"Does this count as the protagonist making her entrance?"
John Pluto Smith spoke in his signature tone, but judging from his posture and movements, he was nowhere near as composed as he sounded.
The moment his magic gun had malfunctioned earlier, he realized there might be more than one hidden player in the shadows. So he had remained patient, suppressing any action.
It was only when Jack had nearly been devoured by that Progenitor Goddess that he intended to step in. But clearly, Satsuki's Amenotejikara had been faster, directly swapping Jack's position with the prop she had prepared in advance...
Now Satsuki held the utterly powerless Progenitor Goddess Angela by the back of her neck with one hand, replying in an offhand tone, "I thought this play had already drawn to a close—or does some actor wish to return for an encore?"
On the black mask, streams of data flickered with a faint electronic hum. As he looked at the paralyzed Progenitor Goddess Angela in Satsuki's grasp, her body still being washed repeatedly by seawater, the green compound-eye lenses glimmered erratically.
"You do not exist in my database. But it appears you have formed quite a grudge with the Serpent of Deviance as well. In that case—ladies first."
"—Is it over just like that? I thought there would be a good show."
Another voice rang out. In the distant sky, Erica's figure sped forward. Beneath her feet, the magical sigils of the Boots of Hermes flashed intermittently. After several leaps, she landed upon the deck.
In her hand, she was carrying a thoroughly dazed Jack.
She tossed Jack toward Smith. Only after he caught him did Erica speak.
"Your assistant was badly frightened just now. I suggest you take him to see a psychologist as soon as possible, unless you want him left with permanent trauma."
With one hand supporting the weakened Jack, Smith nodded courteously to his fellow Godslayer Erica. "Though it is difficult to refuse a lady's request, I still have a question. How do you intend to deal with her?"
"I haven't decided what to do yet, but I can guarantee she will no longer have any chance to harm others," Erica replied.
"You... who exactly are you...? To treat me, the descendant of the Undying Serpent, in such a manner!"
The transformation effect on Angela had been dispelled by Satsuki's power of Vipralopa, allowing her to finally speak in human language again. However, though her appearance was cute, there was no beauty left in her expression. Instead, it was twisted like that of a vengeful demoness, her frail body struggling incessantly in Satsuki's grip.
"The resurrection drama is over. It is time for the villain to leave the stage..."
Satsuki spoke indifferently.
Then, from the ruby embedded in her forehead, black Dead Lines shot forth, wrapping around Progenitor Goddess Angela. Amid the girl's venomous curses, they compressed her into a black sphere.
The black sphere shrank, transforming once more into a tiny black pearl.
For beings without the ability to traverse space, the restraint of the Dead Line Boundary was an inescapable prison.
After finishing this, Satsuki paid no heed to the frenzied flickering of Smith's observation lenses. She turned and extended the black pearl toward empty space.
Then, before Satsuki, divine power exuding the aura of death from the underworld materialized out of nothingness. The system's avatar, Metis, stepped slowly forth from a night devoid of stars. She first bowed respectfully to Satsuki, then accepted the black pearl from her hand. Throughout the entire process, Metis merely cast a faint glance at the stunned Smith after receiving the pearl. Letting out an amused chuckle, she stepped once more into the starless night.
The entire process felt like an illusion...
And just like that, the figure of Progenitor Goddess Angela, leader of the Fly King, vanished completely.
"Just now... what was that?"
Smith could not help but ask. At the moment Metis had appeared, the Authority within his body as a Godslayer had begun to operate on its own, as if encountering a natural predator.
"You could consider it one of my Authorities. A power I obtained not long ago after defeating Athena. Is there a problem?"
Sword in hand and clad in crimson, Erica answered calmly.
Smith's compound-eye lenses flickered intensely once more. Though Erica exuded the aura of a Godslayer, his gaze remained fixed on Satsuki.
Compared to his fellow Godslayer Erica Blandelli, his instincts told him that the breathtaking black-haired girl before him was the far more dangerous existence.
After a moment, the guardian shook his head.
"Miss Erica's aura is clearly that of my own kind. Possessing divine Authority is only natural."
"In that case... this farce should come to an end."
...
Though Satsuki dismissed it as nothing more than a laughable farce, nearly a hundred people had gathered along the nearby coastline without anyone noticing when they arrived.
In this city, there existed public radio stations that broadcast information about John Pluto Smith's appearances, as well as like-minded individuals on the internet who did the same.
Though the masked guardian was regarded by some as an unofficial hero, others considered him a tyrant who trampled upon peaceful urban life, even taking measures of self-defense against him.
On ordinary days, they served as sources of information, urging people in surrounding areas to evacuate.
But today, they had already completed their task of reporting the guardian's return—and of gathering the crowd here.
Local residents, people who had driven from afar—none of them looked as though they had come merely to watch a spectacle. Some gazed devoutly at the duel, others clasped their hands tightly and prayed with closed eyes.
Yet because the battle had ended with such theatrical abruptness, they had served only as background scenery.
At that moment, everyone heard the sound of footsteps again—the metallic edges of boots striking the ground with a sharp clack, clack.
From the depths of the darkness, John Pluto Smith walked toward the crowd. They welcomed him with eyes filled with both trust and fear, yet none dared approach him casually.
They all stepped aside of their own accord, parting a path for him, watching the extraordinary man from a distance.
He was a hero who protected the people—but not only that.
A King both revered and feared by the populace, he was the dark sovereign who ruled over a city without angels.
Just then, a voice called out.
"Jack, are you alright?"
It belonged to a Caucasian woman in her twenties. She was looking at the assistant beside Smith with obvious concern, the man who could barely walk steadily.
"Allison? Why are you here?"
"Because of that phone call you made! What was that? It sounded like some kind of farewell message!"
Jack remembered. Before stepping onto this near-certain path of death, he had made one final call to the woman he loved.
Allison ran over and, in anger, threw her arms around him. The sudden display left the King beside them momentarily awkward. In a tone entirely unlike his usual self, he stammered.
"...Th-this lady is...?"
"Smith, let me introduce her. Her name is Allison. She is—the most important person in my life."
Locking eyes with his former fiancée in his arms, Jack's previously frail condition seemed to improve as if he had taken a powerful tonic.
"Oh, I recall that name. She was your former partner, wasn't she? I remember you mentioning that you broke up about half a year ago... I believe you said something like that."
"Yes. But we recently got back together."
Jack replied cheerfully, completely oblivious to the embarrassment in the King's voice.
"I see..."
Beneath Smith's visor, green light flickered incessantly. For some reason, he suddenly felt that his presence today was entirely unnecessary.
Today really isn't a good day to go out.
The hero of the night could not help thinking so.
...
Seated beside Erica on the return flight, Satsuki gazed out at the clouds beyond the window while directing part of her attention into her sea of consciousness, observing Progenitor Goddess Angela, who had been released from the black pearl.
At this moment, Angela was bound upon a long platform suspended in midair within the sea of consciousness. A simple robe covered her body. The afterglow of the Era Tree shone upon her from not far away. Rarely did she no longer wear that vicious expression of a witch. Judging solely by appearance, she truly resembled an angel fallen into the mortal world.
However, though her exterior bore little damage, her eyes were filled with an emotion called Despair.
"My... my power... it's gone."
She repeated it over and over, crystalline tears beginning to fall from her delicate and beautiful face.
—Indeed, not dying was her fortune.
Satsuki knew clearly that if they had not intervened, Smith alone would have been enough to kill this Progenitor Goddess more than twice over.
The white flash fired from that magic gun would have been sufficient to grievously wound this self-important goddess. Once heavily injured, she would have stood no chance against Smith. Her death at his hands would have been only a matter of time.
But her current state was hardly better than death.
Even the great goddess Athena could not withstand the backlash of Vipralopa, let alone a mere Serpent of Deviance.
Invaded directly by Satsuki's Vipralopa power, the divine force that had once filled her body vanished in an instant. Even the curse power within her was completely erased.
The moment Satsuki's hand gripped the back of her neck, she transformed from the leader of the Fly King, sovereign of sorcerers, witch of blood and brutality—into nothing more than a fragile young girl.
And this appearance was not because her aesthetic sense had suddenly returned to normal. It was because she had lost the divine power required to transform back into the Undying Serpent.
Separating a manifestation, Satsuki drifted slowly toward the restrained Angela. Now that her Authorities and divine power had been stripped away, leaving only her Progenitor bloodline, Angela was no longer judged as a God. Thus, the golden Tenseigan could clearly observe the structure of her body.
"Though she calls herself a descendant of the Undying Serpent, there is nothing particularly impressive about her immortality..."
The manifested Satsuki examined the sobbing girl like a scanning instrument. Then her cold gaze settled upon Angela's abdomen.
"However, the seal that shattered earlier due to her self-detonation... that is somewhat interesting."
Circling the platform, Satsuki arrived beside Angela's head. Her palm pressed lightly against the girl's abdomen, as though probing the arrangement of organs beneath the skin.
The girl bound upon the platform let out a scream.
"Demon... you demon... executioner, stay away from me, mmph..."
The witch who had been flaunting her power and preparing to devour Jack alive was now on the verge of collapse from Satsuki's simple touch.
"Is it necessary to frighten her like this? With your true body's abilities, shouldn't there be a more... civilized method?"
"Do you know how foul the smell is when a serpent vomits? The main body outside is avoiding anything liquid for now."
The manifested Satsuki replied calmly.
I see.
Metis understood—this manifestation was clearly settling a personal grievance.
After deciding the intimidation was sufficient, Satsuki stepped back two paces and spoke in a flat, emotionless tone, as if evaluating an experimental specimen.
"Assessment result: In order to preserve the integrity of the sealed mass within her abdomen as much as possible, and to minimize unforeseen consequences during restoration, extracting it now is the safest course of action."
"And how do you intend to do that? The sealed mass is directly connected to her body."
"Then we sever the connection."
Satsuki snapped her fingers. A square tray formed from Truth-Seeking Orbs floated beside the platform. Within it were arranged various delicate instruments—from positioning blades to hemostatic clamps—everything one could need.
All were forged from Truth-Seeking Orbs. Unique and unparalleled. Even if Angela's skin still retained remnants of the White Silver Serpent's properties, it would be cut open with ease.
Moreover, the edges shimmered faintly with Vipralopa power—enough to effortlessly sever the connection between the Dragon-Serpent Seal and Angela herself.
"Although this operation lacks proper anesthesia, I advise the patient not to struggle unnecessarily. It will only prolong the procedure without serving any purpose."
At this point, Angela was already teetering on collapse. Under immense psychological pressure, saliva began to trail from her lips. Aside from rapid, involuntary breathing, her entire body lay rigid upon the platform, her eyes fixed desperately on the small positioning blade in Satsuki's hand.
"Excellent. You learn quickly."
As she spoke, Satsuki twirled the sharp blade between her fingers. Then, within the horrified corner of Angela's vision, she slowly aimed the tip toward her body—until the keen edge touched her abdomen.
A distant, ethereal female voice resounded from outside the sea of consciousness.
"That's enough. The punishment has gone far enough. Don't overdo it, manifestation."
It was the voice of the main body in the outside world.
Hearing the command, the manifested Satsuki withdrew the positioning blade from Angela's abdomen with faint regret. A flash of golden light passed through her eyes. With her mental defenses completely shattered, Progenitor Goddess Angela fell into unconsciousness.
Only then did Metis suddenly realize that everything Satsuki had said and done just now had been mere intimidation.
"Main body, I didn't realize you were capable of mercy," the manifested Satsuki said in a mechanical voice toward the void.
"Extracting the Dragon-Serpent Seal from her body would not be difficult for me. But once removed, she would die completely. That would be a waste of this vessel..."
The main body's voice drifted calmly from the void.
"This body's bloodline still has some utility. Combined with the Dragon-Serpent Seal, I have a better idea. After all—Candle Nine Yin has slept for far too long. It is time for it to awaken and stretch itself."
"When it comes to squeezing every last drop of value from something, you truly are the professional."
With that remark, the manifested Satsuki dissolved back into the darkness beneath her feet.
The system's avatar, Metis, cast one final glance at the unconscious Angela—almost mercifully—before her figure once more faded into a starless night.
In place of her, above Angela's head, a massive black vortex slowly formed.
—It was the Swirl of the Root, once used exclusively for Satsuki's reconstruction, later transformed into the gateway to the Divine Arena.