Credits: Karman Brar
Early the next morning, deep within the forest southwest of Fuyuki City, within the territory of the Einzbern family, a violent tremor suddenly erupted.
Small, sensitive animals and insects are scattered in all directions. If someone experienced natural disasters had been present, they would have immediately recognized this as a likely precursor to an earthquake.
However, the true source of this tremor lay buried directly beneath the Einzbern castle.
As several beams of brilliant light shot out, the remaining structures of the castle were effortlessly sliced and melted away by the beams, as if a hot knife were cutting through butter.
Following this, the tremors in the surrounding ground grew increasingly severe. The closer one was to the ruins of the Einzbern castle, the more the ground began to rise and swell. Finally, like a volcanic eruption, it was pierced by a torrent of magical energy that burst forth.
The first structure to emerge from the ground was a glowing spire.
This spire, like the tip of a spear piercing the heavens, shattered the earth beneath the ruins of the Einzbern castle and continued to rise higher and higher, showing no signs of slowing down.
Next, surrounding the central spire, more and more architectural structures began to emerge. Protected by a sturdy magical barrier, these spires and towers broke free from the earth and ascended into the sky.
"Hanging Gardens of Babylon," Semiramis' voice echoed throughout the Einzbern territory. "Tiamtum Ūmu, activate.! Let the ants on this land recall the glory of the Age of Gods!"
With the Assyrian Empress' proclamation, a massive fortress resembling the Roman Colosseum rose from the ground and ascended into the sky.
Semiramis had previously utilized only a portion of the Tiamtum Ūmu, but now the entire system was deployed, revealing its true form—a defensive and offensive component of the airborne fortress known as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
The outer ring of the floating garden resembled the blades of a turbine engine, with densely packed, razor-sharp towers encircling the entire structure.
Inside these towers were magnificent and opulent buildings radiating with magical brilliance.
Within the inner sanctum of this Gardens of Babylon, the magical environment had undoubtedly returned to the standards of the Age of Gods. Even the True Ether of the Age of Gods, which should have been confined to the Inner Sea of the Stars, was revived on this land through Semiramis' Noble Phantasm.
Standing atop the central tower, at the throne room, Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel gazed down. The entire view of Fuyuki City lay before them.
Although the self-concealment spell of the garden and the residual great bounded field of the Einzbern territory could hide the aerial fortress from the eyes of ordinary people, such a massive phenomenon of the Age of Gods' resurgence was impossible to conceal from magi.
Every magus participating in this Holy Grail War would undoubtedly notice the floating garden immediately and deduce that it was the work of the Einzbern Servant deploying their territory-construction Noble Phantasm, prompting them to devise countermeasures.
After all, the previous night's battle had already left the Einzbern base in Fuyuki—a castle fortified with countless layers of protective magic—completely destroyed.
But Kiritsugu Emiya didn't care. He had chosen this moment to reveal his trump card, intending to intimidate the remaining participants and deter them from recklessly invading the Einzbern territory.
The next step was to monitor the outcomes of battles between the other Servants. Kiritsugu calmly strategized. If a significant imbalance of power emerged among the remaining factions, he would command the floating garden to temporarily assist the weaker side, ensuring that the overall strength of his enemies was reduced.
When the time came when he could crush all remaining opponents, that would be his moment to seize victory in the Holy Grail War.
No one could stop him from achieving salvation for humanity—not even the Mage's Association.
...
"No, at this rate, Waver will certainly die!" Kayneth exclaimed in frustration as he injected an alchemical reagent he had just prepared into Waver. "This reagent can only temporarily sustain his life. Once its effects wear off, he'll still die!"
"Is there no other solution?" Rider, Iskandar, asked seriously. "Aren't you the lord of that Clock Tower or something?"
"Do you even know what kind of toxin this is?" Kayneth snapped angrily at Rider. "This is the Hydra venom from the Age of Gods! Without a cursed artifact from that era, modern magi can't possibly neutralize this poison!"
Looking at his student, who lay barely clinging to life on the experimental table, Kayneth felt his pride wounded.
He, a lord of the Clock Tower, couldn't even protect his student. If word of this got out, how would others view him? Especially since Waver had been injured by a filthy magus!
Agitated, Kayneth paced back and forth in the room, hands behind his back, trying to come up with a proper solution. The only method he could think of to counteract the Hydra venom was to seek assistance from the Department of Spiritual Evocation, which managed cursed artifacts. He would need to purchase a preserved Hydra larva and use a complex alchemical ritual to extract an antidote from it.
However, all of these steps would require precise equipment and a great deal of time—time that Waver Velvet simply didn't have.
"I might have an idea," Iskandar said thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "Do you remember that Waver from the future?"
"You mean...?" Kayneth's eyes widened. "Although the idea of a Pseudo-Servant is dubious, if that person truly is Waver Velvet himself, then perhaps he might have the means to save himself..."
"But at the end of the day, he's still just Waver Velvet. Does he have that kind of ability?" Kayneth hesitated, unable to make up his mind.
"Stop dithering like an old woman!" Rider slammed Kayneth on the back, nearly knocking him over. Karna, who stood nearby, even hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should step in to protect his Master. "How can you call yourself a teacher worthy of serving under this king if you act like this?"
"Hmph!" Kayneth glared at Rider and straightened his disheveled clothes. "That boy is on the brink of death anyway! Might as well gamble on this!"
"Ha! Now that's the spirit!" Rider laughed heartily. "So, do you know where those Chaldeans went?"
Just as Kayneth mustered his resolve, he fell silent again, realizing he had no idea where the trio from Chaldea had gone. Supposedly, they had followed Aoko Aozaki back to her base—but where exactly was Aoko's base?