Campione! Vol 12 Epilogue

Epilogue G.o.dou was aware this was occurring within a dream. After spending a lively Christmas Eve with his friends, he was supposed to be sleeping soundly on his bed. But instead, Kusanagi G.o.dou's consciousness was currently wandering on a wide plain who knows where. Looking up at the sky, he saw a waxing crescent moon. Other than that, this was a desolate land without anything of note. Neither creatures nor buildings were present. If anything, the scene amounted to a sea of tall silver gra.s.s growing haphazardly where one could vaguely sense a mysterious atmosphere of incoming autumn. G.o.dou's attention was drawn to the sounds of a stringed instrument reverberating across the desolate plain. The tone color did not resemble that of the j.a.panese zither known as the kin. Undoubtedly, this wondrous melody was filled with exotic foreign flavor. Regardless where the tune was first composed, it must have originated somewhere far to the west of j.a.pan. Otherwise aimless in the dream, G.o.dou could not help but begin to wander across the wilderness in search of the musical performer. Less than half a month had pa.s.sed since he last listened to Luo Cuilian's yueqin performance in a corner of Mount Lu. Perhaps because of that, G.o.dou was certain that the person playing the melody was definitely not his sworn elder sister. Perhaps the performer was someone whose heart was burdened with inextinguishable sadness and regret? Such an image surfaced from a corner of his mind. The delicate and persisting tune was infused with emotional pulsation, thereby causing G.o.dou to feel uncharacteristically sentimental. At this time, a voice reciting a poem could be heard extremely close by. In yonder days, there was an evil dragon in the sea. The king immediately drew his bow and shot an arrow, wounding the dragon right in the chest — The instant this voice entered his ears, G.o.dou could not help but tremble. The feeling was as though he was hearing a song in praise of an enemy for whom he was destined for an inevitable encounter. A song that filled him with a sense of hostile, oppositional and compet.i.tive spirit. In any case, G.o.dou quickened his pace and approached the owner of the voice. Pushing the tall silver gra.s.s apart, G.o.dou was finally able to see the singer playing the instrument. "It's you!" G.o.dou was struck with surprise, for the person on the opposite end of his sights was someone he had seen before. Sitting upright and dignified amidst the vast wilderness of the plain, gently caressing a trapezoid zither on her lap was a princess dressed in a magnificent Juunihitoe kimono with long, gorgeous, flaxen-colored hair and eyes as clear as crystal gla.s.s. The Princess of Gla.s.s whom G.o.dou had encountered multiple times in the Netherworld. Noticing G.o.dou's arrival, the princess stopped plucking the instrument in her hand and a faint smile appeared on the corner of her lips. "I have been waiting for quite some time, Rakshasa Monarch. As for the impertinent act of appearing in Your Highness' dream without prior consent, I do humbly beg forgiveness." "That's completely not an issue. But why are you in my dream!?" Faced with G.o.dou's confusion, the Princess of Gla.s.s gradually brightened her smile. "In actual fact, I received a request from your adoptive mother, the G.o.ddess who urged me to deliver this message to you no matter what and bestowed upon me in the Netherworld the technique of dream encounters." "Adoptive mother — in that case, it must be Pandora?" The one who proudly declared herself his adoptive mother with excessive frivolity. As might be expected within a dream, G.o.dou swiftly recalled memories from the Netherworld. The Princess of Gla.s.s politely confirmed G.o.dou's question with an answer of "Indeed." "Come to think of it, I cannot see her easily unless I use that [Ram] something or other. But anyway, why did she ask you to deliver her message? Are you very close with Pandora or is there some other reason?" "My former self and that G.o.ddess' ancestor... If you trace back to their very roots, one could consider them as sharing the same homeland. That is the nature of our relationship." The princess brushed the issue aside with a vague answer. G.o.dou did not pursue the matter any further. After all, it was probably a long story. Instead, G.o.dou chose to cut straight to the chase. "So, what is the message?" "Yes, King Perseus, whom you recall, was recently slain in preparation for when the 'King's Arrowhead' shall enter the battlefield. Please be extra careful." "Perseus slain!?" "Indeed. The 'Arrowhead' is the divine child's blade which stands equal to the Divine Sword of Salvation. A blade that shall one day tear you apart and bring forth destruction to the land. For the sake of the soon impending day of battle, please bear this firmly in mind." The princess bowed her head deeply. G.o.dou expressed understanding. Indeed, this should be a warning of the "King of the End," the strongest [Steel]. "Very well, I will try my best to remember this, to suddenly beware of a guy whom I've never even seen before. But then again, won't I forget everything in the end once I wake from the dream, just as always?" G.o.dou's question for confirmation caused the princess to suddenly smile and answer cheerfully. "Please rest a.s.sured. Even if you were to forget the words, your ferocious soul shall never forget any precautions related to battle — Moreover, this applies even more to Kusanagi-sama's words compared to mine." "So this is really a warning?" "No, you are simply being informed of a premonition. However, perhaps something unexpected may happen?" At some point in time, the Princess of Gla.s.s had started gazing gently at G.o.dou. Her word choice also shifted subtly, showing slightly more affection. "The inevitable encounter with the arriving 'Arrowhead' will undoubtedly prove to be a threat. However, ill fate is not everything it entails. Although it is not a certain G.o.ddess' box, when all disasters are over, hope will surely appear." "Hope huh." Watching G.o.dou's face as he muttered to himself, the princess nodded. "Fufu, among all G.o.d-slayers in history, your att.i.tude towards power is especially free and unfettered. Perhaps because of that, you might obtain power instead. I — once known in the past as... The G.o.ddess' Daughter, pray for your victorious fortune in battle, Kusanagi-sama!" The Princess of Gla.s.s smiled as she spoke these words. Unfortunately, G.o.dou did not catch her words clearly because his consciousness was rapidly getting hazy. As he gradually woke up from the dream, surely early Christmas morning was arriving. After waking up, memories of this unexpected gift would surely vanish. Be that as it may, G.o.dou thanked from the bottom of his heart this modest gift delivered by these female acquaintances. Afterword This series has finally reached the publication of its twelfth volume. The story that began in spring has finally reached winter, while the interpersonal relations between characters are approaching completion. Furthermore, in accordance to the current volume's theme of the "winter festival," it would be great if everyone could enjoy the story... And ignore the fact that the actual season differs rather substantially from the publishing date (wry laugh). Also, that particular exalted person makes a long-awaited reappearance. Within the story, she mentioned she had defeated a certain G.o.d in the past. At the time, she acquired an authority conferring strategic and Feng Shui properties, thereby "ma.s.sively raising the agricultural productivity and economic power of the town where she resides." So long as she remains present at a location, the shocking truth is that the city will develop without hindrance! Were she a feudal lord or general in an SLG simulation game, this would definitely be considered cheating. "Possessing greatness beyond all emperors" is something only a person like her could boast. Oh, by the way, this ability does not activate without a minimum threshold population. Hence, it is completely useless at her current residence (deep in an uninhabited mountain)... Well then, the TV anime gradually approaches with the pa.s.sage of time. Production is going smoothly! ...I am praying for the best while I work on promotional activities (laughs). Broadcasting is set to begin July on various channels including Tokyo MX, Sun TV, TV Aichi, BS1 1 and AT-X. The PV has already been released to the public at the promotional event as well as the anime website. Whether or not it is due to author bias, I think that everyone will definitely look forward to the anime once you watch the PV, so please show your support and check it out everyone. The next volume is scheduled for release during the summer. However, the storyline is still set in midwinter. That said, since it is the summer season after all, missing out on oceans, swimming pools and similar settings and the various naturally accompanying outfits would be too much of a shame. Hence, I've come up with a story idea that allows summer and winter fun to be enjoyed simultaneously. If possible, please look forward to the arrival of the vacation story in the next volume.