Kiritsugu Emiya's awe of Damien deepened as he heard his words.
Among Heroic Spirits, some could casually send a subordinate to observe from the sidelines.
Others... specifically Gilgamesh... were being toyed with like a monkey on a stage.
This guy is absolutely the most dangerous Heroic Spirit in this Holy Grail War!
Kiritsugu wanted to distance himself from Damien, but the Ice Empress's predatory gaze kept him pinned.
If not for Damien's restraint, the Ice Empress would have already attacked him.
Kiritsugu began to speculate which of the seventy-two Demon God Pillars Shion and the Ice Empress might be.
Their overwhelming killing intent and Shion's indestructible physique were striking.
Unfortunately, the lore of the seventy-two Demon God Pillars was too complex.
Kiritsugu couldn't pinpoint which ones matched the two women in such a short time.
"Gilgamesh is getting serious." Kirei Kotomine reported through a gemstone communicator, observing via Assassin's eyes. "He plans to keep unleashing Gate of Babylon."
Tokiomi Tohsaka, receiving the update, felt a growing headache.
He hadn't intended for Gilgamesh to reveal himself so early.
But now, if he didn't recall him, Gilgamesh would fight Shion to the death.
"But who is that female Heroic Spirit?"
With a horn on her forehead, an elven-like beauty, and absurdly agile combat skills.
Her battle experience, intuition, unmatched strength, and near-invulnerable body posed a massive threat to everyone present.
And indeed, they were right to feel threatened.
As three of the six vassals Damien brought to this war, Shion, Shuna, and Souei all boasted A+ stat panels.
Unlike other Monster Kingdom Servants, they possessed unique skills.
[Noble Phantasms: Tyrant (A+), Oni Deification (A)]
[Noble Phantasms: Analyzer (A+), Creator (A+), Oni Deification (A)]
[Noble Phantasms: Concealer (A+), Oni Deification (A)]
Beyond the shared Oni Deification, which temporarily boosted all stats, their unique skills manifested as Noble Phantasms.
All four Noble Phantasms were of high rank, reaching A+.
In Heroic Spirit terms, Shion was akin to a top-tier Saber with one A+ and one A-rank Noble Phantasm.
Thus, unless Gilgamesh unleashed his most exceptional Noble Phantasms, even breaching Shion's defenses would be a challenge.
This Noble Phantasm's ability was similar to Twelve Labors.
While lacking resurrection, its defensive power surpassed even Heracles'.
Breaking Shion's defenses required at least an A-rank Noble Phantasm.
Anything below A-rank couldn't harm her.
Of course, this referred only to a weapon's raw sharpness.
Special-effect Noble Phantasms like Gáe Dearg (B-rank) with its magic-severing ability were immune to her defenses.
"I've seen through you, mongrel!" Gilgamesh declared.
Though arrogant, his insight was unmatched.
Through the earlier barrage, he noticed a pattern.
Shion didn't tank every attack.
Some Noble Phantasms she blocked with her weapon.
Others, she chose to dodge.
"The ones you avoided are all A+ rank or higher!"
"So what?" Shion retorted.
"Hahaha…" Gilgamesh laughed, recalling his thrown Noble Phantasms and summoning a new batch of blades from Gate of Babylon.
"I have as many Noble Phantasms as I need to deal with you!"
This time, all 108 summoned Noble Phantasms were A+ rank or above!
Each uniquely shaped yet exquisitely crafted weapon radiated power that made even Shion wary.
This situation demanded her full focus.
Otherwise, she might actually get hurt.
Gilgamesh's self-exposure stunned everyone.
If Shion's ability to ignore A-rank Noble Phantasms was terrifying, Gilgamesh's display shattered their understanding.
A Heroic Spirit wielding over a hundred A+ Noble Phantasms? How was anyone supposed to fight that?!
"This is bad…" Tokiomi muttered, unable to stay calm.
He hadn't expected Gilgamesh to reveal such critical information.
Now, everyone would fear Gilgamesh.
Unless he was eliminated first, winning this Holy Grail War was impossible!
"Gilgamesh can't keep acting recklessly."
Making a snap decision, Tokiomi expended a Command Seal. "By the power of this Command Seal, King of Heroes, cease your anger and retreat."
Gilgamesh, poised to obliterate the offending Shion, snapped his head up, his face brimming with displeasure. "You think your counsel can make me retreat, Tokiomi?"
At that moment, Gilgamesh felt a spark of killing intent toward Tokiomi.
This so-called respectful Master hadn't truly acknowledged his place.
Tokiomi, you not gonna see sun this morning!
Unfortunately, the Command Seal's authority was absolute, even for Gilgamesh.
With a wave, he recalled all his Noble Phantasms.
"You've escaped with your life!" He spat, glaring at Shion before turning to leave. "Mongrels! Until we meet again, continue your pointless slaughter!"
"Only true heroes will face me next time!"
"Hey!" Shion taunted, unrelenting. "Running already? I thought you were some big shot. What a letdown."
Gilgamesh's fury boiled, his killing intent toward Tokiomi reaching its peak.
Atop the container, Damien sat on the edge, glancing at his analysis panel.
[Analysis Progress: 100%]
[Provides: 20% Reality Marble analysis]
[Analysis Progress: 15%]
The surge of A+ Noble Phantasms had significantly boosted Damien's analysis progress.
Time Alter granted him insight into temporal rules.
Additionally, it advanced Violet's research into Reality Marbles.
Hi guys, Elenea here! I just want to announce that starting now I'll be trying to focus on my own original fanfic, which I've been thinking about for the past few days (lol I really mulled this over briefly for a few days and decided I'm going to make it a full novel).
[Worse Than the Devil (DxD)]
An evil and chaotic creature, born from hell, which are often a scapegoat for humans. Blamed for the atrocities they themselves commit. Follow current novels on novel•fire.net
"The devil made me do it."
A phrase always uttered by humans after committing crimes, casting blame and responsibility for their wrongdoings onto the devil.
But not all humans are like that, for there is one man who would gleefully commit atrocities that would be condemned by all of human history and accept the blame and responsibility for those wrongs with open arms.
His name is Michael, but in stark contrast to the meaning of his name 'Who is like God' he is not a devout man who draws near to God's embrace. Instead… he is the one who sends lost sheep to meet God's embrace much faster.
Btw, a quick note before you decide to read, if you have a heart as pure as glass, I suggest you don't read this because it REALLY gets dark to early. The first chapter will give you a little idea of what I might explore later on in this fanservice harem-themed world like DxD.