You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

"How should I use it?"

Iori looked at the ruby ​​and hesitated for a moment. "This looks very suitable as the core of a staff."

"Then I don't know. Although I've worked as a blacksmith, I know nothing about forging weapons... Perhaps you could ask Sigurd."

Cú Chulainn narrowed his eyes slightly: "If he survives."

Iori nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

Sigurd's adoptive father was a famous dwarf craftsman, and he was taught a spell that could reforge divine swords, which happened to be of the Norse origin!

"I never expected that you actually did it... This is Surtur, the one who confronted Thor, Odin, Tyr and others during Ragnarok!"

Even in my previous life, I probably wouldn't have been able to defeat this guy; only my father (the Sun God) could.

"It's just a man-made puppet, with very little self-awareness, far inferior to the original."

Iori did not become arrogant because of this; on the contrary, she felt it was not enough.

"If we can't even defeat Surut, how are we supposed to face the mastermind behind it all?"

"well said!"

Cú Chulainn patted him on the shoulder, and despite being half-naked, he pulled out a hexagonal stone from somewhere, engraved with red runes.

"As you can see, I've basically reached my limit. This is the final divine imprint; take it with you."

"Weren't all four used up?"

Iori glanced at her in surprise.

Cú Chulainn didn't seem to care: "I picked it up myself, nobody knows. I was originally planning to keep it as a backup, but you probably need it more than I do."

Its symbolic power is 'creation,' and I believe you have enough wisdom to use it.

Finally, he infused his magic into the staff, and a new bud gradually sprouted from the top of the strangely shaped wooden staff. Then it sprouted and branched out, and within a few seconds, a half-meter-long, nameless green plant appeared.

"This is for you, you're welcome."

"……wicker?"

Iori could indeed sense an abundant life force within it, suggesting that healing magic was sealed away, but he didn't seem to need healing abilities much.

"This is no ordinary willow branch. According to our local custom, this thing can bring good luck."

"Lucky?"

Iori almost laughed. His luck stat was already pretty high, and getting a lucky charm from Cú Chulainn... was a bit of a joke.

"You seem quite dismissive?"

Cú Chulainn frowned slightly upon seeing Iori's appearance: "It's working very well."

How good can it be?

Iori chuckled.

To everyone's surprise, Cú Chulainn's expression turned serious: "How effective is it? In Chaldea's records, Cú Chulainn's fate is tragic in many timelines, except for the [Caster] class—how do you think I escaped 'E' luck?"

"!"

This is simply amazing!

Sitting in the shuttle, Iori held a polished ruby ​​in his hand, a faint magical glow shimmering within it, while a burning sensation flowed through his body.

Although Surt was defeated by him, as the destroyer of the world, his power is not to be underestimated. If Iori can comprehend the core fire that destroys all things in the earth, he will have another trump card that can be compared with "Hado Zero".

Although it was the eve of a major battle, he remained calm and did not waste time on futile tension and fear.

Now that things have come to this, he has no fear, no matter who the enemy is.

The moment the thought crossed my mind, a powerful storm of magic pierced through the layers of metal, making Iori feel an overwhelming force as if she were being struck by a flood!

The next moment, the silver metal cabin that could travel between different times and spaces shattered with a roar!

Who is it that has such a lack of martial ethics!

Who launches a sneak attack during a cutscene?!

Iori struggled to control his body and looked toward the source of the magic. A figure with long hair, dressed in a gorgeous black dress, stood alone in the void, looking at him with a cold smile.

Even Iori, who had seen countless storms, suddenly had her pupils shrink—

Ritsuka Fujimaru!

~~~~~

Chapter 301 You really think I like riddle tellers?

This is a vast and magnificent starry sky, with magnificent palaces floating in the void above and below, quite similar to the [Temple of Time Crown], but with a very different architectural style, appearing more ancient and mysterious.

In the center is a plaza surrounded by several towering stone pillars, each carved with different images of gods or demons, and at the top of each pillar is a throne of different styles and materials.

The stone pillars varied in height, and the thrones descended accordingly. The highest row consisted of three thrones of equal height. One was decorated with gold and jade, exuding a sacred and majestic aura. Another was carved from a single piece of smooth obsidian, its mysteriousness inspiring awe.

In the middle of the three is an ordinary stone chair, simple and elegant in appearance.

—This is the scene that Iori saw from mid-air.

After destroying the shuttle pod, the girl with long orange hair gracefully landed on the stone chair in the middle, glancing up at Iori:

Snapped!

With just a snap of his fingers, points of starlight lit up the distant starry sky and grew brighter and brighter. The immense heat transformed into a beam of light, which traversed the endless void at an extremely high speed and struck Iori directly!

hum!

The barrier of [Skybreaker] shattered in less than 0.1 seconds, its destructive power, comparable to a holy sword, knocking Iori down, followed by wave after wave of bombardment—

boom! ! !

Like a meteorite, it crashed into a palace, the pure white marble melting into liquid and spreading out in concentric circles. Then, it was completely shattered by the enormous shockwave, and the entire palace vanished, leaving only scattered fragments floating in the void...

call--!

A figure stood on the base of a palace, an invisible force dispersing the flames. At the same time, a white trench coat woven with magic was put back on his body. When Iori walked out from the center of the explosion, his eyes were clear, his expression was cold, and his trench coat fluttered. He had changed his appearance.

A long sword, its entire body now crimson, was stuck at his feet; it was none other than the Kusanagi that had received the streaks of starlight.

"As expected... ordinary anti-city Noble Phantasms aren't powerful enough. Next time, I'll add a little more magic power."

A Servant's Spirit Origin is ultimately nothing more than an aggregate of ether. No matter how glorious their past or how wondrous their Noble Phantasm, it cannot overcome overwhelming 'mass'. Even gods are no exception.

Fujimaru Ritsuka leaned against the stone seat, and when she saw that Iori was "completely unharmed," she was neither surprised nor angry, as if she had expected it.

Interestingly, after her initial shock, Iori quickly calmed down and quietly observed Gudako sitting on the throne a hundred meters away, a look of relief appearing in her eyes.

This amused the girl with long orange hair: "Your reaction is not what I expected. Shouldn't you be surprised or even angry?"

He climbed to the top with the determination to save the world, only to discover that the mastermind behind it all was the very person he was trying to save—the feeling of being betrayed must be awful.

Why should I be angry?

Iori reached out and drew the Ama no Kusanagi, gently waving it to unleash the accumulated magical power within, transforming it into a surging crimson sword pressure that severed a corner of another palace.

"It's just a story unfolding as expected."

"Ok?"

Gudako was slightly taken aback: "You knew all along that I was the one controlling all of this?"

"I never said anything like that. It's just that this whole incident has been strange from beginning to end, so nothing is surprising no matter what happens."

Iori gave the other person a deep look and said meaningfully, "Besides, it's still hard to say who you're referring to as 'I'."

Upon hearing this, Ritsuka couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips into a smile: "You figured it out?"

“Your words and actions are so different from the real Fujimaru Ritsuka. You can tell the difference after just a few words.”

Iori frowned slightly: "But this is not a simple illusion or disguise... My intuition tells me that you have an extremely close connection with the Chaldea Master."

All I can say is... I hope it's not some kind of "Six-Eared Macaque" or "I am you" plot where the enemy and ally are from the same source—that's too boring.

"You're quite bold to say that. The way you speak, as if you're in complete control, makes it seem like you're the one who has the upper hand right now."

Ritsuka chuckled, "You're confident just because you blocked my attack?"

"I can still tell who is stronger and who is weaker."

"But you don't seem nervous at all."

The girl tilted her head slightly, curiously examining Iori. "What gives you your confidence? Did you guess my real name?"

"No, but... the truth should be coming to light soon."

Putting the Servants aside for now, Goetia and Ryougi Shiki's strange attitude proves that you are not one of those ordinary "Beasts," otherwise they wouldn't have acted that way... and yet you insist on acting like 'Fujimaru Ritsuka'...

Honestly, anyone would assume that Fujimaru Ritsuka has turned evil, awakened some incredible power, and suddenly transformed from a savior into a great demon.

"Haha~"

"However, things are certainly not that simple."

Iori looked around, her gaze lingering on the murals and floor tiles.

Although they come from different regions and eras, they always evoke a wonderful sense of connection.

If one doesn't have enough knowledge of mythology and customs, they might get confused by these seemingly haphazardly pieced-together things. But coincidentally, Iori has always loved studying obscure mythologies since her previous life. With her enhanced talent in this life, she has acquired a wealth of related knowledge from various sources, making her no less than a genuine expert or scholar. Speaking of which, this little hobby was cultivated because of her contact with Type-Moon... so every cause has its effect.

Perhaps it was Iori's overly calm attitude that angered Ritsuka. The girl sneered twice: "I think you've become arrogant after passing the first few hurdles. Foolish girl, do you think you can challenge me after passing the trials of a few washed-up characters?"

Let me guess where your confidence comes from... Right, you've collected quite a few blank spirit origins, haven't you? And the gifts from various Servants along the way, Noble Phantasms or Mystic Codes... Ha!

Come to think of it, this does sound a lot like the hero defeating the demon king trope. Is it these things that make you feel like you have something to rely on? How ridiculous!

You don't even know that the reason you were able to reach the top wasn't because you were so strong, but simply because I didn't take you seriously and let you climb up.

"As long as I have the will, I can achieve it with the ease of turning my hand—"

"Destroy me?"

Iori suddenly laughed, looking quite relaxed.

"These lines are absolutely classic...perfectly in line with the style of the final boss. But that's precisely why they almost make you laugh."

"What did you say?!"

The sky began to twinkle with stars, and immense magical power crashed down like a mountain.

“Goetia once said the same thing.”

"……Um?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka paused, staring intently at Iori.

At this moment, Iori simply sat cross-legged to save time, looking as relaxed and carefree as if she were chatting with a friend.

"'You're just lucky,' 'I've never been serious before,' 'Everything is under my control'—it's best not to say these kinds of lines casually."

If we win, that's fine, but if we lose, we'll just become a laughingstock.

Is this a provocation?

He raised his head, his eyes growing even colder, and a cross of light fell from the sky, illuminating almost the entire starry sky!

[Baqi Furious Waves]!

Thunder and gale transformed into soaring dragons that roared upwards and collided with the Cross of Light—and were predictably crushed.

However, Iori bought herself a moment, and by the time the terrifying radiance, surpassing even the Noble Phantasm of the Castle, released its energy and swept everything away, Iori had already moved to another location.

"You must be very proud to have raised Susanoo's Spirit Origin to the level of a true god, right? But in my eyes, this level of power is no different from that of an ordinary Servant!"

boom!

boom!

boom!

The magic cannons, capable of destroying small cities with a single strike, were released from the sky as if they were free, relentlessly pursuing Iori like a game of whack-a-mole. Murakumo swung them again and again that day, but they were repeatedly defeated, only serving to delay the inevitable.

If it weren't for Iori's special constitution that allows her to recharge infinitely, an ordinary Servant being chased like this would at most unleash two or three Noble Phantasms before closing their eyes and waiting to die.

"Ridiculous! If we can only pin our hopes on someone like you, then this world is truly pathetic!"

Let me show you, a mere Servant is utterly powerless before true strength—