"Clang——!"
Brilliant and dazzling light shone like a blazing sun above the gates of the Holy City, radiating outward like a tidal wave, engulfing the entire world.
"...!"
"...!"
Within the light, countless cries of astonishment, wails, and screams echoed, yet they were all drowned out by the brilliance.
At that moment, it felt as if this light was the only thing remaining in existence, rendering everything else insignificant and unworthy of presence. Before this light, all else seemed so small.
Even the fearsome dragon, known for their ferocity, were seemingly intimidated by this light. They could only let out sorrowful howls before being swallowed by the tidal wave of radiance.
The scene resembled both the birth of the cosmos and the end of the world.
At least, viewed from the sky, the only thing visible was light emanating from the center of the Holy City, stretching tens or even hundreds of kilometers in all directions. This light, akin to a fallen sun, appeared so sacred and bright.
It wasn't until a long while later that the light began to gradually dissipate.
"Hah…"
Gawain, Tristan, Mordred, and Agravain, the Round Table Knights, slowly lowered the hands shielding their faces.
"Ah…"
The Knights and refugees stood dumbfounded, unable to react for a moment.
"…"
Mash had at some point lowered her shield, staring blankly at the city walls.
There, Artoria stood, her sacred spear Rhongomyniad dimming and fading after emitting its endless brilliance. The spear of light gradually retracted, shrinking and disappearing entirely, returning to its original form—a spiral lance.
Yet, even so, Artoria's overwhelming divine aura and surging mana remained unyielding.
Her expression remained cold and indifferent from beginning to end, exuding an air of calm.
And in front of her, where Rhongomyniad's strike had landed, the city walls had been completely vaporized.
Previously, even Artoria's authority and Rozen's Beast Vassals' powers had failed to breach the walls. Despite the restraint Rozen had exercised to avoid excessive destruction and protect innocent civilians nearby, and despite Artoria not unleashing the full might of her authority, the Holy City's walls had still proven extraordinarily resilient.
Now, however, they had been utterly eradicated, leaving no trace of rubble behind.
In this moment...
"Phew…"
A sound of exhalation came from Artoria's front.
"What…!"
Gawain, Tristan, Mordred, and Agravain's expressions all changed drastically.
"Senpai!"
Mash held her breath, then her face lit up with joy.
"Oh…"
Artoria's eyes slightly narrowed.
Everyone turned their gaze in that direction.
Their focus landed on the figure floating above the vaporized wall, as if standing on solid ground, suspended mid-air.
Who else could it be but Rozen?
Smoke was rising from Rozen's body.
No, to be precise, it was rising from Rozen's black coat.
The luxurious black coat, adorned with fiery sparks, seemed to flutter without wind, as though it had risen to shield Rozen from Artoria's view.
This coat, a manifestation of Kinu, was smoldering, silently indicating that Rhongomyniad's strike had been blocked.
"I thought I wouldn't make it out unscathed this time."
Rozen lowered his head, brushing his coat lightly as he spoke softly.
"Thank you, Kinu."
Hearing this, fiery sparks scattered violently from the coat, as if responding to his gratitude.
"Escaping death with divine protection?"
Even Artoria furrowed her brow at last.
Clearly, even she hadn't anticipated that the Sun God's incarnation, Kinu, would favor Rozen so much, going as far as to shield him from such a lethal strike.
Granted, Artoria had not fully unleashed the power of Rhongomyniad, but even so, it was no trivial feat to block it.
A closer inspection revealed that the overwhelming divine aura of Kinu's coat had been significantly diminished.
After Rozen mastered the use of divine energy, Kinu's coat, much like the Injunction Shackles, was immune to damage unless confronted with attacks of equal divine energy or specialized countermeasures.
Unfortunately, Artoria was a divine being, and all her attacks contained divinity. Especially with the true name release of her Noble Phantasm, even a godlike entity such as Kinu had to expend significant power to block it entirely.
As such, it was natural for Artoria to feel perplexed.
"A divine being exhausting themselves for a mere human? Why?"
Artoria couldn't understand.
From her divine perspective, humanity was inherently beneath her, a truth that justified actions incomprehensible to mortals.
Naturally, she couldn't comprehend why Kinu would show such favor to Rozen.
Nor did she know the nature of the bond between Rozen and Kinu.
However, Rozen had no intention of explaining.
At this moment, Rozen had only one thought.
That was...
"It seems there's no point in holding back any longer."
Rozen lowered his coat and faced Artoria directly.
In his eyes, a chilling resolve that even Artoria couldn't ignore began to surface.
"Boom!"
An aura of magic far more ferocious and potent than ever before erupted from Rozen.
"Come."
"Let's continue to round two."
"This time, we'll see who truly should bow their head."
As he spoke, Rozen raised his hand.
At that very moment...
"—————!"
A roar rose from the distance, growing closer and closer.
"This is…"
Everyone present froze momentarily before turning toward the source of the sound.
Then, they saw it.
On the other side of the Holy City, an army, like a stampeding horde, surged forward.
It was...
"The Mountain People…!"
Gawain, Tristan, Mordred, and Agravain's expressions changed once again.
The approaching force was an army of fully armed soldiers.
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
Their war cries echoed as they charged into the battlefield.
"Splurt!" "Splurt!" "Splurt!"
Before the startled Knights could react, those closest to the soldiers were struck down by their weapons and fell on the spot.
"Engage!"
Agravain finally snapped back to his senses, shouting angrily for the Knights to regroup.
The Knights raised their weapons and began their counterattack.
The battlefield descended into chaos in an instant.
"This…"
Mash stood in stunned silence.
"This is…"
Even Rozen was taken aback.
The only place not surprised was Chaldea, where Roman's report suddenly rang out.
"We've detected Servant signatures!"