This Is My Holy Grail War [140]

“An attack with absolute destructive power?” Saber wasn’t naive—she knew Karna wasn’t exaggerating. Still, she felt no fear. “You’re planning to destroy everything here?” she asked, glancing at their precarious battlefield—a city suspended in the sky.

“A surgical strike,” Red Lancer replied, his tone calm but resolute. “If I can’t deal with you through ordinary means, sacrifices must be made. After I’ve eliminated you, I’ll halt the attack before the Gardens fall.”

He pointed his spear at Saber, his voice unwavering. “My Master has granted me permission. If you want to win, face this attack with the resolve to die.”

As he spoke, Karna’s golden armor began to burn, transforming into a crimson blaze. This wasn’t the brilliant sunlight of his usual mana bursts—it was deeper, blood-like, and harrowing.

Come on… remove that armor and show me your weakness! Saber thought, her hands tightening around [Durandal]. Despite the terrifying pressure radiating from Karna’s divine spear, her posture remained firm, her eyes fierce.

“I see it in your gaze. There’s no fear—only anticipation,” Karna observed. Even as he prepared to unleash his Noble Phantasm, he maintained his measured tone. “You are the second opponent I’ve faced who demands my full strength.”

“And the last,” Saber interjected, her voice steady.

“Either you die, or I fall…” Karna trailed off.

“Exactly,” Saber replied with conviction, drawing a small smile from her opponent.

Raising his spear high, Karna began to channel a torrent of blazing mana. Waves of heat radiated outward, the air itself rippling and distorting. The fiery aura condensed, forming a golden eye in the sky as the spear’s tip ignited into a searing crimson point.

“Feel the mercy of the King of Gods!” Karna declared. The dimming evening sky blazed to life as if a second sun had risen.

All around them, nature withered and burned. Even the earth itself began to liquefy, turning to molten rock under the spear’s unrelenting heat.

“You will be destroyed with this one strike...” Karna pointed the spear downward, aiming directly at Saber.

“Don’t hold back!” Saber shouted, her voice cutting through the inferno. She raised her sword, not in defense, but to meet the attack head-on.

“I will burn it all!!” Karna roared as the man-made sun descended like a comet, annihilating everything in its path.

"[Vasavi Shakti]!!"

“[Avalon]!” Saber cried as the apocalyptic force closed in.

The sword’s scabbard in her grasp began to disintegrate, its fragments spiraling into a radiant vortex like shattered quantum particles. The fragments coalesced, forming an ethereal barrier that enveloped Saber entirely.

Avalon, the fabled scabbard, separated Saber from the world, transporting her to another realm.

In this place—Avalon—Saber found herself bathed in serene light. [Avalon], a coordinate to an unattainable utopia, had carried her here once more.

“You again?” Saber’s gaze landed on a familiar figure—an ethereal man with white hair and a carefree demeanor.

“Ah, welcome back,” the man said, sipping from a teacup. “This time as a Saber, huh? Makes sense, considering you’re always swinging a sword around.”

Though calm on the surface, Saber’s impatience was clear. “How long do I have to stay here?”

“Are you in a rush?” The man raised an eyebrow. “If you’re busy, don’t go telling others I’m a poor host.”

“I am fighting someone right now. It’s urgent,” Saber replied bluntly.

“Who?” The man perked up, looking ready to roll up his sleeves and intervene.

“Karna, son of Surya.” Saber’s voice was steady despite the weight of her words.

“Karna? Him?!” The man’s eyes widened, his teacup nearly slipping from his fingers. “And how’s that going?”

Saber scrutinized him for a moment, debating how much to reveal. Her instincts told her to withhold too much trust, but she finally asked what had been on her mind. “Who are you?”

“Merlin,” he answered, smiling. “I was wondering when you’d ask that, little Avenger.”

Merlin… Saber’s thoughts raced. The pieces fell into place. This was the same man who had once mistaken her for a Saber when they first met.

“So, how’s it going?” Merlin repeated, snapping her from her thoughts.

“I have the upper hand for now,” Saber replied vaguely.

Merlin grinned. “Now I’m curious—who managed to injure you last time?”

“Gilgamesh,” Saber said without hesitation. If she was going to rely on [Avalon] more, it was best to forge a stronger connection with Merlin.

“Ah… not quite who I expected, but fitting,” Merlin mused. “He certainly has the ability to put you in a bind.”

“He’s dead now,” Saber said curtly.

“Ah, the triumphant return of the hero,” Merlin said with mock dramatics before his tone softened. “How does it feel? To be a hero who saves the world?”

He knows… everything. Saber’s heart skipped a beat. She hesitated, then chose her words carefully. “It’s… not as difficult as I imagined.”

Merlin chuckled. “Then go forth and continue. Your path is far from over.”

The ethereal realm began to blur, Avalon’s sanctuary loosening its hold. But Saber called out to Merlin one last time.

“Wait!”

“What is it?” Merlin asked, intrigued.

“I have something to do before I leave,” Saber declared.

As Merlin watched, Saber began weaving a spell, her voice firm. Though isolated from the world, the magic she prepared now was for herself—a way to ensure she’d re-enter the battlefield stronger.

“[Dragon’s Might]…” she chanted, layering buff after buff onto herself.

Even the mighty [Vasavi Shakti]—Karna’s spear capable of annihilating gods—had failed to reach Saber, its power severed by [Avalon]’s intervention.

But Saber wasn’t done. She wasn’t just a hero seeking survival—she was a warrior preparing for victory.

With [Avalon], [Vasavi Shakti] missed its intended target. Saber had vanished, leaving the full force of the attack to strike another target—the [Hanging Gardens of Babylon].

By the time Karna realized his error, it was far too late.

The spear’s attack operated on two layers. The first was a standard but overwhelming anti-army strike. The Hanging Gardens could have withstood this level of destruction, which was why Karna had no initial concerns about damaging the fortress.

However, the second layer was far more insidious—a conceptual attack of “inevitability.” This was the spear’s true power: the annihilation of all individual entities within its target range. Whether mortal, divine, structural, or magical—anything considered a discrete “existence” was marked for destruction.

If Saber had been struck, the effect would have eradicated her completely. But with Saber removed from the battlefield by [Avalon], the spear shifted its destructive intent. Instead of targeting a person, it locked onto the Gardens themselves.

The Hanging Gardens had no defense against this conceptual attack. Despite its scale and grandeur, the Gardens were still a construct—a city pulled into reality from myth. It fell squarely within the spear’s domain of destruction.

The very anchors holding the Gardens aloft began to disintegrate. The complex array of magical pylons keeping the fortress stable burned and crumbled, severed by the spear’s fatal decree.

The impossible fortress began to falter. Stone and steel, even enchanted materials meant to last an eternity, melted into rivers of molten slag.

The Hanging Gardens, deprived of its lifeline, began to plummet.

Saber, having returned from [Avalon]’s sanctuary, took in the sight of the fortress collapsing in slow motion. She had witnessed the very weapon meant to kill her become the architect of her enemy’s demise.

The Gardens’ descent was swift. Without its anti-gravity mechanisms, the fortress was a sinking monolith, dragging everything around it into ruin.

“[Avalon]… the fabled scabbard that grants King Arthur invulnerability?” Red Lancer stood amidst the chaos, his footing steady despite the crumbling platform beneath him. As the Gardens tilted, he gazed at Saber with renewed understanding. “So, you are the King of Knights.”

“No,” Saber replied evenly. “The King of Knights entrusted the scabbard to me for safekeeping.”

“I see,” Karna said, his tone neither accusing nor doubtful.

“Do you regret it, Karna? You’ve lost your armor, exposed your greatest weapon, and in doing so, destroyed your own fortress.” Saber’s voice was sharp, tinged with curiosity. She expected frustration, even despair, but Karna’s composure didn’t waver.

“I do not,” he answered candidly. “Had I not acted, the Gardens would have fallen regardless. I could not stop you from destroying this place. But at least now, I know…” He paused, his crimson gaze locking onto Saber. “You are one of the Knights of the Round Table.”

With dusk reclaiming the sky, Saber saw no further need for words. The battle needed to end here. She lunged forward, her golden hair streaming behind her, the holy blade [Durandal] poised for a decisive strike.

The wind howled as the Gardens fell, whipping against Saber’s figure. Her blade gleamed in the dimming light, its edge a serpent’s fang, seeking its prey.

But Karna did not flinch. Though his golden armor was gone, his spear remained.

With a deft motion, Karna raised the Sun Wheel Spear. Its tip erupted in radiant light, and as Saber’s strike closed in, he parried with a downward sweep.

“Boom—!”

The explosion of power shattered the reinforced stone beneath them. Even the magically reinforced flooring crumbled under the clash, reduced to dust by the sheer force of the collision.

Saber retreated instinctively. She quickly realized something had changed—Karna’s spearwork was sharper, more refined.

The loss of his armor hadn’t weakened him; it had heightened his focus. With no protection to fall back on, Karna fought with precision and restraint. His once-relentless offensives were now measured, his every movement deliberate.

Saber struggled to find an opening. The long reach of Karna’s spear created an unyielding wall of defense, keeping her at bay no matter how she angled her approach.

So this is the difference, she thought grimly. This is why a sword is no match for a spear in open combat.

Her battle against Karna drove home a critical truth—range was king in a duel of weapons. Unlike the Assassin Sasaki Kojirō, Saber’s blade lacked the necessary reach to bridge the gap. Each time she advanced to unleash her [Tsubame Gaeshi]—the fabled triple-layered strike—Karna’s spear was already there to meet her, its reach eclipsing her own.

Saber gritted her teeth. She knew the truth. If she couldn’t close the gap, she couldn’t win.

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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!