"GRAAAAAAAAAAA—!!!"
A non-human growl echoed from Cu Chulainn's throat.
Behind him, a faintly enormous beastly silhouette, seemingly condensed from the depths of the blue sea, exuded a majestic aura reminiscent of a sea god. It opened its mouth, roaring silently, conveying a heavy pressure like surging waves.
Behind Arkhan, a massive black dragon silhouette also emerged. Its black vertical pupils coldly stared at the sea beast in front of it. Soon, a vast dragon's might descended like an overwhelming force, colliding unabashedly with the sea beast.
The silhouettes of the blue sea beast and the massive black dragon confronted each other.
Watching this scene, the onlookers couldn't help but feel a hallucination, as if the Servants fighting in front of them were not human, but divine beasts stepping into reality.
However, experienced warriors like Artoria knew that this phenomenon indicated the battle between Lancer and Berserker had gradually entered a heated stage. Both sides had abandoned all reservations, recklessly unleashing their powers.
In this intense battle, both Arkhan and Cu Chulainn were injured. However, with the aid of Abyss Flower for Arkhan and rune magecraft for Cu Chulainn, their injuries were quickly healed. Additionally, with Arkhan's EX Mana and Cu Chulainn's EX Endurance, they wouldn't feel tired no matter how long the fight lasted before their Noble Phantasms ended.
From this perspective, this battle had undoubtedly turned into a protracted war.
However, compared to Cu Chulainn, who had completely fallen into madness and had all other Noble Phantasms sealed, Arkhan not only maintained his clear consciousness but he could still use his remaining Noble Phantasms.
Suddenly, a crimson feather fell from the void, and an invisible mental force spread. Even Cu Chulainn, whose state of mind had completely plunged into chaos and madness, temporarily stopped in his tracks. The two crimson glows on his helmet dimmed slightly.
Seizing this opportunity, Arkhan clenched his fist, his spine bending, and quickly straightening.
*Whoosh—!*
A simple and unpretentious straight punch, enhanced by A+ Strength, tore through the air like a sharp sword, carrying a strong gust of wind straight toward Cu Chulainn's heart.
*BOOOOM—!!!*
Like a bullet leaving the barrel, Cu Chulainn instantly lost control of his body and flew backward, crashing heavily on the ground, blood with fragments of internal organs spraying out at once.
This well-planned punch not only caused severe injuries to Cu Chulainn's body but also damaged his Saint Graph, making it impossible for him to maintain his Noble Phantasm. His Curruid armor dissipated entirely, and his aura wilted to the extreme.
In this battle, the victory was decided.
===
Ten minutes ago.
As the battle between Arkhan and Cu Chulainn was intensifying, high above the Ryuudou Temple, on a vantage point near the top of Mount Enzou, concealed and with a clear view, Kiritsugu steadied his expensive sniper rifle, Walther WA2000, equipped with a PV4 night vision scope, observing the battlefield.
Though the Holy Grail War had only reached its fourth day, tonight was undeniably the final showdown. Before coming here, he had secretly taken Irisviel to Shinto with Maiya. Regardless of the outcome, they at least held the trump card of the Lesser Grail.
Honestly, Kiritsugu had already raised his assessment of Lancer before this moment. However, watching the imposing silhouette of the black dragon, he couldn't help but feel a weight on his chest.
He never thought that the agile and skilled Lancer class, renowned for their speed and finesse, would one day stand toe to toe with Berserker in hand-to-hand combat. The absurdity of this feeling was akin to suddenly discovering his other self in this world.
Kiritsugu furrowed his brow slightly, wondering why such thoughts would suddenly occur to him. But he didn't dwell on it, quickly dismissing these irrelevant musings and returning to his earlier train of thought.
In terms of Noble Phantasms, Lancer was no less impressive than Archer with his Gate of Babylon, while in terms of strength and endurance, Lancer rivaled Berserker. Additionally, Lancer also wielded a Noble Phantasm similar to Saber's and had even mastered the primordial rune that many mages could never comprehend in a lifetime.
This parallel version of King Arthur was truly a jack-of-all-trades monster. Even now, Kiritsugu had no idea if this figure had more hidden cards.
Undoubtedly, Lancer was the unquestionably strongest Servant in this Holy Grail War. In a one-on-one situation, no Servant could match him. Even when facing both Archer and Berserker, two exceptional Servants who also broke the norm, Lancer still seemed effortlessly in control.
However, part of this control stemmed from Archer and Berserker harboring mutual resentment and not truly cooperating with each other.
In theory, facing such a Servant, gradually depleting their magical energy through a war of attrition would be the best strategy.
After all, it was evident to anyone that Lancer, though powerful, had a terrifying consumption of magical energy. If they could endure until his magical energy ran out, victory would be theirs.
But the crucial point was that Lancer's Master was a Lord of the Clock Tower, a man whose wealth could rival the entire Einzbern family.
Kiritsugu doubted that Kayneth hadn't considered this situation.
Judging from Lancer's reckless attack, it was clear that he paid no mind to magical energy consumption.
If Saber could join this battle, there might be a chance to defeat Lancer, but unfortunately, Rider was lurking nearby, preventing her from getting a chance to strike.
Kiritsugu had a vague intuition. Relying solely on Archer and Berserker, it seemed unlikely to defeat Lancer.
Since a direct confrontation wouldn't work, he had to resort to alternative methods.
Turning his sniper, Kiritsugu searched for Lancer's Master. He was convinced that the proud man, Kayneth, wouldn't choose to retreat at this moment and would definitely appear on this battlefield.
However, despite searching all possible hiding places, he found nothing. Just as doubt began to creep into his mind, a confident and arrogant voice suddenly echoed by his side.
"There you are, you war dog."
Hearing the voice, Kiritsugu's hair instantly stood on end.
A sense of imminent danger, like the icy claws of a demon, gripped his heart, sending shivers down his spine.