Naturally, the boisterous roar Karma Kirigaya unleashed during his communication with Chaldea reached the ears of the Mad King with perfect clarity.
Lifting his spear, the Mad King began to pour forth a deluge of slashes, as if his attacks until now had been nothing more than child's play.
One, a hundred, perhaps a thousand.
Giant points of light, etched into the sky like the stars themselves, bombarded the earth like shells. The spear strikes connecting those points instantly obliterated the six puppets he had summoned. It was as if... he were truly demonstrating that the battle thus far had been a mere farce.
“Ghah!”
“Dammit, Robin!”
“Master, I’m sorry...”
“Shut up and die. The one hiding in the shadows was always the most annoying... Medb! Clean those runts up immediately!”
“I’m on it, Cu-chan!”
...This was troublesome. It was far more troublesome than he had imagined.
It wasn't that the Mad King knew the plan from the start; he had simply unleashed an attack to swat a 'bothersome' gnat. However, the retirement of a Servant—especially one as central to the strategy as Robin Hood—was a crushing blow.
‘...Dammit! I was planning to detonate his Noble Phantasm once the Mad King killed enough magical beasts to turn this into a poison zone, but Robin retired way too early!’
[A-Ah, it’s no good! Can we not just calculate from this side and send them, rather than you setting up a circle there?]
“...That won't work. The King of Demon Gods is watching this area. There’s no guarantee Ritsuka Suse will Rayshift to the correct coordinates.”
[Ah... Damn it all!]
Yes, ultimately, the summoning circle had to be installed while breaking through that interference. The Mad King had surmised as much... and because he was wary, he was currently raining down indiscriminate attacks.
“Now that you have another trick up your sleeve, there is no reason for me not to be cautious,” the King stated.
“...You’re annoyingly thorough. Aren't Kings supposed to be the types who succumb to hubris or something?”
“If there were a reason to. But you are not that sort of opponent.”
He leveled his spear as he spoke.
“The Evils of Humanity and the King of Demon Gods have been thwarted by you several times. Knowing that... I see no reason to grant you such a perfect opportunity.”
“Yeah? Well, thanks anyway.”
—BOOM!!!
In that instant, a massive torrent of water erupted from beneath the Mad King's feet.
Shinra Tensei had to be reserved for defense, and other techniques would struggle to leave even a scratch on the Mad King.
“Did you think I’d fight using only the Root?!”
“Medbeeeeee!!!”
“Understood, Cu-chan!”
The moment I sent the Mad King flying briefly and pressed my palm against the earth, a sudden sensation of dehydration washed over the area. The lush greenery of the land began to wither and dry up in an instant.
Startled, I looked toward the source. Medb stood there with a triumphant expression, holding a tantalizingly glowing golden chalice in her hand.
“How foolish! If this land was reinforced by the Holy Grail, it stands to reason it can be reclaimed by the Holy Grail— Eek!”
“...A pity. I intended to pierce your head right then.”
“Ugh, you old fossil! Just hurry up and die by Cu-chan's hand!”
I tried to draw a summoning array just in case, but as expected, not a single trace of prana could be felt from the ground where the leylines had been depleted. Quite literally, the land had run dry.
"...Dammit, they blocked the summoning!"
“Yes. Now, it really is the end!”
A crimson trajectory was drawn through the air.
Cú Chulainn, having shattered the water prison and returned in an instant after being briefly pinned, swung his spear haphazardly. Cruel attacks that cared nothing for whether they hit ally or foe, Medb or myself, raged across the field. The other Servants retreated several paces to avoid the carnage or nursing their wounds.
“King of Chaldea!!!!”
“Ah, hell. If only a woman would charge at me with that much vigor... No, that would be its own kind of hell. You Crimson Moon-esque bastard!”
Femur, wrist, forehead, two ribs and a lung, left thigh, Achilles tendon, and the shinbone.
Though I barely evaded fatal hits, the doll body of the Asura Path was being shredded as if thrown into a blender before it could even begin to regenerate. The martial attacks following the spear strikes were equally fierce. It was beyond impossible to block them with the Asura Path alone without the defense of Shinra Tensei.
I tried to strike his wrist just to deflect the direction of the attack slightly, but two of my fingers were snapped in the attempt.
“Try fighting like that cursed lancer of yours! I'll crush your heart and end you right now!”
“Go for it, Cu-chan! Don't lose to a half-wit like that!”
I was too focused on the fight to notice, but I could feel it instinctively.
‘The communication from Chaldea has been cut. This land is withering just like the rest of the scorched earth.’
In other words... if this continued, the Preta Path's Seal Absorption—which allowed me to take in prana from the atmosphere and earth to fuel myself—would also be sealed.
“...Fine. Let’s settle this, Mad King!”
The moment those words left my mouth, the Mad King's spear flew toward me again.
The angle, the direction—it was aimed directly at my heart. If this had been like before, I would have sacrificed my right arm and used Shinra Tensei to blast him back, but...
“...Gah!”
“Commander!!!”
Nightingale cried out in horror. The spear had pierced me right in the chest where the heart was located. Whether it’s on the left or the right varies by individual, but once you’re struck by a certain-kill spear, such details cease to matter. Excluding the brain, it is the most vital point for a human. Modern medicine has almost no way to replace a destroyed heart, and even using the Asura Path, it would take minutes... no, several hours to craft an artificial heart while maintaining one's life with prana.
And for the Mad King, several hours was more than enough time to grind every Servant here into dust.
“You haven't given up yet. What are you planning... Hm?”
“Come forth, Naraka Path!”
In that moment, the giant head of the King of Hell, summoned from thin air, dropped toward Cú Chulainn. But he evaded it with effortless ease and twisted the spear buried in my heart once more.
“Ack... Fuck, that hurts like hell.”
“If this was your best effort, it is quite disappointing. Well, I’ll send you on your way. Die in peace.”
“...Who says you're the one deciding that!”
“I am.”
Crack!
Crunch!
With a nauseating sound, the spear gouged my chest. Cú Chulainn then reached into the cavity where my heart should be, pulling out a mass of blood with a boastful flair, and crushed it...
“Wait... you, where is your heart?"
“Heh...”
“No matter. Once your entire body is pulverized, you’ll die eventually.”
The Mad King thrust his spear once more.
His target was the bridge of my nose, right between my eyes... If that was pierced, it would be 100% instant death. Death would be finalized.
And in that moment...
—SHING!!!!
Along with an intense radiance, a massive Noble Phantasm emerged exactly from the vicinity of my ‘heart.’ Specifically, from a summoning circle that had been drawn near where my heart should have been.
[The Foundation of Human Order—Lord Chaldeas!]
Immediately following that radiance, a familiar woman I hadn't seen in quite a while appeared and jammed a golden, glowing chalice into my body.
*
Stinging, aching, and the world was spinning.
Glancing down at my body, I saw murky prana eroding into my form like spreading ink.
“Seal... Absorption... Dammit, this was a pretty insane stunt...”
“Shut up, Old Man! Have you truly lost your mind?!”
“Why... it was a rather brilliant operation....”
“If you’re recovered, get out of there right now!”
Along with Gareth’s sharp cry, a crimson thorned spear flew toward Ritsuka and me. I quickly reached out and deflected the thorns with Shinra Tensei.
Gareth had switched to hit-and-run tactics, aiming for openings between Mash Kyrielight—who was absorbing the full brunt of the thorned spears—and the Mad King. They were clearly being pushed back, but I could see them thoroughly protecting their core spirit foundations and hearts.
Ritsuka, however, was not in good shape.
Exhausted to the point of being unable to breathe properly—perhaps due to a lack of prana supply from Chaldea—Ritsuka felt my hand land on her back.
“Ah... Mister, this is...?”
“Tch, it’s a prana supply... Those guys. They have plenty of Leyline cards; they should have at least given the kid one to take with her.”
But well...
“Right. Good job.”
“...Mm!”
I looked toward the battlefield.
To be honest, it was obvious that Ritsuka had pushed herself far too hard, but she had managed to bring three Servants with her.
Mash, whom I had insisted she bring, and Gareth, a front-line specialist...
[How dare you torment my husband like this!!!]
And then there was Kiyohime, who was currently rampaging with delight over there.
Even considering she was on our side, seeing her go wild like that filled me with nothing but the feeling that I never, ever wanted to get involved with that serpent.
“With this, we finally have a stalemate... Shall we begin?”
The incantation... I’ll omit it, since I won't be trapping him for long anyway. Even if I 'slightly' repaired my shattered heart, the damage remains from sacrificing an entire heart as a catalyst. It was virtually impossible to keep a Servant of the Mad King's caliber bound with Chibaku Tensei for long.
“Ritsuka, get ready to be summoned back to Chaldea with Mash.”
“Mister, what are you talking about?! Are you planning to run away?”
“No. I’m taking the Heroic Spirit from this side with me.”
“That’s the same thing! You said if we don't kill the Mad King here, the Restoration of the Human Order is doomed!”
“Did I say I was taking our Servants?”
“...!”
“Prepare for reverse summoning. The one we’re dragging along is that Mad King.”
Internal organs turned to mush, Magic Circuits feeling as if they were burning from overheating, and the Rinnegan flowing with blood so hot it felt stiff.
But despite all that, my prana alone was burning with pure abundance.
Several decades after being reincarnated into this world, awakening the Rinnegan and realizing my status as a 'Connected One,' I had gathered the prana accumulated over all those years in my 'Heart,' which functioned as a Magic Crest of sorts.
This was the prana I gained by detonating it. Even if I replaced it with an artificial heart through the Asura Path or received a proper one from Touko Aozaki, it was certain that using prana would be uncomfortable for a while.
“So, what of it!”
The dry earth began to split open.
The ground, already thoroughly shattered and cracked by spear strikes, trembled further and began to collapse in an instant. A black sphere, symbolizing immense gravity, rose into the air, beginning to pull in the withered plants, the parched earth... and the Mad King.
“You plan to seal me! Don’t think it will be that easy!!!” the Mad King roared.
Even his shout was infused with prana, causing Ritsuka to suffer a nosebleed. The other Servants stopped their combat for a moment and looked up at the Mad King, who was beginning to be caught in the aerial vortex. Despite struggling against the pull, he took a javelin-throwing stance and aimed his spear directly at me...
“Nightingale!!!”
“Yes, Commander!”
The nurse in red stepped in front of me.
A massive angel in white, holding a sword that could cut nothing, manifested and emitted waves that enveloped everything in the vicinity.
—Nightingale Pledge.
A Noble Phantasm unique to her, combined with the concept of a nurse who eliminates all that is poisonous and all that is harmful.
The Mad King's spear, which looked ready to tear me apart at any second, lost its light while still in his hand. Every other Servant also held their weapons and simply stared, keeping their distance. Only my ability, Chibaku Tensei—meant solely for sealing rather than harming—activated to bind him tightly. Nightingale then looked at me.
“Please faint immediately, Commander! I must treat you this instant!”
“No, removing the source of the injury comes first.”
“You cannot!”
“Then just treat me while I do it! Mash, get over here!”
“Ye... Yes?!”
“Hurry up and prepare the circle! We’re blasting that bastard to Chaldea before he breaks out!”
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