Chapter 96

The White-Haired Goddess Fairy seemed to be complaining to herself inside the tower, but in reality, Vivian could hear her perfectly well. In other words, Meli was deliberately saying it to her, which was a kind of amusement for her.

After the girl finished speaking, she gazed through the window at the flower on the lake. At times like this, she would always concentrate all her attention and stare without moving.

Is waiting for the impossible to arrive really that painful?

Although time does not accumulate in Avalon, time seems to stand still.

Every second felt like an unbearable eternity, every second felt like a fleeting moment when you wanted to look away.

And so, after a very long, truly long period of time, the Fairy had willingly been imprisoned witnessed the flower's dissipation—

And, emerging from the seabed, is the Primordial Sacred Sword, which has already merged with the Demonic Sword: True World.

At that moment, realizing something, the White-Haired Girl squinted, her vision blurring, but she still waved her hand frantically.

It was because they saw the light emanating from the Primordial Sacred Sword, the light of blue stars.

"Hey! Holy Sword, quickly open Vivian's Bounded Field for me!"

Then, in order to dispel the Bounded Field set up by the Lake Fairy on the side, the Holy Sword's radiance appeared in Avalon, and then it quickly departed.

Having escaped, Meli looked at the place that had imprisoned her for so many years, a place she had entered voluntarily, now reduced to Od remnants, and smiled disdainfully as if to provoke Vivian.

Finally, she raised her head, gazing in the direction the Holy Sword had departed, licked her lips, and smiled, saying:

"I've finally found you! Don't forget, you still owe me a promise~ This time, I'm going to make you wish you were dead~"

179: Alexandre Dumas's Declaration of Surrender and the Death of the King of Heroes! (5k)

In the Great Creek Valley north of Snowfield City, Novia's Present World caused the illusion cast by Francesca to vanish like Mirage, and the Creek Valley reappeared around them.

"... Let's go back to the Police Department and discuss this first. This is so troublesome. I can't win, and I don't want to fight. What am I supposed to do? Honestly, if only it were a Holy Grail War, my Brother-in-Law and sister could be together..."

Charlemagne murmured to himself, then sighed softly, sheathed the Holy Sword Joyeuse, and his body transformed into particles of light, vanishing without a trace.

"It seems to be a place of value where one could be in the same place as a true king."

Coming to his senses, the King of Heroes gazed at the source of the Thunderbolt in the center of the city and raised an eyebrow slightly.

He immediately realized that this was an invitation from the newly arrived Servant to all Servant.

"Hmph, since you're so inviting, I guess I'll go see you, you idiot--"

Just then, an arrow traveling faster than the speed of sound approached the King of Heroes' face.

"... Ugh!"

Perhaps instinctively sensing that this was just a provocation, the King of Heroes, intending to leave, kicked aside a pebble from the roadside and unleashed a barrage of Noble Phantasm from the Gate of Babylon. The Avenger Alcides skillfully controlled his body, galloping through the rain of Noble Phantasm and firing Bow and Arrow at lightning speed.

"Golden King, the strongest king I know, unmatched by any other king, yet also a weak Warrior. I haven't even ravaged the divine power hidden deep within you yet, so what, are you already trying to run away?"

After speaking, Alcides was immediately enveloped in a mud-like Od.

"Aaaaaah, I don't care anymore, let's wreak havoc!" Francesca's voice echoed through the Great Creek Valley once more. "I agree, everyone, no need to cool your heads, let's fight to the death!"

"... Heh, for the sake of the Goddess of Madness, I agree."

Alcides glanced at Francesca, who had already left. Through the unique Telepathy among the Greece, he knew she was heading to the western Forest, as if someone had left something behind specifically to deal with the King of Heroes before departing...

If he were a true hero, neither the noble Heracles nor the irrational beast would have stood by and watched their opponent fall into a disadvantageous position. However, he was Alcides, Avenger born solely for Revenge, not a lackey of the Iron Gods.

Therefore, victory is all that matters; there is no need for so-called dignity or glory.

"Two clowns, that's enough." Gilgamesh grinned through his teeth, gleefully retorting to his opponent, "Again and again, the King cannot accept this."

"... madness..."

After muttering something to himself, Alcides straightened his right hand at his side. And so, a new 'cloth' appeared there.

At first glance, the piece of fabric looked like a belt with a simple pattern, but to people who could discern it from different perspectives, they could immediately understand how unusual it was.

"That piece of cloth... is undoubtedly Noble Phantasm..."

To Tiné was standing nearby, the Od wrapped around that strip of cloth was truly extraordinary. Gilgamesh, upon seeing the cloth, which looked exactly like something the god himself had used, wrapped with dense Divine Aura, narrowed his eyes slightly.

"It's an aura of a different nature than the gods I know, but is the source the same—the one in the center of the city...?"

For Gilgamesh claimed to despise God, it was Noble Phantasm that left him with a somewhat unpleasant feeling.

But since the Gate of Babylon is no longer effective against Alcides, there's no way to launch a sneak attack on him.

"Gilgamesh!"

Tiné, who was observing the battle, was covered in cold sweat as she stared ahead at Alcides, who stood in front of Gilgamesh.

The awe emanating from him was several times greater than before.

The reason is easy to guess, because at this moment, the Red and Black shadows on Alcides, the same color as his body, surged up and moved like living creatures.

Hatred, fear, slander, regret, Jealousy, pity, Wrath, despair, disgust, remorse, despair, and therefore emptiness—ultimately transforming into Revenge.

Deep within the shadows, where all sorts of pent-up emotions are nearing their limit, a voice echoes as if cursing all who hear it.

Tiné had the illusion that her heart had stopped for a moment.

The King of Heroes, seemingly unfazed by the situation, curled the corners of his lips into a smile, much like a critic appreciating a comedy.

"You barbarian who now possesses the means to kill me—I hereby acknowledge you as my enemy."

In the Red and Black that seemed to devour everything, the light of the King of Heroes also seemed to be swallowed up, but at the same time, Gilgamesh, caught up in these emotions, was experiencing a surge of Od.

The Answer is simple: the King of Heroes is simply launching the Noble Phantasm from his treasure vault through space.

The way the Noble Phantasm were unleashed this time was somewhat different from before. A large number of Noble Phantasm were each wrapped with enormous Od and formed huge waves. In the past, the Noble Phantasm were simply fired out, but this time they presented complex movements like giant snakes.

Golden chains extending from all directions continuously bound the group of Noble Phantasm while forcefully correcting their trajectory.

Gilgamesh emerged from the Red and Black light, gathering his Noble Phantasm into a waterfall that plunged down with fierce waves.

It was like a golden dragon that kept devouring the light fired by the Avenger while advancing fiercely.

"Bastard, the King's verdict on you is—"

At the moment when he, not as a king but as someone who considered himself a 'judge,' was about to issue his judgment.

The space itself seemed to tremble as the arrow hurtled towards them. With a deafening roar, the arrow and the Noble Phantasm canceled each other out, shattering into fragments and dissipating.

A storm of Red and Black Od swirled around, and an intense killing intent drew near to the Arbiter.

The King of Heroes' expression was indifferent. He clicked his tongue, then slowly turned around and said to Avenger Alcides, who had landed on the edge of the opposite direction from which he had been moving:

"The mask's been removed, huh? What, you've actually accepted such an ugly version of yourself? What a pathetic fellow."

Seeing the Red and Black Od swirling around the other person, Gilgamesh wasn't particularly puzzled and continued casually:

"In that case, I'll allow you to remove that cloth so I can see how you cry."

"... The tears I could shed have long since dried up. Ever since the day the gods stole my Future."

After saying what seemed to reveal the origin of the Od of the Red and Black sludge, Gilles tentatively asked Alcides:

"So, what do you intend to do? Attack me while you still have the strength; though it's impolite, it's the right Answer... But do you really think I can't rid myself of that level of filth?"

"... Your Majesty, you are right. With those treasures at your disposal, this filth is utterly insignificant."

In contrast to the immense Od swirling around him, Alcides stood eerily calm and relaxed, motionless.

However, the Limbs, which seemed to exert no effort, suddenly contained a sharp, blade-like aura, as if they could cut off the opponent's head.

"But... you weak Warrior, it is not this filth that will slaughter you."

"Oh?"

"It is madness drowning in the human spirit..."

At this moment, Gilgamesh frowned again, forcibly suppressing the madness that resurfaced in his mind, and then revealed a look of disdain.

"Foolish, do you think I would make another mistake?"

To this, Alcides simply drew his bow harder and said calmly:

"Nine Lives."

The great bow bent violently, and just as it seemed about to break in two, the nine arrows, wreathed in ominous Od and with serpentine trajectories, resembled a gigantic Great Serpent, like the legendary nine-headed Hydra, poised to devour the King of Heroes.

"The venom of the Hydra? Although it's common for kings to be poisoned, it's just too boring—"

Just as the King of Heroes was about to open the treasure's Door and take out the Poison, the scene before him suddenly changed completely.

This reveals one fact: it was an illusion.

At this very moment, in the cedar forest, a garden was born from the twisted laws of the earth created by the Monster within.

And then, the next moment—

Behind Gilgamesh resounded a roar unlike any human's, a sound very similar to Enkidu's praise of the earth's roar, but fundamentally different. It was not a beautiful song praising the earth and humanity—but rather a curse on everything in the world, a wail like the howl of a twisted Monster.

Looking at the Monster before him, he knew it was 'fake'...

How could it be? It can't be fake!

It was for this reason that surprise, anxiety, confusion... and a trace of fear appeared in the eyes of the King of Heroes.

Before he could even ponder why his Gate of Babylon were closed, in that brief moment of thought, one of the approaching poisoned arrows pierced the King of Heroes's shoulder. Immediately afterward, a second and a third arrow struck his hands and feet, piercing through them, followed by attacks on all the vital points of his body, including his Spirit Core.

"Bastard! How could you... how could you possibly..."

Facing death, the King of Heroes, sweating profusely, glared angrily at Francesca, who had reverted to her former form as Humbaba.

He was initially wary of this disgusting fellow's illusion, but the Humbaba voice was definitely not fake; it sounded as if it had just been there.

Francesca looked down at the furious King of Heroes with a condescending smile:

"I didn't expect King of Heroes to be so good at barking! Look at this, what is it?"

The purple-haired girl leisurely swung the key in her hand; it was the catalyst used by the original Magecraft to summon the King of Heroes, and also the precious key to open the outer Great Gate of the treasure vault.

"You... bastard! That guy's here too...?"

"Yes, indeed." Francesca nodded adorably. "The Goddess even left this behind before she left, and even had the sound of a puppy barking engraved on it. It's practically made so that whoever gets it later can enjoy it to the fullest, King of Heroes!"

"... the lingering echo of that guy--"

The King of Heroes, who held fast to his own will, showed no sign of distress even as he faced death. He simply stared expressionlessly at the Bull of Heaven slowly emerging in the center of the city.

Then, a few seconds later, the King of Heroes suddenly burst into laughter. "Hahahaha, what a disgrace! Ista, the Goddess of abundance! How could you die so quickly!"

After saying this, the King of Heroes' Spirit Origin completely disappeared.

Francesca glanced lightly at Tiné, the Master of the King of Heroes, who was already grieving not far away, and casually said to Alcides:

"That brat, you can handle him... If you want any hope of victory against that one, why not join forces? After all, Folly and madness are my origins! Aha..."

The purple-haired girl's voice still gave off an innocent and naive feeling, and her maniacal laughter echoed all around.

As the laughter faded, Alcides slowly walked toward Tiné was grieving as she held the body of the King of Heroes.

"... Kid, no matter what, you just won't back down and leave?"

The crying girl nodded in response to the Avenger's statement.

"The king told me to leave quickly, but... but I can't do this..."

"Is that so? Just as you have people you must Protection, I also have things I must plunder. There's no need for us to understand each other. If there were someone who could compromise my will, such a vicious person would only be an enemy on my path."

Those who oppose me shall be defeated, and those who make peace with me shall be exterminated.

Although it sounded completely illogical, Alcides still spoke his words to the girl who could have been killed with a single blow.

"Therefore, what I am about to do is kill you."

The Black-Haired Girl's legs trembled, but even so, she did not look away.

The Avenger raised his greatbow and swung it down without a trace of emotion.

In the next instant, Red and Black light illuminated the entire canyon. At this moment, only desolation existed here, along with the girl lying on the body of the King of Heroes.

Alcides turned and left, speaking slowly to the fading white light before him:

"Thank you for saving me from the King of Heroes' attack."

Although the white figure didn't open its mouth, the Avenger understood its meaning:

But I am you.