Zouken Matou

In terms of the depth of connection, this photograph of the Servant himself is far more profound than any book that has been reprinted countless times.

Most importantly, Mephistopheles was able to take photos of the cover, the back, and even the contents inside, taking dozens of photos back and forth!

The more photos there are, the deeper the connection becomes. This time, when the other party goes back to perform a Servant summoning, there's a high probability that he will summon this book as his Servant!

However, no matter how you look at it, this method of summoning seems really strange. Others would look for relics or some symbolic objects, but he just takes a picture and uses the other person's picture to summon!

It saves both money and time, the only downside is that you need to have encountered this Servant beforehand, since you also need to take a picture of them.

After taking enough photos, Mephistopheles put away his camera and raised his hand.

At that moment, Andersen immediately focused his attention.

By using a special method to deflect the Demon Book's attack, the Demon Book's own attack was redirected onto the user, causing the user to fall asleep. This action is understandable to Andersen.

So now, how does Mephistopheles intend to damage this incorporeal Demon Book, which is impervious to ordinary attacks, and force it back to the Throne of Heroes?

"I think this should actually be considered basic knowledge of the occult, right? Most occult knowledge includes summoning techniques, including séances, exorcisms, and other spells; they all fall into this category."

As Mephistopheles spoke to Andersen, he began drawing True Magic circle on the ground.

The True Magic circle wasn't complicated; in fact, it was quite simple—just a combination of two or three geometric shapes.

If there's any trouble, it's probably the numbers and Latin text written next to it that are a bit annoying.

However, Andersen did not find these things troublesome, because any scholar could write them down; the only problem was that he needed to have seen these seemingly simple True Magic circles beforehand.

Watching Mephistopheles place the book in the center of the True Magic circle, then stand and walk as if casting a spell, he looked puzzled. Was he performing Magecraft?

After a rather lengthy opening, Mephistopheles had finished his previous work and finally uttered the closing incantation.

"In the name of YHVH, O Spirit, return to where you came from!"

This works?!

Looking at the True Magic circle that seemed to have done nothing, and the Demon Book still sleeping in the center of the circle, Andersen was filled with doubts. But at that moment, he suddenly felt a huge magical power appear. This magical power enveloped the True Magic circle, and as it appeared, he couldn't help but open his eyes wide.

Because he saw a crack appear in front of him, a crack that was clearly a spatial rift, and it felt as if it connected to the Root.

He was certain his intuition was correct; the Root did indeed exist on the other side of that crack!

But if the Root passage can be torn open so easily, then what is the point of humanity creating the Holy Grail War and fighting each other every day?!

Suddenly, he noticed that the Demon Book was moving. The magic Magecraft, which had been lying down, began to tremble and then slowly floated up, as if it didn't understand what was going on.

But at that moment, Mephistopheles snapped his fingers, and instantly, a thought transformed into information and flowed into the Demon Book.

"You should go back first. We'll have a chance to meet again in the future." Mephistopheles smiled, watching the Demon Book struggle, watching it gradually be drawn in by the suction force within the crack, watching it transform into spirit particles, and then disappear into the crack.

Then, the crack disappeared, and Mephistopheles casually waved his hand, clearing away the True Magic circle on the ground.

Everything was so simple, as simple as eating and drinking.

"What was that just now?" Andersen asked. As a novelist, he had some guesses. "Was it a True Magic circle used to dispel evil spirits?"

He had heard of Magecraft that could dispel evil spirits, but Mephistopheles's demonstration was completely different. He directly tore open a spatial rift and sent the Servant back. He could even sense the power of the Root within the rift.

This is no longer Magecraft he can understand!

"I guess so. It's knowledge from my True Magic society... not quite beginner level, but somewhere in the intermediate level." Mephistopheles thought for a moment and explained, "Those who possess this kind of knowledge are probably among the more common elites."

"Your analogy is quite unique. A more common one would be 'elite,' but are you referring to something like a captain in the military?"

"Oh, oh, oh, that's right, it's like the feeling of a captain!"

Andersen smiled but didn't say anything, though his heart was already numb.

"Like a squad leader? Are you implying that this level is just commonplace?!"

"Anyway, within my organization, only those of this caliber are truly qualified to be sent out on missions. After all, we are also responsible for the lives of our members, right?" Mephistopheles smiled, glancing around happily. At this moment, the people were beginning to wake up from their sleep. Sensing their yawns, Mephistopheles stretched and turned to walk back the way he came.

Where are you going? Won't you come sit at my place for a bit?

"I'm not going. I'm going back to continue reading."

Mephistopheles's mention of reading startled Andersen, who then immediately remembered something and exclaimed, "By the way, could you come with me to the Clock Tower?! This mission is crucial; it determines whether we can succeed in saving the world this time!"

As a result, he saw Mephistopheles turn his head with a strange expression.

"Do you need any materials? Let me know, maybe I've already looked at them."

Andersen opened his mouth, and after a long while, he finally said, "You came from the Clock Tower?!"

Mephistopheles nodded firmly. "Yes, we've finally found an opportunity to infiltrate the Clock Tower without getting caught, we have to make the most of it!"

Andersen's eyes lit up, and he immediately pounced on her, exclaiming, "Take me there quickly! I want to see it too!"

He felt that this guy named Mephistopheles was just too pleasing to the eye!

Chapter 174 Zouken Matou

So, Mephistopheles returned to the Clock Tower with a burdened follower, namely the dead boy who called himself Andersen.

Watching Mephistopheles burst into the Clock Tower directly from this side, completely disregarding the secret passage to enter, Andersen gained a deeper understanding of Mephistopheles's strength.

If this guy were to take action, he could definitely resolve the crisis London is facing in the shortest amount of time. But instead of taking action, he's chosen to read at the Clock Tower.

In response, Andersen picked up a book and asked, "Aren't you going to resolve the current crisis? If you were to intervene, you could easily solve the problem, wouldn't you?"

"Didn't I tell you? We finally found an opportunity to infiltrate the Clock Tower without getting caught, so we have to make the most of it." Mephistopheles smiled, casually found a sofa to sit on, and took pictures while flipping through a new book.

Andersen scoffed at this, "I lack the power, but you do. You can solve the problem quickly, thus reducing the death toll!"

Mephistopheles remained unmoved by this statement. "Don't tell me you don't know the situation here. Once the problem is solved, history will be restored, the dead will come back to life, and things will proceed according to the established future. So even if everyone in London dies now, they will all come back to life in the end."

"But we can't just let those guys who want to destroy Human Order do their thing. If they succeed, your future is doomed."

Mephistopheles chuckled, "So, someone's already gone, hasn't he?"

Andersen knew that the other person was referring to several other individuals. Considering their abilities, Andersen nodded. "Indeed, they can solve most problems. You can step in only when you encounter truly intractable issues."

After saying that, he calmed down and began to carefully read the book in his hands.

These books were the same documents Mephistopheles had initially seen on the table. He guessed that these documents were prepared for someone like Andersen, perhaps by a hidden accomplice who had not yet emerged.

After a while, Andersen made a sound like, "So that's how it is," as if he had discovered some secret.

Mephistopheles seemed unconcerned about this, continuing to read the book in his hands.

Hans Andersen said, "If the creation of Servants was to deal with crises, rather than for the Holy Grail War, then this special Servant summoning mode, which allows Servants to appear in a state of being unowned, doesn't that mean a huge crisis has emerged?"

"Yes." Mephistopheles didn't deny it, simply replying to the other person before continuing to read his book.

Seeing Mephistopheles's quick answer, Andersen added, "You've already read these books, haven't you?"

"I've seen it."

"Now that you've seen it, what kind of crisis do you think caused the Servants to appear like this?"

In response to Andersen's question, Mephistopheles closed the book, set it aside, and looked at the other man. "Just an idiot with a short-circuited brain."

"A brain-dead idiot?" Andersen narrowed his eyes upon hearing this answer. He looked at Mephistopheles and said in a deep voice, "What exactly do you know?"

"I guess I know who's behind this," Mephistopheles chuckled, picking up another book. "But to confront this guy, I first need to restore all the Singularity to normal. So you can think of my current actions as a necessary part of the game's plot."

"What exactly is it? Can you tell me?"

"It's something that threatens human history. For example, if a legendary evil being that is said to want to destroy humanity really appears, and has indeed begun its actions to destroy humanity, then in order to deal with such a crisis, top-tier Servants will naturally emerge to deal with this disaster."

Mephistopheles paused for a moment, then continued, "I think you can interpret it this way: besides, in the event of such a disaster, you should have noticed the strange halo above your head, right?"

Andersen nodded. Although the fog in London was very thick, the huge halo in the sky could still be seen because it was so conspicuous that even the dense fog could hardly obscure it completely.

"This crisis, or rather, the mastermind behind it all, the one currently destroying human history, is gathering energy through the act of destroying human history itself. The product of this energy is that halo, which is composed of hundreds of millions of rays of light, each ray possessing immense power..."

Mephistopheles pondered for a moment and said, "If you know King Arthur, it's roughly equivalent to King Arthur using his own Noble Phantasm once, and that involved hundreds of millions of weapons. Now do you understand the power of the mastermind behind this?"

Andersen's face fell. Just hearing the description made him feel immense pressure, while the man who said it, Mephistopheles, looked completely relaxed, as if such a powerful being was nothing to worry about or fear.

Seemingly sensing Andersen's thoughts, Mephistopheles laughed and said, "Actually, it's alright. I've already discovered its purpose. Although these halos are very strong, you have to understand, the other side is working so hard to collect this energy, could it be that they want to eventually gather it all together and shoot through the Earth?"

"Impossible! That would be such a waste of time. There are so many ways to destroy the Earth; this method is just too foolish."

"You mean, the other side needs such a massive amount of energy to collect this energy to accomplish something, and therefore, it can't use this energy to deal with those who want to stop it?"

"There will definitely be excess energy. It will definitely prepare some reserves in case of emergencies. But no matter how hard it tries, it can't produce a completely sufficient amount to replace the existing energy, or even a tenth of the energy it needs. Therefore, the beams it can actually use to bombard the enemy are estimated to be only a few thousand, or at most tens of thousands."

Andersen imagined the scene of tens of thousands of King Arthur unleashing their Noble Phantasm at once, and he was terrified, quickly banishing the thought from his mind.

But strangely, the man in front of him seemed completely unafraid, as if he didn't take King Arthur, a top-tier Servant, seriously at all.

Even if he were truly powerful, surely he wouldn't be completely fearless facing thousands upon thousands of King Arthur?

"Don't worry, it's actually very simple. All I need to do is destroy the halo that the other party has worked so hard to build up in an instant. Then, I'll beat up the mastermind behind it all and send it back to its hometown. That way, I can perfectly wrap things up and go back to pursuing my degree."

"Education?"

"Didn't I say? I'm a student at Westminster School now."

"Westminster School?" Andersen naturally knew what Westminster School was. Even though he was Danish, how could he not have heard of the renowned Westminster School in Britain?

After all, this legendary school was founded in 1179.

But Andersen was still curious. He looked at Mephistopheles and asked, "Are you England?"

"That's right, the England."

"You're England, you're in Britain, and you're Magecraft, so why don't you go to school at the Clock Tower? Instead, you went to Westminster School," Andersen said, glancing at the books Mephistopheles had already browsed. "You don't seem uninterested in the Clock Tower."

"My interest in the Clock Tower's library doesn't contradict my lack of interest in Clock Tower teaching," Mephistopheles chuckled. "That's why I'm seizing this opportunity; such a rare chance must be grasped firmly!"

Andersen laughed too, "That's right. Then let's take advantage of the time we still have and see as much as we can. It's a rare opportunity. Anyway, I'm going back to the Throne of Heroes, and I can preserve my memories!"

At this moment, the two people, who would not suffer amnesia due to historical restoration, happily accelerated their sweep of the Clock Tower's collection of books.

With the help of Fran Ritsuka Fujimaru, Mash Kyrielight, Black Jeanne, and the others found the guy who kept producing puppets and machines—a human whose entire body had been modified!

Charles Babbage, whose job title is Caster.

Historically, Babbage invented the Difference Engine, laying the foundation for steampunk. If a computer appears in steampunk works, then that computer must be the Difference Engine!

Babbage now looked completely inhuman; he had transformed into a gigantic monster made of machinery and steam. Seeing Babbage like this, Fran showed a pained expression and refused to approach him any further.

She made a low sound, and these sounds were heard by Black Jeanne and others who were also women.

In the past, when Doctor Frankenstein was still alive, he introduced Fran to Mr. Babbage, a gentle and wise gentleman. Now, however, he has become such a monster!

At this moment, Babbage was emitting a sound like steam, seemingly declaring his presence or conveying information he wanted to transmit.

"Listen, listen, listen. My name is the Steam King. Unable to grasp the possible future, I vanished as an insignificant being, the king of a ethereal, fantastical world. I am the being you call Magecraft B, one of the masters of the city-wide Demon Fog Project. And also one of the Heroic Spirit born from the Demon Fog of this imperial capital."

Unfortunately, before the other person could finish speaking, Babbage suddenly lost control. Seeing this, Mash Kyrielight immediately understood what was going on.

"His actions are subject to the Holy Grail; we have no choice but to defeat him!"

The battle began in an instant.

The battle was completely one-sided. Perhaps to save time, Ritsuka Fujimaru drew her Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi without hesitation. The power of the top-tier Spirit Dress instantly gave her immense strength. With the addition of Black Jeanne, Mash Kyrielight, and Mordred, the battle didn't even last a minute!

Just as he was about to disappear, Babbage had finally regained some consciousness, gave a new clue.

"Go beneath the city, to the bottom, deeper and deeper and deeper than the subway... There lies... the core of the Demon Fog Project... the source of the Demon Fog that permeates the city... the very place where my giant steam engine Angerboda, is located... The Holy Grail... is set up as... Angerboda's power source..."

As Babbage vanished, everyone fell silent. Fran looked pained, but no one knew how to comfort him.

Then, Ritsuka Fujimaru looked at the group and said, "Let's go to the place Mr. Babbage mentioned and resolve this crisis!"

Following Babbage's instructions, the group began to descend underground. After reaching an area deeper than the subway, they discovered that the surrounding fog was even denser than outside, and it was getting thicker and thicker!

The surrounding light comes from torches, ancient torches that have not yet been replaced by electricity, and even kerosene lamps are no longer present, making the place look very old, even beyond the realm of classical.

This place is so ancient that it makes one wonder when it was built.

"Legend has it that the head of King Bran of Ancient Britain is buried beneath the earth to protect Londinium," Mordred said.

This left everyone somewhat puzzled, but they couldn't help but feel that it was one explanation.

As they chatted, the group continued forward and finally arrived at the hollow underground space.

Looking at the enormous steam-filled structure in front of them, constantly emitting mist from its openings and releasing it outwards, Ritsuka Fujimaru and the others knew they had arrived at the right place—the core area of Demon Fog Project!

Then, a man appeared, his face cold as he looked at the crowd.

"How wondrous, how wondrous that Paracelsus has truly spoken: evil will inevitably be thwarted by the good. The colossal steam engine, Angerboda, is both the form of our evil and our hope." He looked at the group without fear and said coldly, "Your journey ends here. Today, good will be driven out by our evil."