Chapter 268. Christina (3)
When Christina returned after wiping out the demons across the Americas, a messenger was waiting at the castle.
“Why did you come back, Astolfo?”
“I’ve got something to deliver.”
It was Astolfo, who had escaped last time.
Apparently, he had managed to find the Nameless King and rejoin him.
“Here. His Majesty sent this.”
“A laptop?”
Astolfo handed her an old laptop.
“He said to watch the video on the desktop.”
“A video?”
Christina had no idea what he was planning.
Still, she couldn’t simply ignore it, so she played the file.
─ Have you been well, Christina?
─ Looks like you’ve been running around all over the place lately.
─ I guess you really like your new power.
─ Acting all high and mighty with Lucifer’s power handed to you by demons and a witch...
─ Truly impressive for someone claiming to be God’s representative.
The video began with cheap provocation.
Even so, Christina didn’t react much.
─ I was injured a little by your surprise attack, so I spent some time recovering.
─ I’m currently in China.
Judging by the background, there were signs written in Chinese characters.
It really did seem like he was somewhere in China.
It was quite far away, but if he had regrouped with Astolfo, reaching China certainly wasn’t impossible.
Perhaps he had even met up with Sinbad, who still hadn’t returned to the Spirit Realm, and used the Roc.
─ I’m sending this video because I want to invite you.
─ Of course, it’s an invitation to the final battle.
─ I want you to bring every bit of fighting power you can mobilize and come to China.
─ Naturally, I’ll face you with everything I can gather as well.
That was a little unexpected.
Christina paused the video and turned her head.
“What do you think, Merlin?”
“He has a plan.”
Merlin, who had been watching beside her, smiled.
“I doubt he did all this just for one last desperate struggle.”
“He must have some kind of trump card if he’s deliberately trying to lure you into China.”
“There shouldn’t be any trump card capable of dealing with me.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“Let’s keep watching first.”
Christina resumed the video as Merlin suggested.
─ Of course, from your perspective, this probably doesn’t sound very appealing.
─ I’m overwhelmingly disadvantaged right now.
─ There’s no real reason for you to agree to fight me on those terms.
─ So I prepared a prize.
The Nameless King raised one hand.
A jeweled cup appeared in his palm.
─ The greatest holy relic I possess.
─ The Holy Grail.
“The Holy Grail...!”
Christina’s eyes widened.
She had assumed the Nameless King had hidden the Holy Grail somewhere.
But she never imagined he had stored it inside his own body.
And she certainly hadn’t expected him to openly reveal it like this.
─ If you truly intend to reign as God’s representative, you’ll need this.
─ Wouldn’t you rather use the Holy Grail’s power than the power you sucked out of demons?
─ So defeat me and take it.
─ Two days from now, I’ll be waiting here with the Holy Grail.
The video ended by displaying a map.
A mark had been placed over what looked like a large shopping mall.
“We have no choice but to go, Christina.”
“Yeah.”
Christina slowly nodded.
She could have simply ignored the challenge.
But not if the Holy Grail was involved.
“As the Nameless King pointed out, if you obtain the Holy Grail, you’ll truly be able to reign over this world as God’s representative.”
“You’ll need it to secure legitimacy.”
“Exactly.”
“I need the Holy Grail.”
As the Nameless King had pointed out...
most of Christina’s current power came from demons or from Ha Mina.
That was a major blemish for her.
There were far too many ‘unclean things’ mixed into her power for someone who wanted to reign as a sacred hero.
But the Holy Grail could erase that blemish.
That was how enormous its symbolic value was.
“Prepare to depart.”
“Call Heracles.”
“You’re taking Heracles with you?”
“To display my power.”
“I can fight alone.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Merlin, and this video...”
Christina pointed toward the laptop.
“Can you show it to the Constellations in the Spirit Realm?”
“Uploading it to Constellation Tube would be possible... but why?”
“If this really is going to be the final battle, we need an audience.”
She wanted countless Constellations to watch in real time...
as the Nameless King fell...
and Christina became the ruler of the new world.
“Then I’ll ask an Apostle I know to upload it.”
“We won’t be able to use the Nameless King’s old channel, though.”
“I don’t know much about that stuff.”
“You handle it.”
Christina handed the laptop to Merlin.
There were still two full days until the appointed time.
More than enough time to build anticipation.
She would show every Constellation who the true hero of this world was.
“Arjuna, this video...”
“Yes.”
“It seems the Nameless King still intends to fight.”
Inside the stone palace of the Order of the Spirit Realm, Arjuna and Odysseus were checking Constellation Tube together.
The video uploaded through Merlin’s account contained the Nameless King’s declaration of war against Christina.
“What do we do?”
“Should we join the battle too?”
“Which side are you planning to join?”
“That’s...”
Odysseus hesitated.
“Either way, the Nameless King is still in the Material Realm.”
“We can’t use the Gate however we want and descend on our own.”
To descend through the Gate, permission from its owner was required.
Returning from the Material Realm to the Spirit Realm was different.
But descending always required approval.
The authority over the Gate that had once belonged to Merlin now belonged to the Nameless King.
As long as the Nameless King remained in the Material Realm...
the Constellations here couldn’t descend.
Merlin and Heracles had never returned to the Spirit Realm after the previous battle, so they were still on the ground.
But Arjuna, who had returned, and Odysseus, who had remained in the Spirit Realm...
had no way to go down.
“Then... does that mean the Nameless King has to face Christina’s faction using only the forces currently in the Material Realm?”
“That would seem to be the case.”
"..."
