FATE: Target of Grand Master

"Alright, enough of the young people's mischief. Saber, use your Noble Phantasm!"

Seeing that Gorgon's attack was very effective, Matou Ryouken conjured a new clone and gave a command to Artoria Altera, who emerged from the black mud shell beside him.

Without a moment's delay, the Black Knight Princess gripped the jet-black holy sword with both hands, and her magic began to gather wildly.

Unlike the previous battles outside the Great Hollow, this time the magical power condensed by Artoria Alter's Noble Phantasm was so thick that the surrounding air had a gel-like texture.

Everyone felt a sense of foreboding. If they were to take Saber's Noble Phantasm, they would all be instantly reduced to ashes, without even the need for cremation or burial.

However, due to the effect of the Petrifying Eye, no one present could stop them.

"King's Hammer, Reverse the Dawn! Devour the light, Sword of Excalibur!"

The Black Knight Princess mercilessly wielded her black holy sword, unleashing a torrent of black magic towards Xia Yan and the others.

"Projection, begin! Cover the Seven Rings of the Celestials!"

Shirou, who wasn't petrified, ran ahead of everyone and deployed five layers of defense.

Bang!Bang!Bang!

The first three layers of shields were breached within three seconds of encountering the black magic flow. At this rate, Shirou Emiya wouldn't be able to hold out for more than a few seconds.

Gritting his teeth, Shirou Emiya desperately squeezed out as much magical energy as possible from his body.

Don't overthink it, just one second, even if it's just to hold on for one more second.

Just as the fourth layer of defense began to crumble, a thick hand slapped Shirou Emiya on the shoulder, and Cú Chulainn's hearty voice rang in his ears.

"Good job, kid. Hang in there."

Cú Chulainn, whose body was petrified by a third, stood behind Shirou Emiya, his aura surging, his arms poised to throw.

"Noble Phantasm! The Lance That Pierces Through Death!"

The crimson spear, imbued with magical power, was hurled out and collided with the black magical flow, immediately dispersing it and greatly relieving the pressure on Shirou Emiya's side.

Unfortunately, this situation did not last long. The magical power contained in Saber's Noble Phantasm was beyond what Cú Chulainn's Noble Phantasm could withstand. After nearly half of the magical power was neutralized, the magical power on the crimson spear was exhausted, and the black magical power flow once again impacted the shield projected by Shirou Emiya.

Bang!

The fourth layer of shield was instantly broken, and the last layer of shield began to be impacted.

As the cracks in the shield multiplied, Shirou Emiya broke out in a cold sweat.

Has it finally come to an end?

"Kid, it's not your turn to die yet."

Just as the last layer of shield shattered, Shirou Emiya felt himself being pulled backward, and he fell to the ground.

The death he had imagined did not come. When Shirou Emiya opened his eyes, he saw the figure of the blue lancer blocking his way.

Cú Chulainn used his Spirit Origin to block Artoria Alter's Noble Phantasm, and formed a starfish shape to maximize the area he could cover.

"Kid, protect Master for me. I believe he can turn the tide."

The black magic flow continued to impact the blue spearman's spirit core, but Cú Chulainn's expression showed no sign of pain.

The flow of magic propelled Cú Chulainn's body backward several meters, but until the very end, the Child of Light lived up to his name as a Celtic warrior, standing fearlessly at the front of everyone until the flow of magic completely ceased.

"Lancer!"

"Lancer!"

Lancer!

Shirou, Rin, and Xia Yan, who couldn't speak, all looked at Cú Chulainn at the same time.

At this moment, the blue-armored soldier was shrouded in black mist, and his eyes had dimmed, but he remained standing until the moment of his death.

With bloodshot eyes, Xia Yan suppressed his anger and continued chanting.

"Announcement."

Your body is under my command, and my fate rests on your sword.

If you wish to obey the Holy Grail's call, and follow this will and reason, then you shall receive it.

However, you should serve me with your eyes clouded by confusion.

You are a prisoner of madness.

I am the master who holds its chains...

As the incantation deepened, the light of the summoning circle grew brighter, and the gem sword in Xia Yan's hand and the gems spread on the ground continuously radiated magic outwards, with crackling sounds like lightning appearing in the air.

"Xia Yan, control your emotions, or your magic will go berserk."

Xia Yan was taken aback when he saw Medea, whose body was nearly half petrified, appear beside him.

"Focus and listen to me. My Spirit Origin is beyond repair. Rather than wasting it, I'll use it as magical energy to summon your Servants. Don't be surprised; I already had this plan. I only hope that you can defeat Gorgon and allow Lord Souichirou to live."

Xia Yan glanced in Ge Mu's direction. At this moment, the teacher had been completely petrified into a statue, but as long as Gorgon was defeated, all the petrification could be restored.

"You don't need to do anything more. I will help you broaden the magical path of your summoning and fix it with your own spirit origin. The rest is up to you."

Subsequently, the light from Xia Yan's summoning array grew brighter and brighter, and the flow of magic even resonated with the spiritual veins of the Great Void, while Medea's spiritual foundation became increasingly transparent.

All the humans present were Masters, but none of them—Shirou, Rin, Illya, or Matou Ryouken—had ever seen a summoning circle with such a massive magical output.

It's no exaggeration to say that even if Xia Yan summons a god-level servant next, the others wouldn't be surprised at all.

As for his enemy, Matou Ryogen, he would naturally not allow such a thing to happen.

"By Command Spell! Saber, unleash your Noble Phantasm once more!"

Matou Ryouken didn't hesitate to use a Command Spell to instantly replenish Artoria Altera's mana.

"Oh no!"

As Shirou, Rin, and Illya watched the Black Knight Princess begin to gather magical power again, it was easy for them to conclude that Saber's Noble Phantasm would be completed before Xia Yan's incantation.

Not only that, now Rin and Illya, besides Shirou Emiya, have also petrified more than half of their bodies, making them unable to move or defend themselves.

"Projector, turn it on... Ugh!"

The previous battle with Emiya Alter and the projection when defending against Saber's first Noble Phantasm had severely depleted Shirou Emiya's magical power. At this point, he could no longer even project Gan Jiang and Mo Xie, let alone Chrysanthemum Shield.

Artoria Altera's Noble Phantasm incantation was like the whisper of death; the moment she uttered the name of her Noble Phantasm, everyone felt that all was lost.

"Excalibur!"

This time, Saber will bring final victory to Matou Ryouken.

"Projection, begin! Cover the Seven Rings of the Celestials!"

Just as Saber's Noble Phantasm was about to wipe out everyone, Emiya Alter saved them in time.

"Honestly, I was planning to stay until the very end to see if Matou Ryouken had any hidden trump cards up his sleeve, but I never imagined you'd been forced into this desperate situation."

Rin was naturally the happiest to see Archer, but her tone of voice remained the same as always.

"I'm truly sorry, Archer. But as a 'partner of justice,' don't you think now is the perfect time to make your appearance?"

Emiya Alter sighed and fell silent, his expression growing increasingly serious as he realized that five of the seven layers of shields he had summoned had been broken in an instant, and the sixth layer was also in imminent danger.

"Archer! I kept my promise and gave you the chance to fulfill your wish, but you betrayed me and ruined my plans!"

Even the usually composed Matou Ryogen started cursing at Archer.

"With your magic power, which is as weak as a candle in the wind, you think you can stop Saber's Noble Phantasm? That's just wishful thinking!"

Emiya Alter does not deny this, after all, Saber still has Matou Ryouken to provide her with magic, while he himself used the Manjushri Mirror Projection by Emiya Shirou to break the contract with Matou Ryouken, and is now a masterless Servant who can only continue to manifest in the world by acting alone.

However, let's put it another way: battles aren't just about magic power, but also about willpower.

When it comes to willpower, I've never lost to anyone. Even if I have to risk this Spirit Origin, I'll defend against this Noble Phantasm!

"Ha~~~"

Emiya Alter roared, and the shield on the seventh floor swayed precariously like a lone boat in a storm, yet it did not actually fall.

Ultimately, the seventh layer of shield, as thin as a cicada's wing, held out until the very end.

Faced with repeated unexpected events, Matou Ryokon was furious and immediately ordered Artoria Altera to kill him with her sword.

Emiya Alter, who had already staked his entire Spirit Origin, began to emit the light of a Servant disappearing, and at this moment he was no longer even qualified to be killed.

Artoria Alter kicked him away and was about to step over Shirou and the other two to strike Xia Yan, who was standing in the summoning circle.

Just then, Xia Yan, who had been keeping his eyes tightly closed to avoid being disturbed by the outside world, suddenly opened his eyes and finished reciting the final summoning incantation.

"I hereby swear an oath."

I am the one who accomplishes all good deeds in this world.

I am the one who spreads all evil throughout the world.

You are bound by the three great incantations for seven days.

O guardian of Libra, from the Wheel of Restraint!

The red summoning circle released a surge of magical power, forming a magical wall at its edge that blocked the black holy sword that Artoria Alter was about to swing at.

Then, the light of the summoning circle grew brighter and brighter, and an identical summoning circle condensed in mid-air directly above Xia Yan.

The space between the two summoning circles was constantly flashing with lightning-like arcs of electricity, and the color of the summoning circles changed from the traditional red to blue, symbolizing Morgan.

As magic surged from the summoning circle on the ground to the summoning circle in the air, Morgan, with long silver hair and dressed in a gorgeous black, white and blue outfit, slowly descended from the summoning circle in the air.

Morgan's blue and black skirt swayed in the air as she gently took Xia Yan's arm. Xia Yan, who had almost exhausted all his magic and whose body was petrified down to his neck, whispered in his ear, "You've worked hard, my Master. Leave the rest to me."