How come the Ace of Cups isn't considered the Holy Grail?

Unfortunately, she is too weak to explode at all.

Chapter 243 'Sword' and 'Shield'

The man didn't care about her attitude at all. After all, Ayaka Sajou was already bound by his cursed artifact. Let alone fight back, she couldn't even pounce on him and bite him.

However, he still explained to Ayaka Sajo what he was going to do next.

Beneath Ayaka Sajou was a magic circle for summoning Heroic Spirits, and the man was a Master who was about to use this magic circle and the relics prepared by his client to summon the aloof hero who was once known as the 'Knight King of the Round Table'.

According to the instructions received from the client through the communication device in his left ear, he was going to use Ayaka Sajou to test whether the 'King Arthur' who was about to be summoned would obey his orders and kill the defenseless woman!

After saying that, to Ayaka Sajou's astonishment, the man activated the magic circle.

Magic filled the magic circle, turning into a shimmering blue light. An invisible current swept across the windless stage, and a man's chanting began.

"Using silver and iron as materials, and stone and the grand covenant as foundations, the descending wind blows towards the walls..."

Sajou Ayaka sat helplessly in the center of the magic circle, the bindings preventing her from making any further movements. She could only watch helplessly as the man carried out the ritual to the end.

Then, she might die by the sword of the summoned King Arthur, or perhaps he is truly as noble as the legends say, and will save her even if it means disobeying the summoner's orders...

Is this the woman's curse?

Ayaka Sajou recalled the red figure from her nightmare.

Her fate... was to be entrusted to a stranger, someone she had never met before?

Resentment, helplessness, anger... countless emotions surged in her heart. She didn't know which emotion resonated with her, but the red tattoo on the back of her left hand slowly lit up.

The electric current surged, and the numbing sensation from the shock made her struggle involuntarily.

No, she doesn't want to die!

murderous look--!

A fleeting aura instantly soaked her back. The man continued chanting, but Ayaka Sajou had already sensed something was wrong.

There's something... now...

"Arise from the Wheel of Suppression!"

right here!

"Libra's Guardian—"

Ayaka Sajou's eyes widened in surprise.

An abnormally deformed arm pierced through the man's chest, pulling out a still-beating 'heart', and then...

"[Delusional Heart Sound (Zabaniya)]!"

The ethereal voice rang out simultaneously with the sound of a heart being crushed, and a large amount of blood splattered in the direction of Ayaka Sajou, leaving traces on her face and glasses.

The man is dead.

The cause of death was a ruptured heart.

Without needing any investigation or evidence, Ayaka Sajou was absolutely certain as she looked at the corpse lying on the floor, its blood trickling out.

"How……"

Just as she was about to utter a sound of disbelief, a glint in her eye caught Ayaka Sajou's eye as she spotted a dark figure at the edge of the stage.

That was the 'evil spirit' that had appeared in her nightmare earlier.

Why is she here?

In the blink of an eye, the shadow disappeared from Ayaka Sajou's sight, leaving only the rapid beating of her heart.

Turning around, she saw a woman's face that was almost touching her own.

Ayaka Sajou: "!!!"

The close-up kill scene from horror movies becoming a reality is no different.

"Are you a magician who wants the Holy Grail?" The woman's lips, hidden behind her veil, moved slightly as she asked Ayaka Sajou, who was too terrified to move.

Even after the man died, and the cursed tools he used to bind her turned to ashes, Ayaka Sajou dared not move at all.

"I……"

His right hand fell limply to the floor, and the summoning ritual that had been interrupted was restarted at this moment!

The unfamiliar woman's pupils dilated slightly, and in that extremely brief moment she sensed something was wrong and immediately disappeared from the spot.

The magic circle on the floor lit up with a colorful light barrier as lightning flashed. The dazzling light forced Ayaka Sajou, who was inside it, to put aside the woman's matter for the moment, shield her eyes with her hand, and squint to see the magic circle clearly.

What happened?

In the center of the magic circle, a giant 'sword' (?) of platinum and silver simultaneously appeared before the eyes of Ayaka Sajou, the strange woman far from the magic circle, and Francesca Prellati, who was remotely observing the situation through magic and had achieved the feat of 'summoning myself' in this Holy Grail War.

Who?

The same question arose in the minds of the three, and then it transformed into the same question.

This thing is... a sword?

Why would you feel confused?

Because that 'sword' not only had half of its blade missing, but it was also far too enormous. Even with a rough estimate, Ayaka Sajou felt that the sword was at least twice her length when she stood up.

What kind of person would use such an exaggeratedly large 'sword'?

Giants?

And if the blade is only at the front, is this 'sword' meant to be used for stabbing, or to smash the enemy into a pulp with its obviously heavy weight?

He actually used an unsheathed greatsword as a blunt weapon, smashing his enemies flat one by one...

Huh? This seems to make sense unexpectedly?

Of course, in reality, besides the giant sword, there was actually a black-haired youth standing in the center of the summoning circle, but because the giant sword was so eye-catching, they subconsciously ignored the youth's presence.

He wore a bright red jacket over a black shirt with a key-like pendant hanging in front of his chest. He wore slim-fitting white trousers and red bracelets on his wrists, the same color as the card holder on his belt.

"Just ask——"

Yu Du, who was habitually preparing to recite his lines, had just started speaking when he noticed the figure of a veiled woman on the other side of the stage and stopped talking. He then changed the subject.

"Ah, sorry, are we in the middle of a battle?" He raised the 'sword' that was ridiculously large in Ayaka Sajou's eyes, held it in his hand like an ordinary weapon, turned to face the woman, and looked her up and down.

This color scheme and style of dress... is it Assassin?

I'll use you to test my sword!

Sensing the other party's identity as a Servant, Yuuto didn't hesitate and swung his [No. 39 Hope the Emperor] in a sweeping attack.

Assassin's expression changed slightly, and he immediately disappeared from the spot, transforming into a shadow that darted through the theater.

Snap!

The lights above were casually smashed by a passing Assassin, leaving only one lamp unharmed.

An isolated light shone on Yutari on the stage, but Ayaka Sajo noticed a fluorescent glow on his greatsword.

So, where is that woman?

Disappeared?

How can it be?

A dark shadow shot out from the overpass behind You Du with lightning speed, its deformed arm reappearing, reaching towards You Du's unsuspecting back.

"Ah, the classic move of attacking from behind after losing sight of someone... Is this move really that effective?"

Yuuto calmly turned around and met Assassin's gaze, who was astonished to find that his attack had landed on an arc-shaped shield made up of feathers that looked like wings. Yuuto then gave Assassin a confident smile.

"Hopefully, the effect of Royal Hope will activate and nullify one of your attacks!"

Luna's Shield, kid!

Chapter 244 Was King Arthur an Easterner?

Assassin, hmm... This girl has an extremely fanatical and devout faith in the Assassination Order and is able to use the divine powers of the previous 18 Hassans.

Although she was unable to inherit Hassan's position due to the elders of the Assassination Order's fear of her talent, she still abandoned her true name when she obtained the qualifications of a Heroic Spirit.

Considering that there will be two Assassins in this Holy Grail War, let's just call her Kyoushinoko for convenience.

Although Kyoko was focused on attacking Yuwatari and didn't see it, Ayaka Sajou saw it all clearly.

Just as Kyoko leaped down from the high iron frame, extending her demon-like deformed arm as she had done when she killed the nameless man, maintaining her characteristics as an Assassin Heroic Spirit, she prepared to use [Delusional Heartbeat] to shatter Yuwatari's heart from his blind spot.

Ayaka Sajou clearly saw the white wings on one side of the greatsword in Yuto's hand suddenly disperse, and the steel parts that looked like real feathers drew an arc, then reassembled behind Yuto, becoming a curved shield that blocked Kyoshino's attack.

She didn't even have a chance to say the words "delusional thoughts"!

But why is there a shield on your sword?

And looking at the white wings on the other side of the sword that are almost identical to those on the shield, it seems there are actually two shields.

How can a person wield both a greatsword and two shields at the same time?

Ayaka Sajou couldn't help but want to complain in her mind.

Unlike her, who could still leisurely watch the show, Kyoko reacted immediately upon realizing that her attack had been blocked. She curled up and kicked her legs towards Yuwatari's Moon God Shield, trying to use this to increase the distance between herself and Yuwatari.

However, the Moon Goddess Shield was not a single shield to begin with. When the Mad Nosemon kicked at it, it deliberately dispersed and returned to Yudo's sword as pieces of iron feathers.

Kyonobu: "!!!"

I see it clearly now, this time I see it completely!

Kyoko not only saw where the shield that blocked her Noble Phantasm came from, but also saw the giant sword sweeping towards her with unparalleled power!

Suspended in mid-air with no foothold, Kyoko's eyes widened. Her incredibly fast thinking allowed her to make a judgment in that brief moment.

There's no way to avoid it, we have to tough it out!

"[Zabaniya]!"

This is a miracle of a certain Hassan from the past, recreated by Kyoko's Noble Phantasm [Zabaniya], which allows her skin to reach a hardness like crystal in a demonic realm.

Even though being knocked away was inevitable, she shouldn't be seriously injured.

Clang!

Boom!

The massive sword slammed into her, and with a crisp clang of metal, Kyoko vanished in an instant, transforming into a black shadow and disappearing from the spot, crossing the entire audience and crashing into the theater wall.

You Du did not stop. He raised the 'Hope Sword' in his hand high, gripped the hilt with both hands, and a huge amount of magic power surged on it. After covering the sword, it all concentrated on the trident-like sword tip.

"Ah... I only tried it because the tip of the sword looked like it could fire a light cannon, but I didn't expect it to actually work?"

Of course, this is not a magical artifact, but simply the release of magical energy.

The person who started it all exclaimed in surprise at what they had done, leaving Ayaka Sajou somewhat bewildered.

Why does this person seem like they don't even know how to use their own weapon?

Her doubts had no effect on You Du in the slightest. The boundless golden light seemed to be bound by some invisible restriction, extending outward from the tip of the giant sword in You Du's hand.

The flowing light looked like a high-pressure water jet, yet the heat emanating from it was so intense that even the fallen Kyoshiko could feel it.

Even her skin could feel a faint burning sensation.

What a joke!

On stage, Yuuto, caught up in a meme, looked at the familiar torrent of light surging from his sword and, without a second thought, decided to use the name of Saber's Noble Phantasm.

Let me try out this knife!

"They're coming! Ex-calibur!"

Without hesitation, he slashed down with his sword. The surging stream of light became his blade, starting from the theater ceiling and slicing down at a speed comparable to cutting butter with a hot knife, towards the fallen Kyoshinoko in the ruins.

This sword strike nearly cleaved the theater in two. Except for the part behind You Du, which remained intact, the golden light that erupted instantly filled the entire theater.

While blasting away the part of the theater that Youdu was facing, it also shattered the glass dome at the top of the theater.

That night, many people in Snowfield City saw a golden beam of light shooting straight into the sky.

As for Kyojin... since he didn't release much magic power, he's probably still alive. I just don't know where he's been blasted to by that sword.