The battle had lost its suspense from the beginning.
Under the powerful assaults of Arkhan, Artoria, Cu Chulainn, and Iskandar, the sea demons summoned from another world by the Prelati's Spellbook were as fragile as infants.
In less than five minutes, they were all slaughtered.
"Guhahaha! Exciting! This is the kind of battle I haven't had in ages. Indeed, fighting side by side with comrades on the battlefield is the most enjoyable thing. Berserker, Lancer, Saber, have you considered joining me? As long as we join forces, conquering the entire world is just a matter of time!"
Iskandar always kept his grand ambitions in mind. Even in such a perilous situation, he didn't forget to extend an olive branch to the three again.
The trio had grown accustomed to the King of Conquerors' antics and couldn't be bothered to respond. They just walk straight ahead, ignoring him.
"Hahhh... Looks like I've been rejected again."
Iskandar scratched his head, driving his chariot to catch up with everyone.
"Hey! How about we grab a drink together after this is over? After all, we're comrades who fought side by side. You've got to give me that much face, right?"
===
Outside the black fog, Kiritsugu lay prone on the rooftop of a residential building, aiming with his sniper rifle ahead.
Through the scope, he glanced at Irisviel standing beyond the quarantine line, then shifted his focus to Kayneth and Waver standing nearby.
"Neither Lancer nor Rider is around now. Do you want to take this chance to deal with their Masters?"
Maiya's voice crackled through his earpiece, as cold and efficient as she always was, silent and reserved. She was the kind of partner you could trust your back with.
Kiritsugu's gaze lingered on Kayneth and Waver for a while before he shook his head.
"Not yet; the black fog is a greater threat. If we don't deal with it as soon as possible, there will be many casualties."
Anyone who had gathered information on Kiritsugu would be surprised to hear this. Since when did the blood-stained Mage Killer care about the lives of ordinary people?
But that was the essence of Emiya Kiritsugu. For over two decades, he had walked the path of becoming a 'Hero of Justice'.
Eliminating all evil in this world was his way of survival and his purpose.
He was willing to pay any price for it.
"Is it wise to let Saber go with them? If something happens to her, we'll lose any hope of winning this Holy Grail War." Maiya knew the importance of the Holy Grail to Kiritsugu. It was the only hope left for this man at the end of his rope.
"It's fine... As long as Lancer is with them, Saber will be safe."
Kiritsugu's tone was calm and confident. He could see the care Lancer had for Saber. With a Servant like Lancer, who could easily defeat even Gilgamesh, there was no need to worry about Saber's safety.
'Even though they're both King Arthur, why wasn't the one I summoned Lancer?'
Kiritsugu couldn't help but think like that and sigh to himself. If he had summoned Lancer, victory in this Holy Grail War would have been almost guaranteed.
He had considered allying with Lancer using his relationship with Saber. But the thought was quickly extinguished when he recalled his previous assassination attempt on Lancer's Master.
After so many years in the world of magecraft, he had a clear understanding of the arrogance of these mages, particularly someone from the Clock Tower and a Lord, no less.
Facing someone like Kayneth, he would probably be bombarded with magecraft projectiles before he could even speak.
Fortunately, he had prepared a special 'gift' in advance for this Lord.
===
Inside the black fog, a massive figure stood tall within.
Its chaotic posture emanated an immense sense of oppression as if it were the embodiment of all the chaos in the world. To those with wavering resolve, a single glance was enough to plunge them into madness.
Even the rulers of the deep sea, like the Kraken in legend, did not possess such colossal forms. This gigantic presence, emerging as if from the depths of a horror to reality, reigning over all the seas, was truly deserving of the title 'Sea Demon' for such a water-dwelling behemoth.
"Hey, is this our enemy?"
Iskandar clicked his tongue, a mix of surprise and admiration in his tone.
"This is a bit too much, isn't it? Can Caster's Noble Phantasm really summon something like this? It feels a bit like cheating."
With just a glance, it was evident that this was a powerful enemy, one that could not be defeated with mere human wave tactics. For a king who once led armies into the fray, this was the worst possible enemy for him.
Arkhan's gaze also carried a hint of solemnity.
Compared to the giant sea demon that merged with Gilles in the original work, the current one seemed even larger and its aura was more imposing. It was challenging for him to discern whether it was because Zouken replaced Gilles or if the creature itself was naturally this powerful.
"No, this isn't summoning. Caster's Noble Phantasm is akin to a self-regulating magical energy reactor. Despite its A+ ranking, the control over the familiars the user could summon is limited. However, if there is no user, there's no such restriction."
Sea demons couldn't be understood with such a narrow concept of magecraft. They were beings born from the accumulation of various desires such as gluttony. The act of summoning such creatures couldn't simply be considered magecraft anymore.
"So, this monster is uncontrollable?" Artoria looked at Arkhan, seeking confirmation.
"Yeah..." Arkhan nodded. "It's just here to feast, nothing more."
"Hmph, whatever it's here for, we just need to kill it!" Cu Chulainn exclaimed, his mouth curled into a crazed grin, while his crimson eyes burned with murderous intent.
The thought of tearing apart such an enemy excited him to the point of trembling. Without any desire for discussion, madness had completely taken over his mind.
A bestial roar quickly erupted from his throat as Cu Chulainn shot out like a projectile, launching an attack on the giant sea demon.
Compared to the sea demon's massive body, he seemed as tiny as an insect. However, his intense murderous intent released at this moment made even the extraterrestrial sea demon cautious.
In an instant, walls shattered, ground cracked, and numerous dark-blue tentacles emerged from the ruins of the Matou residence, resembling grotesque, deformed snakes, thrusting towards Cu Chulainn.
The power of these tentacles was incomparable to the small sea demons encountered earlier. If caught, even a fighter jet would be instantly crushed into a pile of scrap metal.