Holding Guinevere, Lancelot charged into the sky. Mid-flight, she summoned a magnificent steed, carefully seating Guinevere in front while taking the rear position herself. Shielding them both with divine power against the fierce winds, they galloped toward the cosmos amidst the thunder of hooves.
As the steed breached the ten-thousand-meter altitude, reaching near-orbit, Lancelot and Guinevere finally glimpsed a small floating island suspended above.
"Uncle, there it is!! The King is there!!" Guinevere cried out excitedly, her voice magically amplified to reach Lancelot's ears.
"Mm."
The peerless Knight of the Lake gave a slight nod. Without another word, she tightened her protective hold on Guinevere.
Suddenly, a fierce divine wind swept in, enveloping the small floating island. The tempest gathered into a massive tornado, barring Guinevere and Lancelot from advancing.
Guinevere's expression shifted slightly before she raised her clear voice and called out, "…Divine Monkey Hanuman! I am Guinevere, subordinate and former companion of the King. I have come bearing the Holy Grail to aid the King in fulfilling the Oath of the Great Covenant!"
As her words faded, the protective winds around the floating island finally ceased. A Heretic God wrapped entirely in bandages emerged from the tempest. With a silent nod toward Guinevere and Lancelot, it wordlessly descended into the floating island.
Guinevere let out a sigh of relief and explained to Lancelot, "…That was the Divine Monkey Hanuman, the King's subordinate god!"
In the Ramayana, it was with the aid of Hanuman and his army of monkeys that Veeraj defeated the demon king Ravana and rescued Janaki.
Hanuman was a god of storms and steel, sharing the same attributes as Susanoo-no-Mikoto. Moreover, myths recount how he once rode the clouds, set fire to Lanka's palace, and stole the elixir of immortality. Many scholars thus believe Hanuman to be the prototype of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong.
As they spoke, Guinevere and Lancelot landed on the floating island in the sky. The island was small, devoid of any vegetation, with only barren rock beneath their feet. Due to its position in low Earth orbit and the concealment spells cast by Veeraj, neither human satellites nor the clairvoyance of witches could detect it—allowing Veeraj to slumber undisturbed for centuries.
At the island's center stood a rusted sword. At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than corroded scrap metal from millennia past. But Guinevere and Lancelot knew better—this was no mere scrap. It was the weapon of the Last King, a divine artifact capable of summoning the gods: the Falling Star, the Divine Sword of Salvation!!
An increasingly overwhelming presence emanated from beneath the island. Guinevere and Lancelot waited in silence as Hanuman stood guard beside the Divine Sword of Salvation, protecting his sovereign's awakening while keeping a wary eye on the two, lest they disrupt the Last King's revival.
BOOOOOOM————————
Volcanoes across the world erupted with deafening roars, their towering plumes of smoke blotting out the sky for dozens of kilometers. Fortunately, this was merely an ordinary eruption—not an outburst of the Earth Mother Goddesses's pent-up energy. Had it been the latter, this single eruption would have wiped out over ninety percent of life on the planet. And if the ash had shrouded the sky for decades, ninety-nine percent of all living beings would have perished.
As the Last Steel forged in planetary fire, so long as Veeraj remained active as a Heretic God, such an apocalyptic catastrophe would inevitably come to pass.
Human technology had advanced enough that, unlike centuries ago, this global volcanic eruption caused minimal casualties. Months prior, anomalies in volcanic activity had been detected, allowing the evacuation of nearby residents. Thus, despite the scale of the eruption, the loss of life was slight.
However, this seemingly conscious, globally simultaneous volcanic eruption left the faces of world leaders deathly pale. Faced with such natural disasters, humanity's current technology remains powerless.
This volcanic event also lent substantial support to the "Gaia Hypothesis," which posits that the planet possesses consciousness. In the past, there was no way to prove this theory, so it remained merely a hypothesis. But this time, the simultaneous eruption of volcanoes worldwide defied human scientific explanations, leaving no choice but to attribute it to mysterious metaphysics.
As volcanoes around the world erupted like fireworks, on a floating island high above Japan, a hand emerged from the soil. The very center of the island then collapsed, forming a circular pit where a humanoid figure appeared.
It was an extremely slender young man with strikingly handsome features that could make girls scream. His lean frame was clad in a simple blue coat and trousers, over which he wore a white cloak-like overcoat. At first glance, he resembled a frail nobleman who couldn't harm a fly. No one who saw him could believe this gentle-looking aristocrat was the legendary Last King!
"My King!!"
Guinevere took two excited steps forward and knelt on the ground. Lancelot followed closely behind her, offering the Last King a perfect knight's salute.
The Last King, Veeraj, seemed to have just awakened and was still somewhat disoriented. After standing dazed for a few seconds, he looked at Guinevere with a complicated expression and sighed, "...So it's you..."
After hesitating, Veeraj still refrained from calling Guinevere by her name as an Earth Mother Goddess. This goddess was extraordinary—she had betrayed her kin to befriend the Last Steel. Out of pity for Veeraj's tragic fate, she had even sacrificed herself to become the Holy Grail, ensuring that each time Veeraj awakened, he wouldn't suffer the ordeal of wandering but could immediately annihilate the Campiones and return to slumber.
This had nothing to do with love; Guinevere felt no romantic affection for Veeraj. Her choice stemmed purely from her kindness. Even Roy, were they not on opposing sides, would have respected this fatal tenderness.
"'My King,' I am now called Guinevere. You may address me as such!"
Guinevere, noticing Veeraj's hesitation, spoke up.
"Very well, Guinevere..."
Veeraj nodded gently, his expression soft and his tone tender. He stood still, surveying his surroundings, and lamented, "...There are already so many Demon Kings. It is indeed time for me to awaken and fulfill my duty. Guinevere, let us swiftly eliminate the Demon Kings so I may return to slumber. If I remain active on this earth, the volcanic eruptions will bring even greater disaster to humanity. They have struggled so hard to reach this level of development—I cannot allow it to be destroyed because of me!"
Though the Last King, Veeraj was also a heroic figure. He refused to bring calamity upon the world through his actions, wishing only to swiftly complete his sorrowful mission and return the world to humanity.
Just as Guinevere was about to speak, a loud laugh echoed across the floating island:
"HAHAHAHA!! So you're the so-called strongest Heretic God, the Last King my friend spoke of!! You don't seem all that powerful to me. Come, come! Let us test your mettle with crossed blades and see if your reputation holds true!!"
"...Take this sword strike from the cosmos itself!!"
As the arrogant, boisterous voice rang out, a figure wreathed in cursed energy dashed into the sky and swung his sword. In response, starlight flickered in the distant cosmos as meteorites from beyond the heavens were guided by this single sword stroke, descending from the eternal void!
This was Salvatore's ultimate hidden killing technique—Meteorite Sword!!
"That's Lord Salvatore!!"
Guinevere's expression changed upon seeing Salvatore. If there was one Campione she knew best, it was undoubtedly Salvatore. Having been pursued by this man for years, it would be difficult for Guinevere not to recognize him.
Veeraj gazed solemnly at the Sword King in the sky, sensing the meteorites approaching from the distant cosmos. Suddenly, he grasped the rusted scrap metal before him.
The sword measured about one hundred centimeters—a thick, cleaver-like blade. As Veeraj gripped its hilt, all rust disappeared, revealing a dazzling white-gold radiance!
The blade that annihilates demon kings—the Divine Sword of Salvation, Laevateinn, had finally awakened with the Last King's revival!
The silver-haired hero drew the divine sword and raised it high, pointing its tip toward the cosmic firmament. A white-gold sphere of light appeared in the sky, its brilliance rivaling the sun, before shooting into the void of space!!
----------
For advance chapters join my Patreon.
[email protected]/Aarvan