Iori lightly jumped back. The long sword in his hand swung down fiercely, easily cutting through the white scales and plunging deep into the snake's neck. Amid its wail, the spurting blood dyed half of his shihakusho red.
"For me, winning doesn't necessarily mean you have to be the target!"
Clang!
A thin water blade spread along the edge of the sword. Like a hot knife cutting butter, it easily swept across the snake's head.
It was only a simple release of magical power, yet it cut open more than half of the serpent's head.
A massive amount of blood sprayed out, and the spine wrapped in muscle became clearly visible.
"Your foundation is the Eight-Headed Serpent. With such a notorious evil god from mythology serving as your magic furnace core, your power is practically endless."
"But in reality, you can't fully control it. Or rather, you can't let it completely awaken, can you?"
"The environment of the present world is far too harsh for fantasy species of the Age of Gods."
"The scale of the Eight-Headed Serpent's existence has already surpassed the capacity of a single region's ley lines, so what you can summon is only a half-finished product."
"The number of snake heads that can truly awaken… at most three or four, right?"
Iori calmly looked straight at the child of the serpent god.
"And if the power of the Eight-Headed Serpent becomes too strong… that wouldn't be good for you either, would it?"
"This guy!"
Ibuki Douji narrowed her snake-like pupils. Her expression turned somewhat ugly. Iori had struck right at the truth.
Although she was a child of the Eight-Headed Serpent and called it "father", their relationship was absolutely not the ordinary father–daughter bond people imagined.
The blood relations among gods, immortals, demons, and spirits were nothing like those of mortals.
To increase power, devouring each other was not unusual.
She had actually been suppressing the serpent's self-awareness all along. So although she could awaken up to four snake heads, she only awakened one each time, precisely to ensure that her consciousness remained above that of the serpent.
From the beginning of the battle until now, the Eight-Headed Serpent had not displayed its original strength.
The reason was its stiff movements and slow reactions, all of which were the result of Ibuki Douji secretly controlling it.
Right now, the one commanding that massive body was not the serpent's own will, but Ibuki remotely controlling it through her Noble Phantasm and bloodline.
Having this secret exposed in a single sentence by Iori shocked her greatly, and at the same time strengthened her determination to eliminate him as soon as possible.
The danger of this man before her did not only come from "compatibility". He was different from ordinary warriors. Besides bravery, he also possessed intelligence and vision.
This kind of enemy was the most troublesome. Ibuki (Shuten) was reminded of that annoying fellow Minamoto no Raiko.
Thinking of this, she no longer hesitated and rushed forward.
And in this exchange, when Ibuki felt the force coming from the sword, she was shocked again.
"His aura has risen again… This definitely isn't a Command Seal! Could it be… No, I refuse to believe it!"
The great sword as tall as a person descended with the sound of waves. Iori calmly drew Ame-no-Murakumo and swung upward with force, tearing through the curtain of water with a thin blade formed from serpent poison blood mixed with vapor.
Clang!
Two divine swords with similar shapes crossed each other. Divine light flashed in Ibuki Douji's eyes. She suppressed Iori with one arm while her five fingers clawed toward his abdomen like a dragon's talons.
She was taller and larger than Iori, and this attack was extremely swift. Like a flood dragon biting down on a deer, if it hit, it would instantly rip his belly open.
However, when the claw landed, the sensation was strangely light. The right hand holding the divine sword suddenly loosened as well, and Ibuki Douji's heart tightened.
Sure enough, the divine sword cut through, slicing Iori's "illusion" into two. His real body was unharmed.
In the next instant he appeared at her side, pressing his palm toward her. Light fragments emerged around them and locked onto her waist and abdomen.
The next moment, black magical power spread beneath the child's feet, crawling upward like gravestones.
It quickly formed a tall cube that enclosed her. Within it, compressed magic blades flashed repeatedly...
"Ahhh!"
BOOM!
Unmatched monstrous strength erupted. Ibuki Douji forcibly shattered the high-level Kido. Fine wounds covered her entire body, and blood mixed with fragments of magical energy splattered in every direction.
Ibuki Douji completely ignored the injuries. Her snake eyes fixed on Iori. The anger in her heart had reached its peak. She gripped the sword hilt with both hands.
Enormous magical power leaked out. With just that movement, the surrounding atmosphere seemed to "solidify" like a tangible substance. Standing within it, Iori felt as though he were frozen in ice.
The eight-colored storm clouds in the sky churned violently. A bolt of lightning tore through the night and descended upon the Divine Sword Kusanagi-no-Tachi. Within the dancing lightning arcs spread destructive fluctuations.
At that moment, both the Red and Black Archers fired arrows at the same time. Atalanta even released her Noble Phantasm.
Yet when the rain-like arrows descended, the lightning automatically leapt out and knocked them all down, not harming a single hair on Ibuki Douji's body.
At this moment, she was like the Thunder God descended!
Iori raised an eyebrow and lightly stepped back to dodge. But now his presence had been completely locked onto by Ibuki Douji. She was like a venomous snake ready to strike, or a trigger about to snap open...
"Ya!"
Thunder exploded. Countless electric arcs danced wildly like silver snakes.
"Chi!"
The atmosphere trembled. The translucent ripples like water were instantly broken through by the overwhelming physical body.
Iori's pupils suddenly shrank. The muscles across his body tightened. Yet the corner of his mouth curved into a cold smile.
Now...
A figure leaped out from behind Iori. Holding a flagpole high, a battle flag embroidered with a golden fleur-de-lis unfurled in the fierce wind.
"Fury!"
Ibuki Douji did not even register Jeanne's existence. Her target was only Iori. Within this distance, any obstacle would be smashed without mercy.
A mere Servant, to her, was nothing but dust.
'...Eightfold Wrathful Waves!'
This was the symphony of tsunami and thunder. Eight slashes released at once sealed off every possible path of escape. Even someone capable of teleportation would be chased until struck.
The divine sword that destroyed everything ravaged space with irresistible brilliance. Like a black hole, it twisted the surrounding light and shadow, pulling them all beneath the blade and cutting them apart!
However, Jeanne showed no fear. In her clear eyes there was not the courage of self-sacrifice, but the resolve to calmly face all calamities...
"Luminosite Eternelle!"
A hazy white light appeared, filled with compassion and mercy. It protected the blonde girl within a spherical barrier.
The thunder summoned by Ibuki Douji's divine sword struck down, yet all of it was blocked by the seemingly fragile white light.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The slashes of the divine sword arrived almost simultaneously. Although the barrier of light still held firm, the blonde girl gritted her teeth, clearly reaching her limit.
Ruler's Noble Phantasm "My Lord Is Here" converted faith and magic resistance into a physical barrier.
Even an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm could not break it, making it a kind of absolute defense. However, while strong, it had a limit to how much damage it could absorb.
Once the limit was exceeded, the Noble Phantasm would never be usable again.
Ibuki Douji's attacks had already surpassed the scope of ordinary Noble Phantasms. The eight slashes were blocked, but the follow-up force continued like an endless flood. Even Jeanne could not hold out for long.
Therefore, the opportunity existed for only a single moment.
"By the Command Seals, I order!"
Ruler used two extremely precious Command Seals without hesitation. Doing so would remove her ability to restrain Berserker, but compared to that, defeating Ibuki Douji was clearly more important.
"True Name: Susanoo. Release your divine sword and slay the evil dragon here!"
"...!"
Ibuki Douji's pupils shrank violently. Her sharp teeth ground together with a metallic screech. Her already tall and powerful body swelled even further in that instant.
BOOM!
Before the battle flag shattered, Jeanne withdrew her Noble Phantasm. The aftershock alone overwhelmed her great endurance, sending her body flying backward.
But soon she fell into a strong pair of arms. The spreading vapor gently yet firmly deflected the violent lightning, and the surrounding space filled with a faint blue glow.
"This is…"
Jeanne raised her head and saw the boy's serious, calm expression.
His black eyes now shone with rainbow light, reflecting the image of the serpent god's child. One arm held the holy maiden, protecting her from the aftershock.
The other tightly gripped the Ame-no-Murakumo Sword as endless magical power poured into it.
With his Spirit Origin rapidly strengthening and the boost from two Command Seals, an unprecedented sensation rose within him. At this moment he even felt as if he could do anything.
An ordinary warrior might have been overwhelmed by this swelling power, but Iori's mind remained perfectly clear.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The entire battle had been building toward this moment!
The combination of the Eight-Headed Serpent and Ibuki Douji had already surpassed the limit of what Servants could deal with.
Even if the Red and Black factions joined forces, defeating them would be extremely difficult. And if Iori had been alone, this would have been an almost impossible trial.
If Vlad III had not restrained the tail, if King Arthur and Karna had not drawn away Ibuki's avatars, if Jeanne had not blocked that devastating strike, then this subjugation would absolutely have failed.
But when many Servants became Iori's support...sharing his burden and opening a path forward...then the possibility of victory could be created.
Since that was the case, then as a Servant, as a hero, and as "Susanoo", he would answer that expectation.
'...Summon the Thunder Emperor!'
"Ya!"
Blazing lightning burst from the armor on Iori's left hand. Even the aftershock from the Noble Phantasm released by the Kusanagi blade was drawn toward it and turned into nourishment.
Ibuki suddenly realized that although it was her own magical power being released, she had actually lost control over it to Iori.
Chi!
The divine sword shed its original color and form, turning into a silver-white blade of light. In Iori's hand it tore through space. Eight slashes crossed at once like a blooming lotus.
'...Eightfold Wrathful Waves!'
Lightning and the momentum of the tides fused together. The sharp force of the eight slashes resembled eight giant serpents.
They should have destroyed everything in sight like a natural disaster, yet now they converged into a single line, cutting through all waves and boundaries along the sword's edge.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Hands, shoulders, abdomen, legs...eight parts of the body were mercilessly severed. The powerful flesh that could shake mountains and rivers became as fragile as sand at this moment, completely unable to resist the judgment of the divine sword.
Several thin lines flashed across the snake pupils. In the blink of an eye, the shocked Ibuki Douji shattered like a puppet being torn apart.
"Ahhhhhh!"
She still had not given up.
Her right arm was still attached to her body, and in that hand she still gripped the divine sword capable of cutting gold and jade.
Legend said that after a snake bit someone, even if its head was cut off it would not release its bite. Even in defeat, Ibuki intended to drag her enemy into the same hell with her.
"Die!"
The divine sword as tall as a person tore through the air. Ibuki Douji grinned viciously. She abandoned all defense and slashed toward Iori's head with the resolve to perish together.
Clang!
The two Ame-no-Murakumo swords collided...
Crack!
Ibuki Douji froze for a moment. She actually saw a crack appear in her supreme divine sword.
'How is this possible!'
Two divine swords of the same origin. With the strength of her Spirit Origin reinforcing it, how could she lose to someone else?
She had inherited the blood of the Eight-Headed Serpent. No one should be more qualified than her to wield this sword...
'No!'
There was someone.
Someone who could gain the recognition of the divine sword even more than her. Someone whose priority surpassed even the Eight-Headed Serpent itself. It was the name Ruler had called earlier...
"Susanoo!", Ibuki Douji shouted furiously.
"You despicable..."
Shing!
Ame-no-Murakumo cut through the demonic sword. The blade lightly passed across Ibuki Douji's throat, and a thin line of blood quietly appeared.
Thud!
Ibuki Douji's head fell to the ground. For an instant, the world became silent.
But even so, Ibuki had not completely died. Her eyes stared fixedly at Iori, filled with anger and unwillingness.
"One of the three great gods… actually hiding his name!"
"Huh? Didn't you know Susanoo is the god who governs deceit?"
Iori looked at her calmly.
"And besides, when did you start thinking I was Yamato Takeru?"
"You..."
Ibuki was suddenly speechless. Only then did she realize that the boy in front of her had never once admitted his identity.
But under normal circumstances, Susanoo should never appear in a Holy Grail War.
After all, what would a chief god-level being even want with the Grail?