The night was tranquil, the moonlight cold.
Under the Queen of the Land of Shadows' gaze, the two swordsmen in the moonlight sprang into action.
Ding!!
A flash of steel, and two figures darted from the darkness like phantoms, swords clashing, sparks flying.
—Clang!!
The metallic ring of blades echoed, their fierce strikes slicing the night, their figures weaving through the dark.
They fought downward, swords colliding, unleashing bursts of metallic roars.
Golden and blue streams pierced the night, their clashes sparking dazzling mana shockwaves.
From the familiar yet clumsy swordplay, Artoria sensed Merlin's will embedded in the golden sword. In their clash, she glimpsed a pure, lily-like shadow on Roy.
Raw, pure, flawless… like her earliest self.
Seeing this fleeting figure, Artoria knew she wasn't mistaken.
It was…
Lily, the original Artoria, the Lily Knight!
Why was she seeing this?
The familiar figure pulled her thoughts to the past, memories surfacing.
"Hey! Don't lose focus in battle, Saber!"
Roy's shout snapped her back.
Clang!
Brandishing his straight sword, he struck at Artoria, using Merlin's special magecraft in the blade to launch three golden swordlights at tricky angles.
—Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!!
The piercing sounds rang out, the swift, fluid swordlights racing toward her. Artoria froze briefly.
The sword energy was too fast. In a flash, she gripped her holy sword, parrying while retreating, but Roy didn't stop. Shifting his grip, he gathered mana, seizing the chance to aim his blade at her, unleashing a long-prepared holy sword beam.
"This is…?!"
Recognizing the familiar stance, Artoria's brow rose, seeing his intent.
She tried to dodge, but Roy snorted, "Too late."
"Caliburn!!"
A red Command Spell on his arm vanished, instantly refilling the sword's mana. Golden light surged, making Artoria's pupils shrink.
She couldn't fathom why his charge was so fast or how he unleashed Caliburn's true power.
In a critical moment, she sidestepped, swinging her holy sword with azure gales to counter, but under the moonlight, she saw the staff's tip flash, a bad feeling rising.
'Trouble!!'
The trap came silently.
As she stepped back, a crimson alchemical array flared on the ground. A flame-wreathed blade slashed from behind, aiming for her head. Relying on intuition, Artoria dodged, avoiding a fatal blow from Michael, but a searing fire scar marked her back.
"An angel? No, it's… magecraft!"
Saber quickly realized, "You planned this when you dropped the staff?"
Looking at Roy, he smiled nonchalantly. "Correct, Saber. It's only reasonable for an ordinary magus to fight with magecraft, right?"
A certain British swordmaster once said, What's a master without a beam? A perfectly reasonable maxim.
Though Roy's stats, boosted by Scáthach and Merlin's green and red buffs, reached A-rank strength and agility, rivaling Artoria's dragon-like prowess, his copied swordsmanship wasn't his own. Speed, angle, timing—he was outclassed. To win, he had to play to his strengths.
And his strength? Obvious.
"Now, try this."
[I am the kingdom, wielding authority and glory.
Before me, Raphael; behind me, Gabriel.
To my right, Michael; to my left, Uriel.
Before me burns the pentagram; behind me shines the hexagram.
From the void, I summon the holy angels of sea, land, and sky.]
As Artoria fell into the trap, Roy unleashed his true skill.
With his incantation, not only did the fiery angel Michael appear to her right, but three other shadows—azure, blue, and brown—materialized around her, attacking in unison.
Fire, wind, water, earth.
Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Uriel.
The four elemental angels, embodying the world's foundations, struck with ferocious momentum, aiming to subdue Artoria at the array's center with a terrifying assault.
The spectacle made Scáthach raise an eyebrow, intrigued.
Hard to believe such an attack came from a modern magus.
The combined strike rivaled an A-rank Noble Phantasm.
Was it over?
Of course not.
In a breath, Artoria steadied herself, calming her breath. Her petite frame's compressed mana erupted, and she swung her holy sword in a tidal onslaught, moving like a true dragon. Facing four angels, her eyes showed no fear, charging forward!!
—Clang, clang, clang, clang!!
Blades flashed wildly in the courtyard.
"EX…calibur (Sword of Promised Victory)!!"
"…A Noble Phantasm? Bring it on!!"
In response, her Excalibur's seal was released, radiant starlight cascading like a galaxy, igniting dazzling golden brilliance.
The dark courtyard was illuminated by the holy sword's glow, and the four angels' mana ignited, their elemental forces raging beneath her.
The unleashed power incinerated trees, scarred stone paths, and shattered walls.
The battlefield was consumed by erupting mana.
…
Soon, a golden pillar shot from the castle, its blinding light slicing the night sky, dazzling over Fuyuki.
The once-grand Einzbern castle was reduced to rubble under their chaos, the surrounding forest gouged by a deep chasm from the beam.
The area was a wreck.
"You're absurdly overpowered…"
Amid the ruins, a battered Roy leaned on his sword to stand, looking at the equally disheveled but still vigorous Artoria, muttering, "…A-rank Magic Resistance. A magus's nightmare. Are you a humanoid mother T-Rex?"
"…"
Artoria didn't answer, her gaze locked on him. Her Noble Phantasm had cost her dearly. Hard to believe a magus forced her to use it. After such a loss, she dared not underestimate him, her expression vigilant.
Roy was the most frustrated.
Despite his preemptive magecraft trap, Artoria's A-rank Magic Resistance let her cleave through his four angels, finishing them with a Noble Phantasm—utterly domineering, defying reason.
"Well, let's say you defaulted on my first question."
"Seeing you're beyond help, I'll skip the layered second question and go to the last one…"
As the four angels fell, Roy, gripping the golden sword and recovering slightly, smiled and approached, making Artoria frown, wary of his next trick.
The next moment…
Pfft!!
The sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out, blood splattering, staining half his clothes red.
Artoria's straight sword pierced his shoulder, inflicting severe damage, yet Roy's expression remained impassive, his calm smile unnerving her.
A more horrifying scene followed.
Instead of dodging, Roy advanced, letting the blade pierce deeper, stepping closer and seizing her wrist.
"Got you…"
"—What?!"
Artoria's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You can't escape this distance, right?"
Roy's lips curled into a chilling smile, his face closing in, his other hand gripping her wrist, eyes locked earnestly on hers.
"Now, answer my question, Saber. What outcome can you accept, or are you willing to accept?"
"In other words, what kind of end for a nation can you accept? What kind of destruction is acceptable? I'll say it again—no vague answers. Face this question seriously!"
Roy's voice thundered, his playful gaze turning grave, piercing Artoria's eyes, shredding her façade, forcing her to confront the question she'd avoided, demanding a real answer.
This was the first step to guiding her—facing her heart.
For a stubborn King of Knights, reasoning was futile. Only fists and swords could make her listen.
Even if she wouldn't, he'd beat her until she did!!
"What are you…"
Shocked by Roy enduring her sword through his shoulder, stepping closer, Artoria forgot they were fighting. His eyes filled her vision, his question echoing in her mind.
Despite nearly losing an arm, Roy seemed oblivious to pain, his expression unchanged, still advancing, still questioning her heart's answer.
"What is true to you? What outcome can you accept?"
"What's a peaceful end, like falling asleep? Have you truly thought it through?"
His words were blades, his voice a haunting spell, piercing her chest, echoing in her mind.
Her resolve wavered again.
"What's going on?"
"Argh—!!"
Before she could process or question, a whooshing sound hit, and Artoria screamed as a solid punch struck her face, knocking her to the ground.
Boom!
Her body crashed into the earth, kicking up stones, dirt, and dust!
In that instant, she understood what Roy meant by "Got you."
He'd used his body to trap her strongest weapon.
"Time's running out, Saber. If you can, answer quickly."
With a smiling reminder, Roy didn't stop. His left hand pointed to the ground, earth magic piling heavy soil onto Artoria. His other hand grabbed her arm, and his freed legs, leveraging height, unleashed a brutal barrage on her face and stomach.
Boom, boom, boom—!!
A-rank strength pummeled her.
Trying to break free, Artoria was stomped back into the dirt. Though a stunning warrior like Scáthach, Roy showed no mercy for her beauty.
Face? Stomach? Hit the vitals—take her down while she's weak, before this lioness retaliates.
He was here to guide her, not to take abuse.
He realized kind words couldn't sway a doomed soul. Only beating her to near-death would make her listen.
A true barbarian, a wooden head.
Since ancient times, taming barbarians started with breaking them!!
Relentless kicks showed no mercy. The brutal scene made Merlin, watching from the Reverse Side, wince at the extremity, pitying Artoria being dominated.
Even in life, she'd never been beaten like this.
Merlin questioned Roy's "beat her into submission" And "wake a sleeping person by knocking her conscious" Theories.
Sigh…
Witnessing it all, Merlin sighed. The deed was done—no turning back.
Though Roy struck, Merlin was complicit. Without his aid, how could Roy overpower a dragon? Artoria must hate him now.
"Hope you break free, Artoria…"
Sighing for her plight, Merlin quietly activated his recording magecraft, capturing the scene.
"Go on, keep kicking, don't stop."
"Master, keep it up! Aim for her eyes!!"
Scáthach, watching the shocking scene, turned into a cheering spectator, shamelessly egging Roy on, suggesting targets.
"Use the other foot—go for her legs!"
But Roy and Artoria heard none of the noise, locked in each other's gaze, seeing only their opponent.
One aimed to press the advantage, beating her senseless; the other sought to break free and kill him.
Their hearts aligned in mutual intent to destroy—though not quite as expected.
Even Emiya Kiritsugu, her Master, hadn't achieved this connection, yet Roy did, albeit through a desire to end each other.
"Urgh—!!"
Under relentless blows, Artoria's stamina waned. A kick to her stomach made her eyes roll, blood spurting from her mouth and nose. Her grip on the Sword of Promised Victory trembled, yet she clung to it. At the critical moment, her eyes sharpened, channeling her last mana and strength to release her sword.
—Pfft!!
Golden light erupted, its radiance like a gathered galaxy, its compressed power slashing Roy's shoulder and arm, leaving charred flesh.
As his arm was severed, the earth magic broke, easing Artoria's burden. She tried to rise, but new pressure pinned her.
Stunned, she looked up to see Roy's expression unchanged despite his severed arm, the wound glowing as it healed rapidly.
"Avalon!!"
Artoria froze, realizing the truth.
"Exactly. I foresaw this, so I embedded Avalon in my body when I borrowed Caliburn, with that damned dream demon adding an illusion to block pain and fatigue. How else could I fight you this long?"
Some pain hurts just to see.
To avoid breaking, Roy avoided looking at his missing arm or the charred stump, taking a deep breath to steady himself.
He loomed over Artoria, battered and bloodied after thirty minutes of kicks, now exhausted, the fight over.
"Aaah!!"
He stomped her hand, forcing her to release the Sword of Promised Victory, kicking it to Scáthach, ending the battle.
"Looks like I win, Saber."
Near his limit, Roy sat on Artoria, waving his empty left arm, giving her a grim smile.
"Winner takes all. Now, will you listen and answer my questions?"
Artoria didn't respond, turning her head to hide the tears in her eyes.
But…
"Our King Arthur's shedding little pearls, huh~"
***
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