Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

The white-haired fairy seemed to be complaining to herself inside the tower, but in reality, Vivian could hear her perfectly well. In other words, Meryl was deliberately saying it to her, which was a kind of fun she found.

After the girl finished speaking, she gazed through the window at the flower on the lake. At times like this, she would always concentrate all her attention and stare without moving.

Is waiting for the impossible to arrive really that painful?

Although time does not accumulate in Avalon, time seems to stand still.

Every second felt like an unbearable eternity, and every second felt like a fleeting moment when you wanted to look away.

And so, after a very long, truly long period of time, the fairy who had willingly been imprisoned witnessed the flower's dissipation—

And, emerging from the seabed, is the Primordial Holy Sword, which has already merged with the Demon Sword: True World.

At that moment, the white-haired girl, realizing something, squinted, her vision blurring, but she still waved her hand frantically.

It was because they saw the light emanating from the primordial holy sword, the light of blue stars.

"Hey! Holy Sword, quickly open Vivian's barrier for me!"

Then, in order to dispel the barrier set up by the Lake Fairy on the side, the Holy Sword's radiance appeared in Avalon, and then it quickly departed.

Having escaped, Melly looked at the place that had imprisoned her for so many years, a place she had entered voluntarily, now transformed into magical remnants, and revealed a disdainful smile as if to provoke Vivian.

Finally, she raised her head, gazing in the direction the holy sword had departed, licked her lips, and smiled, saying:

"I've finally found you! Don't forget, you still owe me a promise~ This time, I'm going to make you wish you were dead~"

179: Alexandre Dumas's Declaration of Surrender and the Death of the Hero King! (5k)

In the Great Valley north of Snowfield City, due to Novia's appearance, the illusion that Francesca had cast immediately vanished like a mirage, and the original valley reappeared around the group.

"...Let's go back to the police station and discuss this first. This is so troublesome. We can't win, and we don't want to fight. What am I supposed to do? Honestly, if only it were a Holy Grail War, my brother-in-law and sister could be together..."

Charlemagne murmured to himself, then sighed softly, put away the holy sword Juvayus, and his body turned into particles of light, disappearing without a trace.

“It seems to be a place of value where one can be in the same place as a true king.”

Coming to his senses, the Hero King gazed at the source of the lightning in the center of the city and raised an eyebrow slightly.

He immediately realized that this was an invitation from the newly arrived Servant to all his Servants.

"Hmph, since they've extended such an invitation, I guess I'll go and meet them, you idiot—"

Just then, an arrow traveling faster than the speed of sound approached the King of Heroes' face.

“…Hmm!”

Perhaps instinctively sensing that this was just a provocation, the King of Heroes, intending to leave, kicked aside a small pebble from the roadside and unleashed a barrage of Noble Phantasms from the Gate of Babylon. The Avenger Alcides skillfully controlled his body, galloping through the rain of Noble Phantasms and firing arrows at lightning speed.

"Golden King, the strongest king I know, unmatched by any other king, yet also a weak warrior. I haven't even ravaged the divine power hidden deep within you yet, so what, are you going to run away already?"

After speaking, Alcides was immediately enveloped in a mud-like magical power.

"Aaaaah, I don't care anymore, let's wreak havoc!" Francesca's voice echoed through the Great Valley once more. "I agree, everyone, no need to cool your heads, let's fight to our hearts' content!"

"...Heh, for the sake of the Crazy Goddess, I agree."

Alcides glanced at Francesca, who had already left. Through the unique telepathic communication among the Greeks, he knew she was heading to the western forest, as if someone had left something behind specifically to deal with the Hero King before departing...

If he were a true hero, neither the noble Hercules nor the irrational beast would have stood by and watched their opponent fall into a disadvantageous position. However, he was Alcides, an avenger born solely for revenge, not a lackey of the Iron Gods.

Therefore, victory is all that matters; there is no need for so-called dignity or glory.

“Two clowns, that’s enough.” Gilgamesh grinned through his teeth, gleefully taunting his opponent. “Again and again, the king cannot accept this.”

"......madness......"

After muttering something to himself, Alcides straightened his right hand at his side. And so, a new 'cloth' appeared there.

At first glance, the piece of fabric looked like a belt with a simple pattern, but to people who could discern it from different perspectives, they could immediately understand how unusual it was.

"That piece of cloth...is undoubtedly a Noble Phantasm..."

To Tini, who was standing nearby, the magic power wrapped around that strip of cloth was truly extraordinary. Gilgamesh, however, narrowed his eyes slightly after seeing the cloth, which looked exactly like the cloth used by the god himself and was wrapped with dense divine energy.

"It's a different kind of aura from the gods I know, but is the source the same—the one in the center of the city...?"

For Gilgamesh, who claimed to hate God, it was a treasure that left him with a somewhat unpleasant feeling.

But since the Gate of Babylon is no longer effective against Alcides, there's no way to launch a sneak attack on him.

"Lord Gilgamesh!"

Tini, who was observing the battle, was covered in cold sweat as she stared ahead at Alcides, who stood in front of Gilgamesh.

The sense of awe emanating from him was several times greater than before.

The reason is easy to guess, because at this moment, the red and black shadows on Alcides, which were the same color as his body, surged up and moved like a living creature.

Hatred, fear, slander, regret, jealousy, pity, anger, despair, disgust, regret, despair, and therefore emptiness—ultimately leading to revenge.

Deep within the shadows, where all sorts of stagnant emotions are on the verge of collapse, a voice echoes as if cursing all who hear it.

Tini had the illusion that her heart had stopped for a moment.

The Hero King, seemingly unfazed by the situation, curled the corners of his mouth as if he were a critic appreciating a comedy.

“You barbarian who has the means to kill me—I now acknowledge you as my enemy.”

In the crimson and black hue that seemed to devour everything, the light of the King of Heroes also seemed to be swallowed up, but at the same time, Gilgamesh, caught up in these emotions, was experiencing a surge of magical power.

The answer is simple: the King of Heroes is simply launching the treasures from his treasure vault through space.

The way the Noble Phantasms were unleashed this time was somewhat different from before. A large number of Noble Phantasms were each wrapped with enormous magical power and formed huge waves. In the past, the Noble Phantasms were simply fired out, but this time they presented complex movements like giant snakes.

Golden chains extending from all directions continuously bound the group of magical artifacts while forcefully correcting their trajectory.

Gilgamesh emerged from the red and black light, gathering his Noble Phantasms into a waterfall that plunged down with fierce waves.

It was like a golden dragon that kept devouring the light fired by the Avengers while advancing fiercely.

"Bastard, the King's verdict on you is—"

At the moment when he, not as a king but as someone who considered himself a 'judge', was about to issue his judgment.

The space trembled as the arrow hurtled towards them. With a deafening roar, the arrow and the magical artifact canceled each other out, dissipating into fragments.

A storm of crimson and black magic swirled around, and an intense killing intent drew near to the Arbiter.

The King of Heroes' expression was indifferent. He clicked his tongue, then slowly turned around and said to Avenger Alcides, who had landed on the edge of the opposite direction from which he had been moving:

"The mask has been removed, huh? What, you actually accept such an ugly version of yourself? What a pathetic fellow."

Seeing the red and black magic swirling around the other person, Gilgamesh wasn't particularly surprised and continued casually:

"In that case, I'll allow you to remove that cloth so I can see how you cry."

"...The tears I could shed have long since dried up. Ever since the day my future was taken away by the gods."

After saying what seemed to reveal the origin of the magic of the red and black sludge, Gilgamesh tentatively asked Alcides:

"So, what do you intend to do? Attack me while you still have the strength. Although it's impolite, it's the right answer... But do you really think I can't rid myself of that level of filth?"

“…Your Majesty, you are right. As long as you use those treasures, these filths are nothing to you.”

In contrast to the immense magical power swirling around him, Alcides stood eerily calm and relaxed, motionless.

However, the limbs, which seemed to exert no effort, suddenly contained a sharp, blade-like aura, as if they could cut off the opponent's head.

"But... weak warrior, it is not this filth that will slaughter you."

"Oh?"

"It is madness that is drowning in the human spirit..."

At this moment, Gilgamesh frowned again, forcibly suppressing the madness that reappeared in his mind, and then revealed a look of disdain.

"Foolish, do you think I would make another mistake?"

To this, Alcides simply drew his bow harder and said calmly:

"Shot down a hundred heads."

The great bow bent violently, and just as it seemed about to break in two, nine arrows, wreathed in ominous magic and with serpentine trajectories, shot forth, resembling a gigantic serpent, like the legendary nine-headed hydra, poised to devour the hero-king.

"Hydra's venom? Although it's common for kings to be poisoned, it's just too boring—"

Just as the Hero King was about to open the door to the treasure and take out the antidote, the scene before him was completely transformed.

This reveals a fact: it was an illusion.

At this very moment, in the cedar forest, a garden was born from the twisted laws of the earth created by the monsters within.

And then, the next moment—

Behind Gilgamesh resounded a roar unlike any human's, a sound very similar to Enkidu's praise of the earth's roar, but fundamentally different. It was not a beautiful song praising the earth and humanity—but rather a curse on everything in the world, a wail like the howl of a twisted monster.

Looking at the monster before him, he knew it was 'fake'...

How could this be? It can't be fake!

For this reason, surprise, anxiety, confusion... and a trace of fear appeared in the eyes of the King of Heroes.

Before he could even ponder why his Babylonian vaults had been closed, in that brief moment of thought, one of the approaching poisoned arrows pierced the Hero King's shoulder. Immediately afterward, a second and a third arrow struck his hands and feet, piercing through them, followed by attacks on all the vital points of his body, including his spiritual core.

"Bastard! How could you... possibly... possibly..."

Facing death, the hero-king, sweating profusely, glared angrily at Francesca, who had reverted to her former form as Humbaba.

Originally, he was wary of this disgusting guy's illusion, but the fenbaba voice was definitely not fake, as if it had just been left behind.

Francesca looked down at the furious King of Heroes with a condescending smile:

"I didn't expect Lord Hero King to be so good at barking. Look at this, what is it?"

The purple-haired girl leisurely swung the key in her hand; it was the catalyst used by the original magician to summon the Hero King, and also the precious key to open the outer door of the treasure vault.

"You... bastard! That guy came too...?"

“Yes, that’s right.” Francesca nodded cutely. “The goddess even left this behind before she left, and even had the sound of a puppy barking engraved on it. It’s practically made so that whoever gets it later can enjoy it to the fullest, Lord Hero King!”

"...The echo of that guy—"

The hero king, who held fast to his own will, did not show any sign of distress even as he faced death. He simply stared expressionlessly at the Bull of Heaven slowly emerging in the center of the city.

Then, a few seconds later, the King of Heroes suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahahaha, what a disgrace! Ishtar, the goddess of abundance! How could you die so quickly!"

After saying this, the King of Heroes' spirit origin completely disappeared.

Francesca glanced lightly at Tini, the Master of the Hero King, who was already grieving not far away, and casually said to Alcides:

"That brat, you can deal with him as you see fit... If you want any hope of victory against that one, why not join forces? After all, folly and madness are my origins! Aha ...

The purple-haired girl's voice still gave off an innocent and naive feeling, and her crazy laughter echoed all around.

As the laughter faded, Alcides slowly walked toward Tini, who was grieving as she held the body of the Hero King.

"...Kid, no matter what, you refuse to back down and leave?"

The crying girl nodded in response to the Avenger's statement.

"The king told me to leave quickly, but... but I can't do this..."

"Is that so? Just as you have people you must protect, I also have things I must plunder. There is no need for us to understand each other. If there is someone who can compromise my will, then such a vicious person will only be an enemy on my path."

Those who oppose me will be defeated, and those who make peace with me will be exterminated.

Although it sounds completely illogical, Alcides still tells his story to the girl who could be killed with just one blow.

"Therefore, what I am about to do is kill you."

The black-haired girl's legs trembled, but even so, she did not look away.

The Avenger raised his greatbow and swung it down without any emotion.

The next instant, red and black light illuminated the entire canyon. At this moment, only loneliness existed here, along with the girl lying on the body of the Hero King.

Alcides turned and left, speaking slowly to the fading white light before him:

"Thank you for saving me from the King of Heroes' attack."

Although the white figure didn't open its mouth, the Avengers understood its meaning:

"But I am you."