"No way!!!"
Without needing the Snow Empress's prompting, Artoria shot into the sky, intent on interrupting Frey's spellcasting.
She couldn't let Frey escape.
Crackle!
At the same time, the air around Frey plummeted in temperature, as the Snow Empress unleashed her Time Stop · Absolute Zero.
In the frozen world, only Artoria was spared, able to move freely.
Though they'd known each other for just two days, their synergy was as if they'd fought side by side for years.
"What?"
But this time, Artoria miscalculated.
Invisible spatial barriers formed around Frey, blocking Artoria's approach.
"Time Stop?"
Frey recovered quickly, glaring at the Snow Empress. "After an attack like that, you still have such power?"
The Sky Queen had to admit she'd been thoroughly defeated by the Snow Empress.
By now, Frey could see it.
The Snow Empress had no intent to kill.
If she hadn't held back with that earlier move, Frey wouldn't have had the chance to awaken.
"But did you think the same trick would work on me twice?"
With that thought, Frey broke through the temporal lock and accelerated her casting of her ultimate secret art.
"This is trouble…"
Seeing Frey's desperate effort, Artoria grew anxious.
With her abilities, she could break through Frey's protective magic.
But by the time she did, Frey would have already unleashed her secret art.
"Too late…"
The Snow Empress observed Frey's magic output.
Even at the risk of overloading her body, Frey was determined to destroy Great Nature.
[Secret Art · World Collapse]
A kaleidoscope of radiant spatial magic formed above the Sky Queen.
Accompanying it was a pitch-black sky, as if heralding the apocalypse.
Storms and thunder, coupled with collapsing space, descended upon the world.
Bang!!
The sky shattered, and countless spatial fragments fell like rain.
"The world… are breaking…"
This scene left Hakurou, Kaede, Momiji, the Ice Empress, and Egorpon staring upward at the figure resembling a world-ending Demon Lord.
"Is this the power of a Demon Lord?"
"Too exaggerated!"
The Tengu lost all will to fight.
What could they do?
As the spatial turbulence swelled, threatening to consume the entire Reality Marble and all its inhabitants, the Tengu panicked.
"Let everything be lost in this chaotic space!"
This was Frey's most powerful move.
Even she could only summon the spatial turbulence, not control it.
"Artoria."
Damien remained calm, unfazed by the apocalyptic scene. "It's up to you."
"Yes, my Master!"
With that, the maiden knelt on one knee, raising her hands as if cradling something.
Faint blue light gathered before Artoria, forming an exquisite scabbard.
The scabbard's exterior was gold metal inlaid with striking blue enamel, engraved with ancient fae runes in the center.
"What?"
Frey didn't understand why Artoria summoned a scabbard at this moment.
But an unsettling feeling warned her that the scabbard held unimaginable power.
[The Everdistant Utopia (Avalon)]
This scabbard was a Noble Phantasm born from Artoria's Unique Skill [Isolated Legacy].
Isolated Legacy granted Artoria immortality, rendering her impervious to any attack short of an Ultimate Skill.
In her fight with Frey, Artoria hadn't used this skill once.
There was no need.
Her combat prowess alone kept her undefeated.
But now, as Frey prepared to destroy Great Nature and all within it, Artoria summoned it.
"In the name of King Arthur, this place is the Everdistant Utopia!"
As Artoria spoke, the blue-gold scabbard, previously solid, turned into pure magic.
It expanded rapidly, encompassing the entirety of Great Nature.
Thus, the Reality Marble and everyone within it were sheltered by Avalon's protection.
"What's happening?"
"Why?"
"This… this can't be…"
"Impossible! This is impossible!!"
Frey stared at the collapsing space above, realizing she'd lost control of the spatial rifts and turbulence.
No, it wasn't a loss of control.
A far stronger rule had overridden her secret art, freezing it in place.
"What did you do?!!"
Frey had never been so shaken.
She could feel her secret art clashing with some force.
No matter how much magic she poured in, the barrier blocking her art didn't budge.
What a joke!!
This was her strongest attack, poured with all her might!
If even World Collapse couldn't break it, what could Frey do?
"What did I do?"
Seeing everyone safe, Artoria sighed in relief. "Nothing much, just sealed your power with my scabbard."
"Scabbard?"
Frey scoffed, "A mere scabbard with such power?!"
"Of course, it's not just a scabbard."
Artoria explained, "It's the manifestation of my Unique Skill."
"But manifesting the scabbard, while it protects more people, means I lose that power."
Indeed, the Everdistant Utopia was a massive barrier-like absolute protection.
But like King Arthur losing her scabbard, releasing it meant Artoria lost the protection of [Isolated Legacy].
In other words, she was now vulnerable.
No Ultimate Skill was needed... just breaking through Artoria's innate resistance and defenses could truly harm her.
"You mean…"
Frey wasn't foolish. She gleaned something terrifying from Artoria's words: "You've been fighting me this whole time with such a Unique Skill active?!"
***
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