CLANK!!
Two swords collided violently. Sparks scattered wildly between two similar yet opposing faces. Arthur braced himself, his stance firm as he endured the crushing pressure of Artoria's black blade.
"I can feel it…" Artoria hissed coldly, her eyes locked onto Arthur's green gaze. "That blinding light you used earlier to erase Berserker. I expected it—but seeing you in person is still shocking."
She pressed her sword harder.
"You are 'me' from another world, aren't you?"
Arthur slammed his footing, forcing Artoria back several steps.
Straightening his posture, Arthur's gaze fell upon the blackened Excalibur in Artoria's hand. Deep sorrow filled his eyes.
"And you…" Arthur shook his head slowly. "You have committed a taboo no bearer of the Holy Sword should ever commit. You allowed your light to be swallowed by darkness. As a fellow King of Knights, I must stop you."
Artoria showed no sign of anger. She calmly resumed her combat stance.
"Before we kill each other, I have one question for you, my other self."
Arthur stared straight at her. "Ask."
"Do you view the fall of Camelot… as your mistake and your sin?" Artoria asked, her voice laced with poisonous regret.
Arthur fell silent for a moment—then lunged forward.
TRANG!
Arthur slashed, only for Artoria to parry effortlessly. At point-blank range, Arthur gave his answer.
"No," Arthur replied firmly. "I have never seen Camelot's fall as a failure. It was destiny. It was history—something that cannot and must not be changed."
Artoria's eyes widened in fury. She knocked Arthur's blade aside and leapt backward.
"So you accepted it?!" Artoria shouted, her voice rising. "You simply stood by and let your kingdom and people be destroyed?! You felt no regret?!"
Arthur lowered his sword slightly, his gaze calm.
"There is no glory that lasts forever," Arthur said quietly.
"A kingdom has its own beginning and its own end. We cannot force a nation to exist eternally against the flow of time. My duty was to lead them until the end—not to prevent that end."
Artoria fell silent, processing the answer from her other self.
"So that is your answer…" she murmured coldly.
Her gaze sharpened. Without warning, her Mana exploded outward as she charged.
"Then die along with your idealism!"
CLANK!
Arthur reacted instantly, blocking the heavy strike. The ground beneath them cracked under the clash of two immense powers.
"This ends now," Artoria hissed, preparing to follow up.
Before she could move, an arrogant voice echoed from the darkness.
"Oi, oi! Don't forget about us!"
BOOM!
A blazing red magic circle flared beneath Artoria's feet. A massive explosion of fire erupted from below.
"Tch!"
Sensing the intense heat, Artoria aborted her attack and leapt backward into the air.
But that was the trap. Midair, she couldn't maneuver freely.
The empty space around her suddenly filled with dozens of floating matchlock muzzles.
"Die!" Nobunaga shouted.
DOR! DOR! DOR!
A barrage of gunfire erupted all at once.
Artoria gritted her teeth. She swung her black sword at lightning speed, desperately deflecting the hail of bullets in midair.
Tring! Tring!
But there were too many. One bullet slipped through.
TRAK!
"Argh…!"
The bullet struck her squarely in the left chest—straight through the heart. Her sturdy black armor cracked.
BRAK!
Artoria crashed to the ground, her knee slamming into hard stone. She immediately planted her sword into the ground to force herself upright.
She looked up, eyes blazing with hatred at her encircling enemies.
"Attacking me together while I was dueling…" Artoria sneered with disgust. "A pack of cowardly rats."
She surveyed her surroundings.
Nobunaga floated above, her smoking rifles still aimed, laughing mockingly. Nearby, Caster Cú Chulainn stood casually, spinning his staff.
Behind them, Assassin emerged from the shadows, guarding Rikka and Olga.
And in front of her, Mash rushed over to Arthur's side, her shield firmly raised.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Your Majesty," Ritsuka's calm voice broke the tension.
Ritsuka stepped out of the shadows, both hands tucked casually into his pockets.
"This isn't a one-on-one duel," Ritsuka continued coldly. "This is a war. And in war, there's no such thing as cheating. Only victory—or death."
Artoria narrowed her eyes. Despite the distance, she could feel the dense aura of leadership emanating from the young man.
"You…" Artoria stared sharply. "Who are you, really?"
Ritsuka stopped walking and smirked.
"Well… just think of me as a Master who happened to pass by."
Olga, hiding behind Assassin, panicked and poked her head out slightly.
"Hey, Ritsuka! Idiot!" Olga hissed. "Stop provoking her with that cool-guy nonsense! I don't want to die stupidly just because you're picking fights!"
"Relax, Director. She won't lay a finger on you," Ritsuka replied casually.
Artoria squinted, her sword still aimed at them.
"You sound awfully confident in the strength of your lackeys, Human."
Ritsuka smirked. "Of course. I wouldn't be standing here if I didn't trust them."
He stepped forward slightly, looking Artoria up and down with a condescending gaze.
"Besides… no one knows you better than I do. Including your little secret, Miss King."
Artoria frowned, wary. "What are you talking about?"
"You like junk food, don't you?" Ritsuka shot suddenly. "Cheap burgers? Greasy fried stuff?"
He shook his head theatrically.
"Look at you. That armor's starting to look tight. You must've stuffed yourself with that garbage until you bloated up. Don't tell me… you weigh as much as an elephant now?"
Crack.
The sound of snapping nerves echoed clearly in the cavern's silence. Artoria's eyebrow twitched violently. Black aura erupted uncontrollably from her body.
"You… your mouth needs to be torn apart," Artoria growled, her voice shaking with rage.
Without warning, she launched forward like a cannonball, her black sword swinging straight for Ritsuka's neck.
CLANK!
Mash jumped in just in time, blocking the strike with her shield. The impact sent out a shockwave, but Mash held firm.
Ritsuka watched.
"Wow, really angry? Guess I was right, huh?"
He observed Artoria's brutal fighting style as she relentlessly hammered Mash's shield.
"Pathetic. You're too barbaric," Ritsuka sneered. "You're not a King. You're just a fallen ex-King."
Artoria roared and struck again.
"Look at how you swing that sword!" Ritsuka shouted over the clashing steel. "Crude! Sloppy! Like some market thug! Where's the elegance of the so-called King of Knights?!"
"SILENCE!!" Artoria screamed.
She ignored Mash entirely. With a burst of Mana from her legs, she dashed past the Shielder, her gaze locked squarely on Ritsuka. Her killing intent was suffocating.
CLANK!
Arthur appeared, blocking her path. Holy blade and demonic blade clashed once more.
Ritsuka didn't retreat. Instead, he pointed proudly at Arthur.
"Look at him! Look at Arthur before you! He has far more dignity than you ever will!"
TRANG! CLANG!
The two swords clashed repeatedly at high speed, sparks flying.
"You are no longer a King!" Ritsuka shouted between clashes. "You're just a butcher wearing a crown! A disgrace to the name Pendragon!"
"I SAID SILENCE!!"
The insults shattered what remained of Artoria's sanity. She poured all her power into one brutal swing.
BOOM!
"Guh!" Arthur was blasted backward several meters by the overwhelming physical force.
Arthur's defense opened for a split second. Artoria seized it—not by pursuing Arthur, but by charging straight for Ritsuka again.
"DIE, HUMAN!"
But Ritsuka merely smiled.
WUSH!
Space around Artoria suddenly distorted. Dozens of matchlock rifles materialized in midair, surrounding the Black King from all directions.
"Got you," Ritsuka muttered.
DOR! DOR! DOR!
The barrage fired simultaneously.
Artoria's eyes widened. Mid-charge, she was forced to defend, swinging her sword wildly to block bullets coming from all directions.
Ritsuka didn't stop. Through the smoke of Nobu's gunfire, he delivered his final insult.
"Look at you. You don't even radiate the aura of a Tyrant anymore," Ritsuka said coldly. "You're just an empty puppet controlled by Angra Mainyu. You have no will of your own!"
The words hit their mark.
Nobu's gunfire halted as thick smoke was suddenly blown away by a surge of dense black energy.
From within the smoke, blood-red light flared. Artoria stood there, no longer blocking. She raised her black sword high. Infinite Mana gathered along its blade, forming a pillar of darkness that pierced the cavern ceiling.
"You… are an unbearably noisy Magus," Artoria hissed, her voice trembling with fury.
"At this distance… no god or shield can save you. Disappear."
Ritsuka didn't move. He smiled instead.
Suddenly, Caster's satisfied voice rang out from behind.
"I'm proud of you, kid! You baited her so hard she forgot to look down!"
Ritsuka turned. Caster spun his druid staff rapidly, ancient Rune magic gathering.
WUSH!
Caster slammed his staff into the ground.
"WICKER MAN!"
The ground beneath Artoria ignited, forming a massive magic circle.
GRUMBLE… BOOM!
Before Artoria could swing her sword, a horrifying Wooden Giant burst from the earth at blinding speed.
Artoria was caught off guard. Her footing was lifted. She tried to leap away—but the giant's wooden hand moved faster.
GRAB!
"What—?!"
The giant seized Artoria midair and forcibly shoved her into the cage-like cavity in its chest.
"Got you, Saber!" Caster shouted.
The wooden giant let out a silent roar, then slammed its blazing body into the ground, crushing Artoria within.
BOOM!
A sacrificial inferno erupted skyward. A towering pillar of flame licked the cavern ceiling, its heat warping the air violently.
Ritsuka stared at the hellfire without blinking. Amid the roaring flames, his voice echoed directly into Nobunaga's mind via telepathy.
"Nobu. Whatever happens next… stop anyone who tries to interfere with me. Even our allies."
Nobu glanced at her Master midair.
"Understood, Master. Your back is safe with me."
The flames began to subside, leaving thick black smoke blanketing the crater.
Seeing the opening, Ritsuka didn't hesitate. His magic circuits flared brightly, Mana flooding his leg muscles.
Rikka, standing beside him, noticed the strange shift.
"Brother? What are you—"
"NOW!"
WUSH!
Her words were cut off by a violent gust of wind. Ritsuka vanished, launching forward at bullet speed toward the center of the smoke.
His left hand moved to his back, drawing the gleaming Zelretch Jewel Sword.
Olga gasped as the residual wind whipped her hair.
"Huh?! Ritsuka?!" she shouted when she realized he was gone.
Up ahead, Arthur stared in shock as his Master charged alone into danger.
Caster lowered his staff, eyes narrowing in confusion.
"What the hell is that kid doing? The enemy might not even be dead!"
Ritsuka pierced through the black smoke like a phantom.
Artoria—her body charred and paralyzed by Wicker Man's curse—gasped in shock as Ritsuka suddenly appeared inches from her face.
"Y-you…!" Artoria cried, trying to move her sword, but her body wouldn't respond.
Ritsuka didn't hesitate. With a cold expression, he swung the Jewel Sword toward Artoria's left chest.
KRAK!
Not the sound of flesh being cut—but something cracking. The once-impenetrable black armor shattered, leaving her chest exposed.
Artoria stared in horror. "What are you—"
"Sorry," Ritsuka cut her off.
His right hand—now glowing deep red with fully reinforced magic—thrust straight into Artoria's left chest.
SCHLUK!
A wet, horrifying sound echoed as flesh was pierced. Ritsuka's hand plunged deep into the Black King's chest. He didn't destroy her body—he tunneled through flesh and bone to reach her core.
"Guh…!" Artoria vomited fresh blood, her eyes bulging in unimaginable pain as the foreign hand rummaged through her organs.
Ritsuka leaned close to her ear, whispering gently, like a surgeon calming a patient.
"Sorry… this will hurt."
His hand closed around something hot and violently pulsing inside.
"As compensation… once this is over, I'll treat you to all the Burger King you want. Promise."
At that moment, the surrounding smoke began to clear.
The sight was laid bare for all to see. Rikka, Olga, and the Servants witnessed it with their own eyes—Ritsuka standing with his arm buried deep inside Artoria's chest.
"BROTHER!!" Rikka screamed hysterically.
Ritsuka ignored the cry. He took a deep breath, then slowly but forcefully pulled his hand out.
SQUELCH…
Artoria let out a long groan. Her body convulsed, then went limp.
As Ritsuka's hand fully emerged, a blazing, crimson Dragon Heart, beating violently, lay in his grasp. Its heat burned like living embers.
Ritsuka stared at the magical organ with a gaze equal parts awe and madness.
"If I remember correctly…" Ritsuka murmured with a thin grin,
"Siegfried once did something like this to a homunculus named Sieg. The difference is… I'm the one taking it."