Crushed by Absolute Power / A Deathmatch of Divergent Beliefs

The assassins, coughing up blood, collapsed to the ground, then struggled to their feet.

"Why would you go to such lengths to oppose me?" the First Emperor asked, puzzled.

The assassins silently raised their heads, saying nothing, but their expressions spoke volumes.

Chapter 479 Absolute Strength Suppression

The eyes of these assassins, looking over, revealed a resolute determination. It was a chasm, indicating that their thoughts were like two parallel lines, never to intersect.

The First Emperor glared at the group, angrily flicked his long sleeves, and said, "Ah... all you see are eyes full of disapproval! Do you all want to see me as some kind of monstrous, irrational being, just like the people of the six kingdoms back then? Whether you are former officials of the six kingdoms, reckless wandering knights, Confucian scholar, you have all stood against me without a second thought."

"That's only natural! Once I knew your plan, I wouldn't want to live a good life at the expense of my family." The burly man with the thick beard raised his strong arm and roared.

"This is for the continuation of humanity worldwide. Though cruel, this is the reality. A woman's compassion will not lead to great things. You should understand... I am the one who is 'right'!" the First Emperor declared from his lofty position.

"Right and wrong isn't even a question! Humans are irrational. This is our world, and our feelings are something that an immortal monster like you, who has barged in from the outside, can't possibly understand!" someone shouted.

"Hmph! Then struggle on! I'll stand here and watch your final performance." The First Emperor flew into the sky and sat on the Golden Dragon Throne, known for its ability to transform mercury.

"Those of us standing here may have different reasons, but we all share the same goal: to stop you!!" someone declared triumphantly.

Even the former aristocratic faction stood up, muttering:

"Ah, if we compromise like this, the glory of the family, established by our ancestors over hundreds of years, will be lost here. This is even more torturous than choosing to die."

More and more people are standing up. Rather than reluctantly accepting the rule of a domineering but capable emperor in exchange for the continuation of humanity, people ultimately prefer to have their own choices.

Armed forces were continuously replenished from the breached steel gates. The millions of people inside this Tower to the Sky would constantly provide fresh blood for this force.

"Drink!!!" the woman shouted, and a person flew out.

"Tohsaka! Sakura! Why did you two come along?" Shirou said, doing a backflip.

"Whose fault is this?!" Rin Tohsaka shouted angrily, striking an armed soldier in the stomach with her palm, sending him flying. She said viciously, "And I also can't stand the way that rich Chinese emperor is doing! If we're going to distribute things equally, he should give me his collection of jewels first! How could I possibly be from a wealthy class?!"

"Senior, we'll help too!" Sakura didn't hold back at all. The shadow beneath her stretched out four arms, lifting the armed soldier up. She leaped high into the air and landed from above, delivering an elbow strike to him. When the armed soldier crashed to the ground, the floor cracked.

"That's absolutely right. A planned distribution society will inevitably lead to economic decline. The value of goods lies in their free circulation. If they are distributed in a rigid way, everything will lose its value. Such a future is also worthless." Another figure in a blue dress rushed over quickly. The blonde woman used a powerful grappling technique to throw the armed soldier away.

"Miss Luviagelita Edelfelt ..." Shirou said, looking at the woman with the golden diamond-shaped hairpin.

"Shut up! If you really feel sorry for us, then take responsibility and resolve this situation!" Rin Tohsaka shouted.

"Sorry, it's not time yet! Hold on a little longer," Shirou said softly.

"Huh?! What's going on?! Wait! Shirou!" Rin Tohsaka shouted angrily.

However, at this moment, Shirou had already rushed back into the battlefield, holding back King Lanling. Jing Ke and Anna were also holding back Qin Liangyu. As long as they could stop these two Servant, they could stabilize the battle.

The Magecraft, mercenaries, and Brotherhood warriors charged towards the armed forces. After all, they were elites selected from across Earth and had undergone numerous trials, making them far superior to the armed forces. With the resolve to fight to the death and the power of their Servant, they managed to hold off the armed forces, who outnumbered them several times over.

"Gao Changgong! How long are you going to dawdle?!" The First Emperor roared from his dragon throne. The reason he only brought four Servant to such an important event was because that was enough.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" King Lanling suddenly summoned his white horse, which charged towards Shirou.

"It's time to end this farce!" King Lanling lightly stepped on his horse's back, using the momentum to leap high into the air, reaching out to remove his mask.

"Oh no! Don't look!" Shirou raised his arm to cover his eyes and shouted to the people around him.

But it was all too late. The moment King Lanling placed his hand on the mask, people's attention was drawn to it. They tried to turn their heads away, but found that they couldn't turn their necks. It seemed that even the skin on their necks didn't want to miss this sight.

I tried to close my eyes, but found that my eyelids wouldn't obey me at all; my eyelids and eyelashes were being pulled upwards, making my eyes open even wider.

Before one even realizes the beauty of it, their body and mind have already been captivated.

No one was able to stop King Lanling in time.

Then his Noble Phantasm was unleashed, and a magnificent drumbeat resounded, followed by a desolate atmosphere. This was the battle song created to praise the bravery and virtue of the King Lanling —the Prince of King Lanling's Battle Song.

The incomparably brave and fierce King Ling, who wore a mask and possessed both beautiful voice and appearance, was none other than the Prince of Ling.

Normally, he is a virtuous and elegant prince of Northern Qi. But once on the battlefield, he dons a mask, leads the charge, and transforms into a fearsome demon king. What people don't know is that the face beneath that mask, besides being pleasing to the eye for friends and family, is also capable of killing.

His bewitching appearance instantly captivated almost everyone on the field, regardless of whether they were friend or foe, male or female.

"Go forth, soldiers! The time has come to make a name for yourselves! Suppress these traitors for Your Majesty once again!" The elegant voice of the King Lanling now carried a solemn and imposing aura.

"Yes!!!" The armed forces affected by the Noble Phantasm shouted in unison.

Under the influence of the military music generated by the Noble Phantasm, all the armed soldiers were greatly strengthened. The battle, which initially gave the rebels a slight advantage, changed and gradually became a close fight. As the number of soldiers increased, the rebels could not resist and began to retreat.

The steel gates of the top platform were quickly breached! Rows of enemies surged forward, greatly increasing the number of opposing forces, and the battle suddenly turned one-sided.

With the amplification, Qin Liangyu, who was already the type to become stronger the more she fought, swung her spear with all her might, causing Jing Ke, who was entangled with her, to fling his dagger, which nearly flew out of his hand due to the force of the blow.

"Whoa! Brother, think of something! We can't hold on much longer!" Jing Ke flung his hand, throwing several daggers to restrain Qin Liangyu, and retreated.

"Vi! Freeze everything." Anastasia stepped forward and released a large number of ice crystals, which fell on Qin Liangyu like a barrage of arrows.

Under the amplification of King Lanling's Battle Song, Qin Liangyu did not choose to dodge. Instead, she spun her white spear and swept away the falling ice crystals. A few ice crystals did not bounce off and scratched her cheeks and hands. However, these did not weaken her combat power. On the contrary, they made her fighting spirit even stronger.

"Little Liangyu is terrifying! This is the most rebellious Berserker I've ever seen!" Jing Ke exclaimed.

"Hmph! Traitor! Don't compare me to a rebellious minister. Atone for your sins with your death! Executing you on the spot is the greatest mercy I can show you!" Qin Liangyu retorted mercilessly.

As long as the King Lanling's battle melody continues, the tide of defeat in this battle will not be able to stop.

"To catch the thief, catch the king first! Let's fight!" The assassins rushed towards the First Emperor, but a shockwave emanated from the center of their encirclement, sending the first assassins flying and crashing into the wall, spitting out blood.

An overwhelming pressure! A terrifying pressure! It erupted from the First Emperor, causing the rebels to tremble all over, and for a moment they were unable to properly wield their weapons.

"Enough! I was thinking of keeping you all here now, when we need manpower, so that you can work together for the world. But now it seems you are nothing but obstacles. Minister Gao, Minister Qin, imprison the criminals. If there are any more who resist, there is no need to hold back; just eliminate them." The First Emperor said angrily, flicking his long sleeves.

"Yes!" King Lanling clasped his hands in agreement and continued activating his Noble Phantasm.

The First Emperor said coldly, "Sacrifice is inevitable for survival! But as long as they follow orders, I will ensure their efforts are rewarded. I will also leave them room to make their own choices. Back in the day, my Qin Dynasty had only fearless warriors under its banner, and the six states and the Xiongnu feared them, calling them a tiger and wolf army."

"The elderly, the infirm, and the disabled who give up their places will also be considered as people who sacrifice for the country. Giving up a place means they won't be a burden on their families and will even allow their families to receive a new member's allocation. I believe many parents who love their children and many elderly people who love their grandchildren would be willing to do this. When faced with a greater cause, they will understand the principles, and the country will not forget their contributions."

"Don't betray His Your Majesty's mercy again! If you dare to resist again!" Qin Liangyu raised her spear, slammed the shaft into the ground, and addressed the crowd.

Some members of the resistance hesitated and lowered their weapons.

"Those who understand the times are wise. I will follow the plan. And what about you, Shirou Emiya? As a warrior who can injure me, I can make an exception for someone as talented as you." The First Emperor asked the young man over there.

"I..." the white-haired man said hesitantly.

Shirou recalled his life-or-death battle with Kiritsugu on the final battlefield in the Middle East...

Upon learning of the impending destruction of the world, Kiritsugu made numerous efforts, but all to no avail. No matter how many attempts he made, the result was always the same: the world was beyond saving. After that, Kiritsugu completely broke down. Already misunderstood by people, he became even more terrifying, and people began to fearfully call him the 'White Devil'.

Kiritsugu Emiya, whose criteria for deciding whether to save someone were based on majority or minority, had his balance completely overturned. Since the world was destined to be destroyed, saving even one person would be a great victory.

In an effort to save the world, people sought to use the power of the Greater Holy Grail to try and achieve some change, even if it was just some revelation. However, a pseudo-Grail was ultimately insufficient, so people wanted to enter the inner walls of the world and capture the black dragon that had taken the Greater Holy Grail during the Red and Black Holy Grail War at the Thousand Tree and the Clock Tower.

However, how to enter the inner walls of this world filled with Phantasmal Beast, and how to find the powerful black dragon that can fly freely in the air, is a major problem.

The First Emperor, who had been observing from behind the scenes, fulfilled the people's wishes and provided them with this opportunity. He summoned a giant golden man, who entered the inner wall of the world and forcibly dragged the hiding black dragon out from within the inner wall of the world, throwing it into the battlefield in the Middle East.

Upon receiving the news, Magecraft flocked to the battlefield, launching a campaign in the Middle East to reclaim the Greater Holy Grail. However, unbeknownst to many, this was merely one of the testing grounds for the First Emperor's experiment.

The wounded black dragon could not withstand the onslaught of the frenzied crowd until the very end.

The Greater Holy Grail, guarded by the Black Dragon, has actually had a wish activated. During the original Holy Grail War, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, the mastermind behind the Red Faction who tricked everyone in the Clock Tower, wanted to use the Greater Holy Grail's third True Magic, the materialization of souls, to save all of humanity.

The third True Magic, in a sense, can be said to be the True Magic that can achieve immortality. It imparts a new evolution to all of humanity without distinction of good or evil, turning them into beings that exist solely as souls.

By separating the human soul from the body, although the body will one day decay, the soul will exist forever in this world under the protection of the Third True Magic.

Humans in a spirit state will no longer need material necessities, such as food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. All disputes surrounding resources will disappear. Because they will be in a state of immortality, they will no longer need to consider whether to believe in God and go to heaven or hell, or who is in charge. Therefore, the conflicts arising from these thoughts will inevitably disappear as well.

However, this world has now undergone a transformation, and to fulfill this condition, an immense amount of magical power, or rather, a sacrifice, is required.

Chapter 480 A Deadly Battle of Different Beliefs

The insane Kiritsugu wants to drag all life in the Middle East into a blood sacrifice for the Greater Holy Grail, including American troops, local refugees, terrorist organizations, and weak, isolated regimes.

If the Greater Holy Grail can be reactivated, those who are drawn into it, even if they temporarily perish, can have their souls resurrected within the Grail.

To achieve this goal, Kiritsugu committed countless evil deeds and paid a heavy price.

The entire Middle East battlefield has become a burial ground; wherever you look, there is at least one corpse.

Kiritsugu Emiya was neither a hero nor a samurai, but an assassin. He lacked the courage and pride to compete with others at the cost of his life. Therefore, his goal was to carefully and cautiously secure victory and the right to survive with minimal risk.

His hair was completely white, and his body had been overused with Magecraft, making him as dark as an African. His eyes were empty and lifeless, devoid of any murderous intent, yet he resembled Death more than anyone else.

Like a computer-precise killing machine, it dragged everyone who entered this place into hell one by one. It used every method of killing imaginable: time control, Magecraft, guns, bombs, biological weapons, and sowing discord. Anyone who showed a weakness would die at its hands.

These complex methods, in his mind, seemed as simple as target practice: just aim at the vital point, then pull the trigger, nothing more.

All of this has nothing to do with strength or weakness, but rather with the attitudes taken beforehand.

Magecraft is a tool for killing, firearms are a tool for killing, lovers? assistants? adopted children—everything is a tool for killing.

Why kill? Killing is, of course, for justice! For the sole justice that redeems all of humanity. For this justice, for saving all of humanity, even if it means killing down to just one human being, it is worth it.

He is more cold-blooded than anyone else, committing murder with complete rationality. Yet he loves humanity more than anyone else, risking his life to save the world, even to the point of madness.

In order to achieve Kiritsugu's goal, Shirou's magical powers went berserk, burning his skin brown and turning half of his hair white. For Shirou in this world, Maiya Hisau, who was like a mother to him, also died in this dangerous battle.

Kiritsugu, meaning to cut and reconnect, is just like his name suggests. He was born with a special talent for destroying things and then trying to glue them back together. But even if the thing appears to be restored to its original state, it has completely lost its original function.

After the priests who were Executor sent from Japan to the Church of the Holy See were killed, no one could stop Kiritsugu anymore.

Kiritsugu obtained the Greater Holy Grail from within the inner wall of the world, but the ritual was no longer pure. Due to excessive killing, it generated a large amount of murderous intent and resentment, which would cause the Grail to be contaminated with the evil of the world.

But at this moment, Kiritsugu, who could no longer see any of this clearly, did not stop. Instead, he wanted to activate the Black Holy Grail.

If this were the case, the whole world would fall into the understanding of world evil, and souls would sink into black mire, struggling for eternity in the torment brought about by negative emotions such as jealousy, resentment, anger, and despair.

Sizzle...

Kiritsugu Emiya... no, the man who had completely transformed into a white demon, felt a sharp pain in his back. As something sharp twisted his heart from behind, he lost the strength to stand and collapsed.

In fact, he had long ago been like a candle that had burned out, leaving only an empty shell thanks to his fanatical belief.

The white demon, Burn to ashes, lay sprawled on the ground.

Standing behind him was a familiar young man, holding a black modified gun with a bayonet, from which blood was dripping onto the ground.

At this moment, Kiritsugu realized that the child he had found had turned completely white-haired, just like him, and was looking at him with tears streaming down his face.

Shirou later thought that the reason he was able to kill Kiritsugu so smoothly was probably because even if Kiritsugu was insane, he never considered the possibility that he would betray him.

He was forced to stand against Kiritsugu, effectively killing Kiritsugu at his hands. But in the end, Shirou released the dragon.

After the Dead Apostle of a young boy on a Southeast Asian island, he was adopted by bounty hunter Natalia Kaminsky and began receiving professional training in assassinating Magecraft, living the life of a mercenary in the world of Magecraft.

Until, in an attempt to prevent the disaster from spreading, he used a surface-to-air missile to bomb the plane transporting the Magecraft who had turned into a ghoul due to his Dead Apostle transformation, which also killed his foster mother who was on the plane at the time.

From that moment on, 'Magus Killer' Emiya completed his journey of self-discovery. As Magecraft, he truly matured, but also became utterly twisted, transforming into the perfect assassin who protects the world.

If the only way to combat evil is to possess even greater evil, and to end that greater evil through the methods of evil people, then he has indeed succeeded; no one could have done it better than him.

After that, Kiritsugu Emiya began to act alone, living Issei life like a sophisticated killing machine.

They are currently hunting down a particularly dangerous Magecraft.

This Magecraft is a vampire, like Dead Apostle, capable of injecting blood poison into people, turning them into zombie-like puppets. His ability to spread is terrifying, like a plague, capable of engulfing an entire city of humans overnight.

Kiritsugu was not a warrior who fought fair and square; all he could do was carefully and cautiously achieve victory with minimal risk and cost, and then use his remaining life to do the next thing to save the world.

So when the vampire checked into the hotel, Kiritsugu Emiya didn't hesitate to detonate the bomb, resulting in the tragic deaths of everyone in the hotel.

However, the vampire still managed to escape from the hotel, causing massive damage to the entire town.

Shirou, who was born as a child at the time, was also implicated and seriously injured.

When it was all over, Kiritsugu dug Shirou, barely alive, out of the devastated ruins...

This was their beginning.

In this world, Shirou Emiya is an irredeemable and unforgivable patricide who loathes himself and wishes he could kill himself.

Of course, none of this can be blamed on the First Emperor. But ultimately, this method originated from him, as the owner of the tower.

In fact, this plan was doomed to fail from the very beginning.

Even if a plan to abandon the physical body and escape the collapse of Earth, leading to the extinction of humanity, could be achieved without any side effects, the First Emperor would not allow it.

Because he valued his physical body more than anyone else, even after becoming an immortal, he still chose to stay in the mortal realm to protect humanity for countless lifetimes. In his eyes, abandoning the Soul Materialization the soul was simply the most evil path of all, something he would never tolerate.

What Shirou found intolerable was the First Emperor's attitude towards the people of this world. He showed no apparent reverence, constantly creating trouble and tragedies, yet he acted as if he were merely making use of waste, arbitrarily using this doomed world as a guinea pig for experiments.

After the White Demon scourge of the Middle East ended, Shirou, all alone, arrived in Russia, hoping to stop the First Emperor's experiments, but it was all too late.

However, there he encountered Anastasia, who was hiding in the broken castle. She was also a victim of the First Emperor. The person who summoned her was killed in the great war, but she survived because of her uniqueness and the magic of the elves.