Super God: If I punch you, you will die

It was beyond pain. What I felt was a decisive loss. It was a devastating blow, and the extent of the suffering was evident in the screams I let out, which I could hardly believe were my own.

In my fading vision... Fafnir moved to inflict even more fatal damage on me. Enduring excruciating pain that nearly made me lose consciousness, I weakly swung my sword.

Naturally, I was thrown back. My body tumbled and rolled as I flew through the air, simultaneously being scorched by the flames. I could no longer make a sound, not even a whisper.

Right now, I'm almost entirely driven by survival instincts, or something else, forcibly propelling my body to act. Something is desperately telling me that I must do this.

I raised my face… to gaze directly at the enormous, alien creature. "It's impossible to defeat it," a cowardly voice whispered. There were thousands of reasons for defeat, but only one reason for victory: "I am Siegfried now."

No... or rather...

Even Siegfried, when faced with this evil dragon, was plunged into a bitter struggle and despair, until finally finding a glimmer of hope and successfully defeating it.

But if you only imitate your appearance... wouldn't that be just like when you lost to "Red" Saber, making it impossible to defeat the evil dragon?

Trembling, he wiped away the blood, and despite becoming increasingly certain of his inability to win, he forced himself to his feet. The dragon's gaze was utterly cold; regardless of his own will to fight, he knew the dragon would surely attack in a few seconds.

I gripped the greatsword tightly with both hands, completely ignoring the blood flowing from my chest and the excruciating pain. Because I was using my hands to wield the sword and my feet to leap, it didn't matter how much damage my head and chest suffered.

This was a rather weak resistance... I was well aware of that myself. But, incredibly, the option of "running away" didn't even cross my mind.

My heart was pounding with fear. My legs trembled with despair. Tears streamed down my face; was it from the sorrow of knowing I was about to die here?

Even so… I still can’t choose to “run away.” The dragon opened its mouth, and I let out a muffled scream, my expression contorted. I took two steps forward, relentlessly pushing forward. The target I was aiming at was blurry; I clearly didn’t know where to aim, yet I still swung the greatsword with all my might.

But it was too late. Compared to my attack, the erupting flames had already engulfed my entire body like a torrent of fire…!

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At this moment, the view darkened again.

When I came to my senses, all I saw was Ruler's worried face appearing before me in a close-up.

It seems I have escaped that world—whether it was a dream or reality—safely and unharmed. While I breathed a sigh of relief, I also felt a lingering unease, as if my heart were being gripped tightly.

After being struck by the final flames, I must have died over there. So, what state was I in then...?

That's a foul.

The magician screamed. That was quite normal, given that there was a Servant and a woman who resembled a Master before him. It was the Holy Grail War in the midst of it all; it wouldn't be surprising for a Servant to appear anywhere.

But... I am not a Master.

This Servant brazenly barged into his own residence, having already disabled all the alarms beforehand. In this situation, he then completely surrendered himself.

Are you kidding me? Have they forgotten the principles of the Holy Grail War? I'm not a Master. I'm just an ordinary magician; I have no chance against a Servant.

This is a foul! This is a violation of the rules! Where is the supervisor? Come and punish this Servant and Master! Besides, I have no direct connection to the Holy Grail War; I'm just a mere supporter.

"Hey, did you hear me? I protest! I strongly protest!" His voice grew hoarse, and his consciousness began to fade. "This is so strange, why..." As he thought this, the magician unconsciously touched his chest.

A gaping hole appeared in his chest, his heart pierced through. Despite his desperate attempt to revive himself with a magical crest, his crest, already weakened, could only prolong his death moment slightly.

Oh, so it seems I'm going to die.

Faced with this reality, the brain went mad. Overwhelmed by fear, even consciousness was lost. The power was cut off, and there was no way to stand up again.

Having confirmed this, the Servant said:

"Um, Mom. It should be very comfortable to live here."

“It’s a really beautiful house. But this won’t do, Jack. This is the Magician’s house, isn’t it?… If the communications network is damaged, they’ll come here to investigate first.”

The mother gently advised Jack. The girl obediently nodded and casually tossed the body aside. Although the environment and orientation were quite good, it seemed better to find somewhere else.

So after looting the necessary items, let's move to another place immediately... But while making this decision, we discovered a unique item that we hadn't seen in any of the many houses we had broken into before.

"Oh my, it's a piano. I really didn't know the magician could play the piano."

It was a grand piano crammed into a small room. Judging from the rather thick walls, it had probably been converted into a soundproof room. Several spells and magical implements were also set up on the walls. From this, it seemed that the magician living here was researching magic using sound as a medium.

Of course, for Master Rokudou Reika, who wasn't a magician to begin with, this was completely meaningless. The important thing was that there was a piano here, nothing more.

"Mom, can you play?"

"I used to play it all the time."

That was when her parents were still alive. Although she felt a little nostalgic, she had no intention of going back to that time. That kind of happiness was simply too unworthy of her... That's what Lingxia thought.

She opened the keyboard cover. Although it looked like it had been used for a long time, it was very well maintained. Jack examined the keyboard with great interest and touched it lightly with his finger.

A soft, resonant sound rang out. Perhaps he really liked the sound, because Jack kept tapping the keyboard with his fingers.

"Hey Jack, how about I play you a tune?"

"Is it really possible?"

Jack looked up and asked. Her eyes were filled with an unusual gleam of excitement. Lingxia had Jack close the door and then sat down in the chair.

She placed her hands on the keyboard... and pondered for a moment a piece suitable for a young girl. That being said, Lingxia's repertoire wasn't very extensive; she was only confident she could play a few pieces well right now.

“Hey Jack, do you have any requests? Like, a sad song, or a happy song, anything is fine.”

"Hmm... I want to hear some gentle music. I don't like either sad or happy music."

"Is that so..." her mother replied softly. Lingxia remembered a piece of music that suited Jack very well, so she put her fingers on the keyboard.

"Then, this piece of music is the most suitable."

The piano began to play. Just as Lingxia had said, the melody was very gentle. Although not sad, it carried a hint of melancholy; although not joyful, it brought a sense of peace.

Jack listened to the music with great enjoyment, while asking Lingxia the name of the piece.

"This is called Traumerei (Note: Dream Song), it's the seventh piece from my childhood memories."

"Traumerei?"

"I remember it means 'dream' in German."

The dreams of an innocent child in their sleep, the dreams of an adult who understands all good and evil as they recall their past selves. Perhaps it's one of these two, or perhaps both interpretations are equally correct... In any case, Lingxia felt that this piece of music was the perfect match for Jack.

Jack stood beside the piano, seemingly lost in a dream... listening intently to the music Lingxia was playing. Lingxia even seemed reluctant to finish the piece.

As a result, she played the piece three times in total.

"I'd like to hear it again."

"Once we're settled, I'll play it for you as many times as you want."

Faced with Jack's pleading, Lingxia gently stroked her head and said.

These... are what happened in the city of Tolifas when the chaos erupted on that grassland.

Ruler got up in her attic room at the church. She had slept for about five hours, and perhaps because of that rest, her mind was fully clear and her thoughts were quite sharp.

After thoroughly cleaning the room she was staying in, it was lunchtime. She suggested to Alma that she wanted to cook, and the two decided to make stew together.

Just as she was stirring the cylindrical pan that was beginning to release its enticing aroma, Alma, who was toasting bread nearby, suddenly spoke up:

"Joan of Arc, may I ask you a question?"

"Yes, what is it?"

0246 Believers [Please Subscribe]

Do you believe in the Lord?

Upon hearing such an abrupt question, Ruler turned around in a daze. Alma, on the other hand, wore a slightly puzzled smile as she awaited the girl's answer.

"Of course, I believe you."

"Believers will be saved. This is a saying that is often ridiculed in the world. Does this mean that those who do not believe cannot be saved by the Lord, or that the Lord never even intended to save them?"

"This, in fact, is based on the wrong premise... To want salvation before the age of suffering has even arrived is far too arrogant."

To rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep—that is the premise of being a believer.

"Really? Is that also related to the fact that you haven't been saved?"

The kitchen suddenly fell silent.

After hearing Alma's words, Ruler silently shook his head while staring at the stew in the long pot.

"No, this has nothing to do with me. Moreover, being burned at the stake was not the result of not receiving God's salvation. That... was my own choice of fate."

The stew is finally done.

Alma appears to be a watchdog tasked with monitoring the Church of Yggdmirenenia. Her duty is to report any unusual activity immediately, or to fulfill her duties as a nun within the Church. While this is no easy task, nothing noteworthy has occurred in the twenty years she has served.

Their behavior changed drastically several months ago. Relatives from all over the world gathered for an all-night ceremony. Large quantities of supplies were moved into the city, and there were clear signs of the use of powerful magic.

However, despite Alma contacting the church, the church's response was quite slow, and as a result, they were unable to intervene before the Holy Grail War began.

When did you start knowing about me?

"At first I thought you were a magician from Yggdrasil, because there are really very few tourists in this city. But after that, I was immediately surprised when I received the contact."

"If you think I'm a magician, why are you letting me stay here?"

"Oh dear, because this has nothing to do with that. We've always had our doors open to anyone who comes to our church seeking help."

Seeing Alma's elegant smile, Ruler couldn't help but smile along.

"I also want to ask you a question: why aren't you surprised?"

"I never thought the church could function properly in a small city like Torifas. Putting aside the other magicians, the Yggdrasilians are a race that survived by spreading their bloodline widely."

That being said, she had not doubted Alma until just now.

"Besides, even if people from the Holy Church know about my affairs... I don't think there's anything wrong with that."

The Ruler is the one who maintains order in the Holy Grail War; in other words, they are the supervisors. Although the supervisors in this Holy Grail War are unilaterally biased towards the "Red" side, Ruler, who has just arrived in Trifas, has not yet grasped this fact. Now that she has a complete grasp of the situation, she knows that it was Shirou Kotomine's arbitrary and reckless behavior.

"So, Alma, just how much do you know?"

"Aside from the fact that the supervisor we sent out went berserk, I know nothing else."

Alma answered with a calm expression.

"Is that so...? No, then there's no problem. The Holy Grail War is under my jurisdiction, and I will handle it properly."

I had considered asking the Church for assistance, but getting them involved at this time would likely cause even greater chaos. Although Amakusa Shiro is not recognized as a saint, given that he belongs to the Church, it might escalate into an inter-organizational conflict.

"Oh, really? But to be honest, this has really helped me a lot. After all, we seem to be in a dispute with the Magic Association right now."

That's probably only natural... Ruler thought. According to the man named Shishi-kai, who was the Master of "Red" Saber, the Mage's Association seemed to have also hired unaffiliated mages at high prices to create a perfect situation for the Holy Grail War.

Now, the unexpected betrayal of the supervisor, especially since it was a pre-planned operation, has caused the Mage's Association to lose face. As Shishi-kai said, if it weren't for the permissible sacrifices... meaning if the participants weren't unaffiliated mages, the Association might have actually taken serious action.

"So the Magic Association and the Holy Church are basically just taking a wait-and-see approach and don't intend to take any action?"

“Yes, you can certainly think that way. We’ve always believed that there’s no need to be so obsessed with a fake Holy Grail. That’s why I find it really regrettable to see Father Shirou Kotomine so fixated on obtaining that Holy Grail that’s supposedly able to grant many wishes.”

Alma gave an affirmative answer to Ruler's question. Ruler breathed a sigh of relief. Although he desperately wanted help, getting involved would be too troublesome, as the Holy Grail War had descended into an exceptionally chaotic state.

“That’s true. We didn’t really have a grasp of the specific situation either. Even the supervisor we sent betrayed us. If we get involved again… it will probably only cause more chaos.”

"That's good... Um, may I ask one last question?"

"Hmm, what is it?"

"Why did you have to reveal your identity to me? Although it won't cause any trouble, there's really no need to reveal your identity."

"Oh dear, you've forgotten something very important, Joan of Arc."

Seeing Ruler's puzzled expression, Alma gave him a mischievous smile:

“Joan of Arc, you are a great saint who brought light to this world. Isn’t it natural to want to speak to someone like that?”

"Hmm, ah, uh... Come to think of it, that's part of the reason. But... that 'great saintess' who brought light to the world, I think that's a bit of an exaggeration..."

Ruler lowered his head shyly. Indeed, his real name was quite well-known in the world. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been summoned here as a Servant.

But hearing someone express their admiration for me to my face always makes me feel a little envious.

0247 Contribution [Please Subscribe]

"People all over the world were moved to tears when they learned about your contributions, and at the same time felt incredibly angry. Even if you didn't have such intentions, your actions still had such a guiding effect. I think this is something to be very proud of. In fact... it was after learning about your deeds that I decided to become a nun."

After chatting with Alma for a while longer, Ruler finally left the church. Although he was a little reluctant to leave, he knew he couldn't stay any longer.

But then again… Ruler recalled Alma waving goodbye to him with reluctance and fell into deep thought. To leave one's mark on posterity is truly a wondrous feeling.