The ferocious wyverns and the vast army of zombies were a formidable threat. They had numbers, strength, and the wyverns could serve as an aerial assault force... a nightmare for the French soldiers of this era.
Mash and Ritsuka immediately prepared for battle, but this time, Morpheus held out a hand, gently patting their shoulders.
"Let me handle this."
Ritsuka said nothing, while Mash, concerned, replied, "But there are so many…"
"It's fine. Numbers aren't the issue." Morpheus shook his head. "Well, that's not entirely true... numbers do matter, but this amount isn't a real threat."
As he spoke, a bow appeared in his hand. Its design was ancient, as if from a distant past, radiating a faint, milky-white glow, soft and serene.
Just looking at the bow, one could sense its immense power.
"This is…" Mash stared in awe, racking her brain for any historical record of such a bow but finding none.
"The Bow of the God of Light, a gift from Apollo, you could say," Morpheus said. His eyes sharpened with focus. In an instant, he marked every enemy in the distance, locking onto them with precision.
Mana gathered within the bow. Light emanated from Morpheus's hand as he drew the string, coalescing into an arrow of pure radiance.
As he pulled the bowstring taut, the arrow's glow intensified, growing brighter, as if thousands... tens of thousands... of rays of light converged in that single point.
Then, Morpheus released his fingers.
In that moment, the arrow shot forth, blazingly fast, like a meteor tearing through the night sky... no, faster than a meteor, like light itself!
This strike was certain to deal devastating damage to its target!
That was Mash's thought, Ritsuka's thought, and the thought of the ordinary soldiers watching from behind.
But they didn't relax. A single arrow could only hit one target, and with the sheer number of enemies, such an attack couldn't possibly clear them all.
Yet, as they thought this, the single arrow suddenly split into thousands of arrows!
Each arrow struck an enemy with unerring precision, without exception. Even the wyverns soaring in the sky were hit. Every foe was struck down by this single attack.
The zombies became lifeless corpses, collapsing to the ground.
The wyverns let out agonized roars, unable to sustain their flight, plummeting to the earth!
In the blink of an eye, the enemy army... once considered a dire threat... had been eradicated, not a single one left alive!
Cheers?
The onlookers had forgotten how to cheer. They stood frozen in shock. Morpheus clapped his hands. "Alright, that nuisance is dealt with. Now, you guys investigate what's going on. I'm going to find a quiet place to work on my plans. Sound good?"
His words to Mash and Ritsuka acted like a switch, snapping the crowd out of their daze.
"We won!"
"We actually won!"
"So many monsters, defeated in an instant!"
They shouted and cheered, as if a grand festival had begun.
The squad leader immediately turned to Morpheus. "Please, come with us! We'll take you to our commander. With your strength, we can surely defeat the witch and claim victory!"
Having witnessed Morpheus's overwhelming power, he believed they could launch a counterattack and wipe out the witch Jeanne and her terrifying monsters without issue.
Morpheus shook his head. "No rush. We need to gather intelligence first. Only with proper information can we ensure the plan goes smoothly, right?"
"Yes, yes, you're right!" The squad leader nodded eagerly, leading the group into the city.
On the way, Ritsuka, curious, asked, "What was that weapon? Or was it a magic formula?"
"Just the power of a Noble Phantasm. You could call it a mystic code too... there's not much difference," Morpheus said, handing the bow to her. "Want to touch it? It's from Apollo, after all. This kind of power doesn't even require me to use magic."
Ritsuka excitedly took the bow, feeling a surge of potent mana flowing through it as she held it.
"What an incredible bow!" She exclaimed, examining it closely before handing it back to Morpheus.
Morpheus is still human, right? I wonder if I could get a Noble Phantasm. Then I could gain enough strength to not always hide in the back… Ritsuka thought to herself.
Morpheus smirked. "You want a Noble Phantasm?"
"Well…" Ritsuka hesitated, then nodded shyly. "If I had one, I wouldn't have to keep hiding, right?"
"Senpai, you're a Master. A Master's role is to stay back and command. The most important thing is keeping yourself safe!" Mash said immediately.
Morpheus nodded. "Mash is right. As a Master, you should stay out of harm's way and not act recklessly. But to prepare for enemies who might target you deliberately, you should train. Learn some close-combat magecraft or magic. That way, if someone gets close, you can hold them off until a Servant comes to your aid."
He gave a thumbs-up. "So, getting a close-combat Noble Phantasm to take out anyone who gets near is a great idea. Show those guys that just because a Master is human doesn't mean they're weak or defenseless!"
"So, you're saying… I could get a Noble Phantasm?" Ritsuka asked cautiously.
She now understood how rare and valuable Noble Phantasms were, making her nervous.
"Easy enough. Give me a couple of days, and I'll get you a Noble Phantasm... one that's perfect for you!" Morpheus said, a plan already forming in his mind. "I was going to experiment anyway. If it works, your strength will be among the top in Chaldea!"
***
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