Caster Cu Chulainn / A Master Who Fights Personally / Multiple Noble Phantasm Releases

As the "target" tested in the simulation battles, Cu Chulainn's appearance had already been deeply etched into Ian's mind through countless simulations.

There was no mistake.

The man before him was indeed him.

However—

Unlike the appearance he had in Chaldea, he wasn't wearing that familiar blue armor, nor was he holding the spear that shone with a dark red light.

Instead, a magic staff appeared in his hand.

However, Ian, who had learned basic summoning knowledge from Ophelia, could roughly understand the situation.

Just as there is nothing in the world that remains static,

Servants are not unchanging either.

In their lives, there were many periods of time worthy of being engraved in human history.

Therefore, correspondingly, if one could obtain the relics they left behind during those periods, it would also be possible to summon them from different eras, thus making them manifest in different classes.

The Cu Chulainn before him was such a case.

Under normal circumstances, he should indeed carry the [Spear of Piercing Death: Gaebolg], becoming a Lancer.

But—

At some point in his life, he had accomplished deeds worthy of being recognized as a magus by human history, thus giving him the possibility of becoming a Caster.

"Why are you looking at me with that kind of gaze?"

Cu Chulainn asked, looking at Ian before him.

"You should know that a fight is inevitable."

"..."

Just those words alone made Ian realize that the man before him was definitely not friendly.

Although he had always treated him as a "target" for testing during the simulation battles,

Ian wasn't foolish enough to underestimate Cu Chulainn in the current situation.

——Memory Projection——

The man mentally permitted the activation of his ability.

Particles gathered in his hand at an unimaginable speed, finally taking the shape of a sword.

It was Excalibur Galatine!

Ian was somewhat surprised.

This surprise wasn't about him conjuring a replica of Excalibur Galatine.

But rather about its level of realism at this moment—it was very close to the real thing.

Ian realized that an extremely powerful source of magical energy nearby was radiating magic outwards.

They negated the drawback of Memory Projection constantly consuming energy and further strengthened it.

Ian wasn't the only one surprised; Cu Chulainn also showed a look of astonishment.

"A sword, huh?" he remarked, his eyes widening slightly.

"Interesting, let me have a taste of your skills!"

Cu Chulainn's eyes began to burn with intensity.

"Flame Strike!"

"Burn to ashes here!"

In an instant, Cu Chulainn ignited with an unimaginable flame.

It surged towards Ian like a rolling wave, as if to engulf him completely.

A normal person seeing this scene would probably give up the idea of resisting on the spot.

But unfortunately,

Ian wasn't a normal person.

Since there was a sufficient source of magical energy nearby to allow his "Memory Projection" to advance to an effect comparable to the genuine article—

Then there were many more things he could do!

Ian raised Excalibur Galatine in his hand.

Under the amplification of the surging magical energy, the incantation echoed in his mind.

"This sword is the symbol of the sun, and wherever it is swung, flames shall engulf the land."

"Excalibur Galatine!"

In an instant, the replica sword in the man's hand emitted a dazzling light.

The light of the flowing sun was concentrated on the sword blade in an instant, like threads being gathered together.

Now—!

Ian swung Excalibur Galatine horizontally, then slashed forward.

A searing heat capable of reaching all of Cu Chulainn's flames flew towards the front.

Bang!

The flames collided, forming a powerful explosion.

When the lingering smoke dissipated, a deep crater had appeared on the ground.

"Heh."

Cu Chulainn looked at the scene before him, a look of excitement involuntarily showing in his eyes.

"So you're a swordsman who uses flames?" he commented, a grin spreading across his face.

"You... you certainly have some skill."

Ian didn't answer Cu Chulainn.

Because he wasn't here to chat with this legendary hero.

Since the other party had initiated the attack first, it meant he was hostile.

Then—

While his Excalibur Galatine hadn't disappeared yet, he should launch a few more effective attacks!

Boom!

The flames that swept out from the sword once again grazed the ground.

In a short period of time, the offensive and defensive positions of Ian and Cu Chulainn had reversed.

However—

Looking at the flames flying towards him, Cu Chulainn also had no intention of avoiding them.

"Haha, as expected, this is very interesting," he chuckled, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"If possible, I really wish I could have a head-on confrontation with you when I have my spear," he admitted, a hint of regret in his voice.

"But—"

"Even with this staff, I can still defeat you!" he declared confidently.

Cu Chulainn raised the magic staff in his hand and pointed it towards the sky.

He began to chant the incantation to release the magic, and the surrounding time seemed to slow down a bit.

"~My magic is a cage of blazing flames~"

"~A green giant like thorny vines~"

"~Karma~"

"~Purify the shrine of human misfortune~"

Hard trees began to grow at an unimaginable speed from the deep crater formed by the previous flame collision.

They overlapped according to a certain pattern, and then grew wildly, forming the shape of a person.

On this framework, their branches constantly intertwined, finally forming an extremely hard shell.

The giant of the azure sky rose from the ground, casting a dark shadow on the cratered surface.

Ian gasped.

Just as he had thought, the Cu Chulainn before him was a true Caster.

The tree giant before him was his magic.

However—

Ian was a bit puzzled by the countermeasures Cu Chulainn had taken at this moment.

Magic, after all, was just a way of reproducing basic principles.

It didn't have the ability to break the laws of physics.

No matter how hard the trees were, they couldn't withstand fire.

What's more, this was the light of the sun swung by a replica of Excalibur Galatine, how could it be counteracted in reverse?

Ian's thoughts were naturally correct.

But Cu Chulainn's method of solving the problem was much simpler than he had imagined.

The tree giant directly swung its huge fist and slammed it down on the ground.

Boom!

It actually tore off a large piece of the ground and lifted it up.

Whoosh—!

The flames blew against the "shield" formed by the ground, and soon died out unwillingly.

"Looks like I'm one step ahead after all," Cu Chulainn said, looking at Ian before him with interest.

A hint of appreciation had appeared in his eyes.

"Swordsman who uses flames, show me a little more of your power," he urged, his voice filled with anticipation.

"I love seeing capable people get defeated the most."

Although his class was Caster, Cu Chulainn still maintained the nature of liking one-on-one duels from his Lancer class.

But Ian didn't lose his ability to think because of his words.

He carefully assessed the current situation.

Since he couldn't break through the tree giant with Excalibur Galatine, he should try other methods.

Anyway, there was an unknown source of magical energy around here, and no matter what kind of weapon he used, it should be able to exert an intensity that it originally didn't have in this environment.

That's right.

Try that!

The Excalibur Galatine in Ian's hand quickly dissipated.

New particles gathered at an unimaginable speed, forming a new sword shape.

A light blue glow flickered around the man, making him seem as if he had fallen into a clear lake.

Everything took shape.

A new, thick blue sword blade appeared in Ian's hand.

It was Lancelot's weapon.

Its name was Arondight, and it was also a weapon closely related to the Lady of the Lake.

Cu Chulainn, who had witnessed the entire process, became even more excited.

"You actually have a second sword?" he exclaimed, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Very good."

"Show it to me... show it to me with all your strength!" he urged, his voice filled with anticipation.

Even though they were fighting, Cu Chulainn seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.

As if this was the greatest meaning for him at this moment.

Ian took a deep breath.

To be fair, although he had projected Arondight, his familiarity with it was infinitely close to zero.

The only memory he knew was that one-on-one duel he had with Lancelot.

However—

Ian would rather make a mistake than do nothing.

"Stand still like the quiet lake—!"

"The Realm of Utter Stillness!"

It worked.

Under the amplification of the powerful magical energy source, the absolute still realm formed by imitating his memory expanded outwards from Ian as the center.

It quickly bound the tree giant's feet within it.

Cu Chulainn tried to regain control of it, but found that no matter what he did, he couldn't make it move even half a step.

"Hah—!"

Holding the replica of Arondight, Ian rushed towards the tree giant.

He seemed to want to use the thick blade in his hand to cut through Cu Chulainn's magical creation.

But that was a bit foolish.

Because even without actual comparison, the sheer difference in size between a sword and the giant's skin was enough to make such a physical attack a joke.

It would be too disappointing if he adopted such a foolish method, Cu Chulainn thought to himself.

However—

Ian didn't do what he expected.

Arondight was just a feint for his attack.

After approaching the tree giant, the particles in his hand changed again.

Within a few short seconds, it transformed back into Excalibur Galatine!

Cu Chulainn, who had rich combat experience, immediately understood.

This was a set of combination techniques from the other party.

Although Arondight couldn't inflict enough damage on the tree giant,

But—

It could stop the opponent's movements.

In this way, the tree giant could no longer use its brute force to smash the ground and thus obtain a wall of earth to defend against the flames in advance, as it had done before.

And after getting close, he would change his weapon back to Excalibur Galatine and deliver a close-range blow!

In this way, no matter how much brute force the tree giant possessed, it would be useless.

This was an equally simple and crude battle strategy.

But it had to be said that it was definitely an effective plan.

However—

Although the plan was effective, it also hid huge risks.

After all, while he was approaching the tree giant, the tree giant was also approaching him.

This was the relativity of motion, and also the source of the risk.

While the flames could certainly destroy the tree giant upon contact, the tree giant could also destroy him upon contact.

This was an action that could only be taken with absolute confidence—he believed that he could defeat the enemy with one blow at that moment!

This was a gamble!

Interesting.

Too interesting.

This was the first time Cu Chulainn had seen such a gambling-like attack method.

But unfortunately,

He also had a backup plan.

The incantation from just now hadn't been finished yet.

The blue-clad magus once again chanted mysterious whispers.

It was the conclusion that followed the previous words.

"~Burn completely~"

"~Giant of the trees~"

That's right.

Instead of fearing the flames, it was better to actively make them his myriad of sharp weapons!

Whoosh!

The tree giant instantly burst into flames.

This was a defensive method that consumed itself, but it was indeed an effective countermeasure against fire.

Bang!

The flames collided, once again triggering a violent explosion.

However, this time, Cu Chulainn had a different idea.

He didn't think that man could survive such a close-range explosion.

"Swordsman, I've defeated you," he declared confidently.

"It was truly a battle worthy of my remembrance."

However—

When the lingering smoke dissipated,

Cu Chulainn saw a scene that made his pupils tremble.

He saw Ian still standing there, although his face had many more wounds.

The particles in his hand had unknowingly turned into a scabbard.

It was a memory replica of Avalon.

Although it didn't have the same defensive power as the original, it was enough to allow the man to survive this explosion with the amplification of sufficient magical energy.

"You really do have a backup plan," Ian said, letting out a breath.

The scabbard dissipated.

Excalibur Galatine reappeared in Ian's hand.

"But unfortunately," Ian continued, his eyes meeting Cu Chulainn's.

"I have one too."

"..."

Cu Chulainn was first stunned, then burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha!"

"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!"

"Which era's Heroic Spirit are you? Let me know your name!" he exclaimed, his eyes filled with admiration.

"Eh?" Ian blinked in surprise.

"But I'm not a Heroic Spirit, I'm a Master candidate," he replied, a bit confused.

"Not a Heroic Spirit, but a Master candidate?" Cu Chulainn stopped his laughter, his expression turning serious.

"What are you joking about? You're telling me someone who isn't a Heroic Spirit could fight me like this?" he asked, his voice filled with disbelief.

"And right now is the Holy Grail War!"

"Human Masters and the like have long since completely disappeared!"

"What?!" Ian exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock.