Casually looking down from the worship hall of Toushouguu, Lu Yinghua spoke.
His posture resembled a phoenix at rest—aged fourteen, rather than calling him young, he would be better described as immature.
However, his awe-inspiring presence was worthy of his position as the devil king's disciple.
"Ah, looking so disinterested usually, but today you are passionately tempting us."
"Under the watchful eyes of my master, I have no leisure to dally, and must defeat you two using my full strength."
The young martial artist sneered at Erica's joking attempts.
It was a strange smile, a product of some twisted emotion rising up from the heart. However, the confidence in that smiling face was authentic. Could he really believe that he could obtain victory fighting against two great knights at once?
What gave Erica doubt, was the slight sense of masochism seen in Lu Yinghua's smile.
"Yes, even for me, fighting the two Nee-sans here is a little dangerous. I'd probably lose three times out of ten?"
"In other words, you will win seven times? How audacious."
The one who replied quietly was Liliana.
Boasts of grandeur and haughtiness were often sources of power. Confidence and presence were prerequisites for talent and skill to shine. In the world of battles, cases of an arrogant genius outperforming a modest genius were too many to list.
"Competing with you seems quite attractive."
"A pity then, our target is not you so we must decline your invitation."
Erica and Liliana wrapped their respective red and black or blue and black capes around their bodies. The capes known as bandiera, only great knights were allowed such battle attire.
"Heh, are you really planning on challenging my master? Doing so would be foolhardy rather than brave, I advise you it is better to give up."
"No, and it's not her either... Let's start, Lily."
"Very well, though we are at a disadvantage. However we cannot ignore this battle for that will taint our honor as knights."
In Erica's hand was the magic sword Cuore di Leone.
On the other hand, Liliana wielded the magic sword Il Maestro.
These magic swords were forged as a pair, using Wootz steel from Damascus. Sharp enough to sever concrete blocks in one stroke, they also amplified the magic of the wielder, furthermore, each possessed the special attributes of [Indestructible] and [Magic Melody] respectively.
The two of them entered full battle preparedness.
"Eli Eli lama sabachthani? Oh Lord, why hast thou forsaken me?"[94]
"People, listen to David's song of mourning! How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!"[95]
Simultaneously, they chanted the spell words.
"But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword; Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of wild oxen!"[96]
The spell words of loathing and despair. Erica's [Oh Lord, why hast thou forsaken me].
"From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty!"[97]
The requiem mourning for an ancient hero. Liliana's [Song of the Bow].
"I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee."[98]
"O bow of Jonathan, the warrior's weapon fast as an eagle and strong as a lion. Descend into my hand now!"
Both moves were advanced battle magic that could bring pain to gods.
Unfamiliar with European magic, Lu Yinghua's expression started to tense as he noticed extremely ominous spell words of disaster gathering around in Erica and Liliana's surroundings.
When they made the decision to employ these two mystic rituals, the two knights had already abandoned trying to move in secret. Lu Yinghua and Luo Hao would immediately notice such powerful magical presences and there would be no time to hide.
"Be dismissed, Lu Yinghua! Light be lost, breathing stopped!"
Erica yelled.
The spell words of loathing and despair, had the power of restraint in this world. Those commanded will actually lose their sight and even stop beating their heart.
"Disaster falls upon those who block my path! Ashes to ashes, dust to dust!"
Liliana's shouts followed.
Bound by the hero's requiem, objects lose their form as commanded, and everything pointed at by her finger collapsed into dust.
True to his title as the martial hero, Lu Yinghua was able to block these spells.
"Hmm—! What troublesome spells!"
Roaring angrily, he struck himself with his left fist slightly above the heart.
Stimulating the pressure point of Tanzhongxue[99], he strengthened the qi life force in his body. This middle energy center[100], along with the lower energy center below the navel—both were major pressure points responsible for the flow of magical power in European magic.
As long as the flow of magical power within the body was strong enough, one was immune to the effects of outside magic.
The absolute resistance of a Campione towards magic was simply due to harboring magical power within the body that far surpassed the best magi.
Having undergone his master's inhumane training, Lu Yinghua could be considered a genius in the area of qigong.[101]
Raising magical power instantly to block Erica and Liliana's curses could be considered a godly feat. However, their true purpose was not to neutralize the devil king's direct disciple.
They only aimed to prevent him from making the first attack for a short period of time.
Their goal was apparently successful, and during the moment when Lu Yinghua focused on his internal body and could not physically attack, the two great knights began the next step.
Erica instantly applied magic to Cuore di Leone.
The spell of Iron Alchemy—Transformation. The slender beloved sword was transformed into a pilum, the throwing spear used by soldiers of the ancient Roman Empire. Infused in it were the spell words of loathing and despair.
Liliana stabbed her magic sword Il Maestro into the ground.
Instead her hands now wielded the bow and arrows of blue light. The bow of Jonathan that took form from the requiem of the ancient hero, the weapon that once shot the hero Perseus.
Simultaneously, the two great knights sent their projectiles towards the sky.
The target was the silvery white snake hovering above Nikkou mountain, near her throat—
Flying in the air, the ground beneath was a flat plain without any obstructions. The only factors to consider were the distance and the accuracy of the shooters.
From the very start, they were planning to attack Leviathan.
The pilum and the arrow rushed through the air.
In a most splendid manner, these magically born weapons pierced the snake deity's throat.
Chapter 7 - Giant Killing
Part 1
Leviathan's massive body began to crash slowly towards the ground.
Particles of light were scattering in the air as the body fell like a weightless feather, an unnatural trajectory of descent.
The silvery white body of the snake gradually disappeared. By the time it reached several tens of meters above the ground, only Asherah's pale body remained, and on her throat were two large piercing wounds.
Asherah's body finally fell on the topmost part of Toushouguu, the Okusha inner shrine.
"Unable to maintain the form of a snake, if this continues, the key to releasing the binding seal of the [Keeper of the Horses] will..."
Cult Leader Luo Hao murmured to herself as she approached.
The convulsing young girl was vomiting frothy blood. Luo Hao lifted the girl's arm to examine her pulse and nodded, standing up immediately.
"My young eagle! While I treat this witch, you help me stop the knights."
She ordered her disciple who was two hundred meters below
.
Due to the her beautiful voice being full of qi trained from neigong[102], it could be transmitted even across such distances.
"Wow, that violent woman still lives after that. Wait a minute, turning into a snake becomes an existence on the level of [Heretic Gods], so there's nothing to be surprised about...?"
Hearing the instructions, Lu Yinghua stared hard as he stood on the roof of Toushouguu's worship hall. On the other hand, the two great knights who pierced the snake deity's throat were smiling at each other.
"See, the best way to eliminate Leviathan was just as I said."
It was just before advancing upon Toushouguu, after Princess Alice had transmitted her mental waves from the Astral Plane.
In coordination with the other side, Erica made a conclusion.
"Lily and I will attack directly. If it's the spell words of David, then even gods can be damaged. The flying target's vulnerabilities are fully exposed in the air, oh? It will definitely work."
"Since the snake deity's life is ending soon anyway, this method does not seem so absolutely ridiculous after all."
Liliana calmly nodded.
Ignoring her private life (especially in the area of love), Liliana in battle was very calm and composed.
"Of course, if we take it slowly, there will be interference from Luo Hao and Lu Yinghua. If we target Leviathan on our first strike, I believe the chances of success will be very high."
Lu Yinghua was highly skilled in qigong, but was not an expert on magic or Daoist arts.
He was unlikely to be acquainted with the mystic arts of magic such as the spell words of the hero David. The problem was his master, and Erica recalled the encounter near the shrine --
"Luo Hao probably won't be wary of Lily and me as enemies, so if we target Leviathan from the start, it will work for sure. However..."
"Afterwards is the real problem. We will need to fight the cult leader seriously."
The only existence on earth that could fight evenly with a Campione was another Campione, which is why they sent Princess Alice to pick up Godou.
"In the end, after eliminating Leviathan, we still need a Campione's power. But if that ritual continues, [Steel] will be awakened... We have no options."
"Yes, so that is why we gamble everything on this."
Erica continued explaining as Liliana shook her head, troubled by the dilemma.
"You already know that Kusanagi Godou possesses the authority of Verethragna, the Persian Warlord who flew over the land, the protector who saved the people. So --"
Liliana nodded in agreement with Erica's suggestion.
The mental waves from the princess in the Netherworld also approved.
And so the two knights charged courageously, and successfully downed Leviathan.
Currently, Luo Hao had given orders to her disciple, who prepared to take on Erica and Liliana.
Though it was unclear at this point, there was also the possibility that the snake deity could be revived.
"Worrying about others at this point, you two sure are confident!"
The youth and his voice descended at the same time.
Just like last time, there was not a single sound. As an advanced physical technique, it required complete control of one's weight, muscle strength and activity in order to attain this level. Though Erica and Liliana were also quite accomplished in this area, they were outmatched by far.
The silver-haired knight immediately reached out and pulled out her beloved sword from the ground.
Seeing this action, Lu Yinghua smiled at the corner of his lips and immediately charged with god-like speed.
At the distance of an arm's length, he struck with his right fist, aiming for Liliana's right hand which held the magic sword! With gliding steps, Liliana evaded.
"You are the confident one instead! Deliberately attacking the one with the weapon."
"Haha! Fighting an unarmed sword fighter? I wouldn't do it even if someone paid me to!"
Because Erica had thrown her beloved sword at Leviathan, she was currently weaponless.
Disregarding this situation, the youth still chose to attack the armed opponent. Liliana took her magic sword and slashed at the incoming right arm. If she was able to cut an artery or a muscle, victory would be decided.
But the young martial artist withdrew his arm to escape the magic sword.
Like a whip, the withdrawn hand attacked Liliana's face. Against this move which combined offense with defense as one, Liliana raised her left arm to defend.
"Heh, neither slow in speed nor in reaction. Yes, you do have some skill..."
Lu Yinghua leisurely commented.
Fighting an armed opponent with no signs of fear, it appeared that he had not even begun to get serious.
Liliana held Il Maestro at mid-level.
Slowly tracing out a curve with its form, she wielded the saber with one hand. This was the magic sword that formed a pair with Cuore di Leone, and in the past, the two were discovered together in the catacombs beneath Florence.
"Erica, looks like he wants to have a chat with me, you should hurry over to the cult leader."
Seeing her old friend's rare attempt at a joke, Erica smiled in response.
"Lily, is that really fine? If you say that, then I will become the main character, oh?"
"To be frank, that is no good at all, but there is no other way. I have already started here and the opponent has yet to show his true power, how could I stop here!"
While Liliana yelled loudly, her opponent the youth gave off a sense of unpressured ease.
"You go first, there is no other choice. I will finish him. I already mentioned before, your taking the spotlight has already gone on too far!"
"In that case, I won't refuse your offer, I'll be on my way~~"
Using [Leap], Erica jumped onto the roof of Toushouguu's worship hall as Lu Yinghua gazed at her back with eyes like a ferocious bird of prey.
"Didn't I say I will fight you both at the same time!"
Yelling, he rushed over and once again flew to the top of the worship hall.
No good. If this continued, he will start hunting like his namesake[103] the eagle. Liliana immediately leapt onto the roof and blocked Lu Yinghua's path.
And then she released the seal on the magic sword Il Maestro.
Erica was not the only one who hid the true power of her beloved sword. The steel of the master musician[104] began to transform. The curved blade remained the same, but the hilt portion extended for almost a meter, and its appearance now resembled a spear or a Japanese naginata.
Ding... With a light sweep, a wonderful tone was heard.
Like the sound of a xylophone being played, it was music that suited the name of the conductor.
"The essence of fantasy, steel that plays brilliant melodies! I beseech you, grant unto me invisible wings!"
Ultimate move -- the words to release the [Magic Melody].
Lightly brandishing Il Maestro in its naginata-like form, a series of tones were heard.
With another swing, the tones continued, and Liliana rhythmically performed with the musical tones.
Lu Yinghua's pupils began to lose their sharp glint, watching Liliana before him, the eagle eyes which had been focused obliquely on the leaping Erica became confused for an instant.
-- He fell for it!
Confirming it, Liliana thrusted Il Maestro at Lu Yinghua's chest.
True to form as the martial artist, he recovered his senses before the sword struck and jumped back a large distance.
"...So that weapon has a strange effect."
"This is the magic melody. The magic sword Il Maestro is the steel of the master musician that can perform marvelous music. For someone like me who has mastered music and martial arts, playing all kinds of magic melodies can become a second weapon."
This time it was Liliana's turn to look down at her opponent.
She was now standing on the rooftop of Toushouguu's worship hall, while Lu Yinghua st
ood on the ground since his leap just now had jumped off the roof.
Liliana brandished Il Maestro as if displaying the form of her martial arts.
And then a mysterious metallic tune was heard, the magic melody just now that disrupted the listener's thoughts. In a serious battle it could break the concentration of the opponent and create openings.
In addition there were many other magic melodies with different effects, such as weakening the enemy's magical power or physical endurance.
"Tsk -- what an unassuming but contemptible spell!"
Lu Yinghua roared angrily and then began to raise the magical power in his body.
The same method for magical defense that he used against the curse of David, however, this was also countered.
"Pray bestow life, mother who brings death! Grant unto me the signs of the dark earth!"
Chanting new spell words, Liliana used magic, witchcraft that manipulated the earth.
The ground beneath Lu Yinghua began to soften. This was a sinister spell that made the ground surface lose its hardness, turning into mud, transforming into a bottomless marsh, directly sinking the target into the depths of the earth.
An outstanding mage would probably use opposing magic or the blessing of fortune to neutralize or surpass its effects.
For a Campione like Godou, as long as they raised their magic within their body, the spell's effect would naturally disappear. Their resistance to magic was such that even area effect spells would automatically lose effect. But for Lu Yinghua, even though he was a genius at qigong, as a normal person he could never reach a Campione's level.
Whether sword skills of a knight, Chinese martial arts, magic, Daoist arts, etc... Even if one were to develop any of these skills to its pinnacle, a human would still be unable to match the extraordinary magical power of Campiones or gods.
Hence Lu Yinghua could only let his legs be devoured by the bottomless marsh, and he had already sunk down to his knees.
"...Against an opponent that can use both magic and the sword, one definitely needs to prepare tactics beforehand."
However, he still remained completely composed, just as calm as usual.
It was a bottomless marsh with the consistency of glue and without a single foot hold.
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