บท 433: C433
With a loud clang, Artoria's holy sword clashed against the brilliantly shimmering rainbow blade. her enemy's sword carried a strong intent to kill as it menacingly sliced towards her head. A backward step spared her a fatal blow, but a few strands of her golden hair were sheared away.
But she didn't retaliate; instead, she swiftly withdrew, fully aware that in close quarters, she couldn't match her enemy's skill.
Wasn't this an expected outcome?
Over fifteen centuries ago, these two had clashed countless times. Their understanding of each other was pretty deep, like pages from a well-worn book.
"Stop this, Attila!" she shouted. "I don't want to fight with you, not now!"
"I can't comply; my manifestation in this world is to disrupt you! Let's revisit the battle from fifteen centuries past—I can't say I truly lost!"
Attila's eyes danced with a yearning for destruction as she lunged forward.
Artoria clenched her teeth and met the assault head-on, but in a close-quarters engagement, she found herself overpowered by her opponent's might, her strength being slightly overshadowed.
A faint smile spread across Attila's face, which had been as calm as still water. Each strike was stronger and fiercer than the last.
"Clang!"
The clash of metal resounded.
Yes. This sensation. Attila didn't revel in annihilation, nor did she take pleasure in destruction. But as the Giant God of Destruction, she couldn't help but unleash devastation, unable to restrain the impulse to demolish and ravage.
One could say that destruction and ravaging were the instincts instilled within her. She had accepted this aspect of herself, yet she couldn't come to like it.
What's more, she regarded this incarnation of herself as having no worth, no real significance; it felt empty to her.
Then, about fifteen hundred years ago, she crossed paths with Artoria—a person whose purpose was in stark contrast to her own.
While she represented destruction and chaos, Artoria symbolized peace and protection.
Their motives were in direct contradiction, and Artoria wielded the very sword that had once brought an incarnation of hers to ruin.
She held an unshakable belief that she and Artoria were archenemies locked in an unending struggle for survival.
The war that took place over fifteen hundred years ago came to an end when she was ambushed. However, things didn't conclude there. Amidst the deadly combat against Artoria, she discovered her true self. If the previous destruction and ravaging were her instincts, then the desire to obliterate Artoria was her truest, self-born desire.
At the moment when Artoria killed her over fifteen hundred years ago, she came to this realization. Now, incarnated through the records from the Throne of Heroes, she sensed Artoria's presence and manifested ahead of time.
Her objective was, of course, to destroy Artoria.
"Stop, Attila!" she shouted.
Attila paid no heed, instead attacking her with a gleeful smile.
Gray cast a worried glance at Artoria, then turned to Arcueid who was nearby, saying, "Arcueid, can you... go help Her Highness?"
She knew that her involvement would only make things worse, so she asked Arcueid for help.
But then...
"No... I don't want to fight that person..." she gazed at Attila and gave a firm shake of her head, declining the idea.
Gray was baffled. "Huh? Why not?"
She shook her head once more, her face a mixture of confusion. "I don't know... something inside me is resisting the idea of fighting against her. And... there's this tinge of hatred? Perhaps a bit of fear? I don't know why... it's just so strange..."
Not to mention Grey, even Arcueid herself was perplexed, having never experienced these kinds of feelings before.
Over fifteen hundred years ago, she had participated in the assault against Crimson Moon, but had never come face to face with Attila, so she hadn't felt this way before. But now, the mere sight of Attila stirred something strange within her.
Gray shifted her attention to Artoria, who engaged Attila in a defensive struggle. Worry etched itself across her expression. "Her Highness..."
Arcueid glanced at Gray, then back at the suppressed friend. She clenched her teeth and said, "Fine! I'll take care of this!"
Just as Excalibur and the Sword of Mars were about to clash, she threw herself into the fray. She grabbed the holy sword with one hand and seized the rainbow sword with the other, halting their collision.
"Arcueid..." Artoria was taken aback.
Attila seemed somewhat displeased. "Step aside, Crimson Moon. I have no interest in you!"
"I'm not Crimson Moon, I'm Arcueid!" she shot back, irritation coloring her voice.
"Whoever you are, it doesn't matter. Release my sword. It's not you who I want to destroy!"
Attila struggled, but she couldn't pull her sword out.
In terms of sheer strength, she couldn't rival Arcueid, the prime vessel for Crimson Moon.
Artoria took a deep breath and looked over at Attila before speaking. "Attila, the fact that both you and I are standing here seems to point towards a destined conflict. You yearn for my destruction, while my heart simmers with a deep loathing for you. But this isn't the moment for our clash. I'd rather save our ultimate battle for the end of this conflict. If attacking me now brings you satisfaction, know that I won't respond in kind. If it's an Artoria who offers no resistance that you seek to destroy, then I won't stop you."
After a brief pause, she turned her attention towards her friend and said, "Arcueid, release her."
Arcueid hesitated for a moment, then slowly released her grip.
As soon as she let go, Attila lunged forward with her sword. However, Artoria didn't raise her guard; her calm eyes remained fixed on Attila's, exuding a regal aura like that of a commanding lion.
Attila's sword stopped just an inch away from Artoria's face, and she eventually sheathed it.
Her composure returned as she gazed at her nemesis. "Destroying someone who refuses to retaliate—indeed, my heart can't find satisfaction in that. Agreed, then. Once this issue is resolved, I shall fulfill my goal of destroying you."
Artoria met Attila's gaze with a resolute nod.
Arcueid whispered in her friend's ear, "You know, if we combine our strengths right now, we could end her right here."
Artoria shook her head in response, her eyes locked fiercely onto Attila, a strong mix of determination and hostility in her gaze. "No, this woman... I... I must be the one to bring her down, with my own hands. Otherwise, the bloodlust in my heart won't be quelled."
Observing the intense standoff between the two women, Arcueid couldn't help but be puzzled. As they exchanged looks full of the intent to kill and a hunger for destruction, she found herself thinking that they're both quite the weird pair.
In the meantime, Attila had joined forces with Artoria, becoming a part of the team operating within Fuyuki City.
...
"Brother... Sister... Where are you?" Ritsuka's voice quivered, echoing through the fiery streets as she walked, consumed by fear and anxiety.
The once lively festival had transformed within moments into a horrifying apocalyptic nightmare.
A colossal monstrosity loomed in the sky, evoking an intense, primal terror within her. Amidst the chaos, eerie humanoid forms surged relentlessly around her, intensifying her already trembling dread.
Thankfully, each black monsters that approached her was repelled by her devilish friend.
She possessed a commendable amount of courage and quick feet, allowing her to evade the encirclement of the eerie monsters as they closed in on her.
But the fear that gripped her heart was overwhelming, causing her body to shiver uncontrollably.
How did things end up like this?
It began with a huge explosion way off in the distant streets. Her older brother had handed her over to her sister's care and went off with a bunch of people toward the origin of the explosion.
And then, out of nowhere, a colossal monster popped up in the sky. Her big sis swooped in and whisked her to safety. But then her big sis was nowhere to be found.
And that disappearance made absolutely no sense. One moment, there was a gaping hole tearing open the ground, swallowing up her big sis, leaving her standing there all alone.
"Brother... sister..." she trembled.
Her devilish, pitch-black friend was right there beside her, like a loyal guardian, watching over her.
"This is so scary... so scary..."
And in that moment, those eerie monsters that had been lurking around the street corners suddenly swarmed in from every direction.
She was so scared that she just squeezed her eyes shut.
And then...
Out of nowhere, there was a "whoosh" sound, followed by an explosion.
Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted up.
When she opened her eyes, she saw a girl with delicate white hair and a distant expression
But there was something so familiar about that face. Without even thinking, she blurted out, "Gray?"
The girl didn't seem to pay any attention to her. Instead, she gently put her down and calmly said, "Recovery operation complete."
"Are you okay, kid?" A voice that was both familiar and distant reached Ritsuka's ears. She turned her head and spotted a figure dressed in a combination of red and black, wearing snug clothes and a coat, slowly retracting a bow.
Ritsuka found herself momentarily taken aback. This person bore an uncanny resemblance to her brother, save for slightly darker skin and hair that had turned white along with his eyebrows. The resemblance was so uncanny it was eerie.
And those sharp eyebrows – they were the spitting image of her brother's!
Almost without thinking, she blurted out, "Brother?"
Arching an eyebrow, the person looked at her and said, "Brother? Kid, you've mistaken me for someone else. I'm not your brother."
Beside him, another person took a drag of a cigarette and then spoke slowly, "Quickly put her somewhere else. Those needing rescue are not limited to just this girl."
Ritsuka glanced at the person who spoke and couldn't help but freeze. She said, "Uncle Kiritsugu?"
Wasn't the person before her Emiya Kiritsugu? Though his hair had gone white, and his expression held a certain seriousness that sent shivers down her spine.
"It looks like she's connected to the version of me in this world."
"Let's get her to safety," Kiritsugu stood up, flicked the cigarette butt to the ground, and crushed it underfoot. There was a hint of satisfaction in his voice as he said, "For once, it's not a killing mission!"
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