That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

boom!

The earth shattered, and its heavy body instantly flew directly above Saber. The cursed king's sword slashed down vertically, its magical power surging, its force as fierce as the venting of its master's anger.

Mordred roared in fury: "Die!"

Sensing Mordred's terrifying killing intent, Saber remained calm, recalling the words Howl had once spoken.

Carrying the weight of the past, she now has even more important people to protect.

No need to hesitate.

Saber drew her sword forward, golden light covering its blade. The dragon essence within her circulated, and a massive amount of magic erupted from her heart, surging into the golden holy sword in her hand. It was like throwing a nuclear bomb into a volcano; the golden radiance enveloping the holy sword suddenly boiled, and the overflowing radiance collided with the crimson lightning. They were irreconcilable, each constructing its own distinct domain.

Swish!

The dazzling golden holy sword swung upwards from the side, heading straight for the cursed king's sword.

His azure eyes reflected an unwavering calmness, a return to the era when he was still the King of Knights.

"This is···"

Mordred trembled inwardly upon seeing Saber, the image of the King of Knights already deeply ingrained in her bones.

The current King of Knights is an invincible being.

Her killing of the Knight King was the result of meticulous planning. While the Knights of the Round Table were falling apart and the Knight King was going to fight against his former colleagues, she was promoting herself freely in the country, while slandering the Knight King, and finally putting him on trial in the name of justice.

It was not the rebellious knights who defeated the Knight King, but rather the Knight King who lost what he was protecting and was attacked by the very country he ruled.

Mordred only managed to defeat the exhausted Knight King through despicable means, but ultimately died at the Knight King's hands.

The moment fear surged, Mordred reacted immediately, instead feeling an overwhelming surge of anger. Such thoughts, that she could still fear the Knight King, meant that deep down she still longed for the King's existence.

Unforgivable, neither to myself nor to the Knight King.

Mordred unleashed her magic once more, roaring ferociously, "King of Knights! Vanish with my wrath!"

boom!

Crimson lightning and dazzling golden light erupted from the earth, intertwining and soaring into the sky. A section of the hill where Saber and Mordred were located was cleaved away, and the magical energy surged, forming a destructive field that spread outwards, melting all the soil and rocks on the earth.

In the midst of the shattered light, the Holy Sword clashed with the Cursed King's Sword. Golden light enveloped Saber's body, protecting her from harm, while crimson lightning spilled from Mordred's armor.

The cursed king's sword could no longer fall even half a foot. Under the torrent of light, its blade gradually became covered with cracks. If this continued, the cursed king's sword would be cut off by the holy sword.

Mordred gritted his teeth, feeling as if no matter how much magic he released, it was all pouring into a bottomless abyss. He roared in frustration, "Damn it!"

boom!

Mordred stopped supplying magic and switched from offense to defense. His body was instantly blasted away by the holy sword, and he landed on the ground with his legs leaving deep ruts.

She braced herself and swung the Cursed King Sword in her hand, re-covering it with burning magic and repairing the cracks in the blade.

Saber did not pursue, but pointed her sword at the rebellious knight and calmly commented: "Lord Mordred, you have never grown up, neither then nor now."

The pure blue eyes showed no emotion or wavering.

"Can't you hear the mournful cry of the King's Sword in your hand? I will sever it, end its mission, and then I will cut off your head and end this battle."

"This is the king's duty."

The King of Knights, the ever-victorious King, the King of Ideals, has returned.

He lost his colleagues, his most precious friendship, his wife, and was ultimately betrayed by the kingdom he was protecting.

He should have had nothing, so why...?

Mordred gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, her fear unable to be concealed by anger, but now all she could do was vent her rage and face the ever-victorious king with her sword.

She already knew that at that moment, on the sword railing, she had no way out.

······

On the Radiant Ship, Hall, who was modifying the Greater Grail system, sensed the approaching presence of another Servant.

"It seems that it's basically impossible to complete the modification of the Greater Grail tonight." Hall sighed and shook his head, then turned and left the Radiant Ship.

"Hall, where are you going?" Astolfo shouted in confusion as he watched Hall's departing figure.

"Rider, you're responsible for staying here to protect the Radiant Ship and the Aeon Grail system."

"Hey... let me help out too."

"No need, protecting the Greater Grail is already helping."

"There's no other way. Go in peace. I will protect the Holy Grail, even at the cost of the honor of Charlemagne's twelve warriors."

Hall's body fell from the sky to the deserted wilderness. His demonic eyes flickered and he saw Joan of Arc, the blackened saint, standing not far away, holding a flagpole in one hand and a sword in the other. She had silver hair and golden eyes, and a vicious, cold smile appeared on her beautiful face: "This won't do, Caster of the Black Faction. If you had been a good girl, I would have loved you very much."

Hall asked directly, "Is your goal also the Greater Grail?"

"Of course, seizing the Greater Grail would be a serious violation of the rules of the Holy Grail War."

"The Greater Grail was buried in the land belonging to the Yggdrasilia clan before, so it shouldn't be a problem for me to keep it safe now."

"Stop trying to fool children with those words. Although I don't know what you plan to do with the Greater Grail, it will undoubtedly affect the fairness of the Holy Grail War. As the Ruler, I will act as the referee and return the Greater Grail immediately, or I will take coercive measures."

"..."

"I see. Silence is your answer. You really are a bad child. But the more you do this, the louder your screams will be in hell at the stake, right?" Jeanne Alter chuckled morbidly.

Chapter 213 Inherent Barrier

"Come on, shout in hell!"

The joy of birth! The hatred of birth! The despair of birth!

They all roared out!

"La Grondement Du Haine (Roar, my wrath!)"

The Black Saintess raised her banner high, roared the true name of her Noble Phantasm, and divine punishment fire descended from the sky, like the world's largest Victoria Falls. Its sound was deafening, its power was awe-inspiring, and its form was overwhelming, like a raging flood engulfing the earth.

Rumble~

Burn, burn, until everything is burned to ashes.

Surrounded by the scorching heat of hell, Hall felt as if every breath he took was a flame, burning his lungs and boiling his blood dry.

The air was filled with the smell of fire and burning, and one could vaguely hear whispers from hell.

Hall raised his right hand, watching as the flames burned away his skin, revealing the chilling white bones beneath. Waves of excruciating pain pierced his very bones and soul. The defensive barrier inside his body was burned through in less than an instant. Fortunately, the sheath of the Holy Sword in his heart functioned properly, firmly protecting his vital organs.

This is no ordinary flame; it is a karmic fire of hatred that can burn away the sinner's body, blood, and even the sins hidden in their soul.

"So that's how it is. This is you, born from flames." Hall's pale face twisted into a smile. There was no need to dodge Jeanne d'Arc Alter's Noble Phantasm, Abomination. Abomination was both offensive and defensive, capable of absorbing enemy Noble Phantasm attacks and then amplifying the counterattack. If even these flames couldn't be dealt with, there was no possibility of defeating Jeanne d'Arc Alter.

Personally experience the pain of being burned by karmic fire, use your magic eye to see through its magical nature, and then make adjustments from the foundation.

It feels familiar.

Yes, putting aside the physical body, the feeling on a spiritual and soul level is very close to being baptized by the evil of this world.

Boiling blood dripped from Hall's body, evaporating before it even hit the ground due to the intense heat, while the skeletal frame shimmered with golden light.

The Holy Sword Sheath [An Ideal Land Far From the World] gradually loses its ability to defend against the karmic fires of hell when it is not unfolded.

Jeanne Alter laughed wildly: "You managed to hold out for so long, you really have a lot of strange Noble Phantasms. But it doesn't matter, the Flames of Hatred will burn you to ashes. It hurts, doesn't it? I know, because I was also burned to death by the Flames of Hatred. It was an excruciating pain, as if even my bone marrow was burned away. Enjoy it~"

With his skin festering and muscles dissolving, Hall's body had become a burning skeleton. Only his right eye's magic circuit continued to absorb and operate, and he slightly raised his head to look at Jeanne Alter, his hoarse voice extremely unpleasant: "Is that all?"

The spiritual impact of hatred and karmic fire is even less than that of worldly evils.

"How is this possible!" Jeanne Alter was stunned. Her gaze met Hall's only remaining intact right eye, which shone brightly. She heard Hall's mocking laughter: "Your hatred is nothing special. I can't blame you. After all, you are a Servant I created by corrupting your Spirit Origin with the simulated Angra Mainyu (Evil of this World)."

"What are you talking about!" Jeanne Alter frowned in confusion.

"Your fire of hatred is far less than the evil of this world."

Hall chuckled, and black liquid gushed from his outstretched right palm, instantly extinguishing the flames of hatred that should have been impossible to extinguish.

The evil of this world

Hall once accepted this completely, thus transforming himself into an evil god who would destroy the world.

It far surpasses the fire of hatred in its magnitude; the evil of this world is a curse that burns down the world and destroys the very essence of humanity.

Similar traces remain deep within Hall's soul.

Jeanne Alter's expression changed drastically as she stared at the pool of black mud. Her instincts, ingrained deep within her spirit core, warned her how dangerous it was.

"A world-class curse!"

Jeanne d'Arc Alter unconsciously took a step back. Once a Servant comes into contact with this stuff, their Spirit Origin will be instantly corrupted and assimilated.

After the initial shock, Jeanne Alter's smile revealed a hint of malicious intent: "As expected, Caster of the Black faction, you are the biggest mastermind behind this Holy Grail War. No matter who you are or what kind of Heroic Spirit you are, being able to summon these things is your greatest crime."

Hall chuckled indifferently, "Whether it's the Greater Grail or the Evil of This World, they're just excuses, Ruler. You just want to get involved in this Holy Grail War."

"Huh, have we been exposed?"

"I understand when I see your innocent smile."

It is filled with sadism, excitement, and malice. Even its beautiful face cannot hide its pure malice. In a sense, it is quite naive.

Jeanne Alter chuckled: "Because it was so boring. Who told you to show me that sight last night? The earth collapsed, the sky was torn apart, the world was burned, it was like a real hell. It was amazing! Absolutely amazing! How could anyone stay calm after seeing something like that!"

"In that case, we have no choice but to let you leave the stage."

"The outcome is still uncertain, and I need the Holy Grail for that. Give me more surprises, Caster of the Black Faction!"

Jeanne Alter raised her black longsword and swung it forward. In an instant, even more intense hellfire engulfed Hall's body, and hellfire erupted everywhere, ravaging the earth.

The small amount of worldly evil that Hall created was also burned away.

buzz~

As the karmic fire surged, the golden light flowing around Hall's body suddenly dimmed, and his body below the knees was instantly burned to ashes by the hateful karmic fire. With each increase in the intensity of the hateful karmic fire, the light of the sword sheath protecting Hall's body receded a little.

"It's about time we both got serious."

Jeanne Alter's lips curled into a cold smirk as several black spears pierced through Hall's chest from the flames, suspending his body in mid-air to suffer the torment of karmic fire.

Hall carefully felt this pain and hatred, aspects that Joan of Arc should never have exhibited.

The ability to reverse the effects of the evil curse of this world is inevitably also affected by the evil characteristics of this world.