NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 10: A New Era! Haru’s Terrifying Power! The Authority of Earth!
"So take this! Shinra Tensei!!!"
Haru activated the combined power he'd usurped from Tsukuyomi and Uke Mochi - the Authority of Earth!
Twelve miniature, proportionally smaller moons materialized around him, rotating like protective satellites. Then, with Haru as the epicenter, an invisible repulsive force surged outward, radiating with terrifying power.
The atmosphere roared. The clouds dissipated as if swept away by countless invisible hands, revealing a vast, cloudless sky.
The barren mountain shook violently. Huge boulders crumbled to dust, trees were uprooted and torn apart, spraying splinters into the air and creating a scene of apocalyptic destruction.
Seconds later, the tremors subsided and the dust cloud settled, revealing a transformed landscape. The barren mountain had vanished, leaving only a gaping crater fifty meters across and ten meters deep - a testament to the sheer destructive power of the attack.
The moment the attack was unleashed, the intense repulsive force had thrown Sayanomiya Masaya high into the air.
*Sayanomiya Masaya's body fell to the ground like a discarded rag, landing with a sickening crack ten meters in front of Haru. His spine snapped on impact, and a cloud of dust erupted from the ground.
"My own doing, huh? *Cough...*" Sayanomiya Masaya was covered in blood, his arms and legs crushed flat by the repulsive force, resembling a deformed wooden plank, oozing a gruesome trail of crimson. His appearance was absolutely horrifying.
As he coughed violently, a piece of bloody flesh splattered to the ground - a piece of his internal organs ruptured by Haru's previous attack. Yet despite his catastrophic injuries, his face remained eerily calm, his lips curled into a faint, cold smile. His eyes flickered with a mixture of defiance and... acceptance.
The miniature moons continued to orbit Haru, his golden aura intensifying. Golden armor materialized around his body, a testament to the powerful magical energy coursing through him.
Inside him, the Egg diligently extracted information from the willingly offered Grimoire of the Future, deciphering its intricate rules.
*Click, clack...* Haru walked towards Sayanomiya Masaya and stopped in front of him. He extended his foot and crushed it into the old man's hand, a brutal display of the Devil King's merciless nature.
"Ugh!" The old man groaned, his voice strained with pain.
"Thanks for the tip. Turns out I have Authorities too. But too bad for you, old man. Unlike other Campiones, magic doesn't work on me." Haru pressed down harder and crushed Sayanomiya Masaya's hand with a sickening crunch.
"To the victor go the spoils. I have nothing to say," Sayanomiya Masaya rasped, forcing the words out through the pain.
"I have an authority that can save you. But it comes with a price. Tell me who sent you. What do you say? Deal?" Haru's voice was laced with cold malice.
"No one sent me. I planned this alone." Sayanomiya Masaya's eyes flickered, but his expression remained fixed, betraying nothing.
"Oh really? You came up with this elaborate plan all by yourself?" Haru laughed, his voice bright and cheerful, a jarring contrast to the brutal scene before him. He was the picture of a carefree young man, but there was a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"You think I'm an idiot? Everyone in Japan's magical community knows who I am. You dare to ambush me without the support of another king or a powerful organization?" Haru's smile remained, but the pressure on the old man's hand increased.
"For the first time in a thousand years, a Devil King has been born in this land. Isn't it natural to desire such power? A power that is unparalleled in the human world." Sayanomiya Masaya spoke as if oblivious to the pain, his expression serene, his eyes reflecting a longing for death.
"Oh, so that's how it is. Then take your great delusions with you to meet Amaterasu!" Trusting his Campione instincts, Haru sensed that the old man wasn't lying. He clenched his right fist, ready to deliver the final blow.
"Please, Your Majesty! Stay your hand!" A desperate female voice rang out from the edge of the crater Haru had created.
A young woman, about fifteen years old, rushed toward them. She possessed a delicate beauty, an otherworldly grace that set her apart. Her slender figure, dressed in a man's white shirt, tie, suit jacket, and pants, somehow looked perfectly natural on her, giving her the appearance of a handsome young man from a manga, unique and captivating.
"Who are you?" Haru looked up and saw the figure approaching with magically increased speed. He slowly relaxed his fist and stroked his chin as he watched the girl.
*70 points for looks, 12 points for the outfit, and another 666 just for looking like a Tsundere. Yes, a beautiful boy indeed. As expected from Japan, the moe factor is strong.
"My humble name is Sayanomiya Kaoru, the third generation direct descendant of the Sayanomiya family. Sayanomiya Kaoru stopped in front of Haru, kneeling on one knee, her head bowed respectfully.
"The Sayanomiya family, one of the four families that lead the Historical Compilation Committee of the Japanese magical community, huh? Do you know that old man?" Haru, mentally reviewing the power structure of the Campione world, kicked Sayanomiya Masaya with his foot, his voice laced with menace.
"Yes, he is my grandfather," Sayanomiya Kaoru replied after a moment of silence.
"I see. So the Sayanomiya family is tired of its long history, bored with its existence and wants to be destroyed?" Haru grinned, a dangerous light shining in his eyes, a hint of amusement playing on his lips.
"I beg your pardon, Your Majesty. My grandfather was consumed by hatred, driven to..." Sayanomiya Kaoru stammered, her expression desperate. Under Haru's murderous gaze, the fifteen-year-old girl was at a loss for words.
"All right, all right, I don't care about his revenge. I'm lazy to listen to your explanations. He's all yours. He won't last much longer in his current state anyway." Haru, not interested in hearing Sayanomiya Kaoru's excuses, shoved his hands into his pockets, his face a mask of impatience, and turned to leave.
"But remember this. I expect an explanation from the Seishuuin, Kuhoutsuka, Renjou and Sayanomiya families." Haru paused, picked up the Grimoire of the Future from the ground and continued on his way. His parting words, spoken in a calm but firm tone, reached Sayanomiya Kaoru like a death knell.
Sayanomiya Kaoru trembled, her eyes fixed on the retreating figure of the Devil King with fear. Only after he disappeared from sight did she collapse to the ground with a thud.
"You idiot! Why did you follow me?" The old man's sharp gaze pierced Sayanomiya Kaoru.
"Kaoru, I couldn't just sit back and watch you die, Grandfather. Sayanomiya Kaoru sobbed, her body shaking uncontrollably.
Sayanomiya Masaya's eyes softened. "Let your father continue with the original plan. Offer all our resources and secret techniques. From now on, the Sayanomiya family will serve the king unconditionally!" His voice was weak but determined, each word filled with conviction.
"...Remember, do not seek revenge against the king. My fate is a warning. Do not make me worry about you from beyond the grave... Mortals are ultimately powerless against a Campione. Sayanomiya Masaya's gaze hardened, his eyes flickering with a mixture of authority and lingering bitterness.
"Your father is too rigid. With the unprecedented rise of a Campione in Japan after a millennium, his personality is ill-suited to this changing landscape. Very well, from this day forward, you will succeed as the twenty-third head of the Sayanomiya family." Sayanomiya Masaya's face was ashen, his voice a mixture of command and affection, his cloudy eyes fixed on the young woman before him.
The mud around them gradually turned crimson, stained by the spreading blood, creating a morbidly beautiful scene.
"Come closer. Receive my inheritance." Sayanomiya Masaya, feeling his life ebbing away, urged his granddaughter forward.
"Yes!" Sayanomiya Kaoru hesitated, her face filled with fear, then approached and gently took his deformed hand, now resembling a mangled plank of wood.
As their hands joined, the old man's body glowed. Burning his remaining life force, he used the "Bestowal" spell to transfer the secrets of the Sayanomiya family to Sayanomiya Kaoru, his knowledge flowing into her along with his fading essence.
The magical glow intensified. The old man's mind drifted back to his childhood, memories of learning the secret techniques of the Sayanomiya family, his parents still alive, himself as a young boy nestled in his grandfather's arms, trying to avoid his lessons.
"If you can, bury me next to my parents' grave..." His words trailed off. Sayanomiya Masaya's remaining magic poured out like a flood, then vanished completely. He was gone.
*I am sorry, Kaoru. It's your burden now.
"I understand!" Sayanomiya Kaoru, her face a mask of grief, knelt beside his body and wept silently.
Haru walked along the concrete road beside the rice paddy, a pensive expression on his face.
*Sayanomiya Kaoru... only fifteen, and now the head of her family. This is four years before the events of the main story. But the most important thing now is...* He concentrated on the information flowing into his mind from the egg that had absorbed the power of the Grimoire of the Future.