That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

It was then that Olga Marie noticed the unusual surroundings: an ancient temple, solemn yet dilapidated, which, based on its structure and the patterns and inscriptions, should belong to Greek mythology.

"here it is?"

"The Temple of Blood".

"The realm of Gorgon, the goddess of vengeance."

"Yes."

"Are you in cahoots with her?"

"I should say she's in cahoots with me."

"..."

Hall, looking at the deep-thinking Olga Marie, joked, "Your reaction is more rational than I expected."

Olga Marie rolled her eyes at Hall and lectured him irritably: "I don't know what your relationship with her is exactly, but she was summoned as a vengeful goddess to seek revenge on humanity. She is destined to be an enemy of mankind. Be careful not to play with fire and get burned."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Olga Marie removed her hands from Hall's, straightened her clothes and hair, maintaining her elegance and composure at all times, and asked seriously, "Uruk is preparing to go to war with Gorgon tomorrow. Why did you call me here at this time? Just say what's on your mind."

Although she lacked the qualities of a Master and a Magician, she was very intelligent and had a keen political sense.

Hall nodded bluntly: "I want you to destroy the spirit coordinates of Uruk tomorrow and sever the connection with Chaldea."

Olga Marie's eyes sharpened, her hands on her hips, her attitude becoming more forceful and resolute than ever before: "Reason? This is tantamount to me, the director of Chaldea, betraying my duty. Even if I want to trust you, you must provide a reason that is equivalent to this responsibility. This is my bottom line."

"For example?"

"Chaldea is everything to me. I need to know all your plans, all the truth, and whether or not to cooperate with your actions is ultimately up to me to decide."

“Yes,” Hall readily agreed, 100 percent certain that Olga Marie would assist him.

However, even if she refused to cooperate, Hall had a backup plan.

Chapter 468 The Calm Before the Storm

"Dr. Roman's true identity is Solomon, the Magic King, a Servant summoned by your father during the Holy Grail War."

"I don't trust him, and I don't know what his relationship is with that so-called King of Magic, Solomon, who caused the burning of humanity."

"Only the Holy Grail at the Seventh Singularity was placed by the Magic King himself, and its spiritual coordinates can be found through the Holy Grail."

"All my plans in the Seventh Singularity so far have been aimed at defeating him."

"But the burning of humanity is a feat that surpasses even the gods. The burning of humanity is a foregone conclusion. In other words, as long as it is human, as long as it is a hero born from human history, even the Grand Servants summoned by the true Heroic Spirit system to fight against the Beast of Calamity cannot defeat it."

"Only by abandoning our human identity, returning to Paradise, awakening the Mother of Origin, and utilizing the abandoned system of creating life can we possibly contend with it."

Hall explained his intentions with a mix of truth and falsehood, most of which were true, except for his speculation about Dr. Roman's identity.

Using the pretext of doubting Dr. Roman, she demanded to sever ties with Chaldea, with the aim of preventing him from learning the truth about the burning of humanity and sacrificing herself to destroy the Demon King Goetia.

The method to defeat the Demon King Goetia is simple: have Dr. Roman stand in front of him, unleash the first Noble Phantasm of the Magic King Solomon, abandon all the great achievements, miracles and magic he has accomplished so far, and permanently erase the concept of King Solomon from the past, present and future.

In this way, the twisted human reasoning created by the Magic King Solomon will also disappear, which is also the only way to defeat the Demon King Goetia in the original timeline.

This outcome contradicts Hall's objectives. First, Hall does not want Dr. Roman to disappear. Second, Hall wants to obtain all the knowledge and magical foundation of the Human Incineration Goetia, and then use this as a basis to fuse with the existence scale of the creator goddess Tiamat to create his own throne.

"How could this be..."

Olga Marie pondered for a long time before she could sort out her thoughts. Several times she hesitated to speak, sometimes suddenly realizing something, sometimes feeling unwilling, and sometimes feeling heavy-hearted.

"Is everything you said true?"

Olga Marie stood with her hands on her hips, scrutinizing Hall with a suspicious look.

Hall shrugged: "Of course, but humans always subconsciously embellish themselves with language to achieve certain goals. I can guarantee that at least nine-tenths of what I say is true, and you'll have to judge the remaining layer of falsehood yourself."

“I am the director of Chaldea. Even if there is only a one in ten risk, I will not easily agree.”

"How about you trust me this once, considering how much I've helped you?"

"..."

Olga Marie bit her thin lips and nodded hesitantly. "To draft a contract, I need three different forms of contracts: the [Forced Self-Witness], the [Book of Truth], and the [Magic Contract], to ensure the truthfulness of what you say."

"no problem."

Hall and Olga Marie entered into three different types of contracts to ensure the truthfulness of their words and deeds.

Together they checked the contents of the contract. Hall secretly praised her, saying that she was indeed from a prestigious magic family, and there were no loopholes in the contents and rules of the contract.

Olga Marie only agreed after confirming that there was no rejection reaction that would violate the contract.

She personally trusted Hall, but the matter was of utmost importance. She was not standing before Hall as Olga Marie, but as the Director of Chaldea. No amount of caution was excessive.

Afterwards, Hall sent Olga Marie back to Uruk. The monster front was much quieter than usual that night, arguably the first time since the monsters appeared.

The vast plains were devoid of any animals, their sounds were inaudible, and not even a single ordinary animal could be seen.

All the magical beasts gathered around the Blood Temple, occupied the forest, and awaited the command of Gorgon, the Mother of Beasts.

Hall used magic to conceal his presence, standing on the high wall of the north wall overlooking the scenery behind it, his magic eye penetrating the darkness of the night.

The bustling streets beneath the northern walls have been evacuated, and soldiers are arriving in droves from Uruk City, their route brightly lit. The processions carry batches of armor, weapons, and lapis lazuli imbued with powerful magic—ammunition for the King's Horn Cannon.

"Is this what they call the calm before the storm?"

Hall sighed inwardly, realizing that despite the overwhelming strength of the human forces, they would undoubtedly be defeated without the help of the other two goddess pillars.

On the other hand, Ereshkigal, the goddess of the underworld, and Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god, were bound by a contract and could not directly attack Gorgon, the goddess of vengeance.

The key to breaking the deadlock for the human camp lies with the petite girl Anna.

"The disappearance of King Gilgamesh's aura indicates that he did not use the Holy Grail to save his friend, but instead handed it over to Anna as agreed."

"The plan has been going smoothly so far."

As Hall pondered, the old man in the black robe appeared out of nowhere, maintaining a human posture and leaning on a cane. He no longer exuded the heavy pressure of death that the black swordsman once did, but he was just as unfathomable.

Grand Assassin, Hassan the slayer, the first Old Man of the Mountain.

Hall smiled calmly: "Good evening, First Old Man of the Mountain."

“The magician knows destiny but does not hear the bell. Now that fate is unpredictable, what do you seek as you walk on the ground?”

A gentle night breeze carried a chill to the bone, and the heavy weight of death quietly descended.

Knowing destiny, the earthly wanderer of the gods, the first Old Man of the Mountain's mission was to give those things that missed their destined end a chance to rest in peace.

He had long seen through the truth of the burning of humanity, and even saw his destiny in Dr. Roman, thus confirming the whole story of this incident.

Even if it means giving up his Grandmaster title, he wants to help Fujimaru Ritsuka.

Hall knew very well that in the eyes of the first Hassan, he was probably an unknown being who distorted destiny, and now the threat he posed to human reason had reached the point where he had no choice but to intervene.

Hall said calmly, "I don't think my answer is meaningful. Put away your murderous intent, the First Old Man of the Mountain. You know very well that killing me now will not change anything."

"..." The first elder of the mountain remained silent. The night wind stopped, and the pressure of death grew heavier.

Are you not satisfied with this answer...?

Hall sighed softly, "I don't believe in destiny. Even if it's a record that exists on the Root Seat outside the world, I can be sure that I don't exist in the Root."

"As for my purpose, don't think too highly of me. I am not a partner of justice. Even though I was forced into the Humanity Burning Incident from the beginning, I plan to enjoy this game by setting my own rules and making my own way."

Aren't you the same?

To date, the Counter Force has never assigned the First Elder of the Mountain to assist Chaldea in resolving the Burning of Humanity.

In the original timeline, he abandoned his Grand rank, which was meant to save all of humanity, in order to support Chaldea based on his personal judgment.

The first old man of the mountain remained silent, his body disappearing into the night before Hall's eyes.

Chapter 469 War Begins

The following morning, on the north face of Uruk.

The city walls that stretched across the plains were filled with soldiers of an unprecedented size; King Gilgamesh had committed all his troops, strength, and treasures to this battle.

On the city wall, rows of lapis lazuli cannons transported from the Royal Treasury were lined up. Each cannon, after being injected with lapis lazuli, could fire a heat beam with power comparable to a C-rank Noble Phantasm.

In addition, two rows of archers stood in shifts, their arrowheads made of a special alloy that could easily pierce the tough hides of magical beasts.

Incidentally, Hall himself was the one who manufactured the alloy arrows.

Beneath the northern city wall, a row of metal fences, originally created by Hall using alchemy, stands. The side facing the monster battle line is equipped with sharp blades, and the dark red bloodstains and damage on them bear witness to the cruelty of this protracted war.

Behind the fence were groups of soldiers lined up in formations, each with different weapons, such as spears, swords and shields, or bows and crossbows. In addition, there were catapults and siege ballistae that could not be accommodated on the city walls.

The crossbow bolts, as thick as a thigh, were already nocked, and a bucket of molten iron was placed on the catapult. Molten iron is a mixture of metals, which, after a violent impact, will produce a violent repulsive reaction and thus create a massive explosion. It has always been a powerful weapon for the defense of the north wall.

Inside the northern walled city, a lively scene unfolded as citizens of Uruk spontaneously came to provide logistical support and transport supplies.

Occasionally, enormous pterosaurs would descend from the sky, bringing fruits picked from the rainforest.

These tropical fruits grew under the power of Quetzalcoatl, possessing incredible strength and being highly magical foods. In simpler terms, these fruits are the divine version of the Philosopher's Stone.

It integrates functions such as healing, recovery, and enhancement, and in terms of functionality, it is even stronger than the Philosopher's Stone refined by Hall.

Chaldea and its Servants gathered inside a tent to discuss countermeasures.

"Oh dear, monsters have appeared from the northern forest."

Merlin retrieved his familiar and said casually, "The familiar has recorded the scale of the monsters attacking the North Wall, and no Gorgon spirit origin reaction has been detected yet."

"A new type of flying monster has also been discovered."

Tomoe Gozen crossed her arms and pondered, "What about the arrangements for the soldiers?"

On the other side, Leonidas I ordered his soldiers: "Once the monsters enter the three-thousand-meter range, immediately start the cannons. We must reduce their numbers as much as possible before they get close to the north wall to reduce the pressure of the encounter."

Fujimaru Ritsuka examined the map, biting her cherry lips in silence. This war was far more difficult than her experience in the Fifth Singularity.

The projection of Chaldea showed Leonardo da Vinci's figure: "I don't think monsters are that important. The goddess Gorgon, who hates humans, is the problem we need to worry about."

Merlin nodded: "That's right. If we can kill her, the vast number of magical beasts that were born from her power will likely also die."

"The East Third Gate is still missing three giant cannons, which may become the enemy's breakthrough point."

The numerous Servants discussed the matter animatedly, realizing that there were simply too many problems to solve in such a rush.