At that moment, Beatrice's divine arm, while powerful, became a hindrance due to their length and size. The lightning enveloping her proved ineffective against her opponent's agility. Artoria's fists hammered relentlessly into Beatrice's abdomen.
The blows landed heavily and unrelentingly on the same target. Despite the protection of Magni and Thor's divine power granted by her class card, Beatrice felt her stomach churn with each continuous strike. The repeated pummeling nearly caused her to lose the contents of her stomach.
"You... Are you really a swordsman?" Beatrice cried out in pain.
Artoria didn't respond, only delivering blow after blow to her abdomen.
Wasn't this a given? The King had once stated that in a battle of life and death, one couldn't afford to be distracted. The King had also advised that depending solely on weapons would expose vulnerabilities and that ultimately, one must depend on their own abilities.
Hence, as a Saber, she was ready to discard her sword and fight with her fists... Wasn't this simply the logical thing to do?
She, who bore the title of the honorable King of Knights, had gone against her own ideals, collaborating with Roman emperors, even plotting against Attila.
The notion that Sabers were restricted to swords, Archers to arrows, and Casters to spell... Clearly, this young girl was a bit too naive.
With the final blow, Artoria's fist struck Beatrice's chest, propelling her to crash heavily onto the ground.
Beatrice clutched her abdomen, writhing in pain, a sheen of cold sweat dotting her brow.
Her grip on the Hammer had loosened somewhere along the way, and now the class card rested in Artoria's hand.
Ishtar, fleeing from Shirou's black mud in sheer panic, shouted in desperation, "Don't go too far, human! I've already forgiven your great disrespect. This is the benevolence of the supreme goddess. What more do you want?"
Shirou chuckled, releasing more of his black mud which twisted into numerous black tendrils, reaching out towards her.
"Ugh, so disgusting... Stay away!" Her voice trembled with fear, and her flight pattern became erratic as she flew higher. However, the tendrils of evil relentlessly pursued her.
"Quickly put away this disgusting thing! Wait, no, don't come here! Don't touch me, don't touch me! Don't defile my perfect body and spirit!"
"Gugalanna... Gugalanna, what are you doing? Come over here quickly! If you don't come soon, your master will be tainted!"
In response to her plea, Gugalanna, its body bound by the Chains of Heaven, erupted with immense power.
"Thump, thump, thump!!"
The Chains of Heaven trembled under the might of this terror-inducing force.
Gil piloted the Golden Uruk to grip the Chains of Heaven, exerting all his might to restrain Gugalanna's massive body.
However, Gugalanna was colossal, and its power was overwhelming.
The thirty-meter-tall Uruk appeared like a tiny fly compared to Gugalanna's towering two-hundred-meter form with just its upper body exposed.
"Thump, thump, thump—"
Gugalanna's charge intensified. Although it couldn't break free from the Chains of Heaven, the waves it churned grew higher with each surge.
The bull stood on the sea's surface, its colossal body emitting a shimmering golden glow. The people of Fuyuki City, engrossed in their festivities, couldn't help but notice this breathtaking sight.
"My goodness, what is that?"
"Hey, what's going on?"
"Is something about to happen again?"
"What's that golden robot over there?"
"A... a Gundam?"
...
The massive figure of Gugalanna instantly silenced the festive atmosphere of the celebration. Countless people gazed at the Divine Bull standing on top of the sea, resembling a small island. Their expressions turned blank and dumbfounded.
A monster... has returned to the city?
And what is that golden robot next to the monster?
A Gundam?
Beside the Divine Bull, Gil struggled to maintain control, urgently shouting at him, "What are you doing? Why haven't you used your class card?"
"Because I don't need to." He extended his palm toward Gil and activated his skill, infusing Gil with three layers of "God Slayer C."
In an instant, Gil felt a surge of "God Slayer" filling his records, amplifying his power.
"Are you... kidding me?" Ishtar stared at Gil, her expression a mix of amazement and doubt. She blurted out, "Where on earth did you pick up 'God Slayer' all of a sudden?"
"Ha, you clueless fool!" Gil shot a scornful look at Ishtar before shifting his attention to him, "You should have handed this over earlier!"
"Don't act like it's no big deal. Just get that bull under control!" Shirou shot back.
Gil triggered the power of the golden Uruk and used the Chains of Heaven to subdue Gugalanna. This time, the bull's fierce struggles amounted to nothing. Its horn couldn't even emit a sound.
Naturally, this outcome was to be expected. The Chains of Heaven possessed the innate ability to restrain gods, with their binding effectiveness increasing along with the level of divinity. Considering that Gugalanna held a portion of Ishtar's power, its divinity was undoubtedly remarkable.
Moreover, with Gil enhanced by three layers of "God Slayer C" from Shirou, the Chains of Heaven's constraint had grown even more powerful.
And most importantly...
"Wait, what? Are you joking?" Ishtar's expression displayed disbelief, struggling to come to terms with the situation.
Originally, the divine suppression power of the Chains of Heaven was already formidable against divine entities. However, these chains couldn't restrict skills or powers. But now, these chains were actually restricting Gugalanna's abilities?
How could this even be possible?
"That's a great expression! Ishtar, being the scoundrel you are, should have a face as foolish as that!" Gil laughed, his eyes brimming with pleasure. He went on, "This is the power of humanity that Enkidu and I, alongside the Eternal King, have created! Now then, Shirou, quickly transform into the Eternal King and amplify my strength further. Let me personally deal with this woman and the bull!"
"Don't be absurd. You're not my trump card, so there's no point in wasting my magical energy on you," He declined Gil's request.
Gil: "..."
At that moment, Shirou shouted, "Arcueid, deal with that bull!"
While protecting Illya and the others, Arqueid had been waiting for a moment like this, wearing a smile on her face as she dashed forward.
Shirou enhanced her with three layers of [God Slayer C]. Then, using [Wisdom of Mortals] on the bull, which had both its body and abilities sealed by the [Chains of Heaven]. In an instant, the form of the bull became even more illusory.
At that moment, Arcueid transformed into a meteor and rushed towards Gugalanna. Her petite fist struck out towards the massive creature's face.
Boom, rumble, boom, rumble, boom, rumble—!!!
With a resounding impact, her devastating punch landed squarely on Gugalanna's face.
The bull was sent flying into the sea by a single punch.
Crack, crack, crack—
The colossal form crumbled like fragile glass.
Standing on the remnants of Gugalanna, Arcueid beamed and waved toward him. "Shirou, all taken care of! How about a roasted bull feast tonight?"
"Are you... kidding me?"
Ishtar hung suspended in the sky, her expression a mix of astonishment and incredulity. She couldn't fathom how her divine bull had been dispatched so easily...
It hadn't even set foot on land, and yet it was effortlessly defeated!
And with a single punch!
"No! How come all of you possess the [God Slayer] skill? This isn't how it's supposed to be... it's not..." Ishtar's mutterings dripped with disbelief. "You shouldn't have had them before... that's not right... No, no..."
She shook her head, her gaze settling on Shirou, who was surrounded by black mud. A question escaped her lips, "Human... what are you?"
Shirou's response was a clump of black mud that he flung towards her.