Under normal circumstances, a servant cannot resist the compulsory command of a Command Spell, no matter how unreasonable it is.
But the higher a servant's Magic Resistance, the weaker the restraint a Command Spell has on them.
Even if he was the "Old King," he was still the White Dragon. When the first Command Spell ordering him to "kill himself" descended into his body, Vortigern reacted at once and suddenly lifted his head to look forward.
"Alvin, what exactly did you do to my master?"
For him to be ordered to "kill himself" at this critical moment, no matter how you think about it, it had to be related to Alvin.
But logically speaking, Alvin had been fighting him this whole time. He shouldn't have had any chance to get close to Irisviel.
Alvin tightened his grip on the holy sword. In the darkness, the golden blade light was especially dazzling, casting a sacred glow over his body.
He looked at Vortigern ahead of him, and at the man in a black trench coat standing beside him. Soon, he smiled, "Looks like while you were targeting my master, someone else was targeting yours."
Irisviel, if he guessed correctly, had been hiding in Einzbern Castle. That territory was covered in complex magical barriers, easy to defend and hard to attack. So who wanted to eliminate Vortigern?
However, a single Command Spell wasn't enough to make Vortigern "commit su!cide".
When Alvin raised his head, just as expected, he saw Vortigern struggling with all his might against the Command Spell's forced command, letting out a low growl.
Soon, he abruptly lifted his head. His eyes had already turned incomparably scarlet.
Although his class was Berserker, Vortigern had been suppressing his reason until now. But at this moment, he realized he was no longer allowed to manifest in the world as a "normal person." And so, furious killing intent finally broke through his rationality.
Right now, all he wanted was to drag Alvin down to hell with him before being eliminated.
"Alvin! Alvin! Alvin!"
The next moment, beneath Vortigern's feet, an intense magical power so dense it was almost suffocating gradually filled the rooftop.
True Ether!
That was magical power that had only existed in the Age of Gods. In order to heal his wounds as quickly as possible, he had no choice but to use this special authority.
A strong sense of suffocation hit, and Emiya Kiritsugu's expression changed drastically. He quickly retreated to avoid being affected by the dense magical energy within the Ether field.
Whoosh!
In the next instant, Vortigern turned into a meteor and shot toward Alvin.
Alvin remained standing where he was, unmoving. The holy sword in his hand shone brilliantly, radiating dazzling golden light that made one's heart tremble.
The magical power brought by Vortigern gave him not the slightest sense of pressure. Facing the charging Vortigern, he threw a punch forward. Magical power from the Root continuously poured into his body. The golden radiance was resplendent, as if even the clouds were collapsing.
Boom!
The battle between two White Dragons filled the sky with blazing brilliance. In a corner of the rooftop, an Assassin was silently hiding in the darkness, watching this scene, already beginning to think about retreating.
You had to know, in the Holy Grail War, servants receive additional boosts according to their class.
Compared to other servants, the advantage of the Berserker class lies in exceptionally high attack power and stamina. In contrast, agility and defense are somewhat lower.
But Vortigern clearly didn't fall into that category. Because of the White Dragon's traits, even in Berserker state, he still possessed defense far beyond ordinary standards.
Yet even under such circumstances, Saber was suppressing Vortigern with his physical body alone… and that was without a master supplying him with magical power.
Was this really the kind of servant that should exist in a Holy Grail War?
When the Assassin thought of this, he finally stopped hesitating and made the most correct decision of this Holy Grail War so far, leave this battlefield as quickly as possible.
Although his master had ordered him to stay nearby and gather intelligence, if Saber sensed him, he would definitely die.
The only fortunate thing now was that Saber's master was already gone. Otherwise, with such a monster, aside from Archer's side, no one in this Holy Grail War would probably be able to restrain him.
"Why is his magical power still so vast?"
The more Vortigern fought, the more alarmed he became. Logically speaking, after losing his master's magical supply, Alvin's magical power should have reached its limit very soon.
After all, he had just consecutively unleashed the Holy Sword of the Star. Although as a servant he couldn't bring out its full glory, it was still an EX-ranked Noble Phantasm. Even a demonic dragon's body couldn't fully withstand it.
'By now, Alvin's magical power should have been almost exhausted.'
'But why…'
Just as Vortigern's thoughts were in turmoil, an overwhelming aura descended along with magical power. Alvin rushed forward swiftly. Though humanoid, at this moment he was as ferocious as a true White Dragon.
In the distance, Emiya Kiritsugu watched this scene and finally gritted his teeth in secret before turning and quietly retreating.
As unwilling as he was, reason told him that he had already lost this battle. If he continued dragging it out, he might be eliminated together with Berserker.
The battle quickly reached its end. With another punch from Alvin, the scales on Vortigern's body completely shattered.
Alvin did not pause for even a moment. The Root's magical power surged into his body, filling him with golden brilliance. Every punch he threw felt like the release of a Noble Phantasm, brimming with the brute force of a White Dragon.
Vortigern's face grew darker and darker. Even though the White Dragon's defense had allowed him to withstand the Holy Sword of the Star's Noble Phantasm, he had never expected to lose to Alvin in the very physical strength he was most proud of.
"Why?"
He stared in disbelief at his wounds, and at the black light particles gradually dispersing from his body.
That was proof that he was being "eliminated" from this Holy Grail War, becoming the first to provide nourishment to the Grail.
In the past, Britain had exhausted countless efforts just to barely kill him. Yet this time, he had lost in a direct confrontation to the New King.
Both possessed the "White Dragon Furnace Core," so why did he lose?
Bang!
Blood rained down. Vortigern's body was completely blasted apart by Alvin, turning into countless black light particles and quietly becoming part of this Holy Grail.
"The era of the Old King has passed, Vortigern."
No one had expected that the first to be eliminated in this Holy Grail War would be the White Dragon who once suppressed all of Britain.
After this battle, the masters who received the news were filled with fear and relief.
Fear, because Saber's combat power far exceeded imagination. Relief, because Saber had lost his master and would soon be eliminated himself after losing magical supply.
Alvin returned to the street from earlier. At this moment, Gilgamesh seemed to have just finished clashing with Artoria. They hadn't decided a winner, because halfway through, both had been drawn by the battle between the two White Dragons.
'This guy actually killed Berserker?'
Gilgamesh secretly sized up the young man walking from the end of the street, a trace of meaning flickering in his scarlet eyes.
Archer's eyesight far exceeded imagination, so the battle on the rooftop had naturally been completely within Gilgamesh's view.
Though arrogant, if Saber really got close, there might truly be danger.
Even Gilgamesh couldn't help but feel wary at the sight of Alvin's nearly unreasonable physical strength and a strange sense of pleasure.
If he could face such an opponent in the final battle of the Holy Grail War, that would be quite entertaining.
"Saber…"
Morgan le Fay looked at the boy walking back from the end of the street and subconsciously said, "You should form a contract with me—"
Although Alvin looked fine right now, even he couldn't possibly remain without a master's magical supply forever.
Alvin gently shook his head, "I want to take her back first."
Morgan pressed her red lips together. Watching Alvin lift the already cold body of Sajyou Manaka, she wanted to say something. But at that moment, Artoria suddenly stopped her.
"Let him go back first."
Artoria said, "Every servant only has one master. Maybe to him, his master is someone very important."
If Alvin abandoned Sajyou Manaka now and chose to form a contract with Morgan, Artoria wouldn't feel happy either.
Alvin carried Sajyou Manaka in his arms and walked step by step toward the end of the street.
That night, none of the other servants stopped him. Even Gilgamesh remained unusually silent.
Morgan watched Alvin's departing figure, then glanced deeply at the girl in his arms and softly said, "Sometimes that's where you're too naive, Lily."
———
"Mmm~"
It was a soft gasp that escaped because it couldn't be controlled.
Outside, wind and snow raged. Inside a secluded magic workshop, a silver-haired beauty was tightly bound by the "Silver Thread" she was once proud of. The silver thread extended from the wooden pillar of the house all the way up to the ceiling.
"Miss Sajyou… I've already given up this Holy Grail War as you asked. What exactly do you still want?"
Irisviel raised her crimson eyes. In those usually gentle eyes, a rare trace of anger flickered. No matter how good-tempered someone was, being locked in a secret room like this, even forced to command Berserker to kill himself, anyone would feel some resentment.
Fortunately, with Berserker's Magic Resistance, a single Command Spell shouldn't be enough to affect him, that was one of the few comforts in Irisviel's heart.
The wall fire in the room burned fiercely. Sajyou Manaka sat not far in front of Irisviel, resting her chin on one hand, her left leg crossed over her right, observing the silver-haired beauty before her.
Soon, a faint smile appeared on her face, "Miss Irisviel, were you just thinking that it's lucky Berserker can resist the 'forced command' of a Command Spell, so you felt relieved?"
Irisviel's expression shifted slightly, "You know that too?"
Sajyou Manaka smiled brightly, "I told you, there's nothing in this world that can escape my perception."
"If that's the case, why didn't you make me use the second Command Spell just now?"
"A good thing that can forcibly command a servant shouldn't be wasted so casually."
Sajyou Manaka said with a smile, "Since you've already withdrawn from the Holy Grail War, hand over the remaining Command Spells to me as well."
Irisviel subconsciously pressed her red lips together. Bound tightly by the Silver Thread, and with this magic workshop constantly absorbing her magical power, her weakening body filled her with helplessness.
There was no chance of winning. If Berserker truly died, no one in this world could save her.
'Is my life really going to end this way?'
What Sajyou Manaka was doing now was absorbing the magical power within the "Holy Grail" known as Irisviel, and then personally rewriting the rules of the Holy Grail War.
She clearly knew the other party was cheating, yet at this moment she didn't even have the ability to resist. Thinking of this, Irisviel closed her eyes in despair.
On Sajyou Manaka's delicate, doll-like face, an even brighter smile appeared.
'Wait for me, Saber. Once I rewrite the rules of the Holy Grail War, I'll be able to stay with you forever.'
At the thought of this, the girl's heart filled with anticipation and urgency.
Judging by the time, the battle outside should already be over.
It was time to retrieve her own "body". After all, it would still be used as the Holy Grail.
Thinking of this, Sajyou Manaka quietly closed her eyes.
———
At the same time, elsewhere—
Alvin had just carried "Sajyou Manaka" back to his doorstep.
He could feel that his body was already somewhat tired. If not for the Root's magical power supplying him, this Holy Grail War might have already ended for him.
'In the end, it was Manaka who helped me,' he shook his head inwardly and soon looked down at the girl in his arms.
At that moment, he suddenly noticed that Sajyou Manaka's body was gradually becoming illusory, faint golden light particles radiating from it.
"Manaka's body is disappearing?"
After a brief moment of astonishment, Alvin seemed to realize something. His pupils slowly widened.
'No… is this a "duplicate" created by her using the Root's magical power?'
The light particles quickly filled the doorway. Then, as if responding to some kind of summons, they quietly surged toward a direction beneath the night sky.
Creak!
Just as Alvin was still stunned, a girl gently pushed open the door from inside the house.
Matou Sakura.
Her long black hair flowed down, and her bright eyes stared straight at the boy, full of worry.
Alvin quickly understood something, "You saw everything just now?"
Matou Sakura nodded lightly and said in a small voice, "Is Sister Manaka dead?"
"She's not dead, maybe she's just hiding somewhere," Alvin shook his head.
At first, he had indeed thought Sajyou Manaka had died after being hit by that Origin Bullet. But after seeing what just happened, an odd feeling rose in his heart.
After all, how could the all-knowing Root Princess fail to sense danger approaching?
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.