Which was why he was wielding the entire tree as though it were a battering ram as he charged at his enemy. As stated it was absurd. No matter his strength the brown eyed teen should have lacked the weight to allow him to use the fallen tree in such a way. The weight of the leaves and branches at the far end should have made it impossible to carry in such a way as he ran.
But he did it anyway.
Had the scorpion creature had eyes then he might have blinked in surprise as he saw the huge mass of twigs and leaves bearing down on him like a green avalanche. He still tried to slash his way through the mass as he had through the boulder, however against a tangled mess of small branches, twigs and piled leaves such an action was doomed to failure. The creature had just enough time to let out an exclamation of surprise and anger before its bulk disappeared into the mass of foliage.
Godou didn't stop though, even as his foe was entangled in the branches of his improvised weapon he kept running. He didn't stop until the end of his weapon drove into another boulder, this one the size of a small minivan, effectively crushing the scorpion man between it and the trunk of the tree being driven at it.
He paused then, unsure as to what to do next. He knew that his attack was unlikely to have finished the creature off, but at the same time he was unsure of what to do next. Switching to another Authority seemed like a foolish choice. While the Raptor, White Horse and Warrior with a Golden Sword were available to him given the circumstances, none of them were practical choice to use. The Raptor would be a step down from the Bull, the Golden Sword was of little use save as a mundane weapon since this being was both unknown and not a full god, and the Horse would probably consume his companions if used in such close proximity to them.
"Your highness, are you unharmed?"
Liliana's question made Godou wince slightly. He knew that as a Campione he was regarded as one of the supreme powers in the world of human mystics. His sole responsibility among them was to defeat any Heretic Gods that materialized on the mortal plane. As long as he fulfilled that duty he was free to do whatever he wanted.
He didn't like that.
He didn't like the way others acquiesced to him without even arguing their own opinions. He didn't like the bowing, the scraping and the fear. And he most certainly didn't like having to deal with all these needlessly complicated monsters and gods.
But oddly enough the thing that annoyed him the most was that he was called a king, even though he still felt he had not done anything deserving of the title. Sure, he had driven off Athena and Voban, but he didn't feel that those accomplishments merited him being called such by someone so obviously a knight like Liliana.
Any further musings were cut off as the tree that had just served as his weapon exploded into a cloud of splinters. With a sound like a thousand crickets being tortured the black armoured monster threw itself towards the seventh Campione once more.
Godou had been prepared for this though, at no point had he expected what he had done to be enough to finish his enemy off. Instead he dodged backwards from the blow he had been expecting, and then dove back in during the brief moment of opening that the missed sword swing left. It was only a split second window, but it was enough to let him deliver a crushing straight right to the scorpion man's solar plexus.
Liliana was forced to cover her eyes as malformed creature's body was sent rocketing back with enough force to once more drive it into the same boulder that Godou had smashed it into with the tree earlier. The difference was that this time the impact had enough force to pulverise some of the stone into dust. It had been this small burst of grit and dirt that had forced her to cover her eyes.
Drawing her hands back she took a look at what had become of the fearsome monster. All the legs on its left side, where it had struck the stone, were clearly broken. Its long tail still seemed able to move, but was clearly slowed and seemed to tremble. Most obvious though was the dinner plate sized dent in the lower torso of the black armoured form.
The silver haired knight was still amazed at the sheer power the youth demonstrated so easily. She'd spent several weeks in the service of Marquis Voban, and had also witnessed the battle between him and Godou. But it was demonstrations like this that reminded her that Campione were the truth that every spell user tried to imitate without success. Kusanagi Godou was someone who had possessed not a drop of knowledge about the mystic arts, but by the single impossible act of killing a god he had become what lifelong mages could never become.
It was almost galling in a way, but on the other hand . . .
"LOOK OUT!"
There was a sound like a rushing wind Liliana felt something suddenly hit her around the waist. She barely had time to register the impact though, because at that very instant the world blurred around her even as a screech that no human could ever have produced deafened her ears.
The next thing she knew she was kneeling next to Yuri who was herself looking every bit as dazed as Liliana felt. Between them was Godou, his knees on the ground, but tensed like an athlete ready to start a sprint.
"Not good." He muttered to himself as he glared across the clearing.
Following his gaze the witch knight realized that she was looking at the spot where she had just been standing. Both there and where Godou had himself stood the entire area had been pin cushioned with dozens of long black needles. Even as she watched the plants near to them withered and died, shrivelling and blackening so quickly that it could be seen with the naked eye.
Realization hit her like an arrow, Godou had seen the attack coming and had tried to warn her, however distracted as she had been by her thoughts she hadn't reacted quickly enough. As a result he had been forced to switch to his Raptor Authority and use it's godspeed to get her to safety. Silently she cursed herself for her incompetence; such an error was elementary and inexcusable. How could she have let herself get distracted like that?
Her thoughts were cut off once more as she felt an arm go around her waist once again. She barely had time to draw a sharp breath in surprise at the familiar contact when suddenly the world blurred again and she was once more in a different place. Instinctively her eyes sought the spot in front of Yuri's tent, the place where they had been standing just a second ago. Sure enough the spot was riddled with black spines and what living plants had been there were now dying.
Her eyes went back to the monster again. This time she wasn't going to make the same mistake, she'd keep her eyes on the thing and be ready for its attacks.
"Yuri, see if you can find and help Erica. Liliana, please protect Yuri if she needs it." Godou's voice was calm and collected, but there was a definite edge to it. This was the voice of the god-slaying king.
Before the silver haired knight could think of responding he was of again, moving so fast that even her magically enhanced senses could barely keep up.
The scorpion monster was up again now, its broken legs were still immobile but seemed able to support its weight despite the damage inflicted upon them. As it saw the Campione heading towards it it raised its left arm and stretched the black pincer at its end open. Inside Liliana could see a mass of spikes all clustered together. There was a noise somewhat like a pair of flour sacks hitting each other and then suddenly the needles were flying as though propelled from an air cannon.
However when compared to the speed of one using the power of a god those projectiles might as well have been floating through the air at the velocity of snails.
Godou easily dodged the attack before slamming into his foe. No, that wasn't right. The witch knight blinked in surprise as she saw that the Japanese teen had not collided with his target but had instead RUN ALONG him without ever breaking stride. As he put distance between them the monster roared in pain. Seeing the glint of metal among its black plates she realized that Godou had used their brief moments of contact to drive some of the longer tent pegs into its joints. Brilliant, under normal circumstances he would have lacked the strength to force them in, but by throwing them while turning at the speed he had been going he had lent them the momentum of arrows.
"Go help Godou." The words from Yuri broke into her admiring thoughts and made her turn to stare at the Hime-Miko.
"Kusanagi-sama asked me to watch over you."
"Godou-san can't use the power of the Bull now. The only other of his Authorities he can use to fight that monster are the White Stallion, the Goat and the Warrior. But neither of us knows what divinity birthed that monster so the Warrior can't be used, he isn't familiar enough with the Goat and he can't use the White Stallion because he doesn't have enough room." The explanation was delivered in a rushed gasp.
Liliana's eyes widened as understanding dawned. She knew that the seventh Campione had received an unheard of number of Authorities from the single god he had slain. She had also heard that those powers had conditions upon their use, meaning they could not be used as freely as other Campione could use their own.
Her mouth drew itself into a firm line as she gave Yuri a sharp nod of her head. She would not be a burden upon him. She was a knight of the Bronze-Black Cross and one of the finest witch knights in the world.
"Undrinking blood of murderers, the unretreating bow of Jonathan! Unconsuming oil of the brave soul, returning the sword of Saul in vain! Alas, the heroes, fallen in the midst of battle!"
Il Maestro appeared in her right hand, and then shimmered in blue light as under her breath she recited the Song of the Bow, as the last word was spoken the sword had become a bow. As she began the second part of the spell four arrows surrounded by a glowing blue nimbus appeared on the bow ready to be drawn.
"O' bow of Jonathan, with eagle's swiftness and lion's strength, a hero's weapon. Go forth in assault, upon my fleeing enemies!"
As the words ended she let the shafts fly. Any normal arrow would have been useless in this conflict, but these were arrows made form the mystic essence of Il Maestro, a weapon of great potency. Combined with the power of the Song of the Bow, a spell strong enough to allow a weapon to penetrate the divinity of a god, they were more than equal to the challenge before them. Against a monster of divine origin they would have been crippling had they struck true, enough to secure Godou's victory.
Unfortunately the black armoured monster saw the arrows coming. With an agility that should have been impossible for a creature that was not only so large but also so injured it spun in place and took all four of the shafts into it larger and more heavily armoured left arm. Cursing quietly Liliana took of running, angling the path of her dash so that the scorpion man would have to turn away from Godou in order to focus on her. More arrows were loosed, but lacked the Song of the Bow as she didn't want to pause in one place in order to use it. She had the impression that if she did then she'd soon end up a poisoned pin cushion in short order.
The seventh Campione had not been idle during the opening the witch knight's attack had created. While four arrows were stabbed into the left arm of his foe more than a dozen tent pegs were driven into various joints and seams in the natural armour that protected the monster. Individually they were pin pricks, but their number increased they were slowing the creature down. Enough of them would hopefully incapacitate or kill it. Normally Godou wouldn't have been so vicious in dealing with his attacker, but this one had used clearly lethal weapons against his companions even when they hadn't made a move against it. That was enough of a reason to deal with it in a permanent way as far as he was concerned.
But the beast wasn't going down easily, and its endurance seemed to be tremendous. Forcing its cracked limbs to work it spun place with such force that it was able to use its tail to smash through two trees and send the trunks tumbling. Still using the Raptor Godou was easily able to evade the falling tree limbs. More hampered by mortal limitations as well as being caught by surprise Liliana was not so able.
Her efforts were magnificent though, worthy of her station to say the least. However misfortune caused her ankle to get caught in the fork of a root as she made her last evasion. Losing her balance and unable to make her last jump she only had time to blink as a branch as thick as her waist started to come down on her.
What happened next took place so fast that it was even less distinct than the blurred world she had experienced earlier. One instant the timber was descending to crush her; the next Godou's form crashed into her carrying them both out of the falling trees path, then there was a flash of black, then crimson red splashed the white of her pyjamas.
-()-
(A couple of minutes previously.)
Yuri was frantically pulling at the remains of the tent that Erica had been sleeping in. Unfortunately the stabbing it had received by the pointed legs of the man scorpion had driven the fabric into the ground, essentially nailing it in place. The fact that the Hime-Miko was not blessed with any particular physical strength was also hindering her efforts considerably.
"No need to be so worried," came a voice from behind her. "I was able to get out with plenty of time."
Yuri blinked then turned. Standing behind her was a sight that more than half the boys in Jounan Academy would have been willing to pay in blood to see.
Erica Blandelli was regarded as one of the most desirable girls in the school, a fact that made Godou one of the most envied boys as the blonde made no secret of her affection for him. As a result of both her natural beauty and talent Erica had considerable pride in herself. That combined with her plans for further romantic escapades with the object of her desire had resulted in her current state.
Clad in nothing but some lacy red undergarments the Red Devil of the Copper-Black Cross looked like a lingerie model that had just stepped out of a particularly risqué catalogue. The casual way that she was leaning against a tree completely unconcerned with her lack of more suitable attire seemed in some bizarre way to only heighten her attractiveness.
"E-Erica-san? Why are you dressed like that?!" The Hime-Miko's voice came out in a slightly strangled squeak.
The magical knight turned her gaze away from the battle to give the girl a raised eyebrow.
"I hardly was given a chance to get dresses before I had to get out of my tent you know you know."
"No, I mean- why are you dressed like that?"
A smile that could only be described as devilish crossed the blonde swordswoman's face.
"Well it would hardly do for me to try to seduce my dear Godou in simple pyjamas no would it?"
The sheer brazen honesty of Erica's calm statement was enough to once more rob the Hime-Miko of the power of speech.
Ignoring Yuri's shock the magical knight turned her attention back towards the fight. Liliana was proving to be excellent support for Godou and between them they seemed to dealing minor but mounting damage to their foe.
"Ano . . . shouldn't you be helping them Erica-san?" Ah, it seemed that Yuri had managed to overcome her shock and was now gazing down at the battle with concern.
"There's no need," replied the blonde with casual certainty. "In fact I think this might have been a good thing to happen. Since she broke her ties to Voban I've been hoping that she'd form some with Godou, but she's been so shy about it. This is an excellent chance for her to develop her own feelings for him."
The young Mariya could only stare at the other girl's devilish smile with a kind of horrified admiration. To think, this girl could look at the attack of such a monstrosity and calmly analyse the situation for whatever advantageous angles she could find. How terrifying, and yet how oddly admirable.
"But-but what about Godou-san?"
"Huh? What about him? Yuri, if something like that overgrown arachnid was enough to kill him then he would never have become a Campione in the first place."
The Hime-Miko once more flushed, but this time in shame rather than embarrassment. She knew that she should have known that, she more than most others knew just how powerful Godou could be. The problem was that he didn't act it. When she'd first been assigned to make contact with the newest Campione she had been terrified, sure that she would be faced with another fearsome tyrant. Instead the young Kusanagi was . . . normal. He was a nice normal guy, so much so that it was all too easy to forget just how much power he kept concealed.
Yes, he was a Campione; a monster like this should be of little threat to him.
Her thoughts were by two sudden cries, one of alarm and one of pain.
-()-
Liliana cursed herself once more as she wrapped her arms around Godou and leapt away from their previous place using a spell to allow her flight. It was a wise move, no sooner were they gone than the spot where they had previously stood as peppered by black spines.
In her arms the seventh Campione groaned in pain as he clutched the wound in his shoulder. That monster had shown that it wasn't simply powerful and agile, it was also cunning. Cunning enough to have anticipated Godou moving to aid her when she hadn't been fast enough to avoid those falling branches. Even as he had pushed her out of the way the hurled sword of the scorpion man had come spinning through the air and nearly clove his head in two. Only the fact that he had taken one extra step had made the difference between death and mere injury.
Even as they landed Godou suddenly clutched at his chest and stumbled as his legs lost strength.
"Was the blade poisoned?!" Liliana snapped as she immediately took up a guarding position between the fallen Campione and the arachnid monster. The burst of movement it had used seemed to have left it drained as it made no move to follow them, only turning slowly to face in their direction.
"No," gasped Godou, "The swords impact managed to cancel the Raptor."
The seventh Campione was angry with himself. In some ways the Raptor was the unruliest of his Authorities. The Boar might be the most wantonly destructive, but for the most part it followed his commands. The Raptor on the other hand had an unpleasant tendency to slip from his control whenever his concentration was broken. And having a spinning sword buzz saw through your shoulder could definitely break one focus.
Once again he was silently thankful for the additional hardiness that being a Campione gave to his body. Though not quite as bad as being mauled by a tiger spirit the gash in his shoulder should still have sent him into shock, now it simply hurt like hell.
Any further thoughts were cut off as the centaurian monster started to move towards them. At first its movements were slow and pained, but it quickly picked up speed and began to thunder up the shallow incline towards them.
Damn it, he couldn't be immobilized now. He needed to fight, he needed power.
Once more words came unbidden to his lips, but these were new spell words, ones that he had never used before.
"All of the enemies before me, fear me. Every sinner shall tremble before my power. Now is the time, that I obtain the power of a thousand camels! Upon my mighty self, I shall bear the symbol of the raging camel!"
Strength surged through him, the pain in his shoulder faded to inconsequentiality and his blood began to sing. This new Authority wasn't troublesome in the least; it had the feeling of wanting to be used, of wanting to fight.
Without an instants hesitation the young Kusanagi hurled himself forwards. A spinning kick caught the monsters claw arm and sent it veering of to the side so it couldn't be brought to bear against the Campione. The following kick was a straight thrust driven into the scorpion mans middle and reflexively doubling him over. The third attack of the combo was a dropping axe kick the caught its target in the back of his bowed head and drove him face first into the dirt.
Godou had never had any serious martial arts training in his life, and yet under the influence of this new Authority the moves came as easily as putting one foot in front of the other while walking. Then his instincts screamed at him once more and he jumped backwards hurriedly.
The decision saved his life as the stinger on the end of the scorpion tail stabbed through the place where his chest had been only an instant before. Without even stopping to think about it the seventh Campione brought his right leg about in a vicious roundhouse kick. The force of the blow was such that the tail was brutally severed, black ichor gushing out from the broken end.
However before Godou could press his advantage the monster had straightened itself up once more and was swiping at him with its pincer ending left arm. Almost easily he ducked under the blow and then lashed upwards with a straight kick, driving the heel of his foot into the elbow of the arm.
With a high keen of pain the scorpion man jumped backwards while cradling his broken limb with his right arm, moving like a spider as it retreated. The black haired teen watched it go, willing to let it gain some room as long as it gave him a chance to both catch his breath and plan his next move.
Such thoughts were cut of though as he watched the broken end of the tail rapidly scab over and heal. As he watched he could see the end visibly begin to grow a new stinger. With a muttered curse he realized that the legs that had previously been crippled were now apparently working just fine. A loud crack echoed through the campsite as the previously broken arm snapped back into place and visibly flexed. Almost as a last insult the seemed to reach INTO its own body and draw forth a new sword.
Great, he was down two of his Authorities and this monster was almost as well off as it had been when this fight had started. Sure it still had a few tent pegs stabbed into it, but those were being treated like splinters. Irritations to be left to deal with later. If he wanted to finish this thing off he'd have to do it all in one go leaving it no chance to regenerate.
Idly he wondered at what point ruthlessness had begun to come so naturally to him. A year ago the thought of killing something would not have come to him so easily, now though it was no problem at all.
"Are you alright Kusanagi Godou-sama?"
The voice of Erica's friend broke into his thoughts. He'd been rather surprised when she had insisted upon accompanying him and the other girls on this trip. Still right now he would welcome any aid he could get.
"I'm good, the Camel grants great endurance and leg strength. The problem is I don't think it'll be enough to take on that guy's regeneration."
That much was obvious to both the fighters at a glance. The power of the new Authority that Godou had unlocked was formidable, but blunt blows such as kicks were of minimal use against a foe that healed as fast as this one. What was needed was fully destroying attacks, such as fire, or assaults that would hinder the regeneration, such as freezing.
The young Campione was well aware that his best shot at finishing this monster off was to use his White Stallion Authority on it. He could feel with himself that the power was available for his use. It seemed that this monsters mere existence made it enough of an enemy to mankind to count as one who had sinned against the people. Well, that and the fact that it was currently tearing up a national park, that probably counted too.
The problem was the power of the horse was the size of the blast it created on impact. If he used it right now not only would it encompass the entire campsite but also almost everyone in it. He and Liliana might be safe, but the chances of Erica and Yuri being caught in it were simply too great. What he needed to do was knock the monster all the way across the campsite, right to the other end. He could do it, of that he was certain. The power of the Camel gave him the strength to accomplish the fete. The problem was that the scorpion man was not about to let him get close enough to do that easily.
He could see it in his minds eye. He'd charge at the monster and it would immediately retaliate. First it would release a spray of black needles, then, if he dodged the first attack, it would lash out a quick slash with its sword. If he was able to avoid that as well the there was still its tail to contend with since it had to all intents and purposes finished healing by this point.
There lay the difficulty, no matter how he went over it in his mind he couldn't see a way to get through those three attacks and still be in position. In each scenario he envisioned he was either struck by a blow or but at an angle that wouldn't allow him to complete his objective. The problem was that while the Camel increased his leg strength and improved his reflexes it didn't give him speed anywhere near that of the Raptor. What he needed was an edge, a distraction, something to make up for that loss of speed.
"Kusanagi-sama?"
And there was the advantage he needed. It was ironic in a way, he had the power of a god at his disposal and in each and every one of his battles the deciding factor had not been the miraculous powers he had usurped. The deciding factor was that unlike his enemies Kusanagi Godou was not alone.
"Liliana-san, I need to ask a favour?"
"Ah – What can I do?" Her voice was surprised and a touch hesitant.
"I need to place my life in your care."
"EHHH?" Her response was only natural, what other kind of answer could there be to such a declaration.
"I need you to use those arrows of your once more. I'll charge him directly, but when I do he'll attack me with both his arms and his tail. What I need you to do is use those arrows of yours to throw off as many of those attacks as you can, if you can knock even just one off course it should be enough. Do you think you can do it?"
With a firm expression on her face the witch knight raised her bow and materialized three arrows.
"Kusanagi-sama, I swear on my honour as a knight that not even one attack will touch you."
With a small grin on his face the seventh Campione crouched as he prepared to begin his charge.
"If I'm placing my life in your hands then I think it would be proper for you to call me by my given name."
"Ah . . . certainly, Kus-err Godou-sama." Though the black haired teen could not see it his friendly gesture had caused the silver haired knight to blush furiously.
"Alright then . . . here. We. GO!" At the last word he pushed off into a sprint with such force that the stones beneath his feet actually cracked from the pressure exerted upon them.
Behind him Liliana was already reciting the Song of the Bow. She already knew that she would not miss her target; the magic in her arrows would not allow that. What could happen though was that she could choose the wrong mark to hit. The monster she aimed at was large, strong and possessed powerful healing, there was no doubt that her shafts could penetrate its armour and hurt it. The thing was that if she chose incorrectly then it might ignore the arrow strikes and continue its attack. What she had to do was strike it in such a way that its movements would be completely disrupted.
She mustn't rush, she mustn't act in haste. She had already made too many mistakes in this short fight; she had to redeem herself by completing the trust that had been placed in her.
So she held her shaft ready and waited. Held its tension next to her ear and sighted down its length as she watched the young devil king move closer and closer to his foe. Both adrenaline and magic sang through her blood and brain, pushing her into a world of slow motion as she focussed the entirety of her being into the task at hand.
He was only five steps from the monster now. And . . . THERE! Its left arm came up, swinging round to unleash a spray of its black poisoned needles at the Campione at point blank range.
The shaft was already released before her mind had fully caught up with her senses. Even as the arrow flew through the air she was already notching the next. The loosed arrow flew straight as a beam of sunlight and pierced right through the scorpion mans left arm at the 'wrist' just below the pincer. The force of the impact knocked the arm back and caused the black spines to fire off harmlessly into the air away from anyone.
Step!
Now he was only four steps away. Reacting with magnificent speed to the attack on its arm the black armoured man arachnid brought his sword round in a horizontal slash that would sever Godou's head from his shoulders. Once again Liliana acted without conscious thought and the arrow was flying and a new one was being readied before her racing mind had caught up with her senses. This time she didn't aim for the arm or hand, but rather for the weapon they held.
Enhanced by magic strong enough to harm a god the glowing blue shaft sliced through the blade of the wicked black sword just above the hilt. As the arm continued its useless stroke, a prisoner of its own momentum, the broken blade spun away harmlessly past the Campione's back and into the bracken.
Step!
Three more steps to go. And here came the monsters last attack, stabbing downwards the scorpion's tail tried to ram its poisoned stinger into Godou's chest. The third and final arrow was released and homed in on its target with an accuracy that would have made any Noble Phantasm proud. In the blink of an eye it had crossed the intervening space and stabbed through the middle of the tail with such force that for the second time in less than two minutes it was completely severed in two.
Step!
This was it. Her part had been accomplished, now it was all up to Godou. However as she watched the lower part of the scorpion mans armoured 'face' suddenly split open to reveal a black 'mouth'. Before her horrified eyes three black darts shot out of the opening in swift succession.
Even in the middle of his dash the Campione remained agile and managed to shift his course just enough to dodge two of them. The last one caught him a glancing cut along his right shoulder.
The blood drained from her face and the breath caught in her throat as Liliana saw the Campione fall forwards. Then it returned as it became clear that the fall was not a collapse but rather a planned move. Tucking himself into a short roll the young Kusanagi came to a stop right in front of the monster with his shoulders braced against the ground and his legs coiled in.
With a wordless shout of exertion Godou thrust out with both legs in a single simple bucking kick. The impact on the scorpion man's armour was so strong that the silver haired witch was actually sure that she saw a shockwave ripple out from the point of contact. Regardless as to whether or not that had been a trick of her mind the blow was strong enough to send the black armoured monstrosity fly right across the campsite to come crashing down in the spot where the path led into the clearing.
The seventh Campione didn't hesitate for an instant, springing to his feet he raised one hand to the sky and spoke the sacred spell words that called on the Authority that held the power of the sun.
"Came to me, for the victory! Immortal Sun, lend me a quick, shining steed. Fire of the Sun that dispels the dark, may it engulf you!"
Though it was night time the sun impossibly came into being above him. Before the awed eyes of those who watched that sun condensed down into the form of a horse. A magnificent stallion made out of pure white flames and galloping through the air at speeds that would have made a military missile weep with envy.
The black armoured scorpion man barely had time to raise his head before the horse made of sunfire came crashing down on him. Both monster and Authority vanished in massive dome of destruction nearly twenty metres across as the white stallion detonated into a conflagration holding within it the power of the sun. For a full five seconds the great hemisphere of fire and light remained in place, and then it faded from view leaving only dust and smoke in its wake.
Of the monster there was no sign, all that was left was a single huge crater in the ground big enough to put a house into.
Liliana stared; slightly awed at the sheer destruction the Authority has wrought. When Godou had sought to use the White Stallion against Voban he had been able to counter it handily with his own Authority, an act that had shocked the younger Campione. Now that she saw just what the horse Authority was capable of the silver haired maiden understood his reaction.
The sound of a body thumping to the ground drew her out of her thoughts, before her the victorious Godslayer had collapsed face first to the ground. She was by his side in the splitting of an instant, kneeling at his side and pulling him over so that his head would be pillowed by her lap. It took only a single glance to assess the reason for his collapse. An unhealthily flushed complexion, profuse sudden sweating, shivers running through his body and a severe shortness of breath.
"Poison." The word slipped out of her lips even as the thought ran through her head. A supernatural poison was the most dangerous enemy for the enhanced vitality of a Campione. Because of their resistance to external magic attacking them internally with potions and poisons was regarded as one of the only methods available to mortals who meant the devil kings harm. Of course even this approach was far from foolproof as the immense vital force of a Campione was able throw off even lethal potions; the best they could hope to accomplish was to temporarily incapacitate their target.
This though was the venom of a mythical monster. Though she was unaware of its origins most such creatures could find their roots in the form of one god or another, meaning that the monster had been at least on some level a divine beast. Now that it had been destroyed the potency of its venom would quickly dissipate, but the question was whether or not the Campione's body could hold out long enough to outlast it?
She found her hands reaching for Godou's chest to prepare a healing spell and stopped them. While she dearly wished that she could heal him the same resistance to magic that protected him likewise prevented her from healing him now. Damn it, she wanted to help him, how could she be so helpless here, right at the end of the battle? There had to be a way there had to be a . . .
Suddenly a memory came to her. When she had insisted that she accompany Erica in her plans to meet up with Godou on his planned trip they he spent an hour or two in a car driving to their destination. Having grown bored of the silence Liliana had asked Yuri why she had been kissing the seventh Campione in the middle of his battle with the Marquis Voban. While the young Japanese beauty had been blushing and stuttering Erica had been uncharacteristically helpful and explained. She had told her that due to a Campiones magic resistance the only way to enact a spell upon them was internally. In Yuri's case she had been passing information directly to Godou's mind so he could use it in battle, and in order to get around the resistance the knowledge had to be done mouth to mouth, hence the kissing.
So . . . a kiss. Her first kiss to be precise.
Could she do it? In a way it was her duty as a knight, she had leant her support to the king in this battle so how could she hold back any of her resources without being dishonourable? On the other hand would she so callously cast aside her maiden's heart by using her first such experience in such a way. Knight though she might be she was not yet so hard as to do that.
Looking down her eyes were drawn to his lips. They were moist and slightly parted as he drew in lungfuls of air, a slight smudge of blood touched the top of one lip and a spot of dirt marked one corner. This was no romantic moment in under the moonlight as she had many times envisioned her first kiss in being. This was so far from being what she would have hoped for, and yet . . .
And yet she remembered his last words to her. No hesitation, only trust in her abilities. Telling her it was alright for her to use his given name. Saying that he would be placing his life in her hands.
Once again she found herself moving without really thinking about it. The words of a healing spell were already spoken and the enchantment complete as her lips sealed themselves across his. For a moment she closed her eyes as allowed herself to enjoy the surprising softness of his lips and the slight taste of his mouth. Then she released the power she had been holding in check and allowed the healing power to flow from her into him.
The effects were immediate, his breathing instantly grew easier and she could feel the unnatural heat being to fade from his face.
"Really Godou, when I said that I would accept another woman I thought that you'd be content with just Yuri. Instead now you've gone and collected Lily as well?"
The playful, teasing and yet slightly irritated voice of her principle rival broke into the silver haired knights somewhat erratic thoughts and brought her back to the real world.
"Liliana-san, that's indecent! You should not be acting in such a manner!" The voice of Mariya Yuri was added to that of the blonde magi.
"You did the exact same thing when fighting his majesty Voban!" The hypocrisy of Yuri's words, given the situation, combined with her own embarrassment caused that rebuke to slip out before she had properly thought about it.
"Even so you should not be holding another woman's man in such a manner." Commented Erica.
"I am Kusanagi Godou-sama's knight, how is it improper for a servant to lend their support to their liege?"
AHHH, what was she saying? She hadn't made up her mind as to whether or not she would swear herself as Godou's knight. She still had to think, consider, weigh her options . . . or did she? For the sake of the Bronze-Black Cross she needed to form an association with a Campione. Her previous link to Marquis Voban was irredeemably shattered, something she was quite happy about. So apart from Godou the only other option was Salvatori Doni, and quite frankly she had no illusions as to her ability to deal with that idiotic genius. He was just not the kind of person she could feel comfortable serving.
So that left Godou as her only available choice, and to her surprise she was fine with that. He was a good man who cared for his subjects, dealt reasonably with others and did not flaunt his status as one of the supreme rulers. This was a man that she could swear her sword and body to without regrets.
Deep within her heart a decision was made. Liliana Karnjcar was now the loyal knight of Kusanagi Godou, the seventh Campione.
Laying on his back the object of her oath kept his eyes closed and continued to feign unconsciousness. Maybe if he stayed like this long enough he could avoid what was quickly becoming a troublesome situation.
-()-
From her vantage point up in the trees the Divine Ancestor watched the antics of the young man and his women below her.
That had been . . . instructive. She saw now why Athena seemed to hold the boy in some regard as well as why she viewed him as her own future prey. He was already quite powerful, even though he was young and relatively inexperienced in battle. Never before had any Campione gained so many varied powers from a single Heretic God, even if there did seem to be some limitations on their use.
He could be a problem. The plan that she and her companions had set into motion would lead them to target the eighth Campione first. However he had recently come to this land in the Far East, the place where so many things were brought by the flow of the world. Depending on how the two god-slayers when they met the plans of herself and her allies could become far easier or near impossible.
One way or another she was sure that the boy would be a deciding factor; she'd ones like him through the ages. They seemed to be of the mediocrity, just average people content to go through their lives with a minimum of fuss and bother, but those spines of theirs held steel in them. Push them, threaten them or what they cared for and that iron would become the steel of swords and lances, of revolutionaries and future kings. Then again it was hardly a surprise that the dark haired youth would possess such qualities, after all there was no way a weak man could ever become a devil king.
But she would not let that stand in her way; she had once been a goddess, a queen of the earth and sea who had given birth to those who would one day be called Elder Gods. She had held the Rule of Destiny in her hands and bestowed it upon whomever she so chose. Now she was reduced to this, to a state only a few steps removed from a mortal.
And she hated it, hated it with an intensity that could blind even a lord of the sun. She would return to what she had once been, but she would not sacrifice any of her self in order to become some pale version of what she once had been. She would reclaim her full glory, return to the heights from which she had been torn, and when she did so she would retain all the knowledge and skills that she had accumulated over the millennia. That combined with the fullness of her power would make her greater than she had ever been in her previous life as a deity.
She would be more.
She would be magnificent.
With a single word she faded from view as her magic carried her away to another location. She would have to meet with her reluctant ally. She knew that neither of them liked the other, that their association was one of necessity rather that desire of friendship. Still at least she could be secure in that they both worked towards the same goal and that each needed the others aid in order to succeed.
Information needed to be shared and plans needed to be refined.
-()-
Shirou stood in his kitchen and added the final touches to the fruit salad he had been preparing.
Oh he was proud of his new kitchen, dozens of specialized knives, four different types of oven one of which was large enough to cook a whole boar, all manner of food processing gadgets for him to experiment with and a special eight ring stove. The freezer was big enough to store an entire butchered cow and still have room to spare and the fridge was just as big if not bigger.
The things he could make here, with his new wealth he could afford the most exotic and expensive ingredients he could imagine. He was still trying to decide whether or not he should try to learn how to prepare Fugu simply because he could afford to try to now.
The smile that had adorned his face slipped as that thought of learning how to cook the needlessly extravagant dish brought thoughts of Sakura to his mind. They had joked about that sometimes, each trying to one up the other on the most exotic dish that they would one day cook. Fugu had always been the deciding one as far as both of them were concerned, how could a dish that held the chance of killing its eater be otherwise.
How was she doing right now? Did she miss him? Was she even sane enough to remember him? Could her mind have survived after her contact to that which could well be called the sum of all human evil? Was he a bad person for hoping that she did, for hoping that she was experiencing the pain of loss? The truth was that he missed her, he missed his home, he missed Fuji-nee, he missed his school, but most of all he missed her. They'd been part of each others lives for so long now, even before he began to think of her in a romantic way
she had been a dear friend. Over the course of the war for the Holy Grail they had become lovers, even if it had only been for a brief time.
Now he wondered what it would have been like if he had stayed in their home dimension, well assuming he had somehow survived of course. Would they have started to date like a normal couple? Gone to movies together, gone shopping, gone on holidays together? Would she have moved in with him? Would they have grown closer until one day he might have asked her the most important question that any couple could ask?
So many questions, questions that he could not answer.
Shaking his head the eighth Campione picked up the large bowel of chopped fruit and juice mixed with honey and began to head to the small dining room where Illya was waiting. That girl, sometime he thought that she ate even more heartily than Saber had after the battle where they defeated Berserker.
He froze at that thought, simply coming to a stop in the middle of the hallway.
That wasn't right; Saber had never fought Berserker to a victory before she was consumed by Sakura's shadow projection. The only time they had faced of had been after he had left the church and that had ended in both her and her master nearly getting killed, certainly not victory. Yes she had defeated Berserker after she was reborn as her altered self, defeated him and fed him to the same shadow that had consumed her. But she certainly hadn't come back to his house the day after so he could cook her Japanese-style hamburgers. What the hell was going on?
Saber had defeated Berserker? With his help? How? That made no sense. Sure he had used a bastardized version of Heracles' own Noble Phantasm to defeat him when Sakura's shadow had regurgitated a blind and crippled version of him. But that had only been possible because of Archer's arm being grafted to him and Berserker having been stripped of the skin that had been his God Hand Noble Phantasm. How had he been able to help Saber to kill him? While she was a fine fighter she had lacked the sheer stats needed to penetrate his defences.
No, wait. That wasn't right, Excalibur was more than enough to do the job, but she hadn't had the prana reserves to manage it.
No, there had been another sword, Caliburn? When had that happened?
The world lurched around him as his memories twisted around each other. Recollections of what he knew was true jostled for place with memories that he was sure were not right but at the same time felt as though they were true.
He was standing against Gilgamesh amidst a field of uncountable swords. He fought against Kuzuki Souichirou while Rin took on Caster. Illya held him prisoner in her castle demanding he become her servant. Saber unleashed Excalibur against Rider who was mounted upon her Pegasus.
He heard a crash of breaking glass and realized he had dropped the bowel he had been carrying. Seemingly in the distance he could hear Illya calling out to him in alarm.
As darkness rose up to claim him his last thought was to feel somewhat guilty that Illya was having to spend so much time carting around his unconscious form.