My Fates Codex in Type-Moon

"Hmph." The white-haired young man sneered. With a twist of his wrist, he actually thrust a sword backward. Chilling light condensed along the blade into dense clusters of iron, extending its broad body several times over and knocking aside Gae Buidhe before it could strike. The white blade Mo Ye in his right hand then slashed horizontally from left to right, cutting toward the same spot on Diarmuid!

The crimson spear braced against the ground. The warrior of Fiona kicked off with both feet and rose into the air, narrowly evading the killing blow. Gae Buidhe then swept out, and he used the recoil from the spear tips colliding to quickly pull away. Even so, a bloody gash had been torn across his neck, only to rapidly heal under the effect of magical energy.

"Thank you, my lord," Diarmuid said quietly. Then he raised his eyes to Sakutsuki, who was evenly matched with him and even held a slight edge. "As a knight, I apologize for underestimating you."

He lowered his body like a cheetah. This time, Lancer completely unleashed all of his strength. As though he were facing Saber, his face was filled with seriousness.

"And as a warrior, I will defeat you with everything I have! Here I come, Master Sakutsuki!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Face of Glory Diarmuid." Sakutsuki smiled with fighting spirit blazing in his eyes. He shifted his footing like a beast in the arena, Gan Jiang and Mo Ye held ready in his hands.

After a brief clash of auras, Diarmuid took the first step. In a standard javelin-throwing stance, he hurled Gae Dearg as though it were a spear meant for throwing!

As a Noble Phantasm capable of nullifying magical defenses, it would pierce straight through even if Sakutsuki deployed Rho Aias.

However, when it came to throwing weapons away, who could compare to Sakutsuki, who possessed Projection Magecraft?

The young man lowered his eyes. His fingers brushed over the incomplete inscriptions on the black-and-white twin blades, and then he flung them out without hesitation.

The twin blades spun forward and collided with the crimson spear, both sides falling to the ground and embedding themselves in the earth.

And what greeted the now-unarmed Sakutsuki was Diarmuid's merciless horizontal sweep!

The young man had anticipated it and leaped into the air, but Diarmuid exerted force through his arm. The golden-yellow spear rose like an upheaving earth dragon, piercing Sakutsuki's body from below!

"Sakutsuki!" Irisviel covered her mouth. Even Saber instinctively held her breath.

Had the victor been decided...?

Yet the shock on Lancer Diarmuid's face showed that the battle was far from over.

Gae Buidhe, the spear that had inflicted an incurable curse upon Saber, passed through Sakutsuki's body as if it had struck empty air. It had not even left the slightest wound on him!

Although I inherited Emiya's power, that doesn't mean Projection Magecraft is all I can use.

I have never represented Emiya. Even the guardian Emiya is merely one of the powers I possess!

Golden radiance shone from his eyes. Sakutsuki's figure flickered like an old television screen as he grinned at Lancer, who had no time to retract his spear. A projected sphere of light extended from his left hand, and he grasped the black Gan Jiang in it. With both hands on his swords, he slashed!

"The Imaginary Numbers magical particles are changing... Is he an Imaginary Numbers mage?" Kayneth stood atop a rooftop, his expression dark.

As one of the twelve Lords of the Mage's Association Clock Tower, even if Imaginary Numbers mages were exceedingly rare, he was not unfamiliar with them.

For example, Trisha Fellowes, the teacher of Olga Marie, daughter of the Lord of the Department of Astronomy, was a mage with an Imaginary Numbers affinity. Because he had briefly interacted with her, Kayneth quickly recognized the magecraft Sakutsuki was using.

"Imaginary Numbers stealth... Tch."

An ordinary Imaginary Numbers mage was not frightening.

But an Imaginary Numbers mage who could trade blows with Servants in close combat and use magecraft against enemies was terrifying.

A battle mage who could blink, become invincible, teleport, and, when pushed too far, drag some indescribable things out of the Sea of Imaginary Numbers—Tiamat:?—was the sort of opponent anyone would fear!

Just like now.

"Boom!" The golden-yellow spear was raised, blocking Sakutsuki's heavy blow!

After Sakutsuki evaded his killing strike with magecraft, Diarmuid's momentum faltered and he had no choice but to switch from offense to defense. The lancer, who excelled at mid-range combat, had been forced into close-quarters fighting with Sakutsuki, unable to make use of the Lancer class's advantage in agility.

With their strength parameters nearly equal, Diarmuid, a Servant, was actually being driven back step by step by Sakutsuki, a Master. Facing Sakutsuki, who used Imaginary Numbers Magic and could close in on him at any time, Diarmuid lacked the "reset stance" skill and could not pull away. He could only grit his teeth and search for an opening, a chance at victory, amid Sakutsuki's unceasing assault.

But that opening, that chance at victory, came from two Servants on another battlefield.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Amid the shockwaves produced by Noble Phantasm impacts, the black-armored Berserker was blasted back, hurtling like a meteor toward Sakutsuki and Diarmuid!

Tip: Sakutsuki had once swiped several Class Cards from the Einsworth Family...

If Sakutsuki's battle with Diarmuid was a pure contest of skill, then the clash between Archer Gilgamesh and Berserker Lancelot was perhaps closer to what people imagined a fantasy world battle should be.

After Berserker used the Spiral Sword and forced Archer down to the ground with a black beam of light, Gilgamesh once again unleashed the power of the Gate of Babylon out of humiliation and rage.

"You dared touch this king's treasures with those filthy hands... Are you that eager to die, mongrel?"

Brilliant light radiated around Archer, and another batch of Noble Phantasms unfolded around the golden Heroic Spirit like halos of saints.

"Come! Let this king see how long those foul, unclean hands of yours can endure!"

At his command, the Noble Phantasms floating in the air charged toward Berserker all at once.

The thunderous roar shook the atmosphere. The flashes of explosions almost swept away the darkness, illuminating the night sky.

Who would believe that merely throwing swords, blades, and similar weapons could produce such devastating power? Countless Noble Phantasms rained down upon the streets of the warehouse district, destroying them as though they had been subjected to carpet bombing.

Archer's fierce assault still showed no sign of stopping. Noble Phantasms crashed down like lightning, as though they intended to erase Berserker's position along with the entire city block. Strike after strike came in an unbroken barrage. Rather than weakening, the offensive only grew more intense—because Berserker, the target, still showed no signs of defeat and remained standing firm.

Anyone who watched Berserker for even a moment could easily understand his ability—it was a means of seizing ownership of any weapon he held in his hands.

Knight of Honor, ranked A+, was not a skill but a Noble Phantasm. It was a Noble Phantasm that granted objects in his hands the attribute of "Noble Phantasm." Whether it was an iron pole or even a fighter jet, it could be transformed into the equivalent of a D-rank Noble Phantasm.

For Archer, who took pride in his quantity of Noble Phantasms and was accustomed to crushing opponents through overwhelming numbers, Berserker was simply the worst possible match.

It was a complete repeat of the first wave of attacks. Berserker grabbed the first spear to reach him with his empty left hand, then raised it and spun it together with the steel sword in his right, batting away the unending barrage of Noble Phantasms one by one.

The technique was both precise and bold, so dazzling it could even be called magnificent. Though the Noble Phantasms had been seized from Archer, Berserker wielded them without the slightest awkwardness, as freely as extensions of his own arms. His polished movements made it seem as though the weapons in his hands were arms he had used for years.

Both offense and defense defied all reason.

With an especially violent roar, the final weapon in the barrage of Noble Phantasms was knocked away.

In the vacuum-like silence, Berserker alone stood amid the all-encompassing dust. Other than him, the warehouses, streetlights, and surrounding buildings had all been completely destroyed. The black-clad knight held a battle axe in his right hand and a single-edged curved sword in his left. The remaining Noble Phantasms lay scattered at Berserker's feet or embedded in the surrounding rubble. Not a single weapon had touched that black armor.

Berserker suddenly raised the two remaining Noble Phantasms in his hands—and abruptly assumed a defensive stance.

Though he could seize weapons that entered his grasp, he could not negate the impact carried by the weapons Gilgamesh fired.

And the only weapon that could make Berserker, whose strength and endurance were both ranked A, assume a defensive stance was...

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The battle axe and curved sword shattered the instant they met the impact. Red light blazed in Berserker's eyes as he tried to reach out and seize the incoming weapon, but violent lightning blasted his grip apart and carried the weapon back into Hero King Gilgamesh's hand.

Only after the brilliant lightning faded did the weapon in the golden Heroic Spirit's hand reveal its true form.

It was a massive hammer with a short handle.

The hammerhead had been forged from the hardest metal and stone, while its handle had been made from a branch of Yggdrasil. At the center of the hammerhead was branded a Celtic triquetra symbolizing "eternity."

If the spear of the Norse god Odin was sharp lightning, then this great hammer was violent thunder.

Mjolnir.

"You have made me draw a prized treasure from my treasury. You should be proud, mindless beast."

As if his rage had dissipated, Gilgamesh lowered his eyes and slowly raised the divine weapon of Norse mythology, aiming it at Lancelot.

What erupted with the lightning was killing intent as cold as Ragnarok itself.

"Die."

With the roar of thunder, Mjolnir shot forth. Berserker had no time to seize it before the enormous hammer brutally struck his chest!

The black-armored knight flew backward without making a sound.

At that very moment, Diarmuid and Sakutsuki had fought their way from the far end of Nantianmen Street to Penglai East Road, just in time to collide with the flying Lancelot.

"Hey, what the hell is this?!"

"How should I know?!"

Facing the incoming black cannonball, Sakutsuki and Diarmuid tacitly broke off their battle. One raised his twin blades, while the other held the red spear horizontally. Both exerted force, blocking the Lancelot crashing sideways toward them.

"Bang!"

Black armor collided with weapons. At the cost of both of them sliding several meters backward, Lancelot—wearing heavy armor that weighed at least a hundred kilograms—finally came to a stop. His chest armor was dented inward, crackling with residual lightning, making for a terrifying sight.

For an ordinary person, such an injury would likely require a long period of recovery. But for a Servant...

"Roar!" With an enraged growl, Berserker sprang to his feet. The wound on his chest quickly returned to normal under magical restoration.

He did not attack those beside him. His beastlike instincts told Berserker what kind of blow was coming next.

Consider this: if all your enemies had gathered in one place, and you happened to possess a powerful, wide-area, unrestricted AOE attack... what would you do?

"Ha ha ha ha! Come, entertain this king to his heart's content!"

The demonic laughter rang through the heavens as golden ripples covered the sky in an instant!

Clad in golden armor, Archer looked as though his entire body had been cast from molten gold. He laughed wildly as countless weapons emerged behind him, and in the next instant, he launched a frenzied bombardment against all three of them, including Sakutsuki!

"How could he do this?!" Irisviel bit down on her lip as an indescribable madness gripped her heart.

Did this not mean Archer's side intended to make enemies of three groups of participants at once?!

When had Tokiomi Tohsaka become so unwise?!

But regardless of what Irisviel thought, the weapons Gilgamesh fired had already closed in on Sakutsuki and the others.

The aloof and arrogant king had declared war on all three of them at once!

Notice: I'm away from home and didn't bring my computer, so there may occasionally be only one update a day. Once I return, I'll resume two daily updates.

There was no escaping it. It was rain formed from a canopy of Noble Phantasms.

Even Dromeus Cometes, the comet runner that became the wind, could not emerge unscathed from a torrential downpour.

If they did not want to offer up their lives so early, there was only one option—defend with everything they had!

Berserker was the first to step forward. Even after taking a direct hit from Mjolnir, the violence around him had not diminished in the slightest.

Perhaps he considered using precious treasures for bombardment too wasteful, or perhaps the Hero King was simply venting his anger. Though this assault was fierce, the strength of the Noble Phantasms had returned to its initial level.

If so, then it was simple. He merely had to recreate his earlier defense: seize the first weapon to reach him, then use it to knock down the unending rain of Noble Phantasms one by one!

But all of that relied on Berserker's Noble Phantasm, Knight of Honor, and was impossible for the other two to replicate.

"So, should I lend a hand, Lancer?" Sakutsuki's golden eyes tracked the falling rain of Noble Phantasms. There was not a hint of tension in his tone. "For a pure warrior, this kind of attack is rather unfriendly, isn't it?"

The warrior of Fiona answered with a fearless smile. "You needn't concern yourself, sir. I have some confidence in my spearwork."

"Heh." Sakutsuki spread his hands, and Gan Jiang and Mo Ye were projected into them. "Modesty is a virtue, but too much modesty becomes hypocrisy, Diarmuid. So, how about a contest?"

Diarmuid immediately understood Sakutsuki's meaning. The smile on his face grew even more delighted as the twin spears in his hands tore through the air and assumed an attacking stance. "Then allow me to seek your instruction!"

The moment he finished speaking, the handsome warrior gave a sharp cry and thrust forth the crimson spear, knocking a battle axe away first. Then the golden-yellow spear swept in an arc, scattering every Noble Phantasm before him with the force of an army being driven back.

"In that case, I won't hold back either!" The young man was not a Servant, yet his strength did not lose to one. He licked his lips as layers upon layers of iron clusters formed over the black-and-white twin blades in his hands. Their attack range extended, while both their destructive power and durability increased enormously.

Gan Jiang and Mo Ye: Unsealed Form!

Sakutsuki closed his eyes briefly, feeling the battle memories of the guardian Emiya as the twin blades in their unsealed form began to dance.

In accordance with the body, in harmony with nature; concentrating softness until it became strength.

The black sword and white sword flowed through the air. Amid the killing intent that filled the sky, they forcibly carved out an impenetrable circle, knocking Noble Phantasm after Noble Phantasm to the ground and piling them into a graveyard of blades.

"Not bad, Sakutsuki!"

"You too, Lancer!"

"Roar, roar, roar!"

As the saying went, each immortal crossed the sea by showing their own divine abilities. Everyone present was either a Heroic Spirit or someone who had inherited the power of one—how could they possibly be brought down by a simple Noble Phantasm bombardment?

The wind howled, while the ringing of swords and blades continued without end.

Golden light gleamed around the ancient king as countless Noble Phantasms surged forth. On the other side, the black-armored knight roared, the handsome warrior swung his twin spears, and the white-haired, golden-eyed young man smiled brightly. They stood firm amid the dazzling rain of Noble Phantasms, conspicuously flaunting their existence.

"So, so amazing..." Irisviel, the only one not drawn into the battle, held her hands to her chest. Like a maiden witnessing heroes depart for war in a mythic epic, her eyes sparkled with little stars.

Saber, standing guard beside her, took a deep breath and slowly exhaled the battle intent and restlessness in her heart. Yet those azure-green eyes never once left Sakutsuki and the others.

"You were right, Irisviel. Whether Lancer, Berserker, or Sakutsuki, they are all powerful warriors worthy of praise. Even I want to wield my sword and race across the same battlefield as them."

At last, Artoria shifted her gaze away from the three of them and toward the golden Heroic Spirit standing opposite the heroes.

The ancient Hero King stood with his arms folded, his cold and merciless serpent eyes fixed on the people and Servants he had suppressed by himself. A playful smile hung at the corner of his lips.

Like an honored guest in a theater, he savored the performers' earnest display upon the stage.