At this moment, everything within the range of the Western Heaven Palace seemed to have welcomed the apocalypse.
Endless shockwaves transformed into a colossal force capable of prying apart the earth's crust. The ground within a radius of a thousand meters trembled like chaff in a sieve. The once lush and towering cedar trees around the shrine toppled one after another like dominoes, then were swallowed by the upturned soil and rubble.
The seal that had been prepared in advance to isolate the Western Heaven Palace from the Stable Keeper instantly lost its effect under such power.
The drastically altered terrain and violently shaking earth plunged the tourists at Tōshōgū, Futarasan Shrine, and Rinnō-ji into panic.
As a well-known scenic site in Nikkō, Tōshōgū, though not the most prestigious shrine in Japan, still had nearly a hundred people present. Many were foreign tourists. Some were locals, but most were staff members working there.
What unfolded before their eyes painted a scene utterly beyond reality. Had this occurred in ancient times, it would likely have become the origin of another myth or legend. But in modern society, the vast majority would not indulge in unrealistic fantasies about such natural disasters.
So—they chose the most common biological response to catastrophe.
Run! Run now! The faster the better!
In an instant, screams and cries filled the entire Tōshōgū grounds.
People who had just been chatting and enjoying the scenery were suddenly thrust into a brutal race against death.
Some fled at a brisk pace. Some stumbled and rolled as they ran. Some were separated from their companions.
Some were knocked down and trampled over. Some ignored others entirely. Some wept openly.
Some didn't even know whom to call. And some, chasing fame, began live-streaming through their apps.
Howls. Sobs. Laments.
Stunned silence. Confusion. Excitement. Irritability.
Those who lost their composure. Those who panicked. Those who became lost.
It was a scene of utter chaos. Yet most of them could not match the speed at which this catastrophe spread. The sudden massive quake destroyed buildings and load-bearing walls throughout the scenic area. Houses collapsed. Bridges snapped. Sightseeing trams lost power and hung motionless in midair.
The ground split open, revealing dark fissures. At the same time, foundations began to sink. Underground water pipes burst, and roadside utility poles leaned and toppled.
In the blink of an eye, nearly one-third of the several hundred people present vanished in the first wave of disaster.
Though she had not been Japan's Campione for long, as a former Grand Knight of the Copper-Black Cross, she instinctively regarded the people below as her own subjects.
Thus, even though she herself was gravely injured—barely dulling her pain and forcibly stopping the bleeding through the authority of the Camel while simultaneously using the Ram to heal her body—
She still immediately called out.
"Yuri, hurry... inform Sayanomiya Kaoru about the situation here... tell her to contact the Japanese government at once... organize rescue efforts!"
"Yes... but what about your condition?"
"Don't worry. I won't die."
After speaking, Erica turned to the silver-haired fairy beside her.
"Lily, you have flight magic. Please, on the condition that you ensure your own safety, help evacuate the civilians below."
"Understood."
The dignified fairy nodded. Then she traced an arc through the air and flew downward.
"Princess Alice, can you mark the locations of the victims below? It will greatly assist our rescue efforts afterward."
"Indeed. Given the current situation, that is all we can do. It may cause complications later, but for now, we must temporarily set aside the matter of the seal."
Even amid such catastrophe, Princess Alice maintained her elegance.
"Can I see another's woe,
And not be in sorrow too?
Can I see another's grief,
And not seek for kind relief!"
This was a poem of Kotodama.
Platinum light scattered downward, transforming into hundreds of white orbs that flowed toward the ground.
"I have used telepathy to mark the mental signatures of those still alive below."
"My deepest thanks."
As she spoke, Erica turned her gaze toward Hikaru, whose face was filled with fear, and to Candle Nine Yin beside her.
Before she could speak, the young girl Candle Nine Yin saw through her intention and spoke first.
"Lady Satsuki is fine. Additionally, this old one's task is only to protect you. The life and death of ordinary humans below has nothing to do with me."
"A wise person does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. A place that seals a god should never allow ordinary people to approach. For the sake of hollow fame, turning one's burial site into a shrine for sightseeing, and placing a god's seal nearby—only the early dynasties of China would commit such clumsy burial customs."
Though the other Campione's words were equally sharp, this tsundere beauty still utilized the Great Strength Vajra Divine Skill once more, summoning the Mighty Vajra. A bald giant dozens of meters tall manifested, beginning rescue operations based on Princess Alice's earlier markings.
This scene greatly altered everyone's impression of Luo Hao. Not only outsiders—even Lu Yinghua, her disciple, was somewhat stunned.
This tyrant, who had never shown much self-awareness, was actually taking the initiative to save others?
"Ying'er, that look in your eyes is quite disrespectful."
She frowned displeased, calling out her disciple's nickname.
Lu Yinghua felt a chill run through his body. Instinctively, he covered his right fist with his left palm and recited the slogan of the Holy Cult of the Five Mountains.
"The wise and courageous Holy Cult Leader shall endure as long as heaven and earth, eternal and indestructible. Your martial might is boundless, your wisdom and compassion illuminate the world. Disciple Lu Yinghua wishes Master eternal glory."
For Lu Yinghua, this was fortunate. Under normal circumstances, his master might have rewarded him with a beating severe enough to leave him unconscious for three days. But now, Luo Hao merely lectured him verbally.
"Ying'er, flattery on the battlefield is the conduct of treacherous eunuchs. A martial hero who aspires to greatness must not bring shame upon the chivalrous men and women who came before you!"
Hmm...
The damage to male pride inflicted by this sentence rivaled that of her Dragon Roar Tiger Howl Art.
As expected of a senior who had lived for centuries. Even in this aspect, her cultivation had reached perfection.
She showed no mercy even when scolding her own disciple.
No wonder Lu Yinghua, though young and a rare prodigy, had developed a fear of women under the influence of such a beautiful master.
Before long, Yuri received a paper crane response from Sayanomiya Kaoru.
She immediately reported to Erica.
"Kaoru has informed the authorities. Relevant government departments, the Self-Defense Forces, and the police are organizing rescue plans and emergency supplies, but...?"
Yuri trailed off, hesitating.
"But what?" Erica asked, forcing herself to remain upright.
Perhaps the matter was too "sensitive." Yuri lacked the courage to say it outright and stammered, unsure how to respond.
"For official rescue efforts, it is best not to hold overly high expectations. Due to certain historical reasons and traditions, these departments lack unified coordination mechanisms. Thus, the efficiency of official rescue may not be very impressive. In the end, it may still depend on spontaneous organization by civilian groups and the public themselves."
Though the tone was elegant and serene, the content was utterly merciless. The voice came from empty space. At some unknown moment, above the clouds before everyone, a beautiful woman had appeared.
She was no stranger. Erica had once encountered her in the Netherworld—the Lapis-Eyed Princess.
"Your Highness, why have you come here?" *2
Princess Alice and Erica spoke in unison, their voices filled with surprise.
As a recluse dwelling in the Netherworld, she would never leave that time-stilled domain without a particularly significant event. For most magicians, doing so was tantamount to courting death.
Returning to the present world would cause the flow of time upon their bodies to synchronize with reality. The vast majority of magicians could not endure such temporal backlash. The longer one had secluded oneself in the Netherworld, the less capable one became of leaving it.
Though disaster had indeed struck Tōshōgū, in a place like Japan where natural calamities occurred constantly, that alone could hardly justify her appearance.
"I have come this time with a message specifically for all of you."
At this moment, the previously silent Candle Nine Yin suddenly spoke.
"If this old one's perception is not mistaken, you are no ordinary being either. You share, to some extent, the same bloodline as the original owner of this body, do you not?"
The moment those words fell, everyone present turned toward the manifested Lapis-Eyed Princess with astonishment.
Candle Nine Yin had once stated that this body had been seized from the Divine Ancestor Angela.
If that were the case, then this Lapis-Eyed Princess was likely also one of the Divine Ancestors.
Faced with Candle Nine Yin's blunt exposure of her hidden card, the Lapis-Eyed Princess was momentarily stunned. Then she smiled gently.
"As expected of the Dragon God. You saw through my identity at a glance. However, could we refrain from delving into that for the moment? I bear no hostility toward any of you."
At that instant, a Yomotsu Hirasaka portal opened beside them. Satsuki, who had been absent for several minutes, stepped out while holding a crystalline substance in one hand. With her appearance, the trembling of the earth below ceased in an instant, as though forcibly frozen by an abrupt and overwhelming power.
Her golden eyes first examined Erica's condition. Then she turned toward the Lapis-Eyed Princess and spoke in a hollow, ethereal voice.
"That depends on what message you have brought."
"It is Satsuki-dono. I have come to speak of secret lore concerning the gods of Steel and the Dragon Gods—and the reason we must establish this seal."
Ever since their contact with her, the recluses of the Netherworld had regarded Satsuki with great seriousness. She was clearly an existence whose strength exceeded ordinary limits, yet she was neither a Campione nor a god.
They had secretly mobilized the History Compilation Committee and certain official institutions to investigate her origins. Yet her records appeared utterly ordinary, with nothing particularly noteworthy.
For an ordinary person to disguise themselves as extraordinary was not especially difficult, so long as the logic held.
But for a being as powerful as a deity to masquerade as an ordinary human for decades—that was exceedingly difficult.
Such anomalies only deepened their sense that Satsuki was extraordinary, leading them to adopt an unusually courteous attitude toward her.
After speaking, the Lapis-Eyed Princess began by explaining matters related to dragons.
Following a brief lecture on mythology, her conclusion could be summarized in a single sentence.
Heroes or Heretic Gods possessing the attribute of Steel share a hidden symbiotic relationship with dragons and serpents.
"I see... I had been wondering why that woman provided the information in the first place."
This revelation seemed to spark a realization in Luo Hao.
Lu Yinghua respectfully asked, "Master, are you referring to the witch who summoned you earlier?"
The Divine Ancestor Guinevere—because of her tip-off, this battle had unfolded so fiercely.
"At that time, I noticed that she carried the protection of a guardian deity related to Steel. Otherwise, how would she dare meet me alone by the lake?"
Though it was called the South Sea region, in Luo Hao's words it amounted to nothing more than a small lake.
Princess Alice floated closer as well.
"That would be the Divine Ancestor Guinevere whom I have been tracking... She is wholly devoted to resurrecting her master. All of Europe has been thrown into turmoil by her and the Black Prince over their struggle for the Holy Grail."
"Another deity who has been demoted?" Yuri asked in confusion. "But why would she, so far away in Europe, intervene in affairs in Japan?"
"It likely concerns the being known as the Last King."
As the Lapis-Eyed Princess spoke, she began to recount the legend of the strongest Steel.
...
At this very moment, the Divine Ancestor Guinevere, who had been the subject of discussion, had already returned to the Brittany region of France.
As during her previous meeting with Luo Hao, she still wore that black dress resembling mourning attire.
The exquisitely delicate girl, like an antique doll, gazed at the surface of a lake with sapphire-like eyes.
This place lay deep within a forest in Brittany, protected by a magical barrier.
In one corner was a small lake, its banks adorned with lush trees that added a touch of green to the scene.
Guinevere stood gracefully by the lakeside, staring at the water.
"Uncle... Guinevere has confirmed it."
The surface of the lake reflected the image of a knight clad in white armor, though he himself was not within the water.
He was merely a two-dimensional projection displayed upon the lake as though upon a screen.
"Indeed. Our lord—the Last King—slumbers in Japan. There can be no other possibility beyond the easternmost land."
"On what basis do you say this?"
The knight upon the water responded with a voice inaudible to ordinary ears.
His name was Lancelot du Lac, also known as the Knight of the Lake.
He was the guardian of this witch who possessed the pinnacle position of heaven and earth, and also the war god who protected the Divine Ancestor.
"There are ancient ones who use that nation's sorcery to fortify their realm. Led by the heroic god Susanoo, the extraordinary beings who migrated with him into the Netherworld suppress the disobedient Steel..."
Guinevere detailed the events that had unfolded in Japan.
"They possess the dragon-serpent sealing grand spell Bimawen... From the moment I learned of that spell's existence, I began to suspect why they would expend such effort to establish such a dangerous formation."
"In that case, it was the place you visited recently."
Lancelot replied in a low voice.
He was not an ordinary Heretic God, but a Shadow of God manifested upon the earth to protect the Witch Queen and her retinue.
"Precisely. After learning of the seal, I remained on that island to conduct investigations. To prevent interference from the newly ascended Campione, I even briefly cooperated with the Heretic God Athena, who had once manifested there."
"Oh? That one? The wise goddess who also bears the attribute of the Serpent. Would she truly cooperate with you?"
"She did not need to agree. I merely guided someone's spirit vision to expose her location." A sly smile curved Guinevere's lips. "With only slight guidance, events unfolded naturally."
"And then you seized the opportunity to infiltrate and investigate?"
"Yes. Before this new Campione, the most renowned authority in Japan was the four great families serving as the nation's chief sorcerers. They were assigned to shrines and temples across Japan to manage vital posts such as the Western Heaven Palace in Nikkō... Yet among them, only one shrine's function was unclear. So I decided to pay it a visit."
"A reasonable deduction. If its function was unclear, then it was most likely serving some hidden purpose."
"Just as you say. Fortunately, my inference proved correct. Upon arriving there, I received spirit vision. That shrine concealed secrets concerning our lord. I learned that those ancient ones had summoned the Steel god known as the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and sealed him within, to periodically expel dragons and serpents. This meant that the Monkey King was not our lord..."
At this, Lancelot understood and spoke in a deep voice.
"But that action also implies that there truly exists another god of Steel there—one whom they likewise fear. For that reason, they resorted to such measures to eradicate dragons and serpents."