Did the Heroic Spirit I conquered become a reality?

Sajō Aika sighed softly, then said, "To be honest, I'm in a bit of trouble right now... Could you help me out?"

As she finished speaking, she lowered her eyes and gazed silently at Assassin.

Despite the absence of any magical fluctuations, Assassin felt utterly unable to even muster the thought of resistance.

Then, one of his many split personalities belonging to Hassan, perhaps the most primal "survival instinct" hidden deep within, or perhaps the ultimate yearning for some higher level of "beauty" and "power," actually transcended fear at this moment!

In front of Ayaka Sajou, he did something that even he himself couldn't understand—

He abruptly released his grip on the short blade, letting the deadly weapon fall to the ground, and then…

Under that terrifying pressure that could freeze one's soul, this Assassin, whose creed was assassination and whose life was about stealth, actually... knelt down on one knee slowly and with utmost devotion towards the girl who exuded a god-like aura, in an almost submissive posture.

"It would be my pleasure to serve you, Master."

Book 1: Chapter 55 The Beast, Kama Appears

The moonlight, as white as frost, shone on the stone steps outside Ryudong Temple, and also reflected on Kenneth's handsome face, which was slightly distorted by extreme shock.

"Tohsaka...Yu..."

Upon seeing the boy before him, Kenneth's mind was thrown into chaos by the sudden and completely distorted "truth" that overturned his understanding.

How could this be?! His own disciple, the boy who displayed unparalleled talent in gem magic, has actually appeared in this Holy Grail War as a Caster?!

"Master?" Artoria's cool voice snapped Kenneth out of his reverie.

Her emerald green eyes were filled with confusion as she looked at her Master, who was also the Lion King and had never seen Kenneth so flustered before.

"Do you perhaps know Caster?" Artoria keenly sensed Kenneth's dramatic emotional fluctuations and the complex look in his eyes as he gazed at Tohsaka Yuuto.

Kenneth took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down from the immense shock.

He gathered his slightly disordered thoughts and gradually regained his composure: "Tohsaka Yu... he is my disciple."

Even Artoria couldn't help but show an expression of disbelief the moment she heard this answer.

The boy I just fought was actually Kenneth's disciple...?

Artoria's gaze once again fell upon Yu Tohsaka, who was not far away.

Soon, the Lion King's brows furrowed slightly.

Since he is the Master's disciple, why would he participate in the Holy Grail War as a Servant? Moreover... she could clearly sense that although the Caster in front of her seemed to be in a sorry state during the battle just now, he still seemed to be holding back.

It was some more dangerous power, like a sleeping behemoth lurking deep within his soul, which he had never truly unleashed.

Was that his true... Noble Phantasm?

Thinking of this, Artoria's eyes gradually showed more interest.

Although the boy in front of her used magic crudely, the sheer amount of magic power he possessed, and the fact that he might be hiding a true treasure, aroused in her a strong... desire to fight!

"Regardless of whether they are Master's disciples or not, since they are in the Holy Grail War, let's consider them opponents for now."

Artoria pointed her holy lance at Yuuyu once more, her emerald green eyes reflecting the boy's face: "You've been holding back from the very beginning, haven't you? That feeling is really infuriating..."

"Let me see for myself what your true Noble Phantasm, which you've never used, really is!"

Having said that, she no longer waited for Kenneth's orders, and the immense magical power belonging to the "Red Dragon" around her suddenly erupted!

The holy spear in his hand gleamed with a light powerful enough to tear the sky apart and anchor the world!

That was a Noble Phantasm unique to the Lion King… After confirming Tohsaka Yu’s identity, she actually decided to use the Noble Phantasm of the Holy Lance!

Almost the instant the magic surged, the radiance of the Holy Lance in Artoria's hand had reached its peak, and the true name release of [Holy Lance, Anchor] was ready to be unleashed.

The Lion King's emerald green eyes burned with fierce fighting spirit and intense curiosity about the true Noble Phantasm of the Caster before him.

However, at this critical moment when the tension was high and their Noble Phantasms were about to clash—

Artoria was surprised to see Tiamat Lily, who had been quietly sitting beside Tohsaka Yu like a delicate doll, suddenly reach out her small, white hands and tightly hug Tohsaka Yu's right arm.

“You…” She looked up at him with her tender and adorable little face, her ruby-like eyes fixed on him without blinking. There was no fear or panic in her eyes, only pure trust and… an unquestionable “request”.

She is signaling to Yu Tohsaka to unleash her power.

Yu Tohsaka paused slightly, a brief silence and inner turmoil settling in his mind.

To be honest, if he could, he wouldn't want to use Tiamat's true power at this time and place.

The Tiamat Lily before him wasn't even a complete clone; it was merely a spirit formed through his own magic and the deep soul anchor between them.

Although they possess some combat power, they are not yet capable of destroying the world.

However, if he were to use his full power, employing the conceptual Noble Phantasm [Anchor of the Primordial] as a medium, he could forcibly summon a portion of Tiamat's power from the "Sanctuary" of the Sea of ​​Imaginary Numbers, condensing it into a true battle clone...

Yu Tohsaka's gaze unconsciously drifted towards the core area where the Greater Grail slumbered, inside the gates of Ryudouji Temple.

Ryudong Temple, the spiritual veins of this place are too closely connected to the Greater Grail.

Tiamat's "Sea of ​​Life," in essence, is similar to the black mud in the Greater Grail that pollutes everything with "all the evil of this world"—both are terrifying beings filled with primordial chaos and the characteristic of "return."

He was a little worried that once Tiamat's power manifested on a large scale here, the enormous aura of the "Sea of ​​Life" might resonate with the black mud in the Greater Grail, or even... completely "corrupt" it to the point that even Ayaka Sajou couldn't purify it.

The risk is too great.

But right now, facing Artoria's full-force attack that unleashed the true name of the Holy Lance, if he relied solely on his own gem magic, I'm afraid...

Yu Tohsaka glanced at Tiamat Lily, who was still tightly holding his arm and had an unwavering look in her eyes, and then at Artoria, who was not far away and had raised the Holy Lance high, exuding an unparalleled kingly aura.

Finally, she let out a soft sigh.

He could only choose to believe.

It is believed that the barrier set up by Ayaka Sajou deep within Ryudouji Temple can isolate the potential spillover effects of Tiamat's "Sea of ​​Life"...

Or perhaps, one can trust that the "mother" beside them is able to accurately grasp the measure of this power, beyond that "primal" instinct.

Thinking of this, the last trace of hesitation in Tohsaka Yu's heart disappeared, and his eyes became extremely firm.

On the other side, Gilgamesh, who had been watching the battle with great interest, seemed to have also noticed the sudden change in Yu Tohsaka's aura, which had become more profound and dangerous.

His scarlet eyes narrowed slightly, and his hands, which had been clasped in front of his chest, unconsciously lowered themselves. He even...subconsciously took a half step back.

This Caster... the aura about him that resembled that of a "mother" seemed to have become even stronger.

Could it be him...? Gilgamesh suddenly had a bad feeling.

However, out of respect for the king's dignity, he ultimately refrained from offering any advice or dissuasion.

Artoria, however, interpreted Tohsaka Yu's momentary silence and sigh as having another meaning.

In her view, the fact that Caster was still unwilling to use his true Noble Phantasm even now was the ultimate contempt for the Holy Lance in her hand.

“Caster!” Artoria’s voice grew even sharper with anger. “Are you… looking down on me?!”

"To be honest, if it's Yi Linyi (7) Temple: Yaku! Shiku Chun, I still hope that the Holy Grail War won't be too affected by me."

Yu Tohsaka ignored Artoria's question and simply muttered to himself, his voice filled with helplessness and a resolute determination to break some kind of taboo.

As he spoke, he slowly raised his right hand.

"But if things have escalated to this point, there's nothing we can do..."

Artoria frowned slightly, a bad feeling creeping into her heart for some reason.

But her desire for this battle prevented her from backing down in the slightest.

The light on the holy spear in her hand had reached its peak, and that terrifying power, enough to anchor the surface of the world, was about to be fully released!

"—Holy Lance, pull anchor!!!"

Accompanied by Artoria's clear voice, a golden pillar of light pierced through the heavens and earth, crashing down on Tohsaka Yu like divine punishment!

At the same time, Yuuya Tohsaka finally unleashed his true Noble Phantasm, which he had never used lightly and which was connected to Tiamat's soul—

"Connect to the sea of ​​imaginary numbers, reveal the truth, [Primordial Anchor]—!!!"

boom--! ! !

A deep blue beam of light, even more profound and darker than the Holy Lance beam, seemingly originating from before the world's birth and filled with primordial chaos and boundless life force, suddenly shot into the sky from beneath Tohsaka Yu's feet!

The beam of light did not shoot towards Artoria, but... as if it had a life of its own, it instantly surged into Tiamat Lily's petite body, who was tightly hugging his arm!

“Aaaaaa——!!!”

A long, innocent howl, filled with joy, satisfaction, and... a long-lost sense of "completeness," escaped from Tiamat Lily's mouth!

The next second, her originally petite and delicate loli-like body began to "grow" rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, enveloped by a deep blue beam of light.

Her features, which were originally as delicate as a doll's, quickly matured and became alluring in the light, exuding a heart-stirring primal maternal charm.

Her long, flowing blue hair grew wildly, cascading down like a waterfall in the deep sea. Her pure white dress remained the same, but her exquisite figure instantly became voluptuous and full, filled with breathtaking curves!

What's even more terrifying is that as her body "grows," an indescribable, terrifying pressure, seemingly from ancient times, suddenly erupts from her.

It was no longer the "motherly" aura that required careful perception to detect, but rather... a pure, primal, and overwhelming sense of power that could make all things submit to it.

The space around Ryudong Temple began to tremble violently, and the earth let out a mournful cry of unbearable pressure. Countless dark "seas of life" that exuded the breath of life yet carried the will of death and return, like living creatures, surged, wriggled and spread wildly from the area shrouded in deep blue light at her feet!

The beam of light dispersed.

A blue-haired woman, dressed in a pure white dress, barefoot, possessing an alluringly beautiful face and a stunning figure, floated silently in mid-air.

Her ruby-like eyes were no longer filled with innocence and naivety, but instead held a gentle, watery quality.

Facing the holy spear beam that fell like divine punishment, the newly "returned" Mother Goddess of Creation gently raised her seemingly slender and delicate right hand and casually... pressed it down in mid-air towards the golden beam of light that was powerful enough to tear the heavens and earth apart.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no cataclysmic energy clash.

There was only... an eerie silence.

Artoria's holy lance, capable of anchoring the world's surface and shattering all evil, was instantly devoured by an invisible force when it came into contact with Tiamat's seemingly casual press, as if it had encountered an insurmountable, more ancient "rule"!

Yes, devour!

The dazzling golden beam of light, under Tiamat's fair palm, dimmed and shrank rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, and finally... disappeared completely into the air as if it had never existed.

The surging, writhing "sea of ​​life" beneath Tiamat's feet seemed to become even deeper and more... "vibrant" because of this.

"..."

Artoria's emerald green eyes widened suddenly, and for the first time, an expression of disbelief and near-horrification appeared on her face.

The Holy Lance broke free of its anchor, and... it was swallowed up so easily...?! It didn't even put up a decent resistance before being devoured by that strange "black mud"?!

But how is this possible? !

What kind of monster is this woman summoned by the caster?!

This operation... this ability to directly "devour" and convert sacred magic into one's own power... involuntarily reminded Artoria of a similarly terrifying and hopeless enemy she had faced in the distant ancient British era.

A white dragon of Britain, capable of devouring the brilliance of the holy sword, a dragon that rendered even the "Sun Knight" Gawain, who was said to possess the divinity of the sun, powerless to resist.

Voodoo!

The power displayed by the blue-haired woman before them, the absolute suppression and devouring of divine power... was far more terrifying than that of Vortigern.

Tiamat did not immediately pursue Artoria. As if sensing something, she slightly turned her head and subconsciously looked in a certain direction inside the gate of Ryudouji Temple.

"What's wrong?" Yu Tohsaka sensed the subtle change in her emotions and subconsciously asked, "Could it be that Aika is having problems?"

Tiamat gently shook her head and replied in a soft voice with a unique rhythm, "I feel like something is being conceived at the core of the Greater Grail."

At the same time, Kirei Kotomine, who had been standing on the edge of the battlefield with a cold expression, suddenly changed his expression!

Because, just now, the contractual connection between him and his Servant—Assas Hassan—which should have been incredibly strong, was completely severed without any warning!

Assassin... actually left the scene in the heart of Ryudouji Temple?!

Was it resolved by Caster's Master, Sajō Ayaka?!

Before he could even process what had happened, an even more ominous and terrifying aura suddenly erupted from inside the gate of Liudong Temple.

Immediately afterwards——

thump... thump...

dong dong...

Boom boom boom...!!!

A heavy, rhythmic, eerie sound, like the beating of a giant beast's heart, came from the depths of Ryudong Temple without warning, echoing clearly in everyone's ears, as if striking directly into their souls.