Fate/Magus Path

124 Last Stand

"AAAAAHHHHHH!!"

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

Nrvnqsr Chaos's agonized screams echoed through the air.

In an instant, the entire world seemed as though splashed with chaotic, swirling paint. Red and black hues mixed with endless flesh and blood surged forth across the canvas of reality. Twisted, grotesque beastly heads rolled and roared from the bloody mire, their forms indescribable and merged into one seething mass. They howled in unison, desperate to consume every living thing within this domain.

Its very existence mirrored the primordial chaos of the universe, a state of disorder and turmoil from which Nrvnqsr Chaos derived his strength. This was the core of his power, sealed within him.

Lair of the Beast King!

As this chaos unleashed, unrestrained, the world itself seemed to freeze. The surroundings lost their color, replaced by the blackened, fleshy realm of the Lair of the Beast King. From the shadowy mire underfoot, countless savage beasts bared their fangs, ready to strike.

ROAR!!!

"Humans! You worthless scraps of meat have forced me to this point! You've made me release this power!!"

"But now, it's over. Whether it's you, or the Princess, none of you will leave here alive!!!"

The entity that was once Nrvnqsr Chaos but now embodied the Lair of the Beast King roared with fury. The walls of flesh and shadow writhed violently, spewing forth wave after wave of monstrous beasts and synthesized horrors from the darkness, launching a ceaseless and terrifying assault on the group.

This world of flesh and shadow, where Nrvnqsr Chaos had become one with the Reality Marble, drastically amplified his conversion rate of beastly essences. He could summon an endless horde of beasts and synthesized monsters, overwhelming any enemy within his domain.

It was a deceptively straightforward ability: magnify his own power several times over and transform the battlefield into one that favored him entirely. Simple, yet undeniably effective.

In this environment, even the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception couldn't pinpoint his death lines, safeguarding him from annihilation. The flesh-crafted world was boundless, constantly regenerating and expanding. Even Arcueid's powerful strikes barely made a dent in this ceaseless cycle.

If Arcueid were at her full strength, dismantling the Lair of the Beast King would have been trivial... one strike of her ultimate attack, Moonfall, could obliterate both the Reality Marble and Nrvnqsr Chaos in an instant.

But now...

"This is endless!" Arcueid growled, shredding yet another synthesized monster that leaped at her from the shadows. More immediately surged to take its place, forcing her to tear them apart again and again. It was clear that Nrvnqsr Chaos intended to wear her down completely.

Her already weakened condition worsened, and frustration boiling over. Each attack felt like punching into cotton... soft, yielding, and utterly unsatisfying.

Meanwhile, Shiki stood calmly, her ice-blue eyes betraying no emotion, though her breath came a little heavier.

Unlike Arcueid, Shiki's body, infused with Avalon, showed little sign of exhaustion. Each slash of her blade brought her an indescribable thrill, a savage joy akin to a Dead Apostle's bloodlust. A crooked smile crept back onto her lips, unbidden.

"Focus, Shiki..."

As before, a gentle hand gripped her arm. Bright magical projectiles shot from his fingers, obliterating the incoming wave of beasts.