Chapter 1073 1073 Diligent and thrifty, golden shining
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Forest of the West.
Although he missed the berserker Humbaba's blow by a hair's breadth, the swordsman was still blown away by the violent impact of the attack's aftermath.
Perhaps due to the influence of the movement of the bull in the sky, the black turbid current covering the earth disappeared at some point, and half of the trees eroded by miasma and poison fell on the muddy ground.
Originally, these trees should have rotted immediately, and it would not be surprising if they disappeared, but I am afraid it is the result of the goddess's protection acting on the forest through the temple.
The swordsman, who barely managed to stand firm on a nearby tree, raised his head and shouted towards the sky.
"Hey! The temple is floating in the air, Lancer! Could it be the legendary Sky Courtyard of Babylonia?!"
At this time, Enkidu, who was running rampant in the air and trying to bind Humbaba's hands and feet with golden chains, said.
"How could it be? This is not a courtyard, it is just a tasteless thing. Especially the goddess sitting in it."
"Is that what it is? But what are the shadows rising around here? It is said that the ground nearby has been smeared into something..."
The surrounding 'shadows' are stretching towards the sky against gravity, swallowing the light while chasing the goddess flying in the air.
"This is... the shadow of the valley."
The nameless assassin muttered.
She also continued to contain the Berserker, combining various Noble Phantasms to restrain the opponent's movements.
"The great venerable...this is the entrance to the underworld that is created by taking his lifeline as a substitute."
"Hades?"
Although the swordsman was very concerned about the unknown assassin's words, when he saw the berserker in front of him breaking Enkidu's chains, he couldn't help but raise his sword.
"I see, is this super-large servant in front of me playing the role of Cerberus in the underworld? I was summoned here to be able to defeat so many monsters in a row. It's really exciting!"
"Cure the monsters... It's very nostalgic."
Hearing the swordsman's emotion, the spearman running alongside him said this.
Deep in this sentence, there is a bit of loneliness - the emotion of blaming yourself.
"There are no monsters or anything like that... obviously there are no monsters anywhere in that forest."
"..."
After hearing these words, the swordsman kept his speed and walked around behind the berserk warrior. Then he turned around and said to Enkidu while braking suddenly.
"I don't know what's going on... That servant is not a monster to you, right?"
While talking, the swordsman began to prepare his Noble Phantasm.
"Well... she... they are human beings."
The swordsman asked while injecting magic power into his sword.
Enkidu also concentrated his magic power on his limbs and replied.
"She is the benefactor who taught me the way of life... and she is also my first friend."
These words seemed to be addressed to himself, but there was no hesitation in his answer.
Facing the huge monster that exuded the light of disaster, Enkidu said, "She is both a human and a friend." The swordsman instantly understood the meaning and raised his sword.
"Well, I'm really sorry for calling your friend a monster! I'll correct it immediately!"
The swordsman smiled and directed the radiance of magic towards the sword.
"Whether it's that shiny golden guy or this guy... your friend is always such a powerful guy, it's really exciting!"
Statements that are neither offensive nor malicious in any way.
"The assassin and I have restrained the berserker, and you can do what you want to do!"
"!"
Judging from the actions so far, the purpose of the spearmen is not to defeat the berserkers - Richard understands this.
However, he couldn't possibly blame him for this.
Richard believed that the reason why he appeared here was based on his own will, so no matter what the spearman did, he was free.
"There should be no place more exciting than here. The real me... should still be burning in purgatory at this moment, not to mention this was my wish during my lifetime. So, no matter whether I am fake or fake here,
Whether it's an object or a replica...it doesn't matter. What's more important is that 'I' am standing here now."
The swordsman said something similar to what Ayaka said to everyone in El-Melloi's classroom just now.
For a purpose, people with different stances gathered together and a big war broke out.
Although things are difficult, at the same time, remember the things that make your heart surge.
For me who appears as a swordsman now, the momentary impulse is the most important, and it is everything worth risking my life for.
Now that he has returned as a heroic spirit and is running in a short period of time - the inner fluctuations he feels every second are the result of what he has accumulated during his lifetime.
If you are summoned by other spiritual bases (such as cavalry), you may have a different and stronger 'king' thinking.
However, this time he appeared as a knight, and not long ago he also obtained the purpose of praying to the Holy Grail.
Forming alliances and fighting together is what we have promised.
Otherwise, however, Richard decided to follow his own heart.
It's impossible for him to stop his allies from doing what they want to do, and he doesn't even want to stop them at all.
"Our time is very short. After we return to our seats, our memories will disappear! However, the 'record' is like a page in a book. Although it is ambiguous, it will be engraved forever!"
The brilliance of the sword increased, illuminating the moist earth.
I don't know if he noticed this, but the berserker who was confronting the unknown assassin raised his upper body in this direction, and the light wheel on his back began to glow.
"One day, even after all humans and planets have come to an end. If the real 'I' is allowed to come out of purgatory and have the day to read that 'book'..."
As if accepting all this straightforwardly, the swordsman smiled happily from the bottom of his heart.
"At least, you want to add a line of words that you can be proud of, don't you?"
At the moment when the berserker shot out a rainbow-colored disaster from his halo of light——
"——'The Sword of Eternally Distant Victory Excalibur'——!"
The light dominated the forest, and the golden chains hanging in the air seemed to resonate with the light and emit light.
The sword was shattered into pieces because it could not withstand the power of the Noble Phantasm - in exchange, the berserker's body was severed by a slash that reached the sky, and the light of disaster also disappeared.
The Excalibur made of branches that we saw when we first formed an alliance in the forest.
Of course, there is a world of difference between a tree branch and an ordinary sword, but even putting this aside, from Enkidu's point of view, this is a quite perfect Noble Phantasm.
The Heroic Spirit, who had no sense of purpose in the Holy Grail War, found his wish and signed a contract with his Master.
Although Enkidu doesn't know the details, one thing is certain - in this Holy Grail War, the swordsman seems to have regained his original power through something.
Enkidu looked at his back and smiled calmly.
"I can't thank you enough. I see, this is the so-called 'alliance'..."
While Enkidu was carving the subtle and biased knowledge into his body, he turned his gaze to the 'harpoon' floating in the sky.
Then, he stretched his hand towards the earth, causing the ground around the swordsman to glow with dazzling light.
"!"
Appearing around the surprised swordsman were replicas of various famous swords and swords created by Enkidu in his own Noble Phantasm, the Age of Babylon.
"It's a meager gift in return. You can choose whatever you want. It won't be a problem if you use it or wear it out!"
Each of them was a treasure that could not be seen in the era in which the swordsman lived - the swordsman grabbed one of the swords to replace the sword that had been shattered and scattered before, and began to use his magic power without hesitation.
"Thank you...compared to your shiny best friend, you are so generous!"
The swordsman said something that was both joking and serious, and Enkidu showed a rare wry smile and flew into the air.
The seriousness of the berserker who reorganized his posture reflected Enkidu's figure.
Now that it was imprisoned by the power of madness and command spells, it stretched out its right arm without even being able to think of a reason.
The wedge of god that once killed him.
Terrible weapon.
Hateful enemy.
However, now his back is turned to him.
In front of its metal-covered arms, among the tender green figures flying in the air, the phantom of a small flower crown appeared for a moment - the only piece of soul that noticed this illusion was immediately stuffed inside.
The depths of countless hatreds and fears.
To those who bring death and destruction, bring deeper death and destruction.
The simple and straightforward principle of revenge will only lead the madness in one direction.
At that moment when everything is swallowed up by negative emotions.
The slash of light once again enveloped the berserker's vision.
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Enkidu jumped while feeling the flash of the swordsman's noble phantom behind him.
Although the swordsman's Noble Phantasm is incredibly powerful, according to Enkidu's calculations, it cannot defeat Humbaba.
Based on the relationship between Master and Servant, he felt that there was a powerful connection between Ishtar and Humbaba through the temple.
In this way, unless the temple is controlled or the divinity of Ishtar itself that overflows this place is taken away, the berserker's spiritual base cannot be destroyed.
In a sense, the current Humbaba is more difficult to defeat than the one he and Gilgamesh fought against during his lifetime.
--despite this……
——Maybe at that time, the fear was too strong.
If it were just a strong enemy, Gilgamesh would not be timid.
The truly terrifying thing about Humbaba lies in the human madness that is contained within it, which is intentionally intended by the gods - further inside, there is truly the human heart.
If it is connected to the temple and under the complete control of Ishtar, the current Humbaba - if it is Humbaba who is in a state where the human heart is covered by the power of the command spell, Gilgamesh may not be shaken.
.
However, as a substitute, he gave birth to a side as a servant of God, and Humbaba truly gained power that greatly exceeded the frame of a servant.
Because of this, there is no time to hesitate.
Now I just use the swordsman as a tool to contain the enemy.
This is tantamount to saying that as a tool, oneself uses others in order to achieve one's own goals.
Enkidu realized this fact, and the gears deep in his spiritual base made an unusual noise.
However, this abnormal sound cannot be a reason for him or her to stop.
It is still unclear whether his action 'this time' was correct.
In the eternity of the future, even if the same miracle happens several times, even if you meet Gil and Humbaba, your wish may not come true in the end.
Is it to save friends, or to impose salvation on others?
Even so, since you have made up your mind, since you are determined to use yourself as a tool, you should persist until the end.
——"You should also do what you want to do!"
Enkidu remembered what the swordsman had just said.
The Master hopes so too.
"That's easy to say!"
The words sounded like complaints, but the voice was full of joy. In Enkidu's recording circuit, scenes from the past appeared.
Now we have the scenery at the end, the streets of Uruk and the records of the rush of that era.
What was you like at that time?
Does it exist as a tool of God, or does it accompany him as a tool for his friends, or is it said that he dedicates his body to more people——
Or, are you just living for your own desires?
If a Heroic Spirit could objectively look at his current life, he might be able to answer it, but Enkidu judged that calculation to be meaningless.
The only thing I can do now is to convey to 'that child' the scenery at the end of the cedar forest and the present moment I have arrived in it.
Because of this, in order to realize this wish, Enkidu must be destroyed again.
What Humbaba risked his life to continue to protect.
The principle of the goddess who bestows protection and control on mankind.
For this reason, I will never begrudge myself.
Even if I use up all my spiritual energy, I still have to get through this momentary illusion.
Enkidu set it up as this is what he 'wanted to do'.
"Compared with Jill, is it more generous...?"
Enkidu remembered the swordsman's words just now and murmured to himself.
"Oh, is that so?"
A giant harpoon that was bound by the twisted earth of Ishtar and completely stopped moving.
Enkidu landed on the harpoon and put his hand against the harpoon - the divinely-made weapon fused with his spiritual base.
Now is the time to capture the beast called the goddess into a cage.
"Maybe it's because I wasted too much... Gil, that he became a frugal person, right?"
The huge harpoon like a building regained its glory——
The entangled earth spread out in all directions, and the harpoon's tip and handle were divided into sixteen parts, spreading like a net over the forest.
A total of sixteen harpoons containing Enkidu's magic power tore through the atmosphere full of divine energy with astonishing momentum and rushed forward.
However, it seemed that such behavior was not tolerated, and a violent roar sounded throughout the world.
“————————”
The berserker, who sensed the expansion of Enkidu's magic power, was knocked back by the swordsman's Noble Phantasm, but still stretched out his left hand.