Abnormality In Type-Moon: Madness Of Animeverse

A weakness?

Could the invincible, corrupted Saber actually have a flaw?

And that traitor spotted it?

Behind him, flames raged as they spread uncontrollably. Diemon had no choice but to step out of the castle and onto the open grounds outside. His gaze flickered with a grim light as he alternated between Roy and the corrupted Saber.

Throughout this Holy Grail War, anyone with even a shred of common sense could see that the strongest combatant was undoubtedly the corrupted Saber wielding the Lesser Grail. Whenever she moved, victory was inevitable.

Even Roy, for all his skill, had been caught completely off guard by her attack last night. If not for Aoko Aozaki's timely intervention, he might not have survived.

But now, barely a single night later, Roy claimed he had found her weakness and intended to defeat her here?

Was that even possible?

According to him, the Lesser Grail… had some kind of problem?

---

Under countless watchful eyes, the corrupted Saber stood firm. Slowly, she reached into her own chest. With a brutal motion, she pulled out a radiant, golden chalice—the Lesser Grail.

The Grail emitted a dazzling light, brimming with near-limitless magical energy. On the surface, it appeared flawless. But upon closer inspection, one could see faint, translucent souls trapped within, writhing and struggling as though desperate to escape their confines.

"The essence of the Holy Grail War," Roy began, his sharp eyes fixed on the Lesser Grail, "is this: The Greater Grail summons Servants, while the Lesser Grail gathers their souls. Once enough souls are collected, a portal to the Root—Akasha—can be opened. That's the true purpose of this ritual."

His voice carried an air of certainty as he explained, eyes flickering with comprehension.

"In theory, collecting the souls of six Servants is enough to open the portal. Your Lesser Grail should have reached its limit by now, hasn't it?"

Servants are heroic spirits summoned into the world, and upon death, they return to the Throne of Heroes—a place close to the Root itself.

The Holy Grail War, crafted by magi, was always a means to an end: the pursuit of the Root. While a single Servant's return might not matter, the combined return of six Servants could tear open a pathway to the Root, allowing a magus to leap through and achieve what generations of predecessors could only dream of.

The Lesser Grail, designed to collect Servant souls, becomes crucial to this process. Once it gathers six souls, the War is effectively over. The final victor would then use a Command Spell to force their Servant to commit suicide, releasing all the souls from the Lesser Grail in one fell swoop.

Since the previous Holy Grail War left Servants unaccounted for, it was relatively easy to collect the required six souls in this one.

"You're correct."

For the first time, the corrupted Saber showed a hint of acknowledgment.

"Right now, the Lesser Grail contains six Servant souls. These souls have grown restless, and I can no longer suppress them."

Her voice carried a tone of resignation.

Keeping the Lesser Grail within herself under such volatile conditions only increased the pressure on her and introduced uncertainties into combat. Rather than a source of power, the Lesser Grail had become a burden—her fatal flaw.

---

Wait a moment.

Six souls?

The Lesser Grail contains six Servant souls?

The corrupted Servants initially numbered five, with only the corrupted Saber remaining. On Roy's side, there were seven Servants, of which four remained. That means seven Servants had already fallen—shouldn't the number be seven, not six?

Unless…

Could one of the souls have been absorbed by Illya's Lesser Grail?

No, that couldn't be it. Roy was absolutely certain that Illya, still back at the Aozaki residence, didn't harbor even a single Servant soul.

So what was going on?

---

"No matter," Saber said coldly, interrupting Roy's thoughts. "Even without the Lesser Grail, it doesn't mean you can defeat me!"

Without hesitation, she surged forward, her blade descending mercilessly toward him.

Roy barely had time to react. A flurry of rune-inscribed talismans floated before him, forming a magical barrier. Yet the corrupted Saber's attack cleaved through the barrier with terrifying ease, shattering it layer by layer in the blink of an eye.

Before the fragments of the first barrier could settle, she swung her blade again.

But this time, Roy pulled out a hidden talisman, activating it with a quick chant. A new barrier sprang up before him with a resounding hum.

Clang!

The blade struck the barrier, sending sparks flying in every direction.

The barrier wavered under the immense force but held firm, its surface returning to an eerie calm.

"What?!"

Even the corrupted Saber was momentarily stunned.

A modern magus, capable of blocking her attack without relying on extensive rituals or forbidden arts, but with just a simple, instant-cast spell?

Her sharp eyes examined the barrier. Unlike the earlier ones, this one emanated an ancient, almost primal aura. The difference in mysticism between the two was as vast as the heavens and earth. The defensive capabilities were incomparable.

"The primordial runes aren't so easily broken!" Roy smirked triumphantly.

With the guidance of Taigong Wang and his Mystic Eyes, Roy had not only mastered the primordial runes in a single day but had also enhanced their power significantly. His version of the runes far surpassed even those used by Cú Chulainn himself!

But under the surface, Roy was drenched in cold sweat.

The corrupted Saber's speed was nearly impossible to track with the naked eye. Even his enhanced senses struggled to keep up. Her presence was overwhelming, making it feel as though she teleported right before him. The pressure was suffocating, and every muscle in his body screamed with tension.

Not to mention, using the primordial runes consumed an alarming amount of mana.

She was a monster. A top-tier corrupted Servant with stats maxed out across the board was beyond what a modern magus like him could handle. Surviving her first strike already felt like a miracle worthy of being recorded in the annals of magical history.

Fortunately, he didn't have to face her alone.

The moment Saber lunged, Okita Souji decisively abandoned Jeanne and charged toward her, katana gleaming with intent.

The corrupted Saber clicked her tongue in irritation, forced to redirect her attention to Okita.

Without the Lesser Grail fueling her, she couldn't freely unleash her mana-burst abilities. She had no choice but to engage Okita in close combat.

And when it came to close combat, Okita's A++ agility made her a master at pinning down opponents.

---

As the two clashed, Roy quickly reinforced himself with an omnidirectional defensive array of primordial runes. His gaze then shifted to Jeanne, who had been left behind.

Under the Command Spell's influence, Jeanne instinctively stepped forward, her dual guns raised to fire at him.

But when Roy's eyes met hers—

"Ah!"

Jeanne froze mid-step.

An inexplicable force surged within her, halting her advance.

Roy's gaze was calm, devoid of malice or coercion. Yet, Jeanne stood motionless, unable to take another step forward.

She gripped her weapons tightly, trembling, as if struggling against unseen chains.

Roy smirked knowingly.

He understood the reason for her hesitation.

She couldn't bring herself to attack. That was all there was to it.

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