Chapter 50: Day 10 ④

Due to the overwhelming intensity of the light, all physical matter vanished from sight, leaving only shadows behind.

A pure white void dyed the world, filling the space. Within that dazzling white radiance, only Lia and Gilgamesh maintained their forms.

A deafening roar and a blast of wind followed. Then, after a silence that felt far too long to be called a mere moment, color returned to the world.

—But the two Noble Phantasms had not yet finished their activation.

Even now, Lia stood before me, intercepting Gilgamesh’s strike from Ea without letting it deflect behind her.

With her sword swung down, she continued to maintain Excalibur using every drop of Magical Energy in her body.

The atmosphere raged as if driven to madness, scattering the released heat into the surroundings.

Ea began to distort space itself, warping the light of Excalibur. It could not reach Gilgamesh.

In return, Excalibur used its immense thermal mass to forcibly push back the spatial twisting caused by Ea. If Lia's Noble Phantasm hadn't been active, those of us behind her would have been torn apart in the gaps of the vortex released by Ea.

With just Lia... with Saber alone, she cannot defeat Gilgamesh.

—I know this. I watched this confrontation once before while gripped by a great anxiety.

I know that Saber took up Excalibur to oppose Gilgamesh’s Ea. And I know the conclusion.

"Lia!"

—I know the Saber who was overpowered, blown away, and defeated. Her vanishing form. My own pathetic self. My own hopeless lack of strength.

"————AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

Lia let out a roar that seemed to shake the earth. Excalibur responded. The released light increased its brilliance even further.

...There is no logic where Lia, being the same existence, could use Excalibur to overcome Ea.

To prevent that outcome, I would either have to deny Gilgamesh the luxury of using Ea, or use Excalibur alongside Lia. Even against the mighty Ea, it surely could not win if two Noble Phantasms were used in synergy. Even if I cannot win alone, even if Lia cannot win alone, if it’s the two of us————.

————Or so, I thought I knew.

"Lia! Stop, any more than that is————!!"

Strength won't enter my body. The legs I tried to move forward won't lift as intended. Even the foot I managed to step out with feels like it will collapse at the knee the moment it touches the ground.

The Excalibur in both my hands trembles incessantly against my will.

The curse of the sword from earlier was eroding my body. I had analyzed the information of the sword that pierced my shoulder and drained the blood acting as the medium from the wound, but I was too late.

I gripped my left shoulder, pierced by the sword, with my right hand as my body swayed. The wound is no longer visible, but the pain remains. Yet, more than that pain, the frustration of my body lacking strength right now is unbearable.

The invisible sword hooked in my left hand scraped against the stone floor, making a sound. I gritted my teeth. Dragging my entire body, I took a single step toward Lia.

I understand that because I am in Saber’s body—which is highly resistant to Magecraft—I have a tolerance for curses. Thanks to this out-of-spec physical endurance, I can withstand the heavy blood loss and am barely able to move. If I were my former self, I would have collapsed on the spot, wandering between life and death.

Conversely, it means that even at this moment, I am receiving a lethal curse, albeit a greatly diluted one.

But that doesn't mean I can afford to stop. At this rate, Lia will no longer be able to maintain her manifestation in this world.

She is still pouring Magical Energy into Excalibur; her already low reserves must be on the verge of total depletion. Perhaps due to the lack of Prana, the radiance of Excalibur is gradually weakening. In contrast, the Ea she faces is still exerting its full, ferocious power.

If she is broken, the torrent of power stirred by Ea will turn its blade toward Lia. And Lia, having used her Magical Energy to the limit, will not be able to withstand it. I already know this. In fact, that is exactly what happened to Saber.

"Hahahaha! Saber, how frail! Is that miserable display your full power?!"

—Gilgamesh's loud laughter grates on my ears.

I had lost my sense of time; I couldn't tell how long it had been since the two Noble Phantasms were unleashed.

In that interval, I had only managed three steps. The distance to Lia was still far.

Lia raised her voice, standing against Gilgamesh. I saw her legs trembling. I could see large beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

The moment Lia’s trembling legs almost gave out, I turned and screamed.

"————Shirou! The Command Spell!!"

In my mind, there was no longer even a shred of thought about "defeating Ea." My only thought was how to save Lia.

"I-I see!"

"Just do it, hurry!! At this rate, Lia will—!!"

Shirou finally grasped the situation. He directed his gaze toward his left hand and closed his eyes.

Now that my body won't move, the only thing that can save her is the Command Spell held by Shirou. I also closed my eyes as if in prayer.

"LIAAAAAA—! SMASH THAT BASTARD TO PIECES!!"

Shirou yelled, and the Command Spell on his left hand shattered, leaving behind a trail of red light.

Instantly, light overflowed from Lia’s body. Her near-depleted Magical Energy was refilled, and the swirling Ether let out a roar of joy.

A vortex of Prana surged. Her feet planted firmly on the ground.

"————!!"

With every ounce of her strength, she swung Excalibur with both hands.

An earth-shaking roar. That colossal power shook the very foundations of the land, and the light divided the world.

The blade of light left a massive fissure in the ground. Following its trajectory, a great scar was carved as if splitting the castle in two.

A boost of Magical Energy via Command Spell that hadn't existed before. Perhaps, with this, she could overcome even Ea and Gilgamesh————.

"————That... can't be."

Lia’s dazed voice. She collapsed onto her knees.

————However, even with the Command Spell, she failed to pierce Gilgamesh’s Ea.

The moment Shirou screamed, Gilgamesh’s expression changed, and the rotation speed of Ea’s segments increased even further. Magical Energy overflowed from the rotating blades, the density so high that the flow of the vortex was visible to the naked eye.

The torrent of power that began to twist and tear through space did not stop at merely canceling out Excalibur’s blade of light; it pushed through, though its power had weakened.

Lia was soon swallowed by the vortex of red light. Tossed by the gale, her body was seized and twisted. She danced in the air like a fallen leaf. Her armor shattered. Fresh blood sprayed and scattered within the vortex.

"Lia! ————Guh!!"

I solidified Magical Energy in both my legs and let it explode all at once, flying in a straight line. A sickening sound echoed through my body, and a pain like tearing muscle ran through my thighs. Blood began to seep from both my legs.

I caught the flying Lia, even as I lost my own posture. I pulled her close, hugging her tightly to minimize her damage. I had to shield her with my entire body as much as possible to prevent further consumption of her Prana.

"—A-agh!?"

Caught in Lia’s momentum, I slammed into the wall. The wall, weakened by Ea’s strike, crumbled and fell from above, but was soon blown away by the gale from the front.

The power of Ea had not vanished. Following that, my clothes were sliced by the wind as if cut by blades.

To protect her from the approaching torrent of power, I hugged Lia, covering her with my body. I shut my eyes tight and simply endured, lying low amidst the storm of tyranny.

Rin’s high, short scream. Shirou’s muffled, low trembling voice. The sound of Illya catching her breath—. Even exposed to the gale, my ears picked up those sounds.

The aftereffects might reach them too. But from that position, they shouldn't take a direct hit.

Finally, silence returned to the Einzbern castle. I fearfully raised my head to check the surroundings.

Ahead, a considerable distance away, was Gilgamesh. Perhaps due to the aftereffects of Excalibur, he had retreated further back than before. Deciding it was no longer necessary, Ea was no longer in his hand.

To the back right, Rin was holding Illya, with Shirou covering them. I could see cuts from the vacuum wind centered on Shirou’s back, but it didn't look like anything life-threatening.

Then, I looked straight at the Lia I was holding.

—She is unconscious.

Compared to before, her wounds are far fewer. However, her Magical Energy is entirely consumed just by maintaining her physical form, with not enough left for the regeneration of her injuries.

"............Lia?"

There was no answer. I could only hear her ragged breathing.

"Hmph. Saber. You talked big only to end up like this? You should have at least managed to cancel it out."

Gilgamesh was saying something, but I had no luxury to spare him any attention.

Flashbacks. Memories. Impact. Emotions.

Shattered armor. Pooling blood. Hollow eyes. A lifeless expression. Silent lips.

The scene from some other time overlapped with the Lia before my eyes.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!"

The hole that had been superficially filled since coming back here reopened. A scar like a rift in the earth showed its face once again.

I had repeated the same mistake. This strength was supposed to be for this very purpose. I failed to protect someone precious again. My own stupidity. My own wretchedness. Frustration. ————Rage.

"I'm sorry. Lia, I'm sorry. Because I didn't move. I let you go through this again. Even though I had decided to protect Saber. I'm sorry————"

I drew a deep breath into my lungs. —I slowly lowered Lia’s body, which I had been holding with both hands, onto the floor.

I drew a deep breath into my lungs. —I pulled myself up and stood.

"I will not break my promise again. Saber, you———— I will protect you with everything I am."

There is still time.

Lia’s exhaustion isn't as bad as before. If I can just do something about Gilgamesh, Rin should be able to handle the rest.

I drew a deep breath into my lungs. —I turned back to face Gilgamesh.

Excalibur was not in my hands. I had let go of it because it was in the way while holding Lia. Though it was invisible due to the Invisible Air, I could tell it was stuck in the wall.

I pulled it out and brandished it once more with both hands.

"Hahahaha! A mere thing like you, protecting Saber? Don't make me laugh! By what logic could a fake defeat the opponent who beat the original?"

"............"

Gilgamesh laughed. But his eyes showed clear murderous intent. It seems my very existence is displeasing to him.

"Hmph. Then let us see just how much power you, the counterfeit of Saber, possess. I hope you aren't all talk like she was."

"...Rin. Shirou, Illya. Are you okay?"

I shifted my gaze from Gilgamesh toward the back. ————The hammer has already fallen.

"Y-yeah. Somehow."

"I see. That's good. Shirou, take Lia to somewhere safe. I can't handle this guy if I have to worry about what's behind me."

"Y... Yes!"

Shirou came running over.

————Two, four, eight... With a snap, three new pathways open.

————Eleven, fourteen, nineteen. My vision temporarily whites out. But four more pathways open.

————Twenty-two, twenty-six————twenty-seven. Finally, one last one was opened. A total of nine pathways wait expectantly for the moment.

I slowly lifted Lia, watching Shirou silently retreat as he gasped at her condition.

After confirming they had returned to Rin’s side, I slowly turned back to Gilgamesh.

"You! To treat Me like————"

"————Freeze Out (停止解凍)."

With that single phrase, Magical Energy surged from my entire body. My Magic Core generated prana, which was poured into my Magic Circuits until they were nearly overflowing.

The Circuits spin. Spin. Spin. Behind me, twenty-seven Noble Phantasms appear. Three sets of nine simultaneous Projections using nine Circuits.

All of them belong to Gilgamesh. Some include things I saw during Emiya Shirou’s time, which this Gilgamesh has not even manifested yet.

"Now. Come, King of Heroes."

"Y-YOU BASTAAAAARD!!"

The Golden King, his eyes wide with rage, his face flushed red. The King who defeated that demigod, who even crushed the radiance of the Holy Sword, who holds every treasure in this world.

The one I am about to face is an anomaly who achieved a hegemony that stands out even among the kings of all times and places.

But————

"Even if you possess ten thousand weapons. Not a single one will ever reach Saber again."

————Even if I am a fake, even if I am a counterfeit.

I will never lose to you again————!