As Morgan spoke, she gracefully raised her hand, ethereally dragging the impact zones of the two Noble Phantasms.
Dark blue chains flew out from all directions, wrapping around the bronze giant's body, which was trying to stand up again for what seemed like the umpteenth time. Suddenly, her brows furrowed tightly, and the bronze giant, bound by chains, was lifted up and off the ground.
Then, like a catapult, the stone was thrown out by Morgan with all his might using magic.
The bronze giant jetted propulsion in the air, barely managing to adjust its posture, but still couldn't return to a safe area. Upon contact with the impact zone of the Noble Phantasm, it lost half of its body and crashed to the ground.
"The impact zone is... shrinking?" Scáthach was stunned, pressed her palm to her heart, and whispered the answer.
The clash between the two Noble Phantasms gradually came to a conclusion, with Shiomi's Noble Phantasm ultimately surpassing Demeter's.
The power of "Enuma Elish," the poem of creation, is slowly devouring... no, it is covering the power of Demeter's Noble Phantasm.
Time passed second by second, and Morgan and Scáthach were too lazy to calculate how long the process actually lasted.
Right now, it's the men they love who are fighting, and not missing a single detail is the most important thing right now.
Finally, the power unleashed by Shiomi's Noble Phantasm enveloped Demeter's Noble Phantasm and her true form entirely.
As the process was completed, the magic instantly contracted as if nothing had happened.
But it was only for a moment.
Just half a second later, the shrinking magic spread again, leveling the western region of the interstellar city like a nuclear explosion.
A sandstorm swept through the ruins, forcing Morgan and Scáthach to raise their arms to shield themselves from the sand.
The explosion eventually ran out of power before it reached their area.
The wind subsided, and the sandstorm died down.
Brushing the dust off his clothes, Morgan slowly walked forward, following the reaction of the magic, towards the direction where Shio was.
Scáthach was not far behind, and the two quickly traversed the desolate ruins where they couldn't tell which way was which. After bypassing a few broken walls, they finally saw Shiomi at the bottom of a large pit.
He was kneeling in the center of the pit, with the fertile goddess lying in his arms.
"Ah... I knew my judgment was right..." Demeter raised his hand in a daze, trying to touch Shio's face.
tide Jian grasped her hand: "Have you finally regained your senses, Demeter?"
“I’m sorry to have troubled you… I wanted to say that. But it seems unnecessary now…” Demeter’s voice grew weaker and weaker, “You, the only golden ear of rice in the world, will never bend no matter what you go through…”
Her eyes gradually lost their luster, and she could no longer see what was in front of her.
Even with the complete release of her Noble Phantasm, her power ultimately couldn't overcome this person. Her divine core was also completely shattered in the impact of the Noble Phantasm, and the demise of the Goddess of Plenty was only a matter of time.
"Mm." That was the only response tide Jian could give to her expectations and wishes.
“It’s wonderful that, at the very end… after making so many mistakes, I’ve met a child like you.” Demeter smiled, like a mother.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't stop...stop Zeus from using you," Shiomi said softly.
“It’s enough that you’re preventing me from making any more mistakes…” Demeter picked up the scythe and handed it to him. “The rest… I entrust to you…”
As Shiomi took the scythe, Demeter lost her last bit of strength, and her arm fell limply to the ground.
With a serene smile, the goddess of fertility vanished from his embrace, leaving only the scythe, a symbol of abundance, to prove her existence.
“My husband…” “My beloved disciple…”
Morgan and Scáthach approached and asked.
"I'm fine..."
tide Jian answered in a low voice, then her legs went weak and she was hugged by them from both sides.
"It's just that the consumption is a bit high. Let's hide for now before the pursuers arrive."
Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Operation on the Other Side
The battle in the western region of the interstellar city is not limited to that area.
The clash between Demeter and Shiomi's Noble Phantasms unsurprisingly impacted the entire interstellar city.
Along other roads, the attention of the interstellar city was drawn to Shiomi and her group.
Artoria, leading a special investigation team, carefully passed through the southern part of the interstellar city from the edge of the region, and was discussing their next move.
The massive floating island containing the entire interstellar city shook violently.
"What's going on...an earthquake?"
Sakura lost her balance and fell to the ground. She instinctively activated her defensive barrier to prepare for the collapse or falling rocks that would follow the earthquake.
“No, that’s not right.” Artoria looked seriously toward the western part of the interstellar city. She closed her eyes and sensed the source of the powerful magical fluctuations. “This power… is Tianxi’s treasure, ‘The Poem of Creation of Heaven and Earth’.”
“Dad?” Sakura grasped Gray’s outstretched hand and got up from the ground.
Bagst couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat: "...Does Lord Tianxi intend to use that treasure to knock this interstellar city from the sky into the sea?"
“The teacher probably didn’t mean that. If everything is as expected, he should be fighting against some goddess right now, right?” Grey guessed.
"Demeter, or Aphrodite?" Bagst had no answer for a moment.
Artoria shook her head as well: "I can't say for sure either, but our priority right now is to find the advance team while Olympus is completely focused on Tianxi and the others—"
She checked on Sakura's condition and was preparing to continue with them when Bagst suddenly drew his sword:
"Who goes there!"
Bagst's voice was full of vigilance and authority, startling the boy and girl who were approaching the alley.
The two people were dressed exactly like the residents of the interstellar city, so they were undoubtedly residents of this place as well.
"...You don't seem to be from Olympus...Aren't you from Chaldea?" The boy was equally wary.
The earlier broadcast resounded throughout the interstellar city, and Artoria and the others heard it as well.
"Did they hear Zeus's oracle and intend to fulfill their duty as children of the gods by hunting us down?"
Artoria stood at the front, blocking Sakura and Gray, her invisible holy sword held in her hand.
She could sense that the boy and girl possessed magical power comparable to that of Servants, just like all the citizens of the interstellar city.
Undoubtedly a high-caliber human, fulfilling the warning Demeter had previously left for Shiomi.
Even if there are only two Servants, we cannot underestimate them.
“Wait a minute, if you’re from Chaldea, perhaps there’s some misunderstanding between us.” The girl stepped forward to explain the situation. “Makarios, don’t be so tense.”
“…That makes sense.” Makarios realized he had overreacted and slightly lowered his guard, though his expression remained serious.
"Not...the enemy?" Sakura asked, slightly puzzled.
The girl then introduced herself: "My name is Adele, and I am Macarios's older sister. We are members of the 'Alliance of the Destroyers.' We heard Zeus's oracle and received news that the Western Defense Force was fighting an unknown enemy... so we guessed that the Chaldeans had arrived here."
"Simply put, our comrades are the ones fighting against the interstellar city defense forces, and perhaps even against the gods." Artoria nodded. "So, what exactly is this 'God-Breaking Alliance' that you two mentioned?"
“If you’re from Atlantis, you should have heard that some of the Servants, with the sacrifice and help of many of their companions, infiltrated Olympus,” Adele said. “They formed the ‘Alliance of Godbreakers,’ and we joined their Olympian inhabitants.”
"You guys?" Artoria was slightly surprised.
She had assumed that the inhabitants of Olympus were all devout followers of Zeus, but she never expected to hear such unexpected news.
"Since you are a resident of Olympus, why would you assist the hostile 'God-Breaking Alliance'... no, why would you assist Pan-Human History?" Sakura asked the crucial question.
Adele gave an apologetic smile: "It's a bit complicated to explain. We shouldn't stay here any longer. If you don't mind, please come with us to the 'Alliance of Godbreakers' base."
"Since you're not engaged in combat, you're obviously a squad responsible for other operations, right?" Macarios pointed out the fact. "If you're planning to send an advance team to search for the Pan-Human History Servants..."
He stopped there, because the Chaldeans could understand what he meant.
"What should we do?" Gray asked Artoria.
Sakura whispered, "It could also be a trap."
"Stay alert. If it's a trap, find a way to fight your way out," Artoria replied in a low voice. "Anyway, we lack clues right now, let's follow them and see what happens."
Bagst nodded silently.
“Then please lead the way,” Artoria said.
The siblings nodded in unison and then turned to lead the way.
Along the way, they avoided the main roads and moved through the shadows between the tall buildings.
The streets were deserted of pedestrians; instead, large armies of soldiers and monsters were seen heading west towards the interstellar city.
"It seems like Dad and the others' operation went smoothly," Sakura whispered, guessing.
“It’s just putting all the pressure on the teachers and the rest of Olympus on their shoulders…” Gray said worriedly.
Artoria felt the same way, but she held back and didn't say anything. Instead, she comforted the girls, saying, "Trust Tianxi and the others."
As they whispered about the situation, they followed the brother and sister who called themselves the "God-Breaking Alliance" all the way to the underground area of Olympus.
The natural light was no longer sufficient, so artificial lighting was installed instead.
The four of them were on high alert.
The tremors on Olympus had long since stopped, and they didn't know whether the battle had reached a temporary stalemate or was already over.
Finally, they arrived at an area that resembled a factory, where a huge mechanical door blocked their way.
After Adele entered something into the device at the door, the door opened.
The two gestured for her to follow, with Artoria walking in front and the others following in turn.
But just as they stepped through the door, a sharp peak suddenly approached, which Artoria blocked with her sword, and the other three immediately went into battle alert.
"Who...are you?" A familiar but weak voice questioned, only to quickly turn to astonishment. "Father...King?"
"Saber?"
Sakura covered her mouth and gasped softly.
Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Base
Even before their raid on Olympus, Jason and his companions provided additional information after the Knights of the Round Table, who had answered Artoria's call, appeared in the world.
Among the vanguard were several Knights of the Round Table, the ones who had not answered the King of Knights' summons.
This includes Mordred.
“So you’re here too, Sakura…” Mordred sheathed his sword, supporting his arm with difficulty, and glanced at the brother and sister who had followed him in and closed the door.
“Mordred, you are in such a bad physical condition that you cannot get out of bed. If you are not careful, your Spirit Origin will completely collapse.” Adele frowned as she looked at Mordred, who was being supported by Sakura.
"Tsk... I felt I could get out of bed, so I came out to check," Mordred apologized awkwardly, "but it turned out—"
"Is it just you left, Mordred?" Artoria pursed her lips, reaching out to support Mordred's other arm, helping her along with Sakura. "The other Knights of the Round Table, and the other Pan-Human History Servants who entered Olympus with us..."
Upon entering the underground factory, Artoria sensed its emptiness; apart from Mordred, there were no other Servants present.
“…Yes.” Mordred was surprised that her father would treat her this way, but she couldn’t be happy and continued, “After we entered this place, we were surrounded and attacked by that bastard Zeus. If it weren’t for Adele and Macarios’ help…”
"No need to say anything more," Artoria stopped Mordred.
They helped Mordred back to the innermost room and laid her on the bed.
“Mordred’s condition is very bad right now,” Adele said. “Her spirit core is half destroyed, and she’s only barely holding on thanks to her ability to sustain herself in battle. She should have been unconscious all along…”
“I don’t know.” Mordred closed his eyes to rest. “…I suddenly felt a little more relaxed just now…”
"It must have been your intuition telling you that we were coming that you suddenly woke up," Sakura joked.
"..." Mordred didn't know how to answer for a moment, after all, his father was standing by the bed watching him.
She never imagined that her father would pay so much attention to her. She always felt that her father seemed to have changed a lot and was no longer ignoring her like he used to.
“But the spirit core was damaged by the goddess, and even Krionomia here cannot completely repair it; she can only ensure that Mordred will not disappear,” Macarios said.
Grey thought for a moment: "Maybe... the only way is to find a way to reunite with the teachers."
“Indeed, if it were Tianxi, they should be able to find a way.” Artoria reached out and placed her hand on Mordred’s forehead. “Lord Mordred, please stop talking and rest well. We will find a way to help you recover and return to the battlefield.”
Mordred suddenly felt like crying at this unexpected and long-awaited care. She had never been afraid of Olympus's desperate fighting power, nor was she afraid of her own death.
But right now, I really want to cry.
Damn it...
Mordred instinctively wanted to reject this sentimentality, but she couldn't.
She could only close her eyes and quietly return to a state of hibernation.
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