"Kh... the Command Spell's effect... temporarily restored the divine authority that was fragmented and diminished after responding to the Greater Grail's summoning?"
Frozen in place, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada looked calmly at his blood-soaked chest, at the heart that Selene now held in her hand.
"Yes, the Command Spell," Selene murmured, watching the tender organ in her grasp with a disturbingly fascinated gaze before nodding lightly.
Command Spells truly were marvelous things. To some extent, they could temporarily bypass a Servant's class restrictions. Not long ago, after destroying the Royal Crown · Light of Wisdom, Selene had released the summoning constraints of the National Defense Machine God · Shikoutazer.
Using the Command Spell system, she had coordinated in advance with her Master, Celenike, who issued a precise order—Rider, restore your authority!
Under normal circumstances, as a Rider-class Servant, Selene could not use Caster-tier abilities such as Spatial Transfer. At best, she could dematerialize and move short distances.
But with the Command Spell's aid, Selene temporarily regained part of her Herrscher of the Void's divine power.
Then, by tracing the residual mana (Honkai energy) waves left behind after attacking the Hanging Gardens and the Red Faction's Servants, Selene teleported to this exact location.
"So close, hmm? Just a bit more time... and the Greater Grail would have been full."
According to Amakusa's plan, he would have used the Hanging Gardens' spatial transfer array to extract the Greater Grail from beneath the Fortress of Millennia. After Lancer Karna sacrificed himself, the ritual to achieve humanity's salvation would have been complete.
Through the Greater Grail's power, he sought to spread the Third Magic across the world—materializing all of humanity, achieving universal salvation.
There was no bitterness in his tone, no curses for fate—only quiet acceptance of his failure. Aside from resenting his own weakness, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada accepted his end with serenity.
As for Rider of Black's modest words—"some experience with spatial manipulation"—he refused to believe even a syllable of that nonsense, not even in death!
Precise teleportation, spatial lockdown, dimensional sealing—you call that a little experience?!
"I've failed, Atalanta... it seems the promise I made to you, I cannot fulfill after all."
Thud.
Blood gushed from the hollow in his chest. Having lost the heart that served as a substitute for a Servant's Spiritual Core, Amakusa's strength began to fade. Pain and cold spread through his veins as his body trembled, knees buckling until he collapsed to the ground, bleeding from every orifice.
"Cough... Rider of Black, may I ask... what was your wish upon answering the Greater Grail's summons? Indulge this dying man a final question."
"Wish?" Selene chuckled softly and shook her head. "You mean the Greater Grail? It cannot grant my wish. I came here... merely to be entertained."
"...The goal I seek, I will achieve step by step. As for the Greater Grail—I will honor my promise and grant the Yggdmillennia clan their rightful prize."
"Now then, prepare to see your old friend one last time... Darnic."
"Yes, Your Divine Majesty."
At death's edge, Amakusa heard that familiar voice. Struggling, he lifted his gaze toward the man whose face, like his own, had not aged in sixty years.
"Darnic... after sixty years of waiting, it seems you finally drew the winning card this time."
Indeed, an ordinary human would die instantly from a pierced heart—but Amakusa Shirou Tokisada was no mere man. He was a Servant granted a physical body by the Greater Grail itself.
Though death was inevitable, he would not perish as quickly as a mortal.
Through blood-drenched vision, Amakusa saw them—Darnic, leading the surviving Masters of the Yggdmillennia clan, slowly approaching the final battlefield of the Romanian Holy Grail War.
Darnic's Servant—Lancer of Black, Vlad III—stood fully recovered. Alongside him were Selene's Master, Celenike; Fiore with Archer of Black, Chiron; Caules with Berserker of Black, Frankenstein; and Gordes with Saber of Black, Siegfried.
Including the weakened Assassin of Red, Semiramis; the pinned Lancer of Red, Karna; and the bewildered Ruler, Jeanne d'Arc—the remaining participants of this Holy Grail War had all gathered for its final act.
Oh, and somewhere far from the battlefield, the ever-rebellious Saber of Red, Mordred, was "happily" fleeing alongside her Master, Kairi Sisigou.
"Amakusa Shirou Tokisada... our second battle... I've won." Darnic spoke with no hint of triumph as he stopped five paces before his fallen rival.
"Ah, yes, you've won..." Amakusa's voice was faint, his tone almost wistful. "I was just thinking... if it had been me who summoned Rider of Black... perhaps the salvation of humanity could have truly been realized."
"..."
At this moment, his greatest enemy lay defeated and near death. The Greater Grail—an omnipotent wish-granting device—was within reach. Yet Darnic remained silent, his expression uncharacteristically solemn, no trace of joy in his eyes.
After all, Amakusa was not wrong. In the days they had worked together, Darnic had come to understand Selene's temperament quite well.
Simply put—she did not respond to threats. She responded to respect.
As long as there was no conflict of interest and her mood was good, Selene could be reasoned with. Treat her with due courtesy—sincere or not—and she was willing to listen. She was, in her own divine way, quite easy to deal with.
"Darnic, speak to your 'old friend' properly. This Holy Grail War... is over."
Of course, Selene understood the cautious calculations spinning behind Darnic's calm demeanor—but she couldn't be bothered to care.
Then—squelch!
Her fingers clenched. The heart still beating faintly in her grasp was crushed into a twisted mass of flesh.
Mana Release · Simulation · Flame!
Fwoosh!
Violet-red fire erupted from Selene's palm, devouring the mangled heart in an instant. Not even ash remained.
"Kh..." The destruction of his heart—his Spiritual Core—sent Amakusa's condition into rapid decline. Blood poured from his mouth and nose, merging with the crimson pool spreading beneath him. The ground turned scarlet.
"So... this is how it ends... bested by luck... or fate itself..."
With those final words, Amakusa's body pitched forward. He fell face-first into his own blood, the dull thud echoing through the ruins. His once-sharp eyes lost all light.
In that instant, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada's expression froze—forever caught between calm and regret.
"M... Master..." Semiramis' frail voice trembled as she tried to crawl toward him, but even breathing now required all the strength she had left.
Selene stepped up to the fading Queen of Assyria, entirely unbothered by the woman's burning glare. "Don't be so hasty, Queen of Assyria. As it happens, I find your Hanging Gardens... quite a fascinating collector's piece."
"What's this? Will Your Divine Majesty not kill me—to add another glorious deed to your name?" Semiramis' form was flickering, her body beginning to fade as the flow of mana from her fallen Master ceased.
"You? A mark of glory?" Selene chuckled softly. "Don't make me laugh. You're unique, yes—but nothing more. Your death is inevitable, and I could end it right now if I wished."
She smiled faintly. "But cooperation isn't necessary. All I require... is your Spiritual Core and your memories."
Crack! "Ah—!"
In one fluid motion, Selene tore off Semiramis' arm and pressed her palm to the top of her head. Violet mana particles surged from her fingers.
"Imperial Privilege · Soul Extraction Technique · Synchronization · Reading · Engraving!"
In mere seconds, Semiramis' eyes went dull. Her form grew translucent as violet-red light spread across her body, coursing through her veins like glowing streams.
Splatter!
Soon, Semiramis' spiritual form completely collapsed, condensing into a black-gold sphere the size of a child's fist, faintly glowing with violet-red light.
"All the architectural data I needed is inside this... Good, good. I'm sure Sebas will find this quite delightful."
"Now then... you're the only one left."
With that, Selene tossed the orb into the Honkai Dimension and turned her gaze toward the last remaining Servant on the battlefield.
All his allies were gone. Now, only he remained. The light in his eyes dimmed, replaced by firm resolve. Karna's face was calm but resolute.
"It's time. To fall in a battle like this... is not such a bad end."
BOOOOM—!
Flames burst skyward as he burned his mana—his very Spiritual Core—igniting in a final blaze that pierced the heavens, merging with the inferno that consumed the surrounding forest.
The earth beneath him shattered and burned, molten rock erupting in torrents as the ground transformed into a field of flowing magma—a radiant rain of fire and destruction.
Clang!
Selene lifted her hand, signaling the Black Faction Servants—Siegfried, Chiron, and the others—to stand down.
"Leave him to me," she said softly.
Fwoosh!
Karna floated in the air, the flames of his battle spirit locking onto Selene. The golden spear in his hand now burned with pure magical fire, its form more energy than matter.
The red gem at his chest—symbol of the Sun God's son—flared brighter than ever. Golden lines spread outward like solar rays, illuminating his form.
"Rider of Black! Face me in one last battle!"
His calm tone carried absolute resolve. As his aura soared to its peak, golden light danced along the edge of his spear.
Whizz—!
Though he lacked a Master's mana supply, the power surging within him rivaled that of a fully unleashed Noble Phantasm. By burning his own Spiritual Core—knowing it would shatter afterward—Karna granted himself the mana needed for one final, all-consuming battle.
Boom—BOOM!
"Aegis of the Sacred Spirit."
A massive, translucent shield of violet-red light—triangular and upright—unfolded before Selene. Karna's flaming strike collided against it with a roar like an incendiary bomb. The ground beneath her feet liquefied into molten rock, erupting in shockwaves that lifted the rubble skyward.
Clang!
Selene spread her hand. From the fractured earth, the Abyss Flower burst free, shattering stone as it flew back into her grasp.
Then—RUMBLE!
She stepped forward. The impact of her stride split the ground; jagged cracks spiderwebbed outward through the ruins of the Hanging Gardens, spreading for hundreds of meters.
Rubble exploded in every direction, forcing Darnic and the others to retreat under their Servants' protection.
No magical outburst—no spell. Pure, physical force.
Though Karna's eyes tracked her movement, his body simply couldn't react in time. Alarm bells screamed in his mind as he pivoted and readied his defense—but it was already too late.
CRASH!
The strike connected. The blow's sheer power sent Karna hurtling backward, muscles tearing with an audible snap. Even with his golden armor absorbing ninety percent of the force, the impact left him reeling.
Another impossible power like those giant warriors...?! he thought bitterly as blood filled his mouth.
His vision spun. Even as he fought to steady himself midair, Selene was already upon him again—relentless.
Violet-red streaks flashed through the air as her attacks rained down.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!
"Other than your spear of divine slaughter, I see little that could still threaten me," Selene remarked coolly.
Their weapons clashed in a storm of sparks, the sound echoing across the battlefield. To the distant onlookers, only two flickering silhouettes could be seen—colliding, vanishing, and reappearing amidst explosions of fire and light.
The shockwaves alone were catastrophic. The air quaked like artillery fire; had an ordinary magus stepped into the fray, they would have been torn apart instantly.
But as the minutes passed, Karna's strength began to wane.
Selene advanced like a relentless machine, each blow a hammer strike shaking the heavens. The earth quivered with every impact, craters blooming one after another.
Blood dripped from Karna's lips. Though his golden armor dulled most of the damage, even a tenth of her power was too much. His mana, once sustained by a burning core, was running dry.
"You're at your limit," Selene said quietly.
BOOM!
A perfectly aimed horizontal strike slammed into his shoulder guard. Though the armor did not shatter, the bones and organs beneath could bear no more. His arm dislocated instantly, and his golden spear fell to the ground.
Time seemed to stop.
Karna fell to one knee, bracing himself with his uninjured arm. His body trembled; blood poured from his lips as his vision dimmed.
"This is... my limit. The battle is decided." His voice was faint but calm. "To have fought such an opponent in this incarnation... I am content."
He smiled faintly, serene even in defeat. "My only regret... is that I could not bring victory to my Master."
As his final words left him, the charitable hero closed his eyes, bowing his head in peace.
Moments later, Karna's form dissolved into golden motes of light, his spirit dispersing into the night.
Selene stood silently, Abyss Flower in hand. She reached out, brushing her fingers through the fading gold particles.
"...It's over," she whispered softly, her voice barely audible even to herself. "Thus ends this journey. It's time I returned."
"Your Divine Majesty..."