He swung his sword.
The moment the golden brilliance vanished, a streak of dusk-colored sword light rose to meet the searing dragon's breath from behind.
Like a hot knife slicing through butter, that terrifying torrent of energy was cleaved apart in one stroke, and under Fafnir's horrified gaze, the blow struck straight across its face.
"Rrraugh!!"
Fafnir reared back with a pained roar, the dragon's breath that had been spewing forth ceasing at once.
This… doesn't look good…
The Servants who had only just managed to send Marie and Amadeus back to the Throne of Heroes all felt the same uneasy premonition rise in their chests.
Amid the billowing dust, countless points of dusk-colored light flickered within—each pulse growing ever brighter.
At some point, Lin Qi had already stepped into the place Jeanne once stood. Behind him loomed the half-transparent figure of Siegfried's spirit.
He grasped the Holy Flag that still stood planted in the earth, letting it flutter in the wind.
The boy's eyes were calm—but beneath that stillness, like a deep and silent lake, surged an endless fury transmuted from grief.
Innate Skill — [Dragon Slayer] — Activate!
Command Spell—
A flash of crimson light. Pure magical energy flared into existence within his body.
Lin Qi twisted the sword hilt. The blue gem set within it, filled with True Ether, seemed to have been long restrained—now erupting like a volcano held back for decades. Dusk-colored energy surged forth, wrapping Balmung in a violent blaze.
He stamped heavily upon the ground. The earth beneath him groaned, splintering into a web of cracks.
Boom—!
The next instant, Lin Qi and the spirit behind him vanished. His speed shattered the sound barrier, scattering the dust in every direction, leaving behind a circular void where he'd stood.
First Special Skill — Activate.
This time, Lin Qi wasn't using it merely to flee. He fused both powers at once—speed and sword arm in perfect tandem.
Mental strain? Was there any need to care about something like that?
He was far past the point of restraint—his rage had already overflowed!
"True Ether, full release—Phantasmal Greatsword: Maximum Output—!" ×2
Siegfried's voice overlapped with Lin Qi's. But Lin Qi's own tone—forced out through clenched teeth—radiated unmistakable fury.
The terror of the Dragon Slayer's might, compounded with Lin Qi's unique ability… just how fast was it?
No one knew. To every Servant watching, all they saw was the dust stirred by Fafnir's breath suddenly bursting apart—and a flash of blue light streaking through it.
In that surreal instant, the Servants barely had time to blink before afterimages—frame by frame—remained in the air, tracing Siegfried's motion through the battlefield.
Their hearts trembled inexplicably. Almost instinctively, they followed that trail upward with their eyes—
But just as they lifted their heads, a massive black shadow was struck by an irresistible force and came crashing down before they could even focus.
The ground quaked violently. Only then did the Servants realize, to their horror, that the mountainous beast that had stood as their ultimate weapon… had been slammed to the ground, completely helpless.
A deep, bone-revealing wound gaped across its forehead, shimmering faintly with dusk-colored light.
But—was it over?
Fafnir wasn't dead yet. And Lin Qi hadn't even fully unleashed his Noble Phantasm.
After knocking the dragon down, Balmung drove mercilessly into Fafnir's neck. Even half-released, the Noble Phantasm's power was monstrous—its bewitching True Ether raging uncontrollably beneath scale and flesh alike.
But did you think that was the end?
Lin Qi gripped Balmung tightly with both hands, his gaze tracing along Fafnir's spine toward the tip of its tail—linking the line within his mind.
"Awaken from the golden dream—be freed from your cradle—!
Evil Dragon—
Shall be utterly destroyed!!
Phantasmal Greatsword, Balmung!!" ×2
With Lin Qi's special ability augmenting him, not only was his speed pushed to its utmost, even the invocation of the Noble Phantasm flowed as if under the effect of High-Speed Divine Words—the words and syllables fusing into a blur, impossible for others to discern.
And still, Siegfried's voice resonated alongside his own—their overlapping chant reverberating like a sacred rite.
It didn't matter. That roar—echoing within everyone's hearts—was clear enough for all to understand.
"HAAAH—!!"
Fafnir didn't even have time to scream.
Balmung tore through its massive draconic form. The beam of dusk-colored light, condensed from pure True Ether, surged along the sword's path, bursting its titanic body apart—
Then, without slowing, it slammed into a distant mountainside, carving out a semi-circular crater hundreds of meters across.
"Hah… hah…"
Lin Qi panted heavily, his cold gaze sweeping toward the Berserk Servants who had been blown back several paces by the aftershock of the light cannon.
And at that moment—Fafnir's head, still mostly intact, thudded heavily to the ground behind him.
Thunk…
Seeing this, every Berserk Servant who still retained a shred of reason involuntarily swallowed hard.
Th–This… can't be right, can it?
"...What's there to be afraid of?! Earlier we overwhelmed the original Dragon Slayer himself—what's this ordinary little Master who's only borrowing another's strength compared to that?"
Vlad III gritted his teeth, furious at the fear that had crept into his heart.
How could he feel fear—toward some unremarkable human Master, no less!
"Indeed. Just a little brat who hides behind others. Let's show him what a real Servant battle looks like~"
Carmilla smirked, her playful tone laced with malice.
They were right, weren't they? There were so many of them—how could he possibly defeat them all at once?
The more Carmilla thought about it, the more she found it amusing.
Seriously, how are you two managing to stay this fired up at a time like this?
Having lost all energy after helping take down Marie, D'Eon could only stare in disbelief at their passion.
Beside him, Sanson muttered endlessly, still brooding over his failure to strike the killing blow himself.
As for Atalante Alter… well, ever since she'd been inflicted with Madness Enhancement upon manifesting, she'd lived by the proverb "silence is golden"—and hadn't spoken a word.
Just as the two Berserkers were basking in their smug confidence, a voice suddenly rang out from afar—
"Blessed Sword by Which Force Is Slain — Ascalon!"
Soft radiance scattered into multiple rays, evenly falling upon each Servant present.
The two Berserkers' smiles froze instantly.
Far away, Saint George calmly sheathed his sword.
He'd been suppressed and unable to retaliate for so long—even his saintly patience had reached its limit.
So—what are you staring at? You're dragons too!
Phantasmal Greatsword, Balmung!
Without hesitation, Lin Qi twisted the hilt once more. This time, without even gathering much power, the Noble Phantasm was unleashed almost instantaneously.
He swung Balmung. The dusk-colored swordlight fanned out, enveloping every enemy within range.
In a world where class advantage reigned supreme and "special attack" meant everything, those who'd been afflicted with the Dragon Trait now faced the most devastating anti-dragon weapon in the game—Siegfried's Noble Phantasm itself.
Like snowflakes cast into a roaring flame, they vanished—without even a sound—into the sweeping dusk-colored brilliance.
...
Skill Change: [Escapist (A~EX)] → [Escapist (A)]
You, who bear the expectations of others, have lost the ability to flee completely.
Note: At EX rank, the protagonist could have retreated into a pseudo-paradisal realm, never to return.