A/N: So this is a new story idea that I came up with. Not entirely sure how much I'll do, but if it seems people are interested, I'll definitely keep going. I probably won't focus on this story until I finish one of my others though. Anyway, this will be a mass x-over story with some stories combining while others will just have characters show up. You actually get two hints as to two of the crossovers that will be in this story in this chapter. See if you can spot them! Oh, and this will be a harem story. Finally, the other chapters probably won't be as long as this one. I just couldn't stop writing this one. Anyway, please review with any comments, questions, concerns, or constructive criticism that you might have.

Chapter 1:

A New Child of Pandora

Ben Young's leg shook with his barely contained excitement. He'd been accepted as a part of a foreign exchange program, so he'd be studying at a prestigious high school in Japan for a few years. He was currently on his way to the airport to take a flight to Italy where he would stay for a few days before continuing to Japan where he'd have plenty of time to settle in prior to the start of school. He normally wouldn't spend so much of the money he received as a result of his parents' life insurance, having promised himself that he'd save that for important things, but in this occasion, he was so happy that he decided to splurge a little and take a trip to beautiful Rome, where he'd always wanted to visit.

He was living on his own ever since he'd turned 16 after he worked out a deal with the state to have a child services agent and a local nun check in on him once a month. He'd been nervous that when he'd asked for permission to take part in the foreign exchange program, but he'd been allowed, making him internally cheer with glee.

He tapped his foot eagerly as he held his backpack and suitcase against him while the bus drove down the road to Los Angeles International. He saw his reflection in the window with his dark hair cut short while his eyes matched the color of the blue sky.

Suddenly, there was a massive explosion ahead of them. Ben and the rest of the passengers stood up to see what was happening and they saw people running past them, away from the terminal where a huge plume of smoke could be seen. It was too small to be one of the explosions that had begun wracking the Eurasian continent, since the smallest one could wipe out a city, but this was still big enough to cause some damage to the people in the area.

Ben didn't hesitate.He hit the emergency door release, grabbed his bags, and sprinted towards the smoke. He didn't think the flight would still be going. He didn't think that he could convince someone to help him or get him a replacement flight. The only thing in his mind was that maybe he could help anyone injured. Ben continued to push past the fleeing people, weaving between abandoned cars, to where more explosions were occurring. As he got closer, the people were dispersing and Ben saw that there were two men fighting in a pitched battle, each of their attacks colliding and causing more 'explosions.' Ben looked around and noticed that the few people that were still running past the fight didn't seem to even notice the two fighting men.

As he got closer, covering his eyes against the wind and dust blown by their attacks, Ben saw one of the men was dressed in old-school Greek bronze armor while the other was dressed in a lion pelt draped over his shoulders and a loincloth and was so large and muscular he could give the Hulk a run for his money. The less armored man used a wooden club while the armored man bore a shield and spear while a short sword was on his belt. A fleeing woman tripped and fell as the battling men charged each other again. Ben dove and covered her with his body right when the wind from the colliding attacks hit them both. Ben managed to protect the woman from the hit.

Once it passed, the woman asked, "Wh-what's going on? Is it terrorists?"

"You can't see them?" Ben asked sitting up to let the woman out from under him.

"See who?" she asked looking at him with a confused expression.

'Strange. She really can't see them. None of the other seem to be able to either,' Ben said, before he turned his attention back to the woman, "Run. Get going and I'll go see if anyone else needs help."

The woman ran off and Ben turned his attention the still fighting men. As he watched them fight for a few seconds, Ben realized that he had to admit that his blood was beginning to boil at their actions. Once it reached its peak, Ben grabbed a stone off the ground and threw it at them, hitting the armored man's helmet with a loud clang. It stopped both of the men in their tracks and they looked at Ben.

"Look, I don't know why you guys are fighting or why no one else seems to be able to see you, but you need to stop now!" Ben shouted.

The armored man snorted derisively, "A mortal dares to order us?"

"Yes, mortals no longer know their place in the way of things," the almost naked man replied, "Perhaps we should teach him a lesson."

The armored man grunted, "I don't take the time squash every ant that crosses my path. This is no different. Let's continue our fight, brother."

"Hey, you assholes, you can try to kill each other all you want, just do it somewhere else so people don't get hurt by it!" Ben shouted.

"Oh, shut up, you scrawny punk!" the large man shouted as he grabbed Ben with his massive paw nearly completely covering Ben's head and lifted him into the air.

"You've lowered your guard!" the armored man shouted as he sped towards the large man's back, planning to drive his spear into his back, but the man spun just in time and used Ben as a shield, resulting in the poor boy being impaled on the spear.

"Huh, guess this pipsqueak had a use after all," the large man smirked.

Ben coughed up blood, 'Sh-shit, I'm going…to die.' With that, Ben grabbed the spear with both hands, 'Well, I can at least take them with me!' He pulled the spear more into him until it pierced his captor's chest.

"Y-You little brat!" the large man coughed, beginning to try to crush Ben's skull before his strength faded.

Ben, feeling the pressure, worked fast and grabbed the sword from off of the armored man's belt before driving it into its owner's neck and swiping it out to take his head off. Ben then drove it into the large man's wrist, making him drop Ben before Ben spun around, blood flowing out from his wound. Ben drove the blade into the large man's heart before he could stop the attack. Suddenly, the large man was engulfed in a bright light and when it dispersed the man's sandy brown hair had turned golden and his size was exponentially smaller. As his sight started getting dark, Ben could tell the man was just as strong as he was before, but his power was just more…compact.

The transformed man coughed up blood and fell to his knees, "B-bastard child." With that, the man fell onto his face.

"S-Serves you right," Ben groaned before he laid down and closed his eyes, letting the darkness take him.

After a few seconds, there was a light and he heard a woman's voice, "My, my, such a brave child and what a unique one you are as well! How about your loving mother helps you a little? When you wake up, deliver what I left you to its rightful owner. Just find Lucretia Zola and bring it to her. That will lead you to the start of your path! Good luck my son!"

Ben woke up then and saw the bodies of the men were gone. He sat up and looked down at his chest to see his wound was gone. Ben looked around to see there was a strange stone tablet next to him.

"What is that? Wait, did…did someone ask me to do something about that?" Ben asked as he forced himself to try and remember it, but found it out of reach, "R-Return it to its rightful owner? Lucretia Zola?" Ben picked up the tablet and his bags, "I should probably leave before people start asking questions."

With that, Ben headed out, leaving the area just as the first responders started showing up.

Once the responders were at work, a mysterious figure entered the area, "There were two of them here, but where did they go? Did someone manage to defeat them? If so, a new King of Kings has been born."

A few days later, Ben was heading back to the airport this time getting on the plane with no additional charges. He still couldn't figure out what happened with those two men. Where their bodies went, why his own wounds healed, where the tablet came from, and where their power from, Ben knew it wasn't a dream, but he couldn't figure it out.

As he sat in his seat, he shook his head free of the thoughts, figuring that it would probably be one of those mysteries he'd never know the answer to. He then turned his attention back to the tablet in his luggage. He wasn't sure how or why, but he somehow knew that he would find the person that he was looking for was in Rome. It was a strange coincidence that this Lucretia was in the same place he was going to anyway and an even weirder one that he knew it without anyone telling him.

After he finally arrived in the beautiful city of Rome, Ben dropped his luggage off at his hotel, grabbed the tablet, and headed out into the city. He figured he'd try to find this person he was looking for and then spend the rest of the time exploring the beautiful city and seeing the sights.

Unfortunately, there was no Lucretia Zola registered with the city and everyone he asked to point him in the right direction didn't know where she lived. He'd been trying for well over an hour when he heard someone shouting in Italian behind him and getting closer. When he turned around, however, he found himself nose-to-tip with a sword. He looked past the threatening piece of metal to its owner who was a blonde girl that looked around his age.

The girl was talking seriously to him in Italian and Ben couldn't understand a single word of it.

"Uh, excuse me, I don't understand what you're saying," Ben said with his hands up in a calming gesture.

"Hmph, American, typical," she said, "Can't even bother to learn the language."

"Yeah, cause Americans are the only ones who don't learn the local language of the country that they're visiting or even living in," Ben said sarcastically with a deadpanned expression.

"You should be more polite to someone pointing a sword at you," the girl said, poking his nose with the tip of her sword.

"Yeah, probably," Ben gently pushing it away from his face, "Now, would you please tell me what it is you want and why you're threatening me."

"I want the grimoire," she said, "Now give it to me."

"Grimoire? You mean this?" Ben asked looking down at the tablet, "Sorry, I can't do that. I have to deliver it to Lucretia Zola."

"Lucretia Zola?" the girl asked in surprise, lowering her sword, "Fine. I can take you to her, then you can give it to me."

"Lead the way," Ben shrugged.

Ben silently followed the girl through the streets, making several turns as they went back and forth through the alleys and roads, but before they reached their destination, there was a loud roar that caused the area to shake and rumble.

"Damn! Stay here! I'll be back!" the girl shouted before she ran off.

"Hey, wait!" he shouted at her, before the rumbling from another roar caused him to lose his balance and fall onto his back.

'First, I'm sent here to potentially find the one that defeated those two heretic gods, just like the others who were sent to the other destinations for the flights that were canceled on that day, and now I have to deal with that arrogant fool carrying the grimoire on top of dealing with another heretic god!' the girl thought, 'Could he be the one that was made into a campione? No, no way. He's way too foolish to be a king of kings! Not to mention, he doesn't know anything about this. No campione would be so ignorant!'

Getting back to his feet, Ben immediately chased after the girl. After he did, he noticed that the sun had been blocked out.

Ben looked up and his eyes widened in shock at what he saw, "You gotta be kidding. Is that a giant freaking boar!?"

Sure enough, a flaming boar the size of a skyscraper was stomping through the city. Ben spotted the girl on the edge of a roof.

"What the hell is she doing?" he muttered as from the distance it looked as though she was trying to speak to the giant beast.

"It appears she's trying to convince it to leave," a quiet voice said.

Ben looked down in front of him to see what looked like a child staring at him with a bored expression.

"H-Hey, it's not safe here," Ben said before the boy smiled slightly.

"Well, well, I wasn't aware one of your kind was here. Perhaps the rival I've been seeking isn't lost after all," the boy said before he looked at the tablet in Ben's hand, "Oh, and you even have that for now. Truly, it is fate that we meet, warrior."

"Hold on, you know what this is? What do you mean my kind?" Ben asked, making the boy arch an amused eyebrow.

"Oh. You don't even know? That just makes you more interesting," the boy laughed, "Ask the old witch and your answers will be given. I know we will see each other again."

With that, the boy walked past Ben, but when he turned to stop the boy, Ben saw the boy had disappeared.

"The hell?" he muttered before he heard a roar and a loud crash. Ben spun around to see the boar had shattered the building the girl had been standing on and she was now falling to what could be her death. "Shit!" Ben cursed as he leapt into the air, higher than, if he'd stopped to think about it, should have been possible. He grabbed the falling girl in midair and wrapped his body around hers.

Ben's lights went out when he slammed to the ground.

Eventually, Ben started to wake up and the first thing he noticed was that his head was no longer on the hard concrete, but on something much softer. Ben groaned and opened his eyes, his blurry vision slowly clearing to see he was looking up at a beautiful woman he didn't recognize. As that fact slowly sunk in, he realized the brunette was wearing nothing but a light purple negligee and he had his head in her lap, resulting in Ben's face turning a bright red.

The woman giggled, "Morning sleepyhead. Did you have a nice nap?"

"Whuh!?" Ben shouted with surprise as he fell to the floor, making the woman giggle.

"Careful, I spent so much time healing you. I don't want you hurting that handsome face some more," she said, "Not when there are far more interesting activities that we could do," she said suggestively, as she licked her lips with a hungry gleam in her eyes.

Ben's blush just darkened, "U-Um, I, uh, appreciate the offer and you healing me, but, um, what happened to the girl that was with me?"

"Oh? The first thing you ask about is the girl that had apparently threatened and insulted you?" she asked with amusement.

Ben shrugged, "She was in trouble."

The woman started laughed more, "You truly are interesting. Now, as to your question, she's fine. She's upstairs sleeping. She's a little upset that she treated you with such harshness only for you to save her life."

"I don't hold a grudge," Ben shrugged.

The woman giggled, "Well, I'm sure little Erica will be very happy to hear that. Now, come sit by me," she said, patting next to her on the couch.

"Um," Ben said hesitantly.

"Would it help if I promised not to do anything untoward to you? Well, unless you ask me," she said teasingly.

Ben quietly sat next to her and the woman pressed against him, seemingly enjoying his blush.

"Um, excuse me, but I've been wondering who you are, Miss," Ben asked, looking away from her scantily clad self.

"Oh, silly me, I'm Lucretia Zola and I'm a witch. Pleased to meet you," she said smiling at him.

"You're her?" Ben asked, "And you're a…witch?"

"That's right," she said, "But don't worry. I won't cast a spell on you or anything."

"I-I'm Ben Young. I was actually trying to deliver something to you," Ben explained.

"Yes, Erica explained that to me as well," she said, gesturing to the tablet on the nearby table, "Tell me, do you even know what that is, my handsome Ben?"

"U-Um, Erica called it a grimoire, but that's about it," Ben explained.

"Ah, well, don't blame little Erica. She hasn't realized what you are, so she's likely following orders not to involve civilians," Lucretia said.

"What I am? I met someone that hinted at that too, but they didn't explain," Ben said, "Please tell me what this big secret is."

"Very well," Lucretia said, "It actually has to do with the grimoire, so I'll explain that and we'll get into the rest of it. You see that grimoire is a piece of the authority of a god."

"Authority of a god? I don't understand," Ben said, confused.

"You see, an authority is like the special power of a god. Essentially that so-called tablet is a piece of a god," she explained.

"Really?" he asked in shock.

"Yes, though it's not a true god," she said, "It is the piece of a being called a heretic god."

"A heretic god?"

"Yes, you see, ever since humanity moved out of the caves and started to evolve, their senses of belief has grown to even affect the world. As a result, when they would meet truly supernatural beings, like real gods, they would create legends and myths surrounding them. Then, people would start to tell these legends, altering them without known, believing and interpreting them differently. Eventually, these legends took on lives of their own, becoming beings that are completely different than the originals. These new beings are what are called heretic gods," she explained.

"Okay, but what does that have to do with me?" Ben asked with a curious expression.

"I'm getting to that, impatient boy," she smirked, "You see, these heretic gods would cause all manner of trouble, but with their power, it would take a lot of effort and resources just to defeat one. As a result, different factions sought to create specialized warriors to fight them. One group believed that humans were the key due to their ability to adapt to different situations. As a result, they made it so that special humans will be born with the ability to kill them and once they do, they will be reborn as campione with the powers of the defeated heretic gods."

"So, that's what I am? A, uh, campione?" Ben asked to which Lucretia nodded as she traced circles on his chest.

"That's right. I recognized you right away and Erica confirmed it when she explained that she was looking for the one who recently defeated two heretic gods," she said, looking at him intently.

"So, those were heretic gods?" he asked, thinking back to the two strange men he killed, "Wait, Erica knows what I am?"

"No," she said, shaking her head, "I think with finding you carrying the grimoire and then the boar attack have prevented her from realizing you're the one she's actually here in Rome to find."

"So, you didn't tell her?" Ben asked with surprise.

"No, I'm hoping that I'll get to see little Erica's expression when she figures it out," Lucretia giggled, "When she figures out that you're a king of kings, her head will probably explode."

"I get that it's a big deal that I can kill these heretic gods, but what did you mean by king of kings?"

"Well, Erica can explain that in greater depth later," Lucretia said, "But I can give you the basic information. I tend not to pay much attention with politics, but you should know mage associations, like the one Erica's a part of, along with numerous other supernatural factions tend to revere campione greatly. As a result, they will try to get you to ally with them or even manipulate you, so be careful."

"Okay. By the way, is it possible for heretic gods to change their appearance?" Ben asked.

"Their appearance is based around the beliefs of humans if that is what you meant," she explained, slightly confused.

"No, I mean one of the ones I fought literally changed his appearance right before he died," Ben explained.

"Ah, that may be due to how some legends that heretic gods are born from sometimes combine, so aspects of the two legends can combine into one being. In other words, it's likely that the second form you saw was the form of the original legend that the newer ones took aspects from," she said crossing her legs and making her outfit ride up even further on her legs, continuing to smile seductively as she enjoyed his blush.

Ben gulped nervously, "U-Um, I don't fully understand."

"It's like this: a legend from Babylon might eventually have made it to Greece where aspects of the first legend will combine with aspects of the second, so the heretic god will have the appearance of the second legend, but will have authorities that may have come from the first legend, maybe even a new form if the circumstances are right," she explained, switching her legs crossing in a real-life version of Basic Instinct.

"I see," Ben said, only somewhat understanding, "Um, one last question if that's alright."

"Of course, cutie, ask me anything, but if you're wondering, I am in fact single," she giggled pressing more against him.

"U-Um, actually I was wondering why you're dressed like that," he asked, looking away from the view of her cleavage that she was offering.

"Oh? Do you not like my outfit?" she asked pouting, "Am I that ugly to look at?"

"N-No! Y-You're gorgeous," he said before his face turned an even darker red, "I-I just mean we just met a-and I don't think it would be right."

She started laughing again at that, moving from him, "Oh, you think I'm gorgeous, do you? A handsome gentleman, a noble soul, and a campione. You truly are a unique one. I'll bet you'll be beating women off with a stick before too long." She licked her lips with a hungry look in her eyes, "Makes me want to throw my own hat into the ring." Before he could stutter out a reply, she pressed a finger to his lips, "Not to worry, I won't right now. Besides, you should go and get some rest to heal some more from your injuries. You can take the room that's up the stairs and first on your left."

"Thank you," Ben said, standing up and hurrying up the stairs to the witch's further amusement.

He hurried into the room and closed the door behind him. He sighed and then realized he wasn't alone in the room.

"E-Erica!?" Ben blushed as the girl looked at him with half-lidded eyes.

"Oh, you're awake?" she asked standing up from the chair she was in with stumbling steps.

"A-are you drunk?" he asked in shock.

"Whaaaatt?" No!" she said with a red face and an obviously drunken sway as she approached him, showing him she was wearing nothing but a lacy bra and panties, "What are you doing here anyway? I guess I can thank you for your saving me."

"U-Um, you don't have to thank me," Ben said, reaching back to try and open the door, but finding it suddenly locked.

"No, my pride won't allow not thanking such a thing," she said, pressing against him and leaning up to kiss him, but before their lips could connect, she passed out and collapsed against his chest.

Ben sighed with relief. The last thing he wanted was to take advantage of this girl, even if she was offering it to him. To Ben, drunk meant she was off-limits no matter who was making the offer. He picked the half-naked girl up in a bridal carry and placed her on the big bed.

"Geez, she smells really nice," he muttered, before shaking his head to get the thoughts out of his head.

Since he couldn't get out of the room without breaking the locked door, Ben sat in a chair against the wall and closed his eyes to get some shut-eye. It seemed like only a few seconds to Ben before he heard someone shriek, making him jerk awake.

"W-what are you doing here?" Erica demanded, covering herself with the sheet while glaring at him, "D-did you do something to me?"

"Erica, I can assure you that nothing happened," Ben said, with a calming tone, "I was told I could sleep in this room and I didn't notice that you were in here until the door was closed. When I did notice, I tried to leave, but the door was already locked and I couldn't get out."

Ben felt it best to leave out the fact that she was drunk at the time and that she tried to put the moves on him.

Erica's eyes narrowed suspiciously at him before she sighed, "That does sound like one of Lucretia's tricks. Can you leave now so I can get dressed?"

"Uh, sure, I'll see if it's unlocked," Ben said before trying the door and sure enough, it was open.

"Wait," she said, stopping him from leaving, "I just wanted to say thank you for your help. Even though I didn't need it, you put your health in jeopardy to help me. I would be remiss as a member of the Copper-Black Cross not to at least thank you for that."

"Really, you don't have to. You needed help. That's all there is to it," Ben said, shrugging, "I'll be downstairs." With that, he left, leaving the girl surprised and confused.

After a few minutes, Erica joined him downstairs with the mischievous Lucretia.

"Hello, you two, sleep well?" the witch asked.

"Not really," Ben said, looking at her with a deadpanned expression.

"So, Lucretia, what are you going to do with the grimoire?" Erica asked, with a slight blush.

"Oh, I'm not going to do anything with it," she said.

"Then, allow me to take it back with me!" Erica insisted.

"I'm afraid that's not possible. It seems to have disappeared in the night," she said, completely unbothered by the circumstances.

"What? How?" Erica demanded.

Lucretia looked at Ben, "Ben, when you were on your way here, did you meet anyone unusual? Someone that stood out?"

"Uh, well, there was a kid, though he talked strangely," Ben said, thinking about it.

"Well, it seems the gods have taken an interest in him," Lucretia said, "Perhaps they think you can give Verethragna the loss that he seeks."

"Verethragna?" Ben asked.

"The boy you met," the witch explained, "He's a god of war who has yet to be defeated. In a previous incarnation, he was wounded and lost a number of his aspects, but he's been regaining them and that grimoire was the last one he needed."

"This is bad," Erica said before a loud roar rocked the building.

"Just got worse," Ben said, seconds before Erica sprinted out of the witch's home.

When Ben moved to chase after her, Lucretia grabbed his arm to stop him, "You are about to walk fully into the world of the supernatural, Ben. How you act now will define how you are seen by the rest of the world."

Ben pulled his arm free of her grasp and said, "Then, they better get a good view."

With that, Ben ran out and he found Erica, on a wide field, trying to discuss a giant's terms to leave in a humble and submissive tone. The giant, identified as Melqart, a Phoenician god, said he wanted merely to face Verethragna in battle.

"Hey, big guy!" Ben called, getting the large god's attention.

"Who dares speak to me in such a disrespectful tone?" Melqart asked looking at Ben while Erica looked at the American in shock.

"I do! Listen, Verethragna now has all of his aspects and is back to his full strength. If you fight him, you'll fight him at full strength now, but if you let me fight with you, you have a chance!" Ben insisted, surprising both the girl and god alike.

"And who are you to say that you can join in a battle between gods?" Melqart asked with more curiosity than anger.

A laugh was heard behind Malqart and when they looked, they saw there was a boy floating in the air behind him, "You really can't tell what he is, you old fool? He's one of those most interesting types of humans: a godslayer!"

"Y-You're a campione?" Erica asked in shock, "It's you. The one I was looking for, the one who killed Heracles and Ares!"

"Hmm, two gods at once?" Malqart asked with interest, "Very well, you can fight alongside me, boy."

"Two gods on your first try?" Verethragna laughed, "You're even more interesting than I thought!"

"Come, young godslayer, let us do battle with my great foe!" Malqart said.

Verethragna shot a blast of fire at Ben and Erica. Ben moved between Erica and the attack to try and protect her, but it proved unnecessary as Malqart summoned a forcefield around the two to protect them.

"Wait here," Ben said before he ran out of the forcefield to join Malqart, leaving the shocked Erica behind just before the giant god got hit in the face with another powerful blast of fire, "Hey, big guy, you alright!?" Ben called.

"Guh, yes, he's clearly at his full strength now. You must activate your authorities!"

"Great idea! How!?" he shouted frustrated.

"You don't even know how to do that?" Verethragna sighed as he summoned a golden sword and prepared to attack again, "Disappointing."

"You need to speak the words in your heart. You know the words already. Just speak them!"

"Hurry up!" Verethragna shouted as he charged at Ben.

"Say the words. Say the words," Ben said, searching his mind before his mouth seemed to move on its on, "May the ground, the sea, the very sky turn bloody red! May the screams of my foes replace all music! This is my power!"

Once Ben finished his chant, a coopery smell permeated the air and a large, blood-stained, brass shield formed on his left arm while a bloody spear appeared in his right hand.

"Excellent!" Verethragna cheered as he swung his golden sword at Ben.

Ben used his shield to deflect the attack rather than take it directly.

"Be careful, Ben! His sword can cut through divinity, meaning it can likely cut through your shield!" Erica shouted.

"Got it!" he shouted, as he continued to use his shield to deflect rather than block while thrusting his spear out at the attacking god, who was grinning manically.

"Come one, godslayer! Is this all you have? I'm disappointed! Maybe someone like you needs an extra incentive, so unless you entertain me I'm going to see if your little friend is more amusing!" Verethragna laughed.

Ben used his shield to push the god back, glaring at him, "That was the wrong thing to say," Ben said, dropping his shield and spear making them disappear in flashes of red light before a broadsword replaced them. Ben charged at Verethragna who returned the favor, but he was put off guard when Ben suddenly moved faster and attacked with more ferocity, cutting Verethragna's arms, legs, and sides.

"Heh, heh, this is what I was waiting for," Verethragna said, panting as he bled, "Truly, you are a very worthy opponent. Now, let's end this!"

With that, they charged each other again and Ben ducked under his godly opponent's swipe before driving his blade through his torso.

Verethragna coughed up some blood before smiling, "Finally, someone beat me. It was…no fun when I always won. The threat of loss truly…makes it sweeter. Well done, Campione."

With that, Verethragna disappeared in a flash of light and the particles that were once his body was absorbed into Ben.

"Ben!" Erica shouted before Ben's exhaustion caught up with him and he passed out in her arms.

Ben woke up a couple of days later back in Lucretia's house with Erica nowhere to be seen. Ben thanked the witch for her help, which the witch replied with a giggle and a promise to see him again.

With his luggage packed and his goodbyes made, Ben headed to the airport with a single thought, "Kuoh Town here I come. Let's see what you've got in store for me."

A/N: And there's chapter 1! Please remember to follow, favorite, and review with any comments, questions, concerns, or constructive criticism that you might have.