Far away in the second secret base, Tokiomi Tohsaka observed the battlefield through his familiar.
From the current outlook, Caster had been engaged by Assassin, Rider was charging toward Assassin and Caster, while Saber and the magus who had killed Gilgamesh last time were now locked in combat.
If Caster were facing a single Assassin, she would inevitably triumph.
However, against over fifty Assassins, the outcome was hard to predict.
In the previous battle, although Caster had instantly killed several Assassins with her long blade, that didn't necessarily mean she possessed the strength to take on fifty at once.
There were still over seventy of Hassan of the Hundred Faces' avatars remaining. Tokiomi had dispatched about fifty of them. Even if Caster could kill one per strike as she did before, purely by piling bodies on her, the remaining Hassans would eventually find an opening to swarm and capture her.
As for Caster's magecraft... Heh, at such close range, would she even have the chance to chant her spells?
According to the intelligence Kirei Kotomine had given Tokiomi, if not for Caster's unexpectedly high close-combat capabilities, the few Assassins who struck from the shadows last time might have been enough to capture this enemy right then and there.
And now, the number of Assassins was ten times that amount. So...
—How exactly would Caster fight this horde of Assassins?
Of course, this was merely Tokiomi Tohsaka's wishful thinking.
During this battle, after privately analyzing the situation based on the contents of her dreams, Raiden Mei had requested Aaron at 11:00 PM last night to switch the skill equipped on their mental link from [War Fog] to [Spirit Commands].
Mei's reasoning to Aaron was simple: She could rely on [Dimensional Formation: Shambhala] to escape the battlefield anyway. Rather than equipping a skill with relatively redundant utility, it was better to equip something like [Spirit Commands] that could provide survivability.
Although Aaron had been a bit hesitant, he was eventually persuaded—Mei had brought it up right before midnight. If the situation changed, he could always swap the skill back to something needed for combat during today's decisive battle.
At this moment, facing the lunging Assassins, Raiden Mei felt much calmer than last time.
Perfect Realm. This was the sum of a magnetic field master's understanding and application of power usage, concentration, circulation, technique variation, conceptual mastery, and combat strategy.
Although Mei's Perfect Realm was currently only at the guaranteed 1%, compared to a non-existent "0," that 1% represented a qualitative difference.
If nothing else, Mei felt her state of mind during combat was significantly better than before.
In a one-on-one scenario, the Assassins might have to consider their own survival while attacking.
But this time, they were here to put their lives on the line. Attacking with full force, they gave no thought to evasion—after all, fighting with reckless abandon made it easier to force the enemy to reveal an opening.
*I see. So this is the so-called "Perfect Realm"?*
*Just by coordinating with this ability, I can feel that my chances of winning against these Assassins have increased significantly.*
Popping a small snack into her mouth, Mei relied on this self-made mana food to gain the special effect of [Increased Spirit Recovery Speed].
*Mr. Aaron needs more mental energy on his end, so I can't use too much here.*
*[One-Cut Killer]... If this blade really possesses such terrifying power, then I should only need to touch these Assassins with the blade to send them on their way.*
[Spirit Commands—Focus, Intuition, Activate!]
After consecutively activating two Spirit Commands, Raiden Mei looked at the Assassins lunging toward her and directly unleashed her newly acquired power.
Magnetic Field Rotation!
She didn't use Magnetic Field Rotation for [Destructive Power Enhancement]. Instead, upon activating this power, Raiden Mei used it to boost her speed far beyond her previous limits.
Combined with the accuracy and evasion boost from the [Perfect Realm] and the two Spirit Commands, in an instant, the four Assassins surrounding her were struck by Mei's slash.
This slash was naturally different from the previous lethal strikes. In terms of damage, these four Assassins weren't instantly killed like the previous ones.
However, just as they prepared to continue lunging at their enemy, the four Assassins suddenly felt a violent pain erupt in their hearts before completely losing consciousness.
"What?!"
Sensing the four Assassin avatars vanish instantly, Tokiomi Tohsaka was dumbfounded.
Caster's strike just now absolutely shouldn't have been enough to kill the Assassins. So why... Wait, could it be that Caster's ability is to add special effects to her weapon?
But even so, an added effect that kills the opponent upon contact should require chanting a specific magecraft incantation, unless...
—Unless the tachi in her hand is a Noble Phantasm with an [Instant Death Effect].
*I see. Last time she aimed for the assassins' vitals, so we didn't discover the secret of that blade.*
*But even so, does she expect to rely on this method to directly cut down the remaining forty-plus Assassins?*
Tokiomi felt such a thing shouldn't happen, but the problem was...
He wasn't the one deciding this.
Under normal circumstances, seeing Caster possess such terrifying combat strength, the Hundred Faces would certainly consider other tactics.
The problem was that Tokiomi Tohsaka had used a Command Spell to order these fifty-plus Hassans to trade their lives for Caster's.
The Hundred Faces, possessing absolutely no Magic Resistance, naturally couldn't resist the effect of the Command Spell.
Under these circumstances, Raiden Mei realized—the surrounding Hassans were still trying to surround her.
"Really... enough!"
Relying on the effects of [Focus] and [Intuition], Raiden Mei continuously dodged the attacks of these Servants. While evading, she effortlessly slashed the bodies of several Servants.
In a short span of thirty seconds, relying on Murasame's effect, she had killed approximately 40 Hassans.
It wasn't that no Hassan had managed to pierce Mei's body with a blade during this time, but all those attacks were completely blocked by Raiden Mei using Magnetic Field Rotation.
If Tokiomi hadn't been watching the scene through his familiar and felt that another Servant might be able to handle Caster, he might have already ordered the Assassins to retreat.
"Haha, I didn't expect you to have this kind of combat ability, Caster. Your fighting style really doesn't look like a Caster's."
Iskandar, who had galloped to the vicinity on his *Gordius Wheel*, looked down at Raiden Mei and the remaining Assassins. Without hesitation, he deployed his other Noble Phantasm, [Army of the King].
Wild winds swept through the surrounding space. Raiden Mei, guarding her surroundings while applying the power of Magnetic Field Rotation to her ankles to backflip and create distance from her opponents, gasped as she saw everything clearly.
The ground where she had just stood was now covered with countless soldiers.
"Caster, you're more vigilant than I imagined."
Standing on the *Gordius Wheel*, Iskandar suddenly spread his arms and issued a command to the surrounding warriors.
"My warriors—trample them!"
Upon hearing these words, the soldiers under Iskandar's banner made their first move.
They didn't lock onto Raiden Mei in the distance as their target, but rather...
—They began to launch attacks directly at the isolated Assassins around them.
"Rider! You!"
"Ha, our contract was 'Before Caster and her Master are dealt with, Saber, Rider, Assassin, and their corresponding Masters are not allowed to attack each other's Servants and Masters,' right?"
"So, have I violated the rules?"
The answer was obviously negative.
Iskandar hadn't explicitly issued an attack order. The culprits who killed the remaining Assassins were the Servants within the Army of the King.
Each of them was an independent Servant, so their actions naturally didn't count as 'Iskandar attacking Hassan-i-Sabbah.'
Witnessing this scene, Waver began to grow even more wary.
He wanted to scold Rider for breaking his promise—but of course, that didn't happen.
Waver was green, but he wasn't a total idiot.
His Servant using a loophole to eliminate those terrifying Assassins was a good thing. Why would he scold his own Servant for the sake of future enemies?
What truly made Waver wary was—since they could exploit a loophole to eliminate the remaining ten Assassins, others could certainly use other methods to exploit loopholes and attack them.
"Rider, finish this quickly. I... have a bad feeling about this."
"Heh, naturally, little Master."
After soothing his warhorse, Bucephalus, Iskandar spoke to Waver.
"You stay on the *Gordius Wheel*. My army and I will return shortly."
"No, wait! Why aren't you using your Noble Phantasm?"
Sensing Rider's intent, Waver immediately snapped at Iskandar.
"Do you think Caster can hurt me with you protecting me?"
"...Haha! As expected of my, Iskandar's, Master! I acknowledge that boldness!"
After signaling Bucephalus to temporarily retreat, Iskandar spoke to the Master beside him.
"Then, Waver—hold on tight!"
"Even if Caster has combat abilities, I suspect her Noble Phantasm is likely large-scale magecraft or a magical item. We can't give her too much time to prepare. So..."
"—Victory will be decided in the next charge!"
[Mei, how is the situation? Iskandar just charged over; I can't see you anymore.]
[Mr. Aaron, please don't be distracted. On my end... I have a way to solve the problem.]
[Wait, use Shambhala right now—]
Hearing the unfinished sentence, Raiden Mei instantly understood that Aaron didn't actually have time to worry about her side either.
*Well then, since you've already felt my 'awakening,' why do you still resist my power?*
*[I... don't want to be dominated by you physically and mentally just like that!]*
*Is that so? You don't want to drag that man down, do you?*
*That man's tactics only work in one-on-one situations. Based on your interactions with him, he doesn't have the means to annihilate these enemies over a large area, does he?*
*If he goes up against this enemy who counters him, take a guess: can he win in the end?*
*[...What do you want?]*
*Just lend me your body.*
*Crybaby, you don't want that human to be pincered by this army and that blonde woman later, do you?*
*[And then, after letting you defeat this army, you'll go persecute Mr. Aaron?]*
*Heh, that's a matter for later.*
*At the very least, right now, we have a common enemy, don't we?*
*[You... who exactly are you?]*
*Does that question even matter anymore?*
*Those murderous enemies are charging. Even if you use that so-called Teigu to teleport, you've only 'fled.'*
*After you flee, the enemies he has to face will change from one enemy to an entire army plus two powerhouses—looking at it this way, do you still find cooperating with me unacceptable?*
*[This army does indeed counter Mr. Aaron tactically, and...]*
*And—this guy trying to seize my body lost to Mr. Aaron once before.*
Raiden Mei ceased her dialogue with the Herrscher of Thunder and recalled the details of the last battle completely.
*Right. If Mr. Aaron could defeat this guy once, he can defeat her a second time.*
*Rather than letting Mr. Aaron face an opponent he's ill-suited for, it's better to borrow this guy's power to eliminate this army first before making further plans.*
*[Hey, hey, hey, I heard all those thoughts of yours—you look down on me too, huh?]*
*I'll lend you the body, but don't expect to do whatever you want.*
*[Hmph, we'll see about that—Crybaby, let's see if you can stop me then!]*
In the next instant, Iskandar, who was charging toward Raiden Mei, suddenly shouted to the other members of the Army of the King.
"Halt!"
Just as his voice fell, a bolt of violent lightning struck down from the sky, bombarding Raiden Mei's body directly.
"Ha, regaining power... no, with this so-called 'Magnetic Field Rotation,' my power is even stronger than before."
The Herrscher of Thunder, floating into the air with the aid of her Herrscher Authority, looked down at the Servants below from high above and spoke with utter indifference.
"Well then, since you stand in my way, then..."
"—Insects, die, all of you!"
...........