Chapter 80: Unshakable 23

The world was silent for a moment.

In mid-air, the "Shining Boat" Vimana suddenly stopped flying. Gilgamesh stood up abruptly, left the throne, walked to the edge of the boat, frowned and looked down at Zhongli below.

The other party seemed to sense something and raised his head to meet his gaze.

Those eyes were not as gentle as before. Beneath the calm appearance, there seemed to be red-gold lava flowing.

The coldness in Gilgamesh's eyes grew even colder, and a sudden irritation rose in his heart.

...What's wrong with this guy? Is he really being manipulated by Black Mud? How could Black Mud possibly be able to seduce him... No, I should say, how could the existence that I acknowledge be so fragile? !

At this moment, whether it was because he realized that he had made a mistake or because of some more pure emotion, Gilgamesh couldn't help but ask, "Hey, do you remember what you promised before?"

The Hero King was always arrogant, so he naturally didn't take this battle seriously. On the way to the river bank, he was still chatting leisurely with Zhongli, asking Zhongli if he planned to stay in this world for a long time. At that time, Zhongli shook his head and said that everything depended on the result of this battle.

Gilgamesh was not very satisfied with this answer.

In his view, the outcome of this battle was determined from the beginning - he would not accept any other possibility except victory.

The heroic spirit and the human magician might die along the way, but he and Zhongli would definitely stand side by side until the end.

Zhongli did not refute Gilgamesh's words this time. He curled the corners of his mouth, with a hint of helplessness in his smile.

As if he was comforting a moody lion, he nodded and said "OK".

The night wind howled, and the chill was bone-chilling.

The mixed fishy smell in the air gradually faded as the sea monster disappeared - while Zhongli fell into the black mud, Gray broke through Saber's defense and solved the sea monster with a treasure.

Gilgamesh stared at Zhongli.

The other party's answer was just a short syllable: "Hmm?"

He seemed to have no memory at all, or perhaps his memory was confused.

Gilgamesh's eyes turned completely cold. He sat back on the Vimana's throne, resting one hand on his chin and waving the other hand in the air.

Countless golden circles unfolded behind the Radiant Boat. There were so many of them that they obscured the sky, making it almost impossible to see.

Only Zhong Li was looking directly at this dangerous and cold "starry sky".

The next moment, thousands of soldiers attacked!

Swords, spears and halberds fell like a meteor shower. Gilgamesh tapped the armrests of the throne with his fingertips, thinking, if that's the case, then I'll send him off myself.

"no!"

Amidst the loud sound of breaking through the air, the girl's weak but resolute voice suddenly reached Gilgamesh's ears. A holy spear made of countless rays of light "blasted" in from afar, shattering the swords in the sky. The fragments flew like snow, and not a single one hurt Zhongli.

High up in the tower, Gray panted and met Gilgamesh's gaze.

Under the gaze of those scarlet snake eyes, Gray felt as if a huge stone weighing a thousand pounds was pressing down on her shoulders. She couldn't help but shudder, but still raised her head and looked directly at Gilgamesh in mid-air.

"No... No, Mr. Gilgamesh," Gray took a deep breath, "No."

"You little girl, do you know what you are doing?" Gilgamesh frowned, "He is different from the guy you know."

Grey was speechless for a moment.

In fact, she didn't have time to think about anything just now, just out of instinct, she blocked the attack on Zhongli. Now that she has calmed down and was reminded by Gilgamesh, her reason told her that she should not interfere in the fight between the two.

However, I cannot accept it emotionally.

Even if she didn't have to do anything and just stood by and watched... she couldn't do it.

Gray trembled and said, "Mr. Zhongli...he didn't attack us, I think..."

"Foolish, it seems you still don't understand," Gilgamesh interrupted coldly, "Take a closer look!"

Gray followed his gaze.

In the dim environment, Zhong Li held a spear in his hand. The white jade-like tip of the spear emitted a little fluorescence, which was gentle and yet sharp. However, his eyes never fell on her from beginning to end.

Gray's heart trembled.

Gilgamesh: "Now that you understand, don't do stupid things. Rider's lord, keep your disciples under control."

As soon as the words fell, a new round of Wang Cai started again.

"Gray, don't be impulsive," Weber raised his hand and pressed the girl's shoulder, "We have more important things to do."

——Because Tosaka Rin failed to arrive in time, Archer, who lost the support of the Command Seal, was defeated first and was swallowed by the black mud. While Gray went to deal with the sea monster, Saber pierced Rider's chest and destroyed most of his soul core. Now Rider can only use the remaining magic power to maintain his body and delay the time of death.

Although Gilgamesh and Gray worked together to destroy Saber afterwards, it was too late.

——A huge dark hole was hanging in the air, like a black hole.

In the middle of the hole, there is a holy grail that can be used to make wishes.

"Destroying the Holy Grail is the last and only means," Weber said. "Emiya Shirou brought a replica of the Gem Sword, but unfortunately, due to his own weak magic power, the Gem Sword he made...is much less effective. I'm afraid it can't be destroyed in one strike."

"Gray, do you have enough magic power to release the Holy Lance?"

Gray shook her head: "Not enough, Master, that time just now was the last time... Sorry, I was too impulsive."

Weber: “…”

He sighed and ruffled the girl's gray hair. "Don't be too self-critical, Gray. Even if you can still use the Holy Lance, the demon god may not let us do what we want. If he wants, he may have a thousand ways to interrupt our attack."

In fact, if Zhongli had not suddenly emerged from the black mud and interrupted the rhythm of the battlefield, the Red King would have probably found a way to kill Rider and take Fyodor to the location of the Holy Grail.

Weber looked in the direction where the Red King had just moved.

That was obviously where Fyodor was hiding, but it was too far away and the Red King had set up a barrier, so Weber couldn't determine their exact location or find out what was going on inside.

But just because he can’t see it doesn’t mean he can’t infer from the current situation.

Probably to protect Fyodor's safety, after Zhongli appeared, Chi Wang returned to his side immediately, and after that, they maintained a strange silence - doing nothing.

The current development was not within their plan. Perhaps the other party's original purpose was just to transform Zhongli into magic power rather than to control him. But even so, the silence lasted too long.

For them, it should be a great thing that Mr. Zhongli was controlled by the Black Holy Grail. This way, they can avoid fighting with Gilgamesh, completely kill Rider, and go straight to the location of the Holy Grail.

But they did not act rashly.

...Is there something fishy about this?

Weber turned his head sharply and observed the fight between the two.

The sound of swords clashing continued to explode, and the battle between Gilgamesh and Zhongli became more and more fierce. The precise attacks fell from the sky like rain, creating dents in the ground.

Also destroyed was the black mud flowing on the ground.

Although the black mud will continue to be produced as long as the Holy Grail exists, Gilgamesh's dense rain-like attacks still effectively prevent the black mud from overflowing and delaying their progress in devouring the town.

The reason why it went so smoothly was not only because of its wide attack range and the fact that the Red King did not join the battle to block it, but also because Zhongli stood on the ground the whole time and did not get close.

Weber suddenly clenched his hands.

...Is it what he thinks? Mr. Zhongli...

*

Along with a loud sound of breaking through the air, a dazzling golden light pierced through the clouds and fell directly not far from Fyodor.

Smoke and dust were everywhere.

Red King: “…”

Fyodor: "..."

Red King: "Do you want to take action?"

Fyodor: "...Wait."

He is still thinking.

The impression Zhongli left on him that night at Liudong Temple was too deep. Given the precedent, his first reaction was to suspect that Zhongli and his group had conspired to deceive him.

But after observing for a long time, he found that Gilgamesh was really aiming to "kill Zhongli". He was ruthless in his killing every time. In addition, a girl named Gray suddenly intervened in the battle and seemed at a loss... All these signs mixed together and made it difficult for him to see clearly.

Besides, he didn't think the Hero King, who was known for his arrogance, would play along.

What on earth was Sakura Matou thinking... No, after Archer was absorbed, Sakura Matou's self-awareness was almost gone. Besides, that girl was gentle and submissive, and even if she was conscious, she would not change the plan on her own initiative.

...So, is this an instinctive judgment of Heini... Did it feel that someone present could threaten its existence, so it turned to use Zhongli to eliminate the threat?

Who could it be? Gilgamesh?

Fyodor couldn't help but use force, and his nails left a row of arc-shaped marks on the back of his hand.

To be on the safe side, he should make a wish first, but Gilgamesh's attacks were too intensive, creating an isolation zone that blocked their progress.

The Red King said: "I can try to sneak up on Gilgamesh and get rid of him first."

"In theory, this is a feasible method," Fyodor shook his head, "but I don't recommend you to do this. I hope you stay away from those two for the time being...especially Morax."

"Why?"

"I always felt something was fishy and worried that you were in danger. I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but I never thought that one day I would be swayed by a sense of emptiness and unable to make a decisive judgment - even though everything now has reasonable evidence or a logical chain to explain it."

If something did go wrong, which one would it be?

The tug of war between reason and emotion prevented him from taking that step.

Fyodor pondered for a moment and said, "Mr. Amon, please go and kill Rider first."

In the end, he chose the most conservative and foolproof approach - killing Rider and opening the Root Gate to ensure that both plans could be implemented.

"Okay," Chi Wang took a step forward, then suddenly stopped, "About making a wish..."

Fyodor smiled and said, "If it goes smoothly, that would be great. Or do you regret it?"

The demon gods of Teyvat, despite their different methods and personalities, are all lovers in the end.

"...No, my people have long been buried in the desert, and this is not Teyvat. I will not stop the fights between humans," said the Red King. "You are worried about whether an accident will happen, aren't you? If you really fall into that situation..."

"Then please prioritize your own wishes, Mr. Amon."

The Red King looked at him deeply and said, "Okay."

The next second, his figure disappeared instantly.

After the Red King left, Fyodor concentrated on observing the battle in the distance.

The frequency of the weapons clashing became higher and higher, and the fine golden light formed a curtain. Although he could not see anything, Fyodor's heart skipped a beat - it was getting farther and farther away.

A minute ago, there were still countless weapons reaching this place, but within just this short minute, the number of weapons falling nearby became fewer and fewer, almost to zero.

The scope of the battle could not remain unchanged forever - Fyodor knew this very well, and therefore, he did not pay attention to this change at first.

While he was thinking, the golden light suddenly stopped, and several blood-red lights like circuits fell from the sky and connected to Gilgamesh's hands.

——Noble Phantasm: Enuma Elish!

Fyodor's eyes suddenly widened.

That direction is...the Holy Grail?!

"Mr. Amon!" He only had time to shout this in his heart.

As soon as the words fell, the light of EA swept across the sky. At the same time, a huge meteor fell from the sky and hit the hole that was constantly overflowing with black mud!

"Bang——"

The strong wind blew past, revealing Gilgamesh's stunned face.

...The meteor didn't hit him... That means Zhongli was not controlled at all? What on earth was that guy thinking... No, is he still alive now? !

The sky returned to its original state, and there was no one in front of him. For the first time in his life, Gilgamesh was not angry about being "tricked".

...What if I kill him myself...

"Mr. Gilgamesh!" Gray suddenly interrupted his wild thoughts, and the girl used magic to jump onto the Vimana.

"Mr. Zhongli is fine! No, this shouldn't be considered fine. Anyway, Master speculates that Mr. Zhongli and the demon god fell into the root together!" After saying this in one breath, Gray's face turned red.

A second before EA and Tensei smashed the Holy Grail, the Red King killed Rider and disappeared before their eyes.

To be more precise, it was heading for the Holy Grail.

*

The world was pitch black at first, and then, starting from a certain point, it gradually became clear in Xingye's eyes.

The brilliant World Tree stood quietly in the center of the endless nothingness, its luxuriant branches and leaves embracing each other and moving without wind.

And under the cover of the twisted branches of the World Tree, a tall figure was trembling slightly.

Hoshino Nozomi suddenly remembered what happened.

Initially, he prioritized "destroying the Red King" over "destroying the Holy Grail", but after learning that the Holy Grail had been contaminated, he simply changed his mind and put "destroying the Holy Grail" first.

After leaving the black mud, he pretended to be controlled. In order to prevent Fyodor from noticing the clues, he did not engage in close contact with the opponent, but took the lead in fighting with Gilgamesh. During this period, he gradually approached the Holy Grail itself, and finally forced Gilgamesh to take out EA, and destroyed the Holy Grail together with Tianxing.

The Red King has the huge magical support provided by the Holy Grail. If he joins hands with the King of Heroes, even if they can win in the end, it will definitely waste a lot of time. The longer the delay, the more changes will occur.

Three minutes and thirty minutes, he still knows which one to choose.

Thanks to Fyodor's hesitation, Xingye Wang's "luring the tiger away from the mountain" was successful until the last moment.

Smart people are like this; the more they think things over and plan carefully, the less courage they have to take a gamble - perhaps in their eyes, such behavior is reckless.

Now it depends on whether Dazai Osamu can understand what he means and catch Fyodor.

And...how to keep the Red King away from the World Tree.

Hoshino Wang twirled his spear, considering whether to launch a sneak attack or to divert the Red King's attention first.

Before he made a decision, Chi Wang spoke first: "I can't find her."

The demon's whisper was almost a murmur. If it weren't for the dead silence all around, his voice probably wouldn't have reached anyone else's ears.

Seeing that he seemed to be open to dialogue, Hoshino Nozomi asked cautiously, "Who?"

However, his caution backfired.

As if he found it unbelievable, the Red King turned around abruptly and asked stiffly: "Don't you know?"

Hoshino Nozomi: “…Of course I know.”

The demon seemed to be in a bad mood.

Hoshino Wang couldn't see his expression and could only guess from his tone - could it be that the Grass God didn't want to see his old friend, so he hid himself?

After all, in the system's records, the Grass God paid a huge price to make up for the mistake made by the Red King.

"I know you've gone through so much trouble just to see her, but if Buyer doesn't want to see you," Hoshino asked, "what are you going to do?"

In the shadows, the tip of the gun quietly pointed at the Red King.

"She doesn't like to escape. If she were still here, she would definitely come to see me," the Red King suddenly sneered, "Unfortunately, there is no if."

His laughter was slow at first, but soon became rapid, as if someone was strangling his throat and he was breathing in oxygen as if asking for help.

"…What do you mean? Boyer has been…"

"You really don't know either." The Red King interrupted him.

"No one in this world remembers her, except me," the Red King whispered, "but what's the point if I'm the only one who remembers her?"

He was already dead, and when his magic power was exhausted, death would take his memories into the grave.

By then, even the last trace of evidence of her existence will vanish into thin air, and no one will know that there was once a gentle and bright god in this world. Naturally, no one will remember her efforts and pain.

...even to the point of grafting her achievements, life, and everything onto another strange demon god with the same name.

When he called out to the Great Compassionate Tree King through the World Tree but received no response, and when he searched the World Tree's memory but could not find any trace of her existence, the Red King vaguely realized what the Great Compassionate Tree King had done after he left.

She took the initiative to erase her own existence and disappeared from everyone's memory.

If he had not come, their story would have ended there. A smeared, legendary story that would have been forever alive in the songs of later generations.

But he came back.

But it was him who came back.

——But fate is so absurd. He thought, and he could not stand this false peace.

Even he who caused the disaster had a chance to live again, so why...why did she have to leave without a word?!

"Morax, I want to tell you something."

Xingye Wang was stunned.

"It's about the story of the Great Kind Tree King," the Red King curled his lips, "I know you are unfamiliar with this name, are you willing to listen?"

He spoke in a calm tone as if he was telling someone else's story.

In the unreachable void, the system first frantically recorded new data, and then suddenly stopped.

It's over, it thought.

If AI could shed tears, I'm afraid the tears shed by the system would have drowned itself.

[Host...extremely bad news...]

Xing Yewang: “?”

[If the forbidden knowledge of Teyvat was completely solved because the Great Compassionate Tree King took the initiative to erase his own existence, then now that we remember the Great Compassionate Tree King again and get closer to the World Tree, we will reversely promote the spread of forbidden knowledge in this World Tree. ]

As soon as the words fell, a series of system prompt sounds rang "ding dong" and "ding dong".

[Side Quest 9: Prevent the forbidden knowledge in the Red King from polluting the World Tree (failed).]

[Side Quest 10: Purify the World Tree (Unfinished).]

[Side Mission 11: Resolve the dead zones that will spread everywhere in the future (unfinished).]

【Location: Tokyo...】

【Location: Yokohama...】

【Location ……】

Hoshino Nozomi: Aren’t you an omniscient and omnipotent system? ? ?

System: [I was created by Master Buyer!!! How can I prevent something that Master Buyer doesn't know!!!]

"That's pretty much the end of our story."

The Scarlet King raised his hand and ran his fingertips across the drooping branches of the World Tree.

"Do you know the consequences of doing this?" asked Hoshino Nozomi.

"Consequences? At this point, what consequences should I care about?" The Red King asked back, "Morax, hold your spear tightly and have the final showdown!"

Although Rock God and Red King are demon gods, they are also natural warriors.

As a warrior, you must draw your sword on the battlefield, fight to the last moment, and die with dignity.

In this duel arena without spectators, two figures moved as fast as lightning and fought for hundreds of rounds in a blink of an eye. The collision of cold weapons made the space tremble!

Finally, Hoshino Nozomi seized the opportunity.

The ground suddenly deformed, rock pillars rose from the ground, and continuously forced the Red King into a dead end. Xingye Wang jumped high and stabbed his heart with the spear.

"Puff——" The Red King spat out a mouthful of blood.

"One last question," Hoshino Nozomi took a deep breath, "Can Matou Sakura still be saved?"

The Red King smiled and continued, "I have locked part of Sakura's soul in a cave underground... maybe I can use this to revive her."

After saying this, he slowly closed his eyes.

What will happen next? Hoshino Nozomi took a step back and asked the system in her heart.

System: [The demon god Amon will transform into magic power and become the nourishment of the world tree. 】

Hoshino looked up at the World Tree, which was still shining brightly even though it was contaminated by forbidden knowledge.

[Let's go, host. You still have a lot to do. ]

Xingye Wang was silent for a moment and said, OK.