Campione 11

by The Second Tale

  ROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAR!!

  These terrifying howls carried sonic waves. Consequently, even places that the [Boar] did not touch directly were spectacularly blown apart. The whole castle's complete destruction was simply a matter of time.

  "If you value your lives, hurry and run!"

  Godou yelled at the attackers in the castle.

  Perhaps there was no need for him to do that, for they had already started fleeing all at once. Indeed, they were running for their lives in complete disarray. Oh well, all the escaping guys' faces looked like they were about to die. Even if they were not, they were definitely not retreating with any sense of composure...

  Following them immediately, Godou also ran out of the castle.

  From awhile ago he had already been transmitting to the [Boar] thoughts of "You don't have to destroy so seriously!" Surprisingly, it actually seemed to be taking effect slightly. It felt like the [Boar] rampaged slightly more obediently compared to before. Godou managed to escape during this time. As stones fell from ceilings while pillars and walls toppled, it was already troubling enough.

  "I thought I was going to die, really..."

  Running out of the castle, Godou panted heavily.

  Behind him, the [Boar] finally pranced about delightfully, unleashing its full power. The red-brown Castello Sforzesco was gradually turned into a mountain of rubble.

  ROOOOOOOAAAAAAR!! The roars were deafening.

  With a final majestic howl to declare victory, the [Boar] apparently vanished, most satisfied.

  Only the ruins of a completely destroyed ancient medieval castle remained.

  Just as Godou was about to clutch his head and exclaim "How terrible" -- he stopped.

  A blond young man approached. His handsome face was slightly familiar. Despite a slender build, he had the body of a trained athlete. Dressed sloppily in a shirt, cargo pants and sneakers, he was carrying a slender cylindrical case on his shoulder.

  This was Godou's second encounter with Devil King Salvatore Doni.

  "It's been a while eh? You're causing quite a riot, aren't you? Kusanagi Godou, you're exactly the kind of man I imagined!"

  As soon as their gazes met, Doni began to cackle with laughter, and he even winked at Godou.

  Amazingly, the "King of Swords" remembered the full name of someone he only met once and even repeated it correctly. Godou could not have known what a rare exception it was. However, he could surmise certain truths without being told.

  This man seemed to truly adore Kusanagi Godou.

  "So you're angry because I avoided a duel with you?"

  Godou spoke gruffly and naturally found himself refraining from using polite language.

  He was clearly speaking to someone older than him, but what could be causing this sense of being "peers"? Without any distinction of hierarchy, this man was on a completely equitable level--

  "That's only a lie. I was simply pretending to be angry. But that's how I make everyone do as I wish."

  Doni glanced at the members of the [Copper Black Cross] standing ready outside the castle.

  With only a single look from Doni, they were already retreating. Even though he was frequently judged a fool or an idiot, there was a surprisingly majestic and kingly side to him.

  Only fitting for the man feared by Erica and others. He was no simple fool.

  "But anyway, this is wonderful. My instincts already sensed it last time. You are basically the kind of man who'd keep running away unless I pursue you."

  "Pursue? What are you talking about?"

  "Hey, didn't I invite you to a duel? But you refused outright. Clearly I was hoping for 'How about we go at it a little?' 'Great, let's go right now?' kind of exchange."

  "Don't talk about duels like you're inviting someone for a game of Go or Shogi, okay?"

  "Ah yes, those are Japanese board games. My thoughts exactly. In my view, drawing swords for a duel is no different from a Friday night game of chess."

  Doni indifferently shrugged off Godou's criticism.

  He was exactly the kind of fool for which retorts were useless.

  "However, it's really great that you came to Italy. Even if I went to Japan directly, you'd probably ignore me."

  "Wait a minute, even if I came to Italy, it doesn't mean I'm accepting your invitation to a duel!"

  "How will it go? For you to go so far as to travel overseas deliberately, it really feels like -- you're in for a fight, seeking an eye for an eye to redress wrongs... That's the kind of feeling, is that not?"

  Unexpectedly right on the money. What a troublesome fool he was!

  Godou could not help but stare at the sky, exasperated.

  "You should have listened to me properly back in Sicily. Anyway, all sorts of bad things were worth it."

  Doni's gaze began to look rather strange. He seemed to be staring at Godou with some sense of camaraderie like meeting a rare kindred spirit.

  "Hey, let's be more honest here, okay? You should argue more violently against me. So let's have a duel, it'll be really fun for sure!"

  Saying that, Doni opened the cylindrical container and took out the "sword" inside.

  --Sword!? Godou was rendered speechless. It really was a sheathed longsword. Even though Erica and others could easily summon their weapons through magic, Doni seemed to carry his sword personally on purpose.

  "I'm not great at talking so I can't express my love through words. So let me use my body to make you understand what kind of man I am. Godou, I swear, I will surely make your heart burn with passion, and make you duel with me!"

  "What do you mean, you're not great at talking? You just spewed out a whole bunch of words!"

  "Maybe I'm awkward with words instead? Whatever, my ability to argue is really no good at all. Just as I thought, swinging a sword is way easier."

  Doni unsheathed the longsword with a swish.

  The blade measured roughly 80cm in length and was double-edged with a solid construction. However, it appeared to be rather inferior in quality, especially compared to the likes of Erica's magic sword Cuore di Leone. Even a layman could tell that it was a coarse piece of mass produced equipment.

  Nevertheless, Godou shuddered when he saw Doni holding the sword.

  He had not entered a stance, but was simply dangling the sword limply in his right hand. The intent to attack or defend could not be felt at all. One could only describe his appearance as slovenly.

  Still, it was terrifying for no reason at all. Godou felt a great shock down his spine.

  Godou instantly bent over and spread his legs wide, like a baseball infielder keenly defending the area between third base and the shortstop. Rather than forethought he was guided by instinct which told him things would be dire unless he entered his most familiar defensive position.

  "Amazing. What excellent instincts. Even though we Campiones resemble 'beasts' to various degrees... Yours seem to be particularly sharp. That's really similar to old man Voban, yes."

  Doni leisurely expressed admiration, but Godou knew that was not all there was to it.

  Before coming to Italy, he had learned about this man from Lucretia.

  According to her, this swordsman, known as the "King of Swords," possessed characteristic authorities of "the magic sword which cuts through everything" and the "body of steel." And now, Godou was about to experience how terrifying he was, first hand!

  --It finally came. Doni made a slash with his sword... Seemingly.

  But Godou could not see it. Doni's arm and sword shimmered like heat haze and vanished. After becoming a Campione, Godou had been able to rely on his ridiculous level of concentration to see through all sorts of extreme speeds thanks to the effect of dynamic vision.

  It did not work this time.

  The sword disappeared -- or rather, it appeared to disappear. In that very instant, Godou jumped back obliquely.

  If I didn't do that, I would have died. That was what he felt for no particular reason. Without any running start, he inst
antly jumped back as far as he could.

  Following that, most likely less that 0.1 seconds later, Godou's former position was sliced through by a straight horizontal sword sweep -- that was what he felt. Since he could see neither the sword nor how it was swung, he could not be certain.

  "Hahaha! Great. Those old men would always exclaim 'keep training the sword for 30 years' or something the first time they see my sword, and just as expected, it didn't work against you. That's only fitting for my kin!"

  Doni was laughing cheerfully even though his target clearly escaped.

  However, Godou finally noticed the shadow hidden in his pupils when he smiled. This was the best evidence that the handsome blond man here was no simple fool or natural airhead.

  "Regardless of decades of training or any amount of talent, weak humans remain weak. Naturally powerful beings will be strong even if they don't learn anything in particular. Yes yes, only by fighting these powerful enemies can you really call it training!"

  "Hey Salvatore Doni, tell me something. Was that magic just now or what?"

  Godou questioned because his instincts told him it was something different.

  "In other words, do you use magic to confuse people's eyes so that the opponent can't see the sword clearly?"

  "Of course not. I don't mean to brag, but I can't even use magic at a super basic level. I just don't have the talent. It never sticks in memory."

  Doni returned to his slovenly posture with his sword and hands down.

  No mistake about it, this was the stance of the swordsman, Salvatore Doni. Like the pendulum batting style or the tornado pitch, these were essentially original forms attained by geniuses who underwent unreachable levels of training.

  I won't be able to keep dodging that attack for long -- Godou believed for certain.

  Meanwhile, Doni casually walked towards the remains of Castello Sforzesco.

  The historical building had just been pulverized by the [Boar]. Even though its original form was no longer, it had not been literally pulverized to dust. The castle walls had collapsed and the central tower was toppled spectacularly, but the remains still hinted towards the castle's former glory.

  In any case, Doni started speaking in front of the "half-wrecked" ruins.

  "You have already displayed your authority, so let me show you mine. --I hereby swear, I forbid the existence of things I cannot cut!"

  Quiet mutters. At the same time, terrifying magical power burst forth from Doni's right arm.

  Godou was stunned speechless. The exposed right arm of the blond handsome man in the short-sleeved shirt had turned "silver."

  Brilliant shining silver. Not some kind of painted coating.

  Unbelievably, Doni's arm had turned into a silver sculpture.

  "This sword is the blade which slices through all existence. Namely, the invincible sword! Godou, this is my authority!"

  No mere declaration, these spell words controlled magical power.

  Using his silver right arm, Doni pierced Castello Sforzesco's wall with his longsword.

  Instantly, Salvatore Doni's authority activated. Magical power flowed from Doni's right arm to the sword and then to the half-wrecked castle wall.

  Slice. Slice slice. Slice slice slice. Slice slice slice slice slice slice slice slice slice slice slice.

  A most extraordinary scene. With only a single thrust of the blade into the wall accompanied by a clang, the half-wrecked castle was instantly carved up by countless cuts.

  These sword trails probably numbered in the hundreds if one could count them.

  But the chance to do so had already passed. Carved by countless sword trails, the half-wrecked Castello Sforzesco proceeded to crumble and collapse.

  It was not pulverized.

  Tiny -- it was crumbling into fragments, cut to the size of pebbles.

  'Salvatore Doni's authority of the magic sword could cut everything.'

  Realizing that, Godou panted breathlessly.

  A single sword strike had slashed a castle into tiny pieces. Struck by such an attack, even a Campione's ridiculously sturdy body would be sliced cleanly in half, or die from being diced and quartered.

  Given Godou's situation, another troublesome issue was surfacing.

  In actual fact, Godou had been secretly contemplating as soon as he saw Doni's sword skills -- As long as he could activate the [Camel] incarnation, he should be able to find a way to fight on equal footing.

  The [Camel]'s ridiculous combat ability even won a fight against man-eating tigers.

  Using this incarnation required heavy injuries in the first place. But Doni's magic sword truly belonged in the realm of one-hit instant kills. If he tried to take a hit to use the [Camel], Kusanagi Godou would instantly die on the spot. In any case, relying on the [Ram]'s super recovery would also be meaningless--

  Godou trembled as Doni approached swiftly. His footsteps were truly light and fleeting.

  Due to his opponent's exceptionally quick pace, Godou reacted an instant too slow.

  By the time he realized, he was already within the attack range of Doni's sword.

  Then the sword vanished. That heat haze-like great sword.

  It was already too late for Godou to dodge -- was everything over? No, there remained the [Raptor] which he had used to oppose Melqart's lightning.

  Only usable when approached by a super high speed attack, the incarnation of god speed.

  Godou's vision, senses and thoughts instantly accelerated. Conversely, everything in the surroundings decelerated. Thanks to that, Godou was finally able to see the movement of Doni's sword. The blond swordsman was attempting an upward slash towards the shoulder.

  Relying on the [Raptor]'s divine speed, Godou stepped sideways to avoid the attack.

  As befitted the state of super acceleration. To think he was able to dodge safely. Godou proceeded to send a punch towards Doni's chest with his right fist. Even though it was a fight between an amateur and a master of the sword, given such a massive difference in speed, he should be able to attack with impunity, right?

  Thinking that as he attacked, Godou was met with great surprise instead.

  The fist that should have smashed into Doni's chest deviated greatly to the right, hitting air. He had completely misjudged things visually. Furthermore, Doni said to the surprised Godou:

  'Eh... Your authority's pretty interesting. Not only can it summon a divine beast, but it also allows acceleration similar to Alec's. There are apparently restrictions, but it does allow you to do many different things.'

  Doni seemed to have figured out what Godou had done. He grinned foolishly as he spoke.

  His voice sounded like a shout from a great distance. A rather unbelievable sound.

  'But too bad for you, if speed is all you've got, I can easily see through it.'

  What!? Godou shuddered to see him speak so nonchalantly.

  'I have a slightly special way of training my vision. I gaze intently at falling rainwater and focus on a single drop. Once that is done, the slice comes next. If I can slice the targeted droplet cleanly into two, I pass.'

  Godou was rendered speechless by this description which sounded like it came out of some master swordsman novel.

  Nevertheless, his instincts told him it was no lie. Given the monster here, it was definitely possible. Be careful!

  'This sort of vision, I think it's called the secret of the mind's eye in Chinese martial arts novels? I mastered it on my own, so I'm not too sure. However, as long as I know the key concept is about cutting a target with the shortest possible sword swing, it's possible to do it with that kind of feeling!'

  Doni smiled cheerfully as he thrust his sword straight forward.

  From Godou's view, this thrust was completely unbelievable.

  Just as he looked like he was about to make a thrust, in the next instant, Doni had already entered the posture of finishing the thrusting motion. It was like watching playback in fast forward.

  This was aimed at the ce
nter of Godou's body -- a thrust that attacked his chest.

  Using divine speed, Godou dodged sideways, trying to evade at full speed. Nevertheless, it was a tad too late. The sword's blade had already reached the flank of Godou's abdomen, piercing slightly.

  Under normal conditions, this would be nothing but a mere scratch.

  However, the power of the "magic sword" infused in the blade penetrated Godou's right flank.

  "Guh--!"

  Spurt! Blood gushed out as intense pain erupted from all over the flank of his abdomen.

  As Godou groaned painfully, Doni spoke as if nothing had happened.

  'If only I had slashed more cleanly, I would have sliced you into pieces directly. Oh what a shame. But I'm not going to miss next time.'

  In other words, he was confident he would not miss again -- the confidence to slice through divine speed.

  The instant Godou realized that, he made his decision.

  Continuing to fight like this would only lead to death by slicing. He could not survive unless he made use of his divine speed advantage in a different manner.

  Enduring the intense pain, Godou ran at full speed.

  Unconcerned that he was presenting his fleeing back to the opponent, Godou ran as fast as he could. Even though Doni's pursuit was terrifying, Godou was not obliged to fight back since that would only slow himself down... In order to survive, Godou continued running without even looking back.

  "Retreating to regroup while there is still a chance to escape. What excellent instincts. Rather than careful consideration of the situation, he smelled the flow of victory."

  After praising his opponent's instincts regarding the tide of battle, Doni stabbed his sword into the ground.

  He did not intend to pursue immediately. Given the sort of extreme speed equivalent to lightning, such excessive speed was impossible to sustain indefinitely. Sooner or later, he was bound to slow down.

  Just let those people from the [Copper Black Cross] chase him for now...

  What concluded was merely the first round, but at least it offered the joy of battle. Or rather, it would be better to say the real match begins here -- Doni naturally twisted the corners of his lips.