-56- Limit? The second strike!

After an unknown period of time, the blinding light gradually dimmed. When the dazzling light completely vanished, the entire underground cavern returned to its original state, and everyone regained their vision.

"Hiss..."

A slight sound echoed in the air.

It was the sound of the ground of the cavern smoking.

In front of Saber's hand holding the dark aura sword, a massive ravine lay, forming a cliff-like structure, where everything inside was vaporized and obliterated.

Whether it was soil, sand, or rocks, everything disappeared without a trace in the face of that beam of light. Only the charred and smoking ravine remained, filling the air with an unpleasant smell.

Seeing this scene, Caster and Archer completely stopped their confrontation. One's face sank, and the other looked on coldly.

Olga-Marie, with one hand still holding Fou, watched everything unfold, while her other hand instinctively covered her mouth.

Saber restored the holy sword from the dark aura while coldly gazing ahead.

At the end of the massive ravine, Mash holding her shield came into view for everyone.

"Quite impressive, managing to block the strike of the holy sword."

Saber's voice remained cool, but the slight admiration in her words was undeniable.

However, Saber's admiration wasn't just directed at Mash; it also extended to Rozen.

"Haha... Haha... Haha..."

Mash was seen breathing heavily, holding her shield, emitting smoke.

Besides Mash, another person was also gasping for breath—Rozen.

"Did I make it in time?"

Rozen's somewhat weak laughter echoed on the open ground.

At this moment, Rozen was already kneeling on one knee, and his magical energy fluctuation had significantly weakened.

It was inevitable.

In order to block Saber's Noble Phantasm, Rozen not only infused most of his magical energy into Mash but also summoned dozens of enormous shells in front of her just before Saber's holy sword struck her.

To summon those dozens of massive shells, Rozen's magical energy was completely depleted in one go, but he achieved a favorable result. At the cost of shattering his familiar, he managed to weaken the power of the holy sword significantly.

Thanks to this, combined with Mash's astonishing defense, the terrifying attack was finally blocked.

"So, this is the power of an 'Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm'?"

Feeling his magical energy completely empty and recalling the world-piercing beam of light just now, Rozen chuckled dryly.

As the trump card of Heroic Spirits, the power and effect of Noble Phantasms were influenced not only by their rank but also by their type – based on the number of targets they were designed to handle.

Different numbers of targets could result in substantial differences in power and effect, even for Noble Phantasms of the same rank.

For instance, if Cu Chulainn manifested as a Lancer and used a magic spear that could unerringly strike an enemy's heart, that magic spear would be classified as a "Single-Target Noble Phantasm" and fall under the category of "Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm."

On the other hand, if it could deal with multiple enemies, be it dozens, hundreds, or even thousands or tens of thousands of troops with a wide-ranging attack, it would be classified as an "Anti-Army Noble Phantasm."

In terms of power, an Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm would be like a single-shot pistol, while an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm would be akin to a missile. Even if both were of the same rank, their power and effects would differ significantly due to the number of targets they affected.

However, the holy sword used by Saber was not an Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm or an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm. It was of a higher level – an "Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm."

As the name suggested, it was an incredibly powerful Noble Phantasm capable of toppling even the most solid fortifications.

If the difference between an Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm and an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm was only in the scope of their effects, then the disparity in power increased significantly once it reached the level of an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm.

Naturally, the higher the rank of the Noble Phantasm, the greater its power.

Saber's Noble Phantasm, the dark holy sword, was indeed an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm.

Moreover, its rank is as high as A++, which means that once unleashed, it will be twice as powerful as the highest-ranked A-class Noble Phantasm. Even most EX-ranked Noble Phantasms cannot compare to it.

Such a Noble Phantasm, being an Anti-Fortress type, has a formidable power that one can only imagine.

If it were not for the fact that they were facing a Servant, merely a projection of a Heroic Spirit, and not the original, Saber might have been able to destroy the entire city of Fuyuki with a single strike from this Noble Phantasm.

As for the effect of that Noble Phantasm, it is quite straightforward.

"It can convert the holder's magical energy into light, amplify its momentum through convergence and acceleration, and release it from the front of the sword like a laser beam, in order to destroy everything..."

Rozen squeezed his hand and found it covered in sweat.

Because he understood very well what such a powerful Noble Phantasm meant in Saber's hands.

Normally, such a powerful Noble Phantasm would require a substantial amount of magical energy to be unleashed, and it wouldn't be something that could be used casually.

Therefore, blocking the full-powered strike of the holy sword at the cost of expending all his magical energy wasn't an unacceptable sacrifice for his enemy.

As long as they managed to withstand it, their enemy's magical energy would be depleted due to that attack, and both sides would be in a similar condition.

But the problem was...

"I wonder if you can withstand it a second time?"

As the chilling voice echoed, the black radiance once again gathered around the holy sword in Saber's hand.

"Clang!"

The dazzling black light burst forth from the sword, not only turning it back into the Aura of Darkness, but also making the air tremble.

Watching this scene, everyone trembled.

Indeed.

This was the most frightening aspect of Saber.

With the support of the Holy Grail, the magical energy of this Knight-King would be endless.

In other words, no matter how many times she unleashed her Noble Phantasm, it would be no problem.

Rozen and the others were now facing the desperate situation of being bombarded infinitely by an "A++ rank Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm."

In the face of such a situation, even Caster, who thought highly of himself, was powerless, and even the immensely powerful Berserker could only swallow his bitterness.

This was reality.

"Finally, you have reached your limits."

Archer declared it like a victory statement.

"It's over."

Saber's expression remained emotionless, without the slightest hesitation.

"Ugh..."

Mash tried to lift her shield but found she had almost no strength left.

"What do we do... What do we do..."

Olga Marie's face tensed up, filled with anxiety.

In such a situation, no one noticed.

A smile appeared on Rozen's face as he knelt on one knee.

"I finally...succeeded..."

As soon as he finished speaking...

"Boom!"

Amid the explosion of air, terrifying magical energy surged forth.

From Rozen's body, it poured out like a raging storm.