Chapter 17: The King of Heroes Picks Up His Axe
'What's wrong with this world?'
Assassin's mana is extraordinary and she is very skilled in magecraft?
Archer's strength suppresses, and he excels in close combat wielding a one-handed axe?
When King Gilgamesh swung the one-handed axe and suppressed Miss Illyasviel, she was genuinely confused. She knew King Gilgamesh possessed exceptional stats.
As the head of a mage family, Tohsaka Tokiomi is exceptional in all aspects, fitting for a member of the three-knight class, making his capabilities naturally impressive. But Illyasviel never expected King Gilgamesh's strength to manifest in wielding a giant axe for combat rather than drawing a bow.
"Put away your useless charm, mongrel, if I'm not mistaken."
"From the moment you entered my sight, you've been using the 'Charm' magecraft continuously, haven't you?"
Sparks flew from the friction between the golden axe and the twin blades as King Gilgamesh laughed heartily. His strength and martial prowess far surpassed the assassin girl's, revealing his superior dominance.
The massive axe in his hand seemed like a mere toy. In rapid succession, he struck repeatedly, clashing and suppressing the highly agile assassin girl dozens of times. Despite being an Archer, his close combat abilities firmly restrained the venomous fangs of his opponent, akin to a hunter capturing a venomous snake. His blood-red pupils gleamed with mocking delight as he observed Illyasviel's desperate struggles.
As the most ancient king, he discerned that the assassin girl's true strength lay in her mana and skills.
Although she appeared aligned with the assassin class, she was essentially a pure magi wielding boundless mana reserves and life-saving mechanisms.
Her hand-to-hand combat was decent, but her agility was merely adequate. Without access to her skills, her strikes lacked lethality. If faced with intent to kill, Illyasviel was difficult to defeat, but likewise, her killing intent often rebounded, making battles a precarious balancing act.
"Brother, your sense of humor leaves much to be desired during combat!"
Illyasviel deflected the golden axe, attempting to flee, but the relentless weapon pinned her down once again. Gritting her teeth, she deftly redirected the force of the descending axe, sliding its momentum aside along her blade, and swiftly countered with a stab.
Clang!
King Gilgamesh pressed forward rather than retreating, allowing the sudden sword strike to glance off the golden armor he wore.
"This is no jest. I was simply intrigued by how you deceived Tokiomi, a man who clearly did not grasp his position."
"As the head of a mage family, it's unbelievable that he fell for your deception simply due to your lack of mana. Your disguise is impressive but not enough to obscure your connection to Einzbern. Such deceit goes beyond mere disguise."
Blood-red and ruby pupils locked in intense proximity as the two Servants faced off, their magical auras clashing audibly.
The battlefield seemed to pause momentarily, holding its breath.
"Your technique rivals advanced charm magecraft, but why did it deceive Tohsaka Tokiomi while I remained unaffected? It should have influenced my logic as well."
"Perhaps, big brother, your mind works differently from normal people's."
Illyasviel reversed her grip and slashed at Gilgamesh's arrogant face. The insult had stirred a fiery determination within her to retaliate.
Her guise as a pure little girl indeed bore similarities to charm-based magecraft, though it was not identical. Gilgamesh's remarks had struck a nerve, as they felt dismissive and derisive. She now represented not just Illyasviel, but also Jack the Ripper—the embodiment of unborn children's wrath.
Clang!
Sparks erupted as magecraft met steel, yet Gilgamesh easily clamped the sharp blade in his golden gauntlet.
"Heh, coupled with that malice-based mana, you're likely imbued with an anti-humanity concept bonus, aren't you?"
Illyasviel's pupils dilated, and she swiftly released her grip on the blade, leaping sideways. She realized that Gilgamesh's persistence was not fueled by anger for Tohsaka Tokiomi but by sheer curiosity.
"You've piqued my interest, mongrel. You're truly an anti-hero, aren't you?"
"Your politeness and demeanor are mere facades. You're a chaotic entity steeped in malice. Jack the Ripper may not even be your true name, yet you wield their power."
'What were you in your previous life? You command powerful magecraft, borrow other Servants' abilities, and possess special anti-human capabilities.'
'Even as a low-level camouflage skill, when applied against humans, it achieves feats beyond expectation.'
Gilgamesh snapped his fingers, unleashing golden waves from which five or six treasures rained down upon the retreating assassin girl.
Arrogant and domineering, he reveled in calling others mongrels and loathed vulgarity. He often declared, "What's the point of being a king without arrogance?" His immense confidence often led to underestimating opponents.
Despite his cold and self-centered nature, Gilgamesh possessed a childlike curiosity towards the unknown, much like his interest in Illyasviel. Before tiring of his prey, he exhibited surprising patience, akin to a cat toying with a captured mouse.
Although capable of activating the "Sha Naqba Imuru" to fully analyze Illyasviel's essence, he chose not to. Instead, he relished the slow unraveling of her mystery.
"It's more strange that Archer-san can use a one-handed axe than me.."
Dodging spears that fell like meteors, Illyasviel conjured silver shields to block the remaining onslaught.
The trajectory of one sword bypassed her defenses, sparking against her waist before embedding itself into the ground with explosive force. Using the blast's recoil, Illyasviel retreated swiftly, seeking refuge in the fog.
"Strange? Reptile, your ability to challenge me is what's truly bizarre. My volleys may not have aimed precisely, but the sheer force should have eradicated lesser mongrels. Are you feigning ignorance?"
Clang!
Boom!
Snap!
Gilgamesh's golden axe struck once more, halting Illyasviel as she tried to vanish into the mist.
Despite her tattered defenses, she resisted the torrent of Noble Phantasms hurled by Gilgamesh—a remarkable feat.
"What exactly are you implying, Gilgamesh?" she growled, clashing daggers against his axe despite her trembling arms.
The opponent's strength was at least level B, and every collision made the assassin girl's arms feel numb.
"I want to ask you if you have a skill that has an effect similar to 'praying.'"
"Your attributes and martial arts are not enough to support you in avoiding the torrent of my treasure, but your 'obsession that you can avoid it' has granted you a blessing, turning part of the impossible into possible."
Weird mechanics, no doubt about it.
The assassin girl is a strange entity with extremely poor attributes but numerous mechanisms.
So what was this assassin girl, with so many special characteristics, like in her previous life?
This intrigued King Gilgamesh greatly. He enjoyed exploring the unknown, so before he grew bored of toying with her, he could tolerate the assassin girl to a certain extent. However, his temperament was always unpredictable, and no one could tell when he would lose interest and kill her.
He detested monotony, and if this Holy Grail War became more intriguing because of the assassin girl, he didn't mind adding new twists.
The giant axe swept past as he abandoned defense and launched a sudden attack!
With the golden armor, he had no need for defense—unless Miss Illyasviel intended to decapitate him!
Otherwise, no matter where on his body you attack, it will be like scraping the opponent's body with the help of the Engel Lied!
"I said, I don't know what's going on either. Do you believe me, Mr. Gilgamesh?"
No, even Miss Illyasviel herself didn't believe it. She held the dagger sideways, and a huge force was transmitted from her right arm to her whole body. The immense force knocked her away again!
Her two remaining skills: A Glimpse into the Evil of This World and Heart of the Lesser Holy Grail.
She could vaguely sense the strange power contained within it during constant battles. Her insight into the evil of this world granted her an affinity for evil individuals, a high bonus against servants of the Chaos Evil alignment, and most importantly, a suspected special attack against [goodwill], [humanity], and similar concepts.
Jack the Ripper's skill mechanisms had also been comprehensively enhanced by this retained skill and high-level mana.
The drawback was being restrained by servants such as "Guardians." The Noble Phantasm also held a high priority among servants of the Chaos Evil alignment, with compatibility nearly matching that of the servant themself.
As for the skill of Heart of the Lesser Holy Grail, it was even more bizarre. Just as King Gilgamesh mentioned, it appeared capable of performing a form of "prayer." When Miss Illyasviel faced death, the strength of her created familiar was sufficient to withstand two full rounds of C-level Noble Phantasms, allowing her to survive despite her poor agility. However, its strength was limited and could not turn certain death into survival.
The negative effects were not yet clear, as Miss Illyasviel had not encountered any side effects thus far.
"Mr. Gilgamesh, you can't kill me now, and I can't kill you either."
"But if my poison mist continues, Uncle Tokiomi will be in danger."
After flipping over in mid-air and landing more than ten meters away, Miss Illyasviel spread out her hands.
The current situation was quite troublesome. King Gilgamesh could not catch her due to her high agility, and in close combat, she could only polish his golden armor. If Tohsaka Tokiomi lingered, he would fall victim to the poisonous mist, yet King Gilgamesh seemed to possess other trump cards to kill her. It was quite frustrating.
Additionally, King Gilgamesh had made too much noise earlier, so it wouldn't be long before others arrived to investigate, possibly even other Servants.
"What? Mongrel? Do you wish to commit suicide to atone for your sins?" The fog around him dispersed, fading due to the explosion of his treasure. King Gilgamesh glared down at the short girl's figure.
He halted his relentless pursuit. Being in the mist diminished his agility. As the assassin girl noted, without serious effort, he truly could not kill her. However, his pride demanded that any opponent worthy of his attention must be his equal or a king he could acknowledge.
"It's merely a farewell. Surely the most ancient king would not wish his subjects to perish in silence?"
The fog gradually thinned as Miss Illyasviel revealed her sincerity.
"If this king truly desires to kill a mongrel, that mongrel deserves only a humble death."
King Gilgamesh did not lower his golden one-handed axe and sneered, exuding disdain and arrogance.
Tohsaka Tokiomi possessed the elixir gifted by Gilgamesh, and his magecraft skills were formidable. He would not die as easily as the assassin girl claimed. It was absurd to believe her ruse.
"Yes, yes, yes~ You are indeed an arrogant king." A pathway parted through the hazy mist as Miss Illyasviel sheathed her sharp blade.
Simultaneously, she pulled up her ragged hood. King Gilgamesh had relentlessly pursued her, engaging her in hand-to-hand combat to prevent her from retreating into the fog to locate Tohsaka Tokiomi. Now, she cleared a path in the thick fog, signaling her withdrawal and a disguised form of submission to the king.
In the distance, faint police sirens echoed through the mist—someone had evidently called the authorities.
It was possible that supervisors from the Holy Church were among them.
Taking a deep breath, Miss Illyasviel shouted in a particular direction.
"Mr. Tohsaka Tokiomi, I know you can hear me. I will gradually lift the thick fog barrier until I am completely beyond the range of Mr. Gilgamesh's treasure."
"Let's settle this next time we meet. The king has already caused such a commotion—surely you wouldn't want to be ambushed by other Servants drawn here, right?"