A moment's pleasure buried those lingering affections

The scorching sun baked the earth and made the sky unbearably hot; enduring such an environment was perhaps even more difficult than fighting an opponent.

"Rider, why don't you cancel the Reality Marble? Maintaining it must be a huge burden for you too, right?"

By forcing himself to bravely stand beside Rider instead of behind him, Weber-Velvet was probably the only one who truly grew during this war.

"This is land my army once conquered, my home turf. Comparatively speaking, the burden on him is much greater in this environment."

Rider explained to his Queen Consort as he steered the reins.

"But," Weber raised his own question, "According to Caster, his Vimana is powered by solar energy, which implies unlimited energy here, doesn't it?"

"Hahaha, not bad, not bad, you can analyze the battle like that now," Rider laughed happily. "But it's still immature. Caster also said that Vimana itself stores a lot of energy, enough to last a long time even without the sun—oh dear, that was close."

The lightning bolts intercepted the Archer's Noble Phantasm. Rider then turned back to instruct the Queen Consort, "Now we're both just one final, crucial blow away. The battle will end in an instant; it won't be a long stalemate. So that bit of solar energy is completely meaningless."

Weber nodded, seemingly understanding—his analytical skills weren't yet sufficient to compare these subtle differences, but here, all he needed to do was trust his servant, his king.

Because he had already obtained information about Vimana from Caster, Rider was not caught off guard as Archer had expected. Instead, he calmly and skillfully maneuvered the Gordius Wheel to deal with it.

Vimana possesses formidable speed and firepower, but being a mechanical construct, it falls far short of the agility of the Divine Bull, which works seamlessly with the Rider. It suffers greatly in mobile warfare, such as nearly crashing into the ground due to the Rider's sudden directional maneuvers or losing its sight due to being directly facing the sun. And when it struggles to turn around, the Divine Thunder from Zeus strike without mercy.

Of course, if Vimana wouldn't be caught. However, the dignity of the King of Heroes wouldn't allow him to show such weakness. Even knowing that he was at a disadvantage in aerial combat, Ahrcer still engaged in close-quarters dogfighting with Rider.

Swords shot from the portal, the Super-Ancient Missile System on Vimana, and the unpredictable and elusive Chains of Heaven —these are all immense threats Rider faces. Although he manages to dodge them by the narrowest of margins time and time again, leaving a mark on Vimana process, only Weber, standing beside him, knows the immense danger lurking within those seemingly simple evasions. Each time, he dances on the edge of a knife, never knowing whether the next moment will send him plummeting into hell.

But even so dangerous-

"Hahahaha!"

--Weber and Rider burst into a hoarse, unrestrained laugh. Was it joy at victory or mockery of their opponents?

Once again passing by Vimana, Weber's laughter, which should have been heard, was suppressed by Rider's hand.

"What's wrong, Riddle?"

"Little Master... no, I mean Weber-Velvet, cough cough..."

Rider, who was about to say something, suddenly coughed loudly, and Weber vaguely saw blood running down his lips.

Only then did he realize how much magical power Rider had consumed in the battle. He had been too excited to notice this earlier, and now that he realized it, he suddenly felt dizzy—Rider had also been drawing a large amount of magical power from him to maintain her condition.

Has he finally reached his limit? Weber couldn't help but show a look of despair—in his eyes, Archer still seemed to be handling things with great ease.

"He was faking it," Rider said, patting Master's head as he noticed Master's worry. "In terms of cost, we've definitely suffered more, but he's definitely not as unscathed as he appears. He's just putting on a brave face to maintain his dignity."

"But," Weber said, even more worried after hearing Rider say that their side had suffered greater losses, "We're still at a disadvantage!"

"So," Rider's expression turned serious, "The battle is about to end."

"What?"

"While we still have the strength, let's stake everything on one strike that unleashes our full potential, understand?"

"Rider... are you confident?"

"Probably around 40%. Vimana should be at his limit after all those lightning strikes I just dealt him. The Noble Phantasm launched from the Gate of Babylon shouldn't be a match for the full speed of Gordius Wheel. The biggest variable is—"

"The Chains of Heaven?"

"That's right. If we use that to create a network to block the route, then there's really no way to stop them. That's why we have to be quick and break through rapidly."

"Then let's go, Rider! Don't hold back, take all my magic! Victory is a must!"

"Oh!"

As they spoke, the two kings of Sky Mountain were once again in a standoff. Archer seemed to sense something from Rider's change in aura, and a pleased smile appeared on his lips, "Is it time for the curtain to fall? Dream-chasing clown..."

A dazzling light suddenly flashed from Vimana's wings, and the lightning surrounding the Gordius Wheel intensified. Rider and Archer each raised their swords and swung them forward, and in an instant, two shooting stars streaked across the clear sky under the blazing sun.

Almost simultaneously

"Drink ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

Kariya Matou roared as he charged toward Tokiomi Tohsaka, ignoring everything around him—the flow of magical energy, the barriers, and everything else. All he wanted to do was inflict pain on the man in red, to make him feel even a fraction of what Sakura had endured this past year.

Startled by his opponent's sudden outburst, Tokiomi instinctively flung out a few fireballs—only to realize later that it would have no effect and that the explosions would only obstruct his vision.

Sure enough, a figure burst out of the swirling dust without any hindrance. Although his running style was not graceful and he even tripped over a pebble in the yard, it did not slow him down. After rolling over and getting up, Yanye continued running towards the enemy he hated most.

"Has this guy gone mad?"

Tokiomi, who was completely unaware of Kariya Matou's inner thoughts, was still clueless about what had happened and had no idea that it was all his fault.

"Charging in so recklessly, I guess I overestimated you, Yanye."

Regardless, Tokiomi had already made up his mind that he had to defeat Yanye at least for now.

The flames rose again, but unlike the previous ones, these flames were not very hot, but they were extremely bright, almost comparable to the midday sun.

"Everything in the shadows fears the light."

The shadows surrounding Yanye gradually thinned under the pure light—shadows exist because of light, but they can also be destroyed by light.

The range of the light and flames manipulated by Tokiomi slowly expanded to the entire courtyard, and not only the height of the two people, but also the sky above was occupied by this flame. In an instant, the entire space was filled with light of the same brightness.

The shadow retreated.

If Yanye were Magecraft had trained in Magecraft since childhood, he should have been able to find a way to break this situation, or if his magic power were extremely strong, he could at least use Brute Force to fight back—unfortunately, he lacks both of these qualities.

Tokiomi abandoned the destructive nature of "fire" and instead utilized its other meaning—"light." Light is gentle, inclusive, and not aggressive, but it is precisely the strongest means of restraining the concept of "shadow."

Of course, the technology involved is far more complex than it sounds. Not only must all the surrounding corners be filled with light, but the brightness must also be consistent, otherwise shadows will still be created.

Even for Tokiomi, it took considerable effort and magic to achieve this, and it's certain that he can't do it again. Therefore, the next strike will determine the victor.

The binding barrier trapped Kariya Matou it—without the highly corrosive shadow, Yanye was helpless against Tokiomi's barrier technique— Tokiomi raised his cane and pointed it at Yanye. It was the simplest technique among Magecraft, turning magical energy into magical bullets and firing them. The power would vary depending on the user's strength, and if Tokiomi, Yanye would have to stay in bed for at least three to five days.

He was able to both survive and defeat him; everything was going according to Tokiomi's plan. The Tohsaka Family's technique was elegant and perfect.

"!"

An indescribable sense of unease suddenly surged through Tokiomi's heart at that moment—behind the elegance of the Tohsaka Family lay the attribute of "always failing at crucial moments"! Even Tokiomi had taken everything into account, this attribute, which transcends the law of causality, would still be corrected by the world—

The magic bullet, which was supposed to hit its mark, missed. It didn't even graz Yanye's edge, let alone hit her. At the same time, the barrier became thinner. All these signs indicated that the Magecraft was in an extremely unstable mental state.

The only thing that could make Tokiomi lose his composure like this couldn't possibly be Yanye. So the only possibility is that something has gone wrong with the Servant who is connected to Tokiomi Tohsaka.

------------------ps--------------

P. S. 1. Absolutely no popularity... Even with more enticing content, there's no response in the book review section...

P. S. 2. As expected... no one really wants to read this book, right? All those clicks and stuff are just special effects, aren't they? Duang~Duang~Duang~ (Hereby awarding the book reader "Special Effects Master Duang~" the title)

P. S. 3. Nobody wants to read what I write. All the books on my shelf are just playing dead—some are actually dead—it's so empty and lonely...

------------------Behind the Scenes---------------

Jizi: Damn it, how many chapters have passed and I'm still invisible? This guy can be called the protagonist?!

Author's note: Actually, I really love "Daily Lives of High School Boys", so you know why.

Jizi: At least Zhongbang appears in the ending theme of every episode!

Author: Didn't you also chime in at the end of the chapter?

Jizi: Fuck you!

Author: Come on, let's face each other... Anyway, nobody reads this book, and nobody likes you either, so why not go for it and maybe you can gain some popularity.

Jizi:... Damn it, I'm sticking with Miss Gu Ming. Over there, I have girls, lolis, and girlfriends, plus I'm incredibly powerful and dominate everyone. Goodbye!

Author: Goodbye and best wishes...

[bookid=2831929, bookname= "I Pass By, You Continue"], I recommended it before, but I'll recommend it again, especially since the recent chapters have a lot of connection with this site... That author's writing has improved dramatically lately, but his integrity has started to decline, so I'm indirectly encouraging (and criticizing) him.