If it was just a blow of this magnitude, then we should be more vigilant about the whirlpool of magic power rising behind us, right?
However, everything he accumulated told him over and over again that he must keep an eye on this person.
This person's power indeed exceeds the realm of humans. However, it is still not as powerful as a heroic spirit with the appearance of a warrior.
Just when Alcides was thinking about the question "If that's the case, why should we be vigilant?" while taking the combo of attacks - he first noticed that his opponent's attacks seemed unnatural.
Why is this man's right hand sealed and not used?
In this wave of physical attacks, the policeman named John in front of him never attacked with his right hand.
Is this difference in focus...prosthetic limbs?
While performing offensive and defensive actions in fractions of a second, Alcides instantly came up with the answer and understood the sense of incongruity hidden in his opponent's actions.
So, what is that prosthetic limb? He then thought.
Are there any weapons hidden inside?
Well, you can't get through my leather jacket.
No, this man should understand this too.
So, should it be considered as containing magic?
While dodging John's attack that was approaching, Alcides concentrated on his right arm.
Or is there something else——No, this is...?
Feel the "breath".
There is a unique magic, or should be described as the "breath" of a curse, slightly emanating from the man's prosthetic limb.
The moment when the "aura" that had a trace of the dregs of the mythical era slightly irritated Alcides' nasal cavity and skin——
A chilling fear ran through Alcides' neck.
Even if it was only for a moment, the instinct of a heroic spirit shocked him when he noticed "something".
No matter how the spiritual base is changed - "something" has special meaning to Alcides.
Because he regards it as a danger more than anyone else, and knows the horror of this thing better than anyone else - because he has used this thing himself.
"you……!"
The moment Alcides shouted, John's right hand "sparkled with black light" - the back of his hand deformed, revealing a unique-looking blade.
Like a conscious curse, the black liquid kept stirring around the blade of the prosthetic hand.
The "something" that killed many heroes in the past, and even forced a certain great hero to commit suicide, was not only the leading disaster in the mythical age, but also the most vicious curse - "the venom of the Hydra".
The blade wrapped around the extremely vicious poison approached the gaps in Alcides' fabric.
--How can it be!
——Even in this era, do they still exist?
——That water snake should no longer exist in this world!
He deeply felt that his thinking was too naive.
The magicians of this era are far inferior to the magicians of the mythical age.
However, he is smart enough to control the dregs of the mythical age. If you consider that your master is also inhabited by the same poisonous mud, you should also assume that the enemy possesses "Hydra" (Hydra).
"Pull) poison" situation.
Seeing this weapon that could kill him right in front of him, Alcides grabbed his bow and jumped behind him with all his strength.
"...! Everyone! Hurry to the hospital!"
Confirming the action taken by the alien archers, John conveyed this to his fellow police officers nearby.
"I will do my best to buy time! You can use this period to protect the target!"
"John...what...happened to you?"
"I haven't understood it clearly yet, but... Mr. Warlock must have done something!"
Then, as if he wanted to express "I'll talk about it later!", John was about to rush out, but this time a cold air ran through his body, and a shiver made him stop.
"...?"
John was covered in cold sweat and stared ahead.
A strange archer standing more than twenty meters in front.
The sense of shock that surged from his body was several times higher than before.
The reasons can be easily imagined.
Because the archer had already put the arrow on his bow.
Although he has fired arrows several times so far, this time his actions were different from those before. He was serious and using all his strength.
The alien archers expressed respect to John, who was fighting against the cold and preparing to rush over, and said:
"You are someone who has the means to kill me - I will recognize you as my enemy."
············
The top floor of Crystal Hill.
"Lord Gilgamesh!" Tini, who is on the top floor of the Crystal Hill, is observing the battle. She is not watching through the magic of foresight, but using her naked eyes to capture the figure of her heroic spirit, the king.
The being named Gilgamesh has been pushed up to the same height as our base, the top floor of the building.
The light of the golden armor was swallowed up by a more brilliant light band, and it was no longer possible to visually capture its figure at this moment.
Not only Tiny's eyes widened, but the people in the surrounding "tribe" also had the same reaction.
The light beam extending from the roof of the church to the sky is still climbing higher and higher than the eye can reach.
Even the King of Heroes wouldn't be able to escape unscathed when swallowed by that force, right?
Tini, who felt this way, prepared to use the command spell to make the king retreat urgently, but——she felt it.
Gilgamesh is in the pillar of light, and his magic power is expanding.
To be precise, a very large magic mass appeared around him!
That was the same situation as what he had done so far.
It just shoots the treasure phantoms in the treasure house out of space.
However, the way the Noble Phantasm is deployed this time is somewhat different in nature from before.
A large number of Noble Phantasms are each wrapped with huge magic power and form a huge wave. At the same time, they arbitrarily cling to the flow of light, causing it to gradually disappear into mist.
In the past, the Noble Phantasm was shot out monotonously, but this time it showed complex movements like a giant snake.
However, it is not a weapon controlled by magic power - it is a golden chain extending from the space in all directions, constantly catching and binding the group of Noble Phantasms, while forcefully correcting the trajectory.
Gilgamesh emerged from the light that dispersed the mist, and gathered the shower of Noble Phantasms into a waterfall of Noble Phantasms, falling with the fierce waves.
It was like a giant golden dragon that kept devouring the light struck by the swordsman while advancing fiercely.
············
church.
The swordsman who placed his Noble Phantasm on the roof was hitting the swordsman one after another, feeling that the magic power he had released was being pushed back.
Moreover, when he saw the large number of Noble Phantasms that were pressing towards him and being compressed, sweat could not help but flow from his cheeks.
The swordsman, who was looking up at the large number of dragon-like Noble Phantasms pressing towards him, looked down at this moment——
Then he showed a smile that seemed to show off his strength and poured his magic power into the next move.
············
"What? What's going on now...?"
On the other hand, when the swordsman was in that situation, right below him——
Inside the church, Ayaka, the swordsman master, spoke confused words.
From the looks around the windows, it seemed like something was glowing on the roof of the church.
However, Ayaka, who is not a magician, cannot confirm the situation outside.
The priest, who was the supervisor, asked Ayaka suspiciously:
"Miss, are you feeling well?"
"Huh...? Oh, after you asked me this, I feel a little tired..."
"A little bit... um..."
After thinking for a while, Hansa said: "Miss, 'what are you'?"
"Huh?"
"It's unusual to be able to give a heroic spirit such a huge amount of magic power. At least, if you weren't a first-class magician, your magic power would have been exhausted..."
"Even if you say that, I can't answer it. Speaking of which, I don't even know what magic is..." Ayaka frowned slightly, feeling confused about this.
The priest stared at her with great interest: "Forget it, I don't have time to ask you questions here. It's better to move inside quickly."
"...Why?" Ayaka was puzzled.
The priest looked up at the high ceiling of the church and said at the same time: "Although the barrier is strengthening the support, the roof is almost about to collapse."
"!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the roof cracked in the next moment, and a figure fell from it along with rubble.
Fortunately, Hansa reacted instantly and gave Ayaka a hand, and she barely escaped being hit by the rubble.
Then, before Ayaka could understand the situation before her, an arrogant male voice came from the hole in the roof and echoed throughout the church.
"I originally wanted to wipe out the entire church. Can you stop me?"
It was a man wearing golden armor.
Although there were cracks in the armor, he calmly crossed his arms and looked down at the center of the rubble piled in the middle of the church.
"Huh……?"
The moment Ayaka saw the armored man, she felt as if her brain was being stirred.
To be precise, it was when I saw that man's appearance.
I always feel like I saw a face that looked exactly like that a few years ago.
Moreover, it is also in a church like this.
Ayaka just tried to remember when there was a noise.
Rustling. Rustling. The brain is shaking——In the gap of noise that even appeared in the field of vision, the girl in the red hood appeared.
"babble……"
Just when Ayaka was about to hold her head in fear, she realized that now was not the time to scare herself with random thoughts.
Why did the man in golden armor speak to the center of the rubble?
"I should say, can you stop me?"
Who is blocking what?
Ayaka was just about to think when she got the answer immediately.
Because she noticed what was in the center of the rubble.
It was a shadow that seemed to have several swords and spears on its body—when Ayaka saw it, she mistook it for a moment and thought it was part of the rubble.
There was no doubt that that figure was the swordsman with whom he had been chatting and laughing until just now, and even walking with him. Although his heart and head were safe, there were several weapons tattooed on his abdomen, shoulders, and thighs.
He is an ordinary human being, so it is not surprising that he turned into a corpse.
"Sword...soldier...?"
The moment she realized this, both the noise and the girl in the red hood had disappeared from her sight.
She almost collapsed and sat down, but Ayaka still stood firm and decided to approach the swordsman.
However, Ayane got caught on the rubble and fell down.
The man on the roof seemed not to pay attention to Ayaka like that, and continued to say to the swordsman:
"If you had chosen to avoid it, you wouldn't have suffered that kind of injury. Did you want to protect this church? You should have been regarded as a proud and arrogant person and executed. However, you offset the blow after all, and I appreciate it.
You."
Then, the body of the swordsman who had been motionless until now slowly moved, and he raised the corner of his mouth and replied to the man on the roof: "Then I... am really glorious.
The swordsman panted and raised his head, looked up at the golden heroic spirit and said, "How can you destroy the church? If you are punished by God, I won't care about you."
"It's boring. I've long been tired of stuff like Wrath of the Gods."
"Gods...I see. The background of the land of polytheism...that tone...haha, you are...no, 'you' are the 'first travelers'..."
As blood overflowed from the corner of his mouth, the swordsman laughed.
Seeing him like that, the golden heroic spirit did not feel resentful or show contempt for him, but just asked arrogantly:
"Bastard, you...what stuff does it contain?"
"……?What did you say?"
"I'm not talking about your 'followers'. I'm talking about the origin of your spiritual power." The man on the roof continued to say to the panting swordsman in a calm tone: "In any case, you don't seem to have the fighting skills yet.
The reason. Challenging me with that kind of mentality is an even more arrogant act in itself, bastard. Since you don’t have any random desires to realize in front of my treasure [Holy Grail], then why not just hold you in my arms?
Everything it contains will be corroded and dissipated."
Then, the golden king maintained the posture of holding his arms, creating a twisted space above his head.
"I'm about to issue a ruling. Before that, do you have any last words to say?"
"...No. I really want to say that...Ah, yes...the girl who provided me with magic power is not my Master. I have been unilaterally extracting her from her."
Hearing those words, Ayaka stood up unsteadily and opened her eyes wide.
Because she already knew what the swordsman was going to say next.
--stop.
——Don’t say it.
Although I want to speak out, I cannot use my throat properly.
Just when he was short of breath and about to fall down, the swordsman showed a peaceful smile and said:
"She won't be your enemy...give her some sympathy and treat her accordingly."
"Okay. But don't forget, I will only deal with it according to the situation. If I know that she is a boring existence, I will still eliminate her. Just like other boring people."
Then the armored man slowly raised one hand and said concluding words to the swordsman:
"Bastard, the verdict against you is—"
However, that sentence could not be continued to the end.
············
A few minutes ago, the main road.
"That man is...John...isn't he?"
The person who showed up to save our side was a colleague who should have had his neck bone broken and shot away just now.
His movements were suddenly out of the realm of human beings, and he could be described as being "reborn". The members of "Twenty-Eight Monsters" were confused about this and were filled with confusion.
What broke this situation was Bella's voice, which resounded in everyone's ears.
"The forwards all move back to protect the defenders! Defenders, cover John with all your strength!"
The words she shouted loudly, who usually behaved very steadily, suddenly awakened the consciousness of all the members. The members of the police team each took their Noble Phantasms and deployed them according to the pre-arrangement to surround the alien archers.
When that archer is the opponent, members with melee weapons will only cause trouble, let alone help cover.
In this case, he should be responsible for blocking the opponent's sight and letting the defender attack from a distance. The police judged that if that person was really John, he should know how to cooperate with the defender.
Next, as long as John is covered in that way and at the same time arranged according to the development of the situation, half of the police can be sent into the hospital as John hopes.
But--
Several arrows fired by the enemy instantly disintegrated their formation.
Although the tall policeman holding the large shield Noble Phantasm tried to block the attack with his shield, the moment the arrow touched the shield, he suffered an impact like a sticky bomb exploding on the surface of the shield, and was directly knocked back.
Moreover, it was not a blow that was released by drawing the bow string to its limit.
It was just one of several diversionary shots fired by the archers in order not to expose any flaws.
The police actually felt it.
The reason why my group of people have not been turned into pieces together with the scenery of the city streets is because the heroic spirit is rational. Although I don’t know whether it was the master’s instructions or his own judgment, he has concerns to a certain extent.
There is no other reason than to "conceal the magic".
When he first brought the three-headed hellhound, everyone thought he was a vicious thief who didn't care about such things, but the result was completely the opposite.
For that heroic spirit, instead of using all his strength to let ferocious beasts like the three-headed hell dog eat up the enemy's flesh and blood, it is more suitable to "conceal the mystery".
"No? Doesn't he have any weaknesses?"
A policeman shouted.
Although John did act like a heroic spirit, the opponent's heroic spirit was more powerful than they originally imagined.
They originally thought that the only Heroic Spirits with that level of strength were Gilgamesh and the Heroic Spirits who had a fierce conflict with the King of Heroes in the desert on the first day and were suspected of being spearmen. Until now, they were only worried about the ill-conceived
Thoughts hurt my heart.
However, they knew from the beginning that their abilities were not as good as the heroic spirits. Now that John, who was also outside the calculation situation, was supporting their side, they had to at least force the opponent to retreat.
The other party should understand that even if the police team is annihilated here, it does not mean that the Master and the Heroic Spirit can be killed.
In this case, just let the other party have the minimum idea that "it won't be worthwhile to continue".
A few people in the police thought so, but——
They noticed that during this period, behind the alien archer, there was another policeman who was not John.
"!"
The police originally wanted to shout a reminder, "Follow Bella's instructions," but if they did, the enemy would notice that there was something fishy about their actions.
Who was it that was acting without permission, ignoring instructions? The moment they looked at the policeman, they immediately noticed the situation.
The policeman who was supposed to be one person suddenly became two people behind the archer. Then, in one breath, there were four people.
In other words, that person is not their person.
Rather, it was a heroic spirit that had transformed into a policeman in the battle with the archers just now.
Isn’t the opponent already outnumbered and evacuated?
Is it just a pretense of retreat?
No matter what, it is always a good thing to have this heroic spirit of the Berserker class come to help again.
Bennett silently disguised himself as a policeman again, and the number of clones increased to sixteen, and he launched an attack from behind the enemy with the purpose of covering John.
However, these attacks were easily neutralized.
The archer didn't turn around, he just flapped the alien wings on his back and cut off the clones of the first few Bennetts who jumped over.
"...Can you still move?"
Without turning his head to look, the archer just expressed his feelings in a tone of half admiration and half astonishment.
While he was talking, he was still dealing with John in front of him.
This kind of super-sense that can sense Bennett approaching behind him without making a sound and eliminating his breath, and then take action can be said to be the true mind's eye, which is the so-called combat intuition.
Just by relying on their senses, the archers realized that it was Bennett who had left and returned, and easily defused the sneak attack.
Seeing that he was exposed, Bennett did not continue to pretend, and said lightly: "Well, it's a shame that you can use the wings you just won so flexibly."
The wings behind the person in front of me at this moment were taken from him who transformed into a demon.
While saying this, Bennett controlled the other clones to attack the archers.
The newly added Bennetts are no longer limited to police officers, but also ordinary citizens and doctors, regardless of gender, age or child.
Does this mean that the powerless heroic spirit in front of me doesn’t even have the strength to transform into a police officer?
As the number of clones increases, the quality becomes worse.
This scene looks like a crowd going to destroy the legendary demon, or a poor crowd clinging to it, begging the demon for mercy.
"ridiculous."
The archer sneered.
He seemed to have noticed that Bennett was unable to confront him head-on, so he could relax and focus most of his attention on the human policeman in front of him.
However, that evaluation completely changed in the next moment.
Because countless black hands stretched out from Bennett's shadow and wrapped around his body.
"Well……?"
shadow.
As if swallowing up the darkness of the night, the dark vortex enveloped the surrounding space.
Alcides, the archer who sensed that it was magic, kept fighting the police's prosthetic limbs with his bow and watched the surrounding situation.
Then, he saw that part of the scenery was distorted.
Ordinary people should not be able to see through it, but in the eyes of a heroic spirit of Alcides' level, it is obviously a poor illusion.
"...Stinky magician, have you come out of the cave where you were hiding?"
Alcides, who judged that it was the Berserker Master, immediately saw through the meaning of that shadow.
This is nothing more than a simple deception.
If it is the type of magic that directly causes harm, it should not be able to hurt your body.
If the opponent is a magician from the Mythical Age, it is another matter. But as long as the master of the Berserker is not a heroic spirit from the Mythical Age, but a human magician, that is impossible.
According to the information given by his master Bazdilot, the master of the Berserker belongs to the headquarters of the Magic Association commonly known as the "Clock Tower" and is a rare wizard - but since he is a magician living in modern times, the magic he uses
It's nothing to be afraid of, the other party should have noticed it.
In this case, this shadow should be regarded as a deception. In fact, Alcides also knew very well. When there are multiple heroic spirits around, a deception is far more difficult than a half-hearted attack.
Therefore, he made his next move without hesitation.
"...Peck at it."
The whispered words turned into a heavy curse spread around.
Pushed by the large bow swinging violently horizontally, John and Bennett retreated greatly.
Taking advantage of the gap created at that moment, Alcides released several arrows in his hand and shot them.
Then, the released arrow transformed in the blink of an eye, turning into a war bird with bronze claws and beak, and attacked the twisted space deep on the sidewalk on the sidewalk.
In the twisted space, as the birds wrapped in magic passed through the seemingly empty place again and again, the figure of a young man was finally revealed.
"Uh-huh!—Here, here, the processing begins [Play Ball]!"
The young man hurriedly laid out magic barriers, disrupting the surrounding wind and dodging bird attacks.
However, as the birds were scattered and separated by the tornado-like strong wind, an arrow suddenly passed through the gap - a powerful arrow released by Alcides, piercing the heart of the young man.
He doesn't care at all about the strong wind, the magic barrier, and the incarnation of destruction that penetrates everything he moves forward.
That arrow accurately destroyed the young man's core, and while crushing the surrounding bones and flesh, it gradually destroyed his internal organs.
"Master!"
Behind Alcides, the roar of the berserker sounded.
"Flat!"
The policeman named John also shouted that name.
When Alcides heard that call, he pulled out the memory from his mind - the name recorded in the information given by Bazdilot was "Flat". Therefore, he was convinced that his arrow had already
The master who killed the berserker.
Perhaps the magic seal engraved in the magician's body would activate spontaneously, treat the fatal injury forcefully, and resurrect the magician, but Alcides did not allow that kind of opportunity.
Alcides, who had made up his mind to destroy the magical body and all the magic markings, had already fired the second and third arrows. The flock of birds, separated from the strong wind, had also begun to peck at the enemy's flesh.
but--
Just before the destruction began, "the young man's body began to become thin like mist."
"What……?"
Alcides suspected it was an illusion for a moment, but he immediately rejected this idea.
The "bird" that is part of his Noble Phantasm and is connected to the magic path pecks through the enemy, and he really feels it.
However, the reality is that the corpse is gradually disappearing like a heroic spirit.
The thought of "killing the Master" filled his consciousness with doubt for a few seconds.
In this only gap - "he" completed that complicated and strange technique.
"——Intervention starts [Game Select]."
That voice sounded very close to Alcides.
A part of the berserker warriors that turned into corpses in a short period of time.
Among those piles of corpses, an individual who had no impression of being slaughtered by himself moved his mouth and hands, and instantly activated magic.
In an instant—an arrow that Alcides had placed on the bowstring suddenly exploded, causing his alien-shaped body to stagger.
-How can it be?
Alcides understood instantly and knew what had happened to him.
The magic flow he used to activate the "Lake Stymphalis Bird", one of the Noble Phantasms "Kings Order", short-circuited under strong manipulation.
However, that is only the "beginning" of the technique.
"Well……!"
Just when he wanted to regain his footing, his magic power was out of control again. Although Alcides was not a magician, because his body itself was a mass of magic power, all the blood vessels and nerves throughout his body could
Described as a magic circuit.
And those magic circuits have now all turned into fuses, causing tiny out-of-control magic spells to occur one after another in a chain-effect manner.
Magic power exploded in the arms as strong as steel.
Sometimes as sharp as a blade, the magic power of the toes that have been trained for a long time explodes.
As deep and strong as the roots of the World Tree, magic bursts in the blood vessels distributed in the body.
All over the body, woven into the beautiful nerves, magic bursts.
Magic power exploded in the alveoli of the lungs that didn't even have time to inhale.
The magic power exploded inside the eyeball that was covered by the cloth.
A part of the brainstem burst with magic power.
Burst, burst, burst-
The interval between bursts of magic power gradually shortened, and finally, a huge burst of magic power was felt near the heart.
It was impossible to tell whether it was pain or a fiery shock.
The wings on his back and the horns on his head flew away, and the hand holding the bow exploded with magic power, knocking off several thick nails.
The magic power inside the body also went out of control, tearing part of the organs.
However, what is terrifying is the spiritual power of a man who was once hailed as a great hero.
"...Don't even think about it!"
With an overwhelming shout, Alcides stamped on the ground as if he were shaking his feet, flowing his out-of-control magic power into the earth.
The next moment, several hundred meters of asphalt pavement on the main road were swept up in several places. At the same time, the broken water pipe sprayed soil, sand and water into the sky.
If it were an ordinary heroic spirit that was in the same state, it wouldn't be surprising if his whole body was blown up on the spot. But Alcides was able to avoid the crisis of being scattered by relying only on his strong body.
Having said that, the damage he suffered was certainly extraordinary.
This reaction force destroyed the surrounding roads into a mess, and several of the cars parked on the roadside had overturned and became semi-scrap.
But inside Alcides' body, he suffered serious damage far beyond those of those cars. In terms of the impact that a magician can have on heroic spirits, this is something that is usually unimaginable.
He. Alcides' spiritual base has very high resistance to magic and cannot be damaged by modern magic.
In this case
——Is it in vain?
In the spiritual base that makes up one's own body, there are parts that are weak against magic.
Moreover, since he is also part of the Berserker, until just now, the path of magic power will of course be connected to the young Master.
The magician must have used the Noble Phantasm he just obtained from the berserker - the part that transformed into a fantasy demon - to inject the spell that caused the flow of magic power into chaos.
Having said that, this is not something that can be done easily.
It is precisely in this situation that it is impossible to achieve anything unless we have a perfect grasp of the intricate flow of magic power.
In other words, "he" just did it.
"If we don't get so close, we won't be able to succeed."
The magician mixed in with the berserker group showed a relieved smile and murmured to himself.
The corpses of the berserkers around him began to disappear. At the same time, the corpse of the magician that Alcides had shot through also completely disappeared.
Of course, the corpse of the magician named Frat Eskades was transformed into a berserker.
As various situations accumulated, Alcides' mind lost its sensitivity at that moment.
Then——that moment of wavering revealed his fatal flaw.
The roar shook Alcides' ears.
That roar was a signal for the policeman named John to use all his strength and risk his life to launch an attack. When the sound reached his ears, John had already jumped into his arms.
A blow that instantly exceeded the speed of sound.
The shock wave generated by this blow easily shook away the surrounding rubble.
A moment.
Boom. As if John's momentum was fake, Alcides only felt a slight impact on his side. Although it was a prosthetic limb that turned into a Noble Phantasm, it hit Alcides with a speed exceeding the speed of sound.
For his unusual body, that's all.
In fact, the blade of the prosthetic limb was broken from the root, and John was also affected by the reaction force generated during the collision, flying several meters away and then fell to the ground.
However, this is enough.
The prosthetic limb that John poured all his strength into—in other words, he stabbed with a blade contaminated with the venom of the Hydra.
Although that kind of poison would be fatal to most heroic spirits at this time. But——
For Alcides, there is a reason why this poison will corrode the spiritual base even more.
--die.
Pure poisonous curse.
The venom that had driven him to suicide in the past flowed into Alcides' body. At the same time, Flat announced the end of his battle and uttered the closing words of the technique:
"——The observation is over [Game Over]."
This was a small flaw created for John, who had a fatal blow.
The preparations they made to create that moment of time are simple and easy to understand.
"Sacrifice your soul".
Dedicated to that heroic spirit of the sorcerer class whom we only met for less than a few minutes.
············
——[My special skill as a Heroic Spirit is to adjust some relatively famous props and sublimate them into Noble Phantasms. But...]
——[There are not many opportunities to use real heroic spirits as material.]
——[After all, this requires the owner’s consent. It’s usually impossible.]
——【However, "exceptions", as long as they are put together properly, will become the best seasoning.】
——[In other words, that’s it—I’m going to do some tricks on your ability. Sublimate the effect of “being able to transform into anyone” to a higher level. 】
——[So that you can more perfectly transform into other strangers.]
——【However, it is up to you to decide whether you want to call the Master a "stranger" or not.】
Alexandre Dumas made a rather extreme proposal.
The main body is Bennett's special ability - "any legend that has existed in the fantasy of human beings" as the material, and then combined with another "ingredient" - the essence of Master Flatt, it becomes
Can temporarily enhance its abilities.
Of course, that is just a metaphor, and Flat is not really chopped up into ingredients and thrown into a pot to boil the essence.
However, using the power of Alexandre Dumas to strengthen the magical path between the two people and simulating the mixing of each other's existence - to the existence of the Master and the Heroic Spirit, this approach is like proposing to throw them into the stirrer.
There is no difference between mincing meat in a container.
After all, from the Master's point of view, this approach is tantamount to "mixing other people's souls with one's own existence." It is even difficult to imagine what kind of side effects and sequelae it will have. Depending on the situation, you may lose your magic, or
Being dragged down by the heroic spirit's anecdotes, he acted in a way that he couldn't understand.
Although all the negative impacts that could be imagined would be endless if mentioned, but——Flat simply agreed to this matter.
Therefore, after being strengthened by Alexandre Dumas' use of the Noble Phantasm, Bennett gained the power to "transform into the magician Flatt, and including the magic he uses, he will appear in a state that is no less than his own."
At this moment, Bennett can truly transform into a 'human being'.
············
At some point, the "light pillar" stretching into the sky had disappeared, and instead, part of the church building at the base of the light pillar collapsed.
In the surrounding space that continued to be shrouded in darkness, a serious but calm voice resounded.
"……Why?"
Alcides asked the berserker without pulling out the poisonous blade that was broken off from John's prosthetic limb and was left in his side.
Although he didn't understand how the Berserker and others did it, Alcides understood that the Berserker relied on his perfect disguise to create an illusion and misjudged his Master's location, but his suspicions still remained.
"Since you can completely transform into a master, then if you transform into a master and use that spell on me here, you can achieve the same results. Why does your master risk going to the battlefield?"
The police-looking berserker answered Alcides: "It's simple. No matter how perfect the Master I become, there is still 'something missing'."
Hearing these words, Alcides looked at the Berserker Master, Frat, who was getting up from the ground.
I saw the second command spell fading away on the back of his right hand.
Seeing this, Alcides understood what the "last ditch effort" was that caused his magic to go out of control.
"...You reorganized the command spell."
The only objects the command spell can exert its effect on are the heroic spirits with whom it has made a contract.
It was impossible to disrupt this law and issue orders to other heroic spirits, but Flatt cleverly rewritten the huge magical power of the Command Seal and inserted it into Alcides and his Master in the form of "hacking".
Magical Path - This was accomplished with a technique equivalent to commanding Alcides to commit suicide using a command spell.
"Uh... should I say it's a big gamble... Archer-san's master has already used up his command spells, right? If there is at least one left, my spell will be deflected by the connected power, right?
."
Alcides looked at the young man in front of him.
Flatt considered himself lucky and "smiled" with relief.
Obviously, this is an abnormal human being.
How could a serious person make such a ‘big gamble’?
"I see, you actually have the 'eyesight' that can see through to such an extent..."
Alcides said to himself in a weak voice that his opponent could not hear: "Are you...?"
"?" Flatt, who didn't hear the content, was confused.
But Alcides made no reply.
He already understood that "death" was eroding his body. It was enough to make the abominable man [Glory of God] who was once a demigod abandon his human skin and soul to "die".
Alcides glanced at the blade pierced into his side and looked at John, the owner of the destroyed prosthetic limb.
Seeing that he was still trying to stand up, Alcides murmured to himself: "Well done, son of man. My compatriot who denies God's control and stands up on his own."
"Dulu——"
Only then did I hear the sound coming from Manchu.
Dark black blood overflowed and dripped from the gaps in the cloth covering the archer's face.
"If the power of your body is given to you as the protection of God, I will slaughter you from the beginning. However, the power flowing in your body is generated from humans and the earth, and is definitely not the product of God's intervention. In this case,
I just appreciate this world and this era. Although you used the venom of the water snake, while rejecting God's protection, you also planned a method to destroy me. I give you my blessing for your achievements."
Hearing the man in front of him praise human beings, Bennett felt a little emotional.
He recalled the scene when he fought with the man of the same name on the battlefield of 'Twilight of the Gods'. This magnanimity and 'love' for human beings were indeed the same no matter which world he was in.
And the other side.
"Is the way he spoke calmly, the way he understood the heroic spirit he was about to destroy, and the demeanor he showed before exiting?" Just when John was lamenting that everything was finally over.
Alcides said: "Then... I pity you, brave man."
"Huh...?" John looked suspicious.
Not only him, but Bennett and Flatt on the side also realized that something was wrong.
In front of him, Alcides' side was eroded by poison, turning into a black wound and melting. But——
The next moment, those dark toxins were swallowed up by the "sludge" that exuded a stronger and more ominous feeling.
"What……!"
Everyone's pupils shrank sharply and they became alert again.
The "sludge"-like magic mass gushed out from Alcides' body, sucking the Hydra poison - "death" itself - directly into the wound as if it was going to devour him.
"If I had just given up the divine clothes, I would have found peace after suffering so much."
It was melted and ulcerated enough to see the ribs, and the poisonous wounds on the waist bones had disappeared. What appeared there afterwards was a body that seemed to have been restored to its original state without any injuries.
"If it were before my spiritual energy was distorted, I would have been happy to die from the scratch just now. As long as it is this poison, it should be very likely to corrode all my lifeblood."
While holding the bow tightly, Alcides made it clear to the speechless John and others: "However, we... are all very unlucky."
There seemed to be a hint of resignation in his voice, but it immediately turned into anger.
"Although I lost twelve lives...but you remember clearly. Dead poison cannot destroy my body invaded by evil mud."
Not directed at John and others, but at himself and the endless "power" itself, Alcides shouted a curse-like roar: "The filthy blood of my body...and the tainted soul.
The fire of vengeance! How can it be tainted by something as deadly as poison!"
Then, the magic overflowed.
The originally fluttering magic power was now like solid wind, hitting the bodies of everyone around him hard.
As if Alcides itself was a huge tornado, a magical storm dyed red and black swept through the surrounding area.
The demon servants who were watching the battle were blown away. Some even just felt the gust of wind, and their magic circuits screamed and fell to their knees.
It wasn't Alcides who did anything.
He - just standing there, caused this result.
"Is he only now serious...?"
A member of the police team said this, murmuring with despair on his face.
"No, he was serious."
The berserker smiled bitterly and answered the policeman: "It should be said that before this, he was very serious about 'looking around'... and guarding everything around him."
He also had a helpless expression on his face, and seemed to be thinking about how to escape from this battlefield with his Master.
At this moment, Bennett knew very clearly that the man in front of him was a 'cursed' existence that could not be killed.
It is not a fall, but a willingness to be "cursed" in order to seek revenge from God.
The fact that he doesn't like the gods is similar to the man he met...
The next moment, Alcides took action.
However, his target is neither the police team nor the berserkers.
As if to express that he no longer takes them seriously, he steps towards the earth.
This step made Alcides jump into the air——
The arrows on the big bow were fully drawn, and the arrows were released without hesitation.
He shot at the archer who was about to give judgment to the swordsman at this moment with the aura of God wrapped around his body.
Shooting everything related to God is his goal when he comes here as an Avenger.
············
church.
Gilgamesh stood on the roof that had barely collapsed yet, looking down at the swordsman covered in blood.
"Bastard, the verdict against you is—"
At the moment when he was preparing to issue a ruling, claiming to be not a king but a judge.
A red and black magical storm swirled around, and strong murderous intent approached the judge.
"...uninteresting behavior."
He stopped midway through his words of ruling, and Gilgamesh said "tsk" with a cold expression.
Shaking the space, arrows are approaching.
"The King's Treasure [Gate of Babylon]"
Spread out to attack and shoot out the precious phantom.
With a loud sound, the arrows and the Noble Phantasm canceled each other out, turning into fragments and dissipating.
"If you look at it as a king, you can still laugh at it as a clown's behavior, but since it has violated my ruling, there is only one way to eliminate it."
Then, he slowly turned around and said to the [Archer]? Or [Avenger] who landed on the opposite edge of the church: "The mask has been taken off, clown?"
Seeing the red and black magic wrapped around the other person's body, Gilgamesh didn't have any doubts and continued to say casually: "I will allow you to take off that piece of cloth and let me see how you cry."
"...The tears that can be shed have long since dried up. Ever since the day my future was taken away by the gods."
"So instead, you're going to have mud spilling from your eyes? You brought something so sentimental... The sin of soiling my treasure "Holy Grail" with the mud contaminated by the bastard's obsession is the crime of preparing this.
Let those who performed the ceremony repay it."
After speaking as if he had seen through the source of the magic power of the red and black sludge, Gilgame asked Alcides tentatively:
"So, what do you want to do? Come and attack me while you still have the strength. Although it is rude, it is still the right answer... But do you really think I can't get rid of that level of filth?"
"...Mighty King, you are right. As long as you use those treasures, these filth are not worth mentioning at all."
In contrast to the huge magic power swirling around him, Alcides was eerily calm, standing still in a natural and relaxed manner.
Relax your arms and hang them down. Hold the bow lightly in your right hand.
However, the limbs that were not even exerting force contained a ferocious aura that was as sharp as a blade in the next moment, as if it could cut off the opponent's head.
"But...weak warrior, it's not these filth that want to slaughter you."
"oh?"
"It's the bodies drowned in the mud."
············
The roof of the church collapsed, leaving a large hole between the two pillars.
The swordsman at the bottom of the cave murmured while looking at the two atmospheres confronting each other above:
"Oops... I really have a headache. A big battle is about to start next, but I can't participate..."
After hearing his words, Ayaka climbed up the rubble and yelled in a low voice: "Idiot! Now is not the time to say that! We have to escape quickly...!"
"Ah, I'm sorry, Ayaka. I originally wanted to protect the church...but I failed a little bit."
"'A little bit'? You still want to show off! Stop talking and heal your wounds quickly... This is a church, there must be bandages and the like..."
"...I want to use bandages to treat heroic spirits...I really understand more and more that you are no longer a magician..."
Hearing Ayaka say those words, the bloody swordsman smiled bitterly.
"Don't worry...I'm saying...your thoughts are more effective herbs than bandages...la..."
"Stop joking! At least escape from here first..."
Ayaka grabbed the swordsman's arm, trying to wrap it around her shoulders and lift the swordsman.
"Ah, wait, wait a moment... let the people who should be protected do this for me... As a knight, the king's reputation will decline..."
"Ever since you were with someone like me, your reputation has been slipping! Stop talking, hurry up!"
"For you to look down on yourself so much... my reputation as a heroic spirit has been... ruined..."
The swordsman tried to stand up on his own, but he did not feel frustrated even though he was in such a mess, and murmured with a forced smile:
"But... now that I'm in this situation, being said that I'm not qualified to be a Heroic Spirit, I have nothing to say..."
············
On the rubble below, the words the swordsman murmured could not reach the ears of the heroic spirits above.
"This body is a corpse, but my sins will never go away."
Alcides, who called himself the dead man, just stepped forward.
"In this case, we can only entrust this body and soul to the chair of oblivion swinging in the underworld."
An unintentional step.
However, the hero king who faced him understood that it was a heavy step that carried everything he had.
"Great enemy, poor fellow. You just need to run wildly with me."
Then, Alcides, still maintaining a relaxed posture, spoke powerful words.
"——Shoot a hundred heads [Nine Lives]."
Almost at the same time as Gilgamesh unfolded the "King's Treasure [Gate of Babylon]", Alcides drew his bow and shot.
Hundreds of Noble Phantasms released by Gilgamesh.
Different from the weapons with weak attack power that were deployed during the confrontation in the wilderness before, this time they are all capable of reliably destroying the opponent's spirit base with one blow.
If they were struck out with arrogance, they would be ineffective and simply turn into a large number of Noble Phantasms raining down with ferocious killing intent.
However, now that his friend Enkidu is standing on the same ground as him, Gilgamesh does not harbor a trace of arrogance in his heart.
He used the correct Noble Phantasm to accurately shoot at the parts of the opponent's body that were not covered by the animal skin.
Each of these attacks is an attack that can leave no trace of ordinary heroic spirits. It can be said to be a group attack that will kill the enemy.
However, in the face of such a terrifying attack, Alcides jumped aside and fired arrows continuously, constantly offsetting and knocking down the countless group attacks.
Each arrow can shoot down several Noble Phantasms with a single shot, which is astonishingly powerful, but what is even more surprising is the speed at which he fires the continuous shots and the abnormal flight trajectory of the arrows.
Alcides, who could hold two or three arrows at a time, kept drawing his bow and shooting at an invisible speed.
Not only that, the arrows he fired seemed to have consciousness, changing their trajectory in the air, accurately shooting down the approaching Noble Phantasms released by Gilgamesh from all directions.
Even though he couldn't avoid the Noble Phantasm, he also twisted his body and used his "fur" to withstand the attack, thus neutralizing its power.
Seeing the fur without a trace of damage, the King of Heroes snorted and continued to attack.
"Let me test it."
As he spoke, the space on his left and right sides was greatly distorted——
"Look at your fur, how far you can regard everything as a 'man's business'."
What appears from the space on the left is a shining white flame.
What appears from the space on the right is a shiny silver liquid.
To describe it correctly, the liquid itself is actually colorless, but the moisture in the surrounding air freezes and adheres in an instant, so others will think that the liquid is shining.
Since they belong to the King of Heroes' warehouse, flames and liquids must have been created by human hands.
This is a challenge issued by the King of Heroes, who vows to tear into pieces the skin of the beast that denies human justice based on human deeds.
I am the only one in heaven and on earth!
This hero king has never admitted that "animal skin negates human reason"!
Suddenly, lightning strikes, fire, ice, and thunder, accompanied by strong winds, struck Alcides.
"..."
In response, Alcides said nothing and continued to draw the bow.
The big bow bent violently, and at the moment when people thought it was about to break in two, the 'sludge' that released its power formed a shadow over the church.
They were nine arrows wrapped in ominous magic and flying in a winding trajectory.
It looks like a huge snake.
Like the Hydra described in the legend, it swallowed up the approaching group of Noble Phantasms. Not only that, it also swallowed up flames, cold air, thunder and lightning equally, completely covering the sky around the main road.
If it were under normal conditions, the power he exerted would be the divine energy itself that would be released around the arrow body, rather than the ominous magic power like sludge.
Originally, it should have presented a scene "like a dragon entwining itself", which was the ultimate expression of technology and aura.
If it is performed with a sword, it will become a nine-sword fencing dance in an instant. If it is performed with a spear, it will be a magical skill of nine strikes in one stab. It is said that this Noble Phantasm [School] has never even had a single transmission, it is only
A "myth" that was started and ended by that great hero alone.
However, the arrow shot from the hands of the great hero who transformed into a vengeful man took the form of a poisonous snake, or what should be called an evil dragon, soaring rapidly between high-rise buildings.
Then, as if considering the shining golden King of Heroes as its final prey, the spreading Hydra attacked the King of Heroes with fierce momentum.
"Is it the poison of Hydra? Although it is normal for kings to be poisoned, it's just too boring, you bastard."
Then, the King of Heroes temporarily stopped firing the Noble Phantasm, as if he was about to open a new treasure house door, and the space in front of him became distorted.
"Although I am very dissatisfied with taking snakes as treasures, my treasure house has already stored the poison of that level. It includes its flesh and blood and the antidote."
············
"I won... I will win! Lord Gilgamesh...!"
Tini, who was watching the development from the top floor of the casino building, couldn't help clenching her fists. The alien archer who called himself Alcides should be one of the few formidable enemies in this Holy Grail War.
But after seeing the attack and defense process, Tini was convinced that the winner of this battle would be her heroic spirit Gilgamesh.
The person who can not only completely defend and neutralize the opponent's attacks, but also uses the bow to perform nine consecutive attacks that are suspected of being a Noble Phantasm. Is it also one of his trump cards?
Judging from the situation, Alcides possesses a Noble Phantasm that can steal the opponent's Noble Phantasm, which is almost cheating.
However, according to the current development of the situation, the king does not even need to take out the deviant sword that shot down the "Creation Star [Enuma Elish]", and naturally there is no need to worry about being robbed by it.
The most important thing was that there was no trace of fear or worry on Gilgamesh's face, and that attitude made Tini extremely reassured.
"It's really awesome, 'my king'...!"
The words she couldn't help but say - they were not words that would be said by a magician whose long-cherished wish was to regain the land.
These are the words of a child who is undoubtedly intoxicated by the glory of the King of Heroes and still retains his childishness.
Tiny Chilk has forgotten.
While he is a subject of the King of Heroes, he is also Gilgamesh's "master".
Moreover, Tini doesn't understand.
No matter how powerful and noble Gilgamesh is.
Even if the King of Heroes has given up his arrogance and will never underestimate the enemy's carelessness——
The Holy Grail War is not that simple - a war that can be won without any cooperation between the Master and the Heroic Spirits.
(Kiritsugu: What are you talking about?)
············
At the moment when Gilgamesh faced the approaching nine arrows - the magic energy wrapped around the huge, red-black alien thing - he was about to take out his Noble Phantasm to attack.
The open twisted space around Gilgamesh suddenly "disappeared".
"……What?"
At this time, Gilgamesh frowned for the first time.
The distorted space disappeared, revealing a fact.
Endless storage of the "King's Treasure [Gate of Babylon]" - the treasure house of Babylon.
It can be said that the doors of treasure houses that exist in any corner of the world, or that do not exist in this world, but in other dimensions, have "all been closed."
Of course, this behavior would not have been done by Gilgamesh himself.
But besides Gilgamesh himself, is there anyone who can do this?
impossible.
During the fraction of a second that Gilgamesh was thinking like this, the poisonous arrows that killed the hero continued to approach.
However, the current Gilgamesh has no arrogance and will never underestimate his enemies.
Even when faced with this situation, he was not depressed at all, and prepared to use the remaining Noble Phantasm that had been shot to respond, but——
Coincidentally, the "something" appearing on this battlefield at this moment is very similar to the sound of the earth that Enkidu sang on the first day.
"Something" suddenly sounded in the city of Slowfield, disrupting the brains of everyone present with its uncoordinated sound.
However, what is different from Enkidu is the quality of his voice.
What resounded this time was not a beautiful song praising the earth and mankind——
Instead, it seems to curse everything in this world, like the groan of a twisted monster.