Chapter 2615 / Chapter 2616
"Spending five days and five nights in a space filled with the buzzing of Swarm! Do you know what that feels like? It's like closing your eyes and all you hear is the chirping of insects!" Old Audi's eyes reddened slightly as he spoke.
"But in those five days, I witnessed firsthand how the Propagation Aeon used the almost inexhaustible magic power within the Holy Grail to continuously create stronger, larger, and more intelligent Swarm! From the lowest-level worker insects to the king insects that shatter star levels, one after another, group after group!" Old Audi's voice grew more and more impassioned, his hands waving incessantly.
"These Swarm are the power He has bestowed upon me! A gift from the Propagation Aeon to his most loyal Master!"
"So, Ms. Ritsuka Fujimaru, the Holy Grail War is no longer important. What you should be considering now is... how to survive in the face of my Propagation army." Old Audi pointed a finger at Ritsuka Fujimaru.
Faced with the hissing Star-shattering King Worm behind Old Audi, Ritsuka Fujimaru subconsciously took a step back.
"What's wrong? Finally scared?" Old Audi noticed Ritsuka Fujimaru's movement, paused for a moment, then took a step forward, his arrogant smile widening.
Ritsuka Fujimaru took another step back, but the expression on her face was less one of fear and more one of... disgust.
"Don't come any closer." Ritsuka Fujimaru slightly raised one hand, palm facing Old Audi, making a gesture of restraint, and said in a somewhat subtle tone.
"There's an old saying in Tianzhou: 'Those who understand the times are heroes...'" Old Audi, hands on his hips, began his long and rambling lecture.
Chapter 2615
"It's not that I'm scared. It's just that you and that bug have been soaking in the same cup for so long... Ugh, it feels disgusting. You're not allowed to come over. I might as well not pursue the matter of you attacking my Servant." Ritsuka Fujimaru interrupted the Old Audi, her disgust becoming more and more obvious.
As she said this, Ritsuka Fujimaru seemed to suddenly remember that Old Audi had just punched her in the face, and she quickly pulled a wet wipe from her pocket and began to wipe her hands.
Old Audi's face instantly darkened.
The Star-shattering King Worm behind him seemed to sense his Master's mood, letting out a few low, threatening hisses, its massive body leaning forward slightly, looking as if it were about to pounce at any moment.
However, Old Audi eventually raised his hand and stopped the Queen Insect's attack.
Because Old Audi's gaze fell on the back of Ritsuka Fujimaru's hand.
On the back of Ritsuka Fujimaru's hand, the three scarlet Command Spell had not disappeared with the end of the exhibition match of the Holy Grail War; they were still clearly etched on her skin, emitting a faint red glow.
Ritsuka Fujimaru noticed the Old Audi's gaze, slowly raised the back of her hand, and pointed the three Command Spell in the Old Audi's direction.
"Oh, is this what you're looking at?" Ritsuka Fujimaru asked casually.
Old Audi neither nodded nor refuted.
"What a pity. You probably don't know this, but even after the Holy Grail War ends and the outcome of the tournament is settled, Master with three Command Spell can still revive their Servant. It's just that no matter how fierce the battle, it can't change the already decided outcome of the Holy Grail War." Ritsuka Fujimaru shook her head regretfully, her tone full of sympathy.
"..." Old Audi frowned slightly, expressing his skepticism.
However, since Old Audi had never been in the loser's bracket, he couldn't confirm this. For a moment, he didn't know whether to send the Star-shattering King Worm behind him to make a move.
The Holy Grail contained abundant magical energy, which allowed the Propagation Aeon and produce massive numbers of units. Even so, the number of ordinary individuals within the Swarm was countless, and there were dozens or even hundreds of Emanator- level Overlords.
Moreover, these queen insects can split themselves after being attacked, creating a clone with the same strength as themselves, making them extremely troublesome.
However, the insect in Ritsuka Fujimaru's hand was much more significant.
If the opponent can actually revive their own Servant... then the situation could very well change.
It's really hard to say who will emerge victorious when a single Aeon- level Cannon Bug faces off against dozens of Emanator- level King Bugs.
Seeing that the Old Audi had not made a move for a long time, Ritsuka Fujimaru smiled slightly, raised the back of her hand high, and revealed her Command Spell.
"By the Command Spell... Rise, my Servant!"
The next moment, the three Command Spell on the back of Ritsuka Fujimaru's hand instantly emitted a dazzling red light.
"Go! Go now!" Old Audi's expression changed drastically upon seeing this scene. Without even having time to think, he grabbed the carapace of a Star-shattering King Worm beside him, flipped it over, and shouted sharply.
The Star-shattering King Worm let out a hiss, flapped its wings and took off, carrying Old Audi like a green arrow rushing into the distance. The rest of the Star-shattering King Worm also flapped their wings and followed, leaving a long trail of black shadows in the air.
The speed was astonishing.
Watching Old Audi's desperate escape, Ritsuka Fujimaru paused for a moment, then clutched her stomach and bent over.
"Haha! This old man is such a coward!" Ritsuka Fujimaru laughed until tears almost streamed down her face.
"Huh? What do you mean by that, senpai?" Mash tilted her head in confusion.
"How could there possibly be such a thing as Master being able to summon Servant after the Holy Grail War ends? We're just kidding him." Ritsuka Fujimaru wiped away the tears of laughter from the corner of her eyes and waved her hand.
"But Senpai, don't you have Command Spell? And it was glowing just now, which is a sign that the Command Spell has been activated. I just raised my left hand." Mash looked at the Command Spell on Ritsuka Fujimaru's hand, which still had a red glow, and said in confusion.
"Mash, have you forgotten? Besides being the Master of the Holy Grail War, I'm also the Master of Chaldea. Is it so hard to understand that there are Command Spell on the back of your hand?" Ritsuka Fujimaru shook the back of her hand, a rather smug smile on her face.
As Ritsuka Fujimaru finished speaking, the light from the three Command Spell gradually dimmed.
The Command Spell of Chaldea and the Command Spell of the Holy Grail War are completely indistinguishable in appearance.
The red light just now was merely an effect of Ritsuka Fujimaru deliberately activating the Chaldea Command Spell.
Meanwhile, Old Audi, who had already run several kilometers away, rode on the back of the Star-shattering King Worm and looked back towards the direction where Ritsuka Fujimaru was.
After waiting for a while, there was still no movement from the other side.
There was no explosion, no light, and no aura fluctuations reminiscent of Aeon- level cannon worm re-entering the battlefield.
There was no explosion, no light, and no aura fluctuations reminiscent of Aeon- level cannon worm re-entering the battlefield.
Old Audi was stunned for a moment, then realized he had been tricked.
However, after a brief moment of annoyance, Old Audi chose to continue distancing himself. After all, what if the other party actually summoned the insects when he stood before him again?
All's fair in war.
Besides, the opponent is already Master in the loser's bracket, so there's no need to provoke them further.
"Heh heh heh... she's got guts." Old Audi muttered under his breath, still throbbing his cheek, feeling a bit resentful.
"I think the one who lost most unjustly might not be me." Ritsuka Fujimaru looked at the three Holy Grail War Command Spell that had disappeared on the back of her other hand and sighed with some regret.
"While being ambushed isn't exactly a glorious way to lose, it's still better than being the unlucky guy who wanted to fight the last team only to find out the opponent won without a fight, and his Command Spell slot was instantly wiped out."
"What you're saying, senpai..." Mash looked at Ritsuka Fujimaru with some confusion.
"Of course it's Tokisaki Kurumi, who still has three Command Spell saved up and is planning to unleash a powerful Tokisaki Kurumi." Ritsuka Fujimaru gazed into the distance, a sympathetic smile appearing on her lips.
"Uh... what should we do now?" Mash looked up, seemingly understanding but not quite, and shrank back in disgust as she watched the Swarm wreaking havoc over New Penacony.
"What does this have to do with us? It's the losers' bracket. The Holy Grail War is none of our business. Are we supposed to play Revival Match? The rest is up to Chen Li to handle." Ritsuka Fujimaru put her hands behind her head, looking completely relaxed and unconcerned.
On the other side...
Tokisaki Kurumi was tightening screws in the "electronics factory," suddenly stopped what she was doing.
Tokisaki Kurumi lowered her head, staring at the three Command Spell that had disappeared from the back of her hand, and froze on the spot.
As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is the safest place. Since everyone probably knows that Tokisaki Kurumi has the ability to create clones, and that these clones are inexhaustible and don't need to be dealt with, wouldn't it be better to just have the main body disguise herself as a clone?
For example, this "poor little clone" was sent by the "original body" to the electronics factory to tighten screws.
Who can still distinguish between Tokisaki Kurumi's clone and her original self?
I thought this was the perfect infiltration strategy.
But now... wait, man? The Holy Grail War is over? How did I lose?
I still have three Command Spell; I can revive Mikhail anytime and turn the tide!
I was in the last team!
Tokisaki Kurumi looked up with a tearful expression, staring at the large screen that could be seen from above in the factory lobby.
On the large screen, countless Swarm filled the frame. In the very center of the image, a composed figure was receiving something from someone dressed in the Golden Honkai-Moe King Outfit...
On a street in New Penacony.
"Hmm, the Holy Grail seems to be experiencing a slight problem." Chen Li glanced at the enormous golden Holy Grail in the sky, which was still swarming with insects, then took out a golden trophy with a potted plant on it and handed it to Zhongli.
"This is..." Zhongli looked at the golden trophy with some surprise.
Chapter 2616
It's not that I think this trophy being used as a flowerpot is a bit cheap... Who would have thought that this ordinary-looking trophy, which resembles a flowerpot, is actually Two-star Artifact, [Guardian of Human Order]?
"Let's use this Miraculous Item as a substitute for now. There's no difference anyway. Mr. Zhongli, after winning the Holy Grail War, do you have any thoughts to share with everyone?" Chen Li asked Zhongli in an interview.
Zhongli accepted the trophy with a blank expression and fell into deep thought.
What are your thoughts?
If you dare to dream, your dream is right at your feet.
The arrival of the Holy Grail was quite unexpected!
I just took a stroll around, didn't even lift a finger Guizhong Servant, how did I win?
Zhongli stood frozen in place, holding the trophy in his hands, his mouth slightly open, but unable to utter a single word.
"Hmm, very good. Mr. Zhongli seems to be too excited and doesn't know what to do for a moment. Please be understanding." Seeing this, Chen Li naturally turned to the camera controlled by the smart terminal and said to the lens.
Zhongli glanced at Chen Li, somewhat amused and exasperated.
What do you mean by "too excited"? It's clearly "too confused," isn't it?
"Then have you thought about what you want to wish for me?" Chen Li turned to look at Zhongli again.
As Chen Li spoke, insects continued to pour out of the enormous golden Holy Grail in the sky. Countless buzzing sounds echoed in the air, like an endless nightmare.
But miraculously, not a single insect landed directly beneath the Holy Grail... which is where Chen Li was.
The Swarm automatically split up above Chen Li's head, bypassing a large area centered on Chen Li, as if there were an invisible barrier there.
Even so, passersby were still in a state of panic.
Some people crouched by the roadside, trembling with their heads in their hands; others ran through the streets looking for cover; still others looked around and then cast hopeful glances in Chen Li's direction.
The Miraculous Forger is right here; he'll definitely step in... right?
"Weren't you going to do anything about these insects before this?" Zhongli looked up at the sky filled with insect clouds that blotted out the sun, then looked at the panicked passersby around him, and pointed upwards, asking Chen Li.
"Oh, is this your wish?" Chen Li tilted his head.
Zhongli's expression changed slightly, showing some hesitation.
Zhongli knew that the winner of the Holy Grail War could indeed exchange for Miraculous Items. While the Swarm formed from the Propagation Aeon was somewhat troublesome, it wasn't worth exchanging for a single Miraculous Item.
The main reason is that... Zhongli doesn't find it troublesome at all.
Because Chen Li is here.
"Alright, I won't tease you anymore." Chen Li couldn't help but chuckle at Zhongli's hesitant expression.
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Li raised his right hand.
A cluster of blue flames silently leaped up from the fingertip. With a flick of the fingertip, the blue flames detached from the fingertip and flew straight into the sky like a miniature shooting star.
The flames traced a graceful parabola, piercing through the black curtain made of insects, and landed precisely in the Great Holy Grail suspended in the sky.
"Buzz!"
After a deep, resonant sound, blue flames exploded instantly inside the Holy Grail.
In an instant, the golden Holy Grail was engulfed by blue flames, from the bottom to the rim, from the runes to the patterns; the entire massive Holy Grail was enveloped in a ghostly blue flame.
Immediately afterwards, the swarm of insects emerging from the Holy Grail also changed.
Each insect that flew out of the cup was covered in blue flames, and they continued to surge towards the entire New Penacony, their bodies ablaze with blue fire.
Because the Swarm's density is so high, the flames on one insect will instantly ignite a neighboring insect upon contact. Then, two insects will ignite four more...
In just a few breaths, the black curtain of insects covering the entire New Penacony dome was completely ignited by blue flames.
Blue flames spread across the sky, burning the black, blotting-out insect cloud into a spectacular blue fiery cloud.
A deep blue light bathed every inch of New Penacony, enveloping the entire city in a dreamlike blue glow.
"The Miraculous Forger!" someone cheered.
But the cheers lasted only a few seconds before abruptly ceasing.
People soon discovered that Swarm were everywhere, and blue flames spread with the Swarm, covering all the places they passed through. The entire buildings, streets, and squares of New Penacony... almost every corner was shrouded in blue flames.
The entire city was ablaze, and panic gripped the crowd once more, with people screaming and running in all directions.
However, the passerby who was first affected by the blue flames soon stopped in his tracks, looked down at the blue flames that had passed through his body, and the fear on his face gradually turned into confusion.
This flame... seems to pose no harm to the human body.
But burning the insects didn't seem to have any effect either.
The insects engulfed in blue flames continued to fly through the sky, still hissing, seemingly unaffected by the flames.