Holy Lance, Weigh Anchor!

She quickly took a few steps back, clutching her chest, blood slowly seeping from between her fingers.

She glanced at the person who had attacked her.

Kuro looked up at the sky, put his hands behind his head, whistled, and had an expression that said, "It's none of my business."

The Magecraft was interrupted, the Mystic Eyes was stopped, and Hephaestion gritted his teeth, his eyes turning crazed.

"Even if our My King is no longer here, what right does a mere soldier who has been currying favor with him for half a month have to follow him and become his subject!"

Hephaestion screamed at the top of her lungs, her eyes wide and her face contorted.

"He's still here."

Waver's voice was sincere; he was responding to Hephaestion's words, and also to his own heart.

"He has never disappeared. Even if the country created by the great king is divided, the general dies, or is even forgotten by everyone."

"Even if it is erased from history, its significance will never disappear."

"That's why I'm here now!"

"That's sophistry!" Hephaestion shouted.

The sword in her hand emitted a sharp sound, and then she swung it heavily, tearing the void apart.

Hephaestion finally summoned his Noble Phantasm.

A chariot, its imposing form revealed amidst dark clouds, shattered the void with lightning-fast hooves. The bone dragon pulling the chariot raged, as if determined to tear apart all its enemies.

Ionioi Hetairoi!

With a relaxed smile, Hartless boarded the chariot and stood shoulder to shoulder with Hephaestion.

"Are they going to run away again?!"

The children glared at each other, still remembering the time Hephaestion had escaped them.

However, Hephaestion flicked the reins, and the chariot sped off, tracing an arc.

This direction...

She wasn't trying to run away; her goal remained Waver!

Mash held her shield up in front of Yuxian, bracing herself for the impact.

Yuxian patted her shoulder from behind, and when Mash turned around, he gestured for Mash to look in the other direction.

Mash looked in the direction Yuxian pointed, and she immediately realized that her actions were unnecessary.

A massive amount of magic is gathering around Gretel, and she is about to unleash the weapon in her hand.

Mash knew very well what weapon Gretel was holding.

That was a true Divine Construct, the Holy Lance, Rhongomyniad.

Even the Ionioi Hetairoi of the King of Conquerors would be no match for the Holy Lance.

"My loyalty is with the King! At this moment, lend me the name of Thunder!"

True Name Release.

The chariot soaring through the sky drew a graceful arc, like a rainbow.

Hephaestion on the chariot whispered, his voice very soft, more like a murmur.

"If... if we hadn't died in that place... we wouldn't have split apart...!"

No one heard her words, not even Hartless, who was standing right next to her.

Not to mention Waver, who was even further away.

Chapter 20, Section 241: The Holy Lance, Pull the Anchors!

"Gray... Rave... Crave... Deprave..."

Gretel chanted the incantation softly, her mind completely focused.

She felt as if she were inside a sophisticated machine, and she was a cog in it, moving along with it.

"Grαve (engrave)... me (for me)..."

As it unfolds, Yad disintegrates from the form of the Scythe of Death, transforming into a pillar of light.

Mash walked quietly behind her and placed her hand on her shoulder.

"You are Gretel, and you will always be Gretel."

"Unlock its limitations; you need it now."

(It's Mash, her voice is so gentle, but I can almost see the indomitable spirit within her...)

"Gretel, listen to her. She's connected with the Holy Lance; she's someone with a destiny to the Holy Lance!"

Yad's voice entered Gretel's mind.

"Ahhh! The perfect knight! She is that one!"

Yad then shouted in surprise.

"Simulated personality halted. Magic collection rate exceeded the limit. Begin removing the second stage restrictions."

Yad's voice disappeared, and the system switched to automatic voice.

Gretel didn't understand who the person Yad was talking about was, but she could sense Mash's gentleness and resilience.

(I will protect everyone!)

As Gretel reaffirmed her resolve, the automated voice sounded again.

"Seal Thirteen!"

"Discussion Start!"

The automated voice reminded Gretel of the legend of the Holy Lance.

When humanity ascended to the throne of the most intelligent beings, the original mystery came to an end.

Instead, the planet was enveloped by a fabric called "the laws of physics," which is most suitable for humans, and to maintain this thin fabric, several anchors were placed in the earth.

And the Holy Lance, Rhongomyniad is one of them.

The anchor, created to maintain the world, was given to the King of Knights and unknowingly placed under a seal established by the King and the twelve Knights of the Round Table.

In other words, the Thirteen Restraints that restrict the power of the Holy Lance.

The true Holy Lance can only be unleashed under circumstances where multiple honors and missions can be achieved.

The fully unleashed Holy Lance, Rhongomyniad is unparalleled in power, but the conditions for its release are extremely demanding.

The number of resolutions required for complete liberation is seven.

Now, let's begin the Round Table discussion!

"This is not a battle against the elves. — Approved, Lancelot."

"This is a battle against someone stronger than oneself. — Acknowledgement, Bedivere."

"This is the fight for survival. — Acknowledgement, Kay."

"This is a battle that does not violate humanity. — Approved, Gaharis."

"This is the fight for the truth. — Acknowledgement, Agravain."

Only five, less than half.

Gretel was resolute, convinced that she had enough to handle the battle at hand.

At this moment, another voice rang out. Unlike the previous one, this voice was much closer to her and came from Mash behind her.

"This is a fight not for personal gain. —Acknowledgement, Galahad."

(Galahad, the perfect knight, so this is Mash's true identity?)

(She is supporting me and encouraging me.)

Gretel didn't have time to think things through; she had to defeat the enemy before her.

The Holy Lance was freed from its six restraints and burst forth with a light never before seen.

"Begin lifting the third phase of restrictions."

Accompanied by the new automated voice, Gretel, in a trance-like state, chanted the final incantation.

"Grαve (grave digging)... for you..."

Gretel slowly raised the Holy Lance.

"Ancient mystery, perish!"

"Naive riddles, let them all vanish into nothingness!"

The holy lance in her hand emitted a dazzling light, igniting the passion within her.

"Holy Lance, pull anchor!"

Her voice was loud but hoarse.

In the distance, Hephaestion towards them, reins in hand.

"Ride, Hecatic Wheel!"

The chariot turned its back to the moonlight and transformed into a shooting star.

Surrounded by lightning, a menacing beam of starlight.

The chariot was already close by, and the intense light of the lightning made it seem as if the eyes were being burned.

As if in response, the holy lance in Gretel's hand converged into an even purer light.

The light, excessively constricted to its limit, pulsed, as if it would erupt into chaos at any moment.

Gretel used all her strength to scream at the top of her lungs.

"Rhongomyniad —!!!"

[Rhongomyniad (Rhongomyniad)]

The light streamed towards the sky, casting a straight line that annihilated all matter in its path.

A star-like brilliance shines across the world!

Compared to Hephaestion's madness, Hartless was very calm.

Faced with the brilliance of the Holy Lance, he chose to retreat without hesitation.

He unleashed Magecraft he had prepared beforehand, attempting to lead Hephaestion away from the Holy Lance's attack range and escape this place.

However...

He was stunned. The Magecraft hadn't been activated, and they were still on the line of attack for the Holy Lance.

Hartless quickly turned his gaze to Yuxian, the only possibility he could think of.

The last thing he saw was Yuxian's calm face, looking at him indifferently.

It's as if it's saying, "Since you're not leaving, then stay here forever..."

Hartless smiled faintly as the Holy Lance's attack instantly engulfed his body. With that dazzling light, he vanished completely into the sky, leaving no trace.

Yuxian gently shook his head. Why bother?

He certainly wouldn't let Hartless escape again; just now, everything here had been isolated from the outside world.

Hartless's abilities are insufficient to escape the barrier of the Gretel rhyme.

He could only die on the spot in bitterness.