Valefor's body continued expanding violently.
Dark flesh twisted violently across Valefor's body as his bones expanded with sickening cracking sounds. Massive black horns curved out from both sides of his head while his entire frame rapidly grew larger and larger.
What stood there now was a gigantic humanoid monster nearly eight meters tall, its body covered in thick black flesh that looked more like living armor than skin. Several parts of his body bulged unnaturally as if something inside was constantly writhing beneath the surface.
A pair of enormous bat-like wings burst from his back, tearing apart the surrounding air with a single movement. His arms had transformed into monstrous claws large enough to crush a car effortlessly, while black spikes protruded from his shoulders and spine.
Dark veins pulsed all over his body like magma flowing beneath cracked stone.
Even his face barely resembled a devil anymore.
One side still retained traces of his original appearance, but the other had become grotesquely distorted, filled with rows of sharp fangs and glowing golden eyes overflowing with madness.
And with every breath he took—
Thick demonic energy poured out from his body like smoke, making the entire cave tremble under his presence alone.
Even Artoria's expression became serious.
The pressure coming from Valefor had already reached the level of a Satan-Class devil.
Below the Demon Kings—
But not by much.
And with that absurdly massive body, his defense had become monstrous.
Ren stared at the transformed Valefor for a moment before suddenly clapping his hands.
"Ohhh."
"There's a second phase."
His eyes lit up like a gamer discovering a hidden boss mechanic.
"Now this is getting interesting."
Bang!
Ren casually fired another shot.
The bullet struck Valefor directly in the chest.
But unlike before—
It didn't pierce through completely.
The enhanced bullet only embedded halfway into the monster's flesh before stopping.
Valefor grinned viciously.
"You think the same trick will work twice?"
Since the bullet failed to kill him instantly, there is no spatial collapse.
Ren stared at the result for a second.
"…Damn."
"He got patch-noted."
Meanwhile, Aesc immediately moved.
Several layers of fairy magecraft wrapped around Artoria's body one after another, strengthening her speed, durability, and mana flow.
Golden light flickered faintly around the King of Knights.
Artoria immediately noticed the difference.
Her body felt lighter.
The burden on her mana lessened slightly as well.
Aesc lowered her staff calmly.
"Go."
Artoria nodded once.
Then she stepped forward alone.
Boom!
The ground beneath her feet shattered instantly as she charged directly toward the gigantic devil.
Artoria's invisible blade collided directly against Valefor's massive claw, creating a shockwave powerful enough to crack the cave floor beneath them.
With Aesc's support magic flowing through her body, Artoria moved far faster than before. Her sword flashed repeatedly, holy light exploding across Valefor's body with every strike.
One slash cut deeply into his shoulder.
Another tore through his chest.
Holy energy burned his flesh continuously.
Yet—
It wasn't enough.
Valefor's regeneration was absurd.
The massive wounds rapidly twisted and closed themselves almost immediately, dark flesh wriggling unnaturally as it repaired itself.
Artoria frowned.
Even with the holy sword suppressing him, killing this thing was proving far harder than expected.
Valefor suddenly laughed loudly.
"Is this all?!"
Boom!
His giant arm slammed downward violently.
Artoria barely blocked in time, but the impact still forced her backward several meters.
Then another attack came immediately after.
And another.
He simply overwhelmed everything through sheer power and regeneration.
Clang!
Artoria blocked another strike, but this time her stance finally broke.
Valefor's fist crashed directly into her.
Boom!!!
Artoria's body shot across the cave before slamming heavily into the wall.
Kiritsugu's expression immediately changed.
"Saber!"
Dust scattered everywhere.
Artoria slowly stood back up while blood trickled faintly from the corner of her mouth.
Even with Aesc's support, the difference in raw physical power was becoming obvious.
Valefor then slowly turned his head.
Toward Aesc.
A twisted grin spread across his monstrous face.
"You…"
His gigantic body leaned forward slightly.
"…are annoying."
The ground exploded beneath his feet as he charged directly toward her.
Aesc's expression sharpened immediately.
But before Valefor could reach her—
Bang!
A gunshot echoed through the cave.
One of the surviving peerage members, the injured Rook, suddenly froze.
Then his head exploded instantly.
Boom!!!
The spatial collapse activated immediately afterward.
Space itself folded inward violently before detonating outward, creating a massive explosion that slammed directly into Valefor's side.
The gigantic devil was blasted away from Aesc, crashing through several stone pillars before finally stopping.
Meanwhile Kiritsugu immediately rushed toward Artoria.
"You alright?"
Artoria slowly pushed herself away from the wall while gripping her sword tightly again.
"…I can still fight."
Kiritsugu quickly checked Artoria's condition, his expression growing darker the more he looked.
Her armor was damaged in several places, blood staining parts of the silver plate. Even her breathing had become slightly heavier.
At this rate—
She would eventually lose.
Kiritsugu stayed silent for a moment.
Then, as if finally making up his mind, he reached inside his coat and pulled something out.
A golden scabbard.
Avalon.
The sheath of Excalibur.
Artoria's eyes widened slightly after seeing it.
"…Kiritsugu?"
Without saying much, Kiritsugu handed it toward her.
For a brief moment, Artoria genuinely looked confused.
If he had this from the beginning…Then why didn't he give it to her earlier?
That question almost escaped her lips. But in the end, she said nothing.
Instead, she silently grabbed Avalon. The moment the sheath touched her body, Golden light exploded outward.
Boom!
A massive wave of mana erupted across the cave.
Artoria's eyes widened slightly. She could feel it immediately. Avalon had synchronized with her.
The sheath connected directly to the Red Dragon Core within her body, causing an overwhelming amount of mana to surge through her entire body at once.
Her exhaustion vanished almost instantly.
The pain disappeared.
Even the injuries across her body rapidly healed under the golden light.
Meanwhile, Valefor slowly climbed back to his feet from the rubble, only to freeze slightly after sensing Artoria's mana rising rapidly.
The atmosphere around her had completely changed.
Golden particles slowly danced around the King of Knights as she calmly stood up.
Then—
Artoria blinked.
And vanished.
Boom!!!
A shockwave exploded behind her as she instantly appeared in front of Valefor.
The second round started instantly.
And this time—
The one being overwhelmed was Valefor.
Boom!
Artoria's sword slammed directly into his arm, holy light erupting violently as massive chunks of corrupted flesh were blown apart instantly.
With Avalon supplying her endlessly with mana, Artoria had completely returned to her peak condition.
Her movements became sharper, faster, and far more aggressive. Every slash from the holy sword burned through Valefor's regeneration faster than it could properly recover.
Valefor immediately realized it.
At this rate—
He would lose.
Boom!
Another slash nearly tore apart his chest completely.
Valefor immediately jumped backward, creating distance between them.
His eyes rapidly moved around the battlefield before finally landing on his last remaining peerage member.
His Queen.
"Buy me time!" he roared loudly.
The Queen immediately nodded without hesitation.
"Yes, Valefor-sama!"
The next moment countless magic circles appeared around her.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Violent explosions erupted continuously across the battlefield, forcing Artoria and Aesc to stop advancing temporarily.
Aesc quickly raised several defensive barriers while Artoria cut apart incoming explosions one after another.
Meanwhile—
Behind the explosions, Valefor secretly began drawing a massive magic circle on the ground.
The surrounding mana immediately started gathering toward him rapidly.
Kiritsugu narrowed his eyes slightly after seeing it.
"…A large-scale spell?"
Even Artoria became more cautious.
But the moment Ren saw the magic circle, his expression suddenly became strange.
"…Huh?"
Something about it felt familiar.
Then it hit him.
A strong sense of déjà vu.
Ren stared at the magic circle for another second before finally remembering where he had seen it before.
The two priests he captured. The teleportation magic they used. It was almost identical.
A few seconds later, Ren's face slowly twisted into disbelief.
Then—
He burst out laughing.
"No way."
Aesc glanced toward him.
"What?"
Ren pointed toward Valefor while laughing openly now.
"He's running!"
The moment those words fell, the battlefield froze slightly.
Including the Queen.
Valefor's expression instantly stiffened.
That massive magic circle—
Wasn't some ultimate attack.
It wasn't a trump card to reverse the situation.
It was an escape spell connected directly to the Underworld.
The bastard was planning to abandon everyone and flee by himself.
The Queen's face immediately went pale after realizing it.
"…Valefor-sama…?"
But Valefor didn't even look at her anymore.
At that moment, even Artoria looked slightly stunned.
Meanwhile Ren clicked his tongue dramatically.
"…Damn."
"He's actually abandoning his own teammate."
Ren quietly raised one hand, By using the power of reality bender, The space inside the cave distorted slightly, then everything returned to normal.
At least on the surface.
Valefor naturally noticed none of it.
Meanwhile, the Queen stared at the giant magic circle beneath him, her face slowly turning pale.
"…Valefor-sama…"
Her voice sounded shaky now.
"You're… leaving?"
Valefor finally glanced at her.
But there wasn't even a trace of guilt on his face.
Instead, he looked annoyed she even asked.
"Why are you making that face?" he said coldly. "You're my Queen. My chess piece."
The woman froze.
Valefor let out a mocking laugh.
"A chess piece exists to be sacrificed for its king. Isn't that obvious?"
The Queen looked at him like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"…You said we'd return together…"
"Hah?" Valefor scoffed. "And you actually believed that?"
The Queen clenched her fists tightly.
"I followed you for years…"
"I fought for the Neberius family…"
"And you're just throwing me away?"
Valefor's expression became even colder.
"You should feel honored."
Dark mana surged violently around the teleportation circle.
"To die for a pureblood devil from the Seventy-Two Pillars is already more value than low-class devils like you deserve."
The Queen's eyes widened slightly.
Meanwhile Ren stared at the scene with complete disbelief.
"…Damn."
"He's actually saying the villain lines out loud."
Valefor ignored him completely and spread his arms arrogantly.
"As if I would die in this filthy place!"
The teleportation circle suddenly burst with blinding light.
Valefor immediately started laughing loudly.
"I'll remember this humiliation!"
His monstrous eyes glared toward Ren and the others.
"And next time, none of you will escape!"
The light became brighter.
Then—
Nothing happened.
Silence filled the cave.
Valefor's laughter slowly stopped.
Because he was still standing there.
Exactly in the same spot.
Valefor blinked once.
"…What?"
He quickly looked down at the magic circle beneath him.
The spell activated properly. The mana flow was correct.
So why wasn't he teleporting?
Meanwhile, Ren had already turned around, shoulders shaking violently while trying not to laugh after hearing Valefor questioning his life
Aesc looked at him for a second before sighing softly.
"…You blocked the space, didn't you?"
"…Pffft—"
Ren immediately covered his mouth.
Valefor's expression slowly twisted in disbelief.
"No… impossible…"
He stood frozen above the failed teleportation circle, unable to process what had just happened.
Meanwhile, the Queen slowly lowered her head.
At first, her shoulders trembled slightly.
Then—
She started laughing.
A quiet laugh at first.
Then louder.
And louder.
The sound echoed strangely throughout the cave.
Valefor frowned immediately.
"…What are you laughing at?"
The Queen slowly raised her face. Her eyes no longer held loyalty.
Only hatred.
"You really…"
Another laugh escaped her mouth.
"…threw me away that easily."
Valefor clicked his tongue.
"Don't misunderstand your position."
"You were useful. That alone should make you grateful."
The moment those words left his mouth, the Queen's expression completely changed.
Something inside her snapped.
"…Grateful?"
She repeated the word softly.
Then she suddenly reached into her pocket and pulled out a black syringe.
The exact same syringe Valefor had used earlier.
The Queen stabbed the syringe directly into her neck without hesitation.
Dark liquid entered her body instantly.
Then—
Crunch.
Bones twisted violently.
Black veins spread across her skin as demonic energy exploded outward uncontrollably.
Unlike Valefor's transformation, hers looked far more unstable.
Far more violent.
The hatred overflowing from her almost distorted the surrounding mana.
Valefor's expression changed immediately.
"You fool! Do you think trash like you can even handle that power??!"
The Queen slowly lifted her head.
Part of her face had already begun mutating grotesquely, yet her eyes remained completely clear.
Clear enough to show the overwhelming resentment inside them.
"…Of course I know that I can't handle it."
Her voice sounded distorted now.
"But if I'm going to die anyway…"
A horrifying grin slowly spread across her transformed face.
"…then I'll drag you down with me."
Boom!!!
The ground exploded beneath her feet as she charged directly toward Valefor.
Valefor's eyes widened slightly.
"You dare—?!"
The transformed Queen slammed into him violently, claws tearing directly into his flesh while screaming filled the cave once again.
Seeing this sudden turn of event, Ren silently took out a can of soda and open up the pizza box
'This family drama is really great!'
'But...I have been eating pizza non stop tonight, I should try refrain eating more tomorrow, let's be healthy!' thought ren
Meanwhile, Artoria quietly watched the two corrupted devils tear into each other.
Valefor was too busy trying to pry the transformed Queen off his body while she laughed madly, claws digging deeper into his flesh.
An opening.
Artoria immediately turned toward Kiritsugu.
"I'm using it."
Kiritsugu understood instantly.
He gave a short nod without hesitation.
"Do it."
Artoria slowly raised her sword.
Golden light began gathering around the invisible blade as enormous amounts of mana surged from Avalon and the Red Dragon Core within her body.
The surrounding cave started trembling violently.
Even the air itself felt heavier.
Valefor finally noticed it.
And the moment he turned toward Artoria—
His face changed completely.
Horror.
"No— WAIT—!"
Artoria's calm voice echoed throughout the cave.
"Light of gathering stars…"
Golden particles flooded the entire cavern.
"The sword of promised victory…"
The Queen slowly turned her head toward Artoria as well.
But unlike Valefor—
She smiled.
A twisted, malicious smile.
Before Valefor could escape, the transformed Queen suddenly wrapped both arms around his massive body tightly.
Valefor's eyes widened.
"You insane bitch— LET GO OF ME!"
The Queen only laughed louder.
"If I'm dying…"
Her claws dug deeper into his flesh.
"…then you're dying with me."
Artoria's eyes sharpened.
Then—
She swung downward.
"EXCALIBUR!"
Boom!!!!!!!!!
A massive pillar of golden light erupted forward, swallowing both Valefor and the Queen instantly.
Their screams vanished within the holy light.
The beam continued forward without stopping, vaporizing everything in its path before piercing straight through the cave ceiling itself.
For a brief moment—
The entire mountain shook violently.
Then silence returned.
Smoke slowly drifted upward from the massive hole left behind.
Above the destroyed ceiling—
The night sky could now be seen clearly.
Even the stars were visible from inside the cave.