A brilliant light erupted, and countless wings of light spread completely behind the angel, rapidly reaching a scale that blotted out the sky and covered the sun.
At this moment, every corner of Fuyuki City was extraordinarily bright, and on the satellite map of Japan, it had already become the brightest point.
The most important principle of the moonlit world, Mystery should remain hidden, was now shattered by the commotion caused by the false angel, alerting the entire world.
Whether Magus, Executors, Dead Apostles, or ancient beings lingering in the modern era, all had noticed the significant change happening here. This situation had clearly escalated beyond what the Three Founding Families of Fuyuki City or even a single Lord could manage.
However, rather than worrying about the aftermath, the ancient heroes and modern magus present were more concerned with surviving the immediate crisis.
If they didn't stop the angel before it activated the transformation ritual, humanity and the world would have no future... so the later consequences could be dealt with afterward. Right now, if the angel weren't dealt with quickly, even punishing those involved in the Holy Grail War afterward would be meaningless.
Thanks to the barrage of Noble Phantasms unleashed by Gilgamesh moments ago, the number of light wings on the angel had evolved from hundreds to thousands, and its body, constructed of magical energy, had grown by a third in size. The white halo above its head, symbolizing its identity, had also expanded significantly.
The concentration of ether in the surrounding area was rising rapidly.
At this moment, the wings of light were dazzling like aurora ribbons, but they lacked the sanctity typically associated with angels. Aside from the terrifying pressure and an eerie atmosphere, nothing else could be felt from these chaotic, disorderly wings.
Saber, Archer, Lancer.
Even with the combined efforts of the three most powerful Servants in the Holy Grail War, they could barely restrain this monstrous entity.
This being was almost unbeatable.
If the three of them unleashed their Noble Phantasms or launched their strongest attacks, the creature would be briefly suppressed, but it wouldn't experience true fear or take any significant damage.
Instead, it would gradually adapt to the attacks and evolve, soon sprouting new wings from its back or wounds. Its body would grow even larger and more solid, rendering attacks of the previous scale completely ineffective. To continue suppressing it, they would need to escalate their attacks, but doing so would only lead to a vicious cycle.
In fact, unless they could kill it in a single strike, continuous attacks would only accelerate its evolution.
Even when Gilgamesh used a cursed Noble Phantasm from his treasury... one that prevented recovery once it inflicted a wound... the angel avoided the damage by shedding its injured parts and regenerating, much like a certain tailed beast.
So, if attacking couldn't stop it, could they restrain or seal it?
Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, of course, had considered such a straightforward solution, but neither option was feasible.
This monster was constantly altering its surroundings, drawing more magical energy from the Holy Grail and the earth's ley lines, continuously strengthening itself in preparation for the magical power needed to transform all of humanity.
Even if they stopped attacking or managed to trap it, it would still continue evolving. The question of when it would amass enough power to transform all of humanity directly was only a matter of time... whether sooner or later.
After all, the Holy Grail and the Third Magic's ritual... was inscribed within the angel's pure white body.
The Heaven's Feel and the perpetual motion core of its magical energy made it unbeatable.
Once it gathered enough magical energy to cover the entire planet, the angel would activate the Third Magic, injecting ether molecules into the atmosphere and instantly covering the globe.
At that moment, the entire ecosystem of Earth would be transformed into the Third Magic's creation... immortal, undying soul beings.
Therefore, they had no time to waste in this battle. No one knew how long it would take for the angel to accumulate the required magical energy.
It might take a few more moments, or it could happen in the very next second.
Since the perpetual motion core was inside its body, every second it operated generated an enormous amount of magical energy.
By now, the battle had already demolished half of Fuyuki City.
Countless Noble Phantasms rained down from the sky like a torrential storm, piercing through everything in their trajectory without mercy. Along with the angel's body, countless tall buildings were shattered in the violent storm.
The enormous angel didn't bother dodging, only instinctively waving its light wings, which resembled tentacles, to fend off Saber and Lancer's attempts to restrain its advance.
Although it was merely driving them away, the terrifying wings of light, each capable of destroying a town with a single swing, were devastating.
Skyscrapers and the industrial structures humans prided themselves on were utterly meaningless in the face of such overwhelming power.
Fortunately, the angel was guided by the principle of Salvation. It didn't actively harm humans or destroy anything... it had been continuously moving from the beginning, accumulating magical energy from the ley lines and the grail.
Even when intercepted by the three Servants, it merely waved its tentacles to drive them away. In other words, if the angel truly wished to destroy the city, Fuyuki would have been swallowed by the furious tides like a raft in the ocean under the storm of wings.
But they couldn't afford to let this drag on any longer.
Everyone present understood this all too well.
"You scoundrel! Are you mocking me?!"
Gilgamesh was infuriated as he watched the enormous angel continue to ignore him.
Though it wasn't a true angel, its core, formed by the Third Magic, made it even harder to deal with than a real one. Its ability to constantly adapt and evolve, changing the nature of its soul, rendered Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasms in his Bab-ilu as ineffective as striking cotton. What had once been able to suppress the creature now briefly had no impact at all, and it even dared to disregard him completely.
The humiliation of being ignored burned like a fire in his heart.
How dare it ignore the King?
Who was he?
He was Gilgamesh!!!
The most ancient human king, the greatest ruler who had once accomplished the feat of slaying the Bull of Heaven with his closest friend. And now, even a mere false angel dared to overlook him?
"Don't get too full of yourself, you mongrel!"
"An immortal body, constant evolution, an infinite source of magical power, the Third Magic, right?! Do you really think this king can't deal with a false angel like you?!"
"For your insolence, you'll atone with your life! Witness the Noble Phantasm I am most proud of!"
With a loud roar, Gilgamesh raised his hand and activated the full power of Bab-ilu. In an instant, countless chains shot out from the golden portals that surrounded the night sky, plunging into the ground with great force.
"My pride! My dearest friend! Enkidu!!"
Unleashing the full power of Bab-ilu, Gilgamesh summoned his most powerful Noble Phantasm... one he took the most pride in. This was the bond between him and his most trusted friend, Enkidu.
Enkidu, the divine weapon from Sumerian mythology that could bind even the gods... Enkidu, Chains of Heaven.
It was a mighty Noble Phantasm, one of the strongest in all of human history, but could it really work in this situation?
Seeing the chains that emerged from the golden portals, Roy's expression darkened as he sensed trouble.
This creature, although resembling an angel, wasn't one. It was merely a magical construct in the form and scale of an angel. While the Chains of Heaven could restrain gods, its effect on this creature would likely be minimal.
Such an obvious fact... he couldn't believe Gilgamesh hadn't noticed it.
"King of Heroes, this thing doesn't possess divinity! The Chains of Heaven won't be very effective!" Fionn furrowed his brow and warned.
"Hmph, don't waste your breath. Of course, this king is aware of that! I have my own plans!!"
Gilgamesh turned and shouted to the two Servants behind him, "From now on, you are no longer needed in battle. Focus on gathering magical energy to prepare for the release of your Noble Phantasms."
"Are you serious, King of Heroes?"
Artoria furrowed her brow in disbelief. "Can you really suppress a creature of this scale? With its current rate of regeneration and adaptation, even if we release our Noble Phantasms, we won't be able to completely destroy it."
"Hmph, fool! Of course, this king knows that. At the current scale, our attacks won't easily work on this thing."
"However, this king will join forces with my dearest friend to shatter this false angel!!"
"I will dismember this creature's body using even more Noble Phantasms, tear apart its flesh, and temporarily halt its regeneration. All you need to do is find its core hidden within the body and destroy it with your Noble Phantasms in one decisive strike."
Tear apart its body and stop its regeneration.
"Can you really do that?"
"Heh, don't underestimate the power of this king and my dearest friend! It's just a mere false angel. Even if it were a true deity, I could still kill it before your very eyes!!"
"So, Saber and Lancer, I leave the final blow to you. Don't disappoint me and my friend!"
At this moment, Gilgamesh's magical energy surged to its peak. The veins on his forehead bulged, and he smashed his raised right hand forward with force.
"Mere false angel, be shattered by this king!"
Ig-Alima - The Green Horizon That Opens A Thousand Mountains
In an instant, a massive golden ripple spread through the air, and a colossal sword, large enough to cleave mountains, descended from above the angel with a thunderous boom.
*BOOM!*
The earth-shattering sound tore through the ground, and the gusts of wind whipped up sand and dust that ripped through the city. The enormous angel, despite its advance, was forced down by the immense weight of the sword, its legs sinking several meters into the earth.
"It's not over yet, false angel! The real show is just beginning!"
Gilgamesh's assault didn't stop. His crimson eyes reflected the sight of the angel pinned beneath the giant sword, and he raised his hands once more.
"Come, Sul-sagana!!!"
Then, a second unimaginable, gigantic sword descended from the sky. This one was engulfed in blazing flames that would never extinguish, illuminating the night sky as it plunged heavily into the angel's enormous body. The flames instantly ignited everything in their path.
Sul-sagana - The Horizon That Burns Away A Thousand Seas
Struck by the two legendary swords wielded by the Sumerian god of war, the angel's movement became restricted. Its massive body staggered as it was pierced and pinned to the ground, while its endless wings of light flickered and attempted to pull the two swords out.
*SWISH* *SWISH* *SWISH*
But Gilgamesh's attack grew even faster and more ferocious. Once again, the portals opened like lightning, and countless Noble Phantasms shot out like blades, slicing the angel's body into countless pieces.
It was a horrifying sight...
Although the angel's body, pierced by the giant swords, continued to heal rapidly, and the fragments sliced by the bladed storm squirmed and reconnected as it self-repaired. New wings of light and more magical power continued to gather.
"There will be no more chances! Dearest friend, bind it!!" Gilgamesh shouted in fury.
In that instant, the chains in the sky, like golden serpents, danced wildly. Each chain precisely wrapped around the fragmented pieces of the angel's body that had been sliced off, quickly dragging them into the Bab-ilu to be sealed away.
"It's useless, false angel. No matter how fast your regeneration and adaptation, my dearest friend will capture every fragment of your body and seal it in the treasury."
"Now, how will you continue to heal and evolve under these conditions?!"
"Saber, Lancer! Prepare to strike!!"
"I'm ready, King of Heroes."
Fionn smiled and nodded, as the magical energy he had been accumulating from the start now surged, rippling along with his flowing golden hair.
"If it's just at this level, I'm ready too! I can unleash my sword at any time."
Raising her magnificent sword, Artoria lifted Excalibur high above her head.
"Well done, Saber!"
For the first time in this Holy Grail War, Gilgamesh laughed. He glanced at the angel, still trying to repair itself, and taunted it with satisfaction.
"Are you ready, false angel? Prepare to face your end!"
Swords rained down from the sky, swiftly moving through the portals of light, precisely severing the angel's right arm and head. Amidst countless cuts and strikes, Gilgamesh finally located the deeply hidden object within the angel's throat.
"I've finally found you..."
Within the magical cocoon, the faintly visible figure was none other than the core of the Third Magic, the heart of the Holy Grail, Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern.
"Now, let this strike serve as our farewell. I, the king, shall tear off your false façade completely."
"My dear friend, lend me your strength once more!"
Raising his arm high, Gilgamesh softly recited the incantation to release the Chains of Heaven.
"Now, awaken, Breath of the Planet!"
The swirling chains intertwined, and countless golden serpents gathered like stars, resembling a shooting stars that tore through the night sky, carving a dazzling scar across the heavens.
"I, Enkidu, shall walk forward alongside humanity, and thus..."
At that moment, the meteor streaked down from the sky, like a flash of brilliance, piercing straight through the angel's throat, tearing away the false skin, revealing the essence hidden within.
"Humankind, Be Bound by the Chains of the Gods... Enuma Elish!!"
The descending stars tore through the sky, a brilliant river of stars flowing endlessly, shredding all the angel's falseness and penetrating its throat, exposing its innermost core.
The golden river of stars and countless intersecting lights and shadows were reflected in Gilgamesh's eyes.
For a brief moment, he instinctively reached out, as if the beautiful figure of the green-haired one had returned to his side once more.
"It's been a while, Gil."
"Enkidu..."
Gilgamesh smiled slightly.
"Hmph, it really has been a long time."
…
"Is such a method even possible?"
"By using a Noble Phantasm to isolate the angel's fragments from its main body, it's suppressing its invincible adaptability and rate of evolution."
Witnessing the overwhelming attack Gilgamesh unleashed, suppressing the angel's regeneration with visible speed, Kayneth was astonished.
At the same time, he gained a new understanding of the sheer power of this mighty King of Heroes.
Was he the strongest of all Heroic Spirits? Kayneth couldn't be certain, but this power was undoubtedly the strongest in this Holy Grail War. If Gilgamesh desired, he could have ended the war in a single night.
The power he displayed was undeniably invincible.
However, it wasn't over yet.
Kayneth shifted his gaze back to the angel, whose throat was pierced by the Chains of Heaven.
Though Gilgamesh had suppressed it, it was merely suppression. The angel hadn't been truly defeated. After all, it was a manifestation of the Third Magic, one of the Five True Magics, and such a thing couldn't be destroyed so easily.
Would the combined power of the two Servants' Noble Phantasms be enough? Kayneth wasn't sure, but he knew he couldn't rely solely on this group of the dead.
Their Command Seals were used up, and after such a long battle, Saber and Lancer were exhausted. Archer's assault wouldn't hold for long, and the angel would soon adapt and evolve once more.
This was their only chance. If they couldn't kill the angel now, any further battle would be hopeless.
But...
Looking ahead at the mythic battlefield unfolding, in such a scene, modern magus, with their mortal bodies, were like grains of sand in the wind. Even the slightest glimmer could spell death.
Kayneth gritted his teeth, drawing the jewel-forged short sword from his coat and coating his clothing with the last bit of moon essence stored in his gloves.
"As expected, this is a job for a true magus."
After a moment of internal struggle, he sighed, deciding to step onto the battlefield to assist Saber and Lancer in delivering the final blow to the angel.
He wasn't sure if their Noble Phantasms alone would suffice, but with this Mystic Code, it would surely be enough.
The Jeweled Sword Zelretch, a Mystic Code at the pinnacle of magic, uses the Second Magic to draw upon the vast magical power of infinite parallel worlds.
As long as he could activate the magic within this sword and strike the angel's core, they would be able to defeat it. The purpose of Zelretch lending him this sword was for this moment.
However, the risk of a modern magus stepping onto a mythic battlefield was certain. Seeing the fragile skyscrapers crumbling like paper and the monsters already transformed by the angel, Kayneth couldn't help but feel fear.
But even if he was terrified, he had to charge forward. Sola was still waiting for him in London. If he didn't defeat this angel here, all of humanity, including those he cherished, would be in danger.
"Sola, please bless me..."
He murmured under his breath, steeling his resolve as he rushed forward. Just then, a hand suddenly appeared, pressing down on his shoulder.
"What?"
Startled, Kayneth saw that Roy had taken the Jeweled Sword from his hand and smiling.
"Seriously, leave the cool stuff to me, Professor."
"Do you even know what you're saying?"
"I know very well."
"But please believe me, it will be best if I personally end this farce."
The flame burning deep within his chest was blazing fiercely...
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