Campione 13

by Princess Goddess of the South Seas

  "—! This is the [Bull] incarnation!?"

  Erica wielded her lance to thrust at the bull-headed giant.

  But at the same time, the giant went "moo" and boldly swung its long, thick, black, right arm, easily sending the incoming lance flying together with Erica's slender body.

  "Yaaaaaaaaah!"

  Struck by the [Bull] renowned for its strength, Erica was blown away almost a hundred meters.

  With that, she fell into the emerald-green sea. Even so, she still managed to block the mighty arm with her shield, thereby avoiding a critical injury. In spite of all that, she did not loose grip of her weapons. Rather commendable in fact.

  "Erica!"

  Seeing her longtime friend and rival sent flying, Liliana shot an arrow of light.

  The arrow was aimed straight towards the [Bull]'s incarnation of the bull-headed giant. A flash of silver flew towards the black bull's head, but the giant nimbly avoided the arrow.

  Make no mistake, nimbly indeed. With agile motions one could not imagine from its gigantic body, the giant leaped up high.

  Then the [Bull] landed before Godou's eyes.

  It had made its way towards Kusanagi Godou who was lying collapsed on the ground all this time, paralyzed from the electrical attack from earlier!

  MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! The bull roared ferociously, lifting its foot up high.

  It was planning to crush Godou beneath the sole of its massive foot.

  "...My body, please endure a while longer!"

  A crisis of desperate proportions. Nevertheless, this was actually a rare and perfect opportunity.

  Godou shouted at his sprawling painful body and started rolling on the sand. Two seconds later, the [Bull]'s foot crushed the spot where Godou was lying earlier!

  "I am the strongest, All enemies, all who harbor enmity will be vanquished——!"

  Chanting Verethragna's scripture during this time, Godou increased the [Camel]'s power.

  The pain consuming his entire body subsided slightly. The sense of paralysis also dissipated gradually. The rest would rely on tenacity and fighting spirit. Godou gritted his teeth and yelled:

  "Daaah!"

  Standing up through sheer willpower, Godou took a leap—

  The bull-headed giant was five meters tall. Owing to the mighty leap, the ferocious bull's black fur-covered face was now right in front of Godou.

  Next, using the [Camel]'s leg strength, he unleashed a spinning kick at the [Bull]'s cheeks.

  MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

  The [Bull] cried hoarsely, its giant body falling over backwards.

  The attack was effective, for it succeeded in inflicting substantial pain. But this was nowhere near fatal—With a glint of light flashing across its eyes, the [Bull] reached out with its stout right arm and caught Godou!

  "Gwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

  Gripped in the black giant's hand, Godou screamed tragically.

  All the bones in his body were creaking. Very soon, they were all going to be snapped, crushed and shattered.

  The [Camel] incarnation possessed even better resilience than a Campione's illogically sturdy body. Nevertheless, no matter how stalwart, this body would surely reach its limits within a minute or two!

  Even so, Godou still smiled with joy.

  As guerrilla fighters, the girls on standby surely would not let this opportunity go to waste.

  "O imperial blade Ama no Murakumo, in your best interests which I shoulder, grant power unto me!"

  Arriving as expected, Seishuuin Ena was sprinting from the distance, her "partner" in hand!

  Filling herself with the divine sword's spirit, divine possession was achieved.

  "Yaaaaaaah!"

  Ena jumped up high and swung Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi overhead using the hassou-no-kamae stance.[24]

  Amplified by the might of divine possession, this full-powered slash appeared to spew flames as it made a deep cut on the bull-headed giant's humanoid back. Unable to withstand the attack, the [Bull] fell upon its knees and released its grip on Godou.

  "Guh..."

  Tossed onto the sand, Godou groaned. His injuries were very severe indeed.

  Godou vomited blood but the [Bull]'s heavy injuries were equally serious. Furthermore, ten-odd arrows of light flew in approach immediately. These were the arrows of extermination shot by Liliana.

  MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!?

  Struck by the arrows, the bull giant roared in pain.

  Lying sprawled on the ground and helpless, it had apparently exhausted its strength.

  "Your Majesty, are you okay!?"

  Having made display worthy of a mighty general, Ena called out with worry.

  Godou nodded in response as he panted heavily. This was the best possible battle plan achievable with only the [Camel] incarnation currently at his disposal. At least he pulled it off successfully.

  Oh well, as a battle plan it was actually quite simple.

  More injury resistant than anyone else, Godou was to attract the divine beasts' attention. At the same time, Ena's role was to perform guerilla attacks using Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi whenever enemies showed openings while busy with the "bait." As for Erica and Liliana, they were tasked with supporting Godou and Ena as appropriate.

  Simple as that.

  That said, given their current battle potential, there was no other way to fight.

  In actual fact, were the enemies of divine beast class, the [Camel] incarnation could have lasted for surprisingly long durations. In that event, breaking through using these foolhardy tactics could very well have succeeded.

  But unexpectedly, the goddess was capable of using Verethragna's incarnations as her pawns—

  "Wha—!?"

  "This time, it's... The [Wind] incarnation!?"

  Faced with shock and surprise, Godou and Ena were swept into the suddenly manifesting whirlwind. The bull-headed humanoid giant, in other words, the [Bull] that was just defeated, had lost physical form and transformed into a tornado.

  Normally, Kusanagi Godou was the one switching between combat powers in a diverse display.

  But this time, the side suffering at the hands of these transformations was Godou himself.

  Part 4

  The wind strengthened all at once and became a tornado by the time one could notice.

  It started out as a small whirlwind only ten-odd meters in diameter. But now, it had become a violent vortex of wind swirling everything up into the sky, baring its fangs towards Godou and Ena.

  This was likely working on the same principle as the lightning released by the [Goat] just now.

  Elevating its power to the maximum possible in exchange for instantaneous depletion of the majority of magical power. In this manner, the Campione and the divine-possessed sword user were devoured by the tornado and swept up into the air.

  It felt like being thrown into a massive washing machine...

  Caught in the tornado, Godou and Ena were spun dozens of rotations at high speed.

  "Guh... Your Majesty! Use Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi together with Ena—Please!"

  Ena yelled as she tumbled around in the vortex of the storm.

  Her voice should have been drowned out by the roaring wind.

  Nevertheless, Godou heard her loud and clear. Her thoughts were being transmitted through Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi which they shared. Thanks to that, Godou was able to know the Hime-Miko of the Sword's wishes without even asking.

  "Okay, Seishuuin! Let's go!"

  He imagined the two of them swinging Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi together.

  This was what Godou and Ena had shared that night at Kisarazu when the divine sword's power was truly mastered. Taking this opportunity when their thoughts were relayed to each other through Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi as the medium, the same could be achieved without resorting to wizardry.

  Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi possessed the trait of absorbing magical and divine powers.

  Ena currently planned to use this trait to absorb th
e [Wind]'s power.

  Naturally, even a user of divine possession would be incapable of fully absorbing a tempest sent by a heretic goddess.

  However, were Godou to simultaneously infuse the divine sword with a Campione's magical power, then in that case—

  "Strong is the name that shall stand across subsequent generations—handed down by all who hears of his exploits!"

  In concert with Ena's chanted spell words, Godou poured magical power into Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi.

  Even the impossible could become possible through bonds of wizardry. Then the divine sword in Ena's hand released pitch black light, absorbing the vortex of [Wind]!

  —The tornado spinning the pair weakened progressively.

  Although they had already lost count how many revolutions they had been spun, the wind was suppressed all at once, finally dissipating the force that had swept Godou and Ena into the air.

  They fell down towards the beach from a height of seven or eight meters or so.

  Ena landed with monkey-like motions. Despite having no training in acrobatics, Godou accomplished the same, thanks to the agility conferred by the [Camel].

  However, the spinning from just now had destroyed their sense of balance, causing great discomfort.

  Greatly exhausted, the pair instantly collapsed and sat on the ground. That said, they were at least liberated from the [Wind].

  "Godou, Ena-san!"

  "You two, are you okay!?"

  Erica and Liliana ran towards them, the former from the sea and the latter from inland respectively.

  The red knight was unhurt. The [Bull]'s hit that sent her flying had apparently not caused any injuries. Although she was dressed lightly in a swimsuit, the sacred privilege of extermination must have protected her.

  Wielding the barbed lance and shield, Erica bore a stern and imposing countenance.

  Liliana was also carrying her sacred bow of silver.

  Godou nodded at the two of them. He could not answer because he was desperately enduring the sense of nausea. Ena was completely exhausted.

  "The [Wind] just now, it felt like it escaped just before it was completely destroyed..."

  Liliana's power of spirit vision allowed to her to see things beyond the naked eye.

  She was looking towards the sea. Prompted by her, everyone turned their gaze to follow suit. A solemn expression surfaced on all their faces, for a new incarnation was manifesting.

  Upon the emerald-green sea. At this cove serving as the island's entrance...

  Over on the sea, black flames were burning. These were also flames that Godou had summoned many times before.

  'So says Lord Mithra. The sinful shall be met with justice...'

  The goddess' voice came from the sky above.

  These spell words that Godou had always chanted, were now spoken softly by the goddess.

  'The one unblunted and unapproachable, oath-breaking sinners be purged by the iron hammer of justice—!'

  The black flames over the sea started transforming into a pitch-black divine beast.

  Body length estimated to be twenty meters. A pitch-black gigantic beast of a [Boar] bearing a stalwart appearance. However, only the majestic head alone had manifested so far. Below the neck, the rest of the body had yet to form from the black flames.

  Apparently, the goddess could not summon and manifest the [Boar] as quickly as Godou.

  'Fufufu. Despite the number of strong children among Kusanagi-sama's kindred, I have bestowed special care upon this one as my servant in particular! It does take quite a while longer to summon... But only this child is worthy of the wait!'

  Despite clearly in the middle of the summoning process, the goddess spoke as if victory was certain.

  But one could not disagree. The incarnations she had sent out one after another were all extremely strong. It would be apt to call them the simple arrangement version of Godou's powers.

  However, the divine beast being born over the sea was different. Were it to manifest completely, it could very well possess size, appearance and power no different from Verethragna's fifth incarnation as summoned by Godou.

  Just through a single glance at its face, once could tell the ferocity of this monster.

  Hovering over the sea were the black flames and the gigantic boar head. Grunting as it exhaled violently, the [Boar] glared condescendingly at the beach, roaring from its grotesque mouth.

  oooooooooooooooooooooooo...

  Soon to be liberated on the ground to bring destruction to all, it seemed to be expressing its joy of anticipation.

  "This must be something she held in reserve. What a troublesome trump card."

  "Weaker than under Kusanagi Godou's control—as much as one would hope for that, we cannot tell without a fight..."

  Erica and Liliana nodded at each other, their expressions tense from the will to fight.

  On the other hand, Godou and Ena's states were far from ready.

  Already heavily injured, Godou felt as if his body was made of lead. His movements were also very sluggish. Were it not for the [Camel]'s exceptional trauma endurance, Godou would have fainted a long time ago.

  Then there was Ena who had used divine possession thrice already in three days.

  Moreover, using a Campione's magical power, she had just drawn out Ama no Murakumo's powers at a level beyond human limits. The tough child of nature was clearly approaching her limits, her body shaking unsteadily.

  "Don't force yourself, Seishuuin. Rest for a while!"

  "Nonsense, Your Majesty. How could I remain idle at a time like this..."

  Ena remained stubborn. In a rare moment, her voice lacked her usual cheerfulness. Using Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi as a crutch, she supported herself.

  "You cannot, Ena-san!"

  The one who reprimanded the Hime-Miko of the Sword was Yuri who was supposed to have retreated to the rear.

  "Your life will surely be endangered if you continue like this! I absolutely forbid you to act recklessly!"

  Yuri spoke with a terrifying and intimidating expression.

  However, she walked over to the weakened Ena's side and caressed her back gently like a mother.

  A spell of caressing—she was applying recovery wizardry to heal Ena's painful body.

  Ena's trump card, divine possession, was said to require a week's interval between successive usage. Exceeding this frequency would mercilessly wear away her mind and body—

  Indeed. Godou nodded.

  Yuri must have run over to heal and restrain Ena because she knew her childhood friend was at her limits.

  "But everyone could very well be taken out, so having Ena rest by herself is meaningless. This is the time for a last stand. Don't worry, I'll just force myself a little and still be fine."

  "How absurdly driven by emotion you are, Ena-san. I now understand the reason why you get along with Godou so well."

  Erica commented with a frown.

  Also, the tone of her voice sounded more "deeply impressed" than surprised.

  "But no, denied. Please stay still obediently. Verethragna's [Boar] is nowhere lacking as an opponent for knights. Please leave this for us to handle."

  "Indeed, it has come to this."

  Liliana spoke up.

  "Ever since we came to this island, you have been the one protecting Kusanagi Godou all this time. It is about time you let us have an opportunity to take the stage."

  Godou nodded vigorously in agreement.

  However, the silver-haired knight frowned in response, expressing her regrets to him.

  "Allow me to add to that, Kusanagi Godou. You too should also rest, right?"

  "Eh?"

  In the instant Godou asked in response, he suffered an unexpected attack.

  Liliana performed a sweeping kick. Although Godou intended to evade, his legs were unable to move. Swept off balance splendidly, he fell over on his bottom.

  Seeing him like that, Liliana and Erica both sighed.

  "I knew it... On
ly your sense of pain is numbed, but your body is already at its limits."

  "You have accumulated extraordinary injuries starting from earlier. I had a feeling this would happen if you lost your incarnation of immortality."

  "I-I'm fine. My wounds are healing at an incredible rate."

  "Well. Using healing magic combined with the [Camel]'s recovery abilities, perhaps you could force your body a little more."

  In response to Godou's protests, Erica replied with deep thought.

  "Honestly, it is impossible to fight that [Boar] barehanded."

  Everyone turned their gaze towards the cove.

  What was just a [Boar]'s head a while ago had now manifested to its chest area. Once the flames formed the gigantic beast's body completely, the pitch-black destroyer was probably going to rush onto the beach with terrifying vigor...

  For the [Camel] which offered no other means of attack apart from "kicking," it was a most difficult opponent indeed.

  "I'm not barehanded. One could still say I have a weapon."

  Godou threw his "partner" a glance. Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi that Ena had stabbed into the sand to use as a crutch.

  Walking over with unsteady steps, Godou grabbed the sword's hilt.

  Despite his reluctance to get close to dangerous tools like swords, it was the time to put pacifism aside for now.

  "Are you able to use it without Seishuuin Ena?"

  "I should be. I managed it during the Kisarazu battle against Lancelot..."

  While thinking about how careless he was, Godou replied to Liliana's question.

  Indeed, Kusanagi Godou only truly used Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi for the first time back then, in a clash with Lancelot who wielded the Divine Sword of Salvation.

  "Besides, relying on you two, Liliana and Erica, to do something like fighting the [Boar], that's not gonna work. Unless that guy gets struck by firepower on the [White Stallion]'s level, there's no hope for victory..."

  Well, the question was whether Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi had that level of destructive power.

  The "partner" had exhibited its highest level of destructive power during the Kisarazu battle. In order to oppose the Divine Sword of Salvation used by the "King of the End," the silver-haired goddess had powered up Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi.