[FGO]:134

"Curse you, human!"

"Wrong answer. One less chance."

Ryou smiled as he ignored the gargoyle's howls and threats, tearing off its other horn.

"Arghhhh!!!"

The gargoyle wailed like a banshee.

"Now, I'll ask, and you answer—any objections?"

The gargoyle instinctively wanted to curse, but seeing him tossing its horn up and down, it swallowed its insults and reluctantly nodded.

Five minutes later, Ryou nodded in satisfaction—he had obtained the information he wanted.

"Hey, human, I've told you everything you asked for. Now, can you let me go?" the gargoyle asked cautiously.

Who would've guessed that Ryou would reveal a sly smile as he pulled out the large katana embedded in the ground?

"Are you stupid? Did I ever promise to let you go?"

The gargoyle froze, its face twisting in a mix of shock and anger.

"You despicable—"

Before it could finish cursing, he swiftly swung his katana and chopped off its head.

[Ding!]

[Main quest completion increased by 5%. Current completion: 25%.]

"Huh?"

Ryou immediately showed a puzzled expression.

Ais noticed and looked over, but he quickly suppressed his confusion, waved it off, and indicated it was nothing.

A trace of doubt appeared in Ais's eyes, but she obediently nodded and didn't ask further.

"Someone, come here!"

Ryou suddenly shouted.

At his call, a group of knights clad in white armor with red crosses painted on them rushed over.

"My lord! Are you alright?"

The lead knight knelt before him on one knee.

When he saw the headless body of the gargoyle, an intense fanaticism erupted in his eyes, mirrored by the white-robed knights behind him.

"Under the protection of the God, I am unharmed."

As Ryou spoke, he subconsciously added a special effect: six enormous wings of light slowly unfurled behind him.

The sight of the decapitated demon and the six-winged seraphim imprinted itself in the knights' minds, causing their faith to surge by 200%.

Ryou had grown accustomed to being divine. Outside the company of close friends, he often added dazzling effects when appearing in public.

In this era, without the concept of holographic projection, such magical displays made people firmly believe in his divine identity, accelerating the spread of the Church at an astonishing pace.

This gargoyle's attack was the perfect opportunity to further solidify their faith.

"Hang this demon's corpse on the cross in front of the cathedral. It's time to show the world the glory of our God!"

Ryou commanded with a wave of his hand.

"Yes, my lord!" the knights shouted in unison and began organizing the use of cranes, forklifts, and other equipment.

The gargoyle's body weighed several tons—far too heavy for human strength alone.

Ryou had planned everything meticulously.

The gargoyle hadn't bothered to conceal its approach, flying in boldly for all to see. Many civilians had witnessed this impossible scene, which had spread panic among the populace.

Since Taiwan had only recently been occupied, Ryou could not afford any instability.

The gargoyle's corpse would not only quell the panic but also demonstrate his and the church's power—a perfect two-for-one solution.

If the gargoyle could still think, it would likely leap from its grave in outrage, having been cruelly tortured before death and now seeing its corpse used as a prop.

After sending Ais to rest, Ryou returned to his quarters and opened the system interface.

Gazing at the notification, he displayed a contemplative expression.

Don't be fooled by how easily that monster was defeated.

In reality, this was entirely due to the seamless cooperation between him and Ais, combined with Ais' vast experience in monster hunting since childhood. She was practically a monster hunter, highly skilled in dealing with such creatures.

In truth, this monster's strength surpassed even Wu Zetian's.

Yet the quest completion only increased by 5%, suggesting that progress isn't solely determined by strength:

One was the Great Sacred Empress Zetian, the sole ruling Empress in China's history, Wu Zetian.

One was the Thunderous Emperor, the first Tsar of Russia, Ivan the Terrible.

One was the Father of the Nation, and the American Founding Father—the first President of America, George Washington.

Combining Wu Zetians revelations, he confirmed that quest completion wasn't just about the strength of the demonic elites but also the impact they had on the world.

These three demonized natives were leaders of some of the most populous and influential nations on the planet.

Thus, killing them contributed far more to the quest's progress—three times as much as this monster.

"Maybe I should adjust my strategy..."

Ryou muttered to himself, rubbing his chin.

The monster had a curse similar to the one on Wu Zetiani, so instead of asking directly, Ryou confirmed the identity of the mysterious Queen in this world through indirect questioning.

And the result truly surprised him—it was someone he never expected!

This was far beyond his predictions.

Now that he knew who the mastermind was, he decided to go on the offensive.

After all, once the core hidden main quest was completed, the remaining Kabane in the world could be systematically eradicated by following his strategy.

Moreover, all signs indicated that the enemy was plotting something big.

Ryou's policy was to eliminate dangers in their infancy. Waiting for the boss to grow stronger before attacking was not his style.

However, he did not plan to attack the Queen just yet.

The reason was simple—he intended to first eliminate her followers, with the first Tsar and the first President as his next targets.

Since the system provided a quest completion metric, it stood to reason that higher completion would yield better rewards—something every gamer knew.

...

The next day, Ryou headed directly to the training ground.

As he expected, Ais was there practicing with her rapier.

In the morning sunlight, Ryou saw her darting gracefully through the woods like an elf.

She lightly raised her hand, scattering countless silver-white starlights—beautiful and deadly.

The scene was so mesmerizing that he momentarily forgot his purpose, lost thought.

After a while, Ais, incredibly focused, finally noticed his presence.

She landed gracefully in front of him, tilting her head with an innocent expression.

"What's up?"

The contrast between her graceful, ethereal movements and her current adorable, innocent demeanor was striking, and even a seasoned man like Ryou couldn't help but blush.

"Ahem."

He quickly shook his head, trying to calm his breathing, then shared his thoughts with Ais.

To his surprise, after listening, Ais pondered for a moment and offered a different opinion.

...

A month later, in the icy wilderness of Russia, a figure in a hooded cloak trudged through the wind and snow.

The vast expanse was blanketed in silver-white snow. As far as the eye could see, everything was white, with only the occasional patches of earth and rock exposed at the base of some hills. A few snow-covered pines, their trunks sticking out, added a touch of color to the otherwise monotonous landscape.

A bone-chilling wind swept by, blowing back the figure's hood and revealing a young face—it was Nguyen Ryou.

According to his original plan, he should have come here with Ais. Unexpectedly, Ais had proposed a bold suggestion.

They would split up, launching simultaneous surprise attacks on Moscow and the White House in Washington, to take down Ivan the Terrible and George Washington.

After brief consideration, he quickly realized that the plan was feasible.

Since the enemy had gone to great lengths to resurrect historical leaders and station them in their respective capitals, there had to be an ulterior motive. Ryou boldly speculated that until the Queen achieved her goal, these three wouldn't easily move from their positions.

By splitting up, they could catch the enemy off guard and divide their attention.

However, to be safe, Ryou and Ais agreed that if they encountered an enemy too powerful to defeat, they would retreat immediately.

Based on the strength of Wu Zetian and the gargoyle, he was confident that unless the Queen intervened directly, both he and Ais could win any battle. Even if they faced a siege or the Queen herself, both could fly, allowing for an easy escape.

Thus, Ryou set off alone for the cold northern lands, while Ais took the Shimakaze across the ocean to America.

As the Senpai and a man, Ryou naturally felt responsible for looking after Ais.

As for his territory, although it wasn't ideal for its highest leader to leave for an extended period, he had left Yamato in charge. Since he was masquerading as a Divine descended to earth, maintaining a certain level of mystery was essential.

Moreover, after the gargoyle's massive corpse was displayed, faith surged by 10%, stabilizing the situation enough for him to feel confident about venturing out alone.

...

Meanwhile, in America.

A destroyer turned from the Atlantic Ocean into the mouth of the Potomac River, sailing upstream into Washington.

After extensive research and exploration, Ryou had largely confirmed there was a connection between the Kabane and the McRucky Engine.

This connection had been hinted at in the original story.

Mumei had fused a large number of Kabane into a core that emitted a blue light, resembling a heart, and used it to replace the McRucky Engine as the power source for the Hayajiro. Both the McRucky Engine and the Kabane heart emitted the same golden glow.

Moreover, the more advanced Fused Colony and the Hayajiro's power core, modified by Mumei, both emitted a blue glow.

To say there was no connection between the two would be foolish.

Additionally, the McRucky Engine was developed by the British, and the Kabane had first spread from Europe. There had to be a massive conspiracy behind this.

As one of the first countries to adopt the McRucky Engine, America was one of the hardest-hit regions by the Kabane.

The U.S. valued democracy and freedom, which led to cities not being fortified with tall walls. As a result, except for a few cities, most of America's urban areas were overrun by Kabane hordes.

As Ais sailed the Shimakaze into the interior of America, she saw hardly any signs of life along the way. Only the shadows of countless Kabane roamed the riverbanks.

A hint of sadness crossed Ais's face.

"Sis! Sis!"

At that moment, Shimakaze ran up to her, holding the Twin-Gun Chan, and called out joyfully.

"What shall we play today? Chess, cards, or a story?"

Hearing Shimakaze's cheerful voice, Ais's heavy heart lightened. A faint smile appeared on her face as she bent down to pat Shimakaze's head.

"Let's play shogi."

"Sure! Let's go!"

Shimakaze immediately grabbed Ais's hand and led her inside.

Thirty minutes later...

"Sis! Sis! You lost again!"

Shimakaze's cheerful laughter echoed in the cockpit.

Ais and Shimakaze sat facing each other with a shogi board between them. Shimakaze's face was lit up with a big smile as she cheered, while Ais had her head slightly turned, looking dejected, with a helpless, tearful expression. Even her usually sunny golden hair seemed a bit dim.

It's understandable; no matter how smart Ais was, a human brain couldn't compete with the computational power of a ship girl who had to control an entire warship.

As Shimakaze was reveling in her victory, her expression suddenly turned serious.

"Sis, we've arrived at our destination."

The despondency on Ais's face instantly disappeared, replaced by a sharp, sword-like aura. Unconsciously, her hand had already rested on her sword hilt.

"Where's the target?"

Ais asked softly.

"It's that building—Admiral showed me the picture."

Shimakaze pointed toward the riverbank, about a kilometer or two away, where a white building in a modern European style came into view. Compared to the Forbidden City, the White House appeared more elegant.

After Shimakaze pointed out the route, she looked at Ais eagerly, waiting for her command.

Ais pondered for a moment before saying something utterly shocking.

"Shimakaze-chan, can your main guns hit that building?"

If Ryou were here, he'd be utterly astonished. Who would have thought his Kouhai would bombard the White House.

The White House might hold special significance for people on Earth, but to Ais from another world, it was a monster's lair.

Shimakaze gave a thumbs-up.

"No problem! Which part should I aim for, Sis?"

"This one will do."

Ais pointed casually as she responded, surprised by Shimakaze's confidence.