The Torn Sacred Object and Lancelot / Spiritual Foundation Advancement, Authority Evolution!

If Roy told Guinevere the Last King's location now and had her awaken him, Roy, who was completely unprepared, would definitely be killed by the Last King. Dying just for a night of pleasure with Guinevere would be a terrible bargain.

Although Guinevere was beautiful, she was not beautiful enough for Roy to trade his life for her.

"So, let's change the proposal. Guinevere, let me see the Sacred Object, and I'll tell you where the Last King is sleeping. How does that sound?"

Roy changed the subject and got to the point. This was his true objective!

"Is it that simple?"

Guinevere immediately became wary. If Roy had said he wanted to exchange it for her body, she could have treated him as an arrogant lecher. But he only wanted to see the Sacred Object in exchange for the Last King's location. That was clearly a huge gain for her, which made her suspicious instead.

"It's that simple. However, I'll reduce my contribution as well. I'll tell you which region the Last King is sleeping in, but not his exact location!"

A barely perceptible trace of cunning flashed through Roy's eyes. He secretly activated his authority, Face of God, and said with a smile.

Because Roy was not forcibly twisting Guinevere's will, but merely guiding her by following her own thoughts, she did not notice him activating his authority. Sure enough, after hesitating for a moment, she followed her heart—the heart that was obsessed with the Last King—and said, "...Very well. Then I'll let Lord Roy see the true Sacred Object, and in return, you will tell me the region where the 'King' is sleeping!"

Although she could not learn the Last King's exact location, Guinevere felt that knowing the general area would be enough.

She had searched for the Last King for centuries. She did not mind searching for a few more decades.

Guinevere was decisive as well. Once she made up her mind, she lowered her head and rapidly chanted a Spiritual Word.

Suddenly, an immense magical power erupted. It was almost completely condensed, and even the combined Magic Power of a dozen Campiones could not compare to it. It was like a volcano coming to life or a tsunami on the verge of erupting. That viscous, almost solid magic gathered inside a single cup.

Golden radiance illuminated the streets of Manhattan Island. Roy stared intently at the Sacred Object that appeared before Guinevere.

The Sacred Object was different from what people imagined. It appeared to be as tall as a person, only slightly shorter than Roy. Rather than a cup, it resembled a huge trophy.

This was the Sacred Object of legend in this world. Like the Sacred Object of the Type-Moon World in Roy's memories, it was a condensation of magical power!

The reason Roy knew the Sacred Object was in Guinevere's hands but did not simply seize it was that it was a part of Guinevere herself. It had been transformed from her divinity, godhood, and divine body when she was an Earth Mother Goddess. Its sole purpose was to store the Earth Mother Goddesses' earthly essence when they were killed, allowing the Last King to activate the Great Covenant Law with that essence as soon as he was resurrected and obtain invincible power.

Over the course of a thousand years, this Sacred Object had absorbed the essence of at least twenty Earth Mother Goddesses.

Whenever the Last King finished his mission, he would pour the essence back into the Sacred Object and fall asleep again, waiting for his next awakening. As the Sacred Object absorbed more and more Earth Mother Goddesses, its magical power grew stronger, creating a virtuous cycle.

Because the Sacred Object itself had been formed from Guinevere's original body, it could be considered part of her body. Therefore, unless Guinevere willingly brought it out, no one could find it.

Now, this legendary Sacred Object had appeared before Roy.

The demon king who had slain a god suddenly let out a feral laugh. Roy's right hand emerged from the pocket woven from the Shroud of Turin, while a strange, mosaic-like distortion appeared around his right shoulder.

As Guinevere's expression changed drastically, Roy's right hand formed the shape of gripping a sword. At the same time, he recited a Word Spirit: "...Who can compare with this beast? Who can fight it?"

"Thou... art guilty!!"

A blood-red cross-shaped sword appeared in Roy's right hand. It instantly extended and came crashing down with thunderous force.

"Uncle!!"

Seeing Roy attack without giving anyone time to react, Guinevere screamed for her guardian.

Chapter 102: The Torn Sacred Object and Lancelot

Following Guinevere's shrill cry, a door-like distortion appeared behind her. The divine power of a Disobedient God faintly emanated from within, and then, amid the twisting distortion, a Disobedient God in silver armor appeared.

This Disobedient God was dressed like a medieval knight. His silver armor was immaculate, and he held a knight's sword in his hand. The moment the Disobedient Knight appeared, he landed before Guinevere and raised his sword horizontally, preparing to block the demon king's attack for the person he protected.

But the demon king's Sword of Judgment never arrived.

"Oh no! I'm not his target!"

Guinevere cried out. This Divine Ancestor, who had appeared dignified, elegant, and confident ever since her arrival, finally changed color. She hastily activated another Word Spirit, but she was ultimately a step too slow—

Roy's Sword of Judgment did not strike Guinevere. It struck the Sacred Object!

Roy knew that a Disobedient God stood behind Guinevere. Even with a surprise attack, it would be difficult to kill him and seize the Sacred Object in one blow. Therefore, Guinevere had never been his target from the beginning.

The Sacred Object was a physical manifestation of condensed magical power. Although it was a typical block of magic and difficult to destroy directly, it was as fragile as tofu before a sharp Divine Artifact.

"Clang—"

As the blade trembled, the blood-red cross-shaped sword swept across the Sacred Object and split it in two.

The Sacred Object was not filled with magic on the inside. The Sacred Object itself was a gathering of magical power. Thus, when it was split in half, no magic spilled from within. One Sacred Object had simply become two.

The Sacred Object, which had previously been as large as an adult, began to shrink until it became two golden cups the height of children.

"You severed my connection with the Sacred Object!"

Guinevere's expression darkened. As she chanted her Word Spirit, one of the Sacred Objects vanished and merged back into her. The other, however, no longer obeyed her commands.

Only then did Guinevere realize that she had guessed wrong again. Roy had severed not only the Sacred Object, but also her connection with it.

The Sword of Judgment possessed the ability to adjust precedence. Roy had placed the sword's precedence above Guinevere's ability to control the Sacred Object, thereby severing their connection. The Sacred Object itself had been cut apart by the sword's sharpness.

"What a shame. Guinevere, your reaction was really quick. I thought I could take the entire Sacred Object for myself~."

Roy shook his head regretfully. Then he grabbed the separated Sacred Object with his left hand, sensing the Earth Mother Goddess's essence stored inside it—the magic brewed from the blood of the earth itself.

Guinevere looked heartbroken as she stared reluctantly at the half of the Sacred Object in Roy's hand. The complete Sacred Object contained roughly the combined magical power of twenty Earth Mother Goddesses. With that single slash, Roy had cost her at least ten Earth Mother Goddesses!

Only now did Guinevere understand why Roy had made seeing the Sacred Object one of his conditions. If she did not summon it, Roy would have had no way to find it. The Sacred Object was one with Guinevere, but the moment she dared to summon it, he could use his judgment and speed to seize it first.

Guinevere was still puzzled about what Roy wanted the Sacred Object for. She used it to allow the Last King to complete the Great Covenant Law, and even half of its magical power was enough to activate the law. Yet the Sacred Object seemed almost useless to Roy.

First, the Sacred Object had been her body when she was an Earth Mother Goddess. Even with their connection severed, Roy, as a Campione, could not activate it. Second, even if Roy could activate it, the magic inside would be of little use to him. After all, Campiones were fundamentally human. The Magic Power possessed by a human Campione had limits. Even with the Sacred Object, Roy could not turn its magic into his own.

Although Guinevere did not know what Roy wanted it for, she still felt vaguely uneasy. Regardless, the portion of the Sacred Object taken by Roy would be extremely difficult for her to reclaim.

"Lord Roy, I never expected you to go back on your word and deceive a woman like me. So your true goal was the Sacred Object? I really misjudged you!"

Guinevere's delicate body trembled, nearly consumed by rage. Her chest heaved violently with anger, but she also knew that circumstances favored the stronger side. No matter how hysterically she cursed him, it would change nothing, so she tried her best to maintain her composure.

"What a foolish and fallen Earth Mother Goddess. What Roy did was precisely the wise action I admire."

Compared with Guinevere's curses and abuse, Athena greatly praised Roy's actions, practically on the verge of applauding him.

I really can trust him.

Athena thought this as she stared at Guinevere, her pupils seeming like those of a venomous snake searching for the place to strike.

"Calm yourself, Guinevere! Losing half the Sacred Object is no great matter. We are still in danger. With a demon king and a powerful Goddess working together, even I cannot guarantee that I can protect you. Come behind me."

The knight in silver armor spoke in a steady male voice. His righteous and resolute tone, matching his appearance, finally suppressed Guinevere's anger.

"Uncle Lancelot, this encounter was a Waterloo. I underestimated Lord Roy, and it was Guinevere's fault for putting you in danger."

Like a child acting spoiled, Guinevere spoke sweetly to the knight in silver armor.

"Do not worry about me, Guinevere. The demon king and Goddess before us are powerful, but if all I have to do is take you and flee, I can still manage that."

The knight named Lancelot spoke with unwavering conviction.

Roy's expression became slightly strange. In The Legend of King Arthur, Guinevere's affair with Lancelot had caused the Knights of the Round Table to collapse. Yet hearing Guinevere call Lancelot "Uncle" left him unsure how to comment.

After taking a deep breath, Roy looked at Lancelot and said, "...Lancelot, the Knight of the Lake, Lancelot, the perfect knight. Although you now bear the name Lancelot, there is nothing you can hide from my eyes. I should call you the Witch's guardian, Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, instead!"

That was right. Before Guinevere wove her into the myth of King Arthur, Lancelot's true form had been Hippolyta, the daughter of Ares, the God of War in Greek Mythology, and Queen of the Amazons!

The knight in silver armor was silent for a moment before sighing. "...Eyes that can see through the past are troublesome indeed. However, Hippolyta no longer exists. Please call me Lancelot."

That steady male voice became a wild female voice.

"Very well. Then, Lancelot and Guinevere, I keep my word. Unless absolutely necessary, I will never break a promise! Since you let me see the Sacred Object, I'll tell you the general location where the Last King is sleeping. He is sleeping in the Kanto region of the island nation of Japan. As for where in Kanto, you can search for it yourselves! I'm not lying about this. You can use the Witch's Spiritual Vision to verify it."

Roy was not lying. However, although he had revealed the Last King's general location, he sneered inwardly. Kanto was enormous and would not be easy to search. Even if they dug through the entire region, they would never imagine where the Last King was actually sleeping.

Even if you really find the Last King in the end, I'll probably have everything ready by then.

Roy muttered inwardly.

Guinevere pondered for a while. She was probably using the Witch's technique to verify the truth of Roy's words. Sure enough, with the hint Roy had given them, the Witch's Spiritual Vision grew considerably stronger.

"Uncle Lancelot, the King really is in Kanto, Japan!"

Guinevere spoke joyfully. At that moment, her gaze toward Roy softened considerably.

Although he was a sinister and treacherous demon king, he was also a true hero who kept his word.

Suddenly, a figure appeared out of nowhere. Moving so quickly that no one could react, it reached for the Sacred Object in Roy's hand.

Chapter 103: Spiritual Foundation Advancement, Authority Evolution!

It was unquestionably Divine Speed, piercing the sky like lightning.

Among the known powerhouses of this world, only one person besides Roy possessed such Divine Speed—the Campione of England, the Black Prince Alexander Gascoyne!

"Flash of Lightning" was the name of this Divine Speed. It was an authority Alexander Gascoyne had usurped from Remiel, the Fallen Angel, the first god he had slain. When activated, lightning coiled around his body, entirely different from the radiance produced when Roy activated the Divine Speed he had usurped from Michael.

Now, Alexander Gascoyne was reaching for the Sacred Object in Roy's hand at a speed faster than lightning. Once it fell into his hands, even if Roy, who also possessed Divine Speed, pursued him, it would be too late.

How fast was it to seize something at the speed of lightning? It was so fast that there was practically not even enough time to blink. It could be said to surpass the limits of human thought.

Closer, closer. Alexander Gascoyne watched the Sacred Object just inches away and unconsciously revealed a delighted smile.

His wish was about to come true!

Gascoyne had heard the story of the Sacred Object from his father when he was very young.

His father was a magician—a weak one—and also an adventurer who feverishly searched for the legendary Sacred Object that carried the Blood of God.

Gascoyne grew up in such a family. From a young age, his father had instilled countless facts about the Sacred Object in him, causing him to develop a longing and yearning for it.

His father had died while searching for the Sacred Object. However, Gascoyne had no time to grieve. Instead, he inherited his father's will and, as a weak magician and adventurer, followed in his father's footsteps and continued the search for the Sacred Object.

It was during that search that he slew a god by sheer luck and became a Campione.

He was delighted to become a Campione. With that identity, he believed he would certainly be able to find the legendary Sacred Object, fulfill his own yearning, and fulfill his father's wish.

Gascoyne had succeeded. After conducting a detailed investigation, he discovered the Divine Ancestor Guinevere and learned about the Last King. He also learned that the Sacred Object was in Guinevere's hands, and that three years earlier, he had caused a huge disturbance in England while trying to obtain it. During that upheaval, he had nearly killed Princess Alice.

However, Gascoyne had ultimately underestimated Guinevere. Although she was already a Divine Ancestor and no longer possessed the power of a Goddess, she had a Disobedient Knight protecting her. Furthermore, Gascoyne did not know that the Sacred Object was originally part of Guinevere's body, so his attempt three years ago ended in failure.

But this time, he had another chance. The New King who made him wary—the New King who controlled wisdom—had actually torn the Sacred Object from Guinevere's hands!

Gascoyne knew he could not seize the Sacred Object while it remained one with Guinevere, but he was confident he could obtain the one in Roy's hand.

Just as the Black Prince's fingers were about to touch the Sacred Object, he saw Roy flip his left hand in astonishment. The golden Sacred Object, as tall as a child, vanished from his grasp.

Concealment magic? Spatial magic?

As a magician, this thought flashed through Gascoyne's mind. But regardless of what kind of magic it was, the Black Prince knew one thing: Roy had anticipated his appearance. Otherwise, he could not have completed the magic in such a short time after obtaining the Sacred Object, much less activated it faster than his own "Flash of Lightning."

It was like dodging a bullet. No matter how fast an ordinary human was, they could not truly outrun a bullet. Yet dodging one was not impossible. They only needed to be faster than the person firing it—to predict and react before the trigger was pulled. That created the illusion that they had dodged faster than the bullet.

Roy had done exactly that. The speed at which he activated his magic could never exceed Divine Speed, but if he activated the magic before the Black Prince activated Divine Speed, the result was entirely different.

"Thou art guilty!"

While Gascoyne was still stunned, he heard the Word Spirit. From the corner of his eye, he saw a blood-red cross-shaped sword descend, slicing apart the lightning produced when he used his Divine Speed authority.

The Black Prince's Divine Speed authority was interrupted. Although Gascoyne soon discovered that he could use Divine Speed again, that sudden interruption broke the continuity of his movement and caused him to appear before Roy.

"How could this be?! Wasn't your authority only usable once a day?!"

The Black Prince cried out in disbelief.

He was one of the few strategists among the Campiones. After the Tokyo incident and Roy's defeat of Marquis Voban, Gascoyne had begun paying close attention to him. Through various investigations and deductions, he had roughly learned some of the limitations of Roy's authorities.

For example, he did not know the exact function of the authority called the Sword of Judgment, but he could more or less guess that it could sever anything. The sword had even severed Guinevere's connection with the Sacred Object, an existence approaching the conceptual level, confirming the Black Prince's guess.

A sword that could sever anything was terrifying, but Gascoyne's investigations had also led him to a conclusion: this ability of the sword could only be used once a day. That also fit the balance of Roy's powers. He had originally slain only one god, Michael, yet had obtained multiple abilities.

His authorities had many effects, but they also had temporal and usage restrictions. However, Roy's slash now had completely shaken the Black Prince, making him wonder whether his deduction had been wrong.

Looking at the Black Prince as he returned from his Divine Speed state to human form, Roy merely smiled. He had no obligation to answer an enemy's question.

In truth, after fusing Solomon's Spiritual Foundation and evolving his "Jacob's Ladder," Roy had set his sights on the Spiritual Foundation of Metatron that he had preserved earlier.

After Aiwass's efforts, the Holy Guardian Angel had finally perfected Pandora's Dark Festival. Not long ago, she had passed that knowledge on to Roy, allowing him to complete the ritual himself and undergo another Spiritual Foundation fusion.

This Spiritual Foundation fusion was extremely successful. It directly allowed Roy to complete Spiritual Foundation Advancement, strengthening the Campione body that had nearly reached its limit. The most obvious result was that his total Magic Power had nearly reached twice that of an ordinary Campione!

However, this kind of fusion has its limits.

Roy considered this Spiritual Foundation fusion. It was not as simple as fusing more Spiritual Foundations to increase his Magic Power indefinitely. Like drug resistance, as Roy fused more Spiritual Foundations, the room for growth would also reach a limit. According to his estimate, he could increase his total Magic Power to at most roughly five times that of an ordinary Campione. After that, no matter how many Spiritual Foundations of Disobedient Gods he fused, his Magic Power would not increase.

This was the limit of a Campione!

Therefore, I'll have to choose the Spiritual Foundations I fuse more carefully from now on instead of fusing them at random. Spiritual Foundation Advancement has a limited number of uses.

Roy thought this to himself.