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?

14. Arc 5-1: Kings of Future Past

Saturday, 9th of February, very late afternoon, southern forests of Okinawa

When people talk about kings, they expect glorious people orchestrating the movement of a country. They see leaders, in fancy palaces with exquisite outfits and fabulous looks. On that note:

"Why are we here again?" Shizuka is looking quite the opposite of that kingly image right now. Instead of a fancy palace she's trekking through Okinawa's sub-tropical forests, her black blouse tightly clinging to her body because of all the sweat and dirt she accumulated over this trip, and her face blushing from the heat. Even though it's February the temperatures in this southern part of Japan is still above 20 degrees Celsius, and the sunlight is shining quite harshly.

"Because a divine beast has been sighted in the vicinity, and we need someone to kill it." Fuyuhime and Sakura are joining Shizuka on this tour, looking just as exhausted and dirty as their king. It's the result from an entire day of tracking residual mana in the air to find this single divine beast. Thus far they're unsuccessful, though the thickening mana is a sign they're getting closer.

"And they had to send me? I'm not aware that divine beasts are entities against which the likes of me are needed." Shizuka is still not happy that she had to do this. Sure, school is out and both Kusanagi males are away from home, leaving her free to do as she pleases. However, hunting is not exactly a hobby of hers… well, except for that one time she was hunting hares with her father in Russia. That was fun. This on the other hand is not.

"Well…" Sakura looks quite uncomfortable, speaking what can be regarded as absolute truth. "Humans aren't that strong in nature. Shizuka-chan, if a team of experienced agents from the committee went to fight this beast, I'm not quite sure whether they can obtain victory."

Power is unfairly spread in this world. Even the strongest of humans are only on the levels of low-level divine beasts, and only the Campiones exist to protect against the beings above. That is why Shizuka is needed for this mission, as she can probably defeat this enemy with the use of only single stone.

"The only real option we have is to let one of the kings have a go at it. Since your peer took care of the latest threat, they decided it would be good if you took care of this one."

Shizuka clicks her tongue in annoyance. Sure, fighting the supernatural is one of the duties she obtained from becoming a king, but can't it all come later? She enjoyed her time doing nothing!

"Shh!" Sakura silences the other two, making the other two join her hiding spot behind a bush as she points in the distance. Ahead is the troublemaker they're looking for. An adult fox with shiny red fur, it's main abnormality is that it has four tails instead of one, and would look like a rather cute pet were it not for the fact that it's feasting on the corpse of a bear. It's quite clear to everyone what this beast is:

"A kitsune?"

"Yes, and to be more specific I think it's a Chikyu {1}. Look, it completely pierced that poor bear with those stakes of earth." Sakura gives a good explanation of the animal. A kitsune, huh? That explains why he was so hard to find, the animal is known for being a shapeshifting trickster in mythology.

Now that Shizuka has the element of surprise she needs to kill this beast before he can escape again. Silently summoning the white stone of wood next to her side she sees that using her power a bit alerted this beast a bit. He hasn't noticed her yet, as all he did was summon a small plateau of earth to indicate that he's on alert. Good, Shizuka has a plan for destroying this beast.

"Sakura-chan, Fuyuhime-chan, would it be possible for you two to bring out your weapons for me?" Since Sakura was made a witch in December she too became eligible to obtain a weapon from the committee. However, since Shizuka was on vacation to the Caribbean during that time she was unable to be there at the ceremony, and Fuyuhime had to take her place. She still dislikes that she couldn't be there, though Kusinada Rei and the other witches who were appointed did not mind the lack of Campione. They both begin to softly chant, making sure not to further alert the fox:

"The blade of war never stops; the blade of battle never ends. Chishuuha, blade of unlimited battlefields, I ask of you to appear in the hands of this witch!"

"Unabating tears of Jaaku na Gunsen {2}, cut with the sorrow of the orphaned princess, rend the hearts of those who see it dance!" In both witches' hands their weapons appear, Fuyuhime's half-sword half-spear nagamaki, while in Fuyuhime's hand a weapon of an entirely different nature appears:

It's a purple folding fan with pointy steel rods of around three feet long, with lacquered leather holding the construction together. Gold linings and white feathers decorate this weapon, making it seem more like a regal work of art than an actual weapon. It's in shrill contrast to Fuyuhime's weapon, whose black-grey and rough appearance makes it look a lot more practical.

But don't let either of them fool you. They're magical weapons meant for battle. Each of these magical weapons is a conductor for magic, allowing the mage wielding the weapon to easily perform transmutation or other kinds of magic. The better weapons also have special properties of their own: Erica's Cuore di Leone and Fuyuhime's Chishuuha share the element of [Steel], while Liliana's Il Maestro is [Music].

Fuyuhime's fan has the element of [Poison], where even a scratch of that blade injects deadly poisons. Why it was given to someone as gentle as Sakura Shizuka doesn't know, but that attribute makes it perfect for her plan: Borrowing the weapon she starts with a divine chant of her own:

"O weapon of sorrow, become the invincible winds that slay the gods themselves!" Shizuka learned during her battle with Karna that there is danger in using the environment as a weapon when the opponent can manipulate it as well. Therefore, instead of creating winds she enchants Fuyuhime's weapon, creating a device that cannot be controlled by the enemy. This is her proof of growth as a king! "Let those who oppose me suffer miserable deaths! Now begone!"

The fox too notices the magic, and starts to flee. It's too late, as Shizuka attacks by throwing the fan at the beast. The weapon starts to emit poisonous winds, and within two seconds the fan has turned into a purple hurricane of destruction, destroying all on its path.

The kitsune cannot flee, so it makes earth rise from the ground and form a protective bowl-shaped stronghold around himself. The earth cracks a bit, but the winds do not penetrate to the beast itself. Oh well, it wasn't really Shizuka intention for this to be the killing blow. That's why she had Fuyuhime call out her weapon. A simple hand gesture indicates that the other witch can use her weapon:

"None shall flee from battle. However far you go, my glorious self will find and strike you!" The nagamaki turns into a javelin, which Fuyuhime throws at the beast. It whizzes through the air and pierces through the earth with powerful force. The hurricane may be more destructive and capable of destroying whole areas, if it comes to single-target piercing damage this spear is superior!

An aching shriek tells the trio that the fox was injured from the strike, and through the hole created by the spear the malicious winds spread in, poisoning the beast.

Shizuka desummons the tornado, even though it could've continued raging for another minute or two. With this she has halved the energy in her stone of wood, but it was well worth it.

A small reminder from Fuyuhime to look around tells Shizuka that it may not exactly have been fully worth it: In what was once a lush forest now lies a field of uprooted trees, destroyed bushes and complete destruction of nature. You could almost make a landing track for airplanes in the newly opened spot.

Ah damn, it happened again. Shizuka is once more annoyed at her lack of restraint, she shouldn't have caused so much mayhem!

While Shizuka is worrying the two witches point towards the creature they're hunting, which is limping away at a surprisingly fast speed. The trio quickly follow, leading to a short chase to a new area.

In an open field next to a mountain cave the fox is found, dead and with his body disappearing. However, from its last actions it seems to have tried to flee to that cave there. Could it be that that cave is a nest for these kitsunes? If that is the case then it could lead to major catastrophes in the future! An investigation is needed to prevent further damage.

The trio get closer to this cave, standing only a meter of ten away from the entrance. Even though there is bright moonlight shining into the cave, the inside stays pitch-black on a level through which even Shizuka cannot see. While there is some old, dormant energy inside this earthen structure, the young Campione cannot sense any life forms hiding in here. It seems to be just an old cave.

The group is about to leave, were it not for what is simultaneously happening in Italy. A short summary of what is happening in Europe's boot:

"Godou, let me reveal my master plan: Today I will take my revenge on all the grinding in video games by turning real life into an RPG! Now, my friend, will you join me?"

"Doni, in all my time as a godslayer, this has to be the stupidest thing I've heard. Like hell I will!"

"Too bad. Madame Aisha's [Fairy Corridor] has its effect already activated. The portal to another world has opened."

"Not if I can help it! I use [Ame no Murakamo]. This authority lets me absorb the energy from one other authority, weakening or negating it. It looks like that portal stays shut, Salvatore Doni!"

"You've walked right into my trap, Godou. I counter activate [Curse of Rampage], strengthening all active authorities to beyond full power, forcing them to go out of control!" And suddenly all portals of [Fairy's Corridor] around the world got activated.

Shizuka is aware of the sixth king's idiocy, but she couldn't expect that he is once again the cause of her problems. Without any sign of activation the cave starts to suck everything in, like a miniature black hole.

Before Shizuka can react she already lost her footing, flying into the cave. If only she weren't so arrogant, believing that the hole wouldn't do anything to her… perhaps then she might've held strong, but careless as she was she is completely defeated.

After Shizuka her niece Sakura also lost footing, flying a meter or so behind Shizuka. The last one there, Fuyuhime, manages to resist the gravitational pull by clasping a strong tree root and lowering her center of gravity. However, she realizes that she cannot escape from this power that keeps growing, and decides that it's better to stay with the other two than to wait until she eventually gets sucked in alone. She lets go of her hold, using a bit of [Flight] magic to grab the other two. Together the trio flies into the hole, and everything turns black.

-x-

Unknown day, unknown time, unknown location

When the trio come back to their senses they are floating in a field of darkness, each being two or three meters away from the other two. The darkness is infinite, pure black darkness that stretches in every direction… except the one they were floating to. There a single dot of white light, far in the distance, like a single star in the night sky.

"Shizuka-chan, Fuyuhime-chan, are you two okay?" Sakura worriedly asks about everyone's condition, and finds positives responses from the other two. Comforted by these responses Sakura asks just where they are. Shizuka doesn't have a clue, but Fuyuhime seems to have some clue:

"Oh, can it be…" Spoken with parts of fear and dislike, Fuyuhime starts to explain. "If I had to guess, we're currently trapped in the corridors of Egypt's king, Madame Aisha."

"Madame Aisha?" Shizuka asks in wonder, unfamiliar with that name. "So she's the one to blame for this all?"

"It's… likely, yes." Fuyuhime gives a short explanation about the third devil king: Madame Aisha, titled as the [Mysterious Queen of Caves]. She's not often spotted due to being a recluse with a traveler's heart, meaning that it's rare for people to know where she is and ever rarer for her to be spotted. While there is not too much known about her it is known that she has an authority that can creates portals to different worlds.

"And we're now on our way to such a different world. Any idea what we can face when we arrive?"

Neither of the two witches has an idea. There's not really some person who has entered the caves before and come back out again other than the mysterious Madame, so the only information they have are the disturbances found from travel to their world. Considering that the guests they received include magic dinosaurs and foxes, there's no telling what this other world will be.

They arrive at the white dot, which turns out to be a sphere of around 6-7 meters in diameter. The trio is quickly devoured by the light, blinding their vision. Within a second or two the whiteness fades, and what enters their view is completely unexpected:

Stretching before them is a dense tropical rainforest, with large ferns covering the ground and trees soaring into the sky. It's completely different from Okinawa's subtropical climate.

"I don't think that anyone has any idea about our current location?" Yes, they're a long way from home if they landed in the jungle.

"Given by the positions of the stars I can see, I would say that there's two hours left before midnight. Since neither the pole star nor the southern cross is visible while a few other constellations are visible means that we're somewhere around the equator."

"Actually, we're in Northern Sumatra." Sakura points at a large orange monkey she spotted in the tree, calling out its name: "That's a Sumatran orangutan, I think."

The other two have no reason to doubt their friend, and with their location known they can finally go and search for civilization. The success is… less than stellar. Almost an hour later and they're still lost in the jungle. Shizuka even believes that they've passed the same set of trees multiple times, meaning that the trio is completely lost.

Just as Shizuka wants to complain she sees something light up in the distance. The fickle flame of fire, which is a key element of human society. It cannot hurt to go in that direction.

Within a minute of walking they meet two hunters, dressed in garb most certainly not fitting in the modern society: They both wear a simple leather vest with a drab pleated skirt, and their body decorated with some fancy necklaces and headgear.

"Kita telah menemukan mereka!"

"Cepat! Bawa mereka kembali! {3}" Shizuka does not understand what they are saying… yet. As amazing as her omniglot powers are, she doesn't speak new languages on the fly. In general, it takes her half an hour to understand the language, an hour to make some standard communication, and a week or four to master the language.

Even though the words aren't understood, their actions are. It seems that they want to guide Shizuka, almost as if they revere her. Is her godslaying identity figured out this quickly?

With no better clue to civilization the trio follow the two hunters, who keep on talking to one another. It's helping Shizuka to understand the language, as well as what these two are talking about. It appears that their boss claimed that an equal appeared in the forest, and these two were send out to find her. It sounds foreboding, as this means that she is likely going to meet another king. But who would be here in Sumatra? Shizuka cannot imagine any of the other kings being here.

After an hour or so the trio finally arrive at a simple village, looking more like some sort of fifteenth century fishing village. It's almost like they travelled back in time for 500 years. Everything is so antique, so old-fashioned, it's hard to believe a place like this still exists in the modern world.

Eventually they reach the center of the village, where they spot two people chatting with each other on the veranda of the most decorated house in the village. The one on the left is a somewhat plump old man, most likely the village elder. However, it's the woman on the right that gives Shizuka goosebumps, and it's not even because Shizuka can sense that that woman is her peer.

No, the worst thing is that abhorrent dress… jacket… piece of clothing of hers! It's lime-green, and purple, and has only a single strap, and pointless openings, double-layered fabrics-Argh! Its ugliness transcends the boundaries of time and space!

It's quite the shame too, because the wearer is quite the beautiful lady: A woman most certainly tall for an Indonesian at 5'5", with long brown hair and generous curves. Though she has the body of a late teen her face is cute enough to make her seem a year or two younger, giving her a nice combination of youth and maturity. In fact, looking a bit closer at this other Campione she does resemble Shizuka a bit. It would be quite plausible if the godslayers turn out to be half-sisters or nieces of one another.

"Well met, my kin!" The other godslayer starts to address Shizuka formally, in an almost regal-like tone. "You had me quite surprised when I suddenly sensed your appearance in the forest. It does not happen often that a fellow Lord of Magi appears in my territory."

Shizuka is whispering to Fuyuhime who this godslayer could be. Of the eight kings in the current era she has yet to meet the three oldest and her fellow Japanese lord. Which of these four is this?

Fuyuhime has to bring the shocking news in a clear way: "Shizuka-san… I don't think that we're in the twenty-first century anymore. That portal made us travel back in time."

Shizuka is shocked for a second. Time travel? What kind of ridiculous power did they get involved in this time? Shizuka liked modern society, thank you very much! What a mess this is, are they stuck now in the past?

As much as the trio want to find a solution to this time travel they first must deal with the Campione in front of them. Shizuka answers politely back, giving her name, her country of origin, and a somewhat made-up reason for being here: "I am Shizuka, with the family name Kusanagi. These here are my companions Renjou Fuyuhime and Koudzuki Sakura. We're from the country of Japan, but we got in a magical accident and were blow off to this island."

The other godslayer believes it immediately, claiming that it's quite like something that happened in her past. "As for my identity, the people here call me Nyi Roro Kidul or Ratu Laut Selatan, giving me titles like Queen of the Southern seas or Spirit lord of Sumatra. However, Kusanagi Shizuka, as my fellow kin, call me by my birth name of Kadita."

Fuyuhime recognizes that name. Though the lecture on it was rather brief, she did have to learn a bit about Indonesian myth, and that name did appear in one old fairytale:

Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Sunda, a beautiful princess named Kadita lived. Even though she was a fantastic woman the king was unhappy with her because she is his only child, and he wanted a son. The king remarries with Dewi Mutiara, and this new wife does grant him a male heir. Jealous of Kadita's beauty Mutiara orders the king to send the daughter away, but the king loves his beloved daughter too much for that.

Eventually Dewi Mutiara consults a magician, who curses Kadita's body with ulcers and scabies. Nobody could cure the princess, and to prevent her from becoming a rumor the king had to send her away. Even so, the heart of the princess was pure, and even after figuring out it was her stepmother who caused her disease she kept praying for the queen's health.

After many days she reached the southern seas. She jumped into the water as a girl riddled with diseases, but emerged out in perfect condition. What's more, she became the otherworldly beauty with command over the seas, revered as Nyi Roro Kidul.

If this is not a mere fairytale, but the story of someone's ascension as devil king, then that leaves Fuyuhime with a single question:

"If I may ask, Nyi Roro Kidul… who are you really?" There are too many inconsistencies in the story for this to be reality. Fuyuhime cannot believe these contradictions.

Everyone else meanwhile is staring in confusion. How could you say something so impolite in such manner! Only "Kadita", if that's her real name, manages a sly smile, and asks for clarification… "or else you have created some heavy aggression."

"W-Well, you see…" Fuyuhime is intimidated by the queen she insulted, but reassuring gazes from her two friends tell her to explain: "Princess of Sunda, your words do not match your story. Your kingdom only lasted until the late sixteenth century, yet you use terms like Lord of Magi and most importantly Sumatra. The former was invented in the middle of the seventeenth century, while the term Sumatra didn't exist until the nineteenth century. Tell me, why would a Campione act like she lives in sixteenth century while using terms from almost three centuries later?"

Ooh, Shizuka sees now what her friend means. Yes, that is a very unlikely story. If this was the actual Kadita, she would call herself a Rakshasa monarch who rules the isle of Samudra. It's time for this faker to reveal her true colors.

"Hoh? I do not understand what you mean, but are these not the terms used by foreigners? Those Dutchmen who seek to colonizes this ground use these terms for me and my lands." Everyone around Kadita agrees, all claiming that they shouldn't disrespect their lord.

And as much as the trio disbelieve this other king it is not an impossible story. Neither Fuyuhime nor Sakura have proof that she is not actually a 300-year-old Campione.

"Well, I'm doubting that." Shizuka looks up in the night sky, as if she found an answer. "I'm willing to believe that you could exist until the colonization of Indonesia, but I sincerely doubt that you lived long enough to see the launch of ISS."

"Hah!" One of the locals shouts out, calling out that bluff: "Ha! That space station is currently over Europ-" And suddenly he realizes he is totally busted, even Kadita considers that facepalm-worthy.

"Ehm, if I may, would you kindly tell us who you really are? I don't think that locals like him should know what the International Space Station is."

"Kadita" sighs, claiming that the jig is up. "I hoped to keep this act up a little bit longer, but I guess that I cannot change even that."

"Then would you mind telling us who you really are?" If they're not really in the past, then there are only 7 other kings in existence. Out of those there is only one likely possibility for this person to be. "Since we travelled through those portals, would you perhaps be Madame Aisha?"

"No, your thinking is a bit off there, as I am not her." The trio wonder who else it could be if it's not Aisha. There are only two other female kings next to Shizuka and her Eminence Luo Hao is not one to perform such theatrics. "In fact, those portals of Aisha did transfer you through time."

From the insides of her dress this older king pulls out a big red button, and with a single press she causes the earth to shake. Walls and trees disappear into the earth, and are replaced with futuristic technology that would take at least thirty years for mankind to develop. Even the house where the king sits is replaced with a very high-tech transport aircraft, which opens from the back to reveal who can only be described as a luxury jet from a century in the future.

"Kadita" starts boarding the aircraft, as she finally reveals who she is: "As for my true identity, at the moment I'm the fourth Campione of the world, holding my claim on the country of Japan. My name is Kusanagi Shizuka. My past self, welcome to the future of 2094!"

-x-

"So, you claim to be me." Shizuka has entered the aircraft with her two followers, now on their way back to Japan. It's not like Shizuka has anything better to do, and her future self is the best bet at returning to the past. However, that doesn't mean that she cannot be skeptical.

"If you want, I can proof it. If I remember right, when I was your age I hid something confidential inside the stuffing of my pillow. Wasn't it that old g-"

"Yes, you're me, so let's not talk about that anymore." Shizuka would rather not have her secret exposed. A pity, the two non-Campione around are admittingly a bit interested in gossip like that. "But I have to say that I am quite surprised that with how my future self looks."

"If you're talking about my clothes, you should know that you've travelled eighty years into the future. I'm sure someone from 1930 would say the same about your fashion trends."

It does make a lot of sense for the trio of the 2010s, though it is not what Shizuka was exactly asking for. She wants a different weight off her chest, or to be more precise talk about future additions to it. She certainly was not expecting her plains to become mountains!

The older king notices her younger self's point of interest too, and almost lets out a chuckle of amusement. "Ah, I see that you're actually interested in my body, or at least the development of it." It's not wrong to say that nature and time have been favoring her… or maybe it's not to be attributed to those factors: "Of all the female godslayers I have ever met not even one is lacking in curvature. My current theory is that when a woman slays a god she not only get powers and abilities like a superheroine, they also get that type of body. Since the men do not automatically get sculpted chests, broad shoulders and washboard abs it's likely that their body upgrade is their lower parts, so to say. What are your opinions on this subject, everyone?"

"My current opinion tells me that your words made me imagine something I would rather forget." The image of Gascoigne naked is one thing, but why the hell did she do the same for Doni? She practically hates that Italian idiot! "But anyway, since this is the future, how are all the other people I know? Where are the future versions of Sakura and Fuyuhime? How about onii-chan, did he manage to settle down and live a normal life?"

The future king begins to explain where everyone is, starting with those in the same aircraft: "As for Fuyuhime, we'll meet your future version tomorrow. Sakura is still on the mission I send her to, but I estimate that she will be back in a few days. And Godou, well, he's enjoying his days in South America. I think that he has… improved in some ways."

Somewhere in Brazil, late morning:

Inside of a Japanese bedroom… or at least Japan-inspired, the bed and nightstands are very European in origin. A bit of movement in the bed can be seen, heavily implying some form of sexual activity. The sliding door on the side opens, where a woman dressed in what could best be described as medieval knight cloth adjusted to modern fashion.

This woman, of tall build with brown tousled wavy hair, kneels as she enters the room, answering to the godslayer in the bed: "Milord, the cult we've sponsored has successfully managed to resurrect heretic Supay {4}. H-However…" The woman starts to waver in her speech, realizing that she is the bringer of bad news. Considering who her lord is, she must be a new addition, the more experienced ones know better how to deal with him. "…After his rebirth… he was slain by the American king, John Pluto Smith, who also wiped out the cult. He may also have incriminating evidence proving our connection to that cult."

In the bed Kusanagi Godou sits up. He's aged a few years, now looking to be in the beginning of his twenties. Next to him are Erica and Mariya, with whom Godou just had sex with. The blonde has aged a bit more than the brunette, looking to be reaching thirty instead of Mariya's 21. He promises his two oldest allies that he'll be back soon, before walking nakedly over to the girl. With charm he speaks to the wavy-haired girl, giving her words of encouragement: "Don't worry about it. It wouldn't do for someone like you to make such an ugly face. Both as a king and as a lover, neither will punish you. But if it's punishment you seek, then let me indulge a bit." Forcefully he gives her a deep kiss, and she quickly accepts and kisses back.

After a long kiss Godou stands up, grabs a bathrobe from a nearby chair and starts walking to the balcony, still closed to keep the lights out. "If my enemy has already been slain…" He mutters to himself, his words growing in strength and volume. "Yes, perhaps I should bring a visit to my old friend. Knowing Smith there's no way he wouldn't be happy to meet, so I'm certain I can get myself some fun. It's going to be a bright day today…"

Speaking those words he opens the blindfolds, before his mood is immediately dampened by downpour outside.

"Well I'll be damned."

Back to the aircraft:

And with "improved" the future king means "gotten worse". It's quite literally the only regret she has in life, her inability to rehabilitate Godou the one smudge on her perfect record.

"As for the rest… I would prefer not to speak too much of the future. The more you know the less will come as a surprise, and the less likely this time loop is going to be stable."

"Stable time loop?"

"Yes, to ensure everyone's future, it is necessary for me to guarantee that one day you will end up in my position. Let's start with how exactly you arrived here:" The adult Shizuka starts explaining, beginning with how Doni caused Madame Aisha's authority to go berserk.

When the trio learned whose fault it was, well… they can't exactly call it surprising, stupid things like that is what Doni does.

"Because of him there are currently four godslayers traveling through time. Normally when a godslayer goes on such a journey the watcher of time, Plutarch, ensures that the Campione gets send to the past in a place that requires only little corrections to keep the flow of time steady. But Plutarch is no god, let alone omnipotent. With the large amount of portals opening at the same time Plutarch was placed for a dilemma: He only has enough power to ensure that one of the portals goes to a fixed destination."

"And since 3 kings in random spots in time is much more dangerous than us trying to make a stable time loop Plutarch chose to fix the location of the other three." Everyone understands what exactly happened, but that does leave the question of how they will return home. Luckily the future king has an answer for that too:

"We cannot ask Madame Aisha to bring you all back, since she died some time ago." The trio from the past are suddenly worried that they cannot return home anymore, before realizing that the adult version of Shizuka means that they did find a way back. Their realization is given more credit by the reveal of how the return trip will be made: "The portals on the other hand can be opened by a few dozen witches at midnight, with a full moon and clear weather. Those circumstances will happen in eight days from now, so that will be the moment you'll be sent back."

With that the biggest worry has been pacified. Now to know a bit more about the future itself:

"Where to start…" The adult king thinks, not wanting to spoil too much of her own future. "Well, I'm currently the fourth devil king. That means that three kings other than Madame Aisha have died. In these eighty years three more kings have been born, of which the oldest has died already, bringing the total of current kings to six."

"Humanity has also learned of the existence of Campione." This sentence shocks especially Fuyuhime, who realizes that the main goal of the History Compilation Committee… has failed. What will that mean for her future, and that of everyone she knows and cares about? "It was a leaking masquerade to begin with, so the inevitable breakdown had to be guided for maximum efficiency."

"In other words, unite the powers of technology and magic for the people." One easily understands oneself, even if one version lived eighty years longer. The younger Shizuka can easily see how to bring the best of both worlds together.

"Quite so, yes. Healthcare has improved to the point that humans live to 109 on average, magic is a fuel source as easily available as coal or oil but as eco-friendly as solar energy and spells like [Terrain Reduction] or [Flight] have almost halved traffic problems. As you can guess, it's very worthwhile to invest some money in this cause. It did make me the richest person on the planet, after all."

That last sentence shocks everyone even more than the worldwide reveal of magic. Kusanagi Shizuka will become the richest person on the planet? It's a shame that the future Shizuka doesn't want to explain about it any further, but the thought that her future net worth will exceed a hundred billion American dollars is astounding!

"There's also some downsides to this development. Kings became the fronts of new, usually extremist ideologies. This resulted in battles breaking out between these different ideologies, killing millions. At the moment the total population of earth has been reduced to 2 billion."

"Wait, that few?" Fuyuhime asks, wondering how it all got so far. "How did humanity go so wrong?"

"It's hard to say that humans don't err. Even now the world is broken in two in what can best be described as the second cold war. It's a better alternative to something as chaotic as actual war. It gives the people something to unite against while allowing them to vent their frustrations and angers through non-violent ways, like mock battles or international competitions."

"So this pre-stage of war is working out pretty well for you."

"I can't say I'm not taking an opportunity when it presents itself. What might also interest you is that we've also advanced enough to have colonies on both the moon and mars, who have a population of half a billion combined. As for other things in the future that are important to mention… Japan has officially given me the title of shogun, and further…"

Suddenly everyone attention switches as Sakura lets out a loud yawn. She had only been listening with half an ear for the entire conversation, wrecked with tiredness from all the hunting and time-travel. The yawn makes the other two yawn as well, causing a chuckle from the adult king.

"Ah, I did almost forget that it's almost bedtime, especially from your perspective." "Since our carrier is close to its destination let's end our conversation here. It's important that you get enough rest, because it's going to be quite the busy stay for you all."

Shizuka doesn't care anymore, having now been awake for what is probably almost twenty hours. King or not, a good night of sleep is always welcome.

-x-

14 May 2094, morning, streets of downtown Neo-Tokyo.

Shizuka went to bed immediately after arriving at her future self's living space, a forty-stories tall building called the Kusanagi Tower. It's a bit of an egoistic name, but Shizuka was too tired to care.

The room she uses as her bedroom is futuristic, though not in ways that she expected. Photochromic glass, ceilings and walls that glow according to the day/night-cycle, voice-controlled thermostat and a wardrobe that can appear from the wall on command. While the technology is as expected of the future the style is surprisingly reminiscent of her own time, being rather basic in warm colors.

That doesn't mean that there were no problems with the technology. Shizuka doesn't consider herself technophobic, but she does have more than eighty years of catching up to do: She made accidental movements during her sleep that turned on the light, spend twenty minutes figuring out how to turn on the shower and being unpleasantly surprised by what can best be described as a full-body hair dryer.

After learning to handle her own room she now must learn how to handle all the other futuristic technology. At the moment she's standing in the centrum of Neo-Tokyo with the other three people she knows, in what was once the department of Shibuya. The entire infrastructure has changed, with tons of buildings being taller than ever before, somewhat simplistic but quite colorful. However, a few thigs seem to be missing in Shizuka's opinion, as it's not quite as futuristic as expected. She turns to her future self, asking where the things are she expected:

"It's quite the nice city, but where are the flying cars, the holograms, the robots walking through the streets? It doesn't seem quite as futuristic as expected."

"Just like in all of history, efficiency goes before expectations. Flying cars are a waste of energy compared to normal ones, just like everything that needs to hover constantly. Robots are much costlier when compared to homunculi, and these should explain why external holograms lose every time to AR-technology {5}."

Future Shizuka hands out what appears to be three sets of contact lenses, each with one of the trio's name written upon them. Upon opening the box they find out that these are contact lenses, but infused with a combination of nanotechnology and magic. Is this magitek the future of humanity?

Since they're encouraged to put them on the trio of the past place them on their eyes, with a bit of help as none of them have ever had any reason to wear contacts before. A small electric shock makes Shizuka think she did something wrong, but a quick look at the surroundings tells her that it's the opposite:

Suddenly there are all kind of magical and virtual objects around, ranging from banners to invitations to signs t-wait a sec, "Why are there so many advertisements?" It's like the entire world is spammed full of ads! Isn't there at least some adblocker to make those go away?

"The price of the future. Without the investments from other companies producing goods like these is nearly impossible."

So no matter how the future goes, the laws of economy always stay the same. It's nice to know that some things stay the same, even if it is something as annoying as advertisements.

The quartet goes on their way, planning to have some fun with shopping. Those from the past learn that quite a bit has changed: Gone are the dressing rooms of old, now you can use a virtual avatar of yourself to test whether you would fit the clothes or not; The salesmen have been replaced with homunculi, capable of perfectly adapting to the buyer; While you can still pay with cash, the simpler option is to have the contact lens in your eye scanned and pay with that. Truly, the technological wonders of the future are marvelous!

The same cannot be said about the fashionable future. As awesome as the engineers have been in the past 80 years, the fashionistas must've been sleeping. Out of all the clothes that Shizuka in a whole hour tried she managed to only find a vermillion swimsuit that's semi-passible. The future is a sad state indeed with such a fall in fashion.

The other three seem to have more fun shopping for the clothes of this era, though Shizuka's unsure how much her other self is truly enjoying this fashion. Not wanting to ruin their fun she leaves the shop, going through other shops in the district. With all the futuristic technology changing the looks of everything the core is still the same: There are food stalls on every corner, with in-between shops for clothing, a hardware shop, a botanist and a boutique, a stationer, a perfumery… There's enough in common with those of her own time. In fact, passing past one shop gives her a real message that time hasn't changed the world much:

"Final Fantasy LII? Even after almost a century they're still adding new entries to that franchise?" Looking around she can find a few more somewhat familiar names. Nintendo seems to be still in business, and even Sega has a few titles on display. It's quite fun, looking around for brands and products that are still sold even in the future.

"Excuse me, madam, can I help you?" Shizuka gets startled as she hears a voice from next to her, probably one of the homunculi working as sales clerk here. Damn it, Shizuka does not want to get caught looking around in the game corner!

A quick turn reveals that there is no homunculus, just a future version of herself who is quite adequate at mimicking voices. "Oh, it's just my future self."

"I think you're supposed to be a bit more relieved than that. Who would know that the greatest secret of my fifteen-year-old self would not be her kingship, but the fact that she secretly likes to play on her DS game console? It seems that the hypothesis that all kings have absurdities in their life is true after all."

"The moniker of king is preferable to being called a gaming otaku. Besides, it's not like I'm addicted to it or something. There are just some RPG's with good stories and challenges that can be called fun. If it's not addicting and keeping me from my ordinary life these games are an interesting secret."

"Except that at your moment in time both grandpa and our 'onii-chan' already know."

They already do? Where did Shizuka go wrong with her secret? It's quite embarrassing that people already know of her guilty pleasure. Luckily the older self manages to convince her that it's not all that bad:

"But don't worry about it. Our family members are the only ones who know, and they're not the type to tattle. On that note, you can put down LII. I've already purchased it, as well as the virtual reality pod that comes along with it. You might be able to find it somewhere in the tower."

The older king hands over a plastic keycard, with the words "Room 1721" written on it. It's pretty clear what the intension of that keycard is.

"I would recommend searching for it in two days. I forgot to plan anything for that evening, so consider that free time." The two kings smile at each other, enjoying this camaraderie. Putting the game back they return to the other two, except that it has turned into a trio:

Next to Fuyuhime and Sakura stands a third woman, heartwarmingly chatting with the other two. She's about as tall as the older Shizuka, though quite a bit lither. It's as if a strong breeze would be able to blow that body away, yet Shizuka can't deny that males would find some charm in that. From the kings' standpoint only the back is visible, but the brown curly waves are a large hint at whom this person is, as the shortest of the 2010 trio has a very similar hairstyle.

"Fuyuhime! It seems that you've returned." Yes, the identity of this new person is no stranger, as it was announced before that they would meet her today.

The older witch turns around, and manages to give the younger Shizuka a surprise: Over Fuyuhime's right eye is a flowery eyepatch. If that is merely a fashionable accessory it wouldn't be so bad, but traces of scar tissue on both sides of the eyepatch indicate something more gruesome. Not just that, but there are also some scar traces on a few other parts of the body. Between her own time and this future Fuyuhime must've gone through a ton of dangerous battles to end up with her body like that.

The mood just got a bit uncomfortable, as no one of the past really wants to ask the question on their minds. It is the scarred one herself who lighten the mood again, explaining just what happened to her:

"Don't worry about these scars of mine. These are proof of all the battles I've fought, the people I've saved and served. They are both my teachings and my honor." The scarred witch merely gives a small smile, before holding up the bag she's been carrying with her all the time. "Going on bit of a different topic here, but I think that we all managed to buy one thing in common, and I'm planning to use it." She takes a green one-piece swimsuit out of her back, which should be able to cover most of the scars. This piece of clothing is enough of a hint to imply what the group's next activity is.

The younger Fuyuhime also understands what is up next on the agenda: "So how much have the water parks of the future changed?"

"How about we try to find out?" Everyone is quick to take up on the fourth king's idea, starting a few hours of enjoyment that will not easily be forgotten. Yeah, this future isn't so bad after all.

-x-

Late afternoon, Kusanagi Tower's English-styled conservatory

The morning activities were fun, but the time has come for more serious matters. Surrounded by the green of several west-European plant species both Shizukas sit down here to enjoy a cup of tea, alongside Sakura and their respective Fuyuhime. To fit with the season of late spring they are served scented jasmine tea, a typical spring drink. The butler and maid who have served the tea leave and stand next to the door, ready to answer on a whim.

"Well then, my younger self. Let's cut to the chase, shall we? I don't think I'm the type to waste lots of time on pointless chit-chat." The younger Shizuka agrees, and asks what is so important to warrant this time. She wouldn't have minded it if the swimming continued for a little longer, especially that holographic dinosaur-themed waterslide was a beautiful marvel of technology.

Fuyuhime on the other hand does have an inkling about what is going to happen: "Considering that it's been 1500 years from our perspective, and there's a total of eight Campione roaming the earth… could it be that he will resurrect, the [King who Manifests at World's end]?"

"[King who Manifests at World's end]?" Shizuka and Sakura ask in wonder, not understanding what their companion means with those words.

"The god who arrives at the world's end, starter of the apocalypse, the one who brings an end to mankind's eras, and most importantly he is the devil king-slaying lord; that is whom the [King who Manifests at World's end] is." Adult Fuyuhime begins on her own to give an explanation about this deity, giving the bad news about him: "And at the end of your upcoming year of 2013, he will resurrect and slay all the Campione in the world. That is the fate of the world."

"How utterly ridiculous." Really, a god fated to kill Shizuka? Like hell she can accept something as stupid as that! "I'm not going to die to some unknown god just because he wants me to! Besides, if I'm still alive in the future as the fourth king, won't at least half of the Campione survive the conflict?"

"Not… exactly." As ideal as that sounds, there is one problem with that: "You being here in the future means that you're fated to beat him, but that end-bringer is also fated to beat you. That means that one of these fates is going to be undone, but it's still uncertain whose it will be."

"So now Shizuka-chan has to fight this bad guy or else the world will be doomed?" Sakura's face is showing clear signs of worry, as if it's all of humanity that might die in the upcoming year.

"Eh, it's not exactly a doomed world." Adult Shizuka nonchalantly knocks that idea off, telling instead that it will be the end of an era. "When he succeeds the fifth era will end, and the sixth era will begin. Humanity's resistance against the gods will have to begin anew."

"Fifth and sixth era?" "Resistance against the gods?" There's quite a few bits the time travelers don't understand yet. Shizuka isn't that knowledgeable in magic lore, and the other two have severely outdated knowledge. The one-eyed knight sees the past selves struggling, and offers to give them a short history class on the magic eras:

"Let's begin with the first era. This was when humanity served the gods faithfully, and in their role as slaves of the divine they lived in simple prosperity. This era ended around 3900 BCE, when one human did the impossible: He managed to slay the goddess Ma {6}. Ma, amused by this event, granted part of her power to him and would eventually become the one we know as Pandora." The two younger witches are stunned upon hearing this information. If you could prove this back in their time you would've made a revolutionary breakthrough in modern knowledge of magic. To think that that is the origin of the devil kings!

"Gods, enraged at this transgression, descended and tried to smite this punisher, but all were defeated by this godslayer. He would then unite humanity under him instead of the gods, creating the first known metropolis, Uruk, as a sign of human might. The gods could not allow this, so they banded together to create the first prototype of the devil-king slaying king."

"Sorry to interrupt, but would this be the story of Gilgamesh and Enkidu?" The younglings are somewhat accustomed to this story, so they don't need a retelling of known myth. The adult Fuyuhime nods, telling that this Gilgamesh and Enkidu are indeed the first Campione and Campione-slayer in existence. Instead of continuing their story she continues to the end of the second era:

"Afterwards more kings were born in the second era. It was a wild age, led by godslaying despots who had little care for humanity. For 1500 years this continued, until the god Indra created an avatar of himself that would slay all these demons in human form. The second [King of the End], his name was Arjuna."

"No way…" If Arjuna is the devil king slaying hero, then doesn't that mean that Shizuka's enemy, that warrior of the sun, originated as a…

"Yes way. Our archenemy Karna did not originate as Marduk, but he was originally a Campione like us!"

Fuyuhime negates this interruption, and simply continues talking. "While Arjuna was successful in his quest, he too died to fulfill his goal. The third era started with new devil kings, these somewhat better than those of the previous era. However, they too became a menace in humanity's eyes, so around 1000 BCE the gods create their third anti-Campione god. That one was a success and managed to end the third era."

"And he also ended the fourth era, and is planning to end the fifth as the current [King who Manifests at World's end]." The older king interrupts with a cheery smile, though it's clear that part of it is a façade for seriousness. "Fuyuhime, Sakura, could you tell me what the true name of this god is?"

"Well, we know that he descended in the fifth century and became the origin for king Arthur, and that his story is intricately tied to the Argo, but that's where our knowledge ends…" Fuyuhime goes back, trying to backtrack through history, but she does not have enough information to give the right answer. Sakura too only draws a blank, as neither can form an answer. The current fourth king sees this, and tells them both to refresh their mind and simplify their thinking:

"Don't try to go for a difficult answer. It' quite simple. If people ask for a god-king, they say Zeus or Odin. For a sun deity, they say Ra or Amaterasu. Then who would people think of as the devil-king slaying hero?"

"E-Ehm, wait!" After a few seconds of thinking it's Sakura who comes with an answer. "Wouldn't that be… Vishnu the preserver?" The answer comes out meekly, but it's the correct one.

"That can't be right." Fuyuhime on the other hand tries to go for something else. "It's true that Vishnu had many forms that slew devil kings: Matsya slew Hayagriva, Varaha slew Hiranyaksha, Narasimha slays Hiranyakashipu, Vimana slew Bali and Rama slew Ravana, but this was all before Krishna helped Arjuna slay Karna {7}. Since the tenth avatar Kalki has yet to arrive, the just leaves us with Gautama Buddha. Is he the devil king slayer of legend then?"

"Actually, Sakura is on the right path." The older witch-knight calmly explains why Vishnu is correct. "For the sake of hiding the Campione-slaying hero's identity, Krishna has been made the eighth avatar while he should actually be the seventh. There are also some stories and legends to make this fact seem real, but the truth stays that Karna was slain in 2449 BCE and Ravana in 1068 BCE."

"Then that means that our opponent is Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu." Shizuka can count as well, understanding that if the seventh and eighth switch then the one she's looking for is the legendary Rama. The two of the future nod at this, calling this idea correct.

"This is the god who was created as the undying hero, who will never rest or die until he has slain all devil kings. Bringing a permanent end to him is equal to breaking destiny itself. To beat him, it's no exaggeration that not even all the devil kings in the world would be enough under normal circumstances." The older Fuyuhime seems to be only talking of future doom, but does give some hints on how the invincible lord can be beaten: "But you're a godslayer, a devil king, a Campione. You're probably already making up some plans to obtain victory in this inevitable fight."

It's not wrong what 's said. Shizuka does already have an inkling or two about how to obtain victory. A god that cannot be defeated by Campione, an immortal hero. If she can reverse one, preferable both problematic conditions, then victory will become possible!

Her older self knows what the younger self is thinking about, having had those thoughts before. "Keep the ideas you're thinking about right now. For bypassing Rama's immortality, I would recommend to use one of your peers, the seventh devil king. He is the possessor of Verethragna's [Golden Sword]: A blade that removes the divinity of the gods, thus making them mortal. This might be the only authority amongst your generation of devil kings that can finish that god for good." Considering that blade gets stronger the more the god tries to hide his own identity, it's the most powerful tool to slay Rama with. If several powerful kings can unite alongside a miracle…

A small but wicked smile appears on the younger king's face. Yes, she already has a few plans she wants to set in motion for the future. Her plan is already starting.

-x-

15 May 2094, Kusanagi Tower's room 1501

Yesterday evening was quite peaceful. Dinner was tasty; the evening theatre show, while innovative and fun, was still quite ordinary compared to the shopping; bedtime was early considering she didn't have a good sleep last night. All in all fun but not especially remarkable.

This time Shizuka is getting used to the room's technology, or at least enough that she doesn't make any random kind of movement that suddenly triggers the lights or so. However, just as she thinks she can finally sleep in late she gets rudely awakened by an alarm, startling her out of bed. Looking at the clock she sees that it is exactly half past eight. Yes, it's quite late already, but technically this is a holiday. Can't she at least sleep in a bit?

Apparently not, as a video message appears on the wall in front of her. There she sees her older self's face, that's smirking a bit too much for a so-called "stoic leader". Even though the face is smug and conceited her voice is quite neutral, as the adult Campione calmly tells why Shizuka was awakened so rudely:

"A pleasant morning, my younger self. Sorry for waking you up this early, but in an hour we'll receive an important guest here and I promised to introduce you. If you could prepare yourself and come to the roof before half past nine it would be greatly appreciated. I've already send some maids to your room with breakfast and the clothes you should wear. They should arrive just after you finish your shower."

Right right, it's clear. Shizuka gets out of bed and to the bathroom connected to her room, planning to follow the instructions and take a shower. Just as she finished there was some knocking on the door, probably the maids who bring the clothes and breakfast. It's an amazing level of precision her older self has obtained, it's like her every move is already known.

Breakfast is a nice combination of European and Japanese food, as the miso soup tastes surprisingly well with the bacon and eggs. However, it's the clothing she's really impressed by: A bright sleeveless purple dress that falls to her knees with a wide hem at the bottom, as well as a pair of cobalt blue flats with white ribbons on the toes. Draped over the shoulders is plum-colored short cloak and further accessories consist out of lime green earrings and bracelets, in total giving off a rather regal and refined look.

This is the first moment ever since she started time-travelling that she found an actual good set of clothes. What's more, it seems like this was designed to ensure that movement isn't inhibited, making this both functional and pretty. If there's anything that Shizuka wants to take back home with her it's this set of clothes!

With her mood lightened Shizuka goes to meet with her older self, who is waiting alone on the roof of the tower in equally elaborate clothes. The weather is a bit windy, but overall quite pleasant for mid-May. The duo of kings greet each other, as the younger version asks about this important guest they're expecting.

"I'm expecting to see one of my younger peers today." In other words, a fellow godslayer. "She was quite giddy when I told her that my younger self travelled into the future to this date, and she would love to meet you and see how I was in the past."

"I can't help but wonder: you're quite friendly with this Campione." As far as the kings go that Shizuka knows, relations with them are not… bad, so to say. Gascoigne is a slightly grudgingly partnership even after that debacle, Smith can be considered as a good ally and Doni… well… let's keep it at that Shizuka doesn't want to kill him on sight… yet. However, none of them can be truly called friends, and tensions will escalate easily.

"It's because she's a nice girl in general. If I had to give a reason for why any king can get along with her, I would say that she believes from the bottom of her heart that Campiones should unite together against the gods and lead humanity for the sake of righteousness."

"Ah, right. She's basically a naïve girl who believes in the best of humans." That sounds better than most of the other kings Shizuka knows. No wonder that her older self gets along with such a person.

"No, what you're describing is Madame Aisha. This king is a lot worse than her. She may seem quite normal on the surface, but her actual personality is of a zealot who wants to slay all these "false" gods that do not align with her faith. She just believes that her fellow Campione share the same divine mission."

Shizuka takes back what she said. This girl is simply an insane moron. "Then for what reason are you still friends with someone like her? She doesn't exactly sound like someone we would want to hang out with."

"That's something we agree on. Under normal circumstance I wouldn't be friends with the insane version of Joan of Arc." With a small chuckle the older king averts her gaze from her younger self, temporarily losing herself in thought. "However, for the sake of keeping order in the world she turns out to be quite the useful piece. That, and she looks up to us ever since she learned that I obliterated the devil itself in combat, meaning that that girl is willing to go along with most of my plans."

Wait, what was that part about the devil? Shizuka does not have time to ask about it as a helicopter starts to land on the helipad in front of them, of the same model that was used to transport Shizuka and her friends to the tower.

When the doors of the open Shizuka finds out that she has to correct herself a bit: To call this Campione they are meeting a girl is not quite right, especially considering her size. That king is basically a giant, standing only slightly under two meters tall! While you would expect someone of that height to be quite gangly the "female Campione body rule" kicks in here as well, making this another addition to the list of full-figured kings.

With her long limelime-green hair in ponytail and skintight silvery-white clothes she looks like she came straight out of the cover of a sports magazine. The only part that is not quite as fitting is the huge, almost childish smile on her face, making her look like either a huge optimist or someone not quite right in their head. Considering she slew a god it's most likely the latter.

This king walks over to the young Shizuka, bending over a little to examine her closely. "Then you must be my best friend's past self, the young Kusanagi Shizuka. You know, when your older self showed me your picture I expected you to be somewhat shorter and kid-like. How tall are you?"

Shizuka cannot deny that her face makes her look younger than she really is, though it's a bit hindered by her length. "The last time I checked I stood at 155 cm. If I read your face correctly you were expecting something more in the direction of a head shorter, weren't you." Shizuka's only an inch shorter than the average Japanese girl, but many people who look at her face and thus far underdeveloped body expect that the young Kusanagi has the body of a grade schooler.

"Does it matter? You're still cute anyways!" Shizuka gets a very uncomfortable hug from the French king. Ignoring the fact that Japanese in general dislike such direct contact, the height difference of 39 cm ensures that Shizuka finds her head encased in two oversized lumps of meat, which is not quite as comfortable as mass media wants you to believe.

When Shizuka is finally released the European Campione tells who she is: "My name is Louise Delorme du Lorraine, the fifth devil king and ruler of France and southern Europe. Of course, you can call me Louise. Ah, to think that I get to meet you, still of youthful vigor. When you slew that false goddess you too decided to walk on the path of justice and slay all those who make false claims to the single true position of godhood. Yes, one such as you immediately knew that all those who are evil and of wrong cause need to be exterminated like the filth they are!" Louise continues to ramble on about destiny, justness and faith, while the two Shizuka look at each other with a very tired expression. Their thoughts can be read on their faces:

"I told you she was insane. I recommend that we do not talk anymore about faith or similar things in her presence."

"I knew she was insane, but not this much! Please do something about it!"

"Louise, my friend, did you forget why I called you here? There is something important that needs to be done."

Louise stops talking when she hears her friend talk, and agrees with that. "Yes, let us start that immediately. When I got the emergency call from you I knew that we would strengthen our bonds even further!"

The oldest king claps in her hands and a bunch of servants walk out of the staircase door, one of them carrying a tray with three small transparent flasks. Inside of these flasks is a liquid that looks a bit like mercury. The other two kings take a flask each, and gesture for the youngest king to do the same. The servants start chanting, and a massive magic circle appears on the roof they're standing on.

"When you drink this you'll be instantly teleported to the location of interest. I do feel that it's necessary to warn you that the taste is a bit… strong." With those words said the oldest king amongst the three empties the flask in a single gulp. Her face contorts to show some anguish, before disappearing right before Shizuka's eyes. Louise does the same, though for her the taste is so bad that it makes her fall on a knee before disappearing.

Well, here goes nothing. Shizuka too drinks her portion, and her first impression is that it tastes incredibly bad. Even a natural kitchen disaster would have a hard time creating something equally terrible. But that is not the worst part, as an exceptional sensation of scorching heat spreads from the stomach into the throat and intestines.

It may not be as bad as she felt when dealing the finishing blow to Nu Wa, but this certainly enters the top three. Shizuka collapses to her knees, almost wanting to throw up this abominable drink. When the effects of the drink disappear she can hear loud cheering, as if she were in a gigantic arena.

Looking around her she finds out she really is in a gigantic arena. Thousands of people are watching her and the two other kings stand on sandy floor with a diameter of around 100 meters, as if they were transported back to the past and straight in the Roman Coliseum.

There is only one question left to ask, so why not ask it to her older self: "And what exactly are we doing here?"

"Nothing much. You're going to fight Louise." The words are spoken as if it is but a mere triviality, but they do shock the youngest king.

"Could you repeat that, because I believe you told me to fight your friend here."

"Yes, we're going to have a friendly bout with one another." Louise takes Shizuka's attention, but even though she is about to fight her friendly smile does not leave her face. "When your older self told me that you needed some extra experience before fighting the evil gods in the world, I was glad to help."

Shizuka turns to her older self, but she already fled the scene to a nearby balcony. Four holographic screens pop up in the corners of the arena, each one showing a close-up of future Shizuka's face. That king begins to talk, holding a speech for the audience:

"Welcome everyone to the Kusanagi stadium, all of you who travelled from wide and far to get here! It's the second Saturday of May, meaning that it is time for the annual sports finale festival!" The crowd cheers loudly, indicating that this is apparently something important for these future people. "Baseball, football, tennis, sumo, basketball, kendo and judo. Today there are finals to decide who are the greatest sportsmen in the entirety of Neo-Japan! However, before all that we have a special one-of-a-kind exhibition match between two Campione!"

In other words, Shizuka is just bait, something new to increase the popularity ratings. Since when did the prestigious act of godslaying degrade to ordinary entertainment for the masses?

Louise doesn't seem to mind, and in fact wishes her opponent a good and fair match. She promises that she will handicap herself a bit as she knows what the authorities of the younger version of her friend are, so Louise will not use anything more than her first three authorities, of which she will use one at sub-optimal power. It's not exactly reassuring for Shizuka.

"In one corner is France's Campione: The tall and athletic strongwoman, protector of the faith and guardian of the righteous, who swarms the enemy before striking their fatal flaws: The fifth godslayer, Louise Delorme du Lorraine!" Louise claps in her hands, manipulating the crowd to cheer for her and hope for her victory. She excites the crowds, running half a lap around the arena to eventually ending up on the other side, around seventy meters apart from her opponent but with the larger part of the audience on her side now. It reminds Shizuka a bit too much of certain other sports that this might as well be called the World Godslaying Entertainment.

"As there is no one on earth good enough to challenge her, one king has travelled through time to be here just for the sake of this match. An up-and-coming king who has overthrown the odds many times and is destined for greatness, It is none other than my younger self: Kusanagi Shizuka, version 2013!"

"Of course, my dearest guests, as fights between kings can get dangerous we've done everything to guarantee your safety." As those words are spoken a giant transparent dome covers the sandy floor, forming a barrier between the guests and the fighters. "This barrier is infused with my own power, and is capable of protecting against even the strongest of their blows. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Now, let the battle… begin!"

A loud gong indicates the start of the battle, and Louise doesn't waste any time with summoning her first authority:

"Here I speak as the victor of Rome: Brethren who share my cause, stand steadfast and join me! Fight so that our enemies will never conquer that which we hold dear, and that the immoral empire may last until the end of time!" Louise pumps her left fist into the air, causing a blood-red torch to appear in that hand. The pose she makes while holding the torch makes Shizuka think about the statue of liberty, as Louise too has become a symbol of her ideals. "As the commander of the first cohort, I order you: Fight!"

The air in front of Louise shimmers, and within the blink of an eye an army of sentient armors has been summoned. It's around 500 sets of Roman-styled armor armed with pila, gladii and spathae {8}. The suits are floating in the air, as if this army consists of invisible legionnaires.

The cohort moves towards Shizuka, and with still fifty meters to go they perform their combination attack: Each of them takes their pilum and throws it at the enemy, almost blotting out the sun if you were to look from Shizuka's location.

It's an impressive attack, and even though the of summoning half a thousand soldiers from thin air is impossible for human mages to perform, Shizuka does not exactly fear this attack. It's strong, yes, but not exactly authority-level. If she were to face one of these soldiers she could probably win even when she was still an ordinary kid. Is this the authority performing at suboptimal ability?

Shizuka does not want to waste a stone on those spears, but if she does nothing then the attack might be dangerous. As the heavenly halberd has no battle potential, that leaves only one weapon to counter with: Doni's gift.

Shizuka summons the oversized guitar in, slamming the lower end against the ground. In Shizuka's opinion the biggest problem is that this oversized guitar is useless unless she uses that… transformation. Thinking about it makes Shizuka groan, but using it is necessary. Let's hope the people of the future consider it the newest fashion trend; considering their low standards of beauty it wouldn't be surprising.

Stringing the second snare twice followed by sliding the nut upwards is enough for the transformation to occur. Just in time, as the spears are almost slamming down upon her. Effortlessly Shizuka swings the guitar upwards, with enough power to knock away half of the spears aimed for her specific location. A second sideways swing takes care of the rest, leaving the young king standing in a battlefield of pila.

"It appears to be that our youngest king is a trendsetter! What an outfit that is, combining draconic scaling with powerful grace." The audience seems to eat it up, as Shizuka gets quite the support from the audience in her new form. "Don't forget, after the battle that outfit will be available at all Giku branches for only 32.99 dollars!"

Wait, did her older self set up this fight just so she could make a profit out of it? Ugh, Shizuka can't help but worry if she is destined to become such a despicable scrooge.

There's no more time to lament about her future, as her present is catching up: The army has approached her location, forcing the start of the melee fight.

The army is as protected as one of those Roman battle formations, but Shizuka's weapon is mighty in and of itself: With a single swing three of those warriors turn to dust, her attack unable to be deflected by these automatons. Doni may not have given a manual for the intricate functions of this weapon but it's easy to understand that this weapon makes for a decent bludgeon.

5 swings later, and she has forced a group of fifty back. Another five swings and the soldiers scattered in multiple directions. At the sixteenth swing Shizuka realizes that she is surrounded by the enemy.

This is not how Shizuka wants the battle to go. Among the eight kings of her time she is after Aisha the second-worst physical fighter of them all. Battles are preferably with subordinates or divine beasts at her command, weapons that hurt the enemy while simultaneously protecting the Campione from harm. If this battle were to continue then the army would probably be destroyed, yes, but at what cost? Shizuka would be ragged, tired from fighting in a style unorthodox to her. No, a different battle strategy is needed, something that shifts the tide of battle.

Shizuka summons the stone of wood, which is still missing a day's worth of magic energy. It may be the weakest of all stones she has available, but it should be useful to get rid of these annoying Roman suits and launching a counterattack. "O serpent of nature, smite those who oppose the great king! May their remains be scattered in the winds!"

[Wood] starts to glow in an azure color, and a similar-colored oriental-dragon-shaped blast of energy comes out. The stream of javelins doesn't even compare to this dragon, with a body diameter of seven meters and almost forty meters long. it slithers over the battlefield like a snake at amazing speeds, having enough sentience to pick the path that destroys the largest amount of sentient armors.

After destroying almost two-thirds of Louise's army it finally attacks the commander itself. However, she doesn't seem worried as she uses spell words for another authority:

"By my proof as the divine chosen one, I call upon the usurped powers of the huntress!" Scripture meant for calling upon her first power, what she obtained upon becoming a Campione. "O fake gods, all who hear this verse of mine, mourn and lament at your own helplessness!"

In Louise's free hand a hunting knife appears, a simple tool for skinning animals and preparing food. But the power it gives off is not that of a mere weapon, as the next verse transforms it into a terrifying weapon:

"Serpent of earth and evil, accept your destiny! Be hunted and slain for your own wickedness!" The knife grows quickly in size, turning into a sword as tall as the king wielding it and a width wide enough to function as a makeshift shield. Though in fact, calling this bizarre design a sword is absurd. It's massive; too thick, too heavy, too big and far too rough to be called a sword. Indeed, that thing is more like a heap of raw iron with a handle attached to it.

Despite its massive size and weight Louise is still able to lift it in the air with a single hand, holding it ready for an overhead slash. The blast of energy closes in rapidly, until it's only a meter away from consuming Louise's body.

Louise swings the sword downwards, right through the middle of the dragon blast. Even though the sword should not reach further than two meters the entire forty meters of dragon is cut in two, causing the two halves to fall to the sides like it were some sloppily-cut fish and disappear. Shizuka's attack wasn't even being able to touch its prey, leaving Shizuka to wonder just what the hell that weapon is.

It cut through a blast of energy that would be enough to swallow and obliterate a row of houses, and caused the blast to dissipate before it could do any damage. The only thing her stone was successful at was destroying a large part of her opponent's army, even though there are still fifty sets left.

"My friend, I can see your confusion about my authority." Louise seems as serene as ever, eerily looking through Shizuka. "Here, let me tell you about the power granted upon me by slaying the false goddess Arduinna {10}. This blade of mine is the ultimate hunting tool of ever-changing forms, easily capable of slaying even the most powerful of foes. Yes, in the right form even a single strike would be enough to obtain victory over my opponent."

That's basically the sister sword to Doni's [Rippling Arm of Silver]! To think that not even time will prevent Shizuka from meeting with that absurd blade!

"King of the east, remember your mortality. I hereby relieve you of your duties, Requiescat in pace!" Those last three words mean rest in peace, and it doesn't take a genius to understand what that means. The gigantic sword turns into a handful of throwing knives, each coated in a sickly purple color. Poison, likely specifically made to kill the very kings themselves.

With a single flick of the hand she throws the knives, enhanced with some form of martial arts that makes these knifes fly at the speed of bullets. It's only Shizuka's beast-like reflexes and enhancements from Doni's weapon that keep her from being hit. What's more, even though Louise has thrown several barrages her hand doesn't seem to empty anytime soon. She can easily throw twenty knives a second with a single hand, a logic not understandable by normality.

The battle has turned into one of those bullet-storm games, with the remaining warriors trying to block off Shizuka's movement so one of these knives can leave a hit. Shizuka tries to close in, but doing so increases the knife density and thus the likelihood she'll get hit by one of these murderous blades.

A new tactic is needed: Something is needed that is swift enough to dodge that weapon authority of hers yet still be fine if Louise gets a hit in. Agility and recovery, a few months ago she used something similar that will work perfectly again:

"Oh fire, descend from the heavens! Guardian of kings, ruler of birds! Your name is Feng Huang!" That phoenix she summoned during her fight with divine ancestor Guinevere is not the most powerful form of her fire, but it is the most agile and sustainable form she can think of. It's perfect to continue the fight and force the enemy into making mistakes. "Protector of the south, wielder of the vermillion flames, your name is Suzaku! Immortal bird who rises from his ashes, the absolute symbol of renewal! Your name is Phoenix!"

The ground in front of Shizuka grows black and starts to burn, and from it the fake phoenix is born once more. It lets out a shrill screech, and flies up in the air to start launching barrages of fire on this king and her minions.

The audience however falls silent, as quite the number of them cringe at this choice of Shizuka. The young king doesn't understand why they do so, until Louise uses her third authority:

"Divine beast, at last you went to seek out the company of creatures, who feed on grass and visit the watering ranges. But seeing you, they fled." Scripture from the most ancient poem on earth has been turned into a powerful authority! "You that loved to range the hills are now unable to follow; In the mind of the wild beast there is beginning a new understanding; Bewilder, turn and find solace in my company!"

The firebird stops with his attacks, and looks unsure of what to do. Shizuka notes in horror that the bond between herself and the bird disappeared, and she cannot unsummon this beast. She can't even unsummon her stone of fire! The phoenix descends in front of Louise and bows down, accepting the French king as its new master. With aggressive eyes it turns to Shizuka, who now has to deal with a king using an all-hunting weapon, a giant flaming bird and an regiment of animated suits of armor, with only three stones left.

This is not going to be fun.

-x-

{1} Chikyu: There are thirteen different species of kitsune, of which the Chikyu species is earth-based and can burrow in mud or sand to heal itself or power itself up, as well as performing some earthbending.

{2} Jaaku na Gunsen: Meaning "War Fan of Wickedness", unlike with the introduction of Chishuuha I explained it's general abilities in this chapter, meaning that there's not much to add.

{3} Kita telah menemukan mereka & Cepat! Bawa mereka kembali!: The former means "We have found them!" and the latter is "Quickly, bring them back!"

{4} Supay: Incan god of death and ruler of the underworld. While associated with the devil, he's also the one to invoke for successful mining adventures.

{5} AR-technology: Stands for augmented reality, and is when computer-generated input is added to the existing physical environment. Differs from virtual reality that completely replaces the real world with a virtual one.

{6} Ma: An old Anatolian goddess associated with the earth, and one of the oldest-known deities who fits the earth-mother archetype.

{7} All those names of Vishnu's avatars: The names are from the first, third, fourth, fifth and seventh avatars respectively, along with the devil king belonging as theirr major enemy.

{8} Pila, gladii and spathae: The pilum is a Roman heavy javelin meant to be thrown and pierce shields, the gladii is the standard Roman short sword and the spathe is the late-Roman longsword.

{9} Arduinna: French goddess of the Ardennes region, represented as the huntress riding a boar. In later times she was associated with the Roman goddess Diana.

-x-

Right, I guess this is a pretty controversial chapter, so let's try to clean up the mess I made by explaining it all:

First, the time-travel. I think that I've explained this one good enough in story, but there's just one point I want to note: Plutarch is not a god, let alone omnipotent. Since it's mentioned in-story that he's the force preventing Aisha from travelling to the future my theory of multiple time-travel is still plausible.

Secondly, about Shizuka playing video games like RPG's? Yeah, that one's canon. If I may quote from volume 6: "Just like a warrior in a RPG can consume MP to use a finishing move? Godou recalled the games that Shizuka played and tried to imagine."

Lastly, about the newest king. Louise is a creation for which I should give one of the fans extra credit for, since she is for the most part created by him around a year ago. Give an applause for Battleking and his imagination! Of course, to keep the content of this chapter a secret I had to insinuate a few things, like that the time-travelling would bring Shizuka to around the year 1400 and stuff.

Anyway, about Louise: She's the answer to the question "Is it possible to make a religious Campione?" As for her theme, it's [Crusading Knight Templar]. Named after the famous order, her authorities allow her to raise an army on faith, baptizing evil to her cause, and exorcising all that is not angelic. As the authorities are costly in use, she's required to raid her surroundings to sustain her own power and mana. The three authorities used are listed below:

[Hunter or Hunted]:

The authority obtained when Louise slew her first god, the Gaelic huntress Arduinna.

Using this authority summons a hunting knife in her right hand, that by its nature is super effective against beasts of the forest. A single swing of the knife would be enough to cleave something like Godou's [Boar] in two, though it is barely better than a normal knife against something other than beasts of the forest.

The weapon can transform on Louise's command into a large variety of hunting weapons, each with different properties. Anti-dragon, anti-human, anti-bird, anti-Campione; If it's sentient and not of angelic nature, the hunting weapon can deal massive damage against it.

[War Goddess Blessing]:

A year or so after Louise became a king she travelled to Rome to obtain permission from the pope to create a new crusade to free the middle-east from all those infidels living there. However, the Roman goddess of war and protector of Rome was less than pleased with these Catholics living there and went against Louise. Louise won, and thus gained this authority.

She raises her left arm to summon a torch with blood-red flames in it. This allows her to summon a cohort of living armor, consisting of 480 sets of roman battle armor with spears, shields, swords, sandals and plumed helmets. While the warriors are only as dangerous as a low-level mage on their own, when there is someone of the same fate as Louise nearby they will instead equip the armor, boosting even ordinary people to the level of great knights.

When Louise drops the torch, stops raising her left hand or moves away from the enemy the authority is immediately unsummoned and cannot be summoned again until she revisits a church and listens to a full sermon.

[Bringer of Civilization]:

A year or four after getting her second authority Louise has been happily slaughtering innocent infidels in the middle east, much to the dismay of the goddess Shamat. Upon learning that that goddess is quite literally the origin of the "whore of Babylon" and the first well-documented prostitute a battle was inevitable between zealot and whore, which Louise won.

This authority lets her charm and tame divine beasts, forcing them to fight for Louise's side as she can command their actions. This even works on divine beasts who serve others, making them switch allegiance.

When this authority is activated the original owner of the divine beast cannot unsummon his former subject, but the mana cost of keeping the beast materialized in the world switches to Louise.

Louise must actively single out each divine beast she tames, so this authority is not very effective against the likes of [Locust Swarm] or [Legions of hungry wolves]. Campione or gods who transform themselves into divine beasts, like Voban's werewolf form, are unaffected by this authority.