It sits in the family

by Flagarach

Though luck, will and sheer determination Kusanagi Shizuka managed to slay a deity, becoming the eighth godslayer in the process. Now she is forced to deal with mages, heretic gods and fellow Campione. But most importantly, can she keep her new-found powers a secret from her totally not also a Campione brother?

12. Arc 4-3:

18 January 2013, Wednesday, late afternoon, Kusanagi residence.

It does not happen often that one comes back from a vacation feeling worse than before. For Shizuka it's not just the physical condition that got worse. There is no doubt that her little adventure with Smith and Bacchus was quite exhausting, and it only got worse from there. When Shizuka returned home, ready to see her reformed brother… she only found a relapse.

There was Godou, completely like before, with multiple girls at his side. He acted in his old ways again, and every improvement made last December was completely ruined.

In fact, when Shizuka heard that in her absence Godou went to a hot springs resort in the mountains with multiple girls, the younger Kusanagi sibling was quite pissed. She made sure to scold Godou properly, even though Godou kept claiming that he did nothing inappropriate at that location.

Eventually it all died down, as the holidays were over and a new term at school started. Both of them have to put their attention to school, Shizuka especially with all the days she misses acting as a Campione. If there's nothing that requires her attention, then she will not need to act as a king. The last time she acted as a king outside of her boundary the Bacchus fiasco happened, so for now Shizuka is really done with her rulership.

Shizuka followed her ordinary lifestyle once more: Go to school, make homework, do stuff around the house and have generic fun. Today seemed to go the same way, but a single letter wanted to interfere with that idea.

Shizuka had just finished the preparations for cooking when she hears something land on the floormat. There's in general only one thing that can mean: The Kusanagi residence got mail. Walking over to the entrance she sees quite the large pile of post, and it would be useful to sort this out. As she walks back to the living room she sorts everything out, based on who the recipient is.

Junk mail, junk mail, bills for gramps, letter for gramps, more junk mail, and two near-identical letters of slightly different weights, with the one intended for Shizuka being slightly lighter than that of her brother.

Since gramps is not yet home Shizuka leaves his letters on the table with the useless spam, before loudly calling the other inhabitant that is here: "Onii-chan! There's post for you!"

Godou seems to have heard his little sister, and quickly he enters the living room. Shizuka hands Godou's letter to him, and then she opens her own.

Inside is are four tickets that Shizuka recognizes as movie tickets. Seats 14-17, row F, first screen, at Toho Cinemas Shinjuku {1}. It's also screening soon; these tickets must be used next Saturday for the movie "Pluto & Bacchus vs. The King of Flies". Yeah, she doesn't need a second guess to determine the sender.

A letter inside of the envolope confirms this, as the fifth king personally wrote a letter to Shizuka:

To Kusanagi Shizuka, the eighth Campione.

How are you doing, my friend! As for how it's going back here, you can probably already guess from the contents of the envelope: The movie we worked on is finished. Pluto & Bacchus will be the first movie of what is going to be a long and outstanding cinematic universe.

As for the debt we own you: John Pluto Smith swears on his name that he always pays his dues. For you we have the following present: 4 tickets to the premiere of our movie. Perhaps a small present, but surely one you will enjoy.

As one who holds secrecy in high regard, this king assures you that an excuse for obtaining these tickets has been arranged. Bacchus came with the idea to raffle one auditorium's worth of tickets to the inhabitants of Tokyo, with prizes ranging between the two and five tickets. You can act as if you were merely lucky receiving this prize.

Now, let us hope that you find enjoyment in the fruits of our labor.

With kind regards,

John Pluto Smith.

Well… that's a nice gift from them. Going to the movies, it's a pleasure that's neither too common to be boring yet still not too extreme that others won't find any pleasure in it. It's perfect for going through an ordinary weekend.

Now who to take with her? Two tickets will go to gramps and Godou, obviously. As for the last ticket, how about a childhood friend of both siblings, Tokunaga Asuka? She comes closest to someone the entire family knows and accepts, unlike the other girls Godou goes with.

Speaking of Godou, what was his letter about? The two envelopes seemed quite similar, so could it mean that he too obtained tickets for the movie? Shizuka's hypothesis is proven correct when she sees her brother holding five tickets in his hands. Yep, both siblings got their hands on their own set of tickets.

"Onii-chan, are those tickets for the newest movie of Pluto & Bacchus?"

Godou holds up his own set of tickets, which look the same as those of Shizuka. "Yeah, it seems so. You won some in the raffle too?"

"Yeah, I've won four tickets right now. I guess we both lucked out here." Unbeknownst to each other neither of them won their tickets by luck. Smith send out tickets to all of his fellow Campione, a small courtesy to those he might be fighting alongside with in the future. The exceptions who were not invited are Luo Hao and Madame Aisha. The former has been rejected entry due to a severe dislike of technology, and because she would destroy at least some part of the city hosting the movie if she would go; The latter has the major problem that Smith has no clue where she is at any given moment, meaning that there is nowhere to send tickets to.

The other kings did receive their tickets. Doni accepted his two tickets gracefully, though he had to choose between bringing his friend or a girlfriend. After some heavy "persuading" Andrea managed to get a ticket for himself.

Gascoigne is too much of a workaholic to go, but princess Alice of the Witenagemot was pleasantly surprised when a mysterious donator gave her three tickets to the movie.

Voban, eldest of the current kings, gave an arrogant glare at the ticket. Letting out a sigh, he starts contemplating about the current state of devil kings and their mockery of kingship. He's still going, though.

The two youngest kings are probably going too, but they both need to reschedule who is going to take the rest of the tickets. Seven tickets left, 3 for Shizuka and 4 for Godou. Shizuka doesn't know who she is going to pick, but she can easily conclude who Godou is going to pick: "Well then, Onii-chan, wouldn't now not be a good time to disprove your claims of womanizing?"

"Why do I specifically need to show that those claims are false when anyone can see they are obviously false?" Godou gives a sigh of exasperation, clearly having had enough of these false rumors.

"Perhaps we do not consider them false at all because all the evidence is pointing in their favour. If you want to get a truth that you prefer you need to work to get to it, Onii-chan."

"Even so, it's only natural for the truth to eventually resurface. If I act normal everyone will eventually see the truth." Godou stands fast in his morals, while Shizuka does not believe a second of it.

"Then let's see you acting normal. Miura, Nakayama… those guys, it is quite normal to go to the cinema with some male friends. Though knowing you I have this gut feeling that you'll fail at doing just that."

"Shizuka, it's rude to insult someone else like that, even if he is your brother." Even though Godou dislikes Shizuka's words he does sees some useful advice in it: "But you're correct. I think I'll go and take those guys with me. It will be a nice to hang out with them once more."

"Then how about some extra incentive to make sure you keep that promise, onii-chan?" Shizuka would also like this development, so she is ready to invest a bit into it. "If you show up at the cinema with only male friends I'll pay for all the food costs you and your friends make."

"And if I can't keep this promise then I must pay for your group, obviously." Godou understands Shizuka's plan perfectly, and agrees with it. It shouldn't be so hard to get his friends together, right?

The two shake on it, promising to hold their end of the bargain no matter the result. Now it's just a matter of time to see which one is right.

-x-

January 21st, at the cinema

Just like Godou decided to go with his friends, so too did Shizuka decide to go with hers. It's just a movie, after all, and she needs to make up for missing out on her classmates during her moments of kingship.

Shizuka invited her usual clique to join her to this place. They were overjoyed at the news, and thanked the young king profoundly. She's glad she got four tickets, any less and she wouldn't be able to invite everyone. Well, originally her group considered out of six people, but… she cannot exactly invite those who have died.

Chitose and Kazashi… those two became sacrifices on Shizuka's road to kingship. To this day, she can still feel pangs of sadness that those two are not around anymore.

That just leaves Yui, Miki and Kuniko as the friends who can watch the movie. They all accepted the invitation, so now Shizuka is waiting for them at the train station. It's still a twenty-minute train ride from the nearby station to Shinjuku, so it would be a lot more fun to meet before it then afterwards.

The first one to arrive is probably the person Shizuka is closest with, Igarashi Yui. A petite girl, quite a bit shorter than Shizuka even though she's older by almost half a year.

"Shizuka-chan! Over here!" Shizuka looks in the direction of the voice, and sees a hand trying to stand out from the crowd. That must be Yui then.

Shizuka walks over to her friend, and Yui does the same. As they are close they give each other small nods as they greet each other warmly:

"Yui-chan, it's good to see you. It wasn't too heavy a trip?"

"Don't worry about it so much. In fact, it's such a good model that I barely notice the difference!" The two are talking about Yui's foot, or to be precise prosthetic foot. During the incident at Niseko several of the classmates suffered heavy injuries, including Yui. Her left leg was cut off and destroyed in the onslaught back there. The medical world would advise cleaning up and a prosthesis. As for the magical world, their recommendation would be the same: While they can repair broken bones or even reattach severed body parts, they cannot make a leg out of nothing. The only person capable of that is the very whimsical Madame Aisha, who is impossible to contact.

Shizuka would not let her friend's life be ruined by such disadvantages, so after some "light nudging" with the association she managed to get Yui as a test subject for a "prototypic automotive trans-femoral prosthesis". To the layman, it seems like the latest technological advance in bio-robotics. A mage on the other hand would see that the only reason it functions at all is the magic items imbued in the false leg.

Now Yui can live a normal life again, her new leg even allowing for heavy activity. Shizuka won't have to worry about her friend's health anymore.

"In that case, it isn't wrong to assume that everything is well with you, right?" Shizuka asks this question, but is surprised when she hears a short break in Yui's breath. She does give an answer, but it feels a bit forced.

"Yeah, everything is fine over here." Yui continues talking with a half-forced smile, this time asking about where the other two are.

"Those two haven't arrived yet, as far as I know." Shizuka cuts off the question before continuing with the topic she selected: "However, haven't we been friends for multiple years now? Do you not think I cannot see when something is bothering you?"

Seeing that her face is broken Yui decides to tell the truth: "Well, Shizuka-chan… it's about my father. Yesterday… it was his last day at work."

In other words, he's been fired. Shizuka understands the situation perfectly. "If I know your father well than he should be job-hunting already, willing to do any kind of job. I don't think that there is anything to worry about."

"Well, the newspapers do say that there was quite the economic downfall in the last few months. Where should he be able to find something quickly? As it stands now, the trip us two planned for golden week cannot go through!"

"I could always ask my mom. Her company can always use a few extra hands in the business."

"That would be fantastic!" Yui's face starts to glisten, before she starts to wonder: "Say, what kind of business does your mother run?"

…

That's actually a good question. Shizuka herself doesn't exactly know the answer to that. "A lot… and let's keep it at that."

Now Yui looks a bit concerned, hoping that this isn't some trap that make her father slave away in illegal work. "Are you sure those jobs are legal?"

"…Probably." Shizuka cannot guarantee that. "Moreover, so long as it's not outright illegal, it's better to work even if there is a bit of risk."

Yui doesn't follow anymore, having a much lower understanding of work and economics compared to her friend. Instead she simply agrees in resignation: "Then I will trust in you, Shizuka-chan."

With the conversation over Yui looks at the clock, and see that the train is leaving in three minutes.

"They're late." Shizuka exclaims, still not seeing any sign of Miki or Kuniko. "Don't they know that the train will leave soon?"

"Ah, wait, they're coming!" Yui is pointing to two girls, who Shizuka and Yui recognizes as their two friends. It was about time. Quickly the other duo meet up with the other two, swiftly entering the train.

On the way to the cinema they talk about ordinary stuff: Fashion, food, boyfriends (which all four of them vehemently deny to have), the movie itself, and a few other things. It all goes in a bit of a rush, and eventually the four reach the cinema. Here Shizuka sees a surprise of her own:

"As much as I hoped against it, all seems to have gone according to my expectations." Shizuka turns to her friends, telling the good news: "Everyone, drinks and snacks are at the cost of my brother here."

There is Godou, walking alongside people who are clearly not his male friends. Erica, Mariya-sempai, Liliana… the black-haired one whose name Shizuka forgot… four people surround Godou who are all very clearly not male.

Godou walks to his sister, having an excuse ready about why he lost: "I won't deny that I've lost our bet, Shizuka, but trust me when I say that I had the full intent on winning."

"Hoh?" Shizuka is only half believing that story, having full knowledge of her brother's shenanigans. "How is bringing those four girlfriends of yours similar to bringing four male friends with you? Onii-chan, please enlighten me on this point."

Murmurs from behind Shizuka tell her that her friends are currently gossiping about the situation. Ugh, if only she had lost this battle, her victory is way too pyrrhic.

Godou meanwhile starts to explain his situation, and why exactly he ended up in this situation. "Look, I have called every single male friend I have, and for some reason not a single one was available. I've even tries a few people who go no further than acquaintances, and even they could not come."

"And in the end, you decided to take all your lovers with you. Truly a magnificent feat of debauchery, you're surpassing your own records every day."

"A-As I said, Shizuka, it isn't like that." The siblings are ready to argue a bit, but suddenly Erica joins in on the conversation.

"Hey Godou, it isn't good for someone like you to put higher value on food and money than on your lover, Erica Blandelli." Spoken with a devilish charm, there was also a clear hint of cold scolding worked in Erica's voice. It's obvious that she did not like this bet he made. "Even if you obtain more than two tickets, a movie is something for those in love to enjoy together, is it not?"

"E-Erica, please hold on. Even if those words are true, I believe that his willingness to stick to promises he made an actively pursue victory are some of his good points, and some leeway should be given." Yuri also joined the conversation, coming to the defence of the seventh king. Godou almost cries out Yuri's name, but suddenly he gets small lecture from a stern and righteous Mariya: "However, it does you no good to try and make excuses for your failures, while making us feel like second choices. For a man to say those cowardly words, it is virtually the same as smearing mud on your face."

Godou cringes at those words, knowing fully well what the hime-miko means. Meanwhile the other hime-miko joins the conversation, jovially discussing Godou's failure. "Yep, you're absolutely correct, Yuri. Though to be fair it isn't easy for anyone to win when the odds are against you." And with odds, Ena means Erica and herself. When the Diavolo Rosso found out about the tickets and the bet through some… underhanded methods, she called Ena for a grand plan to make Godou lose and get the king's four supporters by his side in the cinema. This fits in perfectly in the nature of the black-haired maiden, and by using several methods the duo prevented Godou from succeeding in his goal.

Keeping this is a secret from her lord Ena is merely grinning at everyone, while Shizuka has not a single good word left. It's Liliana who breaks everyone up, telling that the movie is going to start soon.

Instead of ordering for nine persons Godou simply gives his sister 4000 yen {2}, enough to buy snacks for four.

The group waits in the line together, and when it's their turn they order a small variety of food: two large bags of popcorn, in the flavours curry and caramel; Four hotdogs, one for each; As for drinks, they order two coke, a lemon soda and a strawberry milkshake. After Shizuka uses her brother's money to pay for it all they go to their seats, where they sit through the ads to finally see the movie:

-x-

The movie opens in the winter of the year 2000, in a place called the Iztaccihuatl mountain ridge {3}. It takes place in a closed open-pit mine, where snow forms a white blanket covering everything. Even though it is closed for the rest of the winter season the mine is not calm, for around a giant magic circle several hooded mages stand. These men and women chant in old Aztec, causing the circle to glow slightly more with every repetition of the same two sentences.

Suddenly the chanting is interrupted by the sound of gunfire, and two of the cultists have their head pierced by bullets. Other mages enter from the outer parameter, these using a combination of technology and the supernatural to subdue these cultists.

The cultist purely use magic, firing offensive powers ranging from lightning to fireballs to blades of winds at the enemy. They do surprisingly well, combining defensive magic with offensive magic to hold their ground. However, bit by bit they start losing, as for every mage that gets killed another seems to pop up from over the mountain, while the number of cultists is finite.

When another of the cultists get burned alive his neighbour had enough. Calling out to two other survivors he orders them to prepare "that".

"Sir, are you saying…" The two other cultists ask about "that" with all due respect, but their words get interrupted by the commandeering voice of the third:

"The resurrection of our lord has top priority! Even at the cost of our lives, we must bring him glory. Even if we die he would simply resurrect us from the underworld! Don't worry and just do it!"

With this reassurance the two cultists pull out a black mirror, chanting words to activate it's effect: "Oh smoking mirror, symbol of Tezcatlipoca! For I am poor, let me obtain richness through sacrifice!"

The moment they finish the incantation purplish-black smoke is released from the mirror, spreading over the mine. All those who try to use magic find that ability sealed, except for the two users of the mirror. They scream it out in pain, a cost for using such power.

The mages adapt to the situation, switching from their hybrid style of fighting to using purely firearms. The cultists on the other hand give up all hope of victory, and simply go to their final solution:

"Now, my brethren, for the sake of our lord Tezcatlipoca, let us sacrifice everything we have. All mages start to chant, but instead of using magic to summon their lord they use themselves as sacrifice. A curse that does not use magic energy as fuel, their way to circumvent the power they just used.

The cultists suffer from random explosions over their body, gore splattering out of them. Others get shot with bullets, from mages who try to stop this final gambit.

It doesn't take long before only a final cultist is left, but against all odds he succeeded with his goal! The loyalty the cultist has shown gives him a final reward: he is given a final glimpse of his summon before dying himself:

There stands a colossal titan of at least fifteen meters tall. His skin is black, and he is dressed in a brightly coloured red garb adorned with feathers. His right hand holds a lance, and in his left hand is a shiny black shield. With a single raise of his spear lighting rains down, destroying parts of the mine and the people inside.

"Flee! We are too late! A god has descended!" One man in military clothes shouts these words before getting struck down by another bolt of lightning. The god calls upon the powers of the storm, destroying his surroundings indiscriminately. All the mages try to flee, but most of them are caught in the maelstrom.

Two men are hunkered down behinds a building, also belonging to the same militaristic group as the one who was just shot down. The first one is a somewhat older man in his forties, with hair that starts to grey a bit and a standard posture. He's the most panicked of the two, and clearly lets it be known to his partner:

"Damn it! What can we do now? If we had known that these cultists could speed up the ritual… Damn it all!"

The second man is not quite as afraid, but some fear can be read from his face. It's a man of average height and a decently muscled body for someone in his mid-twenties, though that's not visible under the military armour. Short brown hair with a slightly longer tuft on top, along with brown eyes and a stubble.

"Mike, focus!" Slapping his partner the brown-haired man keeps both distracted from the fear and danger. "That is indeed a god, the most powerful and dangerous type of being in existence. However, I refuse to believe that any situation is hopeless! Even now, we must be able to do something to decrease the damage!"

Mike's eyes seem clearer and more courageous, though he's still afraid. "Gabe, we… we could retreat. Fall back, and get in contact with the world. We can contact something that can deal with this god, and have him solve this. Now all we need to do is escape…"

Mike and Gabe look around them, but see little possibilities: The cliffs are too steep and bare to climb with these winds and lightning. The official exit? No, too far away. What else…

Gabe points towards another location, an emergency exit that's a lot closer. The duo shake their heads at each other, and make a run for it. Dodging the unstable footing and places where lightning strikes the duo keep running. Around them their allies are panicking, unsure what to do. Some are fleeing, others are praying, some just stand there in a confused daze, but for the giant god it does not matter; All of them die where they stand.

The exit is close, and the two can feel success, but it quickly turns into tragedy. They are only several meters away from the exit when lightning strikes down, incinerating Mike and throwing Gabe against a nearby wall.

After taking a few seconds to regain consciousness Gabe checks on Mike's body, but he finds his partner dead. Burned beyond recognition, The old warrior-mage cannot even get a good funeral in this state.

Gabe looks at his friend, tears welling in his eyes. Soon those tears turn into hatred and rage, rage at this god who took away someone he cared about. "They say that gods are invincible, not even in the same dimension as humans…" Softly he whispers those words to himself, gathering power within. "But I won't accept that. No, I cannot accept it! How could I, Gabriel Bishop, flee over the corpse of my friend? Impossible!"

Gabriel stands up, his idea of fleeing completely gone. He looks at the god, who is mindlessly destroying everything around him. He only kills randomly and half-heartedly, so much does he look down on humans. But if it's like that…

"Well, I've always wanted to be a hero." Gabriel looks around, having completely forgotten about fleeing. Now his mind has gone the way of the fool, purely thinking about defeating this god.

Next to the exit he sees a shack, with several mining tools inside. In fact, he sees exactly the type of tool he needs:

Explosives. The proper use is to take a delicate balance of several different kinds of explosives so that you only destroy your target and nothing else, but that safety advice can go out the window for this job. Gabriel takes a quick look around him, and sees quite a bit of TNT and dynamite around him. Most of it is meant for remote-controlled detonation, with the explosives functioning on radio waves. With one press of the detonator every activated piece will explode, a function simple enough that even Gabriel understand it.

Seeing around 500 packages of explosives around he activates 200 of them inside the shack, and using a spell to improve the lifting of heavy weights he takes the other activated charges outside. Thanks to the spell the explosives that are twice his weight are no carried as if they weighed as much as a standard backpack, capable of being lifted with ease.

Looking at the outside situation it does not seem well for the human mages. It seems that they have literally been decimated. There are, if Gabriel may make estimations, at best only ten to fifteen of the mages left, and if this continues it will drop down to zero! No, someone must make a move to save the remaining lives.

Gabriel sprints around the mine, dodging the weather as best as possible while throwing activated charges all around the mine. He tries to run through the entire mine, dropping the explosives equally along the way in packs of ten.

It all seems to go relatively well: While some of the other mages died by the god's hands, Gabriel has already placed two-thirds of the explosives. With this amount of luck his plan has a chance of working!

Just as Gabriel thinks about his luck he quakes in fear, as he now has the attention of the god. That god, seeing that there is a human in front of him, lazily makes some effort to kill this human. Directing bolts of lightning at Gabriel the god now tries to kill this mage who nearly escaped his sight.

Okay, new plan! Gabriel cannot finish his original plan before dying, so he adapts to the situation. He drops all the activated explosives he carried on him, and takes a sprint right at the god himself.

He jumps down cliffs of several meters, parkouring his way to the god in front of him. His body gets bruised, parts get broken, but using whatever remains he quickly makes his way to the god.

Said god, realizing that all humans but this one are dead, now gives his full attention to the last human that now recklessly charges.

He has multiple authorities that could slay this human easily. If he truly wanted to this human would be dead now. However, to go serious against a human? For a god, such an idea sounds ridiculous!

The god turns his spear into several bolts of lightning, shooting them all at this human. He fires one at this mortal, but instead of an impalement the human weaves around it with some inhuman luck. It should not matter, for the blast damage from impact should destroy this mortal completely…

Except it doesn't. Using tenacity and a spell of protection Gabriel can ride the explosive wave, clearing the distance between god and men. His back is bleeding, clearly suffering damage from the attack, but he keeps going.

He's only a few meters away from the god, but he cannot harm this deity. It's a god, after all, and they are immune to mortal weapons. No, his purpose is to grab the one item the cultists left behind, that magic-inhabiting mirror!

The god Tezcatlipoca raises his foot, planning to crush this human like an ant. A fitting punishment for humans who come too close to the rulers of this world. Said human ignores the impending doom and keeps running, even if the foot comes crashing down at his location.

Gabriel dives at the mirror and grabs it, a movement that allows him to barely dodge the foot. However, the sheer wind pressure of that attack throws him into a nearby wall, making him cough up blood.

"Human, ceasest this folly, thy feeble attempt at life is pathetic." The voice of the giant deity is booming and arrogant, aware that there is nothing here to match him. The only playthings here are these humans, and all but one of them has died. "Thou hast angered the god of the night, Tezcatlipoca, for this one's servants were slaughtered by those hands of thee. Thy fate is sealed. Acceptest thy death with glory."

"I'm sorry, but I cannot accept that." Gabriel puts the mirror in front of him, chanting the same spell words that he heard the final cultist chant: "Oh smoking mirror, symbol of Tezcatlipoca! For I am poor, let me obtain richness through sacrifice!"

Gabriel starts to shout out in pain, glowing energy representing his life force sucked into the mirror as smoke gets released form the mirror, covering the mine once more.

The god knows the effect of this power, but ignores it. "So? Thou choosest painful death for what sake? To temporarily bereft one of his power? Still one stayest immortal to those weapons of thy kin. What didst thou change to thy fate?"

"I don't doubt that no human weapon can harm you, that's common knowledge." Gabriel speaks in ragged tone, a body that looks broken from that single power. "However, what about the extremities of winter? Hundreds of tonnes of snow, ash and rock; Wouldn't even a god die by being crushed by that?"

"Thou… thou impliest!" For the first time the god looks flustered, as if this human has found some weakness in his power.

Gabriel takes out the detonator, having made the resolve to kill himself for the sake of stopping this god. "With one push of this button here there will be a ton of bombs exploding in this mine. I've no doubt that these bombs will kill me without harming you, but look around you! Do you see these mountains, and the snow piled up on top of them? What would happen if you were a mile under the snow? Without your authorities available, even you will be crushed underneath that weight!"

"Human, this is outrageous! How darest thou imply the mere notion of harm upon this one!" The god now moves in on Gabriel, trying to kill this human before he can do such an audacious act.

Gabriel smirks, realizing that this fluster of the god is proof that his tactic will work. "Don't underestimate the power of humans, oh divine lord." As he says those words Gabriel closes his eyes and gives a satisfied smile, before pressing the button.

The camera zooms out, showing the explosions rocking the mine and consuming Gabriel with it, before multiple avalanches cover it all under at least a thousand meters of snow.

The screen fades to black, but a voice of an adult man can be heard. "But wait, if you died… then how did you survive that explosion?" A cut to ten years later, where two man sit in a simple office. The one asking the questions sits at the desk, introduced in the trailer as Johan Miller. He is dressed in a simple white blouse with jeans, questionably looking at his friend for the story he told. "Why are you still alive?"

"You see, my friend, slaying a god is… special, so to say." The friend is dressed much more weirdly. A slender man with suit, cape and a metallic mask, his voice is still that of the earlier Gabriel. "There's a curse on this world. When a human manages to kill himself along with a god, this curse activates and resurrects the human as a Campione."

"Campione?" Johan repeats the last word in confusion, as if not believing it. "So those stories… they aren't just pure myth?"

"Not at all. What you've heard is true: Our bodies hold thousands of times the mana of an ordinary mage; We resist nearly all forms of mortal magic; We have superhuman stamina and durability; Enhanced longevity and magic sensing; Then there are a few nifty things like being able to speak fluently in any language or see in the dark;" With each of these abilities a short example is shown of Smith doing exactly that, to reinforce that idea to the audience watching the movie. "But the most dangerous fact is that we take the god's divine powers for ourselves. Well, we only take a part of each god we slay, but it's enough that ordinary humans don't even try to fight us. The powers I stole from Tezcatlipoca, Artemis and Oberon… do you want to try and oppose it?"

In a warm but stern tone does Smith give his warning, indicating that he does not want to continue talking about it.

Johan understands this too, and decides to continue doing what he was supposed to. "Either way, I've been assigned as your new informant. About the changes that happened in the Sorcerous Sacrilegious Investigation: During the previous month we've obtained seven new members, including myself. As for those who oppose you… The cult centred around Leviathan has been shattered with your last raid on their headquarters. We don't expect any major opposition from them in the next few years. As for the followers of Tsohanoai {4}, they stayed calm for a while now, but they could strike at any moment. The moment we find anything about them we want you to stop them. As for that group around Coyote, we heard they travelled northwards. We may need to extend our view to…"

Smith listens for a while, but quickly his attention drifts away to outside the window, into the open office space next door. There, in the hallway next to Johan's office, does he see quite the beautiful woman. A red-head with beautiful long hair and generous curves; she looks to be in her early twenties, clearly also associated with the Sorcerous Sacrilegious Investigation if she can enter this building. Smith simply looks at her, seeing her interact with the co-workers he already knows. Johan keeps talking in the background, but no one pays real attention.

"As for other news, there have been rumours that an eighth king has been born in Japan, the same country as the seventh king. It sounds quite ridiculous, but we've sent an investigative squad to figure ou-Smith!" Johan noticed too that his companion was not listening anymore, simply looking out of the window. "I'm trying to explain things here!"

"Ah, sorry, sorry." Smith excuses himself, but then starts to ask his own questions: "Say Johan, who exactly is that woman there? I don't think I've seen her before."

"She? I believe her name was Anna Greyce. A mage who joined last month together with me. She's part of the reconnaissance squad, if I remember correctly."

"Ah, I see. That explains it." Smith focuses back on Johan again, who takes it as a que to continue talking:

"Either way, let's go over the parts that you missed and those that I haven't touched upon. I believe that you haven't followed me about all the cults, so let me continue with tha-"

"Dive! Now!" Smith points a finger to behind Johan, who in a state of fear reflexively dives behind his bureau. After a second or two pass without anything strange happening Johan decides to look up, where all he sees is a swirling blue portal that quickly closes. Smith has probably escaped through it.

"Ugh. What an annoying Campione… I'm supposed to work with him?"

The screen cuts to a portal of blue, where Smith is travelling through some swirly twinkling space. He narrates to the audience about what exactly occurred here:

[Mastery of Faerie]. It's the authority I obtained from Oberon, European king of the faeries. I can freely travel to the Astral plane and back. Alongside that I obtained kingship over a small country of faeries. It's quite the nifty authority to escape daily life with.

Smith steps out in a beautiful world with floating isles, waterfalls that flow down into nothingness, flora and fauna not seen on earth and buildings that look like they belong inside of a fairy tale. Smith walks around, and a few of the inhabitants start to surround him.

Two gnomes in leather armor walk up to their lord, bowing lightly in front of him. "For what reason are we graced with your visit, o lord?"

"It won't be long, I just need to ask someone out for a date." Smith changes out of his costume, changing back into the man Gabriel Bishop, dressed in a simple grey polo and brown pants.

"A woman, eh?" From behind Gabriel a fairy flies, looking like a small child with wings. "How's she look? How's she look?"

"Long red hair, beautiful face… nicely curved, so yeah, I would say she's quite beautiful."

"A red-head?" Now an androgynous elf joins the entourage, this one dressed entirely in a grey cloak. "Then you need to wear something different." The elf chants a few words before pointing at Smith, whose grey and brown clothes change to purple and khaki respectively.

Gabriel looks at his new outfit as the elf gives an explanation: "Everyone fashionable knows that dark purple compliments red, and the best pants to combine that with is khaki."

Gabriel thanks the elf, and opens another portal to return to the world of man. Some dwarves and goblins have also arrived, giving their own advice that ranges from slightly useful ("Don't forget to shoulder all costs on your own, like a real dwarf.") to not fitting for human standards ("As a goblin I advise this: don't forget to show off how strong you are! Use your powers to obtain domination over her!"). Gabriel thanks everyone before using the portal to land in an empty toilet stall at his office.

Quickly he moves out of there, going straight for his pray. Getting back into the main compartment of the building he looks around, and quickly spots his target. Good, Anna is still there. He walks towards her in confident steps, taking the initiative to talk with her:

"Hey, you're Anna Greyce right? New part of the reconnaissance team, just arrived this month?"

"Yes, that's right." Anna turns to Gabriel, giving him some of her time. "And who are you?"

"I'm Gabriel Bishop. I'm part of the reconnaissance squad too, so I guess we'll be working together quite often. Nice to meet you." Gabriel offer a handshake, which Anna accepts. She too is pleased to meet her co-worker, though for him it's about a bit more than just getting acquainted.

"So, if there's anything you want to know, or if you have any problems you need help with, just ask for my assistance. In fact, I wouldn't mind to take our first patrols together to show you the robes."

"Uh, thank you very much, but I'm not a child anymore." Anna is a bit put off by Gabriel's offers. If this continues then her opinion of him will change for the worse. Anna will see him as annoying and overconcerned, traits a male does not want to have when trying to charm a woman.

Gabriel does not realize it, so he's quite irritated when another worker tells him that he needs to meet his boss. Seeing this piece of good luck as bad luck, Gabriel quickly writes his cellphone number on a sheet of paper and gives it to Anna. "If you ever need something, just call me." The incognito king walks away from his love interest, giving her a small goodbye wave that gets awkwardly replicated by Anna.

With low mood Gabriel enters the office of an old man, this one having the standard white professor hair and beard to indicate his intelligence. The king takes a chair, and sits down in front of other man.

"Hey teach, what did you have to interrupt me for? Please tell me that there is some kind of emergency."

"Why of course there is one. We have a devil king rampaging through the office, ignoring his allies and harassing females."

Gabriel doesn't laugh, only sarcastically calling the old man out on it: "This is what you mean? Look, Johan is boring, and Anna is beautiful. What did I do wrong?"

"Gabriel, as one of the people who know your secret identity, I can tell you this: The east coast of America is a shithole. It's a lawless place where any mage or cultist can perform evil deeds. The only shining ray of hope we good guys have is the superhero John Pluto Smith. We need you to function as a role model, not act like a lecherous playboy."

"Look, I'm doing things my own way. I want to act like a good hero, but that doesn't mean I can have some fun. Just let me do my own thing, and I will slay all that is evil."

"This isn't about if you do your job, it's about how you do it. You act like a child, and you never take things seriously. If you don't grow, you will feel the consequences."

"Like what? I need to stand in the corner as punishment?"

"Damn it, I'm serious here!" Ol' teach is getting really annoyed now, starting to curse in his sentences at his former student's foolishness. "I'm not telling this as Professor Eastholt, leader of the Sorcerous Sacrilegious Investigation; I'm speaking here as Leonard, your friend. One day, your carelessness will cost you something dearly, and you'll regret that you ignored my words like this."

Gabriel rolls his eyes, ignoring what is just said. "Right. Now if you excuse me, I know a few more interesting things to do with my time." Gabriel is ready to leave, while professor Eastholt feels like he's talking to a rock. Before Smith can leave though, another event quickly prevents him from doing so:

Another man, one of the other co-workers whose name Gabriel forgot, hastily enters the office, bringing bad news along with him: "A heretic god has descended in Radio Hills Gardens! Professor Eastholt, please contact Lord Smith for us, we'll send out a reconnaissance party!" The man leaves as hastily as he entered, leaving Gabriel with his old teacher, who can now give back a snippy remark to the king:

"You wanted an emergency? Here it is! Now go, get out, do something about it!"

-x-

Radio Hill Gardens is a local park in Los Angeles that is usually quite desolate and forgotten. Not this time, as it seems like there is a party going on. Several humans are dancing on the walkways, while others are drinking wine or doing other crazy stuff. However, there is only one man enjoying this situation, a beautiful blonde male dressed in a purple toga. Everyone else looks horrified and confused, but none of them try to stop with this feast.

"C'mon, dance, dance!" The man in the purple toga lifts his own cup of wine, indicating the DJ to set the music even harder. "This is the grand party of the great god Bacchus, and we'll continue even after we drop. Yeah!"

The DJ is forced to do as the god pleases, his hands moving on his own. That man cannot do anything to stop the orders of the god, who holds everyone's body hostage. There seems to be no rescue in sight, until a loud voice interrupts the party:

"It looks like you have a major feast here, Bacchus!" The god looks up, towards the top of a nearby tree, where none other than John Pluto Smith stands on the small tree tip. He orders the music to stop, glancing at the intruder up high. "However, if you truly want to make it a great party, shouldn't you invite the king of the city? It's not really a good party if no one of importance shows up, right?"

"Hahaha!" Bacchus laughs at the accusation, understanding the words spoken. "True words, godslayer! My apologies, but I wasn't aware that a Campione lived here. Well then, the feast is already on the way, but there's always room for one more. So, wanna rock til' you drop? I'll make sure it's the best thing you'll ever remember!" Spoken in a playful tone, but with lots of murderous intent hidden behind it. Bacchus is clearly not planning to let his opponent go so easily.

"My apologies, but there's no fun in a party where everyone is forced to join. It lacks the spark of joy that I, John Pluto Smith, cannot find here." Smith casually denies the invitation, also speaking with two faces.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. Maybe we can create that spark with some spectacular shows for the audience, so how about this one: 'Roman god of wine kicks caped wierdo's ass'. Should lighten up the party, right?"

"Nonono, I see a problem there." Smith raises his magical energy, like an animal who makes himself look bigger before a fight. "How about 'masked superhero kicks annoying drunk god's ass'? It's a lot more realistic than the other."

"Oho! It's on now! Hey DJ, hit it!" Upon speaking this the DJ is forced to play music again, this time playing a rock remix that fits well with the fight. Bacchus starts to chant his spell words, as power visibly charges around him:

"Laughter of children, discretion of slaves, austerity of virgins, peace in the faces and objects of today, may these be deconsecrated by the memory of the drunken wake. It began in all loutishness, now end among angels of flame and ice!"

The humans who were once forced to dance all turned rigid and look at Smith with glazed eyes. Their bodies start to spasm, ripped muscles visibly showing on everyone. They've been forced to absorb energy by this authority, gaining inhuman strength at the cost of all their sanity. Roaring madly these people charge at the tree, uprooting it through sheer muscle strength.

Smith jumps off the tree, using branches of several other trees to keep a calm but steady descend that will lead him far away from his enemies.

The humans continue to follow him, moving at supernatural speeds at their target. Bacchus is simply looking from a distance, sipping on a glass of wine. "Hey king, is that all? C'mon, I'm expecting better here!"

Smith keeps on running from the crowd, but finds time to give back a snippy retort: "Well, I'm not wanting to use my full power on normal humans, even if they're under your influence. I might show you better if you stop using these humans as hostage."

Bacchus raises his glass, an old sign of friendship, but does not comply with Smith's will: "Nah, why would I consider fighting you seriously if you cannot even stop something as simple as this?"

"True, true, you have a point there. Perhaps I should try to actually defeat you." Smith stops in his tracks, landing in an open unused area. The berserk humans swarm the place, but the fifth king finally decides to unleash his power: "By my name as the king of the underworld I hereby decree: Make offerings to the legs of the beast traversing the night. O light, thou needest only to illuminate my path towards conquest!"

All light in the area is extinguished as black smoke surrounds smith, and he quickly falls on all fours. However, this is not due to pain or injury, but because his entire body turns feline! There is no more superhero when the smoke clears, but instead there stands a pitch-black Jaguar!

Everything slows down, excluding the jaguar itself. With leisurely steps it runs at the first of the humans, before jumping on top of it and giving a hard pounce on the back. Meanwhile Smith's voice explains just what this authority is:

The [Jaguar], second of the five transformations of Tezcatlipoca. By sacrificing all forms of light in the area until dawn I transform into a Jaguar moving faster than the speed of sound.

While everything is moving at a snail's pace Smith gently moved through the crowd, and with soft attacks he knocks out every single one of the humans. Having cleared that hurdle he moves on to the next target, who is chanting his own spell words:

"Suck blood, gulp his flesh, crunch the bones!" A black blur speeds at Bacchus with incredible speeds, and it seems like Bacchus has no time to finish. Like a photo finish shots are taken of the duo who are about to strike. With every shot Smith is that little closer to biting the god with sharp claws…

…until the final photo reveals that a leopard snuck up from below and strikes down Smith, just before his goal.

Smith, still as a jaguar, rolls several meters away from Bacchus, and with slight difficulty stands up again. Looking up he sees Bacchus surrounding himself with ten leopards, each fast enough to catch up with Smith's jaguar form.

"Since you transformed yourself into a pussy, allow me to give you a few of my own to play with." Fully intending to make a double entendre there, Bacchus insults his opponent in his usual playful manner. With some curt actions he orders the leopards to charge at the godslayer.

The wild animals disappear in a blur, which is the sign for Smith to run away as fast as possible. A black blur leaves from the party site followed by several orange ones, as Smith tries his best to shake these animals off.

Several of the predatory cats try to attack smith, but nimbly he evades every single one of these attacks. The godslayer takes abrupt corners, suddenly going left or right. Still these leopards follow him, and the attacks become a lot more accurate.

Combined attacks of the cats leave scratches, and Smith lets out a feline roar of pain.

"This cannot continue like this any longer." Smith thinks in his head about how to solve this problem, how to defeat these enemies in one fell swoop. In fact, it would be preferable if he could get Bacchus down along with these animals. "Wait, I know how to take them down!"

Smith takes a sharp corner to the left, running back towards the place where he came from. However, instead of coming from the open side he runs towards the podium. With deft movements he climbs on top of the construction, until he is standing atop of the light post, at least ten meters above the ground.

The leopards follow him with ease, so Smith simply jumps into the sky, high above the point where Bacchus is standing. The Leopards also jump after him, but that's exactly what the king wanted!

Transforming back into his superhero form Smith pulls out a six-shot revolver from the inside of his cloak, aiming it at the horde of animals chasing him. One of the six slots starts to charge with power, and with an audible click that slot is now in the chamber:

[The Freeshooter]. Obtained from Artemis, this lets me fire divine bullets at the enemy. I can only use six each lunar cycle, but if I were to use them all at once… it wouldn't be an exaggeration that it has enough power to burn down this entire state.

The bullet fires, a powerful white burst stream of pure destruction. The leopards are vaporized by the blast, and now it's aimed right at Bacchus!

A capsule of vines tries to protect the god, but that will likely not be enough. When Smith lands on the ground he looks at the massive crater he made, it being at least a hundred meters wide and dozens of meters deep.

"It's a good thing I knocked out those humans far away from here, or else this might've killed them." Indeed, there's nothing left of the party, everything has been obliterated. "Speaking about killed…" Smith looks down into the circle, where someone is standing with quite some effort. His skin is red, as some places even a bit crispy, but he looks still ready to battle.

"Itatata… that hurt, y'know!" Still as playful as ever Bacchus walks towards the outer end of the crater, towards his enemy. "Hey, mind if you stopped using that gun? It's a bit too powerful for my taste."

"And what if I don't?" Smith simple aims the gun at his enemy again, trying to provoke a different reaction.

"In that case, I'll give you a gift." Bacchus starts to chant again, spell words for a new authority: "Oh king, kind beyond compare, foolish beyond compare. Humbly accept the blessing of Bacchus, and may this blessing show your folly!"

Smith simply looks at Bacchus, but nothing in the area changed. He pulls his gun up again… only to see that his revolver turned into gold. Stumbling backwards and hitting a tree, he realizes what he's been hit with as that piece of flora also turns golden:

"[Midas' touch], huh? That old story where everything the king touches turns to gold?"

"Yeah, that story indeed." Bacchus keeps on smiling, as he explains it a bit more: "Though it doesn't work on the divine, so I'm afraid I won't turn to gold."

Smith cannot use his gun anymore, the ordinary gold not capable of handling his [The Freeshooter]. A new tactic needs to be used.

Bacchus doesn't try to cut corners and simply activates his next authority: "Priestesses of mine, summon the divine child. Rendered drunk by the violent god's wine, home abandoned, wandering in the mountains. Worship and serve this god!"

Particles in the air start to glow red, and smith sees to his horror that the remaining five slots of his gun also start to glow red. Bacchus starts to gloat about what he exactly did: "With all magic going berserk, those remaining bullets of your gun will surely activate and misfire. It's an explosion strong enough to kill us both, but at least I have some form of resurrective immortality as the dying-and-rising god {5}. Now, you shouldn't disgrace that name of Pluto, king!"

Smith cannot resurrect. However, he does have another trick up his sleeve to deal with this situation: "Then if all magic energy goes berserk, I simply need to prevent the activation of all magic, right?" Black smoke surrounds him again, as with spell words another of his transformations is activated:

Fourth of the five transformations of Tezcatlipoca, [Pitch-black demonic bird]. A giant black feathered bird whose smoke paralyses all magic it contains.

The earth shakes, as an earthquake of a 4 on the Richter scale is created.

However, as a cost the area I'm in will suffer from small earthquakes for some time. It's the price I pay for using this.

Smoke is released from all over the bird's body, and whatever energy it touches calms down and disappears. The charging golden revolver also empties, and the curse of gold returns back to normal steel.

Bacchus too feels the effect, unable to produce any authorities. "Sealing my energy, huh?" Bacchus is still laughing, even though he's just been put at a major disadvantage. "However, while I've been sealed, how about the magic energy within that avian body?"

As Bacchus speaks those words the body of Smith gets glowing red lines all over the body, and the king shrieks out in pain. The form is quickly dismissed, and Smith falls to the ground, landing right next to his gun.

He grabs his gun and tries to fill it with energy, but it's no good. He too has been afflicted by his own ailment, preventing the use of his own authorities. With all magic in the area sealed the two simply run at each other, turning the battle between kings and gods into a simple brawl.

Bacchus gives a straight right in Smith's face, but he counters with hook. A haymaker of Smith, followed by an uppercut of Bacchus, the two are simply using their bodies to do harm. There is no skill, no technique, no magic. This is a battle of pure tenacity, and the two of them are enjoying every minute of it.

It does take a minute or two before Smith performs an important counter, managing to block Bacchus' cross and kicking him away in the stomach. Bacchus flies back a few meters, before quickly standing up again.

The god does not seem well, his body suffering numerous bruises and looking to be in bad shape. Still he keeps his guard up, a grin of enjoyment on his face. "Not bad, king. I expected nothing less from a champion of humanity."

"I can say the same." Smith's physical condition cannot be seen through the costume, but those clothes are torn and his breath is ragged. They're currently in equal position, and the fight can go either way. "You're a much tougher fight than I would expect from the god of wine."

Bacchus laughs. "Hahaha, I'm unexpectedly strong indeed." With a wicked grin Bacchus explains what his origins are. "Before being the god of wine as Bacchus and Dionysus, I was once known as the almighty father of the sky, Sabazios. While I may not possess that power anymore, I still have a few bits of combat knowledge up my sleeves."

Both deactivate their powers at the same time, causing the surrounding to fill with glowing green particles.

"Well then, let's see if you're smart enough to win the finale." Smith draws his revolver, spinning the chamber of his revolver as magical energy gets drawn to the piece of dark metal, this time filling two of his chamber's shots.

"I'll take you up on that challenge!" Bacchus readies himself, chanting a spell of power to defeat this enemy. "The mad flora, the mad fauna, untamed nature! Fierce lions, untamed bears, go berserk and ravage!" Energy also forms around Bacchus, as energy flows from his body to form a portal from which an army of oversized creatures appear. Half of them are bears, divine beasts with bulging muscles and at least standing six meters tall. The others are strong lions, with a withers height over two meters.

As both load up their energy to create their authorities a gigantic magic circle covers the battle field, large enough to cross the distance between god and king five times over.

"Now, what's this trick you have, o king?" Bacchus looks in amazement, wondering what his opponent could be planning.

Smith on the other hand gives off the impression of surprise, which you can hear in his voice. "Wait, you mean to say that this circle wasn't your doing?" Bacchus and Smith both get one moment of horror before the circle starts to glow purple, and its effects activate.

The energy that once went into Smith's bullet to perform a powerful shot was sucked out, into the magic circle. All the spherical lights that represent mana are pulled downwards, draining the battlefield dry. The lions and bears created by Bacchus' authority decompose, turning back to the primordial form of pure mana before also being absorbed by this field.

Bacchus and Smith let out cries of pain, as energy is also drained from their bodies. It's not life-threatening, but this act simply hurts a lot.

After a second or ten the circle dies down, and both god and king fall to the ground in exhaustion. Neither of them saw this coming, and after a quick moment of catching their breath both Smith and Bacchus announce a truce, stopping the battle until they find out just who the hell did that.

Jumping through the trees of the park Smith moves to the outer perimeter of the green-zone, but when he arrives he only finds bloody corpses, their bodies twisted and exploded into something not resembling human anatomy anymore.

He picks up one of the robes lying around. It's a long black robe, with insignia coloured in royal purple. "Who the hell are these people? I've fought quite a few cults as a king, but this is the first time I see these guys." Smith looks around, but cannot find any source of life around here. Just as he plans to go to another location he sees a blooming vine of bindweed on a nearby wall. Strange, it's entirely the wrong season for something like that to exist out here.

"Hey king, try to track me. I've found something interesting." Coming out of the flower's cone-shaped petals the voice of Bacchus sounds, another manifestation of the god's power. "I think I've found a human survivor."

"I understand. I'll arrive in due notice." Smith jumps away, swiftly moving to the other side of the park where his former enemy is located.

The camera switches to Bacchus, who is hanging out in a deserted alleyway close to the park. It's filled with corpses of what were once mages, or cultists if you want to be more precise. Next to him hangs a human clad in the same black-purple robe as the one Smith found, the only survivor here. He looks rather angry, his face a mix of fear and hatred. Bacchus gives him a close look, knowing that his own vines are doing a terrific job at keeping this human from moving. "Well well well, so you're one of these humans who thinks that he can try and steal energy from a great god like me, huh?"

"Fuck you!" The human insults the god, but only seems to get more pain as sharp thorns move out of the vines and stab into his body. Letting out a scream of anguish the man cannot insult that fast anymore, while Bacchus makes threats of his own:

"Ooh, you're quite naughty, aren't you? Don't worry, I have lots of fun ways to deal with naughty people like you. I'm sure you'll behave a bit nicer afterwards… well, either that or you'll be dead." Bacchus starts to grin evilly, something unbecoming of a title character.

"Perhaps you can wait until after we've interrogated him, Bacchus." Standing on a nearby rooftop is America's king, who immediately jumps down next to the god. "Would it not be better to know just who exactly caused this mess?"

"Yeah, I agree." Bacchus acts normal again, but offers a few wicked techniques to use. "I can make all the magic energy in his body go berserk, or make him go into a violent self-destructive frenzy, or perhaps simply make him go drunk. So many options here, hehehe." Bacchus seems to get too much pleasure from this prospect, but the human mage seems to deny that.

"No need for that. I'll talk." The cultist draws the attention of his enemies, and starts to speak without fear or doubt: "We are the servants of the [King of Flies], the god that we worship. His body is slumbering, but using this stolen power we shall resurrect him." He speaks with full clarity, as if resigned to fate. "And when he returns… neither one of you shall survive his assault. My only regret is that I will not live to see his descend."

Both Bacchus and Smith realize what those words meant, but before they can stop this human his body hangs limply, and foam starts to form inside his mouth.

"He's dead." Smith calmly observes. The standard suicide method, a cyanide pill. "Bereft himself of the world, and good riddance to him."

Bacchus sees this too, and starts to wonder himself. "So these people want to resurrect some god, huh." The Roman god turn to Smith, offering a new deal: "How about we take our truce and change it into an alliance? I want payback for stealing my powers, and you probably also want to stop this cult. If we team up, then we can certainly take revenge on them."

"An interesting proposal indeed." Smith calmly thinks it over, and sees no issues. Perhaps in the movie they skipped the whole 'Gods cause unwanted destruction wherever they go', and simply made most deities antagonistic towards humanity in general. "Very well, I shall accept it. On my name, John Pluto Smith, I swear that we shall work as one until the resurrection of the [King of Flies] is prevented." Smith extends a hand of friendship.

Bacchus is happy to hear that, and accepts this handshake. "In that case team Pluto & Bacchus is officially formed. Yeah, let's work together, partner!"

The screen focuses on the pair, as the camera zooms out and fades to black, indicating that it is time to go to the next chapter of the movie.

-x-

A week has passed since the fight between Bacchus and Smith. However, instead of investigating the duo is in a night club, where they are drinking and partying together.

They don't do anything productive, they just get drunk and make attempts to pick up women. The latter has varying success, though his latest possibility gets rudely interrupted by a phone call he receives. Looking at the phone he realizes that it's sadly enough someone of importance.

Gabriel excuses the woman, realizing that he just lost a date. He takes up the phone with a growl on his face, hating that he was interrupted: "Teach, why are you calling me? I'm busy, you know."

"Gabriel, what are you doing right now? Because if I can hear the background right then your busy is certainly not stopping the evil cult from resurrecting their lord."

Gabriel looks around, and does realise that the music is rather loud indeed. "Yes, I'm out partying with Bacchus. So, what are you trying to say? I'm doing something bad? Look, we have everyone working together. I'm certain that we can stop those cultists even if I do things like this. For now, just let the human known as Gabriel Bishop have some fun."

"But you're our powerhouse. Without you destroying their hideouts they could possibly even summon their god tomorrow! We don't have time to fool around! You've been acting foolishly for almost a week now, so take some matters into your own hand."

"Fine, I'll do that… tomorrow." Gabriel hangs up the phone, only to start calling someone else. After a few rings he hears Anna on the other side of the phone, asking who called her.

"Hey Anna, It's me, Gabriel."

The focus shifts to Bacchus, who is becoming the king of the dancefloor. Instead of wearing his purple toga the god has opted to go with the times: He now wears a white shirt under a sky-blue sweater, and with mauve pants to match. Even though he is performing an active form of entertainment there's not a drop of sweat on him, as his half-messy, half-sharp appearance gives him some form of supernatural charm that prevents imperfections.

Using his agile movement Bacchus is capable to dance to all the different types of music that's hip in 2010: from electronic music to dance, dubstep to progressive metal or europop, nothing is too abnormal for this god of wine to master. He quickly gets himself a large share of followers, who all watch in amazement at his dancing techniques. Where they were once in stunned silence the groupies now start to cheer, wanting to see even crazier techniques pulled by this king of dance. Bacchus delivers, performing feats of peak level dancing.

After a few minutes of dancing a slightly tired Bacchus returns to his friend, who just finished his call. "Well, you just missed the most awesome dance in history. Surely someone like you has made a feat equal to that, right?"

Gabriel decides to call Bacchus taunt, claiming that he did do that: "Well, this king here got himself a date for tomorrow. I've managed to schedule myself in with Anna so we go out together to scout for evil, and before that we'll have dinner at a good restaurant. Yeah, I would say that that's an equal feat."

Bacchus is not pleased with this answer. In fact, he sighs in pity. "Man, you are so going to get friendzoned if you continue like that." Gabriel is angered by this reply, but Bacchus gives one word of assurance: "On the other hand, you are a monarch, lucky enough to slay a god with sheer will. Who knows? If it's you, it might actually work out."

The king rolls his eyes, taking Bacchus words with a dose of humor. "Screw you, after tomorrow I'll make you eat those words when you see me hand in hand with my girlfriend." Bacchus laughs at this line, but then asks a more important question:

"By the way, didn't you say something that all mages in this city are either a member of your investigation group or a cultist?" Gabriel nods, and asks why this question was asked. Bacchus points towards the entrance, and his friend leans closer to see what this god is looking at. "See that Asian girl over there? Just used magic to hypnotize the bouncer, allowing her to enter without questions. If she's not from your organization, then there's a good chance she's a cultist, right?"

"Right." Gabriel jumps over the balcony, landing without trouble on the floor three meters below. He casually walks over to the girl, who has moved past the entrance to start partying.

"Hey miss, how are you doing?" Gabriel now makes eye contact with the girl. She seems to be around seventeen years old. Her height is average for a Japanese person, with short black hair almost reaching her shoulders and brown eyes that look right into those of Gabriel himself.

The Asian girl politely greets back, almost like you expected someone from that region to do. "Hello there. My name is Sayuki Kitawara. With whom do I have the pleasure?"

"My name is Gabriel Bishop. Now, as for why I would approach such a beautiful woman like you… let's just say that you were a bit obvious at using magic." Sayuki looks warily at this man, but decides to let him speak out. Here in Los Angeles only two groups of magic exist, and since you are not a member of the Sorcerous Sacrilegious Investigation…" Gabriel lets his power flow a bit more, causing a light gale to flow through the club. "…you must be a cultist."

"Hm?" Sayuki is not afraid, and instead calmly observes this man called Gabriel Bishop. Suddenly she raises an eyebrow, as if noticing something very wrong. "A king? But that would mean you are…" She lets out a sigh of annoyance, before chanting spell words of her own:

"O Earth, descend from the heavens!" A red hexagonal prism as tall as Sayuki appears, energy flowing from that stone into her.

In the cinema hall Shizuka recognizes this woman as the person playing the eighth king. The two Campione in this project prefer not to make their identities publicly known, so actors were hired to play most of their parts. In Shizuka's case, due to labour laws heavily restricting the acting time and possibilities of actors under sixteen years old, alongside the problem that actors of that age will have a harder time successfully performing, it was decided that an adult would play the role of the youngest king. Shizuka's age was raised to seventeen so that the nineteen-year-old actor Bacchus found could believably play that role.

The movie version of the eighth Campione chants more spellwords, continuing with the stone of earth to chant an own version of her power: "Power of the earth, strength of the lands gathered here, becoming one in me!"

Gabriel takes some time to scan his opponent, but too late does he realize that he is facing his peer. Before he can dodge he gets a straight punch that sends him flying through the wall… and the wall behind that one… and a third, and a fourth… It's the fifth wall that manages to stop Gabriel, as instead of breaking the brick wall he simply falls off of it, landing on the ground.

Gabriel stands up with difficulty, feeling dazed from that attack. Yeah, that wasn't an ordinary punch, that was one infused with the power of an authority. Man, if only he paid more attention to Johan's words, he would've been more prepared for this. "Ugh…that actually did hurt… a lot."

"Eh, you can take it, can't you?" Sakyuki walks through the rubble created by her own punch, stepping over the remains of the last of the walls she broke. "A ridiculous godslayer like you, you can take on the power of the gods and still stand up without too much trouble. Complaints from your side about strength should be null and void."

America's Campione can feel droplets falling on his body, an indication that he's outside. Looking around he sees that he's in a typical alleyway, one of a dime a dozen you can find in the city of angels. A small rain is starting to pick up, though it doesn't seem a sign indicating storm.

Gabriel didn't really focus on what was said by the other person, being more focused on another detail. This girl, how can she call him ridiculous? "Then what do you call yourself, Sayuki? Everyone who can throw a punch with that power is without doubt as ridiculous as well."

"Me?" Sayuki shrugs, not seeing the connection. "I'm just a girl who encountered a goddess a few months ago, and then I killed her."

"And you see nothing absurd in that at all, my fellow godslayer?"

"Of course, I can't deny that killing a god is not normal. However, ignoring that part I'm the only relatively normal one around." Sayuki unveils old pasts, of the eccentrics of the other kings: Tyrants, morons, a phantom thief… "And finally, we have someone dressing and acting like a superhero."

"It's not merely acting, I really am a superhero!" Gabriel doesn't take that insult well, firmly believing in his heroism. "Besides, what normal person would punch first and ask questions later?"

"Quite simple: This one." Sayuki runs at Smith once again, starting the chant for a new authority: "Oh metal, descend from the heavens! The undented and unbreakable, all shall bow down before my power! The great warrior, heavenly fighter, I become the magnificent steel!"

The younger king's body turns metallic, becoming pure steel without stain. Every step she sets causes a small crater to appear on impact, the weight of her body destroying the stone floor.

She launches a flurry of attacks at the enemy, combining multiple schools of martial arts to take down her enemy. It's quite impressive from a layman's standard, but compared to the likes of Doni or Luo Hao it's not even touching the fundamentals.

Gabriel dodges the attacks with beast-like manoeuvring, relying purely on instinct to prevent getting hit. As he dodges another palm strike to the stomach he continues to ask question. "Hey, before you continue killing me any further, at least tell me why we're fighting!" Gabe still hasn't gotten a satisfying reason for this fight. As far as he knows this battle is going on for no reason at all.

"Because I have a family to protect!" This shocks Gabriel for long enough to be taken into a grapple by his opponent, before being flung into a nearby wall. "I'm just enjoying some holidays with my parents here. Sure, I knew there was another king around in this city but that shouldn't be a problem if I simply stayed low and acted normal. This all changed when a certain idiot thought it was a good idea to team up with that god over there!"

Sayuki points to the side, where Bacchus is using some rubble as a makeshift chair to enjoy this spectacle. It's not every day you get to see two kings fighting each other, and you might as well enjoy it.

"Why is he sitting there?" It's the first thought that goes though Gabriel's mind. No, stupid question, it's Bacchus. That guy would always be in for watching some spectacle. Now as for why that is both bad and good…

"And what's the problem with that? I've made friends with a god; I'm bothering no one with that!"

"Then tell me, how often did that go right? How often did a god manage to stay on earth for a prolonged time without causing major destruction?" A list of other examples gets named: Athena, Thor, Nezha, the Sorya {6}; Every single time the area they settled in got completely obliterated. "To be able to claim that you're any different, I've absolutely no hopes in you."

Gabriel sees that there are no more words to be wasted. Gabriel Bishop uses a simple gesture to change into John Pluto Smith, with the only exception that his visor isn't put on. "Perhaps, or perhaps not." Smith has expected to run into strife with his enemy, so there's only one answer:

Smith pulls out his gun, stored with energy, and fires his fourth shot. Only two holes have energy left, The other three used during his battle with Bacchus. Sayuki cannot do much more then raise her magical energy, speaking words of power to raise the defence of her steel body.

"However, there is one major difference this time." Smith now leisurely talks again, pointing to his friend as he gives his reason: "Unlike those deities, we have a goal. An evil cult has stolen some of our magic energy to advance the summoning of their lord, and we both want that back. That force will lead into something that will overcome even that hurdle. I, the superhero of Los Angeles, John Pluto Smith, swears thus."

After a few seconds the effects of the dragon bullet dissipates, showing the results: Sayuki was pushed back a bit by that attack, and the steel that once made here body is now all used up. Like a skin the metal layer sheds into many particles, showing the young king's flesh body underneath.

Not giving up by losing that ability she speaks spell words once more, but this time not for an authority: "Heavenly jewelled halberd of creation, appear once more in my hands!" In Sayuki's hands the legendary weapon appears, the actual one used by the real king. Gabriel stays wary of this new summon, but he quickly finds out that that spear is not intended for attacking.

"Gabriel Bishop… or perhaps I should call you John Pluto Smith; As much as I think that you're a complete idiot for sharing a city with a god, I cannot deny that those cultists are the bigger threat." Sayuki swings the Ame no Nuhoko, drawing a circle around her in a single slash. The ground under her starts to liquefy, and she slowly sinks into the ground. "If I were to defeat you here I would have to deal not only with Bacchus over there, but also with a group of cultists who try to resurrect a god. As a tourist who wants to have some peaceful days with my family I'm afraid that fighting here is not in my best interest. I'm leaving for now." Just before she's completely underground she gives a cutesy "Bye!", a playful act that is a bit more fitting for a seventeen-year-old.

"Well, wasn't that a feisty girl." Bacchus walks up to his friend, a warn and sincere smile on his face. Even now he gives off the aura of a playboy, and so are his words: "Y'know, if it wasn't for my wife Ariadne I would totally try to court that king."

"Your romantic interests are without doubt absurd, Bacchus." Gabriel starts walks away from the battlefield, not interested in this place anymore. No, he's going to be busy now that a new power has arrived. "What a mess this is. First you arrive, then these cultists, and now another king? Good grief, give me some rest already."

"Life isn't that easy, my friend." Bacchus catches up with the pace of Gabriel, now walking side-to-side with him. "Trust me, it's only going to get worse."

The camera pans up, showing the dark sky before fading to black. Instead of continuing with another scene the lights go on in the cinema hall, indicating that it is time for a break.

-x-

{1} Toho Cinema Shinjuku: Toho is a film company famous for many Japanese films. The most well-known film outside of Japan is probably Godzilla. It also owns a fair set of cinemas, of which this one in Shinjuku is one of the biggest ones they own.

{2} 4000 yen: At the moment of writing, it is worth $34,77 or €32,70.

{3} Iztaccihuatl mountain ridge: An active volcano mountain and the nearby smaller mountains surrounding it in Mexico. It's 5,230 meters high, and is seventy kilometres away from Mexico City.

{4} Tsohanoai: The Navajo god of the sun, he is the one who carries the sun on his back through the day. Some myths depict him as a warrior on horseback with a gleaming shield. His name means "The sun bearer".

{5} Dying and resurrecting god: A theory that every myth has a god who dies, and then tends to resurrect. Meant as proof to dismantle Christianity, it turned out to be quite flawed when quite a few of the stories presented didn't follow the ideas of the theory creator, and was debunked with the conclusion that the only two gods fitting this role are Bacchus and Osiris.

{6} Athena, Thor, Nezha, Sorya: While the author is certain you're aware of the origin of Athena and Thor, let me explain the other two: Nezha is a Chinese protection deity who is mostly known for conquering the sea dragons, while the Sorya are a pair of dawn goddesses who prevent the hellhound Simargl from devouring the universe.

-x-

And this is the end of the chapter. The observant will probably ask: Flagarach, this didn't feel like much of an end. To them I say, you're correct. Even though this is the twelfth chapter there is no satisfying conclusion. If I wanted to make this fake movie idea any good I would need to include too many things to fit under 15,000 words (Including 2000 words I already wrote but needed to put in the next chapter to make it more even). I decided to make this movie good, so this chapter is split in two.

So yeah, next chapter is not the start of the fifth arc. There will be a chapter 12.5 in between. Apologies for that inconvenience.

But let us refocus on that next chapter: It is the second part of the movie, which includes the break, midway peak, crisis, second plot point, mayor turning point, showdown, intervention, realization, sequel hook and results. These are all movie terms, but it basically boils down to the second part of the movie.

After that Arc 5 comes, in which we arrive at Volume 14 of the light novel timeline. If you read that, then you can make an elaborate guess what you can expect next.