Campione! - Volume 21 - Chapter 2.2

Part 2
「Big bro. You saw? That bastard died.」

「Looks like it. For a god who should be everlasting to lose his life like that, it’s a wonder.」

The two siblings whispered to each other.

They should be a resident of the world of god or Astral World. The big brother’s name was Prometheus, while the little brother’s name was Epimetheus.

Prometheus was “a person with forethought”. He spoke with discernment.

「However, it should be called a fortune for the humans in this world. After all a god that is reduced into a heretic god and roam the surface in the end will call great disaster to the world of human.」

That day, both of them were staring at the 『surface』 from the world of gods.

The domain where the mortal humans were living──.

Knowing that a certain war god roamed the surface whimsically, they tried to search for that god’s whereabouts.

And then, the big brother Prometheus who was “like human” since the past frowned.

The god roaming the surface was a 『god of war』. At the places where he went, the humans there erupted with belligerence and lust for power, and they would attack the neighboring country without any reason.

Also──it was an era when humans were fighting war with bronze spear and shield, and wooden shield and the like.

Compared to far in the future, it was also simple to cause a war.

A 『god of war』 was roaming on the surface at such era.

Well, when he chased after the god’s whereabouts, estimating that it wouldn’t turn into anything decent, it was just as expected.

The seventh war was occurring in the region where the war god in question was roaming, and several thousand people lost their life in just that incident this time.

The siblings were currently staring at that gruesome killing of each other from the world of god.

「But big bro. This kind of good luck won’t come for the second time.」

「I completely agree.」

Madness that was growing violent while wandering on the surface.

That was the nature of “Heretic God”. This time that became advantage for the humans.

The war god in question got greatly stimulated seeing the war of the humans, his longing for blood erupted. He sought for even more bloodshed──furthermore it was the sacred blood of god that he wanted.

The god suddenly put his divine sword on his own neck and cut.

Thus, the mad god of war’s head fell.

He wouldn’t bring any further calamity on the surface with that. Well, he had already scattered around chaos and bloodshed more than enough though…….

「Big bro, look at that human.」

「Hou.」

The little brother Epimetheus pointed, to which the big brother nodded.

The battleground at the surface. There a human soldier was approaching──the war god who decapitated himself. That soldier picked up the divine sword from the corpse of the collapsed war god.

He lifted it up and escaped from the battlefield with a desperate look.

「Did he saw the sharpness of the divine sword? Quite a sharp sighted guy.」

「Perhaps that’s not all, little brother. A part of dead hero, or great man……by making those people’s very possession or flesh into “their own”, they wish to make the power of the dead into their own. That kind of belief exist amongst the humans.」

Wisdom and knowledge were also the <authority> of wise man Prometheus.

Taught that by the older brother, the little brother Epimetheus suddenly got heated up.

「Such thing, so that means that human, by obtaining the blade of god, won’t he become a new monster!?」

The little brother spoke further with a passionate tone.

「A monster that threaten the surface instead of god. Hero, king, dominating those humans far and wide……」

「No way that could happen.」

In contrast, the intelligent Prometheus was indifferent.

「Mortal human will not be able to use god’s tool by any means. For them even divine sword is just a mere stick──it will be great if it end up just that, but……」

「But?」

「If that human try to use divine tool poorly, he will immediately die.」

「Hurm」

The little brother Epimetheus, his name’s meaning was “afterthought”.

He prioritized action rather than consideration. His body would move faster than his thought, driven by intuition and instinct. Prometheus spoke toward the little brother who was his exact opposite.

「In the first place even if it’s another god who steal that tool, it will be just the same thing you know? Do you think that if a graceful goddess of love steals a divine sword, she will be able to make it useful?」

「Doesn’t……seem so.」

「Right? If big brother can use the <Circle of Usurpation> that I saw before, then it might be a different story though.」

「What’s that thing?」

「A divine tool to plunder authority from the corpse of a dead god.」

「Hou! That’s amazing!」

Epimetheus’s eyes sparkled.

「Hey big bro. We have no hope to be able to interfere with things on the surface easily right?」

「Yeah.」

「Don’t you think that it will become something interesting if we send that circle thingy to the surface? Before a new Heretic God wander out over there.」

Prometheus shrugged his shoulders hearing his little brother’s suggestion.

「You won’t think that if you listen until the end. That divine tool──is something that reproduce the attribute of <gods of steel> that nowadays is well known.」

「Big bro, do you mean that thing? Chasing after other goddesses with sword in hand, and make them submit with strength……」

「Indeed. The steel gods snatched the authority and power of the opponent they subdued, and made it their own. They stropped arms from the corpse of the enemy they defeated, and made it their possession. Like that they are increasing their own strength──」

Prometheus’s voice was dark because it wasn’t a pleasant topic.

「But see, a certain condition has to be fulfilled in order to rotate the Circle of Usurpation.」

「What is it?」

「The opponent who you will strength from──has to be killed by your own strength. The <Circle> will only move for the first time after you offer sacrifice of the life of the god you murdered.」

「……Certainly, it’s meaningless if that’s the case. There is no way human can kill god.」

At this time, the “brother of afterthought” nodded in firm agreement.

But, he immediately spoke this.

「So, big bro. Where is that divine tool?」

In the end, Epimetheus crossed over seven holy precincts and nine realms of dead, and at the end of the difficult journey, he discovered the divine tool, Circle of Usurpation.

Finishing his long quest, the little brother asked his wise elder brother.

「Now big bro! Think of the most interesting way to use this thing!」

「……Call your wife. 『The all-giving woman』 is the one most worthy to be its bearer.」

Prometheus, the person of forethought.

But, it was only at this time he thought of the result after taking action.

And then, his little brother of afterthought was grinning widely with a truly thoughtless expression.

His face was a mischievous one, like an expression that someone like Salvatore Doni would make. It made Godou who was watching the whole story from beginning to end to feel complicated.

–

It was unknown whether it was several thousand years, or several tens of thousands years ago.

But, the scene that definitely happened once between Prometheus and Epimetheus was shown to Godou in the shape illusion like a playback image.

When he noticed, he had returned──back to the grey colored domain.

The end of Astral World that was the nearest to the domain of god. The mother, Pandora also often came here.

Here Godou heard “the usual voice”.

「How is it? The happening of the night before the birth of all of you godslayers?」

「Pandora-san.」

「You should say mama or Okaa-sama there, Godou.」

The mother Pandora was there in the form a beautiful girl with her blonde hair tied into twintails.

In addition of her usual goddess styled attire (well, she was a real goddess though), she was holding a large disk that looked like shield with both her hands.

It was a disk made from steel that looked profoundly heavy.

A carved seal that seemed to be modeled after 『dragon’s head』 was drawn on its surface. Around it was the carved seal of eight 『swords』.

「Fufufufu. This thing is the genuine Circle of Usurpation. We bestowed a new name to this divine tool that was once crowned with the name of pillage. The usurpation of god’s power and authority by humans who was turned into godslayer……. This is the vessel for the sake to realize that.」

While her appearance looked like she was at the first half of her teens, Pandora was bewitching like usual.

She was a devilish goddess who fascinated man not only with beauty, but also with charm as woman. She was the wife of Epimetheus, and the girl who opened the Pandora box.

「Godou, you are the first godslayer who has seen this.」

The mother of all Campiones winked mischievously.

「This is a prize for you who will settle the fight with the King of the End after this. What do you think? The true shape of the power that resurrect you as 『beast』──」

「This thing is……. But Pandora-san.」

Godou asked in this rare chance.

「Why did Prometheus entrust this to you? If I remember correctly, Pandora-san was──」

「Aa, eh? Onii-sama called me as the 『all giving woman』. That is exactly the meaning of my name 『Pandora』.」

The Circle of Usurpation vanished from the hand of the chuckling goddess.

She spread out her empty hands and twirled around as though dancing, greatly displaying her own existence.

「It’s told in the mythology of Greece. Pandora is a woman who was bestowed with every “woman charm” from the gods. And then, she is a bad woman who opened the box Zeus gifted to her, and foolishly scattered all kind of disaster on the surface. Fufufufu, that’s not all there is to me!」

Instantly, the girl figure of Pandora──was overlapped with another figure.

It was the figure of a mature female who looked around twenty years old. If the girl before him someday passed through time and achieved growth, she would surely look like that.

Her arms and legs were also lengthened, and her figure possessed enough of voluptuousness and cleverness as woman──.

「Pandora was an earth godess even before the gods of Olympus planted their root in Greece. A goddess who bestowed every kind of grace to gods and humans!」

「So that’s why you are 『all giving woman』……」

「Yes, correct. That’s why──for me this isn’t difficult at all. Whether it’s controlling the Circle or granting the authority of the dead god to the achiever of godslaying. Or even blowing breath of life to a new “child of mine”, and also heightening the wildness of those children to maximum.」

‘I see.’ Godou nodded.

Pandora too was 『once a mother earth goddess who possessed even more powerful authority and wisdom』. Just like how Athena was once like that.

Perhaps that was exactly the reason she was taking the side of the mortal humans.

As expected she cooperated with her brother-in-law and husband who were like human──.

But, however.

「But Pandora-san. Is our existence a plus for the world and mankind?」

「Well, there are also times when it would be better if you all don’t exist.」

Pandora spoke while cackling.

「But isn’t it fine? All of you are humans beyond the pale who accomplished the absurdity of slaying god. Even if you all act a bit──no. Even if you all act terribly barbarically and made preposterous messes repeatedly, Okaa-sama will forgive you!」

It was a declaration that really wasn’t suitable for a goddess to make, actually it was a selfish line to say.

The step mother Pandora spoke to Godou who was staring wide eyed.

「Right after my husband found the Circle of Usurpation, I and also my brother in law arranged various preparations while thinking like this. There is no way the like of mortal human will be able to achieve the great exploit of slaying a god, all these preparations will absolutely end up in vain──」

「…………」

「But, all of you splendidly came to be. Even after that one more, and then one more godslayer were born in succession. Even if other gods and humans won’t approve of it, just from that we favor the achievers of <godslaying>, and watch over them……」

This time she turned and spoke in a way that was overflowing with motherhood.

The step mother who was a goddess who gave everything told the son who wasn’t connected to her by blood.

「That’s right Godou. If you win against that child──Prince Rama who is the arch enemy of our camp, the godslayers for a long time, I will especially give you something that you wished for. Anything is fine.」

「Hahah. Something like that, I don’t really──」

He was about to smiled wryly and said he didn’t need anything.

Godou suddenly thought. That by any chance, perhaps he would need this kind of thing.

「……Then, perhaps I’ll make a request.」

Thinking about the matter that would come after winning.

Perhaps it was an act that wasn’t fitting for Campione. After all as expected, they were the illegitimate children of Epimetheus, “the person of afterthought”.

Even so right now Godou deliberately gazed at what came after victory.

–