Chapter 453

Besides the fact that the massive influx of New Humanity and non-participating Servant necessitated martial law, the main reason for the Holy Grail Elimination Tournament was an unexpected 'combination' – Chizuru Misasagi and her Servant Lucius.

As the creators of the New World, the duo are renowned figures worldwide, naturally possessing a certain star power. Moreover, this is their first time attending the Holy Grail Elimination Tournament, so many people have come to see them out of admiration.

"I never expected you'd come to watch this farce."

Lucius removed his white hat, his pupils reflecting the gradually boiling Gallery below. "I knew Grandmother would at least care about her granddaughter..."

"Can you finish your food before you talk?"

Wearing Black Sailor Uniform, Chizuru Misasagi's fingers lightly traced the armrest of the spectator stands, and the mycelium-like Od veins silently dissipated at her fingertips.

Beside her, Lucius, dressed in a white Suit, was actually carrying a bag full of nuts and drinks, and holding a freshly made hot Hot Dog in his hand.

"This is the bread from 'Bread and Circuses'! There also seems to be a small shop selling porridge and rice, but I don't know if it's good, so I didn't buy any."

Lucius devoured his Hot Dog without hesitation. "But speaking of which, since we used the Rome Colosseum as a model, the opening ceremony should include a Lion -slaying performance."

"Why?"

"Because the Second Pope quite enjoyed strangling Lion in the Arena."

"That's probably something the Leidenfrost Family forgot to include when they first held the event."

Chizuru Misasagi continued expressionlessly, "The reason those guys broke the rules and developed the Holy Grail Elimination Tournament, which extracts Od from all the participating Master and spectators, was probably because they wanted something from the now-extinct Einzbern Family."

They participated in the Holy Grail Elimination Tournament multiple times around the world and appointed Homunculus to win the championship. One of the Homunculus's Servant was Galahad Alter. No matter how you look at it, it feels like there's some kind of inexplicable connection between the Leidenfrost Family in Fr and the Einzbern family.

"The Holy Grail? But everyone in this New Era has Holy Grail, so there's no point in them continuing to gather more."

"Who knows? Maybe it's the Holy Grail that will Overturning this wish."

The New World was born from the wish made by Manazuru Chitose, the victor of the Holy Grail War, to the Holy Grail: "The Holy Grail, as Wish-Granting Machine, shall continue to exist and be distributed." If the Leidenfrost Family wants to Overturning this wish, they must find another Holy Grail that can rival the first Holy Grail. After all, the distributed Holy Grail can only help their vessels find suitable Servant and use Command Spell to heal themselves, but they cannot grant individual wishes.

"Haha, it doesn't matter."

Lucius laughed heartily, "Then let me, the Holy Lance that pierces through 'infinity,' see if such a possibility exists."

In 2011, the Holy Grail War broke out globally, with more than thirty battles taking place simultaneously at its peak. The victor of the Holy Grail War did not simply win one battle, but rather, after winning the Holy Grail War in a region, he would travel to other battlefields to fight for a higher purity.

It was Manazuru Chitose and her Servant Longinus who brought this quagmire-like battle to a close.

However, there are exceptions. For example, the victor in the Izumo region, Yagai Yukinobu, betrayed his own Servant in the end. Also, the battle in the Fuyuki region was inconclusive, the victor of the Ritual was unknown, the Ritual itself failed to take place, and the Od collected by the Holy Grail disappeared...

According to Circe of Fr, Medea was summoned in Fuyuki, but it is unknown whether she returned to the Throne of Heroes. Since the resummoned Servant does not have the memory of the previous one, it is also impossible to inquire about Medea in Shinjuku.

At that time Lucius and Chizuru Misasagi faced their strongest enemy in the final battle – the Infinite Snake, Ouroboros.

After the two of them painstakingly defeated Ouroboros, New Era began where everyone had Servant.

"Alright, that's all in the past."

Chizuru Misasagi lay there wearing Sun, seemingly unconcerned, "Let's just enjoy the first match."

"Erice's opponent is Jack the Ripper; if she's careful enough, she should be able to win."

The Holy Grail Elimination Tournament has evolved to include three types: Class Match, Individual Match, and Team Match.

As the name suggests, the Class Match assigns battles according to Class; otherwise, you can't expect a Caster to defeat a Berserker. This makes it a relatively fair tournament, but it's also rather boring, since the Crowd watch it to satisfy their own desires, not to witness 'fairness'.

Therefore, the most popular are the randomly matched Individual Match and the Team Match divided into two camps. The former offers exciting gameplay, while the latter showcases a larger-scale and spectacular performance, allowing viewers to draw more Od from the emotions of the New Humanity watching.

The special nature of Class Foreigner Class means they can only register for Individual Match.

"Jack the Ripper...?"

Chizuru Misasagi muttered something to herself.

This is mainly because the Servant 'Jack the Ripper' are too numerous. As far as she knows, Jack the Ripper can be found all over the world, from Shinjuku to Rome to London, and without exception, they are all possession-type... It seems that they all emerged collectively at the same time.

Perhaps it's because the various speculations of the Old Humanity were too accurate? This is the judgment of the AI regarding its proliferation.

As the two were talking, the music in the arena suddenly increased in volume, playing an exciting and rousing tune, indicating that the competition was about to begin.

The music suddenly stopped, and as the arena fell silent, the event's loudspeaker announced its arrival. In the original Rome Colosseum, the front row seats below would have been reserved for nobles, but now, Magecraft magical light burst forth from there, and on the platform extending forward, a petite figure walked forward and unfurled a pair of wings.

Meanwhile, the main screen in the venue showed Circe of a young girl named Circe wearing a Greece -style white hooded tunic.

"My lovely little pigs, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting!"

The opening greeting, delivered at an extremely loud volume, resounded throughout the entire Arena.

"Today marks the first time the individual battles of the Holy Grail Elimination Tournament are being performed in front of an audience. That's right, when you think of the Holy Grail Elimination Tournament, you think of me. Today, let the Great Witch 'Circe' provide a live broadcast for everyone!"

Soon, the audience responded with thunderous cheers, as if to show how much they had anticipated it. Some of them even loudly mocked the broadcaster with offensive language, which is something that becomes commonplace after the mystery is no longer hidden.

"OK, OK. I love you all! Alright, before we introduce our glorious achievements, let's get to know our two players who will be competing today."

As the broadcaster spoke, two photos were displayed on the Spiritrons screens on either side of the Arena.

One Erice with silver hair; the other is of a silver-haired girl, namely Jack the Ripper.

This is certainly not the Jack the Ripper that Novia knows, but just one of the many who were 'purified'. The world they were reincarnated into was the Fr World, which was in ruins after the great war. After all, Shinjuku, the new capital of Japan, only had a population of a few hundred thousand, and that was even with the constant recruitment of refugees. This shows just how sparse the population was at the moment.

"As Foreigner of the special Class' Demon King Servant 'Demon King Servant! Epic Poem Materialization Goethe actually be Goethe himself? After all, there are similar cases! But just how powerful is he? Let's wait and see! Utsumi's blood relative! The Pride granddaughter!"

As the broadcast of the Witch's lively atmosphere continued, Erice, slowly emerged from the left passage of the Arena.

She appeared calm and collected, despite it being her first appearance. Yet, the cheers and shouts from the sidelines were deafening. After all, she was Utsumi Erice, a well-known Servant individual in Shinjuku, and especially the granddaughter of Chizuru Misasagi. This identity and her presence in the Elimination Tournament were a signal in themselves.

Some even believe that Chizuru Misasagi may have already mastered the means to summon several Servant, and that her granddaughter is the test subject.

However, Erice was actually muttering dejectedly, "That's why I don't want to watch these kinds of matches that make others look bad."

Ultimately, the essence of the Holy Grail Elimination Tournament is to stimulate the 'emotions' of the viewers, thereby gaining more Od. Therefore, the competition was designed to be 'fun' rather than rigorous from the very beginning. In the end, the Servant have long lost the mystery they had years ago, and regular battles are simply boring. Therefore, fun is the key.

That might be why Erice was chosen as the first contestant to perform.

Then, the background music, Livestream and adapted from Germany style, suddenly changed to a strange yet simple England style.

"Although she's a regular Servant, Assassin, Miss Jack the Ripper has become so rampant in various places that it's utterly unbelievable!"

Silver-haired Jack walked out slowly with her arms crossed. Although the crowd cheered, she remained serious, creating an unapproachable atmosphere.

After both sides finished introducing their contestants, the Od of the Arena began to rapidly fill.

"Jack the Ripper...?"

Erice learned in class that famous Heroic Spirit left behind legends or names during their lifetimes, and the more people know about them, the stronger they become. This is a characteristic of Servant. The tragedies that happen behind the stories and legends sometimes give birth to Servant with abnormal characteristics, known as innocent Monster.

Jack the Ripper is like that. It's not that she's innocent, but because she 'guessed' too much, she was able to summon many different types of Jack, none of which were the real Jack.

"Dark City of Fog."

The sudden burst of cheers from the Gallery swallowed Jack's murmurs. Thick fog, like a living thing, surged from the cracks in the Earth Veins, carrying the coal dust and blood of the Industrial Revolution era. Dressed in Victoria clothing, she hummed an off-key nursery rhyme, and four small knives flew between her fingers, turning into pale silver rings.

Because the fog can disorient you, you need a skill of "Instinct" of rank B or higher or a certain type of Magecraft to break Jack's Noble Phantasm. It is for this reason that one of the conditions for the other Noble Phantasm, "requires fog", can be met unconditionally.

The moment the Bounded Field Noble Phantasm was activated, Novia felt the fear rising from Erice's hair. The Evil Spirit that had been haunting her all day long let out dying cries under the suppression of the Bounded Field. In a sense, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to City of Fog at that time was a different kind of Yomi.

Jack tilted his head, the Surgery tracing an arc. "This is... Mom's smell... How strange? Why does it feel so familiar..."

This Jack felt that one of the conditions for his Noble Phantasm, the Maria the Ripper, being female, had reached 100% effectiveness. He felt that 100% was just his limit, not the limit of the effect.

The four small knives vibrated and resonated in the mist, and blood-red patterns appeared on their blades.

Novia saw the Evil Spirit that haunted the girl all day long cheering—they were Greed licking the 'wails' contained within Jack's Noble Phantasm through the girl's senses.

"This is the misty shadow entering the vast expanse."

The silver-haired girl's chanting pierced through the mournful cries of the Od's circulation, and the Spiritrons Projection around the Arena suddenly flickered, while the advertisements on the holographic billboards were covered with German verses.

"Mom is singing."

Upon hearing this, Jack tilted her head, a gesture that should have been cute but became rather creepy as her neck twisted. "But the pitch is wrong!"

"This is the sound of wind blowing withered leaves."

The moment the second line of poetry was uttered, the flow of Od in the entire Arena shifted, and gasps of surprise erupted from the Gallery — the Od that had been atomized by Jack 'Noble Phantasm was now condensing into countless crystals shaped like withered leaves, which were frantically absorbing the Od emanating from the Gallery.

After absorbing enough Od, the withered leaves transformed into a tornado over a hundred meters high, rising behind Novia.

At that very moment.

Jack realized that all three conditions for the Noble Phantasm had been met, probably because the Demon King was said to be the embodiment of 'darkness,' so he immediately turned the Arena into night.

Therefore, at the very moment when the terrifying Gale was about to engulf Jack's entire body:

"The Maria the Ripper."

When Jack uttered that word, the flow of time in the entire Arena seemed to be severed.

Four Surgery drew Cross in the mist, a common anatomical gesture used in London Church hospitals at the end of the 19th century.

In that instant, Erice even seemed to see a dense array of sutures emerging from under her skin.

It should be noted that the Noble Phantasm 'Maria the Ripper' is a curse. What is needed to defend against the effect of this Noble Phantasm is not physical defense, but rather resistance to the curse... Therefore, in reality, neither Novia nor Erice, as the daughter of Izanami, could be harmed too much by this Noble Phantasm. However, special cases require special analysis, and it also depends on the Master. If the Master is Ritsuka Fujimaru, it should be able to exert some influence beyond that.

Jack was met with a sudden surge of steam and the phantom of a giant Quill appearing above the Arena.

Novia used Erice's body to extend her hand and write in the air. With each wave of her hand, new German characters emanated from around the Quill and gathered on a piece of paper.

When the paper touched Jack's forehead, the Assassin's Od quickly dissipated, a testament to his defeat and exit from the scene.

"Mother..."

Goodnight, one of the many Jack.

Novia caught the overflowing German characters, gently blew on them, and transformed into Blue Butterfly, flying towards the stands. Upon contact with the defensive Bounded Field, it exploded into Od, transforming into Red Spider Lily that drifted down onto the shoulders of each spectator.

The silence lasted for a full three seconds.

Then, the referee Circe, shouted incredulously:

"The victor—Foreigner Demon King! Unbelievable! Just a few rounds and he easily defeated Jack the Ripper, who is practically the bane of women! Hmm, and Jack with his Noble Phantasm fully unleashed! Anyway, it was quite a romantic battle, no wonder it's the Narrative Poem Materialization... Oh no, those guys from Borgia's Underground Casino have made a fortune! All the Q coins I've accumulated from being a streamer for so many years, all gone! Aaaaaah, I need to go back to my seat..."

The streamer Witch's eerie screams echoed throughout the Arena, and the accompanying staff immediately shut down her communications upon seeing this.

But for Erice, who was standing there in a daze, she was now wondering who the 'mother' Jack was talking about was?

If it's Jack possessing himself, that's normal, because that's how Jack always is. But if it's referring to the Demon King, then that's a different story...

Surely Jack can't be seen as his mother too, especially since his Noble Phantasm was clearly fully unlocked back then.

In the Gallery, Lucius had just finished eating Hot Dog, said with a look of lingering satisfaction:

"Looks like that guy actually held back that time."

"Oh."

Suddenly, Manazuru Chizuru took off her Sun, revealing unfathomable pupils.

"Stop? I think they only recently came up with that idea."

It's strange, considering that Chizuru Misasagi's personality is practically ice-cold, Lucius had never seen her smile in all these years, this was the first time... Of course, the forced smile after accidentally cutting a big gap in Erice's ear doesn't count.

However, just Lucius was about to ask why she was laughing, he saw Chizuru Misasagi quickly revert to her cold demeanor and get up to leave.

"What? Aren't you going to watch the next game?"

"A boring performance."

Upon hearing this, Lucius sighed, then left with the food he had just bought.

But just as the two were walking through the passageway leading outside, an unexpected person called out to Chizuru Misasagi.

"Miss Zhen Sui."

"Kuonji? What are you doing...?"

For Chizuru Misasagi, the long-lost Aoko Aozaki appeared before her, just as Manazuru Chitose remembered her, dressed in black like a funeral, standing in the dark outer passage.

"Yoru Yagai Yukinobu of the Izumo Holy Grail War, is dead. The City AI want those outside to determine how he died."

Kuonji said calmly, "And then there's Utsumi's daughter. The Demon King within her is very special; is it a particularly Wicked Spirit?"

Chitose narrowed her eyes. "As her reviewer, it was you who judged the concept of the 'concretization of the ballad,' so you probably don't need to ask me that question."

"Everything I do is in accordance with the judgment of the City Holy Grail."

Aoko Aozaki remained unmoved and continued, "Since the City has agreed, there's no need for me to get involved."

"Those Rome traders are really annoying."

Chitose glanced at Lucius. "Is that so, Holy Lance?"

"Haha, accepting outsiders was a rule you set yourself, Manazuru, it's none of my business."