"Hahaha... bring out the higher-ups already!"
Just as Red Saber Mordred's mocking words left her mouth, before she could even relish the reactions of these "tin cans," a sudden and powerful presence entered her senses.
"Huh?!"
Boom!
"Alright, as you wish!" A forceful, overwhelming aura burst into Mordred's awareness.
A figure, streaking through the sky like a meteor, closed the distance with astonishing speed. In the corner of her vision, all she could see was the burning red trail left in the figure's wake.
Mordred tensed every muscle in her body, struggling to turn around, and the first thing that entered her sight was a figure towering even taller than the already imposing armored soldiers around her.
The only difference was that this figure was even bigger, even stronger, and the armor decorating him was far more elaborate and finely crafted. Oh, and he wasn't wearing a helmet!
Crap, the higher-up really showed up... and judging by all the fancy decorations on his armor, he's got to be high-ranking...
Before her thoughts could fully register, knowing full well that she was the target of this new enemy, Mordred's crimson lightning surged more ferociously around her, channeling every ounce of magical energy she could muster into her sword, Clarent, in preparation for the impending clash.
With a mighty swing, she aimed her sword backward, delivering a strike with all her strength.
Boom!
An earth-shattering explosion echoed through the battlefield, and a mushroom cloud rose into the air. The already war-torn ground, having been pounded by countless explosions, could no longer bear the strain and caved in, sending grass and soil flying everywhere.
At that moment, Mordred finally caught a clear glimpse of her opponent's weapon.
It wasn't a chainsword like the ones wielded by the officers she had fought earlier but a massive broad-bladed sword. The blade alone was much larger than her entire body, sharp as frost, with intricate patterns like clouds etched along the edge.
The sword's hilt was shaped like golden angel wings, with a blood-red gemstone the size of a baby's fist set in the center, surrounded by dense purple-red magical particles that burned like flames.
This guy's rank must be really high...
Boom!
With superior strength, the giant easily knocked Mordred back, sending her flying into the air. Her body spun uncontrollably, tracing a perfect arc in the sky before crashing into the ground.
Only after tumbling several times did Mordred manage to plant her sword deep into the ground, dragging it through the earth to slow her momentum, leaving a long trench in her wake.
"So this is the strongest Servant class, Saber, that Her Majesty spoke of... Sigh, this spiritual body still feels limiting, like there's power I can't fully unleash."
With the attack over, Alex planted his golden-winged greatsword into the ground, shaking his arm in dissatisfaction.
Meanwhile, having been struck by Alex's powerful blow, Mordred finally stopped after digging her sword into the earth. Using her left hand to stabilize herself, she spun around with her sword as an anchor, dragging up a cloud of dust as she came to a halt.
The dust, which had been kicked up by the clash, now slowly began to settle, raining down like droplets on the battlefield around Mordred and Alex.
"Who are you? Isn't the Black Saber supposed to be Siegfried? Are you a Berserker? No, that's not right... Could you be a rogue summon?"
Brushing the dust off her armor, Mordred stood up, staring warily at the giant in black armor a dozen meters away.
At that moment, a thought crossed Mordred's mind—the same thought Achilles had. Had her mouth been cursed? This wasn't a typical battle where she could trash-talk to her heart's content. These were Holy Grail War opponents, legendary heroes from across the ages. And every time she talked smack, she got beaten up...
Maybe I should stop talking trash on the battlefield... Mordred gripped Clarent with both hands, mulling over the idea.
In response, Alex rested his hands on the hilt of his sword and smiled, shaking his head. "No, I'm merely a soldier fortunate enough to have been summoned by Her Majesty."
"Summoned... by Her Majesty?"
Mordred caught the key phrase, and everything clicked. She finally understood what Red Archer Atalanta meant by a large-scale army summoning Noble Phantasm.
So it wasn't just soldiers—Black Rider's Noble Phantasm could summon generals too. "That's... cheating!"
"Well then, let's continue." With a slight smile, Alex's expression turned cold. Gripping his massive golden-winged greatsword, he stared solemnly at Mordred.
"Bring it on!"
"I am Alex, commander of the First Legion of the Astartes. Red Saber, let us begin." With that, Alex bent his knees, and with a thunderous boom, he closed the distance in an instant!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In the blink of an eye, the space between them was filled with a web of sword strikes, each of their attacks blazing with the color of their respective magical energies—Mordred's crimson lightning clashing against Alex's purple-red flames. Sparks flew as their blades collided, the ringing of metal echoing across the battlefield.
"These guys... their strength is on par with Berserkers..."
Mordred felt like every time their swords met, it was as if a hammer had struck her blade.
The sheer muscle power behind Alex's strikes reverberated through Clarent, sending shockwaves into her arms.
Bending down to avoid Alex's upward slash, Mordred countered by thrusting her sword upward, aiming for the vulnerable joint in his armor at his waist.
Well, there wasn't much she could do with such a height difference... She would've liked to strike his chest, but she'd have to jump to reach it.
Clang!
Her thrust was blocked by Alex's thick gauntlet. But Mordred wasn't one to be easily dissuaded. With the sharp instincts honed in battle and the natural Instinct ability passed down from the Pendragon bloodline, she immediately twisted her wrist. Releasing her grip with her right hand, she ducked just as Alex's greatsword passed over her head, then grabbed Clarent with her left hand, converting her thrust into a horizontal slash.
However, Alex swiftly lowered his blade, parrying Mordred's strike aimed at the knee joint of his power armor. He then followed up by redirecting Clarent to the side with a deft movement of his golden-winged greatsword.
Boom!
Alex raised his knee and slammed it into Mordred's helmeted head.
Crack!
Her faceplate shattered instantly.
Huh? So young?
Even though Selene had already implanted some information into his mind, Alex hadn't expected Mordred to look so young beneath her helmet.
Of course, while these thoughts ran through his mind, Alex showed no mercy. He swung his sword down with brutal force.
Dazed from the blow to the head, Mordred spat out a mouthful of blood as her vision blurred. Seeing Alex's incoming attack, she had no choice but to roll out of the way, abandoning any sense of grace or composure.
But the old problem remained—the difference in size. Just as Mordred finished rolling away, Alex's massive foot came crashing down.
Boom!
"Ugh!"
Like a kicked ball, Mordred's body bent from the impact as her breastplate cracked under the immense force. She was sent flying backward.
But Alex wasn't done yet. His relentless assault continued as he bore down on her like a storm.
Crash! Bang! Clang!
Biting the tip of her tongue to stay focused, Mordred once again unleashed her red lightning, swinging Clarent to meet Alex head-on.
But this time, Clang!
Mordred's arms buckled under the pressure. Her sword trembled violently in her hands, nearly slipping from her grip.
"No, this won't work. I need to change tactics."
Mordred realized that she was at a disadvantage in a head-to-head clash. These "tin cans" had ridiculously high base stats. They might lack Noble Phantasms and special skills, but their raw strength was terrifying.
She needed to play to her own strengths. Otherwise, she'd be beaten to death at this rate. "Hmm... I've got it!"
"Master! Have that old hag send me some mana. I'm going to release my Noble Phantasm!"
...
Inside the Throne Room of the Hanging Gardens.
"Cough, cough... Assassin, could you please provide some mana for Saber?" Kairi Sisigou asked, a little embarrassed, as he turned toward Semiramis.
"Hmph... That loudmouth, always so arrogant, and now she's getting beaten down by a mere summoned soldier—not even a proper Servant."
Though she spoke with disdain, Red Assassin Semiramis still granted Mordred's request.
With a snap of her fingers, a purple magic circle appeared beneath Sisigou. A surge of mana flowed through the magic circuit, and through the connection of the Command Spell, it was transmitted to Mordred.
"Those two giants—the one who summoned the water dragons to block Archer's Noble Phantasm, and the one who's currently overpowering Saber—they must be Black Rider's doing."
Amakusa Shirou Tokisada massaged his temples, clearly frustrated. "No matter how I look at it, that Noble Phantasm is absurdly overpowered."
"Father," Red Lancer Karna suddenly spoke up, his arms crossed as he silently observed the ongoing battle. "I've been watching, and I've noticed some limitations in the soldiers summoned by Black Rider's Noble Phantasm."
"Oh? Lancer, please share your thoughts," Amakusa Shirou said, as he and the others turned to face Karna.
After a moment of consideration, Karna spoke with conviction. "The silver-haired general—his water dragon attack wasn't a Noble Phantasm. It was just a Mana Burst. And the one who's fighting Saber hasn't used any attacks resembling a Noble Phantasm either."
"So, what do you think that means?" Amakusa Shirou's eyes lit up with a flash of hope.
"It means they're limited in some way. They can't unleash their full power," Karna said with certainty.
"Their existence must be constrained. They may be powerful, but they aren't full-fledged Servants. I'm guessing they can't use Noble Phantasms at all, and at best, they retain their original martial skills and Mana Burst abilities."
As Karna spoke, his skill, Discernment of the Poor, came into play—a unique ability that allowed him to perceive the true nature of his opponents, discerning their character and attributes with unparalleled clarity.
Karna's deductions were spot-on. He had correctly identified the flaw in Selene's Honkai Dimension's secondary function: the large-scale army-summoning effect.
This flaw was a result of the limitations placed upon Selene by the Root's Counter Force due to her summoning under a standard Servant framework.
Selene's army-summoning Noble Phantasm was indeed powerful and theoretically unlimited in the number of soldiers she could summon, provided there was enough mana.
However, there were significant restrictions:
All mana costs for the summoned soldiers had to be supplied by Selene's Master.The summoned soldiers could not use Noble Phantasms and were limited to their basic stats, martial skills, and Mana Burst abilities.
The first restriction alone crippled much of the Noble Phantasm's potential. Not every Master was from a family like the Yggdmillennia, with vast mana reserves built up over years of preparation.
If this were the standard Fuyuki Grail War, for instance, a Master like Illyasviel von Einzbern, with her immense mana capacity, might be able to summon a few soldiers. But even she couldn't sustain the enormous mana costs required by someone like Selene.
So, yes, the Root's Counter Force had been rather sly in imposing such limitations on Selene's summoning ability. While her template was undeniably powerful, unleashing her full might would consume so much mana that it would overwhelm most individual Masters.
"Thank you, Lancer. Your insight has been invaluable." Amakusa Shirou bowed slightly, deeply grateful.
"Think nothing of it, Priest... but when can I join the battle?" Karna asked, his gaze fixed intently on the battle displayed in the Hanging Gardens' magical projections.
"Now's the time..."
In the magical display, the Black Faction's Servants were emerging onto the battlefield below the floating fortress, led by Black Lancer Vlad III.
"Although Black Caster hasn't appeared, it doesn't matter. Lancer, I'm giving you permission to unleash your Noble Phantasms without restriction—except for the one meant to kill gods. Please hold nothing back."
"I need you to hold off all the Black Servants for as long as possible... Caster can't hold out much longer either."
Amakusa Shirou glanced at another magical display, showing the town of Sighișoara. His brow furrowed with worry. "Soon, Black Rider will likely arrive as well. You'll be up against five opponents. I don't expect you to defeat them all, but..."
"Lancer, I'm counting on you!!" Amakusa Shirou bowed deeply, almost pleading.
Without a word, Karna nodded, gripping his golden spear tightly as he turned and left the Hanging Gardens' throne room.
"..."
"This is it—our make-or-break moment."
As Karna's figure disappeared, Amakusa Shirou slowly straightened, his gaze fixed resolutely on the illuminated Yggdmillennia stronghold in the distance.
...
Sighișoara.
Boom! Crash!
Debris flew everywhere as clouds of dust filled the air.
With a wave of her hand, Selene effortlessly dispersed two overdramatically dressed spirits—figures straight out of a stage play.
"Is this... Romeo and Juliet?"
"Oh, yes indeed, O venerable Empress! I am delighted that even a divine being such as yourself has read my works! Ah, how fortunate I am!"
"..."
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