The White War God's aura was awe-inspiring. The sheer pressure of a deity instantly sent Kayneth's mind into a blank state. The dimensional gap between their levels of existence was something that not even a mage could withstand. Just hearing her voice, without even seeing her eyes, was enough to be suffocating.
"Unable to bear the sins you have committed... It is I who was impudent."
Lancer also recognized the connection between the two knights' spiritual ranks, so he said no more, instead taking a step back to stand in front of his Master. He knew the god before him held no ill will, but the gap between god and man was just that vast. Her mere presence was enough to make a mage like Kayneth lose himself.
"It matters not," the female War God shook her head, offering no further explanation.
Just then, the girl who looked to be eleven or twelve, treading on dragon-serpents, finally arrived late.
"Uncle is such a cheat! You didn't even wait for Guinevere!" the Progenitor young lady pouted, extremely dissatisfied.
Putting aside the power difference between her and a Heretic God, Lancelot was an agile War God who possessed divine speed even among the Divine Spirit race. Her power was simply not enough to compete with the War God. In a single encounter, this world's Berserker Lancelot had been completely obliterated, and Guinevere hadn't even managed to get an assist.
"My apologies, my beloved son. I was a bit overexcited," the White War God said with a hearty laugh. "However, it is your own shortcoming that you cannot keep up with my speed. The Master has no objections, so your opinion naturally does not count, my beloved son."
Hearing her voice, the dizzy-headed Kayneth finally realized something was amiss.
This War God who had descended upon the modern world was actually female?
And what did she just say? Master?
What kind of existence was qualified to be the master of a god?
Before the shocking thought could fully form in his mind, the White War God looked at the Spiritual Core fragment in her palm. The fragment contained several skills that she, as a Heretic God, did not possess, such as Servant skills like "Knight of Owner."
"A bit interesting, but..." the White War God looked somewhat disdainful, unwilling to accept this power.
"Take it," Su Mo, who had just arrived, said. "It is the power of the same legacy; it will be useful to you. There is no need to be bound by your momentary likes and dislikes."
"Yes!"
Lancelot was receptive to good advice and accepted it. Under the spiritual foundation of a god, what were originally just Servant-level skills could now display even greater power, perhaps even reaching the level of a divine Authority.
Noticing the female War God's incredibly respectful attitude, Kayneth's eyes widened. No matter how arrogant he usually was, in the presence of a true god, he couldn't muster any temper. Under Lancelot's divine might, even with Lancer's protection, he could only kneel on the ground with his head bowed, just to avoid being crushed by the divine pressure.
"Lancer..."
Just as he was about to use telepathy to ask his Servant about the origin of this being who could make a god bow their head, he noticed something was wrong with the Servant beside him.
Lancer, clad in golden armor, was looking at the black-haired, black-eyed man with an incredibly excited expression. He hadn't been this agitated even when facing the female War God, yet now he looked as if he had seen his own parents.
It wasn't just Kayneth; Gilgamesh also noticed Lancer's unusual state.
A belligerent smile touched his lips, and he proactively took a step forward.
"Hero of Charity, I did not expect that in this Holy Grail War, there would be an existence who could compete on the same stage as me."
"Draw your spear! I made a promise earlier to offer victory to His Majesty Su Mo!"
Lancelot had been dealt with on the spot. Gilgamesh felt it was time for him to secure a kill and make a good impression in front of Su Mo.
"Huh?"
Hearing the other party reveal his Servant's True Name in one go, Kayneth's gaze finally shifted from Su Mo to Gilgamesh behind him. He also saw Artoria, Ishtar, Tohsaka Tokiomi, and Rin Tohsaka behind him.
Putting aside the two humans, he could feel an unparalleled, god-level aura from the three figures in the back.
Kayneth instantly went numb.
He had summoned a top-tier demigod and thought he had victory in the bag, that he could clear the entire Holy Grail War in one night. But who knew that so many pure-blooded gods would appear all at once?
Was this really a Holy Grail War, and not a war of the gods?
"Lancer! We're retreating!" Kayneth made a decisive call, deciding to flee. There were countless powerful enemies before them, and his own Servant's True Name had been exposed. This lineup was impossible to fight. His real body was here, so teleportation was useless, but if he used Lancer's armor, combined with the power of a Command Spell, perhaps he could escape.
Just as he was thinking this, something happened that took both him and Gilgamesh by surprise.
Without answering either Kayneth or Gilgamesh, the Lancer before them, upon seeing Su Mo and confirming his radiant presence, dropped to his knees with a thud, his attitude humble and respectful.
"Karna, son of Surya, pays his respects to Teacher! Pays his respects to the Great God Vishnu!"
He had directly revealed his own True Name.
The problem was his attitude and his form of address!
"Karna's teacher?"
Gilgamesh was slightly taken aback, then a look of understanding dawned on him.
"The sixth avatar, Parashurama..."
Parashurama was the protector of the Brahmins. His martial arts were extraordinary, and he was the teacher of many heroes in Hindu mythology. He also had another identity: the sixth of Vishnu's ten avatars.
"The Trimurti god, Vishnu?"
Kayneth was stunned, then went completely catatonic. To be called "Master" by a god... he had initially thought Su Mo was some chief god of a mythology and Lancelot was a subordinate god. Now, it seemed his imagination fell far short of reality.
This being before him was one of the supreme Trimurti of Hindu mythology? This was a primordial creator god-level existence!
He immediately bowed his head in trepidation, prostrating himself on the ground. As the head of the Department of Spiritual Evocation, he was well aware of the power of the ancient gods. If a Trimurti-level being were to get angry, the entire country might not be safe. In the Nasuverse, all gods were beings who could communicate with the Root!
Looking at the golden Lancer kneeling piously before him, Su Mo nodded slightly.
"This time, I'm mistaken for Vishnu. At least it's not that useless god, Indra."
If he had been mistaken for Indra, he would probably have owed the other party a favor. In the myths, what Indra did to the little sun, Karna, for the sake of his own son could hardly be called kind.
"Rise. Your respect has been received. However, in this Holy Grail War, we are on opposing sides."
Su Mo spoke casually, but his words made Kayneth tremble.
"Surrender or die. You may choose as you wish."
"Thank you for your grace, Great God."
Karna had no objection to these words. As a member of the Trimurti, the fact that he was willing to give them a choice instead of attacking directly was already an act of grace.
"Master, what is your decision?" he asked Kayneth calmly, turning his head.
He had little desire for the Holy Grail and didn't care about the outcome of the battle. Showing respect to the Great God Vishnu was his duty as a son of a god, and obeying his Master's command was his duty as a Servant. Although he was certain he was no match for Vishnu, certain that choosing to fight would lead to defeat, if Kayneth would rather charge ahead anyway, he would not refuse. For some, the process was more important than the result.
However, it was clear that Kayneth was not this type of ascetic.
"I forfeit! I surrender!" he said, his voice trembling.
Was he joking? He had participated in the Holy Grail War to gild his reputation; he had no intention of dying if he didn't win. As a mage, facing a Trimurti-level being, surrender was the only option.
"Honorable Great God, my Master and I both wish to surrender."
Karna naturally had no objections to this.
"If you can protect my Master's safety, I will take my own life immediately."
Compared to the Sumerian Gilgamesh, the hierarchy of the Indo-European pantheon was clearly much stricter. Karna's attitude of submission was also more thorough.
"Granted," Su Mo nodded after glancing at Kayneth, and then gave an order. "Clean up the murderers in Fuyuki City, and you may withdraw safely. As a reward, a piece of advice... the greatest calamity for you and your family is your unfaithful fiancée. Of course, what you do is up to you."
With Kayneth's simpering nature, even without Diarmuid, he would have fallen at the hands of that vain, arrogant, foolish, and unfaithful woman sooner or later.
"...Yes!"
Hearing this, Kayneth's eyes widened instantly.
For a mage, infidelity wasn't a huge problem. At most, it was a blow to a man's pride. If you were enough of a simp, you could still accept it. But when it came to the survival of the family, that was a different matter. Personal happiness and the survival of the family line were not even worthy of being weighed on the same scale.
"I understand! Thank you for your gift, Great God!"
He naturally had no doubt about the prophecy of a Trimurti god. At this moment, his mind was made up.
"I will now heed the Great God's decree and go to cleanse the filth of Fuyuki City!"
Although he didn't know why Su Mo wanted him to clean up the murderers, he just had to do it. As a mage, this was a small matter for him.
Watching Kayneth cancel his Servant contract and Karna kneel in submission, Gilgamesh sighed in disappointment.
"Besides Assassin, there's only one Servant left... With His Majesty Su Mo here, is this Holy Grail War even going to happen?"
At this rate, he wouldn't even have a chance to curry favor.