Campione!

Chapter 42

Chapter 6 - Encounter in the NetherworldPart 1G.o.dou found himself in a mountain at some unknown location.After being swallowed by the suspicious darkness, he came to find himselfin this place.It was deep in the mountains, with lush greenery.Heavy was the smell of soil and trees. There was also a small streamflowing beside him.Were it a sunny day, taking a walk here would have been very comfortable.Regrettably, it was raining with ma.s.sive droplets splattering all over him.Howling winds filled the sky and mercilessly stole warmth from hisdrenched body.In addition, G.o.dou"s bodily condition was not very well at this time.A strong feeling of nausea, terrible cold, and headache made G.o.dou worryif he had caught a flu.Though it would have been best to get moving to find shelter from thisstorm, he did not have the strength. Squatting down for about threeminutes and enduring the sense of nausea, he felt much better."This feeling is almost like carsickness..."The headache was still present but was not a problem. G.o.dou got up andlooked around. The water in the stream beside him was very turbid andflowing rapidly due to the drainage of the rainwater. From the way thestream ran, this place must be quite remote in the deep mountains.G.o.dou discovered a little house upstream, and started making his waytowards it.He should first find shelter from the rain. Though a wooden house on theriverbank in such pouring rain did not seem particularly safe, it would stillbe better than standing outside.Then again, the safety of Erica and Seishuuin Ena still worried him verymuch.While worrying about them, G.o.dou reached the door of the little house.It resembled a rustic wooden house from some historical drama. A simpleglance was sufficient to a.s.sert that modern amenities such as electricity,gas, and running water were alien concepts.The sliding door at the entrance was open, and G.o.dou peered inside.An old man, who appeared to be the owner, sat cross-legged in front of thestove.His towering physique would stand over 180cm tall. His coa.r.s.e kimonoexposed a strongly built body that did not match his age and bulgingmusculature that would put most bodybuilders to shame.The old man"s obstinate expression matched his solid build quite well."Kusanagi G.o.dou, please enter. My apologies for suddenly summoningyou to this place."To be named so abruptly.By this point, G.o.dou knew who he was.G.o.dou"s body, charged full of energy to fight, had already given him theanswer — the old man before him was a G.o.d."My miko made trouble for you, but please endure for a little while longer. Ihad no choice but to bring you here because that girl said she wanted aduel with the barbaric little lady. After all, they are both female and human,so why don"t you let them fight to their hearts" content?""...Who are you? And what kind of G.o.d are you?"Hearing the questions, the old man smiled.Though he appeared to be very strict, he unexpectedly gave off a sense ofkindliness and intimacy."I am the G.o.d known as Haya Susanoo no Mikoto. You may call me theOld One or simply old man, but do not use grampsy. Having one brat Enacalling me such an idiotic nickname is more than enough."Jumping into the darkness that G.o.dou disappeared into —Erica finally reached the end to find herself at an unknown riverside.The distance across the river was not very wide, but the flow was quiterapid and swimming across would be very difficult. However, the water inthis river was beautiful and crystal clear.It gave off a feeling that could not possibly come from a river in thetwenty-three wards of Tokyo."This really is the Astral Plane... right? Could I have entered the Boundaryof Life and Immortality?"Erica knelt on the ground panting.The air was very turbid and felt lacking in oxygen no matter how hard youbreathed. Very likely, her body was not yet accustomed to this world.But it could not be helped.Moving from the surface world to the Astral Plane was [Plane Walking], atype of ultimate, high-difficulty magic that required drinking a preciouspotion beforehand.This was medication to activate spirit capabilities and help the body adaptto this otherworldly realm.This was a world where spirit ranked higher than flesh, and ectoplasmranked higher than matter.Magi who had stepped foot in the Astral Plane were extremely rare,because neither the magical ritual to transfer to another world nor therequired potion were easy to obtain.Though it was her first time here, Erica already discerned the truth of thisworld and started responding accordingly.First, she raised the magical power in her body to the limit.Despite the risk of depleting her magical energy, there was no time tohesitate. After dozens of seconds, her symptoms disappeared, and Ericastood up, her breathing back to normal. Then came a voice."Erica-san, you are amazing. Already moving about in the Netherworld."Seishuuin Ena walked over, holding the Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi inher hand.The Hime-Miko also seemed to be protecting her body in the same wayand did not show any signs of suffering."You"re really annoying, and I was about to catch up to G.o.dou. Could youkindly step aside?""If that"s the case, you must first defeat Ena by force. Come, we must hurryand fight."Erica drew Cuore di Leone for she had harbored the same intentions allalong.Then she advanced to attack Ena who was wielding Ama no Murak.u.mo noTsurugi in its jet-black curved blade form.The magic sword and the divine blade clashed once again.The moment the two blades met, Cuore di Leone was split into two! Withsplit second decisiveness, Erica promptly jumped to the side and evadedthe follow up attack."Steel of the lion, the symbol of indestructible authority!"Responding to Erica"s spell words, the broken segment of the magic swordflew through the air and returned.Then combined and welded back together again.Cuore di Leone restored itself through its attribute of indestructibility, butAma no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi"s power was also increasing.Or rather, it was simply retrieving its original power?"Susanoo — by filling her body with the blade"s original user"s divineprotection, she is able to wield a divine artifact that humans cannot use...To think that such a technique existed!"Erica exclaimed softly.Ena"s body was inhabited by some unknown divine power. A tiny fractionof Susanoo"s divinity — probably around two hundred parts per million — wasbeing lent to her.Even though the amount of power a human body could contain was thissmall, its nature was still the power of a G.o.d.Which is why Ena could freely wield Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi usingher own will and sword skills."Not just grampsy"s power, but this Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi is alsosimilar to a demiG.o.d. Its spirit flows within me. Susanoo"s attribute as theconquering G.o.d was also obtained from the Ama no Murak.u.mo noTsurugi."The steel sword symbolizing the conqueror... Since this description wasbestowed after he obtained the sword, Susanoo must have acquired hisdivinity of the conquering G.o.d at the same time, Erica deduced."Tell me, that grampsy of yours called Susanoo — where is he? Then again,what is he? Could he be a [Heretic G.o.d]?""According to his own description, he is no longer the same brash andmischievous G.o.d in his youth."Provoked by Ena"s laughter, Erica could not help but glare at her. But shewas right, were he still a [Heretic G.o.d], he would be wandering on earthand causing ma.s.s destruction instead. Then what kind of existence was heactually?"Explaining it will take very long... And there"s no time left, right?"Ena felt deeply apologetic."Normally, I should be more leisurely. But maybe because we"re in theNetherworld, the divine power in my body has increased? The spirit ofgrampsy and Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi is truly amazing, even talkingproperly is becoming impossible... So Ena would like to apologize to youfirst.""You want to apologize?""Yes, because Ena is now too strong, so strong that even I feeldespicable..."As she made such a declaration, Ena"s body began to shake.Her movements were very stiff, like those of a puppet, and completelydifferent from her agile moves up to this point."Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi, I pledge this body as a sacrifice, pray calmyour wild spirit!"The spell words were chanted from the miko"s mouth.Whispered words that carried piety and nihility. And inhabiting her pupilswas a ferocious fighting spirit and murderous intent.It was not the eyes of a swordsman who gambled with life to enjoy battle,but those of an evil spirit that swore to defeat all enemies and annihilatethem completely.With her changed expression, Ena raised her jet-black divine sword highusing stiff movements."Thousand leaves breaking, Iwaki of G.o.d, surpa.s.sing possible, I now nameit, unfortunate nothingness."^The instant the spell song was chanted, Erica received a shockingsurprise.The magical power that protected her and allowed her to adjust to theNetherworld suddenly left her body.That magical power was being sucked into Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi!— The ability to a.s.similate the power of rebellious barbarians. It turned outit could be used in this way.Speechless, Erica sank to her knees, her entire body losing strength andher breathing quickening. She had returned to the state when she firstarrived in this world.In front of Ena, who was under divine possession, it was truly a hopelessand desperate situation.Part 2To have the gall to call a G.o.d "grampsy" to his face, Ena"s courage wasbeyond imagination.G.o.dou sighed as he asked:"I"d like to ask, are you actually a [Heretic G.o.d]?""No, I"m no longer rebelling. I"ve tired of that kind of game a long time ago.""G.o.ds who have escaped the restrictions of their myths, aren"t they all[Heretic G.o.ds]?"Sc.r.a.ps of knowledge that he picked up from Erica before.But the G.o.d who introduced himself as Susanoo(!) simply scoffed indisdain."That kind of sloppy categorization is wrong. Normal G.o.ds only exist inmyths, while only those who escape from legends and walk the earth canbe called [Heretic G.o.ds]."[Heretic G.o.d] caused unprecedented disasters simply by existing on earth.This was why the only ones who could oppose them, the Campiones, wererevered as devil kings. That was what G.o.dou knew."As for me, I was a [Heretic G.o.d] once."Susanoo exhaled deeply, and showed an expression as if reading G.o.dou"smind."I wandered the earth for over a thousand years, then got bored anddecided to live in seclusion. I suppose I used to be very violent andunreasonable, but personalities tend to mellow with age."His delinquent-like declaration aside, who could have thought Susanoowas an elderly former [Heretic G.o.d]?This self-introduction stunned G.o.dou with surprise. He had beenwondering for quite a while what kind of end existed for G.o.ds like Athena,but he never thought a retirement solution like this existed."You mentioned living in seclusion, what is that about?""Since [Heretic G.o.ds] will not die without a serious cause, they will notreturn to the myths either. Without any other recourse, they either go tosleep or live secluded in the Netherworld like me.""Netherworld?""Oh? That"s this place right here. You didn"t know that? I heard you"vebeen summoned here by your adoptive mother Pandora before.""No, I had no idea at all."G.o.dou had some kind of subtle feeling as he shook his head.The headache that appeared after he arrived at this mountain. Anannoying headache that suddenly intensified."Hahaha, sorry, it"s because I brought you here through abnormal means,so you have been unable to retrieve the memories in the Netherworld.You"ve probably been having a headache all along, right?""Then summing up all that was said just now... Everything happenedbecause of you!"G.o.dou made an indignant accusation, but the elderly hero G.o.d laughed"hoho.""Yes, I used to do many bad things like locking old sis in a cave, so trickslike hiding or concealing are a piece of cake for me."What did he mean? G.o.dou felt greatly suspicious.Whenever he tried to ponder about the true visage of Susanoo, hisheadache would intensify.Susanoo was originally a G.o.d of the earth from Izumo.However due to repeatedly amalgamating numerous myths, hetransformed into a typical hero G.o.d. Storms. Using his divine body thatcontrolled storms as a foundation, he obtained the iron sword from slayingthe snake.The iron sword was the Kusanagi sword, the key to his becoming theconquering G.o.d of steel.At the same time, Susanoo also had the hero attribute of craftily makinguse of deception, and a great example was the story of forcing his eldersister, the great sun G.o.ddess Amaterasu, into a stone cave. The legend of"hiding/stealing the sun", was a common trickster myth in the Asian Pacificregion.All sorts of knowledge about Susanoo flowed into G.o.dou"s mind.Then G.o.dou felt in his right hand, the reaction of the [Sword] beingprepared. He fell silent."Ha! As expected of the fellow who obtained the sword of wisdom, just bylistening to my story, you were able to forge a weapon!"All he wanted was to know, but why did it turn out like this?The spell words to slay Susanoo have been obtained, but his head washurting like it was about to explode. It was probably impossible to win if hehad to fight with this G.o.d before him in such conditions.G.o.dou felt doubt at the unexpected occurrence.He felt that he was exactly like Verethragna — the original user of thissword."W-why is this happening...""Because this is the Netherworld, which is different from the reality whereyou live. This is where everything is recorded, from the birth of the universeto all possible future outcomes. Those who possess the ability can obtainsome of these records from this place."The old G.o.d seemed to be undertaking an explanation role.G.o.dou thought about what he heard before, that the power of spirit visionwas the ability to extract [Memories of the Void] from the Boundary of Lifeand Immortality. So the Netherworld was that kind of territory.So that was the reason why the environment and the [Warrior]"s powerproduced some kind of chemical reaction...?However, his headache was getting worse, and his brain felt like it wasburning up.Very likely, it was the price of performing something similar to spirit vision.This kind of task was probably best left to Yuri, G.o.dou painfully realized."Anyway, I must leave this place. Something bad is about to happen to mycompanion — Erica and your miko Seishuuin Ena, and I must go to them.""What are you talking about? I called you here precisely to stop you frominterfering."G.o.dou endured his headache as he tried to make a sincere request. Theformer [Heretic G.o.d] laughed heartily."Just wait a while longer, why the rush? Should I bring out the alcohol?"This old b.a.s.t.a.r.d, why is he making me wait?As G.o.dou frowned, he heard another voice."Looking for your girlfriends? Hahaha, you really are as lecherous as therumors."Unlike Susanoo"s steady voice, it was a hoa.r.s.e sound.G.o.dou frantically looked in the voice"s direction. In a corner of the littlehouse, another character had started sitting there at some unknown pointin time.The one dressed in a monk"s black habit did not look human at all. Withdry, parched skin and no real flesh, it was as if everything had peeled off.Resembling the body of a living Buddha or a mummified corpse, the sightmade G.o.dou swallow hard."To treasure her to such a degree, looks like our efforts to send you aconcubine have not gone to waste. Since Susanoo-san"s miko was apeculiar person, I originally worried if she might not suit your tastes... Orperhaps, you worry more about that barbarian little lady?"The black clad figure spoke in tones that hid subtle sarcasm.Simply bearing superficial politeness, he was clearly a very rebelliousperson."Your Majesty the Rakshasa King^ would like to see the girls, yes?Please wait a moment."A third voice. This time it was female.G.o.dou shifted his gaze towards the voice, opposite to the dried out monk"sposition.An otherworldly beauty was sitting in seiza, dressed like a n.o.ble princessfrom the Heian era in a brilliantly colorful juunihitoe^ style kimono. Butwhere did she come from?Those pupils of hers were crystal clear like the color of gla.s.s. Her hair wasa deep flaxen color while her smooth delicate skin resembled polishedivory.This adorable beauty of hers, resembling a sculpture, surpa.s.sed the looksof any modern j.a.panese.The princess with pupils of gla.s.s was sitting before a basin.When did this basin, filled with water, appear along with the princess —"W-Who are you people?"G.o.dou asked frantically.Unlike Susanoo, the mummified monk and the princess did not provoke hisbattle spirit, so they should not be G.o.ds... Then the old hero G.o.d said to theunsettled G.o.dou:"This is the Netherworld, a gathering place for those who are neitherhuman nor G.o.ds. Especially those gathered here: obsessed fools unable torelinquish their feelings for the real world. We have been dealing with theother side for quite a long time, and have been involved in many affairs.""Simply put, a bunch of old people watching over the young ones."The dried out monk in black chimed in.Though most of the teeth in his mouth had already fallen out, his wordswere surprisingly clear."The wizards in charge of this country are too busy with mundane worldlyaffairs. So in order to prevent them from becoming sleeping tigers, our dutyis to give them reminders from time to time. Sometimes when existenceslike you pop up, we will also make a few comments.""...Sleeping tigers?"As G.o.dou asked, the princess spoke once more."Please look this way, Rakshasa King. Your majesty"s concubine is here."Images were appearing in the basin of water before her.G.o.dou hurried over for a look. The image on the surface of the watershowed two girls fighting. Erica Blandelli was wielding Cuore di Leonewhile Seishuuin Ena swung her great blade.Ena"s sword had changed in appearance. The originally straight blade wasnow curved and its color had become black.The duel ended dismally.Facing Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi, Erica suddenly collapsed."To think that naughty brat Ena has come to the Netherworld. Fool, if sheperforms divine possession in such a place, her body will surely be takenby me and Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi.""Divine possession?"G.o.dou questioned Susanoo"s scolding of Ena."Correct, that is her power as a Hime-Miko. The ability to turn her body intoa vessel for containing a G.o.d"s divine spirit. But with a single mistake, shewill lose her mind and body. Looking at her like this... most likely she hasbeen taken over by our divine spirit.""A miko with that kind of ability is almost like a demiG.o.d. It"s too unfortunatefor the little lady who battled against her."Susanoo and the monk in black delivered their commentary without anysense of culpability.Seeing their att.i.tudes, G.o.dou stood up. It was no longer time for gentlerequests."Send me there. The faster the better, hurry!"There was no time to tend to the splitting headache.G.o.dou forced himself to endure the pain and raised his right arm — the onecarrying the [Sword], pointing at Susanoo.Making clear that he would show no mercy if refused.Despite G.o.dou"s threat, Susanoo simply ignored him and looked boredwhile the monk in black mocked him and went "hoho, how amazing.""Hahaha, good good. Those little ladies would be delighted if they heardyour words. You have not shamed the name of the [King], I am deeplyimpressed!"Hearing such insincere praise, G.o.dou glared at the monk.G.o.dou gnashed his teeth, but currently he did not have an incarnation todefeat this mummified monk."Rakshasa King, if Your Majesty imagines the place shown here andmakes a wish to be there, it will be done. In a place like the Netherworld,methods of travel are different from the real world."The princess with the pupils of gla.s.s explained humbly.G.o.dou could not help gazing at her beauty.Unsure where this beauty came from, G.o.dou lowered his head."May Your Majesty"s merciful virtues help those girls. That is my humblewish.""That goes without saying! Thank you very much, it"s been a great help!"G.o.dou immediately thanked her politely.Strangely enough, it did not feel like she was lying.It was as if the Campione"s supernatural sense of danger informed him...the exact same feeling.G.o.dou did as she described and imagined the scenery shown on the watersurface. The place where the two girls were, where did such a beautifulriver flow in the Netherworld?In the next instant, G.o.dou vanished from the little house.Because of that, the young Campione did not hear the followingconversation."That person loves women too much. All it took was the sight of hisconcubines in a desperate plight to make him lose all composure. Hahaha,looks like he is unlikely to perform above expectations.""Yes, it"s all that brat Ena"s fault for coming here and making him believethere was a crisis."The desiccated monk could not stop laughing to himself, while Susanooscolded with displeasure."It"s time we stop using those girls to test the Rakshasa King"s disposition. Iam starting to feel displeased, Enlightened Master, Old One."Admonished by the princess with eyes of gla.s.s, the two men continuedunfazed.Part 3Erica watched as Seishuuin Ena slowly approached with Ama noMurak.u.mo no Tsurugi. If this continued, she would be slain. Given hercurrent frail body, what other measures could she take —Searching in vain with no solution in sight, was it really hopeless?"Wait, Seishuuin, put your sword away!"A familiar voice. The figure of the familiar youth appeared between Ericaand the Hime-Miko.Kusanagi G.o.dou. The youth she was determined to save."G.o.dou, you"re okay...?""Well enough, I will handle this. You should rest for a while."With barely enough strength to ask, she could only watch the back of theyouth who answered.For whose sake did I, Erica Blandelli, come to be caught in this desperatesituation? Though she wanted to call him an idiot, her depleted staminacaused Erica to abandon the notion. She subst.i.tuted her displeasure with arelieved sigh.1 — G.o.dslayer, I cannot follow your orders."Ena"s lips did not move, and a robotic voice was heard.Speaking to G.o.dou who stood in front of the weakened Erica, shecontinued." — As the enemy of G.o.ds, you are also the enemy of me, the divine sword.To listen to your orders will be my greatest shame.""You... are not Seishuuin."The calm and penetrating voice once again replied."Correct, my master and the miko call me Ama no Murak.u.mo, good thatyou know.""Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi! That"s Susanoo"s weapon, and theKusanagi sword!"G.o.dou yelled at the Hime-Miko controlled by the divine blade, the one wholooked like Ena but was not Ena.Seeing him surrounded by countless flashes of light, Erica got a big shock.These were the spell words of the [Sword]!"Susanoo is a G.o.d who shares a long history with [Steel]! His territory Susais well known for producing iron ore, and he is the G.o.d of storms. In ancienttimes, strong wind provided the greatest a.s.sistance to forging iron byfanning the flames to make them stronger, and that intense fire can meltiron!"The brilliant light of the [Sword] started moving like a stream of meteors,and flew to attack Ena.Targeted, she silently kicked at the ground, and began running like thewind at superhuman levels, intending to escape the onslaught of the[Sword].However, it still caught up to her.Wielding the divine sword with movements like a puppet, she tried todeflect the [Sword] in vain. Steel that should have cut through the spheresof light was pushed back by the light instead.Erica was certain, these were the spell words that can defeat Ama noMurak.u.mo no Tsurugi."...Spell words that can conquer a G.o.d and his belongings. True to thestatus of a G.o.dslayer, a most troublesome weapon indeed."It was still that robotic voice.Ena admitted her disadvantage. Ena — no, Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugicontrolled the Hime-Miko to jump backwards.Such a jump would probably require a human-sized cricket or gra.s.shopper,to instantly create a distance of dozens of meters." — Continuing to stay in the Netherworld will cause damage to my miko"sbody. It would be wise to repeat this duel another time. G.o.dslayer, I shallreturn to the real world, and wait for you there."Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi manipulated Ena"s body and buried her intothe ground.Darkness consumed the ground beneath her legs and spread out into agreat patch of jet-blackness.This was probably the [Door] that pulled the two of them into theNetherworld. Erica watched in surprise as the darkness graduallyswallowed Ena and the divine blade until they disappeared."How could that girl do such a thing...?""The current Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi is just like a cheap copy ofSusanoo. With that smelly old b.a.s.t.a.r.d"s power, of course it"s possible, andbecause of that, the [Sword] was effective against her."G.o.dou explained as he ma.s.saged his temples.He was struck with intense pain once again, and the worried Erica hurriedover before him."G.o.dou, how are you?""Perhaps because I forced myself too much to create the [Sword] to defeatSusanoo, using it gives me a great headache. I"m afraid I can"t continue..."Evidently, a lot had happened to G.o.dou and he was reaching his limits.Erica sighed deeply. Though she was concerned about Ena, who hadescaped back to earth, their current biggest problem was being stranded inthe Astral Plane. Was there a way for them to leave...?It was around six in the evening when Amakasu"s phone call was received."Ena-san disappeared? So has G.o.dou-san and Erica-san?"At the Nanao Shrine, Mariya Yuri was greatly surprised to receive suchnews."That"s right. We have been keeping Ena-san under surveillance, actually."Hearing this unsettling news, Yuri frowned. The Committee must havesome reason for doing that."During the weekend, Ena-san had visited your school and then suddenlyran into Erica-san and Kusanagi-san, and the three of them vanishedtogether... What an unbelievable development."Amakasu began to recount in detail everything that happened in order.His tone of voice suggested that he was the one in charge of thesurveillance mission. After all, tailing the highly alert premier Hime-Mikowould not be possible except for a master of concealment like Amakasu."There was an inside story after all.""It"s the elders, there can be no other. What are they planning?"The elders who even the History Compilation Committee members have toplease.They were inhuman, supernatural existences. Fairies, demiG.o.ds, holymonks, ascended ascetics, great magi, vengeful spirits... With all sorts ofdifferent legends, they were a group that surpa.s.sed humanity andapproached immortality. It was said that they had freed themselves fromthe natural order of reality and chose to live in the Netherworld.Yuri recalled the Old One watching over Ena, the frightening G.o.d who wasalso known as a [Heretic G.o.d] once.The ancient deity who possessed the Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi.Kidnapping a Campione was something that no one but the elders coulddo.However, Yuri could not understand why they were acting so rashly.This could not be allowed to continue. If she did not learn by trying, shewould not be able to improve her powers of deduction. She wantedintelligence and wisdom rivaling Erica and initiative that did not requirebeing led by Ena.Yuri made a resolute decision as she requested."I will now go to school and see if I can discern where G.o.dou-san and therest have gone.""Actually I was going to ask you to do that, much appreciated. Myapologies."The Committee"s top investigator seemed a bit happy.But then he seemed troubled by the condition Yuri proposed next."Hmm, I don"t think it"s a good idea, it"s too early for that.""No, I believe it is a necessary measure, Amakasu-san. Though it painsme to put it this way, but please regard it as the price and condition for mycooperation."The "Hime" part of the term Hime-Miko, was not simply for show.Indeed, the Hime-Miko organization was ranked beneath the HistoryCompilation Committee. On the other hand, the reverence and respect forthe bloodline of the Hime-Miko was a tradition pa.s.sed down over athousand years.Amakasu and the members of the Committee did not have the authority togive a Hime-Miko orders on whim.Yuri decided to take advantage of her status for the first time.After about an hour, three people gathered on the sports ground of JounanAcademy.Mariya Yuri, Amakasu Touma, and Liliana Kranjcar.Though the sky was darkening, the sun had yet to set entirely, which is tosay, it was dusk.In these ambiguous, dimly lit conditions, the silver-haired knight glared atAmakasu Touma."I heard that Kusanagi G.o.dou was kidnapped by the one backingSeishuuin Ena.""Please don"t be mad, this time we are also victims... That is why Isuggested not bringing her along."Yuri shook her head at the complaining History Compilation Committeemember."The magic and knowledge that Liliana-san possesses will definitely comein handy in this situation. Besides, there is no one else with a witch"spowers..."She was one who was outstanding in witchcraft.Actually, this was also Liliana Kranjcar"s most valuable disposition.In terms of martial ability, she was equal to Erica, while Yuri was vastlysuperior in spirit vision.However, Liliana was the only one who could use witchcraft.Understanding the thoughts of birds and beasts and be able to commandthem, flying like a bird in the sky, swimming freely like a fish in water,gathering forest herbs to make potions, these were all cla.s.sified under themost talented domain of witches."Since Yuri-san insists, I will not object. So please partic.i.p.ate together,Liliana-san... So, let"s start immediately?"Prompted by Amakasu, Yuri surveyed the "crime scene" once again.G.o.dou, Erica, and Ena disappeared from a corner of the school, and infront of her was a wall of the school building.— Shivering, she felt even her back shaking.Terrifying magical traces were discovered.Liliana also seemed to have felt it, and she narrowed her eyes, focusing onthe school wall."Mariya Yuri, can you see the problem here? Regrettably, a great powerwas applied here, and I cannot gather any clues..."Liliana spoke with great dismay, and Yuri closed her eyes.Not sight, but "vision" that focused spiritual disposition surpa.s.sing the fivesenses. At this instant, the vision appeared.— The sun, which dominated the sky, completely darkened like in a solareclipse.— Holding the great sword of steel, the storm G.o.d appeared, causing theland with the bountiful harvest to wither into a gray wilderness."It was Susanoo after all..."Ever since the Marquis Voban incident, she had not experienced anyvisions for months.From the images shown before her eyes, Yuri seemed to have found outwhat happened."I know the method used to take G.o.dou-san and the rest away and alsosaw where they went."Yuri explained as she endured her over exhausted body.Liliana displayed great interest, but Amakasu looked tired for some reason."Perhaps you already have an idea, Amakasu-san?""Amongst the ones capable of kidnapping a Campione, I already have avery good idea. Requesting your spirit vision was just to obtain concreteproof. Since this is an internal affair, I still hope the outsider can bedismissed.""No, Liliana-san"s wisdom is truly needed for what comes after."Yuri cast an apologetic gaze at Amakasu.Then she turned towards and bowed her head at Liliana who had beenexcluded from the conversation and was showing signs of displeasure."I beg you, please tell me the method to save G.o.dou-san, Erica-san andEna-san from the Netherworld — the Boundary of Life and Immortality."After listening to the gist of the situation, the witch and Great Knightshowed a troubled expression."A deity who used to be a [Heretic G.o.d]? This country is harboring such amonster!""If possible, I also wish he would hurry up and pa.s.s on, but that"s not goingto happen. He"s been hanging around for over a thousand years. To behonest, we are also very troubled too.""Amakasu-san, your description is a bit..."Yuri scolded Amakasu for his imprudent comment as she waited for thewitch"s response.Since they were now aware that G.o.dou and Erica were trapped in theNetherworld, they had to go over to bring them back. Now the only onecapable of using that kind of spell was the silver-haired witch."In order to transfer to the Astral Plane, the magical ritual and the requiredmedication are needed. I already know the ritual, but the problem is thepotion..."□liana"s expression darkened as she continued to speak."I know the recipe, but I don"t have the ingredients. A few precious herbsare essential, but I don"t have them on hand and must send for them fromback home.""Then what if we go buy them right now? I"ve heard that shops sellingthose kinds of things exist in Tokyo."Yuri had heard from Amakasu and others at the History CompilationCommittee.They occasionally monitored shops that secretly sold wizardry tools andcatalysts.However, Liliana showed an "oh no" kind of stiff expression."Actually... I have no idea where those shops are located.""Eh?""Because... I have been busy taking care of Kusanagi G.o.dou, so I havenot spent the time to familiarize myself with people and places in that fieldin Tokyo..."Liliana bowed her head and confessed, embarra.s.sed.Her fingers twiddling, the blush on her face was especially cute. It wascompletely different from Liliana"s usual awe-inspiring appearance. ThenYuri suddenly thought of the adage "putting the cart before the horse.""No, no, just ask Amakasu-san to lead the way."Tentatively, she first tried a relatively safe solution. Unfortunately, realitywas cruel."Uh, no can do, I"m afraid. Any ingredient or catalyst required by high levelmagic, above rank E in difficulty, has to be ordered in advance. Usingonline shopping parlance, it"s under the category of "delivery timeunknown." Even if we rushed over right away, we won"t get it.""T-Then they must have logistics problems!""Actually, I think it"s even stranger for the Kranjcar family to keep thoseitems lying around the house!"Liliana felt furious at Amakasu"s tactless honesty.There was no time to wait for a delivery from Italy. In that time span, theworst situation could develop.Just as Yuri was about to consider other options.A suspicious presence could be felt... from Amakasu"s body.She once read a mystery novel that someone recommended to her asguaranteed to be interesting.She had the exact same feeling of suspicion towards a character thatappeared around the tenth page or so. As she paid attention to thatcharacter and continued reading, it turned out the person was the finalculprit.Henceforth, Yuri avoided the genre as much as possible. Very calmly, shesaid:"Amakasu-san, what are you trying to hide?""Uh... I don"t know what you"re talking about. Could it be your imagination?"The History Compilation Committee special operative was subtly avertingeye contact.Undeterred, Yuri continued to ask, determined to speak her mind."Since the name Sayanomiya suddenly appeared in my mind, could it be...that family is involved?""Sayanomiya? What is that?""The History Compilation Committee is an organization run under thedirection of the Sayanomiya family. They are steeped in the traditions ofwizardry, and several generations ago, their family head had gone to studyin Europe and learned knowledge about magic over there--"As she explained to Liliana who interrupted with a question, Yuri recalled acertain incident.During the Marquis Voban incident, at the time when she visited the secretlibrary at Aobadai.That facility stored grimoires collected and confiscated from all over j.a.panby special operatives like Amakasu. Come to think of it, the Committeesurely must collect more than books."Perhaps, amongst the various items Amakasu-san and your colleaguesconfiscate, there are the items that Liliana called ingredients? Those areprobably kept in the Sayanomiya residence...""Hahaha, how can that be possible, please don"t guess randomly.""Whether or not it is a random guess, everything will be cleared up by aninvestigation."Liliana drew her beloved sword in front of Amakasu who was playingdumb.The magic sword II Maestro was personally forged by a top blacksmith andmage."I will go directly into that residence and search. If it is not there, then I willsearch all the facilities belonging to your Committee."Discerning Yuri"s thoughts from the dialogue just now, Liliana declared withgreat awe-inspiring impact.Although from an ethical standpoint, this kind of behavior was not veryappropriate. However, she still made her declaration openly.Yuri was very impressed. Threats should be made in such a manner? Alesson learnt."Sigh... As expected, calling her here was trouble. Fine, I confess, I knowhow the required ingredients can be obtained. The Sayanomiya residencedoes have these things, but due to various reasons, they cannot be movedarbitrarily, so it would be best not to go there."Amakasu finally spoke the truth amidst sighing tones.Knowing she was now able to save her dear friends, Yuri could not helpbut feel excitement in her heart.Part 4Netherworld, Astral Plane, Boundary of Life and Immortality.In this s.p.a.ce with many different names, G.o.dou was caught in a dilemma.Ena, under Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi"s control, had escaped a whileago. Though his body felt like an hour has pa.s.sed, G.o.dou knew suchimpressions were unreliable because the flow of time in this place wasunlikely to be the same as on earth. After some rest, G.o.dou"s headachehad also recovered almost completely. However —Erica"s condition was taking a turn for the worse.Her face in pain, she was breathing irregularly and sweating profusely.G.o.dou tried to touch her and found her body temperature unusuallyelevated as if under high fever. She also had no strength left and could noteven turn herself over.Completely drained, she was lying in the shade of a tree beside the river."Given the current situation, I guess the only way is to return to themountain just now..."G.o.dou muttered to himself. Since he did not have the knowledge or skillsto help Erica, he must ask for help. And in this mysterious s.p.a.ce, he onlyknew three "people," if they could be called that. Susanoo and themummified monk aside, perhaps the benevolent princess might extend ahelping hand."May I ask: how is this world structured?"Worrying about Erica"s condition, G.o.dou asked.In order to save her and leave, he needed information.There was a beautiful river here that flowed somewhere.As well as a seemingly limitless plain.This scenery extended to the horizon without any change.The little house in the mountain where Susanoo was located seemed to bein one direction, or perhaps not. To have suddenly jumped out here in aninstant, even G.o.dou could not believe his eyes."...Susanoo"s location is a different s.p.a.ce from here. If I"m not mistaken,the Astral Plane is composed of many disconnected worlds and s.p.a.ces.You must have performed a spatial transfer between them..."Erica quoted from what she had read in books and explained to G.o.dou.Without her usual flair when speaking, it seemed like her stamina had beendraining continuously, and G.o.dou nodded to her, frantic for a solution tothe situation."In other words, this is very similar to an apartment building, you know?Though you live under the same roof, homes are separated by walls andfloors, but you can still move about using corridors and stairs."A broad world that contained countless independent s.p.a.ces and linkedtogether like a spider"s web.Even for the storm G.o.d Susanoo, no matter how much he summons violentstorms, the only affected area was the "room" he occupied.Which explained why [Heretic G.o.ds], whose mere existence broughtdisaster to the world, could live secluded in this realm."...But you just used the [Warrior] form so the [Sword] is no longeravailable for now. If we"re going to Susanoo"s place, shouldn"t you waitfirst?""No, if this continues, your body will not last."Verethragna"s ten incarnations.G.o.dou"s authority, usurped from the ancient Persian Warlord, had manyrestrictions.After each use, an incarnation could only be reused after the pa.s.sage ofone day.The [Sword] was already invoked when he met the old G.o.d. As much aspossible, G.o.dou should avoid direct conflict against Susanoo without atrump card. However, G.o.dou shook his head at Erica"s suggestion."I will find a way. Even though there are a few distasteful fellows, someonenice is also there."G.o.dou quietly picked up Erica in his arms and laid her on his back.Attempting the method just now, his mind imagined the little house in themountain and the surrounding beautiful scenery, and then wished to gothere.— And then, G.o.dou and Erica were suddenly transferred to a beach.Before their eyes was a beautiful deep, blue sea. Waves quietly brokeagainst them."H-How could this happen!""Looks like your imagination is lacking... Though G.o.dou is a Campione,you never received special training... Perhaps without a certain level ofmagical competence, the transfer will not succeed...""But I just went to where you were without any issues!""...That was surely because you could see the scenery... A scene beforeyour eyes compared to one recalled purely from memory, there is a hugedifference in difficulty."Erica explained from his back.However, she spoke slowly and paused many times. G.o.dou began to entera state of panic. If this continued, her life will be threatened, the nextattempt must succeed!Once again, he secured the scenery in his mind. It is a mountain. He mustreach Susanoo"s mountain this time.But where G.o.dou and Erica arrived was a totally bare and barrenmountain.Brown rocks, dry wind, blue sky. It would not be surprising to find eaglesand vultures circling in the air. It was a completely opposite scene from thelush green mountain."d.a.m.n it, one more time!"The third attempt at imagination and third transfer, but this was not even anatural habitat.It was a white s.p.a.ce. The surroundings were entirely white.A s.p.a.ce where the whiteness extended from one horizon to another.Ticktock, ticktock. There was also a strange sound, the sound of clocksrunning.Carrying Erica on his back, G.o.dou looked around him.Very soon, an ancient clock appeared in his sight, but then the clockticking was also heard from behind him. Turning around, he found a silverpocket watch. As the left side sounded as well, a ma.s.sive clock towercould be seen in that direction...As soon as the clock ticking was heard, a new clock would appear. Thisrepeated dozens of times."G.o.dou... this isn"t working, you are completely lost..."Erica protested in a barely audible voice.G.o.dou let out a huge sigh. Looks like he is running into dead ends. Onemore time, try again, a steady image. This time he must transfer to theplace in his heart."...Not working after all..."Hearing Erica"s tired voice, G.o.dou was speechless.The two of them had arrived at a stone paved street.A simple gothic street, one could have mistaken it for the Italiancountryside.Little houses linked by the eaves of their roofs, roads and squares pavedwith brick. If this place was Earth, the scenery would most likely becla.s.sified as a world heritage site.But there was not a single soul here. Looking around, no other personcould be spotted. It was an empty street.He could feel Erica"s breathing quicken as she lay on his back.Her breaths s.p.a.ced apart by shortening intervals, it appeared that themultiple transfers had taken their toll on her body.Finding a little park nearby, G.o.dou laid Erica on the gra.s.s and sat downbeside her. He felt so bad about things that he would have kicked atrashcan had there been one."d.a.m.n, I am out of ideas. If this continues, then this really is the end.""By the way... G.o.dou, I have a request."G.o.dou jumped in surprise. Erica was speaking in rare innocent tones.She essentially never used this voice except in the mornings when she justwoke up. Currently, she was in an even more vulnerable state."I feel like death is near, could you give me a final pa.s.sionate kiss orembrace...?""Y-you stop saying such foolish words! Don"t say something so unlucky!"Neither half of the statement was acceptable, so G.o.dou immediatelyscolded her.But Erica shook her head lightly."This future is very likely... I am already unable to heal this body with myown power, and I have no method to leave the Astral Plane. Furthermore, Ihave no way to reach a third party who can rescue us from here... This isthe end."G.o.dou swallowed words of denial.His own stupidity was the reason why they could not return to Susanoo"splace."So, let"s start preparing for the future. If I am no longer here, you mustfollow my instructions...""Come on! Stop joking as if you"re leaving final words!""I am not joking. Weren"t you the one who just said this was the end?"His words picked apart, G.o.dou fell silent.Just as she said, he understood very well that he was powerless to doanything unless they returned to Susanoo"s location. Even if Erica did notspell it out, he knew."T-Then I will ask one more time, kiss me, embrace me tightly... If possible,treat this as a continuation of that time in Sicily, no? You still can"t decide?"She asked with a mischievous tone of voice.Erica placed her hand over G.o.dou"s hand, but did not use the usualunnatural strength. She no longer had spare strength or magic to increaseher arm strength.However, her sincere expression was adorable to a heartbreaking degree."At least tell me, how do you really feel about me... Do not dodge the issuelike usual, you have to be clear...?"How he felt about Erica? Wasn"t this already obvious!Perhaps death really was near as she said. But G.o.dou did not want toadmit it. How could he let something like that happen? Still, G.o.dou"srationality told him it was true.G.o.dou"s heart was invaded by fury and anxiety, as well as terror at thethought of losing her.G.o.dou tightly held Erica"s hand.Then he drew his face near, his lips slowly approaching her thin yetseductive lips. Then pressed upon them —Kissing each other.They repeated this motion for quite a while."G.o.dou... This is your first time kissing me on your own initiative."Tens of seconds later, their lips separated, and Erica spoke softly.Despite the crisis they were trapped in, her face was filled with satisfactionand happiness.Seeing her expression, G.o.dou"s heart was greatly shaken.The feelings of tender affection for her, the fear of losing her, the anxietyover finding a solution, the agitation and anger. All sorts of emotionsa.s.saulted G.o.dou simultaneously.But the most intense emotion was anger.Anger at the circ.u.mstances taking her away from him, and anger at hisown incompetence."Ah... it hurts. G.o.dou, please be a bit softer..."Unwittingly he had held her even tighter, causing Erica to plead.Instead G.o.dou held Erica"s weak and slender hand, not lightly but grippingharder. Erica accepted this action without any rejection.Instead, she happily closed her eyes, smiling as she leaned closer toG.o.dou, pressing her body weight against him.At that moment, this girl entrusted her heart and body entirely to G.o.dou.Understanding that, the anger in G.o.dou"s heart reached new heights. Helet go of Erica"s hand and stood up to glare at the sky. Perhaps far awayon the other side, G.o.ds really existed and yet they still dared to create thistragic fate as if toying with humanity.Glaring at those supernatural existences, his anger continued to burn.Crying because someone precious will be leaving him forever? Impossible.Mourning for a period of time, and then using the rest of his existence tolive life fully and sing praises of love? Impossible. Living a life of regret andanger with despair and a broken heart because his lover pa.s.sed away?Completely rubbish!These were not actions fit for a [King]. A G.o.d-slaying Devil King was notgoing to act this way.Most importantly, he himself could not accept living in such a manner!G.o.dou"s savage eyes gave off light. Previously, this happened only whenhis heart was fired up and he smiled with the joy of battle during hisstruggles against G.o.ds or other Campiones, but he was not in that kind ofmood this time.No matter what comes along, be it G.o.d or Buddha, he will slay them all!If fate was unacceptable, he will use his will and authority to crush fatebeneath his feet.If he could not even do something like that, then how could he call himselfthe Devil King? Who dares to take Erica away? Whose woman do youthink you are taking!"...G.o.dou? What is going on with you? Why is your expression so horrible?Why are you different from usual?"Next to him, Erica felt intimidated and questioned.However, he ignored her. Comforting and showering this girl with affectionwas something to be done later.What needed to be done now was to intercept unreasonable Fate andanything else trying to take her life! Where to go? Who needs to bebeaten?Where is the opponent I need to defeat? I will absolutely not let him out ofmy grasp — !!In that instant, he was struck with pain.His brain suddenly felt like it was burning, and was hurting intensely.This was the same pain as when he obtained knowledge of Susanoo, theburden brought by spirit vision.Why was it appearing now? The previous time was because of using the[Warrior] — activating Verethragna"s incarnation and injecting knowledge ofthe G.o.d into the [Sword], right?But at this time there should not be an incarnation that he could make useof. No...Or perhaps there actually existed an incarnation that could save Erica andprotect her?The instant he thought that, the change occurred.He saw it. Replacing his headache was spirit vision, which showed himhow to use the new power.The feeling he felt when fighting Voban resurfaced, an incomparable senseof omnipotence that filled his body and mind. Now I hold everything in myhands and have obtained everything!"Erica... I absolutely will never let you go, so please swear to me."Having mastered Verethragna"s fifth incarnation, G.o.dou spoke the spellwords."Hurry up and swear! Stay by my side no matter what... Even if life iscoming to an end, even if the world itself is coming to an end, even if itmeans battling all the G.o.ds, stay by my side forever."This was not ordinary speech but holy words infused with power usurpedfrom the G.o.ds.At the same time, this was an arrogant king"s sacred decree thatdemanded an everlasting oath.Gazing at his majestic splendor from beside him, Erica"s beautifulexpression turned joyous and trance-like."Could you have awakened that incarnation? You finally mastered theentirety of Verethragna!?""Quit the useless words. Do you want to make an oath? Now hurry anddecide!""Of course I swear! Until the day the world is destroyed, I will always stayby your side, giving everything I"ve got!"Erica immediately yelled in response to the stern scolding.Accompanied by the most beautiful and most obedient smile from thebottom of her heart that she had ever shown.Hearing her oath, G.o.dou nodded deeply.The fifteen-year-old youth who shone with light.This was the appearance chosen by the war G.o.d they met on Sardinia.As the hero and the saint, Verethragna"s fifth incarnation that leads thepeople and watches over them.Mastering this power, G.o.dou definitely could protect this girl. Thus, Ericamust now obtain the mark of the protector, G.o.dou, and receive hisprotection and blessing.G.o.dou pushed Erica"s slender body down upon the gra.s.s.Though it was done roughly, neither of them minded. The two of them werenow the king and the protected, the dominator and the dominated.G.o.dou laid himself over the girl"s body, and once again took her lips." — Mmm, mmm — "He greedily savored the lips of the panting Erica.It would have been more appropriate if he showed concern for her weakbody and treated her gently instead —However, it was too late to stop, G.o.dou advanced without resistance, hislips pressed upon Erica"s, his tongue licking her thin lips and then reachingdeep into her mouth.His tongue probed for Erica"s tongue, finding it and entangling together.She responded in turn and yielded to his entanglement, and the two ofthem tangled together without pause....The sound of mucous membranes harmoniously engaged in exchangecould be heard.Pressed under G.o.dou"s weight, Erica"s body breathed heavily. Though herbuild was very delicate, her body was extremely voluptuous in all the rightplaces.Warm and full of elasticity, her body gave an incredible tactile feeling, andfelt hotter than anything.The pleasure of intimate contact with her, as well as the feeling ofintoxication produced by an uncountable repet.i.tion of kisses.The intense heavy breathing of both sides gave Erica an intense feeling ofbeing alive.Seeing Erica"s state of disarray, hearing her delicate breathing, smellingher fragrance, tasting the flavor of her tongue and saliva, feeling Erica"swarm skin —The five senses, the mind, and the entire body were overcome withpleasure as if drowned in honey.However, G.o.dou"s intention was not to seek such intoxication."Erica, starting now I will transmit my power — Verethragna"s to you. Youwill likely suffer, but you must endure. Can you do it? Will you bear it?""Yes, I know, I will definitely endure... Please, G.o.dou."She struggled to nod and affirm her oath despite her weak condition, andG.o.dou kissed her lips once again.Lips and tongue, saliva and teeth, G.o.dou left nothing untouched.As he did so, G.o.dou felt as if a channel opened up between Erica and him.An invisible wizardry channel through which the strongest [Protection]could be transmitted from one to the other.G.o.dou"s consciousness transmitted to his lower abdomen.It was the energy center termed by Chinese medicine as the dantian^, inother words, the deepest part of the body.From there he began to raise his magical power and in the process distilledpure magical power into [Protection].From the lower abdomen to the abdomen, then to the chest, and finallythrough the throat and transmitted to the mouth.Magical power which rose up as if following the backbone was poured intoErica"s mouth through the lips.What converted this power into [Protection] was his feelings for her — thewish to protect her and the hope to grant her power. Kusanagi G.o.douprayed so in his heart."G.o.dou... I can feel what you are giving to me."Fascinated, Erica murmured with her eyes closed.Speaking as they kissed, each vibration of the lips, soft and sweet,everything could be experienced.However, this was simply the opening, and the climax had yet to bereached.In order to hasten the pouring of distilled [Protection] into her body, G.o.douincreased the flow rate." — !?"Erica briefly moaned in discomfort.Letting go of her lips for an instant, tears could be seen in the corner of hereyes as she gasped for breath."Erica, if you cannot bear it...""No, it"s fine. Continue. It was the sudden increase in speed that gave me afright. This time I will endure; hurry up with the next step...?"She was clearly putting up a front, but G.o.dou pretended not to notice.Erica Blandelli"s affections and body were all G.o.dou"s possessions.Forcing actions of pain and tolerance upon this girl was his exclusive rightand privilege.He will not permit anyone else to cause any pain and suffering to Erica.Now in direct proportion to the pain she received was the strongest[Protection].G.o.dou looked at her once again, and Erica returned with a pa.s.sionategaze. The two of them nodded in a.s.sent, and began another deep kiss..."Mmmm — ! No problem, continue..!"Erica painfully tensed her body.G.o.dou embraced her body tightly as support, holding her hand to provideencouragement, and Erica gripped his hand in return. From the strength ofher grip, one could imagine the level of pain she was feeling.G.o.dou was no longer able to attend to her, and could only continue theoutpour of Verethragna"s [Protection] in one breath."Ah, aaaaaaaah!"Erica cried out, but G.o.dou did not stop. He could not hesitate.Finally, the [Protection] reached the deepest part of her body, theimportant energy center in the lower abdomen.Erica"s cries became hoa.r.s.e and unrecognizable.As she tightly gripped G.o.dou"s hand, her other hand that was embracinghim had left deep and b.l.o.o.d.y scratches along G.o.dou"s back. Whileenduring the pain, G.o.dou continued to press his lips upon Erica"s.She should be in much greater pain than me, so this is nothing.The holy war G.o.d"s protection.The seal of the victor bestowed by the glorious hero.The pulse of magical energy delivered by G.o.dou had temporarilystrengthened Erica"s body and mind.A Campione had the tenacity to adapt to the environment of the AstralPlane in a short time, the boundless life force to heal immediately from anydamage within a certain level, and the battle instincts to enter theirstrongest condition during battle. All these qualities were now infused intoErica"s body.Erica"s body went limp.Her entire body drenched with sweat, but no signs of pain could be seenon her beautiful face any more.She tightly held G.o.dou"s hand and smiled quietly.Her smile carried a sliver of fatigue, but it was a very agreeable sense oftiredness.G.o.dou separated from her, though he felt a slight reluctance to leaveErica"s burning hot and lithe body. However, if this posture continued itcould get problematic...Erica also got up immediately.Her face full of smiles, she pounced upon the unwary G.o.dou. Her weightfelt rather comfortable.However, G.o.dou"s rationality told him, this cannot continue."W-Wait a minute! The ritual"s over, and Verethragna"s protection isalready within your body, so it doesn"t need to continue...""Of course I am aware of that. This is my return gift to G.o.dou"s love.Accept it obediently."This time it was G.o.dou"s turn to be pushed down by Erica.Looks like once she recovered, she immediately reversed their top-downpositions."l-lt wasn"t love, more like friendship and concern — ""No, it"s love, I understand."Her lips drawing near, it had been quite a while since he last experienced akiss initiated by Erica.In order to escape the situation, G.o.dou was going to resist with force, butbefore he finished his thought, he gave up... For some unknown reason,he suddenly lost that compulsion. Might as well continue with this positionfor now.Eventually letting go of his lips, Erica showed a smile that said, "Pa.s.s."References1. t Man"youshuu: the "Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves"(77 5jtll) isthe oldest existing collection of j.a.panese poetry. Ena"s incantationhere comes from poem #2663 in the Man"youshuu.2. t Rakshasa: a race of mythological humanoid beings or unrighteousspirits in Hinduism and Buddhism, also calledman-eaters. kipedia.org/wiki/Rakshasa3. t Juunihitoe(-h— #-^): literally "twelve-layer robe", the juunihitoe isan extremely elegant and highly complex kimono that was worn onlyby court-ladies in j.a.pan. t Dantian(^-BS): located below the navel (about three finger widthsdown and two finger widths deep), a point a.s.sociated with cultivatinglife energy (qi) and vital essence.

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