A weakness?
That invincible, blackened Saber actually has a weakness?
And it was noticed by that traitor?
As flames roared behind him, Uemon had no choice but to step out of the castle onto the open field. He looked at Roy and the blackened Saber, his eyes gleaming with a dark light.
In this Holy Grail War, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that the strongest was undoubtedly the blackened Saber, who held the Lesser Grail. As long as she took action, there was no enemy she couldn't defeat.
Even Roy had been caught off guard by her ambush last night. If Aoko hadn't returned in time, his life might've been in danger.
But now, just one night later, he's claiming he found a flaw in blackened Saber—and that he intends to defeat her here?
Is that even possible?
According to what he said… there's a problem with the Lesser Grail?
***
In the field—
Under the watchful eyes of many—
Blackened Saber drove her hand into her chest, and with a powerful tug, pulled out a radiant, golden Grail.
That Grail still shone brilliantly, brimming with what seemed like infinite magical energy. On the surface, it showed no issues. But a closer look revealed the souls of several phantasmal Heroic Spirits sealed within, struggling fiercely inside—battering against their confinement, as if desperate to escape.
"In the Holy Grail War, the Greater Grail is responsible for summoning Servants, while the Lesser Grail collects their souls. Once enough Servant souls are gathered, a pathway to the world beyond—the Swirl of the Root—can be opened… That's the true nature of the Holy Grail War."
Roy stared at the Lesser Grail blackened Saber pulled out, eyes flashing with a knowing glint.
"In theory, as long as you collect the souls of six Servants, you can open that pathway. At this point, hasn't your Lesser Grail already reached its limit in the number of souls it's collected?"
Heroic Spirits, once summoned and killed, must return to the Throne of Heroes.
And the Throne of Heroes lies beyond the world, close to the Root.
In the end, the ritual constructed by magi was always meant to lead to the Root.
This Holy Grail War ritual is no exception. One Servant returning doesn't mean much—but six Servants returning together? That's enough to tear open a passage to the world beyond, one through which a magus could leap and reach the Root itself—fulfilling a dream countless generations have failed to realize.
During this ritual, the one responsible for soul collection is the Lesser Grail. Once six Servant souls are gathered, it signals the end of the War. The final victorious Master will use a Command Seal to make their Servant commit suicide. When that happens, all the Servants' souls pour out of the Lesser Grail at once—opening the path to the other side.
Because not all the summoned Servants died in the previous Holy Grail War, ensuring six casualties this time was easy.
"You're right,"
Blackened Saber said, for the first time showing a trace of admiration.
"At present, the number of Heroic Spirit souls gathered in this Lesser Grail has reached six. These souls are already growing restless—even I can't suppress them anymore."
With the souls growing increasingly agitated, keeping the Lesser Grail within her body only increased the pressure on her and added instability to the battle—it was a clear detriment.
In other words, by now, the Lesser Grail was no longer a source of energy for her—it had become a burden.
That was her weakness.
…Wait a moment.
Six Heroic Spirits?
Only six souls in the Lesser Grail?
Five blackened Servants came and died—only blackened Saber remains. On this side, seven Servants were summoned, and now only four remain. That should mean seven Servants have died in total.
So why is it six?
Could one of them have been absorbed by Illya, the Lesser Grail vessel?
No. Roy could say with certainty—Illya, still in Aozaki's residence, doesn't have a single Heroic Spirit soul within her.
So then—what's going on—?
"Even if I can't use the Lesser Grail, that doesn't mean you can beat me!"
Blackened Saber didn't give him any time to think. She suddenly kicked off the ground and slashed down at him with a ruthless blow.
In front of Roy were layers of rune-inscribed papers, forming magical barriers—but even those couldn't withstand a single blow from her. Her strike cleanly shattered more than ten layers of barriers in an instant!
After landing her first hit, she immediately prepared to swing again.
But before she could, Roy pulled out a hidden rune.
BZZT—with a hum, a brand new rune barrier manifested in front of him.
CLANG!
A violent collision sparked sharp flashes of light.
The rune barrier trembled violently, but quickly stabilized, becoming as calm and steady as still water.
"What?!"
Even blackened Saber was visibly shocked.
Modern magi, who didn't rely on elaborate rituals or lengthy incantations, could now block one of her strikes using only a single, instantly-cast spell?
She narrowed her eyes. Looking closely, the barrier was still formed of runes.
But these runes were entirely different from before—radiating an ancient and mysterious aura. The mystery woven into them was leagues above what had been used earlier, and their defensive strength was a hundred, a thousand times greater.
"Primordial Runes aren't so easily broken!"
Roy's lips curled into a confident smile.
With Taigong Wang's help—and thanks to his Mystic Eyes, which excelled at learning magecraft—he had mastered these runes in just one day. And by amplifying their power with his Mystic Eyes, his runes were even stronger than those used by Cu Chulainn himself!
But in places unseen, cold sweat was already pouring down Roy's back.
Blackened Saber was so fast that even his enhanced vision couldn't catch her movements—not even her shadow. It was like she had teleported right in front of him. The pressure was intense, and his whole body was drenched in sweat.
What's more, though Primordial Runes were immensely powerful, they burned through mana like crazy.
Blackened Saber, with maxed-out stats in every aspect, was truly not someone a modern magus like him could contend with. Surviving her opening strike was already enough to make it into the history books.
Thankfully, he didn't need to face her alone.
At the very instant she struck, Okita decisively gave up on Jeanne and charged at blackened Saber.
Forced to deal with Okita, blackened Saber turned away from Roy and engaged her instead.
Without the Lesser Grail supplying her with mana, she could no longer recklessly use Mana Burst. Even she had to fight Okita in close quarters.
And when it came to melee entanglement, Okita—boasting A++ Agility—was second to none.
Watching the two clash, Roy began laying down a 360-degree, no-blind-spot defense of Primordial Runes around himself, then turned his gaze toward Jeanne.
Abandoned by Okita, Jeanne, compelled by her Command Seal, instinctively took a step forward—raising her twin spears to attack Roy.
But when Roy's gaze met hers—
"Urgh—!"
Jeanne flinched.
Some unknown force stopped her cold, halting her advance completely.
Those eyes… calm, expressionless, and yet—
Jeanne was rooted to the spot, completely motionless for a long time.
Roy smiled faintly.
He knew exactly why she couldn't move.
She couldn't bring herself to strike.
That was all there was to it.
***
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