X, XX, and the Voice of Counter Force

But even so, Artorius understood what she wanted to convey.

Omega's meaning was clear—"I've been wrong all along. The conflicts among the Artoria Species weren't all your fault, Artorius."

"X?!"

Artorius shouted X's name loudly as he looked at her who wore a joyful smile. At the same time, Omega in his arms transformed into light particles and disappeared.

On his other side, XX raised her lance and adopted a defensive stance.

Even though both of them were Mysterious Heroine, and one could argue they were the same person, X was a representation of her past self that she cherished. However, XX couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about this X.

'This X, something's off...' XX thought.

"What are you doing, X?!" At the same time, Artorius couldn't contain his questioning tone any longer.

"What am I doing? I'm eliminating the Saber and Artoria Species of course." X responded, looking entirely nonchalant with her 'Ahoge' standing on end.

"Ehh?!" As if came to a realization, X said loudly, "Could it be that Artorius, you've fallen for this evil fellow?! Seduced by her appearance! That won't do! Hurry up—"

As she spoke, X pulled a stack of postcards from her barren chest and handed them to Artorius.

"In the future, look at these more often, so you won't be tempted by them!" X's expression was dead serious, but her actions were so absurd that Artorius couldn't help but find it amusing.

'Are you fucking serious?' Artorius said speechlessly in his mind.

She had given Artorius postcards with her own picture on them.

"This..." Artorius began to talk but struggled to find the right words.

From the very beginning, X had been clear about her intentions. She wanted to eliminate all the Sabers as well as Artoria Species in the universe and make it her lifelong mission.

Artorius had never taken this seriously. He had always thought of her as a comedic character, doing things just for laughs, like when she reported to him about the Artoria Species who came to Earth and her daily battles with them. He had always treated it as a joke.

But who would have thought that all of it was true?

Although Artorius had known that X had already killed countless Artoria Species, this time, it was different, and he found it difficult to accept.

"Um... you seem a bit off..." X said, frowning at him. "But it doesn't matter. Move aside, son!"

X's fighting spirit surged.

"What do you want to do?" Artorius thought about what X intended to do, and his heart began to race.

"Of course killing Artoria Species!" X grasped her sword, her eyes gleaming with the desire for battle and the joy of defeating her arch-nemesis. "If you stand in my way, I won't be able to kill her."

X was of course referring to the mature version of herself—XX, who was behind Artorius.

"You..." Artorius instinctively wanted to retort loudly, something like 'Absurd! How can you bear to harm such a good woman?! Doesn't your conscience ache?!' But he couldn't find an excuse due to the reasons mentioned earlier.

Before Artorius could figure out how to get X to back down, XX spoke.

"You're me from a few seasons ago..." XX said as she stepped forward. She looked at X with nostalgia. "Indeed, gorgeous and dignified. That's nice."

It was like an office lady looking at her lively high school self in an old photo.

Servants were really convenient; there was no need to worry about causality or paradox bullshit when meeting each other.

At the same time, X was full of fighting spirit, gripping her sword and taking a stance against XX.

"Another Artoria Species, and a big one at that. Step back, Artorius!" X commanded loudly, seemingly determined to battle XX.

At the same time, XX remained casual. "Full of hope for the future, pure love for the son. But also an underlying anxiety about everything around. So cute."

XX looked at X with eyes that resembled the way an elder sister looked at her younger sister.

However, XX's actions didn't match her tone and words. "Back then, 'I' was an edgy heroine who treated everyone I met like a Saber, always wanted to fight everyone, hehe... but, that's not good at all; it would cause trouble for everyone."

As she said those words, XX's body began to transform slightly, resembling a character from 'Tokusatsu' drama, almost like a Gundam, with armor covering her vital areas. In her hand, she held Rhongomyniad LR.

In terms of combat power, XX was undoubtedly an extraordinary warrior. Going all out could shatter a planet. She was X's strongest opponent yet.

"So, let's start with taking you out..." XX declared.

After saying those words, the power system built into Armor Aahvalon ignited in a burst of blue flames, propelling XX at maximum speed toward the opposing X.

The holy sword and the holy lance clashed violently, unleashing an unparalleled force that rustled Artorius's clothing.

Unlike the suspiciously sourced holy sword of X, the holy lance of XX was at least an authentic universe-level ancient relic.

When she swung the lance with all her might, it created a galactic nebula cutter which produced a light beam that resembled a swirling nebula. This special attack was one of her Noble Phantasms known as 'Nameless Nebula Sword, Secret-Myniad', a lethal move that knew no distinction between friend and foe.

When she unleashed the lance's full power by removing the safety limiter, it became the ultimate slash at the level of the galaxy, even the universe itself. The true name of this Noble Phantasm was 'Etherspace, Yet Lawful'. Although she shouted many things in accordance with her mood at the time—such as 'Twinmyniad Disaster' or 'Double X Dynamic'. However, the galaxy and the universe alike quaked under the might of this unparalleled move.

Both the 'Nameless Nebula Sword, Secret-Myniad' and the 'Etherspace, Yet Lawful' were EX-rank Noble Phantasms, while the Armor Aahvalon was an EX-rank defense.

XX, possessing the most potent attack and the most robust defense, was undoubtedly the most powerful heroine in the world, whereas X, holding the strange holy sword, was in an entirely different league.

As XX charged at X, on X's left hand suddenly appeared another sword. A sinister crimson-hued sword with an ominous red glow.

"Don't underestimate me! I won't let you steal the Heroine throne from me! Watch me defeat you!" X shouted loudly.

Light and darkness combined, doubling her power.

It was the dual-wielding style!

The blue-hued sword on the right hand, the crimson-hued sword on the left hand. With the use of a dual-wielding style, X's Noble Phantasm, originally at an A+, surged to an immeasurable EX-rank!

Perhaps it was slightly less potent than the 'Nameless Nebula Sword, Secret-Myniad', but it still belonged to the same class of attack. With enough effort, it could become a terrifying weapon capable of piercing the planet.

"Heh, just what I wanted! You fool who can't be reasoned with need a good lesson!"

XX shouted with ridicule, gathering her power to its fullest extent.

'Are you kidding me?! They use this kind of attack?!' Meanwhile, as Artorius witnessed this scene, he felt his heart rate skyrocket. 'If they really clash like this, the Earth will be destroyed, won't it?!'

The battle between X and XX was unlike the previous battle between Ex and Space Lion King. It didn't employ the unique bounded field of the Servant Universe, and all destruction was unrestricted. Their attacks were on a universal scale after all.

Compared to these monsters, the so-called 'Ea' was nothing more than child's play!

"Wait a minute, you two!"

While Artorius was shouting in desperation, trying to make these two rascals stop, he realized that this world wasn't the comedy world of Servant Universe. If they unleashed their full power here, there would be no turning back! Earth would be destroyed permanently.

However, at this moment, X and XX, who were already in the heat of battle, either didn't hear his words or simply didn't care. They showed no signs of stopping.

"Oh Sword of Starlight. The red ones, black ones, and white ones must be destroyed! Keep this a secret X... calibur!"

"Twinmyniad Disaster!"

Both X and XX unleashed their Noble Phantasms simultaneously.

"Stop!"

Amid Artorius's frantic shouts, a sudden power emanated from within him. It was a presence that communicated with him directly through the depths of his soul.

"Do you wish to form a contract with me?"

In his desperation, Artorius considered yielding to the voice, but another voice suddenly sounded from his innermost being.

"Please, please draw the holy sword."

"Guardian of the planet, please, use this power."

Unlike the first voice that offered a contract, which sounded mechanical and calm, this one was frail, helpless, pitiful, and trembling like a little girl.

"..."

Artorius quickly identified the owner of this voice.

The former was Alaya, while the latter was Gaia. And the holy sword she mentioned was undoubtedly not the Imperial Sword Clarent symbolizing human authority but another one.

The Sword of Promised Victory, Excalibur.

Different from the usual A-rank Noble Phantasm, it only unleashed its full power when the planet was in danger. It was an integral part of the planet's defense mechanism.

With Gaia's full support, the power unleashed by Excalibur, while perhaps not as powerful in nature as XX's Rhongomyniad LR, was still stronger than X's Secret-Calibur.

But the problem was—

"But the current situation doesn't call for an attack on something. If I use Excalibur to attack, won't it get worse?!"

"N-No..." Hearing Artorius say that, the voice of Gaia seemed to grow even more timid and downcast. "I-It's transferring the power of Excalibur to enhance Avalon... and th-then..."

"..."

Listening to this timid voice, Artorius suddenly understood her meaning.

Unleashing Avalon to defend the planet. If it were supplemented by Excalibur and fully supported by Gaia, it would become the most potent defense on Earth.

With this kind of defense, perhaps he could withstand the Noble Phantasms of X and XX.