18th of November, late evening
The person standing in front of Shizuka is clearly not Guinevere anymore. Sure, that body is still the dying form of Guinevere. However, the aura she gives off is clearly divine.
The girl has obtained a gaze that seems hotter than the sun, blazing embers instead of the expected lamenting eyes of sadness. She looks around her, as if she's suddenly summoned into an alternate world, before turning to Shizuka. "Greetings, godslayer." She answers politely in a deep voice, more befitting for a strong male. "I see that some wench used divine possession to summon my spirit into this world. I can barely imagine how strong your loyalty for your lord is if you are will to go through such desperate and humiliating straits, Guinevere."
The male voice speaks with snide about his summoner, as if sharing some sort of dislike for Guinevere.
"But enough about her, there are more important matters to handle than man-stealing whores. Miss, would you care giving me your name?"
"My name is Kusanagi Shizuka. So who… and what are you?"
"Hah…" This being sighs, looking rather annoyed at Shizuka. "Truly, I do not know what is worse: The fact that there are godslayers who were completely unaware of the world of magic until they slew a deity or that there are gods who actually lose to these kinds of people." While the relationship between gods and godslayers is already hostile from the beginning these words that come out of his mouth only make Shizuka dislike this spear-tongued person more. "I may never have been a teacher in lore, but I can explain something simple like this: Guinevere tried to call upon a deity, but she lacked the proper resources to summon a god from the realm of myth. Because of that she performed a simpler method that sacrifices one's life for the sake of summoning the spirit of a divine lord in their own body, killing the summoner in the process. What I am summoned as is called a divine spirit. Do you understand, or should I try monkey-talk?"
"It's clear, thank you very much." Shizuka answers with a hint of annoyance. What a horrible jerk this man is. "Since I gave you mine, would you mind giving me your name in return?"
"Of course, king: Through myth I have suffered from some changes to my name. While I went under many different names the one I am currently most known as is [Gawain], the green knight of the sun."
"Gawain, you say?" Something sounds totally wrong with that. Gawain, the loyal and upstanding knight of justice, is someone who sounds more like some cynical bastard. There's a huge discrepancy between myth and reality that is not easily waved aside. "Correct me if I am wrong, but the stories I read don't portray Gawain as a sarcastic jerk."
"Hmm, you might be right." Instead of denying these words Gawain mulls over them, seeing some speck of truth in what was said. "I believe that the original owner of this body is the cause for that. For the sake of including the deity once known as [Lancea god], who now goes under the name of Lancelot, into the legend of king Arthur my original role got somewhat changed. If that has happened then perhaps I should not name myself after those myths. Kusanagi Shizuka, name me not [Gawain], knight of the round table, but [Gwalchmei], warrior of the sun. That is the deity that I am most connected to."
"So… Gwalchmei. What are you planning on doing here?" Of course, what needs to be clear now is whether or not he is planning to fight Shizuka. Combat should be avoided if possible, but if the enemy holds hostility to Shizuka she should take on this new opponent.
"Me? I don't really have anything I wish to do. I was summoned here by a woman I despise, forced in a body that won't last to see tomorrow, and I would only cause more strife and destruction if I choose to attack. Really, it would be a lot better if I had never been summoned…"
That's a better answer than Shizuka had expected. Knowing the arrogance of the divine she was expecting him to start fighting her in some sort of all-out war. "Then return to your myth. There's no point for you to keep existing in this world."
"Absolutely correct, king. I would like to do nothing more than to simply wait and return."
Something is wrong with these words. Those are not the words of someone who does as he says, there's a subversion waiting in his words, an actual reason for him to actually join the battlefield.
"However, there used to be a girl in this world who sacrificed everything for the sake of her goal. It is undeniable that she is scum, an idiot, and repeatedly overstepping her boundaries. Even so, she came to me of all people, a former enemy of hers, and begged me to fulfill her last wish. I have sworn that as long as I exist I shall not turn down anyone who seeks my help, be it for alms or for deeds. I will not break this vow here, even for a person such as Guinevere. Apologies, Kusanagi Shizuka, but I'm afraid that I have to fight you."
Here Shizuka thought that Gwalchmei is a grumpy bear who only cares about himself, but he can be surprisingly nice to others. If only he could be just as amiable to Shizuka herself.
"I'm not interested in pointless fighting without gain." But even though Gwalchmei wants to fight for Guinevere's sake Shizuka does not. This is all pointless for someone who has already seen enough fighting. Does Gwalchmei really need to fight? Why can't he allow her to call it quits for today and stop this quarrel?
"Indeed, this fighting is pointless for you. Even if I were beaten you would not obtain one of my authorities, not when I am in a state like this. Perhaps when summoned as a full heretic god you would obtain a new power, but that is another story. Therefore, let me make you an offer: Sleeping in this land is the strongest steel, I assume that even someone like would've heard of that man."
"Yes I did. What is so interesting about him?"
"Even through Guinevere failed to wake him the day will come that that man walks the earth once again, trying to eliminate every single godslayer in the world. To prepare you for the confrontation with my previous lord I offer you a small advantage: The reason Gawain is called the nephew of King Arthur is because they hold the same country as origin. Figure out my true name, and it should be easier for you to determine the true name of that dormant deity."
"You can't just tell me the name of that god?"
"Sadly enough I can't. I promised not to tell anyone his name, and that too is a vow I will not break. Of course, giving hints like this does not count as breaking my vow." Hmph. What a nifty little rules lawyer he is.
Gwalchmei straightens Guinevere's body, standing strong and proud like a warrior of steel. "So let us start our little skirmish. I may not be much of an opponent, the fight probably won't even last five minutes. However, if you think that that is not enough reason to take me seriously…"
A wave of enormous pressure flows from Gwalchmei, boosting out pure power stronger than Guinevere had, stronger than Nu Wa had. With blazing eyes he looks at Shizuka, who is slightly staggered from this sudden rise in danger. Her instincts are screaming at her, telling her the same thing Gwalchmei says if she does not give her all in this battle: "…you will die."
-x-
The second round of battle has started, and most likely it is going to be the final round. Because victory is impossible for Lancelot if he doesn't show his full strength the legendary knight must go all out in battle. Because the enemy gives this battle his all Athena and Gascoigne will certainly lose if they act half-heartedly. In other words, an authority that can end this battle immediately must be used.
Gascoigne has an authority like that. However, it needs to be prepared for several minutes before it can be activated. He tells his ally Athena this, intending her to become a temporary distraction for the war god.
"That so?" The distraction, the bait. Many humans would consider this a dangerous and demeaning role, something that carries a high risk of death when used in battle. One would normally only enter such a squadron if you piss off the commander.
For Athena this is different. A tactic like that is perfectly fitting for a goddess of war, and as much as Athena wants to deny it even she has been defeated by a plan like that. Who could've thought that Kusanagi Godou would use his own authorities as a distraction so he could use an ordinary magic weapon for a finishing blow? If even a goddess of wisdom could not see this tactic coming, then should this not be super effective against one of those idiotic knights of steel?
"Hoho, war god Lancelot!" Athena speaks louder than normal but not loud enough to be undignified. "One knowest thy prowess in battle. However, how dost thou fare in the domain of the avian ruler? This one challenges thee to a duel in the sky, betting this goddess' title of Glaukopis on it!" A pair of wings sprout from Athena's back. Not the pure white wings of an angel, but brown wings with spotted patterns on them, like those of an owl.
Athena has taken an avatar akin to the symbol of wisdom, the one who guides people to the underworld. The brown wings spread out, and with a small jump Athena takes off. With smooth movements she hangs in the air, gliding slowly to Lancelot.
"Hoh, one shall assume that those feathered wings stand for your position as the queen of the sky, the very title you are betting here. This knight is certainly intrigued by this proposal."
Interested, yes, but Lancelot is hesitating to accept. To suddenly create a duel, right here and now? Perhaps if Athena were in the minority it would be a valid tactic, but with superior numbers it's a ridiculous strategy. To temporarily put Gascoigne out of commission… there's only one reason for such a tactic.
"Athena, do not take this knight for a fool. One realized already this tactic of yours. Buying time for your ally to summon his [Furies], so he may end this battle, right?" You do not truly understand someone until you fight them. Having had short clashes with both opponents Lancelot does understand what kind of trickery these two pull to win. This is nothing new.
"But even knowing all the stakes this knight still accepts!" Lancelot flies up in the skies, and Athena swiftly follows. The duo climb high into the sky, to a point where Gascoigne cannot easily interfere.
There are several reasons why Lancelot accepts this challenge, but the foremost reason is that he has to.
Lancelot is not a deity fit for continuous warfare. Precise strikes against the enemy, a few fatal blows instead of an onslaught. If the battle would turn into one of attrition the winner will certainly not be Lancelot.
In other words, a move of absolute victory is needed. On this whole battlefield there is only one thing Lancelot can do to win: stab Athena with the divine lance of salvation, Excalibur. Sure, the grail may have been sealed, but Excalibur can bypass that contraption by directly putting the blade in the body of the mother earth goddess, sucking away her energy.
If Athena has been drained then Lancelot will have a trump card ready, and Gascoigne will be the only enemy left. That situation will without doubt be victory for the warrior god. It is a condition well worth to gamble for.
Therefore, this is the final gambit. Can Lancelot drain Athena before Gascoigne summons his furies? The answer to that question will determine the end of this battle!
"Oh divine sword of salvation, steel slices apart the planets! Lend power to this knight!" The simple war lance in Lancelot's hand is replaced with the strongest, most sacred steel. Thunder flashes around Lancelot, his horse enveloped in lightning. "With thunder and lightning as my allies, this ancient steel will pierce through the very earth itself!"
Athena summons her bow in her hand, four stone arrows resting on the shelf. Lancelot starts to gallop, quickly moving towards Athena in a straightforward charge. The goddess spans her bow, aiming for the charging knight. The closer Lancelot is, the less time he has to dodge the counterattack. 3 seconds… 1 second… there! As the string makes a soft twang the four arrows all make their way to Lancelot ,who is forced to dodge these petrifying arrowheads. Making a V-shaped curve he dodges past them, but is also unable to strike Athena.
More arrows are fired at Lancelot when he is past Athena, the latter hoping to strike down this knight in this battle. Just because she is a distraction does not mean that she cannot try to strike down the enemy.
"Foolish, Lancelot! Thy steed is not a denizen of the sky, thou farest better on land! One seest nothing but openings!" The battle is a lot more equal than it was before, with Athena now standing almost equal to Lancelot.
The main cause of this problem lies in their maneuverability. While Lancelot holds the absolute advantage in top speed and acceleration, he is far outclassed in turning speed and altering course by Athena. Just like a horse Lancelot is much better at going straight ahead.
"No, it's not that this knight suddenly is full of openings, it's merely your advantage of terrain." On the ground Athena's ability to dodge is greatly hindered, making Lancelot's job a lot easier. "Therefore one must simply alter the terrain to favor this knight."
"Hoh? Showest this one, the tactic you are hiding." Athena gives a command, and Lancelot obliges:
"My allies, thunder and lightning, form the trap to stall the queen of darkness!"
Learn from your enemies. Words of wisdom that every warrior knows, Lancelot is planning to use what he learned in the previous round:
Throwing a ton of spears is very effective at hindering your opponent's movement. And what is more effective (and awesome) than spears? Spears made entirely out of lightning!
Dozens of lightning bolts appear, each one igniting the air around it. They continue all the way down to earth, destroying whatever the thunderbolt hits.
Because Athena cannot move into one of these bolts without getting scorched the thunderstorm she is in acts as a continuously shifting net, forming a pattern of lightning almost moving randomly through the sky.
Athena has much less space to dodge now, a lot of her routes being taken up by this lightning. Constant dodging is required, while at the same time she needs to stay alert for Lancelot's charges.
Once more Lancelot comes straight at Athena, absorbing any amount of lightning that comes his way.
Summoning four more arrows Athena shoots at Lancelot once more. As expected, Lancelot is forced to dodge again.
"Fu… one expected better, war god. Thy stratagems are sloppy, unfitting for thy situation." If this keeps up then the battle will be a draw. If that happens then Gascoigne can summon his [Furies] unhindered, giving the duo a free ticket to victory.
"Indeed, simply charging at the enemy is a foolish tactic. However, that is this knight's one and only ultimate skill. One shall simply perform a charge on a level so high not even you can defend against this, Athena!"
Lancelot has separated himself at least a hundred meters from his opponent, and is currently letting his horse rest a bit by stepping in a slow trot. When the time is ready he charges again, aiming once more for Athena's throat. Athena looks at Lancelot's charges, but this time her expression is a combination of annoyance and disappointment.
Utter foolishness!
That tactic failed. This is the very definition of insanity. There is no shame in recycling old tactics, but without knowledge when to execute old plans it all becomes meaningless! Athena expected better from Lancelot!
Once again Athena summons arrows for her bow, aiming at the charging Lancelot. Lancelot sees this, but continues charging. Athena fires her arrows, expecting Lancelot to dodge out of the way.
Except Lancelot doesn't. He keeps on charging, barely grazing the arrows. How did those arrows miss? They were perfectly on target!
No, that's not true. They would be perfectly on target if Lancelot was charging at Athena. This time Lancelot was charging at Athena's sides, making him slightly off course from the arrows. Now that those weapons are out of the way Lancelot can alter the direction of his charge and aim directly at Athena.
The trinity goddess also realized her mistake, and tries a quick dodge. She is forced to collide with a thunderbolt, her lower back getting scorched from the heat.
"Would you look at that: This knight's lance has finally tasted blood!" Lancelot exclaims joyfully, showing off his blood-stained weapon as his pride. "With this one has obtained the first bit of energy of you, Athena!"
Athena looks at her right ankle, where a bloody cut shows proof of Lancelot's small victory.
"Magnificent, war god Lancelot. One's original opinion was incorrect, thou art not merely a fool, but a warrior blessed with strategic wit!" Even though Athena just suffered two injuries there's no reason not to speak confidently with her opponent. Such is the way of the immortal gods, and so it will forever be. "Then showest this goddess, art thou able to perform once more such trickery?"
Both deities ready their weapons once more, donning the arms of war to continue their fight.
-x-
"O sun, abide to death and extinguish." Golden light surrounds Gwalchmei as he starts to chant his first authority. "O earth, descend to the underworld. O steel, rust and be obsolete."
Danger. Unimaginable danger. This authority is lethal, a weapon that can cut down the immortality of even the very gods. If that thing hits Shizuka she will undeniably die. Therefore an ultimate protection is needed. A shield that can protect her from all harm. Or in case that can't be reached, a sacrificial beast should be created to take the hit for her.
But before the spell words leave her mouth she realizes that that is wrong, her instincts telling her that summoning a scapegoat will kill her. The authority of Gwalchmei will strike past whatever she summons and destroy her. Biding her time she waits for the perfect opportunity to counter.
"Godslayer, know the mercy of the king of the gods. With this single strike I will inflict extinction." The golden light expels from his body, forming a lance of [Divine Lightning]. As the lance forms the moment for Shizuka to start chanting has arrived:
"Oh great turtle carrying the world, protect your mistress from all harm!"
Shizuka used [Water] to create the giant turtle's legs for sealing the holy grail. Now she will use the rest of the stone to summon another of the divine testudines as a one-shot defensive measurement. Though a fake authority summoned by the stone of water, being smaller than the original and lacking any form of offensive power, it still perfectly fulfills its purpose as a shield.
"Be reduced to cinders, Kusanagi Shizuka!" And with this last exclamation Gwalchmei throws the lance, planning to do exactly what he said.
That lance is [Divine Lighting]. The instant it is thrown it seeks out what the thrower wants to obliterate, and finds the shortest path towards the goal without destroying anything else. Therefore not even the strongest shield can protect one from the throw, as the spear will simply alter its course to go around it. When it is thrown it will move at the speed of light towards the enemy, killing them pretty much instantly with no delay. Because of these factors it is better to call this authority the [Infallible Spear of Divine Lightning].
However, there is a minuscule weakness that is almost impossible to take advantage of: After the infallible weapon is thrown it will not change its path again. To travel thirty meters light takes a tenth of a microsecond. If in that timeframe a shield can be placed in that path then one can escape Gwalchmei's wrath.
Gambling her life on this tiny window of opportunity Shizuka made sure to have the turtle pop up just before Gwalchmei finishes his incantations, and to the surprise of both god and godslayer the plan succeeded:
With blazing speed the turtle shoots upwards out of the ground. At the moment the [Infallible Lance] is launched the optimal trajectory for hitting Kusanagi Shizuka goes just above the turtle, grazing against the top of the giant reptile's carapace. Within the fraction of time the spear needs to travel 15 meters the turtle got even higher, now standing directly in the way of the path of destruction the spear wants to take.
The spear of lightning collides with the turtle, having found a "target". Flames sprout out of the lance and into the turtle, aiming to destroy the beast to dust. It screams it out in pain, and within three seconds all that is left of it are few bits of ash that did not evaporate.
The air is hot, static even. Moving in this place is painful as jolts of electricity move through Shizuka's body.
Her opponent seems less troubled by it all, but the few spasms he makes indicate that Guinevere's body cannot handle it that well either. The mocking laugh on his face seems to say otherwise, his grin nasty and demeaning. However, it is not aimed at Shizuka. No, the mockery is aimed at the one in the sky. "Are you watching, o god-king who has fallen from his throne? Look upon that infallible spear you gave me! Look how my enemy is still standing! This is what you gave me in return for my armor of invincibility? Truly, your very essence is dishonesty and deceit! You've brought greater shame over your family than your untalented sons and that whore those five call their wife. What kind of daze came over me to think that there would come something good from your house, even if it is a weapon? How can a god forgotten in obscurity and whose name is destroyed by the trimurti {1} grant something of worth? I would be better off if I had kept my armor!"
Once agin the sharp tongue of this god lashes out, but this time it is aimed at a god Shizuka cannot identify. Better keep that information in the back of the mind, it might be useful for figuring out his true identity.
"Either way, Kusanagi Shizuka, I will have to congratulate you." Gwalchmei turns to Shizuka, and what once was Guinevere's face shows a truly happy smile. "What you just did should literally be impossible. This feat you just performed is a miracle on equal levels as is becoming a godslayer in itself."
"…" Shizuka is speechless, having nothing to truly say to her opponent. Gwalchmei takes this as a sign to continue his own speech, not caring that he is wasting precious seconds:
"Even among the other kings, I am sure that many of them would've died with that attack. No, it would be more precise that in the entirety of history you are the only one who has managed to survive that attack. I was careless, expecting that lance to solve all my problems. To rectify this I shall punish myself: Kusanagi Shizuka, I shall grant you the right of initiative."
"Are… are you saying that you're letting me attack?" That's actually a pretty big advantage to give in such a short battle. While Gwalchmei sounded rather pragmatic at the begin of the battle he's turning more and more in boisterous [Steel].
"No, I'm allowing you to become my student so you can be taught common sense, which will make you less of an idiot." Hey! "Of course I'm letting you attack me! I have sacrificed my immortal armor for the sake of my previous blow. I ask of you, show me your power!"
No reason not to take an opportunity when it is given. Shizuka raises her own magic energy, preparing herself for her own attack.
"Then I'll do just that, Gwalchmei."
-x-
While Lancelot and Athena are still dueling in the sky, with neither side successfully obtaining victory over the other, Gascoigne is busy with preparing his trump card. It requires him to meditate for several minutes, which makes it useless for actual combat unless prepared beforehand or the enemy suffers from some distraction.
But now that the meditation is over this authority can be used! This is where the battle will be finished! Gascoigne stops his meditation, ready to speak the spell leading to victory: "Hear me daughters of the endless night, daughters of earth and shadow." The second authority Gascoigne obtained, it allows him to summon the three furies, Greek deities of vengeance. These take the form of beautiful women with snakes for hair and wings on their back.
"Fighting evil with evil, repaying crime with crime, shedding blood for blood, knocking out a tooth for a tooth." This authority functions by selecting a territory of vengeance, in this case Tokyo bay, where Gascoigne must meditate for several minutes. When the goddesses are summoned all damage done in this territory is reflected back at the attacker.
Athena fights with arrows that turn living things to stone. In other words, they barely harm the environment and as such she will not be targeted. The thunder used by Lancelot on the other hand strikes into the earth, releasing a large capacity of electrons and heat that transmutes everything it hits, severely damaging the surroundings.
"By the blood of the slain mother, tragic death denies all future attempts at filial piety!" Because of that this authority will defeat Lancelot the moment the goddesses set their sights on him, while leaving Athena alone. Since Gascoigne still has a clear view of the dueling deities it won't take long before they target the war god.
"Megaera the demon, Tisiphone the avenger, Alecto the relentless, retrieve the curse and execute vengeance!" The three beautiful infernal goddesses suddenly appear around Gascoigne, seeing Lancelot using lightning to destroy another beautiful beach.
The snake-like hairs on top of their heads hiss, a vicious grimace appears on all three vengeful goddesses and their raven black wings spread open, ready to destroy this attacker. They go after Lancelot, intending to clobber him to death.
The two deities who had been dueling it out in the sky also notice the arrival of the newcomers. Athena recognizes the Erinyes from some far corner of her own myth, knowing all too well that all attacks need to be ceased lest she be attacked by her own ally. Lancelot also stopped, recognizing this authority that Gascoigne used for defeating fake Minos.
"Hoho, one lost this gamble." As if accepting his defeat the knight and his steed stand still in the air as if awaiting their fate. "This knight was unable to defeat Athena within the allotted time."
Lancelot starts an eerie laughter, as if he disregards his own defeat. "However, Gascoigne, you chose poorly! This knight has already witnessed your authority, so it is natural to have already prepared countermeasures against it!"
Both Athena and Gascoigne stare is amazement at Lancelot. Not because Lancelot has successfully countered their plan. No, it's because Lancelot actually prepared at all for battle. Since when did that musclebrain gain even the slightest hint of intelligence?
"These familiars of your punish all evil in their sight. Therefore, if their sight is nothing, they cannot punish anything!"
…
On second thought, let's take that compliment about Lancelot's intelligence back. What he just said has to be the dumbest idea Gascoigne heard, although the black prince's fellow peer Salvatore Doni might surpass this in folly. A complex magic ritual that focuses on the hatred of the land is not that dumbly countered.
"Great grandmother of water {2}, make the water split apart and come together, become a bank of mist hiding me from my enemies!" Upon command the visibility worsens, and a thick layer of mist gathers so that Athena can only see a meter in front of her. Gascoigne has it slightly better, able to see around 5 meters ahead, and most likely this bank of mist has no real influence on the other battle currently going on.
As expected by Gascoigne, the three furies keep on flying in the mist, trying to slay Lancelot for his crimes…
…but they never get further than trying.
As if unable to locate Lancelot anymore the summons of the Campione hang lost in the air. Athena too is on guard, unable to locate her enemy well.
A loud scream from one of the furies tells Gascoigne that the enemy's incredibly dumb and stupid plan is for some godforsaken reason working. How the hell did Lancelot successfully slay one of the furies? Gascoigne's authority isn't supposed to work like that!
Another loud scream signifies the defeat of the second fury. The dumbest plan in the existence of plans goes full round and becomes so dumb that it actually works. Lancelot can casually defeat the furies and Athena is unable to prevent this and counter.
A third scream, and Gascoigne can feel his link with his trump card severed. In other words, the furies have been defeated and will now be unavailable for some time, leaving Gascoigne with only three of his five authorities.
"Athena, watch out!" Gascoigne shouts, relying on the still functioning power of voice to warn his own ally. It would lead to certain loss if Lancelot manages to obtain the power of divine sword Excalibur. "Lancelot managed to defeat my authority, and now he will come after you!"
"Fufu… 'tis cowardice to be fearful, nobleman of lightning. One hast already seen through this power of thee, Lancelot!" Perhaps the furies of her ally rely purely on sight, but Athena can easily identify the power of her enemy. "One sees right through the disguise thou dons!" Athena focuses her mind on this source of power, summoning stone arrows aimed at the enemy for the sake of striking Lancelot down.
Lancelot keeps circling around Athena, not striking down his opponent. Is it because Athena has noticed Lancelot, and a sudden attack is meaningless? Well, whatever, this authority will eventually run out of power, and that is when the great goddess of wisdom and darkness will strike.
Suddenly thunder strikes Athena, a large dose of voltage going through her body.
Letting out a painful cry Athena tries to move away, but finds herself unable to move even a little bit.
In general deities have superb resistance, so much that all human weapons, be it physical, biological or magical, are absolutely useless against them. However, this does not mean that there is nothing non-divine that can hurt divinity itself. While a deity will casually walk through a flamethrower they still get burned by a volcano, and while Athena can ignore even the strongest human taser she will get paralyzed by being stuck with thunder.
Athena can feel Lancelot charging directly towards her. In other words, the war god plans to use this moment of weakness to drain Athena dry, while powering up his own weapon in the process.
Whether this tactic was made at the start of this second round or Lancelot pulled a MacGyver is unimportant. What should be said is that this is perhaps the best tactic Lancelot could've taken, as Athena is unable to form her own authorities. With Gascoigne still on the ground he won't be able to reach the battlefield in time, meaning that there is no one who can stop Lancelot.
Is this the end for heretic Athena?
-x-
Shizuka is given a free attack on the enemy, a chance that she shouldn't waste. Therefore it is crucial to decide what kind of authority should be used against Gwalchmei.
Shizuka's options are [Earth] and [Wood]. The problem with the former is that Gwalchmei is a hero, a deity of [Steel]. Using a weapon that Steel is strong against in this situation is clearly not a good idea.
However, the same sort of problems can be said for [Wood]. As the element that resolves mainly around growth, birth, and blossoming it is perhaps the stone with the least amount of offensive power from the five, its main focus lying in healing stuff. Sure, the stone can also be used to create a draconic divine beast, but that seems rather stupid to use against dragon slaying steel.
In other words, both stones are not quite useful in this situation. There's nothing Shizuka really has as a successful offensive power… no, actually, that's incorrect.
There is exactly one type of attack that might work in this situation:
"O wood, descend from the heavens!"
Wood may perhaps stand for growth, but just like tumors too much of something is bad for you. To be more precise, too much growth is poison, an element that also falls under the category of wood.
But it is not precisely poison that Shizuka is intending to use. Poisoning the enemy is normally useful, but take a look at Gwalchmei himself. The very body he is inhibiting is dying, something that can be considered a poison of itself. Adding more poison will not speed up the demise of Gwalchmei.
A specific type of poison is needed. What Shizuka plans to use are "poisoned thoughts", more commonly known as curses.
There's a large amount of different curses, ranging from the most basic curses of bad luck to the more RPG-esqe stat-lowering curses like strength, defense or speed saps. There are also curses for inflicting ailments and disease on someone, curses that seal some of the enemy's abilities, curses to make someone do something against their will or curses to alter someone's fate in a negative manner.
All in all enough nasty tricks to alter the outcome of this battle in her favor.
"Gwalchmei! For fighting the enemies of your enemies, be cursed! For prolonging a battle of destruction, be cursed!" Chanting that sounds more demonic than divine, the words create an evil aura around Shizuka. "For causing unneeded mayhem against the populace, be cursed! Bear your sins, and remember your mistakes!"
The air around Shizuka may properly be called miasma now. Many, many curses hang in the area: Some curses are meant to cause disorientation, others are meant to temporarily blind their victims, others reduce aim, or cause confusion. While there's a large variety of curses they all have the same purpose: Make it so that Gwalchmei cannot use another authority for the sake of harming Kusanagi Shizuka.
"Hoh, curses? Not bad, not bad." Gwalchmei looks with interest at the air around Shizuka, and notices that it starts to move. The curses turn into a calm breeze, making them all flow towards Gwalchmei with the hope of infecting him.
"So, did you figure out my origin to discern that my greatest weakness is curses?" Intensely staring at Shizuka the divine spirit wonders if his thoughts are actually true. "No, I guess not. I assume that this was merely your luck and instinct. After all, if you truly knew you wouldn't have made such a sloppy mistake!"
A mistake? Shizuka wonders about that meaning, not seeing the fault in her own attack. "What are you talking about Gwalchmei?"
"Using curses against me is an excellent strategy, but you made a mistake in your execution." Shaking his head at this foolish idea, Gwalchmei calls Shizuka's strategy the perfect example of a half-baked fool. "Because you combined the curses with air this has become something I can easily defeat! Foolish enemy, let me show you your mistake right now!"
Gwalchmei raises the magic power radiating from his body, preparing to defeat this power with a single blow:
"O grand ruler Vayu {3}, once more I thank you for this power. The two-sided nature of your domain, your blessings and your curses, this warrior calls upon the former. For the sake of exterminating this king's weapon, I shall entrust my life to you!"
Upon the completion of those words Shizuka can feel the power of this authority, although there doesn't seem to be any kind of supernatural power appearing. Actually, it's more of the opposite:
Her cursed winds just disappeared.
When did that happen?
-x-
Lancelot is charging closer and closer to Athena, the queen of darkness still incapacitated from the lightning. Thirty meters, twenty meters, ten meters, it's a distance easily crossed.
But suddenly, at five meters away from the target, everything in favor of Lancelot disappears. The mist that limits visibility? Gone. The thunder that is paralyzing Athena? Gone. The clouds that can summon new bolts of lightning? Also gone.
With the lightning gone Athena is no longer paralyzed, and with vision retrieved she can see exactly how Lancelot is coming at her.
Bow and arrows are replaced by her trademark black scythe, which she holds tight in her hands. Now that she can see the lance she can anticipate and parry the incoming knight, successfully dodging the blow as Lancelot runs past Athena, unable to end his charge early.
"War god Lancelot. 'tis not thy day, this goddess would certainly be eliminated if not for this sudden turnabout." Purely seen from a honorable point of view this battle is already lost for Athena. She should've been hit by that desecrating lance, and turned into energy for that weapon. Yet for some reason Lancelot's trap was dispelled, giving Athena another chance at life.
"Indeed, this knight is truly unfortunate. Of course, luck is an important factor on the battlefield, but one did not expected to be cursed like this today."
"'twas clearly not thee who dispelled thy own authorities."
"Nor was it your ally, Gascoigne." Lancelot lets out a low grumble, already having an inkling about the real cause of this sudden disappearance. "This knight starts to get real annoyed by your antics, Gawain. With complete certainty one can say that this is probably your doing."
And it is Gawain, or Gwalchmei if you call him after how he names himself, who is the cause of this incident. Not only did his authority make Shizuka's attack disappear, it seems to have also nullified the weather surrounding the charge of Lancelot.
"To think that thy maidservant indirectly saved one's life… This goddess would almost forgive her previous acts of transgression were it not that she is the cause of one's limited lifespan to begin with." The words are spoken with at least some sort of sarcasm, as if she already decided that the only form of repentance for the duo's crimes is death. Lancelot laughs it off, but the irritation in his voice can still be heard, clearly telling that he still blames Gwalchmei.
"For the sake of winning her own battle the beloved child made my own battle harder. While this knight does not mind a challenge one still thinks that summoning my eternal rival is a terrible idea."
The duo share a small laugh, and with the conversation over they brandish their weapons once more. They both want to draw the other's blood and relish in victory.
However, Lancelot changed tactics. Instead of brandishing a single lance he now wields two: One is the divine spear of salvation, given the name of divine lance Excalibur; The other is Lancelot's own spear, nameless, but the one and only true weapon that Lancelot adores.
Is he planning to charge at Athena with two spears? That does not seem to be useful or even increasing his battle power, only increasing the cool factor of the charge.
"I shall go all out, Athena! I shall even gamble my beloved lance, my one and only weapon, upon this battle!" Lancelot throws his own spear upward, where it splinters apart.
"Hoh? Obtaining success through repetition, war god?" Athena recognizes what Lancelot is trying to do. The tactic with which he started this battle will now be repeated.
"Indeed! Sacrificing my beloved spear for more allies, all for the sake of smiting you, Athena. Consider this an honor!"
The number of knights surrounding Lancelot number two hundred. This will be enough to strike down Athena. Yes, this is how he should deal with this duo. Split them apart, and defeat them one by one.
After all, if Gascoigne has any weakness then it has to be height. Gascoigne has, if Lancelot can make an elaborate guess, 4 or 5 authorities. He knew of [Black Lightning], [Judging Furies] and [The Labyrinth] since the battle with fake Minos on Crete, and during this battle Gascoigne has shown off the [Faceless Queen]. All interesting traps, but nothing that allows him to deal with a flying enemy like this. While he can reach this high by manifesting an avatar of lightning he is unable to attack without losing his godspeed, and thus his avatar, for half a day. Falling from this high is most certainly fatal, even for a king like Gascoigne, so that tactic cannot be used in battle.
As long as the battle stays in the sky it will favor Lancelot.
Gascoigne seems to have realized this as well, as behind Athena a bolt of lightning appears. Considering that Gawain nullified Lancelot's own storm and Athena is not associated with thunder that means that that bolt is without doubt the avatar of Gascoigne.
Then the thunderbolt descends, moving down to the ground, and Athena swiftly follows. Lancelot understands: Gascoigne wants to regroup and obtain victory through numeric advantage, and the queen of the night complies.
"This knight won't let you, trinity goddess!" The knights follow in rapid descend. Giving the orders to his fellow knights Lancelot also drops down, in pursuit of Athena.
The warriors form a net, intending to strike Athena from all directions. Some warriors rush past Athena, intending to strike Athena from behind and the sides.
The [Eyes of Petrification] have been activated again by Athena. While Athena would like to petrify everything in one shot the enemy is completely surrounding her, and she cannot see everything at once.
From all angles attacks are aimed at the goddess of darkness. With dodges and parries Athena manages to barely weave her way through the attacks, but the knights keep coming.
At the halfway point the knights suddenly spread out even further. They thin their numbers so that Athena will only manage to petrify a fraction of their numbers.
Two-thirds in and Athena has at best managed to get rid of a quarter of the enemy forces. Strangely enough the enemy doesn't attack, only sometimes sending out a single knight as a distraction. By forcing Athena to focus on the charging knight the rest of the army will go beyond her vision and prevent being petrified.
Eighty percent of the way down and Athena is certain she needs help. The attacks have stopped, but the knights are everywhere except straight down. Continuing down that path Athena tries her best to escape, but finds that Lancelot's knight outspeed her. Unable to escape pursuit Athena is still trapped by Lancelot's knights.
The water of the bay below has finally been reached, and Gascoigne can enter this battle.
However, for Athena help needs to come real quick: Unless Athena possesses the aquatic ability of a sea god she is trapped by Lancelot's knights. From the four corners of the winds, along with Lancelot coming from above, there are steel warriors occupying every position. There's no escape left for Athena, unless Gawain decides to be a douche again and nullify this attack too.
A snap of the fingers can be heard, and suddenly Lancelot finds himself almost unable to move. Looking behind him he can see why, the fifth authority of Gascoigne: A miniature black hole, it's size being around 25 meters, is currently sucking up its surroundings.
"What?" Lancelot lets out in a surprise. He sees that several of his fellow knights are being swallowed in the black hole, and rest seems quick to follow. The black hole is decimating his forces!
This… Lancelot did not see coming.
-x-
Shizuka's authority disappeared. Not defeated, not overwhelmed, it simply was there one moment and the next it was not.
"What was that?" That is only question on her mind. Whatever Gwalchmei used, it made the authority completely disappear.
"Merely a gift I obtained from the lord of the winds. Your plan was decent: Either you would curse me for several minutes, wasting my time, or I would have to break through your miasma with sheer force, wasting my energy. However, your mistake was to use an air-based medium. This authority of mine allows me to turn the sky clear, nullifying the powers of the weather!"
Would Shizuka have copied the sun, the storms, the rain, the thunder, or anything akin to that Gwalchmei's authority would've nullified it as well. The name of this power is [Sailaastra], an ultimate defensive authority that restores the sky in a large radius around its user, it saved the divine spirit possessing Guinevere's corpse without him wasting much energy. The clouds are gone, and the moon shines gently upon the ground. All traces of Shizuka's authority are gone.
That is downright irritating. "How many more of these tricks do you keep in your pockets, Gwalchmei?"
"The authorities of mine are so numerous I cannot recall the exact number. However, it is not like there are no limits to my power. During battle all of my divine weapons can only be used once, and several others have specific limitations on when I can use them. The first authority used against you requires me to sacrifice my golden armor, the second can only be used if the weather is disturbed."
A deity with a large amount of powers, but just as many restrictions. If any of the other kings were here they would probably see some traces of the seventh king in this divine spirit.
"And now this body almost stops functioning, at best allowing me just one final attack." Gwalchmei is at his end, and so too is Shizuka. [Fire] was used to create a phoenix, [Water] was used to block that divine spear of lightning, [Wood] was canceled by this second authority of this deity, and [Metal] was used to slay Guinevere. Only [Earth] is left.
"O Earth!" The empty stone of wood turns into the stone of earth. An element often associated with defense, it is the best finisher for this battle. The only matter of importance is that Shizuka blocks the final gambit of Gwalchmei, and then she will win.
"I have shown you two of my authorities, Kusanagi Shizuka. While both powerful and legendary, they were not enough to slay you. I can attack you only once more, but weapons on the level of the previous authorities will not be enough to defeat you. There is only one weapon I can use, my favorite authority bestowed on me."
Shizuka keeps the stone by her side, focusing her magical energy on the stone. Gwalchmei keeps talking, speaking about the weapon he is about to use:
"This weapon is my strongest attack, but it has several drawbacks: I can only using it once, if I unsummon it I am guaranteed to lose, and it needs to be used against a worthy opponent. You blocked what cannot be blocked, and forced me to defend in a fight where defending doesn't matter. I, Gwalchmei, shall deem you a foe on equal grounds as me. Take this, Kusanagi Shizuka! My final and ultimate blow!"
Energy spirals around Gwalchmei, manifesting itself in his right hand.
"For I am ever victorious, no Kshatriya {4} will be my equal in battle."
The energy takes shape of a bow, an intricate golden bow with glowing white string.
"Weep, o gods, as the rejected child shows his superiority! Cower, o devils, for not even heaven and earth combined can slay this warrior! Worship, o humans, for never more will there be a god greater than the charioteer's son!"
That bow is not [Steel]. It is not an ordinary weapon that you see being carried by those legendary heroes. This weapon surpasses them.
No king, no god, no demon, nobody but Gwalchmei can wield this bow like that. Like Kusanagi Godou's [Warrior], the element that forms this bow is [Victory]. Try as she might, Shizuka cannot use her authority to ever recreate this weapon. But Gwalchmei is not done, as this bow is only the first part of his authority.
"O three-eyed one / Worshipping the fragrant, the prosperous, the restorer. I am bound down / liberate me from the bounds of death. Give me some rejuvenating nectar of life!" Gwalchmei beautiful hymn, sung in an ancient language, causes a golden arrow to appear in his left hand. It is made from the same materials as the bow, an [Arrow of Victory]. "Come, king, let us settle this once and for all!"
Gwalchmei readies the arrow, pulling it back along the string. Further and further back, ever so increasing the power of this arrow. The tip is aimed at Shizuka's heart, intending to pierce the godslayer.
And the arrow is released. The twang of the string causes a sound louder than thunder, and the limbs of the bow shine brighter than then sun.
Shizuka temporarily cannot see, her eyes blinded by light. She cannot hear, the sound of thunder almost rupturing her ear drums. But she can still feel it, feel the arrow pointed at her heart and trying to kill her. To prevent that she starts to counter:
"Earth protect me, earth defend me! I shall not be wounded, I shall not be harmed!" A plethora of shields appear between Shizuka and the arrow, aiming to block and deflect that one arrow. Some are simple walls of hardened earth or plain boulders, others are intricate shields made out of carbon, but they are all made to prevent Shizuka from being hurt. Together they line up, becoming a multi-layered wall that will not let any attack through.
The arrow hits the first shield. The power the arrow holds drops, but the shield is not strong enough to stop the attack and shatters into pieces.. More shields appear on the arrow's path, and if the drop of power keeps up like this it should be more than enough to stop the final attack of Gwalchmei.
But the arrow doesn't stop.
After all, that arrow represents victory for its wielder. If the arrow is stopped, then the wielder wouldn't be victorious. To prevent this contradiction the very world itself drives the piercing arrow forward, unrelentingly destroying everything in its way.
This authority is an absolute rule: "The bow and arrow will bring guaranteed victory to its owner." Even if a shield has the power of infinity this arrow will break through to prevent a paradox from being created.
Therefore, the only way to stop this arrow is to counter with an absolute of your own. Shizuka does not rely anymore on those shields, having only one defense left: The absolutely indestructible stones of heaven.
One will certainly break through anything in its way. One will not be broken by anything. Like the fable of the strongest spear and the strongest shield, these are two things that cannot exist at the same time.
Thus one will break. Without noise [Earth] scatters, and the arrow pierces straight through Shizuka.
-x-
One by one the knights disappear, all being sucked in by the dark void. The only ones who seem to avoid this fate are Lancelot and Athena, who are expending all their energy so they will not be sucked up. With the greatest of efforts Lancelot can prevent himself from being sucked in, but the slower Athena seems to be ever so slightly sucked inside of the black hole. What is Gascoigne planning? Does he want to take both gods out in one blow?
Even so, the deities are still enemies of each other. Athena prepares arrows once more, while Lancelot summons his lightning. Both strike at the other, but fail completely as their attacks are sucked into the black hole too.
"It seems that we're not in a state to attack one another, Athena." Lancelot lets out in his usual jolly tone, but small hints of concern can be heard in his voice. He does not like his current situation at all.
"Fu… indeed. One admits that this is quite the precarious situation." The wings on her back flap rhythmically so that the maximum amount of force is generated, but it is not enough to escape from Gascoigne's authority. "Can it be? Didst that monarch truly plan to kill us both from the very beginning? Absolutely vexing!"
Athena doesn't blame anyone but herself. Her ally is a king, a slayer of gods. It would be unsurprising for such a being to betray that which he kills. To trust him was her and her mistake alone.
Suddenly a flash moves over the water, and as that flash passes Athena she suddenly disappears from Lancelot's view. What happened to her?
Back on the beach, around 150 meters away from Lancelot, Athena finds herself caught in Gascoigne's arms. He is the one who used godspeed to prevent the goddess from being killed by his authority, carrying Athena like a bride. It's probably Gascoigne's first and last moment he will ever do so with a woman.
"Why didst thou save this goddess, black prince?" Athena does not understand the logic behind Gascoigne's mind. He should've just let her die, and make it a victory purely for him and the other godslayer on the team, Kusanagi Shizuka. There's no reason to keep her around!
"It's obviously because I still have use for you, goddess Athena." Out of the thousands of responses, of which at least ninety percent increase the level of relationship between these two, Gascoigne had to pick the one that's neutral to negative. Still as bad with women as he has ever been.
"One shall accept that as valid reason." Athena is dropped by the black prince, and now stands steady on the ground. "So, thy plan… what does it involve?"
"Of course, that black hole is not enough to stop Lancelot." Lancelot has at this moment turned around, following a circular path to come closer to the enemy godslayer. Now Lancelot stands exactly between the Campione and his authority, performing a powerful charge to try and hit the enemy godslayer. "Therefore a final attack is needed, and I have one such a destructive move left. Athena, get at least twenty meters away from me or I cannot guarantee your safety."
Athena jumps back, leaving a gap of thirty meters with her ally. Said ally starts to chant his final verse, the attack that must finish this battle.
"Thunder! Grow dark and become blackened, incinerate your enemies!" As the words are spoken Alexandre uses the offensive mode of his authority. Giving up his godspeed for half a day he summons lightning as black as the night itself, which is trying to reduce everything it hits to cinders.
Normally the thunder would hit everything around him in a large radius, but due to [Weird Greed] this authority now takes on the form of a spheroid, with the thunder going directly towards the black hole.
And who is standing in between Gascoigne and the black hole? Only Lancelot, who receives the full brunt of this authority.
It is an authority as powerful as Godou's [White Stallion], perhaps even more powerful. Therefore Lancelot can scream out as much as he wants, there will be nothing left after the thunder stops discharging!
"Hahaha! Hahahahaha!" But Lancelot does not scream or falter. No, he only lets out a mad laughter.
"Athena, it seems that both of our allies are giving trouble to us!" Instead of sounding defeated he now sounds more as if he has secured his own victory. "Gascoigne, did you forget that this knight rules over lightning? I will not be defeated by my own domain!"
Lancelot, while definitely looking worse for the wear, did not die. Instead, he absorbed around half of the attack to power himself up!
"With this newfound energy I will break free, and slay you two once and for all!" Gascoigne has used all of his authorities but [The Labyrinth]. He will be easy pickings now for Lancelot, unable to alter the battle. And Athena, while a worthy opponent, is still a goddess of earth facing Lancelot's steel. The moment Lancelot breaks out, it will be his absolute victory!
Can the duo still stop this war god?
-x-
"Haaah… hah…" What the hell was that? Shizuka sits with her back to the wall of a collapsed house, having been thrown two dozen meters back by the force of the arrow. Only through sheer luck did she survive, the arrow going off course because it was deflected by the stone, hitting her in her lung instead of her heart.
Breathing is painful, let alone speaking. Moving hurts… in fact, everything hurts. That arrow, while luckily not coated in poison or something like that, is still a decisive blow. Gwalchmei has an open shot at Shizuka. He just has to fire a second arrow and he wins.
But Gwalchmei does not do that. Instead of firing an arrow he walks forward, walking towards his opponent. Oh yes, Shizuka remembers, he did say that he can only use it once.
"To think that even this bow, my strongest authority, could not finish you in one blow… your tenacity is great, even greater than that of the cockroaches hiding in their little holes." Shizuka would like to retort to that insult, but those words are not worth it.
With every step Gwalchmei takes the body he occupies seems to deform, slightly liquefying and turning into some sort of goo. Guinevere's old body gets less humanoid with every step, but still he continues walking. "Then this is still not an absolute victory for me. While many would call harming the enemy without getting harmed yourself a victory, it will not pass in this situation. A situation in which the loser lives and the winner dies is not the type of ridicule I want to go through again."
The steps keep deforming the warrior, but proudly he keep his weapon in hand. "Therefore I shall split up this battle: The first part, the battle of glory and strength: I shall decree my obvious victory, as I defeated you in battle. I assume you have no objections there?"
Victory or loss. Those are not things Shizuka holds much meaning to. As long as Shizuka gets what she wants it doesn't matter if that action gets called a victory or a loss. The original goal, to prevent Guinevere from reaching her king, was fulfilled before this battle begun. In this fight with Gwalchmei she had only one goal: survive. Because in this first part of battle she hasn't been killed yet Shizuka doesn't care how others name it!
"No." With a single short word she acknowledges his victory, something only a proud warrior of steel cares about.
"I expected so. This second battle will be simple: What will happen first? Will I reach your body or will I disappear? That will be the battle of survival." If the former happens then Shizuka will be stabbed by Gwalchmei's last bit of power, killing Shizuka. If the second happens then Shizuka will survive. In other words, this is what will decide true victory or loss for the youngest godslayer!
Gwalchmei continues to walk, his body starting to fall apart. First was the pinky on the left hand, followed by some more fingers falling off and turning into lifeless water.
The deity continues to walk, and loses his bow. The arm that used to carry it cannot hold the weight anymore, so it drops off and falls on the ground. The bow itself, in all its victorious splendor, turns dull before becoming dust.
But still Gwalchmei continues to walk, each step shortening the distance between the two. Twenty meters, fifteen meters, ten meters. At that moment something lucky happens for Shizuka: The right leg breaks off, causing the deity to fall over as his leg turns into liquid.
"So it seems that I have lost the final part." Setting himself in a normal sitting position Gwalchmei decides to hold a final conversation with his opponent. "And now you live on, filled with the shame of defeat for the rest of your life. Truly, what a remarkable world this has become where the victor dies and the loser survives."
"Really? I live." What determines victory is whether or not the set goals have been accomplished. So Shizuka did not lose. She won.
"You live?" Gwalchmei asks, misunderstanding those words spoken. "What good does living do after losing your honor? That is surely a fate worse than death."
"Heh." Honor? Such a thing does not exist. If anything, the only time honor needs to be used if it will positively affect this or future battles. Shizuka simply smirks at her opponent, a taunt that tells Gwalchmei everything he needs to know. To clarify Shizuka even gives a short summary: "I managed to keep myself alive, while you die. Goodbye, god from India."
"What?" He understands. For this woman victory was never about besting your opponent. The victory conditions of this match are abnormal, the only rule being that victory or loss is decided by the death of Shizuka. The first part, the battle of strength, would only give Shizuka the nationality of the strongest steel, and even without winning she managed to extract that data! Gwalchmei had been completely lost in the pleasure of fighting, forgetting what he was aiming for! "No, it can't be!" Absolutely unthinkable! Did she really?
"In fact, I can even guess what you'll say next:" Huh, so speaking when injured does hurt less if you talk a lot… or perhaps this is the adrenaline kicking in? "You're asking me if I planned this honorless victory from the very beginning."
"Kusanagi Shizuka! Did you truly cast away your honor from the very start to reach this outcome?" Gwalchmei looks confused, realizing that he said exactly what was predicted. He starts laughing, now understanding what truly transpired on this battlefield. "Incredible! You truly did play me for a fool! To think that you had me from the very beginning!"
Shizuka stays silent, not answering the question. Of course she didn't plan this, and only though interpersonal skills could she somewhat guess Gwalchmei's next line. If she really could plan all this then she would've planned a less painful victory. However, leaving Gwalchmei in awe will buy her precious seconds that will prevent her own demise.
"Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic, Kusanagi Shizuka! Truly, you are a worthy opponent, a warrior I will happily exchange blows with!" The end is neigh for Gwalchmei, so he spends his last words as a promise before parting ways: "I had a good battle, and you survived; because we both won I shall call this battle a draw." Gwalchmei is a surprisingly sore loser, or perhaps this is just his point of view. In Shizuka's view this is simply Gwalchmei altering his goal so he can say he didn't fail. Perhaps that is why that arrow of certain victory failed, it's because his own drive to win faltered. "This one's name is Karna, son of Surya! Remember it well, for next time I shall descend in full splendor against you, facing a you who is even more experienced!"
Having spoken that he turns his head southwards, toward the place Lancelot is fighting his opponents.
"Lancelot, what will you do? Your ally has fallen, so will you run like the coward you are and go rouge? Can it be, will you be unable to give your all for Guinevere's goal? Will you go crazy like the rabid dog you are? Do not disappoint your allies once more, betrayer!"
Wow… rather harsh words to end your live with.
"My apologies you had to hear that, rakshasa monarch." At least he apologizes for this outburst. "Those words had to be spoken. So until later. I can feel it, our second battle will definitely come!"
Gwalchmei, or Karna, melts completely, and even the consciousness is gone. With this it is finally, truly over. It was close, but Shizuka just came out on top. Now only one question is left:
Who will take care of Shizuka's wounds? That arrow was really painful!
With great pain Shizuka stands up, blood trickling from the chest wound. "Gah!" Immediately she falls on one knee, the pain overcoming her. Really, what an annoying battle this was. It left her completely exhausted. If only she kept [Wood] then she could've used that stone to heal herself. [Earth] would work fine too… actually, most of them can be used in some way to heal her. Is there no simple and quick way to heal herself?
"Shizuka-san!" That voice! From the sky a girl clad in blue light descends, her shape giving away who it is. Good, it seems that she already mastered flight magic.
"Fuyuhime… you're late, the battle is already over." There's an old saying that the cavalry always arrives late on the scene, and once more it seems to be the case.
"Sorry, sorry." Hurriedly she apologizes for her tardiness, but that is something that isn't that important right now. "More importantly, you're wounded! What kind of deity was that?"
"We can talk about that later, when I'm in a bit of a better shape." Currently Shizuka's mind is focused on getting off the battlefield and having her health restored to acceptable levels. Things like clarification of the previous fight can wait until after that. "Say, do you know any healing spells? It would be much appreciated."
"Ah, of course, I didn't study magic for nothing!" Fuyuhime starts to chant some sort of spell, no doubt for curing Shizuka's condition. The Campione doesn't really listen to the exact words, simply waiting until the spell kicks in.
And waits…
And waits…
But nothing happens.
"Fuyuhime, are you sure you didn't make any mistakes?" Shizuka asks, slightly annoyed by this failure.
"No, I didn't!" the witch shouts out, certain of her success. "It simply won't work! I try to heal you, but your body rejects i-oh, I see." Fuyuhime already understands why it her spell doesn't succeed. "Shizuka-san, you do remember that Campione have an innate resistance to all mortal magic? That includes healing spells too."
"Oh fantastic." To think that her own powers would work against her. Shizuka lies down on the ground, lessening the amount of pain that her wound is causing her. "Is there no way to bypass it?"
"W-Well…" Fuyuhime starts to blush, and awkwardly looks away. "…there is one way to bypass it."
"And that is?"
"Y-you see, this magic resistance normally functions like a layer around the Campione. If the spell comes from the inside, then it won't be hindered, unless the Campione actively tries to resist it."
"So what would be the quickest way to help me?" The sentence is spoken with slight annoyance, as Shizuka is not interested in a teaching of magic. Damn it, she just wants to be healed!
"Potions still work, but I'm not carrying any right now and it takes a lot of time to make them. And well… there… there's a-also… ehm… well…"
"Stop stuttering and get out with it."
"A kiss!" Fuyuhime shouts out, almost startled.
"A kiss?" That's the dumbest thing Shizuka has ever heard. Really, if Godou were a Campione, which luckily he isn't, then he would heavily abuse this knowledge. Perhaps he would even gain an authority that he can only use after being kissed by one of his many girlfriends.
"Y-Yes, a k-k-kiss!" Fuyuhime nervously complies. "If I orally inject the spell then I can bypass the magic resistance!"
"So what are you waiting for? Kiss me."
"B-But… this…"Fuyuhime is fiddling with her fingers, not willing to take that step. "this will be my first kiss."
"…" Really, a first kiss. Setting aside the fact that Fuyuhime is twenty-one, this is not the time to think about saving your first kiss.
"In case you didn't notice, I have a hole in my chest." Shizuka points to the lack of tissue just right of her heart. "And you can trust me, it hurts. A lot. So kiss me already."
"B-But don't you want your first kiss to be special?"
"It doesn't count. Think of it as rescue breathing, we both know it has nothing to do with love."
"S-Still… I w-"
"Kiss me!" Shizuka shouts out, a decision she soon regrets as she finds out that unlike talking shouting hurts a real damn lot.
Fuyuhime now finally complies, having mentally prepared herself and the spell, and kisses Shizuka on the mouth.
After the kiss Shizuka stands up, feeling a bit better. The spell is already working, the wound closing bit by bit. Of course, it's not some sort of instant miracle cure, but by tomorrow she will probably be completely cured.
The Renjou heir looks with relief at the recovery of the one she swore fealty to, but also worries for what else is happening. After all, there's still a battle going on down at the coast. "So what are we going to do next? Are we going to help in the other battle?"
Shizuka looks at her subordinate, and without thinking gives the only reply possible. "Leave them be, we're getting out of here!"
-x-
ACAL {5} region, France, dusk.
When it is close to midnight in Japan it is still early afternoon in western Europe. So while it has been a few hours after Guinevere and Gwalchmei's final demise the sun has yet to go down in France. Considering that the sun is already setting this won't take long anymore.
The residents in France usually don't go out of their way to visit the streets this time of year. There's no comfy and snowy winter wonderland yet, and to make it worse it's raining, making this the weather no one but dogs would go out in.
But even with this horrible weather there are some people outside. Four mages from Metz' magic association, the [Graoully] {6}, are forced to traverse a forest several miles south of their city.
"Shit, I slipped! My entire leg is soaked!" The first member is a giant of a man, almost reaching two meters tall and so muscled you could grind meat on his abs. Dressed in a raincoat he is clearly not happy about this trip.
And why would he be? Instead of sitting at home and drinking a good wine he is forced to traverse this forest to investigate some sort of magic disturbance that appeared.
"Ugh, why the hell do we have to invest this disturbance now?!" The second member, a young woman still in her teens, answers back. "Couldn't the [Graoully] have waited until tomorrow, when the weather forecast said that it would be dry?"
"You're entirely right, Nicolette!" The first man replies again. "Damn that association for making these stupid decisions!"
"Shut up, Ancil." The third member and leader of the group replies. A woman nearing her forties, she's still as fit as a fiddle. "You should know that clothes can be dried, and you won't die from water… well, non-magical water like this. On the other hand, if this disturbance is actually bad then the lives of dozens of innocents comes in danger."
"Jeannie, I know that the lives of many people are in danger, but why did they have to send us on this mission? Sure, we're all decently strong mages, Three heretic mages and Nicolette the hime-miko all trained for combat; However, we're powerless before deity or king, and we are too slow to be real scouts. At the very least we should've been taught a spell that deflects rain!"
"The spell that protects you from rain is called a raincoat." Jeannie replies almost mechanically. "And as for this mission the disturbance was only for a short while before disappearing, probably a mistake from a mage. If it was something divine they would be a lot more open about it, not hiding in this forest but arrogantly displaying their might."
"Even so, the anti-rain spell would've been damn useful." Nicolette complains. Her coat, which should repel water, has suffered from such an onslaught that the clothes underneath it are also wet. "At the very least we could've gotten some rain-repelling clothing. It would've been quite useful."
"Then if you can write a report to the commission about the potential advantages rain-repelling clothes have over clothes that do not in both combat and reconnaissance then perhaps for future missions these type of clothes can be manufactured and equipped for battles like this. Until then keep walking and stop complaining!"
"Yes ma'am…" Nicolette lets out in an angry murmur. As if she is going to work on some extra unnecessary homework. Let someone else solve that problem if they want to!
"We're here." The last member of the group, a silent man with a dark complexion speaks up. He doesn't talk often, only speaking when it is important.
"Good work Abdel." Jeannie speaks up. She enters an open area, where a few ruins indicate that some kind of building used to stand here.
"Say, look at that mural over there." Ancil speaks up, walking over to around a mural of which only a square foot is left. "Hoc templum in honore magna provisum fundavit {7}… and the rest is unreadable."
"In other words, this place used to be a temple dedicated to some deity, correct?" Jeannie concludes, easily understanding what was said. Not that that is special, because all four of them are well-versed in Latin. "Okay, let's split up. Nicolette, Abdel, you search in the northern section of this place. Ancil, we examine the south. In fifteen minutes we will meet up again in this spot."
The group splits in duos as commanded and start searching.
After ten minute of fruitless search it is Nicolette who seems to have found something: In the far north, lying on a low mound in the ground, is a circular disk no larger than Nicolette's palm. It is made from an alloy of bronze and gold, and three swords are engraved on this medallion.
Can this be the source of the sudden magic fluctuation? She picks up this item, wondering about what it can be. Perhaps a minor grimoire, uncovered by a whim of nature?
The stone feels natural in her hand, and believing to have found the cause she calls over Abdel for confirmation.
"You found it?" He asks, wanting to see why he was called out. Nicolette doesn't say a word, but simply walks up to Abdel and shows the medallion.
Abdel examines the metal disk, looking at it carefully and sensing its energy. "Perhaps you are right, this might b-" before Abdel can say more he notices his body falling to the ground, and all sense in his lower body is gone.
No it is not that he lost his senses. He has been split cleanly in half, from his left shoulder to his right side, straight through the heart! A fatal blow, caused by none other than the woman in front of her. Only one words goes through his mind before he dies: "Why…"
Nicolette looks at her victim with pure disinterest, as if she just squashed a bug. Her left hand still bloody from the cut, she simply decides to look up in the sky. "So it seems that that faker has died. Still, I cannot say that Guinevere's sacrifice for her master is ugly, but of course such a fake is doomed to fail when compared to the original." No, this is not Nicolette anymore. This is a divine spirit possessing the hime-miko!
The goddess sits down on the mount, musing about her own future. "So now that that child has failed she wants me to take up her torch and awaken the [King of the End]. Hmm… an interesting proposal. Creating an era without godslayers, it sounds quite fun to make that. Perhaps I would deny if I were a goddess of earth, but since that is not my domain I guess that I have no reason not to help. Very well, Guinevere. This goddess has decided to wake up that man you call king, and bring in a new era. It's not like I have anything better to do."
The goddess stands up, hearing some noise from the other side of what was once her temple. "Of course, I need to gather some allies first for my own plans. I cannot let that [Steel] hog all the fun and glory." She puts the metal disk in one of the raincoat's pockets and starts walking to the voices. "I see that the flow of the sang real {8} points towards a human settlement close by. It's time to pay that city a visit." Of course, that action can only be done after one more thing is solved:
A few human pests are desecrating her temple, and need to be… exterminated.
-x-
{1} Trimurti: The three Hindu top gods, Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer.
{2} Great grandmother of water: This is the titaness Tethys, a titaness and the foremost sea goddess in Greek myth.
{3} Vayu: Hindu lord of the winds, and also the one responsible for human breathing.
{4} Kshatriya: The ruling and military elite. Their role is to protect society in wartime and govern it in the more peaceful times.
{5} ACAL: Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Loraine, The north-eastern region of France. This name is temporary, as the French people are still voting for a new official name.
{6} Graoully: A mythological dragon from French folklore. According to legend it lived in the roman amphitheater of Metz before it was slain by Saint Clement of Metz. Proudly emblazoned on the coat of arms of the local football club.
{7} Hoc templum in honore magna provisum fundavit…: Translated to English, this would mean "The temple build in honor of the great provider…" It's a pity that the rest of the wall is unreadable, or we might figure out who this newest divine spirit is.
{8} Sang Real: French for royal blood, here it is intrinsically bound to the knights of the round table. Now what could that divine spirit be planning with this?
-x-
Gwalchmei, or Karna as I should call him, is basically the Athena for this story: A powerful deity who gets some personal bonding with the main character, eventually leading to a personal duel between the two. As you can guess Karna is one of the swords in the bronze-golden disk, which allows him to be resummoned when this story reaches the fight between the godslaying kings and the kingslaying god.
My first thought when creating this deity (which goes for all Hindu deities) is how to balance this god out. Because seriously, Hindu myth is severely overpowered to the point they aren't even fun to make deities out anymore! I feel bad for every other author trying to include a Hindu deity, and advice against them to do so.
Luckily for me Karna made a promise never to attack with the same celestial weapon twice, which can be read as "can only use each authority once". Combine it with some restrictions and we have basically the Godou of the gods. Now doesn't that sound like the perfect opponent for Shizuka?
I have only one regret with Karna: I originally wanted to make a short interlude in which both Shizuka and Karna complain about their brothers, the former's suffering from polygamy and the latter's from polygyny. Sadly enough that never happened. Perhaps I can introduce that later?
For the other deity introduced in this chapter… She's the overarching villain, the grand evil for Shizuka's story. If Kusanagi Shizuka is the addition to team Campione, then this goddess is the addition to team Rama.
As told, she's not a mother earth goddess, but rather that which Guinevere tried to be. The original name of this deity is still a secret, but now she goes under the alias of [Blanchefleur]. I believe I've given enough hints for her true identity if I tell you that the region where she's summoned is important as well.
But let us not concentrate on them and look at the future. Shizuka's battle is over after this chapter. So what will fill up chapter six then? Well, there's the end of Lancelot versus Gascoigne and Athena, some aftermath… and something very unexpected.