Saber VS Lancer, True Transcendence is Like This

Magic surged, air currents churned, and a white light flashed.

Saber underwent a transformation, adopting a pose reminiscent of a magical girl, as her attire shifted directly into a blue-and-white armored dress.

In her right hand, she gripped an invisible blade. It was impossible to discern its true form, as it was wreathed in swirling air currents, creating an optical camouflage effect akin to a distortion in space.

Though this scene might tempt one to make snide remarks about magical girl transformations, it was undoubtedly a manifestation of the extraordinary, stirring the hearts of countless viewers.

Seeing this, Lancer smiled: "A truly heroic stance, Saber. It is a pity, however, that restricted by the rules of the Holy Grail War and the commands of your Master, you cannot reveal your true name at such a time. It is a great regret."

Saber replied with a cold tone: "Concealing one's identity is a matter of course. The essence of war is deception. Even if the number of participants in this Holy Grail War is small, it remains a war."

Lancer: "The essence of war is deception... is that a concept from the modern world?"

Saber: "Indeed. Having been imbued with modern knowledge by the Holy Grail, I have benefited greatly and find myself in full agreement. Since it is a war, one must naturally strive to hide oneself; otherwise, if one's true identity is exposed, it becomes easy for the enemy to target and scheme against you. That would be far from ideal."

Lancer chuckled at these words, brandishing his twin spears. The shafts whistled through the air with great momentum: "Then, let us begin! Saber!"

Saber: "My thoughts exactly!"

The two sides stood in opposition, their momentum brewing, a great battle on the verge of eruption.

In the real world, people gleaned some intelligence regarding the Holy Grail War from the preceding conversation—for instance, that it is best for a Servant to hide their true name, as knowing their real identity could lead to targeted countermeasures.

Since it is now known that Servants are manifestations of Heroic Spirits, and Heroic Spirits are famous figures from human history, does this mean that the calamities or even the causes of death these figures faced in life are equally applicable within the Holy Grail War?

The concept of "special attack" is not rare. The Holy Grail War now appears much like a game, and games have rules; within those rules, powerful characters can often be eliminated due to minor weaknesses.

While it seems strange when applied to the real world, it is not impossible.

At the very least, the think tanks assembled by various nations have already analyzed this possibility and recorded it, preparing for any Servants that might appear in the future—yes, nations have already proposed plans to summon Heroic Spirits by mimicking the situation in the Light Screen. Though it sounds absurd and unscientific, as has been said countless times, this world has been unscientific ever since the Mystery descended.

Given this, attempting to summon Heroic Spirits to aid in battle using the methods seen in the Light Screen is not entirely a flight of fancy.

After all, one must have the courage to try everything; what if it succeeds?

Even if it fails, it would only be a waste of resources and time. The state apparatuses—especially the world's five giants: the Flame Kingdom, Ursus, Holy Britannia, the Napoleonic Empire, and the New Roman Alliance—possess vast resources and formidable national strength, giving them the absolute power to experiment with these unscientific endeavors.

In fact, the narrator's voice has also been recorded and is undergoing rigorous analysis, with efforts underway to identify the owner of that voice.

Of course, this is destined to be futile, as the narrator's voice is actually that of Su Yun, who used the system to synthesize it. While it bears some resemblance to his own, it is also vastly different.

There are countless such cases worldwide; trying to find him through his voice is undoubtedly a pipe dream.

As for why a narrator was introduced, it is because if much of the content were to be performed solely through imagery, it would waste a great deal of fantasy power. Narration allows the world to understand the content in the most efficient way possible.

To reiterate, Su Yun did not do this for fun, but to collect fantasy power.

Naturally, he must achieve his goal in the most efficient manner, and the "magic modification" of the original plot serves this very purpose.

In fact, for humanity, the fantasy power harvested from purely displaying extraordinary power is far less than that harvested from narrative content. For the same expenditure of fantasy power, the former yields less than one-tenth of the latter.

Perhaps it is because the display of pure power is too dry; while it may shock people, it does not leave a deep impression. Thus, content with a narrative arc yields much higher returns.

If not for this, Su Yun could have simply produced a pile of imagery showcasing extraordinary power; why would he need to create a modified Holy Grail War?

If one could make money by lying flat, who would want to work hard?

Of course, Su Yun does not deny that he has a bit of a "troll" streak, but he is merely going with the flow rather than actively stirring up trouble.

In the Light Screen, the battle between Saber and Lancer began.

In the span of a single breath, the two clashed with spear light and sword shadows, followed by the screech of metal. The ground beneath their feet either shattered directly or was cleaved open; the once-flat concrete was instantly pitted and scarred.

Less than five seconds had passed, and the onlookers were left in a state of shock.

Because it was impossible to see clearly—in just a few flashes, the two had changed their movements over twenty times. Only at the moment of impact did their bodies briefly pause, causing shockwaves to ripple out, leaving the audience overwhelmed.

Countless mouths hung open. The speed and impact were too great; the sparks of metal splashing from their clashes and the light and shadow flickering from the collision of weapons struck the eyes of the world like light pollution.

Especially since this scene was performed by real people, the lack of Photoshop or special effects left the hearts of all who watched in a state of turmoil.

Each metallic clang, like a bomb, shattered people's worldviews and constantly refreshed humanity's concept of the truly extraordinary.

This was not the extraordinary found in films or anime, but something that truly existed in reality, displaying its power before all of humanity.

True extraordinary!

Humanity's longing for power, for the extraordinary, was ignited in this moment.

Consequently, a massive amount of fantasy power was produced continuously, and Su Yun watched the ever-increasing numbers with great pleasure.

However, this output of fantasy power could not be sustained; constant, intense fighting would soon lead to aesthetic fatigue.

Therefore, the subsequent plot development must have a twist to ensure people continue to produce more fantasy power.

In fact, in the Light Screen, the scene had already shifted abruptly.

It moved to the shadows on the other side of the harbor.

Here, the global audience saw Emiya Kiritsugu and Hisau Maiya. Compared to when they were first seen, both were dressed in black.

However, Hisau Maiya wore black gear designed for mobility, while Emiya Kiritsugu wore a black trench coat.

The common trait between them was that each held a sniper rifle.

In an instant, this style, so incongruous with the Holy Grail War, left the global audience stunned.