Chapitre 40: Finale, Kurumi’s ‘Anti-??? Noble Phantasm’
Who is the most dangerous Servant in this Holy Grail War?
It wasn't Archer, nor Saber, nor Rider. At this moment, the gloom that hung over everyone's hearts had revealed the truth.
Amid the thick, oppressive mist, Kurumi stood atop her Zafkiel, City of Devoured Time, gazing down at the sea demon with the aloofness of a goddess, her expression full of disdain for Caster, who held no respect for life.
"Thanks for the meal," she said mockingly, her smile cold. It was time to send him on his way.
Kurumi did not have the power to instantly obliterate the sea demon, nor did Zafkiel. But Kurumi Tokisaki was a Spirit.
The most fearsome, most wicked Spirit, known by the codename Nightmare.
"Fufufufu..." Kurumi's slender body trembled with laughter. She never imagined that one day she would willingly use such a thing.
She raised her right hand to the sky, slowly clenching her fist.
As Kurumi made her gesture, a pure white singularity appeared in the sky, shimmering like a cross-shaped star.
"W-what is that?!"
The overwhelming pressure of destruction and the suffocating sensation of a force that could tear the earth apart weighed heavily on the hearts of all the Servants present.
Only Saber, who had experienced Kurumi's nightmarish dream, understood what it truly was.
—A Spatial Quake.
The root cause of the conflict between the Spirits and humanity.
In her mind's eye, Saber could see the terrifying scene once again: the world crumbling and collapsing, leaving only scorched earth behind.
Everything on the surface of the land was erased as if cut away, and civilization vanished.
The horrifying scene replayed before Saber's eyes, and the corner of her mouth twitched as she murmured:
"Don't overdo it..."
"Oh?" Rider looked toward Saber. "Don't overdo it? You've heard of that young lady's Noble Phantasm before?"
"That's... something capable of flattening an entire continent..." The devastated world reappeared before Saber's eyes.
The crowd on the dam fell into an eerie silence. Why had someone like this been summoned to participate in the Holy Grail War?
Space began to ripple. At the point where Kurumi's hand had clenched, a pale sphere formed, with the sea demon's body marking its boundary.
Everything was coated in white.
The edges of the white sphere rotated inward, shrinking as the boundaries of matter seemed to twist. The sea demon's body was swept by the white edge, and though it appeared unharmed, Caster could sense it. He wanted to escape.
But it was already too late.
All the white light was drawn into Kurumi's grasp, and the surrounding space distorted to its extreme, the mist swirling like a vortex. Kurumi swung her right hand down sharply.
A pitch-black point appeared, expanding rapidly, swallowing everything in its path.
The presence of both the sea demon and Caster vanished completely.
Even though everyone had expected Avenger's power to be formidable, the sight that unfolded before them was still terrifyingly overwhelming.
The black sphere had appeared only for an instant before dissipating. Yet, everything within it seemed to have been erased, leaving no trace behind.
A massive void had formed in the mist, with Avenger standing at its center, her goddess-like expression sending chills through both Rider and Lancer.
Even the Mion River had been carved out, leaving a huge whirlpool that swept everything around it into the gap.
Manipulating time... erasing space...
Waver smiled bitterly. Was she a goddess? It seemed he had involved himself in something way out of his league.
Kurumi's figure floated gracefully as she lightly touched down in front of the group.
"It's done," she said softly, smiling as she tilted her head. "Oh my, why do you all look like that?"
"N-nothing," Rider stammered, his voice thick with tension.
Caster had been destroyed, which meant the ceasefire agreement was now over.
And at that moment, an orange flare streaked into the sky from the center of the river, illuminating the area with a bright white glow.
It was Kiritsugu Emiya.
At the start of the battle with the sea demon, Kiritsugu had 'borrowed' a large speedboat at the port dock and had been observing the battlefield's Masters ever since, though without much success.
After ambushing Kariya Matou, he had quickly abandoned the speedboat, boarded a small boat, and relocated.
Then... he got caught up in his own Avenger's Noble Phantasm.
The massive whirlpool devoured everything, and Kiritsugu's small boat couldn't escape. With no other choice, he fired the flare for help.
"Hmm, so that's the Einzbern bodyguard, huh?" Rider scratched his chin as he watched Saber dash toward the river. He stopped her. "Saber, I'll go fetch him for you."
"No need," Saber replied as she ran across the water, turning him down. No matter what, Kiritsugu Emiya was the Master of both of their Servants, and his identity had not yet been revealed.
"Haha, don't be so polite!" Rider gave her a thumbs-up, then charged toward the whirlpool in his chariot, accompanied by thunder. "I wouldn't just abandon someone like that after crossing the river! Besides, my little Master is standing right beside Avenger."
Since the chariot was faster than running, Saber had no choice but to return to the dam.
Surrounded by three Servants, Waver was visibly trembling.
"Idiot, idiot, big idiot!"
Soon, Rider returned, carrying Kiritsugu. At 175 cm, Kiritsugu seemed dwarfed by Rider's massive frame. His cold, indifferent expression, combined with his soaked appearance, made Irisviel burst out laughing first.
Kiritsugu was clearly displeased, his right hand clenched slightly.
The battle with the sea demon had ended, and as the remaining Masters watched the Einzbern group of four walking away, a heavy weight settled on their hearts.
Archer's Master was dead. The fates of Berserker and his Master were unknown, and Caster and Assassin had both been eliminated.
Now, standing before Lancer's group and Rider's group was the overwhelmingly powerful Einzbern alliance.
"Waver Velvet," Lancer called to Waver, "my Master invites you to meet him tomorrow at the Hyatt Hotel. You must have already realized it by now—he is Lord Kayneth."
Lancer looked at Waver before turning into spirit form and disappearing.
Kayneth... Waver clenched his fists.
"What's wrong, my little Master?" Rider asked, ruffling Waver's hair.
"I... I stole Lord Kayneth's catalyst to summon you," Waver admitted, looking up at Rider. "If Lord Kayneth had summoned you, you would have been even stronger."
"Ha! You fool!" Rider laughed heartily. "The man worthy of being my Master must be a warrior who can fight alongside me on the battlefield!"
"Clearly, that warrior is you, right?"
"Rider..." Waver trembled.
"By the way, Master," Rider said, gazing at the retreating Einzbern group in the distance, speaking in a low voice. "That bodyguard... he's also a Master. He's Avenger's Master."
"!!!"
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone