Saving Marie Together / The Demon Pillar Mozart...

Shirou felt a tremendous force; the silver-haired girl's hands bound him like iron clamps, almost suffocating him. The armor on the girl's body was squeezed and made a strange sound.

"My hands, my hands, you've locked them up, let go first."

Emerging from the crack was the monstrous figure engulfed in flames. Freed from the restraint of the Black Mud clone, he had followed the sound and reappeared there. Driven by nightmares and driven only by the desire to kill, the monster's target was the young boy and girl.

Just then, the sound of a car speeding by and the screeching of tires came from ahead. A red Ferrari came rushing over and knocked the flame monster away.

A tall, fiery red parabola streaked across the sky.

"Gah... Uh..." The flying fire monster flew over the rooftops and landed on the ground behind it, leaving only the marks of the charred eaves. After a muffled thud, it tilted its head and died.

"Huh? What really blinding thing just flew out?" Astolfo, sitting in the driver's seat, blinked in surprise and shook his head from side to side, but saw nothing.

So he smiled nonchalantly, "Oh well! Hitting something while driving is pretty normal, isn't it? I've bumped into strange things every now and then when I'm riding in Hippogriff."

Chapter 188 Together, We Save Marie

"Master! Master! Meow's here to find you, woof~!" Tamamo Cat, who was sitting on the other side, stood up, smiling brightly, and waved to the boy.

"Hmm... why did you drive here? But I'm saved, thank you, Astolfo." Shirou thanked the knight inside the car.

"Huh? I don't quite understand, but I'm flattered!" Astolfo said with a cheerful laugh.

"Well, whatever makes you happy," Shirou said helplessly.

"Hey, you two are hugging so hot, how about we go for a ride as a thank you for saving me?" Astolfo, sitting in the driver's seat, adjusted his sunglasses and said, thinking he looked very cool.

"Whoa! No! It's not what you think!" Jeanne d'Arc quickly let go, crying out in embarrassment.

"What do we mean by what we're thinking?" Astolfo asked with a smile.

"Ugh... Damn it, I guess I'll just burn you then, as long as you're gone..." Jeanne d'Arc lowered her head and picked up the flag.

"Alright, alright, it seems you've dealt with it over there too? Those Black Mud monster's clones must have been quite troublesome, right?" Shirou asked.

"Master, that Black Mud has been torn to pieces and eaten by meow, woof!" Tamamo Cat said with a grin, eager to claim credit.

"... Is your stomach alright?!" Shirou asked Tamamo Cat with a surprised and worried expression.

"Tummy? Is everything alright, woof?" Tamamo Cat looked down in confusion, rubbed her belly with her paw, and then blinked at her owner.

"No, it's alright now." Shirou waved his hand and said. It should be said that the white-faced, golden-haired nine-tailed fox, the embodiment of the sun, a great demon who brought down five dynasties, a god who can see through the past and future and travel back and forth through time, even if it's just a clone representing its wildness with one tail, shouldn't be underestimated...

"By the way, where did you get this car?" Jeanne d'Arc asked, looking at the Ferrari with a puzzled expression.

"I found this car, Shirou, get in, get in!" Astolfo pounded on the car door, completely ignoring the front of the car, which was dented from the previous collision.

"Well done!" Shirou praised.

"Aaaaaah!!!" A deafening noise erupted, more like a curse than a song.

"I hate troublesome things, Princess! Seriously! I just want to stay home!" Wearing noise-canceling headphones, Hime no Toki was covered in origami—pink bats, gray horse harnesses, dogs, and rabbits—all rushing toward the spot.

Unable to bear the singing, the Black Mud monster clone, whose form had been exposed, began rolling around on the ground.

Whether it was too weak to resist or had given up, the Black Mud monster clone allowed itself to be repeatedly pierced and torn apart by Origami. The Spirit Origin that constituted the Black Mud monster clone collapsed under the dragon girl's song and Hime no Toki's attacks, and finally disappeared on the ground.

On the other side of the block, a handsome man with long silver hair nimbly leaped between mountains of flesh piled on the ground.

The Black Mud monster kept lunging at its prey.

Anyone watching from a distance would realize that it was just an illusion; the real Merlin was actually standing on the rooftop, overlooking everything. With his succubus bloodline, he was completely at ease using illusions in the dream world.

He had the Black Mud monster's clones completely outmaneuvered when he heard the destructive song stop.

"It seems everyone else has already finished. Well then, let's end this battlefield game here," Merlin said with a relaxed smile.

Then the spire adorned with purple flowers rose, and the golden light from the King's Sword and the magical cannon fire from the wand flashed alternately, burning the Black Mud monster's clone into a wisp of smoke, leaving nothing behind.

"So... finally, I need to inform everyone to regroup at the palace." Merlin said, raising his wand and firing a burst of flashbangs into the sky, illuminating four areas.

"Looks like the other two issues have been resolved," Shirou said, looking at the flashing lights in the sky.

"Then let's hurry to the palace! Come on! Get in the car! Get in the car!" Astolfo said with a smile, patting the car door.

"Hey? Do we need to take this over?" Shirou asked, looking at the dented sports car.

"Never mind, as long as we can get out of this awful place, anything is fine. Shirou, hurry up and get on too." Jeanne d'Arc pulled the boy and squeezed onto the bus, standing behind two seats.

"Alright! Roland, dented on one side, start! Let's go!" Astolfo raised a hand, stepped on the accelerator, and sped towards the palace.

Outside Palace of Versailles, the Black Mud monster let out a roar like a baby's cry and used various bizarre abilities to attack the four people who were holding it back.

Chevalier d'Eon, the knight of the White Lily, focused intently on raising his sword to deflect the tentacles that swung down from the back of the Black Mud monster.

The tips of the tentacles were black scissors that clicked and swished; some tentacles were syringes, with sharp, long needles piercing straight into the enemy's body. Once they pierced, they would suck away the blood, instantly draining an arm of its blood.

Above that are tentacles wielding axes and saws; any one of them, once struck, will be fatal, rendering even Servant incapable of fighting for a short time.

"Waaaaah!!!" The Black Mud monster, like a giant baby, let out a cry that echoed across the land.

Sanson seized the opportunity and swung his sword to sever the tentacles. Each time the blade touched a weak point in the monster's body, it was a vulnerable spot. However, the Black Mud monster was extremely resilient, and even if the tentacles were severed, they would quickly grow back.

Chevalier d'Eon and Sanson were locked in a fierce battle.

"Your Majesty, didn't you say you had a plan? So what are you going to do now?" Mozart said sarcastically as he used musical Magecraft to enhance the two people fighting in front of him.

"Mozart, you control this monster and keep it from moving around. After that, leave it to me," said Emperor Louis had been watching the battle from the rear.

"What? Your Majesty, if that were possible, we wouldn't need you at all," Mozart said irritably.

"But you can do it, prodigy!" Emperor Louis said with a smile, not angry at all. He and Mozart were rivals in love, as incompatible as fire and water, even enemies, but now, as they welcomed the 'Princess' together, he was grateful for the other's reliability.

"Ah, I can do it! But it's precisely because I can do it that I have to follow your orders, which is really infuriating," Mozart said, waving his baton in annoyance.

"All of this is to rescue Marie, so lend me your power, Mozart," said Emperor Louis.

"No, I won't lend it!" Mozart replied decisively.

He looked at the bloated, fat body of the Black Mud monster, as if he could see Marie inside, and smiled, saying, "From the very beginning, I only came here for Marie."

Chapter 189 Mozart, the Demon Pillar

Mozart recalled that beautiful memory buried deep within his heart.

At only six years old, he had already shown extraordinary talent in composing and had gained some fame in the music industry as a musical prodigy. He raised a large sum of money by performing and seeking sponsorships at the same time.

So he began a three-year tour of Western Europe with his composer and violinist father, Leopold, and his pianist sister Nannerl.

When he arrived in Vienna, he was invited to the palace there. It was his first time entering the Imperial Palace, where he played a violin piece exclusively for the Empress and the royal family.

At that time, the Holy Roman Empire's Queen Mother, Archduke of Austria, and Empress Marie Theresa of Hungary, asked him with a smile, "Little one, what reward do you want?"

Mozart, who originally wanted nothing but music, blurted out this sentence.

"I hope to kiss the Queen's youngest daughter at my wedding someday."

The Queen laughed heartily at the time; children speak without thinking, and perhaps no one took those words seriously.

But on that day, six-year-old Mozart did indeed fall in love at first sight with seven-year-old Marie Antoinette, and declared to the pure and innocent girl that he would marry her when he grew up.

He was a true genius; if judged solely by his musical talent, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he stood at the pinnacle of humanity. His training in musical Magecraft was equally impressive, so he was somewhat aware of the music-related Demon Pillar hidden within him.

However, from the very beginning, he wasn't particularly interested in human beings. Music was the only thing that drove him forward. He was active in the musicians' social circle, doing what a musician should do, accepting people's welcome, and maintaining a distance from people that wasn't too close.

He wrote down all the inspiration in his heart, the music he wanted to compose, the operas he wanted to write. In his 35 years of life, he wrote 25,000 pages of scores, completed thousands of works, and 626 of them have been passed down. None of them were shoddy; they all have their own unique features and have influenced generations of people.

Finally, he penned his most stunning masterpiece, a life that, for a musician, could be considered the most perfect. Mozart smiled contentedly and then... calmly ended his life.

Mozart was born in Austria. His family was not a particularly famous musical family on the surface, but in fact, they were Magecraft lineage descended from Andusias, one of the seventy-two demons of Solomon.

This demon god ranks 67th among the Demon Pillar. Its true form is a tall, four-legged beast with a single horn on its head.

In Hell, he holds the rank of Duke and possesses the magical power to perform Magecraft through music. He has complete control over the sounds of various musical instruments and can bend trees.

Legend has it that when he takes human form, he descends as a musician, capable of controlling the equivalent of an entire orchestra of transparent instruments, and can hold a concert all by himself.

Mozart is thus called a devil by some who dislike him, while his fans regard him as a genius favored by the Muses. Although he himself believed that humans were impure beings, he was not interested in things like Demon Pillar.

Aside from his childhood sweetheart, music was his only remaining interest. After his death, he was summoned to this world as a Star Servant.

He still hasn't changed his opinion that humanity is filthy and beyond redemption.

But the person he loved deeply loved France and the world, so he would protect her as well. Just as he had killed himself in life to prevent the Demon Pillar within him from awakening.

At that moment, Mozart unleashed the full power he possessed and played this piece.

The Requiem, a piece of music commissioned by the Grim Reaper, is a demonic melody that only someone with a close relationship with the Duke of Hell, King Solomon's Demon Pillar, could have created.

Before the Black Mud monster, Mozart's Spirit Origin underwent a mutation, reaching the level of Demon Pillar at that moment.

The new formal attire, a magnificent suit of armor resembling a tight-fitting combat suit, was draped over Mozart's body. It was predominantly purple, with a butterfly-shaped headpiece of various colors. A long, straight, golden horn stood out in front of the head, and a cyan-gold mask covered the man's entire face, revealing only his long, curly hair, his pointed chin, and thin lips.

His entire body was covered in gold, black, purple, white, and green scales, and the hand holding the conductor's baton revealed thick, sharp nails like those of a wild beast. At this moment, Mozart revealed a demonic figure, alluring, eerie, and dangerous, with human figures with white wings, dressed in white robes, and holding various musical instruments appearing around him.

The hand holding the baton was raised high.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Louis shouted, "Chevalier d'Eon! Sanson! Move aside!" Chevalier d'Eon and Sanson, upon hearing the order, jumped to opposite sides.

The next moment, Mozart swung his baton, and his Noble Phantasm was activated.

[----A Requiem for Death!]

The concert officially began, and the orchestral sounds filled the air. Originally, due to the limitations imposed by the Servant's Spirit Origin, the piece could only reduce defense and inflict curses. However, under Mozart's wholehearted performance, it transformed into a true hellish melody, unleashing its true power.

Accompanied by music, under the moonlit night, the clouds drift and the wind howls, while the eyes of Death, along with the gentle moonlight, gaze upon you, silently watching over you until the end of your life.

The music at this moment conveys to the listener a sense of destiny, an inescapable and unavoidable fate.

The Black Mud monster wanted to roar, but the sound of the music drowned it out. The monster wanted to get away from the place that was disturbed by the music, but it was also captivated by the beauty of the music. For a moment, the monster was so engrossed in the music that it stopped moving.

At this moment, Mozart had no time to pay attention to anything else; he simply closed his eyes and focused entirely on conducting the orchestra.

Emperor Louis did not say anything, but took the initiative to step forward.

"Your Majesty?" Chevalier d'Eon asked in surprise upon seeing the emperor he served.

"Step back. Leave the rest to me." Louis XVI, facing a twisted and disgusting Black Mud monster several times his size, showed no fear but instead took the initiative to approach the monster.

The Black Mud monster opened its mouth wide. If it weren't immobilized, it could have swallowed the tiny human in front of it whole in one gulp, leaving not a trace of it in less than fifteen minutes.

At this moment, Louis XVI stepped forward, stretched out his hand, and slowly placed it on the swollen, obese belly of the Black Mud, which resembled that of a pregnant woman.

Chapter 190 King Louis XVI

Louis XVI's hands, which were pressed against the belly of the Black Mud monster, were now thrusting in forcefully, as if falling into a swamp. They were enveloped by the soft, wet mud and sank in little by little, first his palms, then his arms, then his body, and finally his legs, moving inward.

The inherent properties of the Black Mud allowed him to easily enter it. The Black Mud curse continuously eroded his body, attempting to destroy his mind and alter his Spirit Origin.

Only a thin layer of golden light, so thin that even a mosquito bite couldn't block it, the same color as the light emanating from the mostly ruined Palace of Versailles, appeared on his skin, separating the pressing Black Mud.

Before he was crowned the sixteenth in line to the throne, Louis married Marie as the wife of the crown prince. The honest and introverted Louis, who was naturally reserved, and the quirky and outgoing Marie, although different in personality, understood each other and lived together.

He would give Marie the mechanical locks he made, and she would sincerely praise them. When Marie flirted with him, he could never resist paying for her extravagance.

After his grandfather Louis XV died, he became the ruler of the country. At first, he also thought about working hard to change France's predicament, but things did not go as smoothly as he had imagined.

In his youth, he also tried to save France from its terminal illness through reforms, but neither the old forces represented by the aristocracy nor the emerging forces represented by capitalist merchants stood with him.

Both sides acted like starving ghosts scrambling for food, fighting only for immediate gains while rejecting any measures that would improve the country in the long run.

Even if he appointed truly capable ministers, they would all be ostracized and suppressed by various forces, so disheartened, he gradually gave up the idea of reform.

He simply disliked those tedious and useless government affairs; he preferred to study the mechanical devices he loved and invent things, which would be far more beneficial to the people.

He simply disliked conflict, not that he was stupid; he was merely forced by circumstances, or rather, he was facing a Lord whose power was waning, a predetermined fate. The revolutionaries wanted him dead, while the royalists, who wanted to install his brother on the throne, also wanted him dead.

In the days leading up to his death, he figured out many things, things that even Marie, who became Servant, couldn't figure out, he had figured out from the beginning.

Inside the Black Mud monster's belly, Louis XVI peeled away the mud and the monster's remains until he reached the central area, which was a giant cocoon the size of a person.

"Ah, I've finally found you, my lovely wife." Louis XVI reached out and peeled back the top of the giant cocoon, revealing half of Marie's beautiful face.

"Your Majesty ..." Marie said wearily as she looked at the man who had arrived.

Inside the Black Mud monster's body, she struggled to break free, but was completely unable to move. She could only remain inside as the core, watching helplessly as the Black Mud monster destroyed the palace where she had lived for over ten years.

"It's alright, Marie, I'll get you out of here right now," Louis XVI said, reassuring his wife as he peeled away the cocoon.

After tearing open the giant cocoon, all that could be seen was the wound on Marie's abdomen, pierced from behind by the black mud Heroic Spirit. It was now fixed there like a pile, with black nails as thick as tree branches.

The nail was wrapped in black, sharp iron wire, completely different from the previous giant cocoon. It was extremely hard and could not be cut open even with a chainsaw.