As she spoke, Remilia carefully looked Koizumi over. She had long since grown used to his mysterious nature, but honestly, seeing him constantly reveal new abilities only made her more curious.
Where had this guy come from? How did he have so many tricks? And what exactly was going on with the contract between them? Was it an ordinary contract between a Servant and a Master? No, that was not right. Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash were not like that!
"I'm fine..." Koizumi smiled faintly, though his gaze kept drifting toward his hands.
What was going on with me? I somehow used the young lady's power. Was it really because of the contract?
But clearly, this was not the time to think about that. Koizumi and the others followed Cú Chulainn deeper into the cave, arriving at the site of a vast open-air cavern.
"So this is the Greater Grail? Isn't this an absurdly high-grade magical furnace core? Why would a thing like this exist on some island nation in the Far East...?"
Olga Marie stared upward at the sight above the open cavern, unable to hide her shock.
High above the cavern hung something like a black hole. Yet rather than devouring everything around it, endless black mud flowed from that dark, bottomless opening, forming an enormous waterfall of black mud between heaven and earth.
Like magma spewing from a volcano, the black mud poured down and turned everything it touched into scorched earth. Clearly, this was the source that had set all of Fuyuki City ablaze.
"According to the records, it was created by alchemical masters known as the Einzbern. They are not affiliated with the Mage's Association. They seem to be a clan composed entirely of homunculi." Dr. Roman found the records kept by Chaldea and explained them to everyone.
"Enough talking. That thing has already noticed us."
Cú Chulainn stared gravely toward a spot beneath the waterfall of black mud.
Koizumi and the others looked over at his words and saw a small figure standing at the center of the open cavern.
She looked about the same age as Mash. Her beautiful golden hair was tied up behind her head, and her features were delicate and lovely. Yet her golden eyes were cold and emotionless. The black knight's dress, the armor lined with traces of crimson, and the astonishingly dense, high-quality mist of magical energy surrounding her made her look like a Demon King descended upon the world.
Koizumi and the others froze for a moment, especially Mash and the rest. Koizumi had lost his memories, so even if he had known about these matters before, he had likely forgotten them by now. Therefore, he knew nothing about Artoria.
"...What powerful magical energy... Is she really Artoria...?" Mash said in amazement.
At the same time, seeing that the legendary Artoria was a girl who looked roughly her own age, Mash could not help feeling doubtful. After all, Artoria was male in the legends.
Even Remilia was startled. Artoria being female was no laughing matter.
"That's right. Although she seems to have undergone some kind of mutation, she is the King of Britain, the wielder of the Holy Sword, Artoria. Her gender differs from the legends, but there must have been some reason she appeared in Camelot dressed as a man. Think about it—if she were not a man, she could not have ascended the throne, right? There must have been some hidden circumstances that made her disguise herself as one. It was probably some terrible idea from the court mage. There really are folk legends that mention it. Merlin's tastes are truly awful."
Dr. Roman said this casually, while Koizumi could not help glancing at him.
How do you know so much...?
"Eh...? Ah, really. She is a woman. I thought she was a man." Mash said in surprise.
"Don't underestimate her just because she looks small. She's an absurd monster who doesn't use flesh and blood, but releases magical energy to create impacts."
Cú Chulainn spoke in a deep voice.
He had fought Artoria face-to-face before. He had personally experienced her terrifying strength.
"Every strike is unbelievably heavy. If you let your guard down for even a moment, your upper body will be separated from your lower body."
"Like a rocket given human form... I understand. I'll fight with everything I have."
Mash nodded seriously.
"Yes. As long as we defeat her, the abnormality in this city will disappear. She and I will vanish without exception as well. After that, it will be your job. I don't know what will happen, but do your best within your abilities."
Cú Chulainn spoke in a low voice.
"So—if we just defeat her, that's enough, right? Don't waste so many words explaining something so simple!"
As Remilia said this, Gungnir in her hand pointed directly at Artoria.
"Two very interesting Servants have arrived."
Suddenly, Artoria, who had been guarding the edge of the basin, spoke. Her gaze fell upon Remilia and Mash, though it lingered more on Mash.
However, Koizumi noticed that Artoria's gaze was focused more on Mash's shield.
"What!? You can talk!? Were you deliberately pretending to be silent before!?"
Cú Chulainn was immediately shocked. When he had fought her, she had remained silent most of the time. He had thought she had no self-awareness at all. He had not expected it had all been an act.
"Because every word and action was constantly being monitored. Thus, I did the opposite and stood here in silence like a scarecrow."
As she spoke, Artoria's gaze settled upon Mash's shield.
"But that is interesting. That Noble Phantasm is indeed interesting."
With that, Artoria pointed the Holy Sword in her hand at Mash.
"Prepare yourself, unknown girl. Whether your defense is truly impregnable will be tested by this blade!"
"You—don't tell me you're ignoring me!"
Remilia's mouth twitched, and countless veins seemed to bulge across her forehead.
Artoria calmly glanced at Remilia and spoke indifferently.
"Inhuman being, I am not your enemy at present, and you should not be fighting me here."
"Huh?" Remilia furrowed her brows slightly, confusion flashing through her eyes.
The next instant, flames that seemed to descend from the sky turned into a blade and slashed at Remilia.
Remilia reacted in an instant, placing Gungnir horizontally before her chest. A blast of air surged outward. Mash shielded Olga Marie and Ritsuka, while Cú Chulainn protected Koizumi behind him.
With a single strike, Remilia was sent flying.
Yet Remilia's face showed not anger, but utter disbelief.
"How could... this be...?"
Slowly, a small girl clad in crimson and holding a sword of ominous flame appeared before Remilia.
She was extraordinarily adorable, adorable enough to make people want to cherish her. Yet the smell of blood around her was intensely thick.
She had a pair of deep crimson eyes, and her clothing was primarily dark red. She wore short sleeves and a miniskirt, with a yellow necktie-like ornament on her chest. A pair of unusual wings hung from her back, adorned with multicolored crystals. Unlike Remilia, who had pink clothes and light blue hair, this blonde little girl's entire outfit heavily emphasized the color red.
The familiar figure made even Remilia's hand holding Gungnir tremble.
"How tragic. Because of you and your Master, her summoning became possible..."
"Possibility truly does enjoy playing tricks on people."
After Artoria sighed like this, her gaze returned to Mash.
Mash and the others stared at Remilia in confusion. Still, this Servant who had just appeared looked remarkably like Remilia.
"Why... why are you here!?"
"—Flandre!"
Mash and Artoria
"What... is going on?" Mash blankly watched the scene before her. She seemed unable to process it at all.
That was understandable. Remilia was originally their strongest combat force, but then someone who appeared even stronger suddenly emerged. Mash could not react to the situation at all. Something was seriously wrong here!
"It seems that little girl who just appeared has some connection to that Lancer. Otherwise, Lancer would not be making that expression."
Cú Chulainn looked gravely at Remilia, his eyes filled with heaviness.
The little girl who had just appeared gave him a very dangerous feeling. If he dared approach her, he would likely die horribly. Honestly, aside from his teacher, this was the first time he had felt such threatening power.
"She's the young lady's younger sister..." Koizumi said instinctively, but the next moment, he came back to his senses.
Strange? How do I know that? Did the young lady tell me about this?
"I see. Her sister was summoned as her enemy, so that's why she looks like that? This really is..."
Cú Chulainn merely sighed and said nothing more. Such things were rare in a Holy Grail War, but not unheard of. After all, those summoned by the Grail were beings with wishes they wanted to make upon it. Encountering something like this could only mean fate was toying with them.
"Fighting your own family... I have never experienced that, but it must be painful."
Mash spoke gloomily, and Ritsuka nodded as well, but—
Olga Marie's face was covered in black lines as she pointed directly at Artoria and said helplessly, "Can you people get a grip? We're in the middle of a battle! There's still an Artoria right in front of us!!!!!"
Cú Chulainn and the others froze before hurriedly looking at Artoria, whose expression was equally complicated.
Being ignored really is unpleasant... Is my presence that weak?
Artoria could not help asking herself this, but then she gave a faint, self-mocking laugh. Was she really worrying about such things at a time like this?
"Come! Child of Light of Ireland, and—unknown girl!"
The moment her words fell, waves of air burst beneath Artoria's feet. She advanced toward Mash and Cú Chulainn with steps that seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. But more precisely, her target was not Cú Chulainn.
It was Mash.
Because the person Artoria had cared about from beginning to end was clearly Mash. As for Cú Chulainn...
She had fought him before and already knew all his methods. There was no need to fight him again.
Dealing with Cú Chulainn only required a single Noble Phantasm. If one Noble Phantasm was not enough, she could simply use a few more.
With the Holy Grail supporting her, Artoria had no reason to fear the two Servants before her.
Yet even she did not know why there was still a trace of anticipation in her heart.
It was as though she was hoping the two Servants before her would defeat her... Was that possible?
Of course it was impossible... Artoria came to that conclusion.
The blackened Holy Sword slammed into Mash's shield, and the burst of air sent Mash staggering backward.
At that instant, she finally understood Cú Chulainn's words.
—Every strike is unbelievably heavy. If you let your guard down for even a moment, your upper body will be separated from your lower body—
It was indeed true. Against such crushing attacks, a single lapse in concentration could get her cut in half.
Moreover, Artoria possessed speed comparable to her own. If this continued, Mash had no chance of winning.
The moment they exchanged blows, all kinds of doubts flooded Mash's mind. Could she really defeat an existence like this?
Just as Artoria was about to press forward and continue her assault, several brilliant, blazing fireballs entered her vision. They were so fast that Artoria had no way to dodge them.
However, Artoria had her own way of dealing with them—
A mist of magical energy formed from extraordinarily dense mana spread around her body, attempting to block the fireballs one by one.
Boom—
Brilliant flames illuminated the surroundings. A weaker Servant would likely have perished from that single blow, but Artoria was no weakling. She had been able to kill a mad beast like Berserker, so she was clearly strong.
Gradually, the smoke dispersed, revealing Artoria's black and ominous figure. Her cold, murderous face placed even greater pressure on Cú Chulainn and Mash. As expected of the world-renowned Artoria, she would not be defeated so easily.
"Tch... What the hell is this ridiculously massive amount of magical energy? Even as a Caster, I don't have anything this outrageous!"
Cú Chulainn clicked his tongue.
"Indeed, this amount of magical energy is frighteningly excessive..." Mash said solemnly.
The Servant before her placed far too much pressure on her. She had already lacked confidence as a Servant, and seeing Artoria only made that insecurity more obvious.
But—
Mash swept her gaze over Koizumi, who was watching Remilia's side behind her, then over her senior Fujimaru Ritsuka and Director Olga Marie. Instantly, firm determination completely overwhelmed her former lack of confidence.
It did not matter what happened to her, but as her senior's Servant, she still had the director and Mr. Koizumi behind her to protect. No matter what, she could not fall here. Absolutely not!
As though she had seen the determination in Mash's eyes, magical energy slowly began wrapping around Artoria's entire body. At the same time, she slowly raised her Holy Sword with both hands.
"Then I shall answer that burning gaze of yours... I shall answer your desire to protect your Master!"
"That magical energy... It's a Noble Phantasm!" Olga Marie's expression changed immediately, and Fujimaru Ritsuka clenched his teeth.
Cú Chulainn's expression hardened as he stepped back slightly. He was not trying to retreat, but—
Mash stood at the very front, sensing the magical energy ahead while recalling her senior behind her. The determination in her eyes grew stronger, and the shield in her hand seemed to answer its owner as it began releasing brilliant white light.
"Tyrant King's Hammer, Aurora Reversal—"
As though it would split space itself, Artoria's Holy Sword, having gathered its power, came crashing down in one decisive slash.
"—Be swallowed by light! Excalibur Morgan!!!!!!"
The instant she swung, black, ominous light burst forth and charged toward Mash as though it would consume everything.
Just as Artoria had said, the black aurora before her was enough to swallow all light.
But—
"Noble Phantasm, deploy...!"
The moment her words fell, dazzling white light radiated from Mash's shield. A massive shield appeared before her.
The black light collided with the shield, yet the shield did not budge in the slightest.
Though Mash endured immense pressure, she remained where she stood, gritting her teeth and holding on.
"Aaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Gradually, the black light seemed to lose its initial overwhelming momentum and slowly dissipated.
Mash panted lightly, but it was clear that her shield had blocked the edge of Artoria's Holy Sword.
Even now, Mash still felt that it was somewhat unreal.
Before you continue