Victory seemed to be tipping in favor of the Black Faction.
Mordred was forced back by Siegfried, and Atalanta showed no loyalty to her Red Faction allies. Achilles was struggling against Chiron, who had assumed his centaur form, and it looked like he might even be defeated. The village's hope, Karna, had a brief opportunity to eliminate Vlad III, but Siegfried intervened, forcing Karna to withstand the combined assault of the two strongest Black Faction Servants.
The dragonbone soldiers Semiramis had deployed were almost entirely wiped out by Spartacus and Frankenstein. The night was still young, and it wasn't out of the question that Karna might face four Servants at once before it was over.
It seemed like Black's victory was inevitable.
But for some reason, Jeanne felt uneasy. The smoother this Holy Grail War went, the more something felt off to her. There had to be a reason she was summoned. If this war could end so straightforwardly, there would be no need for her to be here.
So, what was wrong?
"Don't worry, I'm here to keep things under control," Cyd reassured Jeanne with a pat on the head. "As long as they don't expose the Mystics, our job is to get to that flying fortress and make the Empress hide it properly."
"But I have a feeling that the flying fortress isn't the biggest issue," Jeanne said, scratching the back of her head as her gaze instinctively shifted towards the Black Faction's castle. The Revelation was urging her to head in that direction, even though it should be the safest place.
"Maybe we should go to the Black Faction's castle," Cyd narrowed his eyes. "Everything's going too smoothly. The Black Faction is dominating the Red Faction, which makes sense given their numbers, but the way the Red Faction is getting crushed seems… intentional."
"I agree," Jeanne nodded.
"That's the problem! The Red Faction initiated the attack, but it feels like they're throwing themselves into a meat grinder. But that's impossible—one man had the look of someone determined to accomplish something," Cyd abandoned the idea of heading for the floating fortress and sprinted toward the Black Faction's castle. "He's got a plan, and it's already in motion!"
Without a word, Atalanta followed close behind.
Jeanne was left momentarily dumbfounded, glancing at the now-empty surroundings.
"W-Wait for me!"
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Victory seemed to be tipping in favor of the Black Faction.
Mordred was forced back by Siegfried, and Atalanta showed no loyalty to her Red Faction allies. Achilles was struggling against Chiron, who had assumed his centaur form, and it looked like he might even be defeated. The village's hope, Karna, had a brief opportunity to eliminate Vlad III, but Siegfried intervened, forcing Karna to withstand the combined assault of the two strongest Black Faction Servants.
The dragonbone soldiers Semiramis had deployed were almost entirely wiped out by Spartacus and Frankenstein. The night was still young, and it wasn't out of the question that Karna might face four Servants at once before it was over.
It seemed like Black's victory was inevitable.
But for some reason, Jeanne felt uneasy. The smoother this Holy Grail War went, the more something felt off to her. There had to be a reason she was summoned. If this war could end so straightforwardly, there would be no need for her to be here.
So, what was wrong?
"Don't worry, I'm here to keep things under control," Cyd reassured Jeanne with a pat on the head. "As long as they don't expose the Mystics, our job is to get to that flying fortress and make the Empress hide it properly."
"But I have a feeling that the flying fortress isn't the biggest issue," Jeanne said, scratching the back of her head as her gaze instinctively shifted towards the Black Faction's castle. The Revelation was urging her to head in that direction, even though it should be the safest place.
"Maybe we should go to the Black Faction's castle," Cyd narrowed his eyes. "Everything's going too smoothly. The Black Faction is dominating the Red Faction, which makes sense given their numbers, but the way the Red Faction is getting crushed seems… intentional."
"I agree," Jeanne nodded.
"That's the problem! The Red Faction initiated the attack, but it feels like they're throwing themselves into a meat grinder. But that's impossible—one man had the look of someone absolutely determined to accomplish something," Cyd abandoned the idea of heading for the floating fortress and sprinted toward the Black Faction's castle. "He's got a plan, and it's already in motion!"
Without a word, Atalanta followed close behind.
Jeanne was left momentarily dumbfounded, glancing at the now-empty surroundings.
"W-Wait for me!"
"What's going on?! Why are these golems attacking us?!"
Gordes roared in anger as he punched a golem's head clean off with a magically enhanced fist.
"We're under attack!" Fiore calmly deployed her restored Mystic Code, using its four mechanical arms to defend herself while launching magical blasts that shattered golems left and right. Despite the chaos, the golems were overwhelming in number, benefiting from the earlier battle's success.
"What in the world happened?" Darnic's face twisted in frustration. After all his struggles, the bright future he had fought so hard for was within his grasp. Was it all going to be snatched away again, just like before?
Without hesitation, Celenike used a Command Spell to summon Astolfo back. "By the Command Spell, return to my side, Rider!"
Astolfo appeared, immediately dodging a golem's brutal punch. "Hey! Aren't these our golems?! Why are they attacking us?!"
"Caster… Caster has betrayed us!" Darnic clenched his fists, barely able to believe his own words.
To the Black Faction, Avicebron's importance was second only to Vlad III. While Vlad provided unmatched combat power, Avicebron ensured their strategic superiority through territory creation, golem armies, and fortifications. Darnic had been confident that Avicebron's only desire was to complete his Noble Phantasm, with no interest in the Grail itself. His Noble Phantasm was their trump card. But now, their trust in him had become their prison.
"Ah, I see how it is! So, I've got the green light to take these guys apart, huh?" Astolfo grinned wildly as he drew his lance. "Perfect! Time to make up for that earlier embarrassment!"
"I'll call Berserker back," Caules said as he focused on the contract, summoning both Frankenstein and Spartacus, who were engaged elsewhere.
"The Grail!" Darnic's eyes widened in sudden realization. "We need to secure the Grail immediately!"
Meanwhile, in front of the Grail, Shirou Kotomine spread his arms wide, smiling as if he were basking in some unseen light. "How does it feel, Caster? Your Noble Phantasm is almost complete."
In the darkness, a pair of crimson eyes glowed as Avicebron stepped forward, shedding his spiritual form to stand beside Shirou.
"There's a sense of relief," Avicebron said calmly. "The Grail sped up the process far beyond what I anticipated."
"How large is it?" Shirou asked, his interest piqued.
"All of it," Avicebron replied, turning to walk into the darkness. "It's time to finish this."
"Do you really hate the world that much?" Shirou asked softly.
"I simply detest the earth that bore such flawed beings as myself."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
There's definitely something wrong here!"
Cyd dodged an incoming golem, fluidly countering with a swift punch that shattered its chest. At the same time, a barrage of magical cannon fire from the floating fortress rained down on him. Cyd braced himself, letting his Mystic Code absorb most of the impact, though the force pushed him back several meters.
"Trying to keep me from reaching you, huh?" Cyd narrowed his eyes. "Rebel golems… I get it now. They must've convinced Black Faction's Caster to turn his Noble Phantasm against us."
Semiramis, seated on her throne within the fortress, wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. The flying fortress was her pride and her ace in the hole, with its twelve EX-rank cannons capable of obliterating anything in their path. But right now, those cannons were barely slowing Cyd down.
"I told you, as long as you don't expose the Mystics, I won't intervene. But my gut tells me whatever you're planning is going to do just that," Cyd cracked his neck, readying himself for another charge. "Ata, cover me!"
"Don't call me that," Atalanta sighed, drawing her bow. She aimed at the sky, the two arrows nocked on the string beginning to glow with divine light.
"Phoebus Catastrophe: Complaint Message"
Invoking the blessings of the Sun God Apollo and the Moon Goddess Artemis, the arrows shot into the heavens, piercing the clouds.
If the target is that person, this Noble Phantasm's power will exceed all expectations.
"—"
The sky seemed to crack as an apocalyptic rain of light arrows descended, obliterating the golems scattered across the battlefield in an instant.
Cyd halted just outside the Black Faction's castle, his left hand still glowing with the divine favor of Apollo and Artemis.
These two gods were incredibly fond of Cyd, and the calamity they sent to protect him was no joke.
"This kind of doting will spoil him," Atalanta muttered, lowering her bow.
"Now, let's see what kind of scheme you're cooking up," Cyd smirked.
"Ha, it's already too late," Semiramis sneered from her throne, crossing her legs. "We've already won."
"—"
The supposedly impregnable Black Faction's castle began to crumble from within. A massive arm burst through the collapsing walls, and in its grasp was—
"The Grail!" Cyd's eyes widened in shock.