"Since awakening until now, at last I can see a glimmer of light ahead."
Whenever the topic turned to the Last King, this shrine maiden who possessed wisdom beyond human intellect would inevitably sink into a state of recollection, as though recalling a chaotic and distant past.
As a Divine Ancestor, decades had passed since her successful reincarnation. During that time, she had exhausted every possible method to trace the whereabouts of the legendary Hero King.
Originally, information concerning her master should never have been forgotten by her. The memories of Guinevere when she was still a goddess must have contained the key to unraveling the mystery... However, after completing her reincarnation and becoming a Divine Ancestor, she lost the memories of her previous life. Meanwhile, the uncle who had once served the Hero King had, for historical reasons, deliberately avoided investigating their lord's fate...
As a result, even in this modern age of accessible information, the key to unlocking the secret had nearly been lost.
Perhaps this was the nature of the bond between knight and king—so pure that even this witch could not fully comprehend it.
Lancelot responded in a low voice.
"If a man who once fought at my side were to fall upon some battlefield, all I need do is raise my sword and chant a dirge in mourning for his death. Would that not be more than sufficient?"
Charging at full speed, wielding his blade like thunder—this was the temperament of the War God Lancelot.
For the man hailed as the Perfect Knight, his sword existed only to protect in its purest form. It would never linger in remembrance of those who had already withered away. Such sentiment would merely slow the drawing of his blade.
"Uncle is a pure warrior. He can only live upon the battlefield."
Guinevere spoke in a tone tinged with sorrow.
"My apologies. If I were not so stubborn by nature, I might have unraveled this mystery far sooner!"
"No. It is precisely because I am such a man that I could become the strongest among the Steel, second only to our lord. Pay it no mind. Rather than dwelling on that, let us focus on what lies ahead."
Pulling herself free from memory and restoring her rationality, Guinevere shifted her gaze, now earnest and resolute, toward the divine shadow reflected upon the water's surface.
She crossed her arms and, following the ancient etiquette of nobility, made a solemn request of the warrior before her.
"Uncle, I ask one thing of you. Please manifest as Heretic Lancelot. No longer remain merely my shadow and guardian deity."
"Heh—if I do so, there will be no turning back."
"We now have a general direction regarding where our lord slumbers. We can only stake everything on a single desperate gamble. I cannot repeat the mistake of six years ago, when I was defeated by Alexander Gascoigne."
In the past, Guinevere had used another forest as her base of operations.
The Fairy Realm—that strange forest known to humans as the Astral Netherworld, or the Hidden World, and to the gods as a place connected to the boundary between life and immortality.
The Black Prince had discovered that sacred domain and left behind a tale of successful invasion.
To Guinevere, it remained nothing but a painful memory of defeat—
As a witch, it was impossible to oppose a Campione head-on. Moreover, at that time she had not yet reached the extreme resolve of Divine Ancestor Angela, leader of the Fly King, who would even remanifest her former divine body at any cost under dire circumstances.
Thus, she had feigned compliance, claiming she would hand over the magical Holy Grail to Alec.
But she had never intended to surrender it. It was merely a temporary expedient.
Yet the Black Prince had seen through her ploy and turned her own scheme against her, causing her plan to collapse. In the end, even the vast reserves of earth-bound spell power accumulated within the Holy Grail were reduced by more than half... That humiliation had weighed upon her ever since.
It was then that she realized that a Campione was not an existence she could resist directly.
She had paid a heavy price for failing to understand the true meaning of "Demon King"...
Now she understood. A Campione, as a Demon King, would ignite with the desire for battle the moment they so much as brushed against matters related to the gods. Even if one attempted to act in secrecy, events would still unfold like moths drawn to flame. They would inevitably find the gods who were their destined enemies. Such was the inexplicable nature of things.
They were irregular beings who had once slain gods—fool-born challengers who dared defy divinity.
The more improbable an event seemed, the more likely it was to occur.
Campiones were not invincible. But to Guinevere, who at present possessed only the body of a witch, they were disasters akin to natural calamities, nearly impossible to oppose.
Only other monsters could truly contend with such monsters—Heretic Gods, or perhaps other Campiones.
That was why she made this request, relying upon the special bond between them.
For a god to manifest upon the earth for the sake of protecting a specific individual, as in the case of Lancelot and Guinevere, was virtually unheard of.
Such a phenomenon could only be achieved through an exceedingly profound form of grand magic.
A Campione, having merely usurped divine authority, already possessed near-immunity to spell power. Let alone true gods.
At its root, it was because Guinevere's previous life had once cast a spell upon Lancelot.
Thus, even after becoming one of the Steel gods, Lancelot could manifest upon the earth for a brief period.
However—
"If I transform into a Heretic God, I will descend upon the earth in a frenzy of divine madness. I may even forget my mission to protect you and become a berserker... Can you truly risk such danger?"
No matter the era, the class of Berserker seemed fated to reincarnate upon this man.
Faced with Lancelot's warning, Guinevere met his gaze with unwavering resolve.
"—If that is so, then, child, polish the divine blade our lord left behind and make it my sacred armament. I possess no power of foresight, yet I can clearly scent the approach of conflict in the near future. At the very least, I will require a new weapon!"
The white knight's face was hidden behind his helmet's visor, making his expression impossible to discern. Yet Guinevere was certain.
The War God Lancelot was smiling now, rejoicing at the premonition of battle.
"Yes... yes! Guinevere shall gladly sharpen the blade for Uncle! O earth spirits who receive my favor—offer forth the Witch Queen's treasure!"
Guinevere swept her hand toward the ground. The earth split apart.
Two objects emerged from beneath the soil.
One was a massive golden urn, as tall as a child. The other was an exceptionally long double-edged sword—though now nothing more than rusted scrap metal, its blade corroded and eaten through.
Though both had risen from the depths of the earth, neither bore a trace of mud.
The great urn was the sacred artifact known as the Magical Holy Grail. The other was the Steel once carried by the Last King.
These were his relics, his incarnations. Ever since that hero vanished from the face of the earth, his beloved sword had lost its radiance as well, left behind in a decayed and rusted state.
...
On the Japanese side, once Satsuki appeared, the spreading natural disaster below immediately ceased. With Princess Alice's markings as guidance, the Mighty Vajra manifested by Luo Hao and Liliana did their utmost to rescue those who could still be saved.
On the ground, Sayanomiya Kaoru of the History Compilation Committee arrived at the scene with a large number of personnel and retainers of the Kuhōzuka family to begin assessing the damage.
The situation was far from optimistic.
The worship hall and the main sanctuary, the very core of the shrine, had collapsed inward as though struck by explosives. Then came the Yōmeimon Gate, followed by the Sacred Stable, the Five-Story Pagoda, and the First Torii.
Many rare cultural treasures had been utterly destroyed in the disaster. Even a rough estimate suggested losses severe enough to set the Kuhōzuka family's finances back by half a century.
The young master of the Kuhōzuka family, who had only just regained consciousness, took one look at the devastation before him—and promptly rolled his eyes and fainted again.
This world was too cruel. He no longer wished to wake up and face it.
Not only him—even Sayanomiya Kaoru of the History Compilation Committee was momentarily speechless upon arriving at the scene.
I'm already thinking about how to draft my resignation letter.
"Miss Kaoru, now is not the time to give up. Our 'retirement fund'... I mean, our responsibilities are not yet fulfilled."
Touma Amakasu, with his thick brows and upright expression, spoke righteously.
If not for the slip of the tongue about the "retirement fund," Kaoru might actually have believed him.
Even so, thanks to her subordinate's joking interruption, she managed to muster a bit of motivation—though her voice sounded anything but composed. Clearly, she was genuinely troubled.
"The affected area spans nearly the entire Tōshōgū... If we want to restore it, it will take years. Heh, I can already picture the deadpan face of that guy in the budget department."
Above the sky, after explaining the relationship between the Strongest Steel and the Dragon-Serpent Gods, the Lapis-Eyed Princess vanished.
As one who possessed "serpent blood," she needed to use her unique connection with the gods of Steel to evaluate how this disturbance might influence the Strongest Steel.
Princess Alice likewise possessed influence over the Strongest Steel, though she had long been isolated within the Netherworld. Originally, she had only been asked to provide support from outside the battlefield. No one had expected the battle to end so quickly.
The prolonged large-scale marking had severely drained the spell power of her spiritual body. The form she currently inhabited flickered faintly in midair.
Still, though she had remained somewhat on the periphery, her purpose in coming here had been achieved.
From Luo Hao's words, it was clear that Guinevere had been manipulating events from behind the scenes. That meant her line of investigation had not been mistaken—and Japan truly was connected to the Last King. Perhaps she would have another opportunity to set foot upon this island nation in the future.
After Princess Alice departed, Luo Hao flew over. The peerless beauty looked at the crystalline substance in Satsuki's hand, her beautiful lips parting slightly.
"If I am not mistaken, that is the essence of Steel belonging to the Great Sage Equal to Heaven."
Cradling Erica, who had fallen unconscious due to the regenerative authority of the Ram, Satsuki nodded calmly.
"From a Buddhist perspective, it would roughly be classified as a relic. However, due to a many-to-one refinement, the divine authority upon it no longer remains."
—Was it truly many to one?
The beautiful cult leader gazed at Satsuki—whose beauty rivaled her own—with a complicated expression.
Before her disciple's barely concealed astonishment, this unpredictable leader of the demonic cult cupped her fists toward Satsuki in salute.
"Since becoming a Campione two hundred years ago, I ceased paying attention to the strong of this world, believing I had reached its 'summit.' Yet this battle has shown me the truth that there is always someone beyond, always a heaven beyond heaven. It now seems my cultivation is insufficient to bear the title of 'Number One Under Heaven.'"
Satsuki answered as she always did.
"In this world, strength and weakness are forever relative concepts."
Uncharacteristically, the cult leader agreed under her disciple's shocked gaze.
"Indeed. Yet the existence of a summit is likewise objective. I hope that before our next meeting, I will have the opportunity to spar with you."
"If such an opportunity arises."
Satsuki replied lightly.
With those words of parting, petals began to drift around Luo Hao. Enveloped in a flourish of blossoms, the peerless beauty vanished with a soft whoosh.
Lu Yinghua cupped his fists as well before following after her.
Unlike Luo Hao, who possessed divine speed, he relied on lightness skill, disappearing like a gust of wind.
...
The cleanup work had nothing to do with Satsuki or Erica.
Before dusk arrived, Satsuki returned to the villa with Erica. As for Yuri and Hikaru, as shrine maidens, they remained with Sayanomiya Kaoru to handle the aftermath.
Incidentally, Candle Nine Yin transformed into a dragon motif embroidered upon Satsuki's outer robe.
Not long after, Satsuki received a call from Sayanomiya Kaoru through the maid Arianna.
In essence, it was a report on how they intended to handle the matter. Because many survivors had directly witnessed magic during the rescue efforts, they would need to perform collective hypnosis on the victims and implant false memories. Fortunately, only a few dozen had directly seen such phenomena, so the task was not overly difficult.
After that would come controlling public opinion, unifying official statements... and a series of routine operations.
The effort to prevent news about the gods from leaking sounded like lines taken straight from television. The procedure was much the same as what had been done in Sardinia.
After hanging up, Satsuki muttered to herself.
"The group in the Netherworld is remarkably patient. Even something like this did not force them into action... Also, Candle Nine Yin said you sensed something unusual just now?"
"Yes, Lady Satsuki."
Within the sea of consciousness, Candle Nine Yin manifested in the form of a young girl.
"Shortly after the battle ended, this body sensed the revival of another divine artifact of Steel. However, that power is not particularly strong, and the location is concealed. Even in my sage state, I cannot determine its precise position."
—Tch~, Candle Nine Yin, you sensed it too? I thought it was just this system's illusion earlier.
Within the sea of consciousness, the system's light sphere—silent for some time due to backlash from the power of Vipralopa—finally reappeared to assert its presence.
"Oh? You sensed something as well?"
Satsuki's voice echoed through the boundless mental space.
"It was the Gorgon portion within Metis that sensed it. Perhaps because that part also bears the attribute of the Serpent, it detected the power. And I have made another important discovery..."
"What discovery?" Candle Nine Yin asked curiously.
"You were asleep at the time, so it's normal you wouldn't remember," the system replied without preamble. "That power has an archived record within the Akashic Records. It is the Noble Phantasm once wielded by the 'King Arthur' who fought the host in the FATE world—the reaction of the Sword in the Stone."
"The Akashic Records contain documentation of items from this world... Unexpected, yet reasonable."
In the FATE world, even ordinary humans of later generations had traversed so-called Lostbelts through Chaldea's spiritron transfer. For higher beings such as Heroic Spirits or gods, crossing timelines and parallel worlds was naturally not so difficult. Given enough time, there would always be those proficient in such abilities.
Susanoo in the Netherworld was a living example.
Satsuki briefly organized the implications of this information, then shifted the topic to the system.
"System, how is the restoration of the Gorgon divinity progressing?"
The light sphere nodded.
"Under autonomous operation, restoration has reached approximately ninety-eight percent. The remaining two percent was directly eroded by the power of Vipralopa, resulting in the loss of related divine authority data. Even the autonomous functioning of the Gorgon Stone cannot fully repair that portion."
"In that case, you should find this useful."
Above the sea of consciousness, Satsuki transferred the relic obtained after defeating Sun Wukong into the mental realm.
"Although it no longer contains divine authority for mortals to usurp as Campione powers, it is more than sufficient to repair your divinity. I have also recorded part of Sun Wukong's abilities using Status Infusion. You may choose a portion to fill the repaired sections of your godhead."
The system wasted no time. It immediately manifested the form of the goddess Metis and flew upward, devouring the relic with divine power.
As a trinity goddess composed of Athena, Medousa, and Metis, this body was no stranger to assimilating additional divinity.
The system skillfully proceeded with the devouring process. During this, Satsuki did not interfere, merely speaking calmly.
"Improve your abilities as soon as possible. Before long, I will require you to use the Akashic Records and the perception of the Serpent to search for information concerning the Last King."
The Metis form clicked her tongue.
As expected—the host was still someone who never made a losing deal.