Another Nuclear Night

They were all created by God, created by the stars.

The staff in Rovey's hand was something he had personally crafted using his wisdom and talent in this era of departed gods and utterly impoverished mystery, combining everything he could find. That's why Scáthach marveled at the terrifying extent of his talent.

In her view, Rovey was born in the wrong era.

With his talent, if he had descended to the age of Age of Gods, whether in the Northern Europe or Celtic pantheon, he would have been able to reach the realm of the gods as a human.

No, perhaps his terrifying talent would even frighten the gods.

Regarding the Philosopher's Mace in his hand, Rovey's description and specification of its effects are equally simple and straightforward.

Because he lacked the forging skills of gods who transcended human wisdom and imagination, and he also lacked the blessings of elves and planets, or the great power that reached the Root, all he could do was create something suitable for his own use, maximizing the power of the Magecraft he used, and creating an amplifier that was most suitable for him.

Originally, he only wanted to Leyline magic to create a pseudo- Holy Grail Mystic Code that could provide magic power at any time, was easy to carry, and could provide amplification. However, thanks to the generosity of the King of Heroes Gilgamesh, he was actually rewarded with the Philosopher's Stone, a treasure of Alchemy.

Thus, with the Philosopher's Stone in hand, at a crucial moment in his plan, he decisively overturned the original plan for the Holy Grail Mystic Code. He simply went all in and used his simple and crude methods, along with some technical guidance provided by Merlin, to forcibly shape and fuse the pseudo- Holy Grail with the Philosopher's Stone, thus creating the treasure we see today.

Although the successful creation of this Mystic Code filled Rovey with ecstasy, and he marveled at it as a miracle, he was still not blinded by his own rationality. He knew that the successful creation of this Mystic Code was not solely due to his own efforts. Without Scáthach's complete set of Primordial Runes diagrams, he could not have created such a precise yet highly efficient activation array; and without Merlin's partial technical guidance, he would have found it difficult to forge this Mystic Code so smoothly.

This is why, even at the risk of being beaten half to death by Artoria, he went to comfort her afterwards.

Of course, it wasn't because he suddenly fell in love with her at first sight after seeing the King of Knights's heroic figure. That would be too hasty to be true. To put it nicely, it's called love at first sight; to put it bluntly, it's just an absurd reason driven by lust.

It wasn't because I knew about her experiences that I felt sorry for her, and then I felt compassion and wanted to preach and enlighten her. It wasn't some kind of unreasonable kindness and gentleness.

He is a rational person, or rather, most Magus are like that—extremely self-centered and rational beings.

The only reason he was willing to take the risk was because of his deal with Merlin.

As for what the future holds for Artoria, Rovey didn't care. All he cared about was whether his plan could be successfully implemented.

At this moment, with the help of two of the most famous Magus of the Age of Age of Gods, Merlin, the Magus of Flowers, and Scáthach, the Queen of the Underworld, he finally disregarded the differences in Magecraft systems and magical properties, using them as materials to create a unique miracle that belonged only to him.

An immortal miracle of reenacting mythology in modern times as a human being.

Even Merlin, who witnessed countless stories of historical heroes, and Scáthach, the mentor who guided countless heroes, had to acknowledge this achievement as a miracle that was in no way inferior to True Magic.

Regarding the Philosopher's Mace in his hand, Rovey only gave a very simple two-sentence description of its effects.

Rather than a medium for performing Magecraft, it is more accurate to describe it as an exceptionally powerful Magecraft amplification device.

Its function is much simpler and clearer than those divine artifacts with special functions, such as the Ea which can create the world, the Chains of Heaven which have intelligence and can bind gods, and the Great God's Declaration which can be thrown with the power of cause and effect.

Because it truly only has one very simple and unpretentious amplification effect.

As long as Magus uses it to perform Magecraft, he can receive continuous support from the vast magical power stored within, and the power of any Magecraft can be enhanced to more than five times its original power. If the most suitable Alchemy Magecraft is used, the amplification effect can be increased to ten times with the help of the Philosopher's Stone.

Although the effect is simple, its strength lies in the power it contains.

It provides unlimited magical power unconditionally and can amplify the power of any Magecraft by more than five times. The domineering nature of this effect is in no way inferior to the supreme artifacts in the hands of the main gods.

At least in Scáthach's view, the amplification this thing provides far exceeds what Mystic Code should be able to offer, and it can be called a miracle or a divine artifact.

Even in the Age of Gods, it would undoubtedly be a divine artifact destined to be recorded in mythological epics.

I still remember the moment this staff was created. A colorful torrent, woven from surging magic and dazzling elemental light, rose up in Fuyuki City. Then, like the sun, it illuminated the entire night sky. The power it unleashed was like a tsunami, engulfing everything in front of it, leaving only a sky full of scattered starlight.

It was as if it were making a grand announcement of its birth to the whole world.

Colorful light surged forth relentlessly, and the layers upon layers of special Magecraft barriers, originally used to conceal traces and restrict magical power, were scattered like stardust before this torrent of light.

That underground parking lot, which had weathered decades of storms and stretched more than ten meters underground, along with the vehicles that had not yet been retrieved, all came to an end in an instant amidst that dazzling magical light. The Magecraft barrier, brick by brick, was completely dissolved, leaving only a bottomless, enormous pit in the ruins, silently recording everything.

At this moment, the formal attire he had been eagerly anticipating was completely finished.

With the treasures and trump cards he had acquired during this period, Rovey knew it was time to take action and eliminate the biggest problem in this Holy Grail War.

So this time, instead of concealing his whereabouts as usual, he appeared openly under the moonlight and personally came to the final battlefield he had chosen.

——Ryūdō Temple.

After personally offering three sticks of incense to the Buddha inside, Rovey Wei immediately used his enhanced Suggestion Magecraft to control all the monks in the temple and drive them all down the mountain to beg for alms, before sealing the mountain off.

Now, after all the preparations were complete, his weary body could finally rest. He stood quietly before the temple's main hall, his hands clenched, awaiting the arrival of the most powerful Servant in this Holy Grail War. Behind him stood the purple-clad Queen of the Demon Realm, Scáthach, a smile playing on her lips. A dense aura of demonic energy emanated from her, her presence utterly incongruous with the imposing main hall behind her.

However, she didn't notice any of this. At this moment, Scáthach's eyes were completely focused on Rovey's cane, carefully examining every detail.

"Hmm, so this is the magical power stored in the Greater Grail, the magical power that Emiya Kiritsugu intends to use to grant wishes, right? Such vast and pure magical power... This kind of pure thing is indeed omnipotent; as long as the quantity is large enough, it can do almost anything. However, controlling and stabilizing it, and shaping it, is not an easy task. To be able to ignore all the risks in such a short time and use it as material, I'm afraid you are the only Magus in this era who can do this, Master."

After observing it carefully for a long time, Scáthach also figured out some things about the cane.

"... A genius? No, or should I call you a madman?"

"Is this some kind of good show, or something I'm looking forward to?" Scáthach said casually.

"Genius? Or madman... No, obviously, I am neither of those. I am just an ordinary Magus with some good luck."

In response to Scáthach's praise, Rovey shook his head slightly and then replied.

"Achieving this is not solely due to my efforts. In the end, my greatest effort was only to collect magic and obtain materials such as the Philosopher's Stone. Neither the filtering nor the guidance during the forging process can be accomplished by one person alone."

"If I were alone, I wouldn't dare to act so recklessly, directly fusing two materials I've never tried before. After all, doing so would be tantamount to courting death. But with the Queen of the Demon Realm supervising me, plus some scumbag who frequently mass-produces holy swords giving me guidance in my mind, then I naturally have nothing to fear."

"After all, no matter the outcome, I believe you will protect me. Am I right, Scathach?"

While glancing towards the entrance of the mountain gate of Ryudong City, Rovey casually answered Scáthach's question.

"Huh? What did you just call me?"

Upon hearing that title, Scáthach was slightly taken aback, and then quickly pressed Rovey for an answer. However, Rovey did not answer the question, because it was no longer the time to continue chatting.

The person they were waiting for had arrived.

——Whew!!

Soon, accompanied by the howling wind of the night, a familiar yet harsh voice suddenly rang out from the night sky.

"You bastard, is this the place you've chosen to die?!"

An extremely arrogant voice came from the highest point above, from a golden airship that was difficult to even see. The golden king stood proudly at the bow of Vimana, looking down at the group below, whom he could tentatively call "enemies." Gilgamesh narrowed his crimson eyes, which were now vertical like snake pupils, and mercilessly mocked the calm-faced Rovey and Scáthach were about to rush up and shoot him.

"A cemetery..."

Rovey shook his head. "Sorry, King of Heroes, I don't have the habit of finding a grave for myself in advance."

After saying that, he raised his cane and tapped it lightly on the ground. Immediately, a powerful magical force burst forth from its tip, Philosopher's Stone, which was embedded at the top, shone with a dazzling light like the morning star.

Then, as all three could clearly feel and see with their own eyes, an enormous Alchemy Array suddenly rose up beneath their feet, its vastness covering the entire Ryūdō Temple and the surrounding mountains and forests.

Because he wields the Philosopher's Mace, the range of the Hallcraft Rovey covered only the size of a courtyard has been expanded to ten times its original size, and this is the first time he has shown it to everyone.

"This is... an open- Reality Marble? No, it's not... it's just a Magecraft circle that activates instantly. Rather than calling it your mental world, it's more like a portable Magic Workshop that can be dropped at any time."

Seeing the massive Alchemy Array suddenly rise beneath his feet, Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in them.

But as the King of Heroes, even things like demonic arts, which he didn't usually touch at his age, were naturally easy for him, given his divinely bestowed wisdom, and he quickly figured out the tricks of the trade.

"You're right. This isn't Reality Marble, nor is it my mental world. It's just a simple Alchemy Array. For Alchemy Magecraft, this thing is actually pretty much the same as Magic Workshop."

Rovey nodded, then leaned on his cane and took a few steps back, explaining as he retreated.

"While this isn't the exact spot where the Greater Grail will descend, it is one of the nodes of the Fuyuki City's Ley Line. Rather than going to the stadium to fight for an empty Holy Grail that I've almost drained of its magic power from, leaving only endless malice, it's better to choose this place for the final battle. After this battle is decided, I will thoroughly purify the remaining All the World's Evil."

"After the battle is over, you will purify it... purify it? By whom? By yourself?"

"—Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!"

Upon hearing Rovey's casual remark, Gilgamesh seemed to have heard the funniest joke, and he covered his face and burst into uncontrollable laughter. The intense emotion was so infectious that Rovey almost wanted to laugh along with him.

'Damn, this haha monster...'

Gilgamesh's actions ruined the previously serious atmosphere, which gave Rovey a bit of a headache.

"Even though you have witnessed my power and know the glory that belongs to me, do you still insist on your stubborn and naive rebellious behavior?"

Fortunately, Gilgamesh's laughter didn't last long. Soon, he clutched his stomach, which seemed to be cramping from laughing, straightened his back, and looked at Rovey dared to be so arrogant, with a cold smile.

"I must say, you have the courage to surpass that mad dog Berserker, and you even surpass Rider in your love of fantasy and dreaming."

"So much so that... you actually dared to secretly tamper with the treasure I was about to reclaim, without anyone knowing, and forged the magic power accumulated in the Holy Grail into the wand in your hand. You certainly have a lot of guts... boy, Rovey Crowley? No, or should I call you an Outsider?"

"As expected, you figured it out long ago..."

Rovey wasn't particularly surprised that Gilgamesh directly revealed his origins.

"... Indeed, after all, this is something that even Merlin could easily notice, so naturally the King of Heroes, who also has the qualification of Grand Caster, could not hide it. Even Scáthach had already noticed this anomaly."

"Hmph, that's natural. There's nothing or no secret in this world that can escape my eyes. And your soul doesn't belong to this world; it's something I've never kept. How could such an obvious thing be hidden from me?"

Gilgamesh snorted coldly, his words filled with arrogance. Then he shifted his gaze from Rovey's soul to the wand in his hand, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips.

"The Philosopher's Stone, the magic of the Holy Grail, and this wand seems to contain Rune and elven techniques. It's quite an interesting thing... Was it made by the gods?"

No, even with the help of others, this costume was still made by humans. Judging from its effects and the achievements it made, it can already be considered a remarkable miracle.

More importantly...

This item has no original text and was created by someone from outside the realm, so it is another treasure that I have never collected before.

Even Gilgamesh's eyes couldn't help but gleam with fervor as he gazed upon Rovey's unique soul and the newly born miracle clutched in his hand.

He made up his mind: the two treasures before him were far more attractive to him than the Greater Grail, which was rife with problems and nearly drained by Rovey.

After dealing with that reckless Demon Queen, he was determined to add the boy's soul and the newly created Miracle Gear to his treasury to enrich his collection.

"It seems you still care a lot about me and this wand in your hand." Rovey gripped the wand tightly and stared at the king high in the sky. "I can feel the undisguised gaze and desire emanating from you."

"Ha! I am the King of King of Heroes! All valuable treasures in the world should belong to my treasury, whether they are from within this world or from beyond!" Gilgamesh did not deny Rovey's words, but instead opened his arms and spoke with an air of self-righteousness, "Therefore, after I kill you, both the foreign soul within your body and the miraculous wand in your hand will ultimately belong to me!!"

Are you Gian?

Hearing Gilgamesh's unreasonable words, Rovey felt somewhat helpless, yet he also felt that such words were so reasonable coming from his mouth.

Meanwhile, Scáthach in front of her was also nearing her limit of endurance.

Because this damned Gilgamesh above her had never taken her seriously, never even looked at her directly. Such contemptuous attitude was something even the Celtic gods wouldn't dare treat her like that.

For a moment, Scáthach, who was experiencing such indifference for the first time, would probably have drawn her spear and given this guy a Gáe Gáe Bolg Alternative as a greeting before the battle had started, if she hadn't heard Rovey's comforting words telling her to wait a little longer.

"I'm sorry, although being valued by the King of Heroes is an honor that is hard to come by for any Magus, it is not the ending I wanted."

"Even though I don't have your Clairvoyance and can't see the future, one thing is certain."

Rovey gripped the Philosopher's Mace tightly, and then the figure of Uriel, the angel symbolizing the earth, slowly appeared to his left. This time, it was no longer a brown phantom like before, but had a certain physical form.

"My future is destined to be victorious, because this is an ending that has already been written."

"Enough with the useless talk. If you want to win, then struggle and show me!"

"I see."

He looked up at Gilgamesh, who still reigned high in the heavens, looking down upon him, then gently raised his staff and made a gesture. "—Fortunate, Uriel. All creatures of the earth rejoice in your dominion."

Fall from this heaven, you king who reigns high above!

"This is?"

Sensing the increasingly heavy pressure and gravity on his body, Gilgamesh frowned slightly. The next moment, even Vimana beneath his feet began to sway.

In an instant, Gilgamesh turned his gaze to Rovey below and to his left, to the figure of the Elemental Angel that symbolized the Left Seat of the Earth.

Gods? Angels? No, none of those... Rather, it is a vessel that uses legends to perform ritual Magecraft, and the enormous Alchemy Array beneath its feet is the area within which it can exist, operate, and influence...

The inexplicable gravity that Vimalakirti and he suddenly experienced at this moment came from the unique power corresponding to the phase of the earth.

"I see, I see... You're getting more and more interesting! Is this your opening move? Is it your provocation against me, who sits high above the heavens? Very well, in that case, I'll play with you!"

"However... to allow a proud king to stand among mortals, can you bear such a sin?!"

Gilgamesh laughed loudly, and then the golden portal suddenly opened, retrieving Vimana just before he was dragged to the ground by the earth angel Uriel. Then, his golden body fell high from the sky, landing his feet back on the ground, and he personally entered the battlefield.

At this moment, the previously bird's-eye view had changed to eye-level. This signified that Gilgamesh had begun to treat them with respect and now regarded them as opponents worthy of equal consideration.

"Then I'll have to leave the rest of the battle to you, Scáthach."

"Hehe, it's my honor, Master. I've been idle for so long, I can't wait any longer."

Upon hearing Rovey's words, Scáthach, who had been standing by as the purple-haired cameraman for so long, revealed a terrifying smile.

She had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

"I wonder if your treasury has enough weapons? King of Heroes."

Scáthach spun her twin pistols toward Gilgamesh, then smiled and licked her lips, already regarding him as the prey she was about to hunt.

Chapter 84 Tonight is another night of nuclear peace.