Type-Moon: Card Servants

"I understand. You're not an evil god."

Gilles de Rais grinned at Mikaela, revealing a thoroughly disgusting smile. He put away the Book of the Sea God, as though he had just finished casting a grand spell. Spreading his arms wide, he looked at Mikaela and shouted, "But!! You possess the power to connect with evil gods!! You are the offspring of an evil god—I cannot be mistaken! Even if you are human now, you will surely become an evil god in the future."

"Ohohohoho!! Young child of god, allow me! To offer you the finest sacrifice!"

"I! Gilles de Rais! Have the honor of becoming Your first sacrifice. This is my honor, and Jeanne d'Arc's honor as well."

"..." Mikaela's pupils contracted slightly. He was clearly shocked by Gilles de Rais's words. The power to connect with an evil god?? Could he be referring to Abigail?!

Gilles de Rais burst into laughter. Beneath his feet, the dark waters began to churn as well. Countless monsters gathered below their summoner shot out innumerable tentacles at once, swallowing the hooded Caster standing atop their heads. Yet Caster, his entire body wrapped in tentacles, felt no pain. Instead, he laughed maniacally.

"Today is the day an evil god is born. O God! Since You refuse to answer my wish, then I shall cast myself into the embrace of that young child of the evil god, carrying all my anger toward You, all my hatred toward You, all my faith in You!"

"O people! Let me see whether God will descend, whether God will save you."

"If God does not come, do not be afraid. Your deaths will merely become nourishment for the child of the evil god. This is not your end, nor is it mine."

"Within the evil god, we shall witness a new world—a brand-new world! A world never seen before."

Gilles de Rais shouted at the top of his lungs, seeming tremendously excited by what was about to happen.

Mikaela frowned slightly. This was no good. Although Kayneth had said that the other party had already completed his grand spell and could no longer be stopped, how would they know without trying?!

"Judas!"

Golden chains and thirteen Spears of Light shot forth together, launching an attack on Gilles de Rais. However, the tentacles beneath him seemed to have come "alive" at that moment. They wrapped around the golden chains, while the Spears of Light only destroyed some of the tentacles.

But compared to the tentacles rapidly surging from the sea, it was nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

Then, before Irisviel's shocked eyes, countless nauseating sea monsters glowing with a chilling blue light rapidly fused together. In the end, they formed an incomparably enormous Sea Demon resembling an island, radiating an intensely oppressive presence.

"This... this is no longer just a grand spell, is it?" Irisviel wore a terrified expression. She had never imagined that a mere Caster could summon such a powerful creature through his own strength alone.

She could sense how terrifyingly powerful this enormous Sea Demon was. It seemed capable of destroying an entire city... No! Not seemed!! Irisviel could feel that the Sea Demon before them was still in a state of "hunger." It needed more food to fill its stomach and sustain its manifestation in this world.

"The sacrifice Caster spoke of was not merely himself." Looking at the Sea Demon before her, Irisviel seemed to have guessed something. Her voice trembled as she said, "He means all of Fuyuki City. The Sea Demon he summoned wants to devour every living thing in Fuyuki City, then destroy the Holy Grail War!"

If Fuyuki City was destroyed, then the Holy Grail War could more or less be considered over.

At that level, the Holy Church and the Mage's Association would definitely intervene. Servants were powerful, but it was not as though there was no one capable of restraining them.

"Aila-chan, transform quickly. Otherwise, the whole city will be doomed." Irisviel was extremely anxious right now. She did not believe that Mikaela, without transforming, could deal with such a powerful Sea Demon.

"...Wait a little longer. The King of Conquerors and the others are here. They might have a way." Mikaela shook his head, telling Irisviel not to panic. He looked upward, where the King of Conquerors's ox cart had already descended.

Chapter 71: Battle Begins

Transformation had always been Mikaela's trump card. Whether in his previous life or this one, he would not use it lightly.

Irisviel had been thoroughly frightened by the enormous Sea Demon, terrified that it would destroy Fuyuki City, draw the Holy Church and the Mage's Association here, and incidentally bring the Holy Grail War to an end.

If their side truly had no hope of victory, Irisviel would not have been so afraid. But now... the timing, circumstances, and terrain all favored them. When they went to speak with Tohno Shiro tomorrow—

They could also use Matou Sakura's connection to build ties with Tohno Shiro. Later, they could pin the blame for his destroyed house on Kayneth and Waver, while emphasizing how great a price they had paid to eliminate Caster, and so on.

That way, Tohno Shiro would focus all his attention on Kayneth and Waver, while they could sit back and watch without concerning themselves with the others.

Therefore! Irisviel did not want the Holy Grail War to end, nor did she want the Holy Church and the Mage's Association to intervene in it. Although they had also sent people to "intervene" in this Holy Grail War, the scale had not been large. But if Fuyuki City was destroyed—

Then the commotion would become enormous! All sorts of forces would turn their attention toward Fuyuki City, and the advantage they had painstakingly built would naturally disappear.

"Yo, Saber. Looks like your attack didn't work."

At that moment, the King of Conquerors arrived in his ox cart as well. The moment he landed, Diarmuid and Kayneth eagerly jumped down. Looking at the colossal creature ahead, they both wore grave expressions.

"Lord..."

Diarmuid seemed about to ask for permission to engage, but Kayneth merely waved a hand. In an even tone, he said, "If we are to fight, it will not be now. The most important thing at present is evacuating the civilians."

"Waver! Get down here! It is time for you to put things into practice."

Using his Magic Crest—Moon Cell Essence—Kayneth pulled the still-stunned Waver down. The King of Conquerors did not stop him, because from their earlier exchange, he had already seen that while Kayneth had a foul mouth, he was fundamentally a good person.

If Mikaela had wanted to pull Waver down, the King of Conquerors would certainly have stopped him. But under the current circumstances... having Kayneth protect his weak Master was not a bad choice either.

"Ahhh, what practice?!" Waver, dragged down from the ox cart by his teacher, was trembling at that moment. Looking at the enormous Sea Demon ahead, fear appeared on his face. Could his teacher still resent him for stealing his Holy Relic and now intend to throw him to that Sea Demon?!

"Tell me! What should a Magus do upon discovering that Mystery has been 'leaked'?"

After pulling Waver down, Kayneth could not be bothered to say much more. He tossed part of his Magic Crest to his foolish student and reprimanded him, "You never properly listened to what was taught in class, yet you spent all day thinking about the pointless nonsense of 'bloodline superiority.' Now that you are participating in the Holy Grail War, look at that Sea Demon. Can your so-called 'bloodline superiority' help you?! Only by improving your own strength can you gain the right to speak. You still do not understand that."

After saying that, Kayneth began setting up a one-time Magic Barrier to drive away ordinary people. This area was simply too large. Without the support of a mana furnace, even a genius like him could not deploy a large-scale Magic Barrier to disperse civilians in a short period of time.

Thus, although Waver was an unpromising student, he was quite useful as an apprentice Magus. Having him assist would save Kayneth a great deal of effort.

"!!!" At the mention of his thesis, Waver immediately grew furious. However, seeing his teacher hurriedly making preparations, he temporarily suppressed his anger. Then, with the aid of his teacher's Magic Crest, he began setting up the Magic Barrier to disperse civilians alongside him.

That was right! Like his teacher, he was a Master participating in the Holy Grail War. The other man could only join him in setting up a Magic Barrier to disperse civilians.

Diarmuid looked at Waver, sulking in anger, and at his Lord, who was concentrating on setting up the Magic Barrier. A smile appeared on his face. Being able to answer this Lord's summons was his good fortune and honor.

"Then we Servants will deal with this fellow. If we do not stop it, then once it reaches land... things will become very troublesome." Looking at the enormous Sea Demon before them, the King of Conquerors drew the Sword of Cyprus. He smiled at Mikaela and said, "Saber, your weapon is not suited for close combat and can only attack from afar. So, you and Lancer wait here for now. I will go test that thing."

"Wait?"

Mikaela frowned slightly. He glanced at the expressionless Diarmuid beside him, feeling somewhat helpless. Even though he truly wanted to kill Waver and Kayneth, if he killed them now—

Then he believed Tohno Shiro would be his only remaining opponent. He did not want to face Gilgamesh so soon. Moreover, if he killed Waver and Kayneth, Diarmuid and the King of Conquerors would not disappear immediately. They would still retain the ability to fight, and they would certainly not deal with the Sea Demon. Instead, they would turn around and attack him.

After wearing those two guys down, he still had a Sea Demon to deal with.

He wasn't some exceptional Servant. Where was he supposed to get the strength to fight so many opponents?!!

"Yes. After all, Lancer said that Caster's source of magical energy comes from his Noble Phantasm, not his Master." The King of Conquerors looked at the slightly frowning Mikaela and smiled. "So we discussed it just now. As long as we dig Caster himself out and have Lancer use his Noble Phantasm to destroy Caster's Noble Phantasm, this Sea Demon will disappear."

"No matter how powerful a creature is, once it loses the magical energy sustaining its summoning, it will either enter a weakened state or dissipate outright."

Kayneth, who was setting up a Magic Barrier, seemed afraid that Mikaela and Irisviel did not understand, so he deliberately explained, "We don't need to confront that Sea Demon head-on. We only need to dig Caster out. The reason he hid himself inside the Sea Demon's stomach was probably to keep his Noble Phantasm from being seen."

"Even from the shore, so long as I can see Caster's Noble Phantasm, I can pierce it." Diarmuid wore a confident smile and tightened his grip on the Red Rose of Purgatory.

"I understand."

Mikaela nodded. She controlled the Oath of Judas, and thirteen spears of light shot forth once more. Looking at the Sea Demon, she said evenly, "So for now, the King of Conquerors and I will take the lead and force Caster out, while you cut off his source of magical energy. Is that right?"

"Correct." Diarmuid nodded.

"Then I'll clear a path for you, King of Conquerors."

Watching Waver and Kayneth set up the Magic Barrier, Mikaela knew it was time for her to contribute. If she did not... Diarmuid and the King of Conquerors would probably become even more wary of her.

"Oh? Are you going to use that Noble Phantasm's true power?" Diarmuid stood beside Mikaela. Though his attention was wholly fixed on the gigantic Sea Demon, he spoke to her with keen interest.

Of the three of them, both Diarmuid's and the King of Conquerors' true names had already been exposed. Only Mikaela's remained unknown. Though she had revealed many clues, those clues could only serve as references.

They had inferred that Mikaela was Judas, one of Jesus's Twelve Apostles, but that identity was truly terrifying. She was a person who had once met the Son of God and had even followed him. In a sense... her identity was more frightening than anyone else present.

Nowadays, when people spoke of the Twelve Apostles, most only knew Judas, since he was the one who had betrayed Jesus.

Other than Christians, most people did not really know who the other apostles besides Judas were unless they had specifically researched them. But in modern society... almost no one thought about such things anymore.

Rather than spend time on that, people would be happier working overtime or going online to play games.

But as a hero, Diarmuid would not underestimate Mikaela in the slightest after his Lord's reminder. In his Lord's view, the weapon called the Oath of Judas was very likely the cross that had nailed Jesus to death.

A cross capable of nailing the Son of God to death undoubtedly possessed unimaginable power. And it just so happened... Diarmuid wanted to take this opportunity to see how powerful her weapon truly was.

"True power?" Mikaela smiled faintly without denying it and said calmly, "More or less. But that power cannot be used lightly."

Though she said little, Mikaela had revealed one of her "trump cards," putting Diarmuid at ease for the time being. But this was no time to relax. He turned his gaze back toward the gigantic Sea Demon and said evenly, "Then I'll leave it to you, Saber."

"Mm..."

Mikaela nodded calmly. Controlling the Oath of Judas, she merged the thirteen spears of light into one and launched an attack at the Sea Demon.

Boom—!!

An explosion rang out, leaving a massive hole in the Sea Demon's body. Yet strangely, there was no blood inside it. Instead, it was filled with "eyes" and grotesque tentacles. The hole had only just appeared when the tentacles sealed it shut within seconds.

"You won't get away with it." Mikaela knew the Sea Demon's regenerative ability all too well. Controlling the Oath of Judas, she repeatedly fired spears of light into its wound.

By then, the King of Conquerors had reached the Sea Demon. Wielding the Sword of Cyprus, he severed every tentacle that tried to attack him. From a distance, the monster had not seemed like much.

But after getting close, the King of Conquerors realized... this Sea Demon was nothing like the creatures he had slain before.

"What a nuisance. Even my Noble Phantasm may be unable to destroy it." The King of Conquerors stared gravely at the tentacles he had just severed. The very next second, they had regenerated.

Such terrifying regenerative power was enough to fill anyone with fear.

Moreover, their attacks were too limited. The Sea Demon was simply too enormous. Although Mikaela's bombardment was highly effective, its regeneration was even faster. It had already begun moving toward the shore again.

The King of Conquerors, some distance away, could no longer afford to hide his strength. Riding the Chariot of Godly Might, he charged forward, intending to join Mikaela in attacking the breach she had opened.

The Chariot of Godly Might was incredibly fast, reaching the wound in the blink of an eye. Purple lightning descended upon the opening Mikaela had created, while the bulls' hooves and the wheels repeatedly crushed the wound.

But even with the two of them working together... they merely slowed the Sea Demon's regeneration somewhat and deepened the wound slightly. They achieved no real result.

"How much longer?!" Irisviel looked anxiously at Waver and Kayneth, who were constructing a large-scale Magic Barrier to drive away ordinary people. "Saber and the others' attacks have already drawn quite a crowd. If we don't stop them, the secrets of the Holy Grail War and magecraft will be exposed."

Quite a few onlookers had already gathered nearby. Watching a spectacle was an indispensable pastime in every country.

Especially when a "monster" like this had appeared, even if people knew it was dangerous, some would still come to watch.

"Homunculus, go drive away those ordinary people. A spell to disperse ordinary people over such a wide area would normally require more than twenty people working together to construct in a short time. The fact that I can make half of it in three minutes already proves I deserve my title as a genius." Kayneth wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

He was anxious as well. The secrets of magecraft could not be exposed. As a Lord of the Clock Tower, it would be one thing if he were not here.

But since he was here, he had an obligation to suppress this situation. Yet right now... he was alone, with only one useless student assisting him.

How was he supposed to create a barrier capable of dispersing ordinary people on the scale of a large-scale spell?

"Wait! Professor, we don't need to create a Magic Barrier over such a large area." Waver suddenly had an idea and hurriedly said to Kayneth, "The only places nearby where people can see Caster are here, the dam in the distance, and the undeveloped area..."

"Because of Saber's Noble Phantasm, a large number of people are already coming this way. If we wait a few more minutes, then even if we use a Magic Barrier to drive away ordinary people, the Holy Church or Mage's Association will likely need to send people to deal with the aftermath, so..."

"You intend to focus on the places where people can 'watch' rather than expanding the 'range' to prevent even the slightest leak of mystery?" Kayneth understood what his student meant.

His idea was to set up Magic Barriers at places where people could gather and watch, preventing more people from noticing the battle here.

At present, there were only five such viewing spots. If they set up Magic Barriers to drive away ordinary people in those places, the mystery would still leak, but not nearly as severely.

"Though it is somewhat opportunistic, I'll praise your crooked little brain for now." Kayneth gave Waver's idea a slight compliment. He had originally intended to create a large-scale Magic Barrier and disperse all the "ordinary people" in this entire area at once.

Waver, on the other hand, wanted to cordon off the key areas and prevent the mystery from spreading further.

"Huh?"

Waver was a little stunned. He had thought his idea would be met with his teacher's disdain, but instead, his proud teacher had actually praised him?!

"Don't just stand there. If you have an idea, act on it." Kayneth rose to his feet, abandoning the large Magic Barrier he had completed only a third of the way. Looking at Irisviel, he said, "Einzbern homunculus, get moving too. We'll split into three groups and set up Magic Barriers at the 'key locations' to drive away ordinary people."

"Ah?" Irisviel froze for a moment and looked toward Mikaela.

"Go."

Mikaela nodded at Irisviel. Right now, the best choice was to stop ordinary people from becoming involved in the Holy Grail War.

"I understand." Irisviel understood the gravity of the situation as well. She hurriedly nodded and followed Kayneth and Waver to set up the Magic Barriers.

As they left, Waver finally could not hold back his doubts. Looking at Kayneth, he asked, "Wait, Professor, do you really think this is a good idea?!"

"From the current perspective, your idea is fairly good. While it does carry some risk of exposing the Mystery, at the very least, it can prevent the Mystery from being exposed on a large scale." Kayneth had no time to instruct Waver now. He hurriedly said, "In class, I said that when a Magus discovers the possibility of the Mystery being exposed, they must either prevent it themselves or minimize the exposure as much as possible."

"What you proposed now is the possibility of minimizing the exposure of the Mystery."

"But you don't have the ability to do that. While I could manage it with some effort, the situation no longer allows me to spend that effort, so we must borrow the strength of outsiders—such as the Einzbern homunculus. That will resolve this faster."

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"Still not enough."

Amid the fierce battle, the King of Conquerors and Mikaela had already expended a great deal of magical energy, yet they were helpless against the Sea Demon. Its regenerative ability was simply far too monstrous.

During that time, the Sea Demon seemed to be stretching its body. Tentacles like ancient pythons slammed against the sea, raising towering waves.

At the same time, it extended countless tentacles and seized the King of Conquerors's ox cart. Had Mikaela not intervened in time, the King of Conquerors would soon have faced the awkward situation of having no "chariot."

"If this continues, we're only delaying the time before it reaches shore." Diarmuid gripped his spear tightly, his eyes filled with worry. He glanced at Mikaela from time to time and asked, "Saber, can't you really use the true power of your Noble Phantasm?"