The oppressive force became tangible, creating countless cracks across the ground around Altera.
Her body trembled slightly as she struggled to lift her sword.
Not from fear, but from the immense pressure emitted by the chain, making even simple movements incredibly difficult.
But I can't give up here.
I've already decided to protect them…
Then at least…
At least before my life ends, I'll completely destroy this massive threat!
Responding to Altera's resolve, Photon Ray surged with renewed power, and the tri-colored storm roared violently once more.
There wasn't enough time to unleash her Noble Phantasm again, but by forcibly injecting mana, she could barely elevate its destructive force.
Even if we both die…
At this moment, a familiar figure—the one who had blocked countless attacks for her in previous battles—appeared once again.
Altera's eyes widened slightly.
"You…why…?"
The girl's defense was strong; her Noble Phantasm was even rated EX-class, an absolute defense.
But it wouldn't be enough.
Altera didn't understand why this chain of light possessed such overwhelming strength, but its destructive power was undoubtedly on a completely different level—almost as unfathomable as her own Master.
An attack of this caliber couldn't be stopped by defense alone.
If the girl hadn't appeared, Altera would certainly have died, though she'd at least have had one final opportunity to strike back, mutually annihilating with the enemy.
But now, with this girl standing before her, the situation changed.
The girl would certainly die, yet due to her EX-class Noble Phantasm, most of the attack's residual energy would be mitigated. As a result, Altera would survive.
Struggling, Altera forced out the question. The girl responded only with an incredibly gentle smile.
"It can't be helped. I've always been like this. Even if I already know the outcome…when I see tragedy unfolding before my eyes, I can't stop myself from intervening."
Altera recalled the girl's legend.
A maiden who, despite knowing the outcome, still chose to hold the line, eventually captured and executed—Jeanne d'Arc, the saint.
This time, Jeanne had made the same choice.
Altera desperately wanted to push the girl away, but the suppression from the Counter Force tightly locked her down. She could hardly move even a finger, much less push Jeanne aside.
"You're such a fool…"
Finally, Altera sighed, speaking helplessly.
"Yes… I'm just a simple, not-so-clever village girl after all…"
Jeanne gave a bitter smile, then turned to face the chain directly.
"So please…continue to protect Uruk in my place—!"
With those words, Jeanne's sacred banner burst forth with radiance powerful enough to rival the chain of light.
"[LUMINOSITÉ ETERNELLE]!!!"
...
The situation had become extremely dire.
Cold sweat ran down Ritsuka's forehead as she watched the approaching serpent-woman.
Although Altera's situation deserved equal concern, they were now facing their own crisis.
Having fought through numerous Singularities, Ritsuka had encountered plenty of goddess-class Servants—even true goddesses. Yet none of them had matched the pressure exuded by the serpent-woman before them.
It felt like each Singularity's minor bosses kept surpassing previous final bosses... Though it's not that exaggerated here, this Gorgon definitely feels stronger than even the Lion King.
But even facing such pressure, Ritsuka wouldn't run away.
Restoring Singularities was her responsibility—not simply forced upon her, but something she'd chosen willingly.
If the serpent-woman succeeded here, Uruk would inevitably fall, wouldn't it?
Thus, Ritsuka refused to retreat even a single step.
Rolling up her sleeve, three blood-red marks glowed upon the back of her hand.
Command Spells, a Master's trump card.
They could compel a Servant's obedience, amplify their strength, or allow them to perform impossible feats.
Incidentally, Ophis had no Command Spells. Other than cutting off mana supply, Ophis had almost no way to forcibly control her summoned Servants. If anyone refused her commands, her only option was to kill them directly. However, she had already taken measures during summoning, so the odds of summoning uncontrollable Servants were effectively zero.
Generally, Command Spells came in sets of three, and each use consumed one. Chaldea possessed the means to regenerate them, but only by returning to Chaldea itself. Thus, within this Singularity, Ritsuka only had three uses total—and she'd decided to use one here.
Of course, the two Servants she'd brought weren't rebellious, so her intention was clear—
She intended to use a Command Spell to boost her Servants' strength, allowing them to withstand this impending strike.
In truth, she'd rather place herself in danger instead of Mash or Lily—but that was meaningless. Ritsuka, who barely knew malice, simply lacked the strength to do so.
Supporting her Servants was the most important responsibility a Master could fulfill, something she'd long since come to understand clearly.
"Mash! I'm counting on you!"
"Yes, Master!"
Mash's expression was resolute. The serpent-woman's strength was unfathomable, but she'd faced such desperate situations before.
She believed in her Master's support and in the shield she held.
As long as her determination remained, her shield wouldn't break.
Meanwhile, Lily gritted her teeth in frustration.
She understood clearly she couldn't help in the current situation. Though she was Ritsuka's first sword, as a weapon she was neither sharp enough nor irreplaceable.
Though she'd grown significantly, at this moment, her powerlessness was painfully clear.
"If only…I had that…"
She whispered bitterly, audible only to herself.
"THEN, BY THIS COMMAND SPELL, I ORDER—"
Suddenly, a hand rested gently on Ritsuka's shoulder.
"Eh?"
Turning around, she saw Merlin smiling foxily, pointing with his finger toward the other side.
Ritsuka turned again…and saw nothing.
Wait…nothing?
"Where's King Ophis?"
The king, who had been standing beside them the whole time, had vanished at some point. Ritsuka asked in shock.
At that very moment, the serpent-woman's tail swung downward.
With such force, never mind the wall—it might have leveled all of Uruk itself from the center, reducing it to rubble.
"Master!"
Lily pointed urgently in a direction.
In the path of the devastating strike, Ophis floated calmly, standing in midair. She glanced coldly at the serpent-woman and casually raised a single hand.
Ophis's tiny figure—barely reaching 140 or 150 centimeters—looked pitifully small beneath the serpent-woman's massive tail, several meters wide. Her slender arm was practically toothpick-sized in comparison.
Under this absurd contrast, the giant tail smashed directly onto Ophis's palm.
BOOM!!
An enormous wind pressure from the blow erupted outward, forcing Ritsuka and the others to shield their faces instinctively.
Ritsuka forced one eye open and clearly saw—
Ophis hadn't moved even an inch. Completely expressionless, she'd caught the strike capable of destroying all of Uruk with a single hand.
Then Ritsuka noticed Ophis's lips moving slightly, as if muttering something.
The next instant, a blood-red brilliance exploded outward, utterly engulfing Ritsuka's vision.
---
T/N: EXPLOSION!!!! kidding uhhh NOOOO JEANNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE JEANEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
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