'Ah... I must be hallucinating.'
'To see my Father standing before me at a time like this...'
'Dammit.'
As her consciousness drifted toward the abyss of sleep, Mordred could only offer herself a bitter, self-deprecating laugh.
CLANG!!
Artoria held the Holy Sword before her, but the flames didn't seem to abate. Instead, the wall of orange fire pressed against her with a localized, predatory intensity.
She realized instantly that this wasn't a normal opponent.
The surging heat seemed to swell even further as it sensed her presence, the flames themselves growing more "vicious" as they washed over her.
A faint, ethereal light flickered before Artoria. A shimmering "sheath" manifested, casting a radiant shield that isolated her from the material world.
[Avalon] , The Everdistant Utopia!
The legendary scabbard of [Excalibur], named after the land of the fairies. It was Artoria's absolute defensive Noble Phantasm, a pocket dimension that placed her beyond the reach of any interference.
"What?!"
The torrent of fire was suddenly reflected back with twice the force. Natsu watched in genuine shock as his own power was turned against him.
"WHOA!!!"
He hadn't expected his flames to be rejected so violently. He had zero time to evade the rebounding blast.
BOOM!!
The backwash of sun-hot fire consumed him completely.
Fortunately, Natsu was a fire-eater in the most literal sense. High-temperature flames didn't frighten him, though the "Dragon Slayer" properties baked into his own magic made the reflected blow considerably more painful than a normal burn.
"That was close!"
When the inferno finally subsided, Natsu wiped a smudge of soot from his cheek and looked forward, his expression shifting from surprise to recognition.
His durable physique had allowed him to take the hit without sustaining major damage. Standing before him now was a new opponent, holding a Holy Sword that hummed with divine energy.
"Hmm?"
"Switching players already?"
Natsu didn't recognize Artoria, but her face,so hauntingly similar to the knight he had just beaten,made him pause. He simply assumed she was another reinforcement from the Red Faction.
'He took a direct reflection of his own power and didn't even flinch?'
Artoria's brow furrowed as she studied the pink-haired boy. She had already sensed it,the overwhelming "Dragon Slayer" aura radiating from his soul.
If she hadn't relied on [Avalon], even a head-on clash with [Excalibur] might have ended in disaster. This war had summoned monsters that defied the balanced logic of the standard Grail ritual.
Hopes of a simple victory to fulfill her wish were quickly evaporating. Although her desire was humble, Artoria realized she would have to fight for it with everything she had.
She glanced back at the familiar face lying in the dirt. She hadn't expected to encounter her "Knight of Treachery" here.
The "son" she had personally put to the sword at Camlann.
Mordred was unconscious now, her armor cracked and her breath shallow. But Artoria didn't have time for a sentimental reunion.
SHOO!
A moment later, Mordred's body vanished in a burst of golden light.
'Called back by her Master via Command Spell?'
Artoria didn't dwell on it. Her focus remained locked on the threat in front of her.
"You have the scent of a dragon on you too..."
"And yours is even thicker than the one who just left."
"The smell is almost identical..."
Natsu sniffed the air, his eyes widening.
Dragons!
To come to another world and encounter two Servants with such distinct draconic traits in a single night was a bizarre coincidence.
"Black Faction Caster, I presume?"
"Let's settle this, then!"
"Heh! Fine by me!"
Natsu rolled his shoulders, his earlier motion sickness forgotten. In the heat of battle, he didn't care about a person's history or lineage. If they stood on the opposite side of the fence, they were an opponent to be overcome.
***
The earth continued to shake, the seismic waves from the distant battles vibrating through the ground with Increasing frequency.
THUD!
Karna turned his gaze toward the massive flare of magical energy in the distance. Even from here, he could feel the sky-high spikes in temperature.
"It seems that brat wasn't exaggerating," Madara noted, glancing in the same direction.
The night air was cold, yet a distinct wave of "dry heat" was washing over them from Natsu's duel. It wasn't the kind of heat a normal human,or even a normal Servant,could generate.
"Now... how much longer do you intend to keep chasing shadows?" Madara asked, his voice returning to a bored, mocking drawl.
He watched Karna, who was still attempting to track the movements of the [Limbo] clones.
"Until I have struck you down."
"A predictable answer."
Madara knew that Karna couldn't possibly "capture" the Limbo shadows. They existed in a dimension imperceptible to anyone without the specific "Eyes" or "Sensing" abilities of his world.
However, Madara had a different concern. How much damage would it take to actually kill this man?
He had initially assumed Karna was like Hashirama,exceptionally durable. But now he realized that the Lancer's damage reduction and self-healing were perhaps even more efficient than the First Hokage's. Even strikes from a Perfect [Susanoo] hadn't produced the expected results.
If [Limbo] and [Susanoo] couldn't break him, then elemental Ninjutsu was a waste of time.
'Perhaps sealing him is the only logical choice... again.'
An indestructible enemy was best handled by simply removing them from reality. But Karna was already aware of the [Chibaku Tensei]. Replicating the success of a surprise seal would be difficult.
"Well... let's see if the result changes."
Madara lunged forward, closing the distance between them.
Karna prepared to swing his spear to intercept, but he felt his weapon suddenly snagged. It was as if an invisible force had caught the shaft, holding it frozen in mid-air.
The tip of his spear erupted in flames as Karna poured more strength into the swing, trying to force his way through the unseen obstacle.
Madara leaped over the spear's path, using one of his "shadows" as a physical platform in mid-air to pivot and flip. He vaulted over Karna's head, and as he did, another shadow lunged forward, wrapping its invisible arms around the Lancer, pinning him to the spot.
"Planetary Devastation... [Chibaku Tensei]!!"
A black sphere of density manifested above them, and the ground began to rise in a localized tidal wave of stone, drawing everything toward the core.
Analyzing the situation instantly, Karna focused his magical energy.
A pillar of solar fire erupted from his body, surging upward with enough force to vaporize the gravitational core before it could stabilize.
BOOM!!
The black sphere shattered, and the rising debris fell back to the earth in a chaotic rain.
"I see... that is the 'heart' of the technique."
"By destroying it before the seal is complete, the technique becomes worthless."
Karna landed back on the scorched ground, his eyes fixed on Madara. "You will not catch me twice with the same trick."
"You learn fast..." Madara admitted, his tone surprisingly level. "I confess I was underprepared. I underestimated your stubbornness."
The [Chibaku Tensei] had failed. Madara realized that relying on the [Rinnegan]'s sealing powers alone might not be enough to end a warrior of this caliber.
Karna remained silent, but his mind was in constant communication with Amakusa.
'If I activate "that"... I am confident I can eliminate Rider.'
'But... I will lose the absolute defense that makes it impossible for him to kill me.'
'The choice is yours, Master.'
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]