I, of the Flauros Line, Have Been Loyal for Generations

Nitocris pressed, "Why?"

Black Lancer Artoria turned his head, looked at Nitocris, and said calmly.

"Because the winner will definitely be Rovey."

His tone was calm, but incredibly firm.

After all, he was the one who could defeat the Lion King.

——

In the fierce battle, Scáthach's magic spear changed constantly, but Rovey, who was trained by Solomon, could barely keep up with her pace and began to counter her moves.

As time ticked by, the battle between the two intensified.

It quickly transformed from an initial clash of fists and weapons into a battle where both sides revealed their trump cards and conveyed their beliefs to each other.

"There's a flaw, Master!"

Suddenly, Scáthach gave a warning, took a quick step, and flashed close to Rovey. The magic spear in her hand gleamed with a blinding purple light and she plunged it fiercely into Rovey's heart.

However, whoosh—!

Just as the opponent's venomous spear was about to strike Rovey's chest, flames suddenly erupted from Rovey's back, swirling like a giant fiery hand, steadily blocking the spear's piercing attack.

Not only that.

Click, click, click—!

Where the fiery palm touched, cracks appeared on the demonic spear forged from the bones of Sea Demon, followed by a series of extremely piercing sounds emanating from the entire spear.

At the same moment, just as cracks began to appear on the Crimson Demon Spear in Scáthach's hand, Rovey turned around, clenched his fist, and threw a punch at Scáthach. However, Scáthach noticed Rovey's movement first and nimbly retreated to dodge.

After a brief exchange, Scáthach's body landed on the ground as lightly as a feather. Looking down, she saw that the magic spear in her hand was broken, and not only that, but many cracks appeared on the entire spear shaft, like a spider web covering her eyes.

Clearly, the entire interior of the demonic spear had just been completely destroyed.

In just a moment, in the blink of an eye, the magic contained within the magic spear was completely destroyed, and the entire spear even lost its original form.

"It can even destroy my magic spear so easily. The destructive power of that arm has really impressed me."

Scáthach looked up at the Sacred Right reaching out to her. "This red hand is now a creation of the divine realm. Has it surpassed me? Truly remarkable, my Master."

Despite the destruction of her magic spear, Scáthach showed no anger on her face; instead, she smiled.

That was a happy smile, a smile of joy from witnessing the growth of his Master.

"Hmph, although your methods surprised me, if this is all you have, you still can't satisfy me, my Master."

Scáthach said with a smile, and this time she dropped the magic spear and held a magic wand in her hand.

"Next, I'm going to get a little serious."

The moment she took out her wand, it signified that she was about to use the power of the Land of Shadows and Rune.

However, it's no longer necessary.

Because--

"Scathach, you have already lost."

Rovey said to her calmly.

Just as he finished speaking, the two pieces of the magic spear that Scáthach had just thrown to the ground suddenly burst out with a blinding light, and then exploded. The dark red light turned into two balls of flame, and with a loud "BOOM!", they exploded on the spot at a speed that exceeded Scáthach's reaction time, knocking her back in the opposite direction.

Boom!!

Scáthach was propelled forward by the explosion, looking at the scene behind her in disbelief. With her Magecraft skills, she naturally understood what it was.

"Broken Phantasm."

This is a special method of detonating the Noble Phantasm itself, resulting in a terrifying explosion. Such an attack is considered extremely wasteful, so no one would use it unless absolutely necessary. However, she never expected that with just a moment of contact and breakage, Rovey could tamper with her magic spear right in front of her, completing such an ambush. It was so improbable that even though she sensed a problem with the flow of magic power on the magic spear, she would only consider it a malfunction caused by destruction, rather than Broken Phantasm.

After all, her magic spear wasn't some kind of divine artifact; it was just a simple weapon made from the bones of Sea Demon. Even if it were detonated by the Broken Phantasm, it wouldn't cause much damage to her body. And Rovey didn't expect it to do anything to Scáthach; he just wanted a momentary opening.

And now, he has caught him.

Scáthach: "..."

Seeing the fist that had been waiting for her, which had forced her to take a few steps forward due to the explosion and stopped right in front of her cheek, Scáthach gave a rather helpless laugh.

"I've lost to you again so rashly. You're as despicable as ever, Master."

"Yes, your actions were exactly what I expected," Rovey said.

"So that's how it is. That flaw you just showed me was intentional, meant to lure me into your trap!"

Upon hearing this, Scáthach nodded, then said with a sudden realization, "As expected of you."

Scáthach knew that Rovey preferred to fight with his brains rather than engaging in a straightforward, honorable battle like a warrior.

Why risk yourselves and your companions when there's a foolproof way to defeat the enemy?

That's how it was in that Holy Grail War.

He outsmarted everyone, even the strongest King of Heroes, and secured victory. Even now that he's become so powerful, he still loves doing it this way.

The outcome is decided.

Rovey gently took Scáthach's wand from her hand with a fist, then smiled.

Seeing this, Scáthach asked, somewhat puzzled, "You've already won, why are you still taking my weapon?"

"It's always good to be careful. My victory is only certain when you admit it yourself. Since you haven't admitted it yet, I naturally have to be on guard. After all, I've witnessed Scathach's power. If he suddenly comes up with an ice spear made of Rune, it will be very troublesome," Rovey explained calmly.

"I see... Excellent skills, and adequate vigilance. But a loss is a loss, and I won't do anything that makes me a sore loser."

Scáthach suddenly realized and said.

Her pride wouldn't allow her to do anything she couldn't accept losing, and besides, her goal in this battle was simply to have an easy fight.

Upon hearing this, Rovey nodded, then smiled and looked at Scáthach, asking, "Did you have fun this time, Scathach?"

"How could I possibly be happy to be caught out by such a petty trick? You idiot, Msster."

Scáthach smiled slightly, then paused, looked at Rovey, and said with a relaxed expression, "So, as the victor, how do you intend to deal with me this time?"

What do you think?

"Do I need to think about it? Of course it is..."

Scáthach gently tiptoed and kissed Rovey's lips. After a deep kiss, she pushed him away, a trickle of blood still flowing from her lips.

"Now that I've caught you, the contract is established. I am yours now, and you are mine too. We will never be separated again."

Is this your revenge?

Feeling the extremely special bond that had just been established between himself and Scáthach, Rovey gave a helpless smile.

"You guess?"

Scáthach also wore a captivating smile.

Chapter 258 I, of the Flauros lineage, have been loyal for generations

Once again, within the Temple of Time—

"By the way, how long has it been since we last appeared?"

"I don't know, but it's been a long time."

Do you think the king might have already forgotten about us?

"Don't talk nonsense! I think the king has definitely not forgotten us. He's just been held back by something. Perhaps he's in danger now and needs our help!"

"Absolutely! Absolutely! The King has absolutely not forgotten or abandoned us. He is merely waiting, waiting for the perfect moment for us to make our appearance!"

"... You can fool others, but don't end up fooling yourself too."

"..."

While some of the Demon God Pillars were still giving each other pep talks, the Demon God Pillars closest to the throne, who had the clearest view, finally spoke up.

First of all, as Demon God Pillars, they believe in the King because the King is benevolent, the King is great, and the King is worthy of their admiration. If anyone dares to say a bad word about the King, they will definitely swarm him and show that guy what the Seventy-Two Bronze Men Formation of Demon God Pillars is all about.

However, they didn't believe in Goetia, much less in those three bastards, Flauros and Barbatos; those three wicked fellows certainly weren't up to any good.

The longer it drags on, the more likely this will happen, because they don't even need to think to guess what kind of wicked schemes those three guys are plotting. They'll definitely pat themselves on the back for all the benefits while taking the blame for everything—they're nothing but treacherous officials.

So the longer it drags on, the more frustrated they become.

So they dispatched the most diligent, loyal, and steadfast Demon God Pillars — Jiepai —from the Temple of Time to find the king and persuade him to release them from the Temple of Time. But the result...

"So slow! What on earth is that Jiepai guy doing?!"

Standing beside the throne, Morax, the ancient demon god who was the eldest and was chosen as the temporary leader by the Demon God Pillars, was extremely troubled by the mess in front of him. So, he subconsciously wanted to scratch his head like Dio to vent his frustration.

After all, he never expected that Jiepai would also play the same game of disappearing from contact as those two traitors. However, this time, unlike Flauros and Barbatos, Jiepai did not leave the group chat, but instead remained silent. No matter how many messages he sent, he could not receive them, as if he had been disconnected from the internet, which made him even more anxious.

In such a short time, two of the departing Demon God Pillars have defected, and one has stopped replying after reading the message. They're really going to rebel!

"Don't panic, Morax, this isn't like you."

Samigina, well-versed in pedagogy, dragged his massive body forward to the side of the exhausted Morax and said, "Indeed, we all understand your desire to find the King, but it's always best to be cautious. After all, you wouldn't want to see Jiepai suddenly return to this temple in death, would you? Perhaps he's just encountered some trouble. But what kind of trouble could trap a Demon God Pillars and prevent him from sending out any messages? We have no idea."

"Sigh, I did lose my composure just now. Every demon god knows Jiepai's personality; he would never betray us. He is the most loyal Demon God Pillars. His silence now must mean he's in trouble. So this is really troublesome..."

Morax sighed. He suddenly missed Goetia. After all, if Goetia were here, he could pass the buck to him and let him continue to worry instead of him fretting about it. Only those who have personally held the position of leader of the Demon God Pillars can understand how exhausting it is.

However, while Samigina was chatting with Morax, Paimon, who was responsible for analyzing the Temple of Time below, remained silent. This prompted Agares was standing nearby, to ask curiously, "What's wrong now? Have you made any progress or breakthroughs?"

"——"

Seeing the other Demon God Pillars notice his unusual behavior and gradually gather around, Paimon, sitting in the center, closed all his eyes, as if deep in thought. Then, he replied softly, seemingly lost in thought, "Something's not right. I've been pondering something, but you've all pushed me to this point. Although this thought is extremely blasphemous, speaking of which... is that human really the King? Although he possesses the purest Christianity aura, compared to the King, he seems closer to the Child of God, doesn't he? If, as he says, the King abandoned everything, shouldn't he be living as an ordinary person? And..."

"And what?"

"Because of the Flauros incident, I've recently started recalling the entire Humanity Incineration. In the fragments of memories I've been revisiting, I saw a human named Romani Archman. No matter how I look at him, he's clearly human, but something feels off. Although such a guess is extremely disrespectful to the King, the aura he exudes feels strangely familiar... it's just too similar..."

Demon Pillars: "--Ooo ...

No one heard Paimon's words, or rather, his soliloquy, and no Demon God Pillars paid any attention to this side.

Just as Paimon was about to explain, a tsunami-like scream suddenly erupted from the previously peaceful Temple of Time. It turned out that Barbatos, who had been missing for so long, had suddenly returned to the Temple of Time! Now, not only did Agares have no time to listen to Paimon's reasoning, but Paimon himself lost interest in continuing the conversation. He and the other Demon God Pillars instantly surrounded Barbatos.

"May the heavens punish you, traitor!!"

"Traitor!!"

"Heaven will punish you!!"

As a deluge of accusations swept in, the vast Temple of Time was once again engulfed in chaos as demons danced wildly.

——

——

The Underworld on the other side.

"You're really bold, Flauros. I personally rescued you from the Underworld, which was already a great act of mercy. I never expected you to betray my good intentions."

Goetia grabbed Lev's leg, preventing his underling, whom he had painstakingly rescued from the Underworld, from escaping through the portal above. Lev, not to be outdone, immediately turned and roared at Goetia, "Don't be so hypocritical, Goetia! If Barbatos hadn't already been killed by your punch, and if I weren't the only Demon God Pillars left who could resonate with you and help you quickly recover your power, would you still have me alive?!"

Not long ago, Lev and Barbatos, who hit it off and formed the Demon God Pillars Suicide Squad, ventured into the Underworld to find someone and bring them out. However, they were struck unconscious by two Underworld lightning strikes and ended up sending the terrifying goddess of the Underworld to the King's side.

Because the Underworld is a realm that harbors demonic and undead creatures, Underworld lightning punishments are particularly effective against them. The two of them slept for a long time, and when they realized what had happened, they were utterly panicked. Just as they were about to go out and figure out the situation, Goetia, who had also sensed the situation in the Underworld, arrived and blocked their way, leading to the current predicament.

Not long ago, Barbatos refused to comply with Goetia's request to be synchronized with the Demon Pillar, and directly took Goetia's explosive punch, causing the entire pillar to be blown to pieces. Lev survived not because Goetia suddenly had a change of heart, but because Barbatos was already dead, and he was the last Demon God Pillars that could be used as a power bank.

However, even though Lev immediately realized something was wrong, he had already activated the teleportation array he had drawn earlier in preparation to escape from here immediately.

Seeing that Barbatos was dead, Lev hurriedly entered the teleportation array, but at that moment Goetia caught up with him, causing the current situation.

Despite his tough exterior, Lev is actually terrified inside. Dying means returning to the Temple of Time, and he can't even bear to think about what that would be like. As a traitor, even death seems like a distant dream. Nevertheless, he's stubbornly continuing to challenge Goetia. He's gambling that Goetia won't kill him. If he does, Goetia will lose the Ten Commandments and lack a synchronized Demon God Pillars, quickly weakening to a crippled state. Goetia absolutely needs him.

Having recently fought Tiamat and awaiting her shrewd intervention, Goetia was indeed taken aback by his words. After all, he was currently weaker than ever before, feeling utterly exhausted. While he was fearless against ordinary Servant, even Grand Servant, easily defeating them as weaklings, he was truly uncertain about facing Tiamat in her full power. This forced him to focus on recovering his strength as much as possible.

What could restore his power?

Without a doubt, it is these Demon God Pillars.

Aside from the incredibly united and invincible Demon God Pillars of the Temple of Time, the only ones he could capture were the two traitors, Barbatos and Flauros. So he followed the scent of Barbatos and Lev to the Underworld, where he coincidentally encountered the two disheveled fellows.

Goetia hadn't expected that, despite everyone being traitors, these two harbored even greater hatred for him than the other Demon God Pillars. They wouldn't even listen to his explanations, insisting that he had come here to harm the King. He was completely stunned when this false accusation was leveled against him, and Barbatos even revealed his ultimate form and attacked him.