Chapter 103: Jeanne d'Arc Alter Appears!
"Glory to the Crown of Lilies" of Marie Antoinette,
"The Unrivaled Sword of Renown" of Roland,
And "Lamenting Music of the Painful Phantasm" of Baobhan Sith,
Three mighty streams of mana erupted as their Noble Phantasms were unleashed, surging like storm-driven waves!
The volcanic area racetrack suddenly erupted in clouds of dust, waves of raging brown sandstorms surging, almost blotting out the world before Eikou's eyes.
He only felt that, amid the torrent of mana from three directions, he was nothing more than a tiny oil lamp that could be snuffed out at any moment.
Only at times like this did Eikou resent that he hadn't worked harder, hadn't seriously pushed Baobhan Sith's route, and thus hadn't obtained a Noble Phantasm strong enough to counter them.
Only at times like this could he truly feel the overwhelming gap in power between himself and the Servants!
This was just a melee between two classes and it had already reached this scale—then how brutal would the end-of-term inter-class war be?!
Suddenly, from within the haze of dust came the elegant sound of Tristan's harp, along with the heavy footsteps of Gawain,
"Forgive me, Sir Eikou,"
The Red Knight plucked a note tinged with sorrow,
"These people have decided to go all-out here, then I, as a Round Table Knight, also intend to release my Noble Phantasm here, striving to eliminate as many contestants as possible!"
"Are you insane, Tristan, what we should do is take advantage of this and get the hell out of here!"
Eikou hurriedly shouted.
Yet he knew full well that such an idea wasn't realistic at all.
Marie Antoinette's Noble Phantasm was a wide-range Anti-Army, while Roland's Durandal was an A+ ranked Noble Phantasm.
As for Baobhan Sith, she was even more terrifying—her Noble Phantasm was guaranteed to strike true and had already locked onto Eikou.
Placed in this formation, Eikou and the two Round Table Knights had little chance of escaping disaster.
"Barring the unexpected, I fear I must be eliminated here."
True Name Release, [Failnaught: Phantasmal Music of the Painful Lament].
Tristan's eyes grew sharp, revealing golden pupils like those of a hawk.
"Before parting, I truly wish, together with Sir Eikou once more..."
His gaze sharp and unwavering, he solemnly lamented:
"To go to the Married Woman Club."
"I've never even been to that damn place, don't start spouting nonsense just because you're about to get eliminated! This is just a race, don't act like it's some life-or-death farewell! And stop pretending to be my favorite Nuke Hero!!"
But in the very next second—
Four Noble Phantasms were unleashed at once.
In that instant, an unprecedented storm of mana erupted, shaking the soul like thunder crashing down!
In a dazed moment, Eikou felt the world freeze before his eyes at the sight—the dazzling radiance of the holy sword Durandal, Baobhan Sith's wicked bloodied thorns, the crystalline horse galloping like the wind, and...
The resonant sound of harp strings, silver threads intertwining, quietly weaving themselves into the melee of Servants.
That was Tristan's Noble Phantasm, Failnaught.
"Boom!"
Time resumed in Eikou's vision, only to see the four Noble Phantasms collide violently, mana surging in torrents enough to tear apart the body, clashing against each other.
Countless clouds of dust burst into the air, deafening explosions roared, as though the entire world was torn into black and white!
The raging wind swept forth, together with chaotic streams of Mana, nearly claiming his very life.
But at that moment, a tall and muscular body stood before him as a shield.
"Sir Eikou, there is something I must say to you..."
It was Gawain's voice.
"Sir Tristan will be eliminated, and I fear I myself won't be able to last much longer either. Next, we may only be able to entrust it to you."
"To me?"
Eikou could hardly believe it.
"Relying on me alone, there's no way I can reach the goal——"
Gawain only smiled calmly.
"Ha ha, important things are often overlooked, isn't there still a 'substitute member' in our team?"
"But she belongs to France United, we can't let her take the field… I don't want her caught between two sides, branded a traitor."
"You're not wrong to say that, but you should also think of Jeanne Alter's feelings. When everyone else is risking their lives for her, yet she herself can't do anything, her heart must surely be filled with guilt."
"..."
Eikou truly had never thought of this.
"At that time, you should rely on her. For her studies, for our pairing plan, you must seize the number one position."
[Four Noble Phantasms collide, unleashing an unprecedented earth-shattering impact.]
[You are swept away by the massive magical energy from the clash of Noble Phantasms.]
[Please perform an Endurance check.]
A die suddenly rolled down.
Dust billowed, and the sound of the shockwave still reverberated endlessly.
...
Inside the Simulation Room, the two homeroom teachers, faces full of worry, watched the chaotic scene through the projection screen.
"The teams at the frontline are unleashing their Noble Phantasms one after another, treating this place as either their own or their enemies' burial ground."
"This melee has ended, let's see if there are any players still alive."
"Team Marie, Charlotte unfortunately eliminated."
"Team Baobhan Sith, Mordred unfortunately eliminated."
"Team Twelve Paladins, Astolfo unfortunately eliminated."
"The three surviving teams, without time to grieve for their eliminated teammates, immediately jumped on their bicycles and dashed toward the finish line."
"As for Team Eikou… not a single one of them can be seen. Could it be that the entire team was eliminated due to severe injuries?"
Finn furrowed his brows tightly, his face clearly filled with anxiety.
Suddenly, the camera shifted to a rugged mountain path nearby, where a dirt-covered figure was dragging his bicycle back onto the track.
It was none other than Mochizuki Eikou!
...
[Check successful.]
[Although you were blasted away by the shockwave of magical energy, you only suffered a few minor injuries, nothing serious overall.]
"Confirmed, contestant Eikou has survived!"
"But unfortunately, only Eikou-kun remains alive, while Gawain-kun and Tristan-kun have both been eliminated due to serious injuries."
"His situation is truly worrisome, Team Eikou has lost two pillars, two Round Table Knights of great martial prowess. With Eikou-kun's current physical state, is there still any hope of contending for the championship?"
"But not to worry, their team still has a substitute, who has rayshifted right beside him——"
A proud figure clad in black stood arrogantly on the pitch-dark mountainside after the lava had cooled.
That ferocious black armor emanated both the dignity of a Knight and a blasphemous aura of evil.
On the screen visible to everyone, they believed this to be Lancelot of the Berserker-class!
But only Eikou knew that inside that armor was in fact Jeanne Alter.
That was the Dragon Witch, Jeanne Alter!
She stood proudly on the mountainside, having resolved to join this race.
"Idiot, what are you standing there for, not pedaling your bicycle toward me yet? Time is short, I won't allow you to waste it."
From within the Knight's armor came Jeanne Alter's cold voice, in a tone loud enough only for the two of them to hear:
"Your two foolish teammates are no more, but it doesn't matter. I've grown bored of your dull program. From here on, it will be my turn to act directly, burning away every obstacle in your path…"
"Let me, Dragon Witch, help you seize the laurel crown of victory!"