stonecrandall Page 70
Page 70
Zhang Youxing's elite soldier, Saifalu
"What do you need me to do?"
Ultimately, Medusa made a decision. Reflecting on her life, she realized she couldn't find any reason to stop Quinn or reject his ideas. Therefore, the only thing she could do was to help Quinn.
"It's simple. Just like before, come with me to the underworld, but this time, we'll go deeper."
Quinn breathed a sigh of relief. To avoid a repeat of what had happened to Morgan, he unusually sought Medusa's opinion this time. If Medusa was also unwilling to help him, he would truly be all alone and would have to carry out his grand plan in secret again. Fortunately, Medusa's understanding was different from Morgan's; after all, they were not from the same era.
She supported all her decisions and quietly dedicated herself to her work.
You have the support of those you care about, and you are fearless. The next day, you gather your disciples and explain your plan to them: you intend to go to Hell alone to free the sealed Titans and then completely wipe them off the Greek land. This extremely difficult task requires the assistance of all the heroes of Greece.
[Have Hercules contact Jason and the heroes of the Argo; have Atalanta send messages to all of Rome's vassal states, requesting the heroes to assemble and the kings to send troops to assist; have Chiron and Medea prepare sufficient medicine and supplies for the upcoming battle.]
Your plan is utterly insane, but your students are all willing to help you, and Chiron and Medea, who are already your friends, are experiencing for the first time your charisma as Greece's most famous hero and king, and are willing to go through this madness with you.
[The entire city of Rome was mobilized at your will. Many residents did not understand why you would go to such great lengths to use the nation's resources, but your army and your foundations never complained. The massive Roman Praetorian Guard took over all important affairs in Rome, stabilizing the order of the country with force, awaiting the gathering of heroes from all over Greece.]
This grand preparation lasted for a full month. Countless heroes and kings were willing to respond to you. You easily raised an army of tens of thousands, and heroes from all corners of the world could fill the Roman court. Among them, Jason arrived the fastest, and he will always remember the help you provided.
You have completed the necessary preparations; now it is time to journey to the underworld.
You entrusted the crucial task of guarding Rome to Jupiter, your most trusted puppet. Naturally, this assignment displeased Jupiter. She longed to accompany you and fight alongside you, but she also knew very well that the task you had given her was extremely important.
Medusa, on the other hand, remains by your side as always.
[You led your army and heroes to the road that once led to the Underworld, set up camp at the entrance to the Underworld, and built a temporary outpost, intending to make it an outpost to defend against the Titans. Your actions were so grand that countless people along the way learned of your goal. Many fled at the first sign of trouble, fearing that the war would drag them into it, but many more chose to join you.]
Your campaign has been so grand and spectacular that even the Greek gods and monsters could not ignore it. Many monsters that had previously hidden themselves have begun to emerge. These creatures, who despise humans and gods, have tried to stop your march, but before they could reach the army, the heroes led by Heracles have already vanquished them. The gods have sent their messenger Hermes to persuade you to turn back.
Hermes spoke frankly to the kings about the danger posed by the Titans, claiming it was a crisis only the gods could resolve, and that human action would only bring disaster. However, this rhetoric could no longer sway the army. Had he arrived before the army assembled, perhaps they wouldn't have been able to build such a formidable force. But the army was already formed, and even if the kings wished to leave, their soldiers would not allow it. Their only option was to grit their teeth and accompany him.
Hermes returned dejectedly. Seeing that he could not persuade you with words, the gods chose to change the weather to express their displeasure, but this also could not stop you. With the establishment of the outpost, you handed over command of the army to Chiron, the centaur sage who, as a mentor to heroes, was naturally proficient in troop deployment and warfare.
And you, along with the heroes of Agor and Medusa, entered the Underworld.
[As expected, Hades, the god of the underworld, stands in your way. He is the guardian of Tartarus, and it is his duty to prevent Quinn from entering and freeing the Titans.]
“Turn back, Quinn Europa. You are doing something extremely dangerous. What is sealed inside Tartarus is not something you can touch. No matter what agreement you have reached with Zeus, I will not let you pass.”
Quinn didn't say much, but looked at Hercules and said, "Go, slap him twice and make him move aside."
Hercules remained silent, only moving his body. The lion skin draped over him swayed as his muscles bulged, and Hades, who had just been full of confidence and said he would stop Quinn and the others, had a few beads of sweat on his forehead due to his strong fighting spirit.
If Hades were still in his early days on Earth, he would have no fear of Hercules, this mortal hero. However, he is no longer at his peak, and even though his power is currently recovering, Hercules is the strongest hero forged by the gods and Quinn together.
The gods believed that the complete Hercules possessed abilities comparable to the fragments of the Star Vanguard, and therefore they were confident that as long as Quinn obeyed, the Titan crisis could be easily resolved.
However, this confidence can also be interpreted as Hercules possessing power comparable to the Greek mechanics at this moment. He could actually rush up and slap Hades twice, making him obediently move aside. But even so, Hades did not back down; he still stood in front of Quinn and his group, refusing to budge an inch.
[Faced with Hades' obstruction, you joined forces with Heracles, the greatest hero of Greece, who engaged in a fierce battle with Hades. Meanwhile, you took the opportunity to lead the others deeper into the underworld. This time, no one stopped you, and soon you arrived at Tartarus, the prison enveloped in the earth's core lava.]
The ether, so dense it was almost condensed into mist, permeated this scorching lava lake. You instinctively sensed that something extremely dangerous resided in the center of the lake, and with your arrival, the long-dormant fragments awakened.
A gigantic, pale-faced giant, resembling a large rabbit, appeared in the center of the lake.
[Due to your arrival, the asteroid savior "Sefaru" has been revived ahead of schedule.]
Chapter 155 Lucius: The boomerang was returned, wasn't it?
The white giant, resembling a rabbit, stood in the center of Tartarus, the hellish city. Her upper body, emerging from the lava lake, was already five or six stories high. Her enormous, slender arms supported her body as she crawled out of the scorching lake. Her massive 64-meter-tall body made even Medusa, who had transformed into a serpent goddess, pale in comparison.
giant.
Any hero who witnessed this scene would inevitably think of this title: compared to Sephalus, the giants Quinn had seen in Lucius's elite legion were nothing more than newborn infants. The sheer mass contained within their enormous bodies had already affected the surrounding environment, causing the dense true ether in the air to continuously compress towards her.
The true ether that rushed toward Sephalus was rapidly devoured by the Star Vanguard's unique ability to feed on matter and civilization, and transformed into energy that Sephalus used to repair his body.
As Sephalus's pale body shone with a dazzling, star-like radiance as she absorbed the true ether, Quinn's tense heart quickly calmed down. He realized Sephalus's current state: she had awakened, but had not yet reached...
Chapter 163
At her peak, her body in Tartarus was merely a temporary information entity, not the original white giant that had devoured numerous civilizations on Earth.
Simply put, Sefarlu's current state is not even as strong as when he appeared in a certain giant spiritual grail war on the moon. Even without using the true world given to him by the Moon's UO, the weapons made on Earth alone would probably be enough to hurt Sefarlu in his current state.
This was all thanks to my arriving quickly enough that I didn't give Sefalu time to recover his strength.
However, while Quinn felt at ease, the appearance of Sephalus had already put these battle-hardened warriors on high alert. As one of the biggest bosses in the entire Type-Moon universe, very few Servants were qualified to face her directly.
If it were Hercules here, that would be great.
Many heroes couldn't help but have this thought the moment they saw Sephalu. All the heroes present could realize the gap between themselves and Sephalu. If there was anyone in their memory who could fight Sephalu, it would only be Heracles. However, Heracles was still fighting Hades at this moment. These guys who had faced the Titans directly felt their powerlessness for the first time.
But Sefarlu's gaze did not notice these mortals who were filled with fear. The moment she appeared, she fixed her gaze on Quinn and Medusa, who was following behind Quinn.
The Star Vanguard, who had not yet completed her revival, did not speak. Instead, she seized every moment to prepare her body, trying her best to absorb all the True Aether she could, in order to add to her strength in the upcoming great battle. She could already sense the familiar aura carried by Quinn, the human who looked completely different from the mortals around him.
That was the unique aura of a certain weapon that had prevented her from completing her work and devoured all civilization on the surface.
Quinn, who was being watched, also realized that he was being targeted. This was expected, for no other reason than that even though he had never come into contact with the Star-Forged Holy Sword, he, who was holding the Demon Sword True World, was the person who posed the greatest threat to Sephalus present. This was because Sephalus's true form was sealed on the surface of the moon, and she could not possibly be unaware of the power of the Moon UO's weapon.
Just as the two sides were locked in a standoff, a sharp glint of light pierced through the tense atmosphere, heading straight for Saifalu's eyes.
The first to attack was not Sephalus, nor you, but Atalanta, whom you two powerful figures had both forgotten. As your disciple, she possesses similar insight and understanding to you. She knows that the longer the battle with Sephalus drags on, the more power this Planetary Vanguard clone can gather. The best decision is to act swiftly and eliminate the Planetary Vanguard before it becomes stronger.
The huntress's initial attack ignited the ambition of the previously demoralized Agor heroes. Having weathered countless trials, they knew what to do once someone took the lead. This charge of mortal heroes towards Sefaru also drew his attention. The Star Vanguard, who had originally intended to focus all their strength on fighting you, were forced to divert their attention to these mortal heroes and Medusa behind you.
[Sefal took a step, and obvious cracks appeared in his pale body. The minerals that made up his body scattered on the ground and immediately transformed into numerous soldiers who looked like both machines and mineral puppets. These beings, resembling dragon tooth soldiers, formed a huge army, halting the charge of the mortal heroes who originally intended to gang up on Sefal.]
Wait, where did you come from? Is this still Greece?!
Quinn frowned. He recognized the soldiers formed from the fragments that fell from Sephalus. As a veteran gamer, he had played Type-Moon games in addition to Paradox Interactive's games, including the C series, which was about the Holy Grail War on the moon.
This series reveals information about the Planetary Vanguard, clearly stating that the Planetary Vanguard's true form is sealed on the moon. The ones walking on the Earth's surface are projections of the Planetary Vanguard's true form located on the moon. After this projection was destroyed by the Star-Forged Holy Sword, the Planetary Vanguard's true form was also suppressed by the moon's will and fell into slumber until a later Holy Grail War awakened it, causing a lot of trouble.
But these soldiers should be unique to the Spirit Grail War, right? And... they're huge.
Quinn squinted at Sefalu, who was constantly shaking his body to create giant soldiers. He felt that the physiques of those spirit soldiers looked quite familiar.
[Faced with your prepared punitive force, the Star Vanguard immediately devised a countermeasure. She has determined that you are the greatest threat to her, and therefore, she will not allow anyone to interfere with your confrontation with her. A large number of spirit soldiers transformed into giants and surged out of Tartarus. This army of giants overwhelmed the heroes of Agor, while many more rushed out of the Underworld, intending to go to the mortal world to collect more resources for Sephalus.]
ciao!
Looking at the pop-up window displayed by the simulator, Quinn finally remembered why the physiques of these spirit soldiers looked familiar to him.
Isn't this the giant legion that Lucius the Sword Emperor brought to Britannia?!
Chapter 156 Fearless
The densely packed spirit soldiers surged like a tidal wave, a true embodiment of the concept of sheer numbers. Every hero who saw the spirit soldiers' destination couldn't help but show a troubled expression. However, as Medusa transformed into a serpent goddess and began to wreak havoc within the tide of soldiers, the Agor heroes, led by Atalanta, breathed a sigh of relief.
These spirit soldiers were not very strong. For the Greek heroes who were seasoned warriors and far stronger when alive than when dead, the spirit soldiers were only there to slow them down on their way to Sephalus. But for the other Greeks still living on the land, these spirit soldiers were extremely dangerous killers.
Even though a Greek coalition had already been deployed outside the entrance to the underworld, no one was willing to gamble on whether the coalition could stop these spirit soldiers. If the spirit soldiers were allowed to flood into the mortal world, these heroes would lose face. After all, they were the ones who took the initiative to break the seal on the Titans, wanting to nip the Titans in the bud before they could revive. If they succeeded, the heroes would naturally be honored, but if they made a mistake, they would become the sinners of Greece.
Therefore, the Greek heroes were extremely eager to fight after seeing Medusa take action. In Quinn's eyes, her ability to fight against a hundred men was like returning to the scene of playing a game before she traveled through time.
Seeing that the Spirit Soldiers were being held back by the Mortal Hero and Medusa, Quinn focused all his attention on Sephalu. He carried the True World and began to walk towards Sephalu. Medusa, who was always focused on Quinn, immediately provided him with support.
The enormous wings enveloped Medusa's serpentine body, leaving only her eyes visible as she gazed ahead in the direction Quinn was walking, where a massive array of spirit soldiers was constantly emerging.
"Forced sealing..."
A whisper, almost inaudible, escaped from the Serpent God's mouth. In the next instant, a deep purple ray shot out from Medusa's eyes, turning countless spirit soldiers into fragile stone statues wherever her gaze fell. A straight road appeared before Quinn, leading directly to the location of Sephalus.
[You gaze at the road that appears before you, and can't help but glance back at Medusa. Your wife's eyes are filled with unwavering trust; she believes you will win the battle against Sephalus, just as you defeated her on the Isle of No Return. You will not betray that trust. As you stride forward, several figures emerge behind you.]
The Knights of the Round Table appear in plural form, and Gawain is once again the first to respond.
Chapter 164
The instant he appeared, blazing flames swept across everything around him as he wielded his holy sword. The spirit soldiers who tried to charge at you were instantly dissolved in the brilliance of the rotating sword of victory, and there were no other obstacles around you.
Realizing that these petty tricks wouldn't stop him, Sefalu finally took action.
The white giant, once in motion, unleashed a speed far exceeding its size. Its massive body propelled the slowly flowing magma, charging straight at Gawain, who had just unleashed the Spinning Victory Sword, like a dump truck. At the same time, it clenched its fists and slammed them down. The combined force of mass and speed created countless sparks the moment the attack landed.
But as the sparks fell back naturally under gravity, what was revealed was not the shattered shadow of Gawain, but a pristine white city wall.
The one who took Gawain's place in supporting the attack of the Star Vanguard was Mordred, whom Quinn had seen before, who seemed to have grown up a bit. The moment Mordred appeared, Sefarlu's gaze moved from Quinn to Mordred's waist. She immediately recognized that hanging at Mordred's waist was the Star-Forged Holy Sword that had destroyed her mobility in the first blow.
The reunion with her old enemy caused Sefalu to no longer suppress her power. The power she exerted on the city wall grew stronger and stronger, and cracks began to appear in the wall that had originally protected Gawain.
Sure enough, the projector was significantly inferior to the genuine product.
Seeing the decline of the shadow he had summoned through his bloodline, Quinn knew he could no longer stand idly by. He didn't know if the holy sword summoned by Mordred's shadow could recreate the scene of destroying the Star Vanguard. Even though Sephalus was not as strong as he used to be and could withstand the attacks of the gods with his physical strength, the Star Vanguard was, after all, an alien, and could not be considered from a normal perspective.
Fortunately, Quinn wasn't some stray dog.
While Sephalus was focusing his attacks on Mordred's phantom, you seized the opportunity to approach him. The blessing from the Avalon elves allowed you to walk on water; the scalding lava was, in a way, a different kind of lake. You traversed the lava, using the sharpness of the real world to slice through the white giant's ankle.
[With his ankle severed, Sefaru immediately lost his balance and swayed precariously. Mordred and Gawain seized the moment, and the combined radiance of the planetary holy lance and the sword symbolizing the sun instantly propelled Sefaru's body forward. At the same time, two figures and three other figures appeared: the phantoms of Gareth, Gahoris, and Agravan appeared beside Sefaru.]
The crimson chains sprang from Agravan's hands and wrapped around Sefalu's body. Gareth and Gahoris, as if immediately understanding their brother's intention, grabbed one end of the chains and tightly bound Sefalu's arms and body together.
However, these chains were ineffective.
[As a projection of a star-borne vanguard, even though Sephalus's body has not reached its full peak, the power he possesses is far beyond what the shadow you summoned can contend with. If it were the Knights of the Round Table in their true forms, perhaps this combo alone could have taken down this frail infant. But a shadow is still a shadow.]
When Mordred seized another opportunity, he drew the Starforged Holy Sword from his waist. The sword's light surged towards the bound Sephalus, the sharp starlight piercing directly into Sephalus's chest. However, before it could completely penetrate his body, the Holy Sword's release began to falter, and the chains binding Sephalus crumbled under the giant's struggle.
[You know that the only role these shadows of your offspring can play in this battle is to help you restrict your opponent's actions. Ultimately, the decisive factor is still you. You confront the resurrected Sefaru, holding the True World in your hands, but this time, the wariness in Sefaru's eyes is gone.]
[This projection of the Star Vanguard has already discerned that the Star-Forged Holy Sword you summoned does not possess the power of its original form, and she is now fearless.]
Chapter 157 Beasts Tearing Each Other Apart
After unleashing the Petrifying Eye once more and destroying a large number of spirit soldiers, Medusa felt a wave of exhaustion.
Several hours have passed since the start of the battle. During this time, the number of times she has released the Petrifying Demon Eye has already exceeded double digits and is approaching triple digits. Even a god would be exhausted by such a high-intensity and fast-paced battle, but the ever-increasing spiritual soldiers still show no signs of ending.
The Greek heroes, who were originally trying to stop the spirit soldiers, now had no choice but to band together around Medusa. They went from taking the initiative to defending themselves. Under this continuous human wave tactic, the advantage they had initially gained gradually disappeared.
No one had the energy to care what the spirit soldiers would do after they poured out of the underworld. All they could do was try their best to protect themselves and prevent the spirit soldiers who had survived the power of the petrifying eye from attacking Medusa. Fortunately, the power of Medusa's petrifying eye was astonishing. Each release cleared a large buffer zone, giving the others a chance to catch their breath.
Taking advantage of this respite, Atalanta, who was perched on Medusa's shoulder serving as a fixed firing platform, looked towards the real battlefield in the distance, her eyes filled with worry.
In the heart of the battlefield, blazing flames and golden light flashed incessantly, ravaging the entire battlefield. The molten lava that had once been used to bind the remains of the giant had long since been burned away in the hours of fighting, leaving only the enormous giant swinging his arms and wantonly destroying the already barren land within Hell.
Unrestricted, Sefaru's movements became more expansive and aggressive. The advantage brought by his massive body increased the pressure on Quinn, who was being targeted. The Shadow of the Round Table, which was roaming the edge of the two's battlefield, could no longer intervene in the battle between Sefaru and Quinn. They could only harass Sefaru and clear out the surrounding Spirit Soldiers for Quinn to reduce the pressure on their father.