Kapitel 134: The Special Invitation

After the battle, the sky over Sardinia cleared once again. Eriri and the others didn't linger at the scene of their fight; instead, they strolled leisurely around the island in a group.

Given the massive scale of the battle that had taken place—one that had altered part of the island's landscape—it should have attracted the attention of other Campione (Godslayers) and various powers within the world. However, thanks to the barrier Eriri had set up, the scouts sent to investigate the situation found no trace of the battle inside the barrier and eventually left after searching for over an hour in vain. After all, they couldn't simply wait around in a seemingly normal location.

Sardinia was quite large, spanning over 20,000 square kilometers—several times the size of an average city, home to a large population of residents. Fortunately, Eriri's group had fought far from the inhabited areas, preventing a major catastrophe.

At that moment, Kanae Kocho, who was only a year older than Eriri yet seemed much more mature, looked at Eriri with hopeful eyes.

"Um... Eriri, could you ask the chat group if there's a function that allows us to invite other people into the group? I want to bring in Kanao Tsuyuri and Shinobu Kocho so they can use points to enhance their strength."

This thought had been on Kanae's mind for several days. While she could use the chat group to enhance her own abilities and secure a longer life, her two younger sisters were still ordinary people. She didn't want to live for many more years only to watch them grow old and die.

"Yeah, yeah! I also want to bring Kaguya-chan into the group," chimed in Chika Fujiwara, who overheard Kanae while chatting with Fallen Angel Black Cat and Asuna. It was clear that she had a deep bond with Kaguya Shinomiya.

"Of course, but... you can ask her yourself, you know," Eriri replied with a playful smile.

"Ahem, I think it'd be more effective if you asked," Kanae said sheepishly.

"Same here!" added Chika.

It seemed that everyone had grown accustomed to treating Eriri as the direct line to the chat group, believing that things would get done faster if she made the requests. Even though they could talk to the chat group themselves, they preferred Eriri to do it.

"Alright, alright, I'll ask," Eriri said with a resigned smile, then addressed the chat group in her mind. "Hey, can we invite others into the chat group?"

A sweet, young, and playful voice—belonging to the chat group's consciousness, whom they affectionately called "Little Skirt"—immediately responded in Eriri's mind. "Yes, we can! But there are some limitations."

"What kind of limitations?"

"First, inviting someone into the group requires a large amount of points, and we can only open one invite per month," Little Skirt explained.

"That makes sense. It'd be chaos if people could just invite anyone they wanted without limits," Eriri mused, nodding in agreement. A one-month limit wasn't too bad; it would pass in the blink of an eye.

"However," Little Skirt added in a sly tone, "for you, Eriri-sama, there are no such restrictions. You can invite anyone at any time, but you'll need to be in the same world as the person you want to invite, otherwise I won't be able to find them."

"Hmm, we'll save that for later. For now, just go ahead and add the invitation function for everyone," Eriri instructed.

"Got it! I'll take care of it right away!" Little Skirt's cheerful, childlike voice rang out again.

A familiar notification sounded in the chat group moments later, showcasing Little Skirt's efficiency.

[Ding! A new item has been added to the chat group store: Designated Invitation.]

[Designated Invitation: Use this item to invite someone from outside the group into the chat group, making them an official member. Price: 1 million points (no discounts for group leaders).]

[Note: The invitation is restricted to female individuals, and the person being invited must be in the same world as the user. Only one invitation is available in the store at a time. Once purchased, the next invitation will be restocked after 30 days. The invitation does not accumulate over time, so grab it while it lasts!]

[Fallen Angel Black Cat: !!!]

[Fallen Angel Black Cat: Oh my gosh, what did I just see? A 1-million-point invitation?! That's insane!]

[Flower Hashira: Whoa... I don't even have enough points to buy one...]

[Chika Fujiwara: That's way too expensive!]

[Gabriel: It's not too bad. Points balance.jpg]

Upon seeing Gabriel's balance of over 3 million points, Chika and the others felt a wave of jealousy, as if they had just eaten a whole lemon.

[Arche Eeb Rile Furt: Makes sense. It's expensive for a reason. A single invitation could change someone's fate. Honestly, I'd expect it to cost more—maybe even 10 million points.]

[Arifureta (Group Leader): Arche is right. An invitation to change one's destiny for just 1 million points is actually a huge bargain.]

[Chika Fujiwara: Yeah, I know, but that doesn't stop me from thinking it's expensive. Totally reasonable.jpg]

[Iron-Blooded Hot-Blooded Cold-Blooded Vampire: Designated invitations, huh? Sounds useful, but I don't have anyone I want to invite, so it's of no use to me.]

[Asuna: Same here.]

[Ashen Witch: I don't either.]

[Sakura Tohsaka: I want to invite my sister... but I'm still short by about 300,000 points.]

[Eriri: Points are just things you can get tons of with a flick of your finger. Smug.jpg]

[Lala: Eriri's right! I earned several million points just by fighting one battle. Points balance.jpg]

[Chika Fujiwara: …]

[Fallen Angel Black Cat: …]

[Flower Hashira: …]

[Ashen Witch: …]

[Eriri: Don't worry. Once we recover the 'Villains Chat Group,' you'll all see that 1 million points is really nothing!]

Meanwhile, back at Erica's base, the headquarters of the magical organization "Copper-Black Cross," she had returned as their newly crowned queen and informed them that she had become a Campione.

At first, everyone thought she was joking, but the overwhelming surge of power that radiated from her dispelled any doubts. Soon, the room was filled with awe and joy at the news.

However, the one most delighted by this was her uncle, Paolo Blandelli, who had always treated Erica like his own daughter. He had long known of her desire to slay a Heretic God, but had never imagined she would accomplish it so decisively—and without informing him beforehand.

Paolo's initial reaction was one of intense fear, followed by immense pride. His niece had become a Godslayer, a Campione, a title that made her one of the most powerful beings in the world.

As the leader of "Copper-Black Cross," Paolo now knew that with Erica as their pillar of support, their organization would rise above all others. No magical society would dare oppose them anymore.

However, the news that shocked everyone the most was Erica's revelation that she had killed the infamous Marquis Voban, the oldest and strongest of the Campione. For hundreds of years, no Godslayer had ever died, and Voban—who had slain the most gods and possessed the most powers—was thought to be invincible, rivaled only by Luo Hao, the Martial Queen of China.

Now, with Voban dead, it seemed that Erica had ascended to the pinnacle of all Campione.

In response to the uproar, Erica smiled and tried to downplay her achievement. "It wasn't a fair fight. I had help. If it weren't for that, I'd have lost to him."

Paolo's curiosity was piqued. "Help? Erica, could you tell me more? How exactly did you manage to defeat him?"

Seeing Paolo's intense interest, Erica chuckled. "Uncle, don't get your hopes up. I was able to kill Voban only because a powerful figure set up a barrier and gave me an impenetrable defense. Without that, his attacks would've killed me many times over."

"A powerful figure? Could it be... a true god?" Paolo asked, astonished. Only a true god could render the strongest Campione defenseless.

"Of course not. To them, even the gods are no more than mere playthings." Erica's eyes gleamed with admiration and respect for Eriri.

"Erica, who is this figure you're speaking of?" The senior members of the organization were curious, drawn in by Erica's reverence.

"Her name is Eriri. She's not from our world. I met her by chance, and I've since sworn loyalty to her as her knight."

The room buzzed with murmurs, shocked by her declaration. Many couldn't fathom why a Campione like Erica would lower herself to serve someone else.

"Isn't it improper to become someone's knight after ascending to the throne yourself?!" one elder protested.

"Hmph, you don't understand anything. Eriri-sama has near-omnipotent power, and she's the most beautiful being across all the worlds. It is my honor to serve her," Erica retorted, dismissing their objections.

Before anyone could raise further concerns, Paolo interjected. "That's enough. Erica has made her decision, and we have no reason to oppose it."

He then turned to Erica with a pleased smile. "Now, what are your plans regarding 'Bronze-Black Cross'?"

"Bronze-Black Cross," the rival organization to "Copper-Black Cross," had always been their adversary, though Erica and their prodigy knight, Liliana Kranjcar, shared a close, if complicated, relationship.

Now that Erica had become a Godslayer, the power balance between the two organizations had dramatically shifted. Only by gaining the support of another Campione could "Bronze-Black Cross" hope to survive. Paolo's question was aimed at determining Erica's stance toward their rivals.