The Holy Grail War Blessed by the Gods

After successfully surfacing, the next step was naturally to survey the surrounding area. The submarine opened its hatch, and Fujimaru Ritsuka, Mashu, and Manju stepped out onto the land of Northern Europe.

The scenery inside the Nordic Lostbelt doesn't seem that different from that in Russia; it's also a cold region.

However, the temperature here is not as extreme as in Russia, where it can reach minus 100 degrees Celsius; the weather here is just normally cold.

And there was no persistent blizzard obscuring the sky; the sky was cloudless, and the huge sun shone on the earth.

"Although both are icy and snowy lands, this place is more beautiful than Russia no matter what."

There's not much else to see in Russia; all you can see are ice fields and huge rift valleys.

The relentless blizzards that rage year-round make it difficult to see anything at times, and the gloomy weather can easily dampen one's spirits.

Looking out from here, the snowfield is exceptionally beautiful. From the mountainside of the continuous mountain peaks, you can see swaying blue objects—floating flames.

In places devoid of trees, blue flames blanket the mountains, merging with white ice and snow, and a colossal sun to create the entire world.

However, the Imaginary Tree, which should be extremely conspicuous and located at the center of the world, has also disappeared, even though it can still be seen from the outside.

"Let's continue exploring. Hmm... something big is coming, a product very typical of Scandinavia."

Manshu was observing when he saw a huge humanoid figure walking towards him.

It was a giant about 5 meters tall, entirely white, with a mask on its head.

Upon discovering the group of people standing there, it immediately let out a loud noise, but it didn't sound like language; it was more like the roar of a wild beast.

It's not surprising that such giants appear on the land of Northern Europe; they look just like frost giants from a story.

The giant picked up a huge rock from the ground and threw it directly at Manshu. Seeing this novel enemy, Manshu became interested and his body instantly swelled to a height of five meters, transforming into a giant dinosaur and charging straight at it.

As for the boulders thrown at us, Mash's shield was able to block them.

Manju, transformed into a dinosaur, charged forward at incredible speed under the sun's rays. The frost giant only had time to pick up the spear it had placed on the ground. Instead of dodging, it raised the spear to block Manju.

But the spear was broken by the impact force in the fourth instant of contact, followed by the frost giant himself.

"You couldn't control your strength."

Manjusaki transformed back into human form with some regret and used her magic to wipe away the flesh and blood around her.

"That thing... is neither a heroic spirit nor a magical beast, but a giant race that shouldn't exist in the 21st century. They should only exist in the Age of Gods, and there are no cases of giants being sighted in modern Norse mythology."

The giants you just encountered were likely the Jotuns, a race that, in the Norse world of the Age of Gods, consisted of nine realms. The frozen realm of Niflheim and the fiery realm of Muspelheim clashed and melted, forming frost. This frost then turned into poisonous rivers, and this poison, combined with the heat of Muspelheim, created giants—the giant race originating in Norse mythology, Ymir.

Then, many giants were born from Ymir's body, and they were called the Frost Giants. These were undoubtedly giants born in the age of the gods.

It is said that the surviving Jotuns mostly declined from mythology into the cave giants of later legends, but what you encountered were not cave giants, but undoubtedly Jotuns.

Chaldea reported their observations and introduced the hostile targets.

"Furthermore, the surrounding ice and snow themselves carry a faint magical power, which hinders us from noticing the giants' approach."

We are currently performing data overlay... There are numerous giants and monsters around you. You should return to the submarine first.

"I think it's too late. Humans can't outrun magical beasts. I'll take care of them myself."

Manshu shook his head and said that the demonic beasts had already reached a very close distance and, stimulated by the scattered flesh and blood, had begun to charge forward.

Manju transformed into a giant dinosaur once more, charging directly into the enemy ranks and engaging them in fierce combat.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Warriors

Under the sun's rays, the weapons wielded by the frost giants couldn't even pierce the hide of the dinosaur Manju had transformed into.

Those weapons, which appeared to have undergone some forging, easily cleaved the massive white-furred dire wolves that were moving alongside the frost giants in two when they were accidentally swung at them.

The demon wolves couldn't even touch Manshu; their claws would most likely break if they tried to stab her while she was moving.

Thus, Manju, relying solely on the body of this ferocious beast, crushed the giants and monsters living in the Norse Lostbelt.

Occasionally, a magical beast would escape from Manju's side and turn its attention to its master and servants behind it, but this had no effect whatsoever.

Mashu was still capable of protecting Fujimaru Ritsuka; her shield was powerful enough to smash the giant wolves' heads.

After a little while, the scene was left in a mess; everything that could still move in Manshu's sight had become wreckage on the ground.

"No hostile or magical reactions detected in the surrounding area. Battle over."

Mash's equipment was updated along with the Chaldea database, so it was able to detect the surrounding environment normally.

"Phew, that was a bit more satisfying."

Manshu transformed back into his dinosaur form and engaged in a battle with an equally enormous creature for some time, which was quite enjoyable.

Manshu was enjoying herself at least for a moment, and even after it ended, she still felt a little reminiscing about it.

"Please return to the submarine first, all three of you! There might be even more powerful enemies lurking around. The data we've gathered from our recent surfacing is already sufficient!"

Da Vinci's voice rang out from the side, urging the group to return to the submarine as a precaution.

Inside the submarine, Chaldea's staff were compiling the findings of the three men's recent reconnaissance mission into a report.

"However, the most important problem you just encountered was those giants, who were living beings. They showed absolutely no reaction from followers."

If we take Russia as an example, then the Nordic countries should only have the existence of those who rule the Lostbelts and the hidden ones who cultivate the Imaginary Trees.

Although our primary objective is to traverse Northern Europe undetected, if we are discovered, our main concern should be the latter.

After all, Caribbean's current plan is still to head to the coordinates sent by the Wandering Sea and reunite with the survivors whose humanity has been frozen.

Ideally, the best scenario would be to traverse the Lostbelt smoothly without provoking anyone.

"Fortunately, the magic concentration in this Lostbelt is higher than in Russia, and the submarine's refueling is going smoothly. The submarine will be able to set off soon."

Leonardo da Vinci promptly reported the good news, speaking with a broad smile.

"Oh, right, and about the flames you observed on the mountains that showed no signs of spreading, just existing flames—I also have some speculations in my mind. I think those flames should be..."

Holmes suddenly remembered that he had already made some deductions about the strange sights he had observed, but as he said this, a loud alarm sounded from inside the submarine.

"What happened?"

"Is this measuring instrument broken? Damn it, it's not broken, it's working normally!"

4. The employee watching the measuring instrument looked at the data displayed on the instrument and wondered if he had misread it or if there was a problem with the instrument. After asking himself these questions, he realized that he was right.

"A tremendous magical reaction suddenly appeared near the forward vessel, like a magical furnace! It's a monster comparable to the Greater Grail, Angelpoda, that we saw in London!"

②Angolboda is a figure in Norse mythology. She had three children with Loki: Fenrir the wolf, Jormungandr the world serpent, and Hela the goddess of death.

(4) However, what is being discussed here is the fourth singularity, the massive steam engine Angorboda, located in the great underground cavern of London, which uses the Holy Grail as its power source to create the magical mist that permeates the entire city of London.

3. That thing looks very much like Eastwood's Great Grail. It is an incredibly huge magical core, and the person in charge of the Fourth Singularity even plans to use this mechanism to cover the entire United Kingdom with fog.

"Damn it, there was no warning at all, we suddenly appeared on the empty snowfield!"

Munir, who was observing everything, couldn't help but curse.

Wu: "I'm probably a Servant, and it should have just been freed from its spirit form."

“Indeed, if it were a Servant, this would be a way to approach them. Mr. Munir, is this Servant from the Pan-Human History faction? Or is it…”

While Servants from Pan-Human History may also stand with Lostbelts, there's probably no need to differentiate between Lostbelt Servants.

"Although the spirit origin construction pattern is the same as that of Chaldea, the color of the frame seems to be subtly different..."

Munir looked at the data on the instrument, a hint of embarrassment on his face.

"It's embarrassing to admit, but I don't understand it. All I know is that it's a hostile reaction, since the magic they're radiating towards us contains a powerful curse!"

"In that case, they are enemies. Let's classify them as Lostbelt Servants for now."

Manshu had no interest in determining the other party's identity; since they were enemies, that was his job.

Resting in the submarine during his downtime was quite boring for him. Although he could look at the Spirit Origins of Servants and view their Spirit Portraits, it would still get tedious if he kept looking at them.

Doing the same thing over and over again will eventually get boring. Adding some interludes can be a very effective way to relieve fatigue.

"The detection capabilities of the spirit radar on the submarine should be extremely sensitive, but the fact that it didn't work proves that the other side was supported by external aura interception. In this case, if the other side wanted to, it should have been able to get closer, but it didn't do so. Instead, it dispelled its spiritual form and revealed its physical form in front of us."

Was it extreme confidence, no, was it cruelty? Mr. Munir, could you project the other person's image onto the screen?

"We can't see him on the monitor; he's in a blind spot! Seriously, you guys are so calm, especially since the submarine can't even accelerate. What do we do? Should we use the intercom to report the situation?!"

Munir looked quite flustered. Faced with a suddenly appearing and powerful enemy, the Chaldea submarine had little room to resist.

After all, it had just surfaced from imaginary space, and the submarine's energy had not yet been fully replenished.

"No, they might still be probing our location. Even though they know the submarine is nearby, they haven't pinpointed its exact location yet. But if this continues, we'll be discovered sooner or later; the submarine's camouflage isn't perfect."

Since the other side didn't rush over directly, it's either because they have some reservations or they haven't really found them yet.

"So what should we do? Continue to remain quiet and focused, hoping that nothing will happen in the end?"

"What's the difference between waiting here and sitting and waiting to die? It's just a magical core like the Greater Grail. I'll go out and take the initiative to fight it."

"Don't worry, I won't reveal the submarine's location. Even if we can't eliminate the enemy, at least we can lure him away."

Manshu naturally wouldn't want to stay inside, praying that the other party wouldn't discover her. Even if she were cautious, she wouldn't go to such an extent as to avoid it.

Even if he encountered an opponent like Ivan the Terrible, a monster with the power of a superior god or even higher, he was confident that he would not be defeated by the opponent under the daytime sun.

"The other party hasn't reacted either. They're completely invisible from the observer's perspective. Then I'll leave them to you, hmm, Lord Volga?"

"Rest assured, Holmes. As a detective, you should be able to easily deduce that what I say is entirely true, not from my perspective, but from a purely objective standpoint."

Manshu took out his trident and then chanted softly, seeking the aura of the high realm to prevent the enemy from discovering the submarine's location when he stepped out of it.

"His aura vanished completely... He's a heroic spirit who can always surprise us. This matter is no problem for him. Da Vinci, please get ready to start the engine and ensure the submarine is in a state of readiness once the battle begins."

Under the power of the god Amun, Manju disappeared as if he had vanished right before their eyes, and the instruments could not detect his presence.

Holmes then turned to Leonardo da Vinci and instructed him to go to the Qin Imperial Court, warm up the engine, and be ready to retreat at any time.

"I initially thought the staff's descriptions inside were exaggerated due to nervousness, but it turns out that's not the case at all. This isn't a normal Servant at all..."

Manju quietly stepped out of the submarine and looked up at the hostile servant who had suddenly appeared without any attempt to conceal himself.

The opponent's spirit origin reaction was not at the level of a normal Servant at all; that surging magical power was just as the employee had said, something like the Greater Grail.

This was probably comparable to the terrifying magical power of Ivan the Terrible that they had encountered before. Manshu's expression immediately turned serious, and he dared not underestimate his opponent.

Therefore, Manjusaka did not rush to find his eight opponents, and even took a slightly roundabout route.

After all, he came out to buy time for the submarine to start up, not to take down the enemy. Knowing that the enemy was not weak, there was no need to attack from the direction of the submarine.

Since we can't yet tell the other side the direction and location of the submarine, launching an attack from another direction could at least have a misleading effect.