"The Holy Grail's on that guy. To stop him from summoning any more troublesome things, we'll go after him—on horseback."
Not wanting to give misfortune time to grow, Saint George waved his hand and summoned his steed, the swift Bayard.
A horse famed for being able to withstand a single fatal blow—its speed was formidable as well.
Because Lin Qi had inherited part of Jeanne's strength, he'd also gained the temporary use of Revelation.
Under its guidance, the two of them pursued the direction in which Gilles had fled.
———
———
"Ahhh, of course! The real Jeanne must have that unparalleled sanctity, that unwavering faith! Without those qualities, how could Jeanne still be Jeanne? I really must have been feverish—forgetting something so obvious! Ah, sloth, what terrible sloth!"
In a dim room lit only by a faint glimmer, Gilles de Rais muttered with a crazed expression, clutching the Holy Grail that emitted a golden glow.
When he realized that the Jeanne Alter he had created was not the true Jeanne at all, Gilles's thoughts twisted even further. While Siegfried's power was fully unleashed, he had seized the chance to tear the Holy Grail back out of Jeanne Alter's body.
As for other considerations? Gilles had none. His deranged mind was wholly consumed by one idea: to craft a more perfect Jeanne.
"Besides the crucial elements—hatred toward the world, the desire for vengeance—she must also have purity, compassion for all creation… ah, and she should feel genuine sorrow and pain when destroying others. Yes! Mourn deeply in prayer, then continue to destroy… and—"
"Right! The most important thing—a leader's charisma! She must make even those she destroys feel joy!"
Gilles trembled with excitement as he built his delusion, his whole body shaking uncontrollably.
—Hm?
Through the wards of his workshop, Gilles sensed the approach of Lin Qi and Saint George.
"Why, why, WHY!? Why do they have to come now!? I only wanted to bring the true Jeanne back into this world—what have I done wrong!? O God, why must You rain suffering upon Jeanne and me—!"
He clawed frantically at his scalp, tearing skin and hair away until blood streaked down his face.
But he didn't care. He only screamed.
"Villains! They're villains—both of them! Anyone who stops Jeanne's return is evil! Only by destroying them can I make a world where Jeanne can live in happiness!"
Gilles froze mid-rant, his bulging eyes burning with fury and hatred.
Then his gaze fell upon the golden Grail in his hand.
———
A sudden, ominous surge of mana exploded outward.
The roof was blown clean off—rocketing into the sky like a missile before arcing and crashing down, shattering beyond repair.
A grotesque mass of black-purple flesh, riddled with boils and clustered tendrils, tore through the building and the makeshift workshop.
It unfurled its mangled, putrid wings—and bellowed a mindless, incomprehensible roar at the heavens.
Its overall shape was vaguely draconic. No doubt Gilles's long obsession with Fafnir had influenced the form.
The pressure of its magic sent dust and splintered wood skittering across the ground to Lin Qi and Saint George's feet.
"Looks like this last battle won't be the easy kind…"
Lin Qi leapt down from Bayard's back, summoning Balmung once more.
"Let's go together. I'll open a path to its core for you."
Saint George raised his blade Ascalon and leveled its gleaming edge toward the monstrous shape.
"Understood. I leave it to you."
Lin Qi nodded, flag of the iris in his left hand, Siegfried's Balmung in his right.
The next instant, a searing beam burst from the creature's lantern-like red "eye," firing straight toward them.
The two dodged easily and charged forward in unison.
Tendrils whipped from the monster's body, wrapping around boulders and hurling them like a scattershot storm.
Saint George tugged his reins slightly, swinging Ascalon in elegant arcs, cleaving each flying stone cleanly in half.
By contrast, Lin Qi's approach was sheer brute force. Backed by Armor of the Evil Dragon's Blood and Jeanne's Noble Phantasm's blessing, he ignored the barrage entirely, smashing through the projectiles one after another until they shattered to dust.
Only when they drew close could the monster's enormity truly be felt.
It was several times larger than Fafnir—a literal mountain of flesh.
But size alone didn't mean strength.
"Blessed Sword by Which Force Is Slain—Ascalon!"
Saint George invoked his Noble Phantasm, granting the abomination the Dragon trait.
It looked vaguely draconic, yes—but in truth, it had nothing to do with dragons.
"Command Seal—"
Lin Qi burned his final Command Seal. A surge of mana flooded his body, Balmung glowing in his hand with blinding brilliance.
Continuous weapon enhancement, and in addition—
Anti-Dragon.
He swung Balmung.
A slash of twilight light tore outward, carving a vast gash through the mountain of flesh.
Without hesitation, Lin Qi stepped into the opening and rushed inside.
He swung again and again, carving through the putrid walls, each blow widening the passage until even ten men could walk side by side.
Saint George followed on horseback, fighting beside him to the very last stretch.
The closer they came to the core, the faster the flesh regenerated. Even Saint George began to tire, sighing with mild regret.
"Seems I can only take you this far…"
"Yeah. Leave the rest to me."
Neither showed any trace of fear.
There was no need—faith in Siegfried, the Dragon Slayer's power, and in Saint George's own Noble Phantasm was enough.
What chance did any dragon-like creature have against the game's strongest anti-dragon weapon?
Saint George turned back the way they came, leaving Lin Qi alone to press onward.
His actions were simple:
Swing.Swing.Swing.Swing.
Balmung required only a trace of the true ether within its hilt's gem to unleash its full power—so all he had to do was keep swinging.
The flag in his left hand shimmered faintly gold; the Armor of the Evil Dragon's Blood worked ceaselessly.
Its first ability made his movements impossible to track—so even standing on the grotesque mass, it could not catch him.
Swing after swing after swing—the streaks of his blade merged into a torrent, reducing everything before him to formless chunks of meat. From afar, it looked like a corridor of twilight cutting straight through the beast.
Softly, Lin Qi began to chant the words of Balmung's invocation. The sword's edge flared with blue light as the aria continued.
He tore through the final thick wall of flesh—
And there, within, stood Gilles de Rais, eyes wild with madness.
"Ahhh—why!? Why!? Why must you stop me!? You devil—DEVIL!!"
Yes. To Gilles, Lin Qi and the rest were nothing but demons.
Lin Qi ignored the ravings. To him, this man was already dead.
Just because he'd glimpsed the pure light of the true Jeanne, Gilles had betrayed Jeanne Alter—claiming it was for her sake, when it was only for his own selfish desire.
Even as a villain, this one was the lowest kind.
"No conviction. No principles. You trample life at will. You—are beyond forgiveness."
Coldly, Lin Qi leveled Balmung at him.
Phantasmal Greatsword - Felling of the Sky Demon.
The twilight energy filled the entire chamber. Tendrils crawling toward him dissolved instantly. Gilles's crazed face was swallowed in pure white.
BOOM!
The light burst outward—tearing the mountain of flesh apart, a single column of radiance piercing through the clouds.
When the glow faded, Lin Qi stood amidst a rain of black blood and meat, gazing blankly up at the clear sky.
Before him floated the Holy Grail, glowing softly gold.
Crack—
A sound only Lin Qi could hear.
Within him, Siegfried's Saint Graph finally shattered from the strain. The Balmung in his hand scattered into motes of light and vanished.
...
Noble Phantasm Change:[My God is Here With Me] + [Armour of Fafnir] → [Thus Is My Heart (C)]
New Skills Acquired:
Revelation (D)
Dragon's Core (E)
Summoning: Dragon (C)
Dragon Slayer (D)
Magic Resistance (C)
Riding (C)
All in all, a pretty generous haul. Though, the ranks are a bit on the low side.