Part 1
Carrying the monkey god of wind in her arms, Luo Cuilian flew.
She was making use of unparalleled strength the whole time, suppressing
the monkey god Hanuman, whose mighty strength was universally extolled
in the Ramayana. Using a pubescent girl's right hand to grip Hanuman's
white face, she injected the Divine Might of Vajrapani into her fingers
continuously. It was causing Hanuman to groan.
"Guhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
In professional wrestling terms, this would look similar to the Iron Claw
hold. However, the resemblance was merely superficial.
Gripping Hanuman's head with adamantine strength, the five fingers were
also exerting force on pressure points on the head, sealing the target's bodily
motions.
However,this monkey god of pure white was supposed to harbor more
terrifying abilities in contrast to his intellectual appearance.
—He will not remain subdued indefinitely. I must leave the battlefield as
quickly as possible to reach a location to fight him at leisure.
Reaching this conclusion, Luo Cuilian used clairvoyance to spot land a few
dozen kilometers away before raising her flying speed all at once to fly in
that direction.
Tokyo Bay's vicinity was too cramped for the peerless Luo Cuilian's tastes.
Furthermore, Pushpaka Vimana was also moving west along the ocean
currently.
Most importantly, the simple reason was that Luo Cuilian's flying speed
was much faster than Liliana's flight magic.
Hence, it took merely two or three minutes of flying over Tokyo Bay to
reach the landing location directly. Then Luo Cuilian used this unusual
speed to attack.
Without slowing down at all, she landed directly. Crashing into the ground
with horrifying divine speed, she smashed Hanuman's body violently into
the concrete floor.
The white monkey god with the body of steel crashed like a meteor impact.
The direct result of Hanuman's impact on the ground was a large crater
reaching almost twenty meters in diameter.
Concrete chunks of varying sizes flew and scattered in the air. Some were
stone chips the size of pebbles while others were as large as small
automobiles in size.
However, the war god of wind and steel was not so weak as to be injured by
something of this level.
After the crash landing, Hanuman's head was still in the firm grip of Luo
Cuilian's right hand and fingers, but finally, he was able to chant words of
power.
"M-My father, O wind god Vayu!"
The white monkey god's body turned into a gust of wind.
Even someone like Luo Cuilian was not able to grasp a gaseous body all of
a sudden.
Hanuman had struggled free splendidly, turning into a gale to rush from the
bottom of the crater to its edge, landing safely on the concrete floor.
Whether the monkey's body or its beautiful white fur, neither was scratched
the slightest.
"Fufufu. As expected of the valorous war god Hanuman of ancient India.
When confronted with impending death, your ability to freely control the
traits of your immortality is legendary as rumored."
Moreover, the laughing Luo Cuilian was completely unharmed as well.
Even using Hanuman's body as a shield, when crashing into the ground
with that level of speed and momentum, a safe landing was impossible
under normal conditions.
Logically speaking, she should have received injury and force
commensurate with the rapid descent, dying on the spot.
In spite of that, Luo Cuilian had not suffered any damage of that sort.
She jumped lightly. Arriving in front of Hanuman with just a single
effortless leap from the bottom of the crater, her motion had already
surpassed the realm of lightness, as graceful as a celestial maiden unfettered
by the restrictions of gravity.
This time, Luo Cuilian was facing off against Hanuman on the ground.
However, the wind god's son immediately hovered into the air using his
own powers of flight.
"Beautiful godslayer, Your Highness evidently knows my origins."
Suddenly stopping at a point in the air—
Hanuman took a seat, motionless. For the wind god's son, the intangible and
invisible air was no different from furniture.
While Hanuman was sitting in as though in a Zen mediation pose, a
mandala appeared behind him.
It was a circle ten times bigger than the 180cm tall Hanuman. His master's
mandala depicted countless weapons whereas Hanuman's was that of a
great monkey army—a thousand strong.
The monkeys were all in armor, armed with blades and spears.
"In that case, you ought to know that. Before becoming the crown prince's
devotee, I used to serve Sugriva, ruler of the monkey race. Furthermore, I
was the general commanding the army of monkeys."
Next, the thousand monkeys depicted in the mandala came alive. Obtaining
life and physical form, these monkey soldiers served Hanuman!
In addition, their fur was white like their master's. Their similarity to the
wind god's son extending into other areas, the thousand armed monkeys
were riding on gales, flying into the air.
Charging at Luo Cuilian from overhead, these monkey attacked with their
respective weapons!
"Naturally, it is clear beyond a doubt."
In response, she shrugged haughtily as befitted the Ruler of the Martial
Realm.
"Disposable pawns of this level—None shall harm a single hair of mine
even if you gather a million of them!"
From those beautiful lips came a great shout as intense as a lion's roar.
In addition, her beautiful voice, so pleasant to the ears, was transformed
into a shockwave of magical wind capable of smashing even steel. She had
used her second authority of the [Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Howl].
"Generals die on horseback, soldiers destroy enemy encampments. Rivers
of blood across the land, white bones lie exposed. Trails linger from horses
gone, names remain on record in vain—!"[7]
She was singing a poem that lamented the tragedy of merciless battlefields.
The ominous verses summoned magical wind of destruction, sweeping
lightly across the army of a thousand monkeys. In the end, Hanuman's
soldiers—Every single one of them was pulverized and scattered without
exception.
Losing their shapes as monkeys,the soldiers turned into tiny dust, scattering
in the atmosphere.
But in the next instant...
Hanuman himself attacked from the air without warning.
Descending upon Luo Cuilian rapidly from overhead, he unleashed a
spinning kick using the momentum of his descent. Spinning vertically, with
feet descending like a guillotine's blade, it was an absurd feat.
An agile kicking attack only possible for apes to perform, this move was
aimed at the demonic cult leader's delicate collarbone.
However, unarmed combat was precisely Luo Cuilian's top field of
expertise.
She simply took a step back to dodge Hanuman's kick. Even so, the slight
delay in her evasion resulted in a small tear on the chest of the Mandarin
gown she was wearing.
Descending on the ground again, Hanuman spoke to the frowning Luo
Cuilian.
"Seeing as they were defeated so easily, there was no point going out of my
way to call forth soldiers. Haha! Oriental or occidental, past or present, all
of those known as Rakshasa Kings were violent fellows without
exception..."
Despite offering praise, the white monkey god did not pause in his
movements.
Extending his right arm suddenly, he aimed a straight punch at Luo
Cuilian's face. However, it was not a single strike. Within a blink of the eye,
this feat of agility delivered five consecutive punches with the same right
fist. A consummate skill as fast as lightning. Nevertheless, this was nothing
new to the Ruler of the Martial Realm who remained unfazed.
Using the back and palm of her left hand, she blocked all five strikes—At
least, that was the intention.
However, the final punch was not blocked. Instead, her left palm was
deflected by the fist's force. Instantly, she dodged Hanuman's punch that
was flying towards her face, successfully evading the attack.
That being said...
The fist had apparently brushed slightly past her.
A faint laceration appeared on Luo Cuilian's cheek. Blood dripped down.
"You must have exhausted yourself in the earlier fight against the crown
prince. Also, there are signs, no matter how slight, that your martial arts are
falling into disarray on their own due to the shortening of your limbs."
Hanuman spoke in a courteous tone of voice.
"Excuse my rudeness for saying this, but fighting me in this state must be
quite an ordeal for you, isn't it?"
"...I see."
On the other hand, Luo Cuilian showed an expression of comprehension.
"Your most prided weapon—is your own body, isn't that so?"
Salvatore Doni had called Hanuman out on the same issue back in ancient
Gaul.
Swords and blades were not the Wind King's top weapons of mastery.
Naturally, Luo Cuilian could not have known about that earlier scene. But
through fighting Hanuman, whose identity was exposed, she came to learn
even more of the truth than the Italian Campione.
Punches and kicks. Unarmed combat skills using the entire body.
The white monkey god's most prided weapon and trump card consisted of
that.
A most appropriate opponent for Luo Cuilian whose most powerful skill
was the Twelve Divine Palm Strikes of the Phoenix. Hence, she was able to
fight by bringing the full extent of her martial arts to the table.
However, Luo Cuilian's rhythm was gradually disrupted by her body's non-
ideal condition.
Furthermore, the enemy was indestructible—a body of steel. In a contest of
durability, Hanuman clearly held the advantage.
Continuing to fight in this manner, the current balance would probably
collapse in a matter of minutes.
Even if she wanted to defeat the enemy by using a swift offensive, the
opponent was a battle-hardened god of war after all. He would see through
this type of tactic. Then was there any ingenious trick to escaping this
predicament—?
Tensing her young and beautiful face, Luo Cuilian stared sharply into
Hanuman's highly intellectual simian face.
Part 2
Prince Rama's royal ship that looked like a giant city—Pushpaka Vimana.
In fact, the ship did have towers and houses of stone erected all over the
place. Perhaps a large number of people actually lived there and it was
possible the ship served the functions of a city.
Godou ordered his vimana sky chariot to charge towards this city.
In addition, the two heroes, Perseus and Great Sage Equaling Heaven Sun
Wukong, were pursuing right behind him—
"You cannot escape my arrows even if you flee to this place!"
Perseus yelled out, positively thrilled.
Perhaps he was excited for the chance to fight a godslayer again.
He kept firing arrows from atop his winged horse. Furthermore, he was not
shooting one arrow at a time. Holding four arrows between five fingers, he
placed them all on the bowstring at once to fire them simultaneously.
Literally, he kept repeating this type of attack continuously.
Despite being attacked by just one archer, Godou was confronted by a
barrage of attacks akin to a rain of bullets.
Those arrows would probably have pierced him immediately were it not for
the vimana's flying capabilities. Moreover, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven
was quietly waiting by Perseus side, sitting on his iridescent cloud.
"Kukukuku. It's time for the main event to start."
Laughing with glee, the Great Sage stared intently at Godou's back while he
was fleeing this way and that.
Without a doubt. The Great Sage was choosing his opportunity to charge
with divine speed. Such rare caution coming from him was probably
because he knew that Godou was likewise a user of divine speed as well. If
he were to attack recklesssly, it would be futile if Godou escaped using the
same divine speed.
Judging from this, the Handsome Monkey King truly lived up to his
reputation as a natural expert in fighting.
"...Just as I thought, I can't keep running away anymore."
Godou muttered. The 100m lead in the beginning had shrunk by more than
half now. There was no way to survive unless he counterattacked.
Also, his purpose in coming here was indeed for the sake of striking back.
"Please. Obey my orders...!"
Taking a gamble on Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi's ability to replicate
Prince Rama's authority, Godou called out.
Namely, the power to control vimanas. However, his target was not the sky
chariot he was currently riding. Instead, it was the supreme mode of
transport, much more massive and powerful—Pushpaka Vimana.
Then Godou sensed it.
Although it did not extend to the entire craft, he was still able to freely
control part of this massive ship that was like a city!
"Do it! Take out those guys!"
Godou immediately yelled out.
He had already found out through his knowledge of Prince Rama.
He knew what armaments the entire vimana was equipped with. The only
reason why the ship's master had not used them was presumably because
his own weapon was far more powerful.
In any case, regarding the orders to attack, part of Pushpaka Vimana
responded.
The ship was a perfect circle with a diameter of sixteen kilometers. Right
now, Godou had flown to one end, the northeastern block had come under
Kusanagi Godou's control.
In terms of area, it was roughly one eighth of the total.
Built in the center of the northeastern block was the tallest tower in the area.
A tower of chalk—Roughly forty or fifty meters in height. The entire tower
suddenly glowed blue-white and even emitted exploding sparks.
" "What!?" "
The instant when Perseus and the Great Sage Equaling Heaven were taken
by surprise...
Blue-white lightning was released from the pinnacle of the tower of chalk,
descending upon the two heroes who were pursuing Godou. Struck directly
by this lightning, they were thrown from their respective mounts—the
winged horse and the iridescent cloud.
"Hey, that's playing dirty!"
"A man who still cares not for elegance!"
The Great Sage cursed while Perseus cried out with inexplicable
excitement.
Living true to their names as heroes of steel, they remained lively as ever
even after a direct hit from lightning. However, Godou did not try to check
out their condition. If he had that kind of leisure, even for a second, he
should use it on escaping.
After that, the tower of chalk continued to release lightning.
Naturally, the goal was to pin down the two heroes, to prevent them from
chasing after Kusanagi Godou.
With Pushpaka Vimana's support, Godou was able to shake the two heroes
off his trail again. Then he discovered a plaza in the shape of a diamond.
Seen through Japanese sensibilities, this plaza somewhat resembled a
baseball field in shape and size.
Except for the monastery-like building sitting in the center of the plaza.
Ordering his chariot vimana to land, Godou descended on the surface of
stone tiles.
"Let's find a way to end things here..."
The four flying holy swords following the vimana also came to his side,
stabbing into the ground. However, there was more to do. Godou called out
to Ama no Murakumo in his right arm.
"Ama no Murakumo, that past move—Start it now!"
'Hmm. One would call this a last stand.'
After giving a courageous reply, a black sphere of darkness suddenly
manifested over Godou's head.
Ten-odd meters in diameter, it was hovering in midair. Ama no Murakumo
no Tsurugi had finally activated the [Storm Bringer]. Of course, substantial
time was still needed to raise its power to critical point.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes, four minutes—Godou waited
silently.
Focusing his mind, he poured all of his magic power into Ama no
Murakumo no Tsurugi in order to raise the black blade's power to its
maximum in the shortest time possible. During this process, he could still
hear lightning descending in the distance.
The tower of chalk continued to attack Perseus and the Great Sage Equaling
Heaven.
The two heroes were probably enduring the attacks, although Godou did not
believe that attacks of this level could defeat them... The moment this
thought crossed his mind, there was a sudden exploding sound.
Godou turned his gaze to see an explosion at the pinnacle of the tower of
chalk.
The two heroes had evidently destroyed the meddlesome tower.
Godou clicked his tongue. The [Storm Bringer] had not reached critical
point yet. Its power had reached at most half or so.
"Your petty trick has outlived its usefulness."
"Oh well, I am hoping to see what other tricks you will play in your futile
struggle."
Then the two heroes' voices came from behind.
Perseus and the Great Sage Equaling Heaven had finally arrived at the
diamond-shaped plaza. They no longer had their mounts. Instead, they had
arrived on foot.
Godou took a glance at the black star overhead.
Gwoon. Gwoon. Gwoon. Making unique noises, the giant sphere rotated
with commensurate speed. However, it still needed to spin faster to reach
critical point.
Godou sighed in a slightly exaggerated manner. Then immediately, he
swiftly issued thoughts to attack.
"All enemies shall tremble before me. I am the guardian of the righteous!"
The instant he chanted spell words, the golden blades flew out.
The four holy swords of Verethragna, embedded upright in the ground next
to Godou—two of them suddenly flew ferociously into the air, attacking
Perseus and the Great Sage respectively.
But against this surprise attack—
"Nwoh!?"
"Hmm!"
The Great Sage instantly struck the holy sword away using his Ruyi Staff.
Tossing his bow away, Perseus forcefully swung the curved blade he had
summoned into his right hand, deflecting the holy sword.
Clang, clang, with the sound of two metallic impacts, the two holy swords
of gold were sent flying elsewhere.
Godou frowned. He had two remaining swords of Verethragna, but although
they were blades of ultimate destruction against Prince Rama, they did not
work against the two heroes. Just now, he had tried attacking by using them
as purely physical blades, but the heroes had defended easily.
"In that case, there's only one remaining weapon..."
Gwoon gwoon gwoon gwoon gwoon—
The black star spinning overhead had increased slightly in its rotation
speed. Taking in the magic power pouring from Godou and Ama no
Murakumo no Tsurugi, it was increasing in power at a slightly faster rate
than before.
Godou looked up with a resolute expression and pointed Ama no
Murakumo no Tsurugi's blade at the two heroes.
Confronted with this reckless challenge, Perseus and the Great Sage were
just about to step forward. In that very instant...
"Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city.
And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman,
young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword!"[8]
"They warred against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses; and
they slew all the males! And they slew the kings of Midian!"[9]
The spell words of smiting were suddenly chanted. Then clad in red and
blue light respectively, the two Great Knights charged at full might,
wielding a giant blade each—They sliced through the two heroes in their
path.
Erica Blandelli had slashed the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong,
in the side of his abdomen.
Liliana Kranjcar had embedded her blade into the chest of the hero Perseus,
also known as Mithras.
The two girls were wielding giant trenchant blades as tall as Godou's height
—Golden blades, Verethragna's holy swords.
Sitting in the center of the plaza, which served as the battle field, was a lone
building reminiscent of a monastery—
The two knights had been hiding in the building's shadows. While the two
heroes were fixated on Godou, they had charged out in that instant, picking
up the holy swords on the ground to use as weapons. Indeed, these were the
two holy swords that the two heroes had previously deflected using their
own weapons, striking them to the ground.
"W-What?"
"How could that kind of blade harm us...?"
However, the two sliced heroes were overcome with disbelief. As heroes of
steel with resilient bodies, they could not possibly die from one or two cuts,
even if they were slashes executed by Paladins empowered by the spell
words of divine slaughter. Even if the weapons used were the holy swords
of Verethragna, the same applied, because they were weapons that had been
strengthened in particular to defeat the hero named Rama, thus posing no
threat to them—At least, that was what they believed to be the case.
But the two heroes suddenly showed looks of great alarm.
Rather than glaring at Erica and Liliana who had performed the slashes,
their target was Godou.
They had realized. They had figured out the identity of the swords that had
sliced through them, as well as the trap that Kusanagi Godou had set to
make maximum use of them.
"Sorry, guys."
Godou muttered quietly.
"That's the same trick Verethragna used before. Switching the target for the
sword's spell words in the middle of battle. Just now, I've already converted
them into swords for slicing Perseus and Great Sage Equaling Heaven Sun
Wukong."
"Gah—! It was this kind of trap after all!?"
"Lord Monkey, we will only end up annihilated at this rate. Let us seek
refuge and return to the Arrowhead's Discus for now!"
The holy swords were far more damaging than the spell words in the past.
Furthermore, the two heroes were resurrected through the power of the
Arrowhead's Discus. Now that the three heroes were manifesting at the
same time, their individual powers were inferior compared to before.
Naturally, this included their life force as well.
The attacks just now had inflicted critical injuries.
In fact, a large volume of divine power was already leaking out from their
wounds.
Realizing their lives were in danger, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven and
Perseus suddenly vanished. This was for returning to the medallion held by
Rama, to heal their wounds for now—
"I'm saved. If it weren't for your help, Mariya, I wouldn't have been able to
repel those two guys so quickly. You really saved my life."
(Not at all. This is precisely why I chose to stay on this side.)
Whispers were reaching Godou's ear.
It was the voice of Mariya Yuri, the Hime-Miko who had stayed behind in
the Netherworld alone. The defeat of Perseus and the Great Sage Equaling
Heaven had been accomplished under her direction.
Using the spirit power of psychic sensing, Yuri had been paying attention to
the situation in the mundane world the whole time.
Furthermore, as soon as she saw the three heroes manifest through the
Arrowhead's Discus, she had departed to summon knowledge about
Perseus, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven and Lancelot.
Just by being in the Netherworld, she was able to control the power of spirit
vision freely. This was precisely the benefit enjoyed.
Then using psychic sensing to connect to Godou's mind, she was able to
transmit the knowledge obtained through spirit vision—
A simple mechanism once explained clearly in this manner. The only
remaining issue of concern was that Godou was still facing two opponents
on his own. A most unfavorable situation. However, Yuri had also informed
him that his companions had boarded Pushpaka Vimana using Liliana's
flight magic.
"Eh, hold on a sec."
Godou suddenly felt intrigued.
"Isn't it quite troublesome trying to cast magic on Campiones? But I'm
hearing your voice so easily this time, Mariya?"
Oral intake was necessary when human magi needed to cast magic on a
Campione—
Godou recalled this rule. Yuri replied in a strangely quiet voice.
(Oh... Regarding that... Not too long ago, we were in the Netherworld,
engaged in that—that ritual, were we not?)
Rather than a ritual, it would be better to describe that scene as mutual
contact of intimacy.
Godou could not help but go red in the face and answer "Y-Yeah." Due to
the connection through psychic sensing, Godou was certain that Yuri was
also huddling in embarrassment back on the Netherworld side.
(Back then... Perhaps due to the many instances of intimate contact with
you, Godou-san, or rather, receiving love and affection, i-in any case, due to
that ritual, a connection was established between me and you, Godou-san.)
"I-I see now!"
It looked like Yuri had already started considering back then whether to stay
in the Netherworld. It was also possible that her spirit vision powers as a
Hime-Miko had told her she ought to do that. Or perhaps it was a feeling of
"somehow, this must be done."
(G-Godou-san. You must keep this a secret from Erica-san and Liliana-san,
please.)
"Of course!"
His comrades happened to be walking this way. Erica Blandelli and Liliana
Kranjcar, victorious in accomplishing their task. They were also
accompanied by Seishuuin Ena who had changed from her miko outfit back
to her school uniform for ease of movement.
"Good work, everyone. I'm always relying on your efforts."
"No helping it. We do this voluntarily."
"This is also part of our responsibilities, so please do not mind."
Answering nonchalantly despite having just undertaken a major
accomplishment, Erica was living up to her usual style. On the other hand,
Liliana adhered strictly to her knightly duties, maintaining a calm attitude
throughout.
Standing like walls on Godou's left and right respectively were the red and
blue knights. Truly reliable.
"I'm really sorry for giving you boring work, Seishuuin."
"Can't be helped. After all, Ena is the only one who can do this."
The Hime-Miko of the Sword replied cheerfully to Godou's apology.
The two of them looked up into the sky. Manifesting overhead was the
black star—The mystic technique, the [Storm Bringer], was successfully
raising its power towards critical point. Currently, output was roughly 65%.
The rate of increase was clearly faster than before.
This was due to Ena delivering magic power for support as the partner of
Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi, which was in charge of the mystic
technique.
(A-Also.)
Still contributing inconspicuously, the Hime-Miko suddenly lowered her
voice.
(After all, having engaged with Your Majesty in the Netherworld... in such
pleasure, it'd be punishably unfair if Ena didn't let Erica-san and Liliana-san
have a chance to take credit—)
Ena whispered softly in a moment of shyness.
She was probably afraid of letting the two knights know. Still unused to
matters of relationships between the genders, she had made slight progress.
Finding Ena adorable the way she was acting now, Godou felt his heart
begin to pound. He must change the subject before someone noticed.
"S-Say, I wonder how are things going on Nee-san's side?"
The sworn elder sister, Luo Cuilian, was facing the formidable Hanuman, a
war god even more challenging than the two heroes—
Part 3
Luo Cuilian was performing palm strikes using her pubescent body.
Recognized as the supreme treasure of Chinese martial arts, the Twelve
Divine Palm Strikes of the Flying Phoenix was a set of ultimate techniques
consisting of twelve moves: Fengchudengmen, Fengyanchuanlian,
Fengzhuataoxin, Feifengzhuiluo, Danfengchaoyang, Jinfengliangchi,
Qunfenglianhuan, Xiongfengqianjin, Fengyitianxiang, Fenglongyinyang,
Fenghuangshuangfei, Dafengwutian.
This set of ultimate techniques were originally taught as the Five Immortal
Palm Strikes of the Flying Phoenix.
Adding seven additional strikes of her own invention, Luo Cuilian created
the Twelve Divine Palm Strikes.
Nevertheless, she had not been able to bring out these palm techniques
readily the whole time.
Hanuman was using unarmed techniques from ancient India.
This was a rather peculiar type of martial arts. The wind god's son was
using his agile body of a monkey's to jump with speed and lightness,
unleashing flying kicks from the air incessantly. Or suddenly leaping behind
Luo Cuilian, he would attack with punches from blind spots.
In addition, he was extremely fast.
No sooner had one concluded he was suddenly about to unleash four or five
punches consecutively, it would turn out to be a barrage of strikes as closely
spaced as rosary beads. Using a forward kick to contain the opponent first,
followed by a mid-level kick intended to halt rather than defeat the enemy,
he finally aimed a spinning kick at her head for a critical blow.
Meanwhile, he kept launching straight punches, swinging his arms
sideways as follow up attacks even when the punches were dodged.
When these types of attacks failed to work, he would suddenly jump up to
attack the opponent's jaw with knee strikes.
Truly monkey-like in style, an extremely peculiar and swift set of martial
arts.
Luo Cuilian succeeded in defending against the vast majority of attacks.
Making superb use of her prided movement skills, she dodged using the
minimum necessary motions. Or using mysterious footwork, she would
instantly pull away to distances out of reach from Hanuman's limbs.
In this manner, she would block, deflect and push away unavoidable attacks
using her right or left palm.
However—
There were also punches and kicks that got past her defenses.
Initially, they were only on the level of brushing past Luo Cuilian's
beautiful face. But including his arms and legs, Hanuman's entire body was
as hard as steel. A glancing blow against the face would be like a cut from a
blade.
Furthermore, Luo Cuilian's movements were gradually slowing down as
expected.
Punches and kicks that initially brushed past her—They were starting to
land solid hits.
Luo Cuilian's pubescent body was showing bruises all over her body and
limbs—the exposed parts being the upper arms, the thighs, calves, etc,
whereas places like the abdomen were covered up by her mandarin gown.
Even so, she was still able to barely defend the critical vulnerability of the
head.
Her face, young and beautiful, was unscathed. However, she could hardly
conceal signs of fatigue while her breathing was beginning to grow
irregular. Large beads of sweat dripped. An expression appeared on her
face, one that did not suit the beautiful demonic cult leader, the peerless
beauty who wandered fantastical realms.
Were her loyal believers to witness her now, they would probably suffer an
intense shock.
Nevertheless...
Hanuman scowled.
Despite being a monkey, he was staring at Luo Cuilian with obvious
displeasure.
"I see now... To think you were harboring such intentions."
"Hohoho. Looks like my plan is finally discovered. You have truly
impressive eyes of wisdom."
A sweet smile appeared on Luo Cuilian's young and beautiful face.
"If possible, I would have hoped for slightly more... But such a demand
would seem to be a little excessive. I suppose my wish shall not be
granted."
"I was feeling suspicious already."
Hanuman sighed
"It was unbelievable that one of the lowly godslayers did not take a
desperate gamble to make a dramatic comeback. Instead, choosing to fight
me in a rather indifferent manner—In other words, you planned this ahead
of time."
"Yes. I secretly rejoiced as soon as I learned that unarmed combat is your
specialty."
Luo Cuilian's breathing suddenly became smooth and unimpeded. Her
breathing and circulation returned to normal, she straightened her back and
faced the monkey god squarely.
"In fact, I was also fighting King Rama with the same purpose. However,
trying to find openings in his swinging blade was very difficult and the
lightning of salvation was also a hindrance... So challenging to strike him
with my palms, I certainly spared no effort."
Facing the white monkey god,she swiftly pushed her right hand forward.
Then the qi stored in Luo Cuilian's energy center beneath the navel—the
magic power absorbed from Hanuman's body using her palms as media—
erupted violently.
The energy center beneath the navel was precisely the human body's storage
of qi, i.e. magic power.
What transported qi from this place to the rest of the body was the meridian
network as it was known in oriental medicine. Qi and meridians were
analogous to "blood and blood vessels."
After several days, Luo Cuilian's body was finally filled with massive
magic power as befitted her Campione title. As a result, all the bruises
covering her body became perfectly healed.
In addition, her torso and limbs lengthened. Her face also matured.
In terms of appearance, Luo Cuilian had been a pubescent girl roughly
twelve-years-old for the past few days.
But now, she was back to being a young woman at her prime, roughly
eighteen or nineteen years of age as before, an appearance that no one could
disapprove even if she were to call herself "Kusanagi Godou's sworn elder
sister"!
As the transcendent beauty instead of the adorable child, Luo Cuilian
smiled delightfully.
"Fufufufufu, the Soul-Stealing Palm of Astral Absorption is capable of
drawing qi out from a target's body through palm contact—An evil faction's
martial arts technique. Were it not for an opportunity like this, I would
never have had a chance to use it again."
The human body contained what were known as the Twelve Principal
Meridians as well as the supporting Extraordinary Vessels.
By emptying the Eight Extraordinary Vessels of the qi flowing within them,
one could absorb qi from external sources—in order words, steal qi from
other people.
Qi—or equivalently, magic power—was something gradually cultivated
through daily training.
The key principle of this martial arts technique was absorbing this precious
energy from others to claim as one's own. Instead of using Hanuman as a
target, absorbing the same amount of qi from ordinary humans such as
martial artists or magi would result in the deaths of hundreds from depletion
of life force. That was how much qi was involved.
On the other hand, precisely because her target was a god, he had failed to
notice immediately.
"To think you have mastered this evil art... Truly, one must not judge by
appearances alone."
"Since I am the one known as the Ruler of the Martial Realm, it is only
natural for me to be well-versed in both the techniques of the light, passed
down by the orthodox sects, as well as the techniques of the shadow taught
by the unorthodox. Furthermore..."
Puffing out her voluptuous chest, Luo Cuilian spoke:
"Besides, how could one lay claim to the martial pinnacle without
mastering the essence of both the orthodox and the unorthodox sides of the
martial realm? I, Luo Hao, achieved my present position not by reputation
alone but through power and ability as well!"
The pubescent girl's body, lacking in undulating curves, was a thing of the
past. The earlier mandarin gown was bursting at the seams everywhere,
about to break apart.
This was the result of recovering her maidenly body. However, the damaged
mandarin gown instantly transformed into elegant Han clothing, apparently
a replacement garment conjured using Daoist arts.
Exuding a haughty aura as befitted the Ruler of the Martial Realm, this was
the instant of Her Eminence Luo Hao's complete revival.
(Regarding Her Eminence—Please do not worry.)
Godou was puzzled by Yuri's whispered words of assurance.
But soon, he understood. The Hime-Miko in the Netherworld had called
upon spirit vision about Luo Cuilian to confirm that she was safe and
sound. This news was also transmitted to Godou through the connection of
psychic sensing.
"Let alone safe and sound, she even managed to absorb the enemy's power."
This absurd feat was truly impressive, nothing less expected from Luo
Cuilian.
Godou felt surprised while relieved at the same time. Even so, by staying in
the Netherworld, Yuri was truly serving as an all-seeing clairvoyant. This
made him feel worried instead.
"Although it's very amazing that your powers have reached this level,
Mariya, I'm a bit worried. I'm expecting a backlash in the near future."
(You have... a point. I agree too. After all, the Netherworld is not a domain
suited for human residence—To become overly accustomed to this side
would mean losing one's body as a human.)
Yuri's whispers carried calm and quiet conviction.
She probably sensed danger through the power of spirit vision. As expected,
he must settle things as quickly as possible and tell Yuri to return.
Just as Godou made his decision, Liliana pointed at the eastern sky.
"Kusanagi Godou, look at that."
Outstanding in eyesight and spirit vision, the silver-haired knight had
noticed the enemy's arrival earlier than anyone else.
A minute or two later, Godou also noticed.
A tiny black dot was approaching from the eastern sky. This black dot was
gradually getting bigger. He could now see that it was a female knight
mounted on a white horse.
The war god of the lance and Amazonian queen, Lancelot du Lac had
arrived.
Godou signaled to his companions with his eyes.
Erica, Liliana and Ena. The trio understood his message and instantly
dispersed.
Lancelot's charging attacks carried power on the level of meteor crashes.
Even if they wanted to support Godou, it would be quite risky if the girls
stayed too near.
Hence, Kusanagi Godou was left alone again.
Meanwhile, Lancelot and her horse also landed unaccompanied near
Godou. On further thought, Godou recalled how she had always appeared
with the other two heroes ever since her resurrection.
This was his first time meeting her alone since their reunion at Sardinia that
time.
"Yo."
"Greetings again, Kusanagi Godou."
Formerly enemies in the same boat at one point, the two of them were able
to greet each other quite naturally.
In addition, Godou was struck by a sense of dissonance. This Lancelot—
seemed a little strange. In front of the doubting Godou, Lancelot descended
lightly from her white horse. At this moment, the sense of dissonance felt
even more intense.
"What's wrong? You seem a bit weird, you know?"
"This knight? Refrain from uttering nonsense. Though raised from the dead,
this knight's soul has not changed the slightest. This is still Lancelot du Lac,
the same one who engaged you in a deathmatch in the past."
Waving her honey-colored hair, the female knight smiled gently.
"Fufufu. One ended up reaping benefits from yielding the first opportunity
to take to the field to Perseus and the Great Sage. Not only has this knight
gained the chance for a one-on-one duel against you but also monopoly
over the blessings of the Arrowhead's Discus."
The three heroes enjoyed greater combat power when manifesting alone.
Godou recalled his sworn sister's past teachings. Furthermore, preferring to
showcase her own valor instead of relying on a three-against-one
advantage, this truly befitted the militant war god's style.
But if that really were the case, why would she—?
Godou discovered the reason for his sense of dissonance. It was the fighting
mindset and resolve ever present on the battlefield.
Although Godou had greeted Lancelot, the [Storm Bringer] still continued
to spin overhead, gradually approaching critical point. Verethragana's holy
swords also remained as well.
In order to use these weapons any moment, he did not relax at all.
However, the knight of the lake had currently landed with her trusty partner,
the white horse, smiling with the same expression as she had shown when
chatting in that seaside cafe in the past.
Another odd thing that Godou noticed was how she had yielded the
vanguard position to others despite her zeal for charging straight at the
enemy to attack head on.
Harboring these thoughts, Godou repeated his comment.
"You really did change after all."
"Fufu. Perhaps."
A smile surfaced on the corners of the female knight's lips. This time, she
admitted it ambiguously.
"In fact, confusion is currently what this knight feels."
"What do you mean?"
"Rather... This knight is simply entering the fray due to the vanguard, the
two heroes, retreating in haste. However, an issue still eludes understanding
the whole time. Is the current battle truly what the 'King of the End' wishes
for?"
At this moment, the name of the great hero of the orient, Rama, had already
been revealed.
Nevertheless, Lancelot probably still considered the name of her lord to be
the "King of the End." Also, Godou could understand the reason why she
felt lost.
"That's right. Inexplicably, that guy has a lot of common sense and he even
avoids battle."
"Kusanagi Godou, as someone who knows this point clearly, why do you
fight His Majesty?"
"Well, since a god with the ability to destroy the world has shown up, even
someone like me feels compelled to intercept and oppose him in the spirit
of volunteerism. Also, there's—"
After touting his sense of public morality, Godou stared straight at the
female knight.
"Maybe it's possible to tell through fighting? I found out the method to
viciously crush what's forcing him to endlessly repeat these battles of Devil
King extermination... this thing called destiny."
Call it destiny, call it fate.
Call it guided by destiny, or call it bound by fate.
There are many who preferred these ostentatious descriptions. However,
this was what Godou thought: Bound by something like that—Was that
really a good thing?
It should be the opposite instead. It would be much better to crush so-called
destiny and fate, to ignore them.
Although Godou felt no attraction at all to words like these, he was inspired
with a strong opinion lately after witnessing the experiences of the man
burdened by the destiny of Devil King extermination.
Hence, Godou shared his thoughts indifferently.
"Although I don't understand what those gods are thinking, I honestly feel
that destiny or whatever should just go to hell. What do you think?"
"Hahahaha!"
Lancelot suddenly burst out in laughter, but not in mockery. She looked like
she was laughing quite heartily. Laughter straight from the heart. However,
what had provoked to laugh so much?
Suppressing her laughter, the war god of the lance spoke to Godou who was
staring in puzzlement:
"Oh dear, pardon this rudeness. Actually, there is another cause for this
knight's confusion."
"What is it?"
"You. After all, one still owes a debt to you, the victor of our duel. It is most
displeasing, this feeling of tainting one's pride as a warrior."
"You owe me something?"
Godou had no idea at all. The female knight explained to the baffled
Godou:
"Indeed. You are the man who fought this knight, Lancelot, and obtained
victory, fair and square. The deserved reward is still currently in forfeit."
"Reward...?"
"Mm-hm. On the verge of my death, the late beloved child, Guinevere, used
the Arrowhead's Discus, thereby taking in this knight's soul."
Lancelot suddenly approached Godou.
However, she did not draw her weapon. Neither did she give off any intent
to fight or to murder. Instead, she walked over at a leisurely pace.
Unbelievably, right before Godou's eyes, she also—
Suddenly kneeling down, she bowed her head reverently.
An action that Erica would perform on occasion, this was precisely knightly
etiquette.
"What are you doing?"
"Kusanagi Godou, here is what this knight believes. To uphold loyalty
towards one's lord of old in the truest sense, yet simultaneously offer
compensation to the respected foe—This knight is convinced it is possible.
For this purpose, one believes that you ought to be entrusted with the lance
of Lancelot du Lac."
"!?"
"Will you listen to this knight's wish?"
Part 4
After Lancelot du Lac disappeared...
To avoid distracting from his concentration, Godou focused singlemindedly
on raising the [Storm Bringer]'s power.
Naturally, Rama was probably still driving his chariot vimana somewhere in
the sky. Currently, he no longer had any bodyguards left by his side.
Hanuman was also engaged in a deadly battle against the recovered sworn
sister.
This was the perfect opportunity to attack Rama.
Godou still had four holy swords of gold remaining, but two of them had
already been reforged into blades for slicing Perseus and the Great Sage
Equaling Heaven. Unfortunately, swords could only change targets once.
He had only two holy swords remaining for slicing Rama. Naturally, he
could ask Yuri to find out Rama's position through spirit vision, then send
the holy swords over. However.
(Godou-san...)
While he was thinking, Godou heard Yuri's worried voice.
She had apparently seen it through spirit vision—Godou had a feeling that
things would not go as easily as imagined.
"Did I spend too much time on those guys...?"
Perseus, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven and Lancelot. While occupied
with those three, the great hero of the orient might have prepared
countermeasures to resist Verethragna's holy swords.
—No helping it if that were the case. Standing on the plaza where he had
faced the three heroes, Godou focused on maximizing combat strength.
One or two minutes passed in this manner.
"You're late."
"My apologies. Preparing a certain item required some time."
The sky chariot vimana finally arrived in the sky above the diamond-shaped
plaza.
Godou started the conversation and Prince Rama responded calmly from
the charioteer's perch. Whether the plaza's shape or the calm conversation,
everything contributed to a feeling like they were simply meeting up for a
promised game of baseball.
Realizing this, Godou laughed lightly.
However, Rama was currently holding a steel longbow in his hand. In
addition, the gigantic square of a magic circle behind the vimana was
undoubtedly the Divine Sword Mandala.
Godou was informed by the [Warrior]'s power of deep insight into the
enemy's nature.
Rama had gathered up the remnants of power from the four mandalas that
had been sliced apart, thus managing to create a fifth. Undertaking this task
must have took him quite a bit of time.
Moreover, stabbed upright in the ground of stone tiles, next to Godou were
the two holy swords for slaying Rama.
In addition, there was also the [Storm Bringer] hovering high in the air—the
black sphere of darkness known as a gravitational storm.
Roughly twenty-four or five meters in diameter. At last, it had reached
maximum power. The black sphere was making distinctive sounds, spinning
rapidly on a vertical axis.
Strong winds were already starting to blow towards the black sphere.
Not just in this plaza. Wind was blowing across this giant ship of Pushpaka
Vimana as well as the surrounding air space. This was the warning sign of
the gravitational storm produced by the black sphere.
Both sides were ready for battle. All that remained was simply pulling the
trigger.
Rama ordered his vimana to land. The master jumped off lightly and gazed
in Godou's direction. Were this a baseball field, it would be roughly the
distance from home to second base.
The [Storm Bringer] was also facing off against the [Divine Sword
Mandala] in the air, separated by a similar distance.
Both were hovering in the sky roughly fifty or sixty meters above the plaza.
The time for a decisive duel was imminent. Godou suddenly spoke up.
"Let's put it this way, your weakness... Or rather, I already know how to
defeat you."
"Really? If it is not too much trouble, please tell me."
Rama's curiosity seemed to be piqued. He leaned forward.
This was probably his first time meeting someone pointing out a
"weakness" in his completely awakened state. The aristocrat's reaction
made Godou smile wryly. Actually, it was nothing special.
"Well, you possess an endless supply of powerful weapons plus your magic
power is quite astounding too. You're probably a thousand times stronger
than me when attacking."
Hoh, responded Rama with a nod.
"That's why, no matter what, I must find a way to force you to defend.
When switching to defense, you're probably about five hundred times
stronger than me. Between offense and defense, it's pretty obvious which
side is where openings will appear."
Back when the sworn sister, Luo Cuilian, had landed the strongest palm
strike...
Since his awakening, Rama had endured that direct attack at one point.
It could be called a fact that slight openings would appear when he engaged
in defense instead of offense. The problem was that no matter which
situation it was, Rama was still far more powerful than Godou.
However, perhaps provoked by this inane joke...
Rama smiled and went "I see." The rust-like layer of his expression seemed
to thin out in a rare moment.
"Understood, Kusanagi Godou. In that case, attack me with your full power.
I, too, shall go out in full force against you, summoning my entire strength
in order to defeat you without switching to defense."
"I really wish a guy who's already strong enough without doing anything
won't say stuff like going out in full force..."
Rama's stern declaration and Godou's sighing grumbles...
This dialogue served as the trigger to sparking the fight.
The Storm Bringer and the Divine Sword Mandala were facing off in the
air. The former was summoning a storm using gravity's power of universal
attraction while the latter had turned into aerial artillery unleashing a
barrage of thousands of lightning strikes.
The mandala released over ten thousand bolts of lightning.
The black sphere absorbed all of these attacks.
Indeed, hanging in balance was a battle of offense and defense in
equilibrium. However, Godou had already learned from the skirmish at
Minamibousou previously.
The sword's gravitational storm could only resist the Divine Sword
Mandala for two minutes at most.
During this time, unless he launched another attack to subdue Rama, there
would be chance of victory. There was no time to hesitate within the limit
of these few short minutes. Godou's only option was to unleash the Storm
Bringer's power in full force at the "best opportunity."
At the same time, he ordered Verethragna's two holy swords to attack.
Stabbed upright on the floor of stone tiles next to Godou, there were two
golden swords. One of them floated up and flew swiftly to attack Rama.
However, an arrow suddenly manifested in Rama's left hand.
The arrowhead was made of gold. Swinging this arrow like a short sword,
the Devil King exterminating hero struck down Verethragna's holy sword.
No, that was not all.
Unbelievably, struck down by the golden arrowhead, Verethragna's holy
sword easily shattered!
"I heard from His Highness Perseus... The war god Verethragna is the
retainer of the Persian supreme god Mithra."
Without waiting for Rama to finish, Godou ordered his holy sword to attack
again.
This was the last blade for slaying Rama. However, the hero king of ancient
India threw the arrow in his hand at the holy sword flying at him.
The holy sword of gold and the arrowhead of gold clashed violently—
The holy sword shattered. Continuing to fly with unabated momentum, the
arrow stabbed into Godou's shoulder, which happened to be the base of his
left arm.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The wound felt scorching as though incinerated. Godou immediately pulled
out the arrow with his hand and threw it at the ground.
However, the heat was swiftly spreading from his shoulder to his left arm
then towards his chest.
At this rate, the heat was probably going to invade his entire body. Godou
immediately raised his magic power to dispel the magical divine power
harming him. It worked as planned.
The heat subsided and Godou exhaled in relief. However, his left arm had
become immobilized.
Godou felt that this was not poison. Most likely, it was a power of light,
akin to flames—
While Godou concluded with certainty, Rama explained:
"The weapon just now was what I requested directly from my old
acquaintance, the god Indra, to borrow from the Persian realm of divinity,
the arrow imbued with Sun King Mithra's power."
In the past, Perseus had used the power of Mithras, equated to Mithra, to
seal off Persian Warlord Verethragna's abilities.
This was equivalent—Rather, it should be called the upgraded version.
Speaking of which, Erica had mentioned before. Persian mythology of
antiquity had its origins in the Indo-Aryan branch of the ancient Indo-
European language family, given the geographic proximity. In particular,
the war god Verethragna had deep connections to Indra, the god of
thunderstorms. Perhaps this was indicated by both gods carrying the epithet,
"destroyer of obstacles."
As a side note, it was quite amazing that Rama could prepare such a
weapon in such short time.
"As expected of the great hero, supported by various pantheons... Is
receiving sudden gifts of weapons part of his power too?"
The same had happened during Rama's campaign against his fated rival,
Ravana.
Just as Rama was locked in a desperate struggle against his opponent, the
Rakshasa King, his companion suddenly informed him of a certain matter.
Namely, that among the arrows that had been bestowed upon him in the
past, one of them was "Shiva's arrow, capable of killing even the immortal
Ravana."
Truly the hero who had the world and the gods standing on his side.
In that case, Godou tried using another incarnation.
"For victory, hasten forth before me... O immortal sun, I beseech thee to
grant radiance to the stallion!"
The [White Stallion] incarnation was able to use the glorious power of the
sun.
In response to Godou's spell words, a second sun rose in the eastern sky. It
was currently the time of the day when the original sun was gradually
sinking west.
Next, the solar flare shot from the second sun turned into blazing white
flames in the shape of a stallion, flying towards Pushpaka Vimana and
Prince Rama.
The hero, who had caused so many commotions this time, was recognized
as "a great sinner causing hardship to the populace!"
However, a new arrow appeared in Rama's left hand at this moment.
"O arrow of the hero who had shot down nine suns! I beseech thee to
bestow such miracles upon me!"
A jet-black arrow. Both the arrowhead and the fletchings were jet black.
It was quite similar to the arrow that Rama had used in Minamibousou last
time. However, this was a deeper black. Godou recalled how Rama had
called the previous arrow merely a "counterfeit."
Most likely, this was the real thing—In front of the trembling Godou, Rama
readied his bow of steel.
Placing the jet-black arrow on the steel bow, he drew the bowstring to its
limit then fired.
The arrow flew towards the eastern sky. Striking the flaming white stallion
that was rushing towards Pushpaka Vimana, the arrow instantly destroyed
it.
Even the sun's flames could be repelled and erased—What an ultimate
archer to an absurd degree.
Furthermore, the Storm Bringer was also about to reach its limit. The black
sphere's storm of gravity was gradually weakening. Despite barely
maintaining balance, in ten-odd seconds, it was probably not going to hold
off the Divine Sword Mandala's myriad lightning strikes any further.
As one would conclude, the ultimate archer needed to be handled by the
ultimate knight.
"I'm counting on you, Lancelot—It's your turn to enter the stage!"
"What?"
Hearing Godou's plea, Rama showed shock on his face.
High up in the sky, even more distant than Pushpaka Vimana...
It was a sea of clouds. The flying white horse was motionless at a point in
that part of the sky. The gallant female knight was mounted astride the
horse's back.
The knight of the lake, Lancelot du Lac.
As the former ally of the war god, the "King of the End," she heard her new
lord's voice loud and clear.
"Finally time to set off on an expedition, huh?"
She had already made preparations for a lone charge.
This was her prided secret technique. Charging with lightning speed from
an astounding height, crashing to the ground like a meteor strike.
This lone charge assault had created giant craters on the earth many times
before.
Using the magic power transmitted from her master, the godslayer, she
unleashed a full-powered strike. In order to defeat her former lord. At this
very moment, he had just shot two powerful arrows while controlling the
Divine Sword Mandala. Compared to usual, he was in a more vulnerable
state.
"O lance. Lancelot du Lac's soul is entrusted wholly to thee. Attack!"
Held in her right was the barbed cavalry lance. Held in her left was the oval
shield.
She was clad in chain mail. Her body was entrusted to the white steed. With
both feet on the stirrups suspended from the saddle, all armament and
equipment were ready.
Carrying her, the beloved steed flew as though galloping on land.
Accompanied by lightning released from the rider, they descended rapidly
towards Pushpaka Vimana far away, down below.
In this manner, the war god Lancelot du Lac turned into "white lightning."
In just an instant, she arrived above the hero whom she was about to pierce.
Indeed, it was lightning speed.
Using the speed and momentum from the rapid descent, she made a thrust
with the lance's tip!
The aimed location was the heart of Rama the hero. The target instantly
raised his steel bow above his head.
"You still live, Lancelot du Lac!?"
Using the steel bow to block the lance's tip, Rama cried out.
"I thought you had perished in battle because the connection to the Discus
vanished... To think you switched sides to join Kusanagi Godou. Is this the
choice you have made!?"
Neither the hero's voice nor expression showed any reprimand. Instead, he
showed understanding.
Perhaps, ever since his revival, he had already noticed the confusion that
Lancelot was secretly harboring.
While trying to knock her former master away together with the steel bow,
the war god of the lance spoke in a radiant tone of voice:
"Indeed! A debt towards that man and loyalty to you—It is precisely the
determination to cling onto both that has compelled this knight to choose
the path of betrayal!"
Rama did not reply. He simply continued to smile faintly while signs of
fatigue were displayed in his narrowed eyes like a layer of rust. It was as
though he was saying he forgave her completely.
Then an explosion—
Unable to knock the steel bow away, Lancelot was still able to release the
lightning's energy and heat from the lance tip all at once. This shockwave
engulfed Rama, the plaza serving as the battlefield and even the giant ship
Pushpaka Vimana.
Clashing violently in the air, the black sphere and the Divine Sword's magic
circle were both blown apart and vanished.
Naturally, even her new master, Kusanagi Godou, was caught up in the
explosion.
But there was no helping it. These were his orders. He had said: Unless you
attack prepared with the fact that I'll be caught in the wake, there's probably
no way to seize an opening to attack Rama...
Pushpaka Vimana was a flying ship in the shape of a perfect circle and
looked as gigantic as a city.
The result of Lancelot's charging attack was a giant crater in the northeast
block with a diameter beyond four or five kilometers. It was practically like
the site of a meteor crash. Furthermore, the culprit, the white knight, had
charged even deeper, causing severe damage to the giant ship's core.
The ground beneath Godou's feet kept shaking.
Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble. The vibrations were transmitting
through the soles of his feet. The damage from Lancelot's charge had made
the entire body of the giant ship shake like an earthquake, giving off
thunderous rumbling.
In addition, Lancelot was nowhere to be seen. After exhausting her power
in the lone charge just now, she had vanished.
Also, Prince Rama was currently standing sternly at the bottom of the crater
—
Even after getting struck by that charging attack, he remained completely
unharmed.
However, his entire body was giving off blue sparks. The exploding sparks
kept releasing tiny electric currents. Also, his body was giving off heat—
clearly much hotter than before.
Standing near him, it would feel scorching like being in front of a furnace,
let alone the scene of a fire.
"Come to think of it, the same thing happened when Nee-san's attack landed
last time."
Godou spoke up.
The instant of the explosion from Lancelot's lone charge, he had invoked
the [Raptor] and ran as hard as he could with divine speed. Mustering
everything at his disposal, Godou had fled from the crater-inducing
explosion. In the end, he failed to escape completely and was swallowed by
explosive wind and shockwave of lesser strength.
Even so, it was still much better than staying in the center of the blast.
Then he returned to find the man who had stayed there, healthy as ever.
"This naturally happens after my awakening whenever I need to resist life
threatening crises."
Rama muttered with a light sigh.
At the same time, lightning erupted from his right shoulder. Instead of
merely sparks exploding, this was powerful enough to mercilessly blow
nearby people away.
Godou reactivated divine speed and evaded the lightning's attack.
"Disaster has come. My body's heat has heightened excessively, past the
point of conscience control. Gods or godslayers like you might not have
much of a problem..."
The rust-like shadow on his expression deepened, shrouding Rama's
handsome face slightly.
"However, innocent humans and the earth's mountains, rivers and
vegetation have no way to resist. Attacked by my heat and lightning,
destruction shall be wrought continually."
"Is that why you didn't pursue Nee-san and me last time!?"
"Indeed. Temporary respite would allow my body's heat to subside to a
certain extent."
During the duel at Minamibousou, after Godou and Luo Cuilian had fled,
Rama had not given chase. This was in consideration of his effects on the
humans and cities of the land.
"Are you still able to fight?"
"I can still manage. However, overly precise martial arts are beyond me."
Rama manifested the mighty sword in his hand, its blade measuring 100cm.
The Divine Sword of Salvation. Entering an upper stance, he faced off
against the Campione of the present generation. This was most likely the
final phase of the battle—Godou prepared his resolve.
"Okay, let's continue."
"Understood. We shall decide the victor, fair and square."
Even in swordsmanship, Rama was an expert of divine level. He had
displayed part of his skills during the battle in ancient Gaul when he was
mostly using downward slashes performed from upper stances.
In Japanese swordsmanship, the upper stance was apparently called the
"posture of fire."
This stance could not be used freely unless one showed vigor and intensity
in attack. It was said that "fire" was a metaphor for the fiery spirit in
aggressive offense. As one might expect, offense was ultimately this war
god's true nature.
This time, Rama took on an upper stance again. In response, Godou
invoked the [Camel] on the foundation of the [Raptor].
This was the combat incarnation of endurance and enhanced leg strength.
The pain from Mithra's arrow gradually subsided in his left shoulder.
However, Godou's left arm still remained immobile.
Even so, this was a double activation of incarnations. The strain was
starting to cause waves of intense headaches.
Nevertheless, taking a risk of this level was necessary.
"Come!"
Rama repeatedly performed slashes from upper stances.
These moves were both acute and magnificent as ever, but relying on the
[Camel]'s combat sense, Godou kept evading them.
Then just as he was about to counterattack, Godou clicked his tongue.
Rama's body suddenly released lightning. Just as before, it erupted without
his conscious intent. Instantly activating the [Raptor]'s divine speed, Godou
barely dodged the attack.
Hence, he had to end his offense without unleashing the kick. Furthermore,
Rama attacked at this time.
A strike aimed at Godou's forehead. Again, it was downward slash of the
divine sword, swung from an upper stance.
"Just handling that sword is tricky enough already, what a troublesome
guy!"
If he were to attack with a knee strike during an opening in Rama's sword
strikes—
Guided by the [Camel]'s combat sense, Godou was just about to take action.
Lightning was released again. In addition, this powerful lightning swept
everything away from Rama's surroundings—left, right, front, back. A
slight jump backwards was not going to evade it.
In the end, Godou used divine speed to retreat at least ten meters, thus
managing to avoid the calamity.
"Are things getting violent because his power is out of control...?"
Until this point, Rama still showed finesse in technique and precision in all
areas despite displaying overwhelming power.
But now, it was different.
He had turned into an plain warrior who released lightning while swinging
his blade.
However, this certainly did not count as a minus. Lancelot, who was
devoted singlemindedly to charges, was another example. On the
battlefield, there were many situations where elements of "simplicity"
would end up trumping over "variety."
Furthermore, Rama's body was starting to shoot lightning with rapid fire.
Attacks were released without specific targets. Not just forward but also
backward and to the left and right, in any case, indiscriminate attacks were
launched in all directions at three hundred and sixty degrees. In addition,
the range was not limited to the scorched surroundings.
The lightning's range kept extending, even reaching dozens, hundreds of
meters away. Currently turned into an electrode, Rama could probably
destroy one or two cities just by wandering the land. What a truly absurd
man beyond compare.
Godou committed his final resolve. As suspected, he could only resort to
that move.
"In the end, I have no choice but to take a gamble."
Activating divine speed, Godou charged at the Devil King exterminator.
Instantly evading the rapid fire of indiscriminate lightning, he arrived
before Rama. Then unleashing a kick from the [Camel]—In that very
instant...
(Kusanagi Godou! Unfortunately, time is not on your side!)
Due to perceptions while divine speed was active, Rama's voice sounded
garbled.
Swinging the Divine Sword of Salvation diagonally downwards from an
upper stance, he aimed at Godou's heart. Using the skill of the mind's eye,
he had seen through divine speed.
Godou could not dodge this attack. The divine blade pierced his chest.
The mighty blade, 100cm in length, buried half of itself into Godou's body.
The blade tip was probably protruding out from his back.
Even so, Godou did not die on the spot. This was thanks to a Campione's
vitality and the [Camel]'s endurance.
"Seishuuin, use it!"
"What!?"
A figure pounced on the surprised Rama. It was Seishuuin Ena.
Held in her hand, the mighty blade, three feet and three-and-a-half inches
long, was of course, Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi. Using a one-handed
upper stance, the Hime-Miko of the Sword swung the divine sword
ferociously from above. Of course, she was also using the secret technique
of divine possession.
This girl was the strongest in combat power among Godou's companions.
She had been standing by a slight distance away just now, biding her time
for this opportunity.
"O imperial blade of Ama no Murakumo. I beseech thee to grant me the
warrior's honor!"
Taking in the divine energy of her partner, Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi,
she swung the blade with her entire body's strength.
In addition, the jet-black sword still carried remnants of divine power from
the Storm Bringer. Just earlier, the black sphere had vanished due to getting
blown away by Lancelot's charging attack, not because it ran out of power.
If this sword could be stabbed into Rama's body to unleash a gravitational
storm directly—
Perhaps the great hero's body might disappear, absorbed into Ama no
Murakumo no Tsurugi. However, Rama was swift and perceptive after all.
Instantly releasing the Divine Sword of Salvation, he blocked Ama no
Murakumo no Tsurugi.
A bare-handed block—Aiming at the jet-black sword swinging down
overhead, he blocked the attack by clamping his hands on the left and right
surfaces of the blade's body.
Godou was still skewered by the Divine Sword of Salvation. Death was
near.
Nevertheless, he was still grinning ferociously in spite of that. Because he
was convinced the enemy had fallen into his trap.
"You finally switched to defense..."
"!?"
Having caught Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi in his bare hands, Rama was
shocked.
At that very instant, Ena drew a second sword. On this rare occasion, she
had a leather sheath hanging on her belt. Using her left hand, she
unsheathed the short sword and sliced the 50cm blade into Rama's
abdomen.
Ena could probably feel the impact of a solid hit through her left hand.
However, there was no bleeding. Rama was not injured from the attack.
After all, he was the man who had successfully withstood even Her
Eminence Luo Hao's palm strike and Lancelot's charge, hence this was only
natural.
Be that as it may, the following words were engraved on the blade of the
short sword that Ena was using.
'The one who is, and who was, and who is to come.' In addition, golden
magic power was leaking from Rama's entire body in the place of blood.
Magic power was rising into the sky like a gas, spreading a golden canopy
high in the air.
"Could this be—?"
'Woe! Naturally, 'tis one's curse upon thee.'
What spoke to Rama was the second sword held in Ena's hand.
This was the item that Erica and Liliana had forged together while Godou
and the two Hime-Miko were in the Netherworld. This was to allow Athena
to stab the sword of vengeance into her enemy despite not even having the
strength to move her body—
This trickery had been devised by Erica. Casting magic to alter form and
appearance.
Fortuitously, Athena's transformation into a silver snake had made her into
an existence similar in composition to synthetic organisms created by
magic.
Also thanks to that, Liliana and Erica were able to work together on a
common task successfully as a witch and a master of steel manipulation
respectively.
The short sword declared solemnly with the voice of a goddess.
'O King Rama. The magic power in thee was taken from the Holy Grail—
that which was absorbed from this Athena's body. As the original owner, it
is one's wish that thou couldst return a portion of that power. A curse cast
using a goddess' life as the price—Even one such as thee cannot resist.'
In the past, Rama had fought the "godslayer with ten lives" in a final duel.
There was a reason why the fully awakened hero of salvation was pressured
into a corner. Namely, the wife inside him—the essence of the goddess Sita
—had refused to cooperate.
Her dying wish became a prayer that bound Rama's body, reducing his
magic power to some extent.
And that godslayer had ruthlessly made use of that, causing the battle to end
in mutual annihilation. And now, through a goddess' will, the same situation
had been recreated—
"I see now. To think that even external appearances could be altered. It
makes logical sense that I was unable to sense the serpent's presence."
Rama showed an expression of comprehension. Golden magic power
continued to spill out even now.
A large fraction has already flowed out—Just as Godou was thinking that,
Rama went "ooh..." with a painful look on his face.
Due to Athena's curse causing his total magic power to decrease, his
awakened state was dispelled as a result.
The slicing wound inflicted by Ena cracked open wide, spilling a large
amount of blood. The situation was now the same as back in ancient Gaul—
Concluding that, Godou forced his body to move.
"Dahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Relying on force of vigor and the [Camel]'s endurance, Godou forcibly
moved his body despite his pierced heart.
Capable of traveling across the desert while enduring silently, the camel
was the symbol of endurance and ferocity. Using this power to unleash a
spinning kick, Godou launched his final attack.
"Guh—!"
The enemy instantly used his left hand to block the kick aimed at his
temple.
However, Godou used his entire body's strength to send Rama flying
together with this hand. At the same time, he delivered explosive magic
power through the tip of his foot.
As a result, the Devil King exterminating hero was sent flying by this
exploding kick of guaranteed death. Rolling continuously on the ground for
a while, he finally came to a stop.
A moment later, Rama pushed himself up with the last of his strength after
suffering this strike of assured death.
Staring into Godou's eyes—
'We shall meet again, Kusanagi Godou—'
Godou could feel Rama silently expressing his thoughts of a future
encounter.
Immediately, the hero's body shone with red light—Then came a violent
explosion.
The Divine Sword of Salvation, stabbed into Godou's heart, proceeded to
vanish. This was the instant of Kusanagi Godou's third victory. But in spite
of that—
While his consciousness was gradually fading away, Godou activated the
[Ram] incarnation. At the same time, he thought to himself.
This was a shallow victory barely achieved by relying on assistance from
many people and stacking several instances of good fortune together.
But next time... Surely that was not going to work again.
Hanuman was probably going to find a way to gather the necessary earth's
essence required by the great ritual of the covenant. Athena was about to die
too. Godou's hidden cards were practically all exposed. Ultimately, was that
his only option left—?
The idea the Princess of Glass had seen through before he took his leave
from the Netherworld...
Godou recalled that particular solution...