"Guh!"
Lancer—Diarmuid—rolled backward to evade two spears shot at him, only to be swallowed by an even denser barrage the next second.
There was no time to worry about a comrade. The moment Ophis's attention shifted to Lancer, Lily dashed in, bringing her golden sword down on Ophis without a heartbeat of hesitation.
Caliburn cut through Ophis's body with ease—yet Lily felt no relief at all.
There was no sensation of striking flesh. None.
Remembering that eerie ability even Lord El-Melloi II couldn't properly explain—phasing out—Lily clenched her teeth. With her still-lacking experience, she didn't know what to do in the moment.
But the warning in her Instinct spared her the need to think. Lily rolled back and retreated—and a rain of blades pulverized the ground where she'd been standing.
This wasn't the restrained, "just enough" pressure used on Lancer. The golden ripples shifted angle, spitting out over a dozen weapons at once, chasing Lily before she could even steady her footing.
Lily didn't dodge. She didn't panic. In the next instant, a black cruciform greatshield rose before the knight-girl—and the prana explosions from the incoming weapons swallowed it whole.
"Oh?"
Seeing Mash snap back into guard so quickly, Ophis smiled in satisfaction. Then she lifted her left hand. A gate to her treasury opened above her palm, compressing—condensing—until it became a black book edged in gold, steeped in an uncanny, sacred air.
"Your shield is excellent, though you lack experience. But it is not enough. If you cannot resist omnipotence—"
"Now!"
The instant Ophis spoke, Lancer—who'd been "taking it easy" ever since he'd been injured by a Noble Phantasm—erupted forward. A crimson spear shot straight for the book in Ophis's hand!
By that strategist's analysis, Ophis—the King of Heroes—was difficult for two reasons. First was that unknown phasing ability. Second was that book—its powers unknown, its nature unknown, everything about it unknown.
With phasing, the principle was unclear, so there was no immediate counter. But that mysterious book—very likely the King of Heroes' hidden trump—was something you could act on.
If the ability was unknown, then destroy it before it could be used.
And for that task, the spear that breaks magecraft—Gáe Dearg—was the best possible tool.
Even if the book wasn't a Mystic Code or a grimoire, it was still just a book. One thrust from the anti-magic spear should at least cripple it for a while—Lord El-Melloi II had judged.
Unfortunately, he was wrong on three counts.
First: the book's original form was the Tablet of Creation. A Noble Phantasm in the B to B+ range couldn't pierce it.
Second: the book was only a vessel for Sha Naqba Imuru. Even if it broke… she could simply switch vessels.
And third—
The crimson spear carved a blood-red arc through the air, flying straight for the book in Ophis's hand.
At Lancer's sudden strike—something that fit poorly even by a knight's standards—Ophis's expression didn't change at all, as if she didn't care in the slightest.
The moment Gáe Dearg's tip touched the book, Sha Naqba Imuru flared with a searing golden light. And with that light came a colossal shockwave—so violent that even Lancer, already moving in to follow up with the yellow short spear in his hand, was blown away.
Only Ophis remained unmoved, standing where she was.
Before her, the Tablet of Creation—its true form restored by the "break magecraft" effect—hung open in midair, pages spread.
"You attacked the Tablet of Creation directly?"
Ophis shook her head.
The move made sense, but in terms of results… it was truly a stupid one.
If it didn't even have a self-defense mechanism, what right did it have to call itself Sha Naqba Imuru—such a shamelessly boastful name?
The Tablet of Creation pulsed with golden waves like lightning.
In the next instant, countless gates to the treasury opened overhead, covering the entire sky—blade after blade thrusting their sharp tips out from within.
There was barely time to react.
A true rain of weapons fell from the heavens.
Boomboomboomboomboomboomboom—
Explosions roared without pause as Noble Phantasms hammered the ground. The violent thunder kicked up a storm of dust that swallowed the battlefield whole, smothering sight.
Only after several seconds of bombardment did Ophis lower her hand, halting Sha Naqba Imuru's automatic counterattack. Then she smiled and looked toward one particular spot on the field.
There, a shield of silver-white radiance protected the ground beneath it—and the few people hidden under its cover.
"Thank you… um, Miss Saber."
Lily had yanked him behind Mash's shield at the last instant. Lancer nodded to her in gratitude.
As for the fact that Lily—needing to fight at full strength—had finally revealed the face she'd been hiding beneath that robe, Lancer had noticed the moment he entered the battle. He was curious, but he also knew this wasn't the time to ask.
"A shield that watches over humanity's future… Even if you have not yet made your Noble Phantasm's true brilliance bloom, that light is still beautiful."
Ophis praised softly, then walked toward Mash—still breathing hard—and toward Ritsuka, Lily, and Lancer, who held themselves ready after that ambush.
Of course she wasn't going to beat Chaldea to death. Even setting aside that she had already deemed them friends—if she truly wiped Chaldea out, who would protect Uruk for her afterward?
She'd dared to let Sha Naqba Imuru erupt at full force because she knew Mash could stop the first wave.
"Ugh…"
Watching Ophis close in, Ritsuka's mind raced.
From that display, it was obvious their earlier fight had been nothing but play. Ophis hadn't been serious at all… and judging by how relaxed she still looked, even that just now might not have been her full strength.
In other words: her true power was still a mystery. All they knew was that it was far beyond them.
They had to hold out until Lord El-Melloi II's reinforcements arrived—no matter what!
"Ophis… that's your name, isn't it? Ophis?"
If Lord El-Melloi II was right, then speaking the King of Heroes' name to her face—unless you were trying to amuse her, or you had the power to back it up—would get you blasted to dust on the spot.
But while Lord El-Melloi II was strong at analysis, when it came to dealing with Heroic Spirits, very few people could compare to Ritsuka. Her gut told her this was safe.
Sure enough, Ophis didn't show any sign of snapping. Instead, she nodded with mild interest, waiting for what came next.
"Ophis… your purpose—why you appeared in this Singularity. What is it, really?"
With a being like Ophis, beating around the bush could end with her wandering off into some strange tangent for real. So even as she tried to buy time—and pry out something useful—Ritsuka asked plainly.
"That question."
It was expected, but even so, such a conventional inquiry brought a flicker of boredom to Ophis.
"I am only concerned about something."
"Concerned about something?"
Seeing she could talk, Ritsuka's eyes lit up—and at the same time, the sky lit up with them.
"Oh, the small talk ends here?"
At the sight, Ophis smiled faintly.
The next second, the King of Knights came down from on high with her holy sword, cleaving straight toward Ophis.
"[EXCALIBUR]!"
Golden light became a pillar that pierced the heavens, illuminating the entire city.
---
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
hehe every 100 followers on either instagram or twitter is 5 bonus chapters...? (for all tls ongoing)
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl
instagram: hanbaowise
twitter: WiseKingOfUruk_