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The old man felt as though he were trapped in a tangle of black tentacles, rendering him completely immobilized and helpless. What troubled him most was the mind control that manipulated him, compelling him to activate his second magic. On one hand, he channeled magical energy into the abomination; on the other, he unleashed a series of magical cannons to counter Gilgamesh's Chains of Heaven.

Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes, clearly displeased, "Mage, are you here to cause trouble,, or are you just messing around?"

Normally, he wouldn't hold back on the trash talk, but when speaking with Zelretch, he toned it down. It was obvious that the magus's reputation was enough to keep even Gilgamesh's biting remarks in check.

After all, history had seen many once-remarkable magics become just ordinary magecraft. Only the Five Great Magics had stood the test of time. He was a king with a huge ego, sure, but he knew when to show respect where it was due.

Zelretch looked annoyed but didn't say anything. Even though he was on humanity's side, there was no question he had a big head too. This time, he knew he'd messed up—no two ways about it—and it was getting under his skin.

He had originally been focused on quietly repairing the world's boundaries when he was unexpectedly ambushed and absorbed by the enemy. Now, he found himself being used as an energy source, which was incredibly vexing.

The humanoid mass emitted a piercing howl as it released the power of the gods and Zelretch's torrent of mana.

Bursts of thunder, flames, and lightning filled the air, transforming the once pitch-black temple into a spectacle of dazzling light.

Gilgamesh's eyebrows furrowed. In this moment, confronting an enemy with multiple, stacked divine authorities, he understood that he was not sufficiently prepared for such a battle.

He was fairly certain that even if he were to use the Sword of Rupture, it might not be enough to defeat this creature. After all, this was not an ordinary enemy; it also possessed the Cup of the Lord.

As for the question of the Lord's strength and whether the Sword of Rupture could even make a dent, Gilgamesh didn't waste time pondering. He had firsthand experience with the Enlightened One during the Fourth Holy Grail War. Beings on the level of the Lord were not to be trifled with; they were definitely far more powerful than this current monstrosity.

Just then, the Heroic Spirits who had been dispatched to take down the one-eyed giants returned. Their faces turned to astonishment as they caught sight of the bizarre, humanoid mass.

"What... what is this?" one of them blurted out.

Karna glanced at Shirou and Gilgamesh, stating flatly, "The attack power of the King of Heroes, Eternal King, and King Solomon is insufficient. It failed and allowed this creature to grow."

Gilgamesh looked annoyed as he shot back, "Child of the Sun, choose your words carefully!"

Shirou nodded toward Artoria. Honestly, there were times he thought Karna could use a lesson in humility just as much as Gilgamesh could. While Karna's observation was accurate, did he have to be so blunt in front of everyone else?

Artoria silently took her place behind him. Scathach, noting this, was taken aback and quietly asked Merlin, "When did Shirou and Artoria reconcile?"

Though she served as Shirou's knight, she only referred to him as "King" under certain formal circumstances.

In most situations, or in private, she simply called him Shirou.

Merlin responded, "It just happened."

"Is that so? How wonderful," she said, her face breaking into a gentle smile.

Even though she was a warrior through and through, ever since Shirou had cured her of her old ailment of seeking death, she had reverted somewhat to her demeanor from over a millennium ago. She was more caring toward her friends and full of youthful spirit. Of course, the youth that had passed could never be regained, but no one was bold enough to bring that up in her presence.

"Yes, it's quite wonderful," Merlin agreed, letting a hint of emotion creep into his voice as he put on the air of a doting father. Honestly, it was a bit too much; even King Solomon, who saw this, couldn't help but arch an eyebrow.

"Use the Chains of Heaven to restrain it, then go on the offensive!" Shirou commanded.

Gilgamesh let out a snort but, for once, didn't argue. He swiftly used the Chains of Heaven to immobilize the abomination. It was evident that he, too, felt the weight of the situation as they faced this formidable foe. Following the restrain, the Heroic Spirits unleashed their attacks.

"His power may be great, but don't be afraid—we will surely prevail!" Shirou said from the back.

The Heroic Spirits nodded, their faces serious.

Just as he was about to add more, Karna calmly cut in, "Eternal King, inspiring speeches aren't necessary here. We aren't common soldiers in need of a morale boost. It's unnecessary and a waste of time."

Shirou: "..."

Annoyed, he gave Karna a pointed look. Couldn't the guy just keep his thoughts to himself for once?

Lightning crackled and sparks flew, intermingling with the divine authority that enveloped everything, outshining even the Heroic Spirits in its raw power.

Yet its form was disturbingly unnatural—a towering, ten-meter-tall mound of black mud, covered in human faces lumped together like malignant tumors. The sight was so grotesque it could fill anyone with a terror beyond words.

It bore an uncanny resemblance to a malevolent entity straight out of the Cthulhu Mythos.

Indeed, when the Temple of Time had been projected into the outside world due to its inexplicable power, countless ordinary people were already struck by its horrifying visage, succumbing to a fear they couldn't begin to describe.

Its appearance was nightmarish to a degree that no movie or figment of the imagination could capture. This was a monster, real and horrific, in every sense of the word!

A wave of terror surged, followed by screams and ensuing pandemonium!

Inside the Temple of Time, the Heroic Spirits unleashed their assault on this abomination. Noble Phantasms were deployed, beams of light zigzagged across the space, and every kind of weapon was hurled at the creature. Yet, whether it was the sun's brilliance, the flurry of arrows, or the deadly tips of blades, nothing seemed to pierce the monstrosity.

Only the Chains of Heaven, specifically designed to bind divine entities, seemed to exert even the faintest restraint on this god-like abomination.

But even that marginal restraint risked being shattered by the flood of magical energy emanating from Zelretch, whom the abomination was using as its own personal energy source.

Okita Souji lunged at the creature, her sword techniques reaching the level of Noble Phantasms. However, she couldn't penetrate the multiple layers of authority that armored the creature.

In fact, the same held true for the rest; their attacks also struggled to breach the creature's complex authorities.

Among them, Karna faced the most significant disadvantage. As the son of the Sun God Surya, he found himself in a particularly awkward situation. An aspect of Surya was present in this abomination. Essentially, the creature contained elements of Karna's very origin as a Heroic Spirit, making his odds incredibly unfavorable.

The only one who could really go toe-to-toe with this abomination was Scathach.

Stacked with multiple layers of powerful authority and boosted by the corrupted Cup of the Lord, this monster was incredibly formidable.

However, Scathach's God Slayer skill, enhanced by Shirou's buff, had already reached [God Slayer A] level. When she'd faced those one-eyed giants earlier, taking them down was as easy as shooting fish in a barrel.

Against this monster, her attacks also posed a significant threat. The layers of divinity that had stumped Karna, Okita, and the others were like layers of thick paper to her—easily shredded to bits.

The other Heroic Spirits weren't too bothered, but Okita Souji, the Counter Guardian who actually enjoyed tormenting those one-eyed giants, was a bit miffed.

In the middle of her attack, she glanced back at Shirou, who was standing behind her, and tossed out a suggestion. "Eternal King, how about stacking a few more God Slayer buffs on me?"

Shirou: "..."

Did she actually think he was some sort of unlimited power-up machine?

Just as he opened his mouth to respond, Karna interjected smoothly, "Eternal King has reached his limit and can't grant any more buffs. He needs to hide behind us and recover his mana. So, rely on yourself; don't depend too much on others. They can be unreliable."

Shirou shot Karna a sharp glance. It dawned on him why in Karna's legend, the gods favored Arjuna over Karna. It wasn't just about having a bad personality; Karna seemed to lack a basic understanding of how to read the room, and his blunt remarks could rub people the wrong way. Given the choice, If he had to choose, he'd probably opt to help Arjuna over Karna too.

Okita Souji didn't say anything and refocused on her attempts to break through the monster's layers of divine authorities. However, her efforts felt more like defense than actual attacks.

...

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