Super God: If I punch you, you will die

As she burst into laughter, "Red" Saber swung her greatsword and wreaked havoc, leaving "Red" Assassin speechless and shouting:

"Saber! Do you intend to betray me?!"

"Are you an idiot! You're the ones who betrayed me! Didn't you try to kill my Master with your treacherous schemes? From that moment on, you became my enemies!"

With this domineering declaration, a slash tracing an arc flashed across the chapel. Like a dividing line being drawn, this strike completely separated Shirou and Ruler. The floor was severely damaged, and countless wood chips and stone fragments immediately filled the surrounding area.

The next instant, something seemed to be hurled from a distance in the chapel. Although the remaining golem reflexively raised its fist to meet the attack, the object seemed to be mechanical, instantly spewing out a large amount of white smoke that filled the entire chapel.

"Damn it, this is so troublesome...!"

"Red," Assassin roared.

"Archer, Saber, retreat now! Quickly, immediately!"

The two Servants silently agreed, and the "black" Archer and the "red" Saber immediately dashed out of the chapel like rabbits.

"Shirou, hurry and chase after them!"

"No, please leave this to me."

"Black" Caster volunteered. Ignoring the confused looks on the faces of the crowd, he ordered a golem to lift him up, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished from the chapel.

"Then, let him handle the rest."

"Are you sure it's okay...? That guy is a Caster, you know?"

"No matter what, the other side has Ruler, Saber, and Archer, so they'll definitely be defeated in return."

"He probably wanted to prove himself."

After hearing Shirou's hesitation, Assassin asked, puzzled:

"What exactly is he trying to prove? Is it because he joined our side and wants to show us his skills?"

"No, Assassin... he just wanted to prove that the golems he created were supreme beings. There was no attachment to self involved, only pure faith."

That's a decisive difference from a craftsman. A craftsman always infuses his or her creations with his or her own personality—his soul, his beliefs, his dignity, and his skills.

The reason "Black" Caster Gebirulle joined the "Red" faction was simply to seek a "supreme" existence. And the Noble Phantasm he wanted to create... was, in a sense, an overpowered anti-army Noble Phantasm, "Crown of Wisdom."

0206 Golem [Please Subscribe]

The golem carrying it accelerated further. If he were to chase after it on his own two feet, it would probably take a hundred years and he still wouldn't be able to catch up. But by using this method, he could continue the pursuit without feeling tired or anxious.

So, the first thing to do now is to contact the former Master, who should still be in a state of confusion. Caster opened a telepathic channel and sent a message to Roger. Although the connection between the Master and the Servant has been severed, with the help of magical artifacts, making such a long-distance call is a piece of cake.

"Rocher, can you hear me, Roger?"

"Teacher...?! Thank goodness! You're still alive!"

Although it was just a telepathic message, Roger's wavering, even tearful voice could be clearly heard. That was understandable. From his perspective, it was his contract with the Servant that had suddenly been severed, so it was no wonder he was so shaken.

"What exactly happened...?"

"Although I can't explain the details of what happened right now, you can rest assured. You are still very important to me. Regarding the upcoming battle, I want to entrust you with an important task."

"Yes, yes, teacher! What is the task?"

"Black" Caster leaned against the golem, gliding through the sky garden as she telepathically called out to Master:

"Excuse me, I need your help to bring the 'core' out of my workshop. It seems the time has finally come to activate the Noble Phantasm."

"I understand!"

After a hurried reply, Roger stopped speaking. If "Black" Archer arrived at the fortress, Roger might learn of Caster's betrayal.

Even so, Roger will probably still come as he instructed.

Caster held this conviction in his heart. Even if he truly believed in the fact that he had betrayed her, the boy who had always admired him would surely come to his aid.

Caster couldn't help but smile wryly at this thought of hers. She, who hated humans and children, was now forced to trust others at this final moment.

Life is a series of ironies and betrayals, and to realize one's dreams, one must always overcome tremendous obstacles... However, despite his pessimism, Gabi Luller did not stop moving forward.

Having been summoned to the mortal world as a Servant, he now stands extremely close to his dream. This is the ultimate goal that all Kabbalah sorcerers aspire to, the highest realm pursued throughout their lives by those who constantly create golems.

For "Black" Caster, compared to this highest level, neither enemies nor allies, nor even himself, are worth mentioning.

◇

The figure of "Red" Saber had vanished from their sight at some point. Ruler and "Black" Archer, meanwhile, sped towards the fortress.

"'Black' Archer, 'Black' Lancer and his Master Darnic have been destroyed. As things stand, the opposition between the 'Black' and 'Red' sides should be considered completely broken. While I'm not saying I'm favoring the 'Black' side, I still hope to suggest that you cooperate with each other."

After listening to Ruler's speech while he was speeding along, "Black" Archer agreed. As she said, the situation had now far surpassed the stage of "which side will obtain the Holy Grail".

“No problem. Now that Danic is gone, my Master will take over as the successor. As long as she understands the current situation, I think she will agree. Even so, even if we include you, we are still at a clear disadvantage.”

"We must stop the 'Red' faction now, no matter what... no, stop Amakusa Shiro Tokisada's actions."

The Holy Grail probably summoned me here through such a difficult method as possession for this very reason.

He didn't seize the Greater Grail purely to satisfy his own desires. He was attempting to use the Greater Grail to do something extremely terrible.

"Needless to say. She was the salvation of all mankind, Joan of Arc."

The boy's eyes showed no sign of confusion.

If it's just a confused person saying confused things, that's one thing. If he said those words while in a daze, then there's still room for redemption.

However you look at it, those were his heartfelt words. He had a meticulous plan, made all the preparations, and thought about it countless times before finally arriving at this conclusion.

The Greater Grail, whose mission is to "collect the souls of Heroic Spirits through the Holy Grail War and activate itself"... is now attempting to achieve this through methods that even the three founding families of Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Machiri, who are the creators of the Grail, could hardly imagine.

"Salvation for all mankind..."

"Ruler, do you think what that boy named Shirou said is true?"

"Yes, I think it's true. I also understand that the necessary means to achieve this is the Holy Grail. However, the outcome is unpredictable."

The so-called salvation of all humanity is nothing but a word game. No matter the saint, the king, or the nation, none have ever achieved it throughout history. Happiness and unhappiness are always placed equally on opposite sides of a scale. If someone gains happiness, someone else must suffer an equal degree of unhappiness.

Of course, even in the minimum possible scenario, there might still be a possibility that everyone can achieve happiness. The small world in the story could be a family, a group, or a country.

However, as the world expands in size... the existence of misfortune will also increase, that is without a doubt.

"Even so, he still asserted that 'I want to save all mankind,' which is probably a means that we cannot even imagine."

"The problem is whether that is real relief."

Of course, the answer is yes… such salvation is simply impossible. No, it shouldn't exist. One person's thoughts and actions alone can never save all of humanity.

"How should we deal with 'Red' Saber?"

“If you and I were to be wiped out there, everything would proceed exactly as Shirou planned. I think she probably took this action because she hated that outcome... But ultimately, I don’t know if she would join forces with us.”

After all, Saber is a very confident person… Ruler muttered to himself. That’s only natural, since she is Mordred, the rebellious knight who put an end to the legend of King Arthur.

"Can we assume that the other Servants have all sided with them?"

0207 Dignity [Please Subscribe]

"I don't know. Both 'Red' Rider and Archer are heroes with extremely high dignity. However, the current Master is Shirou. Since they have Command Seals, they are probably powerless to do anything about it."

"Red" Lancer is Karna, a great hero from India. "Red" Archer is Atalanta, the strongest female hunter in Greek mythology. "Red" Rider is Achilles, a famous hero in history. "Red" Assassin is Semiramis, the Assyrian queen.

There was another Ruler, Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, hailed as the Child of Miracles. The "Red" Caster, who didn't appear at that time, probably also possessed unparalleled power.

Under these circumstances, even the "Black" Caster was lured into their camp. Gabirull, the legendary Kabbalah sorcerer and the world's most powerful golem manipulator.

And now even the Greater Grail has been taken away. This is an overwhelming predicament, and the anxiety is growing stronger with time. But even so, we must not get the order of priorities wrong. The most important issue right now is to make the "black" side realize the severity of the situation.

◇

It's terrible, terrible, absolutely terrible. With an agility far exceeding his appearance, Shishikatsu Kairi ran swiftly, preparing to escape from the Sky Garden with "Red" Saber.

"Ugh, damn it, things didn't go as smoothly as expected...!"

"Hmm? Master, is there any need to sigh?"

"Of course I have to sigh! Damn it, there should be a limit to how much of a cheating there is to having a Servant as Master. And a Ruler at that? A survivor of the Third Holy Grail War from sixty years ago? Ugh, this is terrible!"

"Red" Saber, walking beside him, laughed loudly:

"Hahahaha, isn't this simple and clear much better! Just treat everyone as an enemy, right?"

“Not good at all! First of all, we need to join forces with the ‘Black’ faction. And then, that female knight with the flag seems to be the real Ruler…”

We're not enemies... Of course, the other side should think the same way. After all, it was precisely to achieve this goal that he sent "Red" Saber into that chaotic situation and caused such a ruckus.

The floor began to shake; it seemed the sky garden was starting to rise.

"Alright, Master, let's get out of here!"

"Hey, wait a minute..."

Before he could answer, Saber hoisted Shishio's body onto her shoulder. Without even a moment to stop her, "Red" Saber immediately used "Magic Release" to leap away, thus escaping the ascending Sky Garden.

That's not a leisurely situation like parachuting. To be specific, it feels more like being launched by a carrier-based aircraft catapult, like desperately grabbing onto a supersonic fighter jet from the outside.

"I'm telling you, this is way too reckless...!"

"Hahahaha! It's nothing, it's alright. Trust me!"

"My trust in you is currently plummeting at an alarming rate!"

A buzzing sound filled his ears. In a split second, Shishigaki swallowed a pill that temporarily enhanced his physical body, barely suppressing his panic. Of course, it was only a psychological comfort. If Saber misjudged the situation, it would definitely lead to a horrific accident.

The speed decreased from subsonic to around 200 kilometers per hour, and then it landed... Although most of the impact was offset by Saber's gliding on the ground, Shishio's abdomen still suffered an impact as if he had been punched hard by a heavyweight boxer.

Thump, thump, thump... Saber shuffled across the ground like a dancer, then gradually slowed down. Saber and the Lion's Lair she was carrying finally landed safely. At least physically, they were unharmed, but mentally they suffered terribly.

I almost thought I was going to die.

To sum up my feelings at this moment concisely, this is it. Next time I invade the Sky Garden, I must bring flying devices for humans… Lion's Den vowed silently in his heart.

The lake at the northernmost part of the Idia Forest, where "Red" Berserker Spartacus knocked down a large number of trees, is the agreed-upon location.

Roger Freyne Yggdrasilnia was maneuvering his walking golem at full speed, his entire body trembling with joy. In his hand lay a massive, cylindrical key. This was the "hearth," and now the time had finally come to use it.

A-rank anti-military Noble Phantasm, the supreme golem... "Crown of Wisdom." To this day, even the golems that the teacher forged in his spare time have used techniques, spells, and materials far exceeding his imagination.

This was the golem that the teacher had described as "absolute." Roger, despite being a magician, now had the honor of seeing its face.

How could anyone not be delighted? The boy, innocent and naive, followed his teacher's orders and galloped straight ahead. The boy of today had long since forgotten about the Holy Grail War. For him, victory was already a certainty the moment his Servant successfully activated their Noble Phantasm.

"teacher!"

On the shore of the lake, filled with clear water, "Black" Caster nodded gently as usual to welcome Roger's arrival.

"This is the 'core'. No problem... right?"

"well done."

"That's great. But teacher, this 'furnace core' must have been made a long time ago, right? But it hasn't been started until today. Is there some reason for that?"

After hearing Roger's question, "Black" Caster remained silent, silently stabbing the "hearth" that Roger had given him into the ground, then squatting down and immersing his hands in the lake water.

"teacher?"

"Black" Caster raised his index finger to his lips in a "be quiet" gesture, and Roger hurriedly covered his mouth with both hands.

So, facing the clear, mirror-like lake, "Black" Caster began to recite aloud.

"Born of the earth, it is fed by the wind and filled with water."

That was a blessing from heaven to give life to the clods of earth.

"By wielding fire, the disease dissipates. Inhumanity is to shatter one's own skull, while righteousness is to guide one's blood towards tranquility."

This land, these trees, this body—everything is an offering to the Lord. This is a mystical realm that only a man who has no desire for fame or power could create.

"It has the enormous body of a sacred peak, as solid as a rocky mountain. It possesses the appearance of protecting, ruling, and dominating all people."

That was a miracle beyond the realm of Noble Phantasms.

0208 Dream [Please Subscribe]

"Though you are a lump of clay, you are not a lump of clay; though you are a human being, you are not a human being. You are one who stands in Paradise, one who rules over Paradise. You are our dream, our hope, our love."

Suffering peoples embody their beliefs in tangible forms.