Chapter 5 - Suffering of the Ladies, Alliance of TwoKingsPart 1G.o.ds and Campiones were essentially immune to human magic, but thereexisted secret ways of circ.u.mvention such as working effects through themouth. The method that Erica and Liliana just used was one of them.Magically created giant waves were sweeping away the busy streetsaround Lake Chuuzenji along with the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. Ifthese waves were directly controlled by magic, the attack would have beennullified. Hence that was why Erica and Liliana left the waves to take theircourse without interference. Instead of specifying a target, they let theindirect effects of their magic engulf the Great Sage. This was one suchtechnique that could bypa.s.s magic resistance.The rest was up to luck, but the effects of the method could be predictedbeforehand.Erica and Liliana almost flew as they ran, westward along Lake Chuuzenjitowards the car waiting for them that Annie had prepared.The mission of rescuing G.o.dou had been entrusted to Cuore di Leone.Erica"s magic sword carried the injured G.o.dou away.In the instant the giant waves swept over them, Cuore di Leonetransformed from a card into a chain with an anchor on one end andattacked the Great Sage like a snake.Its targets were the Great Sage"s ankles, as well as the Ruyi Staff he hadjust pulled out from G.o.dou"s abdomen!"W-What!?"The Great Sage was quite surprised. At the instant he successfullydelivered a decisive blow to the G.o.dslayer, even the monkey king wascaught off guard.At that very instant when Cuore di Leone chained the Great Sage"s anklestogether, G.o.dou displayed his unrelenting will."Aaaaaaaaah!"Even though his injuries were severe, they were not fatal. He ran at fullspeed using the [Raptor] while Cuore di Leone continued to entangle theGreat Sage who was trying to chase him. The divine monkey anxiouslytried to sever the chain, but just as he chopped with his knife hand, thegiant waves arrived."Oooooooooh!?"The ma.s.sive waves devoured the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.That should buy some time. G.o.dou ran west with G.o.dly speed.There was no need to worry about retrieval because Cuore di Leone wasthe indestructible magic sword and could be re-summoned by magic.Thankfully, G.o.dou"s G.o.dly speed had some remaining stamina and he wasable to run at full speed for a good many seconds. His shoulder and theflank of his abdomen hurt immensely, and the heart pain was graduallybeginning to intensify."Are you all right? Kusanagi G.o.dou!?"At the meeting point, Liliana was the one who came out to receive him.Ena who had been in charge of firing the signal gun, also arrived with Yurisupported on her arm. Yuri looked completely exhausted, and herconsciousness was in a clouded state."Your Majesty! Yuri has successfully completed the mission, you mustpraise her well later."The Hime-Miko of the Sword reported to the king.Meanwhile, Erica was staring at the silver SUV with a severe look in hereyes."W-What"s up? Something happened?""Annie-san, who should have arrived first, is not here. Also..."Hearing G.o.dou"s query, Erica gestured to the vehicle.The seat and door on the driver"s side were stained red with blood, and thereddish-black color was smeared over the body of the car.If all this blood came from one person, he or she must have been criticallyinjured to leave behind such stains.As G.o.dou noticed the car key that was still in the ignition, his cellphonebegan to vibrate."l-lt"s my phone, can someone pick it up for me? There seems to be anincoming call."G.o.dou felt worried by the timing of the call. Since his body had started toparalyze, G.o.dou asked Liliana who was closest to him to pick up thephone."It is a text message from Annie Charlton."The knight showed the cellphone screen to G.o.dou. On it was written thecurt message of "Annie has been hurt in an accident, and I have retrievedher. Do not worry. JS.""Though we can speculate all sorts of things from the content of thismessage, discuss it later. Let"s get out of here first and find a place to healG.o.dou and treat Yuri."Erica spoke after reading the text message.I rely on you for now, leaving everything in your hands. You must find away to escape... G.o.dou communicated with his eyes to the blonde femaleknight who had guaranteed absolute success for her plan."Can anyone drive? By the way, Ena can"t."Placing the exhausted Yuri and G.o.dou on the back seats of the car, Enaasked the rest."No one here has reached the legal age for a driving license... Fine, I willthink of a solution.""Wait a minute, you can drive!?"Seeing Erica make her way into the driver"s seat, Liliana questioned as shesat on the pa.s.senger seat beside her."If you know how to drive, why do you leave things to that maid all thetime!? T-Thanks to her, I have had so many near-death experiences!"Clearly, Liliana had received rides from Arianna before.Hearing the valid criticisms of her rival and longtime friend, Erica smiledglamorously."Oh my, isn"t that an exceedingly simple question? First of all, I don"t havea driver"s license. Furthermore, such a crude means of transport is not fit tobe a knight"s beloved mount. Finally, today is my first time driving thisthing."After her most intimidating confession, Erica stepped on the gas pedal.Carrying the group, the silver SUV began to rush forward madly withfrightening momentum.Fortunately, there were no cars in front or moving in the opposite direction.Otherwise, a car crash would likely have resulted."Don"t worry, I"ve been watching Arianna and other people drive all thetime. Stepping here is the accelerator, that one is for slowing down, andturning this will control the... Yes, I"ve basically understood it all."In just a few minutes, the car began to move smoothly and steadily underErica"s driving.Erica drove with such a graceful posture that one would not have troublebelieving she had five years of driving experience. Truly, Erica Blandelliwas no ordinary person, to be able to grasp the essentials of driving just bycasually observing others without deliberate intent. Absolutely, she was anexceptionally capable and talented girl.(However, she was clearly unfamiliar with traffic regulations, though itwould be unfair to insist on judging her on this requirement.)With that, the original worries concerning their method of escape weredispelled.However, a new sense of worry and anxiety surfaced with the pursuer whohad appeared."Wow... What is going on, this is too unbelievable!"Turning her head back, Ena could not resist exclaiming.Chasing the car from behind was a gigantic hand that was connected to adensely fur-covered monkey"s arm. Looking back, an enormous version ofthe Great Sage Equaling Heaven blotted the entire night sky."Hahahaha! G.o.dslayer, to think you are over there! Watch me and see howI will prevent your escape!"A very cheerful-sounding voice came from the sky above.The voice was no longer Mariya Hikari"s, but the same one used by themonkey divine monarch.Now his t.i.tle was the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, and the one-of-its-kinddivine monkey had blown up in size. Currently, his head was high enoughfor direct contact with clouds in the night sky, and he extended his ma.s.sivearm, trying to grab a hold of the car in which everyone was riding.Erica skillfully swerved the car left and right, evading his efforts to capturethem.The Great Sage Equaling Heaven continued to make attempts again andagain. Extending his arm, missing; extending his arm, missing.However, at last his fingertips touched the rear lights of the vehicle.The car was sent off course and lost stability, and just as it was about to hitthe sidewalk railings, Erica turned the steering wheel to correct the courseand finally slammed on the brakes.The left side of the car had a collision and the impact shook the entirevehicle along with the pa.s.sengers.Luckily a serious frontal crash was avoided, but the car continued to spinfor a good many revolutions before it finally stopped.During this time, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven had finally caught up.After some minor preparations, Annie concealed all traces of herself for thetime being.She watched as Erica, Liliana and Ena left, escorting the two incapacitatedmembers of the team. In order to chase after them, the Great Sage haddeliberately transformed himself into a ma.s.sive form that towered into theclouds."Other than being ostentatious, that kind of size offers no actual benefit inreal combat... Simply stated, he is a vain G.o.d that loves seeking attention."Discerning the nature of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong,Annie could not help but shrug her shoulders.She wanted to collect more information first, but the current situation nolonger allowed her to do so.Though her principles were important, it would be placing the cart beforethe horse if she abandoned those girls to their fate."...Birth, death, and the infinite — "Annie quietly chanted the spell words.This was the spell for her to summon her outfit and magic gun, thusachieving an instant change of appearance.Her face became covered by the black mask, along with the characteristicvisor that resembled an insect"s compound eyes. The black cape flutteredin the wind over the elegant and n.o.ble blue-themed outfit.In the waist holster was a steel-colored large caliber revolver. The feetwore iron-tipped black leather boots.The devil king who lorded over the darkness of Los Angeles — John PlutoSmith had made his entrance.In that instant, Annie Charlton"s existence vanished. This man was themasked hero, and though he saved the citizens, he was also the tyrantwho enslaved them to do his bidding. Without any sense of punctuality, hewas a n.o.bleman who loved pretension and acting mysteriously.Somehow, this had evolved into Annie"s second personality. It wascompletely baffling.With audible footsteps of leather boots, Smith walked along the scenicroads of the countryside.His target was neither the Great Sage up in the clouds nor the directionwhere the car drove off to.Instead, he approached the central streets of the Chuuzenji hot springs,the area devastated by the tidal wave caused by the Great Knights.It was now night, and the perfect time most suited to John Pluto Smith. Thenew moon and the twinkling stars shone in the autumn sky as the curtainsof the dark night were lowered. Illumination in the streets came from streetlamps and domestic lighting."By my name as the king of the underworld I hereby decree. Makeofferings to the legs of the beast traversing the dark night. O Light, thouneedst only illuminate my path towards conquest!"Chanting the spell words, Smith activated his authority.This was the power named [Metamorphosis] by the Witenagemot.This was the authority that granted the black-clad hero the supernaturalability to transform into other avatars in exchange for various [Sacrifices].When artificial lighting was sacrificed, Smith transformed into a jaguar!Smith"s body took on form of a jaguar, its entire body covered by yellow furwith brown spots. Its emerald green eyes flashed in the darkness.It ran. Just as the car took off just then and the Great Sage EqualingHeaven chased after it, the jaguar ran full speed along the asphalt pavedroad, traversing several hundred miles in just a few dozens of seconds.This was one of the magical powers possessed by the [Jaguar]transformation.Luckily it caught up just as the car carrying G.o.dou and the rest was forcedto stop, apparently having hit the railing. The Great Sage, whose giantbody blocked the view of the sky, also suddenly stopped reaching out withhis arm.He must have noticed. Whenever a devil king approached a G.o.d, theyinstinctively sensed each other"s existence.Their bodies and minds would automatically enter a battle-ready state.Smith released the jaguar transformation and returned to the black-clad,black-masked appearance."To think I would encounter two G.o.dslayers here... No, the smell is differentfrom the other fellow. One would never expect a third was hidden here!Hahaha, having no lack of opponents sure will be fun!""If you already know it, then shut up with the meaningless chatter."There was never any need to take the trouble of disguising herself as aman. Originally, it was a deliberate choice to play a different persona.However, starting at some point in time, her personality automaticallyshifted as soon as she put on the mask."Great Sage Equaling Heaven... All deities who cower secluded in myhomeland know of my name. If possible, you would do well to rememberthe name of John Pluto Smith."Introducing herself, she pulled out the steel-colored revolver.Since a new moon had pa.s.sed after the battle with Asherah, the six bulletshad already been replenished."Yes, you do possess the power to back up your words. And for that thingto be filled with such a repulsive aura, it is clearly a weapon designed toannihilate my kind."After seeing the magic gun, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven commentedwith great interest.As expected of a monkey G.o.d, his sense of smell was exceptionally sharp.Also, the Great Sage began to shrink his body.Back to a height of 160cm or so, rather than a monkey, he was moresimilar to a human covered with dense fur, with the Beijing opera costumeand wielding the Ruyi Staff.Ma.s.sive creatures lacked agility and so the giant body would have beenunable to evade the bullets.Hence he chose to shrink his size. Anyway, how was the condition of theother Campione? Smith glanced at the back of the car where KusanagiG.o.dou"s body was lying against the seat.Though his body was clearly powerless to fight, his eyes showed noexhaustion and exhibited the relentless will in his heart. As befitting of aking, he did not despair in such a crisis.Smith smiled beneath his mask.With zero immunity against men, Annie Charlton had been deliberatelyavoiding G.o.dou, but on the other hand, John Pluto Smith did notdisapprove of him.Building romantic relationships with numerous girls and enjoying thepleasure of love.This was the pastime of libertine intellectuals. Precisely because Anniecould not comprehend such a concept, that woman had been plagued withthe loneliness of being single!As he criticized his other personality, Smith noticed something.The heretic [Steel], the Great Sage Equaling Heaven"s divine power wasrising rapidly. It was so powerful that it surpa.s.sed all the deities he hadever met. What was going on!?With nervous eyes, Kusanagi G.o.dou watched the divine monkey throughan open car window."Pardon my impertinence of my request, but I shall handle this. You peopleshould escape first.""You wish for my lord to owe you a favor? ...John Smith-sama."As soon as he spoke to the girls, Erica answered from the driver"s seat.As befitting the high cla.s.s young lady of the Blandelli family, as well as afamous celebrity in the realm of magi, Erica"s inquiry carried a verygraceful tone.The reason why she omitted the name of Pluto, was probably because thetext message was signed by "JS.""Favor? No, it is because you all have shown hospitality to my collaborator,which is why I must do something as a thank you gift. In the language ofloans, this would be called clearing one"s debts."The pleasure of trying to decipher each other"s motives in this conversationwith the beautiful girl proved to be something rarely found in Los Angeles.If the black mask had the capability to show facial expressions, surely itwould be smiling now."It is my style to always return good favors, and fortunately I possess anauthority that could match the monkey king. So please, leave things tome?""Of course, Smith-sama. My lord and I shall return your favor someday.Given the current situation, please allow me to express our grat.i.tude in hisstead."The corner of Erica Blandelli"s lips showed a highly refined smile.Their car started once again, accelerating once then accelerating evenfurther, and soon disappeared out of sight."Hohoho, you think you can match me, what audacity! Very well, let OldSun here show you his divine power, and I shall finish this grand divinesummoning spell right now!"The Great Sage Equaling Heaven snickered to himself as two stonefigures suddenly appeared in his hand.One was an armored soldier with a pig"s head, while the other looked likesome sort of demonic deity with hair standing on end like flames."The treasure mirror reflects the Earth and the Heavens, the divine swordconjoins Yin and Yang! I, Great Sage Equaling Heaven, hereby summonmy sworn brothers by our pact of fraternity! Come forth, Middle Bro, ZhuGanglie!"As the Great Sage tossed the figure of the armored soldier, it expanded insize and became a [Heretic G.o.d].He had a pig"s head covered with dense black fur, and a comedic facedespite menacing tusks. The plump and solidly built ma.s.sive body waswearing black armor."Come forth, Lil 1 Bro Vaisravana!"This time the figure of the demonic deity that was tossed also manifestedinto a G.o.d, with a head of stiff spiky crimson hair, a face like a ferociousdemon, ashen black skin, a dismal gloomy expression, and over histattered clothing was a set of blue armor."Oh well, at least I"m back.""We meet again, Big Bro, Middle Bro. I suppose our task is to eliminatethat fellow before us?"The two G.o.ds descending upon the earth spoke.Zhu Ganglie — Zhu Bajie. Vaisravana — Sha Wujing. Together with SunWukong, this was three against one!"Let me display the admiral"s prowess I have long hidden away... TheCurtain-Lifting General shall command the great navy, expelling all evil. Letdragons be summoned and rain shall fall!"Once Vaisravana finished chanting, a pillar of water surged up strongly likea geyser, breaking through the asphalt of the paved road. Rushing towardsthe sky, its shape began to change, becoming a creature with a longslender body, four short limbs, a reptilian face, and horns on its head.This appearance was essentially a dragon"s.Vaisravana controlled the dragon born from water."I will display my martial prowess as the former general in the royal guard,savor this well!"Standing upon the head of the water dragon, Vaisravana boasted withpride.The dragon"s appearance with its lowered gaze was most awe-inspiring. Itwas like a sculpture made of water."Wow, Lil" Bro sure looks cool eh."Zhu Ganglie looked a bit crestfallen."I am also known as the Great Patriarch of the Nine Heavens, theForemost Spiritual Grand Master, Keeper of the Beginning and the GreatVoid, the Marshal Canopy Divine Monarch! In other words, the GreatEmperor"s marshal! In the name of my martial might, let the north star berevealed!"Yelling out a string of pretentious t.i.tles, Zhu Ganglie"s body turned into agiant.Expanding until a height of 15m or so, he also became three-headed andsix-armed like an Asura.Basically, additional pig faces grew out on the left and right of his originalface while each shoulder gained an extra pair of arms. The six armswielded a sword, a halberd, an axe, a club, a bow and arrows respectively.The body continued to be clad in pitch black armor.Zhu Ganglie stepped forward with his bizarre body. Boom! The groundresounded as it shook."Hurry and give chase! Make haste and catch up to those fellows justnow!"As the Great Sage gave his orders, two giant apes appeared out of theground.These were the giant ape-shaped divine beasts that G.o.dou"s group hadmet on their way through the mountain path. The two divine beasts beganto run forward with incredible speed.Though their bodies looked huge, their speed was extremely fast. Smithwished for good fortune to G.o.dou and his group as he transformed into the[Jaguar] once again. In this short time, he had already metamorphosedquite a number of times."In actual fact, I already received news earlier that you can call inreinforcements.""Oh? What are you trying to say?"With an impatient tone, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven answered thejaguar"s whispers."However, why have you waited until now to summon them... This is a veryinteresting question. The way I see it, you are a very vain deity that lovesattention. If you had such a spectacular move available, what wouldprevent you from showing off right from the start?"Smith had already deduced a plausible answer beforehand.If the conjecture was correct, then there was no need to deliberately andrecklessly rush headlong into a three-versus-one fight.The precious arrows of the moon G.o.ddess Artemis only had six shots, andnow it was necessary to fire one of them... Smith opened the jaguar"smouth and shot a magic bullet!It was not necessary to fire them from the magic gun when in ametamorphosed state — rather, the causality went the opposite way.The gun was a weapon created for the purpose of controlling Artemis"authority with a human body.The flash of white lightning streaked across the sky, resembling a flyingdragon. The three G.o.ds entered a prepared stance, clearly aware of thepower possessed by the moon G.o.ddess" arrow. However, Smith"s goal wasnot defeating them.The magic bullet exploded in the air.Like a supernova, bright light burst forth from the explosion, illuminating theentire surroundings with a white color.However, this explosion was neither accompanied by heat nor impact. Itwas only a flash of light that acted as a visual diversion.It was the strongest diversion in the world, with the ability to scorch thevision of G.o.ds.But since the enemies were G.o.ds, it was possible they might give chaseusing hearing, smell or extrasensory perception.Hence, before he began his escape, Smith used the entirety of the[Jaguarj"s magic powers, just in case.Part 2Erica floored the gas pedal without hesitation and sped through the nightalong National Route 120.She had noticed the two giant apes that were pursuing them and regularlychecked the rear view mirror for their position. Though it would take themtime to catch up, the distance was gradually shrinking.Despite their ma.s.sive bodies over 10m tall, the giant apes ran withincredible speed.This was surprising to Erica. Generally speaking, most wild beasts werenot suited to long distance running because their thick fur prevented themfrom using sweat effectively to maintain body temperatures. Persistingactivity would soon lead to overheating and instant exhaustion.In terms of stamina, human beings were actually at the pinnacle of allterrestrial mammals."Lily, do you think we can shake them off by using flight magic?""Only if they do not know how to fly. It is worth a try, but if that spell isused, we will become defenseless...""Then it"s better if we don"t use it. Yesterday I saw that certain monkey flylike a rocket."Erica, Liliana and Ena, the three remaining combatants, discussed theiroptions briefly."Then that only leaves... Attacking them head on."Erica murmured as she gripped the steering wheel tightly.If only they could breach the mountain pa.s.s. But attacking them head onwas equivalent to suicide.What they needed was a team of Great Knight-level specialists to fightafter making detailed battle plans and preparations, and thus achievevictory... Even then, chances of survival were still quite low. That was thelevel of power that divine beasts possessed."Anyway, let Ena take care of one of them. If I use divine possession, itshould be an equal match."Even though repeated use of that technique carried fatal risk fromdepletion of spirit powers, the Hime-Miko made the proposal andvolunteered with a matter-of-fact tone of voice."That is to say, we two are going to face the remaining one? If this was aduel, it would be a taint to our honor.""However, we are simply driving off monsters, so there is no justification forsuch rumors. Looking at it another way, for us to obtain victory with ournumbers would be a legendary feat."Erica was unfazed by the silver-haired knight"s various concerns.She continued to accelerate, not to lose the pursuers but to maintain thedistance and get ready to mount a frontal a.s.sault.After a while, the car came to a parking lot.A little further ahead was a pa.s.sing stream as well as a concrete bridge.This place was clearly in the mountains, but the presence of restaurantsand a bus stop indicated it was some kind of tourist destination."This is the Dragon Head Falls. If you go deeper in the mountains fromhere, you will see the waterfall."Ena surveyed the surroundings.They stopped the car in the parking lot. The only ones who got off wereErica, Liliana and Ena.Yuri was still in a daze while G.o.dou was immobile. Having endured theparalysis of the [Raptor]"s aftereffects and the pain of the piercedabdomen, he slipped into deep sleep.The two of them were left in the car, but before that, Erica opened the doorto the back seat and kissed her exhausted beloved. Though she really didnot want this to be a farewell kiss, it could very well be their last. At thesame time, she also took the opportunity to apply healing magic.Unlike the day before, G.o.dou did not have the awareness to complain."Hmm..."As she let go of his lips, G.o.dou moaned."Please rest for a while, and I will return to your side as soon as possible.Regarding Ena, you still need to be taught a lesson."Erica whispered in G.o.dou"s ear and left the vehicle after lightly kissing hisearlobe. Liliana and Ena both showed an expression that said "d.a.m.n it, toolate!" but they tried to pretend as if nothing had happened.As the two giant apes approached with awkward motions, Ena was the firstto act."Trudging through gra.s.sy plains beneath the morning mist, the soles of thefeet gradually moistened... Marching through that Nagashino plain,crossing the barrier of the Shirakawa River — Seishuuin Ena has arrived!"The Hime-Miko of the Sword finished chanting the spell words, and thoughthe portion was small, a divine aura filled her body.As Ena"s guardian deity, Susanoo"s divine power was infused into herbody. The two giant apes stared at her, clearly judging Ena to be a greatthreat."I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregationwill I praise thee."^ ^"O sword of Saul, the warrior"s weapon fast as an eagle and strong as alion. Descend into my hand now!"Chanting their respective incantations, Erica and Liliana finished their spellwords of David. ^Infusing their beloved swords with spell words, the two swords revealedtheir true forms, with Cuore di Leone transformed into a broad-bladedlongsword while II Maestro became a naginata. The red and blue bandieracapes also manifested on the two knights."Lily, let"s divert one of the divine beasts first!""Acknowledged! I will attack from above, you go from below!"Erica approached the closer of the two giant apes and stabbed Cuore diLeone"s sharp blade into its ankle. Infused with the spell words of hate anddespair, it cut through the fur and hide of the unsuspecting giant monkey.Blue-colored blood gushed out from the wound.The giant ape cast a violent gaze towards the interloper at its feet. As iftoying with the beast, Erica once again made a thrust, causing evengreater injury to the giant ape"s foot.ROOAAARR! The giant ape"s eyes went bloodshot, fully intent on takingrevenge against Erica.At this time, Liliana took a leap. Moving as light as a swallow, she deftlylanded on the giant ape"s knee. Using this foothold for the next jump,Liliana gracefully flew through the air, brandishing II Maestro as shetraveled, embedding the naginata into the left eye of the giant ape.The eyeball was pierced. GAAAAAAAAHM The giant ape screamed inagony.Its remaining eye became clouded with hate and fury.Erica and Liliana, who had just landed, turned around and began to run.Their first goal was to charge into the nearby forest and begin runningaway at full speed.In order to chase the blonde and silver-haired knights, the injured giant aperushed into the forest.It felt like someone had applied healing magic, and the sense of pain hadlessened greatly.Finding the stiffness of his body released, the awakened G.o.dou surveyedthe interior of the car. Yuri was beside him, leaning against the car doorand making short and rapid breathing noises. The others had left — no, hecould spot one of his companions outside the window.Wielding a j.a.panese sword, Seishuuin Ena was fighting a giant ape.As the giant ape attacked with its long and thick arms, Ena rapidly jumpedto evade.The Hime-Miko landed on the giant ape"s arm and used the remainingmomentum to run upwards along it.With monkey-like agility, Ena swiftly pa.s.sed the upper arm and stopped atthe giant ape"s shoulder. The target of her sword seemed to be the beast"scarotid artery in the neck.At this time, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew from the side, sendingEna flying from the giant ape"s shoulder.This was no accident but holy wind caused by the divine beast"s spiritualpowers. The Hime-Miko landed with a somersault, but the wind began tohowl violently once more, intent on blowing her away.The wind was strong enough to cause the car"s windows to clatter andshake."Hearing the noise, catching sight of the waterfall... Like mountain valleysand ocean straits — "Ena chanted spell words and at the same time, the wind around herseemed to die down.This was the divine power of Susanoo! Ena"s guardian deity was the G.o.d ofstorms, domination and steel — a great and powerful deity possessingmany types of divine powers. This time it was Ena"s turn to control thewind.The wind bellowed and became razor-sharp, forming an uncountablenumber of blades to slice up the giant ape.The sacred monkey roared in agony. But even though it was injured, noneof the wounds were critical.It was like using a craft knife to victimize a person. As long as critical pointswere not targeted, a decisive blow could not be dealt. Despite the severaldozens of wounds it had received, the giant ape continued to aim its fistsat Ena.By the slimmest of margins, Ena evaded the simple but direct straightpunch.Though the situation currently looked even, the battle definitely favored theside with the overwhelming weight advantage. Ena"s movements began tolose agility, and it was clear that ma.s.sive amounts of her stamina had beendepleted from consecutive usage of divine possession!Wanting to help her, G.o.dou left the vehicle, but his knees gave way andcollapsed.The giant ape exhaled, its breath turning into a blast of compressed airaiming for Ena."Aaaaaah!"Blown mercilessly into the air and slamming into the ground, theHime-Miko of the Sword screamed in pain.Unlike her usual cheerfulness, the voice sounded most desperate as Enatried to use her sword as a crutch, her legs shaking as she attempted tostand up. Watching all this happen, G.o.dou began to notice something.Verethragna"s sixth incarnation, the [Youth] was now available for use."W-Why would it suddenly be like this!?""That power is for those who fight for you. A power that awakens only inextreme crises."Yuri suddenly spoke with a weak voice.Was it another divine oracle from spirit vision? Yuri declared solemnly atthe shocked G.o.dou."The protection bestowed by the Persian Warlord, has the power to resistdeath and vanquish evil. Please use it well."Yuri bowed her head once again and continued to hyperventilate. Sheclearly had not recovered from the burden of using spirit vision. Anyway,was it all right to leave her like this? Shouldn"t someone give her propertreatment?G.o.dou felt his senses become extremely sharp. Currently, how manypeople needed [Protection]?One, two, three, four... So many? In such a short time, everyone wasbacked into a corner to such an extent?G.o.dou gazed at the hyperventilating Yuri and watched Ena continuing tofight despite dragging her ma.s.sively exhausted body. He also becameaware of Erica and Liliana who were trapped in a desperate situation outthere somewhere.— Death cannot be allowed to threaten them here.They were in a most desperate crisis with no salvation in sight. Since theenemies were divine underlings, it would normally be a hopeless situationfor the girls. However, G.o.dou felt that he must save them. I will not let youdie. My life of battle will not finish in such a place, and I will stay with youall until the bitter end. This was Kusanagi G.o.dou"s wish and promise tohimself.Ena fell down a second time and was just about to be crushed beneath thegiant ape"s foot.Without hesitation, G.o.dou rushed out, using Verethragna"s [Bull] form.Making use of the incarnation that fought strength with strength, G.o.doutook on the sole of the giant ape"s foot with his arms."Your Majesty...!?""Haaaaaaaaaah!"Ena looked up as G.o.dou applied monstrous strength, throwing the monkeyup in the air with all his might. Suspended in midair, the giant ape showeda dazzled expression.How should it be taken care of next? Just as G.o.dou pondered, a beam ofbright white light flashed past.Like a shining flying dragon, the light penetrated the giant ape"s head andcontinued onwards as if it still had other prey to chase after in a straighttrajectory.The giant ape"s body collapsed like a pile of sand, and the particlesscattered in the wind.Even when Ena used the divine power of Susanoo"s [Wind], it was notpossible to defeat one of those giant apes in one hit.Driven by instinct, G.o.dou gazed into the depths of the darkness where thelight seemed to have been fired from, and found a jaguar waiting there.Part 3The giant ape was unrelenting in chasing after Erica and Liliana.Despite a height of over 10m and weighing 10 tonnes at least, the giantape possessed speed and agility rivaling the great knights. They could notshake it off their trail!In this mixed coniferous and deciduous forest, a battle of despair wastaking place.With one eye destroyed by Liliana, the giant ape drew in a deep breath.ROAR! Exhaling all at once, the breath became a violent storm thatdevastated the mountain forest. Leaves and branches were blown awayand even entire tree trunks were snapped.The Great Knights were also blown into the ground. As they crawled backup, the giant ape loomed over them.Erica and Liliana instantly prepared Cuore di Leone and II Maestro. Infusedwith the spell words of David, even G.o.ds could be sliced open by thesemagic swords, but it still left the open problem of delivering the sharpblades to the opponent"s critical points. In a fight against divine beasts,would things really go that smoothly?The giant ape opened its mouth wide. A red fire was lit in the depths of itsthroat, and intense flames were breathed out."Be thou destroyed on the day of my birth!""Not once blessed by the Lord, O Light, shinest not upon this land!"Erica and Liliana used fire-resistant defensive magic.Since fire and lightning were the easiest natural phenomena to use fordirect attacks, there existed a vast array of defensive spells to defendagainst them, though the flames of G.o.ds and dragons could not becompletely neutralized.Even so, the two of them were able to weaken the incoming attack almostby half. In the end, it was time for the Great Knight"s capes to prove theirworth. These garments, called bandiera, contained protection magic andmanaged to defend them from the heat of the fire.However, the giant ape opened its mouth for the third time. After blowingstrong wind and intense flames, this time was a red mist! Trees devouredby the mist rapidly withered. It was poisonous!?Erica and Liliana raised the magical power within their bodies to resist thedemonic poison, but their efforts were in vain. The two were struck by anabnormal sense of scorching heat, and their throat and lungs felt as ifburning from inside.The giant ape swung its right arm to follow up. With a loud crash, itdescended upon them like a frightening hammer, but Erica and Lilianawere too weakened by the poison to evade.Erica transformed Cuore di Leone into a large rectangular shield, bigenough to cover her entire body."Mmmm!"Blocking the giant ape"s fist, the great shield was crushed and shattered.As the pieces scattered all over the ground, Erica was sent flying and intoa deciduous tree, felling it. Liliana took this opportunity to slice at the giantape"s extended right arm.Having taken on the form of a naginata, II Maestro was infused with thespell words of David.This slashing attack sliced open the giant ape"s wrist — the part containingthe artery, splashing fresh blue-colored blood everywhere.ROOOAAARRMAs if expressing its abundant battle spirit and vitality, the giant ape roaredferociously.Aiming at Liliana, the beast swung its left arm like a hammer. This wasbad!The blue knight had been greatly weakened by the poisonous mist, andher body was no longer as agile as a flying swallow. However, Lilianareversed II Maestro and aimed the sharp blade of the naginata to stab thegiant ape"s hand.Gawaaaaaaaa! The giant ape roared as if it was crying out in pain.But this was the limit of Liliana"s counterattack. The furious giant apeswung its right arm and sent her fairy-like body flying with a punch."Mmm... Ah— !"After rolling many times on the ground, Liliana vomited blood as shestruggled to get up.But she was unable to do so, and the blue bandiera had also vanished.The sacred garment with the blue and black stripes took on part of thedamage received by its master, and disappeared.Erica and Liliana were both heavily injured and unable to continue directcombat.At this moment, unexpected help arrived. A flash of white light streakedacross the sky, piercing the giant ape"s temples in a splendid manner like asilver-white dragon.The troublesome divine beast collapsed like a pile of sand. Who was theirsavior? Kusanagi G.o.dou"s authority was not capable of something like this,so it must be...Erica pondered as she lay on the ground, unable to move, her mind andbody totally exhausted. Her neighbor Liliana appeared to be in the samestate.Ravaged by the poisonous mist, the two of them soon lost consciousness.The scenery of lush green mountain forest, red leaves, as well as riversand streams, all seemed to be devoured by darkness.If one listened closely, the sounds of the forest could be heard, like themotions of branches, the call of insects, and the squirming of unknowncreatures. Amongst them, a jaguar was lying in wait."Regarding the knights, you have no need to worry. When I struck downthe giant ape here, I used the opportunity to snipe the other one that wasthreatening those girls... Just don"t go around accusing me of stealing yourkill and it"ll be fine."The jaguar"s voice carried a teasing tone to it.It had the elegant sound of a male tenor"s voice.G.o.dou nodded."So, Kusanagi G.o.dou, is there a need for me to re-introduce myself?"The jaguar turned into a human, a strange person wearing a jet black capewith a black mask.What ridiculous cosplay... Somehow this thought did not enter G.o.dou"smind. Was it because of the prestige and pressure brought by his trueident.i.ty? John Pluto Smith was the man whom G.o.dou had heard aboutmany times before."No, there is no need... So you have come to j.a.pan."Was it because the other person"s age was unknown? For some unknownreason, G.o.dou didn"t feel like talking in respectful tones.No matter what, the other guy was definitely older than him... Due to livingin America (actually his nationality was a mystery), the strange persondressed in black showed no signs of being offended."By the way, didn"t Charlton tell you guys? I may give off a lazy impressionto others, but I"m actually quite hardworking."The strange man in black laughed, causing the mask to vibrate."That"s right, is Annie-san safe now? She seemed to be hurt.""She was injured by the monkeys" attacks, and is seeking refuge to receivetreatment. Things have now developed to the final stage — it"s time for afull on direct confrontation with the G.o.ds. I judged that at this time, the aidof my a.s.sistant is no longer required."The hero of Los Angeles explained as G.o.dou nodded."Anyway, let me give you a report of the latest developments. After you lotescaped, I encountered the Great Sage and his two subordinate G.o.ds. Itwas quite a dangerous predicament, but I managed to break through andescape."Who would have thought that the guy could escape from a three againstone situation.Seeing G.o.dou"s eyes of admiration, Smith laughed rather maliciously."It was nothing. Having no intention to fight, I simply used magic to concealmyself and focused on running away, that"s all."Smith once again took on the form of a jaguar. Melding its yellow andbrown fur into the darkness, it vanished.As G.o.dou watched in amazement, amidst the many streetlights along theNational Route, Smith appeared in his jaguar form out of the shadows castby those streetlights.The magical power to move from darkness to darkness, from shadow toshadow. So that"s how it was done. This ability was really quite suited formaking escapes.The supernatural jaguar immediately returned to the form of the weirdodressed in black."That said, I also used up one of my trump cards... But since I had no wishfor a frontal confrontation with an enemy whose solid defenses are like asteel wall, the trump had to be used."Impressively, it was apparent that Smith had observed G.o.dou"s fight withthe Great Sage."Those of [Steel]"s kind seem to be afraid of heat and flames hot enough tomelt steel. I once heard that from the G.o.ds.""It makes sense. When the time comes, I will need to use a particularmove.""You have a solution?""Sort of, but I"ve heard that you plan on rescuing the girl captured by theGreat Sage? If that"s the case, that move cannot be used. For you to fightthe Great Sage under such a great handicap, do you have any confidenceyou can win?""There are three enemies... I can"t handle them all, but I would like to setout a condition."The insect-like compound eyes on the mask met with G.o.dou"s gaze."Condition? That"s interesting, pray tell me.""Namely, do not a.s.sist me. I have decided to duel the Great Sage one onone. Before everything is settled, can you stand aside?"The Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong, had already flaunted hisenormous power twice.Whenever G.o.dou thought about the situation, somehow he really felt likecomplaining about how ridiculous and unreasonable it was. However, sincethe opponent was a G.o.d, having inexplicable powers was only natural."...You have already noticed it. How sharp of you."Smith"s mask vibrated from laughter. Apparently, he too, had noticed thesame thing.Noticing that he was clearly being tested, G.o.dou came to such aconclusion."Even though your taste in clothing is very weird, I do believe you are aserious person at heart. But then again, something is still a little off, howshould I put it? You have something wrong with your personality, aneccentric.""Unfortunately, you"re a poor judge of character."Smith deliberately imitated G.o.dou"s exasperated tone of voice."Wearing appropriate clothing for dramatic situations is called being stylish.I am not some kind of eccentric, but there are principles I cannotcompromise. A slightly stubborn man, that"s all."G.o.dou couldn"t help but smile wryly at the pretentious man who couldmake such complicated justifications with complete fluency. If there was achance in the future, G.o.dou really wanted to watch his performance on atheater stage."Of course, I do have other concerns. Listen carefully, this is what Ibelieve. Possessing great power without a sense of responsibility is just asculpable as committing crimes! With great power comes greatresponsibility, and with it, n.o.blesse oblige!"Smith fluttered his cape.It was truly like a theatrical gesture in the way it prioritized the firstimpressions of audiences."I have already heard from Charlton that your personal life is quiteproblematic.""T-That"s Annie-san"s misunderstanding. It"s actually not that serious.""You don"t have to entertain me with excuses. I am a far moreopen-minded person than that woman. Freedom of love is justice. Theimportant thing is that you don"t abandon your responsibilities as a result ofpursuing multiple romantic relationships. You have already proven yourcharacter when you took initiative in fighting G.o.ds on the front lines."The masked devil king dressed in black was truly a living legend ofcontrived justifications.Concluding that this youth lived in a completely separate world, heextended his leather-gloved right hand."Kusanagi G.o.dou, as long as the fact of your becoming the ally of JohnPluto Smith does not pose a particular hindrance to me, I will accede toyour request and simply stand back and observe. Of course, if a suitableopportunity arises for a grand entrance, I reserve the right to make mymove!"Clearly there was no room for objection. G.o.dou also extended his right andshook hands.G.o.dou was secretly surprised to find the touch of Smith"s hand to be softerthan he could imagine.Part 4Having shaken hands, G.o.dou asked Smith to track down the GreatKnights" position using magic.Smith snapped his fingers.Despite dampening from the leather glove, the sound was still quite clear.What kind of strange skill was it... Roughly thirty seconds pa.s.sed, duringwhich G.o.dou pondered this as he waited. With a thud, the sound ofsomething heavy being dropped was heard.Turning his head back, G.o.dou found Erica and Liliana"s bodies lying on theground.They were in a delirious state, as if struggling against some kind of illness,and both were hyperventilating."I tasked spirits from the Astral Plane to carry them over... They appear tobe poisoned. You must reward your lovers well for having fought hard foryour sake.""Of course! ...But they are not my lovers, okay?""Nothing less expected of you. That"s right, because of unfavorablerumors, other euphemisms must be used normally. You may be young, butwhat a clever and slippery fellow you are!"After making this final joke, Smith walked into the darkness, once againturning into a jaguar and disappeared.What a man with such intense oppressive presence. However, there wasno time to dwell on these matters, for G.o.dou still had pressing concerns toattend to.Before him were the injured Erica Blandelli and Liliana Kranjcar.Not far away, there was also the exhausted Ena Seishuuin, as well as Yuriwho had yet to recover consciousness.G.o.dou confirmed once again that the [Youth] incarnation could be used.According to legends, the Persian Warlord Verethragna took on the form ofa radiant fifteen-year-old youth when he descended upon the earth as ahero. This incarnation had saved Erica in the past when she collapsed inthe Astral Plane, and now it was time to make use of it again....But using it meant doing that particular ritual with everyone!It was truly quite a predicament. But if he didn"t do it, he would not be ableto save these girls! G.o.dou wished from the bottom of his heart to savethem, and was filled with fury at his own inept.i.tude.Since things have come to this, who cares anymore! Partially out ofreckless abandon, G.o.dou resolved himself to use the [Youth].Hesitation and fear both vanished.His mind became as clear and calm as a serene water surface.Perhaps this feeling was exactly what was meant by the expression "calmas a lake." G.o.dou found everything around him had become exceedinglysimple to perceive.Why am I hesitating over pointless things? Didn"t I tell myself before?Doubt no further, just go ahead and save everyone.At this time, Erica pushed to lift her torso. It was an act of such extremeweakness that it did not match the [Diavolo Rosso].However, this was the result of fighting for Kusanagi G.o.dou."...G.o.dou, you"re going to use that [Protection] again? And this time oneveryone?""Yes, because it"s necessary."Despite the weakened state of her body, Erica still put on airs and turnedher head with a sulking expression."What is it? You look displeased.""Only I am allowed to do that with G.o.dou... Only my body is allowed tohouse your power. I have been contemplating this all along, but you arejust going ahead and recklessly involving everyone... Furthermore, I... stillhaven"t given you permission to take Ena as your lover.""I don"t need your permission for every single thing I do, right?"G.o.dou deliberately spoke coldly, causing Erica to turn her face to the otherside."As Kusanagi G.o.dou"s lover and future first lady, as well as the womanwho is your knight, it is only natural for me to possess this special privilege.Rather it is you, G.o.dou, who should respect me more.""Respect?""Yes, ever since you became a Campione on the Island of Sardinia, I havebeen staying by your side. At that time I even opposed the orders of thea.s.sociation. For the sake of your protection, even my purity was offered ina time of need. But G.o.dou has never given me serious consideration, andyou keep treating me the same way you treat other girls."In a rare moment, Erica was complaining with an angry expression.Acting so gracefully all the time, she must have kept things pent up for avery long time.G.o.dou smiled wryly slightly, for Erica was currently very adorable. For agirl so talented and refined that it was difficult to think of her as being thesame age, one would never expect her to cast aside her usual composureso completely.To have acc.u.mulated so much dissatisfaction without revealing a singlesign on her face, she truly was lacking in being upfront."G.o.dou, you need to listen to me more seriously — mmm, mmm — "Irritated, G.o.dou simply raised Erica"s chin and kissed her.Erica closed her lips and struggled, but not in earnest. After all, shepossessed greater arm strength than me. Had she been serious, I wouldhave been pushed away immediately.Very quickly Erica began to settle down and started to savor G.o.dou"s lipsas if l.u.s.ting after them."...You really do act differently when using the [Youth], toying with me likethis...""Not really that different. It"s just that I can openly speak out those words Icould never say normally."As G.o.dou whispered into the ear of Erica whose eyes were alreadyintoxicated, he continued with the process.G.o.dou raised his magical power of a Campione"s, refining it into the divinewarlord"s [Protection].Through kissing, it was delivered into the body of the girl before his eyes.The [Youth] incarnation offered the ability to bestow [Protection] upon thereceiver via mouth-to-mouth, giving them the same relentless vitality of aCampione"s as well as granting an explosive increase in magical andspiritual powers.But in the process of delivering the protection, intense pain would be felt bythe receiver. Seeing her suffer so much previously, this time G.o.dou fed theprotection drop by drop to Erica, who moaned "ah..." lightly."Besides, you"ve already vowed before, until the destruction of the world,you will always stay by my side... Then just shut up with the nagging aboutall these pointless things.""It"s not meaningless. As your number one lover, it is extremely importantto me."Kissing repeatedly, the two whispered quietly."Ranking companions is not my style. What"s important is everyone doestheir job no matter what their position, right? However... If you really want itthat badly, I don"t mind saying it out loud. You are the most preciousperson to me... That should satisfy you, right?""...Now that is not Erica Blandelli"s style."G.o.dou kissed Erica"s earlobe as he spoke while the beautiful girl, moregorgeous than anyone, answered as she panted."After all, you are the one who silently accepted the trump fourth hitter.""I hope you can address me as queen, and by the way, I don"t know termsabout any sport as lowly as baseball."Finally, Erica said something more in tune with her usual style."G.o.dou... Try being more forceful. Perhaps because it"s the second time, itdoesn"t hurt as much. I want to receive even more of your power, and Iwant the deepest part of my body to carry your [Protection] that keeps mesafe. So hurry...""No, I"m sorry, but this will have to wait."G.o.dou shook his head at the blonde beauty who pleaded pa.s.sionately withhim. Since Erica had stabilized, he wanted to check out the condition of theother girls, for the two Hime-Miko should be in worse shape than theknights."Hmph, come on... Fine, but finish faster and come back to continue, Iwant every part of my body to communicate with G.o.dou."After a deep kiss that was like a tight vacuum, Erica finally allowed theirbodies to be separated.G.o.dou once again examined the two Hime-Miko lying together side byside. Due to the extreme exhaustion from divine possession, Ena"sbreathing was very weak. Yuri"s condition was also quite poor. The[Youth]"s power told G.o.dou that forcefully performing spirit vision hadgreatly strained her mind and brain.G.o.dou began to use Verethragna"s incarnation in earnest. Focusinq hisattentions, G.o.dou trans.m.u.ted magical power in his energy center^ intothe [Protection] of salvation.He first sat down next to the Hime-Miko of the Sword."Seishuuin, your body seems to be in a severe condition.""Yes, right, I"m sorry, Ena cannot help Your Majesty in this state..."Ena struggled to respond to G.o.dou"s call."Don"t speak like that, you have already tried your best. This time it is myturn to give you power, but this power does not come without a price. If you— Seishuuin Ena, do not possess the determination to follow me into thedeepest abyss of h.e.l.l, I cannot give it to you."G.o.dou placed his hand on the shoulder of the raven-haired Hime-Miko."Whether alive or dead, or facing any G.o.d, I have to come first. You mustlive for me alone, and I will never abandon you to G.o.ds, devils, or fate."Asking an elite Hime-Miko like Ena to abandon her path and choose meinstead was really an unreasonable request."If you do that, I can give you the necessary power. How"s that? Becomemy companion."Swearing a great oath of treasuring for a life time and promising to bringhappiness to the other person.Those were actions for the kind-hearted but otherwise useless people. Iam not the same. You shall live for the king and die for the king. Consider ita curse of a life time.Only those who have accepted such a life are allowed to serve beside thelikes of Campiones."Yes, Ena swears that whether her sword or her strength, all will be usedonly for Your Majesty! So please treat Ena the same as Erica, and let Enabe Your Majesty"s possession!"She replied immediately. Seishuuin Ena truly was the girl that Erica saw asher compet.i.tor.As if pa.s.sionately entreating, Ena embraced G.o.dou tightly."I don"t mind even if I cannot be your wife or concubine. Just let Ena stayby your side forever, even as a secret woman who cannot be exposed tothe public, Ena"s family will have no objections...""Idiot, don"t speak ridiculously like that anymore."G.o.dou spoke as he glanced at Erica.The self-styled first lady candidate made a look that seemed to say "do asyou please" and shrugged her shoulders."I don"t like to rank my companions, so you are not allowed to say that"being an underground lover is fine" or anything like that.""Yes, got it, Ena understands, Your Majesty — Mmmm..."The chatting could not continue, for G.o.dou had forcefully sealed Ena"s lips.The bold, unrestrained and genuine girl rolled her eyes as she acceptedthe forceful kiss. Like Yuri, she seemed to be completely unexperienced inthis area.G.o.dou extended his tongue into her mouth. The initial touch seemed tocause her great surprise, stiffening her body, but G.o.dou disregarded it andcontinued his a.s.sault.Flipping her tongue, licking her teeth, pressing his lips down upon hers.Thus the wizardry channel between him and Ena was established — thepath for transmitting [Protection] was complete."Ah, aaaaah— ""Seishuuin? Does it hurt a lot? Should I go a little gentler?""l-lt"s fine... I can bear it, b-but I am a bit scared..."Ena opened her lips as she described how she felt, surprising G.o.dou byinserting her tongue into his mouth.Extremely soft, without any hard parts to it, the tongue ventured intoG.o.dou"s mouth in trepidation. G.o.dou attacked in return, pinning down hertongue, entangling together and intimately became one."Though it"s scary, Ena will definitely bear it. Please treat Ena the way youlike! Now that Ena is also Your Majesty"s woman... I will properly do myduty...!"Hugging tightly and pa.s.sionately kissing nonstop, Ena was very inviting oftender affection. At the same time, the desire to trample and ravish herwas rising.G.o.dou began to send a little bit of Verethragna"s [Protection] into Ena"senergy center beneath the navel."Ah... Ah — !?"From Ena"s mouth came brief moans as she separated from G.o.dou"s lips.However, after a brief respite often-odd seconds, the Hime-Miko of theSword once again sought the kiss of her master."S-so with this, Ena has become Your Majesty"s woman, right? I won"t loseto Erica-san or Liliana-san... Or even Yuri... As an acceptable lover...Right!? More... Let Ena feel even more of Your Majesty"s power!"Ena sucked G.o.dou"s mouth, continuously with pa.s.sion and power.G.o.dou generously accepted her bravery and willfulness. Ena, who usuallydid as she pleased, was consciously trying to be brave. Though a little odd,it made her especially adorable."From Your Majesty"s body I can feel Ama no Murak.u.mo, so it really liesdormant within you. Hoho, Ama no Murak.u.mo had been anxious becauseyou wouldn"t use it... By the way, Ena is already much better, Your Majestyshould take care of Yuri now... Please...""Even if you didn"t remind me, I was going to do that."As G.o.dou finished, Ena immediately reached out to her Hime-Miko friendlying beside them, placing her hand over the hand of Yuri, who had beenhurt from using spirit vision forcefully.Yuri had yet to awaken and her consciousness was fuzzy.Trembling, Ena was barely able to support herself and took her childhoodfriend in her arms."Your Majesty... Hurry and... for her..."Embracing Yuri from behind, Ena urged quietly. The two beautifulHime-Miko sat there side by side.Yuri had already sworn eternal allegiance to G.o.dou, so there was no needto force her to make a new oath. G.o.dou casually drew near her face andstole the lips of the unconscious Yuri.As he poured slightly stronger [Protection] in her, Yuri"s body began to leanback a bit."G-G.o.dou-san? And why is Ena-san here as well?"She seemed to have recovered consciousness. From her lips came aquery as well as heavy panting.Once again, G.o.dou sealed her lips with his own and whispered to herquietly."I will make you mine, do you still object?""Yuri, let"s all become His Majesty"s women. Though it hurts a bit, bear itfor a little while.""Yes, very well... 1-1 have made my decision, please do as you wish,G.o.dou-san."Before G.o.dou, Yuri liberated her fiery-hot body.Supported by Ena, the quintessential Yamato Nadeshiko leaned hermaiden body against him."Mariya, how do you feel now? Does it hurt?"Kissing her repeatedly, their tongues tangled and they exchanged saliva.Yuri was still a bit clumsy the first time, but now she seemed to have fullyaccustomed herself to it.Although she was not as bold as Erica, Yuri responded to G.o.dou"s actionswhole-heartedly, catering to him with genuine sincerity. The wizardrychannel began to connect between them.It"s about time? G.o.dou refined magical power into [Protection] and forced itdeeply into the furthest reaches of Yuri"s body." !?"Locked mouth-to-mouth with G.o.dou, Yuri"s body began to tremble."Should I go a little less forcefully?"It should be hurting a lot, but the beautiful Hime-Miko shook her head."No, there is no need, pain is fine... I will endure, so please bestow yourdivine power unto me, and use my body to receive your power."Yuri"s gaze moistened, and she kissed G.o.dou"s lips as if trying to envelopethem entirely.The intimate sense of contact between mucous membranes wasfrighteningly bewitching, making G.o.dou more and more aroused."M-My consciousness has now become lucid... It is all thanks to yourprotection. Please, give me more — "Holding back tears as she endured the pain, Yuri pleaded courageously.The resolute maiden was too adorable, and G.o.dou shifted his lips to kissher cheek."Y-Your Majesty... Please also give Ena... I beg you... Ena will always staywith Your Majesty from now on. So please..."Ena forcefully pressed her lips onto G.o.dou"s.What a clumsy manner of courtship. Though she was a naturally bold girl,it seemed like she was even more awkward than Yuri in this regard.But this clumsy behavior was very inviting, and G.o.dou once again poured[Protection] into her."...Ooh?"Ena moaned. It does hurt very much after all?"P-Please endure, Ena-san... I will accompany you."Ena opened her eyes wide in pain while Yuri held Ena in her arms,supporting her."Y-Yes, w-we two will become His Majesty"s women... Ah, E-Ena gets itnow, I am intimately connecting with Your Majesty"s innermost depths, aswell as — Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi..