Chapter 59: Three Excaliburs! Battle Against an Outer God’s Apostle!

"No, Ruler, not two holy swords—

But three!"

A dark-skinned, white-haired youth leaped down from the top of a building—

A third Excalibur in his hand.

"Archer! I knew your bastard ass would show up too!"

Rin Tohsaka immediately went off on him.

She wasn't surprised at all by EMIYA's arrival.

After all—

With the way his Master was, he might not care about winning the Holy Grail War,

But he would never stand by and let it spiral into a disaster.

"Rin, I'm not Archer. I'm Shirou."

The black-skinned youth smiled wryly.

He was still this timeline's Shirou Emiya—

He had simply inherited his future memories.

"Shirou? Of course, I know you're Shirou.~"

"But you're literally Archer, with Archer's skills, so don't complain if I call you Archer."

Rin folded her arms, making it clear—

She fully intended to roast EMIYA.

In this timeline, Rin had summoned Saber, and Shirou had summoned EMIYA.

But after the World's Will fragmented,

Shirou inherited EMIYA's Heroic Spirit powers.

With ten years of memories,

There was no way he could ignore what was happening.

So he rushed to the battlefield immediately.

And he knew Rin's habits well.

Even ten years later, she still loved to insult Archer.

So—

Instead of arguing, Shirou simply tossed the holy sword toward Jeanne.

"Since I projected Excalibur, my Archer spirit core has taken severe damage."

"I can't keep fighting."

"So, Ruler—this sword is yours."

"Huh? For me?"

Jeanne hastily caught the blade, flustered.

"Of course it's for you."

Shirou exhaled tiredly.

"There's no one more suited to wielding this sword than you."

"With three Excaliburs combined, we should have enough power to defeat this mutated Sea Monster."

Deep down, Shirou felt exhausted.

He just wanted a peaceful life.

Even ten years later, he had chosen to self-destruct his Heroic Spirit self.

Yet somehow—

The Holy Grail refused to let him live in peace.

"Alright! Understood!"

Jeanne didn't hesitate any further—

She firmly gripped Excalibur.

And so—

A truly legendary sight unfolded on the battlefield.

Three Excaliburs.

Held by three heroic beauties.

United against a single monstrous foe!

The Second Wave of Battle Begins.

With zero hesitation,

Waver activated a Command Seal to restore Iskandar's mana.

"By this Command Seal—Iskandar! Unleash your Noble Phantasm—

Ionian Hetairoi!"

With the Command Seal boosting him,

Iskandar's mana reserves surged back to full.

"Hahahaha!~

A Master who sees the future and still places faith in me?

I am most pleased with this campaign!"

Laughing boldly,

Iskandar and the Sea Dragon Beast vanished once more.

Meanwhile—Inside the Church.

"Kirei! You—!"

Kotomine Risei was pinned to the wall, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Even though many people had gained their future memories—

Those memories weren't equal.

For those who had died in the original timeline,

Their memories stopped at their death.

Thus, Kotomine Risei and Aoi Tohsaka—

Both only remembered up until the moment they died.

Kotomine Risei knew that he had been killed by Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.

But what he didn't know—

Was what kind of monster his dear son had become.

Fearing the Masters hunting him down,

Kotomine Risei had hidden himself in the church's underground chambers.

But unfortunately for him—

Kotomine Kirei knew exactly where he would hide.

Armed with ten years of knowledge,

Kirei had easily tracked him down—

And delivered his final act of filial piety.

"Father, I have no more doubts."

Kirei's lips curled into a smile as he gazed at his dying father.

Even though Kotomine Risei only had one breath left—

Kirei still intended to enjoy himself a little more.

For the first time,

Kotomine Risei saw something resembling emotion in Kirei's eyes.

"So that's how it is."

He finally understood.

Kirei wasn't emotionless.

He had always had emotions.

It was just that no one had ever triggered them correctly.

"Finding joy in wickedness… How pitiful."

"Kirei, someone like you…

Will eventually self-destruct in your pursuit of pleasure."

"But as your father… I forgive your sins."

"It is also my sin for failing to raise you properly."

"Lord… Please forgive my son, whose heart has been blinded by evil and pleasure."

"…Amen."

With those final words, Kotomine Risei departed from this world.

"Hmph."

Kirei let out a cold scoff, then reached for his father's hand.

That final gaze his father had given him—

He hated it.

And those last words?

He hated them even more.

"If 'God' truly exists—

Then watching evil unfold without stopping it must mean He enjoys it, just like I do."

"Serving such a God… is my honor."

"Amen."

Kirei bowed his head, appearing completely devout.

[I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth.]

[After my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.]

[I myself will see Him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!]

Reciting the scriptures from memory,

Kirei activated the Holy Grail's accumulated Command Seals.

"Gilgamesh! With this, we are now invincible!"

Raising his arm, Kirei revealed—

The collected remnants of past Holy Grail Wars—

A massive array of Command Seals!

With these—

They could use Noble Phantasms infinitely!

"Well then, let's be off, Kirei."

Gilgamesh's golden eyes gleamed.

"It just so happens that my conditions have almost been met."

Elsewhere—The battle raged on.

Gilgamesh's lips curled into a smirk, his snake-like golden pupils gleaming with dangerous amusement.

Meanwhile—At the River Battlefront.

"Second deployment!"

"Five... four... three... two... one!"

The countdown ended, and once again—

The Sea Dragon Beast was dropped onto the battlefield!

[Exxxxxxxxx————]

[Calibur!!!]

Three golden beams of light cleaved through the battlefield simultaneously!

"By this Command Seal—I order you! Fully unleash your Noble Phantasm, Saber!"

Kiritsugu activated his second Command Seal without hesitation.

"By my body and by my Command Seal—I order you! Maximum output for your Noble Phantasm!"

Rin also used the Command Seal she had just received from Jeanne.

"HAAAAAAAAAH!~"

Under the triple impact of Excalibur,

The Sea Dragon Beast's body rapidly disintegrated into golden particles!

This time—

It was different.

The rate of destruction was much faster—

Over half of its body had already been obliterated!

"Excellent! This time, we should be able to finish it off completely!"

Iskandar gave his royal evaluation.

"..."

Waver was speechless.

(Your Majesty… you do realize you're literally raising a death flag, right?)

Waver almost voiced his complaint.

But—

Since the Sea Dragon Beast was actually showing signs of complete destruction,

He chose to remain silent.

"Tsssssssshhhh!!!~~"

Like burning willow catkins,

The Sea Dragon Beast's body rapidly crumbled apart!

With its outer defenses shattered,

The triple beams finally pierced through—

Striking the Caster wrapped within its flesh!

"Jeanne, oh Jeanne~"

"The Lord has answered my prayers… allowing me to see you once again…"

Caster's huge, fanatical eyes welled up with tears of joy—

And then—

He was erased by golden light along with his Noble Phantasm.

"We did it!"

Jeanne let out a sigh of relief.

"No! Something's wrong! Caster's Noble Phantasm hasn't disappeared!"

Saber's expression sharpened—

Her instincts screaming danger.

"What!?"

Jeanne's eyes widened as she whipped her gaze toward Caster's last location.

"Impossible!"

Even after taking three full-power Excaliburs—

Caster was still alive?!

(Who the hell does he think he is? A Saint Seiya character?!)

Oh… wait.

He was Jeanne d'Arc's historical subordinate.

Three Seconds Later.

From the remains of the shattered Prelati's Spellbook,

A chaotic-colored substance erupted—

Instantly engulfing Caster's body!

"What the hell!?"

Jeanne's voice shook with disbelief.

This wasn't just rapid regeneration.

As a Ruler, she could feel it—

Something was wrong.

Caster's state of existence had exceeded that of an ordinary Servant.

"Ruler! Caster just resurrected! Should we hit him again before he fully recovers?!"

Rin suggested urgently.

"Ah? Yes! That's the only thing we can do!"

Jeanne immediately granted four Command Seals.

With the Command Seal boost,

Rin and Kiritsugu gave their orders once again.

Within five seconds,

A second wave of Excalibur bombardment was fully charged.

However—

Within those same few seconds,

The Prelati's Spellbook had reassembled itself,

Restoring the Sea Dragon Beast to one-third of its original form!

[Excalibur!]

"Perfect timing! If it's only at one-third strength, we can definitely finish it this time!"

Iskandar finally relaxed.

And then—

He set up another death flag.

(Logically speaking, his reasoning was flawless.)

Last time:

Three Excaliburs had completely erased the Sea Dragon Beast. They had also critically wounded Caster.

This time:

The Sea Dragon Beast was only one-third of its original form. The same triple bombardment should annihilate it completely.

However—

This time, things had already gone beyond logic.

"No! Something's wrong! Iskandar! I can feel the presence of the Root coming from Caster!"

Waver's expression shifted dramatically.

Why the hell would an Outer God's Apostle have a connection to the Root?!

This only proved one thing—

The World's Will had been compromised.

"BOOOOOOM!!~"

The second Excalibur triple shot was unleashed.

Three beams of pure light rushed forward—

Blazing toward the Sea Dragon Beast!

But this time—

Before impact—

A dark mist surged around the creature's body!

Wrapped in black fog,

The Excalibur light weakened by at least 70%!

"Shit!"

At the same time—

The same thought flashed through everyone's minds.

And as expected—

The three Excalibur beams struck the Sea Dragon Beast—

But the effect was completely different from before.

The Sea Dragon Beast had only one-third of its body left.

By all logic, the attack should have completely erased it.

Yet this time—

The triple attack barely reduced it any further.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!~"

The Sea Dragon Beast let out an agonized screech—

But it still had enough strength to counterattack!

Its tentacles coiled inward,

Condensing a dark purple energy blast—

Which then ripped through the air,

Aimed straight at Jeanne and the others!

[Luminosité Eternelle! (My Lord is Here!)]

Jeanne raised her battle flag,

Her Noble Phantasm shielding them from the corrupted blast.

"As expected..."

She had barely managed to block it—

Yet her frown only deepened.

This Sea Dragon Beast—

Was no longer the same creature they had fought before.

"Ruler! Do you know what's happening?!"

Rin immediately turned to Jeanne.

"I don't know everything, but I have a theory."

Jeanne took a deep breath.

"Caster was never a proper magus. He never had any real talent in magecraft."

"This Prelati's Spellbook was the one casting spells on his behalf."

"This book—Prelati's Spell—is a magic tome containing a power furnace that endlessly summons creatures from another world."

"These beings from another dimension… we call them 'Apostles of Outer Gods.'"

"Under normal circumstances, the World's Will prevents Outer Gods from descending directly."

"They can, at most, send their Apostles."

"But our world is already compromised."

"The Outer Gods have not only sent their Apostle—but also granted them a fragment of their own power!"

"Unless we wield a power capable of fighting both the World itself and the Outer Gods—

Our attacks won't work!"

"So we need an Anti-World Noble Phantasm?"

Rin's frown deepened.

Only one Servant present had such a weapon—

But that golden bastard hadn't even entered the battle.

"No… Not necessarily."

"And even if we had one, it still might not be enough."

The battle was far from over.

"Aside from an Anti-World Noble Phantasm, we also need a weapon capable of countering Outer Gods themselves."

Jeanne's gaze shifted to Saber.

"Miss Saber, if you go all out, can you defeat this Outer God's Apostle?"

Saber fell silent, her mind racing.

Even she wasn't sure.

"If I release all thirteen seals on Excalibur, I might be able to defeat this Sea Dragon Beast."

"However…"

"Since it now possesses a fragment of the World's Will, I can't guarantee that Excalibur will still work on it."

The Sword of Promised Victory was forged from stardust,

And while it was capable of fighting off external threats,

Saber wasn't certain if Outer Gods fell under that category.

"In that case—why don't you leave this Outer God's Apostle to me?"

A calm male voice echoed through the battlefield.

Every Servant present turned in shock.

How was it possible—

That someone had approached them unnoticed?

All eyes snapped toward the source of the voice.

And standing there—

Was a young man, radiating an utterly distinct presence.

"You are… That bastard, Lucien!?"

Rin Tohsaka was the first to call out his name.

Among all present,

She was perhaps the most infuriated at the sight of Lucien.

As someone who had also been abandoned by her parents,

Rin felt an immediate sense of resentment toward this man.

He was the one who had left Sakura and Illyasviel behind!

That irresponsible bastard—

Had finally shown his face.

The battle was about to take a whole new turn.