The contents of the Holy Grail encompass the soul of the 6th Servant. As the holder, Attila is now able to partially fulfill miracles through the Holy Grail's granting of wishes. However, her attention is completely focused ahead as she rides swiftly, continuously releasing the magical light from her rainbow-colored stone sword towards the location where Aetius is stationed.
Wherever the swordlight passes, not a speck of land remains.
The mercenaries, who were reassembled through magical suggestion, quickly fall into terror once again. Following the magus who constantly changes positions in the sky is equivalent to walking into their deaths. Before they can break free from the influence of the magecraft, Attila, leading her cavalry, charges towards them once more.
Although their numbers are fewer than before the charge, the reassembled Alan mercenaries amount to less than a thousand riders, almost in an instant. The two sides clash, where warhorses and blades come into contact with one another. Attila, positioned at the center of the frontline, tightens the reins and guides her warhorse to leap over one of the riders. Her equestrian skills have now surpassed human levels, becoming more and more akin to a Servant, or rather, a Heroic Spirit.
"Aetius, your time has come!"
『Sword of the War God (Photon Ray)』
Aetius in the air also slows down, facing the opponent who has approached within a distance of less than 200 meters. In his eyes, only Attila is worthy of contending with him for victory.
He pushes apart two scrolls of magic spells, and illusory words automatically form a continuous series of seven magic circles.
"O King of the Divine, please bring forth the lightning, proclaiming the law――punish all mortals who challenge the authority of Rome!"
With the aid of magecraft, Aetius manifests an unknown creation in the form of a bull, as if Jupiter himself were looking down. Everything within Aetius' line of sight slows down, while several bolts of lightning descend from the cloudless sky. Seven in number, they all target Attila, who wields the rainbow-colored stone sword.
The collision between two powers that surpass human capabilities clashes head-on. The lighting is unable to fully resist the light of the rainbow. Even though the rules favor Aetius, under the overwhelming power gap, it is a situation that cannot be reversed simply by borrowing the name of a deity.
Aetius was solidly struck by the sword light this time. Unlike the cavalry on the ground, he didn't turn to dust, but his armor inevitably took on a charred black color.
"Just with these tricks? Attila, do you need me to stand still for you to strike a few more times?" Aetius could protect for himself that with all the magical equipment on his body and the defensive magecraft he had mastered, he could probably survive three more strikes at most. There was no concept of being injured; once a flaw appeared in his magecraft defense, his human flesh and blood would instantly turn to ash in the sword light. He intentionally lured Attila to choose a more extreme approach, knowing that only by changing the state of battle again would he have a chance to turn the tables.
Attila's cavalry effortlessly swept away the enemy soldiers who were no match for them. She didn't pay attention to the remaining remnants of the slaughtered soldiers; her only concern was the enemy in the sky—the cunning old fox who had changed into a different set of armor.
"Oh, I almost forgot. You're also a commanding general. Hasn't anyone told you? You look ridiculous in armor." Attila pointed her sword at the sky and didn't rush to respond to Aetius' request to determine the outcome with one move. She had seen Aetius wearing his usual magus' robe many times before, but it was the first time she saw him in armor. If it weren't for the defeated expression on his face, she might not have recognized him.
"The young magus who came from the future also found it strange that I wear armor, but I'm not someone who only hides in dark corners and plays tricks. When necessary, I can lead a large army to battle and be a valiant general worth a thousand soldiers. Swords can kill, and so can magic." Aetius observed Attila's movements. He had one weakness compared to Attila—he needed enough time to activate high-level magecraft to withstand the sword's light. Therefore, he had to act before Attila swung her sword.
"Good. Since you're willing to step out of your tightly defended infantry formation and come to challenge me, I'll give you a fair chance for a duel. Is it your powerful magecraft or my sword that is more formidable?!"
Ignoring the gradually dispersing flanking cavalry on his side, Attila remained on her horse, standing still, and proclaimed the true name of her sword once again. This time, with the overflowing power of the Holy Grail, she would unleash her full strength, revealing the true form of the Sword of the War God within her understanding.
"Don't regret it, Aetius! As long as the Holy Grail is in my hands, can your magic withstand my march to conquer and trample civilizations?!"
No, it couldn't. Aetius didn't need to think to answer that question. Even if he blindly believed in his magecraft, upon seeing the rainbow-colored stone sword now radiating a dazzling golden light, he could recognize that the sword light coming towards him in the next moment would be more destructive than the sum of all previous strikes.
Attila, the Hun King, who destroyed civilizations, had already witnessed the conclusion.
Aetius relied on magecraft that had a visible limit, but after Attila obtained the Holy Grail, she easily reached the limit of human potential. Therefore, the true treasure he relied on was not his power. He not only gathered a united army to resist the unstoppable Hun army but also borrowed the magic sword (Florent) stored in the palace of the Western Roman Empire to confront Attila.
He couldn't continuously unleash sword light that struck everything in sight like Attila. He only had one chance. Relying on his understanding and identification abilities of magical equipment, Aetius had long deciphered the nature of the magic sword. He erased the traces related to the Roman Emperor Lucius and replaced them with his name. Although his actions were not morally righteous, he was never a person associated with justice.
Staring directly at Attila as she used the power of the Holy Grail, Aetius quietly reached into his layered armor with one hand. In that position, he kept the Mystic Code that connected to the imaginary space. He usually used this item to retrieve other Mystic Codes as needed. However, this time he drew out a sword from his own imaginary space. It was the first time in his life that Aetius held a long sword, and his already wavering confidence became even more fragile. The divination before the expedition revealed that only a high-caliber sword could defeat Attila, and he had now taken out the highest-caliber magic sword he could find. If fate stood on his side, he could win this battle.
"If I have the chance, I will search for a more prestigious holy sword," he muttered in a self-deprecating tone, not wanting this to become his last word.
Attila, standing 200 meters away, pointed the rainbow-colored stone sword directly upwards. Her magical power affected the sky, and suddenly the light of magical power outlined fragments of ancient divine battles in the sky—a manifestation called the "Teardrop Photon Ray," the sword of the god of war.
The beam of light pointed at Aetius, and a column of light descended from the sky, originating from higher altitudes, capable of destroying cities, destroying civilizations, annihilating everything. Attila understood what the other version of herself pursued in her memories. It was not the endpoint she desired because, in this world, humans' ultimate fate was too lonely.
She also gazed at Aetius, who was still floating in the air, and for some reason, after calling out the true name of her Noble Phantasm, she felt that he would not be defeated as a result.
"How high can humans reach? Can they reach the pinnacle of the sky?"
Aetius drew out his magic sword, with magic flowing along the blade. Unable to unleash the true name of the magic sword, he faced this disparate duel purely as a human.
"Question..." A sudden voice came from the magic sword, almost interrupting Aetius' sword swing. The sword had never made a sound during his previous experiments, and he couldn't make out what the sword was asking him. He even suspected that the source of the inquiry was not the sword itself but something more distant.
"This is a battle to uphold the principles of human order," Aetius instinctively used the words of Suzuki Yuki. If everything Suzuki said was true from a future perspective, his decisive battle with Attila was in line with the battle to uphold humanity's principles.
With those words, the magic sword, Florent, changed its form. The silhouette of another sword was projected onto the magic sword, but Aetius didn't notice. He hadn't reached the level where he could perceive the restraining force, so he swung his sword toward the sky following its original trajectory. Blinding white light shot straight into the sky, and Aetius beheld a power he had never acquired before. It was as if at the last moment, someone else had used a portion of the planet's magical power on his behalf.
The lights of the same caliber intertwined in an instant, depriving Aetius and Attila of their vision. Squinting their eyes, they had no idea who would win or lose, but they knew that the outcome would be determined by this single strike.
Not only them but all the soldiers on the battlefield were affected by the two beams of light. They instinctively covered their eyes and lowered their heads to avoid it. Only Gilles de Rais and Jeanne d'Arc, in their roles as Servants, vaguely saw the intertwining of the destructive pillar of light and the light of the holy sword in the sky.
The two forces split into multiple branches in the high sky, devouring each other without yielding until one side completely disappeared.
Suzuki couldn't witness the miraculous scene. He was protected by two Servants and lowered his head, covering his eyes. Yet, he could sense that the great battle taking place on the plain was about to end.
When Attila opened her eyes again and looked up at the sky, she saw countless beams of white light descending from the sky, heading towards her position.
Her chances of victory were ruthlessly denied.
"I... have lost," Attila uttered.
The Holy Grail materialized, and Attila used it as a shield to withstand the massive bombardment raining down on her. She didn't remember how she managed to endure those fleeting seconds, but she saw the Holy Grail shatter just before she fell to the ground. The magical energy within the Holy Grail had been completely depleted from fending off the attack.
Attila lay amidst a "river" of blood, surrounded by the corpses of the fallen. She had given up, knowing that without the Holy Grail and weakened as she was, she couldn't continue her battle against Aetius.
In the distance, Attila heard the cries and shouts of another cavalry charging. It matched the results reported earlier by the scouts. Aetius had stationed a cavalry unit on the highest slope at the far right of the battlefield. The fact that Attila, who was in the center of the battlefield, could vaguely hear it indicated that the cavalry had penetrated through the right flank of the Hun's infantry.
In a daze, Attila was pulled up from the ground by someone. Aetius controlled a shadow familiar standing in front of her, but there was no pride of a victor in his demeanor.
"Where will it be next, Attila? After the plains of Gaul, where do you still wish to conquer? But no matter where it is, as long as it is within the Roman territories, I will stand in your way."
"Next time? Aetius, are you sure?" After standing up, Attila immediately stepped back several meters, pulling away from Aetius. Upon hearing Aetius' words, she couldn't help but eagerly anticipate another battle with him in the cities of Western Roman territories. "Wouldn't it be better to kill me here?"
"No, I understand now. Without opponents of the same caliber, a genius like me would be killed by the poison of boredom." Aetius used magecraft to heal the superficial wounds on Attila's body. "Reorganize your army and return to your territory. I don't want to hear about any rebellions in your Hun tribes."
Attila understood Aetius' meaning. Both of them were seasoned politicians who knew that certain people within their territories were less reliable than the enemies they faced.
"If you ever encounter the future magus, the young man named Suzuki Yuki, please convey my respect to him. Tell him that the Hun King Attila remembers him."
"Likewise." The two exchanged a smile and went their separate ways to reorganize their armies. Both sides paid a heavy price, and the strategic victory of the Western Roman coalition brought an end to the battle.
They couldn't find Suzuki Yuki. With the conclusion of the Battle of Châlons on the Catalaunian Plains, anything related to the Holy Grail War became difficult to trace. History returned to its normal course. Of course, it also meant that this battle was the last time the two would meet in their lifetimes.
