"Your Majesty, this is terrible!" Princess Alice's expression suddenly darkened as Phoenix prepared to leave with Yuri.
"What's wrong?" Phoenix asked, looking at Alice with a puzzled expression.
"The oldest Campione, Marquis Voban, has arrived in Tokyo. His target..." Alice glanced at Yuri beside them.
"Marquis Voban? Just as I expected..." Phoenix remained calm, seemingly unconcerned. In truth, confronting Marquis Voban had been one of her objectives all along.
As her apprentice's sworn enemy, dealing with Marquis Voban before leaving this world would be a worthwhile act.
"If it's as you anticipated, Your Majesty, I won't dwell on it," Alice said, noting Phoenix's unwavering confidence. The King must have already made preparations.
"Mm, let's go."
After leaving the shrine where Yuri Mariya had been staying, Liliana followed Phoenix and asked, "King, are we heading back now?"
Now that they had secured the miko needed to perform the ritual to summon the Heretic God, all that remained was to conduct the summoning at the prepared site.
"Not yet," Phoenix replied, shaking her head. "I have two more things to take care of before we return for the ritual." The full effect of using Yuri Mariya as bait had yet to be realized.
Summoning the Heretic God could wait, but the other two matters were best resolved as soon as possible.
"Oh!" Liliana said, understanding, and asked no further questions.
"There are still a few little mice lurking nearby, spying on us..." Phoenix remarked with a faint smile as she prepared to leave the shrine area, glancing in a specific direction.
"Little mice? Are we being followed?" Erica asked, following Phoenix's gaze and noticing something amiss.
"It's likely someone from the Historical Compilation Committee," Princess Alice observed, astonished. "Their concealment techniques are truly impressive. If the King hadn't alerted us, we wouldn't have noticed them at all. Who knew such a small country like Japan could harbor such hidden talent?"
"Yes... it's Amakasu Touma," Phoenix confirmed, recalling the intelligence in her mind.
Amakasu Touma was the Historical Compilation Committee's agent. As a descendant of ninjas, he was proficient in various ninjutsu techniques, including esoteric arts like Qimen Dunjia. His mastery of concealment was such that even the Campione, Black Prince Alec, couldn't detect his presence when he fully masked himself.
"Let me drag these rats out!" Erica growled, her anger flaring. "How dare they spy on the King!" Outraged that the Japanese government's magicians would dare to disregard protocol, she regarded them as utterly lacking in discipline.
"Wait..." Phoenix gripped Erica's arm, stopping her just as she was about to confront the Japanese magician.
"King?" Erica stared at Phoenix, puzzled.
"Forget about them now. The fish has taken the bait. From here on out... protect yourselves!" Phoenix glanced in another direction, the Grips of Tai Xuan instantly materializing on her hands.
"Fish?" Erica froze, unable to process what Phoenix meant.
A dense, violent surge of Cursed Power suddenly erupted, as if a supernatural hurricane had swept through the street. The howling energy tore everything apart, reducing the entire area to rubble.
Then, before the eyes of Phoenix, Erica, Liliana, and the others, a spry old man materialized nearby. Except for Phoenix's companions, everyone else in the vicinity had been transformed into pillars of salt.
The old man's meticulously combed silver hair, long coat over a crisp shirt and tie, and white gloves exuded the refined air of an intellectual gentleman. He might have seemed kind at first glance, but the pale green, wolf-like pupils in his eyes sparked a primal chill of dread deep within those who met his gaze.
"Marquis Voban!"
The four women—Princess Alice, Erica, Liliana, and Yuri Mariya—stared at the elderly man before them, a subtle fear creeping into their hearts. Even though Phoenix, the newly crowned King, had defeated the King of Swords and maintained a cordial relationship with Luo Hao, the terror Marquis Voban had instilled in the world for centuries ran far deeper. To this ancient Campione, even the White miko was nothing more than an insignificant ant.
Among the four, Liliana and Erica fared better than Alice and Yuri. After a fleeting moment of fear, they quickly regained their composure. They knew Phoenix's strength rivaled, if not surpassed, that of Luo Hao, the Cult Leader. Therefore, they had no reason to fear Marquis Voban.
In truth, the difference in power between Marquis Voban and Luo Hao was negligible. Their fear stemmed solely from the Marquis's long-standing reputation.
"Alice, Mariya, your worries are unfounded. He's just an old man with one foot in the grave."
Phoenix smiled calmly and stepped forward, positioning herself to shield Liliana, Princess Alice, and the others behind her. Her tone was light and relaxed.
Though she spoke dismissively, Phoenix wasn't entirely underestimating Marquis Voban. After all, strategically, one should despise the enemy, but tactically, one must respect them.
Phoenix took note of Marquis Voban, but didn't dwell on it. After all, his strength was likely comparable to that of Cult Leader Luo Hao. Otherwise, as sworn enemies, they wouldn't have remained evenly matched for so long.
In Phoenix's view, Marquis Voban's greatest advantage lay solely in the sheer variety of his Authorities. Beyond that, he was no different from other Campiones.
No matter how many Authorities a Campione possessed, their quality had its limits. Moreover, the fact that Campiones couldn't increase their Cursed Power meant that even the oldest Campiones lacked a fundamental advantage over their newer counterparts.
Nevertheless, Marquis Voban couldn't be underestimated. The sheer diversity of his methods made him a formidable opponent for other Campiones.
"My newly awakened kin," Voban's voice boomed, "I make no judgment of your actions. However, as an elder who practices what he preaches, I must impart this counsel: you are far too greedy, young one. To casually appropriate what belongs to your elders without asking carries a price you must be prepared to bear."