Chapter 119: Excalibur
Was this normal? Whether it was or not.
The fists of [Pseudo-Crazy Diamond] had already struck down without dispute. And the Stand ability of [Pseudo-Crazy Diamond], at the very instant the fists touched the main body of [All the World's Evil], was decisively and successfully activated!
"No, no no no no! You can't do this!"
Splat!!
The sound was like something bursting out of a body. It came along with the terrified voice of [All the World's Evil].
From far to near, the sound eventually became so loud it was as if someone were speaking right in front of Shirou and the others... no, it wasn't "as if." [All the World's Evil] had actually been extracted from Matou Sakura's body at that moment, appearing vividly before their eyes!
"...?!"
"What!?"
This time, it wasn't just [All the World's Evil] who was shocked. Even Tohsaka Rin, who had been teased by Shirou not long ago, and the spectator Lancer were all staring with wide eyes at the flying entity of [All the World's Evil].
However, while Rin and the others were surprised, Emiya Shirou was not. Rather, the sudden extraction of [All the World's Evil] was exactly what Shirou had intended.
The restoration ability of [Pseudo-Crazy Diamond] wasn't just for show. It could strike the main body of [All the World's Evil] inside the Greater Grail to apply its Stand ability, forcing the separated clones to be "repaired" back onto the main body, thereby forcibly pulling them out of Matou Sakura's body.
Furthermore, he could preemptively position himself in front of the path the clone would take after being forcibly extracted. Aiming at that clone, he delivered another punch!
Dora—!!
That's right. [Pseudo-Crazy Diamond] could not only force the clone of [All the World's Evil] out of Matou Sakura but could also use that clone as a medium to punch the main body of [All the World's Evil] out of the Greater Grail!
"Saber!!" Shirou shouted loudly.
Just driving [All the World's Evil] out of Sakura's body? What Shirou wanted to do was not that simple. Rather than letting [All the World's Evil] have any chance to cause trouble in the remaining time, it was better to seize this rare opportunity of it being "smuggled out" to wipe it out in one go!
As for the Greater Grail's mana that had been assimilated by [All the World's Evil]? There was no need to worry. [Pseudo-Crazy Diamond] would peel away the parts belonging to the Greater Grail, leaving only the portion belonging to Angra Mainyu!
"By Command Spell, I order—Saber! Release your Noble Phantasm at full power and destroy Angra Mainyu!!"
The crimson Stigmata flashed on the back of Shirou's hand. The surging magical energy converted from the Command Spell followed Shirou's words. It transferred to Saber in an instant, allowing her to rapidly complete the preparations for her Noble Phantasm.
Under Shirou's command, she completed her aim at [All the World's Evil]!
The mana of the Command Spell; the power supply from the Grail; and the Thirteen Restraints that further strengthen the Holy Sword's power when used against the wicked... when all these preparations were gathered...
—Gold! Shining! Scorching!
The Final Fantasy entrusted with the prayers of many and the wishes of the planet—Saber, holding the radiant Holy Sword, appeared at this moment as holy and noble as a god. Bathed in ten thousand rays of light, she cried out the True Name of the Noble Phantasm in her hands.
"[Excalibur]!!"
The light surged. The light roared.
Like something that shouldn't exist in this era, the overwhelming presence of the Holy Sword and the torrent of light converted from it—in a release time that cost nearly zero—covered and enveloped everything blocking its path. It then took all of [All the World's Evil] into its fold, bringing impact and annihilation!
Rumble—!!!
"..."
Although Emiya Shirou had prepared the moment he issued the command with the Command Spell—even continuously using [Pseudo-Crazy Diamond]'s ability to pull the unconscious Matou Sakura toward him, then using a piece of Ryudou Temple's floor he had broken beforehand as a base to quickly complete a transfer before the torrent of light arrived—the power of [Excalibur]'s release still caused him to cough a few times from the impact and the rising dust.
"I didn't expect I'd underestimate the power of your Holy Sword's release, Saber."
Shirou remarked with feeling: "It's a good thing my preparations weren't bad; otherwise, I'd probably be the first Master in the Holy Grail War to use a Command Spell to order his own Servant to release a Noble Phantasm and successfully commit suicide."
Perhaps it was because the few Servants he had encountered before were easily dealt with, leading Shirou to have a constant miscalculation regarding Servant strength. Or rather, whether it was Berserker, Assassin, or even Lancer, they were all melee-specialized Servants. As long as his stats were higher than theirs and he could react to their god-tier or Sword Saint martial arts, he could basically suppress them.
As for Gilgamesh, Shirou hadn't given him the chance to release [Enuma Elish]. Caster was similar, getting one-shotted by Shirou's [Pseudo-The World].
Therefore, Shirou truly hadn't witnessed the shift in output power for a Servant transitioning from a melee-specialized type that never releases a Noble Phantasm to a turret-specialized type that does. This was like the transition from [Silver Chariot] to [Silver Chariot Requiem]. Not to mention, Shirou had significantly boosted the power of Saber's Noble Phantasm.
"Shi—Master, are you alright!?"
At that moment, despite having just released such a powerful strike, she had quickly recovered under the mana supply Shirou intercepted from the Greater Grail and the blessing of [Avalon] which had been returned to her. She ran hurriedly toward Shirou.
"Even though the timing of the release was indeed caught perfectly... Master..."
Seeing Shirou's soot-covered face, Saber stopped calling him "Shi—" and used the more formal "Master" address. She spoke with clear irritation: "Next time, you must not be so reckless."
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