Chapter 505

At this moment Erice had a strong premonition that if she continued talking, the topic would be led astray. Therefore, she turned her gaze from Euclid, who was bowing his head with tears in his eyes, to Novia.

... That's right, I am Death God —and after Death God has finished his work, the person involved will never give him praise.

Even so, Novia's gentle smile remained unchanged.

His smile seemed to carry both helplessness and affection, as if he were looking at his unworthy apprentice or a child.

"Speaking of which, I do know a little. The Champs-Élysées, the most beautiful street in Paris, originally means the Elysium in the Underworld where the souls of Saint and heroes reside in Greek Mythology. The poet Hesiod said that the ruler there was Keronus, the second generation of Greece gods, while Homer said that the ruler there was Rhadamanthus, the son of Zeus and Europa, and the judge of the Underworld."

"The Elysium may have originated from the Ancient Greece Old Religion of Minoan Religion, a Polytheism with a mother goddess as its principal deity. Later, Orpheus used this concept to teach its followers how to perform the 'Dionysus Mysteries' to be reborn in Elysium."

Why...

How does Novia know even this so much? Why?! Damn it...

Looking at Novia who was speaking, Erice a surge of anger rising within her, and the vague anxiety she had felt when she first arrived in Tokyo resurfaced.

Although she rationally knew that Chitose and Alice's friend couldn't possibly do anything bad to her, she still couldn't help herself.

"The historian Diodorus, who wrote 'Outline of Greece History' in the 1st century before, believed that the Elysium praised in all Greece poetry was the capital of Egypt. According to the Ptolemy dynasty at the time, Alexandria was the Elysium of Egypt."

In comparative theology, the Elysium is considered the same as the Pure Land in Buddhism.

At this point, Novia stared intently at Rushana was staring at her with wide eyes.

"Pure Lands such as the Vairocana Buddha's Ghanavyuha World and Lotus Treasury World, and the Maitreya Buddha's Inner Court of Tushita and Saha World are also considered Pure Land."

"Wow, Novia, you know so much... It's not Euclid at all..."

Euclid sighed twice, and finally could only say this to Erice was biting her lip tightly:

"—But Erice, that Demon King you mentioned, since you said he's long dead, or has already returned to the Throne of Heroes, right? If you ever meet him, please give him my regards. He actually solved your Death God before I did; he might be a very talented Mathematician or a promising future scholar."

... OK.

Erice didn't say it aloud, but only replied in her heart.

Even if that guy might want my body and become my enemy.

The most agonizing and unbearable feeling is when you can't see the person you want to see.

The TV Tokyo headquarters in Underworld Tokyo.

One office not only had several desks with computers on them, but also air conditioning installed on the Ceiling. All these furnishings made people forget that this place was also part of the ruins.

"It is precisely because of the lingering maple leaves in autumn that we feel resentment towards the autumn wind scattering flowers in spring; my heart is like the autumn evening breeze that disperses the clouds and reveals the bright moon."

The man who said this was a punk with five-colored hair.

"That Ujimasa guy doesn't even know how many bowls of ochazuke he can eat, but he talks a very poetic game. But the Hojo really did fall at his hands; my words really did come true..."

He then placed the game controller on the table, which had several bowls of tea-soaked rice on it, and leaned back in his gaming chair.

A holographic Projection screen floated in front of me, displaying gameplay footage from the Role-Playing game "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim".

Afterwards, the punk man stared at the gray landscape outside.

Upon closer inspection, the rust-colored waves suddenly surged unhappily towards Underworld Tokyo protected by the remnants of City AI, before receding abruptly, everything dissolving into a gloomy blue, as if the waves had come from the ends of the earth.

A few seconds later, a man with long, straight hair, wearing a black hat and a brown overcoat, pushed open the office door carrying a brown leather suitcase.

The man with long, straight hair said nothing, but it was as if his gaze itself was speaking volumes.

"Then, may those foolish people outside Tokyo, under the Great Bodhisattva Myoken, await the day the moon opens its eyes and Ni tears apart the corpse of Suzaku— "

The expressions on the faces of the "Shamate" men showed neither a smile nor any sense of ease.

"The immortal... New Emperor."

Chapter 520 The New Holy Grail War

After saying goodbye to Euclid, Erice and the others returned to the hotel arranged by Tokyo Night Watch John to rest.

Since Tokyo was reduced to ruins, John said he had to rush to build this hotel, so there were only three rooms: one for Chitose, one for Novia and Tiamat, and one for Erice and Rushana. As for why Chitose and Tiamat didn't share a room, that was naturally Tiamat's request.

So, the next morning, the smell of the sea and the cold air seeped into the hotel room through the cracks in the window, making the hotel look as if it had been blackened with charcoal.

While Erice felt she heard a faint whooshing sound.

Is that the sound of the wind from afar? That incredibly desolate and lonely sound seems to come from the ends of the earth, blowing towards the land of the dead.

Suddenly, Erice woke up from her terrifying dream, but incredibly, she didn't find it strange at all. She just subconsciously looked at the back of her right hand. Although she still didn't have Command Spell, she felt three warm sensations. She could tell that they were the lingering effects of flowing Od.

Erice quickly picked up the information terminal on the small table beside her bed and recorded the contents of her dream in as much detail as possible.

Although she really wanted to log onto the City Information Network to see if anyone else had a similar Revelation dream, unfortunately, she couldn't log onto the Information Network due to her situation in Tokyo; the only way was to leave the City by train.

Anyway... that dream I just had must have been about that... could it be Revelation from the 'Holy Grail'...?

Thinking this, Erice glanced at the single bed next door, where Rushana was still wrapped in a sheet, curled up like a puppy, sleeping.

Erice's dream was, in her view, undoubtedly a signal that the Holy Grail War was about to begin.

She pressed her hand against the glass window, through which stretched an endless, unreal Underworld Tokyo.

It was a strange sight, devoid of any color, yet not unpleasant. Erice felt that across this wetland lay another world, a place she had frequented before she was four years old, on the other side of the world, in the deepest darkness.

At the same time Erice tried her best to imprint the impressions from the dream into her mind.

In the dream, a somewhat familiar voice spoke to the Black-Haired Girl:

The seven Servant finally gathered on the battlefield.

The moon behind him radiated a light resembling that of Buddha, while simultaneously shedding tears of blood as if its eyes were open. Its size was comparable to that of a giant Humanoid demon from a blockbuster film; it was like a snake that seemed to coil up anywhere, with no end in sight on an endless sea; and it was a thin man standing on the dark, snow-capped peak, though Humanoid, standing amidst the Snow Mountain.

In contrast, each of them has a different creature on their shoulder. The demon has a person with colorful, punk-style hair on his shoulder, the snake has a person with skin as white as milk on its back, and the man has a blond old man on his back.

It's as if they were combined in pairs.

If Erice also joins the battle as Master to seize the Holy Grail, then she must mercilessly defeat all enemies, using their lives as sacrifices to the Holy Grail. If any Servant stand in her way, she must kill them all, leaving no one alive...

Especially that enormous demon, and most importantly, the Buddha-light that protected it—that thing stripped away everything that created the Japan archipelago, so it had to be killed.

The voice in her dream also told Erice that the Demon King was the Servant manifested in this new Holy Grail War, with the class name "Novia".

Wait a minute... is this for real...?

In past Holy Grail War, Erice had never heard of Servant of this class.

Furthermore, besides referring to the First Pope of the Church, the name Novia also refers to the 20th-century Denmark linguist who created Novial, an international auxiliary language, to commemorate the legends surrounding the Pope's disappearance. Perhaps for this reason, there is also a university in Finland called Novia.

Demon King? Novia?

This... Could it be that Lucius didn't say anything? Could it be for some other reason that he specifically gave the Demon King a new class? Could it be because yesterday I listened to Euclid's nonsense and Novia's sweet talk, and presumptuously believed that he and the Demon King were similar despite being different, so I misinterpreted the memories of the dream? This is truly the most ridiculous thing ever.

And then there was that voice in my dream... Although I didn't see the face... that voice... was definitely that of Chitose...

As time ticked by, Erice became increasingly uncertain about the vague 'Revelation' she had received.

Could it be that someone Chitose ago also had such Revelation in their dream?

Since that's the case.

Erice felt she had to be on her guard, always ready for battle. The ruins of Tokyo, now transformed into Underworld, were fraught with problems, and she had to do everything she could to avoid being influenced by her preconceived notions.

Then.

As Erice staggered out of the room and downstairs, she saw Novia staring at a tall man wearing a black hat and a brown coat. The man was sturdy and looked to be in his thirties, with deep-set, light gray eyes that made him seem unapproachable.

Basically, she's someone who doesn't fit in at all with Novia.

For some reason, Erice didn't go out directly, but subconsciously hid, wanting to eavesdrop on what the two were saying.

There was nothing moving around them, not even Novia and the man's backs, which made Erice wonder if the two were Automaton, or if she was hallucinating, or if she was still dreaming.

After a while, the tall man who had been looking at Novia turned around and looked at Erice with his gray eyes at her hiding to the side, startling her.

"Little girl over there, there's no need for you to avoid me."

After being told this, Erice saw no need to hide anymore and walked to Novia's side, cautiously meeting the man's gaze.

Looking at the man whose posture resembled a black tombstone, Erice couldn't help but gaze at the gray ruins of Tokyo behind him. From the depths of the sea, a buzzing sound, like the sound of a whirlpool, echoed—a strange sound that seemed to evoke distant memories.

You must feel like you've entered another world, right?

The man seemed to know what Erice was thinking. "However, the ecosystem around Tokyo, covered by seawater, isn't actually living organisms, but rather mimicry created by Drone in disguise. Even so, it's still quite lively, and the scenery isn't as Issei as other Marseille Mosaic City."

"Will Issei?"

"Yes, it blooms in spring and insects chirp in summer. It happens every four months."

As they spoke, the man with long, straight hair took out a tiny, black, motionless insect, smaller than a fingernail, from his brown leather suitcase and handed it to Erice. "Your name is Utsumi Erice, right? If so, this is for you."

"... Why should I give it to you?"

"You should accept it, Erice."

"Yes, as you said, please accept it, because you'll definitely need it."

The man bowed to Novia. "Now that the goods have been delivered, I'll take my leave... Oh, right, Erice, there's something I still want to tell you now. The reason you can't leave Marseille Mosaic City is because you yourself are a miracle. You have no father, but your mother is Servant. Yet you are still human, a living, breathing human being, I assure you."

After saying that, the man slowly walked towards the gray, canvas-like streets of Tokyo.

Erice was confused by this.

What am I? I have no father? Am I Servant? How was I born? What is this...? I can't understand what he's saying...

At the same time, looking at the lifeless insect in her palm, Erice suddenly shivered. She felt as if the insect was staring into her eyes, so she asked Novia with slight irritation:

"Speaking of which, who is that person?"

"Him,"

Novia said calmly, "Taira no Masakado, the greatest vengeful spirit of Japan."

"... ha?!"

The Undying Demon, or the New Emperor —these are the titles given to Taira no Masakado in the Nasuverse.

According to the Genpei Ben'enroku, Taira no Masakado no Masakado was protected by the Myōken Bodhisattva and conquered the eight provinces of Bandō. However, because of his ruthlessness, he was not tolerated by the Bodhisattva and was not afraid of the emperor's majesty. Therefore Myōken Bodhisattva entrusted Taira no Masakado to his uncle, Taira no Yoshifumi. This legend was Inheritance by the descendants of the Chiba Family.

During the Sengoku period, the daughter of the Chiba family was with Hojo Ujiyasu, the Lion of Sagami, thus beginning a marriage alliance.

Originally, the Sonko-in of the Chiba family enshrined Myōken Bodhisattva. After the Shinbutsu Bunri Edict Meiji Era, it was converted into Shrine Chiba Shrine, and the Ame-no-Minakanushi was changed from Myōken Bodhisattva to Amanomiminakanushi. This was because Myōken Bodhisattva and Ame-no-Minakanushi had long been regarded as the same deity and were enshrined together as Shinto and Buddhism.

Hastur, the Zhenwu the Great, Myōken Bodhisattva, and the Ame-no-Minakanushi —these beings from different systems became one in a certain moment and in a certain kingdom. This is either a power created by humankind or a legend.

That is why, when Novia, who had gotten up early in the morning and gotten rid of Tiamat's baby Limbs, arrived at the hotel entrance, she became interested in Taira no Masakado's sudden visit.

After all, he seems to have encountered quite a few people like this lately: Euclid, who is connected to Hastur; Taira no Masakado, who is protected by Myōken Bodhisattva; Ame-no-Minakanushi of the esoteric religion; Rushana, who, according to Tiamat, is currently hiding somewhere...

Let's go back to this morning, to the moment when Novia Taira no Masakado met.

"You must be tired from coming all this way? Would you like to have a seat?"

Taira no Masakado stared blankly at Novia sitting by the door for a long while before suddenly snapping back to reality. Just that alone made him feel a dizzying tension rising from the soles of his feet.

"... I am Taira no Masakado."

Taira no Masakado hearty and slightly hoarse voice sounded somewhat hesitant at this moment.

"It doesn't matter who it is."

Novia simply waved her hand dismissively, as if it were no big deal. "My name is Novia."

To Taira no Masakado no Masakado, the man he was meeting for the first time exuded an indescribable sense of oppression from head to toe—his breath, his eyes, his every move, and even his appearance—making it impossible for him to relax. Thus, he simply stood at the doorway like a tombstone.

When Novia pulled out his chair and stood up, Taira no Masakado couldn't help but squat down so that he, who was three meters tall, could look him in the eye.

Following this, Taira no Masakado was bombarded with questions from Novia: what his Class was, who he liked, his strengths, his Noble Phantasm and skills, his current thoughts, his purpose in coming here...

The two exchanged questions and answers; Novia would nod slightly at times, listen attentively at others, and then throw out the next question.

Taira no Masakado was puzzled by his honest answer, despite his usually fiery temper.

So what is your wish?

Taira no Masakado nods.

I don't need any famous swords, nor do I want any famous bows.

Weapons and the like can be replaced with clotheslines.

But that one, that one I only want, I want it no matter what --