Fantasy Library.

Chapter 378 "The Last King"

Nikko City, Nantai Mountain.

This is the sacred body of Futarazan Shrine, a representative mountain of Nikko at an altitude of 2484 meters, and an object of worship for many people.

Legend has it that Mount Nantai was founded by the monk Kōdō in 782. Later, Nikko developed into a sacred site of mountain religion centered around this mountain, and it is still worshipped by people to this day.

On this mountain, you can not only see the beautiful scenery of Lake Chuzenji and the surrounding mountains, but also enjoy the views of Mount Oze, Mount Taishaku, and even Mount Fuji. In summer, the plants here bloom with beautiful flowers, allowing hikers to enjoy them to their heart's content during the climb.

At the summit of this mountain, there are the Okumiya and Torii gates, where the Ōkami of Futarayama is enshrined.

At that moment, a beautiful girl stood there, on the edge of the mountaintop.

She was a beautiful blonde girl, as cute as a classic porcelain doll, who looked to be around twelve or thirteen years old.

Although the girl is young, she has an indescribable mature charm and bewitching beauty. If a witch with extremely strong intuition were to see her here, she would surely feel as if she were seeing her ancestor, seeing the ancient source of her bloodline, and perceiving the mystery hidden beneath her youthful appearance.

A young girl stood facing the wind, holding a heavy, round medal in her hand.

It was a disc made of gold and iron, about the size of a girl's fist, with words reminiscent of a "sword" and circular reliefs engraved on it.

Holding the fist-sized disc, the girl felt its power being activated while uttering words filled with deep disappointment.

"The Great Sage has been defeated. His 'steel' is about to be absorbed by the Arrowhead Disc. It seems he is not the king we have been searching for."

The disappointment in the girl's voice was so intense that it made her feel sorry for her.

Clearly, confirming this was a huge blow to the girl.

A voice then rang in the girl's mind, engaging in a dialogue with her.

"The result was as expected."

The voice, seemingly emanating from water, a mirror, or mist, echoed in the girl's mind without any sense of reality.

"My lord is the strongest steel in this world, and the last steel. He is the steel of steel, the king of kings. His role as a sword god is more prominent than that of any other god."

"Although that Monkey King was also a great hero who stood tall and upright, and was the steel god of the Chinese land, his divine personality was too complicated."

"That was originally a god far inferior to our Lord, so this outcome is not surprising."

The distorted sound was as calm as still water, yet it still made the girl reveal an expression of unwillingness.

"That being said, my uncle and I have searched all over the world, but to no avail. This land in the far east can be said to be our last hope."

"Uncle must have seen that too, right?"

"The ancient covenant law that can defeat the Demon King and save the world—that is the greatest privilege possessed by my lord… the hero born in accordance with destiny, the final king, the strongest steel!"

No one knows just how excited the girl was when she saw Sun Wukong use that privilege.

She had been searching for the king she served for a very, very long time, so long that sometimes she could hardly remember how many years she had been wandering the earth.

When she saw Sun Wukong use the Covenant Technique, the girl thought she had finally gotten what she wanted and found the king she was loyal to. Little did she know that he would be easily killed by a new king...

This could never be the king I've been searching for.

"The Monkey King has done his best, but that god-slayer is just too powerful."

The voices in the girl's mind began to ripple.

"The fact that he was able to activate that ancient covenant law without being a hero born to obey fate, even if it was incomplete, is enough to prove his strength and bravery."

"If it were an ordinary god-slayer, facing the Steel Sword God who had activated the Covenant Law, there would only be one way to defeat him."

“But that person is clearly special. It’s abnormal that he was able to trigger the ancient covenant in a one-on-one fight.”

Upon hearing this, the girl let out a soft sigh.

"But He is not the king we have been searching for. Our trip has been in vain."

However, the voice in the girl's mind refuted this.

"Although the Monkey King is not the king we seek, obtaining His 'steel' here as a reserve makes the trip worthwhile."

"Besides, the fact that the Monkey King is not our target does not mean that we have come to the wrong place."

"Led by the hero Susanoo, the superhumans who followed him to the Netherworld are the culprits who transformed the Steel of Disobedience into the Sword of National Protection...right?"

Upon hearing this, the girl was taken aback at first, then her eyes lit up.

"Yes! Those ancient beings used a Chinese incantation called Bi Ma Wen to bind the Great Sage Equaling Heaven to the Western Heaven Palace, and used that ape god to kill the dragons and snakes that appeared on this land, in order to consolidate this kingdom."

"The Dragon-Snake Sealing Great Spell, which even the Great Sage Equal to Heaven can utilize... why go to all this trouble?"

"Is the manifestation of dragons and serpents something forbidden for this land?"

Using God's power to fight against God in order to protect the country and the land is perfectly justifiable.

But why target only dragons and snakes?
Wouldn't the appearance of another God on this earth bring serious consequences?
Of course not!
Therefore, this great spell, which is only designed for dragons and snakes, must have a deeper meaning!
"I understand, Uncle!"

The girl seemed to have figured it out, clapped her hands happily, and cheered.

"Those ancient people were worried that the appearance of the dragon and serpent would stimulate the God of Steel... and disturb the slumber of the strongest steel!"

"If an excessively powerful dragon-serpent godhead appears on this land, its aura may awaken the steel godhead that is dormant here!"

"There must exist an extremely powerful Steel God on this land, a Steel God far more powerful than the Kusanagi Sword, Susanoo, or the Monkey King!"

Only in this way can we explain why those ancient inhabitants of the underworld were so worried about the appearance of dragons and snakes.

"Besides my uncle, the only other Steel Sword God who can be stronger than these are my lords!"

"Therefore... our lord must be on this very land!"

"Is that so, Uncle?"

The girl spoke with joy and anticipation, only to be met with a faint smile from the voice in her mind.

"It was just a flash of inspiration for me that I thought it was possible. As for whether it is true or not, you have to find the answer yourself."

He was a pure warrior, pure steel, not some being who played with wisdom.

Galloping across the plains, wielding his spear with abandon, cherishing and protecting women—this is His true desire.

Everything else is merely trivial matters unrelated to Him, all of which contribute to His dullness and weakness.

It is quite remarkable that He, who could only survive on the battlefield, could think of these things while adhering to such a thorough warrior's creed.

“I understand, Uncle. This is my mission.” The girl did not feel dissatisfied; instead, she smiled broadly.

"There's no time to lose, I'll launch an investigation into this country immediately."

However, the girl had barely finished speaking when the voice in her mind immediately appeared.

"No, trouble has come knocking, we can't leave."

These words caused the girl's smile to freeze.

The next second, the girl suddenly raised her head and looked up at the sky.

There, a figure appeared out of nowhere.

"Shh!"

As if teleporting, the person appeared suddenly on the mountain with nimble steps, landing behind the girl.

"So it was you, who was up to these petty tricks behind the scenes?"

The girl had never heard or seen this voice before.

At least, she had never heard of it or seen it in person.

But she knew who the voice belonged to.

There was nothing she could do; just moments before, right under her nose, the other party had personally slain a powerful Steel Sword God.

"...My apologies, Lord Divine Artifact King."

The girl's body stiffened for a moment, then she turned around, lifted her skirt, and bowed to the person behind her.

Please forgive me for not being able to send my greetings sooner.

Their impeccable manners, elegant voice, and graceful posture all demonstrated their good upbringing and maturity that belied their age.

Aize gave the other person a deep look, then his gaze was drawn to the disc in the other person's hand.

"So, you used this to try and steal my loot?"

Aize's eyes flashed with golden light as he saw through the true nature of the disc.

"This is the King's Arrowhead, also known as the Arrowhead Disc. It is a treasure secretly passed down from generation to generation by the Demon Queen. It is also a container that stores the power summoned by the Sword God and can store the power of the deceased Sword God as combat power."

The girl showed no remorse for stealing someone else's spoils, and smiled and introduced them generously.

"The Witch Queen?" Aize seemed to stop pursuing the matter, saying calmly, "So, you are a witch?"

“Indeed.” The girl bowed to Aize again and said, “My name is Guinevere, the Queen of Witches, and the current ancestor of gods.”

Divine Ancestor.

This is the final fate of the Earth Mother Goddess, whose life was taken by the strongest steel, the last king, and the hero who slew the Demon King.

The earth goddesses who perished under the hero's blade would be reborn as divine ancestors, and would worship him as their master and king.

They are beings who transcend humanity, whose power is less than that of the gods, yet possess extremely high spiritual vision, and whose ability to weave magic is as natural as a gesture.

They have no memories of their existence as goddesses, but as reincarnated descendants of the serpent god and witches who surpass human intelligence, their power is far beyond that of ordinary humans. They are definitely on par with divine beasts, demigods, and holy knights.

but……

“Guinevere?” Aize said with a half-smile, “Her origins are quite obvious.”

She is the legendary wife of King Arthur, one of the central figures who caused Lancelot, a knight of the Round Table, to fall in love with her, thus breaking with King Arthur, leading to the disintegration of the Round Table and the destruction of Britain.

In this world, Guinevere is the ancient Earth Mother Goddess, a serpent goddess who was slain by a hero born in accordance with destiny.

Since the god-ancestor before us claims to be Guinevere, then he is undoubtedly the reincarnation of the murdered Earth Mother Goddess Guinevere.

"The Steel Sword Gods are clearly enemies of the Earth Mother Goddess, yet you, the reincarnation of the Earth Mother Goddess, serve the strongest Steel God. I really don't know how you dare to openly state your name."

Aize's words made Guinevere look at him.

"So you knew of my Lord's existence?"

Guinevere seemed somewhat surprised.

“Of course,” Aize said calmly. “Didn’t that monkey say that in the covenant of the ancient gods, there is a special group of steel sword gods who can use the covenant they made to obtain power from the heavens and the stars enough to kill the demon king and destroy us god-slayers?”

"Among these special steel sword gods, there is one who is a hero born to slay the Demon King."

"He is the strongest steel, and the last king who appeared on earth in legend."

It is said that as long as this last king appears on earth, many lives will be born to meet their destiny.

At that time, strong winds will blow, the ocean and the land will evaporate, volcanoes will erupt, the heavens and earth will shake, and many things and lives will come to an end.

His power surpasses that of all the god-slayers on earth combined, for He is a hero born in accordance with destiny. When He is at his peak, He will naturally activate the Covenant Law, and His power will increase with the number of god-slayers in the world.

Even if defeated by the Godslayer, it will transform into a divine blade and lie dormant, resurrecting in a few months to a few years.

As long as god-slayers exist in the world, they will be resurrected indefinitely and never fall.

"The war god who annihilates the demon king, the demon king slayer, the last king to appear in the world, the strongest steel, the god who annihilates the demon king, the child of destiny, the king of kings, the great hero with the noblest destiny, the tiger among men, the supreme hero..."

"Those who possess these titles are disobedient gods, born specifically to slay god-slayers..."

"Is this the master you're talking about?"

Aize's indifferent tone and calm narration stirred up Guinevere's heart.

"I never expected that you, as a newly born God-Slaying Demon King, would know of my Lord's existence." Guinevere said, whether in amazement or praise, "My Lord has been asleep for many years, and very few people know of his existence. As a newly born king, you know these things. It is truly astonishing to Guinevere."

Upon hearing Guinevere's words, Aize immediately smiled.

His smile was meaningful.

"You're surprised?" Aize said. "What if I told you I know more than you think?"

"Really?" Guinevere smiled slightly. "For example?"

Upon hearing this, Aize's response in the next second completely froze the smile on the face of the god ancestor.

"For example... I also know where that guy is right now."

(End of this chapter)