The one displaying such swordsmanship and the essence of the magic sword was a blond young man.
Salvatore Doni, of course. He had arrived in this ancient era a couple months ago. His attire also belonged to this era. Wearing clothing similar to a t-shirt, his simple attire included a belt and narrow pants on the bottom with a brown overcoat on top.
Only his boots were still the leather shoes he liked wearing in the present.
As one would expect, this manner of dress facilitated movement best. A longsword hung at his waist.
Swords in ancient Gaul were mostly one-handed with short hilts. However, Doni's sword had a long hilt and looked like it could be wielded either with one hand or two. This was probably an item he had brought along from the present.
Noticing Godou approaching, Doni smiled cheerfully.
"Ah, it's you, Godou. I feel like it's been a while."
"Of course, you've been here three months already, right?"
Sighing, Godou answered.
Moreover, although the giant bears were all eliminated, dozens of normal bears still remained.
However, these bears suddenly stopped fighting the Franks and quieted down. They looked like they had lost interest and hostility towards humans, as though demonic possession had been dispelled.
Walking away independently, the bears casually dispersed.
It was as though they were moving back to the forest having finished their task. Seeing the enemies retreat, the surviving Frankish warriors cheered victoriously.
OHHHHHHHHHHH! OHHHHHHHHHHH! OHHHHHHHHHHH!
Under the night sky, the plain resounded with the warrior's manly voices.
"I've heard quite a lot about you. Becoming the chieftain of the Franks and challenging that Uldin of the Huns to a future fight and all that."
"Oh, so you've also met this era's godslayer."
"Not only that, I've even met someone from our era..."
Madame Aisha was not near Doni and Godou. Instead, she was shuttling around between the wounded Franks who were lying on the ground. In order to heal them, she was rushing about all over the place.
Apart from imminent death, all injuries could be healed rapidly no matter how severe. This was the effect of the Madame's authority.
Watching this scene, Doni went "I see" and smiled. He was quite sharp in these matters.
"As expected of my dear friend, my Godou. When did you find Madame Aisha? She really is quite strong, right?"
"Totally not strong in the sense you're talking about. Also, stop adding those descriptions on top of my name."
Things would go out of hand if Doni's appetite for battle were to be fired up. Hence, Godou refuted him firmly.
Nevertheless, Godou did not consider the Madame "weak." Madame Aisha's scariness was probably on a completely different dimension compared to fighting with swords.
Did Doni realize what Godou was thinking? In a rare display, he was staring at this woman with eyes filled with curiosity.
But he suddenly laughed and turned towards Godou.
"Right, Godou, although there's much I want to talk about, could you first accompany me to do some trivial chores?"
Then Doni shifted his gaze towards the hill, the place where Godou was just now.
Godou looked in that direction and was met with surprise. Without him noticing, new opponents had gathered on the hill. Like the ones Doni massacred earlier, there was an army of giant bears as big as houses.
This time, there were thirty or so of them.
These animals were arranged in a row on the hill, moving this way—More accurately, they were viciously gazing down at Salvatore Doni.
However, standing behind the massive bears was an even bigger monster.
Roughly thirty meters in full length, resembling an owl—But with thick front limbs instead of wings. It looked like some kind of owl-bear hybrid.
Seeing this kind of owl-bear that one definitely would not find in an animal encyclopedia, Godou muttered:
"Feels like a lord of the forest from some kind of anime..."
The owl-bear stood up on its hind legs, its appearance as solemn as a god.
Very clearly a divine beast. Godou's back shook as he felt his body filling up with power to fight. Seeing this, Doni smiled beside him.
Meanwhile, the surrounding Franks were sent into a panic by the sight of the giant divine beast.
The warriors screamed in terror, their bodies trembling as they fled with weapons drawn, resulting in great chaos. Even though they had fought valiantly on the battlefield, they were unable to suppress their fear for the unknown monster.
Madame Aisha also looked at the divine beast with a shocked expression.
"You handle the big monster, Godou. I'll take care of the small ones!"
"Don't just dump troublesome tasks on others!"
Grumbling, Godou looked seriously at the giant owl-bear.
He was not obliged to humor Doni. However, hesitating here on whether to fight or not would put Madame Aisha and the Franks at risk. Furthermore, that presence he felt just now—
"A long-armed strike!"
Doni swung his longsword widely in a horizontal arc with extreme speed.
Then the [All-Severing Magic Sword] released silver radiance from the blade's edge.
This light traced out a magnificent horizontal line in the darkness of the night. Lined up in a row, the giant bear army on the hill was dealt with in a single strike. Thirty enemies were completely bifurcated at the waist.
The hill was about fifty meters from his location. What a terrifying act of divinity.
On the other hand, Godou did not dally next to Doni.
"The one unblunted and unapproachable, oath-breaking sinners be purged by the iron hammer of justice!"
Chanting spell words, he summoned the [Boar].
Naturally, the target was the thirty-meter long owl-bear.
With pitch-black fur and a body length of twenty meters or so, the giant boar lost greatly in size. Nevertheless, it would not be Godou's avatar if it were intimidated that easily.
ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAR!
Howling as usual, the [Boar] charged at full speed. Struck by the hooves, the ground rumbled as the beast instantly rushed up the green hill. Using the tusks by its mouth as spears, it charged to create a collision!
In contrast, the owl-bear stood upright without moving, as though trying to show off the immovability of its massive body.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!
The owl-bear howled as well, blocking the [Boar]'s charge head on like a giant net. The two enormous divine beasts clashed face to face.
The result was the victory of the [Boar]'s power and momentum.
The giant boar buried its tusks deeply into the owl-bear's chest, boldly pushing down its prey.
Enduring the mass of the two divine beasts, the ground rumbled heavily and shook violently.
With that, the owl-bear was exterminated. The [Boar] roared victoriously.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!
In spite of that, Godou still frowned. He had anticipated a much tougher fight. The enemy's master should still be nearby and Godou had expected more divine power to be delivered into the divine beast.
"Due to injuries, the enemy has become cautious."
Doni threw a glance at him, causing Godou to anger slightly.
It felt inexplicably maddening to hear Doni speaking at this moment as though he had read Kusanagi Godou's mind. Putting that issue aside, Godou looked towards the hill again.
Still intoxicated in the afterglow of victory, the [Boar] roared towards the moon.
But in the next instant, green smoke was released from the ground. Breathing in the gas, the [Boar] suddenly began to cough violently.
The green smoke surrounded the giant black body. The [Boar] coughed even more intensely.
"Kusanagi-san, that is poison mist! This will be very dangerous if it continues!"
Madame Aisha spoke from beside him.
As expected of someone able to use an authority of healing, she instantly discerned what it was. Furthermore, the enemy was quite sly, targeting the [Boar]'s opening when it was careless from the joy of victory.
"That's enough, hurry up and disappear!"
Godou ordered the [Boar] that was about to suffocate from coughing.
The pitch-black divine beast instantly vanished. It probably followed orders so obediently because it had already vanquished its target. The Frankish army also began to retreat from the battlefield.
With giant monsters appearing one after another, their fear had already reached a limit.
On the other hand, the three remaining godslayers...
"Time for you to show yourself, right?"
Godou casually called out to the hidden opponent.
Then a beauty suddenly made her appearance. Strongly built, gazing sharply, she exuded a queen's haughtiness and solemnity. She was wearing simple clothes akin to undergarments with a pelt on top.
A deep, reddish-brown pelt, it looked like it was skinned off a bear together with its head. Furthermore, she was wearing the ferocious beast's deceased visage on her head like a crown.
Godou knew for certain. The goddess before his eyes was called the "Queen of Beasts."
Every Campione's mind and body would enter a state of battle readiness when encountering a deity.
Due to feeling the surge of power in anticipation of battle for a while now, Godou already knew she would appear.
"Truth be told, I am still hesitating even now..."
The Beast Goddess murmured softly.
"Vexing as it may be, quite a number of godslayers continue to exist in this world. One of them even went as far as to inflict this heavy injury upon me... With this wounded body of mine, exacting vengeance shall be no easy task..."
Apart from the pelt, her attire was basically underwear, so it was clear to see immediately.
The goddess' pale abdomen was marred by a long laceration. Red-black and ulcerated, the wound looked very painful. It must be quite a severe injury.
"Nevertheless, this is not enough to permit an earth goddess to forge that certain blade. Not on anyone's cause but my own pride that forbids so. Hence my hesitation. Moreover, the preparations are yet to be ready..."
At this moment, the goddess turned her piercing gaze towards Godou and the rest.
After looking at Salvatore Doni, Kusanagi Godou and Madame Aisha in sequence, she shook her head as though troubled by a dilemma. In the end, she murmured in resignation:
"On the other hand, the fact that things have come to this cannot be helped. Since the godslayers have increased by two, it is necessary that I resolve myself to endure the foul waters that shall pollute my wound... Beware, godslayers. Abominable Rakshasa Monarchs."
The Beast Goddess spoke quietly. Suddenly, she revealed a gentle smile.
"In our next encounter, I shall bring my son before you. He is the existence sent by the heavens to vanquish all of you."
Despite clearly pronouncing a death sentence for Godou and the other Campiones, the goddess's tone of voice was remarkably calm.
It was as though she was mourning the certain deaths of these formidable adversaries.
"Sooner or later, Goddess Artio's son shall manifest before you all. Tremble all you want when the time comes..."
Leaving behind these whispers like a song, the goddess suddenly vanished from sight.
In this manner, Kusanagi Godou encountered a [Heretic Goddess] in ancient Gaul.
She was called the goddess Artio. This encounter would raise the curtain for a new battle—One that was not supposed to take place.
Chapter 3 - Goddess from the Land of Gaul
Part 1
Salvatore Doni had drifted to the land of ancient Gaul, three months earlier.
After encountering the godslayer of this era, Uldin, he wandered north aimlessly. At the time, he simply took the sword he had brought from the modern era, stood it casually upright on the ground. The blade happened to point north when it fell.
Apart from the sword, all he had was the clothing on his body. Completely penniless, he embarked on his journey in the past.
The language was also different from the modern world. Without a single acquaintance. An ordinary twenty-first century person would probably have given up in less than three days. Nevertheless, Doni actually enjoyed himself.
During the few days he stayed at Uldin's castle, he already learned the local language.
Despite lacking money, using his natural cheerfulness and shamelessness, he was able to join a caravan he encountered by chance to serve as a bodyguard, thereby starting to travel for free openly.
Also, he confiscated all the money from the robbers he captured alive when they attacked the caravan. Furthermore, he forced them to lead him to their stash of valuables and very astutely claimed them for his own...
Casually going about in his travels, Doni soon arrived in the area where the Franks resided.
The Franks originally roamed the area along the Rhine and were a tribe of barbarians who repeatedly looted from the Roman Empire's inhabitants.
But ever since they were suppressed by Emperor Julian the Apostate, they became subservient to the Empire as allies and moved to live in what would become southern Holland and northern Belgium in modern times.
Furthermore, in the village that Doni happened to visit by chance...
Reportedly, it was as quiet as a funeral wake. The Frankish villagers cursed the cruelty of fate, weeping, sighing mournfully.
According to the villagers, this village was going to be destroyed soon, due to a divine curse.
"Curse?"
"Yeah. Due to angering that goddess from just now, Artio, she prophesied that 'These people will all die in a matter of a few dozen days.' Then I arrived."
Doni explained to the puzzled Godou.
After fighting the bears, Godou and Madame Aisha went along with the Franks and stayed overnight.
Then the next morning, the whole group took off for Colonia Agrippina.
With the three Campiones sitting with the cargo on the horse-drawn carts, they slowly advanced on the roads. In order to allow Doni's followers to keep up, some of which were walking on foot, they did not travel at too fast a rate.
"So that was why you fought the goddess..."
"It really was an awesome battle. We both injured each other severely, finally ending in a draw. Oh well, I just happened to recover much faster than her."
Doni's magic sword was able to slice through everything. But that was not all.
It was also able to cause explosions when cutting through the enemy's body, produce wounds that had difficulty healing, along with a number of myriad applications. Godou had tasted it personally himself. That was probably why Artio's wound was recovering so slowly.
On the other hand, the third person present was listening to their conversation with a touched look on her face.
"So, Doni-san was fighting all-out to protect the Franks... What a noble sense of self-sacrifice!"
Naturally, the speaker was none other but Madame Aisha.
Perhaps due to her honest and benevolent personality, she interpreted Doni's actions as motivated by good intentions.
This was completely different from Godou's thoughts, which were along the lines of "This guy definitely took action as he pleased without thinking deeply at all. He's fighting simply because he met a deity."
"I-I am truly sorry. To think I even mistook Salvatore Doni for an atrocious demon whose tyrannical willfulness caused trouble without any concern for the people around him."
"Really? Well, the misunderstanding can be cleared up right now."
Answering in this manner, Doni laughed foolishly in a matter-of-fact manner.
"Oh dear, to be honest, my friend Andrea keeps saying that I'm human scum, without any value in living, as lacking in thought as an invertebrate, born as a beast that creates trouble for others, etc, so I was be
ginning to think I might really be like that."
"Goodness gracious, to think he would be unable to understand your noble heart, Doni-san! That person must surely be the greatest idiot of all."
"......"
Seeing the two Campiones getting along so well, Godou sighed towards the heavens.
The Madame looked like she had completely forgotten Doni's "atrocious act" of conquering Colonia Agrippina.
Oh well, this might be much easier to deal with compared to having a conflict.
Deciding to put this matter aside for now, Godou changed the subject.
"So, how did you become the boss of the Franks?"
"Well, this happened back when I was recuperating in the Frankish village after the battle with the goddess. They asked me, hoping I could become the chieftain to rule the Franks in this area."
"Why did it become like this!?"
Seeing Godou's outburst, Doni explained without a care.
"Since having me around, even a goddess can be defeated. That's why. Also, the Franks from other lands heard about me and came one after another to make friends with me, or to test my power... After handling them as appropriate, I was already the great chieftain by the time I realized."
"What the heck, great chieftain..."
"Something like a big boss who unified a number of Frankish tribes and now rules over them? Oh well, I think it's kind of nice to fight alongside everyone."
"Don't go becoming king so thoughtlessly..."
The Franks were most likely a tribe of fierce and courageous warriors. Godou could tell clearly from the way they fought the bears. Furthermore, awestruck by Doni's power in singlehandedly fighting a deity on equal footing, they worshiped this man as a living god...
In actual fact, for Godou who was able to summon the [Boar], they also received him with the highest level of respect.
Madame Aisha was already worshiped by them for her "miraculous hands of healing." After all, she had displayed her ability to heal the injured Frankish warriors and even revive bears as well.
"Thereafter, the goddess frequently ordered bear armies under her command to attack the Frankish settlements. In order to protect these people who are under attack, a city is needed, right? Since there happened to be a walled Roman city nearby over by the Rhine, I decided to head over and ask them to borrow it for now."
Campione 15 Page 7