"You can shatter the meteorites, right?"
Lucien shifted his right foot back a step, placing his hands in a calyx shape at his waist. The ground beneath him trembled, and specks of dust and gravel lifted into the air. His blue spiky hair fluttered violently in the gust created by his energy.
"Haha… it's just a hundred-meter meteorite. Even without you two, I can shatter it."
Cú Chulainn eyed Lucien with anticipation. This man had survived a direct hit from him and still stood—worthy of being his opponent.
"Do it!"
Artoria raised her Holy Sword high. A massive beam of light shot from the blade, ascending into the sky, stirring the wind and shaking the heavens.
"Gae Bolg: Soaring Spear of Death."
The ground beneath Cú Chulainn collapsed completely, forming a massive crater. His blood-red spear tore through the air with a roar exceeding the speed of sound, a streak of destructive energy.
"Excalibur."
Artoria brought her Holy Sword down, swinging with unstoppable force toward the meteor.
Simultaneously, a spiral arrow shot from the horizon—the bow of Nameless, his attack piercing the night sky. Together with Gae Bolg and Excalibur, the attacks converged on the falling meteor.
A sphere of light the size of a basketball formed in Lucien's palm. Blue and white energy crackled and flickered. With a fierce roar, he unleashed it, shooting toward Li Chong instead of the meteor.
"How is this possible?"
Shock crossed Li Chong's face. He had not expected Lucien to use Kamehameha.
This was a legendary technique from the Dragon Ball world, a devastating attack no ordinary fighter could wield. Could this Darkness truly have visited Dragon Ball? His power system alone was terrifying.
"Eight Inner Gates: Open!"
Li Chong's aura exploded outward. Hills warped, the ground twisted, and a storm of energy erupted around him. His eyes glowed blood-red, and blue steam burned across his body.
"Day Tiger."
A colossal tiger materialized behind Li Chong, roaring as it charged at Lucien's Kamehameha. The world darkened with their collision. Shockwaves erupted, tearing hills apart. The fifty-meter crater below continued to widen.
"Damn you, die!"
Lucien's face was fierce, his full strength poured into the attack. His sphere of energy expanded, his feet sank into the ground, blue hair flying wildly. His clothes ignited spontaneously from the energy.
Li Chong roared, blue steam surging as his body cracked, blood spilling from wounds. Both warriors unleashed their ultimate attacks without restraint.
Even as Artoria, Cú Chulainn, and Nameless shattered the meteor, many fragments scattered in all directions, igniting explosions wherever they struck. Yet the true center of destruction remained the clash between Lucien and Li Chong.
Lucien's body trembled, drained of energy. All his strength had been used, leaving him barely standing.
"I will kill you!" Li Chong spat blood, the Day Tiger beginning to collapse. He fought with all his ferocity, yet a new aura approached—unexpected and overwhelming.
He had underestimated this Darkness. The man could even use Kamehameha.
"Teleportation Talisman."
Pain flickered across Li Chong's face. A talisman appeared and burned instantly, and in the next moment, Li Chong vanished. The Day Tiger shattered into blue light rain, and Lucien's energy sphere flew uncontrolled into the sky.
Boom A massive mushroom cloud erupted, connecting heaven and earth. A blue halo surrounded it, illuminating the world like a miniature sun. Wind pressure swept outward, lasting ten minutes before finally settling.
Cough cough Lucien knelt on one knee, blood flowing from his mouth and nose. His wounds rapidly regenerated, though his vitality was nearly exhausted.
"Till we meet again," he murmured.
From the ruins, Cú Chulainn looked at Lucien with admiration before disappearing.
"Are you alright?" Artoria called from a distance, still gripping her sword, wary of him.
Lucien lowered his head, coughing, and managed a hoarse grin. This Crossing had taken him off guard; the enemy had been stronger than expected. He would need allies. First, the Reincarnator had to be neutralized.
He glanced at Shirou Emiya limping toward Artoria, then to the knight herself. "Still not dead," he murmured.
In the distance, Nameless and Rin Tohsaka leaped to the ruins. Surveying the flattened terrain, their gazes lingered on Lucien and Artoria.
"Rin," Shirou breathed a sigh of relief.
Lucien swayed as he stood, looking at Nameless and Rin, then Artoria. "That man is ruthless, disregarding life. He once massacred innocents. Extremely dangerous, be careful."
"Perhaps we will join forces again, King of Knights Artoria Pendragon," he added before shooting into the sky as a golden lightning bolt, disappearing from sight.
Only Shirou Emiya, Artoria, Rin, and Nameless remained, frowning in thought.
"Who is that? A Servant?" Rin asked.
"I don't know," Shirou replied, shaking his head.
"He is very strong," Artoria said solemnly, her Holy Sword disappearing. He had protected her from an attack—regardless of intent, a favor was owed.
Rin glanced at the night sky. "What about the meteor?"
Shirou began to explain, but Rin interrupted. "Let's go to my house first. You're injured."
"But…"
"Your house is ruined," Rin said, spreading her hands. Shirou's expression soured as he realized she was right.
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