Two months had passed since Roy traveled to America to seek Annie Charlton—
"Hello, viewers! This is NHK Television's special program in Japan. Today, we've invited an expert in natural disaster research from the University of Tokyo to shed light on the recent global surge in volcanic activity, a topic that has sparked widespread discussion online."
"...Professor Ishihara, how would you explain the phenomenon of rising volcanic activity indices? Over the past month, numerous research institutes in related fields have observed accelerated underground magma flows in many active volcanoes, increasingly frequent movements of submarine volcanoes, and even signs of revival in volcanoes previously classified as extinct."
"This situation resembles scenes from the apocalyptic film '2012.' In fact, during prehistoric times hundreds of millions of years ago, there were multiple mass extinction events caused by massive volcanic eruptions. Pessimistic views circulating online suggest this might be the beginning of a new extinction event. What are your thoughts on this perspective?"
On NHK's "860" channel, a female journalist was visiting professors from prestigious universities to explore the hottest topic of the past month.
Starting a month ago, volcanoes worldwide seemed to enter an active state. Though none had erupted instantaneously, this condition had caused global concern. The power of nature is boundless—in ancient times, there were periods when torrential rains lasted for two million years consecutively. Many mass extinction events were linked to prehistoric volcanic eruptions, as terrifying as Mother Earth venting centuries of pent-up fury all at once.
"I'm aware many people online are concerned about this issue," the elegant scholar said confidently on television. His credentials as a University of Tokyo professor lent considerable credibility to his words. "Japan sits on seismic zones with numerous active volcanoes, but I urge everyone to trust genuine science over pseudoscience. Regarding this anomaly, volcanology experts worldwide have convened a conference, and there's no evidence suggesting a new extinction event is occurring."
In a Tokyo restaurant, a petite yet refined young woman sat at a table, gazing up at the investigative program on the TV screen.
When the University of Tokyo professor concluded his earnest, confident speech about humanity facing no imminent extinction threat, the special program finally ended.
The girl shifted her gaze to the wild yet righteous-looking woman with short brown hair sitting across from her. "...Uncle Lancelot, the King is truly awakening! The volcanic activity worldwide—these are signs of the King's revival!"
The girl was none other than the Divine Ancestor Guinevere, while her companion was her guardian deity—the former Amazon Queen, now known as the Knight of the Lake.
Guinevere's voice brimmed with excitement, her eyes blazing as she spoke in an almost coquettish tone.
'Steel' is intrinsically linked to fire—humanity's earliest iron tools were forged through flames. The hero representing the Final Steel is this world's most powerful and mysterious metal. To forge him requires planetary fire. The global volcanic unrest signifies the planetary flames are now tempering this steel.
When the Last King awakens, as long as he remains active, his body will endlessly generate heat drawn from the planet's core. The Last King is both a hero who slays demon kings and a Heretic God—and Heretic Gods are beings destined to destroy human civilization. His method of annihilation is to trigger volcanic eruptions worldwide through the sheer heat of his existence, thereby obliterating humanity.
"I've already noticed it, Guinevere..."
Lancelot's expression was distant, his voice tinged with unease.
"What's wrong, Uncle Lancelot?"
Guinevere asked with concern.
"Guinevere, though I am now the guardian deity of witches and can protect you by your side, I am also a Heretic God. The wandering nature of Heretic Gods is affecting me. I don't know how much longer I can hold on before losing my reason and beginning to roam the land. If that day truly comes, I will no longer be able to protect you."
Lancelot sighed and said that it was the nature of Heretic Gods to wander the earth and bring disaster unless bound by a contract. The reason she could suppress her nature to protect Guinevere was due to her pact with the Divine Ancestor. However, the Divine Ancestor had ultimately lost her divine authority, and their contract could not last forever. Lancelot was gradually losing control over her innate nature.
To truly bind a Heretic God completely with a contract, only a Campione could achieve it. Yet Campiones and Heretic Gods were mortal enemies, creating a paradox—Campiones would never aid a Heretic God but would instead seek to slay them.
Throughout the millennia, only one Campione, Roy, had ever formed a contract with a Heretic Goddess, Athena, completely erasing her wandering nature and turning her into his ally.
Both Lancelot and Guinevere were well aware of this. Thus, whether it was them or the few remaining Campiones in the world, all admired and marveled at Roy's unique defiance of norms.
To fully restrain his instincts as a Campione and choose to ally with a Heretic God—such a feat had been accomplished by Roy alone, unprecedented in all of history.
"It's alright, Uncle Lancelot… Our mission is nearly complete. As long as we can awaken the King and deliver the Holy Grail to him, I would willingly embrace death and the cycle of rebirth the very next second."
Guinevere smiled sweetly.
Her life as a Divine Ancestor had not been easy. For centuries, she had faced relentless obstruction and pursuit from numerous Campiones, surviving only by summoning Lancelot each time. But after summoning Lancelot too often, she had finally triggered the revival of Lancelot's innate nature as a Heretic God to wander...
"Yes, you're right, Guinevere. The King is about to awaken. Once he does, our task will be fulfilled! That Roy, the King, did not deceive us—the King we serve indeed slumbers upon this land. I can already sense his presence, though it remains faint, making the exact location uncertain."
Comforted by Guinevere's words, Lancelot laughed heartily and spoke candidly. By now, she had nearly shed the wildness of the Amazon Queen, her demeanor increasingly resembling that of the 'Perfect Knight.'
Her mythological attributes were on the verge of completing their transformation.
"Roy, the King, is truly a rare and extraordinary man. Were our circumstances and allegiances different, I would love to converse with him more."
Guinevere set down her cup gracefully and spoke softly.
"So you think so too, Guinevere… What a pity. Between him and us, there can only be one outcome—either he dies, or we perish."
Lancelot sighed, then suddenly her expression changed. "...Damn it, the Sword King is catching up again. That guy is like a persistent shadow—impossible to shake off!"
Lancelot hastily stood up and, without a second thought, grabbed Guinevere and dashed out of the restaurant.
Within minutes, a handsome Italian man arrived at the scene. He appeared to be in his twenties, with striking good looks and an ever-present warm smile.
The Italian man entered the restaurant, glanced around, and then scratched the back of his head with a foolish grin. "...Huh? Lancelot and Guinevere were just here a moment ago. How did they suddenly vanish?"
"Hmm, they must have run off... No, I have to keep chasing them! They need to tell me where the Last King is sleeping!"
Muttering to himself, the Italian man came and went in a hurry.
Meanwhile, a Japanese high school boy in the restaurant let out a despairing cry, "...Boss! Those two women just ran off without paying for their meal!"
"Kusanagi, you were the one who served that table, right? I'm deducting it from your part-time wages!!"
The restaurant owner's booming voice echoed from the kitchen.
"What does this have to do with me?!"
The high school boy named Kusanagi sighed helplessly, then turned his gaze to the table where Guinevere and Lancelot had been sitting.
He had overheard a bit of their conversation earlier. Were those two foreign women extreme chuunibyou cases, actually calling each other by names like Lancelot and Guinevere?
Ever since a year ago, Kusanagi had noticed that he kept encountering bizarre incidents.
***
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