As Su Yun sent Artoria away from the mental domain, he immediately left as well.
That so-called Destiny Domain was actually his mental domain, and it was no pleasant place. Its environment was basically a replica of the nightmares he had every night.
Such a terrifying scene was truly unsuitable for lingering in, and the Operators shouldn't be allowed to see the full details either. That was why what Artoria saw was a veiled scene shrouded in darkness.
Just as the information Artoria had received suggested, Su Yun wasn't surprised that the Mystery faction had launched a direct assault. Having known all along that there were traitors among humanity, he had never underestimated the enemy's intelligence.
Anyone with even an ordinary level of intelligence knew to swoop down on a hero who had just left the starting village. When the Mystery Songstress suddenly attacked the Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Office the previous night, he had realized that the enemy had begun to act.
The current situation had merely turned his suspicions into fact.
That was also why Su Yun hadn't made any new moves after obtaining a large amount of Fantasy Power. Instead, he had stockpiled it and quietly waited.
Now was the time for that Fantasy Power to take effect.
Seeing that his Fantasy Power had dropped by thirty thousand, and remembering that this strike against the enemy was a one-time deal, he couldn't help feeling the pinch.
But there was no choice. It was a necessary sacrifice.
Su Yun had actually considered personally wiping out that Level Five Mystery, but doing so would have consumed even more Fantasy Power. And if he intervened directly, he couldn't guarantee that the Mystery faction wouldn't discover his true identity.
It wasn't impossible. The Mystery faction really did have that ability.
So Su Yun had to make sure he remained behind the scenes. Otherwise, if he stepped into the spotlight while Destiny was still so weak, then its fate would truly be left to destiny.
Returning his gaze to Artoria, Su Yun knew that it was time for her to show the splendor of the King of Eternity.
He wasn't fighting in her place. He had only given her a one-time cheat, letting Artoria experience in advance the power she would possess upon reaching her ultimate form.
Back in her body, Artoria looked once more at the enormous Beast of a Thousand Mouths, the Star Corruptor in the sky. She felt no fear now, because she knew the key to victory was in her hands.
It was literally in her hands.
The girl planted the Sword in the Stone in the ground and let go. Golden light blazed in her hands, and vast, magnificent magical power filled her body. Driven by that power, her body began to move on its own.
A glorious phantom identical to Artoria appeared, overlapped with her, and finally fused with her as one.
The next moment, the girl's appearance changed.
The pure-white girl became the figure of King Arthur shown in the Light Screen. The transformation didn't stop there: a blue cloak appeared, thick and stately, as if embodying the weight borne by that king in the dark age.
Then a golden crown, seemingly forged from stars, appeared atop the girl's head. Its brilliant light seemed to represent the splendor and glory of the King of Eternity.
The next moment, the Sword of Stars, gleaming with golden radiance, gradually took shape amid the brilliant light. The instant it formed, it blazed with light that swirled around Artoria.
The glorious starlight even eclipsed the terror brought by the Star Corruptor, compelling Baal and the members of the Nine-Tailed Fox Squad to look toward Artoria.
Artoria kept her eyes closed, her consciousness merging with the mysterious state she was in. Without realizing it, she slowly spoke.
"Thirteen seals, be released! The Round Table Decision begins here!"
As her words fell, King Arthur's voice seemed to ring out from the void.
"Approved!"
Baal and the others then saw one phantom after another appear, each shining with golden light, as if summoned by the Golden Sword.
One, two, three, four, five...
There were twelve in all.
Though no one explained who they were, the instant Baal and the others saw the twelve figures, they recognized them.
The Knights of the Round Table, the twelve legends who represented the rise and fall of King Arthur.
Then thirteen star-like objects appeared on the sword, their power connecting to form a complete sealing array.
Now it was time to undo the seals.
In an instant, Artoria's voice rang out—though, more precisely, it was the ethereal voice of King Arthur.
"Bedivere."
One of the twelve phantoms, a slender male knight, answered, "Approved."
Clang!
One of the seals on the Golden Sword lifted, and its blade shone even more brightly.
"Kay!"
Another phantom answered, "Approved!"
Another seal lifted from the Golden Sword, and its blade shone even more brightly.
The same thing happened again and again.
"Lancelot!"
"Approved!"
"Mordred!"
"Approved!"
"Galahad!"
"Approved!"
"Palamedes!" ... "Agravain!" ... "Gaheris!" ... "Gareth!" ... "Percival!" ... "Tristan!" ... "Approved!" ×6!
The twelve Knights of the Round Table were called one by one. The seal representing Gawain lifted without question, signifying the Sun Knight's unconditional support for the Round Table.
Finally, Artoria herself undid the last seal, the one representing King Arthur.
Ethereal voice: "Arthur!"
Artoria opened her eyes and spoke with conviction. "This is the battle to save the world!"
The final seal shattered at her words!
In an instant, magical power surged. The Golden Sword in Artoria's hands was completely unsealed, and its size abruptly increased, becoming a radiant greatsword.
This was the true form of the Sword of Stars wielded by King Arthur!
At that moment, the surging radiance made Artoria shine like a sun in the night, illuminating the land in the darkness.
The fearsome magical power and magnificent light left Baal and the others entranced, their hearts pounding. They also drew the attention of the Beast of a Thousand Mouths in the sky.
In fact, the Beast of a Thousand Mouths had already sensed a dreadful threat. It immediately unleashed countless tentacles, sweeping them toward her.
Although Mysteries could easily kill people with their powers, that didn't mean intelligent, high-level Mysteries would meekly follow the rules of Mystery attacks.
The tentacles struck at tremendous speed, far faster than sound. Countless sonic booms formed in the sky as they surged forward, their explosive roars shattering numerous windows in an instant. Even the ground seemed to tremble.
One could imagine that every strike from those tentacles packed at least the force of a missile. The enormous monster in the sky swung hundreds of tentacles of all sizes toward them in an instant. If they hit the ground, the impact would be no less devastating than a small nuclear bomb.
This was the terror of high-level Mysteries. In ancient times, there was no doubt that they would have been worshipped as gods by humanity.
Yet amid the golden radiance pouring from Artoria, the attacks were blocked before the Beast could even strike. The golden light stopped every one of the monster's attacks. The tentacles reached a point about a hundred meters above the ground, touched the golden radiance around Artoria, and were flung back or shattered outright. Under the influence of the golden magic, they crumbled to dust.
That dazzling magical power, which completely countered Mysteries, represented Artoria's radiance, King Arthur's radiance, and the power held by the Wielder of the Star Sword.
This was the power Su Yun, representative of the Planetary Will, had bestowed upon Artoria.
And now, the Holy Sword's ultimate battle radiance erupted in full.
It was—
The Noble Phantasm's True Name Release—
"Ex..."
She raised her hand, summoned all her strength, and swung down in a slash!
"calibur!!!"
In an instant, a golden torrent, a pillar of light like a tsunami, erupted from the ground and pierced the heavens. It completely engulfed the enormous Star Corruptor. Its terrifying body, belonging to a high-level Mystery, was utterly reduced to dust by this radiance—the embodiment of the Planetary Will and the planet's fury—without managing even a second of resistance.
The fearsome radiance pierced the heavens and reached outer space.
Seen from space, it looked as if a golden pillar of light had appeared over Earth.
This was the true power of the Sword of Stars!
And it was also...
The undying radiance of the King of Eternity in this world.
Before you continue