The Sea Monster's body split in two along its centerline. The two halves crashed heavily to the ground like an ancient tree struck by lightning.
"Has the Sea Monster been destroyed?" Lancer held his red and yellow Twin Pistols, looking at the massive fallen body with a sigh of relief.
"What a rare and valiant warrior. If he were to join my ranks, then even if I failed to claim the Holy Grail in this Holy Grail War, this journey would not have been in vain." Rider's attention was clearly focused elsewhere. Driving his chariot, he spoke from the bottom of his heart.
Of course not. Li Zihan rolled his eyes. How could something with vitality comparable to a tardigrade like the Sea Monster die so easily?
Even if it died, they would have to summon another one! Otherwise, what reason would there be for Lancer to break the Rose of Annihilation?
Countless tentacles grew from the damaged areas. They gathered, entwined, fused, and the writhing flesh rapidly swelled. The destroyed portions were swiftly repaired, and the twisted demonic beast climbed to its feet once more.
The Sea Monster's bodily structure was as simple as that of a protozoan. It had no bones or internal organs, and therefore no weak points. No matter where it was damaged, its movements were unaffected. With its powerful regenerative ability, it rapidly restored the ruined portions.
However, the Marshal was thoroughly dead. Alcaeus had avoided the Grimoire that served as the furnace core, but he had not avoided him.
He and the Sea Monster had both become victims of the grudge between Gilgamesh and Berserker. The difference was that the Sea Monster possessed recovery abilities that surpassed all others, while he only had a lump of zombie flesh.
So he died again.
"Even attacks like that can't deal with this monster?" Waver looked gloomily at the enormous dark green creature.
Even Kaineth, arrogant by nature, did not refute Waver's dejected words. This Sea Monster was practically immortal. If they could not wipe it out in a single blow, no matter how powerful the attack was, it would be useless.
They needed an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm. At that thought, Kaineth grew increasingly anxious. Where could they possibly find an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm at a time like this?
It looked like everyone present was getting agitated. The rest was up to you, Kiritsugu Emiya. Li Zihan shrugged, indicating that he had done all he could.
Flaw (Revised)
The scene returned to the Einzbern Family's castle.
The young man formed from butterfly familiars grew increasingly indistinct as time passed, even taking on a strange, translucent appearance.
"What's wrong?" Irisviel looked at Li Zihan with concern. "Has something gone wrong with your main body?"
This young mistress was probably the only person in the entire castle who treated Li Zihan with friendliness. Lacking experience, she had clearly confused the concepts of an ally and one of their own.
That friendliness was largely because Li Zihan had claimed to be Kiritsugu Emiya's junior brother. It was probably affection extended to him because of Kiritsugu.
Li Zihan felt that the identity he had made up in three seconds before sending his familiar clone to Einsbern Castle had proven somewhat useful.
Before heading back to the Matou Family to sleep after the battle, he needed to make a note of it. Maybe he could use this trick to muddle through somewhere else in the future.
"It's nothing. My main body is just having a little trouble handling so many conversations at once." The familiar clone scratched his head. "You know how it is. Using familiars to speak with people in different places and different situations is a real headache."
Irisviel deeply agreed. Controlling familiars while communicating with multiple people was more than merely a headache. The so-called ability to split one's attention in wuxia novels was actually achieved through muscle memory formed by repeated practice and rapid-switching thought processes.
Otherwise, try making those peerless martial arts heroes solve advanced calculus problems while writing college entrance exam essays! They would probably cough up three liters of blood in minutes.
"All right, I'm leaving soon." The young man clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention. "Even Berserker's released Noble Phantasm failed to destroy the Sea Monster. Kaineth is starting to feel uneasy now, so you can contact him."
"Kaineth is someone who cares desperately about saving face. He would never allow a serious blunder like the exposure of magecraft mysteries to occur while he is present. You only need to tell him that Saber possesses an A++ Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm that must be released with both hands, and he will agree to have Lancer break the Rose of Annihilation." Half of the young man's body had already turned into nothingness, while the other half was as illusory as mist. "After all, compared to being humiliated in some rural ritual, dealing with an incident involving the exposure of mysteries is far more important to him."
"Of course, if you are worried that Saber's released Noble Phantasm will also inflict a saturation strike on the surrounding environment, you can contact Waver. He is Rider's Master, a hopelessly nice guy. Rider possesses a Territory Creation. Once the Territory Creation disappears, Rider can have the things inside land at a designated location." The young man placed a sheet of paper on the table in the hall and continued talking. "This is Waver's phone number. You can contact him through it."
First the Saber faction, then the Lancer faction, and now the Rider faction. Every action Li Zihan took demonstrated his familiarity with the intelligence of every side participating in the war.
With every piece of information this nominal ally revealed, Kiritsugu Emiya's heart grew heavier. Wariness coiled around his heart like creeping vines, tightening continuously until he could barely breathe.
Before you continue