An unimaginable 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.
Is it Anti-Army, Anti-Fortress, or an even larger range?
Is the output B+, A+, or something even more exaggerated?
Although if I close in immediately, there's a chance to use 'Aura Theft' to plunder it before the opponent uses the true Noble Phantasm, that Noble Phantasm might be an instant cast.
If I'm too close then, I won't even have a chance to dodge.
'Twelve Labors' has given her unparalleled survivability, but there are limits. Heaven knows how many lives would be lost taking a full-force strike from the ultimate holy sword, though it's still impossible to kill her with a single swing.
However, in this Holy Grail War, there's also Gilgamesh... Lifting the holy sword that had been freed from its storm restraints, Saber did not release its True Name but instead charged directly at Ritsuka.
Perhaps he realized that even the ultimate holy sword couldn't kill her in one blow.
Saber's speed and power increased significantly, the power on the holy sword became exaggerated, and the surge of magical energy on his body was very obvious.
Undoubtedly, it's that ability to strengthen oneself through magical energy.
'Without the consumption needed to compress the wind, has he become even more unscrupulous?'
Whispering in her heart, Ritsuka swung the bow of the hydra, and it collided with the holy sword.
The great bow, which was no shorter than Ritsuka's height, moved freely in her hands. Using a bow for close combat actually seemed more relaxed and effortless than using a sword.
The golden bow and the golden sword clashed against each other repeatedly, sending out a series of sparks.
"You..."
The person using the Saber class card suddenly spoke.
The helmet had been destroyed from the nose down; Ritsuka couldn't see his eyes, but she could still feel the other person's gaze.
It was as if he was scrutinizing her.
Ritsuka stepped back slightly. Relying on exaggerated skill and muscle memory, she parried the holy sword with the bow, then suddenly ducked under a horizontal sweep that missed by a hair's breadth, swinging the bow to strike Saber's abdomen.
Under the massive force, the man was sent flying.
Supporting his body with the holy sword, its sharp blade carved a deep furrow into the ground, and the man's magnetic voice rang out.
"That kind of bow technique... how on earth did you do it?"
Among the class cards developed by the Einzbern family, there were none that could use a great bow like this. The length of that bow was nearly Ritsuka's height, which could be described as quite exaggerated.
Under these circumstances, to still be able to use it so freely in close combat, to be honest, it just looked strange from every angle.
"Phew... I'll settle this in one move."
Once again, Ritsuka did not answer her opponent's question, but continued the fight instead.
Extra nonsense is meaningless. Life, death, victory, and defeat will be decided anyway. If enemies could be defeated just by talking, people wouldn't have so many troubles.
Nine Lives.
She whispered the activation of the Noble Phantasm. This Noble Phantasm itself is considered a martial art technique, so it doesn't strictly require shouting the True Name loudly.
In the next moment, Ritsuka's not-so-tall figure suddenly vanished from the spot. The terrifying speed, which soared in a straight line, left an afterimage where she had disappeared.
Without even giving the opponent time to be surprised, the bow was already smashing toward his head.
!!
The holy sword rose, and the man, having taken a heavy blow, slid backward uncontrollably.
However, the power on the bow wasn't exaggerated; it felt no different from their previous clashes, which left Saber slightly confused.
'Only this much?'
Bang—!!
The man was whipped away directly, moving through the air like a cannonball. The doubled power and speed on the bow caused the webbing of his hand holding the sword to tear, blood overflowing immediately.
Even his left arm, which had been barely repaired by the powerful recovery ability granted by the class card, was damaged again.
Crimson aura surged. As the man's brow twitched wildly, Ritsuka's attack speed and explosive power became more and more exaggerated—
It was as if every strike was gradually stacking power and speed.
The holy sword was wrapped in wild winds again, and he performed 'Wind Kings Hammer' once more, using this force to forcibly catch the third strike.
Immediately after, her speed soared to the limit as Ritsuka unleashed the subsequent combo.
Saber, whipped into a 720° spin in mid-air, crashed into the ground like a meteor, appearing completely defenseless amidst the storm-like onslaught.
*Cough, cough, cough...*
Intermittent coughing came from the large crater in the ground.
At the edge of the crater, Ritsuka was panting heavily. Nine Lives has many uses; she had just chosen the most exhausting one, and it seemed to have some effect.
As the dust cleared, the armor on the man had completely shattered, falling to the ground piece by piece.
His left arm hung limply again. During the defense just now, he had tried his best to protect the other hand, so this time the bones of the entire arm had been smashed; recovery wouldn't be that simple.
The handsome middle-aged man, leaning on the holy sword, knelt on one knee.
"Ex..."
"What?"
As Ritsuka gradually approached, she heard a very faint sound. A sudden, overwhelming sense of crisis made a chill run down her spine.
The holy sword rose. The man, forcing himself to stand, swung the holy sword in his hand as countless golden light particles swarmed and gathered on the blade.
"...calibur!!"
Excalibur!
A brilliant pillar of light bore down directly in front of Ritsuka. At this moment, the sight before her was even more shocking than the nine-fold light cannons of Nine Lives.
She hadn't expected him to be able to fire the ultimate holy sword with one hand.
The light cannon shot straight into the sky. Everything in its path was annihilated in the high temperature, and the ground turned a molten crimson, looking as if it had been grazed by a meteor, presenting a scene of extreme desolation.
It was like a unidirectional shockwave from a nuclear bomb passing through.
The pillar of light suddenly shifted upward. Ritsuka took the opportunity to crouch down toward the bottom left, while simultaneously slide-dashing forward to close in on her opponent.
High heat grazed her from the right, and her arm turned into light particles within the light cannon, but Ritsuka had already rushed to within two meters of the man, the massive axe-sword in her left hand flipping.
Puchi!
A direct piercing strike; blood splattered out instantly.
Saber, who had fired the holy sword Noble Phantasm with one hand, now had his 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 temple's foundation pierced through his chest.
The axe-sword pinned the opponent directly to the ground, rendering him unable to move.
Coughing up blood clots, the handsome middle-aged man looked at Ritsuka beside him. Crimson flames twisted in the air, and her arm returned to its original state.
"Julian... I leave him to you."
"..."
The middle-aged man lost all signs of life and turned into the expected doll.
The card was pinched between the fingers of his right hand, which was nearly shattered from activating the Noble Phantasm; blood stained the class card red.
Thinking about his last words before death, Ritsuka hesitated. This tone of entrusting someone to her made her extremely puzzled. What was all this about?
Could it be that Julian is also a pitiful person?
Ritsuka clicked her tongue. No one has it easy. That guy Julian is fighting for the continuation of all humanity, carrying the history of mankind forward alone; it really doesn't seem easy.
However, that is not a reason to sacrifice a person at will.
Greater good does not mean justice. If she were willing to sacrifice Miyu to save this world, then the moment she made that choice, Ritsuka would have already abandoned her own justice.
Collecting the Saber class card, the faint glow of the crystal dice gradually faded.
"Finally, they're all collected... Miyu."