Campione 11

  Standing in a corner on the roof, a blond handsome man appeared with his sword. Doni. Godou had no idea how he survived the [Boar]'s sonic waves, but he seemed lively and healthy!

  "O Sword that pierces enemies with but a single swing. For the sake of plundering all life from creation, shine with brilliance!"

  Doni called out spell words and launched his sword in the manner of throwing a javelin.

  Infused with authority of the magic blade, the sword flew through the air. Its target was the defenseless belly of the rapidly descending giant beast. The [Boar] proceeded to emit its usual roars.

  ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAR!!

  The invisible sonic waves blew away Doni's thrown sword -- that was what one would reasonably expect. However, a liquid metal resembling mercury gushed out from the flying sword, taking on a massive elongated shape.

  The liquid silver instantly solidified to become a giant "magic sword."

  An exceptionally large magic blade measuring seven or eight meters long. Even as an improvised creation, it surprisingly resembled a sword in form.

  ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAR!!

  Were it a sword of ordinary size, the divine beast's sonic waves would probably blow it away easily. However, it did not work against a sword of such ridiculous dimensions.

  Completely unaffected by the sonic waves, the gigantic silver magic blade continued its flight, striking the [Boar]'s belly and completely piercing through.

  Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!

  Painful howls on the verge of death. This sword had ended the [Boar]'s life. Nevertheless, the black divine beast displayed its formidable will at this time. Even skewered, it continued its swift descent towards the villa.

  Measuring 20m in body length, it probably weighed a couple hundred tons.

  With that kind of monster crashing down on its gigantic belly, no villa could have survived no matter how grand or vast its scale. Naturally, it was demolished. Whether the roof, the ceilings, structural beams, pillars, walls or floors, all were crushed and pulverized without exception.

  Immediately after that, the [Boar], skewered by the giant magic blade, vanished in a puff of black mist.

  However, its foe, Salvatore Doni should have been on the roof top of the villa demolished by the divine beast, what happened to that guy -- ?

  Focusing his gaze, Godou found a figure in the flying dust cloud amidst the debris.

  He nodded. What a piece of cake it would be if victory could be obtained like this. However, he did not believe that man could fall so easily. The battle had not ended yet.

  Part 2

  "Good job, Godou. So amazing! I've fought all kinds of enemies before but rarely have I ever been struck by such a powerful preemptive strike!"

  Yelling out with an utterly delighted expression, Doni was completely unharmed. Close to a hundred symbols resembling cuneiform appeared all around him as if protecting him. Based on the shapes, they were probably Norse runes.

  This was Doni's [Man of Steel] authority which conferred an invulnerable body.

  "If that's the case, I really should counterattack in a manner no less spectacular than yours."

  For some incomprehensible reason, the handsome blond was grumbling in a completely serious tone of voice.

  "But I don't have anything fancier than swordsmanship. My duels have nothing to do with glamor. On the other hand, the flashiness of your many varied skills and abilities are so nice..."

  "What you did just now was flashy enough already!"

  "Eh, really? Then let's continue."

  Retorted by Godou, Doni bent over and picked something up.

  It was his giant magic blade from before that was buried in the rubble.

  Staring at it once again, Godou could not help but feel astonishment at how ridiculous the sword looked.

  The blade itself measured almost 8m in length while the hilt was about 1m or so.

  Proportionate to its length, the blade was also wide and of a sturdy and heavy construction. Hiding a child-sized object behind the sword would be a most simple matter.

  Doni stood at 185cm tall or so. The length of the sword was essentially four times his height in scale.

  Wielding the long and massive sword without losing balance, the silver-armed Campione swung it using one hand with the sound of slicing wind. The scene was utterly ridiculous.

  "...Before I offer my opinion for reference, let me ask something first. Is that thing lighter than it looks?"

  "I've never weighed it before, but it's probably more than 300kg? However, since it's made of the same substance as my arm, I can move it freely as if it were my own arm or leg."

  Smiling proudly, the silver-armed Campione replied.

  "Hohoho, the enemies of us Campiones are not limited to fellows in human form. There are times when we must fight freaking huge divine beasts or demonic deities. In order to chop them apart in frontal combat, I created this mystic sword!"

  "Making your own sword huge to fight gigantic enemies, that's such a dumb idea!"

  While he criticized, Godou truly felt terror in his heart. Indeed there should be limits to foolish notions. However, what if it happened to be backed by logical reasons?

  If Doni was able to swing the weapon freely despite its ridiculous length and weight--

  "So, let's try something flashy."

  Doni finally entered a stance with the massive magic blade.

  Holding the hilt with both hands, he pointed the 8m blade towards Godou in a manner similar to spear-armed heavy infantry, completely different to his earlier posture just now.

  The two were separated by roughly 15m.

  But given the massive magic blade, the distance could be easily crossed. Yesterday, Godou had mentioned it would be best to stay out of reach from Doni's sword. Obviously, this did not count as particularly brilliant insight. But he never expected the sword to grow in length as well.

  Hoo. Godou exhaled. Finally it was time for a decisive direct confrontation. Now was the time to counterattack his opponent, the higher ranking [King]. Thinking calmly, he counted the number of incarnations at his disposal.

  He confirmed three incarnations as being usable. Then he will go all out and pit them against his enemy!

  "Skills must carry power -- no matter how godly a skill, without matching "power," one would simply fail and be slaughtered in the end."

  Doni quietly uttered words that seemed to be some kind of key to swordsmanship.

  These too, were spell words. In order to pour magical energy into the giant silver magic blade, infusing it with greater deadly formidable power. Then Doni aimed a "thrust" at Godou.

  He attacked as he took a giant step forward.

  The long silver blade sped straight towards Godou like an arrow.

  "Damn, you really can use it normally!"

  Cursing away, Godou jumped sideways and evaded the giant magic blade.

  Just barely. Had he been fractions of a second too slow, he would have been sliced into two by the ridiculous blade. The situation had become that terrifying.

  "I am the strongest, crushing all who stand in my way!"

  Chanting Verethragna's scripture, Godou used the [Bull] incarnation which required an enemy possessing great strength beyond normal parameters. Against this quickly swinging massive magic blade, the "strength" behind it was all it took to satisfy the condition.

  Godou ran over the mountain of rubble created by the [Boar].

  Nothing remained of the house's original shape. The various building materials comprising the ruins were open to view. Pillars, sculptures, walls, floors, ceilings... All sorts of debris.

  Godou discovered a suitable weapon amongst this pile of debris. It was the seven or eight meter tall statue of Madonna and Child which used to be displayed in the first floor lobby!

  Yelling out, he used the [Bull]'s monstrous strength to lift the statue that had somehow miraculously survived intact.

  "Yaaaaaaaaah!"

  This thing offered reach rivaling
that of the massive magic blade. Swinging the statue like a laundry rod, Godou struck at Doni. Rather than expecting it to hit, Godou simply planned to hinder Doni's movements.

  However, Doni did not dodge the attack.

  With a loud crash, the statue of Madonna and Child struck him on the cheek. Godou was amazed.

  In that very instant, runes floated all around Doni, glowing brightly.

  To Godou's great surprise, the sensations transmitted through his hands felt as though he had struck a heavy block of iron. Smashing into Doni, the statue of Madonna and Child crumbled to pieces.

  The King of Swords, surrounded by runic symbols, was completely unharmed. So this was a body of steel!?

  "Alright alright, your engine must be getting all revved up!"

  This time, Doni went for an overhead downwards chop.

  A direct chop like the act of splitting firewood. Godou jumped backwards slightly to evade.

  However, Doni's wave of offense did not end there. Easily lifting the lowered massive magic blade with his arm strength, he chopped down upon Godou's head again.

  "Wah!"

  Godou rolled awkwardly to the right and narrowly evaded the giant magic blade's pursuit.

  Instead of hitting Godou, the gigantic magic blade embedded itself into the debris of the ruins with a crash. In that instant, calamity struck. An explosion happened, centered where the massive magic blade was buried, generating light, explosive wind and shockwaves.

  "O Sword, shining bright, release flames!"

  "What!?"

  With brief spell words, Doni's sword made the ground explode.

  Scorching heat and shockwaves were generated as if a buried landmine had exploded. It felt like a strengthened version of the explosion magic Bianchi used in Sardinia.

  Nevertheless, it was unable to overcome a Campione's unreasonable resistance to magic.

  Although engulfed by the white explosion, Godou simply suffered minor burns and scratches. However, he could not avoid being blown away by the explosive wave of heat and shock.

  Not only could Doni slice things apart, but he was also able to imbue his attacks with this kind of additional effect--

  Stunned, Godou was blown away by the force of the explosion.

  Crash! His brief flight was halted by the impact of his back and the back of his head against a stone wall. His entire body was hurting, but thanks to this the distance between him and Doni was increased.

  Godou sighed lightly as he searched his surroundings for weapons.

  "At this distance, I definitely won't miss!"

  Saying that, Godou picked up a piece of debris with one hand, roughly three times the size of a bowling ball. He threw it with the same technique as if he were picking off a fast runner on second base trying to steal third. Using the [Bull]'s monstrous strength, this attack would have the destructive power of a cannon ball.

  Throwing it forward, the target was naturally Doni who was wielding the massive magic blade.

  The stone flew at roughly 160km/h. Pitched at close range, it was more like a "fast stone" than a fastball.

  Even the blond Campione should be unable to pierce this stone with ease.

  But once again, Doni held his massive magic blade like a spear, simply shifting the gigantic blade pointing at Godou slightly to pierce the rubble.

  Then, an explosion occurred--

  From the rubble came a blinding white flash and wave of heat and explosive wind.

  The explosion swallowed Doni. It was only natural for the perpetrator standing the closest to be engulfed when the sliced target exploded.

  Nevertheless, surrounded by runic symbols, Doni remained unharmed.

  A nonchalant expression on his face, he seemed completely unaffected by the explosive heat and force.

  Godou threw his second pitch. Using both arms to pick up a piece of debris that was ten times larger than the previous one, he threw it with all his might. Furthermore, it flew just as fast as the previous one.

  This time it struck on target. That piece of stone, most likely weighing over a hundred kilograms, violently smashed into Doni's body with speed and weight that even the strongest batters from America's Major League would not be able to hit back, becoming a vicious dead ball.

  However, the stone noisily shattered into pieces. Doni did not even sway the slightest from the impact.

  "Seriously, can't you be a little more human!?"

  "I don't want to be criticized like that by you!"

  Objecting, Doni made a thrust.

  Within the tiniest of instants, the magic sword's blade already reached Godou.

  --Using a normal sized sword, Doni had once exhibited magical slashing attacks that could not be felt coming. But because the giant magic blade was over ten times longer, Godou was also much further away from Doni.

  Thanks to that distance, Godou had slightly more time to see him perform his sword strikes.

  Presumably because of that, Godou found it much easier to evade his slashes compared to the time at Castello Sforzesco.

  Once again, Godou jumped at the last second to dodge the sword blade.

  The giant magic blade struck the wall behind Godou instead, severing it into two. At the same time, it produced the usual white explosion, sending Godou's body flying.

  Once again, Godou landed on the debris laden ground, though his injuries were still minor.

  Pushing himself up, Godou noticed the shattered Madonna and Child before his gaze. It was the statue he had used to strike Doni just now. Although the top half was smashed, the bottom was still intact.

  Let me hinder him by throwing this thing at him -- just as the thought crossed his mind.

  Godou saw a silhouette like a magical bird's. Wielding the giant magic blade, Doni leaped effortlessly.

  Due to the destruction of the villa's ceiling, the moon was visible up in the sky. However, the figure of the silver blade and the magical swordsman completely blocked Godou's view of the moonlight.

  It was a giant leap that almost instantly crossed the ten-odd meters that separated them.

  --Godou recalled. This was a skill that Erica had also displayed in Sardinia. A movement technique that allowed a flesh-and-blood human being to obtain superhuman leaping ability and speed rivaling cars. Doni could also use it!

  Doni's landing spot was the lower half of Madonna and Child that Godou was staring at.

  Stepped on by the handsome man's boots, the statue crumbled again. It failed to support Doni's weight, as if his mass was on the order of tons -- !

  "Hoho. Using this allows me to increase my mass as much as I want as dictated by inclination of spirit. But if I carelessly trample and wreck places, people get angry... By the way, right now I weigh something like a bulldozer?"

  Doni declared boldly as runes glowed brightly all around him.

  The mysterious symbols which conferred his durability of steel. Apparently that was not the only effect!

  "Take a small car for example. I could step on it lightly if I wanted to, but then it wouldn't have much of an effect. It's quite annoying."

  "...I see, becoming sturdy would only defend against an enemy's attack, but without the mass of iron, one would be sent flying no matter how sturdy--!"

  Godou recalled what happened when he smashed the statue of Madonna and Child against Doni.

  Not only was it hard, there was also a feeling like hitting something exceptionally heavy. If Godou was not infused with the [Bull]'s monstrous strength, his arms would have been injured from the force of reaction.

  Struck by that, as well as other pieces of debris, Doni remained motionless.

  Against the King of Swords, those types of heavy attacks were completely insignificant. Given Doni in his current state, he could probably engage giant Melqart and his clubs Yagrush and Ayamur in closequarters combat as equals.

  He was different from the artfully sublime masters he had fought before. Depending on need, this man could transform himself into a heavyweight warrior who
could pit his strength against gigantic gods. Crushing enemies by pure "strength" yet maintaining the movements of a lightweight body.

  What a complete monster. Pure "strength" alone was not enough to compete against this guy.

  Godou made his decision. Even though he was unsure how effective it would be, he had no way of knowing unless he tried.

  Just now, he had confirmed that three incarnations were available. Abandoning the first, the [Bull], Godou switched to the second, the [Warrior].

  The night before, together with Erica, he had forged the blade of spell words--

  Not too long ago, Godou had discovered that this weapon was also effective against the authorities of Campiones. As a safety precaution, the act the two of them underwent by joining their hearts as one, became the trump card at this critical juncture.

  Part 3

  "Salvatore Doni. Silver-armed Nuadha, whom you defeated, was the king of the Tuatha Dé Danann worshiped by ancient Celts. This deity's majestic form, as befitted the king of the ancient world, survives to this day."

  Light appeared in response to Godou's whispers.

  Shining brilliantly golden, spheres of light. Roughly the size of baseballs.

  "As the king of the Tuatha Dé Danann, Nuadha was also a war god who wielded the sword of victory. At the time, he was not yet silver-armed. However, while commanding his subordinates in the conquest of Ireland, he was injured in a battle against local deities, thereby losing his right arm."

  In the blink of an eye, the number of light spheres shining brightly in Godou's surroundings increased in number.

  Compared to the scattered few in the beginning, it multiplied to dozens and then to over a hundred.

  "Due to this injury, Nuadha was forced to give up his position as king. Hence, the god of physicians forged a new arm of silver for the one-armed former king. Nevertheless, the silver-armed god Nuadha did not regain his throne at this point. He was only restored to power after he was perfectly restored with an arm of flesh and blood."

  Every time spell words were composed, new spheres of light were born, increasing the brilliance illuminating the surroundings.

  This brightness was Godou's weapon as the [Warrior] -- the [Sword] of spell words.