Those time travelers that year

In the midday heat, those insignificant divine powers, permeating the sunlight, were filled with intense heat and radiance.

475. Greenwich Sages Council = Minion Fish

Divine power—perhaps no one in this world, aside from the restless gods, is more familiar with this power than Ciel. Even those Campiones who claim to have defeated the rebellious gods, usurped authority, and are hailed as demon kings, are, in Ciel's eyes, nothing more than extraordinary divine power derived from incomplete divine authority. They lack true divine power, and therefore, cannot truly unleash the full power of the concepts they have acquired.

After all, the powers that Campione possess are subject to limitations in their use, and we haven't seen those disobedient gods face any restrictions when using them. This is quite normal, since the powers that Campione seized do not belong to them, but to the gods. Naturally, they cannot truly possess the power of the rules.

Therefore, it is likely that only other non-gods besides Sharl could discern the divine power permeating the midday sun, a power of intense heat and radiance. Although it was only a tiny wisp, it was clear that this divine power reflected in Sharl's vision was not flowing in just one place, but rather permeated every corner of the entire island.

The descent of disobedient gods will trigger a series of disasters. This is not only due to the attributes of the gods they represent, but also because of the divine power they unconsciously spread. This power, intertwined with the rules, will unconsciously alter the surrounding environment.

Therefore, no matter how much it is concealed, over time, various strange phenomena still cannot be hidden. Just like now, due to the divine power that has unconsciously spread and enveloped the entire island, the island has been unusually sunny recently, and even the average temperature has been a little higher. However, this situation does not attract the attention of others.

It seems the Greek magic society was exceptionally well-concealed. Of course, more importantly, Helios, who arrived as an outcast, didn't just wander around aimlessly... It's unclear whether this was due to his personality or some other factor.

In short, finding this second-generation Greek sun god under these circumstances will be no easy task. The entire island is permeated with his divine power. Every inch of land and every blade of grass here has been imbued with this divine power for a long time, making it unlikely that any method, even prophecy, could accurately pinpoint his location.

"I remember, Rhodes was considered the last territory of this sun god who, in mythology, was unsuccessful. Although, later on, his faith inevitably died out." Looking at the current religious situation of Rhodes' residents, the vast majority are Orthodox Christians, like most Greeks, though of course, there's a little over one percent who are Muslims. However, this Helios probably doesn't even have a temple or ruins left by now…

"In fact, according to the records, even in the glorious era of Greece and Rome, not many people worshipped this sun god; only the inhabitants of Rhodes Island believed in him." Charles felt deep sympathy for the tragic life—no, the life of a god—of this sun god. In ordinary worlds, it wouldn't be much, but in a world where gods can descend incognito, such a desolate existence only proves that this sun god was a complete failure! "...Unfortunately, nowadays, only Jesus' followers and a tiny bit of potential terrorist greenhorn remain on this island."

What should we do now? Should we use an area-of-effect spell to sink this island in one blow?

But that's too exhausting! Sinking an island is easy, but the trouble that follows will definitely be much greater.

“This is really troublesome…” Scratching his hair, Ciel looked at the place helplessly. No matter how much he planned, Ciel hadn't anticipated that Rhodes Island would be shrouded in the divine power of the rebellious Helios, which had descended upon the island for over a year. “The Greek magic society, they really have no limits to their suicidal tendencies! Concealing the news of a nuclear bomb that could explode at any moment… Well! They succeeded, too. Such obvious, widespread divine power—even a Campion without divine power would sense something amiss!” In fact, let alone a Campion, any magician with sufficient skill would sense something was wrong. “That Greenwich Sage Council is truly a bunch of scum…” Ciel sighed, “…right under our noses, and they were actually deceived by the local administration, and for a whole year—the corrupt grassroots of capitalism and local institutions are never reliable…”

"So it really is true that people follow whoever has money?!"

"It seems that the Greek magic world needs a Stalinist-style baptism!"

No one would believe there wasn't a conspiracy involved. What conspiracy?! It's obvious, given human nature, that the Greek magic society was dissatisfied with the Greenwich Wise Men's Council, led by the British! After all, this United Nations of the magic world was established in the Victorian era, and it was already biased towards Britain back then, and it remains so even now.

Considering Greece's international influence, one can imagine the extent to which the Greek Magic Society is oppressed by the representatives of the major national societies, led by Britain, in the Greenwich Wise Council.

In particular, when this disobedient god didn't intend to play tricks like sunbathing, but instead simply stayed here to live a secluded life, it would be strange if these Greeks didn't fawn over him.

With a disobedient god as their backer, even if it can't be openly revealed, just a tiny bit of what a god reveals is enough to drive the entire Greek magic society mad.

In fact, they've gone mad...

While slightly concealing his presence, he faced Rhodes City, the administrative center of the island, where a large number of people with divine power were scattered throughout the city.

This wasn't something they acquired through contact. In Charles's eyes, these people weren't ordinary people; they were all magicians. These magicians actually possessed traces of divine power within their bodies, however faint they were.

“Developing followers?” Charles frowned. “No… According to the Greek method, it should be called a priesthood. Well, it’s all the same…” These magicians scattered throughout the city, although they all retained a tiny amount of divine power, were clearly not followers. Charles did not see any trace of faith in them.

If they could see it, they would have already followed the clues and rushed over to chop down the god.

"It's not so much a blessing... more like something that has been in contact with for a long time and has retained divine power, which has unintentionally remained in the body." But even if it's just a residue, these magicians' power systems have inevitably changed, becoming more inclined towards properties like fire and light, and rejecting all kinds of dark powers.

In short, these magicians' skills have improved dramatically.

Although these guys, when gathered together, are all the same in Charles's eyes...

But if the Greenwich Sages' Council, those small fry, were to come, they would be horrified to discover that the entire city boasts over twenty knights of the Grand Knight rank. Furthermore, the number of high-ranking magicians and witches far exceeds that of any other large society in Europe.

In other words, the combined strength of the members of the magic society on Rhodes Island alone rivals that of all the magic societies in any one European country.

That's the problem.

476.477. Two-in-one

Clearly, on an island whose economy is based on tourism, vacations, and providing legitimate venues for nudists, more than twenty Grand Knights have gathered, along with an even larger number of high-level magicians and witches. What does this mean? A Grand Knight, translated into combat power in this world, isn't actually that strong; they're basically capable of cutting down tanks with a sword, and one person, under certain circumstances, is equivalent to a modern army. That's not impressive, at least not against missiles or nuclear weapons—were simply beyond the reach of humans.

However, the fact that an island possesses the equivalent of over twenty modern military units is a major problem. Not to mention, if used effectively, a single Grand Knight can be far more lethal than an entire modern army. Besides these Grand Knights, there are also magicians and witches, though slightly weaker, but far more numerous.

In fact, with these fighting forces gathered together, Charles seriously doubted whether the Greek government's crippled army could defeat these great knights and magicians without having to use missiles to bombard the ground.

It seems that there are very few combat-ready troops in the European army.

It's easy to imagine what kind of mentality the Greek magic society is currently harboring, as they've managed to keep the news of a suspected disobedient Helios descending upon Rhodes so tightly under wraps. Frankly, given another five or six years, the Greek magic society, with the divine influence of this disobedient Helios, would likely surpass the overall level of magic in England, France, Italy, and the like.

The premise is that Helios, who arrived as a rebel, still has many years to live.

"Let's play hide-and-seek!" The entire island was permeated with the divine power of the disobedient Helios. Even the magicians who seemed to have left behind on the island to conceal the whereabouts of this disobedient god bore traces of divine power, making it quite difficult to find this guy who had a terrible demise in mythology.

Of course, it was only slightly more difficult.

The flames of dusk ignited in their eyes as they looked towards Rhodes City. These members of the Greek magic society stationed on Rhodes Island were determined to conceal the news of Helios's disobedience. They would undoubtedly do everything in their power to suppress anything that might displease the great god.

Roughly speaking, when someone foolishly tries to cause trouble, the first thing they do is drag that clueless guy from a dark corner in and beat him up. Then, they beat him from the bottom up, taking down that foolish guy's entire family and neighbors...

This is a common tactic.

Therefore, in Xia Er's vision, he quickly identified the area where the great knights and magicians with residual divine power were most densely distributed. After locating them, he instantly teleported there.

——————————Divider Line——————————

This is a small corner of Rhodes City, and few people know that at the end of this alley, there is a small shop. This shop sells only local specialties and trinkets. Few people frequent it; only a few regular customers come here.

Two people lived here, a man and a woman. The man was a tall, young man with a physique as proportionate as the statue of David, and short blond hair. The woman was a petite and lovely girl, probably not even fifteen years old, with brown hair tied in braids.

The woman's name was Kotohe, a name with a Greek or Persian influence. She was an orphan, adopted from an orphanage by an elderly couple living on Rhodes Island, who brought her to the island. Now, she worked odd jobs at a shop that had been open for over a year… well, as a child laborer!

The man's name is Phobos. He moved to the island a little over a year ago and opened a specialty shop there, a shop that occasionally sells small items full of ancient Greek style.

Of course, the little girl Kotoer was puzzled by this. After all, in her eyes, the little trinkets and the like made by the older brother and shop owner, Phoebus, looked just ordinary. But for some reason, some "important people" would often come here and buy things in a "very polite" tone.

If the buyers were tourists visiting the island, that would be understandable. But why would the mayor and police chief of Rhodes City on the island also come here to buy the shop owner's handmade jewelry?!

This little girl, not even fifteen years old, couldn't understand the way these adults thought. She worked odd jobs in this nameless little shop simply to earn some pocket money.

The elderly couple who adopted her have decided to send her to a private school in a big city a few years from now when she's a bit older. The fact that Kotoe is working odd jobs here to earn pocket money is also something the elderly couple tacitly approves of, allowing Kotoe to gain social experience.

Of course, a large part of the reason was that the young shopkeeper, Phobos, had won the hearts of the two elderly people, and they were on very good terms with him in private, almost treating him as their son-in-law. Kotoe was unaware of this, and she didn't have much of an opinion about it, simply regarding the shopkeeper, who was several years older than her, as an older brother she could act like a spoiled child.

So the little girl and the elderly couple who adopted her were unaware that people were secretly stationed around the shop. If anyone familiar with the magic world came here and saw these people, they would be surprised to find that among them were high-ranking magicians, witches, and even great knights.

The little girl, Kotoe, doesn't understand that there's another side to this world.

So, as usual, after helping the shopkeeper watch the store for a bit, the little girl skipped and hopped away. However, what she didn't see was that after she left the store, someone would secretly and silently follow her, escorting her all the way home. Along the way, any drunkards, thugs, or anyone who looked ill-intentioned would be dealt with by these hidden guards.

This almost became the daily routine for those who secretly protected the little girl, Kotoe.

Although it felt undignified to use supernatural abilities to bully ordinary people, everyone here knew the identity of the sunny young man in his twenties in that shop. Putting everything else aside, if anything happened to the little girl Kotoe, his wrath could very well turn the entire island to scorched earth.

These members of the Greek Magic Society – Rhodes Island branch had absolutely no intention of taking a gamble.

Moreover, all the magic societies in Greece have benefited to varying degrees as a result, increasing their overall strength several times over. Now, the combined strength of the members of the magic societies on the island is enough to take on any magic society in any European country.

It can even be said now that, as long as Campione doesn't intervene, no single magic society in Europe can rival them.

All of this was due to the insignificant power of the 'being' who lived in seclusion in that shop. It all came from the 'handcrafted' ornaments that the 'being' casually created.

People die for wealth, birds die for food. Let alone dealing with drunkards or thugs, even if a country's president came here and dared to act recklessly, these guys would dare to chop him up and drag him to the bottom of the sea.

However, in this day and age with its robust legal system, anyone who dares to lay a hand on a little girl like this, even in Europe where the social atmosphere is somewhat more open, would definitely go to jail. Therefore, generally speaking, there are very few individuals who would need to be secretly dealt with by these guards.

So, just like any other day, these secret guards lurked behind the little girl, Kotoe, protecting her as she walked home.

However, on this day, something unexpected happened.

Just as the little girl Kotoe reached a crossroads she always passed, a dark figure suddenly appeared before her. In the fading light of the setting sun, it seemed to appear like a ghost before Kotoe.

She wore a black formal suit with a cape-like garment draped over her back. Her neat, silver hair was tied into a ponytail at the back of her head, and she wore a hunter's triangular hat on her head, with a pure white feather embroidered on one side of the hat's edge.

It was a very beautiful figure, like a god emerging from the twilight, sacred and solemn, filled with an atmosphere that inspired reverence in those who looked at him.

Of course, the little girl was stunned, but the hidden guards were different; their expressions changed drastically, as if they had witnessed the most impossible thing. At that moment, the figure extended a finger and touched the little girl Kotoe's forehead, instantly turning the hidden guards as pale as corpses. They rushed out from the shadows without a second thought…

Among these guards were even two Grand Knights, who, along with other magicians, were preparing to rush out using various powers. However, before they could even move, a dark greatsword, radiating a suffocating killing intent, was placed against their necks from the shadows, rendering them unable to move.

"Interesting!?" The figure muttered, removing his finger from the little girl Kotoe's forehead and looking at her now hypnotized state. He then leaned down and whispered in Kotoe's ear, "...You didn't see me today. Good girl, you have to go home obediently after dark, understand?" The little girl Kotoe, with her dazed eyes, nodded and then, as usual, headed towards home.

"So, the entire Greek magic society... is quite leisurely?" Charles glanced at the hidden figures with swords to their necks and said, "The name Kotohe... I remember, she was a princess of Persia, one of Helios's lovers! The one who died after being betrayed by the sea goddess Clytie and buried alive by the Persian king Orchamus."

"Although it's just the same name... this is the right place."

"But I'd like to know, what gives you mortals the courage to raise your swords against me?"

"Don't tell me you don't recognize me. Although I don't consider myself famous or anything like that, there's no magic society in Europe that doesn't know me."

"Or do you think that by relying on the divine power that guy inadvertently left behind, constantly increasing your strength... and with just two great knights, you dare to oppose me?" Charles looked sarcastically at the pale-faced, sweating knights and magicians, waved his hand, and signaled the Farron knights to remove the greatswords from their necks. "Get as far away as you can!"

“Wait, Your Majesty…” Clearly, someone was unmoved. A middle-aged man, though pale-faced, stepped forward to block Charles’s path. “Please…” But before he could explain, a flash of cold light appeared, and a Franz Knight was behind him, piercing his chest from behind with a sword. The corpse of this fool, who thought he could stop them with words, was dragged aside by the Franz Knight. As for the others, facing the Franz Knights surrounding them, they could only tremble, not daring to utter a word, even though one of them had been killed like a dead dog and thrown into the shadows of the alley.

"Fran Knights, seal off this area. In three minutes, any knights, magicians, or witches who haven't left here will be annihilated." After leaving these words, Charles ignored the local Rhodes Island magic society members and strode into the alley, heading towards the shop in a place that was almost deserted.

Those members of the local magic society who remained looked at each other, their faces pale. Under the undisguised oppressive aura of the increasing number of Farron knights emerging from the shadows, they hastily fled in panic. The Farron knights watched their escape in silence; after all, Charles's orders were that anyone not leaving within three minutes would be killed.

Now, this area has been enveloped by a barrier that dispels idlers; only the knights and magicians will remain unaffected if they dare to stay here.

Ultimately, there will always be some people who, faced with potential benefits, will choose to stay out of their own self-righteousness. They might think that with their own or their team's strength, they are capable of negotiating with others.

Unfortunately, what awaited them was the slaughter of the entire Fran Knights, numbering over two hundred. Even of the twenty-odd Grand Knights present, only two who retreated out of fear managed to survive; the rest lay dead in pools of blood.

——————————Divider Line——————————

Ignoring everything that happened behind him, Charles walked to the small shop that had its curtains drawn and a "Closed" sign on. Then, without a second thought, he pushed open the door and went inside.

"It's closed now..." Just as Charles pushed open the door, a young voice came from inside the shop. A young man, about twenty years old, who was sitting behind a wooden table and carving on a piece of wood with a small carving knife, looked up at the shop door and said, "Please..." However, his words stopped. When the uninvited guest who had come at this twilight was reflected in the young man's eyes, a dark and despairing sun appeared.

"That's really true, sigh..." The young man glanced at it, sighed, and then ignored it, lowering his head to continue fiddling with his carving knife and continuing his carving. He didn't pay any attention to Charles, who had already walked into the shop.

Conversely, the same applies to the Charles.

After he entered, he didn't immediately start a fight. Instead, he looked around the shop's decorations and merchandise with great interest. However, what Charles saw was completely different from what most people would see.

Every item here, even the bricks and stones on the ground or the not-so-exquisitely hand-carved wooden sculptures, contains a blazing and radiant divine power. Any one of them, if placed in a cemetery, will ensure that for hundreds of years no unclean things will appear in the cemetery.

“I think these things would be better used as burial goods!” Charles said. “...At least, if you put one in a coffin, even Hades’ priests wouldn’t be able to awaken the dead, don’t you think?!”

478. Helios, the Sun God

"How could such meager power possibly be enough to defeat Hades, the Lord of the Underworld?!" Upon hearing Charles's words, the young man who was carving with a chisel shook his head with a wry smile.

“The underworld’s attributes are darkness and death…” Charles said, “and fire and light are precisely the nemesis of these negative attributes, so why not?”

“Because Hades is one of the three kings of the Olympian gods, ruling the underworld and hell, high above all others. Even Zeus, who rules the sky, is always worried about and wary of him,” the young man interjected. “...On the other hand, this source of fire and light is actually nothing more than a good-for-nothing who can’t even keep the legacy of his father.”

Is this how you see yourself?