[3rd POV]
Walking through the stone corridor of the cave, Ritsuka raised her head and looked around.hg
Isn't this cave unnecessarily large?
Thoughtfully, Ritsuka brought her finger to her rosy lips. By her mental count, their group had been walking for almost half an hour, but they still hadn't spotted the end of the tunnel.
Not that she wanted to see the famous "light at the end of the tunnel"—she was too beautiful to die.
Seriously though, how much longer would they have to walk? Ritsuka didn't want to complain, but she was just an ordinary human. Sweat was already running down her face, dripping onto her shirt.
At that moment, she honestly wouldn't complain about being carried like a sack of potatoes.
But if she could choose, she'd much rather be carried bridal-style by Al-kun. It was a bit embarrassing to be so close to a man that way, but it seemed better than walking for several more dozen minutes.
While daydreaming, Ritsuka finally managed to spot a bright yellow light emanating from a distant point. However, a massive wall extended across the entire width of the cave, blocking her direct view of the source.
"So that's where the Greater Grail is, isn't it?" Ritsuka turned her gaze to the white-haired, golden-eyed girl who had her arms crossed over her chest.
"Exactly." Cu Chulainn raised his hand, scratching his chin. "The Greater Holy Grail is behind that wall, but..." He pointed forward. "Our real target is right in front of us."
Ritsuka swallowed hard. For a moment, she thought it was just her who was afraid, but looking at the director, she saw her clenching her fists so hard she was almost digging her nails into her snow-white skin.
The red-haired mage couldn't help but feel a little relieved, realizing that both humans were in the same boat of mediocrity.
Even though she wasn't a Servant, Ritsuka could feel the oppressive pressure emanating from that place.
If even someone like her could feel it, she couldn't imagine what her own Servant was experiencing.
Like Olga, Mash had her fists clenched. Ritsuka could even hear her heavy breathing. Although Mash's breathing was slightly trembling, taking a deep breath, the red-haired Demi-Servant prepared herself for what was to come.
In complete silence, they advanced deeper into the cave. Unfortunately, their eyes soon found the culprit of this Singularity... at least one of them.
Completely motionless, a few meters ahead, there was a woman dressed in armor almost as black as pitch. A closer look revealed faint red lines resembling cracks or seams in the armor.
Even standing still, she radiated a threatening beauty. Her pale face, with delicate feminine features, kept her eyes closed, and her light blonde hair was tied in a bun.
However, her beauty was overshadowed by the armor that seemed to merge with her own skin. Small dark lines ran up her neck, spreading to her chin. Not even the legendary Excalibur had been spared from corruption. The sword was embedded in the ground before her, as black as her armor. The King held both hands on the hilt, completely ignoring the approaching group.
"Wait a second... was King Arthur also a woman?" Olga pointed at the figure, surprised. "First Minamoto-no-Raikou was turned into a woman, and now King Arthur?"
"Seems like history isn't as reliable as we thought." Ritsuka raised her hand, scratching her cheek as if already accustomed to these plot twists.
"Considering that England didn't allow women to inherit the throne, if she had to rule, it would make sense for her to disguise herself as a man." Cu Chulainn explained casually. "Besides, in my experience, there's nothing scarier than a woman..." He shuddered, remembering his former mentor.
"That still leaves many unanswered questions." Olga wanted to point out the various gaps this revelation left open, but it wasn't exactly the time for that.
"Who knows? When in doubt, just blame Merlin." Cu Chulainn shrugged.
At the mention of the flower mage, Artoria Alter opened her eyes, revealing an intense golden gleam.
"You are making deplorable choices for your last words."
The group froze when a cold, cutting voice echoed through the cave. They looked at the figure before them, who had now raised her head to face them with pale yellow eyes.
"Caster..." Her gaze swept over the group before fixing on him. "Is this small group some kind of offering in my honor?" Her icy voice reverberated through the cave. "I will grant no mercy. Your deaths are non-negotiable."
"Hah! No way, Saber!" Caster retorted, waving his hand. "These are my reinforcements! Sorry, but the Holy Grail War ends today!"
"...Your reinforcements." A monotone voice echoed through the cave. Her gaze turned to the two mages, who tensed under her scrutiny. "A pair of third-rate mages. And..." She stopped as she looked at Mash, who fell silent, clearly confused by the sudden attention.
"I see." Saber closed her eyes before opening them with complete coldness. "So this is your answer..."
It was a rather strange statement. Olga frowned, intrigued.
But before she could process it, Saber released Excalibur, gripping the hilt with one hand and pulling it from the ground.
"If you are ready, then I will not hold back."
With those words, Olga and Fujimaru moved behind Mash while the two Servants readied their weapons.
"It's now, everyone!" Cu Chulainn shouted. "Be ready for anything! Girl, you know who she is and what she can do, so give it your all!"
"Right!" Mash shouted back, raising her shield in preparation for the first blow.
In a flash, Saber crossed the battlefield. Her sword collided against Mash's shield, catching her off guard as the steel blade scraped against the iron. A second later, another blow struck. And another. And another. In mere seconds, Saber unleashed a dozen blows on Mash's shield, barely giving her time to react.
Only her stubborn determination to protect her allies kept her standing. She didn't dare counterattack, as the corrupted Excalibur moved like a blur, and any failure in her defense could mean death.
It was only when a fireball from Cu Chulainn exploded near Saber that she finally stopped, dodging the explosion and moving away from Mash.
However, this only redirected her attention to the Caster, who had now become her target. She turned and charged at him, her sword descending in a powerful arc. He barely managed to avoid the blow by jumping to the side, giving Mash a chance to attack. Unfortunately, Saber seemed to anticipate this and quickly blocked Mash's attack, sparks flying everywhere.
Mash pressed her shield against Saber's blade, trying to push her back, but the King of Knights held her ground.
From the cave ceiling, massive roots burst through the rock, launching themselves at Saber, but she jumped back before they could touch her. Even when more roots appeared to attack her, she cut them down with ease, reducing them to splinters in an instant. She twisted again to dodge another fireball, but Mash took the opportunity to attack.
This time, Saber simply extended her hand, stopping the shield with her gauntlet. Mash was pushed back.
Cu Chulainn launched another fireball, but Saber raised her armored arm and absorbed the impact. When he tried again, she grabbed the top of Mash's shield and pulled her into the line of fire. The explosion hit the shield, protecting Mash, but...
Saber's blade swung and cut across Mash's back, making her scream in pain. Blood splattered on Saber's armor, though she showed no reaction. Saber pushed Mash forward and attacked again.
With no time to recover, Mash was forced to retreat under Saber's relentless attack. Each blow pushed her back, and the speed of the attacks made it impossible to find an opening. Worse still, her positioning made it difficult for Cu Chulainn to fire again.
Ritsuka bit her lip and, without thinking, raised her right hand. "By the power of my First Command Seal, I order: Mash, be healed!" She intoned solemnly, and the seal glowed vivid red. Instantly, Mash's wounds began to close.
Silently thanking her Senpai, Mash planted her shield in the ground, preparing for the next attack. Another blow landed, but when Saber prepared to attack again, Mash jumped from behind the shield and kicked Saber in the side. The blow made her stagger a step back, giving Mash the chance to spin and land another kick to Saber's face.
Artoria turned her head slightly with the kick, but quickly refocused on Mash. Instead of continuing, Mash crouched down, allowing Cu Chulainn to finally fire again. The fireballs hit Saber, but she raised her arm to block them without blinking.
The smoke from the explosions obscured Saber, and Cu Chulainn retreated to Mash's side.
He slammed his right hand on the ground and invoked:
"Time to use my trump card!" he shouted, his magical energy exploding.
"«Wooden giant, devoured by fire. Be imprisoned in a cage of flames! Wicker Man!»"
First, a giant wooden hand erupted from the ground, gripping Saber tightly. But that wasn't all. More parts of the giant emerged until its complete form was revealed: a fifteen-meter-tall wooden giant wrapped in flames, with a cage in its chest. It squeezed Saber in its hand for a moment before throwing her into the cage.
The flaming giant glowed even more intensely, causing damage to Saber in the process. Even so, she didn't scream. Gritting her teeth, she endured all the pain.
When the Wicker Man—an effigy created to offer sacrifices to the ancient Celtic gods—finally consumed itself in flames, Cu Chulainn fell to his knees, exhausted.
Using his Noble Phantasm had placed a serious strain on his body.
He looked to where Saber was. Burns covered her pale skin, but she still remained standing.
"Seriously, what kind of monster is she?" he murmured, a dry smile forming on his lips.
"Hmph... I admit, it was a good warm-up." Saber, ignoring the burns on her body, merely swung Excalibur. Her gaze fell on Mash, who once again positioned herself in front of her Master, facing her with unwavering determination.
"Good eyes, girl. But let's see if you are worthy of that shield." Artoria Alter raised her Excalibur above her head.
"«Vortigern, Hammer of the Vile King, reverse the rising sun...»"
Her sword erupted in dark violet energy, the blast reaching the ceiling and emanating a tyrannical aura.
"«Swallow the light, Excalibur Morgan!!»"
With that, she plunged the sword into the ground, sending a torrent of dark violet energy toward Mash and Cu Chulainn. Mash raised her shield, preparing for impact.
When the beam hit the shield, Mash felt immense pressure. Her arms trembled, but she refused to let go. The image of a certain Senpai who always faced danger head-on came to mind, and without realizing it, her shield glowed with white light, forming a circle before her, from which a blue wall extended.
Saber was surprised, but silently increased the pressure. Even so, all the force of Excalibur Morgan couldn't break the defense. Though degraded, her Noble Phantasm still held, and the black light dispersed upon colliding with Mash's barrier, disappearing into nothing.
"Congratulations, girl." Caster gave a smile to the Demi-Servant.
Mash just gave a weak smile, her legs trembling, but still standing.
"Great, but what will you do about the second one?" Saber Alter raised her sword again.
"«Vortigern, Hammer of the Vile King, reverse the rising sun. Swallow the light, Excalibur Morgan!!»"
The energy blast descended once more, and Mash had just enough time to raise her shield. The energy beam struck again, and the pink-haired girl endured the blast in silence, her entire body screaming in pain.
"Hold on, girl!" Cu Chulainn shouted. "If that hits us, we'll be french fries!"
Mash kept the shield raised, but unfortunately, before Saber's attack completely dissipated, the shield gave way. Without protection, they were thrown backward.
The only positive was that Mash had blocked most of the attack, so they weren't gravely injured, but they were still incapacitated at the moment.
"Mash!" Fujimaru shouted, running toward her, but Olga grabbed her.
"Stop that! Just trust your Servant, idiot!"
Saber looked at the group for a moment before resuming her march toward Mash and Cu Chulainn.
"I commend you. You fought well. I will grant you an honorable death."
She raised Excalibur, which now blazed with dark violet energy. The power surged through the blade, forming a massive sword of energy rising high above her head.
"Farewell." She swung the sword downward.
Cu Chulainn stared at the approaching blast and bit his lip. Even knowing it was suicidal, he prepared for one last attack.
But before anyone could act, the sound of howling wind echoed through the cave.
Artoria raised her head, eyes wide. Without hesitation, Excalibur rose in her hands.
The next moment, a massive stone pillar collided with her sword, and a powerful shockwave threw Saber backward.
"Hahahaha! Sorry, I'm a bit late!" A cheerful voice echoed through the cave, and all eyes turned back, seeing a huge stone pillar embedded diagonally in the ground.
Standing atop the pillar was a boy with wild black hair and blood-red eyes, with a beautiful woman by his side.
"Boy, you really love a dramatic entrance," Cu Chulainn said, lying on the ground and letting out a sigh of relief.
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Don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review or drop a comment to motivate me.
(Artoria Alter – Character Image)