Campione 08

by Trials of the Devil Kings

  The three concealed infernal goddesses manifested from behind, holding the Black Prince in their arms, pulling him up into the air.

  On the heads of the three beautiful infernal goddesses, each individual strand of hair was a snake.

  Raven-black wings sprouted from their backs.

  "Megaera the demon, Tisiphone the avenger, Alecto the relentless, retrieve the curse and execute vengeance!"

  Responding to the completed spell words, vicious countenances appeared on the three infernal goddesses.

  These were the Erinyes, the three goddesses of vengeance in Greek mythology —

  Alec had activated his second authority, previously usurped from their defeat.

  [Judging Furies].

  Named as such by the Witenagemot, this authority returned to the perpetrator all destruction, attacks, impacts, and curses performed before the three infernal goddesses.

  In this case, all destruction wrought by Fake Minos upon the giant maze was reflected back onto it.

  "Guh — GAAAAAAAAAALHAAAAAAAGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

  The giant bull-headed god's movements suddenly stopped, overcome with pain.

  Struck. The majestic bull's head, the muscular chest, the sturdy abs, the broad and solid back. All parts of the body were being struck. Assaulted violently in a frenzy!

  Fake Minos' gigantic body shuddered violently with every impact and was blown away.

  Struck by a giant invisible fist.

  These were all the punches performed by Fake Minos — the attacks that channeled the energy of the great land into destructive power to cause the labyrinth's collapse.

  "Then the end draws near..."

  Alec commented as he watched the battered Fake Minos.

  A Campione's warrior instinct told him that his enemy had met its fate. The incident had drawn to a close.

  Alec once again turned himself into the intangible avatar of lightning.

  He began to exit the collapsed labyrinth and flew towards the surface of the ground.

  Part 6

  Alec flew into the sky in the form of lightning.

  A massive depression in the ground had formed at Orosei Bay in Sardinia. It was like the appearance of a crater.

  This change in the foundation of the land was due to the destruction of the underground labyrinth along with Minos.

  Nodding in approval at his own victory, Alec surveyed the surroundings beneath him.

  In a situation like this, she could not possibly have kept still obediently. Surely she must have come running — there!

  Discovering the figure of the girl he sought, Alec flew towards her with lightning speed. Landing on a little hill, he released the avatar.

  Recovering a human's body, he immediately ran over to Princess Alice.

  As a spirit body, she was also able to fly at high speeds comparable to Alec's.

  "You came as expected. Could it be that you couldn't bear killing time in a relaxed manner?"

  "Of course. What does it matter anyway? I've long wanted to investigate you properly."

  The Princess put on airs and turned her face in response to his question.

  She seemed to be harboring a grudge for being left behind just now. Hmph, Alec smiled in satisfaction over his little victory.

  "Alexandre, I think you should slightly correct your discourteous tongue and eccentric character. It's really quite rude to ladies!"

  Alice spoke in anger as she waved her slender hand, her skin as white as snow.

  Accompanying this motion was the appearance of particles of light, glittering as they flew into the sky. They stopped rising after reaching a certain height.

  — There eh? A dash of savagery crept into Alec's smile.

  The White Miko-Hime Princess Alice had several special spirit powers at her disposal.

  Her most representative abilities were spirit body separation and psychic sensing.

  Using the latter ability allowed the Princess to read minds approximately. If she extended the probing of her sensing, she could most likely read the minds of everyone in the area. Of course, this was not indiscriminate. For example, it was impossible to read Alec's or a magi of Lucretia Zola's caliber.

  Nevertheless, even if she could not read their minds, it still allowed her to sense their positions.

  "Glory of all creation, turn into power and be displayed! Seize the key to wisdom of the past as a woman!"

  At the position indicated by the Princess' light, Alec applied counter magic. This was special magic for dispelling specific spell domains.

  For example, fire-type counter magic can be used to neutralize water-type spells.

  Currently, Alec was using counter magic targeted towards witchcraft.

  "Hohohoho, as expected of the Prince. You saw through it all."

  A beautiful young blonde suddenly appeared in the air.

  Wearing a white summer dress, she was smiling as sweet as the most exquisite of confectionery. This was the [Divine Ancestor] who called herself Guinevere last time.

  She had been hiding herself using the witchcraft of [Concealment].

  "Hmph, to go so far as to summon a fake god. There should be limits to mischief, whether from [Heretic Gods], Campiones or you, who've been leaving suspicious trails everywhere lately. So how many of the recent events are of your doing?"

  Alec looked up to the hovering witch as he mocked sarcastically.

  "However, I can't imagine what sort of trick created a fake god. To be able to approach the authority of gods and Campiones, it looks like Divine Ancestors are not a group to be overlooked. I seem to have underestimated you."

  "No, even standing at the pinnacle of witches, I, Guinevere cannot do this using my own magic."

  Maintaining her smile, the witch in the form of a young girl descended to the ground.

  "How was it done? I will tell you in a little while."

  "Oh? That's very generous of you."

  "No, Prince — thanks to the assistance Your Highness has provided, it is only right to return the courtesy. As for that miko over there — hohoho, what a girl with a bright future. If you wish, I, Guinevere, welcome you to my side with open embrace."

  Wearing a pure white dress, Guinevere turned her gaze towards Alice.

  "Prince, come with me, Guinevere, and let us set off together in search for this 'King who manifests at the end of eras.' This is the sleeping King of the End, the most mysterious of the gods of [Steel]. Finding that king is an arduous and perilous journey. Nevertheless, let us set forth together."

  "What about Lucretia Zola? Didn't you go searching with her in the past?"

  King who manifests at the end of eras.

  It was a greatly fascinating title, but Alec maintained his rationality and pointed out his doubt.

  "That child is no good. While we were wandering together in search for clues, that child disobeyed the will of Guinevere."

  "...Will?"

  "Yes, she believed that the last — the strongest [Steel] should not be revived, because it would surely bring about the end of this era of humans."

  The last of this era. End. Only dangerous terms were being tossed around.

  Without the full picture, it was impossible to imagine.

  Alec shrugged, bringing up what he believed to be the crux of the matter.

  "This King who manifests at the end of eras... Does it refer to King Arthur? With the inscription 'Once and Future King' on his tomb, will that hero awaken from eternal slumber, to save the world or destroy it?"

  "Hohoho, as expected of the Prince, truly clever."

  "That is what came to mind once during my search for the Holy Grail in the past few years."

  For the first time, Alec revealed the speculation buried in his heart.

  "Between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries in medieval Europe, there existed individuals who worked secretly to popularize myths that regarded King Arthur as a god... Their core consisted of you ladies, daughters of the earth mother goddess' miko of the anci
ent world."

  Alec glared sharply at Guinevere and Alice as he spoke.

  "It is unknown whether they acted independently or in concert. However, the Knights Templar, its parent organization the Priory of Sion[23], as well as the Order of Cistercians[24] should have interfered greatly in the formation of this myth... How's that, to what extent is my speculation correct?"

  "Well well, what should we do?"

  Guinevere responded casually with an innocent smile.

  "After all, I, Guinevere, was only reborn less than a hundred years ago. It's hard to be sure of things that happened before I was born."

  An adorable smile along with a glamorous melodious voice.

  Alec went "hmph" with despise. What an impossible fellow to interrogate. But thanks to the ill-fated encounters with that Princess over there, he found it easier to guess what she was thinking.

  "My wish is to revive the 'King of the End.' For this goal, I will put forth all my effort, wealth, and yes, even the Magic Holy Grail."

  "What?"

  "Prince, the fake god Minos you encountered... Was an illusion of Guinevere's doing, born from the blessing of the Holy Grail. I had chanced upon Your Highness' earlier battle and used it for reference!"

  Light shone from behind Guinevere.

  At some point in time, a vessel slightly taller than the twelve or thirteen-year-old girl had appeared.

  Shaped like a cup or an urn, the vessel was shining brilliantly. Furthermore, it was infused with an astounding amount of magical power.

  From the rim of the vessel's opening, how could such an enormous amount of magical power be flowing out continuously?

  This magical power surpassed Campiones like Alec as well as human magi by far. Furthermore, the vessel was releasing what was equivalent to the total magical power of several dozens of Campiones.

  If just the overflowing magical power was this much, what amazing power must lie within...

  "Alexandre, that is the Magic Holy Grail... The Graal of legend."

  "I don't need you to tell me that! What else could that astounding object be!?"

  Alice shouted out excitedly, having confirmed with spirit vision, while Alec responded gruffly.

  The holy relic had suddenly appeared before the two of them. However, it vanished as abruptly as it had appeared. As the bright light disappeared, only the young Divine Ancestor remained.

  "Hohohoho. Prince — Alec-sama, if Your Highness will assist me, Guinevere, then the sacred treasure just now can be yours."

  What? Alec stared in astonishment.

  "As mentioned already, I, Guinevere, am not a woman who hoards treasure like a miser. Even if it is the famous Holy Grail, I will gladly offer it with both hands for the sake of finding the King of the End. — We distant descendants of the miko! You too, must do the same as Alec-sama, you must accept the wish of the queen of witches no matter what!"

  The Holy Grail had vanished, as commanded by the Divine Ancestor —

  With that, so did the sense of excitement. Princess Alice sighed as a result.

  "It is puzzling how I should properly address my senior who looks younger than me... Madam, do you have any idea of Alexandre's personality?"

  The Princess answered coldly with a sigh.

  As his rival bound by ill fate, she understood him very well.

  "This eccentric mister here loves to play devil's advocate and act in opposition. He will never agree no matter how serious you are if you look at him with eyes of superiority that says 'you can have the gift you desire but in return you must obey.' Instead, it's going to cause him to resist without hesitation. At times like this, he most likely would say —"

  "'If I already know who possesses it, why would I need to listen to your demands?'"

  Alec responded before Alice could quote him.

  "You think I will kneel down and beg? What a joke. I never hesitate for even a moment towards treasure I desire. Because all that remains is to take it from the hands of the original owner!"

  Alec mocked with instigating tones. Alice commented from the side, saying "Oh well, that's the way it is."

  If the current Grail possessor was a powerless or innocent commoner, Alec might have hesitated and backed off due to various reasons, but that was only a special case.

  Hmph, that kind of situation was the only exception, hurry up and forget about it!

  Alec cursed quietly to himself as he drew near the Divine Ancestor.

  "I never expected the owner of the secret treasure to appear so nonchalantly... I should express my gratitude first. Thanks to you, I can finally fulfill my long time wish!"

  He activated god speed at fifty percent.

  Sparks flowed noisily all over his body. Now he could accelerate at will.

  "So there is no more room for negotiations? What a shame. With outstanding wisdom and rationality that trumps wild instinct, listen well, you rare terrifying god-slayer. I, Guinevere, have been waiting... Or perhaps I need to seek out new situations."

  Sigh. Guinevere sighed once.

  "As a Campione, illegitimate child of the courageous fool, you are truly like an indomitable poisonous dragon. Looks like there are no exceptions."

  "I don't know about the other fellows, but bowing down is impossible for me!"

  So, it was now imperative to capture this annoying Divine Ancestor before considering anything else.

  Clearly just a young girl in appearance, there was no cause for apprehension. Just tie her up using the authorities on hand, take the Holy Grail and extract any other useful information. Well, nothing particularly violent or savage was planned in the first place anyway...

  Just as Alec pondered like that.

  "Hear my summons and come forth, Sir Knight. Please protect Guinevere."

  This time, dense mist burst forth from behind her.

  It was the kind of thick fog that completely pervaded lake shores on mornings, with visibility less than 10m.

  Then Alec saw it.

  A knight in white armor came forth from the depths of the dense mist!

  A knight riding astride a beautiful white steed. The visor of the helmet was down and obscuring the face.

  Wielding a barbed cavalry lance.

  A knight on a white horse —? Just as Alec frowned, the knight had already arrived before him somehow.

  What was with this speed!?

  Alec activated god speed completely.

  The surroundings began to slow down while he accelerated alone.

  Normally, Alec was the only one who moved freely in this accelerated world. However, the knight mounted on the white horse made thrusts with the lance, performing a series of splendid attacks.

  Looking like the frame-by-frame replay of a DVD, the tip of the lance extended towards Alec as if about to pierce him right through.

  This was a martial arts secret technique for countering god speed!

  Even Paolo Blandelli and Sir Iceman had been unable to execute this knightly secret art with perfection.

  It was the ability to use the mind's eye to discern god speed and capture it using the shortest trajectory.

  — Dodge it!

  Alec jumped far back to avoid the deadly weapon of steel.

  During this time, Guinevere's young and tiny body was lifted onto the saddle. However, the knight did not seem intent on pursuing.

  Was protecting Guinevere the first priority?

  Understanding the knight's intentions, Alec shut down god speed. His heart as a Campione was full of fighting spirit, and his body was filled with battle power. — Without a doubt, this fellow is a god.

  "Probably should keep this a secret from Iceman? Hard to believe, I fought gods three times within a single week!"

  Just as Alec sighed softly to himself, Guinevere's voice could be heard.

  "That was a great help, My Knight. Would you stay on guard by Guinevere's side from now on, please?"

  The young girl leaned against the chest of the white armor, pleading as if being spoiled.<
br />
  Watching this scene unfold, Princess Alice spoke alarming words.

  "That's... Lancelot of the Lake — Lancelot du Lac!"

  Softly whispering the god's name. It was a divine oracle from spirit vision.

  Trembling, Alec turned to face Guinevere who was smiling adorably.

  "I apologize if you took offense today, Black Prince. It is most regrettable that Your Highness will not become my ally. On the other hand, we have a long road ahead of us as enemies!"

  "That is your wish? Or is it something you know through spirit vision?"

  "Who knows? I've never mulled over it. However, I, Guinevere, am the most legitimate Divine Ancestor. My premonitions are quite accurate. — So, until next time!"

  The white knight Lancelot and Guinevere rode the white steed, flying into the sky.

  It was like galloping on open plains of grassland.

  As the hooves of the horse kicked at the air, the white steed galloped majestically across the sky.

  Lancelot du Lac did not utter a single word the entire time.

  As Alec watched their figure recede into the distance, he wondered if he should chase them in the form of lightning. In the end, he abandoned the notion because his life would be in peril if the avatar of thunder was dispelled in midair.

  "The reason why I assisted Guinevere? Very simple, I was expecting something to happen on that particular day, when the 'King who manifests at the end of eras' appears."

  After that, Alec and Alice had returned to Lucretia Zola's home.

  The Witch of Sardinia replied simply to the sudden question of her junior, Princess Alice.

  "...Really, will there be an actual end of the world?"

  "Yes. There is surprisingly little evidence that can disprove such a prediction. I definitely don't consider it a fool's delusion."

  Lucretia nodded at Alice's comment.

  I see, indeed it is so. Alec was beginning to understand.

  If a god of fire arrived, the surrounding territory will be engulfed by flames. If a god of darkness descended, the area will be enveloped by eternal night. The manifestation of [Heretic Gods] always followed this kind of principle.

  Hypothetically, if this god that appears at the end of eras surfaced —

  It could very well be the beginning of an apocalypse. Even though incredibly ridiculous, it was a persuasive notion.