Campione!

Chapter 3 - Hero"s SojournPart 1It had almost been two hours since they began their voyage across the seain the night. It was already past twelve midnight.Kusanagi G.o.dou heaved a sigh of relief as soon as the sh.o.r.e and citylights came into view. Setting out on a journey, not knowing thedestination, this ordeal was almost at an end.Athena"s manipulation of the yacht"s velocity was an evident abnormality.If they traveled at this speed on land, the consequences would beunimaginable. G.o.dou had prayed that no obstacles would appear beforetheir path on the voyage.Due to the fact that they were getting close to their destination, their speedhad reduced greatly, and G.o.dou was deeply grateful for it.There was a gigantic castle next to the harbor.It was a special landmark, for sure. They were probably still within Italy"sboundaries, but he had not a clue where he was. A quick observationshowed that the city was of considerable magnitude." Hey, what is that place? Is there a reason why we came here?""Hmm? Where are we, eh? I don"t know."His reasonable question was answered with an irresponsible answer."Don"t ask me that, Kusanagi G.o.dou. I merely felt where the winds wereblowing to. In the first place, wasn"t this that sort of journey? I entrusted ourfate to the guidance of the wind, advancing in the same direction, it wasmerely divine ordain. Moving like clouds in the sky."On the "borrowed" yacht, the G.o.ddess Athena murmured softly.To the average modern person, it would be a ridiculous idea, but G.o.doudidn"t really mind, and only just wanted to tell her not to do things asthough she were Homer, the Greek poet, improvising poems in real time.It was this moment when a sudden change happened.From a corner of the harbor, an emerald light could be seen stretchingtowards the heavens."What is going on, over there?""Hm... It seems like someone had carelessly stimulated the essence of theland."G.o.dou and Athena observed the situation from their yacht -The emerald light gradually shifted into a familiar shape a dragon,spreading wings of over ten meters and soaring through the air, a ma.s.sivedragon with emerald scales."As I thought, is that a G.o.d of something?""No, it"s probably something like a divine beast although its origins shouldhave connections to a G.o.d..."Being used to this, it was terrifying. It was preferable that the enemy wasnot a G.o.d this time, G.o.dou thought.As the G.o.d and the devil king looked on, the gigantic dragon slowlydescended onto the ground.Soon after, a light like a flash of lightning, from nowhere, as if aiming forthe dragon, swooped down somewhere in its general vicinity." I have a really bad feeling about this.""It seems my prediction was spot on, we have just witnessed the descentof a troublesome G.o.d. Fufu, things are just starting to get interesting."The yacht, propelled by Athena"s divine power, slowly drew closer to theland.Thus, Kusanagi G.o.dou and the heretic G.o.ddess arrived at the mostdangerous city in Italy.Perseus.He defeated the snake-haired demon Medusa in Greek Mythology, andthen, when the princess of Ethiopia, Andromeda was about to be sacrificedto a monster, he engaged in battle with said monster by the seaside, andobtained victory, saving the princess.It was well-known that he was a G.o.d that represented the slaying ofserpents, dragon and snakes alike.[Perseus and Andromeda Style] was a term that referred to myths ofsimilar themes.The Heraion - the loss of control of the symbol of the land would bringabout the manifestation of its sworn enemy, this was what Liliana Kranjcarhad thought, having noticed the possibility of such an occurrence."Not in Greece, nor in Iraq, but right in the middle of Italy, why did this, sosuddenly "A murmur escaped from her lips. But, she knew that [Heretic G.o.ds] couldmanifest in places their original myths had nothing to do with, thus she wasnot that bothered by it."Well then, you have heard my name, beautiful maiden. To show yourrespect to the great name of the serpent slaying warrior, it would be best toleave now. After my introduction, it is now time for me to display my valor."Perseus flashed a brilliant smile, showing his pearly-whites.He was surely not your normal pretty boy, his smile both bold andcharming. As though in response, the dragon behind Liliana roared.GRAAAAAAAA!!A terrible, loud sound.It caused Liliana"s slender body to shake uncontrollably, the sheermagnitude of the sound almost bursting her eardrums. Not just the harborof Santa Lucia, perhaps the entire city of Naples had felt that.And in return to that roar, a sword materialized in Perseus" palm.It was over a meter long, its blade thick and heavy like a cleaver. A fittingsword for a hero - not good.To prevent the start of a battle, Liliana called out to that beautiful hero."G.o.d Perseus, please stop! This dragon is formed, from Naples - from theessence of the land, a divine beast, if you carelessly destroy it, the spiritualaura of the land will die along with it, please stay your hand!""Young lady, that I cannot do."Perseus answered, with a faint smile."Slaying dragons and serpents is what I embody. It is the duty andresponsibility of a hero, thus, the actions I must perform, if I were to give upon it halfway, it is unforgivable!""Because of that reason, you won"t care what happens to the land!?""This is for the sake of completing my duty. It can"t be helped."He said cheerily, as though he were shining like the sun.Those were cheesy lines only a true hero who fights for mankind andsaves damsels could utter. Somehow, the pretty boy who said those wordsand was radiating elegance - was also a seasoned warrior, tempered andforged in battle."It would be best if you stood back. The role of a young maiden is to standby and wait to be saved by the hero, and offer her love to the victorious. Itwould be presumptuous of you to interfere any more than that!"Liliana was frozen to the spot after being coldly reprimanded. Athinly-veiled threat.Even if she were to use up all her strength, she still had to stop Perseus.Although that is what her mind had decided, her body would not obey. Herlimbs would not move, no, rather, could not move.It might have been the power of his words.Perseus - the serpent-slaying hero, in his overwhelming presence, Lilianacould only gulp.She did not know that the girl she saw as a rival had once, before the warG.o.d Verethragna, experienced a similar event. To be suppressed like thisunder the authority of a G.o.d, it was indeed vexing."Hahaha, such an obedient girl. If it"s fine with you, after I fell the dragon,fall into my embrace like a saved maiden, reenacting the tale ofAndromeda!"As Perseus said that...The emerald dragon spread its wings out and took off, probably intendingto engage the hero from the air.Opening its maw, revealing its razor-sliarp teetli and dark red tongue.- An open siiow of liostility.From tine ferocious snarl of the divine beast, Liliana understood that.From its maw, flames came spewing forth, as if to cleanse the land clean,sacred flames that engulfed Perseus.However, in that mere instance, the beautiful hero"s form had seeminglyturned into that of a brilliant white meteor.At speeds beyond what Liliana"s eyes could follow, his movements werelike that of a meteor - terrifyingly fast, and it was also then that he threw hissword straight up into the sky.Spinning through the air, it easily hacked off the wing of the emeralddragon.GUAAAAAAAA!!The giant beast howled in agony.- The dragon descended towards the harbor, with its neck raised, stillindicating its determination to fight on. However, the speed of Perseuswould not allow it to do so.Catching his sword that flew back into his hand like a boomerang, he leaptoff the ground.It was a mere tenth of a second.Within that split second, Perseus was already at the side of the dragon,and with a flick of his sword, he hacked open the dragon"s ma.s.sive neck,causing emerald blood to gush out of the wound.The gigantic dragon, once again, howled, or rather, wailed.Although the neck had not been completely severed, it was more thanhalfway to a complete decapitation.- If only it were us magicians who had engaged the dragon instead.Liliana thought to herself, watching the spectacle unfold, even if the world"sgreatest magicians practiced the best strategy, did a complete surround,even so, it would not even be close to an a.s.sured victory.To the magicians, dragons were divine beasts of such immense power.However - the being with the appearance of a human in front of her, waseasily forcing the dragon into a corner, intending on taking its life.This was a [Heretic G.o.d], a being of such terrifying might.Though he had the att.i.tude, style and bravery of a hero, she could only seea symbol of ill omen. While she was still rooted in her fear, a voice couldsuddenly be heard."Hold it, the war G.o.d over there. The one you should be fighting is righthere. As a G.o.d, picking on a divine beast, isn"t it simply pitiful?""Fufu, the dragon"s dependents, aren"t you. How disrespectful, isn"t it anoverstatement to denounce me as such?Perseus jumped aside while answering, putting distance between him andthe dragon.GuaaaaaaaThe weakened dragon cried out.From around the divine beast that was almost slain by the hero, appeareda young girl who looked slightly over ten years old. It is not known whenshe had arrived at the harbor, but more importantly, why would such a girlbe here - Wait...Liliana realized she was also a [Heretic G.o.d].Bathing in the moonlight, glimmering silver hair, eyes blacker thandarkness. The divine aura of a powerful G.o.ddess, guardian the land, rulerover darkness, could be felt. A great G.o.ddess of the land, and a ratherfamous one at that.Engulfed in the divine aura emitted by the G.o.ddess, Liliana felt her bodygrow hot.An encounter with she, the guardian G.o.ddess of witches and serpents,who, under the divine protection of the almost full moon, the [Strega]^she, whose magical strength was at its peak.Nevertheless, it was thanks to her arrival that Liliana had broken out ofPerseus" binding. Regaining her freedom to move, she quickly checked hersurroundings, and saw that behind the G.o.ddess, was someone who clearlyshould not be present here."Kusanagi G.o.dou? Why are you here in such a place!?""You are Erica"s friend - Liliana, am I right?"And so, the Campione from the far east, exchanged greetings with her.A chance meeting with a hero, a G.o.ddess and a devil king. Liliana becamedepressed with this foreboding ill omen.Part 2Somehow, this night, was a night destined for encounters withacquaintances, one after another.In this harbor which he didn"t know, he chanced upon someone he had metbefore, and breathed a sigh of relief."Kusanagi G.o.dou, there"s something I"d like to ask you, but..."Liliana Kranjcar left the side of the dragon, walking over to him.A beautiful, fairy-like maiden of Eastern European lineage."Did you, by any chance, bring that G.o.ddess to Naples?""The opposite. She, - Athena, brought me to Naples."It seemed that this place was Naples.G.o.dou had been dying to find out his current location.A knight like Liliana, upon hearing that name, would surely realize theseverity of the situation. Her eyes widened in shock, then quickly nodded."... Athena. The G.o.ddess you had fought with this spring, right?"She did not probe any further into this, and immediately turned herattention towards the confrontation between the two G.o.ds. Indeed, she wasa serious and rational person, someone who could be relied on and trustedin situations like this."Then, I shall report the current situation promptly. The [Heretic G.o.d] overthere is the hero Perseus, to Athena, with the aspect of serpents and as aG.o.ddess of the land, he is a natural enemy, please take heed of this.""Come to think of it, Athena and Medusa are both one and the same G.o.d, itseems."G.o.dou nodded at Liliana"s warning of Perseus" advantage over Athena.Although he had forgotten most of the knowledge of Athena, he still had ageneral idea.While they were talking, the pair of G.o.ds were gazing intently at each other.It was not out of romance, but intense enmity, it was rather headacheinducing to watch them."True, we are the dependents of the dragon. After all, they are thedescendants of the wise snakes, my beloved children... Should someruffian brandish and harm them with a blade, as their guardian G.o.ddess, Iwould naturally defend them.""I, Perseus, do not have any interest in picking a fight with a woman, but..."The two G.o.ds faced each other provocatively.Though polite in their speech, their eyes gleamed with hostility."If my foe is the mighty G.o.ddess Athena, then it would be disrespectful torefuse you.""Perseus, was it?""To the one previously known as Medusa, it should be quite anunforgettable name. To have a chance at wiping away your disgrace ofyour defeat in the myths is amusing, don"t you think?"" Hmph, such a distasteful fellow. To mention that name on purpose,truly a foolish man."Athena said in a hateful tone, grimacing."Very well, I will accept your invitation - my wounded child, return to myembrace, and recuperate your body."With the fierce smile of a warrior, the G.o.ddess called out, at the side of thedragon.With most of its neck liacked apart, tine dying divine beast responded,dissolving its liuge emerald body into light, which was absorbed by Athena.Immediately after that, she raised a single hand, toward the heavens.Suddenly, the surface of the sea in the Bay of Naples protruded upwardssharply.The sand and grit in the sea rose up even higher, forming the shape of agigantic serpent.A serpent of sand.There was not just one of them. The protrusions from the sea, numbered ateight - eight giant serpents that rose from the sea, looking down uponPerseus. G.o.dou was reminded of the battle at Tokyo.Then, Athena had also used similar giant serpents like these, as if to showoff her power as a G.o.ddess of the land.She had also shrouded the area in darkness.Thick, pitch black air. To be engulfed by that would block out all light, whichhad caused the people of Tokyo to fall into great panic, thankfully, she onlyused a small amount this time..."The snake of darkness and earth. This is going to be a little troublesome."Perseus said.However, his expression did not match his words. On his mouth, a knowingsmile surfaced."Fortunately, I am well prepared for this My tale from the ancienttimes, by the neck of the Gorgon i severed, I shall do it once again. Beforeme, all serpents are powerless."As he said that, the eight serpents Athena had just created turned intodust.The mist-like darkness also began to scatter, as if blown by a wind."Serpent-slaying words of power, is it? It seems like a power you hadobtained after defeating a G.o.ddess with similar attributes to mine.""If you would like me to do so, I could make an oath not to use this powerin our battle. How about it?"In response to the G.o.ddess" dangerous look, the hero lowered his headrespectfully."Hmph, that would not be necessary. I will make you regret your audacity...Using those words of power, should have weakened your divine power.Though you have inherited the will of Zeus, back then in Greece, you hadthe blessing of the land for protection. That privilege which you do not havehere!"Hearing those angry words of Athena, G.o.dou started to have doubts.The words of power earlier, was it the same power as the [Sword]?The image that Perseus had evoked with his sword and its effects, itseemed as though it had completely sealed all serpent-related divinepowers.In her anger and great desire to oppose Perseus, Athena"s divine powerswelled up explosively.It was at a level where she no longer cared to test her opponent"s strength,similar to what had transpired in Tokyo - perhaps even worse - this wasbad.Remembering the aftermath of their previous battle and panicking, G.o.douthought that he had to stop them no matter what."Wait, wait a second! Don"t go all out in this sort of place! Stop!""Hm. I had been concerned earlier, but who are you? Not an ordinaryhuman, it seems... A modern G.o.dslayer, are you not?"Focusing his gaze on G.o.dou, who had entered his field of vision, Perseusasked.The one who answered was Athena instead."It is as you say. He is Kusanagi G.o.dou. Though he is not yet ripe, still, heis a rather impressive brat... I"ll say this first, but he is already my prey. Itwould be best if you remembered that well.""Ho. To be spoken of like that by a G.o.d of your stature, not bad at all..."As Perseus stared at him, squinting, G.o.dou felt somewiiat uneasy.It is likely that he was being a.s.sessed.Does this guy feel that fighting Athena won"t be enough, and is consideringme as well?"Like I said, wait. If you two would like to duke it out, that"s fine, but pleasedon"t fight in the city. You"ll be a nuisance to the residents!""Some time ago, you expended all your might to engage me in battle inyour own country, how ironic.""With the circ.u.mstances then, I had no choice! At any rate, if you want tofight, do it somewhere else!""Young G.o.dslayer, your inclinations are simply too superficial. You aremistaken."He had wanted to act as a mediator between the two divinities, but insteadhad been accused of being arrogant by Perseus.For sure, this guy won"t be making any proper suggestions. G.o.dou couldnot help but frown, thinking that."Are you listening? The people desire the great efforts of a hero, and awaitthe tales of my deeds. I, respecting their wishes, will fight, for them, I willdisplay all my valor. For this is the duty of a hero!""Don"t use "respecting the wishes of the people" so conveniently!Thick-skinned, aren"t you?"As expected, Perseus had said something that suited his own interests.If they were to continue the conversation this way, it would definitely end inhim asking the Campione - Kusanagi G.o.dou for a duel."Though you should already know this, you are also one of my enemies,young G.o.dslayer."Looking at G.o.dou who was attempting to deny reality, Perseus smiled.A righteous hero he may be, yet he had a twisted desire for battle. He feltas if he had seen this before, to be exact, a few months back - the hereticG.o.d Verethragna was also the same."Demon, rakshasa, fallen angel, G.o.dslayer... warriors that are branded asgreat abominations. You share many similar qualities as them, as a devilking, and with the heroes of steel, G.o.ds like me, between us we can onlybe eternal archenemies, to wage tempestuous war against. Us G.o.ds, bornabove the ground, and you humans, who have obtained the same standingas the G.o.ds, the chances for our paths to cross are frequent - our fateshave already been decided in the eons past."The hero of steel, saying that, startled G.o.dou slightly.It seemed like his Campione instincts were warning him - On the otherhand, it could also be said that it was the excitement that could be feltbefore a deathmatch with archenemies."If you put it that way, that"s how it is."Athena murmured."G.o.dslaying devil kings and the forces of the hero have always been inconflict since time immemorial... Hm. With that connecting destiny, it wouldbe inevitable for them to meet again."To say it was inevitable, or whatever other reasons, wasn"t it obvious that itwas all this G.o.ddess"s fault... While complaining to himself, the G.o.ddesscontinued on."Very well. Shall we retreat this time round, hero of steel? I have justremembered that I had planned to train this boy well."An inauspicious declaration.To G.o.dou who was holding his head with his hands, Athena issued anorder like a queen."Kusanagi G.o.dou, if you would like for the city to not get involved, then youwill have to fight for it. As a King, to protect your own friends. This is indeedgood training that the inexperienced you have to undertake.""Fufu. To be able to exchange blows with both a G.o.dslayer and the queenof serpents, this is getting more and more exciting.""You, you guys, don"t decide this at your own convenience..."Why do the G.o.ds always turn out to be so willful and stubborn?G.o.dou cursed his own misfortune, and at tlie same time a.n.a.lyzed iiissurroundings calmly.Athena was smiling provocatively, while Perseus wore an expressionbr.i.m.m.i.n.g with fighting spirit. Liliana Kranjcar was silently observing fromthe sides, looking worried.How would he approach the fight with this hero from the myths? G.o.doucould not come up with an idea.Besides that, there was also the problem of location.The castle that was built on the land formation reaching out towards thesea, the harbor, and even the streets leading to the city, they were far tooclose!Right now, they were only about ten meters away from the pier, next to thestreets, which looked rather prosperous.No matter how they fought, they would likely cause damage to theenvironment, which G.o.dou wanted to avoid."I don"t mind playing along with you guys, but I have a request. I want tochange the place for our duel. I can"t fight in a place like this."G.o.dou said in an exasperated air.He would not let himself be swept up in their pace. In addition to that, hewould also have to make them comply with his conditions."Ho, are you unsatisfied with this place as our dueling grounds?""Of course I am.""... Hmph. Although, at any rate, I don"t feel that it is a big problem, no?"G.o.dou"s firm insistence caused Perseus to inspect the surroundingscarefully."In a sentimental and historical city, under the moonlight and gaze of aG.o.ddess, this is a decent stage for us to do battle on.""It"s terrible. Normally, before a duel, you have to make preparations forvarious things. If you ask me for a duel on the spot, as if I can get fired up!"The ten forms of Verethragna, under these conditions, who knows whichcould be activated.To fight without preparation, would be to be beaten one-sidedly, which iswhy he needed to buy time and come up with a plan.Quickly making up his mind, G.o.dou whispered to the female knight."... Sorry, but because of that, I will be leaving this place. If I"m not around,you should be safe, so take that opportunity to get away."Originally he had intended to leave upon finishing those words, but Lilianaalso whispered her reply."... In other words, leaving this place for the present, wanting to prepare acounterattack?""Yes, that sounds about right. That guy is extremely fast on his feet,although I probably can"t beat him in that aspect, for now, I can only try.""In that case, then please leave it to me."Suddenly, Liliana clung on him tightly.Her slender body glued to his, embracing him, G.o.dou"s mind went blank ina fl.u.s.ter. Did she fall into the sea, her half-dried clothes giving off a scentof salt water.He could feel the gentleness and warmth of the fairy-like, beautiful girlthrough their body contact -The moment he had felt that, the silver-haired witch cried out."O" wings of Artemis, grant me the power to journey through the night andsoar across the heavens!"Was this an incantation - words to activate magical power?Right after, G.o.dou and Liliana were sent flying through the air."Eh?"The view before his eyes suddenly became very vast.The inner bay of Naples, the harbor stretching out to sea, the giganticcastle near the harbor, and many bright street lights...G.o.dou looked towards where he had stood moments ago.The looks of Athena and Perseus, who had been left behind on the land."Eeeh!?"As though attracted by some unseen magnet, Liliana and G.o.dou movedthrough the skies, directly above the streets of Naples.If someone were to look upwards, they would think that they saw ashooting star, but naturally, shooting stars will not be this close to theground.They continued to fly for about half a minute.Slowing down, they descended, and gradually landed on the roof of abuilding. Though G.o.dou had feared that the roof might give way undertheir weight, it was an unfounded fear.G.o.dou and Liliana landed on the roof softly, with the same flying posture.And after, they slid forwards like a plane that had just touched down, andquickly came to a stop, a safe landing.They had flew for a distance of about two or three kilometers.Gazing at the seaside castle in the distance, G.o.dou heaved a sigh of relief.PartsG.o.dou and Liliana returned to ground level from the rooftop.High-rise buildings were usually rather rare in European cities, but thislarge metropolis of Italy was an exception, there were quite a fewmulti-storied buildings around.The city at night before them, was indeed lively.Although it was already late, there were still many stores still operating,restaurants, hotels, pubs, for example, even some of the boutiques andgrocery stores have not closed shop yet.There were many people going back and forth. The duo of a young maleand female particularly stood out in the crowds..."Could it be that this area is a popular night date spot?""Yes. The Santa Lucia district, even at niglit, is one of tlie safer areas inNaples."G.o.dou fully agreed with Liliana"s answer.Having just come from rural Sardinia, the scenery here felt dazzling."... At any rate, I didn"t think that Liliana-san could fly."Recalling how they had escaped, he remarked earnestly.He had once asked Erica before whether she could use magic to fly, butshe had answered with "Not if it"s me", sighing.A magic which that genius could not use, but Liliana could - G.o.dou felt alittle surprised."It is my honor to be of service to you. The magical spell of flying is asecret art of us witches, have you not heard of it before? Of stories thatmentioned witches flying in the sky on brooms?"Liliana seemed somewhat proud, but G.o.dou"s attention was on acontradiction he realized."Eh? Erica is a witch too, but she had told me that she couldn"t fly?""Strictly speaking, she is not a witch, but rather a female magician. A witchhas to possess the disposition of a miko, to be able to receive the arts ofthe witch that are imparted... But, based on just her abilities, she could alsobe called a [Witch]."Come to think of it, during that turmoil in June, they had introduced Lilianaas a witch possessing the disposition of a miko.I see, so it had that kind of meaning.At any rate, it was thanks to Liliana that they could escape from thatsituation, G.o.dou turned around and bowed his head."Anyway, thank you. If it weren"t for your help... who knows how that wouldhave turned out.""To render a King their a.s.sistance is the duty of a knight, nothing that I didis worthy of your praise... But, why couldn"t you have fought at that place?"To the knight who had no clue of the current status, G.o.dou wanted towhine about his troubles.It seems that he had to do some explanations about the authorities ofVerethragna, and just as he decided..."Liliana-sama, you were here! Has the situation taken a turn for the worselike what we predicted!?"From the crowds, appeared a short young girl.She seemed to be similar to Shizuka in terms of age, wearing ahalf-sleeved maid uniform which suited her well, and appeared to besomeone Liliana knew. As she came, she threw G.o.dou a few looks ofsuspicion."Ah, sorry about that, making you search for me."Liliana faced the young maid who had shown up all of a sudden calmly.G.o.dou suddenly thought of the magic art that could scry the location ofpeople. If you had an object that belonged to the target, something like astrand of hair, as long as they were in the same city, you could roughly telltheir current location.Erica had occasionally used spells of this sort, that young girl must havedone something similar."Karen, you should know who is he, shouldn"t you? The Campione ofj.a.pan - Kusanagi G.o.dou-sama. Remember your manners. KusanagiG.o.dou, this is my servant, Karen Jankulovski."Liliana introduced them to each other.From her hard-to-p.r.o.nounce surname to a j.a.panese, she seems to be ofEast European lineage."... Kusanagi G.o.dou-sama? Liliana-sama, weren"t you together with SirSalvatore earlier, did something happen?""Well, many things did. Many things that give me a headache whenever Ithink about them.""By Sir Salvatore, did you mean Doni? Eh, did that guy come to Naplestoo?"Things looked more complicated than he had thought.As he headed to the hideout of the [Bronze-Black Cross], G.o.dou listenedto their report on the current situation in Naples....As expected, Salvatore Doni was an idiot who specialized in being anuisance to others.After hearing about the events that have transpired in Naples and makingthe above conclusion, G.o.dou noticed that the person who had beencontrolling her pace and trailing them constantly — the young girl in themaid uniform — ^was grinning from ear to ear."Mm, it has already turned into such a crisis... But, unexpectedly,Liliana-sama is someone who should not be underestimated. The momentSir Salvatore was gone, she had brought along yet another [King] - no,grew intimate with. Were you planning to take advantage of Erica-sama"sabsence?""K-Karen! Don"t speculate about such weird things!"Aah, this girl was a demon too, G.o.dou thought, sympathizing with Liliana.From the female maid"s, Karen"s smile, a shadow of a demon could beseen. It was such a cute smile, yet G.o.dou found himself being unable tocompliment it. It was, in a different way, a demonic personality like Erica"s."A, anyway, we have to quickly come up with a counterplan for the G.o.dPerseus. Kusanagi G.o.dou, do your authorities have any sort of activationconditions? The words of power of the [Sword] - the ability you had usedagainst Marquis Voban in Tokyo, what is required to use it?"Liliana forcefully changed the topic."In order to use that, I have to have precise knowledge of the enemy"sdivine nature and aspects. The problem is, I have completely zeroknowledge of those details in mythologies."Of course, he still knew the story of Perseus.G.o.dou looked at his right hand. No, the [Sword] could not yet be felt,hence knowledge of that degree was insufficient."But, if I recall correctly, you should have used the [Sword] a few times,how did you satisfy the conditions then?""Erica used magic to impart all the knowledge to me, that spell named[Instruction].""Then it"s simple, I too, have the ability to use that spell. In the place ofErica, let me, Liliana Kranjcar, complete the task!""No, about that, it"s impossible... You know, magic has little to no effect onus Campiones."This is bad. G.o.dou started to get fl.u.s.tered.If this goes on, he would have to explain how Erica had done it, he couldn"tpossibly do that!"... There is a loophole in Kusanagi G.o.dou-sama"s words. We alreadyknow that magic has no effect on Campiones, so how exactly did shemanage to use the spell [Instruction]?"As expected, Karen had interjected.Liliana was also awaiting G.o.dou"s answer with antic.i.p.ation, did he reallyhave to spell it out for them? This was like one of those penalty games."Erm, regarding that, in other words... Magic from external sources haveno effect, but it is a different story if it"s from the inside, something alongthe lines of "oral insertion", but with magic?""Oral... from the inside... ah, I see. That"s what it was."Liliana turned her head to the side, while Karen was hiding her laughter.This girl was truly a demon, she had seen through him from the start, andturned the situation into a source of entertainment for her.Ignoring G.o.dou"s woes, the female master turned towards her maid."What is it, Karen? I do not have a clue.""Fufu, as expected of Liliana-sama, how innocent... It is exactly what hesaid, oral insertion. In other words, mouth to mouth. A pa.s.sionate kissbetween a man and a woman. Have you forgotten, that legend of a maidenwho offered her body to the devil king Campione in order to cast sealingmagic?"" Mouth to mouth? A pa.s.sionate kiss?"Liliana repeated softly, and blushed a deep red."I, I see. Then, that time at Tokyo, in front of me, with Erica - th, thoseactions had such a meaning behind it!?""Ah, wait, what? ... Yeah, well, that"s how it is."In actual fact, that was merely Erica fooling around, but she did not need toknow that.As it was embarra.s.sing to say out loud, G.o.dou merely noddedambiguously. His answer had seemingly caused Liliana to realize a lot ofthings that were rushing into her head, and she was shaking slightly."That time - you were not even the slightest bit concerned that we werearound you, urged on by your pa.s.sion and impulse, as though you werealone with your lover, with the sound of a viola in the background, to holdeach other intensely, that time, was that!"Please don"t use that kind of expression to describe it, although his innerself had really wanted to say it, he resisted the urge."Although I had already thought so then, I"ll say it once more! You are tooshameless! To engage in those acts right before me, that pa.s.sionatekissing scene!"Feeling deeply apologetic, G.o.dou had been mistaken about her, hethought she had been empathizing with him."So, sorry... Because it"s that sort of thing, we can"t do it this time round.Understood?""Y, yes. I understand. As long as Erica is not here, we have no means ofusing that spell on you.""Why can"t we? I think it"s an extremely easy solution to our problems."And naturally, the person who interjected once again was Karen.With that, she touched on the topic which the king and the master hadbeen trying to avoid."Liliana-sama simply has to perform mouth to mouth on Kusanagi-sama,there is no problem with that, right?""No, there is a problem! For me and Liliana-san to do that, would be reallybad!""Th, that"s right. As a pure and chaste maiden, there"s no way I can dothat!"G.o.dou and Liliana retorted simultaneously.However, Karen, like a stubborn child, continued on."Now is the time of crisis when the [Heretic G.o.d] has descended upon us.The both of you, as a Campione and as a knight, please do notunderestimate the severity of the situation. Indeed, it is a terrible thing totrample over the purity of a maiden, but the disaster that will be caused bythe G.o.d is even more unforgivable - now, now, because of thatLiliana-sama, please kiss!"This girl, as I thought, is fully enjoying herself!G.o.dou was very sure of it, that while Karen was making suggestions with aserious face, but inside, she must be giggling looking at her master"stroubled face.However, the little devil maid"s suggestion was the right choice -G.o.dou stole a glance at Liliana"s face. Panicked, troubled, and a little bit ofanger, but the silver-haired girl definitely knew the truth of those words.She had to make up her mind. It was evident that her resolve waswavering, and her expression weakened.- G.o.dou suddenly felt the rush of power through his body.An indicator that a [Heretic G.o.d] was near, he hurriedly checked hissurroundings, and then immediately realized.From the direction of the sea, on a pure white horse with large wingsspread out wide from its back, rode the beautiful yet bold hero."Come to think of it, Perseus is also capable of flying."Pegasus, the horse of the sky.Legend speaks of a divine beast that can soar through the heavens, bornfrom the blood of Medusa, as well as sandals that can grant its wearerflight... G.o.dou recalled about the Greek myths of Perseus.At any rate, this was quite tine spectacular siglit. it was overiy sliowy.Tlie piace tliey were currently at was a ratlier wide open piaza.iViany men and women iii