KBOOMMMM
It was literally a bomb. With both attacks fired, the light of Sagittarius's arrow fell from the starry sky, only to be met head-on by Origami's light Cannon.
Both attacks, ranked A and A+, created a massive shockwave in the heavens. Although they initially seemed evenly matched, Origami's attack gradually began to gain the upper hand.
"I am Onii-chan's Crown. That is my advantage…"
As if responding to Origami's will, the Crown within the spiritual world resonated and poured out even more power. The light Cannon intensified, and the Sagittarius projectile could no longer compete, swallowed whole by the radiance.
A pillar of light pierced through the atmosphere, striking directly at Sagittarius. An explosion followed, and the Sagittarius constellation ceased to shine.
"It pierced the constellations?!"
Chiron could hardly believe it. Unlike stars, which are vast and powerful, constellations are sources of energy created by the world itself, existing as concepts.
Because of that, even though Sagittarius is a cluster of stars, it is far too distant from the world to affect it directly. Its power is reduced to barely 0.001 percent. That limitation is why its strength is ranked A. Otherwise, the world itself would be torn apart. What Origami had done was pierce through the concept of Sagittarius.
Not the constellation itself, yet even so, it was astonishing. Such power was said to belong only to the Gods. Yet Origami, who had stolen the Authority of God, had accomplished it.
"Not bad, Origami."
Sucking on her lollipop, Kotori remained calm in the face of it all. She might not have been able to stop Sagittarius's attack directly, but that did not mean it could kill her. She was a Mythical Phoenix, destined to be reborn from the ashes. Moreover, with Camael—the Cannon with the greatest destructive power—she could have melted the arrow as well, though that would have required the power of the Crown, just like Origami.
"Kyaa~ Origami, thank you for protecting me. Come here, I'll give you a little kiss~"
"Don't come near me…"
Origami broke out in goosebumps as she saw Miku extending her arms and moving in for a hug. This Yuri girl always took advantage of every opportunity to grope her. Sometimes even Yuki wondered whether this was his Harem or Miku's. Still, as a Yuri girl, the other Spirits were constantly on guard around her, meaning Miku still had a long road ahead.
"Alright, my turn… Camael!"
Unable to contain her bloodlust, Kotori found her target and dropped from the sky. The battle halberd in her hand spun as flames spread outward.
BOOM
Her landing shattered part of the Castle, and the flames surged across it.
"Saber! Come on~ let's start our date—our battle!"
The strongest hero of the Black Faction, Siegfried.
Kotori was about to put this legendary dragon-slaying hero to the test.
"Berserker…"
Without Origami's pillars chasing him, Saber easily evaded the incoming attack from the sky. The temperature rose, and Siegfried's brow furrowed.
The closer Kotori drew, the harder it became to breathe. Even though Heroic Spirits had transcended ordinary life, fire was still deadly.
And Kotori's flames were exactly that—debilitating Servants.
"Haaa!"
Kotori paid no attention to Siegfried's thoughts as she swung her halberd.
Clink
Sword and halberd collided. In raw strength, they were evenly matched, forcing both to step back.
Kotori did not relent. She brought her halberd down again, and Siegfried was forced to retreat, narrowly avoiding the strike.
There was no other choice. Kotori's flames were cooking him alive. Even if Siegfried's Armor of Fafnir granted near-invulnerability, before the Authority of God, even Dragons would have their scales scorched—let alone the blood of Fafnir.
"What's wrong? Is this all a hero can do?"
Smiling with bloodlust, Kotori pressed the attack. Her abilities were being amplified by Mad Enhancement.
As a result, the attributes that had once been nearly equal began to surpass Siegfried's.
"Haaa… it's too hot…"
Facing Kotori was like standing at the mouth of an active volcano, drastically reducing Siegfried's performance.
Clang, clang, clang
Their clash was fierce and quickly drew Vlad III's attention.
"Saber will lose if this continues."
Unless Siegfried released his Noble Phantasms, Vlad III saw no way for him to turn the tide.
He glanced around. The other Servants were on alert for another attack from the sky.
"Damn it! They're only three Servants—can't we stop them?!"
Darnic clenched his fists. The heavenly assault was too overwhelming for the Servants to regroup. After all, this was the punishment of Heaven, written into Genesis itself.
Aside from Lancer and Saber, none of the Servants in their camp could stop these Evas—or so it seemed.
Archer's arrows were useless, unable to pierce Astral Armor. Caster's Golems were not even cannon fodder. Unless he released his Noble Phantasms, there was no way to change the flow of battle.
Berserker, like Caster, was of little help. The electricity surging through his body did not protect him from the attack of Heaven.
And Rider—well, that one had been troublesome from the start. It seemed that unless they released their Noble Phantasms, there was no way to overcome this disadvantage.
"We have to bring down the Angel…"
Avenger had to fall. Without the pressure of Heaven's assault, the Servants could finally fight at full strength.
"Ruler, I hope this alliance is not a lie."
With that resolve, Darnic hesitated no longer.
[My King, please punish these invaders who defile your territory.]
"…"
Vlad III did not respond, but he shared Darnic's resolve. He had to act.
"This King will handle Berserker. The rest of you, destroy Avenger."
Without hesitation, Vlad III waved his hand, and stakes erupted from the ground beneath Kotori's feet.
Clink
The stakes pierced Kotori's Astral Armor. However, just as they were about to reach her body, they melted from the intense heat.
The ground beneath Kotori had turned into magma, blocking Vlad III's Noble Phantasm.
"Houu~"
Kotori halted her assault and turned her head. Had it not been for her instinctive rise in temperature, those stakes would have pierced her body.
They might not have killed her, but they would still have hurt—and healing would take time.
"Lancer? Very well. I'll punish you both…"
As she further raised the temperature of her Astral Armor, Kotori's Mad Enhancement deepened, and the gleam in her eyes grew ever more dangerous.
BOOM
She slammed her halberd down, and the ground began to melt into magma.
"Even if you are the progenitor mother, on this land, I am the King!"
Refusing to yield, Vlad III materialized his lance. With every swing, stakes burst from the ground.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM
The punishment of Heaven continued, but this time Origami had a clear target—Chiron.
As an Archer, his long-range attacks were troublesome. Without the protection of Kotori's flames, Origami relied solely on her Astral Armor, which could repel all of Chiron's ordinary arrows. A Noble Phantasm, however, would be another matter.
So Origami kept it simple. Her pillars closed in around Chiron, who responded by using his exceptional agility to evade Heaven's punishment.
Even so, it did not work for long. Origami's Crown was too fast, and as she closed the distance, the danger increased.
"Gueh?!"
The number of pillars increased, and one of them struck Chiron.
He twisted his body with all his might, but it was futile. The pillar aimed directly at his core. A single hit would have ended him, so his only option was to deflect the shot, taking it in the shoulder instead.
"Arghhhh!!"
A searing pain tore through his body. God's punishment spared no one—whether Divine Spirits or Gods from other pantheons.
Thus, Chiron suffered under the curse of Keter, the Crown…
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