Although standing at the center of the storm, Hansen did not retreat even half a step.
The moment Saber erupted into action, he had already raised his right hand and grasped at the empty air.
Gravity instantly collapsed and condensed, and a large amount of rock particles combined with photons, rapidly materializing in his palm into a simple-looking stone katana.
Using the 'Geocentric Light Sword' for domestic violence is still a bit too cruel; casually molding a weapon to deal with the current situation is sufficient.
Clang—!
Sparks flew everywhere.
Artoria's pupils constricted sharply.
Her lethal strike had been blocked.
That seemingly crude stone blade had precisely caught the side of her invisible sword, without a hair's breadth of error.
Hansen held the blade with one hand, continuously pressing forward amidst the sudden clash of strength, appearing exceptionally at ease.
"Is the so-called King of Knights only capable of relying on brute force with mana?"
"…Shut up!" As the man's unexpectedly pleasant warm breath reached her ear, Saber felt her earlobes burn.
With a flick of her wrist, her sword style shifted instantly, changing from a thrust to a slash, and in an instant, she unleashed a dozen afterimages.
However, no matter how fast her sword was, that stone blade always managed to appear in the path of her sword before the air was even cut.
Ding ding ding ding ding ding—!
The dense sound of metal clashing merged into a single line, sounding like a sharp, prolonged cry.
"The trajectory is too straight, the intent too obvious. Is this the drawback of orthodox knight swordsmanship? Because it is too upright, it is full of openings."
"Stop looking down on me!"
Hansen's casual commentary while blocking ignited Saber's anger; her mana core ran at full power, and the 'Mana Burst' skill was activated.
Boom!
A violent wave of mana exploded beneath her feet, and with the help of this recoil, her speed instantly broke the sound barrier, and she transformed into a silver whirlwind amidst a terrifying sonic boom, slashing wildly at Hansen.
At this moment, she had absolute confidence in defeating any formidable enemy!
"Trying to win with speed?"
Relying on his overwhelming physical prowess and reaction speed, Saber's movements appeared to Hansen like a silent film slowed down tenfold.
"Then I will let you see what a true slash is."
Hansen flicked his wrist.
Although he hadn't met that middle-aged man who disliked being called "uncle" in the One Punch Man world, with his power, replicating that kind of slash relying on extreme speed was merely a matter of thought.
"[Atomic Slash]."
Swish—!!!
The stone blade slashed out, a simple and brutal downward chop, yet space itself seemed to be shredded into countless tiny cubes.
Artoria felt her vision blur, and an immense sense of crisis made her hair stand on end; instinctively, she retracted her sword to defend, fully expanding 'Invisible Air' to protect her body.
Bang bang bang bang bang—!
Countless slashes collided with the 'Invisible Air', and the terrifying 'Impact' stacked like a tsunami.
"Ugh…!"
Artoria let out a muffled groan, her entire body feeling as if it had been struck by a cannonball!
Her feet plowed two deep furrows into the ground, sliding backward for dozens of meters until she crashed into the altar steps and stopped!
The dust settled.
The proud King of Knights knelt on one knee, using her holy sword to barely support her body, her chest heaving violently as she gasped for air.
Sparks erupted from the blue and silver armor on her body, and the defensive layer woven from mana was instantly riddled with holes.
Her skirt armor shattered, her gauntlets flew off, and even her face had a few tiny bloody scratches.
Each one was only a hair's breadth deep, yet they had perfectly sliced through the surface defense of her mana without harming her body.
If the opponent had intended to kill, she would have already been reduced to a pile of minced meat.
And where she had originally stood, the hard ground had already been cut into countless uniform specks of powder.
"How… is it possible…"
Artoria raised her head, her emerald eyes filled with shock.
That was not a 'noble phantasm', nor was it magecraft.
That was skill refined to the absolute extreme.
Hansen casually dissipated the stone blade in his hand and dusted off his hands: "Do you still want to continue? Saber."
"I…"
Saber gritted her teeth; a knight's dignity made her want to stand up and fight again, but reason told her that the gap between them was simply not on the same dimension.
Just then, a white figure rushed out and stood between the two.
"Please stop!"
Irisviel spread her arms, shielding Saber, and although there was fear in those ruby-like eyes, there was even more determination.
"Mr. Han Sen… Your Excellency Ruler, we are not enemies!"
Her voice trembled slightly, but it could not hide the strength within: "Since you did not resort to lethal force, it means we still have room for discussion, right?"
Hansen looked at this delicate yet strong wife before him, a glimmer of appreciation flashing in his eyes.
"Madam, please move aside! This is between warriors…" Saber grew anxious, wanting to pull Irisviel away.
"Saber!" Irisviel shook her head stubbornly and instead took a step closer to Hansen, "Mr. Han Sen is not an enemy we must fight to the death; since we don't need to compete for the Holy Grail, why go to such lengths?"
It must be said that airheaded beauties always possess a special power of persuasion.
Especially a character like this who comes with a saintly halo, yet doesn't make people feel annoyed.
Hansen dissipated the stone longsword in his hand, and the terrifying aura that had almost crushed the entire chapel vanished in an instant.
"Since you have spoken, Madam, I will certainly give you this face."
The silent Kiritsugu Emiya finally spoke: "That's right, Saber."
He stepped out from the shadows, looked at the wreckage all over the floor, and then took a deep look at the unscathed Hansen: "Retreat for now."
Artoria took a deep breath and sheathed her sword.
Although she was unwilling, as a knight, she had to respect her master's decision.
"Since this is your decision, master." She bowed slightly to Kiritsugu Emiya.
Seeing that the crisis had been averted, Kiritsugu Emiya silently released his grip on his gun and turned to leave without any lingering attachment.
There was no greeting, nor any subsequent instructions.
He knew very well that in the face of such an absolute gap in power, any negotiation was pale and ineffective.
Rather than wasting time here, it was better to think about how to utilize this uncontrollable bomb.
At least for now, this monster held no malice toward Irisviel.
That was the only good news.
As Kiritsugu left with his assistant, Maiya Hisau, who had been waiting outside, only three people remained in the large chapel.
Saber watched Kiritsugu's resolute back, a trace of loneliness flashing in the depths of her eyes.
Although she had been summoned, she felt as if there was a thick layer of ice separating her from her master.
"Alright, stop looking."
Hansen's voice interrupted Saber's self-pity.
"Instead of obsessing over that heartless man, why not think about what to eat tonight, after all…"
Hansen rubbed his stomach and looked at Irisviel, revealing a bright and warm smile, "After fighting for so long, I'm a bit hungry."
"I hear the food at the Einzbern estate is quite good?"
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