Well, this was certainly an awkward turn of events.
"Got nothing to say? Hmph." Odin just huffed, walking up to Godou and smacked him with his walking stick. "Just a brat still. How did you manage to defeat Victory, hmm?"
"Uh….luck?" Godou scratched his head.
Odin ran a hand through his beard. "Don't knock a lucky victory. Verethragna would be insulted if you acted like that. A Victory is a Victory, brat!" He smacked Godou a few more times for good measure.
It was kind of surreal if I were to be honest. Oh his mannerisms were very normal to me having to deal with the Odin back home, but….well, he was a Heretic God. I had yet to meet one that wasn't immediately antagonistic.
"Who's the Geezer?" Mordred asked.
Odin turned his head towards Mordred and looked at her strangely. "You're a strange one." He hummed. "Not live, but Dead and yet…..no." Odin frowned. "I don't like it." He raised his hand up in front of her like he was about to do something.
"Watch yourself, Old Man." I narrowed my eyes, gripping Dawnbreaker I still had out.
Odin paused, looking at me with an expressionless look.
"Move yer hand if ya don't want to lose it." Mordred chimed in with a low growl.
Odin just let out a bark of laughter shaking his head.
"State thy business here." Athena broke through the awkwardness.
"You're hardly in a position to demand anything from me, Serpent." Odin scoffed. "Barely more than a Divine Ancestor. How much more will it take for you to fall to that level, hmm?"
"Once this one retrieves mine Gorgonian it will matter not!" Athena's nostrils flared.
"Unlikely to happen."
She whipped her head to me, glaring rather aggressively.
"Your pet – " Odin began to speak again.
"The All-Rabbit." I interjected.
"….." Odin stopped in his tracks, blinking.
"….."
"You really just can't help yourself can you?" Mordred looked at me.
Well in actuality, I was on guard.
Odin was the type of God that you had to respect, and I didn't know what his thoughts on us were just yet. If he suddenly up and decided we were an eyesore, well…..it would be a difficult fight.
"Don't try to hide it from me." Odin's one eye glowed. "I can feel it. The lingering traces, not just on your rodent but you as well, boy." His tone set a bit longer and firmer.
A reminder that this wasn't the Odin I knew.
"Maybe you're misremembering?" I offered casually.
"I never forget things."
I waved my hands. "It's just a figment of your imagination."
"Then I would question my whole existence." He snorted. "You're far from being able to give me an existential crisis." He turned to look at Athena. "Don't tell me you didn't notice anything, Serpent?"
"Do not presume to guess mine thoughts." Athena harrumphed, crossing her arms. I had the vaguest feeling that she didn't like Odin. "Why hath thou descended. Thou hath mocked those that descended in the past ruthlessly."
"And I still do." Odin grunted. "Heretic Gods!" He spat out. "Ridiculous that they claim 'rebellion'. I have called it as I ever have, children throwing Tantrums! Let Pandora's bastards give them the slap upside the head they need."
"Thou speakest from thy high throne." Athena scoffed.
"Do not dare to say I did not earn my throne, serpent. Throw your tantrum that your history was rewritten, that your own throne was taken and you were regulated down as the men stood atop you as a Mother Earth Goddess, but it is nothing but the whining of the loser. The winner is King, the Loser is the servant."
Well, it certainly sounded like they had history there.
"Thy hypocrisy shines through thy mocking words. Thou presents thyself here and now." Athena pointed out.
"That's right, I'm here and now." Odin ran a hand through his beard. "And you know the difference between us?"
"You're not 'Rebelling'" I interjected. "You're a Heretic God, but even so, you're not….well, rampaging."
"Hmm." Odin turned back to me. "Well, you got a good head on your shoulders. I would have skewered you if you couldn't atleast see through that much as my brother."
"You don't have an iota of bloodlust or anything like that at the moment despite two Campione standing infront of you."
Heretic Gods and Campione were mortal enemies, it was inevitable that they fought. Something buried deep into their instincts. If a Heretic God saw a Campione, even if they weren't related or had any conflict previously, they would fight to the death. That was simply how it was from what Pandora talked to me about.
"To become a Heretic God, you have to 'rebel'." I added air quotes based on his previous opinion of the whole concept.
"That's right." Odin looked at me then jerked his thumb at Athena. "This one here is rebelling against the rewritten stories and legends where she was pulled down from her throne and the males stood atop here. Demoted to a mere Serpent, a daughter, a wife, a Monster. That's all she's known as to the Mortals. Did you know, she used to be the Queen of Gods."
I looked at Athena and had the smallest amount of pity for her. I suppose the legends of Zues and such were built after she was pulled down and the Myths around her changed? Metis, Gaia, Medusa, Athena, they all had connections and if you traced them back further to their roots, you would have a Queen of Gods it seems.
"You….dare to speak mine past so openly." Athena's eyes glowed.
"Do you want to fight?!" Odin's hard gaze met hers and she wordlessly snarled but backed down.
"Rebellion. You're rebelling against the idea of Rebellion. You're able to sustain this because of your Hooded One aspect because it's how you walked the mortal world hiding your identity in your myths." I connected the dots rather easily based on what I knew about Odin.
He's basically faking it.
He's faking his 'rebellion' against his own myth so he could descend to the Mortal World.
"Thou art ridiculous!" Athena quickly spoke. "Thy words are nonsense, such a conclusion is nothing but fanciful words."
"You may be a Goddess of Wisdom, but you lack shrewdness." Odin responded.
Yeah, that sounds about right. Odin is also a God of Wisdom, but he's much scarier than Athena would ever be in my opinion.
Athena's lips thinned, seemingly unable to retort. "Why hath thou appeared? Campione do not hold thy attention. Thou cares not for the rivalry."
"Normally you would be right. Unless I had a reason to do so." He was obviously staring at me. "Or if someone gave me a reason. If someone I knew came down and appeared, maybe drawing my attention perhaps. What say you, Loki?"
"Do….you think I'm Loki?" I blinked.
"It would fit." Odin rubbed his beard.
"I'm a Campione…."
"Aye and that would be something Loki would do for a lark. Something expected like tricking everyone into thinking he was a Campione." Odin stated.
That's…well, I could actually see that.
"I'm not that horse fucker." I deadpanned.
Odin looked at me before letting out a bark of laughter. "Yes, the likelihood lowers every moment. The former protector of these lands would have noticed I believe and he would not have willingly played along with Loki's schemes to hand over his Authority."
"Don't listen to him, he's Loki." Mordred spoke up. "He likes to fuck horses and all that."
Dammit Mordred…..
"Beat his ass, Old Man." Mordred continued.
[I really do like her. If I ever gave a human my bloodline willingly, well, I can't say I would be disappointed.] Ddraig chimed in as well.
"This one agrees, kill him." Athena said dryly.
You know, I just now noticed that the guy from the History Compilation place had disappeared. Those are some good survival instincts of his as the others….well Godou's budding harem were still around looking worried and confused by what was happening.
Odin seemed to ignore them. "I originally descended because I noticed the Tree you used against the protector. Not to mention I noticed my blessing. But that pales in comparison to what's infront of my eyes right now. Tell me boy, why is it that you're my blood brother?"
"Maybe it's a symbolic thing?" I offered. "Maybe we're just so much alike that you're mistaken."
"Oh, and how alike are we?" Odin asked sounding very much like he didn't believe me and was merely humoring me.
"Yer both idiots." Mordred offered.
"Thanks Mordred."
"No problem."
"Well, I'm handsome, charming…..hmm, wait I'm supposed to list the similarities. Well, I ate a lot of crayons when I was younger. That's something we might have in common."
"I liked the blue ones." Godou spoke up.
I think we all just paused and looked at him.
"What?" He looked around.
I gently pat Godou on the shoulder.
"This one is surrounded by idiots." Athena sighed.
"Let's set that to the side for now. What exactly did you do to Voban?" It was probably the most pertinent question because Voban was…well, I won't say I was scared, but I was cautious against him.
"His Authority is straight forward, I simply looped it upon itself so he could not immediately return." Odin stroked his beard. "You should be thanking me. Though the more time you waste, the more opportunity he has to overcome my little trick."
"Thou does not move from kindness." Athena scoffed.
"As a Heretic God, I believe I'm allowed to act selfishly and arrogantly, Serpent. Thus, I've made my own preparations. It would have been nice to simply learn everything I wanted, but I would be a poor tactician if I assumed that would work."
"Are you going to fight me?" I got serious.
"It would be a good fight, I can feel it in my bones." Odin grinned. "One of us would walk away through blood and steel after giving everything to the other." Despite still appearing as a frail old man, Odin's presence loomed above, the clouds began to circle overhead. "But I made other considerations." He hummed.
"….what did thou do." Athena's eyes widened.
"A simple transaction." Odin hummed, snapping his fingers. "Come out now, I held up my end of the bargain."
It was followed by the cry of a horse and the crackle of thunder as space tore open and a horse stepped through. Riding upon it was a cloaked woman, donned in armor and holding a lance. Behind her sat a smaller woman, blonde hair and wearing regal like clothing.
The one holding the Lance was a God, the woman…. lessened, was she a Divine Ancestor? A Mother Earth Goddess that had fallen?
Athena was the one to visibly react. "You despicable vile man!"
"As we agreed, you can have the Goddess if you do what I asked." Odin ignored her, though seemed to treat her as a tool for bargaining. "But if you try to take your prize before, I will show you why I'm Glad-o-War."
"A deal hath been struck." The Knight spoke.
"Is this your game then, Old Man?" I frowned, looking at Odin. "You don't even want to do your own dirty work?"
His one eye shined. "Why should an Old Man like myself make a move when these spirited youngsters are more than enough to satisfy my needs? I seek answers, the means does not matter."
"You best keep your words, All-Father." The royal looking woman on the back of the horse huffed.
"Mine enemy, bring forth your Authority, I will bestow the wisdom needed for you to slay this harlot!" Athena hissed.
"Ah." Odin raised his hand to cut her off. "If the youngster over there moves, I will join in. So, choose wisely."
Godou hesitated at Odin's words as did Athena.
"But don't worry, I have a little something to keep you occupied, Serpent." Odin put two fingers to his mouth and whistled.
Like a shooting star, a chromatic light shot through the air and slammed into the ground next to him. Platinum wings sprouted out behind the near figure as she knelt to him. "Valkyrie Brynhildr comes at your call, All-Father."
Odin looked at Athena and the others. "You're not allowed to Descend into the status of a Heretic God, Brynhildr otherwise go all out and keep the Goddess preoccupied. It should be about an even fight considering the circumstances."
I barely had time to blink before the Valkyrie shot at Athena. Athena's scythe from last time grinded against the Valkyrie's sword as they clashed quickly and violently.
"Godou, you can take him!" Erica blurted out.
"Hoh, maybe she's right. Want to try your luck, youngster?" Odin stared at Godou. "Of course, even if you managed to beat me, the other one would return rather quickly and I don't think he would be happy."
….he really just usurped the entire situation into his favor didn't he?
"Well played, Odin." I had to acknowledge it at least.
The Regal looking woman dismounted the horse and the Knight pointed her lance at me. "This one will be your opponent. Take up arms and fight with honor, Campione. For you Face Lancelot Du Lac."
Every response and thought I had came screeching to a halt.
Even Mordred stilled as I noticed her out of the corner of my eye.
"….you wanna repeat that?" I asked.
"I am Lancelot Du Lac." She introduced herself again. "Ready yourself."
"….just for my own peace of mind…..who is she?" I pointed at the blonde-haired girl.
Lancelot tilted her head. "You wish to know the name of my liege? You stand before the Witch Queen, Guinevere."
Well then.
"It seems you miscalculated, Old Man." I crossed my arms.
Odin's expression changed. He was good at reading people, I was only able to bullshit with him before because he was letting me basically. He knew I was just spouting nonsense, but he also knew that I wasn't going to just tell him what he wanted.
That being said, his expression changed because he could read me.
Before he could question what I meant by that, Red Lightning exploded outward from next to me and shot forward at the Knight or rather at Lancelot.
Lancelot's eyes widened as a silver blade slashed down on her and her horse groaned from the weight of the blow and the Knight herself was forced to put a decent amount of strength into blocking.
Mordred came to a screeching halt as their blows produced a burst of power and she had to land back on the ground to steady herself. Her armor donned, and her lightning arcing everywhere.
Lancelot stared at Mordred almost completely ignoring me. "I feel a foreignness in my heart. Why does your blade caution me so."
"What, don't you recognize me!?" Mordred laughed, her helmet clanked, and it came apart, sliding down so her face was fully visible and she had a wide and maniacal grin. "Both of you together, this is great!"
"I feel a connection to her, my Knight." Guinevere warned.
"Name yourself!" Lancelot demanded.
"I'm Mordred Pendragon, the rightful heir to Camelot."
[****]
A/N
It's Voban, wait, it's Odin, wait, it's actually Lancelot, or is it?
If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone
I also have a boosty if you can't use the above under the same name.
Mordred's introduction included a clash of steel as she wasted no time leaping back at Lancelot with a big grin on her face.
Mordred was having fun.
"What!?" Guinevere exclaimed. "Tis impossible, the descent of our hated enemy would have been noticed!"
"Well….this is an interesting turn of events." Odin hummed.
The brief pause and blank stare towards Mordred by Erica was also rather amusing. I'm sure she would have had some sort of outward reaction if she wasn't busy helping Athena deal with the Valkyrie that Odin called for.
"All-Father!" The supposed Guinevere exclaimed. "Thy promise –"
"I'm fulfilling my promise." Odin casually stated, watching the two match blows. "I said I wouldn't let any other Campione or Gods interfere."
"She –"
"Is neither." Odin's one eye narrowed.
"Sophistry!" She growled.
"I am keeping two Campione preoccupied and one Goddess." He frowned. "And you're demanding I do more?"
The petite blonde girl's face twisted back into a scowl, then seemingly she calmed herself down. "Tis a falsehood then. If neither be Campione nor God, then my Knight has nothing to fear!" She proclaimed.
Well, I couldn't fault her for thinking that way. But she also didn't sound too convincing as she said it out loud.
"What if I joined in." I stated.
She nearly stumbled in place, her glare leveled at me. She was obviously hesitant about my presence since her 'Knight' as she said was preoccupied with Mordred.
I had a moment, so my gaze switched from the proclaimed Guinevere, someone mirrored after Artoria's former wife, and looked to Odin, the source of my real trepidation.
"Me and Godou could probably handle you without too much fuss." I noted.
Godou, while not looking like he was too thrilled with the idea, didn't really back down like I would have expected based on how he was before I came back. I guess he took my advice to heart somewhat because he looked like he was ready to throw down if the situation called for it.
"By all means, let's have a good fight." Odin chuckled. "Maybe I win, maybe I don't. But it's not a matter of me winning, it's about you both losing, isn't it?" He grinned arrogantly.
God, I really hated being on the opposite side to Odin.
I scowled because I knew he was right.
"Regardless of what happens, Voban comes back and we have a pissed off Campione falling on top of us." I sighed.
"Those are the facts, what you decide is entirely up to you." Odin didn't even try to argue either way.
"So the lesser of two evils then."
"Hoh, I like the sound of that." He chuckled despite the situation.
He was using someone else as a loaded gun and they didn't even have to agree to it.
Could I win both fights? Probably…..would the collateral damage be worth it? That was the question that needed asking. The detriment to having a certain set of morals and such was that unlike both Odin and Voban, I did care about those around me and couldn't always just throw caution to the wind.
"Fine I won't punch you in the balls, Old Man."
"That is very specific. This Old Man is appreciative." He replied without missing a beat.
"But I want something in return." I crossed my arms.
"Are you trying to blackmail me lad?" He raised his eyebrow, surprised by my statement.
"You can take it that way."
"And If I say no?"
"Then I guess I'll be in for multiple fights." I straightened my back and let my Magical Power seep out. "Don't mistake my reluctance to fight as my inability, All-Father." I met his gaze.
He stared at me for a long moment as if to gauge me. "And what is it you want?"
"Prevent collateral damage. If you're not going to be fighting anyone, that's something that should be within our capabilities without overly exerting yourself." Already the fights going on had caused a bit of damage to the city.
A coffee shop at the edge of the city square we were in was sliced in half by Athena as she tried to fend off the Valkyrie. The Valkyrie in question dodged it and kicked Eric into another building, shattering dozens of windows and causing it to shake.
Athena's scythe gouged out the streets with each swing, uncaring for the damage she caused.
Mordred and Lancelot began to clash in earnest as well. Was there even a need to mention the destruction those two caused by fighting? Mordred in particular, well, she wasn't the most gentle…..
Each step of hers cracked the streets, the collision of their weapons sent out shockwaves each clash, sundering the ground, and shattering the nearby buildings.
"Very well." He held his hands up, his Magic Power gathered in the surroundings, and like a Bounded Field, it began to overlay as Runes appeared, sinking into the nearby buildings and the earth.
I only caught a glimpse of it, but it really did show that he was a God of Magic.
"Any damage will be undone once the spell is lifted." He said simply.
Not even an Authority, just his magical prowess.
Fine, if he was content to just be a watcher, I wouldn't stop him. It was better than getting him as the ruthless God of War.
I was wondering if I should interfere or just let Mordred have her fun. Win or lose, I think Mordred wouldn't want me to butt in when it was her fight. But Guinevere answered that question for me as she raised her hand, pointing at Mordred and began casting a spell.
She was apparently called the Witch Queen for a reason.
I moved using a burst of Shunpo and grabbed her hand.
The action caught her off guard as her spell sequence failed and dissipated.
"Unhand me you brute!" She screeched as if she wasn't trying to take a pot shot at Mordred.
"How about – " The words died in my throat because out of the corner of my eye, I found a lance weaved in lightning aimed right at me a hair's breadth away.
Without letting go, I spun my body and threw the 'Witch' at a nearby building and grabbed the tip of the lance, stopping it from piercing my body.
It allowed me to get a proper look as Lancelot charged at me, abandoning Mordred with her Lance intent on piercing through me.
Her charge was fast and strong, her horse clearly of 'divine' origins as its power was very much not to be underestimated. I lost my footing and was carried along as I held off her lance. She reached such extreme speeds that I couldn't call it anything other than 'God Speed' as she slammed me through several buildings before I threw myself off her charging path and rolled to the side to escape it.
Very quickly, a streak of red lightning slammed into her and she let out a groan as Mordred's blade managed to dig into her armor for a moment before she slid to a stop, forcing Lancelot back.
I pushed the rubble off myself and stood up rather annoyed at what happened.
"To be fair, I intended to let you have the fight." I breathed out.
"Yeah, I appreciate it." She acknowledged. "The bitch tried to do something then?"
"Tried to take a shot at you with magic from the sidelines." I flipped my hand in annoyance.
"….did ya throw her at a building?'
"I did."
"Nice"
I flexed my hand as it was feeling numb after that. Hell, the skin on my palm was charred and raw to the point where it was bleeding even as my Aura was working to protect it and heal it at this point.
Gods were Gods.
"You know, Artoria does like it when we get along." I shot her a small smile.
Slowly a similar grin grew on her face. "Aight I guess I don't mind sharing with you."
To be honest, Lancelot was a God and Mordred well…she was strong, but she was no God.
Guinevere stumbled out of the half-collapsed shop looking a bit haggard as her clothing was torn in some places and she had dirt and grime covering her face.
Lancelot's steed stepped onto the air and hovered near her protectively as she wobbled out.
She looked rather pissed as Mordred and myself walked closer.
"Her Lance is a Divine Weapon." I warned.
"Yeah, figured that shit out myself." Mordred snorted. "Can keep up with my blade, it can't be normal."
Right, I didn't need to warn her about every detail. Mordred actually had more fighting experience than I did, she marched off to several wars before she went to the throne, she did also mortally wound Artoria.
"Mine Knight, we cannot drag this fight on, show those brutes your power! I give you permission to unseal our liege's sacred sword!" Guinevere held her hands open and a very particular chalice appeared between them.
Was….that the Holy Grail?
"If it is your command, I shall follow." Lancelot declared, holding her free hand open. "I pay homage to the End. Let he who heralds the coming of the era's finale allow me to fulfill my oaths. With mine heart of steel, I ask for Salvation." She chanted the activation of an Authority.
A platinum light burst out, covering the surroundings. It was enough that I nearly had to cover my eyes.
A sword lightly hovered and moved to her hand.
"Excalibur, let us defeat our enemies together!" She grabbed hold of it, pointing it our way.
It was…a beautiful word, I could feel how powerful it was from this distance. Kronos's scythe, Odin's spear, My own Authority, I think it was stronger than all of them.
However, compared to Artoria's sword, well…
"You call that pathetic piece of crap Excalibur!?" Mordred growled.
Lancelot didn't answer, merely raising her sword up and a massive amount of Lightning Bolts swirled around it.
As someone with a Lightning God's Authority, I could feel the danger it presented.
"Thou dares to besmirch our Liege's Sacred blade! Mine Knight, remove this brute!" Guinevere shouted, pointing at Mordred.
Mordred was expressionless as she stared, she merely held out her other hand, and another familiar blade entered it.
Guinevere's head snapped to Lancelot as Lancelot's accumulated lightning discharged into the sky and the clashing of steel resonated out as the Witch Queen was somewhat pushed away at the force of the blow.
Lancelot's horse let out a groan as the 'Excalibur' of hers was forced to defend.
"How do you possess that sword…?" Lancelot whispered.
'Whosoever pulleth this sword from this stone is rightwise King of all England.'
It was engraved on the hilt, the beautifully ornate sword that returned to the shape that Artoria recalled from her memories, even if it was the version from my birth world.
Caliburn, the sword in the stone.
The one from my birth world was lesser in some aspects, but in others, it surpassed the one both Mordred and Artoria were familiar with.
In this circumstance, it seems Mordred was able to use it to teleport as the blade itself seemed to be able to overcome space.
Lancelot wasn't dazed for long as she used her Lance to thrust at Mordred while she held her off.
I withdrew my own Spear from my ring as the True Longinus extended across the distance, colliding with Lancelot's own Divine Lance. The collision of the two Divine Weapons forced Lancelot to retreat as Mordred's own sword tried to slash at her.
Lancelot jumped off her horse, landing on the ground as the Divine Steed turned into lightning and swept up Guinevere onto its back and carried her back behind her.
Did she think we would target the Witch?
Well, I can't fault her for thinking that.
Lancelot looked at us wearily.
"What Authority is this..?" She spoke looking at my spear.
"Authority? I haven't used my Authority yet." I politely informed her. "But you should probably pay attention to yourself." I held up a finger, pointing behind her as Mordred teleported and swung Clarent at her neck.
The Goddess moved Excalibur to deflect it but I shot forward with a burst of Shunpo and thrust the Longinus at her, forcing her onto the defensive completely as her lance was used akin to a shield.
"You adulterous bastard, I'm gonna shove my sword right up your ass!" Mordred roared, swinging her swords at her with an intense fury.
Lancelot seemed offended by that.
And I think Mordred was treating this very personally.
Lancelot slammed Excalibur into the ground and Lightning erupted around her, forcing both of us back.
She held her Lance up to the sky. "I command you, essence of the Sky, heed my summons." Thunder clouds pulled in up above as she seemingly began to gather Lightning.
"Lok Vah Koor." I shouted, dispersing them completely.
"What!?" The Goddess's eyes widened.
My Spear shot out and she twisted her body to dodge, only for Mordred to shoot out and swing Clarent down on her.
The Goddess pulled Excalibur from the ground, deflecting the blow and Mordred teleported to the opposite side, covering her vision of me.
My Spear retracted and extended again, narrowly missing Mordred's own neck by the smallest of margins and Lancelot used her lance to deflect it, barely missing herself and Mordred took that opportunity to swing.
Lancelot had no choice but to use her own arm to block the blow. Impressively enough, Caliburn broke her flesh, but it couldn't get past her bones. The Divine blood flowed down the blade, but it wouldn't budge past.
The Goddess's eyes glowed brightly with Divine Power and she held up Excalibur despite Caliburn buried in her arm and swung it downward.
Everything was filled with Lightning.
I was a bit quicker than Mordred with my Shunpo and I grabbed her and moved out of the way as I don't think she had too much practice being able to teleport with Caliburn.
But behind us, and thankfully not in the line of the others, a significant chunk of the city was eviscerated completely as arcs of lightning jumped across the now barren landscape with but debris and only the smallest bits of foundations showing that buildings dozens of stories tall used to exist there.
Lancelot wasn't finished, she held the sword up aloft in the sky crackled with a platinum light as lightning bolts, like meteors, fell from the cloudless sky.
Mordred and myself both moved quickly, avoiding them as best we could.
Each one that hit the ground erupted in a cataclysmic impact that created a gorge with a burst of lightning that emanated outwards for dozens of feet, searing away anything it touched.
"It's still a cheap knockoff!" Mordred shouted, teleporting out of the way of one bolt that turned a skyscraper into dust.
The speed at which they came down was getting faster and they were getting stronger. This wasn't her 'authority' it was clear she had borrowed it, so it stood to reason that she couldn't control it completely. Thus, it took her time to properly utilize this aspect?
Regardless, it was dangerous.
I put the True Longinus away.
"It was here, at this place, that Susanoo led a thousand unruly deities in rebellion! A thousand swords standing upon the earth, used as city walls to defend against the enemies. Here! Namely, the Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi! The Steel that breaks a thousand blades!" I summoned my own Authority and pointed it up to the sky.
Unlike my fight against the Gods back home, I felt things click.
"Seal!" I declared and the lightning in the sky ceased.
Like an invisible binding around the Sword she held, it shuddered and the lightning it called upon immediately dried up. I was tempted to take hold of it and fling all that power back at her, but with everyone so close around me, it would have been a more omnidirectional attack. Well, it's not like I didn't have the option for a powerful burst from a sword.
"Mordred!" I called upon Dawnbreaker and held it in my hand.
Mordred look, and it only took her a second to realize what I had in might, with a maniacal laugh, she teleported to the opposite side of Lancelot and let Caliburn sink into the ground as she grabbed Clarent with both hands, raising it up.
Bloodlust and Magical power wrapped around it as a pillar of energy ascended to the sky, all contained around the weapon itself.
I held Dawnbreaker up on the opposite side as Lancelot stood between us.
"Clarent Blood Arthur!"
"Dawnbreaker!"
We both swung down our swords and the two powers were released, a blinding wave of light, and the culmination of Mordred's hate and Magical Energy turned into Red Lightning and sublimed into a Noble Phantasm.
Lancelot was at the epicenter of the two powers colliding.
The world was separated into red and gold as a massive discharge enveloped the city and upwards to the sky as well. The phenomenon, while not dangerous at the edges, was visible to anyone left remaining within the city.
The stray energies began to dissipate and the dust itself settled as Lancelot's figure came into view. Rather, she was….murky, her body like a mirage…mist. She 'reformed' at the center, while clearly not wholly unscathed, she was mostly fine.
Was it annoying? Yes. Was it unexpected? No.
Gods had plenty of strange Authorities, I wasn't odd that they would have lifesaving ones. But they usually had some sort of limitation, I would be surprised if she could use it multiple times in such a short time.
"Mine knight!" Guinevere's voice sounded panicked and scared. "I will support you!" The Grail in her hands produced a ridiculous amount of Magical Power and it seemed to be given to Lancelot.
"My Lady, any more than this and I will descend completely." Lancelot pushed up onto her feet, sword in one hand, lance in the other.
"Getting real tired of her shit." Mordred grumbled and she enveloped herself in her Red Lightning and charged.
I followed suit, using Shunpo to appear at Lancelot's side.
Both Mordred and I swung our weapons at her simultaneously. Lancelot was able to block both of them with the mostly minimal effort required as her eyes darted left and right.
I swung low, Mordred swung high, and Lancelot danced between the razor sharp edges of our weapons.
It became fairly obvious that she was predicting our movements ahead of time and her sudden 'buff' was letting her keep up.
Mordred swung Clarent upwards, sending arcs of red lightning at Lancelot and I pointed my finger at her, matching her lightning with my own but the Goddess was still able to disperse both with barely moving a step or two.
Mordred slid to the side with a low growl. "Alright, I think I got it figured out."
"You too?" I cracked my neck. "Together then?"
Lancelot silently raised up both weapons, one pointed at each of her on either side of her.
Honestly, it reminded me of the time against Indra with Susanoo. It was a weirdly similar situation in some regards.
Mordred didn't speak, and without warning, she threw Clarent at Lancelot.
The Goddess merely stepped to the side, it harmlessly passed her as Mordred charged with Caliburn, clashing with Lancelot's Excalibur.
I opened a portal, letting it catch Clarent and deposit it right back to Mordred. She kicked it, redirecting its edge at Lancelot. At the same time, I threw Dawnbreaker forward like she had earlier.
Lancelot's lance crackled with lighting as she used it to push Mordred away and her feet then left the ground as she arched her back and both weapons flew above and below her without touching her.
Mordred Teleported back above Lancelot, Caliburn thrusting down. I opened two portals, each of them catching the discarded swords and redirecting them back at Lancelot and I followed up with a burst of Shunpo, my own sword aiming at Lancelot's side.
She let go of her Lance and summoned a shield.
Caliburn collided with the shield, slamming Lancelot to the ground. She jerked her head to the side as Dawnbreaker stabbed right down. She pushed Caliburn away, and rolled to the side as Claren narrowly missed her. And she quickly shot to her feet and swept her sword to block my own Divine sword.
I jerked my finger, and Dawnbreaker was pulled out of the ground and aimed at her back.
Lancelot spun her body to the side to avoid it without even looking and I grabbed it from the air and swiped at her, it barely nicked her arm, drawing a small bit of blood.
The Goddess was forced to swing her shield covered arm outwards as it collided with a large 'clang' against Mordred's Caliburn. And the most surprising thing, Mordred let go of Caliburn, something she hadn't done since bringing it out.
The full weight of Lancelot's shield was keeping Caliburn at bay, and Mordred's counter weight disappearing caused the Goddess to stumbly slightly.
Mordred reached for Clarent that was within range, and pulled it free from the ground, ducking down and swinging upwards through her guard.
I pushed Lancelot's blade down and held my hand up, pointing at her head as a Spell Circle formed. Behind her, Dawnbreaker flew at her, its edge threatening to pierce her from behind.
Battle cognition was always an annoying thing to deal with, the most simplistic method was to prevent any means of escape and cage your opponent in.
At this moment, Lancelot had no avenue to 'retreat' or 'dodge' without suffering a loss.
She twisted her body in the most optimal way, but even so, Mordred's lightning crackled around her sword and she let out a roar, pumping a significant amount of Magical Energy into her swing and the arm of the Goddess holding the shield went sailing through the air.
"My knight!" Guinevere screamed in panic.
Lancelot retreated dozens of feet back, blood seeping from her dismembered arm. "I cannot fight them unless I descend fully my Liege." She spoke.
"Let us retreat, my knight." The Witch took a deep breath.
"You think I'm gonna let ya?" Mordred scoffed. She was breathing a little heavy, but she wasn't in too bad a shape. Some scrapes or small cuts along her armor and a little bit of blood at the corner of her mouth, but she was fine.
Guinevere held out her hands and the Grail vibrated in place. "I need you, my comrade, for the sake of our liege's return!"
The Grail shined brightly and like before, the sheer amount of Magical Energy it released was palpable.
The void cracked, and a new figure slammed into the ground.
This wasn't Odin who was playing a trick to keep his rationale. This wasn't Athena who was so weakened that she barely posed a threat. Nor was this Lancelot that was holding herself back because she didn't want to fully descend into the status as a Heretic God.
Covered in bandages with a strange pointed mask and pieces of armor on its body.
A Heretic God descended and with him, a hurricane quickly encompassed the country.
[***]
A/N
First part of Kunou's Hogwarts adventure is up.
If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone
I also have a boosty if you can't use the above under the same name.
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