Campione!

Chapter 5 - Incident's Cause and True CulpritPart 1This situation had started during December .During then were Kusanagi Godou's last moments of peace. The entireworld was in tranquility just after the battle against Lancelot, the War Godof the Lance, had ended. On December 3rd, he was leisurely at ease whenhis sister Shizuka's birthday came around. Although the day for the end ofyear exams were fast approaching, when compared to a battle between adeity and a devil king, it wasn't really a big deal.Well, there has been a bit of turmoil.Their grandpa had left for Bhutan four days before Shizuka's birthday."Starting today, the responsibility of cooking will fall onto me for the timebeing. What's something good I should fix up?"Godou mentioned this in the academy's courtyard while eating and idlychatting away.The scenery of his surroundings were still the same as before with thethree girls Erica Blandelli, Mariya Yuri, and Liliana Kranjcar by his side."Speaking of which, Godou-san has made various kinds of dishes before.This has nothing to do with me."Yuri carried a warm smile as she spoke. She probably remembered thetime at Nikkou.However, in actuality Godou had a reason for being indecisive."The problem is this. Occasionally cooking something is fine, but I feel likeI don't have the ambition to persevere through an official daily cookingroutine.""Please don't talk about these matters using that expression you useduring battle."Liliana made a smooth and natural assertion, however her expressionactually turned into embarrassment.But there was no other way. Kusanagi Godou felt that he possessed thecharacteristics of an honest and considerate person, however, he lackedthe discipline of a husband who enjoyed doing household chores and thedisposition of a manageable guy who was incapable of cooking."During times like these, I would have probably used curry to convenientlysolve this problem. If I were to use a large pan and fill it to the top, cookingsomething of that size would last three, four days. A simple yet convenientmethod."The reactions of the girls were all very subtle. Yuri cautiously went silent,but you could see she carried a slight bit of sorrow in her eyes as shethought about the meaning behind the question "Would this be ok?".Liliana on the other hand shook her head in distress as she thought "Sothat means this person is really ". Her face looked sullen as she sighed.As for the last person, Erica remained silent while she was eating hersandwich. Afterwards she said,"Hey Godou, if it was me and you came to my house and continued toprepare those crudely made dinners several days in a row, I wouldprobably decide to revolt against the King after two days."Erica spoke with complete indifference."At least put in a little more effort. It'd be so boring if you did that.""I don't have the guts to make those hazardous dishes that you findinteresting to put up a fight. As long as it can be prepared with simplicity,tastes good, and is nutritious, it would be good enough for me.""Even so, that is extremely dull. Doesn't life basically revolve aroundeating?""Shizuka would probably also feel depressed as a result "After Godou retorted Erica's comments, Liliana spoke her own opinion.Yuri on the other hand casted her gaze downwards.What Godou felt at this moment was the separation due to the differencesin culture between boys and girls.For the relatively easygoing, frequently exercising male, Kusanagi Godou,there was absolutely nothing wrong with this sort of dietary lifestyleconsisting of "eating curry for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for three days ina row".But, could it be that girls were different?He finished his lunch while still bearing the indecision to his problem. Oncehis afternoon classes had concluded, his day of school was over.As soon as he returned home and put away his backpack, he would headout to purchase the ingredients for tonight's dinner. What should Imake He stressed over this issue on his way back. Unexpectedly, hefound Liliana waiting by the entrance to his house.The Kusanagi household was located on the Nezu Sanchome shoppingdistrict.Since it was an old bookstore back in the days, the entrance on the firstfloor was directly facing the street of the shopping district. In other words,the silver-haired European girl standing at this location received a lot ofattention from the people passing by and the neighbors. However, Lilianaremained calm and collected while disregarding their gazes and said toGodou:"I was waiting for you Kusanagi Godou.""Why are you here, is something wrong? Would you like to come insidefirst?""No, before going in we must first purchase tonight's dinner ingredients."Liliana spoke firmly. Godou felt puzzled and responded with "goingshopping?"."Since you, as our lord, said you didn't have the attitude to cook every day,as your number one knight it is imperative that I assist you. Let me handletonight's dinner ok?""Eh! ?""Moreover, you don't need to regard me as an outsider. Clearly all youneeded to do was mention 'please cook tonight's dinner'. However, youneed to figure it out for yourself one day."□liana's complaint appeared to contain a slight hint of criticism in it. Godouhurriedly waved his hands,"T-There is no need, these problems only apply to my household.""Did you forget? I, Liliana Kranjcar, am the sole person who would certainlyundertake your personal tasks. Problems in the kitchen are of coursewithin my realm of responsibilities. Is there anything you would like to eattonight?"In the end, Godou was unable to decline and thus they headed off togetheralong the shopping district.They went through butcher shops, vegetable and fruit markets, fresh fishstores, supermarkets etc.Just as Godou retrieved his wallet to pay the bill, Liliana resolutely stated"the household spending is also part of my responsibilities".He had no choice but to just hand the wallet to her and let her decide howto spend the money (after all, there was no way to tell her to pay upfrontand allow him to repay the expense later).Afterwards they returned home. Liliana put on her own commonly usedapron around her uniform and started to cook.Godou was politely declined when he offered to help and was currentlybored while idly standing by.The door opened and Shizuka came in bristling with anger"Onii-chan! Rumors about you were already being spread throughout theneighborhood! I heard that today it appeared that Liliana-san andOnii-chan were together and specifically went to the shopping district toengage in a shopping date. Furthermore, you even handed your wallet toher, it's like you guys are an engaged couple or newlyweds!"Well, what ensued was an argument. However, it would probably be bestnot to elaborate the details on this matter.On the contrary, the problematic issues arose only when he got up the nextday.Just as Godou finished freshening up at six-thirty in the morning, thedoorbell rang.As soon as he opened the door, he saw Yuri wearing her uniform standingright in front of him.She was carrying a delicately made bento with an embarrassed look allover her face."I'm very sorry for disturbing you this early. There is something I mustdiscuss with Godou-san ""I usually wake up very early so it is fine, however, what's the problem?"Godou tensed up at this sudden morning visit."Could it be that a god has appeared somewhere?""No. It isn't anything like that. Actually, Amakasu-san passed on someinformation. He said that last night Liliana-san went to Godou-san's houseto make dinner.""H-How does that person know what happened here that night! ?"Amakasu is a descendant of the ninjas. His intelligence gathering could bedescribed as his forteOnce Yuri heard Godou muttering to himself due to the unexpectedinformation that was gathered from him, Yuri's expression slightly stiffened."Does that mean it was true?""Ah, haha. That girl Liliana seemed to have said 'this kind of task is alsopart of my job', something like that.""About that, despite Liliana-san being your number one knight, if youcompletely rely on her good intentions, wouldn't that feel inappropriate?Especially this time when the housework was to be done by Godou-san.""I guess you're right "Godou lowered his head upon hearing her sincere advice."It's different from everyone individually bringing food during the day.Yesterday I was spoiled by Liliana's enthusiasm, however this is actuallyvery bad."Yuri offered her righteous opinion, but on the contrary, Godou actuallyrejoiced upon hearing her words."Yes. Thank you Mariya. Speaking to me in this manner helps me out a lot.If I'm not capable of doing these type of things myself then that wouldn't beright.""Ah, no. It is me, I was the one who spoke out of line."Godou expressed his gratitude while the gentle ojou-sama waspanic-stricken."I feel like Godou-san is generally a well-behaved person other than yourindifference to your own conduct during important events."Yuri shyly gazed downwards and handed over the contents in her hands.She handed over the furoshiki that was in her possession the entire time."Here you go if you don't mind, please accept this.""What is this?""I made some onigiris. If you don't mind, please eat them in place of yourlunch.""I must say, during times like these I feel like I shouldn't completely rely onother people's good intentions. Especially this time since it involvesmatters related to housework."Godou repeated his counterpart's argument from before causing Yuri toinstantly raise her head."T-That's how it should be! What I meant by having a sense of proprietywas referring to you having to behave appropriately in other aspects!""Even so, that's still ""I want to help Godou-san since you still are not used to doing housework.The complications that would arise from this is what I'm concerned about.Those that are close to you would of course share these same feelings ofconcern. So, if you don't mind then "Yuri once again timidly handed over the bento.Godou felt slightly perplexed but he still accepted it with gratitude. He thensaid "come in and stay for a bit" to Yuri who was heading directly to school.Inside the bag were: salmon, plum, and bonito flake rice balls with three ofeach kind.They were neatly arranged inside the bento box. Godou immediatelythought about making some miso sauce and Yuri offered to help.Halfway through, Godou's role was reduced to being Mariya's assistant asshe showed off how to prepare the Mariya family's miso soup recipe"Onii-chan yesterday it was Liliana-san and now today it'sMariya-senpai, what's going on? Both of them have come early in themorning!"It was obvious that this was the first thing Shizuka said when she enteredthe kitchen in the morning.By the way, Yuri and Liliana also accompanied each other shopping todayonce they got back from school."This issue is entirely the Kusanagi household's problem. Godou-san mustwork hard to maintain independency.""The responsibility of assisting the King falls to his retainers. I would rathersee him leisurely sit around and watch me complete his tasks."As they were shopping, the direction of their argument took on the form ofneverending parallel lines.During this time, Liliana's gaze had the endurance of a composer who justfound inspiration for a composition or like a poet immersed in writingpoetry." No, wait a second. Actually in that aspect there arevarious residences with newlywed lifestyles where the bride expends alot of effort in the kitchen preparing dinner. The husband who isn'taccustomed to this field wishes to lend a hand. Their gazes accidentallyintersect, the young and tender emotions that arises it's exactly likethis!"She nodded with approval as she spoke. Following that, she cleared herthroat and said "h-having it this way might not be so bad" and suddenlyaccepted Yuri's viewpoint.As a result, when the three of them returned to the Kusanagi house, hestarted helping the two of them make dinner.On the way home, Shizuka once again became furious.After that, the evening of the next day came around.Erica, who had found this situation to be quite interesting when she heardabout it, brought a meat pie personally made by Arianna that had beenstored in the kitchen of the Blandelli household. Ena, who roams aroundlike a wandering traveler, also suddenly showed up and brought him twopounds of both brown rice and miso.Even Yuri and Liliana appeared together at that time .During this time, Shizuka placed a picture of her deceased paternalgrandmother and spirit tablet on the living room table."Onii-chan, come over here and kneel down for a bit. Please put your handagainst your chest, then turn around and reflect over what you did recently.Carefully reflect on this for a bit and afterwards apologize to grandma'sdeparted soul. Ah, hey, I'm not done speaking yet!"Being forced to do this without realizing what his immoral conduct was,Godou evaded her to reach his room on the second floor in order to takerefuge.The other four people followed him inside. Erica started to snicker, Yuriwas completely embarrassed, Liliana still kept her usual earnestexpression, and Ena showed no signs of concern ."Geez, Shizuka has recently been very irritable.""That means even Godou could figure out how to solve this kind ofproblem. That was quite a difficult task."Erica commented on Godou who expressed his discontent.In short, because of these unexpected circumstances it was made possiblefor his usual friends to all gather together inside Godou's room for the firsttime.Since it was an empty and dull room, even after fitting five people in there itunexpectedly didn't feel very cramped.He took out what appeared to be either a seat cushion or sofa pillow foreach person there and all of them appropriately sat down."Well then, how capable is your Majesty at cooking?""It is hard to say after only one or two days."Seishuuin Ena's question made Godou wryly smile.She had arrived in Tokyo not too long ago after recovering from the injuriesto her body during the battle against Guinevere.Ena, who was also honing her cooking capabilities, smiled and said:"That's perfect. Did Your Majesty go to Yuri and the others for cookinglessons today? Ena also wants to enter and study with Your Majesty."For the time being I should probably focus on my cooking responsibilities.Godou had this kind of meager resolve.He didn't want to push his responsibilities on the accommodating Yuri andLiliana since it completely matched the saying, give him an inch and he'llwant a mile. As a result, he asked them "can you please teach me the artof cooking".Nevertheless, in reality there was the restriction of his cooking level beinginadequate.While Godou was dilly dallying, the girls had already decided on someother business to deliberate."Oh yeah, it's almost Christmas. Can you teach me how to cook somethinginvolving turkey?""Will there be an event scheduled for this time of year as social conventiondictates? Are you celebrating the holidays together with Shizuka and yourmom?"After Godou freely spoke, he was questioned by Liliana."No, there isn't anything special being planned. Well, it just feels likeeveryday around that time there would be numerous visitors in the housewith Shizuka and I. Speaking of which, Nanami and the others previouslymentioned that as a guy you have to stay up and party till dawn. Givingthat a shot doesn't seem so bad.""All the way till morning? It sounds like a lot of fun.""Mariya Yuri. If you say it like that, Kusanagi Godou might actually considerparticipating.""Yeah. When you consider this gathering of his and the serious tone hehad not too long ago, he is heavily guilty of contradicting himself."Erica and Liliana's tone hinted a bit of sorrow as they responded to thesmiling Yuri.Afterwards, the silver-haired knight cleared her throat and slowly began tospeak."I have a suggestion. Even though it sounds a bit ambitious, how aboutholding a Christmas party and having me be in charge of the invitations?""A party It has been quite peaceful recently so it sounds like a prettygood idea."Her suggestion came quite suddenly but Godou nevertheless heavilynodded in response.However, today was December 9th. It hasn't even been half a month sincethe battle with Lancelot. Knowing how long this kind of tranquility will lastwas quite an enigmatic matter."Well, I'm guessing it would be quite good to occasionally host a gatheringfor our group."Erica winked as she stated her opinion.Her manner of speaking really seemed to indicate she was already used toattending parties."Ah, however, can a miko normally celebrate Christmas?""Overall what we do isn't that strict. However "Yuri wryly smiled towards Godou's inquiry. Afterwards she slightly becameat a loss for words."However?""Kaoru-san is amazing whenever it reaches this time of the year. Startingfrom the twentieth, she would have dates with girls every single day.Amazing people should behave like this, completely unfazed even whenfaced with the nagging of elders."Ena continued where her friend left off and explained to Godou.Speaking of Kaoru, the girl she takes as her partner on a date is definitelyswapped every day. She has even developed the ultimate skill of havingChristmas dates with three separate people within the same day."Guess it would be best to not invite her ""Since she is someone who likes to be rowdy, I suspect she would stillshow up for a bit. However the problem lies on Ena's behalf. Every yeararound this time Ena will head to the mountains to spend the holidays.""Hey Seishuuin, about those religious practices in the mountains, are youable to get a head start on it?"Ena clasped her hands and said "ah, I see" in response to Godou'squestion.To the rigid Hime-miko of the Sword who wasn't used to having a goodtime, Godou couldn't help but smile.Seeing this, Yuri exposed a graceful smile and Erica elegantly glancedover everyone as if she was a noblewoman. Even though Liliana was theperson who had to invite other people and act as the host, she was stillvery happy.Just like this, the early parts of December have indeed been very peacefulfor Godou and company.At this time, the person who brought the doom and gloom was the martialartist Lu Yinghua no, instead it was someone in this world whom hefeared the most, someone whom he was most humble to, a person whomhe was in contact with that was deemed the most supreme tyrant.Part 2"I've brought a message from Master."The current location was the VIP room of the Akihabara maid-themed teahouse, the "Peerless Statesman."Lu Yinghua spoke gloomily as soon as he spotted Godou.Fourteen years old. A handsome youth with a slim but not particularly tallphysique. Nevertheless, an unmistakable sense of arrogance hung on hisface the same way dark circles below the eyes could not be concealed.Besides Kusanagi Godou, Sayanomiya Kaoru and Amakasu Touma alsohappened to be present in the room.Those two were currently playing baccarat on one of the card game tables."From Nee-san? What a rare occasion."The unexpected report livened up Godou's spirits.It was currently after 10pm on the ninth of December after his discussionwith the girls about the party. After a lively dinner with everyone, Godouhad received a call from Lu Yinghua informing him "I just got back."Lu Yinghua had apparently made a trip back to Hong Kong for somereason.Hearing that he was back in Akihabara, Godou looked forward to meetinghim again."Come to think of it, I haven't contacted her all this time."The sworn elder sister Luo Cuilian. Style name Hao.^ The one peopleaddressed as Her Eminence Luo Hao. As well as being Lu Yinghua'smaster, she was the leader of the Holy Cult of the Five Mountains.Friendship between gentlemen was as insipid as water J -- she was onewho lived according to this principle. Consequently, even though she andGodou were sworn siblings they did not have frequent contact. In fact, thiswas the first time Godou heard from her since parting at Nikkou."During my recent visit to the Mount Lu convent, Master suddenly said thefollowing."In a remote corner on the sacred peaks of Mount Emei, looking up at themoonlit sky.The transcendent beauty who rivaled the moon fairy was declaring in abeautiful voice as melodic as a musical instrument.'Perhaps it would be a pleasant experience to admire the beauty of themoon together on occasion, just the two of us, siblings bound by oath. Myyoung eagle, I have a mission for you. You must take care and accomplishit as if it was your job.'Hearing the demonic cult leader's statement retold, Kaoru and Amakasuexchanged glances."Considering it's Her Eminence, would things really be over with just moonwatching?""Hey don't slander her. Even though she's someone who can't be left alonein urban areas, I think she's quite affectionate in certain ways -- Eh, am Iwrong?"With a wry expression, Godou objected to the two History CompilationCommittee members who were both older than him.Standing next to Godou, Lu Yinghua shook his head with a complicatedexpression on his face."Listen to me carefully, Honored Uncle. If five or ten years had passedsince you last parted, then sure, her words might seem a little plausible.But less than two months? Master in particular, cannot possibly desire areunion with her sworn little brother simply because she misses you!"Stated in no uncertain terms, a depressing sense of truth."I can guarantee with an oath, something suspicious is definitely going on!""Decidedly...""In any case, allow me to deliver this to Honored Uncle first. Master'sorders are to drink it up during the next full moon."Lu Yinghua handed over a little bottle containing a liquid that looked likemercury."What'll happen if I drink it?""I expect it will lead to all kinds of trouble. Drinking it results in instanttransportation to Mount Lu where Master resides."Godou shrugged in response to this rather problematic explanation that leftgreat room for elaboration.Well, it's not like I'll die -- thought Godou to himself. Accepting the bottleand putting it away, he said:"When's the next full moon?""It happens to be tomorrow..."Tonight, I'm gonna meet my elder sister in China--Godou announced to the girls during lunch the next day. "No ordinarymeeting for sure" was Erica's response. Saying that, she sighed. As forYuri, she pleaded "You must return safe and sound" with a graveexpression. On the other hand, Liliana offered her assurance, promising"In the event of unforeseeable tragedy, I will take good care of little sisterShizuka."Godou sent a text message to inform Ena who was currently training inChichibu.'Please tell me about your experiences throughout the journey. However,it'd be best if you don't die.'Her reply did not seem like she was joking at all.In any case, Godou could agree with her response in certain ways."Compared to tigers in human form, Nee-san sure is ten thousand timesmore fearsome..."Godou muttered as he walked over to Shinjuku's Kabukichou^ districtduring dusk.It did not feel appropriate to wear school uniform on this bustling street, sonaturally, Godou had changed into casual clothing. He made his way to theaddress of a multi-tenant building. The office of Hong Kong's Lu family waslocated on the top floor of this building, and Lu Yinghua apparently had aroom there for conducting daily affairs.Anyway, today's destination was the rooftop of this building.Lu Yinghua was waiting right there. Furthermore, this nephew's malesubordinates were using chalk to inscribe on the floor of the roof geometricshapes and patterns with lots of Chinese characters written on them."We welcome your grand arrival, Honored Uncle. We are now preparingthe magic circle."Godou nodded to acknowledge Lu Yinghua's martial arts salute, thenwaited for ten-odd minutes.By the time the circle was complete, the evening sun had already set andthe sky had turned completely dark. Godou stood in the center of the circlewith only Lu Yinghua by his side.Mustering his determination, Godou drank the bottle of silver liquid he hadreceived earlier.His first reaction was that it tasted really bad. A kind of indescribable tasterivaling Arianna's efforts in pot-stewed cuisine. Furthermore, the instant heswallowed this viscous fluid, an exceptional sense of scorching heatseemed to be spreading from his stomach.This liquid's effects were apparently quite astounding.It seemed to be the medium for applying Daoist arts to Godou all the wayfrom distant Mount Lu.Due to the discomfort in his throat and the scorching feeling in hisstomach, Godou collapsed to his knees on the floor of the rooftop. In thatvery instant...He was transported. The surrounding scenery of the Kabukichou buildingrooftop gradually dissipated and Godou found himself no longer crouchingon the rooftop of the multi-tenant building in Kubukichou.'Much time have passed since our last parting, my little brother.'"Nee-san...?"Hearing the beautiful voice he missed so much, Godou groaned.Enduring the discomfort in his throat and stomach, Godou stood up withgreat difficulty and surveyed his surroundings.This place was deep in mountains he had never been to, and consequentlynever seen before. Also, he had not been sent to the foot or even midwayup the mountain.Situated on one of the peaks of Mount Emei, this place was at substantialaltitude. Godou was standing on a protrusion of rock that resembled anobservation platform and offered a wide expansive view of the neighboringmountains and the world below.The greenery at the foot of various mountains, together with the swathes ofwhite snow near the mountaintops, looked as if they were far off in thedistance.Turning his gaze up, Godou could see the sky filled with twinkling stars."I can't see you, where are you?""Honored Uncle. Master is simply projecting her voice from far away."As Godou looked around for signs of Luo Cuilian, Lu Yinghua informedhim.The nephew proceeded to kneel on one knee and salute with one fistagainst an open palm."Master's might and virtue, rivaling the sun in the sky, becomes ever moredazzling for each passing day. Your disciple Lu Yinghua reports his return,and at the same time, offers wishes of eternal longevity to wise andvalorous Master."Godou was immensely impressed by how far Lu Yinghua went with thesewords of flattery.Luo Cuilian's unique and wonderful voice was heard once more. But hermessage was exceedingly merciless.'My young eagle, thank you for accomplishing your task. Now go back toyour training for I have prepared a suitable opponent. You shall be laudedif you achieve victory in one day. You pass if you do it in two. If it takes youthree days... Hmph, then I shall personally give you a good schooling.Nothing else needs to be said.'Luo Cuilian had infused a certain power into these quiet words. Namely,the [Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Howl].The authority to turn her voice into Shockwaves of wind. The current levelof force was probably strong enough to send a light vehicle flying.ii 1 1 1Surrounded by the intangible Shockwave, Lu Yinghua took a great leapbackwards and crossed his arms in an X-shape to protect himself. True tothe name of the promising young star of the martial realm.Dodging the full brunt of the force, he was instead blown into the night skybetween the mountains. Furthermore, the magical wind continued to blow,pushing him further and further back in the air."Oowaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah . . . ! "For the very first time, Godou heard the pitiful screams of his arrogantnephew.Lu Yinghua was blown away like a kite whose string was severed, fallingsomewhere amongst the peaks of the mountain range."This really doesn't look good for Yinghua..."'Do not worry. I have already summoned an appropriate opponent to theplace where this child will land. Leave him be for now.'Luo Cuilian answered Godou's comment on a completely differentwavelength.Was the scene that just transpired an everyday occurrence for thismaster-disciple pair? Whether the disciple who could instantly react to anysituation, or the master who imposed her expectations upon him, neitherwere normal.Oooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaooooooooo. . . .Hearing the rumbling roars of a magical beast in the far distance, Godouspoke up:"Could that be Yinghua's opponent?"'Yes. Hoho... Even though I said two days would earn a pass, from what Ican tell, he passes if he can hunt and kill this formidable foe within fourdays. So, how well will my young eagle perform?'The demonic cult leader uttered words that had long transcended therealm of strictness.Godou remarked "she really is someone like that" as he nodded, praying tothe heavens for Yinghua's safety.'So, little brother. Come up directly along the mountain path. Your eldersister has been waiting impatiently.'Urged by the voice of his sworn elder sister, Godou got off the rock thatresembled an observation platform.He proceeded to ascend the mountain path. This place should besomewhere in the Lushan National Park in China's Jiangxi province. Thesky was filled with stars and constellations without being shrouded by asingle cloud. A completely clear and lucid night sky.This splendorous canopy of radiant starlight was a view one could not findin gloomy urban environments."Since we are here to admire the full moon, I guess it's lucky the sky is notovercast."'In accordance with prior wishes, I had the clouds blown away beforehand.Chasing after a cloud-hidden moon could be amusing at times.Nevertheless, tonight is the reunion of we sworn siblings after ourtwo-month separation. Truly, taking place beneath the bright full moon ismost ideal, hence those impertinent clouds have been driven away for thisoccasion.'Godou was merely remarking on something he noticed, but little did heexpect such a surprising answer.She turned out to be even more counter to common logic than imagined...Godou thought to himself emphatically as he conversed with the swornelder sister's voice. Soon after, he reached a pavilion.In an open area in the mountain, a little house with only a roof and no wallshad been built here.The transcendent beauty in front of this pavilion was the Campione whostood as the Ruler of the Martial Realm."You have arrived without trouble, my little brother, Kusanagi Godou!"In this fashion, the sworn elder sister and younger brother were reunitedafter two months.Part 3Family name Luo. Given name Cuilian. Style name Hao.Despite having passed the age of two hundred, she still possessed thebeautiful appearance of a late teen. Hers was beauty that put nature toshame and could bring nations to ruin. Indeed, such incomparable beautyof hers was truly transcendent.Tonight, she was dressed in Han Chinese clothing, in a style reminiscent ofa heavenly goddess.The elegance of her long flowing sleeves and lightly floating hemlines gaveone an illusion of having arrived at the heavenly emperor's palace.But in actual fact, she was the warrior standing at the martial pinnacle andthe Daoist priestess who had reached the peak of Daoist mastery.Ingrained in her body were arts and knowledge completely surpassing allother Campiones."Why don't you relax? Sit or lie down, whichever you want. Should you tireof moon watching, we can have a quiet conversation throughout the night.Hoho, as Devil Kings, it is not a bad idea to enjoy ourselves in a style intribute to the Seven Sages.Making such a suggestion, Luo Cuilian lowered herself on her own.And sat down on a white tiger(!) rug that had been laid over the floor of thepavilion.Another similar rug could be seen, most likely prepared for her sworn littlebrother. Godou was currently wearing a winter coat, but it was merely oneintended for use in Tokyo. At the top of a mountain at such high altitudes, itwas completely ineffective.Chilling mountain air seeped into his clothes, mercilessly robbing Godou ofhis body warmth.To be honest, the tiger fur rug was truly a blessing. Godou immediatelybent down and sat cross-legged. At the very least, this should help keephis legs and lower torso warm.Running his hand through the striped pattern of the white tiger fur rug, itfelt extremely smooth."Was this really skinned from an actual tiger...?""Who knows? These were simply offered in tribute by members of the holycult some time ago. I'm not really aware of the details."The sworn elder sister's uncertain answer fully convinced Godou instead. Itwas definitely the real thing.He could not imagine anyone foolish enough to offer something inauthenticto Her Eminence Luo Hao."If you're hungry, please enjoy some of these dishes. In order to receiveyou as a guest, your elder sister ended her long absence from the kitchen,bringing to life her arts of the kitchen knife once more.""Eh? Nee-san cooked personally!?"Luo Cuilian lightly waved her hand before Godou as he watched in shock.Immediately, a number of large dishes appeared between them. Ladenupon them were three brightly-colored specimens of Chinese cuisine.The first dish seemed to be thick pork slices heaped over leafy vegetables.The second dish consisted often-odd springrolls arranged in a triangularshape. For some reason, the pastry wrappers were red in color.The third dish consisted of clear transparent soup. Even the wrappers ofthe floating dumplings in the soup were transparent, and they seemed tohold fillings made of diced meat and vegetables. Unbelievably, the fillingscontained all seven colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue,indigo and violet, giving a bright and colorful display like a kaleidoscope."...Nee-san turns out to be someone really talented at cooking."Godou remarked emphatically in admiration. Every dish without exceptionwas astoundingly phenomenal.This was not simply limited to taste. Even the appearance exhibited artisticflair like the creative masterpieces of a master chef. Combined with theextraordinary aroma, the visual impact truly made the viewer look forwardto the excellent taste."You absolutely must not disclose to others these skills possessed by LuoCuilian. Even though I once underwent training as befitted a daughter ofthe Luo family, I am now the Ruler of the Martial Realm. Putting on a showin the kitchen does not really suit my stature."Accepting the sworn little brother's praise, Luo Cuilian smiled withsatisfaction."Expressly going against principles for the sake of offering hospitality to asworn little brother. Hohoho, even though it was fairly time consuming, theresult turned out to be surprisingly favorable."Faced with this incredible cuisine, Godou eschewed modesty and took uphis chopsticks. First he went for the thickly sliced meat.Amazing! The pork was actually sliced to millimeter thickness then pileddozens of layers together in a manner akin to mille-feuille . The texture wassuch that it melted in the palate as if it were snow, dissolving into a richmeaty flavor.Next were the red springrolls. The crispy surface offered the sweet taste ofcarrots.The springrolls contained a sweet-tasting sauce. The fillings had a mixtureof several types of tubers with thickening added. The complex andwonderful interplay of differing sweet tastes immersed the tongue inpleasure without being overwhelming.Then there was the secret recipe of transparent soup and rainbow-coloreddumplings.Sipping the soup, a marvelously cool taste of sourness brought a greatrefreshing feeling to the palate. Biting into a rainbow dumpling, thedelicious taste of meat and fish, together with the savory flavor of a greatassortment of vegetables played a harmonious symphony upon the tastebuds.Godou was completely unable to fathom what ingredients and cookingprocesses had been used to produce these marvelous creations."Hmm. These are all wonderfully delicious without exception. It's amazing."Godou offered praise and admiration without flattery as he rapidly busiedhis chopsticks and his mouth."Is it possible that you cook for Yinghua occasionally?""Ridiculous. Cooking for the master is part of a disciple's training. Reversalof the master-disciple relationship is not permitted. Tonight is the firstoccasion for me to step into the kitchen in seventy years.""...I see."Was this kind of life the reason his "nephew" became so depressed?This subtle thought occurred to Godou as he savored the magnificentcuisine. All things considered, he was currently enjoying rare cuisine asuncommon as the occurrence of Haley's comet.Anyway, just as Godou finished the dishes offered as part of the swornelder sister's hospitality...Luo Cuilian casually took out the moon guitar^ that had been placed byher side.As her fingernails strummed away gently, a heavenly melody seemed to fillthe clear atmosphere. The quick rhythm of her singing resounded as iffollowing the sounds of the instrument.Placing the qin on a curved stand,And sitting tranquil beside it, emotions contained.Why trouble to pluck or strum it?The wind on the strings makes it sound itself.^She probably played simply as the mood dictated rather than showing offher talents.Humming casually like an ordinary person, she strummed the musicalinstrument with her nails. But even in such an act, Luo Cuilian displayedmastery unsurpassed by anyone in the entire world.Even though he was the only audience, Godou wanted to continuelistening along, mesmerized.But it was probably time for him to ask. About the matter her disciple wentso far as to assert as "definitely" suspicious."Nee-san. Do you have something you want to tell me?"Godou's probing question caused the sworn elder sister's hand to pause inher playing."Now that you brought it up, yes, that is my intention. I wanted to recountan old tale.""An old tale?""Back then, I was already the Ruler of the Martial Realm, but due tovarious matters I was traveling in the ancient kingdom of the Turks.""Come to think of it, you recently came expressly to Japan as well.""Over there, I chanced upon a rare divine artifact. Yes, a precious itemwhich had the ability to give birth to [Heretic Gods] and release them uponthe world.""~A divine artifact that can give birth to gods!?"Divine artifacts, were objects similar to grimoires which had been etchedwith heavenly wisdom and the laws of sacred spells.It was common for them to possess the attribute of immortalindestructibility. These were objects that were very difficult to dispose ofonce they manifested on earth."After a convoluted series of events, I finally defeated the god that hadmanifested, and sealed the divine artifact's power.""Ah... That's great news."Godou was relieved to hear the sworn elder sister recount her past victorynonchalantly."As a safety precaution, I took the sealed divine artifact back with me andkept it for the time being."The conversation seemed to be taking an ominous turn."A few days ago, I noticed the divine artifact had started recovering itspowers at some unknown point in time, and was once again about toproduce a [Heretic God].""Shouldn't you get rid of such a dangerous divine artifact right awayinstead!?"He could already guess what Luo Cuilian was about to say.But Godou suppressed the worry in his heart and went with the flow,probing further. No matter how unprecedented the actions of this swornelder sister were, he never expected the extent-And so, the beautiful demonic cult leader, showed an acute expression likea great general leading a million troops into battle."Of course not. What the divine artifact created was only a being less thana [Heretic God]. That kind of weak enemy is completely unworthy ofreceiving even a palm strike from me, Luo Cuilian. Dealing directly withthat kind of opponent would be a taint to my honor."The sworn elder sister who prompted Godou's ominous premonitions,followed up with this kind of statement."Godou. Your insight as a king still seems rather inadequate. You need toreflect properly on this.""No, no, wait a minute. So Nee-san did you ignore that being less than a[Heretic God]? The thing created by that divine artifact! What happened toit next?""Hoho. Your elder sister was not careless. Naturally, there was a plan."The sworn elder sister displayed an arrogant smile.Not only did Godou's ominous premonition not subside, it became evenstronger. From his experience, it was certain that Luo Cuilian wouldproceed to reveal something completely beyond his expectations--"The divine artifact wishes to bring vengeance upon me. However,slaughtering that loser would taint the honor of me, Luo Cuilian. And so Icommunicated the following to the other party."Alas, this was the key sentence. As expected."My sworn little brother, Kusanagi Godou, is located at the Japanesecapital of Tokyo. If you wish to have a rematch with me, Luo Hao, defeatmy younger brother first to demonstrate your strength. Then we shall see.""I knew it... At least tell me beforehand."As Godou hung his head, the sworn elder sister smiled gently in return."This comes from your elder sister's vast love, to bestow upon you this trialwith a merciful heart. Riding upon this victory, you shall continue along theglorious path of heroism.""Well, since the situation has already come to this, there's no other wayaround it."Wow, my adaptability is surely surprising. Greatly impressed by himself,Godou said:"Even though I know only two names out of the gods slain by Nee-san, itreally seems like you fought many gods in the past."To Godou's knowledge, Luo Cuilian's victories included an Om pair ofBuddha Guardians and the goddess Gayatri.Well, this was the sworn elder sister after all. It felt like she had fought allsorts of gods in the past."Yes. The name of the god I slew a century and a half ago is Saturnus.^ Agod from the Roman Empire and associated with land and harvest.Furthermore--""Furthermore?""Although I get the sense there were all sorts of causes, I've forgottenthem."Recounting her victory, Luo Cuilian asserted thus.As for this statement, rather than her memories of the past had faded overtime, it would be more accurate to say she never had any intention toreminisce over her past battles."The divine artifact seeks revenge... Nee-san, didn't you mention that justnow?""Correct. The divine artifact, [Crown of Saturnalia]. Even though it is not aliving object it can carry a conversation. An existence infused with divinequalities to a certain extent. Since this sacred vessel displays will andperception, perhaps it is possessed by some kind of spirit.""The same kind of existence as Ama no Murakumo!"Well, even if it was also made by the gods, Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugimust be ranked on a much higher level.However, there was no doubt the artifact was a troublesome existence.After that, Godou was once again given "that elixir."The secret elixir which resembled mercury, said to be concoctedpersonally by the sworn elder sister.Informed that he would return to Tokyo by drinking it, Godou had no choicebut to obey. Immediately, enchanted with the demonic cult leader'sinstantaneous transportation technique of [Terrain Reduction], Godoufound himself crouching on the rooftop of the mixed ethnic building inKubukichou.Naturally, Lu Yinghua was not present. He was still in the middle of hisspecial training(?) at Mount Lu.After arriving back in Tokyo, Godou did not return home at once. Insteadhe instantly contacted his usual friends. A troublesome foe was apparentlycoming to Tokyo to defeat Kusanagi Godou -- was what he told them."More accurately, it has already arrived."Deep into the night after Godou's return to Tokyo from Mount Lu, anemergency meeting was being held at the Sayanomiya residence.The one who spoke in an awkward tone of voice was Amakasu. Eventhough Ena was not present due to her mountain training, Erica, Yuri andLiliana had all hurried here. Obviously, Kaoru was also present."Indeed. More than enough time has already elapsed for it to travel here."Kaoru agreed with her subordinate's opinion."But didn't Yuri fail to sense any divine presence?""Yes. I have not had that kind of feeling at all lately."The Hime-Miko confirmed Erica's question with great confidence."Produced by the divine artifact, also something not a god -- somethingless than a [Heretic God], that was what Her Eminence said?"Liliana asked for confirmation, prompting Godou to nod and grumble:"Ah yes. Exactly that. Damn it, do I really need to go over there to askNee-san for more details?""What do you expect to happen? Considering Her Eminence, even ifGodou goes there with a list of questions, I don't think she will properly tellus everything we want to know.""That's right. In this regard, even Lu Yinghua can only face her in panic."Godou agreed with the red and blue knights' comments.Come to think of it, even for the youth who knew the demonic cult leaderbest, "face her in panic" was the best he could do."Regarding Heretic Saturnus, let's start investigating from other avenues."Erica proposed as if trying to brighten the mood."Even though it was a battle between a [Heretic God] and a Campione thatoccurred a century and a half ago, it is very likely that records have beenleft behind by people near the scene and involved in the world of magic. Iwill contact Milan's [Copper Black Cross] to begin urgent investigations.""That's right. Turkey is actually not too far away from Italy."Godou recalled it was a place regarded as the boundary between Europeand Asia.Thus ended the meeting that night, and the next day arrived.Amakasu had History Compilation Committee members running around allover Tokyo, but no clues concerning the divine artifact [Crown ofSaturnalia] had been found yet.Without the arrival of spirit visions, Yuri's repeated meditation did not bearany fruit in obtaining divine revelation.Liliana also attempted to use witchcraft to investigate, but did not obtainany results.But there was other good news. Godou received a call from Lu Yinghuathrough his cellphone."You're safe and sound, Yinghua!"'Yeah I suppose. Pursuing each other with that troublesome monster thatMaster had found from goodness knows where, running all over themountain made me half dead with exhaustion. I'm now taking advantage ofthe chaotic situation... no, resting near the foot of Mount Lu.'Despite having the disposition of an extraordinary genius prodigy, he wassuch a crafty and slippery customer.'That's what Master said. If I can't defeat it completely, I will surely suffer afatal counterattack from that monster. I have no choice but to defeat it in aslow but sure manner."Like master, like disciple? Godou felt like Yinghua always had the ability tosee through the master's bluffs.Even though Godou was greatly impressed by Yinghua's sharpperceptions, he still decided to go ahead and inquire about the matter."So Yinghua, what kind of monster is the enemy?""Uh, its body looks like some kind of cross between a tiger and a bull, pluswings as well as fur like a hedgehog. Its howls are similar to a dog's. Canswallow a man whole in one bite. Cannot be hunted down like a normaltiger..."What he described was an unimaginable monster, supplemented further bya few outrageous statements.Yinghua definitely hunted tigers barehanded. Concluding that to himself,Godou listened as Lu Yinghua continued:'Not only is it vicious, it's also quite smart. A crafty fellow that cannot beunderestimated. What about this monster?""Defeat it as quickly as possible. Even a day earlier would be good. Thenreport immediately back to Nee-san."Godou was well aware he was issuing difficult orders.Then he briefly outlined the issue with Saturnus that had happened so far."If you can say some good things to Nee-san, wouldn't you be able to findout roughly what happened a hundred and fifty years ago, as well as thenature of that god? We need as much information as possible, every detailcounts. I know it's tough, but you're the only one I can rely on."'S-Since it is Honored Uncle's orders, of course I will put forth my besteffort into it.'Far away in distant Mount Lu, the nephew replied in a trembling voice.'This is very challenging on many levels. Whether hunting the prey, or thetask after the hunt. In fact, the latter is three times harder than the former...Nevertheless, whatever, I will try to find a solution.'"I am counting on you."'However, the surroundings of Master's convent include not only the depthsof Mount Lu, but also a forbidden area sealed away by Master's barrier.There's no network since cellphone signals are out of reception, and evenelectricity, gas and running water are absent. So I will be out of contact fornow. Please understand.'Indeed, such a description brought to mind natural reserves in Japan suchas Yakushima^ or Shirakami-Sanchi } ^Recalling where the reunion with his sworn elder sister had taken place,Godou immediately understood.'After all, it's a place where I can't even bring in gaming devices for killingtime. There was one time when I brought a satellite cellphone and it wasmercilessly crushed. Master truly believes that the decline of moderncountries began with the invention of the steam engine.'"That's even earlier than Edison's invention of electrical powerdistribution..."'If something requires me to go to the village to handle, I'll secretly try tosend a progress report by computer. Anyway, I don't expect manyopportunities for that either.'"Then just try your best without breaking the rules."'That's good enough. I just need to borrow without asking for a minute ortwo.'Offering mild advice to the foster nephew seemed to have secured aconfident guarantee instead.'Oh by the way, if Honored Uncle wishes to contact me while I'm at MountLu, please feel free to give orders to my subordinates over at Shinjuku. So,Honored Uncle, Yinghua takes his leave.'News from Erica came a few minutes after Lu Yinghua's call ended.The manifestation of the [Heretic God] Saturnus in Turkey a hundred andfifty years ago. Members of the [Copper Black Cross] had successfullyconfirmed the sacred fruit he had left behind on earth.Part 4A small package was sent from the faraway place of Istanbul using Mailingmagic.The sender was Erica's friend who resided in Turkey's largest metropolis,Istanbul. He easily attained the desired results when he was dispatched tothe country where the demonic cult leader's previous battle took place toinvestigate its traces.The first stop of his investigation took place within Turkey's records whichrecorded a 200 year period of heretic god appearances.His focus was on the recorded history from 138 years ago where a godappeared in the Anatolia^ plains, so he immediately went to the scene ofthat occurrence. By interviewing an elderly magician, he was fortunate tofind out that his father was also an investigator for the battle in this region.Therefore, he immediately proceeded to hear out his father's investigation.In the end, he had learned from those records that it was basicallysomething along the lines of a fight between an earth god and someCampione.However, he was fortunate to ensure himself that the fruits could bebrought back as data.It appeared that after receiving this report, Erica immediately contactedhim."Don't worry about whether or not it's ethical at this time. You can do ithowever you want it, just quickly send the fruits over here to me!"As a result, the little box holding the fruits was sent to her with astonishingspeed.It was said that these were the sacred fruits left behind by the heretic godSaturnus in the past. Yuri, who came into contact with the item, finallyreceived a spirit vision."The Crown of Saturnalia. The divine artifact giving rise to Heretic Saturnusis presently located at that place."In accordance to Yuri's guidance, Amakasu quickly drove off to KasaiRinkai Park.The place where it took root was reportedly located not too far from hereon the surface of the sea .Actually, currently it was the night of December 11 th, the day after Godouvisited Lushan by himself."Within such a short time frame, we were able to arrive at the designatedlocation right away."Godou muttered with mixed feelings while riding on the patrol boatborrowed by the History Compilation Committee through their connectionsto the Japanese Coast Guard.Thus, the need to issue such inconsiderate orders towards Lu Yinghuamight arise again.After depressingly thinking over this, Erica, who had a facial expressionindicating this was as it should be, exaggeratedly said:"This is just Kusanagi Godou enhancing his formation. Even if you carefullyselected six or seven of the most elite figures in all of the magic guilds fromaround the world, you won't find any place that can match us right? Ourbattle strength, investigation ability, spirit vision, magic power, negotiatingskills, and intelligence gathering are all very outstanding."Erica, Yuri, Liliana, Ena, Amakasu, Kaoru, and Lu Yinghua were allconsidered as part of his group.Godou thought about these friends of his that he had grown accustomed toand nodded his head.After surveying each of the aforementioned people, everyone was clearlynot some type of superhuman (although there were many who possesseda high likelihood of becoming that sort of person). However, it is worthmentioning that the comprehensive strength of entire group was probablyat a very high level and balanced."Well, nevertheless you will be subjected to danger when your opponent isa god ""In our case, we practically had no confrontations with strange occurrencesor magicians."Liliana wryly smiled as she replied to Godou's thoughts.The scene consisted of Godou, who was the leader, and the knights fromMilan. Plus, there was another member in the patrol boat who was a friendof theirs."But Godou-san, is it ok to not inform Ena-san about this situation?""Uh huh, this isn't some auspicious matter, we don't even know what willhappen.""W-What do you mean?""If something unexpected were to happen to us, there would have to besomeone else to deal with the aftermath the most appropriate personwould probably be Seishuuin right?"Godou felt his own words were a meaningless assurance as he spoke.This was of course the worst outcome. However, if in the remote chance itdid happen then it would be all over. In fact, for this very reason, Amakasuand Kaoru were not with them on the patrol boat. Relevant membersshould take precautions so they are not all wiped out"Based on how she is, even if you request her to wait for the perfectopportunity over there, she will follow her own authority and come downfrom the mountain. For the time being we shouldn't let her know.""S-So it's like that "She must have remembered the personality of her childhood hime-mikofriend.Yuri's expression seemed to have suddenly tensed after reluctantlyagreeing to that statement."I sense the aura of the previously envisioned Crown. Everyone please becareful."It looks like they were quickly approaching their destination. Not only didGodou nod in response, but Erica and Liliana did as well.Afterwards, everyone was finally confronted with the Crown of Saturnalia.Rooted in the surface of the sea near Kasai was an emblem made out ofstone. The shape of it only resembled a sizable bird with its wings spreadopen.Suddenly, what appeared to be a parasitic tree grew on top of this bird.Furthermore, it was progressively increasing in size. In the blink of an eye,a 1000 year old giant tree no, a divine tree emerged.The divine tree's trunk and branches permeated with hostility towards theCampione.In addition, it began releasing a very powerful incantation. It clearly wantedto combat Godou."I never would've thought the day I would have to fight a tree wouldarrive "Moreover, it was on the surface of the sea in Tokyo Bay. There really mustbe a limit to the absurdity that occurs.Looking up at the majestic sight of the ferocious dignified colossal treefrom the deck of the patrol boat, Godou calmly whispered."Is this basically the sprout of that heretic god Nee-san mentioned?""Who knows, there's barely any viable data to make a judgment.""In that case, it would be best for the person who can determine what it isto examine it. Hey Yuri Yuri? What's wrong?"Liliana kept to her own judgment. Erica on the other hand intended toentrust the evaluating to another person.Godou and the others noticed it. The body of the hime-miko stiffened asshe stared at the thing in front of her. Standing on a branch of the divinetree was something wrapped in a grey sailcloth!For the time being it could be said its stance had a human-likeappearance. Resembling a blanket or coat, the grey sailcloth was wrappedaround his entire body.Just as its name implied, the Grey One had absolutely none of its fleshexposed."A spirit no, don't tell me it is a divine spirit!? Is it a divine being whoserved a god in the past ?"Did she sense something? Yuri gazed at the Grey One in astonishment.After receiving the hime-miko's attentive gaze, he dramatically rotated hisbody and hollered:'Oi oi. Miko from the island of the world's farthest reaches! I beseech you tostop gazing upon my unsightly fall from grace!'A very coarse ear piercing sound was made. It would give people theimpression of an indescribable, artificial way of speaking.'It was humiliating, a history full of defeat. In ancient times, I retreated indefeat as I was chased from the throne. However, now there emerges anew king as a replacement!'The words he spoke simply looked like it was for self-entertainment."You are the strange crown the divine artifact's willpower, a guardianspirit. You intend to retaliate against cult leader Luo Hao right?"Godou tried calling out towards the Grey One who was sitting on a branchon the divine tree.True! True! My latest defeat was bestowed upon me by that beautifulgodslayer. I sent an invitation to that person. I challenged her to battleonce again!'The Grey One shouted as he leaned back and squirmed.Erica and Liliana both sent an eye signal to each other. Yuri on the otherhand unsteadily gazed at him. At first glance his appearance would seemquite comical, however the other party was the embodiment of asupernatural existence! The girls couldn't help but feel nervous.'However, this is a complete surprise! My challenge had been declined.Instead, I get a young godslayer as a substitute! That would be you,Kusanagi Godou. My new challenge is now directed towards you!'"No thanks. As far as I am concerned, I hope you can leave immediately."Godou felt awkward as he spoke."Any battle arrangement with me is just Nee-san's doing."'Incorrect. I was comfortably overseeing the gathering of the people'sessence and energy to build up power, thereby allowing my sprout toawaken as the new Saturnus!'The Grey One hinted at the colossal tree he was sitting on.This tree's sprout is the sprout of a heretic god? Godou's gazeintensified.'Please, in the near future go to my divine heir, heretic Saturnus, and dobattle, Kusanagi Godou!'Perhaps this is the first time a god related member has issued a request.Godou frowned while being astonished at the same time.'Ever since that defeat in the distant past, I have become a degenerategod. However, during this festive occasion, I can still gather divine powerwith this deteriorating body . Ha ha ha, a grand festival is needed toawaken this ancient frenzy so it can challenge you godslayers!Furthermore, more time is required!'"What the hell, after all this "Godou sighed as he gazed at the Grey One who revealed an evil smile.Requesting a godslayer to let it finish its preparations in peace, the GreyOne appeared to be an underling to that divine artifact. Based on hisfrivolous manner of speaking, he doesn't seem very bright. Instead, adunce would be a suitable description.However, since it's like this . Godou took a deep breath.He might as well display his own strength to make him quickly leaveTokyo."The one unblunted and unapproachable! Smashing covenants, sinners bepurged by the iron hammer of justice!"Suddenly the Boar was summoned. Its target was the gigantic divine treeright in front of them.Even though there was naturally some hesitation due to the potentialdestruction, this supernatural event quickly happened within a coupleseconds. Overcoming his guilty conscience was a very easy thing to do.As a result, a swirling flame of darkness immediately appeared in front ofthe divine tree. The flames turned into a giant black boar.Aaaaoooooooooooh ! !The Boar let out a frightening roar as it suddenly charged towards thedivine tree. Like a spear, the tusks penetrated the tree bark and smashedthe tree trunk apart with relative ease.As expected, the Grey One, who was located on the tree branch, lost hisfoothold.He gracefully lept into the air. To one's surprise, he remained suspended inmidair.' Oi Oi. Well done godslayer. Such a show of might, absolutelymarvelous. However!'After the Boar crushed the divine tree and returned, the Grey Onecommended him without any worry at all.Immediately after that, the area surrounding him was suddenly permeatedwith a mist as he was hovering in the air. His sailcloth enwrapped posturewas hidden.'Due to my power restriction, I believe I had no means of dealing with that!'A beam of light appeared from within the mist. Once again, a giant treestarted to emerge from the emblem on the surface of the sea.Just like that, a new divine tree was grown within a matter of seconds!'Even if you dismember the new sprout, I'll just continuously revive it.Please put this savagery on hold till the arrival of the grand festival!'Once the mist dissipated, the figure of the Grey One once again becamevisible. He gently hopped onto a tree branch from the gigantic tree."Is it possible that this guy can't be killed ?"Godou was in an incomparable state of shock as he saw how easily thetree was revived.Up until now he had many encounters with immortal deities. The goddessAthena was among those who possessed this trait.Is it possible that the underlings of the undying god of earth, Saturnus, arealso immortal? Contemplating over this topic, Godou immediately soughtout his female counterparts."Those who possess the chain process of dying and then being revived arerelated to the deities associated with the snake goddess.""Let's first not concern ourselves with whether or not the divine beast andother such existences of a heretic god can really display this reincarnatingability. There must be another explanation for this successful resurrection.""There's no way to clearly see due to the mist masking it However, I cansense that his power is being drawn from the Crown of Saturnalia. I'mafraid the mystery to this resurrection lies within there."Erica and Liliana immediately stated their perspective deductions whileYuri replied in a quiet tone."Godou, for the time being let me deal with the divine tree."After hearing the hime-miko express her thoughts just now, Ericaproclaimed as such.The Cuore di Leone suddenly appeared in her hand."Please go with Yuri and Liliana and allow me to be the opponent for thisstrange person. If we could figure out the mystery between him and thatdivine artifact, we won't have to wait till heretic Saturnus's revival to solvethis."Godou did not object. Yuri and Liliana also nodded.On the other hand, after careful deliberation, the Grey One said:"Oh Kusanagi Godou, it appears you have plenty of intelligent membersaround you. If I don't destroy this, then I most likely won't be able to buyenough time '"Eh?"Godou could not help but ask in response towards this troubling statement.What did he want to destroy?However, the other person didn't respond. Facing him, the Grey Onewhistled at him. Following that, the divine tree started to shake its branchesand leaves.Rustle Rustle Rustle RustleLike playing an instrument, an indescribable sound came out of the divinetree's tree branch.'The festival of the fruit deranged the citizens, causing intoxication.Providing consolation. Bringing celebration. Slaves will have their momentof glory. Kings will abandon their thrones for shackles. This dream is theone bestowed by the god who heralds the spring 'Furthermore, the Grey One started to sing along to the melody of thedivine tree. The tones and lyrics effectively became an ensemble that carried a strongincantation which could be felt all over the place.Immediately after that, Godou saw a bizarre scene.He was currently walking along the city streets. Speaking of which, theywere quite outdated. He was located in an unknown city. The era heresided in was also a mystery. In short, Kusanagi Godou walked onunsteadily.The people around him were all merrily partying. They sang, they danced,and drank alcohol throughout the night.Godou, who was amongst the crowd, kept his gaze down and silentlywalked on.Wrapped around his hands were handcuffs and shackles. Wrapped aroundhis feet were chained leg weights and fetters.Moreover, both of his arms had been branded by a branding iron. Theimprint demonstrated his new status. Yup, Kusanagi Godou was not a kinganymore, heck he was not even a free person. He was a slave ."That, what was that just now! ?"Godou suddenly raised his head in astonishment. That incantation wasprobably the combined efforts between the divine tree and the Grey One.However, it still wasn't able to break through a Campione's magicresistance. Looks like he does not have the power of a heretic god.That was why Godou only saw those strange images, he was not actuallyharmed.His body suddenly tensed as he was forcibly tossed away."Guah!?"Godou was basically hurtled to the ground like an evildoer being punished.Following that, his body was pressed and held down.He looked towards the attacker to his surprise, it was Liliana.She stared at Godou with a hollow gaze. Erica also had an identical eyeexpression as she closed in on Godou. No, even Yuri who was behind herwas the same.'During this time before Saturnus is revived from the sprout, there's no wayI can successfully accomplish my task due to my power restriction. Since itis like this, you a male godslayer, should downgrade to a slave.'The voice of the Grey One came from somewhere.'However, during this period of time I'll disrupt your status, rendering youfrom using your original authorities. By doing this I'll be able to buy sometime, Kusanagi Godou.'The faces of Erica, Yuri, and Liliana all closed in on him.Unable to freely move, Kusanagi Godou was powerless in preventing thegirls from seizing his lips.'It goes without saying that you are a godslayer. Should you have the heartto do battle, then it should be child's play for you to break my curse withyour tempestuous fighting spirit. Should our paths cross in the near future,I shall flee. At the same time I shall also uproot the new sprout should youencounter it. Our ill-fated encounter shall be set aside for now!'Through the lips of the girls, the mysterious curse was transferred insidethrough oral intake.Immediately afterwards, Kusanagi Godou lost the bonds of camaraderie hehad built up with his comrades over the course of almost a year. Even thetask instructed by his sworn elder sister was forgotten. The ambiguousposition he was caught in prompted the predicament he was in beforewinter break .Part 5After reflecting back on what just happened, he understood that thealtercation between him and his opponent lasted for quite a long time.Within the business office of the Hong Kong based Lu family inKabukichou, Godou emotionally counted the number of days. The first timehe encountered the Grey One was on December 11 th. Going out to eatwith Shizuka and Asuka took place on December 15th.Furthermore, today was December 21st, the final day of the secondsemester. Unexpectedly, he had already covered a ten day period."Plus with that email, the resurrection or whatever it was talking about, thatwas actually in regards to Saturnus "Then did Lu Yinghua actually send the report? I must check just to be sure.That said, this year's winter solstice was set to take place on December22nd. There was no time to waste . The anxious Godou appeared tobe inside a reception room. He went towards what was probably a sofameant for receiving guests and sat down.In front of him on the glass table was the cordless handset of a fixed-linephone. He had already waited around an hour for a call from Lu Yinghua.Looking at the time, twenty-two hours had already passed."I-I'm very sorry. I should've used Mailing magic to send the letter to youngmaster at the sacred mountain. We can only helplessly wait for them toreply."Opening the door, the male host apologized. He bowed his head while inconstant panic, probably because he feared that Kusanagi Godou was thesame type of person as Luo Hao."For now I'll wait another ten minutes and see. After that, if there is nonews, then I should probably get going. I apologize for the inconvenience Ihave caused you."Although he wanted to try his best to collect more information, there justwasn't much time left.After leaving the place, Godou planned on heading towards the Crown ofSaturnalia's original whereabouts. There was only a few hours left till theday of the winter solstice. It would be best to take action as soon aspossible." !? 1-1 won't be able to help you, my utmost apologies! For atonement,in our faction we would be branded, but in Japan you actually have to cutoff a finger right!?""The idea of doing either of them never even crossed my mind!"Godou wanted to help up the host who was holding his knees whilekneeling in a kowtow position.Just when he was about to do that, a lively melody was emitted from thephone due to an incoming call. As a result, the host revealed a joyousexpression. Godou appeared to have wanted to take the phone away fromhim as he picked it up."Is this Yinghua!?"'Oh, the voice of Esteemed Uncle. You being safe is all that matters 'Lu Yinghua's voice rarely sounded so languish across the phone.'No, I never would've thought that I had already been with my master forover ten days. I was stuck with a pile of chores and practice over here.Although I wanted to go back, there was no way I could have. Just now Ihad to go through a lot of trouble to deceive master and run towards avillage with a phone '"Compared to this Yinghua, the email that mentioned something beingrevived on the day of the winter solstice, were you the sender?"Godou interrupted the virtuous nephew.'Yeah, about that situation, from the fragments master recalled, I was ableto pry out some trouble. That's why I sent out a high urgency report.'So it was like that. Godou understood. Be that as it may, from the anxioustone of that email, there was the fear that he had to comply with hismaster's commands, hence leading to an urgency of time. Since Godourepeatedly warned him to use the least rule breaking method, he probablyadopted this form of intelligence gathering."The one being revived was actually referring to the deity Saturnus?"'Yes. It is said that in ancient Rome between the dates December 17th andDecember 24th, a grand festival for Saturnus would take place during thatweek. During this festival, the people would endlessly feast in joy andcarouse. Of course, the calendar was different back then.'Godou did not understand Lu Yinghua's explanation."Well, how can you be so sure that Saturnus will be revived during the timeof the winter solstice?"'From what master said, no matter what calendar you use, it will definitelybe on the day of the winter solstice. I've completely forgotten the reasonwhy and it seems master will not say anymore on the matter.'After Lu Yinghua used a careless tone to explain, he asked:'However, why does Esteemed Uncle care about this matter? If it wasEsteemed Uncle getting involved, then the sealing of the bizarre divineartifact would've taken place a long time ago. With that, the problem shouldbe over with right? I believed this is definitely the case so I only informedyou on what would occur on that day.'That was typical of Lu Yinghua. He understood Godou's preferred methodof battle very clearly.Although he was cautious during the prelude to battle, once the battlecommenced he had the advantage of immediately engaging in a blitzkriegattack. Correct, if it was the habitual Godou, he would have faced offagainst the Crown of Saturnalia ages ago."No, this situation has become a bit more complicated "Godou briefly mentioned the matter regarding the Grey One's curse. Afterhearing about it, Lu Yinghua reflected on it for a bit and then unhurriedlybegan to speak.The ancient festival of Saturnus appeared to be an uncanny game.Switching identities slaves and their masters would swap positions andsuch.'"Switching "'Yes, the slaves would issue out commands and the master would have tocomply during this shambled state of merriment for seven days and sevennights.'Slaves becoming masters, masters becoming slaves."T-The curse this grey bastard casted on me is "'My belief is that it was the one I mentioned. Isn't its purpose just torecreate the power from that game for Esteemed Uncle and theonee-sans? Furthermore, the curse will also restrict the companions atyour side. It just seems like he is toying with Esteemed Uncle's memoriesregarding his own status.'"I knew something about that curse was strange. I never would've thoughtthere existed that sort of backstory "'Actually, I heard that 150 years ago a terrifying, chaotic event occurred atthe grounds which Saturnus made his descent. The people living in the citywhere he resided completely forgot about all the various boundaries intheir life and went partying merrily. Families were not in the leastconcerned, work and obligations were ignored, morals and a sense ofshame were all forgotten, the heart and soul were preoccupied withmerriment, frenzy, drinking and chanting, forever on a singing and dancingbinge.'"Forever!?"'Indeed. If it was edible then it was all gobbled up. Even muddy water andhorse manure would suffice. Assuming the body was exhausted to thepoint where you couldn't even move, there would be spastic movements asyou continued to dance to the last breath.'This was probably a scene in which his sworn elder sister Luo Cuilian hadwitnessed before.Imagining that scene that could only be described as a disturbing feast ofmadness, Godou was left breathless.'If you do not vanquish Saturnus, everyone's behavior will stay like that tilltheir death this was what master told me.'"Since he is the festival god of bountiful harvests, I thought he wouldn'tundertake something as heinous as this "'The curse Esteemed Uncle and the others were ensnared in seems to bea weakened version.'As expected of a heretic god. Godou felt immediate actions werenecessary.Regardless of what the original deity's traits were, he triggered a disaster,meaning the trait of provoking disasters was certainly fulfilled. It wasnecessary to urgently check the situation with the emblem.If only heretic Saturnus were to initiate some sort of peaceful conduct.However, if things do not turn out like that then'Goodluck on your battle, Esteemed Uncle.'Lu Yinghua spoke as if he could read Godou's mind.'This is all I can do from Lushan. No, if I were to go over there and getinflicted by Saturnus's curse, then I probably won't end up as your comradeanymore. However, perhaps there is a way.'"Hey hey. I'm definitely not as aggressive as Nee-san ok?"'What the heck are you saying? You are the devil king-sama who defeateda god. For Esteemed Uncle's group, this isn't about a difference betweenstrong or weak, instead it is about winning or losing isn't it!?'Lu Yinghua cheerfully smiled at Godou's complaints.'Plus if the enemy is crazed enough, Esteemed Uncle will also have thefreedom to be as violent as he wants. Well, it will probably be an evenmatch!'Perhaps the one who was more knowledgeable about Campiones was thisdisciple of a devil king. Godou scratched his head in contemplation andthen made up his mind.Even though this time he didn't have anyone to fight alongside him, up untilthis day he always had assistance in all aspects of life. Only in this casewas he unable to rely on the girls. However, even with that, if he didn't doanything .Godou unknowingly began to smile. The corners of his mouth took on asinister form.If you ask why, it is probably because the power restriction was negated.Thus, he could go at it with his full strength. He could finally rid himself ofthis issue imposed by the enemy which inexplicably caused himaggravation.Needless to say, this was definitely not the resentment a pacifist shouldhave.References1 . t Style name: a Chinese style name, also known as a courtesyname, was a given name generally used after the age of twenty as asign of adulthood and respect. The use of style names have fallen outof tradition since the early twentiethcentury. http://en.wi kipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_style_name2. t Friendship between gentlemen. ..(^^-(D'x.y. a saying thatoriginates from the Daoist philosophical classic, Zhuangzifat^). Thefull saying is "Friendship between gentlemen, they say, is insipid aswater; that of petty men, sweet as rich wine. But the insipidity of thegentleman leads to affection, while the sweetness of the petty manleads to revulsion. Those with no particular reason for joining togetherwill for no particular reasonpart."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuangzi_(book)3. t Kabukichou(f^ftfflJ): an entertainment and red-light district inShinjuku, Tokyo. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabukich%C5%8D,_Tokyo4. t Seven Sages: the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove were agroup of Daoist scholars, artists and musicians in the 3rd centuryChina. http://en.wi kipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Sages_of_the_Bamboo_Grove5. t Moon guitar(^ W): a stringed traditional Chinese instrument thatresembles a lute with a round body.http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/Yueqin6. t Qin(^), by Chinese poet Bai Juyi(6fiJg) from the Tang dynasty.The qin is a classic Chinese musicalinstrument. http://en.wi kipedia.org/wiki/Guqin7. t Saturnus: the Latin name of the Roman god Saturn who wasidentified with the Greek godCronus. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_(mythology)8. t Yakushima(JM^il): an island covered in dense forest, locatedsouth of Kyushu and designated as a UNESCO Man and the BiosphereReserve. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakushima9. t Shirakami-Sanchi(S#lil±tk): a mountainous area of unspoiledforest located in northern Honshu, and is a UNESCO World HeritageSite. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirakami-Sanchi10. t Anatolia: Denotes the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprisingthe majority of the Republic of Turkey

Chapter 5 - Incident's Cause and True CulpritPart 1This situation had started during December .During then were Kusanagi Godou's last moments of peace. The entireworld was in tranquility just after the battle against Lancelot, the War Godof the Lance, had ended. On December 3rd, he was leisurely at ease whenhis sister Shizuka's birthday came around. Although the day for the end ofyear exams were fast approaching, when compared to a battle between adeity and a devil king, it wasn't really a big deal.Well, there has been a bit of turmoil.Their grandpa had left for Bhutan four days before Shizuka's birthday."Starting today, the responsibility of cooking will fall onto me for the timebeing. What's something good I should fix up?"Godou mentioned this in the academy's courtyard while eating and idlychatting away.The scenery of his surroundings were still the same as before with thethree girls Erica Blandelli, Mariya Yuri, and Liliana Kranjcar by his side."Speaking of which, Godou-san has made various kinds of dishes before.This has nothing to do with me."Yuri carried a warm smile as she spoke. She probably remembered thetime at Nikkou.However, in actuality Godou had a reason for being indecisive."The problem is this. Occasionally cooking something is fine, but I feel likeI don't have the ambition to persevere through an official daily cookingroutine.""Please don't talk about these matters using that expression you useduring battle."Liliana made a smooth and natural assertion, however her expressionactually turned into embarrassment.But there was no other way. Kusanagi Godou felt that he possessed thecharacteristics of an honest and considerate person, however, he lackedthe discipline of a husband who enjoyed doing household chores and thedisposition of a manageable guy who was incapable of cooking."During times like these, I would have probably used curry to convenientlysolve this problem. If I were to use a large pan and fill it to the top, cookingsomething of that size would last three, four days. A simple yet convenientmethod."The reactions of the girls were all very subtle. Yuri cautiously went silent,but you could see she carried a slight bit of sorrow in her eyes as shethought about the meaning behind the question "Would this be ok?".Liliana on the other hand shook her head in distress as she thought "Sothat means this person is really ". Her face looked sullen as she sighed.As for the last person, Erica remained silent while she was eating hersandwich. Afterwards she said,"Hey Godou, if it was me and you came to my house and continued toprepare those crudely made dinners several days in a row, I wouldprobably decide to revolt against the King after two days."Erica spoke with complete indifference."At least put in a little more effort. It'd be so boring if you did that.""I don't have the guts to make those hazardous dishes that you findinteresting to put up a fight. As long as it can be prepared with simplicity,tastes good, and is nutritious, it would be good enough for me.""Even so, that is extremely dull. Doesn't life basically revolve aroundeating?""Shizuka would probably also feel depressed as a result "After Godou retorted Erica's comments, Liliana spoke her own opinion.Yuri on the other hand casted her gaze downwards.What Godou felt at this moment was the separation due to the differencesin culture between boys and girls.For the relatively easygoing, frequently exercising male, Kusanagi Godou,there was absolutely nothing wrong with this sort of dietary lifestyleconsisting of "eating curry for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for three days ina row".But, could it be that girls were different?He finished his lunch while still bearing the indecision to his problem. Oncehis afternoon classes had concluded, his day of school was over.As soon as he returned home and put away his backpack, he would headout to purchase the ingredients for tonight's dinner. What should Imake He stressed over this issue on his way back. Unexpectedly, hefound Liliana waiting by the entrance to his house.The Kusanagi household was located on the Nezu Sanchome shoppingdistrict.Since it was an old bookstore back in the days, the entrance on the firstfloor was directly facing the street of the shopping district. In other words,the silver-haired European girl standing at this location received a lot ofattention from the people passing by and the neighbors. However, Lilianaremained calm and collected while disregarding their gazes and said toGodou:"I was waiting for you Kusanagi Godou.""Why are you here, is something wrong? Would you like to come insidefirst?""No, before going in we must first purchase tonight's dinner ingredients."Liliana spoke firmly. Godou felt puzzled and responded with "goingshopping?"."Since you, as our lord, said you didn't have the attitude to cook every day,as your number one knight it is imperative that I assist you. Let me handletonight's dinner ok?""Eh! ?""Moreover, you don't need to regard me as an outsider. Clearly all youneeded to do was mention 'please cook tonight's dinner'. However, youneed to figure it out for yourself one day."□liana's complaint appeared to contain a slight hint of criticism in it. Godouhurriedly waved his hands,"T-There is no need, these problems only apply to my household.""Did you forget? I, Liliana Kranjcar, am the sole person who would certainlyundertake your personal tasks. Problems in the kitchen are of coursewithin my realm of responsibilities. Is there anything you would like to eattonight?"In the end, Godou was unable to decline and thus they headed off togetheralong the shopping district.They went through butcher shops, vegetable and fruit markets, fresh fishstores, supermarkets etc.Just as Godou retrieved his wallet to pay the bill, Liliana resolutely stated"the household spending is also part of my responsibilities".He had no choice but to just hand the wallet to her and let her decide howto spend the money (after all, there was no way to tell her to pay upfrontand allow him to repay the expense later).Afterwards they returned home. Liliana put on her own commonly usedapron around her uniform and started to cook.Godou was politely declined when he offered to help and was currentlybored while idly standing by.The door opened and Shizuka came in bristling with anger"Onii-chan! Rumors about you were already being spread throughout theneighborhood! I heard that today it appeared that Liliana-san andOnii-chan were together and specifically went to the shopping district toengage in a shopping date. Furthermore, you even handed your wallet toher, it's like you guys are an engaged couple or newlyweds!"Well, what ensued was an argument. However, it would probably be bestnot to elaborate the details on this matter.On the contrary, the problematic issues arose only when he got up the nextday.Just as Godou finished freshening up at six-thirty in the morning, thedoorbell rang.As soon as he opened the door, he saw Yuri wearing her uniform standingright in front of him.She was carrying a delicately made bento with an embarrassed look allover her face."I'm very sorry for disturbing you this early. There is something I mustdiscuss with Godou-san ""I usually wake up very early so it is fine, however, what's the problem?"Godou tensed up at this sudden morning visit."Could it be that a god has appeared somewhere?""No. It isn't anything like that. Actually, Amakasu-san passed on someinformation. He said that last night Liliana-san went to Godou-san's houseto make dinner.""H-How does that person know what happened here that night! ?"Amakasu is a descendant of the ninjas. His intelligence gathering could bedescribed as his forteOnce Yuri heard Godou muttering to himself due to the unexpectedinformation that was gathered from him, Yuri's expression slightly stiffened."Does that mean it was true?""Ah, haha. That girl Liliana seemed to have said 'this kind of task is alsopart of my job', something like that.""About that, despite Liliana-san being your number one knight, if youcompletely rely on her good intentions, wouldn't that feel inappropriate?Especially this time when the housework was to be done by Godou-san.""I guess you're right "Godou lowered his head upon hearing her sincere advice."It's different from everyone individually bringing food during the day.Yesterday I was spoiled by Liliana's enthusiasm, however this is actuallyvery bad."Yuri offered her righteous opinion, but on the contrary, Godou actuallyrejoiced upon hearing her words."Yes. Thank you Mariya. Speaking to me in this manner helps me out a lot.If I'm not capable of doing these type of things myself then that wouldn't beright.""Ah, no. It is me, I was the one who spoke out of line."Godou expressed his gratitude while the gentle ojou-sama waspanic-stricken."I feel like Godou-san is generally a well-behaved person other than yourindifference to your own conduct during important events."Yuri shyly gazed downwards and handed over the contents in her hands.She handed over the furoshiki that was in her possession the entire time."Here you go if you don't mind, please accept this.""What is this?""I made some onigiris. If you don't mind, please eat them in place of yourlunch.""I must say, during times like these I feel like I shouldn't completely rely onother people's good intentions. Especially this time since it involvesmatters related to housework."Godou repeated his counterpart's argument from before causing Yuri toinstantly raise her head."T-That's how it should be! What I meant by having a sense of proprietywas referring to you having to behave appropriately in other aspects!""Even so, that's still ""I want to help Godou-san since you still are not used to doing housework.The complications that would arise from this is what I'm concerned about.Those that are close to you would of course share these same feelings ofconcern. So, if you don't mind then "Yuri once again timidly handed over the bento.Godou felt slightly perplexed but he still accepted it with gratitude. He thensaid "come in and stay for a bit" to Yuri who was heading directly to school.Inside the bag were: salmon, plum, and bonito flake rice balls with three ofeach kind.They were neatly arranged inside the bento box. Godou immediatelythought about making some miso sauce and Yuri offered to help.Halfway through, Godou's role was reduced to being Mariya's assistant asshe showed off how to prepare the Mariya family's miso soup recipe"Onii-chan yesterday it was Liliana-san and now today it'sMariya-senpai, what's going on? Both of them have come early in themorning!"It was obvious that this was the first thing Shizuka said when she enteredthe kitchen in the morning.By the way, Yuri and Liliana also accompanied each other shopping todayonce they got back from school."This issue is entirely the Kusanagi household's problem. Godou-san mustwork hard to maintain independency.""The responsibility of assisting the King falls to his retainers. I would rathersee him leisurely sit around and watch me complete his tasks."As they were shopping, the direction of their argument took on the form ofneverending parallel lines.During this time, Liliana's gaze had the endurance of a composer who justfound inspiration for a composition or like a poet immersed in writingpoetry." No, wait a second. Actually in that aspect there arevarious residences with newlywed lifestyles where the bride expends alot of effort in the kitchen preparing dinner. The husband who isn'taccustomed to this field wishes to lend a hand. Their gazes accidentallyintersect, the young and tender emotions that arises it's exactly likethis!"She nodded with approval as she spoke. Following that, she cleared herthroat and said "h-having it this way might not be so bad" and suddenlyaccepted Yuri's viewpoint.As a result, when the three of them returned to the Kusanagi house, hestarted helping the two of them make dinner.On the way home, Shizuka once again became furious.After that, the evening of the next day came around.Erica, who had found this situation to be quite interesting when she heardabout it, brought a meat pie personally made by Arianna that had beenstored in the kitchen of the Blandelli household. Ena, who roams around like a wandering traveler, also suddenly showed up and brought him twopounds of both brown rice and miso.Even Yuri and Liliana appeared together at that time .During this time, Shizuka placed a picture of her deceased paternalgrandmother and spirit tablet on the living room table."Onii-chan, come over here and kneel down for a bit. Please put your handagainst your chest, then turn around and reflect over what you did recently.Carefully reflect on this for a bit and afterwards apologize to grandma'sdeparted soul. Ah, hey, I'm not done speaking yet!"Being forced to do this without realizing what his immoral conduct was,Godou evaded her to reach his room on the second floor in order to takerefuge.The other four people followed him inside. Erica started to snicker, Yuriwas completely embarrassed, Liliana still kept her usual earnestexpression, and Ena showed no signs of concern ."Geez, Shizuka has recently been very irritable.""That means even Godou could figure out how to solve this kind ofproblem. That was quite a difficult task."Erica commented on Godou who expressed his discontent.In short, because of these unexpected circumstances it was made possiblefor his usual friends to all gather together inside Godou's room for the firsttime.Since it was an empty and dull room, even after fitting five people in there itunexpectedly didn't feel very cramped.He took out what appeared to be either a seat cushion or sofa pillow foreach person there and all of them appropriately sat down."Well then, how capable is your Majesty at cooking?""It is hard to say after only one or two days."Seishuuin Ena's question made Godou wryly smile.She had arrived in Tokyo not too long ago after recovering from the injuriesto her body during the battle against Guinevere.Ena, who was also honing her cooking capabilities, smiled and said:"That's perfect. Did Your Majesty go to Yuri and the others for cookinglessons today? Ena also wants to enter and study with Your Majesty."For the time being I should probably focus on my cooking responsibilities.Godou had this kind of meager resolve.He didn't want to push his responsibilities on the accommodating Yuri andLiliana since it completely matched the saying, give him an inch and he'llwant a mile. As a result, he asked them "can you please teach me the artof cooking".Nevertheless, in reality there was the restriction of his cooking level beinginadequate.While Godou was dilly dallying, the girls had already decided on someother business to deliberate."Oh yeah, it's almost Christmas. Can you teach me how to cook somethinginvolving turkey?""Will there be an event scheduled for this time of year as social conventiondictates? Are you celebrating the holidays together with Shizuka and yourmom?"After Godou freely spoke, he was questioned by Liliana."No, there isn't anything special being planned. Well, it just feels likeeveryday around that time there would be numerous visitors in the housewith Shizuka and I. Speaking of which, Nanami and the others previouslymentioned that as a guy you have to stay up and party till dawn. Givingthat a shot doesn't seem so bad.""All the way till morning? It sounds like a lot of fun.""Mariya Yuri. If you say it like that, Kusanagi Godou might actually considerparticipating.""Yeah. When you consider this gathering of his and the serious tone hehad not too long ago, he is heavily guilty of contradicting himself."Erica and Liliana's tone hinted a bit of sorrow as they responded to thesmiling Yuri.Afterwards, the silver-haired knight cleared her throat and slowly began tospeak."I have a suggestion. Even though it sounds a bit ambitious, how aboutholding a Christmas party and having me be in charge of the invitations?""A party It has been quite peaceful recently so it sounds like a prettygood idea."Her suggestion came quite suddenly but Godou nevertheless heavilynodded in response.However, today was December 9th. It hasn't even been half a month sincethe battle with Lancelot. Knowing how long this kind of tranquility will lastwas quite an enigmatic matter."Well, I'm guessing it would be quite good to occasionally host a gatheringfor our group."Erica winked as she stated her opinion.Her manner of speaking really seemed to indicate she was already used toattending parties."Ah, however, can a miko normally celebrate Christmas?""Overall what we do isn't that strict. However "Yuri wryly smiled towards Godou's inquiry. Afterwards she slightly becameat a loss for words."However?""Kaoru-san is amazing whenever it reaches this time of the year. Startingfrom the twentieth, she would have dates with girls every single day.Amazing people should behave like this, completely unfazed even whenfaced with the nagging of elders."Ena continued where her friend left off and explained to Godou.Speaking of Kaoru, the girl she takes as her partner on a date is definitelyswapped every day. She has even developed the ultimate skill of havingChristmas dates with three separate people within the same day."Guess it would be best to not invite her ""Since she is someone who likes to be rowdy, I suspect she would stillshow up for a bit. However the problem lies on Ena's behalf. Every yeararound this time Ena will head to the mountains to spend the holidays.""Hey Seishuuin, about those religious practices in the mountains, are youable to get a head start on it?"Ena clasped her hands and said "ah, I see" in response to Godou'squestion.To the rigid Hime-miko of the Sword who wasn't used to having a goodtime, Godou couldn't help but smile.Seeing this, Yuri exposed a graceful smile and Erica elegantly glancedover everyone as if she was a noblewoman. Even though Liliana was theperson who had to invite other people and act as the host, she was stillvery happy.Just like this, the early parts of December have indeed been very peacefulfor Godou and company.At this time, the person who brought the doom and gloom was the martialartist Lu Yinghua no, instead it was someone in this world whom hefeared the most, someone whom he was most humble to, a person whomhe was in contact with that was deemed the most supreme tyrant.Part 2"I've brought a message from Master."The current location was the VIP room of the Akihabara maid-themed teahouse, the "Peerless Statesman."Lu Yinghua spoke gloomily as soon as he spotted Godou.Fourteen years old. A handsome youth with a slim but not particularly tallphysique. Nevertheless, an unmistakable sense of arrogance hung on hisface the same way dark circles below the eyes could not be concealed.Besides Kusanagi Godou, Sayanomiya Kaoru and Amakasu Touma alsohappened to be present in the room.Those two were currently playing baccarat on one of the card game tables."From Nee-san? What a rare occasion."The unexpected report livened up Godou's spirits.It was currently after 10pm on the ninth of December after his discussionwith the girls about the party. After a lively dinner with everyone, Godouhad received a call from Lu Yinghua informing him "I just got back."Lu Yinghua had apparently made a trip back to Hong Kong for somereason.Hearing that he was back in Akihabara, Godou looked forward to meetinghim again."Come to think of it, I haven't contacted her all this time."The sworn elder sister Luo Cuilian. Style name Hao.^ The one peopleaddressed as Her Eminence Luo Hao. As well as being Lu Yinghua'smaster, she was the leader of the Holy Cult of the Five Mountains.Friendship between gentlemen was as insipid as water J -- she was onewho lived according to this principle. Consequently, even though she andGodou were sworn siblings they did not have frequent contact. In fact, thiswas the first time Godou heard from her since parting at Nikkou."During my recent visit to the Mount Lu convent, Master suddenly said thefollowing."In a remote corner on the sacred peaks of Mount Emei, looking up at themoonlit sky.The transcendent beauty who rivaled the moon fairy was declaring in abeautiful voice as melodic as a musical instrument.'Perhaps it would be a pleasant experience to admire the beauty of themoon together on occasion, just the two of us, siblings bound by oath. Myyoung eagle, I have a mission for you. You must take care and accomplishit as if it was your job.'Hearing the demonic cult leader's statement retold, Kaoru and Amakasuexchanged glances."Considering it's Her Eminence, would things really be over with just moonwatching?""Hey don't slander her. Even though she's someone who can't be left alonein urban areas, I think she's quite affectionate in certain ways -- Eh, am Iwrong?"With a wry expression, Godou objected to the two History CompilationCommittee members who were both older than him.Standing next to Godou, Lu Yinghua shook his head with a complicatedexpression on his face."Listen to me carefully, Honored Uncle. If five or ten years had passedsince you last parted, then sure, her words might seem a little plausible.But less than two months? Master in particular, cannot possibly desire areunion with her sworn little brother simply because she misses you!"Stated in no uncertain terms, a depressing sense of truth."I can guarantee with an oath, something suspicious is definitely going on!""Decidedly...""In any case, allow me to deliver this to Honored Uncle first. Master'sorders are to drink it up during the next full moon."Lu Yinghua handed over a little bottle containing a liquid that looked likemercury."What'll happen if I drink it?""I expect it will lead to all kinds of trouble. Drinking it results in instanttransportation to Mount Lu where Master resides."Godou shrugged in response to this rather problematic explanation that leftgreat room for elaboration.Well, it's not like I'll die -- thought Godou to himself. Accepting the bottleand putting it away, he said:"When's the next full moon?""It happens to be tomorrow..."Tonight, I'm gonna meet my elder sister in China--Godou announced to the girls during lunch the next day. "No ordinarymeeting for sure" was Erica's response. Saying that, she sighed. As forYuri, she pleaded "You must return safe and sound" with a graveexpression. On the other hand, Liliana offered her assurance, promising"In the event of unforeseeable tragedy, I will take good care of little sisterShizuka."Godou sent a text message to inform Ena who was currently training inChichibu.'Please tell me about your experiences throughout the journey. However,it'd be best if you don't die.'Her reply did not seem like she was joking at all.In any case, Godou could agree with her response in certain ways."Compared to tigers in human form, Nee-san sure is ten thousand timesmore fearsome..."Godou muttered as he walked over to Shinjuku's Kabukichou^ districtduring dusk.It did not feel appropriate to wear school uniform on this bustling street, sonaturally, Godou had changed into casual clothing. He made his way to theaddress of a multi-tenant building. The office of Hong Kong's Lu family waslocated on the top floor of this building, and Lu Yinghua apparently had aroom there for conducting daily affairs.Anyway, today's destination was the rooftop of this building.Lu Yinghua was waiting right there. Furthermore, this nephew's malesubordinates were using chalk to inscribe on the floor of the roof geometricshapes and patterns with lots of Chinese characters written on them."We welcome your grand arrival, Honored Uncle. We are now preparingthe magic circle."Godou nodded to acknowledge Lu Yinghua's martial arts salute, thenwaited for ten-odd minutes.By the time the circle was complete, the evening sun had already set andthe sky had turned completely dark. Godou stood in the center of the circlewith only Lu Yinghua by his side.Mustering his determination, Godou drank the bottle of silver liquid he hadreceived earlier.His first reaction was that it tasted really bad. A kind of indescribable tasterivaling Arianna's efforts in pot-stewed cuisine. Furthermore, the instant heswallowed this viscous fluid, an exceptional sense of scorching heatseemed to be spreading from his stomach.This liquid's effects were apparently quite astounding.It seemed to be the medium for applying Daoist arts to Godou all the wayfrom distant Mount Lu.Due to the discomfort in his throat and the scorching feeling in hisstomach, Godou collapsed to his knees on the floor of the rooftop. In thatvery instant...He was transported. The surrounding scenery of the Kabukichou buildingrooftop gradually dissipated and Godou found himself no longer crouchingon the rooftop of the multi-tenant building in Kubukichou.'Much time have passed since our last parting, my little brother.'"Nee-san...?"Hearing the beautiful voice he missed so much, Godou groaned.Enduring the discomfort in his throat and stomach, Godou stood up withgreat difficulty and surveyed his surroundings.This place was deep in mountains he had never been to, and consequentlynever seen before. Also, he had not been sent to the foot or even midwayup the mountain.Situated on one of the peaks of Mount Emei, this place was at substantialaltitude. Godou was standing on a protrusion of rock that resembled anobservation platform and offered a wide expansive view of the neighboringmountains and the world below.The greenery at the foot of various mountains, together with the swathes ofwhite snow near the mountaintops, looked as if they were far off in thedistance.Turning his gaze up, Godou could see the sky filled with twinkling stars."I can't see you, where are you?""Honored Uncle. Master is simply projecting her voice from far away."As Godou looked around for signs of Luo Cuilian, Lu Yinghua informedhim.The nephew proceeded to kneel on one knee and salute with one fistagainst an open palm."Master's might and virtue, rivaling the sun in the sky, becomes ever moredazzling for each passing day. Your disciple Lu Yinghua reports his return,and at the same time, offers wishes of eternal longevity to wise andvalorous Master."Godou was immensely impressed by how far Lu Yinghua went with thesewords of flattery.Luo Cuilian's unique and wonderful voice was heard once more. But hermessage was exceedingly merciless.'My young eagle, thank you for accomplishing your task. Now go back toyour training for I have prepared a suitable opponent. You shall be laudedif you achieve victory in one day. You pass if you do it in two. If it takes youthree days... Hmph, then I shall personally give you a good schooling.Nothing else needs to be said.'Luo Cuilian had infused a certain power into these quiet words. Namely,the [Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Howl].The authority to turn her voice into Shockwaves of wind. The current levelof force was probably strong enough to send a light vehicle flying.ii 1 1 1Surrounded by the intangible Shockwave, Lu Yinghua took a great leapbackwards and crossed his arms in an X-shape to protect himself. True tothe name of the promising young star of the martial realm.Dodging the full brunt of the force, he was instead blown into the night skybetween the mountains. Furthermore, the magical wind continued to blow,pushing him further and further back in the air."Oowaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah . . . ! "For the very first time, Godou heard the pitiful screams of his arrogantnephew.Lu Yinghua was blown away like a kite whose string was severed, fallingsomewhere amongst the peaks of the mountain range."This really doesn't look good for Yinghua..."'Do not worry. I have already summoned an appropriate opponent to theplace where this child will land. Leave him be for now.'Luo Cuilian answered Godou's comment on a completely differentwavelength.Was the scene that just transpired an everyday occurrence for thismaster-disciple pair? Whether the disciple who could instantly react to anysituation, or the master who imposed her expectations upon him, neitherwere normal.Oooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaooooooooo. . . .Hearing the rumbling roars of a magical beast in the far distance, Godouspoke up:"Could that be Yinghua's opponent?"'Yes. Hoho... Even though I said two days would earn a pass, from what Ican tell, he passes if he can hunt and kill this formidable foe within fourdays. So, how well will my young eagle perform?'The demonic cult leader uttered words that had long transcended therealm of strictness.Godou remarked "she really is someone like that" as he nodded, praying tothe heavens for Yinghua's safety.'So, little brother. Come up directly along the mountain path. Your eldersister has been waiting impatiently.'Urged by the voice of his sworn elder sister, Godou got off the rock thatresembled an observation platform.He proceeded to ascend the mountain path. This place should besomewhere in the Lushan National Park in China's Jiangxi province. Thesky was filled with stars and constellations without being shrouded by asingle cloud. A completely clear and lucid night sky.This splendorous canopy of radiant starlight was a view one could not findin gloomy urban environments."Since we are here to admire the full moon, I guess it's lucky the sky is notovercast."'In accordance with prior wishes, I had the clouds blown away beforehand.Chasing after a cloud-hidden moon could be amusing at times.Nevertheless, tonight is the reunion of we sworn siblings after ourtwo-month separation. Truly, taking place beneath the bright full moon ismost ideal, hence those impertinent clouds have been driven away for thisoccasion.'Godou was merely remarking on something he noticed, but little did heexpect such a surprising answer.She turned out to be even more counter to common logic than imagined...Godou thought to himself emphatically as he conversed with the swornelder sister's voice. Soon after, he reached a pavilion.In an open area in the mountain, a little house with only a roof and no wallshad been built here.The transcendent beauty in front of this pavilion was the Campione whostood as the Ruler of the Martial Realm."You have arrived without trouble, my little brother, Kusanagi Godou!"In this fashion, the sworn elder sister and younger brother were reunitedafter two months.Part 3Family name Luo. Given name Cuilian. Style name Hao.Despite having passed the age of two hundred, she still possessed thebeautiful appearance of a late teen. Hers was beauty that put nature toshame and could bring nations to ruin. Indeed, such incomparable beautyof hers was truly transcendent.Tonight, she was dressed in Han Chinese clothing, in a style reminiscent ofa heavenly goddess.The elegance of her long flowing sleeves and lightly floating hemlines gaveone an illusion of having arrived at the heavenly emperor's palace.But in actual fact, she was the warrior standing at the martial pinnacle andthe Daoist priestess who had reached the peak of Daoist mastery.Ingrained in her body were arts and knowledge completely surpassing allother Campiones."Why don't you relax? Sit or lie down, whichever you want. Should you tireof moon watching, we can have a quiet conversation throughout the night.Hoho, as Devil Kings, it is not a bad idea to enjoy ourselves in a style intribute to the Seven Sages.Making such a suggestion, Luo Cuilian lowered herself on her own.And sat down on a white tiger(!) rug that had been laid over the floor of thepavilion.Another similar rug could be seen, most likely prepared for her sworn littlebrother. Godou was currently wearing a winter coat, but it was merely oneintended for use in Tokyo. At the top of a mountain at such high altitudes, itwas completely ineffective.Chilling mountain air seeped into his clothes, mercilessly robbing Godou ofhis body warmth.To be honest, the tiger fur rug was truly a blessing. Godou immediatelybent down and sat cross-legged. At the very least, this should help keephis legs and lower torso warm.Running his hand through the striped pattern of the white tiger fur rug, itfelt extremely smooth."Was this really skinned from an actual tiger...?""Who knows? These were simply offered in tribute by members of the holycult some time ago. I'm not really aware of the details."The sworn elder sister's uncertain answer fully convinced Godou instead. Itwas definitely the real thing.He could not imagine anyone foolish enough to offer something inauthenticto Her Eminence Luo Hao."If you're hungry, please enjoy some of these dishes. In order to receiveyou as a guest, your elder sister ended her long absence from the kitchen,bringing to life her arts of the kitchen knife once more.""Eh? Nee-san cooked personally!?"Luo Cuilian lightly waved her hand before Godou as he watched in shock.Immediately, a number of large dishes appeared between them. Ladenupon them were three brightly-colored specimens of Chinese cuisine.The first dish seemed to be thick pork slices heaped over leafy vegetables.The second dish consisted often-odd springrolls arranged in a triangularshape. For some reason, the pastry wrappers were red in color.The third dish consisted of clear transparent soup. Even the wrappers ofthe floating dumplings in the soup were transparent, and they seemed tohold fillings made of diced meat and vegetables. Unbelievably, the fillingscontained all seven colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue,indigo and violet, giving a bright and colorful display like a kaleidoscope."...Nee-san turns out to be someone really talented at cooking."Godou remarked emphatically in admiration. Every dish without exceptionwas astoundingly phenomenal.This was not simply limited to taste. Even the appearance exhibited artisticflair like the creative masterpieces of a master chef. Combined with theextraordinary aroma, the visual impact truly made the viewer look forwardto the excellent taste."You absolutely must not disclose to others these skills possessed by LuoCuilian. Even though I once underwent training as befitted a daughter ofthe Luo family, I am now the Ruler of the Martial Realm. Putting on a showin the kitchen does not really suit my stature."Accepting the sworn little brother's praise, Luo Cuilian smiled withsatisfaction."Expressly going against principles for the sake of offering hospitality to asworn little brother. Hohoho, even though it was fairly time consuming, theresult turned out to be surprisingly favorable."Faced with this incredible cuisine, Godou eschewed modesty and took uphis chopsticks. First he went for the thickly sliced meat.Amazing! The pork was actually sliced to millimeter thickness then pileddozens of layers together in a manner akin to mille-feuille . The texture wassuch that it melted in the palate as if it were snow, dissolving into a richmeaty flavor.Next were the red springrolls. The crispy surface offered the sweet taste ofcarrots.The springrolls contained a sweet-tasting sauce. The fillings had a mixtureof several types of tubers with thickening added. The complex andwonderful interplay of differing sweet tastes immersed the tongue inpleasure without being overwhelming.Then there was the secret recipe of transparent soup and rainbow-coloreddumplings.Sipping the soup, a marvelously cool taste of sourness brought a greatrefreshing feeling to the palate. Biting into a rainbow dumpling, thedelicious taste of meat and fish, together with the savory flavor of a greatassortment of vegetables played a harmonious symphony upon the tastebuds.Godou was completely unable to fathom what ingredients and cookingprocesses had been used to produce these marvelous creations."Hmm. These are all wonderfully delicious without exception. It's amazing."Godou offered praise and admiration without flattery as he rapidly busiedhis chopsticks and his mouth."Is it possible that you cook for Yinghua occasionally?""Ridiculous. Cooking for the master is part of a disciple's training. Reversalof the master-disciple relationship is not permitted. Tonight is the firstoccasion for me to step into the kitchen in seventy years.""...I see."Was this kind of life the reason his "nephew" became so depressed?This subtle thought occurred to Godou as he savored the magnificentcuisine. All things considered, he was currently enjoying rare cuisine asuncommon as the occurrence of Haley's comet.Anyway, just as Godou finished the dishes offered as part of the swornelder sister's hospitality...Luo Cuilian casually took out the moon guitar^ that had been placed byher side.As her fingernails strummed away gently, a heavenly melody seemed to fillthe clear atmosphere. The quick rhythm of her singing resounded as iffollowing the sounds of the instrument.Placing the qin on a curved stand,And sitting tranquil beside it, emotions contained.Why trouble to pluck or strum it?The wind on the strings makes it sound itself.^She probably played simply as the mood dictated rather than showing offher talents.Humming casually like an ordinary person, she strummed the musicalinstrument with her nails. But even in such an act, Luo Cuilian displayedmastery unsurpassed by anyone in the entire world.Even though he was the only audience, Godou wanted to continuelistening along, mesmerized.But it was probably time for him to ask. About the matter her disciple wentso far as to assert as "definitely" suspicious."Nee-san. Do you have something you want to tell me?"Godou's probing question caused the sworn elder sister's hand to pause inher playing."Now that you brought it up, yes, that is my intention. I wanted to recountan old tale.""An old tale?""Back then, I was already the Ruler of the Martial Realm, but due tovarious matters I was traveling in the ancient kingdom of the Turks.""Come to think of it, you recently came expressly to Japan as well.""Over there, I chanced upon a rare divine artifact. Yes, a precious itemwhich had the ability to give birth to [Heretic Gods] and release them uponthe world.""~A divine artifact that can give birth to gods!?"Divine artifacts, were objects similar to grimoires which had been etchedwith heavenly wisdom and the laws of sacred spells.It was common for them to possess the attribute of immortalindestructibility. These were objects that were very difficult to dispose ofonce they manifested on earth."After a convoluted series of events, I finally defeated the god that hadmanifested, and sealed the divine artifact's power.""Ah... That's great news."Godou was relieved to hear the sworn elder sister recount her past victorynonchalantly."As a safety precaution, I took the sealed divine artifact back with me andkept it for the time being."The conversation seemed to be taking an ominous turn."A few days ago, I noticed the divine artifact had started recovering itspowers at some unknown point in time, and was once again about toproduce a [Heretic God].""Shouldn't you get rid of such a dangerous divine artifact right awayinstead!?"He could already guess what Luo Cuilian was about to say.But Godou suppressed the worry in his heart and went with the flow,probing further. No matter how unprecedented the actions of this swornelder sister were, he never expected the extent-And so, the beautiful demonic cult leader, showed an acute expression likea great general leading a million troops into battle."Of course not. What the divine artifact created was only a being less thana [Heretic God]. That kind of weak enemy is completely unworthy ofreceiving even a palm strike from me, Luo Cuilian. Dealing directly withthat kind of opponent would be a taint to my honor."The sworn elder sister who prompted Godou's ominous premonitions,followed up with this kind of statement."Godou. Your insight as a king still seems rather inadequate. You need toreflect properly on this.""No, no, wait a minute. So Nee-san did you ignore that being less than a[Heretic God]? The thing created by that divine artifact! What happened toit next?""Hoho. Your elder sister was not careless. Naturally, there was a plan."The sworn elder sister displayed an arrogant smile.Not only did Godou's ominous premonition not subside, it became evenstronger. From his experience, it was certain that Luo Cuilian wouldproceed to reveal something completely beyond his expectations--"The divine artifact wishes to bring vengeance upon me. However,slaughtering that loser would taint the honor of me, Luo Cuilian. And so Icommunicated the following to the other party."Alas, this was the key sentence. As expected."My sworn little brother, Kusanagi Godou, is located at the Japanesecapital of Tokyo. If you wish to have a rematch with me, Luo Hao, defeatmy younger brother first to demonstrate your strength. Then we shall see.""I knew it... At least tell me beforehand."As Godou hung his head, the sworn elder sister smiled gently in return."This comes from your elder sister's vast love, to bestow upon you this trialwith a merciful heart. Riding upon this victory, you shall continue along theglorious path of heroism.""Well, since the situation has already come to this, there's no other wayaround it."Wow, my adaptability is surely surprising. Greatly impressed by himself,Godou said:"Even though I know only two names out of the gods slain by Nee-san, itreally seems like you fought many gods in the past."To Godou's knowledge, Luo Cuilian's victories included an Om pair ofBuddha Guardians and the goddess Gayatri.Well, this was the sworn elder sister after all. It felt like she had fought allsorts of gods in the past."Yes. The name of the god I slew a century and a half ago is Saturnus.^ Agod from the Roman Empire and associated with land and harvest.Furthermore--""Furthermore?""Although I get the sense there were all sorts of causes, I've forgottenthem."Recounting her victory, Luo Cuilian asserted thus.As for this statement, rather than her memories of the past had faded overtime, it would be more accurate to say she never had any intention toreminisce over her past battles."The divine artifact seeks revenge... Nee-san, didn't you mention that justnow?""Correct. The divine artifact, [Crown of Saturnalia]. Even though it is not aliving object it can carry a conversation. An existence infused with divinequalities to a certain extent. Since this sacred vessel displays will andperception, perhaps it is possessed by some kind of spirit.""The same kind of existence as Ama no Murakumo!"Well, even if it was also made by the gods, Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugimust be ranked on a much higher level.However, there was no doubt the artifact was a troublesome existence.After that, Godou was once again given "that elixir."The secret elixir which resembled mercury, said to be concoctedpersonally by the sworn elder sister.Informed that he would return to Tokyo by drinking it, Godou had no choicebut to obey. Immediately, enchanted with the demonic cult leader'sinstantaneous transportation technique of [Terrain Reduction], Godoufound himself crouching on the rooftop of the mixed ethnic building inKubukichou.Naturally, Lu Yinghua was not present. He was still in the middle of hisspecial training(?) at Mount Lu.After arriving back in Tokyo, Godou did not return home at once. Insteadhe instantly contacted his usual friends. A troublesome foe was apparentlycoming to Tokyo to defeat Kusanagi Godou -- was what he told them."More accurately, it has already arrived."Deep into the night after Godou's return to Tokyo from Mount Lu, anemergency meeting was being held at the Sayanomiya residence.The one who spoke in an awkward tone of voice was Amakasu. Eventhough Ena was not present due to her mountain training, Erica, Yuri andLiliana had all hurried here. Obviously, Kaoru was also present."Indeed. More than enough time has already elapsed for it to travel here."Kaoru agreed with her subordinate's opinion."But didn't Yuri fail to sense any divine presence?""Yes. I have not had that kind of feeling at all lately."The Hime-Miko confirmed Erica's question with great confidence."Produced by the divine artifact, also something not a god -- somethingless than a [Heretic God], that was what Her Eminence said?"Liliana asked for confirmation, prompting Godou to nod and grumble:"Ah yes. Exactly that. Damn it, do I really need to go over there to askNee-san for more details?""What do you expect to happen? Considering Her Eminence, even ifGodou goes there with a list of questions, I don't think she will properly tellus everything we want to know.""That's right. In this regard, even Lu Yinghua can only face her in panic."Godou agreed with the red and blue knights' comments.Come to think of it, even for the youth who knew the demonic cult leaderbest, "face her in panic" was the best he could do."Regarding Heretic Saturnus, let's start investigating from other avenues."Erica proposed as if trying to brighten the mood."Even though it was a battle between a [Heretic God] and a Campione thatoccurred a century and a half ago, it is very likely that records have beenleft behind by people near the scene and involved in the world of magic. Iwill contact Milan's [Copper Black Cross] to begin urgent investigations.""That's right. Turkey is actually not too far away from Italy."Godou recalled it was a place regarded as the boundary between Europeand Asia.Thus ended the meeting that night, and the next day arrived.Amakasu had History Compilation Committee members running around allover Tokyo, but no clues concerning the divine artifact [Crown ofSaturnalia] had been found yet.Without the arrival of spirit visions, Yuri's repeated meditation did not bearany fruit in obtaining divine revelation.Liliana also attempted to use witchcraft to investigate, but did not obtainany results.But there was other good news. Godou received a call from Lu Yinghuathrough his cellphone."You're safe and sound, Yinghua!"'Yeah I suppose. Pursuing each other with that troublesome monster thatMaster had found from goodness knows where, running all over themountain made me half dead with exhaustion. I'm now taking advantage ofthe chaotic situation... no, resting near the foot of Mount Lu.'Despite having the disposition of an extraordinary genius prodigy, he wassuch a crafty and slippery customer.'That's what Master said. If I can't defeat it completely, I will surely suffer afatal counterattack from that monster. I have no choice but to defeat it in aslow but sure manner."Like master, like disciple? Godou felt like Yinghua always had the ability tosee through the master's bluffs.Even though Godou was greatly impressed by Yinghua's sharpperceptions, he still decided to go ahead and inquire about the matter."So Yinghua, what kind of monster is the enemy?""Uh, its body looks like some kind of cross between a tiger and a bull, pluswings as well as fur like a hedgehog. Its howls are similar to a dog's. Canswallow a man whole in one bite. Cannot be hunted down like a normaltiger..."What he described was an unimaginable monster, supplemented further bya few outrageous statements.Yinghua definitely hunted tigers barehanded. Concluding that to himself,Godou listened as Lu Yinghua continued:'Not only is it vicious, it's also quite smart. A crafty fellow that cannot beunderestimated. What about this monster?""Defeat it as quickly as possible. Even a day earlier would be good. Thenreport immediately back to Nee-san."Godou was well aware he was issuing difficult orders.Then he briefly outlined the issue with Saturnus that had happened so far."If you can say some good things to Nee-san, wouldn't you be able to findout roughly what happened a hundred and fifty years ago, as well as thenature of that god? We need as much information as possible, every detailcounts. I know it's tough, but you're the only one I can rely on."'S-Since it is Honored Uncle's orders, of course I will put forth my besteffort into it.'Far away in distant Mount Lu, the nephew replied in a trembling voice.'This is very challenging on many levels. Whether hunting the prey, or thetask after the hunt. In fact, the latter is three times harder than the former...Nevertheless, whatever, I will try to find a solution.'"I am counting on you."'However, the surroundings of Master's convent include not only the depthsof Mount Lu, but also a forbidden area sealed away by Master's barrier.There's no network since cellphone signals are out of reception, and evenelectricity, gas and running water are absent. So I will be out of contact fornow. Please understand.'Indeed, such a description brought to mind natural reserves in Japan suchas Yakushima^ or Shirakami-Sanchi } ^Recalling where the reunion with his sworn elder sister had taken place,Godou immediately understood.'After all, it's a place where I can't even bring in gaming devices for killingtime. There was one time when I brought a satellite cellphone and it wasmercilessly crushed. Master truly believes that the decline of moderncountries began with the invention of the steam engine.'"That's even earlier than Edison's invention of electrical powerdistribution..."'If something requires me to go to the village to handle, I'll secretly try tosend a progress report by computer. Anyway, I don't expect manyopportunities for that either.'"Then just try your best without breaking the rules."'That's good enough. I just need to borrow without asking for a minute ortwo.'Offering mild advice to the foster nephew seemed to have secured aconfident guarantee instead.'Oh by the way, if Honored Uncle wishes to contact me while I'm at MountLu, please feel free to give orders to my subordinates over at Shinjuku. So,Honored Uncle, Yinghua takes his leave.'News from Erica came a few minutes after Lu Yinghua's call ended.The manifestation of the [Heretic God] Saturnus in Turkey a hundred andfifty years ago. Members of the [Copper Black Cross] had successfullyconfirmed the sacred fruit he had left behind on earth.Part 4A small package was sent from the faraway place of Istanbul using Mailingmagic.The sender was Erica's friend who resided in Turkey's largest metropolis,Istanbul. He easily attained the desired results when he was dispatched tothe country where the demonic cult leader's previous battle took place toinvestigate its traces.The first stop of his investigation took place within Turkey's records whichrecorded a 200 year period of heretic god appearances.His focus was on the recorded history from 138 years ago where a godappeared in the Anatolia^ plains, so he immediately went to the scene ofthat occurrence. By interviewing an elderly magician, he was fortunate tofind out that his father was also an investigator for the battle in this region.Therefore, he immediately proceeded to hear out his father's investigation.In the end, he had learned from those records that it was basicallysomething along the lines of a fight between an earth god and someCampione.However, he was fortunate to ensure himself that the fruits could bebrought back as data.It appeared that after receiving this report, Erica immediately contactedhim."Don't worry about whether or not it's ethical at this time. You can do ithowever you want it, just quickly send the fruits over here to me!"As a result, the little box holding the fruits was sent to her with astonishingspeed.It was said that these were the sacred fruits left behind by the heretic godSaturnus in the past. Yuri, who came into contact with the item, finallyreceived a spirit vision."The Crown of Saturnalia. The divine artifact giving rise to Heretic Saturnusis presently located at that place."In accordance to Yuri's guidance, Amakasu quickly drove off to KasaiRinkai Park.The place where it took root was reportedly located not too far from hereon the surface of the sea .Actually, currently it was the night of December 11 th, the day after Godouvisited Lushan by himself."Within such a short time frame, we were able to arrive at the designatedlocation right away."Godou muttered with mixed feelings while riding on the patrol boatborrowed by the History Compilation Committee through their connectionsto the Japanese Coast Guard.Thus, the need to issue such inconsiderate orders towards Lu Yinghuamight arise again.After depressingly thinking over this, Erica, who had a facial expressionindicating this was as it should be, exaggeratedly said:"This is just Kusanagi Godou enhancing his formation. Even if you carefullyselected six or seven of the most elite figures in all of the magic guilds fromaround the world, you won't find any place that can match us right? Ourbattle strength, investigation ability, spirit vision, magic power, negotiatingskills, and intelligence gathering are all very outstanding."Erica, Yuri, Liliana, Ena, Amakasu, Kaoru, and Lu Yinghua were allconsidered as part of his group.Godou thought about these friends of his that he had grown accustomed toand nodded his head.After surveying each of the aforementioned people, everyone was clearlynot some type of superhuman (although there were many who possesseda high likelihood of becoming that sort of person). However, it is worthmentioning that the comprehensive strength of entire group was probablyat a very high level and balanced."Well, nevertheless you will be subjected to danger when your opponent isa god ""In our case, we practically had no confrontations with strange occurrencesor magicians."Liliana wryly smiled as she replied to Godou's thoughts.The scene consisted of Godou, who was the leader, and the knights fromMilan. Plus, there was another member in the patrol boat who was a friendof theirs."But Godou-san, is it ok to not inform Ena-san about this situation?""Uh huh, this isn't some auspicious matter, we don't even know what willhappen.""W-What do you mean?""If something unexpected were to happen to us, there would have to besomeone else to deal with the aftermath the most appropriate personwould probably be Seishuuin right?"Godou felt his own words were a meaningless assurance as he spoke.This was of course the worst outcome. However, if in the remote chance itdid happen then it would be all over. In fact, for this very reason, Amakasuand Kaoru were not with them on the patrol boat. Relevant membersshould take precautions so they are not all wiped out"Based on how she is, even if you request her to wait for the perfectopportunity over there, she will follow her own authority and come downfrom the mountain. For the time being we shouldn't let her know.""S-So it's like that "She must have remembered the personality of her childhood hime-mikofriend.Yuri's expression seemed to have suddenly tensed after reluctantlyagreeing to that statement."I sense the aura of the previously envisioned Crown. Everyone please becareful."It looks like they were quickly approaching their destination. Not only didGodou nod in response, but Erica and Liliana did as well.Afterwards, everyone was finally confronted with the Crown of Saturnalia.Rooted in the surface of the sea near Kasai was an emblem made out ofstone. The shape of it only resembled a sizable bird with its wings spreadopen.Suddenly, what appeared to be a parasitic tree grew on top of this bird.Furthermore, it was progressively increasing in size. In the blink of an eye,a 1000 year old giant tree no, a divine tree emerged.The divine tree's trunk and branches permeated with hostility towards theCampione.In addition, it began releasing a very powerful incantation. It clearly wantedto combat Godou."I never would've thought the day I would have to fight a tree wouldarrive "Moreover, it was on the surface of the sea in Tokyo Bay. There really mustbe a limit to the absurdity that occurs.Looking up at the majestic sight of the ferocious dignified colossal treefrom the deck of the patrol boat, Godou calmly whispered."Is this basically the sprout of that heretic god Nee-san mentioned?""Who knows, there's barely any viable data to make a judgment.""In that case, it would be best for the person who can determine what it isto examine it. Hey Yuri Yuri? What's wrong?"Liliana kept to her own judgment. Erica on the other hand intended toentrust the evaluating to another person.Godou and the others noticed it. The body of the hime-miko stiffened asshe stared at the thing in front of her. Standing on a branch of the divinetree was something wrapped in a grey sailcloth!For the time being it could be said its stance had a human-likeappearance. Resembling a blanket or coat, the grey sailcloth was wrappedaround his entire body.Just as its name implied, the Grey One had absolutely none of its fleshexposed."A spirit no, don't tell me it is a divine spirit!? Is it a divine being whoserved a god in the past ?"Did she sense something? Yuri gazed at the Grey One in astonishment.After receiving the hime-miko's attentive gaze, he dramatically rotated hisbody and hollered:'Oi oi. Miko from the island of the world's farthest reaches! I beseech you tostop gazing upon my unsightly fall from grace!'A very coarse ear piercing sound was made. It would give people theimpression of an indescribable, artificial way of speaking.'It was humiliating, a history full of defeat. In ancient times, I retreated indefeat as I was chased from the throne. However, now there emerges anew king as a replacement!'The words he spoke simply looked like it was for self-entertainment."You are the strange crown the divine artifact's willpower, a guardianspirit. You intend to retaliate against cult leader Luo Hao right?"Godou tried calling out towards the Grey One who was sitting on a branchon the divine tree.True! True! My latest defeat was bestowed upon me by that beautifulgodslayer. I sent an invitation to that person. I challenged her to battleonce again!'The Grey One shouted as he leaned back and squirmed.Erica and Liliana both sent an eye signal to each other. Yuri on the otherhand unsteadily gazed at him. At first glance his appearance would seemquite comical, however the other party was the embodiment of asupernatural existence! The girls couldn't help but feel nervous.'However, this is a complete surprise! My challenge had been declined.Instead, I get a young godslayer as a substitute! That would be you,Kusanagi Godou. My new challenge is now directed towards you!'"No thanks. As far as I am concerned, I hope you can leave immediately."Godou felt awkward as he spoke."Any battle arrangement with me is just Nee-san's doing."'Incorrect. I was comfortably overseeing the gathering of the people'sessence and energy to build up power, thereby allowing my sprout toawaken as the new Saturnus!'The Grey One hinted at the colossal tree he was sitting on.This tree's sprout is the sprout of a heretic god? Godou's gazeintensified.'Please, in the near future go to my divine heir, heretic Saturnus, and dobattle, Kusanagi Godou!'Perhaps this is the first time a god related member has issued a request.Godou frowned while being astonished at the same time.'Ever since that defeat in the distant past, I have become a degenerategod. However, during this festive occasion, I can still gather divine powerwith this deteriorating body . Ha ha ha, a grand festival is needed toawaken this ancient frenzy so it can challenge you godslayers!Furthermore, more time is required!'"What the hell, after all this "Godou sighed as he gazed at the Grey One who revealed an evil smile.Requesting a godslayer to let it finish its preparations in peace, the GreyOne appeared to be an underling to that divine artifact. Based on hisfrivolous manner of speaking, he doesn't seem very bright. Instead, adunce would be a suitable description.However, since it's like this . Godou took a deep breath.He might as well display his own strength to make him quickly leaveTokyo."The one unblunted and unapproachable! Smashing covenants, sinners bepurged by the iron hammer of justice!"Suddenly the Boar was summoned. Its target was the gigantic divine treeright in front of them.Even though there was naturally some hesitation due to the potentialdestruction, this supernatural event quickly happened within a coupleseconds. Overcoming his guilty conscience was a very easy thing to do.As a result, a swirling flame of darkness immediately appeared in front ofthe divine tree. The flames turned into a giant black boar.Aaaaoooooooooooh ! !The Boar let out a frightening roar as it suddenly charged towards thedivine tree. Like a spear, the tusks penetrated the tree bark and smashedthe tree trunk apart with relative ease.As expected, the Grey One, who was located on the tree branch, lost hisfoothold.He gracefully lept into the air. To one's surprise, he remained suspended inmidair.' Oi Oi. Well done godslayer. Such a show of might, absolutelymarvelous. However!'After the Boar crushed the divine tree and returned, the Grey Onecommended him without any worry at all.Immediately after that, the area surrounding him was suddenly permeatedwith a mist as he was hovering in the air. His sailcloth enwrapped posturewas hidden.'Due to my power restriction, I believe I had no means of dealing with that!'A beam of light appeared from within the mist. Once again, a giant treestarted to emerge from the emblem on the surface of the sea.Just like that, a new divine tree was grown within a matter of seconds!'Even if you dismember the new sprout, I'll just continuously revive it.Please put this savagery on hold till the arrival of the grand festival!'Once the mist dissipated, the figure of the Grey One once again becamevisible. He gently hopped onto a tree branch from the gigantic tree."Is it possible that this guy can't be killed ?"Godou was in an incomparable state of shock as he saw how easily thetree was revived.Up until now he had many encounters with immortal deities. The goddessAthena was among those who possessed this trait.Is it possible that the underlings of the undying god of earth, Saturnus, arealso immortal? Contemplating over this topic, Godou immediately soughtout his female counterparts."Those who possess the chain process of dying and then being revived arerelated to the deities associated with the snake goddess.""Let's first not concern ourselves with whether or not the divine beast andother such existences of a heretic god can really display this reincarnatingability. There must be another explanation for this successful resurrection.""There's no way to clearly see due to the mist masking it However, I cansense that his power is being drawn from the Crown of Saturnalia. I'mafraid the mystery to this resurrection lies within there."Erica and Liliana immediately stated their perspective deductions whileYuri replied in a quiet tone."Godou, for the time being let me deal with the divine tree."After hearing the hime-miko express her thoughts just now, Ericaproclaimed as such.The Cuore di Leone suddenly appeared in her hand."Please go with Yuri and Liliana and allow me to be the opponent for thisstrange person. If we could figure out the mystery between him and thatdivine artifact, we won't have to wait till heretic Saturnus's revival to solvethis."Godou did not object. Yuri and Liliana also nodded.On the other hand, after careful deliberation, the Grey One said:"Oh Kusanagi Godou, it appears you have plenty of intelligent membersaround you. If I don't destroy this, then I most likely won't be able to buyenough time '"Eh?"Godou could not help but ask in response towards this troubling statement.What did he want to destroy?However, the other person didn't respond. Facing him, the Grey Onewhistled at him. Following that, the divine tree started to shake its branchesand leaves.Rustle Rustle Rustle RustleLike playing an instrument, an indescribable sound came out of the divinetree's tree branch.'The festival of the fruit deranged the citizens, causing intoxication.Providing consolation. Bringing celebration. Slaves will have their momentof glory. Kings will abandon their thrones for shackles. This dream is theone bestowed by the god who heralds the spring 'Furthermore, the Grey One started to sing along to the melody of thedivine tree.The tones and lyrics effectively became an ensemble that carried a strongincantation which could be felt all over the place.Immediately after that, Godou saw a bizarre scene.He was currently walking along the city streets. Speaking of which, theywere quite outdated. He was located in an unknown city. The era heresided in was also a mystery. In short, Kusanagi Godou walked onunsteadily.The people around him were all merrily partying. They sang, they danced,and drank alcohol throughout the night.Godou, who was amongst the crowd, kept his gaze down and silentlywalked on.Wrapped around his hands were handcuffs and shackles. Wrapped aroundhis feet were chained leg weights and fetters.Moreover, both of his arms had been branded by a branding iron. Theimprint demonstrated his new status. Yup, Kusanagi Godou was not a kinganymore, heck he was not even a free person. He was a slave ."That, what was that just now! ?"Godou suddenly raised his head in astonishment. That incantation wasprobably the combined efforts between the divine tree and the Grey One.However, it still wasn't able to break through a Campione's magicresistance. Looks like he does not have the power of a heretic god.That was why Godou only saw those strange images, he was not actuallyharmed.His body suddenly tensed as he was forcibly tossed away."Guah!?"Godou was basically hurtled to the ground like an evildoer being punished.Following that, his body was pressed and held down.He looked towards the attacker to his surprise, it was Liliana.She stared at Godou with a hollow gaze. Erica also had an identical eyeexpression as she closed in on Godou. No, even Yuri who was behind herwas the same.'During this time before Saturnus is revived from the sprout, there's no wayI can successfully accomplish my task due to my power restriction. Since itis like this, you a male godslayer, should downgrade to a slave.'The voice of the Grey One came from somewhere.'However, during this period of time I'll disrupt your status, rendering youfrom using your original authorities. By doing this I'll be able to buy sometime, Kusanagi Godou.'The faces of Erica, Yuri, and Liliana all closed in on him.Unable to freely move, Kusanagi Godou was powerless in preventing thegirls from seizing his lips.'It goes without saying that you are a godslayer. Should you have the heartto do battle, then it should be child's play for you to break my curse withyour tempestuous fighting spirit. Should our paths cross in the near future,I shall flee. At the same time I shall also uproot the new sprout should youencounter it. Our ill-fated encounter shall be set aside for now!'Through the lips of the girls, the mysterious curse was transferred insidethrough oral intake.Immediately afterwards, Kusanagi Godou lost the bonds of camaraderie hehad built up with his comrades over the course of almost a year. Even thetask instructed by his sworn elder sister was forgotten. The ambiguousposition he was caught in prompted the predicament he was in beforewinter break .Part 5After reflecting back on what just happened, he understood that thealtercation between him and his opponent lasted for quite a long time.Within the business office of the Hong Kong based Lu family inKabukichou, Godou emotionally counted the number of days. The first timehe encountered the Grey One was on December 11 th. Going out to eatwith Shizuka and Asuka took place on December 15th.Furthermore, today was December 21st, the final day of the secondsemester. Unexpectedly, he had already covered a ten day period."Plus with that email, the resurrection or whatever it was talking about, thatwas actually in regards to Saturnus "Then did Lu Yinghua actually send the report? I must check just to be sure.That said, this year's winter solstice was set to take place on December22nd. There was no time to waste . The anxious Godou appeared tobe inside a reception room. He went towards what was probably a sofameant for receiving guests and sat down.In front of him on the glass table was the cordless handset of a fixed-linephone. He had already waited around an hour for a call from Lu Yinghua.Looking at the time, twenty-two hours had already passed."I-I'm very sorry. I should've used Mailing magic to send the letter to youngmaster at the sacred mountain. We can only helplessly wait for them toreply."Opening the door, the male host apologized. He bowed his head while inconstant panic, probably because he feared that Kusanagi Godou was thesame type of person as Luo Hao."For now I'll wait another ten minutes and see. After that, if there is nonews, then I should probably get going. I apologize for the inconvenience Ihave caused you."Although he wanted to try his best to collect more information, there justwasn't much time left.After leaving the place, Godou planned on heading towards the Crown ofSaturnalia's original whereabouts. There was only a few hours left till theday of the winter solstice. It would be best to take action as soon aspossible." !? 1-1 won't be able to help you, my utmost apologies! For atonement,in our faction we would be branded, but in Japan you actually have to cutoff a finger right!?""The idea of doing either of them never even crossed my mind!"Godou wanted to help up the host who was holding his knees whilekneeling in a kowtow position.Just when he was about to do that, a lively melody was emitted from thephone due to an incoming call. As a result, the host revealed a joyousexpression. Godou appeared to have wanted to take the phone away fromhim as he picked it up."Is this Yinghua!?"'Oh, the voice of Esteemed Uncle. You being safe is all that matters 'Lu Yinghua's voice rarely sounded so languish across the phone.'No, I never would've thought that I had already been with my master forover ten days. I was stuck with a pile of chores and practice over here.Although I wanted to go back, there was no way I could have. Just now Ihad to go through a lot of trouble to deceive master and run towards avillage with a phone '"Compared to this Yinghua, the email that mentioned something beingrevived on the day of the winter solstice, were you the sender?"Godou interrupted the virtuous nephew.'Yeah, about that situation, from the fragments master recalled, I was ableto pry out some trouble. That's why I sent out a high urgency report.'So it was like that. Godou understood. Be that as it may, from the anxioustone of that email, there was the fear that he had to comply with hismaster's commands, hence leading to an urgency of time. Since Godourepeatedly warned him to use the least rule breaking method, he probablyadopted this form of intelligence gathering."The one being revived was actually referring to the deity Saturnus?"'Yes. It is said that in ancient Rome between the dates December 17th andDecember 24th, a grand festival for Saturnus would take place during thatweek. During this festival, the people would endlessly feast in joy andcarouse. Of course, the calendar was different back then.'Godou did not understand Lu Yinghua's explanation."Well, how can you be so sure that Saturnus will be revived during the timeof the winter solstice?"'From what master said, no matter what calendar you use, it will definitelybe on the day of the winter solstice. I've completely forgotten the reasonwhy and it seems master will not say anymore on the matter.'After Lu Yinghua used a careless tone to explain, he asked:'However, why does Esteemed Uncle care about this matter? If it wasEsteemed Uncle getting involved, then the sealing of the bizarre divineartifact would've taken place a long time ago. With that, the problem shouldbe over with right? I believed this is definitely the case so I only informedyou on what would occur on that day.'That was typical of Lu Yinghua. He understood Godou's preferred methodof battle very clearly.Although he was cautious during the prelude to battle, once the battlecommenced he had the advantage of immediately engaging in a blitzkriegattack. Correct, if it was the habitual Godou, he would have faced offagainst the Crown of Saturnalia ages ago."No, this situation has become a bit more complicated "Godou briefly mentioned the matter regarding the Grey One's curse. Afterhearing about it, Lu Yinghua reflected on it for a bit and then unhurriedlybegan to speak.The ancient festival of Saturnus appeared to be an uncanny game.Switching identities slaves and their masters would swap positions andsuch.'"Switching "'Yes, the slaves would issue out commands and the master would have tocomply during this shambled state of merriment for seven days and sevennights.'Slaves becoming masters, masters becoming slaves."T-The curse this grey bastard casted on me is "'My belief is that it was the one I mentioned. Isn't its purpose just torecreate the power from that game for Esteemed Uncle and theonee-sans? Furthermore, the curse will also restrict the companions atyour side. It just seems like he is toying with Esteemed Uncle's memoriesregarding his own status.'"I knew something about that curse was strange. I never would've thoughtthere existed that sort of backstory "'Actually, I heard that 150 years ago a terrifying, chaotic event occurred atthe grounds which Saturnus made his descent. The people living in the citywhere he resided completely forgot about all the various boundaries intheir life and went partying merrily. Families were not in the leastconcerned, work and obligations were ignored, morals and a sense ofshame were all forgotten, the heart and soul were preoccupied withmerriment, frenzy, drinking and chanting, forever on a singing and dancingbinge.'"Forever!?"'Indeed. If it was edible then it was all gobbled up. Even muddy water andhorse manure would suffice. Assuming the body was exhausted to thepoint where you couldn't even move, there would be spastic movements asyou continued to dance to the last breath.'This was probably a scene in which his sworn elder sister Luo Cuilian hadwitnessed before.Imagining that scene that could only be described as a disturbing feast ofmadness, Godou was left breathless.'If you do not vanquish Saturnus, everyone's behavior will stay like that tilltheir death this was what master told me.'"Since he is the festival god of bountiful harvests, I thought he wouldn'tundertake something as heinous as this "'The curse Esteemed Uncle and the others were ensnared in seems to bea weakened version.'As expected of a heretic god. Godou felt immediate actions werenecessary.Regardless of what the original deity's traits were, he triggered a disaster,meaning the trait of provoking disasters was certainly fulfilled. It wasnecessary to urgently check the situation with the emblem.If only heretic Saturnus were to initiate some sort of peaceful conduct.However, if things do not turn out like that then'Goodluck on your battle, Esteemed Uncle.'Lu Yinghua spoke as if he could read Godou's mind.'This is all I can do from Lushan. No, if I were to go over there and getinflicted by Saturnus's curse, then I probably won't end up as your comradeanymore. However, perhaps there is a way.'"Hey hey. I'm definitely not as aggressive as Nee-san ok?"'What the heck are you saying? You are the devil king-sama who defeateda god. For Esteemed Uncle's group, this isn't about a difference betweenstrong or weak, instead it is about winning or losing isn't it!?'Lu Yinghua cheerfully smiled at Godou's complaints.'Plus if the enemy is crazed enough, Esteemed Uncle will also have thefreedom to be as violent as he wants. Well, it will probably be an evenmatch!'Perhaps the one who was more knowledgeable about Campiones was thisdisciple of a devil king. Godou scratched his head in contemplation andthen made up his mind.Even though this time he didn't have anyone to fight alongside him, up untilthis day he always had assistance in all aspects of life. Only in this casewas he unable to rely on the girls. However, even with that, if he didn't doanything . Godou unknowingly began to smile. The corners of his mouth took on asinister form.If you ask why, it is probably because the power restriction was negated.Thus, he could go at it with his full strength. He could finally rid himself ofthis issue imposed by the enemy which inexplicably caused himaggravation.Needless to say, this was definitely not the resentment a pacifist shouldhave.References1 . t Style name: a Chinese style name, also known as a courtesyname, was a given name generally used after the age of twenty as asign of adulthood and respect. The use of style names have fallen outof tradition since the early twentiethcentury. http://en.wi kipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_style_name2. t Friendship between gentlemen. ..(^^-(D'x.y. a saying thatoriginates from the Daoist philosophical classic, Zhuangzifat^). Thefull saying is "Friendship between gentlemen, they say, is insipid aswater; that of petty men, sweet as rich wine. But the insipidity of thegentleman leads to affection, while the sweetness of the petty manleads to revulsion. Those with no particular reason for joining togetherwill for no particular reasonpart."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuangzi_(book)3. t Kabukichou(f^ftfflJ): an entertainment and red-light district inShinjuku, Tokyo. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabukich%C5%8D,_Tokyo4. t Seven Sages: the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove were agroup of Daoist scholars, artists and musicians in the 3rd centuryChina. http://en.wi kipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Sages_of_the_Bamboo_Grove5. t Moon guitar(^ W): a stringed traditional Chinese instrument thatresembles a lute with a round body.http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/Yueqin6. t Qin(^), by Chinese poet Bai Juyi(6fiJg) from the Tang dynasty.The qin is a classic Chinese musicalinstrument. http://en.wi kipedia.org/wiki/Guqin7. t Saturnus: the Latin name of the Roman god Saturn who wasidentified with the Greek godCronus. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_(mythology)8. t Yakushima(JM^il): an island covered in dense forest, locatedsouth of Kyushu and designated as a UNESCO Man and the BiosphereReserve. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakushima9. t Shirakami-Sanchi(S#lil±tk): a mountainous area of unspoiledforest located in northern Honshu, and is a UNESCO World HeritageSite. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirakami-Sanchi10. t Anatolia: Denotes the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprisingthe majority of the Republic of Turkey