Kanjuro's words, which eroded conviction like venom, were like a key ruthlessly thrust into the door of Saber's heart—a door that locked away endless remorse and self-doubt. More terrifyingly, the 'pseudo-avalon' within her body, which Kanjuro had polluted and swapped using Black Magic, seemed to resonate with these malicious words. A cold, filthy magical power surged like an uncontrolled tide, violently smashing through the defense she had maintained for so long!
"Ugh—!"
Saber let out a suppressed groan of pain, her body trembling violently. A visible mutation occurred—her hair, once as brilliant as sunlight, was rapidly stained from The Roots by a lifeless silver-white, as if she had aged a thousand years in an instant. Her clear, resolute emerald eyes now turned into a cold, hollow blood-red, burning no longer with the flames of ideals and protection, but with chaos, pain, and... a sliver of forcibly extracted darkness.
"Saber!!" Irisviel covered her mouth in horror.
"king of knights! You..." Conqueror King Iskandar stood up abruptly, his towering frame carrying an unprecedented gravity. Looking at Saber's sudden change in appearance and aura, he said deeply, "To undergo such a... violent change because of a single sentence from this fellow? Are you alright?!"
Gilgamesh's rage was also temporarily interrupted by this phenomenon. His crimson snake-like pupils narrowed slightly as he observed the transformed Saber, snorting with a complex tone: "Humph... this form actually adds a few touches of genuine... interest, compared to that previous hypocritical holiness."
Saber (perhaps she could no longer be fully called her former self) ignored the drastic changes in her body and the turbulence of her magical power. Her blood-red eyes first stared deathly at Kanjuro, as if wanting to brand his mocking smile into her soul. Then, she snapped her head around, her gaze sweeping over Iskandar and Gilgamesh like cold probes.
Her voice carried a cold echo that seemed to come from the abyss, directly piercing through the mental defenses of the two kings:
"Do you... also think what he said is right?"
Gilgamesh turned his head away, looking toward the distant horizon shrouded in night. His tone remained arrogant, yet he rarely refrained from further mockery: "This King's view has already been stated. Indecisiveness is indeed foolish. However..." He paused, his peripheral vision catching Saber's blood-red yet still stubborn eyes, "It is precisely because of this ridiculous and pathetic naivety and persistence, so out of place for a king, that this King gained the interest to add you to my collection."
Iskandar shook his head forcefully, his voice like a war drum, attempting to dispel the pervading dark aura: "Saber! Listen! This King absolutely does not agree with his nonsense! If a monarch lacks even the courage to reflect, how are they different from a beast?! Indecisiveness may be a taboo, but that absolutely does not mean you are a hypocrite! Quite the opposite!"
He took a step forward, his eyes burning bright, as if to dispel the filthy influence with his boundless domineering aura:
"Precisely because of this 'goodness' and 'responsibility' in your heart, this sense of duty to your people that lasts until death, you are a 'Holy Monarch' in the truest sense! This has nothing to do with results, nothing to do with success or failure! This is the radiance of your soul; how can it be allowed to be willfully defiled by others!"
"Holy Monarch... radiance..." Saber murmured these two words, her silver-white head lowering deeply, her body trembling even more violently. Within her blood-red eyes, reason and chaos, persistence and collapse, were locked in a fierce struggle. The polluted avalon continued to emit a chill, amplifying every malicious syllable of Kanjuro's words, attempting to completely drown out the king of conquerors' resonant speech.
However, at the very moment the darkness was about to swallow the last sliver of light—
"Voom—!"
A clear sword chime rang out, as if severing all hesitation!
Saber snapped her head up!
In those blood-red eyes, all confusion, pain, and struggle were replaced in this instant by an extremely pure, cold battle intent!
The Wind King Barrier (Invisible Air) erupted, the violent airflow tearing through the surrounding silence and flipping all the dishes on the dining table! A portion of the invisible power wrapped around the sword of promised victory (Excalibur) was actively released, revealing part of the golden blade. The brilliant holy light and the eerie image of the silver-haired, red-eyed woman formed a strong and contradictory impact!
She gripped the hilt of the invisible sword with both hands, pointing the tip from afar at Kanjuro, who still wore a playful smile. Her massive magical power was no longer stable, instead raging around her like a storm, carrying an eerie aura where holiness and filth intertwined.
Her voice no longer trembled; instead, it carried a coldness that seemed to freeze the soul and a resolution that would risk everything, echoing throughout the courtyard:
"Kanjuro—!"
"Come! Fight me!!!"
This time, it was no longer a question, no longer a discussion.
This was a gamble on her very existence, even her polluted soul—
The final declaration of war!
The wind was howling.
Magical power was roaring.
Everyone's gaze was focused on the silver-haired, red-eyed king of knights and that unfathomable dark existence.
Battle was now inevitable. Kanjuro's eyes burst with a nearly frenzied light of excitement as he stared intently at the transformed Saber, who was surrounded by the contradictory forces of holy light and darkness.
That holy radiance, which remained pure to the extreme while stubbornly flickering amidst the filth like a snow lotus blooming in the mud, intensely stimulated his desire for destruction and possession. His Adam's apple bobbed as a strong urge surged in his heart to completely defile this light and claim it as his own.
He scanned Saber greedily, as if admiring a peerless treasure about to fall into his hands.
But reason remained; his peripheral vision quickly flicked toward Gilgamesh and Iskandar.
Although the two kings showed shock and anger, they showed no signs of immediately intervening in a group attack.
Kanjuro sneered inwardly. If these three were to cast aside their pride and strike simultaneously, combined with a Saber who was in an abnormal state but might explode with even greater power, even he and Jeanne working together would likely fall into a bitter struggle or even meet an unexpected defeat. Especially Saber—even if eroded by darkness, that legendary Holy Sword Excalibur and the absolute defense of avalon (even if polluted, its essence remained) were still not to be underestimated.
(Defeating them one by one is the best strategy; now is not the time to drive them into a corner.) Kanjuro's thoughts whirled, and he made a judgment in an instant.
"Hahaha—!" He let out that uncomfortable wild laugh again and slowly closed his eyes. Dark magical power surged violently around him as the authority of the Gospel of Matthew manifested once more—an "invisible sword" wrapped in the Wind King Barrier, identical to the one in Saber's hand, rapidly condensed in his grip!
Saber's blood-red eyes narrowed. Although she had expected it, seeing the opponent replicate her signature power so easily still caused a storm of shock in her heart.
At the same time, Kanjuro's Eye of Truth operated silently, instantly analyzing Saber's current state:
Artoria, the legendary King Arthur. While refusing to yield to fate and seemingly conflicting with the magical power of the blackened dark bible, she has made a stand... Although in a blackened state, her strength is comparable to her normal state. However, in the long run, she will surely be controlled by the Black Magic of the dark bible. If fighting her now, one must still be somewhat careful.
"Heh... as expected of Saber, as expected of 'My King'." Kanjuro chuckled softly, his tone carrying a hint of twisted admiration, "To actually maintain such a stubborn will to resist under the erosion of darkness... it really... makes me even more excited!"
He stepped forward with feigned elegance, the replicated Wind King Barrier in his hand stirring the air to match Saber's power. The two held nearly identical "invisible swords," facing off in the shattered courtyard.
However, just as Saber prepared to launch the first attack—
In Kanjuro's deep eyes, a bizarre purple-black light suddenly ignited!
The Demon-Breaking Eye—one of the supreme authorities bestowed by the Demon Sister Chiyo, capable of dismantling all laws and breaking all barriers and magecraft—was activated!
"Crackle—Voom—!"
The sound of glass shattering echoed continuously!
Centering on Kanjuro, an invisible ripple instantly spread throughout the entire Einzbern Castle!
Inside and outside the castle, all meticulously placed defensive barriers, detection arrays, and even the simple magecraft maintaining the courtyard environment shattered inch by inch at this moment like snow under the sun, vanishing into nothingness!
"What?!" Saber felt the weight in her hand lighten as the Wind King Barrier (Invisible Air) wrapped around Excalibur—which hid the blade and enhanced its attacks—actually fluctuated violently under this gaze and then... completely dissipated!
The golden Holy Sword was fully exposed under the moonlight!
In this critical moment where her old strength had just faded and her new strength had yet to form, with the barrier's destruction causing a momentary freeze—
"Swish!"
A sharp, invisible sword qi (condensed from pure magical power, rather than the Wind King Barrier) had already erupted from Saber's hand, piercing straight toward Kanjuro's face!
This was her battle instinct reacting; even without the barrier, her swordsmanship remained superb!
Kanjuro seemed to have anticipated this, merely tilting his head slightly as the sharp sword qi grazed his cheek, severing a few strands of hair. Simultaneously, from the shadows beneath his feet, several slippery, cold black tentacles lunged out like long-lurking vipers at a speed far exceeding visual capture!
Saber had no time to react; she felt her neck tighten as a bone-chilling touch, carrying an absolute suppressive power, instantly choked her breath!
The dark magic emanating from those tentacles resonated with the pseudo-avalon inside her, causing her strength to recede like the tide!
"Ugh...!" Her silver hair was disheveled, and her blood-red eyes widened in horror. Her hands clawed futilely at the icy restraint, and the golden Holy Sword slipped from her grasp, hitting the ground with a crisp clang.
"Saber!!"
"king of knights!"
Iskandar and Gilgamesh's expressions shifted drastically at the sight; they could no longer stand by! Thunder and golden ripples erupted simultaneously as the two instantly entered a battle state, prepared to strike regardless of the cost!
"Hmph!"
Kanjuro let out a cold snort that acted like a freezing wind blowing out a flame.
The tentacle gripping Saber's neck tightened slightly, forcing a pained groan from her. At the same time, his icy gaze swept over the two kings who were about to act, his voice chilling and carrying an unquestionable absolute Authority:
"I will not kill her today!!"
"This is merely a lesson for you!!"
"I simply want to tell you—"
His gaze, like physical pressure, slammed heavily into the hearts of Iskandar and Gilgamesh.
"If I wanted to kill you... it would be as easy as turning over my hand at any time!"
As his words fell, he tossed Saber toward Iskandar like a discarded toy, the black tentacles flinging her away.
The king of conquerors hastily reached out to catch the limp, silver-haired figure.
Kanjuro didn't spare them another glance. He turned, the hem of his black trench coat cutting a cold arc through the air amidst the drifting dust and the fading light of shattered magic. Jeanne d'Arc followed silently, remaining a wordless shadow from beginning to end.
Only the three kings remained in the courtyard, along with Kanjuro's abyss-like, suffocating words echoing in the dead air, branded into the depths of everyone's soul. Absolute military deterrence had been achieved. And the struggle between light and darkness within Saber's body seemed to slide into a deeper unknown because of this battle.
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