A Certain Multiverse's Holy Right

Following Guinevere's sharp cry, a distorted, gate-like scene appeared behind her, exuding faint traces of divine power. From within the distortion emerged a figure clad in shining silver armor—a Heretic God.

The god's appearance resembled that of a medieval knight. His silver armor was pristine and spotless, and he carried a knight's sword. The knight immediately landed in front of Guinevere, holding his sword horizontally to block the Devil King's attack from reaching his charge.

But the Devil King's Sword of Judgment never aimed at Guinevere at all.

"Oh no!! His target isn't me!"

Guinevere exclaimed in alarm. For the first time, the Divine Ancestor—who had carried herself with elegance and unshakable confidence—showed genuine panic. She quickly began chanting her incantations, but she was ultimately a step too late.

Roy's Sword of Judgment was not aimed at Guinevere but rather at the Holy Grail!

Roy was well aware of the Heretic God standing behind Guinevere, and he knew that even a sneak attack would make it difficult to kill her outright and seize the Holy Grail. Therefore, from the very beginning, Roy's true target was never her.

The Holy Grail, a condensed material manifestation of magic energy, was remarkably resistant to destruction. However, when faced with the razor-sharp edge of a divine weapon, even this legendary artifact proved as fragile as tofu.

"Shiik—"

With the resonant sound of a blade slicing through, the blood-red cross-shaped sword slashed cleanly through the Holy Grail, splitting it in two.

The Holy Grail was not a container filled with magic energy; rather, it itself was a cohesive mass of magic. Thus, when it was severed, no magic energy spilled out from within. Instead, the singular Holy Grail was reduced to two smaller halves.

The once adult-sized Holy Grail now shrank, transforming into two golden chalices, each roughly the height of a child.

"You actually severed my connection to the Holy Grail!"

Guinevere's expression darkened. She hurriedly chanted her incantation again, and one of the smaller chalices vanished, remerging with her body. However, the other chalice remained unresponsive, no longer under her control.

It was only then that Guinevere realized she had miscalculated. Roy had severed not only the Holy Grail itself but also the connection she shared with it.

The Sword of Judgment, with its power to adjust the order of authority, had positioned itself above Guinevere's control over the Holy Grail, severing their link entirely. Meanwhile, the sharpness of the sword itself had physically split the artifact.

"What a shame, Guinevere. Your reaction is truly swift. I thought I could claim the entire Holy Grail," Roy said, shaking his head in feigned regret.

He then grabbed the severed half of the Holy Grail with his left hand, his fingers wrapping around the legendary artifact. The essence of the Earth Mother contained within the chalice—the magic energy derived from the earth's lifeblood—seeped into his palm.

Guinevere's expression became pained as she looked longingly at the half of the Holy Grail in Roy's possession, her heart aching with regret. Combined, the Holy Grail contained the magic power equivalent to at least twenty Earth Mothers. In one decisive strike, Roy had taken control of half its reserves, costing her the power of at least ten Earth Mothers.

Only now did Guinevere fully understand Roy's earlier condition: his desire to see the Holy Grail. If she had refused to summon it, Roy would never have been able to locate it since the artifact was an inseparable part of her existence. But the moment Guinevere dared to summon it, Roy had seized the opportunity to strike decisively and take it from her.

However, Guinevere still found herself perplexed. She could not understand why Roy wanted the Holy Grail.

For her, the Holy Grail was essential to help the Last King complete the Covenant Ritual. Even though half of the Holy Grail's magic remained, it was still sufficient to activate the ritual. For Roy, however, the Holy Grail seemed practically useless.

First, the Holy Grail was originally Guinevere's body when she was an Earth Mother Goddess. Even if their connection was severed, Roy, as a Campione, would be unable to activate it. Second, even if Roy could activate the Holy Grail, the magic energy contained within it would serve little purpose. Campiones, being human at their core, had a limit to the divine power they could wield. Even with the Holy Grail, Roy could not absorb its magic energy and make it his own.

Though she did not know Roy's true intentions, Guinevere felt an inexplicable unease. No matter what, the portion of the Holy Grail that Roy had taken would be nearly impossible for her to recover.

"Lord Roy, I didn't expect you to go back on your word and deceive a woman like me. So your true goal all along was the Holy Grail. It seems I have misjudged you!"

Guinevere's body trembled slightly, anger surging through her. Her chest heaved with fury, but she knew that no amount of hysterical cursing would change the situation. Resigned to reality, she fought to maintain her composure.

"What a foolish and degenerate Earth Mother Goddess! What Roy has done is exactly the kind of wisdom I admire."

In stark contrast to Guinevere's anger and curses, Athena offered high praise for Roy's actions, her tone filled with approval. She even seemed on the verge of applauding him.

As expected, I can trust him, she thought, her amber snake-like pupils fixed coldly on Guinevere, like a serpent ready to strike.

"Calm yourself, Guinevere! Losing half of the Holy Grail is a setback, but we're not out of danger yet. There's a Devil King and a powerful Goddess standing before us. Even I can't guarantee I can protect you in this situation. Stay behind me," said the knight in silver armor in a calm and steady masculine voice.

His voice, righteous and resolute, finally succeeded in quelling Guinevere's simmering anger.

"Uncle Lancelot, this truly has been a Waterloo moment for me. I underestimated Lord Roy. It is my fault you've been dragged into this dangerous predicament," Guinevere said sweetly, her tone suddenly coquettish, as if a child seeking forgiveness.

"It's no matter. Don't worry about me, Guinevere. Though the Devil King and the Goddess before us are powerful, I can still ensure your escape if the need arises," replied the knight, named Lancelot, in a firm and steady tone.

Roy's expression became slightly peculiar. In the Legend of King Arthur, it was Guinevere's affair with Lancelot that ultimately caused the collapse of the Knights of the Round Table. But now, hearing Guinevere refer to Lancelot as "uncle," Roy didn't even know where to begin commenting on the absurdity of the situation.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Roy turned to Lancelot and said, "...Lancelot, the Knight of the Lake, the Perfect Knight Lancelot. Though you bear that name now, you cannot hide the truth from my eyes. I should call you what you truly are: the Guardian of Witches, the Amazon Queen Hippolyta!"

Indeed, before Guinevere wove Lancelot into the myth of King Arthur, the figure we now know as Lancelot originated as Hippolyta, the Amazon Queen and daughter of Ares, the Greek God of War.

The silver-armored knight fell silent for a moment before sighing deeply. "…Eyes that can see through the past are truly troublesome. But there is no Hippolyta anymore. Please call me Lancelot."

The previously steady male voice shifted, now wild and distinctly feminine.

"Very well, Lancelot and Guinevere," Roy said with a confident smile. "I am a man of my word. I will never break a promise unless I absolutely must! Since you, Guinevere, let me see the Holy Grail, I will uphold my end of the deal. I will tell you the approximate location of the Last King's slumber. He is sleeping in the Kanto region of Japan. As for the exact location, you'll have to find that out yourselves! I am not lying about this, and you can verify my words with your witch's clairvoyance."

Roy wasn't lying, but though he revealed the general location of the Last King's slumber, he couldn't help but smirk inwardly. The Kanto region of Japan was vast, and finding the exact location would be no easy task.

Even if you eventually locate the Last King, Roy thought to himself, by the time you succeed, I will have prepared everything I need.

Guinevere pondered his words for a moment, likely using her witchcraft to verify the truth of Roy's claim. As expected, with the clue Roy provided, her clairvoyance grew much stronger.

"Uncle Lancelot! The King really is in Kanto, in the Japanese islands!" Guinevere exclaimed joyfully, her gaze softening as she looked at Roy.

Though he was a cunning and deceitful Demon King, he was also a True Hero who kept his promises.

Suddenly, a shadowy figure materialized out of nowhere. The figure moved so swiftly that it was almost impossible for anyone to react. In an instant, the figure darted toward Roy, its hand reaching out to snatch the Holy Grail he held tightly in his grasp.

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T/N: I almost forgot about posting today. Phew...

Also, Happy Valentine's Day guys, may you spend it in work like me 😘