Chapter 51: Full Noble Phantasm Release, The Sword That Severs the Stars!
Because she had merged with the Goddess within the Holy Spear, the young girl's body had become so voluptuous that even Morgan was surprised; it was a far cry from the Artoria that Morgan remembered.
However, even so, she recognized her at a glance.
"Umm... this, well, a lot has happened..."
Before Artoria could finish her sentence, her emerald green eyes shifted to a yellowish-green hue.
"Why are you wasting your breath on this old woman!"
"Who are you calling an old woman——!!"
"Even if it's you, you are not allowed to oppose Father King!" Mordred also shouted indignantly.
The atmosphere at the scene became tense, as if a chaotic and incomparably spectacular free-for-all among the Heroic Spirits was about to unfold. Even Goetia was somewhat stunned by this situation.
But he quickly reacted and shouted his declaration:
"I am the supreme summoning ritual created by you humans. As long as you are Heroic Spirits, it is impossible to surpass me!"
As he said this, Goetia clenched his right fist and raised it high.
"Mere Heroic Spirits, you had best crawl back to where you came from!"
The King of Demon Gods, Goetia, looked imposing as he stood with his fist raised high, shouting his declaration. However, the reality that nothing happened caused his expression to stiffen.
"Nothing happened... ho-how can this be——!?"
Goetia was filled with doubt about the current situation, looking at this group of Heroic Spirits in confusion. And the others were looking at Goetia with the same confusion. The atmosphere suddenly became scorching.
Mordred was the first to shout unhappily: "Hey, hey, you were the one who just told us to get lost, right!"
Gilgamesh's red eyes also cast toward Goetia: "To dare tell this King to get lost, you mongrel really are bold beyond measure!"
Then, Nero, King Hassan, Artoria, Gawain, Lancelot, and others followed...
Shirou coughed at this moment, causing everyone to look at him again.
"To dare speak such wild words in the presence of the Emperor, perhaps I should just shut your mouth forever!"
"The existence of evil must be cut down by my sword!"
"I feel like my sword has become heavier; it is time to release the power of the Sword of the Stars."
"The blazing sun is in the sky; I am in my best condition right now. Praise the Sun!"
"The King's enemies are our enemies!"
Because of the Heroic Spirits speaking one after another, the Temple of Time became incredibly lively. Seeing this, Shirou spoke directly:
"Everyone, the subjugation of the Beast of 'Pity,' one of the Evils of Humanity, is today."
As he spoke, Shirou held the jet-black demonic sword "Twilight" high above his head, and a brilliant golden light bloomed from within it.
"The time for the performance has come; offer up thunderous applause!"
Upon hearing this, Nero immediately issued a strong condemnation to Shirou: "Hey! That is clearly my line! You thief!"
The Heroic Spirits smiled knowingly upon hearing this, and then each activated their Noble Phantasms.
The tolling of a bell sounded around Goetia.
"The funeral bell has revealed your name——"
King Hassan raised that large, somewhat rusted-looking sword, his tall figure turning into shadow, concealing itself in the invisible.
He... infiltrated.
Even for Goetia, King Hassan's figure was difficult to capture, not to mention that there were numerous Heroic Spirits watching him like tigers eyeing their prey, leaving him unable to be distracted at this moment.
A phantom appeared behind Goetia, and a sword that flashed and vanished drew a ghostly blue light, slashing down like the Grim Reaper's scythe.
"『Azrael (The Angel of Death)』!"
...
Golden ripples undulated as Gilgamesh took out his strongest Noble Phantasm, "Ea - The Sword of Rupture," from his treasury.
For Gilgamesh, who possesses all treasures, half-baked Noble Phantasms were merely items he would casually throw into his treasury, but this sword was one of the few rare exceptions that Gilgamesh particularly cherished among all his armaments.
However, this sword had no name.
The so-called "Star of Creation that Splits Heaven and Earth" was merely a nickname Gilgamesh gave it for convenience.
After all, it could not even be counted as a sword.
After all, it was a thing that existed before weapons like swords or spears appeared in history. It belonged to an era older than humans or the planet. It was a treasure among treasures, swung by gods to open up the world, projecting pure power itself. It was the thing that split the sky and earth, the beginning of everything on this planet.
It slashes through nothingness to achieve the sky, and pierces through the sky to return to nothingness.
A power symbolizing the beginning and the end, permitted only for Gilgamesh to use because he inherited the factors of the gods.
Against Man, Against Army, Against Fortress, and even Against World—the classification of the anti-personnel Noble Phantasm changes based on different properties. When Heroic Spirits fight one-on-one, there are many cases where using an anti-personnel Noble Phantasm is more useful than an anti-army or anti-fortress one, but regarding this Anti-World Noble Phantasm, the power contained within it has long since reached a level that cannot be measured by compatibility or combat conditions.
It possesses the absolute power to potentially destroy the world itself.
Regardless of whether the opponent is an individual or a group, it disintegrates the world they belong to along with them.
This is the full power of the 'Heroic King' Gilgamesh. His serious state is the apex of Heroic Spirits.
"Wake up, Enuma Elish——"
Gilgamesh was not speaking to Goetia, but to the sword in his hand.
And the cylindrical sword in Gilgamesh's hand seemed to respond to him, beginning to spin and whip up intense wind pressure. The etheric magical energy instantly turned into a scarlet tornado, spinning in the upper sky. The lurking wind of magical energy continuously created small tornadoes, spreading across the horizon.
Then, the tornadoes overlapped with each other, generating even larger distortions in the air; all of this was gathered and compressed into the location of the sword. The air layer, which
exceeded physical limits and continued to increase in density, finally turned into a weapon capable of shredding all things, and then began to devour space itself.
Even light and sound converged toward the distorted air; the sword of silence and darkness began to drag in its surroundings.
The sword hilt, which began to roar like a living creature, was tightly gripped by Gilgamesh and then swung down toward the King of Demon Gods, Goetia.
The distorted air burst open, converged next to the sword, and the myriad phenomena compressed beyond their limits were released along with the slash. The released pressure caused cracks in the surrounding space, turning the world itself over in the form of inhaling the nothingness of that crevice.
The nothingness peeking out from the crevice of the torn space tore the surrounding space even further, and the world itself was gradually eroded by countless tears. The earth cracked like clay, and the sky was easily shredded. The erosion called a slash crushed the stars while attacking the Beast below.
"『Enuma - Elish (The Star of Creation that Splits Heaven and Earth)』!"
...
When the power that splits heaven and earth descended before their eyes, anyone would have looked on in awe. And then, whether out of fear, reverence, dread, or joy—
Yet there was one person who watched that scene with a smile while feeling nostalgic.
"Haha, you are still the same as always, Gil."
He who hated humans more than anyone but was more human than anyone, who rejected the gods but was more sacred and solemn than the gods themselves. The only person the Heroic King, who stood at the apex of all creation, was willing to face seriously was him—Enkidu.
"Then, I must also go all out, Gil."
The bond that maintains the connection between gods and humans—this is the very essence of Enkidu.
According to one theory, Gilgamesh was brought into the world as a bond so that the gods would not lose their power and so that humans would continue to worship the gods as gods.
However, whether he forgot his mission or deliberately ignored it, the Heroic King did not fulfill that duty, and instead began to promote rule that forced the separation of gods and humans.
As a chain created to correct, question, and pursue the Heroic King who failed to achieve his mission, Enkidu is a god-made weapon born from the concept of letting the bond return to the hands of the gods.
However, the gods had one miscalculation.
The 'weapon' that descended to the earth and gained wisdom through interaction with humans allowed the bond to return to the side of the gods, which meant bringing them closer together. In other words, Enkidu did not intend for the gods to dominate humans, but rather planned to use himself as a law to maintain the world of gods and humans.
He pushed the existence called human into the realm of the gods.
That is precisely why he made his choice.
Whether to be a weapon swung by the King who rules the mundane world, or to be the existence that can erase the King's loneliness and always be by his side.
"Child of man, bind the gods with chains——"
Along with that wind pressure that swept through everything, Enkidu's whole body was wrapped in divine power, turning his own body into a nail of light, aiming at the King of Demon Gods, Goetia.
The enormous energy was converted into a form that the world could recognize (a wedge), turning into a single blow that pierced and fixed the opponent in place.
...
His long hair fluttering casually in the breeze, maintaining a transparent whiteness, the golden long spear flipping in his hands—its tip tore through the air, leaving behind trails of afterimages.
The Hero of Charity, who had given the title of hero to others, cast his gaze toward the red-haired boy standing in the center and smiled.
"Since it is you, then I will surely use all my strength to help you!"
As he said this, Karna threw out the golden long spear in his hand, letting it fly and spin in the air like a windmill. And his Armor of the Sun, Kavacha Kundala, followed by radiating a dazzling and brilliant light.
This armor was personally bestowed by the Sun God Surya, integrated with his body, and was a powerful defensive Noble Phantasm that released the radiance of the sun. Because he became an existence transformed from light itself, even the gods found it difficult to destroy, giving him one of the most powerful physical defenses among the Heroic Spirits, capable of reducing all hostile interference to one-tenth of the damage suffered.
Following the stripping of that armor, that golden long spear shot back, combining with the Armor of the Sun into a massive spear capable of killing gods.
"Realize the mercy of the King of the Gods."
"Indra, watch closely."
"Annihilation, is in this one thrust."
"Burn completely——『Vasavi Shakti (O Sun, Abide unto Death)』!"
The flames of god-slaying engulfed Karna's body, and along with that god-slaying spear, it was dyed a fiery red.
Looking at Karna's current stance, Arjuna could no longer hold back.
"I will not lose to you... Karna!"
Although his skin was dark, Arjuna's extraordinary essence—his pure white attire—highlighted his superhuman demeanor, his entire being seemingly shining, worthy of his status as a "protagonist" in the epic.
Facing his half-brother, Arjuna did not know how to converse with him, but it did not matter; their feelings for each other would be displayed in these released Noble Phantasms.
Arjuna slowly drew his longbow, his figure becoming taller and taller in the firelight; the unusually long bow body changed its posture in the blue flames, unfolding like a turret, and the terrifying fluctuations shook the void around him.
"Come and witness it, my Noble Phantasm!"
This divine bow, Gandiva, personally crafted by Brahma, should have been a bow of fire that humans could not use, but Arjuna was the exception.
Magical energy surged like ocean waves, and the air became sticky. With the Counter Force providing magical energy, the Heroic Spirits were all able to mobilize enormous amounts of magical energy and fully utilize all of their strength.
"I will have you perish here with this anger of Shiva——『Pashupatastra (The Hand of the Destroyer)』!"
...
The Heroic Spirits took turns releasing their Noble Phantasms, adding colorful and brilliant hues to the Grand Temple of Time.
"Become flowers filling the sky——『Laus Saint Claudius (Flowers Bloom, O My Splendid Imperial Capital)』!"
"This sword is the embodiment of the sun, the flame of the sun that burns away all filth——『Excalibur Gallatin』!"
"To my splendid Father King——『Clarent Blood Arthur (Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father)』!"
"The shining radiance of the lake water under the moon, the blade that will never be broken——『Aroundight (The Unfading Light of the Lake)』!"
"O Lord, I commit this body to your disposal——『La Pucelle (The Crimson Holy Virgin)』!"
"The elegant chalk throne, the price of a lost dream——『Roadless Camelot (The Distant Utopia)』!"
"Devour my soul and gallop, silver meteor——『Dead End Agateram (The Shining Airgetlám)』!"
Wind pressure tearing through the void, shining nails of stars, a majestic and dazzling torrent of light, flowers dancing all over the sky, flames sweeping across the heavens, thunder roaring and blooming——
Goetia's figure was surrounded by the power released by these many Noble Phantasms; it was impossible to see his figure at all. Dazzling, multicolored lights were erupting in the center of the battlefield; the most powerful Noble Phantasms in this world were wildly dancing their power, clashing with the King of Demon Gods, Goetia—the collective of the seventy-two Demon God Pillars, one of the Seven Evils of Humanity, holder of the Law of 'Pity' (BeAST).
Even with such enormous and numerous powers, it still failed to completely crush Goetia.
"My power is far above yours!"
Goetia declared as such, and the released energy stirred wantonly, confronting the power of the Noble Phantasms surrounding him.
Facing so many Heroic Spirits, including some of the absolute top tier and even deities, Goetia was still able to fight them, which was enough to show his strength.
However, even so, Goetia's attention still could not move away from the red-haired boy standing in the center of the Heroic Spirits.
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting