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"Godō" - Regular Speech

'My Everyday life…!' - Thoughts

"God Slayer!" - Heretic God/Powered Up Campione speech

"Fire!" - Magic/Authority Use

Chapter 15: Echoes Around the World

Later

Bathroom, Jean's Home, Rìgh Rubh'a

"You know, I can't quite get over the price your Authorities seem to extract whenever you use them fully." Rebecca remarked. Jean had, once again, turned into water as soon as she stripped and stepped into the bath.

"Try seeing it from my perspective." Jean burbled, "I'm a goddamn bath tubful of water right now!"

"I'm sorry milady, but I meant that no other Campione has Authorities take such a…severe toll on them." The Hearth Witch clarified.

"Godō does; from what Mother Pandora has told me of him, his [Camel] Authority requires that he has suffered from a mortal wound in order to be activated." the Campione now stuck as a puddle riposted. "John Pluto Smith's Authority from Tezcatlipoca [Metamorphosis] requires a sacrifice for each form that he assumes. My [Mantle of Poseidon] Authorities simply defers payment of the sacrifice until after the battle rather than before activation, which is a bit out of the norm I'll admit, and it only requires something to affect me, rather than anyone or anything else."

"A point." Rebecca conceded, "But what if you step off onto land and can't find a container to contain your watery form?"

"That…is an issue." Jean admitted, not wanting to think about dying in such an…embarrassing fashion. She'd always thought pyrrhic victories were immensely stupid things. "Which is why I am ordering you to come up with a way to quickly conjure, transmute or teleport a bath-sized container wherever you may be. I will not emerge triumphant over a Heretic God only to die from being scattered hither and yon over the ground."

"As you command, my king." Rebecca bowed her head at the order. She didn't want Jean to die like that either, so this was scarcely an unwelcome order. "Might I ask what you plan on doing once you have reverted to your normal form?"

"Have a hot shower." The Campione replied grumpily. "After [Master of the Oceans] is resolved, I will have to pay the piper for [Stormbreaker] as well…meaning I'll be soaked to the bone with ice-cold water. Can Campione catch the flu, do you know?"

The Hearth Witch blinked. "Not to my knowledge. In fact, aside from magically induced plagues and ailments, I cannot recall a Campione ever being ill whatsoever. Not even a common cold."

"Oh goodie. I can freeze my tits off without catching the flu. How lucky am I?" If there was any more sarcasm in Jean's watery words, they would cut through solid steel.

"What's it like, being in that water form?" Rebecca asked hastily, wishing to change the subject.

"It's…odd." The Campione said after a moment of pondering. "I can feel the water that is my body, but I can't move it. I can't see very well or smell whatsoever, but I can talk and hear. I also feel decidedly vulnerable like this."

"Considering you're basically helpless, it's a justified feeling." The Hearth Witch pointed out and, with a grin, she dipped a hand into the water that was the body of her master.

"Rebecca?! What're you…?!" Jean squeaked. "That feels weird!"

Cocking an eyebrow, the Hearth Witch stirred around in a circle, making her king squeak again. This was fun!

"Rebecca, I swear down that if you don't stop teasing me, I will get my revenge on you once I change back!" Jean said threateningly, before letting out another adorable squeak.

"Thirsty, Jean?" Rebecca held up a glass of wine that she had been nursing while Jean had regaled her with the tale of her battles against Alec and Azazel.

"Eh? What're you…?"

Tipping her glass slightly, Rebecca poured a few drops into her King.

"Eeep!...eh? Hold on…" Jean sounded bewildered for a moment. "That's red wine, isn't it? Fruity, slightly dry and a pleasant aftertaste?"

"Yes it is!" the Hearth Witch looked excited as the drops of wine faded from Jean's watery body. "It looks as if you can 'drink' liquids that are dropped into your body when you're like this. I wouldn't want to risk solids, and I wouldn't try anything not potable. Fancy another taste?"

"Screw it, why not?" the Campione decided.

Suffice to say, between them, they emptied the whole bottle before Jean changed back and retiring to bed.

The Next Day

Musashino Shrine, Tokyo, Japan

"Hah…" Kusanagi Godō sighed tiredly. He had been dragged here by Erica and the others immediately after school was out. Quite why, he had no idea. He was currently sitting in Yuri's living room, with Hikari hanging off his right arm happily. He was a bit unsure what to make of the young Hime-Miko's…affections…regarding him. She was eleven for crying out loud!

"Are you OK, Onii-san?" Hikari asked innocently.

"I'm fine, Hikari-chan." He answered with a small smile and patted her on the head.

"Ehehehehe…." The girl giggled happily. Sitting nearby, Yuri pouted slightly at the attention her king was giving her sister. She shouldn't be jealous of her own younger sister, but stilll~!

"You should go over there, Yuri." Ena urged her, "You're the senior mistress between you and Hikari."

The delicate Yamato Nadeshiko blushed brightly. No matter how many times she was called a mistress, it was still so indecent-sounding and she got embarrassed by it. The fact that her eleven-year-old sister was also a 'mistress' of Godō was not something she was happy about, but she put up with it in order to protect Hikari from members of the five Families of the History Compilation Committee who wanted to use Hikari and her power of [Disaster Purification] to gain an edge over the other families.

"This isn't the time for such things, Ena-san!" she admonished her childhood friend.

Just then, Erica, Lilianna and Amakasu walked into the room. The office worker-slash-ninja looked…troubled.

Erica took one look at Hikari and Yuri before laughing and cuddling up to Godō on his other side.

"Erica Blandelli!" Lilianna growled, "How dare you steal a match with my master!?"

"The early bird gets the worm, Lili." The blond Great Knight smirked, "Now, Amakasu, I believe you have news for us?"

Grinding her teeth at being ignored, the Fairy Knight sat on Hikari's side and as close to her liege lord as she could without crowding the younger girl.

"Indeed I do, Erica-sama." Amakasu adjusted his glasses before continuing, "Yesterday, in Scotland, Lord Alec attacked the Eighth Campione with the intention of ousting her from Britain."

All eyes were on him once he finished speaking.

"What happened?" Ena asked intently.

"According to the reports of the agent we have secreted in Oban, King Alec and King Campbell argued atop the highest hill in Oban before starting their fight." the ninja started, "Lord Alec used his [Black Lightning] form to send Lady Jean flying through the sky. She then invoked some sort of wide-area weather manipulation Authority that created a storm, similar to the Authority invoked by Duke Voban during you battle with him, Kusanagi-sama."

"[Sturm und Drang]." Lilianna shuddered slightly. She had very little liking for the oldest of the Old Generation of Campione. She had almost been killed by him during a ritual to summon a Heretic God to 'alleviate his boredom' and had barely survived it, alongside Mariya Yuri. Being sent to serve him by her grandfather had been equally unpleasant. He had almost turned her into salt at least a dozen times with his [Eyes of Sodom].

"By all reports, the battle between them was heavily skewed in the Eighth Campione's favour at that point, as she seemed to have full mastery of the storm, sending bolts of lightning at Lord Alec, moving at lightning speed, infusing her physical blows with lightning, using the wind of the storm to fly and such things." Amakasu said, politely ignoring the Great Knight's unease. "At that point, Lord Alec invoked [Faceless Queen] in order to even the odds."

"[Faceless Queen]?" Godō blinked in confusion.

"One of Lord Alec's Authorities that summons a giant winged mermaid." Erica explained tersely. "It can fly, swim, summon spears and has enough strength to cast down a tower. It disperses if its face is seen."

The Japanese Campione shook his head at that. He really didn't understand how these Authorities worked or how their limitations were determined.

"How did the fight go on after that, Amakasu-san?" Hikari asked.

"It was interrupted not long after that…by two Heretic Gods." The ninja said gravely.

That caused some gasps.

"Who were they?" Erica asked sharply.

"Two Fallen Angels from Judeo-Christian Mythology. Azazel the Scapegoat and Sariel, the Prince of God." Amakasu stated, "Apparently, according to sources in the Witenagemot, Sariel was an amalgamation of Sariel himself, Azrael and Saraqael, similar to Perseus being an amalgamation of Perseus and Mithras."

Lilianna and Godō instinctively locked eyes. It had been the Perseus incident that had made Lilianna swear herself to Godō as his Knight. She had hated it when the Heretic God had controlled her to attack Godō with the [Bow of David] form of Il Maestro, but she appreciated how it had turned out in the end.

He felt much the same.

"Azazel and Sariel split apart and fought the two Godslayers separately; Azazel against King Campbell and Sariel against Lord Alec." Amakasu continued, ignoring the slight rumbles of jealousy coming from Ena, Erica and Yuri at the intimate look between the Fairy Knight and their mutual Lord. Hikari didn't care much. "Only Lord Alec and Sariel's battle was visible to our agent, I am afraid to say. He eventually defeated Sariel by using…[Wandering Avarice]."

"An Authority that creates a black hole." Erica answered Godō before her could ask. "It expands to thirty meters in an instant. Only someone able to use Godspeed would be able to avoid it."

"That's…insane!" the Japanese youth looked slightly shaken.

"It lasts only a handful of seconds or until its target has been consumed." Amakasu informed him, "Generally, he avoids using it against his fellow Campione unless he knows they have an Authority that can be used to escape it."

That mollified Godō somewhat, but he still looked uneasy.

"After the fights were over, Lord Alec departed abruptly. This morning, a notice was sent from the Royal Arsenal to every Mage Association across the world declaring that King Alexander Gascoigne forfeited dominion of the land and seas of Scotland to King Jean Campbell in perpetuity." Amakasu finished.

The room was silent before Erica spoke up, a frown on her face. "Why would Lord Alec do that? The fight was interrupted."

"Ah, that part is mentioned as well." The ninja adjusted his glasses. "Apparently, they made a bet regarding the ownership of Scotland. Whoever slew their Heretic God first was the winner, and Jean Campbell did in fact defeat Azazel before Lord Alec slew Sariel."

"They wagered…?!" Godō shook his head in disbelief again, "That's nuts! What were they thinking?"

"It isn't that unusual." Amakasu stated, "Devil Kings such as yourself are incredibly difficult to kill and so a common attitude is to take life and death struggles with something of a pinch of salt. Bets and the like are par the course."

"Maybe she didn't want to have to fight King Alec again?" Hikari thought aloud, "I mean…what if King Campbell used the Heretic Gods as a way to settle her dispute with King Alec without one of them getting badly hurt or worse?"

Instead of dismissing the girl, Erica nodded slowly before patting the young Hime-Miko on the head. "That…makes sense. Well done, Hikari-chan!"

"Ehehehehe!"

"I…don't follow." Ena admitted.

"From everything we've gathered, Jean Campbell declares herself to be Lady Pandora's most loyal child." The Diavollo Rosso answered, "What kind of loyal daughter would kill or mutilate their siblings against the wishes of their mother?"

Understanding dawned. "She doesn't want to harm the other Campione for fear of upsetting Lady Pandora!" Yuri said in comprehension.

"Exactly. That's why she convinced Lord Salvatore to back off. That's why she proposed this bet." Erica said with relish.

"Then why would she be preparing to attack me?" Godō asked with a frown.

"Although she did convince him to back down, she did clash initially with Lord Salvatore." She reminded him, "It could be that a friendly fight, such as it were, would be permissible."

"Great."

"If I may?" Amakasu interjected. "The newly-crowned King of Scotland was also seen with a trusted agent of Lady Luo Hao a short time before she encountered King Alec. A Xie Yue, I believe she is called."

"Her?" Ena said in surprise.

"You…are aware of her, Ena-sama?" the ninja blinked in surprise.

"The name only. It was the traditional name taken by the Supreme Grandmaster of an order of Daoist Mage Assassins in China a long time ago, like before Luo Hao became a Campione. They were known as the Yin Xian, the Silver Cord." The Hime-Miko of the Sword answered with a frown. "The Seishūin Clan has records of them occasionally sneaking in to Japan to carry out contracts. They were all female, all beautiful and all rather deadly. The trademark symbol of one of their assassinations was a silver cord being left around the body of the target. I think Luo Hao beat them into submission about a hundred and fifty years ago though…"

"She is of the Xie Clan, a powerful family once linked to the Silver Cord Order." Amakasu answered. "She was given over to the custody of the Holy Order of Five Mountains as a child by order of her Grandmother, as an offering to The Ruler of the Martial Realm. There has been next to no contact between Yue-san and her Clan since."

Erica snorted. "Unsurprising. I'd stay clear of them as well after throwing me to an organisation when I was a child."

"She was selected to be sent to King Campbell." Ena mused, "Does that mean she's attracted to girls?"

"In all likelihood." Amakasu said with a nod, "Then-Rebecca Piper spread the news amongst the observers in Oban that any who were sent to become the King's companions that did not have a liking for females would be turned away."

"What do you mean 'then-Rebecca Piper', Amakasu-san?" Yuri asked.

"Rebecca-san has been cast out of her family." The ninja answered unhappily, "She now goes by the name Rebecca Gardener."

"What?!" Lilianna cried, "Who did that?!"

"That would be the matriarch of the Piper Family, Eleanor Piper." Amakasu answered with a slight frown. "She is, for all intents and purposes, the head of the Piper Family, as she dominates her brother who is the nominal family head. She was apparently brokering a marriage between Rebecca and the head of the Harper Family, Maximillian Harper, when the Eighth Campione 'confiscated' Rebecca. There was some back and forth conversation between King Campbell and Eleanor, resulting in Rebecca being disinherited. As of a few hours ago, Princess Alice has taken possession of all of Rebecca Gardener's possessions and is in the process of shipping them north to their owner."

"Why would Princess Alice…?" Erica muttered in confusion.

"Evidently she is somewhat incensed at the Piper Family for doing this to Rebecca-san." Amakasu opined. "Princess Alice and the Eighth Campione are rumoured to be on very cordial and friendly terms with one another. And Rebecca was recently upgraded, whether she knew it or not, to one of Princess Alice's agents. That has currently placed the Piper family on Princess Alice's short list of people who have directly crossed her. Not to mention the Eighth Campione."

"First those idiots in the Brotherhood of the Night Sky and now the Piper family…what is with people crossing the new Campione left and right?" Erica asked with a look of irritation on her face. "The Piper family will regret crossing a Campione. Judging by how the new Campione handled the brotherhood, they are not going to enjoy it one bit either."

Same time

Living Room, Jean's House, Rìgh Rubh'a

"I am going to murder them. Slowly." Jean said with a dark scowl. "With a blunt knife."

"Might I ask who has stirred your ire this time, Jean?" Rebecca asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The government." The redhead answered. "They've recently changed things up with benefits, cutting off Disability Living Allowance (DLA) at sixteen, so anyone over that age has to transfer over to the far stricter Personal Independence Payments (PIP). Thing is, we have to fill out reams of paperwork to do that and it's a pain."

"Why are you on benefits?" the chestnut-haired woman asked with a blink.

"Asperger's Syndrome is a mental disability which impacts on my daily life and ability to function in normal society." Jean answered as if by rote, "Therefore I am entitled to claim disability benefits. Thing is, this letter here just refused me any. I'm gonna have to get in touch with my GP and a few other people in order to contest the ruling."

"Why'd they turn you down?" Rebecca asked in confusion. "You've had a proper diagnosis, haven't you?"

"Since I was six, yes." Jean confirmed with a sigh. "Thing is, a lot of people, the unscrupulous, lazy and underhanded sort, claim to have Asperger's and Autism in order to get PIP and DLA because it's so hard to diagnose. So the government makes very tricky forms to fill out in order to apply for it, full of traps and easy to make mistakes. With PIP, they are actually required to refuse a certain quota of claimants. I have a friend in the Council who told me that. It pisses me off, but there isn't much I can do about it. Thankfully, I have been diagnosed for a long time, so they likely expect me to contest their ruling, so I'll get confirmation of my PIP within another month once I send everything out again."

"When did you send the information out to the government initially if they're only now getting back to you?" Rebecca asked in consternation.

"Not long after I graduated from highschool. I was still living in a hotel back then." The Campione massaged her temples before grabbing some writing paper and a pen. "I swear, we people with Asperger's and Autism are so vulnerable to whatever government is in charge. I'll be sorting this out today. Sorry if I'm a bit abrupt."

"Have no fear, Jean." Rebecca smirked. "Compared to Aunt Eleanor, you're positively eloquent at your most terse."

Pier, Normandy

Invisible to the crowds of people around her, Heretic Goddess Athena stared across the waters towards the white cliffs of Dover. Across the water and a relatively short journey through the cold and wet land was where her enemy lay. The Campione who had slain Poseidon.

Granted, she had rebelled against her legend, but she was still struck by an instinctive dislike and antagonism for the Sea God. That dislike had apparently passed on to the Campione who had inherited his powers.

The Godslayer, a female amusingly enough, had slain not one, not two, not three but four Heretic Gods, including Poseidon, in a relatively short period of time. She had finally tracked the girl down while she was in Rouen, but had held off on attacking her, wishing to observe her enemy.

Jean Campbell was an odd Godslayer, not as much as Kusanagi Godō, but odd enough. She respected her archenemies the Heretic Gods and had a sense of honour and integrity. While as tyrannical and self-serving as all Devil Kings are, she was more inclined to the side of benevolence than outright tyranny. She cared for her subordinate and had unleashed a powerful curse that had spread all over this country in order to punish and threaten the foolish Mages that had kidnapped her.

What troubled Athena the most in all of this was the fact that the fire-haired Campione had plans to attack Kusanagi Godō. That made the toga-clad Heretic Goddess want to snarl for some reason. The False Pacifist was her prey. Her target to slay. Not this newcomer's.

'Hmm? How strange…t'would seem that this Goddess Athena is…jealous.' The scythe-wielding incarnation of the Wisdom Goddess mused to herself. It was an unknown feeling for her. She had cursed the wench Arachne for her act of hubris, not out of jealousy of her skill at weaving. And she had aided Odysseus against Troy as he had made the proper observances, not because she was hurt by Paris choosing Aphrodite over her as the most beautiful goddess. Not because of jealousy.

She had no desire to see this new Godslayer kill Kusanagi Godō; the thought hurt her heart, for some reason. She would have to go and speak to the lass at some point. Not now, however. For the moment, she would be granted a grace period. She had only just slain a Heretic God the previous day and had likely not recovered fully from the battle. Athena treated honour with honour; as Jean Campbell had behaved with honour against Joan of Arc and Azazel, so too would she be treated with honour.

"Enjoy thine life, Godslayer." Athena whispered, "For if thou shalt not relent against mine mortal enemy, I shalt cleave it from thee."

In a ripple of magic, the Heretic Goddess vanished.

Later that Night

"Whew! Now that's that rigmarole dealt with!" Jean cheered as she threw down her pen.

"Finished?" Rebecca enquired. She was sat on an armchair, feet curled up and sipping some hot chocolate, while Jean was sitting at the dining table.

"Yes, thank god." The redhead got up and stretched before grabbing a cup and whipping herself up a cupful of hot chocolate for herself. "It's a good thing that I actually expected things to go this way when I sent off the initial packet. My doctor had all the stuff I needed already written and ready to pick up and I've memorised the stuff needed to write my forms out whenever the PIP is needed to be renewed, every four years or so. It just pisses me off that they did this now; I was on lifelong DLA, dammit."

"You do know that the government doesn't have an infinite amount of money to spend though?" the Hearth Witch asked in amusement.

"I'm a Scot; fleecing money out of the government is practically patriotic." Jean grinned, "Besides, I am actually entitled to it. High functioning Asperger's or not, I qualify for it under their rules, so I will have it. It's as simple as that."

She sipped her chocolate for a moment before looking at Rebecca curiously. "Mind explaining the whole witch thing to me?"

"What do you want to know?" Rebecca asked.

"Origins, powers and the difference between the Heaven and Earth thing that you mentioned a while back." Jean waved a hand in an all-encompassing manner.

"The origin part is easy; Witches are the descendants of former Priestesses and Miko of Earth Goddesses." Rebecca started with a thoughtful expression. "It grants us a system of magic slightly different from that of a standard mage, as well as the Daoist Arts. A basic way to put it is we witches are Mages with the disposition of Miko."

"Ok and that means what, exactly?"

"It means that the average witch can develop powers similar to Hime-Miko, albeit verifiably weaker." The Hearth Witch admitted. "An example of this would be flight. Alone among the various types of magical arts, Witchcraft allows its practitioners to take flight. Aside from Campione, we are the only ones who can do that."

"Huh…that isn't all though." Jean guessed.

"Correct." Rebecca nodded. "Practitioners of witchcraft are divided into Witches on the Earth and Witches under the Heavens. Princess Alice is the most powerful witch alive using Heavenly Witchcraft, while Lucrecia Zola is the most powerful Witch using Earthly Witchcraft. Lilianna Kranjcar, King Kusanagi's mistress, is an exceptionally powerful Witch using both Heaven and Earth. I, as a Hearth Witch, am an Earthly Witch."

"Uh-huh…" the redhead nodded.

"All witchcraft has something of an element of ritual magic in it, from poetic words to a full ritual with dribbly candles, sacrifices of grain and all that jazz. The more powerful the witch, the less of a ritual element is required in their spellcasting." The chestnut-haired girl continued. "I require my Hearth, which means I have to wait until the full moon this month to enact a ritual that can activate my connection with my keystones. Lilianna Kranjcar can cast a flight spell with only a few words. In terms of battle proficiency, she can blow me out of the water without even trying. I can't cast a flight spell even with my Hearth at full power."

"What about all those spells you used at my old home and against Poseidon?" the Campione frowned.

"I dabble in Hermetic Magic in order to offset my weaknesses." Rebecca said with a shrug, "I'm not too skilled at them, but I can cast the spells at a basic and competent level. All types of Witch Magic have their strengths and weaknesses, but Hearth Witches are one of the weakest Witches that there are, as we have little choice but to work our magic into mundane objects. Food, clothes, the garden…that sort of thing. Seeing me as a good version of the Witch from Hansel and Gretel wouldn't be wrong."

"Huh. Makes sense." Jean nodded.

"As to the types…well, there are dozens." Rebecca said before pausing to collect her thoughts. "The only type of witch who can really be called weaker than a Hearth Witch is an Herb Witch. They are, supposedly, the oldest type of witches and the base of most witchcraft. They channel their magic through spices, herbs and the like. The average Herb Witch is roughly about half as strong as the average Hearth Witch, outside their herb gardens and Hearths. Inside their Herb Gardens, an Herb Witch is slightly stronger than your average Hermetic Mage, but not really anything to write home about. They are looked down on a lot like Hearth Witches are and are considered Earthly Witches."

"That sucks." The Campione frowned.

"I've grown used to the idea." The Hearth Witch shrugged before grinning. "Besides, I'm technically your Number Two. How many regular mages can say that, let alone most Great Knights or Paladins?"

Jean grinned back. "A point."

"To continue then…there are so many types of witches that I'm having a hard time deciding which to talk about…well, a rare type of Witch is one under the Heavens. The polite way to refer to them is as Death Witches. If you want to be deprecating, call them Murder Witches. They are just about the only type of witches left that practice animal sacrifice. They collect the energy released when the animals die in order to cast their spells. They also draw upon the residual energies of death, such as from battlefields, so there are a fair few that hang around Verdun and Ypres. Is there any place in Scotland that you could think of that would suit that type of Witch?"

The redhead, looking a bit sick, thought for a moment. "Ummm…the two places that would stick out would be Bannockburn and Culloden. The site of Robert the Bruce's victory over the English and the scene of the last breath of the Jacobite Rebellion respectively. Especially Culloden. The English general came out of that battle with the name 'Cumbernauld the Butcher' for a good reason. Nothing since though. We haven't had a proper battle here in hundreds of years."

"I see…any energy would be minimal then." Rebecca nodded, "Anyway, Death Witches use a lot more ritual magic than your average witch, but they are very, very good at combat, infiltration and assassination. They typically have at least one ritual dagger, an athame usually, close at hand at all times that is enchanted to draw the energy of death out of anything they kill. It isn't as efficient as a proper ritual sacrifice, but it works well enough. The Montague family in the Witenagemot is a family of Death Witches. London provides all the death energy they could want, even without animal sacrifices, thanks to the Blitz and the Great Fire of London, among other things."

"Brr." Jean shivered. "I think I'll stay well away from them. Campione or not, death magic doesn't sound pleasant."

"Most Campione would stay away from me, you know?" The former Witenagemot Witch pointed out. "The only feasible way to get around a Campione's magical resistance is to inject magic inside of them. That means either seducing them with a kiss or having them drink or eat something. A Hearth Witch can accomplish the second one with their cooking. A lot of people will think I'm trying to control you with my spells, even although those kinds of spells are forbidden."

"Most people are morons." The redhead dismissed.

"You really don't hold back, do you?" Rebecca laughed.

"I say what I mean and mean what I say." Jean shrugged. "It's a gift and a curse."

"Apparently so. Anyway, another fairly rare witch type are the Tantric Witches." The Hearth Witch said with a smirk as Jean blushed at this. "Yes, exactly as it sounds, Tantric Witches gather their power and cast spells using tantric rituals. In other words, by having sex. This type of Witch is very much more common in the Middle East, especially around where Persia formerly ruled, as well as India, but they do pop up in the west every so often. Technically, Tantric Witches are Heavenly Witches, but they pretty much mix and match Earthly and Heavenly spells as and when they like it, so they're hard to pin down. A lot of people underestimate them, but they frequently develop the [Astral Projection] Miko skill and the tantric rituals they perform gather a lot of power. With it, they can cast spells on par with any Great Knight or Paladin. At least, when given enough time and preparation they can."

"Sounds scary." Jean observed.

"They can be if they get angry. A lot of witches and mages look down on them because they have to have sex, which is seen negatively thanks to the spread of Christianity over the years." Rebecca stated. "Let's see…there are Elemental Witches, who are skilled at using the four elements as well. They are all Earthly Witches as well. Umm…that actually makes up most of the Witches that are around. There are a few rare Witches scattered around the world, but most of them rarely interact with the outside world. You aren't likely to run into them."

The Campione just deadpanned at her. "Really? You just had to say that, didn't you?"

Looking sheepish, the Hearth Witch cleared her throat and hastily changed the subject. "So how was Lady Pandora last night?"

"Angry at Azazel." The redhead chuckled, letting her irritation at her friend fade. "She apparently has some ability to limit the recovery of defeated Heretic Gods, because she told me that she had limited his recovery to less than a tenth of what it should be. He'll be coming back sometime between a millennium from now and never. Don't mess with Mama Bear Pandora."

"It sounds like it." Rebecca sipped her hot chocolate. "So…spill. What Authority did defeating the Scapegoat give you?"

"Go grab the two swords Poseidon made and a glass of wine and I'll show you." Jean smirked.

Bemused, her friend did as asked. The Xiphos and the Kopis were just as beautiful as they had been on the night that Poseidon had made them with a casual wave of his hand. Grasping the Xiphos once again, Jean smiled grimly and started to recite an aria, pouring the wine over the sword as she did so.

"Metal wrought by hand of man, abandon thine mortal existence to be blessed by thine ultimate creator!"

In a flash, darkness bubbled over the blade before vanishing, taking the wine with it. Seemingly satisfied, Jean held the sword up, point down and then dropped it. Rebecca gaped as a small black portal opened up and swallowed it before it could strike the ground.

"What the…?!" the Hearth Witch said in shock.

"I call the Authority that I gained from Azazel [Black Armoury]." The redhead said with a smile. "Azazel taught men how to create the first weapons and armour, as well as teaching women of jewellery. [Black Armoury] embodies that. I can absorb any weapon into the armoury and enchant it with magic, but each weapon must be anointed with a glass of wine in order to be absorbed."

"So a mass armoury and an enchanting forge?" Rebecca sounded dubious.

"It isn't simply that. The enchantments can be anything I wish. You want a sword that cuts magic instead of flesh and bone? I can do that. You want a bow that has unlimited arrows? I can do that. You want a spear that is the next best thing to unbreakable? I can do that. It isn't just limited to weapons either. You want a shield that absorbs the kinetic force of any weapon that strikes it? I can do that. You want a helmet that gives you the sight of an eagle? I can do that. You want earrings that can ring a bell that only you can hear when someone's lying to you? I can do that."

"That's…" the Hearth Witch said weakly.

"Of course, there are limitations to it." Jean sighed. "I can only hold a hundred of each type of weapon, shield and armour, for a kick off. Ditto for jewellery. Additionally, I am limited to withdrawing items from the [Black Armoury] twice a day and it can only be opened with an offering of my own blood. Fortunately, I can take out as many items as I want while the gates of the armoury are open."

"What about the enchanting time?" Rebecca asked, recovering herself gamely.

"That is an issue." Jean acknowledged. "In order to create, say, a sword with a minor enchantment allowing it to burst into flames upon command, I need a week to do that. The more complex and powerful the enchantments, the longer it takes. For a weapon on the same power scale as…what did you call them? Cuore di Leone and Il Maestro? For weapons with sufficiently powerful enchantments to match them, I'd need at least six months, preferably a year."

"That's still faster than most mage enchanters can accomplish." The chestnut-haired woman shook her head in amazement. "It took the master mage-smiths of the Capital of Lilies Organisation two years to forge each of those swords for Saint Raffaello. They are supposedly the best smith-mages in existence. The swords are forged with Wootz steel from Damascus and are two of the most powerful and varied blades to exist today. Any other limitations?"

"No blackpowder weapons." Jean said immediately. "That is to say, no weapon that uses blackpowder or a similar propellant to fire things. So no magic guns. No artillery, even muscle-powered artillery, so no trebuchets or ballistae either. Tasers and Stun Guns are fine though, for some reason…"

"The blackpowder part must offend Azazel for some reason…" Rebecca looked intrigued.

"I think it's because you can kill someone with a gun without the other guy even seeing you." Jean theorised. "I mean, I don't like guns myself. It's why people are so ruthless about killing people in wars nowadays. You don't see the effect that your actions have, whereas five centuries ago, you had to get up-close and personal to stand a chance of killing someone successfully. Even with longbows and arbalests, you have to sight your enemy before killing them, and you can see the life bleed out of your enemy that way. Azazel obviously didn't like that little invention of mankind, and I agree with him, so it's not possible to enchant the. I can enchant powderless flechette launchers though…"

"Wouldn't that just be a crossbow?"

"Nope. Take into account modern materials, a compact magazine and rifled barrels and whatnot and you have what is definitely not a crossbow." Jean denied, "Even a repeater crossbow isn't the same as these bad boys. I'll start enchanting that sword of yours now, so give it."

After absorbing the Kopis, the Scot clicked her fingers. "Oh yeah. You might also want to think of a name for your sword."

"A name?" Rebecca blinked.

"Yeah. Once the enchantment's about 99.99% complete, I have to tie it off with a name to add that last 00.01% to fully complete it. So get cracking with a name."

"O….kay…" the Hearth Witch blinked again, "Not anything I'd ever have to do. What will the sword do?"

"Not a clue." Jean replied flippantly. "[Black Armoury] is a bit of an independent Authority. It takes what I know about you and your powers and skills in order to design a proper set of enchantments for your weapon. I do know that it'll be almost impossible to break and it'll have some degree of resilience to fire. That's all I know. I can suggest ideas, but it can ignore them or alter them as it pleases."

"Divine Authorities are bullshit."

Jean couldn't really disagree there. "Anyway…do you know if the Witenagemot has access to a supply of weapons and armour? I feel the need to start collecting."

The smirk on Jean's face made Rebecca worried.

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Next Chapter: Hearth of Home and Oath of Gold

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Jean's Authority Spotlight!

[Black Armoury]

Azazel is known for teaching men the secrets of the making of weapons of war, armour forging and ornament crafting. He was punished for this by being bound hand and foot and cast into the location known as Dudael for all of eternity.

Aria: 1) Metal wrought by hand of man, abandon thine mortal existence to be blessed by thine ultimate creator! (AN: Yes, Poseidon brought the Xiphos and Kopis forth, but they are not divine or magical in any way, shape or form. They are simply good weapons.)

2) From forge and flame, their secrets he learned. From earth and iron, their powers he taught. And through his knowledge, bloodshed was born. Let all arms born upon this crimson forge answer their master!

Activation Requirements:

- Fine wine must be given as an offering to activate this Authority's first effect.

- An offering of blood must be given to activate the second part of the Authority. The blood must come from a cut of the skin of the user.

- The first part of the Authority can be used any number of times, while the second part is limited to twice a day.

Effects:

- [Black Armoury] is a storage space that permits the user to absorb weapons, armour and jewellery and imbue them with divine magic for a specific purpose. Only one weapon of each is permitted, although multiple weapons that accomplish the same thing are allowed. With armour, multiple sets are permitted, but no two are to have the same enchantments.

- Depending upon the power and complexity of the enchantment(s), the weapon/armour would need to be stored for any time from two weeks, to a month, all the way up to a year for it to be completed. Once completed, the user must name them.

- Once named, the stored weapon or armour can be summoned at will, merely by calling out its name. This is the second ability of [Black Armoury]. Any number of weapons and armour may be withdrawn at once and they can be returned at the will of the Campione.

- No modern projectile weaponry is permitted. By 'modern', it refers to anything created to be used with gunpowder. It doesn't matter if the weapons are hundred year old antiques or one made the previous year, as long as they do not use gunpowder, they are permitted.

- At most, 100 of each different type of weapon, 100 suits of armour and 100 of each type of jewellery are capable of being stored in the [Black Armoury]. To add more once this limit has been reached, the user must give away as a gift any that are no longer needed.