"Ehe... So you're the same as me."
"——"
The war god's upper arm was wrapped in layers of white cloth.
Hidden beneath the white cloth, the arm had the hardness and texture of steel. This was what had blocked Doni's sword.
The magic sword of severing sliced two-thirds deep into the war god's forearm, finally stopping. This was not a feat that any ordinary arm of steel could achieve. It was absolutely impossible unless the whole body could turn into indestructible steel.
Possessors of such an authority were quite limited. Sun Wukong the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Siegfried the dragon-slaying hero, Salvatore Doni and others...
"A wind god possessing a body of steel? That's quite a difficult god to guess. Speaking of which, I've heard that Verethragna, whom Godou defeated, is also [Steel] with a wind god's divinity. Are you his relative or something?"
The war god of gales transformed into wind instead of answering.
Then turning into a gust of wind blowing past, he flew away from the hill.
It was as though he was saying that his time on stage had ended now that his master the hero had left. Doni shrugged and saw off his opponent.
Only Artio was left as the remaining enemy. Looking in her direction, Godou went "Eh?" and stared wide-eyed.
This was because the goddess, who had manifested out of the Celt's desire for vengeance, still had no intention of giving up on victory.
Slightly earlier, the two divine swords had been sent flying.
Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi had already returned to Godou's right arm. On the other hand, the Divine Sword of Salvation was picked up by the goddess Artio.
Seeing the body of that blade, Godou was taken aback. The divine sword was still shining with a platinum glow.
Neither decrepit nor rusted to any degree. Back when called the "remains of the King of the End," the Divine Sword of Salvation always looked utterly worn out.
"Sleeping Artos... No, the Devil King-exterminating warrior."
Artio called out to the divine sword of light.
"Offering you a part of my life was still far from bringing about a true awakening... In that case, it cannot be helped. The entirety of my wounded self shall be offered to you. Let this serve as the signal fire for a war's beginning."
Holding the divine sword's hilt in a reverse grip, the goddess pressed the blade's tip against her chest while murmuring softly.
Then as Godou watched, the glowing Divine Sword of Salvation was plunged into the goddess' chest.
Artio pierced her heart by her own hand. Flowing from the wound, the great amount of blood was all absorbed into the Divine Sword of Salvation.
"The key to making the strongest steel become the strongest—The life of a goddess! O sword of salvation, before your master awakens, assist me well!"
After calling out, Artio's body turned into sand and scattered in the wind.
Conversely, the Divine Sword of Salvation's light grew progressively stronger. After a while, the instant the goddess's body completely collapsed, the divine sword's blade fell straight down.
With that, the divine sword stabbed into the ground. Immediately after that...
A giant white sphere of light manifested in the air again. The light of salvation had revived.
"Just now's shining light revived again!?"
"I can't use the black sphere again! We have to think of a way to handle it!"
Doni had come running over, so Godou answered him.
Whether Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi or Godou himself, both were depleted in magical power. The "black blade" was already gone. During this time, the Divine Sword of Salvation started to attack.
Resembling a mini-sun high up in the air, the sphere of light released several hundred flashes of lightning.
Not just once. A great deal of lightning was shot again and again, released continuously, turning into a rain of lightning pouring onto the grond.
In order to avoid this lightning, Godou used the [Raptor] incarnation.
He activated divine speed capable of dodging even lightning. On the other hand, Doni's "body of steel" provided iron-clad defense all over and did not even flinch from direct attacks of lightning.
Godou recalled facing a similar situation in the battle against Lancelot...
Remembering that event, Godou realized something.
This lightning was different from that released by the war god of the lance. "Weapons" could be seen on the front tips of the descending lightning. Most numerous of all were arrows but all kinds of other objects could also be found.
Spears, glaives, axes, swords, pikes, iron rings, shields made of iron, steel clubs, iron plates, cannonballs—
Even objects that could not be described as weapons were included, such as blocks of iron or iron-worked models of skulls.
Their only similarity was that everything was made of iron. It was as though all the knights of a king's round table had gathered their favorite weapons and iron equipment together, a most chaotic situation.
Hiding in the lightning was a great number of arrows and other iron-crafted items—
When these objects collided violently with the ground or Doni's body, they disappeared simultaneously with the lightning's explosion.
"Am I seeing these things because they're traveling slower than the ones from last time...?"
Shocked, Godou muttered.
Using the [Raptor]'s divine speed, he kept weaving left and right to dodge the rain of lightning and iron.
Despite performing the same attack, this lightning was slower than Lancelot's. Godou could evade effortlessly. As a mother earth goddess, Artio was unable to use the divine sword as skillfully as a [War God of Steel] after all.
'At this rate, there will be no end to this... The main body must be dealt with somehow!'
While divine speed was activated, sounds from the external environment sounded as though they were coming from far away.
But this was definitely Doni's voice, no mistake about it. The blond Campione was currently running. Using his "body of steel" to deflect the lightning and weapons, he ran towards the Divine Sword of Salvation.
After a while, Doni finally came before the glowing divine sword.
Using his silver arm, he swung the magic sword. The slash produced a small crack on the Divine Sword of Salvation.
If he continued to chop repeatedly in this manner, was the blade of Devil King extermination going to be shattered? Just as Godou wondered, the Divine Sword of Salvation released a dazzling flash of light.
The light was accompanied by an extremely strong attack of superhigh heat.
Spreading in a hundred-eighty-degree arc, everything was incinerated within a dome-shaped region!
"!?"
Did the divine sword go berserk as a result of being attacked during an unstable state of control?
Godou trembled. At the same time, he ran with divine speed, trying to escape the heat blast's range as quickly as possible. Picking a random direction, he ran at full speed.
Naturally, at point-blank range, Doni was engulfed by the light.
There was no time to rescue him. Godou ran. The flash of hot light was chasing him from behind. Released from the Divine Sword of Salvation at the center, the flash of light and heat covered a dome exceeding four kilometers in radius.
Using the pace of divine speed, Godou could rush out of range in an instant.
However, running at full speed ended up causing his downfall instead.
Several hundred flashes of lightning were still pouring down nonstop from above. In the process of running, Godou was struck in the chest by one such flash of lightning. The lightning striking Godou had an iron arrowhead at its tip.
His entire body began to feel numb. Body warmth was rapidly lost.
Even so, he still continued to run for a while—But finally, he still had to stop.
Then he collapsed. His consciousness gradually grew hazy.
At this rate, death was
not far away, he thought. However, lightning was still descending from high above, mixed with weapons of iron. Although most of the lightning did not fall in this area, it was not completely zero.
Then Godou saw a blue light approaching him.
Struck again, he would surely die—In the next instant, Godou lost consciousness.
Until not too long ago, there was a grassy hill standing upright on a wide open plain.
A stone circle was arranged on the hill where the goddess and the hero were waiting. Three Campiones had headed there to start an intense battle.
However, this entire area was now blown away.
A complete wasteland. Both vegetation and the hill had vanished, leaving an endless plain of dirt and sand. The only thing left behind was the giant hole dug out by the Divine Sword of Salvation.
This was because everything was blown away by the white explosion of light and heat.
Erica and Ena were now running across this area.
Their target was the zone roughly in the center of the explosion.
Along the way, they found Madame Aisha groaning with her gaze wandering about. She was only barely conscious but unharmed. According to her, she had withdrawn from the center of battle, which was why she did not get caught up in the light and explosion just now.
Her gaze was unsteady due to the "emergency evacuation" earlier.
"However, the two of them should be fighting over there. I hope they are safe and sound..."
Madame Aisha spoke dejectedly. However, she truly lived up to her name as a Campione.
A race capable of surviving even in the face of certain death. Erica and Ena were encouraged by her example. Asking the Madame to wait there for now, they continued to run towards the center of the blast.
Then finally arriving at a corner somewhere—
The Divine Sword of Salvation was stuck in the desolate ground, emitting dazzling brilliance.
Also, a familiar young man was lying face down nearby.
"Sir!"
"King Salvatore!"
The two girls ran over to the Campione of the sword.
For some reason, Salvatore Doni's entire body was gray in color. Whether his blond hair, his pale skin, the smile on his carefree face, even the clothes on his body were completely gray.
"What is going on...?"
"I suppose... This is probably a state of suspended animation."
Examining Doni's body together with the perplexed Ena, Erica nodded.
There was still a rather faint pulse. However, his breathing had already stopped. There was no response to touch or sound. This was not a state of normal life and activity.
Even so, Salvatore Doni was still alive. There were no external injuries on his body.
"Sir Salvatore has withstood the [White Stallion]'s attack in the past using a state of suspended animation. This time, he surely survived the explosion using the same method. However—"
From the hero Siegfried, he had usurped the "body of steel" authority.
A state of suspended animation was one of this authority's applications. But right now, Erica noticed one thing. Turned gray, Doni's body seemed softer than usual, a far cry from the hardness of steel.
"To think he would be sleeping here completely unguarded, even Sir Salvatore's life is truly hanging on a thread here. I suppose like Godou's [Ram], he needs to be taken care of properly by others after surviving."
"That's really lucky for him to be discovered by Ena and you."
Ena replied with a slightly wry smile.
Suffering the [White Stallion]'s attack in the past, Doni had spent a night underwater. As a result, with no one able to approach him, that was probably why the invulnerable Campione was able to stay safe.
Feeling impressed by Doni's good fortune, Erica tensed up her expression again.
"It is also possible that our Godou survived because his luck hasn't run out yet... I think the chances are quite high. Since it's him, he's probably killing time somewhere, right?"
"Hopefully, he'll come out faster—Erica-san, beware of danger!"
Suddenly issuing a warning, Ena jumped backwards. Erica followed suit.
Immediately, a flash of lightning flew towards the prone Salvatore Doni. Unbelievably, the Divine Sword of Salvation had released this attack.
Although Erica and Ena had dodged successfully, Doni's body was struck by the lightning.
"Sir Salvatore!?"
'Hohohoho. To think I would obtain a godslayer's body. Indeed, nothing could be better than that.'
It was the goddess Artio's voice.
The source of her voice was also the Divine Sword of Salvation—No, not exactly. At some point in time, a black mist had started hanging around the divine sword's surroundings. Shocked, Ena murmured:
"Having lost her body, only the soul lingers upon the earth..."
'For a mere mortal, seeing this much could be considered eyes of wisdom. How praiseworthy.'
The black mist spoke softly in Artio's voice again.
Struck by the lightning, Salvatore Doni's body suddenly jumped up. His entire body's grayness also recovered to its usual color.
Then with stiff movements, Doni extended his hand, reaching towards the Divine Sword of Salvation and the black mist.
Immediately, the Divine Sword of Salvation and the black mist both flew towards the Campione's hand.
'O godslayer of the sword, you shall do well to slumber on. I shall receive your body. In order to fill in for my son's absence, become the wielder of the divine sword!'
As Erica and Ena watched in shock, Doni gripped the Divine Sword of Salvation.
The black mist entered the Campione's body through his mouth. Then the tightly closed eyes of the blond young man suddenly opened wide and he slowly stood up.
"Hmm... Still unable to move smoothly at the present...?"
The goddess Artio's voice came from Doni's lips.
Handsome but usually quite frivolous, the blond Campione's face was making an expression acute beyond precedent. He now looked like a handsome young man to the core, completely flawless.
Doni-Artio swung the Divine Sword of Salvation in a clumsy manner.
Quite sluggish. This was a far cry from the movements of the Devil King of swords who prided in his divine skills. Doni-Artio shook her head and muttered with dissatisfaction.
"Apparently, freedom of movement is still lacking for now. I must endure until I grow accustomed to this body... Fine, the road ahead is rather long."
Doni-Artio slowly trudged her way towards the forest in the distance.
"Two godslayers struck dead already, of which one of them is now in my grasp. However, so long as godslayers continue to roam the earth, divine retribution must be meted out to the inhabitants of the land..."
Leaving the speechless Erica and Ena behind, the goddess departed on her own, speaking at the same time:
"Farewell, maidservants serving the Devil King. Go tell the people that the hero of salvation shall soon descend to mete out divine retribution. Until that moment arrives, repent and regret repeatedly for all you want."
Watching the sight of Doni-Artio's back receding into the distance, Ena began to hesitate.
Was it really okay to let the goddess leave like this—?
Erica shook her head and silently warned her companion. The strong goddess did not care about humans the slightest. Reckless action could very well incur her wrath, endangering one's own life instead.
Hence, even in an abnormal state, a god's power still could not be opposed.
Silently seeing her off was the best course of action.
Even so—Erica looked up into the sky, lamenting silently.
Where had Kusanagi Godou disappeared to? Was he really slaughtered tragically, just as Doni-Artio had declared?
Chapter 5 - Traversing over a Thousand Years
Part 1
To this date, Kusanagi Godou had already survived death quite a number of times.
Using "this time
as well" was a little inappropriate while "after so long since the previous time" was not quite right; nevertheless, Godou was—this time as well—in deep sleep and—after so long since the previous time—in a state of revival again.
This was the blessing conferred by Verethragna's eighth incarnation, the [Ram].
As much as it was not his intention, as a result of his strengthening power as a Campione, he had not used this incarnation of resurrection for the past few months. So long as he did not die instantly, he was able to revive from the abyss of death.
However, there still existed worrying aspects.
While the lightning of salvation was pouring down like a heavy rainstorm, he had to sleep continuously for several hours. Until the moment of revival, could he stay safe and sound?
Hence, as soon as he realized he was waking up in a cabin somewhere, Godou was greatly relieved.
Spurring his body that felt as heavy as lead, he barely managed to sit up.
"You have woken up, Kusanagi Godou?"
"Godou-san, you finally managed to recover."
Furthermore, inside this cabin, he even saw the two companions whom he missed greatly...
Godou was puzzled. Before losing consciousness, he was fighting in the land of ancient Gaul. (However, since that place was on the Rhine's east bank, according to the Roman Empire's territory, strictly speaking, it was part of Germania.) Nevertheless, standing before his eyes were Liliana Kranjcar and Mariya Yuri—
"Why are you two here?"
During what was supposed to be a touching reunion, Godou ended up speaking calmly.
Was this question really strange? Yuri and Liliana both smiled slightly wryly.
"Did I somehow return to the modern age without knowing?"
"No. It is currently spring during 406 CE, Kusanagi Godou. You are still in the part of Europe called Gaul and Germania at the time. In terms of modern geography, this place is in the outskirts of Bochum."
"We borrowed an uninhabited home."
Liliana quickly explained the situation while Yuri provided a supplementary comment with a smile.
Godou's current location had several beds covered by thick and heavy cloth.
The blanket covering him probably came from the two girls' consideration. This cabin was built using round timber in the style of a log house. Godou's bed was by the wall.
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