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Campione's are beings who do not follow the logic of man.

Perhaps its due to the fact that half of their body is provided by Gaia, or perhaps this is just simple mystery in action. In the end it doesn't matter, what does matter is the result.

And the result is that killing a Campione isn't as easy as stabbing them in a few organs and letting them die.

Killing them required a mystery that could match them... unless they were weakened of course. That is to say, much like any important agent of Gaia, they were resistant to death itself.

So even though Yato Shibata had just been pierced in several spots, including his heart, his shoulder, his leg, one of his kidneys, and even his spine, he still felt good enough to move.

Even if that movement was just awkwardly shrugging off all the things attacking him, and heading back inside.

Nonetheless, being resistant of death was one thing, being resistant of wounds was another. The Campione essentially fell on the spot...

Or he would have had done, had Cleopatra not caught him and fully pulled him inside. "W-what happened!? Some sort of projectile!?"

She could not see the myriad of finely dressed assassins that littered the streets, neither could she see their blades that had pierced the Campione. So for her, it was natural to assume he had been hit by some type of sniper using the night as a way to hide.

Yato grimaced. "You can't see them...?" He hadn't been able to see them until he was touched by sunlight either.

And the more he thought about it, Cleopatra had also mentioned how he was getting angry at the moon. Clearly their perceptions of things were different right now, most likely because of that god.

Cleopatra quickly understood what he was trying to get at. "There are invisible enemies around us? That's annoying..." She squinted her eyes. "I can't see any changes in the air."

He waved her off. "I'm not exactly sure they're real to be honest." Apparently the Sun wasn't. Either that or the Moon, but Yato was aware that currently he was the one most affected here.

He then noticed something strange as they retreated back in the house. "They all disappeared..." As soon as sunlight could not touch him, all those annoying enemies were gone.

Cleopatra clicked her tongue. "Or we just can't see them right now." Yato hadn't thought of that...

He hoped that was the case however. Fighting a normally invisible enemy sounded much easier than fighting an enemy that would respawn everytime he went outside. Though then again, there were so many outside that they might as well be endless.

They reminded Yato of zombies. Too slow and dumb to really be a problem unless they appeared right in front of him. Furthermore, even if they could wound him, they were weak, already Yato could feel his body piecing itself back together.

The Campione took a deep breath. "Again, they could be illusions." Illusions that only affected him, perhaps because we was clearly the person most affected by the current "heatstroke".

Cleopatra eyes roam over my body. "Those wounds don't look like illusions... Though I suppose illusions that can wound the body aren't impossible."

One would need a illusion to trick the world itself, or in this case the body. In the past, when she had been the Queen of Egypt, many assassins had tried such tactics against her. Though they obviously couldn't target a god, they were just normal mages.

A sigh escaped Yato's mouth. "Well, illusions or not they're annoying, and they also definitely show up due to sunlight. Your decision to close everything in the house was the right one."

Yato was dumb, but even he could see how this technique... this authority worked. A god made some kind of fake sun, and it slowly broke people. Once a person was broken enough, they would either die naturally or wander outside and get killed.

Cleopatra puts a hand on her chin. "Still, there shouldn't be any sunlight right now, it is night after all. Now I'm left to wonder whether I'm the one under the illusion, or you."

She was mostly sure it was him however. Most likely there was a certain threshold a person crossed once they were affected by this authority for long enough. And after it, it would always be day for that person.

Yato gritted his teeth. "Does it really matter? In the end even the Moon reflects sunlight anyways."

He was getting tired of wasting time analyzing the enemy's strategy, he wanted to go out and fight already...! Specially since his parents could possibly be in danger.

Cleopatra meanwhile, was still stuck on whether these enemies could be summoned at any time, or just summon when that threshold was crossed. She doubted Yato would care about any of this however.

A weak smile appeared on her face. "It does matter for gods. Remember that when it comes to them, rarely does science matter. A vampire is stronger under the Moon, and yet weaker under the Sun. Mystery is fantastical... and stupid."

Yato nodded. "Got it. So does these soldiers change anything? To be honest I just want to rush out there and get my parents to safety already." And also ask for their help.

The newly born Campione was a simple man, and much like a child, he believed in his parents judgement above all else. So while he wanted to move there to save them, to a certain extent he wanted to be saved by them.

It was foolish, to think two "normal" people could bring more insight on a enemy than Cleopatra of all people, but Yato was a foolish man. So he considering getting to his parents as a win condition.

Cleopatra shakes her head. "They don't. However, the fact you're seeing the Sun even during night probably means our plan of winning through attrition is gone to the wind."

Because for all she knew Yato could cross over more tresholds, deadly ones. And there was also the fact that Yato was clearly not coming back from the threshold which he had crossed, considering Avalon had made him more or less healthy and he was still under that illusion.

Yato didn't get why the plan had gone to the trash, but he didn't care. "Well, I was never a fan of winning like that either. Still, I think keeping everyone inside is a good idea." It made them easier to protect.

It almost made Yato think of his harem as a burden, something making him achieve a win even more difficult. He quickly discarded that idea though, seeing as he would probably be dead already should he not have so many connections.

He gained his strength through his bonds! He was the Campione of getting ass!

So the fact that he thought of his harem as a burden for even a second was shameful. And it also made him even more pissed off at this dumbass god.

Cleopatra's face twisted in discomfort, it was clear she was about to say something he wouldn't like. "Yato... we can't keep everyone in the dark forever. It's just not gonna work."

They weren't exactly in the dark of course, but they didn't even know Yato was out of his room. What if someone got worried and went outside for some reason? That could mean death at this point.

The Campione considered it for a few moments.

He didn't want people to worry, he wanted them to keep living good lived without too much stress. Yato considered his responsibility to provide them such a life even.

A concubine has duties, but so does the concubine... holder? He couldn't really think of a name for what he was to them.

What mattered weren't names however, it was the fact that at this point he had no choice, but to admit that he had failed them. And being in denial of that would only make this a even bigger failure.

With much pain in his heart, Yato relented. "Yeah, you're right. Please explain everything to them... but don't let them do anything stupid either." Like trying to fight the god by his side.

Though Yato couldn't talk like they were stupid, when he was clearly the worst.

He would need to get punished by them after this was all over. Probably by some sex related activity.

I take a deep breath. "I'm gonna go now though. I shouldn't take too long to get back." He wasn't afraid of this ability.

Tricky it may be, but he could already feel that his insides had more or less healed. Perhaps this would be severely more difficult without Avalon, but with it he didn't have to fear such minor wounds.

It goes without saying, but if Rin Tohsaka learned he thought a stab to the heart was a minor wound, she would slap him while crying.

Cleopatra's eyes wandered through his body. "If you feel well enough to fight... Maybe I should go with you."

Yato shook his head. "No need, just go tell them." Even if he would sort of appreciate the help. In the end they didn't even know whether she had the capability to touch those soldiers or not.

And besides... "Cleo, don't forget that I once killed a god as a human. This chump ain't nothing compared to me. To be honest I am at an advantage right now."

Yes, even if the god had found several methods of weakening his prey, that prey was still confident in his chances. Yato would not lose, because he could have won this battle as a common human.

Of course, if Cleopatra actually knew how Yato's first battle against a god went, she could have pointed out how he won because the god was feeling honorable during that day, and purposefully held back when it came to physical might.

She didn't however, so she could only put faith in this idiot.

Across her life, she had constantly heard tales about how strong men were equally as dumb. Since the strongest man she had ever known was a genius, she didn't really believe that saying, but knew she desperately hoped it was true.

Yato stepped back outside.

Immediately he was surrounded by assassins, however he was ready this time.

He didn't even bother to block them, instead he just ran through them, sending the possible illusions flying with physical strength alone. As he had previously thought, they were weak, only a threat because they caught him off guard.

That isn't to say he thought of them as no threat however. The fact that they once passed through his instincts was quite a feat, and Yato was sure they would give trouble to normal people... and perhaps even to a mage, considering their huge numbers.

In a way Yato equated them to a Corpse, the first stage of a Dead Apostle. Nothing special, but they could be challenging if their opponent had low stamina.

Thankfully Yato didn't suffer through such problems.

There was one problem however, normal people.

Yato clicked his tongue. "I'll guess I'll try moving through rooftops."

There could be people moving around, and Yato did not wish to reveal the existence of magecraft. Mostly because that would make a lot of people he knew very sad.

Of course, Yato wasn't actually stopping to fight the assassins surrounding him, but just the fact that he was running with speeds far beyond that of any human was problematic in his own way.

Thankfully it was nighttime... apparently. The streets were fairly empty, and nobody was keeping watch over rooftops.

A smile appeared on the Campione's face. "This isn't too bad." He was a swordsman at heart, and a playboy at soul, but he could see a world in which he took free running as a hobby.

Though he imagined jumping from roof to roof wasn't this easy for other people.

"I'm surprised though, is this really all this god has?" Yato wasn't a genius like Cleopatra, he wasn't even of average intellect like most of his classmates.

But he understood that simply creating illusions and weakening someone were not abilities worthy of a god. He was expecting the enemy to send a laserbeam or something!

Well, it didn't matter, he was close to his parents mansion.

He had thought whether he should check them in their workplaces or not, since they could still be there. However, they worked on the other side of Fuyuki, so this would simply be easier.

Yato eventually made his way to his objective, and without much trouble either.

He didn't want to waste time knocking on their door, so he crashed through a window. He felt like he wad a well aimed arrow.

Most importantly, as soon as he entered and moves to the side, away from the sunlight, he felt better in general. Yato wasn't truly conscious of it, but it seemed he had weakened a bit during his little stint outside.

He took sometime to regain his breathing. "This would be way more difficult without Avalon."

Yato felt really lucky. Not only did he just happen to have a goddess skilled enough to craft divine medicine, but he also had one of the most powerful artifacts in the world, and a method to activate it.

Part of a Campione's strength was their luck, Yato understood that, so he didn't feel bad.

To challenge a Campione, was to challenge the protagonist of a story. Fate itself would be working against you before one even made contact with their enemy, misfortune upon misfortune would block your path.

Yato didn't get too much time to contemplate fate being on his side however, nor did he get too much time to catch his breath.

His entrance wasn't exactly subtle, and the Shibata housed was not the type to wait in fear once someone broke into their homes. Mostly because people broke into their homes a lot. Specially during weekends.

A murderous aura reached Yato, looking to the source... he found his mom.

There was nothing special surrounding her, she wasn't exuding magical energy or anything, but one could still tell she was dangerous. "Okay, who had the balls!?"

"I told you that just because we own debts, it doesn't mean we will pay them! Also, you now owe me a window." The truth is that she could easily call her son and ask for money...

That would be embarrassing though, and furthermore, she kinda enjoyed beating people up. So the fact that her husband made debts all over the place made her super happy!

She imagined a normal woman would be mad with the whole debt thing. A normal woman is boring, so she didn't care to put much thought into it.

Yato smiled. "Sorry about the window mom, I promise I'll pay you back." Shouldn't be too tough, he basically had infinite money.

As long as he didn't die. His money also came due to being a god slayer... one could say this was his first test. Yato would make sure he didn't fail.

His mom's eyes widened, as she finally noticed her own son was the intruder.

She gasped. "Yato, did you degrade so much that you forgot what doors are!?" He hoped not.

So far that whole Sun thing hadn't had a big effect on his ability to think rationally. Still, Yato was aware that could theoretically change at any moment. He was already seeing illusions after all.

That said, he was surprised she knew about this at all. "Huh? You know about the Sun god?" Did someone back home contact his parents?

Well, cellphones were an options, and there were probably many ways of doing so magically as well, so maybe Yato shouldn't be surprised. Not even a god could defy the modern age!

Except for the fact that his mother tilted her head, clearly confused. "Sun god...? Is this related to that... Campione phase you're going through?" Yato resisted the urge to deny it being a phase.

Actually he didn't. "It's not a phase, mom." He then shook his head. "Anyways, a Sun god has been trying to kill me with magical sun radiation or something. Since you guys could be targets too, I came here to take y'all to safety."

He was glad, it seems coming to the mansion wasn't a waste of time. Though he had not yet confirmed whether his father was here as well.

His mom was by his side in a second. "A god has been trying to kill you!?" She put her hands on his cheek. "Now that I look at you, you do look a bit pale..." Really?

He was feeling more or less fine at this point. There was a chance he had simply grown accustomed to the effects of the Sun however, so he would not doubt her. There was no way to check whether his combat prowess had fallen or not after all.

She kept analyzing his face. "Your eyes, they also look a bit..." Unfocused? "Too focused. I mean, you almost look like a normal member of society!"

A blush appeared on Yato's face. "What's that supposed to mean!?" Was his mom making jokes at his expense during such a important event!?

Geez, parents are scary...

She pouted. "I don't know what's that supposed to mean either... Any how, let's get your father. We don't want to drag you back."

So his father was here too? The stars were in Yato's favor!

Except for the Sun. Stupid dumbass Sun.



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"Dearie, why are you sweating and looking away?"

His father's reaction to the news of the Sun god had been strange. Strange enough that his mom had picked up on it.

He was even stuttering. "I-It's nothing honey!" A awkward laugh left his mouth. "Are you sure this is a Sun god, Yato? I mean there are plenty of gods out there you know!?" Well, Yato did consider the possibility of him being purely a illusionist god.

But there was no way right? I mean the god was all about Sun powers!

A sigh escaped Yato's mouth. "He is making night into day in my head exclusively, so..." Maybe he was the god of making Yato hate summer, that was always possible.

His father gulped. "G-gotcha... and why is he hunting you down? Any reasons for it?" The man was shaking like a leaf. One would think he was the one being killed by an authority, not his son.

Yato shrugged. "Maybe because I'm a Campione? We are pretty much rival species." He could still remember the overwhelming desire he had to dominate Skadi. Like a cat looking at a rat.

Maybe that feeling went both ways.

"And I also have a goddess girlfriend nowadays. Maybe that made the Sun god mad." Gilgamesh did warn him that something could happen due to his capture of Skadi.

Also, Romeo and Juliet was a thing!

His mother's eye twitched. "A goddess girlfriend...? How old is she?"

Maybe it was this woman's fault that her son was acting so strangely? He hadn't even spaced out yet. She always thought that a responsibly woman could set her son straight, but she didn't think it would happen so soon!

She definitely needed to find out whether this goddess was taking advantage of her poor, little stupid baby.

Ah, spending so much time away from him definitely hurt...! She could only hope all those girls were taking care of him. He was a very impulsive, unwise and stupid boy after all.

It goes without saying, but if Yato's mother learned that he had basically thrown condoms away as a concept, she would have a heart attack.

Yato felt like answering her question would be foolish. "Super young. Not haggish at all." This was not his brain at work, it was his instincs as a Campiond working to preserve his existence.

His father laughed. "Welp, I guess this is all this goddess fault then! Anyways, we will follow you to your mansion, Yato!" Even now he was still shaking.

Yato's mother hit her husband's shoulder. "Okay, fess up. Like right now."

His father could only look down. "Sorry, the attack from this god is all my fault... probably."

He had pissed off many people across his life. From normal human mages, to Dead Apostles. He had made an effort to not make any enemies in the level of divinities however, because he wasn't suicidal, and yet...

Yato's mother crossed her arms. "Dearie, what's that supposed to mean? Are you to blame for the fact that an assassin is targetting my son?"

Yato's father slowly nodded back. "Like I said, p-probaly... A few years ago, I got hired by the Edelfelts to find them some super mystical artefact related to a Japanese deity. They want to cheat on some super magical ritual."

The newly born Campione had a feeling about what his father was talking about. That ritualbwas most likely the Holy Grail War, and Luvia's family wanted to cheat by summoning a god.

"The deal fell through it though... In the end I still invaded a temple and stole some shards of Amaterasu's mirror. It wouldn't surprise me if she found this city because of me, and is now trying to kill the Campione who lives in it."

Yato's mother put a hand to her chin. "Right... so basically it was you being crazy as usual." She couldn't fault her husband. That's why she fell in love with him after all.

"But how would she even track you? It's not like you still have that artifact, right?" The older man looked away. "Dearie..." Perhaps strangling her husband was the correct course of action.

He cleared his throat. "W-well... The Edelfelts didn't really care to keep the shards of the mirror and it looked all shiny and stuff, so..."

"You kept the mirror." He could only weakly nod. "You kept the divine mirror. For years. And you even brought it to our new mansion." Wow, Yato now had to wonder why his mom was radiating murderous aura again.

But there was something more important than that. "Hey dad, can you give me those shards? I have a feeling they could be useful one way or another." The perks of having a super magical goddess concubine.

Skadi would definitely have some way of using that mirror. Now Yato just needed to find her in the first place!



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AN: I tried a new style with this one, just like with It's True Love. It's a test, so if people dislike it I'll go back to the old one.

Comments

Yuval Roth

Tamamo wife coming soon? I kind of wonder if he can become the campione that lays gods instead of killing them.