That method cannot be called reversing the tides of battle, it was only self-abandonment. Raw speed was useless against Luo Hao, and he understood that point very well. That's right, raw speed --
In that very instant, inspiration came!
In order to switch to an offensive stance, Godou jumped faraway backwards.
"Hoo... Looks like you have made your decision, King Kusanagi. Your eyes show excellent determination."
Noticing his change, Luo Hao smiled gently.
Standing there as if waiting for Godou's attack, she looked completely off guard, but in actual fact, this kind of natural stance was used to handle any kind of attack.
She clearly aimed for a counterattack.
Knowing that, Godou raised the [Raptor]'s speed to its limits and began to charge.
Crashing his body in a straight line, this eliminated the need for precise aim, like a runaway train he hurtled towards his collision target.
Luo Hao also entered a stance.
Perhaps she was preparing to attack by clapping her hands together, and she extended both palms before her chest.
This posture hinted at what the girl intended as her next move. Before the impact struck, Godou's head will be smashed from both sides by Luo Hao's palms, whose monstrous strength will prevent him from advancing further. His skull will be crushed and his brain will surely be made into clam chowder -- something like that.
An ordinary enemy would be unable to evade a shoulder strike enhanced with the [Raptor]'s speed. But since the enemy here was Cult Leader Luo Hao, his move would likely be countered, and he will surely lose.
But all he could do now was gamble on this one move. Please, let it be successful --
Godou's challenge was releasing the [Raptor]'s speed.
Not accelerating but decelerating.
Even if a pitcher specialized in fastballs, he would be quickly defeated if all he did was throw fastballs to intimidate the batter. The key concept was variation, because mixing slow and fast pitches would make it difficult for their eyes to adjust. As an accomplished catcher, Godou could not possibly be ignorant of how to control fast and slow pitches.
This experiment was a success.
From the realm of god speed he returned to the world of normal speed.
He was now moving at the rate of a normal high school student, without any supernatural speed. Expecting highly accelerated motion, Luo Hao lost the target of her pincer attack.
Before Godou arrived, her hands had already clapped together.
"-- Let's go!"
In the instant the girl's hands came together like the palms of the thousand-handed Avalokitasvara.[119]
Godou activated the [Raptor]'s acceleration, and once again charged forth with godlike speed.
Suddenly extending his right fist, it was the same dagger stabbing motion used in those outdated heroic movies[120], that was exactly what Godou was trying to imitate.
This punch, along with the momentum of his body, struck Luo Hao squarely at the base of her sternum.
"...Oooh!"
It was the first time he ever heard the cult leader moan.
The orchid-like[121] beautiful body was bent into a v-shape and she sank to her knees. This was the moment when Kusanagi Godou struck the most fearsome Campione.
And then, in that instant a most unexpected phenomenon occurred.
Boom!
The wind was screaming mournfully. Between Godou's fist and Luo Hao's chest, the screaming winds accelerated. From the body of the girl named Luo Cuilian, a shockwave was released that felt as if it would blow away everything on earth.
It was as if Luo Hao's own body produced a shockwave of magical wind.
But Luo Hao also fell over slowly, what was going on?
"Ah! ...This time it's Master's loss."
This mocking declaration was heard a little afterwards.
At some point in time, that original feeling of icy coldness on his right arm had disappeared.
Epilogue
The monkey divine monarch who had been turned into a stone monkey, was still imprisoned in the stable.
His body above the knee had returned to flesh, though below the knee was still stone.
The walls of the stable reflected the sky on earth, and gradually it became night.
The snake deity Leviathan that had originally hovered in the air had crashed. Since the sacrifice required for his awakening ritual had disappeared, the monkey divine monarch's revival was halted mid-way.
-- However.
"Since it has progressed to this point, perhaps that particular method might work?"
Looking at the stone covering his legs, the divine monarch muttered to himself.
Though the legs could not move, everything else were freed, so it may very well work.
"If it doesn't work then I'd just go back to things as before, no harm in trying. The Immortal tours the North Sea in the morning and returns to Cangwu[122] at dusk -- hey!"
No explanation required. He was using his divine power to make his body float.
He rapidly formed mudra[123] hand gestures in the air.
In the next instant, the monkey who held the position of Keeper of the Horses was standing on a cloud, hovering in the air.
"Dragon-slaying treasured blade, open the way for me!"
He was giving order to Zanryuutou which was lying on the floor.
As he commanded the treasured blade infused with the miko's power of disaster purification, it became a curse lifting sword. Though only for an instant, the barrier of the [Keeper of the Horses] was broken.
Using that instant, the monkey divine monarch rode the cloud and charged out of the walls of the stable.
--Success! Breaking through the barrier and flying through the corridor on his cloud, he instantly leapt onto the surface of the ground.
Driving the flying cloud, the monkey divine monarch surveyed the ground from the air.
It was the slightly familiar scenery of Nikkou mountain.
He was now liberated, but his legs below the knee were still made of stone, so it cannot be called a full revival. At this time the divine monarch began to sniff in order to locate that miko.
-- Found her!
The cloud flew to the foot of Nikkou mountain, reaching the visiting path leading up to Toushouguu.
There were two miko and a woman with brilliant blonde hair, but his target was only the little miko.
"See, I found you! Hahaha, you cannot escape!"
"--Monkey Divine Monarch-sama!? Why have you come to the surface!?"
"Hmm? So this monkey is the warlord of [Steel]...!?"
The older miko and the girl with the shiny hair were greatly surprised.
"D-Divine Monarch-sama!?" The targeted little miko opened her cute little cherry mouth in surprise.
"Oh, this body would suit me perfectly. I'm sorry but I will be borrowing your body for a while. Come! The thunder rolls under the sky, free from insincerity. Great progress and success, advantage in faithfulness!"
Using divine power simultaneously with the mantra, the monkey divine monarch began to transform.
Unlimited transformation skills were synonymous with his name, though currently they had yet to be fully restored, he could still use a portion of them.
Turning himself into a tiny golden sphere, he slipped into the little miko's mouth. The invaded body now belonged to him, and the divine monarch instantly gained control of the body and the mind.
The miko's body was now the possession of the divine monarch. Hikari suddenly opened her eyes wide.
"Red eyes and golden pupils...!?"
"T-This is the fiery-eyes golden-gaze -- ! Does that mean Hikari's body has been... by Divine Monarch-sama -- !?"
As the women's gazes were drawn, it looked like the holy eyes have manifested.
Next it would be best to go find a mirror. Though he was just a monkey, he cared a lot about his looks.
Yes. I am a monkey, but not the monkey divine mona
rch. Now that I have possessed the miko of disaster purification, I can use her spirit powers, and the remaining binding spell can be neutralized by her spirit power --
"OK, next it's time to get busy. I shall bring disaster upon the earth, and have some real fun! Hahaha, goodbye, see you later!"
Using the miko's voice to warn everyone, he made a backflip in the air with her body.
Once again riding a cloud flying through the sky, he still had not decided on his destination. Might as well greet the god-slayers first. He had finally retrieved his power as a god.
"Ah! ...This time it's Master's loss."
The one speaking with mocking tones was the delicate-looking youth.
Could he be Luo Hao's direct disciple, the young master of some family... Lu Yinghua? Together with him, Erica and Liliana had come over. Seeing everyone safe and sound, Godou finally felt relieved.
His heart suddenly felt a kind of cramp-like pain. This was the side effect of using the [Raptor]. Very soon, his body will become immobilized.
Time was up. Godou clearly had no more strength for battle and no more time, but why was it his victory?
"Y-You can also say I've lost, look how wounded I am all over."
Enduring the pain, Godou questioned.
Why was the youth favoring the enemy rather than his own master? How unbelievable.
"Oh, looks like you didn't notice... Master has fainted."
Prompted by these words, Godou looked at the beauty once again.
Maintaining her kneeling posture, completely motionless.
"Kusanagi-san's last move, looks like it was very effective."
Lu Yinghua shrugged. The last move? What happened?
"Making use of the variation of speed, performing a feint with a slow move, and then suddenly striking hard at the Jiuweixue[124] pressure point, plus you used some kind of authority right? It was probably due to that strong attack, whatever, after all it's just temporary unconsciousness... Though there were no heavy injuries, she is definitely down for the count."
Godou was very surprised, for he could not recall what he had done.
"Even if she didn't faint, Master should admit her failure. With her incredible pride, though you are both Campiones, to be struck by an upstart kid in the Jiuweixue pressure point which is just as critical as the energy center and the Tanzhongxue, that's far too shameful."
"Y-You're exaggerating, actually I can't even budge. It hurts!"
The pain was increasing, and Godou's body began to stiffen. His endurance reaching its limits, Godou tried to gesture at the unoccupied girls with his eyes. I leave the rest to you girls, please!
"That's right... Godou did strike her in a critical spot, but him being heavily injured is also fact. According to the result, in the end it should be..."
Erica pondered, while Liliana spoke with a displeased expression:
"A draw? Yes, that description may be more apt..."
"Yes, that's settled then. It's almost time to wake her up -- Master! Please come to your senses, Master! Are you ok!?"
"Even though she only fainted lightly, would it not be better to do some healing?"
Lu Yinghua shrugged in response to Liliana's suggestion.
"True, but whenever someone tries to touch her while she is sleeping or unconscious, Master's body will automatically attack... Twisting people's necks off as she sleeps with extreme ease, it's best to be careful."
This statement made Godou shudder in fear.
In other words, if he were to let victory overcome his senses, and tried to use the opportunity to give the unconscious Cult Leader Luo Hao a finishing blow, he could very well have died. Though obviously he never had such intentions, it once again highlighted their vast difference in level.
"Mmmmm... Mmmmmm..." The lovely girl who terrified Godou finally responded to her disciple's calls.
And then she suddenly opened her eyes. Raising her upper torso, she began to cough in an adorable manner.
"This... This place is? What on earth -- ?"
"Master, your disciple Lu Yinghua has been diligently observing the valorous battle between the two great warriors. Kusanagi Godou has exhausted all his strength and cannot move a single step while Master fainted. In other words, there is no victor here, and it's a draw, how's that --"
With a perfectly respectful tone, Lu Yinghua reported the outcome to his master.
Luo Hao was silent for a while, but very soon recalled what transpired.
She stared at her disciple, stared at Godou, and along the way stared at the two knights at the back as well, and then her pale and beautiful facial features went red, and she bowed her head.
"My young eagle, your description is very appropriate! Everyone, will you please be dismissed!"
Continuing to keep her head low, she spoke.
Immediately after this, everyone at the scene heard the cheerful voice of a young girl.
"Oh my, two Campiones, what happened to you two? How did you both get so beaten up? Hahaha, I see, you guys were fighting again oh, what vigorous and impulsive young blood!"
Though it was Mariya Hikari's voice, it felt like a completely different entity was speaking.
Looking into the sky, Godou was very surprised.
Hikari was riding a little golden cloud hovering in the night sky.
Looking down from the air, her eyes were very strange. The eyeballs were red as if bloodshot from smoke irritation, but the pupils were gold in color.
This was called fiery-eyes golden-gaze, which Godou only found out later.
The [Raptor]'s side effects made his heart hurt badly, and his body could not move. However, he felt very excited, as if meeting a longtime rival, it made his body overflow with fighting spirit.
Beside him, Luo Hao had recovered mobility and had forgotten the fatigue of battle.
--Mariya Hikari had become a god, a [Heretic God].
A mask appeared on the young little miko's face, a white one with a monkey's face with red around the eyes. Godou once saw it in Beijing opera photos.
This was the painted face used when playing the role of the [Handsome Monkey King].
Godou knew his name, but couldn't say it out due to pain.
"Finally awakened, Handsome Monkey King?"
Luo Hao raised her head and asked with determination in Godou's stead.
"Exactly, exactly, god-slayer who shares my homeland!"
The [Heretic God] used Hikari's voice to reply and then pointed at the heavens.
"I am not the monkey divine monarch. I am the sky, the existence equaling heaven --"
That solemn presence belonged to neither the cheerful and lively miko, nor the humorous monkey.
"I am the monkey king born from stone, with infinite divine powers, unlimited transformations, stealing elixirs from heavenly palaces, alcohol-loving, peach-stealing, playing with martial arts, acting with ferocity, exposing evil!"
In Hikari's hand appeared a steel staff.
"My surname is Sun, with given name Wukong. I crowned myself, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven!"
Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong.[125]
This was the name of the powerful god who wielded the Ruyi Jingu Bang.[126]
At the same time, in the surroundings of Nikkou mountain --
The people who had collapsed on the ground due to their life force absorbed by the snake deity Leviathan.
They started to transform. Whether male or female, old or young, with their different faces and all sorts of origins, their appearances changed and they became active again.
Not as humans, but in the form of monkeys.
Currently in the vicinity of Nikkou Toushouguu, a huge number of monkeys had appeared.
Furthermore, at the same time in Narita airport --
A woman from America walked by herself out of the arrivals area, and was searching for the station for the express train she was going to take. As she thought to herself, it had really been a long while since she last went travelling over
seas.
The past few years had been very busy, fighting sorcerers, monsters and demons incessantly.
To her, this trip was a valuable opportunity to forget her previous failure.
Yes. That kind of guy should just be forgotten. That kind of man was not her type in the first place. She must have made a mistake somewhere.
She must choose her partner more carefully in the future. The next one must be more relentless, handsome, well-mannered, and stylish in order to be her partner. All sorts of people live in this world, to think that there existed women who would choose that kind of man as her lifelong partner...
'Annie, the green bird of fortune will not visit those who deceive themselves, oh?'
'In other words, sour grapes.'
Those dear old men would probably give comments like these if they were here, thought the American lady to herself.
Her name was Annie Charlton, also called John Pluto Smith, the devil king praised as a living legend in Los Angeles.
Translator's Notes and References
1. Sorcery: within the context of the Campione series, "sorcery" refers to an evil type of magic.
2. Enlil: chief deity in Sumerian mythology.
3. Uras: Sumerian goddess of the earth, grandmother of Gilgamesh.
4. Ninlil: consort goddess of the Sumerian chief deity Enlil.
5. Lugal: Sumerian term for king or ruler.
Edinnu: Sumerian word meaning plain or steppe, from which "Eden" was derived.
6. La-Tarak: Sumerian deity variously identified as either the twin of Lulal or as Lulal himself. Lulal is the patron deity of ancient city Bad-tibira.
7. MUL: the determiner glyph for stars and constellations in cuneiform.
8. Dr. Watson: the friend and assistant of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes.
9. Dick Grayson: one of the characters in Batman comics who took on the role of Batman's sidekick Robin.
10. Yueqin(月琴): nicknamed the "moon guitar," a stringed traditional Chinese instrument that resembles a lute with a round body.
11. Mount Lu: a famous mountain located in southeastern China.
12. Han Chinese Clothing: historical attire of the Han Chinese people, worn for thousands of years until the conquest of China by the Qing dynasty.
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