"Haah…"
The scorching flames engulfed the forest, and the brilliant light illuminated the night sky.
Under Chihiro's control, the Samadhi True Fire, amplified using Ars Ignis, spread like waves, devouring all the sea monsters in its path.
A large section of the forest was burned to ashes, but thanks to Chihiro's meticulous control, the flames did not turn into a wildfire.
Watching Chihiro demonstrate such overwhelming power, Darnic gritted his teeth and took out the Holy Grail summoning card he had received from Astolfo.
"We can't wait any longer. We need reinforcements now."
However, before he could act, Chihiro paused his assault and looked up toward the distant sky.
"Hah… now this is interesting," Chihiro murmured.
In the air, Gilgamesh, seated atop his Vimana while observing the events with detached amusement, also turned his gaze to the distance and chuckled meaningfully.
"What is that?"
Chiron, who had also noticed the phenomenon, furrowed his brows in shock.
Gordes was equally stunned. "Are you joking?"
Caules, too, was wide-eyed. "Is that… a Servant's Noble Phantasm?"
What appeared in the distant sky was nothing less than a floating city—a massive structure that defied the natural order.
It was the treasure of Queen Semiramis: Aerial Garden of Vanity.
The sight immediately evoked memories of the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon. However, despite the association, this artifact was not directly connected to Babylon itself. Rather, it was a construct born of the distortion of Semiramis' legend, where falsities were mixed into her myth and ultimately became a reality through belief.
Because of this falsehood in its origin, activating the Hanging Gardens of Babylon was no simple task.
First, an immense amount of physical materials was required to construct it, enough wealth to rival a small nation's economy. The more flowers it contained, the more mystery and grandeur it exuded.
Then, to anchor the falsehood to reality, an elaborate ritual lasting three days and three nights was required to breathe life into the structure.
Only after all these requirements were fulfilled would the Hanging Gardens of Babylon fully manifest.
In the original timeline, Kotomine Shirou had planned to use this trump card during his assault on the Black Faction the following day. However, it had now appeared a day earlier, clearly in an effort to catch their enemies off guard.
It had been exactly three days since the ritual began. The timing confirmed their efforts to ensure its completion.
The skyborne fortress began moving toward the Yggdmillennia stronghold, its grandeur unmistakable. As it advanced, two figures leapt from the gardens, descending rapidly.
They were Karna and Achilles.
Atalanta, who could not fly, rode alongside Achilles on his chariot.
The trio split up as they descended—Karna heading straight toward Yggdmillennia Castle while Achilles and Atalanta moved toward Chihiro.
It was clear their goal was to stop Chihiro's advance.
"Hahaha! Chihiro, let's settle this again!" Achilles shouted.
As he landed, Achilles dismissed his chariot and brandished his Spear-tip of the Star Traversing the Skies, charging toward Chihiro.
Atalanta, meanwhile, climbed into the branches of a nearby tree, preparing to provide support from afar.
The forest surrounding Chihiro was still ablaze, forcing Atalanta to keep her distance.
"Buzz…"
Just as Achilles was about to reach Chihiro, countless talismans materialized in the air around him.
"A trap!"
Achilles quickly retreated, narrowly avoiding the sudden explosion of fire and lightning that erupted from the talismans. The shockwave sent him flying several meters back.
"That was close. Too close," Achilles muttered, glancing instinctively at his heel.
He had dodged because one of the talismans had been placed directly beneath his foot. If he had chosen to endure the attack, his body might have withstood it, but his heel, his weak point, would have been struck.
"A trap of this level isn't enough to take me down," Achilles remarked with a confident grin.
"Qillin Armor!"
Chihiro, unfazed, called forth the Qillin Armor and summoned the God Force.
The clash between Chihiro and Achilles erupted anew, their battle ferocious and evenly matched.
"Tch… this armor again," Atalanta muttered from her perch, frustration clear in her voice.
She had already seen the Armor in action. Its defense was impeccable, rendering her arrows useless.
Even so, she continued firing, if only to harass him.
"Go!"
At that moment, Chihiro softly uttered a command, and Atalanta's instincts screamed danger.
Something was approaching from behind her.
Atalanta leapt from the tree just in time, a blade of cold light slicing through the trunk she had been standing on.
"What…?"
Atalanta looked back to see a circular weapon hovering in mid-air, spinning at high speed. The weapon turned toward her and attacked again.
She nimbly dodged and fired arrows in an attempt to destroy it, but each arrow was effortlessly sliced apart by the spinning blade.
It was the Universe Ring.
The moment he saw Achilles and Atalanta approaching, Chihiro had unleashed the Universe Ring, sending it to hunt Atalanta down within the forest.
Faced with this autonomous weapon, Atalanta had no choice but to flee. Without using her Noble Phantasm to defend herself, anything in its path would be cut apart like paper.
"Big sister!"
Achilles, seeing Atalanta in danger, instinctively turned to assist her.
Chihiro seized this moment of distraction, activating another weapon in his arsenal: the Diamond Cutter.
"Diamond Cutter, retrieve!"
The Diamond Cutter's powerful suction locked onto the Spear in Achilles' hands.
"What is this?!" Achilles exclaimed, gripping the spear tightly with both hands. But the suction force was overwhelming, dragging him off balance.
Sensing an opportunity, Chihiro redirected the Universe Ring. Abandoning its pursuit of Atalanta, it flew toward Achilles instead.
Though Andreias Amarantos protected Achilles from direct harm, the Universe Ring's impact caused him to stagger, loosening his grip.
In that moment, the Spear slipped from his hands and was pulled into the Diamond Cutter.
"You… what did you just do?!"
Now that his treasure was gone, Achilles wiped away his usual carefree grin and looked at Chihiro with a serious expression.
After the Spear-tip of the Star Traversing the Skies had been absorbed by the Diamond Cutter, Achilles realized that his connection to the weapon had been completely severed.
This was the first time he had encountered such a phenomenon.
Chihiro retrieved the Diamond Cutter and said calmly, "We're enemies. Did you really think I'd be foolish enough to explain everything to you?"
"Fair enough," Achilles admitted.
Clenching his fists, Achilles said, "But don't think I can't fight without a weapon."
"Of course not," Chihiro replied. "But..."
With a faint smile, Chihiro dismissed the God Force and flexed his wrists. "Hand-to-hand combat is one of my strengths."
"Bring it on!!!"
The two fighters clashed again, this time exchanging blows in a brutal, close-quarters brawl. Fists collided with flesh, and neither seemed willing to back down.
While the battle here had reached a stalemate, the situation on Karna's side was entirely different.
Facing three Servants—Vlad III, Chiron, and Avicebron—alone, Karna held the upper hand with ease. His overwhelming power allowed him to handle the three without showing any signs of being disadvantaged.
If it weren't for Vlad III's bonuses from his reputation as a hero of the region and the inherent advantages of his home territory, Karna's dominance would likely have already turned into a one-sided slaughter.
"Damn it! Is there no way to stop him?"
Darnic and the others, watching from the castle as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon approached, gritted their teeth in frustration.
They were utterly at a loss. They had no additional Servants available to counter the assault.
At that moment, an inexplicable suction force began emanating from the Hanging Garden.
The ground beneath the castle trembled violently.
Everyone watched in shock as the Holy Grail, hidden deep within the castle, was forcibly pulled out.
"No!!!"
Seeing the Holy Grail his most carefully guarded treasure for many years being stolen, Darnic finally lost his composure.
In desperation, he activated the summoning card in his possession to summon a new Servant.
At the same time, he silently prayed for the arrival of a powerful and loyal Servant who could turn the tide of battle.
"The protector of Éire, leader of the glorious Fianna Knights, the one who defeated the armies of Nuada—Fionn mac Cumhaill has arrived!"
A summoning circle lit up, and from it emerged a handsome young man with long, golden hair.
"Your orders, Master. Hmm?" Fionn's confident voice trailed off as he recognized the man before him. "Darnic?"
The moment Fionn finished his introduction, his eyes locked on a familiar face.
Darnic, too, felt a pang of emotion as he looked at the figure standing before him.
"Fate certainly plays its tricks," Darnic muttered under his breath.
Fionn had been Darnic's Servant during the Third Holy Grail War, and it was thanks to Fionn's efforts that Darnic had secured the Holy Grail back then.
It was said that Fionn had located the Holy Grail's position by biting his thumb, a peculiar skill tied to his legend.
Darnic exhaled deeply. "I never thought we'd meet again, Fionn."
Fionn raised an eyebrow and said with a wry smile, "Yeah, I find it strange as well."
By all accounts, Fionn should not have retained memories of his previous participation in the Holy Grail War. Yet, here he was, remembering everything with perfect clarity.
"It must be the nature of this summoning," Fionn concluded.
***
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