Bidding

Z's strategy wasn't all that smart, to be honest. As intelligent as Ex and Space Lion King were, they could see through it right away.

The problem was that seeing through it didn't have any meaning, in short—useless.

Z's strategy wasn't some kind of conspiracy; it was a straightforward strategy.

Ex and Space Lion King were like water and fire, never going to compromise. Even temporary compromises were tough. Since they couldn't unite, Z took this opportunity to grab benefits.

What's worse, she was clearly not a weak one; she had the strength to take on ten of them.

Whether it was Ex or Space Lion King, whoever won over Z would undoubtedly win. Even if she didn't cooperate with either of them, she and her group of Heroines could just defeat one organization first and then the other. In the end, she would still become the ultimate victor.

But...

"Sixty percent!"

While Space Lion King was still contemplating the pros and cons, Ex was the first to speak up. She was calm and didn't hesitate.

"Your group can have sixty percent of Artorius's time. Whether you want to date Artorius, fall in love, or do something else, it's all yours."

"!!!"

As Ex said that, before Z could respond, the other Heroines around her had already shown excited expressions.

The Heroines belonged to the same Subspecies, so their fates were intertwined. Aside from the oddballs among them—X, Ex, XX, and a few from the Holy Lance Sisterhood—most of the Heroines followed the lead of Ultimate Heroine Z and regarded her as their big sister and leader.

When the big sister feasted, they could have the soup. If the big sister dated Artorius, they could happily watch. Naughty time was even better, as group activities were more enjoyable than duos, right?

Just thinking about it made them filled with joy.

"I offer sixty-five percent."

However, before anyone could respond, Space Lion King also spoke up with the same proposal.

"Sixty-five percent?!"

Instantly, it caught the Heroines' attention.

Even a fool knew that 65% was more than 60%. That meant they would have more time with Artorius, more time to date, have fun, eat, shop, watch movies, and enjoy all sorts of naughty activities with him. Everything would become even more delightful!

How could this not excite them?!

The Heroines who had just thought Ex was doing great suddenly changed their minds and thought Space Lion King was better and had more potential.

"..."

At the same time, Ex and her group looked at Space Lion King with anger.

"Even though you're a just and righteous knight, you're using such a sneaky, mean, and cunning way to steal our son? Despicable!"

"Yeah! What a despicable knight!"

"You tarnish the knight's name!"

Ex said nothing, but several members of the Dark Rounds couldn't help but shout and slander Space Lion King while preparing to take action.

*Swish*

Of course, Ex stopped them with a wave of her hand. If they acted now, there was a high probability of being caught between the Order of Avalon and the Heroines. They could only cry when Artorius fell into the arms of other mothers.

"..."

"Hmph! As long as the outcome is fair!" Space Lion King retorted in response to the Artorias from the Dark Rounds. She met Ex's gaze with unwavering confidence.

"..."

"..."

The gazes of the two mothers clashed in the air.

If things continued to escalate, their offers would surely become higher and higher, eventually reaching an unsustainable level.

However, this was not good for the Heroines. An agreement that couldn't be sustained was as good as none.

Once Ex and Space Lion King understood this, they wouldn't cooperate with Z, and her plans would fall apart. The final outcome might be an extremely brutal war between the three organizations that would engulf everyone and lead to total destruction.

Although the Heroines didn't have as many numbers as the other organizations of the Artoria Species, the strength of the Heroines was, in fact, the strongest.

Their foundation and their strength as 'Heroine' were far superior to the 'Heroine' from the Holy Lance Sisterhood.

'So, there's no way to achieve a 'perfect' victory, huh?'

'Do we have to defeat everyone to obtain Artorius?'

'...Forget it, even if we lose some members, it doesn't matter. They'll be reborn in the Sapphire Galaxy after a while. As long as we wait, our organization will still be the best in the universe.'

With this in mind, the three leaders of the Artoria Species, the three most powerful 'mothers' of Artorius Pendragon, made a decision—they would fight.

A decisive battle to determine the fate of Artorius.

—Win, you get everything; Lose, you're dust.

With this in mind, every Artoria present was seemingly aware of their respective leaders' intentions. Beyond their apprehension and reluctance, a surging battle intent rose even higher.

All three sides had made their decision.

It was time for battle!

"Do you think I don't exist?!" Artorius finally spoke.

If this battle really broke out, the existence of Earth would be uncertain.

As Gaia pleaded with a whimpering voice for Artorius to intervene, and Alaya's request for him to borrow its power was rejected, he stepped forward and positioned himself at the center of the three mothers, confronting the overwhelming battle intent of hundreds of Artoria Species.

Under the shroud of such terrifying battle intent, an ordinary person would have likely fainted long ago.

Even the mightiest heroes and champions, even gods, would likely be suppressed in the face of such terrifying power.

At this moment, on the entire Earth, the only one capable of restraining the Artoria Species, the only one who could make them obedient, was Artorius.

It wasn't because his strength surpassed these hundreds of Artoria Species; it was about the fact that as soon as he stepped forward, all the Artoria Species instinctively withdrew their power.

Among them, Ex, Space Lion King, and Z were included.

They all knew that at this critical moment, they had to hold the line, show their strength, and muster up their courage. But if their beloved son intervened and stood between them, what else could they do?

Ex, Space Lion King, and Z looked at their little sisters, and they either looked around, raising their heads to the sky or lowering them to the ground. In any case, no matter which Artoria Species they were, they didn't want to upset Artorius.

In this crucial situation, Artorius managed to secure one last chance to speak for himself.