Campione 02

by Arrival of a Devil King

  Erica's supplementary explanation reminded Godou of the information he received from that phone call.

  "Come to think of it, that fellow Doni also has all sorts of disparate authorities. It feels like there is no sense of unity."

  Godou frankly injected his comment.

  The other two became silent in the middle of their explanations, and turned their gazes towards Godou as if they had something to say.

  "Wha-what is it?"

  "No... if you say so, then nothing."

  "I think that the embodiment of Verethragna is also a bunch of random abilities."

  True, that was something not really worth comparing, so Godou decided to cut back on the unnecessary comments.

  "Then let's return to the topic just now, and decide on how to proceed from here. If we cannot avoid fighting against that old gramps, I want to do it somewhere to minimize collateral damage."

  "I see. If helping Yuri-san is the first priority, then there is no other way."

  Amakasu spoke as he looked ahead.

  The rain splattering on the windshield had intensified, and it was raining quite heavily.

  "However, do note that handing Yuri-san over as a sacrifice is a possible solution. From a personal standpoint I think it is a tragic option, but in the interests of public welfare, it is the best choice."

  "Please don't say something so stupid in front of the person being discussed. There's no way I'll pick that method."

  Godou immediately rejected Amakasu's irrelevant words.

  This young man always put on frivolous airs, but made shockingly cruel suggestions.

  "But if we really do that, Marquis Voban will be satisfied and will leave Tokyo immediately. There won't be any other innocent victims, isn't that appropriate?"

  "I understand your reasoning. But I refuse!"

  However, the one who opposed Godou was not the originator of the plan.

  "Kusanagi-san, Amakasu-san's suggestion is correct."

  Yuri, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.

  Bowing her head down depressed, however, she suddenly looked up and entered the conversation.

  "If you don't hand me over, Kusanagi-san and the Marquis' battle—will bring severe tragedy to Tokyo. Did you know? There are legends about the Marquis summoning great storms to destroy cities, and releasing wolves to level villages."

  Yuri's stern voice carried determination.

  She was no longer afraid, and quietly spoke with an expression of sorrow.

  "The only one the Marquis insists on having is me. Fortunately, the Marquis only intends for me to help him finish the ritual, so he should not do anything else to mistreat me. It will be fine."

  Yuri was smiling as if trying to comfort the others.

  An illusory smile which showed great strength. Godou lightly sighed. Such acting skills must have been difficult for her who lacked competence in either sports or technology.

  "Will there be any danger?"

  "Four years ago, there were about thirty miko participating in the Marquis' [Heretical God] summoning. After the ritual, roughly two thirds of them suffered severe mental trauma, and most went mad and lost their sanity."

  In the instant he heard Erica's fluent answer, Godou made his decision.

  —Ok, let's do it this way.

  "In the battle against Athena, Yuri risked her life to use her power to provide assistance, and took on a dangerous and irreplaceable role in order to force the goddess to retreat from Tokyo."

  Kusanagi Godou owed Mariya Yuri an extremely great favor.

  "That ritual is very famous for summoning [Heretical Gods] with that level of sacrifice. Honestly speaking, I was quite surprised to find out that Yuri had participated in that ritual before. I suspect Yuri was only safe because she was the most capable out of the many miko, but she is unlikely to be so lucky next time."

  "In that case no, not allowed. Mariya's proposal is rejected."

  Feeling his battle spirit fired up, Godou quietly said.

  Campiones—just because one was the [King], can one do as one pleased? No way! Towards Voban's tyranny, Godou's sense of resistance gradually grew.

  It was completely unacceptable to let this girl be involved in such dangers due to that old man's personal whims.

  "So, Mariya, did you consider carefully before deciding to follow that old gramps? Really seriously considered from the depths of your heart?"

  "...Seriously considered."

  Yuri answered curtly, but with her head bowed.

  Godou turned around and looked at her straight in the face.

  "You are lying. This is Mariya's benevolent lie."

  "Nothing like that, I did consider carefully—!"

  "Just like the time with Athena, you thought that it would be fine if you were the only sacrifice, right? I decided then, if anything like that ever happens again, Mariya will definitely try to sacrifice herself—but that is something I definitely will not allow."

  His body became hot.

  A Campione's body will easily enter an optimal state during times of crises. This is the power supporting Godou's battle ability.

  "If you fight with the Marquis, another cruel disaster will occur, so please calm down!"

  "I am calm, don't worry. Even if the opponent is a horrific Campione, he is not a god and cannot create a world of darkness like Athena. There should be ways to deal with him."

  "But then, in that case Kusanagi-san will... please consider yourself."

  Her shoulders dropping, Yuri murmured weakly.

  "If-if anything happens to you—no, in a fight against the Marquis, something will definitely happen. If Kusanagi-san gets killed because of me, I..."

  Her words lost form and were no longer distinguishable from one another.

  Yuri completely lowered her head, her shoulders shaking, and tears streamed down her face, moistening the dress of her Japanese outfit.

  —This strong-willed girl was crying.

  Yuri who had once faced Athena alone without regard for her own safety, was now clearly crying. It was most likely due to Godou's risking his life for her.

  If it was simply her own matter, Yuri could definitely hold back her tears.

  Nevertheless, this only made Godou strengthen his determination. No matter what, he must protect this girl, Mariya Yuri, and stop the willful actions of that unsavory old man!

  "Yuri you should just give up. This is the decision of the [King]. Saying any more will be futile. Don't forget, this man is [King], and a very stubborn, violent person."

  In direct contrast with the Hime-Miko who cried audibly, Erica beside her was very calm and collected.

  She smiled calmly and asked.

  "Of course, the Marquis you requested to follow is also a king, so which side you pick is your freedom. Which will it be? The Marquis or Godou, who do you choose?"

  "But Kusanagi-san has no chance of winning the Marquis. Though both are Campiones, the Marquis has a clear advantage in both the strength and number of authorities. Kusanagi-san is too optimistic!"

  Yuri lifted her tear-stained face and scolded.

  But Godou's determination could not be shaken, and Erica simply shrugged.

  "What are we going to do, my master?"

  "If we talk about chances of victory, my authorities from Verethragna shouldn't be able to win against Athena either. Anyway, we have no other choice at this point."

  Godou turned to face Amakasu on the driver's seat.

  "So that's it, Mariya's person will be handled by me. I will never hand her over to that old gramps, so please, drive to somewhere with fewer people. A battle scene here would bring even more trouble."

  "Understood. To be kidnapped by two Campiones one after the other, Yuri-san sure is an important person."

  "Ah, Amakasu-san, what are you talking about!"

  Yuri reprimanded the gloating Amakasu.

  However, the frivolous representative continued to man the steering wheel unaffected.

  "Bu
t regrettably, I am a member of the History Compilation Committee. As someone involved in this field, I cannot oppose the will of the great Devil King, oh... It's like running away on a stolen bike, a kind of guilty excitement."

  "You! Always taking things so lightly!"

  Yuri finally was angered, but it totally swept away her sorrow and tears.

  Godou nodded at her new condition.

  Once everything was settled, she would probably scold him like last time after the Athena incident. But that's fine. Compared to letting this girl be taken away out of sight to a distant location, it was ten thousand times better.

  Purely by chance, his gaze met with Erica's.

  His companion calmly made a look, as if saying she had no objections.

  "Unfortunately, I will be troubling you."

  "Don't worry, didn't I already say? Having offered you my [Sword], I already prepared myself for situations like this. And that old [King]'s history is not something you can comprehend alone, let me fill you in later."

  Erica casually spoke, and then turned her jeering gaze forwards—to the young man in the driver's seat.

  "...Well, I feel like it is correct to predict this kind of possibility, but I'm just a little concerned about the speaker telling Godou that."

  "Don't talk like I have ulterior motives."

  As they were about to continue, the sound of rolling thunder was heard.

  The location of the thunderstrike seemed quite near. Looking out the window, the night sky was filled with dark clouds, and the rain was increasing continually.

  "...In other words, thirty minutes have passed."

  As Amakasu glanced at his watch, gray shadows immediately appeared.

  Part 2

  Running.

  Under the intense thunder and rain, groups of gray shadows were running.

  Shadows—no, if one looked carefully, those were the silhouettes of wolves. They numbered about thirty or forty.

  A pack of wolves colored gray like a rat's fur.

  But the wolves' sizes were abnormal, for their tall and well-built bodies could easily be mistaken for a horse's.

  A pack of giant wolves was galloping down the Shuto Expressway with horrific speed, chasing Godou's car from behind.

  ...Surprisingly, the distance between them was shrinking.

  There was still about thirty meters, but they would catch up soon.

  "So these are the [Wolves] called by that old gramps? These are complete monsters."

  "I am also seeing them for the first time. The Marquis is able to call forth hundreds of these [Wolves] and can easily eradicate ten to twenty villages or towns with them."

  Watching the ferocity of the wolf pack from the rear window of the car, Godou and Erica exchanged opinions.

  Extremely ravenous wild beasts as if they had discovered their prey.

  Perhaps one could understand with the following description. A pack of wolves whose eyeballs raged with the color of blood as they drooled and chased violently.

  "Come to think of it, there seems to be a lack of cars in the approaching direction. What could be the reason..."

  Godou muttered as he realized his carelessness.

  Though traffic was not heavy today, the number of cars on the Shuto Expressway could not be zero. In fact, there should be cars in front and cars from behind trying to pass.

  But starting five minutes ago, the number of cars around them became very few.

  This wasn't strange. If a normal driver saw those kinds of monsters running on the roads, they would definitely make way for them. This wasn't hard to imagine.

  "Let's hope those wolves haven't caused any serious incidents..."

  Godou could only pray to the heavens.

  The gray wolves were probably only targeting Godou and Yuri and should be ignoring the other cars. Hence, that worry seemed unlikely. But still, they should prepare for the worst.

  ...In a car collision, those wolves would probably send the car flying instead.

  "Amakasu-san, please stop the car! Don't involve unrelated people!"

  "I refuse to stop, but we should definitely avoid a chase in a place like this."

  After being told by Yuri, Amakasu turned the steering wheel.

  It was at the Kokuchou interchange on Route 3 of the Shuto Expressway.

  Amakasu directed the car into the lane towards the exit leading to street level.

  "Are you planning on driving on the streets? That is very dangerous!"

  "If we get attacked by those monsters while driving at such a speed, the result will be tragic! Since they will catch up sooner or later, it will be easier to escape at ground level."

  Of course, this reasoning had its merits, so Godou immediately responded to Amakasu's suggestion.

  "Then please let us off at a suitable spot, and then try to think of a solution!"

  —Ten minutes later, Amakasu had driven the car into the streets in the neighborhood of Roppongi district.

  This was the city center containing high-rise buildings, luxury hotels and television stations, with shrines, monasteries and embassies slightly further away.

  "...Could you stop the car over there?"

  Due to the intense rain beating down on the windows, it was difficult to see outside clearly. Godou still managed to find a good spot and proceeded to alert Amakasu.

  Turning at an intersection, they stopped before a primary school.

  A city center primary school. Neither the playground nor its overall area were very big, but it should be enough to rampage a bit. Since it was night, there will not be any children.

  Godou had Amakasu stop the car and got out onto the road.

  The storm was very fierce.

  As the raindrops blown by the wind struck his body sideways, his clothes were rapidly soaked with rainwater. The rain also filled his shoes with water.

  An umbrella under such situations would most likely be blown away immediately.

  "Why don't you come along as well, Mariya. Though the weather is terrible, please endure."

  Godou opened the door to the backseat and hastened Yuri to get off.

  However, the Hime-Miko of Musashino appeared to have no intention of following. She only stared at Godou, pleading with sincere eyes.

  "Kusanagi-san, you should have seen it right? Those [Wolves] and [Dead Servants] are only a part of the Marquis Voban's powers. You cannot defeat him. And if you went all out, it will definitely bring destruction to the surroundings."

  And so, please hand me over. To this plea, Godou shook his head.

  "I am not very smart, and cannot understand the reasons to do that. All I know is this: you are my friend who once helped me. If I abandoned such a girl, I will regret it—as I have said just now, this is my stubbornness."

  Godou offered his hand to the persistent Hime-Miko.

  Hoping that she would accept this hand. That was what Godou hoped for from the bottom of his heart.

  "I don't want to hand you over to some old gramps like that. And I am not the only one who thinks that. Letting a courageous and compassionate girl suffer such cruelty from that stubborn old man, if anyone else heard about such an atrocity, I'm sure nine out of ten people will agree with my decision."

  Godou felt that his oratory skills were very poor.

  As he cursed his own uselessness at such a crucial time, Godou continued to speak.

  "So, let's consider this... Of course I know that fighting against that old gramps will bring trouble to many people. But if things were properly explained, they should be able to endure for a while. I apologize for deciding without consultation, but it is something that cannot be helped."

  Godou wondered if he could find the words to persuade Yuri who was the most serious person he knew.

  Feeling that he had no other appeals to reason, Godou prayed as hard as he could while attempting to convey his wishes for her safety instead.

  "I understand that you're worried about many things, but please just come with me. I beg y
ou, Mariya."

  "Your power, you do understand you cannot defeat the Marquis, right?"

  "I have no intention of overextending myself for a win, but it is fine as long as losing is avoided. As long as I am able to protect Mariya I am satisfied. Even if my opponent is powerful, it is not farfetched to aim for a draw. Definitely, something can be done."

  An optimistic speech devoid of worry, almost sounding like something Salvatore Doni would say.

  Partially for the sake of giving Yuri confidence, Godou forced himself to speak in this manner.

  It was a speech with stupid reasons and was completely lacking in credibility. Yuri finally sighed after listening.

  "Really, enough... You give me no choice. You usually speak sensibly but why are you so sloppy now..."

  Yuri looked up and gazed directly into Godou's eyes.

  "No matter how righteous it is to oppose that kind of person, I still know you cannot succeed. So enough, your words of persuasion are like those of a fool."

  Inconsistent with her sharp tone, she was not staring at Godou sternly.

  Yuri timidly held out her hand.

  The delicate hand slowly reached out towards Godou's outstretched hand.

  "It is not like I believe in Kusanagi-san's words or anything like that. Don't misunderstand. It is not like I want you to risk your life or anything like that. After all, I am just a victim of your kidnapping. I suppose resistance is futile... In truth, this is all there is to it, so do not misunderstand."

  "Yes, I understand. This is sufficient, Mariya."

  Mariya took Godou's hand and gripped it tightly.

  Like a lost child who finally found his father.

  Godou nodded gladly. Yuri's face blushed and she lowered her head.

  Yuri stood up and left the car, walking in the rain.

  Her white Japanese attire was immediately drenched by the rain, and clung closely to the exceedingly feminine form of her body.

  "I will face the Marquis together with Kusanagi-san—so, I am in your care."

  "We will do our best."

  Though it seemed like he had yet to fully gain the other's trust, Godou guaranteed with a smiling face.

  Yuri also responded with a shy smile akin to falling cherry blossoms.

  "Now that it's been decided, let's prepare the grounds... Mariya you should first cross through that door..."