The Masters' fears did not materialize. The terrifying beam shot from the Hanging Gardens swept the castle's periphery and vanished as if it had no interest in the castle itself.
It wasn't because Karna had exhausted his energy. The son of the Sun with the blessing of the Sun (Golden Armor) had astonishing regenerative and endurance capabilities. Although he had a fierce battle with Vlad III, consuming a lot of energy and suffering some losses, by the time he returned to the Hanging Gardens, his injuries and magical energy had mostly recovered. Releasing a Noble Phantasm once, especially his weakest, was not enough to put him in a state of magical energy deficiency.
Of course, the support from Shirou and Semiramis played a part, but this only highlighted Karna's fearsome nature—the epitome of the strongest hero.
He ceased firing simply because of an order from Shirou, the priest.
"Is this enough?"
"Yes, this is sufficient."
Karna's expression remained indifferent, exuding an unapproachable coldness, as if frozen. Ordinary people would have been scared off by this severity, but Shirou continued to smile, his demeanor seemingly more fitting for the Sun God's role.
"Our primary goal is not to strike the Black faction, but the Greater Grail."
"So, you had me attack the ley lines?"
"Yes."
Indeed, Karna's attack with his anti-nation Noble Phantasm "Brahmastra: O' Brahma, Cover the Earth" was never aimed at the Black faction's Masters and Servants but at the ley lines. The blazing curtain of flames that almost reached the Hanging Gardens was just half of the beam's energy; the other half delved underground, wreaking havoc at various ley line nodes.
Ley lines, the convergence of power in an area, lie deep underground and are part of the planet's workings. Even touching a region's ley lines is no easy task, let alone shaking them.
Shaking the ley lines is different from a magi's utilization. Utilization is about reasonably applying the magical energy within, whereas shaking the ley lines directly destabilizes their foundation. If ley lines are likened to a river, utilization is drawing water from it, while shaking is making the entire river tremble—a far more difficult feat.
According to Shirou's estimation, simply shaking one ley line node would require at least an A-rank anti-fortress Noble Phantasm. Shaking all the nodes around the castle at once would require an anti-nation Noble Phantasm. Among the participating Servants in this Holy Grail War, only Karna met this requirement, and he did not disappoint, completing the task perfectly.
Through the occasionally flickering red electric currents of magical energy, Shirou could feel the connection between the Greater Grail and the earth weakening. Although not completely severed, it was gradually yielding to the pull from the Hanging Gardens.
"It won't be long before the Greater Grail is fully transferred, and the Black faction's Servants will seize this opportunity to attack. You need to conserve your magical energy for the upcoming efforts."
"Understood. If there's nothing else, I'll head back. You should leave as well; it's not safe here."
"Yes, I know. I'll stay a bit longer to ensure the transfer goes smoothly, then I'll return."
Hearing Shirou's response, Karna nodded silently and disappeared in a flash of golden light.
Once the golden light completely vanished, Shirou's usual smile faded. His empty right hand rhythmically drummed on the hilt of his sword, muttering to himself.
"I wonder what expression you have now? Disappointment? Anger? Or utter confusion? Huh—what kind of move is this?"
◇◇◇
Just as Shirou predicted, Shinji's mood was very sour. Disappointment, anger, and panic all intertwined.
All because of the message from Fiore—The connection between the Greater Grail and the ley lines had weakened.
The Greater Grail's current state is sustained entirely by the ley lines of Trifas. Without the support of these ley lines, the Greater Grail cannot withstand the pull from the Gardens. If this continues, the Greater Grail will inevitably be seized by the Red faction, and reclaiming it later would be exceedingly difficult. Moreover, my plan would be ruined, and most critically, Justeaze is still inside!
No, I absolutely cannot allow the Greater Grail to be taken. I cannot let this happen!
What should I do? What should I do? Think, brain, think!
Magecraft is out of the question. Semiramis's spell is not a simple attraction; it uses the power of the Gardens to replace the physical laws around the Grail with those of the Gardens. Such high-level magecraft, approaching the rank of true magic, is beyond the capabilities of someone like me, who isn't even first-rate.
Then how about physics?
Yes, physics! If I discard the cumbersome task of severing the ley lines, the Greater Grail is being pulled towards the Gardens by gravity. If I can counteract this gravity with another force... yes, that's it!
"Bellerophon!"
Shinji, who had come back, leaped onto the top of the Greater Grail.
"No, Shinji, the power of Pegasus might damage the exterior of the Greater Grail."
Justeaze's anxious voice appeared alongside the pure white Pegasus. The Greater Grail was modeled after Justeaze's body and, though much sturdier after its transformation, could still be damaged by the immense power of such a high-ranking Phantasmal Beast.
"We can't worry about that now. You told me that as long as the core remains intact, it can absorb mana and self-repair. Moreover, I won't let you fall into enemy hands, never!"
Shinji hadn't forgotten that Amakusa Shirou could connect with the Greater Grail and would do so. If he discovered Justeaze's presence, the consequences would be unimaginable. He couldn't allow that to happen.
"Shinji!"
Justeaze tried to say something more.
"Don't say anything, just listen to me. The Greater Grail doesn't matter. You are the only one who must stay safe!"
Shinji inverted his body, pressing his hands against the exterior of the Greater Grail, releasing mana without regard for the cost. With his feet pointing skyward and his shoes exerting maximum force, he spoke to Pegasus.
"Help me push it down. If we can push it back underground, we win. Don't stop until I tell you to."
Sensing its master's urgency, Pegasus turned its body and began ramming the Greater Grail. As expected from an ancient creature rivaling dragons, the Greater Grail, which Shinji couldn't budge, began to descend with just one impact from Pegasus.
Seeing this, Shinji's face lit up with joy.
"Well done! Keep ramming it!"
Pegasus let out a long, resonant cry, its lithe, white body drawing an arc in the air before diving down.
At that moment, Justeaze's voice echoed in Shinji's ear again, "Shinji, watch out!"
Watch out? For what?
Before Shinji could react, Pegasus's cry suddenly turned pained.
In the next instant, his vision was filled with the pure white brilliance of Pegasus.
With a muffled grunt, man and beast tumbled off the top of the Greater Grail.