The Holy Grail War Blessed by the Gods

The Servant, as ferocious as a beast, let out a frenzied roar.

"Kill... Oh oh oh... Oh oh... Kill... Eat...!!"

"Asterius? But this form should probably be called the Minotaur..."

Manju sensed a familiar feeling from the newly appeared servant. Although there were some differences, he could still tell that the other party was the world-famous Minotaur.

　魃⒌≯綺⑹／▲6｝。 3⊙，si寺∫二羽≌寒: However, they do look quite different. Manshu could only recognize him by the tattered mask he wore and his face, which was filled with white but not too distorted.

The Minotaur, which originally had only white hair, has now completely transformed into a white monster.

Its thick fur swelled up like a lion's mane, and its skin turned snow-white. Its body swelled to an inhuman degree, with wounds, as if it had been torn open by the expansion, covering its white body.

"You're quite accurate. His name is Minotaur, a monster imprisoned in a labyrinth that devours humans. You've probably noticed that there aren't many corpses on the ground, right? That's right, he ate most of them."

With a smile completely incongruous with his status as a priest, Macheris spoke with utterly no compassion.

"Having a large appetite is really convenient at this time, and it also prevents flies from breeding due to rotting. The flies in this Lostbelt are very fierce. In order to survive in the extreme cold, they will bite and hold on to any meat they see."

"Kill...them!"

The Minotaur roared from the side, and the labyrinth that Daedalus was commissioned to build to trap the Minotaur was directly released, trapping Manju in this eternal labyrinth.

"Are we going to find our way out of the maze next?"

Manjusaka did not object to this. The Minotaur's labyrinth was quite famous, and since they had encountered it, it was indeed worth seeing.

However, Manshu wasn't very confident about navigating the maze; he was the type who got lost quite easily.

But the vibrations coming from inside told him that the master of the maze had come to him.

"...It seems we don't need to."

You don't necessarily have to find your way out of the maze. Killing the owner of this place should have the same effect. If all else fails, just use pure brute force to open the passage.

Of course, it's not that you can't use your wisdom to solve the maze; there are plenty of ways to find it. However, the simplest thing was automatically brought out by the owner.

"Endless death, endless death. Kill, kill them all—!"

The Minotaur's voice came with the tremors of the ground. It was a monster that would manifest as a Berserker Servant, and now it appeared like a mad beast, with little reason left.

It is only natural that those trapped in this labyrinth would be pursued by the Minotaur.

After all, normal people shouldn't have the ability to fight the Minotaur. This labyrinth was originally built to trap him.

Then, while being chased and fleeing frantically through the maze, you will see countless traps and mechanisms that automatically generate within the maze, and you will unknowingly fall into a deadly situation.

But for Manjushri, the first point was invalid. He shouted loudly, praising the inextinguishable sacred fire and calling upon the victorious light created by Ahura Mazda himself.

As flames engulfed Manjushri, the Minotaur appeared in the room where he stood and charged without hesitation.

The Minotaur possesses top-tier strength, with A++ strength being a force comparable to that of the Earth Mother. Coupled with his monstrous strength and his fully expanded form in this area, it is impossible for a normal person to withstand him head-on.

"Therefore I must also praise the 'Kaiyan Aura' created by Mazda, that extraordinary, praiseworthy aura, that holy, omnipotent, and agile aura, which surpasses all creation!"

Then Manjushri also invoked the light of Kayan, which is above all creation, the power that Ahura bestowed upon the Holy King.

This power will also create a savior to save the world in the last days, and then reshape the world.

The summoned light traps the beasts in the labyrinth, and the invincible flames transform into swords to defeat the enemy.

The white fur was charred in the flames, and the trapped beast, just like his experience in the labyrinth, was unable to escape its confinement.

The beast 0, who was trapped in the labyrinth 9 and became the master of the labyrinth 4, was trapped in the labyrinth 9 again in its own labyrinth 4, which is quite fitting 6.

Even with its immense power, the Minotaur could not shatter anything it touched, and thus could only linger within it, unable to escape.

However, before Manju could completely defeat the Minotaur, the scenery of the labyrinth around him had already begun to collapse.

"Ok?"

Manshu didn't expect the other party to dispel the labyrinth so quickly. The Minotaur's Labyrinth was indeed a good Noble Phantasm, but using it right away was probably just a way to buy time.

After all, if the things in the maze cannot kill the people trapped in the maze, then their function is the same as that of the maze itself.

"Kadoc? So the purpose of using the maze was just to delay until all the troops were ready? If you had said so earlier, I could have waited here for a while, and it wouldn't have mattered if there were one or two more troops, which would have reduced the pressure later."

When Manjus escaped the labyrinth, a familiar face appeared beside Machelis: Kadoc, the hidden figure from the Russian Lostbelt.

Apart from that, the killing hunters who had surrounded the rebel fortress had all disappeared.

Although they are just grunts, if there are enough of them, they can still cause trouble and have an impact.

"No, I came here to negotiate with you, and it just so happens that you were the only one who arrived here first."

"Oh……"

Manshu replied indifferently, not in a hurry to make a move, and prepared to see what the other party had to say.

"Just state your purpose directly; unnecessary words can be discarded."

"I want to overthrow the Tsar, and I hope to get your help for that."

Kadoc said that.

"What does this mean? Are you planning to defect from this Lostbelt and join Chaldea?"

Manju was completely unaware of this, only knowing that Ivan the Terrible was the King of the Lostbelts of Russia, and that the Hidden Ones probably had a cooperative relationship with the King of the Lostbelts.

Therefore, he was surprised by what Kadoc suddenly said.

"No, although Chaldea is an opponent I need to defeat, Ivan the Terrible is not my ally either, and is also someone I must defeat."

I believe the fact that I've already dismissed the surrounding Killing Hunters serves as evidence of this. Words of rebellion against Ivan the Terrible's rule cannot be spoken in front of the Killing Hunters; we are merely using their power in accordance with the circumstances.

The dismissed Kill Hunters can serve not only as evidence but also as a sign of sincerity, since, as mentioned before, even if these Kill Hunters aren't strong, they can still have some impact.

"This seems like a good proposal for rule. Ivan the Terrible, who lived in the frozen Russian soil for 450 years, probably possesses extraordinary power. It's unlikely that a single Servant could defeat him. Otherwise, you wouldn't need to be here trying to win me over."

"Is it because I'm just a summoned Servant, not one of Fujimaru Ritsuka or the others, that's why you're trying to recruit me separately? After all, you've got your eye on Usui (④↑￠叭`栮死◆三×。彡∨琳芜仲—) Qun: 'Recruiting Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others directly would be more effective, right? There are several other Servants in the rebel army too.'"

“Weak Servants are simply not enough. Weak Servants cannot stand up to Ivan the Terrible. Only the strong have the ability to resist the emperor’s powerful authority.”

"The reasons seem reasonable, and it appears I have no reason to refuse. However, the enemy's words are even less convincing; evidence such as simply disbanding the killing hunters is hardly convincing."

"Is there nothing more to say? Bring out a bigger bargaining chip, or do you think I'm not worth it later? Indeed, it seems I've only summoned the evil dragon. What about this?"

A trident appeared in Manju's hand; this was a treasure he had never used.

This wasn't out of disdain, but rather to avoid diminishing the enjoyment. Although he had some expectations for the strange tales, so far, everything was within his budget.

None of the enemies we've encountered so far are worth using this Noble Phantasm on, so there's no need to bring it out.

However, since we can't get a very definite approval, we might as well give it a try.

"This is……"

Although the trident is not a common weapon, it is not uncommon in mythology.

Not long ago, Kadoc saw a Servant wielding a trident of the gods, though he may not have used it in front of him.

However, it is still recognizable that this weapon does not originate from a Greek god.

"Do not doubt your judgment, my dear, for this is a weapon of unparalleled wonder and power. In your frozen northern world, it is invincible, and even the gods cannot withstand it." 9.

Although it falls into the hands of a regular Spirit Origin Servant, preventing them from witnessing the weapon's power to burn the earth, dry up the oceans, and even destroy the entire universe, it should still send chills down anyone's spine and instill fear in them. (4)

As Manju spoke, he infused his magic into the trident in his hand, making it display its power and letting the people in front of him know that his words were not empty boasts. (8)

“You’re right… but to see more evidence, you need to come back to Moscow with us and see Ivan the Terrible with your own eyes. Then you’ll have no doubts about what I’m saying. It will just be a matter of whether you’ve ventured deep into our territory with us when you couldn’t entrust your trust to us.”2

Kadoc was prepared, but producing more evidence that he and the Thunder Emperor were not on the same side wasn't so easy.

However, the most direct evidence is in Moscow; anyone who sees it will surely believe that Kadoc and Ivan the Terrible were not on the same side.

"Not long after arriving here, I heard about Moscow, the heart of this frozen land, and decided to go see how its scenery differed from this border. The constant biting wind was getting tiresome."3

Manshu was confident that even if he were besieged in Moscow, he could guarantee his safety, so he agreed.

"However, as a condition, even if you intend to defeat Chaldea, do it after this is over." 5

"That's fine."

With Manshus agreeing, Kadok naturally had no further requests and agreed to them all, and they headed to Moscow together.

Chapter Twelve: Departure

"What are you doing?"

Manju did not rush to leave, but instead turned around and walked into the fortress, which was now a ruin.

"Just consider it a show of feigned benevolence on my part. Although this thing is of little use to me, I still need to feel at ease."

Manju completely descended the bounty that had not yet fully fallen, and then left a message, vaguely telling the few people who arrived later where he was going.

"That way, it won't be considered leaving without saying goodbye. I'll just be going to other places on my own, and I think they'll understand."

After finishing this, Manshu turned back to Kadoc and the others, and accompanied them to Moscow.

"If these Yaga knew what you, or rather, what Chaldea was planning to do, they probably wouldn't feel any gratitude towards you. What you're doing now is only temporary, saving their lives, but if you succeed, they will also be cut off and destroyed."

"That's something for later. Let's talk about it then."

This kind of question can be answered definitively, but it's not always necessary to give a definitive answer.

Manshu had no intention of answering this question for the time being, but his answer would not change much; there was simply no need to reveal everything.

Anastasia only briefly mentioned it, and given this brief and unreliable cooperation that can only be described as half-achieved, there was really no need to say too much.

It would still take several days for them to travel from here to Moscow, but the advantage was that they didn't have to avoid the killing hunters along the way, making their journey much faster than normal.

There won't be much trouble along the way, as the knowledge-wielding killing hunters will have already cleared the path for you.

4. This is also because the rebels did not expect the enemy to appear at all.

0 Generally speaking, if the route is taken from border villages all the way to Tula and then to Moscow, large-scale troop movements can certainly be detected.

4 But there is indeed an undetectable path, which is the location of the rebels' new fortress.

3. The rebels believed that Moscow and the new fortress were separated by a dense jungle containing a large number of monsters, and that traveling along this route would inevitably result in heavy casualties.

Under normal circumstances, no one would choose such a risky route to march, so during the discussion, everyone agreed that the location of the new fortress was quite safe.

However, what they overlooked was the killing of hunters, which were not rare items.

4. This is a consumable item continuously produced by Ivan the Terrible's Noble Phantasm, so it doesn't matter if half of it is lost on the way.

Even if all the Killer Hunters here are wiped out, they can get a whole new batch of Killer Hunters as long as they return to Moscow.