C406

As soon as he stepped into the Mirror World, Shirou immediately saw that familiar figure.

The swordsman was wearing heavy black armor and holding a black sword. She had dark golden hair, and black storm was brewing around her, as though she were the personification of despair itself.

Following closely behind were Illya and the other three, who were all startled by the dense magical storm surrounding the swordsman.

"So... that's Saber?" Illya's forehead broke into a cold sweat.

As he gazed at Saber's stunning and graceful face, he paused for a moment before confirming, "She's your opponent this time."

Miyu hesitated for a moment before blurting out, "Why does Saber look exactly like Gray?"

He said calmly, "Could be just a coincidence. Don't overthink it. Your objective is to defeat her. Give it your all."

"Yes!" Illya and the others shouted.

Chloe took the lead in launching an attack, followed by Illya's magical bombardment.

The three of them attacked Saber, but most of their attacks were blocked by the dense magical storm surrounding her.

Saber reacted instinctively and launched a counterattack.

She drew in magical energy from the ley lines, her mana reserves overflowing. The layer of magical storm surrounding her served as a formidable defense, surpassing even Ruby and Sapphire's A-ranked magical barriers.

Though Saber's attacks lacked the flashiness of Excalibur, they brimmed with potent magical power. In gaming terms, due to her abundant magical energy, even her regular attacks were like small-scale AOE attacks!

However, the girls were far from weak, especially with Miyu as the team leader.

Before arriving in this mirror world, he had filled her mind with a lot of professional knowledge. And she had already self-studied university-level courses long ago, making her brain a treasure trove of knowledge. While she might not excel at inspiring morale or delivering stirring speeches, she had evolved into a capable commander.

Despite her shortcomings in verbal skills and morale-boosting abilities, she had already proven herself to be an exceptional commander. Her lack of proficiency in words and morale-boosting didn't hinder their team at all. Both Illya and Chloe had complete trust in her command, and Illya's vibrant and cheerful personality served as a perfect cohesive force for the group.

With such a dynamic and cohesive team, they were quite outstanding.

Miyu remained calm as she carefully analyzed the battlefield situation, positioning herself at the back of the team. From there, she directed Illya and Chloe, making the most of their strengths to encircle and subdue Saber.

Despite Saber's impressive parameters, her reliance on instinctive actions presented an opportunity for the three-person team to outmaneuver her.

Miyu used Illya's incredible speed to distract Saber, throwing her off balance. Then, seizing the opportunity, Chloe unleashed her Noble Phantasm to shatter Saber's magical storm.

Finally, in a remarkable display of teamwork, Miyu and Illya joined forces, harnessing the combined power of Ruby and Sapphire. 

During their training, they discovered that through resonance, they could produce a magical energy bombardment far exceeding the sum of their individual powers.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!"

The massive magical energy bombardment engulfed Saber, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The town itself was split in half by the sheer force of the attack, and scorching white smoke billowed from the scorched earth.

"We did it!" Illya beamed with a sense of accomplishment.

Chloe rested her hands behind her head while closing one eye, "Silly Illya, it's not time to let your guard down just yet."

Although she said so, Chloe's mouth still had a smile. Clearly, this was just her way of talking. She didn't believe that Saber could survive such a terrifying attack. 

Miyu had a faint smile on her face as she watched them.

And at that moment—

"Ex—"

A cold and low-pitched female voice echoed through the aftermath of the bombardment. Amidst the ruins, a haunting black light shimmered, giving them a glimpse of the abyss's depths.

"Oh no!" Chloe cried out in panic.

The sudden turn of events startled the three of them, even Miyu, who usually had the calmest mind, couldn't help but be shocked.

"—Calibur!"

A purely pitch-black light tore through Miyama Town, rushed toward Illya and her friends. Its destructive path caused the sea water to surge backward and the very earth to collapse, sending fear coursing through their veins.

And just as terror threatened to overwhelm them—

"The lance that shines to the ends of the world—Rhongomyniad!"

A resplendent stream of starlight surged from behind Illya and the others, pushing back against the encroaching darkness.

The pure black light and the shining starlight intertwined, creating a breathtaking sight as the reflected glow seemed to divide the sky into halves of black and white.

The dazzling clash between the two blasts reached its peak, their energies canceling each other out and surging skyward, even causing the stable Mirror World to tremble under the tremendous force.

As the two beams of light finally dissipated, he approached the girls at a leisurely pace. He commended, "Impressive on-the-spot reactions, both of you get 60 points. Miyu, you get 0 points."

He glanced at her, "Do you understand what I mean, Miyu?"

She nodded, her palms now tightly clenched. "Yes, a commander must never lose composure in any situation. Losing composure makes one unfit to lead."

He gave an approving nod.

At this moment, the sea parted and Saber emerged from the submerged Miyama Town.

However, her outfit looked slightly different. The heavy armor on her body had disappeared, replaced by a black outfit exuding a noble and dark charm.

Surrounded by a swirling black storm, she charged toward them, brandishing the black sword in her hand.

Illya panicked and launched a barrage of magical shotgun blasts, while Chloe projected her Noble Phantasms in a rain of attacks. However, Saber evaded each of them with ease and swept away the ones she couldn't avoid with the black sword.

Her gaze was fixed on Miyu, who acted as the commander. She transformed into a black light and rushed straight at her. 

Even without a conscious will, Saber instinctively sensed that Miyu was the commander, and her first priority was to neutralize her.

However, he stepped in front of Miyu with the Holy Lance in hand. A burst of light emanated from the lance, successfully fending off Saber's advance.

However, Saber wasn't done yet; she unleashed her Noble Phantasm against him, only to have it blocked by Rhongomyniad.

But...

"Why... why does this keep happening!"

When she saw this, Artoria felt an overwhelming sense of frustration.

Though she knew that the Saber before her wasn't herself, seeing it pointing a sword against the king made her upset.

"Gray, lend me your body for a moment."

Gray nodded without hesitation, "Of course, Your Highness. You can use it as you wish."

She possessed Gray's body, and her eyes shimmered with a blue light.

Gripping Add, she said, "Brother, my holy sword."

"Take it and use it with confidence! Puhahaha, you pig-headed fool!"

Add roared with laughter and transformed into its sword form. However, when held by Artoria, something was noticeably different compared to when Gray wielded it. It was as if Excalibur recognized its true owner—the one who had twice defeated external enemies of the planet!

"Excalibur!"

Saber unleashed the intense black light once again, and at the same time, Artoria also unleashed her own Excalibur.

The black and pure white lights intertwined, creating a dazzling display, and finally, both lights vanished together.

The girls looked at her in astonishment, and they couldn't help but exclaim, "Gray, you're here?"

They were taken aback. Though they knew Gray possessed formidable strength, they never expected her to directly counter Saber's Noble Phantasm.

He retrieved the Holy Lance and looked at Gray, asking, "Artie?"

"It's me, my king!" she nodded solemnly. "Leave her to me!"

He glanced at the disheveled Illya and her team, then back at the resolute expression on Artoria's face. After a moment of thought, he gave a nod, "Go for it."

"Understood!" With Add in its sword form, she swiftly charged toward Saber.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

The two swords turned into a blur of countless sword shadows, endlessly clashing in the air. The breathtaking display of swordsmanship left the girls utterly dumbfounded.

"Gray... she's incredible!" Illya couldn't help but shout in awe.

Standing beside her, Shirou crossed his arms and corrected her, "That's not Gray."

Chloe turned to him, "Then who is it, onii-chan?"

A gentle smile appeared on his face, "My knight, Artoria."

Chloe was taken aback by his warm smile. It was such a rare sight to see her onii-chan so gentle, and she couldn't believe her eyes!

"But, this Ar... Ah, I mean, Gray seems to be evenly matched with Saber!" Illya remarked.

He shook his head, "No, she will win."

Saber's swordsmanship was undoubtedly impressive, even on par with Artoria's. However, Saber fought purely on instinct, discarding rationality in battle. In terms of combat sensitivity, she had a slight edge over Artoria.

The key factor here was that Artoria wasn't particularly skilled in single-handed swordsmanship, especially when using just one hand to wield the sword.

That's also why she didn't appear as powerful during the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Artoria's best fighting style revolved around mounted combat, wielding a spear with one hand and a sword with the other.

However, despite the similar single-handed swordsmanship skills, she possessed something even greater than Saber - her rationality.

Saber's Class Card was a replica based on her records, making her just as skilled in that aspect, but lacking the same level of rationality.

As Saber prepared to unleash her Noble Phantasm, Artoria cleverly feigned an attack towards Saber's wrist, forcing her to defend herself. Capitalizing on this opening, she raised her foot and delivered a powerful kick to Saber's abdomen, sending her tumbling to the ground.

The sneaky move made the girls wince in sympathy.

No one, not even Shirou, had anticipated that the usually straightforward and honorable Artoria would resort to such a sudden kick.

With Saber now on the ground, she wasted no time and swiftly thrust her sword into her heart, retrieving the Class Card.

It was a clean and decisive strike, as if she wasn't battling her own counterpart but rather confronting an enemy.

"My king, I retrieved the class card myself," She said in a strange tone as she handed over the class card to him.

"You can keep it for yourself," He pointed at the card, suggesting, "See if you can materialize using it. Don't keep using Gray's body all the time."

She nodded, released her possession of Gray, and focused her consciousness into the class card.

With her no longer in control, Gray regained control of her body and held Saber's class card.

"All this time, Artoria has been causing you trouble, Gray. On her behalf, thank you."

"Trouble?" Gray was stunned and quickly waved her hands, saying, "No... It's not like that! Actually... I don't mind with Her Highness being inside my body!"

He patted her shoulder.

Artoria's consciousness dug deep into the class card.

From the Throne of Heroes, she copied the records of King Arthur, summoning an empty shell of the legendary King. However, because this empty shell was connected to the ley lines, it materialized into a physical form.

With no obstacles in possessing this record of King Arthur, she used the magical energy she had previously absorbed from the ley lines through the class card. She skillfully created her own body around it, using the available resources to her advantage.

In the real world, the class card surged with a dense magical storm, and in the next moment, a graceful figure emerged before everyone's eyes.

The girl seemed to be around fifteen years old, with shoulder-length golden hair and exquisite emerald green eyes. Her petite figure, fair skin like snow, and the pure white armor she wore gave her the aura of an innocent princess.

Illya and the others were left utterly stunned by this unexpected sight.

Even Gray couldn't hide her surprise. The girl who stood before them was undeniably Her Highness, Artoria.

However, unlike her mature appearance in the spirit state, the girl now resembled a princess. Moreover, she looked no older than Gray and was nearly the same height as her, making them appear like sisters standing together.

He was unable to contain his smile, "So you manifested in the state of when we started traveling," 

She looked at him and smiled softly, "I have returned, my king."

It was just like the encounter they had under the lilies all those years ago. 

However, both the person and the situation had changed since then.