"Wow, amazing!"
Astolfo exclaimed loudly, flailing his arms and legs.
"Yeah!"
Having transformed into Karna, Kaar was full of fighting spirit. Although the consciousness after the transformation was still led by Kaar, Karna's residual power was too strong and unconsciously influenced Kaar's nature.
Mordred looked speechlessly at the beams of light she and Siegfried had released, then at the empty sky, and silently cut off the magic power to stop the beams. Like a robot, Siegfried naturally also cut off the supply of magic power.
"Hey, Master, I think we probably shouldn't be participating in this Holy Grail War," Mo-chan communicated telepathically with Kairi.
Kairi, leaning against a small car at the edge of the battlefield in the distance, took a deep puff of his cigarette.
"Saber, this is the first time we've been so unified in our opinion."
...
Vlad III, who was getting beaten up by Jeanne one-sidedly, had a dumbfounded look as he gazed at the empty sky. He almost spat blood.
For victory, to kill Ryou, he didn't hesitate to bear the stigma of betrayal, even using the power that he found filthy and disgusting, only to get this result. Saint of the Far East? EX-level Hanigning Garden? It's all for nothing!
"Nguyen Ryou!"
Regaining his senses, Vlad's face twisted as he shouted at Ryou. In his mind, perhaps a truth had already formed: everything was Ryou's fault. If not, refer to the previous statement.
Ryou couldn't care less about this doomed old bat. His gaze was fixed straight on the place where the Hanging Garden had been burned to ashes. He had a premonition that with Amakusa Shirou's dedication to faith and mission, it wouldn't be so easy for him to die.
Seeing her opponent being distracted, Jeanne couldn't stand it. Her magic power flowed through her body, and with a slide step like teleportation, she agilely moved in front of Vlad.
Boom!
Then came a fierce hook punch like a hurricane, her fist filled with holy magic power, almost turning her entire fist into gold. The hook punch landed directly on Vlad's right cheek, sending him spinning through the air and smashing hard into the wall. In mid-air, a few crystalline teeth flew. (Jeanne mimics Aqua's God's Blow!)
However, Jeanne's attack wasn't over. She summoned the Holy Flag with her other hand, using it as a spear to pin Vlad to the wall. The Holy Flag, filled with holy magic, was a lethal weapon to Dracula. He screamed and struggled frantically. However, the originally powerful vampire physique had now become his prison. The Holy Flag, which most servants could break free from with effort, pinned him firmly to the wall, unable to escape.
Ignoring Vlad's struggles, Jeanne slowly drew the Holy Sword: St. Catherine from her waist. Originally, this Holy Sword was a prerequisite for Jeanne's strongest Noble Phantasm, La Pucelle: The Crimson Holy Maiden. But a vampire didn't warrant Jeanne's self-destruction to deal with him. She was merely performing a standard exorcism ritual that any clergy could use.
Jeanne knelt on one knee and began to pray sincerely. As her clear and pleasant prayer resounded, a not-so-dazzling but very bright golden pillar of light enveloped her, and the Holy Sword she held in front of her shone brilliantly, illuminating the surroundings like daylight.
With the same exorcism ritual, ordinary clergy could at most make their weapons glow a little, but as the most famous saint of the Catholic Church, Jeanne's exorcism ritual created such a grand spectacle. As the Holy Sword shone with golden light, Vlade began to scream in terror. He keenly sensed that this sword could easily purify him into ashes.
"...Lord, please purify the fallen soul!"
As Jeanne's prayer ended, the golden radiance on the Holy Sword retracted, replaced by a sword that shone hundreds of times brighter than gold.
"No! No! No!"
Vlad III was a tough man, but he couldn't withstand the fear of holy objects imprinted in the soul of a vampire. He kept scratching at the wall, leaving deep claw marks on the hard marble. Jeanne, however, calmly inserted the Holy Sword slowly into Vlad's heart.
Sizzle!
Vlad didn't even have time to scream before he turned into a pile of ashes. Thus, both the Red and Black Lancers had completely fallen.
...
Meanwhile, Chiron and Achilles, who were engaged in a passionate, hand-to-hand battle, finally determined a winner. Once again, Achilles, the disciple, surpassed his master, defeating Chiron. When the two reappeared on the battlefield, Chiron's heart had been pierced, and he lay on the ground. Although Achilles was bruised and battered, he still stood there defiantly. The outcome was clear.
However, before returning to the Throne of Heroes, Chiron remarked, "My good disciple, you are still naive."
Then, using his Noble Phantasm "Antares Snipe," he struck Achilles, breaking Achilles' immortal Body.
A golden light shot down from the constellation Sagittarius in the sky, hitting Achilles' heel. This strike immediately nullified the effect of Achilles' Noble Phantasm "Andreias Amarantos."
With the protection of this Noble Phantasm, Achilles was almost invulnerable to attacks except those with divinity or divine weapons, similar to Karna's golden armor. But this Noble Phantasm was destroyed by Chiron's final strike.
Chiron, having tricked his disciple, smiled peacefully and dissipated into stardust. Achilles, the victor, wore a wry smile, feeling as if he was destined to be tricked by his master.
Having won a hard-fought battle, the exhausted Achilles let his guard down slightly, a fatal mistake.
Swish, swish, swish!
A series of arrows came from behind, turning him into a pincushion in an instant. With a few leaps, a figure with fluffy cat ears and a tail appeared in front of Achilles, looking at him with a complex expression. It was Atalanta, who had been ordered by Ryou to ambush in the dark and treat the battlefield as her hunting ground.
"Oh, it's you, big sis," Achilles greeted Atalanta with a smile as if he wasn't the one ambushed. But his current state was pitiful, with arrows sticking out of his back, his once vibrant hair drooping, and blood at the corners of his mouth.
"...Sorry."
Of all the things she could say, Atalanta could only utter those words.
"Why apologize? We are both warriors. The moment we stepped onto the battlefield, we accepted this fate. Besides..."
Achilles suddenly smiled like the boy next door.
"I'd rather die at your hands than anyone else's. Now my wish has come true..."
With those words, the famous ancient Greek hero dissolved into magical fragments and vanished.
...
Back at the Millennia Castle.
"What did you just say again? I am your... what?"
Jeanne scrutinized Ryou with a hostile expression, instinctively shaking her fists that had beaten Vlad senseless to increase her intimidation. After purifying Vlad III, Jeanne, now the Iron Fist Saint, immediately turned her attention to Ryou.
But Ryou, being who he was, saw Jeanne's imposing manner as nothing more than a kitten baring its claws. Not only did she lack intimidation, but she also revealed a cute side of the Saint. He calmly took Jeanne's hand.
"Jeanne, come with me. Form a contract with me and become my exclusive Servant."
"What! What!!!"
Ryou's unexpected move threw Jeanne into chaos, her face instantly turning red. Faced with such a straightforward declaration, equivalent to a proposal, even the Saint of France was no different from an ordinary, innocent girl. When Jeanne finally regained her composure, her face showed a hint of hesitation.
However, Ryou, who was secretly observing her expression, was secretly delighted.
Without the special cheat-like aura of the protagonist, it would be almost impossible to move this kind, yet responsible, saintly lady. And now she hesitated, which instead proved that all Ryou's previous efforts had not been in vain.
Water overflows when the cup is full, and excess is worse than deficiency; Ryou naturally understood this principle. He did not press Jeanne to decide on the spot but instead smiled calmly.
"It doesn't matter. For such an important matter, you don't have to answer me immediately. I still have some unfinished business..."
As Ryou finished speaking, his gaze turned coldly toward the window. There, two disheveled figures were crawling out from a pile of ashes.
"I look forward to your decision and traveling together through the heavens and myriad worlds. For now, let me handle the final piece of our adversary."
Ryou naturally reached out and stroked Jeanne's face, then leaped off the balcony, leaving behind the saintly lady with a complex expression.
Jeanne instinctively placed her hand on her chest, feeling her heart beating faster than ever before. When Ryou said those words, she was truly moved.
...
Directly below the burned Hanging Garden, Amakusa Shirou, with his silver-white hair almost completely burned off, and Semiramis, covered in dust, crawled out from the pile of ashes. Just before Ishtar's Noble Phantasm hit the Hanging Garden, the Empress had detected it in advance.
Despite her usual listless appearance, the Empress used the Hanging Garden's flawless magic barrier to monitor any surrounding movements in real time. Ishtar's Noble Phantasm affected nearly half the Earth, so she naturally sensed it in advance. It was irresistible. The terrifying attack, with its earth-shattering momentum, made Semiramis unmistakably aware of this fact.
She acted decisively, immediately abandoning the hard-summoned Hanging Garden and teleporting, with the shocked Amakusa Shirou, to the area directly below the Hanging Garden. Her decisiveness directly saved both their lives.
Just as they teleported out, the Hanging Garden was hit by Ishtar's Noble Phantasm. In just a few seconds, the Hanging Garden, several times larger than the ancient Roman Colosseum, was reduced to ashes. Also burned to ashes along with the Hanging Garden was the unlucky Red Caster. No matter how strong his Self-Preservation skill was, it couldn't withstand such a world-destroying attack.
Their lives were saved, but Amakusa Shirou's heart was filled with boundless grief and anger. Sixty years of painstaking effort were destroyed in an instant. If not for the iron will of this Far Eastern Saint, he might have gone mad long ago.
However, perhaps madness would have been more merciful to him. At least losing his ability to think would mean not having to endure the pain of seeing sixty years of wishes destroyed at the last moment.
"Now tell me, who won?"
A playful voice sounded.
Ryou landed directly in front of them, looking at the disheveled Amakusa Shirou. Compared to the two bedraggled figures, Ryou, without a speck of dust on him, looked more like the mastermind villain.
"Nguyen Ryou!"
The string of reason in Amakusa Shirou's mind finally snapped. With a face full of grief and anger, he grabbed his long sword and charged at Ryou.
A look of pity appeared on Ryou's face. In terms of will, faith, and determination, he was far inferior to Amakusa Shirou who had harbored a wish to save the world for sixty years. But in terms of combat power, even without using his Descent state, Amakusa Shirou was no match for him.
However, a lion uses all its strength to hunt a rabbit; Ryou naturally understood this principle too. If he didn't use his Descent state and was overturned by Amakusa Shirou, it would indeed be a great joke.
A flash of magical light and both Amakusa Shirou and Ryou were clad in traditional samurai armor. The difference was that Amakusa Shirou's armor was solemn and primarily black, while Ryou's armor was unrestrained and purplish-blue.
Clang!
Two long and short swords clashed abruptly, sparks flying everywhere, and a sound like grinding metal pierced the air. For a moment, it seemed as if time had reversed back to ancient Japan, with two swordsmen deciding life and death with their blades.
Semiramis was just about to take action when Jeanne arrived and raised her holy flag, aiming it at her.
Next, noticing the commotion, Astolfo rode his noble steed and a transformed Kaar rushed over. From a distant hill, Atalanta, with a cold expression, aimed her bow at a vital point on Semiramis's back. Only Fran-chan seemed to have found a new form of entertainment, raising her iron hammer and continuously chasing down the unfortunate Dragon Tooth Warriors like a game of whack-a-mole.
The Empress's strength lay in the enhancement of her Noble Phantasm, but her combat strength was not worth mentioning. Surrounded by everyone, a look of helplessness appeared on Semiramis's face as she slowly raised her hands, signaling her surrender.
As for the two swordsmen continuously clashing in the field, no one stepped forward to help. Firstly, it was out of respect for the warriors' honor; secondly, even the least skilled Astolfo could see that Shirou, clad in black samurai armor, was at a significant disadvantage.
When the two first crossed swords, Amakusa Shirou, relying on his fearless momentum, managed to fight Ryou to a standstill. However, as time passed and Ryou gradually adapted to his attacks, the terrifying power of the Tsubame Gaeshi swordsmanship began to manifest.
The large sword in Ryou's hand seemed to possess a dreadful demonic quality, often attacking from the most unexpected angles, making it nearly impossible for Amakusa Shirou to defend. Moreover, Amakusa Shirou's sword moves were often straightforward and all-out, making it easy for Ryou to find openings.
Ryou's footwork subtly shifted, and his body either leaned or tilted to dodge Amakusa Shirou's attacks with minimal movement, then launched a fierce counterattack during the gaps in his opponent's offense.