The harpies had been killed, but instead of taking a moment to relax, Riona hurriedly got off the helicopter. She glanced at Eiji and Makoto, who were walking toward her. "Master, there's still time before this mission ends. I'll take this opportunity to conduct reconnaissance on the other side."
"You mean, you want to enter that spatial distortion?"
"Yes! You and Makoto-san should wait here. I'll be right back!"
Unlike before—when she called Eiji "master"—this time Riona sounded sincere. She had acknowledged him as a master worthy of her.
However, she didn't wait for his reply. Instead, she was about to chant a spell to transform into a bird.
"In that case, let's go together." Eiji didn't stop the young woman. In fact, he wanted to go with her.
This left Riona stunned. "Huh? No, Master. I think it would be better if I—"
"Stop acting on your own and obey your Master, Riona. Besides, we're working together."
"…!"
If her master were the governor or someone else of high status, Riona wouldn't simply submit because of her pride.
A Campione like Eiji is no exception. He wasn't used to following other people's orders when he didn't want to.
However, for some reason, Eiji's words had a magical effect she couldn't resist.
Why!?
Riona was surprised; even though her mind resisted, her body obediently listened to the man in front of her.
Eiji was quite satisfied to see Riona's obedience. Using Kotodama Magic (Word Soul Magic), he forcibly made her obey his command.
[This is a bit cruel, but I have no other choice. I have to force Riona to obey my orders because otherwise, just like in the original story or the future I saw... When Riona peeks into the world beyond the spatial distortion using her bird form, she'll get hurt and even nearly die.]
Hearing Eiji's inner voice, Riona's frustration subsided and she calmed down.
She didn't know what the original work was, but Eiji had the ability to see the future!?
In the future he saw, it seemed she would face something terrible if she went into the spatial distortion alone.
Riona felt conflicted; Eiji had essentially saved her, but she was too embarrassed to thank him.
So instead, she said, "The conditions beyond the spatial distortion are still unknown. Walking or using ground transportation might not be safe and would be inefficient."
She actually wanted to offer to become a bird large enough for two people to ride.
But Eiji suggested something else.
"I actually know what the environment is like on the other side. We should be able to use land routes, so... Let's go by air using my small plane."
Just as Eiji said that, a golden ripple as big as a house illuminated the asphalt road beside him.
From within that ripple emerged an object resembling a magnificent aircraft or vessel.
Its main structure had an ancient aerodynamic shape resembling the wide-spread wings of a large bird or a combination of an ancient ship and a futuristic aircraft. Its entire body was coated in pure gold with green accents of emeralds.
In the upper center was a luxurious throne where the pilot sat. There were also two luxurious seats with a little space behind them.
That Vimana, which belonged to the King of Heroes, had been modified by Eiji to carry several passengers.
It wasn't just Riona—Makoto was also captivated by the vehicle.
"Y-You call this a small plane?"
"Are we going to fly in this, Eiji?"
Riona and Makoto asked in turn.
Eiji nodded, "Yes."
Riona knew that Campione was a title given to humans who had slain a Heretic God and gained the power of the god they had slain.
But did the other Campione also have vehicles as luxurious as Eiji's?
The answer is no.
None of the Campione in either world were as wealthy as the King of Heroes.
...
On the other side lies a distortion of space.
There is a vast ocean stretching out.
There are also a few small islands. However, he couldn't find any large landmasses in any direction. And most importantly, the sea is blue. A very bright shade of blue. It was clearly not the view of Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture.
The vimana was flying at a moderate speed and had activated stealth mode so they didn't have to worry about being spotted by anyone.
Realizing this, Riona was amazed by the aircraft's sophistication. She also noticed that Eiji wasn't holding the controls and asked how he was piloting the aircraft.
Eiji replied that he only needed to use his mind to do it.
Riona wasn't surprised; she herself had done something similar with the helicopter earlier.
Still, the view below made her squint.
"Those ships… If this world is based on Greek mythology, it can be concluded that its technology and culture are at the level of the Mycenaean civilization..."
Far below the Vimana were aerodynamically shaped ships, made of wood and up to ten meters long. It seemed as though those ships had been built using ancient technology, before humans had invented galleys.
"You know a lot about that, Riona. How many history books have you read?"
"I haven't counted them. And in my opinion, this is the kind of knowledge people should have to explore the worlds beyond the spatial distortions. It's often based on various mythologies."
Riona was both boasting about her knowledge and being sarcastic. Eiji knew this, and he wasn't embarrassed just because he didn't know what she was talking about.
However, he could have found out what he didn't know using Rasiel. He was just too lazy to do it.
As the two of them were talking, Makoto spotted something unusual in the distance. An Archon's gaze spans tens of miles.
"I see someone with an unusual aura atop a mountain. He seems to be the reason why the weather ahead looks bad."
Riona and Eiji glanced in the direction Makoto was pointing; the former could only see dark clouds in the opposite direction from the ships below them.
But Eiji could also see what Makoto saw from his vantage point. Even so, Eiji casually said, "Ah, that's just a guy named Zeus."
"I see."
Since Eiji didn't seem to take the man named Zeus seriously, Makoto also dropped the subject.
"Zeus? Master, did you say Zeus!? You mean, that's the King of the Greek Gods!?"
Only Riona reacted quite strongly upon hearing the name of a god mentioned by Eiji.
At that moment, she also began to see more clearly the figure Makoto was referring to.
To be precise, on a striking island made of rock. In the center stood a steep, towering mountain.
At the mountain's peak, a man in the prime of his life stood majestically.
He was wearing white clothing that looked like a toga. He had curly hair and a thick beard.
But what stood out most was his divine aura. A solemn white light radiated from his body. His presence exuded such majesty—it made one want to prostrate oneself.
"Master, you're not joking, are you?"
"No."
[It's just Zeus—why is Riona overreacting so much? I've even killed Zeus in one of the worlds I've visited (the Highschool DxD world). His lightning is worse than Thor's, and he's also a bigger bastard than I am.]
The women: Do you admit that you're a bastard, Eiji? At least you realize that.
Riona: What!? You—you killed Zeus... Zeus in another world? The real one or a fake?
"If a god like Zeus is here, are the other Greek gods here too...!"
Riona's words caught in her throat. That was because the white light emitted by Zeus suddenly expanded and became a pillar of light, connecting the peak of the remote island to the rain clouds.
The god then shouted loudly in a language Riona didn't understand.
"Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow!"
"Huh? Did I hear that wrong? Why is Zeus meowing like a cat?"
Cat language was truly a language Riona didn't understand.
"Hahaha!" Eiji burst out laughing.
The two beautiful women beside him looked at him in confusion.
Neither of them suspected that he had done something to Zeus.
Actually, Eiji had secretly used All Fiction to alter the man's voice.
"???" Zeus was also confused.
Why had his voice turned into a cat's!?
Had certain gods conspired against him?
Who would dare do something like this to him?!
However, he sensed that the spell was still active, so he swallowed his embarrassment and continued to meow even louder.
Whoever it was, Zeus decided to deal with them later.
"MEOW! MEOW! MEOW! MEOW!"
"...." Riona and Makoto.
Are you still meowing?
"Ahahaha! An old man meowing like a cat... I can't help but laugh." Eiji kept laughing, too.
[Host, you're so mischievous. How could you use All Fiction to do that to your enemy...]
"Miss System, I don't know what you're talking about."
Since the Host didn't admit to his mischief, Miss System fell silent.
Riona tried to translate Zeus's words using her language sense. However, it was in vain; she really didn't understand what he was saying.
Actually, without the cat voice filter that Eiji had forced upon her, Zeus was speaking ancient Greek.
He said this:
"Know of my wrath… Eos. I am the son of Chronos, the one who makes thunder roar, the summoner of clouds, the bringer of storms—Zeus. Come on, hurry from the farthest northern land. Bringing the storm, hurry and run to join us. And also, don't be late!"
As soon as the spell reached that line, a heavy rain suddenly fell in large drops.
Snow also fell very heavily. The wind grew even stronger. If it's the same as in the original work, Riona is in her kite form. Right now, she must be being carried by the strong wind.
Zeus created the storm.
However, that didn't affect the King of Heroes' Vimana, of course. The craft was hovering not far from Zeus, but he didn't notice it at all.
"Zeus in this world is weaker than the Zeus I fought in the past." Eiji said dismissively.
Riona's lips twitched.
She wanted to argue back because the spectacle Zeus had created right before her eyes was enough to terrify her. But she didn't know how strong the Zeus Eiji had once fought was, so she could only swallow her words.
Makoto's expression didn't change. To her, the storm Zeus had created was nothing more than an ordinary storm. If Eiji allowed it, she could light up the sky above them with her purple lightning.
"Have you gathered enough information, Riona?" Eiji asked as Zeus continued to chant his spell.
"Well… What if I want to know more about what Zeus is doing? There might be other gods around here, too." Riona asked back hesitantly.
[It's true there are other gods around here. Just like us, they're also hiding and watching what Zeus is up to.]
Riona shuddered.
Is there really another god around here?
Eiji replied, "We'd better head back to the other side right away."
[It's not that I'm afraid of Zeus and the other gods in this world, but there's still a protagonist waiting on the other side. I want to meet him as soon as possible and show off my relationship with Riona.]
Relationship? What kind of relationship do we have?
And who is that protagonist?
Riona was confused, but Eiji didn't give her a chance to refuse. The Vimana turned around and flew toward the spatial distortion.
At a certain point, Eiji deliberately deactivated the Vimana's stealth mode. Riona and Makoto didn't realize this, but they were slightly startled by the voice of a young woman that suddenly came from outside.
"You surface dwellers—after catching a glimpse of a god, you can't just leave like that."
"Is that so? Then, try to catch us if you can, beauty."
Eiji replied with a smirk on his handsome face.
Instantly, the Vimana took off at an even higher speed. In no time, they made it back to Kobe Harbor. Riona panicked and looked back, worried that someone was actually chasing them.
"Who is that!? Master, are you crazy? You told it to chase us!"
"It's just an owl."
Eiji spoke mysteriously.
Riona wasn't satisfied with his answer.
After the Vimana landed, they could see the spatial distortion they had just entered.
All around them were many pamen trees planted along the shoreline. On one of those trees, an owl landed and spoke in human language.
"You are rude, surface dwellers. You barged into our sacred place without our permission and provoked me."
Its voice was exactly like that of the young woman from before.
[If Athena were here, she would surely be surprised because the owl that spoke like a human seemed like a reflection of herself.]
[They also share the same name.]
Eiji's inner voice was heard by the women across various dimensions.
One of them, Athena, who had lost her virginity to Eiji, had a strange expression.
What do you mean, Eiji?
This goddess is watching a movie at your house—who is that owl?
How could she possibly be compared to this goddess?
She must be a fraud.
Riona: Athena? This owl is Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and war!?
Makoto: Does Athena have a twin sister?
Riona wanted to say something neutral that wouldn't offend the goddess. But Eiji interrupted, saying, "I'm the only one provoking you, and I don't care about permission from the gods of your homeland."
"Knowing that you might be provoking a god… You're so arrogant, surface dweller."
"I'm Eiji Seiya—call me Eiji or... Husband is fine, too."
"!!!" Riona.
Eiji, you're way too laid-back and crazy.
That owl is Athena from Greek mythology!
You told her to call you "husband"?
It wasn't just fear—Riona didn't know why she suddenly felt annoyed.
Eiji: Yare-yare... Someone's jealous.
Leme: Hehe. Your charm is truly unbeatable, King.
Miss System: "...."
That owl, Athena Parthenos, knew that the man named Eiji standing before her seemed to be able to see through her disguise.
He knew she was a very beautiful goddess.
Yet, he was actually bold enough to tell her to call him "husband."
Her gaze turned cold.
"You're insolent! I originally intended to let you go and just give you a warning. But you, a man with the repulsive aura of the Demon King (Campione), I will punish you."
A few seconds later.
Eiji was still standing in the same spot, completely unharmed.
"So... When will that punishment come? Are you still thinking of a way to punish me, Athena-chan?" Eiji said with an amused smile.
"You… you didn't turn to stone? My eye's power is stronger in this form, but it doesn't affect you."
"Athena-chan, don't be sad."
"I'm not sad! Eiji Seiya, stop insulting a goddess like me!"
Athena's voice sounded cold and annoyed.
Riona was nervous.
Makoto simply watched the comedy unfolding before him with a faint smile. She wondered if Eiji was planning to add that goddess to his harem?
He was clearly trying to woo her.