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"Godō" - Regular Speech

'My Everyday life…!' - Thoughts

"God Slayer!" - Heretic God/Powered Up Campione speech

"Fire!" - Magic/Authority Use

Beta'd By BigCC

Chapter 25: Sorcerer Encirclement in Ulaanbaatar

Later That Day

VIP Suite, the Blue Sky Hotel and Tower, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

"Nothing?" Jean repeated with a frown. She was seated on her bed, having changed into what she'd come to call her 'Campione Outfit.' The severe black clothes tended to be rather intimidating, if Khulan's increased unease was any indication. "There's no sign of any form of Sorcery being worked in the city outside the incident at the plaza?"

"None, Your Majesty." the Mongolian Mage responded instantly, clearly nervous. "Every augury and scrying that we've attempted since that foul sorcerer made his presence known has revealed no indication of Sorcery being worked anywhere within Ulaanbaatar, save within Sükhbaatar Square. Our experts in such magics believe that the Sorcerer has never actually set foot within the city, instead casting his magic through his projection, which itself was likely using a ritual to extend its range so it could be cast from well beyond the city's limits."

"Hmm." the Scottish Campione frowned in thought. "That means that this Sorcerer is likely well aware of the limits of the Golden Ones ability to detect magic within the city. Tell me, exactly how much of the Golden Ones' attention is focused on Ulaanbaatar compared to the rest of your territory?"

Khulan paused for a moment to consider the question, knowing that a rushed or inaccurate answer would likely aggravate the already irritated Godslayer more than a moment's wait. "I would say that close to three-quarters of our operations are concentrated in Ulaanbaatar during most times, Your Majesty. It is home to over half of our country's population, with the vast majority of the nomadic tribes, both magical and mundane, spending at least a portion of the year here. We have outposts in all the other cities, but they mainly act as relay stations to look out for any issues and relay anything of importance back to our Association's headquarters here. If anything occurs, we have ways to quickly dispatch Shamans of appropriate force and level to deal with the situation. Aside from those, the rest are either scattered about standing guard over holy or historic magical sites, or as small teams in the other cities."

"So there's no monitoring the vast plains or mountains that make up most of the country?" Jean asked.

"No, Your Majesty." Khulan responded with a shake of her head. "We try to keep good relations with the mages within the nomadic tribes and they tend to alert us of any strange happenings they encounter, but there is simply no way to monitor so much open space constantly, at least not without many more magic users than we currently possess."

"I suppose that makes sense." Jean agreed with a sigh, before coming to a decision. "I believe that it's time that I meet with your Khan myself, Khulan. It's starting to look like that this Sorcerer isn't another tourist come to visit your country."

The Shamaness seemed to recoil in horror at the insinuation. "Y-You mean you think that a Sorcerer has been living within my homeland for who knows how long and that we were unaware of it!?"

"The man was wearing a robe covered in swastikas, spoke with a German accent and even used a Germanic name. I would be willing to bet that World War II was just as chaotic for the Mage Associations across Europe and Asia as it was for their non-magical counterparts." Jean stated simply, though her eyes were dark. "Especially in the closing days of the European theatre of the war, when the Allies were closing in on Berlin. A capable enough mage, Sorcerer or not, would have likely been able to find some way to slip through the USSR's forces and hide themselves in Asia. A country where the population is concentrated on a few cities, with vast expanses of empty plains and mountains, would have been a fine place to dig in and lay low."

"By the spirits…" Khulan blanched. It made sense, but it was still a revolting, terrifying thought. A sorcerer had been hiding in their country for over half a century and the Golden Ones had been completely unaware. "I…I will arrange a meeting with Khan Khangal as quickly as possible, Your Majesty. I only beg for your patience, our Khan is nearing two centuries of age so it will take him some time to prepare for a meeting with you."

"I understand, Khulan. Sometime tomorrow will be perfectly fine, though the sooner the better, considering the type of poisonous snake we're dealing with." the redhead responded with a negligent wave of her hand. "It's too late in the day to get started on anything right now, and your Association is likely still busy dealing with the mess in the Square. Make the arrangements and I'll be satisfied."

"By your command." the Shamaness quickly agreed with a bow of her head, before turning on her heel and leaving to accomplish her given task.

"Whew…" Jean let out a breath as she locked the door to her suite behind Khulan before throwing herself onto her large, soft and sinfully warm bed. Now that she had a moment to herself, with the current calamity as dealt with as she could get it for the moment, she could unpack the fact that Rebecca had seen fit to invoke her once-per-day gift of power from Joan of Arc's Authority the previous day.

'She wouldn't have used it without a very pressing reason; either a Campione or a Heretic God.' the redheaded Godslayer mused. 'Was it Alec? Godō? Her Aunt doing something supremely stupid like summoning up a Heretic God? Grrr...I hate being so out of touch with them. I am so going to chivvy Rebecca into hurrying up the recruitment of my Mage Association so I can keep my personal entourage with me whenever I'm forced to be away from home.'

At the thought of her home country, a pang of homesickness ran through her. Jean truly loved Scotland and would honestly prefer to remain there as much as possible. Truth be told, leaving for little excursions like this was just about all she could stand. The Highlands and Islands of Scotland were her home, and she would always find her way back to them, no matter what happened.

Returning her attention to the subject at hand, however, Jean made a note to have some strong words with Rebecca when she got back. Knowing her, she'd deliberately kept the possibility of this a secret from her. Oh, the line about Princess Alice predicting a four-way brawl between herself, Alec, Doni and Godō in the middle of Central London if she went with her was likely true, but Jean was equally certain that Rebecca had neglected to mention the possibility of her being attacked by a Campione or Heretic God if Jean didn't go with her.

'She probably thought that I had enough on my plate due to my spar with Luo Hao coming closer.' the Scottish Godslayer thought with a huff. 'Well, she wasn't exactly wrong, but she had to realize that me getting ambushed by that sudden request for power out of nowhere was going to be a bit more than slightly distracting in and of itself.'

Putting the issue out of her mind for the moment, Jean stretched slightly. If memory served, the gym was still open. She could go down and work off the excellent dinner that she'd eaten with Khulan there, and hopefully not have to worry about that little weasel who had tried to cop a feel of her backside the previous day.

"Perverts are all over the place, it seems." she snorted before standing up and grabbing the exercise clothing that had been gifted to her by Khulan as a way to pacify her due to her patience with the amount of time the search for the Sorcerer had been taking.

Damn the stereotypes about Campione.

With a huff, she headed off to work off some of her frustration, as well as some calories.

The Next Day

Golden One's Branch Office, Outskirts of Ulaanbaatar

It honestly didn't surprise Jean that, given the size of Ulaanbaatar, there was more than just the Golden Ones' main headquarters located within the city. In fact, there were several smaller offices and monitoring stations scattered throughout out the far-flung areas of Ulaanbaatar, all working to monitor a half-a-country's worth of people and the numerous magicals hidden among them.

The one Khulan had lead Jean to certainly didn't look all that impressive from the outside, just another extra-large Mongolian Ger, or tent, set up among hundreds of others in the tent city located on Ulaanbaatar's outskirts. However, Jean could feel the magic flowing outward from within the temporary structure, the source resting within feeling somewhat similar to Rebecca's when she was using the power of her Hearth, only…different. When Rebecca was drawing on the power of her hearth her magic felt warm and energetic, not unlike a flame burning with the hearth; the magic she was feeling right now was more akin to a fire just about ready to burn out, the dying flames ready to flare up one last time before they were extinguished.

Given that the Paladin/Khan of the Golden Ones was supposedly at the very limits of life extension for even a powerful regular magic user, that did not surprise her too much, but the fact she could actually feel such a thing was something of a surprise.

"Please, enter." Khulan invited her into the ger, holding the flap open. Jean could practically see the intricate spells enshrouding the tent peel back around the flap so her mere presence didn't shatter them like glass as she passed through it.

Inside was a reasonably large space, larger than the tent should likely be able to hold, including a small circular table in the centre with a chair on either side. Seated in the chair facing her was the oldest-looking man that Jean had ever seen. His face was heavily wrinkled, and his head was, under the helmet-like hat that he wore, completely bald. It was obvious from the way his skin hung from him that he had once been very large and likely powerfully muscled, but that had clearly been ages ago; now the man was shrunken and stooped in the back.

Still, his eyes were sharp and alert, alight with intelligence, and the wisdom that came with age. Jean could clearly tell that, while time might have weathered down his body, the Khan of the Golden Ones still possessed his mental faculties without any signs of loss.

"Eighth Godslayer." the Khan acknowledged her with a slight tilt of his head.

"Khan Khangal." Jean retuned as Khulan pulled the second seat out for her and she sat down, crossing her legs easily as she did so. "I apologize for calling you out like this, but I believe the situation is serious enough to warrant a meeting between us."

"I must agree. A Sorcerer, hidden here in Mongolia?" the old man shook his head in disbelief. "The fact that it took your arrival to bring this scum to the surface is a grave shame on our Golden Ones."

"So Khulan has already told you about my suspicions regarding their origins?" the redhead asked curiously, nodding at the Shamaness, who was standing to the side looking nervously between the two powerful magic users.

"Yes, and I am afraid that it is more likely than you might think, Godslayer." Khangal replied with a frown. "Most younger mages are unaware of it but during the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in post-World War One Germany, there was not just one Sorcerer hiding in the seat of Nazi Power, but an entire cabal of them. They referred to themselves openly as the Thuleorden, or Thule-Gesellschaft."

"The Thule Society?" Jean asked sharply, one eyebrow arcing slightly. "I thought they were just bunch of racist pseudo-occultists who got dissolved by Hitler during his rise to power?"

"An act of simple deception, I am afraid. The original Thule Society were a band of unknowing dupes, gathered by a particularly cunning band of sorcerers who hoped to use the resentment of Germany while it was still recovering after the First World War for their own purposes. Rudolf von Sebottendorf was little more than a particularly useful mouthpiece for them to manipulate and deceive with small displays of magic. When the Nazi Party began its rise they allowed it to be dissolved and reinstalled themselves within it as the Ahnenerbe, under Heinrich Himmler and the dreaded SS." the Khan informed her. "With sorcery and simple promises of power, they were able to gain great influence on the founding members of the Nazi Party while the Thule Society, before gaining direct access to Hitler and his chiefs of staff as the Ahnenerbe. One would not be wrong to say that World War Two would have been a far different affair had it not been for their influence, if it had even happened at all."

Jean growled, pieces falling into place that were already starting to ignite her redhead temper. "I've always enjoyed studying history, and I know quite a bit about World War Two and the Holocaust. Given what little I've learned of Sorcerers and how they use magic, can I assume that these bastards were intent on using the mass deaths caused by both the war and the concentration camps to work some kind of magic?"

"Your young Hearth Witch subordinate is to be commended for your rapid education in magical knowledge." Khangal stated amicably with a nod. "Indeed, that was exactly what they did. They had over a decade to absorb the pain, suffering and death of all those that disease-riddled madman in Berlin had killed due to fuel his delusions of grandeur. Using that power, they attempted a ritual that would have...well, let us just say that we would have been in a second Dark Age right now had they succeeded."

"Did none of my siblings interfere? Voban, Luo Hao and Aisha at least should have been active at the time." Jean asked curiously.

The old man shook his head slightly. "Campione, with startling few exceptions, rarely wield their power and influence outside their claimed territories, and even then that is usually only against Heretic Gods. The Thuleorden were wise enough to keep their mortal puppets clear of the Balkans where Duke Voban holds sway, or from extending into Asia where Lady Luo Hao might take offence. Madame Aisha herself has no claimed territories and instead wanders aimlessly through the use of one of her Authorities, [Fairy's Corridor]. She might have interfered if she'd stumbled across them, but there were no sightings of her during that time. No, when it comes to dealing with Sorcerers, unless they are mad enough to challenge the Campione directly as this one seems to be, it is the responsibility of the various Mage Associations to hunt down and put these dogs down."

"I see..." the Scottish Campione frowned. "What happened to the Mage Association in Germany during the rise of the Nazi Party? I can't imagine that a cabal of sorcerers working under the guise of mortal occultists like the Thule Society would have gone unnoticed."

"A question asked by many after the war. From what the Mages working with the Allies were able to find in their investigations after the war ended, the German Association, Die Bruderschaft, was mostly wiped out by a surprise attack in the early 1930's." Khangal answered simply. "There were few survivors, and most of them went to ground, some working with the German Resistance, others simply hiding, and they universally refused to speak of the attack itself. In the closing hours of 1944, several teams of Knights, including Saint Raffaello, the undisputed strongest magical swordswoman in all of Europe, infiltrated Berlin and struck during a key section of the ritual, disrupting it and killing most of the high-ranking members of the Thule Society. The remainder of the Sorcerers destabilized the magical power gathered to fuel the ritual before fleeing, forcing the Knights to stay behind to prevent a disaster that could summon an entire pantheon of Heretic Gods down to Earth. As a result, over ten Sorcerers and twenty Apprentice Sorcerers fled into the night, disappearing from history..."

"Until now." the Campione finished grimly. "So we have magical Werewolves lurking in Mongolia...just prefect."

"Werewolves?" Khulan blurted out before she could stop herself.

"A term given to groups of diehard Nazi fanatics, mostly former SS and Gestapo, who carried on a guerrilla war against the occupying allied forces in East and West Germany after the end of World War Two." Jean informed her, before she began to frown. "All of the non-magical ones are either dead from old age and combat, or in hospices by this point. This lot still seem to be active, if getting on a bit. That bothers me somewhat, as Rebecca told me that Sorcery tends to ravage and deteriorate the practitioner's body and mind. This Helmut Brandt looked to be in reasonably good health for a man who should be at least in his eighties, and likely far older, with no signs of any of signs of physical atrophy or mental stagnation that Rebecca said were the most common signs of Sorcery."

"Yes, that does seem quite odd." Khangal agreed slowly, before looking toward Khulan. "Niece, do you agree with Her Majesty's summation of this Sorcerer?"

"Yes uncle, I do." the Shamaness replied immediately. "Were it not for the obvious taint of Sorcery in the air around his projection, I wouldn't have thought him any different to a member of the High Council, appearance-wise at least."

"That is...most perturbing." the Khan said with a frown. "A Sorcerer as old as I can suppose this Helmut character to be should have already been long dead from their magics poisoning their body and soul, yet he is able to send a projection to talk to you, and has the mental focus to knock out every non-magical person in and around Sükhbaatar Square in an instant. Most perplexing."

"Regardless of how this old wolf is still walking around, he has threatened me in order to make me leave Mongolia." Jean stated coldly, eyes glittering with outrage. "I believe that the common consensus in magical society is 'suffer not a Sorcerer to live', correct? Towards that end, I am officially asking that the Golden Ones aid me in locating and eliminating this supposed cabal."

"My lady, as Khan of the Golden Ones, I humbly put us at your command. It will be our honour to assist and undo our shame in allowing these mongrels to hide within our homeland for so long unimpeded." Khangal agreed with a bow of his head. "All necessary orders have been given to locate any signs of the Sorcerers. While we wait for reports to come in, would you join my niece and I for lunch?"

"Uncle?!" Khulan squawked in shock.

"Certainly." Jean agreed. "Might I ask just how closely you and Khulan are related?"

"Your Majesty?!"

"She's my four-times-great-niece on her mother's side." the Khan replied, ignoring his niece's shock. "I trust she has met your approval in her duties?"

"She has been an exemplary ambassador for your organization." Jean assured him. "You should be proud; she has more backbone and common sense than the former Paladin of the Brotherhood of the Night Sky in Northern France, and I can tell she is on the cusp of becoming a Great Knight herself. Were I the sort of Campione to commandeer people, she is one I'd take."

Khulan squeaked at that, her face red.

"You have a most discerning eye." Khangal laughed. "Now, I believe that there is a nice local restaurant nearby that can suit our purposes. Have you tried buuz or khuushuur yet, Your Majesty? They're favourites of those who live in the tent cities."

"Not yet, but I'm always willing to try new things." the redhead replied with a smile.

Looking between her great-uncle and the Campione, Khulan had a feeling she was missing some kind of subtext here.

Later

Ger Restaurant, Outskirts of Ulaanbaatar

Jean had eaten steamed dumplings before, albeit Chinese ones, when she visited the China Restaurant in Oban with her Great-Aunt, before she had been rendered unable to walk due to her advanced age. The buuz that she had eaten here were made with mutton as opposed to pork, which made for a subtly different taste, but not one that she disliked.

The Khorkhog had also been quite tasty. She didn't often eat lamb, but the Mongolian preparation was quite nice. It had taken an hour and a half to cook, which had left plenty of time for her to talk to Khangal and Khulan in order to learn a bit more about their magical traditions and life in such a small Mage Association.

The daily life of a Mage Association was quite fascinating, between training, studies, work and normal daily self-care. The training for both Animism and Shamanism, the two magic systems that Khulan had told her about the previous day, involved a lot of training, meditation, preparation and study in order to use in any capacity, but especially for combat.

"It's why we are not as prolifically large as some of the other Mage Associations in Russia." Khulan said with a shrug as she drank süütei tsai, or Mongolian salty tea. "The training to become a Shaman starts when we are young, and never really ends."

"Too true." Khangal agreed with his niece. "I am among the oldest of the non-Campione Magic Users on the planet, and I have little doubt that I have only scratched the surface of what shamanism and animism can accomplish. My notes and research will greatly benefit Khulan here when I pass away."

"Uncle..." the Shamaness looked pained.

"Is two-hundred years really the limit for those who aren't Campione?" Jean asked softly.

"In general, give or take a decade, yes." Khangal nodded. "The length of time that one can extend their life through the use of normal magic depends greatly on the strength of their magic, as well as how puissant they are in its use. Most lack the skill to extend their lives more than a few decades past a hundred, and even great skill falls short with weak magic. I am one of the few who has been able to last until almost the start of my third century...but that is the limit for mortal magic. Only a Campione can extend their lives beyond that absolute limit."

"More than that, female mages are better able to maintain a youthful appearance until almost their last years." Khulan said in a subdued manner. "Saint Raffaello is over eighty years old, and looks like a girl in her late-teens. Most men can only slow their ageing to match their prolonged lifespans, something which is true even of Campione. Duke Voban is over four centuries old and resembles a man in his late fifties despite reportedly slaying his first Heretic God when he was still a teenager, for example, while Lady Luo Hao maintains a teenaged appearance despite being three-centuries old."

Jean looked at her hand with a speculative air. Why was it that females were so blessed as to remain youthful, while men could only temporarily arrest their age? Was it because of their link to Mother Pandora? Or was it because of some other reason?

"Khulan, go and fetch my cane from the Branch Office, would you?" the Khan asked. "I forgot it and now I think I need the support."

"Again, uncle?" Khulan asked in mild exasperation. "You will have to remember to keep it with you; you aren't getting any younger, you know!"

"Of that, I am well aware, my dear." the old man chuckled as his niece headed out to run his little errand. Turning to the Campione, who was looking at him coolly, he cleared his throat. "Now then...shall we get down to business, Eighth Campione?"

"Yes, let us do so." Jean agreed, a smile on her face.

When Khulan came back with the cane, it was to see the Eighth Campione and her great-uncle laughing with one another as if they were old friends. For some reason, she had an idea that an amiable deal had been struck between them, and that it was a benevolent one. Whatever it was that they had been talking about, she just hoped that it didn't blow up in the faces of the Golden Ones.

Later

Streets of Ulaanbaatar

"Uncle, I don't like this." Khulan said with a frown as she escorted her uncle through the busy streets of the city, flanked by Jean Campbell. "It's been over five hours and we haven't received a single report of Sorcerous activity."

"This lends weight to Lady Campbell's theory that the investigative spells and habits of the Golden Ones have been studied." Khangal grumbled. "I would venture it was in preparation for an incident such as this, curse their misbegotten hides."

"Well, it actually kind of relieves me." Jean confessed. "A lot of media tends to depict the Nazis as two-dimensional straw-men that are basically walking balls of incompetent blind hatred. Seeing them actually manage something as basic as studying their local enemy and setting up a system to avoid their standard detection magics reassures me that they aren't acting a part here; this is definitely real life."

"Most people wouldn't be reassured by the thought of facing an 'actual' cabal of Nazi Sorcerers, Your Majesty." the Shamaness deadpanned back at her.

"I'm dealing with human opponents, Khulan, which means I can count on them to act in certain ways to a given situation, evil corruptive magics to one side." the Campione replied calmly. "In their shoes, there were three major options to hiding themselves from your organization."

She held up her index finger. "First, refuge in audacity. This would be hiding in plain sight, perhaps masquerading as a group of foreign magic users that is unusually cliquish and shuns outside mages unless they absolutely have to."

"There are no groups like that in Mongolia." Khangal shook his head. "No groups of magic users entered any part of Mongolia through the mundane or normal magical routes that the Golden Ones monitored in 1944-to-45."

"It was the least likely of the choices, but still one that needed to be aired." Jean shrugged. "The other two are more likely. Second, they are located in some highly remote area of Mongolia where the Golden Ones or any of the other local mages have little to no reason to visit with anything approaching frequency or necessity. Away from towns, villages, known nomad wandering patterns and sites of magical and historical significance. Third, they have hid themselves just beyond the reach of your usual means of detection; close enough to monitor and keep tabs on the local mages but far enough to stay out your field of view."

"I think that the most likely area for the second option would be in the Govi-Altai Province." Khulan said pensively. "It's in the west of the country, but its southern area, the three sums (districts) of Altai, Tsogt and Erdene are fairly isolated and sparsely populated. Combined, they have less than six-thousand people living there."

"Hmm...I recall that wolves have been a problem in Altai." Khangal mused. "Not in either of the others though, just Altai. Other than that, there hasn't been any unusual disappearances there. It's actually been unusually quiet there. I don't think there's very many of us there...no more than twenty at most."

"Sounds like somewhere to turn to after this incident's over. Is there anywhere closer to Ulaanbaatar that might be reasonably deserted?" the Campione asked.

"Not inside of the Ulaanbaatar Province; it would be outside the valley where you'd have to look for a place to hide." Khulan said slowly. "In Töv Province, which surrounds Ulaanbaatar, it's actually fairly hard to find somewhere that's a distance from any population centre or site of some other significance due to the numerous National Parks in the area."

"Wouldn't the parks be a perfect place to hide though?" Jean countered. "Granted, some are probably too close to historical sites, but the rest seem perfect; isolated, widespread with only a few people approaching anywhere close to the deeper areas, a place magic users tend to avoid in large numbers...I'd make a hidden base in one of them in their shoes."

"We rarely go to the parks, true, and only one pairs or small groups." the Khan mused. "I doubt that it's Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, as that is both near the settlement of Terelj and the monastery nearby; it's also popular with western tourists due to some TV show, I believe. However, Khustain Nuruu National Park is heavily monitored as it is where the last breed of wild horses, the Mongolian Wild Horse, are being raised and bred. That doesn't seem a wise place to hide either."

"And the Bogd Khan National Park is sacred to us." Khulan added. "It's the location of some of our most prized relics, so it has the best security outside of our main headquarters."

"Hmmm...what about the rest of the mountains in the Khentii Mountains?" the Campione asked. "I know that the Ikh Khorig in Khentii Province is one of the places Genghis Khan is rumoured to be buried, but is there any nearby area of that mountain range that isn't sacred?"

"Outside of the Burkhan Khaldun and Bogd Khan mountains, the rest are fair game." Khulan frowned. "Considering a branch of the mountains goes all the way up into Russia, that isn't a small area."

"Smaller than all of Mongolia, or even all of Töv and Khentii Provinces, though. Best to check the closer threat first before we're forced to spread ourselves out over a more distant one." Khangal stated with a nod. "Khulan, contact the scrying and augury teams and have them sweep the entirety of the Khentii Mountains with a fine-toothed comb. We need to get those Sorcerers out of our land, immediately."

"Yes, My Lord." his niece replied immediately and started tapping away at her phone.

"Modern communications technology is truly a godsend." the Khan said mirthfully. "While we have our own secret methods of communication, they are much slower than any modern-era technology, not to mention more prone to being intercepted by other mages."

"I can imagine." Jean chuckled before sighing. "This is so bizarre. A few months ago, I wouldn't have ever imagined my life could ever be like this."

"A Godslayer? A magic user? Or both?" Khangal asked knowingly.

"Both. Definitely both." Jean laughed. "For one, I was an atheist. Didn't believe gods existed except as figments of people's imaginations. Not as ardent as someone I know, he believes that religion exists only as a method of societal control and manipulation, but strongly enough that I refused to attend any end-of-term church services in high school."

"And now?" the Khan asked.

"Now, I suppose you'd describe me as being an agnostic." Jean said thoughtfully. "I know gods exist in the Domain of Immortality, but I don't really believe in or worship any of them. Rebecca, my Hearth Witch, is the High Priestess of the Cult of Hestia, while I believe Yue, my Daoist Mage, worships the old Chinese pantheon headed by the Jade Emperor. I don't mind someone being religious so long as they don't try to make me worship them too. Like the bloody Jehovah's Witnesses..."

"Had a bad experience?" Khangal asked shrewdly.

"One followed me all over town." the redhead replied, one eye twitching in remembered aggravation. "The man literally would not leave me alone until I threatened to call the police on him for unwanted solicitation because we were in a public place. Even then, he said I would regret not converting and go to hell before he finally buggered off."

"Ah, one of those types." the old man snorted. "He likely thought he was doing you a favour, to boot. The zealous ones always do."

"Too true." Jean scoffed. "I try not to let him taint my view of the rest of the Jehovah's Witnesses, but I will admit I'm not too fond of them. I- Urgh!"

She was interrupted as a feeling of POWER descending fell on her, making her stumble, only for Khulan to catch her arm.

"Your Majesty, what is the matter?!" the Shamaness asked.

"Need...to get...somewhere secure...now!" the redhead managed to get out. The two mages quickly helped her to the nearest office of their order, another ger, whereupon Jean finally stopped holding the feeling inside her back, allowing her long red hair to turn flaxen.

"This is...the sign of a Hime-Miko's power!" Khangal exclaimed in shock.

"I am of distant Hime-Miko descent. The lone power I have and likely will ever possess is [Divine Sensing]." the Campione informed them, her voice distant as she parsed the feelings her Hime-Miko ability gave her. "It allows me to sense where and when a Heretic God will descend in the area around me."

"A Heretic God? Here?" Khulan gulped.

"Not just one." Jean looked pale as well. "Three. One to the north, one to the west and one to the east."

Now both Khulan and Khangal blanched. "This...this is a disaster...!" the Khan said with feeling.

"It's odd though...it feels completely different to the times I've felt Heretic Gods before." the Scottish Campione mused aloud. "All the other times, it was like seeing meteors approaching an area where they would land. Here, it's like three lines have been cast into the Domain of Immortality, which the Heretic Gods are using as a guide to descend."

"The Sorcerers must be summoning them." the Leader of the Golden Ones deduced.

"But how?" Khulan protested. "When Duke Voban summoned Dionysus, he used over two-hundred Witches, Hime-Miko and other magic users to fuel his spell!"

"That's in part because Duke Voban didn't care about which Heretic God he summoned." Khangal explained. "By using a Grimoire as a catalyst, you cut out much of the needed power, which is usually used to blaze a beacon in the Domain of Immortality to attract the attention of the nearest residents, and can select which Heretic God is summoned, to a limited degree anyway. Additionally, the Sorcerers are likely reaping their younger members of their life and using that death and blood energy to fuel the rituals. Your Majesty, when will they descend?"

"About...three hours from now?" Jean said with a frown. "My [Divine Sensing] power is a bit inexact when it comes to the 'when' part of it, but all three will descend within minutes of one another about three hours from now, give or take fifteen minutes."

The flat way that she spoke the last part didn't need a genius to understand why. She was a lone Campione. Fighting a single Heretic God usually took the entirety of a Campione's power and attention; two would have been pushing it, while three was just plain impossible. If she fought them all at once, she would very likely die, and she had no way of knowing exactly who each of the Heretic Gods were until they descended, so attempting to defeat them quickly one at a time would be impossible.

"What do you plan to do, Your Majesty?" Khangal asked finally, his voice breaking the silence between the three of them.

"'What am I going to do'?" the Campione parroted back to him in mild disbelief. "I'm going to do what I can to pin down which direction is going to have a Heretic God descending on it first, then go out to meet it. If I'm smart, lucky and attack with a powerful enough alpha strike, I could put the first one out of commission quickly and thus only have to deal with two-on-one odds rather than three-on-one odds."

"We aren't your people, Your Majesty. You have no obligation to defend us." the Khan pointed out neutrally. "Why are you risking your second life for us?"

"I'm a Campione; my duty is to defend this world from rampaging Heretic Gods." Jean retorted. "Geographical location be damned. Speaking pragmatically, I have no spell or Authority that would allow me to flee this area far enough to the point that the Heretic Gods couldn't sense me and pursue, so I may as well take the offensive. Speaking as the Eighth Child of Pandora, I can say that I would not be my adopted mother's child if I fled from such an obvious challenge as this and leave you all to suffer at their hands. Speaking as Jean Campbell, however, I can say that my honour and conscience will not permit me to stain either by cowardice and abandonment of my duty."

Khangal gaped in awe at the woman before her, a red blush on her face as her heart started to beat quicker. Never had she heard of a Campione taking their task so seriously. Never had she heard of a Campione regarding their existence as a duty as well as a right. Never had she heard of a Campione willing to risk themselves in such a disadvantageous situation simply because they feared for the lives of others.

Jean Campbell truly was a unique one, even among the ranks of Godslayers.

"Well spoken, xiǎo mèimei." a familiar voice said from the entrance to the tent. Jean whirled around in shock as Luo Cuilian, the Ruler of the Martial Realm, High Priestess of the Holy Cult of Five Mountains and the Second Godslayer, strode into the ger, followed by her disciple, Lu Yinghua. "It seems that my arrival just now was most fortuitous."

The image of nigh-perfect Eastern beauty stopped an arms-length from Jean before smiling darkly.

"So what group of fools dares to threaten my adopted younger sister in a land under my protection?"

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Next Chapter: Three-Way Deadlock

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