Tokyo Bay, Japan. Guinevere had already followed the sensation and arrived at this island.
The moment she set foot on this land, the legend of the name Guinevere let her know. This was likely Avalon, the fabled Blessed Isle.
The island was covered in jagged rocks. From a distance, one couldn't see any green or earth tones at all—only black rock walls, rock beds, and reefs. It was truly an islet of nothing but stone.
What surprised her was that this area was also covered by the Authority of the Great Labyrinth. And yet in London, Alexander was using this same Authority in another location.
But what truly captured her gaze was a broken blade floating in the very center of the island.
As an Earth Mother God who had once been slain by it, Guinevere could never mistake it. That was the symbol of the Last King, the Divine Sword of Salvation that annihilates Demon Kings.
The Divine Sword of Salvation is here, so... where is the Last King?
Guinevere could no longer suppress her instinctual drive. If she could only obtain this Divine Sword of Salvation, she could awaken the Last King. But the instant she drew near, a figure in a trench coat and top hat appeared, blocking the path between her and the sword.
"...Black Prince." A cold light flickered in Guinevere's eyes. "This is no time to be entangled with you. Please, step aside!"
"I'm afraid I can't do that. I used this divine instrument to make Avalon surface for the very purpose of luring you here." Alexander revealed a triumphant smile. "Even without the Great Labyrinth, you are now unable to resist the instinctual impulse of a Divine Ancestor who was slain by the Divine Sword of Salvation, are you?"
Guinevere could not refute him. From her soul to her flesh, every one of her cells was sending her the same message: take the Divine Sword of Salvation and awaken the Last King.
"What I do not understand is how you managed to find Avalon when even I could not, let alone lay such a trap."
"It wasn't so difficult. I specialize in piecing together the truth from fragmented information. I knew long ago that after slaying the Demon King, the Last King traveled to the far East to slumber. The place he chose was this far-eastern island nation. Unfortunately, in Japan, there are ancient guardians—centered around the hero god Susanoo—who saw the Last King as a dangerous entity. They used some kind of esoteric ritual to sink the island into the sea, and the key to this spell was the Ame-no-numahoko."
—Ame-no-numahoko, a name shared with the divine instrument that created the Japanese archipelago.
Alexander held his cane with the elegant posture of a gentleman holding a walking stick.
"And you, then, discovered how to use this spear to make the island surface again. Am I wrong?"
"...You are quite sharp. While not entirely the correct answer, you have brushed against the outline of the truth."
Alexander looked on with admiration, as if at a star student, but at the same time, an undisguised killing intent flowed from his eyes.
"You troublesome woman, you owe me several debts, some of which are so great that even marring the Holy Grail would not quell the rage in my heart. It's about time I settled the score with you. Right now, the War God Lancelot, who protects the witch, cannot break through the labyrinth to reach this place. And your adopted son—or perhaps younger brother—Saint Seiya, has now been trapped on another island I created with this divine instrument. On that island, there will naturally be an opponent worthy of him."
Guinevere could no longer restrain her instinctual impulse and rushed towards the Divine Sword of Salvation. Seeing this, Alexander smiled as he manifested his strongest form, his true body of lightning.
The Divine Ancestor Guinevere was an immortal witch, but she was not indestructible.
In her pursuit of the ultimate [Steel], she would die an untimely death before achieving her goal, reincarnate, and then continue her search. It was a compulsion akin to a curse, making her a tragic figure in a sense.
"Now, return completely to myth, Guinevere!"
London, England.
By the time Seiya arrived at the island that had manifested in the London sky, the surrounding space had sealed itself off. It even encompassed the sky within its domain, becoming a demonic borderland completely independent from the real world.
But Seiya paid no mind to the obvious trap. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, on the Golden Cauldron that had manifested above a pool in the island's center.
"Oh, a Holy Grail. Time to break my Spirit Origin's limit," Seiya muttered, speaking words that made no sense.
The Holy Grail before him was naturally different from the wish-granting machine from the moon next door. Many legends believed that if one could find this Grail and drink the water it held, they would regain their youth, return from death, and obtain eternal life.
But Seiya couldn't tell if the one before him was genuine or a fake. However, his arrival seemed to have triggered some mechanism. The overflowing spiritual power connected with a ritual long-since arranged in this space, awakening that legendary eternal king.
"Don't I need to chant some spell? Something like 'Let silver and steel be the essence. Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation'?"
A magnificent form was woven from the intersecting golden spiritual light. Seiya narrowed his eyes; he could faintly make out human figures within the light.
There was more than one figure.
It was a truly unbelievable sight. In the span of a few seconds, in a space where time itself seemed to stand still, several of the multiple figures knelt on the spot—
Finally, a figure with an exceptionally vivid presence appeared.
When the light gradually dimmed, the multiple figures had vanished without a trace, leaving only the last, most vivid character on the scene. It was a young, blond man, his body wrapped in solemn attire. Though handsome, his eyes shone with the fierce glint of a beast.
"I ask of you, are you the God-Slaying Beast who stands as my enemy?" the descended blond man announced in a clear voice.
Heretic King Arthur had descended upon this world. But what surprised him was that the God-Slaying Beast before him, his fated enemy, wore a look of disappointment.
"I thought it might be Saber. If not, then there's nothing more to say."
Although he didn't understand the meaning behind his fated enemy's words, judging from their literal sense, it seemed he was not the person his opponent had been hoping for. But before he could ponder it further, an intense sense of crisis enveloped his entire body.
"Pegasus Meteor Fist!"
—
For the residents of London, the island that had been floating in the clouds like a mirage vanished, only for a blinding light to bloom in the sky immediately after.
For the magicians gathered there, especially those of the Royal Factory and the Witenagemot, they suddenly found the restraints placed upon them instantly released, their freedom restored.
And they, of course, could recognize the island overhead, as well as the space that had been resealed.
"It's Alexander's labyrinth!" the Ice Baron took a deep breath.
—The Authority, the Great Labyrinth.
It was the Authority Alexander Gascoigne had usurped from Minos, the god of the earth and labyrinth in Cretan legend.
It creates vast labyrinths underground and within buildings. The sky and sea can also be targeted, establishing a demonic labyrinth borderland independent of the mortal realm.
"But according to our intelligence, an island and a Great Labyrinth have also appeared in Tokyo Bay, Japan. Which one is real?"
"Probably both are real. Although the conditions for using this Authority are extremely strict, a month has passed. Alexander has had plenty of time and labor to construct two labyrinths," said Princess Alice.
"In that case, Alexander must be in Tokyo Bay hunting the sealed Divine Ancestor Guinevere. If so, Lord Seiya should be fine, right?"
At that moment, Alice suddenly looked at the Ice Baron in horror. At almost the same instant, the Ice Baron looked back at her with the same expression. The Authority of Love had been lifted, yet they instinctively began to worry for Seiya's safety.
And this effect was a side effect that Stella had not told Seiya about. Perhaps to Stella, having everyone fall in love with oneself wasn't a bad thing at all.
At this moment, the island in the sky was shattering. Within the raging torrent of elements, even the ever-victorious Golden Sword dimmed.
Yet Seiya's fist still hadn't shattered King Arthur's body, because the mere distance of a few centimeters was as remote as two separate worlds.
—The Authority of Avalon, the ever-distant utopia.
This paradise from Welsh mythology was protecting King Arthur's final moments.
Avalon is another name for the paradise in Welsh mythology, also known as the "Isle of the Blessed" or the "Fortunate Isle." According to legend, Avalon is King Arthur's final resting place, a paradise in the Otherworld where time and age do not exist, and nothing ever grows old.
"Your fist may be indestructible, but it is meaningless against Avalon, which can never be reached."
King Arthur once again condensed the brilliantly shining Golden Sword in his hand. Light gathered, light surged, and with a resonant declaration,
"My name is Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot... Now, I swear by this sword that I shall obtain victory!"
Words are power. The Golden Sword revealed its divine form amidst the swirling elemental storm. The blade shone with a golden light, illuminating the surrounding darkness as if celebrating a promised victory.
Around him, the phantoms that had appeared with him upon his descent manifested once more—the Knights of the Round Table.
The one-armed Bedivere, Galahad who carried the Round Table, the handsome Sir Gawain... the rebellious Mordred. Before the host of knights, the Holy Sword they all revered felt like gazing upon the morning light after a long night, gently wiping away the anxiety and unease deeply rooted in one's heart.
Yes, this light was the ideal of all knights.
It was the crystallization of all the dreams envisioned by those who had faded into the light. Even on blood-soaked battlefields, dying violently in the ultimate hell of death and despair, they still sang praises to the nobility of humanity.
But a terrifying cracking sound echoed all around, shaking the entire demonic labyrinth borderland, as if resisting this will of hope—no, as if contending with the entire world.
"A very nice Authority. You've impressed me, King Arthur!" The corners of Seiya's mouth turned up. He had thought the battle would end quickly, but the current situation was even more to his liking.
Because the stronger the opponent's Authority, the more brilliant its light, the more powerful the Authority he would usurp from him.
Facing this light of chivalry, a power that shook the entire demonic labyrinth borderland surged around Seiya. The God Cloth instantly clad his body, infused with a vast Cosmo to counter the ever-growing power of the Golden Sword.
The ever-distant utopia didn't matter, nor did the space-sealing Great Labyrinth.
Even if separated by an infinite distance, he would simply shatter the very space before him. The power of his Cosmo crushed the labyrinth's domain, and a sacred solar corona manifested behind Seiya.
"Bid farewell to your destiny, King Arthur."
King Arthur focused all his strength into the arms gripping the hilt and raised the Golden Sword high.
The light continued to gather. Blinding rays converged one after another, as if it were their supreme duty to illuminate this peerless holy sword and adorn it with the most dazzling brilliance. They transformed that will into a glorious revelation, a reminder to uphold faith and justice. At this moment, the ever-victorious king loudly proclaimed the true name of the miracle in his hands.
That is—Excalibur.
"Sword of Promised Victory!!!"
And at almost the exact same moment, Seiya thrust his fist forward.
"—Pegasus Meteor Fist!"
The light of hope was instantly devoured by the divine light of Pegasus, but this light did not stop. It twisted the atmosphere, shattered space, and in the mere moment of its descent, completely destroyed the demonic labyrinth borderland before them.
That light even broke through the distance of space to reach King Arthur.
Upon this planet, the whole of Britain could see the starlight that pierced the heavens. Every magician who witnessed this light felt an involuntary joy well up from the bottom of their hearts.
The seventh Godslayer, Saint Seiya, has slain the Heretic King Arthur.
At this moment, far away in Tokyo Bay, Japan, Alexander, on his floating island, instantly sensed that his Great Labyrinth had been destroyed.
A look of astonishment crossed his face.
He had experimented before; not even the Erinyes could break free from the labyrinth's seal. If the Saint from the Far East could break through the Great Labyrinth in London, then what about the one in Tokyo Bay?
The moment this thought occurred to him, he felt a magnificent aura distort the atmosphere and shatter the space outside.
"...Saint Seiya!" Alexander watched the figure descending from the sky, his expression grave.
"Did you use Verethragna's Strong Wind to cross the labyrinth's restraints?"
Seiya, floating above the sky island, looked momentarily stunned. The punch had been so smooth that he himself had forgotten he also had the Strong Wind Authority to cross distances. But then he looked at the white dragon nailed beneath the Divine Sword of Salvation in the center of the island.
Although he had never seen this species of dragon before, her familiar aura allowed Seiya to recognize her identity. It was Guinevere, but her divine essence was already shattered.
"What a pity. You're too late, Saint."
______
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