Campione! - Volume 12 - Chapter 7

Chapter 7




Chapter 7 - Arrival of the Winter Festival Part 1 The oval of light possessed a radiant glow. After entering inside this oval, the very first thing he experienced was a bright golden light that overwhelmed the eyes. There was a hard to describe floating feeling. Then all of a sudden, there was a sense of falling. These experiences seemed to be cycling through him. After repeatedly undergoing this state of mind, Godou's vision was restored. "What the hell? Where is this?" What laid in front him was actually a wheat field glinting in golden light. There was a bumper harvest with piles and piles of wheat heads, as if the magnificent brightness of treasure had been brought onto the farmland. The boundless farmland went as far as the eye could see. It wasn't really an unlimited expansive universe, but rather it was simply an endless wheat field. Furthermore, a reddish-hue from the sunset could be seen by looking up into the sky. The setting sun over the golden wheat field dyed everything orange, making the coloring increasingly luminous. To him, who viewed the Tokyo night sky not too long ago, there was an excessive feeling of uneasiness. "This place is within the coffin right?" "I'm afraid this place is the inside of that divine artifact, the Crown of Saturnalia, and was probably created through some kind of curse or the power of a god was used to construct this space." Right by his side, Liliana appeared to be surveying this wheat field with an investigative look. "I sense the aura of a sacred domain within this space. However, I'm not completely certain that this is the shrine." "It can be anywhere for all I care. Anyway, we probably barged into that grey bastard's abdomen." Indeed they were located at the core of the opposition. It was impossible to call this a safe place. Tm sorry for dragging you into this kind of place." "I don't mind. Didn't we already go over this before? We are king and knight. A relationship like lovebirds, like conjugated branches, or one equal to that of an affectionate couple's covenant." Liliana pledged with the expression of a stern female knight. "And besides, I feel like this is definitely my duty." "Duty?" "To stay by Kusanagi Godou's side and never stray." Liliana looked directly in Godou's eyes, speaking as if she was making a vow. "When overcome with difficulties, you are someone who would select to charge right into the enemy ranks first. Furthermore, even with your ordinary lifestyle, you possess this exceptional talent of already being caught in danger before you know it." "T-That counts as talent?" "If the position was a butler or a maid, most likely anyone could fill that spot. However, frequently accompanying you, becoming your sword and shield to support you, there is probably no one other than me that could undertake this duty." She spoke in a calm manner that projected her ego and beliefs. The art of fighting, magic, knowledge, she was adept in each of these aspects. She even possessed the spirit vision ability, allowing her to correspond to every situation. Furthermore, she also possessed the physical strength and agility to keep up with Godou. Because she was a witch who was proficient in understanding natural and supernatural phenomenons, no matter what the situation was, she had this quality of always playing a significant role. Her statement was perhaps in the form of a testimony. Or maybe she really does have the highest qualification to become the personal adjutant for a guy like Kusanagi Godou. In this light, Erica, Yuri, and Ena definitely did not. Kusanagi Godou was appreciative of Liliana's generosity, but at the same time, he tried to cover up his embarrassment and said: "Even so, I'm old enough that I don't need to be protected to this degree." "If that's the case, then let's call it monitoring personnel instead. In this instance, I stepped aside just for a bit and now look, you were already caught in this kind of disturbance." Liliana joked around with a smile and then took out her cellphone. Attached to the top was the female bear strap they had won in Odaiba some time ago. "However, there have been quite a lot of annoying events occurring. The opportunity to do that kind of thing with you will probably be limited to just that one occasion." "S-So it's like that ?" After Liliana abruptly said that, Godou could not help but become speechless. After recalling their interactions at Odaiba from this conversation, he felt a different kind of awkwardness. He involuntarily tilted his head. Liliana, who for some reason had a very jubilant expression as she narrowed her eyes, gazed towards him. It was getting increasingly awkward. Godou, wanting to conceal the embarrassment, surveyed the surrounding wheat field. "We should probably start heading out. Where should we go?" "Let me do a quick investigation." Liliana closed her eyes. She seemed to have used witchcraft to transfer her vision into the air. After a few minutes, she reported back to Godou. "There's a building in that direction. It appears to be an abandoned shrine." The direction Liliana pointed to was straight north. It just so happened to be in the opposite direction of the setting sun. Well, who knows if the sun in this realm also sets towards the west In short, the two of them began moving north. However, this place was still the enemy's headquarters. Soon after, a person appeared to block their path. It was the same guy that was previously seen a couple of minutes ago, the sailcloth enwrapped divine spirit. "Godslayer, you've actually entered here " The Grey One's manner of speaking consisted of half praise and half amazement. 'It is time for me to stop wandering in a corner of the stage. Quickly return to the surface. Go battle the newly-sprouted divine Saturnus that I have bred.' "No, what happens on the surface no longer matters because we are going to settle things here." Godou calmly spoke. Back at Rinkai Park where they had their reunion, in his mind he held back the impatience of wanting to confront the Grey One. However, right now he no longer has that state of mind. Even he could not fathom why. On the contrary, at the moment he was still able to calmly engage in what will probably be the last bit of conversation between the him and the divine spirit. "I'll get straight to the point and ask, do you have any intention on giving up reviving the god? If you have this sort of motive, we can discuss the question of where you can take shelter after taking care of this disturbance." 'You ask too much. I am a shadow that only strives for the revival of Saturnus, the god of bountiful harvests.' As the Grey One twisted his body substantially, he muttered: 'I don't know what you are conspiring by trespassing on my sacred domain, but for the time being I shall use whatever strength is left in this body to obstruct your path. This is because my sprout is close to becoming an actual god!' Multiple black colored crosses emerged from the golden wheat field basking in the sunset. Each cross had a length of around two meters and there were approximately more than fifty in quantity. Relatively speaking, these crosses were being overly produced at a rapid speed compared to the crops in this sacred field. Moreover, these crosses then floated up into the skies overlooking Kusanagi Godou's position and then rapidly descended with lightning speed. "And they took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of men and of beasts. And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses." Following Liliana's chant of the knightly holy spell words, she fired an arrow of blue light. The magic sword she wielded, II Maestro, also transformed into a silver longbow. The fired arrow was infused with the sacred privilege of extermination. Right after the arrow left her hand, it immediately split into ten separate arrows. These arrows pierced through all of the crosses which numbered over fifty, instantly vanquishing them. Following that, Liliana immediately kicked the ground and sprinted towards the Grey One. Her movements captured the gracefulness of a swallow as she closed in on him while changing the shape of the silver longbow into a sabre. In a flash, Liliana's sword elegantly sliced the Grey One's body. Following that, the divine spirit's body dissipated into black sand. However . 'Hahahaha, do you really think an attack of this degree would ever destroy me? I am immortal. I'll continue accompanying you guys.' The intermittent laughter of the Grey One echoed from the black sand. Even though there was no wind at the wheat field, the scattered sand began floating up on its own and assembled into a human-like shape. At the same time, there were black crosses continuously emerging from the ground. "There won't be an end in sight if this keeps up." Liliana muttered this line and then sent an eye signal to Godou. Realizing her intentions, Godou converged by her side. Subsequently, the girl who was a personal knight and witch used her well-adept flight magic, escorting Godou into the air with her. Liliana used her flight magic to send Godou inside a certain building. It was probably the building that was previously described as an abandoned shrine. However, Godou was unsure whether or not Liliana's idea was the correct one. This was because all the walls of this building were sprawling with mysteriously planted creeper plants and thorny undergrowth. The foliage was even spread across the entire floor and all of the pillars, making it difficult to clearly distinguish the building's overall structure. Through the small crack within the intertwining vegetation, a white stone surface could be seen. Furthermore, since the creeper plants and thorny undergrowth were spread all over the place, it was impossible to find the building's entrance. "For the time being we should try to clear these... The seeds of green which manifests these grounds, pay tribute to the witch descendants." Liliana muttered and proceeded to touch the creeper plants in front her with her hand. As a result, the green creeper plants, thorny undergrowth, and vines that were blocking the shape of the building gradually diminished, finally retreating back into the ground. It was pretty much like a video recording of the vegetation's growth reversed. With this, the shape of this building could be clearly ascertained. It was a white stone-made building. The structure had few walls and was spacious, with round and thick rock pillars neatly arranged. After entering the building with Liliana, they arrived at a vast courtyard. At the center of this place, there appeared to be the white colored pedestal to an alter. Godou examined the emblem carved on top. " It sort of resembles the shape of a bird." The inscribed design on there appeared to be a bird with its wings spread out. "Speaking of which, the Crown of Saturnalia also had a similar shape." Compared to the Crown, the bird form was more noticeable in the stone object's design. Godou felt suspicious. He had this gut feeling that he had already seen this same design somewhere before. At this time, Liliana, who was by his side, suddenly shouted: "The marking of the sun which reigns the heavens! Plus it is the icon that symbolizes Ahura Mazda [1] . Could it be Mithra [2] !?" Ah I see, so it was Mithra. As a result of Liliana's statement, Godou remembered. This was the design he had seen before in Napoli. Perseus also had an insignia that was the same symbol as the divine Roman hero, Mithra. "Could this be Perseus' shrine?" "That is a possibility. Except, if we were to consider this design the symbol of a sun god, it would be widely known throughout the East. The same could be said about the Roman Empire worshiping Saturnus." "It looks roughly like a sun god's symbol." During his discussion with Liliana, the silver-haired witch squinted, unable to take her eyes off the inner part of the shrine. "The setting sun leaving traces of sunlight ?" "Did you see something!?" She was perhaps inquired due to being bestowed with a spirit vision. Towards this, Liliana nodded. "Yes, let's go. The reason why the divine tree sprout of Saturnus revived I think I already figured it out. Basically, the answer should lie within the inside of the shrine" Part 2 Before continuing onwards inside the shrine, Liliana once again utilized her witchcraft. She intentionally retracted the creeper plants to cover up the shrine again with their green stalks and foliage. "If the grey divine spirit comes here, then we will let these kiddies block him. Incidentally I have also implemented barrier magic. Even though it isn't as sturdy as Erica's senatus consultum ultimum, if it's just for buying a couple minutes it can still play a substantial role." Godou should be able to guess his counterpart's intentions based on this explanation. While wandering around within the shrine, Liliana delved more specifically into what she mentioned before. "For the divine artifact that cult leader Luo Hao termed as the Crown of Saturnalia 1 believe its origins lies not in Saturnus but a different god instead." After walking along a corridor that was surrounded by stone from all sides, they encountered a staircase that led underground. Of course they would head downwards from here. Like the setting sun changing its spot of radiance over the ground during dusk, the underground passage did not get any illumination. Through the use of magic, Liliana lit up the path ahead by summoning forth blue colored wisps. "In fact, my familiar didn't sniff out the earth's aura from the Crown of Saturnalia and Saturnus is clearly the god of earth's bountiful harvests." Speaking of which, he had previously witnessed this. Godou recalled the boat excursion from before. "Kusanagi Godou, the immortality you are probably most familiar with are the divine traits of the Snake goddesses. Well, besides those, what other types of gods do you think utilize immortality?" " Surely they must be sun gods?" With the emblem they saw in the courtyard and the direction this inquiry was headed, making this kind of connection was henceforth guided and should have been obvious. "That's right. Despite the sun disappearing after sunset, in the morning it will reappear across the eastern skies. Although weakening during the times of winter, its strength will gradually recover following the approaching spring. The Sun and Snake both possess the divine attribute of immortality." "In other words, that bastard Perseus still exists somewhere at the moment?" Godou felt his previous suspicions have been answered. At the time, he did defeat Perseus at Napoli. However, having not gained any authorities afterwards, he believed the reason was Perseus was definitely still alive. "If only that grandiose guy didn't bring trouble upon humans " Even though he always gave people problems, how could anyone hold everlasting hate towards the handsome divine hero. Towards Godou, who recalled Perseus's sumptuous words and actions, Liliana said: "The name of the god of agriculture originated from the appreciation of the year's bountiful harvests and the festivals praying for bountiful harvests the following year. The festival would be held at the end of the current year, using the winter solstice as the set date." " Going back to that, why does Saturnus get revived during the winter solstice?" Godou spoke of the suspicions he harbored before. "The current calendar and the calendar of ancient Rome's are different right?" "Yes, in the wake of change in both the country and time period, the calendar utilized will also change. However Kusanagi Godou, the winter solstice is actually not influenced by that kind of behavior. The so-called winter solstice occurs when the night is at its longest during the year or when the day is at its shortest. In other words, it's the day when the distance of the sun is furthest from the earth." "I see. What's important isn't the calendar but rather the position between the earth and the sun." As the two of them were conversing, they had already reached the bottom of the stairs. They finally arrived at their destination. This expansive basement made out of stone was most likely used as a chapel. At the center there was a black wooden coffin resting flat on the ground. An unusually intense magical power trickled out from the interior. Sensing this, Godou casted an eye signal towards Liliana. After his partner nodded her head in confirmation, Godou placed his hand on the coffin's cover. He hastily lifted up the cover. Inside was a human body that resembled a male at the prime of his life. On his face was a mask made out of gold with a distinctive lion design on it. Furthermore, there was tattered yellow clothing on the body. In the past, it probably would have been a golden color. He tried squeezing the clothing. Underneath was the physique of a robust male body. After briefly coming in contact with the body, he could feel the body temperature transfer to his hands. Next, he checked for a pulse but was unable to confirm if there was a pulse for life. He then tried placing his hand by the heart. However, the beating ceased in this aspect as well. He wanted to get the mask off but this was not an easy task. The mask seemed to be tightly bonded to the face. "What the heck? Is this guy still alive?" "No, it's a dead corpse the corpse of a sun god from the past." Liliana responded with her judgment using a serious tone. It wasn't just her tone of voice, she even revealed a rarely seen distant gaze. It was obvious the spirit vision revelation was the result of her being affected by the magical powers released by the corpse. "Furthermore, this is considered to be the main body of the divine artifact, the Crown of Saturnalia In the past, the master who heretic Saturnus served " 'Witch, do not speak any further!' Suddenly, a voice came from above. 'Don't break down my fall from grace again! It's humiliating. It's a history of defeat. My former defeats must be sunk in the abyss of darkness forever.' The ground rumbled as it swayed, the walls shook, and the cries of the birds could be heard above the ceiling. It was basically like an earthquake. Perhaps the cause of this was the arrival of the Grey One. If the basement collapsed from this, would the two of them be buried alive? Godou swiftly said: "We better quickly escape. However, how do we deal with this thing?" Godou contemplated as he looked down at the coffin lying there which held the sun god's corpse. On the surface, the coffin would appear to be extremely heavy if they tried to carry it and it was uncertain if there was any value in doing so. However, leaving it here unattended seems improper as well . On the other hand, with a dissatisfied expression towards Godou who was deep in thought, Liliana said: "Did you forget about the barrier I deployed not too long ago? Didn't I say that it could hold out for a couple of minutes? If the barrier isn't destroyed, the most that divine spirit can do is convulse the ground to this extent." After being told this, he recalled. Liliana must have known something like this would happen in advance. Towards the nodding Godou, the faithful knight went a step further and said: "Kusanagi Godou, although the opponent is a divine spirit, it should be able to withstand for a few minutes." "What I mean is, for the time being we should be fine!" □liana's face was entirely flushed as she shouted. What point was she trying to get across? Godou reflected over this and then immediately figured it out. In short, she was referring to the action they had performed many times up till now. Godou could not help but attentively watch the shuddering Liliana whose lips appeared to want to say something. Noticing Godou's line of sight, she suddenly hung her head down. However, she quickly gazed back up, seemingly to try and peek at Godou's facial expression. Liliana displayed a rarely seen prying glance as she looked upwards. Seeing her seldom used expression, Godou's chest started to beat intensely. "C-Can this place hold out for the time being " "Y-Yes, since I figured this kind of situation would occur, I was deliberately attentive " Because Godou was timorous with what he should say, he simply inquired a meaningless verification. For Liliana, despite it being a meaningless verification, she offered a response while still shyly peeking up at Godou. Godou took a deep breath. What should he say during times like these? Even until this day it remains unclear as to why whenever such moments arise, everyone becomes restless. However, not saying what needs to be said during such instances is unacceptable and thus he has to formulate a plan for this. Afterwards, he made up his mind. He essentially had to muster up even more courage than when battling a god in order to say it. "Although it always turns out this way, this time I really do require assistance. So please help me." Well, to one's surprise he was unable to even state his request. Even he felt no progress was made Despite this, after steeling her determination, Liliana deeply nodded. "My answer to that would be the same even today. For the sake of completing the task of forging the Sword, I will never decline regardless when it occurs. This time, please allow me to battle together with you." Murmuring those words, she calmly closed her eyes. Godou realized that the resulting embarrassment was probably because they were on the verge of performing that action, or perhaps it was anticipation that caused Liliana's body to slightly tremble. Those extremely adorable rigid movements and sincerity of hers pushed Godou over the limit. Godou vehemently held Liliana's lavish figure and planted a kiss on her lips. "Ah " The supposedly stern and imposing knight nevertheless percolated a faint sigh from her lips. However, she and Godou both had the goal of forging the Sword. She immediately spread open her lips, accepting the lips of Godou. Merging together, the pair of lips were tightly bonded as they shared the sensation of each other's lips. Following that, Liliana began speaking quietly. "This corpse I'm not sure if this was someone giving the final send-off for the everlasting sun. Rather than being a god of that same category, perhaps it is related to an ancient godslayer " The basement still rumbled from the non-stop shaking. However, Godou and Liliana paid no heed. The two of them exchanged kisses while savoring each other's heart and knowledge. "Except, once dead, his corpse didn't actually perish and still remained on the surface. Thus, it became a divine artifact with immortal divine qualities " Liliana utilized Instruction magic. Due to the efficacy it has, vast amounts of knowledge and mental images started to transfer over. The Crown of Saturnalia, Godou and the others have seen this divine artifact before but only the outside of it. The concealed coffin existed within the interior. The corpse laying there was the actual divine artifact ! "In the distant past, the soul lodged within this corpse turned lackluster over the course of many years, eventually transforming into the grey divine spirit Therefore, it was probably able to move due to the divine artifact's will and spirit." Her cute, quiet murmurs and gasps for air poured into his mouth. As Godou was receiving all of this while kissing Liliana's lips, he extended his tongue in. Her tongue initially recoiled from surprise but then proceeded to grasp the thrusting tongue of Godou. Their tongues intertwined over the course of this tongue lapping as they shared each other's sensation. From this point onwards, the degree of intimacy between them surged greatly. Their heart-to-heart connection also became much more profound . This sequence replayed in his mind numerous times in the past. However, Godou noticed he clearly wanted to implore his feelings and interact even more intimately. His counterpart did not respond in kind though. Her tongue movements became clumsy and overall her lips became stiff. Perhaps that was the reason why the transfer of knowledge was somewhat slow and the information quantity was less compared to usual. Liliana appeared to have something holding her back. Was it because she was bothered by the grey divine spirit's meddling? "Are you concerned about the situation on the outside?" "Ah, yeah. Everyone on the surface obviously Erica and the girls are engaged in battle, but I'm the only one who is letting these thoughts affect me I'm very sorry " Liliana casted her gaze downwards and quietly muttered those words. "I figured I would have to compete over meritorious services to monopolize you but to be kissing you like this is " This was what snatched the determination from Liliana's heart. The cause of this appeared to be a sense of sinning rather than vigilance. Even Godou's heart was pressed with a heavy burden after hearing Liliana. He felt it was cruel to conduct this sort of act with Liliana in a location where no one else was around and it was eating at him like the pressure felt prior to a competition. But instead, Godou shook his head. The person who must bear through this was him, Kusanagi Godou. After Godou gave Liliana a gentle kiss, he then immediately tilted his face downwards and proceeded to slowly slide his lips down to suck on her slender neck. "Uhn ah!" Due to his sudden incursion, Liliana's body trembled slightly. Godou disregarded this while he sucked on her neck. He let his tongue slide upwards as he kissed her once again on the lips. Furthermore, he planted a kiss on her rose flushed cheeks. Closing in cheek-to-cheek, he kissed Liliana's ear and then clamped her earlobe with his lips. Next to her ear, he finally whispered: "The one who entrusted you with this duty is me, so you don't have to worry about it. At the very least, just try not to think about anything right now." "But ah!" Because Liliana appeared to want to say something, Godou gently bit her earlobe. He nibbled on it as if he was amusing himself. However, her fairy-like body once again shuddered for a moment and tilted backwards significantly. Also, her lithe body mass was completely entrusted to Godou as she tightly hugged him. While being hugged, Godou re-embarked on kissing Liliana. Compared to before, she was already much more relaxed while accepting him. Liliana opened her lips and stuck her tongue into Godou's mouth. As if wanting to moisten his lips, she attentively licked the lips of the man she considered as her master. "W-Was that your command? As a king no, as my master?" "Y-Yes." "Since it is like that then I guess there is no other choice." It was obvious that Liliana's words did not contain any intention of giving up. These were the words of someone intending to ignore a guilty conscience, implying premeditated criminal intent. Afterwards her gaze dulled, she reinforced the strength applied to Godou's arms in their embrace. "In reality whenever I'm by your side I've always wanted to do this. However, I'm Kusanagi Godou's knight. These matters are not permitted. That is why " With their faces near each other, Liliana's face playfully rubbed against Godou's face. "That is why only now, only during these times are there exceptions. However, you don't mind right? Liliana Kranjcar is the knight who frequently accompanies you, someone who will never leave your side. Starting today, no matter how many times these opportunities arise, I will always " Compared to any random love proclamation, this knight presented a more sincere, a more serious oath. Godou denied her the chance to finish speaking by blocking her mouth with a kiss. Liliana boldly opened her mouth and latched on to Godou's entire lips as she took them in. Then all of a sudden, Liliana forcefully thrusted in her tongue in search of Godou's tongue. "The grand celebration of the winter solstice within the agricultural domain occurs on the day when the night is at its longest. In other words, starting on that day, the days will gradually become longer, gradually approach spring " She gently pecked at Godou's lips and tongue. Licking everywhere, she savored the taste as she spoke. At the same time, a tremendous amount of knowledge rushed into Godou's mind through this contact. "As a result, the so-called winter solstice is actually the beginning of the end of winter. It has become the celebratory time for the arrival of spring. In short, another way of putting it would be " "The day of resurrection for the everlasting sun. This is the day commemorating the return of its strength after weakening during the wintertime." Liliana's lips squirmed as she replied. Godou also lusted for her lips. Their lips intermingled with the two of them seemingly competing for who has the more passionate kiss. "Yes. There is also another thing. Saturnus was imprisoned by the main Roman god Jupiter^. Due to a life of suppression, Saturnus lost his mind which caused Jupiter to imprison him in the depths of this shrine. There were only seven days during the year where he would set him free. This legend has precisely become the key to Saturnus's connection to corpse of the sun god !" They completed the magical ritual for conferring knowledge through the link between their hearts. With this result, they finally achieved what they wanted. Just as the sword that can slice through divinity appeared from Godou's body . Crack! There was a sound like shattered glass. It was the collapse of the barrier Liliana constructed, serving as an alarm indicating the intrusion of the Grey One. Part 3 Erica was a specialist in steel-based magic. The forged steel transformed into a blade. With the weight it had, it could even be used as a blunt instrument to crush people. If heat were to be added, the blade would dissolve and anything that came into contact with it would all melt into the molten metal solution. Furthermore, ever since ancient times the sturdiness of steel had been utilized in a warrior's armor. By saying she was adept at utilizing steel, it meant that she was also adept at offense and defense. On the other side, Ena, who wields the Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi, heavily favors offense over defense. She was basically someone who could scramble all over the place, like a child of nature who possessed the movements of an agile monkey. Similar to how one engages defensively by bunkering down somewhere, she was more suited to shifting around indefinitely, using tireless movements to initiate an assault or guerrilla warfare. On the ground at Kasai Rinkai Park. Erica, who was fighting with the ent demigod, unwittingly displayed fluid synchronicity in combination with Ena's battle style as they fought side-by-side. Through the course of battling against the Great Sage Equaling Heaven and divine ancestor Guinevere, she had become exceptionally compatible with the Miko of the Sword when attacking in unison. ooooooooaaaaaaAAAAAAN NNnnnNNNNN ! The ent demigod roared and raised its two-pronged weapon. From the tip the double prongs, spheres of green light were being emitted. It was the same thing that previously attacked Godou and Liliana in the sky. Once it ruptured, it would generate a shock wave blast. Upon seeing dozens of these spheres of light heading towards her, Erica chanted her spell words. "By the rank of Legatus Legionis, I hereby command!" Following that, she retrieved the Cuore di Leone from the sky. Immediately after, the barbed lance that had transformed from the magical lion sword instantly multiplied. Like copying and pasting, the appearance was exactly the same as the lances continuously materialized in the air. It wasn't just one or two additional lances, there were eighty-one in total. "Gather here, the Phalanx! Construct a bed of iron and steel, hold out and persevere!" The legion of spears responded to Erica's spell words and began darting around as they moved in an orderly fashion. Following that, a nine by nine dense square grid was produced. Erica arranged this grid in front of herself and Ena. The spheres of light created by the ent demigod flocked towards them. Before the spheres of light arrived in close proximity to Erica and Ena, the lances that were awaiting at that location pierced through all of them, causing them to rupture. The green spheres of light exploded in rapid succession, resulting in violent Shockwaves. "Guah !" Erica prevented the impact from this attack by implementing protection magic to guard herself and Ena. The Shockwaves were dispersed from where they were standing as they blocked the attack gracefully. At around the same time, Ena also made her move. Lowering her body, which at the same time lowered her center of gravity, she rushed towards the ent demigod. With wind-like speeds, she passed through the grid of spears that was created. During this time she did not even slow down one bit as she dashed along the ground like a scurrying wolf. Moreover, in one breath she was already in close proximity to the ent's legs! There to impede her were the large vines that bore from the ground. These vines were eliminated by Ena not too long ago as though she was killing weeds with the Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi at the time. They were previously exterminated, however they have all once again been revived. The group of vines, like snakes, lunged out in a whip-like attack. Ena easily evaded the attack, but in addition to that, she even used the vine as a springboard to gracefully leap out of the way. She exhibited the nimbleness of an acrobatics master. However, she only avoided the attack and did not engage in a counterattack. As to why, it was because the pitch black divine blade was actually not in the hands of the Miko of the Sword at the moment . "Make haste and manifest upon here the semblance of Chihaya's power of metal destruction!" Ena jumped from place to place while chanting spell words. Responding to the spell words, the Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi that was hovering in the air descended quickly. Before charging in, she first tossed the Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi into the air, the pitch black divine blade stayed in the air floating, waiting for a chance to attack. ooooooooaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAN NNNNNnnnNNNNN ! Sensing the incoming attack, the ent demigod once again intended on raising his two-pronged weapon. However, Erica had already prepared countermeasures to this. "Oh hammer of steel, rout thy enemy!" Nine of the lances from the lance grid flew up, thrusting towards the two-pronged weapon that was raised. The weapon was pierced, shattered, and penetrated through by the multiple lances. In a split second, it was disposed of. Following that, the Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi descended towards the ent's head from the sky like lightning . If one were to describe it, it followed a straight path through the body of the ent demigod. From the head to the throat, then esophagus, all the way through the bum. Unable to bear the attack, the thirty meter tall ent body split in half. The full force of the blade was like a hatchet cleaving through firewood. Even though the opponent was an ent, a divine beast, under normal circumstances that strike would be enough to obtain victory. However, after clearly being punctured by the Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi, the ent's body began to regenerate. The two sliced up halves of the ent once again tightly fastened together like the north and south poles of a magnet. Furthermore, the recently assembled ent spat out some sort of object from its mouth-like slit. It appeared to be a poisonous fine powder. This powder scattered around the ent, resembling yellow sand or the proliferation of pollen. Naturally, Erica and Ena instantly leaped away from this. "Be careful! This powder gives off a nasty smelling odor. It is probably poisonous!" Due to the smell carried by the wind, Ena probably deduced this fact and stated her warning. As expected of her extraordinary sense of smell. This child of nature had an acuteness that was incomparable to the norm. Moreover, she chanted her spell words right away. "It is by its breath / That autumn's leaves of trees and grass / Are wasted and driven... So they call this mountain wind / The wild one, the destroyer." [4] Gusts of powerful winds gathered around Ena's body. The miko of the god of storms, Susanoo, was also very adept in manipulating wind-based magic power. The poisonous yellow powder was whisked away by the strong winds and dispersed over the ocean. "Under these conditions where our offensive force is unable to overcome the enemy's power of revival, we will have no way of ending this." Just as Erica acknowledged the battle's bleak outlook. The radiant golden oval located far above them had been deemed by Yuri as the coffin's existence. Hovering around the quaint object in the winter night sky, one could see the familiar-looking ray of light gradually glinting brighter. "During December, the festive ritual of the winter solstice would be held in ancient Europe. It was a festival meant to congratulate the harvests of those years and to pray for a bumper harvest in the coming years." Whenever Godou softly chanted the spell words for the Sword, there would be blades of the Sword emerging from his surroundings. In the center of the vast basement, Godou was under Liliana's watch as he chanted away. Becoming Verethragna's final incarnation, the Warrior, he pulled out the god slaying blade. "The winter solstice is a grand festival commemorating the revival of the sun. Within agriculturally rich nations and colonies, it is the ceremonial holiday of winter and spring, a commemorative festival where the people would indulge in raucousness and merriment making." 'Oh! These rays of light, these spell words, do you plan on elaborating my history!?' The voice of the Grey One came from above. Following that, the entire basement shook, the ground jolted intensely. If compared to the Richter scale, the level of shaking could be considered above a category five earthquake. Godou lost his balance and fell down. However, Liliana promptly rushed over. The silver-haired girl put her hand on Godou's back and caught him as he fell. She then helped him get back up. "There were many sun gods in ancient Rome. The most representing would be the sun god Sol^. There was also Apollo, also known as Ap in Greece. Arriving from the east is the hero Mithra." Liliana's body was slender and lightweight. Her limbs were like that of an elegant fairy. However, during this turbulence, she actually became the crutch steadily supporting Godou. Godou thought about the unexpected role reversal of relying on her delicate body while diverting his attention onto his partner. Ena, who was still in battle on the surface, wielded the Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi . Located far below at Rinkai Park, he called upon the divine blade's strength. "You should be one of the aforementioned gods, an ancient Roman sun god who reigns the skies. Before the loss to a certain opponent, in the olden days you were a magnificent radiant god of light." Godou briefly mentioned this towards the Grey One. He was chanting out the habitually used divinity slicing sword as well as the power of the Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi. In the past, he had used this blade during the battle against Athena. Fusing the two swords, these were the spell words of the divinity sealing artifact. "It isn't certain which sun god you are. However, having been majestically worshipped during the winter solstice grand festival of the sun, you probably also confer blessings to the Roman citizens." 'Alas! Desist, Kusanagi Godou!' The Grey One had already ceased his begging, instead his words were expressed in a pleading tone. 'Tearing my soul apart, these spell words are meant to seal my existence! This kind of conduct is truly intolerable!' He had never heard a punitive voice like this before coming from the mouth of any god. So it's like that. Godou understood. Over 1500 years ago, he had lost his divinity as god. There is the fear that he was the same as those divine ancestors existences like Guinevere. An ascended being who reigns above humanity. However, the kind of power and spirit it possessed was incomparable to a god. He was a degraded soul who lost his greatness and strength in the past. "The corpse from when you were a sun god transformed into a divine artifact used in the recreation of the winter solstice festival. The divine artifact also serves to revive Saturnus, the god of the grand festival of bountiful harvests. As a result of this, while Saturnus was the god of earth, he was also a servant to a sun god a slave god in servitude." Godou's spell words, which gave rise to the Sword, was in the process of gradually building up. Without knowing it, the entire basement was already at its limits. The countless number of golden light rays, which flickered like the glint of treasure, illuminated the insides, extending towards the walls, floor, and ceiling. First order of business was to slash apart the vast basement. This was to rip apart the divine artifact known as the Crown of Saturnus from the inside, thus sealing it. Godou had not ceased chanting as he further weaved his spell words. "Saturnus was an imprisoned god. Locked in the abyss of a shrine by the main Roman god Jupiter, only once every year would he be granted freedom for just a week." The countless number of swords turned into a vortex of light, slashing the entire basement apart. Moreover, the stone material vanished after being cut. Since he had already wielded the fused Sword and Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi, the divine artifact sealing blade, it was expected to be capable of extinguishing the building. "Those seven days are the week of the winter solstice. Even though Saturnus is considered a god of earth, he is also a god with no freedom at all and is only released during the start of the celebratory festival for the revival of the sun. With respect to this aspect, Saturnus has become the people's subordinate sun god!" Every time the golden Sword sped off towards sky, the domain of a certain place would be exterminated. It took basically around ten seconds for the swords and the blades of light to go from the basement to atop the flight of stairs. Furthermore, it marvelously vanquished the shrine located at the top. In addition, even the forever boundless golden wheat field and the red dyed dusk sky perished. Having returned to a normal state, Godou and Liliana found themselves already located in the sky. They were standing on the bird shaped emblem rooted in the Kasai Sea. The two of them firmly stood atop the stone-made bird. The ground was no longer shaking. However, Liliana was still supporting Godou's body. Furthermore, the one who stood right in front of them was the already familiarized Grey One. The royal corpse he was carrying was the ancient sun god wearing golden clothes and a gold mask from back when he was a deity . 'Kusanagi Godou! Although I'm already a divine-less god, i still have aspirations to face off against a godslayer! How about it, battle against Saturnus !' "I'm sorry, I no longer wish to accompany you in your mischief." Last month Godou had previously fought against Lancelot, the hero god of war. Nevertheless, he actually wanted to decline this spirit's request. He wanted to avoid engulfing Tokyo in a crisis at all cost. That was more important than any of his desires. After only slightly reminiscencing over this point, he felt his prior impatience boiling within him. Once he had confirmed again with himself that he did not want to display the above mentioned leniency towards the culprit for this event, Godou sought out the swords hovering around him. It appears there were still over a hundred of those radiant golden spheres of light. In one breath, the group of swords shining even brighter than the twinkling stars found everyday in the night sky started to speed up due to Godou's command. "I am the strongest, holding all victory in my hands. Man and devil all enemies, all who harbor enmity will be vanquished!" Responding to the holy words of Verethragna, the grid of radiating swords of light endlessly darted around. Afterwards, the Grey One along with the corpse of the sun god he was carrying were completely slashed apart, torn into pieces, and finally vanquished. The only object that remained intact at their location was the mask that was modeled after a lion. At the same time, the stone constructed bird that was previously their foothold was also eliminated. Their bodies naturally started to plummet. Godou immediately hollered. "Liliana!" "Got it!" This sort of brief exchange was already more than enough for the two of them. Liliana utilized flight magic while still holding onto Godou. The two of them took off as they were enveloped by a blue light. They intended on landing at the surface of Rinkai Park. However before touching down, they gradually approached the leftover golden mask suspending in the air. Fearing this mask was the Crown of Saturnalia, the actual immortal divine artifact itself, it was imperative that they retrieve it and hand it over to his sworn elder sister later . Godou extended his right hand as he grabbed it. Afterwards, their attention was focused downwards since they were approaching the ground. Getting an overview of Kasai Rinkai Park like this was a very rare opportunity. One could see the broad green grass fields, forests, parterres, the massive Ferris wheel^, the park's central jogging trail, the aquarium, etc. In addition, the ent demigod was currently wielding its two pronged weapon in the grass fields. The mess over here had to be cleaned up as well. In order to finally put an end to everything, he chanted the following spell words. "For victory, hasten forth before me O Immortal Sun, I beseech thee to grant radiance to the stallion. O Stallion that moveth godlike with wondrous grace, bringest forth the halo of thy master ." Serving the Grey One was the subordinate god Saturnus. 150 years ago, he brought disturbances upon the earth as a heretic god. Having led the people into a frenzy, it was expected that he had fulfilled the prerequisites. The offender had caused havoc to the masses, fulfilling the requirements of the White Stallion . After witnessing the signs of daybreak displayed from the east, it could be said that everything went directly according to plan. Without discussing anything, Erica and Ena both nodded and quickly initiated a retreat. Daybreak was definitely still many hours away. However, a rosy hued dawn emerging from the sky could already be seen and at the same time the ent demigod unleashed a ferocious roar. Following that, a spear of white light, equivalent to that of a solar flare, headed towards the seaside park. This ray of light Verethragna's third incarnation, the White Stallion, easily engulfed the ent. It was completely incinerated, disallowing any possibility of a revival as the ent evaporated. In addition, before the target had been eliminated, the colossal Ferris wheel got caught in the line of fire from the beam of the White Stallion the so-called Kasai Rinkai Park was synonymous with the enormous recreational facility, which had also been engulfed and annihilated "Well, even though Godou wanted to battle, the result still turned out like this." Erica shrugged as she stated this once everything within the park had already settled down. The abnormally timed daybreak had already vanished and the winter night once again stretched across the sky above. The shining resplendent golden oval that was previously hovering over Tokyo Bay also disappeared at the same time. In the end, peace had once again returned to Tokyo Bay and to Kusanagi Godou's surroundings. Of course, that is if he were to disregard the complicated post-processing issue involved "Hey, is that His Majesty and Liliana-san?" Ena pointed to the sky where there was a blue colored meteor streak. The orbiting blue body in the sky descended to the ground. There was nothing else it could have been besides the radiance emitted from Liliana's flight magic. At the same time, the sisters of the Mariya household also came over. With her state of mind having pretty much returned to normal, Yuri looked up and noticed Erica and Ena's line of sight. Her little sister Hikari happily laughed, brimming with vigor as she waved her hand in their direction. "Looks like we've finally resolved this situation. Get Yuri over here as well so we can discuss the next line of business." "Yes, you are referring to the Christmas party right?" A laugh escaped out of Erica upon hearing Ena say this. She shook her head in response. The demoness smile, as it was commonly referred to by Godou and Liliana, formed at corners of her mouth. It was a gorgeous smile but it was also a trademark of Erica Blandelli that carried nefarious intent. "Nope, we have to discuss how we are going to tease Godou and Liliana once they return." "T-Tease!?" "Yes, although I had predicted things would turn out like this the moment they took off into the skies, who knew it would be exactly as I expected. It's fine if we deliberately make things awkward for them." "Ah, they must have went through the preparations for the Sword." Ena also noticed the issue and regretfully muttered. "With that said, should Ena also take part in making things hard on His Majesty?" "Yes, it's just ever so slightly while not overstepping a lady's preferences." "I suppose you're right. Since it would be beneficial, it can't be viewed as a detestable matter." Erica suggested with a smile that could be described as no way inferior to that of a court lady offering counsel to the king. On the other hand, Ena also revealed an audacious and mischievous smile. "Well they should be back here any moment. Let's quickly get ready." "Understood. Hey Yuri, Hikari! Hurry over here. We have some matters to discuss!" For now the world was at peace. Kusanagi Godou's surroundings seemed to have returned back to its usual smooth sailing and dispute filled lifestyle. Part 4 Previously they had to deal with the sun god's divine spirit and the divine tree that practically transformed into a heretic god. After the two of them had been killed, Kusanagi Godou's surroundings swiftly returned to normal. They say Sayanomiya Kaoru and Amakasu Touma, those involved that possess strong magical powers, were able to maintain their memories regarding their time under the curse's influence. "As expected, these god related incidents contain all sorts of troubles." Amakasu commented as such before bidding farewell to Godou. However, only after this incident's occurrence was he able to do his business with a lethargic attitude, something which rarely happens. The information cover-up done by the History Compilation Committee did not require much work this time. On the eve of the winter solstice there were numerous wisps hovering over Tokyo Bay. There was also the battle engagement with Godou and the others at Kasai Rinkai Park. Those nearby who witnessed these scenes had forgotten everything related to these strange phenomenons. Due to Saturnus's memory manipulation curse, it had a wondrous use in dealing with the situation. It could be said this was an unexpected by-product? That was the opinion of the History Compilation Committee. Of course, Kasai Rinkai Park showed clear traces indicating a battle, hence it had already been sealed off. "Perhaps this was a gift sent from heaven as an early Christmas present." Towards the wryly smiling Kaoru, Godou felt very apologetic. Many times while dealing with a situation's aftermath they would be busy nonstop because of the godslayer residing in Tokyo. Hence, he naturally lowered his head. On the other hand, normal people with no knowledge of wizardry lost their memories with regards to the succession of disturbances. The strange phenomenon with Santa Clauses turning grey was forgotten as well. Because of this, Kusanagi Godou's close friends had already forgotten about the disruptive matters he was involved in. Well, he noticed there was a strange rumor being subtly passed around Tokyo regarding the mysteriously obtained grey Santa Claus outfits Initially, Liliana, who acted as the organizer, offered this proposal. Speaking of matters involving him, the Kusanagi household was going to be the gathering place for the Christmas party. "Right now it would be very hard to arrange it at an establishment, how about we just hold it at my place?" "My apartment could also work. However, I plan on having Arianna take a vacation from the 24th till New Years. Then again we can't just count on her." Erica suggested this but Godou then replied as follows. "Since my grandpa isn't home for the time being and my parents shouldn't be back any time before Christmas, let's just gather at my house. Shizuka also said she would be at home that day." "Shizuka-san will be home?" Yuri asked and Godou nodded in response. "Uh huh, although she originally said she was going to hang out with her friends from class." After hearing Godou mutter 'since no one will be home, I'll have everyone come here', Shizuka canceled her own plans from before. "Since it's that kind of gathering, then I'll be home on the eve of the holidays as well. I must prevent onii-chan from messing around in our house!" Shizuka, what kind of person do you take me for? Godou contemplated whether or not to confirm with Shizuka at this late point in time. No matter what, the location of the party was already decided on. He also sent an email notification to Ena who returned to her parent's house at Chichibu after the battle at Kasai. 'Understood. Ena can bring all kinds of food.' He received a concise reply from her. And as such, December 24th, Christmas Eve, had arrived at last. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon on the 24th, Godou received three emails from Nanami, Takagi, and Sorimachi. All of the emails were briefly written. Nanami's email didn't even contain any words, just a sole picture attachment. 'We just began scaling this dangerously steep slope'-Sorimachi 'Without an understanding of love, you won't be able to understand this sorrow'-Takagi There was also the photo attachment by Nanami. The scene he saw in the photo was Nanami, Takagi, and Sorimachi cutting up a Christmas cake and preparing a barbecue with the camping tools at some unknown park. There wasn't anyone else in the photo besides them. It seems like a gathering with just the three of them. By the way, the three of them all expressed a look of complete discontent. Instead, there was a sense of solemnity wafting around as they stared at the food with a challenging expression. Godou unwittingly looked up towards the sky. It was an abnormally clear day, the atmosphere of a snowy Christmas did not seem to be in sight. However, not only was there fierce winds today, it was also very chilly. Today seems quite unsuitable for an outdoor barbecue... While emotionally staring at the picture of the three idiots, Godou felt a bit doleful. What intense emotional disturbance occurred to cause something to this extent? "Is there something wrong onii-sama?" "Umm, yeah. It's the email I got from my friends from class. Although I planned on inviting them to attend today's gathering, however for some reason my invitation was declined." Because of the winter solstice incident that led to Godou's surroundings being turned into a mess, the three idiots gave off the impression that they have seen through everything. However, how come after everything returned to normal, these guys are even more depressed than before the incident's occurrence? "Well, I guess they're pretty happy this way so whatever." Godou muttered to himself as he walked with Hikari along the streets of Akasaka. They were going to pick up the cake they ordered for today's party. The two of them met up in the morning and embarked on the bakery after eating lunch. Afterwards, they were currently on their way back. Godou was carrying a bag that contained a square box. "There's going to be many people attending. It should be quite exciting." Godou and Hikari, who cheerfully spoke, were heading towards the station. By the way. The reason why he was with Hikari was actually because of the request Erica brought up after the battle at Kasai. Like a noblewoman at the time, she firmly stated: 'Hey Godou, lovers in Japan all go on a date just between the two of them on Christmas Eve right? Since it's like that, would it be alright if we did the same as well?' 'Eh?' 'Well, however, there are other girls besides me, Erica Blandelli, present. So for that reason I'm willing to grant you the privilege of selecting whoever you want.' 'W-What? It was hard enough taking care of these various situations, don't start with this strange nonsense!' That's right Erica, right now the most pressing matter to discuss should be the issue regarding the crisis aftermath...' Godou was panic stricken. Liliana, who was by his side, intended on making an excuse. However, Erica calmly revealed a demoness smile towards all this. 'Since for some reason you guys are so mindful towards what I'm saying, then let me ask you two a question first. When you guys were up there battling, how did you guys forge the sword?' 'Huh?!' 'What!?' Godou and Liliana were completely speechless towards the blissfully smiling Erica. 'Speaking of which Godou, you can't say it was forced upon you due to the situation... Or anything along those lines. Liliana, despite your persistent adherence to the ways of a knight, you still preemptively went in without any hesitation. So who are you going to pick out of us?' 'She's right, even if you occasionally perform such actions, it still isn't worthy of a punishment.' Ena nodded towards what Erica had stated. 'Originally I had wanted Yuri and Ena accompany Your Majesty somewhere together, however today I kind of want Your Majesty to only select Ena.' 'A-Actually.' Lastly, even Yuri shyly spoke up in a firm tone. 'Perhaps Godou-san goes beyond just occasionally in initiating these matters.' Afterwards, the girls all fixated their gaze at Godou. They all showed a wordless expression that urged him to promptly make a selection. No matter who he selected, it would definitely result in controversy. Being instinctively aware of this aspect, Godou yelled out: 'H-Hikari! Then I'll go with Hikari. We had already arranged this before!' Being the older one, the option of looking over the youngest child was of course the proper and unpunishable one. That night, Godou was fortunate to have Hikari present as they walked along the road to the meeting place of the Christmas party. The twelve year-old girl by his side was cheerfully smiling. "Hey onii-sama, I don't mind if you have to rely on me during times like these." She cheerfully spoke with a tone of reliability that also seemed to make him feel his future was bleak. Within the living room of the Kusanagi household, his sister Shizuka spoke while holding back her rage. "All the way up until this year, I had always monitored onii-chan very closely so he doesn't stray to the path of evil." "Turn evil? Godoh-kun is a proper and well-behaved kid." Revealing a warm smile, the person who joyously spoke was Koudzuki Sakura. It could be said that she was the equivalent of a relative to Godou and Shizuka. "Only the aspect of a proper child holds true. However, onii-chan is definitely not a well-behaved child! Throughout the many generations of men in the Kusanagi family, the only one who showed any capabilities was grandpa. That person took care of onii-chan ever since he was in kindergarten. Furthermore, the misbehaving bloodline that wasn't even cured during any of the generations had been inherited from father!" "Hehehe, grandpa and Genzou-san are both outgoing people." Towards Shizuka who was getting more and more agitated as she spoke, Sakura calmly nodded along the entire time. "If you just mean outgoing then that's fine, but those two are definitely indecent people. Despite onii-chan being an honest and decent person, he gives people the impression that he is firmly on the path of going rogue. Jeez, how come all the men within the family are so troublesome..." "I see, looks like there's a steady trend of people being born like this." Upon hearing Shizuka despairingly comment, the girl by her side who was attentively listening acted as if she was well-versed in these matters. "That's totally like Goro-san, no wait, really this is typical of Godou-san's family lineage!" "Oh, Sakura's friend is here. Do you know onii-chan?" After being inquired from Shizuka, the young girl No, Renjou Fuyuhime lowered her head while having three fingers resting on the tatami. From the looks of it, compared to Shizuka who was in her third year at middle school, Fuyuhime clearly looked much younger even though she was in her first year of college. "I'm the heir to the Renjou family, Fuyuhime. I believe that in the future I will have some serious "business-like" dealings with your onii-sama. I'll be in your care." "Eh? Business-like?" "Yes, if it is specifically a "contractual marriage" or even just a "sham marriage", I wouldn't mind at all. I just want to climb higher, attain a higher position. I must achieve an even higher rank than my childhood friend Kaoru!" "Eh?" "Ha ha, Fuyuhime-chan has recently been going on and on about that. If her relation with Godou-kun gets better, she could rise above others or something." "W-W-W-W-Wait a second, how could someone so young be saying something like this!?" "No, I'm already a college student! I'm the equivalent of a mature woman!" Sakura naturally chuckled. Because Fuyuhime's dilemma of having the outer appearance of a little girl, there was a dwelling fear in her statement. Fuyuhime pouted, stating that she was a mature woman. At this time, Tokunaga Asuka, a resident who lives nearby, showed up. "It's still as rowdy as ever. Is there a party today? Here, this is for you guys." She was the childhood friend of the Kusanagi siblings and the daughter of the owner of a sushi store (Toku Sushi). She appeared to be well acquainted with them to be freely able to open the front entrance. Gazing inside the house, she handed over the sushi container. "Asuka-chan, excellent! I just so happen to be looking for an assistant!" Shizuka walked out the door and collected the sushi container. Hence, the pigtailed childhood friend revealed a distressed expression and replied apologetically. "Ah... I'm sorry. Later today there is going to be a Christmas girls only gathering. I'm going to go karaoking with my single friends. Shizuka-chan, even though it is a long, arduous battle, you must persevere." "Eh . Recently, onii-chan's level of uselessness has been increasing three times faster." Towards her older friend, Shizuka puffed out her cheeks in anger like she normally does. "There's no way I can single-handedly maintain the front lines. Absolutely no way." "However, aren't all the girls who are well acquainted with Godou gathered together? It seems very tiresome, so please allow me to decline eh?" Behind the stiffly smiling Asuka, a girl wearing an apron walked in. "I'm sorry, I forgot my manners." The girl wearing the maid attire deeply bowed, took her shoes off at the doorway, and entered the Kusanagi household. She speedily walked into the kitchen. Her silhouette and footsteps really gave off the impression of a capable person. "T-The maid just now, who was she? E-Even today she wants to cosplay!?" "That isn't cosplay. Don't you know? That person is a maid within Godou's 'good friend' Erica's family." "There... There's actually people like this gathering here? Goodness gracious, what the hell does that guy plan on doing!?" Asuka suddenly became furious after being provoked by the arrival of the unexpected person. "Shizuka-chan, I withdraw my previous statement. Once I'm pretty much through with karaoking I'll come back here. Before then you must keep at it by yourself. You mustn't let that guy have his moment of glory!" If Godou were to hear his childhood friend's proclamation, he definitely would have said something along these lines. I have absolutely no idea what kind of glory you're talking about... Rather, every day is full of troubling and stressful issues... On the other hand, within the busy party prep kitchen of the Kusanagi household. "No... I guess Japan is better after all. Living here even cleanses the soul." The person who sighed was Lu Yinghua who just made his return yesterday. He was sitting at the kitchen table with the responsibility of peeling the skins of the vegetables. Incidentally, he didn't use the easy to use peeler, opting to use a kitchen knife instead. "I don't care what happens, it's great to be far away from master. I would never be able to experience this kind of liberating feeling in mainland China. Even in Hong Kong there would be guys in connection with master." He spoke while peeling non-stop. Furthermore, he was not only fast but accurate as well. His vegetable peeling surpassed the speed and precision of any machine. He didn't even cut one millimeter into the body of the carrots and potatoes. There were three girls looking on in awe of his prowess. These were the girls who cooked today's dishes in the kitchen, Liliana, Yuri, and Ena. "Lu Yinghua... Your cooking abilities are rather superb aren't they?" "Almost like a professional... No, I think even specialists who are this skilled are quite rare." "And while clearly using a hard to peel tool..." Lu Yinghua was just cutting up the ingredients. However, his techniques and posture gave off the air of a chef. With that being the case, his cooking must be pretty good as well. "I wonder how it will turn out. Although I'm confident it won't taste bad, but whether or not it tastes delicious is quite unclear..." Lu Yinghua replied nonchalantly. As he gazed at the blade of the knife, his eyes were filled with somber after recalling a person from his dark past. During this time his hands never stopped moving. "The responsibility of cooking falls onto me during master's imprisonment. If I cook anything that isn't to her liking, there will be torture awaiting me. By all means I want to avoid that kind of effort with my life on the line. As for food, clearly that bag of instant food products sold by peddlers should already be more than enough!" "Wow... If it's like that, then his cooking should be even better than Yuri's right?" "Even though this is simply just going by word, it definitely wouldn't be wrong to assume that is the case..." "It's because he was cooking for someone supreme every day. This is probably just a different form of training. If we were to compare our skills, to him this wouldn't even be a contest..." Just when the girls directed their gaze of admiration and sympathy to the youngster. "Hi everyone, cheers for all your hard work." Arianna Hayama Arialdi entered the kitchen. She cheerfully made her greeting and placed the plastic box she brought onto the table. "Well Anna-san, I heard starting today you're on vacation right?" Yuri smiled as she welcomed the well-acquainted maid and helper of Erica. "Yes, since I was allowed a break from now till New Years I scheduled a visit with my grandparents in Nagasaki. I wanted to send you guys some gifts of appreciation before heading out." Arianna's parents were Japanese. This maid, with no negatives other than her stew making and driving capabilities, happily pointed to the plastic box on the table. "Inside is some barbecued pork that I stewed for three days and three nights. Even though it's my first time trying to make something like this, it wasn't too hard to do. Please be sure to give it a taste!" The three of them already had experienced Arianna's pot-stewed dishes before. At this time, Yuri, Liliana, and Ena all involuntarily paused since they didn't know what to say. On the other hand, not knowing the dangerous nature of the situation, Lu Yinghua went "hmm", and returned back to his work with an uninterested gaze. Afterwards, the sun began to set as Christmas evening soon approached. Godou, who had been holding on to the cake, and Hikari arrived at home. Lastly, the blonde beauty also showed up. She seemed to have dropped by for a bit at various other gatherings before coming here. "Although this speech should be made before the start of a party when one receives their guests, I'll just make it brief to prevent it from being boring or strange. Everyone, please enjoy yourselves tonight." Even though she was the last to arrive, she still pulled the stunt of a lead actor. Following this habitually magnificent display of technique that was Erica's statement, was the commencement of this small-scale party. Well, that wasn't really a big deal. It's just a gathering among close friends to have a drink, eat, and chat. However, to Godou, these were people who he hadn't known for more than ten months. Hence, he couldn't help but somewhat let out a sigh upon seeing the people gathered at his house. Erica, Yuri, Liliana, Ena, Lu Yinghua, Hikari. And there was Shizuka, Sakura, Fuyuhime. From the looks of it, Asuka might come over a bit later as well. Even Kaoru made a sudden appearance at the party. It was rumored that she could stay for around two hours or so. "This year surely was exhausting. Ah, Godou-san, perhaps next year we should go on that vacation I mentioned before. If the two of us form a pair, I believe we'll have lots of fun during our travels!" Before he knew it, she once again referred back to the previously mentioned matter of vacationing just to go hit on girls. Plus, she even invited Amakasu but he declined by saying 'I have work to do'. However, just a while ago when Kaoru arrived she said 'this is from Amakasu-san'. It was a basket filled with fried chicken. Originally he thought it was bought from a store, but it was actually made with his own two hands. As the party progressed, the drinks were pretty much finished. As expected of Erica, she brought a couple bottles of wine. Ena too had calmly come over with a liter bottle of indigenous liquor that was to be consumed at the dinner party etc. If things were to continue like this, then all these drinks that Godou had previously banned before the start of the party would have to be allowed. Because of this, Godou left the house to buy some beverages. Christmas Eve. Godou left by himself and headed towards the nearby convenience store. He inadvertently gazed into the sky. Because it was winter, the stars twinkling in the sky appeared to be more vivid and beautiful than any other season. Just when he noticed the three stars of Orion. The cellphone placed within the bag started to sound. Looking at the display screen, it was Liliana who made the call. "Everything ok?" 'You're going shopping by yourself? Was there nothing to drink?' She suddenly responded as such. Because everyone was currently vivaciously partying, he decided to silently leave the house without saying anything. Godou confidently looked back. As if it was to be expected, Liliana was currently walking in his direction. Furthermore, even Erica, Yuri, and Ena came along. "On a hard earned day of celebration, you shouldn't be stealthily coming out here by yourself right?" "Moreover, there is going to be a lot of things to carry so I'm here to help." "That's right. You should have some people help you even for something like this." Seeing four of his friends catching up, Godou couldn't help but smile. Even though it was unimportant, it was still something that made him happy. This reconfirmed his feelings of joy from the recent battle at Kasai. He had friends by his side who were troublesome at times, but they also care for Kusanagi Godou. He felt that there wasn't anything else in any aspect that he looked forward to that held greater value than this. Godou walked with everybody as he took another look at the sky. It was indistinguishable from the starry night from his previous viewing. However, for some reason he felt that the night sky was even more lustrous than before. References 1 . t Ahura Mazda is described as the highest deity of worship in Zoroastrianism, along with being the first and most frequently invoked deity in the Yasna. The word Ahura means light and Mazda means wisdom. Thus Ahura Mazda is the lord of light and wisdom. 2. t Mithra is the Zoroastrian divinity (yazata) of covenant and oath. In addition to being the divinity of contracts, Mithra is also a judicial figure, an all-seeing protector of Truth, and the guardian of cattle, the harvest and of The Waters. 3. t Zeus is the child of Cronus and Rhea, and the youngest of his siblings. In most traditions he is married to Hera. He is the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter, Hindu counterpart is Indra and Etruscan counterpart is Tinia. 4. t "Fun'ya no Yasuhide"(3£JMJSff ) from the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu^J^HA — H), a classical Japanese anthology of one hundred Japanese waka poems by one hundred poets. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogura_Hyakunin_lsshu 5. t Sol is the Sun personified in Germanic mythology. In both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda she is described as the sister of the personified moon, Mani, is the daughter of Mundilfari, is at times referred to as Alfrodull, and is foretold to be killed by a monstrous wolf during the events of Ragnarok, though beforehand she will have given birth to a daughter who continues her mother's course through the heavens. In the Prose Edda, she is additionally described as the wife of Glenr. As a proper noun, Sol appears throughout Old Norse literature. 6. t The 11 7-metre (384 ft) tall Diamond and Flower Ferris Wheel opened at the park in 2001 . On a clear day, it affords views of Tokyo Bay, Chiba, Edogawa, Tokyo Disneyland, and Mount Fuji.