“God is dead.”
After Rhodes said this, a roar that seemed to tear his Soul apart came from the Void Realm.
“Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh—!!!”
Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, the insect named Zouken danced in ecstasy.
Yes.
It had been thousands of years since humanity bid farewell to the gods and ascended to the throne of primates.
What they gained after countless cold and hot seasons, after spending eons, was the growth of the species called human.
Five hundred years was nothing at all.
How could a miracle be achieved by spending only this much time?
Our wish is even more distant, dazzling, and noble; it will surely be fulfilled somewhere in the future.
The journey has just begun—
The evil insect said.
“Eat… me… our King! Let my knowledge become your flesh and blood! Let my obsession become your power!”
Without hesitation, the evil beast nodded.
“I have received your resolve.”
The next moment, it was as if someone activated a spatial substitution Noble Phantasm.
With a swift flash, the insect’s head vanished, leaving only a smooth, curved cross-section on its torso as its form began to dissolve.
Then came the successive stages of assimilation, the second and third remnants fading away.
The last of the original three who sought the miracle disappeared without a trace.
The Magician, with his long-desired goal, became a part of Beast 666.
…
“All gods are dead: now we want the Superman to live.—Let this be our last will at the great noon!”
Thus Spoke Zarathustra.
—”Thus Spoke Zarathustra”
…
As a Beast hatched from the negative Holy Grail, Rhodes had the same operational mode as the Fuyuki Holy Grail—he could become complete by devouring the Souls of seven Servants. Read the latest chapters at g.com.
Besides devouring the Souls of Servants, devouring humans could also evolve Rhodes, but that would require a considerably large number.
Rhodes was not interested in becoming a complete Beast, so he was extremely restrained in this behavior.
Incidentally, if the devoured unit was powerful enough, it wouldn’t actually disappear but could continue to exist in Alter form.
“—Hmph.”
Finishing his long-awaited meal, Rhodes stretched.
He felt his power increase slightly within him.
One aspect was the increase in HP.
Leaving aside the authorities and skills possessed by a Beast, Rhodes himself was a walking great holy grail.
He had nearly infinite magical energy and absolute suppression over Servants.
While it was as easy as pie for him to instantly kill a certain enthusiastic citizen, Mr.
Jin, in the Holy Grail War, on the other hand, his durability was not much different from an ordinary Master.
Forget about taking a single Anti-Unit or Anti-Army Noble Phantasm; if a passing priest gave him a baptismal chant, Rhodes would permanently bid farewell to this beautiful and cruel world.
In summary, Rhodes was a typical glass cannon.
Devouring Souls could slightly increase Rhodes’s HP; this was one point.
More importantly, after devouring Zouken, he inherited his entirety and could now use Matou secret arts.
Normally, he wouldn’t possess this ability.
Although eating human Souls would amplify Rhodes’s power, it wouldn’t grant him the opponent’s abilities.
However, the old insect was special.
The characteristic of the Magician passed down in the Matou Family was absorption, and its attribute was water.
Note that water attribute Magician does not mean it can launch water element attacks or heal injuries.
In Type-Moon, attributes are more metaphysical concepts, for example, water is [flow].
Relying on such characteristics and attributes, Matou Magician had the feature of “always returning the results to one’s own Physical Body.”
Thus, Rhodes, who had eaten Zouken’s Soul, also became capable of absorbing the opponent’s techniques.
This was also one of the reasons Rhodes chose Zouken.
Although he had no interest in utilizing those insect-based arts to harm humans and absorb nutrients, the other Magician properties left by the old insect were still valuable.
Separating his Soul from his main body [Physical Body and mind] and placing it in a safe place.
As long as his Soul wasn’t stolen, no matter how many times he was smashed, he could revive again.
This technique, somewhat similar to a lich’s phylactery in fantasy works, was undoubtedly best utilized by Zouken among humans in the Type-Moon world.
Although the insect attached to his Soul was sleeping elsewhere, his old man’s body was no different from an ordinary Magician.
The mind is the operating System, the Physical Body is the machine, and the Soul is the character’s memory data.
Zouken’s secret art was equivalent to backing up character records in real-time and uploading them to a terminal server in science fiction.
It can be said that this technique perfectly matched Rhodes, who had high attack and paper-thin defense.
Afterward, Rhodes only needed to find a suitable container to store his Soul, and he could freely roam Fuyuki City.
Mom, I don’t have to worry about being taken out by a single light cannon anymore!
“Emmm… what should I choose as a vessel to hold a Soul?”
Rhodes pondered aloud, stroking his chin while reviewing the knowledge Zouken had left behind.
“It seems it’s not limited to familiars or living beings. Even objects, like a sword or a coin, can be used to attach a Soul. But… if someone were to raid my home, at least a living being would have a chance to escape, while an object would just have to wait to die.”
Lost in thought, Rhodes made his way from Zouken’s secret Magic Workshop back to the first floor of the mansion.
…
Upon returning to the reception room, he found that the short, aquamarine-haired Devil King had already left the basement.
Kama was sprawled on the sofa, legs crossed, casually flipping through the manga in Rhodes’s carry-on bag.
Having eaten and drunk her fill, she could finally fully manifest, even weaving her clothes from magic.
Her snow-white skin, exposed under the fluorescent lights, glowed with a creamy luster.
Her slender, graceful limbs were faintly visible through the translucent purple gauze, sensuous and alluring.
As Rhodes entered the room, Kama immediately looked up, casting an displeased gaze with her red eyes.
“Honestly, I prepared for so long, and you ate the most delicious part, Senior. You’re not really planning to fulfill that old bug’s wish, are you?”
“Tch… how could I?”
Rhodes sat on the sofa, snatched the manga from her hand, and said nonchalantly.
“Have you forgotten? I am Satan [Father of Lies].”