Several minutes earlier, on the edge of the plains outside Fortress of Millennia in Trifas—
Whoosh!
In the heart of the plains, amidst the terrifying explosion, Red Saber Mordred completed her Noble Phantasm's release unaffected and charged once more toward the well-organized lines of the Astartes warriors.
"The First Legion, fall back! Create some distance!"
At this command, Alex's enormous figure also vanished, just like Mordred, in an instant.
Whoosh! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fierce sounds of their clash reverberated across the plains. The battle had shifted from a standoff to full mobility, each collision unleashing shockwaves that sent plumes of dust and chunks of grass soaring into the air.
Within moments, this once-picturesque tourist plain was ravaged, with nearly a five-hundred-meter stretch left torn and battered. Once-lush flowers and grass had been flattened, and the land was now full of pitted, uneven terrain.
...
Inside the Hanging Gardens.
The decadent and languid aura usually emanating from the Queen of Assyria, Red Assassin Semiramis, as she sat atop her pyramid throne, had vanished, replaced by an intense urgency.
Watching the transparent screen displaying each battlefield caught in a deadlock, Semiramis couldn't help rubbing her temples in frustration.
"Master, let's hope you succeed..." she murmured, glancing at the throne where Amakusa Shirou Tokisada had previously been standing.
By now, the situation was clear: a stalemate. They couldn't break through the defenses of the Yggdmillennia clan, but the Yggdmillennia clan also couldn't break through theirs.
Archer Atalanta was preoccupied holding off Black Archer Chiron. Even with the advantage of the Hanging Gardens' magical array, allowing her to disrupt and impede Black Saber Siegfried from supporting other battlefields, she was limited.
Atalanta lacked a strong, single-target Noble Phantasm, and her ranged attacks could not deliver fatal blows. Unless she could hit the Bodhi Leaf marking on Siegfried's back…
Otherwise, accumulating minor injuries was just a minor issue for Siegfried, barely even a nuisance.
Meanwhile, Saber Mordred was mired in a relentless assault from these supernatural soldiers, able to defend herself but unable to escape. Even her Noble Phantasm release was blocked by a high-ranking black-armored officer.
And then there was Lancer Karna. His immense power was beyond question; as the son of the Sun God, his might was unparalleled.
Not only did he easily suppress multiple Black Servants, but he even managed to injure Black Lancer Vlad III severely during their siege.
But the unexpected factor here was Black Rider's army-summoning Noble Phantasm, which not only conjured these extraordinary soldiers but even fielded generals capable of matching real Servants in close combat!
Did I see that right?
Karna was getting overpowered, beaten until he spat blood by that blond giant of a man, a warrior who seemed like a descendant of the Titans...
After all, Karna was the Son of a God, armed with the Golden Armor that could reduce all interference (be it physical, magical, or cursed attacks) to a tenth of its potency—a shield so formidable even the gods struggled to break it.
"Still, I suppose this isn't all bad. This battle has forced out some of the strongest individual enemies from the Fortress of Millennia, weakening its defenses considerably. Master's chances of success…"
Supporting her cheek with one hand, Semiramis frowned, comforting herself internally.
At this moment, Semiramis regretted not preventing Rider Achilles from joining Atalanta on her mission to escort and strategically detonate Berserker Spartacus.
No matter how irreconcilable her views and personality were with Achilles, he would still have been a powerful asset—certainly preferable to the current lack of combat strength.
It was a pity that he fell in the early stages of the Holy Grail War…
Semiramis sighed deeply, "Now, it's just a matter of time. The longer we hold out, the greater our chances of winning."
"Mr. Kairi Sisigou, I'll leave Saber's situation in your hands. With the Command Spells in your possession, judge the situation yourself if she faces an insurmountable threat."
"Oh... got it."
Focused intently on the screen showing Mordred's battle, Kairi Sisigou was momentarily taken aback, then nodded solemnly.
"Unfortunately, we're not the ones holding the cards…"
Standing up from her throne, Semiramis's gaze grew complex as she watched the silvery figure, wrapped in a cloud of purple-red mana particles, hurtling toward Trifas like a supersonic missile.
A moment later, her figure dissolved into spirit particles, and she reappeared on the outer wall of the Hanging Gardens.
Clearly visible now, a massive… well, according to the knowledge granted by the Grail, this phenomenon was called a sonic boom cloud.
"So she's arrived…"
Boom! Boom! BOOM!
Thunderous explosions grew louder as they neared, like war drums pounding against Semiramis's heart. Against the backdrop of the colossal sonic boom clouds, Black Rider streaked across the sky like a meteor.
Without further hesitation, Semiramis issued her command. "Lancer, retreat! Black Rider has arrived!"
"Lancer, do you hear me? Fall back! The objective of drawing them out has been achieved. Don't waste time tangling with that summoned soldier!"
Her voice reached Karna's mind through the mana supply circuit connecting to her Servants, and all traces of her usual calm had vanished.
Boom!
"What?"
At her words, Karna's expression changed as he clashed against the towering warrior called Budo, his body's mana reserves stretched to the limit.
He had to leave. If he didn't withdraw now, he would face Black Rider and her army. And no matter his strength, defeat would be inevitable.
"General, I apologize. My Master and allies are calling me. It seems we'll have to resume our battle another time…"
"Hahaha... No problem. This is war, not an arena match. Any action that benefits oneself is perfectly fair. But more importantly, boy, you're planning to turn your back to me. How are you so sure you can escape unscathed?"
BOOM!
Budo's massive fists clashed with explosive force, sending shockwaves rippling across the battlefield, instantly reaching Karna's senses. As Budo's fists collided, lightning arcs began swirling and converging between them.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In a matter of breaths, Budo maintained a thick column of lightning while continuing to gather mana, converting it into more lightning, his momentum growing with every moment.
"Our Empress is returning, and you are all doomed!"
"My honor is my loyalty! For Selene!" Budo's war cry rang out like thunder.
The bulky exosuit housing his limbs crackled with arcs of thick, blue-white electricity, which surged outward. Instantly, the massive lightning column grew even larger.
Crackle!
Faced with this intensified onslaught, Karna's body hesitated, his legs sinking deep into the ground. A series of rending sounds echoed around him as atmospheric pressure built up around him. Lightning sparked off his Golden Armor, scattering small bursts of flame.
While Karna's body strained and he weighed his options for retreat, a warning suddenly echoed through the mana link.
"Lancer! Black Rider is heading directly for your position! She's accelerated—get out of there immediately!"
In the next instant—
BOOM-BOOM! BOOM-BOOM!
Explosions erupted from the sky, closing in on his position from a distance with alarming speed. There wasn't enough time!
Karna gritted his teeth and made a quick decision.
"O Sun, become my armor—Kavacha and Kundala!"
Pouring mana into his Golden Armor, the sun-disc pauldrons on his shoulders snapped together as he braced himself.
A focused, blazing beam cut across the land, leaving a melted trench in its wake as it shot toward the massive sonic boom cloud crashing down from above.
Rather than maintaining his standoff with Budo, Karna chose to redirect his attack against Black Rider descending from the sky.
As for Budo's lightning blast, he had no time to counter it directly, so Karna chose the fastest option: activating his Golden Armor's radiant sun power to withstand the hit!
It was a straightforward choice. Compared to Black Rider and her soldiers, it was obvious that Black Rider posed the greater threat.
After all, Black Rider was a divine spirit descended into the form of a Servant, with the feats of defeating Red Saber Mordred barehanded and slaying Red Rider Achilles—she was no fragile summoner.
"Karna…"
In her line of sight, she saw a striking young man with short, silver hair, pale skin, and heterochromatic eyes. Unlike the muscular aesthetics of the Empire's soldiers, his lean figure bore a red gemstone on his chest. The armor that covered his body seemed to radiate with the light of the sun, complemented by his golden spear.
But he was in terrible condition, his body strained from dual Noble Phantasm releases, his muscles spasming from exertion and injury—an undeniable display of his weakened state.
"What a shame. The Romanian Holy Grail War ends here."
"Heavenly Wrath!"
As Karna's high-energy, scorching beam shot toward her, Selene chanted calmly. She made no move to evade, her purple-red mana particles flaring as her speed increased.
It was as if the entire night sky had grown brighter, yet this light exuded a chilling aura of ruin.
Selene's innate skill, the Divine Core of the Divine Empress, infused her presence with overwhelming divine power, transforming the entire battlefield into a realm under her control.
Karna felt the divine blood within him react intensely to the approaching power.
In an instant, the weapon blessed by Parashurama met Selene's descent.
The impact sent devastating shockwaves rippling outward, a massive fireball illuminating half the sky.
Tear—!
The ground, fragile as fabric, was ripped apart by the turbulent flow and energy overflow.
Amid a blinding burst of purple-red radiance, Selene tore through Karna's searing beam, crashing into the earth.
Boom!
BOOM!
A new sun rose on the horizon, unleashing a world-shattering explosion!
The earth trembled violently. Even the distant Trifas and Fortress of Millennia could feel the tremors.
The entire plain shook. The lush grass withered instantly, burning as if consumed by fire. The ground became pliant as feathers under the explosive force of Selene's Honkai Energy, reducing everything to dust and driving her deeper into the ground.
Gale-force winds swept the land, and at the center of the explosion, the air itself grew hazy, distorted by the intense energy.
A massive fireball, mushroom-shaped, ascended toward the sky. The ground shook as the roar expanded in all directions, vibrating eardrums and striking fear into the hearts of those watching.
In Trifas, the residents who looked upon the colossal mushroom cloud lighting up the night sky felt nothing but terror. It had been only ten years since the Cold War ended, the shadow of nuclear threats still looming over the world.
"Is that a nuclear bomb?!"
"My God! My God, have you forsaken us…?"
"Has World War III started…"
People with some knowledge of nuclear warfare linked this sight to what they had once learned, crying out that nuclear war had begun!
"Nuclear bomb?!"
On the balcony of Fortress of Millennia, Darnic's knuckles turned white as he gripped his short magic wand, muttering as he gazed at the sky, now as bright as daylight.
Unlike some conservative magi, Darnic, despite being in his seventies, was always eager to adopt new knowledge and had no aversion to using modern technology.
For that, Darnic credited his experience serving in the German military during World War II.
"This destructive force—nuclear deterrence, a cold sun… how fitting."
Recalling Selene's skill, Cold Sun, Darnic rested his hands on the railing, letting out a wry sigh.
At his words, those standing behind him—Celenike, Gordes, Fiore, Caules, and the other Black Masters—nodded in agreement.
At that moment, none of them noticed the figure clad in a dark priest's garb, draped in a crimson shroud, slipping quietly into the fortress under the cover of age-old cloaking magic.