Mending his clothes didn't take long. The special patterns woven with unique techniques were restored under Morpheus's skilled hands. After putting his outfit back on, he looked at the Durandal in Jeanne's hands with a satisfied expression.
"Not bad, truly not bad. To block this sword's attack, you'd need something of equal or greater power... otherwise, nothing can stop its cutting fate."
As he commented, Morpheus mused inwardly.
Servants, or rather Heroic Spirits, these beings outside the timeline, are incredibly useful at times. In normal history, Jeanne hasn't been canonized yet, but the Jeanne on the Throne of Heroes has no such limitation. No matter when she's summoned, she carries the legend's blessing, embodying the concept of a saint.
Moreover, this is France, where the people's recognition of Jeanne persists. Even with Jeanne Alter causing chaos, as long as that foundation remains, a slight shift can produce such a powerful effect.
By the way, using the Son of God's blood for healing was quite effective, but sadly, even when I sanctify myself, the blood I produce doesn't last long. Every time I need to draw blood, I have to put myself through that ordeal first... what a hassle.
The worst part is, when I'm in a sanctified state, the blood's healing effect doesn't work on me…
Jeanne, meanwhile, happily swung her sword. "With this weapon, even facing the witch version of myself is nothing to fear!"
Morpheus asked, "What's our next move?"
Jeanne glanced at her weapon. "Without this, I'd opt for a cautious approach... gather intelligence, figure out the enemy's weaknesses, and whittle down their forces. But with this sword, the best strategy is to charge in and take them out before they cause more damage!"
Straight-up frontal assault?
Morpheus, whose memory of the plot was fuzzy, nodded slightly. "I agree. Let's hit them head-on. Our goal is simple: take down Jeanne Alter, wipe out her summoned monsters, and restore history to its proper course."
"A frontal assault?!" Ritsuka swallowed, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "This is so epic, like a heroic saga!"
Morpheus patted her shoulder, grinning. "Of course! You're looking at a hero who sailed with the Argonauts in ancient Greece. A little epic heroism is only natural!"
"Huh?! You're from ancient Greece?"
"I passed through there and joined in the fun."
"That's still incredible! It's like something straight out of the stories... ancient Greece is full of heroic tales!"
Jeanne spoke with enthusiasm, her eyes shining as she looked at Morpheus.
Morpheus half-expected her to pull out a copy of Greek Mythology and ask for his autograph.
Thankfully, that didn't happen. Jeanne, once a village girl and now a Servant, wouldn't carry such a book.
The group swiftly advanced toward Orléans. On the way, Mash whispered to Morpheus, "Morpheus-senpai, don't we need to find other Servants?"
"No need. It might sound harsh, but in terms of combat power, we don't need them. Searching for them wastes time. Better to find Jeanne Alter, deal with her, and get back to Chaldea... maybe even in time for dinner."
Hearing Morpheus treat saving the world like a day job... head out in the morning, return home by evening... Mash blinked, finding the analogy oddly fitting.
Yet, given his strength, it didn't seem unreasonable.
As they neared Orléans, the villages they passed grew increasingly ravaged. Ruins were everywhere... warehouses, houses, windmills, all destroyed.
Seeing the devastation, Jeanne frowned, her eyes filled with worry. "How much does the witch version of me hate humanity? What happened here?"
At that moment, more enemies appeared... a swarm of wyverns swooping down from the sky, circling as they sought their targets. Then, like dive-bombers, they spat scorching fireballs that slammed into the ground.
The group dodged quickly, but the relentless assault... fueled by the sheer number of wyverns... turned their fireballs into a machine-gun barrage.
Mash deployed her shield, protecting the group. Jeanne drew her sword, Durandal's power surging within her, enhancing her body instantly.
But Morpheus stopped her. "Hold on. It's not just wyverns this time."
Indeed, it wasn't. A massive black dragon appeared in the distance, with a figure clearly standing on its back.
Several other figures rode wyverns behind it, approaching swiftly!
Mash struggled to fend off the attacks. Seeing her strain, Morpheus drew his bow and fired an arrow skyward.
Mash expected relief, having seen his arrows before, but this one only pierced a single wyvern, not splitting into a barrage of light.
Why didn't Morpheus-senpai use that spell? Couldn't it clear the area instantly? Mash wondered, too busy countering the wyverns to ask.
"Focus on blocking. There are a lot, but as long as they don't reinforce, your burden will lighten," Morpheus said, firing another arrow, piercing another wyvern.
His fingers worked the bowstring rapidly, arrows flying. The once-overwhelming wyvern swarm dwindled in number.
In less than half a minute, as the giant dragon reached them, Morpheus had reduced the wyvern horde to just a few.
"Impressive. To wipe out so many of my summoned wyverns as a mere magus, your strength is remarkable," Jeanne Alter said, standing atop the black dragon, looking down at them. Despite her losses, she showed no fear.
With her words, five figures appeared before the group.
One was a young blonde swordswoman, disguised as a man. Morpheus rummaged through his memories, identifying her.
"D'Eon de Beaumont."
Jeanne Alter's expression shifted.
Morpheus turned to a light-blonde, less-than-handsome older man. "Dracula."
Jeanne Alter's face darkened further.
A purple-haired girl holding a cross. Morpheus glanced at her. "Martha."
Jeanne Alter gripped her weapon tighter.
Looking at a vampire-like woman, Morpheus rubbed his chin. "Carmilla?"
Jeanne Alter took a deep breath, glaring at Morpheus. "Who are you?!"
Morpheus grinned. "I got them right?"
His companions stared in shock, wondering how he identified all the Servants correctly... Jeanne Alter's reaction confirmed his accuracy.
Morpheus ignored her, focusing on the fifth figure, a woman etched in his memories, one who supposedly never married.
She held a bow, wary, watching Morpheus.
"Time to wake up," Morpheus said, snapping his fingers.
"What are you doing?!" Jeanne Alter demanded, but no one answered.
The answer came soon enough.
A light shone from the green-haired girl, mana surging!
Jeanne Alter, horrified, felt her contract with the Servant loosening, as if something were severing their bond!
Not all Servants were affected... only the bow-wielding girl.
Atalanta, a Servant from ancient Greece!
"Madness Enhancement is just mental interference, like a curse. What I gave you isn't so easily disrupted," Morpheus said, smiling at her.
Not the original, but a Noble Phantasm formed from a Heroic Spirit's legend... a peculiar necklace appeared on Atalanta's neck, absent before but now present.
In the distant past, Morpheus had given her that gift. Now, through the legend's miracle, it reappeared.
The Madness Enhancement was erased, even reflected, its mana striking the source... the Holy Grail.
Had it not been ineffective against the Grail, a mere vessel, the curse would have maddened Jeanne Alter, altering her class.
The contract shattered. The Command Seals remained but lost their power.
"What's…?" Atalanta looked around, confused, in this unfamiliar place among strangers. Then she saw a familiar figure.
"Morpheus?!" She cried, her voice filled with joy. Ignoring everyone else, she rushed forward.
Unheeding of others' gazes, the girl... who had forgotten how long it had been since she last saw him... threw herself into his arms.
Her grip was strong, clinging tightly.
"You're really okay!"
"Keep hugging like that, and I won't be!" Morpheus said softly. Feeling her trembling, he sighed, placing his hands gently on her shoulders. "It's been a while, Atalanta."
Mash gasped, covering her mouth in a rare girlish gesture. Jeanne stared, eyes full of curiosity. Ritsuka blinked, then gaped.
"Whoa! Am I watching some primetime drama?"
"I doubt primetime dramas would play out like this," Romani quipped accurately. Olga Marie, watching, gaped. "What's going on? An enemy Servant just defected! Can Servants in a Holy Grail War do that?!"
"They seem like old friends," Romani said, eyes gleaming with gossip. "Looks like Morpheus's report was true. He really was in ancient Greece. That's Atalanta from the Greek era!"
Olga Marie asked, "Atalanta? The lifelong unmarried, fervent Artemis devotee?"
"Seems she didn't stay unmarried because of Artemis but because her heart was elsewhere," Romani said, rubbing his chin. "I think my guess is spot-on!"
"Alright, let me top off your mana. Once we're done, I'll figure out how to summon you properly," Morpheus said, patting Atalanta. Seeing her reluctance to let go, he added, "We're about to fight. Can you ease up a bit?"
The girl reluctantly released him. Morpheus sighed in relief, but seeing her red eyes, guilt washed over him.
I shouldn't have dodged her feelings back then, avoiding the truth and making her wait so long… But I didn't expect her to wait. If I'd acted, it might've been worse.
Things are different now. I'm sure I can navigate different worlds without causing harm…
He gently patted her hair, then turned to Jeanne Alter. "Let's make this quick. I don't want to waste time here. I've got to research precise summoning back at base."
Jeanne Alter's face was dark as coal. She hadn't expected her summoned Servant to defect.
Hearing Morpheus, she gritted her teeth, swung her weapon, and shouted, "Tear them apart!"
***
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