She was going to use her Noble Phantasm here!
This was still within the city limits. Although the population density in the villa district wasn't as high as the city center, releasing that cursed sword here would still tear apart the entire area!
If that Noble Phantasm were unleashed, the magi of Fuyuki City would suffer heavy casualties. Sure, most of those magi had the morals of animals, but at this point, the city couldn't do without them.
And more importantly, if she unleashed that power… Roy and Tohsaka Rin were as good as dead!
"I can't let her do this!"
With mounting urgency, Okita dashed toward Blackened Saber without a second thought.
But Blackened Saber's mana surged explosively, forming a storm of tangible energy that swept Okita away, making it impossible to approach.
"Damn it!"
Okita felt utterly helpless. Blackened Saber was now drawing on the Lesser Grail's mana without restraint, determined to wipe them all out. The same force had thrown her off before.
Stopping her seemed impossible.
Out of options, Okita turned and dashed toward Roy's location. Right now, the only thing she could do was try to help her Master escape.
"Roy, you should go on alone," Rin said, sighing heavily, her expression resolute.
She was prepared to die here.
"Master," Taigong Wang's voice resonated in Roy's mind. "Just this once, I can use my Earth Shifting Technique to get you all out. What do you choose?"
If he made a move, escape was possible. But using the technique would come dangerously close to exposing his true identity.
Taigong Wang wanted to help them escape, but he remembered Roy's strict instructions about staying hidden. So he deferred the choice to Roy.
Was it better to die here, knowing he had a chance to fulfill his ideals? Or to flee, leaving his mission incomplete?
"No, don't use it!" Roy commanded firmly.
"Even with Miss Tohsaka here?"
"Well…" Roy hesitated, struggling with his own resolve.
While he was ready to sacrifice himself if it meant achieving his goal, he didn't want Rin to die alongside him.
But at that moment, Blackened Saber raised her towering, dark blade, brimming with lethal energy.
"—Swallow the light… Excalibur Morgan!"
The black aurora surged forward, consuming everything in its path, sweeping toward Roy and Rin in a torrent of destructive force. The sheer heat would vaporize flesh and blood upon contact.
Rin instinctively closed her eyes, bracing herself for death.
Okita, determination etched on her face, stepped between Roy and the oncoming wave, resolved to perish before her Master did.
Just then, Taigong Wang, disguised as Huang Feihu, abandoned his clash with Blackened Berserker and, in the blink of an eye, appeared in front of the three of them. With a wave of his hand, a protective array inscribed with ancient characters unfolded before them.
The array exuded an aura as ancient as the tides themselves, and it held strong against the relentless flood of dark energy, standing resilient like a rock in the sea.
"Well, well… It took me quite a while to craft this array. Aren't I clever?" Taigong Wang chuckled with calm confidence, as if even facing Blackened Saber's Noble Phantasm was no great challenge.
"But my mana can't compare to the Lesser Grail," he warned. "If you intend to escape, you'll need to decide before my mana runs out. So, Master, do you wish to change your answer?"
They could try escaping now. Of course, Blackened Saber would most likely pursue them.
Or, even worse, she might go directly to the Greater Grail, claim it for herself, or unleash her wrath on Fuyuki City, killing thousands.
But fleeing now would give them a brief reprieve, time to think of a countermeasure.
Alternatively, they could stay and die here, leaving Taigong Wang alone to carry out Roy's will.
The black light raged beyond the barrier, like a predator stalking its prey, hungry to devour all in its path.
Blackened Saber, relentless, poured the Lesser Grail's mana into her sword, feeding the darkness, and the storm of energy grew even more ferocious.
The ancient Eastern magic circle began to tremble under the constant pressure of the light's torrent, cracks appearing in the shield.
"So, my first time back here in a while… and it's in a situation like this, huh?"
Amidst the roaring light, a figure slowly approached.
Tall and slender, the woman's figure was wrapped in a simple T-shirt and pants. Her long, blood-red hair danced wildly in the turbulent air, exuding an aura of absolute confidence.
"!"
Blackened Saber suddenly sensed a powerful threat. She whipped around, her gaze zeroing in on the red-haired figure.
The woman extended her hand, gathering a sphere of magical energy in her palm.
In an instant, four layers of magical energy compressed into a single, pure force.
"Boom!"
With a resounding explosion, the woman fired a magic blast that tore through the air like a laser.
Without hesitation, Blackened Saber abandoned her attack and leapt to the side, retreating from the advancing force.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz!"
With a flick of her wrist, the red-haired woman conjured a dozen magical blasts, stacking their power to the limit. For a brief moment, the night sky was filled with complex, interlocking geometric shapes.
"Arthur!" Blackened Berserker lunged toward Blackened Saber like a mad dog.
With an impatient scowl, Blackened Saber kicked him aside.
Just then, the red-haired woman flicked her fingers, and the conjured blasts fired in a simultaneous volley.
Sensing immediate danger, Blackened Saber crouched low and darted away, weaving through the blasts with agile precision.
On the ground, Blackened Berserker lay stunned, staring at her with confusion, as if unable to understand why his king had kicked him.
In the next instant, two of the magical blasts pivoted mid-air, veering sharply toward him. Caught off guard, Blackened Berserker was struck directly by the searing magic.
With armor and body alike dissolving under the assault, he disappeared as quickly as spring snow in a downpour.
After a single round, no trace of Blackened Berserker remained.
"You've layered basic magical blasts to near-ritual-level devastation… and with limitless mana…"
Blackened Saber's face remained impassive, though her eyes were wary as they fixed on the red-haired woman.
"Unlike me, borrowing mana from the Lesser Grail, your power is wholly your own. It's not just enormous; it's truly endless… Are you… a modern-day Magician?"
"That's right. My mana is borrowed from versions of myself across other timelines, allowing me to draw on a fundamentally different level of output than you."
The red-haired woman casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her expression slightly taunting.
"If you want a challenge, why not let me bring out a version of myself from ten years—or even a hundred years—into the future?"
"The Magician of the End," Blackened Saber murmured under her breath, as if she had already deduced her opponent's magic.
But she wasn't one to back down so easily.
"By the rules," Blackened Saber said coldly, "a being of your level shouldn't interfere in this world's affairs."
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