Campione!

Chapter 7 - King of SwordsPart 1"It's been a while, my beloved Andrea! I was so worried about you!""Stop spewing nonsense! You are the worst of trash and the greatest ofidiots, Salvatore Doni!"On a warm spring night, in a bar lounge of a high class hotel in Milan.A heartwarming reunion between two young men who had been separatedfor a fortnight. Furthermore, Italian media had exploded yesterday with theheadlines "Castello Sforzesco, Collapsed!" believed to be perpetrated byleft-wing extremist criminal organizations.Obviously, this news was fabricated to conceal the truth.Even more obvious than that, one of the culprits was right here -- SalvatoreDoni."I never thought you would kidnap and imprison me for the sake of causingthat kind of commotion..."Andrea Rivera thundered with anger.Popularly known as the "King's Butler," his duties included attending to andmonitoring Doni who was out of touch with modern society.One to do things meticulously, Rivera had always dressed impeccably. Buttoday, he was wearing neither a tie nor a jacket. This was way too early forCool Biz though. [1]As things happened, only four hours had passed since he was rescuedfrom mysterious kidnappers.Liberated from the Genoa station, Rivera immediately contacted all partiesto get up to date and hurried over to his master in Milan. Still dressed in theclothes he was wearing as a prisoner, he had not spent any time onmaking himself presentable.The exchange just now were their first words to each other."You're mistaken, Andrea. I had no idea you were even kidnapped. I waseven wondering why I haven't seen you lately.""Undoubtedly only you could have been responsible!"Unshaven stubble on his face, Rivera angrily accused his master.They were able to maintain this manner of speaking between equals onlybecause they were already friends before Doni became [King]. As a sidenote, no other customers were present in the bar lounge apart from the twoof them.The only bartender at the counter waited silently on standby.Since the business running the hotel was affiliated with the [Copper BlackCross], this place was automatically reserved for Doni every time hecasually strolled into Milan.Taking a seat at the counter, Rivera ordered a drink."A straight whiskey please. Any brand will do.""When did you suddenly let yourself go? Be careful not to drink too much.""Because I have to clean up your messes, I'll be goddamned busy startingtomorrow! How could I not drink!"Maintaining his silence, the bartender swiftly prepared the drink.The amber-colored liquid filled the shot glass. Rivera spoke as he drank."Getting a prestigious magic association involved, turning a famous Milanlandmark into rubble, instigating trouble with the seventh Campione for nogood reason. If news of all this gets out, who knows how many people inEurope will be shocked senseless. The spread of information must becontained at all costs...""You're still the same old Andrea, always getting worked up over matters ofmere appearance.""Damn you and your appearances! This is prudence and common sense!By the way, is it tomorrow? Or the day after?"Seeing Doni not ordering anything, Rivera questioned.The Campione of Swords was a man completely foreign to asceticism.Normally, he ate more than double a normal person's portion. However, hedid not even drink a drop of water this night."It's tomorrow. My courtship finally bore fruit."Doni waved Kusanagi Godou's "Duel Invitation" as he muttered.Whenever he was about to face an important battle, he always abstainedfrom food and drink.Scientifically speaking, such abstinence was neither efficient normeaningful.Nevertheless, the sensation of thirst and hunger was able to make his"sword" sharper than usual-(On the other hand, given the counterexample of times when he greedilystuffed himself with food and drink to store energy like a bear beforehibernation, perhaps it was simply a matter of mood. Ultimately, he was aman who could not be explained through science.)In any case, the Campione of Swords had entered a state of battle."Enduring this hardship will be worth it. This time my opponent is also filledwith fighting spirit. He never admits it out loud, but I'm pretty sure I'malways on his mind.""Well, because your opponent is also a Campione."As the butler who served a member of this race for four years, Riveraexclaimed as he was struck by a wave of emotions."After all, since it has already come to this! After you die, I will take care ofthe aftermath in accordance with your will. Any objections?""Ah, that thing you forced me to write down a while ago. Sure, as youwish."As expected of my friend. Doni grinned craftily.As the Devil King's butler, Rivera was fully informed of what kind of personthe current enemy, Kusanagi Godou, was. Completely unversed in martialarts and magic, a Japanese student with only limited battle experience.Based on logic, there did not exist a single element that would lead to Donidying -- or even losing.Nevertheless, Rivera already planned ahead for the possibility.Despite their human appearances, Campiones were more akin to "beasts"in nature. Even if they knew nothing of swords and magic, or had zeroexperience in hunting or battle, they easily and naturally obtained powerduring combat.Probably because that was their nature, they were able to slay a god in thefirst place.Or perhaps through slaying a god, they obtained that sort of nature?Doni had no answer to this question. In any case, even if he and the rest ofthe god-slayers were all beasts, he was a mutant who dared to entrust hisdestiny to the sword. Other than fighting gods and god-slayers repeatedly,there was no other way to train sword skills that worked on them alike.Hence he must fight.Following this cheerful and simplistic line of thinking, Doni looked forwardto the duel tomorrow.Salvatore Doni and Kusanagi Godou. Spending the night separately, theywelcome the arrival of the next day.Doni arranged a ride with the [Copper Black Cross] and had them transporthim to the shore of Lake Garda. This trip from Milan took less than twohours. Meanwhile, Kusanagi Godou was waiting at the building designatedas their battle stage.On this late April weekend, the sun was setting in the west. The dominationof darkness was arriving.This former monastery, abandoned villa, and example of Romanesquearchitecture was where the two Campiones met once again. They werecurrently located in a vast space on the second floor that had been usedas a dance hall."I've eagerly and impatiently waited for this moment, Godou. I'm currentlyso touched!""I'm the opposite. In fact, I'm in a particularly foul mood right now."Doni exclaimed with joy as Godou scowled.A night breeze blew in through the window. The spring constellationsshould be visible from outside. Clearly it was such a pleasant night, butDoni took out his sword from his cylindrical case."Why don't you find something to wield? This doesn't feel too right.""Give me a break. I'm not going to violate any weapons and firearmsregulations."Towards Godou and his faithful adherence to the laws of his home country,Doni displayed a thoughtful expression as he muttered:"I see. Then it can't be helped. Even though it's slightly embarrassing... Ohwell, just slightly. Because Campiones are equal, there's no need to mindsuch things.""You, there should be limits to how much of a useless human you can be!"Godou finally called this older opponent "you" in a derogatory manner.Italy and Japan. The two countries were too far apart in distance.Nevertheless, the two of them felt strongly about each other, recognizingeach other as the kin who left the strongest impression-Perhaps their strange bonds of fate truly began at this very moment."I will pay you back for that slice, as well as what you owe for the hardshipErica and her faction endured... Let's settle things here, Salvatore Doni!""Hohoho. You look like you have some sort of plan. As you wish, KusanagiGodou!"Doni responded sharply as he watched Godou throw a glance out the openwindow.Nevertheless, he did not try to figure what his enemy was thinking. Tryingto think would prevent him from fighting. Emptiness of mind was SalvatoreDoni's true skill, the basis for the sword of nothingness in thought.I shall entrust everything to my body, my arm and my sword.His thoughts were not applied towards how the sword was controlled. Thebody and the sword moved naturally in accordance to the heart.On the other hand, Kusanagi Godou did not have a skill to entrust destinyto an empty state of mind. Using his own power together with hiscomrade's in a flexible and adaptive manner, he faced battle head on.Kin and peers who contrasted with each other in various ways. Aspectacular duel was about to begin.The rematch with Doni was imminent. The previous fight ended withGodou fleeing from the scene of battle. Using a baseball comparison, thecurrent setup was like a rookie pitcher forced to face a formidable starbatter in a direct confrontation with no way out.Recalling traumatic memories of the previous overwhelming defeat wouldbe very unsettling-Like pitching a high inner corner fastball aimed at the batter's hands,Godou was going to emphasize he had progressed massively from before.'Hey Erica, am I allowed to use this ancient villa in this manner?''Of course, I'm fine with it... Seriously, you are not only a hypocriticalpacifist but also surprisingly unscrupulous.'After telling his partner the plan he came up with, that was the kind ofcomment he received.In any case, he had the owner's permission. Godou pitched a dangerousball without hesitation."Come forth! This time, I allow you to rampage as much as you want, sohurry here!"Godou summoned Verethragna's fifth incarnation, the [Boar].ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARMFamiliar roars resounded all over the place. From beneath -- directly belowthe villa, or in other words, from the ground.This overly extravagant abandoned house is my gift to you. In return,wreak as much destruction as possible for me! Responding to Godou'sthoughts, the black gigantic beast suddenly manifested.Like a missile being fired straight up from the ground, the [Boar] jumpedvertically!It penetrated the villa's foundations, first and second floors as if they weremade of paper. The black beast's head, snout and tusks only flashedbefore the two Devil Kings' eyes for an instant.Of course, the perpetrator Godou had foreseen this already.Traversing through the window, he leaped into the air without hesitation.Outside the house, directly below, he had already prepared a mattress thatdated back to the building's days as a villa in use. Given a Campione'ssturdy body, this level of safety precaution was more than sufficient.--In the instant he jumped out the window, Godou witnessed Doni strikingdownwards repeatedly with his sword."Haha, what an unexpected move!"The King of Swords was happily laughing away, not even showing a singleshred of fear in the face of this nonsensical preemptive strike. Calmly, hecounterattacked with a slash. Needless to say, his right arm was shiningwith silver brilliance of course.In theory, the sword's blade should have hacked apart the head of the[Boar] that was jumping straight up.After all, in a contest of ridiculousness, this man deserved a gold medal-Godou was utterly amazed. After all, that magic sword was able to slice theentire Castello Sforzesco into rubble. Splitting the 20m-long divine beastcleanly into two would not be out of reason. However.ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARMCreating sonic waves, the [Boar] produced roars accompanied byultrasound."Waaaaaaaah!"Just as the sword was inches from striking the [Boar], the sonic wavesblew Doni away forcefully. Immediately after that, the [Boar] cleanlypenetrated the villa's second floor and roof, flying into the sky above LakeGarda."I guess in terms of ridiculousness, the [Boar] does not lose to Doni..."Finally landing on the mattress, Godou muttered in wonder. Even thoughhe had crouched out of habit and his foot struck his bottom, he did notsuffer anything more serious than slight pain on his foot and bottom.The majestic gigantic beast kept rising through the moonlit sky like arocket.Already familiar with the summoning, Godou realized with a surprise. Whata convenient monster it was. Compared to the other incarnations, its easeof use was overwhelming.The beast that could only be summoned with the intent of destroying amassive object.In other words, this was the only incarnation that could be used freelyaccording to Godou's will. The [White Stallion] provided the greatestfirepower while the [Warrior] may be the most versatile, but if ease of usewas factored into the equation, the [Boar] was truly the ultimate trump card."Oh yeah...? Was my intuition mistaken?"Godou suddenly noticed. Perhaps, this was actually not a beast that wassummoned to fulfill the wish of destroying something.Instead, destroying an object was simply the condition for summoning thebeast. Once manifested, the [Boar] was only guided by its goal ofdestruction, merely responding to Godou's orders cursorily on whim."...You think I wouldn't know?"Probably best to keep the latter possibility a secret. Godou secretlygrumbled to himself."No matter what, calling that guy out always causes widespreaddestruction. I have to be careful."Godou gave himself a self-reminder as he looked towards the villa. The[Boar] in the sky reached its maximum height and began to fall. Not onlywas it falling, but it was also crashing down rapidly.ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAR! !The ferocious roar displayed the beast's fighting spirit. Treating the villa asits target of destruction, the [Boar] crashed down from above like a flyingbody press. It intended to smash the villa to smithereens using itsmonstrous gigantic body. However, Godou saw it.Standing in a corner on the roof, a blond handsome man appeared with hissword. Doni. Godou had no idea how he survived the [Boar]'s sonic waves,but he seemed lively and healthy!"O Sword that pierces enemies with but a single swing. For the sake ofplundering all life from creation, shine with brilliance!"Doni called out spell words and launched his sword in the manner ofthrowing a javelin.Infused with authority of the magic blade, the sword flew through the air. Itstarget was the defenseless belly of the rapidly descending giant beast. The[Boar] proceeded to emit its usual roars.ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAR!!The invisible sonic waves blew away Doni's thrown sword -- that was whatone would reasonably expect. However, a liquid metal resembling mercurygushed out from the flying sword, taking on a massive elongated shape.The liquid silver instantly solidified to become a giant "magic sword."An exceptionally large magic blade measuring seven or eight meters long.Even as an improvised creation, it surprisingly resembled a sword in form.ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAR!!Were it a sword of ordinary size, the divine beast's sonic waves wouldprobably blow it away easily. However, it did not work against a sword ofsuch ridiculous dimensions.Completely unaffected by the sonic waves, the gigantic silver magic bladecontinued its flight, striking the [Boar]'s belly and completely piercingthrough.Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!Painful howls on the verge of death. This sword had ended the [Boar]'s life.Nevertheless, the black divine beast displayed its formidable will at thistime. Even skewered, it continued its swift descent towards the villa.Measuring 20m in body length, it probably weighed a couple hundred tons.With that kind of monster crashing down on its gigantic belly, no villa couldhave survived no matter how grand or vast its scale. Naturally, it wasdemolished. Whether the roof, the ceilings, structural beams, pillars, wallsor floors, all were crushed and pulverized without exception.Immediately after that, the [Boar], skewered by the giant magic blade,vanished in a puff of black mist.However, its foe, Salvatore Doni should have been on the rooftop of thevilla demolished by the divine beast, what happened to that guy -- ?Focusing his gaze, Godou found a figure in the flying dust cloud amidst thedebris.He nodded. What a piece of cake it would be if victory could be obtainedlike this. However, he did not believe that man could fall so easily. Thebattle had not ended yet.Part 2"Good job, Godou. So amazing! I've fought all kinds of enemies before butrarely have I ever been struck by such a powerful preemptive strike!"Yelling out with an utterly delighted expression, Doni was completelyunharmed. Close to a hundred symbols resembling cuneiform appeared allaround him as if protecting him. Based on the shapes, they were probablyNorse runes.This was Doni's [Man of Steel] authority which conferred an invulnerablebody."If that's the case, I really should counterattack in a manner no lessspectacular than yours."For some incomprehensible reason, the handsome blond was grumbling ina completely serious tone of voice."But I don't have anything fancier than swordsmanship. My duels havenothing to do with glamor. On the other hand, the flashiness of your manyvaried skills and abilities are so nice...""What you did just now was flashy enough already!""Eh, really? Then let's continue."Retorted by Godou, Doni bent over and picked something up.It was his giant magic blade from before that was buried in the rubble.Staring at it once again, Godou could not help but feel astonishment athow ridiculous the sword looked.The blade itself measured almost 8m in length while the hilt was about 1mor so.Proportionate to its length, the blade was also wide and of a sturdy andheavy construction. Hiding a child-sized object behind the sword would bea most simple matter.Doni stood at 185cm tall or so. The length of the sword was essentially fourtimes his height in scale.Wielding the long and massive sword without losing balance, thesilver-armed Campione swung it using one hand with the sound of slicingwind. The scene was utterly ridiculous."...Before I offer my opinion for reference, let me ask something first. Is thatthing lighter than it looks?""I've never weighed it before, but it's probably more than 300kg? However,since it's made of the same substance as my arm, I can move it freely as ifit were my own arm or leg."Smiling proudly, the silver-armed Campione replied."Hohoho, the enemies of us Campiones are not limited to fellows in humanform. There are times when we must fight freaking huge divine beasts ordemonic deities. In order to chop them apart in frontal combat, I createdthis mystic sword!""Making your own sword huge to fight gigantic enemies, that's such adumb idea!"While he criticized, Godou truly felt terror in his heart. Indeed there shouldbe limits to foolish notions. However, what if it happened to be backed bylogical reasons?If Doni was able to swing the weapon freely despite its ridiculous lengthand weight-"So, let's try something flashy."Doni finally entered a stance with the massive magic blade.Holding the hilt with both hands, he pointed the 8m blade towards Godouin a manner similar to spear-armed heavy infantry, completely different tohis earlier posture just now.The two were separated by roughly 15m.But given the massive magic blade, the distance could be easily crossed.Yesterday, Godou had mentioned it would be best to stay out of reachfrom Doni's sword. Obviously, this did not count as particularly brilliantinsight. But he never expected the sword to grow in length as well.Hoo. Godou exhaled. Finally it was time for a decisive direct confrontation.Now was the time to counterattack his opponent, the higher ranking [King].Thinking calmly, he counted the number of incarnations at his disposal.He confirmed three incarnations as being usable. Then he will go all outand pit them against his enemy!"Skills must carry power -- no matter how godly a skill, without matching"power," one would simply fail and be slaughtered in the end."Doni quietly uttered words that seemed to be some kind of key toswordsmanship.These too, were spell words. In order to pour magical energy into the giantsilver magic blade, infusing it with greater deadly formidable power. ThenDoni aimed a "thrust" at Godou.He attacked as he took a giant step forward.The long silver blade sped straight towards Godou like an arrow."Damn, you really can use it normally!"Cursing away, Godou jumped sideways and evaded the giant magic blade.Just barely. Had he been fractions of a second too slow, he would havebeen sliced into two by the ridiculous blade. The situation had become thatterrifying."I am the strongest, crushing all who stand in my way!"Chanting Verethragna's scripture, Godou used the [Bull] incarnation whichrequired an enemy possessing great strength beyond normal parameters.Against this quickly swinging massive magic blade, the "strength" behind itwas all it took to satisfy the condition.Godou ran over the mountain of rubble created by the [Boar].Nothing remained of the house's original shape. The various buildingmaterials comprising the ruins were open to view. Pillars, sculptures, walls,floors, ceilings... All sorts of debris.Godou discovered a suitable weapon amongst this pile of debris. It was theseven or eight meter tall statue of Madonna and Child which used to bedisplayed in the first floor lobby!Yelling out, he used the [Bull]'s monstrous strength to lift the statue thathad somehow miraculously survived intact."Yaaaaaaaaah!"This thing offered reach rivaling that of the massive magic blade. Swingingthe statue like a laundry rod, Godou struck at Doni. Rather than expectingit to hit, Godou simply planned to hinder Doni's movements.However, Doni did not dodge the attack.With a loud crash, the statue of Madonna and Child struck him on thecheek. Godou was amazed.In that very instant, runes floated all around Doni, glowing brightly.To Godou's great surprise, the sensations transmitted through his handsfelt as though he had struck a heavy block of iron. Smashing into Doni, thestatue of Madonna and Child crumbled to pieces.The King of Swords, surrounded by runic symbols, was completelyunharmed. So this was a body of steel!?"Alright alright, your engine must be getting all revved up!"This time, Doni went for an overhead downwards chop.A direct chop like the act of splitting firewood. Godou jumped backwardsslightly to evade.However, Doni's wave of offense did not end there. Easily lifting thelowered massive magic blade with his arm strength, he chopped downupon Godou's head again."Wah!"Godou rolled awkwardly to the right and narrowly evaded the giant magicblade's pursuit.Instead of hitting Godou, the gigantic magic blade embedded itself into thedebris of the ruins with a crash. In that instant, calamity struck. Anexplosion happened, centered where the massive magic blade was buried,generating light, explosive wind and Shockwaves."O Sword, shining bright, release flames!""What!?"With brief spell words, Doni's sword made the ground explode.Scorching heat and Shockwaves were generated as if a buried landminehad exploded. It felt like a strengthened version of the explosion magicBianchi used in Sardinia.Nevertheless, it was unable to overcome a Campione's unreasonableresistance to magic.Although engulfed by the white explosion, Godou simply suffered minorburns and scratches. However, he could not avoid being blown away bythe explosive wave of heat and shock.Not only could Doni slice things apart, but he was also able to imbue hisattacks with this kind of additional effect-Stunned, Godou was blown away by the force of the explosion.Crash! His brief flight was halted by the impact of his back and the back ofhis head against a stone wall. His entire body was hurting, but thanks tothis the distance between him and Doni was increased.Godou sighed lightly as he searched his surroundings for weapons."At this distance, I definitely won't miss!"Saying that, Godou picked up a piece of debris with one hand, roughlythree times the size of a bowling ball. He threw it with the same techniqueas if he were picking off a fast runner on second base trying to steal third.Using the [Bull]'s monstrous strength, this attack would have thedestructive power of a cannon ball.Throwing it forward, the target was naturally Doni who was wielding themassive magic blade.The stone flew at roughly 160km/h. Pitched at close range, it was more likea "fast stone" than a fastball.Even the blond Campione should be unable to pierce this stone with ease.But once again, Doni held his massive magic blade like a spear, simplyshifting the gigantic blade pointing at Godou slightly to pierce the rubble.Then, an explosion occurred-From the rubble came a blinding white flash and wave of heat andexplosive wind.The explosion swallowed Doni. It was only natural for the perpetratorstanding the closest to be engulfed when the sliced target exploded.Nevertheless, surrounded by runic symbols, Doni remained unharmed.A nonchalant expression on his face, he seemed completely unaffected bythe explosive heat and force.Godou threw his second pitch. Using both arms to pick up a piece of debristhat was ten times larger than the previous one, he threw it with all hismight. Furthermore, it flew just as fast as the previous one.This time it struck on target. That piece of stone, most likely weighing overa hundred kilograms, violently smashed into Doni's body with speed andweight that even the strongest batters from America's Major League wouldnot be able to hit back, becoming a vicious dead ball.However, the stone noisily shattered into pieces. Doni did not even swaythe slightest from the impact."Seriously, can't you be a little more human!?""I don't want to be criticized like that by you!"Objecting, Doni made a thrust.Within the tiniest of instants, the magic sword's blade already reachedGodou.--Using a normal sized sword, Doni had once exhibited magical slashingattacks that could not be felt coming. But because the giant magic bladewas over ten times longer, Godou was also much further away from Doni.Thanks to that distance, Godou had slightly more time to see him performhis sword strikes.Presumably because of that, Godou found it much easier to evade hisslashes compared to the time at Castello Sforzesco.Once again, Godou jumped at the last second to dodge the sword blade.The giant magic blade struck the wall behind Godou instead, severing itinto two. At the same time, it produced the usual white explosion, sendingGodou's body flying.Once again, Godou landed on the debris laden ground, though his injurieswere still minor.Pushing himself up, Godou noticed the shattered Madonna and Childbefore his gaze. It was the statue he had used to strike Doni just now.Although the top half was smashed, the bottom was still intact.Let me hinder him by throwing this thing at him -- just as the thoughtcrossed his mind.Godou saw a silhouette like a magical bird's. Wielding the giant magicblade, Doni leaped effortlessly.Due to the destruction of the villa's ceiling, the moon was visible up in thesky. However, the figure of the silver blade and the magical swordsmancompletely blocked Godou's view of the moonlight.It was a giant leap that almost instantly crossed the ten-odd meters thatseparated them.--Godou recalled. This was a skill that Erica had also displayed in Sardinia.A movement technique that allowed a flesh-and-blood human being toobtain superhuman leaping ability and speed rivaling cars. Doni could alsouse it!Doni's landing spot was the lower half of Madonna and Child that Godouwas staring at.Stepped on by the handsome man's boots, the statue crumbled again. Itfailed to support Doni's weight, as if his mass was on the order of tons -- !"Hoho. Using this allows me to increase my mass as much as I want asdictated by inclination of spirit. But if I carelessly trample and wreck places,people get angry... By the way, right now I weigh something like abulldozer?"Doni declared boldly as runes glowed brightly all around him.The mysterious symbols which conferred his durability of steel. Apparentlythat was not the only effect!"Take a small car for example. I could step on it lightly if I wanted to, butthen it wouldn't have much of an effect. It's quite annoying.""...I see, becoming sturdy would only defend against an enemy's attack,but without the mass of iron, one would be sent flying no matter howsturdy--!"Godou recalled what happened when he smashed the statue of Madonnaand Child against Doni.Not only was it hard, there was also a feeling like hitting somethingexceptionally heavy. If Godou was not infused with the [Bull]'s monstrousstrength, his arms would have been injured from the force of reaction.Struck by that, as well as other pieces of debris, Doni remainedmotionless.Against the King of Swords, those types of heavy attacks were completelyinsignificant. Given Doni in his current state, he could probably engagegiant Melqart and his clubs Yagrush and Ayamur in closequarters combatas equals.He was different from the artfully sublime masters he had fought before.Depending on need, this man could transform himself into a heavyweightwarrior who could pit his strength against gigantic gods. Crushing enemiesby pure "strength" yet maintaining the movements of a lightweight body.What a complete monster. Pure "strength" alone was not enough tocompete against this guy.Godou made his decision. Even though he was unsure how effective itwould be, he had no way of knowing unless he tried.Just now, he had confirmed that three incarnations were available.Abandoning the first, the [Bull], Godou switched to the second, the[Warrior].The night before, together with Erica, he had forged the blade of spellwords-Not too long ago, Godou had discovered that this weapon was alsoeffective against the authorities of Campiones. As a safety precaution, theact the two of them underwent by joining their hearts as one, became thetrump card at this critical juncture.Part 3"Salvatore Doni. Silver-armed Nuadha, whom you defeated, was the kingof the Tuatha De Danann worshiped by ancient Celts. This deity's majesticform, as befitted the king of the ancient world, survives to this day."Light appeared in response to Godou's whispers.Shining brilliantly golden, spheres of light. Roughly the size of baseballs."As the king of the Tuatha De Danann, Nuadha was also a war god whowielded the sword of victory. At the time, he was not yet silver-armed.However, while commanding his subordinates in the conquest of Ireland,he was injured in a battle against local deities, thereby losing his rightarm."In the blink of an eye, the number of light spheres shining brightly inGodou's surroundings increased in number.Compared to the scattered few in the beginning, it multiplied to dozens andthen to over a hundred."Due to this injury, Nuadha was forced to give up his position as king.Hence, the god of physicians forged a new arm of silver for the one-armedformer king. Nevertheless, the silver-armed god Nuadha did not regain histhrone at this point. He was only restored to power after he was perfectlyrestored with an arm of flesh and blood."Every time spell words were composed, new spheres of light were born,increasing the brilliance illuminating the surroundings.This brightness was Godou's weapon as the [Warrior] -- the [Sword] ofspell words."The king must be a warrior. Powerful, formidable, and physically perfect.This was a common tradition in the ancient world. So long as Nuadharemained the 'one-armed god,' he was ineligible to be restored to power!"The numerous lights from the [Sword] were shining radiantly like thebrilliant multitude of stars in the Milky Way.Seeing these shining lights, Doni smiled."Hohoho... I know."Instead of his usual cheerful and foolish grin, this was a smile filled with thejoy of battle as befitted the prodigious talent of the incomparable King ofSwords."This is a [Sword] eh? A sword not forged and polished from iron butcarved and formed out of spell words. A sword of wizardry. Godou, you tooare a sword-wielding god-slayer! How interesting!"Bearing the magic blade, Doni yelled loudly."Facing me who is served by a sword of steel, you oppose me with asword constructed from spell words... Salvatore Doni and KusanagiGodou's styles share no commonality at all. Hoho, but that's who we are,after all!"Doni's eyes were flashing with a strange sense of kinship and competitivespirit."Yes. Conflicts between us Campiones are always undertaken as battles ofobstinate wills, to prove whose manner of doing things is superior! Youseem to have finally understood that promise. I am so happy!"Doni made a thrust with the giant magic blade again.However, Godou no longer dodged. Instead, he chanted spell words."Glorious victory in my hands, evildoers shall never triumph over me!"Godou caused the dozens of flashing [Swords] around him to accelerate.Doni's makeshift giant magic blade crashed towards them as they flew inthe air like shooting stars.Flash, flash, flash, flash -- flashing nonstop, the [Sword]'s lights crossedpaths with the extra large silver magic blade for an instant.In less than a tenth of second before the magic blade was going to sliceGodou apart...The giant magic blade which should have cleanly split Godou apart straightdown from his head, shattered noisily as if it were made of glass.Carrying the ability to sever silver-armed Nuadha, the [Sword] destroyedthe giant magic blade.However, Salvatore Doni's right arm remained in its silver state. His handstill held the base of the giant magic blade, the completely ordinary sword.Doni's authority, the [Ripping Arm of Silver], was still intact."Not completely severed eh...""I think you've already done superbly. Excluding the gods, I don't thinkthere's more than four people who could actually fight back against mysword strikes."Nuadha's authority was deeply rooted in the very being of Salvatore Doni'ssoul.Realizing that this core component had not been severed, he offeredpraise to Godou along the lines of "ranking amongst one of four warriors inthe world."But you just watch, I'm going to sever it next -- As Godou intended to chantspell words again."How befitting of a [Sword] of spell words. Well, isn't it great to havesomething so convenient? But now that I understand what kind of weaponit is, I will commit myself accordingly."As Doni smiled, the protective runes surrounding him vanished."I... I forbid the existence of things I cannot cut."The glow of the silver arm increased. The same glow was also added tothe sword held in Doni's hand."Godou, your [Sword] seems to be a weapon meant for slicing apart my'magic sword.' But I hereby swear, I shall sever your [Sword] in turn.Putting my full strength on the line!"The Campione of Swords' declaration of intent was also composed of spellwords.Salvatore Doni went as far as to assert he would slice apart Verethragna's[Sword] that stood as Nuadha's natural predator, getting all fired up withmagical power.For this purpose, he deactivated the [Man of Steel].Pouring forth all the magical power he could muster into the "magic sword."Godou received quite a fright, probably due to the [Warrior] incarnation.Knowing his enemy's origins with deep understanding, it felt like thesetraits of the [Warrior] allowed him to read his enemy's intentions.This ability was warning him, that Doni's oath could possibly -- couldactually be realized.Doni's authority specialized in "slicing attacks." As a result of this simplicity,the silver "magic sword" was infused with divine might allowing it to cutthrough even its own natural predator!"So... I will sever it before you succeed!"Just as Godou steeled his determination, Doni approached suddenly.But rather than shortening the distance instantly, he was walking at acasual pace. In fact, he was taking carefree steps as if visiting the home ofa friend or a relative. From the way he walked, one would not have beenable to tell a duel was in progress.Nevertheless, by the time Godou noticed, Doni had already "swiftly"appeared before him. He was within the range at which he could captureGodou with his sword!Faster than the eye could follow, Godou was within striking distance ofDoni's sword by the time he realized.Godou had witnessed at Castello Sforzesco the same inscrutablemovement technique that made Doni resemble a heavenly being ridingupon clouds."Defeating thousands with the strength of hundreds, vanquishing tens ofthousands with the attack of thousands!"Terrified by Doni's godly technique, Godou chanted spell words oncemore.He instantly summoned a hundred [Swords] to form a protective shieldbefore him, while Doni struck at the densely gathered golden lightsresembling a galaxy, his sword moving as if propelled by burning flames.At that very moment, [Sword] and "magic sword" clashed openly.Blocked by the golden light, the silver magic sword's motion halted. Clearlyonly 50cm away from reaching Godou's body, it could not advance anyfurther.The silver-white light enveloping the sword, flickered intensely like theflames of a dying candle.This was the result of the golden stars blocking the sword's path, which stillcarried the effect of sealing the silver-armed authority. Doni's "magicsword" and the power to "slice through all existence" were gradually beingchipped away and progressively weakening.However, the one whose face was distorted by anxiety was Godou.And the one grinning nonchalantly was Doni instead."I've heard from those people at Palermo who observed your fight againstMelqart. You seem to have usurped from Verethragna the ability to sever a'divinity' itself. Using this ability really would allow you to fight to great effectagainst all sorts of deities."Doni pushed his magic sword of light further slightly.1cm, followed by another 1cm. The sword's blade gradually approachedGodou."In any case, it could target only a specific portion of the authorities held bya deity, right? Well, that's not enough to overwhelm the enemy like somekind of miraculous panacea -- that was my conclusion as soon as I heardthe report. It's just as I thought!"Completely correct, it was exactly as Doni described. Godou nodded inacknowledgement.The golden [Sword] originally could sever the silver sword with ease.However, an excessively simple power like "slicing through all existence"combined with the fact that Doni poured forth his entire power tostrengthen it, that sort of over optimistic personality was a recipe fordisaster.It made what should have been severable inseverable. Furthermore,Doni's "magic sword" was slowly pressing forward even as it weakened.Godou glared intensely at Salvatore Doni.This handsome man was undoubtedly a great idiot. And very obviously, hehad many flaws. Nevertheless, he displayed unusual cunning where itmattered. Also, he had mastered many ultimate techniques.Erica called this man a genius of the sword.But having fought him in actual combat, Godou now realized that thedescription was completely insufficient.Being inexperienced, Godou could not tell or imagine how much hardshipDoni had endured throughout his training. Nevertheless, he could believe itwas the result of efforts accumulated day after day, immersed in a domainof crazed obsession-Obsessively ignoring sleep and food, avoiding all mundane tasks, focusingentirely on honing a single art.No everyday life, no ordinary happiness. Only thoughts focused onupgrading one's skill, repeating every day by trial and error without end.It could only be something like that. Like playing an RPG where theaccumulation of experience points did not rely on artistry. Never indulgingoneself, never compromising, always pushing one's body and mind to thelimits of exhaustion, striving towards "that particular direction" with foolishobsession.Ultimately, Doni achieved a level that entitled him to be called a "sworddemon" or a "sword god.""...Against this kind of opponent, victory cannot be seized without sufficientdetermination--"Godou secretly grumbled to himself.The protective shield formed by the golden [Sword] barely managed toblock Doni's sword. However, only 20cm remained before the blade wouldreach Godou's body.Godou was not confident if he could sever Doni's "magic sword" beforethat.Nevertheless, he still had an ace up his sleeve -- Entirely the result ofbeing in the form of the [Warrior], he could inexplicably experience hisenemy's greatness. As much as he wished to deny it, he felt compelled tooffer utmost praise to his opponent.Precisely because of that, Godou very naturally resolved himself to use histrump card."In that case, I'll show you my spirit and determination!"Godou recalled all the [Swords] which were not being used as part of theprotective shield.Numerous golden spheres of light were attracted to Godou's body,gathering together, shining with spectacular brilliance.As if enveloped by a galaxy of stars, Godou immediately took action. At thesame time, this gave Salvatore Doni an opening to exploit."What!?"Godou dispelled the protective shield standing between him and Doni.Due to the barrier's disappearance, the sword enveloped in silver-whitelight headed straight towards Godou. This resulted in a diagonal slash fromthe left lower flank across to the right shoulder.Godou's body, enveloped in golden light, was viciously sliced.A great volume of blood gushed out. It was as if a "/" symbol had beencarved on his upper torso.This was the first time Godou experienced such an injury. Not only his skinand muscle, but even all the bones and internal organs between his leftflank and right shoulder were sliced through.Rather than pain, the sensation was more accurately described as burning.Godou's body swayed and he nearly fell on his knees. He was only able toendure thanks to a Campione's resilient body and an athlete's unrelentingspirit. Salvatore Doni was truly terrifying. Without using anything more thana sword of ordinary sharpness, he had sliced through bones that wereharder than iron.Furthermore, he had not relied on his authority-"Ha, hahahaha, I see I see. You actually had this up your sleeve."On the other hand, Doni was laughing so hard his shoulders were shaking.His silver-white arm had returned to flesh. Covered with blood, the swordhad also lost its silver glow."I get it now. Given that I was slicing at your body, if you preemptivelypositioned your [Sword] there, it wouldn't be difficult to intercept my 'magicsword.' However, you had to resolve yourself to be sliced!"As he laughed, his eyes stared at Godou with exceptional passion.Just as Doni described, the trump card Kusanagi Godou employed was hisown "body." Using his body to bait the "magic sword," the price he paidwas the suffering of a vicious slash.Only by neutralizing Nuadha's authority at the very last moment, Godouescaped bifurcation.Although the price he paid was extremely heavy, his plan went offsmoothly as intended...Most likely, the [Sword] could only seal Nuadha's authority temporarily.That was what he speculated from the feeling. However, it should be morethan ample for the duration of the duel."This is really great! For you to come up with this creative idea in asituation like this, and have the decisiveness to put it into action. Godou,you're really foolish enough for an idiot!""1-1 don't want to be called an idiot by an idiot!""Hey hey, I was praising you there."While Godou protested as he panted from the intense pain, Doni spokewith an air of nonchalance."Originally I looked forward to a duel simply because you are a Campione.But now, I understand things differently. Kusanagi Godou -- you are a manI approve as worthy to be my 'friend.' I clearly realize that now."Casually stated by the young man possessing the divine arm and a sworddemon's martial arts."F-Friend...?""Ah yes. Not simply familiar opponents. We will probably cross swords agood many times in the future and develop a relationship where wecommunicate through exchanges of the fist. Sometimes fighting eachother, sometimes fighting as comrades, but ultimately we will seek eachother out for a decisive duel -- that's what I see for our future.""That... That's not what friends do. That's more like rivals or competitors!"In response to Godou's objections voiced through pain endurance, Doninodded with a nonchalant expression."Indeed. Written 'mortal enemy' but pronounced 'friend.' Isn't that awonderful relationship?""How is that wonderful in any way?!"Why did he have to retort so desperately?Godou muttered as he activated the [Camel] incarnation. Now that hisfriend -- no, enemy had lost Nuadha's arm, the [Warrior] was no longerneeded.Due to the severe injury he had just suffered, it became usable.As the numerous golden spheres of light vanished, replacing them was theinfusion of ferocious beast-like combat ability into his body.Amongst Verethragna's abilities, this was probably the strongestincarnation in terms of close-quarters combat. This incarnation could verywell back Doni into a corner. Godou realized the battle had finally reachedthe endgame.Part 4Last night, having completed the [Sword] for slicing Nuadha.Erica Blandelli suddenly changed her attitude towards Kusanagi Godou.Since she had already expressed her love in no uncertain terms, plus thefact that the two of them had already kissed passionately, there was nopoint in behaving conservatively anymore.Her first change was the sense of distance she kept with Godou.She was now always within arm's reach, or even so close that she couldkiss him any time simply by drawing her face nearer.This was the sort of extremely close distance she maintained.As a result, she discovered how amusing and cute it was to see Godouclearly losing his composure.Struck with mischievous thoughts, she would caress Godou for noapparent reason, sometimes kissing him lightly on his lips or cheeks all ofa sudden."Hey Godou... We really should sleep in the same room tonight, right?"Late at night, that was what she whispered softly into Godou's ear.Desperately objecting to her proposal, Godou locked himself in anotherroom.--In terms of lacking in dating experience, Erica and Godou were actuallyabout equal.However, compared to Erica who had plenty of opportunities to observeopen displays of affectionate couples in public, Godou had alwaysmaintained an attitude of avoidance.This exemplified their differences in culture and personality.Determined to accommodate their differences and enjoy her relationshipwith him, Erica brought along the youth she loved when she went out thatmorning.Walking on foot for about twenty minutes, they came to a lakeside cafe.Whether during the walk or inside the cafe, Erica naturally stuck to Godouvirtually all the time.Up until yesterday, bystanders would probably conclude they were simply"very close friends." But now, having witnessed their behavior this morning,most people would probably speculate they were "a loving couple."Erica happily accepted such views.On the other hand, Godou was bored senseless trying to shrink himselffrom sight.Finally, Erica returned to her usual attitude. It was after they had finishedtheir espresso and croissant breakfast at a waterfront table. Erica hadcasually mentioned the duel, thus bringing up the most important subject ofthe day."Starting from just now, I don't know why, but I keep thinking about thisidea."Godou finally recovered some life in his eyes.However, it also felt embarrassing to gaze into Erica's eyes, so heimmediately looked away whenever their gazes met. Hence, his view hadsettled somewhere over on the lake."The designated battleground for the duel, could also be chosen there.""There... Godou, you don't mean that, do you? Why?"Her beloved youth's gaze was focused on a certain object ahead.Noticing the object bobbing slowly on the surface of the clear lakewater,Erica questioned."Look, the villa that was once a monastery, you said it was fine to destroyit, right? But if we do it here instead, I was thinking if we could sink thatbastard Doni to the bottom of the lake. --Wait a minute, it's probably notgonna work. I don't think sending that idiot into the water is enough to endthe fight."Godou muttered repeatedly with uncertainty."Actually, it's probably to your disadvantage if the fight ends up in thewater, Godou. Sir Salvatore can apparently survive thousands of metersdeep in the ocean."Normally suppressed by common sense, Godou's tendency towardsdrastic action seemed to be subtly expressing itself.It must be due to the approaching duel. Observing with great amusement,Erica spoke:"Sir Salvatore's authority of invulnerability is not limited to making his bodydurable. Reportedly, there was one time when he was fighting a sea godsomewhere, the ship that carried him there was sunk into the Puerto RicoTrench. But a week later, he returned safe and sound. A legend thatsounds like some kind of joke.""Is that guy some kind of deepwater creature...""It would not be surprising if he rivals a tardigrade's ability to survive."As a side note, the tardigrade was a microorganism roughly a millimeter inbody length. It was the kind of resilient existence that could enter a state ofsuspended animation, allowing it to survive extreme environments such ashigh temperatures, low temperatures and vacuums.^"Godou, if you really have that intention, I could help you obtain that thingto ride. Yes, there's the spell I mentioned yesterday. At my current level,even moving that size of metal is no problem at all.""l-ldiot. It was just a thought. Don't treat it seriously."The suggestion was tentatively rejected by Godou.Very likely, this idea was proposed with roughly 52% seriousness --although that was what Erica suspected, she did not voice it out. This wasa knight's compassion.--In any case, the night of the duel finally arrived.Erica Blandelli did not participate. Like the battle against Melqart, shewaited on standby in case of changes in the situation. She kept a fairdistance away from the two Devil Kings.Also, regarding Erica's participation:"Since this is clearly meant to be a one on one duel, wouldn't this beunfair?""No problem. When Godou summoned the [Boar], didn't Melqart call forthhis servants? Having divine beasts or familiars to assist in fights is actuallyfundamental to the battles of your ilk."Despite Godou's objections, she replied nonchalantly.And now, under Erica's careful watch, Godou had sealed the "magicsword" by using his own body as bait.Though heavily injured, he was now able to use the [Camel] to face offagainst the Campione of Swords."Now, let's start concluding things officially."As Doni muttered, the runes of [Steel] spread all around him.On the other hand, Godou seemed to be frowning from the pain of thesword injury.However, the bleeding had already stopped. Apparently, his healingpowers were even stronger than usual. This was probably one of theabilities of the [Camel], in addition to conferring beast-like combat abilityand exceptional kicking power. His body also seemed lighter and moreagile.Using speed that no track athlete could hope to match, Godou suddenlybroke into a run.Nevertheless, Salvatore Doni pursued with a knight's [Leap] magic. Thiswas the physical technique known as qinggong to Chinese martial artistswhose use conferred exceptional running and jumping ability.Wherever Doni ran, deep footprints were left behind conspicuously on theground.It was reminiscent of the tracks left behind by the treads of heavymachinery. Just as Doni described, his weight must have multiplied to afrightening degree.However, Doni continued to run with his usual speed and posture."Sir Salvatore's [Man of Steel]... Turns out to be even more ridiculous thanimagined."Murmuring to herself, Erica also began to run.She too, was capable of [Leap] magic so there was no worry she would beleft behind. In mere minutes, Godou raced down the mountain path thathad taken him thirty minutes to climb yesterday. Doni took slightly longerfollowed by Erica who had been hiding.Godou's destination was the pier on the lakeside.This was where many private yachts were moored. Lake Garda, as Italy'slargest lake, was a place that allowed the enjoyment of marine leisureactivities.Godou ran there with the blond Campione in pursuit.His target was very likely — Erica observed the direction he was runningtowards.She could tell immediately. Before her eyes were the ships used for touringLake Garda. Since it was night time, all these ships were moored inpreparation for setting sail the next day."I was really so surprised to hear you describing yourself as a pacifist andsomeone with common sense. Clearly whenever you come acrosssomething advantageous in battle, you almost never hesitate to make useof it."Surprisingly, he went beyond a simple lack of scruples. Erica murmured toherself."Probably, you'd use anything unscrupulously so long as it wasn't overtlycowardly or villainous. And with great momentary decisiveness!"Erica could imagine what Godou was about to do.Born sharp and intelligent, and having spent brief but intense days with theyouth, she naturally figured out what he almost suggested.She saw Godou jump with great agility, leaping onto the deck of the tourship.Chasing after him, Doni also jumped onto the ship. The instant he landed,the ship rocked violently, presumably due to the blond handsome man'sexcessive weight.Prepared for the situation, Erica chanted spell words as she came beforethe ship."In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard myvoice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills movedand were shaken... Because he was wroth!"^Choosing a ship as the stage for the duel and having the [Boar] destroy it.That was the plan suggested earlier in the morning.However, even if they did that, Salvatore Doni would probably survivemiraculously. Regardless, the [Boar] was temporarily unusable for now. Inthat case, Godou's goal should not be that.Most likely, he intended to take advantage of his enemy's"invulnerability"...!Starting from the ruins of the monastery, a long distance run took place forsix minutes or so.Switching locations to the deck of a tour ship, the final round of the battlebegan. A diagonal straight sword cut across his upper torso, Godou facedoff against Doni."Finally the foot race has ended... This can't be your hobby. I wasbeginning to think you were trying to use some kind of long rangeweapon."Bearing a sword and the runes of [Steel], Doni smiled fearlessly.Compared to before, his current expression displayed less foolishness andmore acuity. Godou knew that he looked more like a proper lady-killerwhen his face was like that.His beautiful voice whispering softly, expressed complete manlinessdespite the sweetness in tone."If I could still use the silver arm, I'd simply slice the ground to pieces tobury you.""Gee thanks, I'm really relieved that you can't do something so lacking incommon sense."Retorting with sarcasm, Godou was currently using the [Camel]incarnation.The straight slashing wound was not too painful but only felt a little hot.This was probably the [Camel]'s effect."Fufufu. Ignoring your own issues, that's really quite a flaw of yours."Doni "swiftly" approached as he remarked rudely.At the same time, he sliced with his sword like a flame haze. Even withoutNuadha's authority, Salvatore Doni was still a person who could use themagic sword on some level.The [Camel]'s combat sense managed to see through that magicalswordsmanship.As Godou dodged by the slimmest of margins, Doni watched with anonchalant expression."This time, you're using an ability that enables you to engage me inclose-quarter combat. Your authority appears to allow you to switchbetween warlord Verethragna's ten incarnations.""You are right.""I knew it. Given that the ten incarnations have the quality of switching, itfeels like there should be all sorts of usage conditions. Once you masteryour authority, things will be really interesting."Doni dangled his sword vertically by his side, resuming his usual stance."However, all that would be meaningless if you were to fall here!"As soon as he finished his merciless declaration, he slashed. A horizontalslash!Godou focused his vision to watch Doni's sword clearly.Comparing Erica's sword swings with Doni's, Godou finally understood thatthe latter's trajectories were far more compact.Using shorter, smaller trajectories, he was able to swing his sword muchfaster!Furthermore, his swings carried greater impact, delivering intense powerwith his sword!All these factors combined to produce those "flame haze"-like swordstrikes that were difficult to evade. Very likely, Doni was capable of slicingat maximum force even when limited to short distances of 30cm. Truly, hiswas a magic sword transcending common logic."And that's why this guy is a master!"Expressing admiration and annoyance simultaneously, Godou did notretreat from this attack.A sure-kill horizontal slice to the torso. Impossible to evade. There were noavenues for retreat backwards or to the side. This was what the [Camel]'sinstincts sensed. The only way to survive was -- forward!Godou's body moved on its own. Stepping ahead of where Doni's swingwas heading, he jumped lightly, sending a sudden knee towards the faceof the Campione who possessed the weight and hardness of steel.Doni blocked Godou's knee with his left palm.The impact felt like kicking an iron plate, but Godou's kneecap did notfracture. After all, the [Camel]'s kicks had the power to shatter concreteand break iron plates.Although Doni's left palm was completely unharmed, that did not matter.Thanks to running forward, as long as Godou avoided the sword's blade,as long as it was only Doni's right arm that struck him, his body could stillendure."Eh."Grunting, Doni stepped on Godou's instep.It felt like a heavy block of iron had been dropped on it. While Godou wasdistracted by the pain from his left foot...Doni used his unarmed left hand to push Godou's chest. This seemed likea light shove, but was actually a terrifying palm strike.With a great thud, Godou felt like the core of his body was struck by acrushing impact, sending him toppling backwards. The sensation was likebeing rolled over by a fully accelerated dump truck.To think the [Man of Steel]'s weight could be used to attack in this manner!Furthermore, while performing these actions, Doni turned the sword in hisright hand at the same time. He was aiming for a straight thrust for piercingGodou's throat.In order to evade, Godou arched himself and leaned backwards.As Doni's sword missed, Godou aimed a kick at his right fist which held thesword. However, the sturdy and heavy arm did not even budge from theimpact."Still not giving up, Godou? But how much further can you endure?"Doni swung his sword at Godou's horizontal posture, slicing at hisabdomen.This attack caused Godou to roll on the ground to evade. Though hisposture was most unbecoming, there was no other choice given thecircumstances. In order to survive, Godou took desperate measures.His enemy was an expert in close-quarter combat, and a superheavyweight as well.Furthermore, Godou's left foot was now injured by the stomping, renderinghis agility useless. Standing up, Godou found the night breeze blowingacross his face rather chilly."No, there's no need to endure any further. I'm so relieved."Cornered to this extent, indeed there was no point in seeking victorythrough close-quarter combat.However, Godou began to smile. He could feel his lips twistinggrotesquely. Because he knew the opportunity for counterattacking hadfinally arrived, his fighting spirit was roused intensely."Something I possess, but you don't, has given me a final chance. If thisdoesn't work, then I have no hope of winning -- so I will give it a try!""Hoho. What naive words."Godou conversed with Doni as he thanked Erica in his heart.Even though he did not have the leisure to confer with her, his "partner"had already read his intentions perfectly.While the two god-slayers were fighting on the deck, the ship had startedmoving at some point in time.Using the "magic for making metal move" that she mentioned yesterdayand this morning, Erica made the ship set sail.The night breeze blowing across the lake was extremely cold.Having left the shore, the ferry had sailed quite far into the lake.The water in this area should be deep enough. Since Lake Garda wasItaly's deepest lake, it should be more than sufficient. Godou spoke up:"Just as you described, my abilities have many strict usage conditions.Amongst them all, this one is also quite troublesome to fulfill. But with youas the target, this posed no problem from the start."Earlier, Godou had confirmed three incarnations available for use. Nowwas the time to unleash the third one."By troublesome, you mean?""It is only permitted to be used against a great sinner who has causedhardship and suffering to the people... You, how much trouble have youbrought on others? Since my most powerful move was available from thevery start, I decided to trick you by using it last.""I just go a little far with my pranks sometimes. If you label me as a greatsinner, wouldn't you deserve the same title based on what happenedtonight?""I don't want to hear that from you!"This was a frivolous exchange, lacking in solemnity that befitted a duelbetween Devil Kings.However, the preparations were all complete. From the tour ship's deck,Godou glanced into the distance and saw specks of starlight in the easternsky."For victory, hasten forth before me... O Immortal Sun, I beseech thee togrant radiance to the stallion!"As Godou yelled out the spell words, the eastern sky was illuminated bythe rosy colors of sunrise.This untimely light of dawn pierced the veil of night. Furthermore, theeastern sun fragmented to form a descending spear of flame at this instant.This was the arrival of Verethragna's third incarnation, the [White Stallion]."Gun -- !"Even Salvatore Doni was unable to evade the downpour of flames.Engulfed by white light, he was scorched by the flames of judgment.If he opened fire at full blast like the time at Sicily, even Godou himselfwould get caught up in the flames. Godou desperately used his thoughts tofocus the flames and heat as much as possible. His prayers answered, thewhite conflagration formed a pillar of fire centered on Doni with a radius ofa few meters.Although a massive hole was bored through the ship, it still managed tocontinue sailing.At this very moment, Doni could be heard yelling."You really dared to do it. But don't think you can get past myinvulnerability!"Standing in the middle of the white pillar of fire, Doni smiled courageously.In this extreme predicament, the "warrior amongst warriors" was literally onfire, displaying greater ferocity the hotter his temperature."Even if the body is crushed and scattered, the sword never dies! Thebroken blade shall be melted down in the furnace, forged once more to bereborn as a new sword. This level of flames cannot destroy me!"These were spell words for invoking the [Man of Steel] for maximumprotection.The runes surrounding Doni increased to several hundred, glowing withred light. Standing in the center of the fire, the blond Campioneunbelievably survived.His clothes were burning away in the super high temperature flames whilehis sword gradually melted into a viscous paste.That muscular body, as tight as a whip, was scorched red in color -- orrather, it became red-hot like metal heated to high temperature.Nevertheless, he remained completely unharmed!At the same time, the [White StallionJ's flames began to burn the ship'sbody, melting it."Friend, I will endure this scorching right before your eyes! After that, let'shave an unrestrained final round!""Seriously, by this stage, this is the final round!"Godou forced his heavily wounded body to move, intending to jump intothe lake.He knew the ship's body was reaching its limits. Rather than getting burntalive, he would rather take his chances by taking a night swim with hisinjured body.Doni extended a scorched red-hot hand towards Godou."Come on man, don't say something so heartless. Our battle is onlystarting now!""Like I said, it's impossible! Unless you can float in water with that mass ofyours!""Eh?"The ship finally melted and sank, sending both Devil Kings into LakeGarda.However, their fates stood in stark contrast.Kusanagi Godou barely managed to tread water and stay afloat.On the other hand, his body of [Steel] strengthened to the max, SalvatoreDoni sank to the bottom like an anchor made of steel.In addition, the [White Stallionj's rays of the sun continued firing from theeastern sky, as if trying to incinerate Doni even as he sank. Not this again,thought Godou to himself.Lakewater boiled and evaporated from the high temperature.Steaming up everywhere, the lakewater became scalding like boilingwater."Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah . . . "Salvatore Doni's voice and figure disappeared into the depths of the lake.Nevertheless, the [White Stallion] descending from the eastern skycontinued, attempting to burn its sunken target to the very end. The bluelakewater continued to heat up, but Doni survived nonetheless.After one or two minutes, Erica arrived to the rescue on a rowing boat.Saved from the water, Godou could still watch the laser beam persist forquite a while longer.As soon as the light and flames finally vanished, Godou spoke up quietlyon the boat."...I was thinking just maybe, did that guy die?""...Then rather than 'just maybe,' you should be saying 'sure enough.'However."Erica displayed a complicated expression that included worry andadmiration."I don't believe for one second that Sir Salvatore would die as easily asthat. I keep getting the feeling he would exclaim 'I almost thought I was agoner!" and suddenly surface from the water any time."Godou completely agreed on this point.References1 . t Cool Biz: a movement in Japan to lower electricity consumption bylimiting the use of air-conditioning. Consequently, workers wereencouraged to dress down and wear short-sleeved shirts withoutjackets or ties. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_Biz_campaign2. t Tardigrade: a small, water-dwelling, segmented animal with eightlegs. Tardigrades are able to survive in extreme environments thatwould kill almost any other animal, such as temperatures of close toabsolute zero, temperatures as high as 151°C, 1000 times moreradiation than other animals, and almost a decade without water.Tardigrades have also returned alive from studies in which they havebeen exposed to the vacuum of space for a few days in low Earthorbit. http://en.wi kipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade3. t Psalm 18:6-7

Chapter 7 - King of SwordsPart 1"It's been a while, my beloved Andrea! I was so worried about you!""Stop spewing nonsense! You are the worst of trash and the greatest ofidiots, Salvatore Doni!"On a warm spring night, in a bar lounge of a high class hotel in Milan.A heartwarming reunion between two young men who had been separatedfor a fortnight. Furthermore, Italian media had exploded yesterday with theheadlines "Castello Sforzesco, Collapsed!" believed to be perpetrated byleft-wing extremist criminal organizations.Obviously, this news was fabricated to conceal the truth.Even more obvious than that, one of the culprits was right here -- SalvatoreDoni."I never thought you would kidnap and imprison me for the sake of causingthat kind of commotion..."Andrea Rivera thundered with anger.Popularly known as the "King's Butler," his duties included attending to andmonitoring Doni who was out of touch with modern society.One to do things meticulously, Rivera had always dressed impeccably. Buttoday, he was wearing neither a tie nor a jacket. This was way too early forCool Biz though. [1]As things happened, only four hours had passed since he was rescuedfrom mysterious kidnappers.Liberated from the Genoa station, Rivera immediately contacted all partiesto get up to date and hurried over to his master in Milan. Still dressed in theclothes he was wearing as a prisoner, he had not spent any time onmaking himself presentable.The exchange just now were their first words to each other."You're mistaken, Andrea. I had no idea you were even kidnapped. I waseven wondering why I haven't seen you lately.""Undoubtedly only you could have been responsible!"Unshaven stubble on his face, Rivera angrily accused his master.They were able to maintain this manner of speaking between equals onlybecause they were already friends before Doni became [King]. As a sidenote, no other customers were present in the bar lounge apart from the twoof them.The only bartender at the counter waited silently on standby.Since the business running the hotel was affiliated with the [Copper BlackCross], this place was automatically reserved for Doni every time hecasually strolled into Milan.Taking a seat at the counter, Rivera ordered a drink."A straight whiskey please. Any brand will do.""When did you suddenly let yourself go? Be careful not to drink too much.""Because I have to clean up your messes, I'll be goddamned busy startingtomorrow! How could I not drink!"Maintaining his silence, the bartender swiftly prepared the drink.The amber-colored liquid filled the shot glass. Rivera spoke as he drank."Getting a prestigious magic association involved, turning a famous Milanlandmark into rubble, instigating trouble with the seventh Campione for nogood reason. If news of all this gets out, who knows how many people inEurope will be shocked senseless. The spread of information must becontained at all costs...""You're still the same old Andrea, always getting worked up over matters ofmere appearance.""Damn you and your appearances! This is prudence and common sense!By the way, is it tomorrow? Or the day after?"Seeing Doni not ordering anything, Rivera questioned.The Campione of Swords was a man completely foreign to asceticism.Normally, he ate more than double a normal person's portion. However, hedid not even drink a drop of water this night."It's tomorrow. My courtship finally bore fruit."Doni waved Kusanagi Godou's "Duel Invitation" as he muttered.Whenever he was about to face an important battle, he always abstainedfrom food and drink.Scientifically speaking, such abstinence was neither efficient normeaningful.Nevertheless, the sensation of thirst and hunger was able to make his"sword" sharper than usual-(On the other hand, given the counterexample of times when he greedilystuffed himself with food and drink to store energy like a bear beforehibernation, perhaps it was simply a matter of mood. Ultimately, he was aman who could not be explained through science.)In any case, the Campione of Swords had entered a state of battle."Enduring this hardship will be worth it. This time my opponent is also filledwith fighting spirit. He never admits it out loud, but I'm pretty sure I'malways on his mind.""Well, because your opponent is also a Campione."As the butler who served a member of this race for four years, Riveraexclaimed as he was struck by a wave of emotions."After all, since it has already come to this! After you die, I will take care ofthe aftermath in accordance with your will. Any objections?""Ah, that thing you forced me to write down a while ago. Sure, as youwish."As expected of my friend. Doni grinned craftily.As the Devil King's butler, Rivera was fully informed of what kind of personthe current enemy, Kusanagi Godou, was. Completely unversed in martialarts and magic, a Japanese student with only limited battle experience.Based on logic, there did not exist a single element that would lead to Donidying -- or even losing.Nevertheless, Rivera already planned ahead for the possibility.Despite their human appearances, Campiones were more akin to "beasts"in nature. Even if they knew nothing of swords and magic, or had zeroexperience in hunting or battle, they easily and naturally obtained powerduring combat.Probably because that was their nature, they were able to slay a god in thefirst place.Or perhaps through slaying a god, they obtained that sort of nature?Doni had no answer to this question. In any case, even if he and the rest ofthe god-slayers were all beasts, he was a mutant who dared to entrust hisdestiny to the sword. Other than fighting gods and god-slayers repeatedly,there was no other way to train sword skills that worked on them alike.Hence he must fight.Following this cheerful and simplistic line of thinking, Doni looked forwardto the duel tomorrow.Salvatore Doni and Kusanagi Godou. Spending the night separately, theywelcome the arrival of the next day.Doni arranged a ride with the [Copper Black Cross] and had them transporthim to the shore of Lake Garda. This trip from Milan took less than twohours. Meanwhile, Kusanagi Godou was waiting at the building designatedas their battle stage.On this late April weekend, the sun was setting in the west. The dominationof darkness was arriving.This former monastery, abandoned villa, and example of Romanesquearchitecture was where the two Campiones met once again. They werecurrently located in a vast space on the second floor that had been usedas a dance hall."I've eagerly and impatiently waited for this moment, Godou. I'm currentlyso touched!""I'm the opposite. In fact, I'm in a particularly foul mood right now."Doni exclaimed with joy as Godou scowled.A night breeze blew in through the window. The spring constellationsshould be visible from outside. Clearly it was such a pleasant night, butDoni took out his sword from his cylindrical case."Why don't you find something to wield? This doesn't feel too right.""Give me a break. I'm not going to violate any weapons and firearmsregulations."Towards Godou and his faithful adherence to the laws of his home country,Doni displayed a thoughtful expression as he muttered:"I see. Then it can't be helped. Even though it's slightly embarrassing... Ohwell, just slightly. Because Campiones are equal, there's no need to mindsuch things.""You, there should be limits to how much of a useless human you can be!"Godou finally called this older opponent "you" in a derogatory manner.Italy and Japan. The two countries were too far apart in distance.Nevertheless, the two of them felt strongly about each other, recognizingeach other as the kin who left the strongest impression-Perhaps their strange bonds of fate truly began at this very moment."I will pay you back for that slice, as well as what you owe for the hardshipErica and her faction endured... Let's settle things here, Salvatore Doni!""Hohoho. You look like you have some sort of plan. As you wish, KusanagiGodou!"Doni responded sharply as he watched Godou throw a glance out the openwindow.Nevertheless, he did not try to figure what his enemy was thinking. Tryingto think would prevent him from fighting. Emptiness of mind was SalvatoreDoni's true skill, the basis for the sword of nothingness in thought.I shall entrust everything to my body, my arm and my sword.His thoughts were not applied towards how the sword was controlled. Thebody and the sword moved naturally in accordance to the heart.On the other hand, Kusanagi Godou did not have a skill to entrust destinyto an empty state of mind. Using his own power together with hiscomrade's in a flexible and adaptive manner, he faced battle head on.Kin and peers who contrasted with each other in various ways. Aspectacular duel was about to begin.The rematch with Doni was imminent. The previous fight ended withGodou fleeing from the scene of battle. Using a baseball comparison, thecurrent setup was like a rookie pitcher forced to face a formidable starbatter in a direct confrontation with no way out.Recalling traumatic memories of the previous overwhelming defeat wouldbe very unsettling-Like pitching a high inner corner fastball aimed at the batter's hands,Godou was going to emphasize he had progressed massively from before.'Hey Erica, am I allowed to use this ancient villa in this manner?''Of course, I'm fine with it... Seriously, you are not only a hypocriticalpacifist but also surprisingly unscrupulous.'After telling his partner the plan he came up with, that was the kind ofcomment he received.In any case, he had the owner's permission. Godou pitched a dangerousball without hesitation."Come forth! This time, I allow you to rampage as much as you want, sohurry here!"Godou summoned Verethragna's fifth incarnation, the [Boar].ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARMFamiliar roars resounded all over the place. From beneath -- directly belowthe villa, or in other words, from the ground.This overly extravagant abandoned house is my gift to you. In return,wreak as much destruction as possible for me! Responding to Godou'sthoughts, the black gigantic beast suddenly manifested.Like a missile being fired straight up from the ground, the [Boar] jumpedvertically!It penetrated the villa's foundations, first and second floors as if they weremade of paper. The black beast's head, snout and tusks only flashedbefore the two Devil Kings' eyes for an instant.Of course, the perpetrator Godou had foreseen this already.Traversing through the window, he leaped into the air without hesitation.Outside the house, directly below, he had already prepared a mattress thatdated back to the building's days as a villa in use. Given a Campione'ssturdy body, this level of safety precaution was more than sufficient.--In the instant he jumped out the window, Godou witnessed Doni strikingdownwards repeatedly with his sword."Haha, what an unexpected move!"The King of Swords was happily laughing away, not even showing a singleshred of fear in the face of this nonsensical preemptive strike. Calmly, hecounterattacked with a slash. Needless to say, his right arm was shiningwith silver brilliance of course.In theory, the sword's blade should have hacked apart the head of the[Boar] that was jumping straight up.After all, in a contest of ridiculousness, this man deserved a gold medal-Godou was utterly amazed. After all, that magic sword was able to slice theentire Castello Sforzesco into rubble. Splitting the 20m-long divine beastcleanly into two would not be out of reason. However.ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARMCreating sonic waves, the [Boar] produced roars accompanied byultrasound."Waaaaaaaah!"Just as the sword was inches from striking the [Boar], the sonic wavesblew Doni away forcefully. Immediately after that, the [Boar] cleanlypenetrated the villa's second floor and roof, flying into the sky above LakeGarda."I guess in terms of ridiculousness, the [Boar] does not lose to Doni..."Finally landing on the mattress, Godou muttered in wonder. Even thoughhe had crouched out of habit and his foot struck his bottom, he did notsuffer anything more serious than slight pain on his foot and bottom.The majestic gigantic beast kept rising through the moonlit sky like arocket.Already familiar with the summoning, Godou realized with a surprise. Whata convenient monster it was. Compared to the other incarnations, its easeof use was overwhelming.The beast that could only be summoned with the intent of destroying amassive object.In other words, this was the only incarnation that could be used freelyaccording to Godou's will. The [White Stallion] provided the greatestfirepower while the [Warrior] may be the most versatile, but if ease of usewas factored into the equation, the [Boar] was truly the ultimate trump card."Oh yeah...? Was my intuition mistaken?"Godou suddenly noticed. Perhaps, this was actually not a beast that wassummoned to fulfill the wish of destroying something.Instead, destroying an object was simply the condition for summoning thebeast. Once manifested, the [Boar] was only guided by its goal ofdestruction, merely responding to Godou's orders cursorily on whim."...You think I wouldn't know?"Probably best to keep the latter possibility a secret. Godou secretlygrumbled to himself."No matter what, calling that guy out always causes widespreaddestruction. I have to be careful."Godou gave himself a self-reminder as he looked towards the villa. The[Boar] in the sky reached its maximum height and began to fall. Not onlywas it falling, but it was also crashing down rapidly.ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAR! !The ferocious roar displayed the beast's fighting spirit. Treating the villa asits target of destruction, the [Boar] crashed down from above like a flyingbody press. It intended to smash the villa to smithereens using itsmonstrous gigantic body. However, Godou saw it.Standing in a corner on the roof, a blond handsome man appeared with hissword. Doni. Godou had no idea how he survived the [Boar]'s sonic waves,but he seemed lively and healthy!"O Sword that pierces enemies with but a single swing. For the sake ofplundering all life from creation, shine with brilliance!"Doni called out spell words and launched his sword in the manner ofthrowing a javelin.Infused with authority of the magic blade, the sword flew through the air. Itstarget was the defenseless belly of the rapidly descending giant beast. The[Boar] proceeded to emit its usual roars.ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAR!!The invisible sonic waves blew away Doni's thrown sword -- that was whatone would reasonably expect. However, a liquid metal resembling mercurygushed out from the flying sword, taking on a massive elongated shape.The liquid silver instantly solidified to become a giant "magic sword."An exceptionally large magic blade measuring seven or eight meters long.Even as an improvised creation, it surprisingly resembled a sword in form.ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAR!!Were it a sword of ordinary size, the divine beast's sonic waves wouldprobably blow it away easily. However, it did not work against a sword ofsuch ridiculous dimensions.Completely unaffected by the sonic waves, the gigantic silver magic bladecontinued its flight, striking the [Boar]'s belly and completely piercingthrough.Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!Painful howls on the verge of death. This sword had ended the [Boar]'s life.Nevertheless, the black divine beast displayed its formidable will at thistime. Even skewered, it continued its swift descent towards the villa.Measuring 20m in body length, it probably weighed a couple hundred tons.With that kind of monster crashing down on its gigantic belly, no villa couldhave survived no matter how grand or vast its scale. Naturally, it wasdemolished. Whether the roof, the ceilings, structural beams, pillars, wallsor floors, all were crushed and pulverized without exception.Immediately after that, the [Boar], skewered by the giant magic blade,vanished in a puff of black mist.However, its foe, Salvatore Doni should have been on the rooftop of thevilla demolished by the divine beast, what happened to that guy -- ?Focusing his gaze, Godou found a figure in the flying dust cloud amidst thedebris.He nodded. What a piece of cake it would be if victory could be obtainedlike this. However, he did not believe that man could fall so easily. Thebattle had not ended yet.Part 2"Good job, Godou. So amazing! I've fought all kinds of enemies before butrarely have I ever been struck by such a powerful preemptive strike!"Yelling out with an utterly delighted expression, Doni was completelyunharmed. Close to a hundred symbols resembling cuneiform appeared allaround him as if protecting him. Based on the shapes, they were probablyNorse runes.This was Doni's [Man of Steel] authority which conferred an invulnerablebody."If that's the case, I really should counterattack in a manner no lessspectacular than yours."For some incomprehensible reason, the handsome blond was grumbling ina completely serious tone of voice."But I don't have anything fancier than swordsmanship. My duels havenothing to do with glamor. On the other hand, the flashiness of your manyvaried skills and abilities are so nice...""What you did just now was flashy enough already!""Eh, really? Then let's continue."Retorted by Godou, Doni bent over and picked something up.It was his giant magic blade from before that was buried in the rubble.Staring at it once again, Godou could not help but feel astonishment athow ridiculous the sword looked.The blade itself measured almost 8m in length while the hilt was about 1mor so.Proportionate to its length, the blade was also wide and of a sturdy andheavy construction. Hiding a child-sized object behind the sword would bea most simple matter.Doni stood at 185cm tall or so. The length of the sword was essentially fourtimes his height in scale.Wielding the long and massive sword without losing balance, thesilver-armed Campione swung it using one hand with the sound of slicingwind. The scene was utterly ridiculous."...Before I offer my opinion for reference, let me ask something first. Is thatthing lighter than it looks?""I've never weighed it before, but it's probably more than 300kg? However,since it's made of the same substance as my arm, I can move it freely as ifit were my own arm or leg."Smiling proudly, the silver-armed Campione replied."Hohoho, the enemies of us Campiones are not limited to fellows in humanform. There are times when we must fight freaking huge divine beasts ordemonic deities. In order to chop them apart in frontal combat, I createdthis mystic sword!""Making your own sword huge to fight gigantic enemies, that's such adumb idea!"While he criticized, Godou truly felt terror in his heart. Indeed there shouldbe limits to foolish notions. However, what if it happened to be backed bylogical reasons?If Doni was able to swing the weapon freely despite its ridiculous lengthand weight-"So, let's try something flashy."Doni finally entered a stance with the massive magic blade.Holding the hilt with both hands, he pointed the 8m blade towards Godouin a manner similar to spear-armed heavy infantry, completely different tohis earlier posture just now.The two were separated by roughly 15m.But given the massive magic blade, the distance could be easily crossed.Yesterday, Godou had mentioned it would be best to stay out of reachfrom Doni's sword. Obviously, this did not count as particularly brilliantinsight. But he never expected the sword to grow in length as well.Hoo. Godou exhaled. Finally it was time for a decisive direct confrontation.Now was the time to counterattack his opponent, the higher ranking [King].Thinking calmly, he counted the number of incarnations at his disposal.He confirmed three incarnations as being usable. Then he will go all outand pit them against his enemy!"Skills must carry power -- no matter how godly a skill, without matching"power," one would simply fail and be slaughtered in the end."Doni quietly uttered words that seemed to be some kind of key toswordsmanship.These too, were spell words. In order to pour magical energy into the giantsilver magic blade, infusing it with greater deadly formidable power. ThenDoni aimed a "thrust" at Godou.He attacked as he took a giant step forward.The long silver blade sped straight towards Godou like an arrow."Damn, you really can use it normally!"Cursing away, Godou jumped sideways and evaded the giant magic blade.Just barely. Had he been fractions of a second too slow, he would havebeen sliced into two by the ridiculous blade. The situation had become thatterrifying."I am the strongest, crushing all who stand in my way!"Chanting Verethragna's scripture, Godou used the [Bull] incarnation whichrequired an enemy possessing great strength beyond normal parameters.Against this quickly swinging massive magic blade, the "strength" behind itwas all it took to satisfy the condition.Godou ran over the mountain of rubble created by the [Boar].Nothing remained of the house's original shape. The various buildingmaterials comprising the ruins were open to view. Pillars, sculptures, walls,floors, ceilings... All sorts of debris.Godou discovered a suitable weapon amongst this pile of debris. It was theseven or eight meter tall statue of Madonna and Child which used to bedisplayed in the first floor lobby!Yelling out, he used the [Bull]'s monstrous strength to lift the statue thathad somehow miraculously survived intact."Yaaaaaaaaah!"This thing offered reach rivaling that of the massive magic blade. Swingingthe statue like a laundry rod, Godou struck at Doni. Rather than expectingit to hit, Godou simply planned to hinder Doni's movements.However, Doni did not dodge the attack.With a loud crash, the statue of Madonna and Child struck him on thecheek. Godou was amazed.In that very instant, runes floated all around Doni, glowing brightly.To Godou's great surprise, the sensations transmitted through his handsfelt as though he had struck a heavy block of iron. Smashing into Doni, thestatue of Madonna and Child crumbled to pieces.The King of Swords, surrounded by runic symbols, was completelyunharmed. So this was a body of steel!?"Alright alright, your engine must be getting all revved up!"This time, Doni went for an overhead downwards chop.A direct chop like the act of splitting firewood. Godou jumped backwardsslightly to evade.However, Doni's wave of offense did not end there. Easily lifting thelowered massive magic blade with his arm strength, he chopped downupon Godou's head again."Wah!"Godou rolled awkwardly to the right and narrowly evaded the giant magicblade's pursuit.Instead of hitting Godou, the gigantic magic blade embedded itself into thedebris of the ruins with a crash. In that instant, calamity struck. Anexplosion happened, centered where the massive magic blade was buried,generating light, explosive wind and Shockwaves."O Sword, shining bright, release flames!""What!?"With brief spell words, Doni's sword made the ground explode.Scorching heat and Shockwaves were generated as if a buried landminehad exploded. It felt like a strengthened version of the explosion magicBianchi used in Sardinia.Nevertheless, it was unable to overcome a Campione's unreasonableresistance to magic.Although engulfed by the white explosion, Godou simply suffered minorburns and scratches. However, he could not avoid being blown away bythe explosive wave of heat and shock.Not only could Doni slice things apart, but he was also able to imbue hisattacks with this kind of additional effect-Stunned, Godou was blown away by the force of the explosion.Crash! His brief flight was halted by the impact of his back and the back ofhis head against a stone wall. His entire body was hurting, but thanks tothis the distance between him and Doni was increased.Godou sighed lightly as he searched his surroundings for weapons."At this distance, I definitely won't miss!"Saying that, Godou picked up a piece of debris with one hand, roughlythree times the size of a bowling ball. He threw it with the same techniqueas if he were picking off a fast runner on second base trying to steal third.Using the [Bull]'s monstrous strength, this attack would have thedestructive power of a cannon ball.Throwing it forward, the target was naturally Doni who was wielding themassive magic blade.The stone flew at roughly 160km/h. Pitched at close range, it was more likea "fast stone" than a fastball.Even the blond Campione should be unable to pierce this stone with ease.But once again, Doni held his massive magic blade like a spear, simplyshifting the gigantic blade pointing at Godou slightly to pierce the rubble.Then, an explosion occurred-From the rubble came a blinding white flash and wave of heat andexplosive wind.The explosion swallowed Doni. It was only natural for the perpetratorstanding the closest to be engulfed when the sliced target exploded.Nevertheless, surrounded by runic symbols, Doni remained unharmed.A nonchalant expression on his face, he seemed completely unaffected bythe explosive heat and force.Godou threw his second pitch. Using both arms to pick up a piece of debristhat was ten times larger than the previous one, he threw it with all hismight. Furthermore, it flew just as fast as the previous one.This time it struck on target. That piece of stone, most likely weighing overa hundred kilograms, violently smashed into Doni's body with speed andweight that even the strongest batters from America's Major League wouldnot be able to hit back, becoming a vicious dead ball.However, the stone noisily shattered into pieces. Doni did not even swaythe slightest from the impact."Seriously, can't you be a little more human!?""I don't want to be criticized like that by you!"Objecting, Doni made a thrust.Within the tiniest of instants, the magic sword's blade already reachedGodou.--Using a normal sized sword, Doni had once exhibited magical slashingattacks that could not be felt coming. But because the giant magic bladewas over ten times longer, Godou was also much further away from Doni.Thanks to that distance, Godou had slightly more time to see him performhis sword strikes.Presumably because of that, Godou found it much easier to evade hisslashes compared to the time at Castello Sforzesco.Once again, Godou jumped at the last second to dodge the sword blade.The giant magic blade struck the wall behind Godou instead, severing itinto two. At the same time, it produced the usual white explosion, sendingGodou's body flying.Once again, Godou landed on the debris laden ground, though his injurieswere still minor.Pushing himself up, Godou noticed the shattered Madonna and Childbefore his gaze. It was the statue he had used to strike Doni just now.Although the top half was smashed, the bottom was still intact.Let me hinder him by throwing this thing at him -- just as the thoughtcrossed his mind.Godou saw a silhouette like a magical bird's. Wielding the giant magicblade, Doni leaped effortlessly.Due to the destruction of the villa's ceiling, the moon was visible up in thesky. However, the figure of the silver blade and the magical swordsmancompletely blocked Godou's view of the moonlight.It was a giant leap that almost instantly crossed the ten-odd meters thatseparated them.--Godou recalled. This was a skill that Erica had also displayed in Sardinia.A movement technique that allowed a flesh-and-blood human being toobtain superhuman leaping ability and speed rivaling cars. Doni could alsouse it!Doni's landing spot was the lower half of Madonna and Child that Godouwas staring at.Stepped on by the handsome man's boots, the statue crumbled again. Itfailed to support Doni's weight, as if his mass was on the order of tons -- !"Hoho. Using this allows me to increase my mass as much as I want asdictated by inclination of spirit. But if I carelessly trample and wreck places,people get angry... By the way, right now I weigh something like abulldozer?"Doni declared boldly as runes glowed brightly all around him.The mysterious symbols which conferred his durability of steel. Apparentlythat was not the only effect!"Take a small car for example. I could step on it lightly if I wanted to, butthen it wouldn't have much of an effect. It's quite annoying.""...I see, becoming sturdy would only defend against an enemy's attack,but without the mass of iron, one would be sent flying no matter howsturdy--!"Godou recalled what happened when he smashed the statue of Madonnaand Child against Doni.Not only was it hard, there was also a feeling like hitting somethingexceptionally heavy. If Godou was not infused with the [Bull]'s monstrousstrength, his arms would have been injured from the force of reaction.Struck by that, as well as other pieces of debris, Doni remainedmotionless.Against the King of Swords, those types of heavy attacks were completelyinsignificant. Given Doni in his current state, he could probably engagegiant Melqart and his clubs Yagrush and Ayamur in closequarters combatas equals.He was different from the artfully sublime masters he had fought before.Depending on need, this man could transform himself into a heavyweightwarrior who could pit his strength against gigantic gods. Crushing enemiesby pure "strength" yet maintaining the movements of a lightweight body.What a complete monster. Pure "strength" alone was not enough tocompete against this guy.Godou made his decision. Even though he was unsure how effective itwould be, he had no way of knowing unless he tried.Just now, he had confirmed that three incarnations were available.Abandoning the first, the [Bull], Godou switched to the second, the[Warrior].The night before, together with Erica, he had forged the blade of spellwords-Not too long ago, Godou had discovered that this weapon was alsoeffective against the authorities of Campiones. As a safety precaution, theact the two of them underwent by joining their hearts as one, became thetrump card at this critical juncture.Part 3"Salvatore Doni. Silver-armed Nuadha, whom you defeated, was the kingof the Tuatha De Danann worshiped by ancient Celts. This deity's majesticform, as befitted the king of the ancient world, survives to this day."Light appeared in response to Godou's whispers.Shining brilliantly golden, spheres of light. Roughly the size of baseballs."As the king of the Tuatha De Danann, Nuadha was also a war god whowielded the sword of victory. At the time, he was not yet silver-armed.However, while commanding his subordinates in the conquest of Ireland,he was injured in a battle against local deities, thereby losing his rightarm."In the blink of an eye, the number of light spheres shining brightly inGodou's surroundings increased in number.Compared to the scattered few in the beginning, it multiplied to dozens andthen to over a hundred."Due to this injury, Nuadha was forced to give up his position as king.Hence, the god of physicians forged a new arm of silver for the one-armedformer king. Nevertheless, the silver-armed god Nuadha did not regain histhrone at this point. He was only restored to power after he was perfectlyrestored with an arm of flesh and blood."Every time spell words were composed, new spheres of light were born,increasing the brilliance illuminating the surroundings.This brightness was Godou's weapon as the [Warrior] -- the [Sword] ofspell words."The king must be a warrior. Powerful, formidable, and physically perfect.This was a common tradition in the ancient world. So long as Nuadharemained the 'one-armed god,' he was ineligible to be restored to power!"The numerous lights from the [Sword] were shining radiantly like thebrilliant multitude of stars in the Milky Way.Seeing these shining lights, Doni smiled."Hohoho... I know."Instead of his usual cheerful and foolish grin, this was a smile filled with thejoy of battle as befitted the prodigious talent of the incomparable King ofSwords."This is a [Sword] eh? A sword not forged and polished from iron butcarved and formed out of spell words. A sword of wizardry. Godou, you tooare a sword-wielding god-slayer! How interesting!"Bearing the magic blade, Doni yelled loudly."Facing me who is served by a sword of steel, you oppose me with asword constructed from spell words... Salvatore Doni and KusanagiGodou's styles share no commonality at all. Hoho, but that's who we are,after all!"Doni's eyes were flashing with a strange sense of kinship and competitivespirit."Yes. Conflicts between us Campiones are always undertaken as battles ofobstinate wills, to prove whose manner of doing things is superior! Youseem to have finally understood that promise. I am so happy!"Doni made a thrust with the giant magic blade again.However, Godou no longer dodged. Instead, he chanted spell words."Glorious victory in my hands, evildoers shall never triumph over me!"Godou caused the dozens of flashing [Swords] around him to accelerate.Doni's makeshift giant magic blade crashed towards them as they flew inthe air like shooting stars.Flash, flash, flash, flash -- flashing nonstop, the [Sword]'s lights crossedpaths with the extra large silver magic blade for an instant.In less than a tenth of second before the magic blade was going to sliceGodou apart...The giant magic blade which should have cleanly split Godou apart straightdown from his head, shattered noisily as if it were made of glass.Carrying the ability to sever silver-armed Nuadha, the [Sword] destroyedthe giant magic blade.However, Salvatore Doni's right arm remained in its silver state. His handstill held the base of the giant magic blade, the completely ordinary sword.Doni's authority, the [Ripping Arm of Silver], was still intact."Not completely severed eh...""I think you've already done superbly. Excluding the gods, I don't thinkthere's more than four people who could actually fight back against mysword strikes."Nuadha's authority was deeply rooted in the very being of Salvatore Doni'ssoul.Realizing that this core component had not been severed, he offeredpraise to Godou along the lines of "ranking amongst one of four warriors inthe world."But you just watch, I'm going to sever it next -- As Godou intended to chantspell words again."How befitting of a [Sword] of spell words. Well, isn't it great to havesomething so convenient? But now that I understand what kind of weaponit is, I will commit myself accordingly."As Doni smiled, the protective runes surrounding him vanished."I... I forbid the existence of things I cannot cut."The glow of the silver arm increased. The same glow was also added tothe sword held in Doni's hand."Godou, your [Sword] seems to be a weapon meant for slicing apart my'magic sword.' But I hereby swear, I shall sever your [Sword] in turn.Putting my full strength on the line!"The Campione of Swords' declaration of intent was also composed of spellwords.Salvatore Doni went as far as to assert he would slice apart Verethragna's[Sword] that stood as Nuadha's natural predator, getting all fired up withmagical power.For this purpose, he deactivated the [Man of Steel].Pouring forth all the magical power he could muster into the "magic sword."Godou received quite a fright, probably due to the [Warrior] incarnation.Knowing his enemy's origins with deep understanding, it felt like thesetraits of the [Warrior] allowed him to read his enemy's intentions.This ability was warning him, that Doni's oath could possibly -- couldactually be realized.Doni's authority specialized in "slicing attacks." As a result of this simplicity,the silver "magic sword" was infused with divine might allowing it to cutthrough even its own natural predator!"So... I will sever it before you succeed!"Just as Godou steeled his determination, Doni approached suddenly.But rather than shortening the distance instantly, he was walking at acasual pace. In fact, he was taking carefree steps as if visiting the home ofa friend or a relative. From the way he walked, one would not have beenable to tell a duel was in progress.Nevertheless, by the time Godou noticed, Doni had already "swiftly"appeared before him. He was within the range at which he could captureGodou with his sword!Faster than the eye could follow, Godou was within striking distance ofDoni's sword by the time he realized.Godou had witnessed at Castello Sforzesco the same inscrutablemovement technique that made Doni resemble a heavenly being ridingupon clouds."Defeating thousands with the strength of hundreds, vanquishing tens ofthousands with the attack of thousands!"Terrified by Doni's godly technique, Godou chanted spell words oncemore.He instantly summoned a hundred [Swords] to form a protective shieldbefore him, while Doni struck at the densely gathered golden lightsresembling a galaxy, his sword moving as if propelled by burning flames.At that very moment, [Sword] and "magic sword" clashed openly.Blocked by the golden light, the silver magic sword's motion halted. Clearlyonly 50cm away from reaching Godou's body, it could not advance anyfurther.The silver-white light enveloping the sword, flickered intensely like theflames of a dying candle.This was the result of the golden stars blocking the sword's path, which stillcarried the effect of sealing the silver-armed authority. Doni's "magicsword" and the power to "slice through all existence" were gradually beingchipped away and progressively weakening.However, the one whose face was distorted by anxiety was Godou.And the one grinning nonchalantly was Doni instead."I've heard from those people at Palermo who observed your fight againstMelqart. You seem to have usurped from Verethragna the ability to sever a'divinity' itself. Using this ability really would allow you to fight to great effectagainst all sorts of deities."Doni pushed his magic sword of light further slightly.1cm, followed by another 1cm. The sword's blade gradually approachedGodou."In any case, it could target only a specific portion of the authorities held bya deity, right? Well, that's not enough to overwhelm the enemy like somekind of miraculous panacea -- that was my conclusion as soon as I heardthe report. It's just as I thought!"Completely correct, it was exactly as Doni described. Godou nodded inacknowledgement.The golden [Sword] originally could sever the silver sword with ease.However, an excessively simple power like "slicing through all existence"combined with the fact that Doni poured forth his entire power tostrengthen it, that sort of over optimistic personality was a recipe fordisaster.It made what should have been severable inseverable. Furthermore,Doni's "magic sword" was slowly pressing forward even as it weakened.Godou glared intensely at Salvatore Doni.This handsome man was undoubtedly a great idiot. And very obviously, hehad many flaws. Nevertheless, he displayed unusual cunning where itmattered. Also, he had mastered many ultimate techniques.Erica called this man a genius of the sword.But having fought him in actual combat, Godou now realized that thedescription was completely insufficient.Being inexperienced, Godou could not tell or imagine how much hardshipDoni had endured throughout his training. Nevertheless, he could believe itwas the result of efforts accumulated day after day, immersed in a domainof crazed obsession-Obsessively ignoring sleep and food, avoiding all mundane tasks, focusingentirely on honing a single art.No everyday life, no ordinary happiness. Only thoughts focused onupgrading one's skill, repeating every day by trial and error without end.It could only be something like that. Like playing an RPG where theaccumulation of experience points did not rely on artistry. Never indulgingoneself, never compromising, always pushing one's body and mind to thelimits of exhaustion, striving towards "that particular direction" with foolishobsession.Ultimately, Doni achieved a level that entitled him to be called a "sworddemon" or a "sword god.""...Against this kind of opponent, victory cannot be seized without sufficientdetermination--"Godou secretly grumbled to himself.The protective shield formed by the golden [Sword] barely managed toblock Doni's sword. However, only 20cm remained before the blade wouldreach Godou's body.Godou was not confident if he could sever Doni's "magic sword" beforethat.Nevertheless, he still had an ace up his sleeve -- Entirely the result ofbeing in the form of the [Warrior], he could inexplicably experience hisenemy's greatness. As much as he wished to deny it, he felt compelled tooffer utmost praise to his opponent.Precisely because of that, Godou very naturally resolved himself to use histrump card."In that case, I'll show you my spirit and determination!"Godou recalled all the [Swords] which were not being used as part of theprotective shield.Numerous golden spheres of light were attracted to Godou's body,gathering together, shining with spectacular brilliance.As if enveloped by a galaxy of stars, Godou immediately took action. At thesame time, this gave Salvatore Doni an opening to exploit."What!?"Godou dispelled the protective shield standing between him and Doni.Due to the barrier's disappearance, the sword enveloped in silver-whitelight headed straight towards Godou. This resulted in a diagonal slash fromthe left lower flank across to the right shoulder.Godou's body, enveloped in golden light, was viciously sliced.A great volume of blood gushed out. It was as if a "/" symbol had beencarved on his upper torso.This was the first time Godou experienced such an injury. Not only his skinand muscle, but even all the bones and internal organs between his leftflank and right shoulder were sliced through.Rather than pain, the sensation was more accurately described as burning.Godou's body swayed and he nearly fell on his knees. He was only able toendure thanks to a Campione's resilient body and an athlete's unrelentingspirit. Salvatore Doni was truly terrifying. Without using anything more thana sword of ordinary sharpness, he had sliced through bones that wereharder than iron.Furthermore, he had not relied on his authority-"Ha, hahahaha, I see I see. You actually had this up your sleeve."On the other hand, Doni was laughing so hard his shoulders were shaking.His silver-white arm had returned to flesh. Covered with blood, the swordhad also lost its silver glow."I get it now. Given that I was slicing at your body, if you preemptivelypositioned your [Sword] there, it wouldn't be difficult to intercept my 'magicsword.' However, you had to resolve yourself to be sliced!"As he laughed, his eyes stared at Godou with exceptional passion.Just as Doni described, the trump card Kusanagi Godou employed was hisown "body." Using his body to bait the "magic sword," the price he paidwas the suffering of a vicious slash.Only by neutralizing Nuadha's authority at the very last moment, Godouescaped bifurcation.Although the price he paid was extremely heavy, his plan went offsmoothly as intended...Most likely, the [Sword] could only seal Nuadha's authority temporarily.That was what he speculated from the feeling. However, it should be morethan ample for the duration of the duel."This is really great! For you to come up with this creative idea in asituation like this, and have the decisiveness to put it into action. Godou,you're really foolish enough for an idiot!""1-1 don't want to be called an idiot by an idiot!""Hey hey, I was praising you there."While Godou protested as he panted from the intense pain, Doni spokewith an air of nonchalance."Originally I looked forward to a duel simply because you are a Campione.But now, I understand things differently. Kusanagi Godou -- you are a manI approve as worthy to be my 'friend.' I clearly realize that now."Casually stated by the young man possessing the divine arm and a sworddemon's martial arts."F-Friend...?""Ah yes. Not simply familiar opponents. We will probably cross swords agood many times in the future and develop a relationship where wecommunicate through exchanges of the fist. Sometimes fighting eachother, sometimes fighting as comrades, but ultimately we will seek eachother out for a decisive duel -- that's what I see for our future.""That... That's not what friends do. That's more like rivals or competitors!"In response to Godou's objections voiced through pain endurance, Doninodded with a nonchalant expression."Indeed. Written 'mortal enemy' but pronounced 'friend.' Isn't that awonderful relationship?""How is that wonderful in any way?!"Why did he have to retort so desperately?Godou muttered as he activated the [Camel] incarnation. Now that hisfriend -- no, enemy had lost Nuadha's arm, the [Warrior] was no longerneeded.Due to the severe injury he had just suffered, it became usable.As the numerous golden spheres of light vanished, replacing them was theinfusion of ferocious beast-like combat ability into his body.Amongst Verethragna's abilities, this was probably the strongestincarnation in terms of close-quarters combat. This incarnation could verywell back Doni into a corner. Godou realized the battle had finally reachedthe endgame.Part 4Last night, having completed the [Sword] for slicing Nuadha.Erica Blandelli suddenly changed her attitude towards Kusanagi Godou.Since she had already expressed her love in no uncertain terms, plus thefact that the two of them had already kissed passionately, there was nopoint in behaving conservatively anymore.Her first change was the sense of distance she kept with Godou.She was now always within arm's reach, or even so close that she couldkiss him any time simply by drawing her face nearer.This was the sort of extremely close distance she maintained.As a result, she discovered how amusing and cute it was to see Godouclearly losing his composure.Struck with mischievous thoughts, she would caress Godou for noapparent reason, sometimes kissing him lightly on his lips or cheeks all ofa sudden."Hey Godou... We really should sleep in the same room tonight, right?"Late at night, that was what she whispered softly into Godou's ear.Desperately objecting to her proposal, Godou locked himself in anotherroom.--In terms of lacking in dating experience, Erica and Godou were actuallyabout equal.However, compared to Erica who had plenty of opportunities to observeopen displays of affectionate couples in public, Godou had alwaysmaintained an attitude of avoidance.This exemplified their differences in culture and personality.Determined to accommodate their differences and enjoy her relationshipwith him, Erica brought along the youth she loved when she went out thatmorning.Walking on foot for about twenty minutes, they came to a lakeside cafe.Whether during the walk or inside the cafe, Erica naturally stuck to Godouvirtually all the time.Up until yesterday, bystanders would probably conclude they were simply"very close friends." But now, having witnessed their behavior this morning,most people would probably speculate they were "a loving couple."Erica happily accepted such views.On the other hand, Godou was bored senseless trying to shrink himselffrom sight.Finally, Erica returned to her usual attitude. It was after they had finishedtheir espresso and croissant breakfast at a waterfront table. Erica hadcasually mentioned the duel, thus bringing up the most important subject ofthe day."Starting from just now, I don't know why, but I keep thinking about thisidea."Godou finally recovered some life in his eyes.However, it also felt embarrassing to gaze into Erica's eyes, so heimmediately looked away whenever their gazes met. Hence, his view hadsettled somewhere over on the lake."The designated battleground for the duel, could also be chosen there.""There... Godou, you don't mean that, do you? Why?"Her beloved youth's gaze was focused on a certain object ahead.Noticing the object bobbing slowly on the surface of the clear lakewater,Erica questioned."Look, the villa that was once a monastery, you said it was fine to destroyit, right? But if we do it here instead, I was thinking if we could sink thatbastard Doni to the bottom of the lake. --Wait a minute, it's probably notgonna work. I don't think sending that idiot into the water is enough to endthe fight."Godou muttered repeatedly with uncertainty."Actually, it's probably to your disadvantage if the fight ends up in thewater, Godou. Sir Salvatore can apparently survive thousands of metersdeep in the ocean."Normally suppressed by common sense, Godou's tendency towardsdrastic action seemed to be subtly expressing itself.It must be due to the approaching duel. Observing with great amusement,Erica spoke:"Sir Salvatore's authority of invulnerability is not limited to making his bodydurable. Reportedly, there was one time when he was fighting a sea godsomewhere, the ship that carried him there was sunk into the Puerto RicoTrench. But a week later, he returned safe and sound. A legend thatsounds like some kind of joke.""Is that guy some kind of deepwater creature...""It would not be surprising if he rivals a tardigrade's ability to survive."As a side note, the tardigrade was a microorganism roughly a millimeter inbody length. It was the kind of resilient existence that could enter a state ofsuspended animation, allowing it to survive extreme environments such ashigh temperatures, low temperatures and vacuums.^"Godou, if you really have that intention, I could help you obtain that thingto ride. Yes, there's the spell I mentioned yesterday. At my current level,even moving that size of metal is no problem at all.""l-ldiot. It was just a thought. Don't treat it seriously."The suggestion was tentatively rejected by Godou.Very likely, this idea was proposed with roughly 52% seriousness --although that was what Erica suspected, she did not voice it out. This wasa knight's compassion.--In any case, the night of the duel finally arrived.Erica Blandelli did not participate. Like the battle against Melqart, shewaited on standby in case of changes in the situation. She kept a fairdistance away from the two Devil Kings.Also, regarding Erica's participation:"Since this is clearly meant to be a one on one duel, wouldn't this beunfair?""No problem. When Godou summoned the [Boar], didn't Melqart call forthhis servants? Having divine beasts or familiars to assist in fights is actuallyfundamental to the battles of your ilk."Despite Godou's objections, she replied nonchalantly.And now, under Erica's careful watch, Godou had sealed the "magicsword" by using his own body as bait.Though heavily injured, he was now able to use the [Camel] to face offagainst the Campione of Swords."Now, let's start concluding things officially."As Doni muttered, the runes of [Steel] spread all around him.On the other hand, Godou seemed to be frowning from the pain of thesword injury.However, the bleeding had already stopped. Apparently, his healingpowers were even stronger than usual. This was probably one of theabilities of the [Camel], in addition to conferring beast-like combat abilityand exceptional kicking power. His body also seemed lighter and moreagile.Using speed that no track athlete could hope to match, Godou suddenlybroke into a run.Nevertheless, Salvatore Doni pursued with a knight's [Leap] magic. Thiswas the physical technique known as qinggong to Chinese martial artistswhose use conferred exceptional running and jumping ability.Wherever Doni ran, deep footprints were left behind conspicuously on theground.It was reminiscent of the tracks left behind by the treads of heavymachinery. Just as Doni described, his weight must have multiplied to afrightening degree.However, Doni continued to run with his usual speed and posture."Sir Salvatore's [Man of Steel]... Turns out to be even more ridiculous thanimagined."Murmuring to herself, Erica also began to run.She too, was capable of [Leap] magic so there was no worry she would beleft behind. In mere minutes, Godou raced down the mountain path thathad taken him thirty minutes to climb yesterday. Doni took slightly longerfollowed by Erica who had been hiding.Godou's destination was the pier on the lakeside.This was where many private yachts were moored. Lake Garda, as Italy'slargest lake, was a place that allowed the enjoyment of marine leisureactivities.Godou ran there with the blond Campione in pursuit.His target was very likely — Erica observed the direction he was runningtowards.She could tell immediately. Before her eyes were the ships used for touringLake Garda. Since it was night time, all these ships were moored inpreparation for setting sail the next day."I was really so surprised to hear you describing yourself as a pacifist andsomeone with common sense. Clearly whenever you come acrosssomething advantageous in battle, you almost never hesitate to make useof it."Surprisingly, he went beyond a simple lack of scruples. Erica murmured toherself."Probably, you'd use anything unscrupulously so long as it wasn't overtlycowardly or villainous. And with great momentary decisiveness!"Erica could imagine what Godou was about to do.Born sharp and intelligent, and having spent brief but intense days with theyouth, she naturally figured out what he almost suggested.She saw Godou jump with great agility, leaping onto the deck of the tourship.Chasing after him, Doni also jumped onto the ship. The instant he landed,the ship rocked violently, presumably due to the blond handsome man'sexcessive weight.Prepared for the situation, Erica chanted spell words as she came beforethe ship."In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard myvoice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills movedand were shaken... Because he was wroth!"^Choosing a ship as the stage for the duel and having the [Boar] destroy it.That was the plan suggested earlier in the morning.However, even if they did that, Salvatore Doni would probably survivemiraculously. Regardless, the [Boar] was temporarily unusable for now. Inthat case, Godou's goal should not be that.Most likely, he intended to take advantage of his enemy's"invulnerability"...!Starting from the ruins of the monastery, a long distance run took place forsix minutes or so.Switching locations to the deck of a tour ship, the final round of the battlebegan. A diagonal straight sword cut across his upper torso, Godou facedoff against Doni."Finally the foot race has ended... This can't be your hobby. I wasbeginning to think you were trying to use some kind of long rangeweapon."Bearing a sword and the runes of [Steel], Doni smiled fearlessly.Compared to before, his current expression displayed less foolishness andmore acuity. Godou knew that he looked more like a proper lady-killerwhen his face was like that.His beautiful voice whispering softly, expressed complete manlinessdespite the sweetness in tone."If I could still use the silver arm, I'd simply slice the ground to pieces tobury you.""Gee thanks, I'm really relieved that you can't do something so lacking incommon sense."Retorting with sarcasm, Godou was currently using the [Camel]incarnation.The straight slashing wound was not too painful but only felt a little hot.This was probably the [Camel]'s effect."Fufufu. Ignoring your own issues, that's really quite a flaw of yours."Doni "swiftly" approached as he remarked rudely.At the same time, he sliced with his sword like a flame haze. Even withoutNuadha's authority, Salvatore Doni was still a person who could use themagic sword on some level.The [Camel]'s combat sense managed to see through that magicalswordsmanship.As Godou dodged by the slimmest of margins, Doni watched with anonchalant expression."This time, you're using an ability that enables you to engage me inclose-quarter combat. Your authority appears to allow you to switchbetween warlord Verethragna's ten incarnations.""You are right.""I knew it. Given that the ten incarnations have the quality of switching, itfeels like there should be all sorts of usage conditions. Once you masteryour authority, things will be really interesting."Doni dangled his sword vertically by his side, resuming his usual stance."However, all that would be meaningless if you were to fall here!"As soon as he finished his merciless declaration, he slashed. A horizontalslash!Godou focused his vision to watch Doni's sword clearly.Comparing Erica's sword swings with Doni's, Godou finally understood thatthe latter's trajectories were far more compact.Using shorter, smaller trajectories, he was able to swing his sword muchfaster!Furthermore, his swings carried greater impact, delivering intense powerwith his sword!All these factors combined to produce those "flame haze"-like swordstrikes that were difficult to evade. Very likely, Doni was capable of slicingat maximum force even when limited to short distances of 30cm. Truly, hiswas a magic sword transcending common logic."And that's why this guy is a master!"Expressing admiration and annoyance simultaneously, Godou did notretreat from this attack.A sure-kill horizontal slice to the torso. Impossible to evade. There were noavenues for retreat backwards or to the side. This was what the [Camel]'sinstincts sensed. The only way to survive was -- forward!Godou's body moved on its own. Stepping ahead of where Doni's swingwas heading, he jumped lightly, sending a sudden knee towards the faceof the Campione who possessed the weight and hardness of steel.Doni blocked Godou's knee with his left palm.The impact felt like kicking an iron plate, but Godou's kneecap did notfracture. After all, the [Camel]'s kicks had the power to shatter concreteand break iron plates.Although Doni's left palm was completely unharmed, that did not matter.Thanks to running forward, as long as Godou avoided the sword's blade,as long as it was only Doni's right arm that struck him, his body could stillendure."Eh."Grunting, Doni stepped on Godou's instep.It felt like a heavy block of iron had been dropped on it. While Godou wasdistracted by the pain from his left foot...Doni used his unarmed left hand to push Godou's chest. This seemed likea light shove, but was actually a terrifying palm strike.With a great thud, Godou felt like the core of his body was struck by acrushing impact, sending him toppling backwards. The sensation was likebeing rolled over by a fully accelerated dump truck.To think the [Man of Steel]'s weight could be used to attack in this manner!Furthermore, while performing these actions, Doni turned the sword in hisright hand at the same time. He was aiming for a straight thrust for piercingGodou's throat.In order to evade, Godou arched himself and leaned backwards.As Doni's sword missed, Godou aimed a kick at his right fist which held thesword. However, the sturdy and heavy arm did not even budge from theimpact."Still not giving up, Godou? But how much further can you endure?"Doni swung his sword at Godou's horizontal posture, slicing at hisabdomen.This attack caused Godou to roll on the ground to evade. Though hisposture was most unbecoming, there was no other choice given thecircumstances. In order to survive, Godou took desperate measures.His enemy was an expert in close-quarter combat, and a superheavyweight as well.Furthermore, Godou's left foot was now injured by the stomping, renderinghis agility useless. Standing up, Godou found the night breeze blowingacross his face rather chilly."No, there's no need to endure any further. I'm so relieved."Cornered to this extent, indeed there was no point in seeking victorythrough close-quarter combat.However, Godou began to smile. He could feel his lips twistinggrotesquely. Because he knew the opportunity for counterattacking hadfinally arrived, his fighting spirit was roused intensely."Something I possess, but you don't, has given me a final chance. If thisdoesn't work, then I have no hope of winning -- so I will give it a try!""Hoho. What naive words."Godou conversed with Doni as he thanked Erica in his heart.Even though he did not have the leisure to confer with her, his "partner"had already read his intentions perfectly.While the two god-slayers were fighting on the deck, the ship had startedmoving at some point in time.Using the "magic for making metal move" that she mentioned yesterdayand this morning, Erica made the ship set sail.The night breeze blowing across the lake was extremely cold.Having left the shore, the ferry had sailed quite far into the lake.The water in this area should be deep enough. Since Lake Garda wasItaly's deepest lake, it should be more than sufficient. Godou spoke up:"Just as you described, my abilities have many strict usage conditions.Amongst them all, this one is also quite troublesome to fulfill. But with youas the target, this posed no problem from the start."Earlier, Godou had confirmed three incarnations available for use. Nowwas the time to unleash the third one."By troublesome, you mean?""It is only permitted to be used against a great sinner who has causedhardship and suffering to the people... You, how much trouble have youbrought on others? Since my most powerful move was available from thevery start, I decided to trick you by using it last.""I just go a little far with my pranks sometimes. If you label me as a greatsinner, wouldn't you deserve the same title based on what happenedtonight?""I don't want to hear that from you!"This was a frivolous exchange, lacking in solemnity that befitted a duelbetween Devil Kings.However, the preparations were all complete. From the tour ship's deck,Godou glanced into the distance and saw specks of starlight in the easternsky."For victory, hasten forth before me... O Immortal Sun, I beseech thee togrant radiance to the stallion!"As Godou yelled out the spell words, the eastern sky was illuminated bythe rosy colors of sunrise.This untimely light of dawn pierced the veil of night. Furthermore, theeastern sun fragmented to form a descending spear of flame at this instant.This was the arrival of Verethragna's third incarnation, the [White Stallion]."Gun -- !"Even Salvatore Doni was unable to evade the downpour of flames.Engulfed by white light, he was scorched by the flames of judgment.If he opened fire at full blast like the time at Sicily, even Godou himselfwould get caught up in the flames. Godou desperately used his thoughts tofocus the flames and heat as much as possible. His prayers answered, thewhite conflagration formed a pillar of fire centered on Doni with a radius ofa few meters.Although a massive hole was bored through the ship, it still managed tocontinue sailing.At this very moment, Doni could be heard yelling."You really dared to do it. But don't think you can get past myinvulnerability!"Standing in the middle of the white pillar of fire, Doni smiled courageously.In this extreme predicament, the "warrior amongst warriors" was literally onfire, displaying greater ferocity the hotter his temperature."Even if the body is crushed and scattered, the sword never dies! Thebroken blade shall be melted down in the furnace, forged once more to bereborn as a new sword. This level of flames cannot destroy me!"These were spell words for invoking the [Man of Steel] for maximumprotection.The runes surrounding Doni increased to several hundred, glowing withred light. Standing in the center of the fire, the blond Campioneunbelievably survived.His clothes were burning away in the super high temperature flames whilehis sword gradually melted into a viscous paste.That muscular body, as tight as a whip, was scorched red in color -- orrather, it became red-hot like metal heated to high temperature.Nevertheless, he remained completely unharmed!At the same time, the [White StallionJ's flames began to burn the ship'sbody, melting it."Friend, I will endure this scorching right before your eyes! After that, let'shave an unrestrained final round!""Seriously, by this stage, this is the final round!"Godou forced his heavily wounded body to move, intending to jump intothe lake.He knew the ship's body was reaching its limits. Rather than getting burntalive, he would rather take his chances by taking a night swim with hisinjured body.Doni extended a scorched red-hot hand towards Godou."Come on man, don't say something so heartless. Our battle is onlystarting now!""Like I said, it's impossible! Unless you can float in water with that mass ofyours!""Eh?"The ship finally melted and sank, sending both Devil Kings into LakeGarda.However, their fates stood in stark contrast.Kusanagi Godou barely managed to tread water and stay afloat.On the other hand, his body of [Steel] strengthened to the max, SalvatoreDoni sank to the bottom like an anchor made of steel.In addition, the [White Stallionj's rays of the sun continued firing from theeastern sky, as if trying to incinerate Doni even as he sank. Not this again,thought Godou to himself.Lakewater boiled and evaporated from the high temperature.Steaming up everywhere, the lakewater became scalding like boilingwater."Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah . . . "Salvatore Doni's voice and figure disappeared into the depths of the lake.Nevertheless, the [White Stallion] descending from the eastern skycontinued, attempting to burn its sunken target to the very end. The bluelakewater continued to heat up, but Doni survived nonetheless.After one or two minutes, Erica arrived to the rescue on a rowing boat.Saved from the water, Godou could still watch the laser beam persist forquite a while longer.As soon as the light and flames finally vanished, Godou spoke up quietlyon the boat."...I was thinking just maybe, did that guy die?""...Then rather than 'just maybe,' you should be saying 'sure enough.'However."Erica displayed a complicated expression that included worry andadmiration."I don't believe for one second that Sir Salvatore would die as easily asthat. I keep getting the feeling he would exclaim 'I almost thought I was agoner!" and suddenly surface from the water any time."Godou completely agreed on this point.References1 . t Cool Biz: a movement in Japan to lower electricity consumption bylimiting the use of air-conditioning. Consequently, workers wereencouraged to dress down and wear short-sleeved shirts withoutjackets or ties. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_Biz_campaign2. t Tardigrade: a small, water-dwelling, segmented animal with eightlegs. Tardigrades are able to survive in extreme environments thatwould kill almost any other animal, such as temperatures of close toabsolute zero, temperatures as high as 151°C, 1000 times moreradiation than other animals, and almost a decade without water.Tardigrades have also returned alive from studies in which they havebeen exposed to the vacuum of space for a few days in low Earthorbit. http://en.wi kipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade3. t Psalm 18:6-7