One after another, Noble Phantasms—like missiles—materialized from golden ripples, striking at Lancelot in accordance with the King of Heroes' will.
Gate of Babylon—one of the Archer-class King of Heroes' most important Noble Phantasms. It is the "Prototype of Human Wisdom," a treasury storing countless Noble Phantasms from human history. This very Noble Phantasm is what supports his extravagant projectile-based combat style.
"Damn you, Goldie! Damn you, Tohsaka!"
Soaring through the sky, Lancelot was forced to constantly evade the pursuing Noble Phantasms. While he could endure the assault, Sakura, cradled in his arms, and Kariya, dangling from his other hand, could not.
With one arm protecting each of them, Lancelot had no hands free to counterattack.
"Berserker, head for Fuyuki City Center! I refuse to believe Tohsaka would dare to unleash his full power there."
Tokiomi Tohsaka was Fuyuki's administrator. This meant that while others could break the rules, he could not.
Following Kariya's command, Lancelot ceased his evasive maneuvers. After projecting a protective barrier of Mana, he plummeted toward the city center like a meteor.
Kariya had another reason for this plan: the Fuyuki Hotel was located in the city center, and it was Kenneth's base. After this ordeal, Kariya doubted he would survive the night.
Zouken Matou died too soon, he thought. If he were here to adjust my body, I might actually have a chance of winning the Holy Grail War. Berserker is truly powerful.
As Kariya thought this, he caught sight of the brightly lit hotel. But in that very instant, Lancelot came to a sudden halt, the whiplash snapping two of Kariya's ribs.
Just as he was about to cry out in protest, the foundations of the Fuyuki Grand Hotel were blown apart. The entire building collapsed and toppled over, raising a deafening roar and billowing clouds of dust.
Before Kariya could recover from his stunned silence, the King of Heroes' Noble Phantasms resumed their pursuit, forcing Lancelot back into evasive maneuvers.
They were now in the bustling city center. The hotel's collapse had drawn a crowd of screaming onlookers, and the aerial battle was now visible to many.
Yet, even with witnesses, the King of Heroes did not relent. He clung to Lancelot's tail, seemingly determined to kill him tonight or die trying.
What about Tokiomi Tohsaka? Kariya wondered. Is he just going to stand by and let the King of Heroes run wild?
If Tohsaka were conscious, he would certainly have advised against it. But he had been hypnotized by the King of Heroes, reduced to a puppet who could only obey commands.
Since this was no longer a game, the King of Heroes could no longer tolerate Tohsaka's scheming, his hindrances, or his potential to become a liability.
However, because Tohsaka had always maintained the proper decorum of a vassal, the King of Heroes had decided that after obtaining the Holy Grail, he would release Tohsaka from the hypnosis and simply grant him the Grail directly.
The King of Heroes cared little for the Holy Grail and was perfectly willing to bestow it upon his subject, even though it rightfully belonged in his Gate of Babylon.
"Troublesome, like a buzzing fly. And flies deserve to be swatted dead!"
As a King, Gilgamesh had his Wise King aspect, but he also possessed a Tyrant's side. Especially when enraged and without his close friend to restrain him, he grew increasingly dismissive of anyone not from Uruk.
"Come forth, [The Verdant Horizon that Cleaves a Thousand Mountains]!"
This time, fueled by the King's fury aboard the Vimana, the golden ripples expanded to an immense size. A colossal emerald greatsword, over a hundred meters long and thirty meters wide, slowly materialized and descended upon Lancelot like a flyswatter.
"Arrrr~~~!"
Lancelot was a Berserker. Being relentlessly pursued without a chance to counterattack had long since sent his rage boiling over.
He swooped low, tossing Kariya and Sakura down, forcing Kariya to use his Crest Worms to break his own fall.
Then, Lancelot carved an arc through the air and soared skyward.
In a single swift pass, the massive jade-green greatsword, all size and no substance, was cleaved in two by Arondight. As the fragments fell, they were instantly reclaimed by the golden ripples.
As he flew toward the King of Heroes, Lancelot's jet-black armor peeled away, revealing his cool, Faerie form. His body was covered in dark patterns, and half his face was stained black.
In this state, Lancelot's speed surged to a new level. He broke the sound barrier in mid-air, unleashing circular ripples of Mana.
"Hmph, mongrel!"
The King of Heroes' eyes could barely track his target's speed, yet his expression remained utterly calm. At his will, countless shields materialized around him, forming a spherical shell.
In his eyes, this turtle shell—composed entirely of Noble Phantasms—was absolutely unbreakable, giving him ample time to set a trap for Lancelot.
But... a sudden unease stirred in his heart, forcing him to discard the last vestiges of his contempt for Lancelot.
Knight of Owner—one of Lancelot's Noble Phantasms from his time as a Berserker. It allowed him to treat any "weapon" that fell into his hands as a Noble Phantasm, with the definition of "weapon" being entirely up to him.
Moreover, he could seize control of his opponent's Noble Phantasms.
Faced with the impenetrable shell, Lancelot didn't try to break it. Instead, he activated Knight of Owner. Crimson Mana patterns spread across every shield, and he commanded them to collapse inward, threatening to crush the King of Heroes into a bloody pulp.
But the King of Heroes was no longer inside. Instead, even more golden ripples materialized, surrounding Lancelot from every direction.
"Mongrel! You have defiled my treasures!"
Thirty-six? One hundred twenty-eight?
No. The King of Heroes' fury was boundless, and so too were the Noble Phantasms emerging from the golden ripples.
Using a captured shield as a foothold, Lancelot swung Arondight, the Unfading Light of the Lake, creating an impenetrable defense.
If even Guinevere could find no opening, how could the Gate of Babylon—a mere barrage of quantity over skill—hope to breach it?
Amidst the relentless sword swings, Lancelot located the King of Heroes. He hovered directly above, as if treading Lancelot underfoot.
"Arrrrrr..."
With a savage roar, the petite Faerie Knight switched to a dual-wielding stance, pairing Arondight with another captured Noble Phantasm sword.
Now wielding two blades, Lancelot abandoned the shield beneath her feet and shot skyward, breaking the sound barrier. But this maneuver left her exposed to attacks from all 360 degrees.
"Hmph. Foolish."
The King of Heroes' head was severed, but the figure instantly dissolved into an illusion. His true form reappeared even higher in the sky.
"Hmph. A brute with no brain is still just a brute!"
After nearly being killed once, and seeing Lancelot's relentless endurance, the King of Heroes was now certain: close combat meant his own death. He would never again give Lancelot an opening to get near.
The King's Vault granted him infinite possibilities, providing the Noble Phantasms to realize any strategy he could conceive.
When the King of Heroes got serious, defeat was nearly impossible. Lancelot might have a chance at victory, but she couldn't reach it.
At this moment, many onlookers watched Lancelot's desperate struggle, like a cornered beast, and the King of Heroes' cautious hunt.
The Servant Battle had devolved into a king hunting a rabid beast, waiting for exhaustion to claim its prey.
But precisely because they witnessed the King of Heroes' overwhelming power, the spectators couldn't afford to let him win.
For instance, Guinevere—whose pleasure had first been interrupted by the 'nuclear' explosion and then again by the restaurant's demolition after she'd tried to resume—now stood before Kariya and Sakura, her face contorted with resentment.
"Damn you, King of Heroes! Damn you, Kiritsugu Emiya!"