Covering Fire / There's Hope!

"No need. I just don't like having my prey stolen by someone else," Artoria said casually. She was definitely not intentionally helping the Chaldea people; rather, they were already her prey the moment they stepped into this world.

It's only natural for a hunter to take the initiative and fight the prey if it doesn't want its prey to be stolen by others.

Mikaela smiled, saying nothing more, but instead gripped the Pseudo- Divine Declaration tightly and calmly looked at Goetia and Reif, saying, "Then, shall we begin the battle?"

"Considering that you two are not ordinary 'Servant,' I will use the power of about ten of them." Goetia snapped his fingers slightly, and the surrounding space was expanded once again, with ten Demon God Pillar descending upon the world.

Goetia looked at Reif beside him with interest and asked, "Flauros, do you want to join the battle?"

"Of course I have to prevent them from escaping." Reif looked at Artoria without any emotion and said in a cold tone, "Die with your ignorance and stupidity, King of Knights."

"Trying to leave?"

Artoria understood what Reif meant, and she decisively used Excalibur, intending to kill him.

"Noble Phantasm! Final Fantasy: Maiden's Descent!"

Mikaela decisively summoned her 'individual' once again.

Without waiting for the 'individual' to appear, he directly picked up the fake Divine Declaration and charged towards Reif. The other party was obviously trying to stop Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka, and he absolutely could not let the other party succeed.

"Buzz—!!"

The Demon God Pillar that emerged narrowed their eyes slightly, and their magical rays, like lasers, focused on a single point, forcefully blocking Excalibur and intercepting Mikaela at the same time.

Chapter 292 Cover

Ahead, Artoria was relentlessly unleashing Excalibur, clearly going all out. However, facing ten Demon God Pillar, she could only fight a defensive battle. Even with her Infinite Noble Phantasm, the attacks launched by the opponents were no weaker Excalibur.

"Damn it." Artoria frowned. She had already gone all out, even using the Holy Grail, but she hadn't expected her opponent to be so powerful!

"You, who came from a different timeline and worldline?" Goetia didn't look at Artoria. He already knew her strength completely. His attention was now entirely focused on Mikaela.

No, it should be said that Goetia's attention was focused on the Mikaela 'individuals'. With his Clairvoyance EX, he naturally recognized some of the weapons in the hands of the Mikaela 'individuals' at a glance.

"There are actually some Noble Phantasm that even these eyes can't see through." Goetia

"..."

Silence, a deathly silence. When Mikaela summoned her 'individuals', those 'individuals' seemed to have no idea that they would be going up against Goetia in this timeline.

"We can't just use Noble Phantasm to blast them to death." Mikaela sighed. He had previously ordered his 'individuals' to use their Noble Phantasm to blast Lancelot and Tristan to death. Now, he wanted to repeat the same trick, but he couldn't just blast Goetia to death directly.

It's not just because of the Demon God Pillar, but because most of the Noble Phantasm of the Heroic Spirit in the Type-Moon World cannot harm Goetia.

Nega Summon: EX

The denial and destruction originate from the Servant.

Noble Phantasm that symbolize Heroic Spirit will be abolished (nullified, made invincible, absorbed, or reduced).

If Mikaela were alive, she might have been able to inflict some damage on Goetia with her living power, but now?! Servant, she couldn't possibly cause him the slightest harm.

The other 'individuals' also understand this principle. They are 'Mikaela' from different worlds. Although their experiences are different, their memories of their past lives are the same.

The 'individuals' wielding the Excalibur, the Gae Bolg, the Gae Dearg, the Black Stone Longsword, and A Black Long Key did not choose to attack Goetia, but instead chose to help Artoria attack the Demon God Pillar, because they themselves knew that their attacks would not be effective against Goetia.

"Is that all?" Goetia floated in mid-air, looking at the Mikaela 'individual' fighting the Demon God Pillar, a hint of inexplicable disappointment flashing in his eyes.

Like himself, the other party appeared in this world as a living being and won two Holy Grail War. In terms of both wisdom and strength, he was already a top-tier Servant.

What's more! He's still alive! He has the potential to continue developing.

In Olga Marie's view, the other party was merely Heroic Spirit living in this world; although powerful, he was not a replacement.

However, in the eyes of Goetia and the Demon God Pillar, Mikaela may seem insignificant now, but his 'living' is the biggest obstacle to their plans.

Living and dying are completely different concepts. Living heroes have the potential to step into the future, while dead heroes are merely transformed into Heroic Spirit.

How can the two be compared?

This is why Goetia looks down on Servant.

Similarly, it was for this reason that Goetia and the Demon God Pillar personally intervened, intending to kill Mikaela, forcibly turn her into Heroic Spirit, and sign a contract with the world.

At this moment, Goetia was observing the potential of Mikaela 'Servant. Although it was not the original, it was still a being with Servant power.

However, the opponent's actual combat strength, while very strong, was much weaker than Goetia had imagined.

"Isn't the pressure enough?" Goetia's eyes darted around. He could tell at a glance that Mikaela had no intention of launching a full-scale attack; she simply wanted to stall him.

That makes sense, though. In Mikaela's opinion, there was probably no need for him to fight Goetia to the death. As long as Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash left this Singularity and returned to Chaldea, his mission would be complete.

His 'individual' seemed to share this idea, and instead of displaying overwhelming power, he used 'skills' to hold back the Demon God Pillar.

"I'm getting a little bored." Goetia looked at the 'slacking off' Mikaela, a hint of boredom flashing in his eyes. Compared to Artoria, who was giving it her all, the power that the other party was displaying was really too uninteresting.

"But the real show is just beginning."

Soon, Goetia seemed to see something, and a 'sinister smile' appeared on his lips, as if he was looking forward to what would happen next.

"Boom--!!!"

Artoria unleashed Excalibur once more, blocking the Demon God Pillar's attacks. She glanced at Mikaela beside her and said calmly, "Aren't you going all out?"

Artoria naturally realized that Mikaela wasn't going all out.

"It's pointless." Mikaela shook his head, his tone flat. "Even if I go all out, it won't make a difference, because that guy is immune to most of my attacks. After all, I'm a 'Servant' now."

Mikaela emphasized the word 'Servant,' which made Artoria raise an eyebrow, as if she had realized something.

"Cover me." Artoria stopped Excalibur and instead leaped up, charging towards Goetia to test her theory.

"Useless."

Mikaela sighed as he watched Artoria rush forward; he knew what Artoria was planning to do.

It's simply a matter of capturing the leader first; if they kill Goetia, the summoned Demon God Pillar will naturally dissipate.

However, despite her words, Mikaela still intended to assist Artoria, since dragging things out like this was not a good idea.

The 'Mikaela' wielding the Excalibur and the Gae Bolg moved, radiating a holy golden light. Terrifying golden magical power gathered around them, and the two 'Mikaela' activated their Noble Phantasm together.

The combined power of Excalibur and Gae Bolg was even greater than that of Artoria, who wielded the Holy Grail. In an instant, they broke through the defenses of the ten Demon God Pillar, creating a gap in their defenses.

"Oh? You're already showing your power before you've even caught them?" Goetia looked at the two golden beams with interest. He casually waved his hand, and the ring on his hand emitted a strange light, transforming into a magic shield that blocked the aftershocks of the attack.

"Oh!"

Under the cover of Mikaela's attack, Artoria immediately rushed to a short distance from Goetia. She raised her Holy Sword, aimed it at Goetia's body, and decisively unleashed her Noble Phantasm.

"Excalibur Morgan——!!!"

With the Holy Grail's blessing, Artoria quickly unleashed her Noble Phantasm, and the black beam instantly engulfed Goetia.

Chapter 293 There is hope!

Did it work?

After the black beam of light engulfed Goetia, Artoria had this thought in mind: she had poured most of the Holy Grail's magic power into that attack.

If she used 100% of her power to deal with the Demon God Pillar before, then now, in order to eliminate Goetia, Artoria has already used 130% of her power, not to mention that she didn't see Goetia take out any defensive Noble Phantasm.

This Noble Phantasm attack definitely hit the opponent squarely.

Mikaela shook her head inwardly. If it were really that simple, why would he have told Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash to run away so quickly?

"Excellent, very excellent!"

When the magical mist dissipated, Goetia was unharmed. He patted his clothes and smiled approvingly, saying, "Your Noble Phantasm is quite good for scraping skin."

"..." Artoria's pupils contracted slightly, clearly not expecting that her Noble Phantasm would be unable to cause any damage to Goetia.

"Buzz—!!"

The Demon God Pillar, having recovered from Mikaela's attack, launched an attack on Artoria without hesitation.

A laser composed of pure magic struck Artoria. If it hit her head-on, even if Artoria possessed the Holy Grail, she would not be able to avoid being eliminated.

"Not good!"

Artoria's expression changed slightly. She was in a very awkward situation and could not release her Noble Phantasm immediately.

Although Artoria can unleash her Noble Phantasm continuously, she is also aware that there is a gap between each Noble Phantasm she uses.

The Demon God Pillar seized on this point and launched an attack on Artoria.

"Boom--!!"

But at that moment, a golden beam of light blocked the Magic Laser. 'Mikaela', wielding the Excalibur, squeezed out her last bit of magic power in the last moment before disappearing, saving Artoria.

"Excalibur Morgan——!!!"

With 'Mikaela' providing cover, Artoria unleashed her Noble Phantasm once again, blocking the Demon God Pillar's attack. She glanced at Goetia with considerable apprehension before retreating back to Mikaela's side.

"I told you so," Mikaela sighed, looking at Artoria who had returned. "He is more powerful and more difficult to deal with than you imagined."

If Goetia were so easy to deal with, then Doctor Roman wouldn't have thought of using 'self-destruction' to defeat him in FGO.

Given Goetia's actual situation at the time, the opponent was practically invincible. Even if all the Servant of Chaldea were tied up, it was uncertain whether they could pose a threat to him.

"Is there any way to defeat him?" Artoria was at a loss and could only look to Mikaela.

Mikaela shrugged. What could he do? He had no choice. If he used weapons from other worlds, he might be able to harm Goetia, but Goetia wasn't stupid. They weren't going to just stand there and let him hit them.

Furthermore, Goetia is currently in his King Solomon form, and his 'Beast' form hasn't even been revealed yet; that's his true battle form.

Mikaela didn't want to fight Goetia to the death right now. He calculated the time in his mind and gave Ritsuka a Swiftness Rune. At the beginning, the opponent's speed only increased by a few times.

However, as soon as she leaves Goetia's sight, the runes on Fujimaru Ritsuka's body will become disposable items, increasing her speed by about ten times. At that time, she should be able to leave the Great Hollow with Mash and successfully communicate with Doctor Roman.

If Fujimaru Ritsuka leaves Goetia's side, she might be able to break free from the 'position' and be taken away by the Chaldea people using Spiritron Transfer.

Of course, Mikaela had also considered the worst-case scenario, so he kept stalling instead of launching an attack.

"Is there no way?" Artoria frowned, clearly not believing that there were invincible Servant in this world, but that the other party 'just happens' to be able to counter her.

"If something unexpected happens, can you hand over the Holy Grail to me?"

Mikaela suddenly spoke up, looking at Artoria and saying in a very calm tone, "I have a bold idea that, if successful, might be able to defeat him."

"Now?" Artoria didn't doubt Mikaela. The fact that Mikaela was able to obtain Excalibur and Gae Bolg meant that she and Mikaela had a great 'fate' to each other.

"No, wait a minute." Mikaela shook his head. Right now, he still needed Artoria's Infinite Noble Phantasm to fight against the attacks of the Demon God Pillar.

Moreover... Goetia also seemed to be waiting for something; both sides were waiting.

"Is the time not yet ripe?"

Artoria frowned. Without saying a word, she kept unleashing Excalibur to clash with the Demon God Pillar!

She was out of options and could only rely on the girl beside her. The girl seemed to have some trump cards up her sleeve, but she didn't seem to want to make enemies.

"Hmm? They're back?" Suddenly, Goetia seemed to sense something. He gave a strange smile and looked at the person next to him, chuckling softly, "Was Mash taken away?"

"Yes, she has been taken away by Romani."

At that moment, Reif returned to Goetia's side as if teleported, holding a struggling orange-red girl in his arms.

That's right, Fujimaru Ritsuka was captured and brought back, but Mash was taken away by the Chaldea people.

As for what exactly happened, only Reif and Goetia know, and it seems to be part of their plan.

"Quiet down a bit." Reif placed a hand on Fujimaru Ritsuka's forehead and cast a small Magecraft on her to stop her from struggling violently.

"Now, what will that human from another world do?"

Having acquired the most important 'tool', Goetia became somewhat curious about what would happen next. He looked down at Artoria and Mikaela, whose faces were grim, and couldn't help but smile with pleasure.

"Saber, please hand over the Holy Grail to me." Mikaela took a deep breath. When Reif made his move, he had almost guessed that Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't possibly escape.

However, it was precisely because he was thinking of "just in case" that he did not attack Goetia, but instead cooperated with Artoria to fight a defensive battle.

"..." Artoria didn't waste any words. Without saying a word, she took the Holy Grail out of her body and casually tossed it to Mikaela.

It was as if the Holy Grail was merely a tool to her.

"Everyone, how confident are you?" Mikaela held the Holy Grail, looked at his 'individuals', and said in a very calm tone, "Just enough to save Ritsuka and get her back to Chaldea."

"..."

All the 'individuals' remained silent, but soon they all nodded.

Nodding means...