At the same time, Rin Tohsaka had woven a spell.
"Fünf, Drei, Vier...! Der Riese und Brennt das ein Ende――! (Five, Three, Four, the final flame of the sword multiplied)"
The enemy had constructed such powerful magic that Rin could no longer afford to be stingy with her gemstones. Holding back would only mean defeat.
One first-class gemstone after another flew out of her gem pouch, forming an array before her. Some of these were relics inherited from her father, while others were ones she had collected over the years. Each gemstone contained magical energy accumulated over the years.
Rin guided this magical energy from the gemstones in a specific order and attribute, transforming it into her grand magecraft.
Unlike the Edelfelt family, the core value and magical principle of the Tohsaka family was transformation.
Things are not static; water can freeze into ice, or evaporate into steam. Magecraft and magical energy are the same. Especially with Rin's exceptional aptitude, possessing all five elements—Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Void—this attribute was taken to the extreme.
Luvia used gemstones as a medium, channeling magical energy to drive her spells, but Rin directly used the gemstones as a base, activating pre-transformed magecraft of various attributes, and then combining them to create the magnificent and dazzling Flame Sword. Rin's father, Tohsaka Tokiomi, specialized in fire magecraft, and Rin, influenced by him, had the deepest expertise in fire magecraft.
However, this didn't mean Rin was simply constructing fire magecraft. The flame of the Flame Sword was merely an external manifestation. The five elements spiraled within, unleashing destructive power on the level of grand magecraft—after years of rigorous study, Rin had surpassed her father.
Magical energy rotated, and the spell rotated.
The spiraling magical energy began to follow its primordial form, spinning.
From the hilt of the Flame Sword to the tip, and from the tip back to the hilt. When the color of the Flame Sword fully transformed into the vibrant red of Rin's coat, it signaled that all transformations were complete, and the grand magecraft was officially finished.
The timing was neither early nor late, exactly the same as Luvia's.
Then, the azure Queen's Guard and the crimson Flame Sword simultaneously broke free from their owners' control, advancing toward the enemy, intersecting at the point where the two women's gazes met.
Red and blue.
Immense magical energy.
The legacies of the Tohsaka and Edelfelt families.
The beliefs and accumulations of two female magi.
In the most beautiful and equally most magnificent manner, they collided, intertwined, and clashed, dyeing the surrounding sky and earth in resplendent, brilliant colors—a radiance belonging only to these two extraordinary young women.
And this radiance was the mark of a first-class magus. Only by fusing will and ideology with magic can one truly be considered a first-class magus.
"You're quite capable, you nouveau riche princess," Rin said, lifting her head high, her twin tails billowing in the rushing air.
"That's my line, country girl," Luvia replied, crossing her arms, her silky golden hair shining brilliantly in the radiant light.
As the words settled, the gemstones scattered around them, supporting their magic, suddenly emitted cracking sounds and shattered one after another, with the core guiding gemstones directly exploding into powder.
This was the greatest drawback of Jewel magecraft. The magical energy and spells stored in gemstones could only be used once. Once expended, the gemstone became useless, which is why Jewel magecraft was called money-burning magecraft, also known as noble magecraft.
Luvia discreetly weighed the pouch of gemstones in her hand, a provocative smile curving her lips.
"Careful now, I'm about to prepare my second spell. Do you still have enough gemstones left?"
"No need for your concern. I have plenty of gemstones," Rin replied, her heart bleeding, though her face remained calm.
"Enough to defeat you! But what about you? Don't just talk big. You're going to run out of gemstones soon."
"Then let's see who runs out first!"
"Exactly what I wanted!"
Thus, the second round of gemstone combinations floated into the air. At the same time, the cost of the battle had already surpassed eight figures (in yen).
"Call Connect with—ugh!"
"Eins, zwei—hmph!"
The usual chants, the usual magical energy guidance, the weaving of spells—however, just as this initial and crucial step began, both girls suddenly felt as if something heavy had crashed onto their heads. Simultaneously, their faces paled, and they looked toward the same direction—the one where their Servants had gone.
"Is this… a Noble Phantasm?"
"Archer…"
It turned out that, right at the moment when the second round of grand magecraft was about to unfold, Luvia and Rin suddenly realized that their magical energy was being consumed at an alarming rate. The magic they had been using earlier relied on stored gemstone energy, with them only contributing a small part for guidance, so the consumption was low. The remaining energy was reserved for their Servants. Now, with the sudden increase in consumption, there could only be one explanation—their Servants were engaging in some action that required intense magical energy—likely the release of a Noble Phantasm.
This also indicated that the battle between the two Servants had reached its climax, and the outcome could be decided at any moment.
Rin glanced at the light armor she wore, immediately halting her grand magecraft, grabbing a gemstone to extract magical energy from it to replenish her losses—at such a critical moment, she couldn't afford to falter.
Seeing this, Luvia didn't hesitate either. She too retrieved her gemstones to make up for the loss.
During this process, the two natural-born rivals kept exchanging verbal jabs.
"Nouveau riche, if you can't hold on anymore, just give up early. After all, your Servant can't beat mine."
"That's why I say country girls have no vision. You can't even see the situation clearly; you only know how to talk tough. The ultimate victor will be my Servant!"
"Hmph?1"
"Hah?!"
Having replenished their magical energy, the two female magi, with their strong magical circuits, regained their strength and glared at each other without backing down.
As they glared, they walked toward each other, and in the end, they were less than a step apart, almost face to face.
"Who exactly can't see the situation? Want me to show you what the situation is right now?"
"I'll be the one showing you!"
"—Ugh!"
"—Hmph!"
Then came two muffled grunts. Don't get the wrong idea—it wasn't because Gilgamesh and Karna were draining magical energy again. Even if they were, Rin and Luvia were prepared and wouldn't lose their composure.
This time, the grunts were caused by physical blows.
Luvia had taken a punch to the stomach from Rin, clutching her abdomen involuntarily.
At the same time, Rin had been tripped by Luvia, losing her balance and tumbling to the ground.
It turned out that their close approach had been intentional, both aiming for a close-range surprise attack—since their Servants were consuming so much energy, magic was no longer viable. Both of them, trained in martial arts since childhood, had simultaneously thought of hand-to-hand combat.
Thus, the scene unfolded with Luvia clutching her stomach while Rin rolled on the ground.
A flash of surprise passed through both their eyes, quickly turning into a strong sense of competitiveness. Rin wanted to make Luvia kneel with one punch, while Luvia intended to knock Rin out cold. Neither succeeded, meaning not only were their magecraft skills on par, but their martial arts were also evenly matched.
No more words were needed—let the fight continue!
A close-quarters brawl between two girls!
Wrestling!