Suddenly closed in on, Gilgamesh instinctively tried to swing the Ea in his hand.
Snap—
A large hand covered in white-gold flames casually grabbed the cylindrical blade capable of slicing through space.
Ea roared in anger, its red spatial wind pressure frantically cutting against that palm.
Sparks flew everywhere, emitting a piercing friction sound.
But Hansen's hand remained completely motionless.
[Ding! Detected copyable target: "King of Heroes, Gilgamesh"]
[Ability: "Ea (UR)": An anti-world noble phantasm, the strongest sword that directly cleaves the concept of "world" itself. Its three rotating cylindrical blades can create spatial ruptures, forming attacks similar to spacetime faults. At maximum output, "Enuma Elish" can create or destroy worlds.]
[Copying ability in progress...]
[Successfully copied UR-level ability: "Ea" Lv1!]
[Current ability slots occupied: 1/30.]
[Consuming origin points...]
[Ding! Copied ability "Ea (UR)" has reached max level, integrated into the body as an innate ability, freeing up ability slot!]
[Current ability slots occupied: 0/30.]
With the world-destroying sword in hand, Hansen looked at the stunned Gilgamesh and revealed a heart-stoppingly nuclear-friendly smile.
"Your sword is nice. It's mine now."
Bang!
His other hand clenched into a fist, delivering a simple, unadorned punch to Gilgamesh's pricelessly handsome face.
This was... a punch capable of shattering planets.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Gilgamesh's golden armor and most of his body instantly shattered, and he was sent flying like a cannonball, transforming into a golden streak of light that pierced through the atmosphere and vanished into the night sky.
On the horizon, a golden, shining meteor stopped thinking.
"Tch..."
Hansen retracted his fist, looked at the Ea he had snatched, and casually twirled it.
"The feel is average."
Under the night sky, Ea seemed to follow its Master's footsteps, disintegrating into spirit particles and scattering away...
Einzbern Castle, deep in the night.
A dimensional rift tore through the space inside the castle, ignoring the magical barriers, and Hansen's group emerged from the crack.
Saber's pretty face showed traces of fatigue, and the temperature of Irisviel in his arms was alarmingly high.
As powerful souls like Rider and Archer returned to the Holy Grail, the lesser grail, serving as the vessel, was operating beyond its capacity.
Her brows were tightly furrowed, and on her delicate, doll-like face, an expression of pain was heartbreaking. Beneath her originally pale skin, an ominous magical red glow faintly showed.
"Mmm... hot... it hurts..."
"Endure it."
Hansen gently placed the perfect doll-like lady on the large bed in the bedroom, pressing his fingertip to her forehead.
White-gold divine fire flowed along his fingertip, like cool spring water, forcefully yet precisely enveloping the restless Servant mana and forcibly freezing the lesser grail's functions.
After a few breaths, Irisviel's rapid breathing calmed, her furrowed brows relaxed, and she fell into a deep sleep.
Hansen tucked her in, then turned and left the room.
At the end of the corridor, on the balcony.
Saber was leaning against the stone railing, moonlight spilling over her armor, reflecting a cold, silvery glow.
She lowered her head, seemingly looking at her own hands, or perhaps staring blankly at some point in the void.
Even after unleashing such an earth-shattering blow and defeating the King of Conquerors' vast army, the King of Knights at this moment did not look like a victor.
Her face was as pale as paper, her figure appearing particularly frail in the night breeze, as if a gust of wind could knock her over.
The mana within her body was not yet exhausted, but the psychological Impact was even more distressing and confusing.
"What are you thinking? Regretting winning?"
Hansen walked to her side, casually leaning the Ea he had snatched from Gilgamesh against the corner of the wall, as casually as setting down an umbrella.
Saber trembled slightly but did not turn around.
"Ruler... no, Hansen." Her voice was hoarse. "Rider upheld his kingly path until the very end. In comparison, my persistence..."
"Stop." Hansen interrupted her self-pity. "I said, only the winner has the right to speak."
"The one standing here now is you, not that rough guy riding a bull-drawn chariot."
Saber let out a bitter laugh and turned around.
At the moment she turned, a wave of intense dizziness struck. Her legs gave way, and she stumbled toward the ground.
The expected pain did not come.
A strong arm firmly wrapped around her waist, pulling her into a broad, warm embrace.
"What, hungry again?" Hansen looked down at the weakened girl in his arms, hinting at something.
"L-let me go..." Saber's cheeks flushed slightly, instinctively trying to struggle, but found herself unable to move even a finger under the restraint of those large hands. "I just need to rest a bit, or replenish some food..."
"Recovering by eating is too slow." Hansen did not let go; instead, he held her tighter, a mischievous smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "As a Servant, you should know what the most efficient recovery method is, right?"
Saber was stunned for a moment, then her heroic, pretty face instantly turned bright red, almost dripping blood to the tips of her ears.
"Y-you're talking nonsense!" Saber's eyes were flustered, not daring to meet Hansen's aggressive gaze. "I haven't formed a contract with you, and you're not my Master. Such things..."
"Precisely because there's no contract channel, this primitive and direct method is necessary, isn't it?"
Hansen chuckled softly, giving the King of Knights no chance to escape, forcefully leaning down.
"Mmph—?!"
The moment their lips met, Saber's emerald pupils suddenly widened.
Without any probing, Hansen, like a tyrant conquering cities, breached Saber's defenses and advanced deep.
"Mmm... hmm..."
The man's roughness was tempered with gentleness, leaving Saber unable to resist.
She could only symbolically push against Hansen's chest, but that bit of strength was nothing more than a coy refusal to him.
The next second, a massive surge of mana flowed through their connected lips and teeth, rushing in like a bursting river!
The white-gold mana was pure and blazing, instantly washing over Saber's parched saint graph.
The sensation was like parched earth welcoming sweet rain, or a dying candle flame being infused with scalding lamp oil.
"Ha... ah..."
The pleasure from the Mana Replenishment made Saber's whole body go weak, and she couldn't help but let out a sweet, nasal sound.
Her hands, which had been pushing against Hansen's chest, had unknowingly tightly gripped his clothes.
Hansen scooped her up and strode toward the Master bedroom next door.
"Since we're doing Mana Replenishment, let's see it through to the end."
The door closed, shutting out the moonlight and the sound of the wind.
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