Campione 14

by The Eighth Godslayer

  Liliana also called forth the magic sword Il Maestro in its saber form and readied her combat stance.

  "Hohohoho. I am not offended by you girls, recklessly drawing your swords against me here."

  Just as expected, Doni set the cylindrical case down from his shoulder.

  Opening it, he took out a steel longsword. He held it with his dangling right hand, entering an undisciplined but incomparably dangerous stance.

  "Don't worry. I'll try my best not to hurt you."

  In the instant they faced off against the bragging Campione, Liliana and Ena cried out:

  "Kusanagi Godou! Here is an enemy that only you can handle. Please come here immediately!"

  "Your Majesty! Hurry over and help Ena and Liliana-san!"

  In response to their cries, the wind began to stir, strengthening to become a whirlwind, forming a tornado in no time.

  With Erica Blandelli held in his embrace, her arms around his neck, Kusanagi Godou appeared in the eye of the rampaging storm.

  In this manner, Kusanagi Godou and Erica were teleported instantaneously.

  They had arrived at a ravine somewhere. A narrow stream was surrounded by precipitous cliffs on both sides. Standing at the bottom of the ravine were the trio, Doni, Liliana and Ena, wielding their swords respectively.

  As soon as she saw Godou arrive, the silver-haired knight spoke:

  "Kusanagi Godou. As always, Sir Salvatore is the culprit behind the whole incident. You must stop him as quickly as possible!"

  "Yes. Well, it's already quite clear from this sight. Seriously."

  For an instant, Godou smiled wryly in response to Liliana's concise report.

  Then he tensed his expression and glared at Salvatore Doni.

  The handsome man was displaying an acute expression in a rare moment. This was evidence that the frivolous fool was about to get serious.

  "You're finally doing something stupid again, aren't you? Salvatore Doni!"

  "Your sudden arrival is quite unexpected, Godou. But it's already too late."

  Powerful divine energy was pouring out of Doni's body as he stood there nonchalantly.

  He was preparing to use some kind of authority. Was it really going to be that of the magic sword? —Just as Godou readied his stance, Erica suddenly cried out in alarm from beside him.

  "Godou, look at that!"

  The blonde maiden pointed at a precipitous cliff.

  On the opposite shore of the Arno river, roughly 40m away from their current position, a cave had opened up at some indiscernible time earlier—No.

  More accurately, it was an opening that resembled a "cave." Its interior was filled with complete darkness.

  "I see. This is the 'hole leading to another realm that is not the current world.'"

  "Leading to another realm...? Could it be one of those things made by that Aisha person!?"

  "Oh, you were investigating the Madame too? Well then, this is perfect. If you don't mind, why don't we set off to the world on the other side together?"

  As Godou watched in horror, Doni winked at him casually.

  "I originally intended to leave you a message, asking you to catch up to me afterwards. Let's set off together on an adventure, to engage in wars to conquer kingdoms."

  "Enough with the jokes, as if anyone would want to do that! Seishuuin, lend me a hand!"

  Why would Madame Aisha's lingering authority suddenly activate?

  Casting this question aside for now, Godou called out to the one who shared ownership of his "partner."

  As expected of Ena, she quickly nodded in understanding and raised Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi up high in her hand.

  Godou immediately issued orders.

  "Ama no Murakumo, go absorb that hole's energy! Hurry!"

  The jet-black divine sword possessed the trait of absorbing magical power and divine authorities. This was what Godou commanded.

  Although he had no idea how much of an effect it would produce, the more the hole's power weakened the better. Hence, Godou poured magical power into his partner the divine sword. Next, provided Ena kept it under control—

  "Eh? Ama no Murakumo... Be obedient!?"

  However, the Hime-Miko of the Sword screamed with a surprised expression.

  Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi was slowly vibrating. Furthermore, blue-white fire was appearing from the jet-black blade like a flame haze, flickering violently.

  "S-So hot!"

  Even Ena was unable to endure and she had to drop Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi.

  Burning with blue-white flames, the divine sword fell, stabbing into the ground of the riverbank. Then Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi lost physical form and disappeared.

  What transpired was very similar to the sight of a rider being thrown off by an untamed horse.

  "W-What happened...?"

  "O priestesses of Bacchus—Summon the divine child. Rendered drunk by the violent god's wine, home abandoned, wandering in the mountains. Worship and serve us gods!"

  As Godou watched, troubled, Doni chanted spell words.

  Godou felt his entire body become scorching hot. The great amount of magical power stored in a Campione's body had turned ferocious and started to rampage.

  In the next instant, the air made a rumbling noise and began to blow strongly.

  It was a terrifying gale, blowing towards the "hole" in the cliff.

  Godou discovered it. The hole was producing a force of universal attraction that could not be ignored—gravity.

  This force had turned the air in the ravine into strong wind that rushed into the "hole." It was sucking in stones of various sizes from the riverbank as well as the snow accumulated on the ground!

  Even Godou found himself almost being sucked away, but he managed to resist it.

  "The hole sucks in everything in the surroundings...!?"

  "I-It's going out of control in exactly the right way. Very good, very good."

  Going out of control!? Godou jumped in fright. Ama no Murakumo's abnormal behavior as well as the abnormal gravity suddenly produced by the "hole"... Could they all be...

  "Hohohoho. You see, just now I used an authority that causes all mystical powers to strengthen or activate, making them go out of control. Even as the user, I cannot control my own authority."

  "W-Wait a sec! What the heck is with this kind of self-destruct skill!?"

  Salvatore Doni's fourth authority had been a mystery until now.

  Godou was shocked to learn of its true nature.

  Although he scolded Doni for using a self-destruct skill, Godou immediately realized one thing. If used appropriately, this type of ability could very well serve as an ultimate trump card.

  It was said that this man had sharply honed his swordsmanship.

  Hence, no matter how unreliable his authorities were, Doni's swordsmanship would never fail to obey his own will.

  In a situation where divine power and magic were in an ambiguous state, Cult Leader Luo Hao and a man like Doni would find themselves in a particularly advantageous position—

  "Godou, I am setting off now. If possible, you should follow as well. An adventurous journey undertaken by the two of us will definitely be very fun!"

  Doni smiled and relaxed all the power in his body.

  Next, he was sucked into Madame Aisha's "hole" and disappeared into the darkness.

  "Your Majesty!"

  "Kusanagi Godou!"

  Ena and Liliana bent down, lowering their center of gravity to resist the attractive force, and made their way towards Godou.

  "Godou, we'll all be caught by that power if this continues... Kyah!"

  Halfway through her sentence, Erica screamed briefly.

  The irresistible force of attraction strengthened all at once, finally lifting the Diavolo Rosso's slender body into the air. Not only her but Godou, Ena and Liliana all suffered the same fate.

  "Uwah!?" "I-I'm being pulled towards it!" "Guh—!"

  Just as the quartet were about to be sucked into t
he darkness—

  Liliana alone held the last resort.

  "O Goddess Artemis, grant us wings of flight!"

  She intended to use her prided flight magic to take everyone to safety. The usual blue light was just about to envelope the four of them. However—

  "Waaaaaaah!?"

  Liliana screamed loudly, for she was the only one enveloped in blue light.

  With that, she was flown over to the distant sky. Even a witch's flight magic could not escape the lingering effects of Doni's [Curse of Rampage].

  Left behind, Godou, Erica and Ena, the three of them were sucked into the "hole" together.

  Come to think of it, the title of the [Mysterious Queen of Caves] stemmed precisely from this. That was what the violet Paladino had mentioned...

  Only now did Godou recall that fact.

  Chapter 4 - Devil Kings in Yonder Lands

  Part 1

  They were sucked into a hole leading to somewhere not of this world.

  By the time they came to their senses, Godou and company were floating amidst darkness. This was not night time. Neither was there a starry sky overhead. Only infinite darkness stretched endlessly beyond. However, there was a single light source.

  In the distance ahead was a white dot of light that kept flashing like a bright star in the sky at night.

  Relying on this light, Godou was able to find his companions using his excellent night vision.

  "Is everyone okay?"

  "Yeah, no problems. No injuries whatsoever."

  "Me too. It's really quite fortunate that we didn't get separated."

  Ena and Erica's voices replied. They were roughly two or three meters away.

  However, the silver-haired knight did not seem to be present.

  "It looked like Liliana-san flew away elsewhere."

  "I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse, but it looks like she wasn't sucked into here. Oh well, I believe she shouldn't have any trouble reaching safety, being Liliana after all. So there's no need to worry."

  Erica immediately answered Ena.

  In the next instant, Godou and the two girls found their bodies beginning to move, drawn by the distant light ahead.

  The trio was approaching the light at a rate similar to jogging speed.

  They were floating in a manner akin to weightlessness in space.

  With nothing to grab or step onto, it was impossible to resist even if they wanted to.

  "Could this be one of those 'corridors' that Saint Raffaello mentioned...?"

  "A corridor to another world, left behind by Madame Aisha. I never would have expected to experience it for myself."

  "Eh? You two know what this is? Please tell Ena in detail, come on?"

  "Let's save talking about her until later, okay? Besides, I'm not really in the mood to be chatting in this kind of place, let's just wait obediently for us to be delivered over there."

  After handling Ena's question, Godou sighed.

  They arrived at a sphere of light, roughly 6-7m in diameter. The trio were then devoured by the sphere of light.

  In the following instant, what entered their view was a scene they had never encountered before.

  "Is this a forest?"

  "And there's even a river."

  Godou and Erica murmured to each other.

  That was indeed the most direct description of the terrain before their eyes. However, this was definitely not the Casentino forest they were at earlier.

  The river flowing before them was a grand and majestic river rather than a stream.

  Both shores of the river were covered with numerous trees—Beech, oak and other trees in abundance.

  Godou and his companions were currently beside a river that flowed through a forested area.

  The sound of birds chirping could be heard. There was warm sunlight and dancing butterflies.

  It was spring. Definitely not Tuscany in midwinter.

  The water of the great river was quite pure and clean, displaying a sky blue hue, so beautiful its very sight was incomparably touching.

  "What on earth is going on...?"

  Even Ena was confounded, innocent as she was, feeling quite troubled.

  Just as Godou was about to explain, a giant shadow flew over them overhead.

  Two reptiles were flying high up in the sky. Furthermore, these were black pterosaurs, the same as the one sighted at the old castle hotel in Tuscany.

  The black pterosaurs were spreading their wings casually, gliding through the air.

  "Godou, hurry and look at that one!"

  Erica pointed somewhere with her finger. On the same side of the river as their location, there was a castle.

  The two pterosaurs landed within the confines of the castle. That was apparently their destination.

  The castle was surrounded with walls on all four sides. Above the castle gates was a lookout.

  Looking from a distance, maybe three or four buildings could be seen within the confines of the castle.

  "The master of those divine beasts is there, right? Maybe a god or something."

  "Or perhaps, a certain person's kin?"

  Ena's comment prompted Erica to shrug and answer. Then they heard the sound of splashing.

  On closer examination, a black dinosaur was swimming in the river before them.

  Sticking out its neck, it gazed at Godou's group as they stood on the river bank. This was indeed the Deinonychus that was lurking in Casentino.

  "This forest, could it be the lair of these beasts!?"

  "To think it would be a [Lost World]. Let's retreat over there for now, how's that!?"

  "I think it's a good idea. Let's all head over there!"

  The trio reached an unanimous decision. With fleet-footed Ena in the lead, Godou and Erica swiftly departed from the riverside.

  "So basically, King Salvatore made Madame Aisha's authority go berserk."

  "Yes. Through the [Fairy's Corridor] Madame Aisha created, apparently 'somewhere in another world' akin to the Astral Plane was reached."

  While walking through the forest, Erica discussed the unbelievable method of transport they had taken.

  However, Ena made an incomprehensible expression.

  "However, Ena can't sense any difference between this and the [Netherworld Crossing] spell Liliana-san used before. If it's an authority of His Majesty's kin, shouldn't it be capable of more amazing things?"

  " "......" "

  "Besides, this isn't the Netherworld, is it? It totally doesn't smell like that place at all."

  "Your instincts are sharp as ever, Ena-san. Let me reserve my opinion on this matter for now. Before we clear up what kind of place we have arrived at, I don't want to say anything imprudent."

  Faced with Ena's questioning, Erica tabled the matter in a rare move.

  However, Godou could understand how she felt. Before the worst predicament could be confirmed, Erica most likely did not want to disclose bad news casually.

  "I believe we are currently facing quite a difficult situation. Your point included, I will explain everything properly in sequence."

  "Got it. This is probably a lot more complicated that visiting the Netherworld."

  "Although it can't be helped, that's indeed the case. Under the current circumstances, what we should do is gather intelligence. Let's handle this problem first."

  "So we need to find human settlement after all. But let's try divination to seek our next destination, how about it?"

  "Suddenly so unscientific, huh..."

  "Nothing of that sort, Godou. Don't you remember me using this to find your location from time to time? But this time, instead of a particular person, we'll try searching for faint presences of humans."

  Ignoring Godou's snide comment, Erica took out a pocket watch.

  This tool used the principle of dowsing to determine which direction to follow. Dangling the pocket watch from her hand by its chain, Erica waited for a brief moment. Then the pocket watch began to swing slightly like a pen
dulum.

  "I don't know if this works or not, but it's better than having no direction at all. Let's check it out."

  Erica started walking in the direction of the pocket watch's swing.

  Godou and Ena followed. Soon after, they passed through the forest and reached a plain.

  Indeed, a plain—An endless flat field stretched all the way to the horizon. This was a type of terrain seldom found in cramped little Japan.

  There was a road paved over this vast plain.

  Although the road was not especially wide, it was major route paved with a great amount of gravel. It was quite well designed, with gutters on both sides for water to drain.

  If one were to follow this road, the chances of reaching human settlement was quite high.

  Naturally, the trio quickened their pace and arrived at the road.

  "Walking here on foot took roughly thirty minutes. Looks like we haven't completely exhausted our luck."

  Using the pocket watch to calculate the time taken, Erica chuckled and smile.

  As a side note, the clock indicated it was after 7pm at night. After confirming the time on the watch, Ena looked up at the sky and made a deduction very much in the style of a child of nature's.

  "According to the sun's position, it's roughly eleven in the morning."

  "The time really doesn't match huh..."

  Just as Godou muttered to himself—

  A cart drawn by two horses moved leisurely along the road, approaching Godou's group. Two Caucasian men were sitting on the driver's perch.

  Their clothing was very simple, one could even call it crude without objections.

  In short, each man was clad in a long-sleeved shirt with long hems, secured tightly with a belt, with baggy pants.

  Inauspiciously, they both drew their longswords from atop the driver's perch.

  They looked like ruffians in appearance. It was possible that they did not earn their living through legitimate means. Ena went "Hmm?" in puzzlement.

  Did she feel suspicious to find these people on a horse-drawn cart, dressed in this manner?

  That said, they finally managed to find people who could provide information. Erica immediately sprang into action.

  "Hey, good sirs hurrying along your way! May I trouble you for a moment?"