Campione! - Volume 21 - Chapter 6.1

Chapter 6   Before Beginning the Trip
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Part 1
And then, everything was burned to nothing.

That boundless fabric wasn’t there anymore in the territory of the gods of fate.

There was only empty space of darkness stretching on and on. However, Godou noticed. Even though it should be a domain without anything existing in it, there was a kind of “ground”.

Even now both Rama and himself were firmly stepping on something like this──.

It was something transparent and firm, and most likely it had existed unchanged for eternity.

「Hey Rama. You said it right?」

Godou called out to his dignified partner.

「Several times you called her the Bearer of Fate. Not the creator of fate or anything else.」

「Yeah. In the end, the concept of fate──is something that has continued to exists from the ancient past when the race called human and their soul were created. The girl we defeated just now interweaved the string of fate and weaved up a grand fabric but……it wasn’t her who created the string.」

「Could it be, that this is a bundle of string of fate?」

Godou kicked the “ground” hard.

Before they knew it, it wasn’t transparent anymore.

White. A pure white ground surface was spreading endlessly until beyond the horizon. Pure white fabric that wasn’t unlike a white canvas was continuing endlessly everywhere.

Rama finally sheathed the Divine Sword of Salvation into his scabbard and muttered.

「The Bearer who dispatched me to the surface and her creation were wiped out. However, the fabric made from the string of fate──will continue to exist even from now on. Someone among the multitude of gods of fate will become the new Bearer, and weave up a new pattern.」

「You mean a new fate huh.」

「It will be like that. Well, the raw materials are the same like before, it’s hard to imagine that the fate and its writing style will be greatly different from before……」

Rama smiled wryly.

Until now, he was a warrior who was entrusted with the fate of devil king extermination.

Around the ground the great hero was stepping on──red string, blue string, black string, yellow string, a pattern made from strings of various color was emerging.

It was ten-odd sheets of picture that was drawn using string.

──The picture of people being tormented by monster that seemed like demon spewing out fire.

──The picture of a gathering of people yelling to the sky seeking for salvation.

──The picture of a character that descended from heaven, the mass lifted their hands and cheered…….

「They are tales!」

「Looks like it……. Surely in some era somewhere in the world, people were seeking for messiah. And then, the new Bearer of Fate seemed to leave that role to me.」

『Pictures』 were increasing one after another around Rama who was smiling wryly.

Before they noticed the number of pictures became more than a hundred, becoming a composition that was like a mandala with the hero of salvation right in the middle of them.

Godou tilted his head.

「There is only me left as the devil king in this world, and I’m not thinking of doing anything to the world. I am a 『demon king-sama with low awareness』, so something like the job of messiah should be gone though……」

「Just now, you spoke a fragment of the answer aptly.」

Rama smiled thinly.

「Certainly you are the only devil king in this world. However, perhaps there are others in other worlds.」

「──Is it that? The parallel world thing!」

Several parallel worlds existed in this universe.

The world where Kusanagi Godou lived, and different world with different history, and different exploit accumulated. It was a fact that John Pluto Smith mentioned, and it was also clearly recognized by the goddess of wisdom.

Rama spoke further to Godou who recalled the underlying principle of the world.

「Yes. Most likely, a world somewhere is in the verge of danger by the hand of godslayer, or a devil king that is similar to that……」

The messiah who descended to the surface many times as the King of the End.

He smiled gently, then he suddenly let out a small sigh. After that he crouched and stared at the illustrated tale that was drawn on the ground.

And then, he gently caressed the picture of the mass of people that was nearest to him.

「As expected, there is also no way I can ignore them.」

The hero Rama muttered gently.

But, it was also a fact that a shadow like a rust was resurrected on his dignified handsome face.

「…………」

Godou was silent, he was staring at his new friend.

The sword wound on his left shoulder that he suffered from him was throbbing painfully. Other than that, his whole body also felt hot here and there. It seemed that he was carrying small wounds without him noticing.

They were obtained from the battle against the god of fate.

There was various things that should be done but──

First Godou took out a red jewel from his pocket.

He thought of the figure of the girl he loved. Just from that the jewel instantly returned into Erica Blandelli. She smiled bewitchingly from beside Godou.

「You finally did it, Godou.」

「Yeah. However, let’s talk about that for later.」

Erica guessed what he thought just from the brief words and an exchange of glance.

She glanced at Rama. Ahead of the gaze of the Diavollo Rosso, the great hero was kneeling and continued to gaze gently at the illustrated tales that appeared on the ground.

「It seems that prince Rama, intends to begin a trip again.」

「Yeah. That guy is that kind of man.」

When Godou answered Erica’s whisper.

Finally──

The person Godou was waiting anxiously for arrived.

「That was a splendid victory, Godou! As expected from my son!」

The first thing the goddess Pandora who suddenly appeared did was to say that smilingly.

Rama stood up in response to that cheerful behavior.

「Oo. You are the step mother of godslayer that I heard from rumors.」

「That’s right, legendary prince-sama. For a long time you had fought against my children. But, thanks to this child the end is brought to that relationship……」

The step mother Pandora walked briskly while speaking to Rama bluntly.

She came to a stop in front of Godou and nodded.

「Looks like Godou’s instinct hit the mark.」

「It’s not like I want it to hit the mark though.」

Through the various things that happened in these few days, Godou had came to open his heart quite much with this self proclaimed mother.

Godou continued to speak without polite language anymore.

「When I was anxiously thinking if the fate itself will get shattered after defeating the god of fate──it was just as I thought.」

The illustrated tales that were newly drawn by the string of fate.

The former hero of devil king extermination was going to accept it.

The thing that Godou was vaguely apprehensive of since before this decisive battle was proving to be right. Godou leaked out a sigh. He asked the step mother of godslayer once more.

「And, how about that promise?」

「Actually it’s no good, but it’s fine just for this time. After all it was me who said that I’ll give you reward.」

Above the head of the all giving goddess Pandora, a steel disk appeared.

There was an engraved seal of a dragon’s head around it. The engraved seal of eight swords was surrounding it. It was the mechanism that produced Campione.

Divine tool, the Circle of Usurpation.

The steel disk was beginning to rotate in high speed.

「Now Godou. Steal as you please the authority from the god of fate you defeated! It’s your liberty to choose which power possessed by that woman that you will steal!」

Pandora spoke loudly.

This was exactly the 『reward』 that he wished from the step mother.

The authority obtained from murdering god, it was completely uncertain which authority it would be.

First it would vary which of the authority would be stolen from the several authorities that were possessed by the gods. After that, there would be further arrangement based from the nature and ability of the murderer, the godslayer.

At the end, what kind of power it would become was left to chance──.

The truth was something like god’s authority didn’t matter to him. However, he couldn’t say that only this time. There was an ability that he wanted no matter what in case of his anxiety was proved to be true.

It wasn’t for his own sake, but for the sake of the man who was bound by the unreasonable fate.

「Think it in your mind. The power that you wished for.」

「My wish is──」

Urged by Pandora, Godou closed his eyes.

He concentrated his mind and heightened his magic power. When he consigned the Bearer of Fate into oblivion just now, the divine power filling the heart and body, he overlapped a certain image onto it.

Spinning the string of fate, deciding the length of the string, then cutting the string.

Unfastening the string, and unraveling the fetters.

If there was still persistent string, then it would be retied to somewhere else──.

「Come apart.」

Godou’s murmur. It was simple, but it was words of power to control the authority.

He suddenly lifted the palm of his right hand over the ground. Above the white fabric of fate, the illustrated tale of mankind salvation was drawn like a mandala. However.

Those illustrated tales were vanishing one after another.

Kusanagi Godou’s authority was, 『the power to oppose fate  unraveling the string of fate.

「Certainly, there are times when human want to depend on god. And, if some virtuous god helps out such humans, then they will be really happy. But see」

Godou talked toward the kind hero.

「There is no need for you──to be treated like a slave by a strange god for that. You can just do that following your own feelings without the ties of obligation from fate or whatever.」

「My own feelings……?」

「Yeah. When you don’t want to do it then you don’t need to do it. Conversely, when you want to do it no matter what, you can do it without the involvement of fate or anything. But, if I’m allowed to tell you something from the position of humans.」

Godou pointed out with a shrug of his shoulders.

「Someone like you who revitalize the volcanoes all over the world isn’t suited for the work of 『hero that saved the world』 though. It will help if you can contend yourself with a smaller scale of helping people.」

「Fufufufu. That’s painful to hear.」

Rama smiled wryly. Godou too also grinned.

「Well, in your case, it’s because you are burdened by the fate of devil king extermination thing. Like this time it cannot be helped that the hero work is drowning you. And, when I see that, how the serious and compassionate prince-sama cannot have a good time……」

Godou who was using the authority could see it.

The thing entangling around the hero Ramachandra even now──several dozen of string. Those strings were connected to the heaven far above.

That was exactly the fate of devil king extermination.

When Godou’s hand waved quickly, several dozen strings shined.

He made them visible so that even those who weren’t a god of fate could see it.

While Rama, Pandora, and Erica were gazing in amazement, Godou thrust his index finger toward the hero of salvation, then he swung his finger to the side strongly.

「Snap」

*Snap, snap, snap.* Several dozen strings were cut off one after another.

The fate that was restraining the great hero of ancient India was severed right now. 「Oo!」 Rama himself opened his eyes wide. However.

Perhaps it should be praised, as expected from the string of fate that summoned the hero of salvation.

The dozen of strings meandered like living tentacles. They were entwining around Rama even now, trying to entangle on his limbs──.

They were really persistent. Rama sighed.

「The fate seeking for the warrior who will appear at the end of this world……it’s as heavy as the truth of the world, a tenacious existence. Most likely, it’s as everlasting as that divine tool.」

The Circle of Usurpation that had stopped rotating above Pandora’s head.

Rama spoke while looking at that. In fact, a “certain voice” could be heard in the ear of Godou who had obtained the authority of god of fate.

……Come Prince Rama. The king who manifested at the end of this world.

……O savior. O warrior of perpetuity, who repeat the devil king extermination. O warrior.

……The wielder of the divine sword. The owner of the shining sword. Come. Come. Warrior of perpetuity, come.

「They are trying to call the hero huh.」

It was a call that reached from the far beyond.

The fate that guided the hero Rama to a world somewhere that wasn’t here. Godou’s fighting spirit was stimulated by the persistence of that existence and he made an awfully fierce grin.

「Then, I too have my own idea. ──Come.」

Godou beckoned toward Rama.

It wasn’t him, but the dozens of strings that were trying to entangle him that headed toward Godou. Godou used the authority to oppose fate and he ordered clearly.

「You all are already……mine.」

All the strings of fate, twined around Kusanagi Godou.

Right now the fate of devil king extermination, became the possession of that devil king himself.

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