EpiloguePart 1It was after the deadly battle and Lancelot du Lac had pa.s.sed away.On the sh.o.r.e of the conspicuous Floating Island, covered with rocks,Kusanagi G.o.dou and Alexandre Gascoigne stood facing each other."Looks like the curse was lifted.""Pretty much."Answering Alec"s question without paying attention, G.o.dou began toponder.On this occasion, he had made trouble for this guy. The guy was a ratherproblematic character, and their temperaments felt strangely incompatible;nevertheless, Kusanagi G.o.dou"s behavior was definitely in the wrong...Playing dumb and not apologizing was a possible option.But G.o.dou was not shameless enough to pursue such a course of action.Instead, he apologized properly."I"ve really troubled you this time. You told me so clearly to act cautiouslyand not take rash action, but I added to your woes instead... How should Isay it, I"m really sorry."G.o.dou bowed his head deeply. Seeing that, the Black Prince smiled with atoothy sneer.Was he surprised by G.o.dou"s honest apology? Prior to smiling, he hadshown a perplexed expression.Even though he loved to put on airs, it was very possible that he was quitea shy person underneath. However-"Don"t be concerned. As I"ve said, this is all within expectations. I am notsuffering any negative emotions such as anger or the like. But once again,I have confirmed it, you are truly a Campione."His words struck G.o.dou exactly where it hurt."When encountering other Devil Kings, I have met many similar incidentsin the past. I"m used to this kind of trouble, so you have nothing inparticular worth apologizing for.""I see. But Gascoigne, I don"t consider myself as lacking in common senseas those guys."Deliberately trying to maintain calmness in his voice, G.o.dou spoke up."Why are you lumping me together indiscriminately with those unrulyexistences?""No, after calmly observing, I"ve discovered reasons to group you in thesame category. There"s no problem at all. Kusanagi G.o.dou, you shouldstart considering the problem rationally.""Consider rationally... Then you"re in the same category too."Replying, G.o.dou somehow felt extremely annoyed by this pretentious manbefore him.These words brought instant effect. Alec frowned as he tried to suppresshis anger."Wait a minute, I cannot tolerate such a statement. Let me make acorrection.""No, Gascoigne. Indeed, other Campiones frequently rampage aroundwithout consideration. Unlike them, you plan strategically and set the stagebeforehand. To be honest, the style might be different -- but then, there"snot much difference in outcome between you and those others whorampage. In any case, you are all enemies of world peace.""Shut up. You"re the one who hides behind hypocrisy while causing chaosin the world!"What on earth was this feeling?While he carried out this fruitless conversation with Alec, G.o.dou realizedwith heartfelt intensity.There was a faint sense that they were poking at each other"svulnerabilities, exposing ugly truths each was unwilling to face. Eventhough their personalities were completely different, the two of them actedout according to instinct--Their conversation was terminated by the sudden feeling of ma.s.sivemagical power in motion.G.o.dou and Alec cautiously turned to face the same direction. This FloatingIsland was covered with solid black rocks everywhere they could see.Located in the center of the island was a protrusion of rock like a small hill.That was precisely the direction."Alexandre, Kusanagi-sama, we have a situation!"Princess Alice was literally flying in the sky. Using the advantage of a spiritbody, she hovered lightly in midair. Pointing at the hill of rock, she said:"Guinevere-sama has invoked upon herself a revival spell, and her bodyhas recovered!"The instant he heard the report, Alec transformed into lightning and flewover.G.o.dou on the other hand, was carried by Alice"s flight magic. Arriving atthe peak of the hill of rock in this manner, they found a decrepit iron swordspeckled with rust was being thrust.The sword being thrust towards Alec, was a set of remains known as theDivine Sword of Salvation.A young beauty was wielding the rusted steel. That beautiful face,resembling an antique doll"s, was clouded intensely by a dark shadowheralding her death.Even so, or rather, because of this, she was muttering as if in a trance:"O Master -- please watch. Guinevere is about to use the last of herstrength. Sir Knight too, has exhausted his duties as a [Heretic G.o.d],perishing upon the battlefield. We have exhausted all ammunition, ourweapons broken. Hence, we are left with no recourse other than YourHighness" mercy!"Naturally, this was Guinevere.Dead once already, turned into sandy debris, she had apparently usedmagic to revive herself. But now, her p.u.b.escent body was crumbling intosand, like the final moments before a sand sculpture"s collapse."I beseech you, please descend before Guinevere. Before my life ends, Ibeg you. At least, even if it is only seeing your divine visage, or hearingyour voice, it would be fine -- !"Using the decrepit sword for support, the Divine Ancestor prayed. All thistime, the sand grains continued to collapse.Guinevere gradually dimmed and lost color, turning transparent.Immediately after that, she disappeared. Even revival magic, which had thepower to extend a dying patient"s life, could only sustain the spellcaster"slife for a very limited period of time.Thus, Alec, Alice and G.o.dou, the three of them gazed at the DivineAncestor"s pa.s.sing.Guinevere desired neither revenge nor battle, but instead wanted to spendher final moments speaking to the "King of the End" she had sought all thistime. Consequently, she did not even give her enemy a single glance.From that sense of despair it was readily apparent she was aware of thefutility of her wishful act.Alec"s lips moved slightly, but G.o.dou could not catch what he wasmuttering.Immediately, a strong gust of sea breeze blew. Completely collapsed intograins of sand, Guinevere"s body was scattered across the sky and the seaas it rode the wind.Retrieving the decrepit divine sword, Alec walked down the hill of rock.G.o.dou tried to ask him what he was muttering about."Nothing much. "Even if you embrace that thing and cry, all will be in vainso you might as well save the effort" -- was what I was thinking, but I didn"tsay it aloud.""Alexandre, I never knew you could actually show some tact on occasion."Offering praise in response to Alec"s confession was Alice who had knownhim for so long."How touching! You"re always saying insensitive things to hurt girls"feelings. Now that was acting like a gentleman for once!""Please refrain from making comments that make me sound like a personwith sensitivity problems."Alec responded to the Princess" praise with a face of suffering."But isn"t it so mean to say all will be in vain? Even Divine Ancestors havefeelings. Perhaps the crying pleas of a past companion might actuallysummon sympathies?"G.o.dou tried to defend Guinevere.Just very slightly, but G.o.dou felt sympathetic to Guinevere. It was true thatshe was a dangerous witch but she did have her own tragic wish,sacrificing everything she had for the sake of the master she had lovedsince her previous incarnation. It should not be wrong to view things thisway."Perhaps. If the King of the End" also recognizes Guinevere as his owncompanion.""What?""While immersed in researching the connections between King Arthur andthe Holy Grail, I discovered a number of trails left behind by the "King of theEnd." I began to wonder, why would those Divine Ancestors fail to findthem? That said, I do consider myself more skilled in unraveling mysteriesthan Guinevere."Alec shrugged at this point."Nevertheless, the Divine Ancestors have immense amounts of time andmagic on their side, as well as knowledge beyond humans. Which is whythey should logically have an edge. However, in the search for the King ofthe End," they have lagged behind us humans instead. The Witch ofSardinia, Lucretia Zola, also discerned that the King of the End"transcended oriental-occidental continental boundaries... Or rather, itwould be better to say that he is closer to an oriental G.o.d, and Lucretia hasalready grasped clues to a certain extent."Hearing a familiar name in this unexpected context, G.o.dou was surprised."There"s also this hypothesis. The King of the End" does not actually wishto be revived. It"s as if he was sleeping somewhere and deliberatelyignoring the Divine Ancestors" search, preventing them from obtainingclues.""Plausible indeed."Alice murmured, half-convinced. G.o.dou thought the same. A [Heretic G.o.d]who did not wish to be revived?"In fact, the reason why I brought the remains of the divine sword to j.a.panhere, was based on considerations of that possibility. Even if the locationwas correct, if the one she sought didn"t wish to be found, Guinevere wasstill doomed to failure.""Location was correct? What do you mean?"G.o.dou questioned Alec"s offhand comment. This caused Alec, who waswalking in front, to turn his head back and answer in a matter-of-fact toneof voice:"Regardless, the location where the King of the End" sleeps definitelygives rise to legends about warriors and divine swords. Even though thisFloating Island is a trap, it is impossible to believe the legends are false.Because they are born due to the "King of the End." In that case, one wouldnaturally think there was an authentic Floating Island somewhere in TokyoBay."Engaged in these conversations, the two Devil Kings and the Princessreached the foot of the hill of rock.Receiving them were Kusanagi G.o.dou"s companions."From your appearance, looks like you haven"t been injured much, G.o.dou.""Safety is more important than anything."Erica"s cheerful words came first while Yuri smiled as she supportedherself on Erica"s shoulder."What"s wrong, Mariya? Did you actually get hurt somewhere?""No, just a little tired. Please do not be worried."The Hime-Miko"s face continued to smile as she spoke. G.o.dou feltconcerned because she could not stand up by herself.G.o.dou gave Erica a quick glance. The blonde girl seemed to saying "Shereally is okay" as she laughed to herself. Looks like Mariya really was fineand not trying to act brave.As G.o.dou felt rea.s.sured, Liliana gave him a subtle smile."Congratulations, Kusanagi G.o.dou. You have finally realized your longtime wish."G.o.dou was bewildered at the congratulations. Then the silver-haired knightsaid:"Have you not noticed? Even though you messed up in all sorts of ways,no part of j.a.pan was destroyed this time.""...Ah yeah, now that you mentioned it!"G.o.dou got it. He had always wished to cause as little trouble to the worldas possible. When fighting G.o.ds and Campiones, the surroundings alwayssuffered tragic destruction and even severe incidents of widespreadpetrification on occasion.Perhaps they were so fortunate this time because the battlefield was in thecenter of Tokyo Bay.What a cause for celebration -- just as G.o.dou was about to leap with joy,he felt like he had forgotten something."What"s the matter, Kusanagi-sama?""Ah, nothing really. It just feels like I forgot something..."Just as G.o.dou replied to Alice"s puzzlement.A flash of yellow light approached, flying across the sky. It must be flightmagic. Clearly a witch other than Alice and Liliana. Could it be a DivineAncestor?As G.o.dou signaled through his eyes, Erica and Liliana nodded inresponse.The yellow light landed before the knights on alert. Appearing before themwas a gla.s.ses-wearing oriental girl. Even though her face was cute, shegave off a rather unfashionable impression."Alec, what on earth could you be thinking to use that kind of monster...?"The girl"s first words interrogated the Black Prince with nagging tones.Apparently she was Alec"s friend."What"s the matter, Cecilia?""Stop playing dumb. It happened almost ten minutes ago. I, along withDaoist priests in Chinatown, sensed an object with great magical powermoving underwater near this island. After investigating using the techniqueof ghost sight, we discovered a ma.s.sive gigantic boar monster. Its entirebody is wrapped in black steel..."G.o.dou was shocked by Cecilia"s report."Even though the boar"s body is covered with wounds, it continues to swimin the sea. Furthermore, it is advancing towards Yokohama and lookingvery excited. At the current rate, it will land at Yokohama in twenty minutesor so to destroy the city. What is going on...?""What makes you think it is my doing?""No one but you can command that kind of monster. It is a simple fact.""Stop with the nonsense. Besides me, there is another person here who isa candidate as the monster"s owner. And in this particular instance, he isnot simply the candidate but the actual proper owner."Alec protested and turned his sardonic gaze towards G.o.dou. Actually,other than Cecilia, everyone"s gazes had turned to G.o.dou.Erica went "Well, what an oversight" and shrugged her shoulders.Yuri was saying "W-What should we do!?" in shock.As for Liliana, she went "As expected, you really are quite difficult tomanage" and closed her eyes."Well, true to form as always, Kusanagi-sama. The future sure feelsexciting!"For some reason, Alice was the only one who offered praise as ifexpressing approval."Let me guess, something happened in the following manner?"Erica began to deduce with an air of superiority."Even though you needed the [Boar] in the duel against Sir Lancelot, thereare no ma.s.sive objects nearby you could target. So G.o.dou began thinkingabout things on the sh.o.r.e, to use as a target for destruction in order tosummon the [Boar]. Then the charge began on a trajectory in a collisioncourse with Sir Lancelot...""Well, I was thinking that guy would not have much strength left to goanywhere after a direct confrontation against Lancelot..."G.o.dou"s face began to twitch. The [Boar] and the divine sword"spartnership turned out to be unexpectedly solid."S-So G.o.dou-san, where is the target!?""Yokohama... Bay Bridge, because I heard Gascoigne had gone to theChinatown over there, I couldn"t help but think of that place...""Wait a minute, don"t blame things on me just like that!""A-Anyway, we must contact the Committee"s Sayanomiya Kaoru asquickly as possible to warn them. A-At least there are cellphone antennashere... d.a.m.n it, no good. It is not connecting!"G.o.dou replied to Yuri"s question, Alec grumbled while Liliana franticallytried to make a call from this remote island far out at sea. The third witch,Cecilia, muttered "Please seal off the Bay Bridge" as she departed usingflight magic."Results show that people do not change their ways so easily. As long asG.o.dou is involved, extraordinary things will happen."Erica exclaimed emphatically, unsympathetic to the surroundingcommotion.Furthermore, there was still another person who did things as she pleased.Princess Alice."By the way, it is rare that Alexandre"s aura of misfortune did not activatethis time.""What aura of misfortune?""Whenever he eagerly makes his plans, he easily stumbles over obstaclesdue to disputes with women. Unable to understand women"s emotions,obsessions, unconditional love or anything of that sort, he is left with nochoice but to improvise and adjust his plans. But this time, it did nothappen... Somehow, it feels less amusing."Black Prince Alec clicked his tongue in response to Erica and Alice"sexchange, while G.o.dou did not care.In any case, the adventure involving Divine Ancestor Guinevere and thewar G.o.d Lancelot had finally reached a conclusion.Part 2"Queen Oto Tachibana-Hime, jumped into the sea with sword embosomed.Sea currents carried her sword to a landless location, whence a floatingisland subsequently appeared."Even though the Heavenly Reverse Halberd was a red herring, if thislegend turned out to be true-This vague thought crossed the mind of Guinevere"s dying consciousness.Her body had already turned into sand and collapsed, carried by the windand scattered over Tokyo Bay.Life had reached its end, slipping away, in preparation for the next rebirth.However, some time still remained. As Guinevere drifted over land she hadvague thoughts about matters related to the "King of the End." Havingbeen through this generation and the previous, both incarnations hadsought the master but had yet to succeed. To one"s surprise, a tragic end?Just as her heart was filled with lamentation, spirit vision arrived.Due to being in a near death state, spirit senses had probably attainedmaximum clarity.I see it. The master is sleeping at a place with neither land nor sea. Indeedthe location could be seen."Alas... It turns out to be there! O Master, king who manifests at the end oferas! The one called Artos and predecessor of Arthur!"Guinevere"s cries should have been transmitted by now.Transmitted to the true Floating Island, the location of the hero she hadbeen seeking all along. Mother earth G.o.ddesses who had their livesextracted by his alter ego the divine sword, were transformed into DivineAncestors. In other words, Guinevere and the rest of the Divine Ancestorswere his "sisters" or "daughters" in days past.Surely, their intimate bond will carry these cries over to him. Nevertheless,there was no response.Ignored -- a new sense of despair eroded Guinevere"s heart. However, thisdespair turned into a dark impulse, giving the dying Witch Queen finalstrength.Even though ignored, even though unwanted. The master must beawakened no matter what!"Alter ego of my mother, the Holy Grail and the sacred fountain of life. Ientrust everything to you from here on. Awaken the sleeping master, foryou must make him descend and appear once more!"The Divine Ancestor was about to die, and would one day be reborn.However, the next rebirth required centuries.Guinevere"s next life was far away in the future. But in her stead ~ sheentrusted her overflowing feelings of longing to the Magic Holy Grail,instructing it through prayers to lay low in her stronghold of Brittany.Fortunately, the vessel was still filled with the G.o.ddess" essence it hadabsorbed not too long ago.If several centuries were to pa.s.s, the essence would probablymetamorphose into a new Divine Ancestor and undergo rebirth. However,there were already seven G.o.d-slayers in this world. In order to defeat themand revive the apathetic master for another coming, a Divine Ancestor"spower was far too inadequate."Hence, O Holy Grail, everything is entrusted to you... Ah yes, you shallbecome the new queen."Guinevere used her last remnants of magical power to perform asummoning spell.This manifested a circular disc, made of an alloy of gold and iron. Patternsreminiscent of [Swords] were carved on its surface, numbering two... No,three now. As soon as it was summoned, the count had incremented."Sir Knight... Lancelot du Lac"s steel is now stored here. That"s right,instead of becoming Kusanagi-sama"s authority, be the arrow for thereturning "King of the End"... Please go forth."Hearing Guinevere"s command, the circular disc flew towards the ends ofthe sky.Thus a conclusion was reached. The Witch Queen"s consciousnessgradually rarefied and disappeared."O Master... O King of the End... Guinevere and Your Highness--"Her final words were interrupted before she could finish.Soon after Guinevere vanished.In her stronghold, a forest in Brittany, two objects appeared.One was a disc of gold and iron. The other was a golden urn -- the vesselknown as the Holy Grail.This was the lakeside where the forest"s owner and her guardian knighthad conversed in the past. More time pa.s.sed after the two divine artifactsmanifested.Slowly, the Holy Grail transformed. What had been an urn made of gold tillnow, was gradually undergoing change, acquiring supple flesh like ahuman"s, taking on human form."Yes, to rouse the lethargic hero who sleepeth yonder... That is one"smission indeed--"Viewed as a human, she appeared to be twelve or thirteen years of age,like a p.u.b.escent girl.Her short hair was silver as if infused with moonlight. Her pupils were pitchblack like condensed darkness. The exquisite beauty of her face seemedchild-like yet sacred, and furthermore, emanated a queen"s solemnity. Herentire naked body was filled with power no human girl could ever possess."Even though one hath been tasked with this mission, how should oneproceed? Other than that man, within this G.o.ddess" heart -- there alsoseemeth to be a different man, one whom this G.o.ddess must defeat."Slightly distorting her lips, she bore a smile.Just by closing her eyes, she could picture the face of the mortal enemycarved clearly beneath her eyelids. The black-haired youth with blackirises. But surely, he was no ordinary man.He should possess the ability to make her blood boil with excitement.Without any grounds, the G.o.ddess firmly believed this fact."No matter. One still needeth repose for now. In the near future, thisG.o.ddess shall begin her journey, to exhibit the queen"s valor and ferocity toheaven and earth. Now let this newborn body rest fitfully..."The young girl, born from the grail, murmured as she sank into the lake.In order to cleanse her body and frolic in the lake water-Meanwhile, back to Bousou again.In the sky far above the ocean which had twice become the stage forintense battles. Even higher than the clouds. Further than the atmosphere.The celestial realm -- or rather, it is a place humans would call a satelliteorbit.A little island lay there floating.From the perspective of the ground surface, it appeared motionless all yearround ~ what is known as a geostationary orbit. Humans were unaware ofits existence. Even if they knew, they would simply dismiss it as floatingmatter in a satellite orbit.In the center of this cramped plot of land, an iron sword was embedded.A mighty sword whose blade measured roughly 100cm in length. Theheavy double-edged blade was rather thick, resembling a woodcutter"schopper in structure. However, it was now worn out and corroded, onlycovered by rust.Divine Sword of Salvation-The personal sword of the Devil King-exterminating hero, the strongest[Steel].AfterwordThe Campione series has finally reached the milestone of a double-digitvolume count.In the supplementary booklet "SDMP" that is bundled with the Octoberissue of Jump Square sold on September 3, there is even a preview of theupcoming manga adaptation.These are all thanks to the loving support of the readers. For this I expressmy deepest grat.i.tude to all readers.Furthermore, this volume has taken the challenge of a cherished NETA inthe industry. The one who inspired me was Rodotosu(P K h7v)-sensei,thank you very much (laugh). Everyone who is going "What?" becausethey started reading from the afterword, please continue reading from thestart.So, this time our protagonist and that certain problematic character havefinally appeared on stage together.If one were to write about their similarities from an author"s standpoint,ignoring protests from the perspectives of the characters in question, theridiculousness of their personalities and behavior should be even clearer tounderstand. After all, since each of the two firmly believes he (and only he)is serious and proper, so naturally those kinds of ridiculous descriptionsbecame fewer...If the page limit allowed it, I would also like to ask that person about thekeyword "Arthur" appearing in this volume and the previous."The legends of King Arthur"s origins used Celtic myths as an entry point.But that is just a perspective that disproportionately magnifies one tinyfacet of the truth. If that man"s prototype is to be demystified, one musttranscend the limitations of the hero Arthur, and turn one"s attentiontowards history... Or rather, the formation process of legends or"pseudohistory.""This is just an opening line of sorts, with much more rambling to follow (wrylaugh).If one day a foreign drama t.i.tled "Alec"s Adventure Series IV Chapter 12,The Mystery of Fake King Arthur" is realized, perhaps everyone can listento his brilliant opinions.When that time comes, all sorts of "Da Vinci Code" conspiracies related tothe twelfth century English royal family and French n.o.bles, and even thetroubadours of the Knights Templar will be disclosed.Finally, the next volume"s story should be t.i.tled something like "The StoryContinued" or "Second Tale." If possible, let us meet again in Volume 1 1 .