A Saiyan's Journey

"Uwaa…"

Artoria's Wind King Hammer struck out. Surprisingly, the first target was not Zuke but Rin Tohsaka, who was being held in Zuke's arms.

After all, Zuke's… well, not his thick skin, but his formidable defensive abilities could completely ignore the wind pressure from the Wind King Hammer. Rin Tohsaka, however, wasn't so fortunate.

Thus, the moment Artoria launched her attack, Zuke summoned Blackbird, using its Justice ability to create a barrier of black mist to shield Rin.

Although Rin couldn't see the Stand, she could feel something blocking the terrifying wind pressure, leaving her completely unaffected.

Meanwhile, Artoria's face was filled with disbelief as she faced Zuke.

The Wind King Hammer, combined with a slash from her Excalibur, was naturally a formidable attack. Artoria had expected it to at least injure Zuke to some extent.

Yet, to her shock, Zuke stood completely unfazed. Not only was his face unscathed, but his body hadn't even moved. He endured the attack head-on without a single scratch.

"Does he have high magical resistance that negated part of the Wind King Hammer's damage?"

Such thoughts flickered through Artoria's mind as she pondered how Zuke could take her attack without budging or sustaining any injury.

However, the conclusion she reached made her expression turn even darker.

"No, it's not some innate skill he relied on… He simply used the raw strength of his body to tank my attack!"

Artoria's heart sank to rock bottom upon arriving at this realization.

"Are you done attacking?"

Zuke gazed indifferently at Artoria, who had finished her strike.

"If so, it's my turn—Enkidu!"

In the next instant, the Chains of Heaven, a Noble Phantasm acquired from Gilgamesh, shot out from the golden ripples of space, binding Artoria's limbs in an instant.

"This is…!"

Artoria immediately realized what was happening and tried to break free.

But Zuke didn't give her the chance. Blackbird's body transformed into a surge of electricity, which coursed through the chains and struck Artoria directly.

"Ughhhhhhh!"

A terrifying current swept through Artoria from head to toe, filling her body with searing heat and numbing paralysis. She couldn't help but let out a pained scream—Zuke could even smell a faint hint of scorched flesh wafting from her body.

Her Excalibur slipped from her grasp, clattering to the ground in a display of utter defeat.

If not for her being a heroic spirit, Artoria might already have been reduced to a charred corpse.

Considering his fondness for Artoria from his past life, Zuke refrained from delivering a fatal blow. He merely incapacitated her, leaving her unable to move.

Zuke then walked past the defenseless Artoria, heading straight for Irisviel von Einzbern.

Irisviel trembled as she looked at Zuke. Even Artoria, a heroic spirit, had been defeated so thoroughly—how could she possibly stand a chance?

"So, have you made your choice? Will you hand over Avalon willingly, or shall we take it ourselves?"

Zuke's tone was calm, but the pressure it carried weighed heavily on Irisviel. The sight of Rin Tohsaka in Zuke's arms, eagerly rubbing her hands together as if preparing to test her untried magical theories on Irisviel, only worsened the tension.

"…I understand. But please, don't harm Saber anymore."

After a moment's hesitation, Irisviel lowered her head, ultimately choosing to surrender.

"I can't promise that," Zuke replied bluntly. Glancing at Artoria, who was still recovering from the electric shock, he continued, "To summon the Holy Grail, sufficient heroic spirits must be eliminated so their souls can return to the Lesser Grail… You understand this better than anyone, don't you?"

Irisviel's expression shifted subtly. It was clear Zuke had uncovered her true nature.

He was right. Even if he spared Artoria now, he would inevitably have to deal with her later for the Holy Grail to manifest. She had no grounds to resist.

With a sigh of resignation, Irisviel prepared to extract Avalon from within her body.

But in the next moment, a massive surge of mana erupted behind them. Zuke turned to see Artoria breaking free from the Chains of Heaven.

"Huh? This power…"

Zuke was taken aback. He sensed an extraordinary influx of mana within Artoria, which dispelled the paralysis and enabled her to shatter the chains by sheer force.

"Berserker! A Command Seal! Someone amplified her power with a Command Seal!" Rin Tohsaka exclaimed, immediately grasping the situation.

Artoria's Master, Kiritsugu Emiya, had used a Command Seal to temporarily enhance her strength.

But it wasn't merely a simple boost in power.

In an instant, Zuke saw Artoria's expression change as she turned mechanically, her body seemingly out of her control. She picked up her Excalibur from the ground.

"Oh? Could it be…?"

Zuke raised an eyebrow, looking down at Irisviel in front of him.

Irisviel's face froze in shock as she watched Artoria, trembling, raise Excalibur above her head.

When Artoria reveals its true name, Excalibur unleashes a devastating beam of light capable of obliterating any foe and even cleaving rivers. It is her ultimate trump card.

Using her Noble Phantasm against Zuke, a formidable opponent, made perfect sense. However, Irisviel was standing right next to him.

Artoria's movements were hesitant, clearly not of her own volition, but driven by the Command Seal's compulsion.

And the Command Seals, of course, belonged to none other than Kiritsugu Emiya.

Artoria's face reflected her inner turmoil as she communicated with Kiritsugu, explaining the situation. Yet, despite knowing that Irisviel was within the line of fire, Kiritsugu still commanded her to unleash Excalibur on Zuke, igniting her fury.

Irisviel's expression mirrored disbelief as she realized what was happening.

But Zuke saw through the plan immediately.

"So that's it… He's counting on me not to destroy the Lesser Grail outright, isn't he?"

Zuke smirked coldly. He understood Kiritsugu's reasoning at once.

Kiritsugu was betting that Zuke, intent on summoning the Holy Grail, wouldn't harm Irisviel, the Lesser Grail.

Thus, Kiritsugu dared to command Artoria to unleash Excalibur, knowing Zuke would be forced to protect Irisviel by taking the full brunt of the Noble Phantasm himself.

Unable to defeat Zuke in direct combat, this was Kiritsugu's desperate gambit. Victory or death—there was no middle ground.

To be continued…

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