I do not own Campione or High School DxD. Those belong to their respective creators and not me. I am only writing this for fun and not for any kind of profit. If you do not like the story then please refrain from flaming me over it and find something more suitable to your tastes. For those of you that remain, please enjoy the latest chapter.
God Slayer DxD
By Ten-Faced Paladin
Chapter 14: Dragonslayer
The End of Days
The situation clearly did seem like a doomsday scenario. A Fallen Angel and his exiled priest minions had in their possession a nearly complete Excalibur. With them were the Heretic God Caligula who wished to reshape the lands Kokabiel sought to destroy into a new Roman Empire. Also was a massive red dragon, the Heretic God Y Ddraig Goch, brawling with the Boar, an incarnation of the God of Victory, Verethragna. Also in the brawl were two Campione, one in such a fit of rage from his lover apparently dying it was hard to know if he had even noticed the dragon's arrival as he fought against Caligula with the help of Duke Gremory made mention in the Ars Goetia. The other Campione was calmer, but had a nasty habit of pretty much destroying any battlefield he was part of. Lastly were the remaining group of defenders against the rogue priests, a group of Devils, one exorcist wielding a holy sword, and four magic users who were the Seventh Campione's women in their own words.
Many who knew of magic would call it a doomsday scenario with just Caligula and Mike duking out as they were. The Dragon, Godou, and Kokabiel just made it overkill.
"HRAAAAH!" Mike roared, unleashing a barrage of golden spears, shooting them out of the ground like a storm of golden arrows at the airborne Caligula.
"Don't make me laugh!" Caligula mocked, speeding out of the way of the attacks.
"Then try this!" Duke Gremory called from above, firing another blast of pure destruction.
Caligula snarled and moved to avoid the attack, although barely, before it burrowed a deep crater into the ground. Gremory snickered at the anger Caligula showed as he glared her, taking offense at something being nearly quick enough to hit him with his Authority in action.
"Dammit! Me without an Authority that let's me fly!" Mike growled, his eyes locked on the flying Caligula.
"Summers!"
Mike stopped and turned when he heard someone calling his name. Turning and half-expecting an enemy of some kind, he faltered when he took in the appearance of a teenage boy running at him. As he came to a stop, Mike recognized him, having been briefed on the other Campione and what they looked like.
"Aniki," Mike huffed, surprised to see his fellow Campione.
"Aniki?" Godou blinked, but then shook his head. "Listen, things aren't going well. That spell hanging over us is still charging and that Kokabiel summoned another Heretic God!"
"H-he did?" Mike blinked. The words were cutting through his haze of anger and adrenaline. Looking to where Godou had come from, he openly gaped as he saw Y Ddraig Goch and the Boar roaring and clawing at each other, utterly levelling the school building they had crashed into. "H-Holy shit! When'd that thing get here?!"
"You didn't even notice?" Godou blinked, but then stopped and shook his head. Rias had brought him up to date, "Listen, I know you're angry but we have to focus on everything going on, not just one of them. You have the Wisdom of Solomon, right? Use it!"
"But…he…Mordred…" Mike sputtered, gritting his teeth. He heaved a breath as his rage and pain at Irina's death clashed against the cold logic of his Wisdom of Solomon. Mike grit his teeth, his pain forcing a tear to his eye despite the situation. "…they hurt Irina. My Irina…"
"I know," Godou nodded, looking to his fellow godslayer with sympathy. "I know how it feels, knowing that someone took away someone you care about and hurt them. Voban did it with my friend Yuri. I was ready to move heaven and hell to help her. You're ready to raise hell to avenge yours."
Mike nodded, looking hatefully to where Caligula was darting through the sky against Gremory. At the same time, his eyes were drifting back to where Y Ddraig Goch was thrashing with the Boar. Passion and logic clashed against each other again, making Mike feel like a cold hand had gripped his heart.
"Listen, I can't leave the Boar going forever!" Godou shouted, snapping Mike from his pain. "If we're going to fight Heretic Gods then I need to use my other Authorities. If I use another one then the Boar is going to disappear!"
Mike huffed, shaking his head, "Dammit. Fine! So which Heretic God is that dragon and which of us fights it?"
"Y Ddraig Goch, I think," Godou answered. "And I'm asking you that. He's a God of Earth so my Authorities can help take him down. But you killed Siegfried, right? That means you've got an Authority which is better at killing dragons than I do."
Mike heaved a breath, "…maybe…" He rubbed his temple. "Siegfried, Solomon, and Momotaro. Two of them are steel deities which are known for slaying monsters. My Bonds of Brotherhood is down and all I got from Siegfried is his horse. All the weapons I have are from Solomon's wealth."
Godou gnawed at his lip, looking up at the fight with Caligula, "He kill any dragons?"
"Dealt with demons, got a wish from God, a lot of things, but dragons don't play into it," Mike grit his teeth, looking to where the dragon and the Boar rolled over and crushed another portion of the school buildings. "Dammit, we can't let those two keep fighting. They'll level the district even if we stop that spell from doing the same thing."
Mike growled and looked up as the devil and the Heretic God clashed. As much as he wanted to see Caligula get crushed for his arrogance and for allying with Mordred, Mike knew he couldn't linger. Mordred would have to wait since Y Ddraig Goch was the more immediate issue. His presence alone was likely poisoning all of the devils in the area at the least. Mike was the one with Authorities that came from Heretic Gods that slain dragons, or at least Oni. That meant he had a natural advantage when it came to fighting dragons, even if it only was a horse. A knight still needed his steed to fight a dragon just as much as he needed his steel.
"I hate this," Mike scowled before looking to Godou, "You want Gremory to keep fighting or to go with me? I'm not sure if I can summon another Devil without gutting how effective I can be for the rest of the fight."
"No, take her with you then," Godou shook his head, "I'll have enough to take him on."
"Fine. Good luck," Mike nodded before turning to the dragon and Boar, "By the trial of the river Busiltjörn, show me the one worthy to be my steed. Show me the one sired by Sleipnir, the steed who shall above all else be worthy of being the mount of a king!"
A flash summoned the white steed Grani, allowing Mike to mount up after pausing for a single moment to retrieve a golden spear, "Okay, I'll fight the dragon. You take down Caligula and then back me up. At worst, I'll only be able to delay that thing to keep my friends from getting poisoned by it's aura."
"Right. Good luck," Godou nodded, turning his attention back to Caligula.
"The same," Mike nodded, turning Grani towards Y Ddraig Goch, "Gremory! With me! We're taking the fight to the dragon!"
"Oh, a more exciting fight than this?" Gremory grinned, breaking off the fight to swoop down towards Mike. The Eighth snapped the reins on his horse and took off across the terrain towards where the red dragon was fighting the Boar still.
Above them both, Caligula sneered as he watched his opponent leave him, "Don't you dare turn your back on me!" He prepared to move, to strike down the whelp who would dare turn his back on an emperor and make him suffer for it. A burst of speed and he shot towards the retreating Campione. No one insulted the-!
"Fear of the winged, both the evil and the powerful, all shall fear I who hold these feathered wings. My wings will bring you curse and just desserts!"
That was all Caligula heard before a pair of feet smashed into his face, knocking him off course before he tumbled along the ground, crashing into a heap. He grunted and shook his head, looking up to see Godou standing defiantly, an aura of gold surrounding him.
"Your fight's with me now," Godou challenged, the Raptor in full effect.
Caligula scowled, but then smirked, "Oh? So the whelp thinks he can challenge Mercury's speed then? Ha! Regret your foolishness in the Underworld!"
The two then vanished in bursts of speed.
Mike charged towards where the Boar and Y Ddraig Goch were fighting. In the brief respite, he tried to bring up what he knew about the Welsh Red Dragon. It wasn't hard since the name popped up in Arthurian myth while Mike and the others tried researching Mordred.
Y Ddraig Goch first appeared when the red dragon began fighting with a white one which went unnamed. To keep the two dragons from destroying their lands, the people of the time fed the pair great casks of wine. The dragons took the wine and grew sleepy before falling asleep. In their drunken stupor, they didn't react when the people buried them deep in the earth. A century or so later, a Welsh king accidentally dug them up while digging to make the foundation of a new fortress. Unsure of how to get the dragons to stop fighting, the king of the would-be castle was advised to sacrifice a child to the dragons. Although how that would help Mike didn't know the answer. The selected child was Merlin, the future advisor to King Arthur who gave a prophecy using the two dragons as a basis which eventually heralded the rise of King Arthur. Later, red dragons were used in the crests of Welsh kings and nobility ever since, making it a symbol of Wales and its people.
'But the problem is that the story is the only mundane one known,' Mike thought as he drew closer. 'It doesn't cover what the supernatural think of Ddraig, if he and the one from the story are the same dragon. Who knows what the supernatural scene who know about that dragon and how they'd regard him! It's not like I have the wine on hand to booze this guy up!'
Nearing the dragon and the Boar, Mike saw the great black pig rear up and roar before fading away into golden sparkles. With the Boar deactivated, Mike knew it would be up to him to keep the fight going and keep the damn dragon away from his Devil friends, preferably without it going and destroying the town in the process.
"Where did he go?! Where is the one who dared attack me?!" Y Ddraig Goch bellowed, scrambling to his feet, roaring in fury over being so blatantly attacked. Searching around, his eyes landed on the approaching Mike, "Oh? So the little bastard child of Pandora is coming to challenge me? Ha! Laughable!"
"Whatever," Mike frowned, "But you're not welcome here so shove off or pay the price!"
"Bah! A petty threat!" Y Ddraig Goch snorted. Inhaling deeply, the insides of his mouth began to glow before he unleashed a stream of white hot dragonfire, "BURN!"
Mike's eyes widened as he witnessed the incoming attack, "Grani!"
The horse's body flashed and Grani suddenly changed course, sprinting away from the incoming fires. The ground was scorched and anything in the path of the attack was incinerated. Grani and Mike though, avoided the blaze entirely. The horse's innate ability to avoid hazards and obstacles helped in a defensive way, allowing Grani to avoid the attack while still charging towards the red dragon.
"Eat this!" Mike bellowed, stopping Grani to stab his spear into the ground.
The ground beneath the dragon cracked before a massive pillar rose into the air, smashing into the bottom of Y Ddraig Goch's jaw, snapping it shut and trapping the flames inside. The blasted from his nose in a stream of fire before dying out into smoke. Roaring, he shook his head, breaking the pillar before glaring down at Mike.
"GRAH! That hurt, you cretin!" the dragon bellowed, inhaling for another shot.
"Hello? Forget about me?"
"Huh?" Y Ddraig Goch glanced up only for a blast of pure Destruction to explode in his face. "GRAHH!"
Heretic God or not, being hit with something that destroys nearly all matter it touches is still going to hurt. Gremory smirked as she flew past the thrashing dragon, charging up more blasts of Destruction in her hands.
"You'd best think up a plan little Contractor," Gremory offered. "Felling dragons is never an easy task."
"I'm working on it," Mike grimaced. It was just so hard to concentrate! He was still so enraged about Irina! "The underside! He's got to have a soft underbelly so we go underneath and rip him open from beneath! It worked for Siegfreid on Fafnir so it'll work for us!"
Mike snapped the reins again and charged for Y Ddraig Goch once again.
"Fool, simply because I am a dragon, do not assume that I am stupid!" the red dragon's voice echoed out as the smoke cleared from his head. His hide hadn't broken, but obviously he still felt the pain from the attack. "And your plan would be ideal, were I Fafnir and not the Red Dragon Emperor!"
Y Ddraig Goch raised one of his claws and slammed it into the earth. A shockwave ripped through the soil, causing Grani to rear back with a cry and Mike to nearly fall from his steed's back. Mike grit his teeth, clutching the reins so he didn't fall. 'What the hell? I expected a shockwave, but it's like he's causing the ground to shake like a real earthquake! Since when could a dragon do this?!'
"Surprised, bastard child?" Y Ddraig Goch laughed. "I was buried beneath the earth for a century. Do you honestly think it cannot play a role in my Authorities?"
"Oh shit," Mike gaped. If the earth itself was part of his legend and power, then-!
Y Ddraig Goch chuckled before speaking once again, "Let the land shake with the dragon's roar! The battle of the age long past shall begin anew! Crush the stone which holds us! Shake the earth which binds us! Break the roots which imprison us! The earth be rendered asunder by our awakening!"
Y Ddraig Goch then stabbed his claws into the ground before tearing them back out again. Rather than just the dirt he held, the entire area around their fight cracked and shuddered before going up like a heat-less explosion. What remained of the school building was completely destroyed as the ground exploded underneath it. Mike was not immune as he and Grani were tossed into the air by chunks of dirt and stone.
"Contractor!" Gremory called, struggling to avoid the slabs of stone, rubble, and soil.
All around them was engulfed in clouds of dust and debris.
The remainder of the Occult Research Club and their new comrades squared off with Freed and Valper. The psychotic priest was armed with a Fused Excalibur created by combining Nightmare, Transparency, Destruction, and Rapidly together.
"Oooh, oh, oh ooooooh!" Freed grinned. "Look at all the fangirls I collected! It's such a pain to be popular! So much killing to do and so little time!"
"Freed, be careful," Valper warned his underling. "It's not just Devils we're facing. The exorcist is armed with Durandal while the wenches Lord Seventh brought have arcane blades Il Maestro and Cuore di Leone in their hands. Also if I'm not mistaken, the black blade is the Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi, a Subordinate God in itself. Even my Fused Excalibur will have difficulty in that."
"Ah don't sweat it old man! We've got Destruction mixed with this bad boy! That means I can just trash anything I cut!" Freed snickered. "So who wants to die first? Or can we just go in one big orgy? Ha!"
"Pig," Lilliana scowled at the deranged man.
"That he is, but wielding four of the seven Excaliburs in one blade," Erica commented. "Yuri, stay back and coordinate with the other supporters for healing spells."
"H-hai!"
"Lilliana, Ena, we will coordinate our attacks. That blade is still newly forged, with any luck we will be able to break it before it can truly set as a combined blade."
"Ena agrees!"
"Yes!"
Xenovia scowled at the weapon, "Knight of Gremory, I hope to think that our previous agreement is still valid."
"It is," Kiba nodded, eyes switching from Valper to the fused sword.
"Then perhaps we shall work together and destroy that thing," Xenovia frowned. "It may be a holy sword, but all I see is a monster when I look at it and I truly wish to destroy it. Its master has a reckoning with my blade for daring to kill my partner!"
"Then you do know my pain, if only a fraction," Kiba nodded grimly. "Right. Together then!"
"Okay everyone!" Rias frowned, eyeing the two priests like so much trash. "Crush them!"
"Oh, I'll do more than that!" Akeno smirked.
"You got it!" Issei growled, lifting his armored fist. "Boost!"
"Oh boy, here we go! Let's show off my kickass new sword!" Freed laughed, moving into a stance. "Check out one of the new tricks I learned! It's a Nightmare!"
Freed's entire form blurred before splitting into multiple copies of himself. Enough copies for all of the combatants to have one of their own to fight against. With a shriek of joy, the copies all dashed off at the combatants, forcing them all to defend themselves from the psychopaths.
Normally Excalibur Nightmare's magic allowed one to cast illusions, but they would not have any substance to them. In the Fused Excalibur, this ability was amplified by the other three cores of the other Excaliburs. As such, the illusions created by Nightmare's power were likewise amped up, able to hold a solid presence in the manner Freed needed them to be.
"Dammit!" Kiba grunted, blocking a strike from the Freed he was fighting. He changed his sword to Holy Eraser to try and bleed off some of the power in the illusion (or real) Freed he was fighting, but so far he wasn't seeing an effect. Excalibur's power was just far too potent.
"Ha! Like it?" one of the Freeds laughed. "Oh, what's that? Want some more? Okay, how about a taste of Rapidly!"
It was all the warning the group got before the Freeds vanished and only a white blur proved to be any warning of incoming attacks.
"I got him!" Kiba shouted, tapping into his Knight speed, easily seeing Freed's movements. He leaped at the psychotic priest, beginning a high speed sword match in the air. Steel rang out as sword met sword in the clash, appearing to the others as blurs of silver.
"It seems you are now defenseless, Valper Galilei," Erica announced, stepping up towards the former archbishop.
"Oh, at first glance I suppose so," Valper grinned. He then spread his arms out. "If you feel you can apprehend me young lady, then please, I invite you to do so."
Erica frowned, but didn't let doubt stop her. Lifting her sword, she charged at the former holy man. Valper grinned wider and didn't move. Erica's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but she heard a shout from Lilliana and instantly broke off, leaping back. It was fortunate that she did since in the next moment, a spear of light came down like a bolt from above, piercing the ground where she stood a heartbeat ago.
"What?!" Rias cried, looking up with the others. Instantly her eyes widened with shock.
Hanging in the air above the group, appearing in the green magic circles made by the Grigori, came a legion of Fallen Angels, their black feathers darkening the night sky while golden spears of light were gripped in their hands.
"Wh-what?!" Xenovia gasped.
"Oh boy," Ena's eyes narrowed as she took a stance.
"Oh don't look so surprised," Kokabiel sneered from his throne. "You can't really think that I was the only one who wanted to see the war restart. Not with the position of strength that the Grigori now has." His grin grew. "I will have my war Rias Gremory, and your defiled corpse pinned to the front of this school will be my opening volley!"
"How were you even able to move this many without anyone noticing?!" Akeno gasped, seeing the numbers.
"Who said no one noticed? I'm sure Azazel and Michael both know what's going on by now," Kokabiel laughed. "Maybe now they'll get off their asses and we can get some fighting done!"
"Ha ha ha ha! Sorry children, but this war is going to begin and there is nothing you can do about it!" Valper laughed as the legions of Fallen landed behind him, glaring at the collection of Devils and magic-users. "The only ones on your side who could possible stop us are your Campione and I'd say they're quite tied up at the moment!"
A clash had Freed reappear at Valper's side, holding his Fused Excalibur with a laugh, "Oh boy! Time for a bloodbath and no cockblocking Campione to get in the way! HA HA HAA!"
"Tsk! Then you truly do underestimate a man such a Godou-sama! A mere minor deity such as Caligula or whatever his true name is will not be sufficient to defeat him!" Lilliana retorted.
"And with the Wisdom of Solomon at his side, Lord Summers will not fall to a mere knight or dragon!" Xenovia added on.
"Perhaps, perhaps not," Valper shrugged. "But none of you are on their level, making you easy prey!" he lifted his arm and pointed at the group. "ATTACK!"
"DON'T YOU DARE!"
?
Irina sighed softly as she felt warmth enveloping her. Her wounds were gone and the pain gone with them. She sighed softly as she relaxed, content and warm. Was she in heaven now? Would this be where she could see God and his kingdom? She wanted to open her eyes and perhaps see that magnificence, but she felt so tired, unable to move.
"Ooooh, what an adorable little girl! It's been so long since I got to have a daughter!"
Who was that? Was it the Virgin Mary?
"You have a very pure heart you know. Full of faith and love. More people could learn a thing or two from you!"
Irina would have glowed with joy if she had the energy.
"I also approve of your relationship. He's a good boy who works hard to live up to the position that he's been put into. It seems that my youngest boys have good heads on their shoulders and fate is rewarding them. They could be a little less prudish though. I want grandchildren after all!"
Irina blushed a little, unsure of what to make of that.
"Anyway, you still have things to do, like stop that brute of a Fallen Angel before he really messes things up. Best to hurry you along," the female spoke, but then her tone changed as she spoke her next words. "By the black art that I and Epimetheus left behind this is the sacred birth of an illegitimate child, shrouded in darkness, born of a witch and fool. A secret of usurpation only made possible through the sacrifice of a god."
Irina shivered as she felt a new warmth, a searing heat, enter her body. A power rushed through her veins she couldn't describe. It was pleasurable, it was painful, it was both. It mixed within her and spread through every cell in her body. She felt like she was transforming, but if it was something beyond or below a human, that would be up to philosophers to decide.
"I, the all-giving woman Pandora declare that you shall be reborn as a Campione. The godslayer, the king of kings, the Campione!"
Irina gasped as her eyes snapped open, catching sight of a youthful girl with long pink hair.
Kuoh Academy
"HAH!"
Irina gasped as she woke up, struggling to breath for a moment. Coughing, she looked around, struggling to recall what had happened. She recalled fighting Mordred and then… Irina's eyes widened as her hand flew to her stomach. She felt the hole that Clarent had cut clean through her, but her skin was unblemished and only dried blood remained.
Irina stood up, feeling some ache in her muscles from sitting against the tree like she had been but not from anything else. She recalled being stabbed, then swearing to Mimic to be the kind of knight and warrior of truth and justice the sword was meant to be wielded for. It was a gambit, one she thought of in a split-second as she remembered how her Sweetums had used Rapidly. It worked, and she managed to strike a deathblow, but her memory got foggy after that.
"How am I alive?" she asked herself.
Her thoughts were cut off as she heard explosions and shouts. Discarding the other thoughts for the moment, Irina quickly searched for and retrieved Excalibur Mimic. The sword hummed in her hands, as if happy to see her. Irina smiled back at the sword, her own happy mindset glad for the reaction. Trusty sword in hand, Irina dashed out of the small wooded area where she fought Mordred…
…and walked into a war.
At one part, she could see a boy she hadn't met fighting Caligula, the two of them going at each other at high speeds, making flashes of gold as they clashed. At another spot where a building once stood, a massive red dragon was roaring and swiping at the ruined earth underneath it as if something was scrambling in and out of its view. Near the school itself though, she could see what looked like a small army of Fallen with their weapons trained on her friends and other people.
"Xenovia! Sweetums!" Irina cried, breaking out into a run as she dashed to protect her friends. She dashed past the high speed battle, neither combatant noticing her and jumped over some of the shards of disturbed rock and earth which blocked her way while the dragon fought it's opponent. She came up fast to the Fallen army, seeing Valper at their front, no doubt as a commander.
"ATTACK!" he bellowed, giving the order to fight.
"DON'T YOU DARE!" Irina shouted loudly, coming up from behind.
Xenovia's head turned so quickly one might have thought her neck snapped. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped, "I…Irina?
"Hi!" Irina smiled, coming to a stop. "Sorry I'm so late."
"But…but…you were…" Xenovia gaped.
"Oh? So you survived Mordred's assault eh?" Valper grinned. "Well I guess that means we can take Excalibur Mimic frim your ourselves. Where is Mordred anyway?"
Irina grinned, "No longer with us."
Valper stopped and frowned, "What? Surely you did not slay him, did you?"
Erica and Lilliana looked at one another, their eyes wide as a conclusion began to dawn on them. Ena merely blinked and then shrugged. Yuri's eyes just bulged as what was being insinuated came to her. The Devils were likewise beginning to get was Irina was suggesting to them.
In truth, Irina wasn't too sure herself, but all the signs pointed to it. Internally, she beseeched the new power she held to show itself if was there. She needn't have worried for the power Mordred once held was eager to be wielded by her. Held in the hands of a traitor for so long, it yearned to be used by one who was honourable and faithful.
Irina's eyes widened as a gold aura began surrounding her, shocking her allies and causing the Fallen to shift uncomfortably. Almost as if in a trance, Irina lifted her free hand and began to speak.
"I am the sword which is raised in peace. I am the blade who shall rest with my king. I am the weapon who will bring forth your honor! I am the shining sword of Camelot!"
A bolt of pure silver appeared in Irina's hands, shining as brightly as any pure source could. The Fallen began to show signs of nervousness at the sight while Valper and Freed covered their eyes. The Devils and their allies likewise recoiled, but only because it was bright, not because it harmed them. The light died down, but the glow did not. This allowed the two sides to see what Irina had called to her side and it made them stop.
Irina had summoned a sword to her hand. At first glance, it appeared to be the same shape as Mordred's. However, the difference between that sword and the one Irina held were like night and day. The weapon, although a broadsword, was easy for Irina to hold and it was a silver so perfect, so pristine, one might almost think it platinum. The red accenting on the weapon was not the bloody red Mordred's weapon held, but a royal crimson which was pleasing to the eye.
"This is my Authority," Irina announced, lifting the sword. "The blade which anoints knights! The sword meant to be wielded by Arthur when Camelot was finally at peace! The sword which Mordred stole and used in his treachery! Clarent: Sword of Knighthood!"
"What the fuck is this shit?!" Freed growled, lifting his Fused Excalibur. However, the presence of the new sword was causing it to act funny, a resonation of some sort. It came as a hum and small vibration coming through the sword and Freed did not like it when his awesome sword began doing things it wasn't supposed to.
"Bah! Nothing to fear," Valper scoffed. "Clarent is a mighty sword in legend, but it holds none of the powers that Excalibur does. We have it and an army!"
"Wrong!" Irina retorted. "Clarent holds one power that Excalibur doesn't. A power which Excalibur could never have! A power that Mordred could never master but with my heart and soul, Clarent gives this power to me!"
Valper scowled, "And what power could that be?"
Irina grinned, "The power to make Knights!"
Clarent began to shine and Irina brought the sword close as if about to whisper a prayer. Everyone waited with baited breath and soon they began to hear the sounds of marching and armor clanking. Irina's eyes then opened and in flashes of silver, knights began appearing. Adorned from head to toe, they were covered in perfect silver armor, holdings classic swords and shields. They looked every bit the knights which belonged in Camelot itself. In rows of seven, knights appeared, weapons ready and willing to do battle for their new 'King'.
"I don't believe this," Rias gasped at the sight of the knights.
"Holy shit!" Issei gaped quite openly.
"It makes sense," Erica nodded. "In myth, Clarent was the sword which was used to make knights. In Mordred's hands, a traitor and oath breaker, it was made into a king slayer. In the hands of a king who is faithful and holds to their oaths, it regains that ability to make knights."
"So…so…she really is a Campione," Yuri squeaked in fright.
"Thank God," Xenovia smiled, relieved and happy both that her friend had returned, but also with a substantial boost to her power.
"Oh shit!" Freed grinned. "Okay! All out war baby! Fuck, this is why I got into all this shit in the first place!"
Valper looked less confident, considering the knights were generated by a Campione's power, "Very well. War it is. All units, attack!"
"For the innocent!" Irina roared, pointing her weapon back at the Fallen.
With roars, the two sides of black and silver charged at one another with their weapons raised.
Above it all, Kokabiel's grin widened by a magnitude.
In his own fight, Godou skidded to a halt across from Caligula, both of them panting from moving so much. Although he was hiding it, Godou was feeling his chest clench in pain from using the Raptor too much. If he kept going, the pain would just get worse and eventually he'd start suffering from paralysis. That was the drawback on the Raptor and one of the worst ones in his opinion.
Still, Godou was working on a theory that Caligula wouldn't be able to use his usurped Authorities for very long. When he'd gotten the call from Michael Summers, Godou and his friends did a rush amount of research on Mordred and Caligula. Then by compounding all of the knowledge into that spell, Godou was sure he knew enough about Caligula to make guesses about him.
He did wish the girls didn't get in their scuffle over who got to go first. Honestly, Godou didn't understand why they kept making big deals over that. It wasn't like he was anything special outside of being a Campione, right?
Ah, he was getting off track.
Caligula's ability to mimic other Authorities he didn't have came from how Caligula tried to replace the images of the Roman Pantheon with his own. It was a downright ballsy move in its time as he tried to have himself deified. It had happened to other Emperors, but only after they died. Caligula, the mortal one, had tried to do it while he was still alive. But it was only skin deep deification with his stunts. Godou knew he was no expert, but he guessed that Caligula's mimicked abilities wouldn't last very long, or got harder to use since legends were adamant that those abilities belong to the Roman Pantheon, not Caligula.
"So…it seems speed will not win the day," Caligula gulped down some air. "Very well. I can make this a different contest."
Ah, there it was. Godou watched the wings on his opponent's sandals vanish, prompting him to shut down the Raptor and alleviate the growing chest pains he was suffering.
Caligula smirked as he clenched his fists, "Now instead of Mercury, you will face the might of Hercules!" Caligula's body flashed gold and his muscles bulged, almost growing too tight for his armor to hold. Still, his imperial outfit remained on despite the bulging muscles of his frame. He sneered at Godou before beginning his charge, "Now fall to the god who walks the lands!"
Godou narrowed his eyes and prepared his next Authority, "For I am strongest amongst the strong. Truly, I am one that holds each and every victory. I care not whom challenges me, whether man or devil; I may face all my foes and all my enemies. Regardless, I shall crush all those who wouldst stand in my way!"
Godou became enveloped in golden power once again while the spinning stone circle in his mind landed on the image of a bull.
Caligula charged at Godou and the Seventh met him head on. The Heretic God crashed against the Campione, the two creating a shockwave from the hit. Godou quickly captured Caligula's hands in his own when the Hereic God tried to attack him. Caligula snorted and tried to push his muscles into simply overpowering Godou, but was shocked that the rather skinny young man was a perfect equal to his strength, leaving them stalemated.
This was the nature of the Bull. It granted Godou immense strength, provided the opponent was inhumanely strong. It only granted enough strength to counter the opponent, but depending on the opponent, that strength in itself would be a mighty weapon indeed.
"What…what is this?! How can you match the strength of one of the mightiest of all?!" Caligula grunted, trying to crush Godou, but finding the Campione returning the strength equally.
"Just a trick I picked up," Godou grinned, although he grunted as he pushed himself to keep up with Caligula's force.
Caligula scowled, but then grinned, "Ah, so you intended to trick me out of using Mercury's speed and instead use another power so you could keep me pinned here while your comrades fought mine. A good plan, but I merely need to change to a different aspect of my divine form and I will escape and crush you!"
"Well, you could," Godou grinned. "But no matter what Authority you picked, I just needed you to stand still for a minute or so."
"What?" Caligula blinked.
Godou's golden aura flared and he began to speak, "Heed the power of my words, let justice reveal itself, under the strength and eloquence of this incantation, for strength is ever victorious, for strength is the answer to all things."
The Bull ended and Caligula realized his error and quickly broke away to get distance from what Godou was planning. Sadly, the Authority of the Warrior appeared too quickly, enveloping the both of them in golden light. The surrounding area of Kuoh Academy vanished, transporting the Campione and Heretic God to a new realm, a place manifested by Godou's likely most potent Authority.
Around them was merely a blank desert with a dark blue sky. The land itself, despite being barren, had a golden glow around it as it was filled to the brim with divine power. Emerging from that soil like some kind of plants were golden swords, each with a straight edge and sticking up with strange writing on them.
"What Authority is this?" demanded Caligula. "I see your swords, but they hardly intimidate once such as I!"
"More fool on you," Godou retorted as a large gold sword, this one with a curve in its edge appeared in his hand. Staring right into Caligula's eyes, he spoke, "Caligula is the nickname of Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus, the son the mighty general Germanicus who was in turn the nephew and adopted son of the emperor Tiberius. He was named Caligula, the little soldier boot, for the number of times he journeyed with his father to meet the troops."
The swords in the ground shuddered as the writing on the blades began to change. Caligula's eyes narrowed.
"When Germanicus died in Antioch, his mother Agrippina brought him and his five siblings back to Rome, where a bitter feud left his family destroyed and him the only male survivor. The Emperor Tiberius took kindly to him though, and invited Caligula to live with him on the island of Capri. When Tiberius died, it was Caligula who succeeded him with the help of a Praetorian prefect, Naevius Sutorius Macro."
The swords shuddered more as if trying to escape the ground while the writing on their steel continued to change.
"For six months, Caligula ruled to the love of his people. He eradicated taxes, rewarded the worthy, and gave generously to the people. The citizens loved him all the more for it. The senate wept for everything they were losing and the fortune which Tiberius amassed during his reign was quickly squandered on Caligula's flights of fancy!"
"Your words mean nothing! I already know this!" Caligula bellowed, charging through the field of shuddering swords towards Godou.
"But Caligula secretly suffered. He suffered from epilepsy, an illness which the Roman people associated with the moon. He stared longingly up at the moon, holding conversations with it, growing sickly under its light. This was held in secret from the people, but a sign is his inability to swim, a staple of education to any Roman young man with a hint of noble blood. This disease addled his mind, warped him, changed him. Once was the young man so adored by the Roman people, soon there was a perverse, wrathful, paranoid, and deadly monster who now sat on the throne of Rome's empire!"
The swords shuddered even more before they finally broke free from their soil prison, drifting aimlessly into the air, the writing on their sides shifting and changing as Godou recited more knowledge. Caligula reached Godou and swing hard at him, but the spry Campione managed to dodge, hoping back a fair distance so he could continue speaking, empowering his Authority.
"He descended into madness and debauchery. He feuded with the senate who grew used to being a power in themselves. He installed ridiculous taxes, placed senators on trial and executed them so to take their wealth and refill Rome's coffers. Soldiers who fought and risked their lives for the Empire were forced to give their hard-earned spoils of war over to him to repay Rome's debts! Caligula even circumvented the sacred laws of the dead, turning gains from wills to himself what was for the house of Tiberius!"
Some of the swords began to move in the air, taking aim at Caligula. The Heretic God grimaced and began to leap to and fro as some of the swords began to shoot at him. It was a token resistance, the beginnings of the Warrior's power awakening, but it wasn't completely just yet.
"His greatest sin of all was his attempt to supplant the Gods of Rome with himself, breaking their statues so that his face would sit upon their mighty shoulders and the people would worship him instead of the rightful gods of their lands!" the swords seemed to vibrate, as if insulted by what Caligula had done. "The senate, the soldiers, and the people could take no more. Tired of the murder, sin, debauchery, and taxation, it was the Praetorian Guard led by Cassius Chaerea and backed by the senate, the men confronted Caligula during a festival and assassinated him. Like his namesake Julius Caesar, he was assassinated by his own senate and guards in his own palace!"
The swords spun in the air, all of them pointed right at Caligula, no longer drifting and the writing on their surface now complete. The Warrior was now fully activated and ready to cut through the divinity of the Heretic God Caligula.
"This will not beat me, boy!" Caligula bellowed, his muscles shrinking as he summoned a gladius again. "Not when I hold the skill of Mars!"
"This is the twisted tale of Caligula, one of the most despicable humans in history!" Godou finished, slashing his sword and pointing it right at the Heretic God.
The swords followed the command and like a sea of gold, the swords flew at Caligula. The Roman emperor bellowed back, slashing at the blades and cutting a good number of them away. For a brief moment, Godou feared that for all the knowledge he placed in the swords on Caligula, his ability to use the power of other gods would help him narrowly avoid the power of the Warrior.
That doubt died as Caligula suddenly faltered, knocking one sword away only to take one in the shoulder that was directly behind it. He attempted to get his rhythm back, but it was a lost cause. More swords slipped past his guard, piercing his body. Although the swords didn't cut his flesh, they did cut into his divinity, cutting the power of Caligula from the main core of his being.
When Mike had given the rather brief description of Caligula and his abilities, Godou and his friends figured likely Caligula was really a different Heretic God who had bound the burgeoning forced worship of the Roman emperor to himself, gaining whatever abilities the true Heretic God Caligula had if he truly became a god and kept them thanks to the man's infamy throughout history. With his ability to mimic the rest of the Roman pantheon, Godou decided that using the Warrior to cut out Caligula from the true Heretic God had to be done as soon as possible or else Godou would have exhausted his Ten Incarnations just keeping up with the entity.
Caligula was pierced with more and more of the swords, hacking his divinity away to nothing. His arms no longer worked and his legs began to fail as the power he sported was cut away, "No! No! I cannot be brought low by this! This will not stand!"
"HAAAHHHHH!" Godou bellowed, making another slash of his sword, sending the last of his conjured weapons down at the Heretic God.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The conjured world went up in light and the world returned to Kuoh Academy. The golden swords were gone and Godou stood across from his opponent. However, not only were the golden swords gone from his body, but his entire form had changed.
No longer was the Heretic God muscled like a mighty soldier and emperor, but lithe and quick, like a hunter. He no longer sported a fine sword of war, but instead held a simple bow in his hand with a quiver of arrows slung over his shoulder. Gone was his gold finery and royal crimson clothing, and instead he wore the simple white clothing of a hunter. Even his chiseled roman soldier-like features were gone and in their place was the classical male beauty more in line with a Greek. His hair was longer with a curl in it and his eyes were no longer so dark, appearing more like regular eyes than the dark glare they were before.
"Who are you?" Godou blinked, not sure of who it was he was looking at.
"To think one of Pandora's bastard children would bring me so low," the Heretic God snarled. "But by cutting my divinity, you reduced me to this! Remember my name, bastard child! I am Acteon, one of the greatest hunters in the lands! The one man trusted by Artemis herself and who cared for her hunting dogs!"
"Acteon?" Godou frowned, but then he recalled the name. It came up in lessons Erica insisted he take in the event Athena returned or someone from her Greek pantheon family decided to take issue of how he'd beaten her. One of the names that came up was Artemis, goddess of the moon, maidens, and hunting.
In her legends, one in particular, a man named Acteon appeared. He was a hunter, although if he was just a hunter or someone who cared for Artemis' hunting dogs was up to debate. The story went that Acteon was out on a hunt and stumbled onto Artemis having a bath, catching her naked. Extremely offended at the slight to her chastity, Artemis turned him into a stag and had her hunting dogs chase down and kill him.
Frankly, the only reason he remembered the story was because it reminded Godou of how his sister treated him, thinking he was seducing girls left and right for some reason. Honestly, he wasn't like his grandfather!
"But…you're an aspect of Artemis' legends, not a god in yourself," Godou frowned. He definitely knew that Acteon was no god so how could he become a Heretic God?
"True, I am not," Acteon scowled. "When beloved Artemis became worshipped in Rome, I was left behind, broken away from her changing legend. I was left adrift, doomed to fade until the spark of a new god appeared in the Domain if Immortality. The spark created by Caligula as he attempted to deify himself, forcing his followers to worship him. We shared the common thread of being ruined by the moon, myself by Artemis and him by the disease Romans associated with it. Using it, I absorbed that burgeoning worship, allowing me to become Caligula. Using my new mantle, I eventually broke free to pursue my Artemis who took the name Diana." Acteon's face turned to a deep scowl, "But I was too late! A bastard child of Pandora stole her from me! So now I wait here until she returns and I will make my mighty empire worthy of her for when she comes to the mortal realm once again!"
Godou frowned, moving into a ready stance as he cycled through his Authorities to use. "I don't think so!"
"Bah! Your word means nothing to me, but this is a fight I would not win at my current strength!" Acteon bent his knees before he suddenly dashed, leaping away in a blur. Godou tried to follow him with his eyes, but only saw a flash of brown leaping over nearby rooftops. "We will meet again Campione! When I make your kind a sacrifice to my beloved Diana!"
Godou frowned, knowing he couldn't follow without the Raptor. Acteon would have to wait for another time. The others were going to need his help. He turned to see about either the dragon or the Fallen Angel when…
"GRAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
Mike groaned as he felt his dizziness pass. Shaking his head, he looked around to see the immediate area torn apart like a bomb had gone off. The ground was torn asunder and chunks of earth were ripped from the ground and scattered all over the place. Getting to his knees, Mike frowned when he saw at the center of it all the familiar red dragon, all but sneering at him.
"Well, well, well, so you managed to get out unscathed even," Y Ddraig Goch chuckled. "You bastard children of Pandora are a hardy bunch; I'll give you that."
"Yeah, we tend to be," Mike grimaced. He tried to feel for Grani, but the horse was gone. Likely dissipated back to wherever he went when Mike wasn't using him. He tried to pull Grani back to the world, but the Authority was stubborn and wouldn't react. Mike guessed it was because Grani was injured and needed time to recover.
"Contractor!" Gremory's voice called as the Devil flew down to his side. "I feared the worst when the dragon pulled that little stunt."
"You and me both," Mike got to his feet.
"Should you not be using that Wisdom of Solomon so many say you hold?" asked Gremory. "It would be pivotal in fighting this opponent."
Mike heaved a pained sigh, "I've tried, but I just can't focus! I'm such an emotional mess right now I can't get the Heart of Wisdomto work!"
"I see," Gremory nodded. She glanced over to where another battle was taking place, "Then correct me if I am wrong, but is that not your dead lover fighting that horde of Fallen with your friends?"
She pointed to where the small battle was going on, prompting Mike to look and be ready to yell at the Devil for her insensitivity. He stopped as he blinked, seeing the familiar brunette slash at a pair of Fallen which tried to impale her. She gripped Excalibur Mimic proudly, but also in her hands was a silver and crimson broadsword which she kept in her free hand, even if she wasn't using it to attack.
Mike gaped, "Irina?"
"BURN!"
"Move you fool!" Gremory shouted, wrapping her arms around Mike before flying out of the way of a stream of fire which nearly melted the ground which it struck. Gremory landed heavily, letting Mike stumble from her grasp, "Keep your head in the battle Contractor! I don't need the black mark on my record of letting my Contractors die on my watch!"
"R-right," Mike blinked. He felt like he was in a daze, but he shook it off, managing to get his head back into the game. A bloom opened in his chest as he realized that it wasn't an illusion, Irina was alive and well, fighting off the Fallen again.
Mike faced Y Ddraig Goch as the red dragon turned to face him once again. The red dragon snarled, smoke flaring from his nostrils in annoyance. Mike didn't let the image intimidate him, bracing himself for his next move. With the source of his turmoil settled, or as best as one could in the heat of battle, Mike gave his next Authority a shot.
"Oh ye, I beseech thy Lord for the sake of my people. I shall tell right from wrong, good from evil, and truth from lies. Let my wisdom come forth and solve all woes of my people. I shall be the one whose wisdom shall end all quarrel and strife!"
The Authority flashed in Mike's mind, the image of Solomon's image glowing in the expanding mural. It flickered slightly with Mike's emotional turmoil. After a few flickers, the power began to shine, spreading golden power through Mike's body, turning his skin a familiar golden with his eyes turning pure white.
"Bah! No Authority you possess can stop me!" Y Ddraig Goch bellowed, racing towards the Campione and his summoned Devil.
Mike didn't respond to the taunt, instead speaking with his Authority, "Y Ddraig Goch is the Welsh name for The Red Dragon. Your story began in the Mabinogion. In it, the land of Wales was your homeland. Your story began when a white dragon invaded suddenly and you battled him. The shrieks of fury from your battle caused women to miscarry, animals to die, and plants to become barren."
Y Ddraig Goch roared and swiped at Mike. The Campione dodged to the side as Gremory took to the skies once again. Passing by the red dragon's side, Mike got some distance as the bulky creature was forced to turn around to get at him again.
"Faced with the ruin of his country, Lludd, the King of Briton sought advice from his brother Llefelys in France. Together they concocted a plan to trap you and your opponent. Digging a hole in the center of Wales, they filled it with the finest mead. You and the white dragon eagerly drunk the wine and fell asleep. Lludd then had you both wrapped in cloth and imprisoned you in Dinas Emrys in Snowdonia."
"BE SILENT!" Y Ddraig Goch roared, angling his head to fire another stream of dragonfire at his opponent. Again, Mike moved to get out of the way. Still, it didn't stop the flames from singing his clothes, leaving smoky trails as he ran.
"You emerged again in the tales within Historia Brittonum," Mike continued as if he hadn't nearly been torched to death. "You and the white dragon remained imprisoned in Dinas Emrys for centuries, forgotten by the people, forgotten that you were even there! Then King Vortigern attempted to build a castle right on top of you! Your battle with the white dragon raged on still so every night, the foundations for the castle he sought were torn down by the quakes your fighting caused!"
Y Ddraih Goch snarled, his temper flaring at anybody insuiating that he, HE the Red Dragon Emperor, was forgotten and imprisoned in such a measly trap. He let loose another roar and swiped his tail at Mike. Mike frowned and gave a sharp whistle, bringing Gremory to his side who quickly hoisted him up into the air as the tail of the dragon tore through the earth where he stood a moment ago.
"You're making him angry," Gremory warned.
"That's the idea," Mike replied before continuing to speak. "Vortigern sought out his advisors and they told him to find a boy who had no natural father and sacrifice him to end the earthquakes. Such a boy was found, later revealing his name as Merlin. He scoffed at their idea and revealed the knowledge of the dragons beneath the castle foundations. The area was excavated and you were there, still fighting the invading white dragon."
"Hold still you little gnat!" Y Ddraig Goch roared, launching another stream of fire up at the pair. Gremory grimaced and dipped and swerved out of the way of the attacks, although even with the distance she had, the extreme heat from the flames still made her winces.
"Whatever your idea is Contractor, best do it soon," the voluptuous woman grimaced. "I cannot protect you like this forever."
"Just a little more," Mike continued his words of knowledge. "You eventually won the battle and Merlin decreed that the white dragon represented the invading Saxons while the red represented Vortigern's people. The people who defeated those invaders, eventually taking on the name Welsh in honor of their land!"
"Cease your prattling! It serves no purpose!" Y Ddraig Goch bellowed, preparing another blast.
"Through this tale, I see your fatal flaw," Mike grinned. "Through rain, sleet, and snow, despite waking up in an underground cavern, despite the indignity of being laid low due to drink, your still sought battle with the white dragon. You fought, and fought, and fought for no other reason other than you were angry! Angry at the invasion, angry at the indignity, angry at everything heaped onto you! It makes your flaw blatantly obvious! Your fatal flaw is: Wrath!"
"Bah! My wrath is my power and one you will now experience!" Y Ddraig Goch roared, his mouth glowing as more fire was prepared to be launched.
"Drop me," Mike spoked, prompting Gremory to blink, but she obeyed. It wasn't a far drop, but Mike fell heavily as he landed in a crouch, slamming his palms into the ground. The soil almost rippled before the ground below Y Ddraig Goch exploded with multiple marble pillars which smashed into the red dragon's belly and face. The flames spewed out haphazardly, destroying a swath of trees as the dragon bellowed in pain as he thrashed to smash the assaulting pillars.
Mike didn't stop as he stood up, raising his hands. Between the pillars, the ground shuddered again as numerous golden spears rose up, stabbing into Y Ddraig Goch's belly, eliciting a screech from the dragon as it felt the sharpened tips pierce his hide. A flap of his wings allowed the dragon to rise up, freeing himself from the blades. The blades didn't penetrate deeply enough to be considered lethal in any sense, but they still hurt. Ichor spilled from the wounds, although again, nothing which would show it was a lethal blow. It was enough to show that the tide wasn't entirely in the red dragon's favor.
Mike grimaced as he watched the dragon rise. At the moment, the Campione was at a disadvantage. He'd gone into the fight angry and he wasted stamina first against Caligula, and now against Y Ddraig Goch. His Heart of Wisdom was helping what energy he had left, but against a foe like the Welsh Red Dragon, that was only going to slow it down. Shallow cuts weren't going to do much either before Mike exhausted himself.
No, he was going to need something big, something which could strike Y Ddraig Goch and hit something sensitive. The belly was out since even if he could begin landing an assault to the softer scales, the red dragon could just take flight and minimize the damage. So where else was a dragon vulnerable? If the scales everywhere else could withstand most weapons, where else could one try to stab a dragon?
And then the answer just hit Mike like Y Ddraig Goch's tail upside the head.
'I'm such an idiot!' Mike grimaced to himself before he looked up to Gremory, "Gremory, tell me when his breath is running out and the fire is the weakest!"
Gremory glanced to Mike and replied, "Your pillars and gold are going to melt before that happens!"
"Just do it!"
"BURN!"
Y Ddraig Goch fired another stream of his fire and Mike reacted, summoning up another row of pillars to block the flames. The flames struck the stone pillars and soon they were starting to melt, turned red hot by the pure heat the dragon's fire was unleashing on them. Still, the red dragon wasn't running out of steam and Mike summoned a second barrier of pillars behind the first before they failed. The heat wasn't stopped though and Mike grimaced, sweltering under it even if the flames themselves weren't touching him.
"Come on, you have to run out of breath at some point," Mike muttered as he prepared to raise a third row of pillars. "You're too pissed off to go for half-measures at this point."
Finally, as the second row of pillars began to bend from the head, he heard Gremory shouting from above, "Contractor, he's running out of breath!"
"Good!" Mike grit his teeth. What was next would be painful and possibly suicidal, but if he timed it right he could hit that one vulnerable spot that every dragon had. "Here goes!"
Mike pushed his hands down, letting the pillars sink back into the ground. He immediately charged towards the red dragons as weak streams of fire flew at him, no longer obstructed. Mike shielded his face and dared not to breathe. His arms immediately screamed in pain as the flames licked over them while his clothes were blackened and burning from the flames. Fortunately, Mike's Campione toughness and the fact the flames were at their weakest helped. Through it all though, he saw Y Ddraig Goch's still open mouth as the last of the dragon's wrath was pointed at him.
"EAT THIS!" Mike roared, stomping a foot on the ground.
The ground shuddered before another pillar broke from the ground, angled right at the dragon's maw. Unlike the other pillars though, this one held a portion of the shattered earth on top of it. Again, the dragon's wrath worked against him as he had focused on Mike and was taken off guard by the sudden attack. The pillar and its load smashed directly into Y Ddraig Goch's mouth, cutting off the flames entirely and jamming his jaws wide open with the mound of earth.
"GHCK?!" the dragon gagged in shock. Dropping back, the red dragon began to thrash his head to try and dislodge the obstruction in his jaws.
"My, my, that's a new one," Gremory tittered as she flew down to Mike's side. The Campione's clothes were charred and his face and bared arms were red, burned by the weak dragon fire. Still, he was alive and well. "You plan to choke him?"
"No," Mike shook his head. "Get me to the mound in his mouth! Fast!"
"Yes Contractor!" Gremory grinned. Taking Mike into her arms, and not accidentally pressing her massive melons into the back of his neck, Gremory darted through the sky and towards the thrashing dragon. Coming in, Gremory held Mike out in her arms where he grasped until his fingers sank into the soil stuck in the dragon's mouth. "Deep within the earth, my reign grows onward. My wealth swells, my treasures increase, all for the prosperity of my kingdom. The vaults are locked to all but me and now I shall open the doors and bask in the radiant glow!"
Mike's body flashed gold before the ball of dirt in the dragon's mouth likewise flashed. A muffled bellow came from the dragon's mouth, trying to turn his head away before-!
*SQUEALCH!*
The dragon stiffened as the back of its neck, the top of its skull, and any space in between suddenly exploded with golden battleaxes, spears, and just about any long and pointed implement of death that the Authority of Solomon had on hand.
The air was still as Y Ddraig Goch's body stiffened, his eyes widening in shock. After a few moments, his body shuddered before falling over, crashing onto the ground in a heap. Gremory flew back from the hot corpse before landing on the ground, releasing Mike from her embrace. The eighth Campione grunted, trying to reclaim his breath as he looked at the dragon's body.
"So that was your plan," Gremory nodded. "Your Authority allows you to summon weapons from the soil, so you lodged a portion of earth into his mouth so you could strike at his vulnerable insides."
"Yes," Mike nodded, his skin turning back to normal, or rather pink from his new burns, causing him to wince as the recoil from Heart of Wisdom hit him. "Oh damn that hurts. I figured his insides were fireproof, but not as armored as his outsides."
"A sound deduction," Gremory nodded, watching as the dragon's body began to glow before starting to vanish into golden sparkles. "But was the phrase 'eat this' necessary?"
"Seemed appropriate," Mike shrugged. He groaned as he tried to get the soreness back to a manageable level. A heat was spreading through his body as more of Y Ddraig Goch's body vanished. "Now come on, we still have to deal with Koka-!"
*BOOOM!*
Gremory and Mike stopped as an explosion came from where Mike's friends were fighting with Kokabiel's forces. Smoke rose from an explosion as above them all, Kokabiel was no longer on his throne, but standing above the battle with his arm positioned like he had thrown something.
"It seems the Fallen is no longer content to just watching," Gremory frowned.
"Yeah," Mike frowned. "Okay, let's go."
"Summers!" Mike stopped as he saw Godou running towards him.
"Aniki," Mike nodded to his Campione sibling. "You able to keep going?"
"Yes," Godou nodded before looking to where the smoke was billowing. "Let's hurry!
Mike nodded and both Campione (and one summoned Devil) took off for the scene of the final battle of the night.
The most important battle they were going to fight.
To Be Continued…
A/N: Okay, finally! Getting the right words for the fight scenes this time was hard. I wanted to make good fights, but I also didn't want to make them too short nor did I want Godou to steal the entire spotlight. Still, the climax is nigh. The Heretic Gods have been defeated or driven off and now Kokabiel's army and the Fallen himself will have to deal with three Campione and all of their friends. Still, they're tired, bruised, and bloody but they're all still geared for a fight. Could Mike's new Authority tip things in their favor?
And now for Irina's new power…
Clarent: Sword of Knighthood
"I am the sword which is raised in peace. I am the blade who shall rest with my king. I am the weapon who will bring forth honor! I am the shining sword of Camelot!"
This Authority manifests as the infamous sword used by Mordred to slay his own father on the fields of Camlann. As an Authority, it holds the power to manifest knights. Although Mordred could use this power, it was limited to him since his essence involves treachery which is anathema to Clarent's initial purpose, only allowing him to conjure enough knights to match the same number which betrayed Arthur. A token force at best. In Irina's hands, she is able to easily access this power thanks to her faith and belief in loyalty. As such, she can manifest a small army's worth of knights. However, she is limited merely to infantry at the moment. No archers, cavalry, or special units. Also, in her hands another limitation is that she cannot spill blood with Clarent. That is not something which is part of Clarent's core. If she does, the knights will vanish, leaving her vulnerable. Likewise, the knights will vanish if she dismisses the sword.
…oh, and by the way, I am aware that Acteon being Caligula is a bit of a weird thing in the mechanics of Heretic Gods. If you don't get my line of thought from this chapter, then I'll try to explain in greater detail after the fighting is done.