Campione 10

by War God of the Lance

  He savored the name as it rolled off the tongue like fine wine.

  The youth who had been bound to Athena by unfavorable fate. Recalling that face, calling out that name, Lancelot could feel his heart stir with excitement as he recalled the youth's strength and bravery.

  Blood was boiling. The soul was shaking.

  "One desires power. One desires time for the sake of healing this wound-riddled body. One desires the blade for meeting that youth in battle, clashing together, slicing each other, exchanging blows."

  In actual fact, this wish was already within reach. A complete makeover. Very likely, it would fully manifest the divinity of the heretical war god who would abandon the girl under his protection.

  However, it came at the cost of changing oneself.

  --Alas! What sweet temptation!

  Just as Lancelot sighed silently as he contemplated under the clear bright moon...

  "Sir Knight. So you are here."

  A voice from behind. Guinevere had arrived.

  "Ah yes. What is the situation?"

  Lancelot turned around and answered in a carefree tone of voice.

  He should not burden this girl with unnecessary worries.

  "Most regrettably, failure. As expected, it is impossible to land on Avalon without breaking through Prince Alec's labyrinth... Other than that particular method."

  "The method of manifesting Minos the god of the land and the labyrinth?"

  Guinevere recounted with a worried expression while Lancelot muttered in response.

  Alec's labyrinth authority had been usurped from the Cretan bull-headed god Minos. In the past, Guinevere had emulated a portion of Minos' divinity and manifested it. This was achieved using the spirit power of [Divine Summoning] that only Divine Ancestors could use.

  As long as the divinity of Minos as the god of the labyrinth was emulated, it should be possible to break through Alec's labyrinth.

  "However, creating fake gods requires the Holy Grail's magical power. Not only that, a huge amount is needed. Fortunately, the magical power absorbed from Athena has provided ample stores."

  "Using the Holy Grail to summon a fake god would be deviating from its intended usage."

  Storing and supplying the essence of the earth was the Holy Grail's original function.

  "Gascoigne also knows this. Beloved child, he is trying to bait you into doing so. Forcing you to manifest fake Minos, and then drawing you into Avalon."

  Guinevere was in possession of three trump cards.

  Lancelot, the Holy Grail, and the divine lance Excalibur.

  If the Grail was used to summon a fake god, it would become unusable for a certain reason. Not only that, the divine lance also depended on the Grail for supplying magical power. This meant losing two trump cards.

  "Yes, indeed that is true. Nevertheless, Guinevere is still obliged to go!"

  Tears flooded Guinevere's eyes as she was overcome with anger and humiliation. Her tearful gaze was pointed towards the other side of the sea.

  "It cannot be helped. Unless fake Minos is used to destroy the maze, Avalon cannot be entered. Before that, this Knight shall spare no effort."

  Identifying clearly what he must do, Lancelot declared with bold magnificence.

  Yes. The recovery of divine power was only secondary. It was enough to use all strength from this inadequate body and fulfill the duties of a knight. All redundant emotions must be abandoned.

  However--

  "If only Kusanagi-sama could be won over to fight against Prince Alec then things would be a lot easier. If that could be done, then Guinevere and you can focus completely on breaking into Avalon."

  But Guinevere said it.

  The name of the enemy whose mention boiled the war god's blood. That scene too!

  "Not too long ago, Guinevere had used Kusanagi-sama for the sake of conspiring against Athena. Getting him to fall for another trick would be unlikely. It would probably be better to consider some other method."

  "No... As expected, how about that method?"

  The white war god uttered it. The sentence that was about to unlock the gates of taboo.

  "Did you forget? This Knight happens to be the god whose very existence is founded upon madness and passion. This god of madness shall let both this Knight and that youth's blood boil with passion."

  "--Sir Knight?"

  "Hohoho, this is the plan. Kusanagi Godou shall first be won over, and after he assists in vanquishing Gascoigne, this Knight shall have a duel with him. By this Knight's divine might, it shall be done!"

  "But Sir Knight, achieving this plan means you need to get close to Kusanagi-sama."

  Guinevere warned Lancelot in a soft and worried voice.

  "What now, there exists a spell for this purpose. Even though one stands as a knight, one's true nature is a barbarian with neither aspirations nor philosophy, a ferocious soldier unfettered by morals or reason. Acts of insanity beyond the ability of typical gods, only this Knight shall accomplish..."

  Quietly muttering, the white war god commanded the beloved child.

  "This has not been done for eons. Beloved child, assist this Knight!"

  Just as the Witch Queen and the war god headed towards the Bousou Sea again, the god-slayers were restlessly biding their time.

  On the island known as Avalon as well as the Floating Island, surrounding the Divine Sword of Salvation, the battle stage was about to be unveiled.

  Chapter 4 - The Fall of Godou

  Part 1

  Ever since the strange "island" appeared in the sea of Edomae--

  The panic surrounding Kusanagi Godou had settled into a kind of stable state instead.

  Black Prince Alec was reportedly laying low in the Yokohama Chinatown. However, Amakasu's face looked rather awkward as soon as he received the report.

  "That place, it does presents some difficulties. It is the location where gangs of Chinese descent -- many secret associations or the like are hidden... In our field, it's known as a concession territory of lawlessness. Any Committee member foolish enough to step foot there would be a painted target, thrown into Tokyo Bay with their feet encased in cement on occasion."

  "What if I go there directly...?"

  "Of course it's fine for Kusanagi-san. Everyone will simply raise up their hands, either to welcome or to surrender. But if two great Devil Kings already embroiled in conflict were to have a close encounter in the center of metropolitan Yokohama, I don't think anything pretty will come out of it..."

  It seemed to be a subtle situation.

  Undoubtedly, Alec chose the place for the purpose of keeping the "island" in Tokyo Bay under surveillance.

  Furthermore, Guinevere and Lancelot still had to be located. Regardless, they were a partnership between a god and a Divine Ancestor, and due to Alec they had become even more elusive. Without any way of finding them other than through wizardry or spirit power investigation, it was not exactly a favorable situation.

  As a result, Godou could do nothing but "bide his time for the right moment."

  A few days after the long weekend, all he could do was wait. Waiting for Mariya Yuri to return.

  It was a Friday in the latter half of November.

  After school, Godou was hurrying to Toranomon via the subway.

  Last night, having reached Nanao Shrine where she was stationed as a Hime-Miko, Yuri had called to inform him of her return. In order to recover the fatigue of overusing spirit vision throughout her journey, she told him she was going to apply for a week's leave from school.

  "In terms of results, I was not able to discern Sir Lancelot's divinity completely."

  Those were Yuri's first words after meeting Godou.

  They were sitting face to face in a room of a certain administrative building within Nanao Shrine.

  "Ah yes. You mentioned on the phone yesterday."

  Godou nodded. Even with potent spirit vision, the mystery was still unsolved.

  He would be lying if he denied disapp
ointment, but Godou was happy and grateful for the miko and the Princess' investigations.

  Not able to discern completely. Conversely, it implied spirit vision had discerned something to a certain extent.

  "What did you find out?"

  "After you left, the Princess and I went to Brittany, to visit the various places the previous and current generations of Guinevere-sama had used as their stronghold such as forests, towns, cities or former monasteries."

  "...Monasteries. Isn't that the place the group of people who compiled King Arthur's legends used as their base of operations..."

  Forests, towns, and cities aside, monasteries was a term that felt oddly out of place. However, Godou already knew the reason -- the medieval conspiracy that Alexandre Gascoigne had elucidated.

  "Then we went to Bulgaria."

  "Bulgaria? Why?"

  That meant traveling from northwestern France to this Eastern European country. Since both places were on the same landmass, getting there probably did not present too much difficulty.

  But why go there? Godou was puzzled.

  "Not too long ago, Sir Lancelot had apparently descended upon the Thracian plains. The Princess and I went there together to take a tour of the crater carved out by Sir Lancelot's authority."

  Recalling war god Lancelot's galloping charge, Godou nodded.

  A direct collision could definitely create a crater or two.

  "Why would he need to dig such a big hole in place like that?"

  "According to history, ancient Thrace was within the Scythian and Sarmatian spheres of influence. Perhaps for that reason, it became associated with Lancelot."

  Yuri was dressed in a traditional miko outfit with a white upper garment and a red hakama as she explained about the foreign deity.

  "Fortunately, I received a few hints. First of all, Sir Lancelot is the war god worshiped by the Sarmatians. Next, Guinevere-sama's precursor was a mother earth goddess who had been worshiped together with Sir Lancelot..."

  "Deities who were originally closely related, and still working together in modern times, eh?"

  "Should be something like that. Those two most likely descended to earth as [Heretic Gods], encountered each other and started acting in unison. Then I used spirit vision to see the arrival of the 'King of the End,' and saw those two joining under his command. However..."

  Yuri paused slightly at this point.

  "Even so, I was unable to see Lancelot's face. He was always clad in armor."

  "He always wears stuff like armor?"

  "Yes. I have basically seen what attributes he possesses as a god, but I cannot do anything about what lies beneath the armor. On the other hand, without knowing what is underneath, I fear it will be impossible to understand his true..."

  Yuri sighed mournfully as she explained.

  "At least, no matter how slight, I wish I could catch a glimpse of his divine appearance exposed from the armor."

  Lancelot was protected from head to toe by full plate armor. Godou felt that trying to take it off would take bone-breaking effort.

  But there was no other choice. Godou nodded and bowed, answering:

  "I got it, Mariya. Thank you very much. Learning all this is good enough. Next time I see that guy, I'll try to find a way to strip him of that white suit of armor."

  Hearing that, the Hime-Miko chuckled and smiled like a delicate and blooming cherry blossom.

  "There is no need to thank me. I did it for Godou-san... only for you."

  Godou was filled with the desire to embrace this beautiful and adorable Hime-Miko.

  Due to the overabundance of attractive beauties around him, Godou deliberately maintained a mentality of repressed desire. Always warning himself never to harbor indecent thoughts against them.

  But on occasion, Yuri was able to crush this determination of Godou's.

  The Yamato Nadeshiko and young beauty displayed great gentleness under most conditions, but was extremely stern every now and then. Without provoking Godou's wariness, she had been slowly and steadily bringing their relationship closer.

  Using the analogy of a garden of flowers, Erica would be a gorgeous and blooming camellia, overshadowing others to take center stage.

  Liliana would be a pristine white lily with large petals.

  Ena would probably be a wild orchid with bright and vivid colors.

  Compared to other girls, Yuri was definitely not a flower that seized people's attentions. Though there was no difference in her level of beauty, she never emphasized her attractiveness and the wish to compete never occurred to her.

  Nevertheless, or perhaps because of that, it made her even more charming.

  Realizing this once again, Godou began to blush.

  "What is the matter, Godou-san?"

  On the other hand, Yuri was bearing a delicate and beautiful smile, unaware of Godou's thoughts.

  "No, n-nothing really."

  "Good... Anyway, I have one more matter I wish to discuss, may I?"

  Yuri suddenly changed the subject. Of course there was no reason to refuse. Godou immediately nodded.

  "......W-Well..."

  But she was unable to express her words. Yuri seemed to be hesitating and stuttering from embarrassment.

  "What's up? You don't have to hold anything back. Aren't we companions?"

  "I-I am Godou-san's companion...? Y-Yes. That is right."

  Godou nodded to put his companion at ease.

  Yuri's blush proceeded to extend all the way down to her neck, but still she nodded. Avoiding Godou's face, Yuri was staring downwards intently at his cross-legged sitting posture.

  As a side note, even though it was an informal conversation, Yuri naturally maintained the formal sitting posture of seiza.

  "My many apologies, for I was the one who brought this up... B-But, please understand. This is something very difficult for me to talk about. Especially since there is no particularly pressing problem or extenuating circumstances..."

  Mouthing her words in rapid succession, Yuri was incredibly cute. However, she did not make any progress in providing further information.

  Godou placed his hand on her shoulder with a smack and said:

  "Don't worry. I am very grateful for Mariya's efforts this time. I've also been wondering what I could do on my end."

  "Y-Yes. Then I shall not hold back."

  Even though she said she would not hold back, Yuri still seemed rather hesitant and reserved.

  "Umm... Even though it is not complete, I think I have gained substantial understanding of Sir Lancelot. S-So, what should be done?"

  Yuri stuttered as she asked.

  "What should be done?"

  "In other words, w-when would be the time for instruction, is what I mean..."

  Instruction meant the transfer of knowledge through wizardry.

  However, typical wizardry was ineffective against Campiones, which included Godou. Hence it must be applied through the mouth, by injecting wizardry into the body via oral means.

  Recalling this absolute rule, Godou's face went red.

  He remembered. When relying on Yuri's spirit vision, that was the final unavoidable step.

  "Ah, but if you haven't seen Lancelot's true appearance, then the [Sword] can't be forged, isn't now a bit too early...!"

  "N-No!? Who knows what could happen in the future!?"

  Seeing Godou retreat awkwardly, Yuri shouted in a rare moment.

  "What if you begin a battle with Sir Lancelot and I happen to be absent from the scene...! I believe being prepared beforehand is only natural!"

  "I-I guess. But using magic to transmit knowledge will quickly disappear from the mind, right!?"

  No matter how you looked at it, this was a sudden act of impulse. Godou and Yuri both leaned forward.

  Before they realized it, their distance had shrunk substantially.

  "I think if the knowledge dissipates, then I will just teach you again. Hmm, no matter what, it is something necessary. For this cause I will
labor without any complaints..."

  Yuri spoke softly, blushing to her ears.

  The subtle sense of desperation seemed to add a layer of allure to the Hime-Miko. Godou swallowed hard as he experienced in earnest the pleas of the beautiful maiden of utmost purity.

  And it was impossible not to respond.

  Furthermore, the two of them were alone in the Japanese-style room with the sliding door firmly shut.

  It was customary for shrine staff to avoid this area during Godou's visits. Also, Godou and Yuri's hands were separated by such a minute distance, they were easily within reach.

  As Godou and Yuri's gazes fell upon the tatami floor, they noticed that fact.

  "T-That's right. This is only for the sake of battle... Yes."

  "C-Certainly. I believe this is absolutely necessary..."

  Whispering softly, the two gazed into each other's faces.

  Their eyes shimmered with the light of recognition as accomplices.

  Godou extended his hand towards Yuri. Hand and hand came into contact. Cherishing the Hime-Miko's hand which had been moistened by nervous sweat, Godou held it gently as Yuri gripped his hand tightly in return.

  "Godou-san and I are companions, since that is true, this is fine... Right?"

  "A-Ah yes. Should... be..."

  As they drew their faces together, they seemed like lovers whispering sweet nothings to each other.

  Just when the two had closed their eyes and were about to affirm the touch of each other's lips--

  The sound of cellphones ringing. Both Godou and Yuri's phones rang simultaneously.

  "It's Erica."

  "This one is from Liliana-san."

  As Godou checked out the cellphone in his pocket while Yuri looked at her phone which had been placed by her side, they read out the names of the callers. No other way, let's pick up.

  Due to Godou and Yuri's serious personalities, neither of them could ignore incoming calls. They each brought their phone to their ear.

  "What is it, Erica?"

  'Look outside. We just arrived.'

  "...Arrived?"

  'Yes. Just do as I say and things will be clear.'

  It can't be... Godou stared at the spotlessly clean sliding door. Having just had a similar conversation, Yuri also looked with shock in the same direction.