"[O Brahma, Cover the Earth (Brahmastra Kundala)]!"
Just as Helena finished relaying the message to the Servants and was preparing to execute a fighting retreat, a spear engulfed in divine fire suddenly plummeted from the sky, plunging dead center into the Demon God Pillar Amalgamation.
In an instant, the amalgamation was swallowed by a sea of fire. Countless tentacles twisted and writhed in agony within the divine flames.
Good heavens! There's actually someone else playing with fire!
Everyone looked toward the direction the attack came from, only to realize that Karna had actually finished his battle as well.
It wasn't entirely surprising. After all, Karna's original lore placed him a notch above Arjuna to begin with. Add to that the fact that he manifested this time in the Lancer Class—which naturally countered Archers—and as long as no one interfered, defeating Arjuna was merely a matter of time.
"Everyone, please evacuate quickly. The Master and I are more than enough to handle this."
Karna hovered mid-air, riding his divine fire. He reached out to recall his God-Slaying Spear and spoke calmly.
"Got it! We're leaving this to you, Karna!"
Edison decisively flashed a thumbs-up, then frantically sprinted toward the rear of Karna's position.
At the same time, he wiped a cold sweat from his brow. If Takumi and Karna had been just a bit later, he probably really would have ended up screaming, "Karna, save me!"
When all was said and done, he was just a modern-era Heroic Spirit with virtually no combat experience. Even with some minor enhancements, he was absolutely bottom-tier combat power in a high-stakes battle like this. Staying on the fringes to provide minor support was his absolute limit.
Hearing Edison's words, Karna didn't say anything, merely nodding. He immediately unleashed his divine fire to its absolute maximum. Relying entirely on massive, high-yield AoE attacks, he single-handedly pinned the Demon God Pillar Amalgamation in place.
It was the perfect display of what "class compatibility" truly meant.
If it were a standard battle, Karna alone certainly wouldn't be a match for a large group of Servants; he might not even be able to defeat Scáthach in a one-on-one duel. But when it came to dealing with a super-massive enemy like this, Karna—who could casually toss out wide-range divine fire attacks and Anti-Country Noble Phantasms—was undeniably more suited for the job than any other Servant.
Once the allied Servants had safely evacuated to a secure distance, Karna casually tossed out a "True Heroes Kill with a Stare" eye-beam just for good measure. He then decisively raised his God-Slaying Spear with one hand, channeling every drop of magical energy in his body to unleash his ultimate move right there and then.
"Know the mercy of the King of Gods..."
As the incantation for his Noble Phantasm began, the Armor of Surya started to dissolve. A searing, blazing "Sun" slowly materialized in the sky directly above the Demon God Pillar Amalgamation.
On the other side.
Noticing that Karna had begun to unleash his Noble Phantasm, Takumi finally began charging his own ultimate strike.
He had originally kept this move in reserve just in case Cú Chulainn Alter had a Phase 4. But since Cú Chulainn was dead, letting this Demon God Pillar Amalgamation enjoy it wasn't a bad idea either.
Takumi let go of the Brahmastra, letting it spin continuously in the air like a ceiling fan—this time, it was more appropriate to use Rama's Noble Phantasm in its original intended form.
Holding the spinning Brahmastra high above his head, Takumi willed it so. Countless fiery Runes and the myriad weapons from [Vishnu Bhuja] merged into the cyan-yellow "flying disc" like a hurricane.
Twenty meters in diameter... forty meters... sixty meters... one thousand meters!
In barely a second, the "disc of fire" spinning above Takumi's head had expanded to a diameter of a full kilometer. Standing beneath it, Takumi looked like an insignificant speck of dust.
Causality Lock, and—Command Spells!
Without hesitation, Takumi decisively burned his two remaining Command Spells.
As the two flashes of red light pulsed, the flames on the "fire disc" instantly grew far more violent and turbulent. Driven by the colossal heat, a gale-force wind wreathed in fire whipped up out of nowhere, and the color of the flames shifted toward a blinding, incandescent white.
[Sure-Hit, Kindling-Gathering Fire Wheel Dance: Pierce Through the Indestructible Rakshasa]!
Takumi hurled the "two-dimensional sun."
Simultaneously—
"Burn to ashes—[O Sun, Abide to Death (Vasavi Shakti)]!!"
Karna's "Sun" also finally plummeted toward the Demon God Pillar Amalgamation.
Caught in the intersecting light of the two "Suns," the amalgamation's eerie demonic energy was instantly incinerated, melting away like light snow under the summer sun. Stripped of its protective outer layer, the bare amalgamation completely froze up.
Demon God Pillar Amalgamation: ...Is this really necessary?
But regardless of how intensely those twenty-eight Demon God Pillars might have been panicking at that moment, their fate of being utterly cremated by two "Suns" was already sealed.
BOOOOM!!!
The earth quaked. As the ultimate clash of light and heat detonated, intersecting suns rose from the ground, utterly eradicating everything within the blast radius. A massive, perfectly circular crater was left in their wake. The dark clouds that had shrouded the sky were completely blown away by the impact, revealing the true, high-noon sun shining down from above.
Crack!
Rama's Spirit Origin completely shattered within Takumi's body. A fraction of it merged directly into Takumi's physical form, but the vast majority was thrown straight into the [Heart of Fire], becoming raw material and kindling for the "forge."
"Phew... Thank you, Rama. Thank you so much..."
Feeling the Spirit Origin shatter within him, Takumi let out a long breath. He tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and muttered a heartfelt note of gratitude to himself.
If Rama hadn't lent him his power before fading away, absolutely nothing would have gone this smoothly or quickly. Takumi never would have been able to solo Cú Chulainn Alter and Medb purely on his own.
From that perspective, maybe Rama still earned the MVP title here, just like in the original storyline?
Chuckling slightly at the thought, Takumi operated his wrist communicator to send the return signal to Chaldea.
Once the operation was complete, he instantly activated his ultra-high-speed state and dashed over to regroup with the Servants.
Takumi materialized in front of them in the blink of an eye. The group was more or less immune to this by now and didn't have any major reactions. They were just casually chatting with each other, wearing the relaxed smiles of those who had just survived a war.
"How did it go? Did you recover the Holy Grail?"
Helena asked with a smile.
"Yeah, it's already been retrieved by Chaldea. I should be heading back in less than three minutes."
Takumi scratched his head, sounding a bit bashful.
"Oh, I see... In that case, is there anything you want to say to everyone?"
Helena looked thoughtful for a moment before glancing at Takumi and flashing a radiant smile.
"Ehh~ Knowing you, there's definitely something on your mind, right?"
Before Takumi could even answer, Helena added in a slightly teasing tone. Her eyes curved into crescent moons. Though phrased as a question, her tone made it perfectly clear she had already seen right through him.
Being called out by Helena made Takumi even more embarrassed. He could only look up, actively avoiding her seemingly expressive eyes.
But doing so caused Takumi to lock eyes with the rest of the Servants, who were all staring at him with undisguised curiosity.
Recalling his brief experiences alongside them in this Singularity, Takumi felt a stir of emotion in his heart. But after a fleeting moment of hesitation, he suppressed that tiny urge.
He definitely has something! He totally does!
The [Heart of Fire] passively transmitted this subtle psychological shift straight into the hearts of the Servants. Elisabeth, who was rather impatient by nature, felt like a kitten was scratching at her heart; she was dying to know what Takumi had just been thinking.
"It's getting late. If you have something to say, spit it out, my dear disciple~"
Scáthach crossed her arms, looking at Takumi with eyes full of amusement.
"Make the most of your time, Master. Once the moment passes, there is no opportunity to take it back."
Karna offered his "advice" as earnestly as usual, but the slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth betrayed his true thoughts.
"Um... It's nothing important. I just... wanted to give you all a hug before I leave..."
Under the intense scrutiny of everyone present, Takumi's face flushed bright red. He could only lower his head and mutter softly.
The thought had surfaced abruptly, but emotions were fickle things by nature. Faced with their imminent parting, it was only natural for Takumi's mind to wander.
Saying his thoughts out loud left Takumi feeling incredibly awkward and embarrassed, but the Servants merely smiled warmly.
After all that build-up, that's all it was?
"A hug? Sure! So, are we doing this?"
Helena opened her arms without a hint of hesitation, looking at Takumi with a beaming smile.
"I have no objections either."
Nightingale stated seriously.
"Such a trivial matter is easily done! Oh, exceptional Master! Allow me, the Presidential King, to let you experience the passionate embrace of America!"
Edison threw open his massive, muscle-bound arms with overwhelming enthusiasm.
Scáthach feigned a sigh and said, "Hah, you've already dealt a crushing blow to my pride as a Master with your talent, and now you demand a hug from me too?"
Li Shuwen and Karna simply conveyed their thoughts through their eyes.
"Eh? Am I the only one left? I'm not really sure what's going on, but I don't mind either."
Robin Hood looked around, shrugged, and laughed.
Watching the Servants react in their own unique ways, a myriad of emotions surged in Takumi's chest. His eyes shimmered, but he ultimately regained his composure, unable to stop himself from shaking his head and laughing.
Was he reluctant to part? The truth was, Takumi felt a deep sense of reluctance every single time a parting approached. He cherished every comrade who fought by his side. He was terrified that once they parted ways here, he would never have the chance to see them again. That was why he couldn't suppress the urge to hug them in these final moments. But...
Takumi raised his head, a smile on his face, the flames in his pupils burning fiercely:
"I will definitely put an end to all of this. So let's save the hugs for when everything is truly over. I'll be much happier then."
After saying that, the smile on Takumi's face grew even brighter.
His unwavering will was faithfully transmitted into everyone's hearts, and the atmosphere instantly fell silent.
"You still have a very long road ahead of you. It's going to be incredibly difficult..."
Looking at the scars on Takumi's face and body that had yet to fade, Helena's eyes were filled with complex emotions.
Scratching his right cheek, Takumi half-closed his eyes, then smiled and shook his head:
"I'm not afraid of hardship. So you don't need to worry about me. You just need to quietly watch my battles, right up until the very end."
"—That is the greatest encouragement you could ever give me!"
Takumi placed a hand over his heart, looking warmly at the group.
Feeling Takumi's resolve and looking directly into his clear, fiery eyes, the Servants exchanged glances and all broke into helpless smiles.
Since their Master had already displayed such ironclad will, wouldn't it be far too disappointing if they couldn't even grant this one small wish?
Karna took a step forward. He leveled his unleashed God-Slaying Spear in front of him and spoke with absolute solemnity:
"I swear upon this spear, upon this flesh, and upon my parents: Master, I will arrive exactly as promised. And when that time comes—"
"I hope you will fulfill your promise as well."
Finished speaking, Karna smiled.
"Yeah!"
Takumi nodded earnestly. He held out his fist toward the group, flashing a wide grin:
"Anyway, goodbye, everyone!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Takumi's figure vanished from where he stood.