evening.
The orange-red rays of the setting sun slanted in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the entire living room in a warm hue.
Origami curled up on the sofa, holding a cup of hot cocoa, while the final episode of an anime series was playing on TV.
The female lead stood under the cherry blossom tree and shouted the confession line that she had been waiting for for twelve episodes.
Origami took a sip of hot cocoa, her eyes fixed on the screen.
At this very moment.
She stopped moving.
To the west of Snowfield City.
The aura of Servant.
The Bull of Heaven's immense magical energy fluctuations were impossible to ignore.
Most importantly...
Once their aura was revealed, they made no attempt to conceal it.
It is openly exposed to the air.
It was like challenging her to a duel.
Origami slowly put down the hot cocoa in her hand.
Is he challenging himself to a duel?
The corners of her mouth curved slightly.
That's interesting.
It seems those people she chased away yesterday are quite well-prepared today.
They actually came to us on their own initiative.
However, just in case, we should still bring Tiné along this time.
It's not that I'm worried about losing.
The main concern was that if I got too caught up in the game and neglected Tiné, some random thing might take advantage of the situation.
Origami jumped off the sofa and walked to the next room in her slippers.
Tiné was sitting on the bed in a daze when she saw Origami come in, and her eyes immediately lit up.
" Origami -sama?"
" Tiné, come with me."
The sound of Origami was very calm.
"Someone invited us to fight."
West of Snowfield City.
The large crater created by the clash of Noble Phantasm was filled with the floodwaters of the Sword of the End, forming a wide expanse of water.
Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, the lake surface shimmered with an orange-red light.
And at this moment, beside this tranquil lake...
The Bull of Heaven stands by the lake.
Its size has returned to its original state.
A colossal creature whose leg alone could reach into the clouds. Golden arcs of electricity danced across its mountain-like body, and with each breath it stirred visible ripples of magical power in the surrounding air.
Beside it, Sajyou Manaka stood on a protruding rock, toying with the golden key.
Richard stood on another rock, his right hand gripping the Crimson Heaven Sword, his left hand carrying the Jeweled Eagle Bow on his shoulder. His eyes were fixed on the distant sky, a smile of excitement playing on his lips.
"They've arrived."
"It's so soft, "Sajyou Manaka said.
The clouds in the sky were torn open by some force.
A streak of silvery-white light shot out from the crack in the clouds, drawing a graceful arc in the sky.
Origami.
She hovered in mid-air, ten wings of light slowly unfolding behind her, the afterglow of the setting sun refracting seven colors onto the surface of the wings.
He was holding Tiné in his arms.
Origami's gaze swept across the battlefield below.
The Bull of Heaven, Sajyou Manaka, Richard, and Hassan of the Zealot in the shadows.
Everyone is here.
"Looks like they came prepared."
Origami, carrying Tiné, landed on a relatively flat area by the lake. She stretched out one hand, and pale blue light emanated from her palm.
The Ashcroft ( Alice ) Realizer is activated.
A light blue protective shield rose from Tiné's feet, enveloping her entirely.
" Tiné, you wait here. Don't leave this shield."
" Origami -sama..."
Tiné's voice carried a hint of worry.
"Don't worry, it'll be over soon."
Origami patted Tiné on the head, then turned to face the battlefield.
Ten wings of light fully unfolded behind her.
The light illuminated the entire lakeshore.
"Alright."
The sound of Origami was very calm.
Who wants to go first?
Her answer was the roar of the Bull of Heaven.
"Moo!!!"
The deep, resonant bellow of the cow echoed across the lake, creating ripples on its surface.
Sajyou Manaka smiled slightly on the rock.
" Gugalanna, go."
The Bull of Heaven has taken the first step.
The earth trembled.
The mountain-like body charged towards Origami, leaving a footprint hundreds of meters in diameter on the ground with each step.
Origami did not dodge.
She stood still, and ten wings of light began to move in front of her.
The ten light wings gradually retracted, arranged, and combined.
In front of the Origami, they formed the shape of a giant cannon barrel.
Energy began to accumulate on the inner wall of the cannon barrel.
Dark magic flowed rapidly along the edge of the light wings, forming an ever-expanding dark sphere of light at the center of the cannon barrel.
Metatron - Kadour.
Power charged up.
The Origami has loosened its constraints.
"Emission."
Dark beams of energy poured from the cannon barrel.
A torrent of energy shot toward the charging Bull of Heaven at near the speed of light.
The Bull of Heaven sensed danger.
The destructive power contained in that dark torrent of energy triggered a sharp alarm from its divine beast instincts.
It came to an abrupt stop.
Its massive body shifted to the side with a sensitivity disproportionate to its size.
The torrent of energy from the Kadour grazed past its side.
But they couldn't completely dodge it.
The edge of the energy surge swept past its right hind leg.
Evaporated instantly.
It vanished completely below the knee, leaving not even a bone fragment. The residual energy left a strangely clean cut on the fracture surface.
The Bull of Heaven let out a painful roar.
One of its hind legs is missing.
Its massive body lost its balance and tilted to the right, but it quickly regained its footing with its front three legs.
"Oh? You moved away a little?"
The ten wings of light began to recombine, and the cannon barrel of the Kadour once again gathered energy. This time, she would adjust the direction of the cannon muzzle and finish off the bull directly.
But at that moment...
A dark figure flew out from the shadows on the side.
A black longsword.
The sword was jet black, with no reflection on the blade, and it shot straight toward Origami's head like a black arrow.
Origami extended her left hand.
The tip of the black longsword pierced her palm.
"Bite."
A crisp, clear sound of impact.
The black sword failed to penetrate Origami 'Astral Dress defenses. It only left a faint white dot on Origami's palm, without even piercing her skin.
Then he was bounced away.
Origami looked at the black longsword that had been deflected.
It has not been invalidated by Atheism.
In other words, this sword is not a divine Noble Phantasm.
Man-made.
It seems the other side is well-prepared this time.
The black longsword, which had been deflected, did not fall to the ground. It drew an arc in the air, as if attracted by something, and quickly flew back to the direction it had come from.
In the shadows.
Assassin Hassan of the Zealot reached out and caught the black longsword that flew back.
Kanshou Sword.
A slight tinge of the vibration from when it was bounced off the blade remained on its surface.
It had no effect.
As expected, the defensive power of that Astral Dress far exceeded the penetrating power of ordinary Noble Phantasm.
But her intention was not to cause harm.
interference.
She interrupted her rhythm the moment Origami was preparing to fire the second Kadour.
That's enough.
On the other side...
The golden figure is rapidly approaching.
Saber Richard the Lionheart
His speed had reached the limit of Godspeed. The silvery-white afterimage left a straight trajectory in the air.
This time, he used the Crimson Heaven Sword as his weapon.
A Origami unlike any origami had ever seen before. Like the black short sword from before, it was not a divinely created Noble Phantasm.
Richard rushed in front of Origami, his Crimson Heaven Sword aimed straight at Origami chest.
Origami reluctantly stopped charging up the Kadour.
One of the ten wings of light automatically folded forward, blocking the trajectory of the Crimson Heaven Sword.
"Clang!"
The sound of metal clashing echoed across the lake.
The tip of the Crimson Heaven Sword struck the surface of the light wings and was deflected. Richard used the force of the recoil to flip backward, spinning half a circle in the air, and landed with the Jeweled Eagle Bow off his back.
He knelt on one knee, drew an ordinary iron arrow from the quiver at his waist, and nocked it on the bowstring.
The bowstring is drawn taut.
let go.
The iron arrow shot towards the Origami with a sharp whistling sound.
The Origami didn't even try to dodge.
The iron arrow struck the surface of the Astral Dress and bounced off.
The Jeweled Eagle Bow is drawn again.
Shoot again.
It bounces off again.