"What?!" Sensing the threat behind her, the Third Herrscher was startled. She hurriedly gained altitude, trying to evade the arrow, but unfortunately, Hrunting was Beowulf's Noble Phantasm from legend. In Emiya's hands, it had become a weapon that would pursue its target no matter how many times it was shot down, so long as the archer remained alive. A true hunting hound.
Hrunting curved through the air as well, continuing its pursuit of the lightning wings behind the Third Herrscher. "A tracking sword? What a pain!" The Third Herrscher quickly realized this. With a click of her tongue, she stopped dodging and accelerated to maximum speed, charging straight at "Yu Luo."
"In that case, I'll just have to kill you."
"Yu Luo" calmly watched the Third Herrscher rapidly approach from an extreme distance. It was no exaggeration to say that every reaction she had made so far had been within his calculations. Let's give you something exciting!
With that thought, "Yu Luo" drew his bow again and murmured, "Trace on." Lightning bloomed across the bowstring once more, and a longsword shaped like a sharp awl, its body covered in spiral patterns, rested upon it.
"Caladbolg II!"
"Yu Luo" released the bowstring again. Caladbolg II shot toward the charging Third Herrscher like a bolt from the heavens, trailing a long streak of lightning behind it amid howling wind and thunder.
"That bastard!" the Third Herrscher cursed. She could sense the energy contained within those two swords. If they struck her head-on, she might be seriously injured. Both sides were incredibly fast; the lightning on Yu Luo's bowstring had not even faded when the Third Herrscher was already facing Caladbolg II.
"Bzz..." Left with no choice, the Third Herrscher halted in midair and spread her hands, raising a lightning barrier around herself. The instant the shield formed, Caladbolg II arrived and crashed into it.
"Crackle..." Caladbolg II pierced through the barrier's protection the moment it hit, while behind it, Hrunting also slammed into the shield, its entire tip sinking into it.
The Third Herrscher pressed her palms together. Her lightning wings blazed with brilliant purple light, staining the originally blue-white lightning barrier violet. It was dazzlingly beautiful. The two swords seemed to have entered a swamp, slowing visibly until they barely stopped before the Third Herrscher, nearly reaching her flesh.
Seeing this, "Yu Luo" was not disappointed in the slightest. Instead, a triumphant smile appeared at the corner of his lips. He put away his bow, snapped his fingers with his right hand, and his smug voice rang through the sky.
"Broken Phantasm!"
Boom!
Boom!
The two explosions rang out almost simultaneously. Terrifying flames and a horrifying sea of lightning erupted in midair, intertwining and occupying half the sky. A massive mushroom cloud rose from the Third Herrscher's direction as though the apocalypse had descended. The dreadful shockwave toppled every remaining high-rise in Changkong City, while the fire and lightning ignited the entire city and turned it into a sea of flames.
The enormous airborne battleship Hyperion shook violently amid the successive shockwaves, unable to maintain its balance. Only after being blown dozens of meters away did it finally stabilize.
"Watch out!" As the shockwave hit, Murata Himeko, who had barely been able to stand on the bridge, was nearly blown away. Fortunately, Theresa was beside her. She grabbed Himeko with one hand and gripped the violently shaking Hyperion's gunport with the other, preventing Himeko from being blown from the sky.
"Did that man shoot a nuclear missile?!" Theresa stared at the scene in shock, then turned her gaze back to the main battlefield, wanting to know whether the Third Herrscher was dead or alive.
"Any Honkai Beast, regardless of rank, would probably be instantly killed by an attack like that." Murata Himeko watched the flames and lightning reflected in her eyes. "No—other than a Valkyrie at the Headmistress's level, no living creature could possibly survive."
"So this is what a Herrscher-level battle looks like?"
"Yu Luo" projected the black-and-white twin swords once more, his gaze fixed on the center of the explosion, his eyes filled with caution. Yet he said confidently, "A little trick like that shouldn't be enough to defeat you. I don't believe that's all you can do."
"This is no little trick." The Third Herrscher's calm voice came from the center of the explosion, but everyone present could sense the fury buried beneath that calmness.
The sky suddenly darkened, and the air grew heavy. The thunderfire in midair dispersed, revealing the Third Herrscher's body. Her clothes were in tatters, exposing pale skin to the air. Her entire body was covered in black scorch marks from the lightning and flames. Her lightning wings were full of fragments, with cracks filled with lightning, as though she had forcibly glued them back together with electricity.
"Tell me, why do you all love playing mages so much?" "Yu Luo" looked up at the darkened sky. Vast black thunderclouds were gathering from every direction, covering the entire sky above Changkong City. An immense pressure weighed on the hearts of everyone still conscious.
Rumble... A shining thunder dragon briefly tore through the clouds before vanishing in an instant. The Third Herrscher floated beneath the thunderclouds, holding a strange sword pointed toward the sky. A vortex formed at the center of the clouds, where silver-white lightning gathered, radiating an increasingly dangerous aura.
Naturally, "Yu Luo" would not stand by and watch the Third Herrscher finish charging her ultimate move. Holding the black-and-white twin swords, he charged forward, leaving a crimson afterimage in the air. In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind the Third Herrscher and, with a howling gust, slashed directly at the lightning wings enveloped in thunderlight.
"Crackle..." Just as the black-and-white twin swords in "Yu Luo's" hands were about to strike, a small thunder dragon suddenly appeared around the Third Herrscher, knocking both swords away. A bolt of lightning also shot from the dragon's mouth, only to be mercilessly sliced apart by "Yu Luo."
"A barrier..." "Yu Luo" frowned and looked toward the sky. At the center of the silver-white vortex, the lightning gathering there was growing stronger and stronger, already showing signs of forming plasma.
"A barrier linked to the entire thundercloud formation... Unless I destroy the thunderclouds all at once?" Through B-rank Mind's Eye, "Yu Luo" saw through the barrier's true nature and could not help finding it troublesome.
The Third Herrscher was still charging, but "Yu Luo" could clearly feel that she was nearing the end. No wonder she dared to remain in place as a living target despite knowing Yu Luo's terrifying firepower. The barrier protecting her was incredibly strong and connected to the thunderclouds covering all of Changkong City.
"I am the bone of my sword." "Yu Luo" closed his eyes and began chanting, preparing to unleash his Noble Phantasm. As long as he could finish the chant before the Third Herrscher completed her charge, he could sever the connection between her and the barrier. Then she would be at his mercy.
"Steel is my body, and fire is my blood."
"I have created over a thousand blades."
"Unknown to Death, nor known to Life."
However, the Noble Phantasm's chant took far too long. Before "Yu Luo" had even finished half of it, the Third Herrscher had completed her charge. From within the thunderclouds, where their might had gathered to its peak, a thunder dragon as thick as a water barrel gave a long cry and plunged completely into the longsword in the Third Herrscher's hand.
"Lightning... Burst!" The Third Herrscher opened her eyes, which had turned completely silver-white. Thunder exploded beneath the clear sky as she transformed into a bolt of lightning and mercilessly pierced toward "Yu Luo," carrying wind and thunder as she tore through the sky at a speed surpassing Caladbolg II.
"Yu Luo" opened his eyes and abandoned the Noble Phantasm chant. He thrust his right hand forward, activating Projection Magecraft.
"Rho Aias!"
An enormous petal shield appeared before "Yu Luo," attempting to block the Third Herrscher as she became a bolt of thunder. Lightning collided with the shield, and the petals were like paper before it. Four layers were pierced instantly without resistance. The fifth layer delayed it slightly before breaking as well.
Yet, using that precious instant, "Yu Luo" hurled the white short sword in his hand with all his strength. It was knocked away by the lightning without causing the slightest obstruction. The black short sword followed after it and was thrown as well, but it too accomplished nothing. At the same time, the sixth petal layer shattered.
Lightning flashed in "Yu Luo's" hands as he projected the black-and-white short swords again and hurled them from two other tricky angles. They were still knocked away, but the lightning formed by the Third Herrscher had dimmed considerably. A human silhouette could even faintly be seen within the thunder.
Finally, the seventh layer of petals shattered completely. Nothing remained before "Yu Luo" to stop her. The Third Herrscher returned to human form, and the longsword in her hand, like lightning incarnate, viciously thrust toward Yu Luo's throat.
The unobstructed sword was reflected in "Yu Luo's" calm, rippleless eyes as it stabbed toward him. The Third Herrscher's voice sounded beside his ear.
"You are indeed strong, but unfortunately, it's over."
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