C513 - Bonus Chapter!

Vlad's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

This was Achilles' Noble Phantasm, [The Miniature World Enclosed by the Azure Sky​].

This shield, rivaling the protective might of Rho Aias, was a masterpiece crafted by the god of blacksmithing, Hephaestus. It reflects the world as Achilles sees it, adorned with dynamic ocean currents around its edge—a tribute to the sea god's influence.

The shield's capabilities were unmatched. Once activated, it could withstand any assault - be it from individuals, entire armies, cities, nations, or even other Noble Phantasms. Even a full-on strike from Karna's divine spear would be effortlessly deflected.

Amidst the chaos, Achilles fearlessly steered his chariot, with his shield at the forefront, plowing through Vlad's barrage of stakes.

Down on the ground...

Facing the countless approaching stakes, Karna calmly said to Atalanta beside him, "Stand behind me."

She nodded and took her position behind him.

Karna's eyes radiated an otherworldly glow as he funneled mana into his spear, the air around them pulsating with raw power.

It felt as if the sun itself had manifested on the battlefield.

With a single, sweeping motion of his divine spear—

"BOOM—!"

A burst of energy, akin to a solar explosion, eradicated the incoming stakes in a flash!

Vlad's expression tightened.

Above them in the sky...

After smashing through the stakes, Achilles let out a hearty laugh as he charged ahead. At that moment, Astolfo flew to Achilles' side with his griffin and pulled out a massive black horn, blowing into it.

"Wooo—"

A haunting sound echoed from the black horn.

Achilles' expression suddenly changed.

The three warhorses pulling the chariot, as if under a spell, bolted in three different directions - one charging ahead, another veering left, and the last darting right. This abrupt jolt sent the chariot twisting in mid-air, and with a powerful force, it flung Achilles from his seat.

Had it not been for his quick reflexes, grabbing onto the chariot's railings just in the nick of time, he would have fallen to the ground.

Astolfo had just used one of his Noble Phantasms, ​[La Black Luna: The Magic Flute that Calls Panic]​. This horn, when blown, had the power to make listeners feel an overwhelming sense of terror, compelling them to run. That explained why Achilles' warhorses had reacted so wildly.

Regaining his composure, Achilles managed to climb back onto the chariot, soothe the frantic horses, and continue his flight.

Astolfo was right on his tail, not letting up for a moment.

"Enough of your petty tricks, and just stay clear of my path! I've got no time for you!" Achilles shot him a sharp, angry glare.

"Hmph, just you wait!"

Astolfo retorted, quickly drawing a lance and steering his griffin past the chariot. As he did so, the lance made contact with both the chariot's wheels and its three warhorses.

In an instant, the wheels and the horses' legs seemed to vanish into thin air.

The once-racing chariot began to wobble, losing its balance. It plummeted downwards, crashing towards the earth like a falling star.

From atop his griffin, Astolfo couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh.

He had just used another one of his Noble Phantasms, [Hippogriff: Otherworldly Phantom Horse].

While the lance wasn't inherently deadly, it possessed a unique ability: the power to force an opponent's body parts below the knees to dematerialize. Regardless of where it made contact, even if it struck armor woven from magical energy, the lance would forcibly sever the mana supply to everything below the knee. This rendered any attempts at mending or regrowth ineffective for a while.

Using the unique ability of his Noble Phantasm, Astolfo targeted Achilles' chariot and horses. This disrupted the very concept of the chariot, making it lose its stability and tumble from the sky.

At this moment, Atalanta on the ground aimed her bow and arrow at Astolfo.

With a "whoosh", the arrow, like a shooting star, shot from the ground towards him.

Astolfo quickly maneuvered his griffin to dodge, letting out a sigh of relief.

But his relief didn't last long. Suddenly, lights started falling from the sky. Seven dazzling beams, like shooting stars, rained down one after another, all targeting him.

A series of loud explosions echoed throughout the battlefield.

Astolfo was in a panic as he zigzagged through the air, desperately trying to avoid the relentless pursuit of the seven arrows. However, Atalanta's Noble Phantasm wasn't easy to shake. They followed him with uncanny accuracy, chasing him as if they had a life of their own.

On the ground, the Dragon Tooth Warriors clashed with Avicebron's golems and the homunculi. Bones snapped, earth splattered, and homunculi dropped, their insides spilling out, painting the ground in a ghastly shade of red.

Vlad sent his stakes raining down in a coordinated assault with Saber to corner Karna and Atalanta. Meanwhile, Karna used his divine spear, Vasavi Shakti, to deflect Saber's relentless slashes. Not missing a beat, he fired a powerful blast straight at Vlad.

Unfazed, Vlad's face hardened as he quickly summoned a wall of stakes to protect himself.

The battlefield erupted with continuous thundering clashes and blinding bursts of light, turning the scene into a wild dance of chaos and devastation. Every fighter poured their heart and soul into the battle, each aiming to outdo the other, and the confrontation showed no signs of slowing down.

Karna's blast was flattened by countless stakes, leaving him with no choice but to grip his divine spear tighter, prepared to sweep away the stakes.

But the Saber engaging him had a sharp gleam in her eyes. Her invisible sword pulsated with a strong magical energy.

—"Hammer of the Wind King!"

The massive storm enveloping the holy sword was unleashed, firing toward Karna with the force of artillery.

Karna's expression tightened. With a quick flick of his wrist, his spear, glowing with the intense energy of the sun, smashed into Saber's [Hammer of the Wind King] and Vlad's stakes from an unexpected angle, obliterating them both.

Just as he caught his breath, a thunderous arrow streaked towards him from the rear, blazing like a fiery comet.

Unfazed, Karna spun around and using the momentum from his waist, brandished his divine spear.

"Clang—"

With a resounding metallic clash, he parried the thunderous arrow.

But this wasn't any ordinary arrow. It was filled with Arjuna's deep-seated rage.

Though he hadn't unleashed his Noble Phantasm, its strength was still significant.

The blow's sheer force sent Karna stumbling backward. Without missing a beat, Saber lunged forward, and Vlad III, atop his war steed, followed right behind her.

Caught in a three-pronged assault by Arjuna, Vlad, and Saber, Karna couldn't help but feel an overwhelming surge of pressure.

Yet, he maintained his composure and said to Atalanta, "Go! Leave this to me."

"Can you hold them off?" She let loose an arrow at Saber, but it was easily deflected.

Saber didn't even spare her a glance, keeping her focus solely on joining forces with Arjuna and Vlad to besiege Karna.

While Arjuna was a great hero like Karna, it was evident that Karna was stronger and more difficult to handle.

In war, it's only natural for the strong to find themselves surrounded and under attack, just as Shirou was targeted and besieged by the Red faction by merely existing.

Faced with the combined might of all three opponents, Karna valiantly held his ground, wielding his divine spear defensively rather than offensively. Calmly, he declared, "A true hero fears nothing!"

His words incensed Arjuna, resulting in arrows that flew faster and struck harder.

Atalanta nodded, spun around on her heels, and departed without hesitation.

"Trying to escape? Think again!"

Saber shouted, moving swiftly to block her escape.

Suddenly, a metallic grip shot up from the ground, clutching Saber's ankle.

With a sharp "snap", the unprepared Saber was yanked beneath the earth's surface.

Above ground, everything returned to normal, but in the pitch-black underground, the petite knight chuckled proudly, "Caught one!"

...

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