Chapter 590: Bread Literature

"The Holy Grail War? I heard the replica inside the Spiral Space is a D to C+ rank mission, but ever since I entered Spiral Space, I've been assigned a B-rank mission."

Three mysterious figures wrapped in brown robes gazed at the sky; one man covered in tattoos stared upward, his expression filled with confusion.

In fact, every SSS-rank team assigned an investigation mission feels exactly this way when their task shifts from timeline data records to "Investigate the Holy Grail War."

Especially after arriving in this world and getting a preliminary sense of the situation.

This is fucking ridiculous—Marvel Holy Grail War?

"Isn't this perfect for fulfilling one of your wishes?" The woman, whose graceful figure was unmistakable even beneath the robe, smiled.

"I have a high-grade item gathering dust for a long time—the Desire Narrative Tome."

The thin girl held up a palm-sized notebook and said:

"It can view and trigger the target's desire impulses—perhaps useful for uncovering clues and uncovering the True Names of the Servants!"

As she spoke, a symbiotic Captain America wielding a shield stormed the street, slaughtering wildly; then a Black Captain Marvel and She-Hulk began brawling, destroying every building along their path.

X-Men, Pantheon, Avengers, Hela, Horse-Faced Thor, Baron Mordo.

"You think we don't recognize these people?"

"."

Everyone on the street—whether identical copies or variants—could be identified by their abilities and weapon traits.

"What if it's useful?!" The thin woman clutched the book, tears in her eyes.

"This cost me a million Spiral Points—I picked it up as a bargain from the market, a Conceptual Rule item, and I've never used it once."

That alone proves how ridiculous this is!

After a silent pause, ripples appeared in the surrounding space, and four Spiralers with the Illuminati seal on their chests materialized.

"Goblins don't dream of Sexy Goddess Squad."

"Don't bring up that idiotic name our former captain gave us."

A curly-haired man sighed: "Getting rid of Richard's paranoia isn't easy—who knew this mission would change unexpectedly?"

"Who's that behind you?" The tattooed man asked, eyeing a red-haired stranger stepping out from behind them. "New member?"

"Met him on the way—a friend from the Graveyard of All Things Research Institute," the curly-haired man immediately flashed a flattering smile and turned.

"Young Lady Farah, will you be joining us, or…"

"I'll act alone."

Farah looked at the tattooed man and tossed him a bookmark: "If you find any clues, let me know."

"Mm." The tattooed man's expression twisted oddly, but he nodded without protest.

Immediately, he watched the red-haired woman in her robe stride away, vanishing from view.

"She's probably a special envoy from the Institute—someone from that behemoth, passing through our timeline as a transit point."

The curly-haired man exhaled: "She's extremely aloof—don't go near her."

The tattooed man nodded. Such lone Spiralers are usually exceptionally strong; otherwise, he wouldn't have acceded to her request.

"Where's your team leader?"

The two teams were evenly matched and had decent personal relations; after being assigned to the Marvel Universe, they'd even aided each other before.

"Had his head taken over by the second brother, went to provoke her, got killed."

The curly-haired man spoke as if recounting something ordinary: "Eliminated in an instant."

In nighttime New York, the war between superheroes and supervillains had not grown more restrained due to yesterday's intrusions.

Quite the opposite—after witnessing the arrival of two supreme beings, the credibility of the Holy Grail granting any wish had skyrocketed!

Just one day later, as night fell again, everyone rushed headlong into battle.

"Sabra, this is a perfect opportunity—the chance to restore the glory of our chosen people!"

A young man with golden hair, black eyes, a prominent nasal bridge, and an eagle-like hooked nose rapidly tapped on his phone:

"Though these trash are powerful, if we use our intelligence, we might still win the Holy Grail War."

The curly-haired woman, dressed in blue-and-white uniforms marked by hexagrams, grew melancholy upon hearing him.

"I wish the world could know peace, Nathan—no more war."

"Once we restore our glory and once again rule over these pig-dog races, there will be no war at all."

After slamming his fingers twice on the phone, Nathan felt an overwhelming sense of superiority; he put the phone down and said:

"You're our history's first mutant hero—how can you speak for a bunch of animal-like humans?"

"Don't forget—the classics clearly state that though they share our physical structure, they are condemned to serve us day and night."

"I don't think that's right, Nathan," Sabra sighed. "And—"

"Enough. Your only duty is to protect and assist me in the Holy Grail ritual," Nathan cut in. "I am the descendant of the magi!"

This woman was too much of a buzzkill. If he hadn't needed a bodyguard, he'd never teamed up with a mutant like her.

She had no self-awareness as a chosen one, and kept babbling nonsense in his ear.

But it didn't matter—he'd already won half the battle just by entering the Holy Grail War. That trash who'd been arguing with him on social media for days probably didn't even know what the Holy Grail was.

His summoning ritual had a minor glitch—he hadn't summoned Moxi as planned, but instead summoned Esther, the ancient Persian queen.

"Alright, step over here. I'll bestow some blessings upon you," Nathan pointed to the newly drawn array on the rooftop.

"Then you'll qualify to summon Servants in the Holy Grail War."

Nathan tilted his chin slightly and pulled a crystal ball from his robe; inside, surveillance footage flickered.

Fires blazed everywhere, monsters slaughtered endlessly, and the sky had been split into multiple sections by strange, powerful magic.

These lowly fools had summoned so many powerful Servants…

"Don't rush to summon yet. Let's assassinate these Servants' Masters—then the Servants without Masters will form contracts with us."

Nathan's sharp mind spun rapidly; he immediately contacted the tactical squad dispatched from home to assist him.

After making arrangements, he took Sabra to the streets of New York.

In Times Square, giant electronic screens displayed advertisements and news, colorful and noisy.

Various ads and performances played in succession; to Nathan, this was sheer waste of time.

【Today, I stand here! On American soil! On New York, this land where gods descended, I ask again the question from sixty-seven years ago.】

One by one, the giant screens shifted to the same image: a white-skinned, blond-haired, blue-eyed man with a black-brimmed hat appeared.

【Tell me, humans—do you need only a loaf of bread?!】

For some reason, Nathan felt as if he had stepped into a refrigerator on a scorching day; coldness spread everywhere.

The blond man wore a wool overcoat inappropriate for the season, standing at the center of the screen, radiating a powerful aura of silent authority.

【I am sorry—since my departure, the Squid has returned, even more hidden than before!】

He spoke, and within three or four sentences, his voice echoed throughout all of New York, deeply compelling, tracing the influence of the Squid in world history.

【Now, let me answer you: what you need is not a loaf of bread!】

For some reason, Nathan suddenly remembered today's "Sunday Without God." He had said he would bring back the failed art student.

His eyelid twitched; he contacted the squad assigned to him, ordering the man behind this mimicry to be erased from existence.

After all, countless people vanish worldwide every year.

【Today, sixty-seven years later, I have returned once more. This time, I will complete what was left unfinished. This time, anyone who stands in my way is trash!!!】

Finally, I wish to speak here the words I never got to say.】

He raised his right arm at a forty-five-degree angle, performing the most familiar gesture, and roared: 【Benito, you're an idiot!!!】

Suddenly, an alarm blared from nowhere, as if some grand prelude had been unveiled.

Steel constructs bearing inverted swastikas began appearing in the sky and streets of Times Square—without warning, yet multiplying rapidly.

Metal barrels of cannons and rifles rotated to face every direction; the entire sky reflected searchlight beams, and within the clouds hid countless deafening sounds.

Step-step-step

Uniformed marching steps echoed as soldiers began entering Times Square.

"Don't move! Identity verification!"

A soldier ran up to a stunned passerby, weapon raised: "Are you a descendant of Judas?! I'm asking you!"

The Asian man with black hair and black eyes shook his head.

"You may go!"

At that moment, Nathan's phone rang—he received a command from his assistants, hidden among the crowd, already frozen.

—【Eliminate that man at all costs.】

That man?

The art student? He really came back?!

"It's fine—there are still so many superheroes and contestants here. Assistants are already pressuring S. H. I. E. L. D."

Nathan gritted his teeth: "Sabra, it's up to the two of us."

Though their opinions differed, Nathan knew what must be done—he ordered Sabra to use his mutant powers, effortlessly destroying the steel constructs and aerial fleets along their path.

Just a villain role, after all. Even as a Servant, he couldn't be that strong.

Nathan watched the emerging superhumans and Servants, his inner calm returning.

He chanted a spell, summoned a Servant, and wiped out all the masked soldiers surrounding him—

But from the wreckage of the destroyed tank,

Armed soldiers shed their outer disguises, raised weapons, and advanced, chanting: "Tide, full-power stain removal, deep-cleaning oil."

"That's a Noble Phantasm," Esther materialized from her spiritual form: "A skill elevated by legend and deeds. Master, please step back."

Esther's expression solemn, she began chanting: "The exile, though far from Jerusalem and the Temple—"

"Descendant of Judas?"

A mocking, insolent laugh rang out; from above the zombie soldiers, the clouds turned golden, and golden staircases descended from the heavens.

Three terrifying, colossal golden skeletons stood behind the golden city, their eyes blazing crimson.

"My lords, rise from the ashes!"

As a golden-haired figure clad in a WWII German coat, with a red armband, descended the stairs, the fallen zombie soldiers' flesh vanished.

From within the ruined tank wreckage, countless golden skeletons crawled out.

"Thus, God shall, in His time, forgive their sins."

He closed his eyes and chanted slowly, steadily; the fog over all of New York dispersed.

Countless golden rays erupted from every corner of New York, converging into a golden city standing tall in the sky, its architecture sharp and towering.

"A beautiful melody, echoing through my entire host."

He opened his eyes, raised his hand to the wind, and arcane runes circled him: "This is the battle cry!"

Boom—

Blood and gold fell to earth, explosions erupted violently, dust filled the sky—a scene of apocalypse; all of New York began to crumble.

Along with Esther's final surge of magical energy, her Noble Phantasm—designed to protect her kin and save the Jews from annihilation—vanished.

"On the Day of God's Wrath, on the Day of Judgment, all things in heaven and earth turn to ash."

Beneath the ruined Times Square, the blond man walked up to Nathan, chambered an old revolver, and pressed it against his forehead.

"Merciful and compassionate ones, I grant you eternal rest."

"Amen."

Bang.

"I'm so pissed off!"

This week, I went to.

Anyone who stands in my way is trash.

The angry man in the greatcoat threw his pencil onto the map, muttering words that sounded like German but weren't quite German.

Not far away, Yi Leina covered her face with one hand, as if to say she didn't know this person.

"By the way, isn't that Otto's appearance?" Lu Mingfei pointed at the screen, where Su Lin's clone walked up the stairs with a new hairstyle.

"No, that's Reichsführer Heydrich," Su Lin corrected:

"I remember you had two teachers at the Cassel Academy named Schneider and Guderian? Ask them if they'd be interested in joining the Holy Grail War."

"Can't you have any decent characters in your alts?"

Lu Mingfei's lip twitched: "Besides, how could historical figures in this world possess such Noble Phantasms?"

"But in Type-Moon, they do," Su Lin said, removing his hat. Under Lu Mingfei's puzzled gaze, he added: "I've completely fused the histories of both worlds."

"What do you mean?"

"Some people lost their Gil."