[No incantation was needed. No preparations were necessary. The remaining mana within his body surged forth, linking Avalon's causal line with the holy sword.]
[The Heroic Spirit Summoning Ritual was complete.]
[The sacred sword, wrapped in the Wind King's Barrier, came crashing down upon the airborne Lancer, and in that moment, Artoria's gallant figure was seared into Shirou Emiya's mind.]
["I ask you! Are you my Master?"]
[King Arthur had arrived, joining the Holy Grail War for the third time, once again in pursuit of the so-called Holy Grail.]
Irisviel: "I didn't expect even the chant to be unnecessary."
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "This is the first time I've heard of a summoning occurring like this."
Mordred: "Haha! Father has arrived! Just admit defeat already!"
Cú Chulainn: "Ha! Don't underestimate me, you little brat!"
Mordred: "I'll cut you down, you damn mutt!"
Cú Chulainn: "Bring it on! I'm not scared of you!"
Chihiro: "If you want to settle this, do it when we meet. Stop spamming the chat."
["Mas...ter?"]
[Shirou Emiya stood there, utterly bewildered.]
[What just happened? Where did this girl come from...?]
["Servant, Saber. I have answered your summons. Master, please give me your command!"]
[As she gazed at the clueless boy before her, Artoria felt a sense of bitterness.]
[She had the worst luck.]
[This Master was far too weak. His mana reserves were pitiful, meaning her own strength was significantly diminished.]
[On top of that, the contract between them seemed flawed—her spiritual circuit was severed, preventing her from drawing mana from him. She would have to rely solely on her own reserves for battle.]
[This was an awful start.]
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "So there really are drawbacks to an unchanted summoning."
Ginako: "Her stats got nerfed, and she can't get mana regen? That's like a game character getting screwed over by bad balancing."
Mordred: "Emiya Shirou, you weakling! You're holding my father back!"
House Cook: "...Sorry."
[The young man before her gave no orders, but Artoria had no intention of standing around like an idiot.]
["From today onward, my sword is yours. Your fate is mine."
"Contract established!"]
[Without hesitation, Artoria charged forward, her sword clashing against Cú Chulainn's spear.]
[Understanding her own disadvantages, she opted for a swift battle—closing the distance and fully capitalizing on Saber's close-combat superiority.]
[Cú Chulainn did not back down. He met her charge head-on.]
[Video paused.]
[Question: What will be the outcome of this battle?]
[A: Cú Chulainn wins.]
[B: Artoria wins.]
[C: Both sides are evenly matched.]
[D: The battle is interrupted.]
[You have 1 minute to answer.]
No need to think too hard about this one.
With Saber weakened to this extent, defeating Cú Chulainn wouldn't be easy. Plus, previous videos had already shown that Tohsaka Rin and Red Archer were on their way.
The fight would most likely be interrupted.
[Time's up. The quiz is over.]
[Now revealing the correct answer.]
[Video resumes.]
[Both fighters remained locked in place, their weapons moving at blinding speeds, leaving only afterimages as sparks scattered through the air.]
[Within just a few seconds, their weapons had already clashed dozens of times.]
[Artoria utilized the Wind King's Barrier to form an airtight defense, successfully deflecting every strike from Cú Chulainn.]
[When facing a Lancer, the key was to transition from defense to offense. Since her sword had a shorter reach, recklessly attacking would put her at a disadvantage.]
[By keeping her sword hidden within the Wind King's Barrier, Cú Chulainn had no way of gauging its exact length and width—forcing him into a painful guessing game every time he tried to parry.]
[Artoria deflected Gáe Bolg with her sword, crushing the ground beneath her feet as she channeled her strength from her legs and waist. She swung her sword in a powerful downward strike, forcing Cú Chulainn to acknowledge his disadvantage in close combat, retreating to create distance and avoid her overwhelming pressure.]
[The battle resumed in the next instant, but the situation remained unchanged.]
[Though Artoria had temporarily lost her close-range advantage, she had already deciphered Cú Chulainn's tactics. Once her instincts fully activated, she continuously seized the upper hand.]
[Anticipating Cú Chulainn's next move—a direct thrust—she immediately ducked low and countered with an upward slash, sending him airborne. The invisible sword grazed his cheek, cutting off a strand of his hair.]
[With his feet off the ground, Cú Chulainn found himself at a disadvantage and was forced to abandon his attack to defend instead.]
Zabiko: "This is unexpected."
Blonde Rin: "Cú Chulainn, you're getting suppressed by a weakened Artoria. You must be throwing the match."
Cú Chulainn: "..."
Ciel: "Why isn't Cú Chulainn using magecraft? He's just fighting her head-on."
Ciel: "Is this a warrior's pride?"
Scáthach: "Haha, my dear apprentice, have your skills really gotten this rusty?"
Cú Chulainn: "Wait, Master! Let me explain!"
[Finally, Cú Chulainn managed to create some distance. Switching Gáe Bolg to his left hand, he changed his stance and continued retreating while counterattacking.]
[Artoria wasn't about to let him regain control, she pressed forward, attempting another powerful strike. But Cú Chulainn gritted his teeth and blocked it.]
[Pouring his remaining mana into Gáe Bolg, the impact exploded the ground beneath them. Using the recoil force, Cú Chulainn leaped high, finally escaping Artoria's relentless pursuit.]
[Neither Artoria nor Cú Chulainn could afford to waste mana recklessly—Kotomine Kirei's reserves were limited, which was why Cú Chulainn had been struggling so much.]
Cú Chulainn: "See? I told you it's not my fault."
Scáthach: "So what you're saying is… you can't fight properly without magecraft?"
Cú Chulainn: "..."
Blonde Rin: "You better stop talking."
["You cheating bastard! Keeping your weapon hidden is underhanded!"]
[Cú Chulainn shouted in frustration. If he hadn't been unable to gauge the exact length of her sword, he wouldn't have been forced into such a defensive position.]
["Standing still is unworthy of a Lancer," Artoria replied coldly. "If you refuse to attack, then I will."
"Before that, I have one question. Your Noble Phantasm… it's a sword, isn't it?"
"Oh? Who's to say? It could be an axe, a spear... maybe even a bow."
"Tch—enough nonsense. You're just a swordswoman!"]
[Cú Chulainn adjusted his stance, readying himself. He had decided—it was time to unleash his Noble Phantasm.]
["Since this is our first fight, I'll ask one last time—are you sure you don't want to stop here?"
"I refuse. You will fall by my sword here, Lancer."
"Hah… I was just hoping to wait and see."]
[Since Artoria had already made her stance clear, there was no need to hesitate, he would unleash his full power.]
[Crimson mana surged from the cursed spear, and a dangerous light gleamed in Cú Chulainn's eyes.]
["I'll take your heart!"]
[Cú Chulainn stomped heavily, his legs sinking into the fractured ground, before hurling Gáe Bolg with all his might.]
["Gáe Bolg—!"]
[The long spear, radiating an ominous curse, streaked toward Artoria. As she prepared to block, a vision of her own heart being pierced flashed through her mind.]
Mordred: "Tsk, causal-based Noble Phantasms are such a pain."
Chihiro: "Oh, don't worry. This thing almost never activates properly when he uses it."
Cú Chulainn: "..."
What the hell were they even saying?
Blonde Rin: "Pfft—yeah, as long as someone has better luck than Cú Chulainn, his Noble Phantasm almost never lands."
Cú Chulainn: "Hey, hey, that hurts, you know?"
Mordred: "Doesn't matter. My father will definitely block it."
[Artoria immediately steeled herself. She stood firm and swung her sword to intercept the attack—yet Gáe Bolg veered away from her blade, appearing on the other side of her in an instant.]
[However, she had already predicted this outcome.]
[With precise timing, Artoria twisted her body and slashed to her right. Her sword met Gáe Bolg, deflecting it slightly upward. The cursed spear pierced through her right shoulder instead of her heart, and the force of the impact sent her flying.]
[But in that instant, the cause-and-effect reversal of Gáe Bolg was nullified, the lethal blow had been averted.]
[Artoria crashed heavily onto the ground but quickly gritted her teeth and forced herself up.]
[The muscles beneath her shoulder had been torn, but her heart and aorta remained intact. She could still fight.]
["You dodged it, Saber! My killing blow!"]
[Gáe Bolg returned to Cú Chulainn's grasp, and his expression grew sharper—half in amusement, half in frustration.]
["That was no ordinary strike… it was a reversal of cause and effect."]
[Artoria's gaze sharpened. "Gáe Bolg… I see. You must be the Son of Light, the hero of Ireland—"]
Chihiro: "See? It didn't even hit properly."
Mordred: "That's a minor injury, my father's fine."
Cú Chulainn: "..."
Scáthach: "..."
Forget it.
She could train him in everything else, but luck… luck was something she could never teach.
(To be continued.)