Campione of the Raging Tides

by SeerKing

Campione rise and fall, but none are ever older than a thousand years old, because every thousand years, they are mysteriously wiped out. As the end of this current millennia draws to a close, watch through the eyes of the newly risen Eighth Campione as she rises into power and stands against those who seek to end her. Has a TV Tropes Page!

27. Heretic Goddess Freya

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"Godō" - Regular Speech

'My Everyday life…!' - Thoughts

"God Slayer!" - Heretic God/Powered Up Campione speech

"Fire!" - Magic/Authority Use

Beta'd By BigCC

Chapter 27: Heretic Goddess Freya

With Khulan

As a Shamaness of the Golden Ones, and even more so as one both viewed as 'talented' and directly related to the current Khan, Khulan Rinchen had heard many, many tales of the power of the Campione over the years. Of the men and women who, through will, talent, or some unknowable madness or luck, had been able to stand against Heretic Gods as mere mortals and through that act gained a might that was utterly unmatched, becoming something more akin to the divine yet still bound by mortal flesh.

Meeting Jean Campbell had shown just how…understated…those tales were. Even when utterly at ease, the passive power released by the redheaded Godslayer was so potent that most regular magic users would be left completely cowed by her mere presence.

But seeing her now, it completely blew away what limited expectations she'd been able to form from her few brief glances of Jean Campbell's true nature. The Scottish woman, now wielding a golden trident that practically radiated an immeasurable Divine Power, continued to clash with a truly Amazonian blonde-haired woman wielding some sword of European short blade. The sheer force and energy that the two were radiating as they clashed was washing over the surrounding countryside. It was making it hard for her to so much as draw breath into her lungs, the sight and power she was bearing witness to stealing the air away before she could so much as inhale.

'And that stubborn fool Hadaa thinks that she can challenge a Campione?! How mad is she?' that absent though echoed numbly through her mind. The Great Knight of the Golden Ones was one of the most prideful people that Khulan had ever met and had been for as long as Khulan had known the woman. The constant tales and legends of beings that she was always told that she would never be able to equal, no matter how strong she grew or how much she trained, had twisted that sense of pride into a toxic hubris; one that would surely destroy the Golden Ones if Hadaa was allowed to remain as her uncle's successor.

But such thoughts were distant echoes, the majority of her mind was completely mesmerized by the battle taking place before her eyes.

By all rights and accounts, she should have been utterly terrified by the clash that she was witnessing now. She should have already fled in mortal terror as two beings, utterly beyond her in every conceivable way, warred with one another…and yet something kept her anchored in place, eyes riveted on the battle as it unfolded.

"It is truly an enthralling sight, isn't it?" her uncle asked from where he stood next to her, one hand tucked into the satchel that he carried, ready to call upon the Grimoire of Tengri should some outside force try and interfere with the clash. "In my two hundred odd years of life, this is the fifth time I have been both blessed and cursed with witnessing a battle between Godslayer and Heretic God. And each time, from the first one I witnessed when I was no older than you are now, to this one presently, I have always felt the same. I cannot flee, cannot even avert my eyes from the sight. I am compelled to bear witness to the conclusion of the clash between a God who has rebelled against their own legend and a being that was once a simple mortal who has done the impossible and been reborn, gaining the power to stand on equal ground as the Divine. You feel the same right now, do you not?"

"Yes…" Khulan whispered out, her eyes desperately trying to keep up with the clashing titans. Again and again, trident and sword clashed, each blow moving so quickly that she could barely trace the blurs of metal as they moved. Shockwaves of power echoed across the land every time the two struck, enough magic radiating from each blow that Khulan could have likely powered every single spell and ritual she knew of ten times over and still there would have been enough left over to burn her to a crisp.

How could a human body even begin to contain so much magic? It was simply beyond belief!

Even as her mind tried desperately to make sense of the impossibility that was a Campione, Jean Campbell suddenly broke her lock with Freya and leapt back, landing a small distance away as she began to chant an aria.

"Herds of my offspring cover the world, children of the hoof and mane. In the name of Poseidon Hippios, I command them to lend me the strength of their charge, the stampede of a million together as one." the Campione incanted, the glow surrounding the golden trident multiplying in intensity several times over. Then the Campione kicked off from the ground and shot straight towards the Heretic Goddess.

"Agélis Tríaina!" Jean roared out, an image of what had to be the noblest and most regal-looking stallion Khulan had ever seen formed of golden light over her body as she charged.

"Impudence!" Freya shouted; eyes sharp as she stared at the manifestation of stolen Divinity. The Vanir Goddess raised her own blade into the air, hundreds upon hundreds of golden Norse runes suddenly lighting upon its length, before sweeping outward in front of her. As the blade cut the air, the runes covering it seemed to slip off, hovering in the air in front of her and forming a wall of golden light between the blonde-haired Goddess and her charging foe.

"A barrier of Divinity. I've heard that Heretic Gods could do such things, but for a Warrior Goddess…" Khangal muttered grimly. "Let us see if the Campione will be able to breach it."

As he spoke, Jean's radiant golden trident met with Freya's barrier of luminous runes in an explosion of power and light that caused all of Ulaanbaatar to shake beneath their feet; as if the entire mountain had been rung like a gong. Two forces of divine power clashed against each other, the air itself crackling with golden lightning as the two Divinities briefly clashed.

"Thine stolen Divinity cannot win here!" Freya shouted, her blade pointing straight at Jean. "Know thine place, usurper!"

"Don't you dare…" Jean growled out, eyes glowing a fierce gold as she glared back at the goddess. "…underestimate me!"

With that cry, the golden light emanating from the [Agélis Tríaina] briefly redoubled and, with a sound that seemed to be an equal mix of shattering glass and sheering metal, the barrier of runes was shattered, the countless runes filling the air each popping into motes of golden light like so many soap bubbles. The shocked Heretic Goddess was barely able to bring up her own blade in time to try and block the trident's continued thrust.

"She…she actually managed to break through it!?" Khulan gasped in shock. "Does that mean that Lady Campbell managed to cut through her Divinity?!"

"No, this was something far simpler. Lady Campbell merely managed to overpower Freya's Divinity with her Authority's own." her uncle responded with a shake of his head. "Still, it would take immense power even for a Campione to do such without an Authority that specializes in such feats."

The Amazonian woman managed to hold her ground against Jean's thrust, glaring down at the far shorter woman as their weapons locked together. "Godslayer! Thou hast started to truly vex me this night!"

"Get used to it Freya!" Jean snarled back, eyes still glowing. "I will not fall to you today, so you should best be ready to be royally vexed!"

Their stalemate broke an instant later, combat resuming with Jean aggressively pressing her attack and trying to use the reach granted to her by her trident to counter the far taller Freya's advantage in reach.

"If only this battle had commenced closer to the ocean, then Lady Campbell would be able to call upon her most powerful Authorities." Khulan muttered in frustration. The reason that the Scottish Campione had only used her [Tríaina] Authority up until this point was mostly due to the fact that most of her more powerful Authorities were next to useless inland. If she had access to those Authorities that granted her power over sea and storm then this battle might well have already been over.

"She may well have another powerful Authority that she could call upon…" Khangal mused with a frown. "It is widely believed that the first Heretic God that Lady Campbell slew was either Poseidon or Neptune. The Authority she earned from them seems to grant her control over all of their domains and both those gods had four key domains: water, horses, storms…and earthquakes."

"Wha-!? But if she used such an Authority here, Ulaanbaatar would surely crumble!" the Shamaness recoiled in horror and shock, face going chalk-white at the mere thought of the death and destruction such an Authority would release on her home. "She can't!-"

"She won't." the Khan of the Golden Ones stated simply. "Her Majesty has already proven herself to have an unusual amount of restraint for a Campione. Unless her life is truly on the line, I very much doubt she will ever use that particular Authority."

Just then, as if to frame his words, Freya managed to land a powerful kick against Jean, sending her flying into a nearby outcropping of rocks, sending up a massive dust cloud as she impacted. Such a blow would have utterly shattered a normal person's skeleton, but the redhead merely leapt back to her feet and re-entered the fray, her trident still gripped firmly in her hands. The enhanced physicality of a Campione was nothing to scoff at.

Rushing forward, Jean was suddenly forced to dodge to the side to avoid being gored by a massive boar the size of a truck that had seemingly charged in from out of nowhere

"A Divine Beast!?" Khulan gasped.

"That must be Hildisvíni, Goddess Freya's companion." Khangal quickly deduced. A lifetime as a mage had granted the man a deep pool of knowledge when it came to mythology. A necessity for any who wished to rise high enough in any Mage Association in a world where each day could bring the arrival of a Heretic God. "If memory serves, its name translates as 'Battle Swine' and it is actually the transfigured form of her protégé, Óttar the Simple, which could make it more than a mere Divine Beast and closer to a Subordinate Deity of Freya."

"If you think that an oversize side of bacon will stop me, then you had best think again, Freya!" the Campione stated sharply, brandishing her weapon at the newly arrived boar.

"Thou will underestimate mine companion at thine own peril, Usurper!" Freya stated, once more brandishing her own blade. In a flash of gold, a chariot appeared next to her, the two cats from her first manifestation reappearing, both suitably enlarged to draw the newly arrived chariot. "I will admit that thouhast proven thine self a formidable foe, but now we shall see how well thine might stands against two far swifter foes!"

As the Heretic Goddess mounted her chariot, Jean immediately shifted her stance, going from offensive to defensive as she prepared for what was to come. The three combatants, a Heretic Goddess, a Divine Beast, and a Campione, stared each other down for a brief moment, before Hildisvíni let out a shrill, piercing squeal as it lowered its head and charged toward the redhead like an out-of-control car.

At the same moment, Freya lashed her reins, causing her chariot to race towards Jean as well, only her mount took an arced path toward the Campione rather than charging in a straight line.

"A pincer attack." Khulan instantly recognized the tactic. "If Lady Campbell tries to block Hildisvíni's charge then she will be open to Freya's attack, and if she moves to block Freya, she will likely be gored and thrown aside by Hildisvíni!"

Rather than seeming concerned at being caught between two charging foes, Jean merely smiled savagely; crouching low for a brief moment before she suddenly leapt into the air with all the power of her Authority-enhanced legs. This, in turn, forced both the boar and the chariot to rapidly change course lest they crash, with Freya, pulling her reins and forcing her chariot upwards into the sky.

"Infernal Campione!" the Vanir Goddess shouted in annoyance; anger carved on her impossibly beautiful face as she brought her chariot toward the still airborne Godslayer. "Enough of thine paltry games."

"Who's playing games!?" Jean shouted back, bringing her trident to bear as she fell directly towards the chariot. "In the name of Poseidon Eurykreion, I call upon the fiercest storm of the south seas! Let the Anemoi run rampant, let lightning clash, let the fiercest torrent fall from the skies! As the Trojans did cower and fear me, so too shall you!"

A howling gale whirled into life around the Storm Trident, flashes of crackling lightning dancing between the tines and currents of flesh-tearing water running along its metal. Freya's eyes widened as the Godslayer drew ever closer to her chariot.

"Thýella Tríaina!" with another roar, the Campione drew her weapon back and then thrust it forward in an impossibly powerful thrust. The Heretic Goddess, unable to dodge atop her chariot, managed to raise her own blade to block, but the force of the blow was enough to knock the blade free from her hand, sending it whirling through the air and off into the distance.

Then Freya herself was struck, the massive roaring drill of gale-force winds, surging waters, and crackling lightning slamming into her with all the force of a tsunami. Even as her body was torn and electrocuted, the impact of the blow was enough to throw her from her mount, sending her flying backwards towards the ground. She impacted with a massive crash, sending rubble, plants, and dirt flying from the newly-formed crater holding the fallen deity. The unrelenting deluge of elements continued to drive her deeper into the dirt for a moment longer before Freya's voice thundered out a single word.

"DAGAZ!"

As the word echoed in the air it was like a second sun had descended onto the earth. A massive orb of impossibly hot flame suddenly appeared between Jean and her foe, the impossibly hot flames consuming the raging storm in an instant. Even Hildisvíni was not spared, the massive boar charred into nothingness where it had been rushing forward to try and aid its mistress.

Jean let out a curse as she ended the power of her trident, using a final surge of winds to propel herself away from the newly born sun, which winked out of existence a few second later.

As the Campione landed like a cat several meters away, the Heretic Goddess managed to pull herself free from the pit she had carved into the ground, looking far less impressive than she had moments ago. Her hair was utterly bedraggled, a plethora of cuts and scratches covered every inch of her skin, with the golden ichor that acted as a god's blood weeping from several of them. That last detail caused Jean to feel a mite bit suspicious, considering that ichor was mainly a Grecian thing.

Oh, and the Vanir Goddess of Beauty and Battle was also completely naked except for her helmet, necklace, and cloak of feathers. Not to mention the look of pure and utterly incandescent rage that was warping her face, of course.

"Godslayer…in all of my eternity I have never faced an enemy quite like this one!" the Heretic Goddess offered; her voice oddly calm in spite of the rage radiating from her. "I am forced to admit that my skills in battle are being pushed beyond their usual measure. I am thus forced to turn to the true focus of mine power. I am the mistress of the Seidhr, she who first taught Odin All Father the art! I am Freya, Goddess who reigns over all magic! All runes are mine to command! ISA!"

That final word seemed to cause the air temperature to suddenly plummet as it rang and echoed like a gong sounding. In an instant a massive wave of ice erupted between Freya and Jean, quickly moving to try and engulf the Godslayer. The redheaded Campione simply leapt upward over the onrushing glacier, sliding down its back as she tried to close the distance with her foe.

"I can't believe that Freya is capable of such magics…" Khulan breathed out in shock at the display of magical power.

"Neither can I, quite literally." Khangal stated, a frown across his lips and his eyes hard and sharp as he tried to study the sudden shift. "Freya was not a mistress of the magical arts. She did have ties to magic, but her power was only over seidhr, a magic devoted to divining and influencing the future. Odin, the All-Father of the Aesir, was the Norse God who held dominion over all form of Norse magic, including seidhr, Galdr, and runic magic. Freya should have no Authority over Galdr or runic magics."

"THURISAZ!"

The earth seemed to tremble as the word echoed in the air before the literally splitting open between and around the two battling figures, releasing countless massive, thorn-covered vines that launched themselves toward the young Campione, attempting to bind and tear her to pieces. Jean duck and danced around the encroaching tendrils, her golden divine weapon flashing through the air as she reduced any vine that got too close into mulch in a masterful display of skill and speed.

"I think that Lady Freya is proving quite adroitly that she does indeed have such an Authority, Uncle." the Shamaness pointed out dryly.

"But it is not her domain, it makes no sense that she could call upon that power unless…" the Khan complained, only for his voice to trail off as he face went ghostly pale. A look of horrified realization crossed his face. "By all the Gods, what have those fools done?" he breathed out in shock.

"Uncle?" Khulan asked nervously, having never seen her grandfather react like this.

"Those blasphemous fools must have used not only a Grimoire of Freya to call upon her, but a second one; likely one of Odin himself in his Authority as a God of Magic and Sorcery. Those madmen! Those utter and complete fools! They would bring Odin himself down upon us as well, should he sense this conflict and decide to chase his stolen Authority!" the elderly Khan spat out, looking terrified and disgusted in equal measure.

"But, how-?" Khulan could only gape at him.

"It was a ritual that was first proposed about a hundred and fifty years ago, shortly after I had become a Great Knight." her uncle explained grimly. "A foreign mage and researcher had come to the Golden Ones requesting an opportunity to briefly study the Grimoire of Tengri we had in our possession. We tentatively allowed him access under strict supervision, it was only after he spent a time with us that we found out more about the fool and his utterly mad ideas. He wanted to find a way to better utilize Grimoires as weapons against Heretic Gods, some way of using a Grimoire to compel a Heretic God summoned via the Grimoire to follow a certain course of action. It was then that he revealed his…theory." He spat that word like the foulest curse. "Because Authorities are literally a part of a Heretic God's very being, he believed that by altering or even adding new 'pieces' to them could be used to manipulate their personality and drives. The idiot believed that by using an additional Grimoire from a different Heretic God, either one from the same pantheon, one sharing similar domains, or even ones with a comparable legend, one could alter the Heretic God enough to compel a certain course of action on them."

Khangal paused a moment to shake his head at the sheer madness needed to create such an idea. "Naturally, as soon as we learned what he hoped to accomplish we immediately attempted to capture the mad fool, but he managed to flee. We spread word of his 'research' among the other Mage Associations and the man was quickly named as a dangerous criminal wanted by every Mage Association on the planet, though I never heard word of him ever being captured, and his 'unique' branch of research was completely forbidden. That man, or at least his research, must have fallen in with the Thuleorden."

"W-We need to warn Her Majesty of this at once!" Khulan stated, hand reaching for her focus.

"We can only risk it but once, so best to make it count." Khangal warned his niece. "Constantly distracting her in a battle such as this could prove disastrous. Cast quickly, precisely, and without hesitation, my child."

"As you say, uncle." the Shamaness agreed with a sharp nod, before drawing in a deep breath and beginning to incant. "Oh spirits of the wind, hear my plea and carry these words to the one whom I bid hear them."

After that, she launched into a quick and succinct explanation of what was going on and a plea to end this fight as swiftly as possible. Judging by the way Jean Campbell's expression grew increasingly grim moments later, it appeared that her Wind Spirit Communication spell had worked.

'Likely because it targets the air around the Campione rather than the Campione herself.' Khangal deduced easily. Campione were almost impossibly resistant to magic, but that resistance extended no further than the surface of their skin and clothes. As long as a spell or its effects did not actually touch them, their resistance should not interfere with the spell.

As the Campione continued facing down and either manoeuvring out of reach of or simply breaking through each and every rune that Freya threw at her, the Heretic Goddess' face grew increasing frustrated and, Khulan noted after a moment in surprise, slowly hints of desperations began to appear in her movements.

Frustration and desperation combined were often the quickest recipe for disaster in any circumstance, and that proved true even for a Heretic Goddess.

"LAGUZ!"

With another echoing word of power, the air between the two beings was suddenly filled with a massive wave that looked like it could fill a small ocean. Khulan's heart froze in her chest at the sight. If that water was allowed to run rampant, not only would she and her uncle be swept away, but likely all of Ulaanbaatar would be drowned in the aftermath!

"Wrong element to call upon against me, Freya!" Jean roared in triumph, dismissing her trident with a single motion before leaping bodily forward into the water. In the next instant she called forth the same Authority in a new form. "Oh Golden Trident, come forth and serve your Master, in the name of the Waves!"

Even as she spoke, the water seemed to surge around her, enveloping her position before attempting to crush her under the pressure of a full ocean. The result was a massive orb of water that seemed to float in mid-air, with only the dim glow of her trident showing Jean's position within.

"My realm is vast and treacherous, yet it holds no fear for me. By my will and power, let the oceans flow unendingly! I am lord of the seas and master of those who dwell within them, so let all know my presence and bow before me!"

In a massive explosive of Divine Power, the entire massive orb of water erupted outward, forming into a massive, whirling waterspout that towered over the surrounding ground. The display of sheer, raw power made each and every other display of the trident's might from earlier in the fight seem like nothing more than mere parlour tricks in comparison.

"So this…this is the true power of the Eighth Campione!" Khulan breathed out, her eyes wide in awe.

Before her eyes, the waterspout parted, folded, and changed; reshaping itself into the shape of a mythological beast that would be recognized the world over; a hippocampus. The legendary half-horse, half-fish that had served as the steeds drawing both Poseidon's and Triton's chariots in the mythos of ancient Greece.

And standing on top of the massive construct's head was none other than Jean Campbell, black coat flapping lightly in the wind and a gorgeous diadem formed of pearls and sea coral resting across her brow. She glared down at the frozen form of the Vanir Goddess imperiously and when she spoke, her voice echoed and thrummed with power.

"The time for this battle to come to an end is nigh, Freya." The Campione of the Raging Tides proclaimed simply.

"Tch…what manner of God didst thou steal yon power from, Godslayer? To wield power over steed and storm and now the waters themselves?!" Freya glared up at her foe. "In the end it will make no difference, a single rune can freeze the seas as easily as I called it forth!"

"Can you now?" Jean asked, raising a single eyebrow regally. "Since you called upon your 'true' power, I have yet to see you call on a single rune more than once. Something tells me that you can't use Isa again, either as inherent limitation of the Authority that was taken from Odin Allfather in a similar manner as we Campione, or you because doing so would risk drawing Odin's attention even further onto you. Of the two options, I think the first is most likely."

"Tch." Freya grit her teeth at her bluff being called out so thoroughly. "It matters not! The language of runes is vast, I still have many of ways of felling you once and for all, Godslayer!"

As the Heretic Goddess was being pushed further and further into a corner, elsewhere a Divine Ancestor continued to watch on, her loyal knight watching over her protectively.

"Hmmm…'twould seem that the Vanir Goddess has reached the limit of her ability to fight against yon Godslayer on an even footing, milady." Lancelot observed casually.

"So truly spoken, Sir Knight. This Guinevere believes that it is time to for the Grail to bring forth another false Heretic God." Guinevere agreed with a nod; eyes already gleaming in anticipation. No matter how this battle ended, she would only benefit. Jean Campbell would could lose, in which case she'd be able to snatch Athena's Authority as she fell. She could be badly wounded from fighting off two Heretic Gods, in which case Lancelot would be able to deliver the coup de grâce. And if, by some impossible miracle, the Godslayer was able to fell both and still retain her strength, then Guinevere would still be able to absorb Freya's power with the Grail, since the Vanir Goddess was undoubtedly a Mother Earth Goddess.

Win-Win-Win, as the mortals of this modern era would say.

She could feel the disapproval radiating from her ever-loyal knight constantly, cutting as cleanly as a blade into her back, as she called forth the Grail. That disapproval had only grown far more evident since she had first proposed her idea to use the foul Sorcerers hiding in this land as cat's paws. She did not blame the Shadow of a Heretic God for this, as they were simply unable to see outside a knight's view of honour. To bring forth the King Who Manifests At World's End, all other factors had to be taken into account, no option could be discarded, no matter how distasteful she and her faithful protector might find them.

And Guinevere did so despise Sorcerers, almost as much as Sir Knight did.

"O Holy Grail, your Goddess calls you forth to work thine miracles in mine name." she chanted, raising the chalice up. "From the darkness, summon forth a false seeming of that which rebels against the legends of man. Call forth a sword to slay mine enemies. Call forth a servant to serve mine will!"

From the chalice's bowl, a massive torrent of purest white light burned forth. This was always the most annoying part; she had absolutely no control over what false Heretic God the Grail would call forth when she invoked it. She could guide its choice in a limited sense, show it was she wanted or desired, but the Grail could just as easily spawn something completely in opposition to her desires as fulfilling them. Like that time it had called forth a trickster god when she had plead for a war god.

The image of a man appeared standing amidst the white light, before the newly created false Heretic God vanished, flying off to attack Jean Campbell. Job done, the golden lustre of the Grail dimmed once more.

"Well then, Sir Knight, let us bear witness to the fall of this Campione so that we might swoop in and claim the prize we so desire." Guinevere stated, a smirk across her lips. While not as powerful as Freya, she had sensed that this imitation Heretic God would be more than enough to force Jean Campbell onto the back foot.

'Your Majesty, the time of your awakening is nigh. Please, wait for Guinevere to lay this Godslayer low so that you can be revived!' the Queen of Divine Ancestors prayed earnestly.

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Next Chapter: False Heretic God

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