Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

That’s why——

Alcides, who had already taken advantage of this moment to approach him, was about to swing his longbow, which was wrapped in strange magic, at his neck, muttering:

"How stupid."

Just as the tragic scene was about to unfold, at that moment, the earth trembled with the aura of twelve swords radiating thirty different colors.

This was neither Alcides's annihilating blow nor the Hero King's counterattack, but rather an extremely young man who appeared out of nowhere.

Tini recognized the young man who had suddenly arrived; he was the Servant who had been taken to the police station the previous night and even appeared on television. But only after seeing him in person did she realize that this Servant possessed more magical power than she did, despite having ley lines.

"If they are enemies, prepare to fight; if they are allies, retreat immediately. Would you two like to try and withstand the King's Sword here?"

After Charlemagne uttered those words, Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes and spoke:

"So this is what they mean by spoiling someone's fun... kid."

Judging from Gilgamesh's tone, Tini could tell that he was clearly in a bad mood.

After all, he was almost killed, so his anger was understandable. In a normal situation, he should have said the following in response to Charlemagne's words:

In heaven and on earth, only I am the true king and hero; all others are nothing but a bunch of bastards.

Moreover, Tini noticed a fleeting frown on Gilgamesh's face, as if, besides being rescued, the King of Heroes had realized that the Servant before him was most likely a swordsman and an extremely troublesome fellow.

"Heh, I sense the power of a god-slaying spear tip emanating from your sword..."

“Oh, not bad, you actually know that.” Charlemagne, who was sent here by the police chief, smiled as he listened to Alcides’ words. “This sword is the Gouvayus. I even put the tip of Longinus’ spear inside the hilt.”

Charlemagne casually revealed the name of the sword he wielded, completely unconcerned about his true name being exposed. This was understandable, given that he had openly revealed his identity to the police chief and his follower, Alexandre Dumas, when he first entered the police station.

"Gouvayus? The Holy Sword Gouvayus, are you Emperor Karl?"

"Tini said."

“I do have that name,” Charlemagne smiled. “But now that I’m in this youthful state, I prefer to be called Charlemagne. It gives me a feeling that I’ll only get more handsome!”

In fact, the King of Heroes' eyes, which had lost their arrogance, had already seen through part of the true nature of Charlemagne and Alcides.

But, precisely because he is the King of Heroes, he naturally has to uphold his pride.

"How dare they call themselves king? Fine, I'll just laugh it off!"

Thus said the Hero King, who was neither arrogant nor careless.

On the other hand, Alcides's mouth twisted viciously beneath the beast pelt, and an arrow was nocked on a bowstring imbued with ominous magic.

“What an auspicious sign, after all, to be able to slaughter two kings right from the start of the battle... My name is Alcides, remember this name.”

"Hahaha, oh well, since that's the case, I grant your permission! Let's cheer for Charlemagne!" Charlemagne instantly merged the magic power coursing through his body with the Trinity Magic Furnace he was possessing, further enhancing the purity of his magic. "Holy Guardians—"

At this moment, here and now, are the progenitor of Western Europe, enveloped in divine aura; the hero-king, shrouded in golden light; and the avenger, his body permeated with magic like black mud.

"Alright, it's time to wrap this up. But wait, everyone, we need to cool down. What are we going to do if we bring out our trump cards on the first day? I heard that some people even pulled out their ultimate weapons and clashed in the desert before the main show even started! Haha!"

The moment the heroic spirits each prepared to take action—

The girl's innocent voice echoed across the sky, revealing a huge, fiery red cross on the boundless battlefield.

Charlemagne stared wide-eyed in confusion, Alcides narrowed his eyes slightly, and the King of Heroes scanned the surroundings with an expression of suspicion.

They should be standing in a sparsely vegetated canyon.

However, the moment they heard the girl's voice, the vast, blood-red battlefield immediately obscured their vision.

Just then, the King of Heroes drew his Sin Blade, which gleamed brightly, intending to destroy the illusion.

"Haha, but to avoid the three of you being consumed by your anger and to prevent the 'egg' from failing to hatch, I have no choice but to resort to this last resort: let you all get some sleep first."

The girl's voice echoed across the land, and a scorching wave surged through the magical channels toward the three Servants and their sole Master.

"Let me offer my blessings, gratitude, and sacrifice to this world that should have been destroyed long ago!"

"I offer my gratitude to my mother, 'Arte,' who gave birth to me as the embodiment of madness!"

"Blessings to the 'Holy Spirit' of the world who taught me the madness of magic!"

"You've shown me an extremely insane savior, you're not wrong!"

"Offer myself! Offer myself as a sacrifice to all humanity pardoned in this decaying world!"

Just as the girl uttered her blessing, the space around her began to distort, devouring the land depicted by the illusion.

Finally, he loudly proclaimed the name of his own Noble Phantasm, the Great Magician.

"The City of Snail Annihilation does not exist, hence the madness of the world—"

It was precisely at this moment that the girl's words failed to come out, which meant that she would never be able to say them again.

Because everyone present, along with everyone in Snowfield City, heard that sound.

It sounded like the crashing waves of the Mediterranean, or perhaps like a revelation of the concept of death.

A few minutes later, all Servants and Masters knew about the most terrifying enemy that was about to arrive.

This is why the heroic spirits present all had unusual reactions.

"...How is this possible? That person...No, it shouldn't be like this...How could such a non-world-class ritual possibly summon someone..."

Francesca, who had been completely in control, was suddenly terrified. She was certain that if it really was that person who appeared, she would die.

Although she wanted the outcome of the Holy Grail War to obtain the key to the labyrinth of the Holy Scriptures, failure was actually of little consequence to her; she was more interested in seeing more of humanity involved in this Holy Grail War...

But with the appearance of Novia, she felt fear, not only of Novia, but also of the savior who had tormented her for a hundred years.

“That’s clearly my brother-in-law.” Charlemagne didn’t seem to care at all, and was even quite happy. “So it’s because of my brother-in-law that I look so young? If that’s the case, my sister will probably come to pay her debts too.”

After a brief period of intense turmoil, Tini steadied herself with magic and consulted the Hero King, who was her servant.

"I am afraid I am not acknowledging your presence... Your Majesty, do you know that person?"

"......"

At this moment, the King of Heroes raised an eyebrow slightly.

Then, as if to brush it off, he shook his head, then looked up with an even more arrogant smile.

"Ah, when he stands before me in person, it wouldn't be a bad idea to come and get to know him, just to appreciate that honor."

Alcides fell silent. Unlike the others, as the coastline disappeared, he also saw a 'shadow' that should have vanished.

"My fate is to become a lackey of the steel remains in the mountains in the name of the glory of the abominable god. You are also... no, you are the end of my revenge. I thought you were burned up when you obtained your spirit origin, but I didn't expect you to stand in my way now."

Even as he murmured these words, the figure standing before Alcides still shone brightly.

Even if you are entangled by hundreds or thousands of muddy hands, even if everything outside of yourself is stained with black and red magic.

The radiance of human form still exists in that world.

The shimmering shadows obscured their expressions.

But at that moment, I did feel that the figure was smiling at me.

"...Do you still look down on me...as a 'human being'?"

A silent rage filled the space, and the vengeful hero reached out to the shadow of glory.

The dark red mud transformed into hundreds of sharp spikes, menacingly piercing through the white figure.

Dissecting, tearing, tearing—an overwhelming torrent of magic is stirring within—

Nevertheless, the white figure did not disappear and quietly spoke.

To be precise, from Alcides' perspective, it looked like the mouth was open, but the figure smiled and told him otherwise.

A silent sound.

However, the Avengers did sense the meaning of "Shadow".

"The light that you once possessed in him is undeniable. So even if you have to abandon everything from the past, even if you have to erase your name and image from the human memory of this planet, or even the records on this planet, without reservation."

"And you are still—"

Just as the enumeration of language was about to end, the white world was shattered.

“I am not like you, the noble hero Hercules. I will never forget Megara. For me, there is only Megara.”

Therefore, Alcides countered by rejecting the shadow.

In the distant past, faced with the rage and madness that had seeped into the depths of her brain caused by the gods, her beloved wife Megara chose death, saying:

“You have done nothing wrong, so please don’t hate the world, please don’t hate your own bloodline. You are very noble, so you can definitely do it... but I can’t.”

Just before snapping the neck of the man who should have been the enemy and throwing him into the flames, the man said:

"Father....."

For Alcides, regardless of the legitimacy of his reasons, these painful memories were the answer to his choice of revenge.

Even if you know that you have been deliberately distorted, so what?

These things really happened to me.

Therefore, revenge must be taken against the Greek gods, against the most detestable queen of the gods Hera and the rainbow goddess Iris, and against that wreckage of steel.

The only one for whom he did not need to seek revenge was the daughter of Nyx, the goddess of night, who, despite failing, persuaded Hera and Iris not to treat him with malice, but offered him some kindness.

"That guy is just like you, a pathetic fellow who has gained the so-called glory of a detestable god."

Therefore, whether or not the being named Novia was too powerful, and whether Alcides was no match for her, was irrelevant to him.

“I am no longer your lackey, you remnants of steel.”

175: The Wild Hunt's Trials and the Sorrowful Savior (3k)

In a cabin nestled in the mountains of America, a group of men and women, seemingly out of place amidst the vast natural world around them, are holding a meeting in the central conference room.

Their faces were vaguely visible in the shadows; some were dressed in high-end suits and ties, while others wore military uniforms and medals that are not commonly seen in society.

Half of these people dressed in modern suits and military uniforms are humans with magician qualifications, but unlike the Clock Tower, some of them are not magicians or magicians, and some don't even have magic circuits.

In this luxurious wooden cabin nestled deep within a natural mountain barrier, all the people present were related to the American side who had organized this Holy Grail War with Francesca.

"...What should we do? The Church's branch in America has hardened its stance, and even the Vatican is on its way."

"All the agents of the twelve monarchs said that they would handle this matter together."

"They actually abandoned factional struggles. Shouldn't they have harbored hatred towards the founders of the church, considering they were almost wiped out five centuries ago...?"

"This is terrible. Although our advantage lies in the fact that our national strength is not affected by magic, and we can ignore the monarchs in the clock tower, what about the Church..."

"That's a really big problem over there..."

Several people nodded involuntarily.

As the country with the world's largest Christian population, the churches in the United States are mainly divided into three categories: Evangelical Protestantism, mainstream Protestantism, and Catholicism, but they all belong to the Church Church.

Although not all of them are fanatical believers, and most are frivolous believers, this still represents a significant social influence.

Therefore, while those in the cabin could ignore the clock tower's demands, they found it difficult to refuse the church's requests.

"If all else fails, let's compromise and turn a blind eye."

"Is this really a good idea? The strange illness in Fadius's report... is most likely some kind of curse that will prevent them from leaving, right? And it wouldn't be good if it spread to other places."

"Now that he's here, that kind of strange illness shouldn't be a problem, right? Should we send Fadius to make overtures?"

"...Speaking of which, it's really a pity."

A man in military uniform said calmly:

"If only this power... wasn't some mysterious force controlled by individual will, but was in our own hands..."

"Don't be stupid. Just thinking about using mysticism as a defense weapon would have been enough to get the Clock Tower and the Atlas Institute to strangle us. It's a pity, but don't forget that we're complete novices when it comes to magic. That's why we agreed to Francesca's plan to downgrade magic to magic. Although it didn't succeed this time, it was a long-term plan, so there's no need to rush it."

Upon hearing this, a woman in a suit scoffed, then muttered to herself:

"But is that why that person came...? Because we intend to downgrade magic to magic..."

Those around them didn't answer. They had such a guess, but they were also afraid that if it were true, Novia, who had been born from the ritual, would regard them as enemies. At that time, even within this barrier, they wouldn't be able to escape.

"So, should Operation Aurora Fall continue?"

Operation Aurora Fall refers to the United States' last resort in this Holy Grail War. If any unforeseen consequences arise, the city of Snowfield will be wiped off the face of the earth, along with its 800,000 inhabitants.