"Divine Sword of Salvation. The personal blade of the king who manifests at the end of eras. Sacred steel."
Liliana explained as she expelled a deep breath, followed by Erica's murmurs.
On the other hand, Amakasu seemed to be scratching his head with great worry in response to the knights' statements.
"Ah... Kaoru-san also received the same kind of oracle as Liliana-san. Then there is no doubt. Something unimaginable is lying dormant on that island."
"Is this all of that Gascoigne guy's doing? What on earth is he planning..."
"It's also related to the Heavenly Reverse Halberd. Things have really become very troublesome..."
While Godou muttered, Erica was puzzling over the situation next to him.
For Erica to show such a reaction when she had always been the one who led everyone else by the nose, the only ones Godou knew who could accomplish such a feat were Salvatore Doni and Luo Cuilian. In short, only god-slaying Campiones.
Black Prince Alec was apparently as talented as his peers in this regard.
Godou and his group discussed their concerns and views as the shaky helicopter ride continued.
The helicopter appeared to be avoiding the airspace of the "Floating Island" as much as possible, and basically circling it once.
Along the way, the wireless communications in the cabin sounded and Amakasu picked it up.
"Yes. Eh? Guinevere has been sighted at the remains of the excavation site?"
Another member of the History Compilation Committee seemed to be contacting him. As Amakasu listened intently to the detailed report, Godou steeled his determination and signaled to Erica and Liliana through his eyes. That was sufficient. The red and blue knights immediately nodded in response.
"We will make a brief visit. Perhaps some useful information can be obtained."
Godou patted the shoulder of the young man of ninja descent.
Godou was sick and tired of being played by the Black Prince. Passivity could not be allowed to continue. Action must be taken with initiative to change the situation.
Noticing Godou's resolve, Amakasu nodded in acknowledgement as he continued his communications.
Part 3
The helicopter carrying Godou and the rest was still flying in midair.
Opening the cabin at this time would be extremely dangerous. Nevertheless, such recklessness was indeed required for the sake of using Liliana's flight magic.
Violent winds suddenly swept into the cabin as the door opened!
"But Kusanagi-san, if you encounter Guinevere, Lancelot could also appear!? What are you going to do in that case!?"
"No! I don't think it's likely!"
Godou and Amakasu grabbed onto nearby objects to steady themselves as they yelled above the noise.
As if trying to stop the strong winds from overwhelming their voices.
"On what basis!?"
"Guinevere's personality!"
"Godou's right! Considering her usual caution, 'Avalon' where the King of the End sleeps must be near. I don't think she will be taking unnecessary risks!"
Erica chimed in. She was right.
Judging from the many actions the Divine Ancestor had taken in the past, it was apparent that she was an extremely cautious woman. She would not use her trump card so easily.
...Well, as for Lancelot himself, who knows? Whenever the white war god enters a frenzy, he becomes a battle maniac who even forgets whom he should be protecting... That was what Godou felt.
"Then let us depart! Hold on tight!"
Finishing the preparations for the ritual, Liliana yelled.
Godou and Erica each placed a hand on the blue knight's shoulder. Immediately, blue light burst forth and they took flight. The destination was the beach at Kisarazu--
The place where the Heavenly Reverse Halberd had been excavated last week.
A lone red torii stood on the empty field which still showed clear signs of excavation by heavy machinery. Rather than this spot, Guinevere was standing closer to the beach, across the windbreak plantation.
Over there. She was motionlessly gazing at the sea.
Her blonde hair wavered gently in the breeze. Her wondrous girlish eyes shimmered with brilliance. Also, that exquisitely beautiful face like an antique doll's -- Divine Ancestor Guinevere indeed.
Held in her hands was a bronze-colored disc.
Perhaps some kind of alloy, for it appeared to be colored like a mixture of iron and gold. Guinevere embraced it with tender affection.
As if it were the relic of someone she held dear--
"Salutations. Would you be offended by this manner of greeting, Kusanagi-sama?"
She must have noticed. Guinevere immediately turned around.
Greeting with a curtsy as she held the hem of her black formal dress. All of a sudden, the disc disappeared from her hands.
"I'm in a particularly bad mood, so quit it with the formalities."
Godou responded coldly, the two knights standing on his left and right.
Erica and Liliana were each clad in their respective capes of red and blue, readying themselves for battle.
"Then let me offer my utmost apologies. The act of borrowing Your Highness' power a few days ago was truly impertinent."
"Let that be. In the end, I also made use of your power."
Godou replied indifferently to Guinevere's apology.
"On the other hand, interference in my conflict with Athena cannot possibly be forgiven. I believe the debt you owe will be repaid one day."
Godou was speaking in a cold tone of voice that even surprised himself.
There was no anger at Guinevere and Lancelot for interfering in his duel with his enemy. Neither was there any hatred. All that was present was the conviction of "an eye for an eye."
"I believe that day draws near. You should better prepare yourself."
"Yes, certainly. Guinevere and Sir Knight are both keenly aware that the next encounter with Your Highness is inevitable. By the way, Kusanagi-sama, for the sake of caution, would you mind listening to Guinevere's question?"
"What?"
"Are you the one who raised the island where both the king who manifests at the end of eras and the Divine Blade of Salvation sleep -- Avalon?"
Avalon. A location repeatedly mentioned recently.
The island of the fairies where England's hero King Arthur sleeps. As the legends go, after fighting his nephew Mordred, he waited for his revival while his wounds were being healed on this island...
"No, it wasn't me. It seems to be that guy, your old pal."
"As expected... Guinevere also thought the same. It is most likely an invitation Alexandre-sama sent out for Guinevere."
A shadow of worry entered Guinevere's eyes as she gazed at the vast open sea.
"That person continues to harass without end! For him to have discovered before Guinevere the land of hopes that she seeks, and locking it away with his labyrinth authority, how truly contemptible...!"
A statement of hatred. Godou was stunned for a moment.
This emotional outburst was completely different from what he had witnessed from Guinevere all along. With only a superficial smile remaining, that wondrous lady-like demeanor was gone, and the intense emotions hidden in her heart revealed themselves.
To think this witch also had a side like this -- how unexpected.
"By the way, didn't you mention the Divine Sword of Salvation just now? Isn't that the spear Lancelot was wielding last time?"
"No, it is the relic belonging to the King of the End."
Guinevere replied indifferently to Godou's change of subject.
"Our master is the strongest immortal hero. Nevertheless, after vanquishing all the god-slayers, he enters a dormant state akin to temporary death. While he restores himself from the state of exhaustion, he readies himself for his next coming -- when multiple Devil King Campiones roam free, threatening the world."
In other words, lying in a state of suspended animati
on, waiting for Campiones to be born?
The strongest [Steel]. Godou nodded, finally learning the true state of the sleeping one.
"When Master enters sleep, his body dissociates and assimilates itself with the earth in order to accumulate its essence. When that happens, his remains appear in the form of a divine sword, marking the land like a tombstone."
"Remains appearing in the form of a divine sword..."
"Human magi seem to be calling them names with the likes of dragon bones, angel's remains, sacred relics. Guinevere had polished those remains once more to become Sir Knight's lance. Nevertheless, it is merely a fake. Only the one wielded by its owner the 'King of the End' can truly be the Divine Sword of Salvation."
The Witch Queen once again stared out at sea, towards where the treasure she desired lay.
"Guinevere and other Divine Ancestors are the miko who served the 'King of the End.' When Master arrives again, all of us shall hurry forth to serve under his command. However, so many god-slayers have already been born in the past millennium. Even so, Master still has not descended upon us once more."
Guinevere lamented her situation poignantly.
"We Divine Ancestors seek our sleeping Master, hoping Master will descend again. In our long and arduous search, many remains in the form of divine swords have been discovered. However, none of these locations held the sleeping Master--"
I see. Godou figured it out.
When multiple Campiones appeared on earth, the 'King of the End' apparently revived. And then he would start the war of annihilation to sweep the world clean of god-slayers. Even though it was unknown how many millennia ago it began, this cycle of dormancy and rebirth seemed to have already repeated many times.
As a result, even if the divine sword remains were found, it did not mean he was present...
"I have also tried summoning Master by magic, through promoting myths involving one of Master's sacred names, 'Arthur.' However, it failed. Or perhaps, considering there are other myths circulating under Master's alternate names, I have also searched for legends of [Steel] in both oriental and occidental lands."
The witch and Divine Ancestor, neither immortal nor indestructible.
In order to find the strongest [Steel], she resorted to reincarnation despite being murdered before her wish was fulfilled, thereby continuing her search.
As if bound by a curse. In a certain sense, it was a pitiful existence. Hearing Guinevere's mutterings, Godou found himself slightly pitying those Divine Ancestors.
"Then the long search finally came to fruition, by tracking down this land's legend of the 'Noble One who sleeps with the sword.' Furthermore, the divine sword's aura now emanates from that island."
Godou immediately tensed as soon as Guinevere's gaze brightened.
Both she and her protector were Godou's "enemies."
"In the surroundings of where that one sleeps, legends of 'a hero who shall revive together with a divine sword' will always surface. Due to the divine splendor of the strongest [Steel], the legends have taken root deep in the hearts of humanity. The legend of Avalon that once existed in Britain has made its reappearance."
Godou recalled the legend he recently heard from Kaoru.
Queen Oto Tachibana-Hime, jumped into the sea with sword embosomed. Sea currents carried her sword to a landless location, whence a floating island subsequently appeared. That was indeed the island where the "King of the End" slept.
Asserting thus, Guinevere turned to face Godou.
"By the way, Kusanagi-sama, we have no objection to our inevitable battle against Your Highness. However, there is the saying, the enemy of an enemy is a friend. When a common enemy appears, it is not a bad idea to put our grudges aside to cooperate."
"I don't think enemies can be determined that easily."
"No. The way Guinevere sees it, Kusanagi-sama and the Black Prince are definitely incompatible. Once you have determined the Prince to be a hindrance, please do let me know."
Hmm. Godou frowned. That was a separate matter anyway.
This Guinevere is trying to borrow my power again? By the time he noticed, Guinevere was already drawing near. The previous week's memories reawakened.
Another kiss? Godou stayed on high alert.
"Guinevere-sama, please step back."
"Ah yes. Approach any further and you will regret the consequences."
Erica stepped forward as Liliana followed suit, grumbling.
The two extended their hands in a stance ready to summon their magic swords.
"Hohoho. How prepared. I would be most pleased if Your Highness would give my words some consideration. Nevertheless, Guinevere has no reasons of refutation. I shall take my leave for now!"
Surrounded by light, she took flight. Steadily accelerating upwards, she disappeared into the ends of the sky.
"Huh, so Guinevere-san said that."
Amakasu arrived with the helicopter's landing on the beach.
Hearing Godou's explanation, he remarked emphatically.
"So that castle of strange rock is Avalon, eh? This is something that can't be ignored. As a Japanese, it would be more appropriate to call an island that surfaces in the Bousou Sea the Floating Island."
"Hey Amakasu-san, so the object Prince Alec stole was the Heavenly Reverse Halberd."
Erica began to talk to the History Compilation Committee member.
"Isn't that the same name as the tool used by the gods to create the islands of Japan?"
"Yes. Actually, the myth of the two gods Izanagi and Izanami's founding of the country seems to be an ancient legend originating from the seafaring tribes of southern Chuugoku[7] region."
"Prince Alec used the land-creating divine artifact to raise up that island...? This is the most simple and direct explanation one can deduce..."
Seeing Erica and Liliana deep in thought, Amakasu relaxed his shoulders.
"Everyone, let's go home for today. It's really been a long and arduous journey. You should all get some rest in preparation for what is to come."
And so, Amakasu gave Godou and the rest a lift back to Tokyo's Bunkyou ward. Still, Godou remained worried about Yuri and Alice who continued with investigations in Europe--
Amakasu stopped before the shopping street of Sanchoume at Nezu.
Home sweet home. Due to the brief but eventful journey, Godou felt like he had been away from home for ten days. Watching Amakasu's car leave, Godou suddenly noticed.
His childhood friend Asuka was standing at the entrance to the commercial street.
"What are you doing? Waiting for someone?"
"Uh yes, pretty much. Godou, you just came back eh?"
Before he knew it, the sun had already set and it was night.
It was already the time when visitors to the commercial street had thinned out. At a time like this, Asuka was standing before the entrance to the commercial street, looking like she was waiting for someone.
"Ah yes. Even though it got a bit messy, I was able to return home at least."
"It has been quite a while, Tokunaga Asuka."
Standing by Godou's side, Liliana also tried to make conversation with his childhood friend. However, Asuka simply answered vaguely with "Umm, yes, it's been a while."
For some reason, her usual domineering glare had vanished today, showing only meekness.
Her gaze was focused towards Erica Blandelli. A strikingly beautiful girl whose natural beauty was further enhanced by splendorous presence and talent. With those well-trained manners from a Milanese education, it was only natural for her to become the focus of any situation.
"By the way, I guess it's the first time for you two to meet. Asuka, this is Mariya and Liliana's friend, Erica. And Erica, this is my longtime friend Asuka. You've never met before, right?"
"Right. Though I've heard her name before."
Erica nodded in response to Godou's introductions.
Walking immediately up to Asuka, Erica bore a smile that could only be described as synonym
ous to elegance itself.
"A pleasure to meet you. My name is Erica Blandelli. As you can hear, my Japanese is perfect so you don't have to worry. Also, perhaps you may know already, but Godou and I share an extremely intimate relationship. I hope you don't mind."
"Extremely intimate -- ah, I've heard rumors at least."
For some reason, Asuka's face began twitching for an instant after hearing Erica's cheerful self-introduction.
"Is that so? Then there's no need to spell out the details."
On the other hand, Erica was bearing a blooming smile like a flourishing Japanese camellia flower.
A gorgeous smile. It was a radiant smile from the heart without any reservations.
"In actual fact, I had wanted to visit all of Godou's longtime friends. Letting them all know the name of Erica Blandelli should prove to be convenient for various things in the future."
"Hey you, plotting that kind of thing after all."
"Oh my, plotting is such an unexpected description. It'd be nice if the ones close to you can become our mutual friends, wouldn't you agree?"
This was a mode of thinking that Liliana, Yuri, and definitely Ena would not even consider.
However, Erica explained it as if it was the most natural thing in the world. The goal of expanding social circles required a habit of conscious cultivation of friendships. Possessing the quality of becoming the center of attention and popularity in no matter what kind of organization, that was Erica's true nature.
"However, even without that sort of intentions, I feel like I can become great friends with Asuka-san. I shall be in your care. Most likely, we will be running into each other frequently from now on."
In addition, Erica did not neglect to smile at the hesitating Asuka. Entering a carefree dialogue to help reduce the sense of distance, she was socially skilled indeed.
Well, that said, Erica was still a person who often acted recklessly as she pleased...
"Umm, yes. I'll be in your care."
"What is the matter, Tokunaga Asuka? You do not seem very well?"
The extremely domineering childhood friend whose scoldings were as common as greetings. Such was Asuka's original personality, but somehow she had become so meek in front of Erica she was like a different person.
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