Chapter 1: The Divine Ancestor Appears in the East
Located at the northernmost tip of the Philippines, the Batanes Islands lie very close to Taiwan. It's a place where agriculture and fishing are the main livelihoods.
The northernmost island, Yami Island, is uninhabited.
A goddess who had fallen from the divine throne originally planned to make this place her point of entry when paying a visit to the King of China. But now, she had come here to meet another god.
Had she not already fallen, she and this god would be mortal enemies.
Her name now was Guinevere, and she appeared in the form of a beautiful Caucasian girl—one of the few divine ancestors still existing in the world today.
She strolled along the beach of Yami Island, appearing around twelve or thirteen years old... Damn it, she's basically a loli!
But despite her loli appearance, her divine ancestor's face still retained the dignity of its former days. Her golden hair was intentionally styled into elegant curls.
Though her figure was childlike, she wore a black formal dress, and her fair exposed skin gave off a bewitching charm.
"Ancient hero, I am deeply grateful that you would humble yourself to meet me, Guinevere."
Guinevere spoke to the sea.
As the waves surged and rustled, a voice emerged with the rhythm of the tide.
"Haha, divine ancestor... if you're so resentful, why don't you just return to where you belong?"
With that cheerful voice, a god wearing a white windbreaker appeared under the sun. He walked upon the sea toward Guinevere as though treading solid ground.
He was handsome, as any god should be—possessing a visage of divine perfection.
"You said in your message that you had something good for me?"
"That's correct," Guinevere replied calmly, gazing at him.
If she were still a goddess, they would naturally be enemies. But as a divine ancestor, it was a different matter entirely.
She tossed out a stone tablet.
This was an ancient relic, one she had acquired on her way east. It bore a simple name: The Tauroctony (Bull-Slaying Scene).
At first, the tablet flew rapidly through the air, but soon it slowed down as though submerged in water and floated gently before the god of defiance.
"A fine artifact—it brings back memories," the god said, picking it up.
"This belonged to one of your former followers. I thought it might be useful to you. You need more power."
"Hahaha, divine ancestor, I can't just pretend I didn't hear that. Are you saying I'm not strong enough?"
"Yet you were defeated by a godslayer. Though he couldn't kill you, wasn't that only because of your identity as a sun god? So tell me, are you Mithras now, or Perseus?"
"Hmph!" The god—known in another timeline to be struck down and resurrected by Kusanagi Godou—had once borne the names Mithras and Perseus. He snorted heavily, clearly displeased.
If losing to Kusanagi Godou only left him a bit frustrated, then the person who had defeated him in this timeline made him outright pissed.
"There's no way a god like me could lose to an idiot!
That guy's sword was indeed sharp. I was careless. It won't happen again. I prefer the name Perseus. Call me that."
"Alright, Perseus... But knowing your opponent is a godslayer, yet still losing due to 'carelessness'—do you really expect me to believe that?"
"So you're provoking me now? Fine—come back to your divine throne first. Only then will you be worth conquering."
"To say such things to another man's wife... you really are shameless. But I won't stoop to your level," Guinevere replied, taking a slight step back with a trace of disgust on her face.
"However, the man who defeated you was himself defeated by his kin on this far eastern island. I advise you not to be careless again. Priority should be given to liberating the Monkey Deity."
"I don't need you telling me what to do, divine ancestor." Perseus put the Tauroctony tablet away. "But since you gave me a gift, I'll overlook your rudeness. If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."
"Then... farewell." Guinevere had no intention of stopping him. She bowed deeply in a formal gesture akin to a polite, "Take care now."
"Heheh. I really look forward to seeing your final expression."
Perseus laughed loudly, seemingly unfazed by her disrespect.
Under the sunlight, his form gradually faded into transparency, and finally vanished. Left in Guinevere's ears was only the sound of sea breeze stirring the waves and the ocean lapping at the shore.
She stared at the now-empty beach and let out a long sigh.
"Such arrogant fools... Really now, when will they ever learn?"
Guinevere resumed walking along the shore. After a while, she stopped, tilted her head, and made an adorably thoughtful expression.
"I have a bad feeling. That King has been missing for a long time. If he shows up again, things could get messy. Maybe I should..."
Her gaze turned westward. In that direction, across the ocean, there was a human nation, home to one of the oldest godslayers of the human era.
"Though it's dangerous..." she hesitated, but made up her mind, "it's still necessary. Without her help, opening the seal will be much more difficult."
Suddenly, a cheerful smile lit up her face.
Not because of the decision she had just made, but because she saw a white horse descending from the sky.
Riding atop it, clad in cold steel armor and even concealing his face, was a knight—someone Guinevere felt deeply connected to and trusted in this world.
The White Knight, Lancelot du Lac.
"Guinevere, your actions just now were rather reckless."
A deep male voice came from within the slit of the knight's helmet.
"Uncle!" Guinevere cheered and threw herself into the knight's arms, starting to act spoiled.
"Don't worry, Uncle. I'm the most orthodox of the divine ancestors, remember? My premonitions are always spot-on. What I just did will definitely help complete the mission."
"Let's hope so." Lancelot's voice didn't sound particularly confident, but there was no trace of concern either. "There are too many godslayers in this era—more than in any other. You need to be careful."
"I know." Guinevere beamed with a fanatical smile. "That's why he will be stronger than ever before."
"That... is true," the White Knight nodded, seemingly with a wry smile.
He didn't say anything more. He placed Guinevere in front of him, let her sit steadily, then squeezed the horse's flanks—and soared into the sky.