Chapter 727: The Knight Kick!
Boom!
The Round Table Shield trembled violently, ripples spreading across its surface like water waves as golden light diffused outward, bringing momentary paralysis.
Fujimaru gritted his teeth. As the phantom image of a roaring homunculus girl flashed by, his mechanical armor erupted with billowing steam. Against the Jaguar Warrior's brute strength, he stubbornly pushed forward, slowly but resolutely forcing her back. Then, as the shockwaves of their clash converged, a cold glint flashed!
The girl in a cat-eared hood leaped up, using the boy's sturdy back as a stepping stone to charge forward. Her chains reflected crisscrossing beams of light as her combat boots landed atop the massive shield. With a horizontal sweep of her scythe, she aimed straight for the Jaguar Warrior's head.
Yet, amidst the Jaguar Warrior's boisterous laughter, the scythe was abruptly caught and twisted.
Then, the staff came crashing down, colliding with the scythe's tip and producing an explosion-like impact.
BOOM!
The recoil from the Noble Phantasm sent waves of pain through Anna and Fujimaru. Then, Anna saw the Jaguar Warrior discard her staff, her hands morphing into razor-sharp claws that slashed viciously toward her face.
Caught in her post-attack stiffness, Anna couldn't dodge at all!
[SET (LOAD)]
An emperor holding a crimson giant tree raised his head, his outstretched arms as if seeking to expand his dominion into the sky and beyond.
[Lancer·Romulus!]
"Lend me your strength—Imperial Privilege!"
Despite suffering the same impact as Anna, as the Class Card activated, Fujimaru's arm muscles bulged violently. The joints of his mechanical armor groaned under the strain as inhuman strength surged through him, allowing the boy to forcibly absorb the forces pulling at him and redirect them into a single, unbreakable pillar—a tower of protection.
And now, the tower stood tall!
SCREEE—!
Amidst the ear-piercing screech of metal, the Jaguar Warrior's eyes widened, her expression shifting dramatically—at the last possible moment, the massive shield was raised again, sending Anna to safety above while the Jaguar Warrior's claws swiped empty air, scraping uselessly against the shield's hardened surface.
The result of flesh meeting steel was predictable.
"OWWWW!!!"
Pain shot through her nerves like bullets. The Jaguar Warrior hopped around, clutching her swollen hands with teary eyes. Meanwhile, Anna landed gracefully and immediately steadied Fujimaru, who was panting heavily.
"Are you alright, Fujimaru?"
"I'm fine, just a minor injury… huff." Fujimaru exhaled deeply, suppressing his pain with a smile. "I'll recover soon."
Just then, the Jaguar Warrior rallied with a spirited battle cry.
"Jaguar—KICK!"
Her golden-lit feet shot forward, sending Fujimaru flying despite his hasty shield block. His mechanical armor dissipated from exhaustion. Then, using her staff as leverage, the Jaguar Warrior dodged the chains Anna desperately flung at her, flashing a grin before delivering a merciless punch straight to the girl's adorable face.
"Jaguar—IMPACT!"
"Eek!" Anna cried out in pain as her petite frame was sent flying, crashing into the altar's wall. Blood trickled from her lips as she slumped to the ground, head hanging weakly.
Fighting a Divine Spirit Servant with a second-rate Spirit Origin was simply too much.
"Guess I'll finish you off first, little girl!" The Jaguar Warrior's instincts warned her that this purple-haired girl still harbored immense power, so she didn't let up. Gripping her staff like a javelin, she took aim. "Woo-hoo! Just a simple target game—and Jaguar's the queen of summer festival carnage!"
"Anna!" Realizing her peril, Fujimaru struggled to stand. But after the intense battle and the toll of Imperial Privilege, his body trembled uncontrollably, too weak to even lift the Round Table Shield.
"Move… damn it, MOVE, body!"
The flames of a burning city, the roars of demonic beasts, the despairing cries of civilians—those bone-deep memories resurfaced in Fujimaru's mind, forcing an anguished cry from his lips.
"Am I going to fail again… abandon this city and my comrades once more?!"
As if responding to his will, his defiance, a radiant glow flickered across the Round Table Shield—only to vanish instantly as a figure appeared before him.
A hand reached out, pulling Fujimaru to his feet with a firm grip.
Then, in praise, patted his shoulder.
"Fighting a Divine Spirit as a human—you've done well, Master of Chaldea."
Silver-white hair fluttered as Sakatsuki turned to Fujimaru, his ever-smiling eyes glinting with an imperceptible emerald light.
"Also, don't forget—I'm your comrade too."
"Sakatsuki…"
"Jaguar—JAVELIN!" The golden staff shot from the Jaguar Warrior's hands like lightning, hurtling toward the fallen Anna. At the same time, Sakatsuki elegantly stepped back, vanishing into a prism of displacement.
BOOM!
A cloud of dust erupted, obscuring everyone's vision. Fujimaru squinted, straining to see through the haze—until a familiar azure light reappeared.
Sakatsuki emerged from the smoke, carrying the weakened girl in his arms.
"Again… a princess carry." Anna squirmed in his hold, uncomfortable even in her injured state. "It feels… weird."
"Don't be like that, little Anna." The man chuckled. "To be honest, 'we' all like you quite a bit."
"Eek…" Staring into those emerald-gold eyes, Anna shivered involuntarily and immediately struggled harder. "N-no, I don't need help anymore! Thank you, I can walk on my own!"
Scary!
This guy is scary!
Just like my sisters!
I never should've trusted him! QAQ!
"It's 'big brother,' Anna." Sakatsuki casually corrected, as if reading her mind, before setting the terrified girl down beside Fujimaru. "You both fought admirably. But unfortunately, without divinity of equal standing, defeating the Jaguar Warrior is impossible."
"What about you, Sakatsuki?" Fujimaru asked worriedly. "As far as I know, you don't possess divinity either."
"Me?" Sakatsuki smirked under their gazes.
He turned, facing the eager Jaguar Warrior, his tone indifferent.
"For me, divinity is nothing more than an unnecessary addition."
Godslaying?
How many times had he (he) done that already?
"Oho, switching opponents now?" The Jaguar Warrior bounced in place before lunging forward like a blur, her beastly face alight with excitement. "Then let's test these claws Jaguar's been sharpening! Jaguar—HAMMER!"
Clasping her hands together like a hammer, she swung down with earth-shattering force, laughing wildly.
A shrill whistle tore through the air.
Yet Sakatsuki remained unfazed, even finding time to quip.
"If you're going to shout your attack names with such passion, it'd be rude not to respond in kind."
As he spoke, his hand brushed past his waist, his eyes gleaming with dangerous magic.
Mystic Eyes of Death Perception—activated.
Dragonkind Modification—enhancement.
Divine Martial Arts—amplification.
Imaginary Number Magecraft—guaranteed hit.
Grand Magecraft·Harmonization—damage boost.
And finally, the inherent skill rooted in this body—
As his power output escalated, Sakatsuki's features blurred like mist.
█hange—engaged.
In an instant, crimson energy surged through him. The air itself seemed to tear apart as he bent his knee slightly, bracing himself.
A sidestep—then, a kick.
"KNIGHT KICK!"
In that split second, Fujimaru instinctively raised his shield, catching only a glimpse of Sakatsuki's foot meeting the Jaguar Warrior's fist.
Then—the altar quaked!
Stone tiles shattered as shockwaves erupted. Trees were uprooted, trunks snapping under the gale-force winds. The Jaguar Warrior's eyes bulged as the expressionless man exerted more force, crimson energy surging through his leg.
In what felt like frozen time, the kick shattered her guard, broke through her defense, and slammed into her chest.
"GYAAAH—!"
With a strangled cry, the Jaguar Warrior was sent flying like a stake driven into the earth. Cracks spiderwebbed outward from the impact, forcing bystanders to scramble away in panic.
Only then did the thunderous boom reach their ears, leaving them trembling in awe as they stared at the battlefield's center—where the dazed, defeated Divine Spirit lay, and where the silver-haired man stood, unfazed.
Against a goddess who made Uruk's citizens kneel in fear.
Against an opponent Fujimaru and Anna couldn't overcome even at their best.
Sakatsuki had ended it—with a single kick.
This Knight Kick had shattered divinity itself.
"Mission complete." Sakatsuki dusted his hands off and strolled toward Fujimaru and the others. Seeing their stunned expressions, he waved amusedly. "Hey, snap out of it—Master of Chaldea." He grinned. "Aren't you going to tie up our prisoner for interrogation?"
"Ah—right!" Fujimaru snapped out of his daze, too preoccupied to question Sakatsuki's address, and rushed toward the downed Jaguar Warrior. "Merlin, come help!"
"I'll help too—"
"Anna, you're injured. Rest."
"Um, well…" Anna stole a glance at Sakatsuki before hastily pulling her hood lower and chasing after Fujimaru. "I-I can still move!"
Amidst the clamor, the crisis posed by the Jaguar Warrior came to an end. But as Sakatsuki turned, sensing something, he spotted a finely dressed man scrambling over Uruk's walls, fleeing in panic.
"Someone? Whatever." Sakatsuki lost interest and followed Fujimaru's group.
Had Uruk's high priest been present, he would've recognized that fleeing man—the very reason the goddess had rampaged through the city, the sacrificial offering meant to die today.
Somehow, he had escaped in the chaos, venturing deep into the perilous jungle—not toward freedom, but toward an even more dangerous place.
Toward the Sun Goddess's temple.
"Haah… haah…" He heard rustling all around him, as if countless beasts were closing in, eyeing his flesh with hunger.
Fear made his legs shake, yet he pressed on, driven by desperation.
Perhaps by the whims of fate, he miraculously broke through the jungle's grasp. Pushing aside the final thicket, he was met with blinding sunlight and the grand temple looming ahead.
The massive axe embedded in its structure, as if cleaving the gods' dwelling in half, burned into his vision, making his eyes water.
"This is it…" he whispered. "I'm saved…"