Chapter 7 - Battle in the Ancient PastPart 1The dragons were swimming swiftly on the surface of the Rhine,illuminated bright red by the evening glow.They were the three dragons that Uldin had brought with him. As for Uldinhimself, he was sitting quietly beneath a large tree by the river side.He was also gnawing on dried meat and drinking water from a leatherpouch.However, rather than Uldin needing a break, it would be more accurate tosay that the dragons were resting. After all, these divine beasts andso-called "dragons" were apparently spirits of the water and the land. Trueto this nature of theirs, they desired water greatly on occasion.Furthermore, they would become more energetic after absorbing life forceand magical power from the water.Furthermore, Uldin was the G.o.dslayer possessing the [Dragon Taming]authority, thus allowing him to keep herds of dragons and make them dohis bidding. Currently, he had nine dragons prepared at his stronghold.And out of those nine, only three of them were right here.But that was just as well.The more dragons he commanded at the same time, the more magicalpower they consumed. That would then prevent him from using otherauthorities.In battles against G.o.ds and G.o.dslayers, enemy tactics cannot be predicted.Hence, in order to have various authorities available at his disposal forflexible usage, having three or four dragons was the optimum number."It"s almost about time..."The bright red and setting sun was sinking below the western horizon.Night would fall soon after. The dragons were also reenergized.It was finally time to take the Holy Maiden — the G.o.dslayer beauty whostood as his peer — for himself.Despite her graceful and beautiful appearance, looking as vulnerable asthough she might break from the wind, she was quite a magnificent"bronco." This was precisely the type of woman Uldin preferred. If sherelented, he would definitely marry her as his fifth wife.(As a side note, Ruska was the first wife while Clotilde was the fourth. Thesecond and third wives were currently stationed in Uldin"s "secondaryresidences" in Germania and Sarmatia respectively.)Uldin stood up and yelled to the dragons that were frolicking in the water."Time to get going. Next comes marriage time!"G.o.dou and his two companions were traveling west on the Rhine in theirboat.This happened to be towards the setting sun. Finally arriving at the town ofAugusta Raurica, the scenery of the stronghold could be seen in thedistance not too far away.The journey down the river finally ended peacefully.However, G.o.dou, Erica and Ena were all silent, maintaining their gazesstraight ahead.The trio were sitting side by side yet no one spoke. The atmosphere wasquite awkward. Due to the vivid memories of what the trio was doingearlier, none of them could speak.But finally, Erica spoke up in a murmur."Although I have already experienced cases in the past when you acted inan unstoppable manner like this, G.o.dou, you are truly extraordinary inthese situations.""Uh yeah. Indeed you"re right..."G.o.dou nodded powerlessly.Whether using Verethragna"s sixth incarnation, the [Youth], or under theinfluence of Lancelot"s [Insane Rush], there had been several similarincidents in the past."But this time, G.o.dou, you did it entirely by your own volition. Still, Iresponded as I"ve always done in the past... Unknowingly, I"ve grownaccustomed to this sort of thing...""Yes yes. Ena has also unknowingly accepted it, or rather, partic.i.p.ated..."Erica spoke as if completely exhausted while Ena commented with ahesitant expression."How should we tell Yuri and Liliana-san about what happened...""Of course we keep it a secret. If they were to find out the embarra.s.singway we acted... I don"t even want to imagine the look on Lily"s face at all.Likewise with Yuri... Indeed, we cannot tell them.""Yeah. However, umm... Doing that together, it"s quite happy, right?"Ena murmured softly to herself. Her face completely shy, she lowered hergaze.Anger immediately erupted on Erica"s face. Sternly, she glared at theHime-Miko."Ena-san, making absolutely unladylike statements like this is yourshortcoming!""S-Sorry, Erica-san. You really hate this huh..."Erica did not answer, but instead, she pinched G.o.dou"s back. Furthermore,she pinched especially hard. As G.o.dou cried out "Ouch!" from theunexpected pain, the Diavolo Rosso declared angrily:"Why don"t you just endure this willingly? This is your comeuppance forsweeping us into something weird. Then hurry and apologize to me. Kissme gently on the cheek as an apology for what you did just now.""An apology is fine, but kissing is a bit...""Seriously! You already went that far just now, yet you"re completelyuseless during times like this!"Angrily, Erica pinched G.o.dou"s back even harder.But as G.o.dou leaned back due to the pain, the blonde beauty gentlyleaned herself against him. Stretching forward a little, she brought her lipsclose to G.o.dou"s ear and whispered softly."l-ln order not to upset my composure too much in those circ.u.mstances, atleast give me a warning beforehand. Th-That was really dangerous justnow, but at least I managed to salvage the situation in front of Ena-san..."Then she even bit G.o.dou lightly on his earlobe.Suddenly suffering her counterattack, G.o.dou felt his heart begin to poundhard. Through the pain just now, he understood what Erica was feeling.Compared to anger, she was feeling far more embarra.s.sed.The girl with the devil moniker bowed her head, her face blushing brightred.Seeing her acting so adorably, G.o.dou was overcome with the desire tohug her when he found himself embraced by someone else. Ena hadpounced on him, her face in a pout."Your Majesty! E-Even Ena should be able to., d-do it properly next time.Don"t just look at Erica. I don"t want that!"Although her words sounded like a child"s, Ena also pressed her bodytightly against G.o.dou.This was an act that seemed to be desperately a.s.serting her existence,probably undertaken without conscious intent. However, the one doing itwas Ena with her amazing body instead of a mere child.Naturally, her bountiful bosom was pressed tightly against G.o.dou and hecould smell the fragrance from her hair from a close distance.Seeing G.o.dou fall silent, Erica went "What am I going to do with you,Ena-san?" as a n.o.blewoman"s gentle smile appeared on her face.Noticing Erica"s reaction, Ena smiled wryly and relaxed the strength in herembrace. Suddenly, the trio was startled.The mood had turned unusual again..."W- We"ve almost reached the stronghold, let"s get ready to disembark!""A-Ah yeah. Uldin doesn"t seem to be here yet.""He said he was returning when night falls. H-He should be keeping hispromise, right!?"Frantically, the trio separated from one another, feigning calmness as theychanged the topic.The setting sun dyed the world a vivid shade of red. It evoked sanguineimagery of the upcoming bloodshed. A rather inauspicious scene.Furthermore, G.o.dou suddenly felt a sense of chill.Daytime during spring was supposed to be quite warm.Was it getting cold because night fell? G.o.dou felt a chill that felt like it wasfrom a night in autumn.Mooring the boat behind the stronghold and disembarking, the trio instantlyrushed to the backdoor.The guards led them inside as soon as they recognized G.o.dou and hiscompanions. Uldin should be attacking soon, so it was imperative to conferwith Madame Aisha as quickly as possible —Spurred by these anxious feelings, G.o.dou"s group entered the stronghold.To be honest, they originally expected the soldiers" morale to have reachedrock bottom. For example, due to the imminent attack of Devil King Uldin,the soldiers should be hyperventilating from fear or the like. Perhaps therewould even be plenty of deserters.However, they felt a sense of dissonance after getting off the boat.Noisy sounds and strange yells were coming from the strongholdincessantly."What high spirits...""She must have used the charisma authority."Ena and Erica both showed surprise on their faces. This was only logical.In various places inside the stronghold, the soldiers were yelling loudly."We must protect the Holy Maiden!" "WOOOOOOOOOH!" "You guys, that"snot loud enough!" "WOOOOOOOOOH!" "Uldin is not scary at all! There isnothing to fear but our fear itself towards that guy!" "WOOOOOOOOOH!""Our Holy Maiden! Our Holy Maiden!" "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"Angry roars, screams, shouts and yells intersected.Roughly six hundred soldiers were yelling their hardest with all the pa.s.sionthey could muster.Bathed completely in their zealous gazes was Madame Aisha. Standing bythe lectern where the commander usually gave speeches from, she waswaving her hand with a look of embarra.s.sment."This reminds me of the time when my friend Miura invited me to a concert.A female idol..."G.o.dou muttered. On one hand, here was an army of males, willing to laydown their lives in battle. On the other hand, those were boys andmiddle-aged men willing to offer their youthfulness and lives to their idol"sconcert.Clearly, their natures were diametrically opposed yet for some reason, theyhad similarities no matter how you looked at it.As a side note, the commander and officers were mixed in among thesoldiers, yelling with all their might. They were already submerged withinthe crowd. All the people had bloodshot eyes and were in a state of frenzy.Leading Erica and Ena, G.o.dou approached Madame Aisha"s lectern."Aisha-san! What happened!?""S-Sorry, it looks like I used the charisma authority too much! B-Becauseeveryone in the army were afraid of Uldin-san and the flying dragons, so Ihad to use it often on them — ""Even in controlled amounts, acc.u.mulation over time would still create agroup of fanatics huh...""I guess an overly convenient power always has its drawbacks..."G.o.dou and the Madame had to converse as loudly as the soldiers"enraged yelling.At the same time, Erica and Ena seemed to be nodding to each other withheartfelt revelations."Because everyone has gathered together for the sake of my protection... Ican"t escape discreetly. Even if I said I would leave this place, they saidabsolutely no and kept me here..."Descending from the lectern, Madame Aisha explained with a look ofdepression."By the way... Kusanagi-san, how did you survive? I thought Uldin-sanwould have killed you for sure.""Please don"t write me off as dead so casually. At least I managed toescape.""S-Sorry. Because if you were already dead, Kusanagi-san, I would haveno choice but to inherit your will and muster my resolve..."Her face full of shyness, the Madame raised her fist to demonstrate her"resolve.""In fact, I am currently reversing my healing authority for the sake ofbattle.""Reversing... What does that mean?""My healing ability comes from Persephone, the G.o.ddess of spring whobrings the cycle of life. In fact, she not only controls spring but is also thequeen of the underworld who rules over death and winter. Using roughlyone day"s worth of time as preparation, my authority can be reversed tofreeze all existence via [Winter"s Might].""Unbelievable—!""But if I accidentally overuse it, the cold of winter lingers temporarily. Soplease take care.""Exactly how long is "temporarily"?""Half a year to a year maybe... Depending on conditions, it could last evenlonger. Even sunlight becomes very poor.""I have a feeling that you will surely end up doing it "accidentally,"Aisha-san, so please stop the reversal."Even in the modern age, cool summers and harsh winters could causema.s.sive effects on the volume of harvests, let alone in the ancient world.This could very well develop into widespread famine.Realizing deeply that this affected many people, G.o.dou was struckstrongly by such a thought:Why does this person possess nothing but all these troublemakingauthorities...?"Let me go fight Uldin. That"s the reason I came back.""In other words, you"re going to fight for my protection!?""Formally, I guess you could say that..."Avoiding Madame Aisha"s grateful gaze of thanks, G.o.dou turned to look atthe Hime-Miko.At some point in time, she had started gazing intently at the distant sky.The sun had already set and the sky had just darkened."They"re here. Three dragons as expected. Uldin-san is also riding one ofthem.""Got it. So, I"ll be back in a bit, okay?"Ena laughed at last while Erica responded with a lioness" smile.Indeed, they were such reliable companions. G.o.dou nodded hard towardsthem and ran up the castle walls. Although the outward side of the wallswas vertical, the inner side was sloped gently with steps.Climbing to the top of the castle walls, G.o.dou waited for the dragons"arrival.As expected a few minutes later, he heard Uldin"s voice again after half aday, coming from the sky above."Yo comrade! I didn"t expect to find you here!"Thus the curtain finally rose for the duel between the modern and theancient G.o.dslayers.Part 2"Because it"s a long story, I"ll just be brief. I came here by Ruska-san andClotilde-san"s request. My purpose: to beat you up.""What, it"s those two!?"G.o.dou was standing on the pathway atop the city walls, roughly fivemeters from ground level.From his vantage point, the streets of Augusta Raurica as well asneighboring forests and roads could all be seen clearly. Overhead was thestarry sky of ancient Europe, as well as three pterosaurs —Uldin ordered his dragon mount to descend and deliberately came to theair above G.o.dou"s location."For things to leak out so quickly, it must be Ruska"s doing huh."Apparently realizing the situation, the Hunnic G.o.dslayer muttered with deepfeeling to himself.Similar incidents must surely have happened dozens of times already.However, Uldin immediately recovered his cheer and smiled with delight."Oh well, I"ll just have to please them a bit later. So, are you going to sayyou"ll kill me too, comrade? I really hope that you"ll not interfere inconsideration of our solidarity as fellow G.o.dslayers.""If it were possible, I don"t want to do this either. But that"s out of thequestion."G.o.dou a.s.serted openly."If you continue to do as you please, the people in the town will suffer. AndAisha-san might even say she will bring herself to fight. So let me stop youhere.""Aisha... Is that the name of the Holy Maiden? This is my first encounterwith a female G.o.dslayer."Uldin was quite happy. He had also entered a state of battle readiness.Filled with fighting spirit, Uldin was gazing down at G.o.dou below him withcautious eyes."It"d be a bit presumptuous if I said I"m fine with two against one, but I don"tmind bearing a little hardship for a woman"s sake, yeah?""She has her own situation to deal with. So I asked her to take a break."Madame Aisha was currently stuck in an organization that was devoted tosacrificing their lives for her.G.o.dou did not want to see them throw their lives at Uldin and perish. Inorder to prevent the beautiful Campione from entering the fray, G.o.douwould face Uldin one on one."Bold words, comrade! In that case, let us decide the victor!"Uldin made his dragon mount ascend rapidly and converged with its twocompanions in the air.With the Hunnic dragon rider leading the charge, the two other pterosaursfollowed on his left and right as his wingmen, resulting in a triangular " A "formation. It was almost like a team of fighter jets.Uldin"s first attack was an arrow."O Rudra"s thunder! The hammer that descends from the heavens!"From the saddle of his dragon mount, Uldin picked up arrows and asmall-sized bow, firing them with extreme speed and divine skill. The arrowsliced through the air as it flew straight at G.o.dou"s forehead.Standing on the pathway above the castle walls, G.o.dou instantly jumpedsideways and barely managed to dodge the attack.Falling into the interior of the stronghold, the arrow turned into lightningand struck one of the living quarters of the soldiers.C R AAAAAAAAAAAA S H !A thunderous rumbling accompanied the descending lightning.The lightning from Uldin"s arrow exploded with electrical light and shockthe instant it struck the soldiers" quarters, easily demolishing thesingle-storied building."O fire of Rudra, incinerate this land to ashes!"Next, Uldin shot an arrow towards the sky.Despite the small size of the bows normally used by nomadic tribes, theyhad considerable range. Not only limited to wood, even animal shin bonesand other materials would be used for arrows. The bowstrings also hadimmense tension.Impelled by the bow, the arrow flew high into the sky, turning into severalhundred fireb.a.l.l.s.These fireb.a.l.l.s kept raining down upon the land, a sight akin to a night skylit up by fireworks. Were all these fireb.a.l.l.s to land on target, the strongholdwould undoubtedly turn into a sea of fire.In order to oppose the vicious flames, G.o.dou drew out his weapon.Verethragna"s final incarnation, the [Warrior], was the swordsman wieldingthe golden sword."Rudra was a G.o.d of ancient India... Furthermore, he is the bow-wieldingG.o.d of storms."The spell words of the sword for severing divinities and divine powers —With G.o.dou"s chanting of spell words, the golden spheres of light dancedhaphazardly in the air.Like radiant starlight from a galaxy, the lights covered the vast strongholdlike a canopy, destroying all the hundreds of fireb.a.l.l.s that landed on them."Rudra can be said to be one of the many forms of Shiva, the G.o.d ofdestruction. The name Shiva carries the meaning of the "Quiet One." Incontrast, Rudra can be translated as the "Roarer." Consequently, one canconclude that these two G.o.ds are complementary sides of a singleexistence!""Lights that destroyed Rudra"s arrows — They"re spell words!?"Overlooking the [Sword]"s canopy and G.o.dou who had uttered spell wordsfrom the castle walls, Uldin expressed surprise from his position in the air.However, he did not stop attacking.Nocking arrows to the bow, he fired three arrows. This time, these werearrows of raging wind and rain.Ma.s.sive raindrops were mixed with the tempestuous wind, striking thecanopy violently as they followed the arrows. Then they were destroyed."Oh... Rather than blocking my arrows, it is eliminating them instead huh."Uldin muttered, fully impressed. Then he smiled with delight."Mere mutterings are enough to produce incantations for countering Rudrahuh. If that"s the case, let"s see if you can counter other authorities...Here"s a test. Flying dragons, attack!"KUUUAAAAAAAAH! KUUUAAAAAAAAH!The two pterosaurs dove rapidly towards G.o.dou who was standing aloneon the pathway over the castle walls. At the same time, they swung the"terrible claws" equipped on their hind legs.Uldin"s pterosaurs measured roughly seven meters in body length.Despite their large bodies, they would only be considered small sizedamong divine beasts. This body size allowed for exceptional speed andagility. The two pterosaurs approached swiftly, almost like arrows.Obviously, the [Sword] could not defend against them.Naturally, the ones who stepped up to the task at this moment were Ericaand Ena. Swiftly, they ran up to the castle walls and brandished theirweapons."And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams" horns before the ark ofthe Lord went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armedmen went before them! Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lordhath given you the city — H ^While chanting the smiting spell words, Erica used her oval shield to blockthe claws of one of the pterosaurs.Then returning Cuore di Leone to its original form, she made a thrust withthe longsword and did not forget to make another stab at the pterosaur"shind leg for good measure. Although it was not enough to cause theenemy a severe injury, it counted as a counterattacking blow anyway.Clad in her rossonero cape of red and black, Erica was enveloped in thesacred privilege of extermination."O Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi. Grant me your power to vanquish thebarbarians!"On the other hand, Ena was the one who blocked the second flyingpterosaur.Holding the jet-black divine sword, Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi, sheused divine possession to fill herself with the divine sword"s aura and ran infront of G.o.dou.Just as she was about to make an overhead strike using thef2i 3ha.s.sou-no-kamae stance 1 J — the second pterosaur avoided Ena.Making a turn in the trajectory of its rapid descent, the pterosaur evadedAma no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi"s blade.The second pterosaur thus returned to the sky beside Uldin. The first onealso returned to its master"s side without striking back at Erica."Unlike usual, they"re not attacking mindlessly. This is difficult.""These pterosaurs are probably controlled by Uldin"s will directly. Think ofthem as his avatars or remote controlled weapons."The two girls stood in formation on G.o.dou"s left and right respectively asthey whispered to each other.Uldin"s authority for controlling the pterosaurs was usurped fromUsumgallu the dragon G.o.d. An ancient Sumerian sacred beast, it was adivinity whose folklore was no longer circulated in the modern age. Thatwas what G.o.dou had learnt from Erica and Ena.However, he was not going to turn this knowledge into the [Sword].Given one of Uldin"s authorities had to be sealed, G.o.dou decided that[Rudra"s Arrows] was still the choice to take."How are the people in the army?""The Madame has given them orders, telling them to "protect themselvesand retreat from the castle." In any case, it means they are evacuatingalong with their loved ones."Hearing Erica"s report, G.o.dou glanced behind him.The six-hundred-man army was moving in an organized manner. Varioussquads were pa.s.sing through the castle gates and exiting the stronghold insequence."Since Aisha-san can heal injuries, we"re leaving that side to her. YourMajesty, you should focus on the battle against Uldin-san!"G.o.dou nodded at Ena"s advice and turned his attention to the air oncemore.The three pterosaurs reformed their triangular formation and glidedcasually through the air. Furthermore, the night sky had filled with darkclouds without prior warning. These clouds must have been summoned byUldin"s authority.As the G.o.d of the bow, Rudra possessed divine aspects as the storm G.o.dwho summoned wind and rain —But to G.o.dou, another aspect was the hardest to handle.Finally, that was precisely the aspect Uldin was using. Amidst the darkclouds that were spreading across the sky, the sun"s dazzling radiancecould undoubtedly be seen. However, this was obviously not the true sun.Rather than the true sun, this was a mini pseudo-sun.Nevertheless, its temperature and flames were extraordinary."I don"t have a taste for sluggish containment tactics."Uldin"s voice descended from the pseudo-sun that illuminated the nightsky."Since they"re not working anyway, I"ll simply shoot all my arrows at onceto my heart"s content. In addition — this attack style seems to trouble you,comrade?""Adapting flexibly to the situation to make the next move instantly...""He"s quite similar to His Majesty in this regard..."As Erica and Ena watched in surprise, G.o.dou was also renderedspeechless.Clearly, Uldin was flying far above, high in the sky, yet he seemed to beable to discern G.o.dou"s expression and situation as though he wereengaged in close range combat. Perhaps this was part of theresourcefulness he possessed as a "leader."Pulling back a certain distance, discerning the thoughts of the enemyleader, attacking when the enemy showed an opening, thereby defeatingthe enemy.Someone capable of performing that was truly worthy of first-cla.s.s renownas an ill.u.s.trious commander or strategist."Pray, people. Such that you may escape Rudra"s arrows."Then two arrows appeared in Uldin"s right hand. Both had arrowheadsmade of gold. This was the golden arrow that had engaged G.o.dou"s [WhiteStallion] in mutual annihilation several days earlier.At the time, Uldin had used one arrow. This time, he was using double."The difference in firepower is really too great huh..."After all, the [White Stallion] was only one out of the ten incarnations. Itprobably could not oppose Rudra"s arrows with the full firepower of anentire authority poured into them.Since this was foreseen beforehand, G.o.dou was not scared. Instead, hefocused his concentration. The mutual attack coming up was critical. Nomatter what, he must smash his way through — !"Rudra"s name carries the meaning of the "Roarer." However, that"s not allthere is to it. There are additional meanings of the "Ruddy One" or the"Shining One." Furthermore, Rudra appears in the myths as a man with redskin, his body adorned with shining gold!""I pray to the G.o.d from yonder distant lands who shoots to kill, please grantyour mercy. By this arrow, all life shall be extinguished!"Chanting spell words at the same time, both sides poured magical powerinto their respective weapons."The sacred scripture of the Rigveda describes Rudra in thus manner:"Radiant as the sun, l.u.s.trous as gold." Hence, he also carries the traits of asun G.o.d as one whose authority rules over fire and light!""Fathers, mothers, old people and babies. All shall kneel at the feet of theG.o.d of slaughter!""Opposing the flames of Verethragna"s incarnation — the [White Stallion],that was indeed the attack shot by Rudra the sun G.o.d."Unleashed all at once!Uldin first nocked the two golden arrows on his bow and shot them out atthe same time.Rather than G.o.dou, they were aimed at the pseudo-sun that offered vagueglimpses behind the clouds.The pseudo-sun absorbed the golden arrows and instantly increased inbrightness. Furthermore, this triggered its descent.The pseudo-sun moved towards the ground — the stronghold where G.o.douand his companions were located.This was a sphere whose diameter was roughly forty or fifty meters wide.Were it to crash violently into the ground, the flames would immediatelyspread far and wide, incinerating the entire surroundings to nothing in aninstant.Blocking this attack in midair was the group of [Swords] controlled byG.o.dou.Countless small [Swords] were gathered together. Shining radiantly like agalaxy, the brightness spread out far and wide, forming a net of light toblock the pseudo-sun"s descent.As Rudra"s divine power was sliced apart, the pseudo-sun"s light andflames instantly weakened.However, the pseudo-sun was infused with the full firepower of [Rudra"sArrows]. There was not enough time to annihilate all of the flames.The net of light gradually became unable to support the falling pseudo-sun.The pseudo-sun kept descending towards the stronghold — It was rightoverhead of G.o.dou, Erica and Ena.Its distance from the ground was 100m, 90m, 80m, 70m..."G.o.dou—!" "Your Majesty!?""That guy... Uldin will surely interfere... I"m leaving that to you girls!"Despite Erica and Ena"s calls, G.o.dou could only give such a response.He needed to focus all of his magical power and concentration oncontrolling his authority.But as expected of the two girls, they understood G.o.dou"s intent from asingle order and diverted their attention from the pseudo-sun towards theirsurroundings.In the current predicament, golden light was pouring down accompaniedby a large amount of flames that were about to fall upon them.If G.o.dou were to fail, even the girls would be involved in theconsequences. Himself aside, if Erica and Ena were to be burnt tocharcoal — This was a scene G.o.dou absolutely did not want to witness."For victory, hasten forth before me... 0 immortal sun, I beseech thee togrant radiance to the stallion!"G.o.dou chanted spell words, in order to use two of Verethragna"sincarnations simultaneously.He was struck with a splitting headache for this was the price paid forexcessive power."O stallion that moveth G.o.dlike with wondrous grace, bring forth the halo ofthy master!"While sustaining the [Sword]"s spell words, G.o.dou summoned the [WhiteStallion] from the eastern sky.The rays of dawn added a rosy layer of color to the night sky that wasilluminated golden by the pseudo-sun. The sight was quite similar to theaurora borealis visible near arctic regions.Since the [Sword] alone was unable to dispel the pseudo-sun"s flames,G.o.dou decided to borrow the [White Stallion]"s power as well —As the trump cards of Kusanagi G.o.dou and Uldin clashed together, theend result was the annihilation of all light.Whether flames, the sun, the spell words" light or dawn"s radiance, alldisappeared.The surroundings were shrouded in the darkness and silence of nightagain.Until just now, there had been an exceptionally intense source of lightoverhead.The sudden darkness made it difficult to adjust instantly. This was quite arare experience for a Campione who possessed keen night vision like wildbeasts. Plunged into darkness, G.o.dou shuddered.If an attack came right now — That would be terrible. Just as G.o.dou wasabout to warn his companions..."Shrouded by clouds, the little island"s deity cowered... Closure of eyes,closure of the heart — Ama no Murak.u.mo, please. Become Ena"s eyes!"The Hime-Miko of the Sword chanted spell words and prayed to herpartner of steel.In the next instant, G.o.dou felt magical power erupting from Ama noMurak.u.mo no Tsurugi.Although the jet-black divine blade was a [Sword], it also possessed itsown will and senses as a divinity. Being a sword, it did not possess normalvision but instead perceived its surroundings through divine supernaturalsenses.In other words, night or day was irrelevant —Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi was now expanding its sensing network tosearch for approaching enemies."Yaaaaaaaah!"Ena suddenly swung the divine sword and sliced through the darkness.Clang! The sound of two hard objects colliding was heard. Ama noMurak.u.mo no Tsurugi had intercepted the "terrible claw" flying in thedarkness.Imperceptibly, a pterosaur had silently approached."Uwaaaah!"The claw and the divine sword were almost equally matched in power andhardness. Ena was sent flying along with Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugiand rolled down the inner slope of the castle walls. Stumbling, thepterosaur flew back high into the sky.Just as G.o.dou"s eyes finally adjusted to the darkness and watched thescene just now —"G.o.dou, duck down!"Erica warned him. He looked up into the sky.The second pterosaur was making a rapid descent. Furthermore, its sizewas ma.s.sive.Earlier, its body length was still roughly seven meters, but now it haddoubled in size. Uldin must have infused his magical power to strengthenit!"Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth this cityJericho!" [3]Enveloping herself in red light, Erica also flew up.Sacred exterminators were capable of flight for short durations.She collided directly with the enlarged pterosaur in the air. The pterosaurspread out its "terrible claws" and tried to catch Erica. This was a huntingmethod similar to that used by birds of prey.Using the red light"s protection, Erica defended against the attack. At thesame time, she stabbed the lion"s magic sword into the enemy"s black skin."He shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest sonshall he set up the gates of it!"^Seizing this opportunity, Erica infused the magic sword with the sacredprivilege of extermination.Then someone"s whistling was heard at this moment. Instantly, theenlarged pterosaur effortlessly tossed Erica aside and flew high up into theair.The two pterosaurs were implementing hit-and-run tactics.Hence, Erica and Ena"s attacks were hindered and unable to deal heavyblows to the divine beasts. In addition, the third pterosaur, carrying Uldin,finally arrived.Spurring the pterosaur in a rapid descent towards the ground, hesimultaneously shot arrows at G.o.dou who was on the castle walls.With astounding skills of consecutive shots, he fired seven arrows andimmediately ordered his dragon mount to ascend swiftly.G.o.dou instantly jumped to the side, diving into a roll and barely evadingthe attacks. Nevertheless, he could not escape completely unscathed. Anarrow struck his left shoulder."Hahahaha! I was thinking of shooting you dead under the cover ofdarkness, but it looks like it won"t be that easy!"Leaving behind his laughter, Uldin returned to the air.Immediately after the magnificent strike with the pseudo-sun, Uldinswitched flexibly to a surprise a.s.sault and using the pterosaurs forhit-and-run tactics. This was quite a large change in the fight."Indeed, so long as those flying divine beasts remain, their threat will onlyincrease...""A flying divine beast also gave us a tough time during New Year"s Eveand January..."Erica and Ena returned to G.o.dou"s side.Cursing those flying dragons with great hatred in his mind, G.o.dou pulledout the arrow from his shoulder. Since it was embedded in his flesh, it hurtquite a lot of course. It also bled. However, the wound was not veryserious.The iron arrowhead was incapable of penetrating a Campione"s shoulderblade that was harder than steel."In that case, we can still continue to fight..."Speaking of ways to handle flying enemies, G.o.dou had already learnt themethod.That had occurred during his battles at Cape Inubou as well as the SouthSeas practically at the equator —Part 3"The one unblunted and unapproachable! Oath-breaking sinners bepurged by the iron hammer of justice!"In response to G.o.dou"s spell words, the [Boar] manifested from within thestronghold.The twenty-meter-long black divine beast. Its brawny and ma.s.sive bodytrampled and crushed a row of soldiers" quarters, demolishing buildings asit advanced.It made its way towards the castle walls, behind where G.o.dou"s group wasstanding —G.o.dou had set the three pterosaurs as the targets for destruction.Currently, the pterosaurs remained circling high in the air above, preparingto make the next strike."Listen carefully... I"ll let you rampage as much as you want later."The [Boar] curled itself up behind G.o.dou, its ferocious fighting spirit aboutto explode.G.o.dou suppressed the [Boar] as he softly scolded it."You"re not allowed to move yet... For now, you will act as a subst.i.tutecastle and stronghold!"ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAR!The [Boar] cried out with what appeared to be displeasure. However, it wasnot trying to resist. Although it was not the black divine beast"s originalintention, it still planned to respond to its master"s orders.The instant G.o.dou nodded, one of the pterosaurs made a rapid descent.This was the giant pterosaur that had doubled in size, the one that Ericahad blocked just now. Uldin was not riding it."Do it!"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAR!As G.o.dou shouted, the [Boar] roared again. As usual, its howls were mixedwith Shockwaves. The rapidly descending pterosaur was blown back.Although the giant pterosaur lost balance as a result, it barely managed torecover.Temporarily stopping its attack towards the ground, it returned to Uldin"sside."Ohoh, comrade, so you tame wild beasts too? What a coincidence! Let"sgo!"Riding on a dragon"s back, Uldin gazed upon the [Boar] with admirationand gave orders.The second pterosaur immediately descended. However, it too was easilyblown away. Naturally, this was also the result of the [Boar]"s roars fromthe ground.ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAR!Like the hand of an invisible giant, the Shockwaves blew the secondpterosaur away.Let alone attack, it could not even approach the castle walls. With that, thesecond pterosaur crashed towards the ground. Probably because of itssmaller body size compared to the first pterosaur, it could not withstand thehit.— Rather than allowing the [Boar] to charge, G.o.dou had chosen to use itsShockwaves as the stronghold"s artillery.This was the tactic the [Boar] had used not too long ago in the battlesagainst Circe the G.o.ddess of dawn. G.o.dou was now imitating the samemethod."What strange skills this thing possesses. In that case, how about this!?"Uldin called out and threw down two leather bags from his saddle.Their contents were poured out and scattered throughout the air.It was a great quant.i.ty of white teeth. Probably numbering a hundredroughly.G.o.dou remembered. Back during his first encounter with Uldin outsideAugusta Raurica, that guy had turned these teeth into magical beasts — !"Ruska mentioned it! Uldin"s [Dragon Taming] authority allows him to turnthe teeth and claws fallen from dragons into his minions!""So it really was that guy"s authority!"Informed by Erica, G.o.dou clicked his tongue.The many teeth transformed in the air. They turned into small-sizedDeinonychuses roughly four meters in length. Furthermore, instead of frontlimbs they had wings sprouting from their shoulders.In other words, this was an army of almost a hundred mini-pterosaurs!The mini-pterosaurs kept flying towards G.o.dou"s group on the castle walls.Swarming from all directions, all three hundred and sixty degrees, theyapproached. The [Boar]"s mission was to intercept them.ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAR! ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAR!ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAR! ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAR!The black divine beast kept emitting cries with Shockwaves, striking downwave after wave of the mini-pterosaurs as though it were a workflow.Even so, due to the great numbers, there were naturally those that slippedthrough.However, the mini-pterosaurs that escaped the Shockwaves still aimed forG.o.dou as their target. Hence, Erica and Ena were able to attack withimpunity, piercing them with the magic sword and slaying them with thedivine sword. Had there been any remnants of the Roman army lingering inthe stronghold, the beasts might have produced turmoil amongst them.However, the soldiers all seemed to have retreated already.Very quickly, the army of mini-pterosaurs was essentially all wiped out.Seeing this, Uldin made his pterosaur descend to roughly twenty metersaway from the castle walls where G.o.dou"s group was standing."How amazing, comrade. Of course, I already had great confidence in yourcapability... But to be honest, I never expected I"d be pushed to thisdegree."As the pterosaur landed, its "wings" disappeared.The wings on its left and right transformed back into the short front limbs.From what G.o.dou had observed so far, these front limbs had no use apartfrom the ability to grab things.With that, the pterosaur basically transformed into a Deinonychus."I want you as my proxy more and more. Let"s make a promise. I willconquer this castle next. If you"re still alive by that point — You willsurrender and serve under my military command."Uldin smiled joyfully from astride the back of the Deinonychus.In a reversal of positions from earlier, G.o.dou was now staring down fromthe castle walls at the smiling Uldin. Serving the important role as a"fortress," the [Boar] was waiting quietly behind him.The black divine beast"s brawny and giant body trembled, moaning"uuuu..." quietly.Its eyes were bloodshot. The suppressed fighting spirit was apparentlyreaching a limit."But unfortunately, I"m not confident that I can defeat you with your lifeintact. So perhaps, my offer is akin to a delusional dream. Let me statebeforehand, don"t hate me if you get killed, okay?""As usual, you"re still saying whatever you want on your own..."G.o.dou made a wry expression in response to Uldin"s words.Despite the man"s declaration of absolute certainty in victory, G.o.dou stillfound him quite likable. Despite him being a barbarian in the ancient world,G.o.dou still felt a sense of intellectuality.This was definitely some sort of charisma. However, precisely because ofthat—"You"re the one who should agree to my promise. If I win, stop asking meabout this!""Sure, so the wager"s on now."How could I possibly let you have victory? G.o.dou yelled in such a manner.Uldin responded similarly.Then the Hunnic G.o.dslayer began to chant new spell words."O mother, creator of all life and existence."The battlefield was strewn with piles of the mini-pterosaurs" remains.Ma.s.sive bodies moved amidst all this. Those were the two pterosaursbrought by Uldin. Witnessing the two divine beasts flying over theirmaster"s head, G.o.dou nodded.These two pterosaurs had not been defeated. They had only taken a briefbreak to gather their energy!"Now I once again grant sharp teeth to these dragons, conferring mercilesspoison!"The two pterosaurs" bodies overlapped and merged together.Two into one. The two pterosaurs combined into a single body to becomea "giant dragon" and proceeded to enlarge further.The outstretched wings were exceptionally wide. The wingspan probablymeasured forty meters or so.Judging purely from the head and body, it was roughly the [Boar]"s size.Apart from the long neck like a plesiosaur"s and the tail of a scorpion"s, therest of the body was the same as before.Growing on the head were seven horns that gave off an aura of solemnitylike a crown."In order to take out this giant thing, I guess I have to go this far."Extraordinary magical power was coursing through Uldin"s body.It was flowing towards the giant dragon with its wings outstretched abovehim. Receiving the master"s power, the giant dragon transformed into aneven more ferocious state. Its outer skin changed into dragon scales ofbright red.With the giant red dragon"s appearance, the ma.s.sive black boar cried outloudly.ROOOOOAAAAAAR!Due to the Shockwaves carried by the roar, not only the air but also thecastle and the ground began to shake. Was the [Boar]"s suppressionreaching a limit — ?G.o.dou motioned to his companions with his eyes. Erica and Ena noddedlightly in response.They both understood it was time for victory to be decided."The one unblunted and unapproachable, oath-breaking sinners be purgedby the iron hammer of justice!""O dragon! Clad in a crown of fire and fear, turn into a G.o.d!"In the next instant, G.o.dou and Uldin both yelled out spell words.Then the giant red dragon spread its vast wings and flew above thestronghold, widening its jaws that were lined with rows of vicious teeth andbreathing out fierce flames. In response, the giant black boar roared backas usual.ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAR!In the instant the Shockwaves, mixed amidst the roaring, neutralized thegiant dragon"s flames, the [Boar] leaped.Like a rocket fired from a launchpad, the [Boar] pounced on the giant reddragon in the air. Burying its tusks into the giant dragon"s chest, theferocious and charging [Boar] then crashed into the ground together withthe flying beast.Entangled together, the two beasts did not separate after falling to theground.The situation was as though two human martial artists were grappling withpinning techniques.The [Boar] was on top with the red dragon pinned underneath. However,the giant dragon reached out with its long neck and bit the [Boar]"s stouthead. Blood gushed out from the wound.Next, the giant dragon"s hind legs were still equipped with those "terribleclaws" of the Deinonychus.The two hooked claws buried themselves respectively in the left and rightsides of the [Boar]"s body, tearing into it. Although the [Boar] was superiorin its ability to charge, a fight on the ground seemed to be favoring thegiant dragon.Just as the battle was about to be decided, Erica sprang into action."O red emblem formed from a cross... Turn into a wedge and pierce theenemy!"Enveloped entirely in red light, the sacred exterminator flew at full speed.Using the shield on her left hand to guard her body, she charged in a straight line towards the giant red dragon"s flank.Striking the enemy with her body along with the lion"s magic sword, it wasas though a giant"s right straight punch had landed on the ma.s.sivedragon — This was quite similar to the charging attack that Erica"s unclehad performed back in the present.Strong as the red dragon was, its ma.s.sive head still shook from the blowand released the [Boar]"s head from its jaws.Were it an ordinary divine beast, this attack would have simply defeated it.Nevertheless, as expected of the "hidden move" that Udin had poured hispower into, the giant dragon remained alive.Erica continued to fly and separated herself from the giant dragon"s side.Due to exhausting the exterminator"s power in the attack just now, the lightenveloping her had weakened and she was about to land. However, shehad already distanced herself a sufficient amount."Go! Now is the time for a full-powered attack to defeat the enemy!"G.o.dou instantly ordered the [Boar] who had time for respite thanks toErica.The black beast inhaled deeply to fill its mouth with air.Then it roared at full blast —ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"These were the Shockwaves the giant boar released by pouring its fullpower into them.The destructive power caused the giant dragon"s body to shake intensely,broken in various places all over by the Shockwaves. Using a human bodyas an a.n.a.logy, it would be a tragic state like having all the bones crushedand all the internal organs ruptured.Oh well, the price paid by the [Boar] was quite substantial too.The Shockwaves also caused considerable damage to the [Boar]"s ownbody.In the manner of mutual defeat, the two giant beasts desperately enduredtheir pain, but finally succ.u.mbed — Both of them disappeared from theground as a pair.Immediately afterwards, a giant shadow appeared right before the eyes ofG.o.dou"s group.It was the Deinonychus, the divine beast carrying Uldin as its rider.Despite having lost its wings, it was still able to jump onto the castle wallswith great agility.Using those "terrible claws" to nimbly cling to the edge of the walls, thedivine beast maintained its balance."Your Majesty, danger!"Rushing in front of G.o.dou, Ena slashed the divine sword"s blade towardsthe divine beast"s throat.In response, the Deinonychus opened its mouth to reveal the dense rowsof sharp teeth growing inside. This supernatural creature merely resembleda dinosaur but was no reptile. G.o.dou expected it to spew out flames orlightning — But he guessed wrongly.The Deinonychus puffed out gray smoke.This was merely smoke that obscured one"s view. However, it caughtG.o.dou and Ena completely by surprise.Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Deinonychus swung its flexibletail with a "whoosh" like a whip."Waaaaah!"Struck by the attack, Ena was blown far and away.She was sent flying outside the castle walls like a golf ball that had beenstruck by the stroke of a club. Then the Deinynochus nimbly leapt down topursue the Hime-Miko for a follow-up attack.Naturally, G.o.dou followed, intending to rescue Ena —Whoosh! At the sound of slicing wind, G.o.dou evaded the attack on instinct.He jumped towards the outside of the walls, landing on the ground fromthe five-meter height of the castle walls. Guarding his head with his arms,he buffered the impact and rolled on the ground.Thanks to a Campione"s st.u.r.dy body, all he suffered were minor scratches.Despite the stinging pain all over his body and the unsightly maneuver,G.o.dou had no time to care about that. This was because three arrows hadpa.s.sed through the spot G.o.dou had just occupied.On ground level once more, G.o.dou endured the pain and stood upinstantly.He looked up at the castle walls where the other G.o.dslayer was standing."Well dodged, comrade. I"ve long wanted to enjoy the fun of this kind ofone-on-one duel. Man, I am so late to the party."Readying his bow, Uldin nocked an arrow and aimed at G.o.dou on theground.Involuntarily, G.o.dou had jumped down to the ground in the scene that hadjust transpired. Now, the two Campiones" positions were once againreversed from earlier.Part 4The stronghold"s surroundings were littered with the corpses of themini-pterosaurs.Remains were rolling everywhere. Since almost a hundred pterosaurswere wiped out by the [Boarj"s Shockwave attacks, this was only to beexpected.Erica struggled with her exhausted body and made her way towards thestronghold unsteadily.The sacred privilege of extermination was fully depleted. Erica feltexhausted all over and her head was aching.Indeed, it was difficult to replicate her uncle"s sustainability when using aPaladino-level mystic ritual beyond what her body could withstand.However, the boy she loved absolutely was currently still engaged in thefight against Uldin.Very likely, the battle was fast approaching the end phase. She had tohurry over and help him — !Erica mustered all her strength to rush towards the stronghold. Just as shewas doing so, she saw one of her companions fall through the air, tracingout a parabolic trajectory.It was Seishuuin Ena, wielding Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi.However, the Hime-Miko of the Sword was truly amazing. Just as she wasabout to strike the ground, she swiftly turned herself.Splendidly landing on her feet, her motions were akin to a cat"s.However, she seemed to have suffered heavy injuries already. Afterlanding, she had difficulty standing properly. Crouching down, she held theside of her abdomen with her free left hand while she wielded Ama noMurak.u.mo no Tsurugi in her right."Ena-san, are you injured!?""l-lt"s fine. Just minor wounds. Ena will take care of that beastimmediately!"Ena twisted her face as though in pain, answering Erica as she remainedin her crouching posture.She did not look fine at all. However, she was right about there being abeast — This time, a Deinonychus descended from the air. It had apparentlyjumped down in pursuit of Ena.Landing on the ground, the Deinonychus swiftly discovered the weakenedEna.Stretching out its head, back and tail in a straight line, it ran andapproached, opening its grotesque jaws in an attempt to bite theHime-Miko!"Grampsy, if you can hear me — Lend your power to Ena!"Just as she was about to be torn apart by the Deinonychus" teeth, Enacried out.Immediately, the divine power of Susanoo erupted from her body. Usingthe power of the storm G.o.d who ruled over the wind and the atmosphere,she created a small tornado to suppress the Deinonychus" movements.She had probably remained crouching in order to bait the enemy to attack."Yaaaaaah!"Taking this opportunity to stand up, she launched Ama no Murak.u.mo noTsurugi as one would throw a lance.Responding well to this manner of usage which was impossible forordinary swords, the divine sword"s sharp blade pierced the Deinonychus"throat.Dealt a fatal blow by the attack, the divine beast"s giant body fell oversideways.Erica was dumbfounded. The Deinonychus had been fighting like a beastjust now. This was completely different from the hit-and-run tactics it usedin Uldin"s presence."S-Since Uldin-san is currently busy fighting His Majesty, E-Ena thought itprobably might work."Panting heavily, Ena picked up Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi.She was still showing a face full of suffering as she pressed her handagainst the side of her abdomen. Even so, Ena still cast her gaze towardsthe stronghold in worry.The two warriors were facing off, one above and one below the castlewalls — Uldin and Kusanagi G.o.dou."In any case, I"ll cast healing magic on you first.""Th-Thanks. Erica-san, you"re really thoughtful..."This type of healing magic was not immediately effective. It took a certainlength of time before the effects would appear.Even so, Erica still applied the spell. Ena gave Erica a gaze of grat.i.tudeand the two girls nodded at each other.They had to return to G.o.dou"s side as quickly as possible — Without evendiscussing, the pair had already reached the same decision.Erica lent her shoulder for Ena to lean on as she walked while gritting herteeth.At this moment, an unbelievable phenomenon happened.However, this was also foreseen beforehand, because they had alreadyheard about this type of power."This really is...""In other words, Uldin finally used his trump card..."Seeing the various corpses stand up, Ena and Erica whispered softly toeach other.Turning back time slightly —Erica and Ena were not present. The [Boar] had already disappeared.G.o.dou was finally all alone. Conversely, Uldin was also alone. The HunnicG.o.dslayer readied his small bow and took down from his belt the quiver ofarrows he had taken from the dragon saddle.Uldin was standing atop the castle walls while G.o.dou was below. Due tothis positioning, close-quarter combat was not possible."Like I said, the battle isn"t decided yet..."G.o.dou muttered. He still had another incarnation available. Namely, the[Goat].This sacred beast, capable of using lightning, was unlocked whenever thepopulace suffered from atrocities and became his allies. Uldin was AugustaRaurica"s enemy and there were twenty thousand citizens living in thevicinity of this stronghold.G.o.dou was perfectly capable of drawing on this power from the populaceusing psychic sensing.Unlike arrows, there was no issue of "running out of ammunition." Perhapsthe battle had actually swung in his favor now —Just as G.o.dou was about to invoke the [Goat], he suddenly felt dizzy."The... heck...?"His feet tangled together. G.o.dou was filled with nausea and even his entirebody felt cold.He was quite shocked by this first experience."Did it finally take effect? Only befitting of my kin to display suchresilience."Uldin smiled wryly as he gazed down at G.o.dou from atop the castle walls."Ordinary poisons have no effect on us, but this substance, prepared fromthe distant orient and delivered here — specially made to cause even aG.o.dslayer to faint — has finally exerted its effects."Poison!? Impossible, G.o.dou thought. Although there was that time whenLiliana drugged him in the past, but a Campione"s ridiculously tough bodypossessed considerable resistance to poisons.When the heck did he eat anything like that?G.o.dou had been carefully paying attention to his food during his stay inUldin"s castle and did not notice eating anything poisoned...Could it be — G.o.dou realized something and was suddenly shocked.Uldin smiled with delight and took out an arrow from his quiver.Just as imagined, there was a viscous, transparent liquid dripping downfrom the arrowhead.G.o.dou was struck in the shoulder by one of these arrows just now.Speaking of which, applying poison onto arrows for shooting people andanimals was apparently one of the tactics that equestrian tribes wereskilled in.According to history, the warriors at Kamakura city had suffered much fromthem during the invasion of the Mongolians" Yuan dynasty.Strength was gradually sapped from G.o.dou"s body.Slowly, he toppled forwards and fell on one knee."Hohohoho. It"s not very sporting, but it looks like this battle is about toconclude with my victory."Uldin drew his bow and shot an arrow.Further poisoning would probably decide the victor then and there.Using all four limbs like a wolf, G.o.dou mustered all his strength to jumpright.He managed to evade, barely. Then the second and third arrows slicedthrough the wind. Despite G.o.dou"s four-legged stance, dodging the secondarrow precariously — He could not escape the third.The arrow embedded itself in his left calf."Guah!"A pang of sharp pain. The arrow went deep into his calf.Now that his leg was injured, G.o.dou could no longer dodge in the samemanner as before. Very soon, the poison should be taking effect. Butluckily, the arrow had not struck any major arteries or anything critical.In other words, G.o.dou still had enough remaining strength to make a bidfor final victory —Thanks to that, he was prepared to take a gamble, no holds barred.G.o.dou intended to pour all of his remaining power into the [Goat].Enduring the pain in his leg, the nausea and the chills, he forced himself tostand up by relying on willpower alone.Watching G.o.dou from above, Uldin unexpectedly threw his bow away.The Huns" long-range weapon made a clatter as it rolled down the side ofthe castle walls."Even forced into a corner as a wounded beast, you still aim for a chanceto counterattack. As my fellow kin, you are surely capable of that. You arereally quite a delightful fellow!"Uldin smiled as he gazed down at G.o.dou.Up until now, the smiles he displayed had all been all cheerful and full ofpositive fighting spirit. But currently, this smile was filled with savagery. Itwas the smile of a hunter determined to slay his prey.Uldin was also planning to make a bid for final victory.Feeling like he was facing himself, G.o.dou clicked his tongue. As expectedof his fellow kin.Even faced with overwhelming odds — Or rather, precisely because of that,he must summon his full power to defeat the enemy!"Come to my side, the sword of victory!"The Hunnic G.o.dslayer shouted spell words."So long as you exist in this very hand, I shall obtain victory in any andevery battlefield. So long as you exist in this very hand, my army isrendered immortal and invincible!"Having forsaken the bow, Uldin raised his empty right hand towards thesky.A longsword suddenly manifested in his hand.The slender blade of steel measured roughly 80cm or so. The hilt wasmodest and completely unadorned. However, accompanying themanifestation of this longsword, symbols began to descend from the sky.Norse runes. Symbols looking like "t", shaped like upward pointingarrows.■.■ - J.;Countless symbols of this form descended from the sky like snow.Thanks to the knowledge imparted by Erica and Ena, G.o.dou understoodthe meaning of this rune. It was the rune symbolizing the Norse war G.o.d ofvictory and battle."So this is the power of that G.o.d called Tyr!?""That Ruska girl, I can"t believe she even disclosed my trump card."Uldin smiled wryly for an instant in response to G.o.dou"s mutterings.However, he immediately resumed his solemn countenance and raised thesword in his right hand high up in the air."O Tyr"s Sword, grant to my army immortality and victory!"Hearing this command, the numerous corpses stood up all at once.As the unending stream of Tyr"s runes descended upon their bodies, themini-pterosaurs that were previously wiped out all opened their eyes,struggled to their feet and spread their wings.Even the injuries suffered back when they were struck down by the [Boar]"sShockwaves were completely healed.— The war G.o.d Tyr was also a G.o.d with the [Steel] attribute. As one fromthe lineage of steel, that implied properties of immortal indestructibility.G.o.dou recalled his formidable foe, Lancelot du Lac.This authority was similar to what the G.o.ddess possessed. In this case,immortality manifested in the form of resurrecting one"s own army!Furthermore, not only the mini-pterosaurs but also the giant red dragon the[Boar] had defeated were appearing in the air once more."Guh! O guardian of the righteous, I offer sacrifice and invite you!"G.o.dou immediately invoked the [Goat] incarnation.Gathering the feelings of the populace, this incarnation controlled lightningand possessed "priestly" powers.G.o.dou expanded the range of psychic sensing — releasing it towardsAugusta Raurica, intending to gather the willpower of the populace thatfeared Uldin. However, he did not succeed.Before his sensing powers could explode in range, one of themini-pterosaurs was already attacking him.G.o.dou pointed his right hand towards the throat of the viciously pouncingpterosaur.The lightning from his palm struck the mini-pterosaur dead. Although thepotency was much less compared to when he gathered power from themajority of the populace, it was enough to handle enemies of this level.Nevertheless, G.o.dou was instantly surrounded despite defeating the firstbeast.He was surrounded by the resurrected mini-pterosaur army of roughly ahundred.Furthermore, circling in the air was the giant red dragon whose gaze wasdirected towards G.o.dou on the ground. More importantly, Uldin was stillstanding on top of the castle walls.Stabbing Tyr"s Sword into the pathway, he picked up the bow he hadtossed away just now.There was an absolute disadvantage in numbers. Although the [Goatj"slightning was quite powerful, it did not have the explosive force to clear outthe encircling enemies in one clean sweep. An attack like the [WhiteStallion] was required to achieve that sort of effect.Furthermore, the number of divine beasts increased further by one.A Deinonychus was running towards him, opposite to where he was facing.It was the one that had gone chasing after Ena just now.G.o.dou began to tremble, feeling as though his heart was clutched by agrim reaper"s hand. Was the Hime-Miko killed already? — Just as heexperienced this fear.Then at this very moment —The ice-cold s