"Kyle!"
Seeing his beloved horse lose a leg to this hateful outsider, Garibaldi flew into a rage and swung his long-handled spiked mace down at Cyan.
Bang!
Cyan leapt backward, dodging the strike. The mace smashed into the ground, leaving a crater.
Arthur and the others finally reacted. Regardless of whether Garibaldi possessed power granted by the Holy Grail, his actions had gone too far. For the sake of the people of England, they had to eliminate him.
"Garibaldi! Die!"
Percival roared and swung his battle axe, now even sharper under the enhancement of battle aura, straight at Garibaldi.
Arthur and Lancelot attacked from both sides, creating an opening for Percival.
The mysterious power quickly stopped the bleeding on the warhorse's severed leg. It stood unsteadily on its remaining three legs.
Clang!
Garibaldi used the shaft of his mace to block Percival's axe, then swung the weapon in a wide arc. The resulting battle aura shockwave sent Arthur and Lancelot flying.
Fortunately, they managed to block with their weapons in time. Otherwise, they wouldn't have gotten away with just being knocked back.
Cyan's figure appeared above Garibaldi. She swung the demon blade down toward his neck.
The crown on Garibaldi's head emitted a glow and blocked the attack.
That crown is strange…
Cyan kicked Garibaldi in the back, flipped backward through the air, and landed on the ground. She pushed off hard with both legs.
Demon Flame! Infinite Style · Gale Slash!
Deep purple demonic flames ignited on the demon blade, mixed with green sword aura. Cyan slashed off the warhorse's remaining hind leg, then spun around and cut open its abdomen in one strike.
Shhh——!
Blood gushed out as its organs spilled across the ground. The warhorse let out a final, mournful cry and collapsed. Even with the mysterious healing power, the severe injuries were too much. The horse that had accompanied Garibaldi for so long had reached its end.
"Kyle!"
Garibaldi landed on the ground. Looking at his dying warhorse, he turned toward Cyan with fury burning in his eyes and threw a punch.
Ripple Dash!
Cyan ducked under the punch. Her hand touched the blood spilled by the warhorse on the ground. Golden lightning conducted through the blood, turning it into sharp blood needles that shot toward Garibaldi.
Infinite Style · Single Blade Slash!
The blood needles only left stains on Garibaldi's armor. Cyan's knee slammed into his stomach, then she followed up with an upward slash that lifted him off the ground for a moment before bringing the blade down.
His HP… is recovering…
Cyan saw Garibaldi's HP bar recovering at a visible rate. The crown on his head glowed faintly.
Is it because of the crown?
Cyan realized that Garibaldi's rapid HP recovery was likely tied to the crown.
"You're going to die!"
Garibaldi wiped the bloodstain on his armor and glanced at his now-dead battle companion. Rage burned in his eyes as he gripped his long-handled mace with both hands, sending wave after wave of battle aura shockwaves toward Cyan and Arthur's group.
The crown has the ability to continuously restore HP. If I don't knock it off his head, it'll be very difficult to kill him…
Cyan dodged the shockwaves while thinking of a way to remove the crown.
If Nishi were here, I could have her try using Steal to see if she can take the crown.
Under Garibaldi's near-frenzied attacks, Arthur and the others gathered battle aura on their weapons to block the shockwaves. Faint light glowed around their bodies.
Suddenly, Asuka charged forward with her greatshield and slammed it hard into Garibaldi. A flash of light appeared on the shield, and Garibaldi's HP bar dropped by one segment. His body stiffened, and his swinging motion paused for a brief moment.
"Haah!"
Arthur, Lancelot, and Percival seized the opening and attacked Garibaldi with their weapons.
Garibaldi endured their attacks and raised his mace high.
A violent battle aura shockwave exploded outward. Asuka raised her greatshield in front of Arthur and the others.
[Survivor #9731 received damage from Archduke Garibaldi's battle aura shockwave! HP -63! EVA Combat Suit special effect activated! -20% damage taken! HP -50!]
[Survivor #9731 received damage from Archduke Garibaldi's battle aura shockwave! HP -57! EVA Combat Suit special effect activated! -20% damage taken! HP -46!]
[Survivor #9731 received damage from Archduke Garibaldi's battle aura shockwave! HP -48! EVA Combat Suit special effect activated! -20% damage taken! HP -38!]
[Survivor #9731's current HP is below 20%. Black Eyepatch tainted with Apostle aura special effect activated!]
Suddenly, a shield made of multiple hexagons appeared in front of Asuka. She quickly retreated and ate several recovery items in succession until her HP returned to a safe level before finally breathing a sigh of relief.
She never expected Garibaldi's attack to be this terrifying. It was a multi-hit attack. After the first sharp, blade-like shockwave ended, a second explosive shockwave followed, still dealing multiple instances of damage.
This is way too exaggerated!
[Black Eyepatch Tainted with Apostle Aura]
[Type: Story Character Face Equipment]
[Stats: Intelligence +2, Spirit +2.]
[Special ①: The eyepatch Asuka uses to cover her left eye, which bears traces of Apostle erosion. Increases Spirit recovery speed.]
[Special ②: The eyepatch absorbs the faint Apostle aura emitted from the left eye. When HP falls below 20%, it automatically forms a weakened A.T. Field that blocks a single attack dealing less than 150 damage. Lasts 3 seconds. Cooldown: 24 hours.]
[Equip Requirement: Soryu Asuka Langley. Note: Once equipped, this item is soul-bound to the wearer and cannot be traded. If the wearer dies, this item disappears!]
[Remark: The eyepatch Asuka uses to cover her left eye.]
"Big Sister Kayako, I'm counting on you…"
Asama Ai hid some distance away, watching the battle. With her small build, she naturally couldn't help much, so she could only ask Kayako to fight in her place.
"Mm."
Kayako nodded slightly. Seeing Asama Ai's anxious expression, she gently stroked her hair with her cold, bloodless pale hand.
"Don't forget what you promised me…"
"Mm."
Asama Ai nodded, gripping her notebook a little tighter as she watched Kayako fly toward the battlefield.
"The crown on his head is strange. The Holy Grail didn't grant him power — the crown did."
Cyan shared her guess with Arthur's group and Asuka. She wouldn't believe the Golden Grail had the ability to grant power to others unless she saw it with her own eyes. Therefore, the only suspicious item was the crown on Garibaldi's head.
(In the game, picking up the crown Garibaldi drops fully restores HP. It counts as a healing item.)
Magic power?
Cyan recalled the brief introduction the survival space had given about this world before she entered it.
"I see. So the crown on his head really is strange."
Thanks to Cyan's reminder, Arthur and the others, who had been completely oblivious until now, finally noticed the problem with Garibaldi's crown.
"So you've seen through it… If you have the ability, then come and take the crown off my head! You weaklings! All of you will die here!"
Garibaldi gripped his long-handled mace with both hands.
Boom!
Lightning flashed outside the window. The sound of thunder was like a signal to attack. Garibaldi leapt high into the air and dove toward the nearest target — Arthur and the others — swinging his mace down.
Arthur, Lancelot, and Percival split up and dodged. They infused their weapons with battle aura and aimed their attacks at the crown on Garibaldi's head.
"Miss Kayako, be careful of his battle aura."
Cyan warned Kayako as she flew over. Battle aura was energy damage — it might be able to harm her even though she was immune to physical attacks.
"Mm."
Kayako responded. Her long, jet-black hair rapidly grew and wrapped around Garibaldi's body.
"She… She's your helper?"
Lancelot was momentarily stunned when he saw Kayako. He looked at Cyan with a surprised expression.
"Yes."
Cyan replied and charged toward Garibaldi in one swift step, swinging her blade at the crown on his head.
Asuka swung her lance down at Garibaldi's head.
The crown glowed and blocked both Cyan's and Asuka's attacks, though the light was noticeably dimmer than before.
"I didn't expect you would need this kind of monster to deal with me!"
Garibaldi saw Kayako and looked at Arthur's group with a contemptuous laugh. Enduring everyone's attacks, he flexed his arms powerfully. Battle aura exploded outward, breaking free of the hair's restraint. He swung his long-handled mace, sending a sharp battle aura shockwave flying toward Kayako.
Kayako remembered what Cyan had said and carefully dodged the battle aura attack. Her cold, sinister gaze locked onto Garibaldi as she flew toward him, attempting to attack from inside his body.
"Yaaah——!!!"
A blinding light erupted from the crown on Garibaldi's head. Kayako, who had entered his body, let out a scream and was destroyed by the power of the crown.
Clang!
The crown on Garibaldi's head lost all its light and fell to the ground. The mysterious power that had been protecting him disappeared along with it.
"How is this possible?!"
Seeing the crown lose its light, Garibaldi's confident smile froze on his face. He cursed, "Damn it! They lied to me!"
Suddenly, Garibaldi's face turned deathly pale. His body trembled as he stared with wide eyes, blood vessels covering them. He opened his mouth in agony.
Puff!
Asuka's lance pierced through Garibaldi's golden armor and into his chest. Blood sprayed from his mouth.
Infinite Style · Gale Slash!
Sword aura gathered on the demon blade. Cyan leapt forward and slashed off Garibaldi's head in one strike. Blood splattered everywhere.
Garibaldi's once-powerful body rapidly withered like a deflating balloon, shrinking into a dried, aged corpse. The head that fell to the ground also lost its youth. His hair turned white, and his face became covered in wrinkles and age spots, as if all his life force had been completely drained.