"S-sorry!"
After coming to her senses, March 7th immediately bowed her head apologetically toward Ryuga.
Someone had helped her, yet not only did she fail to thank them, she even secretly photographed them—this was so wrong!
"It's fine. If anything, the problem lies in my management of subordinates."
Ryuga shook his head, then held Jibril up before March 7th.
"Do you have anything you want to say?"
The loli-fied Jibril drooped her wings, looking pitiful, appearing like a kitten held by the scruff.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have deliberately scared you. Can you please forgive me?"
Under Ryuga's hand, Jibril was exceptionally obedient.
Seeing the little girl like this, even though March 7th was dissatisfied with her earlier behavior, she couldn't bring herself to be angry.
"Using a child's appearance to apologize is totally cheating. Fine, this beautiful girl will be magnanimous and forgive you this time!"
Hearing this response, Jibril immediately cheered up.
"Thank you, I'll repay you later!"
"Just don't scare me anymore!"
March 7th pouted.
"Don't worry! From now on we're friends! Group members don't deceive group members!"
Jibril patted her chest with determination.
"Besides, what I said before wasn't all lies. At least, what's before you truly is a spectacle rare even in a hundred thousand years."
Hearing this, March 7th looked around at the battlefield, her lips twitching slightly.
"If you mean a world-ending war, this indeed is a once-in-a-hundred-thousand-years spectacle. But why call me, a small fry, for this scene? You're not planning to send me to the battlefield, right? This young lady faints at large scenes."
At this point, she revealed a vigilant expression.
During the Astral Express's previous pioneering journeys, she'd been tricked into hard labor more than once, running around helping others solve troubles only to receive a mere "thank you" in the end.
If it were other matters, with her soft-hearted nature, she might not be able to refuse.
But this war's scale was truly too vast—it could even compare to a small-scale interstellar war.
She couldn't possibly help in a battle of this level!
Seeing her cautious appearance, before Jibril could speak, Ryuga shook his head.
"Of course we won't have you fight. However, since you've come all this way, going back like this would be anticlimactic. How about staying in a safe zone to observe the battle?"
Looking at the girl before him, he extended an invitation.
Based on his understanding of March 7th, her fourth-tier strength should only be her most superficial power.
Though March 7th herself didn't know it, considering her relationship with Fuli the Remembrance, the upper limit of the strength within her body might even reach the Emanator level.
Powerful Emanators often possessed fifth-tier, even sixth-tier level strength.
Even Artosh might not be able to defeat such an existence.
Moreover, with Artosh's Star Grail characteristics, even if severely disadvantaged, He wouldn't necessarily lose.
Of course, no matter how much strength March 7th had or whether she could unleash her hidden power, Ryuga had no intention of having her participate.
To deal with Artosh, he didn't need others' help.
The reason he wanted to keep March 7th was mainly because he was very interested in her power.
In this regard, Jibril luring her over actually deserved credit.
Of course, given March 7th's gullibility, there was no need for such methods to easily bring her here anyway.
Unlike Artosh who communicated with imaginary energy through the Star Grail, as a Pathstrider, March 7th was a pure—couldn't be more pure—user of imaginary energy.
Researching Artosh could at most yield the characteristics of imaginary energy, but researching March 7th could analyze the power of Paths.
The upper limit of Paths was at minimum a star god capable of encompassing entire universes. Star gods had minimum strength of sixth-tier galaxy level and above, with the highest even reaching single-universe level.
This system's power ceiling was much higher than ordinary mythological systems.
At least, for now it was.
Thinking this, Ryuga continued:
"If you want to take some commemorative photos, though the current environment isn't ideal, there should be scenes that satisfy you afterward."
Hearing Ryuga say this, March 7th relaxed slightly. After thinking for two seconds, she felt Ryuga was right.
Having come all this way, how could she leave without taking more photos?
"Then thank you very much, Ryuga-sama!"
"No need to be polite."
Ryuga shook his head, looking toward the distant sky.
There, a black dot gradually enlarged—it was the Flügel's main base, Avant Heim.
Seeing Ryuga seemed quite approachable, March 7th hesitated, then still spoke up:
"Um... Ryuga-sama, may I ask why you're starting this war?"
Such a massive war would inevitably cause countless deaths.
As a Trailblazer with some experience, March 7th wasn't a saint who would say naive things like "everyone should make peace."
In fact, during their journeys, Trailblazers often maintained neutrality, basically never taking sides unless things were especially egregious.
However, having witnessed this, her kind nature wouldn't allow her to pretend she saw nothing.
March 7th's question also represented some chat group members.
Though the smarter ones already understood Ryuga's intentions, those less sensitive to warfare truly didn't understand why fighting suddenly broke out.
Facing this question, Ryuga's gaze swept across the desolate earth, passing over the blood-red sky.
"In a war lasting tens of thousands of years, this planet has already reached its limit."
He said lightly.
Hearing this, March 7th carefully observed her surroundings, finding it was indeed so.
If the blood-stained sky and wasteland weren't enough proof this planet was approaching doomsday.
Then that enormous abyss spanning the entire continent, like a giant scar on the planet, demonstrated this world's precarious state.
Viewed from space, it wouldn't be strange if this planet shattered at any moment.
At this point, March 7th didn't yet know this massive scar was created by Jibril.
So in her view, if left alone, this planet stepping into doomsday was only a matter of time.
"But if war breaks out now, won't that accelerate the world's destruction?"
March 7th asked, puzzled.
"No."
Ryuga shook his head.
"This time, it's the war to end all wars."
"Oh!"
Though she didn't quite understand, March 7th guessed Ryuga's goal was to save this world, so she said no more.
At this time, Avant Heim had reached its preset position and stopped.
The thousand Flügel previously under Ryuga had now returned to the War God's camp.
Led by Azriel, the Flügel faced the coalition army before them with eyes ready for formidable enemies and slightly complex attitudes.
Battle was imminent. Ryuga glanced at Jibril.
The Flügel loli immediately understood his meaning, reaching out to grab March 7th.
"The battle's about to start! You should go to the spectator seats first—only that side is safe!"
"Okay!"
March 7th naturally didn't refuse.
After nodding, she hesitated, then waved at Ryuga.
"Good luck, Ryuga-sama!"
The next instant, Jibril used Spatial Shift to take her away, appearing on the warship at the coalition fleet's center.
On the warship deck, a knight girl with golden ahoge was gazing at the enemy overhead. Seeing someone appear beside her, she immediately looked over alertly.
"Jibril?"
Recognizing the Flügel loli, Artoria relaxed, then looked at March 7th beside her.
"Who is this?"
"Master's friend. Ryuga-sama asked her to stay in the spectator seats. Senior, please remember to protect her well!"
Jibril was quite respectful toward Artoria, who had once defeated her.
At least her attitude was much better than toward Azriel.
Hearing Jibril's words, Artoria's expression immediately became serious.
"Understood. I will do my utmost to complete Master's command!"
After speaking, sensing the tremendous pressure from the Flügel base, the ahoge girl hesitated before asking:
"Jibril, Master's side... do you really not need me to participate in battle?"
Even the Dwarves, Elves, and Dragonia were participating—Artoria felt she shouldn't be left out either.
After all, the Holy Sword of the Stars' power should be more helpful to Master, right?
Facing this question, Jibril shook her head.
"Of course not!"
Seeing Artoria still looked puzzled, she patiently asked:
"Senior, do you know why these armies are here participating in the decisive battle?"
"...Safety in numbers?"
Artoria hesitated before guessing.
The combined strength of these coalition armies was indeed quite formidable—truly world-ending scale power.
Since it could be used, there was no reason not to.
Her speculation was extremely reasonable.
However, after hearing it, Jibril only shook her head.
"No, Senior, you guessed wrong."
She looked at the Knight King quietly and answered:
"Their greatest use this time is as atmosphere builders."
"?"
Artoria found this somewhat incomprehensible for a moment.
Suddenly, incomparably vast divine might radiated outward with the throne at Avant Heim's highest point as the center, spreading across the entire world.
The sky shook, the earth trembled.
Amidst these heaven and earth changes, the War God Artosh let out an incomparably hearty, incomparably joyful laugh.
"Hahaha! Mighty warrior from another world! Has the decisive battle I've long awaited finally arrived?!"
Behind his bold laughter was thoroughly boiling battle spirit.
After ten thousand years, the War God had finally found an opponent who could make his blood boil completely.
Facing this divine might surpassing all gods, Ryuga merely responded calmly as if feeling a gentle breeze.
"Right now. I don't want to wait too long. I imagine you feel the same."
Though not loud, his words reached the ears of everyone across the entire planet more clearly than Artosh's.
Someone was challenging the War God Artosh?
Civilizations with poor information only learned of this now. Most thought this battle had no suspense, while a minority prayed for the nightmare's end.
Amidst myriad prayers, the War God overwhelmed everything with incomparable presence.
"Correct! Waiting too long would cool boiling blood. Now is the best time for decisive battle!"
Saying this, he surveyed the coalition army arrayed before him, his golden pupils slightly confused.
"Ryuga, you're not... placing your hopes on these toys, are you?"
The Ex-Machina army before him had been modified by Ryuga, their strength multiplied several times. All together, they could even easily slay upper-tier divine species.
In the original story, the War God's Star Grail was stripped by the Ex-Machina, and there weren't even this many then.
Yet at this moment, facing the enhanced Ex-Machina army, Artosh still adopted a dismissive attitude, seemingly not believing these existences could trouble him at all.
Regarding his attitude, Ryuga didn't deny it.
"Just a side experiment. Want to cooperate?"
"Let's try!"
Artosh raised his right hand high, revealing a ferociously fierce smile.
The next instant, a divine light capable of penetrating the planet appeared in the War God's hand.
"All Flügel prepare—entrust Heaven's Strike to Artosh!"
To be continued…
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