Chapter 228: Investiture of the Gods!
The surprise attack made the golden-furred fox pause for a moment—but her face remained calm, as if completely unbothered.
"You really think an attack like that would work on me? Don't joke. I am a god, fundamentally different from low-grade Saint Graph familiars like you all!"
Immediately after, behind her appeared a blazing golden sun, radiating a blinding, dazzling light!
"I am Amaterasu!! The ruler of Takamagahara!!!"
That scorching radiance made the entire Digital Ocean begin to boil—everything caught in that light was incinerated to ashes!!!
"Don't dream of opposing a god, lowly familiar!!!"
Along with the majestic roar of the golden-furred fox, the stone mirrors around her began to crack, emitting blinding light along with blazing fire.
"Kraaah, kraaah————————!!!"
At the same time, a flock of massive three-legged black crows suddenly burst forth from within the flames!
Each wore a blood-red Yata magatama necklace around their necks, like messengers from hell!
——Yatagarasu.
The Divine Messenger of Amaterasu, at this very moment, wildly flapped its wings and dove straight toward Meltryllis, who was charging in to attack!!
"Then bear witness to divine punishment!!!"
The golden-furred fox looked with disdain toward Meltryllis as she prepared to attack.
The intense flames relentlessly scorched Meltryllis's body; in just a few short seconds, that silver comet seemed to have caught fire.
Becoming a blazing red comet!!!
"With temperatures like this, before she even gets close to the enemy, her Saint Graph will completely melt away!"
Da Vinci's worried voice came through the communicator on the wristband.
"Jiang Ziya!!!"
Ethan immediately looked up and shouted to the sky.
"Can you stop the enemy's attack?!"
"I'm not really good at saving people..."
Jiang Ziya, riding atop Sibuxiang, showed a troubled expression.
"Or rather, with an attack of this level, it's difficult for me alone to intervene, but..."
The God-Striking Whip in his hand began to spread magical energy continuously.
"As long as the opponent is that Daji, then I absolutely will not forgive her!!!"
...
"Ugh..."
Though engulfed in flames, Meltryllis did not slow down in the slightest.
She could clearly feel her body melting, her Saint Graph burning—but even so, she had to continue the attack.
Otherwise, MoonCell would disappear.
Ah… really…
Ever since BB deliberately threw her to the deepest layer of the Labyrinth, she understood — BB was using her to avoid something.
But it didn't matter, her mission was only to protect MoonCell.
Even if she faced BB, as long as she confirmed BB to be the final threat, she wouldn't hesitate to eliminate her.
Everything had developed far beyond her own expectations.
'Ah… why… do I have to fight someone this strong?'
In her haze, Meltryllis's gaze locked onto a boy far below in the distance.
Clearly, Lip and she were the same — both Alteregos created from AI fused with gods.
Why was Lip able to quickly find her own prince charming?
Could it be because of the difference in bust size?
Then again, if her trait were the same as Lip's—her chest, instead of her legs—would he like her?
'What the hell am I even thinking...'
As the AI of MoonCell, all of her actions were supposed to be guided by logic—yet human behavior was truly too unpredictable.
If only she could understand just a bit more...
The temperature of the flames kept rising. Before Meltryllis's legs could pierce the enemy's divine core, her body could no longer endure.
The Yatagarasu beside the golden-furred fox furiously launched its assault on Meltryllis.
"BOOM——————————!!!"
Suddenly, a golden beam struck the massive body of the golden-furred fox.
"Daji, have you forgotten me?! Your true lifelong enemy is me!!!"
"You filthy taoist!!!"
The golden-furred fox's eyes turned sharp and cold.
"You think just because you once defeated me through historical karma, you can recreate that here?!"
Under the golden-furred fox's command, the Yatagarasu all simultaneously flew toward Jiang Ziya, who hovered in midair!
Nearly melted, Meltryllis fell like a withered flower.
For some reason, at that moment, a smile of resignation appeared on Meltryllis's face.
Ah… I hope that next time, if I see him again… it won't be as enemies…
"It's not over yet! Don't give up just yet! Mash!!!"
"Understood, Senpai!"
Just a moment later, a silver shield unfolded to block the oncoming flames, while simultaneously catching Meltryllis's body.
However, by now, Meltryllis's entire body was completely damaged, with half her form torn and tattered.
She opened her eyes, only to meet Ethan's worried gaze.
"You are...?!"
"Don't move around."
Ethan didn't know if saying that would actually help her, but he still said it anyway.
"I… failed..."
Meltryllis tried to force a smile.
"BB will definitely laugh at me for this, that bitch... she's always been like that from beginning to end..."
"Hey, Ethan! What the hell happened here!!!"
Suddenly, a shout rang out from behind.
It was Tohsaka Rin!
"Seriously, how did everything end up like this in just the blink of an eye?! Weren't you fighting that weird nun lady? Why has it turned out like this!!"
Because the MoonCell's Labyrinth layer had collapsed, Tohsaka Rin, seeing the massive form of 'Tamamo-no-Mae' from outside, rushed over in a panic.
"That bitch wasn't she the Servant who had a contract with you? Why the hell has she turned into the Final Boss now?! This isn't funny at all!!!"
"Rin, that line of yours really sounded like something a third-rate comedian would say. Who knew you had such talent? Next time I perform on stage, how about you do the opening act to warm up the crowd?"
Elizabeth, standing next to Tohsaka Rin, nodded in satisfaction.
"Which part of that sounded like a joke, damn it!!!"
Tohsaka Rin looked at Meltryllis's devastated body.
"Even an Advanced AL ended up like this… that thing must be an existence we have no way of dealing with!"
"No, not necessarily."
Ethan looked up toward the sky.
"Daji!!!"
Along with his loud shout, within the collapsing Digital Ocean, a figure suddenly appeared!
A black-haired taoist raised high the God-Striking Whip in his hand.
"Even if only part of you now belongs to Daji, expelling you is still my destiny!!! Forty-eight seals, fully released!!!"
Immediately after, as the seals of the God-Striking Whip were unleashed, a clear transformation appeared on his body.
His Taoist robe instantly changed into celestial garb, and the God-Striking Whip in his hand emitted a divine light.
His mount, Sibuxiang, finally revealed its true form.
The head of a qilin, a body like a dragon, and feet stepping on cloud walls ascending the ninth heaven.
Clad in radiant robes, Jiang Ziya finally opened his eyes!
"The time has come — Thought Keys, activate!!!"
A tremendous magical energy exploded out violently!
Immediately after, a red sigil appeared in midair before him!
"————The Kunlun Mountains belong to Yuanshi Tianzun. Invested in the fish-tailed golden crown and the crane robes, unite the Heavens and the Earth as one!!"
"————An immortal aura, godly and pure! Divine Xian of paradise, descend now before us!!"
As Jiang Ziya chanted the incantations, the red sigil gradually expanded, forming a complete magic formation.
"Don't think you can use that power!!!"
The golden-furred fox roared furiously, her massive hands slamming straight toward Jiang Ziya in the sky!
Sibuxiang let out a clear whinny, skillfully dodging the enemy's incoming attacks.
"This is our domain. You are not allowed to rampage as you please!!!"
Suddenly, beside the golden-furred fox's hand appeared a twisted black void, blocking her from continuing her assault!!!
"——————?!"
Lip charged up from below, using both her hands to continuously erase the golden-furred fox's space of movement—everything was being compressed by her!
"Yaa aaaaaa————————!!!"
The Yatagarasu flapped their wings, unleashing flames to strike down at Lip from above!
"This isn't your damn stage, laaaaaaaaaa——————!!!"
A massive sonic wave surged upward, sweeping away the incoming Yatagarasu!
Elizabeth, standing beside Lip, drew her spear.
"You're… a Lancer?!"
Lip looked in shock at Elizabeth, who had rushed in to assist.
"Even though we used to be enemies, we'll soon be friends. That's just how magical a girl's life is, right?"
Elizabeth struck a cute pose.
"Though I'm not exactly thrilled about giving up the main spotlight, it looks like today, the center of attention belongs to that handsome guy up there."
High above the skies of the Digital Ocean, Jiang Ziya continued chanting without pause.
"————In my hands lie the peerless treasured blades!""————Encompassing geography and astronomy alike, the eight trigrams lie within me!""————With them, I am on equal footing with a Divine Xian!!"
As his Noble Phantasm deployed, the red formation continuously expanded, growing large enough to confront the massive form of the golden-furred fox.
"Damn it, that filthy taoist dares to use Xian Arts! The Daji part inside me is beginning to destabilize!!!"
"————Here in this world, I am the embodiment of Yuxu!""————Here in this world, I am the enactor of Fengshen!""————I swear here and now, under the mandate of the heavens, I shall defeat this god and usher in a holy dynasty!"
Sensing true danger at last, the golden-furred fox began commanding the Yatagarasu to fly toward Jiang Ziya, attempting to break through his NP.
However, now that Sibuxiang had been fully unleashed, it had become a Quasi-Dragon, capable of rivaling even the most powerful Phantasmal Species.
With just a gust of wind blown from its forward-curving horns, it shredded the flock of Yatagarasu, incinerating them into fiery embers that plummeted straight to the ground!
"————Prepare to be sealed away forever, shadow of the millennium fox spirit!""————In the name of the mother goddess Nüwa of the Three Sovereigns.""————Know the virtuous fruits of Taoism are not in this world, fox!!"
Finally, as the NP reached its climax, the red formation completely engulfed the golden-furred fox.
"Hahahaha————————!!!"
Trapped inside, the golden-furred fox let out a wild, arrogant laugh.
"So what if you've managed to get this far? I'm a god! Not even within MoonCell can I be imprisoned!!!"
"Crack, crack!!!"
With a sharp, grating sound, cracks began forming across the red formation—something thought to be impervious?!
Doctor Romani and the entire Chaldea technician team stared tensely at the unfolding events on their monitors.
"Is it because her Saint Graph is too complex? Or because she possesses a divine-level Saint Graph…"
Da Vinci continued rapidly analyzing the data, desperately trying to identify a plausible cause.
But soon, she came to a conclusion.
"No… it's utterly hopeless… If even a formation built from Xian Arts can't seal her, then it's all over… To truly seal her, we'd need magical energy even greater than hers — and that level simply isn't achievable…"
No Saint Graph surpasses a Beast...
Ethan and Mash gritted their teeth as they looked up at the upheaval in the sky.
It looked like the golden-furred fox was about to break the seal and escape!!!
Could it be… even summoning Jiang Ziya wouldn't be enough…?
Ethan clenched his fists tightly.
"No, we still have a chance."
A familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind.
A white-haired girl stepped forward with a smile, holding a magic staff in her hand.
"Lady Avalon!"
"Merlin?!"
Ethan and Mash immediately called out in response.
"Long time no see, everyone doing well?!"
She still wore that same bright smile as always, carrying a little Fou whose eyes were spinning wildly.
"So pitiful… The Cath Palug of this world got beat up this badly, huh?"
"Why are you only showing up now?! Where were you slacking off before?!"Ethan immediately raised his voice at her.
"Master-kun, it's not polite to pry too deep. Girls have a lot of secrets, you know!"
Merlin struck a cute pose, deliberately acting playful.
"Besides, shouldn't we focus on solving the issue at hand first?"
"Fine then… What are you planning to do?"
Ethan pressed her for a solution.
Merlin looked up toward the sky, where Jiang Ziya was still facing off against the golden-furred fox.
"It's true that surpassing the magical energy of Beast V is practically impossible… but if we can fuse the entirety of the power from the Far Side of the Moon, then it's doable."
"All of it… the power?!"
"Of course. Though performing that won't be possible through normal methods, I'll buy you all some time."
Merlin waved her staff, and immediately pink flower petals began spreading all around.
Even the incoming fireballs instantly turned into petals, gently falling to the ground.
"I can only maintain this for a short while, so I'll leave the rest to the others."
Merlin then turned back to look behind her.
"Right, MoonCell administrators? Don't waste these precious few minutes I'm giving you~~~"