In terms of destructive power and output, she fell short.
Compared to Fafnir from Chapter 1, who forced us into a desperate war of attrition after his leadership was severed in a decapitation strike, her output was distinctly lower.
Though she possessed the Holy Grail, she utilized it solely as a source to amplify her own magical energy rather than exploiting its full conceptual potential; in terms of utility, she was less efficient than Leif, one of the 'Demon God Pillars.'
She rode upon the skeletal steed Llamrei, clutching her great lance, yet her mobility and tactical command lagged behind the King of Conquerors, who continued his charge in Chapter 2 even after taking a nuclear-scale impact to the face. While she radiated a uniquely oppressive charisma, it was negated by Mordred—the icon of 'Rebellion'—and seemed far less daunting than the despairing curse of the Tetragrammaton we faced in Chapter 3.
Nevertheless, the reason she could not be underestimated was...
"Here she comes!"
Because even if each individual factor was slightly lacking, she possessed all three at once.
"Holmes, fall back! Paracelsus, target the horse! Mordred and Gareth, block the lance! And Mash..."
"No, I will protect the Master!"
With a single instruction, the enemy correctly identified that Ritsuka, not I, was the operational core—the tower of command—and immediately redirected her lance. Her judgment was swifter than any foe we had faced.
"Where are you looking, King Arthur! Your enemy is right here!"
"A mere traitor who was run through and fell... how dare you stand before me!"
Her output might have been lower than Fafnir's, but that was only in comparison to a Dragon Kind of the Age of Gods... In her berserk state, fueled by a magical energy reactor, her output already far exceeded the combined strength of every Servant present.
Mordred's Clarent, saturated with prana, clashed against the rotating Rhongomyniad, which pulsed with an ominous light, only to be deflected. Under the heavy stomps of Llamrei, the earth elementals that had been shaking the ground were torn to shreds.
"Shooting the horse to capture the rider is basic military law, but the same logic applies to the other side!"
"Mash, block it!"
"Understood, Senpai!"
A manifestation of destructive intent, shaped into a colossal mass of power, began its charge.
It was an attack that combined simple Prana Burst with the sheer momentum of a mounted charge.
"Deploying Noble Phantasm!"
"Fine. Try to withstand it."
The obscured castle walls, which had weathered countless assaults, bore the full weight of the prana release. Seizing that opening, Mordred, wreathed in crimson lightning, lunged with her prana-laden sword toward King Arthur.
Whether her Instinct rank had dropped due to her blackened state or she was simply preoccupied with breaching Lord Chaldeas, the thunderous storm struck true. I did not miss that window, focusing my targeting with precision.
"Shinra Tensei!"
"Ngh...!"
"Now, crush her!"
"Mash!"
As the maximized repulsive force pinned the King of Storms to the earth, the elementals she had previously crushed rematerialized, swallowing her as if forming a grave of soil. Though infinitely weaker than Chibaku Tensei, Paracelsus's seal provided the briefest window of opportunity. Ritsuka immediately issued the command.
"By my Command Spell, I order you! Release your Noble Phantasm and pierce her Saint Graph, Gareth!"
"As you wish!"
Gareth, who had stayed out of the spotlight more than anyone except Holmes until now, broke into a sprint.
She leaped over the elementals and dashed through the shattering waves of magical energy the King of Storms was venting to break her restraints. Finally, as the King of Storms shattered the seal and prepared to strike Ritsuka, Gareth drove her massive lance home.
Ira Lupus
[Raving Maiden Wolf!]
A linear thrust of the lance—a heavy, singular strike without a shred of hesitation—seemed poised to pierce the prana armor and destroy the core in one blow, yet...
"...This... much... is not... enough!"
"Dammit, I'm sick of your stubbornness, Artoria Pendragon!"
"Who said this was the end! Do you think you can breach the sixth and seventh hells with this level of power? You shall pay the price for idling through the prologue here and now!"
Llamrei soared into the air. The magical energy of the Holy Grail began to glow, concentrating entirely into Rhongomyniad.
While Gareth's Noble Phantasm was the culmination of extreme spear technique—an Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm similar to the 'Sandanzuki'—the Noble Phantasm held by the King of Storms was the true power of the spear itself.
"Strike! Devour! Thirteen Teeth!"
"...This sword... is the wicked blade that slew my father and ended an era!"
Ferocious magical energy charged and descended.
Other Servants blocked the path of the defenseless Ritsuka, while Mordred and I stepped to the forefront.
Circular logic, beginning and end being one... who was it that said that?
When I first arrived in this land, I was ambushed; back then, I was desperate just to dodge and parry.
"By my Command Spell, Mordred... blow the enemy away!"
"Yeah, I've been waiting for those words!"
[Rhongomyniad: The Spear That Shines at the Ends of the World!]
[Clarent Blood Arthur: Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father!!!]
Two pillars of light collided.
One was an attack backed by a Command Spell, the other by the Holy Grail.
But... the superiority was clear without even looking. Rhongomyniad was the very cause of Mordred's death, and the King of Storms, holding the legend of King Arthur, was Mordred's natural enemy. Furthermore, her prana, supported entirely by the Holy Grail, showed no signs of depletion even as she maintained the Noble Phantasm release.
Soon, the lightning of Clarent began to flicker, while the radiance of Rhongomyniad grew stronger. Mordred gritted her teeth and tried to draw out more power.
"We're going in too, Paracelsus!"
"Yes, of course. If one is not enough, then two, or even three, shall suffice!"
The Azoth Sword—its output would drop if used outside a bounded field, and even if amplified, it was strictly 'temporary,' but...
"The precious time Sir Mordred and Sir Gareth bought, and this environment contaminated with toxic mist... even if it's a makeshift form, there's no issue in deploying a bounded field and driving the elementals into a frenzy. Now, behold!"
Starting with ice representing water, the elementals of earth, fire, and air—the same that had previously suppressed her—merged to form the core of the field.
It was a crude, small bounded field that felt as if it would collapse at any moment, but it was a bounded field nonetheless. Mirrored surfaces, formed in an Archimedean spiral, generated dozens of prana beams and fired them simultaneously at the King of Storms.
"Do you think... you can stop me with such trivial tricks!"
A massive prana release blew away the struggling Mordred. At the same moment, the charged second blast descended toward Ritsuka, who stood right behind Paracelsus.
"Not a chance!"
"...!"
"There is no reason for every Noble Phantasm in this world to exist solely for combat... Indeed, this Noble Phantasm is merely a spiritron computer utilizing photonic crystals! As long as I can analyze your power, eroding it and counterattacking is nothing!"
"...Then I shall simply crush you!"
The photonic crystals mounted on Paracelsus's sword—the original Azoth Sword—resonated as they began to absorb the prana from both Rhongomyniad and the Holy Grail.
However, it seemed trying to intercept the inexhaustible flow of Rhongomyniad's prana was too much; cracks began to appear in the bounded field. Seeing this, the King of Storms let out a cold laugh.
"Naive! Naive, naive! Did you think you could stop me with such meager skill, with such a pathetic Noble Phantasm!"
"...Of course, he would be if he were alone!"
And finally... I stood beside him.
"Do you intend to do it?"
"If we don't stop it here, it's over. I'll buy you thirty seconds; counterattack within that time!"
"Foolish... if even a Noble Phantasm could not stop me, do you think those insignificant Mystic Eyes can?! If that is truly what you believe, then be pierced and vanish! Halt right here, human!"
"...I'll pass. It took me over thirty years to reach this point. I can't move, even if only out of respect for all that wasted time!"
And above all...
"Compared to a Demon God Pillar... you're pretty weak...!"
"You insolent brat!!!!"
Magical energies collided.
Weaker than a Demon God Pillar?
Bullshit. Pain is always pain.
Every time I forced myself to absorb her prana, I felt like vomiting blood; capillaries burst in my eyes, and my dinner from last night felt ready to surge back up.
Yet... despite that, I endure.
Even if hell lies behind me and the future ahead is a pitch-black abyss.
I hold on with hope.
Holding on... I believe just one more time. Even if this world is defined by despair...
"...As long as there are people who believe in me, I can't give up here... I've already been entrusted with a request by someone just like you... and that arrogant King. And besides..."
Ritsuka... you still have one shot left, don't you?
"By my Command Spell, Paracelsus! Blow her away!!!"
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