Chapter Seventy-Seven: Danik's Self-Inflicted Misery

Danic suppressed his surging fighting spirit as he walked deeper into the forest. Before long, the trees that had blocked his vision began to thin out, and the magnificent castle appeared before him. Danic had long heard of the Einzbern family’s extravagance, but he hadn’t expected that even here, far from their main territory, they would so lavishly construct such an imposing fortress.

“The core of the barrier is inside this castle. If we’re lucky, it might become our stronghold afterward,” Danic observed the castle’s structure, voicing the idea of seizing it for himself.

Though he remained vigilant of his surroundings, Danic was fairly relaxed. Lancer was right by his side—a top-tier Servant capable of contending even with the King of Heroes. With such power, there was little need to fear any ambush.

All they needed was to break in swiftly and settle things before the enemy could react.

“Master, have you decided what to do?” Lancer was far less optimistic than Danic anticipated. He glanced at his Master and spoke. “By using the forest, we managed to bypass the outer detection, but in a workshop at the core like this, it will be hard not to be discovered. Once we attack, the enemy inside will detect us. To prevent them from using a Command Spell, it would be best for me to charge ahead and kill their Master directly.”

“That would be a waste,” Danic replied coolly. “My current existence depends entirely on this talisman, but I’m only drawing part of its power through passive sacrifice. Like a rootless weed, my soul—formed from obsession and memory—needs to devour others to sustain itself.”

“But what I lack isn’t the mana gained from consuming souls, but the essence necessary to maintain my self. Only those who walk the path of magecraft are suitable nourishment.”

“So what do you plan to do?” Enkidu’s face bore its usual gentle smile, his long hair swaying softly behind him and shining under the moonlight.

“…Hmph.” For an instant, Danic was captivated by that fleeting beauty, but he soon recovered, uttering a cold snort.

“Naturally, I’ll use my magecraft.”

Though not yet officially ranked, thanks to the mutterings during his possession by the Holy One and the power of the Goat Talisman, Danic’s mastery of magecraft was already that of a true Grand Caster.

“Abandoning the physical body has its benefits. I’ll use my soul, attached to the talisman, to weave a spell as a form of soul engineering, resonating with the Goat Talisman’s power.”

“Hasn’t that talisman yet to be fully unsealed?”

“It’s enough. Without specialized protection, their souls will be shaken, their mind and body falling out of sync, rendering them unable to control themselves.”

“A truly formidable artifact, to be able to play with souls so.”

Enkidu tilted his head as if finding it amusing, his smile unwavering. Danic turned away, uninterested in responding to his Servant. Though Enkidu was loyal, his loyalty was ultimately to the collective consciousness, not Danic himself as an individual.

But it didn’t matter; obedience was all he required.

Danic pressed his palms together, resting them gently on the disk at his chest that housed his soul. Pouring mana into it, he began to resonate with the talisman.

In the next moment, an indescribable radiance swept out, carrying a strange force, like turbulent waves surging across the sea—a soul attack so potent that any ordinary person caught in it would likely remain comatose for life.

But as it reached the inner gates of the castle, this wailing soul-light vanished without a trace, as if swallowed by the void.

In its place came a true wail. Danic let out a hoarse, agonized howl as his magical circuits rampaged, blue currents wrapping around his body and smoke billowing from his form.

If it were merely physical damage, Danic could have barely maintained his consciousness no matter how severe—just as he had when hit by the Origin Bullet before. Controlling his body was, in essence, like piloting a machine; as long as the cockpit remained intact, all was well.

But this time was different. The blue currents born from his magic circuits bloomed like flowers, countless tendrils lashing out from within, piercing the disk at his chest and shattering all awareness in a pulse of terror.

This was a backlash from the soul—a self-imposed commandment. It was the warning and price for breaking his own contract, and the identity of the enforcer was clear.

“Lancer!”

With his soul wracked by agony, Danic could not even utter a complete command before consciousness fled him.

At that moment, the great door before them was pushed open from within.

“What’s all this commotion? It feels like someone shouting beside you while you sleep,” Roland stepped out, rubbing his brow, glancing at the collapsed Danic and the curious Lancer at his side.

“So, you’re some sort of divine being? That soul shock just now wasn’t directed at me, but I could still sense its threat. Even Servants would experience stiffness, as if petrified, but you’re completely unharmed.”

“That’s only because their souls are too fragile,” Roland nodded slightly. “I won’t ask your purpose here—it's irrelevant. Since the covenant is broken, we are enemies once more.”

Roland looked at Lancer and said bluntly, “You don’t seem too fond of your Master. Care to switch sides?”

“No,” Lancer glanced at Danic on the ground and replied softly, “If this is their wish, then I will protect them to the end.”

“Is that so? Even with all your strength, do you think you can fulfill your duty, in just these few paces?” A savage grin curled at Roland’s lips as he strode toward Lancer.

“Because I am a weapon. Without orders, I can only act thus,” When facing the collective consciousness, Enkidu’s thoughts were many; but in Danic’s hands, he would set aside all unnecessary thinking and follow commands without question.

Even after dying once, even after gaining a heart, he only revealed himself among nature, kin, or friends. At all other times, he was an unceasing weapon.

And it was precisely this that made him strong.

As Roland approached step by step, Enkidu’s smile remained unchanged.

“Mysterious god, I will be serious now.”

He did not unleash his Noble Phantasm forged from the earth, for it would endanger his Master; nor did he flee with Danic, for upon sensing Roland’s vast and alien presence, he knew it would be futile.

Even so, Enkidu was unafraid. He was, after all, a weapon created to divide gods and men. Thus, even against a true deity, he could fight.

Suddenly, chains streaked across the air.

From the earth, the sky, the trees—even from within Enkidu himself—chains wrought of fantasy crossed the air, emitting a crisp, oppressive sound, striking like lightning beside Roland.

From neck to wrist, from waist to legs, Roland was bound tight.

The nobler the god, the more powerless before these chains—Enkidu was certain of this.

But today, his understanding was shattered.

“The Chains of Heaven have been—”

Enkidu’s words of astonishment were cut short by Roland’s wild laughter.

“Muda muda!”

Roland laughed with unrestrained arrogance and, like a beast, exerted his strength. The chains could not hold him for even a moment, shattering under the strain, dissipating as spiritual particles.

In an instant, violent flames seemed to consume the very space itself, leaving a searing crimson scar as Roland slammed Enkidu hard into the ground!