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...
A young woman, about sixteen years old and 160cm tall, stood before him. She had a European face, yet possessed a delicate, almost Asian beauty.
Her golden hair, radiating like the sun, was styled in two unusual braids tied with red ribbons that cascaded down her back.
Her figure was curvaceous, surpassing even the models in fashion magazines. She wore a uniform resembling a Japanese schoolgirl's, a slender sword at her waist.
But none of that mattered to Salvatore Doni. None of it was important.
"This is wonderful! I received a report from the Bronze Black Cross about the Hera pillar and was heading to Garibaldi Square for some gelato out of boredom."
"But. I never expected to sense your presence here" said Salvatore Doni, a playful smirk on his face. He wore sunglasses and a flamboyant open-collared shirt, a black case strapped to his back. His expression held the dark joy of a warrior about to engage in battle.
"Hey there, goddess! Are you perhaps Hera.... but... You don't look like her. So, unknown goddess, you're a swordsman, right? Well, so am I! How about a little friendly duel?"
With a wide grin, Doni brought the black case from his back into his hands.
He carried this case with him at all times; it never left his side. He opened the lid and retrieved the weapon inside, tossing the scabbard to the ground.
The steel blade gleamed.
It wasn't like the typical magic swords wielded by knights, nor was it a finely crafted blade by a master smith.
It was a mass-produced item, an ordinary sword with no special features other than being a genuine blade. Yet, in Doni's hands, it became a weapon of extraordinary power, rivaling the greatest magical swords on Earth.
Doni held the sword at his shoulder, his body relaxed, his sword-wielding right hand hanging loosely.
This was a fact unknown to those who had never witnessed Salvatore Doni's swordsmanship. Surprisingly, this was his battle stance.
No elaborate posture. No preparation for attack or defense.
Completely natural, fluid, and unhindered. This stance abandoned all preconceptions and severed all obstacles.
He had long since graduated from fighting mere humans. Against Gods, demons, Devil Kings, and monsters – against such extraordinary foes whose actions were often unpredictable.
he had finally attained a state of effortless adaptability. He would face any challenge with unwavering calm, just as he did now.
The golden-haired Goddess clapped her hands and looked at Doni with admiration. She drew the slender sword from her waist.
"My, my, I never thought I'd see such a heroic swordsman in this era, and a Devil King at that! Allow me to introduce myself. I am Perseus."
"Salvatore Doni, a swordsman!" Silver light spread across Doni's arm, transforming his entire right arm into silver.
"I will not allow anything to exist that I cannot cut. This blade can sever all things on Earth. It is the Invincible Blade."
The battle between the King of Swords and the goddess Perseus erupted on the volcano.
...
Naples was originally a Greek colonial city.
Back then, the people were forced to work in the quarries like slaves. Later, their descendants, the Romans, built aqueducts, reservoirs, and other structures.
In the Middle Ages, they even built underground warehouses to store food and wine.
These structures still existed near the old city, preserved as historical sites.
The Napoli Sotterranea, known as Underground Naples.
"I sensed it some time ago, a kindred spirit of the Earth Mother."
Athena, acting as their guide, spoke softly.
They were in the Santa Lucia district, a popular tourist area overlooking the Bay of Naples, encompassing the Port of Santa Lucia and Castel dell'Ovo.
Haru and Athena entered a seemingly ordinary old clothing store in the district.
Although there were attendants cleaning inside, they completely ignored Haru and Athena, as if they didn't exist.
The two proceeded further into the store, stopping beside a stone pillar.
This was the entrance to the underground ruins.
A square opening gaped in the uncovered floor, stone steps leading down into the darkness. Although the passage was pitch black, both Athena, the goddess of the night, and Haru, with his Sagely powers, could see perfectly.
The passage, like a narrow well shaft, descended deep underground.
Dating back to BC, this was originally a quarry site, which explained its resemblance to a well. However, the numerous murals carved on the walls suggested it was more than just a quarry.
The simple, unadorned line drawings could have been mistaken for the work of Stone Age humans.
Just as Doni had mentioned, there were many depictions of snakes on the walls.
Large serpents coiled and curled, multi-headed hydras, snakes with bat-like wings – all manner of snakes were depicted.
There were also line drawings of bulls, birds, pigs, and lions.
Anyone with magical knowledge would recognize these as symbols of the Earth Mother Goddess. They were likely carved by people from the Roman Imperial era or later.
"This was built by the descendants of my handmaidens. Such a nostalgic style,"
Athena said wistfully. After interacting with Haru, or rather, after her divine power had been filtered through him, she had mostly been freed from the influence of madness and was beginning to show human emotions.
Since the rise of Christian Cult Leadery as the fundamental policy of European nations, the priestesses who once wielded sacred power had been persecuted as "witches."
So they fled underground, guarding their wisdom and building these subterranean temples to transmit their knowledge.
The murals depicted the Earth Mother Goddess, the object of the witches' faith.
Soon, they reached the depths of the underground temple.
There, beside a jet-black pillar, stood two witches – Diana Milito, Liliana's mentor, and Karen, her maid. They were staring at the Hera pillar with troubled expressions.
"The accumulated earth vein energy has reached this level already," Karen said, her gaze fixed on the pillar.
It was a cylindrical pillar made of a black stone resembling obsidian.
It stood like a tree in the riverbed section of the ancient underground quarry.
On its surface were carved line drawings resembling coiled serpents. Although the carvings were crude, they held a strange power that captivated the viewer's gaze.
It was approximately twenty meters tall. This was the Hera pillar.
"With this much earth energy, summoning a God is almost guaranteed," Diana said, looking at the pillar inherited from her ancestors with despair.
"Have you arrived? Come closer. What you seek is here, my child." An ethereal female voice echoed through the depths of the temple.
...
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