Kotomine stood in place, gazing at the sky, a look of bewilderment on his face.
Through the vast, dark night, warm sunlight leaked past the thick black fog smothering the land, casting faint golden rays onto the earth below.
Such intense light...
His eyes widened in astonishment. At this midnight hour — the darkest time when no light should permeate the land — why were rays of sun streaming through?
The strangeness plagued not only Kotomine, but everyone's minds as well.
Midnight represented the apex of darkness. And yet, from the curtain of blackness overhead, golden beams descended, as if to repel the shadows smothering the land.
"What...what is happening?" Kotomine whispered.
He furrowed his brows.
And this was also the confusion in Semiramis's mind.
"Damn it!" she hissed through gritted teeth, fury blazing in her eyes. "Someone has broken free from the suppression of my Hanging Gardens!"
Faint golden rays of sunlight filtered through her Gardens, leaving delicate luminous patterns across the land - so warm and dazzling.
Yet to Semiramis, this was an outright insult.
Her Hanging Gardens had been invaded, and yet she...
Had no power over this interloping light!
This was simply unbelievable! Infuriating!
The Hanging Gardens were her Noble Phantasm - more than that, they were her world. She could transform them, seal them, suppress them as she willed.
Yet towards this invading radiance, she was powerless.
As with that vexing woman, Kiara Sessyoin, Semiramis was helpless!
"What is happening?!" she shouted, puzzlement shattering her composure.
The golden light permeated each region, unfurling like a map to salvation.
It illuminated the path ahead for Vlad and Spartacus. It shone upon Heracles locked in fierce battle with Hydra and Basmu. It gleamed on Astolfo, who frantically attracted packs of magical beasts during his panicked flight.
"So warm..." Astolfo murmured in wonder.
"I see now..." Arjuna barely deflected Karna's relentless offense when the warm glow started shining onto his cheek. He realized he had seen this light before.
On that dark night when the extraterrestial invader emerged from a dimensional rift to attack, he too had witnessed this light.
This all-encompassing warmth - there was no doubt.
"So, has he descended then?" Arjuna smiled. For the overall situation this was a good thing probably.
But for him, it held no meaning.
Because from beginning to end, he only had one enemy.
"Karna!"
...
Within area 7, Shirou held the Spear of Endless Light in one hand and the chalice in the other, Mordred embraced in his arms.
His gaze was fixed on the abyssal, cavernous fissure in the ceiling...
Recalling the female voice that had just heard, he was clearly aware that he would likely soon encounter his ultimate target in this war:
Kiara Sessyoin.
Or rather, Beast III, the Devil's Bodhisattva.
"That chalice in your hand ..."
The woman's voice echoed through the area 7.
In the next moment, white hands poured from the massive fissure in the sky toward the chalice in his hand, like a tidal wave.
Seeing this, he tossed the Spear of Endless Light high into the air. Then, with a quick thought...
The compressed spear of light instantly reverted back to its original, towering form with a loud "boom," once again becoming an immense Tower of Light connecting heaven and earth.
Gales and thunderstorms bombarded the extending white hands.
"Oh?"
The woman's surprised voice could be heard.
Shirou set Mordred down and gently placed the chalice into her hands, "Don't let this be taken again."
"You..." Mordred started, wanting to say something but finding herself at a loss for words. She could only watch as he flung his cloak back and strode forward.
Shirou walked forward, his entire body emanating faint rays of light.
He stretched out a hand, and the massive Tower of Light connecting heaven and earth let out cracking "ka ka ka" sounds as it began compressing again.
Through endless compression of energy, the Tower of Light that had linked heaven and earth reformed into the Spear of Endless Light once more.
This was the third manifestation of Rhongomyniad that he had discovered.
Unlike Rhongomyniad's traditional form as a knight's lance, the Spear of Endless Light was elongated and slender, more similar to Scáthach's Gáe Bolg, emanating rays of light from end to end.
It was an entirely new form achieved after he used the endless compression ability of the Tower of Light while maintaining his sense of self under [Mortal Awakening].
In simple terms, it condensed all the radiance from the Tower of Light into the physical form of a spear. It possessed even higher capabilities and more formidable power compared to the usual Rhongomyniad.
This was due to compressing the unleashed radiance in its entirety - converging endless energy into a singular point.
This was the essence of the Spear of Endless Light.
It also represented the maximum extent of Shirou's grasp over the spear after summoning Eternal King under [Mortal Awakening] without losing himself.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"
Countless white hands stretched from the fissure, reaching for Shirou and Mordred.
Shirou's eyes glinted sharply. Mud exuding light seeped from his body, covering his arms, bolstering his strength.
Gripping the Spear of Endless Light, he charged straight toward the endless hands.
"Wait! You specialize in skills and Noble Phantasms, how could you possibly—?"
Mordred wore an astonished expression.
She had long determined that Shirou excelled in long range skills and Noble Phantasms, not skilled in close quarters combat.
Yet the scene before her completely changed her perspective.
Wielding the Spear of Endless Light, he rushed into the midst of the countless hands. With a turn of his wrist, the spear became a streak of light, slashing the hands.
The moment the spear's sharp tip touched the hands that even Excalibur couldn't cut through, a loud "boom" erupted as explosions shattered the hands entirely.
And this was only natural - the Spear of Endless Light was formed from compressing the Tower of Light itself. Each attack was truly a bombardment from that towering pillar.
In essence, every strike from his spear now held power equivalent to the Tower of Light's strongest beams!
The white hands were extremely sturdy, enough to withstand Excalibur in its normal state. But clearly, they couldn't resist blows from the Tower of Light's cannons. What's more, the Tower of Light that had currently transformed into the spear of endless light also had his strength added to it. How could the hands block against that?
Mordred understood now.
She wouldn't be shocked by a Noble Phantasm's might alone. What truly astounded her was his spear technique!
Wielding the spear with perfect freedom and fluidity, it was as if the weapon had become melded into his very arm - an effortless, natural extension of himself.
In the world of martial arts, such skill had a set term:
—One with the spear!
Yet...how was this possible?
For one known for his Noble Phantasm over martial skill, how could Shirou possess such masterful spear technique?
Mordred was thoroughly flabbergasted.
Indeed, whether as Eternal King or as himself, Shirou excelled with Noble Phantasms and countless skills, not physical combat.
Yet this didn't mean his spear technique was lacking. He was clueless when it came to swordsmanship, yet spear technique was taught tirelessly day and night by Scathach.
Though not as skilled with a spear as Scáthach herself or great warriors like Karna, he had still honed his technique under an expert's watchful eye. As shown in his brief clash with Karna before, the hard-won skill he had gained was far from weak.
Wielding the Spear of Endless Light, Shirou displayed his spear technique once more.
Despite the endless devil's hands stretching from the towering fissure, he remained calm.
Heart tranquil as still water, the spear emerged accordingly in his hand. Tracing arcs of light, it severed the grasping hands one by one, loud booms ringing out with each exploded limb.
Yet the hands kept coming, sprouting endlessly - each batch cut down only for more to surge up from below, hungry for him and Mordred.
She moved to slice the nearest batch, but he flicked his spear to bat the white hands aside first. Nimbly leaping past her, he decisively shattered the next wave, beating her to the punch.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"
More hands continued gushing from the towering fissure.
Shirou raised a brow. He could summon Camelot troops through his First Noble Phantasm, but more bodies would be useless here - only wasting mana against this endless tide.
Moreover, as Eternal King under [Mortal Awakening], retaining his sense of self also made his fighting tactics different from the previous Eternal King's.
So he activated his Second Noble Phantasm, overlaying the record of [Lancelot] onto himself.
In that moment, the way he wielded the Spear of Endless Light changed.
That posture no longer resembled a spear, but gripping a sword.
Shirou leapt high, the Spear of Endless Light swinging forth like a holy sword.
That form left Mordred dumbfounded. For it was not spearwork, but swordsmanship!
And that style...she vividly remembered seeing it before. The memory seared into her mind - she would never forget.
Because that was...
"...Lancelot's Arondight Overload?!" she stared in shock.