Those time travelers that year

So, those with a brain, upon discovering the Marquis of Vauban, decisively pledged their allegiance to him. Not only did they treat this oldest Campione with utmost respect, but they also used their official authority to hand over all the materials from the official history compilation committee as a pledge of allegiance.

Marquis Woban had just arrived. Although he had received news, it was clear that having a local guide was invaluable in matters concerning the local population. Thus, the old marquis readily accepted the Saya family and, relying on their influence, began searching for traces of the disobedient and preparing to find a way into the sealed-off Netherworld.

The Kiyoshuin family, skilled in both martial arts and politics, suffered the most severe losses. Almost all of their core members were wiped out by the Knights of Fran. Initially, they were able to hold on while they had powerful backers. Now that their backers were gone, and facing the possibility of being devoured, after the Saya family sided with Marquis Vauban, they decisively knelt before the Black Prince—Alexander Gascoigne—and swore allegiance.

Although the Black Prince didn't care much, at least the Kiyoshuin family managed to save their lives by using the powerful's name and influence.

The Nine Laws Tomb family, which was responsible for everything within the Radiant Amaterasu Palace, suffered relatively few losses at first. However, the Knights of Fran reappeared, and because Charles had planned to bypass the palace through the back door, all of the family's influence within the Radiant Amaterasu Palace was wiped out.

At this time, the martial arts master Luo Cuilian, who had crossed the sea, came knocking on their door. So, relying on the fact that his family knew the most about the Monkey God, he shamelessly presented this information to Luo Cuilian by bowing deeply, just like the Qingqiu family, using the Monkey God's name and banners.

Within the official history compilation committee, the alliance of the four major families fell apart. Seeing the other three families shamelessly clinging to powerful figures for support, the last family, Liancheng, became anxious.

But who should they turn to for help?

Of all the Campione who came over, the reliable ones were all groveled by those three shameless bastards.

529. The Crusaders Who Were Tricked

All the good backers have already been claimed. Even if the Liancheng family scrambles to find one, they're no match for the family that went there first; they're unlikely to gain that person's trust as easily. What do they do now?

With no other options, and in order to survive and protect the power they held, the Liancheng family hardened their hearts and shamelessly approached the Sword King, Salvatore Tony (the Husky), who had just arrived and was wandering aimlessly through the food street. Although he was the most unreliable of all the Campione Godslayers so far, there was no other way but to grit their teeth and accept it. After all, as long as they could do as he pleased, he was the most simple-minded among the other three.

After all, he is Salvatore Tony (the Husky), and he is most famous for his silly and goofy personality.

This kind of backer might not be very reliable, but at least they don't have much scheming and are the easiest to rely on. Just provide them with good food and drink, and the rest is up to them to pray for good fortune.

What a cruel reality!

Of course, the disintegration of the four major families of the official history compilation committee also left all the families, large and small, that had survived the rampage of the Knights of Fran in the country completely bewildered.

What the hell is this?! What do we do now? The smart ones should immediately try to contact one of the four families they've already broken up with. Since they can't latch onto Campione's coattails, they should just latch onto the families that have sided with Campione.

But this makes it feel like the country has reverted to the Warring States period, at least in the world of magic, it seems to be like that now...

However, neither the Sword King - Salvatore Tony (Husky), Marquis of Vobán - Sasha Dejansdar Vobán, the Black Prince - Alexander Gascoigne, nor the Martial Arts King - Luo Cuilian cared much about these things.

What they cared about were the still-absent God of Disobedience and Campiones, their rivals and 'kin'. These four problematic figures, each having taken over one of the four major families of the official history compilation committee, were simply sulking and opposing each other.

Of course, there's no guarantee they won't start fighting soon.

Before encountering the disobedient god, everyone was wary of each other, fearing being taken advantage of and betrayed, so they remained temporarily at peace. However, each of them forced the four major families of the official history compilation committee, who had submitted to them, to mobilize all their resources to prepare to open the path to the underworld or find traces of the disobedient god.

...Have you forgotten something?

Oh, by the way, the Crusaders from the Vatican looked quite embarrassed at the four great families of the Historic Compilation Committee, their shameless groveling and their actions of ignoring them and leaving them aside.

This made the expeditionary force very angry and irritable.

There's a limit to looking down on others!

In fact, the contempt was yet to come. The four families of the official history compilation committee, who were already very dissatisfied with the Vatican sending thousands of people, now had regained their patrons, even if these patrons weren't entirely reliable. They ignored the Crusaders and even began to secretly ostracize them. After all, the Campione, the god-killers and disobedient gods, wouldn't infringe on their wealth and rights; all they needed to do was be subservient.

But the Vatican Crusaders were different! The arrival of several thousand men had already aroused immense hostility from the four major families of the official history compilation committee. Not to mention, the fighting power of these several thousand men was overwhelming for the entire country... No one wanted a powerful outsider to suppress a local strongman.

Besides, everyone knows what kind of people these Crusaders are.

Nobody would believe that these guys never considered treating the official history compilation committee like heretics!

This greatly angered the Vatican Crusaders, because although the four families had separated, they had reunited on the issue of dealing with the Vatican Crusaders and were now acting as a united front against them.

Not to mention they have powerful backers; what are a few Crusaders compared to them? Do they really think this is still the Crusades era? Even during your Crusades, you posed no threat here! Get lost!

That's just what they say; in reality, they've maintained a certain level of restraint. Nobody wants to make a move; everyone's smart enough to know better!

——————————Divider Line——————————

Just as this lively chaos was still raging, a black-haired loli dressed in gothic clothing stealthily emerged from the Netherworld. Of course, it wasn't exactly stealth; no one could see her at all.

This little girl, with practiced ease, followed her senses and accurately located the Crusaders coming from the Vatican, then revealed a dangerous smile.

She wouldn't be polite in the slightest to old friends or former bosses' subordinates.

If Athena hadn't given the order, she would have already released all her power and crushed them. However, since the two were related, Lucifer, who possessed the divine status of the Morning Star, felt that she still had to give them some face.

Most importantly, the sweets and ice cream she ate were all provided by Athena—

—For Lucifer, who is now only one inch tall, the world is vast, but sweets are the most important thing.

No problem!

“Hmm…you disgusting ants!” Lucifer, his golden eyes fixed on the Catholic clergy in the darkness and shadows, ate his ice cream cone while scrutinizing them with ill intent. “…Looks like it’ll take some more time, huh? Hmm, while I don’t like that evil god…I despise you, Miller’s subordinates, even more.”

Raising his hand, Lucifer was about to strike the unsuspecting Vatican Crusaders. But as if suddenly remembering something, he stopped.

"Those Campiones are annoying too!"

"If you hate something, just fight it out with other hateful things until you both perish!"

A sweet yet chilling smile appeared on Lucifer's face as he glanced at her before disappearing into the darkness. Soon, an imperceptible ripple began to spread, engulfing the entire city and rapidly expanding outwards.

From this moment on, everyone—ordinary people, the four great families of the official history compilation committee, the crusaders from the Vatican… and the Campiones—was affected by a faint force. A very faint force, not directed at them personally, but rather the expansion of some kind of negative emotion.

The fluctuations in my emotions seemed to be gradually getting out of control...

No one knows in what form Lucifer arrived.

Even Ciel, who summoned her down, didn't know. Athena did know, but Ciel didn't ask, and she didn't tell.

When Lucifer arrived, a red dragon with seven heads and ten horns appeared. Ciel thought this was the identity of Lucifer as the Earth Mother Goddess, but it was not merely a manifestation of the Earth Mother Goddess.

On the contrary, that represents more of the seven deadly sins.

Therefore, Lucifer now not only possesses the divine status of the Morning Star and the Son of Dawn, but also the divine status of Satan and the Seven Deadly Sins, which should not belong to her.

Lucifer has not come as a fallen angel, but as the enemy of Christ and God. If God is equivalent to light, then Lucifer is darkness.

Her current identity is the opposite of God.

530. Conflict

Lucifer's true divine nature is the opposite of God, something Ciel is unaware of. Of course, if this is the case, it explains why, solely based on his status as the god of the morning star, Lucifer is comparable to Athena after Ciel's alteration. And when Lucifer gets serious, he can tear an Earth Mother goddess to shreds in an instant.

However, she is still outwardly the god of the Morning Star, so Lucifer can't use this divine status too often. Nevertheless, it's more than enough to deal with some of the people who are an eyesore to her.

The human heart is the most unpredictable thing in the world.

Desire always suppresses virtue, because it is desire, not virtue, that drives human progress and societal advancement.

Soon, under Lucifer's covert influence, some unexpected events occurred.

This occurred among the members of the Vatican Crusaders who came here, as well as the Saya family of the official history compilation committee.

Although the four major families of the official history compilation committee, along with the numerous other families large and small who remained opportunistic, deeply resented the arrival of the Vatican Crusaders, the situation was more family-based than the group-based or even state-based power structures prevalent in Europe. While they couldn't form a massive alliance like the Council of Wise Men in Greenwich, the official history compilation committee was at least more stable and secure in ruling its own territories.

Stability and stability meant that all the interests had already been divided up, leaving only internal power struggles. However, who could have imagined that unforeseen events would occur? After a series of devastating incidents, the various families of the official history compilation committee were forced to confront an imminent crisis.

Some cling to powerful figures, others fawn over them.

Then, together they launched a comprehensive campaign to exclude and suppress the largest foreign force. After all, Campione arrived alone, while only the Vatican had brought a crusade.

However, the various families on the official history compilation committee weren't fools. While they might have expressed their opposition, they certainly wouldn't have created any real conflict. Both sides remained quite restrained, at least that's how it was before.

As Lucifer secretly expanded his influence, the desires that originated from within were disturbed by Lucifer's divine power, and things suddenly took an irreversible turn a few days later.

In a private setting, a crusader from the Vatican, during a verbal altercation, killed a member of the Sayamiya family—Sayamiya Kaoru, the head of the Tokyo branch of the Historic Compilation Committee and the key figure wielding power in the Kanto Committee. She was also one of the few remaining priestesses after that catastrophe.

This matter has blown up...

The Saya family, not skilled in martial arts but adept at stratagem, were the first to pledge allegiance to the four Campiones upon their arrival, in order to secure their power and status. Moreover, they chose to side with the oldest living Campione, possessing the greatest experience in fighting disobedient gods—Marquis Vobán, Sasha Dejansdar Vobán.

Furthermore, the Sayamiya Kaoru, this shrine maiden, was offered up by the Sayamiya family to serve Marquis Woban. Although the old man didn't care, he accepted her because the shrine maiden could be used to organize rituals to summon disobedient gods.

However, Saya-miya Kaoru died.

This priestess, who wasn't known for her martial prowess, was clearly no match for the Crusader knights. Those knights, through some unknown means, were all Grand Knights. This is why the official history compilation committee was wary of the Crusaders; the difference in their fighting strength was too great.

Without the Marquis of Vauban as their backer, the Saya Palace family would have had no choice but to back down in the face of the crusaders from the Vatican. But now that they have a backer, they naturally have to be tougher. This is not only about the reputation of the entire family, but also about not tarnishing the image of the Marquis of Vauban, whom they have pledged allegiance to.

Offending a Campion is more terrifying than potentially offending the Catholic Church.

Logically, the two sides should have at most had a verbal argument, and then each would have backed down. However, under circumstances unknown to anyone, the Crusader knight, enraged by the dispute, drew his sword and stabbed Sayako Kaoru to death in a fit of inexplicable anger and indignation.

And so things took an irreversible turn.

……

"You mean, the Vatican attacked first?" Sasha de Jansdar Voban asked in a very calm voice to the Shaya family member who was kneeling before him with trembling knees.

The old man, who looked like a wise and gentlemanly old man, spoke in an extremely calm tone. However, it was precisely this calm tone that made the kneeling members of the Saya family feel as if they had been doused with a bucket of cold water.

"Yes...yes," the man said fearfully. "Sayamiya Kaoru was caught off guard and tragically killed by the sword of a Crusader knight who suddenly drew his sword..."

"Really?!" Voban tapped lightly on the table with one hand, his tone quite indifferent. Of course, this was only on the surface; in reality, anyone who knew him knew that, at least in terms of temperament, Voban was not the kind of easygoing person.

On the contrary, he was a wolf, a wolf king full of bloodthirsty wildness and robust physique. In nature, wolves are vengeful animals.

For so many years, apart from his own kind and disobedient gods, no mortal has dared to offend him or disrespect him! Don't be fooled by the fact that this is just a private conflict between the Crusaders and the Saya family. The Saya family was the first to openly pledge allegiance to him, and now a priestess has died. This is a direct disrespect!

The last time Voban showed such disrespect was in Zadar, a port city in Dalmatia, in 1854. Voban then used his power to reduce this 194-square-kilometer city, which belonged to the Austrian Empire, to ruins.

“Interesting, interesting…” The wolf-like old man suddenly laughed, but his laughter was filled with a cold killing intent. “I never thought I would be the first one to lose face in this country! And in front of three other ‘fellow clansmen’… Good, very good!” As soon as he finished speaking, the Saya family members who were kneeling in front of Voban paused, and then were horrified to find that something resembling crystals was suddenly emerging from their bodies.

However, before he could react, he completely lost his life. Under the influence of a strange force, his entire body turned into salt crystals, then shattered, leaving no trace of his body.

"Vatican!?" Muttering the word under his breath, Voban casually obliterated the person before him, then strode out of the room where he had been. This was the main residence of the Saya family, and now Voban's palace. Outside, the other members of the Saya family kept their heads bowed to the ground in fear, not daring to look at this 'monster' burning with rage.

"Crusader Knights!" Voban ignored these 'ants' in his eyes; he was simply furious. Sayamiya Kaoru was one of the tools he planned to use to summon the heretical god later, but now someone had destroyed it. Moreover, the other 'kin' who came here would definitely know about this, which was utterly shameful!

“Very good—let’s warm up a bit before the official hunt begins.”

531. The impending chaos

Humans are creatures of pride, and even a Campion, who is no longer human, is no exception. No, or rather, a Campion cares more about their reputation and prestige... well, a certain Tony Husky is an exception. As for Sasha Dejanstad Voban, all the current Campiones are his 'juniors,' not to mention his mortal enemy, the Martial Arts King Luo Cuilian.

Others may tremble at the immense power of the Catholic Church, but it is clear that in Voban's eyes, true strength is not about the quantity of people, but about the unquestionable power held in an individual's hands.

Clearly, in Voban's view, the Vatican Catholic Church is not among those who possess undeniable power. So what if they are the world's leading religion?! Even if these believers could summon angels, Voban would have the audacity to tear them apart.

Soon enough, the official history compilation committee, the rest of the Campione, and the Crusader knights and priests all sensed a massive surge of magical power that extended directly into the sky.

Influenced by this force, the sky began to change, turning overcast. Soon after, torrential rain began to pour down from the sky, the wind howled, and flashes of lightning could be seen from time to time in the clouds.