Anime: Fight Sukuna at the beginning?.

Chapter 402 The 'Final Strike' That Turned the Tide

The Holy Grail War is on its third day, with six minutes and twenty-seven seconds remaining until sunset.

A ruined church.

In the battlefield, which suddenly became eerily quiet, as if in deathly silence.

As Yigu Youtai, who was a little distance away from Zhao Yun, fell to the ground with an unusually clear and dull thud, his body split in two.

The black light that stretched across the battlefield melted into the silent, dim sky.

It was as if it were crawling through the darkness, making a soft, nauseating rustling sound like insects, before spreading wildly through the air.

And then the sound of ice, signifying desolation, spread rapidly.

The heat in the entire space was also repelled out of the space, like garbage that was packed up and thrown away.

The process is so fast that it doesn't seem like heat is being removed.

Instead, it was as if an entropy reduction had occurred, violating the laws of thermodynamics, causing everything touched by the black light, including Yi Gu You Tai, to 'stagnate'.

After the provocative words of "first" reached Zhao Yun's ears.

Holding a long stone sword, Zhang Yong, who could discern the opportune moment to strike and kill his enemy, made his "first appearance" in such a 'cunning' way.

The man who crossed the transparent barrier that blocked his senses.

The person appeared as if an illusion had materialized into reality, a creation of nothingness that appeared out of thin air in this tranquil battlefield.

And this man who launched a sneak attack, unleashing a killing blow that seemed like the first time they met.

There was nothing particularly unusual about the person's body.

Ordinary facial features, but nothing particularly outstanding.

He wore no strange decorations or equipment, only a slightly worn black coat, which concealed his neither fat nor thin physique.

There was no violent aura or murderous intent emanating from him.

There was only a bland atmosphere, so normal it couldn't be more so.

No matter how you look at her, she's the kind of person who would be hard to remember if you lost her in a crowd.
-
Standing atop his white horse, gripping his spear, Zhao Yun, upon noticing Zhang Yong's presence and the cold, desolate blade,...

His body suddenly tensed up, and a fine, slippery layer of cold sweat appeared.

The body has already issued an instinctive warning about desires that all living beings can understand.

If he were targeting me, I'd probably die!

This strike is just as powerful as the one swung by the red archer just now!

He could sense the intense confidence in the other person's eyes—the confidence that "once you reach the summit and look down on all the mountains, you will realize that no one in the world can surpass you."

This confidence, carrying an unparalleled and all-consuming momentum, is tearing at him.

Under this overwhelming trend, even a martial artist like myself, who has achieved great success in cultivation and fought my way out of a bloodbath, is no match for this force.

They were inevitably affected to some extent, and a sense of timidity arose in their hearts, making their hands and feet feel somewhat out of control.

But before Zhao Yun could even grip his spear tightly and calm himself down, trying to shake off his fear, he was caught off guard.

The [Technique: Rika] that had not yet faded away, and whose truth was only realized belatedly when Etotsu was cut in two, was still present.

For the first time, it let out a desperate roar, shattering the silence with visible rage.

This broke through the opponent's momentum.

"You Tai! You Tai!!!!!"
-
As the cursed queen, [Rika] lifted Otsukoshi Yuta's body with unprecedented speed.

Like a child who has broken a toy and is at a loss, he tries to piece together Yuta's body.

Upon seeing the assembled body, there was no reaction; it appeared as if the body was dead.

【Technique: Rika】Turning her head away.

The enormous mouth suddenly opened in a rather horrifying manner.

They watched all of this with great interest.

With a smug smile on his lips, Zhang Yong uttered a curse filled with rage.

"I am going to kill you!!!!!"

With this 'curse' containing extreme negative emotions and hatred,

This being, which appears to be a 'shikigami', is actually a 'curse' that was unconsciously created by Otsukotsu Yuuta's own talent for curses.

The magical power emanating from his body expanded instantly, erupting at an unprecedented speed.

In an instant, the air crackled and burned as the dense incantation energy emanated.

The frost that had covered the ground and Etotsu Yuta's body also vanished abruptly with the burst of curse power.
-
Zhang Yong responded with a playful jest to the question "[Spell: Fragrance]".

"Killing him didn't earn any merit, so he's not a reincarnator?"

That's truly a pity.

After calming down the 'Perfection' [Enhancement Magic] that had already been repaid, he clumsily enhanced [Cold Silence].

The side effect is that the magic flowing through the body causes some muscles to spasm.

He slightly suppressed the hunger that came from having his soul constantly being torn apart after activating [Full Bloom].

Zhang Yong glanced at the stone longsword in his hand and confirmed its authenticity.

[If the first-level healing provided by this level of space can fully restore the [fully activated] state, it can only be maintained for a while.]

It seems this battle doesn't require a full-scale attack, nor does it need to awaken this sword.

While eliminating the last remaining side effects, I further mastered the derivative uses of the [Enhancement Magic] that I had conceived in my mind.

He also extended an invitation to [Spell: Rika] to provoke the other party and interfere with their judgment.

"How about we find a different owner and see a wider sky together, ma'am?"
"I never imagined that the people of this world could possess shikigami that could exist independently and even enhance their strength."

"If you could follow."

In response, he unleashed two exceptionally pure torrents of magical power from the [Spell: Rika].

And a voice filled with resentment.

"I will kill you!!!"
-
However, these two pure torrents of cursed power, which nearly blotted out the sky and buried everything, had not yet touched Zhang Yong's body.

Zhang Yong then gripped the knife again.

He first tentatively used an "enhancement magic" that could enhance the "effect of objects" by making "knives cut better" and "light bulbs brighter," thus strengthening his "skill" and killing the suspect who had previously required considerable effort to eliminate.

A voice echoed in my ears: "[Affected by the [Fallen Genius], your [Enhancement Magic] has gained an additional skill branch: [Extreme]."

After the notification sound: "Your skill is [Silent]."

The man was already irresistibly drawn to honing these skills, which required exceptional magical manipulation abilities, in battle.

Zhang Yong flicked his longsword, activating [Cold Silence] and [Enhancement Magic lv14] with reduced consumption.

Accompanied by a barely audible hum, all sounds became blurred.

Only his thin, hair-like black light, still flashing with an elusive cold gleam, recklessly crashed into the two torrents of cursed power.

In an instant, a faint sound of icing rang out.

The two torrents of magical power visibly slowed down.

Then, like a nation collapsing suddenly, it vanished into thin air at an incomprehensible speed.

Only a few faint echoes of intense heat from the pure torrent of incantation remained in the air, confirming its existence.

Seeing that the [Spell: Rika] seemed to have calmed down and stopped cursing him, Zhang Yong revealed a satisfied smile.

[As expected, the [Book of Time] is one way to quickly increase skill levels.]

More importantly, it's about how you use it.

And that is precisely my talent, the protagonist's talent.

Looking at the [Spell: Rika] who seemed to be overwhelmed by his aura and Zhao Yun beside him, Zhang Yong's eyes flashed with disdain, but he did not look at the two of them.

Instead, Fang Yi's figure appeared instantly.
With this [Extreme] technique, killing that man should be a piece of cake!
-
Looking at Zhang Yong, who was displaying his tyrannical power.

The general holding a long spear had his white horse suddenly let out a neigh that seemed to be a warning.

It swiftly and decisively pulled its owner, who resonated with it, out of this emotional turmoil.

Zhao Yun stared at Zhang Yong, who was not speaking and seemed to be pondering something, and realized a fact.

The opponent is very strong!

[If the will of someone who is attacked by the other party is even slightly weak.]

They will be swept up by this overwhelming force, and then their weaknesses will be exploited, leaving them completely immobilized and with no choice but to surrender.

But sensing the fighting spirit of the 'General, kill the enemy' beneath his wondrous white horse.

Having suffered a setback in terms of momentum, he felt a surge of pride!

He brandished his spear, braced himself against the horse's belly, and assumed a charging stance.

He then shouted loudly at Zhang Yong, who was standing still not far away.

"General, state your name!"

While questioning him, this quick-witted, adaptable, and courageous general subtly glanced elsewhere.

He sized up the only living person in the field who was theoretically capable of serving as a Master—Koumine Risei, who was huddled in the ruins of the church.

They began to devise strategies for winning.

I must escape the mana shortage and rely solely on [Independent Action C++] to supply mana and maintain the 'power-saving mode' state.

Activate the skills that are currently unavailable when transformed into [Legend] to break free from the predicament of relying on a group of A+ attribute enemies in battle.

I need a Master to receive the blessings they provide.

However, this quick-witted and thoughtful general, known as the "Confucian General," glanced at Kotomine Risei, who had already fainted.

He shook his head almost imperceptibly.

This man is unfit for great responsibility; his courage is far inferior to that of the young master (Liu Shan).

Then he took another look and realized that the people who could potentially become his Masters ranked very high in his mind.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Otsuku Yuuta will likely become his Master.

Once he came to his senses, he realized something was wrong.

He didn't believe that the reason he had questioned Eto was because of him from the very beginning.

It then engages in a fierce battle with itself, but the repeatedly summoned [Spell: Rika] will stop its attack due to the enemy's strength.

Taking advantage of Zhang Yong tilting his head, seemingly contemplating how to respond to his question,

Zhao Yun spurred his horse, transforming into a streak of light to distance himself from Zhang Yong and draw his attention away.

At the same time, he deliberately used the knowledge brought by the [Holy Grail System] to loudly recite the words of the Servant and Master making a contract.

"That shikigami, listen up, agree to the contract immediately!"

"Declare, you reside within me."
-
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yong, who was a Master and had read books related to the Holy Grail System, was startled.

[That Servant with most stats at A+ is actually suffering from a mana shortage without a Master!]

He didn't just use a Noble Phantasm!

We can't let him succeed; we have to kill that shikigami, or I'll have to pay even more.

Zhang Yong swept away the only living being in the field, [Spell: Li Xiang].

After a fleeting thought of doubt—"Can a shikigami become a master?"—he thrust out his long sword once more.

[Enhanced Magic: Extreme] [Heat Death]

Upon unleashing these sword techniques, Zhang Yong's body instantly became as active as if it were undergoing an increase in entropy.

A wave of nausea washed over me, and the world before my eyes shattered and then slowed down and became still.

It was as if the flow of time had been distorted by itself.

He felt a burning sensation in his body.

Zhang Yong then felt himself rushing toward the body of [Spell: Li Xiang] and 'roared'.

"This is……"

Zhang Yong felt no fear, but rather a surge of excitement.

This strike lacked the usual wild and destructive power.

But it pushed his swordsmanship to an indescribable limit.

He felt as if everything around him was boiling over with the arrival of this blade.

This strike has almost broken through the original limits, surpassing the limit of Rank 2.

He had reached an extraordinary, indescribable level.

His body also broke free from the constraints of the flesh, completely transforming into a thin line that could not be caught or dodged.

A swift and silent strike is made towards the target in front, cleanly cleaving the enemy in two.

Zhang Yong tilted his head as he looked at the still relatively intact [Spell: Li Xiang] behind him.

"This battle should end now!"

As soon as Zhang Yong finished speaking, the [Spell: Rika] holding Etotsu Yuta could no longer make any sound.

The cursed spirit suddenly shattered, like a piece of porcelain.

Then it was engulfed by the raging fire that surged out along the crack, and completely turned into a crackling, burning charcoal.

Hearing Zhao Yun's words, which had not stopped, he had already reached the point of concluding the contract with the phrase "If you are willing to follow this principle."

Zhang Yong's smile widened.

Having greatly improved his swordsmanship, he looked at Zhao Yun, who had widened the distance between them, and laughed arrogantly.

"What's the use? Do you really think things will turn around?"

"Everyone who could serve as your Master is dead!"

"It's easy to get into this barrier, but getting out is difficult!"

Zhang Yong looked up at the increasingly dim sky, which was beginning to show signs of night.

After suppressing the side effects, Zhang Yong, while speaking, freed one hand and held up three fingers.

"There are six minutes and twenty-four seconds left until sunset."

"Three seconds have passed since I started this fight!"

After specifying the time, he uttered his victory declaration with a playful air.

"I'll give you two more seconds to regroup and unleash your strongest move."

"So that I can hone my swordsmanship and achieve some great feats."

"Of course, it only lasted two seconds."

"After all, I need to spend more time with that man named Fang Renyi."

However, the next moment, surrounded by the flames of his own [Heat Death], he was already in the arms of the murdered [Spell: Rika].

A sound came out that he couldn't understand.

"【Domain Expansion: True or False Love】".

Having miraculously escaped death, Etotsu Yuta delivered the decisive blow that turned the tide of the battle.

(End of this chapter)