After completing the tasks Ryou had assigned her, and under the pretext of an offering, Ishtar gleefully plundered a batch of gold and jewels. Satisfied, she boarded her Maanna and disappeared into a golden portal.
In the courtyard, only the complex-faced empress remained, silently watching the sunset's afterglow, like molten gold.
After some perfunctory business talk, Ishtar left her with this message:
"My devoted follower asked me to tell you this: If your master no longer trusts you, my door is always open to you."
With that, Ishtar left with her offerings.
Semiramis was a very clever woman; otherwise, she wouldn't have risen from a commoner to become the Empress of Assyria.
When Ishtar arrived, she had vaguely sensed something, and now it was confirmed by Ishtar herself.
The Eastern man who could transform into a servant had such a significant strength, making Semiramis doubt for the first time whether she had any chance of victory, even with the Hanging Gardens summoned.
The opponent was incredibly powerful, and the Red faction had begun to encounter some issues.
Semiramis keenly felt a slight but noticeable rift forming between her and Amakusa Shirou.
Had it not been for her extraordinary wisdom, she might not have detected her master's recent odd behavior.
As a former ruler, the thoughts of weighing gains and losses and seeking to avoid danger began to take root like seeds.
Maybe, I should leave myself a way out...
Neither Nguyen Ryou nor Amakusa Shirou knew that the other was furiously undermining them.
Both sides were silently making their final preparations before the great battle.
Ryou had a premonition that, given how he had wildly disrupted the plot, this battle might not drag on as in the original story; perhaps the outcome would be decided in an instant.
...
Badly wounded and low on magic, Jack was fully revived with health and magic after Ryou provided red and blue bottles.
To fulfill his promise to Ishtar, boost morale, and improve his favorability, Ryou tirelessly went to the kitchen himself, made a large batch of desserts, and gathered all his Servants for a lavish tea party.
Jeanne, who inherited Saber's face, was quickly devouring the desserts on the table without a word.
Jack, who originally only loved eating various entrails, was astonished by Ryou's desserts. She temporarily set aside her hostility towards him and engaged in a fierce "battle" with Jeanne, using knives and forks as weapons and the dining table as their battleground.
Medea Lily, her close friend Atalanta, and Reika Rikudou were all captivated by Ryou's luxurious dessert feast as well.
Only the proud goddess Ishtar initially protested that he had shared her desserts with everyone. But as Jeanne and Jack devoured the desserts at breakneck speed, the proud goddess couldn't resist joining the fray.
However, as they ate, the tea party began to take on a different flavor.
Various sweet, melodious sounds gradually filled the room—some belonging to young girls, some to lolis, and some to mature women. The sounds varied in style: some were coquettish, some pure, some elegant, and some seductive.
The sounds rose and fell, resembling an unrestricted gathering, filled with infinite temptation and imagination.
Male passersby, hearing the sounds, showed expressions of envy, jealousy, and hatred, silently returning to their rooms and hugging their pillows in tears.
In these last moments before the great battle, Ryou and his group were having a grand time.
In contrast, the Saint from the Far East wasn't having such a leisurely time.
He was running around, secretly allying with the Black faction while also trying to mitigate the impacts of the masters being controlled and Atalanta's betrayal.
Having lost Karna and Atalanta, Amakusa Shirou had only the empress and Achilles left who could fight.
However, Achilles clearly stated that he must first have a passionate clash with his teacher, Chiron before he would follow any orders.
Amakusa Shirou felt utterly exhausted; his team was too hard to manage.
Physically and mentally drained, Amakusa Shirou lay down on a stone bench in the courtyard and fell asleep.
At that moment, a figure suddenly teleported in—it was Semiramis, dressed in an elegant black gown.
She slowly walked over to Amakusa Shirou's side. Seeing his face, even in sleep, still showing signs of exhaustion, Semiramis couldn't help but reach out to offer him a lap pillow, hoping to make his sleep more comfortable.
However, before her hand could touch him, Amakusa Shirou suddenly opened his eyes and asked calmly, "What are you doing?"
A shadow flickered in Semiramis's eyes.
But the Empress's acting skills were Oscar-worthy. She instantly pretended nothing had happened, keeping her hand outstretched to gently tidy Amakusa Shirou's disheveled hair. In a slightly displeased tone, she said, "It's nothing. I just had a whim to offer you a lap pillow. It's a supreme honor; you should accept it gratefully."
Amakusa Shirou, however, sat up immediately, with a gentle smile as warm as a spring breeze.
"Thank you, Semiramis, but I've already regained my energy."
His face showed just the right amount of restraint and regret.
Yet Semiramis keenly sensed a hint of distance in his seemingly polite gesture, causing her heart to sink.
"Fine, miss this chance and you'll regret it, Master," Semiramis feigned a vexed expression.
As Amakusa Shirou walked away with a wry smile, Semiramis's expression also turned grim.
All signs indicated that Amakusa Shirou no longer trusted her as before.
"Indeed, who would truly and unreservedly trust a woman who poisoned her husband and killed countless political opponents?"
Semiramis laughed self-deprecatingly, but her smile carried an indescribable bitterness.
...
Time flew by swiftly.
With the three factions and the wandering duo of Mordred and Kairi Sisigou, everyone seemed to sense the impending great battle, each preparing earnestly for the final battle.
When Semiramis informed Amakusa Shirou that the Hanging Gardens had reached peak magical energy, he immediately gathered his remaining forces.
"Ah~ I can feel the storm approaching!"
With a voice like a chant, there was no need to look to know it was a certain world-renowned writer.
Shakespeare placed one hand on his chest and raised the other as if ready to sing a ballad.
"Tch!"
The great Greek hero Achilles leaned against a stone pillar with an annoyed expression, holding his spear.
For a front-line warrior like him, the likes of Shakespeare, who only knew how to talk, were the most annoying.
Standing before Semiramis's throne, Amakusa Shirou wore a confident smile and called out loudly, "I've gathered everyone here because the time for the final battle has come! And we will achieve ultimate victory!"
Unfortunately, Amakusa Shirou's Charisma skill seemed to be of a low level.
Semiramis, sitting on her throne, remained as disinterested as ever.
Achilles, even more bluntly, retorted, "Your victory means nothing to me. All I seek is a battle with my teacher!"
However, Shakespeare, with his peculiar mindset, shouted excitedly, "Ah~ finally! The moment I've been dreaming of! The epic I yearn for! Oh no! My brain is trembling! My inspiration is overflowing!"
"Shut up, you fool!"
The Empress, unable to bear Shakespeare's mind-numbing noise any longer, snapped her fingers. Instantly, countless chains emerged from the void, tightly binding the inspired writer. Speaking was impossible, and even moving became extremely difficult.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
The great writer's face showed urgency as he struggled.
With his minimal combat strength, he had no power to resist.
What was supposed to be a solemn pre-battle assembly turned into a farce, causing Shirou to pinch his brow with a wry smile.
After a long moment, he adjusted his emotions, nodded to Semiramis, and said, "Let's begin."
"Understood, Master," Semiramis replied as she began channeling her magical power to operate the Hanging Gardens.
Boom!
The previously calm hall suddenly started to shake, and a tremendous rumbling sound echoed from outside the throne room.
The violent movement immediately caught everyone's attention, even Achilles, who usually seemed indifferent, couldn't help but show a look of surprise. He could feel that the fortress beneath his feet was slowly ascending!
Even Amakusa Shirou, who was always calm and composed, couldn't help but appear excited. Allying with the Black Faction was merely a strategic move; this powerful floating fortress was his true hope for achieving ultimate victory and fulfilling his wish to save the world!
As the fortress ascended, Semiramis had to release her hold on Shakespeare to precisely control the movement.
The excited writer pushed open the door to the balcony, loudly exclaiming as he watched the rapidly receding scenery.
Seeing the shock on the faces of these heroes from various eras, the Empress of Assyria couldn't help but lift her head proudly, a touch of pride appearing on her exquisite face.
The Hanging Gardens quickly rose above the clouds.
Since ancient times, humanity's desire for flight has never ceased. From various flying magics in mythological times to the various airplanes crafted through modern scientific means, all represented humanity's longing for the endless sky.
This desire was shared by saints who cared for the world and great heroes with divine lineage alike.
The allure of the sky drew everyone to the balcony.
Looking down at the earth below and the river of clouds flowing by, everyone couldn't help but feel stirred.
The comedic, troublemaking writer, however, always seemed to know how to spoil the mood at such moments.
"Ah~ Empress of Assyria~ Such a beautiful scene inspires me to compose a poem for you!"
His clichéd recitation once again ruined the atmosphere completely.
Just as Shakespeare was about to start singing loudly, he hesitated under Semiramis's murderous gaze.
Despite the massive size of the floating fortress, it was hard to hide even at high altitudes. Moreover, the Empress had no intention of hiding it.
When the floating fortress was still twenty to thirty miles away from Trifas, it was discovered by the familiars deployed by the Yggdmillennia clan.
Ryou and the others had returned to their camp in Trifas a day earlier and discovered the massive floating fortress in the sky almost simultaneously with the Yggdmillennia clan.
Ryou immediately gathered everyone, and excluding Reika Rikudou, they all set out straight for the Yggdmillennia castle.
The Yggdmillennia castle sounded a massive alarm, and countless homunculi armed themselves and gathered behind the castle walls.
On the walls, led by Vladt, stood Frankenstein and Chiron.
Compared to the grand lineup of Servants, homunculi army, and countless golems in the original story, the scene now seemed somewhat desolate.
The Red Faction on the Hanging Gardens was even more desolate; even with Amakusa Shirou, the only ones heading into battle were him and Achilles.
Summoning this floating fortress restricted the Empress from leaving its vicinity.
As for Shakespeare, though his Noble Phantasm was bizarre and could be considered a mental attack, it was useless in large-scale warfare, and he was not much stronger than an ordinary person.
It was clear that both the Red and Black factions had been severely weakened by Ryou's maneuvers, leading Vlad and Amakusa to secretly form an alliance out of sheer necessity.
However, these two cunning individuals didn't reveal the alliance to their factions and instead kept it a secret from their respective camps.
Besides Ryou's group heading towards the battlefield, Astolfo, who had been living a blissful life with Kaar for many days, hurried to the battlefield upon receiving the news, riding a swift eagle.
Mordred and Kairi Sisigou also set off from a cemetery near Trifas in a rundown car Kairi had acquired from somewhere, speeding towards the battlefield.
Great heroes from across time were about to gather, and a great battle was imminent.
To bolster her side's momentum, the Empress initiated the attack.
From a distance, one could see the Hanging Gardens suddenly showering countless grayish-white specks of light, which, upon closer inspection, turned out to be bones.
Crack!
Amidst the chaotic noise, the bones seemed to be manipulated by countless invisible strings, connecting swiftly to form skeletal warriors.
These skeletal warriors, known as Dragon Tooth Soldiers, were a favorite type of familiar used by magicians from the Age of Gods. They boasted advantages such as cheap materials, low mana consumption, and ease of control.
Naturally, their downside was extremely low combat strength; even an ordinary person wielding a weapon could defeat one or two of them.
However, Dragon Tooth Soldiers were designed to be cannon fodder, relying on their sheer numbers to engage in attrition warfare.
From above, the army of Dragon Tooth Soldiers resembled a grayish-white tide surging toward the distant castle.
Seeing the enemy deploy a large army, Vlad immediately waved his lance.
"Deploy!!!"
With his command, the castle gates opened wide, and white-clad homunculi mixed with numerous Yggdmillennia magus surged toward the Dragon Tooth Soldier army.
Standing behind his sister, Caules suddenly remembered something and quickly told Fiore, "Sister, we must prevent the Red Faction from using the Hanging Gardens to seize the Greater Grail directly!"
Thanks to Ryou, Amakusa Shirou's originally brilliant plan to cut the enemy off at the source had been publicly revealed.
As a result, upon seeing the Hanging Gardens, Caules immediately thought of this possibility.
"Caules, what do you think we should do?"
Fiore was initially startled but quickly recalled this crucial point and asked her brother.
Since Darnic's demise, Fiore had inherited the position of clan head. Under immense pressure, her younger brother Caules gradually began to showcase his talents.
Nowadays, whenever Fiore had a difficult decision to make, she would consult her brother.
"We can..."
After pondering for a moment, Caules proposed an idea.
PS: 1 Power Stone = 1 Push up