[FDJ]Chapter 46: True Nature

The sharp edge of Atilla's sword was menacing, and once the distance was opened up, she would unleash powerful magical sword beams. Every time Etius had to defend against her attacks, he needed to use high-level magical defenses. It became a battle of attrition, and even Etius was somewhat surprised. Atilla was consuming over ten times the amount of mana he was, yet she showed no signs of exhaustion. The blessing of the Holy Grail exceeded his expectations, and he realized that he had been overly arrogant in regarding the Holy Grail as just a magical accessory.

Relying on his abundant magical power, Etius continued to stall for time. He awaited the opportunity he desired—the recovery of his familiar shadow. Atilla had previously recklessly released her magical power and damaged his familiar, coincidentally causing his shadow familiar to malfunction as well. This forced him to delay his plans for even more time.

Suddenly, a distorted shadow appeared beneath Atilla's feet, effortlessly entangling her. The position was perfect, and everything was going according to Etius's plan, at least for the time being.

"Very well, savage. I will make an exception and give you a chance to surrender. I don't usually show mercy." Etius didn't dare to be negligent. At the same time, as both of them came to a halt, he used multiple layers of magical defenses to isolate themselves from each other. He didn't want to be struck by Atilla's rainbow-colored stone sword even once.

"Do you think such tricks are effective?" This wasn't the first time Atilla had been entangled by Etius's familiar. Angered, she forcibly twisted her upper body, using her strength to pull free from the grasp of the familiar once again. Etius looked at Atilla in disbelief. He had added multiple enchantments to enhance physical resistance during the familiar's self-repair process, but it seemed that they still couldn't withstand Atilla's wild pulling.

Whether it was a high-spec Mystic Code with divine qualities or having the Holy Grail within her, Atilla had no difficulty dealing with these tactics. Barbarism could crush civilization, and at this moment, Atilla was demonstrating to the next generation's most powerful magus—so-called tools created through wisdom were fragile in the face of brute force, and meticulous calculations couldn't keep up with the limits of muscle and physique.

"Assassin, attack!"

When they initially assaulted the Hun camp, Etius had used his shadow familiar to entangle Atilla, and then Assassin activated his Noble Phantasm. However, at a critical moment, Etius mistakenly used a Command Seal on the Assassin-controlled Master.

This time, they perfectly recreated yesterday's ambush, except Assassin couldn't retract his Noble Phantasm. The three Command Seals of the Assassin's Master had already been depleted.

In an instant, the cloaked Servant who had stealthily approached Atilla's side revealed himself. Compelled by his Master being controlled by Etius, he used his own Noble Phantasm. The stab of the left dagger was a feint, while the separate right hand bypassed Atilla's elbow and aimed directly for her head.

As long as it made contact, Assassin's Noble Phantasm, "Zabaniya: Angel of Death," would activate, easily killing a human.

The dagger pierced Atilla's long hair, and she immediately turned her head, glaring at the failed ambush by Assassin. She couldn't evade the other hand, or rather, she believed she couldn't evade Assassin's attack and simply chose not to defend herself. Instead, she used her right hand to break free from the entangling familiar and delivered a heavy blow to Assassin's chest.

Both of them struck each other. Assassin made contact with Atilla's head, while the wounded Assassin was immediately pushed back several steps by Atilla. Blood, a mixture of red and black, dripped continuously from the gaps in the mask, scattering onto the grass.

Assassin let out a howl of pain. Once again, he was injured by this "Master" in the Holy Grail War, emitting strange sounds in an attempt to disrupt Atilla's subsequent actions. He had never heard of a human being able to defeat a Servant, unable to regard the fierce-looking queen before him as a human. He even suspected that she was a demigod with a human appearance.

There were no other changes in Atilla's body, strictly speaking. Her forehead briefly flashed with a red light, but she didn't turn into a bomb. At this point, she also broke free from the entangling shadow familiar. Magic flowed through her entire body as if she were wearing a highly efficient and fully functional full-body armor, fully unleashing her physical potential.

The assassination tricks of a mere Assassin couldn't activate their lethal effect when facing a target with excessively high magical power. It only made Atilla dizzy for a moment.

"What other tricks do you have, Etius? Even with your numerous Mystic Codes, can they compare to the Holy Grail?" The slight headache only heightened Atilla's fighting spirit. She couldn't wait to defeat the now-revealed Etius.

Atilla abruptly turned around and punched through the magical defense separating them. She didn't understand magecraft, nor did she need to understand tricks that could be shattered by her strength.

The Holy Grail granted Atilla the capital to contend with Servants, combined with her unique identity. Etius's defensive magecraft endured for a few seconds and then shattered like glass. In an instant, the frontal barrier turned into scattered particles of light, dissipating into nothingness.

After the magecraft, a palm caught Atilla's furious punch. Etius had somehow switched to a white glove. He might have concealed more Mystic Codes on his sleeves, each one extraordinary. He had also prepared equipment to deal with barbaric individuals. He didn't expect that the gloves meant for capturing a dragon would have to be used now.

"I've been waiting for you to fully activate the power of the Holy Grail, Atilla."

The white glove not only dulled the impact of Atilla's punch, but another hidden effect further dulled her senses. Everything in Atilla's eyes became sluggish as they made contact. An unusual drowsiness covered her.

The momentary sluggishness was enough for Etius. He didn't mind the gloves being rendered useless in a single use or the Mystic Code that would take a year to replenish its magic power. To defeat the King of the Huns who had swept through many civilizations and made the proud barbarian before him submit, he was willing to pay any price. That's how he understood magecraft.

The Master who controlled Assassin, Etius, had only used the ability of his shadow familiar. But to control Atilla, Etius now took out the "Necklace of Venus" from his sleeve. When a human wears this necklace, it is no different from being a shackled ferocious dog. Any human with emotional concepts will have their consciousness manipulated, their freedom taken away, and become a mere object in the hands of the necklace's owner. There is nothing more satisfying and tempting than conquering a king who has conquered numerous civilizations!

Etius made no unnecessary movements and attempted to put the necklace of the Roman goddess of love on Atilla before she regained consciousness. He was willing to overlook the sacrifice of one of their Servants, Rider for this. As long as he could conquer Atilla, he could accept these costs.

The necklace failed to clasp, and Etius never expected such an unexpected accident to occur. He twisted his fingers, trying to catch the last second to fasten the button of the necklace. But he failed repeatedly. He could see the two mismatched metal clasps. They should have been able to clasp together if only they were aligned properly.

"This won't do! Magic is not all-powerful, even for items that borrow the name of the goddess of love."

The voice came from afar and approached closer. Etius didn't need to look up to know that it was Lancer Brynhildr approaching him. He didn't give up, disregarding the fact that Atilla's perception was about to return. He pressed the necklace clasp once again.

"I already told you~ it's not allowed. Magus, have you forgotten the taboos of your magecraft?"

Unusually, Lancer Brynhildr stopped fighting Jeanne and took a defensive position above Etius and Atilla. She had no intention of attacking either of them for the time being. She simply smiled as she watched Etius repeatedly make foolish mistakes.

The fact that a top-class magus of this era made such a logical error truly amused Brynhildr. She had initially been prepared to intervene and stop Etius because that kind of Mystic Code theoretically had the potential to manipulate consciousness and emotions. After all, she understood love, possessed love, and wouldn't mistake Etius for her beloved.

Etius and Atilla locked eyes, with the latter returning to her normal state of consciousness just moments before, her hand still mid-swing from a punch. In the next moment, she found herself face to face with the old face of the Roman magus she had dreamed of killing. Nothing felt worse to her than this.

"Go to hell, you old fox!" Atilla charged forward, aiming to collide with the dangerously close Etius. The man she collided with instantly turned into a pile of wood chips.

Etius, shaken, appeared several meters away. If his magic activation had been even slightly delayed, he would have been lucky to escape with just a broken nose from Atilla's impact. He didn't care, though. Losing another necklace was nothing. Any Mystic Code he possessed was a priceless treasure, and if he lost it, he could always collect more. But if he lost his life, no matter how many treasures he had, they would only be burial objects.

"What do you mean, Lancer? Are you betraying the alliance, or is it your Master's command to betray us?" Etius questioned, seeking answers.

Facing Etius's inquiry, Lancer Brynhildr nodded in acknowledgment but didn't directly answer him. "Magus, do you think the Holy Grail is merely a vessel for storing magical energy? Although it is indeed true..."

Lancer finished speaking, and Atilla turned around, closing in on the injured Assassin. The vines brought forth by rune magic entangled Assassin's feet. With no resistance against magic, the wounded Assassin couldn't sever the vines with his dagger in time, and Atilla approached him.

Perhaps Atilla could defeat the second Servant with the same sword technique she used to defeat the first, but she chose not to. The Holy Grail within her provided her with a better suggestion.

Assassin sensed extreme danger and struggled, emitting a piercing scream in an attempt to disrupt Atilla's judgment of his attacking position. He couldn't have anticipated that Atilla didn't intend to kill him directly.

Similarly, with a single hand touching his head, Atilla effortlessly held down Assassin's forehead as if subduing livestock. She had no intention of attacking Assassin, so his final scream was meaningless, and luck was not on his side.

Assassin couldn't continue to struggle and gradually began to dissolve, merging with Atilla's body in pure magical form.

"Holder of the Holy Grail, how does it taste?" Lancer Brynhildr asked.

"Delicious." After licking her left finger, the residual high-purity magical energy invigorated Atalanta's spirit. Besides sugar-coated bread, she had never "consumed" such a delicious food—a Servant.

"You're even better at using the Holy Grail than I expected." Lancer Brynhildr disregarded Etius's angry expression and landed beside Atalanta. "It seems our alliance can take effect now?"

"That's right. Lancer, let's conquer this era together!" Atilla burst into laughter, releasing the suppressed laughter she had held from the beginning. She was never a gentle woman willing to accept her fate.