Campione! - Volume 17 - Chapter 3.4

Part 4 

The entire area was rendered into scorched earth.  

The battlegrounds for the two godslayers and the "King of the End" had turned into an incinerated plain.  

This was originally somewhere in the mountains. However, the mountainous portion serving as the battlefield had been blown away. Trees had been swept clear. Many lives inhabiting the winter mountain forest had been extinguished.  

Watching this tragic scene, the "King of the End" shook his head silently. This all came by his hand personally.  

His life was intimately linked to the Divine Sword of Salvation.  

As long as this blade remained intact, he would resurrect again and again even after dying.  

When suffering Her Eminence Luo Hao's fierce palm strike earlier, he had increased his body's bond with the the Divine Sword of Salvation to the maximum in order to resist the impact. As a result, turning into a "living divine sword," he was able to endure despite the devastating blow.  

As a side effect, he had released lightning of salvation from his entire body, sweeping the entire area away.  

There was nothing left in the vicinity. Everything had been incinerated by the lightning, blown apart by the violent impact that altered the landscape, turned into an entire patch of scorched earth. Kusanagi Godou and his sworn sister had also vanished.  

If one were to ask what had remained from the battle, there was only the dull pain still lingering on his chest.  

With these depressed thoughts, the "King of the End" gazed upon the trail of destruction he had left behind.  

Among what had been destroyed, this also included the spirits that had helped him earlier—  

"Your Excellency the Savior."  

A voice called out. It was the bold and beautiful voice of the hero Perseus.  

He arrived at the side of the "King of the End." The Great Sage Equaling Heaven and Lancelot were here too. Returning from the far side of the sky, the Wind King also came along.  

"Should we pursue them?"  

"Not necessary."  

In his current state of heightened indestructibility, his power was difficult to control.  

More openings than usual. The "King of the End" shook his head.  

"I am slightly exhausted from fighting at full strength after so long since the last time. Resting is necessary. You three heroes will face various inconveniences if you leave my side, won't you? Let us withdraw for now."  

"Regarding that..."  

Perseus smiled with delight and glanced at the Wind King for an instant.  

"There is also the option of passing the task to that gentleman over there."  

Hearing this, the unidentified wind god suddenly vanished. Riding the night wind that happened to blow past, he took his leave in front of everyone here.  

Hence, the Roman hero with hair the color of the Japanese Yellow Rose nodded greatly.  

"A certain Mr. Wind doesn't seem too willing to make a move without careful consideration, just as I thought."  

"I hope for your understanding. Like the rest of you, he is also a hero whose glorious renown is unshakable. Perhaps he is worried about the risk of identity exposure if he were to mobilize too frequently."  

Hearing the "King of the End" apologize as the master, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven commented with heartfelt emotion.  

"It's truly commendable how devoted he is to obeying his lord and master's wishes. I've got to make my lil' bros learn from him."  

"Lord Monkey, I am afraid they are merely taking after you, their eldest brother, aren't they?"  

"Seeing as that's the case, I'm gonna rest for now. I'm not boasting when I say that old Sun here is known as the number one in the celestial realm for slacking during work."  

Leaving these words behind, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven disappeared.  

Perseus did the same as the celestial realm's former Keeper of the Horses, leaving elegant laughter behind. Thus, only the "King of the End" and Lancelot du Lac remained.  

"...Your Majesty, how about a brief moment of slumber?"  

The female knight of white advised.  

"After unleashing your authority to this extent, your body ought to be quite scorching in temperature."  

"You are right."  

Nodding, the "King of the End" gazed at his own right hand.  

No different from usual, his hand consisted of a pale palm and five fingers, all shaped exquisitely. But including this hand, his entire body was giving off intense heat. An ordinary person standing next to him would probably feel as though they were suffering in front of a furnace.  

Even if he were to jump into a river, the water would evaporate immediately, turning into steam hanging in the air.  

"Lancelot. Even before meeting you and the goddess Gwenhwyfar in the ancient past, I have been fighting continually. I hibernate every time I finish the mission of exterminating Devil Kings, instantly jumping into battle against new Devil Kings immediately after awakenening. This has repeated endlessly."  

The "King of the End" suddenly brought up the past.  

"In the past, I always woke up with almost all my power depleted. Hence, in order to fight, I would need to gather the essence of the earth. For this purpose, I would set off on a long journey of wandering across the lands."  

"Indeed."  

Lancelot concurred.  

"Unable to bear the sight of that, this knight's companion Gwenhwyfar decided to create the Holy Grail, even using herself as the material while on the verge of death. For the purpose of gathering the essence of mother earth goddesses beforehand so as to provide you with power without needing to go through the hardships of wandering. Furthermore, it had its own value too."  

The deity of knights, worshiped by equestrian tribes, swept her gaze across the incinerated plain.  

"On this occasion, you faced an intense battle immediately after awakening."  

"Yes. To her who created the Holy Grail... I really ought to express my gratitude."  

A smiling expression surfaced on the lips of the "King of the End," one that could be called a smile yet with a certain sense of bitterness.  

Bowing mundanely towards him, the goddess Lancelot also disappeared.  

"Oh man... It feels like I'm always saying this every time."  

A hour or two after the intense battle that had even gone as far as to change Minamibousou's landscape...  

Under the moonlight and winter night sky, Godou was currently located within the premises of an old and historic temple. Having left the mountainous area that had served as the battlefield, he was back in human settlement.  

The night was silent, as though the earlier commotion had been a dream.  

"I was definitely prepared for death just now. It's all thanks to you, Nee-san, I was saved. Thank you."  

"No need for thanks. After all, I too escaped death thanks to your quick wits."  The transcendent beauty in front of him under the moonlight was Luo Cuilian, of course.  

However, her pale and beauty face was more pallid than usual. Her energy and vitality were utterly depleted. Anemia might even have arose.  

...Slightly earlier, after she had delivered the strongest palm strike to the "King of the End"...  

The pale-haired hero had roared like a wild beast from the pain before proceeding to release lightning of salvation from his entire body with extreme potency.  

In order to block the attack, Luo Cuilian had summoned avatars.  

Through defeating an Om pair of Buddha guardians, she had obtained the authority: Divine Might of Vajrapani. This ability was not purely confined to the application of monstrous strength.  

It also enabled Luo Cuilian to summon two Buddha guardians as avatars, allowing them to exert monstrous strength.  

These Benevolent Kings were roughly three times the size of Godou's physique, their muscular bodies shining with golden luster. Covered with bulging musculature all over, the two guardians used their bodies to shield their beautiful master. At the same time, Luo Cuilian poured her own remaining magic power wholly into their bodies, further strengthening the avatars—  

Thanks to the "shield of muscle" provided by the two golden giants to block the attack, a time delay was bought. Right in front of the hero who was releasing lightning, Luo Cuilian avoided instant death. Activating divine speed, Kusanagi Godou picked up his sworn sister in his arms and ran at full speed. It was for this purpose that a time delay was needed.  

Back then, Godou was still using the [Raptor] incarnation.  

Hence, carrying his sworn sister in his arms, he raced across many mountains, reaching a human settlement. Only after rushing into the ancient temple did he shut off his divine speed.  

Godou secretly sighed in relief.  

The [Raptor], notoriously difficult to control, had extended in usage time and had developed to the point where he could temporarily deactivate it in the middle of using the incarnation. Hence, he was saved by this on this occasion...  

"So those guys didn't chase after us in the end. They should have noticed we were trying to run away."  

"Perhaps they had no intention of doing so. However... I can also sense that they had no reason to give chase. That being said, I have no definite basis for that feeling."  

Like Mariya Yuri, the sworn sister also possessed the power of spirit vision.  

Naturally, that type of vague feeling must not be underestimated. While Godou nodded and said "oh I see," the almighty elder sister, lacking neither valor nor intelligence, announced sonorously:  

"We shall confirm the veracity of this during the future rematch. This is also what you intend to do, Godou, yes?"  

Truly an amazing declaration. Despite retreating in defeat just earlier, she was not shaken in the slightest. There was not a single shred of fear. Calmly and indifferently, she was already considering the next rematch.  

Switching mindsets with astounding speed.  

Her Eminence Luo Hao possessed pride and self-esteem even higher than the gods of the heavens. Seeing as that was the case, it would not be surprising even if she did not react to defeat with shock—  

Rather than indomitable spirit, her psychological make-up would be more accurately captured by the saying, "forgetting the pain as soon as the wound healed."  

This sworn sister truly lived up to her name as a Campione. A species of human with similarities with Salvatore Doni and Madame Aisha.  

Just as Godou was secretly snickering to himself at this hilarious thought...  

"Kusanagi Godou..."  

He heard Pallas Athena's voice calling to him. Stabbed in the ground in front of him was Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi. The voice was emitted by the silver snake wrapped around the blade.  

"Perhaps thou hast noticed, one's days are numbered..."  

"Yeah. I got the feeling that's the case."  

A confession coming from the old enemy whose fate was intertwined with his in mysterious and unfavorable ways.  

Still coiled around the blade, the silver snake showed no signs of movement. The luster of the scales was also becoming dull. She looked like she was about to enter hibernation.  

To begin with, Pallas Athena had removed the seal of dragons and snakes with her death as the price.  

This was predicted already. Godou spoke up:  

"Do you want a duel against me as a last request?"  

Despite his clear intention to taunt with belligerent words, Godou spoke in an inexplicably gentle tone of voice.  

The silver snake, transformed from the Divine Ancestor, spoke with the tone of voice belonging to a goddess enlightened and liberated from the mental shackles of life, death, debts and grudges instead of haughtiness filled with fighting spirit:  

"This is not a bad ending. Nevertheless, one still findeth it lacking. Verily, one ought to choose the strongest warrior at hand as the final prey..."  

"In other words, you want to fight that guy."  

Choosing to fight the "King of the End" at this kind of critical moment, that was definitely style befitting a goddess of war. Godou smiled.  

"Currently, the majority of the essence serving as that man's power source came from oneself—absorbed from one's time as Athena. This will undoubtedly become a critical deciding factor."  

Coiled around Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi, the silver snake was staring at Godou sharply.  

"However, 'tis probably impossible. One cannot last until then."  

"Specifically, how much time is left?"  

"Mayhap a hundred beats in thy chest, mayhap three hundred beats before one breatheth one's last. In any case, time is scarce."  

This goddess probably was not looking at a watch, so this was probably a metaphor. Her remaining life was most likely less than ten minutes.  

While Godou felt powerless, the silver snake said solemnly to him:  

"Well then... Thou still owest one a favor. Kusanagi Godou."  

"Favor?"  

"Indeed. A past promise yet to be fulfilled. Thou mentionedst previously. When one returneth after undergoing the cycle of rebirth, a rematch to redeem past defeat. Be that as it may, 'twas always one who approached thee in the past—"  "Hold on, you've recovered your memories?"  

This was the conversation that had taken place with [Heretic Athena] just prior to her death.  

At the same time, Godou also noticed that the silver snake had said "one's time as Athena." In other words, there was no mistake.  

With certainty in his heart, Godou returned her gaze. However, the silver snake simply flicked its forked tongue.  

Indifferent words. Without excess verbosity nor words of sorrow. However, seeing this aloof reaction very much in the snake goddess Athena's style, Godou felt rather unbelievable.  

Could this be the result of absorbing her into Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi, allowing her to come into contact with the [Storm Bringer] that could be considered her posthumous masterpiece?  

Perhaps some sort of change had occurred in the goddess' soul while she was having another showdown against Kusanagi Godou.  

Godou suddenly laughed out loud. Who cares about this kind of thing? The reptile in front of him was precisely his former enemy. This fact was the most important of all.  

"You're right. I owe you one. So, how am I going to make it up to you?"  

"Naturally, to use what is left of this feeble life to exact revenge on that man."  

Athena's snake form was wrapped around Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi. That long serpentine body had been absorbed into the sacred sword.  

"Thou shalt prepare the appropriate time and venue. One is counting on you, mine enemy of destiny."  

This was her demand. Athena spoke no more.  

Staying dormant inside Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi like a hibernating snake, she had probably halted all living activity, in order to use all of her remaining lifespan on the battle against the "King of the End."  

"Nothing less expected from the reincarnation of a great goddess. As a queen, the final moments before one's end ought to be like this."  

Watching them the whole time, the sworn sister offered praise in a rare moment.  

Seeing as they were both lofty queens with haughty self-esteem and forceful personalities, there apparently existed areas where they could understand each other.  

"Nee-san, do you want to come with me to Tokyo? Yinghua and my friends are there. Let's head over there to regroup first."  

"I wouldn't mind. I agree that it is necessary too."  

Even as someone living detached from the mundane world, holding misgivings against civilized society, she was a Campione, never careless in matters related to battle.  

Confronted with the emergency situation of the strongest Devil King exterminator's arrival, she agreed readily to a request that she would surely reject instantly during normal times.  

Wonderful, thinking that, Godou nodded and said:  

"If possible, Nee-san, could you take me to where Yinghua lives? Yeah, using that Daoist arts thing, couldn't you teleport us?"  

"......"  

"I don't mind either if we fly like just now."  

"......"  

"Nee-san?"  

"My little brother, I shall first inform you of one fact."  

Introducing the topic with a solemn demeanor, Luo Cuilian stared at Godou intently.  

"Defending against the lightning of the 'King of the End' earlier, I manifested a pair of Benevolent Kings. Only by doing that did we barely manage to survive."  

"Yeah, that was really a great help."  

"During that time, the qi inside myself was almost completely depleted."  

Qi meant magic power. Godou went "Ehh!?" in shock.  

"It was necessary to go that far in order to block that hero's ultimate lightning. The result is that I am currently unable to perform even the simplest of Daoist arts. In this present state, we cannot head over to Yinghua's residence using Daoist arts."  

The sworn sister, Luo Cuilian, admitted, looking very displeased.  

As the martial artist standing at the world's tallest pinnacle, she was also an outstanding user of Daoist arts. In addition, she possessed peerless beauty and adept in all sorts of arts and skills. In fact, even her culinary prowess was on the level of masters.  

Precisely because of that, she must be very displeased whenever she was forced to admit that any task was beyond her.  

"I get it now..."  

Godou remarked, feeling a deep chord struck within himself. In the past, Lucretia Zola had also suffered from this kind of state.  

Back then, the witch of Sardinia was bedridden for many days due to fatigue. Since the sworn elder sister still looked quite energetic, perhaps it was due to a gap in training.  

Also, Godou suddenly felt worried.  

In that case, wasn't the current situation quite dangerous?  

"We are currently at the city of Minamibousou..."  

Godou had confirmed using his cellphone's map software already. Their battle against the "King of the End" had taken place near Minamibousou's famous mountain of Iyo. After traversing many mountains by running from there at divine speed, they had arrived at a settlement by the foot of the mountain.  

This was a small settlement with homes scattered sparsely between hills.  

Even so, walking on foot to the nearest train station was still going to take time. However.  

"Nee-san, have you ever taken a train before?"  

"Are you referring to the steam locomotive of rumor? Needless to say, I can't possibly have ridden it before."  

A sudden problematic statement. In contemporary times, trains powered by the steam engine had become obsolete a long time ago, turned into antiques. Furthermore, people who have never experienced traveling by train would not normally use "needless to say" to express themselves.  

Riding a train car together with an indeterminate number of ordinary people—  

In the past, Luo Cuilian had boldly declared the following.  

'Someone of my stature obviously cannot have a direct conversation with commoners.'  

'Those who lay eyes on my body must gouge out their own eyes; those who hear my voice must cut off their ears in penance.'  

Furthermore, she was someone holding the view that "the decline of human society began with the invention of the steam engine."  

She lived secluded in a mountain forest without electricity precisely because she was an excessive adherent to the philosophy of natural living.  

Inside the spacious and comfortable interior of a train on a regional rail line... The sworn sister smashing the Uchibou Line train with a palm strike... This was very probable. Even without the ability to use Daoist arts, she was a heroine fully capable of demolishing a building or two with her bare hands.  

However, it was already late at night. It was worth doubting whether any trains to Tokyo were still running.  

Quietly trying to review other means of transportation, Godou began to think again.  

"In that case, let's take a car."  

After entering this ancient temple, the first thing Godou did was call Erica to inform the girls of his safety.  

Asking them for a pickup by car probably would not be a problem. However, Godou still inquired just to be safe.  

"What about cars..."  

"Of course I have ridden them before. It happened in the past with a group of leading knights-errant of the martial realm, after a great victory in battle. 

Returning in triumph, I was treated to the cheering of the populace and festivities were held for three days and three nights to extol my martial virtues. To offer responses to the people's cheering, I rode a ox-drawn carriage to parade in various place."  

"Oh I see, there's this too."  

Car = Official state vehicle used for victory parades in the town streets, and drawn by oxen or horses as well.  

Such were the preconceived notions belonging to Her Eminence Luo Hao.  

What level of tolerance would she actually afford to a journey by car traversing the mountain roads of the Bousou Peninsula, the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line and the Shuto Expressway?  

Godou's low expectations were definitely not borne out of mere pessimism.  

Furthermore, he also realized at this point.  

Even after overcoming a million obstacles, returning to the twenty-three wards of Tokyo...  

However, where could he arrange for accommodations for the sworn elder sister? Godou tried to ponder candidate locations. The Kusanagi home in the Bunkyou ward, Erica's luxury apartment, the Sayanomiya family mansion, the stronghold of Hong Kong's Lu family, the shady maid building in Akihabara... No matter which place was chosen, Godou had a feeling that the peerlessly supreme Luo Cuilian could hardly be satisfied...  

"So this is probably what they call a 'cul-de-sac'?"  

While Godou was shocked at the realization of the imminent dead end situation...  

He heard the sound of rotors from the distant sky, something one would not expect in a mountain village during the night. A helicopter was approaching while shining a light towards the ground.  

"Master's glorious virtue is like the radiant sun hanging in the sky, bringing light to the populace on the ground equally without bias."  

Inside the cabin of a large helicopter belonging to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force...  

The one offering fluent praise to Luo Cuilian, the leader of the Holy Cult of the Five Mountains as well as his own master in martial arts, was of course, Lu Yinghua.  

"It would be an utterly foolish notion to expect Her Eminence Luo Hao, who ought to live in heaven, to walk along terrestrial roads, hence according to your disciple's judgment, this ride has been specially prepared."  

"I see. That would be quite quick-witted for you, my young eagle."  

"Your disciple is filled with trepidation. All credit goes to having received Master's edification. Your disciple, Lu Yinghua, remembers Master's teachings at all times, thereby reminding oneself strictly to strive for self-improvement each and every day—Ouch!?"  

"Excessive flattery only serves to expose unseemliness."  

Despite having depleted her energy, the peerless Luo Cuilian remained impressive as ever. A lightly exhaled breath turned into a shockwave, reaching a punch's level of force. An absurd and superlative feat had been performed effortlessly.  

Striking her disciple in the forehead with this attack, she spoke nonchalantly:  

"You are a knight-errant of the martial realm despite your young age. You must strive towards the goal of becoming a man worthy of everyone's respect."  

"M-Master's teachings are greatly appreciated..."  

The helicopter was currently flying on the coastline, then crossing Tokyo Bay night sky along Aqua-Line, they finally returned to Tokyo.  

Godou secretly whispered to Amakasu who was present on the helicopter as well.  

(I'm impressed you were able to bring Yinghua along.)  

(Regarding the art of getting along with Her Eminence, he is unquestionably the world's foremost expert.)  

(But from what I've heard, helicopters almost never fly during the night.)  

(Yes, this part was quite tough too. I had to beg an acquaintance in the JASDF for a favor in order to borrow a helicopter equipped with night vision systems as well as an experienced pilot familiar with mountain rescue operations. After all, trying to fly a helicopter at night in Japan is almost impossible unless I go this far.)  

The two of them were conversing while lowering their voices as much as possible.  

Like her disciple, Her Eminence Luo Hao also possessed astounding powers of hearing. If she were to listen intently, she could probably pick up this entire conversation clearly. However, Godou did not think she would care about Amakasu's talking. It was probably fine.  

(By the way, how are you planning to arrange Nee-san's accommodations?)  

(This posed a real dilemma for quite a while, but luckily, we've already arranged for that place. Yeah, it's already in sight.)  

(...Huh?)  

The helicopter happened to be flying in the air above Tokyo's Sumida ward.  

They were advancing towards a towering structure that stood as quite a familiar landmark.  

"No way, could it be that?"  

The height of this building was 634m indeed. In fact, this high-rise building was even closer to the heavens than the mountain range where the battle against the "King of the End" had taken place. A broadcasting tower built recently in the twenty-first century.  

The Tokyo Skytree was waiting quietly ahead of the helicopter's current route of advance.