There was no more bleeding. Instead, overflowing magic power was spilling out. The large volume of magic power was surging forth like a spring's source, starting to flow out from Pallas Athena's entire body.
Magic power normally lacked specific color. It was something colorless.
But right now, the magic power flowing from Pallas Athena's body glowed golden.
This golden magic power rose up high into the air, spreading overhead like a gas, turning the Minamibousou sky gold.
Under the sky that was colored by a golden aurora, Godou walked over to the collapsed Divine Ancestor.
"...You're in quite a sad state."
"...'Tis verily worthy of chagrin. Due to the Holy Grail's activation, one's power as a goddess was absorbed and taken. Forsooth, 'tis a rather dismal battle situation."
Despite mustering no more than a feeble voice, Pallas Athena still answered in a whisper.
Even at this stage, she still refused to admit defeat. The young and tiny girl was even moving her arms and legs desperately, slowly, slowly trying to stand up.
Truly living up to her identity as Athena's reincarnation, she was driven by indomitable will and noble-minded principles.
Witnessing this scene before his eyes, Godou smiled for an instant, but resumed a serious expression immediately.
"You said the Holy Grail activated?"
"Fifteen centuries prior, the goddess Gwenhwyfar created the Holy Grail as a vessel to contain the essence of mother earth goddesses such as one, to be stored as magic power. Furthermore, the previous Witch Queen Guinevere prayed to the Holy Grail on her dying breath, wishing for the new Witch Queen's birth."
Speaking of which, that really was the case. Godou remembered.
The cause of the mother earth goddess Athena's death was due to the Holy Grail sucking all of her life force away.
"In the end, taking the form of a Divine Ancestor, the Holy Grail became one."
"I see. You have this appearance because the majority of the magic power in the Holy Grail was sucked from Athena."
Realizing that, Godou knew it was just a simple mechanism.
While feelings were stirred deeply in Godou, Pallas Athena pushed herself up in front of him, displaying a courageous smile.
She still endured desperately even when inflicted with lethal wounds. What truly astounding mettle.
"It seemeth that whenever the hero unsheathed the Divine Sword of Salvation, the Holy Grail—namely, oneself—would offer all magic power to him. 'Tis intentional that Guinevere prevented one from learning of this fact..."
"Which is how you ended up in this state."
Godou now understood how Pallas Athena came to be lying at death's door.
Meanwhile, the "King of the End" was standing silently, some distance away. The Divine Sword of Salvation was stabbed upright on the ground in front of him. Illuminated by the sacred blade's brilliance, he was looking at Godou and Pallas Athena with eyes of determination.
Nevertheless, slight weariness and chagrin could be seen in the hero's gaze.
Godou felt a sense of dissonance. The "King of the End" did not look like a hero boasting of victory at all. Instead, he seemed to be enduring a sense of emptiness from an unsatisfactory victory.
"It mattereth not, but..."
Noticing Godou's doubts, Pallas Athena made a slight smile of wryness.
"Only one standing from his position could hope to openly confront the hero's conduct as it is... Do not begrudge his attitude towards battle. Putting that aside..."
Pallas Athena tried hard to move her right leg, lifting her knee.
She wanted to stand up, but evidently had little remaining strength. Only her entire body trembled. Even so, the girl inheriting Athena's indomitable spirit continued to declare boldly.
"Despite these grievous wounds, victory is as yet undecided. Depart, Kusanagi Godou. Interfere not in one's duel against the 'King of the End'—Guh!"
Pallas Athena spat out fresh blood along with her words.
Her knees also bended, causing her to fall on the ground again. In spite of that, the silver-haired Divine Ancestor still blazed with fighting spirit in her eyes, weaving words of valor through her red lips, stained with blood.
"Fufufu. Or perhaps, thou wishest to attack one together with the hero?"
"...No."
Godou stepped between the dying Divine Ancestor and the pale-haired aristocrat.
He even shielded Pallas Athena behind his back, turning to face off squarely against the "King of the End."
"No matter what, that guy's obviously the strongest here. Naturally, the most important thing right now is for me to assist you in settling your match against that man."
"..."
Pallas Athena was not supposed to have Athena's memories.
Considering her haughty attitude, Godou felt that it would be hard for her to approve this suggestion. However, the dying Divine Ancestor smiled generously instead.
"If 'tis for such a reason, 'twould not be disagreeable to join forces in facing a common enemy. A relationship of aligned interests..."
She whispered with her bloodstained lips.
Even without memories, was it engraved somewhere in the depths of her soul that they had shared the same boat as bitter enemies at one point in the past?
In any case, no different from the battle against Lancelot last time, Kusanagi Godou and Pallas Athena were going to cooperate in opposition against the "King of the End."
Naturally, the dying former goddess did not amount to any significant combat potential.
However, with a godslayer joining his mortal enemy to face off against the strongest hero, it was as though time had rewound back to the moment of their farewell several months prior.
Meanwhile, seeing the torturous and mysterious intertwined destinies between them—
"Helping the weak and taking down the strong... How chivalrous, Kusanagi Godou."
The pale-haired aristocrat voiced Godou's name for the first time after fifteen centuries.
He was also smiling slightly. It was akin to a smile appropriate for the face of a traveler making a brief stop, feeling pity for a tiny flower on the roadside.
Or perhaps, the face of a man who temporarily forgot the weariness of wandering.
"I am most pleased to see a man among the godslayers who can exhibit chivalry even towards the gods. Be that as it may, I must apologize."
Godou entered a stance. This guy was the same as in the past. Whenever he was about to bring forth great power, the "King of the End" always apologized!
"I have met defeat twice by your hand in the ancient past. Nevertheless, having obtained a mother earth goddess' life through the Holy Grail... I am no longer the one you know."
"Relax. I know that already."
Godou glanced into the sky.
The dark night sky was shining with golden radiance.
This was the golden magic power flowing out of Pallas Athena, the Holy Grail. Next, all the light filling the sky descended towards the "King of the End," poured completely into his body.
The result—An astounding amount of magic power currently filled the entire body of the "King of the End."
Back when he awakened in ancient Gaul, he seemed to be in an abnormal state.
But this time, having absorbed the Holy Grail's life force—namely, Pallas Athena's—the hero finally recovered his peak condition.
Godou licked his lips and stared sharply at the "King of the End."
"However, this is still better than when the great ritual of the covenant was invoked in Gaul. I can deal with this."
Godou strengthened his tone of voice for his answer, partially as encouragement for himself.
The explosive increase in magic power when facing off against multiple Campiones, to the point of being able to fight every opponent together—
This was probably the great ritual of the covenant. In the past, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven had also used the spell of Devil King e
xtermination.
But right now, Godou was the only godslayer present.
Logically speaking, that kind of absurd power up should not be available here. In spite of that...
"My apologies, but I have already recovered my full power due to obtaining the essence offered by the Holy Grail. Consequently, the great ritual of the covenant can be used naturally like this..."
What!? Just as the unexpected confession rendered Godou in shock...
He saw. The golden light filling the sky suddenly vanished. Instead, the "King of the End" was glowing golden from his entire body.
At the same time, his magic power—It rose dramatically.
Instantly, he reached the same level of magic power as the time when the Great Sage Equaling Heaven was battling against Kusanagi Godou, Luo Cuilian and John Pluto Smith.
Despite the fact that Kusanagi Godou was the only Campione present.
Furthermore, the increase in magic power did not stop there. If a standard [Heretic God]'s magic power was considered ten, then after using the great ritual of the covenant, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven would have magic power comparable to thirty or forty on the same scale. However, the magic power of the "King of the End" had surpassed seventy, eighty, ninety, even reaching a hundred—
Dumbstruck, Godou muttered:
"No way..."
None of the gods he had ever fought were weak.
Having said that, the "King of the End" now possessed massive magic power more than all of them combined, his body surrounded by glorious golden radiance.
"O Divine Sword of Salvation, hereby show your true form to the world."
The "King of the End" spoke quietly to his usual sword, stabbed upright in front of him.
Then a giant magic circle manifested overhead in the shape of a square.
Its side length was roughly ten meters. The square-shaped magic circle was subdivided into a grid of smaller cells, each depicting a weapon.
If one were to count them, there would probably be hundreds of weapons and armaments.
Most numerous were "arrows." In addition, there were swords, blades, bows, spears, axes, shields, cudgels, glaives, halberds, morningstars, ring-shaped objects, brick-like blocks, etc, even things that could not be called weapons.
Godou was reminded of a "mandala."
Meaning "circle" in Sanskrit, a spiritual and ritual symbol in oriental magic depicting dozens or hundreds of deities and buddhas. This was a mandala composed primarily from countless weapons replacing the deities and buddhas.
"Finally complete, the great ritual of the covenant. The ultimate sword for exterminating all Devil Kings..."
Pallas Athena whispered.
Godou turned his gaze to her in surprise. Covered in blood, the Divine Ancestor spoke solemnly.
"Kusanagi Godou. Thou shouldst avoid the mistake of comparing this to the Great Sage Equaling Heaven's imitation. The true exterminator of Devil Kings becometh more powerful in accordance to the number of enemies at hand..."
So it really was as he suspected? Godou nodded. He had already figured it out somewhat.
"At the present, his power hath increased in accordance to the number of Devil Kings walking the earth. The godslayers of the present generation number seven in total... The 'King of the End' has already grown to having power corresponding to this head count."
"Indeed."
The hero nodded and concurred with the Divine Ancestor.
Without any intention of bragging about his power, he was speaking in a tone of voice so indifferent it was almost business-like.
"When I descended upon the world in the past, I was bestowed countless heavenly weapons as gifts every time I finished my mission of Devil King extermination. The Divine Sword of Salvation is the form that unites them all. Consequently, this could be considered its true appearance."
"Man, there should be limits to the number of weapons you can have..."
Godou was greatly shocked. The legendary hero had received more than just a sacred sword as a gift. The true identity of the lightning descending from the Divine Sword of Salvation was a massive number of weapons. Godou had already discovered this fact in ancient Gaul. However, he never knew that these were unbelievably the heavenly weapons bestowed by the gods.
This was a shocking fact, more frightening than any other.
Personally experiencing the reason why the assertion was made in the past that he "absolutely cannot defeat that man," Godou trembled greatly. Furthermore, just as he was gradually about to be overwhelmed by the powerful enemy—In that very instant...
He heard a pleasant voice akin to heavenly music.
"Foolish little brother. Is there any need for fear?"
Startled, Godou turned his gaze to the voice's owner.
A woman was slowly walking over to him. Her pace was calm and confident, unhurried, reminiscent of the carefree and endless flow of the majestic Yangtze River.
Matching the beauty of her voice, her face was so beautiful that the lovely court ladies dwelling in the heavenly palace of the moon would seem plain in comparison.
Pallas Athena, all covered in wounds, and the "King of the End" also stared at this transcendent beauty.
"Though the enemy may enjoy protection provided by the great ritual of the covenant, you too have your sworn elder sister, unique and supreme. Being the peerless sworn siblings that we are, how could there possibly exist a foe in this world whom we cannot handle?"
The gentle and soothing voice was reminiscent of a moon guitar's tone color.
Needless to say, the latest arrival was Kusanagi Godou's sworn sister, Luo Cuilian, of course.
Part 2
"Nee-san!"
"We meet again, little brother."
This reunion was taking place two months after their previous gathering in December last year.
On this evening, Luo Cuilian was dressed in Han Chinese clothing with an extremely long hem, showcasing style akin to a wandering celestial maiden under the moon. However, there were more pressing matters at hand than getting mesmerized by her beauty.
Godou brought up the biggest question.
"Why did you come here, Nee-san?"
"Roughly half a month prior at Mount Lu, I saw the augury of the 'white halo piercing the sun' in a vision."
"A white halo—Come again?"
Although Luo Cuilian was not a deity, her majesty was comparable to that of the gods.
Arriving by Godou's side, she cast her haughty gaze in sequence, at Pallas Athena, the "King of the End" and the Divine Sword Mandala that was drawn in the sky.
That gaze undoubtedly belonged to the eyes of an emperor, looking down at his subjects from atop his throne. A gaze of unparalleled supremacy.
"I have no reason to intervene if the only thing at stake were the rise and fall of humanity. However, monumental events concerning the gods, the four seas, heaven and earth would be a separate matter. Suspecting the vision of the 'white halo piercing the sun' to be an augury of such happenings, I thus departed on a journey to discern the truth."
"By journey, do you mean coming to Japan from China?"
"No. Turning into a giant bird to soar through the skies, turning into a dragon to swim across the seas, I toured various places to observe their conditions. During my journey, sensing that the East China Sea was filled with unusual divine energies, I tried to trace its source, thus arriving at this land."
This description was very much in the demonic cult leader's style, exhibiting her total mastery of Daoist arts, a wanderer of fantastical realms far removed from the mundane world.
Godou smiled wryly. At least she probably hasn't gone to urban areas—It looked like her direct disciple's speculation was not necessarily correct.
"Then Nee-san, about these guys here—"
"Say no more. One can get a gist by questioning spirits and apparitions local to this mountain. The great hero of Devil King extermination—I have heard of his rumors several times in the past, however..."
/> Luo Cuilian finally turned to gaze squarely at the "King of the End."
"I never expected this day when I would confront him together with my little brother by my side."
"...I see. Your position is akin to the elder sister of Kusanagi Godou?"
Taking the beautiful Devil King's gaze head on, the pale-haired hero murmured quietly. In response, Luo Cuilian proudly puffed out her magnificent chest and declared sonorously:
"No mere elder sister. One should be addressed as the supreme elder sister at the very least."
"Indeed you are correct. Even though this is our first meeting, I can easily understand the greatness of the powers under your command. If it pleases you, may I inquire your name and title?"
"In that case, please engrave into your heart the name of Luo Cuilian, Leader of the Holy Cult of the Five Mountains."
"Understood. Your Highness Luo Hao. But regrettably, my name—"
"Do not feel obliged to introduce yourself. The true name of the king manifesting at era's end has been known as a famous mystery for the past millennium. It would be an excessive breach of tact if one were to insist on inquiring your name."
"Much appreciated. Allow me to thank you for your understanding."
Godou secretly felt impressed. To think that he was able to get along with Luo Cuilian, a difficult task even for fellow humans, and to even converse so naturally as well.
The "King of the End" was unexpectedly adept in social skills.
Meanwhile, the conversation between the two otherworldly figures continued.
"Seeing as you are a figure of such caliber, Your Highness Luo Hao, I am afraid you probably know this already—I am the warrior tasked with the destiny of exterminating Devil Kings. I have no choice but to defeat you and that Kusanagi Godou over there."
"Of course, it couldn't be clearer. I shall accept."
"That being the case, may I ask for a time?"
"A foolish question indeed. I am not so cowardly that I would choose any hour apart from the one at hand."
In response to Luo Cuilian's utterly haughty gaze cast down from above, the great hero politely bowed his head. "Much appreciated."
Then the two of them began to enter combat stances. The demonic cult leader presented her palms in an open-handed stance, looking as though she was about to exhibit her prided palm techniques any instant.
Campione! - Volume 17 - The Hero's Name Page 7
