The world of Campione is no singular thing; it is a tapestry of parallel dimensions.
The duty borne by the Last King is not confined to a lone world; rather, whenever the Devil Kings of any realm become too numerous, he is summoned to cull the excess.
While that avatar is not always Rama, he may answer the call if he so desires.
This entire mechanism is the grand design of the Gods of Destiny, woven within the Domain of Fate.
In this reality, four distinct realms exist: the Earth where humanity dwells; the Domain of Fate, which coexists with the Gods of Destiny; the Immortal Realm, the true residence of the gods where only they and the Campione may tread; and finally, the Netherworld—the most chaotic boundary between life and immortality.
Compared to the exclusive Domain of Fate or the secluded Immortal Realm, the Netherworld is a melting pot.
Heretic Gods, humans who have grasped immortality, spirits, high elves, divine ancestors, and demigods—all of them find a place to stand within its shifting borders.
What Melusine intended was to rouse the Last King only to slay him, then march into the Domain of Fate to strike down the Gods of Destiny.
From there, she would find Pandora in the Immortal Realm and use the Ring of Usurpation to bind the Last King's destiny to her own.
This sequence of events would not only lure Guinevere out but also allow Melusine to ascend as the one who had gathered the greatest recognition.
The only problem... was how on earth she was supposed to wake him up.
To awaken the Last King, many conditions had to be met.
Most were flexible; as long as the core requirements existed, they could be modified. However, the one crucial, unalterable factor was the Divine Sword of Salvation.
It was more than Rama's weapon; it was the vessel in which he resided.
To summon him, the blade was an absolute necessity.
Yet, Guinevere remained ignorant of this fact.
In the fractured memories of her reincarnations, that detail had been lost.
She naturally assumed Rama lay slumbering somewhere deep within the crust of the planet.
Melusine recalled that the sword Lancelot carried was a fake, but she had no inkling where the genuine article was hidden.
Still, this gap gave Melusine plenty of room to maneuver.
"Athena, do you have a way to draw Guinevere out?"
Melusine had the broad strokes of a plan, but the execution needed refining. For that, she turned to Athena's wisdom.
"To lure someone out, one must use the object of their desire," Athena replied. "And if we speak of what a Divine Ancestor craves, there is only one thing: the resurrection of the Last King."
"I am well aware of that," Melusine nodded. "But how do we make Guinevere bite the hook?"
To this, Athena's response was blunt: "There is no way."
"...Beg pardon?"
"Everything required to summon the Last King is already in Guinevere's possession. We lack the bait to make her show her face."
"And if we use a fake?"
"Impossible." Athena shook her head. "The Last King is the ultimate manifestation of 'Steel.' Furthermore, Guinevere knows him far too intimately."
"To entice her, we would need a legendary Steel rarely seen in this world as a lure, and a trap capable of blurring one's presence to act as the net."
"Powerful Steel and a masking trap..."
Melusine pondered for a moment before deciding to head to England to see if any leads turned up—specifically, she wanted to see what preparations Alexander had made over the years.
Thinking of this, she felt a flicker of regret for killing him so swiftly.
Athena supported the move.
Even if they wanted Liliana to use her Spirit Vision to find Guinevere, they needed a catalyst—something tied to the Divine Ancestor.
The most likely place for such an item to exist was England. Athena herself harbored no love for the Last King or Guinevere; if there was a way to trip them up, she was more than happy to help.
While Melusine was plotting how to bait the hook, Guinevere was busy questioning her entire existence.
"That wasn't the Authority of Divine Speed at all! She was just... that fast!"
The Witch Queen, who had witnessed the entire ordeal while planning to sabotage Melusine, was practically hyperventilating.
Forget sealing the Holy Grail inside her target; she couldn't even keep her eyes on Melusine's movements!
Moreover, she had clearly felt Melusine drawing upon the cursed power of the ley lines.
Yet, neither Melusine nor Lancelot had any ties to the Balkans. By all rights, she shouldn't have been able to tap into the earth there.
That left only one terrifying possibility: the ley line that birthed Melusine was so colossally vast that she could draw power from the entire planet.
Guinevere didn't want to follow that train of thought, but she had to wonder if this "Melusine" was actually the Primordial Dragon of the World.
But that's impossible... she shouldn't be able to manifest as a Heretic God...
"My lovely child..."
Behind Guinevere, Lancelot stood clad in armor, her expression grim. She understood the panic and confusion swirling within Guinevere.
The enemy was too strong. This power exceeded their wildest imaginations.
Far from continuing their plans, they were so hated by this entity that they barely dared to step out of their fairy realm.
"Uncle... I..."
Hearing Lancelot's voice, Guinevere snapped out of her daze, her gaze hardening. "Uncle, I must meet with this Melusine."
"..."
Lancelot remained silent.
She had always been confident in her strength, believing she could protect Guinevere.
Even if she couldn't defeat an opponent, her Godspeed was enough to spirit the girl away. Thus, she had never blocked Guinevere's path.
But this time, that confidence was gone.
Guinevere saw the hesitation, but she was out of options.
As a medium who could reincarnate endlessly, she could place her own life on the scales of sacrifice if needed, just as the Guineveres before her had done.
Using one death to appease the enemy's wrath and vanish into the shadows was a fair trade. It would delay the plan, yes, but it would keep hope alive.
"Please, let me go, Uncle." Guinevere's resolve was set.
Lancelot could not refuse.
The Great War in the Balkans had once again plunged the world into shock and terror.
If the defeat of two top-tier Heretic Gods and the death of the Sword King had been a magnitude seven earthquake, this was an eight.
Two Campiones had teamed up, only to be slaughtered by a Heretic God? And the battle had ended just as swiftly as the previous one.
Just how powerful was this god?
The deaths of the God-slayers didn't just add a terrifying prestige to Melusine's record; it sent shockwaves through the Western European magic community.
They had expected to sit back and laugh at Eastern and Northern Europe, but those regions had stabilized quickly thanks to Melusine's "pre-war announcement."
Instead, Western Europe found itself leaderless and caught completely off guard.
That said, they were still better off than Southern Europe had been.
Back then, two Campiones were breathing down everyone's necks, forcing them into silence. Now, with the "Big Brothers" gone, the mountain pressing down on Europe had vanished.
Whether this was a blessing or a curse, no one knew. But for now, no one dared to make a move on Europe.
Everyone knew that "Lancelot," the Heretic God who killed Campiones like they were nothing, was perched right there on Sardinia.
None of this mattered to Melusine.
After a long, restorative sleep at home, Erica handled the logistics, and Melusine—along with her makeshift family—boarded a private jet to England.
With Alexander dead, the Woolsack Council had resumed authority over the British magical world. Princess Alice, who had been in retirement, was forced back into the fray.
Hearing that Melusine was coming to England specifically to see her made Alice incredibly nervous.
Nevertheless, she made impeccable preparations, welcoming Melusine and her entourage into her estate.
"I did not expect Lady Athena to grace us as well. I apologize for the lack of proper protocol..." The moment Alice saw Athena, she performed a graceful curtsy.
"...Ah, the priestess from that time," Athena remarked, searching her memories. She remembered the girl from a brief encounter in the Mediterranean.
"Yes. I am honored you remember me." Alice offered a charming smile—partly an act, though being remembered by a goddess was indeed a point of pride.
"You are one of the most exceptional humans I have met. Calling you a world-class spiritualist would be no exaggeration." Athena always held a soft spot for talented women.
"Let's not forget why we're here," Melusine interrupted the pleasantries.
The group of six walked through the estate. Melusine, ever direct, spoke as they moved.
"I've come to England for two reasons. The first involves the Black Prince, Alec."
"Do you need me to investigate something?" Alice's heart hammered.
Even with her intellect, she had no way of knowing that Melusine had no real connection to Guinevere. Having thwarted Guinevere's plots before, she feared this "Lancelot" was here for revenge.
"I want to look into Guinevere," Melusine said. "She tried to ambush me in the Balkans. It failed, but I can't have someone like that running loose, waiting for another chance to strike."
Alice was stunned.
This... this was good news.
Alice didn't care much about the lives of the Campiones, but she feared the destruction the Last King would bring to the world.
To her, the status quo was better than a resurrected savior.
Knowing that such a powerful Heretic God was gunning for Guinevere made Alice's diplomatic smile turn genuine.
Her tone became even more respectful. "Alec and I have collected quite a bit of data and divine artifacts related to Guinevere. Since you have need of them, I will place everything at your disposal."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.