Bab 20: Submit at My Feet
Emiya Kiritsugu held his breath as he observed the unfolding battle, finally realizing that this 'Kurumi Tokisaki' who had descended this time might not be the same girl as before. Or perhaps, she wasn't from the same timeline.
Her firepower... was too overwhelming.
Overwhelming to the point of being terrifying.
——
The Prelati's Spellbook, Caster's only Noble Phantasm.
The book itself was a massive magical furnace, a "monster" capable of executing magic by itself. Caster allowed it to operate freely; the book chanted the spells on its own.
Monsters were continuously summoned, regenerating where they were severed, and from the blood-soaked earth, endless monsters emerged.
But Caster's heart was filled with anxiety.
He was fleeing under the cover of his summoned monsters; that girl, that girl was a monster!
Even more terrifying than the abyss!
Ahead of him, a sword was approaching, its fierce aura filled with murderous intent. In those emerald eyes, there was not a hint of hesitation.
Saber had one objective upon arriving on the battlefield: to kill Caster.
Even though she had mentally prepared herself, when she saw the blood-soaked, black-and-red ground, the rotting, shattered bones that were unrecognizable as human, she still stood there, frozen.
This was different from a battlefield littered with corpses; this was the work of a demon who had defiled human dignity.
"——Enough." With a sweeping slash, Saber's sword unleashed a wind of magical pressure, her emerald eyes burning with rage as they fixed on Caster.
"Oh, you've finally arrived, Jeanne... my beautiful maiden." Caster laughed heartily, using the flesh of his monsters to block the attack. It was as if he were welcoming an honored guest, but his smile was hideous and terrifying. "I apologize, I didn't want to start the feast early."
"I wanted you to witness the suffering those innocent children would endure at the end." The monsters behind Caster howled and roared as he gestured wildly. "——Oh, Jeanne, you are even more beautiful when you are consumed with rage."
Saber lunged forward, sword in hand, aiming for Caster.
"This is my holy maiden. Noble... righteous..." Caster murmured dreamily, breathing heavily.
But suddenly, he felt an overwhelming pressure from behind him—like a mountain. The black-and-red-dressed girl emerged from the monsters, landing a heavy foot on his back.
Caster stood nearly two meters tall, while Kurumi barely reached his chest. Yet, in that moment, Caster, almost without resistance, was stomped to the ground by Kurumi, her boot pressing down on his spine.
Crack——
"Avenger..." Saber, who had just arrived, hadn't even reacted when she saw Caster suddenly thrown to the ground, with the girl standing over him, exuding a terrifyingly frenzied aura. Her right eye glowed with a murderous intent as deep and red as a rose.
"Die." Kurumi's voice was ice-cold as she placed the muzzle of her flintlock against Caster's head, unleashing a burst of sparks.
···
But instead of blood, what spewed from the barrel was a swarm of writhing, black "serpents."
"Next time... next time!"
"The laughter of us rebels will echo through the gates of heaven with the cries of God's child!" Caster cackled madly as his shattered body disintegrated into a writhing mass of serpentine tendrils, countless appendages reaching for Kurumi.
——
A golden clock face spun slightly, and Kurumi appeared beside Saber in an instant.
'Aleph—First Bullet'
No matter how many times Saber witnessed it, she still believed that this ability was akin to a terrifying 'Noble Phantasm' forged by a god.
Who but a god could control time?
Throughout the forest, countless monsters surged forth, surrounding the two of them.
"Giiiii!!!"
The monsters roared in unison, a jubilant and amplified sound, as they charged towards the two.
——
"Roar, Excalibur—Wind King's Hammer!" Saber unleashed the barrier around her sacred sword.
The wind howled, and the golden sword within the spinning storm shone brilliantly.
The tempest roared, sweeping through the hordes like a dragon's fury.
The wind pressure created a clearing, shredding the monsters into pieces.
But Saber's speed in cutting them down paled in comparison to Kurumi's.
As an Avenger, Kurumi Tokisaki did not possess Magic Resistance, and being in Caster's territory, she should have been at a disadvantage.
But that was not the case at all. From her flintlock and musket, a barrage of fire erupted, creating a zone of terrifying suppression. The bullets spewed forth like a deadly meat grinder, tearing the monsters to shreds.
Despite using ancient firearms, the storm of metal they unleashed was more violent than a GAU-8 Avenger Gatling.
The sound of a revolver's spinning cylinder echoed continuously.
For the enraged Kurumi, ten, twenty layers of monsters were meaningless; she alone could hold off an entire army.
A black-red barrier expanded, continuously siphoning time from the monsters, replenishing Kurumi.
——
A rumbling sound came from the sky, and violet lightning bolts rained down, scorching large swathes of monsters.
A chariot, riding on thunder, crashed down from the heavens as Rider joined the battle.
"Hahaha, your all-out fight is truly spectacular." Rider gave a thumbs-up to Saber and Kurumi. "But don't think I'm going to lose to you."
The divine oxen, entwined with lightning, plowed through the ground, the thunderous magic reducing the remaining monsters to charred dust.
"Hahaha!" With Rider's hearty laughter, he stopped beside the two.
Saber raised her invisible sword, facing Rider. The pressure emanating from this burly giant was no less than Kurumi's. The wind pressure once again coiled around the radiant golden sword.
"Don't be so tense, Saber. We're still in the ceasefire period, right?" Rider scratched his head.
Saber didn't lower her guard, while Kurumi casually curtsied.
"Good evening."
However, Rider's Master, Waver Velvet, was now fully focused on Saber.
Strength: B
Endurance: A
Agility: A
Mana: A
What an impressive Servant, no matter how many times he saw it, it was awe-inspiring. Most importantly, as a mage from the Clock Tower, Waver was all too familiar with the golden sword Saber wielded.
Excalibur. Also known as the 'Sword of Promised Victory.'
"Saber... is Arthur?"
Emerald eyes locked onto Waver, making the frail Master shudder and shrink back.
"Ah, so it's the King of Britain. Incredible." Rider chuckled, patting his Master's head. "Who would have thought the famous King of Knights would be such a little girl."
Saber's emerald eyes flared with anger; she despised being judged based on her gender.
She bit her lip, pointing her sword at Rider. "Then, Conqueror King, how about testing the sword of this little girl?"
——
"Two pretenders calling themselves kings, and they've both appeared at once." Crimson eyes looked down upon the land, like a god above all.
"Hmph."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone