This Is My Holy Grail War [147]

The atmosphere was stifling, a heavy weight pressing against the chest. Karna darted through the flames at incredible speed, the red fire surrounding him tearing through the Black faction’s barrier and smashing through their sturdy fortress walls with unstoppable force.

Yet, as he advanced, a towering wall of rock erupted from the ground, blocking his path. The surface was black and cold, constructed from enchanted stone imbued with potent magical energy. Even the searing heat emanating from Karna’s body could not scorch it.

Having once unleashed his ultimate Noble Phantasm, Karna’s golden armor was gone, leaving only a darkened outline of what once had been. In his hand was Indra’s divine thunder spear, now fully revealed. Its jagged edges gleamed menacingly, radiating golden lightning and crimson fire.

The spear was magnificent, both in elegance and power—a weapon that demanded reverence. Long and broad, it resembled a lancer’s thrusting spear, but with the weight and force of a devastating charge.

Karna’s stark white hair fluttered in the heated air, his expression as calm and emotionless as ever. His orders as the Red Lancer were clear: break through the Black faction’s defenses. Determining that the time had come to wield his Noble Phantasm, Karna raised his divine spear above his head, flames flickering along his hand.

“[Brahmastra Kundala]!”

With a mighty roar, Karna poured his fiery magical energy into the spear. The resulting blaze lit up the night sky, a burning beacon of destruction.

With a sweeping motion, Karna hurled the divine spear forward.

The scene was nothing short of apocalyptic—a landslide of light cascading down. But this avalanche was not snow. It was radiant, blinding fire, golden and red mingling together in an overwhelming brilliance akin to the sun itself.

The rock wall standing before him was obliterated, shattered into powder as though it were made of brittle parchment. Despite its magical reinforcement, the barrier crumbled effortlessly under the force of Karna’s Noble Phantasm.

The devastation didn’t stop there. The blazing spear tore into the fortress, its flames roaring with the wrath of Brahma. The sound was deafening, reverberating across the battlefield. Even amidst the chaos, Karna caught a faint female voice.

The voice was strange, less a speech and more a cry—a raw expression of emotion, clumsy but resolute.

Sparks of emerald lightning flickered as the owner of the voice unleashed her own Noble Phantasm, striving to push back the fiery onslaught. However, the lightning was no match for the spear’s power, steadily forced into retreat.

The flames breached the barrier, collided with the ground, and finally struck against Black Berserker’s Noble Phantasm. Even then, the inferno raged on, refusing to dissipate.

BOOM!

The ensuing explosion tore apart the last remnants of Yggdmillennia’s fortress, leaving everything in ruins. This was no ordinary detonation—there was no smoke. Even the dust raised by the blast was incinerated, consumed entirely by the flames within the domain of divine judgment.

The green lightning managed to dissipate only a fraction of the fire. The rest surged into the stronghold, its fury unabated.

When the flames subsided, Karna surveyed the scorched battlefield. The earth was now blackened and charred, molten lava oozing from the cracks. In the center of the destruction stood Black Berserker, leaning heavily on her weapon and gasping for breath.

Though alive, she bore injuries from the inferno.

“Ah… gah… AHHH!” Her ragged breathing turned into a guttural scream as she spotted Karna. The Berserker, though appearing as a sweet and innocent girl, had been consumed by madness. The Berserker-class curse had robbed her of speech and reason, leaving behind only fury.

Karna noted that she had not fully unleashed her Noble Phantasm. Through his wisdom, he surmised that instead of meeting his flames head-on, Black Berserker had used her Noble Phantasm to create a small pocket of safety, avoiding a direct clash.

A smart choice. Likely her Master’s command, Karna mused silently.

“Cover me,” a sharp voice rang out nearby. Karna turned slightly and saw Black Saber—no, the defector who now served the Red faction.

“I’ll retrieve the Greater Grail. Leave Black Caster to me,” she said, her focus unwavering.

“Understood,” Karna replied.

He, along with the two Sabers, led the charge in this battle. Archer provided long-range support from the rear, while Assassin and Caster handled obstacles such as homunculi and barriers.

The Red faction’s sudden assault had caught the Black faction off guard, forcing their mages—who should have remained in the rear—to confront the enemy head-on. Karna had yet to encounter their vanguard, a fact that suggested an opportunity.

Black Caster’s golemcraft was unparalleled among modern magi, but no matter how advanced their creations, they could not match the power of a Servant. In this war, homunculi, golems, and other such constructs were merely expendable pawns.

“Leave Black Caster and Berserker to me,” Karna said to Saber. “Once I’ve settled things here, I’ll join you.”

Saber nodded. “Be quick.” Without another word, she sprinted toward the inner sanctum of the stronghold. She didn’t look back, not even sparing a glance at the enemy.

Karna could sense Saber’s intense determination—her need for the Grail was profound. She was willing to risk everything for it. Though Karna had attempted to steer her motivations, he wasn’t sure if he had succeeded.

Why would someone summoned by the Grail cling so desperately to the mortal realm?

Karna shook his head, dismissing the thought. Perhaps she has a wish that defines her existence, he mused before resuming his battle stance.

Black Berserker advanced, her crude weapon—a hammer-like tool—swinging wildly. Her scorched exterior regenerated quickly, drawing in magical energy from the air to fuel her strength. Yet her attacks were clumsy and unfocused, no real threat to Karna.

She moved like an enraged beast, all instinct and no skill. To Karna, she was less a warrior and more a guard dog defending her master’s domain.

Such a foe could be ignored. Karna even considered the golems trailing behind her to be more dangerous.

Calm and unhurried, Karna lowered his spear, his composure unshaken by the heat of battle. As Berserker lunged, he swept his spear horizontally.

“GWAHH—!”

The girl let out a defiant roar, but she couldn’t evade Karna’s strike, nor did she have the strength to withstand his sweeping attack. With a casual motion, she was sent flying, her resistance utterly inconsequential.

The battlefield was already scorched and battered, with lava flowing through cracks in the ground. Black Caster’s golems closed in, their massive fists raised, prepared to strike Karna.

In the midst of the advancing army of constructs, Karna spotted the mage hidden among them. He knew that unless Black Caster was defeated, the golems would keep coming endlessly.

Resolving to act decisively, Karna summoned his magical energy, igniting a fiery blaze that surged outward as he charged.

The searing fire engulfed the nearby golems in an instant, turning the stone constructs into molten slag. The divine flames consumed everything in their path, and the intense magical energy reverberated through the battlefield.

Karna restrained his power, mindful of its immense consumption. While his flames could melt steel in mere moments, reckless expenditure would only weaken him in the long run.

The torrent of fire carved a path of destruction straight to Black Caster, exposing him completely. Without the cover of his workshop or the support of his allies, the mage was vulnerable—an easy target.

Karna didn’t hesitate. His golden armor may have vanished, but as a Lancer, his innate resistance to magecraft remained intact.

Moving with unparalleled speed, Karna became a streak of light, trailing flames as he closed the distance.

In a flash of gold, his spear pierced through Black Caster’s chest, shattering his spiritual core.

There was no struggle, no resistance. Black Caster simply lacked the means to fight back against a Servant of Karna’s caliber.

Blood trickled down the spear, pooling on the charred earth below. A soft drip, then another, punctuated the eerie silence.

Caster made no cries of pain, no anguished screams. His body was frail and unsuited for combat. Once Karna was within striking distance, even the chance to resist had been stripped from him.

Pulling his spear free, Karna briefly wondered what expression lay hidden beneath Caster’s mask. There were no wails of agony, only a quiet dignity as the mage accepted his fate.

The Black faction’s Servants have been weaker than expected, Karna thought. Black Saber’s impressive combat ability had given him the wrong impression of their overall strength. What he had anticipated as a hard-fought battle turned out to be a one-sided slaughter.

Perhaps this is why Black Saber chose to defect, Karna speculated, though he couldn’t be certain.

Blood soaked the ground as Caster staggered backward, struggling to remain upright. Even at death’s door, he uttered no curses, bore no grudges.

Deeming the mage beyond salvation, Karna turned to leave. But before he could take another step, he sensed a shift in the air. A series of black iron stakes shot skyward, glinting ominously under the heavy clouds.

The stakes carried a distinct aura of rage—a wrath that emanated from the very land itself. Anyone standing on this ground could feel the anger of its ruler.

To Karna’s surprise, Caster wasn’t done yet. Driven by sheer willpower, the mortally wounded mage staggered toward a small, unremarkable lake within the fortress grounds.

His spiritual core shattered, his life hanging by a thread, yet he pressed on. Karna watched as Caster leapt into the lake, his body vanishing beneath the surface.

The lake wasn’t large, more akin to a pond. Though inconspicuous, it clearly held something of immense significance to Caster.

Is this where your obsession lies? Karna wondered, shaking his head with a sigh.

Suddenly, the ground began to quake, as if an earthquake had erupted beneath their feet.

From the crystal-clear waters of the lake emerged a colossal figure—a giant whose chest was fused with the mage who had just disappeared.

“This is the culmination of my life’s work—my magnum opus. The primordial giant, Adam.” Black Caster’s voice finally rang out, his tone calm despite the situation. For the first time, he addressed Karna directly. “My Noble Phantasm: [Golem Keter Malkuth]. Once it is activated, I have no regrets, even in death.”

Though Caster’s voice was steady, Karna detected the underlying excitement in his words.

The activation of this golem required a sacrifice. Caster had offered himself as the key, making his earlier leap into the lake a necessary ritual.

As the giant’s foot touched the ground, the surrounding area transformed. The scorched, barren wasteland began to sprout life. Flowers blossomed, and verdant grass spread across the once-destroyed land.

The intense heat from the flames had yet to dissipate, but a vibrant field of greenery now encircled the area, as if the earth itself were being reborn into a paradise.

Meanwhile, Adam’s massive body continued to grow at an astonishing rate, his size and power increasing with every passing second.

I must deal with Adam immediately, Karna resolved, realizing the imminent threat.

With a powerful leap, Karna ascended into the sky, raising his divine spear high above his head. Radiant light burst forth, illuminating the battlefield like the morning sun rising above the heavens.

Adam tilted his head upward, as though sensing the danger. The golem, seemingly alive, turned its gaze to the radiant spear.

In the night sky, Karna’s weapon shone like a blazing sun, while Adam, the primordial man, stood motionless below, gazing upward in silent defiance.

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This is a fan translation of 这是我的圣杯之战 by 向希望祈祷. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!