Chapter 4 - War G.o.d Artos and the Divine Sword ofSalvationPart 1It was said that Devil King John Pluto Smith had received a request.One that hoped he could exterminate Kusanagi G.o.dou, Salvatore Doniand Madame Aisha, all three of them."And now, somewhere around here should be where the radical pet.i.tionerlives."This was inside the ancient Greek temple where Liliana and Yuri had finallyarrived through Princess Alice"s guidance. However, their guide, theprincess, was no longer present anymore.Ordered by Smith to wait outside, she reluctantly agreed.After entering the temple, a staircase leading downwards immediatelyentered into view."Authorities capable of time traveling are not limited to Madame Aishaalone. G.o.ds or fairies possessing "traveling" authorities can accomplish thesame. They are able to traverse time and visit alternate realms as thoughwalking on the ground."Smith explained while descending the steps.Following behind him together with Yuri, Liliana nodded. G.o.ds possessingtraveling authorities. Examples included Greek mythology"s Hermes,j.a.pan"s three-legged crow Yatagarasu and the G.o.d Sarutahiko, etc.^ *"There actually exist cases when people were swept into the past as aresult of mischief by these kinds of G.o.ds. However, they absolutely do notcause history altering incidents.""So... I see."Yuri chimed in, having awakened from her hypnotized state just earlier."The flow of time carries a cruel and merciless power. Even themodification of history through personal coincidence or miracles, resultingin "something that should not be," is absolutely forbidden..."Smith nodded at the Hime-Miko who was seemingly whispering thesewords due to spirit vision."Precisely. But merciless the flow of time may be, incorrigible changes dohappen apparently in extremely rare cases. When such situations arise, it"stime for the "watcher" to enter the stage.""So, supposing a situation came up where "history correction" could notoccur..."Unable to quell her curiosity, Liliana tried asking:"What will happen as a result?""Because this sort of thing is unprecedented, I"m not too sure either.Perhaps it might produce a parallel world as suggested in works of sciencefiction. The era we live in might be altered dramatically, resulting in atragedy no different from the world"s destruction. At any rate, I really haveno desire to experiment."Just as Smith finished, they finally reached the end of the staircase. Thebas.e.m.e.nt of the temple was a long corridor, wide and s.p.a.cious, measuringalmost eight meters in width."A labyrinth...?"Liliana felt strange. The endpoint of the underground corridor wascompletely out of sight.Not only did this path stretch endlessly, there were quite a few branches. Itwas as convoluted and complicated as a maze. Also, for some unknownreason, large numbers of stone tablets were hovering in the air. It wasessentially a zero gravity s.p.a.ce.Countless stone tablets floated gently in the corridor, drifting all around."Could this be the monument of memories — ?"Yuri looked worriedly at the stone tablets.Floating in midair, the stone tablets were not all rectangular in shape butalso included square ones. The tablets nearby were roughly forty to fiftycentimeters in size. Every stone tablet had long pa.s.sages of ancient scriptrecorded on them. These characters were written densely from end to end,leaving almost no s.p.a.ce remaining.From Liliana"s first impressions, the language was Ancient Latin."Then let"s continue."Smith resumed walking, causing Liliana and Yuri to follow in a fl.u.s.ter.Hovering in front of the masked Campione was an orange flame.Like a fairy guiding them along the right path, this flame flew around slowlywhile Smith followed it.Floating in the air, the stone tablets drifted lightly, evading peopleautomatically.John Pluto Smith"s iron-studded boots would regularly knock on the floorwith every step he took. Following this sound, Liliana advanced whilefeeling perplexed.Inside her mind, many different images were surfacing —The great river of time, never ceasing in its flow. History. Human life.Hungry people. Well-fed people. Those who were deceived, robbed, ormurdered. People engaged in prayer, rescue or love. Doers of good. Doersof evil. Mediocre people. Ambition and hope, dreams and setbacks.Valuable lives, worthless deaths....These were probably acc.u.mulated memories about humans.Yuri frequently turned her gaze back and forth from left to right, lookingrather hesitant."Mariya Yuri, you too — ""Y-Yes. I can see many things as well."These images really were revelations obtained via spirit vision. And thesignal source was — Using a witch"s intuition, Liliana stared intently.She stared at these numerous tablets of stone, floating in the undergroundcorridor."Smith-sama, what exactly are these...?""For witches like you, what happens is you are reading the memories ofthe void floating in the Astral Plane, thereby receiving spirit visionrevelations."The masked G.o.dslayer replied as Liliana finally asked her question."The stone tablets collected in this residence... are precisely records of thatinformation.""!?""The world of the living, the world of the immortal G.o.ds, the boundary of lifeand immortality — What you call the [Memories of the Void] are the recordstaken of what transpires in these three realms, both in the past and in thefuture. Since you are here in this place for safekeeping them, thestimulation of your spirit senses is only logical.""As expected, that is what is going on..."Compared to Liliana"s speechlessness, Yuri made a look of slightcomprehension."Spirit vision users can interpret it as seeing into the future. More precisely,it is an ability that involves using your spirit senses to read "what hasalready happened," then subconsciously predicting "what will happen in thefuture" — That was what the man in charge of this place said.""This person is the watcher of time, the master of Plutarch"s Residence,right?""He wants G.o.dou-san and the others to be eliminated...""He must be in quite a difficult position. In actual fact, his standpoint isworthy of sympathy."In response to Liliana and Yuri"s comments, the masked hero shook hishead wryly."By human standards, he is one who has transcended. Liberated from thelimitations of lifespan, possessing power that dwarfs typical magi. But evenso, he is not a G.o.d. Neither is he a G.o.dslayer. At any rate, he is nowhereas out of bounds as my peer or I."John Pluto Smith spoke in truly sly manner while walking along thecorridor."For the past century and a half, a certain female existence has beengiving him great trouble all this time. As both a Campione and a timetraveler, she is also a superhuman who can effortlessly alter history thatmust not be changed easily... Oh well, once you meet him, you"llunderstand."A metal door could be seen ahead.Smith opened it. Instead of a pa.s.sage, behind the door was a room.Inside this room, stone tablets were scattered all over the floor instead offloating in midair. Due to the great number of tablets that were haphazardlydistributed, finding a place to stand was not easy.In the center of the room, an old man with white hair and beard was facinga tripod-style easel.However, placed on the easel was not canvas but one of the stone tablets.The old man was dressed in an ancient Roman toga with a bronze pen inhis hand."New Year"s Eve on this year... The Suebi and the Vandals will a.s.sist Alanicavalry to pa.s.s through the outskirts of Mogontiac.u.m... The Burgundianking and his peoples have already crossed over to the Rhine"s left bankand started interfering in Gaul"s affairs... Soon after, the Goths will alsoarrive..."The old man muttered softly while staring at the stone tablet."But three barbaric kings have already gathered in that place — In anycase, this again requires corrections, corrections, corrections followed bynonstop corrections! Alas! This work is lamentable beyond compare!"The old man finally broke down and roared with great intensity of emotion.He even turned his wrath towards John Pluto Smith who had entered theroom without consent."Listen well, king. This old man is utterly annoyed with this work. Thehistory that we humans have compiled to this date is being rewrittenagain."Despite seeing Yuri and Liliana following Smith into the room, the old mandid not seem to care.He simply glanced at them before turning his gaze back to the stone tablet.Smith shrugged ostentatiously and spoke in a joking tone of voice:"As much as you say that, you are still the guardian of time, eliminatingtraces of history"s corrections and keeping records. Sometimes, you evenhead off to the past so as to intervene in history."Head off to the past. These words greatly surprised Liliana and Yuri."Why don"t you drop the personal emotions and dedicate your efforts towork? This is called the duty of labor.""Indeed, so it is! But historical correction happens to be a rare event. Not tomention, there has not even been three incidents in the past millenniarequiring this old man to personally visit the past. Someone being sent tothe past by some trick of destiny and changing history is meant to be anexceedingly rare event!"The old man"s shoulders shook from rage as he muttered on."But that woman continually changes history on mere whim. She truly doesnot consider at all how great an effect her actions would make on thefuture! Not even once did she consider! Moreover, to think that threeG.o.dslayers have traveled to the past this time!""In that case, you can fly over to that era and personally put a stop to theiractions.""You should know very well already. This old man"s power is not enough toobstruct the barbaric likes of G.o.dslayers!""So you are asking me to kill three Campiones all at once?""Indeed! Aisha of Alexandria, Salvatore Doni of Siena and KusanagiG.o.dou of the j.a.pan nation. You must hurry before they cause even moredistortions in the pa.s.sage of history!"These were violent words directed towards three G.o.dslayers of the presentgeneration, naming them explicitly. Liliana was particularly displeased bythe request to kill Kusanagi G.o.dou. Nevertheless, her curiosity was greatlypiqued as a result.Who exactly was this old man? The instant this question went through hermind, a number of images surfaced.— An immortal but not a G.o.d. A person who had been liberated from thelimitations of lifespan.— A great historian in the past, a sage highly adept in the occult. Currently,he was the [Monument"s administrator overseeing the carving of theAkashic records, the compiler of what proper history was supposed to be.So, what was meant by proper history?"When the actions of someone traveling from the future to the past causesgiant distortions in history, proper history results by applying the smallestpossible correction..."□liana"s lips whispered on their own. Speaking of which, Kusanagi G.o.douhad told her before.At the G.o.d Susanoo"s hut in the Netherworld, he had encountered beingswho were not G.o.ds but had spirit powers exceeding ordinary humans. Heremembered there seemed to be a black-clad monk there. This old man ina toga was probably someone belonging to the same category.Also, Liliana noticed something as well.She was told that outstanding users of spirit vision were able to instantlyobtain spirit visions in the Astral Plane to answer their questions. So thisexplained it. As the storehouse for these [Memories of the Void], this placeoffered spirit visions far more easily than any other location. That was whyeven she was able to do it!Liliana looked to the Hime-Miko beside her. Yuri nodded in response."Here in this place, carving time onto tablets..."Accompanied by these spell words said by Yuri, one of the stone tabletsscattered on the floor hovered into the air.Among the large amount of Ancient Latin carved on it, Liliana discovered acertain pa.s.sage."John Pluto Smith, accompanied by the duo of Mariya Yuri and LilianaKranjcar, paid a visit to Plutarch"s Residence."This was a record of "what had happened" at this place, summoned byYuri from somewhere using spirit vision. On the other hand, John PlutoSmith spoke up:"But Venerable One, how on earth am I going to kill the three yourequested? Are you suggesting that a time corridor be opened to send meto their era?"Hearing the masked G.o.dslayer laugh maliciously, the old man went "hmph"and frowned."This old man is not stupid enough to send a fourth troublemaker to an erawhere three of them are present already. King, you too, are an illegitimateson of Epimetheus. Undoubtedly, you will disrupt the flow of time when youroam the past, causing history to be rewritten.""Wise judgment indeed, Venerable One."Faced with such rude accusations, the masked Devil King simply smiledand shook his head."Regarding matters of disrupting the peace of the world, I am proudlyconfident that my ability is no less than any of my peers. But the mission isa tall order. Killing them should be impossible like this.""Use what is at your hip — Just fire the arrows of Artemis.""Uh-huh.""Using the authority of arrows that you possess, you can shoot through atime corridor to strike targets, right?"Liliana gasped. The old man spoke the truth — She knew through spiritvision.From the G.o.ddess of the hunt, Artemis, Smith had usurped the authority ofthe magic projectile.Due to having only six shots per lunar cycle, it was severely restricted interms of firing rate. Conversely, the powers residing in the magicprojectiles were strong and greatly varied. In a situation of super longdistance sniping, it could even be used to snipe an enemy in Europe, allthe way from North America.With this old man"s guidance, it was possible to fire a magic bullet from theAstral Plane into an era in the past —However, Smith shrugged in an exaggerated manner."Do you really think it will succeed...? I can"t guarantee a kill, neither do Ihave that sort of confidence. You should know how hardy and resilientCampiones are as a race, right? I don"t mind taking a gamble, but surelythey will be able to dodge metal bullets falling from the sky, no matterwhat? Alternatively, the bullet will graze past them in a stroke of luck.""Hmm.""Or rather, once they learn of the existence of an unknown sniper, wouldn"tthey cause new commotions as a result of heightened wariness?Ultimately, causing great chaos one cannot predict... I am rather reluctantto imagine. Presumably, history will be altered once or twice again?"The old man groaned, probably unable to refute.In reaction, John Pluto Smith spoke in a calm voice."Rather than doing that, I"ve got an idea. For example, how about sendingthese two miko over to the era where the three Devil Kings are visiting?They are Kusanagi G.o.dou"s close aides."He waved his hand rapidly in a motion to recommend Yuri and Liliana.As usual, Smith"s actions were as exaggerated and magnificent as atheater performer"s."Among the three problematic characters, that man behaves the mostseriously. Well, left to his own devices, on the other hand, he"s actually notthat different from the other two. However, given the presence ofsupporters to guide his path, he can contribute towards cleaning up thesituation — That is what one can hope.""Indeed that is possible, but ultimately, I still say no!"Liliana and Yuri"s eyes flashed.It turned out that John Pluto Smith had brought the two of them here withthe intention of sending them to the past. However, the toga-clad old manrefused vehemently."That man is talented as a magnificent villain, capable of turning times ofprosperity and peace into chaos, then taking advantage of chaotic times toseize the throne. Sending supporters over to a man like that would beutterly frightening!""...Now that you mention it, that does sound quite true...""...N-No, Liliana-san. Although it is quite true that for G.o.dou-san as aperson, the word "chaos" does suit him rather well..."Knowing Kusanagi G.o.dou"s character better than anyone else, Lilianacould not help but murmur. Yuri"s reprimands did not carry any anger,presumably for the same reason.But since this old man possessed the power to open the door to the past,his help was necessary after all.Just as Liliana exchanged nods with Yuri and was about to speak up topersuade the old man..."Hmm...?"The bronze pen left the old man"s hand automatically and floated into theair. Then it moved on its own and began to write on the stone tablet thatwas placed on the easel."The great hero"s arrival... To think it has been hastened fifty-two yearsahead of time?"Taking one glance at the content written out by the automatic pen, the oldman was greatly stunned."Alas, O child of heaven, O sacred child of heaven descending upon theearth. That must not happen... A change that must not appear. Otherwise,historical correction henceforth will be quite difficult... No, if the situationcould be cleaned up at this stage, perhaps — "Then there was a long silence. Minutes later...The old man finally looked up and rested his gaze on Liliana and Yuri forthe first time."Girls who may serve to guide the king. Now that things have come to this,is there no other choice...?"Did a critical emergency arise? The old man shrugged his shoulders whilehe spoke."But let me state first for the record. This old man can open a time corridorto send the two of you there. However, that is as far as my help extends.""...After arriving in the past, we have no one to depend on but ourselves?"Speaking up a step before the masked Devil King, Liliana asked herquestion.Smith had already gone out of his way to bring them here. However,considering the fact that only the two of them were going to proceed fromthis point onwards, she must depend on her own wits to ponder thenecessary preparations. One could not keep relying on others forever. Thisconcerned a knight"s honor."Indeed. Manifested in the land where you will be sent to is the heavenlychild of destiny... The hero who exterminates Devil Kings. In your era, he isknown as the "King of the End".""—the "King of the End"!"Throughout the battles against the Witch Queen Guinevere and the warG.o.d Lancelot, this t.i.tle had been heard many times.The old man in the toga nodded at the speechless Liliana."To this date, that heavenly child has descended a number of times onearth and engaged the G.o.dslayers in battle. He also manifested in the landof Gaul during what your calendar would date as 458 CE. Back then, thisheavenly child fought repeatedly all over Europe, even going as far as tocross over to Britain. After a long series of battles, he finally exterminatedall the Devil Kings of that time period.""But now, a monumental change has occurred in history. The "King of theEnd" has descended fifty-two years too early, hence becoming a triggerproducing historical change — Quite difficult to correct. If Her HighnessAisha and His Highness Kusanagi could make him lie dormanttemporarily...""This message needs to be pa.s.sed along to Kusanagi G.o.dou, right?""Yes. However, the one who awakened the heavenly child is the G.o.ddessArtio was entrusted with the grudges and curses of the innocent populace.This will likely be a difficult mission."The old man bowed his head wearily while he spoke."A journey to the past itself is already accompanied by hardship. Rare arethe people who can come back after making the trip. Besides, this journeycarries with it a difficult mission. Refuse now while you still can.""No — I have already made a promise with G.o.dou-san."The one answering a step ahead of Liliana was Yuri, of course." — I promised I would find him before his return. I will accept this missionno matter what!"Part 2Kusanagi G.o.dou was currently located in an empty s.p.a.ce where darknessstretched infinitely.Except for one light source. A white dot of light was shining like thebrightest star, far in the distance, overhead.G.o.dou hugged his shoulders and began to wonder."I think I was in a similar place recently..."Even when suddenly trapped in this kind of s.p.a.ce, he was still able toremain calm.As much it was not what he actively desired, this probably resulted fromthe experience he had acc.u.mulated as a Campione. Then there was hispeer, the man not far away, currently looking around, this way and that."Hey Doni. We were just fighting the "King of the End"... Right?""...of the End... Oh, you mean that sword G.o.d who suddenly popped up justnow? Yeah, we were definitely trying to block that attack at the time. "Kingof the End"... I think I"ve heard of this name."Next to G.o.dou, the blonde and handsome Salvatore Doni nodded. In contrast to the desperate crisis earlier, G.o.dou and Doni were completelyunharmed, without even a single burn."I remember it"s the G.o.d that Alec and that Greenwich princess werelooking for, supposedly crazy strong. This is perfect. Once I meet himagain somewhere, I"ll just have a quick duel with him.""As for me, I"d prefer to never meet him again, if possible..."Unexpectedly informed of things, Doni had also heard of the "King of End"rumors.While expressing his contrary opinion, G.o.dou also started to look for thethird of his kindred. Since he was safe and sound, surely, she too — Indeed,she was here.Madame Aisha was lying down a slight distance away."Are you okay, Aisha-san!?""Y-Yeah, well enough..."G.o.dou rushed over to call to her. The Madame made a gesture as thoughreplying.However, her consciousness still seemed quite confused. She turned hergaze to survey her surroundings."Surviving is more important than anything else..."Staring at Madame Aisha who still could not speak with ease, G.o.dousuddenly realized."This place is very similar to the "corridor" that I pa.s.sed through to reachthe ancient world...""Ah, I see now. Now that you mention it, I find it familiar too."Doni also nodded and agreed. If that were true, then the woman lyingcollapsed before them was their savior. G.o.dou thanked her from thebottom of his heart."Aisha-san saved us, right? Thank you.""N-Not at all. I simply combined my fortune"s blessing with the correctiveforce maintaining ancient Gaul"s history, thereby opening a fairy"scorridor... That was how the three of us were saved.""Come to think of it, your fairy"s corridors tend to open automatically ontheir own.""Uh... It is still ancient Gaul if we go out that exit over there. I intend toreturn after a while, but let"s rest for now."Madame Aisha pointed overhead while speaking.A spot of white light was shining like a star at the place she indicated.Pondering something, G.o.dou was reminded of what Ena said about thecorridors simply being invisible.If that description was correct — G.o.dou tried asking:"Does the exit leading to our twenty-first century still exist in this place?One that will take us back to our original time if we pa.s.s through...?""Hey hey, G.o.dou. The battle is just about to start. Retreat is not an option.""Like I"m gonna return on my own, leaving Erica and Seishuuin behind. Ijust want to confirm a possibility that just occurred to me.""Kusanagi-san, that"s very sharp of you. Honestly speaking, it does existindeed. However — "Under the two men"s gaze, Madame Aisha clasped her hands togetherbefore her chest as though in prayer.Then countless dots of light suddenly appeared in the surroundings. Thisscene was very similar to the innumerable stars scattered throughout theuniverse."Because every light here is a corridor exit, reaching the time period ofyour desire is quite difficult...""l-ls there any way to distinguish which exit connects to where?""High-ranking fairies from the Netherworld, used to time traveling, orguardian G.o.ds of travel are probably able to do it. But unfortunately, it"simpossible by our efforts, Kusanagi-san and mine...""Looks like a shortcut is out of the question. I understand."This was simply a whim of the moment. After G.o.dou spoke cheerfullywithout any discouragement at all, the stars scattered througout the darks.p.a.ce disappeared overhead one after another.On the other hand, careless words slipped out of the other man"s mouth ashis eyes flashed brightly."Hmm. In that case, choosing a random exit might be quite fun. Journeysto unknown destinations are just so exciting, aren"t they?""Shut up with the nonsense, the guy who just said that the battle is aboutto start."Giving Salvatore Doni a stern warning, G.o.dou frowned.This man could not be allowed to disrupt the past world any further. Butcurrently, their first priority should be handling "King of the End" Artos. Atany rate, he was the Devil King-slaying war G.o.d and could very well indeedbe the man who fought persistently until all Campiones were exterminated.More important than anything else, there was that unforgettable warning...G.o.dou sighed."Hey Salvatore Doni. I have an absolutely reluctant suggestion to make.""What is it, my dear friend?""Temporarily putting aside my objections to your annoying statements, howabout teaming up with me? Until the battle against that "King of the End"Artos is over.""Ehe."Doni made one of those impressed smiles he rarely made, completelydevoid of frivolity."Rather than rare, to be exact, this would be the very first time. I can"tbelieve you"re asking me to cooperate with you!""Please use a description with a little more tension in it, like a united frontor an alliance, okay? Athena mentioned once before, that in a battleagainst the "King of the End," I will die for sure. All seven Campiones will bekilled by that guy.""Athena"s warning, huh...""Besides, the other side still has that Artio G.o.ddess, abeit injured. Plus theunknown wind G.o.d. Even if the two of us cooperate, it"s still two againstthree.""Hoho, the odds are truly stacked against us.""If you don"t want to fight this battle where victory is uncertain, I"m notgonna force you.""Are you kidding me? Fighting alongside my friend to confront a recklessbattle, this is awesome stuff for furthering friendship. You and I, we"refriends, right?""We"re friends, right?""...I guess.""Then it"s fine, the alliance is established!"In contrast to Doni who was suddenly smiling, G.o.dou"s face was coveredby a bitter expression. But with this, the first of his preparations wascomplete. On the other hand, Madame Aisha spoke up in a fl.u.s.ter:"E-Excuse me, Kusanagi-san. Then what should I be doing!?""Of course, it would be helpful if you could a.s.sist to make it three on three,Aisha-san... But is your condition okay? We"re about to fight G.o.ds again."It was readily apparent that Madame Aisha was greatly exhausted by theemergency evacuation just now.Furthermore, she had openly declared a number of times that she was notsuited to battle. That said, she apparently still held several secrettechniques in reserve, such as "reversing the healing authority" or the like,though it was still unclear whether they were usable in thesecirc.u.mstances —As expected, the Madame bowed her head apologetically."I-I"m very sorry. Because the healing authority cannot be used on myself...I don"t think I can recover immediately...""Don"t worry about that. Remember, you just saved our lives."G.o.dou placed his hand on the Madame"s shoulder and nodded at her."Just let Doni and me do our best. All you need to do is extend a helpinghand if an opportunity arises for you to help.""V-Very well."G.o.dou looked up to see the overhead light, shining brightly high above. Itsposition was slightly lower than earlier.This was the exit that would lead G.o.dou and the other two back to theancient world. The exit was currently at a slightly lower height than before.G.o.dou decided he had to finish the second of his preparations before theexit descended completely.Just as he started to focus his concentration..."Hey G.o.dou. Of course, I respect Athena"s warning that you brought up."Salvatore Doni suddenly spoke up."But what do you think personally... No, what do you feel?"G.o.dou did not answer, for he was causing his entire body"s magical powerto burst out. There was no time left. The light overhead had alreadydropped to roughly the height of a small building. They were about toreturn to the hill where the mysterious hero had descended.The second round was finally about to begin.Part 3"Those lights are the same as the ones fired off by Sir Lancelot"s lance...""Probably the Divine Sword of Salvation..."Murmuring away softly were Erica Blandelli and Seishuuin Ena.The two of them were gazing in the direction where the three Campioneswere facing earlier.This was the hill where the pale-haired hero had descended, summonedby the G.o.ddess Artio"s ritual. Earlier, during the instant when the divinesword"s heavy blade was pointed at the heavens, a sphere of light hadmanifested in the sky like a sun, firing off an attack that pierced theground —Swallowed by this light, the G.o.dslayers had all vanished."Although they"re not people who die so easily... But what if — ""Ama no Murak.u.mo"s presence can"t be felt either... But it shouldn"t havedisappeared from this land."The hole piercing the ground measured roughly sixty meters in diameter.Even the [Boar] was defeated in one hit.Even Erica was unable to stop herself from imagining gruesome outcomes.Without her usual cheerfulness, Ena spoke in dark tones.But in the next instant, they discovered signs that things were "not as theyseem." They stopped raising worries. Only now was the battle betweenG.o.ds and G.o.dslayers about to start officially.Currently a black sphere had suddenly manifested high above the hillwhere the hero had descended.This was the dark star for summoning a storm of gravity — KusanagiG.o.dou"s newest weapon."Dawn"s secret archives huh..."This "black blade" was obtained through the guidance of the G.o.ddessesAthena and Circe.G.o.dou"s preparations for using his new power had begun back when hewas still inside the "fairy"s corridor.""Lend me the G.o.ddess" wisdom!"This was the most powerful attack in Kusanagi G.o.dou"s a.r.s.enal.However, raising it to maximum power required too much time. Using it toannihilate a group was relatively easy but sniping individual targets wasmuch harder. G.o.dou had come to understand these traits during his fightagainst Uldin.— Hence, timing was the most important.During the instant of returning to the ground from the corridor"s alternates.p.a.ce...At the same time, he sent the black star, having raised it to full power,towards the hill where the hero"s faction waited!"I"m relying on you, Ama no Murak.u.mo!""Affirmative!"Residing in his right arm, Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi responded toG.o.dou"s command.Two Campiones returned to the ground simultaneously. They found acrater behind them, sixty meters in diameter, so deep it seemedbottomless.Before them was the hill where the pale-haired hero and the bear G.o.ddesswere waiting.G.o.dou, Doni and Madame Aisha had returned to the hill. Furthermore,above the trio was a ma.s.sive black star that was almost twice as large asthe hole behind them."O steel that breaks a thousand blades, trample the enemy with a rampageof divine wind!"The instant Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi issued the order, the dark starbegan to descend rapidly.Its target was the hill where the G.o.ds stood, of course. At the same time, arumbling storm began to blow violently.This dark star was manifestation of supergravity capable of sucking ineverything on the ground. Soil, vegetation, the stone circle on the hill,everything was being devoured by the black sphere together with the windand the atmosphere.Indeed, this was the gravitational storm of the "black blade.""Hahaha! To think you"d obtain this kind of authority! As expected ofG.o.dou!""J-Just watching from afar, I never expected it to be so amazing!"Doni was laughing with delight while Madame Aisha used her hands tohold down her overcoat, billowing in the wind.The three Campiones were just short of being sucked in because, holdingAma no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi up high, G.o.dou did now give the black starpermission to do so.There were others who had escaped the gravitational attraction. Namely,the G.o.ddess Artio and the "King of the End.""I call upon my avatar, the earth! The one turned into a mother!"As a mother earth G.o.ddess, Artio chanted spell words.The wound from Doni"s sword was still carved on her abdomen as ared-black trail."By all means necessary, keep my son and I on the ground!"Those without wings were not permitted to leave the earth.Was this divine power invoked in adherence to this principle? Despite thepulls of the gravitational storm, Artio and the "King of the End" remainedfirmly standing on the earth.However, this type of resistance probably placed great strain on her. Artio"sface was showing desperation.Next, G.o.dou"s dark star rapidly descended on the fake duo of mother andson.Probably at a speed of hundreds of kilometers per hour. However, just atthis moment, the pale-haired hero swiftly drew the Divine Sword ofSalvation, thrusting the platinum blade towards the rapidly approachingblack sphere.Immediately, a gigantic sphere of platinum light blocked the dark star headon!Still silent, the pale-haired hero injected a vast amount of magical powerinto the divine sword.The Divine Sword of Salvation produced light that was as bright as the sun.The ball of light was just as large as the dark star controlled by Ama noMurak.u.mo no Tsurugi.The white sun and black giant star proceeded to clash violently in midair.For G.o.dou, this was a scene he had not witnessed for a long time, eversince the battle against Lancelot. The white sun shot out hundreds oflightning flashes. A gravitational storm raged violently in the surroundingsof the dark star.Indeed, it was a clash between equals. This was exactly the same as thattime with Lancelot — !"...Well, that should be about right."However, G.o.dou still poured the majority of his magical power into Ama noMurak.u.mo no Tsurugi which he was raising up towards the sky. At thesame time, he commented indifferently.G.o.dou muttered quietly then threw a glance at Doni behind him."Indeed, perhaps there are some slight differences.""I knew it, your view does agree with mine. As expected of my dear friend.""There must be something we still don"t understand yet. That said, theother side"s power is supposed to be much stronger than ours."G.o.dou spoke quietly while ignoring Doni"s words of friendship."I think we can take advantage of this opening.""Agreed. Then I"m on it!"Giggling, Doni rushed out.He ran from the foot of the hill towards the peak, unsheathing hislongsword as he ascended.Watching him from behind, G.o.dou could not help but click his tongue inannoyance. Who could have expected he would be so in sync with Doni?Clearly it was their first time being stuck in the same boat!Completely unaware of G.o.dou"s frustrations, the G.o.dslayer of the swordraced effortlessly up the hill.A slender figure blocked his path ahead. Wrapped in white cloth all over,the warrior was also wearing leather armor with a mask.This red mask covered the face completely.On the other hand, the positions corresponding to the eyes were paintedblack in color.Due to the mask and the white cloth wrapped all over the body, none of theenemy"s skin could be seen. The unidentified figure was wielding in onehand a ma.s.sive sword that was almost his own height."Ehe. This means you won"t let me advance further, right?"With a toothy grin, Doni slashed downwards vertically with his longsword.The masked warrior blocked the attack calmly. With extreme speed, hehad raised the giant sword to block the longsword.However, in blocking Doni"s longsword, the great blade was severed.Indeed, Salvatore Doni"s magic sword was an authority capable of slicinganything into two. Let alone the opponent"s body, even armor, shields andweapons were easily sliced through.Doni"s sword did not stop the attack"s momentum and sliced at theenemy"s mask at lightning speed.However, just three centimeters before cutting the enemy"s face open,surprisingly, the masked warrior effortlessly evaded the sword, jumpingsideways rapidly at the same time.This speed was like a gale"s, whistling like the sound of blowing wind.Then the masked warrior began to take further action. His movementsresembled rapid punches. Currently, the black blade"s gravitational stormwas still blowing at ground level, but he was still able to ignore it with ease.Every time he took a step with extreme speed, a whirlwind would resultunderfoot. He — or she — was probably a war G.o.d of gales, unaffected bythe restraints of gravity."I guess you"re the wind G.o.d from just now.""I see you"re trying to be a mute like your master. Hohoho, I don"t reallydislike this kind of preference."The red-masked war G.o.d. A being that Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugiexposed as a wind G.o.d and a sword.A subordinate G.o.d of the "King of the End"? No. G.o.dou shook his head.There was the example of Lancelot already. This G.o.d could very well haveencountered the "King of the End" while wandering the earth and becameallies. One could not jump to conclusions recklessly.Meanwhile, confronted with the smiling Doni, the unidentified war G.o.dsummoned a giant sword again.II!"Holding a ma.s.sive sword almost as long as he was tall, he charged Donihead on.This speed was not simply gale speed. Rather, it was the speed oflightning. The same speed as Verethragna"s incarnation of the [Raptor] orAlexandre Gascoigne"s [Black Lightning] — divine speed!Using divine speed, the masked war G.o.d kept making terrifying attacks.To this point, he had been swinging his giant sword one-handed.Suddenly, it seemed as though he had increased to having twelve armsand twelve blades, attacking Doni"s body from all directions.As a result of divine speed, it looked like all twelve attacks were happeningat the same time.Nevertheless, Doni saw through all these attacks. Although it looked liketwelve ma.s.sive blades were slicing through the blond Campione, Doni"sbody simply flickered once like a mirage. Completely unharmed.Salvatore Doni was a user of the mind"s eye, capable of seeing throughattacks even conducted with divine speed.Finally, Doni made a rather casual forward thrust with his longsword,aiming to pierce the war G.o.d"s mask.It was a low-speed and leisurely thrust that did not seem like it belonged ina battle. Yet for some reason, the user of divine speed only barelymanaged to evade Doni"s sword — No.Seeing through Doni"s swordsmanship was an exceedingly difficult task.That was why the reaction was delayed. Just as the sword"s blade wasapproaching right in front of his face, the war G.o.d barely managed to turnand evade successfully. This was Doni"s divine skill that G.o.dou hadexperienced before."You get it now, don"t you? You"re no match for me if you rely on speedalone."The war G.o.d was probably making a terrible expression behind the mask.In contrast, Doni was flippant as usual and went as far as to say thefollowing:"Maybe your usual weapon is not a sword? Not to say something bad, butit doesn"t matter even if you fought using your most skilled weapon."In merely a brief exchange, he had already caught a glimpse of theenemy"s martial arts.After displaying what could be called the wise judgment of a martial genius,Doni laughed fearlessly."If you"re only going to fight like this, I"m probably much stronger than youthink."The masked war G.o.d had apparently sealed off his best weapon onpurpose.Could it be that showing his appearance and weapon would be equivalentto exposing his true ident.i.ty? G.o.dou"s curiosity spurred him to gaze intentlyat the war G.o.d.But at the same time, he continued to hold Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugiup high, pouring ma.s.sive amounts of magical power into it.Naturally, this was for maintaining the "black blade" and the gravitationalstorm. Overhead, the white sun of salvation was colliding with the darkstar, resisting each other in a fight to annihilate the other.Furthermore, the "King of the End" on the hill was doing the same asG.o.dou — Or not, actually.The pale-haired hero was running down the hill. Wielding the Divine Swordof Salvation, he slashed at G.o.dou."Ack... He"s not as strained as me!?"In order to maintain the dark star, G.o.dou was standing still, focusing hisattention.In contrast, the "King of the End" was running rapidly, finally arriving beforeG.o.dou"s eyes. Up above, the white star remained bright and dazzling. Asexpected, his latent ability was enough to surpa.s.s G.o.dou"s faction!Then the Devil King-slaying hero swung his oft-used sword.A diagonal slash, from shoulder to hip, was aimed at Devil King KusanagiG.o.dou.Refined swordsmanship, fitting for a war G.o.d. Even though G.o.dou"sdynamic vision and concentration was able to see through a fastballtraveling at a hundred miles per hour, he was still unable to evade a slashfrom the Divine Sword of Salvation.Blood splattered everywhere. Rather than pain, G.o.dou felt a scorchingsensation spreading throughout his body.A very severe injury. Nevertheless, as long as it was not fatal — eventhough failing to evade, G.o.dou had still jumped backwards instantly usingbeast-like reflexes.Moreover, a Campione"s st.u.r.dy body, with bones harder than steel,displayed its true worth at times like these.Still silent, the "King of the End" coldly faced off against the injuredG.o.dslayer, readying his divine sword again.With the sword"s hilt raised up to shoulder height, this stance prepared anupper strike."Kusanagi-san! I shall heal your wound right now!""Don"t come over! Aisha-san, you should retreat to a safe place — whereErica and Seishuuin are located!"From behind came the worried voice of the one bearing miraculous handsof healing.However, G.o.dou commanded her in a gruff tone of voice. Franklyspeaking, he had no confidence in blocking this formidable foe.Presumably sensing G.o.dou"s intentions, Madame Aisha surprisingly gavean instant nod and departed rapidly. Quite amazing of her in such areas. Akeen nose for survival.G.o.dou glared viciously at the "King of the End."In response, the pale-haired hero remained utterly cold andexpressionless — Completely unmoved.This was the reason why G.o.dou had not sensed any threat from this guyjust now! Feeling the rising emotions of battle and the excitement producedfrom the search for victory, G.o.dou began to curl his lips in a savage grin."All evildoers, tremble before my strength... Upon my mighty self, I shallbear the symbol of the raging camel!"G.o.dou invoked Verethragna"s fourth incarnation, the [Camel], whoseactivation required severe injuries. Using this incarnation, Kusanagi G.o.douwas able to obtain superhuman combat ability, kicking strength andresilience!The [Camelj"s blessings also helped relieve the intense pain. G.o.douinstantly shouted:"Ama no Murak.u.mo! Can I leave things on that side to you for now!?""Affirmative!"Hearing this promise, delivered full of spirit, G.o.dou stabbed the divinesword into the ground.For brief periods of time, Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi"s own magicalpower could probably sustain the "black blade." While throwing down hisweapon, G.o.dou also made his move.With great speed, he slid towards the legs of the "King of the End."Extending his heel along the way, G.o.dou aimed a strike to shatter thehero"s kneecaps. Even in the human world, there existed martial arts andcombat skills that involved surprise attacks aimed at the enemy"s legswhile attacking from the ground. However, divine sword in hand, the herosimply took a slight step backwards, easily escaping the range of the kick.Due to this being the smallest necessary backstep, he was able to switchto offense immediately without the slightest instant of delay.Beneath the shining sword, G.o.dou was still on the ground after his slidingattack failed.The movements of ordinary combat skills would be unable to evade theDivine Sword of Salvation. In an unsightly manner, G.o.dou rolled on theground, escaping from under the shining divine sword.Then immediately, he used the [Camelj"s leg strength to stand up.At this moment, the opponent caught up. The King of the End" madestraight thrust with the divine sword"s blade. Rather than a single strike,there were one, two, three... four thrusts.In this brief instant, this divine technqiue aimed four thrusts at G.o.dou"sforehead, throat, heart and chest.G.o.dou kept turning his and swaying his body from side to side, barelymanaging to evade the four thrusts. However, unlike the "King of the End,"he did not switch to offense. After exhibiting divine skills, the enemyentered another stance for an upper strike, readying himself to engage anyincoming attack.Not a single movement was redundant. His body"s central axis did notdeviate.Perhaps that was why he was able to attack and defend without delay,able to instantly switch to the next movement.Even as a swordsman, the "King of the End" was quite outstanding.As expected of the strongest war G.o.d. Very likely, even when faced againstSalvatore Doni or G.o.dou"s sworn sister, Luo Cuilian, he would still be ableto engage them effortlessly in a sword fight. Perhaps even winning throughswordsmanship alone.Furthermore, wielding the divine sword, his stance was majestic andimposing —While wielding the sword neatly, even the smallest actions of the body andevery step of the foot were polished to the extreme.A "position" worthy of the hero wielding the sword of salvation. Literally aking"s sword, slaying enemies while looking down upon them from above.Such was his combat form, fighting courageously, fair and square.In contrast, G.o.dou"s beast-like movements could be described as the polaropposite indeed."Hey... Why are you unwilling to fight seriously?"However, still unable to sense a threat from the "King of the End," G.o.douspoke up."You"re the hero who intends to slaughter all the Campi — G.o.dslayers,right? Born under that star with this kind of fate, you can wield astoundingpower when trying to accomplish that mission. Isn"t that right?""There was once a G.o.d called the Great Sage Equaling Heaven whoimitated you, invoking the power for vanquishing Devil Kings. That time, hewas much stronger than you are now. Why aren"t you using your full powerto eliminate us seriously?"Indeed. That was the time when the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, SunWukong, battled against three Campiones.The monkey king of steel had prayed to the "sword G.o.d"s star of destiny,"summoning the power for exterminating Devil Kings, using it to suppressKusanagi G.o.dou, Luo Cuilian and John Pluto Smith.Although the "King of the End" was strong indeed, he could not comparewith the Great Sage Equaling Heaven of that time...G.o.dou shrugged after posing these honest questions.The enemy remained silent. He looked like he had no intention ofinteracting with G.o.dou.But then..."...If I were to ask in response, why do you hold such expectations for me?"G.o.dou finally heard it. He heard the voice from the "King of the End.""Indeed, this body of mine shoulders the fate of exterminating the DevilKings. It so happens that I manifested on this occasion due to a fakemother"s entreaties. However, precisely because of that, you and I arehaving this encounter."The voice was not only cool but also stern, yet incredibly, it carried a sweetfeeling as well."Whether favorable or adverse fate, the incredible threads of destiny areweaved between individual humans as well as between humans and G.o.ds.Furthermore, between you and me — there should be few if any threads offate linking us. On the level of crossing blades under such chancecirc.u.mstances, such is the trivial bond of fate that we share..."G.o.dou stared at the "King of the End" once more.Originally hiding his eyes behind shadows, those bangs had disappearedspontaneously. Was it because he started having the intention tocommunicate with G.o.dou? In any case, his face was predictablyhandsome.Like his voice, both his face and standing posture were cool and imposing.High born. Aristocrat. A n.o.ble courtier. Only such descriptions could beapplied to his appearance.However, his handsome face was stained with battle-weary ferocity,neutralizing the sweetness of a handsome man"s face. His facial beautywas filled with the n.o.bility and stern dignity fitting for a great general on thebattlefield.Then this fierce aristocrat spoke with worry:"I believe that great ritual of the ancient covenant must not be used lightly.It makes me hesitate whether I should wield this power against the few ofyou whose fates are lightly entwined with mine. Do you understand?""I think I have a rough idea..."G.o.dou also answered in a troubled voice.For those who were named as war G.o.ds, the vast majority had excessivebelligerence. However, the "King of the End" spoke differently compared tothose other war G.o.ds — More importantly, G.o.dou was able to converse withhim smoothly against expectation. He also gave off an air of intellect.Rather, one could say that compared to the likes of Salvatore Doni, heseemed more like an ordinary person, right?That said, as expected of a G.o.d, there were still many facets worthcriticizing."But seeing how I"m already cut up so pitifully by you, I completely disagreewith your a.s.sertion of a "trivial bond of fate."""Is that so? Now that you mention it, indeed you may be right."Inflicting wounds that would surely kill a normal person on the spot, yetmerely calling it "the level of crossing blades." That was ultimatelyunacceptable. G.o.dou began to reprimand him using the human world"scommon sense.Unbelievably, the "King of the End" nodded honestly."My mistake. Please forgive my ignorance... But wait, you G.o.dslayers areall immortal and larger-than-life characters no matter the time period. Iwould believe that a sword wound of this level does not really count as aninjury for your kind."The hero"s apology was filled with honesty and sincerity."In fact, you are continuing to fight as though treating the wound asperfectly natural.""Th-That"s why, I say that it can"t possibly not hurt.""I see, I understand now. My thinking was too shallow indeed. As anapology, I shall reveal to you a secret that I did not mention just now."The paled-hair aristocrat stared straight at G.o.dou and said:"The great ritual of the ancient covenant... Presently, I am still unable touse it.""What did you say?""Not only that. As I am now, I have yet to reach the level when I can useother weapons freely with ease... I am still lacking what it takes to elevatemyself as a sword G.o.d to become the strongest blade."After this confession, the "King of the End" wielded the divine sword withboth hands.Still an upper strike. This posture exhibited proper and orthodoxswordsmanship."If you are taking precautions against the great ritual of the covenant, thereis no need. You are trying to find an opportunity for victory, aren"t you? Anymoment is as good as any other. Feel free to bring it on.""...Why do you think that?""Because you G.o.dslayers are always like this. Whether being backed into acorner, reaching the climax of victory, carrying a conversation, whisperingwords of love, your kind never relaxes towards me — rather, you G.o.dslayersare always preparing to bite the enemy"s neck at all times. That is what youare."The "King of the End" continued to stare with such directness whiledelivering words of such sincerity.G.o.dou could not find words to object. The cool aristocrat had pointed outfacts that were basically correct. After all, during the entire conversation,G.o.dou had been searching for the right timing in a corner of his mind.Even so, it was quite unbelievable to think he was successfully conversingwith the hero who had exterminated so many Devil Kings.Hence that was probably why. Surprised by this, G.o.dou spoke up:"You just said that fate does not bind us to you very strongly, right? In thatcase, can"t you choose to stop fighting? You"re only meeting that ArtioG.o.ddess for the first time, right?""Unfortunately, I cannot do that."At this moment, what surfaced on the "King of the End""s face wasweariness.Perhaps he was already tired of endless battles, feeling utterly exhausted.However, against that weary expression, ferocity surfaced, as clear-cut asrust."I am the sword born to fight your kind. That is also my reason for beinghere this time. The only forbidden choice is that of halting this battle. Myapologies."The "King of the End" announced with his handsome face, weary yetfearless.G.o.dou was greatly stunned. He had seen this face somewhere in hisdreams... This ridiculous notion surfaced in his mind."Even though my body is not in peak condition, fighting your kind is mydestiny. I hope you will enjoy yourself briefly in a duel against me. Thatsaid, I am currently unsure if I can satisfy the likes of you G.o.dslayers inbattle—""But avoidable battles should still be avoided..."G.o.dou sighed deeply.By the time he noticed, the gravitational storm had already weakened.In the white sun and dark star"s clash in the air above, the dark star wasalready losing in the tide of battle. Weakening due to G.o.dou havingentrusted Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi to maintain it, the dark star hadshrunk to roughly half its size compared to when it was at peak power.Turning his gaze, G.o.dou saw the masked war G.o.d still engaged in a swordbattle with Salvatore Doni.No longer needing to put all her strength towards suppressing thegravitational storm, the G.o.ddess Artio was now looking downwards fromthe hill towards her "son""s back. She was probably planning to a.s.sist.G.o.dou decided that now was his only chance to act. At this rate, they weregoing to be driven into an even worse predicament.Agreeing with his victory instincts, G.o.dou yelled:"Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi, you can stop Athena"s sword now!""!?"Because the dark star disappeared from the sky, the "King of the End"showed true surprise for the first time.The only thing left in the air was a giant ball of light resembling a sun.However, that was fine. If victory could be seized within a minute or two,the rest did not matter.G.o.dou rushed full speed at the hero who was wielding the white divinesword.Traces of surprise still lingered in the face of the war G.o.d, even as anoutstanding swordsman. However, he still readied the divine sword for anupper attack and turned his sharp gaze towards G.o.dou, fully prepared tointercept any attack.Ten-odd steps more and G.o.dou was probably going to enter the "King ofthe End""s attack range of the divine sword —Hence, G.o.dou commanded simply:"Divine Sword of Salvation... Let me have a go at using it too!""What!?"Manifesting in G.o.dou"s right hand was Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi.Three feet three and a half inches in blade length. A strong sword with agently curving blade of black. However, what should have been a jet-blackblade was currently shining with platinum splendor. Kusanagi G.o.dou"spartner possessed the ability to replicate enemy authorities. Previously inthe battle with Uldin, this had also been used to great effect.Naturally, the target this time was the destructive power hidden in theDivine Sword of Salvation.The divine sword, stalwart in the face of barbarians, you are not the onlyone, hero!"As Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi uttered these bold words, G.o.dou swungit like a metal bat with both hands —Throwing it towards the "King of the End."Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi"s blade was infused with the light andlightning of salvation.Naturally, it was unable to produce a sun-like ball of light like the DivineSword of Salvation. Nevertheless, it still possessed enough power to makethe aristocrat sense slight danger.Thrown through the air, the shining Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi wasblocked by the "King of the End" using the white divine sword.The instant these two radiant swords clashed violently, lightning eruptedfrom the point of contact.Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi and the Divine Sword of Salvation bouncedaway from the lightning"s impact. For just an instant, the "King of the End"went "!?" and stared wide-eyed, his attention slightly diverted.G.o.dou suddenly jumped and delivered a right straight kick from midair!The kick dug straight into the "King of the End""s chest. In that instant,G.o.dou poured magical power into his right leg, increasing the kick"s powerto a maximum. This was his first attempt at doing so — But it worked.The "King of the End" flew ten-odd meters, finally collapsing on his backsomewhere halfway up the hill."How splendid, G.o.dslayer..."Frowning in pain, the "King of the End" pushed his upper torso up, trying tostand.The place where G.o.dou"s kick had dug in, right over the heart, wasglowing with red light."Just now — It"s my loss, huh. May I know your name?""...Kusanagi G.o.dou.""I shall remember it. For the day of our inevitable reunion."G.o.dou hesitated slightly due to his opponent"s strange request, but stillannounced his name in the end. With a satisfied expression, the "King ofthe End" nodded at him. Then a few seconds pa.s.sed.Glowing above the heart, the red light suddenly increased inbrightness — Exploding.The light, carved into the opponent"s body by G.o.dou"s kick, caused avortex of flame, engulfing the "King of the End." Amidst the intenselyburning flames of the explosion, the aristocrat"s figure was graduallydisappearing.Shining brilliantly in the sky, the sun of salvation also vanishedsimultaneously with its master"s exit from the stage."Does this count as my win...?"And so, G.o.dou was puzzled by this excessively simple conclusion.Part 4Salvatore Doni and the war G.o.d continued to slash at each other.The masked war G.o.d attacked ferociously with swordsmanship of suchdivine speed that no shadows were produced. Doni evaded his opponent"srapid attacks using a sword savant"s superb martial arts while turning hislongsword to counterattack.With movements of divine speed, the war G.o.d dodged Doni"s sword by theslimmest of margins —The battle repeated endlessly in this manner, a rather boring development.This monotony was finally broken by the "King of the EncTs explosion.Some distance away, the hero of the divine sword was engulfed by theflames of the explosion, disappearing...Witnessing this shocking sight in a corner of his view, Doni chuckled tohimself. As he had hoped, Kusanagi G.o.dou had taken rather large stridesin development as a warrior. Nothing else could please Doni as much asthis.On the other hand, the war G.o.d"s attention was momentarily distracted bythe master"s defeat, thus exposing a slight opening.In this very instant, Doni"s body moved on its own.Stepping forward as naturally as water flowing downhill, he swung thelongsword horizontally with his right hand in a wide arc, intending to slicethrough the war G.o.d"s neck.An act performed by body and arm, faster than the mind could think —The sword of mental nothingness. Swinging the sword naturally was whereits true value lay.Even the war G.o.d of gales was unable to evade this attack. Instead, heused his left forearm to block his neck, stopping Doni"s sword. However,Doni"s sword was the magic blade of severing.It was supposed to be Doni"s victory, with the war G.o.d"s left arm and necksimultaneously severed.Clang! The distinctive sound of steel clashing with each other rang out."Ehe... So you"re the same as me."The war G.o.d"s upper arm was wrapped in layers of white cloth.Hidden beneath the white cloth, the arm had the hardness and texture ofsteel. This was what had blocked Doni"s sword.The magic sword of severing sliced two-thirds deep into the war G.o.d"sforearm, finally stopping. This was not a feat that any ordinary arm of steelcould achieve. It was absolutely impossible unless the whole body couldturn into indestructible steel.Possessors of such an authority were quite limited. Sun Wukong the GreatSage Equaling Heaven, Siegfried the drag