Words flow from the older Shizuka's mouth, transforming into golden spell words: "Why does a god like you hold reign over so many different subjects? To answer that question, we must look into your past!"
The spell words transform into even more blades, which are aimed at not only Inari but all the foxes in the area. With a single flick of the golden sword these weapons are send flying at the enemies.
"Inari, your name means growing rice, as 1500 years ago you were a goddess of rice and foxes. However, this is not because you are a deity of agriculture! No, this is because your true identity is the one who rules prosperity! Back then those you blessed got rich from good harvests, while the cursed humans would have their fortune eaten by foxes. Your followers would prosper in wealth, while your opposition would lose it all! You were the decider of kings, the creator of the caste system, and thus, the distributor of prosperity!"
Inari self is barely scratched by these weapons, but the fox familiars are far less durable: Those who cannot dodge die from the onslaught of swords, transforming back to their original human form. With the divine power extracted from their body they simply lay unconscious on the battlefield, ignored by the greater powers around them.
"Your fame spread through Japan, but your powers would change over time to fit the new currency: In the period of the warring states one's wealth was determined by his soldiers and their weapons, so Inari became the patron deity of blacksmiths and warriors."
The swords sharpen with every word spoken, and the foxes cannot keep on dodging. Even Inari now gets clear wounds, but those seem to be the least of his concerns:
"My power that I lend to these foxes, why isn't it returning? This accursed [Sword], what the hell did you do to me?"
The fox lord is ignored, as more spell words flow to empower this authority: "When the war was over you became the god of whatever currency was used by your worshippers: In coastal regions you became the protector of fisherman, in the hills of Edo you protected woodcutters from forest fires. In cities you became guardian of the service industry, and the farmlands of Kyoto still held you as the goddess of rice and foxes."
Most of the foxes have already died, meaning that the swords are now fully focused on Inari. The god is angered, but still calm enough to realize he must defend himself. Using his own authority of blades Inari summons a current of swords, forcing [Steel] to drown [Victory].
"Eventually this all was focused in one new way of payment: slaps of paper people called money! You became the protector of finances, the latest addition to your authorities!"
Walls upon walls of swords defend Inari, encapsulating him so that not even the sun can shine trough. Each of these swords is a masterpiece, something any ordinary mage would kill others for to obtain. Even the blades held by the followers of a king, magnificent weapons like Jaaku no Gunsen or Chishuuha, Cuore di Leone or Il Maestro, they can all barely keep up with just one of these weapons.
Inari is certain of his defense. True, his followers have been killed, decimated by this strange authority, but he will hold fast!
"This all is your true form, Inari." Inari looks up and sees golden light pierces through his dark steel, slowly but certainly breaking through. An impossibility in the god's mind, the ultimate defense in his possession cracked. "Not a goddess of agriculture, a lord of foxes or a patron deity of blacksmiths, you are simply an adapting god of prosperity!"
With those spell words the blades of gold are strong enough to break through, piercing not only the metal barrier but Inari's body as well. The god of prosperity screams his lungs out, unable to endure this pain.
It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts! Inari is unable to think any other thoughts, merely keeping eyes and mind awake to prevent further incoming damage.
When the oldest king dismisses the [Sword] all golden blades inside Inari disappear, leaving only blood and wounds as indication that the authority ever existed.
The olden fox looks with seething rage, but somehow feels a lot… weaker compared to before. Even though the anger is rising uncontrollably, a lot of the threatening aura is missing. It's like the god in front of them suddenly became incomplete, cursed by that golden sword.
Inari notices it as well and demands an answer from the opposition. What happened, and what was that blade? With a scowling, seething voice he wants answers about that sword.
"Are you wondering about the weapon I'm wielding? This is the [Golden Sword of Victory], originally belonging to Verethragna." Japan's king is more than willing to explain, especially because of her younger self listening in. "Under normal circumstances, it's only capable of sealing a single authority for a few hours. But at its original ability it is better to say that it can only target a single domain, and that is exactly what I did. What I chose was [Amalgamation], the unification of domains under a single deity."
"What kind of power or domain is that supposed to be?!" The deity wants to know the simple truth, not interested in the specifications of a soon-dying Campoine! "How the hell did you seal my powers?"
"Sealing? No, that's where you are wrong. You see, you still have your powers. I sealed your history of obtaining new powers over time. It's an ability only usable against a few deities, one who is the combination of a multitude of deities and switches between these powers. The likes of Freya, Tezcatlipoca, Vishnu, Perun, Verethragna himself and of course you, Inari-no-Okami {1}! You didn't lose a single authority; you simply lost the ability to switch between them!"
With those words the oldest king disappears from the battlefield, her work done. Inari looks at his remaining enemies while seething with rage, cursing them for such trickery. It is them who are fighting dirty, using cheap tricks even though they are at a great numerical advantage.
Since Inari of Prosperity has been reduced to Inari the Blacksmith, the only authority allowed is the creation of weapons. Therefore, let him fight as what he has become, the god of the forge:
"As the wrought-iron blacksmith, I am the backbone of all war. From a body of fire flows forth the heart of steel. My weapons stand over countless battlefields, not once retreating, not once defeated. I shall keep on forging iron in this world of blades, for this life holds no other meaning. O, I am made out of infinite blades!"
As Inari finishes those words the world transforms. For miles in each direction weapons litter the landscape, each one unique and with its own purpose:
Swords for cutting; Pikes for stabbing; Katanas for slicing; Spears for piercing; Axes for splitting; Morningstars for maiming; Daggers for eviscerating; Scythes for beheading; Sickles for disarming; Clubs for destroying; Blades for annihilation. Not a single weapon is the same, but they have one thing in common:
They're instruments of murder.
Inari raises a hand, making many of his tools float in the air. With a single flick of the wrist he initiates his attack. Some of the weapons are thrown as bullets, trying to annihilate the enemy by using their power. Others come at the devil kings in a more orderly matter, as if wielded by an invincible army of ghosts.
If the kings do nothing, then they are certainly dead. That's something neither of them can accept. Therefore, Louise chants the spell words of her first authority: "By my proof as the divine chosen one, I call upon the usurped powers of the huntress! O fake gods, all who hear this verse of mine, mourn and lament at your own helplessness!"
The hunting dagger appears in Louise hand, the base form of her first authority. With some more spell words she transforms it into a long naginata. It won't be effective against the weapons themselves, but whatever kind of ghost or spirit is wielding them will certainly not keep existing.
With great prowess Louise parries the swarm of weapons flying at her body, before a single trust aims to sever the animation of one of the swords. It's a masterful attack, something no ordinary spirit could block. Therefore, Louise fully expects the blade to be severed from Inari's control.
Instead the blades are simply blocking the naginata. With surprise Louise looks at the blades, unable to understand why her weapon failed. Is Inari immune to the power from Arduinna?
No, rather these swords are not controlled by ghosts or other apparitions. Every single blade is controlled by Inari, showing a near-impossible competence to use thousands of blades at once.
Now forced on the defensive even the skills of a war god cannot defend against the omnidirectional attacks of Inari. Her body gets shredded with weapons. Some leave scratches, others create cuts, but a blade or two manage to stick themselves into the fifth king of the future. Without respite to dodge Louise is out of options, and she needs help as soon as possible. With the two followers driven off to the fringes of battle it's up to Shizuka to do something.
Purely by instinct Shizuka summons [Water] to her side, feeling that that will be the best bet for this battle. To create something that can both fight and project, that is the only tool that can turn this battle in her favor. If that's the case, then Shizuka will be sure to do so!
"Born from mother earth, drunk on the waters of life! I shall be the colossus soaring amongst the highest peaks. I shall be stone, unyielding and firm. As the guardian of the great foundation, I shall rule over paradise. Bearing the divine spirit, let all fall down beneath me!"
The earth around Shizuka transforms into mud, coagulating around Shizuka's body. When the transformation is done there is no sight of Shizuka, instead replaced by a humanoid golem of twenty meters tall! weapons are still fired into the golem, but they get stuck in the gooey body without reaching the core body underneath.
Perfect. Inari cannot defeat Shizuka without spending considerable and long effort to do so. Therefore, let's make sure that the same goes for her fellow king. Shizuka falls on all fours, right over Louise. The attacking weapons get swatted away, and Louise finally has some respite to change tactics. Against an omnidirectional attack, she needs an omnidirectional defense. [Hunter or Hunted], [Bringer of Civilization] and [Holy Pillager] are useless for that, but perhaps her authority from Bellona might be of use here:
"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 immortal empire may last until the end of time! As the commander of the first cohort, I order you: Fight!"
Around the golem a cohort of roman-styles legionnaire armors appears, each armed with traditional war gear. Their shields are raised, forming the classical testudo {2} formation. Shields cover every possible opening around the kings, other than the top of the mud golem. Realizing that her golem has turned from a defense into a liability Shizuka uses the last of [Water]'s reserves to turn the golem of war into a defensive boost for the legionnaires. It shouldn't be that much of a bonus, but enough to make sure Inari's authority has trouble breaking through.
And trouble it has indeed. Inari cannot break through the formation and is forced to lose ground. Step by step he retreats from the oncoming enemy, whose shields block out all his swords. The only advantage he has is that the legionnaires are relatively slow, making his escape easy.
Shizuka realizes this as well and cannot accept that. If Inari can escape and recover from her older self's golden sword, then the battle will turn nigh impossible. They need to settle this here and now, and Shizuka has a plan for that!
One last stone in Shizuka's arsenal. With one final attack she must manage to take down this god. Summoning wood by her side she tells her fellow king of her last resort.
Louise smirks upon hearing the idea and gives her full approval. She gives orders to her soldiers, letting them know what to do after the final attack. With that ready Shizuka starts the chant that will grant her triumph:
"Soft whispers turn to bellowing roars! Soldiers blow your horns; Heroes, cry out in jubilation; Thy words shall tear walls asunder; your shouts turn strong hearts brittle. With a single shout I shall declare my victory!"
The stone of [Wood] starts to vibrate, resonating with the world to let out a shrill sound of deafening proportions. Like a massive shockwave it flows over the battlefield, its vibrations strong enough to tear skyscrapers asunder!
The swords are not affected by this supernatural scream, just like the metal warriors summoned by Louise's authority. Unlike what some comics would like to make you believe, swords aren't easily broken by vibrations. It requires resonance between sound and blade to destroy a blade, a very specific frequency that is different for each sword. And besides, she's trying to destroy [Metal] with [Wood]. Shizuka's powers are based on the five Chinese elements, where all the elements are connected to one another. The element that overcomes and chops [Wood] is [Metal], so it is only natural that the sound blast is ineffective…
…against the swords, that is. While the blades are [Steel], Inari is certainly not. Sure, he might be a patron of blacksmiths, a creator of swords. His true origin is still that of [Earth], a god of harvest, and exactly the thing that [Wood] is strong against.
The swords might be unaffected, they aren't helping to dampen the sound. In fact, resonance makes some of the blade vibrate in harmony with the attack, worsening it even further for the god of prosperity. Inari is hit straight-on by the authority, and he is paying the price: He screams it out as the waves of sound burst his eardrums and cause intense pain all over the body. Quickly the screams get muffled, destroyed as the lungs inside Inari's body rupture. The fox deity's vision becomes greatly blurred, the balls of his eyes vibrating from sheer sound.
Okay, Shizuka must admit that she didn't have any idea that these sound waves would be effective against Inari. This is just a lucky coincidence of a poorly planned attack, though she will never admit that this wasn't her plan all along.
In response to this lucky attack Inari fires blasts from the swords around him, creating waves to counter this sound to the best of his ability. Energy meets sound, and they cancel each other out. After a few seconds the attacks against the young king lose in severity, as a second attacker is targeting Inari's life.
Jumping up in the air is Louise, still wielding her first authority. Currently the naginata she's wielding is meant for slaying spirits, but Louise doesn't need that anymore. Chanting spell words she changes the nature of her weapon:
"O Reynard, hotly pushed, closely pursued. Your expenditures of elusions bear no fruit, your wily wits dashed by the huntress. Thus, red critter of the woodlands, exhale your final fumes in the moment you die!"
The naginata turns into a European broadsword, its guard square and blade wavy. A blade for killing and skinning, meant to take down the lord of foxes. Even if he cannot access that power, this blade should still be able to make mincemeat out of him.
Inari growls, his weaponry shooting at the jumping queen. Weapon after weapon tries to kill Louise, but they either get parried or miss completely. Now angry Inari sacrifices his weapons for greater strength, making them explode when they near the devil king. When a large number of them explode right in Louise's face he smirks. Yeah, that should be enough to get one of them killed!
"Eh?"
No, wait. Something is off. Something just entered Inari's body from the top of his head and left through his pelvic region. For some reason that Amazonian lime-haired girl, who was up in the air, is now standing behind Inari, her weapon dismissed as if it completed its final motion. And this pain, this emptiness underneath him…
"Ghrk! Wha-"
Inari doesn't understand it. His body feels loose, disconnected, breaking. Suddenly he is falling to the left, yet for some reason he's also falling to the right. His eyes try to see what is happening, and both try to look back towards where his original body stood.
"No…"
Over there is half a body. Half of Inari's own body. That single cut cleanly cut his body in half!
"Im… possible…"
Unacceptable. Inari cannot let it end here! Inari gathers all the energy he has left, planning to reconnect his two halves. Even if it doesn't work, he must give it a try!
"Fall over the silent graves as the winds sings their sad, lonely song." Louise however disagrees and speaks out spell words to finish this battle. "The cry of the lamenting fox will fill the land in its waves!"
Inari's body glows with bright light before exploding into tiny pieces. If cutting in half wasn't enough, then this will certainly kill him.
…
Nothing happens. The battlefield is silent. It's over?
It's over! Shizuka wants to cheer in relief, though she's rather exhausted right now. When she gets back a nice warm bath would be quite nice. Perhaps even try out those ultrasonic bubbles that both clean and massage the body, that does sound very nic-
"YooOOOuuUUU! DEviL KiNGs!"
Son of a-he isn't dead. The voice of Inari can be heard, but it's mangled, drowned in anger. It's an anguishing cry from the soul, the only part remaining as the body has already been destroyed.
"YOu wiLL All DiE! GeT DeSTroYed!"
The weapons summoned by Inari start to move, gathering together and joining to form a gigantic metal golem. Sure, compared to Inari himself this thing is not that dangerous, something that even a small squad of highly trained mages could defeat with good teamwork and risking their lives.
However, Shizuka is currently without authorities. She's used all five in this battle, so it might become a tad annoying to fight.
Louise however will have nothing of a new skirmish. With quick reactions she has stepped on one of the blades, thus preventing it from joining up with the rest of the golem. Instead she grabs the weapon in her hands, one blade on the pommel and the other at the far side of the blade. Shizuka recognizes the pose, a ritualistic pose to concentrate and cast magical energy on the sword itself. That is exactly what Louise is planning, as she is casting spell words of her own:
"O, we beseech the soul of this departed brethren, be granted the eternal mercy."
It's a simple spell originating from the Book of Common Prayer {3}, meant as burial rites for those who have recently been departed. For English mages it's also one of the first spells you're taught when introduced to the world of magic, a simple spell that can exorcise ghosts.
"UwOWoWO! ThiS sENSe oF EAse, tHIs LiGHt, thIs hOllOw PlEAsaNtnESS!" But this time the spell is powered by a Campione, and the god it's used against has lost most of its powers. These two factors combined mean that it's surprisingly effective for such a minor spell: "YoU! dARing tO EXorCise mE As iF I wERe a mINor cONJuRatIon? DAMn YOu, wOMan!"
"O departed, change out of the vile body, and we shall commit you to the ground."
Louise ignores Inari, and simply continues chanting. Inari keeps screaming, but it's getting softer and it lacks any true indications of threat. The movements of the golem are getting sloppy, and swords are falling out of the body simply because Inari cannot afford the upkeep of this construct.
When even Louise's own soldiers seem to be capable of harming Inari's final ploy it's clear that this battle is over.
"Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust."
With those words Louise snaps the blade in two, causing al remaining divine energy to dissipate from the body. The remaining swords turn dull, like weary gravestones whose only task is to remember those who have fallen. Inari's soul, or whatever was possessing the swords is now completely gone.
The battle with this god is finally over. Shizuka turns towards her allies, a small smile of relief on her face. "So, are we finally done?"
"We are." The older Shizuka replies as she walks up to the group, satisfied with the results of her two younger peers. "As far as I remember there were no remains left of both the god and the cultists."
Louise starts to let out a small cheer, before offering an idea of her own: "In that case, how about we go to the usual?"
The younger trio don't understand what is meant with the usual, while a glint of nostalgia appears on the older trio's faces. Especially the older Shizuka seems to fondly recall 'the usual'.
Intrigued by this place the younger Shizuka asks her older self just what this usual place is. With a mischievous grin the future king keeps that surprise up a little longer:
"Well, you're about to find out!"
-x-
17th of May, Sapporo {4}, Late Evening
Shizuka looks with surprise at the place where she's currently standing. For a place where two devil kings like to hang out it's rather… below Shizuka's standards: "We flew more than three hours for a shawarma stand?!"
"A really good shawarma stand." Louise corrects, though it doesn't help improve Shizuka's opinion much. 'The usual' turns out to be 'Amir's shawarma stand', a food truck specialized in the sales of shawarma. In fact, compared to all the fancy dinners thus far they're now sitting on a park bench, waiting for the older trio to place their order with Amir.
Shizuka isn't the only one complaining. Fuyuhime look equally questionable at this food venue: "Not that I'm complaining, but this is something you could get back in our time as well. I mean, how did you even get to know this place?"
"Well, that's quite the story." Louise stats to explain just what happened a few decennia ago here in Sapporo: There was this tanuki trickster god named Yashima no Hage-tanuki. He destroyed half the city and a team-up of Louise, Shizuka and Smith was needed to avenge Sapporo. Afterwards they were hungry, came upon a shawarma stand, and the rest is history. Or future. Time travel is confusing.
"We liked this place so much that we kept going back to it whenever we had a team-up." The older Shizuka continues, carrying a few of the shawarmas to share with the group. Everyone gets a large shawarma, unwrapping the paper to let the fragrant steam fill the nostrils. It smells good, but that is a merely an understatement compared to the first bite:
It's delicious. Shizuka can't believe it, this is some of the best food she's ever had. It is completely worth the three-hour trip. She's not the only one thinking so, as her companions are equally pleased with this simple meal. Like a hungry wolf the young king devours her meal. "This shawarma, I like it. I want to have another!"
Shizuka throws the wrapping paper on the table, indicating that she's not done eating even though it was a large shawarma. Her future self fully agrees, having finished her own meal as well. Knowing who the big eaters at this table are, she places another order: "Hey Amir, three more of the usual!"
"Anything for my dear customers!" Amir is prepared, knowing his clients well enough to know that they've got some big eaters in the group who order twice. Within a minute the new batch of three is finished, allowing the three kings to enjoy the second part of the meal.
Yeah, the delicious smell of the shawarma penetrates through the wrapping paper. With excitement Shizuka opens the food package, ready to take another bite. Though she was somewhat skeptical at first, this place is good enough to become a regular meeting place. When the time comes to fight here in Sapporo, Shizuka will make sure to visit this restaurant after that battle. Now she should give the food the attention it deserves before it gets cold, as she takes a big bite out of her meal.
*Nom*
After dinner the group went back to the airfield. While the two trios of Japan go back to Tokyo to get some rest the Campione of France is ready to go back to her home country. Louise gives a heartwarming smile at her fellow peers, glad to have met with the younger king.
"Then this is goodbye for us, my friends. I will have to return to Europe, while you stay here in Japan. I would like to thank you all for this wonderful time we had together."
"Yes, I agree." In the end Shizuka cannot stay negative about her French peer, this zealot of a Campione. "Though our time has been short and with a surprising amount of hardship, I cannot say that it was all bad." Even so, Louise will absolutely not be missed!
"I guess that I will simply have to wait for a few dozen years before we meet again. When that time comes, I'll try to once again become your friend."
"It's going to be many years from now. Who knows if in my timeline you'll become a Campione to begin with?"
At hearing those words Louise begins to laugh, as if remembering a funny joke. Turning to her fellow peer of the future she shares her recollection: "Hey, isn't that basically what you said back then: 'Ugh, so she really became a Campione this time as well?'"
"I did, didn't I?" The oldest king of the group lets out a chuckle as well. "I suppose that in the end all is well, so I can't complain too much about the what ifs and could haves."
"Indeed, indeed. I suppose that in the end we've managed to arrive at the ideal situation." Louise walks up to her fellow Campione of the future, giving her a big hug. "Well, I'll see you later, then. If there's a problem, don't be hesitant to call me."
"Hey, you are speaking to a godslayer, you know. I'm pretty sure that there's very little I cannot solve on my own." Both kings let out a chuckle at that, before letting each other go. Having said goodbye to the older Shizuka it's now time to say her final byes to the younger one:
"As for you, my young friend, I suppose this is farewell. Though you may meet my future self, I will not meet the young you again."
But it's likely that Shizuka will meet the future king again as she is now. After all, her future self is standing there. Though it's going to be annoying, Shizuka will probably have many adventures together with this Campione. Whether its for good or for bad, their shared destiny will not fall apart easily.
"Though I cannot speak of fate and the likes," the younger king says, "I have a feeling I'll meet you again. Though I don't know the circumstances of the next time we come in contact again, I doubt we will meet as enemies."
"Heh, of course we won't." Louise starts to smile, giving the young king a big glomp. Though Shizuka tries to escape the grip of the French girl it's too powerful to break through without authorities, so she gives up trying. "I mean, look at what kind of splendid person you'll become. How could I not admire such a person?"
Louise lets go of Shizuka, who is gasping for fresh air. After taking a good lungful she calmly agrees with Louise. "I suppose so. Then Louise, farewell and until later. Until we meet again."
"Yeah. Goodbye, my young friend of the past. Goodbye, everyone!" Louise grabs her bags and runs down the terminal towards her flight.
When Louise is out of sight the youngest king decides that it's time to finish a conversation that Inari stopped. The four companions of the kings walk towards their own flight, but Shizuka halts the other king in her tracks. Giving a glare at the older king she demands answers: "Now that Louise is gone, I think that it's time for you to do some explaining about your policies." The robbery incident is brought up again, with her explaining how the criminals were shot to death. "First strike and you're brainwashed, second strike you're out? While I know of the three-strikes law {5} out there in America I have to say that this is just plain ridiculous. How can you accept such a rigid system?"
The older king lets out a sigh, having seen this conversation coming. "I can see why you wouldn't understand the need for such strict rules." Going through the pocket of her outfit she pulls out a rectangular keycard, different from the one she gave for the gaming room. "It's getting too late to tell you everything. Besides, telling you here won't be as effective as showing you the full truth. How about tomorrow morning you go back to the scene of the crime with this card? I think you'll be able to find the answers you need."
The key card is handed over, the younger Campione inspecting the card. It looks like an ordinary keycard, another dime in a dozen. But if this holds the truth…
This will do for now. It is indeed late. Figuring out the truth one day later isn't that much different. The kings head towards their companions, ready to get on the plane and get back to Neo Tokyo for a good night's sleep.
-x-
18th of May, morning, Neo-Tokyo ghettos
It's finally time to put this card Shizuka received to good use. Shizuka has returned to the alleyway where she was denied access before. Are those two cops who were here still fleeing from her? Shizuka doesn't know, having long forgotten their faces. They might as well be standing right in front of her and she wouldn't notice.
Inside of the alleyway are mainly fences and wires, nothing much that would draw the attention of people other than thugs. There is, however, one small shack with a keycard reader hanging on the side.
It doesn't take a genius to understand what needs to be done. With a single card swipe the door of the shack opens, revealing a spiral staircase that leads to great underground depths.
It takes ten minutes of casually strolling down the stairs before the bottom is reached, leaving Shizuka in some sort of small, dimly lit entrance hall. There's a door to her right, but what truly shocks her is right in front of her:
"Oh, you cannot seriously tell me that this is real. Why do I only figure these things out now?"
In front of Shizuka is an elevator. Considering that there is only a button that goes upwards, these ten minutes could've been skipped entirely! What a waste of effort!
After calming herself down Shizuka decides to open the only door around. It leads to a room filled in pitch-black darkness, and the light shining in from the room behind her is not helping much. There is only a soft, mechanical hum indicating that there is at least some activity down here.
After a little struggle Shizuka finds a switch, and without thinking she flips it. Immediately the light turns on, causing the young king to flinch from the disparity in brightness. After several seconds of adjustment Shizuka can finally see the entirety of the room, which is gargantuan! There is no end in sight, the walls at both the sides and the far end not yet visible. Only the ceiling is visible, hanging a meter or so above Shizuka's head. However, the volume of the room is the strangest, as it is filled with innumerable amounts of the same object:
Pods. As far as the eye can see, as wide as the eye can see, lying in rows through which a human can barely walk. Most of the pods are active, though there are also a few silent ones in them.
Still surprised by this all Shizuka moves through these pods, looking them over one by one. Each of them is filled with a human body, in tranquil but never-ending sleep. Neither dead nor living can these sleepers be called, suspended in a state of unconsciousness.
The exceptions are the silent pods. With Shizuka's level of vision she can easily see half-rotted corpses occupying the inactive systems.
This is horrible! What the hell is this, it's enough to make you puke!
"I…this… what?" Shizuka is at a complete loss for words, completely disoriented from this location, and the thousands of humans who lie here.
"Graves." On top of the pod behind Shizuka sits her future self, wearing a solemn expression. "To be precise, the graves of those who stood in the way of a perfect world."
"You!" With anger the king of the past glares at the speaker of those words, needing knowledge of only one thing: "I do not think I want to know, but I know I need to. You pulled me to this place, so you owe me an explanation: What am I seeing here?"
"As I said, the graves of those who stood in the way of my perfect world. Well, you can't exactly call them graves by your definition of that word, so let's call these things 'husks', okay?"
"Then what are these husks, as you call it? Who are these humans? For what asinine reason did you put them in here?"
"Do you still not understand? Do you think that human society back in your day would willingly accept that there are forces outside their control? Gods and Campiones, who are untouchable for the normal person? Unlike those mages who are trained to respect the supernatural, most humans aren't like that."
"I don't think I need to fear ordinary people telling me what to do. Should a king be affected by mere protesters?"
"These are not your ordinary protesters. Humans made rules, tried to impose power over the supernatural. Think of those superhuman registration acts from the superhero comics, where the government wants to control and limit the devil kings. To do so, they tried to enforce their will with both military and magical power."
"What a useless effort." Yeah, Shizuka can see how that would end. In the comics these acts can only be enforced because a group of superheroes support this idea, and combat those in opposition. No way in hell that any Campione is going to agree with such ideas, even Shizuka is not accepting of those with manipulative behavior.
"Indeed. That led to the greatest massacre in human history: 8 kings obliterated an army of 12 million. Even I am responsible for the death of thousands of people in the JSDF."
"So, are those deaths the ones that lie here?"
"No, on the contrary, those twelve million are the people we couldn't save."
"But then, who-"
"With this our rule was settled." The older king interrupts, bringing the story back to the history of the world. "Now that neither gods nor humans could stop the Campione, the way was open for our kind to rule. The question was, how would humanity be guided? John Pluto Smith, Gascoigne and I wanted to create a world of order, while everyone else wanted a world of chaos where they could do as they please. Every king went his own way, and eventually the world was split in two: Those following my world of order, and those living in chaos."
"But then what are these humans all doing here? What is the order in this?"
"What you see here are people who have been deemed 'burdens to society'."
What?
No seriously, what the hell are those words," burdens to society". Did she, did Shizuka's future self, speak so callously about humanity?
"The look on your face tells me enough." The younger king realizes her wary face, and quickly tries to go back to neutral to prevent further hostility. The older king continuous speaking about her callous ways. "I'm telling the truth here; these are all graves for those who cost more than they deliver. And these husks here a simply a gift to the burdens for not wasting our time. Each one of them builds a special virtual world for these people in which all their dreams come true."
The older king continues walking, gesturing for her past self to follow. As they keep walking an explanation of this system keeps going on.
"Those who do not wish to live their life in the real world, and fantasize about a better reality, these underground facilities are the only place you can get that."
"And then what, you give each person a sweet dream, and after some years you pull the plug?"
"But of course, even the little bit spend on them can't be wasted. For thirty years they get to experience the ultimate dream, and then they die for good. When our supply doesn't meet the demand anymore, we clean out the dead husks and then insert the next person."
"And how many did you need to place here? A million? Two million? I've seen people in these husks from all over the world, so how many people did you gather here for these dreams?"
The older king looks a bit confused but realizes that she hasn't been giving all the information. "Oh, in here it's only half a million. However, this is the facility for those humans who dream of becoming devil kings themselves, but don't have the power to do so."
"Wait, every single person here-"
"Wanted to be a devil king but was not strong enough to become one. Here, let me give you a few examples, like the husk on your right."
Shizuka looks at the indicated pod and sees a young man slightly shorter than her brother with corded muscles and dirty-blonde hair. "An orphan who grew up with only the name Jereth. Has anger issues and committed two light crimes because of them. He's now living in a world where he's a devil king who slew some Slavic god."
In the pod next to him lies a tall, broad man with cropped brown hair and a thick beard. The older king takes a glance at the name to the side before she starts explaining: "Ah, that's guy's from United North America. A lumberjack who snapped after finding his wife cheating on her. Instead of rehabilitation he wanted his last request to be placed in a dream where he defeated legendary lumberjack Paul Bunyan."
Next she points at another pod, containing a red-headed Caucasian girl of about ten years old. "And this one is Miss Campbell, from Scotland. Was supposed to be useful, but the doctors constituted that she has Asperger's. Since that killed all possibilities of her having the necessary social skills to function appropriately to my standards, she got placed in a dream where she slew Poseidon."
"Are you honestly telling me that you're placing children in these things?" Those words came out as a hiss, an angry snarl at her future self.
"Yes. It's saving tons on medical intervention."
"And such a small mental disorder is worth it to be placed amongst the half a million 'burdens to society'?"
"Wait, didn't I tell you? This is only for people who dream of becoming a godslayer. The number of burdens to society is much larger:" A long list of everything that is burdening follows: Serial criminals, the mentally impaired, the physically impaired, loafers, roamers, rebels, the elderly, all of those who would rather live in a fake dream than in harsh reality. "The number of people that have disappeared in these machines on my orders is more than 3 billion. I estimate that in a few years we'll cross the 4 billion mark."
The younger Shizuka's mind can't handle it anymore. She, that person in front of her, is responsible for the deaths of more than 3 billion people. "Wha-, you! You!" How? There are no words for this offense. There is only one thought:
"What is wrong with you?!"
"I killed three-quarters of my subjects and brought utopia for the remaining quarter. Japan, Russia, India, North America, South-West Europe and sub-Saharan Africa; People live in perfect bliss in these lands, because each person is worth more than they cost. Every human I left is here to fulfill his purpose! This is my final solution for humanity, and it has never prospered like this before!"
-x-
19th of May, evening
Shizuka had no words left for her future self. The creation of the ultimate meritocracy by her hand disgusts the young Campione, to the very soul of her being. There are no words to say to such a menace of mankind, so Shizuka just… left. Away from herself, away from this mad society.
Renting (stealing) a fishing boat from one of Tokyo Bay's harbors she gets the out of this shining mockery named Japan. The totalitarian kingdom of order has been shown to Shizuka, so it's time to bring a visit to the other side of the coin. According to what was said about which countries stood where on global politics the closest county she is sure of China belonging to the forces of Chaos.
Still, even with future technology the trip by sea does take a while. It takes her multiple hours before she reaches The most southern point of Japan's main islands, cape Sata. Heading west from that point on should bring her close to the city of Shanghai. It's late in the evening when reaches the shore of China. Considering that she can see high skyscrapers in the distance makes Shizuka certain that she's traversed the oceans correctly.
Entering the city once known as the "Pearl of the orient" she finds that the city doesn't live up to its name anymore. The port she entered is deserted, left unmaintained for what must be years. Grass is growing through the cracks in the concrete, and wildlife has taken over the city. What kind of disaster happened here?
Walking further through the city does nothing to improve her opinion of the world. Everything that was once part of civilization is gone, now looking more like it belongs in some post-apocalyptic world. Are the even humans alive inside this city?
That question is quickly answered when a young woman of Shizuka's age calls out to the king is a whispering, quiet voice: "Hey you! Quickly, hide in here!" Shizuka looks around, wondering what the girl is talking about. The girl cautiously looks around, before running towards the Campione and tugging her sleeve.
"The white mountain snake fist school is rampaging through the city! Quickly, we need to hide before the-Aah!" The Chinese girl points behind Shizuka. and looking in that direction the king can see a dozen or so motorcycles speeding through the city. The cyclists all look rather punk: Spiked leather outfits, several of them wearing mohawks, each of them rather tall and muscled for someone living in an apocalyptic landscape like this. They laugh madly, causing destruction and mayhem on their path towards Shizuka.
The girl tries to run away in the opposite direction, but the motorcyclists quickly catch up and form a circle around the two girls. Each of the cyclists is grinning evilly, like it has some diabolical scheme planned for the ladies, one that is likely quite traumatizing for the girl. Really, what is wrong with this place? If it weren't for the lack of shoulder pads Shizuka would be sure that this was the set for the newest Fist of the North Star {6} movie.
With the spell words for wood she summons said stone into her hands, at the smallest size possible so it barely fits within her hand.
The motorcycles come to a standstill, forming a circle around the two women. With nowhere to go the girl runs back to the only other human at her side, hoping to find some solace as she hugs Shizuka in fear.
One of the motorists steps off his bike, this one dressing differently from those around him: A tall man with long black hair in a braid, as well as a Fu Manchu moustache, wearing a traditional Chinese changshan {7}. With a calm gaze he looks at the two girls, before smiling.
"Hello there, girls. Be honored, for the white mountain snake fist school is granting you a job. You'll be managers for my students here. With good work, you might even be able to get involved in the personal lives of one of the students at my school."
In other words, a mandatory offer to work as a slave before becoming one of these goon's concubine. Neither of the two girls has trouble realizing the true meaning behind those words. The girl from Shanghai hugs Shizuka even tighter in fear, while the king has a few words of her own:
"I see it happening in front of my eyes and I still can't believe how far these people have fallen. You, with the Fu Manchu mustache, if you keep living like you can do everything you will eventually meet an enemy you cannot beat. Why don't you go home and try to think your life over before your bad deeds catch up with you?"
The leader of the gang doesn't even consider it, ordering his men to grab the two girls. Well, if he wants to do it that way…
Shizuka pushes the girl off her, needing space to utilize her stone. Though it only sits at about a fifth of its total power it should be enough to take down ordinary humans.
"Brightly shining / life extinguished. The whip of light / castigated darkness!"
Shizuka's shadow switches from darkness to light, splitting in five as they turn into thin whips crawling all over Shizuka. Imbued with life force from the stone of wood itself, they form a defensive barrier around Shizuka, daring anyone to come close. The twelve motorcyclists listen to their leader and get off their bikes. Letting out a loud yell they rush towards Shizuka. Using the martial arts that the mustache man taught them they expect to have an easy victory. Instead the whips strike faster than they imagined, each one striking pressure points to send them flying into walls. Well, to expect more from grunts is unfair to these people, even a greatly incomplete authority won't be overcome by amateurs like these.
The leader of the gang is the only one still standing, albeit because he didn't attack thus far. "Hmph. You may have been able to deal with my disciples, but now you will face a true master of the fist of the white snake! Hoh!" With a kiai the man focuses his internal qi on his hands, making them shine in a white light. "Now behold martial arts that will even impress her eminence!"
The leader lunges at the Shizuka, his fist radiant with power. Two of the whips overlap to stop the incoming jab, but the man doesn't stop grinning. This is an attack that can even strike through the defenses of a great knight! What chance does this girl have?
Fist meets whips, the former causing cracks in the latter. Though it's going a bit slow for his taste, the gang leader can be proud that his attack has broken through once mo-
The other three wisps strike swiftly into the man's shoulder joints and liver, making him fly backwards and crash into the ground. He stands up with a grunt of pain, looking a bit worse for the wear but mostly livid at the young king.
"Damn you. I won't let you use your tricks again! You there, do it!" As he says that Shizuka hears a girl scream. Looking behind her he sees that one of the mooks has grabbed the girl that's also here with Shizuka, holding a short sword pressed against her neck. The gang leader grins, now assured of his victory.
"Girl, if you so much as move a muscle your friend will lose a head in height." The man cracks his knuckles, ready to let them loose. "Now, let me teach you what a human's true power is."
Good grief… "A cowardly scheme like this is humanity's true power? Do you have any right to speak of that? Honestly, I think you gave up on your humanity a long time ago."
"Indeed, girl! If it's for the sake of victory, then I have no qualms with becoming a monster! Now let me hear you scream!"
Sigh… he admitted it himself, he is not human anymore. Therefore, Shizuka will stop treating him as a human, and make him realize that this fight was over from the moment he got hit.
"O life / a cruel illusion. Strings of the puppet / eternally controlled. Now / until the moment you die."
Just before his fist strikes Shizuka the man finds his body is unable to move. Try as he might, it's as if his body doesn't listen to his command. With a sneer Shizuka asks the guy when he's going to hit her, making him realize just what kind of trouble he stirred up. He is still able to see the guy who is holding onto the young woman, but instead of cutting her down his arm goes limply down, stabbing himself in the knee against his will. Every single gang member struck by Shizuka's blow finds himself unable to move, the entire gang immobilized. Those whips were not mere whips, they injected life force directly into the bodies of the gang members to stop and control their movement.
"P-P-Please forgive me." The leader of the gang tries to get the mercy of the devil king, trying every trick in his book. "I own several powerful magic artifacts, as well as large stacks of cash and food. I'll give them all to you!"
It's so pathetic, Shizuka almost rolls her eyes at it. "Good grief. Can you still not see that there's one big problem with what you're asking?"
The gang leader tries to think of the problem, but can't think of it. "I-I'll solve it! Just tell me hat the problem is, and I'll stop it. Whatever you need I-I'll give it to you!"
A small smirk leaves Shizuka's face, as she realizes how perfect the situation is: Post-apocalyptic wasteland; Evil warlord and their gang trying to oppress the populace; Leader of the gang severely underestimating the newcomer; Said leader trying to fight dirty and do everything to escape punishment; Yeah, there's only one thing to say to him: "Very well, I'll tell you what the problem is: you're already dead."
"What the-" Before he can say more tumorous swellings grow rapidly on his head and body, causing him brief pain before he explodes in gory fashion. A few pieces of dead meat fall on Shizuka, but she brushes them off.
People peer out from the nearby buildings, rejoicing at the death of this monstrous human. The subordinates of the decease leader are afraid, unwilling to share the fate of white mountain snake fist school's leader. Shizuka gives one look at them, before releasing her power. These goons were brainwashed by their deceased leader, maybe they've learned their lesson.
Upon noticing he can move again one of the mooks sprints away, and within seconds the rest follows suit. Before they can get out of view a lightning bolt flows out of one of the alleys, arcing between the bandits and scorching every one of them. The charred bodies hit the floor at around the same time, all life in them extinguished.
"And that's the trash cleaned." From behind the building the older Shizuka appears, this time along with all the companions from both times. Next to her is [Metal], used to summon the divine lightning. The humans who rejoiced at first for the gang leader's death now scurry away trying to save their own lives, recognizing the Campione of Japan. When only the kings and their allies are left the older king begins her speech: "You have now seen the other side of this world. The yin to my yang, the chaos to my order. Then tell me, this solution created by Luo Hao and the rest, what is your opinion on it?"
"What kind of hellish world is this?"
It's obvious what this is, what kind of world they are standing in. If you look at it from an open standpoint outside of moral concepts like good or evil, the answer is clear. Shizuka too should be capable of recognizing the truth, but her own morality is blanking out any thought that are not "bad" or "evil". It's her older self that needs to explain this location:
"This is nothing but freedom, a land of the individual. Where strength rules through action, laws are non-existent, where people kill and die for their own cause, in their own wars. In other words, It's pure and utter chaos."
The followers of the younger king are simply gawking at the ravages in front of them. Fuyuhime looks around a corner and finds two of the saved people viciously looting one of the dead corpses, vivisecting the body to preserve the organs. It's a disgusting sight that causes Fuyuhime to throw up her lunch, thoughts drawing a temporary blank.
She finds the single corpse multiplied by three when she sees straight again, two of them pierced by metal feathers. Behind her stands a determined Sakura, likely the one belonging to this era, giving a tired look of resignation.
"W-What is… this hell? This landscape?" Fuyuhime still cannot believe this absurdity, this world. Neithr can the rest of the 2013 trio.
"This is Luo Hao's territory, the China of the future." The oldest king explains, "The world of the chaotic devil kings who do not rule with prosperity. The dark side of Earth to counter my guiding light."
For the older king it's simple, and the followers have their own opinion as well. For Fuyuhime it's what you find at the ends of self-indulging extremism, while Sakura simply sees it as a world for the people whose nature rejects order.
Only those who sit firmly in the world of the past can look at this with eyes of disgust. How did it come to this? How did this happen?
"Humanity… made mistakes. It's how the saying goes, after all, that humans err." The adult Fuyuhime explains, telling just what led to this. "Under normal circumstances this wouldn't be too bad. Humans make errors, things get problematic, the world is in chaos, a powerful god like the King of the End gets summoned and wipes the slate clean, and humans will be led back to their natural state by the guiding hands of the gods."
"However, this time there's a difference. Us. The other kings. The devil kings who manages to slay the King of the End, continuing the chaotic era. Humans lost their divine guidance, and problems rose around the door: overpopulation, global warming, famine, wars, the list goes on and on."
"A-Are you saying that we are the cause for this bipolar world?"
The elder Fuyuhime confirms the fears of her younger self, agreeing that their lord caused the breakdown of natural order.
Of course, it's not like the elder Shizuka has lived for several decennia without thinking of other options: "For you, there are still two solutions left: The first is the simplest and requires only a single action."
The future Sakura lightly throws a knife at the younger king, who is looking at it questionably.
"What is this knife for?"
"The solution, of course: Kill yourself right here and now."
What?!
"If you do so, then the other devil kings will not be able to put an end to the wielder of the divine sword, and humanity will simply enter the next cycle. Life will continue without problem, except for the devil kings, of course. So, interested in trying?"
"I do not think that either of us needs any explaining about the absurdity of that idea." Shizuka tosses the knife away, which lands into a nearby puddle.
"Yeah, I honestly didn't expect you to say anything else." Really, a king committing suicide. That would be the craziest thing that anyone in the magical society has heard of! "Since that option is off the table, the other solution is to copy the level of order created by the gods and improve on it. That's where my world comes in. I have created the utopia mankind dreamed of: Every adult has a job, every child a hobby, crimes are almost non-existent, and all of the human population under my rule enjoys the full eight hours of sleep their body requires."
"Yeah, and as a price for that there is absolutely zero freedom. They live a life not unlike a robot, a homunculus!"
"Come now, freedom is overrated. If we want to make sure that this world can function without the death of all humans, you need to make sure that idiots cannot do anything that might cause harm to the world."
"What you are saying is nothing other than the opposite of democracy, where you restrict the wills of the many so that you prevent the actions of a few."
"Idiocy is not something that has such a clear-cut answer. People are not idiotic or non-idiotic. Every single person in the world would, given the freedom of choice, make stupid choices that would spell doom and chaos for his population. Nobody, not even you or me, is an exception to this rule."
"And an imperfect being like you has the right to force perfection from your subjects? If that isn't hypocritical, then I don't know what is!"
It is at this line that the older king falls silent, who somehow did not prepare an answer for that question. Did she forget about it through the fog of ages, or is she emulating the answer she received when she asked the question 80 years ago? It is not an answer that Kusanagi Shizuka can answer without addressing her own faults. Therefore, she confirms the complaints given:
"You are absolutely correct; this world of order is reeking with hypocrisy. However, human nature has been hypocritical from the very beginning. Trying to rule with pure sincerity is hypocritical to begin with!" In this world, there is no perfection. That is a fact everyone knows. There are always flaws, and always people to exploit it. No one denies this fact. "And what has this imperfect, hypocritical world brought us? War and conflict, greed serving more greed, betrayal and destruction. Without people to enforce law to suppress human imperfection, the world will just be more of that. Therefore, I create a world where I prevent these failings from manifesting."
"So? All that is different is who is the leader and what their agenda is. Instead of letting people work for their own sake, you force-feed them all equally as if they were little chicks."
This line gets a frown from the older king, making clear that that sentence, at the very least, is wrong. She's also vocal enough to point it out, calling her younger self out on this misconception:
"Make no mistake. Humans aren't equal, not even a bit. Everyone is different, some with more use than others. Everyone needs to be at his rightful place to function well. It can all be traced back to a single rule that will always be followed: The strong rule, and the weak follow. If you allow a system where weak people rule then they get corrupted, only bringing destruction to those around them. All it takes is one lesser man in the wrong spot to create untold disaster!"
"And the rightful place for most of humanity is inside of your husks?"
"Isn't that obvious? The weakest get disposed of while the strong rule over the remainder. Kusanagi Shizuka; As a Campione you are undoubtedly the strongest of the strong, so it is your destiny to rule and choose a path for those who follow! Your futures are as clear as a coin flip: Do you belong to order, and create a world of paradise that precisely follows your orders; or are you an avatar of chaos, creating a world where the strongest thrive and fulfill their desires? With only these two options available, go ahead and pick a side!"
"I think that my choice is obvious." Yeah, there's only one path to take, one possibility. It's an easy choice, and Shizuka doesn't have to think about it at all. "You're right, a coin only has two sides. However, for forgetting the most important thing, you fail as a king!"
Everyone looks curiously at the younger Shizuka, who has her answer ready: "It doesn't take much of a genius to land a coin on either side. However, the path I will choose to walk is the third option, the coin balanced on its edge. Neither absolute order nor absolute freedom, the path I walk is the narrow one in between!"
"You should know that such a solution is nothing more than an instable dream. It's a precarious balance that will eventually flip, becoming either the order or chaos you despise so much. In that case, why not choose now for the better option?"
"You might be correct that your method is less likely to topple over into something else, but that is simply giving up before you even started! Your world might be stable and prosperous, but it also stopped rolling towards mankind's new advances. All you create is a world based on an outdated dream, hindering the potential of everyone!"
"And why does that matter?" The older king is losing her calm, unable to accept that she cannot talk sense into her older self. "Let's say we take your middle path, where rules and freedom are intertwined. Humanity will lead themselves and ruin themselves. It will only lead to humanity's inevitable demise, it's the precarious road to twilight!"
"That is just how a pessimist looks at life who can only see the failures. I will create mankind's dawn!"
No. Those words are unacceptable. How can someone continue to spout such nonsense! That road is undoable, non-existent, an impossibility that cannot exist! Why is that girl so adamant in her beliefs?
"King of the future, I would please ask you to stop." Now even the young Fuyuhime is joining in the conversation, bringing up her own point: "This future is yours, and it is your choice to say how this world is ruled. Following that same line of thought, you don't have any right to fit the past to your liking. That time is not yours anymore!"
"Then what? Do I need to stay silent and watch as humans take advantage of myself, their evil nature destroying mankind?"
"Ehm, I do not know if I should speak up here, but I cannot agree with that!" Even Sakura speaks up, having steeled herself for this confrontation. "If people are as evil as you say, then why am I here? I am shy, meek, and in general quite powerless. I'm bad at sports, my intelligence is average, and I couldn't even use magic from youth. However, the only reason I am who I am now is through all the people I've met and who've helped me grow. Even if you are a devil king, I cannot let anyone speak badly of these wonderful people!"
"Don't be insane, Sakura! People only help because they gain from it. Be it obligation to others, fear for superiors, or simply obtaining material resources; They always get something out of helping you!"
"I don't know, I do remember a king who was willing to help the weak and helpless without any gain." Even the close aides now must disagree with their lord, they cannot stand on the sidelines any longer now that even their friendship has been given bad insinuations. The older Sakura comes to the defense of the younger one, disagreeing with the opinion of her lord: "Her name is Kusanagi Shizuka, perhaps that does ring a bell somewhere?"
"I… I won't be hypocritical by saying that I'm the only good person in existence. There is no difference between me helping others and how humans in general act. We simply choose what we want, what we believe to be the ideal options no matter how dumb or stupid they might turn out to be! That's the only reason that I helped you!"
Okay, even a Campione cannot keep this line up without disregarding who she is, as is quickly pointed out by her right hand Fuyuhime:
"Oh? Ideal options? A Campione can intimidate any organization they want and get support from anyone they want. If you had just pressured the History Compilation Committee a bit you could've certainly gotten some of the most talented young Japanese to stand by your side. In fact, you could scout through most of the world for people to serve you and gotten an army of the most talented mages under your command. But when we look at your final choice, you went for two adolescents with barely any magic ability, two people who can be considered worthless in the society of magic. Man does not make choices based on what they believe is ideal for themselves! All we do is choose with our heart, and we generally choose to do good for all!"
Almost as if on reflex, all five of them come to the same conclusion. The wording is slightly different, but they all convey the same ideal at the same time:
"Don't you dare look down on the goodness of humanity!"
"No… you guys too… why? Why?" Now even the last bastion, her own companions, have betrayed her. All of this… why is this all happening?! "Aaargh!"
Ah, the older king has lost it. With even her followers betraying her, what can she still trust? What is wrong with these people? Why will no one listen?!
The elder Shizuka's face is in anguish. The rest can only look onward at the almost mad ramblings of a lord whose wishes are not followed.
However, the younger Shizuka sees something else, which experiences of the past have led to believe.
"So, you made that choice too, huh?" That woman in front of her, she too was once the same idealist who wanted to create a balanced world. The anger towards her older self disappears, replaced with only one emotion:
Pity.
Yeah, there's no reason to be so hard on this king. Shizuka can empathize with her future version, able to understand her message now: "Don't worry anymore. Those unfulfilled dreams of yours, that ungranted wish: I will make sure to create the world you failed to create."
"Do you still not understand? That world you speak of, it's nothing but an impossibility! You know now that I too tried to create such a world, but I failed nonetheless! This body of mine should represent the absurdity of your dream, so why do you keep believing?"
"Then let me ask you a question: When did you become so weak?"
This question upsets the conversation, as no one understands this insult. No one, except for the young Shizuka who is more than willing to explain:
"Impossibility? Absurdity? What the hell are you talking about? Don't you see just who is standing in front of you? I am Kusanagi Shizuka. Without power nor magic, using nothing more than the ordinary body of an ordinary human and my wits, I slew a goddess. A Campione like me should never even have the thought that there are things I cannot do. From my perspective these ideals aren't absurd at all, you simply gave up fighting for them after you suffered one too many losses!"
…
Silence.
Nobody said anything after this argument, unable to give a good reply. The king of the future is unable to find fault within those words. After all, truth has no faults. It cannot be denied: "Yes, you're absolutely right. I did lose my dreams of that unreachable utopia."
Everyone is content with this. This is the solution they should've reached at the beginning of this conflict. It's the fina-
"However, just because you've got the facts right doesn't mean you have the correct answer."
O come on! Just when an answer was reached, does that king really have to give another objection? With a heavy sigh the trio of the past continue to listen, wondering what else can be said on this topic:
"I won't deny that you believe that a world led by humans themselves is the best for humanity. However, will it also be the best world for Kusanagi Shizuka? If you can wholeheartedly say that that is so, then go ahead and act like it. However, if you ever find yourself wavering, know that this future is always open when you grasp power."
Ugh. Shizuka has had it with the opinions of good and bad, law and chaos, and all of that. All these possibilities that have yet to manifest, a true meaning cannot be found yet.
"If that time ever comes, you might be correct that I might pick that path. However, only I can decide for myself what the future is that I want. What I want is what will happen, and no one is allowed nor capable of changing my wishes."
"I suppose I can concede that at least. I'll follow my path, and you follow yours." With a small chuckle the older Shizuka laughs off this entire problem, accepting the result. "Now, let's go back. The only window for you three to return is in a few hours, and I doubt you want to be stuck for at least another month down here."
Now that is something that the two kings do find common ground in. The offer gets accepted, as nobody wants to stick around any longer.
-x-
The party has returned to Okinawa, the same portal that was used eighty years ago to send three people into the future. Now this cave will fulfill the opposite function and send everyone back. The night sky is clear, and the moon is full. A full circle of witches is incantating and preparing the spells required, so now the devil kings only need to wait.
"So, with this the nightmare is finally over." Shizuka is glad to leave this place, the dystopian reality being too much for her to handle.
"Hey, isn't a word like nightmare a bit of an exaggeration? It wasn't that bad at all, was it?"
"Since when is life supposed to be bad for a king, let alone a Campione? This luxury was built upon billions of carcasses, tainted by their deaths. It would be unbecoming of me to accept that without complaint."
The two devil kings are still unable to agree with one another, but at least it isn't as bad as before. The followers give some final advice to their younger selves, a last bit of information to help them:
"My last advice will be simple:" the future Sakura has only a single piece of advice, which is quite clear: "Stand straight against all adversity. Become a rigid pillar of hope against which Shizuka can lean in case she loses her way."
"Can I really do that?"
"Trust in yourself, and your own power. You are now a witch, and a pretty powerful one too. You don't need others to do your work for you, even if Shizuka has a weak spot for meek women."
Both kings vehemently deny that at the same time, causing them both to be aghast that this problem will not change for many decennia.
Fuyuhime also has some advice to give to her younger self, and it's of an equally simple nature: "As for us, just remember what you are, and what you can do. You're the right hand of what is going to be the most influential woman of the century. Your master is an idiot beyond measure, so someone like you needs to steer her back on track if she ever goes out of bounds."
This too is denied by both kings, proving once more that the two of them are more alike than they want to admit. They too need to make a final farewell, as the younger would rather not want to end having the same conversation in 90 years.
"So then, are you going to defy the destiny shown before your eyes? You want to be responsible for all the stupidity and foolishness in human rule?"
"I cannot answer anything else but yes, I do. Humans can rule well enough for themselves, considering they've been doing so for thousands of years. If a human is unfitting to live, or to rule, then nature can take its course. A quality of worth is not one that is up to me to judge."
There are many more arguments that can be made. A few dozen pop into the mind of the older king, but she ignores them all. It doesn't matter. That king in front of her is still within the hopeful dream, and it's not her mission to wake her up.
Could that old dream be realized, could it possibly succeed? As much as the future Campione hates to say it, even she has started to hope that it can be done. Not for the sake of herself or her past, but to see if someone can reach what she couldn't.
"Then I shall accept your wish. My past self, no, Kusanagi Shizuka, let me give you a final gift:" Out of her pocket the future king takes a small pendant, attached to a simple, hexagonal piece of gold.
The young king takes a close look at it, seeing a few Latin words carved in them: Tu Fui, Ego Eris {8}. Shizuka has no idea what these words mean, though she can probably figure it out easily if she ever needs to learn Latin.
The older king shows that she is wearing a similar one around her neck: "If in your future you've found absolute proof that you won't end up as me, please destroy this necklace. Let's call this thing the proof of your success, or the proof of your failure."
The younger king understands and places the necklace around her own neck. In the future, at some point, she will make sure to take it off. That is an oath she will fulfill.
As the two kings look each other silently in the eye a witch proceeds to tell that the preparations are all finished, and the activation will begin.
The dozens of magic users all start chanting at the same time, hoping to open the gate. For security measures all witches, as well as all nearby equipment, is chained to the ground, ensuring that nothing will go to the past but the three followers.
The only ones who did not do anything are the two trios, who calmly look as the gate is opened. Unlike last time when Doni opened it and everyone in the vicinity got swallowed, this time there is only a small breeze indicating that the portal is active.
"Well then, I guess this is where we say goodbye." The young king gives a final look at this grand but dystopian future. Yeah, there's no way she can accept it. Absolutely none!
The future group simply smile, waving their past selves goodbye. They all hope to see them deviate from the future that they created. The witch of the Renjou hopes that a human utopia can be reached for everyone, the niece of the devil king hopes that in that future the two Kusanagi siblings don't become estranged from one another, while the king just wants to find out if that curious future can be realized.
The youngsters walk back, now with the experience of one possible future behind them, ready to create their own. Fuyuhime is the first to jump into the portal, giving a final wave to this future; Shizuka also jumps in, not looking back at what's to come.
Only Sakura remains, who speaks out a final sentence. "D-Don't worry, you three. I'll become strong! For Shizuka-chan, and Fuyuhime-chan! To support a bright future, I-I will become strong enough for that!"
With those parting words she jumps into the portal, creating nostalgic smiles on the faces of the king's two supporters. The remaining Sakura turns to her friend, asking if she's become strong enough for what she wanted.
"Honestly, I don't know." Fuyuhime admits with a smile, "Is this the inevitable future, which we couldn't prevent? Did we fail, and lead the world to this state? If even a Campione cannot see the alternate possibilities of the future, how should we?"
Sakura laughs, agreeing with those words. "In that case, let's finish this chapter of our lives with that final promise we made there, on this fateful day eighty years ago."
Fuyuhime needs to think for a second or two, before remembering that line. "Well, considering that that pendant is still hanging there, I guess we do need to fulfill that wish."
The future king gets one last look at the past trio before the portal closes. Out of her pocket she takes a golden pendant, an older version of the one just sent through the portal. There goes who she once was: An immature king with equally immature dreams, but beautiful all the same. Well, it's not like she can call her own situation ugl-
Out of nowhere both Fuyuhime and Sakura punch their lord as hard as they can, right in the face. With it happening so suddenly even a devil king is dazed enough to be knocked prone, feeling quite some pain on her face.
"What the hell was that for?" Shizuka shouts out in anger, before realizing two seconds later just why her followers did that. With that she lets out a small, stifling laugh. "Oh. Yeah, I guess I did ask for this."
Meanwhile, [Fairy's Corridor]
The trio has reunited in the black tunnel, ready to return to the year 2013. There they will get to create their own future. Of the three only Shizuka is still angry with what her future self has become. Turning to her friends she asks them to make one promise with her:
"If I ever turn out like that, punch me in the face as hard as you can, no matter what."
-x-
{1} Listed deities: Freya has taken the name of several goddesses over time, Tezcatlipoca originated from four different Tezcatlipoca, Vishnu has his ten incarnations which include Rama, Perun has taken aspects of eight different deities who created the two Slavic main deities, and you should probably know the story behind Verethragna's avatars.
{2} Testudo formation: A formation used by the Romans; it means tortoise because it's hard to break. The legionnaires form a shield wall not only on the sides of the formation, but also overhead, protecting them from all kinds of projectiles.
{3} Book of Common Prayer: The combination of several prayer books in the Anglican communion. It contains prayers for several practices and services.
{4} Sapporo: The largest city of Japan's northern island of Hokkaido and fifth largest city overall. While it is not as technologically advanced as Neo-Tokyo in the future, it is still a popular place as a holiday resort.
{5}: Three strikes law: An American law that states that people who have committed their third serious felony are given a life sentence. Currently only applied in 28 of the 50 states, as there is some criticism about the costs of continuously implementing this law.
{6} Fist of the North Star: A manga released in 1983 about a man who touches people in bad spots and then they die.
{7} Changsan: The traditional Chinese dress for men. Introduced during the Qing dynasty by the Manchu's, in modern times it's only worn during traditional Chinese celebrations.
{8} Tu Fui, Ego Eris: Latin for "As you are, I was. As I am, so you shall also be."
-x-
I know what you're thinking, the story isn't dead? Yes, I know it's been a while, but it's just been sleeping.
You see, I had plans for the sixth arc, but I disliked it. Trying to write it felt wrong, so I scrapped it. Since it was the arc that would grant Shizuka her newest authority I had to change the authority she would obtain. With the authority changed, I also needed to rewrite the rest of the story. And while I was at it, I could rewrite the previous chapters as well considering it had some moments I was not proud of.
After many months I've rewritten the entire story, plotted out the next arc for the future, and written this chapter. Either way, let's end this with the final authority from Shizuka's future self, based on the ceremonial swords:
[Queen's Blade]
An authority obtained from Verethragna, who wanted a rematch with Kusanagi Godou but ended up being slain by the wrong Kusanagi.
It's comparable to Kusanagi Godou's [Sword], but there are a few notable differences. Most importantly of all, Shizuka's version does not have as much of the restrictions placed on it. It can be used as often as needed, requiring full knowledge of how the deity managed to obtain the domain that is about to be sealed. Increasing the number of authorities affected by [Queen's Blade] lowers the effectiveness and duration of each sealing. It can also be used to slice through magecraft or temporarily shut down the effects of powerful artifacts like the holy grail.
Unlike [Persian Warlord], this version only has the sword and not the 9 other forms of Verethragna. This is considered proof for the theory that Godou's powers from Verethragna are ten separate authorities instead of one authority with 10 forms.