Clang!
Artoria's Holy Sword didn't strike Quetzalcoatl directly—it was blocked by her shield.
The sun goddess let out an excited laugh. Her macuahuitl and shield alternated clashes with the Holy Sword and Gungnir, exchanging dozens of attacks and counters in the span of a single breath.
The clashing of weapons mixed with her laughter, echoing across the plaza in front of the temple.
Shiomi seized his moment—his spear slid along the surface of the shield, then slipped past the macuahuitl and suddenly pressed down, opening a window for Artoria.
The Holy Sword came down toward Quetzalcoatl's neck from a distance that left no room to dodge. It grazed her throat—yet didn't even leave a mark, let alone a wound.
As a god who embodied the pinnacle of "Good," Quetzalcoatl couldn't be harmed by someone like Artoria, who was also aligned with "Good."
Seeing their strike fail, Quetzalcoatl spun with explosive force, her weapons flinging the attackers' blades aside.
The ground around her cracked in a radius of more than ten meters. The resulting explosion sent up a thick cloud of dust.
Shiomi and Artoria were blown out of the smoke, and at that moment, Morgan launched the Magecraft she'd been preparing.
Against a Divine Spirit-class Servant like this, Magic Resistance at A-rank or higher had to be factored in. Any spells with three verses or fewer were meaningless. Morgan needed time—and power.
From the heart of the explosion, a dense swarm of Mana spears formed a spherical net and launched toward Quetzalcoatl.
More explosions erupted. Shockwaves scattered the dust—and what emerged left everyone stunned.
Quetzalcoatl's macuahuitl danced through the air, forming an impenetrable wall. Though she couldn't completely dodge the spells, she kept every strike from landing on her body using only her weapon and shield.
Morgan wasn't about to let up. Without pause, she cast another barrage overhead. Blazing spears of light rained down, kicking off the second wave of her assault.
Within just seconds, both sides had gone all out in an unrelenting exchange. After one of Morgan's spells exploded, she narrowed her eyes, a flicker of dissatisfaction on her face.
Finally, a faint scratch appeared on Quetzalcoatl's body—barely a graze.
"Magic that can touch me... and even leave a mark." Quetzalcoatl didn't seem bothered in the slightest. Holding her macuahuitl on her shoulder, she looked at Morgan with amusement. "So you're the kind of fairy who'll play the role of 'evil' for the sake of 'good,' huh~?"
"There's nothing like that. I'm just a witch who's done plenty of evil," Morgan replied with a casual smile, already preparing her next spell. "As long as the attacks land, that's all that matters."
"Then I'll shift tactics—starting with you!"
Quetzalcoatl clearly had no intention of letting Morgan continue her assault unchecked. Even if it would still take time to turn the tide, she wasn't about to sit back and let that damage stack.
The sun goddess charged forward like a war chariot, ignoring the attacks from Shiomi and Artoria with sheer endurance, barreling straight toward Morgan.
"If you forget about me too, that wouldn't be very nice—meow."
Just as Quetzalcoatl was about to strike Morgan, the Jaguar Warrior appeared behind her.
Whether it was to provoke or simply because she was also a Divine Spirit Servant—making her a bigger threat—Quetzalcoatl immediately shifted her target and clashed with her instead.
Morgan didn't miss the chance to retreat. She wasn't incapable in close combat, but against a goddess likely made of pure muscle and wrestling instincts, especially on her home turf, Morgan knew she was at a disadvantage.
Meanwhile, the Jaguar Warrior's attacks were fiercer than they had been back at the Temple of Ur, revealing that she hadn't been fighting seriously last time.
Even so, as the Divided Spirit of Tezcatlipoca—Quetzalcoatl's arch-rival—she naturally drew her ire. With the gap in strength between them, Quetzalcoatl didn't hold back at all.
After just a few exchanges, the Jaguar Warrior had her weapon knocked away and took a brutal kick to the stomach, sending her flying through the air.
Quetzalcoatl closed the distance with even greater speed, caught her from behind, and slammed her violently into the ground.
She casually brushed back her hair, glanced down at the Jaguar Warrior now half-buried in the dirt with trembling legs, and wore the expression of someone who had just taken care of a pesky problem.
The fight ended in an instant—so fast that Shiomi and the others didn't have time to intervene.
"With that nuisance out of the way, let's continue—" Quetzalcoatl spread her arms wide, catching her falling weapon and shield. "Let this holy battle begin~!"
She clashed once more with Shiomi and Artoria.
The compressed air released from Invisible Air carved deep scars across the temple walls, the steps, and the stone pillars of the plaza—yet still failed to inflict any serious damage on Quetzalcoatl.
Even worse, she had enough strength to fend off Morgan's Magecraft while seizing chances to knock Shiomi or Artoria into the path of her spells.
If it was Shiomi, Morgan would be forced to stop casting. But if it was Artoria, Morgan would finish the spell without hesitation.
"My, my… You two must be sisters or something?"
After being separated by an explosion, Quetzalcoatl retreated to the base of the pyramid and licked the wound on her arm, looking genuinely surprised at Morgan's boldness.
Shiomi let out a helpless sigh. "Morgan..."
"Don't worry—" Morgan looked toward the still-standing King of Knights. "That was just the most efficient way. Right, Artoria?"
"In this situation, you weren't exactly wrong—but your selfishness was obvious."
Artoria had predicted Morgan's tactic and managed to avoid the brunt of the attack, only catching some of the shockwave.
Shiomi moved to her side, took her hand, and muttered while healing her light injuries:
"Seriously... Even the battle at the Tower at the End wasn't this exhausting."
"Whether or not one has faith means a great deal to Divine Spirits," Artoria replied. "Especially one who's a chief god by nature."
"Then to defeat her, we'll have to try that method." Shiomi glanced toward the Axe of Marduk.
"You have a plan?"
"I do—but you and Morgan will have to hold her off. The pressure here will ramp up." Shiomi looked toward Quetzalcoatl, who was approaching rapidly, preparing to attack again.
Morgan tapped the plaza floor with the butt of her spear. A surge of mana caused the ground to shift, hindering Quetzalcoatl's movement.
"Then we'll do it my husband's way." She boldly led with Magecraft. "Cover me, Artoria—just like you'd stake your life to protect my husband."
"You really know how to give orders, big sister," Artoria responded half-jokingly. "But first, we'll have to help Master break through Quetzalcoatl's defenses!"
The battle roared back to life. The Sun Temple plaza in Eridu became the stage for their fiercest confrontation yet.