Campione! - Volume 20 - Chapter 4.4

Part 4 

Godou more or less received introduction about the background of the members gathering in this conference place. 

First, there were around ten fairy kings other than Smith. 

The master of genie palace, the spirit of desert Al Shaitan. Princess of specter Salome. Tyrant of north wind Boreas. The black dwarf that stood at the summit of all fairy blacksmith Alberich. The king of sandstorm Simoun. Abandoning earthly life and living in hiding at Kunlun Mountain, Great Sage Renhu (TN: Renhu = weretiger in China). The spirit king of sacred rain that governed the forest of holy tree Chinese banyan. The ghost king that invited death just by its laughing voice, and so on. 

At first he could still memorize them, but he was gradually becoming unable to remember what he was told. 

And then, there were the hermit, sage, and elders of Astral world that were brought here by the kings. 

There was former『Heretic God』that lost interest in wandering earth, then there was also the grand magicians and saints that were human and should have died yet they obtained immortality, high rank fairies and spirits that possessed divine power that wasn’t inferior even when compared with fairy king, and so on. 

Among them there were Haya Susanoo no Mikoto, and Athena who he saw off before the start of the civil war.

「It’s a surprise that there are two of my acquaintances here!」

「Hmph. Something like that isn’t anything that strange!」 

Susanoo who was also the patron of Seishuuin Ena snorted. 

「The hot-blooded godslayers are rushing out from earth and bring their battlefield until『the boundary of life and immortality』! It’s a story that can often be heard. When that happens, you will be able to normally make one or two acquaintance or enemies.」

「I see.」

「Though as expected, it was the first time when that godslayer over there become as far as a fairy king.」 

Those words were said with a glance at John Pluto Smith. 

Susanoo today was wearing a garment with tight sleeves with a loose hakama worn over it. The color was all white. His appearance looked as though he came straight from picture book of Japanese myth# but his white hair wasn’t tied! It wasn’t “mizura” hairstyle# but disheveled hair! (TN" Google this word# 

みづら to look at what kind of hairstyle it is.) 

That hairstyle suited Susanoo who was wild despite his advanced age. 

As for Athena, she looked like a girl in her low teens. 

She was speaking to Godou dispassionately without showing any joy of their reunion after a few days.

「It hath still been a short time since I arrived here. But notables fairy king were calling out to me. In order to settle down the turmoil of this time, they wished to borrow mine opinion.」

「Turmoil?」

「Obviously I refer toward the second coming of『King of the End』.」 

Athena grinned fearlessly. 

As divine ancestor Pallas Athena, she transformed into snake goddess by converting her life. In the end, her life force was thoroughly stolen by the revived Rama. 

Because of that she came to the realm of the death in order to escape the nearly approaching death. 

As expected, it appeared that it was better this way. It was visible that she had recovered back her power somewhat compared to when the parted on earth. 

The current Athena was nostalgically awe-inspiring――she had the visage of a war god. 

But# of course Godou didn’t say anything like『I’m glad』about it. He accepted her strength and fortitude like it was only natural and exchanged words with her like usual.

「Then# the people here are――」 

Rather the human here numbered fewer but, Godou spoke while ignoring that. (TN: The kanji of people Godou used meant human.)

「thinking that they want to do something about that Rama?」

「Truly. Doth you forget, I came here with such intention in the first place.」

「That’s because it’s you! But# the other guys here……they all are like former god or something like half-god right? Aren’t they Rama’s comrade?」 

Godou boldly asked. However, the responds he received was really complicated. The fairy kings and the well-informed residents of Astral world――no one gave affirmative respond! Some were silent# some ignored the question, some were smiling meaningfully, some were shrugging their shoulders. 

Come to think of it. 

Godou stared once more at the “grampsy”! 

The elderly nobleman Susanoo, he was a retired old man that was interfering to the History Compilation Committee in the present world from the realm of the dead. 

Susanoo too was also gloating a bit unkindly.

「Well……certainly I’m like a relative of that brat! But you see# if the official stance is taken off# it’s not that unusual for me to have various things that I want to complain to him. And then」 

Susanoo’s lips slackened into a grin that looked like a mischievous kid.

「There ain’t any problem even if I speak what’s inside my heart here, this place is a secret hideout after all.」

「You and your group# I remember you hindered with Rama’s revival now and then……! Even that guy’s former wife is also your comrade.」 

Godou nodded. The goddess that was once called Sita. She reincarnated and became a divine ancestor, drifted into Japan, and in the end she retired to the realm of the dead――! 

According to the information from Smith, the glass princess wasn’t here! 

Even now he was secretly carrying the thing that was entrusted from her……!

「So everyone gathering here is also the same?」

「That’s right! I also told you before! Even a retired person like me is a god! It’s not allowed to convey knowledge that exist only at the world of god, the『Domain of Immortality』to the surface world.」 

He referred to at the end of the year last year# when Susanoo’s soul was called to earth. 

Now he was repeating once more what he informed to Godou and others at that time.

「What we ought to value is『the balance between this world and that world』. In other words, it means for the world of you humans and the world of the gods to continue existing with the proper relationship.」 

Balance. Those words pulled at the heart. 

The speech was continuing further in front of Godou who was leaning forward.

「Human is to be like human. And god is to be like god. Human should be toyed around helplessly in front of great gods and nature. From the beginning of the universe until the end, everything progress as how it should be, and the thread of history must be spun free from accident! ……That’s why」 

Susanoo solemnly said. 

With his wildness still as it was, he was clad in aura of a transcendental god.

「A world where the likes of human can kill god――is totally out of mind. It ought to be corrected. That is the kind of expectation that make the mastermind sending the brat Rama here to persist. If that guy is allowed to keep at it, the balance between human world and god world will rapidly go out of order I tell you.」

「Master――mind?」

「You don’t remember? He should have told you already!」

「Don’t tell me……you mean the thing?」 

Rama said before. I am the warrior that was entrusted with the fate to exterminate devil king. 

The godslayer that was Rama’s longstanding foe spat out! There is mountain of things that I want to say to that fate bastard that was giving birth to an existence like you. 

Even Godou himself said! From the bottom of my heart I’m thinking that something like fate should just eat shit.

「Bulls-eye. The fate of devil king extermination. Well, though if a really hot-blooded guy who is barely a god like me can speak――then really fate should just eat shit!」

「Wait, is it okay for you to say that, huh.」 

The old god Susanoo was about to say something at Godou who was wide-eyed. 

However# faster than he could――Athena quickly interjected in.

「Of course there art no problem! It’s obvious anyone wouldth say that.」

「This time it’s the goddess of wisdom-sama who makes the reckless remark……」

「Hmph. God and godslayer, if they meet then they couldth just fight with their life on the line. Even if the side of god who is lacking in power die, that is nothing more than the custom of a battlefield. A state that art unable to even recognize the existence of equal enemy――how can one claimeth to be god like that.」

Athena proclaimed proudly with a sentence that was worthy for the goddess that governed over wisdom and battle.

「Even without the protection of this so-called warrior of fate, one ought to just fight with one’s own power# that’s all there is to it! To say nothing of how that warrior is――the repulsive hero of steel don’t thou see?」 

It was a fierce disgust toward the existence that should be called as the natural enemy of mother earth goddess and snake. 

It was exactly right now when Godou truly witnessed the true worth of Athena.

「I absolutely cannot recognizedth it. And also」 

Athena suddenly waved her arm. 

That gesture was in order to point at the supernaturals of the Astral world gathering here.

「There art various reasons but――it seem that at the point where it’s difficult to recognize the existence of King Rama# the notables here also hath the same opinion.」 

The black dwarf fairy king Alberich said shortly.「He is excessively too powerful.」 

The king of north wind Boreas gravely spoke.「It’s unthinkable to let the real world to be burned to ash by King Rama’s heat to try to destroy the godslayers」. Each time he who looked like a Caucasian male in his prime spoke something, cold wind was blowing with whistling sound. 

The beautiful princess Salome listlessly whispered「Whether dying or living, it can be decided by oneself」. 

The fairy king Al Shaitan who looked like a genie that appeared in Arabian night went「This is a problem that had been discussed to exhaustion. There is nothing to say other than the conclusion that King Rama should perish」. 

Not a single person attempted to vindicate Rama. 

And then, as though to put together the recollection of the fairy kings――John Pluto Smith who persisted in silent until now finally opened his mouth.

「Kusanagi Godou. The former Heretic Gods and hermits leading secluded life in this Astral world, are so to speak the strays of god world and spirit world. In addition they chose that way of existence by their own will. For that reason they can declare their own opinion without shrinking back――even toward an exaggerated existence like whatsoever.」

「Looks like it.」 

Godou could accept all the reasons that he had heard just now. However, that kind of pleasant man was being avoided by his fellows like this. 

That was just really lonely. It was unthinkable that it was a worthy situation for that man. 

And then# Smith――was staring fixedly at such Godou! It was as though he was looking for something, as though he was trying to determine the innermost depth of Kusanagi Godou’s heart. 

When Godou reflexively stared back, Smith then said something like this.

「However……still! Even the various wise individuals of Astral world gathering here has ties of obligation as gods no matter how minimum it is. And above all else, as someone retired, they also cannot proactively interfere with phenomenon o thef real world! That’s why# they seem to wish to lend their hand to us!」

「What does that mean?」

「I too only hath heard about it not long ago. It was a really foolish scheme……perhaps it will suit you godslayer!」 

The corner of Athena’s lips twisted faintly! 

She whispered the words of guidance while smiling with fortitude as goddess of war.

「Deceiving the fate of devil king extermination, then maketh one godslayer and King Rama――to duel under conditions that art as equal as possible! It’s a scheme for that!」

「…………」 

Equal duel. It was a phrase that strongly attracted Godou.「Can I hear about it in more detail?」

「Right. What is compelling the hero Rama into the ultimate warrior is the fate of devil king extermination. However, even the immensely unparalleled power of fate cannot reinforceth that personage unconditionally. Until the end it only heighten the power of King Rama based on the number of godslayers born on earth.」

「Eh, just why is that?」 

It was a nice timing that a goddess of wisdom was here. He tried to ask Athena.

「If it’s going to be like that# it’s better to just strengthen Rama unlimitedly.」

「That cannot be done. Until the end, 『The Great Ritual of the Old Covenant』is “corrective power” after all!」

「Corrective power?」 

It was a term that he relatively heard recently. 

He had also experienced it himself by his own body. Yes. In the middle of the time travel induced by Madam Aisha, time and time again……! The masked godslayer interjected after seeing Godou’s complexion.

「Let’s change the way to say it so you can understand it easier! 

For this world, the birth of us Campione seem to be an extraordinary irregularity. Something that shouldn’t occur in world’s history――an emergency situation that must not happen! For example# Madam Aisha’s mix up into the past!」 

As expected from Smith, he named a problem character.

「To correct that irregularity, there is this system that temporarily support the hero Rama in order to carry out the plot of “a hero destroying all the devil kings”! And that is『The Great Ritual of the Old Covenant』! It’s truly the same kind with『history corrective force』that we know.」

「So it’s something like that……」 

The time when Laksmana displayed an unexpected latent power at Okutama. 

It seemed that the intuition of princess shrine maiden that connected it with Madam Aisha was correct.

「Kusanagi Godou.」 

Athena talked once more to Godou who was looking down.

「The civil war that thou art carrying out right now. It is something logical, but its efficiency is bad. If internal strife is repeated until six people among the seven art defeated, the last one standing――will be exhausted# and they wouldn’t be in the state to confront King Rama.」

「Isn’t that right! I also faintly noticed that since around yesterday.」 

Two whole days had passed since the start of the civil war. In only such a short time, there was already several times where bitter fight was done. 

Furthermore, there still wasn’t even one person that dropped out of the war. 

Well, Madam Aisha could also be considered as retired already though.

「Then Kusanagi Godou――will it be you# or will it be the masked godslayer.」 

Athena gazed at the two Campiones before her and announced.

「Any of you can use this scheme. Make that foolish witch to open the『Fairy Corridor』once more and pushed down six godslayers into there, erasing them from the real world.」

「Eh? Wait a second!」 

Godou yelled after noticing a problematic point right away.

「Aisha-san has lost all of her strength. There is no way she can open the corridor!」