That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

Well, small breasts are a scarce resource too.

Hall, not intending to get up for the moment, asked, "Is it over?"

"Probably. Saber brought you back here and gave you treatment. She's still patrolling outside."

"How is Rider?"

Being able to return to the Radiant Ship already speaks volumes about the current situation.

Agarius's strength is almost comparable to Karna's, and he has a slight advantage in compatibility with Saber. Saber is not capable of defeating Agarius.

Therefore, the key to defeating Agarius lies in his Masters, namely the group whose minds were numbed by the Assyrian Empress's poison.

The fact that Saber was able to bring Hall's body back means that Astolfo has completed the task Hall assigned him.

Ishtar retorted irritably, "I'm not an encyclopedia, how would I know?"

After the physical examination, Hall got up and left the cabin, where he ran into Astolfo, who was still full of energy.

He greeted him warmly: "Wow~ That's unbelievable, I thought you lost, Hall. Are you alright? Does anything still hurt? You should probably continue to rest."

Are you a mother?

Hall nodded and said, "His body is fine for now. How is the Red Team's Master?"

"Ah." Astolfo recalled something, put his hands on his hips, and said angrily, "That's so unfair! Why didn't you warn me that there were some terrible monsters there? I almost got eaten!"

Hall shrugged. "That's the best job for you."

Even with other Servants, Astolfo wouldn't be able to win, but his Noble Phantasm is quite useful.

Astolfo stroked his chin thoughtfully, then smiled and said with delight, "It's good that I was able to help. I had Rider's Master break their contract with Rider. Anyway, they were useless, so I let them go."

"Didn't you directly use a Command Spell to force Rider to leave the field?"

Astolfo shook his head: "I could not do such a cruel thing. Such behavior is disrespectful to heroes and an insult to the King of Knights!"

Agarius is a Rider, not an Archer. He lacks the ability to act independently. Once his connection with his Master is severed, his remaining magical energy can only sustain him for a few hours at most, let alone during intense battles.

It doesn't matter much.

Hall patted Astolfo on the shoulder and thanked him sincerely: "Well done, all in all."

"Oh, keep praising me, I need more, sing the praises of Charlemagne's twelve warriors."

Astolfo stuck out his tongue: "By the way, Hall, I'm sorry, I probably won't be of any use anymore. Fighting that monster almost used up all the magic power of my Command Seals, and now I'm struggling just to maintain my body. I'll probably disappear in another day or two."

Is there anything you still cherish about this world?

"I don't have any particular obsession, I just want to stay in this world longer if I can and experience a whole new kind of modern adventure."

"I will grant your wish."

"what?"

"Now only Assassin and Lancer of the Black faction remain. It is certain that we have won this Holy Grail War. Even without relying on the Greater Grail to make a wish, with my magical skills and mastery of 60 years of ley line magic, I can fulfill any wish that the Holy Grail can grant."

Before Astolfo could answer, the goddess's mischievous voice came from behind Hall: "Hmph, is that really so? Even that broken clay doll (Enkidu) can perform a simple wish. You should also know the true function of the Holy Grail, right?"

Hall glanced at her, then bluntly stated in a slow voice, "Collect the souls of Servants and open the Root Vortex leading to the outside of the world."

"To be precise, it's about collecting the souls of six Servants, opening a hole to the outside world, and then using the accumulated massive magical power to fix it, thus achieving the Third Magic. But to achieve the Third Magic, you must leave nothing behind and make the maximum use of the accumulated ley line magic. You are a magician, and as long as you are a magician, it is impossible to get rid of the thirst for the Root."

"You're right, as expected of someone from one of the three founding families. But you forgot that the Holy Grail War is a ritual to pursue the Root, and it doesn't have much effect on magicians who have already reached the Root," Hall chuckled.

Ishtar's face stiffened, and she exclaimed incredulously, "You mean you've mastered the Third Law?!"

Hall smiled but offered no explanation.

The root of this is ultimate knowledge, similar to the truth in Fullmetal Alchemist. The little man in the bottle briefly grasped the truth, but ultimately, due to the anti-national transmutation circle spitting out all the Philosopher's Stones, he was unable to withstand the power of the truth and was devoured by it.

In the Type-Moon world, without the right timing, location, and people, you can't even think about reaching the Root.

In any case, it will definitely be stopped by the inhibitory force and will be a thankless task.

Given enough magical power, anything the Root can do, the magicians of the Age of Gods can basically do as well.

For the magicians of the Age of Gods, the five existing great spells are extremely difficult but also like chicken bones—tasteless to eat and a pity to discard.

Of the five great magics, the first magic (unknown) and the fifth magic (magic blue) are both results of reaching the source, which can be regarded as rewards obtained by a magician after reaching the source. The remaining second magic (parallel world travel), the third magic (soul materialization), and the fourth magic (unknown) are all means of reaching the source.

In the Age of Gods, the so-called origin is nothing more than the power that magicians of the Age of Gods can use at will.

In summary, it's not that Hall was completely uninterested in the Roots, but rather, more accurately, uninterested in the magical ritual of the Holy Grail War.

Chapter 231 The Goddess Worshipped as a Living Sacrifice by the Gods

"Assassin is leaving?"

Hall was quite surprised to hear this news from Saber.

Hall anticipated Li Shuwen's sneak attack, so he set up a magical trap on his body to erode the Servant's Spirit Origin, intending to disable Li Shuwen's most troublesome inherent skill, [Circle], and then deal with it slowly later.

No one expected Saber to arrive earlier and intercept Li Shuwen, who had just launched a sneak attack on Hall.

With his [Circle] broken and his spiritual foundation damaged, Li Shuwen would certainly be no match for Saber.

Saber's delicate and pretty face was filled with worry: "More importantly, Hall, have your injuries healed yet?"

"With Avalon around, there's no need to worry. Black's Assassin's exit has cleared the final obstacle."

"Ah, is the Holy Grail War over?" Saber said in a complicated tone, her mood turning somber despite what should have been a happy occasion.

Hall took her small hand, nodding and shaking his head: "The only ones left are Lancer of the Black side, and Ereshkigal, the goddess of the underworld."

Saber was taken aback, her face flushed as she hesitated, "Is she our enemy?"

“It wasn’t like that before, but it is now. This is the Holy Grail War, but it still depends on her attitude. To be honest, I don’t want to kill her either.”

The ritual called the Holy Grail War can be closed once the souls of six Servants are gathered. With the departure of Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, the biggest mastermind behind this Holy Grail War, the Black Faction Yggdrasilia clan has completely lost its ability to resist. It would not be inappropriate to say that this Holy Grail War has ended.

Hall was certain of this.

······

However, the reality was always more unexpected than Hall imagined.

The Radiant Ship arrived above the castle of the Yggdrasilnia clan and discovered that it had long since become the territory of the underworld. The once-blooming garden flowers had all withered, leaving only bare rocks that never saw the sun. It turned out that the magnificent castle had become the perfect location for horror movies.

Ereshkigal stood before the castle gate, holding a magnificent double-edged spear in one hand. Her beautiful and dignified posture was unmistakably that of the goddess of the underworld.

Hall jumped off the Radiant Ship and stood before the goddess of the underworld, asking in bewilderment, "Lancer, where is the Black Faction's Master?"

Ereshkigal smiled pleasingly: "As you can see, it's no longer here."

Specifically.

“That magician who blasphemed the human soul has completely disappeared from this world. Other magicians and androids have been banished. Only the Underworld and I, the guardian of the Underworld, remain here. I have been waiting for you for a long time, Caster. If you had come a day later, I might not have seen you again.”

After a pause, Ereshkigal said nonchalantly, "As you can see, I've used up the last Command Seal that binds me, and I will soon disappear from this world."

Hall scrutinized Ereshkigal and said slowly, "It seems you don't want to ask me for help."

"Of course, I am a goddess. Only when mortals offer sacrifices will the goddess bestow blessings."

Understanding the meaning behind the underworld goddess myth, Hall paused for a moment, then said, "I like you very much, and if possible, I would like to avoid fighting as much as possible."

"Huh?! What did you just say?!"

Ereshkigal blushed deeply, and after finally calming down, he coughed, covering his mouth, "That's impossible. The reason I answered the summons was because I was obsessed with the Holy Grail."

"What is your wish?" Hall persisted, for Ereshkigal was one of Hall's favorite characters.

"You already know, don't you?"

"I want to confirm this."

"It's alright to tell you. Use the power of the Greater Grail to expand the realm of the Underworld to this planet and collect the souls of all mankind."

"・・・"

Ishtar, piloting the Sky Bow, descended from the sky, exclaiming with a mixture of sarcasm and astonishment: "Wow~ as gloomy and wicked as ever, what kind of wish is this?"

Ereshkigal glanced at Ishtar, a hint of surprise on his face: "Ish... no, you are not her. Although you do use a part of her power, only half of your consciousness belongs to her. You are just a magician who possesses a part of her power and memories."

"Half?" Hall turned his head slightly in surprise and glanced at Ishtar.

"I couldn't hide it from you after all. It doesn't matter, it's all me no matter which one it is. Ereshkigal, I advise you to give up. Even you can't defeat so many Servants, let alone in such a bad state."

Ereshkigal puffed out her chest and proudly declared, "I am Ereshkigal, the guardian of death, the goddess whom the gods have made a living sacrifice for!"

"It is my duty and the meaning of my existence to bring all humans and all souls into the underworld! If anyone tries to stop me, even Caster, I will not show any mercy!"

Ishtar curled her lip: "You're just a gloomy shut-in, I don't think you're that great."

"What do you, a mere little fly, know about me?"

The Uruk Theater was completed.

Ereshkigal snorted, his beautiful eyes turning golden: "Words are useless, just feel it for yourself, and experience the ruthlessness of the goddess of the underworld!"

"The sky is a boundless sea, the earth a prison! Beneath my feet lies the wrath of the underworld! Manifest, Temple of Fever!"

"Kur Kigal Irkalla (The Spirit Peak Embraces the Netherworld)"

Ereshkigal brandished his double-edged spear and plunged it into the ground, causing the entire underworld to tremble violently, the earth to rumble, and mountains to shake.

呲味味~

Crimson lightning from the underworld spilled from the cracked earth, amplifying the concept of the underworld. Any living being that touched the crimson lightning would have its soul annihilated the instant it came into contact with it.

Hall and Ishtar exchanged a glance and tacitly fled back to the Radiant Ship, overlooking the changes in the Underworld from the sky.

The castle of the Yggdrasilnia clan was evaporated by the Netherworld Crimson Lightning that rose from the ground, the earth cracked and disappeared, and the entire Netherworld was filled with Netherworld Crimson Lightning.

Ishtar exclaimed in astonishment, "To actually use a Noble Phantasm to transform this illusory underworld into a real one, Shinji, you mustn't be careless."

Ok?

Hall paused, as if something was amiss.

Gradually, the Sea of ​​Crimson Lightning underwent a strange change. White spirits gathered and gave birth to a huge white ghost, which grabbed the endless crimson lightning of the underworld beneath it and hurled it towards the Ship of Radiance.

Sizzle!

Its sound was like the chorus of ten thousand birds, and its power was earth-shattering. This attack was no less powerful than a B-rank anti-army Noble Phantasm.