"Brat, do you also intend to make an enemy of me?"
Gilgamesh waved his hand, and a shield materialized beside him, blocking a strike from Okita Souji Alter.
His serpent-like, chilling eyes locked onto Roy with an aggressive intensity, brimming with unmistakable warning and threat.
If Roy truly chose to oppose him—
Then, even if he held a sliver of admiration for the boy, even if he hadn't yet obtained the answers he sought, he would show no mercy.
That was the unspoken message conveyed by his gaze.
"Roy, get out of here, now!"
Thanks to Okita Alter's support, Jeanne finally had a moment to catch her breath. She immediately shouted at Roy.
She was a Servant. Even if she died here, it wouldn't mean anything.
But Roy was a living person. If he died here, everything would be over—the people who cherished him, the things he cared about, and the wish he hadn't yet fully realized would all be cut short!
Jeanne's eyes suddenly flickered as she glanced down at herself.
The resentment coiled around her was rapidly dissipating. The blackened hue covering her body was fading away, and she was gradually reverting to her original form!
It's my Master…
Jeanne understood.
This blackened state of hers was the result of being twisted by the intense resentment of Uemon Ji.
Now that the resentment binding her was vanishing, and she was returning to her original self, it could only mean one thing—
Her Master, Uemon Ji… was dead.
"King of Heroes, I truly have no desire to oppose you."
Ignoring Jeanne's warning, Roy met Gilgamesh's icy gaze head-on.
"But when it comes to Lancer—when it comes to her, I will never back down!"
"Roy…"
Jeanne stared at him, her eyes reflecting emotions she hadn't anticipated—complex, turbulent, even dazed.
The softest part of her heart trembled as if touched by something profound, sending ripples through her chest, making her pulse race.
Seeing the resolve in his eyes—despite the hopelessness of the situation, despite his helplessness—Jeanne's expression grew complicated.
She had never experienced it before, but she wasn't a fool.
Witnessing this scene, seeing Roy's unwavering determination, she already understood.
She understood what Roy desired from her.
"Hoh! Not a bad expression."
Gilgamesh's eyes narrowed slightly.
The dangerous aura around him diminished—but only by a fraction.
"Brat named Roy… in you two, I catch a faint glimpse of old acquaintances. However—the crime of defying me cannot be forgiven. Thus, I shall grant you a chance!"
Gilgamesh snapped his fingers.
Snap!
In an instant, the sky above the ruins lit up, bright as day.
Roy looked up—and was stunned speechless.
Countless golden ripples interlaced and arranged themselves in the heavens, forming endless swirling portals that illuminated the world before them, as if they stood at the eye of a storm.
That number—
"A thousand? No… ten thousand?!"
Roy's voice trembled.
Damn it, this golden bastard—does he have to go this hard?!
Okita Alter, recognizing that she couldn't defeat Gilgamesh in a short time, immediately retreated to Roy's side, her stance tense.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! This is what it looks like when I get serious!"
Gilgamesh laughed heartily, thoroughly amused by their reactions.
"One volley. A single barrage shall be your punishment for defying me. This is already mercy. If you survive, I shall forgive your transgression this once. If you die here—then your worth was nothing more than this! Come, prepare yourselves for the banquet I've prepared! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
The moment his words fell—
HUM—!
The thousands of golden ripples in the sky resonated in unison.
A blinding golden radiance erupted, engulfing all of Fuyuki City. Countless people turned their attention toward the phenomenon, shaken by the overwhelming surge of power.
In that instant—
A rain of gold descended from the heavens.
Okita Alter gritted her teeth.
But against such a spectacle, even she was powerless.
No one could withstand this.
"Don't move!"
Then, Jeanne's voice rang out.
A transformed Jeanne stepped forward—no longer the vengeful spirit clawing her way from hell, but the Saint clad in silver armor over her indigo-blue nun's habit, galloping across the battlefield.
"O Lord, I beseech You—grant me the strength to protect those precious to me!"
"—Luminosité Eternelle!"
A sacred radiance, like the descent of angels, burst forth from the banner of fleur-de-lis in her hands.
The light expanded, forming a divine barrier of God's protection and blessing—a transparent shield spanning ten meters in radius, as though isolating them in another world, repelling all attacks from beyond.
BOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!
The golden rain crashed down upon the barrier, unleashing an unending cacophony of metallic collisions. The deafening impacts shook their eardrums, rattling their skulls as if their very brains were trembling.
The bombardment lasted an eternity—
For those within the barrier, every second stretched into an eternity.
"Hoh! To reclaim your former self at the final moment…"
Gilgamesh stood far away, observing the unyielding barrier under the endless hail of Noble Phantasms, a faint trace of admiration flashing across his face.
"Even fortune smiles upon you. All that remains is to be drawn into the vortex of conflict before walking that path. Hmph. To think a being with such potential would emerge in this backwater world… How amusing. HAHAHAHA!"
With a laugh brimming with delight, Gilgamesh turned and left.
He was a man of his word.
One volley as punishment—not a single strike more.
Ten years ago, the Greater Grail had succeeded in annihilating ninety percent of humanity.
This outcome had exceeded even his expectations. If Roy could deduce that the Counter Force might have gone silent, Gilgamesh naturally wouldn't fail to notice.
Thus, he had gotten slightly serious.
To be precise—he had used a fraction of his omniscient power.
Yet this world seemed to hide many secrets. Many things remained obscured, as if viewed through a dream. Even with his omniscience, he couldn't fully perceive the truth of this world—and that intrigued him.
Though much remained unclear, he hadn't come away empty-handed.
Namely—the homunculus boy called Roy.
He was likely the focal point of this world.
The chosen protagonist.
The Second Magician, that old man, often played such games.
However, Roy was different from other chosen protagonists.
This "protagonist" named Roy likely carried an immense mission—and an even greater secret.
"The malice born from humanity… will ultimately devour humanity itself…"
***
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