C430

Once the class card cracked, it became evident that Inanna had been pulled down by those eerie black hands, while the remaining half of the card, symbolizing Ishtar, narrowly escaped their grasp.

Ishtar's tension eased as she let out a sigh. Just like Heroic Spirits and gods possess multiple facets, Inanna represented one of Ishtar's most ancient aspects, and Ishtar was equally one of its facets.

With the loss of her oldest facet, "Inanna," Ishtar's response wasn't one of anger or frustration. Instead, a sigh of relief slipped from her lips. If sacrificing a facet meant evading pursuit from that repulsive thing, she'd actually find a reason to cheer.

However...

After those black hands drew half of her back into the dragon's head, several of those black appendages sprouted from the dragon's mouth as if seeking out Ishtar, reaching greedily toward her.

"Don't... oh please, don't do this anymore, aaaaahhhh—!"

Ishtar was frightened to tears and hastily tried to escape.

"Someone, anyone... please save me... I will give you the highest glory...!"

She was terrified and fled for her life, shouting, "Help... please, help...!!!"

...

"I can't even imagine... how could something like this even happen?" Rin and Luvia exchanged expressions of sheer disbelief.

The truth had stretched beyond the boundaries of believability, leaving them struggling to wrap their minds around it. It was as if the very foundation of their understanding was crumbling beneath them.

"You need to inform the Eternal King about this," Astraea said earnestly.

In that instant, a sinister black hand lunged forth, seizing Astraea and yanking her toward the colossal dragon's head.

"Lady Astraea!" Luvia cried out desperately.

Astraea gazed back at her with eyes full of kindness and spoke in a soothing tone, "Luvia, I leave my Noble Phantasms and divine power to you. Tell the Eternal King about the whole thing, then live your life fully and happily..."

The black hand grabbed the goddess, yanking her upward with a force that seemed impossible to defy.

The tug was overpowering, an irresistible force that not even she could withstand.

Well, anyone with even a hint of divinity wouldn't stand a chance either.

The once gentle, benevolent, and protective goddess found herself being drawn into the enormous maw of the dragon, gradually disappearing into the dark abyss.

Then, emerging from the dragon's neck, another eerie human-like figure sprouted out, gradually taking on the form of a woman.

"Lady Astraea—" Luvia's voice cracked as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Rin gritted her teeth, giving Luvia's shoulder a reassuring pat and saying, "Luvia, don't cry. Remember what Lady Astraea entrusted to you!"

Luvia wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded firmly, her face resolute.

Meanwhile, the sinister figures from the sky descended one by one onto the ground, surrounding them.

She cried out, "Anyone who stands in my way shall die!"

Behind her, the light of the stars surged.

It was the ultimate power of the goddess!

...

Beneath the gloomy sky, heavy liquid droplets dropped, morphing into eerie humanoid shapes.

These figures spread across the landscape, casting an unsettling presence.

In a sudden blaze of white light, the holy sword Excalibur thrust forward, its tip aimed at the left shoulder of one of the sinister figures. Yet, just before the sword skill could be fully unleashed, Artoria Pendragon's wrist flicked, redirecting the blade to slice across the right side of the figure's neck.

The figure showed a semblance of intelligence, promptly raising its own sword to parry. A sharp "clang" reverberated as the two blades met, their collision resonating in the air. Before the echoes settled, the holy sword gracefully moved and descended, cleaving through the enemy's right neck.

With a sharp "snap," the head of the sinister figure was cleanly severed.

She remained vigilant, executing seventeen rapid thrusts, dissecting the figure into seventeen distinct parts.

However—

"Creak, creak, creak." The severed sections of the sinister figure oozed black, viscous liquid, resembling a fluid substance, as they slowly began to regenerate.

Taking a step back, she infused her holy sword with magical energy. With a powerful cry, a gust of fierce wind pounded the figure like a massive hammer.

With a resounding "boom," the figure shattered into pieces, rendering it unable to regenerate.

However, more sinister figures were closing in from all sides.

With a determined expression, she kept up her relentless assault, channeling her magical energy into her holy sword. The blade glowed brilliantly as it cleaved through the sinister figures, obliterating them with each swing.

At the moment, although she wasn't in her true body, she had a contract with Gray, and the magical energy was drawn from Gray. Due to reincarnation ritual , Gray possessed Artoria Pendragon's red dragon factor and red dragon heart, generating immense and swift magical energy comparable to Artoria Pendragon's true body.

As a result, she was far from lacking in magical energy.

Her present condition resembled a time when she was tainted and twisted by "All the World's Evils" during the Fourth Holy Grail War, a time when she was brimming with abundant magical energy.

However...

"What are these things?" she frowned.

Regular attacks were ineffective against these things. Only through the concentrated release of magical energy could they be effectively dismantled, obliterating them in one swift stroke and leaving nothing but dust.

Amidst the battle against the sinister figures, Arcueid voiced her frustration, "Ugh, these things are seriously getting on my nerves. Can I just use Moon Fall?"

"Maintain your focus. Our objective is to protect the innocent, not to kill needlessly," Artoria reminded firmly.

"I know..." she whispered softly and pouted, "I was just joking. Honestly, you're way too serious."

Some of the sinister figures attacked Gray, who was standing behind them. Artoria killed them all with a single sweeping sword stroke, her ferocity akin to a lioness protecting her cubs.

She turned her gaze to Gray and asked, "Gray, has the information been relayed to the King?"

"It's already been sent, Your Highness!" Gray held the alchemical stone for communication and nodded quickly.

"That's good."

She repelled another wave of sinister figures with a decisive swing of her sword. Her gaze swept the nearby streets, but no civilians were in sight. She inhaled deeply, lifting the holy sword high and infusing it with her own magical energy.

In the blink of an eye, the holy sword emitted a dazzling light.

Her eyes gleamed with an intense light as she channeled the brilliance within the holy sword cradled in her grip, her voice resounding with conviction, "Excalibur!"

A searing blaze of light erupted, systematically erasing the sinister figures that had clogged the street, dissolving them into nothingness one by one.

Arcueid voiced her annoyance in a grumble, "That's just not fair. You won't let me use Moon Fall, but you're using your Noble Phantasm!"

"You're forgetting that your Moon Fall has a rather huge radius."

"I don't care about that." she huffed before playfully adding, "Once all of this is done, you owe me some serious pillow time. Don't think I'll forgive you otherwise."

Her initially displeased expression suddenly turned into a smile, a shift that left Gray genuinely taken aback. Arcueid's penchant for unpredictable mood swings was nothing short of astonishing.

Artoria found herself at a loss for words. While she was aware of her friend's capricious and childlike nature, the extent of her playfulness caught her off guard.

Setting Arcueid aside for the moment, she had already dealt with the eerie figures obstructing their path, allowing them to proceed.

However—

A torrent of black rain descended from the sky, and with each raindrop that hit the ground, it morphed into sinister humanoid forms.

In the blink of an eye, the streets that had been recently cleared were once again swarming with black figures, claiming every inch of space.

Her grip on the sword tightened. Lifting her head slightly, she stared at the black rain pouring from the colossal beast in the sky, a weight settling in her heart.

Yet, in this moment, she understood that the one burdened with the heaviest heart was probably her King.

Her gaze shifted slightly as she turned her head, looking towards the distant spot where her King stood.

Oh, My King...