The Heart of the Evil God – Holy Grail Divine Realm
The former comrades stood in our way. Fu-chan drew Sacred Sword Will from its scabbard and took a stance. Though sleeker than Tou-yan’s sacred sword, it was enveloped in an unimaginable holy aura, despite having the same performance.
“Well, that’s fine. What I have to do won’t change. But don’t think I’m the same as I was before. As an Apostle, I’m a little more troublesome than when I was a Hero, you know?”
“You can’t say that to Fu-chan-sama alone! Everyone here has evolved beyond normal humans and worked hard to stand alongside you. Pope Philip has become a saint, and Cardinal Sai a demon. The two of you who were resurrected were also aided by the previous Light Dragon King Murmur, becoming a superhuman and a high elf. Furthermore, Fu-chan-sama seems to have some sort of difficulty. Isn’t there anyone more suited to face Fu-chan-sama than this?”
“Heh heh, I wonder?”
“Ufufu, shall we try?”
Scary! Their laughter was frightening!
“Serge, accept this feeling!”
And the Heroes were desperate. Philip summoned two dragon statues, and Sai took out a crimson staff and began chanting a spell. Ragat deployed a barrier with a blue shield, and Solondir drew a silver bow and arrow engraved with a crest. All their attacks were aimed at Fu-chan in the center of the temple.
“No way. My ideal is over here. Gather.”
Fu-chan thrust the sword she was holding into the temple. Then, pillars of light erupted from the white floor, shining brilliantly. There were four of them, positioned to surround the four sides of the temple, facing the ancient heroes.
“What is this…?”
The light from the pillars eventually faded, and something in human form appeared from within them. Humans, no, some with pointed ears… elves mixed in? Frilly skirts and cute, girlish equipment. As they were all wearing them, I understood that these figures were female. A petite sister with silver hair, a princess with brown skin, a heavily armored female knight, an elf woman overflowing with mature charm—
“Wh-well, I know it’s a long shot, but…”
“As expected of Rion, you understand quickly! They are my ideal party, created by my final Unique Skill, ‘Gather, Heroes’! Absolute Gospel was a disappointing child, but this skill is amazing! It gives me the perfect party with the gender, appearance, and strength I desire! They will serve me endlessly! The only drawback is that they have no will and can’t chat, but it’s enough to defeat you all.”
So she summoned female versions of the ancient heroes… But if I believe what Fu-chan said, she’s used up all her tricks. Starting with “Absolute Gospel” which forcibly bestows protagonist attributes, then “New Journey” which sets save points, and finally producing allies with “Gather, Heroes.” It really felt like a barrage of unfair Hero skills. I should write this down in the subordinate network.
Clang!
“Ugh, it’s like fighting my own reflection, I hate this.”
“Cough! However, their skills are real…!”
“Why isn’t the loli elf my opponent? I’d like to face the silver-haired lady over there.”
“…Solondir, don’t let your guard down.”
The battle between the real and the fake began. Judging from the initial clash, their tactics were identical, and their strengths appeared to be evenly matched. It was a back-and-forth battle, where either side could win.
“Well, I don’t want any unexpected luck causing trouble, so I’ll take on Rion and Colette.”
And then, Fu-chan descended before me. Even though she used a skill to create allies, Fu-chan herself didn’t seem to have weakened. Moreover, the issue with Absolute Gospel remained unresolved. As long as that power exists, we will face more unreasonable challenges than when we fought Tou-yan. Even that Mel-nee was brought to her knees before such unfairness. I don’t think our raw strength can match hers, and our chances of winning in a straightforward fight are slim. If only Alex were here…
“Colette, brace yourself. I will unleash my entire being against her.”
“Yes. But before that— Father, now!”
Colette gave a signal to Philip.
“Wow, I really wanted to fight Serge and gain some advantage during the chaos, but if they’re copying subordinates, I can’t help it. Everyone, do your minimum required work as planned!”
“Hmph, we knew all along. That you loathed that skill, Serge!”
“Love that comes by luck isn’t true love!”
“That’s why we…!”
“We will nullify that power and aim for a healthy relationship in a fair state!”
Philip and the others, who had been fighting the female versions of the ancient heroes, began chanting something I had never heard before. What is this? And besides, they’re not listening to Fu-chan at all!
“Lion-sama, this is the true essence of the Fu-chan encirclement and suppression formation! It’s an encirclement barrier devised by Father and the others to nullify Fu-chan’s Absolute Gospel— and its name is!”
“Fate Abandonment!”
More light emanated from the four people in the midst of the battle. This light formed four diamond points, drawing lines towards each other to create a barrier. A pyramid of light, that was my initial impression.
“…Hmph. I acknowledge your spirit, but I don’t see my Absolute Gospel being sealed.”
“Yes, we cannot seal Unique Skills. However, we have a way to prevent them from activating. As long as this barrier formation is in place, the luck of everyone present will be combined and equally distributed— in other words, the luck status will be averaged.”
“Ah, I see! Absolute Gospel only activates when your own luck is the highest…!”
“Yes. Within this barrier, in this space, Absolute Gospel will be completely nullified.”
The nullification of Absolute Gospel. I suspect it’s the result of Philip and the others thinking hard to find a way to overcome it. Although a very sad fact was hidden as the reason for its origin, yes, we must take advantage of this chance they created!
“…Yeah, amazing. I’m not lying, I genuinely think so. I never expected to make you use ‘Gather, Heroes’ and then seal Absolute Gospel. I wasn’t letting my guard down, though.”
“Fu-chan, you seem quite at ease for someone saying that.”
“If it ends at this extent, then yes. Colette, you’re still hiding something, aren’t you? You’ve been using Shrine Maidens’ Secret Arts since earlier.”
Fu-chan’s gaze shifted to Colette, who looked slightly surprised before breaking into a knowing smile.
“You noticed. Yes, that’s right. Since I can’t contribute in combat, this is the only way I can help from the shadows. I’ve tinkered a bit with the Holy Grail Divine Realm of Fu-chan-sama’s employer, Iris-sama. The difference in power is simply astonishing. Simply connecting the entrance to this space took so much time and almost all of my magical power. Honestly, I almost want to create a beautiful rainbow…!”
And, upon closer inspection, her face was pale.
“However, it paid off, and things proceeded as planned. Lion-sama, the rest is up to you.”
*Rustle!*
“I see. Well, perhaps now it’s a 50/50 chance.”
As Colette turned her back and knelt, I heard multiple footsteps. And the owners of those footsteps were people I knew well—
“Huh, who is that?”
“Serge Floa. She’s the previous Hero, Silvia-chan. Also, an old colleague of mine.”
“That’s quite a big shot to appear out of nowhere.”
“Rion-chan, are you okay!?”
Sylwie, Ecchan, Secchan— and a talking sword…?
*Grrr, Rrrr (That, he seems to be the survivor uncle.)*
Alex had also returned to my shadow.
