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MP : 44 Clash of Knights
🕑 Added 2024-10-27 16:00:03 +0000 UTCA sharp longsword dragged along the asphalt road, producing a metallic clang as it scraped, sending out sparks. Wherever the blade passed, it left a deep mark.
With a glint in his eyes, the young man steadily advanced, swinging his greatsword toward the invincible King of Knights standing before him.
Clang!!
The piercing sound of combat echoed... the clash of knights.
Artoria firmly blocked the strike from the Arondight with her sword. Her brows furrowed as she stared into the eyes of the young man standing just inches away and asked,
"What's going on? Why is Sir Lancelot's sword in your hands?"
"Why don't you take a guess, Saber?" Roy raised an eyebrow.
"If you guess correctly, I'll tell you."
"…"
A hint of resignation flashed in her green eyes, and without further ado, she intensified her sword's power, sending Roy flying back dozens of meters.
"Answer me seriously, magus." Saber's tone grew stern as the tip of her sword pointed at the young man before her. "Where is Sir Lancelot? And why is his sword in your hands?"
"Well... I did say you could take a guess, but..."
"You really don't even know where Lancelot is? You've seen him before, yet you still can't recognize him? That's quite... something."
Dusting off his clothes, Roy raised his sword again and assumed a fighting stance.
"… It must be breaking Lancelot's heart!"
The cold moonlight reflected off the sword's surface, casting a chilling glow.
The beautiful holy sword shimmered like autumn waters, rippling softly with a faint light from the lake.
"Think carefully, King of Knights who is still lost in dreams of the past. Where exactly have you encountered the Knight of the Lake?"
"... "
After a moment of silence, Artoria no longer felt like fighting him. Her mind spun, replaying Roy's words,
"You've met him before, yet you didn't recognize him?"
They had met before, but where exactly had she encountered Lancelot?
The Einzbern family? Impossible. Where else?
Her mind raced, but in the end, only the most improbable answer remained.
Berserker was Sir Lancelot!!
"No, that can't be..."
How could such an outstanding knight become that crazed figure? How could he turn into a vengeful spirit burdened by resentment? But... hadn't he been protecting her during the battle, not as a matter of strategy but...
Suddenly, she understood everything.
"It seems you've figured it out." Roy smiled at her. "That guilty knight, even in death, continues to protect his king. Isn't that romantic? Though, there's a small flaw in the story... his king didn't recognize him."
"But that's alright. When he left the stage, he was already satisfied, having wielded his sword once more to protect you. Yet, even in the end, he still couldn't stop worrying about you."
"In the end, he willingly split his saint graph and gave a part of it to me, hoping I could help you in the future. He really is someone who loves to cause trouble, don't you think?"
"Sir Lancelot, I..."
Roy's words left Saber momentarily dazed, and in the next instant, the serene glow of the Arondight flashed before her eyes once again.
Swish Swish Swish
Three sword strikes slashed through the night sky, relentlessly attacking Artoria.
She swiftly responded the Excalibur in her hand moving gracefully. With a turn of her blade, she drew a golden arc in mid-air, and the Arondight collided fiercely with the Excalibur.
"It's pointless!" Artoria raised her sword once more, deflecting Roy's attack. "In both swordsmanship and strength, you are far inferior to me. Give up; you cannot possibly defeat me."
"That's true. Whether it's this clumsy swordsmanship or my physical strength, I am at an absolute disadvantage. I can't see any hope of winning. But..."
A faint floral scent reached her nose, and in an instant, she felt an overwhelming force transmitted through her sword, pushing her back several steps.
"Has Merlin never told you? On the battlefield, never underestimate any opponent. Even a mere mortal like me, under certain conditions, can stand on equal footing with heroes like you..."
Dreamlike Charisma A
Hero Creation EX
Merlin waved his staff, channeling reinforcement magecraft through Roy's magic circuits. "You've been empowered... now go and deliver!"
This scent, this magical energy...
It must be him.
"Merlin!" Artoria instantly recognized the handiwork.
Roy had no intention of explaining Merlin's involvement; he subtly rotated the sword in his hand, feeling his momentum steadily rise.
"Finally, you have arrived, Merlin..."
Merlin's reinforcement magecraft was mediated through his magic circuits, allowing him to match Artoria's level on the battlefield.
"I never expected even Merlin to get involved. Who else is in on this? How far do you intend to mock me?!"
Seeing a former comrade standing across from her again stirred feelings of pity in Artoria.
"Why? Why does everyone want to stop me, even after death? Why do you all oppose me? It's clear that if only-"
"If only what?" Roy interrupted.
"If only I can obtain the Holy Grail, I could change the tragedies of the past?" He chuckled lightly. "How tragic... This Holy Grail War... only you are lost in this beautiful lie."
"What are you trying to say?!"
"Have you ever thought about it? King of Knights, is everything you pursue truly right? Are you so lost in the past that you cannot step into the future?"
As they spoke, the Arondight and the Excalibur clashed once more, both sides locking in a stalemate.
"Though I am not a knight, I can sense your hesitation. Is it due to being betrayed once again, or for some other reason..."
"Shut up!"
Clang!!
In an instant, their swords met, emitting a cold light. Sparks flew, and the two figures were propelled far apart.
In the night, the cold glimmer flashed suddenly, and the clash of swords became a clash of wills. Although Artoria clearly had superior swordsmanship, Roy, reinforced by Merlin, managed to keep up.
As they exchanged blows, their swords clashed repeatedly, producing a thunderous metallic roar.
Golden and blue lights streaked across the night sky, with sparks and magical energy colliding, creating a dazzling spectacle.
The unfamiliar yet familiar sword techniques reminded Artoria of Lancelot's lingering will; in a daze, she saw Lancelot's shadow reflected in Roy.
Sir Lancelot... Do you also think this way...
"Hey! Don't lose focus in the middle of a fight!"
"What?!"
In the heat of battle, Roy raised his other hand holding the sword, and the magic circuit on his arm flickered subtly... a silent move.
Suddenly, several deep blue butterflies flew out from his sleeve, darting toward Artoria's eyes at lightning speed.
She instinctively attempted to dodge but then gathered magical energy in her sword to eliminate the familiars, only to see Roy's longsword piercing toward her.
"Not good!"
Her green eyes contracted sharply as she realized the danger, hastily retracting her sword to defend herself. A golden sword aura was unleashed, aiming to shatter both Roy and the familiars.
But Roy wouldn't give her that chance.
"Explode."
At the moment their sword auras were about to collide, several butterflies in the night sky suddenly burst, scattering light blue scales between them.
This move was unavoidable.
"What is this?! Despicable!"
The scattered scales blinded Artoria in an instant, causing her actions to falter.
"Success."
Seeing this, Roy's lips curled upward. He wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip away; his longsword continued to thrust toward her chest without losing momentum.
However, a surprising scene unfolded. Artoria, relying on her Instinct, managed to raise her sword and intercept his attack, turning what should have been a fatal strike into a mere scrape on her abdomen. She even seized the opportunity to slice herself, blood spraying forth.
"Tsk tsk... that's a bit too much, isn't it? I can't believe I can't defeat you with this!" Roy marveled as he looked at the new cut on her face.
"Shameless! How can you use such vile tactics? Do you have any pride as Sir Lancelot's successor?!"
Artoria adjusted her breathing, her expression filled with fury.
She had never expected her opponent to use such an attack in their duel.
"Don't misunderstand, I'm not Lancelot's successor; I just made a deal with him."
"Besides, don't you think it's ridiculous for a Servant to face me, a magus, in a one-on-one? If I had that kind of status, I wouldn't know where I'd have died by now."
As he spoke, Roy suddenly lunged forward, his sleeve sweeping out again as more butterfly familiars launched themselves in a suicide attack.
Artoria swung her sword; golden starlight quietly rose with her movements, transforming into a vortex that absorbed Roy's sudden assault.
"If all you can do is use such despicable tricks, then you will never defeat me!"
Opening her eyes, her green irises turned gray; a thick layer of scales obscured her vision, turning everything into shades of gray... the earlier scales had blinded her.
"Then..."
Closing her eyes to steady herself, she let her terrifying instinct continue to operate, taking a bold step forward and launching a fierce attack toward Roy.
Clang Clang Clang Clang
The flashes of swords erupted in an instant.
This time, she would hold nothing back. She aimed to personally defeat the enemy before her and reclaim Lancelot's sword; someone so shameless did not deserve to wield Lancelot's blade.
She was angry!
"This is too much..."
Roy struggled to fend off Artoria's attacks; while he had Lancelot's combat memories assisting him, he had inherited only a small part of the saint graph to prevent being consumed by the heroic spirit memories.
To wield the Arondight and execute Lancelot's sword techniques was already his limit; the gap in battle skills and experience was just too vast. Even with Merlin's enhancement, he could only keep pace with Artoria when she wasn't using her full intent to kill.
Once this red dragon was thoroughly provoked, he would instantly be at a disadvantage.
But... this was all within his expectations...
He wasn't arrogant enough to think that taking a few shortcuts would make him strong enough to deal with the King of Knights.
So, it was time to use that move.
"Are you ready, King of Knights? I'm coming!" Roy smiled slightly, suddenly abandoning his defense with his longsword.
Pfft
"I got you!"
In an instant, the Excalibur pierced his left arm, and a large spray of blood burst forth from the wound, with the magical energy on the sword causing the flesh to emit a burnt smell.
But what was even more shocking was that this injury, which should have been extremely painful, didn't even change Roy's expression.
Illusion Arts A
As long as he used an illusion to numb his sense of pain in advance, even though it would definitely hurt, as long as he couldn't feel it, then he wouldn't be in pain!
"What's going on?"
It was clear that he was right in front of her, and the sword in her hand had clearly struck him, yet why was there no sound? Even the strongest warrior would instinctively cry out in agony when a blade pierced their body. What on earth was happening?
Artoria felt confused.
The next moment...
"Sorry, Artoria, it's not that you found me; I purposely let you find me at this moment."
At this moment, Roy responded, speaking softly to the blinded Artoria.
Then, he allowed the straight sword to pass through his shoulder as he stepped in front of her.
He swung down with his sword, releasing a wave of sword pressure, while with his other hand, he pressed down, secretly casting magecraft.
Several pale blue lines began to spread along his arm.
This time, he was using a simple enhancement magecraft.
Combined with Merlin's powerful boost, Hero Creation EX and Dreamlike Charisma A, his physical strength had reached a terrifying A rank.
With three buffs stacked together, a terrifying enhanced punch flew toward Artoria's cheek like a cannonball.
Yet despite the close distance, she couldn't see where her enemy was, but her instinct had already predicted the terrifying punch that was about to land. She wanted to withdraw her sword to escape but found she couldn't move at all, as Roy's other hand had firmly grasped her wrist.
"I've got you…"
"What?!" she exclaimed in disbelief, her eyes widening.
"When did this happen?!"
"Wah... "
Before she could even be surprised, a sharp sound pierced the air, and Artoria let out a heart-wrenching scream as her delicate cheek was struck heavily, knocking her to the ground.
Her body crashed hard into the asphalt...
Gravel, asphalt, and dust all erupted!
She felt a sweetness in her throat, and a large amount of blood gushed from her mouth and nose. Even the Excalibur she clutched tightly slipped from her grasp due to inertia.
On the battlefield, losing the sword was enough to prove the outcome was decided.
For a knight, even if it meant risking their life, they must never lose their weapon.
Once they lose their weapon, all that awaits is slaughter.
Even though Artoria quickly stood up again, it was already too late.
Roy had already pulled away, raising his hand to draw the Excalibur embedded in his shoulder, revealing a deep and terrifying wound that continued to bleed.
"Although I can't feel pain, this looks terrifying. If it were any deeper, I might lose this arm."
Looking at the blood gushing from his left shoulder, Roy shook his head and raised his hand to release a healing spell, performing a simple hemostasis.
Not only had she lost her sight, but now she had also lost her weapon. Artoria realized there was no point in continuing the fight. Now, she simply stood there in a daze, reflecting on everything.
"Are you feeling any better now? Can you calm down and talk with me…"
Roy twirled the Excalibur in his hand and tossed it back in front of Artoria.
"What does this mean? Are you feeling sorry for me…" Artoria frowned, suddenly raising her voice.
"No, it's just returning what belongs to its owner," Roy shook his head and sat down on the ground.
After such a high-intensity battle, he was already exhausted.
"Now that the fighting is over, according to the rules, as the victor, I should have the right to make some demands of you, right?"
"…" Artoria blinked but didn't respond.
"Since you're not speaking, I'll take that as you agreeing. Let's have a good talk."
He said with a smile.
