Chapter 28: Landing on the Island
Near the demonic sea area that had been turned into a labyrinth by Alexander, the guests expected by the two Campiones had arrived as scheduled.
One was a young girl dressed in a black gown with a delicate face, possessing a sense of vicissitude like that of an antique doll. She held a short sword in her arms, its blade wrapped in cloth.
The other was a knight clad in white armor, riding a divine horse—the same Heretic God that Hikigaya and Alexander had previously seen at Mount Nikko.
"Uncle, our King is indeed slumbering in the East," the girl spoke. "The hero god Susanoo and the other 'Ancient' ones of this land possess the dragon-snake sealing incantations that even the Great Sage Equal to Heaven could be utilized by; it is surely for this reason."
"But this place has become a nest for God-slayers," the white knight said. His appearance was no different from that day, shielded from head to toe in heavy armor, his voice deep and heavy.
"Uncle, if that moment comes, just as we agreed before, please manifest as 'Heretic Lancelot'." The girl stared intently at the distant island, a flicker of fanaticism flashing in her eyes.
As a Divine Ancestor, they naturally desire to resurrect the King of the End, regardless of their actual feelings toward him. However, one as pure as her was extremely rare.
"My beloved child, are you certain you want to make this grand gamble?" the white knight sighed. "Once that is done, even if my Lord successfully descends, I can no longer turn back."
Though he was a God, he was not a Heretic God. Due to the protective incantation, he did not act entirely on his own will. Facing two God-slayers in such a state would surely end in tragedy, but once the protective incantation was released and he became a Heretic God, he would no longer protect his beloved child. For him, still bound by the incantation, this was a heart-wrenching feeling. Yet, even this feeling would cease to exist once he became a Heretic God.
"This is to avoid repeating past mistakes. Moreover, the Holy Grail has had most of its power snatched away by that despicable God-slayer. If we wait for the next opportunity, I fear it won't be any easier to succeed than it is now," the girl said firmly.
Had it been a few years ago, she would have acted with extreme caution. But her past encounters with Alexander made her realize that God-slayers are idiots who are completely unreasonable; once they start moving, they trigger battles. They pursue gods like moths to a flame, just like the knights in stories pursuing the Holy Grail. Conversely, if more than one God-slayer appears in a certain place, there is definitely a god present.
The same was true for the liberation of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven through the hands of Leader Luo Hao. The Japanese God-slayer had actually gathered God-slayers from other
continents together, connecting them to an equally powerful support side like the Great Sage—it was practically a coincidental twist of fate. Through this event, she had become completely certain that the King of the End was definitely in this Eastern island nation.
As such, whether the island before them was a trap didn't matter at all; as long as she broke through the labyrinth, she would perform the ritual to resurrect that King. If the Holy Grail's power was insufficient, she would add herself as well.
The girl tossed the divine sword in her arms into the knight's embrace and then jumped down from the divine horse. Utilizing the power of the divine sword's remains, the white knight had severely wounded the Heretic Athena with a single strike, leaving her on the verge of death. Even if it was newly born from remains, this weapon could only display its true power in the hands of a god.
The witch, having jumped from the divine horse, stabilized herself in the sky and took out two items: a silver disc and a small urn with a texture like gold. The state of the latter made the witch's heart ache.
In the past, when she was a Great Mother Goddess, she had forged the Magic Holy Grail with her entire being and cast a protective incantation on a god. Now, the incantation remained, but the Grail had been mostly plundered. Consequently, she had to use herself as a bargaining chip; if she failed, the task of reviving the King of the End could only be taken over by another Divine Ancestor.
Thinking of this, she gritted her teeth in hatred for Hikigaya Hachiman.
"Uncle! Begin!"
As the witch chanted the incantation, the golden urn fell from her hands and began to expand and transform. It eventually changed into a monster with a bull's head and a human body. As soon as the monster formed, it let out a roar to the heavens, shaking the demonic sea.
This was a Pseudo-God transformed from the Holy Grail. Its true identity was the god Minos, whom the Black Prince Alexander had once slain to obtain his current Labyrinth Authority. Using the power of the Holy Grail, the witch created a Pseudo-God to possess the power to confront and destroy the Labyrinth Authority.
The roar of the Pseudo-God was not to vent anger, but a manifestation of Kotodama (Word Spirit) in a violent state. Under this power, the sky thundered and the sea churned, revealing the isolated island originally protected by the demonic sea. The cursed power surrounding the island dropped by half.
"A Pseudo-God and a God-slayer have different scales after all. Even with power of the same nature, it cannot stand as an equal to a God-slayer," the white knight sighed.
"We'll have to rely on brute force to break through next," the witch said, not disappointed but rather full of spirit. "As long as it's useful, we can let Pseudo-Minos clear the way for us."
She issued an order, commanding Pseudo-Minos to run toward the island first.
"My child, your speed alone won't suffice. Come to my side." The white knight pulled the witch back onto the horse and then chased after Pseudo-Minos.
At that moment, a thick fog suddenly surged in the surrounding sky, and strong winds attacked from all directions. Water pillars continuously erupted from the sea surface toward the heavens. The witch realized she had still underestimated the God-slayer's power; the obstacles in the air were even more numerous than those in the water. After advancing only a little, she found it difficult to move an inch.
"Child, hold on tight," the white knight spoke again, his voice clearly impatient this time.
This caused the witch to subconsciously grip the Holy Grail and the disc tightly. Although she called him "Uncle," no one knew better than her that this deity was not a kind sort before becoming her guardian. His temper was truly not very good.
In the next moment, Pseudo-Minos let out an even more furious roar, followed by the white knight's call:
"Thou shalt become the pioneer who crosses the ocean. For the sake of myself and my child, gallop toward the exit of the labyrinth!"
It was less of a call and more of a Curse Binding. The evidence was that Pseudo-Minos was rapidly entering a state of frenzy. Its original minotaur form was changing into a pure bull form, meaning it would abandon the rational side represented by its human body to enter the side of violent natural force.
When Pseudo-Minos finally fully transformed into a bull, it crashed toward the island. At that moment, fire appeared within the violent, whistling winds from all directions, wrapping around Pseudo-Minos's body. However, this only stimulated its ferocity. Even as cracks continuously appeared on its body and its skin was burned off in patches, its momentum did not decrease.
When it crashed onto the island like a burning meteor, both the witch and the white knight felt that the Labyrinth power residing in this sea area had collapsed.
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