"They're self-destructing!"
Artoria, Gilgamesh, and the others watching from afar were left speechless by the shocking scene.
Even in the Age of Gods, such a war spectacle was remarkable.
"Rider..."
Waver, who had briefly felt reassured, grew anxious again.
In his view, Iskandar was already formidable.
But he hadn't expected Damien's forces to not only match but suppress Iskandar's Ionioi Hetairoi.
The numerical gap of tens of thousands showed no effect.
There was no helping it... Damien's troops were simply too powerful!
"Lancer?"
Sola-Ui clung nervously to Diarmuid's arm.
He could only reassure her helplessly, "I'll protect you."
Though he said this, Diarmuid knew well.
If he faced this meat-grinder battlefield, he would be torn apart instantly.
"Mm."
But a woman in love lacked clear judgment.
If Lancer said he'd protect her, what more could she want?
As long as Lancer was by her side, Sola-Ui would face even death with a smile.
"Sigh..."
Diarmuid, far from foolish like Sola-Ui, knew he had no chance in this Holy Grail War.
"So be it."
Diarmuid sighed, turning his gaze to the equally stunned Artoria.
To have come this far and served his lord loyally, Diarmuid had no regrets.
Once this war ended, he would challenge Saber.
Crunch!
"Aaah, what's happening now?"
Waver stumbled, noticing the once-impenetrable formation suddenly thrown into chaos.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The shield wall could guard against frontal and overhead attacks but not from below.
The earth churned as a group of wolf-eared girls, adorned with flower crowns and green leaves like druids, rode giant wolves to reinforce the fray.
Their mana flowed beneath the ground, seeking weaknesses, then erupted in a devastating explosion at the rear of the enemy legion.
"Ah!!"
Some Heroic Spirit warriors were flung into the air.
Before they could land, vines and roots ensnared their limbs.
Swish~~~
In an instant, many warriors were decapitated, their bodies dissolving into golden particles in midair.
Different Star Wolvess favored different forms.
The fire-aligned wolves, led by Honooga, charged as fiery wolves or werewolves.
As for the grass-aligned wolves...
The female wolves didn't take beastly forms but appeared as priestesses, led by Mega.
Slash, slash, slash!
A bare-chested youth wielded a Roman sword, cutting through massive vines.
His gaze met the wolf-eared girl standing atop a giant wolf, distinct from the others.
"My opponent is a woman?"
Seleucus, the "Victor." founder of the Seleucid Empire, had once led a thousand soldiers gifted by Ptolemy, the "Savior." To reclaim Babylon.
Following Alexander's example, he campaigned eastward, expanding his territory, becoming the last of Alexander's Successors.
"I've been targeted, have I?"
Mega's gaze sharpened as she stood atop growing vines, looking down at Seleucus.
"Come, show me your strength!"
The girl raised her hands, a glowing green energy sphere forming, growing to several meters in moments.
But she didn't hurl it as Seleucus expected.
Instead, countless green motes swept toward the enemy like a storm, only to be expertly blocked by their shields.
Those that landed on the warriors' armor failed to pierce their defenses.
"What's this?"
Seleucus paused, confused by Mega's actions, a faint unease stirring within him.
"No rush, you'll understand soon."
Mega smirked playfully, as if anticipating what was to come.
"What's this?"
"Damn it, they won't come off?"
Indeed, the blocked green motes weren't energy blasts but parasitic seeds crafted by Mega's mana.
"Damn!"
As many soldiers were bound by strange vines, Seleucus saw invisible mana flowing toward Mega, who channeled it to her grass-aligned kin.
"A different ability from the fire wolves?"
If Honooga's fire wolves broke formations with brute force, Mega's grass-aligned wolves had the most terrifying endurance among the Eighteen Star Wolvess.
Absorbing the enemy's mana, they restored themselves.
Injuries, stamina... everything was endlessly replenished.
You want a war of attrition?
Fine!
The grass-aligned wolves could fight all day!
"This needs to end quickly!"
Seleucus suddenly accelerated, rushing to Mega, forcing her into close combat.
"Bring it on!"
Mega remained unfazed.
No Star Wolves member was weak in close combat.
The girl summoned vine-woven weapons from the air while commanding roots from the earth, turning them into tendrils that lashed at the legion and ground.
Wherever they passed, grass bloomed, and green fluorescence drifted to her allies, healing their wounds.
"This is the power of the Demon King?"
On the battlefield, Iskandar was undaunted by the scene.
On the contrary, the sight of Damien's wolves filled him with exhilaration.
"We can't just take hits... javelin throwers, prepare!"
"Ha!!!"
At Iskandar's command, tens of thousands of javelins soared into the air.
Thrown by Heroic Spirits, their power rivaled C-rank Noble Phantasms, if not surpassing them.
At this moment, Damien's goblin legion was still some distance from Iskandar's main force.
"You won't succeed!"
Led by Iwaga, the rock-aligned wolves weren't suited for offense.
Their massive, less agile forms stayed back, protecting the main goblin and kijin legion.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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