stonecrandall Page 104
Page 104
With this overwhelming combat experience, he could discern the trajectory of Europa II's power with each sword swing and precisely disrupt it by targeting specific points, interrupting Europa II's attacks when they were at their maximum effectiveness, thus preventing each of Europa II's attacks from fully unleashing its full power.
Even so, you are acutely aware that you are at a disadvantage in this duel.
[Possessing the Red Dragon Factor and parasitized by the Sixth Beast, Europa II, after fully displaying the form belonging to the Sixth Beast, has reached the level of Sephalus when he was first revived. She can ignore the stiffness and damage caused by interrupted movements and forcefully drive her body to carry out the next attack, which is something that normal life forms cannot do.]
Her movements were rapid and her attacks relentless. You could easily see that every time Europa II forced her body to launch an attack, the reaction force would damage her flesh: soft tissue abrasions, joint dislocations, fractures... These injuries, which would be enough to deprive any normal living being of its ability to move, appeared on Europa II's body repeatedly in these few minutes of confrontation.
But she didn't care at all, because her body's regenerative abilities allowed her to act in this way; the immortality of beasts was fully embodied in Europa II.
Compared to the immortality manifested in the "beasts" you might be familiar with, Europa II is quite different. As a warrior, she knows how to use her immortality more efficiently, and this unique way of using it results in her relentless, tidal wave of attacks.
[Tired, painless, and fearless of injury—this is Europa II's greatest asset, and the core reason she has been able to fight you to this day.]
If this battle is similar to the one in Rome, you could simply trade your life for his, forcibly harnessing the power of the true world to withstand Europa II's attack and secure victory.
[After all, the True World was not created by humans. This demonic sword, born on the moon and created by UO, possesses the power to bypass the powers of beasts. You are confident that as long as you send the True World into Europa II's heart and unleash the power of this demonic sword, even the Sixth Beast will not be able to escape unscathed. It will inevitably be severely injured, or even die on the spot. But... this time is different.]
[You are neither a beast nor a supernatural life form with a different bloodline. You are well aware that what you possess is merely inexhaustible physical strength, not immortality that allows you to instantly recover from fatal wounds. You are well aware that you can no longer disregard your own life as before, and your margin for error is extremely low.]
In contrast, Europa II has almost unlimited leeway; if you show any weakness, she will not hesitate to press her advantage and force you to your knees.
But thankfully, you are not alone.
Quinn's duel with Europa II lasted less than five minutes. After adjusting to the shockwaves that nearly destroyed the entire audience hall, several spears of light pierced through the shockwaves and struck Europa II, who was determined to suppress Quinn to the end. These sudden spears of light accurately hit Europa II in the back.
These light spears, powerful enough to destroy even the strongest city walls in an instant, mimicked the power of the Holy Lance's unleashing, causing Europa II to roar in pain and rage the moment they struck him.
"Morgan!"
This was magical support from Morgan; however, these light spears did not cause any real damage to Europa II.
The power of the beast still flows within Europa II, and all attacks related to humans cannot truly harm the Sixth Beast. However, as support, this is enough.
Quinn immediately seized the moment when Europa II was unsteady, took a step back, and held the True World on his arm with the sword tip pointing directly at Europa II's heart. Tens of thousands of moonlight rays gathered at the edge of the demonic sword.
The true world begins to be liberated.
A strong sense of crisis immediately enveloped Europa II. Realizing that a crisis was imminent, perhaps driven by his animalistic instincts, the holy sword in Europa II's hand also began to emit a dazzling brilliance like the blazing sun. The emperor, who possessed the ley lines of the entire British territory, was superior in the efficiency of unleashing the holy sword's power. The release of the star-forged holy sword was faster than that of the real world. Europa II raised the holy sword high and chanted the name of the holy sword.
"Ex..." Mei, are you free? Lin, are you free?
But Morgan wasn't the only one standing there. Before the name of the Holy Sword could even be uttered, two swords, one on the left and one on the right, approached her neck. Artoria and Mordred burst forth from the air currents and attacked Europa II once again. The King's Sword and the Dragon Slayer Blade were also released at the same time, and True Aether had already been formed on these two blades.
"balmung!"
"clarent!"
The release of two incredibly powerful Noble Phantasms arrived first.
Chapter 245 The News Leaked
A deafening roar echoed throughout London, and a dazzling torrent of light pierced through the dome of the palace. Two intersecting beams of light shot straight into the sky, offering a panoramic view of the entire city.
Shiro Emiya, standing on Tower Bridge, was startled by the loud roar and instinctively ducked. Just then, a stray arrow grazed her scalp, forcing her to cower behind her makeshift cover. The next second, from the highest point of Tower Bridge, a crimson streak of light flashed across the sky, landing precisely on the hideout of the thug who had fired the arrow. (The last line appears to be unrelated and possibly a separate, incomplete thought: "Mei nene Mei Yong you kong nene Lin Zai Zai Mei nene...")
"Fantasy collapses."
The explosion and flames immediately engulfed the entire hiding place, swallowing the archer who had fired the arrow along with the cover.
"Master, are you alright?"
Whispers rang out from the red archers, and Shiro nodded with lingering fear, "It's alright, but what about the Imperial Palace..."
"That was the aftershock of the release of a city-level Noble Phantasm, but it didn't belong to that holy sword. Europa II was probably suppressed and didn't even have the chance to release the holy sword in his hand." Having witnessed the power of the release of the Star-Forged Holy Sword firsthand, the red archer decisively cut off the question his master wanted to ask, while projecting a spiral sword in his hand. "Don't pay attention to the situation over there. We need to let these guys corrupted by the Sixth Beast rot outside the core area."
The red archer's words made Shiro Emiya, still shaken, recall what she had been doing. The young but determined magician girl looked again at the other end of Tower Bridge.
The place was now filled with a chaotic, rioting crowd of people, soldiers, nobles and priests who had swept in from all corners of London. It was as if some will had controlled their minds, binding these people who should not have gathered together into one force, attempting to use their overwhelming numbers to break through the blockade she and the Red Archers had set up on Tower Bridge and bring the chaos into the inner city of London.
This disorder and chaos was imbued with some kind of evil power. Even though Shiro Emiya couldn't understand it, he knew that this chaos must not be allowed to approach the London court. Otherwise, the already troublesome Europa II, who was located in the palace, would be further strengthened.
Yes, they are carrying out a righteous bridge-blocking operation and are playing an indispensable role in the important task of saving the world.
"The sixth beast in the palace has obviously been suppressed. You must trust your teacher. He is a man recognized by the suppressor and has the ability to deal with the sixth beast. All we need to do is provide him with support and prevent the sixth beast from gaining any last-minute enhancements."
The red archer's words were extremely penetrating, not only clearly audible to Emiya Haku, who was several meters away, but also to the crowd on the other side of the bridge: "Today, no one can cross this bridge!"
Such resolute words instantly enraged the crowd on the other side of the bridge. People frantically shouted things like "the tyrant's murderer" and "the evil undead," and surged onto the bridge like a tidal wave, resembling a mass charge. If it were an ordinary army, no, even a small number of righteous knights gathered here, they would be overwhelmed by this vast sea of people.
Unfortunately, they encountered the Red Archer and Shiro Emiya.
The red archer standing on the bridge was practically born to block bridges. The spiral sword called the Red Plains Hound, which was copied using projection magic, was transformed into an arrow the moment it was nocked onto the bowstring. It accurately struck the nobles and priests on the other side of the bridge who were constantly shouting and inciting the crowd. After hitting the target, accompanied by the words "Illusion Collapse," the projected treasure immediately began to disintegrate, causing an explosion comparable to dozens of oil tankers exploding at the same time.
This terrorist-like attack method can only be used by the Red Archer. After all, the number of Noble Phantasms a regular Servant possesses is limited, and each time they activate Fantasy Collapse, it means that the Servant has completely given up a Noble Phantasm. But the Red Archer is different. He has an unlimited stockpile of Noble Phantasms, and as long as he has a supply of mana, he can unleash the art of explosions without any restraint.
And Shiro Emiya is precisely the Master who can support him in such battles.
As a beloved disciple chosen by Queen to teach fairy magic, Shirou Emiya had already received a systematic and complete magic education during his ten years at the Clock Tower. The magical crystals accumulated in his body were far more abundant than in the original work, even surpassing the level of most magicians. In other words, Shirou Emiya was already at the level of a top-tier magician, and the amount of magic power stored in his body was enough for the Red Archer to unleash to his heart's content.
On this basis, the unrestrained red archer also completely let loose. Every arrow he shot was transformed into a Noble Phantasm, and every time it hit a target, it was accompanied by a raging explosion.
These explosions blocked the crowds trying to cross London Bridge, as if erecting an insurmountable wall out of thin air. As he declared, to this day, not a single person has ever crossed the bridge alive.
The red archer's resolute words and actions also roused Shiro Emiya, and the young girl patted her cheeks.
"I was distracted."
Shiro took a deep breath. Although she couldn't help but worry about the battle in the palace, just as her own Servant had said, no matter how worried she was, she couldn't help the people inside. She was just an ordinary magician, without the power of Quinn or the greatness of a Heroic Spirit. She was just a weak and powerless magician, unable to intervene in such a top-level battle.
The only thing she could do was to prevent the chaos deliberately caused by the Sixth Beast from affecting the battle situation within the palace and to prevent anyone from crossing the bridge.
So, she used fairy magic to mimic the Red Archer's actions, transforming into a ally of justice, and mercilessly attacked the crowd of people who had lost their minds and become puppets of the Sixth Beast. Her two basic attacks were long-range strikes with high-damage AoE attacks upon hit, and the ranged archer indeed played a crucial role. With their combined efforts, no one could cross half of Tower Bridge alive.
But not long after, they ran into trouble.
Perhaps realizing that ordinary people alone could no longer bring chaos into the inner ring of London, the Sixth Beast began to exert its power. Some inexplicable force was spreading through the chaos, and regular soldiers and even heavily armored knights gradually emerged from the crowd that was originally just composed of ordinary citizens.
The arrival of these people immediately increased the pressure on the Red Archer and Shiro Emiya. Unlike ordinary citizens, these regular soldiers, who still retained the mystery of the Age of Gods, had some ability to fight back. When the figure of the Cavalry Knight also appeared in their field of vision, even the Red Archer showed a solemn expression.
Because this means that Fairy Knight Bavanshi is on his way back to London.
News of the attack on London has already been leaked.
Chapter 246 Meiliu Qina, wake up! It's Emiya!
Why are the Chastity Knights here?
Standing atop the bridge tower, Shirou Emiya could easily spot the tall figures clad in heavy silver armor amidst the crowd on the other side of the bridge, thanks to his unique eagle eyes. These imposing knights should not have been here.
Even if Bavanshi had learned of the situation in London and arranged for a group of pacifists to return in advance, they shouldn't have joined the mob that had participated in the riots and coup. These pacifists should have returned to London to stop the coup and riots, but now...
The Knights of the Righteousness, who were supposed to be the cornerstone of Britannia and absolutely loyal to the Emperor, and who were essentially no different from homunculus, joined the rioting citizens in a uprising against the Emperor, becoming the spearhead used by this massive crowd to storm the inner ring of London.
With the assistance of these purgatory knights, the red archers' intercepting shots began to lose their effectiveness, and more and more people surged onto Tower Bridge, approaching the location of the red archers and Shiro Emiya. As the crowd drew closer, the efficiency of Shiro Emiya's fairy magic began to decline.
She was, after all, just a young magician, not a seasoned warrior.
Looking at his master's state, the red archer couldn't help but sigh, but he was not disappointed in this unique version of himself; on the contrary, he quite admired it.
"The Sixth Beast possesses the ability to bewitch people, so it's only natural that it can corrupt the Knights of Purification."
With his large hand on Shiro's shoulder, the Red Archer pulled him back, causing Shiro, who was already overloaded from using Fairy Magic to simulate the Red Archer's projection, to lose his balance and fall to the ground. Shiro then waved his hand, making a gesture to shoo him away, "Shiro, you should go."
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Shiro Emiya, who had fallen to the ground, did not complain about the Red Archer's actions, because another stray arrow had just grazed her forehead. The Red Archer's actions had just saved her life. The enemy seemed to have realized the connection between her and the Red Archer, knowing that as long as she was dealt with first, the Red Archer, deprived of its magic supply, would not have much time to act.
She was too weak and had become a burden, but she didn't want to leave.
What kind of righteous person would abandon their comrades and run away?
But the red archer showed no intention of considering her feelings and did not turn around.
“I’m not talking nonsense. There’s a reason why I let you run. It’s impossible for just the two of us to stop so many people. There’s more than one road leading to the Royal Palace in London. The reason I chose to stay here is because, for the Sixth Beast, Tower Bridge has a unique significance.”
"If the Sixth Beast wants to completely corrupt Europa II's mind, it needs to gradually distort all the beautiful memories in that emperor's mind. Tower Bridge is part of those beautiful memories in that emperor's heart. I have inquired about the emperor's past. This Tower Bridge was built by the emperor when she was still the heir, under the orders of her father. Afterwards, she was specially rewarded."
"Therefore, the Sixth Beast will spare no effort to breach this bridge and shatter that emperor's dream. We cannot allow this bridge to fall, nor can we allow these external factors to affect the duel within the palace. You must go and fetch reinforcements for me; this is the only thing you can do now. Therefore, Shiro Emiya—"
The red archer explained his motivations one sentence after another, his crimson trench coat crackling in the hot wind of burning London. Flames, wilderness, and sword hills began to emerge from beneath his feet, engulfing the surrounding space.
Inherent barrier.
Shiro Emiya's eyes widened. She hadn't expected that her true killing move, despite being a Servant of the Archer class, would be the culmination of a fantasy coveted by countless mages. Even more unexpected was the fact that this seemingly unreliable Servant's back view was excessively handsome. (The rest of the text appears to be nonsensical and unrelated to the previous sentences.)
Facing countless vicious crowds alone, with her back to the target she needed to protect, this was exactly the kind of figure a righteous partner she dreamed of should have.
"Run!" the red archer said, enunciating each word clearly.
“Now, run like a wild dog, don’t stop, and try to find the person who can get here as fast as possible. You just need to run and think, and leave the rest to me. Before you complete the mission, I will never let the Sixth Beast touch this bridge. Don’t you want to save that emperor? Europa II’s life is in your hands, Emiya.”
Shiro closed her eyes. The red archer had spoken her mind. She didn't understand why Shiro could see through her thoughts. When she opened her eyes again, the red archer turned his head, revealing half of his profile and a resolute gaze. At that moment, Shiro understood everything.
No wonder I summoned this heroic spirit, no wonder it was unwilling to tell me its true name...
"Then it's up to you, Emiya."
After leaving those words behind, Shiro turned and ran without any hesitation. The red archer caught a glimpse of this and couldn't help but laugh.
"He ran really fast."
After laughing, the man turned his head again, looked at the chaotic mob that had rushed over, and began to recite the incantation for releasing his Noble Phantasm.
Meanwhile, Shiro Emiya, who was running wildly, was destined not to hear the incantation related to her. Her brain was working at high speed, thinking about the last words of her other self. She knew very well that the Red Archer was most likely not going to survive. Among the Heroic Spirits, the Red Archer's abilities were not outstanding. In terms of stats alone, Quinn's Mordred was a notch above him. But the Red Archer had the advantage of being knowledgeable and well-traveled.
Although she wasn't familiar with this male version of herself, they were similar individuals in some ways. She knew that the red archer's words must contain a way for her to continue assisting her teacher in saving Europa II.
The person who can get to London as quickly as possible.
Shiro Emiya recalled every person he had encountered in this world, those who hadn't gone to the London court with Quinn. Of these people, only one could arrive in London in just a few minutes and whom he could still contact.
Meiliuqina.
That dragon's descendant, the fairy knight who was loyal to Europa II.
Yes, that was the person he could contact, and the only person he could contact from a distance in London, a battlefield far from the rebels and counterinsurgency.
So she slowed down her pace and found a quiet place to begin setting up her fairy magic. Although Quinn had mostly taught her how to use fairy magic to create extraordinary magic props, the foundation of fairy magic was still the magic that allowed the caster to establish a connection with the fairies.
As long as she knows a fairy's name, background, and appearance, she can quickly establish a connection with her.
Three seconds, it only took three seconds.
A magical communication spanning the axioms of real numbers was formed in Emiya Haku's hands.