The Holy Grail War Blessed by the Gods

"It seems that you, as merely a shadow, are unable to break through the darkness that also governs death. Or perhaps you haven't used your full strength? I will not allow you to hold back your abilities. If you cannot satisfy me, I will not allow you to leave."

Manjushri spoke thus in the darkness, and went further to oppress the darkness of Yggdrasil.

“O obsidian mirror rising with smoke, O fickle Lord of the present moment, reveal to me the dark destiny.”

The darkness controlled by Manshu also began to form mist, which began to erode the darkness formed by Youge.

"Either be consumed by the Almighty, or give it your all."

Chapter Twenty-Two: Impact

As before, the thick fog surged forth like a tide, beginning to engulf the darkness before us.

Even shadows are subject to its control; the invisible blades shot from the darkness even turn against it the moment they touch it.

The shadow that was thrown down by the nine was instead defeated by the eight. Assassin used his own abilities to create the three spaces, but this phenomenon disintegrated the five.

"Black sun... Great god associated with mountains, you are clearly already in the valley, why do you still seek the valley?"

A confused voice came from the darkness. Teskatlipoka was an acquaintance of the Old Man of the Mountain, and the two were connected in some way.

Tescatlipoca naturally didn't need to search for the valley, so the events before him shouldn't have happened.

"It is not Tescatlipoca here; I have only obtained a part of His soul and exercise His power through this."

Therefore, I have never seen the scenery of this secluded valley, which is why I stopped you here out of curiosity.

As Manshu explained, his movements on the other side did not slow down in the slightest, as if he really wanted to destroy Youge, which was entrusted to the shadow.

“The thoughts of the gods are different from ours. I only hold the blade in my hand. Whether I can hear the evening bell is not up to me.”

Youge showed no hatred or sadness, and simply spoke calmly.

The dark, empty eye sockets of the skull mask revealed only unchanging shadows.

"That is how it should be, for travelers emerging from the valley."

Manju nodded and said, “Death and shadow pressed down completely, like a wave that was about to crush everything.”

However, Youge didn't seem to be able to do anything more, and simply continued to wield the invisible blade.

But no matter how many there are, it's all useless, even if the number reaches as many as a thousand.

All darkness was eventually taken away, and in the darkness, a shadow finally emerged.

Although the shadow was also pitch black, it was repelled by the surrounding darkness and could not blend into it.

“I have come out of the secluded valley. If you want to see the secluded valley, you must return to the mountains.”

Youge said this while standing still, but Manshu simply shook his head and withdrew all the darkness.

"Even if it's just a shadow, it's still too far from that mountain. Is it impossible to see it again without death?"

Manshu confirmed the matter and said with some regret.

"Then I'll wait until the moment you're truly ready to return to that Netherworld realm, and then I'll come to see you off at the end of your journey."

Without any lingering attachment, Manju transformed into the wind and disappeared into the night, leaving only the dark shadow lingering for a moment before returning to darkness.

Here, the long night finally comes to an end. After a while, the sun rises above the horizon, completely ending the night.

“It seems your hunt is over. I’ve heard that in the lands of Northern Europe, demigods roam the earth as the Kings of the Wild Hunt. But I still hope that you can slow down your hunt in this land.”

Orlando, who was handling things in his office, had gradually gotten used to Manshu's sudden appearances.

Although this is still frustrating, since there's nothing we can do to change it, we can only get used to it.

Fortunately, he had encountered someone with the same habit before, so he got used to it quite quickly.

Despite the fact that the commotion hadn't stopped all night and Orlando himself hadn't had a break, he seemed to be in pretty good shape.

He looked slightly tired, but leaned back in his chair, raised his head, and said seriously.

"Are you feeling fear and worry because of this? I saw the conversation between you two, and it seems that this city is something that can be sacrificed. This is at most just a warm-up exercise to refresh yourselves."

Manshu casually found a chair, sat down, and turned to ask.

"Even if it means sacrificing this city, that would be the result of something irreversible, and I will do everything in my power to prevent it from happening."

Therefore, I hope you can provide some assistance in this regard. Just covering up the activity in the desert is a considerable problem, and the industrial zone will have to divert even more resources. This is only the first day of everything.

"I understand what you mean, but I must say that you have no other choice but to make more preparations."

Since that grand roar never fails to occur every day, why don't you try to stop one of them? That would at least make a little sense.

Manshu tilted his head slightly to the left and waved his hand to tell Orlando that he didn't need to talk about it anymore.

"I understand what you mean. As a partner, this is a reasonable request, and it's something I was going to do anyway, so don't worry."

Orlando didn't continue arguing; instead, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"However, I still hope that you can try to reduce your activity as much as possible. If it's a little less than last night, at least it's easier to cover up."

"I will control myself when I realize it and will not seek any more promises. I am not a patient person."

"Then may I inquire about the specifics of the last matter last night? Regarding what happened in the industrial zone controlled by the Skradio family."

"Then you can see for yourself. I've already left it on the piece of paper in your hand."

Manshu simply raised her hand and tapped it forward lightly. Orlando instinctively raised the document in his hand, and the scattered images appeared on it.

However, Orlando didn't rush to look. Instead, he looked up again, intending to ask Manshu something else, but there was no one in front of him anymore.

"Ok."

Orlando could only turn his attention back to the documents in his hands.

……

In this dream, Tsubaki is sitting on a lawn where many animals are jumping around, because Rider doesn't seem to like the sun and is preparing to go home.

Because of this, Chunqiu noticed that the surrounding residential area was completely quiet, and couldn't help but mutter somewhat gloomily: san〔≈lin””5}￠

"Did everyone go somewhere else because they disliked this street?"

Seeing the unpleasant expression on Tsubaki Kugaoka's face, Rider immediately transformed into a shadow the same size as her and moved closer.

Seeing Rider scratching his head as if he was troubled by something, Tsubaki smiled and shook her head.

"Thank you, it's alright, Mr. Dark."

Then, looking at the countless animals playing in the courtyard, she continued:

“Because it’s different from before, there are so many animals here now… If it were now, Dad, Mom, and everyone else wouldn’t leave this city.”

Upon hearing this, Rider deduced that this was Tsubaki Kugaoka's wish.

In order to create the situation that Tsubaki Kugaoka desired with his own power, Rider immediately and quietly began to take action.

Right at the city's border, a group of magicians who were driving away inexplicably turned back after reaching the border.

The entire city has been transformed into a prison today, from which there is no way to leave, nor is anyone allowed to enter.

……

"Although it's full of loopholes, I'm not the kind of person who does troublesome things anyway, so let's see how it goes first."

Back in her workshop, Mansou first turned her attention to the city's tallest hotel.

That was a hotel called Crystal Hill, where Gilgamesh and his Master Tiny Clerk lived on the top floor.

"If the result is not satisfactory, then we'll go and take another look. Until then, let's finish the last bit first."

Manju left only a sliver of vision, so that he could be reminded of what was happening, and then continue to do what he needed to do.

However, it's actually a slightly unnecessary action, because you don't need to pay special attention; you can perceive everything happening from this position.

Even Orlando, who was sitting in his own office, was affected immediately.

The deafening explosion reverberated through the sky, and the windows on the north side of the police station shattered under the force of the blast and the strong wind.

Alkades, located in the Great Valley in the northern part of Snowfield City, stood on a high platform at the same height as the top of Crystal Hill, drew his bowstring taut, and shot an arrow toward the tavern.

That was an arrow with a range exceeding 20 kilometers, whose shockwave swept across the entire city's sky.

The glass of all the buildings below shattered with the sound and impact, finally colliding with the deafening lightning.

"A rather uncouth barbarian has arrived. I don't know if he's just a mere archer or an infuriating madman."

"In the hotel, Gilgamesh said quietly, and the huge light ship immediately appeared outside the shattered glass."

"But that shouldn't be the case. Although that madman also doesn't understand etiquette at all, his arrows wouldn't be aimed at ordinary people."

"But since you are not, yet dare to launch a surprise attack on me, then let me turn you into a rust remover for warehouse protection!"

Gilgamesh stood proudly at the bow of Vimana's ship, charging straight toward where Alcides was.

The two Servants clashed in the valley, and Gilgamesh shot out the Thousand Gates of Wealth, which was blocked by Alcides with a lion skin that could sever human karma.

"Is it really too crude and therefore useless, or are they not planning to make a move until the storm arrives?"

Manshu was undecided as she gazed at the distant scenery until Orlando's phone rang.

"Are you planning to show me your resolve?"

Manshu picked up the phone and asked.

"Yes, the real Archer's actions were completely designed to involve the city's residents; he didn't even consider avoiding the city when he fired his arrows."

Even Gilgamesh and Enkidu yesterday knew that setting the battlefield in the desert meant that it was a place that needed to be prioritized for elimination.

Orlando said fiercely.

"Well, you've really picked a tough opponent. Here's what we'll do: you don't need to defeat the real Archer. As long as one of your men can plunge this sword into the real Archer's body, I'll consider you pass. As for the rest, leave it to me."

Chapter 23 Noble Phantasm⑼

A vast array of Noble Phantasms weaves a torrential downpour of hell; the number of those once conceived by countless individuals, or wielded by many, has reached several thousand.

In the end, however, these fallen treasures only piled up beside Alcides, who unharmedly brushed the dust off the long cloth. ④

That long cloth also came from one of the trials Hercules completed, the first of the twelve trials, the skin of the Nemean Lion he had skinned. 8

That lion was invulnerable to weapons during its lifetime; human weapons could not harm it at all. (iv)

Therefore, this skin also possesses the same function: it can isolate one's karma. Thus, all the Noble Phantasms launched from Gilgamesh's treasury are negated and cannot reach Alcides. (II)

"Go ahead and draw the sword from the very back of the storeroom, and then we'll be even."