You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

No!

We need to take action now, otherwise things will continue like this—

call!

Lancelot was stunned when his hands suddenly went empty. He subconsciously looked at his hands, only to find that his steel spear had disappeared.

puff……

With a muffled thud, the white-horse knight looked in the direction indicated by the sight of Iori inserting his steel spear upside down into the mirror, which silenced him.

Having done all this, Iori simply sheathed his Zanpakuto, his hands empty as if he had no intention of using any weapons, and then lined up his chest—

hum!

Black lines spread from his chest, connecting with the runes on his shoulders and back. Similar lines then encircled his wrists and ankles. A red light then emanated from him, releasing a catastrophic power of destruction.

What was that? Lancelot was somewhat bewildered.

As a steel hero, she has experienced many battles, whether she was surrounded or fighting on foreign soil, but she has never lost her fighting spirit. But this time... she doesn't quite understand.

What happened just now?

Even though I only lost a steel gun and can recreate the weapon, why do I feel like I can't win at all?

"call……"

Iori let out a long breath and stretched her neck, the sound of metal striking metal reverberating through the air.

The "Map of Mountains and Rivers" provides territory;

[I was here] Transforms the territory into the end of the world, making it impossible for anyone to leave;

[King of the World] Turn your territory into your absolute home ground;

[Clear Mirror, Still Water] Adds an insight and lock-in buff;

【The Usurper】Without weapons, it's real manly hand-to-hand combat;

—Breaking the forbidden technique, open!

"Alright, let's have a fair fight now."

Chapter 386 He accidentally got himself involved.

"Hmph... Perhaps you think you've cornered me, but heroes are always those who can forge their own path in adversity. Such tricks will only fuel my fighting spirit!"

Ten seconds later—

"Pfft! Such power is indeed beyond my current ability to contend with. There's no other way... I will shed my identity as a guardian deity and return to the status of a disobedient god."

My beloved daughter, Guinevere, bring me the remains of the divine sword left behind by my lord. If he is truly my lord, then this sword will surely awaken in battle!

Alright, the real battle is about to begin!

Thirty seconds later—

boom!

The knight, holding a strange longsword, knelt on the ground. Blood flowed slowly down the weapon, staining everything around him. His armor shattered and fell onto the mirror, creating slight ripples.

After the ripples passed, the mirror, now calm again, reflected a lithe, curvaceous female knight with fair skin and honey-gold hair!

She was tall and slender, with an angelic face and eyes that were clearer than anything else, possessing an inorganic transparency.

Seeing her is like feeling a cool breeze blowing across the grassland, or looking up at the azure sky that cuts through the heavens.

—That's the kind of stunning beauty she has.

Even among the many beautiful girls that Iori has seen, she is still among the top.

After the armor was removed, she was found crouching down wearing only a leather tube top and hot pants, revealing a body with perfect proportions like a marble statue. But beneath that feminine exterior, one could also sense a force not to be underestimated.

Her neat, medium-length hair accentuated her expressionless, aloof face, while small braids in a grassland style hung down on either side, giving her a lively and spirited look.

At this moment, she looked up at Iori, her eyes filled with no more doubt.

"My lord!"

She put down her long sword, changed her posture, knelt on one knee, and gave Iori a knightly salute.

"Finally... I see you again."

"You guys are really stubborn. How many times have I told you? I am not the king you follow. Don't try to find traces of the past in me."

Iori bent down and picked up the strange long sword, examining it curiously.

The gun shaft is nearly two meters long, topped with a broad, single-edged blade, its shape somewhere between a machete and a woodcutter's knife.

The reason it is described as "strange" is because the splicing marks are clearly visible, and the joints are so rough that they look like they were forcibly inserted without any polishing. Even a layman can see the problem at a glance.

However, the sharp aura emanating from the longsword, the divinity that only a true hero of steel can possess, is undeniable!

Although simple, they are indeed the sharpest weapons of the martial gods!

This was not Lancelot's original weapon. After being disarmed by Iori, she temporarily used her magical power to create a spear, but it could not withstand Iori's punches. After her defeat, she had Guinevere take out a piece of rusty scrap iron and use it to create a spear shaft, which is the strange spear she has now.

It is worth mentioning that the scrap iron used as raw material seemed to undergo a chemical reaction after coming into contact with Iori. The rust disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye, regaining its metallic luster and exuding a clear and sharp aura.

Because the battle ended so quickly, Iori didn't have time to observe it properly. Now, holding it in her hand, she could already discern its secrets with just a slight squint.

The blade of this gun, which was originally a piece of scrap metal, has the same properties as the "Savior's Blade," and can almost be regarded as the same weapon, except that it lacks the inner essence (the soul of the Last King) of the real "Savior's Blade," and is just an empty shell.

Then things become very simple:

In each cycle of reincarnation, after Rama has completed his mission by slaying all the god-slayers, he will, barring any unforeseen circumstances, fall into a deep slumber, awaiting his next awakening. At this time, he does not exist in a "human form," but rather his soul resides within the divine sword of salvation—strictly speaking, this sword is his body.

In the countless cycles of reincarnation, Rama sometimes leaves behind "remains," which are simply empty shells of his divine sword. As Rama's attendants, it's not surprising that Guinevere and Lancelot collect one or two of these remains.

When the empty shell of the divine sword encounters the "Last King," it will naturally awaken from its slumber due to resonance and reveal its sharpness as steel!

"It's just an ancient relic... It only has a steel shell but no corresponding interior, so it can't serve as an embodiment."

Iori shook her head, and the spear in her hand trembled slightly. Suddenly, it transformed into a beam of light, circled once in mid-air, and then fell into Iori's palm and disappeared.

He was slightly disappointed. Although Lancelot's gun was with him, it was not a symbol of "steel"—it didn't even have a name. Even if he killed Lancelot here, he wouldn't be able to obtain the avatar.

As for this knife, it merely supplements the divinity of the savior's sword; it's better than nothing.

"really!"

Upon seeing this, Lancelot and Guinevere were both invigorated: "The divine sword has submitted to you; there is only one possibility: it has returned to its original form after sensing the correct divine essence... Your Highness, do you still refuse to believe it? The facts are already very clear!"

It is indeed a return to the original form, since Rama and the savior sword are both with me.

Iori didn't explain: Anyway, they definitely wouldn't believe it.

Unless Rama himself comes out to explain, whatever Iori says, these two will just assume he has amnesia.

But judging from this situation... how could Rama possibly be willing to come out!

"Lancelot, it's one thing for her to be blinded by love and unable to see things clearly, but are you, as a steadfast hero god, also so foolish?"

Iori spoke frankly, even belittling Guinevere to her face, but the God Ancestor showed no reaction, as if she would support Iori no matter what she did.

Lancelot's reaction was also calm. He looked directly at Iori and said seriously, "To gain the recognition of that divine sword is almost certain of your identity."

But... even if you really aren't the 'Last King' I once followed, that's alright.

"Ok?"

“I am different from Guinevere. She was obsessed with that man and longed for a specific person day and night.”

But my relationship with the Last King is that of 'comrade-in-arms', 'partner', and 'ally'. As a free and unfettered steel hero, I am impressed by the Last King's courage and strength, and I acknowledge that he is capable of commanding thousands of troops. I am willing to serve as his subordinate and assist him.

The reason I have been searching for him for thousands of years is not because I am obsessed with him personally, but because I miss that glorious time of fighting the Demon King—that is the destiny of [Steel], which no hero can refuse.

It would be best if it were him in person; after all, I fought alongside that prince for so many years. But even if it's not the person I remember, but another steel hero who inherits the title of 'Last King'...

"If he possesses enough power and courage to subdue me, I will naturally be willing to submit to his command and once again ignite the great war against the Demon King!"

In the end, Lancelot fell silent:

I may no longer have the chance to participate in this great war... I never thought that my long-cherished wish of a thousand years would be shattered at the last moment before it was fulfilled.

"Uncle, be careful what you say,"

Guinevere said with dissatisfaction, "You saw what happened just now. Lord Aizen is undoubtedly His Highness's reincarnation. He just hasn't awakened yet."

"Of course we hope so."

Lancelot nodded, knowing how infatuated his "beloved daughter" was with the Last King, so he offered no objection.

In fact, he did have some doubts about Iori:

Iori is too strong!

This level of strength has exceeded the limits of what a non-god should be, creating a significant gap between them and the Steel Heroes.

This wouldn't normally be a problem, since The Last King is indeed that exaggerated... but that's largely due to the [Covenant Law]!

The current Iori has absolutely no Covenant Laws on her body, nor has she extracted the essence of the earth to enhance herself.

If neither of these two things is done, the final king will only be slightly better than the top steel god, and it will never be possible to traumatize her with two punches like before...

However, as Lancelot just said, she doesn't care who Iori is.

This world will surely produce a "last king" to judge the god-slayers, just like the balance of yin and yang.

Now, Iori is wielding the God of Salvation's Blade, possesses the divine essence of Rama, and his soul aura can resonate with the remains—he might say it isn't, but it certainly is!

Lancelot is a pure god of war who only hopes to follow the last king on another journey.

"I think I understand what you're thinking."

Iori looked at the young female knight: "Your real name isn't Lancelot, is it?"

"The Legend of King Arthur and the series of stories related to the Knights of the Round Table were created by my uncle and me in the past. The purpose was to create a new myth, using 'King Arthur' as the name you would be given upon your arrival."

"Back then, because we couldn't find you for so long, we came up with this radical plan... In the end, due to the incompleteness of the myth, it unsurprisingly failed; what was summoned was merely a mad god who had lost his mind... naturally, we couldn't awaken you."

Guinevere said somewhat ashamedly, "To make it easier to move around in the world, I took the name 'Guinevere' from mythology, while my uncle used 'Lancelot' to protect me."

As for our real names back then... I can't remember them anymore.

"I see. Then I'll give you a name."

Iori's gaze remained fixed on Lancelot the entire time.

The knight girl nodded slowly, accepting the offer with pleasure.

He was too lazy to be mysterious or explain any divine status, and simply said based on the few impressions in his memory: "You are a female war goddess, skilled in horsemanship, and belong to a hunting clan... Let's call you [Hispanthus]."

"—!"

Lancelot was slightly dazed. Upon hearing the name, something deep within her was touched, and many fragments of ancient memories surfaced in her mind, causing her to frown immediately.

Then it relaxed again:

Hippolyta is indeed one of her real names. It may not be the oldest one, but you can see the essence in it. It is much better than Lancelot, that inferior pseudonym!

But Iori being able to utter that name... indeed, he is the reincarnation of the Last King, there is no other explanation!

"Your Highness—cough!"

Hippolyta was about to say something when she suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, her face turning extremely pale.

"Uncle!"

Guinevere went over with great concern, but she was not mentally prepared for the severity of the female knight's injuries. She was shocked as soon as she took a look.

It turned out that although Hippolyta had survived Iori's attack, she was in extremely poor condition.

The difference in strength between the two was too great. Hippolyta was far inferior to Iori in both "quantity" and "quality". The battle was one-sided. The seemingly short battle had left Hippolyta with serious and irreparable injuries!

—After all, Iori had no reason to hold back.

She's just putting on a brave face right now.

"This is bad. Relying solely on ordinary spells... Your Highness, can you take out the Holy Grail and draw upon its essence? The power from the earth is the best way to soothe the Steel Hero."

I've never seen her so anxious; Guinevere clearly has a very deep affection for Hippolyta.

But Hippolyta then spoke up, saying, "Don't rush... it's no longer necessary, my beloved daughter."

Times have changed. Now that my lord is a god-slayer, it is only right for him to kill disobedient gods, and I will be no exception.