บท 288: National Defense Machine God: Shikoutazer
The Plains Outside Fortress of Millennia—
Clang!
"Alex, what are you doing? Slacking off? That strike earlier—Her Majesty has returned."
With his honor guard of Astartes soldiers, Leiva strolled across the field, casually collecting any useful intel he could find. Stroking his impressive mustache, he gave orders to the Astartes soldiers around him, who dutifully recorded their findings with various detection instruments.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of deafening clashes resounded as Alex's Golden-Winged Sword collided repeatedly with Mordred's Radiant and Brilliant Royal Sword.
Red lightning and purple-red flames clashed fiercely as the two powerful combatants exchanged blows, each strike generating fierce sparks that shot high into the air.
Boom!
After the thunderous exchange, they drew back. Resting his sword on the ground, Alex tilted his head toward the sky with a helpless sigh. What do you mean, I'm slacking off? General Leiva, you're the one going easy here.
Although Alex bore the title of Captain of the Astartes First Legion, most of the other legion captains were more senior than him.
But what could he do? He was the youngest. Both Budo and Leiva were far more experienced, even having looked out for him in the past.
"General Leiva, we're just simulated data. We can't use our true abilities, and the release of Honkai energy (or simulated magic) is also limited…" Alex explained. "Besides, this Saber of the Red faction isn't exactly easy to handle." As he spoke, Alex couldn't help but glance at Mordred, who had also withdrawn and wasn't pressing the attack.
"Heh? So you do know my strength after all, huh, you tin can? Hahaha!" Mordred laughed as she wiped the blood from her mouth and adjusted her stance, her mood bright despite her body still tingling from their last clash.
"Indeed, for your age, your strength is remarkable." Alex nodded, respectful even of his foe. She's a fierce opponent, but she's just a kid at heart.
Mordred, seeming to preen under his praise, suddenly snapped out of it, refocusing her grip on her sword. "Hey, tin can! Don't think I'll show you mercy. Why'd you stop? Are you done fighting?"
"Yes, in fact, I am. Her Majesty's turn has arrived."
Alex turned, looking back at Leiva, who nodded and then gave the command. "First Legion, fall back!"
Closing his notebook, Leiva echoed the call, "Third Legion, fall back!"
Instantly, every Astartes soldier arrayed across the field shimmered and vanished in a stream of purple-red particles.
"Huh? Wait...the fight's not fin—!" Mordred began, but an immense gust of wind, like a wall of force, suddenly swept across the field and knocked her back, catching her off-guard. She stumbled but wasn't hurt, though it left her thoroughly disheveled.
"What now? A Noble Phantasm being unleashed?" Mordred muttered, planting her sword in the ground and shielding her face from the storm of sand and rocks pelting her in the wake of the whirlwind.
...
"Descend upon me—the Glory of the Empire!"
With a graceful yet commanding gesture, a glint of excitement flared in Selene's scarlet eyes.
Buzz, buzz!
As she chanted the incantation to release her Noble Phantasm, a flood of tangible magic surged from Selene's open hands. The lava-cooled ground fractured beneath her feet, and a fierce gust of purple-red mana swirled around her, tearing outward in waves.
"Not enough," she murmured. "This magic isn't nearly sufficient to manifest the Primus Imperator (Shikoutazer) in its full, rider-class form."
Summoning a mere hundred-meter-sized throne would indeed be easier, saving both time and effort, but since she'd chosen to deploy it, there would be no half-measures!
She withdrew her Astartes soldiers from the field, reabsorbing their collective mana. Selene then connected to her Master, Celenike, via the Command Spell system.
"Master, my mana reserve is insufficient to fully release the Primus Imperator. Forcing it would rip apart your magic circuits. Use a Command Spell."
On the balcony of the Fortress of Millennia, Celenike raised her hand bearing three red crown-shaped Command Seals and, under Darnic's watchful gaze, issued the order.
"By the power of my Command Seal, Rider, release your Noble Phantasm: National Defense Machine God - Shikoutazer!"
The central crown on her right hand's Command Seal disintegrated, glowing momentarily before vanishing. Though Celenike was not the most skilled magus, her command was precise and specific.
As Command Seals, which bordered on the domain of True Magic, work best with specific instructions, Celenike's was potent and focused, enhancing the release of Selene's Noble Phantasm.
"Enough," Selene said, sensing the restriction lifted. She resumed her incantation.
"Imperial origin, born in the past, reigning in the present, and eternal in the future…"
"From past to future, this moment is eternal!"
"At this hour, the world's light shines brightest! Even the stars shall dim before it! Manifest—"
"National Defense Machine God - Shikoutazer!"
In an instant, a transparent framework enveloped Selene, transforming her into a towering pillar of purple-red light that shot up toward the heavens.
The immense light pillar rose like an erupting volcano, reaching even the height of the Hanging Gardens, casting a dreadful purple-red glow over the night-shrouded sky and land below.
Then, the pillar condensed into dense magic particles, gradually forming the figure of a colossal god.
Rumble, rumble!
Click, click, click!
The thunderous clamor echoed throughout Trifas, making this a night none of its citizens would ever forget.
Earlier that day, people had idly discussed the earthquake, forest fire, and supposed gas pipe explosion. They even chatted about rumors from Sighisoara regarding Jack the Ripper and a church bombing.
But by nightfall, events in Trifas had taken a far stranger turn.
"Look over there!"
"What is that?!"
The crowd fleeing the streets came to a halt, their eyes widening in horror as they gazed out at the field. Their belongings fell forgotten to the ground.
"What…is that?!"
"That…is a god…"
"Is it a sign from the Lord?"
Every onlooker took a breath and stepped back, terror overtaking them as their eyes were locked on the massive figure looming over the land.
What has happened to the world…?
Just days ago, life had felt normal. But now, everything they thought they knew was slipping into an unfamiliar nightmare.
Even the magi sent from the Clock Tower, knowing they'd bear witness to a war fought between legendary heroes, couldn't contain their shock.
The figure before them was towering, its head seeming to touch the clouds, casting a vast shadow over everyone's hearts. Standing an astonishing 500 meters tall, this colossal god embodied supreme authority.
The Machine God's body was composed of a strange, gleaming metal, humanoid in shape, cloaked, and crowned, its very presence exuding the air of a god judging humanity.
In awe, all who beheld it felt like ants gazing up at the heavens, their bodies shaking uncontrollably from the sheer impact of such an overwhelming display.
The masses, overcome by fear, fell to their knees, their hands clasped in prayer, pleading desperately for mercy. Just then, a blinding light emerged from the Machine God's head.
Bzzzt!
In a flash of intense red light, brighter than the sun, a devastating energy beam blasted across the plains surrounding Trifas, erupting into a massive fireball that illuminated the night sky with crimson fire.
A deafening explosion followed, sending shockwaves and air currents roaring outwards like a tsunami, shaking the very earth. Violent tremors spread through Trifas, jolting its citizens from their stupor. Driven by sheer survival instinct, they fled in terror from the doomed town.
"Run for your lives!"
"We're all going to die!"
...
On the fortress balcony, the Yggdmillennia Masters watched in stunned silence. Even someone as calm and composed as Fiore struggled not to swear aloud.
The sheer destructive power on display left her, and everyone else, shaken to their core.
"Luckily, Her Majesty is our Servant. I can't imagine the devastation if Rider were on the opposing side," Fiore murmured, her voice tinged with awe.
It was beyond comprehension—no matter how well they prepared, nothing would stand against such absolute power.
Standing nearby, Gordes, usually arrogant and critical of his rivals, seemed as taken aback as everyone else by the display of Rider's power. Celenike, Selene's Master, suddenly burst out laughing in sheer excitement.
"This is what it means to be a god! Such overwhelming strength! Marvelous! The Greater Grail is as good as ours!" Celenike shouted with fervent zeal.
Yours, more like, Caules thought. He seriously doubted that Celenike, armed with this overwhelming trump card, would let anyone else get near the Greater Grail.
He turned to his sister. "Sister, why hasn't Lord Darnic arrived? And where's Roche?"
"Hmm…"
Pushing her wheelchair to Caules' side, Fiore grew thoughtful. "It's strange. I have a bad feeling about this. Could one of the enemy Servants have infiltrated the fortress?"
"Lord Darnic, could I ask you to investigate...?"
...
When the blinding light finally faded, the battlefield showed its scars. The once-vast plains had transformed into a gorge, a fiery trench cutting across the land and reducing the field to scorched ruins.
"It's over, Berserker Spartacus."
Seated at the core of the Primus Imperator, Selene spoke softly. The Throne's inaugural blast was solely for Spartacus, a fitting end for a rebel like him.
Initially, the Imperial Throne was heavily synced with its user. Modified by the Honkai energy, it operated as a seamless extension of Selene's will. She could control it directly from within or remotely from outside, much like an immersive VR system.
However, in her Rider-class form, the Throne was restricted, with direct control possible only from within its core.
From high above, Selene looked down at the ashen remains of Spartacus. His grotesque, tumor-ridden form had been utterly incinerated, reduced to dust.
"Now, it's your turn, Red Assassin Semiramis."
At her command, the Primus Imperator rotated to face the ever-receding Hanging Gardens above.
Click, click!
The Machine God raised one of its mountain-sized hands. With a heavy clank, panels on its palm shifted, revealing a colossal cannon, its diameter over fifteen meters wide.
"So then, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada… let's see what your next move will be."
"Your Majesty, urgent news!"
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