Chapter 214: Whoever Draws This Sword Shall Become King

At this moment, Lance opened his eyes once more, his consciousness having completely broken free from the restraints of the Material Realm.

Before him stretched a magnificent corridor formed from countless stars.

Every floating star represented a Noble Phantasm embodied by a Heroic Spirit who had left a profound mark upon history.

Within this vast sea of stars, he could clearly see three stars standing out above all others.

They were radiating dazzling brilliance toward him.

Lance's gaze first landed on the crimson-and-gold star at the far left, and a system prompt panel immediately appeared.

【Option One: Sword of Selection】

【Noble Phantasm Rank: Gold (Legendary)】

【Whoever draws this sword shall surely be crowned king. You shall possess the power to cut through all confusion, but you shall also be destined to walk a lonely path beyond the understanding of mortals. You will shed your final drop of blood for strangers whose names you cannot even remember. The people you save will only cheer for your invincible back, while no one cares about your battered soul.】

“The sense of déjà vu is way too strong here!”

Lance silently complained inwardly.

Narrowing his eyes, he carefully examined it.

The Noble Phantasm contained within the star appeared to be a straight-bladed sword with a cross-shaped guard, but the radiance was too intense for him to discern the details.

Uncle Ryan had repeatedly reminded him beforehand to choose the Noble Phantasm belonging to the founding monarch, Clovis Pendragon, if possible during the baptism.

However, he had no idea whether this self-sacrificing sword counted as that one.

Next, he turned his attention toward the middle option.

That star shimmered with intertwined blue and dark-red light, carrying an aura of slaughter and conquest.

【Option Two: Spear of the Lake】

【Noble Phantasm Rank: Gold (Legendary)】

【Whoever grasps this spear shall take the stars as markers and the earth as a banquet hall. Turn your ambition into thunder that tears apart an era! You need not walk alone, for behind you stand thousands upon thousands of soldiers. Wherever your spear points shall become the frontier of the Empire! Even if the stars fall, the conqueror's journey shall never end!】

The origin of this Noble Phantasm required no explanation.

It had undoubtedly been forcibly drawn here by the Fate Trajectory trait within him.

That King of the Northlands, who embodied domination, seemed to retain an overwhelming desire for conquest even while seated upon the Throne of Heroic Spirits.

He understood the origins of the first two options.

But what about the final star, which appeared so calm and quiet?

Lance shifted his gaze to the far right.

It emitted a pure and gentle light, edged with a faint golden halo.

It looked entirely harmless.

【Option Three: Immaculate Scabbard】

【Noble Phantasm Rank: Gold (Legendary)】

【The aged Red Dragon, in order to halt bloodshed and death...】

Lance's eyes had only just swept across half the sentence—

When a sudden change occurred.

He abruptly felt a violent fluctuation from deep within his body.

It was the Secondary Class that had failed to successfully advance yet had stubbornly attached itself to his main class, Pale Sentinel, remaining in a half-dead state all this time—

【Fate Jester】!

This class, which had remained completely inactive until now, suddenly became lively.

Immediately afterward—

To Lance's astonishment, a formless pulling force projected from his chest.

Like a greedy hand, it crossed through the void and directly enveloped the star representing the 【Immaculate Scabbard】.

And that wasn't the end of it.

As the force withdrew, it very deliberately brushed against the two neighboring stars representing the sword and spear.

The gesture was overflowing with provocation.

It felt as though someone had just made an extremely insulting taunt toward two kings.

The next instant—

The entire Astral Realm corridor seemed to become a powder keg that had been ignited.

The stars of the sword and spear instantly erupted into chaos.

Two completely different kingly auras soared into the heavens.

The surrounding Heroic Spirit stars, slightly weaker by comparison, were mercilessly pushed toward the edges of the corridor.

The clash between those two presences was so fierce that even Lance could feel violent tremors beneath his feet.

“Holy shit! Fate Jester, what did you do?!”

Lance screamed inwardly.

The panel before him flickered frantically as scarlet warning messages appeared.

【Warning! Due to the violent mutual repulsion between two Noble Phantasm powers, the original trial instance has been completely shattered!】

【Options altered. Merged into a single option: Furnace of Kingship, Contest of King and Conqueror】

【Come! The wills of the Noble Phantasms are roaring directly at you. They demand that you judge who is the one true king of this world!】

There was no opportunity whatsoever for Lance to react or refuse.

The scarlet option flashed wildly twice.

Then two violent pulling forces erupted simultaneously.

The scenery before Lance instantly twisted.

His entire body was dragged directly into a trial jointly generated by the two Noble Phantasms.

And while being pulled inside, he thought he heard another woman's startled cry.

Though perhaps it was only his imagination.

...

Not long earlier, Royal Capital.

Another Heroic Spirit Baptism belonging to Princess Elvira was being conducted simultaneously.

However, unlike Lance's treatment in White River City, the scale here was grand enough to leave anyone speechless.

This was the most luxurious Royal Prayer Hall in the capital.

The audience seats were filled with the kingdom's highest-ranking nobles dressed in magnificent attire.

The ceremony was personally presided over by the former Director of the Veterans’ Institute.

To display the majesty of the royal family, not a single step of the ritual had been simplified.

The entire process followed the most complicated and orthodox royal procedures.

Because of this, preparations had begun long ago, and only now had the ceremony reached its most critical stage.

The white-haired former director held a thick sacred scripture in his hands.

With a solemn expression, he completed a prayer lasting more than half an hour.

Today, Elvira wore a silver-blue armored ceremonial dress specially crafted for the ritual.

Threads of silver woven into the skirt shimmered with faint mana radiance.

The old director stepped forward and placed a crown woven from dried iris flowers upon the girl's head.

Standing tall and straight, Elvira advanced step by step toward the center of the incredibly complex Heroic Spirit Baptism spell formation.

This enormously expensive ritual had been activated tonight for her alone.

Before the light rose—

Elvira turned her head and looked through the crowd.

She spotted Cecilia standing in the front row of the viewing seats.

Seeing the deep concern in her friend's eyes, the princess smiled confidently and gently nodded, reassuring her.

Then she withdrew her gaze and stood firmly at the center of the ritual.

As the old director spoke the final incantation—

The entire hall became filled with brilliant starlight.

Every noble present held their breath as they witnessed the baptism.

This high-level ritual unique to the Royal Capital could temporarily bring the dimension of the Astral Realm infinitely close to the Material Realm.

Most of the powerful figures present possessed extremely advanced classes.

They could even peer through the dimensional barrier and observe changes occurring within the Astral Realm.

Elvira's body became enveloped by a pillar of light.

Her form gradually turned translucent as she slowly began separating from the Material Realm.

Beside the old director stood a robust elderly man dressed in plain gray clothing.

He was none other than Elvira's teacher—

The legendary Sword Saint Reinhardt.

He and the old director had been close friends for many years and both belonged to the royal family's innermost guardian faction.

“Do you think Her Highness will earn the favor of that Holy Sword?”

The old director could not conceal a trace of nervousness in his voice.

“Her Highness possesses the greatest talent I've seen among several generations of royal descendants.”

The old Sword Saint folded his arms and stared fixedly at the pillar of light.

“Furthermore, her Source Essence attribute also belongs to the True Dragon Species. In terms of characteristics, she closely resembles the founding monarch Clovis Pendragon. Gaining recognition shouldn't be a problem.”

As he spoke, the Sword Saint coldly swept his gaze across the nobles seated around them.

“As long as Her Highness successfully obtains the Heroic Spirit Blessing of the founding monarch—”

“These old schemers with hidden agendas will probably restrain themselves somewhat in the future and stop entertaining their little plots.”

Over the years, the authority of the royal family had indeed continued to decline.

By this generation, portions of the royal family's military authority and financial power had already been quietly carved away by several ancient Dragon-blooded noble houses.

The king had attempted centralization reforms multiple times, but the results had been minimal.

This baptism was not merely a blessing ceremony prepared for Elvira.

It was also a political contest concerning the legitimacy of royal authority itself.

Just as everyone observed while harboring their own thoughts—

A kingly aura overflowing with majesty suddenly pierced through the dimensional barrier and descended from the distant Astral Realm into the hall of the Material Realm.

Every high-level professional present felt its overwhelming presence.