Chapter 125: Find the Flame
『What, you really care that much about my earphones?』
『If you're that curious, want to listen to music together with me?』
『You think sharing earphones is something only couples do? Too intimate? Tsk tsk, so you actually care about things like that.』
『What a pity, I really do want to share one earphone with you though.』
『...』
『...You're really easy to persuade.』
『Hm? Don't listen to this one, you definitely won't like it. It's a soundtrack from some JRPG, the kind of music that for those who've played feels super cool, super "burning", but for outsiders just feels noisy.』
『But if you ask me, this piece really suits you, both powerful and stylish, Jeanne Alter.』
『The song's name is "Find the Flame".』
...
At the third racecourse.
The distance to the finish line was already just a short stretch, and the outcome had become very clear.
Baobhan Sith and her teammates had long since left Eikou's team far behind.
There was no doubt anymore, theirs would be the final victory in this match.
Cold wind howled across the water's surface, Eikou and Jeanne Alter were still struggling to wade forward upon it, their steps heavy.
Their speed slowed as they entered deeper water, the whole vehicle nearly sinking down, unable to advance or retreat.
A drop of blood fell onto the water, quickly dissolving into the ocean.
Through the surface Eikou could see his own pale face, drained of color.
Reason told him, this time no matter what there couldn't be a perfect outcome, better to surrender early and get treated; but instinct and emotion refused to listen, telling him he could still push a bit further, even though the chance of success was nearly zero.
And Jeanne Alter's gauntleted hand gripped him tightly.
"Eikou, listen carefully to what I'm about to say."
From within the heavy knight's helmet, Jeanne Alter's muffled deep voice resounded:
"Even if I have to reveal my identity here, it doesn't matter, I've already prepared for this!"
"But…"
Eikou still wanted to offer one last word of caution, but Jeanne Alter's armored finger flicked his forehead lightly.
"Annoying as hell, why are there so many 'buts,' huh,"
Jeanne Alter, brimming with spirit, said:
"Listen carefully, up until now I never wanted to have any relationship with you. After all, I am the evil-natured Dragon Witch, a cursed wicked woman. From the very beginning I never thought of approaching anyone. It was you who kept clinging to me relentlessly, refusing to let go, no matter what I did I couldn't drive you away, making me become endlessly greedy without restraint."
"So therefore…"
Her voice became somewhat tense and rushed:
"From now on, even if I am truly shunned by everyone, I can still rely on you… right?"
Eikou's eyes widened.
Through the gap of the helmet, he could see those beautiful golden eyes brimming with unease and timidity, along with the expectation of wanting to take one more step in the relationship, gazing intently at him.
『You don't need to rack your brain about how to repay me, or ask yourself if you deserve my help. As long as you speak up, I'll help you. Or rather, even if you don't want my help, I'll still step forward on my own, because that's just the kind of stubborn guy I am.』
『Because I absolutely do not wish for you to drop out of school. I want you to always stay by my side, Jeanne Alter.』
His head suddenly throbbed with pain.
It seemed as if at some time, somewhere, he had already spoken these words to Jeanne Alter before?
But when exactly had that happened?
"I…"
Eikou fell into bewilderment.
Finn's voice seemed to echo from a very distant place:
"Team Eikou has fallen into a dilemma, stopping in place. Contestant Eikou, what is going on here, could it be that he doesn't intend to keep moving forward anymore?
"They've already been left far behind by Team Baobhan Sith, so is he deciding to give up?"
"..."
Eikou looked into those golden eyes, always hidden in the darkness behind the helmet's slit.
Uneasy, expectant, worried, shy, afraid of rejection.
Yet still unable to suppress the desire to take one step closer to him.
"Even if I'm hated by everyone, it doesn't matter, I never had any intention of pleasing them anyway. But… only you, can you guarantee that you'll always stay by my side?"
"I'll say this in advance, normally I would never say such weird things! But you understand what I mean, don't you! You definitely understand, right?"
"Hey, say something, even if it's a rejection you still have to give me an answer!"
The knight's gauntlet gripped tightly onto his injured right hand, blood staining the steel armor red.
Drop by drop, blood fell from both of their hands, dripping below.
"...I understand."
Mochizuki Eikou slightly nodded:
"Then unleash your Noble Phantasm, from here on no matter what happens I will face it together with you…"
He wanted to appear truly serious and solemn, but he couldn't help smiling:
"Because I also really like being with you, Jeanne Alter."
『During this school year, I want to understand you even more.』
He clasped her gauntlet tightly.
Eikou poured all his remaining support skills, along with the last of his magical energy, entirely into her.
A skill that could strengthen magical energy for Buster — 「Hero Creation」.
Jeanne Alter closed her eyes tightly.
All the Servant skills she had been concealing until now, in this moment were released without the slightest reserve.
Self-Modification, Dragon Witch, Self-Replenishment, and…
「Ephemeral Dream EX」
Blood dyed the black gauntlet, in an instant transforming into blazing flames.
...
...
"Team Baobhan Sith is charging forward with absolute superiority, the goal is already right ahead!"
"No one can stop that leading momentum, like a blazing bloody meteor tearing across the sky, dazzling enough to shake the very soul!"
"She is about to create a historic record, leaving every rival far behind, with no one able to match her!
"There is no doubt anymore, the champion of this year's race has already been decided, no other contestant can surpass—"
Finn suddenly caught sight of a figure engulfed in flames.
"That is…"
His green eyes gazed toward the towering blaze:
"Lancelot of Team Eikou?"
"No, far more terrifying than that."
Napoleon, standing beside him, calmly lit a cigar. His eyes turned to the raging fire that flared so fiercely the very surface of the water boiled into steam.
"That is not the Knight of the Lake, but the witch who once perished in a sea of fire and was canonized."
In that instant, a figure burst forth with overwhelming force from within the inferno!
Clad in black heavy armor, she crossed the wall of fire, the flames rising behind her like the gates of hell thrown wide open—and she herself was the vengeful demon draped in flame, striding out from that door!
Her whole body was shrouded in dark armor. That evil dragon breathed heavily, and from the gaps in the armor, torrents of scorching fire surged out, as though to burn the heavens themselves.
Behind her, the crimson blaze blinded human sight. Only a rare few, in that fleeting moment, witnessed the spectacle: how the evil dragon had been reborn in the sea of flames.
The black armor of the Knight of the Round Table could not withstand the violent surge of magical power; in an instant it was incinerated into fragments.
Shattered black armor scattered behind her, flying like the fallen scales of a dragon.
At that very moment, a slender yet breathtaking figure tore through the broken armor, appearing amid the sea of fire.
The blazing flames wrapped around her, mingling with the falling fragments of black armor. Her flowing white hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and in her hand she tightly gripped the Banner of Evil Dragon… All of it formed an image eternally framed by fire — a woman scorned by the world like a demon, radiating an ominous and uncanny violet glow.
Avenger Jeanne d'Arc — Third Ascension!
"That is…"
Finn's eyes widened, his whole body trembling, so astonished he could not speak.
That… was the Dragon Witch!
Amid the audience's dumbfounded horror, Avenger Jeanne leapt gracefully, embracing Eikou's blood-stained body. Behind her, clusters of fierce flames gathered and erupted brilliantly.
The bicycle beneath their feet had melted into a glowing red lump of metal, yet it did not stop them; instead, it was dragged forward as they rushed ahead.
Uncontrolled streams of magical power surged from her hands, pouring into the black sword and the Evil Dragon Banner, exploding in an awe-inspiring blaze of vengeance.
Noble Phantasm — True Name Release.
"La Grondement Du Haine: Roar, Rage of Mine!"
In that moment, fire roared, gales howled, the waters split apart, and the lake erupted into pillars of scalding steam!
The earth-shaking magical energy unleashed by the Noble Phantasm granted her mobility far beyond all limits, driving her madly forward.
In just a few brief seconds, the distance between Team Eikou and Team Baobhan Sith was closed with terrifying speed!
"…I have resolved to advance."
The Dragon Witch, bearing the flames of death upon her back, poured all her strength into the final surge toward the finish line!