The light beam shot from the Hanging Gardens reached Jeanne in an instant. Jeanne knew clearly that she could no longer dodge. There was simply no time. What awaited her was an unprecedented self-destruction attack!
"No choice!" Raising the staff of her spear, loosening the flag wrapped around it, and planting the spear into the ground like a flag. Looking at Spartacus, who was continuously expanding and on the verge of exploding under the light beam descending from the sky, Jeanne's eyes showed determination.
"My Lord is here!" Jeanne gripped the holy flag with both hands and activated her Noble Phantasm. It was the flag that Saint Joan of Arc held as a substitute for a sword.
That holy flag, which brought countless encouragement and upliftment to the soldiers who followed the Saint into battle, was said to always protect the Saint who always fought on the front lines. And if this flag was activated as a Noble Phantasm, it would convert Jeanne's exceptional Magic Resistance into a defensive power that repelled all physical or spiritual attacks.
Facing Spartacus's release, a blow that carried all his hatred and joy, the holy flag completely blocked and repelled it. But at the same time, this massive explosion instantly engulfed the entire battlefield.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, it came so suddenly?!" Looking at the rapidly approaching blast, Shirou, who was continuously clashing with Achilles and suppressing him with a fierce assault, stopped his movements.
"Pfft!" Due to Shirou's pause, Achilles, finally able to breathe, violently spat out a mouthful of blood. Then he leaned against a tree trunk, desperately gasping for air.
At this moment, he was completely suppressed by Shirou.
For high-level experts like them, no flaw could exist.
Otherwise, it would cause a chain reaction, ultimately
leading to their defeat. Achilles was precisely in this situation. The physical injuries, the urgent feeling of soon facing his teacher, and the flaws in both his body and mind made it impossible for him to be evenly matched with Shirou at this point. Thus, he was continuously suppressed.
"It seems there's no chance to send you back to the Throne of Heroes today!"
"Although I'd like to say 'let's fight again next time,' I doubt you'll come looking for me again next time!" Shirou said with a laugh, his appearance returning to normal as magical energy flowed. Achilles remained exceptionally silent regarding this. He understood that Shirou was right, because his next opponent was very likely his teacher, Chiron! Glancing at the explosion that had already spread before him, Shirou smiled and vanished!
Unwillingly pounding the tree trunk, Achilles also instantly vanished into the forest. At the same time, Karna and Vlad III, who were battling in the center of the plains, also rapidly retreated. Under the assault of this massive explosion, the battling Heroic Spirits swiftly retreated in all directions. Terrifying magical energy continuously spread across the battlefield, destroying every living thing it encountered. But this was ultimately only a momentary event. Without subsequent magical energy support, this self-destruction attack quickly ended.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, this is too tragic!" In the forests on both sides of the plains, a large number of trees had fallen. The horrific scene was as terrifying as if it had been trampled by giants. Almost all of the golems, homunculi, and Dragon Tooth Warriors on the plains were wiped out. This was inevitable. After all, it was an explosion caused by such a massive amount of magical energy instantaneously converging.
Only a portion of the homunculi who had been waiting in the rear or had detected the crisis and fled early survived. The Servants, on the other hand, had all quickly left the battlefield to take refuge. If their reactions had been slow enough to be caught in this attack, they would have been considered below third-rate existences.
Standing in the destroyed forest, Shirou couldn't help but lament the changes in the battle situation. After all, everything happened too suddenly! Although he had known such a strike would come, it had come a bit too early!
"However, it seems the Red Faction's plan is going quite smoothly!" At this moment, the Hanging Gardens, which had been suspended in mid-air, suddenly appeared above Millennia Castle. Shirou nodded in satisfaction, understanding that the enemy's plan was about to proceed. Shirou had no intention of stopping the Red Faction from taking the Greater Grail.
On the contrary, he was quite happy to facilitate it. After all, without this, Vlad III wouldn't be so easy to deal with. Vlad III was very strong, especially in the territory of Romania, where he was outrageously powerful. It was truly difficult to defeat him here! But if he went to the Hanging Gardens, his combat power would be crippled!
So eliminating him in the Hanging Gardens was the best opportunity. As for whether it was too despicable to scheme against one's own allies before the Red and Black conflict was over? Shirou could only say, "Despicable be it!" But he absolutely had to achieve final victory.
Of course, beyond that, once the Holy Grail was taken, the strategic positions of both sides would swap. And this was what Shirou needed. Until enough Servants had died, the Greater Grail was just a useless item. Once the Greater Grail was taken by the Red Faction, the Red Faction, as the possessors of the Greater Grail, would become the defenders. And the Black Faction, originally the defenders, would become the attackers. In that case, with Darnic and Vlad III both absent, the Black Faction would be under his control! After all, Fiore would be the acting head of the Yggdmillennia family then!
So, wouldn't he decide when to attack? This would give him ample time to train his abilities! It was truly killing two birds with one stone!
"In that case, I should lie low for a bit! If I enter the Hanging Gardens with Vlad III, Darnic might not immediately break with him!"
"That would affect my plan!"
"So what should I do now?" Shirou, looking around the battlefield, suddenly noticed a graceful figure.
"In that case, I'll go with Jeanne!"
________________________________________
"It seems everything is proceeding according to our plan!"
Semiramis said, then addressed the other retreating Servants, "You all worked hard. It seems your boiling hot blood hasn't cooled down yet, but it's alright, just endure a little longer, the battle will resume soon."
Hearing this, Atalanta asked, puzzled, "I don't mind that, but what are we approaching that fortress for now? Are we planning to directly kill the enemy's Masters?"
"Why even ask? Of course, it's to have them return the Greater Grail."
For a moment, all the Servants present fell silent.
Achilles and Atalanta exchanged glances, and even Karna looked at Semiramis with a surprised expression.
"You said 'have them return'? No, furthermore, how can they return it?" Semiramis smiled and pointed to the floor. "The reason this Hanging Garden floats in the air is entirely based on the concept of 'inversion'. Plants grow downwards, and water always flows upwards from below."
The floating garden stopped above Millennia Castle. If the residents of Trifas had looked up at this night sky, what would they have thought of this massive garden that even obscured the moonlight? At the very least, they wouldn't be able to maintain a normal state of mind.
"Watch closely, narrow-minded magi, this is the true domain of magecraft." Semiramis laughed loudly, spread her hands, and unleashed the spell.
Boom! A fierce gale began to blow from the bottom of the garden. That whirlwind-like current connected with the castle as if it were a pipeline.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are they really planning to take it?!"
Hearing Achilles's question, Semiramis nodded.
"Of course! Because this garden was designed for that very purpose! Alright, come out now, Greater Grail! Let me see your ugly yet beautiful form, constructed by god-tier magecraft!" The earth began to collapse and was gradually absorbed. Two-thirds of Millennia Castle had already been destroyed, and the exposed rocky ground gradually crumbled and scattered. The Greater Grail finally revealed its true form.
"Is that the Greater Grail?"
________________________________________