"Haha, just as expected of Mother… she sent some really good actors..."
Bringing his glove to his forehead, Yuki laughed at that.
The change to the "Script" was perfect. From the moment he pierced the planet and used Requiem as an anchor, Yuki stood against both (Mother Alaya) and (Mother Gaia), who sent their "Children" to stop him. Even an Ultimate One arrived as a Master. The impact was so great that even (Mother Root) joined this suppression—this time, the World itself was against the champion....
That only meant one thing...
"Mother must be thrilled!"
And Yuki was right. The various world consciousnesses were watching this war, which only made the pressure on Yuki even heavier. The Script definitely wasn't meant to be changed so easily.
For the first time, Yuki felt what the Overlords felt when they stood against the World. The difference was that, unlike a fight to the death as the World's nemesis, Yuki was calm—because this was all a farce.
"Then I've got to 'act' too."
Forming a hand sign, Yuki's Mangekyo Sharingan spun, and the crystal Tower flashed with a pink light...
"Apocalyptic World!"
Doro, doro, doro...
A beam of light shot from the Tower into the atmosphere. Massive clouds formed, slowly swallowing Trifas, snow began to fall, and the Apocalypse Virus started to spread...
This was Adam's lost Christmas....
"The World War for the Holy Grail... How awful."
The last five Masters and Servants arrived, and the first thing they felt was a crushing pressure in their bloodline.
As Adam's descendants, most of them carried shackles. Even so, these Masters and Servants weren't weak—there were Crowns, Magus, True Ancestors, and even Root among them. Adam's fear was minimal...
Even so, it didn't stop the dread from tightening around their throats. The threat was so overwhelming that they didn't care other Masters and Servants were gathered together. That much magical power pooled in that Tower was no joke.
Even Angelica stopped all hostility toward Shirou Kotomine, narrowing her eyes at the crystal Tower.
"This is bad. I didn't think the World War would come to this."
Artoria Pendragon tightened her grip on her sword. She glanced at Shirou Kotomine beside her, and the fact that he was trembling as he stared at the crystal Tower in horror was not a good sign—his instinctive fear toward his "Father."
If it weren't for her Dragon Blood, she might've been in the same state.
Even so, Artoria Pendragon trusted that with Excalibur, she could erase this primordial evil. She'd done it before with the White Giant. She had to do it now—unfortunately, nothing was as it seemed, because that was the moment the crystal Tower struck, and clouds swallowed the sky.
"Get back, Master!"
Snow began to fall, and Artoria Pendragon's intuition flared, screaming warnings at full force. The Apocalypse Virus might've been too small to see, but she could still feel the magic within it. And she trusted her intuition. It had saved her before...
"?!Aghhhhh!!"
Her judgment was spot-on. The first to falter was Vlad III's red mist. Pink crystals raced across his body, and soon he was trapped in the Virus. As a vampire, he'd given up much of his magical resistance—and without a physical form, he was even more vulnerable....
Creakkk
The crystallization was almost instant. It shattered, sending the vampire back to the Throne of Heroes....
The first Hero was eliminated, and because the war had officially begun, no one would take his place—pushing even more magical power into the crystal Tower.
Gulp....
Everyone swallowed hard and quickly backed away, but it was useless. Most of them were already infected, and symptoms surfaced almost immediately....
And just as the newcomers were about to move, a Flag fluttered in the wind and appeared before them.
"Heroic Spirits and Masters, I am Jeanne d'Arc. I have come to this war as Ruler, as the arbiter's authority. I beg you—please help us stop this catastrophe."
Jeanne d'Arc didn't know what The Monster was plotting, but calling in other Masters and Servants was the best option...
"Ruler?"
Aozaki Aoko frowned, but Jeanne d'Arc didn't give her the chance to say more. Instead, her Flag shone, and a barrier spread over every Master and Servant...
"There's no time to explain. Humanity is in danger. Please—you have to help us stop The Monster..."
Jeanne d'Arc's face was desperate. She could feel it: the more those black clouds spread, the more humanity's hope weakened. If those clouds covered the World, then everything would end. Even the Heroic Spirits were at a disadvantage—let alone ordinary humans.
"Hmph! I am as magnanimous as the sun itself—rejoice, Ruler. This King has answered your plea...."
Arms crossed, Ozymandias snorted coldly. As a human, he understood the threat of that Tower and those black clouds. As the Sun King, those clouds were a stain upon his splendor.
"Rider… you—"
"Besides, I can't allow anyone else to harm this King's people.... My pride won't allow it! Only I can do it!"
He stomped hard, and an enormous surge of magical power spread across the area with Ozymandias at its center. He already understood: The Monster's ability was wide-range and impossible to avoid through conventional means. So if he wanted to neutralize it, he would have to use his own "Territory."
"A mere Tower is unworthy of facing my Temple of the Sun!
Now you will suffer for daring to stand against this King!"
Ozymandias's magical power took shape, and a massive pyramid rose from the earth.
Ramesseum Tentyris was one of Ozymandias's Noble Phantasm—and his greatest trump card. It was almost like a Reality Marble, except inverted, dragging Egypt's glorious temples into reality...
That gigantic Noble Phantasm swallowed everyone inside it—Servants, and even the crystal Tower itself.
"Behold this King's majesty, and regret ever summoning me!"
As countless Egyptian temples linked together, the crystal Tower was sealed within Ozymandias's Domain. It weakened, losing ground little by little. The black clouds were forced to halt their spread, and the propagation of the Apocalypse Virus slowed. From the sand consuming the land, multiple guardian beasts rose.
Preparing to strike the crystal Tower, he was about to tear down this cursed ability.
"Haha, what a funny kid...."
Of course, Yuki wasn't affected in the slightest when Ozymandias dragged him into his Domain.
Even though the spread of the Apocalypse Virus had been stopped, Yuki didn't care.
He turned his hand, and a beautiful woman stepped out from the spiritual world, her radiance outshining even gold itself.
"Could you take care of him, Mayuri?"
Flapping her milky-white wings, Mayuri smiled at her beloved...
"If that is your wish, I will do it, my beloved."
She flew into the sky. The appearance of an Angel made even Ozymandias freeze, his breath catching in his throat. Everyone knew it was a terrible idea for an Angel to appear....
Especially when fame itself was part of a Hero's power.
"Th-That… that…"
"An Angel!!"
As a Saint, Jeanne d'Arc knew exactly how terrifying an Angel was in this Holy Grail War. Origami Tobiichi had been a pseudo-Angel and crushed the entire Black faction by herself...
And Mayuri's stats had left a psychological Shadow on Jeanne d'Arc.
Servant: Ruler
Particle: Kerk, Authority of God, Number 11.
Strength: C (???)
Endurance: C+ (???)
Agility: A (???)
Mana: EX (???)
Luck: ------
Noble Phantasm: EX(???)
Class Skills:
Independent Action: EX
Independent Manifestation: EX
Territory Creation: EX (???)
Throne: ???
Order: EX
Daughter of Light: A+++
Cherub: ???
Guardian: EX
Personal Skills:
Astral Armor: A++
Kerk System: ???
Final Requiem: ???
Noble Phantasm:
Kerubiel | Anti-Fortress / Anti-World | EX (EX)
Lahathelev | Anti-Planet / Anti-World | EX (EX)
Mayuri's sweetness, her charming smile, was so deceitful that no one had the presence of mind to appreciate the miracle before them...
"Kerubiel...."
She raised her hand. Her gentle voice echoed across the entire area, and a massive black sphere appeared in the sky, blending into the black clouds.
Skreeeeee....
Lightning converged into the black sphere. It swelled so huge it made Ozymandias's Temples look ridiculous.
But that was to be expected. Kerubiel was the largest Angel, because it was the materialization of the five Thrones.
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