Chapter 16

The air around us stopped, time suspended in the imminence of the fatal blow. Saber Alter raised her Excalibur with a terrifying calm, the dark steel reflecting the fragmented light of the cave. "Goodbye," she declared, her voice a deadly whisper that carried the weight of the inevitable. The blade, a specter of death, began its descent towards the vulnerable neck of Altria Alter.

In a desperate impulse, I ran, my footsteps echoing through the cave floor. "Stop!!" My voice was a storm, a furnace of raw emotion. Grasping a time-worn stone, I hurled it with wild fury towards Saber Alter. It was a futile gesture, a symbolic act of defiance in the face of overwhelming power.

Saber Alter effortlessly dodged, the stone passing by her as if it were no more than a fleeting nuisance. "That won't help at all. You don't even have the courage to come close enough to me, but I see you have some," she mocked, the sarcasm in her voice as cutting as the sword she wielded.

Altria Alter, her armor a twisted heap of metal and her hope a thin thread, closed her eyes. Perhaps she was accepting her fate, surrendering to the exhaustion that consumed her. And then, in the silence that preceded the end, my own voice rose above the despair, a cry of revolt against the darkness that threatened to engulf everything and everyone.

"Do not give up, there is still hope. Open your eyes, King Arthur! As my servant! As my spear! Fight for me! I will stand by your side as your crown! And I will make you see Camelot again!" The words came out of me not just as a command, but as a vow, a promise that transcended logic and reason.

My words seemed to touch something deep within Altria Alter, her eyes opened, shining with a reborn glow. The mention of Camelot and the promise of a future reignited a flame within her, the indomitable spirit that defined her reign, her essence as a hero.

Saber Alter arched an eyebrow, curiosity coloring her usually expressionless face. "And exactly how do you intend to do that?" she inquired, her voice a cold caress, an icy wind that brought with it the scent of skepticism.

I didn't give her the satisfaction of a verbal answer. Instead, my eyes fixed on the luminous screen of the system before me, where a message blinked obstinately, a beacon of hope amid despair. Since the moment Altria Alter began to succumb under the overwhelming power of Saber Alter, the question insisted, begging for a decision: - Does the host wish to activate emergency mode? Y/N? -

I hesitated, looking at Altria Alter struggling to move even a finger, her iron will clashing against absolute physical exhaustion. The sight of her struggle, as futile as it was valiant, embedded itself in me, provoking a sharp pain that manifested in my lips bitten between my teeth.

Saber Alter noticed my hesitation, a cruel smile outlining her lips. "Shows hesitation. Yet claims to want to become her crown," she taunted, each word a sharp dagger aimed at my pride.

Those words were the spark that ignited the gunpowder of my resolution. With an almost violent motion, my fingers touched the screen, pressing the 'yes' option without further deliberation. "End it, Altria!" I shouted, the strength of my voice a reflection of the energy that now flowed into the exhausted body of my servant.

A wave of pulsating power flooded Altria Alter, filling her with supernatural vitality. Her gaze, now ignited with new determination, found her lance, which flew to her hand with the urgency of thunder following lightning. Without a second's hesitation, she unleashed her Noble Phantasm, the manifestation of her power and heritage, a silent cry of defiance that tore through the air, destined to reverse the hitherto inevitable fate.

The firmament of the cave was torn asunder by a torrent of crimson light, emanating from the tip of Altria Alter's lance with the force of a wild tempest. The beam pulsed with the power to rip the very fibers of the universe, an energy so potent that reality itself seemed to twist in its unyielding path. Saber Alter, with reflexes born of countless battles, leapt back in a last-minute evasive maneuver, narrowly avoiding the fate that threatened to consume her.

The light, untamable and voracious, pierced the ancient stone of the cave, leaving a trail of destruction in its path, as if the laws of physics and magic had been suspended to give way to its fury. Stalactites fell like autumn leaves, and the echo of the unleashed power reverberated between the walls, a war hymn against the darkness.

At the epicenter of this chaos, Altria Alter was no longer in her previous position, moving with a speed that defied the eyes. She was now before Saber Alter, her lance raised for a decisive blow. With a grunt, Saber Alter raised her sword in defense, but the impact threw her backward, making her roll across the rough ground, a puppet stripped of its usual grace.

Before Saber Alter could recover, Altria Alter advanced again, her lance an extension of her fierce will. Saber Alter's dodge was pure survival instinct, dragging herself across the cold ground to avoid the fatal thrust.

The system screen flashed with an urgency that reflected the intensity of the battle, announcing the unthinkable: - All servant parameters have been elevated to rank EX, all skills have also been elevated to maximum level, along with her Noble Phantasm. - The price of this power was a cruel exchange, and I tasted the metallic tang of blood in my mouth, a life gift for a chance of victory. Two seconds that cost two years of my existence.

Saber Alter, amidst the whirlwind of rapid and brutal movements, realized the growing disparity. "She's faster, much faster," she thought, as another attempt to block Altria's attack failed, the lance piercing her armor as if it were made of nothing but shadow and mist.

"No way!" exclaimed Saber Alter, the resolution clear in her voice. She raised her sword, Excalibur Morgan, above her head, and the black blade captured the last faint light of the cave, staining it with a sanguine glow. "Excalibur Morgan!!!" Saber Alter's cry echoed, defying death itself, as a stunning red beam burst forth from her sword. She struck at Altria, who hovered above her, a vision of power and determination.

"Rhongomyniad!" Altria Alter's voice cut through the clamor of battle, firm and unshakable. The lance in her hand, a beacon of red light, impaled Saber Alter in the abdomen with deadly precision. Twisting the weapon with a skill that could only be described as divine, she released a red beam that completely engulfed Saber Alter.

The light emitted by Altria Alter's lance swallowed the explosion of Excalibur Morgan, a cataclysmic encounter of opposing powers that made the cave tremble on its foundations. Stones fell from the ceiling as the energy released by the two Noble Phantasms collided, a symphony of destruction that threatened to devour everything in its vicinity.

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