Campione 06

by Flying Phoenix of Divine Mountain

  Accelerating the [Sword], severing the goddess Gayatri's authority which lay within Luo Hao's body.

  A reaction, it was severed for sure.

  The magical wind suddenly stopped, and the spreading destruction caused by the shockwaves halted.

  Godou's right arm which had been as hot as fire was now completely cooled, like plunging his arm into the core of ice -- wait a minute, now was not the time to care about such things.

  "The sword of spell words for severing a god, truly remarkable!"

  Losing the authority of the song, Luo Hao continued to speak with that beautifully musical voice.

  The antique wooden buildings, the dark lush cedar forest, and even the stones used for paving steps had been blown away. The surroundings of Toushouguu's inner Okusha shrine was now completely bare.

  Slightly forward a bit at the entrance to the Okusha inner shrine, Luo Hao was standing motionless.

  "King Kusanagi -- No, Kusanagi Godou, I have lived over two hundred years since becoming a devil king! In this period, no one has ever pushed me to such an extent like you! Hohoho, pitting my might in a competition against a fellow peer is truly a joy, now it is my turn to show my ultimate move!"

  Right, she still had the authority of the Benevolent King Buddha Guardians, as well as her trained martial arts.

  She was so unbelievably adorable, but at the same time, the slayer of the revered Benevolent Kings.

  Haughtily looking down upon Kusanagi Godou, her upright standing posture was full of oppressive presence. Beneath her battle outfit, her graceful limbs were full of fighting spirit as she prepared to unleash her ultimate secret technique.

  -- This is no joking matter, Godou twisted his lips hideously.

  It was hard enough to put you at a disadvantage, I'm not going to let you reverse the situation!

  Unwarily he smiled and focused his attention to the east. Cult Leader Luo Hao's violent acts were enough to release the flames of justice to punish the people's enemy, now was the time to unleash the greatest firepower, and light the signal beacons of war!

  "For victory, hasten forth before me! O immortal sun, please grant radiance to the stallion. O stallion that moves godlike with wondrous grace, bring forth the halo of thy master!"

  Verethragna's third incarnation, the [White Stallion] symbolizing the sun.

  The real sun was already setting in the west. Nikkou's sky and scenery were dyed a shade of red by the sunset, but then a different sun appeared, releasing the rays of dawn from the east.

  From the rays of dawn came a white spear of light.

  As the sun of the planets exploded in the atmosphere, shining light was formed.

  Hurtling towards the demonic cult leader who was more beautiful than the rising sun, the white burning flames continued to extend like white flashes of light.

  The rays of dawn scattered all around, but just as the spear of flame was about to devour Luo Hao --

  "Strength beyond numbers, strength beyond skill! A thousand tonnes in one leg, victory from a single kick!"

  Luo Hao spoke spell words once again.

  With flames appearing from her shoulders, this was the shiny golden brightness from the Benevolent King's form seen in the Netherworld.

  Buddha Guardians! -- And this time, there were two of them.

  That's right, the Benevolent Kings always came as an Om[114] pair, with the two united as one deity. The Buddha Guardians at the southern gates of Toudai-ji were also such a pair, with Narayana and Guhyapada on guard on the left and right of the entrance.

  The authority [Divine Might of Vajrapani] conferred absolute might.

  Even for Luo Hao, the muscles of her own body could not use such force fully, which is why those avatars are summoned, right? In order to use absolutely strongest might.

  ...If those muscular avatars were simply her preference, then it would be a bit disgusting. Godou speculated.

  Thus the two grand golden Benevolent Kings stood boldly before the white flames.

  --Hoon!! --Hah!!

  The two voices made the ground shake and the air vibrate.

  The two giants appearing on the left and right of Luo Hao, stepped forward.

  Their naked upper torsos showed off their muscular golden physique, with their bulging constitution they were like two walls, shielding Luo Hao from the flames of the [White Stallion].

  The golden muscles began to melt and slowly dissolved.

  However, the pair of Benevolent Kings bore expressions of struggling endurance. Against stellar level heat and destruction from the universe, they protected their creator.

  Soon after, the rays of dawn vanished and the attack of the white spear of flame stopped.

  The two Buddha Guardians instantly fell down on their knees, their sacred muscular bodies melted halfway, and the rest of them immediately dissipated. The expressions on their faces told of resolution seen only on the faces of men who sacrificed themselves for great accomplishments.

  Protected by the two giants, Luo Hao was completely unharmed! Not even a single burn!

  "T-To think such a move was possible..."

  Surprised and impressed, Godou groaned slightly.

  Flexibly applying her wits and her authority, Luo Hao had blocked the attack with the greatest firepower in Godou's arsenal. In other words, Godou was now stuck in a deadly crisis.

  "Hohoho, young man! You are becoming more and more surprising..."

  Luo Hao gave a faint smile, there was a trace of blood beside her lips.

  Her magical power -- qi, in oriental terms, was massively reduced. Losing those avatars had weakened her greatly, but she still had not suffered any critical damage. This was bad!

  "Such resolve you have demonstrated, even I cannot help but admire. Now it is my turn to use my ultimate technique. I shall let you know that Luo Cuilian's fists, legs and palms, can destroy an army of millions!"

  The sacred phoenix descended from the heavens.

  The supple and delicate little hands shaped themselves into beautiful claws of the phoenix, and chopped at Godou from the air. If this happened at close range, his head would have been sliced open, with speed like an arrow shot from a powerful bow -- no, rather it should be speed rivaling a bullet.

  Fighting the beauty whose martial arts were like a flying phoenix, Godou had no choice but to activate the [Raptor].

  He knew this would never win. How should he fight? Stepping into the realm of super high speed, Godou felt his heart being eroded by despair.

  When he fought Salvatore Doni in the past, that genius had seen through the [Raptor]'s speed.

  Then of course, Cult Leader Luo Hao will surely --

  Godou felt as if he had entered a labyrinth with no exit.

  Part 4

  This was Toushouguu's cedar forest.

  Even higher than the tallest trees there, Lu Yinghua and Liliana Kranjcar were flying in the air. Overlooking the dark green clusters of cedar trees, the two were having an aerial battle.

  The one who flew higher was Lu Yinghua of course, at around one meter above Liliana.

  The one flying higher held the advantage, this was a principle of aerial battles.

  Lu Yinghua deftly circled once, and made a forward rolling movement, using the momentum to perform a spinning kick in midair, his heel descending straight down! Liliana pulled back her saber, preparing to use Il Maestro but it was too late. Too fast!

  Frantically raising the naginata form of her beloved sword, she blocked the kick with the hilt portion.

  As the two began to descend, Lu Yinghua attacked fiercely during the fall. His fingertips, seeming as sharp as awls, moved as if intending to take away Liliana's eyes, his hand was about to chop and sever her throat, his palm seemed as if it would shatter her shoulder, and he unleashed powerful palm strikes which could stop the beating of the heart.

  --The Twelve Divine Palm Strikes of the Flying Phoenix, this was the strongest martial technique the youth learned from his master.

  Th
e silver-haired blue knight used the hilt and blade of Il Maestro to block every attack, all were defended by a dangerously slim margin.

  Were she an instant too late, her fairy-like body would have been cruelly slashed and shattered.

  However, swinging the magic sword for defense composed a dazzling magic melody, disrupting the martial artist's concentration.

  Lu Yinghua took a deep breath to increase his qi for defense, thus forcing him to halt his attacks. Using this opening, Liliana released magic to fire an arrow of light --

  This exchange of attacks all happened within the time frame of their fall from midair. The skill displayed in their aerial battle had already far surpassed most warriors in this world. To these two, not having a foothold to fight on was completely not an issue.

  But though the battle raged on intensely, they had entered a state of stalemate.

  Even though the martial artist held the advantage through his martial arts and physical ability, the knight was able to compensate through spells and her magic melody.

  In a battle between capable combatants, it was common for fights to be either decided in an instant or dragged on in stalemate. This was the latter situation. And then at this time the spear of the sun came flying from the east only to be withstood by two golden giants -- causing Lu Yinghua and Liliana to watch the unbelievable scene instead.

  "...I really have no wish to have a conflict when one of a level far surpassing myself is occurring so close to me."

  "...So true, I was thinking we were fighting quite well, but it totally pales in comparison to this."

  Losing interest, Lu Yinghua and Liliana simultaneously withdrew their weapons, his palms and Il Maestro.

  "Personally, it's sufficient as long as I fought enough to pass as fulfilling my duty to Master. How about you, Nee-san?"

  "Same here, my lord Kusanagi Godou is not a bloodthirsty animal."

  Realizing what the other was suggesting, Liliana frowned.

  "If you had no intention of fighting, I do not mind having a ceasefire... Is that really fine? Your goal is awakening the warlord of [Steel], right?"

  "Not mine, it is just Master's goal."

  Lu Yinghua shrugged his shoulders.

  "That snake woman is almost dead, probably hopeless. There is no meaning in going all out. Afterwards, all I need to do is satisfy Master with an excuse, then I'm all set to return to Hong Kong. Yes, very likely that will be the real deadly challenge."

  It seemed like being the Campione's direct disciple had its fair share of hardship. Anyway, if the opponent had no wish to fight, there was no need to recklessly continue the battle.

  "...Oh my, it ended with ceasefire here?"

  The blonde girl appeared from between the cedar trees. It was Erica, who probably found them through magic. She looked heavily injured, with her heavy footsteps and sluggish motions.

  "Yes, originally it was a very intense battle, but in the end it became like this."

  Though Liliana had not completely relaxed, she no longer tensed her shoulder.

  If it was not a battle out of hate or revenge, then there were many opportunities to negotiate and interrupt a fight. Now they had simply entered this stage earlier than expected.

  "If Kusanagi Godou is fighting, that means the Mariya sisters and the princess has returned? What are they doing now?"

  "Waiting in the vicinity of this shrine is too dangerous, so I had them head to the bottom of the mountain."

  Based on Erica's statement, they had been together along the way, which was more reassuring. Liliana nodded and began considering their next move.

  "We should check out the duel between Kusanagi Godou and the cult leader, let's go up there and watch."

  The battle between subordinates had ended, but victory between the [Kings] was not decided yet.

  If they wanted to find a different place to negotiate, it would have to wait until the showdown was over. And then, depending on which side was the victor, the negotiation terms would be vastly different.

  "So which king has the advantage?"

  "Oh? You're not going to say your master will win for sure?"

  Hearing Lu Yinghua's whisper, Erica asked, incredulous. Liliana was also intrigued. In situations like this, most people would hope for victor to be the one closer to them.

  "If based purely on seniority or martial arts, Master will surely win."

  The young martial artist showed a bitter expression.

  "But had they been such predictable people, they would have died in their original battles against gods. I'm not silly enough to expect devil kings to act like ordinary mortals, oh?"

  The [Raptor] form was the fastest of all incarnations provided by Verethragna's authority.

  Only usable in response to high speed attacks, the body will awaken extraordinary speed and become light in weight. But there were two problems with it -- the side effects after use, and the inability to perform precise movements due to the excessive speed.

  For example, if he aimed a punch at the opponent's face, it would end up hitting air fifty centimeters off target. Even Godou felt the speed was too fast which made it impossible to time attacks, so unless the enemy was motionless or had poor reactions, he could never score a hit.

  But in terms of defense, super high speed was the treasure of guerrilla tactics.

  As long as the opponent wasn't a monster like Cult Leader Luo Hao or Salvatore Doni --

  "...Truly very fast. But King Kusanagi, if all you have is speed, I will catch you immediately."

  After using super speed to escape from the powerful palm strike, Godou could hear someone call his name. He was unsure if it was due to the effects of his accelerated state, for the voice was not very clear and sounded like someone calling him from faraway.

  "Those who capture the opponent with their eyes, commoners -- cannot possibly see through such speed. But there exist those whose hearing has reached extreme levels, and experts who have mastered their mind's eye, like me!"

  Once again, Godou heard a faraway voice.

  By the time he heard it, the slender fingers of a soft palm grazed his left shoulder.

  Intense pain spread through his body. Perhaps the shoulder has been dislocated. For a simple graze to have such great power, it was true that Cult Leader Luo Hao had the speed to catch up to the [Raptor] after all.

  That's right. Salvatore Doni also had awakened the technique of the mind's eye.

  That optimistic fool, prided himself on the ability to slice water droplets in the rain. In other words, no matter how fast Godou went he was still able to see it, what an infuriating declaration.

  Like a certain novel about a sword master, there was also a damnable character like that in the story.

  Furthermore, Salvatore used the shortest sword strikes possible to intercept his enemy. With godly high speed sword techniques which could cut Godou no matter how fast he moved, combined with direction from the mind's eye, the [Raptor]'s super speed was defeated immediately.

  That man could very well be a swordsman who could match Miyamoto Musashi or Yagyuu Juubei.

  And of course, Cult Leader Luo Hao was the same.

  From Godou's eyes, her movements seemed stiff and slow, like lagging when playing an online game on a low-end computer. That was how Luo Hao's palm strikes looked to him.

  With the speed of the [Raptor], it should be a simple matter to evade. However, in the next split second, Luo Hao's palm was already right in front of Godou's face. In the end, it took all of Godou's efforts to dodge her attacks.

  If this continued, Godou knew he would be cornered soon and decided to counterattack.

  Thanks to the [Camel]'s recovery, his arms had regained feeling and he attempted a right straight punch. No good, it missed Luo Hao's beautiful face by half a meter.

  "That kind of punch won't even touch my shadow! King Kusanagi, you are too inexperienced!"

  Luo Hao shouted as she tightened the fingers on her right to form a spear hand[115], thrusting a
t Godou's throat.

  As for that counterattack -- too dangerous now! Definitely had to evade first!

  At the very last moment, Godou made a little jump and escaped from the danger of getting his throat torn open.

  However, Luo Hao rushed near silently like a phantom, and began a flowing series of attacks.

  "The sword unsheathed, grassland turns into forest! Sky earth wind clouds, the lion king seeks domination! Trodding tirelessly along the hero's endless path, approaching the supreme pinnacle of the martial way."

  Singing like a ballad, Luo Hao used all sorts of offensive maneuvers.

  Palm strikes aimed at the upper and middle approaches. Her supple palms were like iron hammers that could crush meat and bone together.

  The spear hand thrusted at short distance vulnerabilities. The slender fingers were like spears bringing disaster.

  Like the famed Green Dragon Blade[116]The delicate and pale knife hand chopped at Godou's head, neck and shoulders. Aggressive attacks came one after another.

  Incoming elbow strikes were like a sharp and swift sword. Grappling moves grabbed Godou's arms and legs like a dragon's bite. All these attacks flowed endlessly, like a majestic river -- the likes of the gushing Chang Jiang[117] and Huang He.[118]

  Godou was like a nimble boxer trying to evade the onslaught of a great river.

  But of course he could not escape completely. Godou's dodging body was gradually caught by Luo Hao's palm strikes, and even his forehead almost got sliced, and his spine nearly shattered.

  Though he blocked his vitals, in a very short instant, he was getting pummeled like sandbag.

  --As expected, continued dodging was not going to work.

  In his despair, Godou recognized one fact, if he didn't attack then there it would be truly hopeless!

  When using the [Raptor], there was one move that had a fair chance of landing a hit, as long as the opponent wasn't Luo Hao. However, other than that, there were no other options to reverse the tide of battle. Then one could only take the plunge --

  No, just as Luo Hao's knife hand grazed the flank of his abdomen, Godou dispelled all doubt.