Clang!
Impaling the squealing, diminutive creature on the tip of his spear and examining it for a moment, Lancer Cú Chulainn frowned. "These ugly things are clearly not creatures born on Earth."
"From another domain..."
Its rough, wrinkled skin, short and stocky body, abnormally developed forearms and calves, and round head made it look exactly like a 'hermit crab,' clad in a highly technological red armor.
"ROAR—!"
Before Lancer Cú Chulainn could finish his observation, nearby Sangheili warriors had already noticed that several Unggoy (Grunts) squads had been wiped out by the charging blue lancer. In the next instant, a large barrage of plasma shots came crashing down.
"Hah... that won't work on me."
The corpse of the Grunt he had flicked off his spear was instantly pulverized by the plasma barrage. Yet the plasma bolts, solid rounds, and even rockets that followed and struck Cú Chulainn were all strangely nullified.
Cú Chulainn's innate ability—Protection from Arrows—Rank: B.
A defense against projectile weapons. As long as he can visually confirm the target, he can evade any long-range attack. Even when unable to see the attacker, he can still handle most projectiles.
As long as it is a thrown attack, even Noble Phantasms can be avoided. However, wide-area attacks that explode upon impact or direct attacks from long-reach weapons do not benefit from this protection.
Bang!
A Jackal sniper attempting to fire from a distance was slammed into a wall by an invisible blade.
"Such an ability... truly worthy of Ireland's great demigod hero."
With a forward heavy slash wrapped in a swirling gale, the golden holy sword instantly pierced through the energy shield of a Sangheili brown-armored elite. In a flash, Saber cleared the surrounding enemies and turned to offer sincere praise.
"Protection from Arrows—not only bows and crossbows, but even bullets from near-future firearms can be evaded. Lancer, it seems this kind of battlefield suits you best."
Waving the fleur-de-lis banner, letting plasma rage and explosions roar, the flagstaff swept aside all enemies before her. Even Ruler Jeanne did not hesitate to voice her admiration.
"Haha, just a little trick. Good enough for dealing with fodder!"
"If Fu Hua isn't here, I'll just treat this as a warm-up!"
With a hearty laugh, facing the humanoid creatures that had ceased firing and charged in with melee weapons from both sides, Lancer Cú Chulainn calmly raised his spear and stepped forward.
Boom!
"Fu Hua?"
Ruler Jeanne keenly caught that crucial piece of information, but before she could continue, a thunderous roar erupted. Lancer Cú Chulainn had already vanished, stirring up a violent gale.
"Hah—!"
He plunged into the enemy ranks, swinging the spear of certain death in a wide arc with one hand. Slightly lowering his body, he shattered the arms of an opponent just as its energy blade struck, sending it flying and breaking through the encirclement. Then, with light taps of his spear, each step brought a thrust—leaving a trail of corpses behind him, his killing efficiency astonishingly high.
"Ruler, these alien creatures are also subordinates of that foreign god, aren't they? But according to the information you provided about the Romanian Holy Grail War, shouldn't her forces have been heavily armored human soldiers?"
Without pausing her own movements, Saber continued to cut down the encroaching alien army while transmitting her question.
"It may be related to the class of manifestation. The difference between a standard Rider-class Servant and a Beast that represents humanity's calamity... that may be why Selene did not summon the Astartes Legions or the Royal Guards."
As for why Selene had so many bizarre races under her command, and intelligent ones at that, all fanatically devoted to her—
The answer was simple. She was a cosmic deity, not bound to Earth or a single planet. There was no reason her followers would be limited to humans.
BOOM—!
Suddenly, a massive explosion shook the entire structure, interrupting Jeanne's thoughts.
Her reaction quickly drew Saber's attention. Turning toward the source of the sound, she immediately saw a gigantic figure rising from the horizon.
"That is..."
Rumble—
A series of deafening blasts accompanied the arrival of heavy armored units from the Imperial Sangheili Legion. A nearby Japanese-style villa was instantly crushed underfoot.
This was a mobile Titan-class machine transferred directly from Covenant military stockpiles into Imperial service. It resembled a massive beetle, with thick yet agile metallic limbs like bridge pillars. Its body was covered in numerous focusing cannons and heavy plasma artillery.
Scarab—Type-47B Ultra-Heavy Assault Platform.
Like other Titan-class units, its armor was extraordinarily strong and equipped with multiple layers of energy shielding. It had once been used by the Covenant to assault heavily fortified structures and defensive emplacements.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Like the hammer of a war god pounding the earth, more heavy war machines of various models emerged from the torn purple-red, water-like spatial rift behind it.
"Open fire! Prioritize taking her down!"
At the loud command of the Sangheili field commander, the leading Scarab came to a halt.
With a dull rumble, stabilizers from its limbs slammed into the ground. Armor plates shifted open, and the massive barrels of its focusing cannons and heavy plasma guns rose.
Hummm—
High above, Ishtar kicked off the air as if stepping on an invisible platform, rebounding onto her ornate flying bow, Maanna. In midair, she executed a 720-degree spin followed by a 360-degree spiral—
With a series of high-difficulty, almost dance-like movements, she elegantly evaded the dense barrage rising from the ground. At the same time, she continuously fired golden light arrows from Maanna, bombarding the alien army spread across the buildings below.
Magnificent—using her power alone, she temporarily suppressed an entire army. Anyone watching would have to admit that she truly lived up to her title as the beautiful goddess of war and harvest.
Except... Ishtar herself was suffering.
Though it looked like she held absolute control of the skies, in reality, she was already being pushed into a frantic struggle.
A single shot, even ten shots—Ishtar wouldn't even bother dodging. But against this level of overwhelming barrage, if she stopped for even a moment, she'd be hit by hundreds, even thousands of rounds instantly!
She was already at her limit...
Ishtar had long since lost count of how many aliens she had annihilated—four-jawed monstrosities, short creatures that gurgled "gulu gulu," wolf-headed snipers lurking in the shadows...
Yet no matter how many she killed, their numbers showed no sign of decreasing. If anything, they were increasing?!
Now that she had calmed down, Ishtar found herself in a dilemma. Should she really use her Noble Phantasm against mere fodder? It wasn't impossible—but the cost would be far too great.
Every time she impulsively tried to unleash the Noble Phantasm capable of destroying all of Fuyuki, the part of her that was Tohsaka Rin desperately restrained her.
But without using her Noble Phantasm, without employing high-destructive magical bombardment, even with her divine core, high-level Magic Resistance, and the abundant mana supplied jointly by the underground ley lines, Chaldea, and Gilgamesh—she was starting to falter.
At that moment, "What the hell is that now?!"
When the massive disturbance on the ground caught her eye—when she saw those gigantic, beast-like war machines lining up in rows, their cannons all aimed directly at her—she couldn't help but cry out.
Bzzzz—!
In an instant, plasma spheres of varying sizes—purple, blue, and red—rose into the air. The flashes of large-caliber shells and the searing, pillar-like crimson beams of laser focusing cannons intertwined as they danced through the sky.
These were weapons born from the most primal instinct for killing—a deadly symphony and dance of destruction.
"Ah, damn it, damn it, damn it! You forced my hand—manifest, radiant great crown!"
RUMBLE—!
With a tearing roar, enormous, blazing spheres of light ignited in the sky one after another, like a second sun descending upon the world!
Below, in the luxury villa district at the epicenter, roadside trees, lawns, and parks were scorched through within seconds by the sudden surge of extreme heat and plasma sparks. Towering flames erupted from the ground.
And this was merely the aftermath. Many plasma projectiles struck the earth directly—instantly, one mushroom cloud after another rose across Fuyuki.
At this point, there was no longer any need to hide anything. The so-called experts hired by the Mage's Association to suppress rumors had already become little more than laughingstocks in the eyes of Fuyuki's citizens.
As explosions roared once more, flames surged into the sky, aliens appeared openly, and massive alien war machines poured out of what people perceived as "wormholes" in broad daylight...
At that moment, every ordinary citizen of Fuyuki was utterly dumbfounded, their expressions as if their entire worldview had been shattered and rebuilt.
Some broke down in despair, weeping uncontrollably. Some fled in panic, chaos erupting everywhere. Some fell to their knees, praying and crying out that it was the end of the world. Others reacted in countless different ways.
Though they didn't understand why the aliens ignored them and instead gathered toward a specific location, their instinct for survival overrode everything else. People fled frantically in all directions.
The order of the entire city collapsed almost instantly.
"Lady Durandal, it seems the evacuation will soon be complete. You may act freely now."
Atop the TV tower of Fuyuki New City Station, Rita withdrew her gaze from below and spoke softly to the blonde knight beside her.
"Then let's move. Her Majesty's side is ready as well. This time, we fight without restraint—for victory."
In truth, Durandal herself wasn't sure whether this strategy—deliberately exposing their position to prompt civilians to evacuate—would actually work. But she chose to do it anyway.
...
BOOM!
A heavy plasma shot struck a three-story villa about a hundred paces from the Tohsaka residence. In an instant, the building was erased as if wiped away by an invisible hand—consumed and reduced to scattering dust.
Under such overwhelming firepower, the ground assault of the alien army temporarily stalled.
The ground beneath Ruler Jeanne trembled violently. The fleur-de-lis banner in her hand whipped wildly in the shockwaves, yet she stood firm at the front line. A radiant golden barrier held back the explosive force of the heavy plasma bombardment.
The air was thick with the acrid stench of scorched atmosphere.
The usual cocky grin had vanished from Lancer Cú Chulainn's face. If it were just endless waves of enemies, no matter how many, he wouldn't be afraid. But attacks comparable to Noble Phantasm releases—that was a different matter entirely.
His Protection from Arrows didn't defend against shockwaves. If several of those plasma strikes focused on him at once, even with his Battle Continuation, he'd probably be finished.
"This many enemies, combined with heavy weapons comparable to Noble Phantasms... hey, isn't that just cheating?"
As he spoke, a sudden chill of danger crept up his spine. Acting on instinct, he abruptly changed direction and rolled to the side.
The next moment—BOOM!
"Hey, spinning blue lancer, we meet again! This time, it's this Immortal here to play!"
Following the voice, Lancer Cú Chulainn saw that the ground where he had just stood had collapsed into a deep crater, forming spiderweb-like cracks.
At its center was a massive, blunt-edged greatsword with crimson-black-gold patterns embedded into the earth. Soon after, a wild, arrogant laugh rang out. Standing atop the hilt, long gradient gray-white hair swayed in the wind, and black-red feather-like fragments fluttered around her like flames.
"What kind of lousy nickname is that? Listen up—my name's Cú Chulainn. And you, little sister of Fu Hua—the one who beat up that golden show-off—where's your sister?"
"Tch, your attitude is really annoying! What, not satisfied with me as your opponent?"
With a swipe of her hand, Senti dispersed the smoke, raising her chin arrogantly. Though her nostrils were practically pointed at him and her attitude was utterly overbearing, she didn't deny being called Fu Hua's little sister.
"As for the Fu Hua you keep thinking about—she doesn't have time for you..."
As her words fell, a sharp cry suddenly rang out across the sky:
"Ki-Impact—!"
The dimmed sky ignited once more, as if a sea of flames surged above. At the very center of that dazzling blaze, a meteor streaked across the heavens, leaving behind a fleeting yet brilliant trail.
Humm—!
"See? Fu Hua doesn't have time for you—you're mine!" Senti said as she beckoned with one hand.
Whoosh!
A crimson-gold spear danced into her grasp, its blade pointing straight at Lancer Cú Chulainn. Bending her knees and leaning forward, Senti wore a manic grin.
"Come on... hm?!"
"Broken Phantasm!"
Terrifying magical energy surged in a spiraling torrent from the ruined building behind Lancer Cú Chulainn, forming a violent vortex that crushed toward Senti, who had charged in alone.
"Interesting!" Senti snorted coldly. "Red-haired brat—even if you're looking to die, you'll have to wait your turn!"
Instead of retreating, she advanced. With a crack of her knuckles, she swung her spear forward. With a resounding peal like that of a great bell, the collision rang out.
Whoosh—BOOM!
A violent gale swept through as the spiraling sword projectile exploded. The surrounding air warped and distorted under the crushing force, expanding outward.
Crack... crack... crack...
As the explosive waves of Broken Phantasm spread, the already battered house—property of Tohsaka Rin—finally reached its end and collapsed.
"Shirou!"
"I'm fine, Saber."
In the next instant, the collapsed ruins were blasted apart, revealing a workshop protected by multiple defensive Noble Phantasms. Through the dust, Saber could vaguely see that the composite summoning magic circle beneath the workshop was still operating perfectly.
Above it, countless streams of gentle golden fluid surged forth, forming one humanoid figure after another.
Among them was a young man in a grass-colored cloak holding a bow and arrows; another carrying a massive sword, clad in dazzling armor; a handsome youth in golden armor wielding a golden spear; and a girl with ornate twin braids dressed in luxurious attire...
"Oh? So numbers are what give you the confidence to challenge me? Fine, this Immortal will send you all off one by one. Let me count—one, two... five... seven, eight... tsk, quite a crowd."
"Wait, what else have I found here?"
Senti suddenly clutched her stomach and burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! Well, well—if it isn't that runaway mongrel—Goldie!"
"Brat!"