Fate: How About a New Savior?

Facing the oncoming barrage of chains, Artoria darted in front of Shiomi and swept her Holy Lance forward. The compressed Invisible Air burst forth, throwing the chains off course.

The fierce gusts whipped at the fake Enkidu's white robe, but he remained still, watching as Shiomi zigzagged his way forward, closing the distance in a single charge and thrusting his crimson spear. It wasn't until then that the fake Enkidu raised his hand to block.

"You said you've switched masters? Are you talking about a change in loyalty, or…" Shiomi pressed in with his spear, but the fake Enkidu, whose hand had morphed into a broad-bladed sword, blocked him. "Is that body of yours stolen?"

"What an unpleasant thing to say…" the fake Enkidu replied with a mocking smile. "But it's all trivial. Until the moment I'm destroyed, I'll remain humanity's enemy. That fact will never change—I'll prove it with your lives!"

Power surged through the broad blade, knocking Shiomi's spear aside. The sword then came slashing down at him from above at an angle.

Shiomi blocked it with his spear, and the clash sent sparks flying.

But the strike from the fake Enkidu's hand was just a distraction. The real threat came from the dozens of golden gates that opened behind him, launching a barrage of chains.

Shiomi dodged back midair, but couldn't realign his posture in time to cast a Magecraft defense.

In that moment, Artoria leapt upward. Her Holy Lance pulsed with mana, unleashing a torrent of golden energy.

Even without releasing its True Name, the lance's power was formidable enough to force the fake Enkidu to raise his hands in defense.

"Oh? So that's the 'anchor' that holds the world together? Quite the display," he said calmly. "Since you're also a goddess, shouldn't you stop siding with humans? Joining the goddess alliance would be the right choice."

"I refuse."

Artoria swung her Holy Lance, cutting through the continuous attacks as she answered.

"I fight for humanity. That's all that matters!"

"Is that so? Then I'll send you on your way," the fake Enkidu said as he placed both hands on the sand. A massive surge of mana erupted from the ground beneath his feet.

On the beach, hundreds of golden gates opened. This time, they didn't launch chains—but a barrage of weapons of every kind.

"Gilgamesh's 'Gate of Babylon'?"

When the fake Enkidu had transformed his arm into a weapon earlier, and with the chains flying out from the gates, Shiomi had sensed a resemblance to Gilgamesh's fighting style.

"Don't get it twisted. Limitless blade creation, unrestricted firing—that's the optimal way to fight in this body." The fake Enkidu raised his chin arrogantly. "That man merely imitated my combat style—poorly."

Chains and weapons flew in alternating waves from both flanks. Unlike Artoria, a Servant, the fake Enkidu fought with the relentless efficiency of a war machine.

Even as she retreated, activating Invisible Air and using the Holy Lance to break through the storm of weapons, Artoria felt herself beginning to tire.

Shiomi had a bad feeling. The fight could reach the observation station at any moment. A telepathic message came from his master—evacuation of the station's personnel was underway.

But full evacuation would take a few more minutes.

They had to contain the battle within a fixed perimeter. The fake Enkidu would never go along with that peacefully—and sooner or later, he'd notice that Shiomi's side was trying to protect the civilians.

"What's wrong? Starting to wear out? You're about to get torn apart—!"

A chain coiled around the Holy Lance, disrupting Artoria's next move. She drew her Holy Sword, preparing to strike back.

The fake Enkidu's grin widened into a crazed sneer.

Then, Shiomi spoke clearly and firmly:

"Pseudo-Reality Marble, activate—'Eternal Orkney'."

As he deployed a defensive barrier, he traced Runes through the air, and light burst forth.

The Magecraft once used in the Fifth Singularity manifested again here.

"What?"

The fake Enkidu hadn't expected this. The beach scenery flipped in an instant, transforming into a frozen island of snow and ice. Behind him, icy seawater crashed against snow-covered cliffs.

"This should at least help us narrow the gap in terms of firepower..."

Shiomi clenched his fist and crushed a Rune, releasing a burst of light that scattered into the air. Snowflakes in the sky condensed into countless icicles, while the snow beneath his feet slowly rose, forming jagged spikes of ice.

Even so, it was barely enough to match the scale of the enemy's attack.

The fake Enkidu's abilities were undoubtedly tied to the real Enkidu's Noble Phantasm—drawing on the mana of the land and sand to forge weapons rivaling Noble Phantasms.

So, the moment their attacks clashed, Shiomi's offensive was swiftly overwhelmed.

"Master—!"

The deployment of the pseudo-Reality Marble disrupted the fake Enkidu's attack rhythm, giving Artoria the opening she needed to pull back and regroup with Shiomi.

"I'll keep disrupting his perception with Magecraft. You choose the timing to strike." Shiomi turned slightly as he spoke, narrowly dodging a chain that pierced through his counter and grazed past his face. "And... watch out for those chains. They're lethal to divine beings."

"Got it."

Artoria gave a short roar in acknowledgment and retreated, vanishing into the swirling snowstorm.

Shiomi immediately amplified his Magecraft, managing to push the fake Enkidu's assault back slightly.

A loud crash echoed out as a green blur smashed through the ice wall and lunged at Shiomi. The fake Enkidu's left arm had morphed into a massive scythe, which came cleaving down, forcing Shiomi to raise his spear to block.

"Oh—still able to wield weapons while casting Magecraft? I suppose not all human Magus are worthless," the fake Enkidu sneered, pressing down harder with the scythe. "But that's about all you've got."

"Wouldn't be so sure." Shiomi smirked.

A Rune flared into life midair and exploded right in front of the fake Enkidu's face. That body—crafted by the gods of Mesopotamia—was the ultimate weapon, with natural resistance to Magecraft.

Even so, the blast only managed to knock him back slightly.

Immediately after, a barrage of high-level Magecraft lit up the field. Of them all, lightning spells proved most effective, the current they generated even troubling the chains that served their master.

As the fake Enkidu grimaced in annoyance, five identical figures burst forth from multiple directions, cutting through the chaos of spells and weapons, charging straight at him.

Using his Noble Phantasm and his own transformed weapons, the fake Enkidu blocked the assault.

"Your Magecraft is efficient. Too bad it can't hurt me."

Shiomi's clones then engaged him in close combat, their attacks alternating one after another.