At this moment, the world changed.
Centered on Novia’s raised hand – changes occurred.
A huge clock-like magic circle stretched out infinitely, covering the entire dark sky. It dominated and rewrote the laws of this world.
Everything in the world lost its color and turned black and white.
The wind stopped.
Time stopped.
Then, Novia carefully aimed at Beelzebub's body, making sure that he would not be unable to be resurrected with the help of the flies.
Swinging down the holy sword——
"Hey, hey, hey, could it be that you really felt sorry for me just now? Ahahaha, I was just kidding. My mother is Asherah, and Arte was just an accident. So you are still my elder. Don't take it too seriously. I have actually been the Lord of the Flies for a long time!"
This time, there is no need to release it completely, just this is enough -
Perhaps the dangerous incident that should have destroyed the entire Snowfield City was averted in this way.
188: Mount Olympus (4k)
Time goes back to the moment when Beelzebub was just born, in the basement of a factory in Xueyuan City.
"'Just let this planet scream in agony'... Is that what Francesca said to you?"
The Master of the Avenger Alcides narrowed his eyes and said this to the great hero who had lost his integrity because of the Command Seals he had used.
This person is Bazdilote Cotillion. As a magician, he is from a family that specializes in a rather twisted "control" system. Instead of controlling others, his magic focuses on "controlling" himself. He is also proficient in the Eastern spell system that is despised by the Clock Tower.
He was once suspected of being involved in the murder of several magicians and was regarded as a thorn in the side of the Clock Tower's administrative department. Later, he took advantage of an incident to become opposed to Sponheim Abbey, and during this process he was protected by the Squartio family.
At that time, the next abbot of Sponheim Abbey disappeared in the Far East, causing the monastery to be in chaos. Otherwise, even the Italian mafia family, Squartio, could not protect him... and the missing next abbot was Cornelius Aruba, who appeared in the Sky Realm and was a very ordinary passerby. He was eaten by the demon in the suitcase because he said "Red of Pain" to Aozaki Touko's head.
Since being taken in by the gang, he became a cadre. A few years ago, after the leader he followed was dealt with by the United States, he was determined to avenge him. There are more than 125 murder cases related to him.
This criminal who should have been imprisoned forever was eventually released because of a deal between Francesca and the US government, and became the Master of the Holy Grail War in Xueyuan City.
"Ah."
"The spy at the police station has been found. Given the police chief's personality, he must be on his way to find me... So, do you think you can still win?"
"I have no intention of becoming the winner of the Holy Grail War." Alcides said calmly, "But, Master, I need to use a little more magic power, okay?"
"How much."
Bazdilot looked at the transparent crystal masses piled up in the room like a mountain of gems.
This is the source of his magic that supports the Avengers, and it is also the magic that uses human lives as sacrifices.
There are more than hundreds of thousands of missing persons cases in the United States each year.
If you ask whether such an astonishing number of humans really disappeared in one year, the answer must be half true and half false.
Even though the figure of hundreds of thousands each year has been reported in Japan with sensational headlines in the past, in reality most of these people are found on the same day or even within a few days. The number of people who have actually been missing for more than a year - in other words, the number of people who have truly disappeared without a trace - is actually less than 10%, or about tens of thousands each year.
Tens of thousands of people is a number that cannot be ignored. Even if this is taken into account, the number has been abnormal since several years before the start of the Snowfield Holy Grail War. In a sense, it is a very slow change.
Most of them were used as sacrifices for magic.
“Use as much as you have.”
After giving a prompt reply, Alcides added:
"After it's done... there's no need to provide any more magic."
If the soul could grow more resilient, the results might be different.
I wonder if the Holy Grail... can solidify the soul into matter?
...No, the Holy Grail here can't do that.
There is no essence of the 'third' in the container of Xueyuan City.
What about the real Holy Grail?
How about Fuyuki's Holy Grail?
The Holy Grail, the dregs and the carcasses, are they still on that land?
The Avengers still keep these questions in their hearts.
"Yeah."
Facing his Servant's words of abandonment, Bazdelot did not yell or refuse to provide mana, but remained expressionless as always. He slowly threw the words "once again" to the "person" with a voice that sounded like it came from the depths of hell.
"Before we part, I want to tell you that it's not the noble heroes who are the heroes, but the persistent ones."
"So-called extreme hatred is a curse, or even a mystery that survives in modern times and cannot be attributed to magecraft. In fact, it is not a mystery at all, but merely human emotion, so -"
“You don’t have to hide your sins or regrets. You can show your greed and will do anything to achieve your goals. Even if the final destination is a noble path, you can choose cruel means without hesitation. That is the persistence of being a human being.”
Speaking of which, Bazdilot is the contemporary 'Lionheart' recognized by Richard the Lionheart in the original FSF. The so-called Lionheart refers to the awareness of destroying oneself for a goal... and the current Alcides may also be the 'Lionheart' of Hercules in the past.
"Put on forever and ever the essence of man."
These words were spoken by Bazdilot to the noble hero Hercules of the Archer Order whom he summoned. At that time, he used the three Command Spells and the 'mud' he got from Francesca to forcibly twist the noble hero into a pathetic avenger.
Then, the man gently closed his eyes, as if letting his thoughts run through the life that was about to end.
"Go for your revenge, you deserve it, you persistent one."
The muttering would not reach anyone's ears, but would be lost in the sound of the walls being hit and shattered.
"I'm here to seek justice for my men, Bazdilote Cotillion. This time, you don't have to go to jail again. Instead, you will die here."
Orlando Revi, the chief of police of the Snowfield City Police Department, broke through the wall, picked up the Far Eastern sword in his hand, and said this to the gangsters.
"Orlando, I have long been prepared for death, but do you really think that you and your bunch of policemen can kill me? You are not even a magician? You only know a little bit about magic?"
Bazdilot looked at the sheriff who knew nothing about magic, and a rare sarcastic smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
He now has more than just his original magical power. Because of the Avengers, his body is also covered with red and black magic power from the "mud". With the support of countless human magic power, it can be said that he is now comparable to a weaker Servant.
"In the final analysis, there is no need to explain the reason. If you have to say it, maybe there is a little."
"Oh? What is it?"
“Because I’m a police officer.”
"...Hahaha, what a stupid fellow."
"Hey, stop talking nonsense, you gangster. Although I will laugh at my brother's death, I say, you can't laugh at a hero who risks his life for a stranger."
The playwright, with a bald head, suddenly popped out from behind the sheriff, opened his hands and sang in an exaggerated tone as if he were an actor on the stage.
"Why are you here? Didn't I use my card to let you spend money well in the next few days? This is my job. I have allowed you to rest."
"Ahem, don't interrupt me, brother... Let me reiterate, my brother is challenging death! This is a very hopeful sight! How can a guy like you who is covered in mud and rarely does anything pretty understand?
Because of this, everyone will understand once they see it.
If it is true, it is not surprising that people are heartbroken to watch someone who puts things on his shoulders that he does not need to carry die, but what would people call such a fool who keeps his feet and eyes looking forward?
People will say this, this man is so epic and survived a desperate situation——"
At some point, countless papers began to fly in front of Orlando and Bazdilot's eyes, and various writing tools such as metal pens emerged from the feather pens and began to write automatically.
"If it was just suicide, it would be much easier, because you would just say to the god of death: 'Please take care of me' and just say hello...but my brother is the opposite, he wants to overthrow death, and that is not his own death, but to... overthrow the death of a stranger."
As soon as Dumas finished speaking, the bundle of paper on which the story was recorded flew violently, and finally went towards the sword held by Orlando, as if it was stuck on it, and then disappeared as the light seeped in.
Needless to say, you can tell with the naked eye that this knife is of a much higher grade.
"After all, I'm just doing what I want to do. Brother, I'm extremely grateful—" Dumas showed a mischievous expression like a playboy, "Thank you for not using the Command Spell to restrain me who does whatever I want."
".....Next I might order suicide."
"That was an unexpected development. However, I shouldn't say this now. It's better to say it later." Dumas patted Orlando's shoulder. "Anyway, brother, the pheasant dish you made is the best I've ever tasted in my life. Go ahead. Just like in many stories, justice will never succumb to evil."
"Okay, I'll let you eat better food."
Orlando answered with a wry smile, then took a step forward.
As one of the masterminds behind the Snowfield Holy Grail War, and also a police officer in Snowfield City.
"What a meaningless performance.... Come to think of it, I used so many people's lives as magic, are you planning to hang me on the spot?"
"I will kill you on the spot, to avenge the deaths of those who died because of you."
.......
"Will you let me devour the Holy Grail?"
Somewhere, Alcides put down his bow for a moment, muttering to himself as he looked at the Holy Grail in front of him, which was entangled in the ominous magic of red and black.
"You want revenge, right? I have a suggestion for you. That is to swallow the Holy Grail. Then, both your wish and mine will come true, great hero. Before that, I will buy you some time.
After all, revenge that is justified without distorting the facts is seen as happiness in the eyes of others, and the curse is contagious. The more difficult the revenge is, the stronger its power will be.'
Alcides recalled what Francesca had said to him.
Originally, with his current personality, it was basically impossible for him to trust other people, but Francesca had Arte's human form in her, which was why the Avengers were willing to trust her.
In the past, before he was cursed by Hera, the Queen of Heaven, and Iris, the Goddess of the Rainbow, the Goddess of Madness had persuaded them not to punish Hercules.
According to Euripides's The Madness of Hercules:
Madness: You sent me to that man's house. I don't like wandering around and harming people. I wanted to advise Hera before I saw her make a mistake, and I also wanted to advise you. If you are willing to listen to me, I advise you not to think of causing him a great disaster.
Iris, the Rainbow Goddess: Stop trying to stop Hera and my plans!
Crazy: I want to advise you to change for the better, do better, and not be so bad.
Iris: Zeus' wife did not send you here to restrain yourself. Hera wanted to stain him with new blood and kill his children. She wanted to harden your heart and drive this man crazy, so that he would kill his own children, drive him to jump, and provoke him to hoist the sails of slaughter.
After he slaughtered those beautiful children with his own hands and sent them on their way to Charon, he realized how angry Hera was with him, and that I was against him; if he was not punished, the gods would be worthless, and mortals would think they were great.
Although Crazy failed to convince the two in the end, Alcides felt that Francesca, as an Arte humanoid, was a person he could trust a little... What's more, she hated this world as much as he did.
And, in the eyes of the Avengers, he was just doing what he was supposed to do.
Since the malice of the Olympians had taken everything from him—
Lovers and children.
Even if the soul could be materialized, time would not flow backwards.
That is the realm of another kind of magic, more distant than the third.
Alcides then took revenge.
"This is but a trifle in the face of the greater cause of revenge on the tyrants of Olympus, even though my life be sacrificed for it.
Then, with red and black magic oozing out of his body, Alcides turned toward the Holy Grail and expressed his hatred towards the Greek gods.
"After all, they didn't even offer souls as sacrifices... they just used the lives of their own people as firewood in their furnaces out of jealousy."
The moment he stretched out his hand and touched the Holy Grail, the roar of unknown thunder born from the Holy Grail disrupted the boundary between reality and fantasy.
Then, everything that appeared before the Avengers suddenly became so far away.
It was as if one was slightly tipsy after drinking, with a vague trance and absent-mindedness, and everything in front of one's eyes became light and strange, like a bubble, with a kind of illusory beauty emerging.
Illusion?
No, my mind is clear, my self-awareness is not shaken, there is nothing mentally abnormal, and reality is not distorted at all.
It's not a terrifying illusion, but just a purely natural change.
Only, the illusory sound of the tide in my ears was getting closer and closer.
The cry from the depths of the soul is calling for the Avenger.
That is--
Mount Olympus came to the Avenger Alcides after being specifically summoned by Novia.
