Saber's beautiful eyes widened as she stared intently at the sword in Kaguya's hand, astonished. She could clearly feel that the weapon Kaguya was holding was none other than Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory. Whether it was its appearance, the power it emitted, or the Invisible Air shrouding the blade, everything was exactly the same.
However, what Saber didn't know was that this was the result of Kaguya's ability—Mirror Flower, Water Moon.
Earlier, perhaps due to the Lesser Grail inside Irisviel sensing the Dragon Veins Chakra within Kaguya, it had suddenly become active. The Lesser Grail had emerged from Irisviel's body and entered Kaguya's, and in a rare event, it had summoned the Greater Grail.
After the Greater Grail appeared, possibly because of their shared evil attributes and the principle that like attracts like, the black mud inside the Grail began to boil and surged out, trying to engulf the Dragon Veins Chakra.
If Kaguya had been submerged in the black mud of evil, it's likely that even with her immense power, she would have been corroded, perhaps turning into a "Dark Kaguya" in the future.
But, unexpectedly, the black mud of evil could not withstand the immense power of the Dragon Veins Chakra. Instead of devouring Kaguya, the Dragon Veins Chakra consumed the black mud.
This was truly a case of losing out instead of gaining anything.
Kaguya, on the other hand, benefited from this disaster and gained a physical body. In other words, she was no longer in the form of a Servant but had become a living human.
Moreover, her abilities had greatly improved. She had leveled up directly, and her projection ability, which had originally created illusions, had now evolved into the ability to project real, physical objects.
Kaguya was fully aware of these changes, though she didn't understand the exact reasons for them. Especially the question of why, as a Servant, she had the Dragon Veins Chakra in her body.
However, Kaguya didn't dwell on these questions. All she knew was that her powers had greatly increased, and that was enough.
But was it really as simple as it seemed? A flash of red flickered in Kaguya's watery eyes.
As for Saber, an outsider to all of this, she had no idea what had just occurred.
"Surprised?" Kaguya casually swung the Excalibur in her hand, the blade concealed by the Invisible Air, and chuckled, "Sorry for playing with your sword."
"Bastard!" Saber, rarely seen showing such anger, was visibly furious.
"This sword is really nice, much better than the one I had before." Kaguya weighed Excalibur in her hand with a smile.
The sword Kaguya had been using was the Kusanagi Sword. Though sharp and useful, it was still an ordinary weapon with no special powers. But Excalibur was different—it was an A-ranked Noble Phantasm.
"You've defiled my Noble Phantasm," Saber, seeing Kaguya's disrespectful behavior, was truly enraged. Her delicate face flushed red with anger, her hands gripping the sword trembled slightly, and her lips were pressed tightly together as she glared at Kaguya with a murderous gaze. "This is unforgivable."
Before her words even finished, Saber's body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, her clothes fluttering wildly in the fierce wind. She raised her arms, swinging her sword toward Kaguya with great force.
Clang!
Sparks flew as the identical Excalibur swords clashed fiercely.
"Are you angry?" Kaguya, holding Excalibur in one hand to block Saber's attack, smiled lightly and said, "A king should have the demeanor of a king. How can you throw a tantrum like a child? Is the legendary King of Knights just a little girl?"
Hearing Kaguya's mockery, Saber, already furious, was now burning with rage. Her beautiful face flushed as if covered with rouge. She swung her sword with increasing speed and force, each strike heavier and faster than the last.
Clang, clang, clang!
The sound of metal clashing rang out continuously.
"Haah!"
With an angry shout, Saber stomped her foot, using the recoil to leap into the air. In the howling wind, she swung her sword with all her strength, slashing down with a powerful strike.
"If that's all you've got, it's still far from enough," Kaguya chuckled softly, seemingly unconcerned. She raised her sword in one hand, her eyes flashing as she slashed upward from below, aiming for Saber's side.
Saber was shocked—this was her weak spot! How did she know?
If she forced her attack, her side would be completely exposed. The Invisible Air and her illusory armor wouldn't be able to block Excalibur, and Kaguya's strike would pierce her heart.
Saber gritted her teeth angrily.
Clang!
Sparks flew.
Because she changed her move midway, Saber lost her balance and couldn't put enough strength into her strike. Kaguya's sword sent her flying backward. Saber retreated seven or eight steps before she finally regained her footing.
What's going on? Saber looked at the silver-haired girl in the distance, filled with doubt.
From the moment the battle started, every one of her attacks had been thwarted, as if her moves had been completely read. No matter what kind of strike she attempted, Kaguya's sudden counters forced her into a defensive position. This feeling made Saber extremely uncomfortable.
But Saber didn't give up. She bit her lip and charged forward again.
"Give it up. None of your moves can escape my eyes," Kaguya said casually as she swung her sword, effortlessly breaking through Saber's fierce attack.
"Could it be…"
Saber's body trembled, and she raised her head to look at Kaguya's large, beautiful eyes, which sparkled like dazzling stars.
At that moment, a shadow suddenly appeared in front of Saber—it was Kaguya. She had somehow closed the distance and was now right in front of Saber.
"Has no one ever told you to focus during a fight?" Kaguya's flawless face broke into a radiant smile as she spoke.
Saber's pupils contracted in shock. She gripped her sword tightly and tried to defend herself, but it was too late.
Bang!
Kaguya's fist slammed into Saber's soft abdomen. Her stomach caved in from the force, and Saber spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva. Her body flew through the air, crashing heavily to the ground with a loud boom.
"Huh?" Kaguya looked at her fist, embarrassed, and said, "Oops, maybe I hit too hard."
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