Disclaimer: I do not own Campione or any of its characters. I only own my OC's

Chapter 22

As Dante and the others left the ramen restaurant, the brown blonde teen having paid for them all, including the mountain of orders that Brenda had racked up, couldn't he help but notice the sudden surge of magical energies that was coming from quite a distance away. They weren't great enough to belong to a Campione or Heretic God, and weren't from someone with monstrous reserves such as his dear Brenda. Yet were they noticeable, at least one of them was, having the nagging suspicion that he had been on the receiving of it at some point. But the second Italian Campione couldn't put his finger as to why it felt oddly familiar.

His Scandinavian companion, having noticed his sudden halt and change in expression, looked up at him slightly concerned. "Is something wrong, Dante?"

The sound of the red head's voice was more than enough to snap him out of his musing, promptly being pushed to the back of his mind as nothing more than an afterthought.

"No, something just caught my attention for a moment. But it doesn't appear to be anything noteworthy at the moment." Dante reassured her, his words being nothing but the truth. As long as it doesn't develop was there nothing to worry about, and even then wouldn't it be too big of a degree of danger. The magical energies were at the very least just from two mages, and at most were they exceptional mages. Nothing more, nothing less… probably.

"Well if you say so." Brenda then proceeded to snuggle up closer to the dirty blonde teen's arm that she had been holding, her head practically leaning against it at this point. The man in question didn't mind the contact in the slightest. In fact relished he in it, having been a sensation that he had been starved of for several months up until this point. So he wouldn't do anything that could potentially limit his time with the Swedish girl.

While the couple was enjoying their time together, were their remaining companions walking behind them. Both looking at the scene before them with blank stares that didn't give away their thoughts and emotions regarding the scenario before them. The reason behind their respective reactions was however different between them.

Maria was already somewhat numbed to witnessing her brother and Brenda being lovey-dovey to the tooth aching degree, something which one only cared to take notice of for so long before it was considered part of the normal.

Liliana on the other hand, with this being the first time she exposed to this unexpected side of her lord, combined with just how much of an extreme it was in the opposite direction when it came to his other emotional state: the emotionless killing machine, didn't know how to react properly in a situation such as this. So instead followed she the younger Zola sibling's lead, not showing any reaction or emotion towards the situation starting to feel like the best choice.

The two outsiders looked at each other with a glance, before both let out a silent sigh. They both felt like it would be a long day at this pace. And yet couldn't they help but be happy about the situation, hoping that this calm would continue to last.

…

Chizue drove her fist into Hideyoshi's gut, having managed to break through his guard after having diverted one of his sword swings. She felt how he tensed his stomach as she made contact, trying to minimize the damage it would cause him, but it still managed to knock plenty of air out of him. Gritting his teeth, swung he his large blade back around, hoping to get some separation between himself and the older blonde before she could follow up her attack.

Thankfully got he the reaction he desired, as his Big Sis backed away in order to avoid his overhead slash. This bought him a couple seconds at best to gather himself and try to regain some ground. Taking a deep breath, started he to chant.

"Great Mother Earth, who rules over all that lives on your world. You are the paragon for defying the gods, your son slew his father, your children declared war on your grandchildren, you are the root to it all."

His opponent wouldn't let him finish his incantation undisturbed however, closing the distance between them as if it had barely existed, having dashed forward in a manner that gave her the perfect opportunity to aim a kick towards the boy's head as she hung in mid-air.

Hidde, having been able to discern the path of her attack managed to avoid the attack just in time, stabbing the otherwise too large blade into the ground for additional support as he ducked behind it, making him practically impossible to reach from that direction.

"Great Mother Gaia, the one that declares gods the enemies of Earth and humans, let your strength be a blessing that vanquishes my divine foes, and grant me here and now the power of the mighty Giants!."

One of the dog tags he had tied around his legs underneath his pants gave of a green shine, releasing the magic that had been stored in it prior. As the amulet's light died down was Hideyoshi's body surrounded by a green aura that covered his entire body. He felt how his body was filled with renewed vigour and energy, the pain in his stomach from Chizue's punch all but disappearing completely.

"Nice little spell you got there." The blonde boy's attention snapped towards his opponent. She was standing just to his left, their currently added difference in height making her look even more intimidating as she stared him down with her blood red eyes. He acted swiftly, pulling his sword up from the ground as he went for a low sweeping slash towards her legs. However, as his attack was hugely telegraphed dodged she the attack effortlessly, simply jumping over his slash attack. "How about I negate it?"

As she landed transitioned she instantly into a devastating uppercut, her blow landing solidly under his chin. The spell he had used went to work as soon as it recognised that he had taken damage, only for it to suddenly stop working just as she launched him away as she followed through with her motion, the green aura disappearing from around his body, starting from the point of impact.

The poor boy landed a couple meters away, his body skipping across the ground for a couple meters before coming to a stop. But he wasn't down for the count just yet, slowly pushing himself up from the ground. Even with black spots swimming in his vision, moved he forward. That blow had reminded him that despite her appearance and the way she acted, was Big Sis still a Hime-Miko of the highest order. Her Disaster Purification still being as effective as ever.

"Thought that would be enough to keep you down."

"Don't… think it will… be that… easy."

"Hm…" a smile spread out over the semi-delinquent's face at his defiance towards going down. "Very well then."

Her body was in an instant enveloped in a bright red aura of her own, much more pronounced than the boy's had been. Her magical energy spiked noticeably, as it now rolled off her like waves, each billow feeling like a gust of wind as it passed him by. And yet was the most terrifying fact something else entirely. The fact that her aura was carrying something that the boy's aura had lacked: Divinity.

The amount was miniscule when compared to the divine presence that Heretic Gods or even Divine Ancestors extruded. Even the wounded Athena back at his place possessing just barely more Divinity than what was felt from Chizue at the moment. Not that it mattered much, as a human was it impressive that she gave off a divine aura at all. Divinity was something which was only supposed to be wielded by the gods, as it would utterly destroy both body and soul of any lower being that attempted to utilize it. There did exist exceptions to this rule however.

One of those exceptions was considered the rarest among all Hime-Miko, those exceptional few that was not only born with a body that and spirit that would survive the process relatively unscathed, but also possessed an almost instinctive knowledge of how they were supposed to activate the power that would allow them to channel divine power through their body.

That, however, usually required that they possessed something with a strong enough connection to a god to draw divine power from, something which Hideyoshi hadn't seen on the person of his opponent. And he doubted that she was getting direct from a god in this situation.

He was given no more time to think, Chizue suddenly standing just before him. He had barely seen her move, as she had appeared as nothing more than something akin to a blur when crossing the sizeable distance that had been between them. Hideyoshi raised his blade mostly on instinct, his mind having trouble to properly process the information in time for him to take a fully conscious action. That instinctual reaction saved him however, as the flat of his blade barely managed to intercept her next attack, a karate chop that had been aimed straight for his head. However, even if he had managed to intercept the attack, was he now caught between a rock and a hard place, as Chizue continued pressing down on his blade, effectively keeping him pinned to that one spot.

He tried to change the position of his blade, hoping that it would cause her attack to slide along the flat. His attempts were in turn intercepted by Chizue changing the way she pushed down, forcing him to focus on one arm or have his guard broken with no chance to feasibly recover in time. The only upside to his current predicament was the fact that Chizue needed full support to push him down, meaning her legs was something he didn't need to worry about for the time being.

*Ba-bump…* *Ba-bump…* *Ba-bump…*

The blonde boy froze suddenly, as a new sensation made itself known inside his body. Hideyoshi had experienced it two times before now. The first being back when he had intercepted Athena's scythe in order to protect Shizuka, with the other being when Athena had made Dio test her theory by stabbing him with his spear. But it had never been this strong and clear in those instances.

What had once been nothing more than a low and barely noticeable rumble in his chest had now turned into something resembling the slow and rhythmic beating of a heart. He felt as each beat coursed power through his body, but there was something else that accompanied this sudden heartbeat as well.

...fight…

Hideyoshi didn't know whether to call it a voice or a fleeting thought, but whatever it was carried some form of power over his being, feeling his senses sharpen while his inhibitions seemed to loosen somewhat. He tried to fight against it-

Fight…

-His attempts at trying to fight against the sudden urge to fully invest himself into the fight was met with great resistance from whatever being was practically ordering him to accept the power that had began flowing through him.

The woman that had been pinning him down with one arm looked on shock as a golden aura suddenly began enveloping the blonde boy. Her shock increased as she was suddenly being pushed back, the boy slowly but surely making it up from his crouched position. Realising that her plan of making it into a contest of stamina had failed withdrew she her attack, preparing her Disaster Purification as he spun into kick towards Hideyoshi's midriff.

To say that she was surprised what transpired after that would be an huge understatement.

Hidde had effortlessly caught her foot with his bare hand before it collided with her target, and showed no signs of having been affected by her attack in the slightest. Before she was given any time to react was he pushed her away from him with a surprising amount of force, causing her to lose her balance. She tumbled to ground as a result, leaving her open for whatever attack her opponent wanted to launch. Chizue was quick on her feet in this situation however, rolling along the ground so that she could place her knees on the ground and be turned towards Hideyoshi, somewhat ready for his next attack.

That next attack never came however. She looked on in shock as Hideyoshi was clutching his head with his left hand, clearly in agony as he went down on his knees. His sword was discarded beside him, his main hand seemingly trying to force itself to the handle of the weapon.

Fight

"Be quiet…"

Fight!

"No… stop… be quiet"

Fight!

"I told you to be quiet!"

The golden aura that had been surrounding his body exploded away from his body, like a balloon exploding when being filled with too much air. The fragments quickly disappearing not long after, and having lost their connection to their power source, was the only thing they could do be to disappear. And as the last of the fragments was no more, collapsed the one responsible for them forward unconsciously in a unceremonious heap, like a puppet that had suddenly gotten it's strings cut.

As Chizue got back on her feet and walked over to the now unconscious blonde, approaching him in a somewhat cautious yet straightforward manner. Still being slightly on edge after his sudden display, while also being aware of the fact that he would most likely need medical attention. One didn't simply do what he just did and walked away unscathed, she herself could already feel all of the muscles in her body to start hurting, a relatively minor backlash from having used divinity when compared to what most others would experience.

Which was why she was approaching the downed blonde faster than she usually would have done, having been able to recognise the aura's nature during the little time that it had been present. It was similar to her own. It had been carrying divinity, but unlike hers was it more refined, more pure. For a moment had she initially thought that Hideyoshi had somehow managed to channel the full strength of god through him, only to realise moments later that it was still not on quite that level, but still the closest she had ever felt.

Which is why it shocked her to see that Hideyoshi was completely fine, despite having pulled off something that would usually be considered an impossibility. Not only because of the divinity level and purity, but also because of the fact that Hidde should for all intents and purposes be unable to actually channel divinity at all.

'Just what is going on, Hideyoshi' she thought to herself as she got the blonde in what she would guess was a more comfortable position from lying on the ground in a heap. She looked up towards the clear sky that hanged overhead, seemingly searching for answers that couldn't be answered at the moment.

…

"Is something the matter big brother?" Shizuka asked her darker haired sibling, who had suddenly frozen on the spot right in the middle of their kitchen. The two Kusanagi siblings were currently preparing for tonight, both of them working to create a feast within a couple hours. It also gave them both some time to take their minds off of things, as they turned all their focus and attention towards something else.

Godou looked back at his sister, a expression that could only be described as being somewhat uncertain on his face. "I don't know, just felt a chill all of the sudden. But it went by so fast that I am not even certain if I felt anything at all."

"I think it was just imagination, not that I know that for certain of course. But it can't be because of the temperature." That was a true statement. The heat that had built up as a result of both their combined body heat and the residual heat of the pans had made the kitchen the hottest place in the entire house at the moment.

"Yeah, you're probably right." the older boy agreed, resuming his short journey to their refrigerator. "Is there something you need from the fridge at the moment?"

"A couple of eggs!"

Godou brought the whole carton with him, having a feeling that just a couple wouldn't be enough in the long run. As he placed the container so that Shizuka would be able to reach it, heard he as the doorbell suddenly sounded. And seeing as his sister was currently deeply invested in her cooking-

"I'll go check who it is."

"Okay"

As he closed in on the door started he thinking about who it might be. It was a bit early for it to be Dante and the others, but it wasn't something that he excluded entirely from being a possibility. It might be Erica dropping by unannounced once more, he wouldn't exactly put it past her, seeing as her advances had somehow became even more frequent since the Starless Night. Except that while her advances had increased in amount, had they gotten… calmer he would have to say. Before had she been like a lioness in her approach: constantly on the hunt, attacking relentlessly in order to bring down her prey. Now, she was more like a house cat, strolling leisurely around and showing moderate amounts of affection, unless her territory was threatened.

However, as he opened the door saw he that it was neither of those to options, instead being someone that he hadn't expected to see standing in front of the Kusanagi household.

"Mariya Yuri…?" he asked, with it being more directed at himself rather than the beautiful brunette that stood before the Kusanagi household. She was dressed in casual clothes, not too different from those she had been wearing when they visited Hideyoshi. But even if her attire was casual, was it clear in the way that she was holding herself that she attempted to appear dignified. And despite the clothes, managed she to get the desired effect.

"Good day, Kusanagi. I hope you are doing well this lovely day." To say that her approach to the Japanese god slayer had improved since their first interaction would be a huge understatement. While still somewhat wary around the black haired teen, was it not only on the same level that made her jump to the conclusion that he was some battle crazed tyrant that treated humans as nothing more than insects. They were current relationship wasn't nearly as unclear as it had been in the beginning, as they had begun treating each other as acquaintances at the very least, even if Mariya was coming off as formal as ever in her approach.

"It has had its ups and downs so far." Godou felt that he didn't need to go into any further details surrounding said ups and downs, having an inkling that casually bringing up the fact that he had died once today wouldn't be appreciated. So he instead attempted to steer their conversation in another direction. "Me and Shizuka will be having some friends come over later, so we have been making food for later. Is there perhaps any special reason that you are here?"

The brown haired girl looked off to the side at his question, seemingly unsure of how to answer his question. "I had a premonition of sorts earlier this day. It wasn't clear, but it seemed as if you were in danger in it. I wanted to make sure that you're safe and haven't gotten into any trouble."

As Godou listened to her explanation, felt he his entire mouth went dry for a moment there, having the distinct feeling that it was as if he had been looked right through. His headache from before making itself known to him once more as it began throbbing. "Well, I wouldn't say I have gotten into any trouble exactly. Just been experiencing all the fatigue hitting me at once, putting me to sleep. Heh, heh…"

There was nothing but silence between the two teenagers for a moment, neither of them making any attempts at breaking it for various reasons. Godou didn't want to break it, feeling that picking up the conversation after that would be awkward and just come off as forced. Yuri meanwhile didn't continue the conversation just yet, as she was instead taking her time with dissecting Godou's statement.

"...You're lying, aren't you, Godou." The way that she said that made it not feel like a question, but rather a statement, as it seemed that she already had the truth somewhat figured out already, and just wanted confirmation to her inquiry.

Godou, taken a bit off guard by the girl's blunt but accurate accusation, didn't know how to respond to her. Instead opted he for breaking the eye contact he had held with her throughout, not looking into her eyes, but not away from her either. The change was more than enough for Yuri to notice it however, the way he had shifted his gaze having not been subtle in the least bit.

However, being aware of their difference in position, even if the Japanese didn't show any hints of attempting to use his authority, couldn't she force it out of him. "Very well then-"

"I don't know exactly what happened…" his words cut her off before she could say too much, her look turning to one of surprise as he looked back at her once more, meeting her gaze without hesitation. "I do however know for a fact that I died earlier today, I don't know how, or if there was a reason as to why. All I know is that I died, and that I spent some time in the Netherworld… I am sorry if I somehow offended you."

The Hime-Miko got silent for a moment, fully digesting not only the Japanese god slayer's words, but also his actions in this very moment. Even when she hadn't attempted to force him to do anything, or even had a reason to know about it, had he ultimately told her anyway. And she could somewhat understand why he didn't want to talk about it just some moments prior. Having experienced dying wasn't exactly something that was brought up in most normal conversations, and she had an inkling that it was an uncomfortable experience even for Campione.

That however left her with a question.

"...Why are you telling me this?"

"I feel that it wouldn't be fair to keep this from you, just because it is something that I find uncomfortable. I mean, even if I am a Campione now, shouldn't I treat my death as something trivial. And I feel that I can trust you with this information, and I hope that this may help you to trust me as well."

Mariya Yuri looked at her native god slayer in somewhat of a daze, her mind having some trouble to fully comprehend his explanation, as her cheeks grew somewhat hot with a blush that was slowly rising, making it a bit hard to think fully straight. "...I don't know what to say really. I guess all I can really say is thank you."

Godou smiled, before suddenly realised that he had been keeping both of them by the door. Having taken notice of his mistake, walked he back a bit. "I am glad that you came to check up on me, and you are more than welcome to come inside."

The brown haired girl almost turned down his invitation on reflex, only to halt herself just before she could do so as she recalled the words he had told her just moments prior.

"I would be happy to."

Godou smiled one last time at her acceptance of his invitation, before turning back around towards the kitchen, feeling that Shizuka might need his help. Only for the house phone to start ringing, taking his attention elsewhere. "No need to feel on edge, please try to feel at home," he called out before walking off towards the phone.

"Pardon the intrusion"

As the graceful Hime-Miko entered the Kusanagi residence, walked the youngest member of the family out of the kitchen, probably wondering what had kept him so long until the phone had gotten his attention.

"Hey brother, who was by the- Mariya!" the younger brunette almost flew backwards as she saw that it was her school idol that had entered their home. Knowing about the magic side or not, her opinion about the beauty of Jounan Academy had barely made any changes from before everything that transpired.

"Good day, Shizuka, I hope I am not intruding?"

"No, of course you're not. I was just surprised to see you is all!" the youngest member of the Kusanagi said, almost in a panic as she attempted to dismiss any notion that her idol was an inconvenience. "...If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?"

"I just came by to check up on your brother-"

"What did he do this time!?"

Mariya's expression turned into one of surprise at the younger girl's sudden outburst. "Ehm, he hasn't done anything. It is just that I had a vision of something bad happening to him."

It was now Shizuka's turn to have her expression change, as it turned into one of understanding and recognition. "That must have been back when he died." Before quickly turning into one of intrigue and amazement. "But to think that you had the ability to see visions about a person so far away, that is amazing! Tell me how does it work, how far can you see? What can you see? Can you see the future?"

Mariya was taken aback by how Shizuka had acted for a moment there, in one moment disregarding her brother's death as if it wasn't something of note, and in the next was she intrigued about her Spirit Vision, unleashing a barrage of questions that quickly overwhelmed the poor Hime-Miko, giving her no time to answer or sometimes even comprehend the question asked before bringing up a new one.

"Shizuka"

Which was why she was thankful for Godou's return, as his sister's attention went away from her and towards the black haired teen instead. She was however surprised by how grim his expression was upon returning.

"What is it Godou?"

"…We are gonna have to make more food. Lots of it."

"...Huh"

…

"I hope that is enough of a warning for what might come later." Dante said as he was putting away his phone, having just called Godou about the new addition to their gathering today, and what he should expect. "We should probably bring some food of our own, we don't want to empty their fridge after all. I wonder if they have take-out."

"I think we would need to help them restock their fridge as well, my Lord" Liliana spoke up from behind him, as she was still walking besides his sister as they made their way back to the hotel.

"Liliana is right. I would like to hold myself back, but my body craves sustenance, as I burn through so much because of my magic." the red haired girl by his side acknowledged, being fully aware of her far larger than average appetite, and what was causing it. Turning it off was however something she couldn't just do, as luck would have it.

"You're probably right. It would be a bit rude to visit them without giving them something in return."

"How strangely considerate of you, you Rat. Seeing as all you have given me during your transgressions have been headaches and humiliation."

Dante felt how every hair on his body stood up in alarm at the sudden voice that entered his ears. A voice he was familiar with from having heard her speaking through hundreds of his visions, and as a result of their confrontation not too long ago during his flight to Japan. He looked around frantically, stretching out his senses in order to find where Luo Hao was, but to no avail.

"Is something wrong Dante?" asked Brenda concerned, having felt how he had stiffened all of the sudden before looking around the area in what could most easily be described as a combination of calculation and terror. His eyes instantly went to meet hers, his purple orbs staring into her crimson ones with confusion clear within them.

"You didn't hear that?"

"Hear what?" the Swedish girl looked to their other companions, only to see them being just as clueless as to what it was that Dante was talking about. Both clearly worried about his sudden almost hysterical behavior.

'Maybe I am just imagining things. No, that is unlikely. There is no reason for my imagination to conjure up such a perfect imitation of the Chinese Campione's voice. But what other explanation is there.' the Italian god slayer thought to himself as he tried to comprehend what he had heard, and why he had heard it.

"Oh you poor little Rat, not understanding the situation he is in. Only you can hear my voice, but I can hear all of yours. I just wanted to let you know that I will be arriving within the hour, whereupon you will meet your end by my hand."

"..." Dante didn't say anything for a moment after that, his mind suddenly going over all the available details that he knew about Luo Hao and her powers, as he just now started to fully understand the situation he suddenly found himself in. He understood that confrontation between himself and the Ruler of the Martial Realm was inevitable at this point, as she was able to somehow use a spell that most likely needed her to know about his location beforehand.

"Sometime within this next hour will Luo Hao attack me." he said without hesitation, speaking loud enough for all the ladies around him to hear the words that came out of his mouth. The ensuing reactions that he got as a result was also something to be expected from a sudden statement of such nature. Before any of them were able to respond to that, continued he speaking once more. "A direct confrontation here in the city is too dangerous, and the amount of collateral that could result is not something I want it to suffer after what I have already caused."

He walked further down the empty street, putting some distance between himself and the rest of the group. His mouth already having begun to speak the words of his incantation. "Great steed that travels through the nine worlds. Come to me to trample my foes with the power of war, and let your mighty hofes crush all that oppose you!"

The clouds above dispersed as a beam of purple light shot down from above, hitting the ground just in front of the brown blonde god slayer. As Sleipnir was fully manifested into the mortal world, stroked Dante the divine horse's muzzle with gentle motions across it with his entire hand. The eight legged steed appeared to be appreciating the gesture as it leaned into the touch of its master.

"Dante, what are you thinking of doing? I hope you're not thinking about doing what I think you are about to do" the urgency in Brenda's voice was like heavy sets of chains that weighed him down. Not physically, but rather emotionally, making him begin changing his mind about his plan of action. Only to shake off some of the effects when physically shaking his head, allowing his mind to let rational thought take the forefront for his decision making, rather than his heart.

"Brenda… I am sorry. But this is with all likelihood the safest option for the city. I have already caused more destruction than I have hoped for it once, I am not about to let another encounter cause a similar scenario." With those words jumped he up unto Sleipnir's back, making use of the reigns to pull himself to the right position. Going from being by the godly front, to sitting on it's back. "Let's go!"

The sudden action and command was executed so quickly that none of the girl's had any time to fully react, making them unable to even get a word out before the eight legged steed flew straight up and out of sight as it turned. The magical temperature that Brenda constantly extrudes seemed to rise, small flickers of flames appearing and disappearing around her. Her still open mouth from having tried to respond to her companion, closing into gritting teeth. Not a snarl, more as if she was pushing herself really hard.

"Brenda, are you angry?"

The Swedish girl was suddenly snapped out of whatever it was she was doing by the question that had been asked with nothing but pure innocence by the youngest girl. Her expression effortlessly returned to normal, having not been brought on by intense emotions of any kind. Which is why the question confused her, having not thought that the expression she had made would indicate any signs of anger.

"No." she responded as she turned around to meet the gazes of the others. "I just thought he couldn't leave me behind like that, so… I wanted to follow him"

The silver haired knight just shook her head at her answer. "Be that is it may be, I don't think you would have been able to catch up with him regardless, as none of us have the ability to fly, let alone catch up with a horse such as Sleipnir. And even then wouldn't you know where he is heading."

The Scandinavian girl didn't respond, her eyes shifting slightly towards a certain direction, her slitted crimson eyes having seemingly taken notice of something. "No, you're right. I just don't like to wait around and feel useless."

Liliana nodded in acknowledgement to the twintailed girl's words, feeling a sense of kinship from the more developed of the two. Not taking notice of the constant ever so slightly shifting that her eyes was doing every second.

In the meantime was the distance between Dante and the others growing increasingly larger, as the mach 15 top speed of Odin's horse rocketed them over the city of Tokyo unhindered. Thousands of meters were covered in a single second, all sounds other than the rushing of wind being impossible to hear as a result of both the turbulent winds that effectively covered his ears, and because the current speed made it practically impossible for sound to reach him.

He didn't know how the Chinese Campione had made it so that she heard everything they said, while he was the only one that could hear her. He could only guess that she had somehow projected her voice, such as by using her Dragon Voice Authority to manipulate the winds in the needed manner, or used a spell of some kind. But whatever the case, travelled he right now several times faster than sound, which in theory would allow him to get the drop on her, as she most likely had expected him to prepare himself with the time she had granted him.

Too bad for her wouldn't he fight her the way she expected.

As such needed he to prepare a bit beforehand if he wanted to take the initiative. And those he began to chant, his words drowned out by the winds, but their power seeped into the world nonetheless as they could be heard as a trail behind him. "I will accept pain in my search for answers. I will accept hanging outside the world in my search for knowledge. Now appear before me, the power of knowledge, and I shall bear this pain!"

Silver runes of all shapes from the runic alphabet took physical form around him as he willed them into existence, at the moment doing nothing more than floating around the two of them as they were summoned, impressively enough managing to keep even pace with the gray horse of legend.

But Dante didn't stop.

Hundreds of runes started to form around him as he continued pumping power into Knowledge of the Runes Origin, as the blonde god slayer for the first time in a long time started to really tap into the full capabilities of the Authority he usurped from Odin.

Within minutes had he created hundreds. Hundreds turned into thousands. Thousands became tens of thousands. It reached the point that all the circling runes had started reminding of an intricate net of silver rings with their summoner and his steed in the middle of the colossal semi-orb of silver letters. These rings were in constant motion, as each rune within every ring was moving like a asteroid belt. Except their motions seemed more mechanical, as if each movement they made was done in accordance to a predetermined command.

Even as all the runes he had created circled around him, was there enough space between each and everyone of them that he could clearly see past them. Allowing him to see as a silhouet appeared just on the horizon. Avian in nature, and absolutely massive in size, left little doubt in Dante that it was Luo Hao that had appeared, her arrival coming quicker than he had initially predicted. However, thinking back, had she only said that she would arrive within the hour, not that it would take an hour for her to arrive. Technically speaking, could she have arrived just one minute after warning him and still have been completely honest.

A powerful gust of wind suddenly passed through all the runes without much hindrance, the large spaces between them all, the element easily slipping past undisturbed. As the storm level winds reached Dante and his horse, was he pushed in their directions without much of an opportunity to fight back against the mighty currents. That was of no problem to him this time however, unlike their previous encounter.

With a single command from him, changed some of the runes in the path they were flying. Turning liquid and forming a platform before they turned solid once more. Sleipnir easily turned in the air despite the winds pushing him, all eight hoffs finding steady footing on the platform. Power flowed up into the godly horse, before it sprang off the platform with more power and speed than normal, easily pushing through the effects of the Authority. The increase in power was only temporary however, as shown by how the steed quickly slowed back down to its normal speed.

Which was why the blonde god slayer continued forming more of the platforms, using them to rebound in all directions, constantly avoiding being caught by the winds once more as they changed directions several times every second, and forcing their way through winds that where in their path from having missed them.

All the remaining silver letters and formed platforms moved constantly through the air in the direction of Luo Hao's bird form, the distance between the two Campione continuously shrinking, with their inevitable confrontation nearing by each moment that passed.

A sphere of light enveloped the colossal bird form of the Chinese Campione like a cocoon, before it soon thereafter starting to quickly shrink in size. As the light dispersed and the cocoon was no more, flew the human form of Luo Hao out, having reverted back to her normal appearance. A wide smile clear for anyone to have seen had they had the chance, but the only one that had the possibility to bear witness to it was her opponent.

She started speaking, the winds carrying her voice in a manner that it boomed through the entire sphere, fierce winds also picking up in the process. "I thought you would be nothing but a coward when I told of my intentions of battling you. So, to my surprise and delight was I happy to see you not only not fleeing, but also coming to me without a fight. I appreciate your acceptance of your inevitable punishment, you Rat!"

Dante turned his attention back towards the second oldest Campione, only to see that she was looking right back at him, seemingly having no problem finding him through the intricate webs and patterns of runes and formed platforms that comprised the entire sphere. One of her hands stretched out towards his direction, an action that made a sense of dread to suddenly overcome him even before she said a single part of the incantation.

"Glowing sun, brilliance of scorching lightning! Spirit of the heavens, spirit of the earth, Grand Supreme Elderly Lord, make haste as commanded!"

Before the Italian Campione had a chance to act in response, manifested a enormous gold hand right in the path of Sleipnir. There was no time or room to change direction on the fly, collision was imminent and unavoidable. The equally massive digits of the floating appendage already closing in around them, to trap them or constrict them he didn't know, he was only sure of the fact that he couldn't allow it to happen.

"Hammer of Justice, come to thy master!"

A flash of lightning shot out from his hand in a brilliant flash of whitish purple, shooting around violently before the magical and world bending powers of the Authority started to fully take hold, the lightning taking a solid form and becoming iron and leather as it formed the one handed hammer of Thor.

Strength that Dante wasn't used to suddenly flowed through his entire body, and growing increasingly larger as he moved to strike the golden hand with the hammer, reaching its apex the moment just before impact. The power behind the blow was astronomical, as Dante had aimed not only to push the hand back, but to utterly destroy it, and the hammer was more than heavy to oblige.

The hand was forced back hundreds of meters from the blow, cracks forming from the point of impact as the full power of the attack traveled through the manifestation of Luo Hao's Authority.

"You're wide open!"

Before he could let out a sigh of relief at having avoided the possibility of being trapped, was he rudely reminded that he was currently in the middle of combat with the second oldest Campione. This reminder came in the form of a diamond fist connecting with his temple with considerable force. Everything spun for a moment, as the suddenly blow to his head almost knocked him out in one go, but also as a result of him not being on top of Sleipnir's back all of the sudden. He spun uncontrollably through the air as he fell towards the water, only that it was hundreds of meters between him and the waters surface, and hitting it could very well put him at death's door, even with his Campione physiology.

"Don't think I am done with you just yet!"

The approaching voice of his opponent from nearby didn't make his situation any easier, feeling how a building sense of dread was setting in his stomach. He couldn't see his opponent, being too disoriented to have any idea from where the voice had come from, he didn't even know where he himself was at the moment and whether he had any runes nearby.

Dante took a calming breath, looking down in the direction he was currently falling, and was met by white clouds and the blue ocean way down below them. A throbbing sensation made itself known within his right eye, before a eruption of intense pain shot straight through his eyeball as it all turned blue in color. He felt how the divine Power of the One Eyed Wanderer reached out to the runes he had created, their powers resonating with one another for a brief moment. And barely a second later was it as if his right eye could see anything and everything around each and every rune within the sphere. The information was overwhelming, causing his brain to automatically disregard any images broadcasted to him that wasn't considered necessary.

As a result could he see the positioning of himself and Luo Hao from multiple angles, having no problem to understand the distance between them, from what direction as well as what manner of attack that was approaching. Without needing to look pointed Dante Mjolnir in the direction of the Chinese Campione, before unleashing a single bolt of lightning from the hammer. Not that is seemed to deter his opponent in the slightest, as one of her diamond arms struck into it and sent it flying in another direction with seemingly minimal effort.

But it was enough for him to accomplish what he had hoped for, as her attention was laser focused onto him after the attack, something that wouldn't last for long if he had to guess. So in that small window that existed, sent he a command to some of his runes that were in a optimal position, causing them to suddenly launch towards the older Campione at high speed.

Luo Hao seemed to take notice of these at the last moment, suddenly turning with shock evident on her face as she attempted to intercept all the projectiles. A endeavor that quickly ended in failure as she was attacked from all angles while not having been prepared for such an attack, causing some of the runes to strike her back and other exposed areas she wasn't defending.

Her expression became slightly pained as she was struck, but no sound escaped her throat. Whether this was because of the attacks not having done enough damage to cause such a reaction, or because of her own force will to stave it off was nothing but a guess at this point.

More runes started to move, but this time shot they down below them both, and in a far greater quantity than when they had aimed to attack. As they shot past them both turned they to liquid metal, their property to take any shape that Dante wished them to coming into effect far down below them, where a circular platform of silver started growing forth. It was less of platform, and more of a pool filled with sand, highly reminiscent of the battle ground he had formed inside the Colosseum back when he had faced off against Godou.

He landed with a great thud as he crashed into the sand at high velocity, the silvery surface not managing to fully dampen the impact. With a command was he dragged away from his point of impact by the suddenly rushing sand, just moments before Luo Hao got her hands on him. Her strike caused sand to erupt everywhere like a explosion had went off by her location, but it was nothing except the pure power behind her blow that caused the phenomena.

Dante clutched his head in pain as he struggled to get up, the flood of information that all his runes were still feeding him starting to seriously overwhelm his brain. As such turned he off the One Eyed Wanderer, his right returning to the light purple that matched his left eye, not risking to find out the potential consequences for keeping it going for much longer.

As the dust that had been kicked up settled, saw he how the older Campione stood there in a battle ready stance. Not a martial arts stance, closer to a posture that spoke of her being fully ready for combat, but he was sure that that would soon change.

"Tell me, Rat, are you ready to pay for your crimes?"

"As ready as I can be, considering that you are the only one that has seen my actions as a crime" the Italian teen replied, a forced smile present on his face to hide his nerves. "But to be fully honest am I not fully sure if I should be honored that you call me a Rat."

This statement seemed to catch the black haired woman off guard. "And why is that if I may ask?"

"Because of all the animals of the Chinese Zodiac, was the Rat clever enough to be the first of all animals that took place in that race of theirs."

"..." silence hung between them for several seconds after his statement, before it was shattered by the sudden laughter that escaped the Chinese god slayer's lips. "All this time have I seen you as nothing more than a lowly Rat, but you say is indeed true. I have to acknowledge the fact that you managed to avoid me many times up until now, even if it wounds me to say so. You would no doubt have to be clever to accomplish such a feat."

Her entire stance suddenly changed, her motions fluid and perfect as she went into one of her many available combat stances. "Now, show me, Luo Cuilian, Ruler of the Martial Realm, what you can do against me. Try to convince yourself that your approaching defeat isn't inevitable. Because I promise that you won't be able to defeat me with tricks!"

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