บท 341: C341
Gray unleashed the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad, and a dazzling radiance enveloped the Conqueror King Iskandar. The sheer power surged towards the sky, shaking the very foundation of the castle.
"Boom—!!!"
The pristine ceiling shattered under the brilliant starlight. Massive fragments rained down like shooting stars, unveiling the scenery beyond.
Lorelei's eyes widened in astonishment as she saw the outside world. She couldn't help but gasp, "What on earth is that—?"
Not only her, but everyone present, including Shirou, Arcueid, Altrouge, and others, was stunned as they gazed at the scene outside.
Before their eyes stretched a sky adorned with colorful ribbons, creating a surreal and enchanting landscape that seemed straight out of a dream.
And in the blink of an eye...
The shattered stones began to rewind, their fragmented pieces reassembling with astonishing speed. The ceiling reconstructed itself swiftly, almost as if the bewildering phenomenon they had just witnessed was nothing more than a fleeting illusion.
However, both Shirou and Lorelei, along with Arcueid, Altrouge, and the others, possessed great confidence in their observations. They were certain that what they had witnessed was not a trick of the mind.
"What could that be? Could it be some kind of anomaly caused by the power of the Holy Grail?" Shirou pondered, his brows furrowed in deep thought.
"Huff... huff..."
Meanwhile, Gray struggled to catch her breath, beads of sweat glistening on her forehead. The immense exertion of unleashing Rhongomyniad had taken its toll on her. It was evident that such a potent force could not be wielded casually. Gasping for air, she finally succumbed to exhaustion and fainted.
Unleashing the power of Rhongomyniad required a substantial reserve of magical energy. For individuals like Shirou, who possessed "All the World's Evil," or Artoria, with the "Factor of Red Dragon," this was not a concern. However, for Gray, it was an immense burden to bear.
Shirou approached Altrouge, who trembled in a corner, and entrusted Gray into her care. He then reached down to retrieve the fallen Add.
"Do you want to become one with nature?... I shall bestow upon you eternal life and infinite magical energy."
"Tsk!" Shirou clicked his tongue in annoyance, clearly displeased with the proposition.
It was Add who spoke... or rather, the true Rhongomyniad itself. The Will of the Planet seized the moment to harass him, seeking to assimilate him into an extension of the planet, the God Rhongomyniad.
This greatly displeased him. He had already killed the Crimson Moon, so the Will of the Planet no longer had any value to him. Why should he waste his time with this persistent stalker?
With a direct motion, he flung Add towards Arcueid, entrusting her to handle the troublesome thing.
With the defeat of the King of Heroes, the Conqueror King met his demise as well, bringing the total number of eliminated Servants to five.
Now, only two Servants remained. Following the pattern of the Fourth Holy Grail War participants, one of them should be Saber, and the other should be Shirou himself.
But was that even possible? He pondered this thought. After all, he was still very much alive! The Throne of Heroes held records of the Eternal King but did not have a record of him, Fujimaru Shirou.
Indeed, duplicating Fujimaru Shirou would seem implausible. As for the Eternal King, despite being recorded in the Throne of Heroes, cannot be summoned without his consent since he lacks a physical existence.
As the physical entity of the Eternal King, he was still alive and well, so he cannot be summoned. Therefore, there must be another potential candidate for the Caster class. Moreover, something incredibly strange yet powerful was at play here.
Shirou assigned Lorelei and her team of elite magi to thoroughly scour the surrounding area, but their diligent search yielded no trace of the Mirror World within the garden.
In other words, was that thing no longer here? No. It should be said that that thing probably was never in the Mirror World from the beginning! It was something that operated outside the Mirror World, invisible to the eyes!
This explains everything. Despite Lorelei and her elite magi shattering the Mirror World of Iskandar and Gilgamesh, they still found themselves under attack by something, which leaves him puzzled.
"Were you ambushed too?"
Lorelei nodded and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. Even though I'm unsure of the exact power of the Heroic Spirit wearing the golden armor, I could have defeated him alone considering the strength he displayed just now. However, I was caught off guard during the encounter. Not only was I ambushed, but my magi were also targeted."
"Did you catch a glimpse of the ambush or the person responsible?"
She shook her head and replied, "No, I didn't. All I know is that the enemy used a binding spell that caught both me and my magi off guard."
Shirou furrowed his brow. This method of attack didn't sound like the thing that previously ambushed him and the others.
That entity possessed considerable raw power, rendering the need for binding techniques unnecessary.
Could it be possible that there's another entity lurking in the shadow?
But why would someone go to the trouble of duplicating the Fourth Holy Grail War here? Are they trying to recreate the Holy Grail itself and maybe even achieve the Third Magic? It sounds pretty far-fetched, who would be foolish enough to attempt something like that?
And without the Lesser Grail and the Greater Grail, how could they possibly replicate the Holy Grail War? It doesn't seem to make much sense. Besides, even if they manage to replicate it, what significance would a counterfeit Holy Grail hold anyway?
Shirou scratched his head, feeling a bit puzzled. He wasn't exactly a detective, and he wasn't particularly skilled at this kind of deductive reasoning.
In that moment, his thoughts turned to Guinevere. If only she were here, her fairy-like intellect would surely come in handy.
But no, even without Guinevere, it didn't really matter. After all, they had a great detective among them—Waver Velvet.
And just as he was thinking of Waver, in the very next moment, Waver burst out of the building in a state of panic, accompanied by the frantic magi.
"Help! Ahhhhhhhh!!!" Waver's voice echoed, filled with desperation.
He gazed at Waver, his brow furrowed with confusion. Hadn't he already entrusted Waver with a portion of the black mud? So why was Waver still in such a desperate state?
Not to boast, but even with only a small amount of the black mud at his disposal, Waver should have been well-protected, capable of launching powerful attacks and defending himself. Even if he were to face the counterfeit Gilgamesh, Waver's safety wouldn't be under threat. So what had caused him to be so frantic now?
Waver hurriedly rushed over, and upon catching sight of Shirou, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
"What's going on, Waver?"
"We're being attacked by a Heroic Spirit!"
"But my black mud should be sufficient to fend off those counterfeits."
"No!" Waver exclaimed, his tone grave. "This Heroic Spirit... is on an entirely different level!"
"Roarrrrrr——!!"
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the hall, resonating with youthful immaturity. Shortly after, a putrid stench filled the air as thick black water surged forth.
As it advanced, the presence of the mud caused flowers, grass, and trees to wither and crumble. Yet, a peculiar force seemed to be at play, as the decaying vegetation started to regenerate, only to be swiftly corrupted again by the black water.
This perpetual cycle of decay and rejuvenation created a haunting spectacle, leaving an eerie impression on anyone who witnessed it.
Amidst the noxious odor of the black water, a small and juvenile figure gradually emerged.
"That...!" Shirou couldn't help but gape in astonishment.
Not only him, but even Arcueid, Altrouge, Merem, and Luvia stood frozen in astonishment.
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