Chapter 63: Black Dragon of the Underworld, The Eight Great Holy Swords!
The various anomalies that had occurred since the start of the battle had naturally been noticed by the residents of the city. After all, even if the internet connection in the area had been severed, the people were not fools; they were neither blind nor deaf. How could they possibly fail to notice?
Onlookers who felt they had touched upon the truth of the world began to spread information—whether through photos, videos, or text—across the web after seeing flaming giants blotting out the sun and werewolves of equal size appearing in the city to engage in a battle akin to a clash of gods.
Major media outlets, catching the scent of a viral story, scrambled to report on it. However, within a matter of minutes, all related discussions, images, and videos uploaded to the internet were deleted. Even the buzzing threads on forums vanished without a trace. Media outlets attempting to report the story received "silver bracelet" warnings, falling silent instantly as all related news ceased to flow.
Without a doubt, the [History Compilation Committee] had taken action.
Battles between Campiones, or the manifestation of a "Heretic God," are forcibly suppressed by those above unless the crisis reaches a truly catastrophic scale. After all, such supernatural events would inevitably cause mass panic if made public, which would be enough to throw society into chaos. The duty of the [History Compilation Committee] was to curb such trends.
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On the tenth floor of an office building, Princess Alice, Sayanomiya Sayaka, and their party watched the center of the battlefield. Having witnessed the gruesome sight of Marquis Voban's ultimate demise, they all gasped in shock.
"Is he dead...?" Mariya Yuri murmured, staring blankly at the flaming incarnation that looked like a deity.
"It seems it is finally over..." A look of joy spread across Sayanomiya Sayaka's face.
The tyrannical Marquis Voban had actually been killed by this new "King." This meant that the [History Compilation Committee] no longer had to worry about offending another "King" by refusing to hand over the "Hime-巫女" (Shrine Maiden) Mariya Yuri.
Just as Sayanomiya Sayaka was rejoicing, Princess Alice suddenly spoke up.
"No, it's not over yet!"
Hearing this, Sayanomiya Sayaka and Mariya Yuri snapped out of their thoughts and quickly looked up. Their pupils dilated as they stared at the sky in utter disbelief.
Marquis Voban, whose body had just been liquefied, was no longer in a human form. Instead, he had transformed into a massive black dragon, thirty meters long. Now in the form of a black dragon, Voban's massive head held flames that looked ready to erupt at any second. His voice came through in a different form.
"To think you could force me to use my full strength... it seems I underestimated you after all..."
Looking at Marquis Voban in his black dragon state, Shirou raised an eyebrow.
"The Black Dragon of the Underworld..."
This was undoubtedly one of the Marquis's Authorities—the power that allowed him to be reborn as a soul even if his physical body was destroyed: [Black Dragon of the Underworld]!
This was an Authority usurped from the ancient Mesopotamian "Earth Mother Goddess," Inanna. It allows the soul to separate from the flesh and transform into a physical black dragon thirty meters long. This draconic spirit form possesses the strength to suppress a "Boar" with a single hand, and the dragon's maw can breathe powerful flames.
By performing a "ritual reminiscent of death"—gouging out one's own heart—one can move from the earth through the Underworld to the boundary of life and death. By increasing magic energy, one can even move freely within Aisha's "Corridor," which normally functions as a forced destination.
The immortality of the Dragon-Snake keeps the soul eternal; even if the dragon's body is destroyed, it can regenerate from the soul state. If the human body is killed, even if it is reduced entirely to ash, it can be resurrected intact by consuming a massive amount of magic energy. However, the consumed magic energy will not recover for one to two months. In his state of suspended animation, his physical body is defenseless, so this Authority is primarily used to protect the body.
Furthermore, unlike the demon wolf state, he loses his resistance to the sun, and the "Steel" Authorities meant for slaying dragons and snakes become a weakness.
"I was waiting for this move!"
The golden wheel appeared behind Shirou once more, spinning rapidly until it stopped at—[The Warrior]!
"I recognize you! You are Inanna! The goddess of nature, fertility, love, procreation, and war in Babylonian and Mesopotamian mythology!" Shirou proclaimed loudly.
"I am the strongest, and the one who holds all victory. I crush the wicked and the demonic, and I crush all enemies and hostility. Every enemy that stands before me shall ultimately be
broken. With the protection of Mithra and the skill of Kotodama, I manifest justice in this world. Words are power; Kotodama is brilliance. Brilliance, Kotodama, become my sword...!"
Accompanying the incantation, tens of thousands of longswords of light manifested and then merged, transforming into eight golden swords over a hundred meters long. These were the [Eight Great Holy Swords], condensed from tens of thousands of Kotodama sword-spells!
"I am the strongest who breaks all obstacles. O golden blades, O afterglow shining with the brilliance of the sun, come immediately to serve the incarnation of the Victor!"
With the final words, the eight golden swords condensed from tens of thousands of spells shot toward the black dragon form of Marquis Voban!
Struck by these golden swords, Marquis Voban did not bleed. Instead, the moment his massive frame was pierced, black mist began to uncontrollably seep from his body. This was the manifestation of his Authority's power leaking away.
"How can this be..."
Marquis Voban's black dragon body was vanishing at an incredible speed. In an instant, only half of his body remained, a tragic sight to behold.
"You sealed my Authorities...? I didn't expect you to have this trick as well. This battle is my, Voban's, loss."
The massive draconic body dissipated, leaving only Marquis Voban's soul floating in the air.
"I originally thought I could restrict you by using multiple Authorities right from the start, but you are far stronger than I imagined... I can feel it; your power is even greater than the 'Heretic Gods' I have encountered in the past."
Logically, aside from the initial transformation ritual, no matter how many "Heretic Gods" a Campione slays, they only gain more divine Authorities as combat tools; their innate power does not increase. However, relying on these Authorities alone can allow one to surpass their original limits—his [Greedy Group of Wolves] and [Black Dragon of the Underworld] were proof of that.
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