Vol. 2 Chapter 54: Arash, Survive

The crimson meteor swept over land and water, covering the river, the embankment, the people, and the tall apartment building behind them.

Yet amid the inferno, a pure and noble figure held high her banner.

"My flag, protect my comrades! Luminosité Éternelle!"

The light shimmered, seeming fragile and ethereal, but before that crimson fireball, it became an unbreakable shield.

The fiery tide split in two, the barrier reducing the Noble Phantasm's power dramatically. What could have been an all-consuming attack was limited to burning the embankment to scorched earth. The riverside residences remained untouched.

The residual blast heading toward the apartment rooftop was also stopped by some unknown force.

Though Arash's life-risking attack was immense, even Jeanne's barrier struggled slightly against the fury of Stella.

All within Jeanne's protective range survived unharmed.

Boom!

As Jeanne breathed a sigh of relief, a golden shining vessel crashed into the river, trailing thick smoke before fading into points of golden light.

Gilgamesh landed heavily on the ground, shield in hand, stomping a large crater beneath her feet.

"Tch!" She scowled and spat, clearly displeased. "That bastard got lucky…"

Gilgamesh's Golden Vessel Vimana was destroyed by Arash's Stella. Though mostly made of mana, the vessel was no longer usable in this war.

"Such a bore." Gilgamesh dusted herself off, eyeing Jeanne and the others. "I'll withdraw for now. You lot enjoy yourselves... Covered in all this dust, I need a bath."

With that, her body vanished into golden light—her spirit departing.

"All in all, no one was hurt. That's a relief." Jeanne lowered her flag, surveying the scorched embankment and the vast evaporated patch of river.

"These Masters are all troublemakers who don't play by the rules…"

"Excuse me, miss…" Diarmuid smiled and approached Jeanne. "Thank you for your help. Without you, I would've been finished by that attack... I haven't saved my Master yet. I won't give up. Today's favor will be repaid."

If ordinary women saw Lancer's smile, they'd surely fall for him instantly. But none here were ordinary.

"Don't mention it. Maintaining the stability of this Holy Grail War is my duty," Jeanne replied seriously.

Her magic resistance exceeded even Saber's, reaching EX rank. Diarmuid's charm was no match to sway her.

Still, his character earned her respect.

"Oh, that look on your face… must be a playboy, right?" Kiyohime whispered behind, covering her mouth with a folding fan, chatting with Elizabeth. "I hate those who spin lies with sweet words."

"Exactly, that guy's too forward," Elizabeth agreed. "I prefer Masters like mine—lazy ones..."

Diarmuid gave a wry smile, then glanced at Nero and Mordred.

Nero and Kirie comforted little Mordred, who glared at Diarmuid and snarled, "What're you looking at, Knight King's lapdog?!"

Diarmuid just rubbed his nose and bowed his head.

Suddenly, the river changed again.

A silver-white pegasus burst forth from the water, soaring into the sky. A beautiful woman with purple hair rode it, and behind her sat the dark-armored Berserker—the Knight of the Round Table.

The pegasus spiraled upward, heading toward a tall apartment rooftop before disappearing.

"Looks like Berserker is fine—maybe he dodged the blast underwater," Diarmuid murmured. "That woman must be another Rider. Her mount's a fantasy beast—definitely formidable."

"Looks like tonight's over for now," Jeanne said, turning to the group.

"We'll head back—"

Her words were cut off by a sudden movement on the river.

A gigantic, bizarre magic circle appeared in midair.

At its center stood the Caster who should have retreated. He muttered frantically, clutching the sinister scroll of the Spiral Necromancy Sect.

At the same time, something suddenly flew out from Mordred's body, drifting toward the center of the magic circle. It was an emblem engraved with Nyaruko's old seal.

The emblem and the magic circle resonated with each other, and in the air, a gigantic spatial gate slowly opened.

"Did we only take out Archer's flying Noble Phantasm?" Kiritsugu lowered his high-powered telescope and took a deep drag of his cigarette. "That was a bit of a loss…"

"But the most threatening enemy wouldn't just die so easily, right…" He chuckled self-deprecatingly and looked to the side.

On the rooftop of this apartment building, Arash was lying on the ground, covered in blood, while Saber was half-kneeling before him. She held in her hands a luxurious scabbard inlaid with gold and jewels. The scabbard emitted a warm glow, healing Arash's mortal wounds.

Avalon, the scabbard, possesses immortality. It has the power to heal its bearer's injuries and halt aging. Originally designed for solo combat, it is called a "mobile fortress." When activated, it decomposes into hundreds of pieces, placing its bearer inside the Fairy Land, protected from all physical interference. It's a Magical Realm-class Noble Phantasm that shuts out all physical attacks, disturbances from parallel worlds, and communication signals that traverse multiple dimensions (six-dimensional). It is known as the strongest defense in the world — even the five Great Magics cannot touch it.

This is the ultimate Noble Phantasm of King Arthur, an EX-class defense.

Avalon's divine power slowly healed Arash's injuries, and he gradually opened his eyes.

"Huh? Saber?" Arash asked groggily. "Why are you in my Throne of Heroes? Can the Thrones actually visit each other now? Have you already exited the stage?"

"No, none of us have died yet. I saved you," Saber encouraged, gripping Arash's hand. "Arash, pull yourself together, don't die!"

Arash: "..."

While the two of them exchanged a silent look, Kiritsugu suddenly spotted an abnormal phenomenon on the surface of the Mion River in the distance.

A gigantic magic circle emitted a sinister glow and slowly morphed into a colossal gate of light.

From inside that gate, there emerged a threat capable of destroying all humanity. Kiritsugu's human instincts screamed a warning.