Author's Notes:

Firstly, as always, I would like to thank all those who favorite, followed or reviewed my story. Your support is really appreciated and pushes me to try harder.

Secondly, it was quite interesting to see how divided reviewers were in regards to Salvatore Doni. Some of you seem to love him and requested me to make him shine, while others seem to loathe him and requested me to bash him.

Personally I find him an intriguing character, in small doses of course, due to the oxymoron he represents, for while he is undoubtedly an idiot, he is by no means stupid. Besides being a peerless swordsman, he's a genius at combat and actually does have a brain, it's just that he rarely, if ever, chooses to use said brain. And that duality make's him into an interesting character, at least in my opinion.

Thirdly, I would like to give a very special thanks for an unspecified Guest reviewer, who left a very thorough list of corrections to the various typos and grammar mistakes I had missed on the last chapter.

Lastly: I do not own "Campione!" or "Worm Serial".

\V/

The King of Swords

Cautiously eyeing the manically grinning blonde man on the other side of the road, that was swiftly approaching her, and giving her barely touched meal a last brief mournful glance, Taylor focused upon everything that she had learned regarding the Italian Campione.

From what she had read about him, Salvatore Doni wasn't truly malicious. Point in fact all available data she had analyzed regarding her new 'siblings' actually tended to paint him as the second most benevolent of the other seven Campione, right behind the American Campione, John Pluto Smith.

But that did not mean he wasn't dangerous, far from it. For while he wasn't intentionally harmful to others, or even willingly tyrannical in his actions, that meant nothing to the fact he could be, and quite commonly was, found guilty of both sins in entirely unintentional manners.

There was a reason why the Sixth Campione had been branded with the unflattering title 'The True Son of Epimetheus', the Titan of afterthought.

For just like the Titan of legend, the blond Campione never thought about the consequences of his actions before acting, not in the slightest. And this, when combined with his lust for battle against worthy opponents, and mixed with the powers of a Devil-king, made for quite the disastrous recipe.

Watching the blonde Campione approaching, Taylor calmly raised off her seat, conveying to the world a mask of calm and confidence, while inwardly preparing herself for battle just in case of a worst case scenario.

"I saw that which should have never been seen. I've gazed into the abyss and watched its secrets, I've peered into infinity and learned its truth, I've stared past the veils of reality and witnessed its wonders. Nothing shall escape the sight of my all seeing eyes!"

She whispered the now familiar aria under her breath, allowing her awareness to expand and cover everything around her, flooding her mind with information.

There were five other agents spread around the area, all of them panicking just like their counterpart inside the bar, but for once she actually thought their reactions was warranted. For while she could thankfully see that the blond Campione didn't have any currently active Authorities, she knew that wouldn't last, for there was only one reason for him to have sought her out, to fight.

And considering how, by all accounts, the King of Swords wouldn't even give a second thought to starting the fight immediately, regardless of the fact that they were in the middle of a busy street surrounded by innocent people, and how destructive some of his recorded fights had ended up being, she felt that their worry was more than reasonable.

"Lord Salvatore Doni, I presume?" She cordially asked, masking her true feelings of both worry and annoyance behind her best public relations smile. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Yup! And you're Taylor Hebert, right?" He cheerfully asked, all but jumping in place after stopping right next to her, a manic grin firm upon his features. "My newest sibling, right? The one who defeated a bunch of Heretic Gods right after being reborn, right?"

"Indeed." She simply replied, inwardly cringing as her suspicions about what he wanted were all but confirmed. "Is there a reason for you seeking me out?"

"That means you are strong, right?" He asked in an upbeat manner, completely ignoring her question.

"Awesome! Let's fight!" The grinning maniac simply stated, right hand already moving towards the sword resting at his back without a single thought given to where they currently were.

Looking at the incongruously innocent look the grinning battle maniac was giving her, Taylor realized that any and all attempts to reason with him would be nothing more than a long lost battle. But even though she had known from the moment she had laid eyes upon him that fighting her was what he most likely wanted, she still boggled for a moment at the fact the grinning idiot wanted to battle her in the middle of the city, just like that.

But even though she knew that denying him would be an exercise in futility, especially considering how he had apparently all but stalked the Seventh Campione for weeks until he had finally managed to corner the Japanese Campione and forced him to accept his 'request' for a fight, redirecting him so that their fight wouldn't happen in the middle of Cairo was something she hoped would work.

"Very well, testing my mettle against one of my older siblings would be an interesting development. I would be more than happy to accept a duel against you." She said with a serene smile, her response causing Doni's smile to widen even further, while Anit gave her an aghast expression at her side. "But perhaps we should relocate to a proper location first? After all, this place is hardly ideal for a proper spar, wouldn't you agree?"

Blinking at her words Doni proceed to turn his head to first one side, then the other, taking in their surroundings with wide blue eyes, as if seeing them for the first time. A pondering look upon his eyes he turned around on the same spot, as if hoping that an appropriate place where they could fight would suddenly materialize out of thin air amidst the buildings, a disappointed hum escaping his lips as he did so.

"There is a secluded gorge encasing a relatively large flat area not far from the city I frequently use for my own personal training, which would be perfect for such a bout." She pushed on, making the blond God-slayer focus his gaze on her, idly noticing that Anit seemed to have greatly calmed down now that she knew her liege's plan didn't include leveling part of the city. "If we take a car we should be there in less than half an hour."

Expectantly watching her 'sibling' ponder her proposal, left hand resting against his chin and eyes narrowed in concentration, Taylor dared hope he would accept her offer without further complications, so that she could avoid having to resort to more drastic measures in order to prevent any possible fallout from their incoming clash.

She knew that his search for worthy opponents nearly blinded him from anything else, and, that even ignoring that, that Doni hardly, if ever, thought about the consequences of his actions. But surely he could see how relocating to a more appropriate location was the best course of action for him to get what he wanted.

"Ehhh, while that does sound nice, half an hour is really too long, isn't it?" Doni replied with a dazzling smile, proving to her beyond a shadow of a doubt that he deserved his title, as she realized he truly didn't seem to grasp the problem.

For a moment she seriously considered simply attacking him, taking him out before he could realize what was happening and neutralizing him before he could destroy the city. She knew that he did not have any Authority or Spell currently active, nothing to defend himself with, meaning that the small Taurus Curve handgun that she was carrying concealed at the small of her back would most likely be effective.

Campione constitution or not, six bullets at this distance would most likely, at the very least, temporarily incapacitate him, giving her more than enough time to summon one of her Authorities to finish the job and neutralize the threat.

But just as fast as it first appeared, she dismissed the idea. For even if everything worked out, which was by no means a certainty, the fallout of killing a fellow Campione would be tremendous. Not only irrevocably tarnishing her reputation, but also marking her as a definite and active enemy to all the remaining Children of Pandora. And should it fail, the result would be an all out death match right in the middle of the city.

'No, that won't do.' Taylor finally decided while restraining a tired sigh after considering all the repercussions of killing Doni in such a way, a few seconds having passed between Doni's foolish declaration and her coming to the conclusion that such a path would be far more trouble than it was worth.

Meaning that the only path left was removing the blond idiot from the city immediately, so that she could indulge his battle lust in a, at least relatively, safe environment.

"Very well, if such a delay is truly unacceptable, if you would allow me to use one of my Authorities I can take us there immediately so that we could conduct our duel in peace." Taylor said, hiding her annoyance and aggravation behind a calm and collected facade. "Would that be acceptable?"

Watching as the King of Swords slowly pondered her new proposal, Taylor inwardly cringed at the fact that doing so would deplete her current Shards to only one available option, since two of them were still recharging from empowering both herself and Anit with Uber-type shards earlier during their training.

Sure, for once what she was facing was not a battle to the death, the possibility of the King of Swords killing her in case of her defeat being practically nonexistent. But even so, she disliked the fact she would be limiting herself simply to pander to the silly whims of her 'sibling'.

"Really? Okay then, that works too." Salvatore finally decided, letting go of his sword and casually standing there like they were simply talking about the weather. "Let's go!"

"From the void I claim you! From the ether I beseech you! Come to me fragments of creation! Grant me thy blessings in my hour of need, invest me with thy might, empower me with thy graces, for I am the agent of thy will!"

But even as the words of the aria for her Shards of Infinity left her lips, another possible venue of thought presented itself, her mind swiftly analyzing the idea as she spoke the chant.

Sure, killing the King of Swords was far more trouble than it was worth. But what if she could simply neutralize him without killing him?

He was already allowing her to use an Authority on him, so why not take advantage of that and end the fight before it even started?

After all, she had already made excellent use of an Uber-type shard, so why not see if she would have similar success with another power from her past, more specifically Victor's skill theft power? Since, despite retaining his Authorities in such a scenario, the King of Swords would hardly be a threat without his superb sword skills. Not to mention how that would be killing two birds with a stone, for she doubted she could find a more accomplished master in the art of swordsmanship than the man that became a Campione due to said skill.

But then again, considering a Campione's inherent magical resistance, there was a very real chance that in order for that to work with the blonde idiot she would have to make direct and intimate physical contact.

A small look of disgust briefly crossing her features, Taylor decided to save that idea as a possible contingency for a last case scenario. Not to mention that doing so would not only turn Doni into a definite enemy, but it would also most likely cause the other Devil-kings to grow wary of her and the possibility of her stealing their skills too.

Internally grumbling her annoyance she instead asked for a Mover power and selected its strength to a six. More than enough to take them where they needed to go, but also lasting more than enough to work as a viable escape option should she need it.

"Very well, Lord Salvatore, if you could come closer we shall depart immediately." She told him after selecting a power that would allow her to teleport up to three tons at a time within a distance of five hundred kilometers, as long as she knew where she was going and concentrated at the destination.

Turning to give Anit an order to stay put, and perhaps prevent the Council operatives from doing something foolish while suffering from their collective panic attacks, Taylor was surprised to note that her loyal minion was already standing right next to her. Steely eyes all but daring her to try and send her away.

"Okay Taylor, let's go. Upon arrival I shall retreat to a safe distance in order to observe the battle, and if it proves necessary, offer you aid afterwards." She firmly stated before Taylor could say anything else. "Heavens knows you seem to need someone to watch over you."

Holding the Egyptian mage's gaze for a long moment Taylor finally nodded, having seen nothing but steely resolve within the other's gaze. And besides, part of her mind could not help but point out that Anit did have a point, having someone capable of healing them afterwards could only help.

"Very well, but do be careful and do not interfere before the duel is over. Understood?" She firmly stated, receiving a nod of agreement from her minion.

Turning towards Doni now placidly awaiting form, she inclined her head in a silent question regarding if he was ready, a question that was answered by a beaming smile and an energetic thumbs up from the Italian Campione.

Not wasting another moment she focused at the gorge that encompassed the area where she trained nearly daily, fixing the image on her mind and allowing her Authority to do the rest.

And so, with a loud thunderclap they were gone, leaving behind nothing but six, now completely panicked, Council operatives.

\V/

Standing at one side of the large flat area, standing across from her extremely eager looking opponent, Taylor reviewed the rules they had agreed for their duel as Anit took flight away from the soon to be battlefield.

Now that the fight he wanted was all but guaranteed Doni had become surprisingly accommodating, having readily agreed to all her terms with not even a hint of protest.

Not that the terms she had set were anything truly cumbersome. Being little more than an agreement to avoid lethal force, keep the fight contained within the gorge and end the fight the moment one of them became unconscious or unable to continue, not to mention establishing a twenty minutes time limit to their duel.

The last was something she was particularly happy of sneaking in, for not only it meant that her new teleportation power would be active during the entire fight, it would also mean that not only would she easily be able choose a top tier power with little regard for time duration with her last shard, but if need be it also meant that she could use her Golden Hero without any fear of reaching it's time limit mid battle.

Not that she had any intention of using said Authority here, after all, while indubitably extraordinarily powerful, its harsh cool down period meant she would rather save it for a trump card if needed.

After all, she was pretty sure that had she been able to use the Golden Hero during the battle against Leviathan, that she would have been able to best the beast with said Authority alone. Instead of being forced to use no less than three shards and two more Authorities to ensure her victory.

That left her with her Master of the Sands, Ocean's Shroud and Terror of the Depths, not to mention her already active Eternity's Sight, current Teleportation Shard and one untapped Shard in reserve, which was more than enough for this, especially considering how both her Sands and Shroud Authorities had no cool down or time limits.

"Shall we begin?" She asked her opponent, a hint of eagerness entering her voice as she let her polite mask fade away, part of her, now that no innocents were in the line of fire, keenly wanting to know how she measured up against one of this world's Devil-kings.

A large shining smile was all the answer her opponent gave her as he drew his long sword, his whole body all but radiating eagerness at what was to come.

"I hereby swear, I forbid the existence of things I cannot cut!" Doni cheerfully exclaimed, a silver gleam enveloping first his right arm and then his sword as the power of the Authority took effect.

She recognized it from the reports made about the Italian God-slayer, Ripping Arm of Silver, his first and most used Authority, and under the gaze of her Sight Taylor could immediately tell why it was so.

The chant of Doni's Authority was almost self explanatory, for, from what she could see, the Authority allowed Doni to not only extend the edge of anything he touched to nearly ludicrous degrees, but also imbue any object he touched with an edge capable to cut through basically anything. The only downsides of the power being that the tougher something was to cut, or the more he extended his weapons edge, the more energy intensive the Authority became.

It was a truly excellent offensive power, but nonetheless she was not overtly worried about it. After all, it would be hardly the first time she would be facing a supposedly unblockable power, nor would it be her first time facing something that could down her in a single strike. Point in fact she had a tried and tested strategy for such powers, an extremely simple, but surprisingly effective strategy at that.

Simply don't get hit.

"Come forth guardians of the desert, arise keepers of the wastelands! Heed my call, from the shifting dunes I summon you, emerge I command you, for the billowing sands are my domain!" She announced her Authority's aria, the sand that made her constructs appearing out of the ether and swiftly gathering into their forms.

But even as they assembled under the King of Swords interested gaze, a random thought made itself known to her, a thought that made a small impish smile to appear on her face as she slightly altered the command she had issue to the Authority.

Not only was she about to face another Campione on a duel, but said duel would undoubtedly soon be watched by the whole of the Council of the Sands, and, through them, eventually the rest of the magical world.

This was no longer simply a fight, but an exhibition match.

And as such what was seen could make or break her budding reputation. And so, instead of the simple but effective sand scarabs she had used against Leviathan, she ordered her Authority to do something a little more complex.

And so they formed all around her, first one, then two, then a dozen and a dozen more. Clad in intricately detailed scale armor and wielding long, wicked looking halberds, an army of sand warriors formed up at parade rest around her, their featureless helmets pointed straight towards Salvatore's now madly grinning form.

With a grandiose gesture she pointed her arm at her opponent, a general ordering her troops, her warriors immediately obeying her command and charging at him with their halberds lowered, a wall of weapons in perfect formation rushing forward at speeds comparable to an Olympic athlete, ready to skewer all those reckless enough to defy their liege.

At the sight of the horde bearing down on him Doni's smile grew even larger, a manic glint on his eyes as he darted forward even faster than her sand warriors, his sword already swinging at a parallel arc with the ground and it's blade shining a gleaming silver color.

The strike was extremely fast and deceitfully effective at its simplicity, as the blade suddenly grew to impossible proportions at the blink of an eye, a shining plane of silver snaking fort in an arc of energy over thirty feet long, creating a sweeping attack clearly intent to clear away large numbers of enemies with a single strike.

But with the knowledge her Eternity's Sight provide her, for all its speed, Doni's blow may as well have been telegraphed, her mind having accompanied every step of its execution long before he ever started the swing.

Half of Taylor's army ducked low, the other jumped right, both halves acting the very same moment Doni's strike started, allowing them to avoid the lightning fast attack by mere inches.

And yet said fact hardly seemed to bother the swordsman, much to the contrary. A huge pleased smile fixed upon his features Doni hurled himself towards her soldiers, sword once again at its normal size and flashing forth like a rippling web of silver.

Each of his swings took down three or more of her warriors, but with each second that passed more of them formed from the sands she commanded, each of her constructs that fell only adding more material for her to work with.

Watching him dodge a thrust from one of her warriors, while blocking a swiping strike from another and taking down two more with the following move, all in the time of a single heartbeat, Taylor had to admit Lord Salvatore Doni was an impressive warrior.

And as she saw him demolish a score more of her constructs while only receiving minor scuff marks upon his clothes, his sword a never stopping web of silver dancing all around him, she acknowledge that his title as the 'King of Swords' was every bit as well deserved as his less flattering title.

But for all his sword skill and martial might, Taylor's research had shown that her opponent had a glaring flaw, a flaw she had all intention of exploiting to the fullest, for if what she had read was right, Doni had absolutely no skills whatsoever with magic.

"Mighty Ra, Lord of the Sun, bestow upon this warrior the power of your eternal flame!"

She chanted while pointing her two hands towards her opponent, a massive fireball forming between them before being shot forth with the speed of a bullet.

She saw Doni tense through her Sight the moment she let loose the fireball, some kind of instinct alerting the Devil-king of the attack despite the fact he was thoroughly busy cutting through her horde. The blonde swordsman spinning in place with incredible speed, clearing his immediate vicinity of all enemies for a moment with a large swing of his sword, before bringing it down towards her fireball with pinpoint accuracy.

'Now, that won't do.' She teasingly thought as his blade darted towards her attack, intent upon cleaving it in two and erasing it from existence.

Only for her fireball to explode the very instant before the blade would connect, the explosion happening too far away from him to truly cause any harm, but close enough for the concussive force of the blast's shockwave to unbalance Doni slightly.

And yet the blonde God-slayer recovered impossibly fast, regaining his footing in a fraction of an instant, all while taking down a dozen of attackers and avoiding a dozen more, flipping about and around the thrusting and swiping halberds with enviable ease, all in time to extend his blade in order to intercept the two next fireballs thrown his way further away from his body so that the shockwaves from the explosions would no longer disrupt his footing.

Taylor could easily admit that she was impressed. Not only was Salvatore Doni clearly a superb warrior, but he also adapted unnaturally fast to any new situations mid battle. Taking in her new form of attack almost instantaneously and reacting accordingly to negate the new threat.

A true battle genius.

And yet, even genius had its limits, as the two vivid crimson lines, one at his lower torso and the other upon his left arm, could attest. Blood slowly sipping from the deep wounds her sand warriors halberds had inflicted during their unrelenting assault.

But despite being the first to be wounded, Doni's manic smile seemed to grow even wider, his glee and excitement seeming to only grow now that he had been injured.

"You are good." He cheerfully exclaimed in a conversational tone, despite the fact he was simultaneously dealing with her soldiers and her raining fireballs. "And a mage to boot too! That was a really fun trick!"

"Let's see just how good you are!" He gleefully shouted before suddenly bursting through her warriors and straight towards her, running at her while taking down everything on his way.

Cupping her hands together before bringing them apart she summoned forth a massive fireball, the orb of fire growing even as Doni swiftly approached. Despite the fact the King of Swords was all but upon her, Taylor's concentration did not waver, as the crimson sphere of flames turned first blue and then white, as its heat increased exponentially, reaching said point the very moment the blonde swordsman reached striking distance of Taylor's body.

Following the incoming strike with her Eternity's Sight she waited until the very last possible moment, the blade mere inches from her torso, before teleporting to the other side of the battlefield and away from the silver blade with a clap of thunder.

All the while leaving the beach ball sized sphere of white flames right where it was, right next to a now wide eyed King of Swords. A large ball of flames that detonated with explosive force immediately afterwards, hiding the Italian Campione's body from view amidst a roaring sea of flames.

Despite the billowing dust cloud caused by the explosion Taylor's Sight remained unimpaired thanks to her Authority, allowing her to see that the fight was far from over. A mental command and her warriors took formation all around the rising cloud of dust, halberds lowered and at the ready, while a score more of her constructs came into existence around her, armed with throwing javelins ready to be launched.

"Wow, that was close!" The cheerful voice of the Sixth Campione came from amidst the cloud, as he calmly walked out of the site of the explosion, only the fact his jacket was now tattered at the edges showing he had taken the explosion head on.

That and the fact that both said clothing and the Devil-king wearing it were now a gleaming metallic color.

Man of Steel, Salvatore Doni's second most well known Authority, obtained by slaying the Norse Heretic God Siegfried, it granted his body the strength and resilience of steel, with the possibility of raising said defense even higher by increasing his body's weight, in some ways not unlike her own Golden Hero.

But as she analyzed the Authority with her Eternity's Sight, Taylor could already see quite a few differences, for, unlike her own power, Doni's Authority was purely defensive. And while it lacked the time limitation of her own Authority, it instead had a hard limit to how much he could raise the weight of his body, and likewise the defensive boost it provided.

Of course, a cap of around twelve tons was hardly what most would consider a terrible restriction, especially considering the lack of time constraints associated and that the Italian Campione didn't need to breathe while the Authority remained active.

"Really nice trick! Let's see what else you got!" The blonde swordsman eagerly shouted out, rushing towards her while taking out her warriors and bating aside the javelins thrown his way, his agility apparently unaffected by the fact he now weighted over three tons.

Seeing his energy coalescing upon his blade Taylor immediately teleported to the other side of the area, avoiding the mammoth silver blade that swapped through over a third of the battlefield, cutting down several scores of her constructs and carving through a good two feet of the rock wall of the gorge. Only to be forced to teleport once again almost immediately afterwards in order to avoid a follow up strike.

Eyes narrowing in annoyance, she noted that keeping her distance was clearly not to her advantage, for Doni's sword strikes didn't lose any of their speed and swiftness no matter how large he made the blade.

Teleporting twice more, while noting that the few strikes of her warriors that were bypassing Doni's blindingly fast sword were in fact managing to score superficial wounds at his steel skin, Taylor decide upon how to proceed.

For despite the regrettable fact that her current Mover power was not suited for close quarter combat, in the end she only needed a boost to her speed strong enough to keep ahead of the other Campione's seeking blade. And that was something that wouldn't even demand her last remaining Shard to rectify.

For while she knew that trying to use magic directly against Doni would be utterly futile while he had Man of Steel active, that did not mean the arcane arts were not the answer to her problem. For while she wouldn't be able to overcome his defenses in order to allow mere magic to affect the blonde swordsman, that did not mean she could not use magic to affect herself.

"Ever present Shu, Holder of the Sky, grant upon this warrior the speed of the fierce gale!" She chanted while teleporting away from Doni's latest attack and ordering three dozen of her sand warriors to all but dog pile him, buying her the few seconds needed for the spell to take effect.

Taylor immediately felt the difference, both though her own body and through her enchanted Sight. She felt as the wind magic she had evoked took hold of her limbs, reducing her weight while increasing her speed considerably.

Ducking low another strike and blasting forth at five times her normal speed, Taylor took a moment to wonder what any watchers from the Council would think upon seeing her use a high level wind spell after having used another high level fire spell earlier.

Shaking off such thoughts away she focused at the fight at hand, and the next steep of her plan, now that she could deal with the sheer speed of her opponent's strikes.

For while her opponent's steel skin was indeed a formidable defense, it was hardly insurmountable. After all, as both Leviathans had amply demonstrated to her in more than one occasion, pressurized water moving at high enough speeds could punch through just about anything, including steel.

"Rise, oh, crushing tides! Roar, oh, raging waves! Protect me with your mighty mantle, embrace me with your ever shifting cloak! For the surging seas are mine to command!"

The moment the words left her mouth water surged forth, swiftly enveloping her whole body with an inch thick mantle of completely transparent water, which grew with every moment that passed. The watery layer floating all around her responding to her thought as if just another limb.

Darting forth she coordinated her assault, two scores of her warriors simultaneously attacking Doni from both sides in a flanking maneuver, a shower of sand javelins being thrown towards him from dozens of different directions in order to help hinder his movements, all the while she herself charged right in towards him with supernatural speed.

In response the blonde Campione ran towards her with renewed vigor, arm nothing but a blur as it created a web of silver all around him, taking down both her projectiles and minions alike, his smile wider than ever now that she herself entered the fray.

Gracefully somersaulting a lightning fast strike and twirling in the air with the acrobatic skill of an Olympian athlete in order to avoid another swing of his blade, she sent forth three water tendrils, snaking through the air just as fast as her opponent's strikes.

Watching as Doni managed to block two of her strikes, but only partially avoid the third, the watery whip scoring a short but deep line at the edge of his shoulder, Taylor felt herself giving the King of Swords an answering smile.

And so, as if that was some form of signal, they both kicked their fight into high gear. The King of Sword's strikes increasing in speed even further, annihilating anything that dared touch his swords edge, while his defense shrugged off all attacks with little problem. Taylor darting and twisting amidst the web of silver being woven by her opponent, snake-like tendrils of water striking at her opponent with lightning quick strikes, while her never ending horde harassed him from all sides.

Using the back of one of her warriors as a platform, Taylor launched herself sideways in order to escape a particularly vicious combo from her opponent, her Ocean's Shroud surging forth automatically and sacrificing part of its mass in order to slow down an impossibly fast follow up strike for long enough for her to escape the attack.

Taking a page from her home reality's Leviathan's trick book Taylor darted forth with as much speed as she could manage, Doni tracking her every step and readying himself despite her swift movements. Closing in with her opponent she waited until the very last second before jumping sideways and away from his awaiting blade, while sending forth nearly the entirety of her Shroud, the water echo rushing onwards with every single scrap of speed she had been carrying and barreling at the surprised looking swordsman with all the strength of a speeding freight train.

Nodding in satisfaction at both the damage inflicted and how her attack had caused Doni to backpedal slightly, Taylor jumped backwards in order to escape any retaliatory strikes and wait for her Shroud to regenerate, while sending a wave of warriors onwards intending on keeping the pressure against the blonde swordsman.

But even so, her opponent kept proving exactly why he was a Campione.

Doni's ever shifting form was awe-inspiring to watch, his arm blurring forth with effortless ease, his silver gleaming sword taking down scores of her sand warriors with supernatural grace.

Each step he took either took him away from the path of an incoming attack or placed him into the perfect position for him to strike, every movement was perfectly contained, never taking him an inch forward more than precisely what was needed. Watching the Sixth Campione twirling and dodging dozens of strikes coming forth from all around him, while swiftly dispatching all the sand warriors that so much as came near his sword, Taylor could easily see why he had been titled the King of Swords.

She had heard from a few sword wielding heroes about the myth of a transcending sword style. The peak all sword masters sought to achieve. A free form sword style, holding all the benefits of the regimented and solidly structured forms, while remaining completely free and unbound by those very same formulaic patterns.

Personally she always thought that was pure nonsense, the kind of thing one could expect to find in a kung-fu movie and not in real life. But now, now watching as Doni jumped off his feet to escape the water whip she had just sent against his legs, twirling in the air to avoid seven sand spears coming from three different directions, and striking down eight of her sand warriors despite the awkward and unwieldy angle of his strike, or the fact he was still airborne and therefore had no footholds to use but was still somehow blocking her onslaught, made her rethink that assumption.

It was a level of swordsmanship that she hadn't even believed to be possible, a demonstration of sheer skill she sincerely doubted she could achieve even with the help of her Shards.

But while ducking low in order to avoid a sweeping blow that cut in half over a dozen of her constructs, blurring forth with her magically enhanced speed while shooting a barrage of marble sized water spheres against his steel covered form , she realized she really shouldn't have been surprised.

After all, not only was he a mortal who had slain a god, but he was also a mortal that had slain a god known on his legend due to his feats with a sword, with nothing more than pure swordsmanship.

A fierce grin on her face as she pushed Doni backwards with a combination of water bullets, water whips, and her never ending horde of sand warriors, watching as he blocked or dodged her onslaught with a deeply pleased grin on his own face, Taylor could freely admit she would have gladly traded an arm if that meant this battle hungry nut-job had been there during the fight against Scion.

But even if he was a truly incredible warrior, and a swordsman without compare, his superb skills meant very little against what he couldn't either see or predict.

'Gotcha.' She smugly thought, her small grin growing a few molars more pronounced as the Italian Campione jumped backwards in order to avoid two of her water whips that had attempted to grab hold of his legs.

Jumped backwards, away from her and into the area with the smallest concentration of her warriors, and right where she wanted him.

The sand beneath the Sixth Campione's feet exploded upwards the very moment he touched the ground, a massive form swiftly grabbing him with two gigantic pincers and not giving him time to regain a proper footing or get enough traction to move before lurching him upwards into the air.

Grinning broadly she watched Doni's metallic form being kept suspended by the massive sand centipede she had slowly created beneath their battlefield. The sand construct easily towering over them, being more than fifty feet long and eight feet wide, being more than capable of holding the Campione suspended and trapped by the two pincers protruding from its head and dozens of its legs securely wrapped around his limbs, denying him any room for movement he could use to swing his sword.

"Wow, that was surprising!" Her immobilized opponent said with such undisguised glee that Taylor couldn't help but chuckle.

"Will you surrender? After all, you cannot cut my minion without touching him with your sword's edge." She asked of her opponent while two other massive sand centipedes burst out of the sandy ground. "And I assure you that they can hold on to you no matter what."

Waiting as Doni took on a deeply thoughtful look for a moment, clearly considering her request, she felt confident that he would not be able to escape even if he increased the weight of his Authority to the max. For as she had learned after days of practice, the physical strength of her constructs was directly proportional to their size, and so her three gargantuan centipedes would have more than enough strength to hold even several tons of steel suspended.

"Nope!" Doni cheerfully replied, his large smile not changing in the slightest as he gathered his power and started to chant.

"Oh priestesses of Bacchus, be drunk with the wine of gods!" He proudly proclaimed as the world all around them was suddenly infused with the power of his word, and causing chaos to explode all around them.

Taylor's army simply went mad the moment the words had been uttered, from the javelin wielding soldiers at the back, to the carefully organize regiments of halberd carrying warriors, up to and including her three massive centipedes, they all went complete awry in a fraction of a second, completely ignoring her commands and going out of her control.

She couldn't help but stop and stare in astonishment for a moment, as her army turned against themselves in a heartbeat, attacking everything and everyone in sight without rhyme or reason, every construct that was slain immediately being reconstructed in ever more bizarre forms. And to add insult to injury, she swiftly realized that she couldn't even shut down the out of control Authority.

Her shock lasted but a second longer, her Ocean's Shroud surging forth automatically to block the strikes of two of her sand warriors breaking her out of it.

Darting between a rain of sand javelins, while dodging the gargantuan silver sword her now freed opponent was swing at her as he fell back to the ground, the massive centipedes meant to hold him captive having let him go free as they engaged each other into what amounted to a kaiju battle, Taylor racked her brain for what she knew about the Authority Doni had just used.

Divine Confusion, the Authority he had acquired after slaying Dionysus, Olympian god of wine and insanity, an Authority whose sole purpose was to drive another Authority completely out of control.

Sending a barrage of water bullets against her madly grinning opponent, while they both ducked and dodged within the insane brawl the battlefield had become, Taylor now felt extraordinarily glad that she had wasted one of her Shards in order to remove them to this secluded area before they engaged in battle.

Teleporting to the other side of the battlefield in order to avoid being smashed by the falling form of one of her sand centipedes, she shuddered as she considered what could have happened should this madness have erupted anywhere near Cairo proper.

Sending four lightning fast water whips towards his swiftly approaching form, forcing him to parry and cut off the watery appendages and slowing him down for a moment, only for him to be forced to disengage as one of the remaining centipedes attempted to crush him with both its pincers and its massive bulk, she intently analyzed what information her Eternity's Sight could give her regarding Doni's latest Authority, seeking out how to deal with it.

Crushing five mismatched sand constructs with her watery appendages, while dodging two more and watching the King of Swords cut the gargantuan centipede from top to bottom in a single move, she decided that what she was seeing wasn't exactly reassuring.

For his Divine Confusion not only had no time limitation to its use, but while it could only affect one single Authority at a time, Doni could actually change the target of said Authority with little trouble.

Making the possibility that he could change his Divine Confusion's focus from her Master of the Sands to another of her Authorities into a very real threat, and considering the fact she was currently completely enveloped by an active Authority, that was a threat she simply could not allowed to pass.

Dodging a flurry of blows from her opponent, before blasting him backwards with another high speed water echo, she firmed her resolve, a plan already forming within her mind.

"From the void I claim you! From the ether I beseech you! Come to me fragments of creation! Grant me thy blessings in my hour of need, invest me with thy might, empower me with thy graces, for I am the agent of thy will!"

She solemnly intoned, ready to end this fight. After all, she had already proven she could take on her opponent's Ripping Arm of Silver and Men of Steel, and considering how his last remaining Authority, Back to Medieval Times, would be of absolutely no use against her in this battle, his Divine Confusion immediately became the highest existing threat to her victory.

A threat she knew perfectly well how to neutralize.

A large predatory smile firm upon her features she accepted the level ten Trump power that her Shards were offering to her. Dodging another flurry of strikes and inhaling deeply, she concentrated her newly formed power towards its intended target, and then she screamed.

A loud reverberating scream that proceeded to echo and reverberate within the gorge's walls, the high pitch sound lingering for far longer than should be natural, lasting long after she had closed her mouth.

Smile firmly into place Taylor watched as her sand minions stopped where they stood, the corrupting energy that had been infecting then disappearing due to the effects of the Power Nullifying Trump power she had just acquired temporarily blocking Doni's Authority.

A simple flex of her will and her army was once again at attention and falling in position, weapons ready and pointing towards her foe, her watery mantle swiftly flowing all around her, four watery tendrils calmly swaying at her sides and ready to strike at her command, and her sole remaining giant centipede looming overhead right behind her.

And yet, despite the clear show of strength displayed against him, despite the numerous dents and scratches littering his steely form, the King of Swords massively pleased smile remained unchanged, a smile that Taylor realized she was reciprocating at least in part.

Slightly bending her knees she prepared to launch herself forth towards her fellow Campione, her sand constructs tensing in kind, ready to join her in her charge. While on the other side of the field Doni had raised his sword into a ready stance and lowered his center of gravity, ready to tackle her onslaught head on.

They stared at each other for but a moment, both seeing the thrill of battle in each other's gaze, before they moved. Taylor leading her army's charge and Doni blasting forward in defiance, his silver sword gleaming stronger than ever.

A mental twist and Taylor sent her four tendrils forth with the speed of a striking viper, and her massive sand centipede lunging towards her foe, whose sword was already blurring onwards with such speed that it was nothing but a silver blur.

Only for a loud high-pitched noise to reverberate through the battlefield, the incongruous mechanical noise so out of place that both God-slayers actually stopped on their tracks to see where it was coming from.

The full weight of the stares of two Campiones bearing down upon her pale faced form, Anit felt the extremely strong urge to be anywhere else, right alongside the desire to flee as fast as possible despite the fact she was safely standing atop the gorge's walls.

Shaking off such feelings Anit refocused at the situation at hand, at the task she had received, raising her cell phone to show to both Devil-kings its current display. A display that was showing that twenty minutes had already passed.

"Ahhh, and things were starting to really get fun too." The blond swordsman all but whined, completely ignoring the dozens of sand warriors frozen mid strike all around him as he calmly sheathed his sword back at its scabbard.

"Oh, well. Guess this means this duel is a draw." Doni cheerfully stated, giving Taylor a beaming smile despite the fact there was a water tendril floating less than six inches away from his face. "You really are strong, this was a great battle!"

Blinking in befuddlement for a moment, while her mind processed this new turn of events, Taylor finally ended up letting out a small amused chuckle. As she realized she had gotten so caught up in their duel that she had completely forgotten about the imposed time limit.

"So are you, your sword skills were very impressive." She readily replied, a small smile on her face as her army slowly dissolved back into mere sand.

"Thanks!" The Italian Campione chirped, his skin returning to a normal color as he deactivated his Man of Steel, his incredibly happy mood apparently not being affected in the slightest by the fact that a few of his injuries were now slowly bleeding now that his body had blood once again. "We really have to do this again sometime! I haven't had this much fun in ages!"

Considering it for a moment, balancing how he had acted, the duel they had just fought, and everything else she knew about him, Taylor realized that this was a golden opportunity. For while dangerously reckless and slightly idiotic, not only was he not malicious, but Salvatore Doni's skills in battle were undeniable.

"I would not be adverse to that." Taylor politely said, her words gaining her a beaming smile from her fellow Campione and an aghast expression from Anit.

"That's awesome! I'll hold you to that!" He happily proclaimed while crossing both arms behind his head.

Taylor simply smiled as she let go of her Ocean's Shroud, mind already thinking about the possibilities of being on friendly terms with one of her 'siblings', and how that could later on turn into a quite beneficial alliance.

And so, while thinking about it, she remembered a very important fact. Looking to the cheerfully smiling blonde man, Taylor considered this new course of action for a moment before deciding that following it was indeed the best course of action.

"So Doni, have you eaten lunch yet?"

\V/

Stiffly standing at a corner of the room, watching the two God-slayers enthusiastically demolishing several plates of food from the buffet her liege had taken then to after the battle, Anit wondered how exactly she had reached this point.

Watching her liege casually banter about inane topics with her fellow Devil-king, both of them apparently having put aside the fact they had been attempting to rip each other's heads off mere minutes ago in a show of pure power few could say to have ever witnessed, and acting as long lost friends, Anit couldn't help but groan while wondering how the hell had this become her life.

Here she was, a formerly no name member of Egypt's Mage Association, now the only retainer of the Eighth Campione, a position that somehow made her into one of the most important persons in Egypt. Acting as some kind of chaperone to two of the most dangerous beings on the planet, who were now cordially talking with each other despite the fact they had been all but trying to kill each other less than fifteen minutes ago in an all out brawl of titanic proportions.

Watching as the King of Swords complimented Taylor about her skills in commanding her sand minions, and her liege reciprocating with a sincere compliment about the other's sword skills. Both of them completely ignoring the uproar that she knew had to be overtaking the Council right at this very moment, Anit couldn't help but groan in frustration, left hand massaging her brow in a vain attempt to stave off a coming headache.

"Yes, that's a very common reaction I'm afraid." A cultured voice spoke from her side with a deeply understanding tone of voice.

Turning her head slightly to the side, Anit took in the older man, with his salt and pepper hair, wearing a well tailored suit, placidly standing right next to her, and the small commiserating smile he was giving her.

"But where are my manners? Andrea Rivera, Doni's chaperone and minder, it's a pleasure." He placidly said while extending his hand in greeting.

Shaking the hand of the older Italian man, Anit suddenly realized that he was in fact what amounted to her own counterpart in regards to Lord Salvatore. And so, looking at the placid but understanding smile he was giving her, not a trace of worry or stress upon his features, she decided upon trying to clarify a new worry that had been recently plaguing her.

"Does it get any easier?" She bluntly asked, a nod of her head towards the two cheerfully talking God-slayers eating at the table all the explanation needed to what she was enquiring about.

"No, not in the slightest." He immediately replied, a slightly strained flavor entering his smile for a brief moment. "But you do get more used to it with time."

'Somehow, that's both at the same time reassuring and not reassuring at all.' Anit inwardly deadpanned, a tired sigh escaping her lips as she considered the older mage's words.

"So what was it like?" She heard Doni's cheerful voice resonating through the restaurant, cutting short her train of thought as she refocused upon the two Devil-kings words.

"What, what was it like?" Taylor replied with a confused tilt of her head.

"Being a super-spy obviously!" The blonde swordsman excitedly asked, making Anit inwardly groan as she realized the absurd theories regarding her liege's past had apparently reached Italy. "Working for a secret government organization, having cool scy-fi gadgets, saving the world! All the bells and whistles!"

"Nowhere near as glamorous as it sounds like, actually." Taylor easily replied, her tone of voice completely serious as she calmly took another bite of her meal.

Turning her head towards her liege so fast she nearly got whiplash, Anit stared incredulously as Taylor kept talking with perfect seriousness, apparently completely unconcerned about who could hear what they were talking about.

"Truth be told, being an operative working for the government is a chore and a half. Working long irregular hours, dealing with unreasonable bosses who have no idea how things really work in the field, and don't even start me on all the paperwork!" She ranted, an angry edge entering her words at the last part. "Besides, when you realize that most of the supposed 'Vilains' tend to end up having more morals than your bosses, then you realize it's time to fold your hand and call it quits."

"Personally, I wouldn't recommend it as a career choice." She finished towards Doni with a serious look, the blonde Campione giving her a nod of understanding while chewing another morsel.

Staring unblinkingly towards Taylor's placidly eating form, Anit seriously considered the possibility that her liege could be purposefully trolling them all. But at the same time, the utterly truthful and nonchalant way she had just spoken about the subject made her somehow doubt it.

"Though I do admit, the gadgets were indeed really nice." Taylor added on as if an afterthought in a reminiscent tone of voice, a small silly grin on her features.

Fighting down an eye twitch she could feel developing, Anit surrendered to the inevitable and allowed her head to rest upon the palm of her hand. Groaning in exasperation at the mere thought of the pandemonium this newest rumor would cause.

The deeply commiserating pats upon her shoulder, the profoundly understanding look, and the equally strained smiled Andrea was giving her were also not really helping.

\V/

Author's Notes:

This ended up being the longest chapter I've written for this story so far, ending up being over nine thousand words long, primarily due to the fact that I didn't want to cut Taylor's duel with Doni in half. But in the end I can't complain, since the chapter shaped up nicely in my opinion.

Personally I think that someone as practical as Taylor wouldn't let go of the chance of making even a tentative alliance with someone as strong as Doni, since he isn't inherently malicious or an active threat to her or those under her protection. Specially after considering that it was possible, if a little of a chore, to guide his recklessness and blood lust so that he wouldn't harm innocents, which is why I ended this up in a friendly manner between them.

The fact this exasperated poor Anit to no end and made the rumors regarding Taylor even wilder and more ludicrous was just a bonus.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review before leaving.