As the three combatants clashed fiercely, their attention was suddenly drawn to the sky.
"Is that...?"
All three paused, eyes locked on the scene above.
"Is that Caster's Noble Phantasm?" Vlad III mused, a smirk playing on his lips. "It looks like the Holy Grail War is ours."
Karna, however, pressed his lips into a thin line. He had seen battles take unexpected turns more than once.
But Vlad III's confidence quickly faded as the giant in the distance hoisted the Greater Grail and hurled it toward the Hanging Gardens. His expression twisted in disbelief.
"It seems the scales have tipped in our favor," Karna said, using the brief pause in combat to begin healing his injuries.
"Siegfried, I'll leave Lancer to you," Vlad III ground out, turning to run toward the Hanging Gardens. "Don't die!"
"Not so fast!" Karna's eyes narrowed as he launched himself at Vlad III's back, aiming his spear directly at Vlad's heart.
Clang—
Once again, Karna's spear was deflected by Siegfried's sword. The dragon-slaying knight stood firm, his voice calm.
"Your fight is with me."
"So it seems," Karna nodded, accepting the challenge.
Meanwhile, Vlad III sprinted toward the Hanging Gardens, fury boiling over. "Why would Caster betray us now, just when victory was within our grasp?"
The Greater Grail was the Black Faction's trump card, their assurance of victory. But now, their impregnable fortress had been breached—by the very Caster they trusted most. And with the Greater Grail stolen, their victory was slipping away.
"Even the savior of Romania can't breach the Hanging Gardens," Semiramis remarked, lounging casually as she watched Vlad's futile rush on the monitor. "It seems we've won. My master has outmaneuvered you all."
Even she had to admit she was impressed by Shirou Kotomine's bold strategy. He had infiltrated the Black Faction's stronghold alone and convinced Avicebron to turn against them. She had initially planned to have Karna blast the fortress with his Noble Phantasm, but Shirou's cunning move had made that unnecessary. Now, unless the Black Faction had flying Servants, there was no way for them to reach the Hanging Gardens. And even if they did, her twelve EX-rank magic cannons and eleven defensive wards would make quick work of them.
"So, master, what's our next move? Should we grab the Grail and retreat, or..." Semiramis's eyes gleamed with a dangerous light. "...should we finish off the Black Faction right here?"
"What do you think?" Shirou responded, his pace unhurried as he walked through the battlefield.
"We'll need more Servants to complete the Greater Grail. With so few fallen, even possessing it won't change our disadvantage," Semiramis mused, tapping her nails thoughtfully. "But with their fortress breached and the Grail stolen, the Black Faction masters are likely in chaos. Now's our best chance. Besides..."
Semiramis lifted her chin confidently. "No one can break through my defenses to reach the Hanging Gardens."
"Then let's end this Holy Grail War today," Shirou said, casting a somber glance at a fallen homunculus at his feet. With a sigh, he knelt and closed the homunculus's eyes.
"You're a sentimental one, master," Semiramis teased, but with a flick of her fingers, she commanded the Hanging Gardens to move toward the giant.
Amid the ruins below, Frankenstein tossed aside her war hammer, her slender hands lifting a massive slab of debris as if it were a mere piece of cardboard.
"—"
Frankenstein began to dig frantically through the rubble.
"Let us help you," a hesitant but determined voice sounded in front of her.
"Hm?" Frankenstein tilted her head. She recognized the person before her—a homunculus, one of the combat units, and one who should have been dead.
"I'm not your enemy. My name is Sieg. Someone important to me is trapped under here," Sieg said as he knelt beside Frankenstein, starting to clear the debris with his bare hands.
The other homunculi with Sieg silently joined in, helping to clear the rubble.
Frankenstein watched Sieg's hands, already scraped and bleeding after only a few moments, and let out a sigh. She redoubled her efforts, quickly uncovering the Black Faction masters buried beneath the wreckage.
"Finally, you're here," Astolfo greeted them with his usual goofy grin, though his situation was far from amusing.
A steel rod had impaled his abdomen, and blood continued to drip down its length. Yet, despite his grievous wound, Astolfo remained standing, holding up a section of the collapsed ceiling with his arms. At his feet lay the unconscious Celenike and a dazed Gordes. It was clear why Astolfo had refused to dematerialize despite his injuries.
"Finally made it," Caules coughed as he crawled out of a nearby hole. "Berserker, clear the debris over here."
"Ugh!" Frankenstein grunted as she hefted her war hammer and smashed through the stone Caules pointed at.
With a cloud of dust, four mechanical arms reached out, and a soot-covered Fiore emerged, supporting Darnic.
"Everyone's safe. Thank goodness," Astolfo chuckled weakly, finally letting the ceiling collapse as he pulled the steel rod from his abdomen, a spray of blood following.
"Rider, are you alright?!" Caules gaped.
"Yeah, just give me a minute to rest," Astolfo replied, dropping to the ground. "I'm a Servant; I'll be fine soon enough."
"It's over," Darnic muttered, pushing away Fiore as he slumped to the ground, head hanging as if he'd lost his soul.
Astolfo shuffled over to Darnic, patting him on the shoulder in an attempt to offer some comfort.
Gordes, meanwhile, tried to subtly position himself between Sieg and the others, shielding Sieg from view.
"No need to hide it, Archer already told me you've been protecting that homunculus," Fiore said, rolling her eyes at Gordes's awkward maneuvering. "There's no point in hiding him now, especially with Caster's betrayal."
"Ahem, I just needed to stretch my legs a bit," Gordes mumbled, awkwardly coughing into his fist before giving the other homunculi a thumbs-up. "Good job."
Suddenly, a brilliant light illuminated Gordes's beaming face. A magic cannon shot from the sky rained down mercilessly.
Sieg's eyes widened in horror as he shoved Gordes aside, but the blast was too massive, too wide-reaching, engulfing all the Black Faction masters.
This is the end!
"Seriously?"
Cyd walked calmly toward the oncoming light, raising his left hand.
"Even during a ceasefire, this is still a battlefield."
In an instant, the light was split into dozens of smaller beams, sweeping away the surrounding debris.
"Are you all idiots?" Cyd muttered, unimpressed.