[Seeing how Achilles was completely dismissing her, Frankenstein aimed her hammer at him. The hammer opened, releasing a surge of green lightning.]
[This was the prelude to unleashing her Noble Phantasm.]
[At the same time, Gordes was shouting orders to Siegfried, demanding that he use his Noble Phantasm. But Siegfried stood still, unmoving.]
["Are you enjoying this battle?"]
[Gordes gritted his teeth, angered by Siegfried's disobedience. "Is this because you have no wish to entrust to the Holy Grail? Are you just here to enjoy fighting?"]
[He couldn't let this go on. "Victory belongs to the Yggdmillennia!" Gordes thought furiously.]
[In his frustration, Gordes activated a Command Seal, forcing Siegfried to release his Noble Phantasm.]
["What!"]
[Siegfried's body moved involuntarily. Gripping his sword with both hands, he raised it high above his head, preparing to strike.]
Tohsaka Rin: "Oh, this feels familiar."
Artoria: "..."
Darnic: "Gordes, what are you doing? Wasting an important Command Seal like that!"
Gordes: "It's not my fault! I swear I wouldn't act this rashly."
Watching the scene unfold, Gordes in the present timeline broke into a cold sweat. What was wrong with him in the video? Why was he so impatient?
["It doesn't matter. Try it if you can!" Achilles scoffed, showing no intention of dodging.]
[Blue magical energy gathered on Siegfried's sword as the Noble Phantasm activation began. But just as Siegfried was about to release it, control over his body returned to him. He immediately canceled the attack, dropping to the ground, exhausted.]
[The interruption came from Darnic, who had quickly realized what was happening and stopped Gordes from wasting a valuable Command Seal.]
[Gordes had no choice but to waste yet another Command Seal to cancel the previous order.]
[Flustered, Gordes tried to explain. "He's only interested in fighting. That's his only wish, so I—"]
["Two Command Seals wasted for such a ridiculous reason," Darnic said coldly. "Withdraw Saber immediately."]
[Darnic's icy gaze made Gordes shrink back, feeling a wave of humiliation.]
[To Darnic, tonight's skirmish was only meant to be a minor test. There was no need to reveal any Noble Phantasms yet. If they did, their identities would be exposed, making it easier for the enemy to exploit their weaknesses, especially Siegfried's glaring vulnerability.]
[Darnic: "Archer, I'll leave the rest to you."]
---
Gordes swallowed nervously, sweat dripping down his face. The Grand Duke and Darnic both cast disapproving glances his way.
He had wasted two Command Seals. Such a reckless display of incompetence would not be easily forgiven.
Siegfried, who stood quietly by his side, let out a soft sigh. His Master's panic and poor judgment were making things unnecessarily difficult.
---
["That's it? How boring."]
[Achilles, seeing Siegfried withdraw in spirit form, remained calm. "If that Noble Phantasm could actually kill a god, then maybe it could've hurt me a little."]
[At the same time, Frankenstein, still brimming with fury, prepared to unleash her own attack. But Caules' voice rang out.]
["Berserker, don't bother with him! Leave Achilles to Chiron. Focus on taking down Archer!"]
[With her new orders, Frankenstein bypassed Achilles and charged toward Atalanta.]
[Achilles, realizing what was happening, moved to stop her. But just as he was about to strike, an arrow pierced his shoulder.]
["What!"]
[Achilles froze in shock, looking at the wound.]
[A second volley of arrows rained down on him, forcing him to dodge. With the distraction in place, Frankenstein took the opportunity to slip past Achilles and confront Atalanta directly.]
["So, you're the Black Berserker," Atalanta said, nocking an arrow and aiming at her opponent. "Your recklessness will cost you dearly."]
[She released her arrow, but it was intercepted mid-air by another arrow.]
[It was Chiron.]
[To hit an arrow in flight was a feat only a master archer could achieve.]
["So, Archer of the Black Faction?" Atalanta muttered. "Very well..."]
[She quickly fired three more arrows in rapid succession. But by this time, Frankenstein had already closed the distance, evading them with a single leap.]
["Is that all?"]
[Atalanta, seeing the situation turn dire, retreated immediately. She landed on a nearby tree branch, but Frankenstein swung her hammer, shattering the tree beneath her.]
["We'll settle this next time, Black Servant," Atalanta said as she retreated further.]
---
Achilles: "Hahaha, as expected of Sensei. He completely turned the tide of the battle single-handedly."
Chiron: "It was merely a well-timed intervention."
Darnic: "This was only possible because of the element of surprise. I doubt such results can be repeated in the future."
---
["Have you seen through all my moves?"]
[Achilles, now cautious, found himself struggling under Chiron's calculated attacks. Glancing over, he noticed Atalanta's retreat.]
["The big sister's gone. Guess there's no reason for me to stick around either," Achilles muttered before withdrawing.]
[Achilles stepped back, pulling the arrow from his body as he laughed heartily. "Hahaha, isn't this great, Archer of the Black? It's fate that I must face you, the one capable of killing me."]
["Gods of Olympus, grant this battle honor and glory. Let us have a chance to decide the outcome. I look forward to seeing you again next time," he declared.]
[With that, Achilles summoned his chariot and retreated.]
[As Achilles's figure disappeared into the distance, Chiron sighed. "How ironic, Achilles, that even those of us who are long dead are not exempt from the fangs of fate."]
[It was a rare reunion between this master and disciple, yet now they stood as enemies. It was truly a tragic situation.]
["Chiron, are you alright?" Fiore asked, concern evident in her voice.]
[Chiron nodded calmly. "It seems that my opponent in this Holy Grail War has been decided."]
Achilles: "Hahaha, a showdown with Chiron-sensei? I'm really looking forward to it."
Chiron: "Yes, I also wish to see how much you have grown."
Achilles: "Don't worry, I won't hold back when the time comes,"
Chiron: "Neither will I,"
[Not long after the Red Faction had retreated, Astolfo was seen sneaking out of the castle, dragging a homunculus with him.]
[On his way out, Astolfo passed by some magi recovering from their injuries. However, since it was Astolfo, they didn't pay him much attention.]
[Before leaving the city, Astolfo handed his sword to the homunculus for self-defense.]
[Unbeknownst to him, his actions had already been detected by Avicebron's Golem Familiar.]
[Elsewhere, in a room within the castle, Gordes was complaining to Siegfried when a sudden announcement echoed through the halls.]
[Avicebron's voice resonated: "Masters of the Yggdmillennia, be advised—Rider has escaped with a homunculus. That homunculus is a vital component for my research, so he must be captured alive."]
[Gordes grumbled in irritation as he received the order. Begrudgingly, he prepared to take Siegfried and pursue Astolfo.]
Celenike: "What are you doing, Rider? You're causing such a commotion!"
Astolfo shrugged nonchalantly: "What? This isn't such a big deal. I just wanted to let a homunculus go."
Avicebron: "That homunculus is unique and essential to my experiments."
Waver: ""You Black Faction members sure had a lively night."
Darnic: "I apologize for the chaos."
[Meanwhile, Astolfo and the homunculus had fled into the forest. However, the homunculus's body was weak, and he soon became short of breath.]
["Can I really escape?" Sieg asked hesitantly.]
["Of course," Astolfo replied confidently.]
["But… even if I escape, I'll die in three years anyway," the homunculus murmured, his voice filled with uncertainty. "I can neither contribute to the world nor leave behind anything of worth. What's the point of living like this?"]
[Astolfo looked at him intently. "Do you feel like you're not allowed to live?"]
["I… I don't know," Sieg replied quietly.]
[Astolfo's voice rose passionately. "Nothing in life is obligatory! You should live because you want to. Wanting to live is the most human thing there is!"]
[The homunculus looked at him, startled. "Live…"]
[Before the conversation could continue, a group of golems emerged from the ground, surrounding them.]
["Well, isn't this a warm welcome," Astolfo said with a grin, pulling out his lance and preparing for battle.]
---
Waver: "Astolfo, I never thought you'd be capable of saying something so profound."
Astolfo: "Hmph, I'm smarter than I look."
---
[Elsewhere, Jeanne d'Arc was investigating the aftermath of the battle between the Red and Black factions. However, she found the battlefield oddly quiet—there wasn't a single Master from the Red side present.]
[Suddenly, she sensed an internal conflict erupting within the Black faction and decided to investigate out of curiosity.]
[Back in the forest, Astolfo had just finished defeating the golems when Gordes and Siegfried caught up with him.]
["There you are! Making me chase after you for something so trivial, what a waste of my talents," Gordes complained loudly.]
["Run!" Astolfo shouted, stepping in front of the homunculus to shield him. "I'll hold them off—just go!"]
[Gordes sneered. "Saber, subdue Rider!"]
[Siegfried charged forward, engaging Astolfo in combat. Seeing his chance, the homunculus turned to flee, but his frail body betrayed him. After only a few steps, he stumbled and fell to the ground.]
[Gordes caught up to him easily, looking down at the homunculus with disdain. "I don't understand why Caster cares so much about this defective creation that can't even stand properly."]
***
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