The above is the general route deduced by a certain dream demon, and the one responsible for keeping the process under control without anything going wrong is Iori.
"You really aren't simple." Karna stared intently at Iori's movements. From this moment on, the two of them were enemies.
At any second, their blades could clash, so neither of them could relax even for a moment.
"As a god, your descent here isn't just because you were summoned by 'fate,' you also have some purpose of your own… but that has nothing to do with me!"
As a Servant, and as a warrior, Karna never hesitated, nor did he dwell on things unrelated to him. Looking forward and back would only make his weapon feel heavier.
Before today's battle began, Karna had once asked Amakusa to awaken his original Master and grant them freedom. In exchange, he would fight wholeheartedly for Amakusa.
The priest readily agreed and released all the magi, including Karna's former Master. Keeping them imprisoned had only been to reduce trouble in the first place.
Now that the time to decide victory had come, there was no use keeping them anymore.
Karna would fulfill his promise. No matter what Iori intended to do, the Son of the Sun only knew that his task was to enter the labyrinth and seize the Greater Grail, and anyone who tried to stop him from doing so was his enemy.
"I don't want to be your enemy."
Iori glanced at Atalanta. The huntress gave a barely noticeable nod, and then he turned his gaze to Karna.
"You don't need to betray Amakusa. Just stay here with me for a while and wait until Chaldea's Master arrives."
"I'm afraid I can't do that!"
"Then there's no helping it… in the end, we'll have to let this do the talking!"
Iori drew the Ame-no-Murakumo Sword. The ancient blade sliced through the air, stirring layer upon layer of translucent ripples, vapor formed from the magic power leaking out.
Karna, on the other hand, swung his spear. A scorching heat haze ignited at its tip. Even from a distance, one could feel that astonishing heat.
"Son of Surya, Karna!"
"Berserker, Aizen Iori!"
BOOM!!!
The two vanished from where they stood in an instant. Blazing flames collided with overwhelming force, and the erupting steam swallowed everything around them, only to be split apart the next moment by the surging pressure of wind.
"Good!"
Karna praised him. With just one exchange, he could already feel that Iori possessed a presence no less than any hero.
Fire-attributed magic power burned fiercely, granting the Son of the Sun unmatched propulsion. In an instant, he broke the sound barrier and thrust out his golden spear...
Clang!
The sharp divine sword collided with it. The crossing of blade and edge sent shards of steel flying, flashing red for a brief instant in the intense heat.
The moment he realized he was at a disadvantage in arm strength, Karna decisively released the magic power he had been building up.
Blazing flames turned into a tangible shockwave that swallowed Iori, who had no time to dodge.
But then the flames were split apart by flowing ripples. Iori released his own magic power as well, emerging from the fire completely unharmed.
The two locked eyes within the flickering flames. Time seemed to freeze for a brief instant...
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Then came a flurry of rapid exchanges too fast to follow. The Ame-no-Murakumo Sword traced cold, precise arcs, while the golden spear, despite its exaggerated size, was swung at a speed no less than the divine blade.
In the clash between water and fire, the two were perfectly matched.
Atalanta watched the fierce battle with amazement. Though she had confidence in her own skills, she had to admit that these two far surpassed her.
There was no need to say anything about Karna, the Son of the Sun. Whether in martial skill or parameters, he was flawless, standing at the pinnacle among the many heroes of human history.
A simple normal attack from him carried destructive power comparable to many Servants unleashing their Noble Phantasms.
Ordinary Servants couldn't last more than a few exchanges against Karna, even if they fought desperately.
Not to mention that aside from his offensive power, he also possessed an almost unsolvable defensive Noble Phantasm.
Even Ibuki-Douji in her ultimate ascended state had only suppressed him in combat strength, yet failed to seriously injure or kill Karna, which was enough to prove the power of that golden armor.
If it were any other Servant, stopping Karna, whose mobility was extraordinary and whose destructive power was immense, would be an almost impossible task.
Only an equally exceptional Servant, Aizen Iori, could have absolute confidence in doing so.
Atalanta's guess by the seaside had been correct. Iori's apparent weakening was only superficial.
Although he had burned his Saint Graph in the battle against Yamata no Orochi, it hadn't affected his foundation.
During this time, by hunting down the malicious thoughts of Yamata no Orochi, he had gradually repaired his damage and strengthened his Saint Graph.
Even though he still couldn't compare to his peak, he had already far surpassed ordinary Servants. Even compared to Karna, he could steadily hold the upper hand.
There was another point as well. After a Servant had fallen and Sera, as the Lesser Grail, had fully activated her function, the magical energy supply Iori received had already exceeded the scope of human magi.
It allowed him to expend freely in battle and fully unleash the destructive power he should possess.
———
On the other side of the battlefield, the duel between Mordred and the King of Arthur had already ended.
The two warriors, who understood each other best, didn't test one another. From the very start, they went all out, ravaging everything around them with crimson lightning and storms.
Mordred had the support of three Command Seals, pushing all her attributes to the peak of her own Saint Graph. But Artoria also had the Greater Grail supplying her with magical energy.
Almost every strike she made carried magical release, and with sheer skill and the bearing of a king, she forcibly suppressed Mordred into a disadvantage.
In the end, the Knight of Treachery unleashed her Noble Phantasm and clashed with Artoria's holy spear… In terms of Noble Phantasm rank alone, the holy spear was unquestionably superior. But the result of their clash ended in an unexpected way.
The storm shattered Red Saber's armor and helmet, and the spear pierced through Mordred's chest.
But Mordred's greatsword, carrying the last of its thunderous power, successfully slashed diagonally across King Arthur's body, leaving behind a horrifying, ghastly wound.
"This time, it's me… Even though as Servants, we already died long ago in the river of time and cannot change, you've grown quite a bit, Mordred."
The King of the Wild Hunt looked at the Knight of Treachery with emotion. The cold and merciless king revealed her only trace of gentleness at the end and said with a hint of relief, "Though… you're still just a child in the end…"
"Cough! Damn old man… you didn't hold back, right...cough!"
Blood poured out of her mouth in large gulps. Mordred grinned and complained, "Even when I'm about to die, you won't praise me a little more… Master, sorry, looks like I won't be able to help you get the Holy Grail."
"That is a bit of a pity." Kairi Shishigou looked at her calmly, with sadness in his eyes. Though reluctant, he still forced out a faint smile.
"In that case, respond to my summoning again next time and help me achieve victory."
"This world never lacks Subspecies Holy Grail Wars. This probably won't be my last time participating… if we can keep working together, that would be even better."
"I think you're pretty decent too, ha!"
Mordred was quite happy, but then immediately regretted something. "Too bad, I gave away the catalyst…"
"You mean the Round Table fragment?"
Shishigou bared his teeth. "Don't worry, I didn't throw it away. I secretly collected it while you weren't looking. Although its effect is much weaker, but..."
"But as long as there's a chance, it will definitely respond."
The red little lion smiled freely. "We'll meet again, necromancer…"
Buzz~
With Ritsuka and Shishigou accompanying her, Mordred dissolved into spirit particles with a smile.
Until the very end, she didn't manage to break free from the shackles of fate as everyone had hoped. In the end, she still died at the hands of her "father."
But she seemed to have come to terms with it. Even if she couldn't escape her fate, she wouldn't give up on pursuing the path of becoming a king.
Before she faded away, her eyes carried a trace of pride and satisfaction.
Because this time, her retainer (Master) was far more outstanding and loyal than Artoria's!
Ritsuka and Mash witnessed the final moments of the two Servants. They pressed their lips tightly, deeply moved.
…High in the sky, or rather, in a place even farther than the concept of the sky, separated by layers of space and time, on a watchtower.
The Flower Magus Merlin quietly watched this scene. His eyes dimmed slightly, then returned to calm. He wrote something in the book before him and turned the page.
For the "Chaldea" he belonged to, this was just one small part among many stories, and Fujimaru Ritsuka's story would continue…
———
When Ritsuka, Mash, and Jeanne arrived at the Yggdmillennia Castle, they happened to see Karna standing there in silence.
Though his face was expressionless, the crimson flames flickering at the tip of his spear revealed his unsettled emotions.
"You've come? Master of Chaldea."
The Son of the Sun glanced at Ritsuka, then turned toward the castle. Raising the golden spear in his hand, his presence surged upward, and his overflowing magical power transformed into heat haze. The hot wind lifted his cloak.
Ignoring Ritsuka and the others' reactions, he hurled the spear with full force. It turned into a blazing meteor that collided with the invisible barrier in midair.
Even though the barrier was rooted in the ley lines, under the attack of an Anti-Country Noble Phantasm, it appeared somewhat fragile, immediately sending out circles of red-gold ripples.
After a brief stalemate, divine light flickered in Karna's eyes. The fire magic power erupted once more, and with a loud explosion, the massive barrier was successfully pierced through.
"Ugh…"
The trio resisted the strong gusts of wind, while Karna had already leapt into the opening and entered the Black faction's stronghold.
"Strange," Ritsuka said, puzzled. "Is Lancer… not very happy?"
"Senpai?"
"Even though Karna looks cold, he actually has a good temper. There aren't many things that could make him this angry."
Ritsuka rubbed her chin, a thinking habit she picked up from Holmes. "Did Arjuna show up?"
"Probably not." Jeanne was quite certain. "I didn't sense the presence of a new Servant, but it does look like a fierce battle happened here."
"Hmm… forget it. We don't know how long this opening will last. Let's get inside quickly!"
As the three passed through the opening, they were met with rows of golems emerging from the castle gate.
These somewhat clumsy familiars couldn't stop Karna, but for Ritsuka and the others, they were a difficult obstacle to overcome.
Racing against time, Ritsuka immediately commanded Mash and Jeanne into battle. But relying on them alone, it was hard to quickly clear the large number of golems.
These stone constructs seemed endless. No matter how many were destroyed, more replacements would pour out.
Every step forward cost Chaldea's group tremendous effort. If this continued, they might miss many critical moments.
"Without Saber, our breakthrough power really is lacking!" Ritsuka's expression turned serious as she thought of a way to break through.
Just as things grew difficult, a barrage of arrows suddenly rained down from the sky, like a bombardment of rockets. It effortlessly wiped out the golems in the area and opened a path ahead of them.
"This is… Atalanta?!"
Ritsuka recognized at a glance whose Noble Phantasm the overwhelming rain of arrows belonged to, and her face lit up with joy.
Sure enough, the agile huntress appeared before them and greeted Ritsuka. "There are too many enemies. I also need some vanguard to draw their fire. How about we team up for now?"
"Gladly!"
With Atalanta joining, their firepower was supplemented, and the team's advance speed increased significantly.
"Don't get caught up in fighting!"
"This must be a trap set by Caster. If we get dragged down by these minor enemies, not only will we waste a lot of stamina, we'll also become separated from the other Servants and get picked off one by one by Caster."
"For us, the correct choice is to rush into the underground labyrinth. Even though it's the most dangerous place, it's also the witch's weak point. Only by seizing or destroying the Greater Grail can we truly defeat Medea!"
With her extensive experience, Ritsuka directed the battle. Jeanne opened the path ahead, Mash guarded the sides, and Atalanta's arrows eliminated enemies, forming a sharp blade as they rapidly advanced into the castle.
Chaldea hadn't originally sided with either the Red or Black factions, but after days of exploration and contact with the various Servants, she had gradually come to understand why this Holy Grail War had become so distorted, forming a singularity.
The unexpectedly summoned Yamata no Orochi wasn't the main cause. Medea and Amakusa were the true culprits.
Ritsuka was very familiar with those two. She had even encountered "dark boss versions" of Medea and Amakusa in other singularities.
She didn't know the state of the two in this world line, so she could only prepare for the worst-case scenario.
If the Greater Grail fell into their hands, it would definitely cause extremely serious consequences. And with just Ritsuka and Mash's strength, it would be very difficult to stop them.
This would have been an impossible task, but Jeanne had taken the initiative and said that as long as she could get close to the Greater Grail, she was confident she could end everything.
So the only thought in the minds of the three was this, no matter what, they had to break into the great labyrinth as quickly as possible and destroy it before Medea or Amakusa could activate the Greater Grail.
So far, the operation had been going quite smoothly. Losing Mordred was indeed regrettable, but fortunately Atalanta had joined their team, and they could also enter the Black faction's base through the opening Karna created.
Compared to the hardships of exploring singularities before, Ritsuka felt that this time they were rather lucky. It almost felt like someone was helping her from behind the scenes.
Rumble!
A shadow that covered the earth descended from the sky. The Hanging Gardens, far larger in scale than the Yggdmillennia Castle, had arrived.
"What is that…? Is it going to crash straight down?!"
As a floating fortress, the gardens didn't deploy numerous combat units like in a sci-fi movie, nor did they fire powerful beams.
Instead, they simply fell, intending to crush the castle with unimaginable mass.
Unlike conventional Noble Phantasms, because the gardens were constructed from real-world earth and stone, they could exist even without "mystery." That immense mass couldn't be reduced by any means.
The anti-spirit barrier raised by Medea could block Noble Phantasms and magecraft, repelling the Saint Graphs of Servants.
But when faced with pure physical pressure, it exposed its weakness.
It couldn't withstand such an abnormal entity, and under the pressure of the Hanging Gardens, visible ripples appeared before it warped, caved in, and shattered.
...In Medea's strategic plan, she probably hadn't anticipated the barrier being broken in this way.
However, the Black faction was well prepared. Medea had never expected a single barrier to block the Red faction's attack, so she had also arranged for the strongest commander to guard this place.
"You heretics who have invaded my homeland, foolish barbarians who only know how to plunder, today, in the name of the King of Wallachia, I bring down the hammer of judgment upon you sinners!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The hard bricks were pierced through by massive "spikes," slowly extending outward like the tentacles of a deep-sea monster.
Looking closely, it wasn't a single entity, but a tide made up of thousands upon thousands of rusted, bloodstained spears.
Though they seemed slow, they instantly transformed the entire castle into a demonic city of torture and curses.
With the power to pierce all sinners, they extended upward and collided with the Hanging Gardens, deeply embedding themselves into the solid earth and stone.
Rumble~
Chunks of earth and stone fell from the sky. Not only the Hanging Gardens, but even the castle itself began to collapse under the overwhelming force, its walls filling with cracks.
"Senpai, watch out!"
Mash knocked away a falling rock with her shield and pulled her Master to a safe spot.
In an area with fewer falling stones, the group of four looked up at the surreal scene, feeling immense shock. Fortunately, Ritsuka and Mash had seen their fair share of extraordinary events and quickly regained their composure.
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