Chapter 493: Chapter 493: Red and Black Showdown · Playing Dumb
Spartacus's final blow was nothing short of a disaster, akin to a malicious and cursed hurricane, earthquake, and tsunami.
Converting his immense magical power entirely into a destructive force, it shook the heavens and rocked the earth.
The massive magical energy spread wildly around, creating a shockwave so immense that it rendered all present Servants momentarily paralyzed.
The Red Rider and Black Archer, who were facing off, temporarily halted their battle and rushed out from the forest.
The Red Saber and Black Lancer, whose swords and spears were clashing, simultaneously withdrew their weapons and looked up at the sky.
At the two ends of the battlefield, Black Berserker and Ruler simultaneously released their Noble Phantasms, constructing a defensive perimeter.
Black Saber and the phantom puppets ceased their fierce battle, turning their gaze to the destructive light that dimmed the silver moon and the countless stars.
Black Caster ceased manually controlling the golems.
Red Archer halted her sprint, her face showing undisguised astonishment.
The EX-ranked Anti-World Noble Phantasm "The Hanging Gardens of Babylon" let out a wail.
Red Caster sat on the ground, clutching his laptop tightly with both hands.
The intricate spell formations before Red Assassin Semiramis interwove, using every means to withstand the explosion's impact.
Red Lancer's expression was stern, his eyes filled with both regret and gravity as he looked at the projection filled with white light.
Only Father Shirou's eyes moved, a smile playing on his lips, lost in thought.
Even the Black Faction's stronghold, Millennia Castle, was affected. Fortunately, with Shinji's prior warning, Darnic and the others activated the defenses accumulated by their family over generations. Being far from the explosion's center, Millennia Castle suffered minimal damage. Aside from some damage to the outer walls, the rest remained intact.
As the explosion's blinding light turned night into day, deep blue spiritual particles gathered behind Fiore, transforming into the figure of a young man.
As soon as the young man appeared, he began patting his chest, looking quite relieved.
"Oh my, oh my, that was close. If I had been a moment later, I would have been buried with Spartacus. As expected of my master, your timing was perfect—uh, master, why are you looking at me like that?"
Fiore's large blue eyes narrowed halfway, her eyelids pulling up at the corners, her beautiful pupils shifting to the side as she tilted her face, giving Shinji a sidelong glance. Her entire demeanor exuded a repressive atmosphere, making Shinji's heart skip a beat.
Hearing Shinji's question, Fiore snorted heavily and flicked her long hair.
"Why am I looking at you like this? Don't you know in your heart?"
"Um..." Shinji scratched his cheek, nervously probing, "I'm not quite sure. Could you give me a hint?"
"Really."
Fiore's eyes narrowed further, "Then think it over carefully before you speak."
Wow, even without looking, he could feel the intense resentment. Why did he suddenly feel like a heartless scoundrel? As Shinji complained inwardly, he glanced at Caules for help.
He knew perfectly well why Fiore was angry, but in the current situation, anything he said or did would only make her more upset. Hence, he needed external intervention, and Caules, who had grown up with Fiore, was the perfect choice.
Caules, whom Shinji regarded as the most emotionally intelligent man in the family, quickly understood the meaning behind Shinji's gaze. After a moment of hesitation, he whispered, "Pegaus, true name."
"Eh?"
Shinji continued to play dumb.
Fiore's face grew even angrier, her gaze as sharp as a knife enveloping her brother as well.
Caules felt a chill in his heart and quickly said, "You mean you don't know your real name?"
"Yeah, what's wrong with that?"
"You—fine, you're something. Let's see how long you can keep this up!" Caules was also a bit angry. "
Don't know your real name, huh? Then how do you explain the Pegasus? Sister told me that you denied being Perseus."
"Oh, that. I don't know how to explain it either, but I'm not Perseus." Shinji's face was full of helplessness, his expression as innocent as can be.
"If you're not Perseus, then are you Bellerophon?"
"Don't compare me with that narcissist."
"Then you can't be Medusa, Athena, or the Muses, right? Or did you use some Noble Phantasm to change your gender?"
"I'm a perfectly normal man."
"Enough."
Fiore finally couldn't bear it any longer. She angrily slapped her wheelchair. "Are you planning to keep lying to the end? As your Master, don't I have the right to know your true name? Or were all those things you said to me before just lies? You big liar."
The more Fiore spoke, the more agitated she became, and the Master-Servant contract between them was affected by her intense emotions.
Noticing the disruption of magical energy, Shinji quickly soothed her, "Calm down, calm down, Master."
"How do you expect me to calm down!"
Fiore finally decided to look at Shinji. Her eyes, even the whites around them, were filling with tears.
"Master, at least let me finish speaking, okay? Even a judge gives the defendant a chance to speak before passing judgment, and I'm not even a defendant."
"Go ahead."
Whether moved by Shinji's increasingly gentle tone or sensing his sincerity, Fiore's emotions somewhat stabilized.
"There's not much to say—do you remember what I told you? I remember the deeds of Perseus very clearly. Why? Because I possess the Noble Phantasms of Perseus, like the iconic Pegasus. But just because of that, you can't conclude I'm Perseus, because I have other Noble Phantasms."
As Shinji spoke, he materialized the golden staff, the black-gold spear, and the gold-blue scepter.
"This is 'Indra's Thunder,' the weapon of the thunder god who tricked Karna out of his golden armor. This is the spear of Ishtar, the weapon of the goddess of love and war in Babylonian mythology. This is the 'Scepter of the Goddess,' a symbol of authority of a certain pharaoh in Egypt, imbued with the power of a goddess. The great hero Perseus from Greek mythology couldn't possibly have these Noble Phantasms. And there's another piece of evidence: Perseus is the son of the god Zeus, like Achilles and Karna, a demigod with divinity, which I don't have."
"This..."
Fiore and Caules looked at each other, and the other Masters who had been watching the scene were also left speechless.
They had been so focused on the Pegasus that they overlooked Shinji's other Noble Phantasms. Fiore's initial assumption, based on the catalyst she used, that Shinji was a Heroic Spirit related to Perseus, led to this conclusion. If it were the Red Faction, even if Shinji revealed Pegasus, they wouldn't have so hastily assumed he was Perseus.
"I-I'm sorry, I wronged you."
Realizing her mistake, Fiore bowed her head in apology.
"It's alright. I expected this might happen when I used Pegasus."
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