Super God: If I punch you, you will die

"Not ordinary planes, but strategic bombers. Hmm, anyway, we'll need some kind of destructive weapon. Missiles. Bunker bombs. No, though the name is a bit tacky, let's just call it something like 'Rods from God'."

Fiore and the others didn't understand even half of Ruler's monologue. Only Gorde was filled with horrified thoughts, wondering, "Does this saintess want to destroy the world?"

"Hmm? Then let's just have this person make it."

Just as Kaures suddenly pointed at Lin Yan, Ruler glared at him fiercely. Kaures quickly withdrew his hand.

Lin Yan raised his hand earnestly and spoke:

"As 'Black' Saber, I don't mind using Noble Phantasms. However, when it comes to the defensive capabilities of that Sky Garden, that is, when it clashes with the magic of 'Red' Assassin, even if I don't lose, the possibility of being completely blocked by the opponent is still very high."

Lin Yan had already made a correct calculation of the power of the magic that Ruler defended with the Holy Banner. If it was only that level, he was confident that he could forcefully suppress it with "Black Saber's Illusionary Greatsword".

However, according to Black Rider's report, there are supposedly as many as eleven different counter-attack techniques used on that aerial garden. Assuming the power of the magic used on Ruler is "one," then even a simple estimate would be eleven times.

Even so, they shouldn't lose, but defeating their opponent is probably impossible. Statistically speaking, the most likely outcome is a closely contested tug-of-war, where both sides, even with their combined efforts, will ultimately be exhausted.

Regardless of the impact on the "red" side, this situation is probably the worst possible scenario for the "black" side.

"If it's just a close contest, it's a waste of 'Black Saber's' power, which is absolutely unacceptable."

Ruler wholeheartedly agreed with Black Archer's words. Although he hoped to prevent Lin Yan from using his power as much as possible, it was true that he wanted Lin Yan's assistance if it was necessary to reach the Sky Garden.

However, if it ends with the forces canceling each other out, then it is meaningless.

The operation itself is flawless, but even so, to reach the courtyard, one must break through the lines of attack from "Red" Lancer, Rider, and Archer. Furthermore, the courtyard itself should possess corresponding defensive capabilities, so in this situation…

"As expected, the chances of survival are still very low."

Hearing Lin Yan's straightforward assessment, a gloomy atmosphere immediately filled the meeting room. Just as Lin Yan said, even with so many measures taken, the success rate was still very low. To put it bluntly, an airplane is just a lump of metal flying in the sky; once it suffers a penetrating attack from Archer's arrows, Lancer's guns, or Rider's carriages, it will easily turn to dust in an instant.

"Indeed. It's all my fault for being so incompetent that I can only come up with ideas of this level. But the means to counter the Sky Garden are actually very limited."

Although it is called a courtyard, it can already be considered a fortress. The Mirenia Fortress, which took hundreds of years to build, is as fragile as a balloon compared to that courtyard.

"Red" Assassin. Semiramis. A legendary empress born between the goddess Delikitte and a human man. Raised by pigeons and celebrated as an unparalleled beauty, she is sometimes considered equal to the goddess Ishtar.

Its mysterious power is probably comparable to even "Red" Lancer Karna. As for her Noble Phantasm, the Aerial Garden, even if it was merely a brief miracle maintained during the Holy Grail War, is something that modern scientifically advanced aircraft cannot contend with.

0316 Junying [Please Subscribe]

"It's alright, it's alright! At least I can protect both of them, including Master!"

As if to dispel the somber atmosphere, "Black Rider spoke in a cheerful voice. There was no hint of bravado in his voice, but rather a confident tone that only a hero could utter."

Is it Junying?

"Yes! Although I didn't show my true strength in the last battle, I will definitely do it this time! After all, you are my Master now!"

"Haha." He chuckled and patted Lin Yan on the back. Ruler immediately sensed that the atmosphere in the meeting room had instantly shifted to a slightly comical and cheerful one. Although it was an overly relaxed and unhurried remark, it was precisely because of this that it felt genuine. It wasn't an attempt to liven things up; it was a soldier's heartfelt sentiment. That alone was enough to fundamentally change the atmosphere.

"Besides, I don't take any magical attacks seriously at all! Because I have books that can solve any kind of magic!"

More importantly, "Black" Rider is very reliable, possessing an abundance of Noble Phantasms that more than compensate for his own power.

"However, because I forgot my real name, I still can't unleash my true abilities."

That's right, even if forgetting one's true name prevents the Noble Phantasm from unleashing its full power. "No, please wait a moment. Rider, what did you just say?"

Everyone, including Lin Yan, focused their attention on "Black" Rider. Rider, on the other hand, tilted his head with a puzzled expression.

"Huh? I mean the Noble Phantasm book I currently possess is really bothering me because I've forgotten its true name."

"Black Rider said cheerfully, showing no sign of being bothered at all."

With a "thud," Black Rider pulled out the book from somewhere and placed it on the conference room table. Fiore, Corles, Gold, and the other magicians all gasped in surprise.

"This is Astolfo's Noble Phantasm."

Unlike the phantom horses and guns that Rider wields, which are things that are far beyond their reach, grimoires are also very familiar to them.

Moreover, it is precisely because of familiarity that one can understand it. A vast and immense magic is hidden within this book.

"I see. It's because of this that your magic resistance has reached a level second only to mine."

Ruler nodded as if suddenly realizing something. "This is indeed an incredible phenomenon. Cavalrymen's magic resistance is not high to begin with, and I've never heard of any legend about the hero Astolfo."

However, the book that the Witch of Goodness gave to Astolfo, which was said to be able to break all magic, was etched into history. I see. If he always carried this with him, most magicians wouldn't be able to harm him in the slightest.

"Wow, this is so convenient, because you can just carry it with you."

"Um, Rider, do you know?"

Fiore took a deep breath and pointed at Rider:

"This thing can only unleash its true power by chanting its true name. According to legend, this should be a grimoire that can break all magic, right? Your true name... have you forgotten it all?"

"No, actually I was just a hair's breadth away from remembering."

"Please remember right now, I'm begging you! Maybe because of your one wrong thought, we'll have a way to conquer that courtyard!"

Fiore vigorously shook Rider's shoulders with the connection-enhanced magical costume she was wearing.

"Wow, wow, wow! Wait, wait! I'll remember! I'll remember! No, I should say I already remember! Really, really!"

"Is it true?!"

Not only Fiore, but Archer, Ruler, and others also nervously leaned closer. Even Rider seemed to feel the pressure; he took a step back, sweating profusely, and said:

"Well, actually, what I remembered wasn't the real name, but rather the conditions under which I could remember it."

"Is it a condition?"

"Yes. The condition is a night without a moon. As long as it's that day, the true name of this magic book can definitely be activated."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

"No moon appears. Does that mean it's a new moon night?"

Archer, also known as "Black," agreed with Fiore's opinion.

"The moon has been regarded as a signpost that induces madness since ancient times. If we consider Rider's evaporation of rationality as a phenomenon caused by madness, then the days when the moon does not appear should be the days when Rider regains his rationality."

"New moon. Is it five days from now? What should we do, Yggdrasilnia?"

Lin Yan asked. The original plan was to depart tomorrow, but if they waited until the night of the new moon, Rider's Noble Phantasm could be unleashed.

The longer this drags on, the farther the Hanging Gardens will be from Romania. Once they leave Romania, the key issue becomes ownership of the Greater Grail. If the recapture of the Greater Grail occurs outside of Romania, then since that area is not a magical base for either side, integrating it with the spiritual veins will become extremely difficult.

As the head of the Yggdrasilian race, Darnic once used Nazi Germany's power to transport the Greater Grail. However, he no longer possesses that ability.

Yggdrasil's power is vastly different within and outside Romania. Within Romania, he can rally the surviving vampires and, if necessary, even mobilize the Romanian government to return the Greater Grail to the fortress of Yggdrasil.

However, the moment Yggdrasil reaches overseas, Yggdrasil's power weakens considerably. Bringing the Greater Grail in would be utterly impossible. Furthermore, the Mage's Association isn't going to simply relinquish the Greater Grail after losing the Holy Grail War.

So what exactly is going on? In other words, even if they win this great battle, the Greater Grail will not fall into Yggdrasil's hands.

However, if they don't wait five more days, they will have to take even greater risks in order to obtain the Greater Grail.

From a magician's perspective, even ignoring "Black" Rider's Noble Phantasm, they should still try to retrieve the Greater Grail.

To reach the source and reveal the power of Yggdrasil to the world. Even to achieve this goal, activating the Greater Grail is an absolutely necessary act.

What would happen if they let the other side just steal the Greater Grail? That would mean Yggdrasil would be completely finished. At the very least, after losing the Greater Grail, their lifeline as magi would be essentially severed.

0317 Point of Divergence [Please Subscribe]

"Excuse me, please allow me to speak with my sister for a moment. Servant and Lin Yan, you should go back and rest tonight. We will reach a conclusion tomorrow."

Perhaps sensing that her sister's thinking had reached a dead end, Koles raised her hand and spoke up. Gold, as if considering this a matter for which he shouldn't interrupt, was the first to leave the meeting room.

Facing the Holwich siblings, "Black Rider seemed to want to say something, but Lin Yan and Ruler grabbed his shoulders and dragged him out."

Finally, "Black Archer first looked at Fiore, who was deep in thought, and then at Koles. Koles nodded silently. Seeing his reaction, Archer smiled as if relieved, and left the room without a word."

Then, only the two of them remained in the meeting room.

Fiore turned her wheelchair and gazed out the window at the pitch-black night where she could see nothing. It was as if she were running away from something.

"So, sister, what do you plan to do?"

His icy tone, though unusual for Corles, was perfectly befitting of a magician. Fiore, gazing at his reflection in the windowpane, answered directly:

"We should still take some risks. Because we must take back the Greater Grail no matter what."

"I think we've reached a crossroads."

Before she could finish speaking, Koles interrupted her.

"A fork in the road. What kind of fork in the road?"

"In other words, this is the point of contention between whether my sister should become a magician or a human."

Upon hearing this, Fiore felt a chill run down her spine.

"W-what are you saying?"

"Based on Ruler's description of the direction the Greater Grail is heading, they're definitely going to the Black Sea first. Of course, I don't know where they'll go after that. They might head north, or south, or they might have another destination. In short, as long as we don't catch up with them by tomorrow, the Greater Grail will no longer belong to either side."

"Of course I know this."

“Daniel Breston Yggdmillennia has poured everything into this rebellion. Bloodline, magic, wealth—he has staked it all. If he loses, it will all be for nothing. In just five more days, it could very well become a case of ‘even if we win, it was all for nothing.’”

"I understand that perfectly well."

"So if we want the Greater Grail, we have no choice but to set off tomorrow."

"I've already said all this, I understand everything! Koles, what exactly are you trying to say?!"

Perhaps sensing she was about to lose her temper, Fiore suddenly turned around and glared fiercely at Corles—however, her anger vanished in an instant.

Koles' eyes looked as deep as the ocean.

"But those are choices made by magicians."

"A magician?"

That's only natural; it's the premise of everything. Because Fiore Fulvige Yggdomirenia is a magician.

"We absolutely cannot allow that Greater Grail to fall into the hands of evil beings, so we must win. To do this, we must increase the probability of victory as much as possible; rather than increasing the risk, we should increase the success rate, even if that doesn't allow us to obtain the Greater Grail."

Koles made this suggestion as if nothing had happened.

"Not worth considering at all. We, Yggdmillennia."

"What happens to Yggdrasilena is irrelevant, and we can set aside the fact that you are the head of the clan for now. The question now is whether you want to continue being a magician."

Upon understanding the meaning behind his words, Fiore turned pale and took a step back. Her anger had vanished, replaced by a feeling of dread, as if her younger brother had become a monster.

"Do you mean I should stop being a magician?"

"This is for you to choose, sister."

"Is that even a question? Of course I am."

Of course I must continue being a magician; I must continue down this path. It's only natural, isn't it? My parents and relatives have high expectations of me, and I must lead the vampire clan. And I must also make the Greater Grail grant my wish to heal my foot.

"Do you remember about the dog?"

My breath caught in my throat. Memories that had been buried deep beneath the surface suddenly resurfaced.

The dog's skin suddenly ripped open, it screamed in agony, its dark eyes seemed to be crying out "Why?", and there was the sound of bones cracking and breaking.

Just thinking about it makes me want to vomit.

"Of course I remember. How could I forget?"

Fiore gripped the armrests of her wheelchair tightly, answering in a voice that sounded like she was about to cough up blood. Although she had thought countless times about forgetting, she had always sworn never to forget, and to this day she continued to suffer the torment of those memories.

"Is that so? In that case, you really aren't suited to be a magician, sister. You could have just forgotten about it right away."

Memories of the past are important.

If it were for achieving a leap forward in her magical abilities, then of course it should be remembered. However, Fiore's memories are merely psychological shadows that bring her no benefit. What's the point of further increasing the success rate of summoning low-level spirits now? Success is a given, and even in failure, there are over a hundred ways to cope. Having undergone countless trials as a magical artist, her magical circuits automatically reject such meaningless possession phenomena.

Therefore, memories are meaningless. Since they are memories that make you feel sad, painful, and dizzy, it doesn't matter if you forget them.

There's just one thing: besides forgetting the peaceful days spent with the dog, we also need to forget this fact.

"How could you forget so easily?"

"why?"

Koles's voice was very gentle when he asked the question, and Fiore forgot to refute him, simply answering frankly: