Chapter 30: The Knight's Final Journey
When the massive dark shadow surfaced from beneath the water, the White Knight Lancelot was already prepared to strike. Despite it being a mere silhouette, he had already recognized it as an Authority belonging to his old rival, Alexander.
But at that exact moment, the Magic Sphere that had been restraining him stopped its output of cursed power as if by appointment. Suddenly, the divine horse—which had been straining with all its might to break free from the gravitational pull—toppled forward. This not only broke the White Knight's offensive stance but exposed a glaringly obvious opening.
"Alexander!"
The knight only had time to utter the name of the perpetrator before the underwater shadow burst from the surface with a grace completely disproportionate to its size.
It had white wings on its back. In profile, it appeared to be a mature, seductive woman; below the waist was the body of a serpent, but the tail was that of a fish. The angle made it impossible for both Lancelot and Hikigaya to see its face clearly. In an instant, it swept past Lancelot like the wind, snatched the Queen of Witches, and vanished toward the horizon at an even greater speed.
The last thing Lancelot and Hikigaya saw of her was the witch kicking her legs and reaching out her arms in mid-air, looking for all the world like a little girl being forcibly abducted.
Out of respect for his opponent, Hikigaya managed not to laugh.
However, Lancelot did not seem to accept this courtesy. Having regained his freedom after the Magic Sphere vanished, he leveled his spear point at Hikigaya. "It seems the Kings of the Earth in this era have truly fallen into depravity."
To this criticism from a god, Hikigaya expressed zero anger—after all, he wasn't the one being insulted.
"I didn't do it," he said, and then began to manifest the might of the Wind God.
Pitch-black clouds completely blanketed the sea. Wild winds churned the surface, kicking up waves as tall as skyscrapers, but it was not darkness that controlled the sky; heavenly fire brought by the divine wind illuminated the firmament.
Under this force, Lancelot appeared somewhat unable to cope. The divine horse beneath him was tossed up and down by Hikigaya's gales, nearly being smashed into the sea by a massive wave. As the heavenly fire fell like rain, the beast let out pained neighs, surviving only because its master protected it.
Hikigaya had once speculated that Heretic Gods were projections of higher-dimensional life into this world, but the scene before him made that theory seem imprecise. The form before him was much more in line with the literal definition of a "projection."
Viewed in this light, the deity in this state was fragile—if before it was steel, now it was ceramic. For a Campione like Hikigaya who excelled in natural forces, a god in this state was no different from a Divine Beast; a single hit could potentially result in an instant kill. Had Lancelot not held the remains of the "Steel of Salvation," the end of his journey would have arrived just moments ago.
"So, you really aren't a God right now." Hikigaya looked at the fragile state revealed by his opponent, and the doubt in his heart was resolved. "What a peculiar spell. I'm truly curious who invented it—allowing you to manifest in this world as a sort of projection."
However, Lancelot had no intention of answering. He persistently evaded the attacks of fire and waves, closing in on Hikigaya with a steady gaze and a firm grip on his spear. His determination to land a hit was palpable.
But Hikigaya figured that if he let that happen, he shouldn't be a Campione anymore.
The winds surrounding Lancelot began to shift. The chaotic air became orderly, coiling around Lancelot like ropes to bind his movements. Then, Hikigaya pressed his palms together. Two hurricanes manifested between the sea and the sky, pulling along giant waves and fire clouds as they collided with Lancelot.
It was a strange sight because, compared to these two hurricanes, Lancelot was as insignificant as an ant. Yet the contact produced the effect of a massive impact. The hurricanes collapsed under the force; the heavenly fire and seawater were detonated layer by layer, forming a terrifying Great Maelstrom that sucked in everything nearby.
Yet, in just a few breaths, a beam of light fought its way out—it was the tip of Lancelot's spear, powered by the King of the End.
"A formidable foe indeed," Hikigaya praised. He reached out and snatched an ancient long blade into his hand. He swung it in a backhand strike.
It was as if he had cleaved heaven and earth apart.
The divine wind, the sea, and the heavenly fire were all split. Lancelot's "speed" was severed, and the white horse carrying him was slain before it could even whimper. Everything material, immaterial, and conceptual was cut. Only one thing remained uncut: Lancelot's weapon, his spearhead—the remains of the King of the End's weapon—which still shone with divine light.
Hikigaya's gaze swept past the divine light and landed back on Lancelot. He was somewhat stunned.
The thick armor that had previously encased the opponent had been completely destroyed and decomposed at a material level, revealing the true form beneath. It was the mature, flawless body of a woman. Her chest was very full, her figure tall, and her honey-colored hair danced in the wild wind, revealing a beautiful face.
Hikigaya felt he had been deceived by the Holy Grail legends again.
'You're telling me this is Lancelot? Her chest is probably bigger than the Queen's.'
While he was thinking this, Lancelot—having regained her "speed"—charged forward, delivering a textbook spear thrust. Hikigaya sidestepped slightly, parried the spear with a single stroke, and then proceeded to trade a series of rapid blows with her.
This was a disaster for Tokyo Bay. While Hikigaya was clashing here, the coastal areas of Tokyo Bay were nearly subjected to the equivalent of a Dragon King running wild. But even Hikigaya couldn't control that; a god is a god. Even in a projected state, while a Campione might judge them as no stronger than a Divine Beast, to humans, they were still a city-level disaster.
For Hikigaya, his pressure tolerance was excellent; he even felt that without using his Authorities, he could "influence" her to go home with pure physical force. A god's projection was simply too heavily countered by a Campione who wielded natural forces.
As ten minutes passed, even with the divine sword remains, Lancelot began to look ragged under the assault of Hikigaya's Wind God Sword. Her figure even began to turn hazy. If not for the divine sword remains seemingly starting to feed back into her, she would have been slain by Hikigaya already.
A god's appearance was never a reason for a Campione to stay their hand. After all, no matter how pretty a doll is, even if it has a heating function, it's still just a doll.
For Hikigaya, he had already fully experienced the power of the god's projection; the remains of the divine sword were now what he was most interested in. Thus, after a few more exchanges, relying on his superior strength, he successfully broke through Lancelot's defense. He gripped the spear shaft with one hand and smoothly plunged the Wind God Sword into Lancelot's body with the other.
In the next moment, the power of the Authority he had imbued into the sword was completely released. Destructive force burst from within Lancelot's body, tearing her apart.
No dragon bones or "Angel's Remains" were left behind. Once the god's projection lost the form it relied on to exist, it dissipated completely. Hikigaya's final image of Lancelot was her expression of slight regret before she vanished.
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