Morningstar Campione

Third POV

Trinity Goddess (Campione): Has it already begun, Morningstar Campione? I'm growing bored of waiting. What's taking you so long?

Morningstar Campione (Campione): The plan has changed. I've decided to include the Princess in our plan as well.

Oujou-sama (Mondaiji no Tachi): Hello, King. Could you also include us in your plan?

Morningstar Campione (Campione): Be swift about it. We move tonight. Gather everyone at the palace—spread the word far and wide. Every faction, every supernatural race, and anyone else who dares to stand against me. Tell them this: Morningstar Campione is coming for their thrones and their sovereignty.

Loligaki (COTE): What will happen if we don't make it in time?

Trinity Goddess (Campione): Then you will be abandoned to your fate. We can't afford to wait. Tonight, we conquer Japan. There is no time for second chances or delays.

Loligaki (COTE): Understood. I'll try to convince my father to side with the King.

Hoshino Kun nodded with satisfaction as he reviewed the lively chat group conversation while walking side by side with his beloved Princess, Hatsune Miku.

Her bright turquoise hair shimmered in the moonlight, a stark contrast to the dark cloak she wore.

"King…" she murmured, her voice tinged with nervousness. "Will the Goddess Athena truly cooperate with us?"

Hoshino Kun glanced at her, his piercing gaze filled with confidence.

Of course, she would.

After all, Trinity Goddess in the chat group was none other than Athena herself.

The goddess had aligned with him for one simple reason—he had offered her something she could never refuse.

"She will cooperate," Hoshino Kun assured her calmly. "We've already struck a deal. She's already arrived at Sun Wukong's place, preparing for her part in our operation."

"What sort of deal did you make with her?" Hatsune asked, her curiosity momentarily overpowering her apprehension.

"I offered her the Gorgon Stone as a gesture of goodwill and promised my assistance in securing her goals. In return, she agreed to help us conquer Japan, subjugate the other factions, and prevent any interference with our cause."

Hatsune Miku exhaled deeply, her nervousness easing with his confident words.

She trusted Hoshino Kun implicitly, yet the scale of their ambition still left her breathless.

"If that's the case, then I have nothing to worry about," she said softly, determination now lighting up her eyes. "Let's go meet this Sun Wukong, Hoshino Kun."

With that, they continued their journey, each step a declaration of their intent.

The King and his Princess moved forward, ready to face the legendary Monkey King and claim their place in history.

The night would soon belong to them, and Japan's destiny was about to be rewritten in their name.

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Sun Wukong's POV

"You speak so highly of this guy, Athena. Fascinating. What makes it even more intriguing is his identity—he's a Campione."

"Shouldn't you, of all beings, harbor hatred for them? Aren't you supposed to be affected by the curse?" I asked, my voice laced with curiosity and a hint of amusement as a sly grin spread across my face.

Athena, ever composed, merely shrugged, her expression unchanging as she replied with an air of calm indifference.

"I don't know the reason, but I feel no hostility toward him, nor am I affected by the curse of Pandora," she said with a tone that carried the weight of concealed knowledge.

Her lack of surprise was telling.

It was evident that she knew something—a truth, perhaps—that made her circumstances unique.

Something profound had shifted the natural order. By all accounts, Campiones and Heretic Gods should clash like fire and ice the moment their paths crossed. This was the nature of their existence, an unspoken law of hostility forged through the blood of gods and the meddling of Pandora herself.

Power, after all, never comes without a price. Becoming a Campione is no simple feat; it is not something achieved merely by strength or chance.

It hinges entirely on Pandora's will. If the one who slays a god does not meet her cryptic criteria or proves too insignificant in her eyes, she will refuse to grant the title.

To her, it would be an insult—a disgrace to sully the name of Campione.

The title of Campione is far more than a mere label. It is not simply a representation of unparalleled power but a testament to Pandora's will and her capricious favor.

Yet, this favor is not granted out of kindness or generosity. No, Pandora's acceptance of a mortal as a Campione is steeped in self-serving purpose.

Her motives are clear: she crafts Campiones as warriors, pawns in a larger, unrelenting war against the King of the End and the countless Heretic Gods who descend upon the Earth.

For this reason, she binds Campiones with a curse—a curse of hatred so potent that it ensures animosity from the very gods whose powers they claim, as well as from the divine realm itself.

It is a brand that makes them eternal pariahs, loathed and feared by gods.

Unless someone finds a way to shatter this binding curse, this is their immutable fate, their unending burden.

Yet Pandora is willing to give her chosen Campione a ceremonial gift, the divine powers of the god they have slain.

In return, she demands their eternal servitude, a relentless duty to fight against the gods who threaten the world.

It is a cruel, silent pact, an unwritten rule etched into the fabric of their existence.

They are protectors, yes, but also cursed warriors, shackled to a destiny that offers no reprieve.

This is the life of a Campione—glory stained with blood, power entwined with endless conflict, and a fate dictated by the whims of Pandora.

"Nonetheless, Athena, you still haven't answered my question. Why, of all things, did you choose to side with the Campione?" I pressed her further, my voice laced with growing aggression and impatience.

"You... all of you claim to want to free me from this place, but what do you gain from it? What exactly drives you to perform this so-called charity?" My words were sharp, demanding, cutting through the air like a blade aimed at her composure.

Athena, however, merely chuckled—a soft, infuriating sound that only added fuel to my already burning frustration.

She didn't respond directly.

Not a single word left her lips in answer to my pointed questions.

Every time I pushed her for the reason, she would simply redirect me, deflecting by stating that the Campione would provide the explanation when the time was right.

All she told me was this: she and the Campione intended to free me permanently.

A tantalizing promise, a glimmer of liberation dangled before my eyes—but she deliberately withheld the most critical detail.

The price.

The cost of this so-called freedom.

And I knew, deep in my core, that nothing in this cursed world comes without a price.

Freedom, above all, is never free.

The cost.

That's what gnawed at me, what refused to let me rest.

What were they going to demand of me?

Just as Pandora offers the ritual to the Campione after they slay a god and exacts her own price, what would Athena and the Campione extract from me?

What would they demand in exchange for shattering the chains that bound me?

"Sun Wukong," Athena finally spoke, her voice as calm and detached as ever, "wait for the Campione. He will be the one to name the wager and determine the price."

Wait?

She wanted me to wait?

How could she possibly ask me to remain calm, to wait patiently, when freedom was dangling so tantalizingly close?

My patience, already worn thin, began to unravel further.

Freedom—after so long, the taste of it felt almost tangible.

After enduring centuries of imprisonment, trapped and conspired against by both humans and the Heretic God Susanoo, my torment seemed endless.

They had sealed me in this accursed temple, using me for their petty games and letting their shrine maidens toy with me for their amusement.

I had been reduced to little more than a chained beast, a pet kept for the amusement of others.

How dare they? How could she possibly ask me to wait any longer?

I let out a bitter snort, the sound heavy with frustration and suppressed rage.

Casting Athena a dark glare, I sank to the floor, sulking in my silent fury.

The unbearable weight of anticipation settled over me, suffocating in its intensity as I waited for this so-called Campione to arrive.

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Sayanomiya Kaoru's POV

"Yuri Mariya, have you uncovered the whereabouts of the Princess?" I asked, my tone sharp and unwavering.

As the leader of the History Committee, the burden of this investigation weighed heavily on my shoulders.

 I had been entrusted by those above with the critical task of uncovering where the Princess had vanished and, more importantly, the reasons behind Touma's apparent betrayal.

Both were urgent matters that could disrupt the precarious balance of power in our world.

The miko standing before me, Yuri Mariya, was undoubtedly our most vital asset in this endeavor.

Her extraordinary spirit vision allowed her to perceive events and movements that were far beyond the reach of ordinary surveillance.

This ability gave us an invaluable edge in gathering intelligence and staying ahead of our enemies.

"Lady Kaoru… this is bad…" Yuri Mariya stammered, her voice trembling with an unease that immediately set me on edge.

"She has already freed Sun Wukong from the spell that bound him," Yuri continued, her voice growing more frantic as she delivered the grim report. "Now, they've made their move toward the Palace. She intends to reclaim her throne—by blood. And she's not alone. The Campione and Heretic Gods are rallying to her side."

The weight of her words struck me like a blow, sending my mood plummeting into a dark abyss.

I clenched my jaw tightly, my fingers drumming against the desk before me in a slow, deliberate rhythm as I processed the enormity of the situation.

"So, it has come to this," I murmured, more to myself than to her.

The Princess's murder at Emperor was no longer a mere whisper or rumor—it had erupted into a full-blown declaration of war.

Her alliance with Sun Wukong, Campione, and even Athena meant that we were no longer dealing with Princess but a burgeoning force of chaos that could shake the foundations of our world.

I straightened in my chair, my expression hardening into one of resolute determination.

"Inform all our allies immediately, Yuri. Spread the word. Prepare for war."

The miko nodded, her hands trembling slightly as she clasped them together in a prayer-like gesture before scurrying out of the room.

As the door closed behind her, I allowed myself a moment to breathe.

I reached for the ceremonial blade resting on the desk, its polished surface gleaming faintly in the dim light.

The blade had been passed down through generations of leaders in the History Committee—a symbol of authority, but more importantly, a reminder of the burdens we bore.

"Princess," I whispered, my grip tightening around the hilt. "If you want to reclaim your throne by blood, then so be it. But you'll have to spill ours first."

The die is cast, there was no turning back now.