Other than that, it was essentially a defensive battle.
Avoiding overextending themselves to attack Athena. They did not attack but only took measures relevant for containment.
Ena probably knew very well. Even with divine possession she could not face Athena in a direct confrontation. But acting as a "shield" was perfectly within her power.
I see — Godou could not help but realize.
Ena was different from Erica who was skilled in weaponry, or Liliana who always paid close attention to details.
She instinctively understood differences in combat potential between friend and foe, battle situations, and what measures should be taken, thereby taking action boldly. This was not conspicuous intelligence but a natural instinct for victory.
That was Seishuuin Ena's disposition.
Having a similar disposition was likely one of the contributing factors to Kusanagi Godou slaying a god. She was a companion with similar sensitivities. In that case, they could likely succeed in producing amazing teamwork.
"Glorious I am, victorious I am, Ahura[22] grants creation unto me. Chasing foes as they flee, striking down enemies from the front. Chant my name for the incantation of victory!"
The tactic of retreating to a temporary defensive formation, then attack and counterattack.
Godou chanted Verethragna's scripture to raise his magical power. In order to take back initiative and give Athena a critical blow.
The [White Stallion] would be the most suitable. In their previous battle, the avatar of fire had been the decisive move that secured victory.
But that too, had been defended last time. Without sufficient preparation, using it could waste his biggest trump card. Because Verethragna's ten incarnations became unavailable for a full day after each use.
'Come! Now is the time to make use of the Holy Grail. Please freely vanquish Athena!'
Godou stared wide in surprise.
He could vaguely hear Guinevere's voice — or rather, sense it.
"Fu! Thou art quite a resilient man! Excellent, Kusanagi Godou. Let one's authority smasheth apart the fortress thou hast constructed! Miko who knoweth not her place, if thou fearest divine punishment then begone from this place!"
Athena called out loudly.
Without their noticing, the battlefield had shifted outside Umihotaru.
Due to the snake goddess' curse, the ocean had been petrified. Standing on waves that originally offered no foothold, Godou and Ena, as well as Athena were engaged in battle.
All three of them possessed supernatural agility. Thanks to leg strength granted by the [Camel], Godou was able to jump almost 10m without any running start.
Leaping around as they battled, they had made their way to this location on the sea.
"Now one composeth the song of winter. All plants shall wither, fruit shall fall from trees, petals shall scatter. Thus heralds the season of death and darkness!"
Athena's spell words resounded across the petrified sea.
Ena rubbed Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi against the ground and held it in a preparatory stance. This divine sword had the ability to absorb and tear apart all sorts of spells and spirit powers.
No matter what authority the goddess used, all shall be cleaved for the sake of Godou's protection —
This determination of hers was readily apparent. Nevertheless, will she be successful?
A terrifying coldness was emanating from Athena's body. Just the act of standing near her was chilling to the bone. It was the freezing temperature of permafrost.
She was the queen of darkness and the underworld. The grim reaper of grim reapers who disseminated winter and death.
Was Seishuuin Ena capable of subduing such a power with her mortal body? Could Godou, who was not omnipotent, defend against it?
"As the one who holds all victory in my hands, I am the strongest. Man and devil — all enemies, all who harbor enmity will be vanquished!"
But still, it had to be done no matter what — !
Steeling his determination, Godou raised his magical power at this time.
'In past days, the White Goddess created a vessel. Sacred amongst the earth mother goddesses, immortality, wisdom, all were poured forth into it. Hence the Holy Grail was born...'
The voice of Guinevere could definitely be heard.
It was not a transmitted sound but a voice that came from within Godou, a voice from the heart.
'The artifact known as the Holy Grail, is the vessel for absorbing life force from the earth mother goddesses. Sometimes from the carcasses of dead earth mother goddesses, other times from living goddesses, the Holy Grail devours their life for nourishment...'
This was the spell taught in the earlier encounter.
The [Spell of the Holy Grail] mentioned by Guinevere, was this it?
'Just by performing a few procedures, no earth mother goddess can escape the Holy Grail. Furthermore, this sacred treasure currently lies dormant within Athena...'
What? Godou stared at Athena in surprise.
The goddess of darkness was intending to fully unleash her authority. It could be felt clearly. Perhaps due to activating the [Spell of the Holy Grail], her actions could be discerned with clarity.
Swallowed within the body of the beautiful goddess, the object resembling an urn — that must be the Holy Grail!
How should that divine artifact be revived? It was highly probable that Athena would attempt countermeasures. All this was clear to Godou.
His mind pondered freely about how he could use that artifact to swing the battle in his favor.
Why would that kind of object be inside Athena?
Why did Guinevere tell him how to use it?
These questions of doubt swirled into a vortex. However.
The sight of Yuri and Liliana, turned into beautiful statues, surfaced in his mind. If he did not defeat Athena here they could not be saved. Ena would likely be sacrificed too.
—Victory must be obtained. For the sake of saving everyone, Athena must be defeated!
Fighting spirit dispelled all doubts. Godou yelled out at Ena who answered readily.
"I'll sweat the small stuff later! We must end things here. Seishuuin, give me that thing!"
"Understood, it's ready!"
Seeing Godou rush towards Athena, Ena immediately understood.
Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi. She handed her beloved sword to Godou.
Godou grabbed the Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi he had lent out and continued running. The goddess was single-mindedly raising her divine power. It was like the instant before a dam's rupture.
The nine snakes behind her tried to bite Godou at the same time.
Godou made a forward thrust with Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi.
The divine sword, also known as the "Kusanagi Sword," started moving autonomously, tearing through the black snakes. Watching from the back, Ena was moving her partner through her thoughts.
"O Messenger of winter! Extendest thy icy-cold hands, and stealest the the warmth of life!"
In that very instant, Athena also chanted spell words, unleashing her authority.
A violent blizzard began to blow with the goddess at its center.
It was not just a blizzard. It was wild and riotous wind blowing from the underworld, bringing temperatures colder than ground-level permafrost.
Magical wind that froze everything completely on contact, shattering them directly. This gust of cold air could very well be equivalent to absolute zero temperature.
Even the exceptionally resilient Campione would not be able to withstand it.
"Regrets of the White Queen, become my power now!"
Godou yelled out the spell words without hesitation.
This was the incantation for awakening the Holy Grail. The magical words for absorbing a mother earth goddess' life force.
"—!? What, wherefore art thou using this!?"
In the middle of releasing a blizzard, Athena was surprised.
Her whole body began shining with gol
den light.
It was like the faint light of dying fireflies on a midsummer's eve. It came from the sacred urn buried deep within Athena — the Holy Grail.
A demonic icy blizzard was violently blowing, piling a snowy plain upon the plain of rock.
At the same time, the golden brightness was rising vertically straight up. It was like an upright pillar of light.
"Ancient Grail, now is the climax of the battle! Knowest thy place!"
Athena commanded the pillar of light that rose into the clouds.
She had to divert her attention to suppress the Holy Grail's action. If this light continued to shine, Athena's life force would be rapidly drained.
The height of the pillar of light shrank by half, but this also meant her attention was diverted away from controlling the blizzard.
"Please, Seishuuin! Ama no Murakumo!"
Godou swiftly called out.
Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi had the ability to absorb spells and spirit powers, tearing them apart.
It was likely ineffective when Athena was at full power. However, aiming at Athena whose concentration had been disrupted by the sudden crisis, a mere window of ten-odd seconds, the blizzard was sliced apart.
Ena responded appropriately to Godou's orders.
Standing from behind and directing Ama no Murakumo with her thoughts, Athena's divine power was severed.
"W-What—?"
Athena was shocked. Successfully cutting apart the blizzard offered some slight respite.
Godou let go of the divine sword and jumped using the [Camel]'s leg strength. Leaping high into the air, he unleashed a descending kick. It was like a shooting star flying down from the heavens —
A full powered kick from up high, it ended up striking Athena in her left shoulder!
"Ooh —!?"
Godou could feel from beneath his foot the shattering of the goddess' shoulder.
Struck by this attack, Athena began spinning like a top and was sent flying. She must have sustained a fair amount of injury. With that, the tide of battle should have turned back to Godou's favor!
Determined, Godou made a stance.
The light emitted from Athena's body had almost vanished. The Holy Grail must have been suppressed once again. In the parlance of sumo wrestling, this was Nekodamashi.[23]
Simply sleight of hand. Godou did not believe the same tactic could work again.
Suddenly, Athena's body began to give off light again.
Rising up high as if bursting through the heavens. Such forcefulness dwarfed the sight just now.
What on earth was happening?
As Godou watched in shock, the radiating brilliance had illuminated the petrified plains of the sea and Umihotaru with a golden color.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH —!"
Athena screamed out in pain.
Part 5
In terms of human history, the following story happened far in the past.
It must have been over five hundred years since the man known as the Messiah had died.
In the land now called Europe, there existed a number of Devil Kings.
Those who had slain god and usurped divine authority. The violent god-slaying warriors whose hearts were consumed by battle. From the perspective of humanity, having just one of these monsters appearing in an era was a miracle.
But this was a rare moment in history.
An apocalyptic era when several of these rare characters had appeared, vying for domination.
All sorts of incredible people were drawn to these Devil Kings. They worshiped the [Kings], hoping to serve them.
A certain [King] commanded equestrian tribes, incessantly invading the territory of other nations.
A certain [King] was a pure berserker. He was surrounded by ferocious barbaric tribes who admired him and became his followers.
A certain [King] was completely devoted to researching magic, hoping to rule over the demonic magi, priests and astrologers who inhabited the filthy alleyways of the imperial capital, Rome.
A certain [King] could not be bothered with such things, choosing instead to wander between nations, displaying mindless valor.
Last of all, a certain [King] had turned the island of Britain into his own hunting grounds.
The island was in a state of chaos at the time. Though the Roman Empire originally ruled this land, they had abandoned it, leaving it to internal strife and constant invasion from neighboring barbarians.
Legends told of the island's [King] who was a suzerain Roman general.
Tasked with guarding Britain from barbarian invasions, he was sent there accompanied by a few troops.
Arriving at the land of his new post, he slew a god and became a Devil King —
Whenever outsiders invaded the island, he would immediately intercept and defeat them. But he never slaughtered his enemies completely, thus allowing them to encroach again. Whenever internal rebellions occurred, he suppressed them immediately. But always, he permitted the mastermind to escape, thus sowing the seeds for new rebellions.
Well, that was basically how things repeated time and again.
The god-slaying [King] loved hunting more than anything, and his favorite prey were living humans. For the sake of this hobby, all he cared about was indulging in his pleasure of the hunt on the lands of Britain.
As a result, ancient Britain was an apocalyptic world. The end of an era.
While the common people were ravaged by incessant warfare, He appeared.
He challenged the hunt-loving [King] and obtained victory.
A hero indeed. A brave warrior indeed.
The people of Britain worshiped him, calling him "Artos."
Furthermore, the other [Kings] on the continent began to direct their attentions towards the hero who had slain a Devil King. The appearance of a worthy foe. Perhaps, if one could murder him with one's own hands...
This was the beginning of a series of death matches, not recorded in any history book.
Eventually, the name of "Artos" was slightly altered in pronunciation to become "Arthur," thus leaving a trail in history and legends.
King who manifests at the end of eras, he was the master of the Witch Queen Guinevere.
"Guinevere originates from a goddess who fought alongside Master and Sir Knight. However, Guinevere no longer retains memories of those times, and can only learn about Master's great accomplishments through records of the past."
A young blonde beauty was standing on a beach in the Far East.
Naturally, this was Divine Ancestor Guinevere.
"Hmm. However, after a long and difficult search, you — or rather, it was your previous incarnation who finally found Master's avatar, the divine sword — discovered those remains."
Standing by Guinevere's side, the knight spoke solemnly.
Lancelot du Lac.
Clad in beautiful white armor, the knight's face was hidden by the helmet's lowered visor. He held a lance in his hand.
The ancient sword Excalibur which had awakened and was reborn as a divine lance.
"Furthermore, as the present generation's Guinevere, you have gradually advanced towards the sacred grounds where Master sleeps. Look!"
Lancelot pointed at the sea surface with the tip of the lance.
This island kingdom of the Far East had engendered all sorts of myths, mysteries and legends. Standing on the beach, the white war god pointed at the sea before him. The sight was as brilliant as the sun rising over the sea's horizon.
The light from the Holy Grail's absorption of the earth mother goddess' life force could be seen.
"The young god-slayer fell into your trap and awakened the Holy Grail held by Athena. Of course, she will suppress it once again."
"Yes. But before that happens, Guinevere will finish the task properly!"
Staring at the golden light, she began to summon magical power.
"Graal of legend, I beseech you to let me hear your voice. The daughter of the White Goddess ignites seven c
andlesticks. Recall your past glory."
The image surfacing in her mind was directly converted into magical energy.
Guinevere wielded magic naturally. Those known as Divine Ancestors, were temptresses who were able to use magic as freely as their own limbs.
By the time the spell was complete, the golden light was already quite faint.
Initially it had been tall enough to reach the clouds, like a pillar of light. But now, the beam of light was gradually weakening, and almost could not be seen from this beach. Nevertheless, there was still enough time.
Before Athena completely suppressed the Grail, Guinevere seized the opportunity to ascertain the Holy Grail's existence.
"O White Goddess. As the descendant of your divine self, this girl beseeches you. Bestow upon the sacred cup and the Divine Sword of Salvation, the link that connects these two vessels once again!"
The "pathway" which connected the life-absorbing Holy Grail to the planet-slicing divine sword.
Through this invisible "pathway," the life force absorbed from Athena by the Holy Grail was being infused into the divine lance Excalibur held in Lancelot's hand.
Athena's body must now be emitting many times more light than before.
"Hmm. With that, the divine blade can be swung without any hesitation."
Lancelot pointed the the lance tip towards the heavens.
The platinum-colored blade flashed with a radiant luster.
"Yes. In order to connect the Holy Grail with the divine sword, Kusanagi-sama's power was used. Things went smoothly as planned, how reassuring."
The young Campione had only managed to awaken the Holy Grail for a brief period.
Seizing that disruption, affirming the Grail's existence and immediately connecting it to Excalibur. This was a mystical technique only the Witch Queen could perform. A superlative divine skill.
"Hoo... Now it is clear that your decision was correct."
Lancelot said reassuringly to the one under his protection.
Were he not wearing a helmet, a smile would likely be seen on the war god's face.
"Since these are the ones who can slay this Knight's kin, the gods, then no scruples will be spared to make use of all weapons to assure victory... Phrasing it that way should be acceptable, right?"
"Yes, it is true. After all, as a god-slayer, he is a bastard child of the fool Epimetheus!"
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