Part 1
"Back then, there were two other godslayers apart from you. In the end, the
battle finished before I could meet them..."
Feeling perplexed, the "King of the End" muttered.
Then immediately, he nodded as though going "I see now."
"The three of you had traveled through time. Through a deity of travel or a
fairy of some land, you traversed to the distant past from this era—"
"That's roughly what happened. I'm glad you understand, since it saves me
the effort of unnecessary explanations."
Godou answered while thinking to himself.
An unbelievable conversation resumed seamlessly from fifteen hundred
years ago. However, the incident actually felt like it was mere months ago
from his perspective.
Still, casually chatting like this was not the answer going forward.
Godou looked at Pallas Athena, collapsed on the ground. That giant body of
the Gorgon Medusa had already shrunk in size, transforming back to a
pubescent girl.
Despite having released the seal using her life as the price, it was now
impossible for her to sustain a serpentine dragon's body.
Pallas Athena had turned back into her girl form. The countless bleeding
lacerations carved all over the Gorgon's body were gone, but conversely—A
large hole had opened up in her chest.
The hole's location was precisely that of the heart. Unquestionably, a fatal
wound.
There was no more bleeding. Instead, overflowing magic power was
spilling out. The large volume of magic power was surging forth like a
spring's source, starting to flow out from Pallas Athena's entire body.
Magic power normally lacked specific color. It was something colorless.
But right now, the magic power flowing from Pallas Athena's body glowed
golden.
This golden magic power rose up high into the air, spreading overhead like
a gas, turning the Minamibousou sky gold.
Under the sky that was colored by a golden aurora, Godou walked over to
the collapsed Divine Ancestor.
"...You're in quite a sad state."
"...'Tis verily worthy of chagrin. Due to the Holy Grail's activation, one's
power as a goddess was absorbed and taken. Forsooth, 'tis a rather dismal
battle situation."
Despite mustering no more than a feeble voice, Pallas Athena still answered
in a whisper.
Even at this stage, she still refused to admit defeat. The young and tiny girl
was even moving her arms and legs desperately, slowly, slowly trying to
stand up.
Truly living up to her identity as Athena's reincarnation, she was driven by
indomitable will and noble-minded principles.
Witnessing this scene before his eyes, Godou smiled for an instant, but
resumed a serious expression immediately.
"You said the Holy Grail activated?"
"Fifteen centuries prior, the goddess Gwenhwyfar created the Holy Grail as
a vessel to contain the essence of mother earth goddesses such as one, to be
stored as magic power. Furthermore, the previous Witch Queen Guinevere
prayed to the Holy Grail on her dying breath, wishing for the new Witch
Queen's birth."
Speaking of which, that really was the case. Godou remembered.
The cause of the mother earth goddess Athena's death was due to the Holy
Grail sucking all of her life force away.
"In the end, taking the form of a Divine Ancestor, the Holy Grail became
one."
"I see. You have this appearance because the majority of the magic power in
the Holy Grail was sucked from Athena."
Realizing that, Godou knew it was just a simple mechanism.
While feelings were stirred deeply in Godou, Pallas Athena pushed herself
up in front of him, displaying a courageous smile.
She still endured desperately even when inflicted with lethal wounds. What
truly astounding mettle.
"It seemeth that whenever the hero unsheathed the Divine Sword of
Salvation, the Holy Grail—namely, oneself—would offer all magic power
to him. 'Tis intentional that Guinevere prevented one from learning of this
fact..."
"Which is how you ended up in this state."
Godou now understood how Pallas Athena came to be lying at death's door.
Meanwhile, the "King of the End" was standing silently, some distance
away. The Divine Sword of Salvation was stabbed upright on the ground in
front of him. Illuminated by the sacred blade's brilliance, he was looking at
Godou and Pallas Athena with eyes of determination.
Nevertheless, slight weariness and chagrin could be seen in the hero's gaze.
Godou felt a sense of dissonance. The "King of the End" did not look like a
hero boasting of victory at all. Instead, he seemed to be enduring a sense of
emptiness from an unsatisfactory victory.
"It mattereth not, but..."
Noticing Godou's doubts, Pallas Athena made a slight smile of wryness.
"Only one standing from his position could hope to openly confront the
hero's conduct as it is... Do not begrudge his attitude towards battle. Putting
that aside..."
Pallas Athena tried hard to move her right leg, lifting her knee.
She wanted to stand up, but evidently had little remaining strength. Only
her entire body trembled. Even so, the girl inheriting Athena's indomitable
spirit continued to declare boldly.
"Despite these grievous wounds, victory is as yet undecided. Depart,
Kusanagi Godou. Interfere not in one's duel against the 'King of the End'—
Guh!"
Pallas Athena spat out fresh blood along with her words.
Her knees also bended, causing her to fall on the ground again. In spite of
that, the silver-haired Divine Ancestor still blazed with fighting spirit in her
eyes, weaving words of valor through her red lips, stained with blood.
"Fufufu. Or perhaps, thou wishest to attack one together with the hero?"
"...No."
Godou stepped between the dying Divine Ancestor and the pale-haired
aristocrat.
He even shielded Pallas Athena behind his back, turning to face off squarely
against the "King of the End."
"No matter what, that guy's obviously the strongest here. Naturally, the
most important thing right now is for me to assist you in settling your match
against that man."
"..."
Pallas Athena was not supposed to have Athena's memories.
Considering her haughty attitude, Godou felt that it would be hard for her to
approve this suggestion. However, the dying Divine Ancestor smiled
generously instead.
"If 'tis for such a reason, 'twould not be disagreeable to join forces in facing
a common enemy. A relationship of aligned interests..."
She whispered with her bloodstained lips.
Even without memories, was it engraved somewhere in the depths of her
soul that they had shared the same boat as bitter enemies at one point in the
past?
In any case, no different from the battle against Lancelot last time,
Kusanagi Godou and Pallas Athena were going to cooperate in opposition
against the "King of the End."
Naturally, the dying former goddess did not amount to any significant
combat potential.
However, with a godslayer joining his mortal enemy to face off against the
strongest hero, it was as though time had rewound back to the moment of
their farewell several months prior.
Meanwhile, seeing the torturous and mysterious intertwined destinies
between them—
"Helping the weak and taking down the strong... How chivalrous, Kusanagi
Godou."
The pale-haired aristocrat voiced Godou's name for the first time after
fifteen centuries.
He was also smiling slightly. It was akin to a smile appropriate for the face
of a traveler making a brief stop, feeling pity for a tiny flower on the
roadside.
Or perhaps, the face of a man who temporarily forgot the weariness of
wandering.
"I am most pleased to see a man among the godslayers who can exhibit
chivalry even towards the gods. Be that as it may, I must apologize."
Godou entered a stance. This guy was the same as in the past. Whenever he
was about to bring forth great power, the "King of the End" always
apologized!
"I have met defeat twice by your hand in the ancient past. Nevertheless,
having obtained a mother earth goddess' life through the Holy Grail... I am
no longer the one you know."
"Relax. I know that already."
Godou glanced into the sky.
The dark night sky was shining with golden radiance.
This was the golden magic power flowing out of Pallas Athena, the Holy
Grail. Next, all the light filling the sky descended towards the "King of the
End," poured completely into his body.
The result—An astounding amount of magic power currently filled the
entire body of the "King of the End."
Back when he awakened in ancient Gaul, he seemed to be in an abnormal
state.
But this time, having absorbed the Holy Grail's life force—namely, Pallas
Athena's—the hero finally recovered his peak condition.
Godou licked his lips and stared sharply at the "King of the End."
"However, this is still better than when the great ritual of the covenant was
invoked in Gaul. I can deal with this."
Godou strengthened his tone of voice for his answer, partially as
encouragement for himself.
The explosive increase in magic power when facing off against multiple
Campiones, to the point of being able to fight every opponent together—
This was probably the great ritual of the covenant. In the past, the Great
Sage Equaling Heaven had also used the spell of Devil King extermination.
But right now, Godou was the only godslayer present.
Logically speaking, that kind of absurd power up should not be available
here. In spite of that...
"My apologies, but I have already recovered my full power due to obtaining
the essence offered by the Holy Grail. Consequently, the great ritual of the
covenant can be used naturally like this..."
What!? Just as the unexpected confession rendered Godou in shock...
He saw. The golden light filling the sky suddenly vanished. Instead, the
"King of the End" was glowing golden from his entire body.
At the same time, his magic power—It rose dramatically.
Instantly, he reached the same level of magic power as the time when the
Great Sage Equaling Heaven was battling against Kusanagi Godou, Luo
Cuilian and John Pluto Smith.
Despite the fact that Kusanagi Godou was the only Campione present.
Furthermore, the increase in magic power did not stop there. If a standard
[Heretic God]'s magic power was considered ten, then after using the great
ritual of the covenant, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven would have magic
power comparable to thirty or forty on the same scale. However, the magic
power of the "King of the End" had surpassed seventy, eighty, ninety, even
reaching a hundred—
Dumbstruck, Godou muttered:
"No way..."
None of the gods he had ever fought were weak.
Having said that, the "King of the End" now possessed massive magic
power more than all of them combined, his body surrounded by glorious
golden radiance.
"O Divine Sword of Salvation, hereby show your true form to the world."
The "King of the End" spoke quietly to his usual sword, stabbed upright in
front of him.
Then a giant magic circle manifested overhead in the shape of a square.
Its side length was roughly ten meters. The square-shaped magic circle was
subdivided into a grid of smaller cells, each depicting a weapon.
If one were to count them, there would probably be hundreds of weapons
and armaments.
Most numerous were "arrows." In addition, there were swords, blades,
bows, spears, axes, shields, cudgels, glaives, halberds, morningstars, ring-
shaped objects, brick-like blocks, etc, even things that could not be called
weapons.
Godou was reminded of a "mandala."
Meaning "circle" in Sanskrit, a spiritual and ritual symbol in oriental magic
depicting dozens or hundreds of deities and buddhas. This was a mandala
composed primarily from countless weapons replacing the deities and
buddhas.
"Finally complete, the great ritual of the covenant. The ultimate sword for
exterminating all Devil Kings..."
Pallas Athena whispered.
Godou turned his gaze to her in surprise. Covered in blood, the Divine
Ancestor spoke solemnly.
"Kusanagi Godou. Thou shouldst avoid the mistake of comparing this to the
Great Sage Equaling Heaven's imitation. The true exterminator of Devil
Kings becometh more powerful in accordance to the number of enemies at
hand..."
So it really was as he suspected? Godou nodded. He had already figured it
out somewhat.
"At the present, his power hath increased in accordance to the number of
Devil Kings walking the earth. The godslayers of the present generation
number seven in total... The 'King of the End' has already grown to having
power corresponding to this head count."
"Indeed."
The hero nodded and concurred with the Divine Ancestor.
Without any intention of bragging about his power, he was speaking in a
tone of voice so indifferent it was almost business-like.
"When I descended upon the world in the past, I was bestowed countless
heavenly weapons as gifts every time I finished my mission of Devil King
extermination. The Divine Sword of Salvation is the form that unites them
all. Consequently, this could be considered its true appearance."
"Man, there should be limits to the number of weapons you can have..."
Godou was greatly shocked. The legendary hero had received more than
just a sacred sword as a gift. The true identity of the lightning descending
from the Divine Sword of Salvation was a massive number of weapons.
Godou had already discovered this fact in ancient Gaul. However, he never
knew that these were unbelievably the heavenly weapons bestowed by the
gods.
This was a shocking fact, more frightening than any other.
Personally experiencing the reason why the assertion was made in the past
that he "absolutely cannot defeat that man," Godou trembled greatly.
Furthermore, just as he was gradually about to be overwhelmed by the
powerful enemy—In that very instant...
He heard a pleasant voice akin to heavenly music.
"Foolish little brother. Is there any need for fear?"
Startled, Godou turned his gaze to the voice's owner.
A woman was slowly walking over to him. Her pace was calm and
confident, unhurried, reminiscent of the carefree and endless flow of the
majestic Yangtze River.
Matching the beauty of her voice, her face was so beautiful that the lovely
court ladies dwelling in the heavenly palace of the moon would seem plain
in comparison.
Pallas Athena, all covered in wounds, and the "King of the End" also stared
at this transcendent beauty.
"Though the enemy may enjoy protection provided by the great ritual of the
covenant, you too have your sworn elder sister, unique and supreme. Being
the peerless sworn siblings that we are, how could there possibly exist a foe
in this world whom we cannot handle?"
The gentle and soothing voice was reminiscent of a moon guitar's tone
color.
Needless to say, the latest arrival was Kusanagi Godou's sworn sister, Luo
Cuilian, of course.
Part 2
"Nee-san!"
"We meet again, little brother."
This reunion was taking place two months after their previous gathering in
December last year.
On this evening, Luo Cuilian was dressed in Han Chinese clothing with an
extremely long hem, showcasing style akin to a wandering celestial maiden
under the moon. However, there were more pressing matters at hand than
getting mesmerized by her beauty.
Godou brought up the biggest question.
"Why did you come here, Nee-san?"
"Roughly half a month prior at Mount Lu, I saw the augury of the 'white
halo piercing the sun' in a vision."
"A white halo—Come again?"
Although Luo Cuilian was not a deity, her majesty was comparable to that
of the gods.
Arriving by Godou's side, she cast her haughty gaze in sequence, at Pallas
Athena, the "King of the End" and the Divine Sword Mandala that was
drawn in the sky.
That gaze undoubtedly belonged to the eyes of an emperor, looking down at
his subjects from atop his throne. A gaze of unparalleled supremacy.
"I have no reason to intervene if the only thing at stake were the rise and
fall of humanity. However, monumental events concerning the gods, the
four seas, heaven and earth would be a separate matter. Suspecting the
vision of the 'white halo piercing the sun' to be an augury of such
happenings, I thus departed on a journey to discern the truth."
"By journey, do you mean coming to Japan from China?"
"No. Turning into a giant bird to soar through the skies, turning into a
dragon to swim across the seas, I toured various places to observe their
conditions. During my journey, sensing that the East China Sea was filled
with unusual divine energies, I tried to trace its source, thus arriving at this
land."
This description was very much in the demonic cult leader's style,
exhibiting her total mastery of Daoist arts, a wanderer of fantastical realms
far removed from the mundane world.
Godou smiled wryly. At least she probably hasn't gone to urban areas—It
looked like her direct disciple's speculation was not necessarily correct.
"Then Nee-san, about these guys here—"
"Say no more. One can get a gist by questioning spirits and apparitions
local to this mountain. The great hero of Devil King extermination—I have
heard of his rumors several times in the past, however..."
Luo Cuilian finally turned to gaze squarely at the "King of the End."
"I never expected this day when I would confront him together with my
little brother by my side."
"...I see. Your position is akin to the elder sister of Kusanagi Godou?"
Taking the beautiful Devil King's gaze head on, the pale-haired hero
murmured quietly. In response, Luo Cuilian proudly puffed out her
magnificent chest and declared sonorously:
"No mere elder sister. One should be addressed as the supreme elder sister
at the very least."
"Indeed you are correct. Even though this is our first meeting, I can easily
understand the greatness of the powers under your command. If it pleases
you, may I inquire your name and title?"
"In that case, please engrave into your heart the name of Luo Cuilian,
Leader of the Holy Cult of the Five Mountains."
"Understood. Your Highness Luo Hao. But regrettably, my name—"
"Do not feel obliged to introduce yourself. The true name of the king
manifesting at era's end has been known as a famous mystery for the past
millennium. It would be an excessive breach of tact if one were to insist on
inquiring your name."
"Much appreciated. Allow me to thank you for your understanding."
Godou secretly felt impressed. To think that he was able to get along with
Luo Cuilian, a difficult task even for fellow humans, and to even converse
so naturally as well.
The "King of the End" was unexpectedly adept in social skills.
Meanwhile, the conversation between the two otherworldly figures
continued.
"Seeing as you are a figure of such caliber, Your Highness Luo Hao, I am
afraid you probably know this already—I am the warrior tasked with the
destiny of exterminating Devil Kings. I have no choice but to defeat you
and that Kusanagi Godou over there."
"Of course, it couldn't be clearer. I shall accept."
"That being the case, may I ask for a time?"
"A foolish question indeed. I am not so cowardly that I would choose any
hour apart from the one at hand."
In response to Luo Cuilian's utterly haughty gaze cast down from above, the
great hero politely bowed his head. "Much appreciated."
Then the two of them began to enter combat stances. The demonic cult
leader presented her palms in an open-handed stance, looking as though she
was about to exhibit her prided palm techniques any instant.
The "King of the End" did not reach for the divine sword in front of him.
Still with his iconic sword stabbed in the ground, he issued a declaration of
war in a stern and dignified voice:
"Kusanagi Godou, it is my hope that you will join your elder sister so as to
have a rematch with me. Given how I am now, I should be able to satisfy
you more than in past battles."
"I don't care about the past. I wasn't unsatisfied at all!"
Grumbling against the other side's unnecessary concerns, Godou looked
back at the Divine Ancestor.
During the unusual conversation between the hero and the demonic cult
leader, she had kept silent with good reason.
Her life was on the very verge of ending. Panting painfully, staying
conscious was all Pallas Athena could do.
If she were to fight in this state, the lightning of salvation would quickly
strike her down—
(King, summon her to this place. Interesting things ought to be possible if
her power was present.)
Residing in his right arm, the partner offered a suggestion.
Godou nodded immediately and summoned Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi,
meanwhile saying to Pallas Athena:
"Athena—Enter my sword here! This is the weapon you've conferred power
to in the past!"
There was nothing wrong with this description. Godou deliberately called
her by her former name.
Hence, the Divine Ancestor instantly recovered light in her eyes. Then
releasing her young girl's form, she turned into a silver snake, measuring
50cm in length, and swiftly entered the divine sword.
Held in Godou's right hand, Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi had a jet-black
blade.
This was the steel sword that the ancient Japanese god Susanoo had found
in the Eight-Forked Serpent's tail, a weapon whose origin was intimately
tied to snakes. In addition, several months earlier, the goddess Athena had
also imparted the [Storm Bringer Technique] directly into Ama no
Murakumo no Tsurugi—
Precisely due to the effects of these prior causes, Ama no Murakumo no
Tsurugi was able to absorb the Divine Ancestor, who had taken the form of
a silver snake, into itself.
Godou nodded. Deciding to leave the rest to his partner, he returned Ama no
Murakumo no Tsurugi back to his right arm again for now.
"Nee-san, that guy's greatest weapon is lightning. We have to guard against
that first."
"Know your place as the younger brother, Godou. It is a hundred years too
early for you to worry about me!"
"That's true, I guess. Then I take it back. Allow me to rely on you, Nee-
san!"
The Divine Sword Mandala overhead was beginning to speed up.
Rising upwards rapidly and steadily, it ascended to roughly the same height
as the sparse clouds floating in the night sky. Also, the Divine Sword
Mandala also expanded in area at the same time.
The square-shaped magic circle grew in size until it was six or seven
kilometers in length.
Then the Divine Sword Mandala finally started to release lightning from the
formation in the sky.
Countless flashes of lightning rained down from the sky like a heavy
downpour. Not limited to the area around Godou and Luo Cuilian, the
lightning also fell equally on the surrounding mountain range.
Godou instantly invoked the [Raptor].
Verethragna's seventh incarnation conferred divine speed. Despite its time
limit and many inconveniences such as loss of mobility after use, this
ability was the most effective means to evade the lightning.
Using divine speed, Godou raced across the land where massive holes were
being gouged out by the platinum-colored lightning falling like a heavy
rainstorm. While dodging the descending lightning left and right, he ran
towards the "King of the End." In order to survive this crisis, the main
culprit must be defeated first—
This was the same tactic as what Godou had used in ancient Gaul last time.
Using the same divine speed as back then, Godou closed in on the "King of
the End." Right when he arrived at a couple dozen meters away, the same
figure appeared as last time.
The masked war god, whose body was completely wrapped in strips of
white cloth, also a user of divine speed, the Wind King!
(He came just as expected huh!?)
Godou yelled. However, no ordinary human would be able to hear him.
People in the normal world were unable to hear sounds produced by entities
moving at divine speed. In spite of that, Godou heard a voice responding to
him.
(Watch your elder sister's divine might carefully, O little brother.)
Luo Cuilian's beautiful voice—unbelievably—it was coming from Godou's
shadow on the ground. Seeing that Godou was about to dash with divine
speed, she had invoked her Daoist arts instantly, thereby hitching a ride on
Godou's shadow—Probably some kind of trick along those lines.
Furthermore, she was capable of discerning phenomena moving at divine
speed as though it were the most natural thing in the world, even going as
far as to carry a conversation casually. Godou smiled wryly.
Totally absurd. Indeed, it was a hundred years too early for him to be
worrying about the sworn sister.
Wielding a single-edged greatsword, the Wind King slashed at Godou!
(Fist of the Tiger-Quelling Luohan!)
Accompanied by Luo Cuilian's spell words, a fist flew out from under
Godou.
A straight punch performed by a muscular arm of bronze. Compared to the
180cm tall Godou, it was a thick arm at least double his size. Shooting out
from the ground, the arm included the fist up to the elbow and struck the
war god of wind with an uppercut.
This was the mighty arm created by the sworn elder sister's authority,
Divine Might of Vajrapani. Furthermore, the martial arts involved,
counterattacking the Wind King who was obstructing them while moving at
divine speed, were of unparalleled mastery. This level of unarmed combat
belonged to grandmasters of martial arts, surpassing even a certain
Salvatore Doni.
The war god's body was blown away like ignited fireworks, flying towards
the stars in the night sky.
Or perhaps he was going to fly out of the universe? That was the astounding
speed with which the Wind King ascended through the air. A superlative
feat that only Luo Cuilian's divine might was capable of achieving.
But even so, the war god of steel had not suffered a critical wound.
While flying high in the air, the Wind King tossed something down at the
ground. It was the divine artifact made from a gold-iron alloy—the
[Arrowhead's Discus].
(My, how long it has been, godslayer of my homeland!)
The Discus suddenly took on the form of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven,
descending upon Godou's with divine speed.
He even used the momentum of the fall to swing the Ruyi Jingu Staff.
Godou jumped to the right, dodging the attack in the nick of time.
(Isn't this the Great Sage Equaling Heaven? Why is he present when he was
supposed to have died?)
(It's apparently a power to summon heroes. That medallion causes slain
gods to revive. Apart from the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, two other gods
whom I know have also revived!)
Godou reported briefly in response to Her Eminence's surprise.
During this time, the lightning did not stop, continuing to fall like a heavy
rainstorm.
Evasion. Evasion. Evasion. Evasion. Evasion. Evasion.
While Godou was using divine speed to jump and dash, just as he evaded
the sixth bolt of lightning, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven attacked again.
He suddenly appeared on Godou's left, swinging the Ruyi Staff horizontally
from the side. What blocked him was a giant arm of bronze extending out
from Godou's shadow underfoot.
(How impetuous you are, Great Sage!)
(Sorry Nee-san, thanks for saving me!)
(Huhahaha. You guys are hard to kill as ever!)
The Great Sage, laughing heartily with delight, versus Godou who had
barely escaped a crisis. Neither side paused at all. After all, the lightning of
salvation kept descending nonstop. Even when running at divine speed,
stopping for an instant would mean getting devoured by lightning.
Nevertheless, Godou dashed while biding his time, trying to approach the
"King of the End."
The Great Sage Equaling Heaven was probably trying to harass and occupy
Godou, preventing him from getting near.
(Why isn't it all three of you this time!? What happened to Lancelot and
Perseus!?)
(Nonsense. My presence alone is enough already!)
(Most likely, by concentrating the divine power for summoning a hero, it
would further reinforce the divinity's strength.)
Luo Cuilian's voice came from the shadow underfoot.
(Reviving dead gods on the mortal plane is a monumental miracle
overturning the laws of heaven, earth and the underworld. It is difficult to
believe that the revived will be as strong as when they were still alive.
Presumably, by using the divine artifact seen earlier as a power source, the
Great Sage's strength could be restored to its former heights!)
(Exactly. Since the clairvoyant Daoist priestess is here, I have to be
cautious!)
While muttering, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven also dodged lightning
and continued to harass Godou nonstop.
Trying to find an opening, he swung the Ruyi Staff. Meanwhile, he was also
warily watching Godou's feet, staying on guard for Luo Cuilian lurking in
Godou's shadow. The surprise attack earlier was probably not going to work
again.
Godou frowned and looked at the "King of the End."
While running at full speed, Godou tried his best to stay within thirty or
forty meters of that man.
Luckily, the sworn elder sister had sent the Wind King flying to the
stratosphere, if Godou could seize this opportunity to successfully reach the
—
However, the hero using the divine sword whispered dangerous spell words.
"I offer my prayers to the noble king of lightning, the warrior who mastered
the use of all weapons. I implore you to awaken in my hand at this very
moment... the supreme bow of might that you bestowed upon me in the
past."
The lightning giving everyone a hard time suddenly ceased.
Floating high in the air, the Divine Sword Mandala stopped its
indiscriminate attacks towards the ground.
But instead—RUMBLE! RUMBLE! Two bolts of lightning descended,
accompanied by two giant roars of thunder.
Unbelievably, these two flashes of lightning were targeting the "King of the
End."
However, the pale-haired aristocrat easily absorbed the scorching heat and
impact.
Then immediately, a massive bow of steel manifested in his left hand.
Furthermore, a quiver holding dozens of arrows also appeared by his feet.
The energy of the lightning was most likely converted into that large bow
and quiver!
"In my current state of full power, achieved through the great ritual of the
covenant—"
The pale-haired aristocrat was speaking in a refreshing and sonorous voice.
Even to the ears of Godou who was under the effects of divine speed, this
voice still sounded unbelievably pleasant. A bright voice that permeated the
ears and hearts of the listeners. Or perhaps this might be part of his
authority.
"—I can unseal the most powerful weaponry, the bow and its quiver.
Kusanagi Godou and Your Highness Luo Hao. You are about to face this
bow and these arrows."
Speaking in a very modest tone of voice, the "King of the End" readied the
massive bow of steel.
Godou trembled. Speaking of which, hadn't he heard this before? The "King
of the End" was an endlessly wandering hero with deep ties to the bow and
arrows.
Furthermore, as though to corroborate Godou's memory, the earth began to
shake.
Simply holding up the bow caused an earthquake. Roughly three or four on
the Richter scale. At this moment, the "King of the End" closed his eyes
unexpectedly.
In order to pierce Godou and Luo Hao who were dashing at divine speed,
he was using the mind's eye!
"Legend tells of a great hero who shot down nine suns during antiquity at a
kingdom in the orient. The arrows he fired had vanished along with the
falling suns, but a master craftsman of the celestial realm was able to create
an arrow for replicating the great feat."
The Devil King exterminating hero held up the steel bow in his left hand.
Then using his right hand, he took out a jet-black arrow from the quiver by
his foot.
Seeing this, the Great Sage instantly made a retracting motion with his head
once and performed a somersault. Then he vanished just like that. He
probably retreated to avoid getting caught in the attack.
Hovering in the air, the Divine Sword Mandala stopped firing lightning
randomly.
It was like a soldier settling into silence to avoid obstructing the great
general who was about to shoot an arrow.
"This is merely a counterfeit arrow, insufficient to shoot down the sun.
However, it can still bring forth massive firepower when released towards
the ground... Let us first begin with this level of power."
The "King of the End" finally nocked the jet-black arrow on the bowstring.
At this instant, Godou felt a chill down his back and started to run as fast as
he could. With his back towards the hero and the jet-black arrow, he pulled
his distance back as fast as he could using divine speed.
This was a Campione's usual intuition. At this rate—He was definitely
going to die beyond a doubt.
Besides, even as fellow users of divine speed, didn't the Great Sage
Equaling Heaven, capable of flying through the air, flee for his life as well?
(Nee-san, can you help me out as well!?)
(You leave me no choice but to spoil you. In that case, go up!)
Godou had been running all over the mountain ridge just now.
Using divine speed—the same speed as lightning—in almost one breath, he
rushed over to the sloping surface of the peak with its sparse greenery,
coming to a barren pinnacle where there was only solid rock.
(Jump, Godou!)
Hearing the command from underfoot, Godou jumped as hard as he could.
While using the [Raptor] incarnation, he was able to perform light and
acrobatic movements as though his feet were winged. Through this leap,
Godou jumped into the sky higher than the mountaintop.
The Minamibousou mountains were generally not very high, standing
roughly three or four hundred meters above sea level.
This peak was the same. But compared to the land below, this was quite a
sufficient height already. Having leapt into the night sky, Godou's excellent
night vision allowed him to see the settlements scattered among the low-
altitude mountains as well as artificial lighting appearing in the darkness of
the night.
Furthermore, the sworn sister's resident shadow was still adhering firmly to
Godou's feet.
Turning his head to look behind him while feeling impressed—Godou
witnessed the jet-black arrow flying towards him in the air.
Clearly. the arrow was even faster than the lightning of salvation.
No matter how hard Godou ran to escape, it was surely going to pierce him.
Just as Godou was about to be shot as an aerial target, the sworn sister's aid
arrived in the nick of time.
(O north wind, sweeping across the vast lands, flying over countless miles!)
Spell words of flight.
Immediately, emerging from the shadow, Luo Cuilian caught Godou in her
arms while in midair.
Then enveloped in golden light, the two of them soared upwards rapidly.
This variant of Daoist arts seemed to belong to the same system as the flight
magic used by Liliana.
In addition, the jet-black arrow pursuing them—suddenly exploded.
Platinum light erupted under their gaze, producing a large explosion
affecting an area several kilometers in diameter. The mountain range of
Minamibousou was spectacularly and tragically blown apart.
Part 3
"What's with this crazy huge firepower when he clearly said he didn't want
to use excessive force?"
While relying on his sworn sister's power to fly through the sky, Godou
temporarily deactivated his divine speed.
The scene of the giant explosion was spreading under his gaze. It was
almost like a meteor crash. Meanwhile, the sworn sister was using Daoist
arts effortlessly, flying with Godou in her arms while looking down at the
massive explosion.
"The 'King of the End' is truly a formidable foe with astounding power...
Godou, your trump card is still being prepared, isn't it?"
"I can't believe you already noticed that..."
Suddenly asked, Godou felt surprised.
"I clearly had it set to take place as secretly as possible."
"Don't underestimate your elder sister. Do know that I have been constantly
by your side ever since my arrival, yes? I only stayed in the shadow the
whole time in order to assess how much power my sworn little brother has
gained since we last parted."
Looking at the side of Luo Hao's smiling face, Godou went "I see" and
nodded.
He had definitely felt baffled by what would be considered a slightly
subdued way of fighting for the elder sister with unparalleled arm strength.
So this was her intent after all.
"So Godou, how goes the preparations?"
"Almost ready. But actually, I've attacked the 'King of the End' in the past
using the same method. Although it went quite well last time... That was
when that guy was in an incomplete state."
Godou recalled the battle in ancient Gaul and muttered.
"To be honest, I've no confidence whether it's gonna work on him when he's
in peak condition."
"Be that as it may... It would be foolish to hesitate when no trump card of
assured victory is available. What sort of power the enemy brings forth to
block the strongest move from your arsenal—The result of that can serve as
a yardstick for gauging differences in power level."
"Differences in power level..."
"This, too, is my first showdown against a war god who is this powerful. In
fact, even I have trouble determining the exact extent of his strength."
"Even you're not sure!?"
Godou found it unbelievable that even Her Eminence Luo Hao, whose
capabilities and experienced judgment were at the highest pinnacle, would
say something like this.
Godou calmed himself. After all, attacks conducted via petty tricks were not
going to be effective. Despite the risk of suffering a vicious counterattack in
return, it was definitely the moment to take a slight gamble.
"Understood. Nee-san, I'll do everything I can first then I'll rely on you
when I'm overwhelmed. Does that work?"
"Certainly. Believe in me and exert yourself to your full extent."
Luo Cuilian replied, filled with spirit.
"If by any chance should you perish in the end, upon our bonds as sworn
siblings, I shall avenge you or die trying!"
Godou desperately resisted the urge to laugh at the sworn sister's words. If
this were battle manga aimed at a youth audience, an irresponsible
declaration of "I will surely protect you" would be the proper thing to say
now, but of course, this kind of idea could not possibly exist in Luo
Cuilian's mind.
Understanding that from the bottom of his heart, Godou simultaneously
looked down at the world below.
The giant explosion caused by the jet-black arrow had already subsided,
leaving a massive crater in the Minamibousou mountain range with a
diameter of several kilometers. A truly surreal scene.
Currently, Godou was flying with his sworn sister at roughly a height of
four or five hundred meters.
Despite the chilling wind that would freeze one to the very bones, his body
of a Campione's felt scorching hot instead. This was due to battle instincts
making the entire body's blood boil.
"Nee-san, I'm counting on you!"
Responding to this request, the sworn sister began to make a rapid descent.
At the same time, her figure disappeared while maintaining the flight spell.
Turning into a shadow once more, this time, she adhered to Godou's back.
Flying above the giant crater, they were approaching the ground at high
speed.
The yellow light created by Luo Cuilian was transporting Godou. However,
this glow, descending from the sky, suddenly swerved left, in order to evade
an arrow shot from the ground.
Godou looked downwards, only to see the "King of the End" standing
upright on a mountain ridge.
Vegetation was sparse there, offering good visibility. He nocked an arrow
on the steel bow.
He was firing at the rapidly descending duo. Firing. Firing. Firing. Instead
of the jet-black arrow, he fired four times in succession using arrows with
iron arrowheads and shafts made of wood and feathers.
Despite looking ordinary, these arrows were probably hiding terrifying
firepower within them.
Controlling the light of flight magic, Luo Cuilian evaded the four arrows
while continuing to approach the ground.
Then the "King of the End" threw the steel bow away. Pulling the Divine
Sword of Salvation out from the ground where it had been stabbed, he
pointed the glorious blade's tip at the airborne Godou. Godou could predict
an imminent melee battle.
In turn, Godou summoned his flashy partner, Ama no Murakumo no
Tsurugi. The partner that always made its abode in his right arm was
currently far away.
"Ama no Murakumo! And Athena! Use that usual move!"
In response to this command, the giant crater below went through a change.
Several cracks appeared in the central zone of the giant hole that measured
several several kilometers in diameter and penetrated the mountain range.
Then the crater began to shake violently. The earthquake was confined to
the bottom of the crater.
Then a giant sphere passed through the soil and emerged from the shaking
earth.
A sphere that seemed to be a conglomeration of dark matter.
Roughly forty or fifty meters in diameter, this sphere was the culprit
causing the localized earthquake—generated from Godou's mystic
technique of the [Storm Bringer], the black star of darkness known as a
gravitational storm.
Although this mystic technique could produce astounding firepower,
activating it and raising it to maximum power required a great expenditure
of time. This drawback was hard to overcome.
But this time, he was assisted in combat by Pallas Athena who had retrieved
her divinity as a great mother goddess of the earth.
A great mother goddess of the earth, ruling over the subterranean
underworld in addition to the ground above. The goddess, whose symbol
was the snake, held dominion over the two realms, above and below
ground.
That was precisely why Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi had suggested
summoning Pallas Athena into itself.
Using her powers as a mother earth goddess to teleport underground, they
made preparations for the black blade. In order to pull it to the ground
surface when its power reached its maximum critical point—
The greatest uncertainty was whether the dying goddess still had enough
remaining strength to accomplish this.
However, Pallas Athena and Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi had
accomplished their mission perfectly. Surfacing from underground, the
black star rose even higher towards the sky, finally converging with Godou
in midair.
The sphere of darkness—Godou was now hovering in its center.
Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi manifested in his right hand. There was also
Athena's snake form entwined around the katana-like blade.
In this manner, Godou began a rapid descent towards the ground together
with the [Storm Bringer]'s black star.
The "King of the End" was currently waiting at the targeted destination.
Holding up the Divine Sword of Salvation, he was pointing the shining
sword tip at Godou in the air.
Then platinum-colored lightning formed a sphere surrounding the "King of
the End."
In order to resist the black star that enveloped Godou, he was spreading the
lightning from the Divine Sword of Salvation around himself.
Hence, the hero wrapped in a ball of lightning versus Godou descending
from the heavens with a black star—A violent clash. A reenactment of the
repeated showdown that had occurred previously at Kisarazu as well as the
Rhine's shore in ancient Roman times.
The black star of the Devil King versus the white star of the savior.
With stark contrast, the two collided in a showdown of polar opposites—
"Guh... Ohhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Godou yelled while pouring magic power into Ama no Murakumo no
Tsurugi.
As soon as the black and white stars clashed violently, he instantly
understood. The enemy's power was unlike in the past. If this contest of
strength continued, the black star was going to be annihilated in less than
two minutes.
"I already took such great pains to prepare, but the gap is still so large!?"
Godou's grumbling lips were twisted in savagery. It was a smile.
Despite the massive power gap between him and the opponent, he was
feeling unbelievably exhilarated.
Probably because there was nothing to do except resist to the bitter end.
There was no choice apart from going all out.
"Since there's not much time left, Ama no Murakumo, try your hardest to
absorb that guy's lightning in the meantime—Open a path. You help out too,
Athena!"
While pouring his entire magic power into the partner, Godou commanded.
He knew this was quite an unreasonable demand.
Nevertheless, the sword born for conflict replied "Affirmative!" succinctly,
whereas the snake, wrapped around the blade, glared at Godou with
terrifying eyes that seemed to be saying "unnecessary babbling, fool."
During this time, the clash between the black and white stars still continued.
Currently, the two stars had shrunk to diameters of ten-odd meters—No,
rather than shrink, they had compressed.
This was to increase the density of power so as to resist in full force.
Thanks to that, Godou's distance to the "King of the End" had decreased.
He could see the hero's handsome face clearly.
Stern and courageous, yet colored with battle weariness like a layer of rust.
Godou did not feel hatred towards him. Neither did he feel anger. However,
he felt a sense of competitiveness. A sense of defiance to resist the being of
ultimate power no matter what.
Godou grinned savagely again, mustering even more magic power from his
energy center deep in the abdomen under the navel.
Fueled with this power, Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi enacted a miracle on
a small scale. The [Storm Bringer]'s essence was absorbing all creation like
a black hole. Embodying this principle, the blade was absorbing the
electrical energy overflowing from the space between Godou and the "King
of the End." Absorbing, absorbing, absorbing nonstop.
Finally, a path was opened at last.
A path reaching the hero directly while dodging the scorching lightning of
salvation.
"Hmm!?"
"Now is the moment, Nee-san!"
While the pale-haired hero exclaimed in surprise, Godou yelled.
Immediately, Luo Cuilian's beautiful upright figure flew out from her sworn
brother's back. Racing lightly and rapidly along the opened path, her
unparalleled mastery of qinggong, the Chinese martial arts technique of
movement, it was as though she had turned weightless.
"Nothing less expected from godslayers, larger than life characters who
have reached the heavens through their own strength!"
"Save such flattery and praise for after you have witnessed our potential as
siblings—Hah!"
While commending them, impressed, the "King of the End" raised the
divine sword to an upper stance.
However, Luo Cuilian used the [Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Howl] to deflect
the glorious divine sword then proceeded to deliver a mighty blow to the
hero's stalwart body.
Her Eminence Luo Cuilian the Devil King emitted a roar that turned into a
shockwave of magical wind, clearing all obstacles in its path.
Sealing off the enemy's counterattack, she closed in on the hero
spectacularly.
The Ruler of the Martial Realm silently attacked using her most prided
weapon. With extreme speed, she used her dominant right hand, pressing
her palm against the chest of the "King of the End."
This palm was pressed precisely on the heart—the vital spot corresponding
to the Danzhong pressure point in Chinese martial arts.
Godou knew very well that the hero of the divine sword was in command of
masterful swordsmanship. Despite being a master swordsman, he was still
unable to react to this ordinary looking palm strike. This truly made clear
the fact that the gentle strike that Luo Cuilian had just unleashed was her
strongest palm technique.
Simply by pushing out her hand in a simple movement, she inflicted a blow
on the supreme expert.
Literally the pinnacle of martial arts secret techniques. Furthermore, like
her sworn brother, Luo Cuilian had poured her entire magic power into her
right palm, infusing it with force from the Divine Might of Vajrapani.
Using this mighty force to perform a karate chop, one could probably slice
mountains and rivers apart with ease.
Using this mighty force to perform a punch, one would surely shake heaven
and earth, even to the point of making sacred Mount Tai rumble.
Struck by such a mighty force in a vital spot, the "King of the End"
screamed tragically.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Then immediately, the valorous hero's entire body erupted with brilliant
platinum-colored light.
Part 4
The entire area was rendered scorched earth.
The battleground for the two godslayers and the "King of the End" had
turned into an incinerated plain.
This was originally somewhere in the mountains. However, the
mountainous portion serving as the battlefield had been blown away. Trees
had been swept clear. Many lives inhabiting the winter mountain forest had
been extinguished.
Watching this tragic scene, the "King of the End" shook his head silently.
This all came by his hand personally.
His life was intimately linked to the Divine Sword of Salvation.
So long as this blade remained intact, he would resurrect again and again
even after dying.
When suffering Her Eminence Luo Hao's fierce palm strike earlier, he had
increased his body's "bond with the the Divine Sword of Salvation" to the
maximum in order to resist the impact. As a result, turning into a "living
divine sword," he was able to endure despite the devastating blow.
As a side effect, he had released lightning of salvation from his entire body,
sweeping the entire area away.
There was nothing left in the vicinity. Everything had been incinerated by
the lightning, blown apart by the violent impact that altered the landscape,
turned into an entire patch of scorched earth. Kusanagi Godou and his
sworn sister had also vanished.
If one were to ask what had remained from the battle, there was only the
dull pain still lingering on his chest.
With these depressed thoughts, the "King of the End" gazed upon the trail
of destruction he had left behind.
Among what had been destroyed, this also included the spirits that had
helped him earlier—
"Your Excellency the Savior."
A voice called out. It was the bold and beautiful voice of the hero Perseus.
He arrived at the side of the "King of the End." The Great Sage Equaling
Heaven and Lancelot were present too. Returning from the far side of the
sky, the Wind King also came along.
"Should we pursue them?"
"Not necessary."
In his current state of heightened indestructibility, his power was too
difficult to control.
More openings than usual. The "King of the End" shook his head.
"I am slightly exhausted from fighting at full strength after so long since the
last time. Resting is necessary. You three heroes will face various
inconveniences if you leave my side, won't you? Let us withdraw for now."
"Regarding that..."
Perseus smiled with delight and glanced at the Wind King for an instant.
"There is also the option of passing the task to that gentleman over there."
Hearing this, the unidentified wind god suddenly vanished. Riding the night
wind that happened to blow past, he took his leave in front of everyone
here.
Hence, the ancient Roman hero with hair the color of the Japanese Yellow
Rose nodded greatly.
"A certain Mr. Wind doesn't seem too willing to make a move without
careful consideration, just as I thought."
"I hope for your understanding. Like everyone here, he is also a hero whose
glorious renown is unshakable. Perhaps he is worried about the risk of
identity exposure if he were to mobilize too frequently."
Hearing the "King of the End" apologize as the master, the Great Sage
Equaling Heaven commented with heartfelt emotion.
"It's truly commendable how devoted he is to obeying his lord and master's
wishes. I've got to make my lil' bros learn from him."
"Lord Monkey, I am afraid they are merely taking after you, their eldest
brother, aren't they?"
"Seeing as that's the case, I'm gonna rest for now. I'm not boasting when I
say that old Sun here is known as the number one in the celestial realm for
slacking on the job."
Leaving these words behind, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven disappeared.
Perseus did the same as the celestial realm's former Keeper of the Horses,
leaving elegant laughter. Thus, only the "King of the End" and Lancelot du
Lac remained.
"...Your Majesty, how about a brief moment of slumber?"
The female knight of white advised.
"After unleashing your authority to this extent, your body ought to be quite
scorching in temperature."
"You are right."
Nodding, the "King of the End" gazed at his own right hand.
No different from usual, his hand consisted of a pale palm and five fingers,
all shaped exquisitely. But including this hand, his entire body was giving
off intense heat. An ordinary person standing next to him would probably
feel as though they were suffering in front of a furnace.
Even if he were to jump into a river, the water would evaporate
immediately, turning into steam hanging in the air.
"Lancelot. Even before meeting you and the goddess Gwenhwyfar in the
ancient past, I have been fighting continually. I hibernate every time I finish
the mission of exterminating Devil Kings, instantly jumping into battle
against new Devil Kings immediately after awakenening. This has repeated
countless times."
The "King of the End" suddenly brought up the past.
"In the past, I always woke up with almost all my power depleted. Hence,
in order to fight, I would need to gather the essence of the earth. For this
purpose, I would set off on a long journey of wandering across the lands."
"Indeed."
Lancelot concurred.
"Unable to bear the sight of that, this knight's companion Gwenhwyfar
decided to create the Holy Grail, even using herself as the material while on
the verge of death. For the purpose of gathering the essence of mother earth
goddesses beforehand so as to provide you with power without needing to
go through the hardships of wandering. Furthermore, it had its own value
too."
The deity of knights, worshiped by equestrian tribes, swept her gaze across
the incinerated plain.
"On this occasion, you faced an intense battle immediately after
awakening."
"Yes. To her who created the Holy Grail... I really ought to express my
gratitude."
A smiling expression surfaced on the lips of the "King of the End," one that
could be called a smile yet with a certain sense of bitterness.
Bowing mundanely towards him, the goddess Lancelot also disappeared.
"Oh man... It feels like I'm always saying this every time."
A hour or two after the intense battle that had even changed
Minamibousou's landscape...
Under the moonlight and winter night sky, Godou was currently located
within the premises of an old and historic temple. Having left the
mountainous area that had served as the battlefield, he was back in human
settlement.
The night was silent as though the earlier commotion had been a dream.
"I was definitely expecting to die just now. It's all thanks to you, Nee-san,
that I was saved. Thank you."
"No need for thanks. After all, I too escaped death thanks to your quick
wits."
The transcendent beauty in front of him under the moonlight was Luo
Cuilian, of course.
However, her pale and beautiful face was more pallid than usual. Her
energy and vitality were utterly depleted. Anemia might even have arose.
Slightly earlier, after she had delivered the ultimate palm strike to the "King
of the End"...
The pale-haired hero had roared like a wild beast from the pain before
proceeding to release lightning of salvation from his entire body with
extreme potency.
In order to block the attack, Luo Cuilian had summoned avatars.
Through defeating an Om pair of Buddha Guardians, she had obtained the
authority: Divine Might of Vajrapani. This power was not purely confined
to the application of monstrous strength.
It also enabled Luo Cuilian to summon two Buddha Guardians as avatars,
allowing them to exert monstrous strength in turn.
These Benevolent Kings were roughly three times the size of Godou's
stature, their muscular bodies shining with golden luster. Covered with
bulging musculature all over, the two guardians used their bodies to shield
their beautiful master. At the same time, Luo Cuilian poured her own
remaining magic power wholly into their bodies, further strengthening the
avatars—
Thanks to the "shield of muscle" provided by the two golden giants to block
the attack, a time delay was bought. Right in front of the hero who was
releasing lightning, Luo Cuilian avoided instant death. Activating divine
speed, Kusanagi Godou picked up his sworn sister in his arms and ran at
full speed. It was for this purpose that a time delay was needed.
Back then, Godou was still using the [Raptor] incarnation.
Hence, carrying his sworn sister in his arms, he raced across many
mountains, finally reaching a human settlement. Only after rushing into the
ancient temple did he shut off his divine speed.
Godou secretly sighed in relief.
The [Raptor], notoriously difficult to control, had extended in usage time
and had developed to the point where he could temporarily deactivate it in
the middle of using the incarnation. As a result, he was saved on this
occasion...
"So those guys didn't chase us after all. They should have noticed we were
trying to run away."
"Perhaps they had no intention of doing so. However... I can also sense that
they had no reason to give chase. That being said, I have no definite basis
for that feeling."
Like Mariya Yuri, the sworn sister also possessed the power of spirit vision.
Naturally, that type of vague feeling must not be underestimated. While
Godou nodded and said "oh I see," the almighty elder sister, lacking neither
valor nor intelligence, announced sonorously:
"We shall confirm the veracity of this during the future rematch. This is also
what you intend to do, Godou, yes?"
Truly an amazing declaration. Despite retreating in defeat just earlier, she
was not shaken in the slightest. Not a single shred of fear. Calmly and
indifferently, she was already considering the next rematch.
Switching mindsets with astounding speed.
Her Eminence Luo Hao possessed pride and self-esteem even higher than
the gods of the heavens. Seeing as that was the case, it would not be
surprising even if she did not react to defeat with shock—
Rather than indomitable spirit, her psychological make-up would be more
accurately captured by the saying, "forgetting the pain as soon as the wound
healed."
This sworn sister truly lived up to her name as a Campione. A species of
human sharing similarities with Salvatore Doni and Madame Aisha.
Just as Godou secretly snickered to himself at this hilarious thought...
"Kusanagi Godou..."
He heard Pallas Athena's voice calling to him. Stabbed in the ground before
him was Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi. The voice was coming from the
silver snake wrapped around the blade.
"Perhaps thou hast noticed, one's days are numbered..."
"Yeah. I got the feeling that's the case."
A confession coming from the old enemy whose fate was intertwined with
his in mysterious and unfavorable ways.
Still coiled around the blade, the silver snake showed no signs of
movement. The scales' luster was also becoming dull. She looked like she
was about to enter hibernation.
To begin with, Pallas Athena had removed the seal of dragons and snakes
by paying her life as the price.
Her death was already predicted. Godou spoke up:
"Do you want to duel me as a last request?"
Despite his clear intention to taunt with belligerent words, Godou spoke in
an inexplicably gentle tone of voice.
The silver snake, transformed from the Divine Ancestor, spoke with the
tone of voice belonging to a goddess enlightened and liberated from the
mental shackles of life, death, debts and grudges instead of haughtiness
filled with fighting spirit:
"This is not a bad ending. Nevertheless, one still findeth it lacking. Verily,
one ought to choose the strongest warrior at hand as the final prey..."
"In other words, you want to fight that guy."
Choosing to fight the "King of the End" at this kind of critical moment, that
was definitely style befitting a goddess of war. Godou smiled.
"Currently, the majority of the essence serving as that man's power source
came from oneself—absorbed from one's time as Athena. This will
undoubtedly become a critical deciding factor."
Coiled around Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi, the silver snake was staring
at Godou sharply.
"However, 'tis probably impossible. One cannot last until then."
"Specifically, how much time is left?"
"Mayhap a hundred beats in thy chest, mayhap three hundred beats before
one's last breath is drawn. In any case, time is scarce."
Since the goddess was not looking at a watch, it was probably a metaphor.
Her remaining life was most likely less than ten minutes.
While Godou felt powerless, the silver snake said solemnly to him:
"Well then... Thou still owest one a favor. Kusanagi Godou."
"Favor?"
"Indeed. A past promise yet to be fulfilled. Thou mentionedst previously.
When one returneth after undergoing the cycle of rebirth, a rematch to
redeem past defeat. Be that as it may, 'twas always one who approached
thee in the past—"
"Hold on, you've recovered your memories?"
This was the conversation that had taken place with [Heretic Athena] just
prior to her death.
At the same time, Godou also noticed that the silver snake had said "one's
time as Athena." In other words, there was no mistake.
With certainty in his heart, Godou returned her gaze. However, the silver
snake simply flicked its forked tongue.
Indifferent words. Without excess verbosity nor words of sorrow. However,
seeing this aloof reaction very much in the snake goddess Athena's style,
Godou felt rather unbelievable.
Could this be the result of absorbing her into Ama no Murakumo no
Tsurugi, allowing her to come into contact with the [Storm Bringer] that
could be considered her posthumous masterpiece?
Perhaps some sort of change had occurred in the goddess' soul while she
was having another showdown against Kusanagi Godou.
Godou suddenly laughed out loud. Who cares about this kind of thing? The
reptile in front of him was precisely his former enemy. This fact was the
most important of all.
"You're right. I owe you one. So, how am I going to make it up to you?"
"Naturally, to use what is left of this feeble life to exact revenge on that
man."
Athena's snake form was wrapped around Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi.
That long serpentine body had been absorbed into the sacred sword.
"Thou shalt prepare the appropriate time and venue. One is counting on
you, mine enemy of destiny."
This was her demand. Athena spoke no more.
Staying dormant inside Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi like a hibernating
snake, she had probably halted all living activity, in order to use the
remainder of her lifespan on the battle against the "King of the End."
"Nothing less expected from the reincarnation of a great goddess. As a
queen, the final moments before one's end ought to be like this."
Watching them the whole time, the sworn sister offered rare praise.
Seeing as they were both lofty queens with haughty self-esteem and
forceful personalities, there apparently existed areas where they could
understand each other.
"Nee-san, do you want to come with me to Tokyo? Yinghua and my friends
are there. Let's head over there to regroup first."
"I wouldn't mind. I agree that it is necessary too."
Even as someone living detached from the mundane world, holding
misgivings against civilized society, she was a Campione, never careless in
matters related to battle.
Confronted with the emergency situation of the strongest Devil King
exterminator's arrival, she agreed readily to a request that she would surely
reject instantly during normal times.
Wonderful, thinking that, Godou nodded and said:
"If possible, Nee-san, could you take me to where Yinghua lives? Yeah,
using that Daoist arts thing, couldn't you teleport us?"
"..."
"I don't mind either if we fly like just now."
"..."
"Nee-san?"
"My little brother, I shall first inform you of one fact."
Introducing the topic with a solemn demeanor, Luo Cuilian stared at Godou
intently.
"Defending against the lightning of the 'King of the End' earlier, I
manifested a pair of Benevolent Kings. Only by doing that did we barely
manage to survive."
"Yeah, that was really a great help."
"During that time, the qi inside myself was almost completely depleted."
Qi meant magic power. Godou went "Ehh!?" in shock.
"It was necessary to go that far in order to block that hero's ultimate
lightning. The result is that I am currently unable to perform even the
simplest of Daoist arts. In this present state, we cannot head over to
Yinghua's residence using Daoist arts."
The sworn sister, Luo Cuilian, confessed with a very displeased look.
As the martial artist standing at the world's tallest pinnacle, she was also an
outstanding user of Daoist arts. In addition, she possessed peerless beauty
and was adept in all sorts of arts and skills. In fact, even her culinary
prowess was on the level of masters.
Precisely because of that, she must be very displeased whenever compelled
to admit that any task was beyond her.
"I get it now..."
Godou remarked, feeling a deep chord struck within himself. In the past,
Lucretia Zola had also suffered from this kind of state.
Back then, the Witch of Sardinia had been bedridden for many days due to
fatigue. Since the sworn elder sister still looked quite energetic, perhaps it
was due to a gap in training.
Also, Godou suddenly felt worried.
In that case, wasn't the current situation quite dangerous?
"We are currently at the city of Minamibousou..."
Godou had confirmed using his cellphone's map software already. Their
battle against the "King of the End" had taken place near Minamibousou's
famous mountain of Iyo. After traversing many mountains by running away
at divine speed, they had arrived at a settlement by the foot of the mountain.
This was a small settlement with homes scattered sparsely between hills.
Even so, walking on foot to the nearest train station would still take
substantial time. However.
"Nee-san, have you ever taken a train before?"
"Are you referring to the steam locomotive of rumor? Needless to say, I
can't possibly have ridden it before."
A sudden problematic statement. By contemporary times, trains powered by
the steam engine had become obsolete a long time ago, turned into antiques.
Furthermore, people who have never experienced traveling by train would
not normally use "needless to say" to express themselves.
Riding a train car together with an indeterminate number of ordinary people
—
In the past, Luo Cuilian had boldly declared the following.
'Someone of my stature obviously cannot have a direct conversation with
commoners.'
'Those who lay eyes on my body must gouge out their own eyes; those who
hear my voice must cut off their ears in penance.'
Furthermore, she was someone holding the view that "the decline of human
society began with the invention of the steam engine."
She lived secluded in a mountain forest without electricity precisely
because she was an excessive adherent to the philosophy of natural living.
Inside the spacious and comfortable interior of a train on a regional rail
line... The sworn sister smashing the Uchibou Line train with a palm
strike... This was very probable. Even without the ability to use Daoist arts,
she was a heroine fully capable of demolishing a building or two with her
bare hands.
However, it was already late at night. It was worth doubting whether any
trains to Tokyo were still running.
Quietly trying to review other means of transportation, Godou began to
think again.
"In that case, let's take a car."
After entering this ancient temple, the first thing Godou did was call Erica
to inform the girls of his safety.
Asking them for a pickup by car probably would not be a problem.
However, Godou still inquired just to be safe.
"What about cars—"
"Of course I have ridden them before. It happened in the past with a group
of leading knights-errant of the martial realm, after a great victory in battle.
Returning in triumph, I was treated to the cheering of the populace and
festivities were held for three days and three nights to extol my martial
virtues. In order to respond to the people's cheering, I rode an ox-drawn
carriage to parade in various place."
"Oh I see, there's that too."
Car = Official state vehicle used for victory parades in the town streets, and
drawn by oxen or horses as well.
Such were the preconceived notions belonging to Her Eminence Luo Hao.
What level of tolerance would she actually afford to a journey by car
traversing the mountain roads of the Bousou Peninsula, the Tokyo Bay
Aqua-Line and the Shuto Expressway?
Godou's low expectations were definitely not borne out of mere pessimism.
Furthermore, he also realized at this point.
Even after overcoming a million obstacles, returning to the twenty-three
wards of Tokyo...
However, where could he arrange accommodations for the sworn elder
sister? Godou tried to ponder candidate locations. The Kusanagi home in
the Bunkyou ward, Erica's luxury apartment, the Sayanomiya family
mansion, the stronghold of Hong Kong's Lu family, the shady maid building
in Akihabara... No matter which place was chosen, Godou had a feeling that
the supremely self-centered Luo Cuilian could hardly be satisfied...
"So this is probably what they call a 'cul-de-sac'?"
While Godou was shocked at the realization of the imminent dead end
situation...
He heard the sound of rotors from the distant sky, something one would not
expect in a mountain village during the night. A helicopter was approaching
while shining a light towards the ground.
"Master's glorious virtue is like the radiant sun hanging in the sky, bringing
light to the populace on the ground with universal fairness."
Inside the cabin of a large helicopter belonging to the Japan Air Self-
Defense Force...
The one offering fluent praise to Luo Cuilian, the leader of the Holy Cult of
the Five Mountains as well as his own master in martial arts, was of course,
Lu Yinghua.
"It would be an utterly foolish notion to expect Her Eminence Luo Hao,
who ought to live in heaven, to walk along terrestrial roads, hence
according to your disciple's judgment, this ride was specially prepared."
"I see. That would be quite quick-witted for you, my young eagle."
"Your disciple is filled with trepidation. All credit goes to having received
Master's edification. Your disciple, Lu Yinghua, remembers Master's
teachings at all times, thereby reminding oneself strictly to strive for self-
improvement each and every day—Ouch!?"
"Excessive flattery only serves to expose unseemliness."
Despite having depleted her energy, the peerless Luo Cuilian remained
impressive as ever. A lightly exhaled breath turned into a shockwave,
reaching a punch's level of force. An absurd and superlative feat performed
effortlessly.
Striking her disciple in the forehead with this attack, she spoke
nonchalantly:
"You are a knight-errant of the martial realm despite your young age. You
must strive towards the goal of becoming a man worthy of everyone's
respect."
"M-Master's teachings are greatly appreciated..."
The helicopter flew along the coastline, then crossing Tokyo Bay night sky
along the Aqua-Line, they finally returned to Tokyo.
Godou secretly whispered to Amakasu who was present on the helicopter as
well.
(I'm impressed you managed to bring Yinghua along.)
(Regarding the art of getting along with Her Eminence, he is
unquestionably the world's foremost expert.)
(But from what I've heard, helicopters almost never fly during the night.)
(Yes, this part was quite tough too. I had to beg an acquaintance in the
JASDF for a favor in order to borrow a helicopter equipped with night
vision systems as well as an experienced pilot familiar with mountain
rescue operations. After all, trying to fly a helicopter at night in Japan is
almost impossible unless I go this far.)
The two of them were conversing with their voices lowered as much as
possible.
Like her disciple, Her Eminence Luo Hao also possessed astounding
powers of hearing. If she were to listen intently, she could probably pick up
this entire conversation clearly. However, Godou did not think she would
care about Amakasu's talking. It was probably fine.
(By the way, how are you planning to arrange Nee-san's accommodations?)
(This posed a real dilemma for quite a while, but luckily, we've already
arranged for that place. Yeah, it's already in sight.)
(...Huh?)
The helicopter happened to be flying in the air above Tokyo's Sumida Ward.
They were advancing towards a towering structure that stood as quite a
familiar landmark.
"No way, could it be that?"
The height of this building was 634m indeed. In fact, this high-rise building
was even closer to the heavens than the mountain range where the battle
against the "King of the End" had taken place. A broadcasting tower built
recently in the twenty-first century.
The Tokyo Skytree was waiting quietly ahead of the helicopter's current
route of advance.