Throne of Heroes (II)

That was a Heroic Spirit version of Arkhan constructed based on his records of proper human history, derived from a variant record stemming from King Arthur's records.

The essence of Heroic Spirits was pure imagination, creations born from the collective faith of humanity in heroes after their death. Even if they never truly existed, they could come to life through the power of belief.

Therefore, the abilities of Heroic Spirits fundamentally stemmed from their legends, from the great deeds and accomplishments they forged when they were alive. The more profound the mark they left in history, the stronger their abilities became upon transformation into a Heroic Spirit after death.

From this record, it seemed that proper human history acknowledged the series of achievements made by Arkhan.

Although the unique nature of the Divine Key prevented its power from reaching the level of the original, overall, the strength of his Heroic Spirit version was quite powerful.

After getting a bit familiar with the body of Heroic Spirit 'Arthur Pendragon (The Chosen King)', Arkhan started connecting with the 'Ritual: Heroic Spirit Summon'.

He sifted through those he specifically marked—worlds on the brink of apocalypse.

His idea was to use the peculiar nature of the 'Ritual: Heroic Spirit Summon' and send his Heroic Spirit avatars to these worlds first. By doing this, he aimed to understand the origin of these crises, their causes, and the extent of their danger before deciding on a course of action.

A world-threatening crisis might sound frightening, but it depends on the circumstances.

For instance, a highly skilled and anti-social hacker group infiltrated the nuclear arsenal of a powerful nation, launching all the nukes to cleanse humanity. This could also be considered a world-threatening crisis.

But faced with this situation, Arkhan only needed to use runes to find their hideout and just solve them without breaking a sweat.

But if it was a world-threatening crisis caused by a powerful entity or some peculiar phenomenon, he had first to assess the situation.

If the enemy's strength was too overwhelming, he would decisively return from his Heroic Spirit avatar to his original body and ride Cosmic Juggernaut straight in.

Heroic Spirits could be separated into different aspects according to the summoning needs, and these aspects could exist simultaneously. With this circumstance, he could maximize the efficiency of saving various worlds.

After all, there were so many worlds facing crises, and he had only fifty years. If he had to go through them one by one, who knew how long it would take?

After a moment, Arkhan successfully identified the marked worlds. However, many of them had already established gateways to the Throne of Heroes, and all of them were occupied.

This was a normal occurrence, as the original purpose of 'Ritual: Heroic Spirit Summon' was to address disasters that could threaten the world. Arkhan was not the only one walking this path.

Abandoning the worlds that could no longer be reached, Arkhan sat on the throne, concentrating on the remaining worlds.

As long as these worlds were connected to the Throne of Heroes, he would immediately send his avatars down.

===

At the Clock Tower, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald was a name known to all.

He was one of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower, the Lord of El-Melloi, head of the prestigious Archibald family, and the Lord of the Department of Mineralogy.

In addition to these illustrious titles, Kayneth himself possessed a rare talent that matched his status—the youngest lecturer in the history of the Department of Spiritual Evocation, an expert in Evocation, Summoning, and Alchemy.

Gifted and sharp-witted, born into a prestigious lineage, he inherited the Magic Crest of El-Melloi passed down through generations. His incredible capabilities were akin to those of Hiraga Gennai and Cao Cao.

For Kayneth, who had displayed prodigious talents like a child prodigy during his student days, the title of 'genius' was well-deserved. No one doubted his title, and there was no presence threatening enough to make him proud or arrogant. He simply enjoyed the title of 'genius' as a matter of course.

Life should be fulfilling, and for Kayneth, both the past and the future were bound to be so. This was a sacred and inviolable pact in his life.

Therefore, nearing the end of his path on the 'culture and education achievements' he began contemplating how to add 'battle achievements' worthy of his experiences.

The intelligence division soon brought him news that in Japan, someone was planning a ritual called the 'Holy Grail War'.

Information on the Holy Grail War quickly appeared on his desk. Without delay, he skimmed through it, and his face immediately displayed a scornful smile.

"Holy Grail? How can anyone believe in such a thing? Have those people fallen so far that they seek redemption through these unreachable fantasies? Well then, let me personally shatter their delusions."

Intelligence gathering, resource replenishment, and all preparations soon proceeded methodically.

Kayneth was a proud and arrogant individual, but that didn't mean he was blindly arrogant. As a genius, planning before action was the guiding principle he adhered to throughout. He remained the calm and reliable Lord as long as it didn't involve his fiancee.

Even when Lions hunt rabbits, they still give their all.

Even though the opponents were just a bunch of inexperienced Japanese, Kayneth was not careless. He almost used all the resources of the Archibald family, arming himself from head to toe. Following that, he went to great lengths and acquired the catalyst used to summon his Servant.

Everything was ready, just awaiting the right moment.

Kayneth stood by the large French window, gazing towards the east. His mind was filled with visions of his triumphant victory and the embrace of his fiancee.

A beauty paired with a hero, it had always been so.

*Thud* *Thud* *Thud*

The sudden knocking door sound interrupted the smile that had just formed on Kayneth's face. His expression immediately darkened, adding a sinister touch to his already somewhat sharp features.

He opened the door to find a member of the Department of Policies standing outside. This branch, directly under the Barthomeloi family, was well-known as the watchdogs of the Clock Tower.

However, being just an ordinary member of the Department of Policies, he didn't dare to be disrespectful in front of a Lord.

"What's the matter?" Kayneth asked nonchalantly. 

"Your Excellency, your catalyst has been stolen."