"Holy-type?"
Artoria glanced at the restraints on her body, finding it laughable.
She wasn't an evil monster like an undead or a demon.
Or rather, could Artoria even be considered a monster?
A Star Spirit, symbolizing the will of a planet, is the embodiment of a world.
To define such a being with good and evil was simply too ridiculous.
And because of this, such alignment-targeted spells had almost no effect on Artoria.
Forget it...
However, Artoria did not choose to break free from her shackles.
She raised her head, gazing at the terrifying magic power converging above her.
"Is this your strongest move?"
Artoria looked at Hinata standing in front of her. The latter didn't understand her meaning and explained, "Spirit Particle Collapse, an ultimate technique that strikes at the microscopic level of magicules, completely obliterating them!"
Even a powerful True Demon Lord, if struck directly by this, would still be severely wounded.
Of course, Hinata couldn't use such a move casually.
But this time was different.
Hinata wasn't alone.
Behind her stood the elites of the Temple Knights, and 3,000 Holy Knights.
By pooling everyone's strength...
Let alone one Spirit Particle Collapse, even two or three, Hinata would not feel the slightest fatigue.
Let me see your limits...
To probe Artoria's depths, Hinata immediately brought out her ultimate technique.
In her view...
No matter how strong Artoria was, an attack of this level would inevitably force out some hidden cards.
There was no way she could.
"Nani?"
However, just as Hinata began considering how to force out Artoria's trump card, and thinking about how to continue gathering intelligence afterward...
Artoria did something that left Hinata, and even all the Holy Knights, completely stunned.
The maiden sheathed the King's Sword, then plunged both sword and scabbard into the ground beside her.
The next moment, Artoria slightly spread her arms.
That gesture clearly meant she intended to take Spirit Particle Collapse with her body!
"Hey, hey, you're kidding, right?"
Gerardo of Fire swallowed hard, his voice trembling. "She, she's serious?"
"She's crazy! She's really going to take the Captain's Spirit Particle Collapse with her body!"
"This woman is way too arrogant!"
"She has no idea what the Captain's killing move means!"
"..."
Ignoring the reactions of the Holy Knights, Hinata stared at Artoria and asked, "What exactly do you intend to do?"
"What to do, huh..."
Artoria thought of Rin.
That man really liked doing things like this.
She dared to take Spirit Particle Collapse head-on not because she was arrogant to the point of being contemptuous.
She did this because Artoria had complete confidence.
She didn't fear this so-called Spirit Particle Collapse.
"Have you ever seen despair?"
Artoria smiled. "Next, you will witness what true despair is."
As the blonde female knight's words fell, the Spirit Particle Collapse spell composed of hundreds of magic circles above her head poured down like a waterfall, instantly engulfing Artoria.
Boom!
The thunderous roar, like the angry roar of a god, made the Holy Knights' eardrums ache.
The intense light made it impossible to keep their eyes open. They could only feel endless heat and the aura of death.
Colorful flames slowly blossomed like a beautiful lotus flower.
And in the center of that lotus, a huge black vortex gradually formed, as if a gate to hell was slowly opening.
Black currents surged wildly, sweeping up dust and debris.
The power within the vortex grew stronger and stronger, finally erupting into a destructive blast that turned everything around it into ash.
When the explosion ended, what appeared before everyone's eyes was a world shrouded in deathly silence.
The grassland had vanished. As far as the eye could see, only a massive crater thousands of meters in diameter remained, surrounded by scorched, barren earth.
This was Hinata's ultimate technique, the terrifying destructive power of Spirit Particle Collapse.
One must know, Spirit Particle Collapse could even kill a Demon Lord.
As for Artoria...
"!!!"
The smoke dispersed, revealing the center of the meteorite crater—and that figure, still radiant and without the slightest damage or stain on her body.
At this moment, even with Hinata's composure, only one thought remained in her mind.
This is impossible!
"No, no way..."
"She, she actually, actually really..."
"What a joke. How can such a monster exist!"
"That... that was the Captain's Spirit Particle Collapse!"
"..."
Hinata was the spiritual pillar of the Holy Knights, their idol.
They worshipped her.
Her personality, strength, will, and ideals captivated the Knights.
However, Hinata Sakaguchi, the mythical strongest human combatant, was now defeated by Artoria.
Her once-invincible Spirit Particle Collapse...
Didn't even have the qualifications to break through Artoria's defense.
"She really did it."
Hinata possessed two Unique Skills: [Usurper] and [Mathematician].
The former had already been mentioned.
As for [Mathematician], it was similar to [Great Sage], granting Hinata computational power and information-gathering ability far beyond ordinary people.
In Hinata's perception, Artoria had used no tricks.
Just as she said, she intended to make Hinata feel despair.
Facing Spirit Particle Collapse directly, without using Unique Skills or Ultimate Skills...
She completely nullified Hinata's fatal strike with the sheer strength of her body and her overwhelming magicules.
The body enhancement brought about by 8 million Magicules Solidification was monstrous.
Not to mention, Artoria also possessed protections such as Eternal Shield, Avalon, and a Demon Lord's Domain.
Of course, Artoria didn't use Avalon or anything similar.
She didn't like that move. It was too unfair.
"Do you understand?"
Artoria flashed, appearing directly in front of Hinata. "This is the huge gap between you and me."
"You cannot defeat me."
"Even if we continue to fight, the outcome will not change."
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)