He was imprisoned in Nibelungen for a thousand years, only to find out upon his release that he was

It's like one person playing two roles, acting as the first and second player in the same game of chess. Basically, you can anticipate my moves, and I can anticipate yours and yours...

With rapid iteration of thought processes, the accumulated experience grows exponentially as the thinking speed increases!

As an observer, Francesca couldn't see these things in the short term; she could perceive other aspects more directly.

"That's... the primordial rune that Odin used before? It's incredible..."

The girl in the gothic dress murmured, a rare moment of admiration in her voice. Lu Ming had previously demonstrated his ability to inscribe primordial runes on weapons, and at the time, she had only thought Lu Ming was impressive but had no real understanding of his abilities.

But now, seeing Lu Ming and another "Odin" personality using the Primal Runes with increasing skill during battle, she realized that Lu Ming would probably master all of the Primal Runes sooner or later.

At that moment, she thought of someone.

Grand Magician, Genius Puppeteer, Aozaki Touko.

That person reconstructed most of the lost runes and even deciphered several primordial runes that had disappeared in the Age of Gods.

Francesca and Aozaki Touko had interacted—but not in a positive sense.

Out of a wicked sense of humor, she called out Aozaki Touko's most hated title, "Red of Pain," resulting in a long chase and the loss of one of her own bodies.

'Oh dear, what would happen if Miss Scarlet of Pain knew that there was an opportunity to learn the complete set of runes here?'

"What? You want to learn?" Lu Ming had already noticed the girl in the gothic dress and stopped to speak.

"Hmm...? That's right, that's it! Master Lu Ming, I want to learn Rune!" The girl in the gothic dress was overjoyed and rushed towards Lu Ming without saying a word.

"Okay, I'll teach you!"

Francesca is his right-hand woman, a key figure in his life! She is also the key to the formation of this brain neural alchemy circuit. Lu Ming is not one to be indiscriminate in his rewards and punishments, so how could he not value her needs?

"Yay!" Francesca hugged Lu Ming's arm and shook it, cheering.

When you learn that the precious inheritor of the divine runes is on my side, Miss Crimson of Pain, how will you react?

Hehehehe, I can't wait! I really want to see your jealous but helpless expression!

……

The next day, outside the snowfield city.

Where the lush, towering forest meets the desolate, rocky cliffs, several large, black-painted pieces of equipment stand and hum, while figures dart about, concealed within a barrier that obscures the view.

After giving repeated instructions and instructing his assistant Adela to take charge of the situation, Fadius went to a corner and took out a small magical communication device.

[…Fadius! What's the whereabouts of the Lesser Grail? The Holy Grail War cannot afford another slip-up like this. Our patience is limited, understand?]

On the other end of the communication was a deep, authoritative male voice, from a senior executive at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

“Understood…” Fadius replied in a low voice, “Things are progressing well, and I am doing my best to expand the search. However, my lords, regarding the matter of withstanding the pressure from the Clock Tower…”

【…】

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then he said, "Be prepared. Quite a few people are coming to the Clock Tower. I've heard some rumors that a troublesome figure, one of the more unexpected ones, has also arrived."

"Who?"

【Aozaki Touko.】

Volume 1: Chapter 22 Hahaha, everyone's hit the jackpot!

London at the same time.

This is the center of Western magic, the headquarters of the Magicians' Association, and the location of the clock tower.

Centered around a building resembling Big Ben, there are more than a dozen academic buildings scattered throughout the surrounding neighborhoods.

Below ground, there are numerous magic workshops, grimoires, and the vast labyrinthine realm known as "Albion, the Tomb of Spirits."

Countless foreign magicians flock here, regarding it as the highest institution of magic. Even 90% of magicians from Western Europe would choose to study at the Clock Tower without hesitation.

It can be described as a "beacon" in the world of Western magic.

"—The teaching atmosphere here is still so unchanged, 'the center of the magic world'?"

"Hehehe, only those stupid magicians who are fooled by your propaganda slogans would believe such strange claims."

A woman in a dress with orange-red hair tied in a single ponytail, carrying a suitcase, yawned lazily.

"Even a brief visit to places like the North Sea, Egypt, or China wouldn't cultivate such an incurable arrogance."

Walking alongside her down the corridor was a young man in a trench coat with long black hair and a tired face, Weber Velvet.

"...If possible, please restrain your public language a little for the sake of me, Lord, Lady Aozaki."

He led the former into a dimly lit office and pulled a pack of cigarettes from a drawer.

"Lord El-Melloi personally offered me a cigarette? I have no choice but to give him that courtesy."

Aozaki Touko smiled, snapped her fingers, and a flame shot out, igniting the tip of her cigarette.

"For the full title, please add 'Second Prince', thank you."

In no time, the two smokers began chatting, puffing away on their cigarettes.

"I never expected that the renowned Grand Magician would also participate in America's Holy Grail War, and even publicly announce it."

Weber twirled his cigarette, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said.

"With the Holy Grail War already two days in the making, you still have the confidence to become a Master and summon a Servant? Even if you have that convenient travel spell and can get there in time, you might not be able to make it in time."

"Lord, why beat around the bush?"

Orange took off her glasses, and instantly seemed to switch personalities, her entire demeanor becoming cold and serious.

"Since the 'Odin' incident, the Holy Grail War has stalled, and some Masters have been observing from the sidelines, haven't they?"

"Actually, like many magicians, my target is not the Master but 'that rumor'—Snowfield City, which is connected to a 'divine otherworld'!"

"You already knew this through certain channels, didn't you?"

To put it simply, even the "Spirit Tomb Albion" beneath the Clock Tower, a magical realm transformed from the remains of the First Dragon, only has an internal environment that is close to that of the Age of Gods.

Even so, it still attracts countless people to venture in every year, hoping to unearth precious magic materials.

As long as you survive, you can sell just a couple of items and gain more wealth than most people could ever spend in their lifetime.

Judging from the images leaked from Snowfield City, elements such as 'Odin's figure' and 'the powerful primordial runes' seem to suggest that 'Snowfield City is linked to a previously undiscovered divine realm.'

Despite the suspicions and speculations involved, there are certainly quite a few people who are willing to take the risk with a gambler's mentality.

"Sigh, it's true, though I hate to admit it, these intelligence channels actually include one of my mischievous students (Flatter)."

Weber rubbed his aching temples and pointed to the side door of the room. "Lord Langer, you may come in now."

As soon as he finished speaking, the side door opened, and a suspicious figure dressed entirely in a black robe stepped out.

Orange noticed the lack of coordination in the joints when manipulating the puppet with just one glance. "A poorly made product..."

This Langer didn't come in her real body; instead, she remotely controlled a puppet that she considered trash.

"Heh, although I do have some decent works, my little tricks are nothing compared to those of a Grand Puppeteer."

Langer chuckled dryly. "This is all thanks to my former disciple, no, I should say America's spy, Fadius Dioran, for his backstabbing."

Orange took a drag of his cigarette:

"So America's...national institutions are actually going against your Clock Tower head-on? Heh heh, this young nation...should we say it's 'a newborn calf not afraid of a tiger'?"

"That's what makes it even more worrying."

Weber frowned. "America doesn't have a long-standing lineage of magicians, and they lack a systematic understanding of the extraordinary abilities of the Age of Gods. Sometimes, this overly youthful confidence can lead to unexpected and disastrous consequences."

"Lord, would you remain unmoved? I'm afraid the students in your 'classroom' have already set off."

"Nothing can be hidden from you, Lady Aozaki, so one of the goals of this trip is to ask you to take care of my worthless students."

"As for the second request, it doesn't conflict with your purpose, Aozaki—I'm worried that America's people are still trying to control the Holy Grail War, but they don't realize that it has already spiraled out of control. This information comes from Langer's intelligence..."

Unbeknownst to anyone, Weber and his team's remedial plan was doomed to fail.

Because during the period of discussion, the irreversible situation they feared most had already occurred.

……

The outskirts of Snowfield City.

"You lowly cultivator dares to pierce my dwelling with your shoddy archery and provoke me, the king!"

Gilgamesh, clad in golden armor, wore an unpleasant expression.

Just recently, his most luxurious suite in Crystal Hill was nearly blown up by a magical arrow from 20 kilometers away. The Master was almost seriously injured, revealing the provocation.

He took his Master Tini aboard the 'Vimana' and flew to a steep mountainous region where red rock walls were visible everywhere. Finally, they found their target—a black archer wrapped in a lion skin coat—and engaged in a fierce battle with him.

“...You vile wretch who shoots arrows at children, die!”

The golden space rippled and undulated, from which countless magnificent magical artifacts shot out—swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and hammers—a diverse array of powerful weapons that formed a dense barrage that carpet-bombed the archers' positions.

The light exploded with a deafening roar, and the terrifying energy shockwave blew away the airflow, even forming a massive tornado for a moment.

But after the wind and dust cleared, the black Archer remained standing unharmed.

The black Archer—Alcides—spoke, “Golden King, you are far too weak as a warrior. Is all you can do is throw weapons aimlessly like this?”

Gilgamesh was about to speak when he suddenly frowned and looked up at the sky.

An anomaly has occurred.

A massive amount of white lightning surged through the air, exploding with deafening roars. Two figures darted through the air, colliding with terrifying force.

Tini's eyes widened, her heart pounding. "That...could it be from that night—"

There's a sequel?

That unknown warrior is still fighting Odin. Have they been fighting for days and nights?

Is such a mythical battle something you can watch for free without paying?

"A mighty warrior who defied the gods..." Alcides pondered, bow in hand, as if resonating with the idea of ​​fighting against the gods.

"Wait, something's not right—"

Gilgamesh's expression suddenly turned grim.

This is different from the "movie viewing" we had the previous night!

The overwhelming aura of the divine era... the aftershocks of the battle between the two sides were real, and the vast divine lightning was rushing straight down towards the valley where they were!

Volume 1: Chapter 23 Gilgamesh: Please turn on your microphone to communicate

On the other side of the outskirts of Snowfield City, close to the towering forest, far from the battlefield of the mountain canyon with its crimson cliffs.

Fadius and the others were still focused on finding the whereabouts of the Lesser Grail, so they were busy probing the coordinates of the ley lines leading to the "other world".

"Huh? Why is there such a loud commotion over there?"

Fadius soon noticed the frequent daytime thunderclaps coming from the battlefield.

But the distance was too far and the situation was unclear, so he casually summoned one of his subordinates to inquire about the situation.

“Mr. Dioran, according to a report from our informant about 10 minutes ago, the Crystal Hill Hotel where Tini Chirk is located was hit by long-range fire. The master and servant immediately set off for the outskirts and should be engaging the enemy now.”

In order to completely control this Holy Grail War, Fadius had already sent people to various factions to act as spies, or to bribe the wavering faction among them.

For example, the Chirk family, to which Tini belongs, has many traitors who have already switched sides. Tini's direct troops number 56, but more than 10 of them have been recruited by Fadius as informants, providing him with intelligence almost anytime, anywhere.

Moreover, the plan for Fadius's family and the state to control Snowfield City was actually made possible by forcibly driving out the "landlord" Cherke family and seizing a large amount of land decades ago.

This is no longer a simple matter of making enemies; it's a complete blood feud, and we have to be careful.

"Since it's just a normal battle in the Holy Grail War, there's no need to pay attention to it. Focus your main efforts on the search for the Lesser Grail!"

"Yes!"

...At this moment, Fadius subconsciously thought that the commotion over there was normal and had nothing to do with what he was doing.

Therefore, he casually turned back to his work, saying, "Your exploration techniques have been improved, right, Adela? How's the progress? Remember, don't let the same thing happen again!"

If another "citywide movie screening" incident were to occur in Snowfield City, the department responsible for covering up the Holy Grail War would probably explode.

“Mr. Dioran,” Assistant Adela said respectfully, “Our current approach is to significantly reduce the scale of the spell. This way, even if the spell goes berserk due to the previous abnormal magical reaction, the resulting anomalies will be within a controllable range.”

Previously, it was like a high-powered searchlight, which was very conspicuous when it swayed around. But now it's like a miniature flashlight, which is not noticeable if you're a little further away.

Adela continued, "Furthermore, our choice of location this time was also deliberate. The ley lines here are stable, and the energy flow is consistent, further enhancing controllability..."

Fadius, impatient with this rambling, interrupted directly: