Chapter 457

People in the New Era don't understand the pain of others; they only feel that they haven't tried hard enough to solve other people's problems because they were born into a life of plenty and happiness. Even the classmate who was blamed by Erice was taken for granted.

Furthermore, some New Humanity sometimes casually discuss other people's age without malice, because whether someone looks young or old is entirely up to them.

For older generations, disguising one's appearance is unnatural and is accompanied by feelings of guilt about the past. New Humanity, on the other hand, do not have such negative values from the beginning.

Only Erice, born in the New Era, can feel the emotions and pain that a 'human' should possess.

In fact, Erice is quite vicious. She often mutters that for the safety of the City, she must kill all those bad Servant, exterminate them all, and leave no one alive. Or she wants to give everything to the Holy Grail so that proud Servant will not be reduced to toys of humans, even if it will turn her friends and family and her beloved hometown to ashes, or even make her an enemy of the whole world.

This is probably due to Izanami's bloodline. At the same time, her father sealing her memories of Tokyo and Chizuru Misasagi preventing her from leaving the Mosaic City were all for her own good. Because once she recalled her memories of Tokyo, according to the original Fr work, even Chizuru Misasagi and Lucius would inevitably become her enemies.

Erice didn't answer Novia; she just stared blankly at the Noble Phantasm that Karna had unleashed.

Impossible.

That's something humans can't contend with. As long as it exists in this world, no matter how huge or how much physical contact it can resist, it will be mercilessly burned to ashes. Even the Wicked Spirit that constantly bother us around us cower in fear and dare not utter a sound...

My own instincts whispered: I can't win.

He also firmly believed that he would die in a real life-or-death battle, and that he could only retreat and run away.

But that bastard Demon King stood there in her body, completely unmoved.

It's strange, why is the Demon King controlling me when I'm possessed? Shouldn't I be the one using his power? If having a connection with someone is such a heavy burden on my heart, I have even less interest in it.

Okay, then let's just die, which means let's face defeat. That's always been my thought.

A self-destructive voice kept echoing in the girl's heart, saying that trying to defeat the legendary Servant with human power was an utterly hopeless folly.

Utsumi Erice knew it was really silly to do this, but she still decided to give it a try.

It's not that she wanted to die, nor that she didn't want to live. Ultimately, the failure in the Holy Grail Elimination Tournament wouldn't really affect the Servant's Spirit Core. The most accurate reason was the concern that the Demon King, this Wicked Spirit, might be wiped out by this attack, since it wasn't Servant and therefore couldn't be considered according to the rules for Servant.

Why does this jerk stir up my emotions so much? Why can't I ignore him like I ignore everyone else?

But what if this bastard disappears because of this...?

Who knows, he might reappear one day and start bewitching others.

Thinking of this Erice gritted her teeth, glanced at her left hand, and saw that she still didn't have Command Spell there.

But the next second, she angrily shouted at the Evil Spirit beside her, "Did I give you permission to escape?"

"After all these years of arguing around me, now that danger is upon us, you're abandoning me? Did you even ask for my permission?"

"Come and go as you please? There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

Because of Yomi's bloodline from the Erice, she naturally possessed an indescribable power to suppress Evil Spirit. As her voice fell, all the panicked Evil Spirit immediately stood still. The superiors dominate the inferiors; this is a natural principle in the Yomi.

Even Erice was immediately immersed in this sense of domination. After all, the feeling of trampling people underfoot and taking whatever one wanted from them was incredibly satisfying, a superior kind of pleasure.

But just as Erice was about to forcefully control them, she remembered what Novia had said, "Only you, born in New Era, can feel the pain of others." It was this that freed her from the feeling of domination and instead saw the elusive expressions on the Evil Spirit's faces, as if they were powerless.

"You guys... you cry too, don't you?"

The souls of the dead, burdened with deep resentment, have no glory or honor; even if they have committed countless evil deeds, their deaths are utterly meaningless.

They were once born into this world and had their own individuality, but they were rejected by the world, even their names were taken away, and they could no longer return to this world.

Those who cannot enter the Throne of Heroes are merely a group of heretics, 'tools' that can only be controlled by others.

However, at that moment, Erice saw that even in the darkness, they still showed expressions of helplessness.

So let's accept them, accept those dreaded Evil Spirit, whether they bring Wrath, regret, pain, or terror, let's embrace them all.

Even doing so would not allow him, without Command Spell, to reclaim what he had lost.

However, Erice recalled once again the words the Demon King had spoken when he first possessed her:

You must become the biological parents of those Evil Spirit that erupt as Spirit Barrier.

"Demon King!"

The moment the words fell, an Alder Tree appeared before Erice. It was the crowned, Long Robe- bodied Elf King from "The Demon King," standing at the Great Gate of the Land of the Dead, accompanied by his Daughters of the Gray Willow. The Branches of the Alder Tree were the Demon King's fingertips, capable of easily piercing through the barriers on the Servant's body and tearing out the Spirit Core.

This is also why many Servant in the City are worried about Erice's true nature; it is the power of 'death'.

Everyone present, including the viewers in the Livestream, was astonished. They never expected that the Demon King's Noble Phantasm would be so simple, just like the Narrative Poem itself.

Thinking stops, but if you calm down and think about it, you can immediately understand something.

It seems the Demon King is still no match for the legendary hero of the Age of Gods.

Before 'Shemesh, submit to death,' not only heroes, but also monsters, phantom beasts, Divine Beast, shields, Castle, Bounded Field, and all other existences are meaningless... The only thing that can withstand it is the defense of the world itself.

However, as the daughter of the Yomi, Erice's name means "the world where heroes reside after death." Therefore, from this perspective, the realm of the dead is indeed her world. In addition, the Land of the Dead is also a world that many Evil Spirit can rely on.

The God-Slaying Spear plunged straight into the Alder Tree, intending to destroy it, to melt, boil, and ravage it with terrifying power. However, the invincible light of the spear was completely blocked by the tree. In the next instant, the branches of the Alder Tree crushed Karna, who had lost his Golden Armor.

"We were defeated after all. I don't regret the outcome, though of course, the inevitable defeat is regrettable—no, not entirely. If only it had happened sooner... when I was very young, when my senior brother and I were cultivating Ekalavya, or perhaps when we were on the upper reaches of the Ganges, you would have been there too."

Surprisingly--

Karna smiled and uttered these words softly. It was less the smile of a defeated person and more the smile of a child who had discovered a warm, sunny spot.

May you be well and healthy now.

The defeated Karna could no longer maintain his physical form and disintegrated into particles of light. This did not mean he would return to the Throne of Heroes, but rather it was due to the mechanics of the game.

Game Over.

Then, the emblem, composed of the symbol of the Holy Grail and the Laurel Wreath, rotated on the screen, and the Livestream room immediately displayed a dazzling series of flashing subtitles announcing the name of the final winner.

"The winner of the Shinjuku Holy Grail Elimination Battle is the Servant Foreigner Demon King, Master Utsumi Erice!"

A cheer erupted from the Gallery, and the shower of flower petals nearly covered the entire Rome Colosseum. Jack and the Borgia family were especially enthusiastic, scattering flowers everywhere. Jack was doing it because of his mother's presence, while the Borgia family had probably won a lot of money through underground gambling.

"Let's invite the victorious Master Servant to speak!"

Facing the planned champion interview, Erice took a deep breath. Her hair was still silver, but compared to the full silver when she was possessed by Novia, it now looked like it had been bleached to a silver color, creating a striking difference in color.

"I have something to say to a former classmate; I once wrongly accused her of my crime..."

"I didn't expect someone as capable as Erice to be so proactive."

In the dressing room of the Rome Colosseum Erice, who had just finished her 'Shinjuku Livestream apology,' put her arm to her face, trying to hide her blush, even though she was alone in the dressing room, since the Demon King didn't have a physical form right now.

"Please don't talk to me like that. You might think it's humor, but I can't help but take it seriously."

"I see. I actually Erice you were pretty cool when you yelled 'Demon King' at Karna's Noble Phantasm, Eri."

"Heh, I was just thinking that someone who always considered himself invincible would actually ask a human for help."

Erice relaxed her tense body and sighed, "This is really interesting."

"That's so interesting."

Don't mimic me!

Don't mimic me!

"That's enough, I haven't even asked you a single question yet..."

"That's enough, I haven't even asked you a single question yet..."

Novia paused, somewhat curious, "What's the problem?"

He didn't think Erice knew his India identity. The reason Karna sensed him at that moment was simply because the 'Demon King' summoned by Erice using the Evil Spirit had been tainted with too much of his aura, which was why Karna, whom he had spoken to at birth, could sense even a tiny trace of him.

Of course, Novia understood that Karna wouldn't go around telling everyone, so everything was fine.

Erice said with deep anger:

"You're not Evil Spirit at all! I had no control over you at all! You're the only Evil Spirit missing! What makes you think you are?!"

"I already told you I'm the Demon King."

"..."

Erice was speechless for a moment, unsure of what to say.

She felt her stomach always clench when she was around this guy, and her urge to curse him skyrocketed.

For some reason, Erice recalled her own words, "I will stay with it until it tells me who it really is"... Could the Demon King have misunderstood? Actually, I just spoke without thinking. Filtering out the ambiguous context, it simply meant fighting as a comrade-in-arms.

But Erice wasn't sure she could say that out loud. What if she misunderstood?

But the more she thought about the Demon King's previous words, the more she felt that her guess was probably right. After all, the Demon King had said things like, "We will go very far" and "You will become the biological parents of those Evil Spirit that erupt from the Spirit Barrier."

Biological parents? It seems quite obvious who the father and mother are in this conversation, meaning the Demon King is male? Could he really be some kind of old man, given his terrifying social skills and affability...? Does that mean his goal is truly my body? Isn't this a bit too early? He's only six years old and already targeting me?

Thinking back to how I used to skip classes in school, I basically gave most of my day to the Demon King, letting it do PE or even fulfill its various physiological needs...

The Black-Haired Girl, her mind a complete mess, had clearly forgotten how, two years ago, she had managed to summon the Demon King to possess her, and then, in turn, control herself, hugging her silver-haired self and crying out, "You are Servant... you are my Servant... how wonderful that would be..."

In short, the girl subconsciously shrank back, hugged the pillow to her chest, and her lips trembled slightly.

"In short, from now on, you are not allowed to possess me without my permission."

Her voice was cold, yet subtly carried intense emotion, "And you can't secretly possess me and do anything strange while I'm sleeping at night. I... I'm still young, not at that age yet. I'll install security cameras at home..."

Chapter 477 Grandparent-Grandchild Relationship

Have you made up your mind?

Shinjuku Station was packed with people in the early morning.

Most of them were office workers commuting to and from Shinjuku, along with their Servant.

You can see some people reading newspapers while waiting for the tram to depart, and others hurriedly eating breakfast in the shops at the station.

Among this group, Eri, Erice was tinged with silver, was carrying large and small bags, waiting for the train to the Mosaic City of Akihabara. Two or three months had passed since the Holy Grail Elimination Tournament she and Novia had participated in. After careful consideration, the girl decided to become 'independent'.

In other words, they evaded the control of Manazuru Chitose and Lucius, and went to other cities that the two could not immediately control.

Although Shinjuku and Akihabara were both part of Tokyo before the war, they have become independent cities in the New Era. Shinjuku is also the de facto capital, since Tokyo, despite being within the City Bounded Field, has essentially become a no-man's land.

The railway connecting Tokyo, Shinjuku, Akihabara, Tama, and other cities is well-protected within the City's Bounded Field, but the area outside is a wasteland Hell.

"I already decided!"

Erice placed her luggage on the ground. "Anyway, to Chitose, I'm just someone who doesn't exist. She won't care where I go, and the City Management AI have agreed to assign me a job. Hmm, this is all thanks to you, Demon King. I didn't expect you to be so useful."

After the Holy Grail Elimination Tournament, Erice was perhaps proud of using the abilities of the Evil Spirit, so she swaggered to the school Teacher and suggested that she could also work. Because her Grandmother was Chizuru Misasagi, Erice understood that the city was not Perfection, and she was more knowledgeable about City than other New Humanity.

For example, external invaders and foreign Servant are all lurking in the shadows.

Thanks to Erice and the Demon King's active performance in the Holy Grail Elimination Tournament, the City AI finally agreed to entrust her with a mission. After two months of preparation, Erice decided to go to Akihabara to Independent Work, and the AIs agreed.

"I have to go now, the train is almost here, I have to—"

"Erice."

An Erice had anticipated appeared with loud footsteps.

It has been almost three years since Novia first arrived, and Chizuru Misasagi, carrying a sense of gentle Nostalgia, is still wearing a very traditional Black Sailor Uniform. Her style Mosaic City of Shinjuku perfectly, because compared to other cities, its most distinctive feature is that it has undergone large-scale retro construction, recreating the atmosphere of the early Showa and Taisho periods.

Whether it was the idea of the founder, Chizuru Misasagi, or the Holy Grail based on the survivors' thoughts, the nostalgia and Nostalgia felt by the people here are ultimately just a nostalgic interest created by human hands.

A century ago, who truly remembers life from the experiences of a hundred years ago?

This is nothing short of a ridiculous and regressive behavior. How can anyone feel love for their hometown? Even so, people... and Shinjuku still choose to accept this false sense of Nostalgia, and thus it is secretly known as the Nostalgia City Shinjuku.

"Demon King, you actually betrayed me! Is this what you're doing just because I didn't allow you to possess me and control me when I go to the toilet...?"

Seeing the silver-haired woman who became the center of attention the moment Erice was terrified, fearing that she would be taken away immediately. At the same time, she also realized that this was definitely something that the Demon King had secretly arranged, because she had only told him about this, and had not told anyone else.

"You're overthinking it. I'm not interested in kids, especially not a kid Erice such a terrible temper..."

Novia paused, "That's the only way. If you disappear from Chizuru's sight through deception, you'll definitely regret it later."

"What a joke! I can't wait to get away from her. She's a cold-blooded, heartless wretch, a tyrant, a despicable ruler who deserves to be torn to pieces..."

Erice's reaction was so strong that it seemed as if she was about to have a life-or-death duel with her Grandmother.

However, just as the two were talking, Manazuru Chitose had already walked up to the girl, looking down at her. Before Erice could say anything, she softened her cold expression as if she were joking, placed the pale fingertips of one hand on Erice's shoulder, and gently stroked the small silver hair with the other hand.

"That job will hurt you, I'm a little worried."

"What right do you have to stop me from going!"

Hmph, saying you're worried sounds nice, but this worry actually contains a selfish element. Ultimately, it's related to her interests. Is she afraid I'll damage the reputation of her Stigmata? I absolutely do not want to become Magecraft!

"Wow, you and Chitose are Grandmother and granddaughter, don't you remember the saying that grandparents and grandchildren are closer? Don't make your relationship so bad... Besides, even if you don't become Magecraft, your job in Akihabara won't be any different from being Magecraft."