That night, inside the chapel of the Fuyuki Church.
After completing his routine evening prayers, Father Risei Kotomine stood up. Behind him, the steady sound of footsteps echoed.
"Father."
The newcomer was the supervisor of this Holy Grail War, Kirei Kotomine. He maintained his usual expressionless, detached demeanor. Ever since the day Assassin was summoned, the active duties of supervision had been handed back to Risei; Kirei now focused primarily on containing the scale of the conflict to prevent the leak of the "Mysterious."
"I see. Kirei, have Karen and Sakura gone to sleep?" Risei turned to look at his son, asking softly.
"They have retired for the night," Kirei replied.
"Good." A benevolent smile appeared on the old priest's face before his expression shifted to one of curiosity. "By the way, where is the battle taking place tonight?"
"The Einzbern forest on the outskirts," Kirei answered smoothly. "We have already set up boundaries in advance. Given the remote location, the chance of involving innocent civilians is minimal."
"Is that so? That is for the best..." Risei sighed. He felt that choosing the forest far from the city was a wise move—at least it would spare Fuyuki City from any severe destruction. He only wondered when this endless cycle of conflict would finally reach a peaceful conclusion.
Meanwhile, within the Reality Marble.
The sky was clear, yet the desert sands churned violently.
Sizzle—!
Purple lightning spread across the sky like a spiderweb's tentacles. The muscular, divine bulls pulled the ancient chariot, diving downward following Iskandar's roar of laughter. They were charging directly toward Gilgamesh's position.
Not far away, Fionn and Arthur caught the timing. They leapt from their galloping steeds, releasing a surge of prana from their bodies that allowed them to glide through the air at lightning speed.
Any Noble Phantasms in their path were knocked aside by their high-speed strikes. The holy sword and magic spear acted like three arrows piercing the air, heading straight for Gilgamesh.
"Don't get cocky, fools!"
Watching the joint assault, Gilgamesh's face twisted into an expression of extreme, distorted pleasure. In an instant, dozens of golden ripples manifested around him. The moment these vault doors opened, the trio of Iskandar, Arthur, and Fionn appeared in his immediate vicinity. Cold blades and spear tips thrust toward the King of Heroes' vital points.
However, in the next heartbeat, the previously opened gates shifted positions, forming a dense, impenetrable wall of light around him. Bizarre weapons were then fired from the doors at point-blank range.
BOOM!
Dozens of Noble Phantasms detonated simultaneously in the void. The massive shockwave centered on Gilgamesh swept outward, instantly blasting the three heroes back.
"Saber! Lancer!"
Though the Gordius Wheel had taken significant damage from the blast, it remained operational. Using his massive frame, Iskandar reached out to snag the flying Arthur and Fionn, pulling them back onto the chariot.
"—Pierce!"
Suddenly, a familiar incantation echoed through the vast blue sky. Hearing this unexpected voice, everyone instinctively looked up.
There, the silver-haired Lancer, Kamitani Yuu, appeared fifty meters above the ground like a descending god, his right hand holding the vermillion magic spear high above his head. He wove words into a curse, calling upon the Spear of Causality. The surrounding space let out a scream as if it were shattering.
"Gae Bolg: Soaring Spear of Striking Death—!!!"
With a roar, the thunderous strike fell like a world-piercing meteor. This was the throwing variant of the Noble Phantasm—a demonic spear that, once aimed, was destined to pierce the heart. An unavoidable spear of ruin that would track its target no matter how many times they tried to dodge.
The previous assault by the three Servants had merely been a feint; the true killing blow was this strike, into which Yuu had poured his entire reserve of prana. It could not be dodged, nor could it be blocked—hence, it was a "Certain Kill."
The magic spear closed in. For nearly a second, the Golden King closed his crimson eyes. Had he given up?
No!
As the light of the spear descended for the final extinction, just as it was about to strike Gilgamesh—
"Rho Aias (The Seven Rings that Cover the Fiery Heavens)—!"
The True Name was called, and the atmosphere trembled. Spear met shield in a violent collision. The unavoidable, defense-breaking spear was suddenly halted by an object manifested out of thin air.
Gales and high heat swirled the hot sand, yet Gilgamesh's "defense" stubbornly resisted the vermillion spear's intrusion. Seven flower-like petals appeared before him, guarding him against the spear that sought his life. This was Rho Aias, the shield of Ajax—the only thing in the Trojan War capable of stopping the spear thrown by the great hero Hector. Each of the seven petals was said to be as sturdy as an ancient city wall.
RUMBLE—!
The moment the magic spear contacted the bronze shield, a massive explosion erupted, kicking up a wall of dust. After resisting for only a moment, six of the petals shattered and withered, leaving only the final one. The spear's speed was severely bled off, but it continued to press against the seventh layer with relentless force.
"Rider, I'm going in! Support me from the sidelines!"
On the other side, seeing the spear and shield locked in a stalemate, Arthur's "ahoge" flickered. After a few seconds of hesitation, he turned to Iskandar. Before Iskandar could even respond, Arthur leapt from the chariot. The moment he hit the sand, he released his Invisible Air.
The massive wind pressure propelled Arthur like a cannonball, straight toward Gilgamesh, who was still obscured by the dust and the struggle against the spear.
"Saber..."
Watching Arthur's departing figure, Iskandar narrowed his eyes, his expression becoming grave. He understood Saber's intent. While Yuu's Noble Phantasm might not defeat Archer outright, the resulting chaos and dust were the perfect cover. With Gilgamesh's attention focused on Yuu, Arthur's surprise attack might just achieve the impossible.
Understanding this, both Fionn and Iskandar began to accumulate prana, preparing for the next move. Gilgamesh's strength far exceeded their imaginations; if they failed to defeat him here today, the final victor of this Holy Grail War would undoubtedly be the oldest King of Heroes.
___
There's a few advance chapters on my P@treon
Usually upload 2 Chapters a day in there, Sunday
50+ Chapters Ahead, and will continue to increase
[email protected]/Sp1ced
If you're new to this stuff just replace "@" with "a" for the right link ^^