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?

15. Arc 5-2:

On the podium, a flat platform on the first tier of the arena, the adult Kusanagi Shizuka took a seat to watch the fight between Louise and her younger self. It's no wonder she chose this place, as from here you have the best overview of the battle. There are four seats in total on this section, and each is in use: Other than the fourth king there are her own follower Fuyuhime and the two companions of her past self. Together they watch the fight, though a few questions spring in mind of the younger witches there:

"Why are you doing this again?" As awe-inspiring as this battle is, having just witnessed the massive turnabout of Louise by stealing that phoenix, there must be some point in this all. This Shizuka of the future may be a bit money-obsessed, but to sell out herself and a friend for mere promotion is something that goes too far even for this devil king.

"The reason is similar for both: these two are sorely in need of training." The adult king minces no words, and simply points out the problem. "My past self is a devil king indeed, with a few accomplishments behind her name, but out of the eight of her timeline I consider her the worst by a long shot. If I had to point out her major weakness it's that she doesn't take her kingship seriously, seeing it more as an interesting toy to sometimes use and play with. It reflects in her authority, allowing her to be versatile but unable to last for long durations."

Kusanagi Shizuka, at least the younger version, is still incomplete as a devil king. Just like Kusanagi Godou's incompleteness showed by his disability to call upon his powers unless he's in an emergency, so too does his younger sister's incompleteness show by her only able to use her powers as a king five times a week. Where Godou already improved immensely and can be considered to have outgrown most of his weaknesses, Shizuka is not there yet. This battle is the first step on the path to improvement.

"As I was in 2013, my abilities were meant to be unleashed in a burst: strong enough to quickly overpower the enemy, but after ten minutes of full use I would run dry. It's useful against gods who fight by maintaining a constant power output, but someone who can dish out just as much damage as [Philosopher's Stones] for a longer period would have me beat. Louise has the same fighting style as me, but her 12 years of experience as a king and multiple authorities allow her to keep the power up for far longer."

"I see." That makes sense. Force someone out of their comfort zone to increase it. It's a valid tactic that has been used several times in history for similar purposes. The younger duo understands what the future king wants to do. However, the actual plans behind Shizuka's training is two-fold:

"Other than that, I also had a bad habit of relying on others to get things done. I would summon mighty beasts to my side, or empower followers like you. If I had to attack myself I would always try to do so from a distance, using a manner of ranged tricks to attack. If I got caught in close combat without a plan I would be at a major disadvantage, as seen in my first battle with Doni."

"And Louise-chan has shown a counter to both of Shizuka-chan's techniques." The observation is correctly noted by Sakura, who is getting a bit worried about her friend and niece. There are two devil kings fighting down there, and she is unable to help her friend fighting there. It pains her quite a bit.

Now that it is clear what the reason for Shizuka fighting is, the question shifts to why the opposition is fighting: "Then how about Louise? You said that this is training for her too." Fuyuhime asks about the second warrior, and it's her future self who gives the answer:

"Louise is a lot like Shizuka was in the past, though she has had more time to overcome her weaknesses. However, she is in general used to fighting as the underdog, and this is I believe the first time she's standing in a superior position. I guess you could say that it's like a Trueno racer that normally goes against an FD3S and the like suddenly forced in a match against a Cappuccino {1}."

This simile caused a rather unique situation. For once the almost almighty-looking Campione looks perplexed, bewildered even. "I… what… I don't understand. What are you talking about?"

"That's okay. The important part is that the one who needs to understand comprehends this, and looking at her face I would say that was a success."

The younger Fuyuhime cheeks blush red, and she hangs her head in shame. "I can't believe I understood that. What is wrong with me to be so affected by these bad influences?!" Still embarrassed about her knowledge Fuyuhime tries her best to appear as small as possible, even if the only person knowing what she means is herself.

It is Sakura who brings everyone back on track. Something seems to be happening on the battlefield, and those viewing the fight should not be missing it.

Though it's not because the battle is such an even match between two superpowered people. No, this seems more like a punishment, with every move on Shizuka's part countered.

That which Shizuka can summon is baptized to serve the enemy, and whatever isn't is cut in two by that magic weapon of Louise. Worst of all, while Shizuka cannot use any minions Louise has no problem with unleashing her army on the godslayer of the past.

Ugh, what options are left? Think think think! What can counter this enemy? What can still be done?

Shizuka is lost in her own thoughts for a second or two, and Louise happily takes that opportunity to launch a dangerous attack: A large stream of fire from the stolen phoenix comes from behind Shizuka, while Louise throws daggers infused with poison fatal even to kings from the front. The sides are cut off by most of the remaining armors, who plan to strike Shizuka with their weapons. An omnidirectional attack meant to bring great harm, dodging is no easy feat!

Shizuka did not become a king through superior skills and athletics like that Italian idiot, so she needs to use her power to dodge. With [Earth] she summons a defensive stone cage around her, blocking every attack thrown at her.

This barrier is nice and all, but defense alone is a bad strategy. Shizuka throws out her magic power to fully release the power of earth, sending out a shockwave all around her to make spear-shaped rods of stone fly in every direction.

It's a desperate attack, shot without aim and done as a last hope. Not even a third of the fragments goes in the direction of an enemy, and those that do are dodged by both king and bird. The only upside is that almost all the remaining magic soldiers have been wiped out by this attack.

One unharmed enemy godslayer, one unharmed phoenix and a dozen or so animated armors. To beat that Shizuka only has two stones left, [Metal] and [Water]. The odds are incredibly against the younger king, and her feelings are palpable by the entire audience:

Those watching this fight are murmuring, wondering why the young Shizuka is performing so badly. Some are even booing at the young king, or simply shouting Louise's name. Everyone in the arena is on the side of Louise. That in combination with the flow of battle gives Shizuka only a single feeling:

Despair.

There is no other word to describe her feelings, as she is at an absolute low point in her mental career. Everything fails. No matter who or what she summons, Louise is a natural counter to it. No allies, no subordinates, no friends, no minions, nobody and nothing is on her side.

For the first time in her entire life, Shizuka is alone.

True, Shizuka may have done stuff herself before. She fought against Nu Wa completely alone, for example. However, she was always able to use others to gain advantages, like setting a dragon and turtle to fight each other. But this here, this enemy? Louise is too idiotic to be swayed by words, and too strong to be defeated by creatures. There is nothing to use, nobody to influence. The army has deserted, the treasury is almost empty, not a single tactic is left. If this were a real battle, this would be the end of Kusanagi Shizuka the devil king.

This battle is lost. What can she do now?

…

"Hah…" What can she do? "Hahaha…" It really is stupid now that Shizuka thinks about it. "Hahahahahahahaha!" Shizuka starts to throw her head back and laugh, like an insane maniac. The audience seems to back off a little from the lunatic, and even Louise flinches, accidentally taking a step back. This causes the few remaining suits of armor to disappear, though the dozen or so that were left didn't have much of an impact left anyway.

What can she do? It's not the word "do" that should be stressed, it's the "she" that needs to be accentuated. She! Herself! If you've got nobody around you, then you need to rely on yourself! In the multiple months of her kingship, it is now that she first thinks of it? Maybe that description of devil kings is right, all devil kings are huge morons!

Enlightenment has been reached. Shizuka's mind is clear. To create the path of victory, it's once again possible!

"O metal, descend from the heavens!" One of the two remaining stones left, alongside [Water]. The black stone appears next to Shizuka, brimming with power ready to be used. This stone holds power over many things: Steel, ice, glass and gems; All potentially useful, but what is important for Shizuka is its control over movement. Something like the black prince used, but without unnecessary lightning effects.

"Fear the one with speed of lightning. One makes a hundred steps in a single moment, a hundred thoughts in a single blink. Faced with swiftness beyond measure, all of you stand still before me!"

Acceleration and slowing down. Shizuka's body accelerates, and the rest all slows down. From Shizuka's perspective, it's almost as if time has stopped. Only some miniscule movements from Louise and the phoenix indicate that she did not stop time.

Shizuka lifts the battle guitar in her hand with only a single hand. For some reason the weapon seems light, even disregarding the effects her armoresque clothing has. It's like she's lifting a pebble or something of equal weight. It's so light that when thrown in the air it easily flies a meter of ten in the air, even though Shizuka only intended to throw it half a meter.

In a slight panic Shizuka jumps after the guitar, and find that the instrument isn't the only thing that has become super light: She easily jumped the ten meters into the air, and landing from that height does not give any trouble.

Super speed and a light body… that might be even better than what she originally wanted!

She runs at the phoenix, planning to use [Metal] to destroy her own [Fire]. She runs forwards, until she's is right under the phoenix. The beast has noticed that its former master is underneath, and fireballs are generated in response. But it's too slow. Generating that fire goes way too slow from Shizuka's perspective.

A single jump, aimed towards this oversized bird. Shizuka puts the guitar in front of her, its head aimed like a speartip at the enemy. The bird has no time to react, and suffers a direct hit.

The pressure on the bird's chest can be determined with simple physics: Pressure is attacking mass times the impact velocity, divided by the duration and area of impact multiplied. While the area of the attack is rather big, and Shizuka doesn't really weigh that much, her current speed is so high and time of impact so low that an enormous amount of pressure is applied the body of the bird. It is enough to pierce straight through the enemy, causing the bird to fall to the ground with a final shriek. It desolves into fiery particles, and Louise's connection with the beast is finally severed.

1 down, and 1 more to go. Shizuka sprints towards Louise, planning to do the same thing she did to that bird.

"Godspeed, huh?" Louise looks a bit worried, though the smile still isn't from her face. In fact, it changed into a goofy, almost childish grin. "Not a bad tactic, but I'm afraid that it's not really effective against the likes of me!" The weapon in Louise's hand shifts, turning from a set of throwing daggers into a jagged sword used to skin human flesh.

Shizuka sees this change, but does not give it much mind. The weapon that is used should not change the outcome that much.

Indeed, a normal person would be completely defeated by godspeed like this. However, Louise is a devil king, and not just one relying on wild instincts. There's a reason her first authority takes the form of a weapon.

From Shizuka's perspective Louise's movement seems slow and stiff, similar to lag from someone playing online games on a low-end computer. However, in a split-second Louise's sword goes from at her side to next to Shizuka's guitar, ready to parry.

A technique to counter godspeed. It's not that uncommon in the world of gods and kings. Both Salvatore Doni and Luo Hao have mastered this ability, as well as a myriad of war gods. It's not surprising that someone like Louise knows this ability as well.

Louise can almost feel the shock on Shizuka's face. Any other king would be wary of using godspeed without a back-up plan. After all, if it couldn't be countered than the likes of Alexandre Gascoigne would've ruled the entire earth. It's Shizuka's naivety and inexperience that let her make such a foolish mistake as this. One parry and Shizuka's body is wide open to be slashed into pieces. With this it is over!

The flat of the blade pushes the guitar to the side, making Shizuka's final attack useless. However, Shizuka is giving a cocky smile instead of a radiating fear, and a sharp stinging in her hand tells Louise why:

"Electricit-aargh!" This kid! Seeing the blue stone next to Shizuka is a clear indication of that an immense dose of electricity has been charged into this guitar, and by touching that guitar it has all been released, coursing through her body towards the ground

Incredible pain, incomparable to anything Louise has ever felt before. Muscle spasms and heart pains indicate that it's effective against Louise, this electricity must have an amperage high enough to make ordinary humans spontaneously combust if they would touch this guitar.

After a few painful seconds the electricity turns into a small explosion, the shockwave powerful enough to send Louise flying.

Louise doesn't stand up, this attack having been too much to handle. Shizuka cancels her godspeed, and sees in normal time that her older self on that balcony declares this a victory for the younger Shizuka.

"Everyone who has gathered here, I would like to thank you for witnessing this exhibition match. We have seen here a match between us Campione, and the powers they wield. Victory goes to the time-traveler, my past self: Kusanagi Shizuka!"

The crowd cheers at this interesting fight, and the spectating king continues with the speech. However, it all fades away for the young combatant, as the godspeed proved to be a very dangerous technique: Blood vessels in her body have popped, some bones are broken, and a few of her organs are failing due to overuse. Honestly, she might die from this all.

The only thing that is keeping Shizuka from going into coma is some sort of mysterious energy healing her, coming from the speech that her future self is giving. Is that also some kind of authority? Shizuka doesn't exactly know, but the warm feeling it gives off ensures that she will be fine. With a final thought that all will be okay, she falls unconscious.

-x-

Outside the boundaries of time and space, Netherworld.

When Shizuka opens her eyes, she finds herself standing in a world of grey. It's the same place as where she was 80 years ago, or 4 months if looking at it from Shizuka perspective. The Netherworld, also known as the boundary of life and immortality.

It's also the place where the memories of the void is located, which is holding back some data that Shizuka is currently retrieving through arriving in this place. There's especially one crucial piece of information that makes Shizuka scream in agony upon remembering:

"Damn! How could I forget that Onii-chan is a Campione?" The sibling duo of superhumans, Shizuka's lack of magical training prevented her from keeping the memories obtained in this plane. "To think that something of such grave importance could be forgotten, I really am still lacking if I let something like happen."

"Well, it's not that bad, right?" A sweet and loving voice comes from behind her, and Shizuka instantly recognizes it. "Besides, aren't there other things you should focus on, it's not like the two of us can meet that often."

"I cannot argue with that. Nice to meet you again… mother." Pandora, the all-knowing, as well as the one who has adopted all the godslayers. Sure, she isn't Shizuka's real mother and calling her as such is still a bit awkward, but considering how little contact she has with her real mom means that Pandora doing a good job beating the real one.

"So, how about you try to turn around? You've now had some experience with the world of magic, so you should be able to move in this world now. Your dear maman does have a little surprise for you."

Shizuka is not really interested in the surprise, but it is important to try to see if she can move again. With great effort she tries to turn around, but it's like her body is made from rusty iron. Taking what feels like a minute she finally manages to see Pandora, giving Shizuka one of the biggest surprises in her life:

"Why is your hair rainbow-colored?" Not just that, the colors are constantly fluctuating, going over the spectrum of light until purple turns into red again and the cycle continues. It's rather… uncanny, though it does seem to fit with the current trends down on earth.

"Tadah!" Pandora on the other hand seems to want to show off her looks, as if it's something super special. "I've decided to go with the flow, just improve my image a bit. Times are changing, and when you… future you, I mean, offered me this gift to celebrate our mother-daughter bond I gracefully accepted. I also received some clothes, but to be honest I think that they look rather tacky. Do you want to see those too?"

"If they're anything like the modern fashion of today I'm afraid I will pass as well." Greek togas beat future fashion disasters, it's a fact that should be taught in school so that something as terrible as this future will not happen again.

"Then I guess that mommy dearest will stick with how she looks now." Pandora turns slightly more serious, and changes the topic. "But I'm getting a bit off topic. Shizuka, I saw how difficult it was for you to turn around. Have you been studying your magic properly?"

"Ehm…" Honestly? Not really, no. The world of magic, and all its spells, is mainly a hobby, something to read through. After all, of all the spells in the world eighty percent can be copied by her authority, and ninety percent of the remaining ones aren't that useful for a godslayer. Even then learning the magic and learning to control it takes a lot of work, time that can also be spend on school or friends… or those random gods that show up for no reason. In general, Shizuka is hopelessly behind schedule, she hasn't even done a quarter of what she wanted.

Pandora can read enough about Shizuka to know how bad the situation is. "See? Because you cannot control your own magic energy you have trouble moving here. I would say that you can only remember a tenth of the things happening here at best." Emitting a small sigh Pandora starts to release her uneasiness, and goes back to her bubblier self. "But who cares. Just visit mommy often enough, and maybe you will eventually remember everything!"

Pandora hugs her child, who is rather uncomfortable with this level of close contact. It may be normal for Grecians, but it sure isn't for the more closed-off Japanese.

When the two young women come loose from one another Shizuka thanks her adoptive mother, but does come with a question. It's a perfect question for the so-called woman who knows everything: "Say, mother, is this future also mine? Will I eventually become her, that world-influencing Campione with a terrible sense of fashion?"

"Who knows?" Huh, so even the all-knowing mother doesn't know the answer. "The other person is certainly you, having experienced the same events in her youth. However, with all this time-travelling of Madame Aisha the future is becoming a lot looser."

"So… it might not end up like this at all?"

"Well, there is Plutarch, who writes down the future of the world. Changing what he writes is equal to opposing destiny." Shizuka is somewhat saddened by those world, but Pandora wasn't finished: "But don't forget that in this timeline my children finally managed to put an end to the [Divine Sword of Salvation], which is equal to opposing the will of the world. You're a devil king, dear, a Campione! You shouldn't be bothered by silly things like destiny, fate, or anything else that stands in your way. Just remember one thing: You can chzzzt-"

Static, a sign that Shizuka is about to log out from this plane. "Aww, leaving bzzz soon? Oh well, just remember to follow kzzt path, and you'll find what you wtzzz."

Shizuka tries to give a final, somewhat painful nod, but her body has already turned rigid, unable to move in this domain between life and death. The other words of Pandora turn into a mess, and her vision pixelates into fog. She can barely see Pandora waving goodbye before the world turns black.

-x-

16 May 2094, early afternoon, the younger Shizuka's bedroom.

Fear.

Absolute terror.

Science will call fear a human survival instinct. Whenever met with something dangerous or unexpected it will kick in to ensure self-preservation, activating your flight response so you don't linger around danger. Only fools like Campione can call themselves with the moniker of "fearless".

Shizuka cannot call herself fearless. She has been in a lot of bizarre and dangerous situations, and there was always a bit of fear there in the back of her consciousness. However, her drive and willpower are usually able to don't let fear get the better of her emotions and actions. The moment you wake up is not one where you've gathered a lot of drive, and you're generally a bit more sluggish. Because of this there was nothing Shizuka could do but scream when the first thing she saw after waking up is that insane Frenchie lying on top of her, her smiling face only a few inches separated from Shizuka's:

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

After a second or two Shizuka starts to calm down from this jumpscare, and tries to logically think it through. Why on earth would Louise be lying on top of Shizuka, who until now was just asleep? Well… the answer is… not a clue. This makes no sense, why is Louise here?

Shizuka asks, and immediately receives answer. "Obviously, this ward is meant for the injured to rest. As we were both heavily injured after our match, it only makes sense that we are resting together!"

Shizuka turns her head, and sees that she is indeed not in her own room, but in what appears to be a hospital room with two beds. Considering that the other one is empty with traces of someone recently having slept in it means that it's clear that Shizuka is now a temporary roommate of Louise.

Oh, what a joy to share a room with this idiot.

Ignoring the woman on top of her Shizuka decides that now is a good time to get a feel for how much time has passed since the duel. She concentrates on her power, trying to get a feel how full her stones are. If it's been a day or so, the stones should be filled only fo-why are the stones completely full?

"Louise, how long did I sleep?!" Shizuka is panicking, fearful that the worst has come to pass. If the stones are full, then a full week or more has passed. If that's true, then what happened to the full moon with which she was supposed to return home? "Has it already been the twentieth of May?!"

"Don't worry, it's still the sixteenth." Those words calm Shizuka, and for the first time the young king is grateful of her peer. Said peer is also quite capable of guessing why Shizuka freaked out like that: "My friend, did you try to measure the cooldown on your authority to determine how much time has passed? It's normally a good method, but your future self holds an authority that makes such methods unreliable."

Louise gets off of Shizuka and sits back down on her own bed. With some excited hand gestures she explains [Achtung, Baby!], an authority that Kusanagi Shizuka will obtain later in life. How it can restore the health, magic power and authority cooldowns of a single person. It's an authority that can only be used once a month with a bit of preparation, but now it was used on Shizuka.

"It's also why you are uninjured, my friend, while my body is completely sore."

No, merely sore is not the good word for Shizuka: burn marks, frost bite, several wounds that are still being stitched; "Wait, does that mean that I'm the one who inflicted all those injuries?" Shizuka does remember that she knocked out Louise, but it should not have been that bad, right?

Louise remembers what exactly happened, the part that the younger Kusanagi Shizuka did not remember but the elder one certainly does:

With both sides unconscious the last king remaining is planning to send in the medics. The other two are quite hurt even though one of her authorities, [Achtung, baby!], was used to patch up her younger self. But this is good. The audience seems to have enjoyed the match, and both devil kings have learned a lesson out of this match. Now, it's just time for the cleanu-

"Death. Decay. Destruction." It seems that Louise has woken up. However, her eyes are glazed and her movements are unnatural. "I am the venom born from the void of the world, the one dwelling in dirt and poverty. Those who preside on wealth, you blessed ones of Lakshmi, prepare yourself for the one presiding on sorrows!"

Blue streams of energy stream from everything in the surroundings, the corpses in the arena decaying much quicker than usual. The energy streams into Louise, whose wounds are slowly healing.

This is Louise's fourth and final authority, obtained from the Hindu goddess Nitrti {2}. A promise was made between the two future devil kings that this authority would be kept hidden from the general public and only used in the greatest emergencies. This is not such a moment, so there's only one explanation left for the adult Kusanagi Shizuka:

"Oh crap, she just went absolutely berserk. Sigh, not again." After suffering from devastating blows this woman will shut off her mind, becoming a machine purely meant for killing. It's not the first time the future Shizuka has dealt with it, but she did hope that last time would be her last. Ugh, this is making the situation so much more complicated.

"Fuyuhime, take care of evacuating the audience. I don't have the energy to spare to keep up this barrier while knocking my kin out cold. Also, make sure that it's unlikely my past self finds out about this fight." The older Fuyuhime complies, and with swift moments she knocks both her past self and past Sakura out. That should prevent them from whistle-blowing.

"I'll be going now, Shizuka. Take care." With that said Fuyuhime leaves the podium, giving the older Shizuka time to make a small speech:

"People of the audience, it would appear that one of our participants has gone berserk. I would ask of you all to calmly evacuate the arena and take a small break, and come back in twenty minutes when the rest of the program is in action. Staying to watch the suppression is allowed, but note that this is at your own risk. The barrier protecting you from the devil king's attack will not be maintained during the suppression."

Most of the audience quickly leaves the stadium, though there are also some people staying to watch. It's their choice to make. Seeing all that Shizuka chants spell words to summon a long golden cape with red embroidery, the power it radiates indicating it's some authority. The fourth king jumps down into the arena, and the magic wall around the battlefield starts to flicker. Within a minute that power will run dry, and this authority will affect all the humans who watched this match. Hundreds, if not thousands would die.

"In other words, I've got exactly one minute to knock you out, Louise." Shizuka puts the cape she summoned on her younger self, causing the blue energy stream between the two younger kings to be broken. With herself secured, it's time to go in for the kill. "Louise, I know that you'll be able to remember this, so keep what happened here silent. I'm about to show you how someone should really use the [Philosopher Stones]."

Louise charges at her foe, chanting spell words of power to summon the ultimate weapon for Slaying Kusanagi Shizuka. The other devil king has spell words of her own to counter:

"Energy of down below, hearth of the planet, the capsule of power. Erupt and engulf that which opposes me!"

The sand underneath Louise turns red, heating up quickly and melting down. Basically the entire arena, except for the place that the two Shizukas stand on, has been turned into a field of lava. This is the children's game "the floor is lava" made reality, all courtesy of the power of [Earth] that manipulates rocks and sand.

To prevent damage to her feet Louise jumps upwards, planning to use a magic spell like [Leap] to go to the older Shizuka's location. That cannot be allowed, so Shizuka switches from [Earth] to [Fire] to manipulate the heat of the flames: "Flames, gaze upwards! Imprison the enemy, prevent their escape!"

Columns of flame arise from the Lava, forming a maze around Louise that quickly turns into a prison around her. With this all directions but upwards have been sealed off. However, it's clear to Louise that that direction is a trap. Spell words change her sword of Campione-slaying into a blade of water and ice, meant to quell the flames around her. With a single swing Louise opens a hole in her prison, making these flames pointless.

"Burning wind, bring change! An order to the north, a request calling the west, a demand from the south, a behest of the east! The ways of the air are mine to command!"

[Wood] has been used to summon a mighty wind from all directions, turning the flaming pillars into a gigantic maelstrom. The hole Louise cut out has disappeared, being forced on the defensive to not get hurt by random streams of fire. The air is hot enough that tiny clear blisters appear over Louise's face, a sign that this magical heat is enough to give a Campione heat rash.

Even so the younger king does not give up the fight, as she manages to keep up her defense. Leaning from past experience she knows that this level of power cannot be kept up for that long, meaning that when there's even the smallest exhaustion in Shizuka's power Louise can take advantage of it.

"O Thunder, o lightning." Above Louise Shizuka has appeared, standing on a platform generated by magic. Now with the stone of [Water] at her side, she's planning another attack. "The raging tempest, the bellowing storm, obey my heed and strike down my foes!"

A massive stream of thunder flows down through the eye of the tornado, strong enough to severely damage Louise, perhaps even enough to kill. It flows down with divine speed, crashing down at whatever is in the way. It's strength and speed are sufficient to wound even the greatest of gods, and the flaming surroundings permit no escape.

Too naïve, Kusanagi Shizuka! Did you not learn from watching your younger self that godspeed is nothing more than a parlor trick before a seasoned warrior? With a single spell of [Leap] Louise manages to barely graze this spell of lighting, before using another to leap at her opponent at high speeds.

Shizuka has no defense against this. In a single fluid movement Louise has cut Shizuka in two, the power of her authority creating tons of other cuts on the older king's body. On Kusanagi's forehead a glowing third eye appears, just before her body shatters like glass. With this, the battle is ove-

"The queen of winter proclaims her rule: All that does not bend to her will shall wither and die."

That voice!

Louise quickly turns her head around, finding her opponent still alive and standing a few feet away from her.. How did she-there's no way the stones were able to bring her back from the back like that!

The smirk on Shizuka's triumphant face is enough to tell Louise that she had just been tricked. Shizuka used another authority to survive, and is using the final stone of her first authority to cast another spell! Louise doesn't have the time for a spell with which to attack or disengage, as Shizuka finishes her chant: "Come, you insolent, and I shall grant you a cold grave!"

Shizuka aims her palm at Louise, and a massive blizzard springs forth. Louise tries to escape, but finds her movement slowed quickly by the storm. After a second her body stops responding to her will, quickly gathering a layer of ice around it. The murderous intent Louise had disappears, as well as all her other thoughts. She's going to be knocked out for a while.

The block of ice falls down to earth, and Shizuka dismissed all authorities other than the last one. She lands gracefully on the arena floor, next to her enemy who landed less gracefully. With a final flicker the barrier of the area sizzles out, meaning that Shizuka won just in time. The blue stream of energy from Louise's authority has stopped, meaning that the area is safe once more.

"Yes, I guess that no matter how many years Kusanagi Shizuka has been a slayer of the false gods, she will always be like an angel on the battlefield."

Normally this is where Shizuka would press the other person into revealing more information. However, for once she is hesitant to continue. Louise is not quite… sane, after all, and questioning her would lead to ramblings of at least a dozen minutes. The current hypothesis is that everytime Louise is opening her mouth it temporarily lowers the IQ of everyone who can hear her.

A voice interrupts the duo of godslayers, meaning that Louise does not have the time to speak. Whoever produced this miracle, Shizuka is truly grateful!

"I see that you two are awake again, and in quite the good shape." Standing in the doorway is none other than Koudzuki Sakura… right? Shizuka can't exactly put a finger on it, but from the way Sakura speaks, walks and stands the meekness she always had has decreased, so to say.

"Sakura-chan, come in, come in. It's good to see you again, what exactly happened while I was away?" Even so, it's good to have a friend in the room. Louise doesn't count. Now here is someone who can reliably tell her what was missed.

"Nothing much, nothing at all. Just a lot of other sports events. Most of the matches had predictable results, except for the basketball finals. It was the only match that was interesting, I never expected the Dragonflies to win."

"I se-"

Before Shizuka can say anything else Sakura hugs the bedbound Shizuka, who is quite surprised at this sudden intimacy. Sure, it's better that Sakura hugs her than anyone else, but the shock is that it's Sakura of all people who is hugging. Where did this adolescent get all her confidence from?

"But yes, it's fantastic that I'm finally able to do this to you. I've been looking forward to this for a very long time, Shizuka!"

Very long time? Also, since when did Sakura stop addressing her niece without honorifics? Something is very wrong with this situation, and Shizuka wants to get to the bottom of it. What if some sort of shapeshifter is copying Sakura's body with malicious intent? Or the more likely and worse answer, what if this is a prank from her older self?

Ugh, no other choice than to simply ask: "Sakura-chan, excuse me for asking, but you're clearly not the same person as my friend. Who are you, and what did you do to my niece?"

It is Louise who begins to clarify upon hearing this question: "My friend, please open your senses and feel. Unlike you, this witch here has no traces from time-space fluctuational mana inside her body. I do not know who this woman is, but she's obviously not your apostle."

"You're correct, miss Lorraine, I'm not the Sakura that recently travelled through time. Now, that should only leave one possible candidate, right, past version of my niece?"

Wait, does she mean that this Sakura is the future version, the one from this timeline?

Before Shizuka can ask for the correct answer said answer slides the door of the room open. Another Sakura, with the exact same looks and clothes as the one hugging Shizuka. However, she's a lot less self-confident than this future version:

"Eh? W-why am I hugging Shizuka-chan over there? What exactly is going on?"

The future Sakura stops hugging, and goes over to greet herself. "Ah, it's me from the past." The Sakuras exchange pleasantries, the tempo of the conversation led by the future self. Louise and Shizuka simply stare at the two women who look literally identical.

"It's unbelievable, to think that one would change so little over many decennia. Is this some divine miracle I'm witnessing here?"

"For once I'm considering your words as a possibility, Louise." Heck, whatever caused this please tell Shizuka where to find this as well. If Sakura ever finds the fountain of youth then it's up to Shizuka to make a profit from selling it to the masses.

The two Sakuras turn to the devil kings, and the older one takes the word: "Now then, I guess some introductions are in order. As you can see, I'm the future version of Koudzuki Sakura. As the left hand of the current king of Japan, I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. I was busy with suppressing an evil cult in the north of Portugal, and it took me longer than expected."

"Oh, are you talking about those corrupt followers of Endovelicus {3}?" Louise seems to know what is spoken about, as the Iberian peninsula is close to her own territories. "Then I thank you for quelling their rebellion, my friend. Blessings be upon you for this grandiose act, I would've been forced to do it myself if it weren't for you."

"Yes, do not worry about it. The future Shizuka has gotten pretty good at world politics, so it's not wrong to say that she has quite some influence in at least half of the political governments in the world. If there's ever a major problem in one of those countries it only occurred because she allowed it to happen."

With that said the older Sakura remembers that she also came her for another reason. The future Shizuka has made a claim that tomorrow will be a busy day for all three devil kings, so today should be spend on pleasant activities.

Louise is invited to a grand dinner with the future king. Sakura gets a surprise lesson from her future self. As for the king of the past, she's given a simple paper with a quickly scribbled note:

I think we both know what we want. Remember, the password for the account is Lii1721.

This brings a smile on Shizuka's face, knowing exactly what that means. Yes, her schedule is full until tomorrow.

-x-

17 May 2094, noon, Neo-Tokyo ghettos.

Today is the fifth day after arriving in the future, meaning that this trip is already half-way over. Only four days left until the full moon and the return home.

The activity planned for the afternoon won't start until it's four, so there's a bit of free time that the group is allowed. Shizuka plans to use this time alone, wanting to see the true face of the society her future self has created.

Even the most incompetent ruler can make a pretty-looking face that makes the country appear the greatest in the world, even if it is a mask to hide that the rest of the country is in shambles. To distinguish the true kings from the rabble is to look at the bottom of society. Just how well are these people able to live their life?

Shizuka has therefore gone to the ghettos, locations that under no circumstances a 15-year-old girl should visit alone. There are only two reasons why this bad idea isn't immediately punished: The visitor is a devil king who wouldn't need to fear even if Japan's entire self-defense force were to face her, and that these "slums" are not as slummy as expected.

Streets without any litter, surrounded by tall, basic but well-kempt apartments. There's also quite a bit of greenery with planted threes and some shrubberies, and there's even a children's playground.

It's not quite as nice as what she had seen thus far, but compared to her own home back in normal Tokyo this is about as good a living space, perhaps even better. There are no thugs or criminals, it's not as busy as her own streets and the kinds in the streets are playing outside without a care in the world. There's even police officers patrolling these streets!

The map is checked again to see if this is the correct location. There's no way these are some of the poorest people in Japan, can she really have achieved this much? Looking around she sees a little alleyway, perhaps a remnant from time long gone. In front of it is very clear no-go zone sign, indicating that it leads to something that her future self does not want to show to humanity.

That sounds like just the thing to investigate. Shizuka walks through he alleyway, watching out for anything abnormal. As far as she can tell it's a rather normal alleyway, with some dark corners but nothing too bad. It's like one of those shortcuts back in Tokyo you're always told to never take because everyone says there ar-

"Why hello there, girlie. What is a precious little thing doing in a place like this?"

-e delinquents hanging around. Right, some things apparently never seem to change. Even though fashion has advanced eighty years it's impossible not to recognize the two grown men in front of her as criminal delinquents.

"Just visiting the area. What does it matter to you?"

"Oh, it matters. You see, this street is our private property. To pass through I'm afraid you have to pay some toll."

"And it appears that no matter the era there is always trash on the streets." And very unlucky trash too. Out of the millions of people in this country they chose to rob the devil king. Shizuka almost feels bad for them. "Either way, I don't see your name anywhere, nor a toll booth, nor anything else to prove your authority. How about you leave me alone and we call it quits?"

Even if the situation is massively in Shizuka's favor these thugs should be offered the chance to retreat. They are only human, after all.

"How about we do it like this?" The taller of the duo pulls out knife from inside of his coat, coated with some kind of toxic substance. "My buddy over here will use magic to extract the fare from your account. Since we're such nice guys, we'll only take half of your money. If you resist and prevent the transaction, you would force poor old me to stab you with this blade. It won't kill you, but the hydra poison it's been tipped in makes you suffer unimaginable pain. And trust me, neither of us wants that solution."

And peaceful solutions have failed. From this point onwards, Shizuka won't hold herself responsible for these two robbers. Shizuka grabs the knife with her hand, which cuts skin-deep into her. The robbers freak out, even calling Shizuka insane for doing so:

"Are you crazy? Do you have a death wish to inflict the worst pain ever on yourself?"

"It's not that bad, there are mosquitoes that have a worse sting." The wound itches a little, but it's more annoying than painful. To see the true results of this poison something else needs to be poisoned, and there is some trash that can make itself useful as test subjects.

A teenage girl would normally not have the power to grapple against an adult male. However, the slight power boost of a devil king combined with the shocked state of the guy means that Shizuka managed to insert the tip of the weapon into the thug's shoulder in a single fluid motion.

After a second of disbelief the thug begins to drop to the floor, rolling around in pain. His friend knows what time it is and makes the wise decision to bail, running away from this demoness. Shizuka lets him go, not really interested in mere thieves.

The thief is not that lucky as he runs face-first into a pair of cops, who do not look to happy with this man. "Well, what are you doing in this area?"

The thief is speechless, but from twenty meters behind him Shizuka is shouting that these two were trying to rob her. One of the cops uses magic to bind the fleeing robber to the ground, while the other goes to Shizuka and the remaining robber.

Shizuka gives a small summary of what happened: How these two tried to rob her of her money by threatening with a poison-coated dagger (that Shizuka has dropped to the floor by now), that she managed to cause the thief to stab himself, that this made him roll on the floor in agony and caused the other to flee.

The cop listens to the story, but is also using his own retina device to scan the poisoned thief. "This guy again? It's saddening to see that someone falls back into crime. But the law is the law, so he should've expected this."

The cop draws his gun and shoots the criminal suffering from the hydra's venom. His buddy does the same with the other thief.

"Eh?" Shizuka is shocked by this bizarre murder. Did these cops just murder criminals in cold blood? The cops don't care, as they now turn to the young devil king.

"Now as for you, missus, there's no face in the criminal database that matches yours." Wait, why does he speak like that? It's almost like they're condemning her as a criminal!

"Wait, what have I done wrong?" Why are they accusing her?

The other policeman steps in and explains: "Can you not read? There's a sign saying this is a no-go area." People get arrested for such minor infractions? What kind of dystopia did she suddenly land in? "Since this is your first offense, we'll merely be sending you on a rehabilitation course. Don't worry, they'll only break down your desire to break the law, they won't mess with any legal hobbies and enjoyments you have."

"I understand what you're saying." Those words were spoken calmly. A very calm, very nuanced appearance that hides great anger. Not so much at these police officers, but at the one creating this world. "Then let me ask you a question: Did any of you see the match between Louise du Lorraine and the past Kusanagi Shizuka? If you did not, which I assume, I would sincerely recommend you do that now."

The cops ignore her words, using some spell on her that is supposed to cause obedience. Naturally, it doesn't work against a king. Since the cops use force, Shizuka has the right to show off a bit as well.

"O water, descend from the heavens." [Water] descends, the power of her authority concealed in that stone as large as she is. The cops are surprised at this force and aim their guns, ready to fire at any suspicious movement. Shizuka doesn't care, the wounds those weapons leave will be skin-deep at best. She continues to speak with tranquil anger, aimed at these cops. "Now then, do you recognize power? Do you recognize authority? Seriously, is this world so hopeless where people of the law like you do not recognize when they meet a ruler greater than what they can enforce?"

One of the cops finally recognizes the young devil king, to his own fear. He turns to his partner, who is still under misguided believes. "H-Hey, I think we might be trying to arrest a devil king here…"

"What are you talking about, there are no godslayers of such ag-" and suddenly it hits the other officer too that they might be dealing with the younger version of their glorious leader.

Before this angered Shizuka the two cops have been reduced to shivering wrecks, scared of any retribution they might incur. They beg for their lives, hoping that Shizuka will spare them:

"Please forgive us, we don't know what we were doing to arrest someone as grandiose as you."

"It was not our intention to go against your will!"

"Please, we were just following the law that your future self made for this country!"

It is that last sentence that makes Shizuka pause her thoughts. These absurd laws, made by her own hand? "Really, is that the truth?" It sounds too stupid to be true, there's no way she would do something like that.

"Y-yes, it is! We rehabilitate first-time offenders, and kill repeat offenders. That is the law for policemen."

Ugh, to think that that ridicule should be taken into possibility. Very well, then these policemen get what they deserve. The retina lens she equipped a few days ago has already made pictures of the two men, meaning that if they are lying her future self will make up some good punishment for them. As for now…

"Then let's play a game of hide and seek. In about four days I'll be returning to the past. If you can hide from me until then you win and I won't punish you. If I find you, well… I guess you can share the fate of these two thugs you killed. You have a five-minute head start."

The two policemen grovel before Shizuka as they're asking, no, begging for forgiveness. Shizuka's answer is simple: "Four minutes and thirty seconds. If this keeps up it will be a simple game."

This is enough of a cue for the law officers to get the hell out of here, scattering from the scene. Shizuka lets out a big sigh, wondering what the truth is behind this all. She is going to have a stern talk with her future self.

-x-

17 May 2094, afternoon, Kyoto.

Shizuka was picked up from her location and sent on a plane trip to Kyoto, to meet with the other two Campiones currently in Japan. Shizuka has no idea what exactly is going on, but it's apparently something very important, as said by the future version of Sakura. So long as some time can be made free beforehand to explain the situation with the cops, then the young king is perfectly willing to help with this matter of grave urgency.

When she arrives in Kyoto Shizuka gawks at everything around her, as the city seems to be even more modern than Neo-Tokyo. It's looks so beautiful that Shizuka wants to skip out on the meeting and go sightseeing.

It's a pity that her sense of duty weighs heavier than her sense of joy, so with a tinge of sadness Shizuka steps into a car that brings her to the remote countryside outside of Kyoto. It's already less modern, though there are enough pieces of technology visible on the farmlands that are not expected to be created until the latter half of the 21st century.

The point of arrival is an old mine. The technology, new as it is, shows signs of rust and decay. This place has been out of commission for a long time, and it clearly shows.

In front of the entrance is a group of people Shizuka already knows. Sakura and Fuyuhime, her own companions, as well as the future versions of the trio.

There's also the crazy king from France, but that is a side issue.

"My young friend, it is good to see you once more. Truly we are blessed with another meeting." Louise rambles once again about friendship and stuff, so Shizuka simply gives a curt greeting before moving on to the important matter:

"As for you, my future self, I think that you owe me a little explanation. What is with the introduction of the death penalty for repeat offenders? And brainwashing for the first-timers? Is this utopia of yours in actuality some sort of Orwellian dystopia?"

The two younger companions seem shocked, while the others simply give off signs of acceptance. The fourth king is willing to give an answer, but first she needs to address another issue: "Before that, I need to explain why we're here. Inside of this mountain is an evil cult that my men have been tracking for quite some time. These followers are planning on resurrecting Inari-no-Ookami, the fox god."

"Just a question to make sure: How long have you all been here?"

"Oh, in my case an hour or two. The rest arrived later, about thirty minutes ago."

"Eh?" That doesn't make sense. Couldn't a godslayer simply go in, strike them all down, and thus prevent the ritual like that? Why go through the whole ordeal of deicide when a simple raid will do?

The future king understands the thoughts of her past self, and gives a simple explanation: "It has to be this way, you know. I was aware of their movements since a long time ago. However, if I strike a cell of them down then there will always be those who manage to survive and flee. The survivors lay low for a few months, and then they resume their activities anew. No, the only way to slay these cultists is by letting them summon their deity. All cultists appear for such an event, and the only way to catch them all is to take them out just after the summoning."

The rest understands, and the group enters the cave. In front are some guards, low-level mages who disguised themselves as mineworkers, keeping everyone who could interfere with the resurrection out of the cave.

One of the guards speaks up, attempting to uphold the masquerade: "Ladies, this place is closed for ordinary people, you cannot enter he-"

He suddenly finds himself with a poisonous dagger in the face, he as well as all his companions. Everyone looks at Louise, who is holding five more of those like a fan.

"What? I would say that those heathens should be honored by obtaining identification passes like these."

Everyone simply sighs at Louise. Say what you want, but it is an effective way of dealing with these cultists. Only the younger king has her mind still set on all these murders of normal people.

Could it be that because of the introduction to magic crime has become more apparent? Where first there were ordinary murderers at its worst, with magic their potential danger increases tenfold. Is that why the laws have become so much stricter, as with the greater power of society comes greater responsibility?

It… is an acceptable excuse, for now. Shizuka simply accepts it, though a talk with her future self is still needed.

Shizuka is awakened from her thinking as an enormous spike of magical power appears. Its indication is clear: The cult is successful, and the god has been summoned. Both Shizukas order their followers to go outside and regroup, as fighting in these tunnels makes them all too likely to get caught in the battle and injured. The rest continue moving towards the heart of these tunnels, until their reach a large cave in the center of the underground network.

There are no more mages inside the cave. Instead there are an abundance of foxes, in all colors and sizes. Putting two and two together gives the conclusion that most likely these foxes once were the mages, transformed by divine power.

In the back of the cave is a large summoning altar, where a humanoid being has seated himself in a makeshift chair of rocks. An androgynous person whose gender is not clear, with blond hair in a low ponytail. Long, golden robes that would fit on both sexes, as well simple ordinary sandals mean that even the cloths do not reveal just what gender this person belongs to.

"Good evening, godslayers. I would not expect visitors so soon after my revival. This place may be shabby, but please, make yourself at home." A voice too high for a male, and too low for a female. There is no hostility in it, so the three devil kings simple come forward. The foxes scurry away, into the corners of the cave or hiding behind the deity.

"Good evening, Inari-no-Ookami." The older Shizuka politely greets the god, setting herself down on some rock. "Why chatting is a fun activity, I don't really have the time for it. Let me get straight to the point, and offer you the three options available to you: Flee to the netherworld, serve me or die."

"What an intriguing question. Before I answer, let me ask you something in return:" It's clear that Inari is refusing all three, but everyone lets the god finish the question: "I would offer a similar deal under normal circumstances, but I'm afraid that you have slighted me a bit. You see, there's blood from my friends on your hands. To be precise, two of you slew the exact same fox, but with a time span of eighty years in-between the deeds. Ruler of my lands, as well as your past aberration, I'm not forgiving to those who have slighted my plan. Please honor yourself by dying."

"Then it seems that battle is once more inevitable." The fourth king prepares for battle, and the other two kings do the same. However, this is not exactly what Inari wants. It turns to Louise, giving her the option of retreat.

"Foreign king, there's no quarrel between us. Retreat from this battlefield, I have no reason to fight against those who have not slighted me. If possible, we could hold a drink to-"

"Do not tempt me, lord of the false pantheon. I did not come here to turn a blind eye to your wickedness, deceiver of the faith! As fast as you entered this world, so fast will I smite you back to hell!"

"Well… that's just mean to say." Inari looks at her opponent who does not back down, her faith being strong to insane levels. "Two godslayers who slew my kin, and one who appears rather high-strung. Current godslayer of this land, is that option of fleeing to the netherworld still open? I'm not some war god who rushes into battle against three godslayers."

"Then how about two?" The two younger godslayers look at their older peer, who is making this offer. "I'm considering this fight against you worthy training for my friends here, and I wouldn't do well to intrude on that. I'll merely use a single authority to summon a single servant to help them."

As the older Shizuka says, so is it done. She speaks the spell words for an authority not seen before by the others there, summoning the knight protector of the the queen:

"When my body is weak and numb, a horseman comes galloping by. He is dressed in red, his horse is red and the horse's harness is red too. It is my sword, my shield, and my lance; his protections empower me once again!"

Before the older Shizuka a knight phases into existence, just as described in the spell words: red plate mail, on top of a red horse in a red harness. "This will be my substitute. As for my friend and younger self, I wish you the best of luck in this battle. Please let this be a valuable experience for you two."

With that the future Shizuka disappears from the battlefield, retreating quickly and leaving the three others alone. With this the battle is ready to begin, and it is the god(dess?) itself who opens the fight with an authority, to make good on the last words it spoke: "I am Inari-no-Ookami, lord of the foxes, lord of the tricksters. My clan, let us pull a prank against these devil kings, a joke that will be remembered for eons to come!"

The deity puts on one of those fox masks, causing all the foxes in the vicinity to shimmer for a second. When they stop shimmering the foxes returned to human form, except that there were three differences:

Firstly, everyone wears the same fox mask as their lord; Secondly, all humans still retain the ears and the tails of a fox; Lastly, every one of them gives off the same divine feeling as Inari self!

"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." However, minions shouldn't that big of a deal. If there is ever a godslayer who shouldn't fear these creatures it's the one that can convert them. "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 fake Inari look bewildered, as if wondering what is going on. However, Shizuka cannot feel the hostility disappearing from these enemies.

"Hey hey, what just happened?" One of the Inari, a young woman with short brown hair, asks.

"I don't know, she spoke a bit and I feel slightly less hostile to that tall lime-hair gal there." A middle-aged, slightly pudgy male responds with cluelessness too.

"We've just been subjected to an authority, you stupid young'uns!" The next to speak is an elderly Inari with a beard, who rant in stereotypical elderly tone: "I guess it isn't that effective on these old bones of mine, though."

Two children Inari seem to disagree: "I dunno, I don't really feel like fighting them."

"Yeah, do we have to hurt them? I don't wanna."

Unlike with Shizuka's phoenix these Inari seem to be confused from Louise's authority at best. Was it effective? Shizuka whispers that question to her fellow godslayer, and quickly gets her reply:

"My loyal friend, my authority is not good against large groups of divine beasts or transformed false gods. It is annoying to say, but consider each of these foxes as a minor false deity. At the very least, consider that each of them might wield an authority."

In other words, it's a battle against the entire Inari clan. The advantage of numbers that the Campione had is now reversed, as the 3v1 turned into a 2v50. However, not everyone amongst these fifty opponents seem to want to fight.

The two children move forwards, reaching their hands out to the two devil kings as if they want candy. "Hey, big sisters, want to see a magic trick?"

Louise wants to slay these kids as fast as possible, and already summoned a fox-slaying blade in her hand. However, Shizuka allows these kids to continue, who perform their trick.

The two kids turn to each other, chanting at the same time. "Where do we get our iron? Where do we get our copper? From the mines of Itomuka to Yakushima {4}, the mine is always Inari's domain." It is around this point that Shizuka realizes that Inari tricked them, and that this is an authority from these two kids. The duo wants to interfere, but not before the kids finish the chanting: "We Inari will be deciding which shafts will be prosperous, and which will crumble!"

The area shakes, and Shizuka has an inkling about what these kids were planning: This is a large cave that shows signs of being hollowed out by humans. That means this counts as a mine. Since Inari also has the aspect of mining, that means that whether this cave collapses is all up to these foxes!

The cave crumbles, and large rocks fall between both parties. When the two devil kings want to flee they see that rocks are falling on that side too. Ugh, at this speed the two will never escape from here. Is an authority necessary to get out of here?

Suddenly Shizuka feels herself lifted from the ground, placed on something that is moving at high speeds. The surroundings around her blur, until she finds herself greeted by the outside sun. Wait, how did that happen?

Looking around her, she finds that both she and Louise have been placed on the back of the red knight's horse her older self called forth. This knight moved at godspeed to bring the duo out of the cave, preventing them from using unnecessary power.

"It turns out my older self was right, this knight she summoned did come in handy."

"Yes, to think that my friend had managed to think through these events thus far, truly a magnificent tactic that I could learn from! O, may the future of this world be bright if all kings could learn from one another."

Shizuka would like to make a comment on her ally, but her enemies don't give her much of a chance. Surrounding the godslayers are their enemies, who seem to have escaped from the mountain in their own way.

The two devil kings jump off the knight's horse, discussing what to do next. Shizuka has not really a clue for what will be effective, so she asks Louise for ideas: "Do you have anything with which to trump these foxes?"

"I always have my sword ready, my friend, but nothing else that might work against them." Unless we have something that can actively hunt these enemies, we'll be forced to slaughter these heathens one by one."

"In other words, I need to waste my authorities to give you a fighting chance." Shizuka had resigned herself to the fate of support, but someone else seems to disagree:

"The enemies of a Campione are the gods. Leave their followers to your followers." Behind Shizuka and Lousie are both versions of Sakura and Fuyuhime, who seem to be here as back up.

"Hmph, these foxes even I can handle. This power you gave me, I'll put it to good use!"

"Y-Yeah! I won't let a single hair of my niece be crooked!"

The foxes don't seem to care, as they simply start their assault of the devil kings. However, they quickly run into a purple wall. The wall grows stronger with every passing moment, as the two Sakuras seem to be chanting spell words to create this barrier around the group of six:

"As a true warrior, here I swear a solemn oath to Futsunushi: {5}" The Sakuras hold their weapon, the Jaaku na Gunsen, high and cause it to transform into a multitude of miniature, feather-like swords. "My blade shall be a tool for justice. I shall not use it for the sake of anger, nor for the sake of vengeance. My lord, let me protect you from all that is evil, for this is my sword!" These feathers spread out over the wall, thus creating an ultimate protection for those within its walls.

The defense is strong, but if these foxes fully concentrate on breaking the barrier then it will only last for a few seconds. A distraction is needed, something that is lethal to these familiars if they don't pay attention to it. To make it truly the ultimate protection it needs to be combined with an ultimate attack, which is exactly what the two Fuyuhimes are chanting now:

"How shameful, Kuraokami! Even the plum at the sacred fence is withered. How can we call you a god of the heavens, a god of rain?" Just like the future Sakura taught a first-class spell to her past self, so too did Fuyuhime with her younger version. Each has learned their own spell to help in this situation, and form a strong and powerful combination. "Almighty god, if you too can see, then rise up shouting and cast open Heaven's River's gates {6}!"

The sky grows dark, and a heavy rain starts to fall in the surroundings. However, rain itself is not going to stop these foxes from trying to break the barrier. For that a second spell is needed:

"The rushing of the rapids and the buzzing of the cicadas at the tip of the branch are all the sound of a small river. What a life, in the midst of which you die!"

The rain becomes less heavy, but only because the remaining droplets have fused together to form spears of water! Sure, they're not deadly enough to harm gods or devil kings much, but these familiars of Inari should be hurt quite a bit if hit with one of these spears.

The foxes know this, and need to spend quite some focus on dodging the attack from the Fuyuhime combination.

"You have about a minute before our shield is broken."

The older Sakura's reply stresses out the two devil kings a bit, who need to think of something fast.

"I have a weapon that can hurt these evil minions, but nothing to reach them all."

"Even if we could reach them, we need something that can keep pursuing them, act on their own."

"Is pursuing good enough? We need to actively hunt them or they might come to attack us in the back."

"That's true. If it's not a hunting weapon, then my authority cannot form that. Maybe create something that can wield my sword as a hunting weapon?"

The duo of godslayers keep pursuing this line of thought, but surprisingly it's the younger Sakura who comes with a solution: "Uhm, if it's about hunting foxes… Don't they use hunting dogs for that?"

Hunting dogs, huh… well, it's not like Louise's authority can create life. Louise will have to silently thank Sakura but reject the proposa-

"Sakura, you're a genius!" Louise looks at her peer, who is suddenly shouting those words. What could Shizuka mean by those words, her authority does not work like that?

When Louise wants to bring doubt on those words Shizuka shuts her up, explaining her plan: "Louise, you make weapons of the hunt: dog fangs, and their claws. If you forge those, then I will make the dogs who can wield them!"

Heh. That sounds stupid enough to work. Louise trusts her friend, who summoned the stone of metal. [Metal] creates furred beasts, so that includes dogs. The kings start to chant, speaking spell words of power: "Ears like tall satellite dishes, homing in on every sound, twitching. Noses glistening wet and black, the smell of every creature is evident."

"Fangs like sharp knives, biting through even the toughest of furs. Claws like honed swords, obliterating in a single strike."

"Eyes scanning the landscape, ever alert to any slight movement. Thick fur which insulates and sheds, protecting the loyal creature."

The air around them starts to shift, as dog-like creature are forming around them. Together they simultaneously speak the final spell words: "O, now we go hunting, with our strength combined. Let us go on the prowl, following the trail of the foxes!"

An army of around fifty dogs, all very good at one specialized ability: hunting foxes. Inari's followers seem a bit scared, but they react with bravery as Shizuka and Louise order a full-on charge on the foxes.

The hunting dogs prove to be very effective, pushing the numerical advantage of Inari back to even. The dogs hunt the foxes, and the foxes trick the dogs. In almost comical manner the two perform this cycle, leaving the devil kings free to attack as well.

Everyone performs their own part in this fight: The followers support with the suppression of the familiars, Louise leads the dogs in the slaughter of these foxes, and Shizuka plans to take out the command. There, all the way in the back, is a very familiar figure, one of a certain deity whom they met in the cave. Shizuka sprints to her enemy, who politely greets the devil king:

"So, it seems that it's finally time for the boss to act. Youngster, I would like to perform a little experiment: If I kill the past incarnation of this world's king, what will happen to the future version of it? Will she disappear as well, so that there are no more disruptions of Japan's peace?"

"I'm sorry, but while I certainly think that there are some points my other self has likely failed, I've no intention of giving my live for such an absurd question. Before even asking such a question I would worry about living to see tomorrow if I were you." With that taunt Shizuka summons her stone of earth, using the one of her four remaining stones for her next attack:

"Heaven, lake, fire, thunder, wind, water, mountain, earth! Easing ego, lessening lust, distilling desire, improving ignorance, Purifying possessiveness, alleviating aggression! Inari, you who thinks he's lording the universe, realize you are but trapped in the palm of my hand! {7}"

Five pillars of earth surround Inari, a powerful forcefield flowing between these pillars. It's not strong enough to defend against authorities meant for destruction, but Inari doesn't seem to do anything to defend. That's good for Shizuka, as the cage only becomes stronger as the pillars grow wider, forming a dome around the deity. The only weak spot is a small, hexagonal shape in front of the god, and is the only way through which sound can still flow between the two enemies. Inari is planning to make use of it:

"Planning to seal off my movements, devil king? It won't even take a minute to escape from this prison!"

Shizuka calmly walks to the prison, giving her own explanation: "I only need five seconds. O fire, descend from the heavens." Shizuka summons the stone of fire to her side, and sticks it into the small gap.

"Oh… crap." Inari is rather terrified, realizing what the plan of the enemy is.

"This fire is radiant and powerful, incinerating all in its way!"

Fire strong enough to melt mountains is amassing inside of the earth prison. A heat agglomeration hotter than the sun is burning everything inside the trapping, and Inari knows it.

"Nughoooooh! How the heeeeell, noooo! Noooot heeeeeereeeeee…!"

Inari is dying, and the battlefield is realizing it. The followers of Inari need a short pause as they realize that their boss just died. Even the devil kings are silent, looking at this battle that ended in an anticlimax. Well, Shizuka doesn't mind, a quick battle is a good battle.

When the magical presence inside of the trap is gone Shizuka releases the authority, to check upon what remains. She opens the cage…

…and finds the charred body of a human corpse. No way, that would mean that this Inari was actually-

"A decoy." From behind Shizuka one of Inari's followers speaks up and finishes Shizuka's thoughts, morphing back to show that Inari was hiding as one of the followers. With a single finger snap Shizuka's body is covered in chains, powerful enough to bind even the most powerful mage for months. However, Shizuka is a Campione. She should be able to break out in seconds merely by raising her magical power to the limit.

"Blade sheathed in despair, forged from the heat of passionate hatred." Inari does not want to miss these few seconds of opportunity, and uses spell words of Inari, patron of the Japanese swordsmiths. "Man melted with metal, smiting dealt death with every blow. Cold blood to cold steel. In the vulnerability of life, blood splatters."

Tens, no, hundreds of katanas were forged from nothing, and are now all rushing at the younger king. Each of these weapons is magical, strong enough to obliterate the body of a mortal and harm the body of a Campione. When these hit the chance is high that Shizuka will die.

With enough struggling Shizuka barely manages to break the chains and use her arms to protect her vitals, but she has nothing else to stop this barrage. For Shizuka, the connection with the world disappears as everything turns black.

…

Everything? No, a small shiver of light shines through. Literally, in fact, as everything around her is covered by some sort of cape except for a small part through which a twinkling of light appears. Using this bare minimum to see she finds herself encapsulated in woven fabric alongside her older self. The swords seem to hit the surrounding cloth, but not even one pierces through. It seems that the future king saved the one from the past.

"What are you doing here?" Shizuka is grateful for the help, but she's certain that this is her fight. She's supposed to be the one on training here. "Weren't you saying something along the lines of leaving it all to your younger peers? I was not exactly expecting any help from you."

The cape around the two Shizukas opens, revealing that Inari's attack is over. "I guess you're correct. Someone like me should help as well, leaving it all to the younger generation is unbefitting of me. Besides, even I want to look good in front of myself." The fourth devil king turns towards Inari, fully intend to show a new trick in her book. "Lord of foxes, gaze upon this authority well. It took me a bit of time to prepare it, but for the sake of this battle it's wholly necessary."

"Hmph! Well then, usurper of my country! Show me what other absurd strength you have up your sleeve!"

"Wrong, Inari. It is not through strength that you will meet your downfall, but through knowledge!" A golden circle of Persian origin appears beneath the older Shizuka's feet, as she starts to chant the spell of her authority:

"Both eloquent and powerful. I am the sword of wisdom, that which tears foes apart." From the circle rises a sword, coming up hilt-first. "I am the strongest, for I am the one holding all victory in my hands. I shall smash through all enemies in my way!" The sword is pulled out, revealing a thick, single-edged golden blade, with its fuller is covered in old Persian writing. As the sword is drawn golden orbs fill the sky, taking on the shape of a multitude of swords. It's an extraordinary sword, something that cannot be copied even with Shizuka's five stones.

This is the [Golden Sword of Victory].

-x-

{1} Trueno, FD3S and Cappuccino: These are all references to cars, specifically the Toyota Sprinter AE86 Trueno GT-Apex, the Mazda RX-7 FD3S and Suzuki Cappuccino EA11R.

{2} Nitrti: Nitrti is the goddess of sorrow, misfortune and the realms of the dead. Also known as Alakshmi, because she is the opposite of her younger sister Lakshmi, who is the goddess of wealth, fortune and prosperity.

{3} Endovelicus: The Lusitanian god of the sun, but most famously known for his protection over health and safety. Basically, the white mage of the gods.

{4} Itomuka, Yakushima: Mines located in the far north and south of Japan respectively. Since all other major mines lie between these two locations, it means that it's talking about all of Japan's mines. It's comparable to the saying "From Dan to Beersheba".

{5} Futsunushi: A Japanese god of war and swords. Followers always carry their weapon with them, and make oaths to the deity that give them power and protections.

{6} Kuraokami: A dragon god of rain and snow. The two poems of the incantation are originally from poets Ono no Komachi and Izumi Shikibu respectively.

{7} These spell words represent the Bagua (Li Kun Dui Qian Kan Gen Zhen Xun) and the mantra of compassion (Om Mani Padme Hum). These were used by the Buddha on Sun Wukong to strengthen his entombment in a mountain.

-x-

Let's spill as little words as possible and explain the used authorities of future Shizuka. They're based on public speeches, body doubles, princess-protecting knights and regal mantles respectively, all part of her theme as [Queen]:

[Achtung, Baby!]

An authority of Germanic war hero Arminius, who descended upon this world because he found the patriotism of his people a bit… lacking. While Shizuka was on a business trip to Germany she managed to slay this deity, obtaining his authority in the process.

[Achtung, Baby!] functions like the Emergency Alert System (EAS) of the president, allowing Shizuka to give a rousing speech to those who hear it. Everyone in the direct area of Shizuka is forced to actively listen to these words and cannot interrupt it. Those who hear it via other media, like radio or television, can decide whether or not they want to listen to Shizuka.

The speech made by Shizuka has to go about a certain person/object, who will then become the target of this authority. When the speech ends this person/object will recover his wounds and magic energy based on the number of listeners Shizuka's speech has. If the target is a deity or Campione, then even recovery times for used authorities is shortened.

If recovering times are of the accumulating way, like Shizuka's [Philosopher Stones], then the authority will fill to that exact amount, meaning that an energy equal to 5 days will fill all five stones to five/seventh of their full power.

If recovering times are of the on/off switch type, then the energy will be rounded down. For example, if [Persian warlord] has used up 5 forms, and only enough energy to recover three and a half forms, then only the first three forms will be recovered.

A viewer does not add a certain percentage, but set amounts of power. Hence someone with double the HP of someone else will take twice as many listeners to heal, and authority recovery times of a day take less followers to recover then recovery times of a week or month.

Because an EAS can only be used for emergencies Shizuka needs to wait a month before being able to use this authority again.

[Goddess with the Third Eye]

An authority obtained from the heretic god Erlang Shen, who thought it was a good idea to lead an invasion of Japan.

Allows for the user to create a body double of herself. This double is an exact copy of the user except for a third eye on the forehead, which is usually hidden by magic (or Shizuka's bangs). The copy can use Shizuka's authorities, but the mana pool of both original and replica is shared.

While the double is activated Shizuka can shapeshift her own body into a disguise. This can be as other humans, animals, she could even imitate one of the gods. However, while in disguise Shizuka is only able to use the skills, magic and authorities she shares with the one she is disguised as, though she retains the basic supernatural advantages of a Campione like magic resistance and superhuman stamina.

When the double is slain Shizuka immediately loses her disguise, and she cannot use this authority for a month.

[Vampire Knight]
Obtained from a Vampire-turned Baba Yaga after a grand adventure in the Balkan.

Allows for the summoning of a loyal and intelligent knight who protects Shizuka from harm. The knight able to be summoned depends on the time of day: The white knight can be summoned between sunrise and noon, the red knight can be summoned between noon and sunset, and the black knight can only be summoned if the sun is not hanging in the sky.

All three knights are mounted, but their strengths lie in different areas:

The red knight is fast to the point of godspeed, wielding a jousting lance, rapier and buckler.

The black knight has herculean strength, wielding a greataxe, mace and kite shield.

The white knight has supernatural endurance and defense, wielding a halberd, bastard sword and heater shield.

If a knight is dismissed or desummoned that knight cannot be called upon until the next dawn/noon/dusk, depending on the knight. If a knight is slain in battle then this entire authority cannot be used for a full moon cycle. A knight can only exist during the time in which it is summoned. If it reaches the limits of their time (e.g. the black knight exists until dawn) then the knight will automatically be desummoned.

[Coat of the Beast Princess]
Obtained from the Nemean lion, whose origin are lion goddesses like Sekhmet transformed by the Greeks to fit their mythology.

It takes the form of a golden coronation mantle, made from smoothed lion fur and with red silk-embroidered lion patterns. This mantle has the same function as the original Nemean lion's hide, being impervious to all mortal magic, weaponry or other means that are not authorities. Furthermore, it rejects "civilization", rendering authorities that mark the advancement of humanity ([Steel], [Culture], [Fire] etc.) useless if they come into touch with the one protected. Authorities over things that existed before humanity ([Sun], [Moon], [Nature] etc.) are still able to pierce through this mantle like it didn't exist.

The mantle completely protects its wielder, even the parts that are not covered by the hide like the face. It can also be given to someone else to be worn, or used as a shield by covering yourself or others with the quite spacious mantle.

If the mantle is destroyed this authority cannot be used again until Shizuka gets a new coronation.

…

Well, those are the authorities of Shizuka. The names of the authorities are based on Shizuka's in other anime, like [Achtung Baby] being a reference to Shizuka Joestar.

Finally, we need to speak about the one extra authority that that Louise has:

[Holy Pillager]

An authority obtained from Nitrti, Hindu goddess of decay, sorrow and the death realms. When Louise successfully converted Agra to her religion, Nitrti tried to destroy the city rather than let it fall to those zealots. A fight over Agra broke out, with Louise resulting as the victor.

This authority lets Louise pillage the surrounding area of its energy, slowly decaying, rotting and decomposing everything in a 2-kilometer radius until it has become a wasteland. The closer to the Godslayer you are, the faster the decaying occurs. Has no effect on gods or Campiones, while powerful mages can use protective magic to greatly slow their own decay.

The energy takes on a bluey, ethereal form that streams towards Louise, healing her while this authority is active as well as restoring her magic energy.