"!"
Black Saber's expression changed.
The moment the fierce wind struck, she immediately leapt backward.
She thought she had dodged the arrow, but to her surprise, the arrow curved midair and came after her again.
"A tracking arrow!"
Black Saber's face gradually darkened.
She had to deal with that arrow immediately, or things would get troublesome!
She raised her sword to slash the silver-white arrow coming from the side, but just then, a pair of slender spears thrust at her like shadows following the body. Jeanne seized the fleeting opening, her twin spears stabbing simultaneously at Black Saber's neck and side.
Uemon watched with humiliation boiling in his chest, his face burning.
Good old Lancer—no hesitation to fight now!
At this moment, she was clearly serious. Her fighting spirit fully aligned with and responded to the boost from the Command Spell's magical power, making her assault extremely fierce!
Black Saber had no choice but to temporarily abandon the arrow, twisting her wrist to slash diagonally from the right side.
Magic surged on the blade, transforming it into a black and red greatsword. With one strike, she cleaved Jeanne's twin spears apart.
Faced with the siege of three Servants, Black Saber could no longer afford to conserve her magical energy.
"Now!"
At that instant, Okita Souji stepped forward.
Without a sound, she seemed to teleport, appearing right beside Black Saber, slashing toward her left hand.
In Black Saber's left hand was the golden, glowing Holy Grail!
Okita's blade struck in the instant where Black Saber's old force had faded and new force hadn't yet risen, using "Shukuchi" to arrive at her side—this strike was sure to hit!
At least, that's what Okita thought.
Unfortunately, even though Black Saber didn't see the attack, she dodged it instinctively, her body shifting slightly to evade Okita's strike.
"Damn it! Is every person capable of dodging my Shukuchi?!"
Okita was both frustrated and embarrassed.
This was the third time!
First with Bazett, then with Cu Chulainn, and now with Blackened Artoria—her Shukuchi had never succeeded once!
At that moment, the silver-white arrow flew in again, curving to stab at Black Saber's back, but she seemed to have eyes on her back, flipping mid-air to narrowly evade the blow.
'Blackened Artoria possesses the Instinct skill. Though the rank dropped significantly due to corruption, it's still effective. Surprise attacks are mostly useless—it's best to force a frontal confrontation!'
Roy's voice echoed in Okita's mind via telepathy.
Okita suddenly understood. True, her Shukuchi was almost useless against someone with strong Instinct.
"That Saber, even corrupted and without the Lesser Grail's support, is still tough to deal with!"
Far away, atop a tall building several kilometers from the hill, Archer observed the battle using his powerful "Hawk Eye," muttering to himself.
"Is she an acquaintance of yours too?"
Rin stood behind him, curious.
"Sort of. Back in the Fifth Holy Grail War, the Servant I summoned was her… But that's a blurry memory now—don't worry about it."
Archer waved it off, then once again drew his bow. The silver-white nail-like weapon appeared in his hand, transformed into an arrow through adjustments, and he fired it.
"Hrunting, the arrow that won't stop unless it kills its target—if two come at once, how will you handle it?"
Archer rubbed his chest and let out a bitter chuckle.
"This time, I must avenge last night's grudge!"
His injuries hadn't even fully healed, and he was already called to work overtime.
Thankfully, it was just ranged support—if he had to fight directly, he doubted he could withstand even a single strike from Blackened Saber.
Before the blazing castle—
Jeanne and Okita relentlessly pursued Black Saber, and an arrow chased after her like a maggot clinging to bone. Soon, another identical arrow flew from the distance.
With no choice, Black Saber once again unleashed a burst of magical energy to repel Jeanne and Okita. Mid-air, she slashed one arrow apart, then twisted in midair and shattered the second with another strike.
Repeated use of mana burst consumed her magical energy rapidly.
Jeanne was forced to retreat again, her eyes flashing with seriousness.
She made a decision, crossed her twin spears and raised them high.
"O souls fallen on the battlefield, lament here with your sighs—"
The merciful yet mournful chant carried the compassion of a saint.
"Fall back—Tristesse de la Vierge!"
The overwhelming resentment twisted the holy form.
The twin spears absorbed all the resentment and magical energy, releasing a black flash like a dark sun that devoured all light. Jeanne swung the crossed spears, sending out two massive crescent-shaped waves, tearing through air and mana as if they could cut through all creation, mercilessly flying toward Blackened Artoria.
Receiving the signal, Okita retreated first. Black Saber, entangled by yet another arrow, was a beat late. The twin waves had locked onto her, but she showed no fear. Her blade exploded with crimson mana, slashing upward from below toward the center of the cross-shaped waves.
BOOM—!
The ground shook violently.
The shockwaves from the crescent slashes merged into a tide, sweeping in all directions, flinging debris and rubble into the air.
Blackened Artoria was blasted away, her armour in tatters, a prominent X-shaped wound on her waist and abdomen. Her body bounced along the ground like a stone skipping across water before finally skidding to a stop.
Uemon looked extremely displeased.
Lancer had unleashed her Noble Phantasm—and used his magical energy to do it!
Damn traitor!
But he didn't dare use a Command Spell to stop Lancer. He only had one Command Spell left. If he used it, he'd no longer be Lancer's Master. With Roy standing right there, he knew he'd never get it off successfully, so all he could do was stand and watch as Lancer was manipulated by Roy.
And Roy was using her better than he ever could! Dammit!
"Now!"
On the battlefield, Okita appeared ghost-like at Black Saber's side, slashing at her left hand.
Heavily injured, Black Saber's body was sluggish. Even though her instincts told her something was wrong, she couldn't react in time. Okita's blade struck, tearing the tendons in her arm and weakening her grip. The Lesser Grail slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground.
Okita quickly picked it up and leapt backwards to create distance.
For a moment, silence fell over the battlefield.
"…So that's how it is. I'm the one who fell into a trap."
Blackened Artoria stood up from the ground. Though grievously wounded and her left hand powerless, she still radiated royal dignity.
"My original goal was to destroy the Mage's Association and then seize Lancer's ownership."
Roy kept a position where he could keep both Black Saber and Uemon in sight. As he spoke, he laughed arrogantly.
"But I figured you might crash the party, so I made preparations in advance."
Of course, the most critical factor was that the souls in the Lesser Grail had reached their limit. Black Saber could no longer use its power. Otherwise, even with the strength of three Servants, it would've been impossible to bring her down so easily.
Jeanne's eyes flickered slightly.
Seize her ownership?
Is that what Roy truly wanted?
***
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