(Heartfelt thanks to 'Thor of Thunder L' for the 10,000 reward, and to 'Yume no Shouyou' and 'Lei Xiang' for their rewards!)
"Yaaaaaah—"
Piercing through the thick smoke and dust, through this very world, through the pitch-black magical mist, and through the eardrums of everyone present, an incomparably shrill scream turned into an echo and spread outward as though it had substance.
With such an ominous sound, there was no need to guess. It could only have come from that pitch-black Servant, 'Archer'!
But this was not a scream of agony!
It was a roar of fury!
"—Clink—"
When the shrill cry finally died down, a light, crisp sound rang out from within the thick smoke, like a lock being opened.
"Whoosh!!!"
Immediately afterward, blurred black shadows shot skyward from the thick smoke, blasting it apart in an instant and sending two figures flying out as though they were trash.
Under Wu Yan and Mikoto's gaze, the two flying figures crashed to the ground, struck it viciously, and slid across the surface until they came to a stop before them.
They were Hinagiku and Bazett!
Yet compared to how they had charged at 'Archer' with spirited vigor, the two girls now looked completely different.
Hinagiku was relatively alright. Her face bore traces of pain, and her Miko Outfit emitted a hazy glow. Though she looked somewhat disheveled, she had not suffered any injuries. The Mobile Church must have protected her.
But Bazett's condition was utterly miserable.
Bazett lay on the ground, her entire body pierced through by weapon after weapon!
Swords, blades, spears, halberds... Sharp weapons mercilessly impaled Bazett all over, their tips buried deep in her body, drawing streaks of blood that stained the ground red.
"Hinagiku!" Mikoto cried out in alarm, hurriedly helping the fallen Hinagiku to her