Sixth of November, 2012, afternoon.
Hurriedly the man sprints through the cavern, using magic beyond his limits to bring the news even a few seconds earlier. The news of great importance, well worth the pain his magic reinforcement is giving.
So he keeps running, running until he sees a large open space that is well-lit by torches. He's there! The meeting place of the four main families of the History Compilation Committee, overseers of all magic happening in the island nation of Japan. Halting in the center of the room he takes a quick breath before looking at the four people sitting high above him, on ivory thrones that speak of their authority:
Seishuuin, Kuhoutsuka, Renjou, Sayanomiya. Four families that bonded together centuries ago, using each of their personal talents to take control of the magic institutes of Japan: The battle-hardened Seishuuin with a hand in politics, the Kuhoutsuka controlling finances and the cover-up in the media, the Renjou who administer all of Japan's hime-miko and the Sayanomiya who form the core think tank. Seeing the four heads of the families together is a sight to behold, but compared to what the informant saw it's like comparing gold and lead, it doesn't even come close.
"State your name and purpose." With a booming voice the elder of the Sayanomiya clan orders the man around. Still somewhat grumpy that he couldn't have his afternoon nap he would like nothing better than to punish this insolent man in front of him. "What purpose is important enough to call upon all the elders of the committee?"
"M-my name is Hideki Tatsuya, oh esteemed elders." Tatsuya is scared, afraid of these imposing leaders. Sure, it is not the worst thing he ever met, but this easily stays in his top three. The reason it is not at one is because he is describing that moment right now: "Five days ago a goddess appeared in Hokkaido. We were planning to bring in our country's Campione, Kusanagi Godou, to deal with her, but when we were about to contact him we got news that the Goddess disappeared. She vanished from the earth, but according to our reports it was not god or god-slayer who dealt with the divine being."
"Are you implying that five days ago a human slayed a god and became the eight Campione, Hideki?" The elder of the Seishuuin, the one with the most tact of the four, quickly understood the meaning, something only the Sayanomiya elder copied: "That is quite the improbable event. The time between the birth of new Campiones is almost always years, if not decades. There have been times where there was more than a century without the birth of any new Campione. And now you claim that there is a new king only a mere six months since the birth of the last one?"
As ridiculous as it sounds, it is the truth. There has been born a new king. "It is exactly as you say, esteemed elders. A young woman who was enjoying her holiday in the mountain ranges near Niseko{1} got her fun interrupted by the goddess destroying most of the area around her. Though miraculous luck she managed to slay the goddess, usurping the divine power and becoming the newest god-slayer in the process."
Unbeknownst to messenger Tatsuya the elders had already placed several spells on the general area, including some that tell when someone is lying. As they give no reaction to his words the elders know that he is speaking the full truth, or at least has no intention to lie.
"We believe your words for now, Hideki." The elder of the Kuhoutsuka takes the word this time, slightly interested in this new king. "Now what can you tell us about this new lord? You said that she was here for holiday purposes, so is she Japanese or a foreigner of another land?"
"I'm afraid that she is of Japanese descent, esteemed elders." He hears at least one of the four gulp in anxiety, and the other thee start to frown at this development. Of course Tatsuya understands the problem the elders face. The newest Campione is Japanese and will probably try to settle herself in Japan. The last time two Campione fought over a single country was around a hundred years ago, when Her Eminence Luo Hao fought against a fledgling Campione also of Chinese descend. The battle was long and vicious, with two major cities wiped from the earth by the two Campione. In the end the fledgling, having lost to Her Eminence, had to flee to Russia where he lived for another fifty years before being killed in battle. If something similar were to happen to Japan then there will most likely be no more Tokyo left. In the worst case scenario there might not even be anything left of the Kanto region!
The elders start to discuss among one another about their predicament. They have multiple options available. They could stand behind Kusanagi Godou, and hope he will drive off the latest Godslayer. Of course, giving him full backing will bite them in the ass in case the eighth wins. Worst comes to worst and the HCC will stop existing.
A second option is to back both of the new Godslayers, hoping that these two can settle the conflict without any form of combat. They know that Kusanagi Godou is not interested in ruling over the country, merely wishing to live an ordinary life unless a god starts to make trouble. He would easily relinquish the country to the eighth, perhaps even joining her in combat against foreign gods and Campiones! However, this requires that the eight has the same level of calmness and rationality as Kusanagi Godou, and the only other Godslayers currently in the world who comes close are America's masked superhero and Britain's black prince, and even that may not be enough as the latter has somewhat hostile relationships with Kusanagi Godou. The chance of the eighth being this compassionate is, well, low. There is a reason Godslayers are feared beings. Just because they got one of the best and most tolerable kings doesn't mean that each king is of that level.
"Hideki Tatsuya," The Renjou leader calls the attention of the messenger in an imposing tone, "what can you tell us about the personality of this king?" Will she try to be a threat to our current king? The last part wasn't asked, but not a single person in the room didn't catch that also needed to be answered.
"As far as we know the newest Campione has a somewhat bossy personality, but is quite fair when talking to others. She responds to kindness with kindness, and abhors those who do evil to her. All in all her personality can be likened to a queen."
If the messenger used a spell to reinforce his ears he could've heard the Seishuuin elder whisper "Ha! Sounds like an interesting godslayer!" Now only the elder next to him heard those words. Instead Tatsuya got the following reply from the Seishuuin: "So it is likely to assume that these two kings will at least agree to a treaty of non-aggression, correct?" Tatsuya nodded, his answer clear. "Good. In that case I will suggest that we keep close ties to both of these Campiones, and hope that they will both protect our country from divine threats." Only few organizations have ever successfully managed to serve two lords, with currently the only three still in existence being the Copper-Black Cross, the Bronze-Black Cross, and the Chinese triads. Musing over these feats the elders realize that all these organizations have close ties to at least 'their' king, Kusanagi Godou. Erica Blandelli, Liliana Krancjar, Lu Yinghua, the former two from mage orders with ties to Lord Salvatore Doni and the third is the personal pupil of Her Eminence Luo Hao. He even managed to get Luo Hao as her sworn older sister. Really, king Kusanagi is surprisingly good at making friends and lovers.
"Esteemed Elders?" Tatsuya spoke up. It's not befitting for someone of his place, but there was one more important thing to tell. The elders order him speak, and so he does: "I believe that the chance is higher than to merely rely on mere assumptions. I can tell you with full certainty that these two kings will not fight each other for control of the country."
"Hoh?" Once more the lie detector gave negative results. He is not lying, so the elders are intrigued by his certainness. "And how can you be so sure of that?"
"Well, esteemed elders, the name of our eighth Campione is Kusanagi Shizuka."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" The elder of the Renjou shouts out. What they need are answers, not some vague- wait, why are the other three looking so shocked? Is there somethin-hold on again: "Did you just say Kusanagi Shizuka?"
"Yes, esteemed elder."
"Are… are you implying that… that…" Words try to come out of the elder's mouth, but the shock of this revelation prevents any sane talk.
"Indeed. Our eighth Campione is Kusanagi Shizuka, younger sister of the seventh."
For once the voices of the four elders was not booming, or imposing, or powerful. A simple normal voice from all four elders, each speaking the same word in disbelief: "What?"
-x-
First of November, early afternoon.
The seventh Campione's younger sister still really doesn't belief the kind of luck her classmate has. Somehow that classmate managed to win a five weekday long skiing trip for her entire class and their respective teacher. While lots of students in the class thanked their winner, Teshigahara Saya, for this amazing opportunity there were also lots of teachers opposed to the idea. It would cost the entire class a week of valuable lessons after all, so concessions had to be made.
The first rule made up by the teachers was that all he students need to be one week further with their homework than what they were originally supposed to be. If they cannot manage that then they need to focus on learning, not on skiing. The second rule is that they need to greatly advance their cultural project. In three weeks there will be Jounan Academy's cultural festival, starting on the twenty-first of November. Each class prepares something for the festival, and it can easily take a month to complete it into the finer details. If they did not manage to show progress they were not allowed to go.
As they are right now in one of Niseko's famous ski areas one can guess how that ended. Almost everything for the festival is already finished, It just needs to be set up. The homework was done in time and no other problems occurred that could have forced the school to abandon the trip.
Since yesterday the class has been having a good time, enjoying the plane trip and bus ride to the hotel. They arrived late in the evening yesterday, so right now is the first time the class can go enjoy the winter sports in the area.
The main force of class 2-B went to the beginner course to be taught the basics of skiing. Among the thirteen and fourteen year olds in her class were lots and lots of newcomers to the sport, at least two-thirds had never even bound skis under their feet. Only four people are experienced enough to go down the intermediate course, including Shizuka. But Shizuka did not join the others. She went for the advanced course, the only one in her class to dare such a thing and have the skills to pull it off.
It should not be allowed. A lone fourteen year old student would still be rejected. Shizuka, who is still only twelve years old, would be dismissed immediately. But like most in her family she isn't an ordinary girl. She easily managed to talk her way on the course. With her bossy personality and her queenly attitude she can get what she wants simply by asking for it the right way.
So now Shizuka is snowboarding down the advanced course. There's nary a soul on the slope, as expected for this time of the year. In normal circumstances the skiing season will start early December, and only though sheer luck is there currently enough snow lying on the mountains.
But she doesn't care. Going down the mountainside she slides through the trees, showing off the skill of an experienced snowboarder.
Another tree gets evaded with the nimbleness of a cat as she enjoys her trip downward. The first third of the slope she went down with pure fun, having travelled down at least 350 meters from the top. Seeing a nice little bump she turns her body ninety degrees, breaking her speed and stopping just in front of the tiny top. Clicking out of her snowboard she takes in the view around her:
A breathtaking view of a snowy wonderland, a world covered in snow. Shizuka looks around her and realizes that she managed to get quite far off-course. Niseko should be straight ahead, but she managed to get the city to her right. There is also a lack of trails from other skiers or snowboarders. Yep, she's definitely off the official slope now.
Since Niseko is to the right going in that direction should bring her back on track, allowing her to continue enjoying the lively joy of her holidays. But she didn't decide to directly go that way. No, there's something to her left that seems to shimmer mysteriously.
Doing what one is supposed to do or giving in to temptation and go even further off track? Perhaps it is in her blood, as Shizuka does the same thing she expects her brother and grandfather to do: She goes down to the left, after the mysterious gleam. Truly an action of a fool, as unbeknownst to her this is the first step with which she joins the highest and strongest order of foolish humans:
Snowboarding another hundred meters down she arrives at the source of the shimmer: Covered partially in the white snow lies a black stone, dark like a starless night. All light that shines upon it is absorbed in the black vortex, even Shizuka cannot keep her gaze off it.
She picks up the stone and pats off the snow, giving her a clean look at it: It's cut without fault, beyond the level of human precision. It's a perfectly shaped hexagonal prism, with two hexagonal pyramids forming the top and bottom. It's the shape quartz normally takes in natural sources, but that gem is never as black as this. Perhaps this is Onyx? It belongs to the same family as quartz, being a black version of chalcedony{2}.
The gemstone is weird and mysterious, but Shizuka cannot say she dislikes it. It's something that does not seem worthy for human hands, nor something that one like her would own. It's probably a nice souvenir for gramps, perhaps he knows what kind of thing this is.
Putting the stone in one of her thick winter jacket's pockets she prepares to go her way again, back to the city where she resided. There she could put away the stone and focus again on having fun. Going down the rest of the mountain she arrives back at the city, where she enjoys a nice little snack.
From the top of the mountain a woman looks at Shizuka eating her snack. Normal humans cannot see her, but if they could they would be awestruck by her radiating beauty. Men would be overcome by lust from seeing her mere silhouette, and women might kill themselves in jealousy. The only mar on her face is the slight frown her eyebrows make, as she is slightly angered by Shizuka's actions.
A human child, one of her own creation, has dared to take that which belongs to the gods? The impudence! How dares such an insignificant being take it! Death should be her punishment!
A few more seconds she spends in anger before sighing it all away. It does not matter. She threw that part of her away willingly, that ugly part of her myth. She has already been defiled enough, changed from an earth goddess of creation into a celestial daughter and wife. That stone, that [Heavenly Stone], she can part with it for a while.
And as for the human performing such a transgression to her rule… well, she can let it slide. After all, that girl will not survive her assault tomorrow… just like all the other foolish humans in the area…
-x-
Same day, early night.
Back in the hotel Shizuka is lying in her bed, but sleep does not grab hold of her. Her three roommates, Kuniko, Chitose and Miki, all fell asleep around an hour ago. Sure, the four of them had fun playing games like Koi-Koi{3},doubt or old maid, but the curfew of ten o'clock stopped such happy (and loud) activities. Miki wanted to stay up all night talking, but she was the first one to fall asleep. The other two followed shortly after, leaving Shizuka as the only one still awake. Using this opportunity she snuck out of bed and took the stone out of her bag.
The stone in her hand is barely visible in the dark room, blending in with the background. Only her sense of touch tells her that the stone is still in her hand. But why does it not feel like a stone? Compared to the slick feeling of a smooth stone this feels… cold. Like holding a bar of metal. Strange, it felt like normal stone when she first picked it up. What caused the change, is it the difference between day and night temperatures? It's the only explanation Shizuka can come up with, so she decides to roll with it. No point thinking about it any further.
Deciding that she is still not that sleepy yet she opens the door to the balcony. It's completely silent, unlike her home where Tokio's nightlife can be heard clearly, or her father's place where crickets chirp from dusk 'til dawn. With the cool breeze it's a refreshing difference from the damp sleeping room.
"Kusanagi-chan? You're still awake too?" Looking to her side she sees another classmate hanging on the fence of the neighboring balcony. In the moonlight she can see some minor details about her classmate, just enough to determine who it is:
"Hello Teshigahara-san. You're also still awake?"
"Yep!" Saya grins from ear to ear, showing off her happiness to her classmate. "I've been looking forward to this trip so, so much ever since I heard I won! And now that I am here there is so much I want to do, with only so little time! It sounds almost wasteful to spend so much of it sleeping!"
Shizuka cannot disagree, there is a lot of fun to be had here. Tomorrow she's going to down the slopes the opposite side of town, snowboarding down the northern slopes instead of the southern ones. And since the day after tomorrow is spend on group activities, and after that day they have to go home, tomorrow is her last chance at some free and challenging activities.
"Oh, and Kusanagi-chan, isn't the moon beautiful tonight?" Hearing this strange remark Shizuka stops her train of thought. Did she really just say that? Isn't that one of the most famous love confessions in Japan?
No, nonono. She's probably too innocent to understand the meaning behind that sentence… right? "Teshigahara… what exactly do you mean by that?"
Shizuka's classmate looks at her as if her words are highly questionable. "I meant that the night sky is pretty. What else could I mean?"
Ah, of course, this innocent little kid will not suddenly come out of the closet and confess her lesbianism. "Ah, yeah, there's nothing else it could've meant. You're right, it is a beautiful night." Making this casual comment without hesitation she cleared all doubt about any form of relationship between the duo… so why is Saya looking so saddened? No, don't think about that!
Shizuka shakes her head to forget it all, hoping to clear her mind with the clean view of the moon. But when she gazes at the moon her thoughts only get more jumbled.
What in heaven's name is that?!
The darkness hanging between the sky, the curtains holding the glimmers of light. It is abnormal, unreal; Only one word comes to mind to describe this mess of a moon-filled sky:
The sky is broken.
Not discolored, not missing, simply broken. Nothing else seems to fit the current night. "Teshigahara-san, do you see that?"
"See what?" Saya doesn't understand the problem. How can she miss something like that?
"Look at the night sky!" Shizuka almost shouts it out, only holding back because there are people sleeping nearby. "Isn't it completely wrong?"
Saya looks hard at the sky, taking it all in, before suddenly crying out in surprise: "Aah! You're right!" Shizuka is glad, luckily not the only one realizing that something is wrong. The broken sky seems to be a natural phenomenon, an uncanny and uncommon one, of course, but still perfect logica-"Eta and Omicron Pegasi are missing! The Pegasus constellation is incomplete!" Or not. Apparently Shizuka is hallucinating.
"Yes… that's it…" Shizuka looks at her classmate who sees nothing wrong with the sky, although she is surprisingly knowledgeable about constellations. But it only makes sense that she sees nothing. If there is something wrong with the sky there should be an uproar in the city, with people trying to find out what kind of weird whim of nature this is. But if only one person notices something that the rest can't see then it is likely an hallucination.
"Kusanagi-chan, will you stay here and watch the stars with me? Let's have some fun together!" Saya offers a fun way to pass the time, but her classmate doesn't feel for it. Instead Shizuka feels nauseous from this mess.
"I'm sorry Teshigahara-san, but I'll have to decline. I feel a headache coming, and if I don't go to sleep now I might be sick tomorrow." Yes, if that broken sky continues sickness is obviously the only possible reason for it.
Shizuka waves goodbye and goes back into her room. A good rest should help against these hallucinations. She places the stone back in her backpack, and walks over to her bed. Now trying to fall asleep she succeeds rather easily.
-x-
The next day, late morning.
Whatever she said about her health yesterday Shizuka takes all those words back: she didn't get better, her hallucinations only got worse. The sun, the sky, the clouds; all three are as broken as yesterday's night. And a headache is indeed coming. Great. Just great.
Joining the other late risers for breakfast she prepares for another day of winter fun. A winter day filled with hallucinations, but fun nonetheless.
"Kusanagi-chan, how are you feeling? Do you have a headache?" another late riser, the one Shizuka spoke to last night, is now worried about her classmate. Shizuka did say that she felt a headache coming, and she is out much later than usual. Those are not signs pointing towards a fully healthy person, more to someone who is sick. And Saya is correct, as her neighboring classmate admits her pain.
"Ah, then stay with me for today. We can go ice-skating together, and enjoy the little shops in the area!" Taking another bite from her toast she looks at Shizuka, who is gulping down a large glass of orange juice after finishing four toasts with various toppings.
Really, Shizuka's breakfast is twice as large as that of the other kids, not even the taller boys in her class eat that much. Where does she stomach it all?
Placing the glass back on the table Shizuka respectfully declines the invitation, claiming that she still wants to go off some of the harder slopes. However, she does mention that she is free in the evening.
"Then how about we hold an evening ice skating party?" One of the boys, Takagawa Horiuchi, comes up with a proposal. "A special event, just for us late risers! Here we will enjoy the sunset as we skate together and enjoy hot chocolate!" That boy is as good as ever at charming audiences, Shizuka notes. She remembers how in class he's usually the center of all new ideas, using his above-average looks and witty tongue to convince all to his side. Only few people aren't swept by his flow, which means that the class usually responds to his whim.
And though some of his ideas are stupid Shizuka sees no faults with his idea this time. "How about we meet at six, Takagawa-san?" If it's that late then there is enough time left for her to go down the nearby mountains, and if all goes well perhaps the hallucinations will have ended by that time too. Taking a glass of water she swallows an aspirin, hoping it will make her feel better.
"No, let's meet an hour earlier, Kusanagi-san. If we meet at five we can eat somewhere together before we all go ice-skating, I'm sure that it will be much more fun for all of us. As for the restaurant… I heard that there's this really good pizzeria at 167-3 Yamada street. Is everyone okay with that?" Horiuchi looks around the table, getting affirmations from everyone. The last one to accept the proposal is Shizuka herself, the only possible opposition to the plan.
"Sure, why not? Let's meet at five in front of the place. I expect you to do the reservations for this event, Takagawa-san. You don't have a problem with that, do you?"
"Of course not, Kusanagi-san." Even though he says it there is a slight hint of annoyance in his voice. He probably planned to shove that burden on one of the other people on the table, but he can't do that anymore without losing face. "I'll do that." Taking the last spoonful of his yogurt he stands up from the table, wishing everyone a fine day, "and until we meet again this evening!"
"Well, I agree with him." Wiping her mouth with a napkin Shizuka too stands up, leaving the dining area to do her own thing. "Have fun everyone, and let's all meet together at five. Don't forget that it is at 167-3 Yamada Street, everyone!" The others nod in confirmation, and Shizuka returns to her room. Here she dresses herself for a day of outdoor snowboarding:
She was already wearing the right base layer and snowboarding pants, and in a few seconds she puts on her boots and fleece insulator. Looking into her traveling bag for a beanie she sees that weird stone again. That weird stone that feels like metal and is as dark as the night.
On impulse Shizuka picks up the stone and puts it in her chest pocket. Why did she take it? Were she to think it over she would realize that it makes no sense to do so. No feeble arguments like "It might get stolen" or "I want to take it" match up against the sensible thing of leaving it in the bag.
Having placed the stone in her pocket Shizuka continues preparing for the trip, putting on her beanie and a final snowboarding jacket. There, all done! Let the snowboarding commence!
Only fifteen minutes later and Shizuka is already going up the mountain with the chair-lift, towards the highest top, where she will face a most dangerous course.
Around a mile away from her a certain goddess prepares the final steps for her plan, her way to leave her truth upon the world.
Today is the day of her revenge, where she will show the world her true nature. If Athena is the greatest mother earth goddess of the west, then she is the greatest of the east! That will not be taken away from her!
She is ready. The plan has been made. She will cause terror in the hearts of men, show them her viciousness, the truth of life and death, and in whose hand it lies. She will cause the Armageddon that she saved the earth from, and show heaven and earth her true power!
"I am all! I create life, command death, and rule humanity! My champions that serve directly under me, the five greatest from all my creations! Join this goddess to impart truth and justice on the world!"
These are not mere blasphemous words. These are spell words for activating her authority. Five creations that she holds dear, but either betrayed or was betrayed by all of them. But now they join her ranks as divine beasts once more! One by one they materialize in the world, kneeling before their master:
A nine-headed pheasant;
A jet-black dragon;
A gigantic turtle;
A woman playing a snare instrument made of jade;
A nine-tailed fox;
The goddess looks at her summons, seeing that all of them are in pristine condition. Each one is ready to fight, kill and destroy for its master.
"Milady," The fox speaks up, "we have come at your command. Please tell us what our mission is. No matter what you order us, we will get it done."
"We can destroy all of humanity for you." The dragon speaks in his own serpentine language, which sounds to normal people and mages as terrifying roars, but is easily understood by his friends. "If you want to start Armageddon, then we will unleash hell on earth."
"We're the strongest subordinates of the greatest goddess in existence." The woman with the jade instrument muses. "There is no mission we cannot complete."
"Woe upon those who ever incur your wrath!" The nine heads of the pheasant form a cacophony of tones, but their voice comes out clear: "Woe upon those that stand in your way! Your will is our law, our truth!"
"I will be your absolute shield!" The last of the five beasts swears. "Not a single hair of you shall be damaged! Even with all my legs cut off I will protect you, until there is nothing left to threaten you!"
The goddess looks at her five subjects, almost crying from their loyalty. "Ao. Zhiji. Papi. Ji. Da. My loyal companions, today is the day where we will reclaim our lost honor! Rampage through the world, destroy everything, and have the humans fear the greatest goddess of the earth! Take your own path, and destroy all in your way! That is my command, my will. My friends, let us show the world just who we are!"
"Yes!", the five beasts shout in unison before rampaging in their own direction. The turtle that tramples all in his path; The pheasant that sows confusion wherever she goes; The woman who chants spells of destruction and doom; The dragon that fires blast of water that can pierce diamonds; And the fox that crushes humanity under red-hot pillars. All five go on their own trail of destruction as the goddess oversees it all.
Gazing upon it all she deems the destruction good. The goddess laughs hysterically, before grinning evilly and claiming her victory: "Today, humanity, you will gaze upon my true self! Hahahahaha!"
-x-
Twenty minutes later:
The most difficult slope of Niseko is one of the most thrilling joys in the worlds. With an average angle of 49 degrees it sits on the border between challenging fun and absurd. For Shizuka it is mainly the former, a fun way to spend a day without worrying about her family.
Nice and calm, with nothing abnormal. Well, nothing abnormal if you don't count that broken sky. Other than that it is just a normal and beautiful winter wonderland.
"Ruaaargh!" Nope. There goes normal, lifted away from earth. Because that thing makes no sense. No sense at all.
Why is there a black dragon flying in the western skies?! Is that another hallucination? Or is everything Shizuka knew in life a lie?
Loud booming noises from the east form the perfect opportunity to test it all: There, behind a mountain hill, a gigantic turtle looms. And we're talking about really gigantic. How big is that thing? Shizuka guesses that it has to be around fifty meters high, and around twice that long. Each step it takes causes small earthquakes, and whatever is underneath it gets trampled.
That cannot be real… but there is the perfect opportunity to test whether it is or isn't. If that overgrown turtle is a hallucination then she should move right through it. A mirage cannot block that which is real. Seeing a ramp made of a snow and rock to her right she has the perfect opportunity to test out which of the two strange truths is real:
If it is a hallucination then she moves right through it.
If it actually is real then she will crash into it.
Increasing her speed even more she braces herself for the jump. After going off the ramp she should be airborne for three seconds before crashing into the front leg of the beast. In those three seconds she needs to completely alter her stance so that she can grab the leg in case it turns out to be real.
Three…two…one…lift off!
The jump is performed skillfully, giving Shizuka 3 seconds to scatter her momentum and soften the upcoming blow. She braces herself, successfully crashing into the leg and holding on to it.
Conclusion: The turtle is real. Which means that the sky really is broken, dragons do exist and everything she knew is a big fat lie.
But before such thoughts enter her mind she must first find a good grip, something to prevent her from falling down. Were that to happen then she will break her bones, and either the turtle will trample her or the beast will create avalanches that will bury her. Only death awaits.
Luckily the turtle's skin is filled with ridges and bumps. Grabbing two of them with her hands she secures her position. Now that she has a good hold she has to drop her snowboard. Right now it is only a hindrance, preventing her legs from doing anything meaningful. Climbing such a giant beast is stupid to begin with, but doing it with only the hands is borderline insane.
Shizuka lifts up her feet and lets one arm go. Using her now free arm she tries to click out of the snowboard. It's difficult doing this without clear sight, but with surprising ease she succeeds. The second one isn't even a challenge now that she has one foot placed on a ridge. The snowboard falls down, soon trampled and destroyed by this behemoth. With all four limbs now free Shizuka starts climbing the turtle.
A normal girl does not even reach this place, nor would she have so much knowledge of rock climbing to endure this all. But Shizuka has seen many things that ordinary people do not, all thanks to her special family. Just like her brother has a secret cache filled with money made from the annual gambling in the family she too manages to gain money by talking her family out of it. She's already tasted more alcohol than most teenagers, is forced to keep two Casanovas in tow and is familiar with quite a plethora of sports thanks to her father spoiling her, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Neither snowboarding nor rock climbing are pleasures she isn't familiar with.
And with the amount of ridges and ledges on the beast it isn't that difficult of a task. She takes about twice as long as a professional would take to climb around thirty meters of a leg. Within minutes she finds herself atop of the turtle's shell.
The top of a turtle is just like that of a normal one. Nothing but the turtle's carapace, stretching over many square meters.
So now what? The giant beast will not roll around just because she is on top of it. Perhaps it doesn't even notice her as it continues to walk. Should she simply sit on it until everything is over?
Yeah, that sounds like a good idea for now. A wait-and-see approach to this will do. Standing near the head of the turtle she looks forward, hoping to see some human response.
"Rhaaargh!"
Okay, while that is a response it is not a human one. Looking upwards to the source of the roar she sees the dragon again. To make it worse for Shizuka the dragon seems to have noticed her too, and is quite willing to eradicate the little human in front of him.
Power gathers in the mouth of the dragon. Shizuka cannot flee from the top of the turtle, that beast will trample her if she gets off. However, nothing on top of the turtle will protect her from that dragon. It's a fork that makes Morton{4} proud.
The dragon, having finished gathering power, breaths out a large beam of pressurized water. It hits a few meters in front of Shizuka, and quickly moves towards her.
It's a beam equaling death. Whatever gets in its way will be cut into dust. Rolling to her right Shizuka only barely manages to graze the beam.
That dragon will adjust its aim with the next shot. It already circles over Shizuka like a vulture over its dying prey. The mere fact that the dragon wants to kill Shizuka means that her life is already forfeit; So absolute is the power of this dragon over humans.
But Shizuka refuses. Being killed by such a beast is something she will not accept. She cannot let them rampage anymore and destroy more of the area. She will stop them!
Looking at the carapace Shizuka sees that the water somehow managed to barely pierce through the turtle's shell. This powerful and thick shell, things that one would describe as invincible, was penetrated in a single hit? What power!
There's a chance here. While a human cannot hurt these two magnificent beings they can obviously hurt each other.
Shizuka runs to the head of the turtle, hoping to make it in time for her plan. As she is ten meters away from the head the beam is fired, missing her but tracking her like a homing missile. Sprinting away from the beam Shizuka jumps on the head of the turtle, giving the dragon a dilemma of his own:
Hit the turtle at its weak spot, hurting him and making it his enemy, or stop firing and let the human live.
As a friend of the turtle the dragon would normally choose the latter, but such an option would force him to discard his honor. How can he live with the shame of failing to kill a single human? He would be the laughing stock among his friends and fellow servants!
So his beam continues, piercing through the neck of the gigantic turtle. The beast lets out a painful roar as sickly green blood is spilled. He loses balance, shifting to the left before falling on its belly. Shizuka too has to make a few steps to prevent her from losing balance. With her position shifted the dragon misses for the second time in a row.
However, he will not miss a third time! That human used a clever little trick, but all tricks only work once! He gathers power, hoping to unleash a beam of destruction powerful enough to obliterate everything in its path, even if it will damage his old friend.
Shizuka realizes this and sees how hopeless the situation is. But she won't give up. She can't die here like that. Climbing on top of the carapace once more she tries to move erratically, hoping to dodge a third time.
A voice calls out the dragon on his attack, just as he is about to fire: "Ji, stop this right now. Your anger already knocked Ao unconscious, I don't need you to kill him."
The dragon huffs, unhappy that he cannot complete his kill. He only accepts this order because the one ordering him to is his mistress herself.
"Go away from here and hunt some more humans in another place. I'll deal with this interesting one personally."
The dragon obeys and leaves the battlefield. Now Shizuka is left with the one who saved her but also proclaimed herself as the new danger.
She takes a good look at this goddess as her beauty seeps into her eyes. Without doubt she is beauty given form. Not even Godou's girlfriends can light a candle to this woman.
She stands slightly under 170 centimeters tall, with pale skin and the elegant face of a woman nearing her twentieth birthday. Her hair is a mixture of white hairs and black hairs, held together for the most part in a long braid coming to her hips. Even though the hair is distributed in color randomly no faults can be found in it. Full red lips and grey eyes show off her perfection, just like her flawless body.
With grace and poise she observes the human, giving Shizuka the charismatic smile of a great leader. "Oh, you cute little human. To think that you managed to climb Ao, and caused Ji to nearly kill him. Truly, for a human you are amazing!"
Shizuka simply looks at this woman, her charm having no effect on the girl who is used to deal with these kind of people. Her gramps and brother conditioned her to a point where even the charms of a goddess fail.
"So, what are you trying to say?"
The goddess is surprised. Her charisma, her right to rule, rejected so quickly by this human? Hah, that only makes her more interesting! "I've decided! This goddess wants you to be her priestess, the herald that tells people of the true queen of the gods! Serve me, and I shall grant you my blessings. Power, wisdom, riches, anything you desire; Serve me and it shall be yours!"
Shizuka doesn't even need a second thought for this choice: "As if! Who would serve a goddess that goes around and orders her beasts to kill people? Human, goddess, angel, demon or whatever you are is unimportant. Your actions are that of a plain murderer!"
"Hmm…" The goddess mauls over the words of this human. A normal human would be dead thrice over for such a remark, but this human is interesting. Forgiving her is allowed if there is a valid reason for it. "Human, I shall forgive you this once, assuming that you spoke out of a lack of knowledge. So let me enlighten you, child. Let me tell you why I am the righteous one:"
The goddess starts to speak with fervor about her origin, the truth about her being:
I am the mother earth goddess of creation. Long ago, before these lands were filled with people, I took clay and crafted humans from it, each one made with love and care. Together with my brother we taught humanity to survive, from necessary skills like hunting and cooking to the finer arts like numerology and calligraphy. Our humans became strong and wise, creators of the greatest kingdom on earth.
As time passed by that kingdom was sown in discord. Humanity could not serve two masters, two gods as equal heads was not comprehensible for them. Who is the greater one, the god or the goddess? War ensued between the two camps, and after a long and gruesome battle I lost. The equal sister became the subservient wife.
But that was not the problem. Even though I had my brother standing above me I was still the second great sovereign of earth, a ruler of the world! My myth was not desecrated, I was still the great mother earth goddess!
Was I only conquered by my brother I could not justify this cause. No, my troubles started when that vile demon appeared. That green demon led a clan of renegades against my people, fighting the home those apostates once fled from. That bastard successfully conquered my country, subjecting my people to a reign of terror.
I… that goddess he defeated was queen no more, stripped of her position and demoted to his daughter. Torturing dilemmas were placed on her, no matter if she was preventing Armageddon or trying to destroy the royal mandate. Forced to slaughter her own subjects, forced to have her own subjects betray her, cast away from heaven on a whim, and forced to return again just when she found new happiness. That man was her definition of hell.
After many years of suffering that era ended, but her legacy is to this day defiled. Still she is seen as the daughter of that man, that demon. Humanity neglected the truth, not caring about her sorrows and keeping her chained in that marred myth. And even though she tried many times to alter the myth without descending as a [Heretic God], humanity fails time and again to uncover the truth.
Humanity's problem is simple: They have fallen from the days of old, their power diminished. Their wisdom and strength are nothing compared to the originals. So I will clean this world, wipe humanity to dust, and from the ashes I will give birth to a new kingdom, one of humans filled with truth and power! And ruling over them will be me, the true ruler of the earth!
"Child, among these humans you are the only one I've met that's interesting. You are a worthy person to enter my kingdom. So I want you to serve me, to help me create paradise! Cull the chaff from the wheat, and find those worthy to serve under me! What do you say, human?"
"If your problem is that some god humiliated you then you take revenge on him. If you have trouble making someone understand what you say then you try harder. But instead of doing any of this you incur your wraith on people you deem weaker than yourself. You're not acting wise like a ruler, you're acting like a bullied child! Grow up and act your age, woman!"
"I see…" The goddess looks at the human who defies her. Her body is calm and tranquil, only her shaking hand giving any indication of the anger welling up inside her. "Perhaps I was wrong about you. While you may be interesting, your personality is the worst. I've decided:" Pointing the palm of her right hand at Shizuka she fires a beam of death from it. "Not a single part of your body will be left on this earth!"
[Death], like that of the rulers of the underworld, is moving towards Shizuka. She cannot dodge it, going straight for her heart. [Death] is what awaits her. Dead is what she will become. Only a miracle can save her now.
The beam strikes through, knocking Shizuka off her feet and make her fly to the edge of the turtle. Her heart is pierced, death is certain.
Yes, the goddess is certain, this human is finished. This obstinate girl has been judged upon.
So why… how does she stand up? People die when they are killed! She is inflicted with [Death]! A human cannot survive that!
No, looking at the human the goddess sees that while she pierced clothing there is no flesh harmed. Rolling on the ground before the child is a black stone, one she recognizes as part of her authority.
"So you are that human who picked up what is rightfully mine! You surprise me more and more! If only you hadn't chosen to choose sides against me…" The divine being looks somewhat saddened. She really hoped that this human would serve under her. "I shall grant you a death filled with honor! Stand up and take that stone in hand. When you arrive in Diyu{5}, tell its ruler that you died fighting the greatest goddess of all!"
Still staggering Shizuka picks up the black stone. As far as she knows it is a divine stone that can block beams of death and is virtually indestructible. But that stone is not important. Right now she only looks at that misguided divinity in front of her. "Really, you're as oblivious as my brother. You can't even see how humans live their lives in the current day and age. Dying as a warrior is something of an age long past. Give that honor to those Spartans of Thermopylae{6}, what I want right now is that you get some sense knocked into you!"
"Really? The goddess asks with a vile smile. "Well then, I'll allow you to try." The goddess moves to the back of the turtle's carapace, taunting Shizuka to follow her.
Taking her up on the taunt Shizuka runs towards the goddess, but loses a bit of her concentration as she hears divine chants from her opponent's lips:
"From clay I made humanity, with rope I made them stand up. As the mother earth goddess I will make man once more; oh newest of humans, rise from the earth!"
Exactly as she spoke it happens. Thousands of soldier rise from the earth, each one made completely from clay and dressed like a soldier from the terracotta army{7}.
But Shizuka does not look worried. Even though she is presented with such absurd magic she simply looks at the soldiers. The soldier who stand on earth. While Shizuka and the goddess stand almost forty meters higher. A distance the soldiers cannot bridge since they lack the magic of flight.
"Wow, I used to think gods like you would stand above such stupid mistakes." Really, there was absolutely no reason to use that authority other than making a fool out of oneself.
"Yes, those little ones have no use like that." As the goddess speaks these words the clay people fuse together, until instead of thousands of human-sized warriors five gigantic warriors stand. "But at this size, they might be a tad useful, don't you think?"
"Yeah. Just a tad though." Even though she is now surrounded by five clay beings of fifty meters tall fear is the last thing she is thinking about. She's set on correcting that person. Her adrenaline-filled body only cares about stopping the goddess, unimportant if it's done nicely of slightly less nicely. Continuing to run at the goddess Shizuka is certain that she can solve it.
The five clay giants try to stop Shizuka from reaching their mistress by crushing the human with their gigantic arms, but just like a young child trying to reach a high washing table the huge warriors can only clumsily swing their arms at the human.
Dodging most of the blows Shizuka steadily advances towards the earth mother. The giants continue to clumsily swing as usual, except for their brother standing closest to the goddess, who has a better idea: Sweeping his arm over the turtle's carapace he successfully manages to throw Shizuka away from the goddess. Flying through the air Shizuka is headed towards the end of the turtle and below. If she continues to move like this she will fall off the turtle, and as she earlier predicted only death awaits down there.
That cannot happen. That will not happen. She tries to grab the shell, hoping to get hold of the turtle, but she moves too fast to get a good grip. The one time she did get a good grip on the ground she had to let go almost immediately as she felt her left shoulder dislocate from the sudden lack of movement compared to the rest of her body. No, her speed is barely decreasing.
It looks grim for our heroine. She is now rolling over the turtle's shell, having lost all her aerial momentum. She tries to increase her contact with the ground, slowly decreasing her speed with the power of friction, but she will still fall off at this rate.
And as she guessed so she does. Death is now certain.
…
But Shizuka will not accept such an outcome.
Grabbing the edge of the turtle's shell she barely manages to hang on. She climb back on, her stance a bit unsteady from the damage she has taken. Now standing back on a firm surface she gives a quick glance at the [Stone] that let her survive that blow. If that stone did not disperse the force of the blow then she would not just suffer from a broken rib.
Combine the broken rib with her dislocated left shoulder and one cannot say that the situation seems well for her. However, in front of determination luck and glory show. Because of that last blow an opportunity is presented for Shizuka:
One of the giants, having seen how effective his partner hit the human, thought it a good idea to try the same maneuver. While not exactly a stupid idea this one forgot that the first giant swept away from the goddess, while he's sweeping towards her!
And there is a chance. A chance only a fool, but no normal man will think about. She's going to let herself get hit to get closer to the goddess. What's a rib in this situation compared to closing in at least seventy meters?
Shizuka can almost hear the other four giants screaming to have their brother stop, to not let her go near the mistress. But the attack continues, and as another rib breaks Shizuka flies through the air towards her goal.
The four giants try to mend the damage, hoping to pluck her out of mid-air, but all fail. The final giant, realizing that grabbing her is impossible, tears off his arm and lets it fall on the turtle before he crumbles apart into the normal-sized warriors he originally existed from. Somewhat more than a hundred warriors rise from the arm, forming a defensive perimeter around the goddess.
Shizuka keeps running at the squadron, uncaring about that which is in her way. Perhaps she would cautiously approach it without her body pumping thrice the normal amount of adrenaline, but without that rush of adrenaline she would probably be dead.
The goddess looks truly angered for once. This human… still goes at her? Just like that? And her creations, her authority, her [Clay Warriors], they are actually defending instead of attacking? "You fools! Why are you scared of a single human?! Charge! Kill her!" Upon her command the warriors are forced to charge at the human, and that should be enough. That girl cannot beat 125 warriors all alone, not with her body like that. But to show respect to this human, this girl that managed to hold on for so long, she decides to use another authority, her [Snakes]: "As the snake goddess, I invoke my rule. Serpents, gather before me!"
Upon her command five serpents appear before her, each having a long body of almost ten meters long. All five are ordered to charge the human and kill her on sight.
Shizuka continues to run. It's just 130 enemies. It could be worse. Her common sense long gone she now purely acts on instinct and wit, trying to figure out how the soldiers move and how to evade them. The soldiers are like gears in a watch, well-coordinated with each other so that none shall pass. However, this sudden and abnormal charge can be compared to someone breaking the watch and putting all the gears back in haphazardly. There are holes in their movements, gaps that Shizuka can exploit.
She can see it. A path through those beings. Taking that path will surely bring her to that goddess! She runs through the warriors and the puppets, not forsaking any seconds on battling these abominations of common sense.
The path she sees is true. Someone can run through it to the goddess. "Kuh!" But that doesn't mean that that person will stay unharmed. A clay sword leaves a shallow cut on her thigh, followed by another cut to her left arm. Wasting too much time on dodging these weapons will be lethal for Shizuka, so she simply continues running.
Around five seconds does her charge through the army take, but it feels like an eternity of countless cuts. Another cut appears on her back, but this one too is too shallow to hinder her. A spearhead breaks off the stick it was attached to, embedding itself in her side. But that's okay, at least no blood is spilt from that wound. A snake slithers though the clay ranks and dives at Shizuka, biting off her left arm. 'tis but a scratch compared to what could've happened. At least she still has her non-dislocated arm holding onto the stone.
With countless wounds on her body Shizuka continues running to the goddess. Less than ten meters stand between these two, a distance covered in seconds. Seeing victory close by hope appears for Shizuka, a chance finally presenting itself!
"GAH!"
But alas, there is a reason hope is called the last evil in the world. Just when the divine enemy is within reach a clay soldier manages to get a direct hit on Shizuka. His spear pierces through her lung, only barely missing her heart.
Damn it! She was so close too!
The goddess smiles, realizing that it is finally over. Silently she laments the death of this worthy human. Summoning a simple rapier in her hand, one formed from her divine power, she walks towards her adversary.
"It's a shame, human. Though your fighting was valiant victory is inevitably mine. Be honored, for I shall personally send you to the grave. With my blessings I shall let you descend to Diyu!" She brings her head in front of Shizuka, caressing her cheek. Before dealing the final blow she gives a final question to this cute little warrior: "Any last words, human?"
Shizuka has exactly one:
"Pah!" Shizuka coughs up blood and spits it in the face of the goddess. That face, held at the same height as that of this little girl, is now covered is a mixture of spit and blood.
"You…!" The goddess howls in anger and surprise. This! Of all things that could've happened she did not expect this! The audacity of this human!
A fraction of a second. That long does the goddess stay bewildered over this event. More than enough time for Shizuka to make a final attack. Grabbing the [Stone] tightly with her remaining hand she stabs the goddess in her side.
It is a painful blow, for sure. The goddess feels it, the last spark of this interesting human. But it isn't fatal. For the goddess this blow is about as annoying as breaking a bone is for a human. Painful, but not lethal and perfectly able to make a full recovery from.
But Shizuka does not stop there. She screams it out from pain as she sacrifices her body, her energy, her life force to stop this monster from destroying the area. But that will not be enough. That shall not be enough. That goddess should not die from such a blow. But a few miraculous strokes of luck want to help this girl in her foolish quest.
First of all is the gemstone itself. It is not a simple gem, nor some kind of ordinary magic item. That gem is a fifth of an authority, one of the five [Philosopher Stones]{8}. Each of the five stones is a magic gem holding great power over their specific element: [Fire], like the gods of the sun; [Water], like the weather gods; [Earth], like the mother earth goddesses; [Wood], like the gods of nature; And finally this specific gem that holds the last element [Metal], like the gods of steel. It holds such a high affinity with those gods that the gem can literally be called [Steel]. Inside of the gem lies enough energy to perform a phenomena of [Steel]-based miracles. The only thing it needed to perform such a feat is the energy to start the engine of the stone, the tip that sets it all in motion. And the life force of Shizuka is just enough for that purpose.
Her will is simple: Stop this goddess. And thanks to the simple act of slamming the gem in the goddess' side the stone can. After all, it is a stone of [Steel]. What it is trying to slay is a proclaimed mother earth goddess. It is only fitting that [Steel] will end [Earth].
So the stone becomes true [Steel], piercing through the goddess and destroying her body from within. The entire inside of the goddess is destroyed, all that is left standing is an empty husk that will soon scatter in the wind.
The defeated queen looks at the human in front of her: Dead, her life force completely gone. But certainly she will come back to life soon. After all, she did manage to deal a mortal blow on a goddess. Without doubt she will become a newborn Campione.
Silently the goddess laments her own death, before laughing out loudly. Louder than ever before, loud enough to cause an avalanche with sheer voice power.
It is not a happy laugh of joy. Not a sarcastic laugh of sadness. No, she simply laughs at the foolishness of it all. Had she been defeated by a god, it would have been annoying but acceptable. It's not like it's the first time in history it happened, and defeat is something everyone will one day face. Had she been defeated by a Campione, one of those wretched kind, it would have been infuriating but still somewhat acceptable. After all, they are famous for using the powers of the gods against them. But to be slain by a human, one without any power; Oh, the foolishness of it all! It's like a really bad play, and she is the star actor!
"Human. I have never caught your name, nor did you ever catch mine. But that does not matter, for the goddess you have slain is undefeated in her field! My true name should be obvious, future king! Hear these words, wherever you are, and accept this fact: You have slain the greatest ruler of the east, and now join the ranks of the children of Epithemeus! Young god-slayer, become a king of unparalleled strength, powerful enough to carry both heaven and earth! I will meet you again, youngster! Become proof that no one can stand against my power! Hahahahaha-urgk!" Her laughter is interrupted by divine blood coughed up from her throat. She takes a final look at the earth before closing her eyes for the last time. "Hahaha… I guess that I'm not really a mother earth goddess anymore if I can't even beat a human with these powers… I take it back, girl… You weren't cute…at…all…" The goddess crumbles into sand, the finest particles of earth, and with a shimmer both the five monsters roaming the land and the thousands of clay soldiers vanish from existence.
Second of November, 2012, 14:23. At this date a new king is born.
-x-
{1} Niseko: A city in Hokkaido famous for its ski resorts. Located at the coordinates 42.8000 N, 140.6833 E.
{2} Chalcedony: A variation on quartz. Where quartz is structured in a hexagonal form chalcedony is cryptocrystalline. Both are made from silica-dioxide (SiO2).
{3} Koi-Koi: A popular game in Japan that makes use of hanafuda cards. The goal is to match cards from your hand with the pond on table to create point-scoring combinations. When you bring your opponent's points to zero you win.
{4} Morton: John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury in the fifteenth century. A fork of Morton is a situation in which both options will result in a similar unpleasant situation.
{5} Diyu: The Chinese underworld, ruled over by the ten Yama's, who are the gods of death.
{6} Thermopylae: In 480 BC a great battle between the Greeks and the Persians occurred here. There were around 7.000 Greeks facing an army of 200.000 Persians. The Greek held for seven days before they got completely flanked. Realizing that the battle was doomed the Greek king Leonidas stayed behind with 1.500 warriors to let the others regroup. Of these warriors 300 were Spartans. Their last stand would become the most famous one in history. Gave rise to films like "300".
{7} Terracotta Army: A large army of clay soldiers found in a Chinese tomb. Thousands of soldier with each having a unique look stand here.
{8} Philosopher's Stone: A stone/group of stones responsible for supernatural miracles. Most famously known for in the west for turning base metals like mercury or lead into noble metals like gold and silver. Other famous western applications are to grant limited immortality, cure diseases, and create false life (homunculi), while in the east they grant the user control of the elements, keep one safe from disasters and bring him closer to enlightenment.
-x-
Afterword:
Hello everyone, Flagarach here!
The origin of this fanfic of Campione! was created when I was reading the short stories from the original light novel, as there are several scenes that portray Godou's little sister Shizuka. Upon reading them a question started to throb: Isn't Shizuka just as foolish as Godou? Most see her as a jealous bro-con who dislikes Godou for every girl he brings home, but she reminded me more of pre-Campione Godou (Volume 3 Godou)… except that she is bossier and queenlier than her brother. And thus a second question formed:
"If the circumstances were slightly different, couldn't Shizuka become a Campione?"
I thought about it for a while and realized that I had to answer with a yes. It's even downright stated in volume eighteen, where her solution to helping a friend obtain money for a graduation trip is to set up her own shop and hire her friend. Pretty much everyone but Godou and Shizuka themselves call the Kusanagi siblings extraordinary.
So how do you start such an idea? I could've taken the easy path and have Shizuka go to Italy instead of Godou, but I instantly disliked it. I didn't want a replacement, I wanted something new, with actual influence! Not only that, but making both of them Campione would result in interesting scenes where both siblings try to hide the supernatural from one another without knowing that the other is in the same boat as them. So I had to come up with an original time, place, god and reason.
Time was the hardest problem. Campione are usually not born one after the other, and the period between Black Prince Alec and John Pluto Smith, one of the shortest in Campioneverse history, still took two years. There have even be periods of a century without any newborn Campione. Just a month or two after Godou's ascension would be improbable and wrong. On the other hand if I chose a year or more it would mean that I have no canon to work with, and considering that the series is currently hanging on a cliffhanger with all the Campione hunting each other in a battle royale means that the future is very uncertain. That won't do at all for the story.
So I took the middle road and placed the start of this series around half a year after the birth of the seventh Campione. Time-line wise this happens a few days after the arc about the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, or just after volume 7.
The place of birth is still in Japan, but located far enough away from Tokyo that Godou does not bother with it. Shizuka is only there because the divergence of canon in this fanfic is that Shizuka's classmate won a holiday trip for an entire class in a lottery, while in canon this never happened.
About the goddess in the story… while her name is not mentioned there should be enough hints about her true identity. If you cannot guess it yourself, then don't worry: her true name is given at the end of chapter 2, which you can read right now.
