"This shot shall pierce the scorpion of the heavens. My arrow has already been unleashed! Antares Snipe!!"
"Equipment is inadequate. A true hero kills with a stare! Brahmastra!!"
With the release of the Noble Phantasms' true names, Chiron suddenly let go of the taut bowstring.
Using the power of a Command Spell, Chiron broke through the restriction that his Noble Phantasm could only be used under a star-filled sky.
A thin golden ray shot straight down from the heavens, its source originating from the distant Sagittarius constellation.
This was a magnificent strike, like a falling meteor!
At this moment, the sun had just risen, its rays bright and resplendent, yet even the sun's brilliance could not outshine this strike!
The golden ray pierced straight through the heart of the Adam, embedding deep into the earth.
Immediately following this, Ryou's eyes suddenly lit up. A beam resembling a laser shot from the sun itself, directly targeting the heart of the Adam.
The heat from this beam was likely comparable to the sun's. The air distorted and trembled in its path as if it might catch fire.
Even from a distance, everyone could feel the terrifying heat of this beam.
Especially the Grand Duke, who possessed the "Vampire" trait, found himself producing wisps of smoke as if encountering a natural enemy.
Due to the extreme temperature, the beam turned white-hot. Even those in the Millennia Castle, kilometers away, had to shield their eyes with their sleeves to avoid being blinded by the intense light.
The sun-like white-hot beam struck directly at the heart of the Adam, entering through the hole Chiron had created with his Noble Phantasm.
For a moment, the surroundings seemed to lose all sound. Then, the heart of the Adam suddenly swelled like a balloon being inflated.
This swelling quickly spread throughout the entire body of the Adam, followed by a series of crackling explosions, as if someone had stuffed firecrackers inside it.
The bulges and protrusions all exploded at once, spewing flames and magma.
The Adam was instantly reduced to a tattered earthen figure, then split in half by a sky-blue energy cannon.
Boom!
With a loud crash, the shattered golem fell to the ground.
Its core of the furnace and soul core were both utterly destroyed, rendering the Adam incapable of any miraculous instant restoration.
The massive, fragmented body slowly turned into countless specks of light, returning as magical energy to the earth.
"No, impossible! I am the god of the new world, how could I be defeated by you!"
The soul of Darnic within the golem continued to howl, now filled with utter despair and desperation.
With a final, anguished, and hopeless scream from Darnic, the noble phantasm completely disintegrated into dust, dispersing into nature with the gentle breeze.
"So stingy..."
After slaying the Adam, Ryou reverted to his normal state. However, upon hearing the system prompt that he only received a few energy points, he couldn't help but mutter softly.
"What's wrong? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Hearing Ryou's grumbling, Jeanne turned her head, looking at him with concern.
"No, no! It's nothing."
Ryou quickly waved his hand. How could he possibly tell Jeanne that his spirit was greatly wounded because they had teamed up to defeat a big boss, yet not a single valuable loot dropped?
Jeanne would probably reward him with a saintly punch right away.
"Really?"
Jeanne scrutinized him suspiciously. Though she couldn't see anything unusual, her superhuman intuition made her instinctively feel that Ryou was hiding something.
At that moment, Ryou suddenly paused, then nonchalantly started flexing his muscles like a bodybuilder and laughed, "Really, I'm fine, see!"
At this moment, the Grand Duke, as the leader of the Black Faction, expressed his gratitude out of courtesy.
Jeanne, being the leader of the Judgment Faction on the surface, had no choice but to temporarily let Ryou off, turning instead to exchange pleasantries with the Grand Duke.
Only then did Ryou heave a sigh of relief, internally grumbling.
System, can you please stop scaring me like that? Speaking with such dramatic pauses is enough to kill someone.
Of course, while Ryou was complaining internally, he was overjoyed.
Just moments ago, the system had sent a notification.
Ding!
[Congratulations to the host for defeating "Primordial Human (Fragment)"]
[You have obtained a Noble Phantasm Fragment: Fruit of Eden (1/12)]
Ryou took a glance and saw Jeanne still engaged in polite conversation with the Grand Duke. At this time, Chiron also walked over, and the three of them started a round of mutual flattery.
Seeing that Jeanne wouldn't notice for a while, Ryou quickly opened the system to check its attributes.
[Name: Fruit of Eden (1/12)
Level: EX
???]
The rest was just a series of question marks. Nevertheless, that big EX level almost blinded him.
Until now, he had never seen such a high-quality EX-level item, whether it was for himself or the heroic spirits he had summoned.
Only the Primordial Rune that came from Scathach was of an indeterminate level, possibly EX.
According to the common knowledge of heroic spirits, any EX-level Noble Phantasm is unbeatable!
Such Noble Phantasms are either divine creations or celestial creations, far beyond what humans can forge, and are considered miracles.
I, Nguyen Ryou, also have an EX-level Noble Phantasm now!
Though it's just a fragment...
EX-level
Noble Phantasms are unbeatable!
It's still just a fragment...
With an EX-level Noble Phantasm, I can finally reach the pinnacle of heroic spirits!
But it's still just a fragment...
(／‵Д′)／~╧╧!!!
Why not just give me a complete Noble Phantasm instead of a fragment!!!
Giving a fragment is one thing, but it's 1/12 of it. This reeks of pay-to-win mobile games. Is this some kind of malice from the system?
As someone who has played pay-to-win mobile games, Ryou knew very well that these games are all the same.
Don't be fooled by the fact that you only need 12 fragments to complete an EX-level Noble Phantasm. If you delve into it, the money required wouldn't be any less than obtaining a complete EX-level item directly. If you're unlucky, you might even have to pay two to three times the cost.
Normally, these fragment-based items are slightly stronger than complete ones, which is one of the underhanded tactics used by unscrupulous game developers.
But the problem is...
Ryou can't even spend money if he wants to right now.
From the last instance, it seemed that only by defeating terrifying enemies like the demonized aberrations would the system reward him with a ten-pull.
If he could get a fragment from a ten-pull, he would be laughing.
Even so, he would need to clear eleven more instances. By then, he might already have an EX-level Noble Phantasm, making this fragment less significant.
This is really...
Boom!
In the distance, a pillar of fire radiating the brilliance of the sun shot up into the sky, coming from the direction of the Millennia Castle.
This sudden change snapped Ryou back to reality. At the same time, several servants drew their weapons, looking warily in the direction of the rising fire pillar.
Feeling the familiar magical fluctuations contained within the fire pillar, a sharp gleam flashed in Ryou's eyes.
As expected...
Time rewinds to when Astolfo, riding the swift eagle, hurried back to the Millennia Castle with Kaar.
Just as they landed on the castle balcony, Fiore and her brother Caules came up to meet them.
"It's you!?"
Fiore, sitting in her wheelchair, looked at Astolfo and Kaar dismounting, her face showing a complex expression.
After noticing her contract with Astolfo had been severed, Celenike stormed off in a rage.
Later, it was rumored that she had summoned several homunculi to her private dungeon, from which they never emerged again.
Now, the traitors they saw were brazenly appearing before them...
Despite Astolfo being a carefree guy, he waved cheerfully at his former comrades, smiling.
"Yo! Long time no see!"
What do you mean, long time no see!? We just parted ways last night!
Even the usually composed and elegant Fiore couldn't help but show a few throbbing veins on her forehead at Astolfo's behavior.
"No time for that, quickly get everyone to evacuate!"
At this moment, Kaar dismounted the swift eagle, shouting anxiously.
"Oh right, almost forgot the important thing, haha!"
Astolfo slapped his forehead, an embarrassed smile appearing on his face.
With a sigh, both Fiore and her brother Caules, as well as Kaar, wore similar expressions.
"Anyway, get everyone out of here quickly! That giant golem is heading this way!"
Kaar kept emphasizing the severity of the situation.
"What! But..."
Fiore, having just taken over from Darnic, was exceptionally talented in magecraft but somewhat indecisive by nature. The urgency of the situation threw her into a panic.
"Sister, judging by the tremors from the battle, the battlefield is indeed approaching the castle. Just in case, let's evacuate everyone first!"
Her brother Caules remained calm and collected.
"I-I understand. As the acting head of the family, I order everyone to evacuate immediately in the opposite direction of the battlefield!"
Fiore promptly issued the command.
"You need to take my Sister and leave quickly."
Caules addressed the female homunculus pushing Fiore's wheelchair.
"Wait, Caules, I am the acting head. How can I...!"
"It's precisely because you are the acting head, Sister, that you absolutely mustn't be harmed! If the Yggdmillennia is destroyed, you will be the hope for the family's resurgence!"
"But still..."
Fiore was just about to object when Caules immediately countered, overwhelming his older sister with his assertiveness.
"They're still in the underground workshop. Rider, you go help the others, I'll head to the underground homunculus workshop!"
Kaar suddenly remembered something and turned to run off.
"Wait!..."
Astolfo tried to stop him, but he was already far away.
"Master, really... Oh well, we were comrades once, after all. Let me, Astolfo, one of Charlemagne's Twelve Paladins, help you out. Remember to be grateful~"
Astolfo closed one eye, raised a finger, and struck a cute pose.
"Ah, oh! Please take care of it!"
Caules, struck by Astolfo's charming and adorable appearance, blushed noticeably.
As Kaar ran through the empty castle, he instructed everyone he encountered, whether magi or homunculi, to evacuate immediately.
By this time, the evacuation order had spread, throwing the entire Yggdmillennia into chaos.
While Kaar was heading to the underground homunculus workshop, a silver-haired figure stirred by the commotion appeared around the corner.
Celenike was covered in various bloodstains, including on her face, which was twisted into a deformed and broken expression. Her once beautiful features were now contorted.
When she saw Kaar running past the corner, her expression darkened and twisted even further. She looked completely like a deranged lunatic.
However, her mind was still absolutely clear, or rather, it was even clearer—driven by hatred, with only cold, murderous intent remaining.
"Just wait, Astolfo, I will take you back... hehehe~"
Celenike muttered to herself, then quietly followed Kaar.
In his anxious state, Kaar did not notice the terrifying witch trailing behind him.
Upon reaching the homunculus workshop, Kaar wasted no time. He used his magic to break the cultivation tanks one by one, freeing the homunculi inside.
The continuous use of unfamiliar magic left him gasping for breath.
Suddenly, a whistling sound came from behind.
A nail infused with purplish-black magical energy shot out from the shadows and pierced hi's calf, pinning him to the ground.
Kaar let out a scream and instinctively tried to pull out the magical nail, but the nail, enhanced by witchcraft, carried a powerful curse. He immediately felt all his strength leave him, and he collapsed to the ground.
The sound of high heels approached. Celenike emerged from the shadows, her once radiant silver hair now completely stained with blood. A twisted smile of revenge appeared on her face.
"Was it you, damn homunculus, who stole my toy?"
Celenike walked over to Kaar and kicked him over.
"You're nothing but a homunculus! Just a dirty homunculus! How dare you take my toy! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"
Celenike raised her foot and kicked Kaar viciously.
Unable to move, Kaar could only let out helpless groans of pain.
After a few kicks, Celenike seemed to tire and stopped. Sweat dripped down her forehead, sliding along her beautiful face and into her cleavage.
If not for her grotesque expression, it would have been an extremely alluring scene of a mature woman drenched in sweat.
"Not enough! Letting you die like this isn't enough at all! I've got a great idea!"
Celenike grabbed Kaar's hair and lifted his head, her face showing an extremely cruel smile that sent chills through his heart.
Unfortunately, he was now too weak to escape, the curse's debilitation and the internal injuries from Celenike's brutal kicks leaving him powerless.
"You were just saving these fakes like yourself... What a shame~ They had just gained hope for freedom, only to die soon... And it's all because of you!!!"
Celenike burst into maniacal laughter, pointing her wand, which resembled a whip, at the nearest female homunculus.
This female homunculus had just emerged from her cultivation tank, her face still bearing a baby-like expression of innocence and ignorance.
"Stop!..."
Kaar couldn't help but shout, but his voice only added a trace of pleasure to Celenike's face without having any other effect.
A billiard ball-sized, purplish-black energy sphere shot from Celenike's fingertips, piercing the forehead of the homunculus instantly.
Red and white matter sprayed out, and the poor homunculus girl, who hadn't even had the chance to enjoy the freedom of sunlight, died in the cold, damp basement.
"Stop! What's the point of doing this?!!"
Kaar's expression was extremely sorrowful. In this castle, he was the only one who treated the soulless, emotionless homunculi as normal humans.
"Point? Of course, there is a point. The sorrow and despair on your face are the best gifts you can offer me!"
Celenike laughed as she pointed her finger continuously at the homunculi in the basement, slaughtering them mercilessly.
Some homunculi had just emerged from their tanks, unable to walk like newborns; some were extremely weak; and some hadn't even escaped from their tanks or opened their eyes yet. They were all brutally killed by Celenike.
To torment these poor homunculi, Celenike deliberately avoided shooting their vital points, targeting their limbs and joints instead, and shooting their chests and abdomens while avoiding important organs like the heart, just to let the homunculi die in endless pain as they bled out.
In no time, the already cold and damp underground workshop had become a living hell. Scarlet blood covered the floor entirely, and various corpses with pained, miserable expressions lay on the ground, seemingly issuing silent reproaches.
Kaar bit his lip so hard that it broke, his hands clenched into tight fists.
At this moment, he hated his weakness so much!
Despite inheriting the heart of that great hero like Karna and being granted a second life, he could only watch helplessly as his fellow homunculi were slaughtered.
Celenike seemed to tire of the game of slaughtering homunculi who couldn't fight back and stopped her actions.
However, after her rampage, the basement workshop, which originally housed over a hundred homunculi, had only a handful left in the corners.
"Ah~ so satisfying~"
Celenike wrapped her arms around her chest, her face flushed, and her long, slender legs in black stockings kept clenching. She uttered seductive breaths and words that could easily be misunderstood.
After a while, Celenike finally let out a long breath, her face showing post-coital laziness.
When she saw Kaar lying on the ground, filled with unwillingness, anger, and sorrow, the malice in her heart boiled up again.
"This isn't enough~ I need more pleasure! Ah~ my brain is trembling, so many ideas are overflowing!"
Celenike clutched her head, ruffling her hair, her smile crazier than that of a madman.
"I've decided! This is a great idea! Just thinking about the despair on that child's face makes me wet! Ah~"
With that, the flushed Celenike walked over to Kaar, stepping on his right arm, and began shooting purplish-black energy bullets at his elbow joint.
To maximize his pain, Celenike deliberately lowered the magic output.
"Ahhhh!"
Kaar screamed in agony, his blood splattering onto Celenike's face, adding another layer of malevolent makeup to her beautiful visage.
After at least a dozen magic bullets, which cut through his flesh like a dull knife, Kaar's right arm was broken.
Celenike, full of pleasure, picked up his arm marked with command spells.
"With this command spell, I order you, Astolfo, to come here immediately!"
A blue magic circle instantly lit up, and a figure appeared in its center.
"Master, did you miss me? You used a Command Spell so soon after we parted... Master!"
Astolfo had been grinning broadly, but upon his arrival, he immediately saw Kaar's miserable state and couldn't help but cry out.
Just as he was about to step forward to help and heal Kaar, a voice filled with malice suddenly came from behind.
"Astolfo, isn't your Master over here?"
Astolfo turned stiffly and saw Celenike, her face covered in blood, looking like a demon.
"Yo! Is that you, Celenike-chan?"
Astolfo instinctively sensed something was wrong and immediately tried to play it safe.
"Wrong. I am your Master, and you are merely a pet I raised," Celenike said with a proud smile, like that of a queen.
"That's so harsh~ I'm one of Charlemagne's Twelve Paladins, not a pet..."
Astolfo scratched his cheek shyly.
"No! You are a pet! A disobedient pet! So, all this is your fault! If only you had listened to me, only focused on me!"
Celenike spread her arms wide, her expression maniacal.
"This, this is!"
Only now did Astolfo realize that the place had turned into a living hell.
"But I forgive you because you are my favorite toy~ Therefore, I've decided to give you one last gift! With this Command Spell, I order you, Astolfo, to kill that wretched homunculus with your own hands!"
Celenike picked up Kaar's severed hand, and the Command Spell on it glowed red before disappearing.
"Ugh!"
Astolfo suddenly felt his body lose control. Unwillingly, he summoned his knight's lance and turned to aim its tip at Kaar on the ground.
"Stop, stop! Celenike, I beg you!"
Astolfo struggled against the powerful magic of the Command Spell, pleading loudly.
"You beg me? Hahaha! You actually beg me! Yes! Yes! This kind of despair is exhilarating! Ah~~!"
Celenike seemed to fall into a perverse fantasy, her face flushed red, panting heavily.
Suddenly, she appeared to calm down, a cruel smile spreading across her face as she raised Kaar's severed hand again.
"With this Command Spell, I order you, Astolfo, to kill this vile homunculus!"
With the power of two Command Spells combined, Astolfo could no longer control his body. He mustered all his strength to issue one last warning.
"Dodge! Master!"
He then fiercely thrust the lance towards Kaar's heart.
Thump, thump!
At that moment, the sound of a heartbeat echoed, and Kaar seemed to be enveloped in a blazing fire like the sun.
Immediately, scorching flames shot upwards, piercing through the thick underground rock layer and shooting toward the sky.
Kaar appeared to transform into a sun spirit, reborn in the solar flames.
Whoosh!
With the eruption of magical energy, the flames surged wildly, forming a massive fire tornado that enveloped him entirely.
In the next instant, a handsome figure dressed in golden armor, with a cloak of flaming feathers, holding a lance with a sun-like golden tip, wearing large gold earrings, and with a head of white hair, appeared within the flames.
PS: 1 Power Stone = 1 Push up