Vol 14 Chapter 7 (1/2)
Chapter 7 - Battle in the Ancient Past
Part 1
The dragons were swimming swiftly on the surface of the Rhine,
illuminated bright red by the evening glow.
They were the three dragons that Uldin had brought with him. As for Uldin
himself, he was sitting quietly beneath a large tree by the river side.
He was also gnawing on dried meat and drinking water from a leather
pouch.
However, rather than Uldin needing a break, it would be more accurate to
say that the dragons were resting. After all, these divine beasts and
so-called ”dragons” were apparently spirits of the water and the land. True
to this nature of theirs, they desired water greatly on occasion.
Furthermore, they would become more energetic after absorbing life force
and magical power from the water.
Furthermore, Uldin was the G.o.dslayer possessing the [Dragon Taming]
authority, thus allowing him to keep herds of dragons and make them do
his bidding. Currently, he had nine dragons prepared at his stronghold.
And out of those nine, only three of them were right here.
But that was just as well.
The more dragons he commanded at the same time, the more magical
power they consumed. That would then prevent him from using other
authorities.
In battles against G.o.ds and G.o.dslayers, enemy tactics cannot be predicted.
Hence, in order to have various authorities available at his disposal for
flexible usage, having three or four dragons was the optimum number.
”It's almost about time...”
The bright red and setting sun was sinking below the western horizon.
Night would fall soon after. The dragons were also reenergized.
It was finally time to take the Holy Maiden — the G.o.dslayer beauty who
stood as his peer — for himself.
Despite her graceful and beautiful appearance, looking as vulnerable as
though she might break from the wind, she was quite a magnificent
”bronco.” This was precisely the type of woman Uldin preferred. If she
relented, he would definitely marry her as his fifth wife.
(As a side note, Ruska was the first wife while Clotilde was the fourth. The
second and third wives were currently stationed in Uldin's ”secondary
residences” in Germania and Sarmatia respectively.)
Uldin stood up and yelled to the dragons that were frolicking in the water.
”Time to get going. Next comes marriage time!”
G.o.dou and his two companions were traveling west on the Rhine in their
boat.
This happened to be towards the setting sun. Finally arriving at the town of
Augusta Raurica, the scenery of the stronghold could be seen in the
distance not too far away.
The journey down the river finally ended peacefully.
However, G.o.dou, Erica and Ena were all silent, maintaining their gazes
straight ahead.
The trio were sitting side by side yet no one spoke. The atmosphere was
quite awkward. Due to the vivid memories of what the trio was doing
earlier, none of them could speak.
But finally, Erica spoke up in a murmur.
”Although I have already experienced cases in the past when you acted in
an unstoppable manner like this, G.o.dou, you are truly extraordinary in
these situations.”
”Uh yeah. Indeed you're right...”
G.o.dou nodded powerlessly.
Whether using Verethragna's sixth incarnation, the [Youth], or under the
influence of Lancelot's [Insane Rush], there had been several similar
incidents in the past.
”But this time, G.o.dou, you did it entirely by your own volition. Still, I
responded as I've always done in the past... Unknowingly, I've grown
accustomed to this sort of thing...”
”Yes yes. Ena has also unknowingly accepted it, or rather, partic.i.p.ated...”
Erica spoke as if completely exhausted while Ena commented with a
hesitant expression.
”How should we tell Yuri and Liliana-san about what happened...”
”Of course we keep it a secret. If they were to find out the embarra.s.sing
way we acted... I don't even want to imagine the look on Lily's face at all.
Likewise with Yuri... Indeed, we cannot tell them.”
”Yeah. However, umm... Doing that together, it's quite happy, right?”
Ena murmured softly to herself. Her face completely shy, she lowered her
gaze.
Anger immediately erupted on Erica's face. Sternly, she glared at the
Hime-Miko.
”Ena-san, making absolutely unladylike statements like this is your
shortcoming!”
”S-Sorry, Erica-san. You really hate this huh...”
Erica did not answer, but instead, she pinched G.o.dou's back. Furthermore,
she pinched especially hard. As G.o.dou cried out ”Ouch!” from the
unexpected pain, the Diavolo Rosso declared angrily:
”Why don't you just endure this willingly? This is your comeuppance for
sweeping us into something weird. Then hurry and apologize to me. Kiss
me gently on the cheek as an apology for what you did just now.”
”An apology is fine, but kissing is a bit...”
”Seriously! You already went that far just now, yet you're completely
useless during times like this!”
Angrily, Erica pinched G.o.dou's back even harder.
But as G.o.dou leaned back due to the pain, the blonde beauty gently
leaned herself against him. Stretching forward a little, she brought her lips
close to G.o.dou's ear and whispered softly.
”l-ln order not to upset my composure too much in those circ.u.mstances, at
least give me a warning beforehand. Th-That was really dangerous just
now, but at least I managed to salvage the situation in front of Ena-san...”
Then she even bit G.o.dou lightly on his earlobe.
Suddenly suffering her counterattack, G.o.dou felt his heart begin to pound
hard. Through the pain just now, he understood what Erica was feeling.
Compared to anger, she was feeling far more embarra.s.sed.
The girl with the devil moniker bowed her head, her face blus.h.i.+ng bright
red.
Seeing her acting so adorably, G.o.dou was overcome with the desire to
hug her when he found himself embraced by someone else. Ena had
pounced on him, her face in a pout.
”Your Majesty! E-Even Ena should be able to., d-do it properly next time.
Don't just look at Erica. I don't want that!”
Although her words sounded like a child's, Ena also pressed her body
tightly against G.o.dou.
This was an act that seemed to be desperately a.s.serting her existence,
probably undertaken without conscious intent. However, the one doing it
was Ena with her amazing body instead of a mere child.
Naturally, her bountiful bosom was pressed tightly against G.o.dou and he
could smell the fragrance from her hair from a close distance.
Seeing G.o.dou fall silent, Erica went ”What am I going to do with you,
Ena-san?” as a n.o.blewoman's gentle smile appeared on her face.
Noticing Erica's reaction, Ena smiled wryly and relaxed the strength in her
embrace. Suddenly, the trio was startled.
The mood had turned unusual again...
”W- We've almost reached the stronghold, let's get ready to disembark!”
”A-Ah yeah. Uldin doesn't seem to be here yet.”
”He said he was returning when night falls. H-He should be keeping his
promise, right!?”
Frantically, the trio separated from one another, feigning calmness as they
changed the topic.
The setting sun dyed the world a vivid shade of red. It evoked sanguine
imagery of the upcoming bloodshed. A rather inauspicious scene.
Furthermore, G.o.dou suddenly felt a sense of chill.
Daytime during spring was supposed to be quite warm.
Was it getting cold because night fell? G.o.dou felt a chill that felt like it was
from a night in autumn.
Mooring the boat behind the stronghold and disembarking, the trio instantly
rushed to the backdoor.
The guards led them inside as soon as they recognized G.o.dou and his
companions. Uldin should be attacking soon, so it was imperative to confer
with Madame Aisha as quickly as possible —
Spurred by these anxious feelings, G.o.dou's group entered the stronghold.
To be honest, they originally expected the soldiers' morale to have reached
rock bottom. For example, due to the imminent attack of Devil King Uldin,
the soldiers should be hyperventilating from fear or the like. Perhaps there
would even be plenty of deserters.
However, they felt a sense of dissonance after getting off the boat.
Noisy sounds and strange yells were coming from the stronghold
incessantly.
”What high spirits...”
”She must have used the charisma authority.”
Ena and Erica both showed surprise on their faces. This was only logical.
In various places inside the stronghold, the soldiers were yelling loudly.
'We must protect the Holy Maiden!' 'WOOOOOOOOOH!' 'You guys, that's
not loud enough!' 'WOOOOOOOOOH!' 'Uldin is not scary at all! There is
nothing to fear but our fear itself towards that guy!' 'WOOOOOOOOOH!'
'Our Holy Maiden! Our Holy Maiden!' 'WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!'
Angry roars, screams, shouts and yells intersected.
Roughly six hundred soldiers were yelling their hardest with all the pa.s.sion
they could muster.
Bathed completely in their zealous gazes was Madame Aisha. Standing by
the lectern where the commander usually gave speeches from, she was
waving her hand with a look of embarra.s.sment.
”This reminds me of the time when my friend Miura invited me to a concert.
A female idol...”
G.o.dou muttered. On one hand, here was an army of males, willing to lay
down their lives in battle. On the other hand, those were boys and
middle-aged men willing to offer their youthfulness and lives to their idol's
concert.
Clearly, their natures were diametrically opposed yet for some reason, they
had similarities no matter how you looked at it.
As a side note, the commander and officers were mixed in among the
soldiers, yelling with all their might. They were already submerged within
the crowd. All the people had bloodshot eyes and were in a state of frenzy.
Leading Erica and Ena, G.o.dou approached Madame Aisha's lectern.
”Aisha-san! What happened!?”
”S-Sorry, it looks like I used the charisma authority too much! B-Because
everyone in the army were afraid of Uldin-san and the flying dragons, so I
had to use it often on them — ”
”Even in controlled amounts, acc.u.mulation over time would still create a
group of fanatics huh...”
”I guess an overly convenient power always has its drawbacks...”
G.o.dou and the Madame had to converse as loudly as the soldiers'
enraged yelling.
At the same time, Erica and Ena seemed to be nodding to each other with
heartfelt revelations.
”Because everyone has gathered together for the sake of my protection... I
can't escape discreetly. Even if I said I would leave this place, they said
absolutely no and kept me here...”
Descending from the lectern, Madame Aisha explained with a look of
depression.
”By the way... Kusanagi-san, how did you survive? I thought Uldin-san
would have killed you for sure.”
”Please don't write me off as dead so casually. At least I managed to
escape.”
”S-Sorry. Because if you were already dead, Kusanagi-san, I would have
no choice but to inherit your will and muster my resolve...”
Her face full of shyness, the Madame raised her fist to demonstrate her
”resolve.”
”In fact, I am currently reversing my healing authority for the sake of
battle.”
”Reversing... What does that mean?”
”My healing ability comes from Persephone, the G.o.ddess of spring who
brings the cycle of life. In fact, she not only controls spring but is also the
queen of the underworld who rules over death and winter. Using roughly
one day's worth of time as preparation, my authority can be reversed to
freeze all existence via [Winter's Might].”
”Unbelievable—!”
”But if I accidentally overuse it, the cold of winter lingers temporarily. So
please take care.”
”Exactly how long is 'temporarily'?”
”Half a year to a year maybe... Depending on conditions, it could last even
longer. Even sunlight becomes very poor.”
”I have a feeling that you will surely end up doing it 'accidentally,'
Aisha-san, so please stop the reversal.”
Even in the modern age, cool summers and harsh winters could cause
ma.s.sive effects on the volume of harvests, let alone in the ancient world.
This could very well develop into widespread famine.
Realizing deeply that this affected many people, G.o.dou was struck
strongly by such a thought:
Why does this person possess nothing but all these troublemaking
authorities...?
”Let me go fight Uldin. That's the reason I came back.”
”In other words, you're going to fight for my protection!?”
”Formally, I guess you could say that...”
Avoiding Madame Aisha's grateful gaze of thanks, G.o.dou turned to look at
the Hime-Miko.
At some point in time, she had started gazing intently at the distant sky.
The sun had already set and the sky had just darkened.
”They're here. Three dragons as expected. Uldin-san is also riding one of
them.”
”Got it. So, I'll be back in a bit, okay?”
Ena laughed at last while Erica responded with a lioness' smile.
Indeed, they were such reliable companions. G.o.dou nodded hard towards
them and ran up the castle walls. Although the outward side of the walls
was vertical, the inner side was sloped gently with steps.
Climbing to the top of the castle walls, G.o.dou waited for the dragons'
arrival.
As expected a few minutes later, he heard Uldin's voice again after half a
day, coming from the sky above.
”Yo comrade! I didn't expect to find you here!”
Thus the curtain finally rose for the duel between the modern and the
ancient G.o.dslayers.
Part 2
”Because it's a long story, I'll just be brief. I came here by Ruska-san and
Clotilde-san's request. My purpose: to beat you up.”
”What, it's those two!?”
G.o.dou was standing on the pathway atop the city walls, roughly five
meters from ground level.
From his vantage point, the streets of Augusta Raurica as well as
neighboring forests and roads could all be seen clearly. Overhead was the
starry sky of ancient Europe, as well as three pterosaurs —
Uldin ordered his dragon mount to descend and deliberately came to the
air above G.o.dou's location.
”For things to leak out so quickly, it must be Ruska's doing huh.”
Apparently realizing the situation, the Hunnic G.o.dslayer muttered with deep
feeling to himself.
Similar incidents must surely have happened dozens of times already.
However, Uldin immediately recovered his cheer and smiled with delight.
”Oh well, I'll just have to please them a bit later. So, are you going to say
you'll kill me too, comrade? I really hope that you'll not interfere in
consideration of our solidarity as fellow G.o.dslayers.”
”If it were possible, I don't want to do this either. But that's out of the
question.”
G.o.dou a.s.serted openly.
”If you continue to do as you please, the people in the town will suffer. And
Aisha-san might even say she will bring herself to fight. So let me stop you
here.”
”Aisha... Is that the name of the Holy Maiden? This is my first encounter
with a female G.o.dslayer.”
Uldin was quite happy. He had also entered a state of battle readiness.
Filled with fighting spirit, Uldin was gazing down at G.o.dou below him with
cautious eyes.
”It'd be a bit presumptuous if I said I'm fine with two against one, but I don't
mind bearing a little hards.h.i.+p for a woman's sake, yeah?”
”She has her own situation to deal with. So I asked her to take a break.”
Madame Aisha was currently stuck in an organization that was devoted to
sacrificing their lives for her.
G.o.dou did not want to see them throw their lives at Uldin and perish. In
order to prevent the beautiful Campione from entering the fray, G.o.dou
would face Uldin one on one.
”Bold words, comrade! In that case, let us decide the victor!”
Uldin made his dragon mount ascend rapidly and converged with its two
companions in the air.
With the Hunnic dragon rider leading the charge, the two other pterosaurs
followed on his left and right as his wingmen, resulting in a triangular ” A ”
formation. It was almost like a team of fighter jets.
Uldin's first attack was an arrow.
”O Rudra's thunder! The hammer that descends from the heavens!”
From the saddle of his dragon mount, Uldin picked up arrows and a
small-sized bow, firing them with extreme speed and divine skill. The arrow
sliced through the air as it flew straight at G.o.dou's forehead.
Standing on the pathway above the castle walls, G.o.dou instantly jumped
sideways and barely managed to dodge the attack.
Falling into the interior of the stronghold, the arrow turned into lightning
and struck one of the living quarters of the soldiers.
C R AAAAAAAAAAAA S H !
A thunderous rumbling accompanied the descending lightning.
The lightning from Uldin's arrow exploded with electrical light and shock
the instant it struck the soldiers' quarters, easily demolis.h.i.+ng the
single-storied building.
”O fire of Rudra, incinerate this land to ashes!”
Next, Uldin shot an arrow towards the sky.
Despite the small size of the bows normally used by nomadic tribes, they
had considerable range. Not only limited to wood, even animal s.h.i.+n bones
and other materials would be used for arrows. The bowstrings also had
immense tension.
Impelled by the bow, the arrow flew high into the sky, turning into several
hundred fireb.a.l.l.s.
These fireb.a.l.l.s kept raining down upon the land, a sight akin to a night sky
lit up by fireworks. Were all these fireb.a.l.l.s to land on target, the stronghold
would undoubtedly turn into a sea of fire.
In order to oppose the vicious flames, G.o.dou drew out his weapon.
Verethragna's final incarnation, the [Warrior], was the swordsman wielding
the golden sword.
”Rudra was a G.o.d of ancient India... Furthermore, he is the bow-wielding
G.o.d of storms.”
The spell words of the sword for severing divinities and divine powers —
With G.o.dou's chanting of spell words, the golden spheres of light danced
haphazardly in the air.
Like radiant starlight from a galaxy, the lights covered the vast stronghold
like a canopy, destroying all the hundreds of fireb.a.l.l.s that landed on them.
”Rudra can be said to be one of the many forms of s.h.i.+va, the G.o.d of
destruction. The name s.h.i.+va carries the meaning of the 'Quiet One.' In
contrast, Rudra can be translated as the 'Roarer.' Consequently, one can
conclude that these two G.o.ds are complementary sides of a single
existence!”
”Lights that destroyed Rudra's arrows — They're spell words!?”
Overlooking the [Sword]'s canopy and G.o.dou who had uttered spell words
from the castle walls, Uldin expressed surprise from his position in the air.
However, he did not stop attacking.
Nocking arrows to the bow, he fired three arrows. This time, these were
arrows of raging wind and rain.
Ma.s.sive raindrops were mixed with the tempestuous wind, striking the
canopy violently as they followed the arrows. Then they were destroyed.
”Oh... Rather than blocking my arrows, it is eliminating them instead huh.”
Uldin muttered, fully impressed. Then he smiled with delight.
”Mere mutterings are enough to produce incantations for countering Rudra
huh. If that's the case, let's see if you can counter other authorities...
Here's a test. Flying dragons, attack!”
KUUUAAAAAAAAH! KUUUAAAAAAAAH!
The two pterosaurs dove rapidly towards G.o.dou who was standing alone
on the pathway over the castle walls. At the same time, they swung the
”terrible claws” equipped on their hind legs.
Uldin's pterosaurs measured roughly seven meters in body length.
Despite their large bodies, they would only be considered small sized
among divine beasts. This body size allowed for exceptional speed and
agility. The two pterosaurs approached swiftly, almost like arrows.
Obviously, the [Sword] could not defend against them.
Naturally, the ones who stepped up to the task at this moment were Erica
and Ena. Swiftly, they ran up to the castle walls and brandished their
weapons.
”And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of
the Lord went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed
men went before them! Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord
hath given you the city — H ^
While chanting the smiting spell words, Erica used her oval s.h.i.+eld to block
the claws of one of the pterosaurs.
Then returning Cuore di Leone to its original form, she made a thrust with
the longsword and did not forget to make another stab at the pterosaur's
hind leg for good measure. Although it was not enough to cause the
enemy a severe injury, it counted as a counterattacking blow anyway.
Clad in her rossonero cape of red and black, Erica was enveloped in the
sacred privilege of extermination.
”O Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi. Grant me your power to vanquish the
barbarians!”
On the other hand, Ena was the one who blocked the second flying
pterosaur.
Holding the jet-black divine sword, Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi, she
used divine possession to fill herself with the divine sword's aura and ran in
front of G.o.dou.
Just as she was about to make an overhead strike using the
f2i 3
ha.s.sou-no-kamae stance 1 J — the second pterosaur avoided Ena.
Making a turn in the trajectory of its rapid descent, the pterosaur evaded
Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi's blade.
The second pterosaur thus returned to the sky beside Uldin. The first one
also returned to its master's side without striking back at Erica.
”Unlike usual, they're not attacking mindlessly. This is difficult.”
”These pterosaurs are probably controlled by Uldin's will directly. Think of
them as his avatars or remote controlled weapons.”
The two girls stood in formation on G.o.dou's left and right respectively as
they whispered to each other.
Uldin's authority for controlling the pterosaurs was usurped from
Usumgallu the dragon G.o.d. An ancient Sumerian sacred beast, it was a
divinity whose folklore was no longer circulated in the modern age. That
was what G.o.dou had learnt from Erica and Ena.
However, he was not going to turn this knowledge into the [Sword].
Given one of Uldin's authorities had to be sealed, G.o.dou decided that
[Rudra's Arrows] was still the choice to take.
”How are the people in the army?”
”The Madame has given them orders, telling them to 'protect themselves
and retreat from the castle.' In any case, it means they are evacuating
along with their loved ones.”
Hearing Erica's report, G.o.dou glanced behind him.
The six-hundred-man army was moving in an organized manner. Various
squads were pa.s.sing through the castle gates and exiting the stronghold in
sequence.
”Since Aisha-san can heal injuries, we're leaving that side to her. Your
Majesty, you should focus on the battle against Uldin-san!”
G.o.dou nodded at Ena's advice and turned his attention to the air once
more.
The three pterosaurs reformed their triangular formation and glided
casually through the air. Furthermore, the night sky had filled with dark
clouds without prior warning. These clouds must have been summoned by
Uldin's authority.
As the G.o.d of the bow, Rudra possessed divine aspects as the storm G.o.d
who summoned wind and rain —
But to G.o.dou, another aspect was the hardest to handle.
Finally, that was precisely the aspect Uldin was using. Amidst the dark
clouds that were spreading across the sky, the sun's dazzling radiance
could undoubtedly be seen. However, this was obviously not the true sun.
Rather than the true sun, this was a mini pseudo-sun.
Nevertheless, its temperature and flames were extraordinary.
”I don't have a taste for sluggish containment tactics.”
Uldin's voice descended from the pseudo-sun that illuminated the night
sky.
”Since they're not working anyway, I'll simply shoot all my arrows at once
to my heart's content. In addition — this attack style seems to trouble you,
comrade?”
”Adapting flexibly to the situation to make the next move instantly...”
”He's quite similar to His Majesty in this regard...”
As Erica and Ena watched in surprise, G.o.dou was also rendered
speechless.
Clearly, Uldin was flying far above, high in the sky, yet he seemed to be
able to discern G.o.dou's expression and situation as though he were
engaged in close range combat. Perhaps this was part of the
resourcefulness he possessed as a ”leader.”
Pulling back a certain distance, discerning the thoughts of the enemy
leader, attacking when the enemy showed an opening, thereby defeating
the enemy.
Someone capable of performing that was truly worthy of first-cla.s.s renown
as an ill.u.s.trious commander or strategist.
”Pray, people. Such that you may escape Rudra's arrows.”
Then two arrows appeared in Uldin's right hand. Both had arrowheads
made of gold. This was the golden arrow that had engaged G.o.dou's [White
Stallion] in mutual annihilation several days earlier.
At the time, Uldin had used one arrow. This time, he was using double.
”The difference in firepower is really too great huh...”
After all, the [White Stallion] was only one out of the ten incarnations. It
probably could not oppose Rudra's arrows with the full firepower of an
entire authority poured into them.
Since this was foreseen beforehand, G.o.dou was not scared. Instead, he
focused his concentration. The mutual attack coming up was critical. No
matter what, he must smash his way through — !
”Rudra's name carries the meaning of the ”Roarer.” However, that's not all
there is to it. There are additional meanings of the 'Ruddy One' or the
's.h.i.+ning One.' Furthermore, Rudra appears in the myths as a man with red
skin, his body adorned with s.h.i.+ning gold!”
”I pray to the G.o.d from yonder distant lands who shoots to kill, please grant
your mercy. By this arrow, all life shall be extinguished!”
Chanting spell words at the same time, both sides poured magical power
into their respective weapons.
”The sacred scripture of the Rigveda describes Rudra in thus manner:
'Radiant as the sun, l.u.s.trous as gold.' Hence, he also carries the traits of a
sun G.o.d as one whose authority rules over fire and light!”
”Fathers, mothers, old people and babies. All shall kneel at the feet of the
G.o.d of slaughter!”
”Opposing the flames of Verethragna's incarnation — the [White Stallion],
that was indeed the attack shot by Rudra the sun G.o.d.”
Unleashed all at once!
Uldin first nocked the two golden arrows on his bow and shot them out at
the same time.
Rather than G.o.dou, they were aimed at the pseudo-sun that offered vague
glimpses behind the clouds.
The pseudo-sun absorbed the golden arrows and instantly increased in
brightness. Furthermore, this triggered its descent.
The pseudo-sun moved towards the ground — the stronghold where G.o.dou
and his companions were located.
This was a sphere whose diameter was roughly forty or fifty meters wide.
Were it to crash violently into the ground, the flames would immediately
spread far and wide, incinerating the entire surroundings to nothing in an
instant.
Blocking this attack in midair was the group of [Swords] controlled by
G.o.dou.
Countless small [Swords] were gathered together. s.h.i.+ning radiantly like a
galaxy, the brightness spread out far and wide, forming a net of light to
block the pseudo-sun's descent.
As Rudra's divine power was sliced apart, the pseudo-sun's light and
flames instantly weakened.
However, the pseudo-sun was infused with the full firepower of [Rudra's
Arrows]. There was not enough time to annihilate all of the flames.
The net of light gradually became unable to support the falling pseudo-sun.
The pseudo-sun kept descending towards the stronghold — It was right
overhead of G.o.dou, Erica and Ena.
Its distance from the ground was 100m, 90m, 80m, 70m...
”G.o.dou—!” ”Your Majesty!?”
”That guy... Uldin will surely interfere... I'm leaving that to you girls!”
Despite Erica and Ena's calls, G.o.dou could only give such a response.
He needed to focus all of his magical power and concentration on
controlling his authority.
But as expected of the two girls, they understood G.o.dou's intent from a
single order and diverted their attention from the pseudo-sun towards their
surroundings.
In the current predicament, golden light was pouring down accompanied
by a large amount of flames that were about to fall upon them.
If G.o.dou were to fail, even the girls would be involved in the
consequences. Himself aside, if Erica and Ena were to be burnt to
charcoal — This was a scene G.o.dou absolutely did not want to witness.
”For victory, hasten forth before me... 0 immortal sun, I beseech thee to
grant radiance to the stallion!”
G.o.dou chanted spell words, in order to use two of Verethragna's
incarnations simultaneously.
He was struck with a splitting headache for this was the price paid for
excessive power.
”O stallion that moveth G.o.dlike with wondrous grace, bring forth the halo of
thy master!”
While sustaining the [Sword]'s spell words, G.o.dou summoned the [White
Stallion] from the eastern sky.
The rays of dawn added a rosy layer of color to the night sky that was
illuminated golden by the pseudo-sun. The sight was quite similar to the
aurora borealis visible near arctic regions.
Since the [Sword] alone was unable to dispel the pseudo-sun's flames,
G.o.dou decided to borrow the [White Stallion]'s power as well —
As the trump cards of Kusanagi G.o.dou and Uldin clashed together, the
end result was the annihilation of all light.
Whether flames, the sun, the spell words' light or dawn's radiance, all
disappeared.
The surroundings were shrouded in the darkness and silence of night
again.
Until just now, there had been an exceptionally intense source of light
overhead.
The sudden darkness made it difficult to adjust instantly. This was quite a
rare experience for a Campione who possessed keen night vision like wild
beasts. Plunged into darkness, G.o.dou shuddered.
If an attack came right now — That would be terrible. Just as G.o.dou was
about to warn his companions...
”Shrouded by clouds, the little island's deity cowered... Closure of eyes,
closure of the heart — Ama no Murak.u.mo, please. Become Ena's eyes!”
The Hime-Miko of the Sword chanted spell words and prayed to her
partner of steel.
In the next instant, G.o.dou felt magical power erupting from Ama no
Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi.
Although the jet-black divine blade was a [Sword], it also possessed its
own will and senses as a divinity. Being a sword, it did not possess normal
vision but instead perceived its surroundings through divine supernatural
senses.
In other words, night or day was irrelevant —
Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi was now expanding its sensing network to
search for approaching enemies.
”Yaaaaaaaah!”
Ena suddenly swung the divine sword and sliced through the darkness.
Clang! The sound of two hard objects colliding was heard. Ama no
Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi had intercepted the ”terrible claw” flying in the
darkness.
Imperceptibly, a pterosaur had silently approached.
”Uwaaaah!”
The claw and the divine sword were almost equally matched in power and
hardness. Ena was sent flying along with Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi
and rolled down the inner slope of the castle walls. Stumbling, the
pterosaur flew back high into the sky.
Just as G.o.dou's eyes finally adjusted to the darkness and watched the
scene just now —
”G.o.dou, duck down!”
Erica warned him. He looked up into the sky.
The second pterosaur was making a rapid descent. Furthermore, its size
was ma.s.sive.
Earlier, its body length was still roughly seven meters, but now it had
doubled in size. Uldin must have infused his magical power to strengthen
it!