mesbooks Chapter 1965 This body descends as a Berserker; Lord Wu'an, Bai Qi!
Chapter 1965 This body descends as a Berserker; Lord Wu'an, Bai Qi!
Chapter 1965 This body descends as a Berserker; Lord Wu'an, Bai Qi!
The capital city, the Liu family.
Liu Hongxuan stood tall and straight in the summoning array.
Last time, he summoned Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, and with his overwhelming personal strength, he almost single-handedly swept away all his opponents and easily won the Holy Grail War.
But the previous victory also means that this time they will inevitably become the target of everyone's criticism.
Liu Hongxuan was well aware of this.
After all, once Xu Yuan obtained the "Xiang Yu Armor," he thoroughly humiliated everyone, including Su Yunqing.
Although Su Yunqing got her revenge later, the others didn't.
Moreover, after he was humiliated by Su Yunqing, he said he would wait for this Holy Grail War if he had the ability.
Therefore, he will definitely become their primary target this time.
They will never repeat the mistake of leaving the heroic spirit to fight alone; instead, they will seek cooperation, devise strategies, and even be the first to eliminate him.
"This time, unless the summoned hero is as powerful as Xiang Yu, it will be quite dangerous."
Liu Hongxuan sighed.
The rules of the Holy Grail War limit the excessive intervention of the Master's own strength, leaving the key to victory or defeat largely to the Servant.
Otherwise, with Su Yunqing's current strength, she could probably sweep them all away by herself.
However, if relying solely on heroic spirits, and if the heroic spirits themselves are not top-tier in strength, they are likely to be defeated in the face of targeted encirclement and cooperation from Su Yunqing, Qin Hongtian, and others.
However, Liu Hongxuan remained calm.
After all, he had already won last time, and he had already enjoyed the victory.
Regarding this Holy Grail War, although I want to win, I am not incapable of accepting defeat.
However, since we've already participated, we should naturally go all out, summon the strongest support, and give those guys who are eager to eliminate us a sufficiently "surprising" response.
Hopefully, he can be given a powerful enough heroic spirit, not necessarily comparable to Xiang Yu, but preferably only slightly inferior to Xiang Yu.
Liu Hongxuan composed himself and said with a serious expression:
"Declaration!"
"Your body is entrusted to my command, and my fate is tied to your sword!"
"Respond to the call of the Holy Grail, heed this will and this reason, answer me!"
"I am the one who accomplishes all good deeds in the world, and I am the one who gathers all evils in the world."
"Seven days of being entangled in the three great spiritual words."
"Appear beyond the wheel of suppression, guardian of the scales!"
As the final incantation fell.
"boom!!!"
A burst of intense light erupted from the magic circle.
A massive beam of light, over ten meters in diameter and as solid as blood, carrying a powerful, malevolent aura that distorted and trembled the space, burst through the dome and pierced straight into the sky!
Strange phenomena emerged from within the pillar of light.
The first sound was the heavy, rhythmic footsteps that seemed to make the earth groan, as if a heavily armored infantry phalanx was advancing; followed by the terrifying shrieks of bowstrings vibrating like thunder and arrows piercing the air like a torrential rain.
Then came the roar of chariots, the thunder of drums, and countless clashes of weapons, the shattering of armor, and the roars and dying cries of warriors—a battlefield symphony that sent chills down your spine!
A pure, heavy, and extremely cold aura of "warfare and slaughter" surged forth from the pillar of light like a tangible crimson tide, accompanied by terrifying illusions of mountains of corpses, seas of blood, and ruins.
This aura carried no personal rage or domineering intent, but only a chilling, malevolent energy that viewed war as destruction and disregarded life.
The beam of light did not continue to spread, but began to rapidly condense inward, as if all the blood, evil energy, war cries and death illusions were being forcibly compressed by some invisible force.
Finally, at the center of the magic circle, all the strange phenomena and lights disappeared, returning to a quietly standing figure.
The visitor stood there silently.
He wore an extremely simple, even old and dull set of black armor, covered with fine scratches and dark stains, as if he had just emerged from an extremely fierce battle and had not yet wiped it clean.
The armor was simple in design, without any luxurious decorations, yet it exuded a heavy aura of someone who had survived countless battles and an indescribable murderous intent. Its mere presence made the surrounding air feel cold.
His face was completely covered by a simple bronze mask that only revealed his eyes.
Only a pair of eyes were visible through the gaps in the mask.
Those eyes were cold, calm, and deep, like an ancient, icy pool, without the slightest ripple, yet they seemed to reflect an endless sea of corpses.
He casually held a simple bronze longsword in his hand.
The sword was thick and dull, covered with a layer of dark grime that seemed impossible to erase, like oxidized bronze or dried blood rust.
However, on the blade, there were faint, flowing scarlet patterns, like living things, emanating a bloodthirsty aura that sent chills down one's spine.
The "Overlord Armor" on Liu Hongxuan's body sensed this aura and spontaneously emitted a low and continuous hum, as if it were on guard against a ferocious beast of the same level.
The figure slightly turned its head, its cold gaze sweeping through the bronze mask over Liu Hongxuan, lingering for a moment on the "Overlord Armor" that appeared on Liu Hongxuan's body because of his appearance.
Then, he looked away and looked at Liu Hongxuan.
"Responding to the call."
"This body, manifested in the world as a Berserker."
His voice came through the mask, low and flat.
But, Berserker?
Liu Hongxuan stared incredulously at the heroic spirit summoned before him.
This posture, gaze, and aura don't seem like those of a berserker who has lost his mind and gone berserk.
Is it because his berserk level is very low? Is that why he can do this?
Liu Hongxuan stared at the unusually "calm" Berserker in front of him, his mind flashing rapidly through the information Su Yunqing had shared about Servant classes and the "Berserk" trait.
According to that knowledge, theoretically any Heroic Spirit can be competent for the Berserker class, but the higher the compatibility of the Heroic Spirit, the higher its Berserker level tends to be.
The "Berserk" skill itself comes at the cost of stripping away or severely damaging rationality in exchange for a transcendent enhancement of a Heroic Spirit's basic performance (such as strength and endurance).
The cost is a dramatic increase in mana consumption, placing a huge burden on the Master.
At the same time, Berserk mode may also affect the normal performance of Noble Phantasms, and may even cause Servants to lose some of their original skills.
The Berserk effect will only be lifted when the Servant is about to disappear, and rationality will briefly return.
Generally, the higher the level of Madness, the more thoroughly rationality and thinking ability are stripped away; if it reaches the EX level, although the ability to think may be retained, the thought pattern will be completely solidified, and the Servant will act entirely along their own fixed and obsessive circuits, almost ignoring any commands and suggestions from the outside world.
So, is the Berserker in front of us, who can speak and shows no signs of madness, only able to retain such a degree of rationality because his berserk level is very low?
Just as Liu Hongxuan was rapidly speculating in his mind, the head covered by the bronze mask turned slightly towards him, its cold gaze seemingly piercing through his thoughts and noticing his doubt.
"My name is Bai Qi."
He said his name, and when Liu Hongxuan heard the name "Bai Qi," his eyes widened.
Bai Qi? The God of Slaughter Bai Qi? That butcher of the Warring States period, Lord Wu'an?
The Battle of Yique resulted in the beheading of 240,000; the Battle of Yan and Ying resulted in the flooding of Yan city; the Battle of Huayang resulted in the defeat of Wei and the destruction of Zhao, with 130,000 beheaded; and the Battle of Changping resulted in the massacre of 450,000 Zhao soldiers.
Bai Qi, who annihilated nearly a million enemies throughout his life and was invincible in every battle.
But why?
When discussing the "intense obsession sufficient to distort one's personality" and the "irrational madness" towards war and killing that transcends ordinary understanding, the existence of someone like Bai Qi would probably reach a terrifying peak.
How could his "berserk level be low"?
Using the contractual connection between Master and Servant, Liu Hongxuan began to examine Bai Qi's "Heroic Spirit Template".
In an instant, his pupils contracted, his expression shifted from shock to realization, and finally, an irrepressible smile slowly crept onto his lips.
[Real Name: Bai Qi (Lord Wu'an)]
Class: Berserker
[Alliance: Chaos·Evil (?) / Order·Evil (?)]
【property:】
[Strength: A]
【Durability: EX】
Agility: B
[Magic Power: A+]
Luck: E
[Class Skills:]
【Berserk Mode: EX (Special)】
[Description: In order to achieve the goal of annihilation and victory, all rationality, emotion, morality, and even one's own existence can be regarded as variables that can be calculated, utilized, and sacrificed.]
In this state, the mental structure is extremely stable, and the thought pattern is solidified into the deduction of "annihilation of the optimal solution", making it immune to all mental interference, fear, charm and empathy.
Mana consumption is significantly optimized due to the purity of thought, even lower than in the normal state; all skills and tactical wisdom acquired in life are retained, and efficiency is doubled due to the purification of thought, without the side effects of normal berserk mode.
[Skills Retained:]
Military Strategy: A+++
[Capable of accurately calculating the ebb and flow of enemy and friendly forces, formulating operational plans to achieve maximum damage at minimal cost, and particularly adept at creating an absolute advantage for annihilation warfare.]
【Battle Continuation: EX】
[As long as the strategic objective is not achieved and the enemy is not completely annihilated, they can continue fighting even in dire straits until victory or mutual destruction; before the conditions for "annihilation" are met, they are almost impossible to completely eliminate by conventional means.]
[Ruthless Annihilation: A]
[Special attack against "enemy" units. When facing entities defined as "enemies", all attributes are increased, and the probability of attacks inflicting "instant death" or "serious injury" is greatly increased.]
A certain percentage of the damage dealt to the "enemy" is converted into a small amount of restoration to the user's mana or durability.
【The Art of War is Simple: EX】
[By refining the complex art of war into the simplest and most efficient "annihilation" process, the process of magic power operation, Noble Phantasm activation, and tactical execution can be greatly simplified, reducing unnecessary losses.]
This skill is also one of the reasons why his "EX-level Berserk" can maintain extreme rationality and not incur additional costs.
[Noble Phantasm:]
【Title: Changping Bloodbath - Burying the Smoke of War】
[Rank: EX]
[Type: Anti-Army/Anti-City/Barrier Noble Phantasm]
[Distance: 1~99 (increases as "annihilation" progresses)]
[Maximum Capture: 1000 people? An army? A nation?]
[Noble Phantasm Description (True Name Release):]
This barrier will forcibly drag a region of reality into its conceptual domain, centered on Bai Qi; the scene within the domain will be transformed into a terrifying recreation of the Changping battlefield of yesteryear.
The despair of a 46-day siege, the horrific massacre of 450,000 surrendered soldiers, and the deathly scene of corpses strewn across the fields and rivers of blood are recreated here.
The barrier itself will continuously inflict multiple negative effects on all enemy units within its range, including "morale collapse," "stamina loss," "luck decay," and "instant death," while greatly enhancing the damage dealt by Bai Qi and his allies.
[Note: EX-rank Noble Phantasms have both huge consumption and costs; deploying and maintaining "Changping Ancient Battlefield" requires a continuous consumption of massive amounts of magic power.]
It has a special attack and instant-kill bonus against enemies who are hesitant, weak-willed, or harbor thoughts of 'pity' or other impure intentions.
As the information stream slowly receded, Liu Hongxuan remained immersed in unparalleled shock and ecstasy.
EX-rank special Berserk! EX-rank Noble Phantasm! Military Strategy A+++! Merciless Annihilation! The Way of War is Simple!
This is no ordinary berserker; this is clearly a god born for "victory" and "annihilation"!
No wonder he was so "calm"!
Bai Qi's "madness" is a rationality and obsession that penetrates deep into his soul and is solidified in the essence of existence.
In this state, he is a thousand times more terrifying than any crazed beast!
"Haha, hahahaha!"
Liu Hongxuan finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.
It's no wonder he's like this; he's simply been incredibly lucky.
He thought that having lost the overwhelming advantage he had when he summoned Xiang Yu last time, he would likely be eliminated early in this Holy Grail War, facing the inevitable combined attack from Su Yunqing, Qin Hongtian, and others.
He had even mentally prepared himself to lose.
But who could have imagined that things would take a turn for the better, and he would actually draw an "SSR" card!
Even just looking at the skill set and the description of the treasure, Bai Qi's template is more "glamorous" and more "comprehensive" than Xiang Yu's.
With Bai Qi's assistance, what is there to fear from the heroic spirits they summon? What is there to fear from the combined forces of others?
He even wanted to skip the second Holy Grail War and prepare for the third.
Of course, while it's exciting, we shouldn't get too cocky.
We must remain cautious since we do not know who the heroic spirits summoned by Su Yunqing and Qin Hongtian are.
Although Bai Qi was powerful, how many of those who have made a name for themselves in history were weak?
One is nothing, two are nothing, but three, or even all of them working together, would be a huge threat to him, even if each of the Heroic Spirits is not strong.
Liu Hongxuan recalled the scene of Xiang Yu sweeping across the field last time, but then shook his head.
The situation is different now. Last time, they fought individually and were defeated one by one by Xiang Yu; this time, the opponent is on guard and has learned from their mistakes.
"Lord Wu'an, as joyful as we are, victory is not yet entirely in our hands."
"As you can see, the armor I wear contains special power, but due to the rules, I cannot directly intervene in the Heroic Spirit Battle with my Master's power."
"In this battle, you will be the absolute main force and core player."
"What I fear most is that at the beginning of the war, I might be targeted by other Masters. They might try to concentrate their forces to eliminate us."
Liu Hongxuan stared intently at Bai Qi.
"In your opinion, Lord Wu'an, how should we respond to this situation? Should we take the initiative and strike first? Or should we hold our ground and wait for an opportunity to strike later? Or do we have some other ingenious plan?"