The Holy Grail War Blessed by the Gods

The remaining three, Bedivere and the Cursed Arm, accepted Cursed Arm's invitation and returned to the Eastern Village together.

“Quite interesting, Nitocris. You need not linger here. I need you to deliver a message to Osmandis for me.”

"Yes, Pharaoh! Please speak."

Nitocris, who had just arrived in the village of the East with the goods, did not rush back but came to Manjusuke's side and said that she could also contribute to the construction of the temple.

While building temples to Sumerian gods wasn't particularly unusual in Egypt—after all, there was indeed a temple to Ishtar in Egypt—that was during the New Kingdom period.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Domain

"We will implement the plan as it has been finalized. There is no time to make any changes. The time is tighter than I expected."

The construction of the Sky Gardens is almost complete. After all, the actual manpower required is not that much. What takes time is the revision of the plans.

A day after the Cursed Arm left, Hundred-Faced Hassan arrived with the mountain people of the West Village. Manjusaka spared some time to meet with them and asked Hundred-Faced Hassan for her architecturally skilled clone to assist her.

The debt of gratitude for saving the entire West Village was enough for Hyakko to give his full support unconditionally, not to mention the incredible sight of abundant harvest and vitality he saw after entering the East Village.

(9) For the rest of the time, those hundred-faced clones listened to Manju's ideas and made modifications accordingly.

Although it has not yet reached a satisfactory level, after all, these Hassanben could not know what the Marduk Temple that was once built on this land looked like, nor could they see the building that was said to reach the heavens.

However, time was indeed running out, and the urgency was even more urgent than Manshu had anticipated, to the point of being almost unbelievable.

⑧ If only the Lion King exists, there is no need to worry too much, although the changes in the stars on the horizon and the arrival of that sharp aura are enough to announce the imminent arrival of the Lion King's army.

However, as long as the construction of the Hanging Gardens is completed before everything else, it will be fine. There is no need to complete all the buildings; just completing the basic gardens will suffice, since this is not the final battle.

Alas, the enemy here is not only the Lion King, but also Marduk's dissipated power. Although he did not bring back all the information, it was enough to convey important things.

9 Deep within this land, the crimson end is eroding everything, and it is clear that this singularity is not a normal thing.

There is more than one threat in the neighborhood, and it is even difficult to predict when it will arrive.

Wu could no longer afford to take this lightly; he needed to prepare all his strength for the Lion King's advance to deal with any possible consequences.

If the true master of the thing that exists beneath this world and is eroding the entire land were to actually appear, then even if all efforts were made, it would be difficult to predict the outcome.

"Apostle of the Beast...come forth. In this world destined to be ruled by me, appearing just as I am ready to clear away obstacles and take over the world, then come quickly, for my heavenly light will turn all obstacles to dust."

There's no need to worry about anything anymore. Whatever you're pursuing, you absolutely cannot allow any obstacles to hinder your progress.

Let everything stand up; there is no need for further hesitation. Simply proclaim to everything that all things will bow down in your glory.

"Let's get all this done, but before that, all of you still in the Hanging Gardens, step back for now, raise your heads and remember with your own eyes the sight of this miracle rising on the ground!"

The foundation of the Hanging Gardens has long been laid. What remains to be decided is what needs to be built above it. Let's first drive the real wedges into the imaginary soil and stones, turn all fantasies into reality, and let the magnificent wonder stand like a city.

Upon hearing the voice of Manbashu, the mountain people who were working in the mountains left the sky garden, which was only a basic structure built of earth and stone, and their tools began to be used.

"Have you reached the point where you can use your Noble Phantasm? I heard from Arash that the building we are constructing is a holy city you built on our destroyed holy city to fight against the Lion King."

Although I hate to admit it, that chalk city was indeed beyond human capability, much like a city that only exists in scriptures. I think we still have plenty of time, so perhaps we should add some more foundation stones.”

The clone of Hassan the Hundred-Faced, who was following beside him as his assistant, spoke hesitantly.

The Sun King was not their greatest enemy; the greatest enemy of the mountain people in this land had always been the Lion King.

Unless they venture into the desert, the Sun King will not unleash his power upon them; but wherever they are, if they encounter the Lion King's knights, they will surely pay a bloody price.

The people were constantly deceived by the lies of the Holy Basil's salvation. Apart from a very few chosen ones, their only fate was to be killed by Gawain and Tristan leading the knights. The same outcome was the same if they encountered them in the wilderness.

Therefore, the elders in the mountains were well aware of the Lion King's power. The chalk capital was beyond their reach, so they could only leave spies nearby to gather intelligence and plot to perish together with him.

“I do not wish to underestimate human power, but the power constructed here is indeed not important. Do you really think that just piled-up earth and stones can become a miraculous landscape?”

What will bring miracles are the memories etched into this land from the past, the fantasies flowing within me because of the inscription on this spiritual foundation. All I need is a vessel to hold them.

When asked about the hesitation expressed by the Hundred-Faced Incarnation, Manshu simply shook his head and pointed forward.

(iv) "What will be erected now is an inaccessible fortress in the sky, a garden of vanity, a miraculous hanging garden."

8. This is a miracle built on vanity, and I, as the God-King who holds power over things that are not vanity, will smooth out vanity, drive in the wedge of reality, and turn all illusions into reality.

Let Ai be established here, existing as a miracle connecting heaven and earth, thus proclaiming that I am the true master of this world!

④ Manju walked forward alone, stepping into the framework that was just made of sand and stones. He smiled and began to peel away the Marduk-related components that had been added to his spirit base.

While the Noble Phantasm "Hanging Gardens of Vanity" was being bestowed upon him, the fusion with his Spirit Origin was not yet complete, in order to confirm that Manjusaka could successfully activate the Noble Phantasm "Hanging Gardens of Vanity".

3. Therefore, the power that Marduk could exert was not complete from the beginning, because this power itself was not fully integrated into his spirit origin, and even seemed to be somewhat superficial.

To truly realize its potential, it must be extracted and used as a wedge to penetrate this structure, which is merely made of earth and stone and serves to support the real sky garden.

Therefore, in reality, no physical form is needed to accomplish this. The vain fantasy only needs the power of Marduk to exist, and it can turn everything into reality.

However, the power that a vessel that does not exist in reality can exert is ultimately limited. How much power can a creation built from mere imagination ultimately retain?

Just as Manjusaka merely created those conquered beasts using magic, while this was partly due to Marduk's inability to fully utilize his power, using ordinary magical beasts that already existed as vessels could indeed increase the power of the summoned magical beasts.

At least in the case of large-scale, rapid summoning, it is still impossible to create a powerful divine beast like Sphinxmon without expending some effort.

After all, those intelligent, immortal, and ferocious mythical beasts are monsters that can put even great heroes in a difficult battle.

Although this is a discrete matter, tearing one's own spirit origin apart is indeed not something an ordinary person would do.

Just as if peeling off something attached to the surface, it is extracted and then the power and magic power of the Noble Phantasm are injected into the vessel that Manjusaka is stepping on.

Under this power, reality is being rewritten by freedom, and a massive fortress connecting heaven and earth is about to appear on the ground.

This land is being transformed into a land of gods, where magic and incredible mystery are constantly emerging.

Manju endured the agony of his soul base being torn apart, pouring all his strength into it to complete this fantasy reinforced on vanity.

“I, who stand on this land, am the master of the world, the unstoppable God-King. I tell this without reservation to those ignorant fools who stand in my way of taking over the world.”

The true wedge has been completely driven in, and Marduk's power has been completely extracted from Manjus's spirit origin.

Under Marduk's power, the Noble Phantasm was successfully activated, realizing the fantasy that Vanity and Manju himself had incorporated.

Manshu's body began to stir at this moment, her blood vessels aching and being torn apart.

The blood was moving wildly, repeatedly destroying its surroundings, directly transforming Manju into a blood-soaked figure.

"Tescatlipok, be quiet!"

It wasn't the detached Marduk that caused the physical breakdown, but rather Tescatlipoca, the heart, that drove the flowing blood.

This pain is far more terrifying than the pain of tearing apart one's spiritual foundation; it is a pain powerful enough to shatter one's mind and cause one to faint.

But at this moment, how can we succumb to this pain? This is just a dessert.

Manju struck his heart with his right hand, piercing his chest and tearing his heart out.

It was not an obsidian mirror, but still a scarlet, bloodthirsty sun.

Manju did not completely rip out the heart; the blood vessels remained connected to Manju's body, just as this bloodthirsty heart had once protruded with a gluttonous tongue.

And it is indeed doing that now; the intense pain is the heart plundering food, satisfying its appetite.

Marduk's power, stripped from his spirit origin, was naturally a delicious meal for this heart.

What a wonderful offering this is for the chief god of Babylon! Even Tescatlipoca could probably only taste it at the very end.

At the height of the Tescatlipoca faith, it was indeed possible to devour the hummingbird, the skinner, and even the chief god of the Tescats, the cloud serpent god Miskavatl.

But now is not the time to let this heart do bad things; the destruction caused by Tescatlipoca is going too far, even a bit bizarre.

Manju could only draw upon the power of another deity within him, using the abundant energy to thwart the gluttonous tongue, and then envelop everything around him with lightning.

"This is my territory. If you intend to become a parasite that infests me, then you might as well perish in Baal's lightning. Obey my command, or perish here."

Manshu didn't hold back; if she continued to let her heart run wild, she would ultimately only harm herself.

Tescatlipoca has done this more than once. Tescatlipoca, who gave this heart to him, clearly had no good intentions. This was probably to take the heart of Vizilopochtli's madman.

Under the threat of lightning and annihilation, the crimson, bloodthirsty heart only swallowed the abundance that Manju had distributed and the small amount of Marduk's power that it had seized, and ceased its rampage.

Seeing that the heart had finally settled down, Manju placed it back in its original position to continue with the final step.

The fantasy is becoming reality, but Marduk's power hasn't been fully separated from Manjusaka; it's been stolen by that heart.

But the reality has already unfolded. This land, transformed into the Age of Gods, has entrusted its power to Manju, enhancing his ability level and providing him with beneficial adjustments in the use of his abilities.

However, it was still not enough. To fulfill Manshu's fantasy of being able to deal with the calamities existing in this land, Marduk's partial power was insufficient, especially since a portion of it had been divided.

“Since you have plundered Marduk’s power, in exchange, whether you intend to bestow the power of Vizziro Pochettino or the power of Tescatelli Poka, offer up an equivalent share.”

Manjushri ruthlessly coerced his own heart, and before it could even respond, he used Baal's lightning to form blades, skillfully severing his heart.

The heart, which had already become docile, did not hesitate; before the lightning's dagger arrived, it released a burst of power from its center.

The capricious winds of night swept across this land, carrying the power of Tescatlipoca. Unfinished fantasies became reality, under the influence of that wind, in the form of fantasy.

Indeed, without even a complete physical form, creating even a framework for a fantasy is quite difficult. The only way to bring all things to fruition is through the authority of an omnipotent god and the fantasy created on obsidian.

What is revealed is not only the Hanging Gardens, but also the towering towers and the temples of Marduk.

Manshu exhausted all his strength for this, and even his body felt somewhat ethereal. It was only thanks to the land he had already established that he was able to recover from his excessive consumption and prevent him from disappearing.

Feeling his physical weakness, Manshu burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! Everything is done! Come! Come on! Marduk and Ishtar, Baal and Anat! Descend upon my courtyard, for I will use this to save the world and bring back the glory!"

Chapter Twenty-Three: Sunset

"This is exactly what he would do, it's made me a little more sober... Who exactly are you, daring to appear before me in this form, deceiving me, the King of Kings?"

Built upon vanity and fantasy, it ultimately transformed into a real-life Hanging Garden, successfully realized just as Manjus had envisioned.

Although it was still daytime, countless twinkling stars shone through the daytime sky, making the endless starlight clearly visible to everyone on this land.

That is the dominated starry sky, a miracle erected from the earth connecting the earth and the sky, ruling over all the stars in the sky.

And Manju's voice, along with the twinkling starlight in the sky, fell upon all beings under this starry sky that it regarded as having the ability to hinder them.

Whoever looks up at this moment can always see the tall building that connects the sky and the earth on the horizon, which is the tower that reaches straight to the sky.

Osmandis, who had been sleeping soundly on his throne with his eyes closed, opened them at this moment and glared angrily at the newly appeared seat between his thrones.

"You think you can fool me with just a pretty face? How foolish! My beloved Nephtales, though you reek of this foul and depraved stench, reveal your true form, Apophis!"

Enraged, Osmandis unleashed the Pharaoh's fury upon the main temple, and the sun's divine power reduced everything within to ashes with its blazing light.

Only the chair floated in the air, as if it did not exist in this space and was unaffected in any way.

“O Sun King, I came here to fulfill your desires. I have always been here, right beside you… Continue to obey your desires, make Egypt ever more luxurious and magnificent, and lead this fallen kingdom to unparalleled prosperity!”