Chapter 456

Suddenly, a voice rang from Aoko's phone. "The Holy Grail Elimination Tournament Shinjuku Division Individual Match Finals you subscribed to are about to begin."

"I didn't expect you to watch this kind of stuff..."

Touko's lips curled up slightly. "Looks like you still can't forget about that place."

Like most City, Misaki Town was destroyed during the Holy Grail War. However, thanks to Aoko Aozaki, the Kuonji Mansion was incorporated into the Mosaic City Shinjuku when it was built. However, it was not located within the City like the Rome Colosseum, but outside the City, like the Mount Yagiri.

It's probably because the distance is just too far.

"I was just doing this on someone else's behalf."

Aoko didn't offer much explanation; she simply took out her phone, placed it on the table, and casually glanced at the screen.

But the chestnut-haired girl's eyes sharpened the next second, because she spotted a familiar figure in the Gallery during the promotional event—

Aoko Aozaki.

She clearly remembered that Alice's personality didn't seem like the type to watch this kind of event...

"Hey, isn't this Kuonji?"

Beo put her hands behind her head. "Is her Robin doing well? I miss the days when we played together."

Hearing Beo say that, Touko, who was watching the two of them huddled together looking at their phones, was furious. Back then, she had found Beo to get rid of the True Magic on Aoko, but when she took him to Misaki Town and asked him to get rid of Aoko Aozaki, he refused.

"Although I am Touko's Familiar, why should Familiar be expected to obey? I only obey my master."

"That's prey called 'True Magic'! And you didn't say that two years ago!"

"... Haha, I've already forgotten!"

Back to the present, as Aoko and Beo stared intently at the same phone, the Livestream above was changing its feed.

Despite having gambled away his entire fortune in private, Circe, still outwardly lively, stood in the center, delivering the report in a cheerful atmosphere.

"Wow, today is truly unbelievable! The Shinjuku Holy Grail Elimination Tournament's popularity has actually climbed into the top 50 of the world's most popular City! This is incredible! Could it be that some powerful force is manipulating everything behind the scenes? Heh, that damned Borgia... cough cough, oops, I seem to have said something unrelated. Please forgive my adorable self, okay? After all, I'll turn every single one of those who insult me into little piglets."

At the same time, Blackbeard coughed solemnly:

"The Servant and Master duo appearing in today's Individual Match finals are Utsumi Erice and the Demon King, the 'embodiment of Goethe's Narrative Poem,' who Class in the Present World as Foreigner. Making their debut, they've achieved a winning streak, Servant powerful new stars such as Jack the Ripper, Tristan, Hassan, and Lily the King of Conquerors."

As Blackbeard spoke, the Erice silver hair appeared in the Livestream.

"Utsumi's surname... Could this girl be Chizuru Misasagi's granddaughter? Or her daughter?"

Aoko said incredulously, "You know what, it really does look like it, especially the silver hair, it's like they were made from the same mold."

Immediately afterwards, Blackbeard in the Livestream introduced another opponent:

"The other group is from the Leidenfrost Family. Everyone is familiar with the Leidenfrost Family; they are the Magecraft family that established the Holy Grail Elimination Tournament and have dominated the championships of the Holy Grail Elimination Tournament in various regions for many years. This Shinjuku Holy Grail Elimination Tournament is no exception--"

"The Servant they are sending in this battle is Karna, the Son of the Sun, one of the heroes of Mahabharata, and a Lancer-class Karna."

Chapter 476 Biological Parents? Mother is Erice, Father is the Demon King?

The final of the Individual Match of the Holy Grail Elimination Tournament at the Shinjuku Rome Colosseum.

Erice, stood in the center of the stage, looking at Karna slowly walking out from the passageway beside her with a hint of surprise.

Previously, Erice's first reaction upon seeing Karna participate in the Holy Grail Elimination Tournament would have been Wrath. Because she admired Servant, she believed that the Holy Grail Elimination Battle was just an ugly farce, deliberately designed to give people a wrong impression of Heroic Spirit, and simply a show to toy with great heroes.

But things are different now. Although Erice was very unhappy with the Demon King's behavior of forcing her to participate in the competition and apologize to people in public when she won the championship, Erice felt that she could be a little nicer to it after all these years of hard work.

Yes, it's like giving a cat a small reward after feeding it for many years, perfectly fine.

That's what the Black-Haired Girl was thinking.

Therefore, the moment Eri saw Karna, Erice first thought was how she and the Demon King could defeat him.

After all, this is Karna, one of the great heroes of Mahabharata. Even Arjuna might not be his match. Although he doesn't appear often, he is one of the most powerful Servant among all the Servant.

"Before you went on stage, my Master and I observed your performance."

Karna spoke softly, "In my opinion, at least everyone in the Elimination Tournament fought with the intention of defeating you, but you, with your black hair, were resisting the battle, or rather, resisting defeating Servant."

This is the truth, because Erice felt it was really inappropriate for someone like her without Servant to defeat the great heroes who would go down in history alongside the Wicked Spirit, the Demon King.

That's not how the normal plot goes...

"But now you're just like your silver-haired self. At least you have the will to fight, though it's more accurate to say you feel joy in defeating Servant."

After uttering words that were neither quite a compliment nor entirely accurate, Karna suddenly burst into flames.

"Then, I will fulfill my promise to my Master in my own way, and you will keep your promise in your own way. I will not regret whatever the outcome may be. Of course, inevitable defeat is regrettable—please appear, God of the Yamuna River whom I have been waiting for, and Yami is also a descendant of the Sun God."

Karna's Master is Homunculus from the Leidenfrost Family. Since his mission is to win the Holy Grail Elimination Tournament, the Holy Grail matches him with Servant.

For Karna, after witnessing so many of Erice's battles, as the son of the Sun God, he could naturally perceive a hidden divine nature of death within Erice. In a sense, Karna, who was unaware that he was the son of the Sun God, and Eri, who forgot her memories of Tokyo after drinking the Waters of Forgetfulness, were similar Erice that neither of them knew they were children of the gods when they were young.

Therefore, after Karna said that Erice possessed divinity, Master Leidenfoss, who thought he was referring to the silver-haired Erice, mistakenly believed that the 'Demon King' was not merely Narrative Poem Materialization, but rather an existence mixed with other Spirit Origin. Theoretically, it could be Goethe, Schubert, or both.

However, since it is the divinity of death, these two are impossible; they can only be found in the Norse.

Goethe drew inspiration for his poem "The Demon King" from the Denmark folk song "The Elf King's Daughter," which was collected by Herder.

So, the Spirit Origin mixed in is Hel, the Norse Death God? According to the Leidenfrost Family's records, Hel did indeed appear in Denmark during the 2011 Holy Grail War... However, this deduction was ultimately rejected by Karna.

"Despite the unfamiliar divine nature of death, the martial arts and techniques belong to a school unique to India."

This is to be expected, since Novia has been using the ability of the 'Fictional Servant Demon King' to avoid being recognized by Lucius. Since there is no such data on the Throne of Heroes, Novia had to come up with and design a series of abilities, so he used some of the abilities he obtained in India.

In fact, as things stand, Novia can integrate as much as possible the divinity, Authority, and power of regions such as Greece, Norse, Egypt, the Americas, and India, because the Demon King is essentially just a figment of imagination; it just takes a little longer.

"So, Karna, who do you think it is?"

When his Master asked him this question, Karna immediately thought of Yama, the India Death God of death.

In the 2011 Holy Grail War in India, this Deity, like the Death God in various parts of the world, appeared in the places of Faith for each of them.

Yama of India, Hela of Northern Europe, Thanatos of Greece, Anubis of Egypt, Astuvidat of Persia, Gilidines of Lithuania, and in the Americas, besides Mikt Cassiwatl of the Aztecs, there are also saints whose faith spread to the Americas, such as Saint Lamourt, the Saint of Death, and Saint Pasqualito, the King of the Cemetery, etc.

Perhaps it was due to the unimaginable death toll caused by the Holy Grail War that swept the globe at the time.

But Karna immediately dismissed the idea upon thinking of Yama, for he knew Yama's son, Yama's Pandavas son, Yudhishthira. Therefore, after discussion and careful consideration, Karna presented his Master of Leidenfoss with what he considered a highly plausible possibility—

"Yami, daughter of the Sun God, goddess of the Yamuna River, and sister of the god of Dharma, perhaps embodies in that child the aspect of her 'desire to be with Yama,' which is why she possesses a relatively unfamiliar divine nature of death."

How should I put it? This reasoning seems abnormal, but it's perfectly normal for the New Era. Servant all kinds of characters: young, at their peak, old, a collection of concepts. The author appears as a character in the work, thinking it's male but it's actually female. You can imagine your own timeline of victory, etc. So it's perfectly normal for Deity Servant to be able to divide their experiences into a certain aspect.

"... Huh? Yami?"

At that moment, Arjuna, sitting in the Gallery, was at a loss for words when he heard Karna's speech. Although he and Karna had fought to a draw, he hadn't been able to recognize Karna, who was also Deity of India, which made the great hero feel somewhat disappointed.

"Wrong."

Before Novia herself could offer her explanation, Erice, while pressing firmly on her heart—a heart beating differently from everyone else's, one devoid of the Holy Grail —firmly refuted Karna.

That guy isn't even a Servant; he's Wicked Spirit trying to take over my body. Future don't know when his true desires will be revealed. If that's the case, I'll probably kill him...

Moreover, over the years I've spent with this Demon King, I've increasingly felt that his personality is quite appealing. If left unchecked, who knows if he might bewitch others?

"If it says it's the Demon King, then it is the Demon King, not some random Yami. As long as it doesn't tell me, I will never admit it. I will stay with it until it tells me who it really is."

Erice never imagined she would say such a thing. Even she herself thought it was a worthless lie, but the beating of her heart made her thoughts chaotic... Perhaps it was also due to the Mana Burst by Karna.

"Damn it, I haven't called you out yet..."

Erice instinctively covered her mouth, but the next instant her hair color changed to silver.

"That's it."

Behind Novia, a massive storm, a testament to her past power during the Holy Grail Elimination Tournament, resurfaced. "Things have come to this. Come, walk with me—at the end of this mist, an eternal feast awaits you."

"I see. It seems I misjudged the situation. I'm sorry."

Before Karna's eyes lay an immense Desire.

In Goethe's Narrative Poem "The Demon King," the child gradually falls into Desire, and is eventually captured by the Demon King, who is the embodiment of Desire.

However, what is expected of Karna, who is summoned Servant, is only power.

The only wish that he cherishes in his heart is the same heartfelt wish that comes from the Master himself.

War.

The struggle for supremacy is purely a contest of strength and the pursuit of victory. It is so simple, and therefore an incredibly beautiful form of combat. In this Holy Grail Elimination Tournament in the New World, this simple mutual slaughter is unexpectedly refreshing.

The wielded spear possessed a precision capable of threading a needle, and its dazzling flames burned endlessly around it.

However, Eri, the silver- Erice flowing long hair, leaped and dodged his thrusting spear, clinging to the side of several large stone pillars standing in the arena. Karna's spear followed closely, and the stone pillars, whose bases shattered, flew into the air. Yet, Eri, clinging to the stone pillars Erice unharmed.

The next second, seizing the opportunity, Eri Se pressed forward Erice one fell swoop.

With no weapons, her hands radiated Od light, striking directly at the Golden Armor that glowed with the Sun.

This being is composed of light itself, capable of reducing all hostile interference, nullifying 90% of its effects, reducing the damage Karna suffers to only one-tenth, and even preventing Mooncell's interference. Even if it takes a direct hit from an A+ rank Anti-Army Noble Phantasm, it will not affect its actions in the slightest.

Karna had been thinking that this was the perfect moment to unleash his Noble Phantasm without hesitation—but this time he truly trembled.

Because when the silver-haired girl's Od struck the Golden Armor, he actually heard the Golden Armor tremble instinctively.

This is certainly an amazing fact.

More importantly--

It's not that this power directly surpasses the power of an A+ Anti-Army Noble Phantasm, or perhaps it does, but the most important thing is that 'light' fears it.

It was as if all the nights, storms, and fog in the world had converged into a tiny point in the Shinjuku Holy Grail Elimination Tournament, swallowing the Sun together.

What kind of Servant is this little girl...?

"It seems you are indeed incredibly powerful. Even possessing the body of a young child, you possess power far exceeding mine. I suppose even if I were to use my Noble Phantasm, I could only contend with you, who has never unleashed Noble Phantasm. I will likely be defeated by your Noble Phantasm."

But so what? What if we know we're no match for them?

In a battle that is purely about strength and the pursuit of victory, there is no reason to admit defeat; all you need to do is try your best.

A victory is a victory, and a defeat is a defeat.

"However, if my Noble Phantasm forces you to use Noble Phantasm you've never used before, then it can be considered a glorious defeat."

The moment the words were spoken, a piece of Karna's armor peeled off his Flesh, and flames writhed around him like countless snakes.

However, no blood fell from Sun's body, nor did he show any sign of pain. This was because his Master used a Command Spell to prevent Karna from suffering the pain that would result from using his strongest Noble Phantasm.

At this moment, Karna's Noble Phantasm has been marked in red text in the Livestream: "Shemesh, submit to death."

This is not an isolated case. Whenever Servant uses their Noble Phantasm in the Holy Grail Elimination Tournament, a corresponding message appears. This is one of the reasons why Erice Elimination Tournament as a boring event where humans use Servant for amusement.

"What should we do? Karna has used his Noble Phantasm? Demon King, shouldn't you use your Noble Phantasm?"

Erice looked at Karna, whose hair was being blown about by the violent Od, and asked the Demon King who had taken over his body with some anxiety.

In all previous matches, it's not that we haven't seen examples of the opponent unleashing their Noble Phantasm, but the Demon King was easily defeated during the release. However, Karna is different now. Just by looking at Erice, it's clear that he is indeed the strongest enemy encountered in the match.

"Erice, what would you do if I told you I don't have Noble Phantasm?"

"No Noble Phantasm? Are you kidding me? What did you use when you fought Lucius back then?"

"Hmm, that should be considered one of the Demon King's abilities."

"Alright, alright, stop teasing me now—"

Before Erice could finish speaking, the silver-haired Erice gently shook her head, ignoring the surging light before her, and instead looked up at the sky.

"Erice, you just said, 'I will stay with it until it tells me who it really is,' which means we'll go a long way."

"I was just lying—to be honest, it was just a polite way of putting it."

Even though Erice answered in that way, the Demon King's gentle smile remained unchanged, a smile that seemed to carry both helplessness and affection, like looking at his own worthless child.

"Erice, the sound of your name evokes the land where heroes reside after death. The formal name would be Elysium, but in French, éLyséEs means the same thing as Elysium."

"What are you talking about? I don't understand at all. What are you talking about with death...?"

Erice couldn't hear a word the Demon King said; she only felt annoyed. "Ugh... Oh no... This won't do..."

Erice realized that she shouldn't be doing this now, because once her heart was filled with negative emotions, the Wicked Spirit hovering around her body would slowly seep out from within her, literally causing rivers of blood to flow, albeit black ones, and this would undoubtedly only add to the trouble for the Demon King was still fighting.

"Erice, you've seen it too, haven't you? The Holy Grail Elimination Tournament isn't just about entertaining humans; it's also about allowing former heroes to engage in pure battles, unaffected by anything external, relying solely on their own abilities for a truly exhilarating fight. They're not the animals you're thinking of performing; their pride still exists here."

Novia's smile vanished, replaced by a calm expression.

"Will the sky stop having winter just because humans are afraid of the cold? Will the earth shorten its distance just because humans feel it's far away? The Wicked Spirit around you will always be around you; no one can change that. You just need to forgive them and accept it, because—"

"That's why you, born in this New Era, can feel the pain of others."