The battle had begun.
Servants against a real person.
Heroes against a demon lord.
Yes, no need to doubt it—she was a demon lord, the Queen of the Land of Shadows, or simply Demon Queen for short.
The first to strike were two archers, though neither held the Archer class—Karna, one of the greatest heroes of ancient India, and Heracles, the foremost champion and strongest hero of ancient Greece.
Karna's Brahmastra, which once suppressed both Krishna and Arjuna.
Heracles' Hydra's Hundred-Headed Arrow, which once killed the Hydra in a single shot.
Both were peerless techniques.
Even in the realm beyond human limits, they remained among the very best.
However, these pinnacle godly skills posed no threat to Scathach.
The reason was simple: Scathach was stronger than them.
Alone, with just one bow, she shot down every single arrow fired by the two heroes.
Not only that but while engaging in the exchange of arrows, she didn't forget to use her feet to draw runes, launching a counterattack.
Seeing this, Siegfried hurriedly stepped forward, using his Fantasie Sword as a shield and his body as cover to defend his teammates.
Don't forget, he was a great hero from Norse mythology. While he wasn't as proficient in runes as his counterpart Sigurd, he had enough experience in this area to handle it more easily than those without a Norse background. At least he wouldn't end up like Achilles, who had been carelessly blown away earlier.
Of course, this time Achilles wouldn't be sent flying. Thanks to Siegfried's efforts, he could focus on exploiting his strengths and launching an all-out assault on Scathach amidst the barrage of attacks.
A barrage of attacks? Where did that come from?
It was Gilgamesh's barrage!
When it comes to the number of Noble Phantasms, who could outmatch the Gate of Babylon?
Now in his Wise King mode, Gilgamesh set aside his pride and focused solely on practicality, using whatever worked best.
A rain of Noble Phantasms, a battle axe smashing through defenses, and magecraft reinforcement!
Yes, Gilgamesh could also use magecraft.
Although he had never formally studied magecraft and wasn't a true magus, his bloodline from the goddess of wisdom, Ninsun, granted him immense magical power. As long as he recited the correct incantations, he could unleash formidable spells.
In terms of magecraft prowess, he couldn't even come close to Scathach. However, with the combination of Noble Phantasm rain, Karna's godspeed spear, the dual-bow attacks, and Siegfried's dragon-slaying sword, they could occasionally cause Scathach some trouble.
And that was enough.
This wasn't a one-on-one fight—it was a group assault. As long as they gained an advantage at one point, it became a shared advantage for everyone.
Gradually, Scathach began to lose the composure she had maintained all along.
After all, these were superhuman heroes ranked among the very best in human history.
While they didn't possess the overwhelming power they had in life, a great hero was still a great hero. Their perception, experience, Noble Phantasms, and the faith that had gathered around them were things that even Scathach, who transcended life and death to achieve eternity, had to take seriously.
Swords, spears, bows.
Magic wands, whips, throwing knives.
The primordial runes of Norse mythology, the indigenous magecraft of the Celts and the Irish.
And even the wisdom she had acquired from the Land of Shadows, as well as the knowledge and skills she had accumulated over countless years.
She employed everything she had.
Because what she faced was the weight of the lives of five great heroes, the culmination of their faith and deeds.
Someone started it, and soon all the heroes began to unleash the true names of their Noble Phantasms.
"Fantasie Sword: Balmung!"
"The Immortal Chariot of Storms!"
"O Brahma, Curse My Body!"
"Usurper of the Heavenly Winds!"
"Omniscient and Omnipotent Star!"
Scathach responded in kind, though her weapons weren't technically Noble Phantasms. Rather, they were mysteries at the level of Noble Phantasms—real weapons and techniques she had mastered.
"Gae Bolg Alternative!"
"Gae Bolg Overload!"
"Sword of Shadows Wreathed in a Thousand Deaths!"
"Crimson Wind Twin Stingers!"
"Doctrine Explosion!"
The earth shook, and the castle quaked.
The castle, which had stood for thousands of years in the Land of Shadows, was now experiencing its most violent tremors ever.
And it wasn't just once or twice—it happened ten, twenty times, escalating with no end in sight.
"All of you, fall back for now! Broken Phantasm!"
Unable to break through, Gilgamesh finally stopped holding back, detonating all the magical energy and faith contained in his Noble Phantasms at once.
"Primordial Rune: Summon Divine Iron Shield!"
Scathach, having anticipated this, quickly manifested her runes, summoning divine shields to create a safe zone amidst the relentless explosions.
As the blasts and shields collided, Gilgamesh couldn't help but voice his admiration.
"As I expected, but seeing it for myself still surprises me. I'll admit it—you're the strongest opponent I've ever faced!"
"Thank you for the compliment," Scathach's voice rang clearly through the explosions.
"Next, I'll be using all my power and Noble Phantasms. Are you prepared, Queen of the Land of Shadows?"
"Anytime. Come at me."
"Gate of Babylon, Full Release! Roar, my sword—Ea!"
The power of creation was once again in the hands of the King of Heroes and further amplified by all the Noble Phantasms in his treasury, elevating it to its absolute peak.
At the same time, the Noble Phantasms used for amplification began to emit ominous wails—the signs of magical energy and faith going berserk. Gilgamesh wasn't just going to use Ea; he was going to activate Broken Phantasm on all his Noble Phantasms, unleashing an unprecedented, world-shattering attack.
At the same time, the other heroes also pushed their powers to the limit.
Achilles patted his Armor, and leaped onto his war chariot, holding the Meteor Spear in one hand and the World Shield in the other.
Siegfried turned the jewel embedded in his sword's hilt, fully unleashing the True Ether within.
Karna's entire body was engulfed in flames and lightning as he channeled the power bestowed by Brahma, the solar energy from Surya, and the divine lightning of Indra into his Vasavi Shakti.
For the first time, Heracles activated all his Twelve Labors.
The Nemean Lion, the Hydra, the Ceryneian Hind, the Erymanthian Boar, the Augean Stables, the Stymphalian Birds, the Cretan Bull, the Mares of Diomedes, Hippolyta, the Cattle of Geryon, the Apples of the Hesperides, and Cerberus.
The twelve glories Heracles earned through his impossible labors were fully revealed!
This was the strongest strike from five great heroes, an attack that had never appeared in human history.
The sheer magical power, divine aura, concepts, phenomena, and authorities combined to destroy the entire castle. It further tore apart the very fabric of space, shaking the entire Land of Shadows.
The resulting shockwaves even reached the real world and the walls beyond the world itself, causing two certain lolis in the real world to frown simultaneously.
This level of attack had surpassed a certain threshold.
Among all life born on this planet, no being could withstand such a high-density, high-power, high-mystery attack head-on.
Including the queen of this place—the eternal Scathach.
PS: The first two of Scathach's weapons are self-explanatory. The third comes from a fan game, Fate/Extra Overload, where Scathach uses it as her Noble Phantasm. The last two are from Fate/Extella Link.