In the center of the royal capital Ars, there is a huge and continuous castle.
Ariel held a party, inviting all the nobles of the Asura Kingdom, in the largest hall inside the castle.
In the middle of the hall was a long table, with large bouquets and tableware on it. Around the table were many seats. All the seats were arranged before the party started. Once everyone was present, food would be served.
On the day of the party, most of the nobles of the Asura Kingdom were invited.
Ariel herself arrived early before the party started and had her subordinates Luke and Sylphy greet guests near the entrance of the reception room. They also watched the faces of the attendees to prevent any assassins from sneaking in.
To ensure the safety of the party, Luke and Sylphy were paying full attention. However, their abilities were not enough to find all the assassins.
Therefore, Eris and Ghislaine, the two Sword Kings, took on the security work for the entire party.
They stayed inside the venue almost the entire time, watching everyone there.
Although this party was essentially a trap, with both sides full of tension and ready to explode at any moment, it had little to do with the ordinary nobles. They were not central figures in the conflict. It would not matter where they jumped ship. The conflict between the first prince and the second princess was not their concern. They would just help whoever won.
So, they showed no signs of nervousness and were all discussing possible developments, such as what Ariel would say today, and what the Gravel faction would do in response.
Big figures started arriving one by one as the party was about to begin.
First to arrive were the four great lord families: the Notos family, the Boreas family, the Eurus family, and the Zephyros family.
The head of the Notos family is Pilemon, Luke's father. He originally supported Princess Ariel but switched to Darius's side after Ariel left the royal capital. Now, his relationship with Luke, to say the least, is completely broken.
The current head of the Boreas family is James. Like Pilemon, he chose to support Darius's faction. However, because the real head of the family, Sauros, is still alive, even though he is under house arrest, James's position in the Boreas family is not completely secure.
Compared to these two families, the other two families were neutral and did not show a clear attitude towards the succession to the throne.
After the four great families, Darius himself finally arrived. He came alone, without any guards.
Also, Darius walked in a strange way and seemed very concerned about his lower body.
This confirmed that Darius had never recovered from the attack on his lower body by Shirou in Servant Emiya form.
If Rudeus were here, he might be interested in talking to Darius about his experiences after becoming impotent. Maybe they could find common ground.
In any case, Darius's arrival caused the Ariel faction to become serious.
They did not understand why he would come without guards and became more aware that Darius had bad intentions.
Finally, when First Prince Gravel officially arrived, the party officially began.
As the host, Ariel immediately walked to the high platform in the venue, looked intently at the many nobles present, and said directly without hesitation or nervousness:
"Thank you all for coming today despite your busy schedules. I am truly grateful."
Ariel's voice was clear and strong.
She quickly exchanged greetings with everyone, starting with news about the king's illness and recent domestic situations, and described her thoughts during her studies abroad, missing the Asura Kingdom... Then, at the right moment, she launched her attack.
"Well, I have gathered you all here today for one reason: I have someone I want to introduce to you."
After Ariel finished speaking, she introduced the person behind her.
Doris's figure walked slowly out of the curtains.
Unlike when they met at the Water God Style dojo, Doris was now wearing gorgeous clothes, radiating the charm of a noble woman.
Seeing Doris's figure, Darius's eyes widened.
Some nobles stood up with pale faces.
They clearly did not expect her to be here.
Very few people knew that Doris had been taken in by the Water God.
At the time, the Water God intentionally hid this matter, and Doris later hid her name and stayed at the Water God Style dojo. No one knew of her existence.
Now, seeing Doris's appearance, anyone could see that Ariel's faction was coming on strong.
"I think you all know her. That's right. She is Miss Doris of the Purplehorse family, the second daughter who went missing several years ago."
"..."
The people below the stage were first surprised by Ariel's words, and then they started discussing it in an uproar.
Most people were curious about where Doris had disappeared to over the years.
Facing the crowd's confusion, Ariel slowly opened her mouth as if controlling the rhythm of the stage: "I can explain Miss Doris's recent situation in detail, but rather than these trivial matters, I would like to let Doris say what she wants to convey first."
After Ariel finished speaking, Doris slowly walked forward.
She stared at Darius with fierce eyes and slowly began to speak.
Doris's words were not lively; she simply stated everything she had experienced after being captured by Darius.
Everyone in the venue fell silent because of this.
Ariel's planted spies clearly showed their anger, guiding the mood of the venue in a direction unfavorable to Darius.
In fact, this attack was very effective.
Darius's partners generally did not know about his private behavior, and even less that he had captured innocent girls to satisfy his desires.
Many of Darius's partners showed signs of wavering.
However, the mastermind Darius alone remained calm, at least on the surface, showing no signs of panic.
His expression was as if he had overcome such desperate situations several times before.
"This is truly surprising, Lord Darius. I originally did not want to suddenly make such a thing public, but after all, I almost suffered at your hands too. Once, when I was leaving the Boreas family, I was also captured by the people you sent. Fortunately, I was saved by Lord Shirou of the Boreas family..."
Ariel looked at Darius with aggressive words, attacking him without hesitation. "As a high-ranking minister of the Asura Kingdom, with such a position, yet you do such a thing! In this Asura Kingdom, it is an unforgivable crime! Do you have any defense!"
"It seems Ariel Sama is taking things a little too far today."
Darius chuckled and straightened his body calmly in response to Ariel's words. "To bring a woman of unknown origin and deceive everyone, claiming she is a child of the Purplehorse family. Well, although I am never short of such rumors, this is the first time I have been told such an outrageous lie to my face."
"Lord Darius, are you saying that what I just said was all nonsense?"
"Of course, Ariel Sama, please allow me to ask you in return: do you have anything on you that can prove that Miss Doris is truly a child of the Purplehorse family?"
"Why not?"
After Ariel finished speaking, she had Doris take out a ring from her chest. "An amethyst horse sculpture. This is what the Purplehorse family uses to prove their identity."
"I see, I see. Since she has that, she is indeed a child of the Purplehorse family..."
Although Darius said this, his expression still seemed confident. "Although I would like to say that, the truth is, I just found the second daughter of the Purplehorse family, Miss Doris, a few days ago."
"Found?"
"Yes. A month ago, I launched a large-scale operation in the royal capital to capture a gang of thieves lurking in the capital. It was then that my men found Miss Doris's body. Of course, that ring seems to have also entered the market, making it difficult to identify her. However, Doris had a characteristic on her body that only family members would know. That characteristic is a crescent-shaped birthmark on her chest..."
Darius spoke eloquently.
But these words were undoubtedly lies.
He made up these lies on the spot and looked coldly at a middle-aged man in the distance, saying: "Is that right? Current head of the Purplehorse family, Lord Fletas Purplehorse?"
"..."
Faced with the reversal of the situation, everyone's attention was focused on the man who was the head of the Purplehorse family.
He was a man with features somewhat similar to Doris. His face was pale, and the corners of his mouth trembled constantly. He seemed to hesitate for a moment whether to respond or not, but finally, as if making a decision, he said loudly: "That's not true! My... my daughter... was taken away by Lord Darius..."
Fletas's words caused an uproar.
Darius, in particular, opened his mouth in disbelief and said, "Lord Fletas! What are you talking about!"
"The person standing there is undoubtedly my daughter Doris! Ariel Sama, please punish Lord Darius for kidnapping my beloved daughter, imprisoning her, and insulting her!"
"Heh."
Seeing Darius's flustered appearance, Ariel revealed the expression of a victor.
She had predicted Darius's actions and had already made the Purplehorse family turn against him.
Now, she said with an even more evil expression than Darius: "So, Lord Darius, the head of the Purplehorse family has said so... Kidnapping noble children, imprisoning them, and wantonly abusing them. Although you are an important minister of the kingdom, a crime is a crime, and you cannot escape. Presumably, you will receive the punishment you deserve according to the laws of the kingdom."
"..."
Ariel's words completely twisted Darius's face.
The other nobles present remained silent, unable to make any further arguments for Darius in the face of this shocking truth.
On the surface, Ariel had won!
"Well, it seems I have to step in!"
Just then, a man's voice suddenly rang out in the venue. As if by magic, he peeled off the mask on his face, removed noble clothes, and revealed the appearance of a hunter.
The middle-aged man with a strange crew cut smiled at everyone present, then focused his gaze on Ariel on the stage, placed his right hand on his waist, and said:
"I am North God, [Peacock Sword] Aubel. Anyone who doesn't want to die, get out of my way!"
North God's sudden arrival startled many nobles, and they quickly began to separate, forming a path with Aubel at the center.
Aubel then walked forward easily, his target undoubtedly Ariel's head!
"Bang!"
Ariel's side naturally would not allow Aubel's actions to succeed.
The figures of the two Sword Kings, Eris and Ghislaine, blocked the man's path in the next moment.
Although two Sword Kings were blocking his way, the latter showed no fear and said with a laugh: "To be able to fight the famous Black Wolf Sword King and Mad Sword King is truly a pleasure. However, I am after all a successor of the North God Style and will not fight you head-on!"
"What?"
As soon as Aubel's words fell, three North Kings suddenly descended from the top of the castle, attacking Ariel with astonishing force.
In such a desperate situation, a look of helplessness appeared on Ariel's face.
The difference in strength between the enemy and her side was too great. Eris and Ghislaine alone could not stop all of Darius's assassins.
"Princess Ariel!"
Luke and Sylphy showed panicked expressions and desperately tried to rush over, wanting to save Ariel's life.
But their abilities were insufficient, and they had no way to save Ariel.
Just as everyone watched Ariel's death approach, a figure suddenly rushed out from the corner of the venue.
"Boom!"
A blue-haired girl wearing armor stood in front of the three North Kings.
Seeing her, Doris said in surprise, "Senior Isolte, why are you here?"
"I am your senior sister, how could I abandon you?"
Isolte said decisively and looked seriously at Ariel. "I came privately after learning about Doris's situation. This has nothing to do with Master Reida."
"I am grateful."
Ariel had no more words and hid all her gratitude in her heart.
Thus, the battlefield in the party was able to maintain a balance.
Because after Isolte's semi-Water Saint level battle with Shirou years ago, she has now reached the realm of a Water King level expert through her excellent talents and tireless efforts.
With her mastery of the defensive Water God Style techniques, she alone was able to withstand the attacks of the three North Kings!
...
Yellow sand filled the sky, boiling and sweeping.
Above the Hill of Swords, the fierce battle of sword against sword reached its peak!
"Boom!"
The moment Shirou projected Excalibur in his hand, he unhesitatingly swung the longsword in his hand. With the Sword God Style's King level movement, he suddenly swung the Longsword of Light!
Both the speed and power of his sword far exceeded every previous strike.
Even Servant Emiya could not directly parry this strike and chose to use the advantage of Unlimited Blade Works, summoning thousands upon thousands of swords to block Shirou's advance.
"Tch..."
Faced with this obvious delaying tactic, Shirou was extremely dissatisfied, because for him now, time was everything. He had no time to waste in this endless battle.
Therefore, he no longer held back or restricted himself and directly raised Excalibur above his head!
"Holy Sword, release!"
"Excalibur!"
Suddenly, amazing magic power spread over the yellow sand. The rolling dust seemed to completely cover the entire reality marble, and finally completely tear everything apart!
Seeing this scene, not to mention Servant Emiya, even Dragon King Perugius who had been watching the battle, his familiar Sylvaril, Rudeus, and Paul had all fallen into extreme shock.
They had never imagined that there could be such an amazing battle in the world.
Both Servant Emiya, wielding Unlimited Blade Works, and Shirou, resisting this world of thousands of swords, were filled with exaggerated pressure.
The Excalibur that Shirou was using now exceeded the limits of imagination; it was as if he wanted to use pure power to subvert all laws!
"Finally, something decent."
Servant Emiya looked at Shirou, who was wielding the Holy Sword and seemed to tear the world apart, and smiled fearlessly.
He slowly raised his right hand, and a Holy Sword that looked very similar to Excalibur, but was clearly not Excalibur, was projected by him.
Servant Emiya then lifted the Holy Sword in his hand, using the same action as Shirou.
After gathering all their strength, they burst out at the same moment!
"Boom!"
Two floods of light completely erupted on the plain of Unlimited Blade Works, colliding with each other, as if completely dividing the world into two different parts.
The colors seemed to completely disappear at this moment, turning into pure black and white.
It was unknown how long it took, but the flood completely dissipated.
The figures of Servant Emiya and Shirou appeared on the plain at the same time.
Servant Emiya looked much more embarrassed. The Holy Sword he projected did not have the power of Excalibur after all, and it failed to completely block Shirou's attack.
However, Shirou's condition did not look much better. The release of Excalibur had consumed too much of his magic power.
After the battle with North God Third, Shirou had even fainted directly due to excessive consumption.
The fact that he could still stand here now was already the extreme limit.
"Too bad, you failed to completely master that Holy Sword."
Servant Emiya said calmly, "If Saber herself were to use it, I would never be able to block it head-on. But you are not the master of that Holy Sword, so even if you swung that sword, you would not be able to completely destroy this reality marble. If you don't have any other moves next, you won't be able to win this battle."
Servant Emiya's words made Shirou fall silent. He knew better than anyone what the current result meant, and a bitter expression instinctively appeared on his face.
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