Reaper200851: Finished? I never said that Godou had defeated Sun Wukong (and indeed it would have been a waste to see the confrontation reduced to only two small chapters. Sun Wukong deserves an epic confrontation). Besides, if Godou had defeated the Monkey King, he would have acquired one of his Authorities, wouldn't he? In the thirtieth chapter, Athena explains that using the Golden Sword against Shizuka will drive the Monkey King's spirit out of her body... and that's exactly what happened. Admittedly, the Heretic God no longer has a body to act in the physical world... for now. But the Keeper of the Horses ritual continues to weaken and the true body shell of the monkey god will soon be released. And then it will be the start of Round 2!
SentinalSlice: Never hesitate to tell me when you think I'm making Lore's mistakes... I do not pretend to be all-knowing. In fact, I've be wrong several times since the beginning of this fanFic...
Author's note: Thank you for your constant encouragement. I am writing this story to please my readers and I am happy to see that it is a successful bet. It encourages me to continue and I hope to surprise you more and make you have fun.
The Arc "Sun Wukong" is the penultimate Arc of the first part (the last Arc will culminate in an apocalyptic confrontation with the King of the End... but I guess it's not a big revelation).
The second part will consist of several Arcs centered on a Crossover between Fate, Campione! and... Titan Quest that should appeal to FGO's fans.
Infection
The sun was descending towards the west, only two fingers high above the mountain. The day star was already glowing red, another hour and night would have fallen. To the east, the first stars had begun to sparkle on the dark blue velvet of the dusk sky. The clouds tinged with pink by the sun's rays were slowly changed color, taking on absolutely magnificent red-orange taint.
Everything seemed peaceful when one looked at the scenery from this height... except that it was far from the case when one went down to the ground. Between the mountains and the eastern shore of Lake Chūzenji, tens of thousands of monkeys were shouting and looting, jumping or hitting their chest aggressively, exciting each other.
Outraged and angry, they would run around... looking for someone.
In a clearing, Athena was waiting next to Yuri Mariya. The Hime-Miko was tense, she kept repeating her king's name.
"Godou... Godou... Godou... "
With their swords in their hands, Erica Blandelli and Liliana Kranjcar watched over them. Anxiety grew among the two teen knightly girls. The screams of anger were more and more audible. It didn't take much imagination to understand that the monkeys were getting closer to them.
Suddenly...
The wind began to roar violently under the trees, forming a whirlwind just in front of Yuri... the instant after Godou Kusanagi appeared. He had his sister in his arms and Hakuno Kisihinami held his wrist.
Godou had just used one of the Ten Incarnations, the Gale, to reach his (girl)friends.
Having used three Divine Authorities in the space of a few minutes of intense tension, the Japanese Devil King faltered and would have collapsed if Athena had not supported him. To see a girl supporting with one hand a seemingly older (and heavier) teenager was something so absurd... except that Athena was a Heretic God deprived of her adult appearance and much of her power by a decree of Zeus, the king of Olympus.
"Once again you have won, King Godou. I congratulate you on that, which is proof that I was not mistaken in making you my prey. I take charge of Shizuka."
Removing the little girl from her brother's arms, she carried her to the shade of a tree and began to examine her.
Shizuka was still wearing Sun Wukong's clothes, but any presence of the King of Monkeys had faded from her body and mind. The effect of Verethragna's Golden Sword had been complemented by the power of Gale's winds, this Authority also serving to exorcise spirits of low power.
Using her magic, Athena transformed her clothes into a normal school uniform, such as those worn by Lilianna and Erica.
Godou had just sat on the ground, gasping and sweating with big drops. He smiled weakly at the young Hime-Miko.
"It's okay, Yuri, I'm not hurt, just a little tired."
The teenager hesitated and turned to Hakuno, who looked at them in silence.
"I... will take care of my king. I have... I have healing powers but... but... a Campione is protected from magic. So I have to... I have to, "Yuri blush violently and gagged."... kiss King Godou to heal him. Please... turn around, Hakuno-sama."
Without showing emotion, Hakuno tilted her head.
"All right."
—then turned around.
But it must be admitted that she was quite curious to know what was going on behind her back.
After the perfect Yamato Nadeshiko had completed this 'medical treatment' which was the fantasy of many of the students at her school, Godou thanked her kindly before asking Athena about his sister. The goddess reassured him, she had used her magic to keep Shizuka asleep otherwise she would have already woken up... and it was better not to answer her questions for now.
The Godslayer smiled at the goddess... without realizing that his charming smile caused a slight redness on the cheeks of the Queen of the Night.
"Thank you, your plan saved my sister. I'm very grateful."
Athena hesitated briefly for once out of words and finally chose not to respond directly to the Campione thanks.
"It is normal that you succeed by benefiting from the wise advice of the goddess of reason and strategy. Have you forgotten, King Godou? I was the one who suggested the Trojan Horse scheme to Ulysses."
"No, I remember it."
"Otherwise, don't let your victory cloud your judgment. Sun Wukong will soon be released and you will have to fight him in his steel-like body and confront his immeasurable strength. His Authorities will no longer be weakened by the Keeper of the Horses ritual. Above all, the surprise effect will no longer benefit you Godou Kusanagi.
The Japanese Devil King nodded gravely, understanding that the deity was right. He stopped smiling.
Having listened to the discussion, Erica turned around:
"Would it not be better to go to the altar where the monkey god is sealed and destroy him before his complete release, venerated, Athena?"
"A reasonable approach, indeed, Erica Blandelli. Nevertheless, Sun Wukong knows he is vulnerable and thousands of monkeys have already gathered around the altar to protect their king. Even if we were capable of defeating this army, we would have to kill these monkeys... who are humans metamorphosed ."
Saying these last words, Athena turned to Gudou. The Campione winced... This reaction confirmed the Queen of Night's opinion about her 'dear prey'.
"Godou Kusanagi is not one of those Devil Kings who enjoys slaughtering humans to prove their power. So, from the beginning, I rejected this direct approach. But don't worry; we will soon have an opportunity to defeat Sun Wukong."
"Which one," asked Godou.
"You have humiliated the Great Sage Equaling Heaven as few mortals have dared so far. He will want revenge. And the only revenge that would satisfy Sun Wukong would be to kill you with his own hands, Godou Kusanagi. But you will win this battle because my prey is the most promising of all Campiones."
Athena spoke without emotion, with her usual empty voice. She wasn't even flattering the Japanese Rakshasa Raja. The Heretic God was just expressing a conclusion she thought was rational. Except that the goddess of wisdom could have a biased view. And, presently, she was influenced by her... romantic feelings.
With a wave of her hand, the adorable silver-haired girl opened an ominous portal. It was a shapeless puddle of darkness even darker than the blackest night and whose contours were underlined by a dark purple aura.
"We should leave now. Staying here puts us in unnecessary danger."
Liliana approved, listening to the furious cries coming closer, converging towards the clearing.
"Indeed, venerable Athena, the scouts of Sun Wukong's army must not be more than two hundred meters from here."
In the sky, Gilgamesh's Vimana turned slowly over the mountains. Leaning over the void, Altera looked down for a clue to spot Hakuno Kishinami.
Waiting for the Japanese Campione to fight Sun Wukong and using the diversion to capture the Sovereign of the Moon was a good idea. In any case, Velber's envoy had no real choice. The only other option was a frontal attack on the King of Monkeys and his army...
However, Altera had not taken into account that Goudou could teleport. Because she didn't know, of course. Before Gilgamesh's Vinama joined the Campione, he had already vanished in a whirlwind taking with him his sister and Hakuno... Now, the Scourge of God was forced to go in blind, hoping to come across a clue that could lead her to the Sovereign of the Moon.
Sitting on his golden throne, one hand under his chin, Gilgamesh looked at Altera with a mocking smile. He was enjoying the growing frustration of the Queen of the Huns. Of course, he had in his treasure a collection of crystal balls, divinatory tarots, and other clearvision pools that could have been used to locate the fugitives... As a loyal second in command of Velber's envoy, Gilgamesh obviously kept his treasure at Altera's complete disposal, but... well, she didn't want for anything. Oh, maybe it was because he forgot to mention that he had treasures that could help her in such a case. The King of the Heroes was undoubtedly very distracted! He would have to correct this oversight... one day or another... but it seems he was going to forget about it again today.
In a bad mood, Altera turned to her 'faithful second' and her face darkened when she saw the sardonic smile of the king of Uruk.
"Gilgamesh, this is your entire fault! You could at least help me correct your mistakes!"
The Golden King's smile disappeared, replaced by a scowl. Normally, he would not hesitate to execute anyone who dared to speak ill to the 'One and Only King'. Nevertheless, Altera had once spared his father. It was a debt he still had to repay. Moreover, although Gilgamesh was not one to easily admit that he may have been wrong, he acknowledged - at least in his inner self - that his impulsive decision was the origin of the current mess of a situation and of all the lives put in danger..., especially that of Hakuno.
The First Hero sighed, smiling again.
"But, dear Altera, all I ask is to help you. If you have an idea, I will put all my zeal into applying it."
The Queen of the Huns hesitated briefly.
"Do you have any idea how to find Hakuno?"
"In fact, yes. We just have to wait. The fight between Sun Wukong and Godou Kusanagi is not over. When the confrontation resumes, we can be sure that Hakuno Kishinami will be nearby. Then we will have another opportunity to get our hands on the Regalia. Altera, impatient hunters often come home empty-handed, patience is necessary when hunting for prey."
The eastern shore of Lake Chūzenji was in complete chaos, but the History Compilation Committee reacted quickly. Using hypnosis and media control, they managed to keep the Japanese population in the dark about recent events.
The police cut the roads, preventing people from reaching the city of Nikkō. The official reason was that a recent landslide had disturbed radioactive mud (one of the 'gifts' of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident) contaminating the east lake bank and the city (1).
While the monkeys stayed near the altar where their king was imprisoned or in the city of Nikkō, the evacuated area did not include the west bank.
Athena had teleported Godou, his harem, and Hakuno close to a campsite used by hikers who went on an excursion in the mountains. Erica and Liliana used hypnosis to rent two mobile homes.
Athena had then awakened Shizuka. Godou's sister couldn't remember anything after seeing a golden cloud... and obviously wouldn't have any sequelae. In any case, since she immediately became angry with her brother when she discovered that her harem had settled with him in one of the mobile homes, her behavior had not changed.
Shizuka learned from Athena and Godou the official explanation of recent events. She lost consciousness after breathing toxic gas, which explains her memory loss. While the brother and sister were arguing, Hakuno and Liliana went to the camping shop to buy everything the little group might need: toothbrushes, toothpaste, shower gel, but also sleeping bags, and food.
On their return, they discovered three cars parked in front of the mobile homes. Hakuno had time to recognize Amakasu Touma (a member of the Committee serving as liaison with the Japanese Campione) and Ena Seishuuin (the only member of the Godou harem who had not come to the school trip... because she wasn't scholarly at the Jounan Academy) before being choked by the (over) protective arms of a certain goddess.
"Hakuno! Are you okay?! Touma-san told me everything! Sun Wukong will regret having kidnapped you. Speak to me, are you okay? Did this monkey hurt you? Are you hurt?"
Struggling to escape the suffocating embrace, Hakuno had trouble answering.
"Rin?... Ereshkigal?... Eiri?" (Hakuno was never very sure of the name she had to use to call her friend.)
The Sumerian goddess seemed split between laughter, tears, anger, and relief... a state as volatile as nitroglycerin.
Accompanied by Shirou, Ishtar approached her sister, looking at the scene with anxiety.
"Hey, Ere, is it normal for Hakuno's face to turn purple and her arms go in all directions frantically?"
Pulling Hakuno away from her chest to look at her, Ereshkigal had a gasp of stupor when she discovered that the Last Master had fainted. The goddess had just forgotten that she has the A-rank strength of a Servant...
"Gosh, I screw it once more."
By taking as avatars two versions of Rin Tohsaka, the goddesses Ishtar and Ereshkigal had inherited the qualities of their receptacles... but also of the curse of the Tohsaka.
Ishtar looked at the troupe almost exclusively composed of pretty women (with only three men: Godou, Shirou, and Touma-san) who crowded into one of the mobile homes.
Only Shizuka was absent. She had been taken to a hospital in Tokyo, on the pretext that she had been irradiated... actually to keep her away from the fighting.
"Well, now that Hakuno-chan is free-standing again and the incident is over, can someone explain to me what's going on here?"
Hakuno was still quite pale but nodded her approval. Standing at the other end of the room, Ereshkigal had the good taste to appear repentant. This earned her the famous Rin-patented 'evil smirk'.
"Ere, it doesn't matter, Hakuno-chan has forgiven you, has she not? You just have to remember that if you kick a wall, the house collapses... learn to act with self-restraint and moderation."
Godou and Shirou looked at each other in disbelief, exchanging their impressions on a level close to telepathy.
Godou: "This is really ISHTAR talking about 'self-restraint' and 'moderation'? That's like the kettle insulting the pot."
Shirou: "I know a Blu-ray recorder that has experimented first-hand 'self-restraint' and 'moderation' according to Ishtar's book."
When the Queen of Heaven turned to the two young men, they immediately took an innocent and attentive attitude, hiding their amused indignation.
"Well, Godou-san, why is the Monkey King here?"
The Japanese Campione explained what he knew, very little, before giving the floor to Athena.
Purely factual, the goddess recounted how the Committee had managed to imprison Sun Wukong with the Keeper of the Horses ritual, then her encounter with Altera and her desire to awaken the King of the End. The Queen of Night concluded by explaining that she had agreed to help Velber's agents but only to eliminate the threat posed by King Arthur.
Hesitating briefly, Athena added that Altera and she had never sought to free the Monkey King. The Greek goddess of wisdom just wanted to absorb the power of Sun Wukong in order to awaken the King Who Manifest at the World's End. It was Gilgamesh who destroyed the sword that served as the keystone of the ritual. The Golden King had acted on his own initiative and, later, explained it simply by saying that he was bored...
Ishtar shook her head with a dark scowl.
"It looks like the king of Uruk I know." She sighed. "Okay, now I understand the situation better. But how can we defeat the Great Sage Equaling Heaven? I'm waiting for your suggestions."
The war council had just begun.
Far beyond, in another universe, inside the White Titan prison in the Moon Cell, the Zero Dark.
The place was spooky.
The general appearance was that of a natural cave in the darkness. Nevertheless, this 'cave' had an unfinished appearance. Some walls looked like a set of cubes with pieces missing. To such an extent that parts of walls were only made up of a few cubes floating in the air, like some sort of unfinished puzzle. In the tears, one could only see some sort of white void.
The cave was inhabited, and several tables were covered with piles of papers decorated with complex calculations, or geometric figures, cones, spheres, and sections of cones. There was also a cube of graduated translucent glass with beside objects still wet from having been immersed in water, a strange machine made of mirrors and magnifiers lenses. One could also see complex wooden mechanisms with cogs recreating articulated arms or other complex lifting or handling instruments.
A voice sounded. It was the high-pitched soprano of a 13- or 14-year-old pre-teen girl.
"Really, Altera behaves with Hakuno Kishinami like a kitten who wants to drink milk but not wet its whiskers. Why does she not act more directly? One cannot rule or conquer without a few small massacres. You should have sent me, Caster, in her place! I would have solved this a long time ago."
In the darkness, a reptile tail struck the ground made of irregular crystal slabs, as an additional argument.
One could hardly discern the Servant who had just spoken. She was just a silhouette darker than the darkness of the cave. But her eyes were shining as she looked at a virtual screen floating near one of the walls.
Sitting on a simple two-wood stool, one could guess a larger figure. A male voice answered, cold, atonal.
"Beware, Altera was sent by Velber. Even I, who have willingly joined this powerful entity, would not dare to criticize her... and you who are only a 'convert' should pay even more attention to your words... unless you want to be 'Enhanced' by Velber."
The threat made its effect, the female teen Servant stepped back as if physically struck. Suddenly her voice sounded terrified.
"No... no... that's not what I meant... I... I just wanted to help... not... criticize. I... I wouldn't dare criticize Velber."
Whatever the 'Enhancement' was, it must have been something awful.
The man with the cold voice spoke again.
"Nevertheless, Lancer, I have to concede that you're not entirely wrong. Maybe it's time for us to step in more directly. But I'm not sending you to join Altera. I need you here. I have another idea..."
Caster reached out to the virtual screen, typing a few lines of code on a translucent keyboard.
As he gave his orders, his arm appeared in full light it was... it was as if the limb had been carved in black obsidian and inlaid with geometric diamond motifs made of concentric lines of different metals: copper, silver, bronze, and gold. The result was eerie...
Back to Japan, in the Campioneverse.
While the Council of War had been going on for just over an hour, the debate had stalled. Of course, there was general agreement that Sun Wukong had to be defeated, but not on how to proceed.
Moreover, Godou and Ereshkigal seemed to have taken the last events very much at heart (one wonders why). And they argued... a lot.
"Godou-san, I thank you for saving Hakuno, but it is up to me to protect her, and I would like to take this opportunity to clarify one thing. If you take advantage of your heroic deed to add my Hakuno to your harem, I will make you enjoy a one-way tourist trip: the land of Kur, the dwelling place of dust and ashes where rivers of tears and blood flow... the hell of the Mesopotamian gods."
A little green, the Campione tried to protest...
"But at last I never sought to constitute a harem and even less to add Hakuno..."
Since Godou was surrounded by pretty women who were fighting over who would sit next to him, his denials did not really seem to be credible.
"I see, Hakuno is not worthy of you, King Godou."
As Ereshkigal's voice was now icy and vexed, the Devil King began to panic. He was sweating a lot... he'd never understand women. A moment earlier, the Queen of Kur wanted him to deny wanting to add Hakuno to his harem... not that he had a harem by the way... and now she seemed insulted! Why?
"That's not it! Hakuno is very pretty... of course... I just want to say... I didn't try to seduce her."
Ereshkigal listened to Godou's denials with a doubtful face.
You know what they say, the more one struggle in quicksand, the deeper one sink.
As for Hakuno, she looked at them without saying a word, participating only by a Head Tilt from time to time
If asked, the Sovereign of the Moon would have said that Godou was telling the truth. Hakuno had long observed the Devil King, her absolute memory and her genius ability to assemble clues had led her to a surprising conclusion. He just didn't realize the effect it had on women, and that was exactly what seduced them. King Godou was a handsome young man, with a pretty smile, a warrior with many victories, courageous, even heroic. Moreover, despite his reputation, he was actually very innocent, unable to understand how others perceived his behavior. And when he realized it, he was very embarrassed.
It was this combination of involuntary seduction, heroism, and clumsiness that explained his success. At one moment, he was a conquering king armed with divine powers, at the other a teenager who blushed for having seen a bit of naked skin. Godou was both strong and shy, a cocktail that made him irresistible to the other gender. The Japanese Campione didn't need to seduce women; they came to him... sometimes from the end of the world, like Erica.
Busy pondering these thoughts, Hakuno no longer listened to the rest of the debate.
It was Athena's intervention - the voice of reason personified - that brought her back to the present.
"Getting back to the real issue, it's not up to you to choose who will face Sun Wukong. The King of the Monkeys seeks revenge on Godou Kusanagi, it is the only fight that interests him. So we have to prepare the King of Japan for this fight since it is inevitable. No other options are realistic."
There was a moment of silence, each reflecting on what the child goddess had said. it was at this point that the door was knocked down... without waiting for the answer, an agent of the Committee entered the room. He looked haggard, frightened.
"The monkeys... hundreds of monkeys are heading towards us!"
Ishtar, Ereshkigal, Hakuno, Shirou, Godou, and his harem had been teleported to a hill by Athena. The night was now total. Only the Greek goddess could see the monkeys advancing toward them.
She frowned.
"They are not Sun Wukong's servants."
"What?"
Everyone turned to the little goddess.
The latter took a few moments of reflection before resuming speaking.
"To be more accurate, they are no longer his servants. Something has taken control of them. They have been infected by an evil presence that is unknown to me."
Hakuno flinched as she heard a frantic beep only audible to herself. The Last Master raised her hand... and a virtual screen appeared in front of her. The translucent window was surrounded by a yellow and black hatched band. A simple phrase appeared.
Recognizing the language of the Moon Cell, Ereshkigal translated.
"Presence of Velber detected."
Hakuno touched an icon on the screen, and immediately the window became some kind of TV, showing a scene that could have been filmed by a night-time light-amplified camera. Monkeys, maybe a thousand of them, were advancing on the bank. Most were humans transformed by Sun Wukong, but some were the Divine Beasts that the Sage Equaling Heaven had invoked.
But as Athena had noticed, they had been infected by some kind of evil energy that had transformed them. On the screen, the Moon Cell showed the infection rate of the monkeys (usually between 25 and 50%). Monkeys could have up to half of their body replaced by... something. The flesh and fur had been transformed into a kind of black obsidian, with diamond-shaped patterns made of white, orange, or yellow concentric lines.
Velber corrosion mark.
It was the usual strategy of the Umbral Star, to transform the natural enemies of humans into an army of monsters.
Author's note: Two new Servants have just appeared. A scientist infected with Velber's presence and a little girl with a lizard's tail... I wonder who they can be... A clue? As if you really need it... the cave is a laboratory with the most famous discoveries of the scientist and "Any object, totally or partially immersed in a fluid or liquid, is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object." You have all learned in school this principle which bears the name of its discoverer.
(1) Lake Chūzenji is a part of the Fukushima-contaminated area. This had important economic consequences for the Tochigi prefecture. Before 2011, the second source of income (after tourism) was fish farming. But since the fish in the lake are irradiated, their consumption is now prohibited and all the fishing and fish processing companies around the lake have closed with the consequences that one can imagine for the employment and economic health of the region.