Chapter 376: The Scheme Within the Prometheus Grimoire
Guinevere was a Divine Ancestor, a descendant of the Serpent God, and a Witch of the highest order in heaven and earth.
The so-called Divine Ancestors were once Earth Goddesses who, after being conquered, dethroned, and fallen, underwent reincarnation to become what they are now.
Guinevere was once Lucretia's research partner in their joint study of the "Divine Ancestors," and she had also proposed to Lucretia the research on finding the "Last Manifested King in this world."
As the last manifested king, he should be the strongest Steel Hero.
The so-called Steel Heroes refer to those heroes who battled against the Earth Mothers.
In myths, these Steel Heroes would defeat the dragons and serpents—the embodiments of the desperate Earth Mothers—thereby gaining their power. They would often take the maidens, who were the fallen Earth Mothers, as lovers or as their supporters.
Of course, these Steel Heroes themselves were also divine beings.
The reason they were labeled with the term "Steel" was to signify that they were gods born for battle.
During her research, Lucretia discovered that some ancient Campiones who had mysteriously disappeared or died under unexplained circumstances were likely eliminated by The Last King.
It seemed to follow some pattern—when the time was right, this Last King would manifest and begin exterminating the Satans Campiones on earth.
As for Guinevere, rather than genuinely seeking research collaboration, she was actually attempting to locate The Last King through Lucretia's assistance. This Guinevere intended to resurrect The Last King.
Why resurrect him? Because Guinevere was presumably The Last King's supporter.
Yet it was somewhat peculiar—as a supporter, how could she not know The Last King's whereabouts?
Perhaps there were memory issues after reincarnation.
After all, the complete reincarnation of Divine Ancestors required centuries, and the Guinevere she encountered hadn't fully completed her reincarnation. Not yet fully matured, she resembled a child.
Moreover, Divine Ancestors' reincarnation almost always erased their memories as goddesses.
This ensured no memories of being defeated remained, allowing them to properly serve as The Last King's supporters without betrayal.
"One thing is certain: King Arthur definitely isn't The Last King."
"Why?"
Erica raised an eyebrow as she asked.
"Simple—years ago, King Arthur descended as a Heretic God and was slain."
Lucretia provided further detailed explanation.
In her search for The Last King, Guinevere involved herself in the Arthurian legends, editing King Arthur's mythology using The Last King as the prototype.
Ultimately, she attempted to use the King Arthur legend as a medium to summon the true The Last King.
The result? She failed—what manifested was King Arthur, not The Last King.
The one who defeated him was Alexander Gascoigne, one of the Campiones bearing the title Black Prince.
The Black Prince was also investigating The Last King, since he appeared to be the natural enemy of Campiones. Moreover, The Last King's awakening might signify the world's end.
"If you want to know more, you'll have to ask that princess. I haven't researched The Last King much these past couple years."
"Princess?"
Erica was momentarily startled before realizing who was meant—another supremely accomplished Witch.
"Princess Alice?"
Full name Alice Louis Euphrosyne, a Witch who had reached the heavenly pinnacle.
Who would have thought these two Witches were secretly harboring such astonishing secrets.
Suddenly, the Witch before her seemed to space out, her eyes gazing into another world.
After swaying slightly the next moment, she regained focus—likely having used Spirit Sight again.
Though she should have been resting to recover her power, his use of the God King Melqart's healing Authority had restored most of her strength.
So what was she observing with Spirit Sight this time?
"That God of War appears to have reclaimed at least half of his Avatars."
Lucretia spoke thus upon returning to awareness.
Her Spirit Sight had been focused on this God of War—the Heretic God she was monitoring.
"God of War? Half his Avatars?"
The witch before her clearly knew the true origins of this God of War, yet refused to speak of it.
To be precise, she simply didn't want Erica to know.
Hmph, just wait. She was investigating on her own end and would soon uncover the identity of this God of War.
When that time came, she'd make sure to defeat him before anyone else could.
Well, that was just angry talk.
Although she had obtained two Divine Authorities, she wasn't so arrogant as to believe she could oppose a Heretic God outright.
She hadn't even fully mastered her Authorities yet.
Moreover, if she were to actually defeat a Heretic God, she would trigger the reincarnation secret technique of a Campione. That might expose her own abnormalities, and she feared it could also reveal his special existence.
From the current situation, it was clear he and Pandora weren't on the same side.
The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.
"I see."
"What?"
Erica looked puzzled at the witch before her, who held a stone tablet in her hands—the Prometheus Grimoire.
This artifact had been discovered by this witch long ago, though it somehow ended up in the far eastern islands later.
Now, it had been returned to her by the grandson of someone the witch once knew.
"Normally, I shouldn't accept this item, as it was part of a transaction."
Lucretia also explained the so-called transaction.
She was conducting research in certain areas and needed assistance from the other party, with the stone tablet being the price for that help.
Now, while claiming to return the tablet, it had actually been tampered with.
Some individuals conspired to make the youth who just delivered the tablet become a Campione, and this tablet contained the power to enable that transformation.
So, handing the stone tablet to Lucretia actually conveyed another message—a new deal, to have Lucretia secretly assist in making this youth become a Campione.
The descent of that God of War and the divine king Melqart were all secretly orchestrated and manipulated by those in the hidden world, all for the purpose of making that youth a Campione.
However, Lucretia now had a master and had set her sights on that God of War herself, so she did not proceed with this new deal.
So, is Lucretia going to break the agreement now?
There is no such thing as breaking the agreement. The previous deal had already been completed, and this new transaction would only grant her corresponding rewards after the youth became a Campione.
Since she hasn't received the rewards yet, how can she be breaking the agreement?
Moreover, she never agreed to this deal beforehand; she only learned of it after the other party delivered the stone tablet.
So, what exactly are these rewards? They are some secrets and spells—secrets and spells that greatly pique Lucretia's interest.
In truth, she is an exceptionally curious woman, particularly fond of studying mysterious phenomena.
Otherwise, she would never have collaborated with Guinevere back then.
And now, Lucretia's greatest curiosity lies in studying her master!
This young man before her—her woman's intuition tells her that his secrets are absolutely unprecedented.
Far surpassing even those of The Last King!