Campione! - Volume 20 - Chapter 4.2

Part 2 

It went without saying. 

There was no way the ruler of the martial world would die by getting dragged into something like meteor impact. 

As soon as she saw the catastrophe descending from the sky, Luo Cuilian realized. That it was impossible already to escape from that star with normal method. 

But of course, she who was at the height of martial art and magic was an exception――!

「Shih!」(TN: This one is written with the kanji of rapid) 

She chanted a short spell and used the magic of ground shrinker. 

Shrinking the ground meant『shrinking the distance between the spot the user was currently at with the destination point at far away.』 

That was to say an instant teleportation. Thus Luo Cuilian easily accomplished her escape from the shockwave and impact rampaging at the site of the meteor impact.

「For the king of Italia country to possess such sword……the sword of falling star.」 

She chuckled due to her admiration due to that mister Salvatore. 

A foolish person that was still immature in anything other than sword art. There was no doubt of that. However, he polished his only strong point to an insane degree and now he was stepping into a territory that surpassed Luo Cuilian’s imagination. 

Yes! Even if other didn’t understand# but only she understood! 

That was a special move that was unleashed based from the principle of sword or katana art, like drawing out a sheathed katana instantly. 

Only Luo Cuilian understood because of her discernment as someone who was at the height of martial realm and her spiritual sense as a Daogu――!「I have to chase after those people……」 

The subordinates of Kusanagi Godou were also accompanying those two devil kings. 

She had seen through with a glance that one of them was striving to carry out the secret ritual to transfer to the realm of the dead――the area that was called as Astral world by western practicioner. Of course, she had the knowledge of the same magic. Like this――she transferred to realm of the dead completely with her own power. 

What greeted her were nymphs that seemed familiar with her.「Holy sect founder-sama.」

「It has been a long time.」

「To be able to burn the sight of holy sect founder-sama’s august countenance into our eyes once more, there is nothing more joyful than this@ Aa# it’s truly an honor to be in the presence of Sect Founder Luo Hao’s virtue and authority@」 

The place was a peach orchard. 

Several thousand peach trees were growing comfortably inside vast plot of land, they were beautifully tended to and received bright sunlight of spring in plenty. 

Ten-odd nymphs were playing as they pleased in that peach garden. 

They admired flowers, recited poem, tasted high-grade wine, and laughed at each other’s jokes. And then, the elegant nymphs were gathering in great hurry to the side of the beauty that wasn’t inferior to anyone among them# Luo Cuilian# and gave her a warm welcome with their reverence and deep affection in full display. This was truly a Shangri-la――! This was the stronghold of Luo Cuilian at the realm of the dead. 

Of course# because she was a residence of earth# she wouldn’t come here except in a special case. Those with limited length of life didn’t have the qualification to live here! But since she became godslayer, her chance to visit the realm of the dead was also a lot. Before she realized, this Shangri-la became her provisional dwelling.

「I command all of you.」 

That was what Luo Cuilian said the first thing from her mouth without even any greeting.

「A little while ago, two Campiones should have arrived here from earth. Search for the whereabouts of those people. Do it as fast as possible.」 

Certainly! The nymphs immediately bowed their head. 

If the other party was shutting themselves in a holy ground that was designated as forbidden, or if they were putting up barrier magic for their self-protection, the search would turn really difficult. But, the pursuit target this time were the two names who were the most careless among the seven devil kings. 

Their whereabouts would surely be discovered. Luo Cuilian was convinced of that. 

A few hours later, Luo Cuilian finally departed. 

The information of the “stratum” where the targeted group was at had been reported to her by the nymphs. She strongly imagined the destination spot based from that, and transferred――! 

(In the realm of the dead there were infinite stratums, this was the fastest travel method to cross between them.)

「Fufufufu. My powerful enemy is somewhere in this land.」 

Cherubic smile emerged on the visage that was like flower. 

There was a green grasslands that was continuing forever before her eyes. Sheeps, goats, and horses could happily run here. And then, it was right beside a sea. 

There would be a steep cliff if anyone went until where the grasslands cut off. 

If one peered below, they would see rough wave pushing from the sea, hitting and smashing the rock. Thick clouds were hiding the sky, and wind was blowing strongly on the inhabited grasslands. 

The temperature was cool, while the air was dry and clear. 

Of course, it was a place that was unlike anywhere on earth but――Luo Cuilian recalled! She had the recollection in the far past, when she traveled Greek country, that she witnessed a similar scenery.

「Now then……let’s search the holy ground that the nymphs were saying about.」

She sent her usual『eye』to the sky and obtained overhead view of this area. 

There was a temple more than a hundred kilometer ahead. It had construction style where thick round pillars were lined up, resembling the Doria style of ancient Greek. 

And then, there was one other thing.

「Hou」 

Luo Cuilian whispered after discovering a certain thing. 

At an area that wasn’t really far from where she was currently at――there was an army that was marching solemnly!

「As expected from the wolf king. He has marched into here this quickly.」 

When Salvatore Doni’s meteor fell! 

Voban was in “jet black dragon” transformation! It seemed that this authority was named as something like『Otherland’s Dragon』by those gloomy wise man association bunches 

(though there wasn’t any other information written in the public material other than that it was an authority to transform into dragon). 

……Actually# strictly speaking it wasn’t transformation! 

Voban himself was sleeping, while his soul separated from his body and turned into a dragon. 

It was such an authority. Because his flesh body became defenseless in temporary death, it was hard to find the time to use it! But# Voban’s soul that turned into dragon was halfway indestructible. Even if the dragon body was destroyed, the soul would be able to return from the realm of the dead like a ghost――! 

He usurped the authority from ancient Mesopotamia’s mother earth goddess, Inanna. 

While she was an existence that brought about good harvest on the land, she was also the goddess of the realm of the dead. 

Just like how a lot of earth mother goddess that governed death be, she was also a divinity with second true character that was dragon = snake (the same like Athena of Greek myth). 

The body of the black dragon was swallowed by the explosion of the meteor impact and got terribly wounded. 

But# it wasn’t a fatal injury! There he summoned the dead servant witch, and when he asked where did the enemy escape to――he was told they went to Astral world! 

Then, it was simple. 

Voban dragged out his own heart from the chest of his dragon body. 

He severed his own life. In other words, it had the same meaning with『traveling to the realm of the dead』. And then, the realm of the dead and Astral world――were extremely close things. 

Hades, afterlife, world of the dead, idea world, spirit world, astral world. There were various ways of calling it throughout the world. In short it was “a region to hangout for those who escaped death without life”! It seemed that it was called as『the boundary between life and immortality』among the heretic gods and the true gods……! 

Anyway, Voban arrived at Astral word through the realm of the dead. 

Next he could just choose the best magic user among his Dead Servants and made them carried out the secret ritual of underworld transfer to transport the “sleeping Dejanstahl Voban” from earth to here――!

「Now then」 

Voban murmured. 

He had already called off his dragon avatar and returned to his human body.

「The army preparation is also finished. The whereabouts of that self-proclaimed little sister of mine and that idiot is also discovered by my servants! What’s left is only to pursue them.

」 

Currently, there were three hundred horsemen around the demon wolf king. 

Dead Servants――furthermore they were the same kind with those that were summoned at Okutama for cornering Salvatore Doni. All of them were notorious warrior during their lifetime. With sword, spear, bow, axe, or halberd as their weapon, they were also wearing armor just as they liked. 

On top of that, they were riding the wolves that Voban called. 

They were called out as horse replacement using the authority of demon wolf. Every single one was huge wolf that wasn’t lesser than even fierce bull. 

Even Voban himself was straddling one of the wolves. 

Along with his servants that were marching calmly, their aim was the end of this stratum. 

The temple that was built there was a holy ground that was preeminent even in this Astral world, it seemed that it was the terribly important place for managing『the secret of the world』……!

「Ooh」 

Voban squinted his eyes. 

He could hear sound of horse’s hooves! A red horse was――dashing on the sky, the sound of its hooves were also loud, as though it was sprinting on paved road. 

The rider of the red horse that was rapidly approaching this way was naturally an old acquaintance of Voban. 

Furthermore, the person was sitting facing the side on the saddle without even holding the rein, their Han clothing fluttering by the wind. 

While it was a posture that was unsuited for riding horse, but the running showed a unity of rider and horse.

「So you also came, wolf king!」

「I can say the same to you, it seems we arrived at the same conclusion!」 

Voban replied to Sect Founder Luo Hao who was spurring on the divine horse galloping in the sky. 

This horse looked like it had red body from afar, but it was actually different. It was a horse with common brown fur. However, the sweat that its whole body was drenched with was blood colored. 

Surely it was summoned from her specialty magic. 

The blood sweating horse was lightly sprinting beside the army of the death and wolves that was led by Voban, but from the height of two, three meter from the ground. 

「If it’s alright with you# should I attack from different directions?」 

Sect Founder Luo Hao said.「There is no need to disorder your command for that.」

「Let’s not be like that! The chance to lead an army together with the Sect Founder Luo Hao# it’s something that is unlikely to arrive for the second time in the future! Let’s take enjoyment from this.」 

Since the forming of the alliance―― Even though they didn’t match their pace# but they still happened to meet each other in the same place, in the same timing a lot instead. In other words, this was because they were equal. 

In strength, instinct, fighting spirit, fighting experience, discernment, insight, and so on as warriors. 

Although their way of doing things were greatly different, as veteran godslayer, the numerous strength they had acquired――was almost equal# that was the reason they conformed each other like this. 

As expected, perhaps the godslayer in front of their eye would be their strongest obstacle. 

It was possible, that the other would be the greatest wall standing in their way compared to the youngster of their kind. 

Pursuing the shadow of the formidable enemy they should have a showdown with eventually, the demon wolf king and the supernatural sect founder advanced through the battlefield……! 

And then, at the same time when the two old devil kings carried out their reunion.

「What have you done!」 

A white haired and white bearded old man cursed looking like he would vomit out blood. 

As usual he was wearing a toga of ancient Rome and held a bronze pen. 

In front of him, Liliana Krancjar and Erica Blandelly were standing. Together with the two Campiones that had been always with them as baggage through their journey in Astral world.

「Of all people# it is these two――the two whose nature of foolishness is towering above the rest even among the godslayers who are all the heaven-sent children of fools, and you bring them here to this mansion!」

「He is a gramps with really bad mouth huuh.」

「To call someone he first met an idiot to their face, how unbelievable-」 

Doni keenly whispered so while Madam Aisha was feeling indignation by the old man. 

This old man was the master of『Plutarch Mansion』. 

This was the place that Liliana and Mariya Yuri once visited through the guidance of John Pluto Smith. The secret holy ground that Princess Alice also knew about――!

「Shit-. Of all thing, just when I cannot make contact with the master of this domain John Pluto Smith……they marched into here right in such situation!」

「My. So we are able to intrude in just the right timing then.」

「The opposite! You guys intentionally came picking the worst timing!」 

The witch that stirred up history as she pleased and the observer of history. 

These two who were making talk like a straight man and a funny man were actually fellow rival through long years. 

Though of course Madam Aisha wasn’t aware of it at all! 

Putting that aside, the two knights were whispering at each other in low volume.

「We easily arrived here easier than I thought.」

「That’s because since the expedition in the ancient Gallia# Liliana’s spiritual sight has rose really much! Perhaps# it’s because of that I believe.」 

These two girls were prodigious genius that towered above the rest as human magicians. 

However, in front of this lineup, even they were nothing more but minor role.

「Well, just as the venerable senior say, the act of guiding these two here itself……is certainly also a failure in our part!」

「It can’t be helped! Even if there was other choice, we had no leeway to choose it.」 

In contrast with Liliana that was faintly regretful, Erica just shrugged her shoulders. 

Liliana was relying on the image when they visited previously to lead the group until the temple of ancient Greek style. They dived into underground it and went through a long passage. 

This white haired white bearded old man was at the hall that they finally came out to. 

Colossal number of stone slab was floating in the air at the underground passage. The history of the world and mankind――everything of those were recorded there! 

The room of the old man was also littered with the same stone slab innumerably on the floor. 

It was hard to even find the place for their foot to step on. And then, the old man that was serving as observer of history in this uncomfortable place――yelled like a tragedy actor!「Aa……furthermore if you all came here@ Then even the senile old devil kings that hungered for battle will also get lured to this mansion too you know@? That’s something that I don’t even want to think about……if# this holy ground is destroyed# just how much impact it will have at the advance of history that should be――@」