Chapter 126 – The Beasts of Humanity Appear!
"Charge forward, Bucephalus!!"
Iskandar gripped the reins with one hand and raised his sword with the other as he charged straight at the dragon-headed Phantasmal Species!
The dragon-headed Phantasmal Species opened its fanged jaws and fired a beam of light toward Iskandar.
"BOOOOOM————————!!!"
Bucephalus accelerated, dodged the attack, and dashed through to the other side!
"GRUUUAAAAAAAA!!!"
The caterpillar-headed Phantasmal Species opened its mouth into a "+" shape, each segment lined with razor-sharp teeth.
Its body twisted and squirmed through the blood-red sea, then launched itself straight at the airborne Iskandar!!!
The caterpillar-like Phantasmal Species charged in from the side, forming a pincer attack with the dragon-headed one to strike Iskandar from both flanks!
Seeing the enemies closing in, Iskandar shouted:
"Show them your might, Bucephalus!!"
As if answering its master's call, Bucephalus crackled with lightning all over its body, stomped on the dragon-headed Phantasmal Species, and leapt high into the air!!!
Like a bolt of lightning, Iskandar broke free from the deadly trap and soared upward!!!
"BOOOOM——————!!!"
The two massive Phantasmal Species below slammed into each other due to the momentum of their charge!
"That was way too close…"
Iskandar turned his head to look back, seeing the bodies of the two creatures tangled together from the collision.
"Doesn't exactly go how that kid said… whatever, close enough."
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh——————————!!!"
A rain of black spears flew in from the distance with a piercing howl, stabbing directly into the two Phantasmal Species!
"The time of retribution has come!!!"
Riding a chariot charging in from afar, Jeanne Alter raised her Dragon Witch Flag high.
A massive amount of black mana surged around her.
"This is the howl of a soul filled with hatred!
Roar, Rage of Mine!
La Grondement Du Haine!!!"
The black spears embedded in the bodies of the monsters instantly erupted into flames! Jet-black fire roared to life!!!
"GRRAAAAARGHHHH!!!"
The two Phantasmal Species screamed and thrashed, the blood sea below them rising in wave after wave—but it couldn't extinguish the infernal flames devouring them.
"AHAHAHAHA!!! My hatred is endless! Savor the agony of a fire that burns through bone and soul!!!"
Jeanne Alter laughed wildly, looking every bit the mad villainess.
But then, light began to glow blue beneath the scales of the two creatures—revealing countless eyes hidden underneath.
Those eyes emitted a shrill screech, and soon… the fires that had been burning so fiercely began to slowly die out.
"Impossible!!!"
Jeanne Alter stared in disbelief at the scene before her.
"My fire…"
"You did great, Jeanne Alter."
Ethan reassured her while turning to the other side of the chariot.
"Is everyone ready?"
"I'm ready, Senpai!"
Mash raised her shield and assumed a defensive stance.
"Awaiting Master's orders."
"Of course. Everything's prepped."
Waver and Sima Yi both nodded.
Most important of all was Mordred—she had shed all her armor, revealing a confident, victorious grin.
"Alright, Master! Let's charge!!!"
Seeing this, Ethan tightened his grip on the reins and gave them a sharp tug.
"Alright! Let's go—full charge!!!"
"MOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
The two Divine Bulls roared and thundered straight ahead toward the Phantasmal Species. The wheels of the chariot—Gordius Wheel—spun rapidly, sparks and lightning flying along the path!!!
Having just been struck by Jeanne Alter's Noble Phantasm, the two Phantasmal Species went berserk and charged forward, howling!
"BOOM, BOOM——————!!!"
Beams of light fired continuously from their mouths, targeting the Gordius Wheel soaring through the air.
"Mash!!!"
"Roger, Senpai!!!"
Mash raised her shield and began chanting.
"True Name, Pseudo-Register!"
Just before the beams could hit the chariot, a silver wall of light appeared in front of it!
"Noble Phantasm, Deploy! Lord Chaldeas!!!"
"Switching to defense mode, activate!!!"
Maid of Mercury—Trimmau reverted to its original form, adding another layer of defense behind Mash's shield.
It automatically adjusted its defensive field to absorb impact in real time, forming an impenetrable wall.
As they approached the bodies of the two Phantasmal Species, the creatures began to charge up energy in their mouths—an overwhelming magical force gathering at their cores!
Ethan, holding the reins and steering the chariot, could see it—the raw magical energy radiating from them, a force so intense it struck instinctual fear into the human soul!
But… now was not the time to flinch!
"Mordred!!!"
"On it!!!"
Standing at the center of the chariot was Mordred, gripping Clarent: Brilliantly Shining Royal Sword in her hand.
"Unleashing now! More radiant than Excalibur itself—the holy sword for the rightful heir to the throne, and the very blade that ended the legend of the king! Clarent!!!"
As Mordred released its power, Clarent blazed with a brilliant primordial light.
That light enveloped Mordred, temporarily bestowing upon her the very concept of a 'King'.
"No need to worry—just go all out!!!"
Sima Yi activated her skill, boosting Mordred's mana output once again.
"Let's go—combine all of our strength!!!"
Waver also channeled his own mana directly into Mordred.
Now, Clarent brimmed with immense mana pressure, multiplied many times over.
"But… even this still isn't enough!!!"
Mordred pushed herself further, unleashing even more power.
"Red Lightning! Full output!!!"
Red lightning forged from pure mana rained down from the heavens, causing the glow of Clarent to erupt many times more fiercely!
"BOOOOOOM——————————!!!"
Twin beams of light surged from the mouths of the two Phantasmal Species, aimed directly at the chariot and everyone aboard!!!
"Senpai!!!"
"Master!!! It's now or never!!!"
In that razor-thin moment, Ethan yanked hard on the reins.
"Turn around—now!!!"
The two bulls instantly pivoted in a tight arc, causing the Gordius Wheel to veer sharply, turning its back toward the Phantasmal Species.
At the same time, Mash's shield shifted with perfect timing, exposing the two monsters fully to Mordred's view!
"Go, Mordred!!!"
Hearing Ethan's shout, Mordred—poised at the center—swung the King's sword fiercely toward the two beasts before her!!!
"I am no king, but I follow in the king's path.I will destroy all that I must to bring the king peace!!Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father!Clarent Blood Arthuuur!!!"
From the blade, white light and black aura twisted together and launched forward!!!
The red lightning crackling around the blade howled, covering it completely as it struck head-on against the beams fired from the monsters' mouths!
"——————————!!!"
The clash of titanic forces made the sea of blood beneath them churn violently!
The two opposing mana torrents collided mid-air with overwhelming power—neither side giving an inch!
Mordred's glowing red eyes intensified as she continued to pour her strength into Clarent.
Only three thoughts echoed in her mind, again and again:
I don't want to lose. I can't lose. I won't lose!!!
"You motherfuckers, just fucking die already aaaaaaaaaa——————————!!!"
The red lightning, made purely of magical energy, began shredding the enemy's light beam bit by bit—devouring it slowly, until it crossed a critical threshold—
"BOOOOOOOOOOM——————————!!!"
A devastating impact obliterated the enemies' attack, as the red lightning pierced through the bodies of the two Phantasmal Species!!!
From within, the red lightning completely destroyed the creatures' massive forms, scorching their thick scales and burning deep black marks across their bodies.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH——————!!!"
The two monsters thrashed wildly, creating giant waves of blood across the sea.
But no matter how much they howled, it couldn't change the inevitable truth—they were finished.
After several minutes of convulsions, their bodies slowly ceased movement and began to sink beneath the blood-red sea.
Mordred finally let out a long breath and managed a weak smile, barely able to keep hold of her sword.
"Told you already, my Noble Phantasm can wipe those things out… Wait, what the hell are you all doing?"
Turning around, she saw everyone still bracing themselves against Mash's shield with all their strength.
"Senpai, I think… it's over," Mash said, reminding Ethan.
"Yeah? Good. That's a relief…"
Ethan finally sighed in exhaustion.
"Didn't expect the recoil to be that intense—I honestly thought I was gonna get flung off."
"Heh, for something like that, it's only natural for a weakling like onii-sama to struggle."
"Why the hell was I even helping hold the shield anyway…"
To counter the recoil when Mordred unleashed her Noble Phantasm, and prevent the chariot from being thrown off-course, Mash utilized her own Noble Phantasm to absorb the shockwave.
Thanks to everyone's help, and the two bulls pushing their limits to stabilize the chariot, Mordred was finally able to fully release her Noble Phantasm, defeating the two mysterious Phantasmal Species.
The grandeur of the battle was broadcasted live, causing the number of viewers to skyrocket, reaching a peak of 100,000 simultaneous viewers!
[I was still thinking about how to activate Mo-chan's Noble Phantasm on the chariot, turns out all you need is an ultimate 180-degree drift.]
[Bull: You can just turn, and that's it? Can we get some respect here?!]
[That was a minor issue, I've done turns like that in Los Santos all the time, it's fine.]
[The bull must've gone over the double lines there, points should be deducted.]
[Mo-chan's Noble Phantasm really slays everything, except for her dad, she hasn't had the chance to test it on him yet.]
[Honestly, with all the buffs Mordred has now, it feels like she could destroy Rome at this point!!]
[Why is Umu-chan the villain? I don't believe it!!!]
...
[System: 'British Trouble Kid' has sent 100 Saint Quartz!]
[Message: Thanks to all the buffing friends—We are the champions!!!]
[System: 'Ultimate Joker' has sent 300 Saint Quartz!]
[Message: Kamehameha vs. Galick Gun!!! GOOOOOOO BBBRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!]
[System: 'Strongest Shield' has sent 200 Saint Quartz!]
[Message: Everyone only cares about DPS, no one cares about the top tank... In the end, it's still Mashu-chan who endures everything... poor girl!!!]
[System: 'Waver's Wellness Cup' has sent 150 Saint Quartz!]
[Message: After this battle, can Waver take a break for two days? If this keeps up, Reines will be blonde sending off a black-haired funeral…]
...
"Hey, nice job!!!"
Iskandar, riding Bucephalus, approached from afar.
"What a great hit. The magical response from those two monsters has disappeared. If their subordinates have been defeated, then their master will soon make a move."
"Ethan… Mash…"
After defeating the two Phantasmal Species, the voice of Doctor Romani finally came through the comms device.
"Doctor, we've defeated the two unidentified Phantasmal Species!"
Mash immediately reported the good news.
"In the meantime, we've basically identified their overall nature."
The expression on Doctor Romani's face became serious.
"Based on the magical wavelengths, we can confirm that these two beings are not Demon God Pillars from Solomon. However, they serve a much more powerful entity."
Romani slowly uttered a phrase that seemed to carry immense magical weight.
"Seven Evils of Humanity—The Beast."
"The Beast?!!"
Waver frowned.
"No wonder we couldn't observe their Saint Graph—it's because their Saint Graph is so powerful that I thought the equipment was malfunctioning!!!"
"Oh, that makes sense now."
Sima Yi appeared much more composed than the others.
"According to Reines' memory, the Seven Evils of Humanity are the enemies of Human Order. It seems we've drawn the short straw this time."
"Huh? What's a Beast? Is it really that strong???"
Mordred furrowed her brow, confused.
"They didn't seem too impressive to me."
Jeanne Alter, like Mordred, appeared completely unfamiliar with the term "Beast."
"Mash, Ethan, this time it seems the enemy is not something the two of you can handle."
Doctor Romani stared intently at the terrifyingly high magical output on the screen in front of him.
"In their current state, the enemy's magical energy is almost reaching Third Planetary Class levels!!!"
"Hohoho——————!!!"
Nero, floating mid-air, laughed uncontrollably.
"Hahahaha! Is it all over now? Well then, the counter of humanity!!"
"Not enough, still not enough! If it's about protecting the Human Order, it should at least be a little stronger than this. Don't make it so boring!"
As she laughed, the blood sea beneath her roiled, and once again, numerous creatures like the previous ones began to emerge.
"Come, at least put up a fight, or all that awaits you… is death."
"GRAAAHHHH——————————!!!"
Seven Phantasmal Species of varying forms roared behind her.