Ayaka Sajyou, the Princess of the Root, is an existence that even gods fear.
Her Magic Circuits are naturally connected directly to the Root, making her stronger than Solomon.
To be precise, in his current state, Solomon is simply no match for her.
She can block high-damage Noble Phantasms with a single hand, and ordinary attacks have no effect on her at all.
“I will do my best to take care of Solomon as quickly as possible.
I’ll have to leave his Master to all of you,” Sebastian instructed.
Solomon is the final enemy.
As long as they defeat him, this Holy Grail War will be won.
The rules do not require them to kill all the Masters; once Solomon is dealt with, the Holy Grail will be theirs.
By then, they can uncover the secret of infinite magical power.
If Sebastian had infinite magical power, activated his Sin Devil Trigger, and clashed head-on with Ayaka Sajyou in a berserk state, he might stand a chance.
Otherwise, everyone would end up dying here.
That woman is a monster who can make almost any desire come true.
The current Solomon lacks a Grand Saint Graph.
In terms of threat level, this powerful Heroic Spirit has actually become her only weakness.
Thus, targeting that weakness is their best path to victory.
“This is truly hard to accept…” Artoria shook her head, looked at Sebastian, and suddenly smiled.
“However, since you’ve said so, I have no choice but to believe you.
As long as Solomon disappears, victory is ours.
So, you must win.”
That is Artoria.
Even though she believed Sebastian’s words about the terrifying strength of the enemy’s Master, she still worried about his safety when facing a dangerous foe.
“You all are the ones who need to be careful,” Sebastian looked at them seriously.
“That person is not easy to deal with.”
Grayfia and Kuroka exchanged glances and nodded simultaneously.
“Understood.
Leave her to us.”
From the start, Artoria, Grayfia, and Kuroka had discussed their approach while searching for the enemy.
They assumed the enemy had sensed their arrival long ago and set a trap, making it possible for someone to fall at the very first encounter.
Artoria, in particular, could not be the first to fall, as her defeat would end everything.
Kuroka is young and possesses great potential, meaning she could become a key ally for Sebastian in the future.
Therefore, Grayfia had already resolved to risk her life to protect the others if they encountered a Super Devil-level enemy.
Just then, a light voice echoed through the trees.
“You actually followed him here too.
That’s fine; it’s perfect, no one will disturb their fight.”
A clearing had appeared in the forest of the Einzbern estate.
Tables and chairs were neatly arranged, complete with light refreshments and black tea.
Floating in mid-air at the front of the table was a screen made of water, projecting the confrontation between Solomon and Sebastian.
Ayaka Sajyou held a teacup, her gaze falling on the vigilant group.
“Would you like a cup of tea?”
When she smiled, she looked like a fairy stepping out of the sunlight.
Kuroka frowned, preparing to attack.
But before she could move, her body stopped obeying her, and her feet began walking toward Ayaka against her will.
Grayfia and Artoria tried to pull her back, only to discover their own bodies were similarly immobilized.
Grayfia’s eyes narrowed sharply.
The crest of the Lucifuge family expanded instantly at her feet.
Forcing her way through a sliver of the spatial restraint, she grabbed Kuroka and aimed a high-tier magic circle directly at Ayaka.
“Oh?
Aside from Sebastian, your side actually possesses this level of combat power.” Ayaka sighed lightly.
Her tone sounded like gentle admiration, and the smile on her face broadened.
“However, surprises like this are what make things interesting.”
Facing the incoming blast of magic power, Ayaka simply extended a single, fair finger—the finger of a young lady who played the piano, not a seasoned warrior.
Yet with a light touch of that finger, she completely neutralized Grayfia’s magic.
“Don’t be so hot-headed.
The battle over there is about to begin.
I’ll say this first: I am very much looking forward to this fight.
If it gets interrupted, I might do something unpleasant.”
Seeing her attack neutralized so casually, Grayfia did not back down.
Instead, she asked in a deep voice, “Why are you so looking forward to the battle between Lord Sebastian and Solomon?
Do you have that much confidence in Solomon?”
“No,” Ayaka replied, shaking her head.
Grayfia had assumed Ayaka was facilitating this duel to win the Holy Grail War, but Ayaka’s reasoning was entirely different.
“As for who will win, I actually think Sebastian has a better chance…
but all of that is irrelevant.” Ayaka clasped her hands together, her smile bright.
“I can find out the final result regardless, but where is the fun in that?”
She tilted her head, watching the projection.
“When those two fight, don’t you think it resembles an epic poem?
Ancient heroes against modern ones…
rather than who wins, I simply want to watch the battle itself.
How interesting, don’t you think?”
“…Devils are never the protagonists in heroic stories,” Grayfia said, slowly lowering her hand.
It was not that she was dropping her guard; she simply realized that this opponent’s strength likely matched or exceeded that of a Super Devil.
Neither Sirzechs nor Rizevim could suppress her.
Grayfia did not dare speculate any further about the full extent of Ayaka’s power, but she knew the girl was far stronger than herself.
While Kuroka and Artoria were deeply concerned, Grayfia remained surprisingly composed about the duel.
Sebastian would not lose to Solomon—not just because he had already reached the Satan-class, but because of the true power latent within him.
The memory of Sebastian transforming—wings, a tail, armored skin, and blue arm blades—flashed through Grayfia’s mind.
With that power, he would not lose.
Even if he temporarily lost control or could only maintain the form for a short duration, Solomon would not survive it.
Furthermore, Sebastian was currently at his peak, whereas Solomon had recently expended a significant portion of his magical energy.
On the battlefield, Sebastian stared at Solomon while expanding his Observation Haki.
He quickly realized that Solomon had already established a bounded field in advance.
“Solomon, you are the last opponent I need to eliminate in this Holy Grail War,” Sebastian said quietly.
“I originally thought of many ways to defeat you, but I’m in a hurry now.
So…
I’m sorry.”
Solomon frowned.
Without the ability to foresee the future, he could not comprehend why Sebastian was speaking with such finality.
They had fought before; while Sebastian was strong, he had not completely outmatched him.
With their current Saint Graphs and no outside protection, their battle strength should have been roughly equal.
Suddenly, the magical energy throughout Sebastian’s body erupted.
Unlike his standard Devil Trigger, the power within him began to burn intensely.
Blue flames surged around his body, and his heartbeat echoed like a thundering drum.
The bloodline power of the original Lucifer exploded within his veins.
Black wings unfurled from his back, a thick tail whipped behind him, sharp claws extended from his hands, and blue blades materialized on his forearms.
His previous Devil Trigger retained a humanoid shape, but this transformation abandoned humanity entirely.
He stood as a pure Devil—an evil dragon forged from ancient myths.
Sebastian threw his head back and let out a deafening roar, fully entering his Sin Devil Trigger.
On his way here, he had pondered how to end this fight quickly.
Clashing directly against Solomon with the Yamato would be drawn out, as Solomon’s magic foundation was deep and well-prepared.
To win instantly, he needed absolute overwhelming force.
The heat wave hit first.
Before Solomon could even hear the rushing wind, the skin on his face was scorched by the sudden pressure wave.
He immediately spread his hands, the rings on his ten fingers illuminating simultaneously as ten distinct colors of light burst forth.
But the moment he tried to activate his magic, his casting was violently interrupted in less than half a second.
Solomon’s vision blurred.
Before he could trace the enemy’s position, his entire body was launched backward by an immense kinetic force.
The impact struck far faster than the sensation of pain.
Though the light on his rings had not yet extinguished, his consciousness teetered on the brink of blacking out.
At that critical instant, Solomon’s eyes turned pure white as a higher will seized control of his body.
The ten fading rays of light re-condensed, and the 72 Pillars hidden within the area began drawing in vast amounts of magical energy.
The entity controlling Solomon knew taking a second direct spatial attack would be fatal.
Adapting instantly, the ten colors of light converged into a massive magic circle before his hands, causing red blood-vessel patterns to split open across the void.
The total power of the 72 Demon Gods poured into his body without a moment of delay.
While still flying backward, Solomon aimed the floating magic circle forward.
Time seemed to freeze as the surrounding air came to a complete standstill.
The world held its breath as he recited the activation chant:
“—The time of birth has come; with this, I correct all things.”
The magic circle isolated everything around it, locking a ring of burning light bands directly onto Sebastian’s Sin Devil Trigger form.
His third Noble Phantasm activated.
A concentrated band of light erupted from his hands, carrying heat so intense that no earthly Noble Phantasm could withstand it, hurtling straight toward Sebastian.
Sebastian opened his mouth and roared into the blinding light.
He did not dodge, nor did he attempt to block.
Instead, driven by the instinct of Infinite Martial Arts and his berserk state, he made a ruthless tactical choice: he lunged straight through the incandescent light, reaching directly for Solomon’s throat.