vncnus Page 84
Page 84
It seems you're about to give up. When you start to doubt yourself, the shield in your hand loses its meaning.
An unprecedented darkness crashed into Mashu's shield, causing her feet to leave the ground uncontrollably. Her body flew backward, propelled by magic, and slammed into the collapsing barrier. At this point, Mashu was only a thin layer of shield between herself and death.
"You are the one who gave me strength back then?"
Look around you; there's someone else who's just as afraid.
As the sound faded, Mash, who was struggling to hold on, noticed that Gudako had somehow appeared beside her, trembling with the same fear as Mash, but with her hands firmly supporting the shield. At that moment, Mash thought of many things.
"Senior, she was terrified just like me, but she mustered the last bit of courage she had. I should be the one standing up! Even if I'm not a hero, I'm still this person's servant! I will stand up!!"
Mashu's confused heart hardened, and she knew very well that even if she wasn't a hero, she couldn't back down now!
"Even if it's not a true Noble Phantasm, it doesn't matter. Even if it can only last this long, it doesn't matter! I'll use it! Otherwise, my senior will die!"
A steadfast belief transformed into power that surged into Mash's hands. Galahad's shield erupted with a light far exceeding anything seen before. Under Alter Alter's incredulous gaze, the walls of Camelot appeared, and magical power far surpassing previous observations suddenly surged from Mash's body. A phantom city materialized in Mash's eyes—the ideal city etched into her Spirit Origin. At this moment, the power of Galahad responded to this human determined to protect it.
[I will stop it! I must have that homeland that can heal all wounds and all resentment. Reveal it! The distant ideal city—Lord Chaldeas!]
The aurora reversed, and the surging black torrent, blocked by the silver-white walls, reversed its direction. In an instant, the pitch-black breath engulfed Alter, who had been stunned by the appearance of the Chalk City. The light disappeared, the armor shattered, and Alter, pierced by her own Noble Phantasm, looked at the shield in Mash's hand with a sense of relief.
"I never imagined I'd be taught a lesson by this shield. Pursuing my own obsessions blindly has led me to this end. This time, I've lost. Chaldea girl, you are now worthy to wield this shield!"
Even though she still had the ability to fight again, Saber Alter had no intention of continuing. Chaldea's victory was already decided. Flames ignited from beneath her feet. As Mash deflected the Noble Phantasm, Cú Chulainn, who had been charging up for a long time, finally unleashed his Noble Phantasm without any intention of resisting. Rather than becoming Morgan's Servant, Saber Alter would rather take a Noble Phantasm and return to the Throne of Heroes.
"My sister is none of your business to lecture her, get out of my way!"
As expected, the instant the Forest Giant emerged, a sharp, spreading energy shot from the void, completely shattering Cú Chulainn's Noble Phantasm. His wand pressed down on the Holy Sword, and the golden blade pierced Cú Chulainn's body under his furious gaze. The contract was severed, and Morgan, at full power, stripped Cú Chulainn's Spirit Origin in the blink of an eye. With his Spirit Origin usurped, Cú Chulainn's Servant form rapidly collapsed, the anchor maintaining the burning Fuyuki disappeared, and this flawed world teetered on the brink of self-destruction.
"Finally out? Let's burn together with that guy!"
Morgan's appearance immediately caught Rafe's attention. His writhing eyeballs gathered energy, and Rafe, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately turned his attention to the intruder Morgan. Before this space collapsed, Rafe wanted to destroy all the outsiders who tried to interfere with the Goetia Project.
"What a disgusting thing! What gave you the illusion that you have everything under control!"
The crimson beam of light was blocked, and the burning sky rippled like a lake as the wand was raised. Under the blue and green light, the black iron stake broke through the ground and pierced through the body of the demon pillar. Chains falling from the sky firmly imprisoned the writhing flesh pillar in place.
"Hahaha, weakling, you think such a weak attack can hurt me? Let me show you the power the King has bestowed upon us! The time for awakening has come, Incineration Style: Flauros!"
Flames that denied humanity fell from the sky, and the lights in the Chaldea control room emitted a scarlet alarm. Lev's attack accelerated the collapse of space, and Gudako's wristwatch immediately sounded Romani's urgent warning. However, due to Lev's interference, all of Romani's reminders only sounded like a piercing electrical current to Gudako's ears.
"Let's die together with the Masters of Chaldea!"
As flames rained down, crackling and licking, Rafe's maniacal laughter became the only sound in this world. Once the flames that denied humanity subsided, Rafe's eyes, which covered his body, began to search for any possible survivors.
"Did they all turn to ashes? The eyesore is finally gone!"
The rock strata beneath him crumbled, and Rafe's body slowly detached from the collapsing space. He activated the spell to travel to the Temple of Time, believing he had successfully cleared the area, and prepared to leave. Then, all of Rafe's eyes simultaneously revealed confusion: his world-traveling spell had been restricted.
Realizing something, its surrounding eyes began to search every corner of this space. Below the collapsing world, a figure stood silently in the void, and behind that figure, Morgan and the Chaldea duo watched it unharmed.
"Aren't you leaving already a bit too hasty, Demon God Floros?"
The ferocious beast emerged from the shattered space. The aura of the sixth beast spread and completely suppressed Rafe's aura. The collapse of the space was slowed down at this moment. Surprise appeared in its rotating eyes. At this moment, Rafe actually felt an aura similar to Goetia from Kenneth.
Chapter 215 Capture, Demon God Pillar
The core of the singularity was destroyed, and the Holy Grail, which was the origin of the distortion, was obtained by Chaldea. However, the world that should have been corrected seemed to have been paused. In this space where right and wrong overlapped, Gudako even saw the double image of the complete Ryudouji Temple and the burning Ryudouji Temple.
Single-handedly, Kenneth held this collapsing world together, preventing those who had not yet been evacuated from being swept away by the global turbulence. On the screen in the Chaldea control room, the blue dot representing Kenneth and the red dot representing the Sixth Chief rapidly filled the entire screen.
"How is this possible! The spirit origin of this superstructure, and this aura... could it be..."
As the former Grand Master and now the head of Chaldea, unlike Gudako who was looking up at him, Romani had already recognized what the partially revealed thing was. It was not the fake thing that was the Demon God Floros, but a fully developed Beast with complete authority, a monster capable of destroying human history.
"Mash! Ritsuka! Your world is about to collapse. Get ready, I'm about to activate the spirit particle transfer to bring you back!"
Without giving the two any time to process their thoughts or offer any explanation, the Chaldea framework activated the moment Romani finished speaking, and the two stranded in the Collapse World were unilaterally transferred by Romani.
"Is this your true form? I never imagined you were this kind of being... Able to traverse worlds like the Beast! Why did you attract such a monster?!"
At this moment, unlike the others who had nothing, Romani, who knew the truth about Kenneth, immediately activated the remaining functions of Chaldea, pulling the magnetic field of Chaldea to its maximum. The enemy of human reason was interested in the human reason protection organization, and Romani absolutely could not allow Kenneth to reach the location of Chaldea.
"Were you seen through? Well, that makes sense, after all, it's you and him."
Romani couldn't possibly be unaware of what the beast head in mid-air represented. Kenneth also knew that when he revealed his true form, regardless of his previous behavior, Romani would immediately transfer the flame of Chaldea. No further reason was needed; just his appearance as the Beast would raise Romani's guard to the highest level.
"They were pretty quick, but it's okay."
This space has been sealed off by Kenneth. Without Kenneth's permission, Romani could not possibly transfer. The moment the passage was established, the coordinates of Chaldea were captured by Kenneth. With just a thought, Kenneth could reach that space isolated from the burning of human reason.
"Your turn next, Floros!"
Kenneth didn't want Rafe as an incarnation; he wanted the demon god Floros, who carried a portion of Goetia's power. According to the original story, Floros would never descend upon Fuyuki. Therefore, Kenneth limited his displayed strength to a level that Floros could handle alone. As it turned out, Kenneth's gamble paid off; he successfully lured out Floros, who represented a part of Goetia.
"Impossible! This is impossible! You are clearly a human being, so why do you possess this kind of spirit origin? What exactly are you?!"
Locked down by Kenneth, Floros, who had been trying to break through the blockade to communicate with the Temple of Time, felt his eyes flare up. As a member of the Beast, Floros recognized what was staring at him, but it was precisely because of this that Floros panicked. It was not a pretense; Kenneth possessed both human and beast spirit origins, and the contradiction between humanity and human evil was far beyond Floros's comprehension.
The answer from Floros was two scarlet dragon claws. The already fragile space shattered with the arrival of the Beast. Floros's fragmented compassion was suppressed in the manifestation of the principle of prosperity. The domain of anti-utopia spread. In the instant he was dragged into the gray-white domain, the mystery within Floros began to dissolve rapidly.
"How could this be! This power was bestowed upon us by our king! Give it back to us! Give back what our king gave us!"
The very existence itself was negated by the power of anti-utopia, and dissolved at a visible speed by the authority bestowed by Solomon. Extreme fear gave rise to extreme anger, and the roar echoed from the collapsing space. The spiral body of the demon god Floros trembled and emitted a viscous magic power far exceeding its previous levels.
[Intelligence Room, Court in session. Unearthing the past, destroying the future! "Incineration Style: Floros!"]
The trembling eyeballs locked onto Kenneth below, the guidance ended, and from the ashes of the remnants of humanity, a crimson pillar of light expanded, shattering the space riddled with cracks. The power to reconstruct the world was activated, pulling Kenneth, who did not belong to this timeline, toward the abandoned world line. Floros's roar continued, and the purple that filled the darkness ignited a raging fire that eroded humanity, engulfing Kenneth, who had no intention of hiding.
"Go to hell! You're an eyesore! Ugly! You're not worth saving! Disappear with this world!!"
Amidst hysterical screams, Floros, completely out of his mind, relentlessly squandered the magic within him. Now, regardless of anything else, Floros, who regarded Solomon as everything, only wanted to burn Kenneth, who had taken everything from him, to ashes.
"What a fool! Haven't you seen your true nature by now? Utterly idiotic!"
The dragon's head in the void opened, burning away the pillar of light and the flames that eroded humanity. Even the magic power unleashed by Floros was suppressed by the Sixth Beast and stagnated. A powerful suction force surged out, like a black hole. The Sixth Beast, whose size was far superior to Floros, indiscriminately devoured everything in the collapsing space.
"Floros! Give me everything you have!"
The crimson dragon claws tore through the air and gripped the trembling Floros in their palms. The eyeballs on his body shattered, and his spiraling body gushed out viscous blood under the sixth beast's grasp. His beastly vertical pupils revealed savagery, and the dragon's open head tore Floros's body apart in one bite.
"Impossible! This is impossible! This was bestowed upon me by the King! Die!"
The eyeballs on the preserved body shot out orange-red beams, and the high-energy rays burst out with fire. The impact, enough to kill an ordinary Servant, hit the scales of the Sixth Beast without leaving a trace of char. The more arrogant it was before, the more miserable it was now. Sharp dragon claws were embedded in its body, and no matter how much it struggled, the Sixth Beast swallowed the Demon God Pillar into its belly one bite at a time, just like eating spicy strips.
"The way you seized it has truly opened my eyes. Don't you have a slightly more magical way to do it?"
Morgan wasn't sympathizing with Floros being treated like a cheap snack, but Kenneth's methods were simply too despicable, even for someone as seasoned as Morgan.
"It's alright, the Demon Pillars don't feel pain, and this method is the most efficient."
Kenneth casually answered Morgan's complaints, treating Floros's struggles as an impromptu performance. The agony of his body being torn apart, the torment of his reason being stripped away, and the fear of his body being slowly devoured pushed Floros's sanity to the brink of collapse. As time passed, the legend bestowed upon him by Solomon did not completely dissolve in this space, and Floros, having lost everything, gave up the struggle at this moment.
Snap! Tear! Crunch, crunch…
The flesh and bones creaked as the Sixth Beast chewed them, swallowing the last remnants of Floros. A part of the Principle of Compassion merged with the concept Kenneth had evoked, and feeling the fullness of this original soul, Kenneth's spirit was satisfied like never before.
"As expected of a complete beast, even one-seventy-two parts of the law are of such quality. Goetia, what a feast you must have to offer!"
Faith and legend, even in an attempt to deny human history, are things that the Demon Pillars, etched into human history, cannot escape. On the surface, the Demon Pillars are creations of Solomon, enjoying human offerings, but at a deeper level, their origin lies in the forcibly incorporated, corrupted, and distorted representation of native deities. Their power comes from legend, their origin from the gods; one could say that Kenneth's dystopian world perfectly counters this myth-born demon.
Savoring the restoration brought by Floros, Kenneth's body floated up and merged into the body of the Sixth Beast. He did not rush to leave. Kenneth knew that when Floros was resurrected in the Temple of Time, Goetia, upon learning of his existence, would come immediately. As a complete human evil, Goetia was worth Kenneth's all-out effort to face.
As Kenneth took control, the Sixth Beast's body transformed into human form, with scarlet scales covering its limbs and sharp horns protruding from its hair. At this moment, Kenneth truly became the Beast that was eroding humanity. Its tightly closed eyelids opened, and the Sixth Beast's aura filled the empty space.
Sensing the power within him, Kenneth, now in beast form, turned and locked his vertical pupils onto a corner of the pitch-black space. There, Kenneth sensed the aura of evil emanating from another human.
"Since you're here, why don't you come out and greet us?" Provoked by Kenneth, the dark space distorted, and a man with white hair, golden eyes, and slightly dark skin appeared. Goetia, who occupied Solomon's body, stared at Kenneth, while Kenneth also looked at Goetia. The aura of beasts began to clash, and as cracks filled the space, the atmosphere became increasingly tense.
Chapter 216 Chaldea
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The death of Floros caused Goetia, the embodiment of the Demon God Pillars, to leave her throne. She learned everything from the reborn Floros, and faced with an being of equal stature, Kenneth deserved Goetia's confirmation. The laws of mercy and prosperity clashed in the collapsing space, without any concrete action; both sides were testing each other's strength.
"Knowing our true intentions, knowing our ideals, Beast VI, who has traversed the sea of stars, do you intend to hinder our great cause?!"
With his aura subdued, Goetia, having gleaned some insight from Kenneth's actions, questioned him. Although his beast form was incomplete, with the blessing of the Third Law, Kenneth, now the Sixth Beast, was in no way inferior to the mature Goetia in terms of power. Unsure of defeating Kenneth, Goetia adopted the most conservative approach in negotiations.
"Your ideals are ridiculously laughable, and your great cause is as narrow as a frog at the bottom of a well. Why should I stop something that is destined to fail?"
Kenneth had no interest in burning away humanity's principles, nor did he have the time to save them. What Kenneth wanted was the doctrine of law held by Goetia. If Goetia were willing to hand over the doctrine of mercy to him, Kenneth would leave this world on the spot. But that was impossible; the doctrine of mercy was the very foundation of Goetia's existence. Kenneth's purpose destined him to stand in opposition to the vast majority of the Beasts. Kenneth wasn't against Goetia; he was against the evil of humanity, including Goetia itself.
With his sorrowful wish denied, Goetia, who manifested in the form of Solomon, gradually revealed the characteristics of a beast: his mouth split open, his vertical pupils appeared, and Goetia's voice was also filled with demonic power.
"I will be waiting for you at the end, Beast VI, who has sought the power of the ghouls. Your path will be ended by me!"
After uttering a harsh remark, Goetia left the shattered Fuyuki City without looking back. Kenneth was right; Goetia wouldn't fight him outside the Temple of Time. Recording the coordinates of the Temple of Time, Kenneth, in his Sixth Beast form, established a passage to Chaldea.
After maximizing the magnetic field of Chaldea, Chaldea immediately brought Gudako and Mashu back to the infirmary. After a highly sophisticated examination, Romani was relieved to confirm that neither of them had been marked by Kenneth.
"Doctor, why were we suddenly moved? Rafe, that guy actually..."
"Based on Chaldea's analysis, you are not someone you can fight against in that state. You are Chaldea's last hope, and you must not act rashly."
Seeing Gudako's unusually agitated state, Romani had no choice but to brace himself and bear the weight of the fact that the Demon Pillar he left behind on the Throne of Heroes had become the true culprit behind the burning of humanity and the Beast, who had designs on Chaldea across the world. Everyone could be angry, everyone could be sad, but he alone could not. As the current supreme commander of Chaldea, Romani had to shoulder everything. If he collapsed, then Chaldea would truly have no hope.
"And what about Mr. Kenneth? He and his companions are still there, Doctor, we..."
"That gentleman was moved away shortly after you left, so don't worry."
Interrupting Mashu, Romani answered Mashu's question with a lie he had prepared beforehand. The existence of the Beast was too heavy for Gudako and Mashu at the moment, and in order not to dampen their already low morale, Romani took it upon himself to keep it a secret from everyone.
"Damn it! It's all my fault for not catching the director. If I had been a little faster, he wouldn't have been killed!"
Gudako pounded her fists on the ground, her anger giving way to self-blame. A heavy, oppressive atmosphere instantly enveloped Gudako, and Mash's mood also became somber under the influence of the atmosphere. Compared to Gudako, who knew little about Chaldea, Mash, who was born in Chaldea, already had tears welling up in her eyes.
He was also saddened by Olga Marie's sacrifice, but Romani, as the backbone of Chaldea, forced himself not to show his grief. He gently patted the two of them on the back and whispered words of comfort:
"Ritsuka, Mashu. You've done your best. I'm also very saddened by the Director's sacrifice, but you must remember that we who survived must continue to walk for those who can't come back. We inherited their ideals, we bear their expectations. For them, cheer up."
The sobs grew clearer as Romani lifted the two women, who were still grieving, and gently walked out of the infirmary. Outside the door, Leonardo da Vinci, who had been waiting there, looked at Romani, who had a troubled expression.
"I'm leaving these two children to you. There's still a lot of equipment that needs to be inspected. Chaldea is still showing signs of anomalies, so go and take a look."
As the current head of Chaldea, all the work of Chaldea has fallen on Romani's shoulders. He slapped his face, trying to adjust his expression, and looked at the corridor that was still lit by red lights.
"Then I'm counting on you. Don't let them do anything foolish. We can't afford to lose any more of them."
"give it to me."
Looking at Leonardo da Vinci, who always maintained an optimistic attitude, Romani couldn't help but feel a little envious. He nodded and, having taken on the responsibility of leading Chaldea, Romani began to check the reconstruction work of Chaldea one by one according to priority. At the same time, under the orange-red Chaldea, Kenneth, who had just arrived, was immediately attracted to the device in front of him.
"So that's it! So that's what you were after, Maris Billy! Simulated Earth Environment Model, what a hypocritical title!"
Previous speculations were all empty talk, but after witnessing the activated Chaldea, the doubts that had troubled Kenneth for so long were finally answered. Rather than calling Chaldea a model of a simulated Earth environment, it would be more accurate to call it a model of a simulated alien planet. [Magic Theory: Correspondence], a theory widely used in the magic world, and the planet that Chaldea corresponds to is the planet beneath their feet.
Through Chaldea's interference with past history, similar things will influence each other. As the connection between the alien planet Chaldea and Earth becomes closer, the device in front of us will completely replace the sovereignty of this planet conceptually. The mature alien planet will give birth to its own U, which resembles the crimson moon. It is both the consciousness of the planet and the U of the planet, with power and strength combined. The alien god born from Earth will become the supreme ruler of the planet beneath its feet.
In conjunction with the theory of the World Egg, the Holy Lance stitches the surface of the world onto the world. The mature Imaginary Tree will capture the observable universe, viewing the universe as a single covering. When the Imaginary Tree descends to the surface, the observable universe it captures will be stitched onto the newborn Earth like a celestial curtain. At that time, Earth will be isolated from the unknown universe, and external interference will be unable to affect the interior. Chaldea will replace Earth as the new planet, and the new universe centered on Chaldea will break away from everything and continue a new human order.
The alien planet before him revealed Maris Billy's plan. Recalling the man who had shown a gentle smile at that moment, Kenneth's lips curled into a mocking arc. Maris Billy's plans were even more outrageous than his own, and compared to that, human reason was trivial. Kenneth would absolutely not allow Maris Billy to carry out this plan in his world.
With a breath, Kenneth approached the surging Chaldea, extending his palm. Chaldea, capable of condensing all matter into molecular states, was completely powerless against Kenneth's invasion.
How did you get here?!
With a thud, the inspection panel fell to the ground. Looking at Kenneth in disbelief, Romani, who had come to adjust Chaldea, tensed up instantly after the initial shock.
“I’m here to complete the transaction, Solomon.”
When Kenneth uttered that name, Roromani's pupils shrank to a point; the hidden secret had been exposed, and Roromani's heart pounded violently.
“Solomon, who is that? I am the physician of Chaldea.”
Kenneth withdrew his hand, having ascertained Olga Marie's current state, and looked at Romani, whose forehead was already beaded with cold sweat. He withdrew from his beastly state, and a peaceful aura gradually replaced the malice that had been eroding human reason.
"Who you are is not important. I'm here to complete the transaction, and as agreed, I've come."
Kenneth's voice echoed in the empty room. After struggling for a moment, Romani opened the door behind him as if resigned to his fate. Kenneth had already come to their door, and Chaldea's current strength was no match for him. For the sake of Chaldea's continuation, Romani had no choice but to act in accordance with Kenneth's wishes.
"Come with me, someone will discuss the details of the machine with you."
After taking one last look at Chaldea, Kenneth and Morgan followed Romani into the corridor that shimmered with red light.
Chapter 217 The Deal is Made
In the hastily prepared reception room of Chaldea, after dispersing irrelevant individuals, Romani sat down, his body tense. He looked every bit the exploited tool, a capitalist-boss figure. Sitting opposite him, Kenneth acted as if he owned the place, scrutinizing Romani with obvious interest. The atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive, and Romani, sweating profusely, tried to start a conversation.
“Mr. Kenneth, may I call you that? You have seen the current state of Chaldea. Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality.”
"It's nothing. Compared to these superficial things, I'm more interested in how you are now. It's truly remarkable that you've managed to abandon all the identities of an ordinary person and strive to live."
This is the truth. Given the same position, Kenneth knows he couldn't make the same choice as Romani. It is precisely because he cannot that Kenneth pays homage to the sublime. Of course, respect is one thing, but if anything truly hinders Kenneth's plans, Kenneth will respectfully remove any obstacle in his path.
Upon being praised by Kenneth, Romani's body trembled violently. Clearly, Kenneth knew his origins. Combined with Kenneth's ability to travel between worlds, Romani's thoughts began to wander uncontrollably. Just as Romani was becoming increasingly nervous, Kenneth spoke.
"No need to be nervous, I won't interfere with your choice. Since you've chosen to be an ordinary person, then live an ordinary life honestly. I won't say anything more. I'm here for a deal, and you know what I want. So, let's talk about terms, Romani."