Corrupted Artoria

The golden sword light flared almost every time like an eraser, directly wiping away the pitch-black tide of spectral spirits.

Cry!

Cry!

Even Uchiha Madara and Satoru Gojo could not help but turn their eyes toward that magnificent sight.

Unwilling to take part in this struggle, Namikaze Minato continuously shifted positions through the air while also noticing this powerful being who had only appeared recently.

The blonde girl looked resolute, as though every swing of her sword upheld a certain conviction.

"There’s an unstoppable force within that sword…"

Uchiha Madara had not wanted to be summoned by that host through such a despicable method. Confident in his own strength, he believed that as long as that fellow encountered certain problems that required him to step in—

That so-called resurrection would eventually come.

As someone who had also been an ambitious schemer for many years, he knew perfectly well that the mad Master’s so-called "resurrection" could never be something purely beneficial.

That fellow would never do anything unless it profited him.

Thus, the only explanation was that even if he were resurrected and regained a body of flesh and blood, he would merely become a tool to be commanded by the other party.

Yet at this very moment, he clearly sensed the fierce resolve radiating from that woman, as though every sword strike carried an absolute conviction of victory.

No, that was probably no longer merely conviction. Uchiha Madara’s Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly turned, and he seemed to see countless figures appearing behind the woman.

As she raised her twin swords high, those countless figures raised their arms and roared in unison. A will vast as mountains and seas permeated that sword from beginning to end.

Win!

We must win!

This battle must be won!

Even if we all die, our king… will be victorious!

Boom!

Uchiha Madara rapidly shifted positions atop the Nine-Tails. He saw the towering sword light directly shatter the balance that had existed here.

Millennium Worm lowered his head, then charged toward Saber.

He possessed an unparalleled longing for resurrection. He still wanted to return to his homeland, ravaged by war, and see whether his younger brother and mother, who had lost him, were well.

The intense aura erupting from Artoria seemed to instantly make her the target of everyone. Countless tidal waves of spectral spirits swept toward her. Only Black Face, whose standing vaguely surpassed all the spectral spirits, stood beneath the broccoli-like Divine Kingdom Gigai with one hand on his sword, showing no intention of acting.

Even Lu Bu, the Guardian Spirit, wildly danced his Sky Halberd, sending approaching spectral spirits flying before charging toward Artoria as well.

Domain Expansion: Sound Kill Underworld!

The pitch-black domain unfolded in an instant, and sinister cursed energy surged sharply. Within this special space where there was neither life nor death, day nor night, the distortion in Millennium Worm’s heart as a reincarnator grew by the day, causing his cursed energy to rise rather than diminish.

Artoria turned around and saw only a trench-coated man forming strange hand seals with both hands. A black space spread open behind him and directly enveloped her.

An exceptionally dangerous instinct arose within her.

Artoria suddenly clenched the holy sword in both hands and fiercely raised it overhead.

Her magical energy erupted without reservation.

Millennium Worm watched as the domain was about to close, yet the magical energy released by Excalibur above continuously battered it into violent turbulence. His heart jolted.

Could Artoria possibly unleash her Noble Phantasm in this state?!

That should have been impossible.

But recalling her extraordinary command over that Holy Sword of the Stars, as well as how many holy knights in the so-called Round Table Conference placed almost unconditional trust in Artoria as Arthur—

If she truly intended to unleash the holy sword, no one could say what might happen.

Daring not to hesitate, Millennium Worm spoke directly.

"Sleep!"

In a place like this, Curse Kill was utterly meaningless. Sleep, on the other hand, was a killing move.

Sound waves trembled, and countless bronze bells throughout the domain swayed at once. Artoria’s entire body shook, her eyes seemingly about to close, but in the next instant, that sword still came down without hesitation.

Slash!

Outside the pitch-black domain, Satoru Gojo watched in astonishment as golden sword light burst directly out from within. Millennium Worm’s spirit body was cleaved in two and fell to the ground before returning to the Yellow Springs.

"Damn, that really is a powerful sword, and a powerful will~"

Satoru Gojo loosened up his limbs. Even he was interested in joining in at a time like this.

But in the next moment, Black Face, who had remained motionless all this time, suddenly drew his sword.

It was as though the entire space trembled. The spectral spirits too close to him twisted directly into pitch-black liquid and flowed onto the blade he had drawn and pulled back.

"Black Face, draw!"

A deep voice rang out, accompanied by an intense whistling sound.

Satoru Gojo had only just removed his blindfold and opened his Six Eyes. Beneath Uchiha Madara, the light of Susanoo had only just covered the Nine-Tails’ body.

Then they felt an intense pulling force. The sensation was so familiar; every time that host forcibly drew them back into his body, it felt exactly like this. Only, the power of absorption before them was somewhat weaker.

Yet that "weakness" was only relative to spirit bodies such as themselves, whose self-awareness was complete and whose strength was formidable. Elsewhere, the wave-like black tide of spectral spirits was almost entirely drawn by Black Face’s katana, transforming into ink and being swallowed whole.

Then everyone fell silent, seized by an intense premonition.

"It’s coming!"

Black Face stepped forward, gripped the sword with both hands, and swept it horizontally toward everyone!

God’s Slash!

Buzz!

The entire Consciousness Sea seemed to blossom open from the middle in an instant. Other than Bai Cangshu, seated high upon the Throne of the Heart with a cruel smile curling his lips—

Everyone seemed to have been directly cut apart by that slash.

It was a terrifying strike that had absorbed tens of thousands of spectral spirits. Artoria turned her head and only had time to angle her sword in front of herself.

The black sword radiance seemed capable of splitting the world. In but an instant, Artoria was sent flying.

At that moment, pitch-black Black Mud dripped down from the Throne of the Heart like a waterfall, "just happening" to envelop the Artoria who had been sent flying.

This was…

Satoru Gojo’s upper body rolled across the ground, the first time in his life that Limitless had been cut through. His Six Eyes had not closed, and he saw everything.

He had not yet revealed his strongest form, and Uchiha Madara had clearly not entered his peak state either, yet Black Face had so abruptly unleashed this slash…

It was all that host’s plan. He had already chosen the person he wanted to resurrect!

No, he had already selected the one he wished to command!

Splat, splat, splat…

The sounds of countless spirit corpses falling into the Yellow Springs rang out. Since the appearance of this space, it was rare for nearly all spirit bodies to be slain and cast back into the Yellow Springs.

In an instant, the Yellow Springs seemed to boil.

White Face had only just managed to crawl out of the Yellow Springs and free himself from that state of desire entwining his body when he saw Black Mud descend from above and directly drown Artoria.

Damn it!

That guy had chosen Artoria from the start…

Bai Cangshu had not actually chosen Artoria from the beginning. In the short term, he had not been particularly eager to turn these spirit bodies into combat power.

After all, because it required paying the exorbitant price of an A-rank Anomaly Point, without his transactions with the other gatherings and East Xia, even if he squeezed Li Qingzi and A Single Thought of Silk dry, it would still be an extravagant cost.

If he absolutely had to choose, he would have been more inclined to resurrect people like Satoru Gojo and Uchiha Madara with Black Mud, those with special Pupil Techniques and unique abilities, so they could prove useful in other areas.

But the fierce pulse Artoria had just unleashed filled him with greed, instantly changing his mind.

"Hatred, emptiness, desire…"

"Artoria Pendragon, the things you seek yet cannot obtain—together with me, you may freely seize them all!"