The combatants clashed at blinding speeds, the battlefield shifting rapidly from the rooftop to the ground, then to mid-air. With superhuman leaps, they fought in the air for seconds before landing.
The clash of their weapons produced a relentless series of sonic booms, like metal striking under machine control at speeds beyond human reaction.
Despite their superhuman strength, divine origins, and legendary names in human history, the onlookers were stunned by the duel unfolding before them.
"Th-this is an Archer?!" Shirou Emiya, recovering from worrying about repair costs, whispered. Feeling his question was odd, he added, "Both of them are Archers, right?!"
No wonder Shirou was shocked. Even his Servant, Artoria, the Saber, stood dumbfounded.
An Archer fighting with swords in melee, and a swordsman left in awe!
"Morpheus is indeed an Archer…" Rin Tohsaka said quietly, her eyes fixed on the battlefield. Even if she couldn't follow the action, she wanted to witness this clash.
This battle might be the most pivotal of the Holy Grail War.
Artoria nodded awkwardly. "Gilgamesh is definitely an Archer. If he's retained his state from the Fourth Holy Grail War, there's no mistake!"
Though she said this, Artoria was still shocked by the Archers' prowess. Gilgamesh, with his divine power and divinity, surpassed typical Servants. His proficiency in melee as a king was reasonable.
His techniques weren't on par with top-tier swordsmen, but he still performed admirably.
As for Morpheus, his displayed strength was clearly inferior to Gilgamesh's. In raw power, he was at a disadvantage. As Medea had said, Morpheus fought in his true body, not a phantasmal construct.
This brought obvious drawbacks, yet Morpheus compensated with supreme skill. Each response was perfectly timed, precisely deflecting Gilgamesh's overwhelming force and counterattacking!
With such peak technique, he matched Gilgamesh blow for blow!
And Morpheus's expression... smirking, dripping with mockery... seemed to deliberately provoke Gilgamesh, as if eager to push the King of Heroes to unleash his full power.
Recalling Gilgamesh's terrifying Noble Phantasm, Artoria took a deep breath and gripped her sword tightly. If needed, she'd release her own Noble Phantasm to counter Gilgamesh's attack.
At the very least, she'd ensure everyone here could evacuate safely!
While thinking this, she glanced at Medea, who clearly knew Morpheus well. The woman looked calm, almost like she was watching a show.
Was she that confident in Morpheus's strength? Artoria wondered.
But recalling Medea's earlier words... how she'd seen the Greek gods gift Morpheus treasures and blessings... Artoria understood the source of her confidence.
A hero blessed by the gods would naturally be formidable.
But did she truly grasp the King of Heroes's terror?
"Don't worry, knight lady. The Sword of Promised Victory you wield is indeed powerful, and Morpheus possesses that same power," Medea suddenly said to Artoria, her words puzzling.
"The Sword of Promised Victory? Morpheus has this power too?"
Her Noble Phantasm, Excalibur, was the testament of her legendary life, absent even from Gilgamesh's treasury. Yet Medea claimed Morpheus had this power?
"You've seen this power before?"
"Long ago, on the battlefield where the gods saved the world. That power tore through the sky, crushing and evaporating a civilization-destroying giant. It was the same as the power hidden in the sword you hold," Medea said calmly, a faint smile on her lips.
"Of course, I could be mistaken, but the power is so similar that even my senses would call it identical."
"He used this power?"
"I think… he called it magic he created. Probably an imitation, or perhaps borrowing from the original. A counterfeit, but its power was immense, shocking even the gods."
A counterfeit? An imitation? Magic he created?
"Magic?!"
This was a Noble Phantasm, Artoria's pride, capable of rivaling Gilgamesh's strongest weapon. Yet Medea called it magic, saying Morpheus's magic mimicked her Noble Phantasm's power?
"Perhaps you should take Morpheus's magic lessons. You might gain something," Medea said with a smile, extending an invitation.
Artoria glanced at Shirou, who'd been attending Morpheus's magic lessons recently, looking utterly confused.
Still, Shirou, with his unique magecraft, formed his own understanding.
"Is it something like this?"
He extended his hand, closed his eyes, then snapped them open, whispering, "Trace, on!"
A knife appeared in his hand... a kitchen knife, all too familiar to those staying at Shirou's house. It was the one he often used.
In appearance alone, it was identical to the one at home.
"Somewhat similar. Your magecraft is well-suited to learning Morpheus's magic. Combined, they could produce great results," Medea said, slightly surprised, nodding. "I suddenly understand why he's willing to teach you."
Medea even looked expectant. "Study well. Even if you learn only a little, your magecraft could qualify you to fight top-tier Heroic Spirits.
"You might even stand on the same stage as gods in a Age of Gods!"
Shirou grew embarrassed, unsure how to respond with pleasantries, and shifted his focus back to the battlefield.
By now, Gilgamesh's rage had reached its peak. Fighting this mongrel for so long, wasting precious time, was bad enough.
But now, the rabble below had shifted their attention from him to discuss Morpheus, fueling his fury further.
Thus, the king decided to show these fools a lesson!
He channeled mana into the two weapons in his hands and hurled them at Morpheus.
As Morpheus blocked with the Sword of the War God, the two Noble Phantasms exploded!
Boom!
Amid the deafening blast, Gilgamesh leaped onto a strange, floating Noble Phantasm. With a wave, countless more appeared behind him, raining down with ferocity!
This attack was far fiercer than before, the density of projectiles several times greater!
Faced with this, Artoria and the others reacted instantly, rushing forward to block, but the projectiles froze mid-air, as if caught by an invisible barrier.
"What's happening?!" Gilgamesh's face twisted in shock, unable to comprehend the bizarre phenomenon.
He leaped upward, only to find his height restricted, unable to rise further, slowly descending. Looking at the sky, the moon hung high, but a faint membrane now enveloped everything.
It didn't block air, sound, or light.
Yet it trapped him within!
"Did you think I was just trading blows with you this whole time, Gilgamesh? Take a look at the ground," Morpheus said, grinning as he emerged from the smoke.
Despite the explosion's intensity, not a speck of dust marred Morpheus!
Seeing him unscathed, Gilgamesh's expression shifted. "What did you do, mongrel?!"
"A temple, a temporary construct, but enough to confine our battle to this area. Its defenses are inward-focused. If you want to break it, I have two suggestions."
Morpheus's expression was gleeful as he listed ways to destroy the temple.
"The orthodox method: unravel it with magical knowledge. But sadly, not even you, your parents, or your ancestors could manage that."
Such arrogant words, implying even the gods of Gilgamesh's myth who created the world couldn't do it.
Yet as Gilgamesh studied the surrounding magic circle, he found it incomprehensible.
Though an Archer now, he was versed in many fields, including magecraft and Age of Gods magic.
But he couldn't decipher this circle.
"The second method: unleash an attack capable of obliterating a continent in an instant. This temple is built on local ley lines, a temporary construct, so it's not at its peak."
Morpheus shrugged, blinking playfully.
"So, can you muster the power to shatter an entire continent... not just its surface, but to pulverize it completely?"
Gilgamesh's mouth twitched. He loved boasting about his Noble Phantasms' ability to rend space, but that was simulated. Their true power fell far short of annihilating a continent instantly.
Even if they could, his current mana couldn't sustain such an attack.
"Oh, one more way: get outside help. The temple's structure only guards inward, so breaking it from outside is simple. Your earlier explosive attack would've sufficed."
Morpheus kept listing ways to destroy his temple, enraging Gilgamesh further.
Where would he find an ally? The group below clearly wanted him dead!
Then, Morpheus's smile turned sinister.
"Of course, you could try your Noble Phantasm... that drill. See if the weapon that witnessed the planet's molten formation can break my temple. It's your only shot."
His expression grew arrogant, like a villain's.
"If you won't try, I'll make my move and erase you here! I warn you, if I kill you, you likely won't even return to the Throne of Heroes!"
Gilgamesh's face darkened further. This man kept provoking him, relentlessly. Finally, he could bear it no longer.
His crimson eyes glared at Morpheus. "Rejoice, mongrel. I'll crush you with my greatest power!"
He raised his hand, and a strangely shaped weapon emerged from his treasury, landing in his grip.
The King of Heroes's mightiest weapon!
"Be proud, mortal. This is my greatest weapon, a sword that can cleave the world. Your so-called temple is nothing before it!"
He was gambling that Morpheus's temple held a world-like concept, which his Noble Phantasm's world-cleaving concept could destroy!
Victory in concept meant victory in reality!
Gilgamesh poured mana into the weapon, frenziedly.
The red, drill-shaped sword spun, the surrounding air swirling and compressing into crack-like rifts!
"Enuma Elish!!"
In an instant, it unleashed its full might!
All to erase the mongrel who dared enrage the king.
***
If you enjoyed this story, don't forget to drop 5 stars and your power stone. And if you want to read more than 70 chapters in advance, feel free to visit: pat reon . com / KangTL