Excruciating pain coursed through every limb.
It felt like being hung upside down, wrapped in cotton, and beaten like a sandbag.
It was akin to spending a night scrolling through your phone in an awkward position, only to wake up with a body so sore and drained that you could barely move.
And all of this was caused by just a single, forceful slap from Lancelot.
"So this is the joy of being treated like a ping-pong ball or a shuttlecock? I get it now. I'll make sure to put badminton and ping-pong out of their misery quickly in the future..."
Sakatsuki muttered under his breath before rolling away like a lazy donkey, disappearing into a diamond-shaped space to dodge the heavy sword strike and the flying debris of dirt and rocks.
Behind Lancelot, the diamond-shaped space opened again, and a lively Sakatsuki leapt out, hurling a heavy object.
"Eat this, road roller!"
Kariya, who had just taken a sip of wine, spat it all out. Even Saber widened her eyes and gulped down a piece of unchewed beef.
Because Sakatsuki wasn't just trash-talking—with his projection magic in full swing, a massive road roller descended from the sky, crashing down toward Lancelot like a mountain!
A road roller, also known as a compactor, comes in two types: steel-wheeled and rubber-tired. It's a piece of road construction equipment, widely used for compacting fill in large-scale projects like highways, railways, airport runways, dams, and stadiums...
The modern knowledge granted by the Holy Grail naturally surfaced in Lancelot's mind, mingling with the shock rising in his heart.
This was a battlefield! A battlefield where knights fought for honour and dignity!
Not some large-scale science lecture!
Suddenly throwing a road roller into the mix completely disrupted the flow of emotions!
Though he was mentally complaining, Lancelot's movements were swift. In an instant, he sheathed his sword and dug his hands into the road roller's exterior, absorbing its massive kinetic and potential energy.
Though he had regained his sanity, his parameters were still at the level of a Berserker—meaning he was now stronger than any other class, as he was essentially a Saber wrapped in a Berserker's shell!
Moreover, he still possessed the unique skills of a Berserker.
'Knight of Owner,' activate.
Black-red patterns immediately began to corrode and enhance the road roller. Lancelot flexed his arms, already planning his next moves.
Throw the road roller—Sakatsuki would react—use that opportunity to activate his Noble Phantasm—and end the battle as quickly as possible.
Honestly, with such a smooth combo, Sakatsuki's frail body wouldn't be able to handle it.
However, his opponent had never followed his expectations from the start.
A gaping maw, as if leading to an abyss, opened and swallowed the heavy machinery infused with magical energy, retreating with satisfaction. Shadows of nonexistent entities eagerly pounced, forcing Lancelot to draw his sword and retreat while fending them off!
After using displacement and projection magic, Sakatsuki played another card: Imaginary Number Magecraft!
Displacement magic tore through space, projection magic created weapons, and imaginary number magic restrained Lancelot, keeping him in a constant state of being besieged.
Without his spear, Sakatsuki had become even more dangerous!
But compared to Sakatsuki's powerful magic, Lancelot, as a Servant, also had his own trump card.
"If I can't hit the creatures in the shadows, then I'll just attack the caster directly—Aroundight, accelerate!"
Arondight was overloaded, and dense magical energy began to run wild. Lancelot gently caressed the blade and ruthlessly unleashed a pure, lake-like radiance.
"Reach the end, surpass the limits. King of the distant shore, witness this light! Arondight Overload!"
In the face of higher mysteries, Sakatsuki's magic crumbled. The displaced space shattered, the projected weapons turned to dust, and even the imaginary number shadows, which couldn't be attacked in the real world, had to hide in the darkness, unable to withstand the onslaught.
After Arondight had slain the armies of kings and shattered the divine chariot, it was finally Sakatsuki's turn to face its full might.
The shimmering light approached Sakatsuki, illuminating the excitement in his golden eyes.
"Then, come—Ig-Alima, Sul-sagana!"
The sky seemed to fall as emerald and crimson greatswords, remnants of the age of gods, descended from the heavens, clashing with the army-destroying light wave released by the once-sacred, now-demonic sword.
"Though I've seen it before..."
Saber set down her utensils, her expression grave.
"But aren't these two greatswords even more real now?"
As the magical storm subsided, the overloaded Arondight gradually dissipated, but the two greatswords still stood like an insurmountable wall before Lancelot, with only a few insignificant cracks on their surfaces, silently mocking his weakened state.
Lancelot tightened his grip on the demonic sword, which was now leaking magical sparks. The perfect, melancholic smile on his face was gone, replaced by the wild grin of a warrior on the battlefield.
"Then, I'll keep going, Sakatsuki!"
As the projections of the greatswords faded, the white-robed, red-clad youth held an iron bow, responding with a confident smile.
"No, you've already lost, senior."
From the very beginning, Sakatsuki had known where his advantage lay.
Was it martial skill? No, Lancelot possessed 'Eternal Arms Mastery.'
Was it magic? No, against a high-level Servant, mere magic couldn't decide the battle.
Then, was it a combination of both?
No, that still wasn't the key to victory.
In the twilight of the age of gods, Lancelot had been the first knight of Camelot, leading armies into battle, duelling countless masters, and even slaying dragons... Even if Sakatsuki combined magic and martial arts, he couldn't make Lancelot simply surrender.
Moreover, the Knight of the Lake, inheriting the Berserker class template and fighting with a rational mind, could be said to have reached the pinnacle of Servants.
Would heroes like Karna, Achilles, or Ozymandias be easily defeated by Sakatsuki?
Of course not. In his current state, Sakatsuki hadn't yet reached the level of a top-tier Servant.
The reason he had defeated Berserker before was that Lancelot had been irrational, easily falling into Sakatsuki's trap. But against the current Lancelot, Sakatsuki's surprise tactics were useless.
But—Sakatsuki had a reason for daring to challenge Lancelot to a duel.
Even as his opponent charged at him with a demonic sword, Sakatsuki spread his arms and closed his eyes.
His initial idea had been born during the 'Army of the King,' where he had used displacement magic to replace the concept, allowing 'Unlimited Blade Works' to unfold smoothly.
"Imaginary Number Dive."
He chanted softly, his body dissolving into static, causing the onrushing demonic sword to swing through empty air.
The 'Projection Magecraft' used by the person named 'Shirou Emiya' was actually a degraded version of 'Unlimited Blade Works,' a forbidden technique that used a Reality Marble to erode and rewrite the world's rules—essentially, he possessed the miracle known as 'Unlimited Blade Works.'
But Sakatsuki was not Shirou Emiya. He held miracles that Shirou did not possess.
Displacement Magic - Modified.
This was the reward he had earned by surpassing the tale of the great hero, resisting 'Enuma Elish' from Angelica, and using his own wits and hands.
So, abandoning the lengthy eight-verse chant, he could summon the embryonic form of the world's egg with just a single verse, use projection magecraft to rewrite the world and his mental image, and then supplement it with displacement magic to directly overlay the Reality Marble onto reality—such a thing was possible, right?
If he could perfect this technique, not only could he manipulate Reality Marbles, but even abstract things like souls and memories would be within his grasp!
After a brief moment of hesitation, the young man clenched his fist, opened his eyes, and the pride and vigour in his gaze never faded.
He could definitely do it!
His white cape billowed as the Imaginary Number Dive ended. In that instant, the young man clenched his right arm, and his clear, resonant voice echoed throughout the world.
"I declare—I exist here!"
In the next moment, the sky bowed to the young man's will.
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