Fate: How About a New Savior?

The magical beasts attacking the northern front didn't strike in a continuous wave. Instead, their assaults came in irregular bursts—like some kind of natural phenomenon.

Sometimes they struck at midday. Other times, just after the morning shift change between two squads of soldiers.

And at times, they came in the dead of night...

Because no one could predict the timing of these attacks, a massive wall spanning the Mesopotamian plains had been constructed in the north as a defensive measure.

One of the duties assigned to the girls stationed in Uruk to assist with internal defenses was to scale the wall and participate in repelling sudden beast raids and attacks meant to damage the wall itself.

At least, that was how it was supposed to be.

From beyond the distant horizon, hordes of magical beasts charged forward, roaring as they surged toward the wall.

In addition to the soldiers of Uruk and the Servants leading the defense, large siege weapons known as Dingir had also been installed atop the battlements.

According to the current deputy commander Gilgamesh, this responsibility should have belonged to the "King of Heroes" of that era. But under the present circumstances, he was forced to dig into his "remaining" treasury and use those precious treasures as ammunition.

Still, despite Gilgamesh's claim that his treasury was "running low," it had shown no signs of depletion even after six months of use. Even suspected this was merely an excuse—Gilgamesh's way of keeping soldiers and civilians from growing complacent by thinking they had something they could always rely on.

At noon, a massive assault began. Leonidas I, a master of defensive warfare, led Uruk's troops, Chaldea's Magi, and their Servants in a fierce battle atop the walls.

That was when the ominous pillars burst forth from the ground.

Unlike the magical beasts, who couldn't scale the towering ten-meter-high ramparts, the Demon Pillars possessed colossal, sky-piercing bodies. They erupted from the earth, revealed their grotesque forms, and began rapidly climbing the walls to attack the defenders.

"Ghh—! At this range, I can't fire the Dingir..."

Leonidas's voice strained as he forced back a Demon Pillar that was moments away from crushing a small defensive unit, buying them enough time to retreat.

But that's all he managed to buy—time.

The Demon Pillars clearly understood the threat posed by the Dingir, blocking anyone who dared approach the weapons.

What made matters worse was the false sense of relief that followed their initial success in repelling one pillar. Their celebration was cut short when seven more Demon Pillars appeared, surging forward along with the initial one after the crawlers retreated.

"There's... so many..."

Caren, shielded by soldiers, kept firing her hand crossbow while frowning deeply.

She wasn't skilled in large-scale Magecraft—her spells were tailored for combat against humans.

Against something like a Demon Pillar, her attacks barely registered—as if she were scratching an itch.

"My will is firm—my shadow strikes with its blade!"

Sakura's mana surged from a rift in the void, slicing toward the Demon Pillars. But her strike couldn't fully sever the grotesque forms made from countless corpses and filled with countless eyes.

The attack's overwhelming force drew the attention of the Demon Pillars. The ones hit locked their gazes onto her, and the countless pupils lit up with energy.

Mash quickly stepped in front of Sakura.

The resulting explosion nearly knocked her off her feet. The city wall trembled beneath them. The Demon Pillars rammed their massive bodies into the fortifications, their eyes firing magical blasts that steadily eroded the frontline.

Perched atop the ramparts, Gray couldn't even find a stable place to stand. She released the Holy Lance that Add had sealed away.

Though the Lion King had taken the resonance they once shared, she hadn't taken the power that let Gray protect those dear to her—or fight alongside her allies.

Ana moved confidently across the battlements, but she wasn't built to face off against Demon Pillars. Even her Mystic Eyes' petrification could do little more than slow their advance.

"Everyone, brace for impact! Director's ready!"

At that moment, Ritsuka—who had just used her Mystic Code's healing Magecraft to assist Tomoe Gozen—suddenly shouted to the others.

A barrage of meteorites then rained down in front of the city walls, striking many of the magical beasts.

But to avoid damaging the wall itself, Olga Marie had deliberately widened the attack's range, which meant the Demon Pillars escaped significant damage.

In fact, both the number and scale of the meteorites were far less impressive compared to the assault on Camelot back during the Sixth Singularity.

The meteor shower lasted barely five seconds before fading.

There simply wasn't enough time to properly prepare the Celestial Magecraft after the Demon Pillars appeared—this was the best Olga Marie could manage.

Seeing the soldiers fall one after another, Leonidas knew they couldn't afford to hold the wall any longer and risk greater casualties.

"Everyone! Fall ba—"

"They're here! Watch out!"

This time, it was Romani's voice.

As Servants, Leonidas and Tomoe Gozen were the first to sense the overwhelming surge of mana.

"This light is the planet's hope... Proof of the life that illuminates this world! Behold... Excalibur!"

A golden torrent of light swept across the ground in front of the wall, scorching the Demon Pillars' massive bodies until they were burned away, piece by piece.

But that was only the beginning.

"Bow your heads, Demon Gods! There is no fear here—no hope! Only death, as befits sinners! Don't even think of passing through! Roadless Camelot: The Now Unreachable Utopia!"

As if unwilling to be outdone by Artoria's Holy Sword, Morgan's Noble Phantasm surged forth with even more dramatic grandeur, roaring toward the remaining Demon Pillars.

In the blink of an eye, six Demon Pillars and the magical beasts surrounding them were vaporized by the blaze of Noble Phantasms.

"We're not done yet! Let the Demon Gods witness the secret techniques of the Land of Shadows!"

From the sky, Shiomi descended alongside Scáthach, both hurling spinning crimson spears.

The master and disciple moved in perfect synchrony, exhaling as one, their feet kicking the red spear forward as they declared in unison:

"Gáe Bolg Alternative!"

The red spear transformed into a storm of death, raining down in a violent barrage that shredded the Demon Pillars' monstrous, loathsome forms, leaving not even a trace behind.

Shiomi and his group, having traveled south to investigate Ur, had returned just before the wall's defenders reached their breaking point.

With their Noble Phantasms, they turned the tide of battle.

Their arrival reignited the troops' morale. Seizing the opportunity created by the enemy's disarray, the Servants surged forward to strike at the remaining Demon Pillars.

Without a doubt, the magical beasts and Demon Pillars' sudden ambush had failed once again.

...

Watching from the highlands to the northwest, the false Enkidu looked down on the scene with a careless sigh.

"Oh? They managed to annihilate eight of the King of Magecraft's pillars in one strike... Looks like I underestimated them. I thought they were still in Ur, too far south to return in time."

Then, with a malicious grin, he added,

"Hmph... To break through that line, we'll need more Demon Pillars. Or maybe, wait until they split up again—and crush them one by one."