Chapter 109: Preparation, Approach, and... Divergence

After a night of rest, Xia Zhi had made as thorough preparations as possible.

After all, caution and preparation prevent trouble.

Late at night, having finally finished his preparations, he calmly reached out and drew a bronze short spear from the air shimmering with golden ripples; its style was ancient, its spearhead sharp.

It looked to contain no small amount of magical power, flashing with cold light under the lamps.

Indeed! This bronze short spear was the famous... cough, actually it had no particularly remarkable origin, and he had obtained it simply because it was one of the Noble Phantasms Gilgamesh had fired as part of his Noble Phantasm rain.

It was just a relatively ordinary Noble Phantasm.

Like a mass-produced common item, its Noble Phantasm rank barely reached Rank C.

After all, while Mr. Jin was wealthy and extravagant, he was also frugal; when unleashing his Noble Phantasm rain bombardment, he would not easily fire high-rank Noble Phantasms as disposable ammunition, mainly using Rank E Noble Phantasms.

Rank D Noble Phantasms would also be fired as ammunition, though relatively speaking, they were fewer in number.

As for Rank C Noble Phantasms, they were even rarer—not that there were absolutely none, but they probably only occasionally appeared mixed in one wave of Noble Phantasm rain, adding a bit of overall power and giving enemies who had adapted to the previous bombardment intensity a small surprise.

This was of course a wise practice, and it gave a certain explanation to the rationality of Mr. Jin's King's Treasure. Because if even those high-rank Noble Phantasms were endless and could be used as lavishly as bullets to bombard enemies...

That would be too terrifying.

Even if all the heroes, all the legends, all the epics in Pan-Human History, and all those key points and factors that could be sublimated into Noble Phantasms were added together—

they still would not amount to more than half the number of Noble Phantasms in Mr. Jin's King's Treasure.

Xia Zhi had found information on this Rank C short spear from among the many waves of Noble Phantasm rain Mr. Jin had fired, and re-materialized it.

Playing with the short spear in his hand, he nimbly rotated it a few times; the youth gripped the short spear in a reverse hold, extended his other arm, and without blinking an eye, thrust the sharp spearhead into the skin on his arm!

However, nothing happened.

The skin tissue was not cut open, the flesh was not pierced.

His arm remained completely unharmed, and not even a faint white mark was left from that thrust just now.

"It was deflected..."

Xia Zhi blinked and fell into thought. Having seen the whole scene clearly, he naturally understood that he had not withstood the attack, but had directly deflected it—the spear tip had not even reached his body.

"Not simply withstanding the attack, but directly nullifying attacks of insufficient rank..."

"So that's how its mechanism works..."

—This was exactly the trump card he had prepared at great cost, named "Twelve Labors," a Noble Phantasm.

—He had successfully analyzed the power of the great hero Heracles and obtained this extremely powerful Noble Phantasm information.

Because in ancient Greek mythology, that great hero had crossed twelve trials hailed as "impossible to complete," from skinning the Nemean Lion to slaying the Hydra; from plucking the Golden Apples of the Hesperides to bringing back Cerberus, the hound of Hell...

And this great feat of crossing the Twelve Labors, as a celebrated symbol in the legends of Heroic Spirits, could not ignore past achievements and milestones, so it naturally became one of the powerful Noble Phantasms possessed by Heracles.

Noble Phantasm rank: Rank B.

Noble Phantasm type: Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm for single combat.

It sounded unimpressive, even though strictly speaking, reaching Rank B meant it entered the category of high-rank Noble Phantasms. But it clearly did not match the great fame of the great hero Heracles and the astonishing feats he had accomplished...

However, that was not actually the case—

The divine protection granted by this power was terrifying, and the enhancement it brought was beyond imagination.

"Twelve Labors" was not a tangible Noble Phantasm; it appeared neither as a weapon nor as armor, and calling it a skill or ultimate move seemed somewhat related, but upon closer examination seemed not quite accurate either...

Precisely speaking, it was an immortality.

A Noble Phantasm representing immortality, both a "Divine Blessing" and a "Divine Curse."

This Noble Phantasm named "Twelve Labors" had three main effects—

The first was to transform his own body into tough armor, nullifying all attacks below Rank B; in fighting game terms, it was like having super armor against all attacks except super special moves, and not taking damage—a rogue Noble Phantasm.

The second was automatic resurrection, possessing the effect of automatically reviving the body after death, and because it was cumulative resurrection magecraft, it accumulated eleven uses, equivalent to having twelve lives; the holder had to be killed twelve times to be truly eliminated.

The third was to add resistance to known damage; for example, after receiving fire damage and recovering, defense against fire would increase by +100. So unless the damage was absolutely overwhelming, it would only interpret the phrase "that which does not kill me makes me stronger" to the fullest.

—No matter from what perspective, it was very exaggerated.

It could even be said that any one of these three effects, taken alone, was already a very top-tier high-grade entry.

And when all three were directly combined, it became a dream-like exquisite Noble Phantasm, truly a combination one dared not even imagine.

To be honest, when he analyzed the specific information of this Rank B Noble Phantasm "Twelve Labors," Xia Zhi was very surprised; he did not expect that terrifying Berserker giant to actually have such a fearsome trump card.

He had thought Twelve Labors corresponded to the tasks Heracles completed in life and the treasures he obtained, such as the Nemean Lion's hide impervious to blades and spears, or arrows dipped in the Hydra's poisonous blood.

They must all be very powerful Noble Phantasms, only that Heracles at the time had undergone Mad Enhancement and lost all rationality, so perhaps he had no consciousness to use them.

It was not strange that Xia Zhi would think so; upon hearing the name of the Noble Phantasm, one would naturally associate it with those great deeds in myths, and according to normal thinking, one would subconsciously assume this Noble Phantasm should take that form.

Who could have thought that this Noble Phantasm seemed to recreate the key elements of the legend—

like the embodiment of the concept itself of "supporting Heracles in fighting twelve consecutive battles undefeated."

To be honest, combined with Heracles who had lost rationality due to Mad Enhancement and could only act and fight by instinct, it was indeed very fitting.

A Berserker with double A in strength and speed, and terrifying combat power...

Others hit by his light strike would not die but lose half their life; he hit by others' full-power strike might not even break the defense...

—Not only hard to hit, but also hard to kill;

—Not only hard to kill, but also had to be killed twelve times;

—Not only had to be killed twelve times, but each time with a different method.

Thinking about it seriously, one would discover that this demigod hero famous in Greek Mythology, appearing in a normal Holy Grail War, was nothing short of a Dimension Reduction Strike, becoming a nightmare for the vast majority of Heroic Spirits, an insurmountable despair.

Except for the enthusiastic citizen Mr. Jin who cheated even more excessively and completely disregarded the Basic Law, Xia Zhi did not think anything could defeat Heracles.

Of course, the so-called normal Holy Grail War was excluding his own situation.

As a technical big shot with Origin Awakening, Xia Zhi currently directly copied the demigod hero's dream configuration, clothing his body with a layer of Concept Armor, and his defense power directly increased by leaps and bounds.

Rank A Magic Resistance, Rank B flesh armor.

Combined, they should bring quite a good sense of security.

Although he wouldn't say it, because he was afraid of pain he put everything into defense, but he also wouldn't mind making himself indestructible.

Casually opening the gate to the "Golden Capital," he tossed the bronze short spear back into the warehouse, and Xia Zhi examined his own palm, gently clenching his fist.

Indeed, steady cultivation has no future, just like a wage slave can never achieve financial freedom.

Only plunder is the fastest means to complete primitive accumulation.

Just like refining the Great Holy Grail itself into an elixir, just like seizing the enemy's power and making it one's own.

Like right now, his physical strength shot up all at once, catching Noble Phantasms barehanded — practically the bearing of a youthful Great Emperor... if he relied solely on his own effort, tempering his body step by step, reaching this level would not be so easy.

"Continue, continue, let me see what other good stuff there is..."

As exploration and application gradually deepened, Xia Zhi also discovered that the power of Heroic Spirits really is a good thing.

If Index's 103,000 Grimoires are a massive treasure mountain, then the Throne of Heroes is a riverbed suitable for panning gold — although its value falls far short of the former, it is undoubtedly more suitable for him right now.

Because it's easier to develop, easier to obtain results.

Next there's still Medea's "High-Speed Divine Words," Medusa's "Petrifying Mystic Eyes," Sasaki Kojiro's "Secret Sword Tsubame Gaeshi"...

Things like that, and so on and so forth.

If he could pluck all the fruits, it would be enough to grant him an extremely great improvement, making him well-rounded without shortcomings.

————

————

The next morning.

There was no sunlight; the sky was instead a gray expanse, and before long, a steady drizzle began to fall.

Following the method decided upon last night, Xia Zhi directly got a car.

Amid the pattering rain, he sat in the driver's seat, hands gripping the steering wheel, recalling with slight emotion how long it had been since he last drove. It seemed truly a very, very long time ago, after a certain cycle ended.

After that, he basically never held a steering wheel himself again.

Basically always riding in other people's cars or other transportation, for a very long stretch of time, it was just like that...

And then after that, he went another very long stretch of time, simply not wanting to go out, just shutting himself in at home spacing out and molding...

Recalling it now, there was a somewhat surreal feeling, as if a lifetime had passed.

"Um... do you want me to drive? You can focus on the situation outside, no need to be distracted."

Standing beside the road, holding an umbrella for the two sisters, Miss Tenka watched the youth sit in the driver's seat, hands gripping the steering wheel, seemingly lost in thought, pursed her lips, and couldn't help but speak up.

She originally wanted to drive herself, just didn't expect the other party to unceremoniously take the driver's seat, so she dismissed that idea.

But watching Xia Zhi like this, Toriya Tenka couldn't help but worry — could it be he doesn't know how to drive?

Thinking about it, it's quite possible. After all, according to him, he originally wasn't a Magician living in the Reality World, and under normal circumstances would never be summoned, so he's probably quite unfamiliar with this current era as well.

Even if his adaptability is strong, learning ability strong, in just a few days since being summoned he can basically act like a modern person...

But it's also impossible for him to be thorough in every aspect, to understand everything, right?

So watching the other party staring at the steering wheel, falling into contemplation, Miss Tenka formed this speculation, thinking he might subconsciously feel driving is simple, but once actually in the car, discovered he can't understand the instrument panel and such.

"No need, get in the car quick..."

Xia Zhi, still slightly emotional, came back to his senses, glanced at the Toriya sisters outside, and decisively shook his head.

"The rain's getting heavier, don't stand out there getting soaked, I'll drive..."

He understood Miss Tenka's tactful words, but this was completely unnecessary. Not to mention he himself has extremely rich driving experience, even if he truly had none at all, with his A+ Riding, he would display driving skill surpassing humans.

Riding Skill is a passive ability effective on vehicles, animals, humans, even some abstract objects — meaning even abstract concepts of "riding" can be driven with absolute mastery.

Medusa's Riding reaches Rank A or above, universal to the point of freely driving almost all beasts and mounts, even Phantasmal Beasts and Divine Beasts.

Even if not using a familiar mount or vehicle, he can instantly learn the highest-grade riding method within two seconds.

However—

Miss Tenka naturally wouldn't know this, she still hesitated: "Really... no problem?"

"Relax, I know how to drive, how simple is this, just one look and I got it..." the youth laughed heartily, as if to increase his verbal persuasiveness, gesturing with both hands, "Look, left stick controls direction, right stick controls view, A accelerates, B brakes..."

"..."

"..."

This sounds really reassuring.

Miss Tenka fell silent for a moment, took a deep breath, and firmly said: "I'll drive after all."

Thus, under Toriya Tenka's strong insistence.

The driver was successfully swapped.

Xia Zhi took the umbrella from her and stood by the roadside, not minding too much, just lowered his head to look, "Master, you get in first, careful not to get rained on..."

"Mm-hmm..."

Toriya Rikka cheerfully reached to open the rear door, then suddenly seemed to think of something, her movement pausing slightly.

The next moment, she turned back, feigning a yawn: "Xia Zhi, Xia Zhi, I feel a bit sleepy, maybe because I used a lot of magical energy yesterday and didn't rest well... how about I just sleep in the back?"

"..."

"..."

She was this spirited just now, and the moment she turns her head she says she's sleepy?

The youth sized up his own Master, but still complied readily: "Then I'll go sit in the front passenger seat, Master you rest well... right, take this, carry it on you."

He also took out a new Amulet, presenting it before Toriya Rikka's eyes.

"Oh oh!"

?

"..." Miss Tenka in the driver's seat, hands gripping the steering wheel, slightly furrowed her brows, Rikka's behavior seems to have become a bit strange... what exactly is she thinking?

Xia Zhi leisurely circled to the other side, closed the umbrella and got in, gave it a light shake, evaporating all the raindrops on the umbrella, then closed the car door.

"Alright, let's set off."

"Mm, seated..." Tenka Miss also withdrew her gaze, no longer staring through the rearview mirror at her younger sister lying in the back seat, but instead proficiently started the vehicle, driving out smoothly in the drizzling rain.

After driving for a while, the car left the range of Hida City, choosing at a certain fork a road obviously much more remote—

On a road where even streetlights were sparse, naturally there were no vehicles coming and going.

In the continuous gloomy rain, this road seemed forgotten in a secluded place far from human habitation.

This national highway route thus turned its back on the city's light, extending toward the direction of the deep mountains. Ahead on the road was a stretch of undeveloped deep mountain forest, and the car wound its way through the quiet forest all along.

"... Itoshiro Town should not be far ahead, according to the information found, when the meteorite struck, it destroyed most of the small town, and even the road was cut off together, and it was not rebuilt afterward..."

While proficiently driving the car, Tenka Miss spoke:

"Probably after driving a certain distance, we should arrive, but we might still have to walk in... Ah, it's right ahead."

She subconsciously slowed the car speed, slowly bringing the car to a stop.

"What's right ahead?" Xia Zhi raised his eyebrow, looking toward the front.

In his vision, the asphalt road continued winding forward through the mountain forest, extending all the way to the distance, where the outline of the town at the end appeared faintly.

There was no cut-off road surface at all.

He even saw the town at the end, seemingly faintly with people moving about.

"It's just that the road ahead is already broken..."

Toriya Satone was stunned for a moment, looked at him, then looked at the road fracture ahead at the end of her vision.

It looked very terrifying, as if driving along the road, driving and driving, suddenly there was no road ahead. The fracture was like a steep cliff, below was the surging sea, once falling down there would be no trace left.

No wonder those taxis didn't want to run this way, there were so many warning signs along the road.

(Chapter End)