaze of a fierce lioness that the True Queen possessed.

“Not one of thou’s then,” the Cursed King added on, his eyes a deep violet as they settled on the newcomer. “Who art thou to interrupt our duel?”

“A pleasure to meet you both. I am the American Campione. I have come to dissolve the policy of isolation in this country,” the other invader spoke with a smirk.

“Not another…” Yagami rolled his eyes and cursed in Japanese, looking at Gloria. “Art thou sure he isn’t with thee?”

The True Queen shrugged. “†˜Tis mayeth been a race to thine lands of Yamato all along. I hath warned thee regarding this matter before our duel began in earnest.”

The Cursed King glanced at the American Campione whose smirk irked him to the core. It was obvious he had waited till this very moment to make his appearance.

“Queen of Britannia, any ideas what to do with the upstart? He ruined the good vibe we had going after all.”

“Show him his place, of course.” The irritation was clear in the voice of the ruler of Britannia.

“I would surely lose to you both monsters,” the American invader considered, adjusting his spectacles calmly. “But art thou certain, wise Campiones of the east and west? If I return not to my vessel then they shall lay waste to Edo after a certain period of time.” His smirk widened. “It’s not long—time is ticking.”

A blur of red melted the hairs and a portion of the spectacles that he wore, the curses disappearing into the distance—the invader only observed casually as this happened.

“How dare thee,” the Cursed King quaked with visibly restrained anger. His eyes blazed with anger and the love for his country—his people were all that was keeping Yagami in check, otherwise he’d have melted the face off this upstart.

“If thou wouldst be so kind as to open trade to the west and cease this foolish policy, then there shall be no harm delivered. Otherwise, our cannons are very much… ready.” His eyes malevolent as he spoke, the American Campione displayed a different kind of conniving evil compared to the one that Yagami possessed.

“Scoundrel, I will remember this affront till the very end of my days,” Yagami said.

There was little choice when his people were held hostage. Edo was the capital of Yamato. If it fell, what would happen to the others? It would only be a matter of time before the other westerners would descend upon his domain like vultures to an animal in its death throes. The keystone, so to speak. Besides, Chiyome was still in Edo.

“Hoh, I see that I am the recipient of great resent despite the intentions the True Queen held—them being the same.”

As he blatantly remarked about Gloria, she only closed her eyes calmly, having lost the mood to pursue victory. Of course, she noticed his presence earlier, thus her want to settle the match with Yagami, but she was hoping that he’d never truly make his appearance.

“Your methods differ from hers, whelp,” Yagami hissed, spitting at the floor which sizzled. “I waged my life for the land of Yamato, my domain in a battle with another King. Thou hold the people hostage and only a tyrant uses such methods.”

“That is correct. After all, we the Devil Kings are tyrants, regardless of what thou claim. Only the most efficient method is most sufficient! Look at the True Queen, boldly taking actions without making a full-proof plan—chivalry of the old age solves naught the issues of today!” the invader said with arms widely opened to feel the air grandly.

“Utter another word regarding mineself and I shall personally smite thee with mine fury,” the True Queen said, each of her words pronounced very deeply.

“Hmph. Well, the victory is mine regardless. Have fun continuing the duel. My battle is already over.” With a gust of wind the American Campione vanished from the land.

“Our duel must end here, True Queen. I must return posthaste to Edo to ensure its safety. One cannot trust the words of a scoundrel like that, not even with thy own eyes,” Yagami said coldly, blasting the ground again with a stream of curses as he vented his anger. The affected ground bubbled and dissolved, sinking away.

“Perchance a day shalt come whence we shall settle our feud. Until then, fare thee well. It appeareth that this bout is one which I hath lost due to a lack of foretelling of the Americans’ intentions,” Gloria said in a calm and composed tone, which contrasted greatly with Yagami’s.

“Perhaps we shall dance again, True Queen, perhaps we shall.” Turning towards her, Yagami clasped his hands together and offered her a warrior’s salute, for he had acknowledged her as his equal. “Thou may call me… Yagami.” With that, he was gone just as the American had, racing back to Edo with all his remaining might.

“I suppose he wouldst not tolerate to announce mine name.”

The True Queen laughed.

Indeed the world was sailing ever forwards, at an incredible pace no less. This much was true, and in a way, she was glad that Yagami could wake up to this sad reality. Thus, the King of Britannia departed herself, making way for the camps that were being set. Now that the Americans were here and the other invading Campione gained consent via a threat, it was her loss, and she had no reason to overstay her welcome.

This fabled tale of the battle between the two Campiones would then be told in ways various—for decades many, leading up to the twenty-first century.

(Yes, yes, the BGMs are pretty short most of the time. Wish there were extended version. What you can do though, is that you can right-click a youtube video and click “Loop” to get the music rolling over and over for a particular point of a scene. On a side note, this post was supposed to be much longer but I had to separate it into two because the forums can’t handle big dicks.)

Act 2: Reveling Kings (Part 1)

It was the eighth of July, an event unexpected was about to take place. An event that would forever change the Land of the Rising Sun. With the isolationist policy in place, the country was currently closed from trading with the west, with the only exception being the Dejima island. This was a policy adopted by the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate of the seventeenth century. Now, in the mid-nineteenth century, with Tokugawa Iemochi in power, the Cursed King was invited to the Edo Castle almost a century ago.

Seated in one particular room within the castle, a lone figure stared at the low table before him. A scroll was laid out before him and his eyes passed over its contents repeatedly to ensure that there was no mistake. He was dressed in a violet kamishimo with dark purple sleeves, an outfit not uncommon amongst the occupants of this castle.

Based on color alone, one would assume that he was of a lower caste of nobles or officials but those who were aware of his identity knew otherwise.

He rolled up the scroll and laid it to rest on the table before picking up the teacup right beside it.

“These foreigners are becoming more brash by the day, they need to know when it is not their place to force matters.”

The breeze picked up as his words ended, a figure making herself known abruptly as the trees’ leaves rustled. In a portrait the trees would likely fit perfectly behind her if she was donning her usual furisode. Right now she donned a black garb, as a kunoichi would, only a slit revealing her jet black eyes. She appeared to be tired of a long day’s work—like a farmer out on the fields—sitting down upon a cushion before heaving a sigh.

She unveiled the black and oppressive mask, revealing the beautiful facial expression befitting of the Yamato Nadeshiko that she possessed. It was comparable to the elegance of a blade—sharp yet beautiful.

That was when the man seated in the room noted, she was not well. No, she had been involved in a conflict but moments ago.

“Our lands appeareth to be in the face of grave peril from the yonder seas,” the woman in black claimed. “O King, steel thy resolve.”

“Who dares encroach on the domain of the King?” he said, giving her his full attention.

“A ship from Britannia docked unannounced in the depths of night, the men are across our fields at the moment.”

“Across our fields? What of the other agents? They should not have made this much headway in such a short span of time.” The teacup rattled as a fist slammed onto the table, the man growling his anger.

“Escaped to safety… we lived under the mercy of…” She shuddered visibly. “Thy kin.” She sighed again. “At least, that is I what I believe.”

“Tell anyone else who hasn’t to fall back and put the castle on high alert. I will go deal with the one who so callously disturbs our peace.” The man’s pupils had been gaining a violet glow, steadily increasing as his anger mounted but they dimmed momentarily as he placed a hand on the kunoichi’s cheek. “Make sure those wounds are treated.”

“It shall be done… but please promise that thou shalt return. It is unlike anything I hath ever bore witness to before, a bloodlust that match thine own.”

“Would you wish me to seal it with a kiss?” he huffed, shaking his head. “Whoever it may be, they will regret staining the lands of Yamato red with blood and for laying a hand on a consort of the King.”

“It was one of the men, I reckon they were the retainers of thy kin. Worry not, however, for I shall be well soon enough.”

“Good.” It was all that was said before the room was empty again save for the woman and not even the leaves rustled with the man’s passing.

A courtyard not too far away was his destination, past the castle ways and the sprawling wooden houses of Edo. It was lively as usual on the streets as hawkers and residents alike mingled in their daily hustle and bustle, all oblivious to the passing of their Devil King. Amongst the trees in the courtyard, a small meeting was underway. To call it one would be a stretch yet it was a meeting nonetheless, the participants all finding footholds on branches or hanging from something. They were varied in appearance, none of them looking like the other as they conversed, ranging from a noble statesman to a food peddler and even a beggar. The only thing in common was that each was bloodied.

“Report.”

The single word silenced their fast-paced conversation and all knelt as their lord made himself known.

“The westerners,” one of the men said bitterly. “They made it to our lands. To the west from our city—the forest of outskirts—they lurk.”

“We know not their intentions, but it is agreed among ourselves that they possess frightening powers and possibly… a King.”

“Currently, they are there—unmoving. We have made attempts to chase them out. Your Majesty mayeth bear to witness to our sorry state now—delivered by their so-called †˜knights.’”

“Fall back to the castle. The only one who can match the might of a King is another and I shall take over their elimination henceforth. Were there no words offered before the westerners attacked?” The leaves rustled as their master’s voice echoed around them.

“They wished to break the isolationist policy… there was no choice otherwise.”

“Knowing the will of the Shogunate, we hath no choice but to refuse them passage across the lands.”

“My Lord… first time it shall be for thou to face such an individual, perhaps a compromise may be in order instead?”

“Hmph, there is no need for that. The conditions set by the Shogunate are known to all, and any who break them… will be broken in turn.”

The decree of the King was thus made known. The leaves ceased in their rustling, the ninjas now alone again.

Feet padded swiftly yet silently as the King of the East made way across Edo, crossing rooftops and leaping across entire avenues. It was bright during the morning and yet none would ever see him despite being in plain sight, simply because he didn’t wished to be seen. For all the inventions that the west had introduced, there were none that could compare to the awe of witnessing a King in motion. For one such as himself who was schooled in the ninja arts, such movements were trifling.

Green once again filled his vision as he entered the forest, keeping to the company as he leapt from tree to tree. His attire had changed entirely to that of a ninja’s—a shozoku identical in color to his previous outfit.

It soon became apparent in a crossing—an open field amidst the trees—where men in red attire stood. The military uniform of the British—he had caught glance of them before in one of their recent visits—none of which was indeed recorded, and wouldn’t be for the days to come. So far, he felt no feeling of great power, no presence that made him feel an iota of the fear that his men seemed to express.

The British men were at attention, keeping watch for they were in foreign land, and yet they failed to notice, nay, they couldn’t notice as the violet shinobi strode by as camp was made. He searched for the largest tent for their commander would be there and the both of them would have a talk. One that would end in this entire area bathed in foreigner blood.

Strangely enough, there wasn’t any tent larger than the other so he continued his walk around their temporary encampment in search of the commander. If there was indeed another King, there would be a sign and the world would know of their conflict, a battle that would only end if the insurgent surrendered or he himself was laid low. There came a point when certain soldiers, mages, looked up at him in surprise and the eastern King merely gave them a scathing glare, his eyes sending many into stillness.

Firearms were taken up to his direction as the soldiers spoke in a foreign language, likely asking him to identify himself, or something along the lines of that. The King could somehow pick out the meaning despite never having heard of it before.

He ignored them entirely since they were naught but insects to him. Now that his presence was made known to them, he simply crossed his arms and waited. Their leader would come eventually. A bark made his lips curl, the sound familiar to him when it was all he had heard more than a hundred years ago. A sound that he hated to the core.

The bullets passed through the space he had occupied moments prior and when the shooters looked up, all they saw was their imminent death—death in the shape of malformed tendrils that sought to skewer them through the skull. Yet none of them dropped lifelessly to the floor and as one soldier found out, those tendrils had stopped mere centimeters away from his eyes, for the King had found another of his ilk and it made his body tremble with anticipation.

(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtLaksWKoWM)

A terse gale blew.

The King picked up the scent of the salty seas, which indicated the presence of the ocean that was closeby from this forest. To the west he thus turned. A figure donned in a pristine white Victorian dress stood, her right hand raised to halt the fire of her men. Her translucent, snow-white skin aside, the locks of her hair carried a particular luster of gold, a shade the Eastern King had never bore witness to before, especially not on a lady. Her arms were clad in long white gloves, and a rose adorned said hair that she wore like a crown. Her smile was small but from that alone the Cursed King could feel the ferocious valor of a lioness.

Her steps were silent as she crossed the pasture. Due to the wind that shifted her locks, he couldn’t see her eyes as she approached him. It was only when she stopped that the gentle wind died down, revealing azure eyes that were as clear as a calm lake. She made a seemingly gentle smile as she faced him, possessing the gallant expression of a chivalrous knight and the grace and splendor of an English lady at the same time.

Thus, the two Devil Kings met for the first time, ushering to the age a meeting that would be spoken of for decades to come.

The tendrils slithered back into his raiment with a sickening sound, coiling around his person before being seemingly absorbed by the shozoku. He stood tall as he regarded his fellow, crossing his arms across his chest. Few times had he seen a woman of the west and even fewer up close. Her regal beauty was different from that of the ladies of his domain. Such was to be expected of another that called themselves King.

Beneath his faceplate, a similar grin grew on his face as the King of the East’s blood began to flow quick in his veins. Though there was rage in him at their incursion, there was also the wish, an overwhelming desire to do battle with her. The instincts of a predator awakened, he nodded ever-so-slightly at the lady, acknowledging her as his equal.

She acknowledged the King with a respectable bow, holding the hems of her long skirt—performing a curtsy.

“Art thou the King of these fair isles?” thus she spake in a language foreign, yet the Cursed King could comprehend the meaning of her words mysteriously.

“Indeed I am! To whom do I speak to, King of lands far west?” the King of the East spoke lightly yet carried his resolute will.

“Well met. I am the ruler of Britannia of yonder seas.” Her voice sounded faint yet sweet as honey as she maintained a ladylike tone, and appeared to act very courteous, unlike her men that surrounded them.

“King of Britannia, what doth thou seek by thy incursion upon mine lands? Clear as day, the regulations that we have set for all of the west to follow and yet I see my clansmen bloodied by none other than thy footsoldiers.”

“Apologize I shall on behalf of mine knights and soldiers, but mayhaps it was inevitable. Mine intention is to unify the world as one. O Cursed King, I shall invite thee to join under mine reign—and rule the world.”

“An audacious goal thou art seek but I must decline, King of Britannia, for I have no wish to see the lands of Yamato nor myself be subject to another.”

“What wouldst thine dissatisfaction consist of? Trade and connections are but the greatest route to growth and prosperity a country may gain.”

“Unification is but a dream, one that tramples on the many that lie in its path. Indeed, a connection may yield prosperity for those it touches but I have seen what thou of the west brings. All of Yamato was engulfed in flames by one King. A King who sought the same thing as thou and with tools supplied by foreigners, nearly succeeded.”

“Oh my, if thou wouldst trust not the lights of morrow but the nights of the distant past—I am afraid there wouldst be none but miseries of misdeeds to confront. Men wouldst trade for armaments of war surely, but was that not the nature of thine men that desired them so to begin with? A unification would bring more than tools of war—items of all nature—that would undeniably spur greater growth, outweighing the disadvantage.”

“Yet it was that single weapon that changed our people so drastically, dividing lands and families in two. No doubt the other provisions brought hath benefited Yamato but I will not be swayed for in thou, I see fragments of the Demon Emperor of the Sixth Heaven.”

“Thou would court fear to deny the progress of true peace under the banner of unification? I see naught the virtue in this reclusive concept thine country parade with so actively.”

“Thou art not the first to come to these isles with the notion of peace and thou shalt not be the last either. It was under that pretense that our lands were plunged into turmoil, chaos brought about by missionaries. How then, do we trust thee? How can we? After those that hath come speaking peace bring with them weapons of war?” the garbed King of the East questioned, his fury growing.

“If thine lands wouldst not join mine empire then it is thou that shall face the mistress of dire regret—the world and its people sallies ever forwards. If thou wouldst not yield then eventually thine government shall—by force—and it wouldst hardly be by mine own intervention. What shall ye turn to thence—facing the greater weapons that the world hath advanced to now? Fight with blades of yore held by the samurais? Foolish.”

“The land of Yamato will find a way without having to submit to the rule of another. We are not ignorant to the march of progress despite the choice to seclude ourselves, having been taught a grave lesson by none other than thy very own. I hath never thirsted for conquest beyond our borders for they are lands not meant for me to govern yet on my very soil, I shall never back down. Not from thou nor any other aggressor that seek to take these lands.”

“Hoh, thou art quite bold and confident in ignorance. Very well.” Thus the True Queen concluded after having suspicions about the character of the King of Yamato. “I suppose †˜tis but the will of fate—dance we shall to settle the matter in the ancient fashion.”

“Say what thy will but I shall stop thee here. T’was a shame it cometh to this.”

“A shame it is indeed that it hast came to this. †˜Tis was mine intention to avoid conflict, but I suppose we live in the era of impending turmoil.”

“Some things are inevitable,” the ninja replied coldly as the squirming under his shozoku increased, the tendrils crawling onto his arms.

“Shall we relocate? Unless thou wisheth to slay innocents, I shall not cease mineself from doing the same considering the metropolis nearby.”

“There is a suitable arena for us to do battle but during our battle, I trust thy knights to stay themselves from encroaching further. This is how it should hath been decided from the start, a battle of Kings.”

“Where wouldst this yonder arena be? Mine knights are not uncouth, but admittedly, the soldiers are to some extent.”

“To the south, there is undeveloped land for us to settle this. I at least expect thy troops to show some restraint whilst their monarch is doing battle.”

“†˜Tis within mine range of doubt that a man wouldst be foolish enough to dare themselves into such a conflict. My knights shall make sure to keep unnecessary troubles out of our path.”

The King of the East nodded and vanished, a shifting of air marking his passing as he made his way to their intended battleground.

“Follow me not, for this is a conflict for us Kings to resolve.”

The command was thus given by the King who ruled over Britannia. It was stern unlike her usual self. Gloria looked over her subordinates, and their silence proved their acceptance of her words.

On the coming of summer and the end of spring, Yagami and his pair of Hime Mikos traveled to the southern side of England, where the Isle of Wight lied. The pastures of the Osborne House greeted them in the yesterevening when they arrived, the splendor of the royal residence once more charming its guests with its frivolous yet graceful designs. There was no end to the amount of portraits that dangled on the walls, with the architecture included—it was completely exotic to the members of Yamato.

It was the weekend now. Sunday in particular.

With their objective to hunt in a special place, the Osborne House was chosen simply because it was one of the residences she could visit. It appeared that the True Queen had access to all the royal residences, as well as some other historically important residences throughout England. Indeed, the organizations such as the National Trust For Places Of Interest, Historical Royal Palaces, the Natural Beauty, or the English Heritage Trust were all owned by this Devil King in reality in one way or another, hence her possession of the World Heritage site such as the Tower of London.

Regardless, Natsuki was very excited to get around the town itself. For some reason, exploration of the mansion itself became a small touring prospect upon arrival. Himiko, on the other hand, preferred to dwell in nature, claiming that the spiritual balance across the isle was soothing.

When the topic of fishing came up, Natsuki wanted to join them and of course, Yagami gave consent. The True Queen only claimed “the more the merrier,” thus they were off to the shores. The seas that one could find from the Isle of Wight easily made for fishing spots all across the shores. Unlike any ordinary beach, however, there were mostly mountainous sites on some corners. They arrived at the Thorness Bay as they approached the sea.

Hence, the three sat down over a small hill, which gave them a nice view of the waves of the sea.

“Oooh, so this is the place.” Natsuki was the first to speak as the most excited, naturally. “I wonder what we’ll catch today.” Of course, being her first time fishing at all, Natsuki was eager to see the fishes get whipped out of the water.

“That depends on how deep you can go, Natsuki.” Shielding his eyes with a hand, Yagami looked over the gleaming ocean with a grin, excited at the prospect of going fishing once again. The sea breeze blew over the hill, bringing with it the scent of the sea.

“I wonder if I should go swimming sometimes…”

“Absolutely. There is a distinct sense of peace that one may find in the seas,” Gloria said with a gentle smile and a tone faint, the culprit of which was relaxation. “I have a hobby of going diving. Though I have not done so for the hunt recently.”

“Nnn. Shall we attempt it then?” Yagami’s new aloha shirt fluttered in the wind, the bright orange floral print bringing a smile to his face. Coupled with his yellow shorts, he would have looked like any other tourist that was going for a swim at the beach if it were not for the fact that his physique put almost every other male’s to shame. It was as if sculpted by a Love Goddess in the image of her ideal partner and if anyone were to ask, there would be no normal woman who would say otherwise. A pair of sunglasses adorned Yagami’s face, glinting in the bright sunlight. Removing them revealed a carefree expression, giving off different impressions from his normal slightly-more-senior demeanor. His face was akin to an Asian runway model with chiselled features and soulful eyes that would make women weak in the knees. Some would say that the aloha shirt was the only thing that would mar his appearance with its garish design but with the way Yagami’s body was, it only provided a contrast to his image and increased his appeal.

“What’s up with that aloha shirt anyway? It’s like, so lame!” Natsuki said, laughing.

“Weren’t you the one that said it looked good?” Yagami said with a snort. “Obviously I’d get it, besides it looks so fresh. Different from my usual outfits!”

“Eh? I thought you’d get that I was joking. Bwahahaha!”

As they spoke, the True Queen seemed to have started already, rolling the handle of her fishing rod to pull a fish out of the sea, and taking it off the hook before placing it in a box.

“Eh, one already? Why do you use that?” Yagami inquired, more surprised at how fast Gloria had gotten a catch than Natsuki’s comment, though he did shrug at her and rub his shirt affectionately.

“What else wouldst thou employ?” the True Queen blinked as she asked.

“This,” Yagami pointed at a rudimentary spear he carried. “Time for me to experience the water on my skin again!” Running into the surf without a care, he dived into the sea.

“Mn, I hath partaken in dive fishing before but perhaps the fishing rods are more traditional.”

“Oho, diving could be a cool thing to do…” Natsuki said. “Should we all just go diving?”

Popping his head out of the surf, Yagami waved at them to join him.

The True Queen only waved back with a small smile.

“Then again, I didn’t really bring my swimsuit…” Natsuki said. “Nor do we have a diving suit…”

“Well, it appears your King simply dived down without any gear,” the True Queen responded.

“Well, he is a kid after all. It’s not surprising that he’d just dive down without a care.”

“Now, now, the Cursed King and I come from ages past where such gears were unheard of.”

“Good practise! Don’t be shy, the water is beautiful and clear!” Yagami shouted at them before diving out of sight.

“Ufufu, I believe it is overmuch to ask ladies to get their dresses drenched. Please lease us some moments before we join ye in thy hunt.”

“Huh?” Natsuki looked back and forth between the two.

“Come, I shall share a swimsuit. I suppose I should have seen the need for it coming…”

“Yeah, tell me about it. Fishing in the west made me think of fishing nods rather than diving.”

Yagami popped out of the surf with a splash, a fish flailing on his spear. He dropped it off into a box before looking at the pair of ladies quizzically. “Do you require one of my aloha shirts? I have extras.”

“No way am I wearing that!” Natsuki exclaimed.

The True Queen laughed. “Well, please excuse us.” She laid a hand on Natsuki’s shoulder and they vanished, a powerful gale blowing that ruffled Yagami’s aloha shirt violently.

“Oh well,” Yagami said before turning back to ocean, walking in as the waves lapped against his knees. “Really, what’s wrong with this shirt? It’s so fabulous…”

The water was the perfect temperature against his skin and he resisted the urge to smile underwater. Salt water entering his mouth was quite unpleasant after all. The waters were teeming with fish, seemingly oblivious to the Campione as he swam amongst them looking for the right prey. The fish here were indeed different from those in the Sea of Japan and it was a feast for eyes for the old man.

His swim was only punctuated by his brief stops to look around, the currents pulling at him lightly before he resumed his relaxing dive. Spotting a particularly large specimen of fish, Yagami beelined towards it with powerful strokes and stabbed it. The poor fish didn’t even realize it was skewered till it was too late. With his second catch, Yagami surfaced and began swimming back to shore. That was when he found the two ladies donning swimsuits now.

Natsuki wore what appeared to be a black one-piece swimsuit, with many openings around her flanks revealing her figure, but what stunned him the most was the True Queen’s white bikini which tied itself up to the back of her neck. It shone brilliantly against the rays of the sun thanks to the expensive materials it was likely made with, a blue pattern of roses adorning it. Yagami could see her perfect figure proportions which was in every way bewitching. Taut where it needed to be, slender where it needed to be. The milky white skin tone was slightly different from what he was used to seeing among the members of Yamato.

On the other hand, Natsuki’s figure was also the sight for boldness. Her assets were in full bloom, with her bosom bulging out noticeably. Despite being known as the Hime Miko of the sword, her skin was smooth, and her body was not quite toned with muscles from what he could see. Her figure was indeed supple, especially around the thighs and the chest. She was still some ways away from matching the figure of the person who stood beside her.

“We have returned,” the True Queen stated, her tone lively.

“How do I look?” Natsuki asked.

Yagami blinked at them as he stepped out of the ocean, water sluicing off his body. He dumped the fish into the box, all but forgotten with what lay before him. “A-Absolutely divine,” he said in approval, struggling hard to construct a sentence with his now half-baked brain.

“Hahaha! Who words it like that nowadays?!” Regardless of what she said, Natsuki appeared to be happy from the compliment.

The True Queen didn’t seem to care about how she appeared to Yagami, and seemed to be carrying with herself a harpoon for her hunt. Excitement was apparent in her expression as she leapt down to the ocean waters.

“Shall we join her too?” Natsuki asked.

“Be my guest. I’ll just… rest here for a moment,” Yagami said with a small smile. “Go have fun.”

“Ehhh? But I wanna… g-go with you.” She twiddled her fingers as she looked down.

“Hehe, alright then. I’ll guide you.”

A light chuckle signalled Yagami’s movement with Natsuki’s meek actions and he lightly took one of her hands, leading her down into the water like the little princess she was. His little princess.

Carelessly, the Hime Miko of the sword almost found herself talking about the beauty of the underwater and the fish, but realized they were, well, underwater.

Gloria was literally skittering back and forth, swimming like a fish. In fact, it was so unrealistic it made her almost open her mouth wide. What was she exactly? Her harpoon had several fishes stuck at its tip.

Indicating for Natsuki to follow him with a wave of his hand, Yagami swam with a pace that was comfortable for her as the pair circled around a small reef, searching for anything suitable amongst the coral. Seaweed grew out for the bed and swayed in the tide, the old Devil King leading the Hime Miko through the underwater field.

She pointed at what appeared to be crabs, slowly walking on the sand bed, looking for their own prey. Then she pointed at star fishes, seemingly unmoving, and then she smiled at a squid, seemingly passing by. She waved at the sea creatures nonchalantly. After all, she wasn’t exactly here to hunt.

This was what it was meant to be like for a girl her age, to be carefree and enjoy herself, Yagami thought to himself as they crested a reef and found the wreck of a boat not too far off. He indicated his desire to go closer to which Natsuki heartily agreed before both swam towards it. Usually, these places had their own little unique ecosystem and he was eager to find out what exactly lay within its hull.

The Hime Miko beside him was visibly excited as if she was having an adventure in a haunted house of a theme park, looking at the more unique fishes that passed by them as they swam in. Most of the boat was covered in moss, and cracks were abundant. Through one of them, she found Gloria’s form receding to the surface, who only made a faint smile as she looked down on them exploring the wreckage before she chose to retire from her hunting ground—the hunting sea anyway.

The True Queen looked up to the sky and the radiant sun, which was to arrive at its zenith in about an hour or so. She unloaded the fish upon the box and decided that it was time to end her hunt.

“I suppose the time is near… ah, I hath had mine fun. I thank ye, Cursed King, for having accompanied me.”

She closed her eyes as she listened to the waves of the sea for one last moment before she walked away.

Watching the rays pierce through the waves brought Yagami a sense of peace and he dove deeper into the wreck, seeking to explore and uncover any secrets it might have. Small fish darted away as he swam by, passing through an open doorway into a large room with many things scattered about. There seemed to be nothing particularly fancy which slightly disappointed him, but Yagami chalked it up to it being a popular dive site and hence, wouldn’t really have much left to discover. He then rejoined Natsuki before going back up to the surface.

Their heads now popping up on the water. Natsuki was the first to speak, “Oh? The True Queen left?” She looked around the hill, they could still see the box, which was likely left for Yagami to drop the fish in.

“It certainly seems that way. Shall we return as well or do you wish to stay? I believe we have caught enough as well, though most of it is Gloria’s…” Yagami commented as he looked at the box that was full of fish.

“Hmm… I think I saw enough for today. The wreckage was great! Wonder why she left so early though, I wanted to hang around with her too… Maybe she’s anti-social?!”

“Maybe she has something to attend to. Hers is a vast domain to rule over unlike mine which only consists of Yamato. What do you want to do after this, Natsuki?”

“Hm, let’s just walk back for now, I guess. I think I’ll go to a beach tomorrow to get myself some tan.”

“Mmm, some sun is good for the body. Let’s bring Himiko along as well, she might enjoy it.” The box was lifted effortlessly by Yagami despite the sheer amount of fish within it and with a spring in his step, he began heading back to their temporary abode with Natsuki.

“That girl might not like it but I guess she needs to get outdoors once in awhile too. She tends to become a recluse when left to her own devices,” Natsuki said as they walked.

“I could tell from how her skin is like, it’s almost the color of alabaster.”

“But she is strict despite all that…” Natsuki grumbled. “Otherwise she is fine.”

“Ufufu, a good contrast to yourself, no? The balance of Yin and Yang is a wonderful one. I just wish more people under my rule were as diligent as her,” Yagami said in a slightly dissatisfied tone.

“Comparing us to the Yin and Yang is rather lame. What’s up with that? We have more than just light and dark in us!”

“Hmm? Just a figure of speech but I do so find it an apt comparison that you both are opposites yet mesh so well together. In a sense, quite similar to the True Queen and myself, I suppose?”

“Hm? So you think you and True Queen are opposites of sorts?”

“We are carved from the same stone and yet, I feel that we are a little too different from each other. There are many things that have made me think as such but yes, I suppose we are. Two sides of the same coin.”

“Hm, but then aren’t you still the superior in the end? †˜Ya know, older and all that. She can’t be better than you since she hasn’t lived nearly long enough.”

“Not necessarily. My years were spent in solitude away from the world whereas she took an active role in the unification of her domain. At this point, she has surpassed the number of Authorities I possess. Adding onto that, the fact that I have grown rather… dull in combat means that she is more than capable of matching me in combat and coming out on top. I have grown old.”

“Gramps…” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Stop falling behind.”

“Nnn, I don’t think you’re in the right position to say that to me.” Yagami chuckled lightly. “But that is the entire reason we are taking leave of Yamato for the west, to get this old dog back into the game.”

“Even if you say that… any lady of †˜Yamato’ would feel shame if they can’t keep up with the times. Look at my grandma at our home! She can tap buttons on a phone at least! A King should be able to do better! Something like that.”

“Mufufu, you are so adorable like that. Lecturing your King, not even Himiko is so direct about it.”

“I dunno, maybe you don’t really feel like a King to me. I can respect the True Queen with how she carries herself and I can see why people call her that, but I don’t feel the same way—you’re too casual.”

“Precisely what I said earlier. Fumu, I’m too casual… Come to think of it, when was the last time I meted out some penalties indeed. Mmm, I was right to pick you after all,” Yagami said in a pleased tone.

“So, you were saying something about the True Queen taking up Europe right? Why is it that you’re such a big King but only have such a small domain anyway?”

“After… the Warring States period, I was not keen on having the people experience another period of bloodshed. There was no desire for me to incur additional burden for the population which was still recovering and undergoing a great upheaval in the social structure. Up till the twentieth century, it was fine but the ruling government refused to heed my advice at a time, culminating in the two World Wars and those abominations being used on our land. I was extremely displeased with that.”

“Ah… you must’ve been through a lot, huh? There, there.” She patted the Devil King with a small smile. “Though they say you ruled over most of eastern Asia, right?…Or was it the southeast Asia? Can’t seem to remember.”

“My domain used to stretch from East Asia till Southeast Asia but that was mostly due to the ruling government deciding whatever was convenient for them. Still, it was rather… unpleasant to have an atomic bomb dropped on your person.” Yagami grimaced at the memory, shaking his head to clear it off.

“And now they have nuclear warheads… if ever the Americans are on bad terms with us again…”

“I’ll strangle the life out of that man and lay waste to the continent,” he replied rather brusquely before slipping into a much more casual tone, apparently realizing he had let go of more anger than initially thought. “At least the governments are on good terms. Giving concessions to that cretin again is one of the things I never wish to do.”

“So you can show a face like that, huh? Cool.” She could feel the shivers from the tone he spoke with. “What exactly happened between the three of you old Campiones anyway?”

“Gloria and I fought when she sought to unite the world under her banner. That bastard came midway through our duel when I was weakened and… requested that Yamato open its borders to the west. Requested under the threat of force.”

“You two fought huh… now that I think about it, Britain did try to kind of rule over the world, didn’t they? Then the Americans rose in power… that sounded more like forcing than requesting, though.”

“Nnn, I suppose that is correct. If I had lost there against Gloria, we would see the whole world under her rule. In that sense, we managed an uneasy truce against each other in the years after. It was not possible for one King to move without the other responding in kind. Unfortunately, the world descended into conflict once again.”

“Yeah… I wonder what the True Queen did in the World Wars. Their country lost, after all. So I guess that was a pretty humiliating defeat for her.”

“Yamato was humiliated in the conflict as well. I had informed the heads of our country that I would not provide support if they decided to participate but they went ahead anyway, the fools. Using the patriotism and national pride like the samurais of old and committing such atrocities, needless to say I was displeased. It was one of the few times I let the children decide for themselves, to have them bear their own consequences.”

“Our history is always full of conflict, huh? It’s like we just can’t get enough of bloodshed, sometimes.”

“Despite my fervent wish to be left alone, it always seems that way. I suppose one can only mitigate the effects of the world changing for so long. Technology has done much for our people, breaking past borders effortlessly whence it would have taken countless lives. Mufufu, would a photograph of the two of us being spread across the internet make you happy, I wonder?” Yagami asked with a hint of amusement.

“Hm? I don’t think I’d care, unless it’s something naughty…”

“You don’t like that, despite your deeds in the bedchamber?” Yagami looked at her with raised eyebrows, his expression unreadable.

Natsuki seemed to stare at him for a moment. “I might indulge my nature but I don’t like things like that to be recorded. Even with my clients, I’d decline pictures from being taken. Sometimes they’d take them anyway and I’d just break their phones.”

“Mufufu, there will be none of that from me at least. Any man that tries otherwise will now go against my rule so rest easy, Natsuki.”

“Well, maybe you’re being a little too overprotective. I can care of myself, don’t worryyyy.” She made a dismissive wave of her hand like usual.

“Of course I am. I love all under my domain but there will inevitably be those that I treasure more than others, for not all love is equal. Only a mere handful remain that can still consider themselves part of that group and you are the most recent. Mmm, I’ll let my reputation handle most of it. I suppose the remainder who dare attempt can be dealt with by yourself.”

“Mnm… yeah, I guess so. Ehehe.”

Thankfully, despite the incident that Beatrix and Allen experienced in Italy, just before the airport Leonardo Da Vinci—where they met the duo of Heretic Gods—they were able to catch the flight before they arrived in London. Though there were numerous delays, the times of which were passed most slowly due to all the new worries that came to them.

Pregnancy.

The kiss of the Heretic God of War that impregnated Beatrix, a Godslayer, with a single kiss to grant her a “Divine life” was rather a troubling issue.

So far, it was only Allen that knew of this situation. Unable to forget Beatrix’ teary face and the hug he received, the knight—no, no gentleman could simply leave the lady be. When they exited from the airport, their first intention was to stop at a pharmacy store.

It didn’t take too long as he caught a taxi and had the pair ride into the city from the airport, crossing the streets. It was cloudy, but despite this weather, Beatrix’ body felt a great power only from her womb where the so-called “Divine life” resided. Thus, she felt no external presence that stimulated her body of a Godslayer to be battle-ready for a Heretic God.

Indeed, the weather of England was said to be rather unpredictable at times, sometimes being sunny, sometimes being rainy, sometimes being cloudy as she could see.

It was difficult to tell whether these changes occurred naturally or due to the influence of the Gods.

Eventually, they stopped by a pharmaceutical store and Allen brought the item to conduct the pregnancy test. Afterwards, the taxi led them to a hotel, a suite of which was booked courtesy of the Old Dame on one of the upper floors.

The knight escorted the Queen to her room, and simply left her be with the product for the pregnancy test they bought.

“Why did this happen… My first kiss first stolen while I was asleep and now the first kiss I received while conscious was by a woman and she somehow might have gotten me pregnant… This is not supposed to happen to a Queen!!” Beatrix shouted with anger as she then took a look at the box to read the instructions as she had never used such a device before. Following the instructions carefully, she waited a moment for the device to tell her the results. Once she noticed it was ready, she was nervous but took a look at it slowly. A great feeling of relief came over her as the results were negative.

She soon stood up as anger was coming over her as she gripped her fist.

“Just what in the world did she to do me then?! I shall make her pay for toying with me like that!” Beatrix then headed out of her room after making sure she had all that she believed she needed and went to look for Allen.

Finding the knight leaning against the wall of the corridor, Beatrix found him looking up to her with a nervous look. “H…How did it go, Your Majesty?”

“It seems I am not pregnant, but now I must find out what she did to me. My womb still feels strange and I have no clue what it means. You must have an idea, no?”

“Unfortunately, I have never heard of it before myself, but Miss Alberta claims that it may simply be a form of Divine Blessing. I had contacted her while Your Majesty was taking the test.”

“Did you tell her everything…?” Beatrix said as she now glared at Allen. Wanting to forget how she had reacted earlier.

“N-No, only what I needed to, of course.” He avoided her gaze particularly. “It is said the Godslayers possess bodies that are nearly completely immune to magic, and that the only true way for magic to be used upon them is via oral intake. This was the method I used… t-to cast healing magic upon Your Majesty’s body… so we’re thinking that the Goddess needed to apply the same method to cast some kind of magic upon Your Majesty.”

“Then any idea what this supposed Divine Blessing of life does then? Especially to my womb as that is where I feel it the most.”

“Hm… I wonder what it does myself… other than feeling where it does, what else does Your Majesty feel? Is there any real discomfort to be noted in this case?”

“I just feel some sort of great power but I can’t tell what it does. Do you know anyone that might know what it could mean if you don’t?” Beatrix said as she walked up to Allen.

“A user of Spirit Vision perhaps… but then Your Majesty is also a Miko with the grace of Spirit Vision. The only others that may have a clue are…” Allen’s expression looked grim. “Other Devil Kings.”

“Well I don’t know how to use my Spirit Vision. I haven’t met other Miko who can teach me about my Miko abilities.”

“Unfortunately, there is nothing much to teach about the Spirit Vision as far as I know; it happens rather randomly usually, and is only rarely triggered by some external influence. If there was nothing so far, then the trigger probably wasn’t met.”

“How annoying. Well are there any Miko in my organization that can teach me how to use the other spells at least?”

“There are some Miko in our organization, Rosa Savona being a Witch, for instance. Incidentally, Miss Alberta is considered to be a Hime Miko.”

“What!? Why was I not told this sooner? Learning to use Miko abilities would have been nice considering it seems I am limited as to what I can do with my Authority.”

“To be fair, Your Majesty never asked. Besides, Miss Alberta would be too busy carrying out Your Majesty’s orders to do teaching.”

“Hmph, well would this Rosa Savona train me or no also?”

“Your Majesty could ask, but let it be understood that she is no master of the arts herself, and is still learning.”

“An understanding of what I can do is enough. We can just recruit someone who can teach me more later. Since we are talking about her when will we meet her?”

Assuming anyone wants to join after what you’ve been doing… “We were supposed to meet up with her this morning but due to… Your Majesty’s… problems, it was pushed an hour back.”

“Then let us go to the location. We have nothing holding us back now and do not mention what occurred to cause the delay. ”

“Fortunately, there is no need for us to relocate. Miss Savona will come to meet us in Your Majesty’s suite. Not long from now…” He looked down at his wristwatch. “Just about ten minutes or so till the appointed time.”

“I see, very well, we shall wait here then. What kind of person is she anyway? I don’t believe you have told me much before.”

They walked inside the suite and soon Allen sat down on one of the couches. “What kind of a person… huh? Miss Savona is… I suppose playful?”

“That doesn’t say much but I guess I shall find out soon. Get me a drink for now.”

Allen went up to a fridge and took a can of coke out and handed it to Beatrix. “I wonder who the other person coming will be, though. Even I was not told who else is being assigned to Your Majesty.”

“Oh, how interesting. As long as they’re useful I don’t mind though,” Beatrix said as she opened the can and began to drink. “By the way, what’s the news on the medallion currently?”

“Seems like Miss Savona will be the one to tell us about that—oh, that’s likely her.”

There was a noise of the bell heard as Allen was speaking. He gave a nod to Beatrix and got up to answer the call of the door. Opening it, Beatrix could hear some voices as the newcomers seemed to be speaking to Allen. One was a girl with blonde hair and a pair of blue eyes, seemingly jolly as she spoke with Allen. Another was a tall man with a well-built body, seemingly a kind man with white hair and hazel eyes.

“Gonna introduce them? Or just stand there?” Beatrix said as she continued to drink her drink.

At that moment Rosa Savona seemed to hug Allen as she was making whispers to his ears. Allen seemed to be scratching the back of his head while the other man chuckled.

“Now, now, Miss Savona, Our Majesty is getting impatient,” Allen said casually as the three sat down on the couch.

“Ehhh? But it’s been so long since we met!”

“We’ll get to catch up eventually anyway.”

Rosa seemed to pout. She released Allen’s arm and looked up to Beatrix with a bright smile. “My name’s Rosa Savona! Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise, my name is Robert,” the other man introduced himself with a small bow of his head.

“I’m Queen Beatrix Fortunato. Is she your girlfriend or something Allen?” Beatrix at that moment glared at Allen.

“That’s right!” Rosa exclaimed.

“Not quite…” Allen muttered.

“Why would you kiss me when you have a girlfriend already!?” Beatrix said as she walked up to Allen.

“What!? You seduced my Allen didn’t you?!!” Rosa called out, standing up from the couch.

“Err, no, this and that are different! It was to cast the Healing Magecraft!” Allen said, panicking.

“I was asleep when he committed the act. It was he who initiated it. I suppose I can’t blame him though, I do have confidence in this body of mines,” Beatrix said, smiling, placing her right hand on her chest ignoring what Allen had said.

“Grrr… you won’t win him off me! It’s always about the heart rather than the body, anyway!” Rosa grumbled.

“Really now? Why don’t we ask Allen then and see what he has to say,” Beatrix said as she then faced Allen again.

“Well?!” Rosa nearly shouted at Allen.

“Even if you ask me… I wouldn’t really know,” Allen said nervously. “Perhaps a bit of both…?”

“That seems rather undecisive. Woman don’t enjoy indecisive men. Unless you mean you're willing to take both?”

“While the prospect is alluring to say the least,” Allen said, suddenly appearing to be serious. “I’d rather have neither of you. Kissing is only an act I have to do for casting magic upon Your Majesty. It would be rather excessive to take it personally.”

“Hmph, fine then, find yourself a man if you would prefer that,” Beatrix said.

“I’d simply choose Miss Savona instead than a man.” That’s your job, not mine. Sheesh.

“Why you! Fine then I’ll make sure you regret your decision later!”

“Huh? Why? Your Majesty did ask me to take a pick, yes?”

“Yay! I win!” Rosa thus took Allen’s arm at his side again.

“Just speak of the matter we are here for now before I destroy the room!” Beatrix said as she could clearly be seen agitated.

“I just don’t understand some ladies.” Allen shook his head.

“It’s okay, you don’t need to as long as you got me!” Rosa said assuredly as she rubbed her cheek against Allen’s.

“Well? Anything or are you just gonna sit there and act like idiots?”

“It’s because you’re so rude that Allen wouldn’t pick you,” Rosa said, sticking a tongue out.

“Now, now,” Allen said trying to pacify Rosa, patting her.

“We don’t really know what to say when Your Majesty is the Queen. What would Your Majesty like to know from us?” Robert asked.

“The medallion that the Campione from these lands has! It's the only reason I'm here.”

“Ah, the Divine Instrument. We’ve heard that its location is currently the Tower of London.”

“It’s supposedly under the care of a Paladin now,” Rosa added casually. “Haven’t heard the name but it’s probably Paladin Marina.”

“I see. Then it shouldn't be much trouble to get it then. That nosy Queen is not there herself correct?” Beatrix said.

“Paladin Marina is pretty strong, but perhaps with us two it might be possible,” Robert said.

“It appears the True Queen is away from her usual residence, buying us an opportunity to steal the medallion,” Rosa said.

“Then I expect success from you two. By the way any kind of news of Heretic Gods around here or taken care of already?”

“There aren’t any around here so far,” Robert said. “The True Queen is almost always the first to catch the news anyway. Since England is not our sphere of influence it’s just how it’s going to be.”

“Figured as much. What to do then? Waiting here would be boring. What is there to do here anyway?”

“Could go touring, Milady. There are about a hundred World Heritage sites in this country, after all.” And hopefully not break them.

“Then Allen, I leave it to you to pick where the two of us go. I hope you know how to show a lady a good time.”

“I-I believe Robert would be a good choice for a partner for the touring,” Allen said.

“I thought it was he and Rosa that were heading to get the medallion?”

“Ugh.”

“I’ll leave Milady to you, Allen,” Robert said, patting Allen’s shoulder as his look grew cold.

“Too bad I can’t be there to ease your heart, but don’t worry Alley, I’ll be back soon!” Rosa said cheerily.

“I… guess I’ll have to start looking up all kinds of stuff,” Allen said.

“Not that I mind who joins but why do you have that disappointed expression? What's wrong going out with me?” Beatrix said as she walked up to Allen and faced him face to face.

Allen wanted to sigh. He really would if Beatrix wasn’t a Devil Ki—Queen. He braced himself and mustered his resolve. “I think that should be a bit obvious, but worry not, I am a knight, I’ll fulfill the mundane purpose of my Queen regardless.”

“Very well, shall we get going then? Unless you need time to prepare. Which then make it quick.”

“I was hoping Your Majesty would choose to rest for the day here…”

“It’d take at least a while considering he has to search up some things on the internet,” Rosa defended on his behalf.

“That's fine as long as we go out. No need to rest when I still have the energy to go out.”

“Please excuse me then. I’ll find myself a cyber cafe… I don’t want to research with a phone.” Allen finally walked out from the hotel suite.

“I suppose in the meantime,” Beatrix said as she then looked at Rosa and Robert. “You two, when do you plan to head out?” she asked looking more curious than angry.

“Probably not soon. We have intel that the True Queen will be taking a trip to the Isle of Wight in the coming weekend, which will be our opportunity to go to the Tower of London. We’ll only be making preparations and looking out for updates for now,” said Robert.

“Very well then, I suppose in the meantime tell me about yourselves and what you specialize in.”

“Well, I am a knight of Old Dame, and have come from a house of mages. Combat and protection are the specialty of the knights, just as Your Majesty may have experienced with Allen.”

“I’m a Witch now, so I do all kinds of things!” Rosa said in a jovial tone.

“I see,” Beatrix simply said as she then looked at Rosa. “You can you teach me the basics of a Miko? Apparently I am a Miko but I have not trained at all. Seeing you’re one I suppose currently you're the only one I can ask.”

“Ehh, but I don’t wanna teach someone who wants to steal my Alley away!”

“You can keep him if it means you can teach me. I am more interested to learn of what a Miko can do.”

“I was gonna keep him anyway. But I don’t think I can teach you much. I suck at teaching, tee hee.”

“Anything is better than nothing considering I know nothing right now. You can introduce me to someone who can teach me better once there is more time.”

Rosa shrugged uncaringly. “Maybe. I’m not really from a group of Witches myself and my teacher hates Campiones. Just keep bothering Alberta!”

“I think that’s asking for much…” Robert commented.

“Hmph, how annoying. I suppose I can just have her get someone but now I suppose I don’t have to keep my word of letting you keep Allen.”

“Not like it matters since he didn’t pick you.” Rosa shrugged with a grin, she could feel her nose extending to the top, metaphorically of course.

“A person's mind can be changed over time. One just needs to press the right button. Give it time, I can probably have him give a different response next time,” Beatrix said with a grin.

“Makes me wonder what kinda buttons you have so I can keep him away from you.” Rosa gave a glare and a frown.

“Anywho, how long has the nosy Queen been in charge? Thinking about it I need to learn as much as I can about her.”

“Who is the nosy Queen?” Rosa tilted her head. “You?”

“Why would I be talking about myself?! The one in charge of England, idiot!” Beatrix said furiously.

“Ehh, I just thought it fit you more, you know?”

“Oh, I see you want me to crush you here and now then. Consider your wish granted!” Beatrix said as she stood up and began walking towards Rosa.

“Oh look the nosy Queen is about to get nosy again,” Rosa said in a mocking tone. “Guess she doesn’t want that medallion after all. Hahahaaa!”

Beatrix at that moment rushed towards Rosa aiming to grab her by the collar of her clothes, but with a white glow of her body, she flew away to the air.

“I'll get you for that!” Beatrix said, currently wanting to strangle Rosa.

“Why? Because you can’t—”

“That’s enough,” Robert said. “Come down.”

“Fiiine.” Rosa thus descended to the floor behind the couch.

“You're gonna pay for that later especially if you don't get the medallion!”

“What’s the point of getting that for you then? I don’t get anything because you’re too nosy for that, or something.”

“If you're not going to do anything, get out then unless you want to die! You're a completely useless on board!” Beatrix said, enraged.

“Whateverrrrrr. Sorry Robert, I don’t know what cloud Her Majesty’s mind is on.” Rosa shrugged. “But I can’t work with such an insufferable Master.”

Thus, while Rosa casually walked out and left, Robert only hung his head down and sighed.

“I shall endeavor to do my best to get the medallion but it’ll be impossible for me alone. May I ask that Your Majesty lends me Sir Allen for this mission?”

“That is fine. If nothing else I’ll go as well,” Beatrix said, sitting down on the bed. “If you can call Allen and tell him to come back now.”

“No, please do not join us for this mission, Your Majesty. It would likely cause more trouble than necessary. Using the Authority in the Tower of London will likely be game over for all of us.”

“Didn’t you need that stupid girl for a better success? At this point I would imagine it’d be easier if I go as well. I wouldn’t bother using my Authority on simple mages, it would be a waste.”

“Without Rosa it would indeed be a greater challenge… no offense, but currently, Your Majesty would be a burden for us.”

“Whatever, I’ll make sure she doesn’t work for us ever again. I don’t need useless people like her.”

Just how stupid will this get for us…? “I hope Your Majesty learns how to treat people better, or else everyone will become useless in time.”

“Those who listen and do their job will be treated fine. Those who decide to act like that girl, I have no need for them.”

Robert got up and gave a slight bow. “If that is Your Majesty’s wish… then so be it. I shall go fetch for Sir Allen and make appropriate preparations for our mission.”

Stupid girl, why was someone like her even part of this! I’ll make sure to get that medallion no matter what, Beatrix thought as she laid down on her bed.

(GM Comment: Because she is cooler than you. Duh.)

With a brief set of knocks on the door, the ancient Paladin was roused from his current leisure activity. That is, if one would call vigorous exercise leisure. As sweat dripped off the man’s face, back and the rest of his toned frame, Caim was engaged in doing push-ups in the middle of his floor.

He simply grabbed a towel and wiped himself off before rushing to answer the door, finding Marina, who appeared to be a little taken aback from the sight.

“I see you waste no time, Paladin Caim,” Marina remarked with a small smile.

“O-Oh, good morning Lady Marina.” Caim awkwardly coughed into his hand from the smile, attempting to act stoic, and failing. “What brings thee to my room?”

“Good morning, Paladin Caim. May we have a bit of your time? My Elder Sister has summoned you.”

“I would only be a freeloader had I said no,” Caim said. “Give me a few moments to dress myself, please.”

“Very well.”

Turning away from the door, Caim quickly walked back into his room, where he would find an outfit on his bed waiting for him. Slipping it all on piece by piece, from his black pants, dress shoes, and black button up dress shirt, to which he allowed the final few buttons to be undone intentionally. Caim was no man of particular tastes and preferred something simple, yet slimming. Something like this was suited to him anyway, as a knight. He would not stand out too much, wearing this, and he gave his superior all the attention doing so, and that was fine by him.

He eventually returned to Marina whilst straightening out the hem of his collar, eying himself with his new attire different from his armor.

“All right. Ready. I hope I did not taketh too much time.”

She gestured towards the hallway and they started walking towards their destination.

“I’m glad I offered this change of clothes, people would think you’re a cosplayer in that armor.”

“There goeth that word again. A few youngsters in Rome referred to me as that. What exactly is a cosplayer?”

“Hm? It’s a term for those that fashions themselves as characters from fictional tales. Dressing as a knight in public sounds about right.”

“Makes sense. I suppose not many wouldst believe that I were from a different time. T’was hard to grasp at first, but now I thinketh getting used to this is within mine grasp.”

“Humans are said to be able to adapt, time and time again. That said, what do you think of the future so far?”

“Chaotic, still,” Caim said simply. “Aside from laws and customs between my time and thine own, it seems as if nothing much hath changed. People still carry on as normal, enjoying their lives, seeing what wouldst befall them for the next day. T’is much like how myself and mine fellow knights wouldst find ourselves, provided we had time to rest.”

“Really now? You do know it’s no longer like the medieval days, right? We don’t carry around weapons officially anymore. Citizens would have troubles if they do by law. Unless it’s America, where they let you carry guns. Except for accidents, there’s hardly any cases of people slaughtering each other like the more gruesome days I read of.”

“That’s a relief. And here I believed that we would be in danger wherever we went. As I was getting dressed, I was almost debating with myself of whether I should bring my sword or not.” Caim chuckled.

“You do not use a magic sword? Should be possible to summon that anywhere.”

“No, I don’t. I always was content with utilizing an ordinary weapon.”

“Huh? So they didn’t forge magical weapons for the knights of the old days? I had no idea.’

“I’m a bit surprised that the knights of today are able to. How long was that established?”

“I’m not sure myself, exactly… it’s been a tradition for as long as I know. Then again, I wasn’t born into a magical family so I can’t say I’m very educated about the Magic World’s history.”

“Hm… this is true,” Caim said with a shrug. “Then mayhaps you and I are in the same boat. I hath no knowledge of the Magic World’s history after my time.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

They stopped before a large set of wooden doors. Marina pushed them open casually, revealing a heavily decorated room. Caim noticed that this was the throne room of the Tower of London, something he thought he wouldn’t see. It reminded him of the kind of grandeur the old King, Decimus indulged. There, the Paladin found the True Queen, Gloria, sitting on her throne, with the gold floor seemingly glowing.

“Elder Sister,” Marina said with a bow, placing a hand under her chest. “I have brought Paladin Caim.”

The man was already in a bow the moment he noticed the True Queen’s presence. This was natural to him as a Knight Templar, to show such etiquette to royalty. “Good morning, Lady Gloria.”

“Good morning, Paladin Caim. How doth thou fare today?” the True Queen said with a polite smile. Despite being such the unearthly beauty who sat on the throne, she appeared to be her usual self.

“I fare well, my Lady. Much better compared to a few days ago, but I need not concern thee with mine own issues.”

“Hm. Thou art comfortable in mine abode at least, I presume?”

“Verily. T’is a lovely place to live in.”

“†˜Tis good to hear. I have a special task to assign to thee. I must ask before I do so, however: would it be acceptable to thou to work under me instead of thine old King?”

His expression darkening for a moment, Caim silenced himself down to swallow a bit of saliva. “Lord Decimus is gone. T’is naught that I can do to bring him back. T’would be no point in blindly following a dead man, no matter how loyal. So, yes, I will follow and serve thee, to yonder bitter end.”

“Very well, I shall accept thou under mine mantle.” At that moment, the expression of Gloria changed from that of a beautiful and serene lady to that of a Devil King—a Godslayer—her eyes displaying a cerulean glint. A sign of one who had true mastery over their Authorities, having become nearly one with them through harsh and severe trials of life and conflicts. “I suppose thou bear memories of the giantess of Rome?”

Having noticed the True Queen’s eyes, Caim realized talk of good times had passed. It was time to roughen up once again. “Yes, I do. Is she under thine custody still?”

“I hath let her be for now but I presume she shall come for this…”

At that moment, Marina outstretched her hand as she stood beside Caim. He could see a blue medallion upon her palm.

“For what purpose does this hold as to why she would return here for it?”

“This is a Divine Instrument, Paladin Caim,” Marina supplemented. “It possesses great power, and the Mage’s Associations met that day to give it to her… our giantess… for safekeeping.”

“And she left without it? What a careless woman.”

“To be specific, my Elder Sister seized it.”

“There was a dispute regarding it. The seventh King and the eighth King made the metropolis their battlefield for it,” the True Queen said.

“Such a dangerous item, one that is prone to start wars, was left in the hands of a reckless woman who tactlessly leveled an entire city within an afternoon...for safekeeping?” Caim asked. “I wonder if the Mage’s Associations were actually thinking when they bestowed it in her hands.”

“It appears they were about to do so… but after she did all that… probably not anymore,” Marina said with a look of grimace. “In any case, there is a prophecy by Princess Lucy, that the Day of Rising Forests will take place due to this medallion. Likely the cause of a Heretic God uniting himself with it.”

“Day of Rising Forests? While I hath no clue what that entails, I shalt assume a Heretic God having anything to do with it wouldst possess a terrible outcome.”

“When the Day of Rising Forests takes place, it’s said that the trees will rise to abnormal levels and envelop all of modern civilizations across the world—something we can’t allow to take place.”

Caim hummed. “For the sake of the human race, that is literally the last thing we would want to happen. With that Giantess running amok, I doth not want her anywhere near this artifact, then.”

“So, with all that said…” the True Queen’s voice trailed away. She made a smile befitting of a lady friend, an English noble, rather than one infused with the solemnity of a peerless Queen as she did until now. “I wouldst prefer thou to hold onto this Divine Instrument for the moment.”

“Me?” Caim’s brows had raised and he stared at the True Queen with a mixed expression of confusion, stoicness, and sort of excitement. “Thou wouldst trust me?”

“I must test thou with trials by fire.”

“Indeed,” said Marina in praise of her sister. In reality, however, she was greatly displeased that this task was not given to her. Why this beginner…?

“I shalt take leave of this castle to entertain the Cursed King in the Osborne House to the south. †˜Tis but unavoidable as a hostess,” Gloria stated. “Please keep the medallion safely away from the hands of others until mine return.”

“Absolutely, with mine last breath, Lady Gloria,” Caim said resolutely.

“Thou art dismissed thence.”

Marina handed to him the medallion afterwards. “Take good care of it.”

The Paladin made sure to keep a firm grip around the artifact. “I will. I thank thee for entrusting me with this responsibility.”

The courtyard of the Tower of London was an expanse of green that overlooked the various ancient residences under the castle walls. To their left was a long cloister and there they could see some mages passing by as they worked as staff members of the place. More importantly, Natsuki and Yagami were standing some distance away from each other. Their eyes locked, the Hime Miko only had one thing to confirm:

“So, I get more money if I win, right?”

“Ou, that is correct Natsuki. Depending on your performance, maybe something else as well,” Yagami said with a hearty laugh.

“Alright! Time to do this!”

“That’s the spirit!”

A long katana formed at the grasp of the high school girl, its curved steel invoking a feeling of battle-hardening upon Yagami, as he sensed its Divine presence barely with his instincts of a Godslayer. It was certainly no ordinary sword.

“Hoh, so you do have one of the Divine blades. Which one is it, my dear?” Yagami inquired with interest, a hand on his chin.

“Maybe I’ll tell you if you win!”

Her King smiled and fell backwards just as her blade passed lightly over his face, the Campione disappearing into his shadow which rippled once.

“Keep up that spirit, lass. Maybe you’ll find me.”

Natsuki looked around as his voice echoed all around, rebounding off the courtyard walls. “Ehhh?! That’s unfair old maaaaaaaaan… you’re not fighting a God or something!”

“Should you not know how to deal with all kinds of threats? Or will you cry †˜unfairrrrr’ when the opponent has a skill like mine?”

“I’d rather chill in a hotel than hit up a battlefield, to be honest.” She nodded to herself, crossing her arms acting sagely.

“Sometimes the battlefield comes to you, darling. Life isn’t always that easy,” Yagami said, imitating her actions as he rose halfway out of her shadow. The old ninja vanished when Natsuki flung the sword in his direction.

“Nnn, let’s try with something more direct then.”

Natsuki grew wide-eyed as her King unleashed a flurry of lightning fast punches and struggled to parry or avoid them. She was successful with the first couple before they overwhelmed her with sheer speed and she withered under the barrage. From an outsider’s point of view, all that could be seen were lightning fast hands and countless hitting noises mixed with slight cries of pain.

“Nnn, Natsuki? Natsuki?” Yagami asked with concern, crouching down next to the girl who was huddling up in pain. “Oi, are you ok!?”

She slashed the sword at him and he parried. Yagami at that moment found a cut on his cheek. “Uuuu…” She looked down. “What the hell kind of a monster are you?! Think about my pretty face! It’s my life!”

Yagami gulped, having committed against Natsuki one of the grave sins in his personal edict. Scooping her up in his arms, he ran full pelt up to their rooms, dodging people in the hallways by running on the walls or ceiling yet nobody noticed. Not when the Cursed King was in a hurry. An identical copy split from his body and headed down another halfway, moving just as quickly as the original one was.

He could see a light emanate from her hands as she started to apply Healing Magecraft upon her own body, easing the painful swells inflicted upon her by the lightning-fast fists of the Cursed King.

“Don’t give me that crap now when it’s too late.” She pouted. “I can take care of myself anyway.”

The old man’s head hung low as he placed Natsuki on her bed, his clone coming shortly after with an armful of cakes, sweets and other things for her. Noticing the damage that was inflicted, the clone dumped the hoard onto the table and slapped Yagami on the head. “Now look what you’ve done! Repent!”

“Huh?” Natsuki looked confusedly at the two Yagamis.

Grabbing Yagami’s head, the clone forced it down sharply just as it bowed to her. “We deeply apologize for our actions in the spar. It has been close to a century since both of us have tested a regular human being and we lost ourselves.”

“N-No… it’s okay.” Suddenly, seeing the accursed King bow like this made her nervous instead. “I should simply never have agreed to the idea anyway.”

“No, it is my fault. I failed to utilize the right amount of restraint against my precious companion and… inflicted harm upon them. As a ruler, this is a great blunder,” Yagami said as the clone attempted to check on the damage to Natsuki, scowling all the while. “I had just thought to see your proficiency with the blade but neglected to find the appropriate opponent. It’s just that… when I heard that blonde girl speak of your skills, I couldn’t help but feel proud.”

“Mnm… well I haven’t really practiced in ages. Grampsy’s power wasn’t really flowing through me either… I haven’t been to the mountains in ages to purify myself, but that’s just a pain in the butt.”

“Should I accompany you next time…? Who’s Grampsy?” Yagami inquired, rubbing her head affectionately.

She seemed to frown when he rubbed her head. “Old man Takemikazuchi.”

“Ah, the Sword God of Thunder… He is your benefactor?” Yagami asked, withdrawing his hand when he noticed she was displeased.

“Something like that. Haven’t met him in ten years though.”

“A decade? But that would mean you were just a wee tyke when you last met him,” Yagami said with a frown. “A wee, wee tyke.”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Yeah, whatever. Who cares? I just want to be into fashion now and live a glamorous life. No need to be so serious and work hard.”

“Would you tell me why you desire the fame and glory?” Yagami asked her.

“Isn’t that normal for a woman? I want to live a more normal life. Everything else is too much of a hassle. It’s kinda ironic to ask when you have someone like True Queen who is literally named †˜glory,’ and you can see the results of both of those things clearly in her.” She paused for a moment, making a small smile. “Not that I want to be like her, but it’s definitely nice for a woman to present herself that way.”

“A normal life… If it was up to me, nobody should have to bear the burden that you, Himiko and everyone in Yozakura or the Committee shares,” he said with a hint of sadness. “I am sorry, Seishuuin Natsuki, for not being able to grant your simple wish.”

“It’s okay. Even you are not a God. We’re all mortals here one way or the other and we have too many things keeping us bound to stupid things.”

“Nnn. Such wise words from a young one. Truthfully, I did not wish to become a Devil King nor did ever killing a God be thought possible when I was young. I just wanted to live to see the next sunrise.”

“Yeah, it’s just too bad that I was born in the Seishuuin household, but what can I do? We can’t decide our families anyway. I’ll continue to live how I did, sorry if I got you worried, though.”

“No, we cannot but as King, I have power over most under my rule, the Seishuuin’s being one of them,” Yagami said with a slight glint in his eye. “So why don’t we try this and see how it goes...”

“E-Eh? Try what?”

“Try being my concubine. Nnn, you are still a bit young but definitely not lacking in any of the precepts whatsoever. For your age, you demonstrate good wisdom though do not always heed it… There is talent with the sword and beauty, you do not lack either,” Yagami summed up. “Most importantly, you do not treat me… too differently from the average man. It has been awhile since someone has been that way with me.”

She only blinked for a moment and stared at Yagami, processing the very first set of words over and over again. The Devil King could see her cheeks flushing up red almost instantly.

“E-Eh?! C-C-Concubine?!!”

“Do you not like the idea of becoming my concubine?” Yagami asked. He honestly wondered if meddling in her affairs this much was the right choice of action but then again, there weren’t many occasions where he felt the need to meddle as much as this.

“B-But… I don’t know, this is too sudden.” Her head was almost literally spinning at the life-changing suggestion.

“Few people who were granted the same offer have reacted the way you do, Natsuki. It is comforting compared to the countless grovelling and thanks that are usually proffered onto my person,” Yagami said with a genuine but soft smile.

“Grovelling and thanking? For being loved…? I don’t know, for me it’s simply too sudden. But… maybe it’s not a bad idea.” The last part was spoken in a meek manner as she looked down, twiddling her fingers against one another. “I-I mean, it’s not like I hate the time spent with you or anything.”

“Hehe, pay it no heed for they interpreted it differently from the way you did, Natsuki. I am not quite sure whether to call it love… for it has been a very long time for me but appreciation, fondness. Yes, that much I can agree on… in spite of it being only days since we met. I have also been quite unreasonable in some of my actions so I hope you have the heart to forgive me for them.”

“Hm, now that you do mention it… this is rather quick too… you’re just a naughty old player, huh?”

“Hehe, so I’ve been told. If you need time to decide, that is fine. I believe I have done more than enough to disrupt both your mind and body today so… I suppose I’ll go now but before I do.” The clone had somehow vanished by then and Yagami picked up a small toffee, unwrapping the candy and holding it before Natsuki’s lips.

She accepted the candy but seemed to pout again. “It’s not like I can’t unwrap them myself… if I’m to be your concubine I don’t think I’d want to be treated as a child.”

“I can’t spoil you anymore?” Yagami asked with a chuckle, tossing the wrapper in the bin.

“Maybe in more… hmm, how should I put it, I dunno, adult ways?” She made a sly smile. “Don’t take me seriously, that would be, like, hilarious.”

“I see you’re already getting comfortable with your new position,” Yagami said with a smile that matched hers.

“Well, they say it’s best to decide quick!”

He chuckled lightly, placing a hand on Natsuki’s head before reminding himself of something and instead, slid his hand under her chin, tilting it up till she was looking at him. “Then it is decided. Himiko will be so surprised,” he said before sealing the pact with a kiss.

“M-Mnm… l-let’s hope she doesn’t make a ruckus out of it.”

The strolls across the town which Yagami indulged with the Hime Miko known as Natsuki were pleasant. Being at the center of the Great London was indeed an experience very noisy, regardless of whichever corners he retreated to. The mages of the Snow Rose kept watchful eyes upon him throughout his trip beyond the walls of the castle. Perhaps out of special caution directed by the True Queen.

“My, my. Everywhere I go, there are more than a few eyes watching my every step.” Looking up at the vantage point of one particular mage, Yagami waved cheerfully at them, and they waved back. “Maybe they could tell us what the local specialties are.”

Eventually time had passed and he returned to the castle with Natsuki, in which he took more trips to get acquainted with it. Himiko seemed to prefer her solitude so he chose to leave her be. Dinner was served at seven, after which his time was spent in leisurely moments. When it was ten in the evening, the True Queen finally showed herself to him as he frequented the halls.

“Ou, is it time already? The day passed by so quickly,” Yagami commented. “Thy agents are most entertaining as well!”

“Ohoho, I am glad thou hath taken pleasure to mine servants, I hath asked them to guide thee in case it was needed,” Gloria replied.

”Then I will have one of them provide us with personal recommendations for when I require it! Now, shall we embark on our moonlight stroll?” Yagami asked.

“Yes, let us.” She gestured him to go first. “Albeit it is a crescent moon tonight, I believe it is fairly marvelous regardless.”

“Ah yes, the earthshine is beautiful tonight. It would have been a waste had we not decided to take a stroll. Milady,” Yagami said, offering his arm to Gloria.

Accepting his gentlemanly offer, the pair departed from the halls of the White Tower, and past the outer castle walls—to the banks of River Thames. There, the silvery lume of the moon bathed them as they took steps in leisure. Gloria’s beauty accentuated by the celestial body, it felt as though she surpassed it.

“Indeed, as thou claimeth it would have been a waste to pass up this opportunity.”

“Nnn. The reflection off the water is indeed enchanting,” Yagami said softly, enjoying the tranquility of the night. “Not oft do I enjoy this in Yamato despite my walks amidst nature.”

“Why not? Thy lands lack a lake?”

“There are lakes aplenty but I meant having company. Many a time, those strolls are all by my lonesome,” Yagami added.

“Mn, oft do I prefer solitude, but I suppose I mind not having company once in a blue moon.”

“I believe I am the same but being amongst the youths of today does drive away any semblance of old age. Ah, the desire to be †˜trendy.’”

“I suppose we share an aspect. The children today are most vigorous, but I prefer to keep mine distance and watch from afar.”

“Fufu, thou should try it one day. Ah, the memory of Himiko’s face when I visited her school on a whim. A most memorable occasion. She did not speak to me for a week unless absolutely necessary after that happened.” Yagami laughed, the sound carrying out over the river.

“Ufufu, she appeareth to be one who cherishes obscurity in favor of her comfort,”

“She is one who appreciates her own space and avoids my coddling. The girl was much more frigid when she first entered my service but now, nnn, she’s almost indispensable.”

“Indispensable, mn? I suppose that is good.” She fell silent for some moments. “Indispensable people, huh…?”

“Indispensable till the passage of time says otherwise. Indeed, sometimes it does get lonely in our kingship.”

“True. For us living more than a century, we find many come and go. I had made it a mission to remember the names of those I witness yet there are lapses in mine memories… which births a form of guilt.”

“Thou not write memoirs?” Yagami asked, turning to look at Gloria.

“†˜Tis the time I lack, unfortunately.”

“Busy, busy indeed. All that I have left to remember my partners by are my memories and words penned across parchment and the items we once shared and held precious.”

“Mn, my memories are rather sparse at times. I attempt to have reminders and whatnot, nowadays. Photography, in some manners, have been an invention on the par of God’s blessings.”

“It is akin to having lived too long with far too many moments in life but yes, this selfie stick thing as well. I can agree with its usefulness.”

“Pfft, selfie stick, that was a rather silly thing. This trend is simply too silly to me.”

“It is a good way to get photos of thyself and members of the opposite gender. Few hath refused an invitation for a photo together,” Yagami chortled.

“I would believe so, considering how many photos are taken when I make public appearances.”

“Mufufu. There are many more on the internet, praising thou as a goddess who hath descended to heal mortal hearts.”

“Oh? I doth now know that peculiar aspect yet persists. I am but a woman like any other, with the only difference being that I hath usurped the Authorities of Gods and Goddesses. I suppose I must admit that the Gods have made various impacts in mine form as I hath gained mastery over their arts.”

“I for one do not think it will vanish even after thy departure from this plane. Such is the admiration for thou.”

“All is but fleeting regardless. A day may surely come when I shalt be forgotten—as if the wax of a candle melting away from the material plane.”

“Maybe, maybe. I would not discount the possibility of us becoming timeless.”

“I believe death would find us in every ways eventually. The time ticks forevermore. Indeed, it may be a matter of time, my old friend.”

“So it may be, so it may be. How long is another matter entirely.” Yagami stepped forward towards the edge and watched where land met water. “Come to think of it, we have yet to go fishing.”

“Good point, it slipped mine mind it appeareth. Ahaha, it appeareth that mine point about mine memory hast been proven thus.”

“Are there any good points near here that we may indulge in that?” Looking over his shoulder at Gloria, one could see the hint of a smile illuminated by moonlight.

She cupped her chin with a hand as she gave it a thought. “I believe the best spots are the outskirts of other counties. The Isle of Wight is one good example.”

“Then I suppose we could head there for some fishing. A promising location, umu.”

“It is a little far, but I suppose it is a matter of finding the time to make the venture.”

“When thou art free. Perhaps I may go on ahead to scout the area myself! See what lies beneath the waves of thine ocean.”

“Ah, feel free to do so. The Osborne House may shelter thee there, another marvelous residence of the royalty that I chance upon in mine seldom vacations.”

“Ou, I doubt my Hime Miko will make the decision to follow me but tis worth a shot.”

“Is that so? Is she not thy retainer? I believe it wouldst be her duty to follow.”

“It is also their holiday. I wish to give them a bit more freedom than I normally would. Natsuki, however…”

“Oh. Well, they are but children so I suppose liberation wouldst sate but most of their desires. It is a precious treasure, after all.”

“Freedom!” Yagami said, throwing his hands in the air like a man that looked his age normally would do. “Hah… Freedom. Maybe one day.”

“I am not quite sure I follow…?”

“Pay this senile old coot no mind for he does enjoy pretending to be young.”

“Thou doth lack freedom, I presume?”

“A different kind of freedom, the young ones possess. Indulging in that ever so often lifts my spirits.”

“A different kind, thou claimeth?”

“Nnn. Different from one which rules, the freedom to be one of the masses.”

“Thou art able to indulge such a thing? Color me surprised.”

“Why not? Remember I talked about visiting Himiko in her educational institute? Dropping by from time to time proved enjoyable… so it became a habit.”

“Twould not become a burden to her, though? I am certain thou wouldst note it so based on what thou claimeth regarding her personality.”

“There are times where I visit her, other times where I merely walk around the academy. Even eating meals there is enjoyable, occasionally some of the youngsters do approach me for a conversation. However, thy face is known to the public so… it may not turn out the same if thou attempted it.”

“I wouldst not indulge such frivolities, unfortunately. †˜Tis simply not in mine nature to do so.”

“To each his own. The smiles of the young ones do brighten my day so very much.”

“Thou art a little grandfather, I suppose. That is… a good thing. Thou should be most proud.” And I am simply a… She turned to the Tower of London as if to hide her expression away from the moon.

“If I am a grandfather then thou art similar enough to be called grandmother. Thou dote on her subjects in her own own way. I just prefer to be upfront about it.”

“I do not believe that is a wise compliment to be made.”

“Hehe, indeed. Thou art still far too young to be called that. In the prime of thy life, thou are.”

“Just as thou art, though.”

Folding his hands behind his back, Yagami looked up at the moon. “I would relate myself to the moon. Ever present yet unseen when the sun shines. Just like the moon, there be the times of wax and wane. When you reach out to grasp it, it ripples away like the reflection on the water. Thou? Thou art the sun in all its splendor.”

“I wonder about that. I hath been compared to both the sun and the moon countless times. †˜Tis mayeth been the first time thou compared me to the radiance of the sun..”

“The moon has many facets and is ever changing, whimsical in its appearance and mood.” Yagami bent his back and smiled towards Gloria behind him.

“The sun and moon are said to never meet in Japanese mythology… shall I take it as a gesture of warning?”

“Eh, no way, no way. I wasn’t referring to that. Besides, I brought down the moon before,” Yagami said, waving his hand in denial lightly.

“Mnm… well, I suppose I was aware of thy feat. Please forgive me, Cursed King, but I shall retire for this night.”

“Not at all, Gloria. I shall accompany thou back, it was a nice stroll…”

“Oh, no. I wouldst not wish to soil thy stroll with mine decision. I shalt be fine returning alone. †˜Tis mine abode, after all. Please enjoy the rest of thy night.”

“Fare thee well then,” Yagami said with a wave to his fellow. “I will return shortly after. There are still things that I have yet to take care of this night.”

“Good night, I pray for thee to have sweet dreams.”