"Install a self-destructive spell on the Greater Grail!?"
It wasn't just Fiore; everyone present showed shocked expressions. This plan was too bold and ruthless.
"That's right. If Amakusa Shirou tries to forcibly take the Greater Grail using the Hanging Gardens, we will immediately blow up the Greater Grail. Of course, before that, we can notify the Red Faction and force them into a confrontation with us."
"Caules, h-how did you come up with such a plan!?"
The simple-minded Fiore looked at her brother in astonishment, as if she didn't recognize him.
"This isn't my plan. It was given to me alone by that person who controls the Ruler faction—Nguyen Ryou, before he left."
Caules said with a bitter smile. Although he was talented, he had family and his elder sister to think about, and he could never come up with such a nearly mutually destructive, self-damaging plan.
Fiore fell silent, her brows furrowed as if contemplating the feasibility of this plan.
"I think it's a good idea," said Chiron suddenly.
Even though he had a gentle personality and his educational philosophy was the opposite of Scáthach's, he had to admit that this was a good plan.
"Grr Grr!!"
Fran-chan let out dog-like whimpering sounds as usual.
Meanwhile, a flash of intense fear passed through the eyes of the Grand Duke, though everyone's attention was on Caules, and they didn't notice.
"I understand. Let's do it then."
With her brother and her Servant agreeing, and no objections from others, Fiore decisively began to give orders.
"Caules, take some people and set up the self-destructive spell. Chiron, please find a way to notify the Red Faction."
"Yes, sister. I'll do it right away!"
Caules immediately began to act, calling over a few homunculi who were serving nearby.
"You, come with me."
"At your command, Master."
Chiron also began to act. He went back to his room, took out a sheet of paper and a quill, and started writing quickly.
After finishing, he tied the message to an arrow, aimed at the huge floating fortress in the sky ten miles away.
Eagle Eye skill activated.
Chiron's eyes lit up with magical light, and the scenery ten miles away was brought right in front of him.
Whoosh!
An arrow shot out with a speed faster than a bullet, crossing the ten-mile distance in an instant, and landed on the plaza in front of the throne room.
The arrow embedded deeply into the marble ground, shattering the surrounding area with its immense force.
Such a commotion naturally drew the immediate attention of the Red Faction. Soon, Amakusa Shirou appeared in the plaza and retrieved the arrow.
"What is this?"
The Empress sitting on the throne asked curiously.
"Nothing, just a message shot by the Black Faction," Amakusa Shirou said with a slight smile, removing the paper from the arrow.
After reading it, Amakusa Shirou handed the letter to Semiramis.
"Fufu! It seems that your plan has failed, Master."
Semiramis laughed gleefully, truly living up to her reputation as a venomous woman, her sharp tongue capable of infuriating anyone.
But Amakusa Shirou's face showed a confident smile.
"Not necessarily."
At this moment, the battle between the dragon-tooth warriors and the homunculus army had already begun in earnest.
A male homunculus wielding a long-handled battle axe was fighting as if he were invincible, his axe movements fierce and powerful, breaking the dragon-tooth warriors apart with ease.
Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. A stray arrow from afar hit him right between the eyes, and the once mighty homunculus fell dead instantly.
Two female homunculi pointed their arms at the dragon-tooth warriors ahead. Their arms glowed with magical circuits, and with a flash of magical light, blue energy projectiles were fired, shattering the skull of a distant dragon-tooth warrior.
The dragon-tooth warriors surged forward like a tide, closing in steadily. The homunculi's magic couldn't be fired continuously, and they were soon overwhelmed by the sheer number of dragon-tooth warriors, falling to a flurry of swords.
Scenes like this were everywhere on the battlefield.
Having lost Avicebron's golem as a frontline shield and Gordes' core technology for creating homunculi, the Yggdmillennia's army was at an absolute disadvantage in both quality and quantity.
From above, one could see the white waves being pushed back by the gray tide, steadily compressing towards the castle.
Seeing their side faltering, the Grand Duke's eyes flashed. He pointed his lance and loudly commanded Chiron and Frankenstein.
"Archer! Berserker! I command you to go support immediately!"
"Yes!"
"Grrr!"
Two figures leaped from the ramparts into the fray.
Chiron raised his golden bow, his arms moving in a blur, continuously firing arrows. Arrows shot through the air in a continuous line, transforming Chiron into a living machine gun aimed at the dragon-tooth warriors.
Arrows arced high and fell as a rain of arrows upon the dragon-tooth warriors, causing chaos among their ranks.
From above, a large gap appeared in the gray tide.
Refusing to be outdone, Frankenstein howled like a dog while swinging her hammer wildly.
Dragon-tooth warriors couldn't even approach her; the mere wind pressure from her hammer shattered them to pieces.
Frankenstein, immersed in the battle, suddenly raised her hammer high. The spherical head of the hammer began to spin rapidly, with green electric arcs appearing out of thin air.
Crack!
The clouds above seemed to respond, and a massive lightning bolt struck her hammer.
The enormous energy instantly maxed out Frankenstein's magical power.
Surrounded by lightning, Frankenstein became the embodiment of thunder.
She raised her hammer, now crackling with green electricity, and smashed it into the ground.
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, the ground shook, and a thick green lightning bolt shot up into the sky, spreading outwards.
From a distance, it looked like a giant tree made entirely of green lightning had sprung up between heaven and earth!
This was Frankenstein's Anti-Army Noble Phantasm—Blasted Tree!
The scattered lightning bolts struck the dragon-tooth warriors, reducing them to dust wherever the currents passed.
A giant green lightning flower bloomed amidst the gray tide.
The lightning flower appeared and disappeared quickly.
However, the gray tide formed by the dragon-tooth warriors was severely bitten into, leaving a massive circular void.
With the two Servants' display of power, the dragon-tooth warriors' advance was halted.
A strange light flickered in the Grand Duke's eyes as he turned to Fiore.
"Withdraw. This is no longer a battlefield for mere mortals."
"I understand. I wish you great fortune in battle!"
Fiore bowed, and the homunculus maid behind her began pushing her wheelchair away.
With everyone gone, the Grand Duke's face revealed a meaningful smile.
"Of course, I will achieve the final victory. Unfortunately, this victory no longer concerns your Yggdmillennia."
On the front lines, Chiron and Frankenstein unleashed their might, not only turning the tide of the battle but also shattering hundreds and thousands of dragon-tooth warriors.
Under the protection of the two Servants, the army of homunculi in white pushed the battle lines back.
If it weren't for the dragon-tooth warriors being made of bones, inherently devoid of fear, their morale would have long since collapsed in the face of two Servants who could take on thousands alone.
Seeing their side falling behind, the Red Faction couldn't remain passive.
Neigh!
With the neigh of a warhorse, the demigod hero, one of Chiron's most outstanding disciples, Achilles, descended from the sky in his chariot, charging straight at Chiron.
"This is all destiny's guidance! Black Faction's Archer, no, Chiron!"
With a touch of fervor and excitement on his face, Achilles continued to advance towards Chiron.
Chiron's expression remained calm, though his brow furrowed slightly upon seeing Achilles. He raised his golden bow and without hesitation aimed an arrow at the chariot speeding through the sky.
A series of piercing sounds filled the air as Chiron repeatedly drew his bowstring, shooting arrows imbued with immense magical energy, which transformed into golden beams targeting Achilles and his divine-horse-drawn chariot.
"Yes! This is how it should be! Otherwise, it wouldn't be interesting, teacher!"
Achilles laughed while pulling the reins.
The chariot, pulled by divine horses, traced unbelievable arcs in the sky, dodging Chiron's bullet-like arrows one by one.
"Not enough! It's still not enough, teacher!!!"
Eager to prove himself before his mentor, Achilles was exhilarated.
He suddenly maneuvered the chariot to land amidst the dragon-tooth army, using them as cover to charge at Chiron.
Hundreds of dragon-tooth warriors were scattered, with bone fragments and dust rising into the air.
"What a reckless guy."
Though Chiron complained, a slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Achilles' seemingly reckless actions had blocked Chiron's line of sight.
The student's growth brought Chiron great satisfaction.
The divine horses pulled the chariot out of the smoke, with Achilles on board, his face full of excitement.
"Teacher!!"
Achilles shouted, thrusting his cross spear at Chiron without hesitation.
The chariot's speed, combined with Achilles' speed, turned the spear's tip into a blue streak of light.
"Too reckless, Rider!"
Chiron, as if foreseeing this, lightly tapped his toe on the ground, leveraging himself into the air.
While still airborne, he drew his golden bow, enveloping Achilles in a rain of arrows.
Achilles immediately spun his cross spear like a wheel, but the delay caused him to miss the best opportunity to attack, and the chariot sped past Chiron.
However, in the next moment, Achilles, utilizing his Rider class's high-level driving skills, performed a series of elegant drifts, S-curves, and snake-like maneuvers, evading Chiron's arrow barrage once more.
In the ensuing battle, Chiron moved gracefully, firing arrows continuously, while Achilles showcased his mastery of chariot driving, seamlessly drifting and dodging.
The clashes between these two well-matched Servants cleared a vast area on the battlefield, creating a space of a thousand meters in radius.
As Achilles charged at Chiron again, Chiron suddenly stopped his actions, looking calmly at Achilles.
"What, are you giving up?!"
Achilles shouted angrily, seeing Chiron's inaction.
"No, the essence of archery is the correct angle, the correct speed, and the correct timing," Chiron replied calmly.
"What!?"
As confusion rose in Achilles' mind, he suddenly sensed a severe threat from above and instinctively looked up.
Golden orbs rained down from above, sealing off all of Achilles' escape routes in an instant.
These golden orbs were the very arrows that Chiron had previously shot and seemingly missed.
"Precognition?"
Achilles suddenly realized one of his teacher's abilities.
As a great sage, Chiron possessed the B+-rank skill Clairvoyance and the A-rank skill Mind's Eye (True). By combining these eye-related skills, he could gain limited precognition.
Though Chiron's precognition was quite limited, it was more than sufficient to guide the paths of his arrows.
The overwhelming rain of arrows quickly overwhelmed Achilles, causing him and his chariot to be thrown into disarray.
Using his agility, Achilles barely dodged most of the arrows, but his chariot took a heavy hit.
Left with no choice, Achilles leaped off the chariot, allowing it to dissipate into magical energy in the air.
"You've done it now, teacher," Achilles said, feeling particularly annoyed at being outmaneuvered by his mentor.
"This is just some extracurricular tutoring. No need to thank me, Rider," Chiron replied with a slight smile.
"Hahaha!"
The previously angry Achilles suddenly burst into laughter.
"Indeed, fighting against you should be exactly like this. Then, I won't hold back!!"
With that, Achilles spun his cross spear with both hands and then suddenly tossed it overhead.
"What are you doing?"
Chiron asked, showing a hint of surprise.
"Since leaving your tutelage, I have experienced countless battles. How could I not have grown?"
A proud smile appeared on Achilles' face.
"Driving me off my chariot was your biggest mistake! Go Forth! My Lance! My Conviction! Diatrekhōn Astēr Lonkhē!!"
With Achilles' roar, the cross spear embedded itself behind Chiron and suddenly radiated a blue light.
Centered around the cross spear, the blue light formed a large spherical space that enveloped both of them.
The two vanished from sight.
This was the effect of Achilles' cross spear after releasing its true name.
It could create a Reality Marble, drawing Achilles and his opponent inside.
In this space, all skills, enhancements, and Noble Phantasms were nullified. Those inside could only use their abilities, and the space would only dissolve when one of them was defeated.
Thus, it was called the Spear of Duel!
PS: 1 Power Stone = 1 Push up