Facing the Enemy / The Giant Goliath

The moment Avicebron and the giant golem beneath his feet appeared on the battlefield, not only Wang Xiaoming and his group, but also Fiore and the others in the Millennia Fortress saw the enormous creature rushing towards them.

Recalling what Archer had told her telepathically, Fiore, who had already identified Avicebron as an enemy, immediately issued an order—

"Everyone... evacuate!"

The idea that they could escape the enemy's sight by staying inside the city was wishful thinking. The enemy's target was clearly them. If what Archer said was true, then facing the Avicebron already knew the entire structure of the fortress, they would have no chance to fight back or escape.

"Did you hear that, Caules? Get outside!"

"Ugh!"

Seeing that her younger brother still seemed to be in a daze, Fiore shouted at him sharply, then unfolded her formal attire and took the lead in smashing the balcony window, jumping outside.

Although she knew the enemy was outside, she still believed that the most urgent task was to change the situation where they were being attacked unilaterally.

When Fiore landed safely on the ground, she was greeted outside by the enormous golem that had arrived at the fortress, and the golem's master Avicebron, was standing on its shoulder, looking down at her.

Forcing herself to suppress her fear, Fiore calmly asked Caster:

"Caster, I heard you betrayed us, is that true?"

"Betray?!"

After hearing Fiore's words, Caules also landed safely, but looking disheveled, he stared at his sister with surprise. Beside him, Gordes shouted angrily, "Caster, you bastard! You betrayed your master! Don't you feel ashamed?!"

"Shameful... perhaps, but I can't refuse the conditions my Red Faction Master agreed to."

Facing these "former allies," Caster's voice remained completely unwavering. "He promised me he would activate [Adam] (the Noble Phantasm), and that's why I participated in the Great Holy Grail War."

"What?"

"This Noble Phantasm requires a living Magecraft as its core to activate. I originally thought that once we lost the Homunculus, this Noble Phantasm would be unusable, but then the [Red] faction suggested it to me, so I switched over there."

"..."

Fiore and others were speechless at Caster's reasoning.

They knew that Caster's Noble Phantasm was a giant golem, and they also knew that it was an unfinished Noble Phantasm that Caster had failed to create in his lifetime, so it needed to be made from scratch using modern materials.

The materials needed to create the Noble Phantasm were unprocessed trees, soil, and rocks. To collect these materials, Darnic spent 30% of the Yggdmillennia Clan's wealth.

That's all Fiore and the others know. If they knew anything more, it would be that this Noble Phantasm requires a "furnace core" to activate.

They knew neither the power of this Noble Phantasm nor the materials of its core. Therefore, they were astonished when they heard that the core was a living Magecraft.

However, according to Caster, the Magecraft needed for the core probably can't be just any Magecraft. Caster probably wants to maximize the completion of the golem, so he needs a top-notch Magecraft as a sacrifice.

However, it's impossible for the [Black] faction to prepare a Magecraft like Caster.

Even among the Master Magecraft, only Darnic and Fiore can be considered "first-rate." However, the "talent" of Gordes and Roche allows them to barely reach the "first-rate" level.

Therefore, for the Yggdmillennia Clan, who were already in decline, the "materials" required by Caster were beyond their means.

As for Caster, as long as someone can meet the conditions for him to activate the golem, then it doesn't matter which faction he's on or who he serves... these are all irrelevant issues.

Even so, a question still lingered in Fiore's mind.

A first-rate Magecraft is a priceless commodity that money cannot buy. If such a talent existed, the Yggdmillennia Clan would certainly not use him as a living sacrifice, but rather appoint him as a Master to participate in the war. Similarly, the Red Faction would not offer their Master as a living sacrifice either, because the price to pay would be far too high.

But since the Noble Phantasm has already been activated, it means that someone has become a living sacrifice for Noble Phantasm.

"Did you turn Roche into the hearth?!"

Currently, the only one who can meet all of Caster's requirements is his former Master, Roche.

However, Roche is no longer Caster's Master, so sacrificing him is no big deal. Besides, Roche respects Caster very much, so luring Roche to his side would be no problem at all. By the time he realizes Caster's betrayal, it will probably be too late for him to escape.

"I am pleased by his feelings for me. But I have a long-cherished wish that I must fulfill, a tragic wish of my people. You may criticize and condemn me, that is your right. But my [Adam] (Noble Phantasm) will never cease!"

The A+ rank Anti-Army Noble Phantasm [Golem Kether Malchut] is a colossal golem that requires Fiore and others to look up to see its entirety. Although it is merely an artificial creation made from trees, soil, stones, and human materials, its majestic appearance, seemingly embodying the grandeur of nature, is truly awe-inspiring.

Then, the first "miracle" occurred. The earth beneath their feet seemed to sing in praise of the giant, and the surrounding vegetation grew luxuriantly. Trees that touched the giant instantly blossomed and bore fruit, and the ripe fruit fell to the ground, whereupon even more trees grew.

Then, the landscape around the land begins to come alive, and the air is filled with a sweet, honey-like fragrance that brings a blissful feeling simply to the lungs.

--The golem is turning the world into Eden).

That was the paradise proclaimed by the Caster religion, a blessed land that banished humanity.

This is the Noble Phantasm of Avicebron, and also the true form of his treasure [Crown of Wisdom (Golem KetherMalchut)].

--It is a powerful, self-regulating, Reality Marble that can transform the world into a paradise simply by the existence of light here.

"Come—let's begin to save the world now, my golem. Through battle, slaughter, and destruction, let's build paradise. Then the boring battles will end, and the boring society will come to a close."

With Caster's arrogant words, the golem beneath his feet raised its obsidian-like stone sword and swung it down fiercely at Fiore and the others in front of it!

Chapter 252. Facing the Challenge

Just as the golem swung its obsidian sword down with a mighty slash, a crimson meteor suddenly shot up from the darkness in the distance, hurtling towards Caster.

In the blink of an eye, the "meteor" was already upon them, and only then, at the end of its trajectory, Avicebron recognized its true form.

--It's Noble Phantasm.

"Chiron, huh...?"

In an instant, Caster thought of the archer in the [Black] faction who possessed numerous Noble Phantasm. Caster didn't think that her hastily activated protective Magecraft could withstand Archer's sniping.

So--

Under Caster's control, the golem, which had already assumed an offensive stance, suddenly changed its movements, turning its stone sword with a speed completely disproportionate to its massive size, and met the oncoming Noble Phantasm head-on.

The Noble Phantasm clashed violently with the stone sword, and the stone sword, unable to withstand the intensity of the impact, snapped in two. However, this bought Caster a brief respite.

While using the stone sword to block the Noble Phantasm, the puppet bent its body as much as possible, trying to deflect its master from the Noble Phantasm's trajectory. As a result, the Noble Phantasm, having lost its target, disappeared into the distance along its original path.

Caster, who narrowly escaped the attack, didn't care about the Noble Phantasm's trajectory. The only way to interfere with the puppet now was through long-range sniping, so Caster had already predicted that Chiron would attack her.

Once you understand this, protecting yourself from Archer's sniping is not difficult.

Just as Caster was preparing to manipulate the golem again, the uninvited guest's return disrupted his plans once more.

On the Idia Forest, which had been reduced to half a plain due to the self-destruction of [Red] Berserker, Astolfo was urging his mount to fly towards them.

The Hippogriff, which was injured in the previous battle with the Semiramis, is still covered in wounds, but it still responded to its master's expectations and rushed to the [Black] Master as fast as it could.

"Oh no, that was dangerous! But it's alright now!"

Although the [Black] Faction Master all knew about Astolfo's unreliable nature, seeing him at this moment still made them breathe a sigh of relief.

Moreover, Rider wasn't the only one who arrived; Siegfried also arrived on the battlefield, sitting behind Rider.

"Saber! You're too late! What were you doing before?!"

Upon seeing Saber arrive, his Master Gordes shouted at him.

"I apologize, Master, for startling you. However, I will make amends by defeating that golem."

Saber leaped off the Hippogriff, drew the demonic sword from behind her, and looked up at the demonic statue while speaking to her Master standing behind her.

Looking at the imposing aura of his servant Servant, Gordes couldn't bring himself to utter the words of reproach, and could only mutter under his breath:

"Since you've said your piece, don't go back on it, understand, Saber?"

"I see."

As soon as she finished speaking, Saber suddenly exerted force with her feet and charged towards the puppet; the dragon-slaying hero began her challenge against the giant.

Riding his Hippogriff through the sky, Rider watched this scene and secretly cheered for Saber. Just from looking down from the sky, Rider could sense the danger posed by that giant. It was definitely not an opponent that one person could defeat alone.

Even so, Rider firmly believed that the dragon-slaying hero could never be defeated by this giant made of rock.

"Rider, can you hear me?"

He heard the voice of the homunculus, his new Master.

'Yes, very clear.'

"Are you alright?"

The android's concerned voice warmed Rider's heart.

"Don't worry, there are no problems here. Saber has already started fighting that puppet."

"We're heading that way, Rider, please don't get hurt!"

'Yes, don't worry.'

After giving Rider some final instructions, the android cut off his telepathic communication.

"Haa~ really..."

Rider scratched his head. He didn't know why, even though he usually didn't care about anything, he lost his composure when faced with his Master's concern.

Although he couldn't figure out the reason, Rider was also very clear that he didn't dislike this feeling.

"Well, let's ensure the Master's safety first."

Now is not the time to think about these things. What we need to do now is to get the Master present to a safe place, and also to tell Fiore, the current commander of the [Black] faction, everything that happened before.

Forcibly suppressing his thoughts, Rider steed the Hippogriff down to a lower altitude.

The shockwave from the collision between the stone sword in the puppet's hand and the demonic sword of Siegfried shook the entire forest like a typhoon.

"..."

After a brief exchange, Siegfried frowned and suddenly took a few steps back.

"How could this be...?"

Those Master from the Black faction who witnessed this scene all showed expressions of surprise. Saber, who possessed the highest close-combat ability in the Black faction, was actually at a disadvantage.

However, Saber, who was on the battlefield, knew that each attack from the giant golem before her was no less powerful than a Noble Phantasm. Although she had a defensive Armor of Fafnir Noble Phantasm, [Armor of Fafnir], she still had no way to stand unharmed after enduring its attacks multiple times.

However, if this golem's abilities are limited to this, then Saber has enough confidence and skill to deal with it.

"As expected of Saber, she won't fall so easily."

Caster, perched on the golem's shoulder, silently observed the battle between the two sides.

Saber's weapon, the cursed Holy Sword that had accomplished the feat of slaying dragons, was no match for the stone sword in the golem's hand, which was barely sturdy. Every collision left a crack in the stone sword's blade. As time went on, it was foreseeable that the stone sword would eventually shatter.

However, judging from Avicebron's appearance, he doesn't seem to care much about his golem about to lose its weapon.

In fact, the stone sword the golem is currently holding has already been destroyed by Archer.

That's right, this golem—the giant Caster calls [the Original Giant) ]—possesses extremely powerful regenerative abilities. These abilities also extend to its weapons.

In other words, Saber's previous attacks were all in vain. However, this result was unacceptable to Caster; he wanted to see his Noble Phantasm create a paradise on earth.

"So, standing on someone's shoulders prevents them from unleashing their full potential? If that's the case..."

The rocks beneath Caster's feet suddenly turned into a swamp, sucking Caster into its own body.

The only thing to fight is the golem. And this autonomous golem doesn't need Caster to give it orders. Even if Caster is destroyed, it will still follow Caster's commands to change the world.

Therefore, in order to protect Caster, the golem placed Caster inside its own body for protection.

"..."

Seeing the giant golem resume its movement after a brief pause, the silent Saber once again raised the demon sword in her hand.

No matter what changes occur in the other party, he will only abide by the promise he made to his Master.

Defeat the enemy before you.

Chapter 253. Goliath the Giant

"Noble Phantasm capable of changing the world... Caster actually..."

Because they were on foot, Ruler and his group, who arrived at the battlefield a little later than Rider, showed signs of being in a difficult position in the face of this extraordinary Noble Phantasm.

However, simply standing there and thinking wouldn't do any good. After reminding Lily and Wang Xiaoming to be careful, Ruler raised the Holy Banner and joined the battle.

As for Mordred faction, although she left the Red Faction, she seemed unwilling to act with the Black faction. After determining that there was no danger, she took her Master and disappeared elsewhere.

Although Ruler also hoped that she would stand with him through thick and thin, there was no time left to persuade her.