by Heretic God
At some unknown time, he must have used sorcery, because he was now standing on the top of the wall.
"If he only continues to dodge and evade, there will be no means for us to determine his strength. Well, your expression informs me that you pre-empted what I said long beforehand."
In reply to the tall youth's comment, Erica revealed a brilliant smile.
"I already considered that this might very well happen. Besides, my Lord never enjoyed fighting with people... however, that is only at the beginning of a duel."
"Oh? So what you mean is...?"
"However my Lord tries to deny it, he is a Campione. He is one able to equal a god in combat, a man who has usurped the ultimate, unconquerable power. Despite his constant words to the contrary, he cannot truly hate combat. If all Campione are similar, Kusanagi Godou too is a genius at the art of battle, and is also a victor amongst victors."
"Umm... although I do not disagree, he is still most skilled at evasion."
The [Purple Knight] looked down suspiciously at him.
Erica looked lovingly at the youth, who was desperately running here and there.
"Things will change soon— he is almost at the point where he has nowhere else to run to. The parliament has a report on Kusanagi Godou, have you perused the document?"
"I have read it, but it is hard to believe, and I remain highly skeptical."
"If we judge the report based on its trustworthiness, perhaps about 60% of it is accurate. To be able to conduct such good investigations is quite impressive."
"So you're telling me that what is in the document is real? That Kusanagi Godou's ability is to adapt to the enemy he is facing and the surrounding situation —— an ability that gives him the strength to overcome all obstacles?"
"Of course! Please watch, [Purple Knight]!"
Before their eyes, the situation suddenly reversed.
Facing the lion's looming front paws, Godou took a stand for the first time.
In order to escape being mauled by the sharp silver claws, he carefully stepped back then leapt forward, and wrapped both arms around its paw.
Then he lifted it up.
Grabbing on, he simply lifted the immense bulk of the lion.
Just like a weight lifting competitor, Godou, measuring 179 centimeters, raised the huge lion, as large as a truck, high into the air.
"What ——! What sort of strength is that!"
"In myth, it is said that the hero Hercules had divine strength, enough to support the sky. The war god that Godou defeated, Verethragna, has a very similar origin to Hercules— hence Godou can equal him in terms of strength."
Erica proudly explained to the dumbfounded [Purple Knight].
Godou had now already raised the silver lion to face the heavens, and the lion's four feet were off the ground, flailing about in the air.
One could call that a strange strength beyond the ordinary.
"I remember that this was written on the parliament's report, '... We have termed the ability that Kusanagi Godou obtained the [Persian Warlord]. The battle deity Verethragna's ability was to change into ten different forms, entering countless battles and leaving each victorious. Hence Kusanagi Godou is clearly also a monster, able to change his strengths at will ——"
An elder suddenly interrupted with those words.
The commander [Female Wolf] had appeared at some time at Erica and the [Purple Knight]'s side.
"Oh, Venerable—— is it just you?"
"Mmm. That old rascal from Turin is still hiding like a mouse in a corner somewhere. I certainly don't intend to miss seeing the new Campione's strength up close, so let me watch his strength with my own eyes."
The commander [Female Wolf] spoke in the Roman dialect, impolitely tossing out her insult, and even let a smile spread across her face.
She was the leader of Rome's knights and sorcerers, and disliked the [Old Dame] who had their stronghold at Turin.
"I felt Lord Salvatore to be very young when he became a Campione, and this time, the King here is even younger. Other than sharing that godly strength, is Kusanagi Godou able to change between different abilities?"
"So if Kusanagi Godou wishes to use those abilities, a requirement is that his enemies had strength enough to overwhelm him?—— at least, that is what the parliament's report said about it..."
The magical leader of Rome and the [Purple Knight] spoke in unison.
Facing the inquiring looks of the pair, Erica grinned with satisfaction and replied calmly.
"When he meets an enemy with unnaturally great muscular strength, Kusanagi Godou is able to obtain and use one of Verethragna's ten forms: the [Bull]. Verethragna has ten transformations in total, and while it is currently unknown if he can utilize all of them, it is confirmed that he already has a few."
A gust of [Wind], the [Bull], the [White Stallion], the [Camel], the [Boar], the [Youth], the [Raptor], the [Ram], the [Goat], and the [Hero].
When the ten transformations of Verethragna are compared, the [Bull] and the [Camel] are most closely related to the earth, but they are also a direct symbol for those greatest in strength, greatest in constitution, and greatest in fighting spirit.
Hence these attributes naturally became identified with divine powers or a symbol of fierceness, receiving adulation and reverence.
And today, before their eyes, Godou easily destroyed the silver lion.
The lion's huge bulk was lifted and flung out, and crashed into the ground.
Next, he rushed on top of the sprawled lion, stepping on its neck and chest with his foot.
Then, he grasped the foreleg, and wrenched with his feet placed firmly on the lion's body. The lion was easily ripped apart.
Next he attacked the lion's chin, chest and abdomen, viciously kicking it without pause, till its entire body resembled a V shape.
"—— I've destroyed your toy! So now you'll fight me personally, right? Get down here, I'll end this now!"
"Oh, he finally got serious."
Godou looked up unhappily at Erica.
Seeing Godou's unsatisfied look, the [Purple Knight] nodded with satisfaction.
"For someone who usually mouths off about pacifism, he seeks victory without mercy when he warms to the fight... Well, my lover is calling for me, so I'll excuse myself."
The agile Erica leapt to the ground.
Watching the golden-haired maiden beautifully execute the jump, Godou once again felt a sense of regret.
Who would have thought that in this foreign country, he was forced to duel with someone again...
Although he had already guessed this was a likely outcome when he agreed to Erica's plea for him to come to Italy, he couldn't help but feel depressed when this actually happened.
"... Erica, you know that the difference between a civilized man and a savage one comes from the degree of capability in dealing with things in a civilized manner. I'm begging you; can you please learn to curb your violent instincts, and your frequent need to go making trouble for others? Do you know how hard it is for those who try to stay around you?"
"Still, on the same old topic? I don't see any problem with it, especially because while you always start off shunning a fight, the minute it actually starts you get so serious. You actually really love this, don't you? Why not be a little more honest with yourself?
Facing Godou's endless complaints, Erica replied flippantly.
"You are a King and I am a knight. We have an obligation to stage an intense but exquisite duel. So let us fight each other with all our love, and make this duel the climax of our romance!"
"From my experience, lovers don't bet their lives in duels like this! Don't go pushing your ideas of romance on other people!"
Godou both retorted violently, and carefully watched the golden-haired maiden.
The silver lion had already been smashed, and so Erica should have lost the materials for her longsword... but he couldn't imagine Erica becoming unarmed because of that.
"O Cuore d
i Leone —— you are the unyielding blade. 'Til my fighting spirit is broken, my sword will never shatter. O lion, I implore you once again; return into my hand!"
Erica stretched out her hand towards the silver wreckage of Cuore di Leone.
The wreck, which originally had the shape of a lion, began to shrink; the torn portions began to meld back together, and again changed its form.
Miraculously, the wreck molded itself back into a sword, and flew back to Erica.
"You're still doing such absurd things, and after I finally managed to break it..."
However, this was all still within his expectations.
'Erica coming to the battle field without a sword? That's impossible.' Godou, who understood this logic, looked on with an unsurprised gaze.
Thank goodness the monstrous strength from the [Bull] was still present.
He could probably still use it for another ten minutes or so, and hoped that he could achieve victory in this time limit.
—— That power of Godou's, which London sorcerers named the [Persian Warlord], was an ability that gave him unimagined power, but only in special, specific circumstances.
For example, calling upon the [Bull], he is able to wield a godly strength.
But before it can be used, he must be facing an enemy with extraordinary physical power.
That said, however...
Last month, Godou was attacked by a man weighing 138 kilograms (who obviously knew martial arts). However, he was unable to manifest the [Bull], and suffered extremely painfully. It seemed that only a superhuman type of strength—— say, a train carriage which was hurtling at full speed, or a man eating tiger which weighed more than 300 kilograms; if that was the sort of enemy, he could call it forth.
In addition, there were skills which Godou could only use when he had suffered a fatal injury.
Even if these skills could only be used to fight 'great sinners who have brought great suffering to the people', each and every skill seemed to make people fear that it was a type of evil itself. And besides, the requirements were all extremely troublesome to fulfill.
"... For I am strongest amongst the strong. Truly, I am one that holds each and every victory. I care not whom challenges me, whether man or devil— I may face all my foes and all my enemies. Regardless, I shall crush all those who wouldst stand in my way!"
Godou, while contemplating the mighty aspect of the bull, muttered this verse.
This was a battle hymn chanted to call the war god Verethragna to the fight. To put it simply, it was a method to maintain the god's strength, like a fuel to keep it burning.
He still had ten minutes before the strength of the [Bull] receded.
If he used a form once, he would have to wait a whole day before he could use it again. And if he changed to a different form, the currently active one would vanish. Hence, Godou could not use it carelessly.
So while his ability was ridiculously strong, it also had many restrictions on how it was used.
"I have to hand it to you, Godou. Although you're still blabbing about 'pacifism', your body and mind have already readied itself for the fight—— it's because of this that you qualify to be my lover!"
Erica praised him in that annoying way, and then pointed with her finger.
Thrust in the ground next to Godou's foot was a greatspear, about one and a half meters. It was probably similar to Cuore di Leone, both summoned by Erica's magic.
"... You want me to use this?"
"Of course, the honorable Erica Blandelli would never duel with someone completely unarmed. For the current Godou, wielding that spear should be a piece of cake, right?"
"Why do you only think when it comes to this sort of thing... since you want to make the fight fair, why not put down your weapon? That way it'll be fairer."
Godou sighed and picked up the spear.
He remembered that in his hand was Erica's beloved spear, which had a magical core embedded in the handle. It was so heavy even a grown man couldn't lift it, yet she so easily twirled and raised this steel spear. Truly, what monstrous strength.
It was probably the benefits of a body strengthening type of sorcery.
Though Erica seemed slender and frail, the strength in her grip was far greater than Godou's.
But that was only in normal circumstances. To the current Godou, even if this spear was three times heavier, he could still pick it up as easily as a toothpick.
Godou shifted his grip on the spear like a baseball bat, and a gust of wind was produced by the single movement.
—— Erica happily charged at him.
Just like a shadow, it was impossible to see her movements, and because her violent actions had almost no wind resistance. This sort of technique could only be patiently trained.
Cuore di Leone silently moved through the air.
When Godou finally realized that, the silver blade was already approaching his face.
"—— Can't you be more careful?! You're fighting a novice!"
To make a comparison, what just happened was like a world class boxer punching with all his might.
And this wasn't some fleshy fist, but a deadly, hard blade.
Just as if he was playing a game of dodge ball, where Godou prioritized evading the speeding ball aiming for his head, he evaded Erica's sword thrust.
Because he had never learnt any martial arts, he could only rely on his sharp eyesight and fast reflexes to preserve his life.
"But Godou, anyone able to dodge my attack just now definitely cannot be called a novice."
"But that was just by luck, and you're aiming for spots which are 100 percent fatal if they strike home!"
Ever since he had become a Campione, the moment he stepped onto a battlefield, his concentration could rise to an unimaginable level.
It was also thanks to this that he was able to see Erica's superhumanly fast sword thrust.
Godou had played baseball ever since he started primary school. In middle school[1C 9] he would have been the catcher or the fourth hitter – cleanup - even in semi-professional teams.
At that point he was in his physical prime, and he could match any fastball thrown by the opposition.
Perhaps because of that, he was more comfortable with a Campione's constitutional abnormality.
The 'constitutional abnormality' that Godou was thinking about, was his ability to suddenly heighten concentration and maintain his peak physical condition, the minute he entered a battlefield. If he could use this during normal sporting events as well, he was confident he could hit a homerun even against a ball-throwing machine of 190 miles an hour.
...In fact, he could probably engage that change.
The moment he had to go all out, his body would naturally configure itself for optimum functionality. It had become like this ever since Godou became a Campione.
Although Godou loves sports, he did not enter a sporting club in high school.
This was because he felt that this ability of his was too unfair, too much like cheating, when competing against other people.
"Damn you, ever since we started you've done whatever the hell you wanted—— I'm warning you now, I can't control the strength of my attack, so you'd better dodge well!"
Thus Godou shouted while brandishing the spear.
Although he was never interested in dueling, he knew that in these circumstances, if he only defended and never attacked, it was inevitable that the opponent would crush him.
To ensure Erica's safety, he used the spear's haft instead of the blade to sweep at her ankle.
But she leapt aside.
Pressing the attack, as if to chase after the fleeing Erica, Godou continued to strike, this time bringing the spear down above her.
This time, Erica did not leap to evade the attack.
Only moving backwards by a small margin, she dodged the strike, and then charged forward.
Simultaneously thrusting her sword like a needle she aimed for Godou's chest.
This was a counte
r strike!
Having suspected Erica's plan Godou deliberately chose not to dodge – but it was also because he was out of time – and swept the spear which Erica had dodged horizontally.
Only relying on the flick of his wrist, the steel spear moved like a whip, poised to strike the slender maiden.
This was a cross-counter impossible for a normal person, but for the [Bull]'s monstrous strength this was easily accomplished.
It happened in an instant.
Just before he was to be impaled by Cuore di Leone, he successfully warded off Erica.
"Geez... Your reflexes are as keen as ever— you never change, do you?"
Although her counter strike failed, Erica simply laughed it off.
It seems that she didn't suffer an injury. The truth be told, the instant before the spear struck home, she also jumped backwards to avoid the attack. He had to hand it to Erica, both her attacks and her defenses were perfect.
Facing such an expert how was he to defeat her?
The answer lay in careful scrutiny.
Godou had done this for such a long time. The more distant victory was and the greater the pressure to obtain it, the faster his eyes and mind worked.
The enemy's every move, expressions, gaze.
As long as there was even a slight glimmer of hope, he would seize it. Ascertaining the opponent's character, discerning the opponent's pattern of thought; he would use both observation and analysis to confirm the other's movements.
Whether the enemy was a human, a god or a monster, as long as he grasped their psyche, he would be able to formulate a plan for victory.
From some point onwards, all of Godou's concentration was placed on attaining 'victory'.
That was no sudden change, but rather was a natural outcome of his actions.
This extended duel, in addition to his opponent being both a genius at the sword and a wielder of arcane magic, allowed Godou to completely absorb himself in combat.
Erica had no weaknesses. And even if she did, he could not see them.
But he deeply understood Erica's character, which was completely opposite to her devil-like mischievousness. She truly believed in an honorable and fair style of combat, and would never conserve her strength.
Her favorite battle tactic was the frontal charge, and using her greatest strength and her full spirit, at that.