Rael was awakened by the gentle touch of someone stroking his head.
He then opened his eyes and saw all around him.
All he saw was gray, a gray space that stretched beyond the horizon. A feeling of loneliness and emptiness permeated the place.
Then, Rael realized that his head was on top of something and looked to see what it was.
Above him was a young girl who appeared to be between fifteen and fourteen years old. She had her hair a shade of purple, tied up in two pigtails.
Her purple hair would make her stand out, especially in an anime crowd. In a world where almost everyone had brown or black hair ... purple was the deviant color.
Her small face was cute and full of innocence.
She wore an all-white dress that covered her skinny body.
"Who are you?"
Despite the question, Rael knew who she was.
Pandora, the legendary woman, given a magic box that contained all the evils of the world and hope, opened it out of curiosity. She was married to the titan Epimetheus, brother of Prometheus. All the Campione would be her adopted children and her husband's bastard children.
She possessed an item called the [Circle of Usurpation] that allowed her to perform the ritual that created Campiones. Still, the cost was the sacrifice of a God.
Pandora looked at Rael with a seductive smile that did not match her childish face.
"I am Pandora, your mother. As for this place...it would be pointless to say since you will forget it anyway. But well-"
"That is the 'Limit of Life and Immortality, according to Greek occultism it is the 'World of Thoughts', according to Persian occult it is the 'World of Mind.'
"Congratulations! You have done something that no mortal should be able to do. You have defied the laws of reality and common sense to kill a heretic, God! That is why you are here to become my Son! Come, call me Mother!"
Rael merely observed Pandora's expectation-filled gaze but turned his face away.
Pandora just pouted.
"Anyway, it won't take long for you to know everything, and you will know when you come here next time."
She certainly didn't have the majesty of a Goddess. She looked more like a middle school girl.
Soon she showed a sad expression.
"... This is already the fifth Godslayer born in this Era... Soon the '[Steel] Strongest' will awaken from its slumber..."
"My youngest Son, your luck is a bit bad. You will not be able to enjoy all that this great feat of killing a God has brought to you."
"Soon, you will face the One Who Manifests at the End of the World."
Rael just remained silent as he absorbed what Pandora spoke.
Her words brought great information to him, especially about 'He Who and Manifest at the End of the World.
But if he was the Fifth Campione, that meant he had some time to prepare for all that was to come.
"... Looking carefully, my youngest son is a very handsome young man indeed, much more so than the previous young man."
Pandora's hand gently stroked Rael's hair. She looked very young but exuded a gentle feeling, a motherly feeling of a mother.
Rael just sighed. He just wants this to be over soon.
"... Mother..."
"Hehe~~ Time is running out, but here is a special reward!"
"By the dark art that Epimetheus and I left behind, this is the sacred birth of an illegitimate child, shrouded in darkness, born of a fool and a witch. A secret of usurpation only made possible by the sacrifice of a God."
"I grant you my blessing, that you may be reborn as the new slayer of Gods, a King among Kings, a Campione."
With that said, Pandora's fingers held Rael's face, and she leaned in.
To Rael's surprise, his first kiss in this second life was just like that!
At the same time, Pandora's magic ritual was activated!
The magic ritual of the [Circle of Usurpation] began.
...
When Rael opened his eyes again, he found that he was in the same position as when he had killed Seth and Thanatos.
He was still in the desert with the scorching sun high above, even looking directly at the sun, he didn't feel any burning in his eyes.
Even the sand that should have been scorching hot and the environment's temperature didn't bother him even a little.
This was all enough to tell Rael what he wanted to know, that now he had reached the sky, the top of the world.
He had become a Campione.
Another thing he noticed was that he hadn't forgotten anything about what happened at the 'Limit of Life and Immortality.
He cracked his lips, remembering the warm sensation, a piece of sweetness in his mouth.
He had been stunned by Pandora's actions at that moment, but as a great man, he could not accept the loss.
So he bravely dipped his tongue into Pandora's mouth during that moment to thank her for the gift.
He still remembered the warmth of that fragrant tongue.
"Well, that doesn't matter at the moment..."
With his eyes closed, Rael could feel something different, an overwhelming power inside his body just waiting for the moment to be called.
"Usually a Campione acquires only one Authority when killing a God, and this is influenced by the personality, compatibility, and ability of the Campione, as well as the God's desire."
"A good example is the protagonist Kusanagi Godou, who obtained the Ten Forms of Verethragna due to his compatibility and desire from the God himself."
"Even if two Campione's kill the same God, they did not obtain the same Authority."
With his eyes closed, Rael focused on the power bubbling up inside him. This power could be divided into two; one from Thanatos and one from Seth.
From the Greek Personification of Death, Thanatos had obtained two Divine Authorities!
But of course, what most interested Rael was about the Egyptian God.
For from Seth, he had obtained simply Nine Authorities!
Rael's ecstatic mind slowly grew accustomed to the excitement he was feeling.
"I can leave to test this power later, now..."
"Let's go hunt down a runaway Falcon!"