Unexpected Intruder

Was Magecraft applied to the Black Keys? It's impossible for a human to knock away someone Servant with just their own strength.

"Waaaaah..."

Berserker, having recovered and stood up again, dodged the Black Keys thrown by his opponent once more.

"What a pity."

Shirou's mutterings seemed to express regret over the missed attack.

--How could I be tricked by humans?!

Upon realizing this, Berserker began to feel anxious.

"Waaaaaah!!"

"Is that so? So, Black Keys alone aren't enough to defeat you, Berserker."

Seeing Berserker about to charge at him, Shirou shook his head and then placed his right hand on the scabbard hanging at his waist.

"Waaaaa?!"

The moment the longsword was drawn, Berserker's expression showed a human-like astonishment. She actually sensed a tremendous magical power emanating from that longsword!

That's clearly Noble Phantasm!

This human can actually use Noble Phantasm?!

"Then, I'm going to go."

After gripping the sword, Shirou lowered his waist, as if he would rush forward and cut Berserker in two at any moment. Berserker also assumed a defensive stance.

Unlike before, this priest, both in person and with his long sword, put immense pressure on Berserker.

Thump thump thump--

Suddenly, a sound like an earthquake rang out around Berserker and Shirou. It was not a natural disaster, but a vibration caused by the sound of troops marching out.

"This is troublesome..."

Seeing the figures gradually gathering around him, Shirou gave a helpless smile.

As he said, at this moment, the outer perimeter of the battlefield centered on the two of them was already surrounded by puppets and androids from the [Black] side.

In the Millennia Fortress, Darnic, who saw this scene through the Projection, nodded slightly.

To prevent a repeat of the previous scenario where Rider was overwhelmed in a one-on-one fight with Caster's Master, Darnic used telepathy to inform Avicebron on the battlefield the moment he discovered Berserker encountering the opposing Master.

Thus, under the deliberate command of Avicebron, some of the puppets and androids on the battlefield were diverted to Berserker's battlefield.

(Completely unaware that he had tricked someone, Wang Xiaoming was still immersed in the activity of fighting Rider, which was actually a complete thrashing.)

Looking at Shirou in the Projection, Darnic felt a strange sense of familiarity with him, but for some reason, he always felt that there was a wall between him and the truth.

However, in any case--

"I won't let you escape."

Darnic's whisper went unheard by the other Master in the room, their attention all fixed on Shirou, who was surrounded in the Projection.

If we can eliminate a Red Faction Master here, it will greatly boost the morale and pressure on the [Black] Master.

However, it seems no one noticed the mist that was beginning to rise around the battlefield, and that it was gradually deepening...

By the time the fog became visible to the naked eye, the Master, realizing what was happening, discovered—

The Projection of the battlefield, which had been displayed, was suddenly cut off.

Chapter 231. Unauthorized Intervention

A thick fog suddenly rolled in over the battlefield.

The androids present all stopped what they were doing, filled with confusion; this was something that shouldn't have appeared at this time.

Immediately afterwards, I felt a sharp pain deep inside my nasal cavity, like a spark bursting forth.

"Waaah--"

At first I thought it was my imagination.

But immediately, I felt a stinging pain all over my body, followed by a burning pain in my eyes and mucous membranes.

"Ahhh, ahhhhhh?!"

He knelt down because of the excruciating pain.

He was unable to open his eyes or breathe due to the excruciating pain throughout his body.

One by one, the androids fell down, and suddenly a small figure appeared before them—a little girl.

The girl said in a rather regretful tone:

"Huh, it's over already?"

Without a doubt, the figure that appeared before them was an enemy.

The androids, whose brains had already made their judgments, instinctively raised their weapons, but they couldn't muster any strength. Even when they held their breath, their lungs, already filled with air, felt as if they were being pulled by hooks, causing excruciating pain.

"Help... help me..."

Realizing the insurmountable chasm between themselves and their enemy, the androids, gripped by fear, began to lay down their weapons and prepare to flee this horrible place. But their faltering, unsteady steps faltered after only two or three steps—

They all fell to the ground, without exception.

Even the puppets that were accidentally caught in the thick fog were emitting a decaying, crumbling sound from their joints.

In just a few breaths, these artificial puppets made of stone and wood lost their ability to move and gradually collapsed on the spot, while the artificial people lying on the ground had long since lost their voices.

As the thick fog gradually dissipated, the girl looked around and, finding nothing that could move, nodded in satisfaction.

"Ring~~~"

The sudden music coming from her clothes startled the girl, and she frantically pulled out something completely out of character for her.

--A mobile phone.

"Hmm... the green button... press it."

Trying hard to recall the instructions the person had given her, the girl decisively pressed the call button.

After a brief busy signal, a woman's voice came from the other end of the phone:

Is that Ultraman Jack?

Upon hearing her Master's voice from the other end of the phone, the girl showed a surprised expression and quickly responded.

"It's us, Master!"

"How are things now? Have I bothered you?"

"It's all over now, so I didn't disturb you~"

The girl shook her head vigorously, as if the person on the other end of the phone could see her.

"So, how much magic power is being consumed?"

"Emm..."

After sensing the remaining magical power within her body, the girl truthfully answered the woman's question, "About half left."

"Is that so? It's all because Mom is too stupid. She can't fully master the extraction of magic."

The woman's voice carried a hint of guilt.

"Not at all! We've all seen how hard Mom works."

The girl spoke to the woman in a soothing tone, her gaze suddenly falling on the android's corpse lying on the ground. She then spoke hesitantly:

"Mom, there are the corpses of those androids here..."

"No, Ultraman Jack."

Before the girl could finish speaking, the woman on the other end of the phone interrupted her, her tone unusually stern. "You absolutely must not touch those things again."

"Oh well."

Hearing the girl's somewhat aggrieved reply, the woman's mood relaxed. "If Ultraman Jack feels he doesn't have enough magic, then eat some [candy]."

"Oh well!"

After the other person finished speaking, the girl's eyes suddenly lit up.

He pulled out a few more hard candies resembling fruit pieces from his pocket. In the moonlight, a faint crimson liquid seemed to be flowing in the center of the "candies."

After popping a pill into her mouth, the girl, feeling the magic gradually filling her body, revealed a blissful expression:

"As expected, 'Dad's' cooking is still the best."

After hearing the girl's words, the woman on the other end of the phone chuckled and continued:

"Mom will try her best to learn how to extract magic before Ultraman Jack finishes all the [candy]!"

"Yes, Mom, you can do it!"

The young woman was encouraging women on the other end of the phone.

"Um?"

The girl blinked, then suddenly turned her gaze to another part of the battlefield, where a team of puppets and androids seemed to have gathered.

Is there some kind of action?

"Ultraman Jack? Ultraman Jack?"

The voice calling in her ear brought the girl back to her senses. She picked up the phone again and spoke into the receiver:

"Mom, there's something going on here, so we have to hang up."

"Be safe."

Don't worry~

After finishing her sentence, the girl hung up the phone and then nimbly followed at the very back of the group.

Seeing that the main force had completely surrounded him, Shirou wore a troubled expression.

The operation, which was supposed to be a covert operation, ended because it was accidentally discovered by the [Black] side's Berserker. Moreover, judging from the situation, the [Black] side should have also discovered their presence.

"Oh... this is troublesome."

However, there's no need to worry about that. For Shirou, the only truly troublesome opponent is Berserker.

As for the surrounding scavengers?

--The Semiramis, who is observing the entire battlefield from the sky, must have already devised a plan to deal with them.

Let's deal with this problem first.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, Shirou began to sprint forward. He held the long sword in his right hand, lowered his waist, and thrust the sword out suddenly.

"Waaaaaah!!"

Completely unprepared for the opponent to attack first, Berserker also swung his warhammer and charged forward.

In terms of physical abilities, Berserker clearly has the advantage. Whether it's strength or speed, Berserker is superior, and she doesn't feel fatigued. This is her biggest, and insurmountable, gap compared to Shirou.

Berserker continues its attacks.

Despite the fact that a single blow would have been fatal, Shirou managed to block Berserker's relentless barrage of attacks. Ordinary weapons would have been rendered unusable by the onslaught, but with Lily's Reinforcement Magecraft, the longsword, now elevated to Noble Phantasm, became a shield against Berserker's onslaught.

Moreover, Shirou possesses a high level of swordsmanship.

Although his skills are not yet those of a master, his swordsmanship has a solid foundation.

... However, this kind of swordsmanship is no match for Berserker.

Although Berserker became Heroic Spirit not because of her martial prowess, her body, being a machine before becoming Servant, was far superior to that of an average human.

Furthermore, Berserker possesses a function resembling a perpetual motion machine of the second kind, capable of absorbing and recycling excess magical energy from the atmosphere. This prevents her from tiring out or collapsing due to insufficient magical energy. Humans, with their various physical and mental limitations, cannot possibly defeat Berserker, who theoretically can move indefinitely.