Campione! - Volume 1 - Chapter 2.3

Part 3

The two stared at each other for a time.

"...If it's possible, I'd prefer to be in this position when we're alone together, on a bed."

"Sto- Stop cracking jokes like that— anyway, is this enough? I've already checked your movements; this duel should be my victory, right?"

Facing a stubborn Erica, Godou retorted coldly.

"That last move was somewhat underhand. You didn't attack from the front, it wasn't elegant at all."

Godou knew very well what Erica was trying to say.

No matter how good his plan was, to force Erica to prepare her strongest move as the decisive blow, yet deciding victory before she could use it, was a pretty pathetic strategy. To use sumo wrestling as an example, it would be as though a Yokotsuna master[14] challenged you to a match, yet attacking you by surprise with a distraction.

"It's not enough that I defeat you, but I have to do it elegantly? With you as my enemy, there's no way I can do such an amazing thing. And anyway, whether it's dirty or despicable, a win is a win, right?"

"Geez... It's because you think this way, that you have no chance at winning a beautiful victory. Forget it, it's because you're just this sort of guy that you've managed to keep winning till now... Fine, I admit defeat. It's my own fault that I fell for that trick. But this is the last time, you hear? This is the last time it'll happen!"

"... I get it; don't pout like a primary schooler just because you lost."

Erica's unhappy expression was just like a child throwing a tantrum. Those watching couldn't help but smile inside.

But, Godou changed his mind two seconds after.

Erica suddenly smiled with a wicked look on her face.

Only when she found it interesting to tease Godou, would that devil-like expression show.

"Godou, it's been so long since we hugged each other so tightly like this——"

"Ah, no, this isn't another one of your awkward, steamy situations, is it?"

When he found out the danger, it was already too late.

Erica wrapped her empty left arm around Godou's neck.

"This is perfect. Let me give you a victory kiss. It's a man's job to take the lead in these moments, you know?"

Those luscious, cherry red lips, whispering those sweet words, looked so fresh and filled with desire.

"Stop playing around, didn't I just tell you to stop with your antics?"

"What? I don't know what you're talking about, sorry. Because of the shock I suffered from my lover's betrayal, I don't remember anything."

Usually, Godou made sure to not pay attention, but Erica's figure was dangerous.

Her figure was as slim as a cypress tree, but the parts which were meant to be full, were full to the point that it was hard to know where to look.

Her heavy and ample breasts seemed just like luscious fruits, and from the slender waist to the perfectly curved back, this was arousing enough to be considered criminal.

And now this same maiden was pressing her body so close to him, even now feeling her warmth, even now tempted by her sweet kisses.

'I can't let Erica lead me by the nose!'

This was completely different sort of battle from before, now the duel was between him and his reason.

The wafting perfume on Erica's body, her warmth and her softness to the touch, had Godou dizzy with sensations, but he continued to remind himself of his purpose.

"Erica, these sorts of things should only be done by couples who are properly going out, so I don't think we should do this. Besides, there are people around us, so please stop!"

"I want to do this, what's wrong? As long as Godou is interested, and we both agree, then there's no problem. If you're that worried about other people looking on, why not just switch locations?"

Perhaps it was because Erica could already see Godou was becoming affected, but when she smiled again, it was most suspicious.

You might compare it to how the sun encourages travellers to take off their clocks. She too revealed that wicked grin. 'I've got to escape from this devil's clutches, the sooner the better!'

Having decided, Godou stood up fiercely.

It was only then that he noticed the ground was still shaking.

And shaking fiercely, at that.

Probably around a three on the Richter scale.

"Kusanagi Godou, I have now indeed witnessed your strength, which, if I may say, exceeded my expectations."

"That you would even be able to tame a divine beast of this sort, the powers held by a lord are truly worthy of praise, and truly command the greatest reverence."

"Hence, in accordance to the pledge of the Lady Erica, We here thus acknowledge and confirm you truly as a Campione, this I pledge as representative of my corps."

The knights laboriously walked across the shaking ground towards them.

The [Purple Knight] and the commander [Female Wolf], along with the [Old Dame] who suddenly appeared, meant that everyone was present.

"But there is one thing which we would request from you, is it possible to for you to end this horrendous rattling?"

"Yes, if you do not send the beast home soon, I fear the results will be grave..."

Hearing the [Purple Knight]'s plea, Godou nodded his head and agreed.

Since victory had already been decided, there really was no need to keep the [Boar] on earth. Godou concentrated for a moment, then thought,

'That's enough, you can go back now.'

This way, the huge animal would disappear, and he could go back to sleep... but things like that never go to plan.

The [Boar] didn't disappear.

'Oi! I came especially at your summons, and now you just send me back just like that?' Partway materialized, the animal gave of an unwilling gleam in its eye, and was struggling about.

"Sorry, but he doesn't seem to want to go back..."

"But that will be disastrous! A divine beast of that sort really rampaging around Rome would be the worst outcome possible."

"That is certainly the case. Whatever it is, we must stop matters from ever getting that bad."

Both the [Purple Knight] and the Commander [Female Wolf] looked extremely uneasy.

Added to that, the [Boar] overhead was now almost fully materialized.

If it was let out, it would definitely fall to the ground, and happily destroy everything.

"The last time you summoned it, after the target was destroyed it returned by itself. Did you ever ask it to go back before that?"

"Yes. It wasn't very happy about it, but went back obediently."

After Godou answered Erica's question, he hit upon a probability.

"About my control over the [Boar], perhaps I still haven't achieved complete obedience. Even if I gave an order, it may not comply."

"If so, all we can do is let the celestial beast quickly destroy the selected target, and send him back at the soonest opportunity? I think this is the best method of reducing damage."

The leader, [Old Dame], gave her advice with a grave tone.

It was the most appropriate suggestion.

The only problem was, the target itself —— as to what it was, Erica had long already worked it out from Godou's gaze.

"Godou, you couldn't have selected me as the target to summon the

[Boar], I'm not large enough to be considered a valid target."

"...Yeah, I did choose something else as its target, yes."

Because Godou didn't want to be questioned carefully, he unknowingly started to sound evasive.

But Erica saw her chance, and precisely pin-pointed it,

"The only thing here that could attract Godou's attention, should be 'that'.

'That' is the most distinctive thing around here, and also the largest. But someone who's always preaching about common sense wouldn't choose

something like that, right? Even though it is a really dirty tourist attraction, it's still a world heritage site, right?"

Erica continued to probe deeply.

'Damn, she just wants to savor each and every moment she gets to make me suffer.'

"The 'that', you're referring to... can't be that, can it?"

The commander [Female Wolf] questioned with a trembling voice, then with a trembling finger pointed to 'that'.

She pointed outwards, indicating a place not far from this hill, the huge arena from the Imperial period —— There stood the Roman Colosseum.

... Under the tyranny of Nero, it was the ruins of a man-made lake[15], and took a period of eight years to complete.

It was finished under the reign of the Emperor Titus in 80 AD. A hundred days of games were put on in it as a celebration, and 9000 wild beasts were killed.

After that, this place continued to take the lives of thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of fighters and beasts.

That continued till the Middle Ages, when it became a convenient stone quarry to quarry stone for building, whenever someone wanted to build a magnificent church or mansion. Truly, it is a huge relic which has stood two thousand years of history.

"Erm... Because 'that' was pretty much the only thing that could be a target, in the heat of the moment I..."

And just as Godou ashamedly confessed...

The summoning of the [Boar] was finally completed, and the body had fully materialized.

From its sharp tusks to the hooves of its feet, and even to the tail, it was now a full part of this world, and a body mass of close to ten tons fell onto the earth.

"———————————————!!!!!!!!" "————————————————————————!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A beast which obviously could not exist on this earth bellowed an immense roar.

Heeding its ferocious will, it suddenly began to stampede.

Each time the black furred [Boar] struck the earth with its feet, a quake of incomparable violence would strike the whole area —— No, it was shaking up the whole district of Rome.

And of course, its target was the Roman Colosseum before its eyes.

The divine beast had appeared before the target in an eye blink, and began to create destruction on a shockingly vigorous scale.

——————————

For the next three days after that, the incident aroused global news coverage, and received the front page headline "Rome Suffers from a Terrorist Bombing! The Mysterious Destruction of the Roman Colosseum!" The real reason behind it was this.