[Light Screen Projection——
Berserker's intervention made the battlefield situation even more complex.
Berserker's target was Saber. Unless Saber disappeared from this Holy Grail War, he would not stop.
In terms of strength, Lancelot, as the knight with the greatest martial prowess among the Round Table, was at the level of a first-rate Servant even when summoned in the mindless Berserker class.
He even surpassed conventional first-rate Servants. For Saber to defeat him in a short amount of time, her only option was to release her Noble Phantasm.
If she were passively drawn into close combat, it would be difficult for Saber to disengage quickly, especially now...
Although she had been fighting for so long, Saber appeared as if nothing had happened. But... no matter how powerful King Arthur herself was, right now... she was a Servant!
As a Servant, she was subject to constraints. Without her scabbard nearby, the magical energy Saber needed for action had to be drawn from Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel.
And now, the Fuyuki Grand Bridge had become the main battlefield. As a human, Emiya Kiritsugu couldn't get close at all. Otherwise... even as a skilled Magus Killer, he would not be able to escape the fate of being transformed into a monster.
Because of this, the distance between Kiritsugu and Saber was at least several thousand meters. Under the influence of such an extreme range, the mana supply was dwindling. On top of that, Saber had been continuously releasing her Noble Phantasm.
It could be described as a miracle that Kiritsugu had lasted this long without being drained dry.
"Arrr—thurrrr—!!!"
With another voice full of resentment and anger, Berserker once again drove the fighter jet into a dive towards Saber. At the same time, the machine guns mounted on the jet were firing relentlessly.
As if intending to kill Saber, the mindless Berserker was now completely frenzied. And just as he was preparing to unleash his full firepower...
"BONK—"
A crisp sound rang out. This was clearly not a sound that could be made by a holy sword or an arrow. It sounded more like some kind of blunt instrument had struck Berserker's handsome, jet-black helmet.
As the camera moved, the audience outside the light screen finally saw the face of the newcomer. It was Elysia.
The time for magic is over, now it's time for physics!
Honestly, Elysia had seen Berserker's surprise attack coming. But because she had already spotted the red Archer thousands of meters away drawing his bow in preparation, she hadn't bothered to intervene.
However, she hadn't expected that after tanking a few of those explosive arrows, Berserker would seem completely unharmed. Plus, his strange appearance was completely different from when she had first seen him on the first night.
An idea formed in Elysia's mind. So, she chose to approach Berserker stealthily and give him a good whack from behind.
The result, naturally, was useless. After all, Berserker's helmet was also a Noble Phantasm, and the Herrscher of Origin's scepter was not exactly a sharp weapon.
Seeing this, the audience outside the light screen was wide awake. Although they didn't know what Elysia's scepter was specifically for, they were sure it wasn't meant for hitting people.
One could only say that this was Elysia through and through. The move was certainly unexpected... But at the same time, it wasn't just Elysia; some viewers also felt that Lancelot's appearance was a bit strange.
How to put it...? It was as if he had been strengthened. The black mist around his body was much denser than when they had first seen him.
And... wasn't Berserker Kariya Matou's Servant? After learning of Kariya's true purpose for participating in the Holy Grail War, many across the multiverse felt he was a true man, at least better than Tokiomi!
Although he had been mentally broken by the old worm, he didn't seem like the type to release Berserker to cause trouble at a time like this.
Or could it be... that due to Sakura's abuse and the old worm's torture, the current Kariya Matou had completely fallen to darkness?
But even that couldn't explain why Berserker had suddenly become so much stronger. This kind of sudden power-up had been seen before on the King of Conquerors. Could it be... a Command Spell?
More and more questions arose in the minds of the viewers, while the story in the light screen continued.
---o---
[Light Screen Projection——
"aa————!!"
After being hit on the head by Elysia, Berserker stiffly turned his head towards her like a machine, letting out his night-piercing roar.
Then... from his crotch area, he pulled out a weapon completely out of place with the scene—a Gatling gun!
Under the effect of the Noble Phantasm Knight of Owner, the Gatling gun had now become Lancelot's weapon. Lancelot angrily pointed its muzzle at Elysia.
In an instant! The muzzle erupted with the intense sparks of gunfire. A dense hail of bullets sprayed from the barrel, shooting toward Elysia's body.
Forming a circular shield with her Authority, Elysia defended herself while keeping an eye on the Outer God's movements.
Because Saber had stopped her assault, the Outer God was taking the opportunity to rapidly heal its wounds. However, it clearly had no intention of letting this chance to be the third party who profits slip by, and it shattered Elysia's shield with a single slap.
Berserker was still firing relentlessly from the side. Seeing this, Elysia decisively chose to retreat. She dodged the bullets in the sky with agile movements, then landed lightly on the ground next to Saber.
The Outer God's actions were just as she had guessed. It might not be decisive proof, but it was enough to explain why Lancelot was acting so abnormally.
Elysia already knew! She had figured out the abnormality with Lancelot from her up-close attack and the Outer God's reaction just now!
And at the same time... a plan to deal with both the Outer God and the mastermind was forming in Elysia's mind.
It was risky, but it was worth a try!
"You're the guardian sent by the Counter Force, right? You should have a way to defeat Berserker."
She was a thousand meters away from the red Archer, but Elysia's voice definitely appeared in his mind.
"?" The red Archer's expression was full of question marks. Was this Elysia's ability? Or some other means? But now was not the time to discuss it.
With a hint of doubt, the red Archer replied, "Well, under normal circumstances, I'm no match for that monster. With his strength and martial skill, I probably couldn't even last three moves."
The red Archer's answer was cautious, but he wasn't lying. Without using his Noble Phantasm, he could probably only skirmish with Berserker for a short while before being defeated.
Having received his reply, Elysia made her judgment. She immediately said, "Then I'll leave it to you. No problem, right!"
"Hey..." The red Archer wanted to say more, but no matter how he called out in his mind, Elysia no longer responded.
He had clearly denied the possibility of defeating Berserker, but Elysia obviously didn't believe his excuse...
"Yare yare... what a willful boss. Well—even if it's temporary, and even if I don't know what you're planning... I suppose I'll help you out. Who told me to be the Counter Force's part-timer right now," the red Archer said in a helpless tone. He didn't dare to disobey this new boss the Counter Force had found for him.
Thinking about the legends of Lancelot, the red Archer turned into spirit form and disappeared from the tall building.
---o---
"Saber! Your mana is completely depleted, isn't it?"
She didn't even need to ask; one could tell just by looking at her face. Saber was not in a good state. Without a mana replenishment, she would soon dissipate due to mana exhaustion.
To die from running out of mana... it could be said to be the most frustrating way to go out in this Holy Grail War.
Perhaps in silent agreement with Elysia's statement, Saber said nothing, only looking at her former colleague with a hint of sadness.
She couldn't understand what had happened to Lancelot, why he had become like this.
Taking in all of Saber's sorrow and confusion, Elysia paused for a moment, then said, "Go and retrieve your scabbard, Saber... Only then can you display your true power."
"Mm!" The keyword "scabbard" instantly put Saber on alert. She looked at Elysia with puzzlement, contemplated for a moment, then said, "Lancelot is currently aiding a tyrant. As his king, it is my duty to strike him down..."
That's right, it was her duty as king. Her own subject had turned into this inhuman monster and, together with an Outer God, was attacking her and Elysia. As his king, Saber had a duty to pass judgment.
Just then, a slightly lazy voice sounded from behind Saber. "Saber, you're really letting grief cloud your judgment. You don't still think that's Lancelot behind that armor, do you?"
In less than a few seconds, the red Archer had traveled a thousand meters to the center of the Fuyuki Grand Bridge. As expected... it wasn't just Elysia who had noticed Lancelot's abnormality. The red Archer had already sensed something was wrong when he had sniped him earlier.
"Archer?" Saber was surprised. He had slipped away from under her nose, and now he was back, even helping her just now. Who was he, and what was his relationship with her?
Who knew that the red Archer would completely ignore Saber and turn to Jeanne, who was still warily watching the Outer God. "Hey... as a fellow Heroic Spirit sent by the Counter Force, and as a Ruler, you should be able to tell what's happened to that guy, right?"
Although it was just a guess, the red Archer most likely already knew who was behind this. Using a Command Spell to boost his strength, then using that disgusting nourishment to make Berserker stronger, defiling Lancelot's heroic body.
Old worm... you truly deserve to die a thousand deaths.
The Heroic Spirit Emiya gritted his teeth internally. Compared to the old worm, Tokiomi was nothing. The old worm was the true source of all evil.
"Mm. Although the body is indeed Berserker's, the Spiritual Core of Lancelot within has been inhumanly altered. Now, what little consciousness Lancelot had left has dissipated. Apart from this body, Lancelot has completely withdrawn from this Holy Grail War."
Jeanne used her authority as a Ruler to silently comprehend what had happened to Lancelot. But the deeper she looked, the more shocked she became. To be able to modify a Spiritual Core, and to have a Magic Crest that could achieve the effect of a Command Spell without needing one... that person must be someone who understood the Holy Grail system to an extreme degree.
Naturally! The Holy Grail system was extremely complex. Apart from magi on the level of Solomon or Merlin who could see through it at a glance, other modern magi would need to devote their entire life's work to even be able to alter it.
And as it happened, Zouken Matou was arguably the person in the world who understood the Fuyuki Holy Grail system the best. After all... the Command Spell system was something he had been responsible for providing back then.
Coupled with the insect magecraft he had been cultivating for so many years, in a sense, if the old worm were to join the war, he could easily crush those young Masters.
Although his mastery of magecraft might not compare to a Lord like Kayneth, in terms of sheer disgustingness and survivability, ten Kayneths would be no match for him.
"How could this be... Lance...lot..." Saber was not foolish, just momentarily overwhelmed by grief. Now that she had come to her senses, she understood what the 'Heroic Spirit' before her truly was.
That wasn't Lancelot at all, just a monster in Lancelot's body!
Unprecedented rage filled Saber's heart. Even when provoked by the King of Heroes, she had never been this angry. To defile the body of a fallen Heroic Spirit... no matter who it was, such a wicked path could never be forgiven!
Seeing this, Elysia continued, "So, Saber, leave this to us. You go to Irisviel's side. As the original vessel of the Holy Grail... she is in the most danger right now! The mastermind who turned Lancelot into this will very likely make a move on Irisviel for the Grail!"
"I understand, Elysia! I trust you. I don't know what you're thinking, but as the chosen savior, I will now obey any order you give!"
With those words, Saber headed toward the temporary shelter where Kiritsugu and Irisviel were located.
And now, on the Fuyuki Grand Bridge, the red Archer would face the cursed and polluted Heroic Spirit 'Lancelot' alone, while Elysia and Saint Jeanne would continue to resist the advance of the Outer God!