King Arthur: "Heresy—to use children as shields. This is absolutely unforgivable."
Outside the video, King Arthur was incandescent with rage. Although she had held no goodwill for the heretical magus since his first appearance, seeing him treat life as a game right before her eyes was too much.
Artoria could no longer contain her fury. If Elysia couldn't kill him, then let her counterpart in the video finish the job.
---o---
[In the video, the sheer pressure emanating from Saber practically overflowed from the screen. In this moment, the furious Knight King displayed the true majesty that belonged to her.
For a split second, many viewers had a sudden realization—so this was the wrath of a king? It seemed even more terrifying than the King of Heroes'.
Under the sword of the enraged Artoria, it was expected that Bluebeard would have no choice but to flee.
However, just as everyone was preparing to watch Saber unleash her divine might, the video suddenly shifted its focus back to the forest.
Not long after Kirei Kotomine's retreat, Kiritsugu Emiya arrived at the scene. Seeing Irisviel and Maiya Hisau lying in pools of their own blood, he couldn't help but worry.
He immediately rushed forward, using healing magecraft on both of them. Although he wasn't proficient in healing spells, Avalon, residing within Irisviel, did its job. Her wounds quickly began to mend.
Seeing Kiritsugu arrive, both women were overjoyed, though the damage to his clothes from his battle with Kayneth also made them worry.
However, the three had no time for conversation, because at that very moment, a terrifying explosion of magical energy erupted from the front of the castle.
Instantly, the three of them knew what it was.
Irisviel cried out, "This... this is Saber's magical energy! Has a powerful enemy attacked?"
Kiritsugu Emiya: "..."
The man said nothing. As Saber's Master, he could feel the magical energy within his own body being consumed at a rapid rate. Without a doubt, Saber was using her full power.
The camera shifted back to the front lines.
Saber's sword erupted with golden magical energy as if it were wreathed in golden flames. This was her fury, the wrath of the Knight King. In this moment, her terrifying Mana Burst was released without reservation.
Faced with the enraged Artoria and the dazzling light she radiated, Bluebeard was not only unafraid but grew even more excited and fanatical. Tears of emotion streamed endlessly from his eyes.
At the same time, a zealous cry escaped his lips: "Ooooh~ This dazzling light~ This brilliant radiance~ This holy figure, full of glory and splendor~ Ooooh~ My Saint~ My great Saint~ I am so moved! I am so saddened!"
"O wicked God! How much must you make Jeanne sacrifice before you are satisfied? Detestable God! O God! Why?! WHY?! WHYYYYYY~"
At the end of his tirade, the man, having conjured some new delusion, clutched his head and clawed at it madly, his nails digging deep into his scalp, tearing his own head into a bloody mess.
Watching Caster's inhuman, demonic state, Saber gripped her golden holy sword with both hands. Golden magical energy swirled around her, and the holy sword itself shone with a golden luster, its power radiating outwards.
In this moment, Saber was surrounded by what looked like holy golden flames. This was magical energy at its peak, condensing and concentrating into the golden sword in her hands—a higher level of Mana Burst, infused with Saber's own fury.
Within this torrent of golden light, Caster Bluebeard's eyes widened, the emotion within them growing even stronger. Facing the golden flood, it was as if he saw another person within it.
In a daze, a hallucination appeared. It was a young woman in white armor, bearing a striking resemblance to Saber. Unsurprisingly, this must be the Jeanne that Gilles de Rais obsessed over day and night.
Indeed, she looked very much like King Arthur. However, the maiden named Jeanne was more magnanimous than King Arthur.
Seeing this illusion of the maiden, Bluebeard was moved even more deeply. He reached out his hands towards the maiden—or rather, towards the golden energy—and the illusion of the maiden, with a holy smile, reached back towards him.
This scene seemed to signify Caster's end.
However, just as his end was imminent, the camera cut to Marisbury's location. The man wore a faint smile as he said, "My, my... if you were to die just like that, it would be quite troublesome for me. So... Caster, I'll have to ask you."
Gilles de Rais was a Servant summoned through a double-summoning. Marisbury still had great use for him. The only reason he had allowed Elysia to try and eliminate him before was to measure her power. It was just a shame that a third-rate Servant like him was completely incapable of making that woman use her full strength.
At that same moment, the King of Magi, Solomon, slightly raised his hand. On it was a pattern similar to a Command Spell—undoubtedly the means by which he controlled Gilles de Rais.
Instantly, just a moment before he was consumed by the golden light unleashed by Saber, Bluebeard vanished from the spot.
The golden torrent swept over the place where Bluebeard had stood. Like a wave of absolute destruction, it carved a massive trench in the earth and devoured the tentacled monsters.
In a near-instant, the abominations were annihilated by the golden light, and the souls of the suffering children were granted a painless release.]
---o---
Eriri: "That's the second time! The second time!!! That Gilles de Rais has escaped death twice now! What is the author of this video thinking? Can't they just let a guy like that die already?"
Yukino Yukinoshita: "That light just now... was that King Arthur's Noble Phantasm? Only a Noble Phantasm could achieve that level of destructive power, surely."
Schicksal Overseer: "Regrettably, that was not her Noble Phantasm. King Arthur's Master is exceedingly cautious and would never have approved its use. The enraged King Arthur did not lose her reason; she merely unleashed her Mana Burst to its absolute limit."
L: "Just her Mana Burst is already that astonishing? If it were her true Noble Phantasm, the destruction would likely be staggering."
Conan: "What is Marisbury's objective? I'm starting to think he's the real villain and mastermind of this Holy Grail War."
Kasumigaoka Utaha: "Who knows? But one thing is for sure: he is definitely not a 'good person' as we would understand it. I refuse to believe he was unaware of Gilles de Rais's killing spree."