BOOM—!
With an eardrum-shattering crash, Tatsumi felt an immense pressure bearing down from the heavens.
It was as if something terrifying was descending upon them, and the suffocating force swept over everyone aboard.
"This is my final strike! If you think you can stop it, then come and try!"
Liver laughed maniacally, pouring out the very last of his strength. What happened next no longer mattered to him.
The enhancer he'd injected was deadly. It strengthened him briefly, but at the cost of rapidly burning out his life force.
Using it had been Liver's ultimate gamble, one he reserved for situations where survival and mission success had both become impossible.
He never believed he could defeat Bulat without paying a price. Be it through direct confrontation or underhanded tricks, Liver understood the truth clearly.
He didn't have the power to overwhelm Incursio directly, so from the very beginning, he'd planned on using the enhancer to achieve victory at any cost.
Darkness rushed in like a tidal wave, claiming Liver as he ceased breathing. The poison flooded every inch of his body. He wouldn't live to see how his final attack turned out.
Above, a sharp whistle pierced the sky, leaving no doubt that something enormous was hurtling down at terrifying speed toward them.
An object falling from such a height would undoubtedly shatter the entire ship instantly.
And falling into this turbulent sea was nothing less than a death sentence.
Those unconscious passengers below deck would stand no chance. If the ship was destroyed, death would be their only outcome.
Although they were relatively close to the Empire's shores, no one on deck could manage to swim back in their current state.
Bulat was exhausted beyond movement; Nyau lay immobilized from pain; Liver and Daidara were both dead. Aside from the blood-soaked Emiya Shirou, the only one still standing was—
"Tatsumi!!"
Bulat's shout snapped Tatsumi back to attention, causing him to turn toward his fallen companion.
"Take this Teigu!"
With great effort, Bulat tossed a sword linked by a heavy chain toward Tatsumi.
"Aniki!"
Before Tatsumi could finish protesting, Bulat roared angrily, desperation clear in his voice.
"Now isn't the time for hesitation! You're the only one who can stop Liver's attack now. If you don't want all these innocent people to die, use it!"
Bulat put every ounce of remaining strength into his shout. He wasn't critically wounded, but after that earlier strike, he'd exhausted all his strength. He could barely move his limbs, let alone stand.
"Aniki...!"
Looking up, Tatsumi saw the enormous water sword hurtling downward like an incoming missile.
I can't hesitate any longer!
"Incursio!"
With a fierce cry, Tatsumi donned the mighty armor. A powerful aura instantly erupted from him.
At this moment, Tatsumi could effortlessly slaughter Nyau, who'd previously overpowered him. He wouldn't even need elaborate moves—a single strike would suffice.
"I must block this attack—I must protect Aniki and all those innocent lives!"
Tatsumi tightly gripped the spear, its crimson tip gleaming fiercely, and kicked off violently from the deck.
Crash—!
The wooden deck shattered beneath him, and the force of his leap nearly knocked the already weakened Shirou off balance.
Tatsumi shot upward like an arrow, straight toward the monstrous sword of water.
This was completely different from Liver's earlier water dragon attack. The dragon had immense force but dispersed its strength over a wide area, like being crushed by tons of water. This sword, however, had been shaped and sharpened for a precise and lethal strike.
Before Liver's death, he'd intentionally condensed and stabilized the water blade high above, focusing its enormous force into a single, penetrating strike—specifically to break through Incursio's powerful defenses.
Previously, Liver had chosen the dragon against Bulat precisely because he couldn't produce enough concentrated force to pierce Incursio's armor with a smaller blade. The dragon's broader impact was necessary then.
But now, it was different.
As Tatsumi surged upward, jet-black wings suddenly unfurled from his back, propelling him with renewed speed to meet the massive blade of water.
"He evolved it!"
Bulat was astonished. He'd never imagined Tatsumi could achieve Incursio's evolution so quickly. Even he, who had constantly strengthened himself, had only been able to resist Incursio's influence, never evolve it further.
Perhaps his sheer will to survive pushed him beyond the limit.
Though proud, Bulat quickly realized this was no time to celebrate—the terrifying sword of Damocles still loomed dangerously above them.
This final attack was Liver's ultimate strike, born from sacrificing every shred of life he had left. Bulat knew clearly that even at full strength, he might not be able to withstand such an attack, let alone Tatsumi, who'd just taken up the Teigu.
Beyond pride, Bulat felt a deep dread for Tatsumi's safety.
BOOM—!
Holding the spear and encased in armor, Tatsumi directly collided with the descending water sword.
The impact echoed like thunder, shaking the very sea beneath.
The overwhelming downward force pressed Tatsumi relentlessly closer to the deck, not slowed in the slightest by his desperate effort.
"Ahhhhhh—!!!"
Tatsumi roared furiously as his wings beat wildly. Yet the spear in his hands started cracking under the immense pressure.
Crack—!
Within moments, Tatsumi's spear shattered.
Even evolved armor couldn't easily withstand such an overwhelming attack. Tatsumi simply lacked Bulat's raw physical strength. What Bulat might achieve, Tatsumi could one day replicate—but not yet.
Yet even without his weapon, Tatsumi refused to give up. Throwing his arms forward, he used his own body to directly stop the sword's descent.
The sword began to slow slightly.
But before it could halt completely, Tatsumi's armor started breaking apart even faster.
I may not be able to hold this back... I might even die here.
But if it means saving innocent lives... then I have no regrets!
Just as Tatsumi prepared himself for a noble sacrifice, a desperate shout echoed from below.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY—!!!"
With barely any time left, Shirou shouted urgently to Tatsumi, who hovered perilously close to the ship.
For some reason, Tatsumi instinctively trusted Shirou Emiya's voice.
Without hesitation, his wings surged once more, swiftly propelling him aside.
At this point, the water sword hung only a hundred meters directly above Shirou.
At such close range, it would reach him in an instant.
"[Trace—On]!"
Suddenly, a sword that Tatsumi and Bulat both knew intimately appeared in Shirou's blood-soaked hand.
Planting his foot firmly on the deck, Shirou took a deep, ragged breath.
An unadorned wooden bow—the one Shirou once used to practice archery—appeared in his other hand.
Whoosh—!
The chain-linked sword shot out like a missile, soaring skyward like a silver meteor, and smashed directly into the descending sword of water.
"[Broken Phantasm]," Shirou murmured softly.