Chapter 209: Divine Authority: Restriction
Countless Magic Circles continuously ascended towards the immense Magic Circle in the sky, ultimately merging into it.
Seated upon the Celestial Throne, Noah rested his head on one hand, silently observing everything before him.
Below, Morgan, Vivian, Manaka Sajyou, and Scáthach—who had been quietly constructing Magic Circles with their eyes closed—opened their eyes and began chanting incantations in their respective languages.
Under the influence of these four incantations, each originating from different regions yet all equally peculiar in pronunciation, the smaller Magic Circles gradually rising into the sky began to expand the enormous Magic Circle above, making it even more colossal.
Then.
The massive Magic Circle in the sky blazed with a crimson light.
The radiance of the sun behind it was blocked out, and the entire sky reflected the profound darkness of the cosmos. Only the blood-red Magic Circle continued to illuminate the earth, staining the ground scarlet, as if blood were flowing from wounds torn open across the universe.
Amidst this radiance, the Great Yata Barrier, which had remained well-hidden until now, gradually began to reveal its form.
Within an area roughly the size of a village, its presence resembled half of a sun inverted upon the earth—not even transparent. Due to the compression of space within, from the outside, it appeared as though something inside was twisting and moving.
Even with its solar radiance, it looked exceptionally eerie.
If one had to find an adjective to describe such a Great Yata Barrier, only these two words could suffice—Decaying Sun, meaning "the rotting sun."
Yet even such a Great Yata Barrier saw its light distorted and warped within this bloody glow.
Finally, it transformed into a stream of light and plunged into the Holy Spear of the End that Noah had provided!
Once all this light was absorbed by the Holy Spear of the End, the Great Yata Barrier vanished from its original location.
In its place, the Heian Capital within the Great Yata Barrier transformed into something akin to a hidden realm, with its entrance—or key—being Noah's Holy Lance.
"It is complete."
Morgan looked up at Noah in the sky and reported thus.
Seated upon the throne with his back to the earth, Noah extended a hand to the side of the throne, and the Holy Lance, which had been at the core of the Spell Formula, flew up and landed in his grasp.
After reclaiming the Holy Lance, Noah brushed his other hand's fingers across its shaft.
Golden patterns flickered briefly along the spear before vanishing.
"The power of the sun... This is indeed a rare acquisition. Yet, draped in this glory, it may prove quite useful to me in the future."
As Noah spoke, a golden light manifested on the Holy Lance in his hand, followed by materialized chains coiling around its shaft.
This was not a new power born from the Holy Lance after merging with the Great Yata Barrier.
Rather, it was a new Authority Noah obtained from the Holy Lance after it fused with the Great Yata Barrier and he reclaimed it.
If Noah's original Authority could utilize his vast and all-encompassing Divinity to unleash various abilities and Divine Authorities, yet could ultimately be unified as—Divine Authority: Bestowal—then...
Now that Noah has integrated this power from the sun, he has gained something new in addition to his original Divine Authority: Bestowal.
Namely, these chains.
After consuming the Great Yata Barrier, this Holy Lance has indeed become stronger than before. As it flies forth, it carries not only the power of the Great Yata Barrier but also a might akin to that of the sun.
It has now become the strongest among the thirteen Holy Spears of the End. One could even call it the Holy Lance of the Sun.
However, in Noah's assessment, compared to the immense enhancement of the Holy Lance's power, these chains are the greater harvest.
He tentatively names these chains—Divine Authority: Constraint.
Just as a ruler must not only understand bestowal but also constraint, balance, and punishment, these chains represent the Divine Authority of constraint.
Though they are not yet complete.
"The power of constraint derived from the sun's energy can only target the heavens. While it is not yet perfected as Divine Authority: Constraint, it serves as an excellent starting point."
To put it simply, these chains are like an upgraded version of Gilgamesh's Enkidu.
Enkidu targets gods, while Noah's chains, under Divine Authority: Constraint, target all beings with the characteristic of "heaven."
Moreover, their targeting capability surpasses Enkidu's focus on gods. Even when not aimed at beings with the characteristic of heaven, the material and structure of the chains are directly linked to Noah's Divinity.
After all, this is his Divine Authority.
And...
Noah looked at the chains connected to the Holy Lance. With one hand, he gently stroked the end of the chains, effortlessly extracting a wedge resembling a spearhead from that spot.
"This should be about right... Although, given my Divinity, the chains' power remains formidable even without any special targeting abilities, since they inherently possess the characteristic of targeting the heavens, it would be best to fully perfect this Divine Authority."
"Conveniently... whether targeting the earth or humanity, I seem to have ways to create Holy Lances that match these chains."
"When time permits, I will fully perfect this Divine Authority."
"As for now..."
Noah held the Holy Lance entwined with chains in both hands, slowly raising it before him and pressing his forehead against the shaft.
As golden light gleamed in his eyes, the Holy Lance itself seemed to flow with distorted, scorching energy akin to that of the sun.
Then, the "gate" opened.
It was the gate of the Great Yata Barrier and the gate of the Heian Capital.
This enormous gate stretched from the ground to the sky, as if a tear had been rent in the world.
Noah's voice echoed in the minds of all those on his side, including Minamoto-no-Raikou.
"The gate is now open. Let us go and see what this so-called Heian Capital is truly like—everyone, prepare for battle, proceed with caution, but do not worry excessively, for I am here."
Upon hearing Noah's voice, the Enforcement Knights spontaneously moved to the outermost perimeter of the formation, each drawing their shields and raising the transformed halberds in their other hands.
The Ladies of the Lake and Morgan were protected at the center by these Enforcement Knights, with even Minamoto-no-Raikou positioned there as well.
Seeing the actions of the Enforcement Knights, Noah smiled.
"Rest assured, I will not watch you die before my eyes. Or rather, to snatch your lives from my grasp—not even the so-called god of death could ever achieve such a feat."
"Advance, march, witness, conquer—before you lies no unknown land, nor any so-called new continent. For wherever you tread, the ground beneath your feet is my territory; those you see are my people; your enemies are the enemies of the world."
"We are the Pantheon, we are the world, we are everything, we... have no rivals!"
In response to Noah's words, the Enforcement Knights replied in unison, then fearlessly stepped through the light gate, advancing toward the demonic lair Minamoto-no-Raikou had spoken of—the Heian Capital, where demons roamed almost everywhere.