The blood rain continued for dozens of minutes.
It wasn't until nearly all the Wyverns had perished from the curse, and most buildings along with Wyvern corpses were burned to ashes beneath the crimson downpour, that the blood-red veil shrouding the sky slowly began to fade.
Once her body had reformed, Hinako approached Jeanne and the others, who now stood surrounded by piles of Wyvern carcasses.
"Like this should be enough, right?"
"Not just 'enough'..."
There was a helpless tone in Aoko's voice.
Staring at the horrifying scene of devastation before her, Aoko momentarily couldn't tell whether Hinako was an ally or an enemy.
If she were an enemy, she had wiped out all the Wyverns. But if she were an ally, then through her repeated self-destructions, she had also completely obliterated the fortress of Vaucouleurs. At this point, hardly any structure remained intact.
"I hope the civilians hiding in buildings or underground shelters are alright."
"You still care about something like that?" Hinako sneered, indifferent. "This era is our past. The people living here have long since died. Whether they die now, or are saved only to die decades later—it makes no difference to them, and none to us either."
"Rather than waste time thinking about that, we should focus on how to deal with those still alive."
[She's right.]
Roman's voice suddenly crackled from Ritsuka's wrist device.
[Although the collateral damage caused by Akuta can't be ignored, there's something more urgent now. We can no longer detect Wyvern mana signatures—but Servant signatures remain. Though some have vanished, the remaining count isn't zero. We can confirm that Sorceress Jeanne's side wasn't wiped out by Akuta's self-destruction.]
[The battle isn't over. You still need to—Wait! Wait a second! What in the world is this mana reaction?!]
Mid-sentence, Roman suddenly shouted as if he'd just discovered something terrifying.
[This is the mana signature of an enormous creature! This mana... a Phantasmal Beast...! No! It's nearing the level of a Divine Beast!]
*DUNG!*
As if answering Roman's words, the moment his voice cut out, a loud crashing sound erupted from a nearby pile of Wyvern corpses and rubble.
"Awoooowooooowooooo—!!"
An ear-splitting, deafening roar of a giant dragon suddenly echoed across the sky!
*SWISH!*
A pair of black wings, so vast they could blot out the heavens once more, suddenly snapped open from within the wreckage. As the wings spread fully, the ground trembled violently—as though massive quantities of explosives buried beneath were about to detonate—
*BOOM!*
Amid the thunderous explosion, a colossal creature shot violently into the air from underground!
Its fully spread black wings once again darkened the sky that had just begun to clear. Its massive, heavy body pressed down on the surrounding space, distorting the air. Its four limbs crushed everything they touched into dust...
"Ggrrrr—!"
Lifting its head, the giant black dragon that had erupted from beneath the earth unleashed a world-shaking roar!
The shockwave of its voice rippled outward like a storm!
Mash raised her shield to block the impact, staring at the black dragon in disbelief. "Is that... could it possibly be... Fafnir?"
"I think so. The presence it gives off is completely different from those little Wyverns." Hinako narrowed her eyes at Fafnir. "The legendary evil dragon... at this level, it probably can't be destroyed with just a few explosions. Magician, can you handle it?"
"Yeah, probably. Maybe."
"Maybe? Can't you be a little more confident?"
Aoko shrugged helplessly. "I don't want to use such vague words either. But this is my first time fighting a dragon of this caliber. I'll only know my chances once I actually face it."
From experience, she knew Fafnir was undoubtedly an extremely powerful and difficult opponent. Even a Servant, without sufficient strength, would stand no chance of defeating it. At the very least, Aoko believed Fafnir wasn't someone Okita or Artoria could handle under normal circumstances.
And at that moment—
*BAM!*
Fafnir landed heavily on the ground. Jeanne Alter leapt down from its head.
Compared to before, she now looked far more disheveled. Her entire armor was gone, leaving only tattered clothing beneath. Her body was covered in curse marks. Clearly, she had suffered serious injuries during the blood rain.
And it wasn't just her—three other Servants accompanying her were in the same state. During the blood rain, four Servants had been completely eliminated.
Atalanta, Lancelot, and Gilles de Rais in his Caster-class form. All three radiated weakness, their spiritual foundation and cores eroded by the intense curses inflicted by Hinako.
"You've given me such a deliciously ironic spectacle, Holy Maiden, Guardian Lady!"
Yet Jeanne Alter, far from looking defeated, appeared exhilarated as she laughed and began to speak.
"Weren't you the ones who claimed to be protectors? The so-called 'righteous side'? Protecting the people, protecting the city, risking your lives to safeguard everything around you... Hahahaaahaha! And look at this pathetic scene now! I didn't even need to lift a finger—you completely destroyed this fortress yourselves!"
"Is this your 'protection'?! Is this your 'justice'?!"
"It's so absurd, so utterly ridiculous, I feel like I'm dreaming. I should've been the one to do this~~~ I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Magician, my other self, and that jumping bomber woman. Thanks to you, I've saved so much effort. Now, France will be utterly destroyed."
For Jeanne Alter, this situation was an unexpectedly delightful surprise. She was so overjoyed she wanted to scream and leap into the air. She almost wanted someone to splash her with cold water to see if she was truly awake.
"And now... comes the final job—Fafnir!"
Swinging her dragon banner fiercely, under Jeanne's anxious gaze, Jeanne Alter bared a vicious, predatory grin.
"Go! Kill! This is the final purge!"
Jeanne Alter laughed wickedly, as if eagerly anticipating the coming scene of total annihilation.