That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

Ishtar sat atop the Sky Bow Maana, admiring the scene of the world's destruction. The void devoured the heavens and earth; the space where nothing existed was slowly eroding the world. Sand and soil continuously fell into the dark void, and the monsters that sensed it fled in panic.

“So that’s how it is. This is the truth of the world.” Ishtar stroked her chin thoughtfully, her eyes growing brighter as she sensed a “business opportunity.”

Chapter 452 Everything is in the Calculation

Hall stayed at the Radiant Great Composite Temple for about half a month, which is neither a long nor a short time.

Hall only had a few places to go in the Sixth Singularity.

It's impossible to leave the White City; I'd probably be torn to pieces by the Knights of the Round Table as soon as I reached the gate. Choosing to leave the White City means becoming an enemy of the Lion King.

Going back to Higashi no Mura to see old acquaintances is fine, but you'll run into Fujimaru Ritsuka and his group, so there's no point in going back specifically.

So Hall stayed in Egypt, spending his free time strolling around the Great Composite Temple of Radiance and discussing with the Sun King the knowledge of temples and the mysteries of barriers in ancient Egypt.

If you get bored, you can also visit the markets in Egypt, a city as exotic as Uruk.

Some of Egypt's inhabitants are native to this world, while others were summoned by the Sun King Ozymandias along with his land.

They cannot be called human beings, but rather exist like phantoms; as long as the land of Egypt exists, they will live on forever.

Like the Lion King's Holy Lance, the Radiant Grand Composite Temple possesses the ability to operate independently of the world, but it requires a vast amount of magical power to support it.

Ozymandias, the Sun King who possessed the Holy Grail, could have done the same thing as the Lion King: preserve Egypt and let the world's order collapse.

Glug glug~

Hall emerged from the body of the Starry Sky Sphinx with satisfaction, having completed his analysis of this oldest and most powerful mythical beast in Egyptian mythology.

The concept of the Bull of Heaven is similar to that of the Egyptians' understanding of the divine universe. The Bull of Heaven is the embodiment of all supernatural disasters, and the gold ornaments on its body are sacrificial objects that bind this concept.

The body of the Starry Sky Sphinx is the gateway to the Egyptian divine universe.

It wasn't that Hall was lusting after its body, but rather that the Starry Sky Sphinx was simply too peculiar, practically unique even in the Type-Moon universe. Seeing its body, whether near or far, would leave one feeling awe from the bottom of their heart, like gazing at the deep galaxy, igniting Hall's intense curiosity.

At that moment, Hall noticed an eagle standing on the head of the Starry Sky Sphinx. It was fortunate that this Egyptian mythical beast was gentle and docile; otherwise, an ordinary Sphinx would probably have devoured it alive.

"come over."

Hall stretched out his right hand, and saw the eagle flap its wings and land on Hall's arm.

This eagle is a familiar animal that Hall has tamed to monitor the dynamics of the desert. Its presence here indicates that something is wrong in the desert.

The Magic Eye and the Eagle Eye locked eyes, sharing vision, and Hall saw what the eagle had once seen.

Fujimaru Ritsuka and his group entered this forbidden desert area, the location where the Atlas Institute was buried, preparing to uncover the truth behind the burning of human reason from the pseudo-spiritual particle calculator, Tri-Pointed Hermes.

Hall took a piece of meat from the subspace and fed it to the eagle, smiling knowingly: "The legacy of the Atlas Institute."

······

In the vast underground desert where the pseudo-spiritual particle calculator, the Three-Pointed Hermes, is buried, Fujimaru Ritsuka and his group set foot.

Leading the group was a tall, handsome, and refined young man dressed in a black fitted suit with an overcoat and a pipe in his hand.

A quintessential detective, he is the progenitor of detectives, the world-renowned Sherlock Holmes.

He relaxed his brow, setting aside his doubts, and said to everyone, "Let's put Romani Archman aside for now and deal with Miss Kyrielight first."

Mashu was still not used to being addressed like that, but it was the style of an English gentleman, and for someone who loved detective novels, it was a nice experience. She asked doubtfully, "My answer, does it refer to the true name of the Servant who lent me their power?"

Bedivere shook his head to stop him: "Wait, Detective, this should be the answer that Lady Mash finds herself."

Holmes rebuked her with displeasure: "Is it still worthwhile to cling to outdated chivalry under these circumstances? Everyone has guessed the answer. It would be foolish to refuse to face the truth now. Focusing too much on the process has led to neglecting the correctness of the result. Miss Kyrielight's spirit has been fulfilled. Her ideals and fears will not change because of the presence or absence of the Noble Phantasm!"

"this···"

Bedwell was speechless.

Fujimaru Ritsuka turned to look at Mash, who was standing there in a daze. Seeing her hesitation, she gave her a bright and encouraging smile and said, "I agree with Holmes's opinion because I trust Mash. She has been with me through so many difficulties. She has always protected me and everyone else. This shield will not break easily, even though it takes away some of the romance."

Mashu's eyes welled with tears: "Senpai..."

Holmes smiled and said, "Excuse me, it is not appropriate for someone who is not an important person to Miss Kyrielight to say such a thing. Miss Fujimaru would have been more suitable to say it."

Fujimaru Ritsuka shook her head: "No, I still lack rational thinking about the truth, I'm just an immature Master."

“Mashu.”

Everyone looked at Mashu, waiting for her decision.

Mashu said firmly, "No matter what, I will not waver. I believe in my senior and in the Heroic Spirit who lent me his power, so please tell me his true name."

"With pleasure, let me reveal the mystery as a detective. Chaldea's summoning ritual was established based on the concept of gathering heroes. The shield you wield was once known as the Oath of the Round Table. The Servant who formed a contract with you is the foundation for Chaldea to gather numerous Servants. That Heroic Spirit's name is—"

Galahad.

"Galahad..." Mashu was momentarily dazed, as if she had suddenly let go of a heavy burden, feeling both relieved and somewhat powerless.

"What's wrong? Is there any change in your body?" Fujimaru Ritsuka asked with concern.

Under everyone's concerned gaze, Mashu shook her head happily: "No, I just feel very happy. Have I done enough for him so far?"

“Of course I’m worthy, I can guarantee that.” Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded seriously.

Holmes, without giving everyone time to catch their breath, continued, "Next is the fourth mystery, and also the biggest mystery: Who is the magician Hall, what is his purpose, and what role does he play in this burning of humanity?"

"teacher!?"

"Mr. Hall?"

"Hall?"

"Who?"

"Magician Hall?" Bedivere heard the name for the first time, but felt that Fujimaru Ritsuka's reaction was more surprised than when she was told he was a doctor.

Xuanzang asked in confusion, "You two know each other?"

Holmes reached out and touched the blue spire: "Hermes, show us the true record."

······

After a brief silence of several tens of seconds, everyone held their breath and watched intently as Holmes operated the Trident Hermes to search for information.

Holmes withdrew from the operation, his face grim, his expression turning bitter and stiff: "This is truly beyond my expectations. He, the magician Hall, arrived here long ago and left a message within Hermes. He knew we would come here six months ago, he foresaw this moment six months ago..."

"Six months ago?"

Did you know we'd come here?

"what?"

The starry sky cat is so cute.

I want to masturbate.

Chapter 453 The Spirit of the Universe

"What is it, magician?"

Ozymandias, the Sun King, stood before the throne of the Great Composite Temple of Radiance, one hand on his hip, looking down at Hall below the throne with the natural ease of meeting an old friend.

This time, Hall took the initiative to come to him. He smiled and said, "You know, right? They followed the guidance of the first Hassan to come to the desert where the truth was buried and found that underground facility."

"so what."

"The time for the final battle is not far off. Just as you activated Dendera to infuse the temple with magic, I also need to make some preparations. For this, I need something that belongs to you."

"Want something that belongs to me? Hmph, you should know the conditions very well."

You must give something in order to take something.

Hall cut to the chase: "Starry Sky Sphinx Beast."

Sun King Ozymandias's golden eyes narrowed in surprise at Hall's request: "Oh? You should know what kind of being it is. I am merely raising it in this temple; I do not have the full authority to dispose of it."

"I've already discussed this with them; all I need is your agreement."

"Hmph, since that's the case, why bother with me? You should know that he is the king of my divine beast legion. I'm handing over my divine beast legion outside the temple to you as well. That's the most powerful mobile legion in my kingdom. You should know what that means."

"nature."

Hall nodded slightly, his meaning quite clear: he would become the representative of the Sun King's Divine Beast Legion, leading the legion to help Fujimaru Ritsuka attack the Holy Capital.

This was originally Hall's intention, so he nodded and said, "Deal."

The Starry Sky Sphinx is one of the most powerful and ancient mythical beasts in Egyptian mythology, with a spirit origin strength comparable to that of a god.

Without the support of the Holy Grail, even Ozymandias, the Sun King, could not withstand the depletion of releasing the full power of the Starry Sky Sphinx.

The Starry Sky Sphinx, the Light of Dendra, and the Radiant Great Composite Temple—these three Noble Phantasms are the trump cards of Ozymandias, the Sun King.

Hall's reason for wanting the Starry Sky Sphinx Beast was simple: he coveted its body, or more precisely, its spirit core.

The Lion King isn't difficult to deal with, but having an extra card in your hand provides an extra layer of insurance.

The Starry Sky Sphinx Beast's spirit origin strength is comparable to that of the Heavenly Bull, and due to its spirit origin characteristics, it is a very suitable magical material for modification, which can create powerful magical artifacts that can be put to use.

This only applies to magicians of Hall's caliber; most magicians would probably have their heads explode the moment they came into contact with the mysterious concept of the Sphinx in the starry sky.

As for the Starry Sky Sphinx itself, it readily agreed to Hall's idea and offered its spirit origin, proposing that as long as the Sun King Ozymandias agreed, there would be no problem.

Its reason for agreeing was quite ridiculous to humans, even Hall—it was because it was a homebody and lazy.

It had no interest in human affairs and came to this world purely in response to the call of the Sun King Ozymandias.

Hall's idea just went exactly as it wished. It handed over its spirit origin to Hall, who then completed the task it was supposed to do, while Hall went back to sleep on the other side of the world.

In a corner of the Radiant Great Composite Temple, the Starry Sky Sphinx lay peacefully on the magic circle drawn by Hall, swaying its tail.

Hall arrived at the entrance to the magic ritual and nodded, saying, "Get ready, the ritual will begin now."

"..."

The Starry Sky Sphinx nodded silently.

Hall knelt down, clasped his hands together, and the magic flowing within him formed a closed loop, connecting to the foundation of alchemy and drawing out the power of the circle.

Even for a magician of Hall's caliber, transforming an ancient and powerful divine beast into a magical artifact is no easy task.

It's even more difficult than defeating the mythical beast itself.

Fortunately, the Starry Sky Sphinx Beast cooperated, which reduced the difficulty considerably.