Chapter 236: The Unexpected Arrow of Love
"Our plan is very simple,"
Caren said in an extremely cold voice, while at the same time raising her bazooka.
"We use every method possible to restrain Goldie's actions. After that, I'll use Golden Wine as ammunition, load it into the bazooka, aim straight at Ibuki-Douji, and fire one powerful shot. As long as it hits, Ibuki-Douji, drunk on alcohol, will fall into a state of complete inebriation."
According to legend, Yamata-no-Orochi was plied with alcohol before having its heads cut off, so once Ibuki-Douji was drunk, she would be severely weakened.
"…I see."
Eikou nodded; this method was indeed feasible.
What needed to be done next was to find every way to create favorable conditions for Caren to act.
"Speaking of this, my Arrow of Love actually has a problem,"
Caren said casually.
"What problem?"
"What I shoot is Arrow of Love, Cupid's arrow that can increase romantic luck, causing young men and women to fall into love. If it's the god Ibuki-Douji, it probably won't work, but if I use Golden Wine to weaken her, then it's very possible that she'll become like a beast and go into a crazed state of heat... pardon my rudeness, she would become like a girl who harbors no resentment and no regret, completely falling into love..."
"Why are you deliberately telling me this,"
Eikou said with a guarded expression. "Whatever mess you make, clean it up yourself—don't even think about dragging me in to deal with the aftermath!"
"Ha ha."
What are you laughing about?
[The Spirit Origin of the God of Love, mixed with the Golden Wine of the King of Heroes, a full-power Arrow of Love—this is no joke.]
[A new round of combat quickly begins.]
[You proceed according to the plan, restraining the actions of the King of Heroes while seeking an opportunity to unleash a fatal blow against Ibuki-Douji.]
[Atalanta and Medea are responsible for support, Medusa and Cu Chulainn are tasked with pinning down the King of Heroes' movements, while Artoria points her Holy Lance at Ibuki-Douji, waiting for Caren to fire the most crucial shot.]
[Caren's Personal Skill is Item Construction at rank A, allowing her to easily manufacture rocket ammunition carrying Arrow of Love. Mixed with Golden Wine from Kid Gil, a special bullet designed to deal with Ibuki-Douji is thus brought into being.]
"Alright, next is the moment to snipe a god. I ask everyone to be sure to support my actions."
Caren raised the bazooka in her hands, lightly narrowing her alluring golden eyes, aiming straight at Ibuki-Douji standing opposite her.
"Oh? Looks like you're finally getting serious. Onee-san is very happy!"
Ibuki-Douji seemed not to have realized the severity of this attack at all, her expression extremely cheerful—or rather, she had already guessed what they intended to do, and therefore found it very interesting.
Possessing Sha Naqba Imuru, the King of Heroes had also seen through their intentions. Behind his tall figure, ripples of golden light surged into view—that was the sign of the Gate of Babylon manifesting.
"Hmph, the abilities of you mongrel aren't bad at all, but this king has no intention of letting you have your way so easily."
As his words fell, the Noble Phantasms behind the King of Heroes all appeared at once, as if he had casually summoned down an entire sky of golden dusk.
Countless Noble Phantasms were called forth by the Gate of Babylon. Sharp, icy light whistled through the air; blades and swords as dense as a magnificent meteor shower rained down like arrows, with a heaven-covering, earth-smothering force, with the awe-inspiring bearing of a king. The terrifying scale engulfed the entire field of vision,轰然 blasting straight toward Caren.
But before this simultaneous volley could reach Caren, it was directly intercepted by another barrage of Noble Phantasms, no less astonishing.
Swords shattered, sparks flew, fragments scattered everywhere—the clash of steel, the shrieks as Noble Phantasms were snapped apart—everything collided violently in a manner that was both overwhelming and extravagantly spectacular.
That was Kid Gil's Gate of Babylon!
Immediately after, one figure calmly broke through that dense meteor shower.
In an instant, fierce winds howled, long hair fluttered wildly. A figure with long purple hair slipped through the storm of simultaneous Noble Phantasms with a body both graceful and agile. Her speed was so fast that it was nearly impossible to see clearly; the only thing the naked eye could catch was her afterimage.
It was Rider Medusa, the one with the highest mobility and the highest agility.
She calmly evaded amid the sky-filling collisions of Noble Phantasms, charging straight toward the King of Heroes at unbelievable speed.
Boom!
The flames from the collision of the two sides exploded at that very moment. Medusa, moving at high speed like an artillery shell, slammed straight into King Gilgamesh, yet the opponent did not budge in the slightest.
The King of Heroes still stood firmly in place, arms crossed before his chest like an unconcerned spectator. Instead, Medusa had to hastily retreat, solely because she had seen golden chains emerging from the Gate of Babylon.
On the King of Heroes' side as well, there were Chains of Heaven!
"Even if you're a mongrel, you do possess Divinity."
The King of Heroes looked indifferently at the Rider who had just barely dodged the chains and said.
"But your Divinity is far too low—it doesn't even enter this king's sight."
"Hehe, she's not the only one with Divinity, you know."
A rough male voice suddenly rang out from behind, blazing red shining like the fangs of a wild beast.
It was Cu Chulainn!
"Where did this filthy dog come from? Get lost for this king."
The King of Heroes frowned slightly. The Gate of Babylon appeared beside his hand, and a longsword-shaped Noble Phantasm was summoned into his grasp.
He tightened his grip on the hilt, turned, and collided head-on with Cu Chulainn's Crimson Spear. At the same time, Noble Phantasms continuously emerged from the Gate of Babylon, firing in rapid succession at close range, forcing Cu Chulainn to retreat.
Three Heroic Spirits working together barely managed to suppress Ruler Gilgamesh for a brief moment.
Eikou felt that this Goldie was more or less holding back. If he had taken out Ea from the very start, no one here would have survived.
At the same time, Caren had aimed her bazooka at the god Ibuki-Douji.
Beside that gigantic snake woman, rings of dazzling golden ripples appeared one after another. In an instant, Chains of Heaven shot out, tightly wrapping around Ibuki-Douji's arm at astonishing speed, forcing the god to remain fixed in place, unable to move.
"Oh~ there's even a move like this?"
Ibuki-Douji raised her eyebrows with great interest.
"This is bad, onee-san has fallen right into a trap~ in that case, all I can do is let you kids do whatever you want~☆"
She showed no sign of panic whatsoever—was that the composure of a god?
And indeed, that was the truth… Due to the vast difference in Spirit Origin, with Kid Gil's abilities, it was unlikely he could restrain her for long. The powerful god Ibuki-Douji would soon break free, so she was in no hurry at all.
But just that little bit of time was enough to decide the outcome!
"Come on then, dear god, hurry up and sink into it~?"
As she spoke, Caren pulled the trigger of the bazooka.
However, at that very instant, golden chains suddenly appeared beside her, sealing off all her movements.
It was King Gilgamesh, suddenly launching Chains of Heaven at the last moment!
As a result, the aim of the Arrow of Love was knocked off course.
Boom!
The shell mixed with Golden Wine exploded right in the middle of the arena.
Eikou's eyes widened.
That misfired shot was very far from Ibuki-Douji—this shot had completely missed her!
"Did we fail..."
Eikou fell into deep despair. The most crucial finishing blow had actually missed entirely!
Wait—what did that shot hit, exactly?
He looked toward the direction where the shell had exploded—that was precisely where the King of Heroes was engaged in fierce combat with the Hound of Ulster.
In that instant, King Gilgamesh and Cu Chulainn locked eyes, the scent of Golden Wine mixed with Arrow of Love seeping into their bodies with each breath.
The two stared blankly at each other, momentarily speechless.
In the air suddenly spread a sweet, gentle fragrance that intoxicated the senses and stirred the heart—the scent of love's intoxication.
Wait… the ones who fell in love are the two of you?!
"That, Master…"
Before Eikou could even mock that pair, Artoria—who had also smelled the Golden Wine—paused for a moment, then hurried over to Eikou's side.
Her face was flushed bright red. She looked like a young girl consumed by longing, her expression filled with unsatisfied desire, looking at Eikou as if she wanted to say something but was too embarrassed to speak.
Could it be… you too, Artoria?
...