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Instead of just watching others shine, these Heroic Spirits wanted a piece of the spotlight for themselves!

Shirou caught their eager eyes and quickly said, "Don't even think about it! I've spent all of my mana on Scathach; there's nothing left for anyone else!"

Beyond those AOE Noble Phantasms and skills, he had thrown every buff he had at Scathach. He naturally didn't have any mana to spare.

The Heroic Spirits couldn't hide their disappointment.

Okita Souji couldn't resist, "You sure there's nothing left?"

"Yes, I'm out of mana."

Her face fell even further, glancing at Scathach who was in the midst of ravaging the creature, a look of longing in her eyes. She wanted to ravage such a powerful opponent too.

That's when Karna turned to him and said, "If our paths cross again, consider buffing me next time, Eternal King."

Shirou simply nodded, but deep down, he was thinking, whether they'll meet again or not, these skills are his, and he'd boost whoever he wants to!

As for Karna... because of his cheeky comment, he made a mental note—if there was an opportunity and it wouldn't be too inappropriate, he'd power up Karna's enemies just to show him that a loose tongue could earn him trouble!

"Ha! Take that!"

Scathach tore into the abomination, her face breaking into a giddy grin. She was on top of the world! Taking on a powerhouse like this, tearing it apart... it was pure bliss!

All the pent-up frustrations from a year's worth of being beaten up by Shirou in the name of training seemed to melt away.

Definitely, this was more like it! Far better than brooding over death or being someone's punching bag– she was meant to be the one doing the training and beating!

"Roar!"

The abomination responded with a defiant roar.

No matter how much the monster resisted, it was in vain. Its own divine powers, ironically, became its downfall. The more powerful it was, the more she was driven to overpower and toy with it.

Her crimson spear danced, multiplying into a blur of strikes, slicing off the creature's limbs one by one. And she reveled in the screams that followed.

To her, those anguished cries might as well have been a symphony.

She had a dark side, no doubt. But she wouldn't dare admit that, especially around Shirou. He might decide she needed another one of his "loving corrections," and she wasn't about to endure another round of that.

"Come on, give me an even better scream," she said with a grin.

Gilgamesh shivered at the sight, reminded of his dear Enkidu.

He couldn't deny it; she was just as depraved as Enkidu. With that in mind, he figured it was wisest to stay out of her way, especially while she was in this state.

Shirou shifted his gaze, pretending not to notice the looks he was receiving from the others. Their expressions eerily resembled how he used to look at Guinevere, as if she were a useful tool.

However, a closer glance revealed that Artoria was the exception. Unlike the power-hungry Heroic Spirits around her, she had the eyes of a protector, someone who cared more about protecting others than seeking personal strength.

Scathach wielded her crimson spear with expertise, bolstered by the numerous buffs he had stacked on her and her A++ rank "God Slayer" skill. Together, they allowed her to go toe-to-toe with the monstrous abomination.

To some, it might seem surreal. But in actuality, it wasn't. Even before he had fully unleashed his first Noble Phantasm, Scathach, equipped with the "God Slayer A" skill, could already break through the first layer of abomination's defenses, proving to be a force to be reckoned with.

As soon as his first Noble Phantasm went into full effect, boosting her parameters, the buffs granted to her made her an even more formidable opponent for the creature.

But the abomination wasn't easy prey. Infused with the divinities and skills from over a dozen gods, enhanced by the power of the Lord's artifact, it was a force to be reckoned with. Even though Scathach had the upper hand, the monster, although devoid of sentient thought, relied on its instinctual drive to resist her onslaught.

Shirou's eyes narrowed, focusing on the black cup within the monster, radiating a dark light. That Lord's artifact was a real pain. Its problematic nature even surpassed Zelretch, who was essentially being used as a power source.

The true potential of this artifact remained unknown, but if it possessed powers similar to the artifact of the Enlightened One, they would be in big trouble.

So, he shouted, "Everyone, grab that black cup!"

The Heroic Spirits, understanding his intention, surged towards the monster.

Scathach changed her approach as well. Instead of focusing solely on destruction, she now dedicated her efforts to protecting her allies. Among the group, she was the only one with the power to easily penetrate the creature's defenses. The others, including Karna, Okita, and even Gilgamesh, were unable to do so. This demonstrated the remarkable suppression of divine powers that the 'God Slayer' at A++ rank could achieve.

Except for Solomon, who had his hands full controlling the seventy-two Demon God Pillars and the Temple of Time, and Shirou, who was overseeing the whole situation, every Heroic Spirit was on a mission to grab the black cup. Even Merlin drew a sword from his staff and started scaling the creature to snatch the cup.

This monster, lacking real thoughts but driven by primitive instincts, felt something was off. It roared wildly and thrashed around, trying to shake off the Heroic Spirits clambering on it. Watching this, Scathach made a swift motion; her crimson spear became a blur, and then the monster's arm was severed. 

"Roar-!!"

It howled in pain, flailing, but couldn't rid itself of the clinging Heroic Spirits.

Arjuna shot Karna a look and remarked, "Guess who's gonna fix this mess? It's definitely me."

Karna shot back, "Less talk, more action."

Even as he said this, Karna picked up the pace.

The human faces embedded in the creature's body wailed, shrieked, and spat out divine energy. Some spewed lightning, others breathed fire. 

A bolt struck Emiya, blackening him and making him look less than dashing. Meanwhile, Karna found himself engulfed in flames, his once-golden armor proving ineffective against this fiery onslaught. It was evident that these flames were the handiwork of his father, the Sun God Surya."

"Be careful not to step on me!" Zelretch shouted loudly.

At this moment, the old man was stuck inside the flesh of the monster, surrounded by pitch-black tentacles that tightly bound him, rendering him immobile.

His warning was intended for the other Heroic Spirits to avoid him, but instead, it caught Merlin's attention. With a mischievous glint in his eye, he altered his course and purposefully stepped on the old man's chest.

"Ah!" the old man cried out in pain, giving Merlin a look that mixed anger and disbelief. "Do you want to die?"

Merlin looked genuinely apologetic. "I'm sorry, old man, you were the only stepping stone around here."

Zelretch, still fuming, retorted, "Ever heard of flying?"

Merlin slapped his own forehead in realization. "Oh man! I forgot I could do that! Guess the heat of the moment got to me."

Zelretch continued to glare at Merlin, infuriated.

He was absolutely miffed at Merlin. But with him being in the enemy's hands right now, there wasn't much he could do.

But he wasn't without a way– he could still speak his mind!

Just as he was about to let Merlin have a piece of his mind, those black tentacles tightened their grip, pulling him deeper inside. As if that wasn't enough, they lunged at the other Heroic Spirits as well.

The Heroic Spirits kicked into action, each using their unique skills to slash through the tentacles as they made their way to the black cup.

The beast let out an even more thunderous roar.

As if the heavens were angered, thunderstorms took over the Temple of Time, signaling a divine fury.

"Boom! Boom!"

Shirou propped himself up with his sword on the ground, his eyes intense amidst the chaos of lightning and raging storms.

He was pouring everything into maintaining the buffs on all the Heroic Spirits. The reason they could hold their own against this monstrosity was entirely due to his relentless dedication to empower them. One slip, and those buffs would vanish, turning the tide against them!

Thunder surged towards him like the wrath of a god. Seeing this, Artoria paused for a split second, her eyes brimming with worry as she glanced at him.

With swift reflexes, he drew out his scabbard, Avalon, narrowly deflecting the bolt.

He cried out, "Don't look back, and keep moving! Covering the rear is none other than me; everything is going to be fine!"

He shone brilliantly, as if he were the dawn dispelling the darkness, offering an unmatched sense of comfort.

Feeling his resolve, Artoria and the rest of the Heroic Spirits were heartened. Behind them was a rock-solid pillar they could depend on. All they had to do was press on, trusting him with everything else.