Chapter 129

The Pentagon.

President Trump was stunned, and the aides beside him had their jaws on the floor.

It is understandable for a Heroic Spirit to dodge a nuclear blast; after all, their neural reaction speeds and physical explosive power are maxed out. To them, human supersonic fighter jets are a joke.

Or to withstand the edge of a nuclear blast, several hundred meters from the center—that is also perfectly understandable.

But...

A nuclear blast center of hundreds of millions of degrees, a temperature more than ten times that of a star's core, heat sufficient to vaporize and annihilate all matter...

You are unscathed?

Ah, no, you only damaged a few strands of hair?

Too absurd!

Too absurd!

"Gods cannot be opposed..."

After a long while, Trump sighed, his eyes somewhat dazed.

He truly did not know how such an enemy, having descended into the mortal world, could be defeated.

The Americas.

In a rather desolate ancient tribe, a bonfire was lit.

"Kukulkan!"

"Kukulkan!"

Many ancient tribespeople had fanatical expressions.

Even the tribe's shaman priests shouted in excitement, offering their most devout faith.

They had mistaken Gorgon for another deity, a god widely worshipped in Mesoamerican civilizations, generally depicted as a serpent covered in feathers.

The two deities were too similar, exposed to the tribespeople's eyes in the form of the Sky Curtain.

It made these tribespeople shocked, believing it to be a divine miracle!

……

【Inside the collapsing Holy Church.】

【Medea pondered for a moment, weighed the pros and cons, and calmly proposed.】

【"Archer's Master, let's form an alliance this time. First, find the manipulator in the shadows... No, first take down that demonic creature and resolve the crisis at hand. The ownership of the Holy Grail can be discussed later."】

【"I came here precisely for this. Gorgon and the mastermind behind the scenes are a threat to us all."】

【Brother Luo Shu said indifferently, glancing casually at the imprisoned Saber.】

【At the time, he had the opportunity to stop Medea from taking Saber, but he had sensed the prying of someone outside the seven Servants. Suspicious, he investigated the previous Holy Grail War and indeed discovered strange omens.】

【In order to make the person behind the scenes jump out on their own, he did not risk his life to protect Saber.】

【Sure enough...】

【Seeing the scales of the balance tip to one side, the person behind the scenes could no longer sit still.】

【Immediately, Brother Luo Shu seemed to think of something and raised an eyebrow.】

【"Speaking of which, Assassin?"】

【"... Isn't he entangled with you?" Medea was somewhat startled.】

【"Hmm?!"】

【Brother Luo Shu furrowed his brows.】

【The Assassin's presence had vanished.】

【Although he was an Assassin-class Servant, Kojiro was more like a swordsman.】

【Most of the time, he didn't hide his presence at all.】

【The assassin disappearing meant...】

……

83. Hideyoshi is beheaded, summoning... the ninth pillar Heroic Spirit!

Oppressive BGM suddenly sounded, with a suffocating, hair-raising quality.

【On the road to Ryudoji Temple.】

【Sasaki Kojiro ran frantically in anxiety, completely lacking his original elegance and ease.】

【Just as he described himself, he was merely a mortal who enjoyed the beauty of nature.】

【Naturally, he would also encounter situations where he lost his composure.】

【"Why... did the contract break..."】

【On the road, Kojiro gritted his teeth, his inner sense of foreboding growing stronger.】

【Under the witness of the Holy Grail system, the contract between Servant and Master is tightly inseparable. Usually, such a situation occurs either due to a Noble Phantasm like Medea's, which cut off his perception of his Master.】

【Or...】

【Step~.】

【The footsteps stopped abruptly.】

【Looking at the Ryudoji Temple before him, Kojiro stared blankly at what was in front of him, a dazed feeling striking his brain, his hands and feet cold as if falling into an ice cellar.】

【His whole body couldn't stop trembling.】

"Ahhhhhhh!!"

In an instant, many girls on Earth screamed in terror, their bodies collapsing uncontrollably to the ground, their teeth chattering, directly scared out of their wits.

……

【Hideyoshi's eyes were closed, hanging from a flagpole; the wind blew, lifting a strand of hair.】

【The beautiful head was severed at the neck, hanging in front of the Ryudoji Temple gate, blood flowing down from the severed part.】

【Like... a beautiful still painting.】

This image was too impactful. Although more people had died before, this was an acquaintance they had been following, equivalent to the existence of the protagonist group, and now they had actually been beheaded and hung on a flagpole like this...

Many people stared blankly at the head hanging on the flagpole in the image, their whole bodies trembling.

For the first time, they felt that this was indeed a war.

And war is inevitably cruel; how could it be peaceful and harmonious without deaths?

……

"I..."

Hideyoshi felt a chill in his heart looking at this scene and hurriedly touched his head.

Only after discovering it hadn't fallen off did he breathe a sigh of relief, his body still trembling subconsciously.

……

【"Hide... yoshi..."】

【Sasaki Kojiro trembled all over, his eyes dazed, his brain stimulated to a blank state, even saying his Master's name was incredibly difficult; the swordsman, once known for his agility, was now stiff.】

【Although he hadn't known Hideyoshi for long, they had forged a deep friendship.】

【The pleasant jokes and conversations with Hideyoshi were still fresh in his mind; he vaguely remembered responding to countless topics with a light smile.】

……

【"I have no dissatisfaction with my Master."】

【"Rather, you lack the arrogance peculiar to mages, which I quite like."】

【"What do I pursue? I am satisfied as long as I keep wielding my sword."】

【"Although I call myself Sasaki Kojiro, I am not sure if my existence is real. Alas, this is the end for someone who has dedicated their life to the sword."】

【"The Holy Grail? From the perspective of moon-viewing and drinking, it's a bit too big; dead men's bones might be more useful..."】

【"How about occasionally drinking together with the moonlight as our companion?"】

【"What? Hideyoshi, you're still a minor... and can't drink? I see. Then I will patiently wait a few more years. Until that day comes, I, Kojiro, will act as your guardian blade and protect you always."】

……

【Scenes of the past flashed by, that person who was vivid and laughing in his memory...】

【At this moment, their head hung high, like a flag, silently closing their eyes.】

【Sasaki Kojiro came back to his senses, his gaze turning cold, gripping the sword in his hand, "My friend, war is cruel, I have long been accustomed to it, but I will never forgive those who trampled on your body..."】

【Suddenly—.】

【"Assassin!"】 ===== CHAPTER 130 =====