[3rd POV]
Cú Chulainn raised his hand, covering his face to protect himself from the stormy pressure of magical energy forming inside the cave, which emanated from the two kings before him.
"Are these two serious?" Caster flashed a dry smile, slightly worried that the cave might collapse on top of him.
Worst of all, at this point, it had become quite obvious that the two Noble Phantasms Artoria Alter had unleashed earlier were nothing compared to what she was about to release now.
That damn woman was holding back against us, wasn't she?
This thought crossed Cu Chulainn's mind as the pressure inside the cave increased even more, almost as if to prove his suspicions.
The most ironic part of it all was that the disheveled-haired boy wasn't falling behind in the least when it came to releasing magical energy. The pressure from these two kings was overwhelming.
Out of the corner of his eye, Caster saw the three girls almost petrified before the two Servants, both preparing to unleash their atomic bombs at any moment.
"My son is about to release his Noble Phantasm." Raikou flashed a smile, completely ignoring the magical storm around them.
"I thought he wasn't capable of that." An ironic smile formed on the Celtic warrior's lips.
Without taking her eyes off her master, Raikou kept her gaze fixed on him. "Until a few minutes ago, he probably wouldn't have been capable, but something in this fight awakened his Noble Phantasm."
Raikou raised her hand, biting at her nail despite herself. It wasn't at all pleasant that her beloved son had evolved thanks to that hateful woman.
The only woman who should be important in her son's life was her, right?
As she nibbled on her nail, Cu Chulainn opened his mouth: "This guy is a monster." It was the only possible reaction to what was happening before him.
Raikou turned slightly toward him, raising an eyebrow, seeming not to like her son being called a monster very much. But... if he was a monster, her son being in the same category as her was... a bit exciting. "Yes, he is." She turned her gaze back to Altair, crossing her arms over her breasts.
Serving a master like her son wasn't unpleasant in the least.
A master who could understand how she felt and was always by her side was almost like a dream.
Meanwhile, a vortex of dark purple energy enveloped Artoria Alter's body. The raw energy exploded outward, expanding and generating an immense amount of magical power, which manifested as a black light.
Altair took a deep breath, gripping his staff tightly, as a chant echoed through the cave.
"«Vortigern, Hammer of the Wicked King, reverse the rising sun. Devour the light, Excalibur Morgan!»" Artoria lowered her sword, releasing the black-purple light toward Altair.
At the same instant, he opened his eyes, forming a smile on his lips.
"«Golden staff, pillar of the heavens, grow, extend, crush the gods! Let the Monkey King's roar resound, and let the earth tremble under my strike!»"
Reciting the chant rooted in his mind, the stone pillar extended and expanded toward Artoria. But strangely, cracks spread throughout its length.
Like a snake shedding its skin, its golden form was revealed to the world.
Artoria, seeing the golden pillar collide with the black light, shuddered. More than that, she realized she was trapped, sealed in that space, as if the very air had solidified around her, fixing her existence at that exact point in the world.
She narrowed her eyes, quickly understanding this was an inevitable Noble Phantasm. Once it was unleashed, the only option would be to defend or counterattack.
Completely immobilized in space, she could only watch the two Noble Phantasms collide with overwhelming force.
A violent shockwave shook the area the moment they clashed. The golden pillar and the black light collided with devastating intensity, generating a thunderous sound that echoed throughout the chamber.
But anticlimactically, the golden pillar completely dispersed the black-purple light and, growing even larger, struck Artoria with a crash. Just before impact, Altair tilted his Ruyi Jingu Bang to the side, causing only half of the Knight's body to be vaporized, without even a single drop of blood touching the ground.
Soon after, the sound of Altair's knee hitting the ground echoed through the cave, at the same time the golden pillar struck the floor with a tremendous crash, and its beautiful golden glow began to be covered by a gray crust.
"Is it over?" Ritsuka asked, walking toward Altair.
"Definitely over, petite rousse." Flashing a smile, he tried to stand up, but his legs weren't cooperating.
[Al, your mana is at low reserves.]
He just flashed a dry smile—this was something he had expected. For more than two hours, he had been in uninterrupted combat.
On his personal list were already skeletons, Medusa, Heracles, and now the King of Knights.
It wasn't at all surprising that his body had reached its physical and mental limit, not to mention his magical energy was almost depleted.
Even so, he kept smiling.
Why?
For the simple fact that this moment reminded him of when he finished a play, when exhaustion fell upon his existence. His body trembled from tiredness, his mind still burned, and his heart beat irregularly.
It felt like a melancholic emptiness and overwhelming fullness at the same time.
"That was fun!" The words came out animatedly from his mouth, though there was a slight touch of bitterness in his voice, since he had faced Artoria Alter when she was already somewhat worn down.
But he couldn't complain, right?
As he struggled to stand, an arm wrapped around his waist, helping him to his feet.
Turning his gaze, he saw his servant pressing her body against his.
"The floor doesn't suit you, master." Raikou flashed a smile at her son.
"Thank you," Altair responded with a tired smile.
"You don't need to thank me, this is my duty as your mother." Raikou would always help him stand.
Meanwhile, the other girls approached.
"Altair-senpai, are you okay?" Mash asked, worried.
"Of course, I'm just exhausted."
"Man, congratulations!" Caster gave him a pat on the back with a smile.
Altair smiled, but his eyes turned to Saber, who, even with part of her body missing, refused to fall.
"This was more satisfying than I expected," she murmured with an enigmatic smile.
Caster, Olga, and Ritsuka sighed with relief, approaching Saber.
Caster, almost out of magical energy, approached the king of knights limping, while Mash, though in better condition, moved with some difficulty—her class granted her more endurance than speed.
"Yes, it was fun." With Raikou's support, Altair approached Saber.
"So, are you satisfied? Satisfied with having defeated me alone? Satisfied for having had me just for yourself, even if only for a moment?" she asked with an indecipherable smile.
"Of course."
She smiled as her body began to fade. "What a shame. I was having fun. It seems that no matter what I do, I'm doomed to meet the same fate... always alone."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Cú Chulainn asked, gripping his staff tightly. "Damn woman, what do you know?" Saber simply mocked him.
"You'll understand eventually, Child of Light of Ireland. The Grand Order... the battle for the Holy Grail has only just begun," Artoria said, fading into particles of light as she turned her head toward Altair. "You'll take responsibility for your words... Senpai~!" With those final words, her body disappeared completely.
"Hey! What do you mean—?" Cú Chulainn began to shout, but his own body began to dissolve into golden dust. "Ah, damn! Am I being sent back, too? How annoying!" He sighed, turning to Ritsuka and Altair. "Kids, I'll leave the rest to you. Next time we meet, I hope one of you summons me as Lancer... our lesson on primordial runes will have to wait for another time." With that, he disappeared as well, receiving a wave from both Altair and Ritsuka.
Mash stepped forward. "Confirming the disappearance of the Caster and the Saber... did we win?" She tilted her head, confused.
"It seems so," Altair replied, opening and closing his hand.
"Grand Order..." she repeated, frowning.
Hearing the murmur, Altair turned to Olga.
"How did that Servant know that name?" She pressed her thumb to her lips nervously, staring at the spot where Saber had fallen.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, curious.
"Huh? A-ah! N-no, nothing." She coughed, blushing as she approached the boy. "We just need to recover the Holy Grail. It's the reason Saber became abnormal and probably the cause of the Singularity in Fuyuki," the white-haired Magus said, avoiding Altair's gaze.
As if responding to her words, the group saw a small glowing object floating where Saber had fallen. It was a chalice, shining with a vibrant golden light.
"Is that it?" Altair asked, looking at Olga Marie, who gave a slight nod.
"Immediate recovery..." Before Olga could finish, a slow round of applause echoed through the chamber.
"Well, I didn't expect you to get this far."
Altair's eyes narrowed, focusing on the entrance as a male voice echoed.
"Master Candidate Forty-Eight. I was foolish to dismiss you as just an unlikely child," came the voice, and Altair saw a figure emerge from the shadows.
It was a man dressed in a green suit and a top hat.
He frowned, instincts alerting him to the danger this man represented. Raikou also seemed tense.
"As for the filthy monkey, you weren't even part of my plans." The man looked at Altair with disdain.
Before he could say anything, a scream pierced the air.
"LEV!" Olga shouted, running toward him.
"Wait, Lev is here?!" Dr. Roman intervened, his hologram reappearing on Ritsuka's wrist. "How is this possible?" He seemed shocked.
"Master, I have a bad feeling about this guy," Raikou whispered to Altair.
"Me too," he replied, stepping away from her.
"Lev! Lev! You're alive! Oh, thank God!" Olga ran toward him, ignoring the Servants' warnings. "Thank God! Without you, I don't know how I would protect Chaldea!" She hugged Lev, who showed an expression of disgust.
"Director, no! This man is—" Mash sensed the danger and tried to warn her, but Olga didn't listen.
"Hello, Olga. You look well, considering the circumstances," Lev said with a fake smile.
"Yes, yes, Lev! The command room exploded, the city is in ruins, and I can't return to Chaldea! Everything is a mess! But it doesn't matter now. With you here, we'll be fine, right?" Olga said, trembling with relief. "You've always been such a great help!"
"Of course, I'll help. Honestly, all these complications have irritated me. The biggest one, however, was you, Olga," Lev said in a cheerful tone, as if he hadn't just insulted her.
"Tch!" Altair clicked his tongue, preparing to act despite his exhaustion.
"Director! Get away from him!" Mash shouted, ready to intervene.
"I placed the bomb right under your feet, and you still survived," Lev said with a wicked expression.
"W-What? L-Lev? What does that mean?" Olga stammered in shock. Lev just smiled before moving his hand quickly to grab the director's throat.
Without thinking twice, Altair shot toward the man in the top hat.
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