At this moment, even the Three Kings could not help but be astonished by the transformation of the surrounding world.
[Creation of Heaven and Earth: God-Slaying Army] was undoubtedly a peerless Noble Phantasm that transcended the EX rank.
The reason they appeared so passive before Satsuki was simply because she was far too powerful.
"Is that Assassin?"
The King of Heroes flew through the dim sky aboard his Vimana. His [Omniscient and Omnipotent Star] should have granted him the power to perceive fate and knowledge—but against the swordsman standing with his blade planted in the ground, it proved useless.
This was the highest level of concealment—one that only those who stood beyond the boundary could evade.
Ultimately, those above the boundary and those below it existed on entirely different levels.
No matter how close one drew to the surface of that so-called [Boundary] lake—no matter how much they reached for it—without transcendence, they would never break free.
The refraction of sunlight, the difference in medium—these were natural limitations that could not be overcome.
Just as most beings could only rely on their five senses to perceive the world, they believed such perception to be absolute truth, labeling their distorted understanding of [phenomena] as real.
Thus, without transcending the [Boundary], the King of Heroes could not perceive the true identity of the assassin before him.
Among the Three Kings, the one in the most dire state was the King of Conquerors. Having been struck back into his original form by [Earthly Wheel Reincarnation Annihilation], he could not even move at this point.
Though Satsuki's previous strike had not targeted him directly, as one who governed that part of the world, the collapse of its structure had dealt him a tremendous blow.
However, Satsuki's attention was no longer upon the Three Kings—but on the Assassin who now appeared before her.
"Ever since we last parted, I've been wondering—what kind of scene would our next meeting be?"
Layer upon layer of overlapping voices echoed—signifying that Satsuki had entered the [Aspect of the Demon Buddha]. The shadow of the Candle Dragon coiling around her body was withdrawn, unable to exist under the vast pressure of her demonic might.
"To embrace death is the destined fate of all living things—the foundation upon which the world turns."
The towering swordsman, clad in armor that seemed forged from death itself, exhaled cold blue flame as his aura rose.
"Whether god or buddha, none can defy the coming of 'death'."
"Death, is it?" Satsuki let out a faint, amused laugh. "Then let me see—how this world's death dares to test me."
The moment her words fell, ghostly blue fire engulfed Assassin's form.
When he appeared again, that same blue fire was already before Satsuki—and what followed was a strike sharp enough to cut through the boundary itself.
Fast? The word was no longer sufficient.
It was a strike that inverted space—a thrust that pierced through destiny itself.
In that still, silent realm where time and space ceased to exist, only those who had truly transcended the boundary could maintain their sense of self and stand upon such a pure stage.
To face such a straightforward, unflinching combat style—even Satsuki in her [Aspect of the Demon Buddha] was momentarily surprised.
"So this is an assassin's way of battle?"
Clang—
Yet the all-seeing eyes of the Demon Buddha had already transcended the shackles of fate.
For any existence beneath the boundary, this strike would have been inescapable. But upon that blade, Satsuki sharply sensed a power identical to her own [Instant Death Authority].
Even though she had already erased the very concept of 'death' from herself, Satsuki did not dare to be careless.
With one hand, she struck the massive sword aside.
However, the Assassin, who had seized the initiative, possessed an astonishing mastery of killing arts.
The power of the [Aspect of the Demon Buddha] was beyond comprehension—even the Demon God King, Goetia, who had fought Satsuki in close combat, could not have described its full magnitude.
And yet, the Assassin, whose technique had reached perfection, seemed utterly unaffected by such pressure. As the blue flame flickered, his figure appeared once more—behind Satsuki.
Again, it was a direct thrust aimed at her heart. The blade was now wrapped in an even more massive blue flame. Any reckless attempt to touch it would surely result in being consumed entirely.
Yet, before a sword strike that even King Solomon himself could not face head-on, Satsuki still did not flinch or evade.
In an instant, she turned, pressing her palms together before her chest, firmly catching the decayed giant sword.
From behind the Assassin's skeletal mask, his blue eyes flashed. His magical energy surged—and in that moment, Satsuki's entire body was engulfed by the ghostly blue inferno.
It was an infernal flame fueled by slaughter and sin—a deathly fire that not even the gods could withstand once tainted by its touch.
Yet from within that sea of ghostly blue flames, Satsuki's calm voice drifted out as if nothing had happened.
"Just this… and you think you can kill me?"
The crimson gem on her forehead flickered with a brilliant light.
In the next instant, Satsuki's form expanded outward within the void, releasing waves of black death lines—an overwhelming force that even Assassin, for the first time, found utterly terrifying beyond description.
—It was the expanding [Dead Line Boundary].
Even for one such as Assassin, whose body no longer felt life or death, the instinctive dread it brought was undeniable. In an instant, he dissolved into blue flame, retreating far from its reach.
He didn't need to touch it to know—if he were even grazed by that power, not even he would escape unscathed.
The boundary of death swelled endlessly outward. The entire spectral valley trembled under the influence of those spreading death lines, showing the same premonition of collapse as when [Creation of Heaven and Earth: God-Slaying Army] had been shattered.
But Assassin had already bought enough time.
At another peak within the canyon, the King of Knights of Britain had long since taken her stance, both hands gripping her sword raised high before her.
Meanwhile, the King of Heroes stood upon another shadowed summit, once more raising his spiral sword—Ea.
In the heavens above, two immense golden dragons emerged from the radiating waves of golden ripples, their heads unseen, their tails vanishing into infinity.
Amid their spiraling dance, a massive slab of clay descended in dazzling golden light.
It was the rarest of treasures, once stolen by the monstrous bird Anzu—the Tablet of Destinies, the ultimate divine right to rule both the gods and the world.
With the Tablet of Destinies' blessing, King Gilgamesh's power rose even higher, nearly reaching that of a true [Supreme God].
Now, as he swung the sword of Ea in his hand, its power was no weaker than that of the original divine Ea itself.
"Thirteen seals released—Round Table Council, commence."
"This battle is for survival—Kay."
"To fight one stronger than myself—Bedivere."
"This is no war against the fair folk—Lancelot."
"This is no battle for selfish desire—Galahad."
…
"This is a battle to save the world—Artoria."
As each knight's voice resounded through the sacred conclave, the golden holy sword flared with more than seven layers of radiant light.
Once again, the Sword of Promised Victory appeared, its brilliance rivaling that of the [Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion].
At the same time, the King of Heroes began to chant the true name of his Noble Phantasm once more.
"Let this strike serve as our parting ritual…
"Return to the origin—where heaven and earth divide…
"Let the void offer its hymn to the newborn world…
"The rift that severs creation is the destiny of the Sword of Rupture…
"The vortex that turns the stars—above heaven lies the twilight before creation…
"Be silent in death—
"—'Enuma Elish: The Star of Creation That Split Heaven and Earth!'"
"—'Excalibur: Sword of Promised Victory!'"
Boom—!
Boom—!
One after the other, the golden light of salvation and the crimson torrent of creation surged forth—twin cataclysms carrying the majesty of heaven and earth, guided by the gaze of Alaya itself—as they descended upon Satsuki, now enshrouded within her [Dead Line Boundary].
Within the space of the [Dead Line Boundary], all matter would be infinitely compressed—what seemed a mere short distance would stretch into infinity.
Thus, in theory, no attack could ever affect it; no force could harm Satsuki while her Dead Line Boundary was deployed.
And indeed, that was the case.
Faced with the two torrents of energy—each powerful enough to cleave worlds and forge creation itself—the black barrier of death remained utterly motionless at the center, unaffected and serene.
"Even that can't harm her…?"
The King of Knights forced her Dragon Heart Furnace to its limits. In that instant, her advanced ability—[Instinct: Shining Path]—activated.
[Instinct] was the ability to instantly discern the most suitable course of action in battle.
A knight whose Instinct had reached Rank A could already sense the future to some degree.
But [Shining Path], elevated to Rank EX, could partially interfere with the future itself.
Yet even with such a power, before Satsuki's unshakable Dead Line Boundary, the King of Knights' shining foresight could see nothing but chaos.
No directional vectors. No distinction between up and down. No past or future.
It was a frozen world—a space of complete stillness that existed only in theory: [Absolute Stasis].
As for the King of Heroes, he had already released his Noble Phantasm at its full potential. Yet the raging torrent that could divide heaven and earth failed to shake his opponent in the slightest.
The laws that could split the world and the radiance that could reshape creation were magnificent indeed—but within this abyssal darkness, the very concept of a "world" no longer existed.
The twin kings' efforts, as Satsuki herself had once said, were like scattering sand into the sky—it might even be more effective than their current attempts.
Still, she did not let her guard down. Controlling a Dead Line Boundary of this scale was not easy, and the barrier's absolute defense came with its own price: while no external force could strike her, she likewise could not attack outward.
The King of Heroes, with his [Omniscient and Omnipotent Star], had already discerned this flaw during their first battle.
Thus, though both kings knew their Noble Phantasms could not harm her, they chose to release them anyway—to buy time with the greatest assault they could muster.
Their true hope lay elsewhere.
It was Assassin.
He alone was the true "Death" capable of threatening the Saver.
The Old Man of the Mountain, Hassan-i-Sabbah—one of the only two beings in this Holy Grail War to stand beyond the boundary—his sword alone posed genuine danger to Satsuki.
Now, that very Assassin stood upon the highest peak of another gorge, his entire body engulfed in blue flames that nearly set the heavens ablaze.
Then, a low, solemn voice filled the silent, crumbling valley.
"Life and death are but phases of existence. The 'truth' and 'fate' you speak of are mere embellishments within that process…
"Saver… your obsession with the endless worlds is the very chain that binds you from transcendence…
"Thus, by destiny's decree—I shall break your barrier."
Both hands gripping his sword, the flood of blue fire surged and converged upon him, absorbed completely like a thousand rivers returning to the sea.
Then, amid the spectral flames, the Assassin—one who stood beyond the boundary—vanished completely.
A tolling bell echoed across space, from no discernible source. Along with it came the deep, resounding chant of a Noble Phantasm's invocation.
"Hear it—the bell calls your name…"
For the briefest moment, Satsuki froze.
It shouldn't be possible. It couldn't be possible.
The Dead Line Boundary nullified and shortened all forms of matter—nothing should have been able to penetrate it.
And yet, she could clearly hear the tolling of the bell.
Could it be… that this authority of death had already transcended the boundary itself, piercing even the river of fate?
"Wings of death, claim the fallen head—[Angel of Death: Azrael]!"
Hummmm——!
Across the entire canyon, the sound of the death knell resounded. Alongside the invocation of [Angel of Death], a streak of blue light cut through the sky, striking against Satsuki's Dead Line Boundary.
The unbreakable barrier began to fracture, countless spiderweb-like cracks of shimmering blue spreading across its surface.
"Assassin… he's completely broken through the defense of that black domain!"
Those were the boundary lines that completely distorted the concept of the [Dead Line Boundary] itself—warping both infinite distance and absolute stillness.
Seizing that fleeting opportunity, the unleashed Noble Phantasms struck harder than ever before.
The dual kings' energy output was sustained continuously by their Masters' near-limitless supply of mana. Under the unending bombardment of these two forces, even the Dead Line Boundary could no longer withstand the pressure.
Crack~
Crack~
The sound of fracturing glass—or eggshells—echoed faintly across the warped space.
Finally, with a resounding crash, the black Dead Line Boundary shattered completely.
In that instant, the twin beams—each capable of splitting heaven and earth—met at Satsuki's position and collided head-on.
Boundless starlight of destruction and the world-cleaving torrent of energy erupted simultaneously at the point of impact.
Heaven and earth overturned in an instant, chaos itself was divided.
The released energy swept outward in all directions, and the resulting shockwave consumed the entire valley realm. The last thing visible before all was engulfed was the endless clouds of dust and the blinding white light that filled the entire world.
...
No one knew how long had passed.
When the dazzling white brilliance finally faded from the spectral world, only three figures remained standing in a triangular formation—Saber, Archer, and Assassin. (Rider had already dissipated into spirit form.)
The full-powered release, sustained for a full half minute, was an experience neither the King of Knights nor the King of Heroes had ever endured before.
Even with their Masters' uninterrupted mana supply, the burden had been almost unbearable.
"Ugh…"
On one side, the King of Heroes could no longer maintain his regal posture, nearly collapsing.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly—plunging the Sword of Rupture, Ea, into the ground, using it to barely keep himself upright.
To unleash [Enuma Elish: The Star of Creation That Split Heaven and Earth] twice in such a short span—while simultaneously maintaining both the [Gate of Babylon] and the [Omniscient and Omnipotent Star]—
Even after resorting to his ultimate treasure, the [Tablet of Destinies], to reinforce his Saint Graph, the scale of mana expenditure had dealt severe damage to his existence.
At this moment, the King of Heroes' parameters were plummeting rapidly—a sign that his Saint Graph was nearing critical collapse.
"Hmph… I never thought this king would one day appear in such a miserable state."
On the other side, the King of Knights could hardly stand either. Her cloak had long since been torn to shreds by the energy shockwaves; much of her armor lay broken, and even her crown had been blown away by the immense force.
Her once-elegant hairstyle had come undone, golden strands cascading over her shoulders. Combined with the determined fire in her eyes, the sight carried a rare, striking beauty.
"Did… we succeed?"
Instinctively, the King of Knights turned her gaze toward the gorge where Assassin stood.