Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

"Want to seize the power of the gods? Then witness it for yourself!"

"Boom!"

In an instant, the deck was lifted layer by layer, and the entire magic fortress, which resembled a city in the sky, was shattered into pieces. The burning fragments, billowing thick smoke, fell to the ground in disarray, and the struggling figures were turned into charred remains in the flames.

Seeing the entire airship blasted into pieces, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people, Tesla, in mid-air, angrily denounced the attack.

"How dare you disregard human life! You evil god!"

At the same time, countless arcs of electricity cascaded down like waterfalls, spreading towards Ort's limbs like intertwined threads. The crystal-like monster on the ground immediately responded, waving its blade-like forelimbs at Samael.

Sensing the unparalleled sharpness, Samael flapped its wings to dodge while glancing at Tesla in the clouds with a cold, mocking smile.

"I only killed a few hundred people, while you were just about to send all 80 people of Snowfield City to the sky with a bunch of nuclear bombs. Who is good and who is evil?"

"Nonsense! That was merely a necessary tactic to deal with Heroic Spirits! Snowfield City is empty; there were no innocent victims at all!"

"Heh, if Snowfield City is too busy, won't these nuclear bombs just fall? They seem to have been prepared in advance, right?"

"...!"

The meaningful sarcasm made Tesla's pupils shrink, and he was slightly stunned.

This seems to be a question he has never considered before.

What if Snowfield City is unavailable?

"Think about it carefully. They never intended for anyone or any hero in this city to live. You are all—sacrifices in this ritual!"

Samael seemed to have thought of something, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

"Oh, right, this should be called—[necessary sacrifice]?"

"..."

Upon hearing that familiar argument, Tesla fell silent again, his resolute eyes flickering.

Having been reborn into this world, he only wanted to complete his research and finish Nikola Tesla's world system;

He only wanted to tap into the infinite energy of society and resolve all the conflicts in the world;

Just like before, as always.

But I don't know when it started, the dragon slayer turned into the dragon.

It was probably because of that name: Thomas Edison, the president of the United Peoples.

His competitive spirit made him forget who he originally was.

Even so, he still wanted humanity to surpass the gods and create its own mythology!

Tesla's gaze hardened once more, and a dazzling bolt of lightning pierced the sky, shattering the darkness.

"The incompetence of the weak created the afterlife, but when humanity becomes strong, God is no longer needed. God should be killed, and has already been killed. The age of the gods is long gone, and you should never be the end for humanity!"

Hearing that arrogant declaration, Samael shook his head and scoffed.

"I have never asked for your faith..."

The old order, the old morals, the old laws, the ancient myths...

The group called "human beings" regards these as shackles, as shame, as chains imposed upon them by fate.

Proud souls scorn everything, question everything, criticize everything, deny everything, and ultimately try to transcend everything!

Like a child eager to leave the cradle and prove to their parents that they have grown up.

But they seem to have forgotten that systems, morals, laws, and religions are all created by humankind itself.

Satan doesn't need faith, and the Lord doesn't care about any disturbances!

They should not be the end of humanity, but they have never been an obstacle to humanity either.

Human beings have been given the arrogance to look up and despise everything, but have not learned to bow their heads and examine their own humility!

Therefore, weakness and ignorance are not the original sins that will destroy you.

Arrogance is the real problem!

The serpent, burdened by the sin of arrogance, sighed and gazed wistfully at Tesla's feet, its voice gradually lowering.

Do you really think... you can control it?

"...!"

Tesla seemed to realize something and abruptly lowered its head.

Before he could react, a crystal-blue tentacle resembling a sea slug approached Tesla's feet, its tip suddenly expanding like dandelion fluff, swallowing its "master" into its predatory organ.

"Woo~!"

Almost simultaneously, the exhausted Humbaba was also dragged into that strange crystal mine by tentacles that emerged from the ground, and completely disappeared.

"Sizzle...!"

Immediately afterwards, a piercing surge of electricity echoed out, the light patterns on the giant spider Ort became more intricate and dynamic, the crack in the cavity in its chest gradually healed, and the arthropod's compound eyes focused on Samael high in the sky.

Flame-like tentacles emerged from various parts, shooting out again, radiating a strong predatory urge.

The ancient serpent snorted coldly, and the twelve serpentine wings behind it transformed into twelve jet-black swords, each tens of meters long, sweeping and slashing in all directions, severing all the hundred or so tentacles that attacked. Its gloomy gaze looked down at the moving crystal mine.

Sure enough, this thing came to life!

As objects from outer space, these UOs are fundamentally beyond the comprehension of conventional human understanding.

Similarly, rather than being an animal, the giant spider Oort's life form is closer to that of a plant. All its cells are totipotent and can automatically differentiate into all other cells, which makes Oort's self-healing ability almost omnipotent.

For example, if a person or other animal loses its heart, it will die immediately. Even monsters, heroes, and gods, without the blessing of immortality, would probably not escape their fate.

But even if this thing is cleaved in two by Old Ma and lies dormant for thousands of years, it can come back to life as long as there is enough energy!

The continuous recharging by the US military and the electrotherapy services from Tesla have clearly activated the cell activity of this thing, allowing it to gradually complete the rebooting process of this body.

As for what happens after the restart, the result is self-evident.

Do you really think that this mythical life form standing at the pinnacle of the planet is just a cat or dog that humans, who have not yet achieved interstellar travel, can tame?

For the giant spider Ort, who desperately needed to replenish his energy, his so-called master and allies were nothing more than food.

At this moment, Samael roughly understood why Snowfield City had become a subspecies singularity.

If the Holy Grail War proceeds smoothly and a result is determined, then Ort will be fitted with the Holy Grail Heart, which possesses a vast amount of magical power.

Ha, good heavens, the so-called human moral benchmark is going to be rubbed into the ground in every possible way.

Thinking of this, Samael looked at the scattered and broken "Patriots" on the ground and couldn't help but grit his teeth.

You bunch of bastards, rushing to put pressure on me, you deserve to die!

His growing frustration made him want to shovel up the dust on the ground and scatter it again.

Samael vibrated the twelve sword feathers behind him, severing the tentacles around Ort and slowly splitting open the monster's constantly writhing and healing carapace, secretly rejoicing.

Fortunately, the giant spider is now just an empty shell without its core; at most, it's just thicker and tougher, and its strength is less than a hundred times what it used to be.

Otherwise, if they successfully inserted a Holy Grail into it to replace its heart, that would be quite a mess...

and many more!

Samael, who was trying to dismember Ort, seemed to remember something, suddenly stopped, looked up at the familiar figure leading his allies straight to the battlefield, his pupils contracted sharply, and he roared in a hoarse voice.

"Leopard, don't come any closer!"

"what happened?"

Fujimura Taiga looked up blankly, his mind filled with confusion, but his body had already stopped moving.

As a partner who had shared life and death many times, her trust in this old friend was ingrained in her very bones.

Holy crap! That scared the hell out of me!

Seeing that the leopard had stopped outside the battlefield, Samael patted his chest and breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, he finally understood what he had found on Fujimura Taiga Road.

There's only one possibility for the thing that allowed her to fight an alien god far beyond her level and even make the alien god depressed.

—The heart of the giant spider, Ort!

That was close, we almost had another delivery person...

"puff!"

Samael, wiping the sweat from his brow, turned stiffly, his bewildered gaze fixed on the towering chalk fortress before him.

"Tick tock..."

Golden-red blood dripped into the dust, and a claw that had been gleaming with metallic luster pierced through Fujimura Taiga's chest, clutching the crystal pendant hanging on her chest into its palm.

And that hand came from behind this leopard god...

Chapter 82 Artoria, you traitor!

"grown ups……"

Tiny stared blankly at the pool of golden-red blood that had formed a puddle on the sand. Then, like an enraged little lion, he turned his head angrily, and flames of magic raged and blasted to the other side.

"You bastard! What have you done, Hutton!"

"boom!"

The Cherk magician caught Tiny's outstretched arm with ease.

Flames surged, the black robe melted in the heat, and a young, pale face twisted into a distorted smile.

A pair of dark red eyes overflowed with madness. His right hand, with sharp nails, suddenly grabbed the young chieftain. Two sharp canine teeth protruded from the corners of his mouth and bit at Tini's snow-white neck. Every move he made revealed the ferocity of a wild beast.

"Xipetotec!"

At the critical moment, Fujimura Taiga roared and flipped his hand, a dark red mist shooting out from his palm.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Two swirling arcs of light, like sharp blades, one severed the arm that was reaching out diagonally towards the young man from the Cherk tribe, while the other struck his chest, tearing a horrifying hole in it.

The body, almost entirely pieced together from minced flesh, was slammed far away by the powerful impact, scattering blood and parts all over the ground.

Fujimura Taiga clutched his chest, grabbed Tini from beside him, and looked ominously at the area diagonally behind him.

Hipe Totek means "Lord of Skinning". In Aztec mythology, he is one of the four mirrors of smoke born from the creator god. The red mirror of smoke is also one of the most brutal and bloody powers currently wielded by this leopard god.

This ruthless side of Fujimura Taiga, a former teacher, is something he rarely uses on others.

Unless, someone has harmed their own student.

"Ugh, killing a god is definitely not an easy task, and it really hurts..."

A clearly distorted and out-of-tune sound came from the sandpit. The "corpse" sat up from the ground, and the light patterns on its chest rotated like a revolver magazine. The fragmented flesh twisted and wriggled, and in the blink of an eye, it pieced the mutilated body back together.

However, that once youthful face has been replaced by a rough and aged one.

"Dick?!"

A gasp of astonishment came from the black-robed magicians of the Cherke tribe. Staring at the face that matched the one in their memories perfectly, a chill ran down their spines and all the way to the top of their heads.

He, along with Arecom, Emita, and Faridon, aren't they all dead?

"See? I told you we didn't do it!"

Fujimaru Tachibana, who had somehow shrunk behind Olga Marie, poked her head out and angrily filed a complaint.

"It's a vampire...!"

Kyoko gazed at the old man's signature canine teeth on his lips, her voice low and menacing.

Clearly, this Dead Apostle with some kind of disguise ability had unknowingly infiltrated Cherk's group, and the corpses gnawed by wild beasts were proof of his prey.

The aged Czerk magician, or rather, the dead disciple Jesta Caltoré, gazed into the distance at the beautiful face beneath the veil.

This gaze, like a declaration of love, is imbued with emotion, observing the other person's every move.

Such a beautiful and interesting desert flower should have grown in the nursery I prepared for her.

The man took one last deep look, then looked regretfully at the back of his old, bare hand.

He was the Master who first summoned the Assassin, but as soon as he completed the summoning, this woman crushed his heart in the name of heresy.