The Shogun frowned at the inevitable spear that stretched to cover the sky. Her violet hair and skirt were whipped back by fierce winds as she transformed into lightning, retreating a distance to find the perfect angle.
Since both were using the pinnacle of martial skill to clash, she was more than willing to oblige.
In this matter, the opponent's technique was indeed formidable—but she did not believe herself inferior in the least. The most important part of a martial contest, aside from skill, was the heart!
She reversed her grip on Musou Isshin, holding it vertically before herself. Her slender fingertips stroked gently along the blade's side, as if caressing a beloved treasure. Wherever her fingers touched, deep violet light began to spread, and the ornate magatama inlaid with black-gold upon the guard lit up as well.
Then… Musou Isshin dissolved into motes of light and vanished from her hand. Her body floated in midair, framed by a backdrop of deep violet starlight like an alien sky. Dense violet particles of light gathered at her feet, forming into a pair of giant puppet hands that lifted her body, their symmetrical pose resembling a doll-like flower with her as its radiant core.
Suspended in the center of the palms, the Shogun's braid unraveled, her hair cascading freely down her back. Raising both arms, she struck a Buddha-like, graceful pose. As her gesture ended, the puppet hands folded together like petals, enclosing her entirely before sinking into the void and vanishing.
The next instant, a vast rift tore open in the sky. From it gazed a massive eye—an Eye of Stormy Judgment—equal in scale to Karna's god-slaying spear. If his flames could claim half the heavens, then she now occupied the other half.
From the enormous eye's pupil stretched forth a colossal yet exquisitely crafted puppet arm, Musou Isshin magnified in its grasp. Upon the arm's surface flowed markings of Electro and elegant patterns etched into its ball joints, which moved with uncanny fluidity, almost alive.
"!"
Karna's brows knitted tightly.
"So, at last, you bring out your strongest Noble Phantasm as well, Saber!"
His Vasavi Shakti was still in its wind-up phase—so too, he assumed, was hers. He expected their clash would be a head-on collision, but he did not fear. He knew the spear's power well. If his enemy was divine, then death was assured.
"O' Sun—Abide to Death! Vasavi Shakti!!"
With Karna's shout, his god-slaying spear blazed hotter still. Gathering all his strength, he hurled it with force enough to engulf the sky. Though it was shaped as a spear, what flew forth was a nuclear weapon of flame. The true lance at its center was obscured, indistinguishable within the burning mass.
This was his life's wager—trading his armor, his very defense, for this one absolute strike! This spear would not miss. No life could endure it.
And indeed, should it pierce them, the Shogun's body would be ruined, and Ei's consciousness would scatter into nothing. But—
Such horrors belonged to nightmares, not to reality. And reality meant the mind lived, thought lived.
His defense was gone. He had but one chance.
If it was a guaranteed hit, then simply… do not let it hit. Dodging was impossible. If it was a divine anti-god weapon, perhaps with tracking or a conceptual certainty of striking, then only one choice remained: to face it head-on. If it was a concept, then defeat it with another concept.
And how?
Only by shedding all thought, all intent—by unleashing a single strike of Musou no Hitotachi.
Blank mind, invincible.
Only one who reached infinity could wield this sword. The final strike, the essence of the blade, the cut that could sever all things. It embodied absolute martial skill—perfection itself!
Ei had once told her… the reason for drawing Musou no Hitotachi determined the scale and limit of its power. And now, at this moment—this was the time.
"Witness... the final calamity!"
With a voice that shook even space itself—
Crackle!!
A single cut was unleashed!
Time froze. Before her stretched an endless scar, a boundless sword-mark that cleaved across the world. Then, as though glass, space itself split along the wound. The cross-section revealed the deep edge of the world's barrier, starlike substance shining within the exposed interior. The very structure of reality had been severed, the world conceptually split in two. Along the broken glass-like edge, corruption from beyond gnawed and burned ceaselessly.
The next instant, the entire dimension of space shattered like fragments of glass!
Crash!
A piercing sound rang out, and then time resumed its flow. All of it had occurred in but a moment.
The scene was intact—yet one thing alone had changed. Karna's god-slaying spear was gone. Erased. In an instant, it had vanished without a trace, as though it had never existed at all.
The Eye of Stormy Judgment and the puppet arm faded away…
Once more, the puppet hands appeared, petals opening to reveal the violet flower at their center. From its heart descended the beautiful woman, the Shogun, Musou Isshin in hand, her gaze fixed coldly upon a bewildered Karna.
The Plane of Euthymia returned to silence. A dawnlike breeze stirred her kimono and hair, as if they had returned to the very beginning.
"What—! What is this?!"
Karna looked down at his body. His golden armor was gone, leaving only his black undergarments. This proved his spear had indeed been released—this was no dream. And yet why? Why was his opponent unharmed?
Even if she had survived, she should not be entirely unscathed. Yet it felt as though his strike had never touched her at all—as though it were a dream. But it was not.
His eyes fell to the Musou Isshin in her hand.
Was it that blade? The Noble Phantasm's ability?
But he had no chance to ponder further, for—
Crackle…
Violet light flashed past his side. The Shogun, back turned to him, flicked blood from her blade. Not even half a second had passed.
Squelch!
"Guh—ah!!"
A deep gash tore across Karna's chest. He collapsed to his knees, clutching his bleeding torso. She had given him no chance to counter. She did not know if he still had another hidden weapon after his strike. The risk was too great. Better to end it swiftly.
With his defenses discarded, his flesh was but fragile mortal body. Worse still, his weapon was gone—the spear vanished the moment it was hurled. Stripped of both shield and blade, he had lost. Even fighting barehanded now was futile. Defeat was absolute. The vanquished had no excuses.
"You have lost."
She spoke coldly, her back still to him.
"…Yes… I have lost."
Yet Karna smiled faintly, gazing at the blood on his palm with serene eyes. So this was death? Though he had already been dead, this battle of staked lives left nothing more to say.
"But before I go, I must ask you, Saber."
"…What is it?"
The Shogun narrowed her eyes slightly.
"My strike just now—did it frighten you? I saw it. In that moment, your expression faltered."
Karna let out a weak laugh.
"…Indeed… had I been careless, the one kneeling now… would not be you."
She did not deny it. Her reply was honest.
"…I see. To hear you admit it—that alone satisfies me."
His smile softened.
"The outcome of warriors is decided in an instant. You are truly skilled. Perhaps, as you said, had we been allies… we might have known one another better."
For a moment, her gaze gentled.
"Ah… but fate delights in cruelty. Still, I, Karna, regret nothing. Now then, Saber—grant me my end."
Karna straightened his back. Though wracked with pain, his posture remained proud.
"…"
The Shogun turned, her side profile flawless, violet eyes gazing at him. Closing them briefly in thought, she then stepped behind him. Both hands gripped her blade, angled at his neck.
"Farewell, Karna."
"Ah… this battle is yours. Farewell."
Squelch!
Blood spattered as the blade cut clean. Karna's body slackened, yet his composure remained as he dissolved into golden motes of light, fading from the world.
The radiant dust swirled upward into the skies of the Plane of Euthymia, ascending toward the far shore. The Shogun watched silently until the last glimmer disappeared.
[Well done, Shogun. That strike even surprised me.]
The way she had used Musou no Hitotachi went beyond Ei's own thinking. Ei would have swung directly at Karna's body. Instead, the Shogun struck the space his god-slaying spear had occupied—erasing it entirely.
"This is nothing… in your place, perhaps you would have chosen better."
The Shogun, as always, answered with humility, smoothing her loose hair.
[There you go again. You need not always comfort me. What you did was truly better. And I am glad.]
"…You are not brooding over it?"
[Not at all. You are ever so considerate. But really, I am not. Do not worry.]
Ei's lips curled into a warm smile. Her other self's unthinking concern pleased her deeply.
"…Mm."
The scars of battle upon the Plane of Euthymia began to heal. The gouged earth restored itself, returning to its flawless state.
Around her, fragments of the realm scattered. The Plane collapsed, dissolving until at last it returned them to reality.
Huff… huff…
As the pale-blue fragments of the Plane of Euthymia scattered, the Aerial Garden's scene reappeared as it once was. Who knew how much time had passed? The battle in the skies had already ended. All that remained were massive wrecks of aircraft and crumbling ruins. Jeanne and Chiron were nowhere in sight—likely already within the fortress.
"That was quite a long fight."
With that familiar voice, the sound of wings stirring the air reached her ears. Turning, she saw the Thunderbird—Kapatcir.
"How long has it been?"
She asked.
"About half an hour. They've entered, but were intercepted along the way and haven't yet reached the depths."
Kapatcir descended from the sky with a beat of her wings, landing beside the Shogun.
"You didn't assist them?"
The Shogun glanced at the fortress entrance, its battered traces obvious, before turning her gaze back.
"Hmph! They have nothing to do with me. Why should I help them?"
The Thunderbird snorted disdainfully. It clearly disliked trouble. Aiding the Shogun was already its greatest concession—she'd best not push her luck.
"Then will you accompany me?"
"No. My time here is nearly at its end. Beelzebul, do not forget our pact—or else don't blame me if I haunt your dreams!"
Kapatcir rose into the air again, glaring down at her from above. Though the words were a 'warning,' a petty, playful temper laced the tone.
"This vessel does not require sleep."
The Shogun replied smoothly, used to such retorts.
"Hmph… what an insufferable one you are."
"Farewell, Thunderbird."
"To one already dead, the word 'farewell' is but an empty illusion. Still… I accept your sentiment. And another thing—don't call me 'Thunderbird'! My name is Kanna Kapatcir."
At the mention of her name, there was even a touch of emotion—subtle, complex, yet unmistakable.
"This vessel remembers… you always disdained names."
The Shogun folded her arms, lightly teasing.
"That was then. Now… this is the only thing left to me of that child. Hah… enough. No need to dig up the past. Then I shall take my leave—Shogun~."
With those words, Kapatcir dissolved into particles of light, dispersing in the sky. This time, the final "Shogun" she spoke carried no anger. Instead, it was playful, teasing—like in their first days of acquaintance, when no hostility stood between them.
"…Haa."
Watching her vanish, the Shogun let out a faint sigh. That final tease left her helpless.
...
Meanwhile, aboard the private plane in the skies, Fiore sat weakly in her wheelchair, wiping cold sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. Her palm pressed against her hand, where only a single Command Seal remained.
"Sister… are you alright?"
Caules, noticing her condition, asked with concern. Since earlier, his sister had seemed utterly exhausted. He could even hear her uneven breaths, her face pale.
Stepping closer, he saw sweat beading faintly upon her delicate cheeks, as though she was enduring something painful.
"Sister! You—"
"I'm fine… don't worry about me."
Fiore shook her head lightly, trying to reassure him.
"But… why?"
Caules was confused. Why had she suddenly weakened like this?
"It must be… because of the Shogun."
Fiore answered softly.
"Eh? Saber consumes that much mana?"
Fiore's magical reserves were plentiful—that much Caules could guarantee as her brother. Yet seeing her like this showed him anew how terrifying Saber's mana consumption truly was. If it had been him, his meager reserves would have been drained long ago.
"Yes… even when I first summoned her, I noticed it. The consumption was staggering. But I can endure it. Caules, don't worry. As the Shogun's Master, this is my responsibility to bear."
Though pale and weak, Fiore's voice was firm as she clutched at her chest.
"Sister…"
Caules could hardly bear it. As the sister-obsessed brother he was, seeing his sister drained of mana in this way pained him deeply. But… he understood the importance of the greater cause. Helplessly, he left her side, allowing Fiore the room alone.
Yet Fiore's thoughts were the opposite of his. Shameful as it was to admit, being drained of mana by the Shogun, as though she were being consumed entirely, filled her with a strange happiness—or was it a sense of security?
It meant the Shogun was using her without reservation, as though her very body were being filled again and again by the woman's hand. This dependence, this reliance, made her happy.
"Mmnh…"
Her head leaned weakly against the window beside her. One hand clutched her chest, but even as her mana was continually consumed, an odd heat welled up inside her body. That peculiar warmth brought a flush to her cheeks. Almost unconsciously, her hand caressed along her inner thighs beneath her skirt, her white stockings brushing beneath her palm. The growing heat rendered her body unbearably sensitive.
"Uuh~ huff… huff… mmnh…"
Her breathing quickened. Sweet, delicate tones escaped her lips, tinged now with an alluring edge. The heat inside made her inexperienced fingers wander slowly between her thighs, her body trembling.
"Mmnh… Shogun… please don't… don't do this~"
Her eyes half-lidded, her voice a whisper of desire, she muttered the name of the kimono-adorned beauty, her breath laced with intoxication.
[Fiore.]
Suddenly, a voice echoed in her mind—the very voice of the woman she had been fantasizing about.
"Yah~! No, it's not—it's not what it looks like, I wasn't doing—eh?"
The real voice cut her fantasy apart, snapping her back to reality with a jolt. Her flushed, sweat-dampened body stiffened, her posture rigid as she froze in place.
[…]
"Sh–Shogun?"
Overcome with guilt and shame, her voice stammered, trembling.
[…Are you… alright?]
The Shogun, sensing something strange in her tone, asked with concern.
"Eh? I… I'm f-fine…"
[Good. You may begin landing.]
"Yes… thank you, Shogun."
[Think nothing of it…]
"Um… Shogun…"
[What is it?]
"Did you… just now… hear me?"
[…I only heard you say 'I wasn't doing.' Did you say something else?]
"Uuh… n-no, nothing… sorry."
[Time is short. I will meet you at the landing point. Hurry and move.]
"Yes… understood."
When the communication cut off, Fiore exhaled in genuine relief. So she hadn't been heard. If she had been, she wouldn't have had the face to see her again. Thankfully, the strange heat inside her body had also subsided. But when she thought of how she had almost let her desires overwhelm her, fantasizing of the woman she admired in such a way, her shame was overwhelming. To have thought of the Shogun like that—too shameful!
"Mmnh…"
Then, a sudden coolness beneath her skirt made her flinch. Alone in the room, she slowly lifted her hem to peek.
"///"
She immediately lowered her skirt again, hiding it in mortification.