Flames and grotesquely proliferating arms lashed out at Lancelot, Illyasviel, and every single Hundred Faces Assassin present. With Jiang You and Romulus occupied, Beast had no concerns about engaging the others in a fair duel or conventional battle.
The longer the fight dragged on, the more advantageous it became for Beast. She had ample time to convert the souls of ordinary humans into her strength, steadily increasing her power. All the Servants present understood this well—aside from Jiang You, whom Beast deliberately avoided, and Romulus, who was being held back, everyone else had to avoid being drawn into a direct confrontation with her. A one-on-one fight would only result in their systematic defeat.
Facing Beast's assault, Lancelot pulled out a submachine gun, a parting gift from Kiritsugu Emiya. Enhanced by his Knight of owner and his Noble Phantasm's properties, the bullets he fired carried several times their usual power. Yet, the grotesque arms exceeded all expectations in resilience, effortlessly piercing through Lancelot's barrage and lunging toward him with a deafening whoosh.
Lancelot had no choice but to raise Arondight in defense. The elongated limbs clashed against the indestructible blade, surprisingly holding their ground without yielding an inch.
Meanwhile, the replicated Servants launched their attacks, seemingly intent on eliminating the strongest combatant aside from Romulus.
The Hundred Faces Assassins sprang into action as well, flinging throwing knives, poison, and grenades at the replicas. However, even without the suppression of the Non-Human Existences field, their base stats were far inferior to their foes. Their attacks barely served as a distraction.
In the first clash, over a dozen Hundred Faces were slain outright, their only meaningful damage inflicted by a few who sacrificed themselves in suicide bombings—explosives originally prepared by Kiritsugu for an assassination attempt on Kayneth.
They were ill-suited for direct combat, and this battlefield was firmly under Beast's control.
"Well then, let's start with you, Assassin! You're as annoying as an insect, after all." While keeping Lancelot at bay, Beast even had the leisure to mock the Hundred Faces. Their combat prowess was simply too low—only their Noble Phantasm, Zabaniya: Delusional Illusion, posed a nuisance by allowing them to create multiple clones, making them difficult to dispatch quickly. However, against large-scale attacks or overwhelming numbers, they were nothing more than helpless prey.
And large-scale attacks and overwhelming numbers were precisely Beast's specialty. The Hundred Faces quickly became her primary target.
Several replicas lunged at the Assassins. Lancelot tried to intercept them, but with Gilgamesh and Iskandar possessing inherently superior physical stats, he only managed to slay a single Gilles de Rais before being forced into a grueling struggle against a replicated Gilgamesh. Worse still, his Master, Kiritsugu, lacked the magical energy necessary for him to unleash his Noble Phantasm.
Illyasviel, too, found herself powerless. Even in her Dress of Heaven form, she barely reached the level of a low-tier top-class Servant. The incomplete Third Magic provided little combat assistance—her attacks relied purely on brute strength, lacking any refined technique. She could only barely suppress one of the Iskandar replicas.
"Four tails may be all I have right now, but that's more than enough for a mere Assassin! Let's put on a show!"
With no one left to stop her, Beast raised her hands high, melting a mass of smaller familiars and several replicated Servants into a surging stream of magical energy that gathered at the ceiling of the massive cavern.
A colossal, mana-formed meteor loomed overhead. It was a simulation of the Tunguska event—the catastrophic meteor explosion that had occurred over Russia. Though it hovered only a few dozen meters above the ground, the force of its impact would replicate the devastating effect of a cosmic meteor strike.
The remaining familiars swarmed Romulus and Jiang You, pushing them toward the edges of the battlefield. It wasn't an attack—it was an attempt to shove them out of the direct blast radius and shield them from the impact with their own bodies.
"A shame I'm not at full power right now. This thing's only around 40,000 tons. But against you non-Grand Servants, that should be plenty."
The golden-armored replica of Gilgamesh unleashed Enkidu, the Chains of Heaven, binding Lancelot and Illyasviel in place. Meanwhile, the Hundred Faces' attacks failed to even scratch Beast.
"Attention, everyone! The skies are dark, and the timing is auspicious! A 40,000-ton parting gift—please accept it! Tunguska Nine Drive!"
At that moment, one of the Hundred Faces lunged toward the descending meteor. Because he had previously attacked Beast, each of his clones was considered an individual entity. Theoretically, he wasn't trying to enter the Duel Field via damage avoidance—he was attempting to block the Noble Phantasm with his own body.
"No need to be hasty!" Beast said cheerfully, watching the Assassin seemingly rush to his death. "40,000 tons—everyone gets their share!"
The colossal meteor plummeted, its pressure alone suffocating.
And then, the Duel Field activated.
The massive meteor vanished without a trace, erased by the field's rules.
Beast: "???"
The Hundred Faces removed his mask, revealing an East Asian face beneath.
With a snap of his fingers, the magical disguise unraveled. The one who had infiltrated the Hundred Faces was none other than Jiang You—the Caster Servant.
"Man, I thought I was gonna suffocate in there. Do you know how hard it is not to comment when you see a Grand Servant and a Beast show up in the Fourth War?" Jiang You fanned himself with the mask. The residual heat from the meteor had made him feel like he was trapped in a sauna at double its usual temperature. If not for the Duel Field's activation, he suspected he'd have been cooked alive rather than crushed.
Meanwhile, the "Jiang You" who had been in his original position also removed his disguise, revealing himself to be one of the Hundred Faces all along.
"Caster... why?" Beast was stunned. Jiang You's Spirit Origin was just as weak as the Hundred Faces—perhaps even weaker. She had never noticed the swap. "Why hide among the Assassins?"
"Oh, that? Blame that damn Gilgamesh. I just wanted to play some cards, and he started throwing hands." Jiang You pushed up his nonexistent glasses. "I knew you overpowered weirdos wouldn't just accept a fair duel. What, you think low-tier Servants don't deserve respect? Just you wait—once I collect a full set of strong cards, I'll make sure you all duel me properly!"
"...Wow, I didn't realize the King of Heroes could mess things up this badly."
Beast possessed the memories of the Servants she had devoured, so she understood Jiang You's accusation was entirely accurate. If Gilgamesh had just accepted the duel normally, none of this would have happened.
Forcing herself to suppress her rising frustration, Beast regained her playful demeanor.
"Well then, dear Caster, allow me to welcome you properly. My move first!"