The Holy Sword's Release and Destruction

That was right. Archer had already grown somewhat impatient.

This Magus before him, who called himself a subject, was truly outrageously bold.

"Tokio, I have given you enough face. I lost four Noble Phantasms. I had no intention of reclaiming those polluted Noble Phantasms, and now you actually want me to draw Ea, my supreme treasure? You have quite the nerve, saying such arrogant words to a king. You should be put to death in atonement!"

On the platform beneath the throne aboard the radiant treasure ship, Tokio, usually so elegant and composed, now lowered his head with resentment written all over his face.

He kept asking himself how things had ended up like this.

They had originally discovered that Caster had broken the rules, then planned with Risei Kirei, the old priest from the church, to reclaim the Command Spells wasted during the warehouse operation. So why had it turned out this way?

And this Holy Grail War had been plagued by problems from the very beginning, ever since the Heroic Spirits had been summoned. Nothing had gone in the direction he had anticipated, with one accident after another.

For example, two F-15 fighter jets now roared through the sky, instantly making Tokio's expression turn ugly.

They could not delay any longer. They had to end this battle quickly, or there would be more and more witnesses. 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 forcibly order Archer to destroy the Sea Monster, Archer on the throne snorted coldly, making Tokio shudder from head to toe.

"Annoying little insects!"

Already irritated by the fighters' noise and Tokio's earlier request, Archer was burning with anger.

With a wave of his hand, golden radiance flared beside him, space rippled, and four Noble Phantasms were launched.

Spinning at tremendous speed, the Noble Phantasms crossed a kilometer and struck the two fighter jets with perfect accuracy.

One fighter jet crashed into the Sea Monster at top speed, erupting in a tremendous explosion and turning into a massive fireball. The other soon fell into the sea.

"My king..." In a sense, Tokio breathed a sigh of relief.

Archer had helped him deal with some of the potential threats of exposure.

There would certainly still be trouble afterward, but at least he could work with the church to barely handle it. As long as he achieved final victory in the Holy Grail War, that would be enough.

"Tokio, I can't stand watching this any longer. Retreat!"

Archer's voice allowed no objection.

At this point, there was no way Tokio could ask Archer to do anything else.

A trace of doubt rose in his heart. Had he been wrong from the beginning? He had treated Archer as a subject, but these Servants were essentially nothing more than tools for fulfilling wishes.

But falling out with Archer now would undoubtedly be an even greater mistake. He could only choose to endure for the time being.

Tokio completely failed to notice that Archer looked at him as though he were a boring fool.

The Holy Grail?

Who would care about something so boring?

He merely wanted to have some fun.

Since Tokio could not be the one to entertain him, he would find someone else. For instance, Tokio's disciple looked rather interesting.

The radiant treasure ship gradually departed, but the battle below remained fierce.

To buy Rider time, the knight and Saber gave everything they had to hold back the Sea Monster and prevent it from charging into the city.

The intense battle had consumed a huge amount of their magical energy. Even as Servants with immense reserves of magical energy, they found it difficult to unleash powerful attacks now.

The knight struck out with all his strength again, blasting back one of the Sea Monster's thick tentacles. Reaching Saber's side, he urgently advised, "My king, you cannot keep releasing Noble Phantasms without chanting. If you exhaust too much magical energy, you will be unable to unleash a Noble Phantasm at full power."

Noble Phantasms were the proof of Heroic Spirits and their strongest armaments.

There were two ways to release them. One was to chant the Noble Phantasm's true name and release it, producing immense power. The other was a minor release without chanting its true name. It still possessed some power, but it was far inferior to the complete version.

Saber swung her holy sword with effortless grace and said confidently, "Sir Lancelot, please rest assured. I can feel that Master is nearby, so there is no need to worry about maintaining my magical energy. To defeat this monster, I would not hesitate to use Command Spells."

Seeing such a resolute King of Knights, the knight felt deeply gratified. He said no more, simply demonstrating through his actions the bearing of the First Knight of the Round Table.

The black Demon Sword in his hand shone with magical radiance as a powerful magical slash—a minor Noble Phantasm release—was unleashed in an instant.

Now that Kariya, that half-baked Magus, was no longer dragging him down, he no longer had to fight at the cost of losing his sanity.

Supported by his new Master's high-quality magical energy, the knight's abilities had all improved greatly.

In terms of a Magus's quality and potential, the new Master with whom he had exchanged vows far surpassed Kariya.

The knight could even perform the ultimate release of his Noble Phantasm. However, the conditions for releasing the Demon Sword were extremely demanding. As a Berserker, he could only fully release it a limited number of times, so naturally he would not waste those precious uses here.

Besides, Noble Phantasms were not especially effective against such massive monsters.

The Sea Monster was troublesome, but he trusted in Master's strength. Someone who could easily deal with Caster's Master would leave Caster without one of the pieces needed to sustain his presence in the world.

Even if Caster's Noble Phantasm possessed infinite magical energy, maintaining a Servant's presence still required the Master's magical energy. Without a Master, the Servant would quickly disappear.

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

"This is..."

Joy welled up in Saber's heart. Rider had succeeded. Lancer, that comrade who practiced the way of chivalry alongside her, was truly rare.

Accompanied by a thunderous roar, Rider drove the Divine Bull Chariot across the battlefield at breakneck speed, knocking aside many attacks aimed at the Black Knight before arriving at the center of the battlefield.

He shouted, "King of Knights, Lancer has lifted the curse. Now Berserker and I will buy you time!"

Saber replied, "Understood, King of Conquerors."

Whether it was the King of Conquerors or Sir Lancelot, the strength and ability they displayed allowed Saber to focus entirely on gathering her power.

To keep the Noble Phantasm's attack from harming innocent people, Saber raced across the river, stepping over splashing water as she continuously changed angles.

With her back to Fuyuki Bridge and facing the sea, she gripped the raised holy sword tightly in both hands, slowly closed her eyes, and began gathering power with all her strength.

"My sword, my shield, my warhorse, my sturdy walls. Come, glorious King of Knights, Artoria Pendragon. Raise that sword of salvation once more and shine upon this world! Acknowledge me, my loyal knights! Acknowledge me, my friends who fought at my side! Acknowledge me, my mentors who guided me forward! Acknowledge me, my unwavering will! Acknowledge the chivalry I sing of and defend!!"

Dazzling radiance blossomed from the holy sword. Countless convictions from the earth transformed into brilliant lights and gathered around Saber.

The resplendent blade not only dispersed the purple mist blanketing the river, but seemed ready to drive away even the darkness shrouding Fuyuki City's skies.

Golden light scattered across the river, making the waves glitter like stars in the night sky.

Countless golden points of light rose along with the holy sword, as though answering its call.

They were the desire for victory buried deep in the earth through countless distant ages, the unshakable belief in resisting apostles from beyond the stars. At this moment, all of it was awakened by Saber's release of the holy sword.

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

Yet deep within Saber's heart, only she could see the shimmering radiance around her.

She loudly recited the vow from long ago and began a Round Table Conference unknown to anyone else.

"Holy sword release. The Round Table Conference begins. This battle is for the salvation of the world!"

A small white figure appeared beside Saber, planting a massive staff on the ground. "Merlin, acknowledge. Summoning Kay, Bedivere, Palamedes, Gareth..."

A tall, radiant figure followed. "This battle is one for survival. Kay, reject!"

A long-haired radiant figure stepped forth on Saber's right. "This battle must be against one stronger than oneself. Bedivere, acknowledge!"

A medium-sized radiant figure appeared. "This battle must be one-on-one. Palamedes, reject!"

A small radiant figure leaped out. "This battle does not stray from humanity. Gareth, acknowledge!"

One radiant figure after another appeared, leaving Saber with mixed feelings. But after experiencing her lowest point and being pulled back up by her friends, she had long since stopped being dejected.

Her desire to save her homeland remained as strong as ever, and she no longer harbored the slightest doubt in her own beliefs.

"This battle is one in pursuit of truth. Agravain, reject."

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

"This sword must not fight for selfish desires. Acknowledge."

"This sword must be a battle for honor. Reject."

"This sword must fight the brave. Acknowledge."

"This sword must not stand against the good. Acknowledge."

Finally, when that black figure appeared, Saber's emotions surged even higher.

"This sword must not stand against faeries. Lancelot, acknowledge."

After the thirteen beings representing the Round Table Conference had expressed their opinions, they all transformed into light and vanished between heaven and earth.

Only the radiance that acknowledged this battle became golden rays, winding around Saber's holy sword.

The small white figure made the final statement. "The Round Table Conference has ended. Eight knights acknowledge this battle. The holy sword begins its release."

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

She slowly opened her eyes, which were filled with unwavering conviction and brilliant light. The holy sword raised in her hands released golden radiance like the sun, illuminating the entire world.

"Ex--!"

Saber shouted the true name of her Noble Phantasm and swung the sword in her hands down at the giant Sea Monster in the distance.

"--calibur!!!"

The light first condensed, then erupted in an instant.

Saber's immense magical energy was converted into light, granting it tremendous momentum and adding the attribute of severing all things against its target.

Like a colossal beam, the light split the river, shattered the Sea Monster's tentacles, and continued until it completely swallowed the hundred-meter-tall giant Sea Monster.

The light covered the sea, pierced the clouds, and only vanished beyond the horizon after illuminating the night.

In the distant sky, the radiance of Saber's Noble Phantasm gradually faded. Along with it, the giant Sea Monster vanished from the eyes of the world.

Even the purple mist hanging over the river slowly dispersed.

Then the consequences of the holy sword's release and the Sea Monster's disappearance began to appear.

Boom--!!!

The river surged violently, crashing against both banks. Some low-lying embankments were instantly flooded.

For example, water rushed toward the place where Shiki was standing.

To keep his shoes from being soaked, Shiki hurriedly moved to higher ground.

As he walked, he recalled the light from the holy sword's release.

"Good grief, that thing must have blasted right out of the atmosphere!"

Seeing the stream of light vanish into the horizon, Shiki was genuinely startled.

He did not remember Saber in the Fourth Holy Grail War being this fierce. She had only been trying to destroy the Sea Monster summoned by Caster. Was there really any need to go this far?

"Sure enough, this is the King of Knights, not the King Arthur from my memories!"

Shiki looked again toward the place in the river where Kiritsugu had originally been and found that he had long since disappeared.

Shrugging, Shiki figured that since Caster had been eliminated, it was time for him to collect the Command Spells.

After all, a certain knight had been determined to go support the King of Knights. Whether the church acknowledged that contribution or not, it had no choice but to accept it.

"Perfect. I'd like to see just who killed the priest. Heh heh."