Gently Awaken the Sleeping Heart / Black Grail

As Jason himself was corrupted, the Servant who came because of him also underwent some changes.

Heracles grew increasingly cruel, Atalanta's hair color changed, and her fur was tainted with an ominous darkness. Medea also changed; she gradually matured from a beautiful young girl, and her attitude towards Jason changed from respect to disgust.

This situation was not limited to the three of them; many more Servant experienced similar changes.

"If you can't hold on any longer, remember to tell me, and I will give you the ending you deserve."

Looking at the suffering Jason, Gil didn't use the word "hybrid" to describe Jason, perhaps because Jason hadn't fully emerged as an adult.

"I, the great one, have been able to call myself that for so long, but you, the King of Heroes, have no other abilities besides detonating your Noble Phantasm?"

"Still have the nerve to mock me? Seeing as you have such backbone, I'll allow you to behold the brilliance of the Enuma Elish."

Golden armor appeared on Gil, a size smaller than his adult self, signifying that he had mastered his full power.

Gil pulled out a key-like Noble Phantasm, the one that linked to the Gate of Babylon. It was this Noble Phantasm that allowed Gil to find the Noble Phantasm he wanted immediately, and it was also because of it that the Noble Phantasm that had been launched could be retrieved so easily.

Now Gil will use it to connect all the Noble Phantasm.

"Although some Noble Phantasm have been lost, what remains is still sufficient. Bring forth my strongest power."

The key in Gil's hand disappeared, replaced by a slowly descending golden sphere of light, within which appeared a "sword" constructed of three conical stone slabs.

Mana was injected into it, the stone slab began to rotate in different directions. Before the powerful destructive force was even released, the wind pressure generated by the rotating stone slab already drew the attention of all the Servant.

Has the incomplete King of Heroes finally reached "perfection" at this moment?

"The time for Judgment has come, to reveal the primordial truth, to tear the world apart with this Enuma Elish, this is the moment of cataclysmic upheaval, the final moment..."

Gil felt the power of Enuma Elish. Although Solomon's Magecraft had previously reached the strongest output of Enuma Elish in its normal state, the current Enuma Elish was the strongest form of Enuma Elish.

"The Enuma Elish!"

Mana, mingled with wind pressure, locked the Black Mud Sea. Under the shroud of the Enuma Elish, even a powerful Demon God Pillar would be severely damaged in an instant. Twenty-Four Demon God Pillars might sound exaggerated, but what could they do against the Enuma Elish?

The battle will soon be over.

There were so many unpredictable events in this battle that neither Solomon nor Gil could have fully foreseen them, but fortunately, the scales of victory are now tipped in their favor...

"Boom!"

An incredibly powerful Mana erupted in the distance. Gil didn't need to look specifically to know that it was Solomon's attack, and Fujimaru Kyoya would have no chance of dodging such an attack.

Will he lose?

Gil was unaware that his Clairvoyance could no longer see the future, and all he could do was to eliminate the enemies here as quickly as possible and then go help Fujimaru Kyoya.

The battle reached its climax, where Magecraft and martial arts became indistinguishable. Relying on his "Last Will" attribute, Fujimaru Kyoya attacked Solomon with all his might before his Mana was exhausted, even though such an attack would inflict more wounds on himself.

The high concentration of Mana pierced through his body, his internal organs were roasted by the high temperature, and his blood flowed out of his body like water, staining his original armor red.

It hurts, it hurts so much.

But he didn't stop, he didn't halt his steps. Was he the only one with the will to fight?

No, Solomon sensed it too. The powerful Mana of the Enuma Elish was simply too great. Although it couldn't destroy the Demon God Pillar in one go, it was enough to severely damage it.

Even though the returns were unreasonable, Solomon still had to do one thing: defeat Fujimaru Kyoya as quickly as possible.

"In the name of the Command Seal, enhance all of Caster's attributes."

When Solomon arrived as a Caster, he was naturally weaker in attributes such as strength, agility, and endurance, which made him hesitant to rely too much on close combat.

Now that Fujimaru Kyoya has dragged him into the "swamp" of close combat, he has no reason to refuse.

There is one Command Seal left.

Solomon silently calculated the value of this last Command Seal, which would ensure he still had the strength to face the enemies outside.

"Thump~"

Solomon blocked the spear with his arm; even without relying on the "Knuckle Duster," he was already capable of doing so thanks to the Command Seal he had been empowered by.

"Got you?"

Instead of being forced into a defensive posture, Solomon began to restrain Fujimaru Kyoya, which greatly limited Fujimaru Kyoya's evasion and made it easier for the Mana Beam emitted by the Ten Rings to penetrate the enemy.

The worsening injuries would inevitably lead to a decline in physical reflexes, and Solomon would never let such an opening slip Solomon. He would continue to fight, continue to entangle, continue to be injured, and continue to... approach death.

"This is really goodbye."

Solomon gathered his Mana in his hand, seized an opening in Fujimaru Kyo, and landed a punch directly in Fujimaru Kyoya's chest.

It pierced through armor, tore through muscle, shattered bones, and finally blew up the entire heart.

"Bang!"

With a power that no method could break, Solomon ended the life of the person before him with a single blow.

We won.

Solomon watched as the faint light gradually appeared on his opponent's body. It was the dissipation of Mana, a symbol of the shattering of his Spirit Origin. Even such a tenacious enemy had finally reached his limit.

Chapter 187 Gently Awaken the Sleeping Soul 38/102

The clouds and mist began to dissipate, and Fujimaru Kyoya's body began to emit faint lights, a sign that the last Servant Spirit Origin had been shattered was about to leave his body.

No longer Pseudo-Servant, Fujimaru Kyoya finds it difficult to face Solomon, who still possesses a Command Seal. This is not only a matter of strength, but also a matter of his injuries.

Even though as a Player one wouldn't die from the death of Servant, his heart had indeed been shattered by a punch just now, and even if Immortality, he wouldn't have much strength left to continue fighting.

"Get some rest."

Solomon slowly withdrew his hand; this time, victory was assured, but...

Smack!

A strong, powerful hand gripped his arm, giving Solomon no chance to create distance again.

"You..."

Solomon couldn't understand why, even at this point, Fujimaru Kyoya was in his human form, would still refuse to let go if the fight continued.

That's how humans are; when they can't see the situation clearly, they become self-confident and believe they can do things they shouldn't be able to do.

Solomon was a pessimist.

Although he possessed wisdom bestowed upon him by God, it was precisely because of this wisdom that he became increasingly pessimistic.

He believed that humanity could make the right choices, but he refused to grant them power because he thought they would be lost in the immense power. Even if they would eventually discover this power, he hoped that day would come as late as possible.

In a sense, Solomon and his Master were a match made in heaven.

"Open."

Solomon's fist was imbued with Mana; the sheer heat from it was unbearable for most, let alone the fact that all of his attributes had been enhanced.

"Bang!"

Without saying much, Fujimaru Kyoya grabbed one of his fists, but Solomon had another fist. The powerful attack landed on Fujimaru Kyoya, and flesh and blood scattered like they were free, which accelerated the dissipation of his Spirit Origin.

Even if he didn't let go, Fujimaru Kyoya still wouldn't let go.

"The facts are right in front of us, so why are people still unwilling to face this result?"

Solomon did not understand.

A series of punches nearly destroyed Fujimaru Kyoya's body, until Solomon could no longer comprehend what was sustaining the man before him, at which point he finally spoke.

"Because when the thought of 'giving up' arises, then it's all over."

If everything ends when the method of "giving up" appears, then my life would have ended not long after I was born.

Solomon thought so.

He looked at the man who had spoken those words; the man's defeat was tantamount to death, and under his fist, there was absolutely no chance of him being defeated...

A handful of Lime blinded Solomon, and then a spear smashed directly onto Solomon head.

Who says only hitting someone in the back counts as a sneak attack?

Today, Fujimaru Kyoya will gently awaken Solomon's slumbering mind and blind him with Lime.

"Why?"

Solomon wouldn't stop rubbing his hands just because his eyes were close to Lime, but he didn't understand why Fujimaru Kyoya was still able to fight.

What exactly is supporting you?

"Of course it's... selfishness."

At this point Fujimaru Kyoya could no longer tell how much power that Spirit Origin still retained in his body, but as long as he was alive, he would never give up.

History is not easily changed, and your changes may even lead you into a more dangerous situation.

Fujimaru Kyoya's actions—to help his friend, to save his lover's life, and to protect his sister's fate—were ultimately driven by selfishness.

Even though he knew that Solomon was the best person to deal with the Black Mud in front of him, he still made the most selfish choice.

Fujimaru Kyoya denied this, but after experiencing various simulations, he also came to the realization that he should clean up his own mess.

If this victory over Solomon changes the course of the future, then everything will be fine; if he fails, then he will embark on the path of Humanity Incineration.

Unlike those selfish individuals who disregard consequences, Fujimaru Kyoya is capable of accomplishing many things.

"Thump~"

Disregarding gains and losses, and disregarding victory or defeat, Fujimaru Kyoya thrust his spear toward Solomon's chest, seemingly intent on ending his life with a single blow, turning the tide of the battle, and securing his own victory.

But this siege engine-like shot struck a layer of Barrier, shattering the already damaged spearhead. Was this the end for Fujimaru Kyoya?

No, absolutely not.

The already unstable spirit did something that could only be done at this moment: Fujimaru Kyoya pressed the sword in his hand against the butt of the spear, the scattered spiritual particles combined into one, the sword blade became the spearhead, and the positions of the spearhead and the butt of the spear called to each other.

"Again."

He flipped his spear and struck again, this time firmly planted on Solomon's Barrier. No matter how Solomon controlled the Ten Rings to transform into beams of light that pierced through Fujimaru Kyoya's body, he could not stop the opponent's advance.

Why?

Why?

Solomon didn't understand. He couldn't understand how someone could fight to this extent. He couldn't understand how a situation that was so close to victory had come to this.

Solomon kept retreating, but the piercing sound still reached his ears.

"Creak~"

The sound was as piercing as fingernails scratching a blackboard. Solomon knew it was the sound of the Barrier shattering. No matter how he retreated, no matter how many attacks landed on his opponent, he could not stop his advance.

There's one more Command Seal.

Solomon had expended a considerable amount of Mana to defeat Fujimaru Kyoya, especially now that he was hastily constructing Barrier, which wasn't very strong. To save his life, he had to use this Command Seal.

But can he still win after using it?

Other Servant were more or less corrupted by the Black Mud and unable to unleash their full power, but the King of Heroes was different. He continuously recovered his original power and was completely unaffected, able to exert his full strength. He must...

Clang!

There's nothing that's absolutely necessary anymore.

Solomon was never an optimistic person; when he was at a disadvantage and there was no feasible way to reverse the situation, his innate pessimism would fill his mind.

That was the sound of the Barrier shattering. How could Fujimaru Kyoya not understand that Solomon still had the Command Seals, his Command Seal to turn the tide of battle? He wouldn't give his opponent a chance to turn the tide.

Fujimaru Kyoya flipped his spear, slashing Solomon from below with a single upward thrust. That hand bearing the Command Seal shattered Solomon's hopes of turning the tide.

"You're too pessimistic."

This was Fujimaru Kyoya's assessment: if Solomon hadn't been a pessimistic person, if he had been stirred by anger and a hint of bloodlust, then he wouldn't have had any chance to turn the tide.

But life doesn't offer "what ifs".

Fujimaru Kyoya had only one shot to deal with this.

Chapter 188 The Black Holy Grail

"That's about it, that's the limit."