Campione 09

by Return of the Goddess

  Chapter 1 - Wound of the Divine Lance

  Part 1

  The region of Brittany in France had a long history with England.

  The original inhabitants of Britain, the Celts, had lost their homeland to the Anglo-Saxon invasion. Around the fifth century, part of the Celts living in Cornwall crossed the channel to settle in the westernmost peninsula of France.

  People on the continent called them "Britons" which is where the name of the Brittany peninsula originated.

  Furthermore, the most legitimate of divine ancestors also had her stronghold secluded here.

  The Witch Queen Guinevere.

  Her appearance was like a classic western doll with exquisite facial features of a beautiful ten-odd-year-old girl. Clad around her slender body was a black dress reminiscent of funeral attire.

  The current location was deep within a forest, protected by a magical barrier.

  Somewhere in there was a little lake, with lush woodland along the water's edge, adding a sense of greenery.

  Guinevere stood proudly on the lake shore, her sky-blue eyes of sapphire gazing at the surface of the lake.

  "Sir Knight... Guinevere believes without a doubt."

  The figure of a knight in white armor could be seen on the surface, but he was not underwater.

  This was simply a two dimensional existence projected as an image onto the lake surface which acted as a screen.

  "Sure enough, our lord the 'King of the End' lies dormant in Japan — the far east. This is the only remaining possibility."

  (—Oh? And the basis for that is?)

  The knight on the water surface replied using a "voice" that ordinary humans could not hear.

  His name was Lancelot du Lac. Also known as the Knight of the Lake.

  As the guardian of witches at the pinnacles of heaven and earth, he was the war god protecting the divine ancestors.

  "Intel left behind by my kin Asherah. That country once rounded up the ancient tribe and concealed them. With the hero god Susanoo as their leader, the special ability users who moved with him to the Netherworld have been suppressing [Heretic Steel]."

  Guinevere explained in detail.

  "Even the Great Sage Equaling Heaven was put to use through the Great Wizardry of the Dragon and Snake's Seal... I had become suspicious ever since I learned of its existence. Unless something important was being concealed, there was no need to undertake such a monumental operation."

  (Come to think of it, that was the place you visited earlier.)

  Lancelot's "voice" replied softly.

  He was not a typical [Heretic God]. As an underling whose mission was guarding the Witch Queen, he was just a [God's Shadow] maintained on earth.

  "Yes. Due to the possibility of the sealed Great Sage Equaling Heaven being the 'King of the End' — in order to ascertain if he was truly the master we anticipate, I attempted some stratagems."

  (However, that monkey king turns out to be a divinity quite different from our master.)

  "Yes, it is regrettable that we know even less than those ancient fellows in this regard. Which is why Guinevere stayed a while on that island to investigate, based on clues the deceased Asherah obtained from the Kuhoudzuka family."

  The Kuhoudzuka was one of the Four Families leading the Japanese wizardry world, inheriting and adhering to ancient precepts. They were assigned to various direct-controlled shrines and monasteries in Japan, taking on important duties like at the Saitenguu in Nikkou.[1]

  "However, I discovered that out of all the shrines, there was one where they were responsible for some unknown mission, so I decided to pay a visit."

  (Hmm, if it is unknown then one can conclude it is "something deliberately concealed," right?)

  "Precisely. Guinevere was lucky enough to succeed in spirit vision, and that shrine turns out to be where the secrets of our dormant master lay. If we can unravel this mystery, then the King who manifests at the end of eras will descend once more...!"

  Guinevere spoke as if in a trance.

  It must have been a good many decades since she was last reborn? All this time, she had been seeking the legendary hero king.

  "I wonder if the key to the mystery lies in the lost memories of Guinevere the goddess... However, divine ancestors lose their previous life's memories after being reborn. Even Sir Knight who once served master does not know his location — correction, does not wish to know."

  Hence, the key to unraveling the mystery was lost.

  As Guinevere sighed, the white knight suddenly interrupted.

  (Hoho, this Knight's only wish is to gallop across the fields, brandishing the lance, treasuring the ladies, and protect this way of life. Everything else is trivial and none of my concern. These are the reasons why this Knight has become slow and cowardly.)

  Without a shred of hesitation or doubt.

  Galloping like the wind, swinging the sword like thunder. These were the traits of the war god Lancelot.

  (If the comrade-in-arms is slain on the battlefield, why not just mourn his death with the raising of swords and the singing of dirges, is that not enough?)

  A soldier through and through, only living on the battlefield.

  With this as his personal philosophy, the war god commented with indifference.

  (My apologies. If this Knight was not someone like this, the mystery would have been cleared up sooner.)

  "No, Sir Knight is the most important one apart from the strongest of [Steel]. Do not be concerned. Rather than this, please direct your attention to greater things."

  Guinevere gazed sincerely at the divine knight reflected on the surface of the water.

  She put her arms together and pleaded in earnest, begging:

  "I entrust you with everything, Sir Knight. Not as my shadow but as my guardian deity, [Heretic Lancelot], I beseech you to manifest."

  (—You realize this is a path of no return?)

  "Now that the place where master sleeps has essentially been identified, it would be wrong not to take a gamble. I cannot repeat the mistake of losing to Alexandre Gascoigne six years ago."

  Guinevere's previous stronghold was not located in this forest.

  The Fairy Realm — was the forest of fairies that connected to the place known as the Netherworld to humans or the Boundary of Life and Immortality as called by gods.

  The adventurous story of the Black Prince who discovered and successfully invaded that holy sanctum —

  Stood as a painful memory of defeat to Guinevere.

  "Due to falling into the Black Prince's trap, the energy of the land we stored in the Magic Holy Grail... We lost the majority of it. The life force of the great earth mother goddess that we spent all our efforts gathering to offer to our master!"

  Guinevere once offered to hand over the Magic Holy Grail to Alec.

  However, she actually had no intention of following through. As the true legitimate successor to the Holy Grail, she could simply summon it back any time by thought even if she temporarily gave it away.

  It was rather contemptible for Alec to see through that and attempt to take it by force.

  "If Sir Knight had been able to use your full power at that time, then the Black Prince would have met his just deserts, and we would have been able to protect the Grail properly."

  (The spell that sustains this Knight as your guardian... If that were to be lifted...)

  It was unprecedented for gods to descend to the earth for the sake of protecting a particular person.

  What made this possible was thanks to the spell cast on Lancelot by a certain goddess. This was Guinevere's previous incarnation — the great mother earth goddess who assisted the King of the End in ancient times and created the Holy Grail together.

  However, there was an arb
itrary restraint. Lancelot could only manifest for short periods of time when the Divine Ancestor was in crisis.

  (If this Knight were to become a [Heretic God], acting freely and going berserk, even forgetting the original mission of protection in the frenzy of battle is very likely... Do you really wish to take such a risk?)

  "Yes, that island country's Kusanagi Godou-sama is a person so outstanding that even Her Eminence Luo Hao holds him in high regard. He has even roped in the great John Pluto Smith from across the Pacific Ocean. If we were to start an incident, there will definitely be interference from them. It is unavoidable."

  Six years ago, Guinevere had failed to understand the true nature of Campiones.

  Now she knew. Devil King Campiones were like glowing embers that erupted into flame at the slightest touch. Even if operations were undertaken in secret, Campiones would still be able to see through them.

  Devil Kings were like lights that attracted moths in the way they discerned their mortal enemies the gods.

  Completely outrageous. They were the illegitimate children of the fool, killing and challenging gods that transcended humans.

  One could only prepare against them by considering the possibility of the improbable happening.

  (In that case, girl, polish the divine blade left behind by the master, and make it this Knight's divine artifact!)

  "Sir Knight... That... To wake the Divine Sword of Salvation requires obtaining steel that tears apart heaven and earth, causing the stars to crash. You really want that?"

  Guinevere suddenly raised her head in response to Lancelot's suggestion.

  (—Yes. Despite the lack of divine powers of prescience, this Knight can clearly smell the battle approaching in the near future. For that, this Knight requires a new weapon. Something like that is the bare minimum!)

  The helmet's visor obscured the white knight's face, but Guinevere did not need to see it.

  She was certain the war god Lancelot must be smiling, greatly delighted with the premonition of battle.

  "Yes... Yes! Guinevere will joyfully polish the sword for Sir Knight! Spirits of the earth who accepted my blessing! Offer up the Witch Queen's treasure!"

  As Guinevere waved her hand at the ground, the surface was split open.

  Two items broke through the earth to appear.

  One was a massive urn made of gold, standing at the height of a child's. The other was a very long double-edged sword, but extremely worn and corroded, full of rust.

  Though the two items came from the earth, neither of them were soiled by dirt.

  The large urn was the divine artifact known as the [Magic Holy Grail].

  The other was the steel of the King of the End's sword. These can be thought of as his relics and avatars. Ever since the hero disappeared from the surface of the earth, his beloved sword also lost its luster and was left behind in the ground in its decrepit state.

  Part 2

  Half a month had passed —

  On the plains of Thrace extending from southwestern Bulgaria.

  The suburbs of some city was visible from this place, a land full of beautiful plains. Beneath the majestic Balkan mountain range, this open country stretched far and wide, covered by plains and farmland.

  Guinevere was using flight magic to descend upon this land. In the middle of this vast plain, a hole had been dug in order to bury the master's decrepit sword.

  "O Steel of the King, I beseech you to awaken from this long slumber!"

  Guinevere chanted a song of spell words to carry out the current task.

  The sword was buried in the earth... All this was done to wake up the steel known as Excalibur in King Arthur's legends.

  "More dazzling than gold, more pristine than silver, that is what you are. Born from the ashes of the dragon's skeleton is the dragon-slaying steel. That is what you are!"

  A long broad sword that once shone with brilliant white luster.

  Its length approaching 100cm, this double-edged blade was actually quite thick, with a structure similar to a woodcutter's chopper. However, it was now worn out and corroded without any luster, only covered by rust.

  This divine sword and the earth shared deep roots, and was thus buried in the depths of the land. Now, the essence of the earth was being channeled into the blade for the sake of restoring its lost power.

  "The stars, the sun and the moon shall lose their brightness before you! All treasures shall lose their value before you! So please, I beseech you to awaken! Please let the girl who is your maidservant see the light once more!"

  There was a reason for selecting this location to revive the divine blade.

  The awakened steel was going to be wielded by Heretic Lancelot. Hence, choosing to awaken the sword on land with deep ties to him facilitated the forging of bonds between souls.

  "Divine Sword of Salvation, steel amongst steel, the Witch Queen beseeches your divine self to revive!"

  Finishing her chant, Guinevere raised her hand.

  Lightning descended upon where the ancient sword was buried. In the next instant, a short platinum-colored blade was suddenly thrust out.

  The length of the cutting edge was about 50cm or so. This shrunken size was the reborn form of the decrepit divine sword.

  Guinevere breathed out in relief.

  "Please come and have a look, Sir Knight. Guinevere has finally succeeded!"

  "Succeeded... A word thou shouldst not use lightly. At the same time, yonder sharp blade is not something one can ignore, having witnessed that thing!"

  The one who responded was an unexpected intruder.

  Guinevere's face was full of shock as soon as she noticed the owner of the voice.

  "Your divine self has graced this land with your presence... Pray allow Guinevere to offer her salutations."

  Clutching the hem of her black dress like a noblewoman's curtsy, she bowed her head.

  Trying to suppress her panic as she greeted elegantly, Guinevere appeared composed but was being eroded by anxiety from within. She never expected this goddess to return here!

  Despite her appearance of a young girl, the goddess' slender body fully carried the solemn presence of a matriarch deity. As the great mother of the earth, the queen of darkness, and the sky goddess of wisdom, she was the tripartite goddess.

  Her name was Athena.

  The goddess from Greek mythology who had manifested as a [Heretic God] a while ago.

  The divinity of the ancient earth mother goddess had been retrieved together with the mystic treasure, the Gorgoneion. Apparently, she had battled Kusanagi Godou in Japan a few months earlier...

  "For the past few days, one sensed an unusual spiritual presence overflowing in this old land of Thrace."

  Athena spoke softly like the whistling of the wind.

  With silver hair as if the moon had melted into it, she was in the form of an adorable ten-odd-year-old beauty, wearing modest garments in the style of ancient Greece.

  Facing such a girl, it would take a fool to mistake her for a harmless child.

  Pulsating with power that could not be concealed, one would naturally realize she was no ordinary person even if it was unclear whether she was a god or not.

  "One expressly came, suspicious of a premonition of calamity... One never expected that man's maidservant to be polishing the steel of taboo!"

  The flames of wrath flickered in the child-like eyes of the goddess.

  "Knowest thy shame, kin of the past. Ever since the forgone age of the myths, the descendants of we matriarchs have been irreconcilable enemies with steel that slays dragons and snakes. In spite of that, dost thou wish to sully thy hands with the filth of yonder blade. O far thou hast fallen!"

  "Pray heed my words, Goddess Athena, your divine self is severely mistaken. Ever since the forgone age of the myths, we daughters of the earth have always been bound to the fate of serving the heroes of [Steel]. Though there are times when dragons and snakes turned their fangs against them, those occasions only lasted as ephem
eral dreams."

  Compared to a real goddess, the Witch Queen was just an insignificant existence.

  However, Guinevere held her head high and pleaded to Athena.

  "We are the 'Hero's Attendants' who serve brave warriors. Even the legends designated the goddess Athena as the beloved daughter of Zeus, the chief deity of Greek mythology. If your divine self truly believes this to be erroneous please do point out corrections."

  "—O what sharp tongue thou hast."

  Athena narrowed her eyes and stared down at Guinevere unceremoniously.

  "The maidservants of that man were all paragons of loyalty. No matter what age we speak of, they are still worthy of respect!"

  The divine ancestor's objections seemed to have gradually calmed the goddess' anger.

  Athena was also a goddess of war in Greek mythology. Did she not have a personality that viewed with favor those who risked their lives in battle?

  Guinevere bowed her head and answered with reverence.

  With a lofty stance, the goddess nodded at her childish posture.

  "Very well, witch. One shall not pursue this matter for now. However, as mentioned just now, the blinding brilliance one witnessed... What is that steel?"

  Athena cast her gaze upon the white blade thrust out of the ground.

  "As the goddess of wisdom, one recognizeth that steel. That man's avatar the 'Divine Sword of Salvation,' the blade born from his remains, is it not?"

  Amazing — Guinevere was thoroughly impressed with Athena's eyes of wisdom.

  To discern the divine blade's origins from a single glance.

  "Infused with new life... Though one doth not believe it can be used very long, it will serve its purpose well enough. However, this relic must be ye sole remaining trump card... If ye shall use it without reservation..."

  Guinevere saw Athena's eyes turn into those of a snake's.

  "Discovered eh?"

  Athena glared with evil eyes, as befitted her identity as the goddess of snakes —

  Guinevere's body remained completely motionless. With the fate of life and death held firmly in the grasp of the supreme goddess, her body was petrified with fear.

  "Thou hast discovered that man? Found the tomb of the sleeping king of salvation who manifesteth whenever the end draws near for the earth? Where? Where doth that fellow lie dormant?"