(As a side note, Ruska was the first wife while Clotilde was the fourth. The second and third wives were currently stationed in Uldin's "secondary residences" in Germania and Sarmatia respectively.)
Uldin stood up and yelled to the dragons that were frolicking in the water.
"Time to get going. Next comes marriage time!"
Godou and his two companions were traveling west on the Rhine in their boat.
This happened to be towards the setting sun. Finally arriving at the town of Augusta Raurica, the scenery of the stronghold could be seen in the distance not too far away.
The journey down the river finally ended peacefully.
However, Godou, Erica and Ena were all silent, maintaining their gazes straight ahead.
The trio were sitting side by side yet no one spoke. The atmosphere was quite awkward. Due to the vivid memories of what the trio was doing earlier, none of them could speak.
But finally, Erica spoke up in a murmur.
"Although I have already experienced cases in the past when you acted in an unstoppable manner like this, Godou, you are truly extraordinary in these situations."
"Uh yeah. Indeed you're right..."
Godou nodded powerlessly.
Whether using Verethragna's sixth incarnation, the [Youth], or under the influence of Lancelot's [Insane Rush], there had been several similar incidents in the past.
"But this time, Godou, you did it entirely by your own volition. Still, I responded as I've always done in the past... Unknowingly, I've grown accustomed to this sort of thing..."
"Yes yes. Ena has also unknowingly accepted it, or rather, participated..."
Erica spoke as if completely exhausted while Ena commented with a hesitant expression.
"How should we tell Yuri and Liliana-san about what happened..."
"Of course we keep it a secret. If they were to find out the embarrassing way we acted... I don't even want to imagine the look on Lily's face at all. Likewise with Yuri... Indeed, we cannot tell them."
"Yeah. However, umm... Doing that together, it's quite happy, right?"
Ena murmured softly to herself. Her face completely shy, she lowered her gaze.
Anger immediately erupted on Erica's face. Sternly, she glared at the Hime-Miko.
"Ena-san, making absolutely unladylike statements like this is your shortcoming!"
"S-Sorry, Erica-san. You really hate this huh..."
Erica did not answer, but instead, she pinched Godou's back. Furthermore, she pinched especially hard. As Godou cried out "Ouch!" from the unexpected pain, the Diavolo Rosso declared angrily:
"Why don't you just endure this willingly? This is your comeuppance for sweeping us into something weird. Then hurry and apologize to me. Kiss me gently on the cheek as an apology for what you did just now."
"An apology is fine, but kissing is a bit..."
"Seriously! You already went that far just now, yet you're completely useless during times like this!"
Angrily, Erica pinched Godou's back even harder.
But as Godou leaned back due to the pain, the blonde beauty gently leaned herself against him. Stretching forward a little, she brought her lips close to Godou's ear and whispered softly.
"I-In order not to upset my composure too much in those circumstances, at least give me a warning beforehand. Th-That was really dangerous just now, but at least I managed to salvage the situation in front of Ena-san..."
Then she even bit Godou lightly on his earlobe.
Suddenly suffering her counterattack, Godou felt his heart begin to pound hard. Through the pain just now, he understood what Erica was feeling. Compared to anger, she was feeling far more embarrassed.
The girl with the devil moniker bowed her head, her face blushing bright red.
Seeing her acting so adorably, Godou was overcome with the desire to hug her when he found himself embraced by someone else. Ena had pounced on him, her face in a pout.
"Your Majesty! E-Even if it's Ena, next time will also... B-Be done well. As long as Erica-san is not watching. That really doesn't work at all!"
Although her words sounded like a child's, Ena also pressed her body tightly against Godou.
This was an act that seemed to be desperately asserting her existence, probably undertaken without conscious intent. However, the one doing it was Ena with her amazing body instead of a mere child.
Naturally, her bountiful bosom was pressed tightly against Godou and he could smell the fragrance from her hair from a close distance.
Seeing Godou fall silent, Erica went "What am I going to do with you, Ena-san?" as a noblewoman's gentle smile appeared on her face.
Noticing Erica's reaction, Ena smiled wryly and relaxed the strength in her embrace. Suddenly, the trio was startled.
The mood had turned unusual again...
"W-We've almost reached the stronghold, let's get ready to disembark!"
"A-Ah yeah. Uldin doesn't seem to be here yet."
"He said he was returning when night falls. H-He should be keeping his promise, right!?"
Frantically, the trio separated from one another, feigning calmness as they changed the topic.
The setting sun dyed the world a vivid shade of red. It evoked sanguine imagery of the upcoming bloodshed. A rather inauspicious scene. Furthermore, Godou suddenly felt a sense of chill.
Daytime during spring was supposed to be quite warm.
Was it getting cold because night fell? Godou felt a chill that felt like it was from a night in autumn.
Mooring the boat behind the stronghold and disembarking, the trio instantly rushed to the backdoor.
The guards led them inside as soon as they recognized Godou and his companions. Uldin should be attacking soon, so it was imperative to confer with Madame Aisha as quickly as possible—
Spurred by these anxious feelings, Godou's group entered the stronghold. To be honest, they originally expected the soldiers' morale to have reached rock bottom. For example, due to the imminent attack of Devil King Uldin, the soldiers should be hyperventilating from fear or the like. Perhaps there would even be plenty of deserters.
However, they felt a sense of dissonance after getting off the boat.
Noisy sounds and strange yells were coming from the stronghold incessantly.
"What high spirits..."
"She must have used the charisma authority."
Ena and Erica both showed surprise on their faces. This was only logical. In various places inside the stronghold, the soldiers were yelling loudly.
'We must protect the Holy Maiden!' 'WOOOOOOOOOH!' 'You guys, that's not loud enough!' 'WOOOOOOOOOH!' 'Uldin is not scary at all! There is nothing to fear but our fear itself towards that guy!' 'WOOOOOOOOOH!' 'Our Holy Maiden! Our Holy Maiden!' 'WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!'
Angry roars, screams, shouts and yells intersected.
Roughly six hundred soldiers were yelling their hardest with all the passion they could muster.
Bathed completely in their zealous gazes was Madame Aisha. Standing by the lectern where the commander usually gave speeches from, she was waving her hand with a look of embarrassment.
"This reminds me of the time when my friend Miura invited me to a concert. A female idol..."
Godou muttered. On one hand, here was an army of males, willing to lay down their lives in battle. On the other hand, those were boys and middle-aged men willing to offer their youthfulness and lives to their idol's concert.
Clearly, their natures were diametrically opposed yet for some reason, they had similarities no matter how you looked at it.
As a side note, the commander and officers were mixed in among the soldiers, yelling with all their might. They were already submerged within the crowd. All the people had bloodshot eyes and were in a state of frenzy.
Leading Erica and Ena, Godou approached Madame Aisha's lectern.
"Aisha-san! What happened!?"
"S-Sorry, it looks like I used the charisma authority too much! B-Because everyone in the
army were afraid of Uldin-san and the flying dragons, so I had to use it often on them—"
"Even in controlled amounts, accumulation over time would still create a group of fanatics huh..."
"I guess an overly convenient power always has its drawbacks..."
Godou and the Madame had to converse as loudly as the soldiers' enraged yelling.
At the same time, Erica and Ena seemed to be nodding to each other with heartfelt revelations.
"Because everyone has gathered together for the sake of my protection... I can't escape discreetly. Even if I said I would leave this place, they said absolutely no and kept me here..."
Descending from the lectern, Madame Aisha explained with a look of depression.
"By the way... Kusanagi-san, how did you survive? I thought Uldin-san would have killed you for sure."
"Please don't write me off as dead so casually. At least I managed to escape."
"S-Sorry. Because if you were already dead, Kusanagi-san, I would have no choice but to inherit your will and muster my resolve..."
Her face full of shyness, the Madame raised her fist to demonstrate her "resolve."
"In fact, I am currently reversing my healing authority for the sake of battle."
"Reversing... What does that mean?"
"My healing ability comes from Persephone, the goddess of spring who brings the cycle of life. In fact, she not only controls spring but is also the queen of the underworld who rules over death and winter. Using roughly one day's worth of time as preparation, my authority can be reversed to freeze all existence via [Winter's Might]."
"Unbelievable—!"
"But if I accidentally overuse it, the cold of winter lingers temporarily. So please take care."
"Exactly how long is 'temporarily'?"
"Half a year to a year maybe... Depending on conditions, it could last even longer. Even sunlight becomes very poor."
"I have a feeling that you will surely end up doing it 'accidentally,' Aisha-san, so please stop the reversal."
Even in the modern age, cool summers and harsh winters could cause massive effects on the volume of harvests, let alone in the ancient world. This could very well develop into widespread famine.
Realizing deeply that this affected many people, Godou was struck strongly by such a thought:
Why does this person possess nothing but all these troublemaking authorities...?
"Let me go fight Uldin. That's the reason I came back."
"In other words, you're going to fight for my protection!?"
"Formally, I guess you could say that..."
Avoiding Madame Aisha's grateful gaze of thanks, Godou turned to look at the Hime-Miko.
At some point in time, she had started gazing intently at the distant sky. The sun had already set and the sky had just darkened.
"They're here. Three dragons as expected. Uldin-san is also riding one of them."
"Got it. So, I'll be back in a bit, okay?"
Ena laughed at last while Erica responded with a lioness' smile.
Indeed, they were such reliable companions. Godou nodded hard towards them and ran up the castle walls. Although the outward side of the walls was vertical, the inner side was sloped gently with steps.
Climbing to the top of the castle walls, Godou waited for the dragons' arrival.
As expected a few minutes later, he heard Uldin's voice again after half a day, coming from the sky above.
"Yo comrade! I didn't expect to find you here!"
Thus the curtain finally rose for the duel between the modern and the ancient godslayers.
Part 2
"Because it's a long story, I'll just be brief. I came here by Ruska-san and Clotilde-san's request. My purpose: to beat you up."
"What, it's those two!?"
Godou was standing on the pathway atop the city walls, roughly five meters from ground level.
From his vantage point, the streets of Augusta Raurica as well as neighboring forests and roads could all be seen clearly. Overhead was the starry sky of ancient Europe, as well as three pterosaurs—
Uldin ordered his dragon mount to descend and deliberately came to the air above Godou's location.
"For things to leak out so quickly, it must be Ruska's doing huh."
Apparently realizing the situation, the Hunnic godslayer muttered with deep feeling to himself.
Similar incidents must surely have happened dozens of times already. However, Uldin immediately recovered his cheer and smiled with delight.
"Oh well, I'll just have to please them a bit later. So, are you going to say you'll kill me too, comrade? I really hope that you'll not interfere in consideration of our solidarity as fellow godslayers."
"If it were possible, I don't want to do this either. But that's out of the question."
Godou asserted openly.
"If you continue to do as you please, the people in the town will suffer. And Aisha-san might even say she will bring herself to fight. So let me stop you here."
"Aisha... Is that the name of the Holy Maiden? This is my first encounter with a female godslayer."
Uldin was quite happy. He had also entered a state of battle readiness.
Filled with fighting spirit, Uldin was gazing down at Godou below him with cautious eyes.
"It'd be a bit presumptuous if I said I'm fine with two against one, but I don't mind bearing a little hardship for a woman's sake, yeah?"
"She has her own situation to deal with. So I asked her to take a break."
Madame Aisha was currently stuck in an organization that was devoted to sacrificing their lives for her.
Godou did not want to see them throw their lives at Uldin and perish. In order to prevent the beautiful Campione from entering the fray, Godou would face Uldin one on one.
"Bold words, comrade! In that case, let us decide the victor!"
Uldin made his dragon mount ascend rapidly and converged with its two companions in the air.
With the Hunnic dragon rider leading the charge, the two other pterosaurs followed on his left and right as his wingmen, resulting in a triangular "△" formation. It was almost like a team of fighter jets.
Uldin's first attack was an arrow.
"O Rudra's thunder! The hammer that descends from the heavens!"
From the saddle of his dragon mount, Uldin picked up arrows and a small-sized bow, firing them with extreme speed and divine skill. The arrow sliced through the air as it flew straight at Godou's forehead.
Standing on the pathway above the castle walls, Godou instantly jumped sideways and barely managed to dodge the attack.
Falling into the interior of the stronghold, the arrow turned into lightning and struck one of the living quarters of the soldiers.
CRAAAAAAAAAAAASH!
A thunderous rumbling accompanied the descending lightning.
The lightning from Uldin's arrow exploded with electrical light and shock the instant it struck the soldiers' quarters, easily demolishing the single-storied building.
"O fire of Rudra, incinerate this land to ashes!"
Next, Uldin shot an arrow towards the sky.
Despite the small size of the bows normally used by nomadic tribes, they had considerable range. Not only limited to wood, even animal shin bones and other materials would be used for arrows. The bowstrings also had immense tension.
Impelled by the bow, the arrow flew high into the sky, turning into several hundred fireballs.
These fireballs kept raining down upon the land, a sight akin to a night sky lit up by fireworks. Were all these fireballs to land on target, the stronghold would undoubtedly turn into a sea of fire.
In order to oppose the vicious flames, Godou drew out his weapon.
Verethragna's final incarnation, the [Warrior], was the swordsman wielding the golden sword.
"Rudra was a god of ancient India... Furthermore, he is the bow-wielding god of storms."
The spell words of the sword for severing divinities and divine powers—
With Godou's chanting of spell words, the golden spheres of light danced haphazardly in the air.
Like radiant starlight from a galaxy, the lights covered the vast stronghold like a canopy, destroying all the hundreds of fireballs that landed on them.
"Rudra can be said to be one of the many forms of Shiva, the god of destruction. The name Shiva carries the meaning of the 'Quiet One.' In contrast, Rudra can be translated as the 'Roarer.' Consequently, one can conclude that these two gods are complementary sides of a single existence!"
"Lights that destroyed Rudra's arrows—They're spell words!?"
Overlooking the [Sword]'s canopy and Godou who had uttered spell words from the castle walls, Uldin expressed surprise from his position in the air. However, he did not stop attacking.
Nocking arrows to the bow, he fired three arrows. This time, these were arrows of raging wind and rain.
Massive raindrops were mixed with the tempestuous wind, striking the canopy violently as they followed the arrows. Then they were destroyed.
"Oh... Rather than blocking my arrows, it is eliminating them instead huh."
Uldin muttered, fully impressed. Then he smiled with delight.
"Mere mutterings are enough to produce incantations for countering Rudra huh. If that's the case, let's see if you can counter other authorities... Here's a test. Flying dragons, attack!"
KUUUAAAAAAAAH! KUUUAAAAAAAAH!
The two pterosaurs dove rapidly towards Godou who was standing alone on the pathway over the castle walls. At the same time, they swung the "terrible claws" equipped on their hind legs.
Uldin's pterosaurs measured roughly seven meters in body length.
Despite their large bodies, they would only be considered small sized among divine beasts. This body size allowed for exceptional speed and agility. The two pterosaurs approached swiftly, almost like arrows. Obviously, the [Sword] could not defend against them.
Naturally, the ones who stepped up to the task at this moment were Erica and Ena. Swiftly, they ran up to the castle walls and brandished their weapons.
"And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them! Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city—!"[16]
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