The Holy Grail War Blessed by the Gods

“O black sun that shines with a cold light, you are right, these filths are not worth mentioning to you.”

Alcides was surrounded by immense magical power, and he spoke calmly amidst the red and black storm.

Alcides' arms hung loosely at his sides, with the bow lightly held in his right hand.

But those seemingly powerless limbs suddenly possess a sharp, blade-like aura, as if capable of severing an opponent's head.

"But... you fool who imitates God, it is not these filths that will kill you, but your corpse drowning in this mud..."

This is the curse of man, and it is only natural that it will become the curse of Alcides.

Alcides didn't care where this thing came from; as long as it suited him now, it was part of being a "human".

This will also be used to rebel against the gods, to trample on the power of the gods, to deny the dominion of the gods with human power, and to reject the manipulation of the gods.

"Since this is your wish, then I will grant you a chance to draw your bow to the best of your ability and shoot arrows that burn everything."

I'm giving you a chance to potentially defeat me as a compliment and reward; whether you seize the opportunity is entirely up to your ability.

Manjushri gave his promise, and since the praise was given, it was certainly not without reason.

Moreover, even if an opportunity is given, it is still an illusory matter.

It goes without saying that Alcides was incapable of killing him.

Even Gilgamesh, who was standing to the side, had a greater chance of killing Manjusaka than Alcides; there was still a sliver of hope for Gilgamesh.

Although Alcides possesses greater power than Gilgamesh on the other side, few Servants can match Gilgamesh in terms of versatility.

Even the venom of the Hydra could not destroy Manjusaki; at most, it could only drive away his existing physical body.

Therefore, Manjushri carelessly retrieved the obsidian mirror and then casually pointed in the direction of Gilgamesh.

"Tohil!"

Thohir and Kavil are both prototypes of Tescatlipoca in Mayan mythology.

Like Tescatlipoca, Thohir is depicted as having one leg and is the god of obsidian, as well as the god of the sun, war, rain, and fire.

The Mayan practice of human sacrifice originated from the worship of Thohir, in which the Mayans offered their hearts and blood as sacrifices and arranged human skulls.

Before Cavill's power dissipated, a sun parted the dense clouds and fell from the sky.

As the sun god Thohir, his temple faced the east where the sun rises. Manju naturally unleashed Thohir's power belonging to the sun, and also smashed it towards Gilgamesh's location.

The ship of light, struck down by lightning, was swallowed up by the blazing sun before it could take any further action.

Manjushri used this to ensure that Gilgamesh would not have any remaining interest to cause trouble, and then threw the obsidian mirror in his hand into the sky.

"Seize your opportunity, for even if you succeed in the trial, the chances of receiving a reward are still slim. Most will end up in Xibalba or Mictlan."

In both Aztec and Mayan mythology, the universe is composed of three parts.

The uppermost level is Heaven, the abode of the gods; the middle level is the human world; and the lowest level is the underworld. (5)

"But for now, let's return to Miktland, for Tepei Olotelli is there." (Seven)

The obsidian mirror, thrown into the sky, once again emitted smoke, creating a dark sun.

Night fell, the dark sun rose again, and the dust-covered earth was blanketed in smoke. A colossal, dark figure rose upon this land. (Lu)

That is Tepei Olotelli, the king of the jaguars. Every night, Tepei Olotelli descends upon Miktland, transforming into a jaguar and roaring amidst avalanches and volcanic eruptions.

That jaguar is Tepei-Olotelli, the jaguar being the most representative Navali of Tescatolipoca, the Navali being the earthly counterpart of the Aztec god.

In Mesoamerican mythology, the jaguar, known as the king of the forest, is closely associated with the sun.

The jaguar, noble and majestic, is the king of the rainforest beasts; it is cautious, proud, and broad-minded.

The spotted jaguar skin represented the night sky, and the jaguar itself was an epitome of the Aztecs' hunting, war, and sacrifice.

In the Aztecs, being a jaguar warrior was the highest honor for soldiers.

As the one who instigates conflict and controls war, Tescat Lipoca, as the initiator of war, naturally has a close connection with the jaguar.

A massive, jet-black jaguar rose up in the nine-layered underworld of Miktland, looking down at Alcides who stood there.

"This time it wasn't borrowed, but rather directly guided out of your body. Did I misjudge you?"

"Are you not a priest who guides divine power, but an incarnation of a god, or has this god left a part of themselves within you, leaving behind their echo?"

Alcides witnessed the entire process firsthand; the Heart of the Mountain, which was guided out, was directly activated from within Manjusaka's body.

However, this doubt was only present for a moment before it was dispelled, because he did not need to think about these things.

Manshu's voice came from above again; he wouldn't wait here for long.

"If you're not going to seize this opportunity, then be prepared to die with the night itself."

"That's right, no matter what you are, since the power of God is adorned with death and war, I will surely utterly ravage and destroy you."

Alcides gripped the longbow in his hand, swirling with twisted, muddy magic.

"Let this arrow, which marks the end of martial arts, be engraved on the void of your existence."

Alcides sought revenge against the gods, and the one standing before him was undoubtedly a god who could be considered to be in reality.

Then there's no need to say more about what he should do.

Completely different from his previous demeanor, what he held in his hand was not a bow made of magic, but the weapon he possessed in his previous life.

This is a powerful bow created in a mythical era when mystery still lingers in the world, a bow that continuously draws the blood and magic of enemies on numerous battlefields.

This was also a rather terrifying magic bow, which Philoctetes, who later inherited from Heracles, became famous for shooting Paris, the man who started everything, during the Trojan War.

This indestructible bowstring is something that an ordinary Servant wouldn't even be able to draw.

Only those with the skills and extraordinary strength required to wield Archer can control it.

Now that all shackles have been broken and Alcides has chosen to unleash his magic to its fullest potential, this Noble Phantasm is finally able to manifest in its complete form.

Alcides drew his bow with an unwavering, rooted posture, absorbing an immense and terrifying amount of magical power.

"Nine Lives!"

A tremendous amount of magical power and mud swirled around Alcides, giving him the imposing presence to rival the giant jaguar.

There was a reason why the jaguar didn't actively radiate power, but simply stood there quietly.

q But to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the jaguar, which is an incarnation of the main god and is equivalent to a part of Tescatlipoca, is already quite a terrifying thing.

There were nine arrows on U's bow. Alcides easily drew the bowstring taut and shot all nine arrows at Manju.

The magic of N, entangled in black mud, and the miasma of Hydra poison smeared on the arrows became intricately intertwined.

While causing a massive distortion in space itself, it continued to surge forward through the gap between the sky and the earth.

8 The smoke rising from the ground was also distorted and absorbed by the world formed by the released arrows, turning black and gradually transforming into the shape of a giant beast.

Hydra, like the mythical serpent that the man once slew.

The trajectory of Qi Jiu's arrows transformed into nine giant jaws, advancing relentlessly as if trying to devour the world itself.

To the average person, this appears as a black sandstorm, but to those who can sense the presence of magic, it is an extraordinary phenomenon.

6 is neither an illusion nor a summoning magic.

③A hero who has fought his whole life, with the overwhelming skills he has accumulated, gains an ominous curse as black as mud, at the cost of sacrificing his divine power.

By combining them with the vast magical supply he had obtained, the sect shot down a hundred heads, revealing his former nemesis to the world.

4 Of course, this is not the actual Hydra. It is the legendary slayer who created it as part of his own Noble Phantasm, a feat that is almost miraculous.

That being overwhelmed all cause and effect and the rule of law, and surged forward in the world.

In order to devour the god himself, who has descended as the omnipotent being and now holds the power over the world.

Alcides did not look at the result of his shot at the Hydra, but instead nocked another arrow into his bow.

He would not place all his hopes on Manjusaka's words; he would only seize the opportunity to fight with all his might to defeat the god.

"This curse... I don't know what level of human karma it was brewed and refined from, but in the end, its essence is a curse on people."

Alcides looked at the magical power flowing through his body, which seemed to curse the world, and muttered to himself.

"Then let your power combine with my lament."

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Failure

Destruction came in droves.

This land, shrouded in mist and filled with the smoke and ash of fire, was constantly being swallowed up by the raging torrent of expanding power.

And that's not all, just like the military belt in Alcides's hand that houses the power of the god of war.

The divine power in Alcides' hands had been captured by the black mud, and was now merely a subordinate, its power silently controlled by Alcides.

The divine energy emanating from this land is also becoming the resources for the growth of that expanding power, constantly increasing as it charges forward towards the enormous black leopard ahead.

The swirling dust, imbued with curses, miasma, and magic, drew closer as nine arrows, carried by a gale that had transformed into the shape of a Hydra, emanated ever stronger magic from behind.

The nine serpent demons, each as large as a high-rise building, raised their heads and stood alongside the enormous black panther.

But in order to swallow the black panther, the nine arrows that were shot were scattered in front of it, to tear the panther's body apart from different directions.

The poison of death and the curse, along with the power generated by the arrows, flowed outwards, pushing the limits of violence as they advanced toward the realm of the gods.

The jaguar made no move, silently watching the destruction approaching at supersonic speed.

The brutality and destruction brought by the nine demonic arrows came to a halt before Manjusuke.

The sheer amount of divine energy was enough to prevent Hydra from breaking through immediately, but it wasn't enough to render Hydra powerless.

It continued to gnaw, mimicking the curse of Hydra, slowly moving forward, carrying an extremely strong sense of oppression, about to devour the jaguar's body.

The next moment, Hydra clashed with the massive king of the jaguar pack. The dragon's fangs, formed from the cursed giant serpent, bit down without hesitation onto the jaguar's body. (8)

...5

"In my opinion, this is a very good opportunity to punish those rude people. Were you scared by the previous intimidation?" (VII)

The beautiful goddess smiled warmly at the old man in a black robe standing beside her.

The old man's face was still obscured by his wide-brimmed hat. Upon hearing the goddess's words, he simply shook his head slightly. (vi)

"One probing move is enough; the next one must be a devastating thunderbolt, leaving the enemy no chance of survival."3

As he spoke, the old man turned his head, revealing his single eye hidden in the shadows, and looked at the goddess, then said: 4