The Holy Grail War Blessed by the Gods

However, the force remained unchanged, still landing on the spear, which was then hurled through the air.

Valkyrie stared in disbelief at the scene before them, as they used their ceremonial attire to fly nimbly and swiftly in an attempt to evade enemy attacks.

But all of this was in vain; no matter how they tried to dodge, the gun remained locked on to them.

"Why...can the enemy use weapons...?"

Amidst the Valkyries' incredulous cries, the light gun pierced through four Valkyries in succession before finally succumbing and exploding in mid-air.

"As I thought, let's do it again! Great Thor, may your hammer protect me, so that I may wield your divine power and bring you victory!"

A deafening clap of thunder suddenly erupted in the cloudless sky, followed by a bolt of lightning. It struck down from the clear sky, landing in Manshu's hand and transforming into an inexplicable weapon.

Manju wielded the lightning hammer in his hand, striking the two giants in front of him. The parts that were hit were reduced to charred powder in an instant.

"Good! Being able to draw upon the power of both Odin and Thor, you must be a famous hero recorded in the Sagara."

Napoleon had not seen Manchu's previous performance, and Manchu did not contribute much in the battle he came to support.

Although there were battles with Titans along the way, they were just scattered Titans and there was no need to call upon any power. They could be easily defeated with their own strength.

"Your Excellency Napoleon, you haven't even asked our names yet, you've just presumptuously introduced yourself. My name here is Hafdan, Hafdan Gram."

The name Hafdan is not uncommon in Norse mythology; it has been used by both warriors and kings.

"This isn't a rare name, but to possess such power, is it Old Hafdan from the Beowulf legend, or King Gram from the Danish legend?"

Napoleon asked speculatively, since ancient records about the Nordic region were somewhat sparse, mostly just scattered notes, and could only be inferred through guesswork.

"Perhaps it's all of those, or maybe it's just a simple incarnation of Thor?"

There was naturally no definite answer, and Manshu only gave a vague reply. Since the Valkyries and the giants had not yet been completely eliminated, it was not the time for idle talk, so Manshu laughed it off.

"I didn't expect that mass-produced Valkyries would suddenly appear all at once. But since both are under the Queen's control, it's not surprising that they would fight together. It just seems that the Valkyrie leading the Titans has a rather mythical feel to it."

The giants were positioned at the front, serving as the main force to charge and draw attention, while Valinkiri unleashed runic magic from the rear, attacking from the ground and air. Fighting against them truly felt like a mythical battle.

However, their strength was still too weak, so when they actually fought, they didn't feel much. It was as if they were attacking a mob, and they quickly broke through their formation.

After all, their combat strength here is not low. Even without Manju, Napoleon, Mashu, and Fujimaru Ritsuka's Spirit Origin Shadow alone would be enough to defeat them.

"The sun is about to set, which is perfect. Let's stay here until dawn. It's also about time I told you about the operation."

They started their journey from the village in the morning, which took quite a bit of effort. Since they weren't in a rush to arrive, there was no need to continue traveling through the night.

Although Napoleon was certain he would not be opposed by the goddess, there were still obstacles on the road, at least for today, so he needed to maintain a good mental state.

As if he had been prepared, Napoleon led the group to a nearby cave, where camping equipment had already been set up.

Who could possibly have placed these things here? One's gaze naturally falls upon Napoleon.

"Well, I set up these outposts scattered around, which I collected from the villages where I drove away the imperial envoys. Cough cough, no, I mean, I barely managed to survive on what I borrowed from them."

In short, if there's any advantage to being a lone traveler, it's that you don't have to worry about supplies. All you need is a place to rest and rejuvenate, both physically and mentally.

The environment here is indeed quite basic, with only some simple camping tools, but it's enough for normal living, though not very comfortable.

But Mashu also carries her own living equipment; her shield contains food, drinking water, and a sleeping bag for sleeping in the wild.

They had a simple dinner there, and then Napoleon coughed twice and began the war meeting he had mentioned earlier.

"Let me think about tomorrow. It should be considered an attack on a stronghold. We'll be infiltrating a castle located in the former Oslo area. Of course, fighting will be unavoidable."

"If we include that goddess as an enemy, then it's probably not an operation that can be easily won."

After all, it wasn't just the goddess Scáthach Skadi there; there was also Sigurd, who possessed extremely terrifying magical power. The two of them combined were not opponents that could be easily defeated.

"Yes, 9. So in this situation, we should first set the victory conditions! Under what circumstances can our army be considered to have won, and under what circumstances can our army be considered to have lost?"

"Is the victory condition the annihilation of the enemy forces? No, we can't possibly defeat all the giants and their lords in Norse mythology, and neither you nor I will deliberately harass them, so that's not it. It can't be called a victory condition. So what should you be doing?"

Napoleon didn't draw his own conclusion, but instead threw the question back at Fujimaru Ritsuka.

"Reclaim the Flat Moon and investigate the exact location of the Imaginary Tree!"

This was a goal that had been discussed before, and Fujimaru Ritsuka could answer it immediately without hesitation.

"Then this is the condition for your victory, and this is what you should do. As for the condition for defeat, it is even clearer: you will be killed and your entire army will be wiped out."

You can only achieve victory conditions while protecting yourselves. Defeating the enemy would be simple, but your victory conditions are quite difficult.

But the Queen doesn't intend to commit all her forces, does she? If she really wanted to kill us, she would have done it already.

Both the envoys and the giants act according to the Queen's will; they are essentially puppets. As long as orders are issued to search for and attack nearby first-generation giants, we must fight relentlessly, without rest.

However, the current reality is that there is no warning line, not to mention the four-line defense line, so I can't make the judgment that she doesn't regard us as the enemy at all.

Although this is extremely frustrating, it doesn't matter. We should make good use of this opportunity. Being completely unsuspecting means we're vulnerable. All that's left is this operation to infiltrate the base.

According to Napoleon, their actions did indeed have a considerable chance of success.

Since Scáthach does not consider them enemies worthy of serious consideration, we should seize this opportunity to gather intelligence and even accomplish all our objectives in one fell swoop.

After the pre-battle meeting, the group dispersed to rest until they woke up the next morning and continued their journey.

They were not far from the Queen's castle; after a little while, they were able to see it.

It was a solitary castle, and one glance was enough to tell that it was the residence of a noble person, a city of snow and ice built solely for the king to sit in.

That probably wasn't designed with the function of a fortress in mind, but rather something created solely to showcase a magnificent appearance—a splendid castle made of ice and snow.

"If we're talking about broader human history, then it should be considered architectural theory from the modern era onwards."

Mashu said that, but no one here knew anything about architectural history.

"This castle is the largest building in the Nordic Lostbelt, although there aren't many buildings here to begin with. It's a city of snow and ice. It's the residence of actual gods, and it contains some kind of temple."

8. In the northern part of the Oslofjord on the Scandinavian Peninsula, in a place known throughout human history as Oslo, stands the only castle in Northern Europe, befitting the territory of its rulers.

Wu: "So how do we get in?"

In response to Napoleon's musings, Mashu asked a pragmatic question.

(6) "Oh, there's a back door."

Napoleon led his entourage around the main gate and entered the castle from another direction.

"I suppose you've guessed it, this isn't my first time here. I've launched attacks on this place before. And you can probably guess the result too—the first attempt failed. But in a way, it was a success, even though from a purely results-oriented perspective, it was a complete failure."

On the way, Napoleon said to the others, "But coming here alone is indeed a bit..."

"What exactly is a Heroic Spirit? Although one understands it in their mind, it's difficult to actually feel it. Rather than being overconfident in their own power, it's more like they want to test what they can do. And then they do all sorts of trivial things. Although they failed to take the enemy general's head, they still gained a lot."

One of the baits is this underground passage leading to the main tower of the castle. If you walk directly across the bridge, the envoys will swarm over you like a tidal wave. This is considered their habit.

In contrast, things are much better underground; security is very lax. As I expected, after what happened last time, security hasn't been strengthened. I guess the Queen doesn't consider us enemies.

But she's definitely noticed us already. That's the kind of woman she is—no wonder she calls herself a god; she's unfathomable. You'll inevitably run into her after entering the castle, so be prepared."

Napoleon remarked with a sigh, and Manchu nodded in deep agreement.

He took this as the goddess's complete confidence. In a Lostbelt that already had powerful Servants, maintaining such confidence was undoubtedly a testament to her strength.

He certainly deserves to be treated with caution; at least he seems to be more worthy than Ivan the Terrible.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Before the Emperor

After proceeding for some time from below the castle, they went up the stairs and left, arriving at a large space inside the castle that resembled a hall.

"The surrounding magical reaction... there's a powerful magical reaction in the area! It's almost as if the castle itself is radiating magic..."

Mashu reported incredulously, and then a woman's voice immediately rang out, seemingly from nowhere, like a heavenly voice falling from the sky:

“That’s right. This ice and snow city was constructed with my magic. In other words, you will stand inside my belly for now. You can’t sense the presence of the Servants beside you, can you? After all, it’s made of solidified snow from Northern Europe.”

⑨ The woman's voice was full of divinity, and her tone was enough to deduce her identity. She was clearly the ruler of this land, the goddess of ice and snow.

"They arrived really quickly! Haha, after all, she's Her Majesty the Queen, who has to put on airs with every move!"

"The so-called God is eternal, absolute. Since ancient times, mankind has sought gods among all things in the world, but in my world, in my Norse Lostbelt, there is only one God."

If God is all-encompassing, then so am I; if God is a high-ranking power, then so am I. I have heard that the gods of pan-human history have vanished, reduced to deities, and most humans are unable to see them.

How painful it must be to live in such a world! To have to keep reverence hidden in one's heart and be forced to rely on so-called idols. But here I am, and I allow you to bow down to me, sons of man. Let Scáthach Scáthach bestow love upon you.”

The master of this place appeared at the end of the hall, loudly proclaiming her ideas and explaining her love in a divine manner that transcends human reason.

"It really is... Scáthach."

0 But clearly Scáthach's appearance has a greater impact on the two Chaldea members.

"She really looks exactly like Miss Scáthach..."

"Hmm? Why is it only reacting to the individual names of my constituent elements?"

The goddess of ice and snow was puzzled by their reactions, but then she remembered the information she had previously gathered: "Ah, um, that's right. I've heard. According to the Hidden Ones, you've seen the heroic spirits of Pan-Human History, haven't you?"

Are you Scáthach, the Celtic warrior? Unfortunately, I don't know much about her background…

But I know you all very well. You fought bravely in the iron block called Shadow Border, didn't you? You even rescued my beloved human son, although there seemed to be a misunderstanding in the twenty-third village.

"I forgive you, I forgive all of this, and I will bestow love upon you. It is a miracle you survived the demonic sword's attack; that is enough. The pain of continuing to live was not my intention."

Oskaha's words were not feigned; one could genuinely feel the compassion present in them.

This goddess who ruled over all of Northern Europe seemed to be a truly reasonable queen.

The two Chaldeans remained silent, unable to come up with a definite idea for the time being.

The castle was filled with Scáthach Skadi's magic, so dense that it was impossible to measure its scale. It reminded Mash of the atmospheric magic of the Seventh Singularity.

"Thank you for your magnanimity, Your Majesty. Do you intend to place us under your protection?"

"Ah, it's you, archer. What was your name again? The reason you've survived until now is all because of my intentions. How about it, can you feel my love?"

Scáthach Skadi gave a faint smile and asked Napoleon.

"Ah, is my name hard to remember? Napoleon Bonaparte, once an emperor, now a hero of humanity. I've said it twice already."

"I have no interest in the great achievements and names of humankind, forgive me, archer. Of course, I will allow you to live in Norse mythology, and as a god, I will only grant you two things."

In other words—it's either love or death. Since I've decided to bestow love upon you, I won't kill you, but I will never tell you the location of the Imaginary Tree. Give up.

"Go ahead and cut that off; I can't just stand by and do nothing. As for the compass called the Plane Moon, that's up to you, but that depends on what the current owner says."

Skadi spoke frankly to the group, making her stance clear.

It's a good thing that she's not Skadi's opponent for the time being. After all, the ruler of this Lostbelt is no ordinary being.