Long Live Money in Anime Crossover

Shirou Emiya tried his best to persuade Saber, but he believed that his persuasion would be ineffective.

The Saber before him was no longer the Saber he remembered.

The Saber before us has had her mind and emotions reversed by the black mud. In particular, one of her obsessions, "King Arthur does not understand people's hearts," has been twisted by the black mud into an urgent desire to connect with people.

Or to be more precise, the desire to understand people's hearts has been distorted into a lustful desire, a wish to get closer to others and understand them through physical contact.

It is precisely because of this that Saber has been imprisoned since the day she was corrupted, and has never been released from her cage for even a second.

However, Saber has unexpectedly appeared here today, which is exactly what Shirou Emiya cannot understand.

Emiya Shirou tried his best to persuade Saber, because he truly didn't want Saber to become like this.

He hoped that Saber could regain the Saber he admired and looked up to, instead of the disgusting Saber she was in now, tainted by the black mud, having lost all her glory and faith, and even her will was twisted.

Unfortunately, Shirou Emiya's persuasion was destined to be ineffective.

The blush on Saber's face receded like a receding tide, as if the Saber who had just been in heat and craving close contact with others had vanished in an instant, and what appeared before Shirou Emiya was merely a dangerous beast.

"You all always look at me like that. In your minds, was the stubborn me really that outstanding?"

"Ha, don't joke around. That foolish woman, betrayed by her own subordinates and children, a loser rejected by all the people, just a puppet who doesn't understand human nature."

"Oh right, she didn't even consider herself a woman from the beginning. What is that if not stupidity?"

Saber, now in black, removes her mask, her body shimmering with light. Her original jet-black armor transforms in an instant into a black dress, its simple and elegant style perfectly complementing her exquisite features and her gleaming blonde hair styled in a bun. She looks like a beauty who has stepped out of a classical oil painting.

Saber looked down at her outfit, a satisfied smile appearing on her face. With a slight turn, her black dress fluttered gently in the wind.

Seeing Saber's pure smile, a bright smile like that of a young girl, Shirou Emiya's heart skipped a beat.

This Saber... is she actually Saber who was corrupted by the black mud?

What a joke... Shouldn't a girl like this be normal, Saber... no, a girl like this?

"What, are you stunned?"

A slight, disdainful smile appeared on Saber's lips, coupled with her somewhat cold gaze, revealing an undeniable queenly aura. This look sent a chill down Shirou Emiya's spine, bringing him back to his senses.

"Don't dare to say it? It's okay if you don't dare to say it. Anyway, I know very well now that I'm very pretty and cute, aren't I?"

"Even though I am an ancient person from 1,500 years ago, I am confident that I will still attract the greedy eyes of men and the envious glances of girls in this world."

Saber lifted her skirt and gave Shirou Emiya a classic curtsy, smiling as she said, "Well then, let me reintroduce myself, Shirou Emiya. I am Artoria, a beautiful lady, a lady who is looking for a lover. As for King Arthur and Saber, I've never heard of those nauseating words."

Artoria straightened up, and if you ignored the still rattling chains binding her, she seemed to have truly become a simple, beautiful girl.

Attracted by the chains binding Artoria, Shirou Emiya suddenly widened his eyes and exclaimed, "Saber, did you sneak out?"

"Oh dear, we've been discovered?"

Artoria was taken aback, a mocking smile appearing on her lips, but no worry on her face. She said, "That's right! Those guys were all mobilized because of the war. I saw an opportunity, killed a bunch of Black Mud, and tried to escape, but then I saw your summons and jumped right in."

"I guess it won't be long before they realize what's going on over there, but even if they come and try to take me back, it won't be that easy."

"Now, I'm really capable of going on a killing spree!"

Emiya Shirou narrowed his eyes, his hands flashing with black light, and two jet-black short swords appeared in his left and right hands.

“You’re too willful, Saber. Although I don’t agree with him either, I think locking you up in your current state is the right choice.”

"Whether it's to prevent yourself from being defiled, or to stop you from threatening others, Saber, you'd better come back with me obediently. It's fine if I take you back; even if this mission in this world fails, I probably won't be punished."

Artoria looked at the sword in Shirou Emiya's hand, her elegant smile still on her lips, but her eyes had turned blood red, radiating a dangerous light.

"Shirou Emiya, do you really think you're strong enough to defeat me? Aren't you being too naive? Or do you think that with these shackles on, I can't fight you?"

"No, Saber, I am no match for you no matter what. However, that is, if we have a Master who is evenly matched with you."

“Right now, neither of us has a Master, and we're in another world where our strength is suppressed. In this situation, I believe that I, as an Archer with high individual capabilities, will outlast you.”

138 Coyote, eat my curry stick!

"That's quite a confident statement."

Artoria wore a captivating smile, her face identical to Shirou Emiya's memory. However, the smile she wore had lost the purity of Shirou's memory, transforming into a chilling allure.

"So, you've decided to fight me, Archer?"

The red in Artoria's eyes grew increasingly intense, and black mist began to emanate from her body. Moreover, she changed her way of addressing Shirou Emiya from his real name to Archer.

Although neither Artoria nor Shirou Emiya are currently Servants in the Holy Grail War, and the concept of classes no longer exists, the fact that they now refer to each other by their class in the Holy Grail War is almost a declaration of war.

After all, it was only during the Holy Grail War that the two sides addressed each other by their class and then engaged in a life-or-death struggle.

“Saber, come back with me. This is for everyone’s good.”

Emiya Shirou's words left no room for negotiation; his serious tone seemed to prove that he was determined to bring Artoria back.

"For my own good?"

Artoria's smile widened, and she said, "Archer, how am I supposed to understand what you're saying? Taking me back, back to that cage to continue imprisoning me, is that really for my own good?"

"I am a Heroic Spirit, a former king, and a strong figure even among Heroic Spirits. Yet now I am first corrupted by the black mud, and then reduced to a prisoner with chains on my body. In this state, you still say it's for my sake?"

Artoria narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, a gesture that made the crimson light in her eyes even more concentrated.

"To put it bluntly, you're afraid that if you let me go, you won't be able to explain yourself to him! If he gets angry, he might turn all the people you want to protect into black mud! And I'm just a bargaining chip for you to take back and exchange for benefits with him."

"Isn't that so?"

"boom!"

Black mist burst forth from around Artoria, projecting black light from within. Countless black rays coalesced in her hand, forming a jet-black sword with red dots and patterns in the center.

The holy sword, Excalibur.

This sword was originally a gift from the fairy godmother to King Arthur after Caliburn, the sword in the stone, broke. King Arthur, guided by the wizard Merlin, came to the sacred lake where the fairy godmother resided.

The holy sword Excalibur, known as the King's Sword, is said to have been forged by elves in the idyllic land of Avalon. Its hilt is made of gold and inlaid with jewels. Its blade is so sharp that it can cut through iron like mud, which is why the Lady of the Lake named it Excalibur. In the original Celtic language, Excalibur means "to cut steel".

Therefore, the holy sword Excalibur is also known as the steel-breaking sword.

The holy sword in Artoria's hand is modeled after the legendary holy sword Excalibur. It was crystallized inside the Earth using people's thoughts as raw materials, and is the ultimate divine weapon of the "strongest fantasy". It is also at the top level among Noble Phantasms.

The unique characteristic of this Radiant Holy Sword is that it converts the user's magic power into light, which is then contracted and accelerated to increase its power, allowing the user to unleash powerful god-level magic through their magic power. As a result, the power of this Noble Phantasm has reached the level of a powerful anti-city weapon.

However, the holy sword in Artoria's hands has completely lost its brilliance. Its black and red main colors give it an ominous aura. But even though the color has changed, the sword's power as a Noble Phantasm will not decrease in the slightest due to the change in its attributes.

"A broken steel sword... This is impossible!"

Seeing the broken steel sword appear in Artoria's hand, Shirou Emiya's eyes were filled with disbelief. Even though he was still some distance away from the broken steel sword, the magical pressure gathered on the blade seemed to be about to pierce his face.

"How could you possibly get your hands on the Broken Steel Sword! You're already a prisoner, and he's already taken the Broken Steel Sword away. How could he possibly allow you to get your hands on it!"

“Even if he didn’t put the Broken Steel Sword into his treasury, he must have placed it in a safe place in Valhalla, and it must be guarded. You’re still wearing special shackles, how could you possibly get your hands on the Broken Steel Sword!”

Seeing the surprise on Shirou Emiya's face, Artoria's lips curled into a smug smile. She said, "Who knows? If I told you that the Broken Steel Sword suddenly appeared before my eyes, would you believe me?"

"Are you kidding me?! Who is the traitor?! The situation has clearly stabilized, so why are you stirring up trouble behind the scenes? Saber, tell me, whose conspiracy is this?!"

Faced with Shirou Emiya's questioning, Artoria showed no intention of responding. Instead, she looked at Shirou with a mocking gaze and said, "Archer, I only realized today that you are indeed destined to be a lackey. It was like this before as Alaya's Heroic Spirit, and it is like this now as his number one hound."

"To call someone like you a Heroic Spirit is a complete disgrace to me. You may be willing to be his lackey, but my pride will not allow me to do so."

"Before, I was trapped in a cage, but now that I have the opportunity to get out, no one can stop me!"

"Archer, get out of the way if you don't want to die!"

Emiya Shirou's hands gripping his twin swords bulged with veins, and the hesitation and doubt in his eyes vanished, replaced by utter rage. He said, "Saber, you don't understand, none of you understand how much I've sacrificed to maintain this situation!"

"Yes, I don't understand. All I know is that everything right now disgusts me. I don't want to stay in that disgusting place. If you have the guts, then leave me with my head!"

“Saber!”

With a roar, Shirou Emiya slammed his foot into the ground, cracking the concrete. Using the immense recoil, he charged towards Artoria. The violent burst of magical energy caused the air around him to explode.

"Still haven't improved at all, Archer. Are you underestimating me? I'm not that weak blue guy. Fight me in close combat..."

"You'll die!"

With a soft shout, Artoria swung her greatsword, sending a dark slash hurtling towards Shirou Emiya. Shirou's pupils constricted, and he quickly raised his sword to block.

However, after his crossed swords collided with Artoria's slash, he realized something was wrong!

"This is……"

"Crack!"

The projected twin swords in his hands shattered instantly. In his panic, Shirou Emiya could only duck and roll to dodge the fierce attack. The slash that shattered Shirou Emiya's twin swords did not lose momentum and slammed heavily into the concrete wall behind him, creating a large hole and exposing the soil behind it.

If this weren't a basement, Artoria's sword strike would have pierced through all the walls long ago.

"What's wrong, Archer? You charged in so confidently, but you couldn't even withstand one of my attacks?"

Artoria spoke in a light tone, while Shirou Emiya, who had gotten back up from the ground, spoke in a much more somber tone.

"Saber, are you really insane?! You gathered such a dense amount of magical power in that attack just now. Do you think you still have the Holy Grail and your Master standing behind you? Don't tell me you don't know what will happen if you run out of magical power right now!"

"The ending?"

Artoria pointed her sword at Shirou Emiya and said, "Isn't that obvious? Without the supply of magic, and in a world without magic and without the Hall of Heroes, I would probably vanish into thin air immediately, wouldn't I? At that time, there would be no more Artoria in the world, no more me, the failed King Arthur."

"Then why did you do it! Do you really want to die, Saber!"

Artoria chuckled softly and said, "So, Archer, as a lackey, you would never understand the dignity of a true hero. I would rather die from exhaustion of magic in battle than return to my cage. This is my last vestige of dignity as a king."

“I have nothing left. I have no glory, no goal, no people or knights who follow me. Even my last will and personality have been twisted by the black mud. So Archer, let me defend my last dignity with my life!”

Looking at the determination on Artoria's face, even though what she was sticking to was different now, this determination made Shirou Emiya feel as if he had returned to the night he first met the beautiful and dignified King Arthur.

It seems that nothing has changed.

Although everything has long since changed beyond recognition.

"Yes, I don't understand. Things that could have been gradually changed by simply living and struggling are now twisted and inflexible in the hands of you so-called heroes. Are your brains made of wood?"

Emiya Shirou projected his most familiar twin swords once more, saying, "For heroes like you, it's always faster to fight. So, Saber, I will take you back, even if you don't want to, I will beat you until you're exhausted and bring you back!"

"You've gone to great lengths to bring me back to the cage, to make me a prisoner again, Archer. Whether you can succeed depends on your ability."

Without another word, Shirou Emiya made a move to rush towards Saber, but at that moment, Saber's posture made Shirou Emiya feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

"Saber, how dare you! This is the basement, and there are hundreds, even thousands of people inside. Are you going to make them all die with you?!"

Amidst Shirou Emiya's angry and terrified shouts, the broken steel sword in Saber's hand seemed to absorb all the surrounding darkness, concentrating all the dark light onto the blade, transforming the already sinister holy sword into a massive, dark cross.