Miss Surtr will ignite the world

That's what they're saying.

Medea held her staff horizontally in front of her, and a magic circle appeared behind her, with raindrops made of magic cannons falling from the sky.

Meanwhile, inside Medea's workshop at Ryudong Temple.

Ilya and her maid, who had been arranged to take refuge here, observed the battle within the temple through their familiars.

Compared to Surtr, Illya's skill in controlling familiars is clearly much more advanced. Not only can she create sounds, but she can also project images into the air, just like showing a movie.

Ilya and Lyselite found a small stool and sat in one of the few open spaces in the workshop, staring intently at the image projected on the screen.

Only Sera remained in accordance with maid etiquette, standing straight behind Ilya.

The three women's gazes fell on Surtr's battlefield without prior agreement. They all believed that this was where the battle would be decided, perhaps also because the action was more exciting.

Compared to Medea's kiting style of fighting, Surtr and Lancer's battles are all about hand-to-hand combat, and even without background music, they are still thrilling to watch.

If it weren't for Sera watching behind her, Ilya would definitely have cheered for Surtr.

He even temporarily put his father's affairs aside.

But she couldn't help but worry about what would happen if Surtr were stabbed to death by Lancer.

Despite being initially hostile, the two got along quite well over the next few days, and since the other was their savior, they certainly couldn't remain indifferent.

"You absolutely have to win, Surtr. And the woman in the black robe too."

Ilya prayed silently.

A moment later, at the lakeside behind Ryudong Temple.

Surtr stopped on the shore, some distance from the mountain gate, where even Bazett was no longer in sight.

"It seems you are quite wary of my Master."

Behind him, Lancer, who had been chasing him, stopped about five meters in front of him.

"After all, it's that kind of Noble Phantasm."

This type of mechanism-based Noble Phantasm is undoubtedly much more troublesome than Noble Phantasms like beam cannons.

They won't even give you a chance to exchange blows.

"But you still came along. I thought it would take more effort."

Surtr didn't believe Lancer was oblivious to her intentions, but she still came.

"I'm not opposed to cooperation, but I prefer to enjoy this kind of battle alone."

"Aren't you afraid she'll be killed by the Caster?"

"I think you should care more about your servants than your master. Don't leave before we've decided who's who."

As he spoke, Lancer, gun in hand, slowly stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and Surtr.

"He's quite confident, but I still think Caster has a better chance of winning."

Surtr pointed the sword tip at Lancer and took a step.

Then, it disappeared from the spot.

Lancer also disappeared along with it.

The next instant, a piercing clang of metal clashing rang out between the two, sparks flew, and the surging magic caused ripples to spread across the calm lake.

The red and blue figures trampled the earth, leaving the ground in ruins as if it had been bombarded by grenades.

The spear and the greatsword, two deadly weapons, clashed and separated, each strike attempting to take the other's head.

Decisive and direct, every move is a sure-kill strike.

The crimson spear flashed and relentlessly encroached on Surtr's territory.

His unparalleled martial arts skills were on full display at this moment.

Lancer wore a cheerful smile; he seemed much more at ease now than when they first met.

The wide riverbanks, combined with the power gained through Spirit Origin Ascension, allow Lancer to perfectly utilize his strengths.

Surtr was no longer able to block the opponent's attack as perfectly as she had the first time.

It must be admitted that, with the numerical difference between the two sides not being significant, she was far inferior to her opponent in terms of martial arts skills.

After all, the fire giant's memories couldn't give her any experience in this area; if she had to be said, the other party should be considered a mage.

Melee mage.

Despite this, Surtr still has no intention of backing down.

It doesn't matter if your clothes are torn, as long as the vital parts aren't damaged, they're still usable. Medea can mend them later. It doesn't matter if you're injured either; Avalon will heal you quickly.

She possesses far greater endurance than her opponent.

Moreover, after a brief but intense exchange of attacks and defenses, Surtr had become fairly familiar with Lancer's rhythm.

Much stronger than the first time we met, and I didn't detect any trace of the other party using runes. They were probably waiting for me to make a move.

After all, the opponent's runes can only use one effect at a time, so it's better to respond to their moves accordingly.

Let's give it a try.

Surtr exhaled a breath of hot, stale air.

Suddenly, the temperature around us began to rise, the sweltering heat dissipated the humidity in the air, and a faint, pungent smell of sulfur permeated the air.

The force with which he swung his sword suddenly increased, deflecting the spear blade aimed at his heart, and the storm-like attack abruptly halted.

Lancer, who had been observing the other party, keenly sensed Surtr's changes.

In the first battle, he had a general idea of ​​his opponent's strength. Putting aside martial arts skills, his opponent's firepower was clearly beyond his reach.

Even if he was prepared for this, he didn't want to confront it head-on.

Lancer has chosen to temporarily avoid direct confrontation.

He switched from offense to defense, and at the same time, a strange but powerful symbol lit up on his clothes.

Fire-resistant runes.

Lancer prepared this specifically for Surtr after their encounter.

However, it remains to be seen how effective it will be against the opponent's flames, which seem to destroy everything.

The answer will be known soon.

A dazzling burst of fire erupted from Surtr, and Lancer quickly retreated.

In the center of the flames, Surtr raised his sword and stomped forward. With the help of his Mystic Code, the distance between the two instantly shrank to within arm's reach.

Dense, scalding magic adhered to the blade, and flames rose from above.

Even with the protection of the runes, his beast-like instincts still told him about the danger of that flame.

Lancer knew it was time to put his skills to the test.

fsn: Chapter 43 - Should we go there to die?

Lancer was already pondering how to defeat Surtr before he arrived, or rather, after his first defeat.

He possessed a Noble Phantasm that could kill with a single blow, which laid the foundation for his victory.

The key is how to withstand the enemy's firepower.

Unlike the other son of the sun god who is fully equipped with divine armor, Lancer has no decent defensive Noble Phantasms, which puts him at a significant disadvantage when encountering Servants with powerful firepower.

Fortunately, runes can make up for this disadvantage.

He learned not only martial arts from Scáthach, but also eighteen runes.

Leaving aside the strange fact that Scáthach, a Celtic mythologist, inherited runes from Norse mythology, the important point is that this skill gave Lancer a chance to win the battle against Surtr.

The mystery of the runes, obtained by the Norse god-king through self-sacrifice, is that they are diverse and powerful. When fully activated, they can even block A-rank Noble Phantasms, effectively compensating for Lancer's weakness of being a glass cannon.

The flames before us are powerful, but not to the level of a Noble Phantasm, so it shouldn't be a problem.

This conclusion was reached through his own experiments.

With the flaming sword almost within reach, Lancer raised his gun.

The spear and the flaming sword clashed fiercely in mid-air, their magic colliding and sparking dazzling flames.

Flames erupted from the blades, engulfing both of their bodies.

Amidst the flames, the sounds of clashing weapons could be heard.

Red and blue figures intertwined in the flames, Lancer's face contorted in a ferocious grin as he skillfully deflected Surtr's attack.

The opponent's terrifying strength can only be countered through skill.

But the flames were blocked by the runes, and the path to victory was revealed.

Surtr's expression remained unchanged.

This was to be expected. The two sides had already clashed once before, so how could the other side be unprepared?

It's not an NPC.

just.

So what? Even if the opponent is prepared, all we need to do is increase our power to a level that they cannot withstand.

As for magic.

There's absolutely no need to worry.

With Avalon, her recovery speed became much faster, making it entirely possible for her to unleash her full power in a battle.

That's just the thinking of a brute.

But Miss Surtr preferred this simple and straightforward approach.

Surtr smiled, the flames converging on the tip of his Flame Sword, pointing directly at the enemy before him.

An aura of destruction emanated from ahead, and Lancer's smile froze. He felt as if he were facing a volcano about to erupt.

Then, the flaming sword thrust forward.

The intense flames condensed into a single point and burst forth from the blade.

Amidst thunderous explosions, flames engulfed everything around, turning the back mountain of Ryudo-ji Temple into a scorching hell.

The lake water evaporated, sending up scalding white steam.

The next moment, a blue figure flew backward from the flames, clenching his teeth as he watched the red figure rapidly approaching from the front.

Adjusting his posture in mid-air to stabilize himself, he then placed the spear in front of him.

Immediately afterwards, the dim yellow blade struck the spear.

Without a foothold in the air, Lancer was powerless against the terrifying force it contained. It was shot down like a cannonball, crashed into the ground, and then bounced up again due to the reaction force.

The earth cracked open, and the soil was turned upside down.

His exceptional skill allowed him to quickly flip over and stand up, and he immediately used his agility to dodge to the right.

boom!

Surtr fell from the sky, and a black giant appeared behind her, swinging his fist as if a meteorite made of lava had crashed down.

The earth was smashed into a deep crater, and heat waves swept around with the enormous impact.

Smoke and dust rose from the center of the pit, and a faint crimson hue could be seen in the smoke.

Lancer, who had just gotten up, felt a chill run down his spine, as if someone had a gun pointed at his head.

The idea had barely formed when a beam of scorching red light pierced through the smoke and dust.

The beam of light shattered the sound barrier, heading straight for Lancer's dog head.

His extensive combat experience allowed him to barely turn his head to the side before the crisis struck. A beam of light swept across his face, and the pain of burning came from above. Immediately afterward, a huge explosion came from behind him.

Without even looking back, Lancer knew that another huge crater had probably been created behind him.

I was too naive to think that way before.

This level of magic amplification never stops, so even with fire resistance, you can't withstand it for long. Moreover, the opponent's agility is much faster than when we first met.

There wasn't even a chance for someone to unleash their Noble Phantasm.