Campione 11

by The Second Tale

  "The king must be a warrior. Powerful, formidable, and physically perfect. This was a common tradition in the ancient world. So long as Nuadha remained the 'one-armed god,' he was ineligible to be restored to power!"

  The numerous lights from the [Sword] were shining radiantly like the brilliant multitude of stars in the Milky Way.

  Seeing these shining lights, Doni smiled.

  "Hohoho... I know."

  Instead of his usual cheerful and foolish grin, this was a smile filled with the joy of battle as befitted the prodigious talent of the incomparable King of Swords.

  "This is a [Sword] eh? A sword not forged and polished from iron but carved and formed out of spell words. A sword of wizardry. Godou, you too are a sword-wielding god-slayer! How interesting!"

  Bearing the magic blade, Doni yelled loudly.

  "Facing me who is served by a sword of steel, you oppose me with a sword constructed from spell words... Salvatore Doni and Kusanagi Godou's styles share no commonality at all. Hoho, but that's who we are, after all!"

  Doni's eyes were flashing with a strange sense of kinship and competitive spirit.

  "Yes. Conflicts between us Campiones are always undertaken as battles of obstinate wills, to prove whose manner of doing things is superior! You seem to have finally understood that promise. I am so happy!"

  Doni made a thrust with the giant magic blade again.

  However, Godou no longer dodged. Instead, he chanted spell words.

  "Glorious victory in my hands, evildoers shall never triumph over me!"

  Godou caused the dozens of flashing [Swords] around him to accelerate.

  Doni's makeshift giant magic blade crashed towards them as they flew in the air like shooting stars.

  Flash, flash, flash, flash -- flashing nonstop, the [Sword]'s lights crossed paths with the extra large silver magic blade for an instant.

  In less than a tenth of second before the magic blade was going to slice Godou apart...

  The giant magic blade which should have cleanly split Godou apart straight down from his head, shattered noisily as if it were made of glass.

  Carrying the ability to sever silver-armed Nuadha, the [Sword] destroyed the giant magic blade.

  However, Salvatore Doni's right arm remained in its silver state. His hand still held the base of the giant magic blade, the completely ordinary sword.

  Doni's authority, the [Ripping Arm of Silver], was still intact.

  "Not completely severed eh..."

  "I think you've already done superbly. Excluding the gods, I don't think there's more than four people who could actually fight back against my sword strikes."

  Nuadha's authority was deeply rooted in the very being of Salvatore Doni's soul.

  Realizing that this core component had not been severed, he offered praise to Godou along the lines of "ranking amongst one of four warriors in the world."

  But you just watch, I'm going to sever it next -- As Godou intended to chant spell words again.

  "How befitting of a [Sword] of spell words. Well, isn't it great to have something so convenient? But now that I understand what kind of weapon it is, I will commit myself accordingly."

  As Doni smiled, the protective runes surrounding him vanished.

  "I... I forbid the existence of things I cannot cut."

  The glow of the silver arm increased. The same glow was also added to the sword held in Doni's hand.

  "Godou, your [Sword] seems to be a weapon meant for slicing apart my 'magic sword.' But I hereby swear, I shall sever your [Sword] in turn. Putting my full strength on the line!"

  The Campione of Swords' declaration of intent was also composed of spell words.

  Salvatore Doni went as far as to assert he would slice apart Verethragna's [Sword] that stood as Nuadha's natural predator, getting all fired up with magical power.

  For this purpose, he deactivated the [Man of Steel].

  Pouring forth all the magical power he could muster into the "magic sword."

  Godou received quite a fright, probably due to the [Warrior] incarnation. Knowing his enemy's origins with deep understanding, it felt like these traits of the [Warrior] allowed him to read his enemy's intentions.

  This ability was warning him, that Doni's oath could possibly -- could actually be realized.

  Doni's authority specialized in "slicing attacks." As a result of this simplicity, the silver "magic sword" was infused with divine might allowing it to cut through even its own natural predator!

  "So... I will sever it before you succeed!"

  Just as Godou steeled his determination, Doni approached suddenly.

  But rather than shortening the distance instantly, he was walking at a casual pace. In fact, he was taking carefree steps as if visiting the home of a friend or a relative. From the way he walked, one would not have been able to tell a duel was in progress.

  Nevertheless, by the time Godou noticed, Doni had already "swiftly" appeared before him. He was within the range at which he could capture Godou with his sword!

  Faster than the eye could follow, Godou was within striking distance of Doni's sword by the time he realized.

  Godou had witnessed at Castello Sforzesco the same inscrutable movement technique that made Doni resemble a heavenly being riding upon clouds.

  "Defeating thousands with the strength of hundreds, vanquishing tens of thousands with the attack of thousands!"

  Terrified by Doni's godly technique, Godou chanted spell words once more.

  He instantly summoned a hundred [Swords] to form a protective shield before him, while Doni struck at the densely gathered golden lights resembling a galaxy, his sword moving as if propelled by burning flames.

  At that very moment, [Sword] and "magic sword" clashed openly.

  Blocked by the golden light, the silver magic sword's motion halted. Clearly only 50cm away from reaching Godou's body, it could not advance any further.

  The silver-white light enveloping the sword, flickered intensely like the flames of a dying candle.

  This was the result of the golden stars blocking the sword's path, which still carried the effect of sealing the silver-armed authority. Doni's "magic sword" and the power to "slice through all existence" were gradually being chipped away and progressively weakening.

  However, the one whose face was distorted by anxiety was Godou.

  And the one grinning nonchalantly was Doni instead.

  "I've heard from those people at Palermo who observed your fight against Melqart. You seem to have usurped from Verethragna the ability to sever a 'divinity' itself. Using this ability really would allow you to fight to great effect against all sorts of deities."

  Doni pushed his magic sword of light further slightly.

  1cm, followed by another 1cm. The sword's blade gradually approached Godou.

  "In any case, it could target only a specific portion of the authorities held by a deity, right? Well, that's not enough to overwhelm the enemy like some kind of miraculous panacea -- that was my conclusion as soon as I heard the report. It's just as I thought!"

  Completely correct, it was exactly as Doni described. Godou nodded in acknowledgement.

  The golden [Sword] originally could sever the silver sword with ease. However, an excessively simple power like "slicing through all existence" combined with the fact that Doni poured forth his entire power to strengthen it, that sort of over optimistic personality was a recipe for disaster.

  It made what should have been severable inseverable. Furthermore, Doni's "magic sword" was slowly pressing forward even as it weakened.

  Godou glared intensely at Salvatore Doni.

  This handsome man was undoubtedly a great idiot. And very obviously, he had many flaws. Nevertheless, he displayed unusual cunning where it mattered. Also, he had mastered many ultimate techniques.

  Erica called this man a genius of the sword.

  But having fought him in actual combat, Godou now realized that the description was completely insufficient.<
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  Being inexperienced, Godou could not tell or imagine how much hardship Doni had endured throughout his training. Nevertheless, he could believe it was the result of efforts accumulated day after day, immersed in a domain of crazed obsession--

  Obsessively ignoring sleep and food, avoiding all mundane tasks, focusing entirely on honing a single art.

  No everyday life, no ordinary happiness. Only thoughts focused on upgrading one's skill, repeating every day by trial and error without end.

  It could only be something like that. Like playing an RPG where the accumulation of experience points did not rely on artistry. Never indulging oneself, never compromising, always pushing one's body and mind to the limits of exhaustion, striving towards "that particular direction" with foolish obsession.

  Ultimately, Doni achieved a level that entitled him to be called a "sword demon" or a "sword god."

  "...Against this kind of opponent, victory cannot be seized without sufficient determination--"

  Godou secretly grumbled to himself.

  The protective shield formed by the golden [Sword] barely managed to block Doni's sword. However, only 20cm remained before the blade would reach Godou's body.

  Godou was not confident if he could sever Doni's "magic sword" before that.

  Nevertheless, he still had an ace up his sleeve -- Entirely the result of being in the form of the [Warrior], he could inexplicably experience his enemy's greatness. As much as he wished to deny it, he felt compelled to offer utmost praise to his opponent.

  Precisely because of that, Godou very naturally resolved himself to use his trump card.

  "In that case, I'll show you my spirit and determination!"

  Godou recalled all the [Swords] which were not being used as part of the protective shield.

  Numerous golden spheres of light were attracted to Godou's body, gathering together, shining with spectacular brilliance.

  As if enveloped by a galaxy of stars, Godou immediately took action. At the same time, this gave Salvatore Doni an opening to exploit.

  "What!?"

  Godou dispelled the protective shield standing between him and Doni.

  Due to the barrier's disappearance, the sword enveloped in silver-white light headed straight towards Godou. This resulted in a diagonal slash from the left lower flank across to the right shoulder.

  Godou's body, enveloped in golden light, was viciously sliced.

  A great volume of blood gushed out. It was as if a "/" symbol had been carved on his upper torso.

  This was the first time Godou experienced such an injury. Not only his skin and muscle, but even all the bones and internal organs between his left flank and right shoulder were sliced through.

  Rather than pain, the sensation was more accurately described as burning.

  Godou's body swayed and he nearly fell on his knees. He was only able to endure thanks to a Campione's resilient body and an athlete's unrelenting spirit. Salvatore Doni was truly terrifying. Without using anything more than a sword of ordinary sharpness, he had sliced through bones that were harder than iron.

  Furthermore, he had not relied on his authority--

  "Ha, hahahaha, I see I see. You actually had this up your sleeve."

  On the other hand, Doni was laughing so hard his shoulders were shaking.

  His silver-white arm had returned to flesh. Covered with blood, the sword had also lost its silver glow.

  "I get it now. Given that I was slicing at your body, if you preemptively positioned your [Sword] there, it wouldn't be difficult to intercept my 'magic sword.' However, you had to resolve yourself to be sliced!"

  As he laughed, his eyes stared at Godou with exceptional passion.

  Just as Doni described, the trump card Kusanagi Godou employed was his own "body." Using his body to bait the "magic sword," the price he paid was the suffering of a vicious slash.

  Only by neutralizing Nuadha's authority at the very last moment, Godou escaped bifurcation.

  Although the price he paid was extremely heavy, his plan went off smoothly as intended...

  Most likely, the [Sword] could only seal Nuadha's authority temporarily. That was what he speculated from the feeling. However, it should be more than ample for the duration of the duel.

  "This is really great! For you to come up with this creative idea in a situation like this, and have the decisiveness to put it into action. Godou, you're really foolish enough for an idiot!"

  "I-I don't want to be called an idiot by an idiot!"

  "Hey hey, I was praising you there."

  While Godou protested as he panted from the intense pain, Doni spoke with an air of nonchalance.

  "Originally I looked forward to a duel simply because you are a Campione. But now, I understand things differently. Kusanagi Godou -- you are a man I approve as worthy to be my 'friend.' I clearly realize that now."

  Casually stated by the young man possessing the divine arm and a sword demon's martial arts.

  "F-Friend...?"

  "Ah yes. Not simply familiar opponents. We will probably cross swords a good many times in the future and develop a relationship where we communicate through exchanges of the fist. Sometimes fighting each other, sometimes fighting as comrades, but ultimately we will seek each other out for a decisive duel -- that's what I see for our future."

  "That... That's not what friends do. That's more like rivals or competitors!"

  In response to Godou's objections voiced through pain endurance, Doni nodded with a nonchalant expression.

  "Indeed. Written 'mortal enemy' but pronounced 'friend.' Isn't that a wonderful relationship?"

  "How is that wonderful in any way?!"

  Why did he have to retort so desperately?

  Godou muttered as he activated the [Camel] incarnation. Now that his friend -- no, enemy had lost Nuadha's arm, the [Warrior] was no longer needed.

  Due to the severe injury he had just suffered, it became usable.

  As the numerous golden spheres of light vanished, replacing them was the infusion of ferocious beast-like combat ability into his body.

  Amongst Verethragna's abilities, this was probably the strongest incarnation in terms of close-quarters combat. This incarnation could very well back Doni into a corner. Godou realized the battle had finally reached the endgame.

  Part 4

  Last night, having completed the [Sword] for slicing Nuadha.

  Erica Blandelli suddenly changed her attitude towards Kusanagi Godou. Since she had already expressed her love in no uncertain terms, plus the fact that the two of them had already kissed passionately, there was no point in behaving conservatively anymore.

  Her first change was the sense of distance she kept with Godou.

  She was now always within arm's reach, or even so close that she could kiss him any time simply by drawing her face nearer.

  This was the sort of extremely close distance she maintained.

  As a result, she discovered how amusing and cute it was to see Godou clearly losing his composure.

  Struck with mischievous thoughts, she would caress Godou for no apparent reason, sometimes kissing him lightly on his lips or cheeks all of a sudden.

  "Hey Godou... We really should sleep in the same room tonight, right?"

  Late at night, that was what she whispered softly into Godou's ear.

  Desperately objecting to her proposal, Godou locked himself in another room.

  --In terms of lacking in dating experience, Erica and Godou were actually about equal.

  However, compared to Erica who had plenty of opportunities to observe open displays of affectionate couples in public, Godou had always maintained an attitude of avoidance.

  This exemplified their differences in culture and personality.

  Determined to accommodate their differences and enjoy her relationship with him, Erica brought along the youth she loved when she went out that morning.

  Walking on foot for about twenty minutes, they came to a lakeside cafe.

&nb
sp; Whether during the walk or inside the cafe, Erica naturally stuck to Godou virtually all the time.

  Up until yesterday, bystanders would probably conclude they were simply "very close friends." But now, having witnessed their behavior this morning, most people would probably speculate they were "a loving couple."

  Erica happily accepted such views.

  On the other hand, Godou was bored senseless trying to shrink himself from sight.

  Finally, Erica returned to her usual attitude. It was after they had finished their espresso and croissant breakfast at a waterfront table. Erica had casually mentioned the duel, thus bringing up the most important subject of the day.

  "Starting from just now, I don't know why, but I keep thinking about this idea."

  Godou finally recovered some life in his eyes.

  However, it also felt embarrassing to gaze into Erica's eyes, so he immediately looked away whenever their gazes met. Hence, his view had settled somewhere over on the lake.

  "The designated battleground for the duel, could also be chosen there."

  "There... Godou, you don't mean that, do you? Why?"

  Her beloved youth's gaze was focused on a certain object ahead.

  Noticing the object bobbing slowly on the surface of the clear lakewater, Erica questioned.

  "Look, the villa that was once a monastery, you said it was fine to destroy it, right? But if we do it here instead, I was thinking if we could sink that bastard Doni to the bottom of the lake. --Wait a minute, it's probably not gonna work. I don't think sending that idiot into the water is enough to end the fight."

  Godou muttered repeatedly with uncertainty.

  "Actually, it's probably to your disadvantage if the fight ends up in the water, Godou. Sir Salvatore can apparently survive thousands of meters deep in the ocean."

  Normally suppressed by common sense, Godou's tendency towards drastic action seemed to be subtly expressing itself.

  It must be due to the approaching duel. Observing with great amusement, Erica spoke:

  "Sir Salvatore's authority of invulnerability is not limited to making his body durable. Reportedly, there was one time when he was fighting a sea god somewhere, the ship that carried him there was sunk into the Puerto Rico Trench. But a week later, he returned safe and sound. A legend that sounds like some kind of joke."