This sudden turn of events left everyone present slack-jawed.
The old curator dazedly took off his glasses and wiped them, his face full of disbelief.
What the hell, why did one of my antiques grow legs and run off on its own?!
"That was... King Arthur..."
Mashiro Shiina murmured, trembling uncontrollably as she fell into a daze.
Ever since the Glastonbury incident, she had seen that beautiful light again...
Blooming from a knight's ideals,
Flawless radiance.
Main Text
55. Merlin, the Magus of Flowers, Makes a Stunning Entrance!
Inside the British Museum, the deathly silence was finally shattered by a cry of alarm.
One Brit slapped his forehead, realizing just what kind of earth-shaking event this was.
His eyes instantly bloodshot, he stared fixedly at the old curator and roared himself hoarse, "What are you standing around for?! Report this immediately!!"
"O-Oh... right, right."
The old curator shuddered and swiftly ordered his subordinates to arrange for the museum to close.
Holy shit!
A miracle like this had happened during his tenure. He had no idea whether that was good or bad.
His comfortable retirement might even be gone now.
The blonde girl was blankly ushered out.
She stood amid the crowd outside the museum, looking up at the sky.
She still seemed unable to recover from the sight of the Sword in the Stone tearing through the air and flying away.
Yet she instinctively took out her paintbrush and began drawing. Her pretty face looked especially adorable when she was serious.
Like a girl as dazzling as flying petals.
The tourists around her chattered excitedly, trembling all over, unable to contain their excitement.
They had missed the miracle at Glastonbury last time.
But this time, they had actually been lucky enough to witness the miracle at the British Museum.
The wealthy heiress Sonoko Suzuki stuck out her tongue, looking incomparably excited. With none of a lady's decorum, she clutched her stomach and laughed. "This trip was totally worth it! Hehehe, I'm going to brag to Ran when I get back."
"She'll definitely be jealous that I got to see the Sword in the Stone fly away with my own eyes."
"If only... I could share it with her."
Suddenly, her mood sank a little.
If it were local food, Sonoko could spend money to share it with Ran.
But a miracle related to King Arthur was almost impossible to reproduce.
--
The incident quickly exploded online.
Numerous unedited photos from the British Museum circulated online, instantly throwing the entire world into an uproar. More than a billion people across Earth were stunned, and the world was in an uproar.
This was no joke.
Nor was it an illusion like the Glastonbury incident.
It was a holy sword that truly existed in reality!
Buried within ancient history and submerged by the long passage of time, it had gradually concealed its divine brilliance, a pearl covered in dust. Yet tonight, it bloomed with radiance, illuminating lands thousands of miles away!
Most importantly...
The holy sword was a physical object, which meant it could be obtained, wielded, and used.
Many Brits' eyes burned with fervor, and just thinking about it made their breathing quicken.
That was the legendary "Sword of Selection." King Arthur had become monarch only after pulling it out. If they could gain the Sword in the Stone's recognition in reality, wouldn't that mean they were chosen by fate and had the bearing of a Prime Minister of the Empire of the Sun?
The whole world descended into chaos in an instant.
America, France, the Empire of the Sun... major media outlets scrambled to report on it, afraid they might miss even a sip of the fresh soup. Even the upper echelons of every nation were shaken, and politicians began to covet the holy sword.
That was a path to transcendence.
There was no need to become a vampire, study demon exorcism tirelessly, or undergo cruel human modification. It could allow an ordinary person to ascend to the heavens in an instant.
Countless old monsters lurking in the shadows were alarmed as well.
That sword had actually appeared in the world!!
"Shu, where do you think the Sword in the Stone will fly to? Judging by the direction, it seems to be heading for Japan."
In Tokyo, a blond-haired boy grinned and joked with the companion beside him.
"Maybe it'll fly to me! After all, I have the gentle 'qualities of a king,' hehe."
The brown-haired boy was a little shy. He took small bites of takoyaki and grinned foolishly.
The blond-haired boy curled his lip disdainfully. "No way. If you really have those so-called qualities of a king and get chosen by the Sword in the Stone, I'll chop off the right hand holding the sword, snatch it away, and become king myself!"
"Wow, don't be so cruel, Gai." His companion immediately wailed in complaint.
"I'm just saying."
Amid the blond boy's teasing smile, the two figures gradually walked away.
Very soon.
Led by the Empire of the Sun, supersonic fighter jets were dispatched to track the Sword in the Stone.
A pretty female reporter was even aboard to provide commentary. She trembled with excitement, her face slightly distorted by the powerful airflow.
Not long after, flying ten thousand meters above the vast Pacific Ocean, they discovered that beautiful cluster of "white comet" light. The holy sword also seemed to be flying excitedly toward the Far East.
In an instant.
People from every country watching the live broadcast in front of their televisions erupted!
"The Sword in the Stone!!"
Countless Brits burst into tears and shouted the true name of the miraculous sword.
Many Asians were overjoyed as well. The holy sword was flying toward them.
Could it be that it intended to choose a man in Asia and have him become king of the Empire of the Sun?
But strangely enough,
The ancient, desolate holy sword suddenly stuttered, floating above the Pacific Ocean and stopping in place.
As though it had encountered some roadblock while driving?
No...
That was no obstacle for it. If something blocked its path, it only needed to cut it apart.
The holy sword rose high, like an excited child, instantly releasing snow-white radiance that drowned out everything as it viciously slashed down at the vast Pacific Ocean...
"Hiss~"
Watching this scene, many people felt their hair stand on end as an ominous feeling rose within them.
It was as though some great disaster was about to occur along with the Sword in the Stone's attack.
"Yamete--!!"
Around the world, leaders of countless demon-exorcising organizations suddenly realized what was happening. They all screamed hoarsely in despair, trembling all over.
Damn it!
As the years had passed, that earthshaking event had become so distant that people were nearly forgetting it.
If that terrifying thing was truly released, no number of human lives would be enough to fill the gap!
What are you doing, holy sword?!
Have you already betrayed humanity?
But no matter how unwillingly they roared, it was already too late to stop it.
"Rumble...!!"
The ocean shook madly, erupting with deafening roars. Countless trillions of marine creatures died instantly.
The waters were dyed red with blood, filled with the desperate wails of countless creatures before death.
"W-What is that thing?!"
The female reporter on the fighter jet looked terrified, unable to explain what she was seeing.
On the sea ahead, a gigantic blood-red vortex formed in an instant. Its horrifying suction force swallowed countless aircraft carriers, like a black, bottomless abyss overflowing with a chilling presence...
--
Japan's Disaster Countermeasures Bureau.
"Why is the Black Hole Phenomenon... so huge..."
Isayama Yomina's teeth chattered as her body uncontrollably collapsed into her chair.
Her extensive experience as a Demon Exorcist allowed her to recognize the nature of that thing at a glance.
It was precisely because of that that fear swept through her entire body. A chill rose from her spine straight to the top of her head, leaving her unable to muster even the desire to fight.
A Black Hole Phenomenon was, simply put, a "portal." It could allow all kinds of demons and monsters to cross over. Occasionally, visitors from other worlds would appear too, but 99.99% of the time, vengeful souls and Evil Spirits came rushing out.
The ones she usually dealt with were only a few meters or a dozen meters wide, with the strongest being merely B-Class Evil Spirits.
She had also encountered Black Hole Phenomena dozens of meters wide. Isayama Yomina would lead a team there, and such Black Hole Phenomena usually either released large numbers of low-level Evil Spirits or a terrifying A-Class Evil Spirit. The pressure was enormous.
The larger the Black Hole Phenomenon, the stronger the monsters that could crawl out of it.
That was common knowledge among Demon Exorcists.
And the Black Hole Phenomenon before her was, by rough estimation, at least a thousand meters wide.
Heh heh...
Isayama Yomina suddenly laughed. She slumped onto the sofa like a discarded corpse and gave up completely.
The next instant.
As though confirming her understanding.
Over the Pacific Ocean, a sound like the heavens being torn apart erupted with a thunderous boom.
"Rumble...!!"
A pair of demonic hands reached out from the Black Hole Phenomenon, stirring up towering waves. A terrifying presence ravaged heaven and earth, instantly covering thousands of miles with dark clouds as countless pale bolts of lightning crashed down.
Even ten-thousand-ton aircraft carriers were merely toys before him.
The camera shook violently, the fighter jet fled at top speed, and the young reporter was already too panicked to stand steadily.
If not for the sheer number of viewers watching the livestream, she would have been scared into wetting herself.
Fuck.
What the hell was this thing?!
Deathly silence.
All living beings trembled in fear.