Blackened Valkyrie

At the same time.

"Wishing to overcome those above, huh?" Scathach muttered quietly.

While the fierce battle between X and Ex raged on, another battle unfolded on the other side.

The battle between them had no reinforcements, so of course Artorius's battle had no assistance. This was natural because someone had entangled Scathach as well.

X and Ex's battle took place on the ground, while Scathach fought another enemy in the sky.

Lancer—a woman with long jet-black hair and wielding a purple spear, a woman known among the Valkyries for her valor and madness.

"I never expected to meet you here."

Spears clashed with spears, speed and strength entwined, along with the sky's incredible maneuverability. The pace of Scathach's battle with her opponent far surpassed the ground battle between X and Ex.

In just an instant, hundreds, even thousands of moves were exchanged. The positions of both sides shifted kilometers in the blink of an eye.

For Scathach and 'Her', this was merely a warm-up.

"Aa~ah, my noble and great Skadi!"

The opponent's voice blended with love and hostility.

"My affection for you, for you, has become unbearable!"

"Whenever I battle you, my heart beats wildly, intensely, beating—"

On the opponent's spear wasn't the familiar azure flame to Scathach but black, murky, ominous black flames.

"So, I must kill you!"

Black flames extended from the demonic spear, completely enveloping the Valkyrie.

Her armor turned black, the spear turned black, and her eyes turned black. Now, she could be called Lancer Alter, the Blackened Brynhildr.

"Consumed entirely by hatred, Brynhildr."

With that exclamation, Scathach's attacks intensified, becoming more intense, more aggressive, and more deadly.

"Don't worry... I'll free you now."

===

"Aahhh! My Lord, My Lord, My God, My God! Please return My Holy Maiden to me, please return My Holy Maiden to me, return her to me, return her to me, return her to me, return her to me!"

Around Artorius echoed the cries of his enemy, as if children beseeching their parents, subjects imploring their ruler, devotees pleading their idol.

Amidst these cries, more monsters began to manifest.

As if the barriers between worlds had shattered.

Monstrous entities with hideous bodies, numerous tentacles, bizarre and distorted limbs. Pale, disgusting, vile creatures emerged out of thin air, slowly yet resolutely advancing toward Artorius.

In the next second, they all disappeared to nothingness.

No, it wasn't a disappearance; it was annihilation.

Slaughtered, cut down, brutally extinguished, not a trace remaining.

As the Dragon Emperor raised his sword high and swung it down forcefully, every remnant disappeared.

The once 'Sword of Frost King' had transcended into the 'Sword of Frost Emperor' (Clarent). With inexhaustible magical energy infused into the sword, all monstrous creatures were swept away.

It was an EX-rank Sword Beam Noble Phantasm!

In an instant, all the monsters in the sky, on the ground, beneath it, were swept aside. Buildings, roads, and even the ground itself were obliterated.

Everything vanished without a trace, revealing the figure previously protected and covered by the tentacles and writhing monstrosities.

A hunched figure, comical attire, dirty and tattered deep-blue robe, bulging eyes resembling goldfish, a body as emaciated as a skeleton. Appearing like a refugee, a starving peasant, or some similar wretch.

The hunched figure gazed at Artorius with eyes full of longing.

As Artorius approached, the hunched figure knelt on the ground, crawling on his knees toward Artorius.

With trembling hands outstretched, the hunched figure quivered as he spoke to Artorius.

"My Lord, My God, Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

"Please... please return My Holy Maiden..."

"I refuse."

Without hesitation, Artorius raised his sword, swung it, and beheaded Gilles.

Caster, Gilles von Rais, died.

===

"Hahhh..."

Artorius couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the lifeless Gilles von Rais that turned into the mud; he knew this guy and yet he didn't. He had no idea how Scathach became a Servant, and naturally, he didn't know why Gilles cried and begged him for the holy maiden.

Of course, that didn't stop Artorius from beheading him.

'When I return and arrive at that point time, I must... otherwise, wouldn't I have borne this guilt in vain.'

As Artorius thought, he turned around, preparing to check on the other battlefields.

Scathach had just confronted a black-haired woman, and X was still facing Ex. The battles were intense, and he had certainly noticed.

While he observed the clash between the two Artorias, he suddenly noticed a woman figure falling from the sky above him. Instinctively, he reached out his hand to catch her.

However, when she landed in his grasp and he got a closer look, Artorius realized he might have caught the wrong person.

The woman's abdomen and chest were punctured, an arm was missing, blood was flowing from various wounds—it was Brynhildr.

"Kill... must... kill..."

She seemed dying.

Artorius was about to let her go, but he hesitated. Then, he sensed something and looked up to the sky. Scathach gazed at him, snorted, and then turned away.

Artorius almost instinctively wanted to call her back, but the violent coughing fit from Brynhildr in his arms diverted his attention.

"I... couldn't... kill... so, in the end... I was killed, huh..."

Brynhildr looked at Artorius, her consciousness seemingly muddled.

"My beloved... It's not so bad if you're the one who killed me..."

The next moment, her head tilted down and motionless.

Lancer, Brynhildr, died.

===

Author's Note:

If you're wondering why it's Gilles von Rais instead of Gilles de Rais, that's because in this timeline, the empire unified Europe, and European nobles used 'von' as a uniform middle name.