The Holy Sword, Liberation, and Destruction

Yes, Archer was growing impatient.

The magus before him, who claimed to be a subordinate, was incredibly audacious.

"Tokiomi, I've already shown you enough respect by discarding four Noble Phantasms. I have no intention of reclaiming those corrupted Noble Phantasms. And now, you want me to draw EA, my ultimate treasure? How dare you speak such arrogant words to your king! You should be put to death for your insolence!"

On the shining, radiant flying ship that served as a Noble Phantasm, on the platform below the throne, Tokiomi, usually so graceful, was now bowing his head, his face filled with resentment.

He kept asking himself how things had escalated to this point.

He had originally discovered Caster's violation and, along with the old priest at the church, Risei Kirei, had planned to reclaim the Command Spells wasted during the warehouse operation. But why had it devolved into this?

And this Holy Grail War, from the very beginning when Heroic Spirits were summoned, had been plagued with problems, never developing in the direction he had anticipated. Unexpected events kept piling up.

For instance, at this very moment, two F-15 fighter jets roared through the sky, causing Tokiomi's expression to turn extremely grim.

He couldn't afford to delay any longer. The battle had to end quickly, otherwise, more witnesses would appear. If the secrets of the magus world were exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Just as he was about to use a Command Spell to forcefully order Archer to eliminate the Sea Monster, Archer on the throne let out a cold snort, making Tokiomi flinch.

"Annoying insects!"

Disturbed by the commotion of the fighter jets, coupled with Tokiomi's previous demands, Archer was seething.

With a grand wave of his hand, a golden radiance appeared beside him, and the space rippled. Four Noble Phantasms were projected outwards.

These Noble Phantasms spun rapidly, crossing a distance of a kilometer, and accurately struck the two fighter jets.

One of the fighter jets collided with the Sea Monster at maximum speed, instantly erupting in a massive fireball. The other crashed into the sea shortly after.

"King..." To some extent, Tokiomi breathed a sigh of relief.

Archer had helped him eliminate some of the potential threats that could expose the secret.

Although there would certainly be more trouble later, he could at least cooperate with the Church and manage to get by. All that mattered was achieving ultimate victory in the Holy Grail War.

"Tokiomi, I can't stand this any longer. Let's withdraw!"

Archer's voice was irrefutable.

At this point, Tokiomi had no choice but to comply with Archer's demands.

A sliver of doubt crept into his heart. Had he made a mistake from the very beginning? Treating Archer as a subordinate, but weren't these Servants, in essence, just tools to fulfill wishes?

However, falling out with Archer now would undoubtedly be a greater mistake. He could only choose to endure for the time being.

Tokiomi didn't notice at all that Archer was looking at him as if he were an uninteresting fool.

The Holy Grail?

Who cared about such a boring thing?

He was merely looking for some amusement.

Since Tokiomi couldn't be the one to entertain him, he'd find someone else. For example, Tokiomi's disciple seemed quite interesting.

The radiant flying ship gradually moved away, but the battlefield below was still raging.

To buy time for Rider, the Knight and Saber fought with all their might, holding back the Sea Monster and preventing it from charging into the city.

The fierce battle consumed a large amount of their mana. Even as Servants with immense magical power, they found it difficult to unleash powerful attacks at this point.

The Knight once again struck forcefully, repelling the Sea Monster's thick tentacles, and came to Saber's side, anxiously advising, "My King, you cannot continue to unleash your Noble Phantasm without incantation. If your mana is excessively depleted, you will be unable to unleash its full power."

Noble Phantasms were the proof of a Heroic Spirit's existence and their strongest armament.

There were two ways to unleash them: one was to release them by chanting their true name, which resulted in immense power; the other was a minor release without chanting the true name, which, while still powerful, was far inferior to the full version.

Saber gracefully swung her holy sword, exuding an aura of great power and confidence, saying, "Lord Lancelot, please rest assured. I can sense that Master is nearby, so there's no need to worry about mana maintenance. To defeat this monster, I will not hesitate to use Command Spells."

Seeing the determined King of Knights, the Knight felt immense relief and said no more, only demonstrating his prowess as the foremost knight of the Round Table through his actions.

The dark Demon Sword in his hand emanated a magical glow, and a powerful magical slash—a minor release of his Noble Phantasm—was unleashed instantly.

Now that the half-baked magus Kariya was no longer a hindrance, and he no longer had to fight at the cost of his sanity.

With the high-quality mana of his new Master, the Knight's abilities had all significantly improved.

In terms of magical aptitude and potential, his new Master, with whom he had exchanged vows, was far superior to Kariya.

The Knight could even perform the ultimate release of his Noble Phantasm, but the conditions for releasing the Demon Sword were extremely harsh, and as a Berserker, the number of times he could fully unleash it was limited. Naturally, he wouldn't waste precious uses here.

Moreover, Noble Phantasms were not very effective against such large monsters.

Although the Sea Monster was troublesome, he believed in his Master's strength to easily defeat Caster's Master, thus removing a piece of Caster's puzzle for maintaining its manifestation.

Even if Caster's Noble Phantasm possessed infinite mana, maintaining the Servant's existence still relied on the Master's mana. Without a Master, the Servant would quickly disappear.

A few more minutes passed. Just as Saber was about to unleash another minor Noble Phantasm, she suddenly felt that her cursed left hand had returned to normal.

"This is..."

Saber felt a surge of joy in her heart. Rider had succeeded. Langser, his comrade who had practiced the way of the knight together, was truly a rare ally.

With a thunderous roar, Rider, driving his divine ox chariot, traversed the battlefield at lightning speed, clearing away many attacks for the dark Knight and arriving at the center of the battlefield.

He shouted loudly, "King of Knights, Langser's curse has been lifted. Now, Berserker and I will buy you time!"

Saber responded, "Understood, King of Conquerors."

Whether it was the King of Conquest or Sir Lancelot, the power and abilities they displayed allowed Saber to fully focus on gathering her strength.

To avoid innocent people being caught in the Noble Phantasm's attack, Saber ran rapidly across the river, constantly changing her angle as she kicked up water.

With her back to the Fuyuki Bridge and facing the sea, Saber tightly gripped the holy sword she held high, slowly closed her eyes, and began to gather her strength with all her might.

"My sword, my shield, my warhorse, my sturdy walls. Come forth, O glorious King of Knights, Artoria Pendragon, and once more raise the sword of salvation, shining upon the world! Acknowledge me, my loyal knights, acknowledge me, my comrades-in-arms, acknowledge me, my guiding mentor, acknowledge me, my unwavering will, acknowledge me, the knightly way I praise and defend!!"

The holy sword erupted with dazzling radiance, and countless beliefs from the earth transformed into brilliant light, surrounding Saber.

The sword, brimming with light, not only dispersed the purple mist that permeated the river but also seemed to drive away the darkness that shrouded Fuyuki City.

Golden light spilled onto the river, shimmering like stars twinkling in the night sky.

Countless golden light particles rose with the holy sword, as if responding to its call.

This was the desire for victory that had settled deep within the earth, spanning countless distant years, and the firm belief in resisting alien apostles, all awakened by Saber's release of the holy sword's power.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment, and everything fell into stillness.

But in the depths of Saber's heart, only she could see the surrounding flickering brilliance.

She loudly recited her past vows and initiated a secret Round Table Conference.

"Holy Sword Liberation, the Round Table Conference begins, this is for the salvation of the world!"

A small, white figure appeared beside Saber, tapping a large staff on the ground: "Merlin, acknowledge, summon, Kay, Bedivere, Palamedes, Gareth..."

A tall, radiant figure followed closely: "This battle is a battle for survival, Kay, deny!"

A long-haired radiant figure on her right stepped forward: "This battle must be fought against someone stronger than oneself, Bedivere, acknowledge!"

A medium-sized radiant figure emerged: "This battle must be a one-on-one fight, Palamedes, deny!"

A small, radiant figure jumped out: "This battle must not be a battle that deviates from humanity, Gareth, acknowledge."

One by one, radiant figures appeared, filling Saber with complex emotions. But having experienced lows and been lifted up by friends, she was no longer despondent.

Her wish to save her homeland remained strong, and her own beliefs were no longer doubted.

"This battle is a battle to pursue truth, Agravain, deny."

"This sword must fight against evil, Mordred, acknowledge."

"This sword must not be wielded for selfish desires, acknowledge."

"This sword must be for a battle of honor, deny."

"This sword must battle against the brave, acknowledge."

"This sword must not be wielded against the good, acknowledge."

Finally, when that dark figure appeared, Saber's spirits soared even higher.

"This sword must not be wielded against elves, Lancelot, acknowledge."

After the thirteen representatives of the Round Table Conference voiced their opinions, they transformed into light and vanished into the heavens and earth.

Only the radiant lights that affirmed this battle transformed into golden beams, coiling around Saber's holy sword.

The small, white figure made the final declaration: "The Round Table Conference concludes, eight knights have acknowledged, the Holy Sword begins its liberation."

As time passed, the Round Table Conference in Saber's heart gradually faded.

She slowly opened her eyes, her gaze filled with unwavering conviction and brilliant light. The holy sword she held high released a golden radiance, like the sun, illuminating the entire world.

"Ex——!"

Saber loudly shouted the true name of her Noble Phantasm and forcefully swung her sword towards the giant Sea Monster in the distance.

"——calibur!!!"

The light first condensed, then instantly unleashed.

Saber's immense magical power was converted into light, imbuing it with powerful momentum and the attribute of severing all things against the target.

This beam of light, like a colossal beam, cut through the river, shattered the Sea Monster's tentacles, and continued until it completely engulfed the hundred-meter-tall giant Sea Monster.

The light covered the sea surface, broke through the clouds, and vanished at the horizon after illuminating the night.

In the distant sky, Saber's Noble Phantasm light gradually disappeared, and along with it, the giant Sea Monster vanished from the eyes of the world.

Even the purple mist that permeated the river began to slowly dissipate.

Subsequently, the consequences of the Holy Sword's liberation and the Sea Monster's disappearance began to manifest.

Boom—!!!

The river water surged violently, impacting both banks, and some low-lying embankments were instantly submerged.

This was the case for the area where the young Shiki was located, as some water rushed towards him.

To avoid getting his shoes wet, Shiki quickly moved to higher ground.

As he walked, he recalled the radiance of the Holy Sword's liberation.

"Wow, that thing must have gone out of the atmosphere!"

Seeing the stream of light disappear into the sky, Shiki was truly startled.

He didn't remember the Saber from the Fourth Holy Grail War being this fierce. It was just to eliminate the Sea Monsters summoned by Caster, was it really necessary to go this far?

"As expected, this is the Knight King, not the King Arthur from my memories!"

Shiki looked again at the spot in the river where Kiritsugu had been, only to find that the other party had already vanished without a trace.

Shrugging his shoulders, since Caster had been eliminated, it was time for him to collect the Command Spells.

Not to mention that a certain knight was intent on supporting the Knight King. Even if the Church didn't acknowledge it, they had to.

"Perfect timing, I wanted to see who exactly killed the priest anyway. Tsk."