From the moment Ludwig had hinted to Lancer that he and Saber would be attacking the Tohsaka residence that night, his "fishing" trip had begun.
A magus's mansion is their workshop; attacking it is akin to assaulting a pre-prepared fortification—a miniature siege. To Ludwig, it felt like trying to crack a turtle's shell with a stick. Even if his "stick" was heavy enough to shatter the entire shell in just two blows, he didn't want to put in that much effort. He was slightly surprised, however, that the leaked information had actually reached Archer, rather than Lancer and his Master simply waiting to pincer him once the battle started.
Caster's appearance was another unexpected bonus. To Ludwig's eyes, the swarming army of Sea Demons was nothing more than a cluster of stationary targets.
He had noticed Gilgamesh launching a wide-area bombardment from above just as he was about to release the Magic Sword's power. Even if Artoria hadn't rushed out to support him, he had planned to stow the Magic Sword and dodge, seeking the optimal line for a counterattack against Archer.
"Archer..." Artoria spotted Gilgamesh floating a hundred meters up in the sky. The golden figure was a mere speck against the clouds.
Ludwig didn't speak. He remained silent, his gaze sweeping rapidly across the Mion River and both its banks.
Night had deepened further since Caster's arrival, and the streetlights along the embankment had flickered to life. Simultaneously, a thick fog of unknown origin began to creep over the riverbanks, eventually swallowing all of Fuyuki.
"Fog?" Artoria sensed something was wrong.
The weather in this coastal city had been quite dry lately, with no rain in sight, let alone fog. This mist covered the city with eerie, unnatural speed.
"Could Caster have conjured this?" Artoria looked toward Gilles de Rais.
In that short span of time, the man had been completely submerged by the swarming Sea Demons, his silhouette no longer visible. The monsters merged in the blink of an eye into a singular, colossal horror. The Mion River, though over a dozen meters deep, seemed far too shallow for a creature of this scale.
"Is that man capable of such refined magecraft?" Ludwig was skeptical.
A moment ago, many of the Noble Phantasms Gilgamesh rained down like a torrential storm had struck Caster in the same stretch of water Ludwig occupied. The giant Sea Demon now looked like a massive hunk of doner kebab with the outer layers shaved off, leaving only pillars of grotesquely colored flesh exposed—which were already beginning to regenerate.
However, after that first wave of Noble Phantasms, Gilgamesh didn't seem in a hurry to continue. The hundreds of ripples opening behind him simply signaled that the King of Heroes was treating this battle as a form of entertainment. As for Caster, he was merely a large stumbling block in the road.
"Lud, look!" Artoria suddenly called out, alerting Ludwig as he held her. "Over there, in Shinto!"
The fog was thick enough to mask the Sea Demon's form, but it couldn't strip Ludwig of his vision. Nor Artoria's. They both saw Lancer and his Master, Kayneth, appearing on the Shinto side of the river embankment, both of them staring intently at the scene.
"They've all gathered, then," Ludwig said. "Looks like they're hoping to reap the spoils while we fight."
"Who do we engage first?" Artoria remained wary of Gilgamesh above, but her gaze locked onto Diarmuid.
Ludwig released Artoria, letting her drop toward the river surface below.
"Don't you have some unfinished business with Lancer?" Ludwig said. "You deal with him."
It was an instruction that aligned perfectly with Artoria's own desires. She tightened her grip on the Holy Sword, which was still shrouded by the Invisible Air, and prepared to charge toward the embankment.
But Ludwig's next words left her slightly stunned.
"By my Command Spell, I order you: kill Lancer."
Even without the order, Artoria would not have shown mercy, but Ludwig's Command Spell instantly bolstered all her parameters. The King of Knights' magical energy surged violently, carving a whirlpool into the river's surface.
"Honestly..." Artoria let out a low, helpless chuckle before launching herself like a cannonball, heading straight for Lancer.
Ludwig watched the traces of the Command Spell vanish from his hand. As a fresh rain of Noble Phantasms descended from the heavens, he turned away from her fight and accelerated, rocketing straight into the sky.
The bombardment of Noble Phantasms was so dense it left no room for evasion. Ludwig brandished his Magic Sword and Durandal, transforming into a streak of light that pierced through the curtain of fire.
BOOM!
The collision between the Magic Sword and the Sword of Rupture triggered a massive shockwave, instantly dispersing the thick fog in the sky and creating a vast, circular void in the clouds.
"Have you had enough rest, King of Heroes?" Ludwig asked with a wild, defiant grin, staring Gilgamesh down.
Gilgamesh's expression was ice-cold. "I'll give you credit for having the sense not to make me waste my treasures on that pile of rotting meat in the river."
"You actually pulled out a weapon this time? Done playing empty-handed?"
Ludwig's physical strength was immense; he easily suppressed Gilgamesh in the initial clash, forcing Ea back inch by inch.
"Ea is a blade that can only be wielded by a true hegemon. It is more than fitting to take the life of an opponent such as yourself," Gilgamesh said, his brow furrowing.
The next instant, his strength surged, halting Ludwig's momentum and even pushing back slightly.
"...Oh?" Ludwig was genuinely surprised.
"I have as many Noble Phantasms for physical reinforcement as I please. Did you truly think you could settle matters with me through brute force alone?" Gilgamesh sneered.
Even so, despite the use of his treasures, he had only managed to push back a fraction. Ludwig's raw strength was so exaggerated that even Gilgamesh was secretly taken aback.
The King of Heroes ceased the contest of strength. The three segments of the Sword of Rupture suddenly began to spin and accelerate. A localized wind pressure capable of shredding flesh upon contact was released instantly, knocking Ludwig backward.
Ludwig chose not to tank the wind pressure directly. He dropped his altitude slightly, hovering just above the reach of the writhing, giant Sea Demon. He sheathed Durandal and switched to a two-handed grip on his Magic Sword.
The cyan blade began to accumulate power. Ludwig couldn't predict exactly how much he should let out to avoid drawing the "resentment" of the planet. Merlin had mentioned that while Gilgamesh's Ea was powerful, its might was likewise restricted by the world's laws.
Even so, within those limits, few Servants could survive or counter a full release of Ea's True Name. Ludwig deliberately made a show of preparing the Magic Sword's release, but he purposefully moved a half-beat slow.
Gilgamesh knew all too well what a threat the youth's Magic Sword posed—it had even suppressed Ea when neither had called their True Names. Without hesitation, as the Magic Sword gathered light, Gilgamesh raised his Divine Construct high and chanted its True Name with a booming voice.
"Behold the Primordial Truth! Enuma Elish!"
There it is.
Watching for the exact moment, Ludwig swung his Magic Sword in silence.
────────────────────────────────────────
Support me here: https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Type-Moon: The A-Ray Knight's Holy Grail Journey(80 Chapter - Ongoing)
Join the journey and become part of the story!
────────────────────────────────────────