A Villain's Journey Begins in the Type-Moon World

"Understood!" the Servants replied immediately.

Chapter 160: Fighting on Two Fronts

A great battle was about to break out, and the monster legions took the lead in surrounding the Roman legions in eight directions.

"Stone Soldier Eight Formations—Arise!"

Meanwhile, Waver, located in the very center of the legion, began to fully activate the Stone Formation Noble Phantasm based on the skills of Zhuge Liang who was possessing him.

Under Weber's command, the legion began to move. At the same time, stone gates rose from the ground one after another, and red-veined stone pillars fell from the sky to the ground, forming an impenetrable stone wall that kept the monsters out.

The monsters launched a fierce attack, but they could not shake the stone walls even slightly. They could only slowly enter the stone formation in small numbers, using the existing exits.

But once inside the stone circle, these monsters were as if lost in a fog, completely losing their sense of direction. They were then ambushed by the well-prepared Roman troops and killed instantly.

This is the advantage that Waver gained by using the Stone Soldier Formation, and it is also an important reliance that helped Waver repeatedly repel the attacks of the monsters and successfully protect his legion.

It can be said that without Weber's Stone Formation, even with the combined forces of six nations, the sheer volume of monsters sweeping across the entire territory would be insufficient to meet the overwhelming force.

"As expected of Prime Minister Zhuge, who has a great reputation in China, this military formation is said to be the number one killing formation at the time. It can kill as many enemies as come, and it is most suitable for this kind of army battle situation."

As the Heroic Spirit Emiya gazed at the scene at the center of the battlefield, he couldn't help but say, "Now they can only stay away from the battlefield, otherwise they too will be overwhelmed by the tide of monsters and die from exhaustion."

“It’s not a problem to hold off the monsters, but can it really hold off those Servants? What if those Servants use anti-army level Noble Phantasms to forcibly annihilate the army formation?” Mash couldn’t help but ask.

"It's alright. From my observation, this military formation is already close to the level of a natural barrier. The scenery inside and outside is completely different."

Heroic Spirit Emiya slowly said:

"Therefore, if those Servants want to break through the army formation from the outside, unless their Noble Phantasm is powerful enough to reach the EX level, only a special Anti-World Noble Phantasm can do this."

"An anti-world Noble Phantasm? If that's the case, none of those Servants have a Noble Phantasm of this level... The only ones who might be at some risk are that Hun king and the True Ancestor princess whose strength is unknown."

Dr. Roman analyzed:

"Therefore, if they want to break the formation, they also have to step into it. Although there is still a risk of breaking the formation, once they enter, they will be completely delayed. If the formation is not broken, they will not be able to come out, let alone use the power of the Command Seals to return to their Masters."

"Now we just wait for them to make their move." Hidden in the shadows, Ritsuka watched the figures in the sky. Once all the Divine Punishers entered the battle formation, she would immediately activate the Black Mist Ring.

……

Meanwhile, in the sky, the Servants who had repeatedly failed to achieve much were discussing the topic of the Stone Formation.

"It's really frustrating. Yesterday I bombarded that tortoise shell with my Noble Phantasm for most of the day and it didn't break in the slightest. That so-called military formation is no longer in the same space as us. That's how my attack was neutralized."

Jeanne Alter shook her head and said.

"Unless we possess the power to shatter the world and destroy space, or have a transdimensional artifact, we have no choice but to try and break into the army formation. It's quite a scheme; they're clearly trying to trap us and keep us occupied by that army formation."

Mordred snorted and said.

“We don’t have any other options right now, and even Arcueid is looking rather dejected. She can’t help us much,” Atalanta said, looking at Arcueid.

"Don't even mention it. Today, Alaya's influence was completely mobilized, suppressing me exceptionally well," Arcueid said listlessly.

"Furthermore, if I were to forcibly use Gaia's power, or even the more powerful power of the True Ancestor, it would not only cause me to suffer a certain degree of backlash, but it would also directly trigger Alaya's overreaction, leading to the arrival of a Grand-rank Servant."

"Don't forget, that god-ancestor Romulus is the most suitable candidate. He is very likely to descend in the form of a true god."

Semiramis said:

"We can't add these unnecessary variables to the Master, and we should go down now. The monsters haven't made any progress in their attacks for some time. If we keep dragging this out, it won't weaken Alaya's influence; instead, it will only make it worse."

Hearing Semiramis say this, Mordred laughed and said, "We can't keep Ritsuka and the others waiting too long, otherwise it would be a waste to give her the Black Mist Ring. Let her face the terror of her Master head-on. Besides, if you guys don't move out soon, I'll be the first to go!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Mordred was the first to rush down, first tentatively unleashing her Noble Phantasm to attack the army formation. She discovered that there was indeed a layer of red, net-like barrier that blocked her Noble Phantasm attack.

Without much hesitation, Mordred found an entrance and stepped into the army formation.

Upon seeing Mordred enter the army formation, the other Servants playing the roles of Divine Punishers said nothing more, one after another imitating Mordred's method, first attempting to use their Noble Phantasms. Only after finding this ineffective did they find an entrance and enter the army formation.

And so, one after another, the vast majority of the Divine Punishers eventually entered the battle formation, while only a small number of followers remained outside, waiting to be deployed.

For example, there's Zhen, who only wants to fulfill her duty of protection, and then there are the eldest and second eldest sisters who are "not good at fighting."

Ritsuka, who had been keeping a close eye on the movements of the Divine Punishers, spoke up upon seeing this scene:

"Although there are still a few Divine Punishers who haven't entered, either their Noble Phantasms aren't good at breaking through this level of military formation, or they themselves aren't skilled in combat. We can now set off to open up the second battlefield."

"We are ready, Ritsuka, let's begin," said Emiya to Ritsuka.

"Hmm... Black Mist Ring, please listen to my voice and pave the way to the throne of the gods!" Ritsuka's mind flashed with the incantation for officially activating the Black Mist Ring, and she chanted it aloud.

Then, it was seen that the black mist ring on Ritsuka's wrist emitted wisps of black mist, forming a large black mist cloud.

"As agreed beforehand, I'll go in first to scout the situation." Jing Ke stepped directly into the black mist cloud circle. (The remaining text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

"And me too, that guy's really fast." Robin Hood sighed, then entered the black mist cloud circle as well.

After quite some time, the two returned from the black mist cloud circle.

“There’s generally nothing wrong inside,” Jing Ke said. “We can go in for now, but it’s a dark passage with almost no end in sight. They probably won’t be lying in ambush here.”

“I’ve checked the traps, and there don’t seem to be any mechanisms set up around it, so you can enter without worry,” Robin Hood said. “However, I have a feeling that things have gone a little too smoothly, which isn’t good news for me. I suggest you don’t let your guard down once you’re inside.”

"Thank you both for your hard work exploring. You should go in first. As the one who opened the black mist cloud circle, I have to maintain this power, so I can only go in last," Ritsuka said to the other Servants.

The other Servants nodded and stepped into the black mist circle without a word. After Mash entered the black mist circle, Ritsuka finally mustered her courage and stepped into the circle.

Chapter 161: An Unexpectedly Smooth Journey?

"Is this... the interior of that courtyard?"

As Ritsuka stepped into the black mist cloud circle, she felt her vision suddenly shift to a different scene. What was once a desolate land filled with war and monsters had instantly become a dark passage lit by lamplight.

"Looks like you can only come in, not come out..." Emiya's words drew Ritsuka's attention to what was behind her. Ritsuka noticed that the black mist cloud that had transported her to the enemy's base had completely disappeared.

The black mist ring was no longer in his own hand, as if its mission had come to an end.

“Now we have no choice but to go down this path to the bitter end, Ritsuka,” Emiya said.

Ritsuka nodded, then looked around at her surroundings again and said:

"It really is exactly as Mr. El-Melloi described. I just wonder if there are any of those rooms filled with traps and difficulties that he mentioned inside."

Yesterday, Ritsuka heard about Semiramis's Aerial Garden Noble Phantasm from Waver. What she didn't expect was that the enemy's lair was the Aerial Garden that should have been destroyed long ago, and that it would make such a domineering appearance in front of everyone.

“Then let Robin Hood and I continue to lead the way. If there is any danger, we are skilled enough to avoid it quickly enough,” Jing Ke said.

“Alright, I’ll leave the front to Miss Jing Ke and Mr. Robin Hood. Mash, Miss Boudica, Mr. Emiya, and I will stay in the middle in case anything unexpected happens.”

Ritsuka began to command: "Last are Mr. Lu Bu, Mr. Darius, and Mr. Sparta... Because of your berserk state, you will follow at the very back to prevent you from blindly charging and getting lost from the group."

Upon hearing Ritsuka's arrangement, all the Servants nodded, indicating that they had no objection to it.

"Now that the team has been arranged, let me reiterate our two objectives for infiltrating the base: firstly, to destroy any magic circles we encounter."

"Those magic circles are either used to form the defensive or offensive spells of this sky garden, or to summon the magical beasts outside. As long as we can destroy these magic circles, we can relieve the pressure on the other side."

"Therefore, please observe your surroundings carefully and do not overlook anything that may be related to the magic circle."

Ritsuka carefully gave some instructions regarding the magic circle. The reason for this was not only due to the reasons mentioned above, but also, and most importantly, the summoning formula related to "human evil" that the Heroic Spirit Emiya had mentioned earlier.

Only by completely destroying the summoning spell of "human evil" can we stop Wang Chong's unknown purpose and prevent the Roman singularity from becoming a sacrifice to "human evil".

"Secondly, and naturally, is the ultimate goal of our operation: the decapitation strike. We must find that divine messenger as soon as possible, defeat him, and end this apocalyptic judgment."

We all know firsthand the enemy's strength—a terrifyingly powerful being capable of altering the entire continent's environment! Even with the nine of us joining forces, our chances of victory are still slim…

But it is precisely in such dire circumstances that we need to cooperate wholeheartedly! As long as we unite our strength, we will surely break through seemingly impossible barriers and create our own miracle!

I urge you all to join me in this endeavor! Let us utterly defeat this seemingly invincible enemy!

After Ritsuka finished speaking, she took a deep breath, placed her fist on her chest, and her face was full of determination. Seeing this, the other Servants all smiled confidently and resolutely, and nodded in acknowledgment.

Then, everyone began to line up and move forward in the order that Ritsuka had instructed.

To everyone's surprise, apart from the somewhat monotonous corridors, they didn't see anything else along the way. Ritsuka also failed to find the trap room that Waver had mentioned for quite some time.

When they arrived at a spiral staircase leading upwards, Jing Ke and Robin Hood nodded to each other. The two immediately moved swiftly, changing positions rapidly on the staircase, and in no time, they had reached the top.

As Ritsuka waited for the two to return below, she heard Jing Ke communicate telepathically: "Master, you can let everyone come up now."

"Huh? We can just come up right away?"

Ritsuka was taken aback, then led everyone up the stairs. Once they reached the top, they understood why Jing Ke had said they could come up directly.

A beam of light shone in from the front of the passage, clearly indicating the exit. After Ritsuka led the group out, a bright light indeed shone upon them.

Looking around, she found herself in what appeared to be a street, surrounded by buildings with an inverted, suspended style. Ritsuka hadn't expected to find herself so easily escaping the inner labyrinth and arriving in the outside world.

"Didn't Mr. El-Melloi say that the entire maze was intricate and full of traps and challenges, fraught with danger? How come I got out so easily?"

Ritsuka looked around in confusion, and after confirming that there were no traps nearby, she still couldn't figure it out.

Ritsuka wasn't the only one with the same question; most of the rational Servants present sensed that something was amiss. Their journey had been too smooth; they should have encountered some bumps and setbacks along the way.

As the saying goes, something unusual must be going on. Instead of speeding up their exploration, the group's pace slowed down.

"If only we could get in touch with the doctor. We've lost contact with him ever since we entered this floating island, just like when we were trapped in the Black Mist Wall," Ritsuka sighed.

……

In the center of the vain Sky Garden, on the throne, Wang Chong silently watched the outsiders who had appeared on his territory, a faint smile on his face.

"The deadly mechanisms failed and broke down 201 times... The difficult mechanisms failed 103 times and were misaligned 41 times... Even the simple challenges and problems were all misaligned."

Wang Chong muttered slowly, letting out a cold laugh:

"You really went all out, Alaya... You completely disrupted and pushed aside all my arrangements. Are you so eager to deliver them to me?"

"Are you worried that something might happen on the road that could threaten Ritsuka, or have you already realized that my summoning circle is about to be officially completed? Hehehehe..."

Wang Chong rose from his throne, and as his foot touched the floor, crimson magic patterns suddenly appeared on the ground, and a huge magic circle that filled the entire hall appeared beneath his feet.

At that moment, a golden, cup-shaped object floated out from the center of the magic circle. A transparent liquid continuously overflowed from the golden cup, pouring onto the magic circle and creating ripples.

“fu……fu……”

As Wang Chong approached the center, a faint sound came from within.

"You're getting a little anxious because you sensed their arrival, aren't you? Don't worry, our cooperation will be completed soon, and you can still continue to be that harmless pet."

Upon hearing the voice, Wang Chong smiled and said, "I still need you to continue releasing your aura. With your aura, I can keep Alaya's gaze fixed on me and relentlessly deplete its power."

"After this incident, I'll not only take you to eat even more delicious food, but I'll also give you a chance to kick that Merlin guy. How about it?"

“fu…”

The voice rang out again, as if in agreement.

Wang Chong nodded in satisfaction, then raised his hand, activated the power of the Holy Grail, and continued to pour it into the magic circle beneath him. A terrifying aura emanated outwards from the palace.

Through the wall, Wang Chong could see that the purplish-red aura outside, upon contact with this terrifying energy, exploded as if cold water had been poured into hot oil. A considerable amount of profound power directly impacted the aerial courtyard, intending to destroy it.

"presumptuous!"

Wang Chong snorted coldly, and the black mist across the entire Roman Empire began to gather towards him, washing away the inexplicable forces that were trying to tear apart the Hanging Gardens.

"Now... let's see when Ritsuka arrives. Heh, Alaya, you moved my mechanism, but can you also make all those monsters I've piled up disappear? I want to see how much power you still have left to use."

With a wave of his hand, Wang Chong caused the magic circles in the sky garden that summoned magical beasts to light up once again.

This time, however, the summoned monsters didn't follow the pre-programmed commands and immediately plunge into the battlefield beneath the courtyard. Instead, they began charging towards Ritsuka and the others' location. (The remaining text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the initial statement.)

Chapter 162: Removing the Summoning Array

"Did you hear anything?"

Ritsuka, who was leading a group of Servants toward the center of the Sky Garden, seemed to have heard something and spoke.

"I heard it too. It's probably the sound of those magical beasts. Aren't those magical beasts summoned from this aerial garden? There must be a summoning circle nearby that summons those magical beasts."

After assessing the situation, Jing Ke looked at Ritsuka and asked, "Master, should we now take a detour to find those summoning circles, or ignore them and attack the central area directly?"

“Hmm…” Ritsuka did not answer immediately, but looked at the Heroic Spirit Emiya. After all, the main reason for adding the purpose of destroying the summoning circle in this operation was to destroy the summoning formula that summons “Human Evil”.

As for which summoning circle was related to "human evil," only the Heroic Spirit Emiya could determine it. Emiya immediately began sensing the changes in magical energy around him, looking for the magical energy fluctuations his "superior" had instructed him to observe.

Just as the group hesitated and did not make a decision immediately, Robin Hood, who suddenly sensed something was wrong, lay down on the ground and began to listen to the sounds on the ground to determine the number and direction of the monsters around them.

Upon hearing this, he immediately jumped up and said, "Don't choose anymore. It's not good news. We're probably surrounded by monsters. We'll have to fight them first."

Everyone was startled, and then immediately prepared to fight.

"It seems we were discovered a long time ago... But that makes sense. We used their treasure to teleport here and caused trouble on their turf, it would be strange if they didn't find out."

Jing Ke said, "I'm afraid they're trying to lower our guard so these beasts can surround us and wear us down... Master, I'll go to higher ground to assess the situation and see if there's a quickest way to break through." (The last line appears to be a nonsensical string of characters and doesn't translate directly.)