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Black's heart skipped a beat as he saw sheets of red and black taking shape between Berserker and Saber.
It was less because of The Shadow's appearance, and more because of the suddenness of it.
Even if The Shadow was innately stronger than all other Servants, there was no way she could have just appeared amidst everyone.
Medea was on the lookout for its appearance since the beginning, backed by Rider, who was even more on alert regarding The Shadow's arrival because of Sakura.
Then there was Archer, keeping an eye on the battle as well. Even if Archer was an enemy right now, it didn't mean he would let The Shadow approach Saber, Shirou, and Rin.
As if that wasn't enough, Assassin was here as well.
Yet, none of these powerhouses sensed the arrival of The Shadow. Neither of these monsters could tell how such a thing happened, right under their noses, except…
— Kai and Black!
They both knew how The Shadow appeared without alerting anyone.
However, it happened so fast, and because of the sheer impossibility of it, they couldn't even react fast enough.
Shadow Space… Black's eyes widened as the red and black strips ballooned as if they were carrying something within. It used my Shadow Space…
Shadow Space was one of the Skills Kai had learned after gaining Shadow Lord's Inheritance from the Pirates of the Caribbean Random World.
It allowed Kai to access a space within the Shadow World unique to him. Not only could he use it as a storage, but, through another Skill — Shadow Link — he could use the Shadow Space to travel between different shadows.
In the third stage of the Tournament of Worth, on Island X, these two Skills had saved Kai's life numerous times.
Now, it had become a ritual for him to link random shadows to his shadow space right after traveling to a different world.
Such linkages allowed instantaneous movements from one location to another, letting Kai and Black escape. Also, given that only he could access his shadow space, no one could even chase them.
And that had always remained the case.
Until now.
No… Black brokenly looked down at his shadow. Even The Shadow shouldn't have been able to do this without…
"Some wonderful things you have there…"
A chilling, deathly voice came from above, making Black's head snap up.
There, standing midair and wielding the Staff, was Ainz Ooal Gown, eying Black with two black cruciforms embedded in his hollow eyes.
Shit! Black cursed. "Pull back!"
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Like the bloom of a flower, the red and black strips exploded, revealing the being within.
Black and red armor. A shattered eye guard. Golden hair. And — a sword that oozed nothing but pure vileness — polar opposite to Saber's golden one.
It was the blackened version of Saber — Saber Alter!
Just as she materialized, Saber Alter planted her sword in the ground.
A BOOM hissed into the seams of the world as black and red Mana erupted around her.
Being Holy Grail's Vessel, Black could supply an enormous amount of Mana to Berserker as well.
However, in both sheer quantity and quality, the Mana Berserker gained from Black paled in comparison to Saber Alter's mere… power-up.
"CASTER!" Black shouted, holding Sakura's hand.
He dared not go to the Shadow Space now. There were many undead and Items stored there, but nothing so important that he couldn't let go.
Moreover, they had already planned for such a scenario where Black wouldn't be able to use his Shadow Space.
A great magic circle appeared under Black and Sakura's feet.
However, even before the Teleportation Spell could fully manifest, the red-black strips glitched near Saber Alter, appearing over Black and Sakura.
Black narrowed his eyes, making all those strips pause in the air. If he had used magic, then these strips would have instantly corrupted it, bypassing his spells. However, Telekinesis was different and had nothing to do with Mana.
As Black fought against the enormous power of The Shadow, and as the teleportation circle activated under his feet, both Berserker and Saber shot backwards, distancing themselves from the Saber Alter.
Simultaneously, dozens of purple spell circles blinked into existence on top of Saber Alter.
From each spell circle, thick beams of white-purple came out, sizzling the space, going for the blackened Servant.
Saber Alter lifted her hand and raised her sword. The moment those white-purple beams came for her, her hand blurred, deflecting every one of them.
In Black's mind, Medea gasped.
Flaming explosions surrounded the battlefield as Medea's failed attacks bombarded the earth.
In the sky, the Overlord raised his Staff higher. "No one will be leaving…"
A gem in the mouth of a snake on the staff let out a hideous black glow, and, in the next moment, the teleportation circle under Black's feet shattered.
"I will take care of this Lich, Master," Medea said in Black's mind, concerned. "Leave with the girl as soon as…"
Black could not hear more.
Thousands upon thousands of red-black strips suddenly descended from the sky, wrapping him and Sakura within them.
Blood seeped out from the corner of Black's mouth as he used Telekinesis to keep them off.
Suddenly, the red-black strips in front of him squirmed, revealing a face.
Next to Black, Sakura stumbled back as her own face grinned at her, holding a sadistic expression.
"Look at you…" Dark Sakura licked her lips. "You look so content… Does he — fill the hole within you… Keke…"
Crrrrrrrrrr!
Black's knees buckled as the pressure on him suddenly intensified.
He had no other choice left, it seemed. "… Come to me…" he stuttered out, failing to think. "… Berserker…"
Sadly, Berserker was too absorbed in saving his own life.
Ignoring Saber altogether, her Blackened form lunged toward Berserker, raising her sword.
"Shit!" Venom cursed, the red coating of Selfless Breathing Coating flickering after the use of Three-Headed Vritra.
Lighting the world into a mass of red-blackness, Saber Alter hacked.
From Venom's body, two white-skinned hands instantly slithered out, landing on the earth.
Noble Phantasm —
A thick pillar of raw Mana, dozens of meters wide, left Saber Alter's sword, obliterating everything.
Summoning Jutsu —
Three, hundreds of feet tall, demon-faced gates sprouted in front of Venom, the earth rumbling under their weight.
— Excalibur!
— Triple Rashomon!!
Booooooooooooooooooooom!!!
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AN: Original Image of Saber Alter's Noble Phantasm and Triple Rashomon is available
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