Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

"Haha, how could that be? You're overthinking it. How could I care about such a trivial matter? I just really wanted to see you..."

Beelzebub's smile could even be described as innocent and naive.

Novia responded to her with a wave of light that seemed destined to kill her body.

"Ugh, so hot! So cold! Ugh, so numb! Ugh, so numb! Ugh, so numb!"

The King of Flies screamed as if utterly helpless, then his body ceased to move in the radiance, leaving only a mangled remains.

But the next second—

With a calm expression, she reappeared in front of the wreckage she had just discarded, and slowly clapped her hands and wove words of praise for Novia.

"If I were Beelzebub, I might already be kneeling before you, becoming your pet. But alas—"

The girl, lying on the fake chunks of flesh and pools of blood, looked at the swarm of flies that began to reappear around her, and continued with satisfaction,

"I am Baalzeb, and that is why I hate. In the end, I was abandoned, abandoned by my mother planet, mercilessly corrupted by my mother planet, abandoned by humanity's faith... To be able to plunge this planet into an unprecedented catastrophe, that is quite something, ah, truly amazing. Don't you think that's a wonderful thing?"

To be honest, Novia wasn't quite sure what kind of conflict had occurred between the Canaanite pantheon and the biblical system in the Type-Moon universe in the past. After all, the Canaanite pantheon had already been replaced by the first century. His biggest conflict with Judaism was with those who had made the covenant.

However, from the perspective of modern people's research on the past, the existence of the stigma surrounding Beelzebub is the most powerful manifestation of monotheistic religions' denigration, stigmatization, and demonization of pagan gods...

This was also why he initially hoped Beelzebub would leave voluntarily, because he felt a little embarrassed. However, now that the King of the Flies had done so, Novia didn't care about the stain on his reputation anymore. If you have a problem, go find the pigeon. It was He who wiped out your Canaanite gods completely, it has nothing to do with him.

All he needs to do now is give this guy some face.

The silver-haired youth walked steadily forward step by step through the swarm of flies... until he finally stood before Beelzebub.

Beelzebub knew he was no match for him, so he gave up the chance to fight back.

Then, Novia asked again in an extremely calm tone:

"You should also know that this world is not the real world, but a trial world that I have created. Even if you stall for time, they will not be able to succeed."

"Just because something is impossible doesn't mean it has to be abandoned. I learned that from you. Besides, death doesn't come suddenly; it's contained within all things at the moment of birth. Birth and death are like cause and effect."

Baalzeb raised his green compound eyes and said calmly,

"To survive, one must sacrifice other living beings. So, to be killed simply means that the one who kills is evil... This weakness is the absolute 'evil.' If we are to hold anyone responsible, shouldn't we blame the one who is powerless? If one cannot protect oneself, being killed and forgotten is only natural. Strength is the prerequisite for everything, whether it is doing evil or carrying out so-called justice."

"...I cannot cure your vengeance, because you, who thirst for revenge, do not accept the world that has forgotten you. But even so, I still hope to cure your vengeance, because it is I who smeared and humiliated you in the New Testament as a bloodthirsty and terrifying demon king."

As he spoke, he stretched out his left hand.

A dazzling light emanated from the silver-haired youth's hands—

Finally, an object appeared out of nowhere in Novia's hand.

It is the primordial holy sword that has merged with the Demon Sword: True World.

In that instant, the world changed.

Centered on Novia's raised hand—a change occurs.

A massive, clock-like magic circle stretched out infinitely, covering the entire dark sky, dominating and rewriting the laws of this world.

Everything in the world lost its color and turned black and white.

The wind stopped.

Time stopped.

Then, Novia carefully aimed at Beelzebub's body, making sure that he wouldn't be unable to resurrect with the help of the flies.

Swing down the holy sword—

"Hey, hey, did you suddenly feel apologetic towards me? Hahaha, I was just joking. My mom is Asherah, and Arte was just an accident. So you're actually my elder, don't take it too seriously. I've actually been the King of the Flies for a long time!"

Now, there's no need for a complete release; just this is enough.

Perhaps the dangerous event that should have destroyed the entire Snowfield City was thus averted.

188: Mount Olympus (4k)

Let's go back to the moment Beelzebub was born, in the underground of a factory in Snowfield City.

"'Let this planet wail and scream as it pleases...' Is that what Francesca said to you?"

The Master of Avenger Alcides narrowed his eyes and spoke these words to the great hero who had lost his integrity due to the Command Spells he had used.

This person is Bazdilot Cortiglio. As a magician, he specializes in a rather distorted family lineage of 'domination' systems. He focuses on 'dominating' himself rather than others. He is also proficient in the Eastern magic system that is looked down upon by the Clock Tower.

He was suspected of being involved in the murder of several magicians and was regarded as a thorn in the side by the administration of the clock tower. He then became antagonistic to Sponheim Monastery due to a certain incident, during which he was protected by the Squartio family.

At that time, the next abbot of Sponheim Monastery disappeared in the Far East, causing chaos in the monastery. Otherwise, even the Italian mafia family Squartio could not protect him. The missing abbot was Cornelius Aruba, who appeared in the game "Karakuri" and was extremely insignificant. He was eaten by the familiar in the suitcase because he said "Red of Pain" to Aozaki Touko's head.

After being taken in by the gang, he became an officer. Several years ago, after his leader was dealt with by the United States, he was determined to avenge him, and he was involved in more than 125 murder cases.

This criminal, who should have remained in prison, was eventually released due to a deal between Francesca and the US government, and thus became the Master of the Holy Grail War in Snowfield City.

"Ah."

"The spy in the police station has been found. Given the sheriff's personality, he's probably on his way to me... So, do you still think you can win?"

"I have no intention of becoming the victor of the Holy Grail War," Alcides said calmly. "But, Master, may I use a little more magic power?"

"How much."

Bazdilot looked at the clumps of transparent crystals piled up in the room like a mountain of gems.

This is the source of his magic in supporting the Avengers, and also the magic that allows him to sacrifice human lives.

In the United States, there are hundreds of thousands of missing persons cases every year.

If asked whether such an astonishing number of humans truly disappeared within a year, the answer would likely be half true and half false.

Although the number of hundreds of thousands per year has been reported in sensational headlines in Japan in the past, most of these people are actually found on the same day or within a few days. The number of people who have truly disappeared for more than a year—in other words, the number of people who have truly vanished without a trace—is actually less than 10%, which is about tens of thousands per year.

Tens of thousands of people is already a significant number, and even disregarding that, the figure had already shown signs of abnormality several years before the start of the Snowfield Holy Grail War—a rather slow change in a sense.

Most of them were used as offerings to serve as magical power.

Use as much as you have.

After giving a swift reply, Alcádez added:

"Once it's done... there's no need to provide any more magic."

If the soul could grow more resilient, the outcome might be different.

I wonder if the Holy Grail... can solidify the soul into matter?

No, the Holy Grail can't do that here.

There is no essence of 'third' in the container of Snowfield City.

Would the real Holy Grail work?

What about the Holy Grail in Fuyuki?

Does the Holy Grail, its dregs and remains, still remain on that land?

These questions remained in the Avengers' minds.

"Yeah."

Faced with his servant's words that could be described as abandoning him, Bazdielot did not curse or refuse to provide magic power. Instead, he remained expressionless as always, and slowly uttered the words "once again" to the 'person' in a voice that seemed to come from the depths of hell.

Before we part, I want to tell you that it is not the noble heroes, but the persistent ones.

"So-called extreme hatred, though a curse, or even a remnant of modernity, is a kind of mystery that cannot be categorized as magic. In reality, it's not a mystery at all, just human emotion, therefore—"

"There's no need to hide your sins or regrets. Just lay bare your heart and soul, and show your greed to achieve your goals by any means necessary. Even if the final destination is the path of nobility, you can choose ruthless methods without hesitation. That is the persistence of a human being."

Speaking of which, Bazdilot was recognized by Richard the Lionheart in the original FSF as the contemporary 'Lionheart', and the so-called Lionheart refers to having the awareness to destroy oneself for a purpose... And the current Alcides may also be the 'Lionheart' of Hercules in the past.

"Wear it forever, it's the essence of being human."

These were the words Bazdilot spoke to Heracles, the noble archer he had summoned, when he used three Command Seals and the 'mud' he obtained from Francesca to forcibly twist the noble hero into a pathetic avenger.

Then, the man gently closed his eyes, as if letting his thoughts wander through his life that was about to end.

"Go ahead and seek revenge. You deserve it, you persistent person."

This grumbling wouldn't reach anyone's ears; it would simply disappear into the sound of the walls shattering from the impact.

“I’ve come to seek justice for my men, Bazdilot Cortiglio. This time, you won’t go to jail; you’ll die here.”

Orlando Reeves, the police chief of Snowfield City, who broke through the wall, picked up his Far East katana and said this to the gangster.

"Orlando, I've long been prepared to die, but do you really think you and your bunch of lowly cops can kill me? You're not even a magician? You only know a little bit about magic?"

Bazdilot looked at the sheriff, who knew absolutely nothing about magic, and a rare mocking smile appeared on his lips.

He is now more than just his original magical strength. Due to his association with the Avengers, he is covered in red and black magic power originating from 'mud', and with the support of countless human lives and magic power, he can be said to be comparable to a weaker Servant.

"In the end, there's really no reason to explain this. If I had to say, there might be a reason."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Because I'm a police officer."

"...Hahaha, what a foolish guy."

"Hey, don't talk nonsense, you gangster. Although I might laugh as my brother dies, I'm telling you, you can't laugh at a hero who risks his life for a stranger."

Suddenly, a bald playwright emerged from behind the sheriff, spreading his arms wide in an exaggerated tone and singing as if he were an actor on stage.

"Why are you here? Didn't I give you my card so you could spend it freely over the next few days? This is my job, and I've already given you permission to rest."

"Ahem, don't interrupt me, brother... Let me reiterate, my brother is challenging death! This is a very promising sight! How could someone like you, covered in mud and rarely doing anything impressive, possibly understand?"

That's why everyone will understand once they see it.

If people were to stand by and watch someone die carrying something they don't need to carry, it wouldn't be surprising if their hearts were broken. But what would people call such a fool who always looks forward?

People would say this: this man's story is incredibly epic, and he miraculously survived against all odds—

At some point, countless sheets of paper began to flutter before Orlando and Bazdilot's eyes, and various writing instruments, such as metal pens, emerged from the quill pen and began to write automatically.

"If it were just suicide, it would be much easier, because you would just say 'goodbye' to death and say hello... But my brother is the opposite. He says he wants to overthrow death, and not his own death, well, but... to overthrow the death of strangers."

As soon as Dumas finished speaking, the bundle of paper recording the story flew around violently, eventually heading towards the katana held by Orlando, as if it were stuck to it, and then disappeared as light seeped in.

Needless to say, it's obvious to the naked eye that this knife is of a much higher grade.

"In the end, I was just doing what I wanted to do. Brother. I am so grateful—" Dumas said with a mischievous, theatrical expression, "thank you for never once using Command Seals to restrain my free spirit."

"...Next, I might order suicides."

“That was an unexpected development. However, it’s not something to talk about now; it’s better to wait until later.” Dumas patted Orlando on the shoulder. “Anyway, brother, the pheasant dish you made is the best I’ve ever tasted in my life. Go on, just like in many stories, justice will not yield to evil.”

"Alright, I'll make sure you get to eat even better food."

Orlando answered with a wry smile, then took a step forward.

He is one of the masterminds behind the Holy Grail War in the Snowfield, and also a police officer in Snowfield City.

"What a pointless performance... Speaking of which, I've used so many lives as magic, are you planning to hang me on the spot?"

"I will kill you on the spot, to avenge those who died because of you."

.......

"Let me devour the Holy Grail?"

Somewhere, Alcides temporarily put down his bow, gazing at the Holy Grail before him, which was entangled in ominous red and black magic, and murmured to himself.

"You seek revenge, don't you? I have a suggestion for you: swallow the Holy Grail. Then, both your and my wishes will be fulfilled, great hero. But until then, I'll buy you some time."

After all, revenge that isn't based on distorted facts isn't necessarily joyful in the eyes of others; that curse is contagious. The more difficult the revenge, the stronger its power.

Alcádez recalled what Francesca had said to him.

Normally, given his current personality, it would be impossible for him to trust others, but Francesca has the human form of Art, which is why the Avengers are willing to trust her.

Long ago, before Hera, the queen of the gods, and Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, cursed him, the goddess of madness had advised them not to punish Heracles.

According to Euripides's "The Mad Hercules":

Madness: You sent me to that man's house, but I do not like to wander around harming people. I want to advise Hera, and I also want to advise you, before I see her make a mistake. If you will listen to me, I advise you not to think of causing him a great disaster.

Rainbow Goddess Iris: Stop trying to stop Hera and my plans!