Night crept slowly through the heart of Belgravia. The wet cobblestone streets reflected the dim glow of Victorian lamps standing proudly along the luxurious district of London. Thick clouds shrouded the moon, leaving behind near-perfect darkness.
In one of the grand mansions with towering neo-classical architecture, a luxurious bedroom lay in dimness.
Suddenly, on a queen-sized bed draped in maroon satin sheets, a young girl jolted awake. She sat up straight, gasping for breath, as if she had just escaped a terrifying nightmare.
The girl appeared to be only around twelve or thirteen years old, yet there was something unnatural about her. Her golden curls cascaded gracefully, framing her flawless face—too flawless. Her beauty was extraordinary, almost like a delicate porcelain doll, but there was no childlike innocence in her emerald eyes. Instead, her gaze radiated a maturity and cunning that no child her age should possess.
"Did you have a nightmare, my dear princess?"
A deep, gentle male voice echoed from the darkest corner of the room, though no one was visible.
The girl turned toward the shadow that seemed denser than the surrounding darkness. Her expression remained calm, showing no surprise or fear at the mysterious presence.
"No, Uncle, Guinevere did not have a nightmare." She replied in a melodious voice that was too mature for her age. "On the contrary, I feel something bad will happen to me soon."
The beautiful girl named Guinevere spoke while her eyes remained fixed on the shadow in the corner, as if she could see the figure hiding within it.
Of course, Guinevere was no ordinary girl. She was the reincarnation of the Earth Goddess Gwenhwyfar, who had reincarnated multiple times, and her divinity was passed down as a Divine Ancestor. Her power surpassed that of any Great Knight or Great Mage, second only to Campiones and Heretic Gods.
"Could this be related to the Seventh Campione?" Guessed the figure hidden in Guinevere's shadow.
Campiones, also known as God-Slayers, were humans who had slain gods and inherited their divine powers. They were the most dangerous beings in the world, feared even by the gods themselves.
Guinevere furrowed her smooth brow, looking uncertain.
"The Seventh Campione, Rokuhara Ren, did arrive in London two hours ago. He specifically sought out Princess Alice. No one knows what they discussed, not even the mole I planted in the Silver Dusk Palace."
The voice from the shadow spoke again, this time in a more soothing tone.
"No need to worry, my dear. As long as the other party is within a few hundred meters, I can sense their presence. Heretic Gods and Campiones are nemesis; they will automatically enter a battle state upon meeting."
From this statement, it could be inferred that the figure in Guinevere's shadow was a Heretic God—a divine being that had deviated from its original nature, becoming a threat to the world.
"Sigh..."
Guinevere let out a soft sigh, her slender fingers playing with the edge of the satin blanket.
"The Eighth Campione, Kusanagi Godou, is already terrifying. He slew the God King Melqart and the War God Verethragna during his ascension to Campione. Even after that, he defeated two other Campiones, the Sword King Doni and Marquis Voban."
"..."
The shadow in the corner shifted slightly, as if the figure within it straightened its posture upon hearing the names mentioned.
"However, in a recent duel against Rokuhara Ren, he was defeated by the Seventh Campione, who only possesses one Divine Authority. Honestly, I was quite shocked. I never expected these two newly born Campiones to reach such a level. Truly, no Campione can be evaluated by human standards." Guinevere continued, her tone a mix of awe and frustration.
That was understandable.
Her previous life was that of the Earth Goddess, and as a Divine Ancestor in this life, coupled with the plans she had been executing in secret, Guinevere was undoubtedly an enemy of all Campiones and also considered all Campiones as her enemies.
Now, two Campiones had been born within a day of each other, and both had reached such levels of power immediately after their birth. Naturally, Guinevere felt threatened.
The figure in the shadow advised Guinevere in a gentle tone.
"Never underestimate any Campione, my dear, not even those who have just been born. Every Campione is a fool who dares to challenge gods with a mortal body and create miracles. They are beings beyond common sense."
Hearing this, Guinevere's previously tense shoulders relaxed. A faint smile graced her ruby-red lips.
"Thank you, Uncle. Your presence always calms me—"
*SWOOSH!*
Her words were cut off. Suddenly, a flash of silver light shot through the air, piercing the glass window without shattering it. A supersonic arrow streaked toward the mansion, its target none other than Guinevere.
"Uncle, save me!" Guinevere cried, her eyes wide with fear.
The girl had no time to react due to the sudden change in the situation, but the Heretic God in her shadow moved, though almost too late.
*BOOM!*
A massive explosion echoed through the quiet night, shaking the entire Belgravia area. The arrow blasted the upper half of the mansion into pieces, sending debris, furniture, and glass flying into the air.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
A few minutes earlier.
Ten kilometers from Belgravia, the cold night wind of London carried the scent of impending rain. On the roof of a tall building overlooking the city skyline, a young man stood with a firm posture. His messy brown hair was tousled by the wind, but his eyes remained sharply focused on the distance.
Ren stared intently at a luxurious mansion in the distance. With his Heavenly Eyes, he could see up to 200 kilometers with perfect detail, allowing him to observe Guinevere in her room as clearly as if she were right in front of him.
"That girl is very good at escaping. If she gets away this time, it will be very difficult to find her again. So, let's use the full power of the Heavenly Eye."
Acting decisively, Ren chanted an incantation.
"The veil of ignorance falls! There are no more limits to my sight!"
At the same time, something astonishing happened in the Earth's exosphere. A golden ethereal eye, as large as the moon, manifested, floating among the stars like the Heavenly Dao Eye in xianxia tales. The giant eye shone brightly, surveying the entire European continent and locking onto its target—Guinevere.
Not stopping there, Ren chanted another incantation, this time stretching both hands forward.
"I who seize the sunlight, the archer who fells the sky god! Appear, bow of solar majesty!"
The air in front of him shimmered gold, and in an instant, a bow appeared in his hands—the same bow used by Hou Yi in myth to shoot down the nine suns.
Both the Heavenly Eye, the bow, and the set of archery skills he possessed were part of his Divine Authority: Sun Conqueror, the power Ren had seized after defeating the Heretic God Hou Yi.
*BUZZ!*
With a graceful yet deadly motion, Ren transformed his magical energy into a glowing arrow, drawing the bowstring to its maximum tension, and aimed at Guinevere, who was still unaware of the approaching danger.
*SWOOSH!*
Meteoric Ascent, the basic arrow attack that increased the speed and destructive power of all projectiles, made it unmatched in speed and destructive force. The arrow Ren shot streaked through the air at supersonic speed, leaving a loud boom as it split the atmosphere.
*BOOM!*
From a distance, under the sharp gaze of his Heavenly Eye, Ren watched as his arrow struck its target and blasted the upper half of the mansion into pieces, as if the luxurious building had just been hit by a ballistic missile.
At the peak of the explosion, Ren could see two figures being flung backward amidst the gust of wind and shattered debris.
Ren raised his head and narrowed his eyes at the burning ruins of the mansion.
"Tsk, I knew it wouldn't be easy. With Lancelot's protection, it's not easy to seize the Holy Grail from Guinevere."
But instead of frustration, a grin full of excitement spread across his handsome face.
"So what? That makes it even more interesting, doesn't it? I love a challenge!"
At a glance, Ren recognized the identity of the Heretic God protecting Guinevere. There, amidst the billowing smoke and floating debris, Lancelot rode a glowing white horse, holding Guinevere tightly as she spurred her horse to fly into the night sky.
"Lancelot in this world is female. I wonder why reverse gender from history is so popular in ACG culture. Whether it's King Arthur in the Type-Moon universe, or now Lancelot in front of me, their genders are different from what's recorded in history."
Lancelot always wore a shining white steel knight's armor under the moonlight, but Ren knew that behind the helmet was the face of a beautiful Caucasian girl with short honey-colored hair and sky-blue eyes. She was in her late teens, with a tall, slender figure and an angelically beautiful face, radiating unmatched purity.
"..."
At this moment, atop her majestic white horse, Lancelot gripped her lance tightly, silver magical energy flowing throughout her body. Her sharp eyes scanned the horizon, searching for the enemy who had attacked her, but she found nothing.
That was only natural. Her enemy was ten kilometers away, and Lancelot did not possess long-range vision abilities like Ren's Heavenly Eye.
"..."
On the other hand, without wasting any time, Ren pulled an object from his pocket—a small sapphire-blue crystal glowing softly. A magic item given to him by Alice. With a quick motion, he tossed the crystal into the air and opened a spatial portal—a slowly rotating blue circle. Then, with a firm leap, he stepped through and appeared amidst the ruins of the mansion's room.
*TAP!*
As soon as his feet touched the cracked floor, his body reacted instinctively. As a Campione, the natural enemy of gods, all his senses heightened sharply with the presence of a Heretic God nearby. Magical energy surged through his body, preparing him for the imminent battle.
Still in Lancelot's protective embrace, Guinevere recognized Ren's appearance and exclaimed in shock, "Rokuhara Ren?!"
Her emerald eyes widened in surprise.
"I didn't expect the Seventh Campione to come after me and attack me so sneakily! Why would a King do this?!" Her voice trembled between fear and anger.
Hearing what he considered a ridiculous statement, Ren looked at her with a sneer and said, "Don't play dumb, Guinevere. You are the enemy of all Campiones."
His eyes glinted dangerously as he continued, "Other Campiones might not know, but I know your secret. You've been hiding in the shadows while Campiones and Heretic Gods battle, and after the Heretic God is defeated, you steal the Divine Authority that should belong to the Campione, using your Holy Grail."
Guinevere's expression changed drastically. Color drained from her beautiful face, her eyes wide with fear. She had not expected Ren to know so much about her closely guarded secret.
"How is this possible..." She whispered, her voice barely audible over the roar of the London night wind.