I, Ritsuka, Siscon Grand Hero

It's hard to imagine this is their final trump card. Saber's strength is indeed not to be underestimated; the true name release of that holy sword is definitely a top-tier Noble Phantasm.

Anti-army, anti-city, or an even larger range?

B+, A+, or even more exaggerated output?

Although, if I could close in immediately, I might have a chance to steal it with 'Sky Wind Usurper' before they unleash their true Noble Phantasm. But this Noble Phantasm might be instantaneous.

If I get too close then, I won't even have a chance to dodge.

'Twelve Trials' grants them unparalleled survivability, but it has its limits. Taking a full-power strike from an ultimate holy sword... who knows how many lives it would cost. Of course, it's impossible to defeat them with a single sword strike.

But in this Holy Grail War, there's also Gilgamesh...

Lifting the holy sword, its storm-binding unleashed, Saber didn't release its true name and instead charged directly at Ritsuka.

Perhaps they sensed that even the ultimate holy sword couldn't defeat them in one blow.

Saber's speed and strength both surged dramatically. The power emanating from the holy sword became exaggerated, and the surge of magic from their body was also evident.

Undoubtedly, it's that ability to strengthen oneself through magic.

No longer needing to expend mana to compress wind, they've become even more unrestrained?

Ritsuka muttered inwardly, then swung the Hydra Bow, clashing it against the holy sword.

The great bow, not much shorter than Ritsuka's height, moved freely in their hands. Using a bow in close combat, they appeared even more relaxed and at ease than when wielding a sword.

Golden bow and golden sword collided, sparks flying between them.

"You guy..."

The one using the Saber Class Card suddenly spoke.

The helmet was destroyed from the nose down, so Ritsuka couldn't see their eyes, but they could still feel their gaze.

It felt like they were scrutinizing her.

Ritsuka stepped back slightly, using exaggerated skill and muscle memory to deflect the holy sword with the bow. Then, ducking low to narrowly evade a sweeping attack, they directly smashed Saber in the abdomen with the bow.

Under the immense force, the man was sent flying.

The holy sword propped up their body, its sharp blade carving a deep gash in the ground. The man's magnetic voice rang out.

"That archery skill, how did you manage it?"

There was no Class Card developed by the Enzō family that allowed for the use of such a great bow. The bow's length was nearly Ritsuka's height, which was quite exaggerated.

To be able to use it so freely in close-quarters combat under these circumstances, honestly, it just looked strange.

"Hmph... I'll finish you in one move."

Ritsuka once again didn't answer their opponent's question, choosing to continue fighting instead.

Unnecessary chatter was meaningless. Since it was a fight to the death anyway, if enemies could be defeated with words, people wouldn't have so many troubles.

Hundred-Beast Slayer.

Ritsuka quietly chanted the activation of the Noble Phantasm. This Noble Phantasm was itself a martial art technique, and didn't necessarily require shouting its true name aloud.

The next moment, Ritsuka's not-so-tall figure vanished from their spot. A terrifying speed, soaring straight up, left afterimages where they had been.

Without even giving the opponent time to be surprised, the bow swung towards their head.

"!!"

Raising the holy sword, the man took a heavy blow and slid backward uncontrollably.

However, the power in the bow wasn't exaggerated; it felt the same as their previous clash, which made Saber slightly puzzled.

Only this much?

Bang—!!

The man was sent flying, propelled forward through the air like a cannonball. The doubled power and speed of the bow caused the hand gripping the sword to crack, and blood spilled out.

Even their left arm, which had barely recovered due to the strong regeneration from the Class Card, showed signs of damage.

As crimson flames surged, making the man's brow twitch, Ritsuka's attack speed and explosive power grew increasingly exaggerated—

It was as if each strike was gradually accumulating power and speed.

The holy sword was once again wrapped in a gale, and 'Strike Air' was unleashed again. Using this power, they managed to block the third strike.

Immediately following, with speed pushed to its limit, Ritsuka unleashed a flurry of consecutive attacks.

Saber, spun 720° in mid-air, fell towards the ground like a meteorite. Under the relentless barrage, they seemed unable to defend themselves.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

From the large crater on the ground, intermittent coughing could be heard.

Ritsuka, breathing heavily at the edge of the crater, found that Hundred-Beast Slayer had many uses. They had chosen the most strenuous one just now, and it seemed to be effective.

As the dust settled, the man's armor was completely shattered, pieces falling to the ground.

His left arm hung limply again. He had tried his best to protect his other hand during the defense, so this time the bones in his entire arm were shattered, and recovery wouldn't be easy.

The middle-aged, handsome man, propping himself up with the holy sword in his right hand, knelt on one knee.

"Ex..."

"What?"

As Ritsuka approached, they heard a faint sound, and a sudden surge of danger sent a chill down their spine.

The holy sword was raised. The man, forcing himself to stand, swung the holy sword in his hand, and countless golden particles swarmed, gathering on the blade.

"...calibur!"

The Vow... Sword of Victory.

A brilliant pillar of light shot directly at Ritsuka. In that moment, the sight before them was more shocking than the Hundred-Beast Slayer's nine consecutive photon cannons.

They hadn't expected someone could unleash the ultimate holy sword with one hand.

The photon cannon shot straight into the sky, obliterating everything in its path with intense heat. The ground glowed a molten red, as if grazed by a meteorite, presenting a scene of desolate tragedy.

It was like the passage of a unidirectional shockwave from a nuclear bomb.

The beam of light suddenly shifted upwards. Ritsuka seized the opportunity to crouch down to the lower left and simultaneously slid forward to close in on their opponent.

The intense heat grazed their right side, and their arm turned into light particles in the photon cannon, but Ritsuka had already reached within two meters of the man, the giant axe-sword in their left hand flipping.

Squelch!

Pierced straight through, blood splattered out.

The Saber, who had unleashed the holy sword Noble Phantasm with one hand, now found their right hand severely damaged by the backlash of the holy sword's power, unable to even grip the hilt. As the holy sword fell to the ground, the axe-sword, forged from the foundation stones of a shrine, pierced through his chest.

The axe-sword pinned the opponent to the ground, rendering them immobile.

Coughing up blood, the handsome middle-aged man looked at Ritsuka beside him. Scarlet flames writhed in the air, and then his arm returned to its original state.

"Julian... I'm leaving him to you."

"..."

The middle-aged man lost consciousness, turning into the expected puppet.

A card was held between his right hand, which was nearly shattered from unleashing the Noble Phantasm. Blood stained the Class Card.

Pondering his last words before death, Ritsuka hesitated. The tone, like entrusting a child, made them extremely confused. What was going on?

Could it be that Julian was also a pitiable person?

Ritsuka clicked their tongue. Everyone had it tough. Julian had fought for the continuation of all humanity, carrying the history of mankind alone. It certainly didn't look easy.

But that wasn't a reason to sacrifice someone so casually.

The greater good did not equate to justice. If they were willing to sacrifice Miyu to save the world, then at the moment of making that choice, Ritsuka would have abandoned their own justice.

Putting away the Saber's Class Card, the faint glow of the Crystal Dice gradually extinguished.

"Finally, I've collected them all... Miyu."

Chapter 44: The Resolve to Do Evil

Three nights and two days. The Holy Grail War was drawing to a close.

Ritsuka simply packed their belongings, locked the gate of the Emiya Residence, and cast a Magecraft ward on the outside of the house to prevent thieves or intruders from getting in.

The Crystal Dice tumbled between their fingers. Standing at the entrance of the Fuyuki Church, Ritsuka casually tossed the Crystal Dice and then firmly grasped it in their palm.

The final moment was approaching. Before leaving, they decided to say hello to Kirei Kotomine.

Even though that guy had helped them for his own pleasure, being a complete perverted sadist, if it weren't for him dealing with them, who had saved them from the ruins, their fate would still be unknown.

For propriety's sake, a farewell was in order.

"Kirei?"

Ritsuka pushed open the church doors and walked inside. The quiet environment felt somewhat empty.

Logically, at this hour, it was only 9:30. Father Mape would definitely be awake and preparing to head to the ramen shop.

But now, there was no one...

After searching around the church a few times, they couldn't find Kirei Kotomine.

"Could something have happened?"

After a moment's hesitation, Ritsuka decided to head to the Mapo Tofu Ramen shop.

They had affectionately given the priest, who was more familiar with Mapo Tofu than any other existence, the nickname 'Father Mape'.

Perhaps he had gotten up early today and gone straight to the ramen shop?

This thought flashed through their mind. Undoubtedly, this possibility was quite high.

As they walked down the street where the ramen shop was located, Ritsuka suddenly stopped. A commonly used Demonic Blade, 'Muramasa', materialized in their hand, and their attire changed into a Servant combat suit.

The divine energy surging from their belt infused the blade as they walked step by step towards the ramen shop.

They felt a powerful magical energy.

Pushing open the door of the ramen shop, a pungent spicy aroma hit them. Ritsuka's expression changed subtly.

It wasn't because of the spiciness in the air; they could no longer perceive that particular sensation clearly.

It wasn't because of that, but because the figure sitting in the seat, head buried in the bowl of noodles, looked exactly like the old man Kishiya from before.

"Hey! Old man, are you alright?!"

Ritsuka stepped forward and nudged him a few times, only to find Kishiya completely unresponsive, like a dead dog.

The shop was unnervingly quiet. Kishiya, who was lying there like a corpse, naturally couldn't make a sound, and the priest who should have made this bowl of ramen was nowhere to be seen.

'Looks like he ate Father Mape's ramen, but... where's Father Mape?'

Ritsuka looked around, even going into the yard behind the ramen shop, but couldn't find any trace of Father Mape.

In the end, all they found was an overturned bottle of clear liquid by Kishiya's table. A chilling sensation made Ritsuka's eye twitch slightly.

Mapo water?

Even though Kishiya's bowl of noodles wasn't the usual spicy red, looking like a regular soy sauce ramen with less spice, it still managed to take down the incredibly strong Kishiya. It seemed this drink, developed by Father Mape himself, was the culprit.

The material of this thing was unknown, and its effect was to multiply the spiciness of the Mapo noodles by an unknown factor. Father Mape hadn't taught her about it.

"Tsk, how long is he going to be out for? I can't just leave him here..."

Honestly, the world of Magecraft was quite complicated. Father Mape had given her a rundown on that.

Even though she wasn't sure of Kishiya's identity, if an enemy were to come looking for him, the chances of him being killed while in this unconscious state shouldn't be underestimated. She was a little worried about this guy's safety.

Even though it didn't really concern her.

Ritsuka picked up the unconscious Kishiya and carried him out of the Mapo Ramen shop, moving him to a warehouse in the back.

After preparing the bed Father Mape was temporarily using, Ritsuka washed Kishiya's face and settled him in the warehouse, covering him with a blanket to prevent him from catching a cold.

Since there was still some time, Ritsuka decided to make use of it. The most troublesome enemy might still be waiting for her.