Arkhan turned his gaze to the nearby book, known as Prelati's Spellbook, an A+ Noble Phantasm of Gilles and the root of all these problems.
It was foreseeable that if the existence of this book leaked, probably more than half of the mages in the world would go mad.
This was a sentient grimoire that, even without direct contact, constantly released enchanting whispers, attempting to lure everyone into corruption.
However, everyone present had experienced countless trials and tribulations, their wills already forged as tough as rocks. This level of temptation was nothing more than annoying noise to them.
Arkhan wondered what would happen if he poked it with Jizo Mitama, a bit morbidly curious. Poison against poison, but he ultimately refrained from experimenting. The Key of Corruption was too sensitive, and unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't easily display it in front of outsiders.
"What's next? Any of you got a plan to get rid of this thing?" Artoria furrowed her brow. She wasn't keen on getting involved with the book; her intuition warned her that doing so might lead to things she'd rather not witness.
"Just leave it to me." Arkhan said calmly with a smile. His hand reached forward, and a golden spear, adorned with a chain, suddenly appeared in his grasp.
The Oath of Judah possessed a magical energy suppression effect similar to Diarmuid's Noble Phantasm, Gae Dearg. This made eliminating Prelati's Spellbook a piece of cake for him.
As if sensing the impending danger, the Prelati's Spellbook began to violently shake. The expression of the blindfolded child on the cover instantly turned sinister, and its long hair danced like snakes, releasing a chaotic aura.
Unfortunately for it, its bluff didn't faze Arkhan. With a steady hand, he gripped the golden spear and thrust it straight into the center of the book.
"AAAHHHHHH—!!!"
A scream, both childlike and demonic, echoed in everyone's ears. The surging magical energy transformed into a storm, wildly dispersing.
At the same time, explosions erupted from all directions. The sea demons, no longer supported by the magical energy from the Prelati's Spellbook, could only leave this world amid reluctant roars.
===
Outside the black fog, those waiting suddenly felt a tremendous surge of magical energy sweeping through, and soon enough, the thick black fog in front of them dissipated at a visible speed.
"This is..." Irisviel paused for a moment, and then a hint of joy immediately appeared on her pretty face. "Great! They did it!"
"Hahhh..." Waver let out a long breath, then excitedly waved his fist. "Fantastic!"
"For something so expected, Waver, are you really that excited?" Kayneth, hands behind his back, glanced at his student with a faint smile. "Or do you lack confidence in the Servant you summoned?"
"Professor Kayneth..." Waver involuntarily shrank his head at the fear of Kayneth. However, upon hearing the latter part of his statement, Waver immediately straightened his neck. "Of course not! Rider is strong; I believe in him!"
Kayneth raised an eyebrow slightly, showing a hint of surprise. If he remembered correctly, this seemed to be the first time Waver had opposed him.
"Haha! Well done, Master! You have to show that kind of spirit!"
With the familiar hearty laughter, Iskandar descended from the sky with his chariot, his imposing appearance causing Kayneth to instinctively take a step back.
"Rider!" Waver's eyes lit up.
Kayneth's expression became slightly serious. Now that Caster's Noble Phantasm had been dealt with and the ceasefire agreement was null and void, with Lancer not yet returned, he alone could not be Rider's opponent.
He silently cursed his own stupidity.
Knowing Rider was the most agile Servant, he obviously would arrive first. Why did he linger here?
Kayneth tightly clenched his right hand in frustration. If things went south, he would have to use a command spell to call Lancer back.
"Troublesome. I missed tonight's military news because of dealing with that big guy. It was a great opportunity to understand the current era's combat styles! Guhahaha!"
Iskandar complained but unexpectedly laughed without warning.
"But tonight's fight was exciting. Fighting side by side with comrades on the battlefield is the most romantic thing in the world. This time was worth it, guhahaha!"
He slapped Waver's back with his large palm twice, making Waver almost lose his breath.
"Rider! Can't you be a bit gentler? Do you want me to die?!" Waver exclaimed angrily.
"Guhahaha, Master, you really need to work out more. Back in my day, any random chick could have knocked you out cold."
"Rider—!"
Watching the gradually receding chariot in the sky, Kayneth absentmindedly stroked his chin.
"So, his change is because of that Servant?"
"From an innocent child to maturity, all that's needed is a trigger." Arkhan appeared silently next to Kayneth. "Waver is someone with great potential. One day, he will radiate his own brilliance."
"Hmph, even so, he's still far from becoming a true mage." Kayneth scoffed.
"No, he will never become a true mage." Arkhan smiled, shaking his head, then looked at his Master. "He will be just like his teacher."
Kayneth glanced at Arkhan skeptically.
"Is this the future you see?"
"This is the future he decided for himself." Arkhan replied with a serene smile.
"..." Kayneth fell silent for a moment, then turned away while grumbling. "Truly foolish. I shouldn't have taken in such a fool as a student in the first place."
"Saber!"
Watching Artoria emerge from the ruins, Irisviel hurriedly approached, with a clear concern on her face.
"How are you? Are you hurt? Do you need healing?"
"I'm doing fine, Irisviel." Artoria shook her head.
"Really? That's... That's great..."
The smile on Irisviel's face hadn't faded when she suddenly collapsed forward.
"Irisviel!"
Artoria widened her eyes in surprise, instinctively catching Irisviel. But at that moment, she realized something was off.
'Why is her body... so cold?'
Touching Irisviel's icy skin, Artoria even felt like she was holding a lifeless doll.
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