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"Master, the number of these sea monsters is just overwhelming!"
Okita Souji stepped forward, positioning herself protectively in front of Roy, her pretty face hardening with determination.
"How do we get past them and defeat the corrupted Caster?"
Maybe she should use her third Noble Phantasm?
She mulled over the thought and sent the suggestion to Roy through their mental link.
Okita Souji had three Noble Phantasms.
The first was her deadly sword, capable of unleashing her iconic technique, the "Nameless Three-Stage Thrust," which possessed the power to shatter reality.
Her second Noble Phantasm was her cloak, the "Shinsengumi Haori," a representation of the famous Shinsengumi uniform that had been elevated to the status of a Noble Phantasm.
While wearing this, her stats received a noticeable boost, and her sword—historically the "Kaga Kiyomitsu"—transformed into the more mystical "Kiku-ichimonji Norimune," a blade imbued with eight hundred years of mystery.
This was a passive Noble Phantasm, always in effect and currently active. With her Master's immense magical support, she could battle even first-class Heroic Spirits.
Her third Noble Phantasm was her trump card, "Makoto no Hata"—the Flag of Integrity.
This B-ranked anti-army Noble Phantasm allowed her to summon the members of the Shinsengumi, including famous figures like Kondo Isami, Yamanami Keisuke, and Hijikata Toshizo.
While the summoned Shinsengumi members lacked Noble Phantasms and were not as powerful as Okita, each of them was an independent Servant, capable of limited autonomous action without a Master, thanks to their E-rank Independent Action skill.
There weren't many of them, only a bit over a hundred, but in this situation, that was more than enough.
"These sea monsters aren't particularly strong; they just rely on numbers. If I activate my Noble Phantasm, the hundred-plus Shinsengumi swordsmen will absolutely be able to carve a path for you, Master!"
Okita's voice was filled with confidence as she made her case through their mental link.
"What do you think?"
Roy rubbed his chin, his face thoughtful.
He didn't respond immediately but turned to look at Rin and Archer.
"Your Saber is clearly a modern warrior, so it's no surprise she can't unleash large-scale attacks like a beam cannon."
Rin covered her mouth, hiding a chuckle, clearly feeling pleased with herself as if she'd just gained the upper hand.
"Archer, how long would it take you to clear this hill?"
"Hmm, for a wide-area attack? That's no problem."
Archer nodded after a moment of contemplation.
"But with the number of sea monsters here, it'll drain a good deal of your Master's mana. That means tonight we'd only have enough strength to hunt down one corrupted Servant."
Okita puffed up her cheeks in frustration.
"So what if I can't fire beam cannons?" Do swordsmen need beam cannons? Does that affect you in any way?
"Swordsmen are meant to fight with their swords!"
"Yes, yes, I didn't mean to look down on you," Rin replied, grinning mischievously like a villain.
"Grghhh!"
Okita bit her lip in annoyance.
"In that case, let me handle it!"
Roy sighed, shaking his head as he stepped forward.
"Huh? What are you going to do?"
Rin was taken aback, staring at him in disbelief.
"Just watch."
Roy's lips curled into a faint smile.
Even in the midst of such a chaotic battlefield, his expression remained carefree, as if the sea of monsters before him was nothing to worry about.
"Archer, could you fire an arrow into the mountain? Let's see if we can lure the corrupted Caster out."
"I'm not your Servant!"
Archer turned away, crossing his arms and staring up at the sky.
And what's with calling me 'Red A'? What kind of nickname is that?
"I asked you so politely, and you still won't help? Were you raised without manners or just plain rude?"
That hit home.
Archer's fist clenched as a large vein bulged on his forehead.
"Archer, assist him. I'm curious to see what he's planning."
"…Tch. Since it's an order from my Master, fine. But don't think it's because of your taunting, kid!"
With a huff, Archer finally relented.
He nocked an arrow and shot it toward the heart of the hill.
The hill wasn't tall—just a few dozen meters high. The arrow struck the summit in a single shot.
In the next moment, there was a thunderous explosion. The wind howled and a brilliant flash of light tore through the peak, shaking the entire hill as if it had been hit by an earthquake.
A small mushroom cloud rose from the top.
The destructive power left Okita wide-eyed and drooling.
"Damn, I want a beam cannon so bad!"
On the hilltop, the sea monsters were stunned by the attack. Many were thrown into disarray, some knocked flat by the shockwave.
Several of them noticed the four standing at the base of the hill and immediately began scuttling toward them, their slimy, tentacled bodies slapping against the ground, making nauseating squelching sounds.
And at the summit, the corrupted Caster finally took notice of the commotion and appeared before them.
His dark, oversized eyes, like something out of a Picasso painting, fixed on the group below with a cold, eerie stare.
Any normal person caught in that gaze would be haunted for nights on end.
In his arms, he held a grimoire bound in human skin.
The corrupted Caster, whose true identity was Gilles de Rais, had fought in the last Holy Grail War as the Caster.
Despite not being a master of magic himself, his possession of the grimoire, Prelati's Spellbook, gave him the aptitude for the Caster class.
The book allowed him to summon and control sea monsters, and it could even serve as a magical core, capable of casting high-level spells regardless of the caster's own ability. It was a fearsome artifact.
"But in the end, it's nothing more than a borrowed power!"
Roy's eyes narrowed as he closed them briefly.
When he reopened them, his once blood-red, glassy eyes had turned into pitch-black voids, black-and-white mystic symbols swirling like chains within their depths.
His Mystic Eyes of Contradiction manifested fully.
In an instant, his gaze locked onto the Prelati's Spellbook in Caster's hands.
Without a sound, Roy's Mystic Eyes activated.
"It's over."
Roy's eyes flashed with intensity.
"Wha—?!"
Suddenly, without uttering a single word, the corrupted Caster hurled the grimoire from his hands like it was a burning coal.
The grimoire, as if it had been ignited, began to glow hotly in mid-air.
Then, with a deafening boom, it exploded into countless fragments.
"Wha—What?!"
Caster's face was frozen in shock, unable to process what had just happened.
He hadn't even had time to comprehend why the grimoire had exploded. His mind was a complete blank.
Meanwhile, the endless waves of sea monsters began to dissipate, fading away like illusions.
"Saber, go!"
"Yes!"
With her Master's display of power bolstering her spirit, Okita leapt forward like a shadow, swiftly scaling the hill.
She didn't even need to engage in prolonged combat.
With a single strike, Okita decapitated the corrupted Caster.
It wasn't until his head hit the ground that the corrupted Caster realized what had happened.
But by then, it was far too late. His body began to dissolve into pure magical energy, vanishing into the air.
Rin and Archer stood frozen, dumbfounded by the scene unfolding before them.
They turned to look at Roy as though they were staring at some kind of monster.
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