Gilgamesh's words sparked a question in Ludwig's mind, but the King of Heroes had no intention of providing a direct answer. Instead, he swung the Sword of Rupture with a swift flourish, unleashing a wave of razor-sharp wind pressure at the youth.
Even without releasing its True Name, a mere swing of Ea could discharge an attack rivaling most low-rank Anti-Army Noble Phantasms. However, to Ludwig, such an attack was merely something to be parried—it was worlds apart from the weapon's full release.
The youth raised his hand, his Magic Sword slicing through the gale. He charged through the resulting rift, closing the distance to Gilgamesh. Along the way, any Noble Phantasms launched from the treasury were systematically struck down by Ludwig's blade.
Clang!
The Magic Sword and the Sword of Rupture collided once more.
The Magic Sword, sharp enough to sever space itself, was nonetheless unable to damage the structure of Ea. Under Ludwig's intentional guidance, the battlefield shifted further downstream of the Mion River, putting distance between them and the previous site of conflict.
A Divine Construct truly has its merits, Ludwig thought.
"Gilgamesh, you mentioned a Guardian..." Ludwig stared at the King of Heroes with murderous intent. "What do you know about that man?"
"How should I know the likes of a Guardian? They are nothing more than janitors who manifest in response to human despair," Gilgamesh sneered. "Compared to Heroic Spirits who answer human hope, they are merely convenient tools."
"Your words are as contradictory as ever," Ludwig said, exerting a massive burst of strength that sent Gilgamesh flying backward.
"It matters not if you cannot comprehend it. This era is delightful, yet equally beyond saving," Gilgamesh said, regaining his footing. "Do you not find that the current world is... excessively indulgent toward humanity?"
"Indulgent?"
"They know nothing of hell, nothing of true desperation. Their capacity for survival is so low as to be worthless," Gilgamesh said with a cold laugh. "With such beings occupying the Seat of Primacy, the end was decided long ago."
Ludwig let out a soft breath. "So, you intend to use me to replace the master of the Seat of Primacy?"
"Whether you can claim that seat depends on your own capability," Gilgamesh said, jutting his chin forward. "Only those who can survive tenaciously in the hell that follows the planet's death are worthy of being the planet's Primates."
"To think that someone with a Clairvoyance that pierces the future—someone with the perspective of both god and man—could view things so narrowly." Ludwig shook his head. "Humans of the old era truly are full of limitations."
"Oh?" Gilgamesh's gaze grew increasingly frigid.
Ludwig looked at the King of Heroes calmly. "The things the Guardian said, the things the Counter Force of Alaya fears, or the things the Planet's Counter Force dreads—to me, they are all the same. First, let me see if you even have the right to speak such words."
If Gilgamesh wanted to judge humanity—to judge whether they still deserved the Seat of Primacy—Ludwig didn't mind judging whether Gilgamesh had the authority to make that judgment in the first place.
"Hoh... You would turn the judgment back upon me? For a human of the end-times, your arrogance is quite to my liking. But that is a question for after you survive." The Sword of Rupture began to spin once more in Gilgamesh's hand. "Then come. Only one of us will be left standing."
The massive void left by their previous clash had not yet vanished. The ankle-deep river water was currently pouring into the crater, attempting to fill it. Seawater pushed inland from the river mouth, meeting the flow from upstream.
Amidst the rushing currents, a violent vortex swirled around Gilgamesh. The magical energy radiating from him surged, more powerful and overbearing than before.
"Master!" Artoria cried out, attempting to rush forward to release her Noble Phantasm in support. She had witnessed the power of Gilgamesh's weapon and knew its lethality. If she combined her Excalibur with Ludwig's Magic Sword, they would surely achieve victory.
But Ludwig raised a hand to stop her, choosing to face Gilgamesh alone.
"I speak of the beginning. Heaven and Earth are divided, and the Void joins in the celebration. Sever the world with my Sword of Rupture! The millstone of the stars, the hell of the heavens, is the end of the eve of creation. Prove your existence with your life! Enuma Elish!"
Gilgamesh wore a smile that was both arrogant and appreciative. He roared the True Name of his Noble Phantasm and swung the Sword of Rupture down at Ludwig.
The power to tear heaven and earth asunder swept forward once more. Before that staggering mass of magical energy, Ludwig's silhouette appeared as small and insignificant as a mortal facing a natural disaster.
In their previous clash, Gilgamesh had been severely injured, but he hadn't been certain of the extent of Ludwig's wounds. Upon returning to the battlefield, Ludwig's clothes were torn and filthy, but the only traces on his skin were dried bloodstains from wounds that had already healed.
The King of Heroes was astonished by such extraordinary regenerative ability. Yet, even as he unleashed his Noble Phantasm with everything he had, he made one fatal miscalculation.
He had not yet seen the full extent of Ludwig's Magic Sword. Their previous exchange had been a clash of raw output, and that single encounter had allowed the youth to fully gauge the output level of a True Name-released Ea.
The two forces—cyan and crimson—collided again, merged, and finally vanished, quickly carving new scars into the already battered Mion River and Fuyuki City.
(It would be a story for another time when the Fuyuki environmental survey teams discovered two unnaturally wide, deep craters beneath the river's surface.)
"Because of its nature, my Magic Sword has been called 'Slash Emperor II.' But I know that my blade is not the same as that of that specific Knight. To cleave space—and the world itself—that is the true power of a Magic Sword. Even with a limited release of this power, I have never seen what happens to a target within that region the moment the world is sliced open. You provided an excellent reference model, Gilgamesh."
Ludwig stood at the bottom of the crater, stating these facts in a calm, level tone.
His clothes had been reduced to rags throughout the continuous battles. Half of his face and body were a mess of raw flesh from taking the wind pressure of Ea head-on. The bleeding had already stopped, and his non-human regenerative powers were already busy repairing the damage.
However, the person he was speaking to could no longer offer a rebuttal.
Gilgamesh remained standing, but only from the waist down. His body had been sliced clean through the midsection. His upper torso had fallen backward into the riverbed, half-submerged in the water. His arms had been severed, and the flowing blood stained the mud at the bottom of the pit crimson.
"...You win... brat..."
Gilgamesh had only enough strength left for that low murmur. Having sustained a fatal wound, the golden Servant spoke his final words as his body grew transparent, dissolving into golden particles before vanishing entirely.
Ludwig glanced toward the sky. Rider, Iskandar the King of Conquerors, had been watching the battle from his bull-drawn chariot above the river without intervening. He offered a composed, steady smile.
The smile seemed to say that the final enemy of the Holy Grail War would be defeated by him, the King of Conquerors. Then, Rider drove his chariot into the fog and vanished. He did not intend to start a fight immediately; instead, he would leave the final battle for the following night, allowing both sides to prepare themselves fully. Even having witnessed the youth's power, the King of Conquerors remained resolute in his decision.
Ludwig understood and turned back to look at Artoria, who was standing at the edge of the crater.
Tonight's melee was finally drawing to a close. She had witnessed Ludwig's victory from the sidelines. The youth leaped from the pit and landed beside her; the two shared a silent, acknowledging nod.
Then, Artoria turned and sprinted toward Lancelot. She knelt beside the Knight of the Lake, who lay in the riverbed with only a faint breath remaining.
"Sir Lancelot... please, stay with me..."
"...To think... that before I die... I could have Your Majesty see me off... Haha... In this way... do I not look like a loyal knight...?"
With his mana depleted and his shackles broken, the Berserker finally regained a flicker of sanity in his dying moments, recognizing the monarch before him.
"What are you saying? You are—" Artoria shook her head. "You are a knight of peerless loyalty. You dedicated your sword to your country and your King. I know the nobility within you all too well."
She spoke the thoughts of her heart with desperate urgency before Lancelot could fade completely. "That is why I did not blame you then. Even though you committed a forbidden error, your honor and service will never be tarnished by such a sin. I did not want to humiliate you, nor did I want to lose you. It was because I felt this way that I closed my eyes and denied your crime."
"The King is so selfless... it is terrifying... The one who could never forgive me... was myself..."
The battle-worn knight closed his eyes in sorrow. His breathing stopped, and his body began to dissolve into light.
"Because you... are not a sinner..."
Only after they were alone did Artoria whisper those words. But the words were meaningless now. What she should have spoken were words of punishment and reproach—words that could have liberated Lancelot from his obsession with self-blame.
Lancelot had still failed to find the salvation he sought.
"The King does not understand human hearts," Artoria wept silently. "When a certain knight left the Round Table, he said those words... Perhaps those were the words that every Knight of the Round Table kept hidden in their heart."
"The past is the past. That's why you're pinning your hopes on the miracle before you, isn't it?" Ludwig helped her up. "Only one step left. The Holy Grail is within reach."
"...Lud, you are always so resolute." Artoria looked at him with gratitude.
Bolstered by his unyielding will, the confusion in Artoria's heart began to dissipate, much like the heavy fog being swept away by the wind.
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Type-Moon: The A-Ray Knight's Holy Grail Journey(91 Chapter - Ongoing)
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