The outermost barrier shattered in just a second.
Scorching flames erupted in all directions, with waves of intense heat surging endlessly.
"Uwoooaaahhh!!"
Hassan of the Cursed Arm let out a shrill, miserable scream within the inferno.
In mere moments, his body was rapidly charred, the searing pain consuming him entirely.
"A magus of this era... could actually be like this...!"
Before his consciousness faded, Hassan of the Cursed Arm left behind a line of disbelief.
In the end, his body was completely melted, not even a speck of ash remained — he vanished without a trace.
The flames gradually receded.
What was revealed was a vast expanse of scorched earth, the stench of burning asphalt permeating the air, smoke churning continuously, and the crackling sound of roasting lingering in the ears.
The outer barrier was completely destroyed, and even the protective screen surrounding the two was reduced to just a thin layer or two.
"Huff..."
Roy exhaled heavily.
He rubbed his eyes, a hint of exhaustion showing on his face.
After consecutive battles with Cu Chulainn and Hassan of the Cursed Arm, his magical energy was nearly depleted, with less than ten percent remaining within his body.
More importantly, he had used his Mystic Eyes several times, and the resulting mental fatigue was unavoidable.
Beside him, Rin stared blankly at the scene before her.
What had she just witnessed?
A Servant!
Dead!
No matter how weak a Servant might be, to be solo-killed by a magus?
"I used to just think you were amazing. Now, from the bottom of my heart, I think you're a monster..."
Rin picked up the unused ruby pendant, her face filled with shock as she looked at Roy.
Even a magus of Aozaki Touko's level couldn't solo-kill a Servant in a direct confrontation.
Even the weakest Servant could at least escape — it was impossible for a mere modern magus to take them down.
And yet, here was a Servant, taken down by Roy's magic alone.
She had always known that the homunculi produced by the Einzberns were of exceptional quality — not only physically and mentally close to humans, but their magic circuits, crafted for research purposes, were also made outstandingly well.
Compared to humans, their only weakness was their short lifespan — even the best-made homunculus rarely lived beyond twenty years.
But such homunculi usually possessed vast mana reserves and excellent aptitude. Once they gained self-awareness, their progress in magic would be twice as effective with half the effort.
But Roy's level had gone far beyond that.
It wasn't just "twice the effect" anymore.
It was enough to make one suspect he was a genetic mutation among homunculi!
'Is it because of those Mystic Eyes?'
Rin looked at Roy with a strange gaze.
'No... the Mystic Eyes alone wouldn't be enough. His calculations were also key!'
She quickly reviewed the events in her mind and realized Roy had first used two large actions to conceal small ones, deceiving Hassan of the Cursed Arm. Then he used himself as bait, luring the attack, trapping Hassan of the Cursed Arm between dual barriers — only then was the final result achieved.
Throughout the process—a calm mind, swift calculations, and the resolve to use himself as bait, combined with those powerful Mystic Eyes—none of these elements could have been missing.
As a magus, Roy's mindset was far from qualified.
But as a warrior, he surpassed 99% of magi!
"Monster's not a bad term."
Roy rubbed his brow, barely staying upright.
"Sounds a bit more human than magus."
Rin was helpless.
And speechless.
She had been with Roy for three years and had long known that he detested magi from the bottom of his heart.
That must be related to what happened three years ago.
Back then, she knew nothing—whenever she brought it up, Roy would take off his glasses and glare at her coldly, as if ready to kill. She dared not ask again.
But now, Rin could more or less guess it.
Homunculi were artificially created beings. Even rare exceptions born with special talents could never naturally possess Mystic Eyes of jewel-level—those could only be innate in normal humans.
Roy's Mystic Eyes were most likely artificially modified.
As bizarre as it sounded, by process of elimination, that was the only explanation.
On top of that, the magus named Uemon Ji had called him a "traitor."
Rin could piece together Roy's past from these scattered clues.
He was a homunculus created by the Uemon family.
And his Mystic Eyes must have been tied to them as well.
If her guess was right—
Roy had undoubtedly endured extremely cruel human experiments.
"What's the situation on your end?"
"My end..."
Rin snapped back to reality and quickly explained everything that had happened on her side in just a few sentences.
"Blackened Saber and Blackened Berserker actually infiltrated the city?"
Roy's expression turned incredibly grim.
This actually happened?
The situation was far more severe than anticipated!
Those remaining blackened Servants were each a nightmare — facing them one by one was hard enough, but now they had all infiltrated at once?
What a sick joke. That old bastard Zouken Matou had really pulled a masterstroke!
Now what?
Only a handful of Servants remained. Even if they rushed to help, there was no chance they could overpower the Blackened Saber. And Roy didn't want to expose Taigong Wang just yet.
Although Black Saber was a strong enemy, Blackened Rider Iskandar—whose whereabouts were unknown—and Gilgamesh were even more problematic foes. Now wasn't the time to reveal their trump card.
And who knew whether the Holy Grail War still had hidden, heavier threats lurking behind the scenes?
'Master, I have an idea...'
Just then, a voice, solemn yet refined, echoed in Roy's mind.
It was Rider—Taigong Wang.
Since Roy had asked him to hide, he hadn't shown himself again, and now he was using telepathy to make a suggestion.
But at the same time—
'Master, Blackened Berserker is heading your way!'
Another telepathic voice rang in Roy's mind, filled with tension and urgency.
'I'm very sorry—Archer has fallen. Blackened Saber has now set her sights on me—'
"AAAaaaaaaa——!!!"
Everything happened in an instant.
A frenzied roar exploded like a thunderclap.
A shadowy figure surged forward in a flash, crossing the short distance to appear before them.
He completely ignored Roy, the red glow in his helmeted eyes locking straight onto Rin. The greatsword in his hand swung down like a death god's scythe.
Rin didn't stand still.
She instinctively raised her ruby pendant, trying to build a defense.
But to a Servant, her movements were snail-paced.
As Blackened Berserker's sword came down, Rin hadn't even raised her arm fully.
Too late.
No matter what, it was too late.
But in that moment—someone reacted just a bit faster than her.
Thanks to Okita's warning, Roy had seen the Blackened Berserker first and instantly realized his target was Rin, who was maintaining the spiritual barrier.
The Berserker was too fast—there was no time to throw talismans or draw runes.
Without hesitation, Roy reached out and shoved Rin with all his strength.
The sword came down.
Rin stumbled, narrowly dodging the death blow.
But at the same time, a flash of blood entered her sight.
***
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