Even though the Heavenly Reverse Halberd was a red herring, if this legend turned out to be true--
This vague thought crossed the mind of Guinevere's dying consciousness. Her body had already turned into sand and collapsed, carried by the wind and scattered over Tokyo Bay.
Life had reached its end, slipping away, in preparation for the next rebirth.
However, some time still remained. As Guinevere drifted over land she had vague thoughts about matters related to the "King of the End." Having been through this generation and the previous, both incarnations had sought the master but had yet to succeed. To one's surprise, a tragic end?
Just as her heart was filled with lamentation, spirit vision arrived.
Due to being in a near death state, spirit senses had probably attained maximum clarity.
I see it. The master is sleeping at a place with neither land nor sea. Indeed the location could be seen.
"Alas... It turns out to be there! O Master, king who manifests at the end of eras! The one called Artos and predecessor of Arthur!"
Guinevere's cries should have been transmitted by now.
Transmitted to the true Floating Island, the location of the hero she had been seeking all along. Mother earth goddesses who had their lives extracted by his alter ego the divine sword, were transformed into Divine Ancestors. In other words, Guinevere and the rest of the Divine Ancestors were his "sisters" or "daughters" in days past.
Surely, their intimate bond will carry these cries over to him. Nevertheless, there was no response.
Ignored -- a new sense of despair eroded Guinevere's heart. However, this despair turned into a dark impulse, giving the dying Witch Queen final strength.
Even though ignored, even though unwanted. The master must be awakened no matter what!
"Alter ego of my mother, the Holy Grail and the sacred fountain of life. I entrust everything to you from here on. Awaken the sleeping master, for you must make him descend and appear once more!"
The Divine Ancestor was about to die, and would one day be reborn. However, the next rebirth required centuries.
Guinevere's next life was far away in the future. But in her stead -- she entrusted her overflowing feelings of longing to the Magic Holy Grail, instructing it through prayers to lay low in her stronghold of Brittany.
Fortunately, the vessel was still filled with the goddess' essence it had absorbed not too long ago.
If several centuries were to pass, the essence would probably metamorphose into a new Divine Ancestor and undergo rebirth. However, there were already seven god-slayers in this world. In order to defeat them and revive the apathetic master for another coming, a Divine Ancestor's power was far too inadequate.
"Hence, O Holy Grail, everything is entrusted to you... Ah yes, you shall become the new queen."
Guinevere used her last remnants of magical power to perform a summoning spell.
This manifested a circular disc, made of an alloy of gold and iron. Patterns reminiscent of [Swords] were carved on its surface, numbering two... No, three now. As soon as it was summoned, the count had incremented.
"Sir Knight... Lancelot du Lac's steel is now stored here. That's right, instead of becoming Kusanagi-sama's authority, be the arrow for the returning 'King of the End'... Please go forth."
Hearing Guinevere's command, the circular disc flew towards the ends of the sky.
Thus a conclusion was reached. The Witch Queen's consciousness gradually rarefied and disappeared.
"O Master... O King of the End... Guinevere and Your Highness--"
Her final words were interrupted before she could finish.
Soon after Guinevere vanished.
In her stronghold, a forest in Brittany, two objects appeared.
One was a disc of gold and iron. The other was a golden urn -- the vessel known as the Holy Grail.
This was the lakeside where the master of the forest and her guardian knight had conversed in the past. More time passed after the two divine artifacts manifested.
Slowly, the Holy Grail transformed. What had been an urn made of gold till now, was gradually undergoing change, acquiring supple flesh like a human's, taking on human form.
"Yes, to rouse the lethargic hero who sleepeth yonder... That is one's mission indeed--"
Viewed as a human, she appeared to be twelve or thirteen years of age, like a pubescent girl.
Her short hair was silver as if infused with moonlight. Her pupils were pitch black like condensed darkness. The exquisite beauty of her face seemed child-like yet sacred, and furthermore, emanated a queen's solemnity. Her entire naked body was filled with power no human girl could ever possess.
"Even though one hath been tasked with this mission, how should one proceed? Other than that man, within this goddess' heart -- there also seemeth to be a different man, one whom this goddess must defeat."
Slightly distorting her lips, she bore a smile.
Just by closing her eyes, she could picture the face of the mortal enemy carved clearly beneath her eyelids. The black-haired youth with black irises. But surely, he was no ordinary man.
He should possess the ability to make her blood boil with excitement. Without any grounds, the goddess firmly believed this fact.
"No matter. One still needeth repose for now. In the near future, this goddess shall begin her journey, to exhibit the queen's valor and ferocity to heaven and earth. Now let this newborn body rest fitfully..."
The young girl, born from the grail, murmured as she sank into the lake.
In order to cleanse her body and frolic in the lake water--
Meanwhile, back to Bousou again.
In the sky far above the ocean which had twice become the stage for intense battles. Even higher than the clouds. Further than the atmosphere. The celestial realm -- or rather, it is a place humans would call a satellite orbit.
A little island lay there floating.
From the perspective of the ground surface, it appeared motionless all year round -- what is known as a geostationary orbit. Humans were unaware of its existence. Even if they knew, they would simply dismiss it as floating matter in a satellite orbit.
In the center of this cramped plot of land, an iron sword was embedded.
A mighty sword whose blade measured roughly 100cm in length. The heavy double-edged blade was rather thick, resembling a woodcutter's chopper in structure. However, it was now worn out and corroded, only covered by rust.
Divine Sword of Salvation--
The personal sword of the Devil King-exterminating hero, the strongest [Steel].
Translator's Notes and References
Min Nan(閩 南): a family of Chinese languages spoken in Taiwan and parts of mainland China such as southern Fujian, eastern Guangdong, Hainan, and southern Zhejiang.[1]
Nüwa(女媧): a goddess in ancient Chinese mythology best known for creating mankind and repairing the wall of heaven.[2]
Leech Child(蛭 子): pronounced "Hiruko," the original name of Ebisu(恵比須), the Japanese god of fishermen, luck, and workingmen, as well as the guardian of the health of small children. He was born without bones and the first child of Izanagi and Izanami.[3]
South Seas(南 洋): the Chinese name for the geographical region south of China, particularly Southeast Asia. The term came into common usage in self-reference to the large ethnic Chinese migrant population in Southeast Asia, to be more precise, in Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam.[4]
Walpurgisnacht: "Walpurgis Night," a traditional spring festival on 30 April or 1 May in large parts of Central and Northern Europe.[5]
Devil's Sea(魔 の海): also known as the "Pacific Bermuda Triangle," a region of the Pacific around Miyake Island 100km south of Tokyo and said to be a danger zone according to Japanese maps.[6]
Chuugoku(中 国): not to be confused with China (which is written with the same kanji), Chuugoku (meaning "middle country") refers to the westernmost region of Honshu, the largest island of J
apan.[7]
Locked room mystery: a sub-genre of detective fiction where a crime is committed under seemingly impossible conditions.[8]
4LDK: a system of apartment labeling in Japan, 4LDK means 4 bedrooms + living room + dining room + kitchen.
Melusine: a feminine spirit of fresh waters in sacred springs and rivers from European folklore. Commonly depicted as a woman with a lower torso of a snake or a fish (like a mermaid), sometimes with wings.[9]
Revelation 2:10
Joshua 6:13
Joshua 6:15-16,21
Joshua 6:26
Numbers 31:7-8
Numbers 31:9-10
Numbers 31:11-12
Campione 10 Page 26
