—Squelch!
Fresh blood sprayed into the air.
The immense force of the heavy, sharp Sword in the Stone came crashing down from above, unquestionably cleaving into the Questing Beast's head. Artoria, who was at that moment precariously perched atop the monster, felt a surge of exhilaration.
But before she could make another move, a tremendous force, accompanied by a shriek, erupted from the monster beneath her, flinging her and her sword away.
Fortunately, Artoria managed to adjust her posture in mid-air and plunge her sword into the ground to steady herself, avoiding a disgraceful fall.
Even though she hadn't finished the monster in one blow, her objective had been achieved.
Because at that very moment, beside the Questing Beast, which was now roaring in fury from the intense pain in its head, a figure in armor suddenly materialized from the previously empty curtain of rain.
Kay thrust his sharp sword forward without hesitation, aiming directly for the monster's left eye!
Blood mixed with a viscous fluid burst out instantly, splashing across his face, but his expression remained unchanged.
With a powerful reverse pull, he yanked the sword back out of the Questing Beast's eye socket. Then, before the creature's furious counterattack could arrive, he hurriedly retreated to a safe distance, causing the monster's lunge to hit empty air.
As expected, after suffering two consecutive heavy blows, the Questing Beast had clearly lost all reason.
Its four claws dug into the ground as it arched its body, its hideous serpentine head opening its massive maw in a hiss, as if about to unleash a roar declaring a fight to the death.
But its fangs had barely been bared, its crimson tongue only just darting out, when a sharp sword, reflecting the lightning that flashed across the sky, shattered the lines of rain. Like a thunderbolt, it pierced into its mouth!
—Hssss...
The furious roar was cut off, turning into a shrill screech. The Questing Beast staggered back a step, but this only incited its ferocity further. It snapped its great mouth shut, intending to bite through the foreign object lodged in its throat!
As if sensing its intent, Aozaki Rin, whose form was now completely free from the illusion's cover, released his grip without hesitation.
Using the slipperiness of the muddy ground, he kicked off and slid backward, dodging the bite of the creature's massive, hideous maw.
In that same instant, the sword that had been stuck in the Questing Beast's mouth was shattered like a weed, instantly crushed by the creature's bite.
The sound of splintering metal echoed clearly through the rainy night. Aozaki Rin, Artoria, and Kay now stood at three different points, having surrounded the monster in the middle.
It turned out that Merlin's words were no lie. Even after suffering so many potentially fatal injuries, the monster showed no signs of falling, and in fact, its aura seemed to have grown even stronger.
Just as the three of them were about to press forward and launch another round of attacks, a violent humming sound suddenly filled the air. The Questing Beast's chest began to tremble rapidly, and the strange sound, like dozens of hounds howling at once, emanated from within its body, echoing across the wilderness!
Hiding in the shadows, Merlin realized what was happening in that same instant and immediately shouted a warning.
"Danger!"
But his voice was a step too late.
In the air, countless raindrops vibrated into blades and erupted violently outward with the Questing Beast at the center!
Artoria's face changed. Seeing the water blades ripple toward her at an unimaginable speed, her legs subconsciously started moving, about to throw herself in front of the boy.
Because in her line of sight, for some unknown reason, the boy was standing perfectly still.
But Aozaki Rin was not frozen in fear; after all, he couldn't see what was happening.
Although he could sense an extremely sharp aura rushing toward him, at this moment, his body began to grow warm. He subconsciously drew the broken sword from his waist, his arm bent and ready to swing.
—For an instant, his mind went completely blank.
[You have come into contact with a powerful magical stimulus and have sensed the flow of magical energy within your body for the first time.]
[You have awakened the talent 'Full Counter (A)': To you, ordinary magic and magical energy releases are merely weapons to be returned several times over. A pure magus who encounters you will feel as if they have met their worst nightmare.]
"—Full Counter."
There was no gorgeous sword technique as swift as lightning, nor was there an earth-shattering release of magical energy.
The boy merely swung the broken sword down gently. In the next second, all the water blades, as if struck back by an invisible tidal wave, instantly transformed into surging water knives that tore through the curtain of rain and pierced through the monster's body!
Thud.
The massive, hideous serpentine head rolled to the ground, leaving behind a trail of crimson blood.
The lines of rain in the air seemed to have been severed in that moment, only resuming their fall a few seconds later, playing a drizzling nocturne.
Artoria stood frozen, blinking, unable to quite comprehend what had just happened.
But the fact that the boy was still standing, unharmed, brought a wave of relief to her heart.
Before she could fully relax, however, an urgent cry suddenly rang out.
"Danger, Sister!"
Before she could react to what was happening, she saw a long, barbed tail swinging toward her.
The next thing she knew, she felt someone embrace her, and in an instant, she was pulled away from her original spot.
"Damn it, its head is gone, why can it still move!?"
Kay stabbed his sword into the Quest-ing Beast's body, stopping the creature's final, instinctive death throe and truly sealing its demise. His face, however, was grim.
The plan, which should have been nearly perfect, had a very serious flaw, and someone had even been injured because of it.
"En! Don't scare me, open your eyes, En! Merlin, Merlin!!!"
Looking at the boy lying in her arms, his face pale and his eyes tightly shut, Artoria panicked in an instant. She couldn't help but recall Merlin's words before the battle, and a look of unprecedented self-blame and guilt appeared on her face.
Merlin immediately dispelled his illusion and appeared, running to Artoria's side. He shoved a sword he had nearly drawn from his staff back into it, thinking to himself that he had been a step too slow. His face was heavy.
In the rain, the drenched, knightly girl helplessly wiped the rain from the boy's face, urgently calling his name, looking like a lost girl who had lost her shelter in a storm.
Merlin glanced at the wound exposed on the boy's back, and his expression froze.
"Merlin, what are you doing!? Why aren't you using magic to heal En!? You can do it, can't you? You definitely can!"
"...Let's put that question aside for a moment."
Instead of immediately using healing magic at Artoria's desperate plea, Merlin looked directly into the girl's emotionally fragile eyes and asked seriously.
"I ask you, Artoria. If one day, you could only choose between Britain and En, which would you choose?"
"Eh?"
Completely unable to understand why the magus would ask such a question, the girl sat stunned, letting the rain wash over her face, as if her mind had been shattered by the query.
After all, in her subconscious, the two things the magus mentioned should never have been put together to be chosen between.
"...Alright. I understand. Just pretend I never asked."
Merlin withdrew his words and offered a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, En is fine. This child's constitution seems to be rather special. As long as he gets a good night's sleep, he should be recovered by tomorrow. What we need to do now is get back to that cave as quickly as possible to get out of this downpour. If he stays out in this rain any longer, the boy might really get sick."
"Y-You're right."
Reassured by Merlin, Artoria seemed to come back to her senses. She hurriedly picked up the boy and stumbled toward the cave, not even saying goodbye to anyone.
Watching the girl's departing figure, with Kay following closely behind, Merlin stood alone in silence for a moment before sighing.
"I don't know if this reliance she has on you is a good thing or a bad thing. I just hope it doesn't cause too much of an impact..."
[To protect your adoptive sister, you were hit by the Questing Beast's dying counterattack.]
[Fortunately, your body seems to be abnormally resilient. What should have been a fatal blow was merely a light wound to you, one that could heal in a single night.]
[However, having lost consciousness, you are unaware of this fact.]
[Because at this very moment, you are trapped in a strange dream.]
[You, who should have been shrouded in darkness, unable to see, can now vaguely perceive a glimmer of light.]
[In a brilliance as bright as the scorching sun, pure white feathers drift down slowly.]
[An angel holding a horn kneels respectfully before you and presents you with a sword.]
[—You have obtained the Holy Sword, "Durandal." ]