Type-Moon: Shinji Matou Also Wants to Be the Protagonist

It sounded like a roar emanating from the chest of a sleeping behemoth.

At the same time, the violent tremors emanated from the magnificent building in front of them, spreading rapidly in all directions like ripples on water after a stone has been thrown in.

The ground undulated violently, as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible giant hand, only to be suddenly released in the next second.

The stone slabs underfoot groaned under the weight, and fine cracks spread like spider webs, covering the entire field of vision in the blink of an eye.

Both Artoria and Lancelot swayed slightly, but quickly regained their footing thanks to their excellent combat instincts.

Almost simultaneously, both of them tensed up, warily surveying the suddenly changed environment.

The once seemingly sturdy pillars of the guild hall began to creak and sway slightly, visibly so.

In the distance, the crisp sound of glass shattering and the faint screams of panic from people could be heard.

The ominous atmosphere was amplified by the continuous rumbling of the earth.

Artoria felt a chill run down her spine and instinctively turned her head to look in the direction of the sound.

In the distance, the outlines of several high-rise buildings swayed visibly amidst the smoke and dust. One of the buildings, which was clearly structurally flawed, collapsed with a muffled thud, sending up a cloud of dust that blotted out the sky.

Not only the towering buildings, but also the crisscrossing city roads suddenly cracked open with dark fissures.

Buildings and vehicles above the crack were torn apart and swallowed up in the blink of an eye.

The wails and cries of the crowd could be faintly heard from afar.

Clearly, the scope and destructive power of this sudden change far exceeded her initial expectations.

The muffled thud of the collapsing building mingled with the continuous rumbling beneath our feet, along with the rising smoke and faint cries, creating a chaotic and terrifying scene.

Gilgamesh, however, seemed completely oblivious to this, remaining steadily seated on the steps.

He even leisurely downed the drink in his glass, the malicious smile on his lips growing even more pronounced.

"Clang~"

The crystal wine glass was carelessly tossed on the ground, but its excellent quality saved it from being smashed to pieces.

The tremors underfoot continued and seemed to be getting stronger.

The crystal glass, which had just escaped a disaster, was swallowed up in the blink of an eye by a crack in the road.

Golden light shone behind Gilgamesh, and the flying boat Vimana appeared behind him, perfectly catching Gilgamesh as he sat down, before rising into the air amidst the violent air currents.

The violent tremors shattered the building and kicked up dust and smoke.

Gilgamesh didn't want anyone to see him covered in dust and looking disheveled.

"You bastards, how was that show?"

Gilgamesh, suspended in mid-air, lay comfortably in his seat, watching the terrified crowd in the distance with great interest.

"Archers, what have you done?"

A question filled with shock and anger pierced the chaotic air, the voice trembling with disbelief.

Artoria's knuckles, gripping the sword, turned slightly white from the excessive force, her eyes fixed on Gilgamesh, who was suspended in mid-air.

His eyes held a mixture of anger, confusion, and a hint of barely concealed fear.

With such a massive earthquake occurring in the heart of a city, how many lives will this disaster claim?

She couldn't understand how a Holy Grail War had escalated into what it was now.

Countless innocent lives were lost in this frenzied destruction, while the perpetrators responded with such pleasure.

“My king, I will hold this villain back. You go and kill the one who is presiding over the ceremony.”

Lancelot stepped forward and said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing Lancelot's words, Artoria also realized what was happening.

Previously, while on the Kamui Wheel, Waver had deduced that someone in the New Metropolitan Museum of Art was performing a major magic trick.

This sudden earthquake was probably the effect of this grand magic trick.

The conditions for activating such grand magic are quite demanding, whether it's destroying the enemy's position or killing the caster.

They should all be able to stop the activation of the grand magic.

"Oh, so even you, you mad dog, have learned to think?"

Artoria wasn't the only one who heard Lancelot's words; Gilgamesh also glanced at Lancelot in surprise.

“That’s right, killing the caster can save this city, if you’re willing.”

Seeing that the other party had understood, Gilgamesh did not hide anything and readily admitted it.

However, towards the end, Gilgamesh's tone became somewhat meaningful.

Having received the confirmation, Artoria didn't hesitate and rushed into the guild hall.

Lancelot kept a close watch on Gilgamesh's every move, lest he interfere.

But unexpectedly, Gilgamesh did not try to stop Artoria's actions in the slightest.

He simply watched with expectant eyes as Artoria disappeared through the gates of the guild hall.

This gave Lancelot a sudden sense of foreboding.

However, he didn't have much time to think about it anymore.

"You were lucky to escape with your life last time, but you won't be so lucky this time, you bastard!"

After letting Artoria go, Gilgamesh turned his malice toward Lancelot.

This was the third time the two of them had met.

The first time, the berserk Lancelot chased Gilgamesh like a mad dog and 'bite' him. The offended Gilgamesh retaliated in anger, but Lancelot escaped with a Command Spell.

The second time was when Tokiomi Tohsaka betrayed him, which saved Lancelot's life once again.

As the saying goes, you can do it once or twice, but not a third time.

This time, Gilgamesh is determined to make this despicable mad dog die without a burial place to vent his anger.

Chapter 85: Trap

Golden ripples filled half the sky in the blink of an eye.

A dense barrage of weapons rained down on Lancelot like a torrential downpour.

Gilgamesh, enraged, launched his attack with a grand gesture right from the start.

Fortunately, Lancelot had already faced the same attack twice before and had some experience in dealing with it.

He casually grabbed two weapons that were shot at him, and with a surge of magic, he seized control of the treasures.

One was used for defense, while the other was thrown out with exquisite skill.

Lancelot is no less powerful than Gilgamesh, but Gilgamesh can fly.

Gilgamesh hovered high in the sky, and his endless treasury of weapons launched a three-dimensional attack from different angles and heights.

This caught Lancelot, who was on the ground, completely off guard.

Every time he seized or parried a treasure, more weapons would swarm in like bees the next second.

The golden torrent nearly engulfed him completely. The ground was cratered and riddled with holes from the bombardment, with flying debris and billowing dust.

Lancelot's figure flickered and darted about amidst the chaos, appearing extremely disheveled.

Although he was able to use some of the Noble Phantasms to retaliate by leveraging the characteristic that "a knight does not die unarmed".

But these counterattacks were like scratching an itch through a boot for Gilgamesh, completely ineffective.

This was foreseeable before the war even began.

So when Lancelot made his promise to Artoria before, he only said to stall for time.

If he really had a way, he would absolutely guarantee to the king that he could kill Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh laughed wildly, enjoying this cat-and-mouse game.

He wanted Lancelot to feel the approach of death in despair.

Despite his disheveled state, Lancelot did indeed keep his promise.

Even if it's by seducing Gilgamesh and fighting him like a cat playing with a mouse, it still stalls him, doesn't it?

Meanwhile, Artoria, who had just entered the building, made her way to the conference hall without any problems despite the building shaking.

At first, Artoria was also worried that there might be traps set by Gilgamesh and Kirei Kotomine in the guild hall.

She can complete the game without taking any damage by relying on the "ideal paradise far from the world".

But she was worried that the triggered trap might harm Irisviel, who was imprisoned somewhere unknown.

However, Artoria did not encounter any obstacles along the way.

There were even signs along the way to prevent intruders from getting lost.

These signs are quite prominent, with arrows clearly pointing towards the conference hall.

It was as if they were afraid the visitors wouldn't be able to find the place.

This unusually smooth success only intensified Artoria's doubts instead of dispelling them.

However, Artoria couldn't avoid it either, since the other side had hostages.

Even knowing there was a trap ahead, Artoria had no choice but to step into it.

After entering the hall, the tremors felt underfoot and in the surrounding buildings lessened considerably.

Just as there is a calm eye to a storm, there is also a storm's eye.

The main hall of the guild hall, as the center of the spiritual vein extraction ceremony, was not significantly affected.

The hall is a semi-sunken venue with tiered circular seats surrounding the central stage.

Upon entering the hall, Artoria immediately spotted Irisviel on the stage below.

She lay peacefully on a pure white rectangular rock, the rock surface covered with dense scarlet runes.

These runes are connected to an even larger magic circle on the stage beneath the megalith.

Each resplendent golden artifact served as an energy node for the magic circle.

This magic circle was enormous, covering almost the entire hall, and the magical materials used were astronomically valuable.

It's obvious that this is Gilgamesh's work.

A terrifying amount of magic surged from the enormous magic circle, then was guided by the circle to converge on the central rock.

The liquid magic, materialized as thick blood plasma, frantically squeezed into Irisviel's body.

Apart from this scene setup that resembled a cult sacrifice, there was nothing else in the entire hall.

Artoria's target, Kirei Kotomine, the mastermind behind the ceremony, was nowhere to be found.

"Irisviel!"

Artoria was taken aback and, without caring whether there was a trap, quickly ran to the stage.

Although the effect of the magic circle beneath their feet was unknown, such a massive amount of magic power was forcibly poured into their bodies.

This process will definitely be extremely painful.

Upon closer inspection, Artoria could see clearly that Irisviel had many wounds on her body.

Judging from the marks, they were all caused by her own actions during the struggle.

His fingernails were torn, his lips were bitten and bleeding.

Her face was covered in tears, snot, saliva, and blood, making her look incredibly disheveled.

It simply mixed with the crimson magic flow, so much so that Artoria hadn't noticed it before.

Upon seeing Irisviel's appearance, Artoria felt a surge of anger rising to her head.

They immediately prepared to lift Irisviel off the stone platform.

"...Don't...move..."

Irisviel only realized someone was near her when her body was touched.

Struggling to open his eyes, he saw Artoria's anxious face.