Disclaimer: I do not own the Campione! series, or the High School DxD series. They belong to Taketsuki Jou and Ichiei Ishibumi respectively.
Original idea from Shiranui Amaterasu
Prologue
The landscape had turned into a battlefield worthy of hell.
Craters littered the ground and deep trenches stretched over dozens of meters across the terrain. White flames spread rapidly and consumed what little vegetation remained while covering the area in dense, acrid smoke.
No signs of life remained inside this wasteland besides two youths.
The first, a Japanese boy looking no older than sixteen, wore the remains of a white, short sleeved t-shirt and black slacks. Though barely recognizable, the blood soaked and dirt encrusted apparel was the standard student uniform of the former Jounan Academy.
The raven haired boy barely managed to remain standing; one arm pressed tightly against his ribs, while the other hung limply at his side. From the painful expression he wore, it appeared that even the simple act of breathing was causing him terrible pain.
Authorities sealed, and mortally wounded, Godou Kusanagi, the Campione of Japan, was dying.
Across from him was another boy, appearing to be fifteen years old. Wearing an old and tattered brown cloak, the androgynous youth was in a similar condition to his Japanese counterpart. Black singe marks covered a large part of his cloak and blood ran freely from his mouth. Worst of all, a large gaping hole covered his chest, right where his heart should be.
Even with these grave wounds, the handsome boy continued to smile at his opponent.
"It appeareth that I have once more been vanquished by thee."
"Kuah… You're one to talk… I'm the one… huah… who can barely… breathe…"
"Kufufu! Thou art correct… Mutual victory perchance…? I must admit thou hast mastered mine authorities well!"
A bright aura emits from the handsome youth's body and his form begins to deteriorate into golden particles.
"You… Do you know how troublesome… they can be…? Look at me… 326 years have passed… and I still look sixteen… And don't get me started... cough… on all the fights I was caught up in…"
The devil king's strength finally gave out, and Godou collapsed onto the ground. Still, the god slayer used what little remaining stamina he possessed to watch his adversary's slowly disappearing form.
"Tell me Verethragna… that day, more than three centuries ago… Did you purposely lose to me…? Was it all part of your plan… to fight against the strongest…? To fight against yourself?"
The heretical god's smile only grew larger. "I am the god of victory, and victory cometh in many forms."
With those final parting words, the war god Verethragna left the mortal realm once again.
Left alone on the battlefield, Godou could only laugh in pain.
Over his millennia of life in the mortal realm, Verethragna had fought a countless number of opponents, and true to his title, remained ever victorious. But as time passed and his triumphs grew, a thought began to form in his mind.
What would it feel like to face defeat?
With renewed vigour, the war god had sought out stronger and stronger opponents, hoping to find one able to match his might. Humans, divine beasts, heretical gods, even Campiones, answered his challenge.
But none succeeded.
Humans were ripped apart and broken by his mighty strength. Divine beasts were pitted against his own and crushed. Gods and Campiones were stripped of their power by his [Golden Swords] before meeting their end in blinding white flames. And even if Verethragna was slain, his abilities returned him to life within hours. His authorities were just too numerous and too powerful.
It was a meeting with a teenage boy that gave him the solution.
If no other was able to match his prowess, what about himself? What would happen if a god of victory fought against another god of victory?
And so he orchestrated his own demise, bequeathing his title to the boy who had challenged him.
Three centuries ago, Kusangai Godou thought he had defeated the war god Verethragna. But all he did was further the god's plans.
And today, Verethragna had achieved his goal. Though he was slain, the war god remained victorious.
And so, Godou laughed.
He laughed even as his body grew colder. He laughed even as his vision dimmed. He laughed even though his breathing became shallow.
He laughed because he was finally joining his loved ones.
But fate had different plans for him.
Moments before his death, a magic circle appeared and enveloped his body in light.
The remains of the former seventh Campione, the hero of the orient, the Japanese god slayer Godou Kusanagi, were never found.
Author notes:
Well, this is the first fic I've ever write. Please review it. Shiranui has allowed me to rewrite this fic. You guys can expect a much,much stronger Godou, at least on the level of leaders of factions. This will probably follow canon but maybe at some point the plot may changes so that there will be at least some challenges for Godou. May be a really powerful Vali or a duel with Thor… hehe.