Campione! - Volume 17 - Chapter 5.3

Part 3 

After Kusanagi Godou finally learned the origins of the "King of the End"...  

On a beach in the Netherworld, the two Hime-Miko were panting from the afterglow of the intense ritual, their eyes remaining in a rapturous trance for quite a while.  

Suddenly coming back to their senses, they frantically fixed up their miko outfits that had been pulled completely open.  

"Although this has been the case since before..."  

After sitting upright properly, Ena spoke with an entranced tone of voice:  

"Ena and Yuri can no longer marry anyone but His Majesty, right?"  

"P-Please do not speak of such things so loudly. We simply took part in a ritual to impart Godou-san with knowledge... Despite the requisite motions—"  

Although Yuri was offering a tactful rebuttal, her face was equally filled with happiness as her fellow Hime-Miko's.  

On the other hand, Godou could only laugh dryly with nothing to say.  

His mind was swinging back and forth between resolving himself to never look back and questioning how things were going to develop henceforth. In any case, towards the kind and gentle Yuri and Ena who could accept a scoundrel like him, he decided he must absolutely repay his debts to them or die trying.  

No matter what, just as the trio finally regained composure...  

"The objective has apparently been met successfully. How wonderful."  

Dressed in a Juunihitoe, the Princess of Glass suddenly returned.  

Smiling at Godou and the girls as though offering her blessings, her expression then went solemn.  

"However, the issue is that even with knowledge of His Highness' true name, that alone will not make defeating the crown prince easy..."  

"That's right. Just the Divine Sword of Salvation and the bow are hard enough to handle already, yet that guy also has this trump card of the great ritual of the covenant."  

Godou expressed agreement. The princess spoke with a pensive look:  

"The great ritual of the covenant raises the crown prince's power according to the number of Rakshasa Kings ruling the earth. At least, if the Devil Kings of the present era—all seven of you—were to cooperate, perhaps..."  

"That's absolutely impossible."  

Campiones did things at their own pace and were impossible to unify. Godou replied immediately.  

The kind of relationship between himself and the sworn elder sister was an exception among exceptions. At most, perhaps there was John Pluto Smith of North America. But even so, that was only three out of seven.  

"Eh, wait a sec, 'kay?"  

At this moment, a diabolical solution flashed through Godou's mind.  

Perhaps there was a way to oppose the great ritual of the covenant. But after pondering what it was about, Godou was plunged into feelings of self-contempt. He must not resort to that no matter what.  

Hence, the Princess of Glass smiled.  

"You seem to have some kind of secret strategy. Impressive as always, Kusanagisama."  

"Oh no, it's very problematic if you say that... Also, there's no time to put it into action. There's definitely not enough time before the battle against that guy."  

"I see."  

The princess pondered slightly then extended her right hand slowly. Suddenly, a certain slender object wrapped in purple silk manifested on her palm.  

"Allow me to give you this beforehand, Kusanagi-sama, for when you have time to put that strategy to use."  

"For me, huh?"  

Feeling surprised, Godou accepted it and confirmed the object wrapped inside. He had recollections of seeing it before. Could this be—? Looking up, he saw the Princess of Glass nodding firmly.  

"This is exactly what you are thinking of. If possible, please make use of it."  

What amazing clairvoyance. Probably a Divine Ancestor's spirit senses in action.  

Godou decided to accept it first and placed the bundle into his pants pocket.  

"It's time we returned to the world. Thank you for taking care of us in many ways."  

Bowing his head in gratitude to the Netherworld benefactor, Godou called to the two Hime-Miko.  

"Everyone on the other side must be very worried. Let's hurry back to reassure them. Mariya, can you lead the way for the return journey?"  

"Of course. However... Godou-san, may I make a request?"  

With a solemn expression, Yuri spoke:  

"I wish to stay over here in the Netherworld."  

"Huh?"  

Godou felt surprised. On the other hand, Ena seemed to have realized the reason.  "Oh, it's your health, Yuri, isn't it?"  

"Indeed. Even if I returned to Japan now, I will still be unwell due to His 

Highness' influence. In that case, it would be better for me to remain in the Netherworld, allowing my spirit senses to stay sharp and observe the situation on the ground, this way, I will still be able to provide assistance to you, Godousan..."  

Currently, both Hime-Miko already knew the true name of the "King of the End."  

Even so, Yuri did not say the name. To reveal the name of the hero known as the strongest of steel, it was ultimately taboo for a miko.  

But how was she going to help while remaining in the Netherworld?  

"Fortunately, I still have this power right now..."  

Yuri looked across the water into the distance.  

This was the place recreating the beach where the duel between the godslayer and the hero had taken place.  

The grains of sand were bright and white while the seawater was a vivid light blue. Images appeared on the surface of this beautiful sea, apparently a race track from somewhere on earth.  

The Divine Sword Mandala had appeared high in the sky, raining lightning down on the ground.  

A twelve or thirteen-year-old girl bearing Luo Cuilian's face, dressed in a mandarin gown, was dashing across the perilous ground with great agility, spectacularly evading lightning that no human could avoid while swiftly closing in on the pale-haired aristocrat.  

Wielding the Divine Sword of Salvation in an upper stance, the aristocrat swung down at the girl.  

Dodging this slash, the girl closed in from the front. Punching straight, she aimed for the side of the aristocrat's abdomen. However, the aristocrat immediately released the divine sword wielded in his left, using both hands to block the girl's fist—  

"Eh, could that be Nee-san?"  

"Yes. By extending tendrils of psychic sensing from the Netherworld to the earth, I have projected the scene that my senses have captured. Her Eminence must have recovered her strength by paying the price of this appearance."  

"Her Eminence never fails to impress. Even in unfavorable situations, she can still force her way to find a solution."  

Swinging the divine blade, the aristocrat engaged the pubescent demonic cult leader in close quarter combat.  

Although the sea's light blue surface was not particularly clear as a screen, it was enough to get a full sense of the details in the fight.  

Watching the demonic cult leader's display of divine feats, Ena exclaimed in admiration.  

Godou could not help but gaze intently as well. However, the scene immediately changed. The battle between the hero of the divine sword and the young Luo Cuilian—Just now, they had been watching this scene from the grandstand, but the angle suddenly changed to overhead from high in the sky.  

Furthermore, the viewpoint kept rising.  

Instead of showing the entirety of the race track that was serving as the battle arena, the surrounding land was being shown.  

"W-What's going on?"  

Godou asked in surprise. The race track was built in the mountains. However, all the mountain vegetation kept withering starting from that point as the center.  

Leaves and flowers dried up and broke into pieces. The surfaces of trunks and branches lost moisture, turning into dust.  

All the vegetation within a two or three kilometer radius of the race track had instantly withered, producing a barren land. Furthermore, this "circle of death" kept expanding.  

"Just from swinging the Divine Sword of Salvation, the temperature rises within His Highness. Shrouded in heat, the earth suffers damage while the resulting effects spread gradually throughout the world..."  

An oracle from Yuri. Godou sighed.  

"I get it, Mariya. Looks like I have to hurry over there."  

"I pray for your victory. I will also do everything I can."  

Strong and resolute, Yuri smiled calmly without showing any signs of unease.  

Then setting off was the only thing left to do. Godou nodded at the beautiful Hime-Miko and signaled to Ena with his eyes. The moment for a direct confrontation with that man—the "King of the End"—had finally come.  

Clasping her hands together before her chest, Yuri meditated.  

Next, the ground underfoot glowed with blue light.  

Immediately after that, Godou and Ena floated high up in the sky within an instant. Just as it was possible to see the white beach and green forest far below, their view instantly turned dark—  

They were beginning to return to reality from the Netherworld.  

The Divine Sword Mandala rained down hundreds, thousands of lightning strikes.  

Like indiscriminate bombardment, the attack devastated the ground mercilessly, killing everything below. Rather than a combat instrument, it would be more accurate to call it a strategic weapon.  

In order to evade the endless lightning descending upon the ground, Luo Cuilian was using Daoist arts.  

That being said, she was not invoking spells for protection or defense. The lightning of salvation—Its true form consisted of divine weapons conferred upon the "King of the End" by the gods. Even the most elite of Daoist spells would probably be neutralized with ease.  

Besides, such pedestrian methods did not suit Luo Cuilian's personality either.  

During this time, she was using Daoist arts to allow her body to move across dozens of meters instead of meters within an instant, thereby evading the attacks of lightning.  

In the world of Daoist arts, this spell was known as "Terrain Reduction."  

That being said, despite merely reducing distances, the spell of Terrain Reduction was of extremely high difficulty. In addition, she had to use the principles of the mind's eye to guard against incoming lightning while simultaneously using Terrain Reduction in an instant whenever she sensed danger. Furthermore, she had already used this method to evade lightning strikes twenty, even thirty times—  

Such a feat was only possible for Luo Cuilian who had trained in Daoist and martial arts to the very pinnacle.  

Despite her body's frailty, this amazing accomplishment was possible just by making use of a Campione's magic power far surpassing that of humans. Normally, it would deplete the user's magic power.  

Luo Cuilian was using this method to evade lightning while fighting in melee range.  

Just as she had declared earlier, she refrained from using palm techniques. Using the superb movements of qingggong, she closed in on the "King of the End," attacking fiercely with kicks and punches.  

Faced with the demonic cult leader's unarmed arts, the King of the End swung the divine blade—countering with swordsmanship.  

"Just as I thought."  

A smile of delights surfaced on the corners of Luo Cuilian's lips.  

Her guess proved to be correct. When in melee range of the "King of the End," the lightning of salvation would not attack. To prevent attacking its own master no matter what, the Divine Sword Mandala avoided raining lightning down next to him.  

This allowed her to concentrate on unarmed combat, providing Luo Cuilian with an extra edge to her arts.  

"How about you take your earlier words back? I wouldn't mind if you summoned that wind god with the bizarre appearance or the Great Sage Equaling Heaven to repel me!"  

Luo Cuilian suddenly charged the enemy head on, swinging her fist in close range.  

A swift punch. However, it also carried force from the Divine Might of 

Vajrapani. In addition, there was also the momentum from kicking the ground to initiate the charge.  

A magical punch sufficient to smash the enemy's entire body with just a glancing blow.  

However, the "King of the End" simply used his right hand to catch Luo Cuilian's fist with ease. The Divine Might of Vajrapani sending the aristocrat's palm flying—That did not happen.  

Instead, the lightning released from his left hand was scorching Luo Cuilian's young and tiny body!  

This was part of his immortality, witnessed in the previous battle. Repelling the enemy instantly when struck by a heavy blow, enduring the attack without suffering any harm.  

"Rather, Your Highness Luo Cuilian should be the one to stop overexerting this body. At the very least, you should bring out all of your martial arts..."  

"Hohoho. Worry not. I am unharmed even by this."  

Luo Cuilian had taken on the lightning attack at extremely close range.  

But just as she declared, she was unscathed. Her lovely face did not show the slightest burn. Instantaneously, she had manifested a Benevolent King's avatar upon herself as a guardian angel, thereby protecting herself.  

Hmph—The Devil King and hte hero both smiled valorously at the same time.  

Using martial arts and authorities at the same time to break out of predicaments. This was the instant when they expressed approval of each other's methods, offering praise. Then the battle continued.  

The mystic techniques of unarmed combat as performed by the pubescent body. The mystic techniques as performed using the holy blade and sacred lightning.  

Rather than a duel in a bid for supremacy, it was a spectacular performance more akin to a blade dance.  

"As expected of Master... I can't believe she can maintain stalemate in such an ingenious manner."  

Meanwhile, Lu Yinghua muttered while watching the battle.  

The descended lightning of salvation had mercilessly obliterated, destroyed various parts of the race track through electrical heat and impact. No part of the track's surface or the grandstand remained recognizable.  

Everyone had left the extremely dangerous race track, escaping to the mountains behind.  

Erica and Liliana were with Lu Yinghua as well. The trio was watching the battle's progression from high ground, waiting for the moment to assist Her Eminence any time.  

"I remember Her Eminence mentioned this earlier: 'On the level of stalling for time, I shall have a little fun in the meantime.'"  

Liliana murmured.  

There was a reason why the supreme duel between Devil King and hero resembled a blade dance. This was due to both sides deliberately holding back from full force, imposing limits on their own power. Both of them had retained composure.  

Also, the one who created this situation was precisely Her Eminence Luo Hao.  

With feelings stirring deeply within her, Erica commented quietly.  

"This might come across as somewhat offensive, but I am truly surprised. Holding the conviction to defeat the enemy fair and square no matter what, against any kind of opponent, and to actualize that such beliefs... That was my original conception of Her Eminence Luo Hao."  

"That's only the surface on the matter of appearances versus reality. Don't forget that. Purely in terms of combat strength, most gods are far stronger than the various godslaying Devil Kings. In spite of that, Luo Cuilian has remained victorious the whole time so far."  

At this moment, Lu Yinghua was not making a face like a disciple trying to brag about his own master.  

Rather, it was an expression filled with admiration for the extraordinary qualities of the one who had raised him.  

"As the saying goes, 'all's fair in love and war,' right? On the matter of war, Master is quite outstanding too. After all, she is someone who will use every sort of guile to seize victory, trampling those who rely on the power known as 'strength in numbers.' Her mind switches to war mode when engaged in contests of martial arts."  

"...I see."  

Liliana nodded. This was the strategy of "catching the enemy unprepared through deceit or obfuscation."  

This might be denounced as underhanded in martial arts contests, but if the arena was changed to a battlefield with troops under command, one would extol such behavior as virtues or wisdom befitting a king or a general.  

"You'll understand just by playing a game of mahjong with Master."  

" "Mahjong!?" "  

"You'd never expect it, right? But Master knows how to play the game. After all, there is no lack of opportunities to learn weird knowledge for someone living in that kind of Daoist and martial artist community. However, Master's way of playing is absolutely shameless."  

In front of the dumbfounded knights, Lu Yinghua sighed.  

"Because she possesses abnormal gambling luck, sharp instincts and extraordinary guts to begin with, playing normally is already like cheating for her. Plus using her nimble fingers to swap mahjong tiles secretly, even using Daoist arts on occasion, she simply cheats to her heart's content."  

"Hold on there. You're saying that Her Eminence Luo Hao cheats?"  

"It is quite unbelievable after all."  

"Oh lord. When Master approached the mahjong table for the first time, all the other players were scoundrels conspiring together. However, Master ended up seeing through all their tricks, learning the techniques and making them her own, easily obtaining overwhelming victory."  

" "......" "  

"Then Master must have thought this to herself: 'I get it now, mahjong is a game where you win by collecting the needed tiles from all four players in as little time as possible.' Master always goes for the hand with four hidden triples as a minimum, but if you're careless, she might even complete the Heavenly Gates hand with extreme speed."  

"Listening to you, I just noticed how the same principle applies in the battle just now."  

Next to the surprised Liliana, Erica reexamined the situation at hand.  

The Devil King-exterminator was unleashing numerous attacks. Her Eminence Luo Hao was skillfully evading, defending against and avoiding these attacks with perfection, using mysterious martial arts accompanied with Daoist arts at the same time.  

Apart from her, there was no one in the entire world who could accomplish such absurd feats.  

Impossible to emulate. It even felt as though no one in the future could ever reach her level.  

But if this were a strict test of martial arts ability, she would probably be disqualified for cheating. After all, there was no system for using Daoist arts and a Campione's authorities together...  

Enough with the small talk, this battle akin to a blade dance had persisted for over an hour by now.  

Signs of fatigue were gradually surfacing on Luo Cuilian's young face. Glistening sweat dripped from her forehead while her lips were tense in smile of delight.  

Then at this moment, the "King of the End" suddenly withdrew the divine blade. Returning the Divine Sword of Salvation to its sheath on his back, he smiled politely. He intended to show mercy to Luo Cuilian in her imperfect state of health—That was not it.  

He turned his gaze towards the race track's grandstand which had been tragically destroyed by lightning.  

"You have arrived, Kusanagi Godou."  

Standing in front of his gaze was the youngest and seventh Campione.  

As his attendant, Seishuuin Ena was also following after him. While the sworn sister, Luo Cuilian, was stalling for time, Kusanagi Godou had finally returned to the present world.