Chapter 89. Evil Dragon Roars, Black Holy Grail Devours Saber, Trace-On!
["Rumble rumble rumble!"]
[Dark clouds loomed as a thunderstorm rolled in, streaks of blinding white lightning exploded with earth-shaking booms.]
[Medea soared into the sky with vigilance, carefully scanning every blind spot of the surrounding mountain range.]
[A flash of brilliance – in her hand appeared the magic staff "Head and Spine", Aki Tomoya-kun's signature brand.]
[A Mystic Code with the Imaginary Number attribute, always the perfect weapon to oppose.]
[Then… who has come here?]
[Einzbern's Berserker?]
[Or Lancer, Archer and the others?]
[No matter who it is, anyone who dares to assault her Magic Workshop isn't too difficult to deal with.]
["Such a perfectly hidden presence…"]
[Medea frowned and murmured, quickly connecting it to Assassin.]
[Only a Servant of that Class could conceal their presence to this supreme level.]
[If it had been yesterday, she would have been greatly concerned for Shouko-sama's safety.]
[But now…]
[The witch from the Age of Gods curled her lips into a confident smile.]
[She had already lured the enemy Servant away. At most, only a Magus might come to assassinate the Master. She had already told Saber to protect Shouko—nothing to worry about anymore. Even the weakest Servant could easily crush a modern Magus.]
[Magus and Servant—that's the difference between gods and mortals!]
...
However…
Many viewers who were originally calm, upon hearing Medea's inner monologue, instantly widened their eyes. As if realizing something, the corners of their mouths twitched violently, and they screamed madly:
"Hell no, doesn't she know this Holy Grail War isn't just seven participants, but a whole nine?!"
"Medea, don't get cocky!!"
That's right.
This Holy Grail War didn't just include that shadowy thing that burst from Sasaki Kojirou's corpse…
It also included the King of Heroes who had remained since the previous Grail War.
There's no way this could be considered a normal Holy Grail War!
...
Tokyo.
Nishimiya Yuzuru looked up at the Celestial Curtain in fear, heart chilled.
Her friend noticed her anxiety and gently comforted her:
"Don't worry, Medea-san is really strong—especially in her Magic Workshop. She'll definitely protect your sister."
"…Mm."
Nishimiya Yuzuru's frown slowly relaxed, but the unease in her heart did not fade.
...
The perspective shifted once again—to a quiet little house.
["U… (I'm sorry)."]
[The brown-haired girl kept signing frantically toward the blonde knight beside her.]
["This isn't your fault."]
[Artoria replied softly, having understood the girl's emotion through her expression.]
[Though Caster had used despicable means to drag her into this war, this had nothing to do with the deaf girl who cooked for her. Her pride would never allow an innocent maiden to be buried in this war.]
[Nishimiya Shouko gently shook her head and quietly headed to the kitchen, preparing another meal for the King of Knights.]
[Suddenly—]
["Who's there?!"]
[Saber spun around instantly, voice low and firm, both hands tightening around her invisible sword.]
[With the battle-hardened instincts of a warrior, she sensed something was off in the atmosphere.]
[Hmph~]
["Been a while, Saber."]
[Golden particles of light scattered outward. A young blonde man in casual shirt flicked his hair, then stepped out laughing maniacally.]
["Your soul is still so pure and radiant—just the kind of collectible this king has had his eye on!"]
["Meaningless babble. Are you the eighth Servant, beyond the standard roster?"]
[Artoria frowned, entering full combat readiness.]
["Don't you remember?"]
[Gilgamesh's face was unreadable, but then he scoffed coldly: "As expected of mongrels. Like frogs in a well—they'd never recognize the sky above it."]
["Then…"]
[His gaze sharpened. Ripples of golden light swirled around him as Noble Phantasms—swords, axes, spears—began pouring out, and under Saber's steely gaze, they launched like a storm.]
[Though their True Names were not released, each Noble Phantasm was at least rank A. Even as projections, they could cleave through mountains—but these weren't projections. They were real.]
[Like radiant golden blades tearing through the heavens—]
["Vút vút vút vút vút...!!"]
[Holy light slashed the air apart with thunderous explosions. Beam after beam intersected and carved the house into fragments, leaving hundreds of meters of scorched gashes in the surrounding terrain.]
[And yet, likely due to a certain Noble Phantasm of the King of Heroes, the sound was sealed off and never reached Caster in the distance.]
[An enemy!]
[A foe unlike any she had ever faced!]
[With lightning reflexes, Saber rescued the deaf girl from harm—her instincts screamed frantic warnings.]
[Her current state was only marginally better than when she had served as Yukino's Servant.]
[Thinking of that, her mind briefly recalled the moment she had been filled with mana from that warm-hearted young master not long ago…]
[No—how could she think such a thing…]
[Saber shook her head and gripped her invisible sword tighter, shielding the girl behind her.]
...
"Yeah, she's screwed ¨¨."
Reality.
Kazuma looked utterly dejected.
Honestly, his luck with women wasn't terrible—but for some reason, they were always weirdos.
Saber, a dignified and charismatic king—someone he truly admired.
He, Satou Kazuma, once dreamed of becoming a great hero too.
Sadly, Saber clearly stood no chance now.
"If only Raku Sou were her Master instead."
"Yeah right. If that were true, this Holy Grail War would've ended overnight. Didn't you see that slash from Saber earlier? Damn impressive!"
"Don't even—just look at her, Saber's clearly into Raku Sou."
"Into what? She's probably just thirsty for Raku Sou's mana, the little slut."
...
["Keng keng keng keng keng keng!!"]
[Clashing steel rang out sharply. Shockwaves churned and compressed the air as if mile-long greatswords were casually redrawing the map.]
[Saber gritted her teeth, pouring all her strength into deflecting each radiant golden strike.]
[But six… eight… twelve… thirty attacks…]
[The sacred golden light seemed infinite.]
[Her armor shattered, her cheeks were bloodied—it was the end of the line.]
["Mongrel, is this your limit?"]
[Just from probing, Saber had been cornered. The ancient and mighty king lost all interest.]
["Then die, Saber."]
[As though granting her a dazzling funeral, the golden tyrant raised his hand coldly.]
[Golden ripples bloomed. Each Noble Phantasm radiated a dreadful aura, ready to fire.]
[But just then—the ground behind Saber turned pitch black. The air grew chilling. Black-and-red tendrils surged upward, tearing through the earth.]
[Faster than anyone could react, they wrapped tightly around Saber and dragged her into the black mire amidst the King of Heroes' wrath.]
["Who allowed you to touch the treasure I've set my eyes on with those filthy hands?!"]
[The tyrant's roar of fury flattened an entire mountain.]
[Underground, the golden-haired knight sank into a sea of darkness like an abyss.]
...
Reality.
Time seemed to stop.
Only long after—
A cry broke out.
England—descendants of Ireland and the Celts—wept.
Silent tears.
As if mourning a fallen parent, with tears and snot streaming down.
No…
No...
NO!!!
Britain had treated her like a dog, a tool, slaughtered her people for thousands of years.
Only now had they kindled a spark of glory—only for it to be snuffed out in such a sudden, absurd, disgraceful way?
Ambushed by some cowardly sneak in the shadows?
Even dying by the hands of the golden king would've been more dignified!
...
[Peaks jutted skyward like swords.]
["Still not coming out?"]
[Hovering in the air, the witch snorted coldly as she stared down at the forests and mountains.]
[Utter silence.]
[Birds fled, beasts fell still—as though everything sensed the looming terror.]
["Then die."]
[In the beautiful eyes of the witch, a flash of impatience flickered as her pale white wrist gently lifted.]
[Magic surged out in torrents—without even chanting, radiant violet waves behind her duplicated endlessly and spread wide, forming a pair of magnificent violet wings.]
[They even dyed the entire mountain range in purple; within each wave were bullets of magical energy ready to be unleashed.]
[Compared to before, the intensity had increased at least tenfold.]
[This was the overwhelming power of a magus within their own Magic Workshop!]
[In the very next instant, the witch swung her arm downward.]
[In a flash, ten thousand blasts fired at once, the sky drowned in purple, bombarding the land below!]
["Rumble rumble rumble...!!"]
[The purple rays showered the sky like a torrential storm, accompanied by thunderous explosions.]
[Several kilometers of mountainous terrain were reduced to rubble, the raging air currents blasting upward, as though an invisible hand tore open the murky clouds above.]
[The landscape instantly transformed; amidst countless meteor-like craters, wisps of green smoke curled upward—a scene of utter devastation.]
[A hunched black figure was blasted out from the ground, tumbling dozens of meters before barely managing to stand.]
[The one who had once slain Sasaki Kojirou… Assassin-- Cursed Arm Hassan was forced into the open!]
...
"Holy shit! That was insane!"
In reality, the viewers were wide-eyed like rabid dogs.
Can you even play the game like this?
Everyone knew—Assassins were supposed to be natural counters to magi.
With Presence Concealment, they were undetectable. Once they got close, the physically frail magi were dead in a blink.
Unless the Assassin was discovered beforehand.
But Caster just straight-up unleashed an AOE attack!
A full-on carpet bombing that flattened a forest the size of a city.
...
[Amidst the dense rain of purple light, the hunched figure, appearing battered, was rushing toward the witch through the storm of bombs.]
[The assassination had failed—of course now he had to go all out!]
["Swish, swish swish!!"]
[Cursed Arm Hassan advanced in a series of breakthroughs, moving so fast he left countless afterimages behind. The terrifying bombardment struck his body without slowing him down. He let out a bizarre cackle and leapt toward Caster, dagger in hand.]
[The two were mere inches apart. One instant more, and Cursed Arm Hassan would complete the kill...]
[The corner of the witch's lips curled upward into a smirk. Her pale hands, clasped before, now parted—and a radiant seven-colored glow erupted, rapidly expanding.]
[In an instant, the rainbow glow bloomed into a cube surrounded by crackling blue lightning, enveloping the witch entirely.]
["Gu gi."]
[Cursed Arm Hassan let out a bizarre shriek; alarm bells exploded in his mind. He immediately tried to retreat, legs kicking back frantically.]
[A silent crimson-orange sun blossomed—the world plunged into desolation!]
[The earth and sky heated up, the very air boiling!]
[In the surrounding hills, white rabbits, wild boars, and all other animals hadn't even registered what was happening before an invisible hand erased them in an instant—leaving behind only a thin layer of ash!]
["BOOM...!!"]
[A mushroom cloud of crimson-orange roared upward!]
[In a flash, it pierced the thick layers of cloud—like tearing the heavens apart!]
[A shockwave, visible to the naked eye, expanded outward in a perfect ring, spreading in all directions.]
[Everything was leveled!]
[Amber vaporized in an instant. Mountains vanished in a heartbeat!]
[Unstoppable. Crushing all in its path!]
...
Forget Cursed Arm, who was caught in the blast—even the spectators in the real world, who had witnessed countless epic scenes before, were left utterly speechless.
Now they truly understood why it was said that with proper preparation, Caster could sweep the entire Holy Grail War in a single night.
That spell alone was practically on the level of a Noble Phantasm.
...
[Cursed Arm Hassan had escaped the blast center, but the violent gale, roaring like a furious dragon, chased him down, flinging him far away like a cannonball crashing through mountain after mountain. Eventually, he slammed into a cliff wall, shaking the entire mountain.]
[At last, the hunched black figure landed on a mountain peak, standing there—frozen—gazing silently at the witch.]
["With that level of skill, you dared barge into my Workshop—are you underestimating me?"]
[Medea slowly floated out from the nuclear explosion, looking down coldly at the figure on the mountaintop. She let out a mocking laugh. "Hmph, since you've shown yourself, that useless Assassin must be dead by now."]
[Whoosh whoosh!]
[Cursed Arm's speed exceeded the limits of human dynamic vision, like a flickering flash darting around Medea, closing in without pause. His bare hands slashed out as his demonic arm extended infinitely, lunging to strike.]
["Not planning to answer, huh..."]
[The witch's face darkened. "Then die!!"]
[She swung her magic staff coldly, her magical energy erupting like a furious tide. A magic circle spread out across the ground from her as the center, radiating an aura of ancient mystery.]
[As a Grand Magus from the Age of the Gods, she could construct a Magic Workshop at the level of a divine temple.]
[This place—]
[Was her Divine Realm!]
[Rumble rumble rumble!!]
[A jagged horn, sharp as a mountain peak, burst up from the ground, crashing into and blocking the infinitely extending demonic arm.]
[The air for thousands of meters exploded, debris flying everywhere with thunderous roars!]
[Medea's figure slowly rose into the sky, held aloft by a massive dragon's head. Its body was covered in sleek black scales, and its colossal wings flapped, vast enough to blot out the heavens. Its size rivaled that of entire mountains.]
[The ancient aura flooded the land, an overwhelming pressure spreading wildly!]
[The witch looked coldly down at the small Assassin below, then suddenly extended her pale arm.]
["Devour him—Evil Dragon!!"]
["ROAAAAAR!!"]
[The Evil Dragon roared, blistering heat rising from its mouth as dragonfire howled forth to annihilate everything!]
[The flames engulfed a field of ruins spanning several kilometers in an instant, moving like a pillar of light that reduced all to ash.]
...
The camera cut once more—returning to the place where Archer and Yukino had begun.
In the ruined castle, one above, one below—two figures stood facing each other.
["Archer, do you regret it?"]
[Inside the castle, the dark-haired girl looked up, calmly gripping a sharp sword.]
[The white-haired woman stood high above, her tone indifferent. "Of course I do..."]
["Then, just as I thought, we're different kinds of people."]
["What...?"]
[Hearing Yukino's quiet reply, the white-haired Servant frowned slightly.]
[Clang!]
[The sword was casually tossed to the ground, producing a crisp, ringing sound.]
[Then came Yukino's gaze—steadier and more sincere than ever. She raised her head and stared straight at the white-haired Servant. Her voice was calm, yet filled with the strength of her convictions: "No matter what happens, I will never regret."]
["So I will never accept you."]
["If you represent my ideals, then those ideals are flawed—and I will..."]
["Destroy them with my own hands!"]
["... That kind of thinking is the true root of all sin." The white-haired Servant fell silent for a moment. "One day, you'll understand how I feel."]
["Absolutely not,"]
["That day will never come!"]
[Yukino's eyes were serene, yet firm—as if proclaiming a universal truth.]
["Is that so... Then I suppose that day really won't come."]
[The white-haired Servant's eyes turned razor-sharp. She replied coldly, "If you don't make it out of here alive, then there won't be a future for you at all."]
[Whoosh!]
[She leapt down, landing on the same ground as the girl.]
[Without a hint of hesitation.]
["Trace."]
[Servant Yukino advanced coldly, her hands surrounded by brilliant blue lightning. In an instant, she traced a black longsword—Kanshou.]
["... On!"]
[Yukino, equally resolute and unwavering, lightning flickering in her hands as well, traced the snow-white Bakuya into her palms, and stepped forward toward Servant Yukino.]
...
At that moment, the camera slowly pulled back—ever farther!
The two mirrored figures moved closer and closer… culminating in a battle that transcended even time itself!