It was a nightmarish scene. From the Shadows, a strange translucent white creature emerged, shattered Achilles's Spear, and its magical power made the air feel unbearably heavy...
At the same time, a beam of light shot into the sky, and in outer space a radiant Crown enveloped the World...
[!!Fujimaru, Mash, you have to get out of there!!]
In Chaldea, the magical power meter went berserk. That creature had broken all parameters, making precise measurement impossible. Still, based on the readings taken the moment it appeared, it was clear this wasn't something Fujimaru's current group could handle...
"Run... it's a... Berserker..."
As if to confirm it, Achilles's weak voice rang out.
Achilles had endured Kazamachi's 'B++' blows, yet he was utterly helpless against a Berserker with 'A+' strength...
He was practically begging for death—something even his Noble Phantasm couldn't withstand.
His hands trembled as he struggled to rise. This was bad. Just like Kazamachi, his immortality was useless against Yuki. With the authority of God, there was no difference between a mortal and him...
"W-what... what... what is happening?!"
The bizarre phenomenon left Ritsuka Fujimaru in disbelief, while Mash beside him wouldn't stop trembling.
The shield in her hands shook, yearning for what stood before her. The sensation was indescribable, forcing Mash to step back in panic...
"Ahhh!! (Roaaarrr!!)"
Casting the chains aside, the feeling of freedom he'd lost was overwhelming. Yuki spread his arms and roared at the sky.
To him, it was a roar of ecstasy. To the Chaldea group, it was as if a Beast had broken free from its prison and challenged the heavens...
Unfortunately for them, Yuki's roar didn't last long. He moved at incredible speed. By the time Achilles managed to stand, a translucent hand was already touching his face...
BOOMMM
Gripping Achilles's head, Yuki slammed it into the ground. Rocks burst upward, and a pained groan escaped Achilles—but Yuki didn't care. He drove him deeper into the earth and began running, dragging him along...
BOOMM
"Gueeh?!"
This time, neither 'Bravery' nor 'Battle Continuation' could endure it.
Against 'A+' strength, Achilles could only accept the beating.
"Rider..."
The sheer brutality made the onlookers recoil in horror.
"Romani, get Fujimaru and Mash out of here..."
"Da Vinci-chan?"
At that moment, Da Vinci stepped forward. Her staff began to glow as she raised a barrier between herself and Ritsuka.
[I know what you're thinking, but it's a bad idea, Leonardo... The Singularity prevents teleportation.]
For Leonardo da Vinci, sacrificing herself to buy time for Ritsuka's group was a reasonable plan. She'd done it before in the Camelot Singularity, and it had worked. She hadn't expected even Romani to fail...
She clenched her teeth and lifted her staff.
"You have to leave, Fujimaru, Mash..."
"Wait, Da Vinci-san. We'll find a way..."
"There isn't one! I'm telling you as a genius!"
Yuki's threat level wasn't something that could be handled by numbers alone...
Ordinary Servants were cannon fodder. Even a Servant like Achilles was nothing more than a toy.
As a born genius, Da Vinci had already run the calculations. While Ritsuka retreated, she could buy time using her Noble Phantasm...
She'd tried to use her Noble Phantasm, Uomo Universale, before—analyzing her opponent's strength to kill them in a single blow—but it was useless. Even now, her Noble Phantasm continued calculating, yet Yuki's power couldn't be measured due to the variable change represented by the Crown. To harm Yuki, she'd need a blow powerful enough to destroy this sub-world—and even then, Yuki's Domain would nullify it. That was why her Noble Phantasm couldn't analyze him at all.
That left only one option: adjust her Noble Phantasm, release every ounce of magical power she had, and buy Ritsuka enough time.
"But—"
"It's fine. I believe in Da Vinci-chan."
"Senpai..."
Grabbing Mash's hand, Ritsuka took a deep breath and ran, pulling her along. He clenched his teeth. Once again, all he could do was watch Da Vinci sacrifice herself to protect them...
There was nothing he could do now. He didn't look back—if he did, he wouldn't be able to leave her behind...
BOOMMM
Something slammed into Da Vinci's barrier. She flinched but kept gathering magical power. When the dust cloud cleared, she saw it...
What had struck her barrier was half a body—or more precisely, the upper half of Achilles...
"Rider...?"
"Hu... ye...."
Achilles didn't finish speaking before dissolving into particles of light and returning to the Hall of Heroes. His core had shattered, and all resistance vanished...
With Achilles gone, his Noble Phantasms disappeared as well, leaving the sky clear once more...
"Mona Lisa—magnificent. She'll look excellent in my collection..."
The deep voice made Da Vinci's hair stand on end.
She frowned and tightened her grip on her staff as the Monster approached, step by step, shaking her heart.
"I'm sorry, but this genius is not for sale!"
Da Vinci knew it well—her self-portrait was famous across the world, and many coveted her beauty. She wasn't surprised that a Berserker would want her...
"What a shame. But when Daddy speaks, everyone has to obey me..."
Naturally, Yuki didn't care. He even smiled at her refusal.
"This won't happen. This genius is invincible!"
She slammed her staff into the ground. The terrain shifted, and a Temple rose up...
As a genius, she was omnipotent. As a pioneer of the stars, she was a miracle for humanity.
She was a Hero who had accomplished even the impossible events of human history. Without her existence, humanity would never have reached where it stood today. Leonardo da Vinci was a star of humanity...
Because of that, there was a chance to defeat this Monster. That was why she wouldn't surrender.
It was unfortunate—Da Vinci didn't know she wasn't the only one to be a "Pioneer of the Stars."
Yuki possessed the same ability, at an even higher level than Da Vinci herself. Any advantage she had there would be nullified by him.
But she didn't know that—and even if she had, it wouldn't have changed anything.
The Temple completed its form. The sound of countless gears echoed, and weapons materialized around Da Vinci and throughout the Temple.
'Territory Creation'—one of Da Vinci's trump cards. The moment the weapons formed, she didn't hesitate and fired decisively...
"This is the power of a genius!"
Bang, Bang, Bang...
A massive barrage of laser beams erupted. The entire Temple shook from the explosions. For any ordinary Servant, this would have been enough to send them to the Hall of Heroes. But Da Vinci knew she wasn't facing an ordinary Servant. Those weapons were never meant to kill the Monster—they were a distraction to prepare her Noble Phantasm. Magical power gathered in her right glove, her staff fusing with it...
And even if her Noble Phantasm couldn't analyze its target, there was still a tiny chance to defeat the Monster. That was enough for Da Vinci...
The probability wasn't zero...
"Impressive attack—but it's not enough..."
Yuki's voice echoed again as he walked calmly through the beams. The Shadows protected him, devouring everything around him...
Relying on his 'A++' Astral armor, his defense was strong enough that a 'B' attack couldn't pierce it...
Da Vinci knew that. She wasn't surprised—and it didn't matter. The moment had arrived...
She smiled as she watched her opponent underestimate her. She'd succeeded. That arrogance would kill him...
"Then try my Omnipotence!"
Uomo Universale!!
A massive sphere of energy shot from Da Vinci's glove at tremendous speed...
And just as it was about to strike Yuki, it expanded, unleashing a colossal explosion...
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