Campione!

Chapter 7 - Wind, Rain, WolfPart 1As the storm ravaged the night, it was somewhere not far from the TokyoTower —Anyone with some slightly normal sense would not venture outside in suchunfavorable weather.No, even a person with particularly urgent things to do, would not chooseto go outside. Due to this level of wind, rain, and thunder.Within the storm, an old man stood, wearing a black jacket with joyfullaughter on his face."Hahahahahaha! Search and go hunt! Tonight is such a wonderful night!My hunting hounds, find my prey!"Dejanstahl Voban yelled loudly.Very quickly, tens of [Wolves] took form in the darkness behind him, andstarted racing across the city in the night. As if carrying his laughter, thewind strengthened, and the lightning became more violent.The screams of the wind and the sound of thunder, heavy rain striking theground with fierce sounds, all these dominated the city night.Without any signs of people on the streets, the cars on the roads alsodisappeared.In other words, it would not have been an exaggeration to say it had turnedinto a city without people. Voban who yelled arrogantly was like a king ofthe wasteland."Ah, getting so excited. He looks really happy."The one who appeared to admire with sincerity was the HistoryCompilation Committee member, Amakasu Touma.Beside him was Liliana Kranjcar. As she peeked at the one who sort ofcounted as a dignified old man, she showed a slightly shocked expression."Especially this tasteless act. It is as if he had not found entertainment for along time until now... Really, an anachronistic tyrant should just enjoy hissecluded life!""However, a life of sitting in the balcony under the sun and growing old...Something like that is no good — "Erica Blandelli deliberately played the devil's advocate against her oldfriend.— It was near Shiba Park in the Minato ward.They had discovered the old Devil King and hid in a dark spot of somebuilding to witness this scene.Roughly thirty minutes ago, Erica had brought Liliana over to her cause,and disarmed hateful complaints one after another with a smile as theysearched for Voban.Liliana, who was even skilled at divination, had divined the Marquis'location.Moving in the direction the divination indicated, they met Amakasu.As Erica and Liliana walked together, a car stopped on the road, suddenlyopened its door and out appeared his figure.Opening a black umbrella and walking out into the heavy rain.However, the umbrella was immediately blown away. Amakasu shook hishead as if saying "can't stand this," gave up, and simply let his suit take inwater from the rain. At the same time, he spoke."Meeting here must be fate then, let's go... So, could you introduce thisyoung lady with you, Erica-san? Actually, I seem to have met LilianaKranjcar-san somewhere before?"Having said that, the three of them stood together."So Amakasu-san, may I ask you a question?""No problem, as long as I know the answer. However, weight and the threemeasurements are secrets, yes?"To the History Compilation Committee member who answered frivolously,Erica threw him a vicious stare."Actually, starting from just now I realized. You... no, the reason whyGodou was requested in this affair."Erica was questioning using subtle acrimonious tones.Amakasu played dumb and laughed, his calm and relaxed facade did notfalter."Actually we are very worried about Erica-san as well. Isn't it normal tonegotiate with the side which has the ability to do something?""So how is it? When someone close to him is caught in danger, Godou willtake action without thinking clearly. Ignoring some sacrifices, fighting theMarquis could turn out to be a good opportunity to push Godou forward inharnessing his potential... So to speak. Am I overthinking things?""You overthought this. After all, we of the History Compilation Committeeare all respectable civil servants. Our first consideration is the welfare ofthe Tokyo residents and the Japanese nation."Erica elegantly gave off an air of acute sarcasm.Amakasu, though clearly insincere, had a face that somehow one couldnot hate.Listening to the conversation of the two, Liliana whispered with a lack ofgood will."Conversations like those between foxes and bats should take placesomewhere else. Putting that aside, what should be done now? IsKusanagi Godou in this direction?""Yes in this direction, how should I put it, it's that he should be in thisdirection."Erica answered, thinking of the phone call just now....Of course, one could not be careless with a man like Kusanagi Godou.Though he clearly lacked outstanding social skills, he keeps attracting allthese strange people.Perhaps this was part of a king's disposition. A dependable existence, butnot very amusing.The plan to bring Liliana over to his side turned out to be enacted early andsucceeded far beyond expectation. ...One must take note of this in thefuture.Fooling around with newcomers would be fine. This was the privilege of aking. However, he cannot be forgiven if he gets serious.The one whom Kusanagi Godou truly loves above all can be no one elsebut Erica Blandelli."To carve this principle deep into the soul, truly has to begin fromchildhood... With that kind of personality, the chances of him becoming aparent who spoils his children is rather high...""What is it, Erica? What are you uttering so softly about?"Erica shook her head at Liliana's question.The current priority was to deal with Marquis Voban. One mustconcentrate."Ah ah, excuse me, it's nothing, don't mind it. — Let's start. KusanagiGodou and Dejanstahl Voban, the second round of the duel between[Kings]."Erica and Liliana stepped forward side by side.They stepped towards where the old Devil King was summoning wind, rainand thunder, laughing madly.Under the intense thunderstorm, the two girls finally faced off against theelderly king."Ohoh, finally out of the house? Too late. — Oh, Kranjcar seems to havejoined her rival, but why? Shouldn't you be following me?"Voban glanced sideways at the girl beside Erica and spoke.He could immediately tell that Liliana had changed her loyalties. Histwisted eyes were full of certainty."I express my deepest apologies. Liliana Kranjcar would now request to bewithdrawn from your services. Please forgive me for refusing to stain mychivalry by participating in the kidnapping of the weak and womenfolk.""Dare to refuse the tyrannical king? Foolish! However, this may well be therole model of a knight."Voban smiled generously."Killing you by my own hand and letting you join the ranks of the [DeadServants] will suffice. Without a doubt, that [Diavolo Rosso] will accompanyyou as well. You won't be lonely eh? Girls with the disposition of wolves,you are worthy to become warriors under me."The darkness became restless once again.Warriors, with sturdy bodies and wearing ancient battle attires, were bornout of the darkness."I can't let you be mistaken, so let me teach you all. These people — [DeadServants] can only be truly released from my shackles by the state of mydeath. So just now, for those knights you defeated with your own hands,do not mistakenly believe that they will obtain peace. They have simplyturned into dust once more, returning to the ground, and after some timewill return to my shackles once again... My domination is eternal."Out of the storm dozens of death knights appeared.It was true. From amongst the defeated knights, there were now two thatlooked identical to them. As expected of an authority usurped from thegods, ordinary methods did not work.Witnessing the power of her enemy, Erica instead showed an arrogantsmile."A king's words cannot be false. However, may I be so bold as to make acorrection. We are not your opponents. Have you forgotten this fact?""I'm not that old and senile. However, where is that beloved brat of yours?"The nature of Voban's smile changed.In the smile of the king who was familiar with his absolute power, acomposed warrior's hearty laughter from the boiling of hot blood could beseen."That kind of brat can't even satisfy my hunger a tiny bit. A newborn kingcan only be at this level. However if that guy — can let me witness thepower that overcame the other brat Salvatore, then I shall amend mywords. Tonight, is a rare moment for my blood to boil from excitement. Thechance to enjoy fighting to my heart's content!"Neither for the power to bury gods, nor for ruling the earth.Only to enjoy a good battle.A power that only existed for battle and conflict.The king whose body had existed for centuries, who chose solitude andabandoned territory and subjects instead, to the old king's roars, Ericanodded."If that's the case, king, then you shall confirm for yourself. — KusanagiGodou! Your knight calls for you. Please descend once again, and fulfillyour obligations as king!"Taking a slight bow, raising her voice to call for that name.Riding upon the blowing winds, out spoke the spell words calling forth theyoung king.— Soon, the wind formed a vortex in front of Erica's eyes.— Away from the overflowing spell power, Liliana retreated in surprise.Suddenly in the center of the wind, out appeared Kusanagi Godou andMariya Yuri dressed in her miko outfit."You have kept me waiting long enough, brat. Making an elder wait solong, what a rude fellow. As expected of the ally of that brat Salvatore.""Excuse me. However, comparing me with that kind of person makes memad."Voban who treated the enemies appearing before him as idiots, andGodou who responded with haughty battle spirit.It was the moment the two kings met again.Part 2"Mariya, why don't you wait at the back. It's probably better than stayingright beside me.""Yes. No matter what, please be safe."Listening to Godou's directions, Yuri nodded sincerely.She reluctantly let go of the hand she was holding tightly during the flightvia Verethragna's [Wind], and got off from Godou's body. Without a trace ofuncertainty, it was a very good expression.The place where Yuri ran towards, had Erica — as well as another person."Eh? You are from just now...""I am Liliana Kranjcar. I hurried here at full speed to join under yourbanner, Kusanagi Godou. Though I never wanted to serve the samemaster as that female fox, I have judged your side to be the side of justiceon this occasion. I hope you can understand the reasons of my actions."Liliana spoke rapidly as she glared at her longtime acquaintance.Easily ignoring her gaze, Erica supplemented with a devilish smile fromgoodness knows where."That's right. This is very important. Justice. It was also written in thenotebook of someone...""Quiet! ...You will get your just deserts one day."Liliana said with a frown.Noticing some kind of back story, Godou felt sympathy for her. It musthave been a difficult life getting along with that devil for so long."There's probably nothing to gain from following me. It's fine, you don'thave to force yourself...""That is already understood, it is fine."Liliana simply cut Godou off.Even though she was complaining, her face showed a happy expression.With dreamlike beauty like a fairy's, it felt like she had finally let go ofsomething and obtained the will to advance forward into the future."Ok, thanks. Let's beat up that abominable old man together then."The knight who was brought over by Erica's scheming.Not only was she capable and had her own principles, she was lending herpower. That deserved thanks. Liliana shyly fled from Godou's gaze ofgratitude."Thanks are not needed. It is a knight's duty to assist the king.Furthermore, you are doing this to save a friend and a lady. ...Well, as themaster of that female fox, you have earned very few starting points, but nomatter, this is within acceptable bounds."Very strict words.This was already established in the first impression. This girl wasunexpectedly abrasive in response to unnecessary concern from others. Ifone were to imagine from that doll-like face, one would likely conclude thatshe was one of those characters that were tough but satisfying to win over.With a forced smile, Godou generously nodded his head in response."That's enough. I am in your debt. — Then, old man over there, let's go.""Hmph, you sure talk too much about the most trivial of things. As awarrior, please do not be distracted when facing enemies. Immature one!"Unfazed, Godou retorted against the criticisms of the old man."Immature doesn't need to be said, Captain Obvious. As a substitute, Ihave my trusted companions. You probably pride yourself on your solitarysuperiority, right?""This brat really knows how to bark. So, let's see who has more bite!?"Voban waved his hand downwards.Immediately, the death knights behind him moved at his call.Unsheathing their swords, raising their spears, to kill and defeat Godou!The first to approach were two knights, one red and the other blue, whosummoned magic swords."Lily, there is no need to defeat the death knights. We just need to protectGodou properly. That is our priority!""Any other strategy? Understood!"To Godou's right was Erica, while Liliana took the left.Cuore di Leone and II Maestro — the two magic swords traced spectacularpaths nonstop, forming an impenetrable wall protecting Godou from thedeath knights.In terms of battle strength, the two of them were probably very close to, ifnot equal to the enemies before them.Compared to the dead who could only faithfully follow the orders of theirmaster, there was an advantage to instant and flexible decision makingand agile evasion. Furthermore, their base capabilities had negligibledifferences.This was true even though they were outnumbered.The ten or more death knights were intercepted by the two people Ericaand Liliana.Still, Voban continued to summon servants out of the darkness — a mobilearmy of corpses.Amongst these warriors who resembled medieval knights, there were alsosoldiers armed with muskets fitted with bayonets.Corpses who wrapped their bodies with cloth and rope, swinging battleaxes. There were also dead people who wore military uniforms dating fromthe earlier half of the twentieth century, and carrying what appeared to beancient rifles. As if turning back time, there was a giant man who lookedlike a Viking from some unknown era. Amongst the dead, there were alsothose who wore Middle Eastern or Chinese attire.The [Dead Servants] whose ranks included a haphazard mix of all sorts oftime periods, nationalities, and ethnicities —The firearms they carried appeared to be in no condition to fire. The bladesin their hands were badly maintained, and heavily rusted.Even so, they were swarming in and swinging their weapons.— Erica and Liliana did not back down at their opponents the [DeadServants].The dead attacked in bunches again and again.Once again, Erica had split Cuore di Leone into thirteen parts to becontrolled.The magic sword of the lion floated in the sky like a ferocious bird of prey,and then flew, slicing continuously at the [Dead Servants]. Against themost powerful death knights, Erica stopped them by swinging her swordpersonally.Liliana stayed off the ground for the most part.She stood on the dead people's heads, shoulders, and even on theirweapons, jumping around and flying without restriction. From above, sheattacked from the air with her magic sword again and again, neutralizingher enemies.They completely avoided overextending themselves.Against the strongest death knights, they used hindering attacks and neverengaged for too long.However, against the weakest servants, the magic swords attacked theirfatal vulnerabilities with merciless abandon. Within a short while, many ofthem were removed from battle. In truth, the tactics of the two could beseen as despicable, but extremely solid.Completely low risk.Erica never left Godou's side, while Liliana never ventured too deep.What remained constant was guarding Godou above all else. This waspossible due to the capabilities and judgment of the two."I didn't want to do this originally, but there's no other way!""Same for me! But, now what? Do you have a plan!?"Even in a situation like this, the two of them did not give off any sense oftragedy.Seeing Erica and Liliana kicking away the dead, Godou had mixedfeelings.Though obedient, they were the victims killed by Voban's hand.The tragic fate of those who resisted the devil king and opposed him, butended up defeated. As these people fell and stayed on earth as servants,they continued to fight for Voban after their deaths.Of course, Verethragna's authorities weren't anything good either, butthere were still limits.— If he could, liberating them was the first thing Godou wanted to do.Godou sighed.In terms of strategy, it would be unwise. It was already established that thepower of Erica and Liliana was sufficient to hold off the [Dead Servants]. Itwould be better to save his trump card for something else.Ending the summoning of more [Dead Servants], Voban approached withcasual footsteps.Eyeing the powerful old king, Godou spoke decisively."...Hey. Do you remember the first god you killed?""Why are you bringing this up, boy? What does that have to do with you?"Voban sneered.His form changed. From man to werewolf, and then to a wolf —Was that really all there is to it, other than turning into a giant wolf?Knowing the destructive power of Verethragna's [Boar], Godou believedthat this [Wolf] was the ability that he must be the most wary of.Voban's body expanded after transforming into a wolf.Once again, the vigorous body of the giant silver wolf returned, a terrifyingembodiment of violence.— Currently in Godou's heart, resided two swords.However, the [Warrior] could only wield one sword at a time, and he mustchoose between them. Godou must decide between sealing the [DeadServants] or the [Wolf]. This was a choice he must make, no other wayaround it.Casting his last doubts aside, Godou began to chant the spell words."I know it. That bastard of a god you killed — the wolf god hanging aroundlike night, hating mankind, I know it!"The light shined with brilliance and glory.The [Sword] of the spell words to kill gods. Shining with golden splendor, itformed numerous spheres of light and scattered."Once known as Phoebus — the god whose name had the meaning of light.However, he was also the god with the night-like epithet 'nukti eoikos.'^ Abastard deity who possessed a massive contradiction between hisappearance and his nature, that was the god you killed."The golden [Sword] fluttered in the air amidst spell words.Looking up, the view was mostly dominated by the giant wolf form ofVoban — his silver fur and the strong body of a wolf, were being shreddedin a crisscross manner.Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh !!1 — What, what is that power!'Carrying roars and surprise, his yelling also echoed."That ancient epithet Smintheus. — It means rat. And then there is Lykaon,Lyeios... words containing the meaning of wolf. The god of light whoseorigins stemmed from rats and wolves — the beasts of the earth anddarkness. This is the key to interpreting this god!"This was the figure and nature of the god that Yuri observed.Obtaining that knowledge, Godou felt the spell words flowing outcontinuously from somewhere deep inside him.This was different from the times when Erica used spells to transmitknowledge. Though his mind was totally blank, his mouth spoke on its own.As his tongue moved without pause, spell words were spokencontinuously.Using the heart to capture the god's form — and then speaking out theimages. Simple as that."The wolf with the essence of a rat, and the god who possessed dualattributes of light and night — in other words, Apollo. The twin brother of themoon goddess Artemis, the sun god who locked away darkness but wasborn underground! This is the name of the first god you killed!"Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh !!The spell words with the power to sever a god's power! Is this your trumpcard? Interesting!'Voban roared stubbornly.From the fur of the giant silver wolf, numerous [Wolves] were born. Eachstrand of fur transformed, turning into bodies the size of normal wolves,and started racing through the air.The golden [Sword] brought color to the night sky swirling with wind andrain.The light of the spell words twinkled like stars, and flew towards the silverwolf pack jumping through the air.In order to devour the [Sword], which flew back and forth around the giantwolf, the [Wolves] constantly lunged at the lights and attempted to bitethem. However, the [Sword]'s spheres of light simply advanced from withinthe [Wolves]' mouths to cut their vigorous bodies into halves.Watching the victories repeating in the air several, no, dozens of times,Godou's determination continued to get fired up.Let's attack in one fell swoop!"Apollo's twin sister Artemis is the goddess of the hunt — one of the pillarsamongst the powerful mother earth goddesses. The mother of thesesiblings is the great earth goddess Leto. And Apollo was once a deitybelonging to the temple of the earth."Apollo's epithets appeared one after another.Apollo of Light [Phoebus Apollo]. Apollo of Rats [Apollo Smintheus]. Apolloof Wolves [Apollo Lykeios]. Apollo of Disaster [Apollo Loxias].This sun god had many little known contradictions. Godou once killed timeat home by reading a pocket-sized edition of the Iliad. He found it quitestrange at the time.The beginning of the Homeric hymn described how 'Apollo took on theguise of the dark night.'And then the god brought pestilence against the Achaean army. Theeternally handsome youth. The sun god who loved and admired beauty. Itwas hard to connect his appearance with the descriptions of the things hedid."As proof of this, there exists a deep link between the earth and the beastswhich symbolized him. Rats, wolves and swans — as well as snakes. Thosetiny rats, restless in the darkness, could very well be Apollo's original form.The wolves used by his sister Artemis as servants, was the form of Apolloas the guardian dog of the underworld. The swan was also a symbol of thelink between earth and the underground. Finally there is the snake — asone of the major symbols of most mother earth goddesses, it representsthe cycle of life and death."Powered by Godou's spell words, the golden [Sword] flew across the sky.[Wolves] continuously flew out from the body of the giant wolf, trying to rip,bite and resist these swords.The brilliant light of gold and silver fought fiercely, showering the area withsparks.The eerie blaze of the supernatural aerial battle was carried out in a narrowregion of the stormy night sky."However, the snake which appeared in Apollo's myth was neither hiscompanion nor his relative. It is the monster that he killed — which is whysnakes appear. It is the serpent Python which guarded the sacred land ofthe Delphic oracle. In the past, the young Apollo slew the serpent with hisbow and arrows, thus becoming the god of the oracle."Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ohoh oh oh oh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh!!As if trying to disperse Godou's spell words, Voban roared.Unable to resist the [Sword], the forms of the silver wolves disappeared asthey met defeat repeatedly. The giant wolf with a monstrous body kicked atthe ground, causing massive shaking on the surrounding surface.The attack's direction was aimed at Godou, obviously.Since the weapon could not be defeated, attacking the controller was thelogical choice. However, that was easy to handle."Python was the great serpent born from the mother earth goddess Gaia.Apollo had killed the serpent and became the patron of Delphi. Henceforth,his priestesses were called Pythia and delivered the oracle to those whocame to seek the sacred Delphic oracle. — In other words, Apollo is thegod who successfully killed a fellow brethren deity belonging to the earth."Godou strung the golden swords together and gathered the brightness.If he attacked here in a straight line, it would be just right. He will severApollo's divine power with one slice, and disarm Voban's weapon!"The underground which connects the earth to the underworld, symbolizeddarkness. What dispels darkness is light — sunlight. As a god born from theearth, Apollo also embodied the light which existed to kill his mother.Hence, his true nature has attributes of light mixed into darkness — andbecame the god of disaster Loxias."Giving off light brighter by several fold, a golden flash sliced at the giantwolf horizontally.Immediately, the giant body was destroyed. Shrinking, it turned back intothe form of a skinny old man."...I see now, the spell words which can overcome my authority. Such anannoying special move."Though clearly injured, Voban stood upright and unfazed.Passion and calm, iron will and glory, all these were mixed together andshone from the eyes of the ancient and powerful one as he glared atGodou."An ability to adapt oneself against different situations. What a rarepower... Amongst the current [Kings], John Pluto also has a similar ability.These types of authorities usually have restrictions. As long as I know therules which bind you, victory can be easily obtained."Hmph. Though blood dripped from his forehead, Voban's lips showed acrooked smile.Godou heightened his alertness. The power of the old man's [Wolves]probably hasn't been suppressed completely. When it struck, Godou feltthat the impact was very light.Seeing through the nature of the [Sword]'s spell words, Voban had haltedhis attacks just before the critical moment."Don't worry, with your level of ability, it is still too soon to present achallenge. I will attack you straight on."The [Dead Servants] received Voban's orders, and changed theirmovements.Up until now, they had been attacking without pattern. But now theysuddenly became extremely well organized. They temporarily retreatedaway from around Godou to regroup, and then attacked in waves."Damn it! They are here again! So troublesome!""Just when I thought it was getting too easy, but this will be bad!"Liliana and Erica were having difficulty holding them off, and clearlyshowed signs of anxiety.First, the weaker servants were used to take the frontal assault. When theyoccupied Erica and Liliana, the great knight level corpses immediatelyattacked.Clearly, Voban was manipulating the [Dead Servants] with his invisible will."You were trying to solve the riddle of Apollo, right? Correct, the first god Idefeated was Apollo, and my wolf was the sacred beast authority I usurpedfrom him. However, your spell words — will they be effective against anygod other than Apollo?"Controlling the dead was part of Osiris' authority, but even though he wasaware of that fact, Godou could do nothing about it. No matter what, the[Warrior] form could only seal Apollo's divine power.It looks like Voban changed his method of attack in order to find the limitsof Godou's [Sword].Erica and Liliana swung their magical swords and continued to battle.Though they fought without respite, the tide of battle had turned againstthem. Just as Godou agonized that he was being protected by two girls —"Godou-san!"Yuri's voice yelled out from behind him."Please use the sword for vanquishing Osiris! You should have fulfilled thatcondition!""It's true, but I have already used the [Sword] to seal Apollo..."Without enough remaining strength to answer, Godou could only whispersoftly.Each of Verethragna's incarnations could only be used once a day.Furthermore, when using the [Warrior], the target had to be decidedbeforehand."Don't give up! Whether Apollo or Osiris, both were originally deities withextremely similar characteristics. Use the spell words dormant in yourbody, and forge the [Sword] you need right here!"Even Yuri spoke of something impossible. As Godou was caught insurprise, he surveyed the situation.Erica and Liliana were already at their limits trying to protect him. Enslavedby the authority of the underworld deity, the servants were fighting evenafter their deaths, and the old man culprit was just standing theregloating —If Godou doesn't give it a try, how will he know the result?Seeing Voban's confident demeanor, Godou felt pity for the [DeadServants], and apologetic towards his companions in battle, and so herenewed his battle spirit."Like Apollo, Osiris was also a god born from the earth!"The green-skinned god of the underworld, the judge of the dead.The nature of that god was the harvest brought about by the Nile rivervalley — bountiful grain symbolized attributes of the earth."However, though born from the earth, he differs from the Apollo whobecame the brilliantly glorious sun god, Osiris is purely a god of the earthand the underworld — the close relative of the mother earth goddess, andjust a god of harvest."Apollo and Osiris were both sons of mother earth goddesses — the root ofthe earth.Born in different cultures, but possessing many commonalities in attributes.On this basis, new power flowed into the [Sword].Speaking out the spell words against Osiris, the power was released toseal the underworld god of the harvest — !"After becoming the sun god, Apollo finally obtained the guise of the darknight. Night — the world dominated by darkness. The underground whereApollo scurries in the form of a rat is also the world of darkness. In otherwords, this is the mark of the underworld."The mother earth goddess, who nurtured all life, was not just a goddessoverflowing with love.Winter brings with it death. Godou had learnt this when fighting Athena, theunderworld deity who ruled both the night and the underground. And Osiriswas the god of harvest born from the earth.Crops germinated and grew in spring, were harvested in summer andautumn, and welcomed death in winter.From death, they were reborn in the next spring, and grew once again.— In Godou's hand appeared a huge longsword with a golden blade. Thiswas the divine sword forged to vanquish the god of the underworld whowent through death multiple times and was resurrected.Surrounded by ten or twenty layers of [Dead Servants], there was nowhereto go.Looking at the distance — slightly further than ten meters, the figure of theold king could be seen silently directing the dead's battles like an orchestraconductor.Aiming at his target, Godou raised his sword."Osiris was once cut into pieces and died, resurrecting to become the godof the underworld. The mother earth goddess' responsibilities includedbestowing life in spring, harvesting in autumn, and death in winter. As theson of the earth and god of the harvest, Osiris' dominion also includedgrowth in spring, harvest in the fall, and death in winter — thus, both themother earth goddess who does the killing as well as the harvest god whowas killed have many common functions."The cycle of death and rebirth.Like Athena who once fought Godou, there were the forms of theunderworld deities of death, Isis and Artemis. However, the difference wasthat Apollo was never killed, only Osiris."Apollo did not have the authority to take lives, but instead, he became thegod of the sun. Nonetheless, he still had the epithet 'nukti eoikos' toexpress death — his past includes being the god of pestilence!"Instilling the killing spell words, Godou swung the massive [Sword] fiercely.Golden light given off from the body of the blade lit up the entire battlefield.Light surrounded Erica and Liliana, vanquishing the [Dead Servants].Immediately, it chased after Voban who commanded from the back like aking piece in chess.To defend against this attack, the dead warriors used their own bodies toshield the old Marquis.Godou made a grotesque smile. Their efforts were futile, as long as thetarget was locked by his aim, there was no meaning to sacrificingthemselves for defense.Will it succeed after all? And the final result was — ?Part 3At some point, the rain had stopped.However, the wind had not subsided. The wind was still blowing asviolently as ever, and the dark clouds covering the sky continued to rumblewith thunder, reaching the ground.Only the rain stopped. The old man's joyful voice could be heard."You really did it. Slaying my [Wolf], and sealing the cage of the [DeadServants]. Such a troublesome ability does exist after all."The slicing attack infused with all of Godou's liberated spell words.From the sensation of his hands, Godou felt that the power of Apollohidden in Voban's body was completely severed. It was likely that he wouldnot be able to use that authority again for a few days. But as for the divinepowers of Osiris —As expected, using the [Sword] for Apollo to slay Osiris was very difficult.It did not succeed completely. However, it still managed to decrease thenumber of [Dead Servants]. From a rough estimate, half were destroyedwhile the remaining half stopped moving.The spell words of the [Sword] did not completely cut through Voban'spower of domination.Erica and Liliana, who had been fighting nonstop, finally put down theirmagic swords, breathing slightly heavily.On the last swing of the [Sword], the [Dead Servants] turned into dust andscattered.At that time, Godou felt like he heard something from the disappearingservants. What was that, could it have been words of thanks?The [Sword]'s spell words had cut through Voban's oppression.The dead did not simply disappear in form, but welcomed true death — theywere finally able to rest in peace.The [Warrior]'s ability included not only the sword, but the sight to seethrough a god's nature.That was why Godou understood what happened.If those were really words of gratitude, it was definitely something tocelebrate. It was also worth it at such a great cost... Godou felt his spiritsrenew as he stomped his trembling foot against the ground.Giving the [Sword] double spell words has consumed most of Godou'sstamina.His breathing was irregular, and his body felt weak.Looks like this method of fighting was still beyond the current Godou, whodid not expect it be so taxing....! ...!What is going on? Godou felt like someone was speaking.Erica and Liliana beside him, and starting at some point in time, Yuri with asorrowful expression, were staring at him. Why was there such a feeling?"Yes, I would like to commend your bravery. This battle did not disappointme."As Voban finished speaking in a low voice...The wind began to moan.Godou's body was blown back by a heavy explosion of air pressure.Using the eyes of the [Warrior], Godou looked at the old king... This wasthe divine power of the wind, and three figures could barely be seenbehind Voban.Feng Bo} 2 ^ Yu Shi^ and Lei Gong.^ These names floated into Godou'smind.Deities from China, or was it Korea? Probably the storm gods defeated byVoban. Affecting their appearances was what the old man possessed, theauthority ruling overwind, rain, thunder and lightning."Taken as entertainment, it's a bit exciting. As the one who foughtSalvatore to a draw, it is acceptable. Perhaps in another two years, you willturn out to be a fine warrior."The strong winds continued to blow.Erica who had stepped in front to shield Godou was blown away. Lilianawho tried to close the distance between Voban using the magic of flightalso met the same fate.Then came the thunder. As the rumbling noise started up, lightningdescended from the sky.Resistance against all spells was a Campione characteristic which Godougambled upon....As the one who holds all victory in my hands, I am the strongest. Allenemies, all who harbor enmity will be vanquished. Chanting the hymn toVerethragna, he activated magical power all over his body.It's working, the flash that should have landed on Godou's head missed hisbody by a slim margin.The charred asphalt gave off a burnt smell.The high temperature caused by the thunder vaporized rain drops in theair... If this continued, defeat would be imminent."How relentless. It was already apparent, boy, that you share similaritieswith my past self. To obtain a [King]'s authority without any magicalknowledge. And to skillfully wield with determination and wisdom, thesepowers that a mage could never obtain through training, this was the path Ionce trod."With another flash, this time it was lightning.It was already a feat to escape the spear of the thunder god descendingfrom the sky, and his body felt very hot. Perhaps Godou had already beenburnt quite severely.This time he was suddenly hit by a sudden gust of strong wind, and hiswhole body was blown away.— Lost.Though Godou felt weak and his legs were unstable, he glared at Voban.Even if his body was in full health, he did not have a way to evade windand thunder. From the start, there existed a disheartening difference inpower. But no matter how tired his body felt, Godou still pushed himself tostruggle and stand up.The shaking of his knees was impossible to control. If this continued, hewill be abused to death. Godou showed a displeased expression."Godou-san!""Godou!""Stand up, Kusanagi Godou! You have already fought to this point, showme your resolve!"Voices were heard. Yuri, Erica, as well as Liliana. Everyone was fine, andthe voices of who else?...! ...! ...!There really were voices, but who were they? It sounded like a lot ofpeople, their voices carried from a far distance.Ten people, twenty people, no, there were many more. Where were allthese people? It could barely be heard, but it sounded like pleas of "Get upand fight!"The voices did not stop, the voices of the crowd, the voices seeking power,the voices praying for salvation. Godou lifted his head, looked around andunderstood in an instant.Assured of the power's existence, Godou mastered the characteristics ofthe new form.This sense of omnipotence was the sweet yet dangerous sensation feltwhen a Campione struggles to reach a new stage. I will not lose, declaredGodou in his heart.Such a strange power actually existed, and Godou's determination wasrenewed." — O Guardian of the righteous, I invite you and offer sacrifice. O Guardianof the righteous, I praise you, and beseech you. One who supports the skyand develops new land, the one who grants victory and grace, I willperform justice, please grant to me the right path and light!"Battle spirit rising straight towards the sky, the spell words erupted.The completely new form — it was Verethragna's ninth form, the [Goat]which transformed from the [Warrior].In that instant, Voban released lightning.The flash descended from the sky. However, Godou caught it directly.His palm covered with lightning, he had caught the attack as if it was abaseball. Light erupted from his hand, and waves of heat could be felt.Strong energy was also being released.Do not think that you are the only one with power over lightning!Feeling joy that he could finally counterattack, Godou relaxed the corner ofhis lips, and threw the ball of thunder back."—What?"As expected of the one who could direct wind, rain, thunder and lightning.With the sound of rumbling, the old king deflected the path of the lightningwhich should have gone straight."So that is also your power, boy! To think you even had this level of battleability...!"Due to the joy of battle, Voban's expression was radiant.Godou nodded silently.This was a power that he did not have the capacity to use alone. DespiteGodou's battles till now, this was a power which would never haveawakened without the victory wishes of those who were defeated byVoban.— The will to defeat that man.— The wish to stop the old man, and the hope to seal him.Numerous people were asking, begging, praying, hoping — the power offeelings, the power of hearts was concentrated here and formed a vortexlike a hurricane. Godou could now hear them clearly.The voices of lost souls gathered here.And that was not all.There were the cries of the souls who were finally released after the[Sword] severed Osiris' power of domination.They did not know where they would go henceforth.Heaven, hell, underworld, nirvana, temple of salvation, or promised land...These souls would probably be directed to their final resting placeaccording to their various religions and cultures. It must be so. However tothese souls, their final wish was to witness their enemy's demise — the oldking who had enslaved them for so long.Furthermore, Godou not only sensed the feelings of the dead.— Worrying about the intense thunderstorm and violent winds.— Fear of the constant roaring of thunder started just now.— Concerns of the giant shadow seen for an instant outside the window...That form of a monstrous dog, and doubting their own sanity.— Within the typhoon, there appeared to be some kind of gang fight, andthe feeling of being scared to death.Even the feelings of the residents nearby could be felt clearly.Godou originally thought that there would be very few people outside dueto the weather and the strange happenings, but to think that there were somany people around here. This caused him to worry, because he wantedto keep collateral damage to a minimum.Amongst the vortex of thoughts and feelings, Godou focused on thosecloser to him.— The feelings of the girl who worried about Godou's body, and prayed forhis safe return with all her heart.— The heart of the noble maiden who risked all her courage to beg forGodou's victory.After making contact with Yuri and Erica's hearts, power flowed out as ifwithout limit. Within the body of the Campione, it was as if new life wasinfused, it would be too shameful to lose now!"Grant me power! Grant me the power to defeat Voban!"Godou shouted, his arm raised towards the sky.At the same time, the sky was layered with the heavy thundercloudssummoned by Voban. There was no lack of weapons!The sound of thunder. Lightning descended from the sky continuously.Verethragna's ninth form was the [Goat]. This form allowed one to listen tothe hearts of the people, and wield thunder as weapons.The lightning summoned from the sky was captured just as it was about toexplode in front of Godou, and gave off sparks.The thunder that should have crashed upon the ground halted, and thenbegan to gather.The energy of light and heat was released all at once.Faced with the wave of thunder and lightning swarming him like a turbulentflow, the old Campione exercised his own authorities, and through theexploding flashes of light, the two [Kings] vied for supremacy.Intending to defeat the old man with thunder was Godou, while Voban wastrying to push the thunder away.Neither side was winning.No, Godou had the advantage, and the rapid thunderstrike engulfedVoban.However, the old man's body only received minor burns, and could endurelonger. He was just barely able to avoid his vitals from being struck directlyby the thunder and lightning that should have consumed him completely,bones and all."...Looks like you've created something that imitates a lightning rod, oldman."Godou laughed loudly, but he was counterattacked at that instant.Mixed with raindrops a whirlwind swept over, forming a mini hurricanewhich swallowed Godou."By the power of the spell words, I sing the hymn to victory!"Godou used Verethragna's hymn to raise his magical power.Enduring the force of Voban's hurricane, Godou consumed his magicalpower. If it was Godou in the past, he would have been swept into the skyand dropped down to the ground forcefully.However he was now able to escape the hurricane.Similar to the way Voban defended against the lightning, just as Godouwas engulfed by the wind, he struggled to maintain his form, not letting hisfeet hover more than a few dozen centimeters off the ground.Magical power strengthened spells and authorities from afar.After taking the [Goatj's form, what used to be most difficult to control,could be performed much faster and more skillfully than before."You... That is a mage technique. To suddenly awaken such an ability, youreally are a reckless fellow, there is neither rule nor reason to yourauthorities!""I really don't want to hear criticisms from someone like you!"Godou replied unhappily to Voban's questioning.Though they both realized that defeating the other was not an easy task,the two kings released lightning simultaneously.In the red-hot battle of thunder, the intense but fruitless shooting matchbegan.Part 4"The power to control lightning... Kusanagi Godou's authority is based onthe powers of Verethragna's ten forms, right? So which form is it?""Ah? Amakasu-san!? You came?"With the cessation of corpse activity, the battlefield had turned into a oneon one duel between Godou and Voban.Discovering the History Compilation Committee member who popped upsuddenly, Yuri was caught by surprise."Yes, actually I was here watching from the start... Eh? This is a power notmentioned in the Greenwich report.""Looks like it. This is also the first time for me to see it — probably it was aform awakened just now."The one who answered was Erica. Liliana walked over to her side.In the overly dangerous battle between [Kings], they had kept a safedistance, watching over Godou from afar.Godou and Voban were firing electrical attacks at each other in an intensebattle.Voban had more weapons, having rain and wind at his disposal in additionto lightning, but that was it. No matter what kind of attack he made, Godouwas able to evade skillfully, and greater variety of weapons meant little.On the other hand, every electrical attack Godou performed was dodgedby the experienced Voban.Though covered with burns and bruises, neither side could deliver a criticalhit. They were simply firing cannons at each other in a fruitless battle ofattrition."This should either be the [Youth] or the [Goat], because it controlsthunder — ""In that case, it must be the [Goat]. For some reason, that is what I feel."Surprisingly, the last line was spoken by Liliana.Though it sounded like random guessing, there was substantial confidencebehind it. This left Yuri with a deep impression.Unlike Amakasu or Erica who explained using knowledge, she usedinstinct to characterize the divine power. Though Liliana was Erica's fellowknight, she was likely the same type as Yuri — a witch with the dispositionof a miko."Just like that lady said, it is the [Goat] form... The priestly ability in chargeof people's hearts and holding the power of thunder."So what were the characteristics of this form?In the moment Godou's new power awakened, Yuri immediatelyunderstood with her spirit sense. The [Goat] form can be used as long asthe people at that location wished to become part of his battle strength.In terms of people — it was not exclusive to the living.Collecting the thoughts and feelings of the dead to become energy, andgranting Godou the divine power of thunder, was the anger and hatred leftbehind by the [Dead Servants], as well as their sorrow and pain.This was likely a powerful form capable of rivaling the [Warrior], the [WhiteStallion] and the [Boar].The horned [Goat], was a sacred beast symbolizing great magical power. Itwould not be too surprising if that form possessed magical powersurpassing the strongest wizards and magi.Since ancient times, [Horns] were the symbol of special magical power.When priests and kings performed rituals in primitive religions, they wouldoften wear hats or helmets featuring horns, and the purpose was to showthat the wearer possessed power.The deer, the bull, as well as the goat.The majority of worshiped sacred beasts all had horns. These areremnants of ancient religion faiths."Now that it is mentioned, the nomadic Indo-European tribes are thought tohave made analogies comparing the goat to lightning in the sky. Thefamous god of the heavens, Zeus, is also intimately linked to the [Goat],and there are similarities between it and the legend of the [Horse] carryingthe sun. The [Goat] which became lightning was also increasinglypromoted as a sacred beast by the Indo-European language family inmany places on the continent... So that's why it has that kind of power."Amakasu looked very happy as usual while he spouted information aboutVerethragna.Very interested, Amakasu asked the unsuspecting Yuri."As for Kusanagi Godou's authority, there are conditions of use, right?What is it this time that allowed the [Goat] to be used, Yuri-san?""That is—"Just as Yuri was about to answer...She felt a chill, and stopped herself from uttering the words in her mouth.Though she had doubt from the beginning, she understood instantly.Behind Amakasu, Erica was staring at her, and her eyes were giving awarning.It was neither sinister nor cold.However, it was very stern, and contained an unforgiving will. Yuri realizedthat the conditions of using the ten forms was extremely importantinformation for Godou.Killing him would not be hard if one had such information in detail.Of course Amakasu knew this, so for him to deliberately ask such aquestion, it was natural for Erica to be glaring with full murderous intentthat seemed to threaten "I will shut you up if you say somethingunnecessary.""...No. About this, I am very sorry that even I do not know."Not because Erica was frightening.But because she understood Erica's concerns, Yuri lied.Kusanagi Godou was still inexperienced with protecting himself from typesof malevolence other than violence. In order to keep him safe, she stillneeded to work extra hard. Was that it?Satisfied with Yuri's course of action, Erica put away her glare."Then nothing can be done about it. Don't worry... yes?"Feeling disappointed, Amakasu suddenly narrowed his eyes in surprise."What is it, Amakasu-san?""Nothing, for some reason my body suddenly had a tired feeling... Anyway,Yuri-san are you ok!?"Knees losing strength, Yuri's body was starting to shake. She had to put allher effort to stand still and stop her shaking legs.It couldn't be helped, as the body felt like its strength was being suckedaway. Even standing up was very difficult.— Observing closely, Amakasu also seemed to be in the same state.Despite the darkness of the night, it was clear his face did not look well.However, Erica and Liliana were unaffected, and with incredulous eyes,were watching the two people who were losing strength.Yuri instinctively felt that both their — no, it was likely the life force ofeveryone in the surroundings, were being gathered at one spot. They wereconverging at Kusanagi Godou who started releasing thunder to fight awhile ago.This was the [Goat]'s power, no, side effect.This form was not only the will of the people, but also absorbed their lifeforce and converted it into Godou's power! If Erica and Liliana were fine, itwas probably because their original stamina was far beyond ordinaryhumans.It was still bearable, but if it continued it might become life threatening."...Uh, because this is a form wielding such great power, it comes with acorresponding price? Aya, I really give up.""Though every time is like this, but Kusanagi Godou's authority is simplyfull of these inconvenient powers..."As Yuri explained, Amakasu honestly expressed his annoyance in a raremoment.Even Erica's eyes were popping out from surprise.However, Liliana remained optimistic."Though that is true, to be able to reach this level and pay such a price isalso the privilege of those who are [Kings]. Kusanagi Godou, looks like heturned out to be more capable than I imagined."She was watching the place where Godou and Voban were having anintense battle of thunder.The two [Kings] who possessed ultimate resistance against magical power,were turning their own magical power into lightning to attack each other.Even for a Great Knight like Liliana, it was too dangerous to approach andthey did not dare venture forward.They could only watch over from the side —"Feeling people's hearts and forming a new ability... Though it is difficult toaccept his weakness in succumbing to Erica's temptation, he does have aserious side. I am slightly impressed."Liliana showed a relaxed smile.A fairy-like beauty with an awe-inspiring flair, this was a knight's smile.Like Yuri, her miko disposition felt it, that Godou sensed the hearts of the[Dead Servants] which caused the [Goat] form to awaken."Erica! Though the battle is even for now, by my estimates, it will inevitablysway in the Marquis' favor. When that happens, you and I will support theking, are you prepared?""Who are you talking to? That was exactly what I was going to say, Lily!"The two knights picked up their beloved magic swords and startedbickering.At that moment, a strange feeling came over Yuri.— Liliana Kranjcar, a girl whose named sounded like it came from aneastern European country, was standing most naturally with Erica. Redand blue, the twin Great Knights guarding the same king. This descriptionappeared in Yuri's mind without thought.Noticing Yuri's gaze, Liliana felt strange and asked."What is it, Mariya Yuri? Did you finally remember who I am?""Eh? Did we meet before?""Forget it, if you do not remember, it is fine. It was just a single encounter,so I sort of know you — uh, now is not the time for this kind of chat."Liliana watched the battlefield with a serious expression once more.As she predicted, the tides of battle were slowly shifting, and in Voban'sfavor —Even in a fight between powerful supernatural entities, stalematesoccurred occasionally.As long as it was more advantageous to defend than to attack, thesesituations were likely to arise. This was the case with Godou and Voban.What should have been an instant kill attack was ineffective against bothsides. This resulted in stalemate.However, if the fight dragged on, the battle would sway towards thestronger side. From Voban's expression, Godou subconsciously felt thatthings were not going his way.Different from the usual poker face of that old man.When using his most powerful divine power, Voban abandoned his facadeof the old intellectual gentleman, and let his emotions enter a state ofmadness, roaring with laughter.Just like when he transformed into the giant silver wolf.A warrior since birth, though he had aged, his wild side was not lost. A manlike a beast, this was the true nature of Dejanstahl Voban that Godouinstantly saw clearly.This man was releasing slow-moving thunderstrikes with a calmexpression a while ago.However, the sky was gathering a frightening amount of heavythunderclouds. Godou felt difficulty breathing. This was the effect of Vobanraising his authority of storms to the maximum.To think he had the leisure to do that while engaged in a shooting matchwith Godou.The strongest violet lightning, this was in preparation for releasingelectricity from his entire body.Godou did not have extra strength to do the same, it was already taking hisall to maintain the stalemate.— This was the difference in power.The old king and Campione who fought continually over the past threecenturies, and the immature one who just debuted. There was anunbridgeable gap between their power levels."Boy, I should thank you. To be able to fight to this level, it has reallycomforted my weary and boring days. Though a little brief, but let me enjoythis!"Voban smiled.A grandiose declaration of his victory.Just as he said, he still had many cards up his sleeve, but up to now heonly focused on using the same thunder attack. This was his way ofproving his superiority over Godou in the use of thunder.Anxiety invaded Godou's heart.If this continued, he will definitely lose.If he was hit by the full strength lightning attack from a devil king ofVoban's level, Godou had no confidence in his own safety. However, therewas still another weapon against the old man —At some point, both sides stopped using lightning.Voban was preparing for the final strongest attack, while Godou realizedcontinuing to attack was meaningless."Godou, you haven't forgotten me, right? Please let your knight EricaBlandelli have a chance to be active. I am your sword and shield. Nomatter where, we must fight together."To the right of the troubled Godou appeared a knight dressed in red andblack.Holding Cuore di Leone tightly in her hand, Erica Blandelli stood togetherwith Godou."Kusanagi Godou, though I have no wish of spending the rest of my lifewith you, but at this point in time, I am also your knight. Before the battleends, let me accompany you."On his left, appeared the knight dressed in blue and black.Holding the silver II Maestro, Liliana Kranjcar stood upright on the left."This is too dangerous for you two to be here! Please leave now!"Godou roared with surprise at the two of them, but their responses werecold."It may be as you say, however — if Erica and I create a barrier to assist themagical power of you, the Campione, then it may be possible to defendagainst Voban's full powered attack. Now is the time to make a gamble.""Though it might fail, but it's worth a try."Liliana and Erica had no intention of retreating, and though their concernwas gratifying, they clearly lacked careful consideration.Just as Godou was about to yell with all his strength....! ...! ...! ...! ...! Noises were heard.As Godou's gaze met with Liliana beside him, she silently nodded."Like Yuri, Lily can see things that normally cannot be seen, and hear whatnormally cannot be heard. A true and proper witch who possesses a miko'sdisposition. So long as she says we have a shred of a chance for victory, itis worth taking the gamble. — Godou, let us fight alongside you."Erica said sincerely.Since she said it, Godou could only accept that he was not alone. If heactually fought just by himself, that old man is definitely undefeatable. Inthat case —"...If this fails, then I will go to hell in place of the two of you.""Don't say something stupid. If we fail, we go together, right? To me, thatwould be preferable."Erica and Liliana nodded.Their smiles looked very gentle.Thinking back, he had been troubling this girl all this time, though she hadalso brought trouble to him, so they were even.Of course, perhaps Erica and I might actually be great partners.As Godou confirmed once again what had been vague thoughts, he glaredat Voban.The old Devil King raised his arm towards the sky and was about to makea downwards gesture.It began to rain once more.At the same time, it came. Crashing through the thunder clouds, tearingthrough the skies, the extremely bright flash finally descending towards theground, without a doubt this was the strongest thunderstrike seen this day.— As the one who holds all victory in my hands, I am the strongest. Allenemies, all who harbor enmity, will be vanquished!Godou consumed Verethragna's divine power to the highest degree, andprayed hard that the thunder descending upon him will miss its mark.Erica and Liliana then used barrier magic to create an invisible shield, as ifhelping this force of will meld together with magical power — but it was notenough.To repel the fully energized strongest electrical attack, the power of threepeople was not enough.Certain of his victory, the old Campione laughed heartily.And so, Godou began to pray for himself to get even stronger — give mepower, lend me power!I am willing.Hearing the answer, Godou nodded.Neither a lone person nor merely three people. In fact, all those gatheredpresent were Voban's enemies and they lent Godou their power.How could he lose now!?— Turning to dust and returning to the earth, these [Dead Servants]lingered here as souls.They appeared out of the darkness once again, returning above ground intheir corpse form." — What! How can it be the servants!?"Voban's eyes were wide with surprise.However, it was too late. Voban had underestimated their existence.Fueled by their anger and hatred towards the old king, these revivedservants numbered in the dozens.The majority of these were magi when alive, and amongst them weremasters of their craft equal to Erica and Liliana. They also melded theirpowers with Godou's magic.Godou's magical power was able to resist Voban's thunder, and graduallyexpanded as if it was going to burst.— Finally, the extremely powerful lightning changed its trajectory.The wrath of the thunder god which should have consumed Godou, Ericaand Liliana, strayed from its target, and raced towards the massive metaltower nearby!Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumblerumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumblerumble rumble !!It was the loudest sound of thunder today.Hit by violet lightning, the Tokyo Tower began to light on fire.In spite of the wind and rain, the flames illuminated the ground, and underthe yellow glow, made visible Dejanstahl Voban's face that was distortedwith rage." — Lightning."Looking at the sky, Godou whispered the spell words."O lightning! O lightning! I am the conqueror who vanquished a thousandwith a hundred, vanquished ten thousand with a thousand, and vanquishedtens of thousands with ten thousand. Now for the sake of I who stand onthe side of justice, release bright and shining brilliance, and grant medivine power!"Thunderclouds groaned in response to his cries.Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumblerumble —A frightful rumbling sound descended from the sky, and in the instant thetop level lightning was released, the sky shook, the ground trembled,echoing the sound of the divine realm.Godou originally did not have the power to control this type of lightning.However, since there were the thunderclouds gathered by Voban, it wasdifferent if one suddenly attacked at the moment he relaxed his guard.Having barely evaded the critical hit released by the old king, Godou yelledwith all his strength and released all his magical power.In order to obtain the power to rule over the gathered thunderclouds,Godou immediately spoke the spell words to master them, infusing the fullpower of the [Goat] form.(In that instant, everyone within a one kilometer radius of the Tokyo Towerhad part of their life force taken, and fell unconscious as if afflicted withanemia. Godou only found out much later.)To Voban who focused everything in the attack, though it was a moment,but this could distract his concentration."Hmm, damn brat! These are the actions of a thief!"In order to take back his domination over the thunderclouds, Vobandirected his consciousness towards the air.However it was too late, if Godou attacked before he succeeded, he wouldnot have enough time —"Man and devil — I shall smash through all enemies in my way!"Powerful golden lighting descended towards the ground again.In fact, it was slightly more powerful than Voban's thunderstrike less than aminute ago.Part 5The white smoke that covered the surroundings of the old Campione finallydissipated.Even though Godou used all his strength and attacked him with a powerfulthunderstrike, Voban was not vanquished. Truly, three centuries differenceof experience was not just for decoration.— However, it was enough to exhaust him to his limits.The old man was struggling to prepare his defenses to receive the nextlightning strike, he took his [Sturm und Drang] — and invoked all the powerfrom this authority which ruled the wind, rain, thunder and lightning,causing the electric strike to deviate from its target.Erica and Liliana both threw their magic swords like spears.In order to dodge the deadly weapons, the old king lost his concentrationand was engulfed by the thunderstrike like a tidal wave, burning to nothing.However, after that.The spot where Voban stood seemed to be gathering a mound ofsand — no, it's dust — slowly rising and forming the shape of a man, finallyrecreating the old Marquis' intellectual appearance.Was this a hidden trump card of this fellow?Resurrecting just like his own [Ram], Voban has used an authority toevade unavoidable death. Godou could not help but feel nervous."Let's start the third round, boy?""If that's what you want, let's have two or three more, I will be youropponent until the very end."The revival just now seemed to have taken a heavy toll on Voban.His breathing was irregular, magical power was clearly much lower. Godoufelt this, and prepared to force his own tired body to summon morelightning.They were now equal, and victory could go either way!Behind the two Campiones facing each other, Tokyo Tower was burningup most spectacularly.Godou's last attack not only struck Voban, it also gave the Tower a finalhit. The three hundred meter tall structure of steel was now burning like agiant torch.The turbulent night had not ended yet, how much more will this city bedamaged?Godou felt his nerves tense, and at that instant."...Please stop! Great Marquis, if you do not withdraw, then including meand Kusanagi Godou, as well as the others, blow us all away!"Angrily glaring at the two [Kings], Yuri yelled.For some reason she looked extremely weak, and was held in Erica'sarms. The Hime-Miko totally drenched in rain, was placing her life on theline to such an extent."As long as I am gone, you will have no reason to battle, so please make adecision."To think that Yuri would speak such words.As if scolded lightly by Yuri's awe-inspiring expression, Godou was goingto speak, but Voban responded first."Are you serious, miko? Are you meaning to say it is fine to kill you righthere?""Correct. If the residents of the city are dangerously threatened because ofme, then I have no other recourse but to sacrifice myself."Seeing Yuri speak with such a stern expression, Voban was speechless fora second."Little lady, one who doesn't understand the joy of hunting, you just killedthe mood... Fine, to have reached this point, I will now declare in the nameof I, Dejanstahl Voban."Voban's eyes — the evil eyes burning like the irises of a tiger.Unable to suppress rage and boiling passion. Are we finally fighting?Godou pushed his body forward."Brat! Kusanagi Godou, victory is yours! This time, you win!"Declared the victor by such hateful tones, Godou was surprised."You're saying I won?""I already said before this hunt. The only rule was I will kill you and catchthe girl! However, I misjudged your power. I am now tired at this stage... If Icontinued fighting you like this, I won't have excess power to guarantee thesafety of the little lady. Thus, you have won."Voban explained impatiently.Come to think of it, he did say something like that. Realizing the old manhad been treating the current deathmatch as just a game, Godou feltrooted to the spot."If I cannot even abide by the rule I set myself, then I have lost! Iunderestimated your power, I was defeated by my own naivete! ...I mayhave gone senile, failing to see through what kind of fellow you were, thefirst time I laid my eyes on you."At those forward staring evil eyes burning with emerald light, Godou glaredback without backing down.He felt that he would not lose even if the fight continued, but if the otherside wanted to stop, it was fine. It was almost time to settle things."Next time we encounter each other, I will hunt you with all my strength. Beprepared for that day. Hone your skills, experience more adverse battles. Iwon't be so easy to handle if I were serious."Turning his back to Godou and the rest, the old Campione strode forward.The roadside was tinted with an orange glow by the Tokyo Tower fire, andthe depths of darkness were breached by swirls of wind and rain."Keep this in mind, between [Kings] like us, there can only exist one of thefollowing relationships — ignoring each other, pacts of nonaggression, oreternal enemies dueling to the very end. And now, you will be my enemy!"These were the last words left behind by Voban.Once his figure disappeared, the [Dead Servants] who had re-materializedturned back into dust, and truly started their journey towards eternal peace.May they rest in peace, however —At the same time as he prayed, Goudou lost strength, it was really tiringafter all.Though he did not know about the future, but at least they all survived.However, this did not mean everything was over."That tower sure burns well, this is a unique scene.""You are talking like a devil as usual. Such style certainly makes one wantto sigh.""That should be made of steel, right? Since it's raining, I guess it won't beburning for too long... Ah, I did something bad again..."As Godou held his head in his arms, Erica and Liliana also went limp.They were also at their limit, and with their hazy consciousness, the threeof them looked out at the red and white Tokyo Tower that was burningmost spectacularly.The Tower's height was 332.6 metres.Originally built as a communications tower, it later became a Tokyolandmark and famous tourist attraction. Built over fifty years ago, it was avery familiar milestone to local residents."In that case, is Mariya ok? ...What happened, you look very tired?"Godou asked the very lifeless looking Yuri.Mentally it was obvious, but she should not have been exerting herselfphysically. This level of fatigue was incomprehensible. At that point, thethree girls sighed all together.What is going on, they were very surprised, Godou had this feeling."Godou, have you noticed what you have done?"Erica was the first to respond, and then Yuri and Liliana began to explainto him the side effects brought upon by the [Goat] form.Hearing that he had been empowering himself with the life force ofeveryone around him, Godou was struck with intense shame and worry."W-will someone die because of this? What's the situation? What adangerous form...!""I think that probably will not happen. After all, even weak as I am, I onlycollapsed slightly as if with anemia... Maybe just report it a bit. WhenGodou-san let loose that final lightning attack, it felt like my consciousnesswas blown very far away, and then I fell.""A-a-a-are you ok, Mariya? I hope others are fine too — "Godou frantically tried to search the illuminated surroundings of the TokyoTower....On further thought, he hoped that any people in the Tower were alsofine. Though it was night, it was impossible for there to be no one."When Voban was summoning the storms, the Tokyo Tower seemed tohave issued a thunder and wind evacuation warning already. I hadAmakasu-san confirm just now, so it was most fortunate in spite ofeverything..."Yuri's words relieved Godou's self-reproach slightly. But still, knowing hewas responsible for a disaster, he still felt very uncomfortable.Every time was like this, and this time was no ordinary scale.Watching the depressed Godou, Yuri sighed and walked over."Godou-san, the responsibility of this incident does not rest solely uponyou. I am your accomplice, so please cheer up. If there is any problem, Iwill gladly accept punishment together with you.""Mariya...""Did I not say that wherever you go, I will follow? Have you forgotten?"Gazing directly at Godou's face, Yuri's eyes were more gentle than anygoddess. Caught in such a gaze, Godou could not help being mesmerized,but at that moment...Cough.Hearing a light cough behind him, Godou turned around to look.It was Erica, who had lowered her head and coughed lightly."What is it!? Are you ok, was it because of me!?""Perhaps... Yes, Godou. Come over a bit. My chest is not feeling well..."Seeing his partner in a rare state of apparent weakness, Godou went overcompletely gullible....Thinking back, that was his greatest blunder that night."Is there anything I can do? Let's go to the hospital, pull yourself together!"Completely drenched by the rain, Erica's body felt rather cold, at the sametime she was quite exhausted.While he gently stroked her back, Godou leaned closer to support herslender body. At that moment the attack came.Erica reached out with her hands in a well-trained manner, and liftedGodou's face.He felt a seductively beautiful and moist gaze looking at him."Kusanagi Godou — from what I understand, even Mariya is fine. How couldyou possibly believe that this devil woman, who is even healthier than anox, would be weakened? Looks like you are still too gullible..."Liliana commented with a critical tone.It was exactly as she said, Godou who was now caught in Erica's clutchescompletely agreed, but there was no helping it. After such an intensebattle, anyone would let down their guard..."S-so Erica, could you stop the pranks! This is too indecent!""Since the atmosphere between Yuri and Godou changed completely, I feltworried and had to act... Hey, what did you two do exactly?"Showing a witch's smile whose beauty shook one from the core, Erica keptasking.Her gentle hands were lovingly holding Godou's face and caressing hishead, as if trying to locate and retrieve some hidden code with her delicatehands.If he didn't answer properly, these slender hands could probably crack hisskull open in an instant.Suddenly worried for an inexplicable reason, Godou felt himself retreating,while Yuri on the side seemed to have her head bowed as if guilty."What I am slightly concerned of is how you prepared the [Sword] againstthe Marquis. Ah, though I already asked on the phone, but could you tellme once again? It's just a small thing, right?"Erica was whispering in Godou's ear.And then she began to kiss his ear lightly, and moved on to his lips. Itbegan with a light touch between the lips, but it soon evolved to Erica's lipslicking Godou's, and then beginning to suck, and proceeding to boldlyextend her tongue to entangle —"Y-You have no shame..."Liliana was watching from the side with her face bright red.Despite saying that, she seemed to be watching with great interest anddisplayed no intention of diverting her gaze. What could one say? Godouwas filled with chagrin, but given the way he allowed Erica to toy with himall the time, he was not qualified to comment on others.Just like idiot couples in a brazen display of public affection, with a lover onhis lap and engaging in intimacy without regard of others.That was the only way to describe the current state of affairs, but Godoufelt like a frog within the sights of a snake.His heart was full of fear and terror, as if he was going to be killed anymoment now.Even Yuri, who used to reprimand such situations instantly, wasspeechless.Though her blushing face looked like she wanted to say something, shequickly bit her lip and swallowed her words. She was probably feeling thesame sense of terror and guilt."Aya, good job everyone. So anyway, just leave the firefighting and otherclean up to us. Your drenched bodies must be cold, right? Let's all get agood rest — hey, what happened? The atmosphere feels a little strange."Amakasu suddenly appeared and remarked casually.Even so, Godou and Yuri were still silently supporting their stiff bodies,while Liliana was watching things unfold with indignation yet laced withheavy interest.On the other hand, Erica was skillfully balancing herself on Godou's lapdoing as she pleased.References1 . t nukti eoikos: vuicri eoiKux; in Greek (from Homer's llliad), meaning'resembling the night.'2. t Feng Bo (ML IS): a Chinese mythical beast ruling over the domainof wind. Taken literally, the name means the Earl of Wind.3. t Yu Shi (MEif): an ancient Chinese deity in charge of rain. Thename means the Master of Rain.4. t Lei Gong (H4a): the Chinese thunder god, the name means theDuke of Thunder.

Chapter 7 - Wind, Rain, WolfPart 1As the storm ravaged the night, it was somewhere not far from the TokyoTower —Anyone with some slightly normal sense would not venture outside in suchunfavorable weather.No, even a person with particularly urgent things to do, would not chooseto go outside. Due to this level of wind, rain, and thunder.Within the storm, an old man stood, wearing a black jacket with joyfullaughter on his face."Hahahahahaha! Search and go hunt! Tonight is such a wonderful night!My hunting hounds, find my prey!"Dejanstahl Voban yelled loudly.Very quickly, tens of [Wolves] took form in the darkness behind him, andstarted racing across the city in the night. As if carrying his laughter, thewind strengthened, and the lightning became more violent.The screams of the wind and the sound of thunder, heavy rain striking theground with fierce sounds, all these dominated the city night.Without any signs of people on the streets, the cars on the roads alsodisappeared.In other words, it would not have been an exaggeration to say it had turnedinto a city without people. Voban who yelled arrogantly was like a king ofthe wasteland."Ah, getting so excited. He looks really happy."The one who appeared to admire with sincerity was the HistoryCompilation Committee member, Amakasu Touma.Beside him was Liliana Kranjcar. As she peeked at the one who sort ofcounted as a dignified old man, she showed a slightly shocked expression."Especially this tasteless act. It is as if he had not found entertainment for along time until now... Really, an anachronistic tyrant should just enjoy hissecluded life!""However, a life of sitting in the balcony under the sun and growing old...Something like that is no good — "Erica Blandelli deliberately played the devil's advocate against her oldfriend.— It was near Shiba Park in the Minato ward.They had discovered the old Devil King and hid in a dark spot of somebuilding to witness this scene.Roughly thirty minutes ago, Erica had brought Liliana over to her cause,and disarmed hateful complaints one after another with a smile as theysearched for Voban.Liliana, who was even skilled at divination, had divined the Marquis'location.Moving in the direction the divination indicated, they met Amakasu.As Erica and Liliana walked together, a car stopped on the road, suddenlyopened its door and out appeared his figure.Opening a black umbrella and walking out into the heavy rain.However, the umbrella was immediately blown away. Amakasu shook hishead as if saying "can't stand this," gave up, and simply let his suit take inwater from the rain. At the same time, he spoke."Meeting here must be fate then, let's go... So, could you introduce thisyoung lady with you, Erica-san? Actually, I seem to have met LilianaKranjcar-san somewhere before?"Having said that, the three of them stood together."So Amakasu-san, may I ask you a question?""No problem, as long as I know the answer. However, weight and the threemeasurements are secrets, yes?"To the History Compilation Committee member who answered frivolously,Erica threw him a vicious stare."Actually, starting from just now I realized. You... no, the reason whyGodou was requested in this affair."Erica was questioning using subtle acrimonious tones.Amakasu played dumb and laughed, his calm and relaxed facade did notfalter."Actually we are very worried about Erica-san as well. Isn't it normal tonegotiate with the side which has the ability to do something?""So how is it? When someone close to him is caught in danger, Godou willtake action without thinking clearly. Ignoring some sacrifices, fighting theMarquis could turn out to be a good opportunity to push Godou forward inharnessing his potential... So to speak. Am I overthinking things?""You overthought this. After all, we of the History Compilation Committeeare all respectable civil servants. Our first consideration is the welfare ofthe Tokyo residents and the Japanese nation."Erica elegantly gave off an air of acute sarcasm.Amakasu, though clearly insincere, had a face that somehow one couldnot hate.Listening to the conversation of the two, Liliana whispered with a lack ofgood will."Conversations like those between foxes and bats should take placesomewhere else. Putting that aside, what should be done now? IsKusanagi Godou in this direction?""Yes in this direction, how should I put it, it's that he should be in thisdirection."Erica answered, thinking of the phone call just now....Of course, one could not be careless with a man like Kusanagi Godou.Though he clearly lacked outstanding social skills, he keeps attracting allthese strange people.Perhaps this was part of a king's disposition. A dependable existence, butnot very amusing.The plan to bring Liliana over to his side turned out to be enacted early andsucceeded far beyond expectation. ...One must take note of this in thefuture.Fooling around with newcomers would be fine. This was the privilege of aking. However, he cannot be forgiven if he gets serious.The one whom Kusanagi Godou truly loves above all can be no one elsebut Erica Blandelli."To carve this principle deep into the soul, truly has to begin fromchildhood... With that kind of personality, the chances of him becoming aparent who spoils his children is rather high...""What is it, Erica? What are you uttering so softly about?"Erica shook her head at Liliana's question.The current priority was to deal with Marquis Voban. One mustconcentrate."Ah ah, excuse me, it's nothing, don't mind it. — Let's start. KusanagiGodou and Dejanstahl Voban, the second round of the duel between[Kings]."Erica and Liliana stepped forward side by side.They stepped towards where the old Devil King was summoning wind, rainand thunder, laughing madly.Under the intense thunderstorm, the two girls finally faced off against theelderly king."Ohoh, finally out of the house? Too late. — Oh, Kranjcar seems to havejoined her rival, but why? Shouldn't you be following me?"Voban glanced sideways at the girl beside Erica and spoke.He could immediately tell that Liliana had changed her loyalties. Histwisted eyes were full of certainty."I express my deepest apologies. Liliana Kranjcar would now request to bewithdrawn from your services. Please forgive me for refusing to stain mychivalry by participating in the kidnapping of the weak and womenfolk.""Dare to refuse the tyrannical king? Foolish! However, this may well be therole model of a knight."Voban smiled generously."Killing you by my own hand and letting you join the ranks of the [DeadServants] will suffice. Without a doubt, that [Diavolo Rosso] will accompanyyou as well. You won't be lonely eh? Girls with the disposition of wolves,you are worthy to become warriors under me."The darkness became restless once again.Warriors, with sturdy bodies and wearing ancient battle attires, were bornout of the darkness."I can't let you be mistaken, so let me teach you all. These people — [DeadServants] can only be truly released from my shackles by the state of mydeath. So just now, for those knights you defeated with your own hands,do not mistakenly believe that they will obtain peace. They have simplyturned into dust once more, returning to the ground, and after some timewill return to my shackles once again... My domination is eternal."Out of the storm dozens of death knights appeared.It was true. From amongst the defeated knights, there were now two thatlooked identical to them. As expected of an authority usurped from thegods, ordinary methods did not work.Witnessing the power of her enemy, Erica instead showed an arrogantsmile."A king's words cannot be false. However, may I be so bold as to make acorrection. We are not your opponents. Have you forgotten this fact?""I'm not that old and senile. However, where is that beloved brat of yours?"The nature of Voban's smile changed.In the smile of the king who was familiar with his absolute power, acomposed warrior's hearty laughter from the boiling of hot blood could beseen."That kind of brat can't even satisfy my hunger a tiny bit. A newborn kingcan only be at this level. However if that guy — can let me witness thepower that overcame the other brat Salvatore, then I shall amend mywords. Tonight, is a rare moment for my blood to boil from excitement. Thechance to enjoy fighting to my heart's content!"Neither for the power to bury gods, nor for ruling the earth.Only to enjoy a good battle.A power that only existed for battle and conflict.The king whose body had existed for centuries, who chose solitude andabandoned territory and subjects instead, to the old king's roars, Ericanodded."If that's the case, king, then you shall confirm for yourself. — KusanagiGodou! Your knight calls for you. Please descend once again, and fulfillyour obligations as king!"Taking a slight bow, raising her voice to call for that name.Riding upon the blowing winds, out spoke the spell words calling forth theyoung king.— Soon, the wind formed a vortex in front of Erica's eyes.— Away from the overflowing spell power, Liliana retreated in surprise.Suddenly in the center of the wind, out appeared Kusanagi Godou andMariya Yuri dressed in her miko outfit."You have kept me waiting long enough, brat. Making an elder wait solong, what a rude fellow. As expected of the ally of that brat Salvatore.""Excuse me. However, comparing me with that kind of person makes memad."Voban who treated the enemies appearing before him as idiots, andGodou who responded with haughty battle spirit.It was the moment the two kings met again.Part 2"Mariya, why don't you wait at the back. It's probably better than stayingright beside me.""Yes. No matter what, please be safe."Listening to Godou's directions, Yuri nodded sincerely.She reluctantly let go of the hand she was holding tightly during the flightvia Verethragna's [Wind], and got off from Godou's body. Without a trace ofuncertainty, it was a very good expression.The place where Yuri ran towards, had Erica — as well as another person."Eh? You are from just now...""I am Liliana Kranjcar. I hurried here at full speed to join under yourbanner, Kusanagi Godou. Though I never wanted to serve the samemaster as that female fox, I have judged your side to be the side of justiceon this occasion. I hope you can understand the reasons of my actions."Liliana spoke rapidly as she glared at her longtime acquaintance.Easily ignoring her gaze, Erica supplemented with a devilish smile fromgoodness knows where."That's right. This is very important. Justice. It was also written in thenotebook of someone...""Quiet! ...You will get your just deserts one day."Liliana said with a frown.Noticing some kind of back story, Godou felt sympathy for her. It musthave been a difficult life getting along with that devil for so long."There's probably nothing to gain from following me. It's fine, you don'thave to force yourself...""That is already understood, it is fine."Liliana simply cut Godou off.Even though she was complaining, her face showed a happy expression.With dreamlike beauty like a fairy's, it felt like she had finally let go ofsomething and obtained the will to advance forward into the future."Ok, thanks. Let's beat up that abominable old man together then."The knight who was brought over by Erica's scheming.Not only was she capable and had her own principles, she was lending herpower. That deserved thanks. Liliana shyly fled from Godou's gaze ofgratitude."Thanks are not needed. It is a knight's duty to assist the king.Furthermore, you are doing this to save a friend and a lady. ...Well, as themaster of that female fox, you have earned very few starting points, but nomatter, this is within acceptable bounds."Very strict words.This was already established in the first impression. This girl wasunexpectedly abrasive in response to unnecessary concern from others. Ifone were to imagine from that doll-like face, one would likely conclude thatshe was one of those characters that were tough but satisfying to win over.With a forced smile, Godou generously nodded his head in response."That's enough. I am in your debt. — Then, old man over there, let's go.""Hmph, you sure talk too much about the most trivial of things. As awarrior, please do not be distracted when facing enemies. Immature one!"Unfazed, Godou retorted against the criticisms of the old man."Immature doesn't need to be said, Captain Obvious. As a substitute, Ihave my trusted companions. You probably pride yourself on your solitarysuperiority, right?""This brat really knows how to bark. So, let's see who has more bite!?"Voban waved his hand downwards.Immediately, the death knights behind him moved at his call.Unsheathing their swords, raising their spears, to kill and defeat Godou!The first to approach were two knights, one red and the other blue, whosummoned magic swords."Lily, there is no need to defeat the death knights. We just need to protectGodou properly. That is our priority!""Any other strategy? Understood!"To Godou's right was Erica, while Liliana took the left.Cuore di Leone and II Maestro — the two magic swords traced spectacularpaths nonstop, forming an impenetrable wall protecting Godou from thedeath knights.In terms of battle strength, the two of them were probably very close to, ifnot equal to the enemies before them.Compared to the dead who could only faithfully follow the orders of theirmaster, there was an advantage to instant and flexible decision makingand agile evasion. Furthermore, their base capabilities had negligibledifferences.This was true even though they were outnumbered.The ten or more death knights were intercepted by the two people Ericaand Liliana.Still, Voban continued to summon servants out of the darkness — a mobilearmy of corpses.Amongst these warriors who resembled medieval knights, there were alsosoldiers armed with muskets fitted with bayonets.Corpses who wrapped their bodies with cloth and rope, swinging battleaxes. There were also dead people who wore military uniforms dating fromthe earlier half of the twentieth century, and carrying what appeared to beancient rifles. As if turning back time, there was a giant man who lookedlike a Viking from some unknown era. Amongst the dead, there were alsothose who wore Middle Eastern or Chinese attire.The [Dead Servants] whose ranks included a haphazard mix of all sorts oftime periods, nationalities, and ethnicities —The firearms they carried appeared to be in no condition to fire. The bladesin their hands were badly maintained, and heavily rusted.Even so, they were swarming in and swinging their weapons.— Erica and Liliana did not back down at their opponents the [DeadServants].The dead attacked in bunches again and again.Once again, Erica had split Cuore di Leone into thirteen parts to becontrolled.The magic sword of the lion floated in the sky like a ferocious bird of prey,and then flew, slicing continuously at the [Dead Servants]. Against themost powerful death knights, Erica stopped them by swinging her swordpersonally.Liliana stayed off the ground for the most part.She stood on the dead people's heads, shoulders, and even on theirweapons, jumping around and flying without restriction. From above, sheattacked from the air with her magic sword again and again, neutralizingher enemies.They completely avoided overextending themselves.Against the strongest death knights, they used hindering attacks and neverengaged for too long.However, against the weakest servants, the magic swords attacked theirfatal vulnerabilities with merciless abandon. Within a short while, many ofthem were removed from battle. In truth, the tactics of the two could beseen as despicable, but extremely solid.Completely low risk.Erica never left Godou's side, while Liliana never ventured too deep.What remained constant was guarding Godou above all else. This waspossible due to the capabilities and judgment of the two."I didn't want to do this originally, but there's no other way!""Same for me! But, now what? Do you have a plan!?"Even in a situation like this, the two of them did not give off any sense oftragedy.Seeing Erica and Liliana kicking away the dead, Godou had mixedfeelings.Though obedient, they were the victims killed by Voban's hand.The tragic fate of those who resisted the devil king and opposed him, butended up defeated. As these people fell and stayed on earth as servants,they continued to fight for Voban after their deaths.Of course, Verethragna's authorities weren't anything good either, butthere were still limits.— If he could, liberating them was the first thing Godou wanted to do.Godou sighed.In terms of strategy, it would be unwise. It was already established that thepower of Erica and Liliana was sufficient to hold off the [Dead Servants]. Itwould be better to save his trump card for something else.Ending the summoning of more [Dead Servants], Voban approached withcasual footsteps.Eyeing the powerful old king, Godou spoke decisively."...Hey. Do you remember the first god you killed?""Why are you bringing this up, boy? What does that have to do with you?"Voban sneered.His form changed. From man to werewolf, and then to a wolf —Was that really all there is to it, other than turning into a giant wolf?Knowing the destructive power of Verethragna's [Boar], Godou believedthat this [Wolf] was the ability that he must be the most wary of.Voban's body expanded after transforming into a wolf.Once again, the vigorous body of the giant silver wolf returned, a terrifyingembodiment of violence.— Currently in Godou's heart, resided two swords.However, the [Warrior] could only wield one sword at a time, and he mustchoose between them. Godou must decide between sealing the [DeadServants] or the [Wolf]. This was a choice he must make, no other wayaround it.Casting his last doubts aside, Godou began to chant the spell words."I know it. That bastard of a god you killed — the wolf god hanging aroundlike night, hating mankind, I know it!"The light shined with brilliance and glory.The [Sword] of the spell words to kill gods. Shining with golden splendor, itformed numerous spheres of light and scattered."Once known as Phoebus — the god whose name had the meaning of light.However, he was also the god with the night-like epithet 'nukti eoikos.'^ Abastard deity who possessed a massive contradiction between hisappearance and his nature, that was the god you killed."The golden [Sword] fluttered in the air amidst spell words.Looking up, the view was mostly dominated by the giant wolf form ofVoban — his silver fur and the strong body of a wolf, were being shreddedin a crisscross manner.Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh !!1 — What, what is that power!'Carrying roars and surprise, his yelling also echoed."That ancient epithet Smintheus. — It means rat. And then there is Lykaon,Lyeios... words containing the meaning of wolf. The god of light whoseorigins stemmed from rats and wolves — the beasts of the earth anddarkness. This is the key to interpreting this god!"This was the figure and nature of the god that Yuri observed.Obtaining that knowledge, Godou felt the spell words flowing outcontinuously from somewhere deep inside him.This was different from the times when Erica used spells to transmitknowledge. Though his mind was totally blank, his mouth spoke on its own.As his tongue moved without pause, spell words were spokencontinuously.Using the heart to capture the god's form — and then speaking out theimages. Simple as that."The wolf with the essence of a rat, and the god who possessed dualattributes of light and night — in other words, Apollo. The twin brother of themoon goddess Artemis, the sun god who locked away darkness but wasborn underground! This is the name of the first god you killed!"Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh !!The spell words with the power to sever a god's power! Is this your trumpcard? Interesting!'Voban roared stubbornly.From the fur of the giant silver wolf, numerous [Wolves] were born. Eachstrand of fur transformed, turning into bodies the size of normal wolves,and started racing through the air.The golden [Sword] brought color to the night sky swirling with wind andrain.The light of the spell words twinkled like stars, and flew towards the silverwolf pack jumping through the air.In order to devour the [Sword], which flew back and forth around the giantwolf, the [Wolves] constantly lunged at the lights and attempted to bitethem. However, the [Sword]'s spheres of light simply advanced from withinthe [Wolves]' mouths to cut their vigorous bodies into halves.Watching the victories repeating in the air several, no, dozens of times,Godou's determination continued to get fired up.Let's attack in one fell swoop!"Apollo's twin sister Artemis is the goddess of the hunt — one of the pillarsamongst the powerful mother earth goddesses. The mother of thesesiblings is the great earth goddess Leto. And Apollo was once a deitybelonging to the temple of the earth."Apollo's epithets appeared one after another.Apollo of Light [Phoebus Apollo]. Apollo of Rats [Apollo Smintheus]. Apolloof Wolves [Apollo Lykeios]. Apollo of Disaster [Apollo Loxias].This sun god had many little known contradictions. Godou once killed timeat home by reading a pocket-sized edition of the Iliad. He found it quitestrange at the time.The beginning of the Homeric hymn described how 'Apollo took on theguise of the dark night.'And then the god brought pestilence against the Achaean army. Theeternally handsome youth. The sun god who loved and admired beauty. Itwas hard to connect his appearance with the descriptions of the things hedid."As proof of this, there exists a deep link between the earth and the beastswhich symbolized him. Rats, wolves and swans — as well as snakes. Thosetiny rats, restless in the darkness, could very well be Apollo's original form.The wolves used by his sister Artemis as servants, was the form of Apolloas the guardian dog of the underworld. The swan was also a symbol of thelink between earth and the underground. Finally there is the snake — asone of the major symbols of most mother earth goddesses, it representsthe cycle of life and death."Powered by Godou's spell words, the golden [Sword] flew across the sky.[Wolves] continuously flew out from the body of the giant wolf, trying to rip,bite and resist these swords.The brilliant light of gold and silver fought fiercely, showering the area withsparks.The eerie blaze of the supernatural aerial battle was carried out in a narrowregion of the stormy night sky."However, the snake which appeared in Apollo's myth was neither hiscompanion nor his relative. It is the monster that he killed — which is whysnakes appear. It is the serpent Python which guarded the sacred land ofthe Delphic oracle. In the past, the young Apollo slew the serpent with hisbow and arrows, thus becoming the god of the oracle."Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ohoh oh oh oh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh!!As if trying to disperse Godou's spell words, Voban roared.Unable to resist the [Sword], the forms of the silver wolves disappeared asthey met defeat repeatedly. The giant wolf with a monstrous body kicked atthe ground, causing massive shaking on the surrounding surface.The attack's direction was aimed at Godou, obviously.Since the weapon could not be defeated, attacking the controller was thelogical choice. However, that was easy to handle."Python was the great serpent born from the mother earth goddess Gaia.Apollo had killed the serpent and became the patron of Delphi. Henceforth,his priestesses were called Pythia and delivered the oracle to those whocame to seek the sacred Delphic oracle. — In other words, Apollo is thegod who successfully killed a fellow brethren deity belonging to the earth."Godou strung the golden swords together and gathered the brightness.If he attacked here in a straight line, it would be just right. He will severApollo's divine power with one slice, and disarm Voban's weapon!"The underground which connects the earth to the underworld, symbolizeddarkness. What dispels darkness is light — sunlight. As a god born from theearth, Apollo also embodied the light which existed to kill his mother.Hence, his true nature has attributes of light mixed into darkness — andbecame the god of disaster Loxias."Giving off light brighter by several fold, a golden flash sliced at the giantwolf horizontally.Immediately, the giant body was destroyed. Shrinking, it turned back intothe form of a skinny old man."...I see now, the spell words which can overcome my authority. Such anannoying special move."Though clearly injured, Voban stood upright and unfazed.Passion and calm, iron will and glory, all these were mixed together andshone from the eyes of the ancient and powerful one as he glared atGodou."An ability to adapt oneself against different situations. What a rarepower... Amongst the current [Kings], John Pluto also has a similar ability.These types of authorities usually have restrictions. As long as I know therules which bind you, victory can be easily obtained."Hmph. Though blood dripped from his forehead, Voban's lips showed acrooked smile.Godou heightened his alertness. The power of the old man's [Wolves]probably hasn't been suppressed completely. When it struck, Godou feltthat the impact was very light.Seeing through the nature of the [Sword]'s spell words, Voban had haltedhis attacks just before the critical moment."Don't worry, with your level of ability, it is still too soon to present achallenge. I will attack you straight on."The [Dead Servants] received Voban's orders, and changed theirmovements.Up until now, they had been attacking without pattern. But now theysuddenly became extremely well organized. They temporarily retreatedaway from around Godou to regroup, and then attacked in waves."Damn it! They are here again! So troublesome!""Just when I thought it was getting too easy, but this will be bad!"Liliana and Erica were having difficulty holding them off, and clearlyshowed signs of anxiety.First, the weaker servants were used to take the frontal assault. When theyoccupied Erica and Liliana, the great knight level corpses immediatelyattacked.Clearly, Voban was manipulating the [Dead Servants] with his invisible will."You were trying to solve the riddle of Apollo, right? Correct, the first god Idefeated was Apollo, and my wolf was the sacred beast authority I usurpedfrom him. However, your spell words — will they be effective against anygod other than Apollo?"Controlling the dead was part of Osiris' authority, but even though he wasaware of that fact, Godou could do nothing about it. No matter what, the[Warrior] form could only seal Apollo's divine power.It looks like Voban changed his method of attack in order to find the limitsof Godou's [Sword].Erica and Liliana swung their magical swords and continued to battle.Though they fought without respite, the tide of battle had turned againstthem. Just as Godou agonized that he was being protected by two girls —"Godou-san!"Yuri's voice yelled out from behind him."Please use the sword for vanquishing Osiris! You should have fulfilled thatcondition!""It's true, but I have already used the [Sword] to seal Apollo..."Without enough remaining strength to answer, Godou could only whispersoftly.Each of Verethragna's incarnations could only be used once a day.Furthermore, when using the [Warrior], the target had to be decidedbeforehand."Don't give up! Whether Apollo or Osiris, both were originally deities withextremely similar characteristics. Use the spell words dormant in yourbody, and forge the [Sword] you need right here!"Even Yuri spoke of something impossible. As Godou was caught insurprise, he surveyed the situation.Erica and Liliana were already at their limits trying to protect him. Enslavedby the authority of the underworld deity, the servants were fighting evenafter their deaths, and the old man culprit was just standing theregloating —If Godou doesn't give it a try, how will he know the result?Seeing Voban's confident demeanor, Godou felt pity for the [DeadServants], and apologetic towards his companions in battle, and so herenewed his battle spirit."Like Apollo, Osiris was also a god born from the earth!"The green-skinned god of the underworld, the judge of the dead.The nature of that god was the harvest brought about by the Nile rivervalley — bountiful grain symbolized attributes of the earth."However, though born from the earth, he differs from the Apollo whobecame the brilliantly glorious sun god, Osiris is purely a god of the earthand the underworld — the close relative of the mother earth goddess, andjust a god of harvest."Apollo and Osiris were both sons of mother earth goddesses — the root ofthe earth.Born in different cultures, but possessing many commonalities in attributes.On this basis, new power flowed into the [Sword].Speaking out the spell words against Osiris, the power was released toseal the underworld god of the harvest — !"After becoming the sun god, Apollo finally obtained the guise of the darknight. Night — the world dominated by darkness. The underground whereApollo scurries in the form of a rat is also the world of darkness. In otherwords, this is the mark of the underworld."The mother earth goddess, who nurtured all life, was not just a goddessoverflowing with love.Winter brings with it death. Godou had learnt this when fighting Athena, theunderworld deity who ruled both the night and the underground. And Osiriswas the god of harvest born from the earth.Crops germinated and grew in spring, were harvested in summer andautumn, and welcomed death in winter.From death, they were reborn in the next spring, and grew once again.— In Godou's hand appeared a huge longsword with a golden blade. Thiswas the divine sword forged to vanquish the god of the underworld whowent through death multiple times and was resurrected.Surrounded by ten or twenty layers of [Dead Servants], there was nowhereto go.Looking at the distance — slightly further than ten meters, the figure of theold king could be seen silently directing the dead's battles like an orchestraconductor.Aiming at his target, Godou raised his sword."Osiris was once cut into pieces and died, resurrecting to become the godof the underworld. The mother earth goddess' responsibilities includedbestowing life in spring, harvesting in autumn, and death in winter. As theson of the earth and god of the harvest, Osiris' dominion also includedgrowth in spring, harvest in the fall, and death in winter — thus, both themother earth goddess who does the killing as well as the harvest god whowas killed have many common functions."The cycle of death and rebirth.Like Athena who once fought Godou, there were the forms of theunderworld deities of death, Isis and Artemis. However, the difference wasthat Apollo was never killed, only Osiris."Apollo did not have the authority to take lives, but instead, he became thegod of the sun. Nonetheless, he still had the epithet 'nukti eoikos' toexpress death — his past includes being the god of pestilence!"Instilling the killing spell words, Godou swung the massive [Sword] fiercely.Golden light given off from the body of the blade lit up the entire battlefield.Light surrounded Erica and Liliana, vanquishing the [Dead Servants].Immediately, it chased after Voban who commanded from the back like aking piece in chess.To defend against this attack, the dead warriors used their own bodies toshield the old Marquis.Godou made a grotesque smile. Their efforts were futile, as long as thetarget was locked by his aim, there was no meaning to sacrificingthemselves for defense.Will it succeed after all? And the final result was — ?Part 3At some point, the rain had stopped.However, the wind had not subsided. The wind was still blowing asviolently as ever, and the dark clouds covering the sky continued to rumblewith thunder, reaching the ground.Only the rain stopped. The old man's joyful voice could be heard."You really did it. Slaying my [Wolf], and sealing the cage of the [DeadServants]. Such a troublesome ability does exist after all."The slicing attack infused with all of Godou's liberated spell words.From the sensation of his hands, Godou felt that the power of Apollohidden in Voban's body was completely severed. It was likely that he wouldnot be able to use that authority again for a few days. But as for the divinepowers of Osiris —As expected, using the [Sword] for Apollo to slay Osiris was very difficult.It did not succeed completely. However, it still managed to decrease thenumber of [Dead Servants]. From a rough estimate, half were destroyedwhile the remaining half stopped moving.The spell words of the [Sword] did not completely cut through Voban'spower of domination.Erica and Liliana, who had been fighting nonstop, finally put down theirmagic swords, breathing slightly heavily.On the last swing of the [Sword], the [Dead Servants] turned into dust andscattered.At that time, Godou felt like he heard something from the disappearingservants. What was that, could it have been words of thanks?The [Sword]'s spell words had cut through Voban's oppression.The dead did not simply disappear in form, but welcomed true death — theywere finally able to rest in peace.The [Warrior]'s ability included not only the sword, but the sight to seethrough a god's nature.That was why Godou understood what happened.If those were really words of gratitude, it was definitely something tocelebrate. It was also worth it at such a great cost... Godou felt his spiritsrenew as he stomped his trembling foot against the ground.Giving the [Sword] double spell words has consumed most of Godou'sstamina.His breathing was irregular, and his body felt weak.Looks like this method of fighting was still beyond the current Godou, whodid not expect it be so taxing....! ...!What is going on? Godou felt like someone was speaking.Erica and Liliana beside him, and starting at some point in time, Yuri with asorrowful expression, were staring at him. Why was there such a feeling?"Yes, I would like to commend your bravery. This battle did not disappointme."As Voban finished speaking in a low voice...The wind began to moan.Godou's body was blown back by a heavy explosion of air pressure.Using the eyes of the [Warrior], Godou looked at the old king... This wasthe divine power of the wind, and three figures could barely be seenbehind Voban.Feng Bo} 2 ^ Yu Shi^ and Lei Gong.^ These names floated into Godou'smind.Deities from China, or was it Korea? Probably the storm gods defeated byVoban. Affecting their appearances was what the old man possessed, theauthority ruling overwind, rain, thunder and lightning."Taken as entertainment, it's a bit exciting. As the one who foughtSalvatore to a draw, it is acceptable. Perhaps in another two years, you willturn out to be a fine warrior."The strong winds continued to blow.Erica who had stepped in front to shield Godou was blown away. Lilianawho tried to close the distance between Voban using the magic of flightalso met the same fate.Then came the thunder. As the rumbling noise started up, lightningdescended from the sky.Resistance against all spells was a Campione characteristic which Godougambled upon....As the one who holds all victory in my hands, I am the strongest. Allenemies, all who harbor enmity will be vanquished. Chanting the hymn toVerethragna, he activated magical power all over his body.It's working, the flash that should have landed on Godou's head missed hisbody by a slim margin.The charred asphalt gave off a burnt smell.The high temperature caused by the thunder vaporized rain drops in theair... If this continued, defeat would be imminent."How relentless. It was already apparent, boy, that you share similaritieswith my past self. To obtain a [King]'s authority without any magicalknowledge. And to skillfully wield with determination and wisdom, thesepowers that a mage could never obtain through training, this was the path Ionce trod."With another flash, this time it was lightning.It was already a feat to escape the spear of the thunder god descendingfrom the sky, and his body felt very hot. Perhaps Godou had already beenburnt quite severely.This time he was suddenly hit by a sudden gust of strong wind, and hiswhole body was blown away.— Lost.Though Godou felt weak and his legs were unstable, he glared at Voban.Even if his body was in full health, he did not have a way to evade windand thunder. From the start, there existed a disheartening difference inpower. But no matter how tired his body felt, Godou still pushed himself tostruggle and stand up.The shaking of his knees was impossible to control. If this continued, hewill be abused to death. Godou showed a displeased expression."Godou-san!""Godou!""Stand up, Kusanagi Godou! You have already fought to this point, showme your resolve!"Voices were heard. Yuri, Erica, as well as Liliana. Everyone was fine, andthe voices of who else?...! ...! ...!There really were voices, but who were they? It sounded like a lot ofpeople, their voices carried from a far distance.Ten people, twenty people, no, there were many more. Where were allthese people? It could barely be heard, but it sounded like pleas of "Get upand fight!"The voices did not stop, the voices of the crowd, the voices seeking power,the voices praying for salvation. Godou lifted his head, looked around andunderstood in an instant.Assured of the power's existence, Godou mastered the characteristics ofthe new form.This sense of omnipotence was the sweet yet dangerous sensation feltwhen a Campione struggles to reach a new stage. I will not lose, declaredGodou in his heart.Such a strange power actually existed, and Godou's determination wasrenewed." — O Guardian of the righteous, I invite you and offer sacrifice. O Guardianof the righteous, I praise you, and beseech you. One who supports the skyand develops new land, the one who grants victory and grace, I willperform justice, please grant to me the right path and light!"Battle spirit rising straight towards the sky, the spell words erupted.The completely new form — it was Verethragna's ninth form, the [Goat]which transformed from the [Warrior].In that instant, Voban released lightning.The flash descended from the sky. However, Godou caught it directly.His palm covered with lightning, he had caught the attack as if it was abaseball. Light erupted from his hand, and waves of heat could be felt.Strong energy was also being released.Do not think that you are the only one with power over lightning!Feeling joy that he could finally counterattack, Godou relaxed the corner ofhis lips, and threw the ball of thunder back."—What?"As expected of the one who could direct wind, rain, thunder and lightning.With the sound of rumbling, the old king deflected the path of the lightningwhich should have gone straight."So that is also your power, boy! To think you even had this level of battleability...!"Due to the joy of battle, Voban's expression was radiant.Godou nodded silently.This was a power that he did not have the capacity to use alone. DespiteGodou's battles till now, this was a power which would never haveawakened without the victory wishes of those who were defeated byVoban.— The will to defeat that man.— The wish to stop the old man, and the hope to seal him.Numerous people were asking, begging, praying, hoping — the power offeelings, the power of hearts was concentrated here and formed a vortexlike a hurricane. Godou could now hear them clearly.The voices of lost souls gathered here.And that was not all.There were the cries of the souls who were finally released after the[Sword] severed Osiris' power of domination.They did not know where they would go henceforth.Heaven, hell, underworld, nirvana, temple of salvation, or promised land...These souls would probably be directed to their final resting placeaccording to their various religions and cultures. It must be so. However tothese souls, their final wish was to witness their enemy's demise — the oldking who had enslaved them for so long.Furthermore, Godou not only sensed the feelings of the dead.— Worrying about the intense thunderstorm and violent winds.— Fear of the constant roaring of thunder started just now.— Concerns of the giant shadow seen for an instant outside the window...That form of a monstrous dog, and doubting their own sanity.— Within the typhoon, there appeared to be some kind of gang fight, andthe feeling of being scared to death.Even the feelings of the residents nearby could be felt clearly.Godou originally thought that there would be very few people outside dueto the weather and the strange happenings, but to think that there were somany people around here. This caused him to worry, because he wantedto keep collateral damage to a minimum.Amongst the vortex of thoughts and feelings, Godou focused on thosecloser to him.— The feelings of the girl who worried about Godou's body, and prayed forhis safe return with all her heart.— The heart of the noble maiden who risked all her courage to beg forGodou's victory.After making contact with Yuri and Erica's hearts, power flowed out as ifwithout limit. Within the body of the Campione, it was as if new life wasinfused, it would be too shameful to lose now!"Grant me power! Grant me the power to defeat Voban!"Godou shouted, his arm raised towards the sky.At the same time, the sky was layered with the heavy thundercloudssummoned by Voban. There was no lack of weapons!The sound of thunder. Lightning descended from the sky continuously.Verethragna's ninth form was the [Goat]. This form allowed one to listen tothe hearts of the people, and wield thunder as weapons.The lightning summoned from the sky was captured just as it was about toexplode in front of Godou, and gave off sparks.The thunder that should have crashed upon the ground halted, and thenbegan to gather.The energy of light and heat was released all at once.Faced with the wave of thunder and lightning swarming him like a turbulentflow, the old Campione exercised his own authorities, and through theexploding flashes of light, the two [Kings] vied for supremacy.Intending to defeat the old man with thunder was Godou, while Voban wastrying to push the thunder away.Neither side was winning.No, Godou had the advantage, and the rapid thunderstrike engulfedVoban.However, the old man's body only received minor burns, and could endurelonger. He was just barely able to avoid his vitals from being struck directlyby the thunder and lightning that should have consumed him completely,bones and all."...Looks like you've created something that imitates a lightning rod, oldman."Godou laughed loudly, but he was counterattacked at that instant.Mixed with raindrops a whirlwind swept over, forming a mini hurricanewhich swallowed Godou."By the power of the spell words, I sing the hymn to victory!"Godou used Verethragna's hymn to raise his magical power.Enduring the force of Voban's hurricane, Godou consumed his magicalpower. If it was Godou in the past, he would have been swept into the skyand dropped down to the ground forcefully.However he was now able to escape the hurricane.Similar to the way Voban defended against the lightning, just as Godouwas engulfed by the wind, he struggled to maintain his form, not letting hisfeet hover more than a few dozen centimeters off the ground.Magical power strengthened spells and authorities from afar.After taking the [Goatj's form, what used to be most difficult to control,could be performed much faster and more skillfully than before."You... That is a mage technique. To suddenly awaken such an ability, youreally are a reckless fellow, there is neither rule nor reason to yourauthorities!""I really don't want to hear criticisms from someone like you!"Godou replied unhappily to Voban's questioning.Though they both realized that defeating the other was not an easy task,the two kings released lightning simultaneously.In the red-hot battle of thunder, the intense but fruitless shooting matchbegan.Part 4"The power to control lightning... Kusanagi Godou's authority is based onthe powers of Verethragna's ten forms, right? So which form is it?""Ah? Amakasu-san!? You came?"With the cessation of corpse activity, the battlefield had turned into a oneon one duel between Godou and Voban.Discovering the History Compilation Committee member who popped upsuddenly, Yuri was caught by surprise."Yes, actually I was here watching from the start... Eh? This is a power notmentioned in the Greenwich report.""Looks like it. This is also the first time for me to see it — probably it was aform awakened just now."The one who answered was Erica. Liliana walked over to her side.In the overly dangerous battle between [Kings], they had kept a safedistance, watching over Godou from afar.Godou and Voban were firing electrical attacks at each other in an intensebattle.Voban had more weapons, having rain and wind at his disposal in additionto lightning, but that was it. No matter what kind of attack he made, Godouwas able to evade skillfully, and greater variety of weapons meant little.On the other hand, every electrical attack Godou performed was dodgedby the experienced Voban.Though covered with burns and bruises, neither side could deliver a criticalhit. They were simply firing cannons at each other in a fruitless battle ofattrition."This should either be the [Youth] or the [Goat], because it controlsthunder — ""In that case, it must be the [Goat]. For some reason, that is what I feel."Surprisingly, the last line was spoken by Liliana.Though it sounded like random guessing, there was substantial confidencebehind it. This left Yuri with a deep impression.Unlike Amakasu or Erica who explained using knowledge, she usedinstinct to characterize the divine power. Though Liliana was Erica's fellowknight, she was likely the same type as Yuri — a witch with the dispositionof a miko."Just like that lady said, it is the [Goat] form... The priestly ability in chargeof people's hearts and holding the power of thunder."So what were the characteristics of this form?In the moment Godou's new power awakened, Yuri immediatelyunderstood with her spirit sense. The [Goat] form can be used as long asthe people at that location wished to become part of his battle strength.In terms of people — it was not exclusive to the living.Collecting the thoughts and feelings of the dead to become energy, andgranting Godou the divine power of thunder, was the anger and hatred leftbehind by the [Dead Servants], as well as their sorrow and pain.This was likely a powerful form capable of rivaling the [Warrior], the [WhiteStallion] and the [Boar].The horned [Goat], was a sacred beast symbolizing great magical power. Itwould not be too surprising if that form possessed magical powersurpassing the strongest wizards and magi.Since ancient times, [Horns] were the symbol of special magical power.When priests and kings performed rituals in primitive religions, they wouldoften wear hats or helmets featuring horns, and the purpose was to showthat the wearer possessed power.The deer, the bull, as well as the goat.The majority of worshiped sacred beasts all had horns. These areremnants of ancient religion faiths."Now that it is mentioned, the nomadic Indo-European tribes are thought tohave made analogies comparing the goat to lightning in the sky. Thefamous god of the heavens, Zeus, is also intimately linked to the [Goat],and there are similarities between it and the legend of the [Horse] carryingthe sun. The [Goat] which became lightning was also increasinglypromoted as a sacred beast by the Indo-European language family inmany places on the continent... So that's why it has that kind of power."Amakasu looked very happy as usual while he spouted information aboutVerethragna.Very interested, Amakasu asked the unsuspecting Yuri."As for Kusanagi Godou's authority, there are conditions of use, right?What is it this time that allowed the [Goat] to be used, Yuri-san?""That is—"Just as Yuri was about to answer...She felt a chill, and stopped herself from uttering the words in her mouth.Though she had doubt from the beginning, she understood instantly.Behind Amakasu, Erica was staring at her, and her eyes were giving awarning.It was neither sinister nor cold.However, it was very stern, and contained an unforgiving will. Yuri realizedthat the conditions of using the ten forms was extremely importantinformation for Godou.Killing him would not be hard if one had such information in detail.Of course Amakasu knew this, so for him to deliberately ask such aquestion, it was natural for Erica to be glaring with full murderous intentthat seemed to threaten "I will shut you up if you say somethingunnecessary.""...No. About this, I am very sorry that even I do not know."Not because Erica was frightening.But because she understood Erica's concerns, Yuri lied.Kusanagi Godou was still inexperienced with protecting himself from typesof malevolence other than violence. In order to keep him safe, she stillneeded to work extra hard. Was that it?Satisfied with Yuri's course of action, Erica put away her glare."Then nothing can be done about it. Don't worry... yes?"Feeling disappointed, Amakasu suddenly narrowed his eyes in surprise."What is it, Amakasu-san?""Nothing, for some reason my body suddenly had a tired feeling... Anyway,Yuri-san are you ok!?"Knees losing strength, Yuri's body was starting to shake. She had to put allher effort to stand still and stop her shaking legs.It couldn't be helped, as the body felt like its strength was being suckedaway. Even standing up was very difficult.— Observing closely, Amakasu also seemed to be in the same state.Despite the darkness of the night, it was clear his face did not look well.However, Erica and Liliana were unaffected, and with incredulous eyes,were watching the two people who were losing strength.Yuri instinctively felt that both their — no, it was likely the life force ofeveryone in the surroundings, were being gathered at one spot. They wereconverging at Kusanagi Godou who started releasing thunder to fight awhile ago.This was the [Goat]'s power, no, side effect.This form was not only the will of the people, but also absorbed their lifeforce and converted it into Godou's power! If Erica and Liliana were fine, itwas probably because their original stamina was far beyond ordinaryhumans.It was still bearable, but if it continued it might become life threatening."...Uh, because this is a form wielding such great power, it comes with acorresponding price? Aya, I really give up.""Though every time is like this, but Kusanagi Godou's authority is simplyfull of these inconvenient powers..."As Yuri explained, Amakasu honestly expressed his annoyance in a raremoment.Even Erica's eyes were popping out from surprise.However, Liliana remained optimistic."Though that is true, to be able to reach this level and pay such a price isalso the privilege of those who are [Kings]. Kusanagi Godou, looks like heturned out to be more capable than I imagined."She was watching the place where Godou and Voban were having anintense battle of thunder.The two [Kings] who possessed ultimate resistance against magical power,were turning their own magical power into lightning to attack each other.Even for a Great Knight like Liliana, it was too dangerous to approach andthey did not dare venture forward.They could only watch over from the side —"Feeling people's hearts and forming a new ability... Though it is difficult toaccept his weakness in succumbing to Erica's temptation, he does have aserious side. I am slightly impressed."Liliana showed a relaxed smile.A fairy-like beauty with an awe-inspiring flair, this was a knight's smile.Like Yuri, her miko disposition felt it, that Godou sensed the hearts of the[Dead Servants] which caused the [Goat] form to awaken."Erica! Though the battle is even for now, by my estimates, it will inevitablysway in the Marquis' favor. When that happens, you and I will support theking, are you prepared?""Who are you talking to? That was exactly what I was going to say, Lily!"The two knights picked up their beloved magic swords and startedbickering.At that moment, a strange feeling came over Yuri.— Liliana Kranjcar, a girl whose named sounded like it came from aneastern European country, was standing most naturally with Erica. Redand blue, the twin Great Knights guarding the same king. This descriptionappeared in Yuri's mind without thought.Noticing Yuri's gaze, Liliana felt strange and asked."What is it, Mariya Yuri? Did you finally remember who I am?""Eh? Did we meet before?""Forget it, if you do not remember, it is fine. It was just a single encounter,so I sort of know you — uh, now is not the time for this kind of chat."Liliana watched the battlefield with a serious expression once more.As she predicted, the tides of battle were slowly shifting, and in Voban'sfavor —Even in a fight between powerful supernatural entities, stalematesoccurred occasionally.As long as it was more advantageous to defend than to attack, thesesituations were likely to arise. This was the case with Godou and Voban.What should have been an instant kill attack was ineffective against bothsides. This resulted in stalemate.However, if the fight dragged on, the battle would sway towards thestronger side. From Voban's expression, Godou subconsciously felt thatthings were not going his way.Different from the usual poker face of that old man.When using his most powerful divine power, Voban abandoned his facadeof the old intellectual gentleman, and let his emotions enter a state ofmadness, roaring with laughter.Just like when he transformed into the giant silver wolf.A warrior since birth, though he had aged, his wild side was not lost. A manlike a beast, this was the true nature of Dejanstahl Voban that Godouinstantly saw clearly.This man was releasing slow-moving thunderstrikes with a calmexpression a while ago.However, the sky was gathering a frightening amount of heavythunderclouds. Godou felt difficulty breathing. This was the effect of Vobanraising his authority of storms to the maximum.To think he had the leisure to do that while engaged in a shooting matchwith Godou.The strongest violet lightning, this was in preparation for releasingelectricity from his entire body.Godou did not have extra strength to do the same, it was already taking hisall to maintain the stalemate.— This was the difference in power.The old king and Campione who fought continually over the past threecenturies, and the immature one who just debuted. There was anunbridgeable gap between their power levels."Boy, I should thank you. To be able to fight to this level, it has reallycomforted my weary and boring days. Though a little brief, but let me enjoythis!"Voban smiled.A grandiose declaration of his victory.Just as he said, he still had many cards up his sleeve, but up to now heonly focused on using the same thunder attack. This was his way ofproving his superiority over Godou in the use of thunder.Anxiety invaded Godou's heart.If this continued, he will definitely lose.If he was hit by the full strength lightning attack from a devil king ofVoban's level, Godou had no confidence in his own safety. However, therewas still another weapon against the old man —At some point, both sides stopped using lightning.Voban was preparing for the final strongest attack, while Godou realizedcontinuing to attack was meaningless."Godou, you haven't forgotten me, right? Please let your knight EricaBlandelli have a chance to be active. I am your sword and shield. Nomatter where, we must fight together."To the right of the troubled Godou appeared a knight dressed in red andblack.Holding Cuore di Leone tightly in her hand, Erica Blandelli stood togetherwith Godou."Kusanagi Godou, though I have no wish of spending the rest of my lifewith you, but at this point in time, I am also your knight. Before the battleends, let me accompany you."On his left, appeared the knight dressed in blue and black.Holding the silver II Maestro, Liliana Kranjcar stood upright on the left."This is too dangerous for you two to be here! Please leave now!"Godou roared with surprise at the two of them, but their responses werecold."It may be as you say, however — if Erica and I create a barrier to assist themagical power of you, the Campione, then it may be possible to defendagainst Voban's full powered attack. Now is the time to make a gamble.""Though it might fail, but it's worth a try."Liliana and Erica had no intention of retreating, and though their concernwas gratifying, they clearly lacked careful consideration.Just as Godou was about to yell with all his strength....! ...! ...! ...! ...! Noises were heard.As Godou's gaze met with Liliana beside him, she silently nodded."Like Yuri, Lily can see things that normally cannot be seen, and hear whatnormally cannot be heard. A true and proper witch who possesses a miko'sdisposition. So long as she says we have a shred of a chance for victory, itis worth taking the gamble. — Godou, let us fight alongside you."Erica said sincerely.Since she said it, Godou could only accept that he was not alone. If heactually fought just by himself, that old man is definitely undefeatable. Inthat case —"...If this fails, then I will go to hell in place of the two of you.""Don't say something stupid. If we fail, we go together, right? To me, thatwould be preferable."Erica and Liliana nodded.Their smiles looked very gentle.Thinking back, he had been troubling this girl all this time, though she hadalso brought trouble to him, so they were even.Of course, perhaps Erica and I might actually be great partners.As Godou confirmed once again what had been vague thoughts, he glaredat Voban.The old Devil King raised his arm towards the sky and was about to makea downwards gesture.It began to rain once more.At the same time, it came. Crashing through the thunder clouds, tearingthrough the skies, the extremely bright flash finally descending towards theground, without a doubt this was the strongest thunderstrike seen this day.— As the one who holds all victory in my hands, I am the strongest. Allenemies, all who harbor enmity, will be vanquished!Godou consumed Verethragna's divine power to the highest degree, andprayed hard that the thunder descending upon him will miss its mark.Erica and Liliana then used barrier magic to create an invisible shield, as ifhelping this force of will meld together with magical power — but it was notenough.To repel the fully energized strongest electrical attack, the power of threepeople was not enough.Certain of his victory, the old Campione laughed heartily.And so, Godou began to pray for himself to get even stronger — give mepower, lend me power!I am willing.Hearing the answer, Godou nodded.Neither a lone person nor merely three people. In fact, all those gatheredpresent were Voban's enemies and they lent Godou their power.How could he lose now!?— Turning to dust and returning to the earth, these [Dead Servants]lingered here as souls.They appeared out of the darkness once again, returning above ground intheir corpse form." — What! How can it be the servants!?"Voban's eyes were wide with surprise.However, it was too late. Voban had underestimated their existence.Fueled by their anger and hatred towards the old king, these revivedservants numbered in the dozens.The majority of these were magi when alive, and amongst them weremasters of their craft equal to Erica and Liliana. They also melded theirpowers with Godou's magic.Godou's magical power was able to resist Voban's thunder, and graduallyexpanded as if it was going to burst.— Finally, the extremely powerful lightning changed its trajectory.The wrath of the thunder god which should have consumed Godou, Ericaand Liliana, strayed from its target, and raced towards the massive metaltower nearby!Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumblerumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumblerumble rumble !!It was the loudest sound of thunder today.Hit by violet lightning, the Tokyo Tower began to light on fire.In spite of the wind and rain, the flames illuminated the ground, and underthe yellow glow, made visible Dejanstahl Voban's face that was distortedwith rage." — Lightning."Looking at the sky, Godou whispered the spell words."O lightning! O lightning! I am the conqueror who vanquished a thousandwith a hundred, vanquished ten thousand with a thousand, and vanquishedtens of thousands with ten thousand. Now for the sake of I who stand onthe side of justice, release bright and shining brilliance, and grant medivine power!"Thunderclouds groaned in response to his cries.Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumblerumble —A frightful rumbling sound descended from the sky, and in the instant thetop level lightning was released, the sky shook, the ground trembled,echoing the sound of the divine realm.Godou originally did not have the power to control this type of lightning.However, since there were the thunderclouds gathered by Voban, it wasdifferent if one suddenly attacked at the moment he relaxed his guard.Having barely evaded the critical hit released by the old king, Godou yelledwith all his strength and released all his magical power.In order to obtain the power to rule over the gathered thunderclouds,Godou immediately spoke the spell words to master them, infusing the fullpower of the [Goat] form.(In that instant, everyone within a one kilometer radius of the Tokyo Towerhad part of their life force taken, and fell unconscious as if afflicted withanemia. Godou only found out much later.)To Voban who focused everything in the attack, though it was a moment,but this could distract his concentration."Hmm, damn brat! These are the actions of a thief!"In order to take back his domination over the thunderclouds, Vobandirected his consciousness towards the air.However it was too late, if Godou attacked before he succeeded, he wouldnot have enough time —"Man and devil — I shall smash through all enemies in my way!"Powerful golden lighting descended towards the ground again.In fact, it was slightly more powerful than Voban's thunderstrike less than aminute ago.Part 5The white smoke that covered the surroundings of the old Campione finallydissipated.Even though Godou used all his strength and attacked him with a powerfulthunderstrike, Voban was not vanquished. Truly, three centuries differenceof experience was not just for decoration.— However, it was enough to exhaust him to his limits.The old man was struggling to prepare his defenses to receive the nextlightning strike, he took his [Sturm und Drang] — and invoked all the powerfrom this authority which ruled the wind, rain, thunder and lightning,causing the electric strike to deviate from its target.Erica and Liliana both threw their magic swords like spears.In order to dodge the deadly weapons, the old king lost his concentrationand was engulfed by the thunderstrike like a tidal wave, burning to nothing.However, after that.The spot where Voban stood seemed to be gathering a mound ofsand — no, it's dust — slowly rising and forming the shape of a man, finallyrecreating the old Marquis' intellectual appearance.Was this a hidden trump card of this fellow?Resurrecting just like his own [Ram], Voban has used an authority toevade unavoidable death. Godou could not help but feel nervous."Let's start the third round, boy?""If that's what you want, let's have two or three more, I will be youropponent until the very end."The revival just now seemed to have taken a heavy toll on Voban.His breathing was irregular, magical power was clearly much lower. Godoufelt this, and prepared to force his own tired body to summon morelightning.They were now equal, and victory could go either way!Behind the two Campiones facing each other, Tokyo Tower was burningup most spectacularly.Godou's last attack not only struck Voban, it also gave the Tower a finalhit. The three hundred meter tall structure of steel was now burning like agiant torch.The turbulent night had not ended yet, how much more will this city bedamaged?Godou felt his nerves tense, and at that instant."...Please stop! Great Marquis, if you do not withdraw, then including meand Kusanagi Godou, as well as the others, blow us all away!"Angrily glaring at the two [Kings], Yuri yelled.For some reason she looked extremely weak, and was held in Erica'sarms. The Hime-Miko totally drenched in rain, was placing her life on theline to such an extent."As long as I am gone, you will have no reason to battle, so please make adecision."To think that Yuri would speak such words.As if scolded lightly by Yuri's awe-inspiring expression, Godou was goingto speak, but Voban responded first."Are you serious, miko? Are you meaning to say it is fine to kill you righthere?""Correct. If the residents of the city are dangerously threatened because ofme, then I have no other recourse but to sacrifice myself."Seeing Yuri speak with such a stern expression, Voban was speechless fora second."Little lady, one who doesn't understand the joy of hunting, you just killedthe mood... Fine, to have reached this point, I will now declare in the nameof I, Dejanstahl Voban."Voban's eyes — the evil eyes burning like the irises of a tiger.Unable to suppress rage and boiling passion. Are we finally fighting?Godou pushed his body forward."Brat! Kusanagi Godou, victory is yours! This time, you win!"Declared the victor by such hateful tones, Godou was surprised."You're saying I won?""I already said before this hunt. The only rule was I will kill you and catchthe girl! However, I misjudged your power. I am now tired at this stage... If Icontinued fighting you like this, I won't have excess power to guarantee thesafety of the little lady. Thus, you have won."Voban explained impatiently.Come to think of it, he did say something like that. Realizing the old manhad been treating the current deathmatch as just a game, Godou feltrooted to the spot."If I cannot even abide by the rule I set myself, then I have lost! Iunderestimated your power, I was defeated by my own naivete! ...I mayhave gone senile, failing to see through what kind of fellow you were, thefirst time I laid my eyes on you."At those forward staring evil eyes burning with emerald light, Godou glaredback without backing down.He felt that he would not lose even if the fight continued, but if the otherside wanted to stop, it was fine. It was almost time to settle things."Next time we encounter each other, I will hunt you with all my strength. Beprepared for that day. Hone your skills, experience more adverse battles. Iwon't be so easy to handle if I were serious."Turning his back to Godou and the rest, the old Campione strode forward.The roadside was tinted with an orange glow by the Tokyo Tower fire, andthe depths of darkness were breached by swirls of wind and rain."Keep this in mind, between [Kings] like us, there can only exist one of thefollowing relationships — ignoring each other, pacts of nonaggression, oreternal enemies dueling to the very end. And now, you will be my enemy!"These were the last words left behind by Voban.Once his figure disappeared, the [Dead Servants] who had re-materializedturned back into dust, and truly started their journey towards eternal peace.May they rest in peace, however —At the same time as he prayed, Goudou lost strength, it was really tiringafter all.Though he did not know about the future, but at least they all survived.However, this did not mean everything was over."That tower sure burns well, this is a unique scene.""You are talking like a devil as usual. Such style certainly makes one wantto sigh.""That should be made of steel, right? Since it's raining, I guess it won't beburning for too long... Ah, I did something bad again..."As Godou held his head in his arms, Erica and Liliana also went limp.They were also at their limit, and with their hazy consciousness, the threeof them looked out at the red and white Tokyo Tower that was burningmost spectacularly.The Tower's height was 332.6 metres.Originally built as a communications tower, it later became a Tokyolandmark and famous tourist attraction. Built over fifty years ago, it was avery familiar milestone to local residents."In that case, is Mariya ok? ...What happened, you look very tired?"Godou asked the very lifeless looking Yuri.Mentally it was obvious, but she should not have been exerting herselfphysically. This level of fatigue was incomprehensible. At that point, thethree girls sighed all together.What is going on, they were very surprised, Godou had this feeling."Godou, have you noticed what you have done?"Erica was the first to respond, and then Yuri and Liliana began to explainto him the side effects brought upon by the [Goat] form.Hearing that he had been empowering himself with the life force ofeveryone around him, Godou was struck with intense shame and worry."W-will someone die because of this? What's the situation? What adangerous form...!""I think that probably will not happen. After all, even weak as I am, I onlycollapsed slightly as if with anemia... Maybe just report it a bit. WhenGodou-san let loose that final lightning attack, it felt like my consciousnesswas blown very far away, and then I fell.""A-a-a-are you ok, Mariya? I hope others are fine too — "Godou frantically tried to search the illuminated surroundings of the TokyoTower....On further thought, he hoped that any people in the Tower were alsofine. Though it was night, it was impossible for there to be no one."When Voban was summoning the storms, the Tokyo Tower seemed tohave issued a thunder and wind evacuation warning already. I hadAmakasu-san confirm just now, so it was most fortunate in spite ofeverything..."Yuri's words relieved Godou's self-reproach slightly. But still, knowing hewas responsible for a disaster, he still felt very uncomfortable.Every time was like this, and this time was no ordinary scale.Watching the depressed Godou, Yuri sighed and walked over."Godou-san, the responsibility of this incident does not rest solely uponyou. I am your accomplice, so please cheer up. If there is any problem, Iwill gladly accept punishment together with you.""Mariya...""Did I not say that wherever you go, I will follow? Have you forgotten?"Gazing directly at Godou's face, Yuri's eyes were more gentle than anygoddess. Caught in such a gaze, Godou could not help being mesmerized,but at that moment...Cough.Hearing a light cough behind him, Godou turned around to look.It was Erica, who had lowered her head and coughed lightly."What is it!? Are you ok, was it because of me!?""Perhaps... Yes, Godou. Come over a bit. My chest is not feeling well..."Seeing his partner in a rare state of apparent weakness, Godou went overcompletely gullible....Thinking back, that was his greatest blunder that night."Is there anything I can do? Let's go to the hospital, pull yourself together!"Completely drenched by the rain, Erica's body felt rather cold, at the sametime she was quite exhausted.While he gently stroked her back, Godou leaned closer to support herslender body. At that moment the attack came.Erica reached out with her hands in a well-trained manner, and liftedGodou's face.He felt a seductively beautiful and moist gaze looking at him."Kusanagi Godou — from what I understand, even Mariya is fine. How couldyou possibly believe that this devil woman, who is even healthier than anox, would be weakened? Looks like you are still too gullible..."Liliana commented with a critical tone.It was exactly as she said, Godou who was now caught in Erica's clutchescompletely agreed, but there was no helping it. After such an intensebattle, anyone would let down their guard..."S-so Erica, could you stop the pranks! This is too indecent!""Since the atmosphere between Yuri and Godou changed completely, I feltworried and had to act... Hey, what did you two do exactly?"Showing a witch's smile whose beauty shook one from the core, Erica keptasking.Her gentle hands were lovingly holding Godou's face and caressing hishead, as if trying to locate and retrieve some hidden code with her delicatehands.If he didn't answer properly, these slender hands could probably crack hisskull open in an instant.Suddenly worried for an inexplicable reason, Godou felt himself retreating,while Yuri on the side seemed to have her head bowed as if guilty."What I am slightly concerned of is how you prepared the [Sword] againstthe Marquis. Ah, though I already asked on the phone, but could you tellme once again? It's just a small thing, right?"Erica was whispering in Godou's ear.And then she began to kiss his ear lightly, and moved on to his lips. Itbegan with a light touch between the lips, but it soon evolved to Erica's lipslicking Godou's, and then beginning to suck, and proceeding to boldlyextend her tongue to entangle —"Y-You have no shame..."Liliana was watching from the side with her face bright red.Despite saying that, she seemed to be watching with great interest anddisplayed no intention of diverting her gaze. What could one say? Godouwas filled with chagrin, but given the way he allowed Erica to toy with himall the time, he was not qualified to comment on others.Just like idiot couples in a brazen display of public affection, with a lover onhis lap and engaging in intimacy without regard of others.That was the only way to describe the current state of affairs, but Godoufelt like a frog within the sights of a snake.His heart was full of fear and terror, as if he was going to be killed anymoment now.Even Yuri, who used to reprimand such situations instantly, wasspeechless.Though her blushing face looked like she wanted to say something, shequickly bit her lip and swallowed her words. She was probably feeling thesame sense of terror and guilt."Aya, good job everyone. So anyway, just leave the firefighting and otherclean up to us. Your drenched bodies must be cold, right? Let's all get agood rest — hey, what happened? The atmosphere feels a little strange."Amakasu suddenly appeared and remarked casually.Even so, Godou and Yuri were still silently supporting their stiff bodies,while Liliana was watching things unfold with indignation yet laced withheavy interest.On the other hand, Erica was skillfully balancing herself on Godou's lapdoing as she pleased.References1 . t nukti eoikos: vuicri eoiKux; in Greek (from Homer's llliad), meaning'resembling the night.'2. t Feng Bo (ML IS): a Chinese mythical beast ruling over the domainof wind. Taken literally, the name means the Earl of Wind.3. t Yu Shi (MEif): an ancient Chinese deity in charge of rain. Thename means the Master of Rain.4. t Lei Gong (H4a): the Chinese thunder god, the name means theDuke of Thunder.