It's Time for a New Power-Up

It was a gigantic mass of flesh, something that shared its roots with the mysterious beings.

A massive ball of flesh, over four hundred meters in diameter, hung in the air. It had countless tentacles, no eyes, no ears, no nose—only mouths.

Countless mouths lined with sharp teeth, all turned inside out. It was utterly horrifying.

The moment it descended, everyone in Chiba lost the ability to speak. Fear spread through every heart. Even those who had been asleep woke, only to feel as if their throats had been clamped shut, unable to make a sound.

Unable to understand what was happening or even imagine what was going on, the entire city plunged into darkness under the influence of a Mystery Domain that enveloped it. Every light that usually stayed on through the night vanished in that instant.

In the darkness, unable to make a sound or speak, humanity seemed to have fallen into the deepest abyss of fear.

This was the Star Corruptor's most basic ability. Representing "language," the Beast of a Thousand Mouths, with its countless mouths, stripped humanity of its language and voices like a god wielding the laws of the world.

This was one of its rules as a mysterious being, but it wasn't the only one.

As a high-level mysterious being, the Star Corruptor could manifest many different rules. Its rules for killing humans were especially varied.

Once it began, no one in all of Chiba would survive except Artoria.

Even Artoria's hand began to tremble as she looked at the terrifying monster.

She couldn't win.

There was no way she could win.

There was no way she could defeat a monster like this with her current abilities...

The girl's Instinct frantically warned her to run. If she stayed here, she really would die.

The overwhelming sense of danger made her realize that staying would mean certain death. Running away was her only chance to save herself.

But...

The girl didn't run. She didn't even take a step back. Though her heart was filled with fear, she still gripped the Sword in the Stone tightly.

Because behind her, all around her, were millions of people!

Even if she couldn't do much to fight back...

In that moment, the girl understood. The Church of Mysterious Words had come for her. As the absolute protagonist of the Light Screen footage and humanity's first superhuman, the Church of Mysterious Words saw her as a threat to the mysterious beings. So even though she was weak right now, they intended to kill her before she could grow.

Reality wasn't a game. In games, the villains obediently waited for the protagonist to level up and grow stronger at their leisure. But in the real world, enemies never gave you a chance. Once they discovered you, they would eliminate you in advance.

Perhaps the Songstress who had appeared the night before last had also been sent by the Church of Mysterious Words. It had been a test, as well as an attempt to eliminate a threat.

If the people who had appeared in the Light Screen footage, like Artoria and the others, weren't superhuman, they would simply be erased. If they were, and the mysterious Songstress couldn't kill them, the Church of Mysterious Words would take direct action.

That was reality. A true Demon King wouldn't give a hero the chance to grow stronger at their own pace.

But...

The enemy had learned of Artoria's actions immediately. That could only mean one thing: the Church of Mysterious Words was monitoring her.

Then...

Did they have some kind of special ability or mysterious artifact, or...

Was there a traitor from the Church of Mysterious Words in the Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Office?

Artoria's heart grew heavy in an instant.

Murata Himeko, at the headquarters of the Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Office, was similarly weighed down by the thought. Her mind raced as she considered the possibility of a traitor, and she reached a new decision.

"Looks like when we form the new international organization, we'll need to thoroughly vet and restructure the Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Office as well. I can tolerate spies from other countries inside the organization, but I will not tolerate traitors to humanity!"

"Will this be my final battle?"

The thought came to Artoria, and she felt a pang of sorrow. There was no need to think about the answer; it was already clear.

Even if this was her final battle, she didn't want to die without making a difference. At the very least...

Let me save the people here!

Destiny, if this organization truly exists, if those powerful beings are real, please help me now. I beg you. If you truly exist...

The girl pleaded and prayed. She desperately hoped that Destiny still existed, still protecting this world. If Destiny really had already fallen, as she suspected, then tonight was destined to bring nothing but endless tragedy.

But in that instant, the girl felt her mind grow suddenly light. Then the scene before her changed completely.

She was in a space shrouded in black mist. All around her were things covered in dark auras, their shapes impossible to make out.

At the center of this space, on a raised mound that seemed to be piled with ruins and wreckage, sat a figure whose face was hidden by black mist.

The whole scene looked like something out of a villain's lair.

Yet for some reason, Artoria felt no ill will toward the figure at all. Instead, an indescribable, overwhelming sorrow welled up in her heart. It was as if the mysterious person bore something unbearably heavy, stirring her empathy and filling her with heartache.

"Um... what's going on? You... I mean... who are you...?"

Before the other person could answer, information suddenly surged into Artoria's mind. It had come with the inheritance of King Arthur, but it hadn't been activated until now.

The Archbishop of Destiny! The creator and leader of Destiny!

His true name had long since been erased by the dust of history. All that remained was his title: Archbishop of Destiny.

"Then... this is the Spiritual Sanctuary that only Destiny Operators can reach, the Destiny Domain?"

She glanced at the pitch-black surroundings. She had a bad feeling about this place, but information about the Destiny Domain had also come with her inheritance.

This was a spiritual space that only Destiny Operators could enter. Time flowed differently here: even if a whole day passed inside, only a few seconds would pass in the outside world.

So now that she was here, Artoria didn't need to worry as much about the super-mysterious Star Corruptor.

Looking at the Archbishop of Destiny, Artoria pleaded earnestly, "Your Excellency, please help me! Chiba City is under attack by a mysterious being. That monster is going to kill millions of people, and I don't have the power to fight it. So please help me! I beg you!"

Then Artoria saw the Archbishop raise his hand, and a ray of golden light suddenly flew out and plunged straight into her body.

In that instant, she felt her consciousness being carried away from the Destiny Domain, and she received new information as well.

The Archbishop of Destiny had anticipated the monster's arrival. Although mysterious beings lacked human intelligence, they had traitors to humanity helping them. So they, too, would try to nip threats in the bud.

But to Destiny, that monster was little more than a larger ant. Compared with the true enemy Destiny had to face, it was utterly insignificant. Once Artoria had grown stronger, even she could easily destroy it.

However, the Archbishop would not intervene directly. He wanted Artoria to destroy the monster using her own power.

Because this was Artoria's trial, the trial King Arthur had left for her—a trial meant to help her understand what it truly meant to be the King of Eternity.

Yes. The one who had been King Arthur had foreseen all this long ago. When she made a pact with Destiny during her lifetime, she had left a portion of her power with the Archbishop of Destiny to keep safe.

Now, the Archbishop of Destiny was simply returning that power to Artoria.

Just got home. I was out all day today. Updating soon.

Two chapters in a row, first chapter