The Grand Duke, riding his warhorse, led the way, followed closely by the Forvedge siblings and Frankenstein. Further back, Chiron stood atop the treetops, his bow and arrow aimed squarely at Avicebron's vital points.
"Indeed, you've been wary of me all along," Avicebron remarked.
Surrounded on three sides by Servants, Avicebron showed no signs of panic.
"I had only taken precautionary measures, but I didn't expect you actually to do this—traitor!"
Vlad III, loyal and patriotic in life, despised traitors above all. Avicebron's actions had crossed the Grand Duke's bottom line.
The murderous intent he released seemed to freeze the air itself.
"Do you have any last words, betrayer?"
Vlad demanded.
"I've never considered myself part of the Black Faction. My wish has always been singular: to complete my Noble Phantasm 'Golem Keter Malkuth.' Faction, Holy Grail, loyalty—it doesn't matter to me."
Avicebron replied resolutely.
"Is that so? Then die with that regret!"
The Grand Duke suddenly raised his long spear. With his movement, the sky was instantly covered with countless iron stakes, raining down on Avicebron.
"Regret? That's not accurate, because just now, my long-cherished wish has been fulfilled," Avicebron said, spreading his arms towards the sky as if welcoming the onslaught.
As Avicebron moved, the previously statue-like giant golem began to tremble slightly. The bone spurs and the halo behind it started to emit a ghostly green light, clearly indicating it had been activated.
"What!?"
The Grand Duke barely managed to exclaim before a figure suddenly rushed out, grabbing the severed arm of Roche, which bore Command Seals.
"By the Command Seal, I order Avicebron to fully unleash his Noble Phantasm!"
"By the Command Seal, I order Avicebron to release his Noble Phantasm at full speed!"
"By the Command Seal, I order Avicebron to place my soul within you!"
The sudden turn of events happened so quickly that by the time everyone realized, the figure had already used all three Command Seals.
"Darnic! It's you!"
The Grand Duke gritted his teeth as he looked at the figure.
"Uncle!?"
Fiore, sitting in her wheelchair, covered her mouth in shock.
"Danic, what are you trying to do!?"
"I'm taking back everything I lost! You filthy vampire!"
Perhaps because everything had gone according to his plan, Darnic taunted the Grand Duke loudly, like a small-minded man reveling in his success.
It turned out that Avicebron had long seen through the Grand Duke and the others' vigilance towards him and had deliberately prepared a backup plan.
On one hand, he deceived Roche and intentionally let the Grand Duke discover it. On the other hand, he utilized Darnic's hidden schemes.
Darnic had already thrown Gordes into the giant golem as its core and had been lurking nearby. The Grand Duke and the others focused all their attention on Avicebron, allowing Darnic's plan to succeed.
While they were talking, under the power of two Command Seals, Avicebron continued chanting ancient spells rapidly, even with hundreds of iron stakes piercing his body.
"Born of mother Earth, let thee take in the Wind of wisdom, drink deep of the Water of life... A brand of Fire shalt rest in thy hand, removing thee from the Devil of disease. Thy rancor shalt sunder thee, yet thy love shalt cleanse thy blood... Let thee be a colossus, soaring amongst the highest peaks. Let thee be stone, unyielding and firm. Let thy form befit thine office... our guardian, our leader, our great foundation... Thou art of earth yet not of earth, of man yet not of man. Thou shalt rest in paradise. Thou shalt rule it, for we would be led to its gates by thee. Thou art Dream. Thou art Hope. Thou art Love. Thou art the First Man, bearing the Holy Spirit Ruwach... Thy name be Adam.!'"
With the final ancient chant, the giant awoke.
The earth trembled, the forest cheered, and birds, beasts, insects, and fish scattered.
Only the humans present felt an indescribable terror.
What stood before them was no longer just a stone statue but a higher form of existence, a natural suppression from a higher echelon of life.
The 'giant' opened its eyes and stepped out of the lake with its enormous legs.
A miraculous scene unfolded: where the 'giant' walked, countless flowers and plants sprouted and grew at an incredible speed.
"Ah! This is 'Paradise,' my wish has finally come true!"
Avicebron shouted fanatically, raising his hands high.
By this time, his spiritual core had been damaged, and his body was gradually turning into a purple magical light.
Simultaneously, white soul light began to emerge from Darnic's body. As the soul light slowly dissipated, Darnic's body decayed instantly, turning into dust.
The purple and white lights merged and entered the 'giant.'
The giant's eyes, which resembled large light bulbs, suddenly shifted, revealing true yellow pupils within.
The Adam, which had previously seemed somewhat lifeless, immediately became as vibrant as a living person, its eyes filled with spiritual brilliance.
At that moment, the morning sun rose, and the sunlight bathed the 'giant,' cloaking it in a layer of golden armor as if the world itself was celebrating its birth.
Various fish leaped from the lake, seemingly striving to follow in the footsteps of the 'Primordial Human.'
Birds and beasts from the forest also flocked to follow the 'giant,' forming a 'Paradise' in its wake.
Amidst such a flourishing scene, a miracle of life's bloom, there wasn't the slightest room for the existence of humans.
Everyone present, as long as they retained even a trace of the concept of 'human,' could feel the continuous intent emanating from the giant.
It was an intent to absorb and merge all humans into one, eliminating any distinction between individuals, and eradicating all conflicts—the purest form of 'benevolence' or the most blatant 'malice.'
At the moment when Adam regained its spirituality, Jeanne, who was sleeping in a tent several miles away, suddenly awoke with a start.
"Something's wrong!"
Recalling the scenes flashing through her mind, Jeanne immediately understood that this was a 'revelation' warning her!
Without a second thought, she transformed into her combat state and rushed out of the tent.
Such a drastic action naturally drew immediate attention.
Siegfried instantly materialized from his spiritual form.
Ryou, who had heard the commotion, also returned from the lake with a serious expression.
Since Medea could materialize, he naturally seized the opportunity to seek guidance from the ancient witch.
After a night of learning, he had gained significant insights. As for the fatigue his body felt, not only had his body become semi-heroic, but the system's shop also offered many energy drinks.
Just as he was about to exchange for a bottle of glowing energy drink and ask a question, two figures emerged from another tent: Astolfo and the former Sieg, now named Kaar.
However, the two of them emerged in a state of disarray, particularly the cross-dressing Astolfo, whose shoulder was half-exposed.
"What's going on~?"
Astolfo seemed oblivious to his wardrobe malfunction, rubbing his eyes and speaking groggily.
Kaar, standing just half a step behind him, had an unusual blush on his face as he buttoned the bottom of his shirt.
In the face of the cross-dresser's accidental exposure, Ryou and Siegfried did not react much, but Jeanne's reaction was quite intense.
"Eek!!!"
Jeanne first let out a shriek, her face turning red at a speed visible to the naked eye. Suddenly, she jumped up and covered Ryou's eyes.
"Wait! Jeanne, why are you covering my eyes?"
Ryou was instantly alarmed.
"Shut up!"
Jeanne, in her steel maiden demeanor, forcefully silenced him. She then pointed at Astolfo and commanded,
"And you, put your clothes on properly!"
"What's the big deal~ I wasn't even wearing clothes in the tent just now~"
Astolfo, still half-asleep, unknowingly dropped another bomb, leaving the innocent saint in utter disarray.
"Not... not... not wearing clothes!? You two!? That's so impure! Indecent!"
Jeanne pointed at the nonchalant Astolfo, her finger trembling, her words becoming incoherent.
"What's the problem~ We're all boys here, right, Kaar~"
Astolfo showed no sign of embarrassment, slowly putting on his clothes. He made a face at Jeanne and then hugged the artificial boy's shoulder, acting all cutesy.
"All... boys... hehe~ boys~"
Feeling Jeanne's grip weaken, Ryou gently moved her hand away.
He saw Jeanne's face completely red, her eyes spinning, looking utterly overwhelmed.
Ryou sighed helplessly. It seemed that cross-dressing and all the flamboyance were still too stimulating for the innocent saint.
Finally, Ryou managed to calm the disoriented Jeanne.
"What happened, Jeanne?"
Ryou couldn't help but feel puzzled. At this time, aside from Jack the Ripper wreaking havoc in Sighișoara, there shouldn't be any major issues.
"I saw it. Avicebron has fully released his Noble Phantasm. It's the highest-grade golem modeled after the 'Primordial Human' Adam. If it grows to the kilometer height recorded in myth, unless multiple top-tier Servants intervene, the entire world will be forcibly 'Paradised.' It must be stopped!"
Jeanne urgently relayed what she had seen in her 'Revelation.'
After Ryou's revelations and Avicebron's admission last night, everyone immediately believed her words.
Siegfried remained silent, but his eyes showed a hint of seriousness.
Ryou, however, frowned slightly—not so much because of the foolish stone giant itself, but rather, because of what it represented.
Logically, Avicebron, that traitor, would only betray after Amakusa Shirou forcibly seized the Greater Grail with his floating fortress, and the Black faction suffered a significant decline.
Sometimes, a person's hobbies reflect their character.
For example, Astolfo liked to stir things up and seek adventures, clearly a thrill-seeker with a reckless personality. Rationality Ex? Rationality Ex is just being a jokester!
Though Ryou hadn't interacted much with Avicebron, the fact that he liked to play with golems indicated he was a reclusive, cautious individual. This sudden outburst was entirely out of character for him.
Ryou selectively forgot that it was his actions that had pushed Avicebron to the brink of desperation.
It seemed that the plot had gone completely off the rails, and from now on, he could only rely on his wits to make judgments.
While Ryou was deep in thought, the ever-exuberant Astolfo started causing a commotion.
"Oh no! This is terrible! The world is going to end!"
Astolfo cried out loudly, holding his head in his hands.
"It's not that serious, Astolfo," Kaar said, trying to comfort him.
"Really?"
Astolfo, with teary eyes, looked to Jeanne for confirmation.
"Yes, 'Golem Keter Malkuth' has just been born and is currently only fifteen meters tall. However, it grows every hour, eventually reaching a height of one thousand meters. At that point, it will be much harder to deal with," Jeanne explained, using her 'True Name Discernment' skill to detail the characteristics of 'Golem Keter Malkuth.'
"So we need to defeat it now!"
Jeanne concluded firmly.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go quickly!"
Astolfo immediately raised his right arm and shouted, with Kaar nodding in agreement beside him.
Siegfried silently positioned himself behind Jeanne, indicating his stance.
"Ishtar, if things go south, I might need your support at any moment."
Given the urgency, Ryou didn't have time for formalities and directly instructed.
Ishtar, still looking drowsy and leaning against the Maanna, perked up at his words.
"No problem! As long as you're willing to pay this goddess's appearance fee, I'm at your service~"
Ishtar said, rubbing her thumb and forefinger together, looking more like a greedy miser than a goddess.
Ryou almost slipped and fell. But given the urgency, there was no time to haggle with this stingy little devil.
If Adam were to grow to a thousand meters, Ishtar would have to deploy her Noble Phantasm.
Istar's Noble Phantasm could condense the entire planet Venus into a single arrow, with power equivalent to hundreds of Tsar Bombs.
Its destructive power would likely far exceed that of 'Golem Keter Malkuth,' and if Ishtar's Noble Phantasm was used, it was uncertain who would bring more destruction.
By that time, Ryou might as well hand this mess over to the Counter Force and run away with his people.
"I'll pay the fee! Just don't let me down at the critical moment!"
Ryou added, still uneasy.
But his words seemed to touch a nerve with Ishtar.
"Who would disappoint you at such a critical moment? Explain yourself, human!!"
The goddess protested, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Ryou didn't have time to argue with her. He turned to the obedient Caster.
"Medea-chan, I need you to do something for me now."
"What is it, Master? Please, just say the word," Medea replied obediently.
Such a good girl, nothing like that money-grubbing little devil goddess. Ryou couldn't help but feel moved to tears.
He leaned close to Medea's ear, a gesture of extreme intimacy that made her blush.
"You just need to..."
Ryou whispered his plan so that only the two of them could hear.
"Master, don't worry. I will not let you down."
The moment they discussed serious matters, Medea's face immediately turned serious.
"Indeed, she was like a warm, comforting coat, unlike a certain capricious goddess."
"You said it out loud..."
"Huh?"
Ryou looked at Ishtar, puzzled.
"Um, Master, you just said your inner thoughts out loud," Medea
's face turned as red as a cooked shrimp.
Correspondingly, a certain goddess's face, and even the air behind her, started to darken. Unnoticed, Ishtar had already descended from the Maanna, which now had a white light arrow condensed from heavenly thunder aimed at Ryou, the bowstring slowly drawing back.
Cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit him, and he shouted, "Six gems as an appearance fee!"
The nearly blackened Ishtar's body quivered, and the black aura instantly dissipated.
"No way! Ten gems!"
"Seven gems!"
"Ten gems!"
"Fine! Ten it is!"
"Deal!"
After this negotiation, Ishtar hummed contentedly while Ryou wiped the sweat from his forehead, having cleverly averted a crisis.
So, led by Jeanne, Ryou, Siegfried, Astolfo, and Kaar rushed towards the Castle of the Yggdmillennia. Astolfo had originally disagreed with bringing Kaar along, but Kaar, concerned for Astolfo and not wanting to be a mere bystander, insisted. Ryou overruled everyone, having Astolfo bring Kaar along too.
The reason was simple. They were still on the outskirts of Trifas, well within the Yggdmillennia's territory. If they left Kaar here alone and he got found by the Yggdmillennia's people, he'd be captured again. Following them, surrounded by four Servant-level combatants, Kaar would be nearly impossible to harm.
Ryou insisted on bringing along the former Sieg, now Kaar, because he might, under the silent intervention of the Counter Force, transform into a Pseudo-Servant state in a crisis. At that time, transformed into Karna, Kaar's combat power would be undeniably formidable, a powerful ally compared to Astolfo, who was just good for being cute.
The others didn't seem to grasp Ryou's intention, especially Astolfo, who outwardly worried about Kaar's safety but didn't want to be separated from him. Additionally, Astolfo's Noble Phantasm, the Hippogriff, could summon a mythical-grade steed. With this trump card, Astolfo was filled with mysterious confidence that he could protect Kaar.
The Hippogriff, a mythical creature that shouldn't exist, possessed an extremely rare and powerful skill, "impossible existence." Upon releasing its True Name, the Hippogriff and its rider would switch to a blurred state, disappearing, evading all forms of observation, and could reappear elsewhere. Even an attack powerful enough to annihilate gods and Buddhas couldn't harm it in the slightest. However, since the rider Astolfo was corporeal, the effect only lasted a moment.
Simply put, in that moment of using "impossible existence," the Hippogriff and its rider were nearly invincible unless met with a Noble Phantasm capable of shattering space itself.
Although Astolfo himself was quite adorable, his Noble Phantasms were truly enviable. Had Ryou's sexual orientation been different, he might have wanted to contract Astolfo as a Heroic Spirit...
Thus, while Astolfo and Kaar rode the Hippogriff, the others sprinted on the ground.
However, Ryou soon discovered an embarrassing fact.
He had become the slowest one!
If they had taken the main road, he could have ridden his Harley and used magic to enhance its speed. But to reach the battlefield quickly, Jeanne had chosen a straight path through the forest.
Based on Ryou's stats, Jeanne's agility was roughly at B rank, and Siegfried's was slightly lower but still at C. But Ryou himself didn't even reach D only D-.
This was quite awkward.
After running for a while, he gradually fell to the back of the group.
"Should I..."
"No need! I have a solution."
Jeanne, seeing his struggle, wanted to help, but Ryou immediately refused. Joking aside, although Jeanne meant well, any method that would not hinder her running would involve either carrying him on her back or in her arms.
Let a woman carry him?
Ryou couldn't bear the shame.
A princess carry?
No way, he'd rather jump off a cliff than let Jeanne carry him like that.
Using a Descent Card was the best option, but currently, he could only use it for ten minutes a day due to his compatibility level. Those ten minutes were too crucial to waste on running.
So, there was only one choice left. Ryou's face showed a determined expression.
Swish!
A white magical aura appeared, and Ryou, in front of everyone's eyes, transformed from a slender young man into... a 300-kilogram child, no, a 300-kilogram muscular brute.
Out of sheer necessity, Ryou transformed into the one identity he least wanted to use: Spartacus.
Everyone was momentarily stunned. Jeanne and Siegfried just looked slightly awkward. But carefree Astolfo burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! What is that! Hahaha!"
He clutched his stomach, laughing, while patting the Hippogriff's head, making it squawk in annoyance.
Originally feeling embarrassed, Ryou's anger flared up at Astolfo's laughter, and he glared at him fiercely.
"Hmm~! What are you laughing at? Laugh again if you dare!"
With eyes like copper bells, a mouth full of sharp teeth, and granite-like gray muscles, Spartacus's smile alone could scare someone to death, let alone his ferocious look when angry.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"
Astolfo, the cross-dressing hero, quickly apologized.
...
As Ryou's group rushed towards the Castle of the Yggdmillennia, the Black Faction found themselves in a dire situation.
Facing a fifteen-meter-tall giant, the Black Faction's Servants were almost helpless. The Grand Duke's twenty thousand iron stakes seemed overwhelming and grand, but while effective against small fry, they were laughably ineffective against the Adam.
The twenty thousand black iron stakes clinked as they embedded into the giant golem, turning it into a giant porcupine. If a living person suffered such an attack, even if they didn't die immediately, they would bleed to death.
But in front of them was a Supreme-class Golem modeled after the "Primordial Human," Adam. As long as it stood on the ground any damage it sustained would be healed at an astonishing rate unless an extremely powerful Noble Phantasm could evaporate it in an instant. Vlad's attacks were like mere tickles.
The Adam seemed completely unscathed and swatted at Vlad III with a massive hand. If that hand connected, Vlad III would be instantly turned into paste.
PS: 1 Power Stone = 1 Push up