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Now that I think about it, the answer was right in front of us the whole time.
That's right—the trial Vritra had given to Zach was endurance.
Enduring loneliness. Enduring boredom. Enduring the maddening passage of time with nothing to do but exist.
Suspended in the sky as the sun itself, unable to move a single step until every last opponent was dead. He couldn't fight. Couldn't run. Couldn't even sleep.
All he could do was think.
And everyone had completely overlooked that sun from the very beginning. They'd assumed it was just a heat mechanic—something Vritra had conjured to slowly cook them alive.
But now that Max thought about it more carefully... Vritra's divine authority didn't actually include anything related to the sun.
Which meant the sun in the sky wasn't something Vritra brought with her.
It was something she created.
And when Lu Bu's devastating attack had struck Vritra earlier, the sun had flickered out for just a moment.
The opponent's Master is hiding inside the sun.
No—he IS the sun.
The moment Max pieced it together, he didn't hesitate. He pulled up a full-screen communication channel and spoke directly to Astolfo and Chen Ge, who were currently harassing Vritra's flanks:
"The Master's been found! Chen Ge! It's that sun in the sky—he's hiding inside it. Now it's all up to you and Astolfo!"
"What?! He's actually hiding inside the sun?" Chen Ge's voice crackled with disbelief, but realization dawned almost immediately. "You're right—that's the only place we haven't checked! Astolfo!"
"No problem, leave it to me!" Astolfo's cheerful voice rang out. "Let's go, Hippogriff! Hiyaaa!"
"HIYAAA!"
[Big_Brain_Max]: Max is actually insane
[Hindsight_Harry]: Hmph! Only thinking of it now? I figured it out ages ago
[Called_Out]: What a hindsight comment lmao
[Mind_Blown_Mike]: Holy crap, that's so sneaky. Hiding BEHIND the sun? I thought it was just a tool for evaporating water
[Frustrated_Frank]: Damn Maverick, he made us think the wrong way again. We wasted so much effort searching the ground. If we'd known he was in the sky, we could've just launched a direct assault on the sun!
[Thirsty_Tina]: That's right, Maverick is unforgivable. I suggest sending him to my place so he can properly experience some dark ♠ punishment~
[Confused_Carl]: How come Max's stream also has dudes who are into Maverick? (Sad)
It was like frantically searching for your phone while holding your phone in your hand the entire time.
One could only say that Vritra's move was truly brilliant. If Max hadn't seen through it, everyone would have been wiped out here today.
But there are no "ifs" in war.
As Hippogriff let out a clear, piercing cry, Astolfo and Chen Ge rocketed toward the artificial sun blazing in the sky above.
Vritra saw them coming. The dragon knew immediately that her trick had been exposed.
But being seen through was one thing.
Actually letting them kill Zach was another matter entirely.
She raised her massive dragon head, magical energy already gathering in her throat for another devastating breath attack.
"You've seen through it, but you won't be able to stop—"
"Drink up, drink up~ This is my finest sake." Shuten-douji's melodic voice cut through the air like a blade wrapped in silk. "However, I wonder if a pure dragon like yourself can handle its poison?"
Shuten-douji had her own pride to maintain.
Since she'd promised to help Max and his group, she absolutely refused to slack off. So the moment Vritra opened her jaws to charge her breath attack—
Shuten-douji landed gracefully right in front of the dragon's nose. In one fluid motion, she uncorked her purple gourd and poured an overwhelming cascade of demonic sake directly into Vritra's open mouth.
The effect was instantaneous.
A burst of intoxicating fragrance filled the air, but for Vritra, there was nothing pleasant about it. The dragon felt a searing pain tear through her throat and down into her stomach, the magical breath that should have condensed getting violently disrupted by the agony.
But Shuten-douji wasn't alone in her assault.
Beowulf's attack arrived in the very next second.
The Dragon Slayer charged forward with that crimson great hammer raised high, and with a savage downward swing—
CRACK.
Vritra's head slammed into the ground so hard the impact registered as an 8.0 on the Richter scale.
And Lily, moving with reflexes honed by countless battles, seized the opening. Golden magical energy surged through her blade as she brought it down in a vicious arc, cleanly severing a massive chunk of Vritra's right foreleg.
We've got her, Max thought. This is—
But just when everyone thought victory was assured, Vritra's tail moved.
That restless, serpentine appendage curled upward, sweeping through the ruins of nearby buildings and gathering an enormous mass of debris. Then, with a violent flick, it launched everything skyward—directly at Astolfo and Chen Ge.
Every face on the battlefield went pale.
The barrage was too dense. A dark, overwhelming mass of concrete, steel, and shattered glass that momentarily eclipsed the sun itself.
No matter how agile Hippogriff's movements were, there was no way to dodge something that covered the entire sky.
They're going to be shot down—
No.
They would NOT be shot down.
Because this time, it wasn't just Astolfo flying up there. His Master, Chen Ge, was riding with him.
Facing the dense wall of architectural debris chasing them from below, Chen Ge made his choice without a moment's hesitation.
He released the arms that had been wrapped around Astolfo's slender waist.
Then he turned around, gathered all of his Moon Spirit Elixir in front of him, and formed a gigantic silver shield.
CRASH. CRASH. CRASH. CRASH.
The impacts came like a violent rainstorm, each piece of debris slamming into the round shield with bone-rattling force. Chen Ge's hands erupted with bone spurs from the sheer kinetic energy he was absorbing, blood running down his arms.
"Master!" Astolfo's voice was filled with concern.
But Chen Ge only responded with a roar:
"DON'T MIND ME! KEEP GOING!"
[ABSOLUTE_CHAD]: How can this man be so handsome?!
[Reformed_Hater]: Chen Ge, I'll never call you useless again!
[Hype_Train]: GO, ASTOLFO!!!
The chat exploded with support.
And Astolfo let out his own battle cry, pushing Hippogriff to fly even faster!
But that final step—so close, yet so impossibly far.
The tip of his spear was barely a meter away from the sun.
And then Medea's protective charm shattered.
In an instant, countless waves of heat rushed toward Astolfo and Chen Ge. Hippogriff's beautiful, fluffy wings ignited, transforming the noble creature into a living fireball. Astolfo and Chen Ge were immediately engulfed in flames.
Just like Icarus flying toward the sun.
Vritra's artificial sun was fragile—one could even say it would break with a single touch. But as something capable of heating the entire battlefield to lethal temperatures, its surface heat was genuinely, catastrophically high.
Feeling the sudden weightlessness of freefall, Astolfo's expression twisted with frustration and despair. He wanted to throw his spear—just hurl it the final distance and end this—but his burning muscles refused to cooperate. The agony was too much.
"DAMN IT!!!"
Max watched them fall, his heart sinking into his stomach.
I didn't expect this outcome.
They'd found the enemy's weakness. They'd located the enemy's position.
But they couldn't reach that height.
Unless you had a hero specifically renowned for throwing—someone whose legend was built around launching projectiles across impossible distances—even someone as physically powerful as Beowulf couldn't hurl his Noble Phantasm that far.
And now Astolfo and the others, the only ones capable of flight, were plummeting from the sky in flames.
Does this mean... we're completely helpless against Vritra?
Lily couldn't help but feel despair wash over her. The grip on her sword weakened, her hands trembling.
Is this how it ends?
But then—
A strong, calloused hand reached out and steadied her trembling right hand.
"Mr. Arash..."
"Do you remember the question I asked you before?" His voice was calm. Steady. "What is a hero?"
Lily's breath caught. "I remember... you said my answer was correct. But also incorrect."
"That's right." Arash nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on the burning sun above. "A hero must accomplish great deeds that ordinary people cannot. But what's more important than the deeds... is the heart."
"The heart?"
"Doing what must be done, even when you know it's impossible." Arash's lips curved into a gentle smile. "That is what makes a hero."
"Doing it when it needs to be done."
"You, Lily, already understand this principle very well. So hold onto your true heart."
He released her hand and began walking forward.
"And witness this. My next arrow... is going to be very cool."
"Mr. Arash!"
Lily realized what he was about to do. She instinctively reached out to stop him—to grab his arm, to say something, anything—
But in the end, everything she wanted to say dissolved into silent sobs.
Arash glanced back at her one final time. At the young Saber who was staring at him with tears streaming down her face.
He smiled.
Then he turned to face the sun, raising the crimson bow in his hands.
"My Lord, as holy as the sun!"
His voice rang out across the battlefield, carrying the weight of absolute conviction.
"My Lord, who bestows all wisdom, dignity, and the radiance of power!"
The bow began to glow, energy gathering at a scale that made the air itself tremble.
"Please bear witness to my true heart! My faith! My strength!"
Every Servant on the battlefield froze. Every player stopped moving. Every viewer in every stream held their breath.
"Behold, Creator of stars and moon!"
The arrow materialized—not as a physical projectile, but as concentrated starlight itself.
"Witness my action! My end! And the Spenta Armaiti I shall achieve!"
Arash drew back the string, his entire body beginning to crack and fracture from the impossible strain.
"After unleashing this strike—staking my entire body—"
Light poured from the fractures in his skin, his very existence beginning to unravel.
"My resilient body will immediately scatter and shatter!"
He released the arrow.
"STELLA!!!"
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