The old doors of the shrine, slammed open with barely a sound. So quiet that even the most perceptive of people, would question if they had heard it at all.
So it said something that the tiny ever insignificant squeak, echoed through the courtyard like a Gong signaling the end times.
The Volunteer magicians that had up until this point, been loud and cheerful as they shouted at the sparring teens. Barely twitched as blood fled from their faces, and they found themselves unable to breath frozen in fear of something that they could neither comprehend, or hope to match.
With Naruto being the only person who had not been unceremoniously thrown off balance (Or so scared that he stopped breathing), merely raised an eyebrow at the ageing King of the Balkans.
"And here I thought you were above such childish things like throwing a tantrum, Marquis."
The man's poisonous eyes landed on the newest King the very second the words had left his lips. The man was angry, If the way the color was leached from his surroundings and the sudden activation of the fight or flight instinct hadn't already given it away. Then the tangible miasma of Pure anger that was surrounding the man like a particularly well fit coat, would have.
So first thing Naruto does? Taunt the extremely angry Natural Disaster.
The things he did so the people around him wouldn't suffocate themselves.
Every step the Monster-Beast-Man took, was like a clock ticking down till the end of time. Every step had Erica shivering like puppy in thunderstorm, Her heart was beating so fast she would have been worried it would explode from the stress.
That is, if she could string two thoughts together beyond the intelligible babble of 'Run-Flee-Monster-Hide-Die' that had been playing through skull on replay since the Creature-Killer-Hunter had saturated the courtyard with its anger.
Her head was banging with a rhythmic, gong like urge to flee like an ant before an elephant, it's bright green eyes running over each of the courtyards occupants, like they were nothing more than it's next meal.
"And here I thought you were above such childish things like throwing a tantrum, Marquis."
And suddenly Erica, along with everyone else in the courtyard, could breath.
Air rushed into her lungs, gasping at air like she'd never known it in the first place. Vibrant color flooding back into view, having disappeared at some point without her notice. However Erica found no relief in rational thought.
Because now that she could string more than two words together, she new just how screwed she was.
"Apologies, I seemed to have lost my temper." Said what could only be The King of the Balkans, Sasha Dejanstalh Voban, The First King of the world and a Godslayer who had lived more than three hundred years.
The Most feared Campione, had his face twisted into what could be a mocking formation of grandfatherly figure. His entire posture set into that of an old man, embarrassed at his own slip even as the wolf behind his eyes hungered for slaughter on a scale the Human species simply couldn't support, (at least not without facing extinction).
"But don't think I haven't noticed." Green eyes the color of poison were so sharp Erica almost felt like she'd been cut when they landed on her prone, still gasping form. "You should know by now it's not polite to Play with your food, Kusanagi." The Oldest child of Epimethius said, practically growling out a taunt in a twist of the Instigators own words. The grandfatherly smile shredded for a mere instant to reveal the creature beneath the facade.
Erica found herself lucky to be in the position, of seeing both of the conversation participants. Something she was grateful for, if only for the fact that she didn't have to turn her head again, and again as if she was watching a ping pong match.
The instigator of this battle of words, was a boy who with his height could have been anywhere between twelve and fourteen. A dazzling green coat hung around his shoulder like a cat, the light of the shrine revealing a scale like pattern on fabric that she recognized as leather. Black pants, and expensive shoes on his feet, while a strange necklace dangled over the boys white t-shirt.
Suddenly all the staff's evasive answers, and Alexandra's frayed state made quite a bit more sense.
A new Campione had been Crowned, and the smile on his face seemed to suggest he was all too happy to add into the havoc of the others.
The Sixth King chuckled abashedly in what was most assuredly a false sense of embarrassment.
"Sorry, for that." The Youngest King said his hand running through hair as if nervous, or Afraid of the Older Kings scolding. Something she wasn't entirely certain a creature as ridiculous as a Campione could feel in the first place.
"But you know growing pains, sometimes you have to stretch bit." Said the Blonde obviously alluding to his recent ascension. But otherwise Erica was entirely ignorant of the conversation topic, after all it wasn't like she'd just been sparring with the Sixth campione or something. Thankfully Erica was ignored entirely as the two Campione started circling each other, like vultures waiting for a sign of weakness.
"Ah, yes the recklessness of youth." The wolf in an old man's clothing said with reminiscent smile on his face, even as his eyes spat daggers, and threw knives. "Very well, if you have so much energy…" The Marquis trailed off, before he simply disappeared from the Blandelli's vision, only to reappear not even a second later.
A twisted grotesque hand, somewhere between man and beast. With fur sprouting from the otherwise human skin, and black claws held out in a swipe that would have decapitated a normal human.
Only to be halted with a raised arm, in an otherwise completely nonchalant gesture, as wicked, impossibly sharp claws failed to even put a mild cut through the emerald green fabric. a sound similar to that of a scratching a chalkboard caused the air to vibrate, like a guitar string as a mild shock-wave shook the air. You would think this would discourage someone, but if anything the Wolf of a man looked as though Christmas had come early.
His entire face twisted in a primal grin of excitement, showing off pearly white K9s that seemed far to big and green eyes shined with an entertained venom. The younger King was also un-phased by this change, and if anything, he shrugged off the attack on his person like it was something amusing.
"It would be ashamed if I didn't help you work it off." Voban finished as though talking about the rain even as they both struggled against each other.
Neither of them gave even a measly centimeter.
"A lovely Idea." Smiled the Blonde, before he frowned in thought. "But it would be quite rude to do so here, I would hate for the shrine to be damaged. It's very pretty after all." Voban blinked before he seemingly blurred out of existence, and appeared across from the Blond Devil King with barely any delay.
The disturbing transformation of his arm having faded as though it never had happened. "My, How rude of me. You must forgive me, My memory is just not what it used to be." Sighed the Force of nature incarnate, not a single silver hair slipping out of place as he shook his head in false remorse. "What would you suggest?" Questioned the King of the Balkans, like his fellow King was a favored nephew.
"Well the mountains would be best." The Junior God Slayer said absently in thought before smiling like a snake. "But I know how those old bones of yours creak, So the Valley below should be able to take the damage."
A flicker of irritated amusement passed through the silver haired old man's eyes, almost to quick for Erica to catch. Before the Grandfatherly facade slid back into place like a stone casket, clapping his hands together as he answered. "My, how considerate of you, and they say the young have no respect these days." The first King said as if he hadn't caught the Sixth King's barb.
Unshaken by the older king's non reaction to his needling the Sixth Rakshasa Raja smiled, "Oh your praise just lifts my heart!" The blond said with great exaggeration, like he was attempting to hide just how little the words made to him with a hand on his heart.
"Now then, Let's start."
Erica wasn't entirely sure who said it that time, and before she could could even making an attempt at discerning which Campione had spoken the Kings made their move.
For a single moment nothing happened, then the sound of flesh impacting flesh scarred the courtyard. The melody of cracking cobblestone joining in as the courtyard suffocated for a harsh immaterial time under the Unnatural clash of Kings.
Before they were both sent flying, (and in a blatant violation of physics) in the same direction. The courtyard that had previously been one of the least damaged areas of the shrine, now bearing a small web like crack where the Campione had clashed.
The Blandelli had to fight off a small case of vertigo had the sudden lack of life imminent life threatening danger. She almost fell face first into the hard stone floor when she made an attempt at standing.
All of the potential mages she had either fallen unconscious during the engagement, or the second the Ridiculous creatures had made an exit.
Making a quick round she checked to make sure all of them were breathing, and that their hearts were still beating. (And yes there had been several cases where people kept breathing despite their heart stopping)
Before making a decision she would regret in later years, if only because What the Fuck Younger Me!? Before setting off after the hurtling god slayers.
A/N: Oh My god I'm so sorry this took so long, and shit has it really been so long since I updated Shit, Fuck, So many curse words!
I'd honestly explain WTF the fuck is going on in this chapter because the Campiones from Erica's point of few don't make all that much sense But My skull is about to implode and it's almost four in the morning right now, so maybe when my brain isn't fried.