Fate in Bleach: Unlimited Blade Works!-Chapter 459: Identical Noble Phantasms Clash

Ailin's purpose in coming to the Einzbern castle wasn't to eliminate Artoria, but to obtain information on Avalon.

Now that Artoria possessed Avalon, Ailin knew the only way to analyze it was the same way he had analyzed Excalibur by the Mion River—through combat. To analyze it quickly, he needed to force Artoria to unleash Avalon's true capabilities. Unlike Excalibur, Avalon couldn't simply be analyzed through the clash of blades.

Therefore…

Thinking this, Ailin recited the incantation for his Zanpakutō's Bankai.

"This body is forged of swords."

"Blood like tempered steel, heart like fragile glass..."

"..."

"Bankai—Unlimited Blade Works!"

BOOM!

The scene Artoria had witnessed in the Einzbern castle courtyard materialized before her once more. A fiery red sky loomed above, bordered by colossal rotating gears. Below lay a blackish-red earth bristling with innumerable embedded Zanpakutō.

"King of Knights, welcome to my world!"

"In the battle to come, I expect you to fight at your strongest."

"Don't blame me if you die otherwise!"

Standing atop the Sword Hill, Ailin looked down at Artoria on the plains below and spoke. Then, as Artoria watched, Ailin raised his right hand.

A low hum filled the air…

As he moved, every blade embedded within the Reality Marble resonated instantly with him. Subsequently, the Zanpakutō surged from the earth, rising into the Reality Marble's sky like a constellation of steel. Blackish-red lightning crackled across their forms.

With a collective shriek of metal…

As Ailin swept his hand downward, the airborne Zanpakutō transformed into streaks of blackish-red lightning, raining down upon Artoria.

"Haaaaah!"

Facing the torrential downpour of Zanpakutō, Artoria showed no fear. Instead, she charged towards Ailin.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Clank! Clank! Clank!

Ting! Ting! Ting!

The incoming Zanpakutō were deflected by the golden sword in Artoria's hand, striking the ground and causing violent explosions.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM…

Although the Zanpakutō assault rained down relentlessly, and an ordinary Heroic Spirit would have been minced under such a dense attack, Artoria possessed B-rank Eye of the Mind (True) and B-rank Instinct. This allowed her to navigate the barrage, instinctively parrying the blades that posed the greatest threat.

She ignored the remaining, less lethal attacks. With Avalon protecting her, ordinary wounds healed in an instant.

However, under these conditions, it was impossible for Artoria to close the distance to Ailin.

Faced with this stalemate, Artoria resolutely erupted by unleashing her Noble Phantasm's true name.

"Ex—calibur!"

BOOM!

A golden torrent of light burst forth from the Sword of Promised Victory in Artoria's hand. As she swung the blade, the torrent acted like a massive light sword, dozens of meters long, annihilating the Zanpakutō surrounding her.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM…

One Zanpakutō after another shattered under the torrent of light from Artoria's Sword of Promised Victory, erupting in huge explosions. With this single move, Artoria completely destroyed all Zanpakutō within a hundred-meter radius.

The destruction of these blades caused the rain-like attack to cease abruptly. Seizing the moment, Artoria unleashed a burst of magical energy and charged rapidly towards the Sword Hill.

In the sky, streaks of blackish-red light emerged, coalescing into the forms of Zanpakutō. These were the very blades Artoria had just destroyed. The "sword" element within Ailin's Unlimited Blade Works was endless. Any weapon recorded within it, even if destroyed, could be reformed by Ailin in an instant by gathering the "sword" element.

Once reformed, these Zanpakutō rejoined the assault on Artoria, just like the countless others before them.

But…

"Ex—calibur!"

Another release of the Sword of Promised Victory's true name.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM…

To Ailin's surprise, Artoria transformed into a veritable cannon. As if her magical energy was inexhaustible, the Sword of Promised Victory in her hand remained extended to over forty meters, destroying every Zanpakutō that came near her.

If not for the blue battle dress she currently wore, Ailin might have mistaken her for the Saber Alter consumed by the Grail in the Fifth Holy Grail War. Artoria now fought like Saber Alter supplied with Grail mana, keeping her Sword of Promised Victory constantly in its released state.

Under these circumstances, no matter how many Zanpakutō Ailin threw, they were annihilated by Artoria's torrent of light. After all, these low-level Zanpakutō, lacking even distinct forms, stood no chance against the Sword of Promised Victory.

No, it wasn't just these low-level blades. Even seated officer-level and lieutenant-level Zanpakutō would be quickly overwhelmed by this furious torrent of light. Judging by Artoria's current display, unless Ailin used a Zanpakutō comparable to the Sword of Promised Victory, he couldn't possibly withstand her attacks.

The Sword of Promised Victory was an A++ rank Noble Phantasm. Within Ailin's Unlimited Blade Works, this corresponded to the "strongest" tier of Zanpakutō. Ailin didn't possess many blades capable of matching it.

Seeing that throwing swords was useless against Artoria in this state, Ailin waved his hand. Instantly, the falling Zanpakutō halted, hanging suspended in the air like stars.

Opening his palm, a Zanpakutō embedded in the Sword Hill flew into Ailin's hand. From its position on the Sword Hill, it was clear this blade belonged to the second tier – the tier designated "strongest." Above these, Ailin currently only possessed the Avalon he had given Haruko for protection. Even Kokutō Yoru, though ranked highly, still fell within the "strongest" category.

However, the Zanpakutō Ailin chose this time was not Kokutō Yoru. Facing the noble King of Knights, Ailin felt that defeating her with the same weapon would be a fitting tribute.

A golden light shone, and the next moment, the Zanpakutō in Ailin's hand transformed into a two-handed sword identical to the golden blade Artoria wielded.

WHOOSH!

With a flicker, Ailin appeared above Artoria, bringing his own Sword of Promised Victory down upon her.

CLANG!

Sparks flew. Ailin's strike forced Artoria back, her feet carving two long scars into the ground of the Reality Marble.

"This is?"

Of course, being knocked back by Berserker wasn't unacceptable for Artoria. She had long understood the gap in their strength. But what shocked her, causing her pupils to tremble, was that the weapon in Berserker's hand was identical to her own Sword of Promised Victory.

"Ah, this is the Sword of Promised Victory."

Facing Artoria's astonishment, Ailin didn't hide his ability.

"My power is called 'Unlimited Blade Works'. It allows me to collect all the 'swords' from my previous world within it."

"Additionally, Unlimited Blade Works has another function."

"It allows me to forge any 'sword' that I have completely analyzed within this Reality Marble."

"Our previous battle by the Mion River was very enjoyable."

"Not just because I experienced a long-missed fight, but also because during that battle, I completed the analysis of the Sword of Promised Victory."

"Now, let me see which is stronger: the Sword of Promised Victory in my hand, or the one in yours!"

"After all, this is the first time I'm using a sword I created to clash directly with its original."

Indeed, although Ailin had replicated many Shinigami Zanpakutō in the Soul Society and forged them within his Reality Marble, due to a certain rule in the Soul Society preventing identical Zanpakutō from appearing simultaneously, Ailin had never revealed traces of possessing the captains' Zanpakutō. Even if the captains suspected, as long as Ailin didn't admit it or use their abilities, they could only harbor doubts. Because of this, the Zanpakutō Ailin created had never truly clashed with their originals.

The current Sword of Promised Victory in Ailin's hand, against the one Artoria held, was the first true confrontation between one of Ailin's creations and its genuine counterpart.

After hearing Berserker's explanation, Artoria was shocked. She hadn't expected Berserker's ability could even replicate her proudest Noble Phantasm.

"Berserker, you are truly terrifying…" Even Artoria had to admit that Berserker, possessing such an ability, posed a threat greater than Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes.

"However, the current me is the 'King Arthur' who has never known defeat!"

With that, the golden light from the Sword of Promised Victory in Artoria's hand intensified as she slashed towards Ailin! Since becoming the King of Britain and obtaining the Sword of Promised Victory, Artoria had begun her legendary life. Before losing the scabbard, the King of Knights herself was a symbol of victory. The Sword of Promised Victory she held embodied the hopes for victory of countless knights, and its power upon releasing its true name stood at the very pinnacle of A-rank Noble Phantasms.

"Ex—calibur!"

Facing the oncoming torrent of light, Ailin didn't evade. Instead, he raised the Sword of Promised Victory in his hand high.

"Bankai - Sword of Promised—Victory!"

BOOM!

As Ailin fully released the Sword of Promised Victory, the spiritual pressure from his body flowed into the sword, transforming into golden spiritual pressure. Then, Ailin swung his sword.

BOOM!

Two golden torrents of magical energy collided, erupting in a violent roar. The powerful clash sent out immense shockwaves, sweeping through everything around them. Fortunately, Ailin's Reality Marble space was strong enough that the furious shockwaves didn't cause significant damage.

The collision of immense magical power caused a massive concentration of highly potent energy at the point of impact. After reaching a limit, this energy, filled with destructive power, exploded violently.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM…

Furious flames surged skyward. A mushroom cloud nearly a hundred meters high almost completely obscured the sky above Ailin and Artoria.

"How is this possible? The sword this fellow created can actually release Excalibur? And its power is not weaker than the Sword of Promised Victory…"

The Sword of Promised Victory was a Noble Phantasm brought back by the King of Knights, Artoria, from the land of fairies, bearing the will of the planet itself. The release of its true name gathered the wishes for "victory" of all warriors throughout time, manifesting them.

"King of Knights, if this is your limit, I will be very disappointed."

Amidst the flames, Ailin, holding his Sword of Promised Victory, slowly approached Artoria. In the previous clash, Ailin had only used about seventy percent of the power of the Noble Phantasm in his hand. However, just as Ailin expected, the Sword of Promised Victory, fine-tuned after referencing the original, was comparable in power to the genuine article even at seventy percent strength.

"Save your boasts for after you've defeated me."

"Ex—calibur!"

Facing Ailin's provocation, Artoria responded directly with force.

"That suits me just fine."

Furious spiritual pressure erupted from the Sword of Promised Victory in Ailin's hand. This time, Ailin fully unleashed the power of the Sword of Promised Victory.

BOOM!

The same scene erupted once more within Ailin's Reality Marble. However, unlike before, where the two torrents of magical energy from the Swords of Promised Victory were evenly matched and clashed for several seconds before exploding, this time, Ailin clearly held the upper hand.

His powerful golden spiritual pressure directly suppressed Artoria's Excalibur, slowly pushing back towards her.

"How is this possible?"

"How can the power of the Sword of Promised Victory in his hand be stronger than mine?"

Artoria braced herself, pushing against her Sword of Promised Victory with both hands. The recoil from Excalibur being forced back placed immense pressure on her. However, the difference in strength was not something Artoria's will alone could overcome.