In Britain, the Noble Phantasm: Divine Key

His long, snow-white hair danced in the gale, and golden flames surrounded him. Karna slowly rose into the air, like a rising sun, its bright light illuminating the entire earth, as if to turn the whole world into an endless day.

Everyone was captivated by this magnificent scene, not only by its dazzling appearance, but more importantly, by the noble will it conveyed, as pure as the sun.

"Realize the mercy of the King of Gods."

"Indra, watch closely."

"Extinction lies in this one stab."

"The divine spear bestowed by the God-King, and the noble will of the hero bestowed upon him, no wonder it is called the annihilating spear that can defeat the gods with a single blow." Anan expressed his admiration without reservation. Accompanied by howling flames, a strangely shaped greatsword appeared in his hand. "In that case, it would be too regrettable not to go all out."

This is Karna's final strike, a sacrifice of everything, its power enough to completely destroy all "single" existence in the world—living things, non-living things, and even any object, including magical beasts, phantom beasts, divine beasts, humans, shields, armies, cities, barriers, and gods. No existence can withstand it; only the "world" can contend with it.

In fact, the best option was for Anan to simply not take the attack. He could have used the power of [Thousand Worlds One Ride] to dodge it and then easily defeated Karna.

But as he said, it would be too regrettable to fail Karna's noble will.

The intensely hot flames, like molten gold, shot into the sky, mercilessly burning everything in their path. This was a power completely different from the fire of Karna. If the latter signified the majesty of the gods and the indomitable spirit of heroes, then this flame represented pure destruction, an end that would completely burn everything in the world!

"Thank you." Feeling the power that made the whole world tremble, Karna finally showed a satisfied smile.

"Burn completely—'Sun Wheel, submit to death (VasaviShakti)'!!"

Without fear, Anan stared at the God-Slaying Spear bathed in lightning, and casually raised the Heavenly Judgment in his hand.

"This is the heavenly fire that burned Sodom, the flaming sword that guarded the Garden of Eden."

"Witness the final destruction of the world."

"Heavenly Fire, unsheathe!"

Endless, scorching flames spread out in a mighty torrent, like fiery clouds, rising with temperatures comparable to the sun, as if to set the entire world ablaze.

A dazzling bolt of lightning fell from the sky, and terrifying, vast magical power surged like a raging tide, delivering a devastating blow—an indomitable hero's rebellion against the world!

Two completely different forces collided instantly, and for a moment time seemed to freeze, and then—

Rumble, rumble, rumble—!!!

A deafening explosion erupted into the sky, and for a moment the whole world seemed to tremble. Crimson flames and lightning intertwined, and the dazzling light illuminated the boundless night into eternal daylight. Magical fluctuations, like a storm, swept wildly in all directions, mercilessly crushing everything around them.

Sensing the surging power, Vlad III and Kama's expressions changed simultaneously, and they both chose to retreat.

On one side is the thunder that slays gods, and on the other is the flame that burns the world. The two are destroyed in the process of rebirth, and reborn in the process of destruction, and then cancel each other out, leaving only endless chaos.

Such a magnificent sight is rarely seen even in the realm of heroic spirits, and everyone who witnessed it was filled with intense shock.

"Even the legendary gods are probably no better than this," Vlad III sighed softly. At this moment, he finally realized just how vast the gap was between himself and the truly top-tier Servants.

Kama pursed his thin lips, his eyes flickering slightly, revealing a hint of lingering fear, yet also a hidden sense of relief.

Sesshouin Kihara watched this scene, a subtle, enigmatic smile playing on her lips.

The explosion lasted for a full ten minutes. When everything gradually quieted down, the vast land shrouded in thick smoke was covered with countless spiderweb-like cracks and huge craters resembling those of a meteorite impact. All of this was created by the aftershocks of the collision.

Amidst the hazy smoke, Karna, wielding the Spear of Godslayer, and Anan, wielding the Greatsword of Heavenly Fire, stood facing each other dozens of meters apart, their calm eyes fixed on one another, as if nothing had happened.

Could it be a draw? The thought had just crossed everyone's minds when a crisp "snap" sound suddenly rang out.

They turned around in astonishment and saw that the God-Slaying Spear in Karna's hand was breaking apart bit by bit, and the scattered fragments dissipated into spiritual light before they even hit the ground.

Karna himself also vanished into nothingness along with the spiritual light.

"It seems I've lost." Karna sighed softly as he watched his body gradually dissipate. "Even with all my strength and no interference from anyone, I still lost."

“You are a true hero,” Yanan said earnestly. “Both your will and your efforts deserve everyone’s respect.”

"You don't need to comfort me. I'm actually very happy right now," Karna chuckled. "I only descended to fulfill Master's wish, but I never expected to be able to achieve such satisfaction. I have no regrets."

He suffered many misfortunes in his life, and in the end, due to the enemy's scheming, he was killed before he could use his true abilities. Although Karna did not harbor any resentment, he was still somewhat unwilling and regretful, as he did not even get to use his full strength in the end.

But this time, he was finally satisfied. He had done his best in a fair and just one-on-one match, and it didn't matter if he lost in the end, since he wasn't the kind of guy who cared a lot about winning or losing anyway.

The only regrettable thing is that this time he was unable to offer a victory to the Master he hadn't even had a chance to meet.

"I'm sorry, Master..." He gently closed his eyes and completely vanished into specks of light.

Lacner (Red), Karna, son of the sun god, has his spirit origin dissipated and is confirmed dead.

“It’s over…” Kotomine Shiro sighed softly, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

Now, their two exceptional Servants, Rider Ozymandias and Lancer Karna, have both been killed in action, leaving only Assassin Semiramis and Archer Kama as their remaining forces.

Although the Black faction also lost a significant number of Servants, including Caster Avisbro, Saber Siegfried, Berserker Frankenstein, and Assassin Jack the Ripper, the remaining three Servants—Lancer, Rider, and Archer—are all top-tier Servants. Add to that Saber Mordred, whose stance is clearly biased towards the Black faction, and in terms of combat power, the Red faction has completely overwhelmed them.

Almighty God, is this your final judgment on me...? Kotomine Shiro looked up at the starry night sky and sighed silently in his heart.

“The time is almost right,” Sesshouin Kihara said with a light laugh.

Timing? What timing? Kotomine Shiro looked at the mysterious nun with suspicion, when suddenly a muffled groan came from beside him.

"Cough cough..."

Crimson blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and Vlad III staggered forward, his eyes filled with obvious disbelief.

He lowered his head slightly and saw a slender arm, as if pieced together from a deep blue crystal, pass through his chest, and in its palm was his heart.

How could this be...? When exactly...?

"I've finally waited this long." A light and cheerful tone echoed in his ears, but there was something strange about it, as if two completely different voices were overlapping. "Well then, to celebrate this rare moment, let's start with dessert before the main course."

A ghostly blue flame erupted, and Vlad III's heart was instantly reduced to ashes.

"Your Majesty!" Danic, who had just escaped Jack's illusion, saw this scene and his pupils suddenly shrank to the size of pinholes.

"It's not that simple!"

Vlad III gritted his teeth, his expression ferocious, his eyes filled with madness, and he slammed his spear into the ground. Twenty thousand iron stakes burst forth at once, covering him and Kama together.

Let's die together, you bastards!

The earth trembled violently as the cold, sharp iron stake easily pierced Vlad III's body. However, the aura behind him did not weaken at all; instead, it expanded continuously as if some kind of restraint had been released, quickly exceeding the limit that an ordinary spirit origin could withstand.

"Total destruction? The idea is good, but unfortunately, we lack the strength."

Kama withdrew his arm, watching Vlad III gradually dissipate into spiritual particles, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

Strange, twisted demonic horns gradually spread from both sides of the head, followed by one after another wildly writhing black tentacles. The eerie blue crystals, accompanied by flames, rapidly turned dark red, exuding an aura of corruption and misfortune.

An indescribable fear rose from the depths of everyone's hearts. Gazing at Kama, whose appearance had undergone a complete transformation, everyone inexplicably felt as if they were facing their natural enemy, and they couldn't even muster the slightest thought of resistance.

"What on earth is going on!?" Shishigure was covered in sweat, breathing heavily, struggling against the terrifying aura that seemed to be overwhelming him. "Why did Archer suddenly become like that? Hey, Saber, say something!"

He turned his head and was shocked to find that the hands of this usually fearless and rebellious knight were trembling slightly as he held the sword.

"How... is that possible? How could something like that possibly be here?"

Hearing Saber's words, the ominous feeling in Shishigaki's heart grew stronger, and he hurriedly asked, "What's so special about Archer's form?"

“No… she is no longer Archer, Master,” Mordred said in a hoarse voice. “That is the evil of humanity, the ultimate calamity, its name is Beast!”

Everyone was slightly taken aback, and a chill suddenly ran through their hearts.

As participants in the Holy Grail War, they naturally knew that the Holy Grail War's summoning system was actually derived from the final battle magic used to save the primate world—the Summoning Ritual: Heroic Spirit Summoning. The purpose of this magic was to summon the Grand Servant, who was at the pinnacle of the seven Heroic Spirits, to come and defeat the great calamity that was hindering the development of the primate world.

Another explanation for this great disaster is [human evil], also known as—

Beast!

Chapter Forty-Eight: Facing the Third Beast!

Beasts are a great calamity rejected by human history.

It is also known as "human evil," referring to various disasters that threaten human history and destroy humanity. Born from humankind, they grow stronger with human development, yet destroy civilization from within, existing like cancer cells.

In the Type-Moon universe, there are seven evils of humanity. As long as humanity continues to exist, evil will never be eradicated. This evil is not based on malice towards humanity, because malice is only temporary and becomes weaker with use. Therefore, the so-called evil of humanity is actually human love itself, the desire to protect humanity's bright future.

The power of the [Beast] is self-evident. Even the seven Grand Heroes at the pinnacle of the Heroic Spirits can only defeat a [Beast] when they work together. This alone is enough to show how powerful and terrifying the [Beast] is.

Although Lion Robber and the others had heard of the legends about [Beasts], they had never witnessed such an existence with their own eyes. In their minds, the so-called [Beasts] were just like the so-called [Gods], merely ethereal phantoms shrouded in the thick fog of history, beings that could not be encountered even if one spent their entire life trying.

But what no one expected was that in a mere Holy Grail War, the [Beast] truly descended.

At this moment, whether it was Nidhogg and Semiramis entangled in the sky, or the various heroic spirits and magicians on the ground, everyone fell silent, gazing at the demonic figure that seemed to have become the center of heaven and earth.

"What... what is going on? Why... why is the [beast] here...?" Kotomine Shiro had completely lost his composure, his eyes filled with intense horror.

Before deciding to participate in the Holy Grail War, Kotomine Shirou had already made all the preparations. Whether he succeeded or failed, it was all within his expectations. As long as he had given his all, he would accept whatever the final result was.

However, that one thing was completely unexpected. No, to be more precise, probably no one could have predicted its appearance.

With a sharp, clear sound, like a dragon's roar, Kotomine Shirou pressed his katana tightly against Sesshouin Kiara's neck, his gaze as sharp as a blade.

"Tell me, what exactly is going on?! Sesshouin Kiara!"

Kotomine Shiro hadn't forgotten what Sesshouin had said earlier, "The time is almost here." Considering the current situation, it's clear that this mysterious nun knew from the beginning that Archer's true identity was [Beast].

"Since you knew Archer was a beast, why didn't you say so sooner? Don't you know how dangerous [beasts] are!?"

Kotomine Shiro questioned Sesshouin Kiara sharply, his katana moving forward another inch, leaving a striking bloodstain on the latter's fair and slender neck.

"The dangers of [beasts]? Of course I know, in fact, no one knows better than me." To Kotomine Shiro's surprise, Sesshouin's reaction was very calm, her beautiful face still bearing that unperturbed smile, as pure and radiant as a Bodhisattva who saves people from suffering. "But what does it matter?"

"Do you even know what you're saying?!" Kotomine Shiro gritted his teeth, for that was a beast capable of destroying humanity!

“Of course.” Sesshouin smiled. “I not only know that Archer is a [Beast], but I also know that she is the Third Beast, the ‘fallen’ Beast who governs love and desire—Moro.”

"The Third Beast..."

“Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, your goal is to save all of humanity and bring complete redemption to this sinful world, right?” Sesshouin turned to look at Kama in the center of the battlefield, seemingly unconcerned about the sharp katana pressed tightly against his neck.

"So what if I am?" Amakusa Shiro Tokisada was not surprised at all that his real name had been called out. This nun had too many secrets, she was like an unfathomable fog. Even if she confessed that she was also a [beast], he would not be surprised.

"If that's the case, why do you reject the Third Beast?" Sesshouin Kihara smiled. "For you, isn't the Third Beast just an opportunity to achieve your goal?"

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada frowned slightly: "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"The Third Beast's ability is to bestow [love] upon anything, including humans, of course." Sesshouin Kiara shrugged. "Imagine if all humans were immersed in love, then no one would ever think of comparing themselves to others again. Everyone could find endless satisfaction in boundless [love]. No one would start conflicts over ridiculous reasons like poverty or freedom, because they would all have already achieved their own satisfaction. From then on, there would be no more fighting in this world, and everyone could get the love they wanted."

Sesshouin's whispers flowed into Amakusa Shiro Tokisada's heart like sweet syrup: "Isn't this the [redemption] you've been seeking?"

"Don't joke around!" After a brief moment of confusion, the power of [Revelation] restored Amakusa Shiro Tokisada's clarity. "This is not salvation at all, it's just a cage for the [Beast]!"

"So what?" Sesshouin Kiara said nonchalantly. "Isn't it nice to be a carefree little bird in a cage, rather than witnessing the cruelty and darkness of the world?"

"You really have... gone mad." Amakusa Shiro Tokisada took a deep breath and gripped the scabbard in his hand tightly.