Chapter 92
That's why--
Alcides, who had already taken advantage of this moment to approach him, was about to swing his longbow, which was wrapped in strange Od, at his neck, muttering:
"How foolish."
Just as the tragic scene was about to unfold, at that moment, the earth trembled with the aura of twelve swords radiating Thirty Colors.
This was neither Alcides's annihilating blow nor the King of Heroes's counterattack, but rather the appearance of an extremely young man who seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Tiné recognized the young man who had suddenly arrived; he was the Servant who had been taken to the Police Department the previous night and even appeared on television. But only after seeing him in person did she realize that this Servant possessed more Od than she did, despite having Earth Veins.
"If they are enemies, prepare to fight; if they are allies, retreat immediately. Would you two like to try and withstand the King's Sword here?"
After Charlemagne uttered those words, Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes and spoke:
"So this is what they mean by spoiling someone's fun... kid."
Judging from Gilgamesh's tone, Tiné could tell he was clearly in a bad mood.
After all, he was almost killed, so his Wrath was understandable. In a normal situation, he should have said something similar to what Charlemagne said:
In heaven and on earth, only I am the true king and hero; all others are nothing but a bunch of bastards.
Moreover, Tiné noticed a fleeting frown on Gilgamesh's face, as if, besides being rescued, the King of Heroes had realized that the Servant before him was most likely Saber and an incredibly troublesome fellow.
"Heh, I sense the power of Godslaying spear tip emanating from your sword..."
"Oh, not bad, you actually know that." Charlemagne, who had been sent here by the Police Department, smiled as he listened to Alcides's words. "This sword is the Joyeuse, you know. I even put the tip of Longinus's spear inside the hilt."
Charlemagne casually revealed the name of the sword he wielded, completely unconcerned about his true name being exposed. This was understandable, given that he had openly revealed his identity to the Police Department and his Servant, Alexandre Dumas, when he first entered the Police Department.
"Joyeuse? The Holy Sword Joyeuse, are you Carl the Great?"
"Tiné said."
"I do have that name," Charlemagne smiled, "But now, in this youthful state, I prefer to be called Charlemagne; it gives me a feeling that I'll only get more handsome!"
In fact, the King of Heroes' eyes, which had lost their Pride, had already seen through part of the true nature of Charlemagne and Alcides.
But, precisely because he is the King of Heroes, he naturally has to uphold his pride.
"How dare they call themselves king? Fine, I'll just laugh it off!"
Thus spoke the words of the King of Heroes, who possessed neither Pride nor carelessness.
On the other hand, Alcides's mouth twisted viciously beneath the beast pelt, and an arrow was nocked on a bowstring imbued with ominous Od.
"What an auspicious sign, after all, to have slaughtered two kings right from the start of the battle... My Alcides, remember this name."
"Hahaha, oh well, since that's the case, I grant your permission! Cheers to Charlemagne!" Charlemagne instantly fused the Od coursing through his body with the Three-Foundation Mana Furnace possessing him, further enhancing the purity of his Od. "Holy Protection— "
At this moment, here are the progenitor of Western Europe, enveloped in Divinity aura; the King of Heroes, shrouded in golden light; and the Avenger, his body permeated with Od like black mud.
"Alright, that's enough for now. But wait, everyone, we need to cool down. What are we going to do if we pull out our trump cards on the first day? I heard that some people were even exchanging blows in the desert before the main event even started! Haha!"
The moment the Heroic Spirit each prepared to take action—
The girl's innocent voice echoed across the sky, revealing a huge, fiery red Cross on the boundless battlefield.
Charlemagne stared wide-eyed in confusion, Alcides narrowed his eyes slightly, and the King of Heroes scanned the surroundings with an expression of suspicion.
They should be standing in a sparsely vegetated Grand Canyon.
However, the moment they heard the girl's voice, the vast, blood-red battlefield immediately obscured their vision.
Just then, the King of Heroes drew his Original Sin Blade, which gleamed brightly, intending to destroy the illusion.
"Haha, but to avoid the three of you venting your anger on me and to prevent the 'egg' from failing to hatch, I have no choice but to resort to this last resort: let you all get some sleep first."
The girl's voice echoed across the entire land, and a scorching wave surged through the Od channels toward the three Servant and their sole Master.
"Let me offer my blessings, gratitude, and sacrifice to this world that should have been destroyed long ago!"
"I offer my gratitude to my mother, 'Ate,' who gave birth to me as the embodiment of madness!"
"Blessings to the 'Holy Spirit' who taught me the madness of Magecraft!"
"You've shown me an extremely insane Savior, and you're not wrong!"
"Offer myself! I am the sacrifice to all humanity pardoned in this corrupt world!"
Just as the girl uttered her blessing, the space around her began to distort, devouring the land depicted by the illusion.
Finally, he loudly proclaimed the name of his own Noble Phantasm, his Great Magecraft.
"The Sunken City Does Not Exist, Madness of the World— "
It was precisely at this moment that the girl's words failed to be uttered, which meant that she would never be able to say them again.
Because everyone present, along with everyone in Snowfield City, heard that sound.
It sounded like the crashing waves of the Mediterranean Sea, or perhaps like Revelation of the concept of death.
Several minutes later, all Servant and Master knew about the most terrifying enemy that was about to arrive.
This is why the heroic Heroic Spirit present all had unusual reactions.
"... How is that possible? That person... No, it shouldn't be possible... How could such a non-world-class Ritual possibly summon..."
Francesca, who had been completely under control, was suddenly filled with terror. She was certain that if it really was that person who appeared, she would die.
Although she wanted to obtain the key to the Holy Scripture Labyrinth Holy Grail War by determining the outcome, failure was not important to her; she was more interested in seeing more of humanity involved in this Holy Grail War...
But with Novia's appearance, she felt fear, not only of Novia, but also of the Savior had tormented her for a hundred years.
"That's clearly my Brother-in-Law," Charlemagne said, seemingly unconcerned and even pleased. "So it's because of my Brother-in-Law that I look so young? In that case, my sister should be here to repay her debt."
After a brief period of intense turmoil, Tiné steadied herself with Magecraft and consulted the King of Heroes, who was her servant.
"Excuse my apologies... Your Majesty, do you know that person?"
"..."
At this moment, the King of Heroes raised an eyebrow slightly.
Then, as if to brush it off, he shook his head, then looked up with an even more arrogant smile.
"Ah, when he stands before me in person, it wouldn't be a bad idea to come and get to know him, out of appreciation for that honor."
Alcides, however, fell silent. Unlike the others, as the coastline disappeared, he also caught a 'shadow' that should have vanished.
"My fate is to become a lackey of the steel remains in the mountains, in the name of the glory of the abominable god. You are too... no, you are the end of my path of Revenge. I thought you were burned to ashes when you obtained your Spirit Origin, but now you stand in my way."
Even as he murmured to himself, the figure standing before Alcides still shone brightly.
Even if you are entangled by hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of Mud Hands, even if everything except yourself is stained with black and red Od.
The radiance of human form still exists in that world.
The Gilgamesh shadows obscured their expressions.
But at that moment, I did feel that the figure was smiling at me.
"... Do you still look down on me... as a 'human being'?"
A silent Wrath filled the space, and the Revenge hero reached out to the shadow of glory.
The dark red mud transformed into hundreds of sharp spikes, menacingly piercing through the white figure.
Scrutiny, tearing, tearing—an overwhelming torrent of Od is stirring within—
Nevertheless, the white figure did not disappear and quietly spoke.
To be precise, from Alcides' perspective, it looked like the mouth was open, but the figure smiled and told him otherwise.
A silent sound.
However, the Avenger did sense the meaning of "Shadow".
"He just appeared, and he carried the radiance you once possessed. You cannot deny that, so even if it means abandoning everything from the past, even if it means erasing your name and image from the memories of humanity on this Planet, even from the records etched on this Planet, without reservation."
You are still --
Just as the enumeration of language was about to end, the white world was shattered.
"I am not like you, the noble hero Heracles. I will never forget Megara. For me, there is only Megara."
Therefore, Alcides countered by rejecting the shadow.
In the distant past, faced with the Wrath and madness that had seeped into the depths of her brain caused by the Deity, her beloved wife Megara chose to die, saying:
"You've done nothing wrong, so please don't hate the world, please don't hate your own bloodline. You're so noble, you can definitely do it... but I can't."
Just before snapping the neck of the man who should have been the enemy and throwing him into the flames, the man said:
"Father..."
For Alcides, regardless of the legitimacy of his reasons, these painful memories were the Answer to his choice of Revenge.
Even if I know I've been deliberately distorted, so what?
These things really happened to me.
Therefore, revenge must be taken against the Greek gods, against the most detestable queen of the gods Hera and the rainbow goddess Iris, and against that wreckage of steel.
The only one for whom he didn't need Revenge was the daughter of Nyx, the Goddess of night, who, despite failing, persuaded Hera and Iris not to treat him with malice, and offered him some kindness. She was the Nameless, Goddess of Madness.
"That guy, like you, is a pathetic creature who has gained the so-called glory of a detestable god."
Therefore, whether the being named Novia was too powerful or not, and whether Alcides was no match for her, was irrelevant.
"Steel remnants, I am no longer your lackey."
175: The Trial of the Wild Hunt and the Sorrowful Savior (3k)
In a cabin nestled in the mountains of United States, a group of men and women, seemingly out of place amidst the vast natural landscape, are holding a meeting in the central conference room.
Their faces were vaguely visible in the shadows; some were dressed in high-end Suit, while others wore military uniforms and medals rarely seen in ordinary society.
Half of these people dressed in modern Suit and military uniforms are humans with Magecraft qualifications, but unlike the Clock Tower, some of them are not Magecraft or Magus, and some don't even have Magic Circuits.
In this luxurious wooden cabin nestled deep within a natural mountain Bounded Field, all those present were figures from the United States side who had organized Francesca's preparations for this Holy Grail War.
"... What can we do? The Church's branch in America has hardened its stance, and even the Roman Curia is on its way."
"All the agents of the Twelve Lords stated that they would handle this matter together."
"They actually abandoned factional struggles. Shouldn't they have harbored hatred towards the founders of the Church, considering they were almost wiped out five centuries ago..."
"This is terrible. Although our advantage lies in the fact that our national strength is not affected by Magecraft, and we can ignore the Lord in the Clock Tower, the Church..."
"That's a really big problem over there..."
Several people nodded involuntarily.
As the country with the world's largest Christ population, the Church in the United States are mainly divided into three categories: Evangelical Protestantism, Mainline Protestantism, and Catholicism, but they all belong to the Holy Church.
While not all of them are fanatical believers, and most are only casual believers, this still represents a significant social influence.
Therefore, while those in the cabin could ignore the Clock Tower's demands, they found it difficult to refuse the Church's requests.
"If all else fails, let's compromise and turn a blind eye."
"Is this really a good idea? The strange illness in Faldeus's report... it's most likely some kind of curse, preventing them from leaving. And it wouldn't be good if it spread to other places."
"Now that he's here, that kind of strange illness shouldn't be a problem, right? Should we send Faldeus to make oversight?"
"... Speaking of which, it's really a pity."
A man in military uniform said calmly:
"If only this power... wasn't some mysterious force controlled by individual will, but was in our own hands..."
"Don't be foolish. Just thinking about using mysticism as a defense weapon would get us strangled by the Clock Tower and the Atlas Institute. It's a pity, but don't forget we're complete novices when it comes to Magecraft. That's why we agreed to Francesca's plan to downgrade True Magic to Magecraft. Although it didn't succeed this time, it was a long-term project, so there's no need to rush it."
Upon hearing this, a woman in Suit scoffed, then muttered to herself:
"But, is that why that person came...? Because we intend to downgrade True Magic to Magecraft..."
Those around them remained silent. They had this suspicion, but they were also afraid that if it were true, Novia, who had been born from the Ritual, would see them as enemies, and they would not be able to escape even within this Bounded Field.
"So, should Operation Aurora Fall continue?"
Operation Aurora Fall refers to the United States' last resort in this Holy Grail War. If any unforeseen consequences arise, the city of Snowfield will be wiped off the face of the earth, along with its 800,000 inhabitants.