A Certain Multiverse's Holy Right

Chapter 78: Upgrade of “The Hand of Jacob”



One year later, at the Duke of Gordon's residence in London, England—

The warm sunlight outside the window shone into the dreamlike princess' boudoir through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The gauze curtains hanging around the princess' bed rippled in the breeze outside the window. Roy opened his eyes, pushed the platinum blond hair beside his mouth aside, gently pushed the soft and smooth body in his arms away, and then climbed up from the bed, leaning against the headboard.

"Uh… you're awake, Roy," muttered Princess Alice as she rubbed her sleepy eyes.

After a year, Princess Alice no longer called him "King" but addressed him by his name affectionately, her slightly hoarse voice carrying a lazy hint of ambiguity.

"What time is it now?"

The princess turned over, hugging Roy with her snow-white arms, and asked with her eyes still closed.

"A little after seven in the morning..."

Roy glanced at the clock on the wall and replied.

"It's only seven in the morning. I'm going to sleep a little longer," grumbled Princess Alice. She had only slept for three hours. Compared to the physical strength of the Campione, her body as a witch was far too delicate.

If Roy had not intermittently injected powerful essence filled with his authority into her body over the past year, gradually curing the chronic illnesses caused by Princess Alice's excessive spiritual energy, she might have long since succumbed to her ailments.

"Well, go back to sleep then," Roy said gently.

Before he could finish his words, he heard Princess Alice's even breathing—she had already fallen asleep.

Shaking his head with a smile, Roy put on his sleepwear and stepped out of the bedroom. Waiting outside was the head maid of the Duke of Gordon's household—a middle-aged woman in her forties who had once narrowly escaped death at Roy's hands.

"King, a maid is already waiting in the bathroom. Please proceed for your morning wash," the head maid said respectfully with a bow.

The maid bore no resentment toward Roy, nor would she dare to. She even felt gratitude toward him for curing Princess Alice's chronic illness and preserving her life. Although it was slightly regrettable that Princess Alice, despite her status, could only serve as the "King's" lover, the head maid knew this was not something she could worry about.

"I see. Alice was very tired last night; let her continue sleeping. Call her at lunchtime," Roy instructed.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The head maid acknowledged his command but remained standing outside Princess Alice's boudoir. This was her usual station and duty.

One year ago, Roy had "killed" King Solomon in Jerusalem and acquired his authority. Around the same time, Aiwass improved upon the Pandora's Ritual of Usurpation and tested it on Roy.

Aiwass's modified ritual had minor flaws. After fusing King Solomon's spiritual foundation with Roy's, the overlapping elements between the two had noticeably strengthened. This was most evident in Roy's authority, The Hand of Jacob.

Although Roy had previously claimed that his The Hand of Jacob had seven styles, in truth, he had only developed five. The final two forms had, in his calculations, exceeded the authority's limitations, which was why he had not yet created them.

This time, with the completion of Solomon's spiritual foundation, Roy finally created the seven styles of The Hand of Jacob. Most importantly, Roy upgraded the power of The Hand of Jacob during this completion, granting these seven styles new special characteristics.

For instance, his first technique, The Saint Subdues the Dragon, previously granted Roy the immense power of a dragon when unleashed, but it lacked any additional properties. However, with the fusion of Roy's version of 'The Hand of Jacob and the version inherited from King Solomon, this technique now has a Dragon Slayer Special Effect, dealing far greater damage to dragons than before.

In this aspect, Aiwass's modifications to the Pandora's Ritual of Usurpation can be considered a success. The reason it is still labeled flawed lies mainly in the fact that the spiritual foundation fusion did not significantly increase Roy's divine power.

Although Roy's divine power had grown stronger, the increase was marginal and fell short of Aiwass's theoretical expectations during the ritual's improvement. As a result, both Roy and Aiwass considered the ritual incomplete, requiring further enhancements.

Over the past year, Aiwass had continued working to refine the Pandora's Ritual of Usurpation. As the most foundational and complex ritual in the Campione world—the God Slayer Rebirth Ritual—its improvement was extraordinarily difficult. Even for Aiwass, the Holy Guardian Angel renowned for her mastery of 'inherited knowledge,' completing it would not be easy.

During this time, Roy primarily traveled between England and Italy. His days alternated between reading books offered by various magic associations and living in luxury. He also used this lifestyle to avoid the persistent attention of Salvatore Doni.

Whenever the King of Swords was in Italy, Roy would flee to England, and when Salvatore left, Roy would return to Italy. It wasn't fear that drove Roy's avoidance of the King of Swords—it was that Salvatore's simple-minded obsession with fighting was utterly exasperating. The man seemed to think of nothing beyond muscle and battle, which disrupted Roy's studies. As a diligent scholar, Roy chose to avoid prolonged contact with such an unproductive influence.

Meanwhile, Roy quietly awaited the appearance of a Heretic God.

Contrary to popular imagination, Heretic Gods are not particularly numerous. This scarcity is precisely why only seven Campione had emerged in the past three hundred years—the highest number in recorded human history. In this year alone, Roy had received almost no news of new appearances.

Thanks to the 'Clairvoyance' granted by his mystic eye, Roy could uncover all the hidden secrets of this world. Through this, he even learned where the Last King currently slumbered. However, with his present strength, Roy was far from capable of challenging the Last King. Waking such a being prematurely would spell disaster for all Campione.

Thus, Roy resolved to quietly bide his time, awaiting the arrival of more Heretic Gods. His goal was to slay them, seize their spiritual foundations, and further empower himself through the improved Pandora's Ritual of Usurpation. Like an RPG protagonist, he planned to strengthen his skills and level until he was ready to face the final boss.

Ding-ling-ling—

Just as Roy finished his morning routine, the sound of his phone rang. Without bothering to check the caller ID, Roy answered. Only a handful of people had access to his number, and anyone calling him would have something important to report.

"Lord Roy, your request for the Seven Sisters Alliance to intensify the excavation of ancient ruins has borne fruit. We've discovered the divine relic of the ancient Mediterranean Queen!"

At this moment, Roy realized—what he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

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(T/N: As promised, here is the extra chapter for 240 PS goal. Next extra chapter would be at 300 PS)


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