By the time he realized it, Godou and the rest were in the yard of a house he had never visited before.
They were back in their original world? Though he did not know how much time has passed, the sky was completely dark. The majestic Tokyo Imperial Palace could be seen not far away, so this must be the central part of the Chiyoda ward.
Within the premises of an ancient mansion, this must be the home of someone rich.
Suddenly, he noticed complicated and strange shapes and diagrams inscribed neatly on the ground as well as indecipherable letters and pictograms that seemed like a spell.
These were likely the remnants of magic. Godou looked around.
Beside him were Erica and Yuri who looked exhausted, while Liliana Kranjcar was also running towards him.
"Kusanagi Godou! You have returned safely!"
Fairy-like and silver-haired, the witch was especially emotional as she fought back tears.
Feeling apologetic for making her worry so much, Godou also noticed two other people.
The suited figure of Amakasu and a handsome fellow in a corner of the yard.
"Kusanagi-san, your safe return is more important than anything. Let me express my utmost joy at your homecoming."
"Amakasu-san! You came at the right time, do you know where is Seishuuin now!?"
In the same instant as he questioned the plain looking agent.
A chilling wind began to blow and strengthen, and it even started to rain.
—A storm was arriving. Godou clearly felt battle vigor awaken from within his body.
This was surely in reaction to something similar to a god nearby.
"This must be caused by Seishuuin Ena and Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi."
"Erica, you can tell?"
"Yes, probably because Godou gave me Verethragna's protection, I can feel it."
At some point in time, everyone's gaze had focused on Godou and Erica.
Yuri, Liliana, Amakasu, as well as the handsome character seen for the first time.
The last person was androgynous and possessed good looks that could very well belong to either a handsome youth or a beautiful girl. He or she smiled at Godou and nodded.
"I am Sayanomiya Kaoru, and Amakasu's boss, as well as a Hime-Miko like Yuri and Ena."
"Hime-Miko?"
"Many people have expressed surprise at that, but let's put it aside. Just now, did you say Ena and Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi are responsible for this? Could you explain the details of the situation to me?"
Someone clearly around the same age group, but turning out to be Amakasu's boss. Godou felt there was something problematic with Sayanomiya Kaoru's self-introduction. As he prepared to respond...
'—Save it, because the Campione has returned to this world.'
The voice identical to that troublesome girl.
But it was definitely not her normal tone of voice.
Seishuuin Ena's body stood with Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi on the wall that surrounded the house.
The figure of Ena drenched in rain, gave a kind of hollow impression like some sort of puppet or a doll.
Was it because Yuri or Amakasu were being watched? Or did the divine blade have supernatural senses that discovered the Campione's return?
No matter what, the timing of her appearance was rather delicate.
Godou was determined. If this continued, so long as she continued to be possessed in this state, Ena's body would eventually collapse. She needed some sense beaten into her to wake up... But the question was how should she be beaten?
Verethragna's ten incarnations were all too powerful to be used against humans.
As Godou hesitated, Liliana stepped forward.
"Kusanagi Godou, please leave this to me. All we need to do is catch that woman, right? I cannot tolerate her rampaging around any further."
"Lily, she is currently not someone you can handle alone, I will join in too."
Naturally, the speaker was Erica.
Cuore di Leone and Il Maestro.
The two knights' respective magic swords appeared in their hands. Then their brightly colored bandiera capes were also summoned around their shoulders.
The cape striped red and black and the cape striped blue and black.
These were what the Templar Knights called the flags of army commanders and brave knights. On Godou's right stood Erica in red, while on the left was Liliana in blue.
In front of the red and blue knights, the Hime-Miko wielding the sword spoke without moving her lips.
'...Mere humans challenging me—the divine blade—and my miko? Rude fellows who do not know their place.'
This contempt came not from the miko, but from the divine blade.
However, its will to fight had been provoked, and Ena jumped down from the wall onto the road outside. Presumably, to find an open area, she began running towards the main road.
Even though she was controlled like a puppet, her motions were extraordinarily swift.
Erica and Liliana also pursued with speed akin to flying.
Godou also frantically ran after them. From the scenery he recognized, this was the area around Chidorigafuchi.[44]
At the cemetery entrance was an intersection, and opposite was a road for taking walks where trees were densely planted. Nearby was the Shuto Expressway as well as the palace moat of Chidorigafuchi, the stone walls surrounding the Imperial Palace, and many cherry blossom trees.
As Godou raced after them, a two on one battle was already unfolding along the green lanes of Chidorigafuchi.
On the hundreds of meters of walking lanes along the moat of the Imperial Palace, large numbers of cherry blossom trees were planted (primarily of the Yoshino cherry variety), turning into a beautiful sight every spring.
"What time is it now?"
"Almost one in the morning, though this usually has busy traffic, there are almost no pedestrians at this time."
To Godou's yelled question, Amakasu responded swiftly.
This young man easily caught up to Godou who was running at full strength.
(As a side note, Yuri was left behind long ago, while Kaoru showed no intention of following and only motioned for Amakasu to chase after them.)
During the last battle against Ena, who was controlled by Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi, Erica met with great defeat once.
Though it was now two against one, could they handle it? Using a Campione's authority will definitely kill Ena. Godou was caught in a dilemma as he worried about the outcome of the battle.
"Eli Eli lama sabachthani? Oh Lord, why hast thou forsaken me?"[45]
"People, listen to David's song of mourning! How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!"[46]
The red and blue knights employed their trump cards from the very start.
Both were lyrics singing praises to unparalleled warriors—quotes from the songs of the heroic King David.
The strongest secret moves that could even damage a god. Erica did not use it in the Netherworld because she deemed it too dangerous to use spells which consumed too much magical power.
"But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword; Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of wild oxen!"[47]
Filled with despair, Erica's mournful wails resounded.
These were the "Golgotha Spells Words." Also known as the song of disaster, this was the hymn that Jesus Christ sang before he died while crucified at the site of Golgotha.
"From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty!"[48]
Liliana's mournful requiem also reverberated in the surroundings.
This was the "Song of the Bow." A song of mourning that expressed the overwhelming pain and sorrow when the heroic King David grieved for his former master Saul and ally Jonathan.
"I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I prais
e thee."[49]
"O sword of Saul, the warrior's weapon fast as an eagle and strong as a lion. Descend into my hand now!"
The spell words of hate and despair were infused into Erica's magic sword.
The spell words of the ancient hero were infused into Liliana's magic sword.
The enemy, who forced them to use their strongest weapons to assure victory, also began to chant a song of magic in a robotic voice.
"Awesome beyond speech, O dread theme for my profane tongue..."[50]
Was the one chanting Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi, or Ena?
From the fact that her lips moved, it was probably the latter. Before it could be fully discerned, the Hime-Miko's body moved like a puppet according to the rhythm of the song.
"That illustrious Sovereign, Our mighty Lord, Who reared his imperial palace / On the Makami plain of Asuka..."[51]
Erica used Cuore di Leone to block the horizontal slash of Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi.
However, her whole body was sent flying.
She did not have the power to overcome the slashing attack.
Under similar circumstances in the Netherworld, her beloved sword had originally been cut into two. This time it withstood the attack, thanks to the infusion of the spell words of Golgotha.
"Now keeps his divine state, Sepulchered in stone. He it was who descended to dwell / At the pavilion of Wazami Field..."[52]
Having sent Erica flying, the divine blade next attacked Liliana.
The blue knight attempted to entangle Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi using Il Maestro, but was not successful, and like Erica, she too was blown away.
"In yonder province of the realm, Across the pass of high-forested Fuwa, there to rule the under-heaven -- To wield the scepter over his wide domain..."[53]
Ena moved her arms, legs and body with stiff movements like a puppet. Nevertheless, her divine sword still managed to swiftly send the knights into a deadly crisis.
Despite being two against one, the two realized they were outmatched if they fought separately and began to confer.
"Although I hate to do this, we must now cooperate. Attack or defend, which do you choose?"
"I will defend and Lily attack. If there is a chance, use the bow attack!"
"Is that okay? If it hits, that miko cannot stay unharmed."
"It can't be helped, since she is using that kind of power, but try to use sword attacks as much as possible!"
"Understood!"
The two knights leaned against each other tightly.
Entrusting one side of their bodies to each other, Erica on the left and Liliana on the right, began to advance at the same speed.
Though they moved just as fast as before, their attacks were no longer as loose or disparate.
When the divine sword came slicing, Erica blocked ingeniously but did not counterattack.
If one were to keep defending in a one on one battle, the opponent would easily follow up their attacks. Without stopping the enemy's advance, one would end up in a disadvantaged position, however—
In place of Erica who focused on defense, Liliana now concentrated on attacking.
Completely ignoring defense, she started a series of attacks with such ferocity and intimidation that even the Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi could not counterattack as usual.
'...'
The divine sword and the miko did not say a word, but they clearly became more alert.
This was due to Erica and Liliana's formation, their distribution of offensive and defensive duties, their ever changing swapping of positions, and their brave simultaneous advance.
The Hime-Miko, who had held an overwhelming advantage against two opponents, was now being suppressed for the first time.
Godou was greatly surprised to see the red and blue knights cooperating brilliantly at a crucial moment.
"Erica! I will now prepare the bow and arrow, please endure."
"Got it!"
In order to protect her partner, Erica stepped forward. Behind her, Liliana put away her magic sword, and in replacement a longbow giving off blue light appeared in her left hand—the Bow of Jonathan!
Godou had once heard about it during the battle against Perseus.
"The Song of the Bow" was the spell to create the Sword of Saul and the Bow of Jonathan.
Like Erica's magic sword infused with the "Golgotha Spell Words", the former was a sharp blade that can even cut gods.
The latter could summon using the spell words a bow for shooting attacks.
The number of shots was limited by the amount of remaining magical power. After one or two misses, the precious trump card would be wasted. In the battle against Perseus, Godou saw her fire multiple arrows at once. This was an illusion used to confuse enemies to ensure the target was hit with certainty.
Summoning this trump card, Liliana was now seeking a decisive end to the battle!
—However the Hime-Miko saw through her intentions, and prepared to use her own trump card.
"Who summoned his Eastland host; And ordered our prince, Imperial son as he was, To pacify the furious men / And subjugate all the unruly lands."[54]
The spell song for vanquishing barbarians. Ena's body proceeded to raise Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi above her head.
Wind swirled and gathered.
From beneath Ena's feet, the violent wind blew like a vortex, forming a mini-tornado.
"Lily, hurry!"
"I know! O Bow of Jonathan, the warrior's weapon fast as an eagle and strong as a lion—!"
In Liliana's right hand appeared four arrows with blue light.
At that instant, Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi slashed horizontally. Erica tried to block with Cuore di Leone but was deflected away.
Both Erica and Liliana's bodies were devoured by the tornado formed from under Ena's feet.
"Gaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Waaaaaaaaaaaah!?"
Along with their screams, the two knights were blown high up into the air by the tornado.
Thrown into the air and then mercilessly dropped onto the ground! Liliana's blue bow and arrows disappeared from her hands, and she seemed to have fainted.
"E-Erica-san, Liliana-san!"
"Things are not looking well, Kusanagi-san, what are you going to do?"
Arriving out of breath, Yuri saw this decisive scene, and her face instantly turned white.
Beside her was Amakasu questioning calmly. Godou ignored the two of them and ran towards Ena.
'—Finally, the god-slayer.'
Lips motionless, the Hime-Miko spoke softly with blank stares.
Godou was speechless; the opponent was definitely very strong.
However, even if Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi was a divine sword, what it controls was still a human body whose strength was limited. A Campione's instincts allowed Godou to discern the true nature of the enemy.
Seishuuin Ena whose body was taken by the divine sword, possessed power that surpassed human magi.
Her current level was probably about the same as the dragon at Naples or the divine beasts sighted at Sardinia.
But compared to a [Heretic God], it was not a huge threat.
For example if the [Camel] was used, a simple victory was likely assured. However, Ena's body would be at risk if it had to withstand an attack from Godou's authority.
Emergency situations required emergency measures. Still...
"Godou, it's not your turn yet. Can you leave things to me?"
Someone was speaking to him.
The origin of the voice was Erica who was struggling to get up.
Summoning Cuore di Leone to her side, she used it as a crutch for support.
"If I fall down here and keep getting defeated by her, it would tarnish my reputation, Erica Blandelli's."
"Okay, you should just lie down and rest, you've reached your limits!"
"No—the battle has just begun... I was about to glamorously reverse the tides of battle in the second round? Do not get in my way...!"
Erica go
t up completely.
Though she was putting up a front, she did make an intense declaration that did not fit her usual style.
She gazed at Ena with burning pupils, the Hime-Miko responded with a puppet's gaze and expression.
Stop her? Or let her continue fighting? Of course she must be stopped.
There was no doubt. If she continued fighting, she would die. After concluding Erica had no hope of winning, she must be stopped no matter what—
...Wait a minute. Was there really no hope of winning?
The divine sword had sent Liliana flying and unconscious with just one strike.
Nevertheless, Erica withstood it. Since she had been consuming her magic and receiving attacks all this time, she should be weaker than Liliana. Could there be a power protecting her? —Of course!
As Godou realized this point, his eyes met with Erica.
His gaze moved down towards her lower abdomen.
Accompanying the expression of sudden realization, she placed her hand over her abdomen there. It looked like she had noticed as well.
"I forgot. My body currently has Godou's protection within it... I beseech the source of my magic, the seal of the [Copper Black Cross], grant unto me the knight's medal of honor!"
Carrying magical power, spell words were spoken out from her mouth.
At the same time, a change was produced.
Erica's red and black bandiera transformed into a long mantle-like coat, its lower hem reaching down to her knees. Fluttering intensely, its form was like a ferocious bird of prey with its wings spread out.
Then there was Cuore di Leone.
Originally a slender sword, the steel of the lion transformed into the form of a lance.
The steel barbs made it resemble a cavalry lance used by medieval knights of legend. Were its length shortened to about two meters or so, it would be a one-handed infantry lance.
Holding this lance in her right hand, she held an oval iron shield in her left.
The colors of bright red and jet black crisscrossed her fluttering battle garment. Equipped with a knight's lance and shield, Erica's heroic figure was that of a paladino crowned with a crest of the cross.
"Eh? Why does Erica-san have Godou-san's—Verethragna's power!?"
Yuri was very surprised and probably saw the reason of the change using spirit vision.
But Godou was equally surprised for he never expected the [Youth]'s protection to bring about such a change—victory was possible.
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