"Impossible. As His Majesty's woman, Ena is responsible for managing his sword—this partner. I will protect His Majesty even at the cost of my life."
The jet-black divine sword suddenly manifested in Ena's hand as she made her bold declaration. The Hime-Miko's entire body proceeded to be filled with Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi's divine aura.
Using this technique of divine possession, Ena obtained combat power allowing her to fight divine beasts, existences one step below gods.
True Lord Erlang smiled tenderly in response.
(Excellent resolve. Disregarding your foolishness of serving the wrong master, my name of Yang Erlang shall be tainted if I should fail to commend you for your loyalty. In that case, I swear I shall defeat Kusanagi Godou without bringing you to any harm!)
He really acted so much like an "ally of justice" that one could almost see a halo behind him.
It was quite fitting for a god known for benevolence and evil slaying. Nevertheless, Godou was quite surprised. He recalled the [Heretic God], Verethragna, he had met in the very beginning.
Thinking back closely, that youth was also a protector god of justice.
However, wandering on earth, he was devoured by the maniacal nature of his heretic self, twisting his original divinity subtly, going as far as to make him a menace to the inhabitants of Sardinia.
In contrast, True Lord Erlang the Illustrious Sage displayed such dazzling splendor—
Incomprehensible. Godou cast his doubts aside for now. He currently had to fight this three-eyed god.
"The Illustrious Sage, True Lord Erlang, was born as the nephew of the emperor of the heavens, the highest god in the Daoist pantheon!"
Godou spoke spell words softly, taking on the [Warrior] incarnation.
In order to create the blade for slicing apart this benevolent god, he continued to utter spell words.
"In ancient times, the sister of the emperor of the heavens descended upon the earth and bore a child with a human. This child is True Lord Erlang. As a soldier, indeed he served his uncle in the celestial realm."
Spheres of light appeared one after another in Godou's surroundings.
"However, the majority of his stories take place in the mortal realm, including the subduing of Sun Wukong. Despite being a god, True Lord Erlang made his residence in China's Guanzhou prefecture. After receiving divine orders to defeat Sun Wukong who was causing mayhem in the lower realm, he stepped forward to subdue the monkey."
Within the blink of an eye, the spheres of light now numbered in the hundreds.
Like radiant stars in a galaxy, shining in the night sky, these were all blades for slicing True Lord Erlang apart and weapons that moved in accordance with Godou's thoughts.
Readying his deadly sword formation, Godou glared at his enemy sharply.
"A noble heavenly being who lingered in the mortal realm to fight and perform benevolent deeds. In other words, a legend of a wandering noble. Rather than a pure god of war, he was a archetypical protagonist from legends of wandering nobles—this is precisely True Lord Erlang's characteristic and the reason why the people revere and praise him!"
Responding to these spell words that carried the intent to attack, dozens of spheres of light flew towards True Lord Erlang.
On the other hand, the three-eyed, handsome young man smiled cheerfully despite being the target. He was quite composed.
(Hmph. To be honest, I already understand your sword quite well.)
These words, delivered with a smile, greatly surprised Godou.
(Indeed, the spell words for slicing through us gods is a troublesome weapon. But so long as one knows its operating principles, one could easily come up with quite a number of counters.)
"Counters!?"
As Godou watched in surprise, True Lord Erlang underwent a transformation.
The three-eyed handsome young man instantly took on the form of a monkey. Standing 160cm in height, wearing a yellow Beijing opera costume, wielding the Ruyi Staf—this appearance belonged precisely to the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong!
(Behold, I am not the divine lord, the Illustrious Sage. My family name is Sun, given name is Wukong... The Great Sage Equaling Heaven hereby announces his entry!)
The flying spell words of the sword all struck Sun Wukong/True Lord Erlang.
However, these spheres of light, which were normally supposed to slice through his divinity, only ended up bumping into Sun Wukong's body of flesh. They were unable to cause any damage at all!
"This is a spell of transformation, Your Majesty. Like Sun Wukong, True Lord Erlang is also a god skilled in transformation!"
"Using [Transformation] to become another god, thereby obtaining a body unaffected by the [Sword]!?"
The spell words for slicing True Lord Erlang could not cut the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.
Through Ena's warning and the [Warrior]'s eyes that could see through an enemy's traits, Godou discerned what his enemy had done.
Furthermore, he discovered another fact.
Apart from the [Warrior], none of Verethragna's incarnations were available.
Let alone the [Bull] or the [Raptor], even the trump card that was in certain ways more precious than the [Warrior]—the [White Stallion]—could not be used.
Godou frowned.
[Heretic Gods] and Campiones were existences reviled by the world for the most part.
Consequently, the [White Stallion] incarnation was able to take a decisive role in most of Godou's battles by exterminating the people's public enemy. However, in True Lord Erlang's case—
He had shown consideration by refraining from harming Liliana, Yuri, Ena and the others.
In other words, True Lord Erlang's actions embodied his existence as a "perfect god of benevolence" who "only vanquished evil." Hence, he could not possibly become the [White Stallion]'s target.
"None of my usual tactics work at all... So I guess the 'nemesis' Mariya mentioned is this guy huh."
Finding the enemy more difficult to handle than expected, Godou muttered.
But involuntarily, his lips twisted in a savage grin, forming a grotesque shape.
Fine by me. Even if I cannot use the spell words of the sword or the power of the sun, I'll still continue to fight. No matter what, I will seize victory in my hands. After all, that's exactly what I've been doing all along.
Fighting hopeless battles against enemies with no chance of winning—
Kusanagi Godou found himself gradually accustomed to this sort of challenging situation despite his best intentions!
(Fufufufu. What sharp eyes you have. As a Devil King who stands as the enemy of gods, this is more like it.)
True Lord Erlang whispered as if responding to Godou's fighting spirit.
Then Sun Wukong's body began to change. From a war god in the shape of a monkey, he instantly turned into a tall and muscular old man.
This was a person—no, god whom Godou recognized.
"Grampsy!?"
Ena cried out. After taking on Sun Wukong's appearance, True Lord Erlang transformed into Susanoo this time.
Part 4
Kusanagi Godou and the Illustrious Sage, True Lord Erlang, began their battle in front of a riverside hut.
This was a confrontation between the god-slaying sword wielded by the war god Verethragna against the transformation arts employed by the noble, evil-slaying god of China.
"Manifest justice in this world through these spell words of mine!"
Chanting the sacred warlord's incantation, Godou accelerated a portion of the [Sword].
Over a thousand spheres of light, shining brightly like stars in the night sky, surrounded Godou all around and overhead.
From among them, ten-odd spheres of light flew towards True Lord Erlang.
The three-eyed, handsome young man was supposed to be attacked by these spheres of light, but his current appearance was that of a muscular old man.
The enemy had taken the form of the hermit [Heretic God], Susanoo,
with whom Godou was acquainted.
(Fufu. This skill is employed for the sake of countering your spell words of the sword. Savor it well.)
The flying [Swords] struck Susanoo/True Lord Erlang's body.
But Godou frowned. They simply struck without causing any damage.
The [Sword] turned out to be completely useless!
(These spell words are the blades for slicing True Lord Erlang the Illustrious Sage... In that case, were I to transform into another god, I should be able to withstand them more or less. It looks like my idea is correct.)
"Looks like it, but then again, there should be limits to transformations, right?"
He had transformed into completely unrelated divinities.
No matter how skilled in the spell of transformation, he could not possibly keep this up indefinitely. Godou began to focus his gaze and stared at the being who looked just like the old god Susanoo.
The [Warrior] incarnation, which controlled the sword of spell words, possessed the power to see through an enemy's true nature.
Currently, True Lord Erlang could be described as weaving Susanoo's divinity using the spell of transformation to cover himself like a layer of clothing.
In this manner, Verethragna's [Sword] could apparently be deceived for now—
Godou then discovered something. He could see a tiny crack in this layer of clothing where True Lord Erlang's original divinity was leaking out.
So long as it could be seen like this—the enemy can be vanquished!
"I am the strongest, holding all victory in my hands! All evil-doers, tremble before my strength."
Chanting spell words with certainty, Godou caused roughly ten spheres of light to accelerate. Then the spheres flew before Susanoo/True Lord Erlang one after another, and just before they penetrated that muscular body—
(Make haste! To manifest endless divine powers, a miracle shall appear!)
Susanoo's lips moved to release True Lord Erlang's whispers. The enemy was chanting spell words as well.
The storm god's appearance changed at this time, taking on a new form in seconds.
"Another guy I know!"
Godou yelled.
This time, True Lord Erlang had become a glaring old man dressed in a black coat.
An air of intellect combined with a pair of emerald-green eyes like a tiger's—the enemy from the past, Dejanstahl Voban.
Furthermore, the instant True Lord Erlang took on the guise of Devil King "Voban"—
Godou could no longer see the crack. After True Lord Erlang's original divinity was concealed beneath the newly transformed appearance, the crack was no longer visible.
As Godou watched in great surprise, the [Swords] struck Voban's body.
Once again, they struck their target without any effect. Apparently because Godou could no longer see the crack, the [Sword] was unable to slice True Lord Erlang's divinity inside.
This countermeasure stonewalled the [Sword]'s spell words...!
Godou glared sharply in defiance to the enemy's little trick. In response, a refreshing smile appeared on Voban's face. A rather dissonant sight. Indeed, the elderly man could not possibly smile so cheerfully.
This stood as evidence that True Lord Erlang was actually inside.
Since that was the case, Godou focused his eyes and stared again, in order to find a similar imperfection in the transformation spell.
However, before he could succeed, True Lord Erlang took action.
(Make haste!)
Accompanied by brief spell words, he transformed again.
This time, he did not take on the appearance of a Campione but a deity instead.
Godou jumped in surprise. It was a nostalgic silver-haired pubescent girl. Although she was wearing modern clothing, she gave off a conqueror's aura like a queen. This was the serpent goddess of darkness whom Godou had fought in the past.
True Lord Erlang transformed into Heretic Athena, and at the same time—
(Light that reveals evil, manifest thus. Enact miracles to vanquish evil and uphold justice, burn the heretics and weaken all evil!)
A vertical opening appeared on young Athena's forehead to reveal a third eye. This eye suddenly shone brightly.
Instantly, Godou felt magical power flowing out of his body.
"Guh—!"
The third eye seemed to manifest the miracle of stealing a Campione's power.
Godou recalled what happened during dusk.
When facing off against True Lord Erlang for the first time, he was also drained of magical power in the same way.
Seeing as that was the case, Godou instantly raised the magical power in his body in order to resist the miracle enacted by the [Eye]. A Campione's body already possessed extremely potent resistance against magic and authorities. So long as Godou was not caught off guard, he could prevent his magical power from being completely drained. Nevertheless, he still clicked his tongue.
Godou could still feel the magical power in his body siphoned off slowly.
As expected of his "nemesis." Godou could not defend completely. Accompanying the loss of magical power, the [Sword]'s shining spheres of light disappeared one by one from Godou's surroundings.
Then the enemy's counterattack came.
(Fufufu, now is about time for me to begin taking the offensive.)
Three-eyed Athena murmured as she approached.
With lightning speed, Athena/True Lord Erlang jumped in front of Godou. A three-pronged bladed polearm manifested in the goddess' right hand.
This was True Lord Erlang's double-edged trident—using this weapon, the enemy made a thrust towards Godou's heart!
A sure-kill thrust was arriving with frightening speed.
Just in the nick of time, Godou jumped left and managed to evade the attack.
Campiones were blessed with exceptional concentration during combat. Thanks to that, Godou was able scurry around with beast-like reflexes.
"It feels like this guy should be able to fight equally with that idiot Doni..."
Faced with his opponent's overwhelming offensive, Godou groaned.
Salvatore Doni was a genius swordsman for whom titles such as Sword Demon or Sword God would not be excessive. At the same time, he was also a Campione. Godou recognized that True Lord Erlang's martial prowess were on the same level as that man.
Attempting to use the [Raptor] incarnation's divine speed to fight—would be a poor decision indeed.
Masters on this level should be able to see through divine speed, rendering it meaningless.
(Since I have grown accustomed to this body, my movements will not be as clumsy as earlier. Come, fight me fair and square!)
"If you want to fight fair and square, then I hope you'd stop using those absurd transformations!"
True Lord Erlang smiled and ignored Godou's retort, transforming once again.
This time he turned into Athena's adolescent form, instantly growing taller and lengthening the arms and legs. The clothes also changed into modest, ancient attire—the original appearance Athena had recovered.
Seeing this, Godou attempted to search for a flaw in the transformation again.
But just as he was about to do that, True Lord Erlang suddenly threw away the double-edged trident in his hand. At the same time, the ambush took place.
Ena slashed towards True Lord Erlang who was in Athena's form.
In order to avoid getting in the way of Godou's manipulation of the [Sword], the Hime-Miko of the Sword had kept her distance from the battlefield, lying in wait for a chance to make a surprise attack with the jet-black divine blade, Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi.
"Yaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Ena swung the divine sword overhead using the hassou-no-kamae stance.[11] This was a strike using the body's full power.
Most likely eschewing all defense, this was a deadly blow focused entirely on taking out the enemy. Furthermore, Ena was already in the state of divine possession, having summoned Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi's divine aura
into her body.
Nevertheless, Athena/True Lord Erlang calmly evaded the slash with a light twist of the body.
Not only that, he even swung his right hand like a whip in a flash during the instant Ena moved past him. Effortlessly, he pushed the Hime-Miko away with the back of his hand.
(O maiden, such ferocious vigor you have!)
"Guh—!"
"Are you okay, Seishuuin!?"
Seeing his companion sent flying by the god's blow and fallen on the ground, Godou called out.
Ena swiftly got up before she answered and prepared the divine sword in a stance once more. Her quick movements and imposing demeanor indicated that she was not injured.
"No harm done at all, Your Majesty. Completely okay."
Ena reported her safety completely nonchalantly.
"Didn't the god, True Lord Erlang, mention just now? He will obtain victory without harming Ena whatsoever. So there shouldn't be any danger."
"We can't possibly believe that guy completely. He could easily go back on a verbal agreement."
"True. But then again, Ena feels like this god won't go back on his word. How should one put it? Basically he absolutely won't do anything immoral like that..."
Ena disagreed with Godou's warning.
Godou was mildly surprised, although he did secretly harbor the same impression Ena got from the god.
Even if the fundamental nature of the divinity was benevolent, wandering on earth as a heretic caused distortions at the same time, finally resulting in a god of misfortune bringing calamity and disaster. This was what [Heretic Gods] were supposed to be.
(Ho. There is no need to be concerned with trivial details of that sort.)
Keeping the third eye open, Athena/True Lord Erlang smiled.
(Your considerations are correct. I, Erlang, am not one of those who shamelessly renege on their own promises. How about I swear an oath not to harm you the slightest?)
Immediately after declaring thus, True Lord Erlang manifested a new weapon in his hand.
First there was the bow in his left hand. Then there was the fist-sized ball of iron in his right. The evil-slaying and righteous warrior god placed the iron ball onto the bowstring and drew the bow to its limit.
The iron ball was shot like an arrow—This was the ancient Chinese long range weapon known as the peddle bow.
Campione 16 Page 13
