The punch that Kaguya had just thrown was truly powerful. Saber's armor had been shattered, covered with cracks. At this moment, Saber was kneeling on one knee, leaning on her sword, breathing heavily as sweat dripped down her face.
"Well now," Kaguya casually carried the Excalibur in her hand as she walked over, leaned her head down, and smiled. "It seems like they've already left. It looks like they don't really care about you."
The people Kaguya referred to were Kiritsugu Emiya and the others. The port was now empty and silent, with nothing but the sound of the wind. There were no other noises or signs of people, suggesting that they had indeed retreated.
Saber wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, stood up, and pointed her invisible sword at Kaguya. In a cold voice, she said, "Don't try to confuse me with such words. Your clumsy tricks won't work."
"I know you and Irisviel have a good relationship, but..." Kaguya didn't care about Saber's attitude, smiling as she paced around. "It seems you don't get along too well with your Master, which is why they left you behind without a second thought."
"That is a matter between us. It's none of your business," Saber said, frowning, her voice low.
"If they don't want you anymore, why not…" Kaguya pointed at herself with her pale finger and blinked. "Why not become my Servant?"
"Stop joking!" Saber swung her arm in anger and shouted, "I will only serve the one to whom I have pledged my loyalty. It will never be you, so give up your delusions!"
"Ah, is it because I haven't raised your affection level high enough?" Kaguya scratched her head in frustration and said, "Looks like I'll need to work on improving that."
"Affection level?" Saber frowned.
"Ah, nothing," Kaguya smiled with her eyes closed, spreading her hands. "Since you don't want to join me and have no intention of giving up, I guess I'll have to defeat you first, then kill Kiritsugu Emiya and that woman, Irisviel, too. How's that for a plan?"
At the mention of Irisviel, Saber's eyes narrowed, and a hint of anger appeared on her face. She spoke in a low voice, "I won't let you hurt my friends. And don't think you can defeat me. As long as I'm here, you won't lay a finger on her."
Seeing Saber's expression, Kaguya's lips curled into a slight smile. She chuckled softly and thought to herself, "It seems Saber and her mother-in-law—oh no, Irisviel—have a really good relationship."
"Then let's give it a try." Kaguya flipped her wrist, holding the invisible sword in one hand, and pointed it at Saber. "If you want your friend to live, show me your true power and defeat me."
"As you wish," Saber said in a deep voice.
As soon as the words left her mouth, a powerful energy erupted from Saber's body. An overwhelming force surged out like a tidal wave, and a fierce windstorm formed around her.
"Oh," Kaguya's eyes widened slightly in surprise before she burst into laughter. "Now this is interesting. If it was a one-sided suppression, the battle would lose its fun, wouldn't it?"
"You're too arrogant," Saber growled, gripping her sword tightly with both hands. She stomped on the ground, shattering the rocks beneath her feet, and with the violent wind surrounding her, she rushed toward Kaguya in a flash.
"There's nothing different from before," Kaguya casually swung her sword, thinking she could deflect the attack just as easily as earlier. But when the two swords collided, Kaguya immediately realized something was wrong. This strike was much stronger and fiercer than before.
Clang!
The deafening sound echoed as the force from Saber's sword pushed Kaguya back. Though Kaguya blocked the strike with her sword held horizontally, she was still pushed back seven or eight meters before coming to a stop. She looked up, a surprised expression on her face.
But before she could say anything, Saber had already closed the distance again, quickly advancing toward Kaguya. With both hands gripping Excalibur, she launched a fierce assault.
Clang, clang, clang!
Swords clashed, creating bright sparks as the sound of metal hitting metal echoed without pause.
The Saber who had been suppressed by Kaguya earlier was now displaying overwhelming strength, fighting on equal footing and even gaining the upper hand.
As Kaguya continued to fight, she became increasingly aware that something was wrong. Her eyes could clearly see through Saber's moves and techniques, but whenever she tried to counter, Saber would suddenly change her approach, using the power of the Invisible Air to launch large-scale, indiscriminate attacks.
Suddenly, Kaguya seemed to realize something and chuckled. "So that's it. It's your Instinct, isn't it?"
Instinct is the ability to instantaneously determine the "best course of action" during battle. At rank A, it has entered the realm of "predicting the future." It allows the user to anticipate projectiles and dodge gunfire, as well as partially nullify visual and auditory obstructions.
Saber had been using this Instinct to avoid Kaguya's attacks at critical moments.
Hearing Kaguya's words, Saber said nothing, instead increasing the intensity of her assault. Her attacks came like a storm, raining down on Kaguya with overwhelming force.
This confirmed that Kaguya's observation was correct.
"However, relying on that alone won't be enough to defeat me," Kaguya said with a light smile. Her serene eyes suddenly changed, as if filled with countless stars. At the same time, she swung her sword with precision, the blade gleaming with sharp intent, and thrust it forward at an almost imperceptible speed.
Clang!
The countless sword shadows vanished, and Saber's relentless storm of attacks came to an abrupt halt. Saber herself was sent flying, sliding more than ten meters before coming to a stop.
"How is this possible?" Saber looked at Kaguya in astonishment, seemingly unable to comprehend what had just happened. The opponent had appeared to make a simple, casual strike, yet it had completely overpowered her.
"I told you, if this is all you've got, it won't be enough," Kaguya said with a smile as she twirled her sword playfully.
This was one of the new abilities granted by the Star Eyes after Kaguya absorbed the black mud. It allowed her to see through her opponent's weaknesses and flaws in their techniques, making it easy to break their defenses and disrupt any follow-up attacks. Before, Kaguya's eye techniques could also reveal her opponent's weak points, but it was difficult to take advantage of them during fast-paced battles. Now, her improved ability allowed her to see not only physical weaknesses but also the flaws in her opponent's techniques, which she could easily exploit.
Can nothing defeat her?
If that's the case, I'll have to use that move to completely defeat her.
Saber gritted her teeth and gripped Excalibur tightly with both hands, assuming a battle stance. A resolute light shone in her eyes.