---o---
[Light Screen Bullet Comments——
[Conan Edogawa: "Let me tell you a joke first: The Holy Grail War is conducted in absolute secrecy."]
[Kiana Kaslana: "A giant monster just appears in the middle of the city with so many people around. Not even the Jade Emperor himself could cover this up now."]
[Utaha Kasumigaoka: "What are you talking about—what monster? Wasn't that a gas explosion?"]
[Hachiman Hikigaya: "I get it. Those people are hallucinating from gas poisoning——"]
[Tokisaki Kurumi: "Sometimes, you have to admire these people. To be able to hide the Holy Grail War for this long is truly not easy."]
[Tokiomi Tohsaka: "In previous Holy Grail Wars, the vast majority of participants abided by the basic rules. Even if some individuals wished to violate them, their power did not permit it. It is merely that the Servants in this particular Holy Grail War are far beyond the standard scale."]
---o---
Tohsaka Residence—After witnessing the scene on the light screen, Tokiomi Tohsaka couldn't help but sigh. What kind of monsters and demons had gathered for this Holy Grail War?
He had originally thought that obtaining the trump card Gilgamesh would guarantee an easy victory, but then Solomon appeared, an even more difficult opponent.
A simple magic ritual held in a remote region had managed to attract two Lords from the Clock Tower simultaneously. It was truly a remarkable situation.
[Ai Haibara: "Tokiomi Tohsaka? It seems you haven't appeared in the bullet comments for quite a while——"]
[Conan Edogawa: "What about Sakura? How is she doing now?"]
[Tokiomi Tohsaka: "...Because of my ignorant actions, my daughter was made to suffer so terribly. Fortunately, His Majesty was magnanimous. Not only did he not punish me, but he also took Sakura in..."]
[Otto Apocalypse: "Oh? So you mean to say Gilgamesh rescued Sakura from that den of demons before she came to harm? That arrogant king is quite efficient. I presume that old worm is already dead and gone by now——"]
[King of Heroes: "Of course. When this king makes a move, failure is not an option. That creature tried to preserve its consciousness in insects right under my nose, but it was unfortunate enough to encounter me. Now, not even dust remains. The entire Matou estate has also been razed to the ground by this king."]
Tohsaka Residence—Gilgamesh sat idly on the sofa, his red eyes silently watching the screen. The him of this moment was not the arrogant, haughty mongrel in the projection, but a true heroic king.
Thankfully, the light screen had revealed the future. Now, the Caster in his timeline would have no chance to meet his friend. Since Solomon wanted to protect him, this king was eager to see... just how he would accomplish that right under his nose.
---o---
[Light Screen Projection——
The situation with the flesh monster was now visible to everyone. The King of Conquerors said gravely, "To think that half an hour of restraint and attacks had no effect at all. What a troublesome fellow. Well—no matter. In any case, we cannot allow those sea devils to get near the civilians. This king is going in!"
As his words fell, the King of Conquerors steered his bull-drawn chariot with Waver in tow and began to charge—the tentacle monsters that had split from the larger flesh mountain had also reached their side.
Lancer, seeing this, remarked, "As expected of the King of Conquerors. But I will not be left behind. Against a magical beast with such potent self-healing, my Gae Buidhe is the perfect counter."
With that, the man of many talents also joined the fray.
The King of Conquerors' chariot trampled everything in its path, easily carving a road of flesh and blood through the horde of monsters. Diarmuid, too, brandished his spear, activating his peerless warrior mode amidst the monsters.
On the other side, Saber and Irisviel had also landed. After leaving Irisviel in a safe location, Saber, wielding the Sword of Promised Victory, charged directly toward the flesh monster.
Moreover, Saber advanced by treading upon the water's surface as if it were solid ground—she had once received the blessing of the Lady of the Lake, granting her the ability to walk on water and never drown.
Saber thus ran across the water. To catch the thief, first catch the king. The sea devils were temporarily held back by Rider and Lancer; her duty was to assist Elysia in eliminating the main flesh monster.
When she reached the center of the river, about 500 meters from the monster, Saber was blocked by a large group of tentacle creatures. In that instant, she simply released the Invisible Air surrounding the Sword of Promised Victory.
A torrent of violent air currents erupted, like countless blades shredding the large pack of tentacle monsters before her into pieces. Even the river itself was parted, forming a great wave that surged toward the seaport, toward the mountainous flesh monster.
"Kiritsugu—I need to release my Noble Phantasm. We cannot defeat these sea devils with this level of power alone."
While fighting the tentacle monsters, she used her mana to communicate with her true Master. Saber's mana supply ultimately depended on Kiritsugu and Irisviel, so she needed his permission beforehand, as her Noble Phantasm was a high-consumption ability.
Of course... if she wanted an easier time, simply returning her scabbard would be far more effective. King Arthur with her scabbard was her true, complete self. But since Saber didn't say, Kiritsugu would never know the scabbard's true purpose.
"...You may. Act according to your own judgment——"
The response was swift and didn't consume much mana. It seemed Kiritsugu was also nearby, watching the battlefield from somewhere.
Kiritsugu's reply was somewhat surprising. One would have thought a pragmatist like him wouldn't allow Saber to reveal her Noble Phantasm so quickly, but his response was uncharacteristically permissive.
In reality—Kiritsugu had a deeper plan.
Although the better strategy right now would be to have Saber conserve her strength and wait until the other Servants had exhausted themselves, he knew that King Arthur's personality would never agree to such a tactic.
Rather than antagonize Saber, it was better to let her make her own judgment. He, in turn, would remain hidden in the shadows. While everyone's attention was focused on the flesh monster, he would be ready to snipe any Masters who might appear.]
---o---
[Conan Edogawa: "That checks out. Very much in line with my image of Emiya Kiritsugu."]
[Utaha Kasumigaoka: "So insidious. Always hiding in the dark, ready to prioritize killing the Master. No wonder Tokiomi Tohsaka has been acting like a coward and refusing to show himself."]
[Tokiomi Tohsaka: "Err... I merely wish to be fully prepared."]
[Otto Apocalypse: "I must say, this is an excellent opportunity to gain an advantage. A large-scale event like this will certainly attract all parties to investigate. Furthermore, not all Servants can operate so far from their Masters. Emiya Kiritsugu's plan has a high chance of success."]
[Emiya Kiritsugu: "..."]
He should have been used to the light screen revealing his innermost thoughts by now. What he hadn't expected, however, was that these people were more interested in his methods than in what Saber's Noble Phantasm was.
But... Saber with her scabbard is the complete King Arthur?
What did that mean? If the light screen specifically mentioned it, did that imply the scabbard had other effects besides healing? Was it an effect that could only be manifested by Saber?
Kiritsugu's mind was filled with questions, but he had no intention of taking the scabbard from Irisviel just yet. After all, Irisviel's life could be in danger at any moment; he needed it to protect her.
---o---
[Light Screen Projection——
After Kiritsugu granted Saber permission to use her Noble Phantasm, Saber smiled faintly. She could finally fight at full strength. Although it was a bit of an overkill, she would just have to imagine Gilgamesh's detestable face on these sea devils as she fought.
As Saber had this thought, a powerful surge of magical energy concentrated around her. Golden starlight seemed to form and swirl around her body, even spreading to the river's surface beneath her feet, making it glitter.
This scene, filled with special effects, let all the viewers know that Saber was about to unleash her Noble Phantasm for the first time. The brilliant golden radiance manifested on the sea, causing countless people to hold their breath, as if they feared their own breathing would hinder the king from displaying her splendor.
Within the projection, the Servants and Masters on site also noticed Saber's state. They immediately moved away from the attack path and turned their gazes toward her.
Waver, on the chariot: "Is that... golden light?"
King of Conquerors: "Ah—what a sacred power. But if this is all, it is still no match for the Army of the King."
Waver: "Is that a Noble Phantasm?... The Sword of Promised Victory?"
In the distance, the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, watched the light in Saber's hand, a flicker of interest suddenly appearing in his eyes.
"Miss Saber, you aren't planning to hit me along with them, are you?"
Unlike the shocked crowd, Elysia was looking around and suddenly realized, isn't that Noble Phantasm aimed right in my direction?
Although there were still many sea devils in front of her, there was no way those grunts could block King Arthur's light. What if King Arthur used too much force and hurt her?
"Miss Elysia, please rest assured. This is not the complete state of my Noble Phantasm. It is merely to cleanse these sea devils. It will not reach you."
As Saber's voice fell, the light of the holy sword finished gathering in her hands.
Seeing the Knight King preparing to attack the flesh monster, countless sea devils swarmed towards her. Saber took a fierce step forward, causing the water to splash, and at the same time, brought the Sword of Promised Victory down in a powerful slash.
"Ex...calibur!"
As the powerful cry of the True Name release echoed, a torrent of golden light blasted forth from the slash.
The golden light parted the Mion River and illuminated the entire area. Everyone's face was bathed in a golden glow.
That slash of light, representing the Knight King, representing Camelot, swept towards the giant flesh monster with irresistible might.
Everywhere it passed, even ten meters away from the main path, the tentacle monsters on the attack route were instantly vaporized by the golden light.
Faced with an attack of this magnitude, the flesh monster showed no panic at all, allowing it to strike its body. Elysia, seeing this, immediately followed up with a few arrows, attempting to finish it off.
But it was a futile effort. Saber's Noble Phantasm, combined with Elysia's arrows, was like a back-scrubbing to the flesh monster. It caused no substantial damage, nor did it even weaken the magical energy surrounding it.
From this, one could see just how terrifying the power of the Outer Gods was in the world of Type-Moon.
And perhaps, annoyed at being constantly attacked, the flesh monster chose not to passively endure the damage any longer. It gathered the surrounding magical energy and released it in a 360-degree, gapless burst—
The principle of a Mana Burst was simple: manifest one's own mana into an attack form. The denser the mana, the greater the destruction.
Under the pressure of the flesh monster's attack, all the Servants in the vicinity were affected. The King of Conquerors and Lancer, far away on the shore, were nearly blown over by the force.
As for Elysia and Saber, who were at the center of the mana burst, it was a different story. Their bodies were now directly facing that immense power.
Fortunately, neither of them was a pushover. As a MANTIS, Elysia's physical strength alone was already on par with a top-tier Servant, so she simply tanked the attack with her own body.
Saber, being a Servant, couldn't be as composed as Elysia. But the holy sword in her hand was no mere decoration. A simple Mana Burst from her collided with the flesh monster's power.
The two powerful forces clashed, canceling out most of the impact and mana, leaving Saber completely unharmed.
On the current battlefield, only the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, watching from afar, was unaffected. After all, he was seated more than five hundred meters in the air and far from the battlefield.
But even now, Gilgamesh had no intention of intervening, content to spectate. Though he was itching to eliminate those disgusting mongrels, doing so wouldn't be easy.
Most of the Noble Phantasms in the Gate of Babylon were useless against this monster with its super-regeneration. The arrows Elysia had just fired were increasing in power with each shot, some already reaching the level of A-rank Noble Phantasms, yet they still failed to harm it in the slightest.
To truly defeat that mongrel, he would likely need his Ea. But to use Ea for this would be a tremendous waste.
For now, the true light of the holy sword in that girl's hand had not yet bloomed, so it was not yet his time to act. After all, that holy sword, once fully unleashed, would likely not be much weaker than his Ea.
Since she was the true King Arthur, then she naturally possessed the authority to undo those thirteen seals.
Speaking of which, that holy sword, once the seals were released, would pose an unimaginably fatal threat to those disgusting mongrels.
So... to fight that monster, how many seals would need to be released?
Gilgamesh thought with amusement as he watched the battlefield...]