NOVEL NEXT Chapter 98: Chosen Death
Kiritsugu heard Rin's comment and found his frown deepening once again.
Both were Heroic Spirits.
Some could send out a subordinate and simply watch from the sidelines.
Others, like Gilgamesh, were treated like clowns—put on stage, mocked, and toyed with at will.
'This guy is definitely the most dangerous Heroic Spirit in this Holy Grail War…'
Kiritsugu desperately wanted to stay away from Rin, but Ice Empress behind him was still staring daggers at him.
He could feel it.
If Rin weren't holding her back, Ice Empress would've already launched an attack.
'Demon Gods?'
Kiritsugu began to speculate which two of the Seventy-Two Demon God Pillars these women corresponded to.
That overwhelming killing intent. That indestructible physique.
Unfortunately, the details of the Seventy-Two Demon God Pillars were too vast and convoluted.
In the moment, Kiritsugu couldn't figure out which Demon Gods they resembled.
"Gilgamesh is serious."
"He plans to continue deploying Gate of Babylon."
On the other end, Kotomine Kirei, observing the battlefield through Assassin's vision, was reporting the situation via a gem communicator to Tokiomi, causing the latter a massive headache.
"Sigh…"
Tokiomi had never intended for Gilgamesh to be exposed so early.
But now, if he didn't recall him, Gilgamesh would surely fight Shion to the death.
The problem was…
"What's the origin of that female Heroic Spirit?"
With horns on her forehead, somewhat elf-like in appearance, yet her combat was agile beyond belief.
Whether it was her battlefield instincts, combat experience, brute strength, or unbreakable body—everything screamed danger.
And the feeling was not wrong.
Among Rin's six main Dependents brought into this war, Shion, Shuna, and Souei all had A+ stat panels.
More importantly, unlike typical Heroic Spirits from the Monster Nation, the three of them possessed powerful Special Abilities.
[Shion]
Noble Phantasms: Tyrant (A+), Oni Transformation (A)
[Shuna]
Noble Phantasms: Analyst (A+), Manufacturer (A+), Oni Transformation (A)
[Souei]
Noble Phantasms: Shadow Striker (A+), Oni Transformation (A)
Aside from the universally shared Oni Transformation—a full attribute-boosting ability—their Unique Skills had been converted into Noble Phantasms.
And none of them were weak. Each one of the four Noble Phantasms reached A+ rank.
In other words, if evaluated like actual Heroic Spirits.
Shion would be classified as a top-tier Saber-class. A+ Noble Phantasm, A-rank support Noble Phantasm, and enhanced physical stats across the board.
So unless Gilgamesh unleashed his truly top-tier Noble Phantasms, ones that exceeded standard specifications.
Let alone defeating Shion, even damaging her would be a stretch.
[Tyrant]
The ability of this Noble Phantasm is similar to Heracles' Twelve Labors.
Except it doesn't provide resurrection.
To break through Shion's defense, the minimum requirement was an A-rank Noble Phantasm.
Yes. A-rank.
Anything below A-rank couldn't leave a scratch on her.
Of course, this only applied to the destructive force of the weapon itself.
If it was a Noble Phantasm with unique properties, like Crimson Rose of Exorcism (Gáe Dearg) Shion wouldn't be immune to it.
"I've figured you out, mongrel!!"
Though arrogant, Gilgamesh's insight was unmatched.
After the earlier barrage, he noticed a clear pattern.
Shion wasn't simply tanking everything.
Some Noble Phantasms, she would block with her weapon.
Others, she would dodge.
"The ones you avoided… they were all A+ and above!"
"So what?"
"Hahaha…"
Gilgamesh laughed, waving to recall the Noble Phantasms he had just fired, then summoned a new batch from Gate of Babylon—swords, spears, halberds—countless armaments appearing.
"As many as are needed to deal with you… this King has them all!!"
This time, he summoned 108 Noble Phantasms.
Without exception, all were A+ rank or higher.
Every one uniquely crafted, overwhelmingly refined, their magical energy alone causing the space around them to tremble.
Even Shion's expression turned serious.
"…"
She didn't say a word.
But her entire posture shifted.
She had to focus now.
Otherwise, she might actually get injured.
"He's serious?!"
Gilgamesh's full release stunned everyone watching.
If Shion being immune to A-rank Noble Phantasms was already horrifying…
Then this?
This was just insanity.
A Heroic Spirit capable of manifesting over a hundred A+ Noble Phantasms.
What the hell were they even fighting for anymore?!
"This is bad…"
Tokiomi could no longer sit still. He hadn't expected Gilgamesh to reveal so much.
Now, every faction would be wary of him.
Unless Gilgamesh was taken down first, it would be impossible for anyone to win the Holy Grail War.
"We can't let Gilgamesh keep playing around."
Resolute, Tokiomi burned a Command Spell.
"By my Command Spell—Hero King, restrain your wrath and retreat."
"Hm?"
Gilgamesh, who had been about to reduce Shion to atoms for daring to insult him, abruptly halted.
He looked up, scowling.
"You think your words are enough to make me stop?"
...
"You've got guts, Tokiomi."
Right then, Gilgamesh felt a murderous urge toward Tohsaka Tokiomi.
The man who always fawned over him…
Had never truly placed him above himself.
'Very well.'
'Tokiomi, you've found your path to death.'
Unfortunately, the Command Spell's power was absolute.
Even Gilgamesh couldn't resist its pull.
He merely waved a hand, recalling all the Noble Phantasms into Gate of Babylon.
"You've saved your life."
Glaring coldly at Shion one last time, Gilgamesh threw out a parting threat before turning and walking off into the distance.
"Mongrels. Until we meet again, keep squabbling in your pitiful little wars."
"Only heroes worthy of meeting me may stand before me again!"
"Hey!"
"Running away already?"
Shion continued mocking him without mercy.
"Tch. I thought he was something special. What a letdown."
"Hmph!"
Gilgamesh gritted his teeth, his rage now boiling over.
Directly aimed at Tokiomi Tohsaka.
"It's over…"
From atop the container stack, Rin sat casually at the edge, gazing down at the screen floating before him.
---
[Innate Time Control]
[Analysis: 100%]
[Unlocked: 20% of Bounded Field blueprint completed]
[Gate of Babylon]
[Analysis: 15%]
---
The massive number of A+ Noble Phantasms had given Violet a huge boost in analysis progress.
As for Innate Time Control, it granted Rin time-based Rule Authority.
It also completed Violet's framework research on Bounded Fields.
(To be continued.)