"What... is that?"
Astolfo hid behind Shirou, cold sweat streaming down his face as his eyes went wide.
Karna was wrapped in the radiance of the sun, and his presence had been swelling without end since a moment ago.
Mana of the highest purity and density, in other words, divine energy.
It was pure Mana that only children of the gods, demigods such as Karna, Heracles, Achilles, and Gilgamesh, could refine. It was the very essence that set them apart from other heroes.
Shirou narrowed his eyes. This guy... in terms of "Divinity" rank alone, is he even higher than the oldest King of Heroes?
Unlike King Gilgamesh, who despised the blood of the gods, the warrior Karna calmly accepted his divine factor, his fate, and swallowed both the blessings and curses bestowed by the gods.
As divine energy continued pouring into him, the "Red" Lancer began to change. Parts of his golden armor actually peeled away from his flesh.
Every so often, blood could be seen seeping out, along with a look of pain on Karna's face.
But more than any of that, the spear that had appeared in his hand drew both their gazes.
The divinity radiating from that spear made the Brahma artifact, the Brahmastra he had held before, seem like a mere toy.
It was unmistakably the incarnation of thunder, which the ancients had regarded as the wrath of the sky.
"The God-Slaying Spear, obtained at the cost of willingly giving up the Golden Armor."
Flames flowed around the "Red" Lancer like countless serpents.
Using his full strength for the first time in his life, Karna drew forth the Thunder Spear, whose original form was not even contained within the "Gate of Babylon."
"..."
Astolfo sucked in a breath.
Even he, who had lived a life full of legend as a Knight and was said to have reached the moon, had never seen a Noble Phantasm of this scale.
This was the resolve of the great hero Karna. A true one-hit kill, gained by throwing away all defense...!
Its firepower far surpassed even the combined ultimate attack of the Twelve Knights, Joyeuse Ordre...!
"Saber!"
Astolfo grabbed Shirou by the wrist.
No matter how dense he could be, even he realized something was very wrong.
There was no beating that. Trying to face it head-on was a mistake in itself!
It was a little late, but now the only option was to run. On my beloved steed!
The reason Astolfo manifested in the Rider class was his mount, the Hippogriff.
A Hippogriff was a monster born when a mare, originally prey to the Magical Beast known as a griffin, was impregnated. It had the upper body of an eagle and the lower body of a horse.
But this was a species that should never exist. As long as griffins continued to prey on horses, the two could never produce offspring. The Hippogriff existed only in oral tradition as a philosophical symbol.
However, in Orlando Furioso, the story in which Astolfo and the others appeared, the author intended that "since a Hippogriff has already appeared, no matter how absurd or bizarre the events that follow may be, nothing is strange anymore." And so the Hippogriff appeared after all.
The Otherworldly Mystical Horse, Hippogriff, was exactly as its name implied. Its existence was extremely vague, to the point that whether it truly existed at all was unclear.
Its rank was inferior to a griffin, a beast from the Age of Gods, and it could not compare to a Pegasus. Its charge, however, produced a crushing attack equivalent to A-rank physical damage.
Yet its true value was not in its Anti-Army charge, but in a hidden ability called "Dimensional Shift."
When its True Name was released, the Hippogriff displayed the trait of "non-physical existence." In concrete terms, it shifted into an indistinct form and vanished, evading every form of observation in the world before reappearing somewhere else.
Even an attack powerful enough to annihilate gods and Buddhas could not harm a single hair on its body.
In other words, it was a severely downgraded version of "Avalon."
The chance that the Hippogriff could perfectly evade the God-Slaying Spear was probably less than thirty percent. Even so, that was still better than confronting that Noble Phantasm head-on. The odds there were zero!
"Saber, hurry..."
Shirou calmly shook his head. "No, Rider. You run by yourself."
"Huh? Why!?"
Astolfo was so frantic he looked ready to cry.
"Karna's target is me. If you escape alone, your chances should be much higher."
"Hah? Don't be stupid. How could I just leave you behind? I still owe you a ton!"
"Enough. Run already. Besides, I never planned to lose to him in the first place."
"Saber..."
Astolfo froze.
The steady light in Shirou's eyes reminded him of the Master, the King, he had served as a Knight in life.
Astolfo suddenly realized how foolish it had been to tell him to run.
The "Black" Saber was also a Heroic Spirit who had manifested as a King. There was no way he would avoid a warrior's fair and honorable challenge.
"Aaaaaaah! Fine, fine, I get it! I don't care anymore! Do whatever you want!"
Astolfo clutched his head.
Muttering, "Don't just go and die on me, okay? If you die, I'll never forgive you!" he mounted the Hippogriff he had summoned.
Karna did not stop Rider from fleeing.
More precisely, his eyes held no one but Shirou now.
The God-Slaying Spear was on the verge of release.
"..."
If this had been Shirou as usual, he would have chosen a more "efficient" tactic.
He would pretend to raise the Holy Sword to meet the attack, while releasing "Avalon," which Manaka had entrusted to him.
With that, he could be certain of avoiding Karna's strongest strike.
But this time, and only this time, he had no intention of using the scabbard.
Karna's fighting spirit was that intense.
Before the radiance of a great hero who had abandoned everything and staked his honor, Shirou could not help being affected. He felt that he had to answer this man properly.
And there was more.
"The Nameless King."
It seemed to be a title once held by "this world's King Arthur," and for some reason, it happened to be the same title Shirou had received in the Fairy Kingdom.
But according to legend, "this world's King Arthur" was different from Shirou, who ruled the fairies of Britannia through violence and fear...
She was a king nobler than anyone, more perfect than anyone.
Shirou felt that such a king would probably never resort to such underhanded methods...
At the very least, not against someone as upright as Karna.
Seriously, you really put me in a bind, this world's Artoria...
Shirou sighed, but there was a smile on his lips.
The reason was, of course, that like Karna, he was enjoying this battle between the strongest.
He felt a little bad for Manaka, but Shirou was now immersed in the joy of facing a powerful opponent.
Ah... crap...!
This is... my "selfish desire"...
Shirou inwardly cursed.
One, two, three, four... five... Tch, forget it! I don't care anymore! Let's go!
"Consider yourself honored, Kshatriya... You face this King as your opponent."
Shirou spoke calmly as he drew the Holy Sword of the Planet from the void.
Even if he possessed infinite swords, in the end...
The only Noble Phantasm that could stand against the strongest spear was the strongest sword.
"!"
The Holy Sword of the Planet was not wrapped in its Wind Scabbard. Its golden radiance filled the entire space in an instant, strong enough to rival Karna's solar Mana.
The moment Karna saw the Holy Sword of the Planet, his Mana surged even higher, and he took a stance to release the Thunder Spear.
The pitch-black spearpoint was like a black hole warping the space around it. Simply having it aimed at him made Shirou feel as if his Mystic Eyes had glimpsed death.
Even so, his expression remained calm. Far from retreating, he took a step forward.
Karna was the first to release his Noble Phantasm.
"Know the mercy of the King of the Gods."
"Indra, bear witness."
"This thrust is annihilation itself... Now, the world shall meet the setting sun."
Immense energy erupted from the pitch-black spear, dyeing everything around it incandescent white.
Then, from within that space of death, an ethereal woman's voice rang out.
"Seal Thirteen!"
"Decision Start!"
Legend said that the Holy Sword was originally forged to repel enemies from beyond the stars, the strongest sword meant to be swung for the salvation of the world.
To prepare for the arrival of the true enemy, seals modeled after the King and the Knights had at some point been placed upon the Holy Sword.
They were the shackles that restricted the Holy Sword's "true power," the thirteen seals.
Only when multiple conditions of honor and duty were met would its original firepower be released.
Seven approvals were required for a full release.
Even though the King of Knights and the Twelve Knights had passed from the world of man, these restraints remained eternally in effect.
Now, within the Holy Sword, the Round Table Resolution began.
"This battle is against a Hero." Acknowledged.
"This battle is for survival." Acknowledged.
"This battle is an honorable one." Acknowledged.
"This battle is one-on-one." Acknowledged.
"This battle does not betray humanity." Acknowledged.
"This battle is not against Elemental spirits." Acknowledged.
"Guh... Galahad, you bastard!"
Shirou tightened his grip on the sword hilt.
Six resolutions had passed.
By sending Astolfo away, he had unlocked the "one-on-one duel" restraint at the very last moment.
Unfortunately, he had still fallen short in the end.
At the very end, Shirou had failed Lord Galahad's test of selflessness, "This battle is not tainted by personal desire."
Full release failed.
Although he had not secured more than half of the resolutions, the support of the six Knights of the Round Table still poured into the Holy Sword, causing it to burst with a radiance more brilliant than ever before.
The Son of the Sun swung down the pitch-black Thunder Spear, and the red-haired wielder of the Holy Sword raised a beam of starlight high above his head.
"Vasavi Shakti!!!"
"Excalibur!!!"
The Anti-Divine Noble Phantasm, "Vasavi Shakti: O' Sun, Abide to Death."
The Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm, "Excalibur: The Sword of Promised Victory."
The collision between the strongest spear and the strongest sword swallowed everything around them in an instant.
Can I win...?
No.
Ah, so the God-Slaying Spear really is stronger!
The contest of firepower between the Holy Sword and the Divine Spear lasted only a few seconds before Shirou reached his conclusion.
The Holy Sword, unable to fully release its power, could not defeat Karna's Thunder Spear.
As expected of Karna's greatest trump card, obtained by giving up his golden armor.
Shirou had once thought it was a "god-slaying" Noble Phantasm like the "Blades of Chaos," but that was not quite right.
It was simply powerful enough to destroy a god in a single blow.
The power of "Vasavi Shakti" was enough to utterly annihilate every "single" existence in the world.
Living beings, non-living things, and any object at all. Magical Beasts, Phantasmal Beasts, Divine Beasts, humans, shields, armies, castles, Barriers, even gods. No existence could withstand it.
That was why it was called an "Anti-Divine Noble Phantasm," the ultimate spear of light capable of killing even the concept of a god.
Although the Holy Sword's defeat was already certain, the boy did not panic.
The Holy Sword had lost, but Shirou had not.
After two battles, Shirou had already identified Karna's greatest weakness as a hero.
His Mana consumption was terrifying.
In terms of Servant performance alone, he was undoubtedly an exceptional Heroic Spirit on par with Gilgamesh, but the burden he placed on his Master was dozens of times greater than the King of Heroes.
There was no Magus in existence capable of shouldering Karna's Mana consumption.
This time, Karna could only display his full strength because Amakusa Shirou had prepared sixty years' worth of Mana reserves for him.
On the other hand, while the Holy Sword was inferior to the Thunder Spear, the gap between them was not actually that large.
At the very least, it was not so large that Shirou would be directly overpowered and crushed.
All Shirou needed to do was maintain the current forty-sixty balance, use the "Heart of Albion" to convert Mana, and keep feeding the Holy Sword.
In other words, he had to turn this clash of firepower into a battle of endurance.
How long could Karna's Mana supply sustain the Thunder Spear's release?
Ten seconds? Twenty? Thirty?
Shirou was confident he could keep the Holy Sword released for a full minute.
I'll be the one who wins in the end!
Shirou was certain of his victory.
He quietly held his ground, healing the skin burned by the aftermath with Mana while continuing to pour dragon Mana into the Holy Sword.
""
Time passed slowly. Though that was not quite accurate.
In that instant, both time and space seemed to lose meaning.
His five senses became impossibly sharp.
In the haze, Shirou suddenly recalled something Morgan had once told him.
The surface of Proper Human History was not real.
It was a planetary environment modified so humanity could adapt to it perfectly.
A "Texture" known as "Physical Laws" covered the planet's surface, and several Anchors, including the "Holy Lance Rhongomyniad," were driven into the earth to maintain that thin layer of Texture.
As a result, the current planetary environment was, overall, far more fragile than it had been in the Age of Gods.
Naturally, both Shirou and Karna understood this.
What they did not know was that this world's "Texture" was even more fragile than that of other parallel worlds.
The reason was very simple.
The Age of Gods British Empire that had existed fifteen hundred years ago had drastically changed the course of human history.
Although the Savior had rescued the world from the clutches of the King of the Moon and denied the Phenomenon Pruning, the planet and humanity themselves had been forced to bear a heavy burden as a result.
This was plainly visible even in the modern era.
Mystery had declined to its absolute limit, and the development of the Magecraft world had nearly reached its end.
The Clock Tower had produced no genius like Kayneth, and the Grand Magus Touko Aozaki did not exist.
Because of that, even a second-rate figure like Darnic could obtain a Grand Rank evaluation from the Clock Tower through bribery and political maneuvering.
Now, this already fragile world was torn open by a tiny fissure, caused by the blazing duel between heroes of the Age of Gods, the impact of the Holy Sword and the Thunder Spear.
"...Huh?"
Shirou felt a powerful suction force coming from behind him.
It was like an airplane flying at high altitude suddenly having its cabin door opened by a passenger.
A tremendous pressure difference formed between the planet's interior and its surface, and Shirou was sucked straight in.
...
Meanwhile, in Sighișoara.
"...Saber?"
Manaka Sajyou rose from the bedside.
Ever since Shirou had entered the Sky Garden, she had been unable to observe his movements through her familiar.
Had she known this would happen, she would have insisted that Shirou take her with him no matter what.
The girl placed a hand over the Seraphim Command Spell on her chest, unease showing on her face.
Her intuition told her that something terrible had happened to her beloved Knight.
But she had not yet realized that Shirou had already vanished from this world.
...
"...Wake... up..."
Through his badly blurred consciousness, Shirou heard a very familiar voice calling him.
"...Wake up..."
Spare me, Sakura...
Shirou frowned, keeping his eyelids tightly shut.
Isn't today the weekend? There's no school, so let me sleep a little longer...
Shirou felt so tired that if he fell asleep like this, he might never wake up again, yet he was exhausted enough that he did not even care.
"So let me keep sleeping..."
"Wake up."
His cheek burned.
A woman's voice kept calling to Shirou.
"Wake up."
Shirou ignored it completely, but the voice continued repeating itself.
Each time it sounded, his consciousness, just about to sink into sleep, was forcibly dragged back.
Being woken every time he nearly fell asleep gradually made Shirou angry.
"How long are you going to keep slapping me...!?"
He grabbed the wrist that had been striking his face since a moment ago.
"Mm... Finally awake?"
Shirou sat up in a foul mood and at last got a clear look at the woman who had interrupted his pleasant dream.
Dreamlike silver hair that reflected a rainbow sheen. Peerless beauty so unreal it almost lacked substance.
Her delicate, graceful figure brought to mind a fairy by the lakeside. This woman was...
"Uh... Professor...?"
As it turned out, the one kneeling beside Shirou was none other than Lady Avalon, who had run away from home two years ago and had not been heard from since.
"Good evening, my Arthur~♡"