The Command Seals are a symbol of the bond between a Heroic Spirit and their Master, but they're also a mark of authority. No matter how great the hero, their will can be bent by a Command Seal.
"By my Command Seal: Karna, defeat Cyd." "By my Command Seal: Karna, defeat Cyd." "By my Command Seal: Karna, defeat Cyd."
Three Seals disappeared in an instant. Shirou Kotomine, his Master, lounged on the couch with a satisfied nod.
Karna was different from most heroes. Sure, they had pride, but some could be downright stubborn about following orders—Achilles was notorious for doing whatever he pleased. Karna, though? He had pride, but he also put his Master first. No questions asked.
Even though he hadn't seen his Master in person, when three Command Seals were used, Karna didn't hesitate. Confusing? Sure. But an order was an order.
"So… this is your choice, huh?" Cyd gripped the tip of Karna's spear, his bare hand stopping the god-slaying weapon.
"Master's command is my choice," Karna replied calmly, flames flickering to life behind him. With the power of three Seals backing him, he was ready to go all out. "Besides, I've been waiting for a proper fight with you."
"Guess we can't avoid it, then!" Cyd's eyes flared, crimson flooding his irises as a massive blade's shadow loomed over Karna.
Fwoosh.
Heat exploded from Karna, waves of searing flame rolling off him. Cyd, grinning wildly, charged right through the inferno—an inferno that had once driven even Vlad III back. Cyd slammed into Karna with the force of a meteor, knocking the hero straight into a wall.
"Keep moving forward. I'll handle this," Cyd brushed the flames off his armor with a casual swipe.
"I'm staying right here," Atalanta crossed her arms, refusing to budge. "You deal with this yourself, farm boy."
"Be careful!" Jeanne hesitated but continued toward the Grail after a quick nod. She wasn't going to risk staying.
Karna stood up slowly from the rubble, unshaken, even as Jeanne ran past him. He didn't need to stop her—his orders were clear: defeat Cyd. And if Jeanne caused trouble for that priest? All the better.
"Just so we're clear—I'm going to bring you down with everything I've got," Cyd warned, his voice cool. The ground rumbled as he drove his sword—[Heavy-Forged Pandora]—into the earth. Lava bubbled up, spreading outward in a molten circle around him.
"Thank you," Karna responded simply.
The next moment, he shot forward like a blazing arrow, the God-Slaying Spear in his hands wreathed in flames, aimed straight for Cyd's head.
"You're quite the weirdo," Cyd smirked, catching the spear with his sword. The lava around them twisted into a massive molten blade, distorting the air with its intense heat. Karna's eyes narrowed as he pulled back his spear, blocking with a fiery twirl. He swung his spear at the molten sword.
The instant the two weapons collided, the world didn't explode in light or fury. No dramatic clash. Not even lava could melt Karna's spear. He was the son of the Sun God—mere heat was nothing to him.
But Cyd kept swinging.
Karna's eyes widened as molten rock split around his spear, surging toward him. The heat wasn't enough to wound him, but it enveloped him like a cage.
And Cyd wasn't done. In an instant, the molten lava cooled, solidifying into rock, trapping Karna—and his spear—inside.
Crack. Crack.
The sound of breaking stone echoed, and Karna tensed. Something was moving inside the rock. His instincts screamed at him: he couldn't let it touch him.
"Brahma!"
Flames erupted from the cracks, shattering the stone into shards. Karna finally caught sight of what was coming at him—a black scythe. Despite the burning flames around him, a chill ran down his spine. He knew what that scythe represented: death. Instant and absolute. If it touched him, there'd be no escape.
"Curse me!"
Karna swung his spear, flames bursting from its tip. It was like the sun itself had descended upon the battlefield. The scythe was pushed back by the sheer force of the heat.
"I can see it," Cyd's eyes gleamed black as night, the crimson replaced by a void that swallowed all light. He could see death itself. And anything he saw, he could reap.
Even fire.
Cyd swung his scythe again, this time cleaving through the air itself. The flames around them twisted, as if drawn into the abyss. One by one, the fire was consumed by the dark void.
"This is the blessing Hades gave you, isn't it?" Karna's expression tightened.
"Who knows?" Cyd shrugged, shouldering his scythe. "But I'll tell you this much—even gods aren't safe from this blade. Immortality? It's useless in front of me. I've already seen it. I've already done it—cut down a god who thought he couldn't die. So believe me when I say, nothing in this world is beyond my reach."
"Then I'll have to make sure there's no end to reach, won't I?" Karna's gaze sharpened as he breathed deeply. "You… you're strong enough for this."
The golden armor that had always protected him began to fall away, not disappearing, but fusing with his spear. The true form of his God-Slaying Spear was awakening.
He was born into tragedy. His very existence had been a test for his mother. Once he succeeded, he was discarded.
Yet, Karna never hated her. He understood her reasons. His father still loved him, gifting him the golden armor. Life had never been easy, but he fought his way to the top.
And there, fate betrayed him once again. His opponent had been Arjuna, his half-brother, son of the King of Gods. Every god stood behind Arjuna, except his father.
Karna had known it was Arjuna's father who had stolen his armor, but he hadn't protested. He'd handed it over, knowing he'd been tricked, because it was what he had to do.
The King of Gods had been impressed, granting him a divine spear, but in the end, Arjuna's allies had stolen that too. He'd died without a chance to fight back.
But still, even in defeat, there was something about Arjuna's betrayal that felt like recognition.
Karna had no regrets. Yet, there was still one thing he longed for: a fair fight.
You'll give me that, won't you?
In Cyd, Karna saw the shadow of Arjuna—a warrior blessed by the gods.
Karna floated into the air, his white hair whipping in the flames. Without his armor, his will was sharper than ever. This next strike would be his purest form, his ultimate spear—strong enough to bring down the gods themselves.
"Feel the mercy of the King of Gods."
"Indra, watch closely."
"The end is in this strike."
Cyd smirked, lightning crackling around his blade. "The King of Gods' spear and your will combined into one attack, huh? Then it's only right I answer with all I've got!"
[Heavy-Forged Pandora]—Zeus Form.
Lightning surged from Cyd's weapon, the very essence of the King of Gods. In that moment, Cyd seemed to become Zeus himself, holding the power to kill even a god.
"Thank you," Karna smiled, his heart full.
"Burn everything to ash—'Vasavi Shakti!'"
Cyd raised his staff.
"Witness the majesty of the King of Gods."
"This is the lightning that protects the world."
"One strike is all it takes."
"Zeus!"