Flandre, unleashed in berserk mode and manifesting as four distinct presences, possessed power capable of shaking the heavens and earth. No one on the field could withstand her might. Even Sagisaka Aoko, the Fifth Magician, could only retreat from the tempest of her attacks, daring not to meet her force head-on.

As for the others...

With both Suzunari and Cú Chulainn already absent, the Shingetsu faction were the first to enter a combat state, yet aside from Youmu who retained ample magical energy, the others were critically low, possessing less than thirty percent of their reserves. Under such duress, how could they possibly endure Flandre’s furious assault? Defense was their only option.

Similarly, the Kūkai faction, having already endured successive battles, were left with only Komeiji Koishi and Hōju Nue at full combat strength. If those two combined forces, it wouldn't be impossible to challenge Flandre; however, having already lost Suzunari earlier, Kiritsugu Shizuka dared not let them fight independently again. To avoid unnecessary sacrifice, she forcefully commanded them, in her capacity as Master, to maintain a defensive posture.

The Magic Group, uniquely at full strength across all members, possessed enough collective power—four individuals against one Flandre—to potentially handle the threat. Yet, they were confronted by two Flandres. One was locked in a duel with Sagisaka Aoko, resulting in Aoko being clearly suppressed, while the other faced off simultaneously against Patchouli and Alice, along with their Master, Kuonji Arisu.

Though the numbers favored the trio—three against one—tragically, none among them possessed the sheer brute-force capability to directly resist Flandre’s relentless assault, and they were severely outmatched in terms of speed. Flandre, having lost all rationality, operated purely on combat instinct maximized to its limit, exploiting their weaknesses against their strengths, brutally shattering the formation of the three until they could barely utilize their inherent power.

At this moment, Flandre was the very embodiment of invincibility: akin to Lü Bu at Hulao Pass, Zhao Zilong at Changban Slope, or Ma Chao at Tong Pass—a truly peerless existence!

In truth, had the others gone all out, fighting with suicidal desperation, they might have managed to suppress Flandre. But the critical issue was this: in this instant, everyone could perceive that Flandre harbored no notion of actual combat in her mind. She was merely playing. There was no objective, no concept of victory or defeat, only the unbridled release of her destructive desire. Any soul who dared to engage her had to arrive with the resolve of mutual annihilation!

However, Flandre had fractured into four entities. Even if one iteration were struck down, she would not vanish. Conversely, should the others perish, they would be gone forever.

It is the classic scenario of the barefoot having nothing to lose against the shod. Under such conditions, who would dare cross swords with her?

“Hahahaha! Hahahaha…”

BOOM!!!

Amidst the manic laughter, Flandre wantonly sprayed her power, turning the entire battlefield into a desolate ruin. Pits and craters scarred the ground, and the other three groups instinctively felt the urge to retreat.

Meanwhile, at the far edge of the fighting ground, Asagami Fujino’s body began to tremble violently.

A Master and Servant share an inseverable bond, exemplified by their mutual sense of connection and the link of magical energy. The connection allows both parties to know the other’s location instantaneously, even across vast oceans and continents. In the Holy Grail War, no Master would willingly let their Servant stray too far, for should danger arise, mere sensing would be useless if the Servant couldn't arrive in time—unless a Command Seal was used.

But there were only three Seals, and who would waste them unless life itself was on the line?

Therefore, in most scenarios, Masters kept their Servants within arm's reach. Only those blessed with protagonist aura, or those entirely ignorant of the mechanics of the Holy Grail War, would commit the folly of letting their Servants wander far afield.

As for the magical energy connection, this was far more straightforward: Servants exist in the material realm only through reliance on their Masters, and the degree of power a Servant can wield is ultimately dictated by the Master’s own capacity. The very same Servant could exhibit vastly different strengths under different Masters.

Furthermore, when a Servant expends intense magical energy in battle, the Master inevitably suffers some repercussions. This phenomenon is most strikingly evident in the pairing of the Berserker and her Master.

And so, at this precise moment, as Flandre unleashed her berserk state without reservation, displaying her absolute zenith of power, Asagami Fujino, her Master, felt the magical energy coursing within her begin to riot.

This internal magical upheaval sent agonizing spasms through every fiber of Fujino’s body. For every fraction of intensity Flandre ramped up her rampage, the corresponding pain in Fujino intensified. An ordinary person, regardless of willpower, could never endure such agony—much like Illyasviel, who lived in continuous, hellish pain until she managed to subdue her own Berserker.

Yet, Asagami Fujino was a being incapable of feeling pain. The sensations that would utterly cripple others were, for her, a profound, mind-and-body-pleasing ecstasy.

Though intensely painful, she experienced it with joyous pleasure, ecstatic stimulation, as if she were bathing in paradise.

In a certain sense, the compatibility between Asagami Fujino and Flandre was historically unparalleled.

It was within this state of painful delight that Fujino’s own power began to surge unbound. Visible ripples emanated from her quivering form, instantly distorting the surrounding space and causing the earth to tremble. Nearby trees and lampposts twisted and shattered into impossible shapes, emitting sharp, whistling screeches.

However, those engaged in the main battle were entirely focused on Flandre and noticed nothing. Even Fujino herself was initially oblivious to the localized distortion, absorbed as she was in the sensation of pain becoming pleasure. But as the internal surge grew more violent, and her ability seeped out further, she finally became aware of the bizarre environmental changes.

Yet, she felt no trace of fear regarding the phenomenon.

From a very young age, she had recognized her difference from ordinary people; she possessed supernatural abilities others lacked, such as bending spoons or iron bars with her mind. That ability had vanished once her sense of pain disappeared, so when she now witnessed its return—and realized that its use sustained her painful sensation—she was filled with both surprise and exhilaration.

“It hurts… It hurts… Hahaha… This pain, this is what it means to be alive, what it means to exist as a human being… I am not a monster! I am human! I am… AAAAAAAAH!”

Fujino’s face was a mask of alternating tears of agony and sobs of joy. These tears stemmed from both the pain and the ecstasy, but none of that mattered now. She wished the torment to continue; she yearned to possess this proof of her humanity forever.

And so, amidst a cry that seemed like a massive release, Asagami Fujino extended her hand…

In an instant, a high-rise building not far from her seemed to be squeezed by space itself. It immediately began to twist irregularly. The structure, which had been perfectly solid moments before, was contorted into a pretzel shape in mere seconds. Glass windows shattered with sharp cracks, concrete and mortar rained down, accompanied by piercing sounds of spatial resonance.

At that moment, the combatants finally noticed. They instinctively looked in that direction, and their faces drained of color—especially the Kūkai faction, who realized the building, now utterly mangaled, was levitating, on a direct collision course toward them.

“What is happening?!” Kiritsugu Shizuka exclaimed involuntarily.

“Damn it, pulling a stunt like this!” Ryougi Shiki bit out, instantly activating the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception and leaping upward like lightning. She slashed her dagger diagonally—the instant the blade grazed the skyscraper, countless fissures webbed across its surface, and it collapsed with a roar, shattering into debris below.

While Shiki possessed the Mystic Eyes, her physical prowess alone made confronting the rampaging Flandre impossible. Thus, when Flandre attacked, only the three Heroic Spirits stood to intercept; everyone else, whether Shiki or Sagisaka Touko, had to remain in the rear.

As humans, their bodies were too fragile. A single grasp from Flandre—or perhaps not even a physical touch, merely being within her line of sight—would be enough to place them halfway into the abyss.

With Flandre in her berserk state, only Servants and Aoko could effectively resist her destructive capabilities.

This meant that Shiki was free at this moment to deal with the skyscraper thrown by Asagami Fujino.

“It’s her!”

After destroying the building and landing back on the ground, Shiki’s gaze instantly locked onto Asagami Fujino. With almost no hesitation, she sprinted toward the source of the new threat.

“Idiot, don’t run off like that, it’s dangerous!”

Mokou cursed as Shiki broke formation behind her, simultaneously unleashing a torrent of flames to obscure Flandre’s vision. The reason they were being suppressed by Flandre wasn't solely due to her overwhelming power; a larger factor was their need to shield their host behind them, blocking Flandre’s line of sight while absorbing her attacks. This divided attention made their situation tenuous.

Shiki’s unauthorized departure was extremely perilous.

Fortunately, Flandre’s attention remained almost entirely fixated on the Heroic Spirits, showing no regard for Shiki and the others. Noticing this, Mokou’s eyes lit up. “Touko, Shizuka, get out of here quickly! Go as far as you can!”

“Huh?” Shizuka blinked, momentarily confused.

However, Sagisaka Touko understood immediately. Realizing that staying put was not helpful but only a hindrance, she instantly grabbed Shizuka and retreated at lightning speed.

“We’ll take care of that one,” Touko stated while rapidly withdrawing, her gaze fixed sharply on Asagami Fujino.

“Fujino-san? But she…” Shizuka frowned. Although the Holy Grail War placed them on opposing sides, Asagami Fujino was her good friend.

“Don’t worry, we won’t kill her; we just need to extinguish that impulse of hers,” Touko reassured Shizuka, sensing her concern.

Relieved by this statement, Shizuka lowered her guard.

On the other side, upon detecting Fujino’s aberration, the Magic Group and the Shingetsu faction immediately formulated countermeasures.

“Akiha, take Kohaku and Hisui and get out of here! You go deal with that Master!” Remilia commanded without looking back while fending off Flandre’s assault. While Asagami Fujino currently posed no direct threat to them, if her rampage continued, Flandre’s own berserk state would escalate. Knocking out Fujino first would minimize the threat Flandre posed, perhaps even halting the rampage entirely.

“Understood!” Akiha nodded and immediately led Kohaku and Hisui away from the immediate conflict zone.

“Arisu!” Simultaneously, Alice chose the exact same course of action as Remilia.

However, Kuonji Arisu felt a pang of worry, sensing the wild intensity emanating from Flandre. “Are you two sure you’ll be fine?” Though she lacked the near-indestructible constitution of the Servants or Aoko, as a pure witch, she could resist Flandre’s destructive energy to a certain degree, meaning she wasn't entirely useless in combat.

“Don’t underestimate us. I’ve never fought at full power before,” Alice chuckled.

Seeing the confident smile on Alice’s face, Kuonji Arisu hesitated no longer. Seizing the moment Patchouli unleashed a Noble Phantasm to briefly suppress Flandre, Arisu swiftly withdrew from the fray.

Then, almost simultaneously, all three groups converged their focus onto Asagami Fujino… The three factions, previously adversarial, now moved forward in concert against a superior enemy.

“It hurts… It hurts… It hurts so much!” The rampaging Asagami Fujino completely ignored the enemies charging toward her. Crying and laughing hysterically, she waved her hand, unleashing her ability; spatial distortion immediately swept forward.

Is this one a monster too?!

Faced with this unbelievable power, everyone paused in shock, instinctively scrambling backward to give space to the three less capable members—Shizuka Kiritsugu, Kohaku, and Hisui—before formally advancing. After all, against such a map-clearing, area-of-effect attack, those three stood no chance; a direct hit would truly twist them beyond recognition.

Kiritsugu Shizuka and the others knew their limitations and wisely retreated to a safe distance to observe.

“I never thought we’d have a chance to work together,” Touko remarked, glancing at Kuonji Arisu as the four converged, her tone laced with complexity.

“Indeed. I thought we might never see each other again,” Arisu replied, her own emotions deeply complicated.

“This isn’t the time for pleasantries; she’s attacking!” Tohno Akiha stated grimly.

It was true. At that moment, Fujino had not moved, but her power, capable of twisting reality, was already sweeping toward the four, accompanied by a grating spatial whine.

“Take her out in one strike!” Ryougi Shiki commanded, her dagger flashing. She instantly severed the incoming wave of distortion. Akiha seized that fractional opening and forced her way forward—in terms of pure martial skill and speed, she was the strongest among the quartet.

But it was futile!

Even Akiha’s swiftness could not match the speed of Fujino’s thought. Before she could even close the distance, the force of distortion surged again. Against this kind of attack, even Akiha’s resilient constitution couldn't hold, forcing her to evade back to the perimeter.

“Hahahaha… Twist! Twist!”

Asagami Fujino shrieked maniacally, her endless distorting power flooding outward in all directions like a tide. She was now like a nuclear warhead on the verge of detonation; anyone who dared approach had to be prepared to be utterly annihilated.

“Damn it, there’s no countermeasure for this!” Tohno Akiha frowned deeply.

Kuonji Arisu, Sagisaka Touko, Ryougi Shiki, and Tohno Akiha—every single one of them was a peak-tier powerhouse. They were only marginally inferior to Servants, and with precise tactics, defeating a Servant was not impossible. Yet, facing a human like Asagami Fujino, all four found themselves helplessly stymied.

This was understandable. Even the original, ailing Asagami Fujino possessed terrifying strength capable of threatening Shiki when she was operating under duress. Now, not only was her illness removed, but with the compounded boosts from Flandre and her own internal rampage, her combat power had escalated by more than just one tier.

However, this did not imply Fujino had surpassed the strength level of an established Heroic Spirit. Even maximally enhanced, she was likely only at the level of an average Servant. In terms of raw power, any one of these four possessed the strength to defeat Asagami Fujino individually. The key problem lay in the nature of her attack and her current state.

Her twisting ability could shatter all matter; the four were flesh and blood, incapable of taking a direct hit. To avoid the attack zone and initiate close combat, they would have to bypass her defense, but Fujino’s attack range was a 360-degree, no-blind-spot assault. Shiki could destroy one wave of distortion, but without reaching Fujino herself, she could not destroy the source of the twisting.

Consequently, Sagisaka Touko’s magic could not penetrate, and Kuonji Arisu’s curses and mental assaults were ineffective due to Fujino’s frenzy—largely because Lin Luo’s healing magic had provided Fujino with a substantial degree of immunity.

Meanwhile, Tohno Akiha and Ryougi Shiki, who possessed the theoretical speed to instantly neutralize Fujino, could not safely close the distance, thus rendering their ultimate strengths unusable.

To defeat Fujino required closing the distance; to close the distance required first destroying the distortion; and to destroy the distortion required defeating Fujino first—a perfect, fatal loop that had trapped four peak experts in an agonizing stalemate.

On one side, Asagami Fujino rampaged while the quartet stood helpless; on the other, Flandre rampaged while the remaining powerful figures barely held on. At this juncture, the two members of the 'Unraveling Duo' had seized control of the entire battlefield's tempo.

This was their domain!

“Oh dear, both of them have gone completely wild. At this rate, even if I intervened personally, I’d have to think twice,” Lin Luo remarked, watching the fight unfold on the massive screen, shaking his head in wonder. He had never anticipated that Asagami Fujino and Flandre would enter a synchronized berserk state.

“Are you kidding me?” Sanae rolled her eyes dramatically. It was merely a little rampage; she refused to believe that this bottomless pit of recklessness couldn't handle it.

Lin Luo glanced at her, smiled, and said nothing further.

It was true, though, that going berserk was not a sustainable long-term strategy. If Asagami Fujino and Flandre failed to eliminate everyone before their rampages naturally ended, their defeat was assured.

PS: Having just finished writing this chapter, I feel someone summoning me—it seems it’s time to protect the Earth again… If the sun rises normally tomorrow after this battle concludes, I’m going home to get married.