IBHJ Chapter 847

"Now's our chance, Nero! Attack!" Gray quickly yelled.

"I know, Master," Nero replied, stomping her foot and slashing her sword straight at the nodachi-wielding Servant.

The mud Servant reacted, gripping the nodachi's handle with both hands and chopping straight at Nero.

Seeing the slowly approaching blade, Nero smiled, thinking it was just a hasty, instinctive counterattack, not worth worrying about. She was certain her sword would pierce the mud Servant's chest first, claiming its life.

However, just as Nero's sword was about to stab into the mud Servant's chest, her eyes suddenly widened in shock.

"Ah—!" A pained scream rang out from her mouth as three huge sword gashes instantly split open her red garment. Blood spurted out and her whole body was sent flying as if hit by a shockwave. Only then did the nodachi Servant slowly sheathe its sword.

"Nero!"

Gray hurried over to check her injuries. She saw on Nero's body, from right shoulder to pelvis, left shoulder to pelvis, were huge sword wounds with blood ceaselessly flowing out.

"It- it shouldn't be... My sword should have stabbed him first. Why...why did his later strike hit first!? That guy's sword, there's something wrong with it!"

Nero looked at the nodachi Servant in shock. She hadn't seen this Servant's sword movement at all. Only at the moment she was hit, it was as if she caught a fleeting glimpse of a flash traversing the concepts of time and space. Then she had taken three sword blows and had been sent flying.

What kind of swordsmanship was this?

Nero had never reached that level, at least not yet.

At that moment, the spear-wielding Servant let out a crazed roar and charged towards Gray, side by side with the nodachi Servant.

What were they supposed to do now?

If only she could use the Holy Spear...

The way things were going, there seemed to be no way out.

Suddenly, a female voice rang out from the building, and with a whoosh, Gray looked up to see Altera descending from the sky, holding Ayaka as they landed right in front of her.

Ayaka hopped down from Altera's arms and turned to Gray, asking with concern, "Senpai, are you okay?"

"Um...I'm fine." Looking at Ayaka before her, Gray responded a bit strangely.

This Ayaka was completely different from the one she knew. Before, talking to Ayaka was like interacting with a shy, introverted child who seemed to fear angering others with every word. But now, this Ayaka carried herself with assertiveness and confidence, reminding Gray of Rin Tohsaka.

It was strange, to say the least.

"Altera, take on Assassin! Be careful, his swordsmanship goes beyond just speed and feints. It's similar to 'Multi-Dimensional Refraction Phenomenon' and is approaching the level of True Magic," Ayaka shouted.

"Yes, Master." she nodded and charged towards the nodachi Servant.

With Ayaka's explanation, it all clicked for Nero. "Aha! So that's why his later strike hit me first. Now it makes sense!"

Everything became crystal clear to Nero! It was no wonder she had lost. How could she, an artist, even hope to defend against swordsmanship that had reached such a mind-bending level?

Gray also understood the true essence of the nodachi Servant's sword techniques.

But there was one thing she just couldn't wrap her head around.

Looking up at Ayaka, who was now overflowing with confidence, Gray couldn't help but let a flicker of doubt cross her eyes.

—How on earth did she know?

Altera charged straight at the nodachi Servant, who slowly took his stance and then gradually lowered his sword.

The same old trick!

But now that Ayaka had exposed the truth behind this Servant's sword technique, there was no way Altera would fall for it.

She rushed towards the mud Servant, picking up even more speed. At that moment, the star-like patterns on her body began to emit a faint rainbow glow, and Altera could see through both time and space.

There it was! She saw that sword blades were closing in on her from the upper left and right, completely cutting off any chance of retreat.

Altera finally understood the truth behind this sword technique. It started with a flash from the real world, then perfectly synchronized two additional flashes, ignoring the very concepts of time and space, resulting in slashes coming from many directions all at once. In short, it created the illusion of a single sword strike by overlapping three blades on the same spatial plane.

It was equivalent to Zelretch's "Multi-Dimensional Refraction Phenomenon" that went beyond speed, dexterity, feints, and many other elements. A sure-kill sword that "simultaneously" slashed the opponent from three directions, aiming straight for the head!

If caught off guard, Altera would have been defeated just like Nero. But thanks to Ayaka's warning, she had seen through the truth behind this sure-kill sword.

With a flick of her wrist, she raised the Sword of Mars in her hand.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

Three crisp sounds rang out in rapid succession. Just like that, Altera had broken the sure-kill sword.

Even the mud Servant couldn't help but feel a bit startled by this turn of events. Seizing the moment, she quickly raised her leg and delivered a fierce kick to his lower abdomen, as though trying to destroy his future generations.

With a "boom," the mud Servant was sent flying by her kick.

This move was something Altera had picked up after being kicked repeatedly by Artoria hundreds of times - a kick straight from Artoria's playbook!

The key to this kick was the element of surprise!

After sending the nodachi Servant flying, Altera whirled around. Her icy gaze locked onto the mud Lancer. With a powerful step, she charged towards him, the Sword of Mars gripped tightly in her hand.

"Be careful, Altera! Lancer's Noble Phantasm is Gae Bolg, just like Chaldea's Cu Chulainn. It can reverse causality!" Ayaka shouted.

"I understand, Master!"

Altera's speed was incredible, almost like a flash of lightning. Crossing space itself, she appeared right in front of the mud Lancer, the Sword of Mars in her hand stabbing straight towards him.

Seeing the menacing Sword of Mars coming his way, the mud Lancer hastily engaged in battle. With slightly panicked movements, he swung his spear to deflect Altera's Sword of Mars.

Altera's momentum didn't falter for a second. Closing in, the Sword of Mars in her hand thrust out rapidly, instantly attacking Lancer in a frenzy like a storm of pear blossoms.

Lancer tried to block left and right, but Altera's attack speed was just too fast. He couldn't keep up at all and was immediately pierced with several bloody holes by her, not even having time to let out a scream.

So weak!

Altera calmly assessed in her heart.

Although both wielded Gae Bolg, the Child of Light from Ireland, Cu Chulainn of Chaldea, was obviously much stronger than this mud Lancer. At least when she and Artoria were fighting each other on a daily basis, that Cu Chulainn who sometimes got caught up in the battle could still protect his takeout, but this Lancer Servant obviously couldn't.

At that moment, the surrounding undead were howling and surging towards Ayaka, Gray, and the Nero.

Realizing that Ayaka was in danger, Altera felt a bit uneasy, giving the mud Lancer a slight moment to catch his breath.

Just as Altera was about to break away to protect her Master, she saw Ayaka raise her hand. The silver ring on her right middle finger flashed with a black light, and countless black feathers emerged from it, floating around her body. In the next moment, like black bullets, they shot out, turning the attacking corpse-like people into feathered figures.

"Is that..."

Gray, who was about to take action, looked at the black feathers in surprise. "Black... Black Magic?"

Shaking her head to dispel the thoughts in her mind, Gray gave Ayaka a deep, meaningful look. Then, she raised her hand and casually formed a magic circle, instantly firing a magical cannon that obliterated all the obstructing undead.

Although Rhongomyniad was sealed by Abigail's game rules, she hadn't spent the past thirteen years being idle. Like Illya and the others, she had also diligently studied in Waver's classroom. Moreover, after that, Morgan le Fay had sought her out a few times and taught her some knowledge of Age of Gods magecraft. So in terms of magecraft, she might be even more proficient than Miyu.

"Altera, don't worry about us. Focus on defeating Lancer!" Ayaka issued an order to her Servant while protecting herself with Black Magic.

"Yes, Master!"