Kusanagi Godou found his next few days… different. His little sister has directed her attention towards the woman who announced her intention to become their 'new grandma', muttering about grandpa Ichirou and his lecherous ways.

It was an indescribable relief, not to have Shizuka focused on him. she tended to jump to the worst conclusions about him.

Somehow having Grandpa courted by a woman at least twenty five years younger made what should have been a blessed calm into a strange unease.

For some reason, Godou found himself disliking the thought of his grandfather remarrying, even though grandma was dead for some time. Shizuka agreeing with him was more surprising then he would admit. She really disliked the woman that came to replace grandma.

Grandpa Ichirou really was a Player, to have a much younger woman seek and court him, claiming to want to marry him. That she was an exotic foreigner and held a kid of mature beauty did absolutely nothing to help the Grandson's piece of mind.

The Devil King known for his lechery found himself scowling at the thought.

'What will be next? Cousin Sakura marrying Amakusa-san?'

Godou tried to dispel the horrible thought, and think on something else.

And a distraction just arrived.

"Hey, Erica…"

"…"

"Erica, Is something wrong?"

"No, Nothing's wrong, Godou."

For some strange reason, Erica seemed as shocked by the would be 'step grandma' as he was. Did she doubt the many references made to his grandfather's playboy like youth? Lucretia-san left unmistakable innuendos about the older man, and Shizuka loudly spoke of the lady-killer ways of their ancestor all too often.

"Erica, are there any news about the eighth?"

There was no need to elaborate eighth what.

"No. I have been keeping contact with both the History Compilation Committee and my other sources in the city, as well as the Copper-Black Cross Headquarters. There is absolutely nothing. On either the identity of the new king, or their location, present or past. The quite unnerves everyone."

The Seventh Campione couldn't help but agree. If the eighth was troublesome, they should meet and fight and be done with it, and if not, to get to talk in peace. All that uncertain waiting was wearing on him as well.

Surely it was long enough for newest GodSlayer to notice they weren't normal anymore. He studiously ignored the implication that he too, was deluding himself with his wish of normal life.

"What are you thinking about so hard, Godou?" the Italian girl asked, breaking him from his thoughts and pulling his attention back to the world around them.

"I'm thinking-this quiet, it can't be a good sign. What would an unscrupulous person would do with the power and authorities of a god… "

The Diavolo Rosso smirked, pouncing on the opening she noticed, and Godou had a sinking feeling he wouldn't like what was coming.

"Maybe also gather a harem of beautiful girls and lead them all on?"

The phrase was heard by, and, as all too often happened to him lately, misunderstood.

"My liege, what is she talking about? I know I am merely your sworn knight, but who else gathers a harem? Whom did you teach your appetites? Such a corruption goes against a knight's code to accept!"


As the spider patterned black man added more and more power to the ritual, investing his own, even throwing in his 'special touch' altering the ritual to his purpose, until something within changed. Something on the other side grabbed the power he was funneling and started greedily draining him, like a hungry infant drinking mother's milk for the first time.

Soon the change was clearly visible around the entire place.

"Whoa… it's working"

Within moments the deity appeared, only it was not the one summoned.

His change took root.

The monstrous Heretic God then blinked, took in the surroundings, and proceeded to fall upon the cultists, or at least those among them not lost to the madness that came with it, or too drunk, as they tried to flee in fear.

None have escaped. Those lacking the sense to run, and failing to attract its attention thus were not spared though.

Among the screams and devouring carnage, laughter would have been heard, has there been anything alive left to hear it.


"Hey, Shinji-kun, I want you to meet someone!" Judy-san called cheerfully.

She introduced Shinji to a severe looking Japanese woman in her forties, wearing a long, black business skirt and jacket, hair in a bun to complete the image of the mature, stern, no-nonsense teacher.

"This is Hyuga-san; she will be the social service agent handling your case."

"So you are Shinji… What is your full name, boy!"

"J-just Shinji, ma'am…" he meekly replied.

The last name from his memories…he was hesitant to use it for some reason…

To show clear disapproval, without changing the neutral expression on the face should have been impossible, but somehow, the woman managed it.

"Well, 'Shinji', you will be going with me. We will find you proper parents." He got the feeling she added dislike to the last two words, but wasn't sure.

She then proceeded to ask him a series of questions, and fill his answers, with little interest, before declaring he better get ready, he was going with her now. And no nonsense, the gaijin here may tolerate tomfoolery, but she will not!"

The familiarity of that attitude and tone, of this behavior, was more saddening to Shinji then that it happened in the first place.

They proceeded and left towards the parking, and the car that would take him away from this familiar place, when an old man called.

"Hey, Shinji-boy. You forgot something!"

"Norton-san! I-"

"Get away from us!" Hyuga-san yelled shrilly.

"I just want the boy to take his stuff-you forgot the violin!" as he was gesturing with the stringless violin shinji has picked up with him some days ago.

The Violin evoked a strange feeling, a strong longing, within him.

"Get away from that…man, boy!" the woman shrilly called, dragging him.

"Just let me take the violin, please!" Shinji bagged, not even trying to resist her pulling him.

And the moment the old man got close enough to pass the item, jabbing it forward towards him, Shinji starched his arm, and grabbed the broken instrument. The woman pulling him away from the man just as he grasped it, with one hand, and pushing poor Norton-san with the other, visibly shuddering at the touch of his coat.

The man fell with a yelp.

The boy felt something terrible about to happen just as he did.

Screams started sounding from the other side of the building, and strange sounds of…chittering and skittering…

People started running towards the cars parked, panicking, some calling to run.

Suddenly spiders, giant spiders, appeared from behind them, in pursuit.

They would skitter close, and then jump on people, covering them in silk, or dragging them, and behind them, behind the building and above it was…

"To the car, boy!" the social agent yelled, and ragged him into it, entering herself soon after, and after swiftly strapping his seatbelt, started driving, her eyes constantly turning to the car mirror, looking at what was behind her.

As Shinji, full of fear and incomprehension at the impossible sight, more fitting the impossible memories he discarded, he found himself stuck, between the world before his eyes now, and the world he remembered, and only now, did anything fit both.

As he glanced at the rear view mirror, while Hyuga-san was driving away, and sounding panicked, he couldn't help but glance at it, where he saw one of the spiders pick the form of Norton-san, who was still on the ground, not rising after the shove that felled him. The spider seemed to be taking him towards the giant monster beyond him, that made Shinji scared just looking at, and caused a small headache.

He remembered another impossible time, when was in a car escaping from a giant monster. Another impossible time when he ran away and good people got hurt. Shinji didn't notice his fists clench. The words came to him on their own.

"I mustn't run away! I mustn't run away! I mustn't run away!"

Before he knew what he was doing, he pushed open the locked door of the driving car, to the surprised screams of the woman at the wheel, and jumped away rolling the momentum of it on the ground without knowing why, as if he did it many times before, and was soon running towards the enormous insects. He noticed out of his peripheral vision the car driving away.

Shinji did not know what he was doing, but he no longer cared.

It felt familiar, somehow, despite his crazy action, it felt… right…


Author Notes: Sorry for the great delay.i think I'm back in action now, and a new Heretic god just appeared. as was hinted in the story, what was summoned was NOT Cthulhu, though, not much batter.

I wanted the first part to be a Godou scene, but unsure how well it went, somehow it seem to be not as good as I was hoping to write it. more on the woman that came to court Ichirou later (I already got a background and ideas for what to do with her, but if a better one is suggested I will implement it).

How successful was I in making the middle segment a good horror mystery scene?

this is the start of the action arc, and finally Shinji meeting a Heretic God.

How will he handle it, without yet knowing about them, or himself? which monster was summoned? all that and more in the next chapter-where the confrontation itself will finally begin.

I intend to publish it in April.