From the moment Rozen descended upon the battlefield, leading countless Servants and an entire horde of dragons, the tide of battle shifted completely.
The frontline that had been on the verge of collapse, tottering under the assault of the demonic beasts and barely able to hold out, was now completely reversed thanks to the arrival of powerful reinforcements.
All the familiars Rozen had previously summoned using the mana of the Holy Grail had already disappeared.
In their place, tens of thousands of dragons ravaged the land without restraint.
"ROAR!"
"ROAR!"
Amid thunderous roars, massive dragons circled and bellowed from the skies, unleashing blazing breath upon the swarming demonic beasts below, blowing them to pieces.
Mash, Hassan of Serenity, Ryougi Shiki, and Ishtar charged through the battlefield together, striking down demonic beasts and reaping their lives one after another.
Artoria [Alter] had engaged Kingu in fierce combat, the two chasing each other across the battlefield, their figures crossing again and again, as the holy sword and radiant blades clashed in sparks, sending shockwaves of chaotic energy rippling outward with terrifying force.
Meanwhile, Jeanne [Alter] was commanding part of the dragon horde, leading them in a siege against Gorgon.
"Burn! O flames of my wrath!"
Jeanne [Alter] cried out loudly, raising the banner of the Dragon Witch high. An endless sea of fire shook the earth, sweeping across the battlefield and scorching Gorgon's massive serpentine body.
The dragons led by Jeanne [Alter] darted around her, breathing torrents of searing flames at Gorgon, explosions erupting across her entire body with no part spared from the blasts. The scene was staggering.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Gorgon roared hysterically yet again—it was impossible to count how many times by now.
It couldn't be helped. Her body was simply too massive to evade incoming attacks. She could only endure them head-on; hysteria was inevitable.
Normally, Gorgon's Endurance was incredibly high, no less than A++. Ordinary attacks could not possibly harm her.
But ever since Rozen's arrival, whether it was him, Nobunaga, or even this seemingly insignificant Avenger before her, all of them possessed the power to wound her—driving her into maddened rage.
As for Jeanne [Alter], she could only harm Gorgon thanks to her Noble Phantasm.
Bathed in the flames of an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm at A+ rank, even Lev, once transformed into a Demon Pillar, had been reduced to ash.
Even if Gorgon was stronger than a Demon Pillar, there was no guarantee she would remain unscathed.
What's more, Jeanne [Alter] had no need to worry about mana consumption. She could unleash her Noble Phantasm continuously, burning without pause. No matter how resilient Gorgon was, she could not escape harm—especially when Jeanne [Alter] was supported by an endless swarm of dragons, all empowered by her skills.
Under such a siege, it was inevitable that Gorgon would be driven into pained howls again and again.
As she burned Gorgon, Jeanne [Alter] taunted relentlessly.
"You think this pathetic level of strength qualifies you to speak of vengeance against humanity? To wipe out mankind, to erase the earth itself? You really do overestimate yourself, goddess."
As a fellow Avenger, the fallen saint poured her scorn onto the god she so despised.
"Is this the depth of your hatred? Is this the force of your vengeance? It's not enough! Nowhere near enough!"
With another sweep of her flames, Jeanne [Alter] bombarded Gorgon once more.
"Shut up, you wretched counterfeit saint!"
Gorgon glared at Jeanne [Alter] with venom, unleashing her Mystic Eyes, mana surging forth. Malignant beams burst out, cutting through the inferno and petrifying the flames themselves.
"And aren't you a counterfeit too? A false goddess of beasts!"
Jeanne [Alter] shook the flag in her hand, and from the earth before her erupted a torrent of flames, like a volcanic eruption, blocking the incoming beams of the Mystic Eyes as her seething mana boiled over.
"Counterfeit against counterfeit—don't you think it's fitting?"
Jeanne [Alter]'s venomous tongue lashed out to the fullest.
"Let's see how long that mouth of yours can keep running!"
With a shuddering motion, Gorgon's massive serpentine tail whipped outward like a tornado made flesh, sweeping violently across the battlefield.
"RUMBLE!"
Sand and dust billowed as the storm howled. The colossal tail became like a meat-grinder from hell, tearing through the surroundings and slamming into dragon after dragon.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
One by one, the dragons unable to evade were crushed by the enormous tail, exploding like overripe fruit, scattering blood across the skies.
"Tch!"
Jeanne [Alter], marked as the primary target, saw the massive tail sweeping down with earth-shaking force. Clicking her tongue, she raised the banner high, flames surging violently around her, and instead of retreating, she charged forward to meet it head-on.
"BOOM!!!"
A wave of fire roared skyward.
The titanic tail was blocked by the tidal inferno, which churned and boiled furiously under the clash.
Yet Jeanne [Alter] did not relax.
Even with her strength greatly amplified by her contract with Rozen, at most she was on the level of a peak strategic-class Servant.
Lacking Anti-Divine skills or Noble Phantasms, she knew very well she could not defeat Gorgon.
Thus, Jeanne [Alter] leapt onto the back of a dragon, which carried her high into the heavens.
BOOM—!
As expected, moments later, the wall of fire that had stopped Gorgon's tail was torn apart, the massive tail sweeping across where Jeanne [Alter] had been, crushing and pulverizing the ground.
"Don't think you can escape!"
Having failed to land her blow, Gorgon lifted her head, glaring at Jeanne [Alter]. The Mystic Eyes flared again, launching black beams like lances of darkness toward her.
"I'd love nothing more than to fight you head-on… but alas, the one who must defeat you isn't me."
Watching the beams rushing in, Jeanne [Alter]'s eyes flashed. Her final words were laced with mocking derision.
Indeed—
The one who must strike down Gorgon was not Jeanne [Alter].
"The one who must defeat you… is me."
With that voice, mana erupted from behind her.
"BOOM!"
A beam identical to Gorgon's Mystic Eyes tore upward from the ground, colliding with her attack and annihilating both.
"Wh-What…!?"
For the first time, shock overtook Gorgon.
And then she saw them.
On the ground, a figure clad in a jet-black cloak, carrying in his arms a black-robed girl wielding a scythe, had descended upon the battlefield.
"Gorgon."
Rozen raised his head, looking coldly at her.
At his side, Anna also gazed at Gorgon, her eyes filled with both complexity and relief.
"You!?"
Once again, Gorgon's fury ignited.
But as her eyes fell on Anna standing beside Rozen, her heartbeat inexplicably quickened.
A chill of dread—of fear—rose within her chest.