-55- Pitch Black Sword of Light

"Shoo...!"

The sharp sound of breaking air pierced their eardrums. The arrow, carrying immense power, demonstrated its bullet-like speed, hurtling straight towards Rozen.

No one could have predicted that in this final showdown, the weapon in the hands of the high and mighty Servant was aimed not at an equal hero but at the defenseless Master.

When everyone realized, the lethal arrow had already reached Rozen's face.

But then, to their surprise, it barely grazed his cheek and shot past, hitting the ground behind him.

"Boom!"

An explosion sound came from behind Rozen. The powerful arrow hit the ground, blasting the rock surface, creating a crater with flying debris and dust.

The force was undeniably great.

However, it had...

"It missed...!?"

This scene not only stunned Mash and Olga-Marie but even Saber was left in disbelief.

"What...!?"

Archer himself couldn't believe it and showed a bewildered expression.

His archery was precise enough to hit targets even several kilometers away. Yet now, in a distance of maybe less than a hundred meters, the arrow missed?

Impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

"Ugh...!"

At that moment, Archer felt a sharp pain in his body.

If someone could look inside Archer's body, they would see an illusion of an owl attacking his spiritual core.

It was the evil spirit summoned by Rozen.

Just before Archer aimed the arrow at Rozen, he summoned the evil spirit to enter Archer's body, disrupting his spirit.

Thanks to that, Archer's arrow trembled slightly before being released, causing it to miss the target.

"You think I wasn't prepared for you?"

Rozen wiped off the cold sweat from his forehead, displaying a highly provocative smile at Archer.

"How could I not pay attention to your potential sneak attack from behind, you fool?"

With that, Rozen infused a large amount of magical energy into the Servant bound by a temporary contract with him.

"————Eihwaz————"

As the Norse runic letters illuminated, scorching flames erupted without any warning from the spot where Archer stood, incinerating the rocks.

"————Trace on————"

Archer didn't hesitate either, chanting a short spell and using magic to project a shield resembling translucent pink petals before him, blocking the burning flames.

But Caster was not about to let Archer walk away unscathed.

"I won't let you harm our Master any longer, you bastard!"

Caster jumped onto the rock platform, twirling his staff and heavily striking the ground.

"Likewise, I'll return the favor!"

Archer also raised his black bow without backing down, nocking an arrow.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom...!"

Runes and arrows flickered in succession, creating continuous explosions that resounded in the air.

Meanwhile, Saber's body burned with pitch-black magic, launching a ferocious assault against the shield-wielding Mash.

"Clang——clang——clang——clang——clang——"

As if a blacksmith hammering iron, every time Saber's black holy sword struck Mash's shield, it would spark brightly.

Shockwaves were like invisible bombs, repeatedly exploding at the contact point between the sword and the shield, plowing through the surrounding terrain and stirring up gusts of sand.

Mash struggled to stabilize herself, sporting a determined expression as she blocked Saber's incredibly heavy attacks.

"Even with such a large-scale usage of 'Mana Burst,' her consumption shouldn't be anything ordinary, yet she's extravagantly using it without restraint...!"

Olga-Marie, holding Fou in her arms, watched the battle from a distance and couldn't help but exclaim.

This was the immense advantage brought by the "Holy Grail," providing nearly endless magical energy, allowing Saber's mana to remain at its maximum, no matter how she used it.

If it weren't for Mash's magical consumption being supported by Chaldea and further enhanced by Rozen's mana reinforcement, enabling "Mana Defense" to be used limitlessly, she would have probably collapsed long ago under such a high-intensity assault.

"If that's the case..."

Seeing Mash retreating under Saber's relentless assault, Rozen didn't hesitate to burn his magical energy once again.

"Evil Spirit Summoning!"

Summoned by expending a large amount of magical energy, the evil spirit shot out.

Saber's "Instinct" seemed to sense something, and she swiftly dodged as the evil spirit was about to possess her, causing its attack to miss.

"You're still able to do this!?"

Rozen shouted, then promptly manipulated the evading evil spirit, directing it back towards Saber.

Unfortunately...

"It seems you're planning something sneaky."

Though her agility was only at the D rank, after being enhanced by "Mana Burst," Saber displayed a flexibility beyond imagination, swiftly dodging the incoming attack with a leap and landing not far away.

Her magical energy surged even further.

"Then, I won't hold back either."

As these words came from Saber's mouth, the temperature in the air dropped.

"Buzz!"

Amidst the humming sound, the pitch-black magical energy on Saber's body gathered into the holy sword she held.

"Clang!"

The sword immediately lit up, transforming into a dark mana mass.

"Not good!"

Caster, who was fighting Archer, was taken aback.

"Could it be...?"

Olga-Marie, watching the battle, turned pale.

"..."

Mash fell into silence.

As for Rozen, a chill ran down his spine.

In the legends of ancient Britain, there was a king shrouded in the most legendary tales.

She drew the selection sword called "Caliburn" from the stone and ascended to the throne.

She was the leader of the renowned "Knights of the Round Table," a true king of knights.

During her lifetime, she achieved twelve miraculous victories and was regarded as a mythical and legendary figure.

She even received the gift of the Lady of the Lake, obtaining a second king's sword, and even after her death, she was sent to Avalon, where she lived eternally. Therefore, she was also known as the Eternal King.

In Britain, even in modern times, there were still believers in this king, believing that one day, she would return from Avalon and lead Britain to the pinnacle of the world.

In terms of fame, even if she couldn't be called the world's number one, she could undoubtedly be ranked among the top three, standing shoulder to shoulder with the gods of myth and legend.

She was...

"King Arthur!"

The legendary king of ancient Britain, the leader of knights.

This was Saber's true identity.

Now, the legendary king of ancient Britain was about to unleash her Noble Phantasm.

It was the symbol of King Arthur, recognized as the most powerful, prestigious, and renowned holy sword that stood at the pinnacle of all swords.

It wasn't forged by humans but crystallized within the planet, taking people's longing as its material, and created as the strongest fantasy. Managed by the spirits of the stars and further entrusted to King Arthur by the Lady of the Lake, this divine weapon was made.

"〈Sword of Promised Victory (Excalibur)〉!"

As the true name of the world's strongest and most famous holy sword was released, the black sword swung from Saber's hand.

In the next moment, the overflowing black light transformed into a torrent, forming a devastating beam, blooming in Saber's hand.

The beam cut through space and time, even vaporizing the air, before erupting outward.

Its target was not Rozen but Mash.

Mash was engulfed directly by the beam of light.

"Little girl!"

"Mash!"

Caster's shouting and Olga-Marie's wail resounded, causing the entire underground cavern to mourn.