In Britain, the Noble Phantasm: Divine Key

"What's going on!?"

Bedivere remembered very clearly that there should only be a few thousand of those fantasy creatures that rushed out at the beginning, but why is it that even after they killed so many, the number of these monsters is still the same as before?

This is definitely not a normal thing!

Lancelot pondered for a moment, then said, "I'll go ask Artoria; perhaps she knows what's going on."

He wielded the indestructible lake light of the holy sword, slicing through the illusionary creatures along the way, and rushed to Artoria's side, where he told her about his discovery.

"So that's how it is. No wonder I felt something was off from the beginning," Artoria said thoughtfully.

“You seem to know what’s going on?” Lancelot asked.

Artoria nodded, looking at the magnificent city in the distance: "These fantasy species were not created by Vortigern using the power of the Holy Grail, but were materialized by another person based on his own imagination!"

“Materialization?” Lancelot was slightly taken aback.

As for Zhu Yue's true origins, Yanan only told a handful of people, including Artoria, Morgan, and Scáthach. The reason he didn't choose to spread the news widely was because he was worried that if the news got out, it might have some negative consequences.

After all, the idea that the enemy is the embodiment of the moon is indeed a blow to morale.

After Lancelot's reminder, Artoria instantly realized that the enemy they were facing was not Vortigern at all, but the Moon King!

The opponent deliberately materialized mythical creatures from the Age of Gods, such as chimeras, mountain giants, and dragons, in order to create the illusion that they were fighting against mythical creatures resurrected by Vortigern.

The monsters resurrected by the Holy Grail are finite, but the monsters materialized are infinite. The Moon King used their preconceived notions to set up this trap, causing them to make a wrong judgment about the battle.

When a person's attention is focused on one thing, it is easy to overlook other things around them. Especially on such a fierce battlefield, few people will pay attention to the increase or decrease in the number of enemies. Especially for a high-level combatant like Artoria, she can fight for a day and a night without any problem. Under such circumstances, it is even more difficult for her to notice the changes around her.

But those ordinary soldiers were different from her. They could fight at high intensity for one or two hours straight, but they could never fight for ten hours. If Lancelot hadn't noticed something was wrong in time, they would have fallen into the enemy's trap step by step, trapped in this endless sea of ​​beasts, until they were completely dragged to their deaths!

Artoria had always believed that such a powerful enemy would not stoop to using tricks to win, but would instead crush her like a mountain. She never expected that the enemy's mind would be so meticulous.

It was precisely because of this preconceived notion that she failed to notice the signs of the problem for so long.

For a commander, suffering two losses in a row over the same issue is an unforgivable mistake.

Artoria sighed inwardly, then shouted loudly to Scáthach in the distance, "Miss Scáthach, I need your help!"

"I see!"

Scáthach threw her crimson twin spears, smashing the heads of the two mountain giants into pieces. Then, with a flash of light, the silver-white spear Gungnir, covered in divine runes, instantly appeared in her hand.

She closed her eyes slightly, focusing all her attention on the spear. Her aura gradually contracted, like a powerful force accumulating before unleashing its full potential. At the critical moment, she suddenly opened her eyes, unleashing a sharp aura as sharp as the spear itself, and hurled Gungnir toward the main city of Northumbria.

That was a shot that pierced through time and space. In an instant, even the entire battlefield froze. Everyone's eyes were filled with only the existence of that gun, as if the whole world had lost its color at that moment.

Boom—!!

Gungnir crashed into the protective magic array of Northumbria's main city, and with a deafening roar, the incredibly thick protective shield shattered instantly!

Artoria rode on East Starion, galloping non-stop toward the capital of Northumbria.

Suddenly, those fantasy creatures seemed to go mad, rushing forward recklessly to try and stop her.

"Stop them!" Morgan used magic to amplify his voice, activating a magic circle that blasted all the fantasy creatures that approached Artoria into dust.

The Knights of the Round Table and the Knights of Godslayers immediately came to the rescue, helping Artoria block the pursuers.

Propelled by the Wind King's barrier, Artoria quickly rushed into the main city, where the Anglo-Saxons and Saxons inside hurriedly came to meet her.

"I don't want to waste my time with you right now."

Artoria pulled on the reins, and the horse beneath her reared up, neighing to the sky. Then, to everyone's stunned gaze, the horse's hooves touched the air, and it soared into the sky.

Artoria's eyes were fixed on the towering, palace-like building in the city center, the tallest building in the entire city. Her intuition told her that her target was there!

Dong Starion walked on air, using the power of the Wind King's barrier to smash through the wall and rush into the building.

It landed gently on the ground, surrounded by a spacious hall, but there was no light or human figure; it was dark, silent, and utterly still, like an ancient castle that had been abandoned for thousands of years.

A stunningly beautiful woman in a white court dress sat high on the throne, her pure golden eyes gazing at Artoria below without a trace of emotion.

Chapter Sixty-Three: "This is the war to save the world!"

"I didn't expect you to find out so quickly. It seems I underestimated you." Zhu Yue sat high on the throne, her long golden hair cascading down to her waist. Her slender legs were crossed, her hand supporting her cheek, and her pure golden eyes gazed lazily at Artoria.

"Your tricks end here." Artoria's expression turned solemn. The Wind King's Barrier that had been gathered on Excalibur was released in an instant, transforming into an invisible pillar of wind that smashed towards Crimson Moon like a hammer.

Zhu Yue raised her hand, and her slender wrist easily blocked the oncoming wind pillar. Then, she put her five fingers together and crushed it easily.

Artoria's pupils contracted slightly, surprised that her long-planned attack had been so easily blocked by her opponent.

Is this the power of the Moon King?

She gritted her teeth, placed one foot on the horse's back, raised the Sword of Promised Victory, and slashed down at Zhu Yue.

Zhu Yue raised her hand, and a golden shield appeared, blocking the attack of the holy sword, but she herself shattered in the process.

The fantasy weapon, forged from a planet, possesses not only powerful and mysterious energy but also exceptional materials, making it difficult for ordinary defensive weapons to withstand its attacks.

However, for Zhu Yue, who possesses the power to materialize fantasy, she can make as many shields as she wants. If one shield isn't enough, she can use ten; if ten aren't enough, she can use fifty.

She sat calmly on the throne, and every time Artoria swung her sword, she conjured a shield to block it.

Clang clang clang clang—!

Artoria's attacks became increasingly fierce, as rapid as a storm, but no matter how she attacked, she could not break through the defense set up by Zhu Yue.

She had considered launching a sneak attack on Zhu Yue using the Wind King's Barrier, but the latter was clearly prepared, having set up shields all around her, completely blocking out all space, creating an impenetrable ironclad formation.

"The mighty Moon King, the ultimate True Ancestor, yet you willingly act like a coward, lacking even the courage to fight. Don't you feel ashamed?" she demanded sharply.

"Such a pale and feeble battle tactic is truly unbearable to watch." Zhu Yue's leisurely voice came, "Do you really think I don't know your plan? Your Star Holy Sword can only be released when you are engaged in battle with the enemy, but as long as I don't fight back, it won't be considered a battle state, and you won't be able to release the Holy Sword. Am I right?"

Artoria's pupils suddenly contracted.

“In the two previous battles, you only truly unleashed the power of the Holy Sword after I intervened. I suppose this is the limitation Gaia set for you,” Zhu Yue said. “Don’t find it strange. After all, I am also an existence like Gaia, and I can somewhat guess His thoughts. After all, handing such a powerful weapon over to a human is far too risky. Setting such a limitation is normal.”

Artoria fell silent. She hadn't expected that Zhu Yue would discover the limitations of the Holy Sword so quickly.

As she said, if Zhu Yue doesn't attack her, then it won't be considered a state of combat, and the Holy Sword won't be able to be unleashed.

However, if the Holy Sword is not unleashed, it cannot pose a threat to her.

Artoria's azure eyes flickered slightly, and she suddenly turned and ran out of the hall.

However, at that moment, shield after shield surrounded her, blocking her way and trapping her inside.

"You want to fight those illusory beings I've manifested and then unleash the Holy Sword? Your reaction is indeed quick, but unfortunately, I will not allow you to have your way," Zhu Yue said leisurely.

A hint of resentment flickered in Artoria's eyes. Why could this guy always see through her plans?

“I came to Earth a long time ago. At that time, the gods ruled the sky, the earth, and the sea. Humans could only barely survive by relying on the protection of the gods. But later, with the passing of the age of gods and the departure of the gods, humans actually went against the tide, defeated one powerful opponent after another, and became the masters of this land. So I couldn’t help but wonder why such fragile humans could defeat those monsters that were much stronger than them.”

"With these doubts in mind, I began to observe humanity. Gradually, I discovered that humanity relies not only on sheer strength, but also on their intellect and wisdom: if they cannot defeat powerful beasts head-on, they set traps; if their individual strength is weak, they create weapons; they seek out the enemy's weaknesses and formulate corresponding plans... Through this accumulation of observations, I finally realized that strength is not absolute, and wisdom is also a very important weapon."

“And this is why I have suppressed you at every turn.” Zhu Yue sat high on the throne and sneered, “The biggest mistake you should have made was coming to fight me alone. I really can’t do anything to you, after all, you are the Star Holy Sword Wielder. If I attack you, I will also be suppressed by Gaia. But I don’t need to deal with you. As long as I trap you, this only power that can threaten me will cease to exist.”

"Just stay there and watch as your relatives, friends, and subordinates are defeated by my wisdom and power!"

"Dream on!" Artoria gritted her teeth, and countless points of light converged, causing the Excalibur to radiate an incomparably dazzling brilliance, transforming into a golden beam of light that blasted towards Crimson Moon.

Zhu Yue raised her hand and waved it, and hundreds of shields appeared out of thin air, only to be pierced through one by one by the golden light cannon.

She frowned slightly, and with a flicker, disappeared from the throne.

boom--!!

A fierce magical beam surged forth, engulfing the throne and shattering the wall behind it. The powerful impact caused the entire building to tremble slightly, and countless specks of dust fell in a flurry.

"You really are quite tenacious." Zhu Yue reappeared, looking at the long trench that had been blasted into the ground. "But I told you, what you're doing is completely pointless..."

Before she could finish speaking, the magical energy surged again, and a vast, surging white beam of light suddenly broke through the layers of shields, hurtling towards her.

Zhu Yue's breath hitched, and a strong sense of crisis suddenly welled up in her heart.

She sensed the presence of a planet from that white beam of light!

This is an attack from the planet!

Subconsciously, she used her power, and a crimson full moon appeared above her head, shooting out a red beam of light that collided with the white beam of light.

Two forces from different planets collided, like Mars colliding with Earth. The enormous impact transformed into a terrifying storm, relentlessly tearing apart everything around it. The tall buildings could no longer withstand such violent fluctuations and collapsed with a deafening roar, billowing thick smoke.

Zhu Yue frowned slightly, stomped her foot, and another powerful shockwave spread out, shattering all the falling bricks and tiles into dust, which scattered to the side.

She raised her head and stared straight ahead, looking into the depths of the gradually dissipating smoke, where a figure clad in a pale silver lion armor appeared, holding a golden sword in one hand and a silver spear in the other.

Zhu Yue stared intently at the spear, gritting her teeth as she said, "You actually have a Star Weapon!"

That's right, the white beam of light that Artoria fired at Zhu Yue earlier was an attack launched by the Holy Lance Rungomminiad.

As a radiant tower anchored to the planet's surface, Rungomminiad is undoubtedly a sacred artifact of the stars, possessing a natural restraint on alien visitors like Zhu Yue.

Artoria knew very well that the Star Sword alone would hardly pose a significant threat to Crimson Moon. Therefore, she originally planned to first engage Crimson Moon in battle using Excalibur, and then seize an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow using Rungomminiad.

But what she didn't expect was that Zhu Yue would choose to avoid battle, making it impossible for the Holy Sword to be unleashed.

Without the Holy Sword being unleashed, it couldn't exert much power, so she had to temporarily change her plan, using the Holy Sword as a feint before unleashing the power of the Holy Lance to catch Zhu Yue off guard.

Just as she had predicted, Zhu Yue, intimidated by the power of the Holy Lance, instinctively chose to fight back.

The counterattack means that Zhu Yue has been dragged into a battle by Artoria.

So next—

"Seal Thirteen – Planetary Judgment Begins!"

"—!"

"This is a battle against someone stronger than oneself!"

"This is a one-on-one battle!"

"This is a war against non-elf warriors!"

boom--!!

Endless radiance surged forth like a raging tide, instantly engulfing the Excalibur in Artoria's hand. Like a sacred golden sun, a vast and terrifying aura emanated from it, causing the void to distort irregularly.

The Holy Lance Rungomminiad emitted a soft hum, seemingly dissatisfied with having its limelight stolen. In the blink of an eye, the silver-white blade was enveloped in holy light, with a spiraling halo surrounding its outer edge, releasing an aura no less powerful than Excalibur.

Seeing the two Star Artifacts unleashed, Zhu Yue's face turned extremely ugly.

Despite all her calculations, she never expected that the other party would actually be hiding a Star Artifact.