Chapter 4 - Secret Tome of PrometheusPart 1Having bid Lucretia goodbye, G.o.dou and Erica were silent as they walkedout the door.What should be done next?Just as G.o.dou sighed lightly, a lively ringtone was heard from Erica"scellphone. Immediately taking out a red cellphone from her pocket, Ericaanswered in Italian.G.o.dou watched her from the side.Erica"s expression and tone of voice were very serious. Could there be anemergency?She hung up after about five minutes, and suddenly glared at G.o.dou."G.o.dou, didn"t you say this morning? About this morning"s embarra.s.sment,you will make amends even if it means ritual suicide by seppuku?"- 1 ^ Wereyou lying to me?""Of course I was lying, who would want to commit seppuku for that!""Hmph, then I"ll regard it as just an expression — listen well, you have tocome along.""Ah? Why?"G.o.dou questioned, seeing Erica giving him orders in a matter-of-factmanner. In the next instant, her gaze aimed at G.o.dou carried the samederision as if watching a fool."Though you yourself are a useless amateur, but that grimoire — the [SecretTome of Prometheus] is different. Though Lucretia did not tell us itsfunctions, there is no harm in bringing it along."That"s right, the power of the grimoire was not revealed to us after all.When we asked the original owner, the only answer we got was somethinglike "Shouldn"t you find out the hidden powers of an item yourself? Askingabout it would be just as tasteless as reading a strategy guide for an RPG."Recalling Lucretia"s levity in att.i.tude, G.o.dou couldn"t help but feeldepressed.Or perhaps, it was a decision taken under careful consideration?"So, why don"t you carry my luggage for now? Serve me as a sign of yoursincerity to make amends. Do you understand?""...You"re not going to point a sword at me, then rob it?""As a Great Knight of the Copper Black Cross, I have sworn not to do sucha despicable thing! If such an oath were to be broken, I would be alaughingstock!"Erica spoke with great emotion. To think that oath sworn would have suchimportant significance.So, what should Kusanagi G.o.dou do? Obediently tag along with Erica, orescape? Or simply stuff that whatever grimoire into her hands and godirectly back to j.a.pan?G.o.dou picked the fourth option."I"m going back to see Lucretia-san, please wait a bit for me!"Without waiting for Erica"s response, he turned around and went back tothe witch"s home.This time he opened the door by his own hands, and entered Lucretia"sroom."How disappointing, young man. Intruding into a woman"s bedroomuninvited. Complete failure. Quickly close the door, and calm down."Lucretia Zola was lying on the bed, gazing at G.o.dou with eyes which wereabout to fall asleep.Wrapped under the blankets, this time she did not raise her body to speak.She really was very tired. To watch a battle between G.o.ds in proximity, andsurvive — probably a task more difficult than G.o.dou could imagine."Having said goodbye ten minutes ago, and then returning so soon. Couldyour heart be stolen by my beauty, and you came back for a loveconfession? Oh well, can"t blame you. When a boy in p.u.b.erty meets abeauty like me, such pa.s.sionate behavior cannot be helped.""No, that"s completely wrong."G.o.dou replied swiftly, he won"t let her control the flow of the conversation.Due to the extremely broad range of friends of the sociable grandfatherand mother, G.o.dou was well accustomed to dealing with this type ofstrange person."You clearly look so similar to your grandfather, but I don"t see any verbalgift in pleasing women. Still, I"m quite interested in you. What do you wishto speak with me?"Lucretia finally opened her eyes.As if scrutinizing G.o.dou"s face, she stared straight at him."Weren"t Lucretia-san"s words just now a bit too strange? Like Erica said,giving her the stone tablet would definitely be better than the currentsituation.""Hohoho, but I also said, I picked the more interesting choice.""That was absolutely not a lie, I understand. But I feel that — it"s not entirelyyour true intentions, otherwise I wouldn"t get the feeling I was playingalong.""Hey, so you think I have other motives, young man."Hearing G.o.dou"s words, Lucretia giggled with laughter."Yes, before I get tired of the whole incident and dump this stone tablet inthe trash can, please tell me the truth. That would be a great help.""Threatening me instead! Excellent, that"s more like Ichirou"s grandson.Stubborn like him, but in a completely different way. You can"t beunderestimated. Yes, otherwise, there would have been no point inhanding things to you."Lucretia looked very happy and was laughing on the bed."Fine, I will explain directly. It"s actually nothing important, but I just wantyou to act as that little lady"s restraint. Take her down a notch. If you givethe [Secret Tome of Prometheus] to her directly, she will immediately takeit for duels against G.o.ds, that genius!""...She is someone that amazing?""Yes, Erica Blandelli is said to be the treasured prodigy of the CopperBlack Cross, but that"s not the dangerous part. The danger lies in the factthat she has yet to understand the terror of [Heretic G.o.ds]... In fact, I didconsider the option of retrieving the grimoire and hiding it.""Then why not do that?""Because that thing will definitely come in handy. So, I wish to hand it overto some mage. And then when Sir Salvatore arrives, pa.s.s it over and lethim use it effectively — that was one of the plans I conceived.""Sir Salvatore?"Another character addressed with t.i.tle "Sir", G.o.dou tilted his head inpuzzlement.Was he a famous person knighted over in Britain?"Yes, that"s right. Perhaps he is the one who can resolve this incident inone fell swoop. A great and important man who is impossible for anunaffiliated mage like me to approach, so it"s better to hand the grimoireover to Erica-san who is from a prestigious family. Can you accept it now?""Got it, yes... In other words, you hope I can be a hindrance to Erica?""Correct answer! So young man, what do you plan to do?"Realizing the intentions of this elderly witch, G.o.dou began to ponder.Knowing Lucretia"s intentions now, should he follow her wishes?What should he do? He was truly displeased with the witch"s intentions, butthis island has been met with a situation beyond human knowledge, andpeople"s peaceful lives were being disrupted.He didn"t think he could resolve the issue himself, but he can"t stay out of itand do nothing.G.o.dou sighed, if he didn"t see this through to the very end, he wouldn"t beable to return to j.a.pan with a peace of mind."I know, as long as there is no danger to my life, I will follow and act withthat fellow.""Yes, that would be a very great help. Let me toast to you another day inrecognition of your courage and meddlesome ways.""Don"t call me meddlesome! It could very well turn out to be lifethreatening!"He had witnessed divine power at Cagliari.G.o.dou was not so naive that he would believe himself to be safe, havingwitnessed that scene. In front of that kind of threat, humans were asinsignificant as grains of sand."Hohoho, don"t be angry. For you to successfully reach here in a countrywith a language barrier, that indicates luck is on your side. If it getsdangerous, run away, I won"t blame you. I pray that good fortune be withyou."Finally, Lucretia smiled peacefully as she gazed at G.o.dou"s face.Like an old lady watching a grandson, or an older sister blessing a brotheron his journey of growth. It was an ambiguous expression.Part 2"What, G.o.dou. You"ve finally finished your secret talks with that woman?...How shameless."Seeing G.o.dou step out of Lucretia"s home once again, Erica murmured toherself."Who are you calling shameless?! I just have some things to confirm withthat person.""Shameless enough to do something behind my back. If it"s nothingshameful, then you would have done it openly? Fine, whatever. Hurry upand go, the next destination is Dorgali.""Why are we going there? Have you found news of that guy?"Erica had indicated their next destination was an hour away by car asG.o.dou questioned her.It would be great if the youth he last saw in Cagliari was safe and sound."No, but his chances of appearing are quite high... Our spirit vision users atthe Copper Black Cross have discerned the gathering of magical power inthe area around Dorgali.""Magical power?""Correct, and very powerful. The reason why I went to Cagliari, was alsobecause spirit vision found a similar concentration of magic there, and thenthe boy and the [Boar] appeared."Come to think of it, Lucretia also mentioned spirit vision.Spirit vision users had talent like prophets, and the phone call just now,was apparently a report from them."To predict something like this, how amazing, can they see everything?""It"s not like that. The content of their spirit vision is very limited, like now,we still have no idea of the ident.i.ty of the deity on this island — however, itwould be different if a spirit vision user of the highest level were here.Unfortunately, people possessing that kind of talent are exceedingly rare."A spirit vision user"s powers were predominantly determined by inborndisposition.Come to think of it, if people with clairvoyance were common, it wouldactually be quite horrible.Accepting that, G.o.dou changed his mood. Hearing that the youth mightappear, he suddenly began to feel anxious and wanted to know as quicklyas possible whether he was safe."How are we going to get there? Train or bus, which one?""Neither, get a car and driver!"Still, to expect a taxi cab in this town in the countryside —In the end, compared to calling for a cab from a taxi company in Nuoro, itwould be faster to take a bus directly. Having concluded that, G.o.dou andthe unhappy Erica got on the bus.Dorgali was a little town on the coast.It had valleys near the sea, as well as steep river valleys around it. Ericahad mentioned that Dorgali was surrounded by abundant naturalresources, and has been designated as a national park.Along the b.u.mpy undulating mountain road, the bus quickly sped."— Hmm? It"s raining?"Watching outside the window, G.o.dou suddenly found the sky darken.Soon grey clouds appeared and covered the sky like a heavy curtain."Raining? No, that"s not it."Hearing G.o.dou mutter to himself, Erica turned back to face him. (By theway, even though the seat beside G.o.dou was vacant, she ignored it andtook the seat in front.)"It almost never rains in Sardinia this time of the year, you didn"t even knowthat?"A Mediterranean climate. Warm, dry, very little rainfall. This island, in themiddle of the Mediterranean Sea, obviously belonged to that climate regionas well."Then, could it be...""Exactly as you imagine. Perhaps some strange incident willhappen — most likely the omen of divine presence."A few minutes after Erica"s prophesy, the short bus trip ended.Dorgali was a very small town at the foot of a mountain.There were only a few shops and a police station along the main roadwhere the bus stop was simply marked by a sign. Getting off, the firstthings G.o.dou and Erica noticed were the dark clouds in the sky. Comparedto what they saw on the bus, the clouds were clearly more numerous.Making the cloudless clear sky an hour ago seem like an illusion, the firstovercast skies G.o.dou saw in Sardinia was giving him a great ominousfeeling."—It"s here."Erica suddenly spoke.And then, rain drops began pelting G.o.dou"s face. It finally began to rain.Heavy rain like a sudden shower, but this was probably not what Erica wasreferring to.Just as G.o.dou thought that, a golden light suddenly flashed.Crash!As the sound of thunder roared, lightning struck, and the wind began topick up rapidly.— A storm.Without any warning signs, the storm arrived just like that. And then G.o.dounoticed something.Casually flying amidst the storm was a four-legged giant beast — a [Goat] inthe middle of the sky.Like a Chinese dragon hovering in the air, a giant [Goat] with neitherfeathers nor wings, leading the wind, clouds and rain, dancing with thethunder in the sky.Since it was very far away, its precise size could not be determined.Still, it couldn"t be smaller than the [Boar] sighted in Cagliari. Its furry hidewas white, and there were two long horns extending from its head.Roar!The [Goat] roared loud and sonorously, and blew a sudden gust of strongwind.Calling out again, this time it was thunder and lightning descending uponthe ground.This town was virtually all built with wood, but since it was raining, it wasfortunate that one did not need to worry about a fire hazard.Even so, it did not change the fact that there was a disaster. With lifelesseyes, G.o.dou watched the heroic form of the [Goat]."Is that also an incarnation born from the sword G.o.d?""Probably, if possible I really want to use the [Secret Tome ofPrometheus]"s ability to stop it, and then make direct contact, but it can"t bedone."The feeling he got from Erica suddenly changed, and G.o.dou was verysurprised.A feeling of splendor like fire and gold, an extremely brave and intense willexuded from her beauty and her eyes.It was a majestic and unapproachable figure, like a top cla.s.s partic.i.p.antjust before a compet.i.tion began."Come, my sword, Cuore di Leone. Blade that guards the throne of thelion! I beseech the predecessors of red and black. Grant your protection tomy body and my chivalry!"And then Erica began chanting the words like a spell.Immediately following, the slightly familiar slender sword and a red cape,never seen before, appeared out of the air. Wielding the sword in her righthand, Erica majestically wrapped the cape around herself with her left.The cape had a bold design with black stripes on a red background, andparticularly suited Erica"s beauty and blonde hair. In an instant, G.o.dou feltdeeply attracted."I will approach that [Goat] to investigate. G.o.dou you should find a place tohide. We will meet up later.""You plan on fighting against that thing?""Of course not! I am just investigating. No matter where you are, I can findyou with magic. Be my guest, find a place to hide!"Leaving those words behind, Erica rushed forth.Speeding like an arrow through the raining streets as if she was flying, thisspeed was completely beyond human limits.Could this also be magic? As G.o.dou reacted in surprise, he watched asshe receded in the distance."...This is not a leisurely situation, I"d better find a place to hide quickly."Checking out the situation in the streets, G.o.dou was shocked.The sudden storm and thunder.And then, the giant monster flying in the air.With so many ma.s.sive anomalies, Dorgali finally began to have acommotion.There were those who opened their windows to check out the stormconditions, only to be shocked by the scene in the air.Cries of terror, screams of surprise, chaotic disturbances, the public waswailing as if fallen into h.e.l.l.The storm blew timber and light objects like cloth into the sky. Lightningperiodically lit up the darkness of the overcast skies, while thunderdescending from the heavens torched the earth and demolished buildings.Who could have thought such a ma.s.sive uproar could happen in a littletown of several thousand in population." — Running away recklessly would be even worse, what should I do?"Seeing the chaos in the town, G.o.dou couldn"t help muttering to himself.Since G.o.dou already knew part of the reasons why this was happening, hewas able to maintain his natural calm. Watching the people in chaos — hewas able to notice.Like himself, there was another youth calmly observing the panickingcrowd.A handsome youth so outstanding that one could never forget his facehaving seen him once.The two exchanged glances.One smiled nostalgically, while the other showed a troubled expression.G.o.dou had wanted to see him, wanted all along to confirm if he was safe.However, faced with this sudden encounter, he had a feeling of doubt.Whenever the G.o.d"s incarnations appeared, the youth was also witnessed.Wasn"t this just as Erica had described?Part 3Running.Erica Blandelli was using the [Leap] technique to make her body lighter asshe ran at full strength.Running towards the numerous buildings that were struck by lightning, allsorts of objects that were blown away by the violent wind, and the heavilydamaged little town corroded by the rare rainstorm.In fact, Erica was so fast she might as well be flying.The stone paved streets were breaking apart, and she leapt betweenroofs, streetlights, and all sorts of footholds on buildings, her feet rarely ifever touching the ground.It was difficult to build high rise buildings in Europe, particularly Italy.Since there were many cities possessing iconic sights like the Tower ofPisa or the Coliseum, in order not to affect the scenery, there were manylegal regulations preventing the construction of high rise buildings.Erica thought it was a shame.— If there was a taller building, she could get a lot closer to the [Goat].Dorgali"s buildings were five or six stories max, while the [Goat] was flyingleisurely a couple tens of meters above in the sky.Though Erica was called a genius in magic, she did not know thetechniques of flying.Her specialty was [Iron], the ability to manipulate iron and steel like herown arms and legs for the purposes of offense and defense. Flying, spiritvision and the preparation of potions belonged to the domain of truewitches like Lucretia Zola.Finally reaching the top of some tower, Erica took a deep breath as shehalted her steps.Even though her goal was investigation, watching from such a far distancewas not very useful.Nothing ventured, nothing gained —She needed to take a gamble now. Though she had never used it in realcombat, that spell — the secret technique mentioned in the report to heruncle, it was time to try it out.Agonizing for about ten seconds, she immediately made her decision.She will first make the venture, then decide when to advance or to retreatas the situation dictates."Eli Eli lama sabachthani? Oh Lord, why hast thou forsaken me?"^Erica chanted in a loud voice.The Golgotha spell words were an incantation of fury and prayer, callingforth hate and regret."O my G.o.d, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the nightseason, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the[31 Jpraises of Israel." 1 JPointing Cuore di Leone towards the sky with her right hand.This sword was paired with II Maestro, the magic sword of her rival LilianaKranjcar.In the past, these were two precious swords forged for the sake of twogreat knights bearing the t.i.tles of the Lion King and the Fairy King. Ericaand Liliana had discovered the two swords in the catacombs beneathFlorence, and each claimed one of the pair as their personal weapon."I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart islike wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up likea potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought meinto the dust of death. For dogs have compa.s.sed me: the a.s.sembly of thewicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet."^This was the disastrous song of despair, carrying anger at the Lord whowithheld salvation even at the verge of death."But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to helpme. Deliver my soul from the sword; Save me from the lion"s mouth: forT51thou hast heard me from the horns of wild oxen!" 1 JThis was a hymn of prayer, containing the absolute will pledging allegianceto the Lord in the face of certain death."I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregationwill I praise thee."^The name of the spell was [Oh Lord! Why hast thou forsaken me?]Of all the techniques pa.s.sed down by the Copper Black Cross, recognizedas one of the most difficult of the secret arts.— Feeling the chill of the icy cold air, Erica knew she had succeeded.From her lips came the proud smile of a lioness.Clearly not the result of the storm, the surrounding temperature wasgradually falling.Erica"s spell words, has summoned bone-chilling cold.The hill of Golgotha, the same air as the place where the Son of G.o.dperished, this same freezing air was now filling Erica"s surroundings.Simply bathed in this cold air would cause an ordinary person"s heart to gonumb.Then for a G.o.d — or a similar divine existence, of course it would still beextremely uncomfortable.And so the [Goat] lowered its gaze.It slowly descended towards Erica"s location.Provocation successful, Erica smiled as she leapt to a neighboring rooftop.She began to observe the [Goat].Extremely intelligent eyes. Goats were fundamentally very smart animals,though they resembled stupid sheep in appearance, they wereexceptionally alert and clever. So this was only natural.When she met the [Boar] at Cagliari, the [Wind] G.o.d had appeared beforeshe had a chance to get near like this.Though she saw the battle between the black boar and the tornado fromafar, she could not get close to observe. However, at this close range shecould now see that the [Goat] did not have intelligence like a divine beast.Probably only animal intelligence — that was the likely level.— Let"s test it."Cuore di Leone, I grant to you the weeping cries of the son of G.o.d and theHoly Spirit, become the spear of Longinus!"Using the magic of [Transformation] on her beloved sword, she changed itsform to a spear.Infusing it with the spell words or despair, this gave Cuore di Leone thesame magical power as the holy spear that pierced the son of G.o.d. Thus amagical weapon was born, capable of harming G.o.ds and making thembleed."Saint Thomas, share your martyrdom with others!"Accompanying the new spell words, Erica threw the spear forward.Granted the curse of never missing its target, even a G.o.d could not escapethe thrown spear, let alone existences beneath G.o.ds — like divine or sacredbeasts.The spear left a deep open wound on the lower abdomen of the [Goat].Roar! The giant beast"s painful cries reached up into the heavens.Erica recalled Cuore di Leone using magic, having confirmed her hunch,that the divine beast born from the [Heretic G.o.d] — an opponent of thatlevel can be handled with her power alone!However, her opponent was not so weak as to allow an easy victorywithout preparation.As Erica a.n.a.lyzed the battle potential of her enemy, the [Goat] roarednoisily.Lightning continually descended from the sky.The target was clearly the insolent one who had injured the divine beast.Instinctively, Erica began running before the thunder and lightning couldburn her into charcoal.Crash!Lightning flashed, while thunder roared.Intense lightning struck the place she had been standing only two secondsago.Feeling the impact and the hot breeze that shook her skin, she decided itwas probably time to retreat.Even if the fight continued in this manner, she could only maintain thecurrent situation at best. Having decided to retreat, Erica leapt once again,moving to the next rooftop, and jumped repeatedly.If she stood still, she would be immediately burnt to ash by the [Goat]"slightning.Erica glanced up at the sky.Running across the air — no, hovering in the air was the giant [Goat].Up until now, all the divine beasts that appeared had been defeated by themysterious tornado, but what about this [Goat]? Will the opposing deityappear?As she pondered over these things, Erica calculated her escape route.Jumping down directly and mixing herself amongst the crowd would be thesafest, but that would also bring great tragedy.Erica went "hmph" and quickly abandoned the notion.As a proud knight, how could she possibly choose such a despicablemanner of retreat? Of course it was rejected resolutely.Then, there was only one path to pick.The direction towards the steep mountains that could be seen fromCagliari.Erica continued to jump and make her way towards that direction. By doingso, at least she could lead the [Goat] away from the streets, giving peoplemore time to escape. That was what she concluded."Thou art still alive, boy, looks like our lives are very tough to extinguish."Getting out of the fleeing crowd with great difficulty —The two met once again and those were the youth"s first words, spokenwith his usual casual tone."Yes, let me say first, I was very worried about you... Though I"ve beentravelling from place to place, your safety weighed heavily in my heart allalong."Looking over the youth"s appearance in detail, G.o.dou replied.As before, the youth was wearing a tattered coat. His face was verydelicate and proper, with a kind of fleeting charm that remained unchangedfrom the time they first met in Cagliari.But there was a certain sense of dissonance.G.o.dou felt strange, this guy was different from before. There was nochange in appearance, but something was obviously off. What was it?"Hoho, thy instincts are excellent. With the proper education, perhaps thouwilt become an amazing priest."Watching the puzzled G.o.dou, the youth smiled.His smiling face was the same as before, but somehow it gave off a moreadult feeling.— Wait a minute. What did this guy just say?"Hey, you just said something strange. Something about education andpriests.""Payest no heed, I was just talking to myself. Rather, thou shouldst thankdestiny for letting us meet once again. Our fates seem to be deeplyintertwined."No, this was absolutely not the result of destiny but human intent.The reason they came was because Kusanagi G.o.dou and Erica Blandellihad expected to meet the youth here.However, why did he not have the courage to speak out about this?Sensing his hesitation in this affair, G.o.dou found a different feeling wassurfacing, one unlike the mutual feelings he shared with the youth whenthey first met.Crash! At this time, the crash of thunder sounded.Lightning was striking nearby? G.o.dou and the youth looked up andsurveyed the surroundings."—Erica!"Several flashes of lightning could be seen descending, while Erica wasjumping left and right to evade them.Seeing this scene unfold, G.o.dou could not help crying out.If this continued, wouldn"t she be fried to death by lightning in one hit?Despite the horrific situation, Erica"s running silhouette still carried suchrighteous poise.The giant [Goat] had begun flying close to the surface at some point.Gliding over the buildings pursuing the beautiful blonde girl, the directionErica was headed was the foot of the mountains outside of town.Moving rapidly between roofs, Erica ran like an arrow.She was probably doing this to prevent creating more victims in Dorgali.However, was it really safe for her to run over wide open s.p.a.ces withoutany cover?Forgetting their disputes over the past few days, G.o.dou was nowconsumed with worry for Erica"s safety."What is this, that girl came as well. Looketh like our fates are veryintertwined too."Under such conditions, the youth still maintained his leisurely airs."Yes, a lot has happened and I am currently travelling with her. Anyway, ifthis continues it might get tragic. I am going to chase after her! What areyou going to do!?""Thou oughtst give up. Even if thou goest over, thou wilt not be of anyuse."The youth calmly advised G.o.dou who had exclaimed recklessly withoutthought.G.o.dou only shook his head strongly, refuting with determination."Even so, I cannot watch and do nothing!"Erica was definitely an annoying woman.Every time she spoke, it was mostly displeasing complaints. Treatingothers with friendly pa.s.sion, but always mocking him mercilessly when shespoke to him, as well as being willful, self-centered, even so...She wasn"t someone so hated that he could abandon her at a time ofneed.G.o.dou ran in the same direction as her, determined.Though she was very annoying in many areas, it is a fact that she was nowfighting alone, taking on a G.o.d as her opponent. Pretending not to see andignoring her need for a.s.sistance — impossible.Of course, G.o.dou knew this was stupid and impulsive, but even so."Thou art truly a fool. Though thou art a fool, that girl is not much better,fighting alone is proof of that. There are clearly simpler ways to escape, butshe chooseth such a difficult one."The youth was surprised."And I, observing, somehow cannot watch her perish without aid, howvexing!"Come to think of it, didn"t this youth also possess incredible powers?G.o.dou thought back to when they parted ways at Cagliari, when heexperienced the youth"s unbelievable power of domination — was that alsomagic? Or powerful hypnosis?If that kind of power was used again, it would be problematic. As G.o.doutried to retreat, the youth smiled.A cla.s.sic and quaint smile.With a kind of fleeting essence, it was a smile like mist.At this time G.o.dou noticed, the reason why he felt a dissonance when theymet again, was here.The youth was more unnatural than before, compared to a living human, itfelt more like facing an intricately crafted Buddha statue. An indescribablesense of dissonance."Restest a.s.sured, though ye are all fools, but foolish children are veryadorable. I shall not stop thee, in fact I will grant thee power — so, takestout that object thou hidest."Suddenly the youth held out his hand."W-What am I hiding?""Is that not so? When I first talked to thee at the pier, its taste attracted me.I can feel that thing"s taste is even more intense than last time. Makesthaste, openest that bundle.""That stone tablet!"The youth"s gaze was focused on G.o.dou"s backpack, and he finallyunderstood.G.o.dou hurriedly took out the stone tablet — [Secret Tome of Prometheus]."Yes, no mistake, this hidest ancient wisdom — never would I think such aspecimen still lay hidden in the mortal realm. With this, even in my currentstate, I can resolve the matter."The ancient stone tablet whose surface depicted an imprisoned man in achildish drawing.The youth narrowed his eyes with interest, looking at the picture."Oh, the punished t.i.tan... Sun... Fire... Foolish commoners... Salvation. Isee, this carriest the power of [Theft]! Haha, the [Deceiver] Prometheus!Deceiving the G.o.ds, the hero thief who led the humans — thou art thepresence I felt at the pier that time!"Hearing the joyful laughter, G.o.dou noticed something.He hadn"t told him the name [Secret Tome of Prometheus], but why wasthe youth able to call out its name? Could he really be a supernaturalexistence?"...Like Erica and the rest, are you a mage?""No, I am completely different from them, but currently still incomplete. Aslong as I cannot recall my name, I will continue to be incomplete. However,it recently dawned upon me, perhaps staying in this state might not be toobad after all."While smiling wryly, the youth was caressing the [Secret Tome ofPrometheus]."Hath someone used this stone tablet before? Within this thing, resides thestolen power of some deity.""Stolen?""Yes, did I not say the power of [Theft]? This piece of stone possesseth thecharacteristic of stealing a G.o.d"s authority, and then storing it within it...However, if the target was a powerful deity, most likely only a portion ofpower will be taken. This oughtst to come in handy, very interesting."Holding the stone tablet, the youth pointed at the hills a couple hundredmeters away.In that direction were Erica and the pursuing [Goat]."Then I shall vanquish the monster — boy, thou mayst accompany me!"It was already quite far away from the streets of Dorgali.In the heavy rain, Erica had arrived at the foot of the mountain where thegreen woods and the dried out white rocks lay.Nearby were several trees, but it was essentially a wide open stone quarry.Running here, Erica finally stopped. Looking at the direction of the streets,the [Goat] looked leisurely, but it was actually charging here at greatspeed.Then, what should she do next? Erica began to search for ideas.The best solution was probably to use an illusory spell to hide, directlytricking the eyes of the divine beast.But it would be best to stall for more time, if she were to disappear from itssights, it was likely the [Goat] would immediately turn back to destroy thetown."...About fifteen minutes, probably could stall for that duration?"Breathing irregularly from anxiety, Erica murmured to herself.Exhausting her mind and her body from the divine beast"s pursuit, Ericamade estimates based on her remaining battle ability.Hopefully, it would be best if people could finish evacuating during this bitof time.To stall for even longer, Erica — no, perhaps there was no one who couldachieve that feat, it was up to the mercy of the heavens.Calmly counting her options, Erica looked up to the [Goat] with eyes ofgreat battle spirit.In that instant, she found something unexpected.— Black lightning.Descending from the sky, black lightning struck the ma.s.sive body of the[Goat].Roar!The air was filled by painful screams, how could the divine beast bemoaning from being struck by its own weapon — lightning?At this time, Erica noticed that the black lightning descending upon the[Goat] was a different existence.Like a curse materialized, it was extremely similar in nature to Erica"s ownGolgotha spell words.Materializing a consciousness full of hate and regret, forming a black cursethat brought disaster to its surroundings.Even without the disposition of a spirit vision user, Erica could easilyrecognize that the black lightning"s curse was very intense. But where didsuch a curse come from?— Could the second deity have made its appearance?After being struck countless times by the black lightning, the [Goat] finallycrashed down from the sky, making Erica"s nerves tense.Immediately after leaving Dorgali"s streets, the youth had pointed the[Secret Tome of Prometheus] at the sky.And then, from black clouds appeared several black streaks of lightningthat struck the [Goat]. Every time it was. .h.i.t by the flash of lightning, theflying monster gave off cries of pain. Struck by lightning, the [Goat] was ingreat pain.Subsequently, bathed in uncountable lightning, the [Goat] fell to theground.Suddenly falling into the empty rocky field outside the streets, its giganticbody was convulsing. G.o.dou"s eyes widened at the sight of theunexpected downfall of the monster."This is nothing, the monsters were never as strong as their appearancesuggested. Of course, from the perspective of mortal humans, they areperhaps the greatest threat. However, this is just an unstable creation splitfrom a deity"s authority — Simply by applying a little divine power, they willfall like that.""T-Though I don"t really understand, you"re saying that it looks big, but it"sactually quite weak?""Yes, not a bad explanation, thou shouldst be praised... However, thisvictory was thanks to this piece of stone, carrying the curse of some earthG.o.d, it came in handy."Casually watching the [Goat] lying on the ground, the youth casuallyconversed with G.o.dou.Standing beside the bragging friend whose true qualities were graduallybeing revealed, G.o.dou felt increasingly puzzled.The description of splitting out from a G.o.d was exactly the same asLucretia Zola"s — "the G.o.d of the golden sword was shattered into severalgigantic monsters."This youth clearly knew more about the situation than Erica, the one calleda genius prodigy by Lucretia Zola. Who on earth was he?"G.o.dou, you are in cahoots with this guy after all!?"An elegant voice of accusation suddenly sounded out.The owner of the voice was Erica of course. She had most likely witnessedthe fall of the [Goat] and had hurried over.Though wet from the rain and her body covered with mud, her splendorcould not be suppressed. Or rather, it could be said that placed in such anextreme state, her beauty was even more emphasized."It"s not like that, we just met by chance in town... Didn"t you also say wewere likely to meet him?"G.o.dou answered with reservation.Of course, compared to Erica"s harsh att.i.tude, G.o.dou"s preference for theyouth remained unchanged — but every time he thought of the youth"sunknown origins, his doubts increased.Could it be... no, it must be like that."...Hey, the one who defeated that divine beast was you, right?"Wary due to G.o.dou"s words, Erica watched the youth with sinister eyes.She also noticed the [Secret Tome of Prometheus] held in the youth"shand."Yes, thanks to this arcane stone of [Theft], the monster was defeated.""To have deciphered the power possessed by this grimoire — in otherwords, could you be a spirit vision user? This is impossible without thehighest grade of spirit vision.""Hoho, askest not my ident.i.ty, my name is currently sealed."Faced with Erica"s queries, the youth"s unfazed att.i.tude remainedunchanged."By the way, there is something I must tell ye, make haste and depart — asecond one will be here soon. A very ferocious and violent fellow, it wouldbe best not to approach it.""A second one?"Hearing the warning, G.o.dou frowned.Squawk!The howl of a strange bird came forth. What was this sound? G.o.dou andErica looked up in the air simultaneously. Who knows how many timesthey have experienced this sense of fear today?— This time it was a golden [Raptor].Gliding on its gigantic wings in the vast overcast skies, a bird of preypossessing golden feathers.Come to think of it, Lucretia had also mentioned a hawk born from thesword G.o.d, however, this probably wasn"t a hawk, G.o.dou felt it was morelike an eagle.The best description was probably still a [Raptor].Its wingspan from tip to tip, measured about fifty or sixty meters.Flapping its wings powerfully in the Dorgali skies, the giant bird of prey wascircling ferociously, the name of raptor was rather fitting."—Isn"t that dangerous?"Every time the [Raptor] flapped its wings in the air, a vortex of wind wascreated as it turned.Strong wind became a cyclone, and then a gale, and further strengthenedto become a tornado — in an extremely short period of time, the wind fromthe flapping of the wings has created a tornado that were now attackingthe streets.All sorts of objects, large and small, were being blown high into the air.If such strong tornados were produced in the center of the streets, thema.s.sive destruction caused would completely dwarf the [Goat]"s lightning.Just as G.o.dou felt despair, Erica questioned the youth."...Did you call the bird too?""Wrong, girl, I did not call them. It is in search of me, that they came."Showing a flawless smile, the youth answered.G.o.dou felt troubled by his casual demeanor even at such a time of crisis,but was unable to tear his gaze from the youth"s handsome features.Unbelievably, he was being attracted and could not help listening to him....This was not right, it cannot continue."I see... Then you — could you be...""Hoho, sayest it not out loud. It is better that way. So, boy and little lady, yemake haste and leave. Though heartless to put it this way, the town isdoomed, only destruction awaits."The youth pressed the tip of his index finger on his lips.As if hoping Erica would be quiet, but G.o.dou ignored it, and faced thehandsome youth:"Wait a minute, it can"t be confirmed that it will be destroyed, right?""It is certain, the power stored in the stone of Prometheus has beenexhausted just now. There is no other way to drive the monster away. Ifthou cannot understand that, then thou can only be described as foolish.""I understand, but I can"t accept it!"Impulsively, G.o.dou yelled out.Just now when he chased after Erica, he had felt the same way. Even if itwas impossibly difficult, he had to face things directly.Even now, G.o.dou did not want to run, or abandon the sight before him.Like a headstrong child, G.o.dou realized it. But thinking of the tragedybrought by the tornado, imagining Erica struggling against the monsteralone, G.o.dou would feel greatly unsettled, so he had to indulge in hisstubbornness —"If this were ancient times, I would bestow my protection upon thee,welcoming thee as my warrior, sending thee forth to the battlefield — "Faced with an ignorant child"s willfulness, one could only appease him asmuch as possible.With an expression like a father, the youth nodded his head."Now that it is said, boy, thou also complained the same way just now.Ignoring the wisdom of survival for the weak — appeasing the powerful andbowing down to the strong. Thou art truly hopeless."Hmph. The youth lightly sighed sadly."Perhaps this will be the last time I a.s.sist thee with thy foolishness. Oncethose two beasts are vanquished, I can no longer play around leisurely.Truly, to lose my time of rest for this kind of brat, what a shame!""...? What are you talking about?"Completely unable to understand the youth"s words, G.o.dou questioned.What on earth was he saying? But he didn"t answer, and only threw the[Secret Tome of Prometheus] over.G.o.dou frantically caught it."Holdest it. Perhaps this piece of stone will be needed another time.""Eh?""Boy, promisest me. When the time cometh, usest that for the world."Leaving behind those words, the youth suddenly ran.Towards the streets of Dorgali — the direction where the tornado wassp.a.w.ned by the circling [Raptor]."This is likely the goodbye of a lifetime. Fare thee well!"G.o.dou wanted to run after him, but was instantly distanced.Like the wind. The youth was running with speed like the wind, andinstantly disappeared."That guy, he already said the enemy was dangerous, what could he betrying to do now?"Muttering to himself as he ran, G.o.dou suddenly found a gust of windblowing around his surroundings.The gust of wind strengthened, and blew towards the Dorgali sky wherethe [Raptor] was flying."G.o.dou, be careful! It"s coming!""Coming? What!?"Warned by Erica who had caught up, G.o.dou snarled angrily in response."The second deity appearing in Cagliari! The wind G.o.d that defeated themonster, no, the war G.o.d possessing the incarnation of wind!"At this time, the other gust of wind had become a vortex, and the secondtornado was formed.The strong wind blowing outside Dorgali"s streets became a vortex.Before this sight, the [Raptor] stopped circling. Suddenly, the tornado inthe streets vanished.The giant bird immediately charged at the remaining tornado.The tornado that could even blow the [Boar] into the air, capture it, andraise it to the sky.Flying towards the center, the [Raptor] remained in control.Not only was it not caught in the wind, it was flying in the reverse directionof the tornado"s spin. Under some unknown principles, the [Raptor]"s highspeed flying caused the tornado to gradually slow down.This was too ridiculous. G.o.dou felt fear as he stood lifeless, rooted to theground.In an instant, the tornado vanished.However, appearing beside the [Raptor] was an object — the golden sword.Giant golden steel, a ma.s.sive blade just as large as the [Raptorj"swingspan, it was a double-bladed sword.This [Sword] floated in midair, facing off against the [Raptor], as if held in astance by an invisible giant warrior, it was a most peculiar sight."As expected... That deity can change his form according to the situation.The war G.o.d possessing numerous incarnations is...!"At some point in time, Erica had come to G.o.dou"s side.The two of them no longer had the strength to run, and could only watchthe battle between the [Raptor] and the [Sword].With speed that was almost too fast to be seen, the [Raptor] flying in theair.Every time wind blew like a sonic wave, the ground was made a mess. Ithad not yet reached the speed of sound, but it was still very fast.Even so, the [Sword] still held the advantage.Faced with the super-fast opponent, it was leisurely dancing in the air withelegance, continually making slashing attacks.The skillful swordsmanship landed blows upon the circling [Raptor].With every successful slash, golden feathers danced in the air as freshblood stained the ground red.The decisive moment of the battle finally arrived.The golden blade made a deep cut on the giant body of the [Raptor],chopping it into two.And then, the split body of the bird of prey turned into particles like sandand began to crumble. These particles were then absorbed by the blade ofthe [Sword].However, this was not the end.The golden [Sword] then pierced the goat that had fallen on the ground.With the final blow — it should be described that way, the powerless giantbeast lying on the ground had its neck pierced, it was an unhesitatingfinishing blow.And so the [Goat]"s giant body also turned into particles of light, and wereabsorbed by the [Sword].Somehow the rain had stopped, and the wind and thunder had vanished.As the sun"s rays reached the ground, the golden [Sword] suddenlyvanished without trace.Leaving behind Dorgali, ravaged by divine might, as well as thespeechless G.o.dou and Erica who was watching the sky with a verycomplicated expression.References1 . t seppuku: literally "stomach-cutting", a form of suicide performedthrough disembowelment, practiced by j.a.panese samurai as part ofbushido to preserve honor.2. t Word of Abandonment: quoted by Jesus from Psalm 22, it is theonly saying that appears in more than one gospel (Matthew 27:46 andMark 15:34).3. t Psalm 22:2-34. t Psalm 22:14-165. t Psalm 22:19-216. t Psalm 22:22