Fafnir was the strongest of evil dragons.
Though there existed a Dragon-Slaying Servant in the West, he was not here now. There was no opponent capable of standing against Fafnir. And with Fafnir's power, wiping out the five people before him would be effortless.
"Turn them all to ash! Fafnir!"
"HOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH—!"
The moment Jeanne Alter gave the command, Fafnir unleashed a deafening roar. Scorching dragon's breath gathered in its maw, then erupted outward like a volcanic explosion!
*SHUAAA!*
The blazing dragon fire instantly swept across the entire fortress. Crumbling buildings, piles of Wyvern bones—everything was swallowed whole by Fafnir's breath!
Not a trace remained. Everything vanished completely into the inferno!
Unlike the flames Wyverns spat, Fafnir stood at the pinnacle of Phantasmal Species, the peak of dragonkind, on par with a Divine Beast. The fire he unleashed was on an entirely different level!
If compared to Noble Phantasms, there was no doubt—it was on the scale of an Anti-Army attack!
The searing dragon flames raged without end, burning everything in their path!
Standing at the only spot untouched by the fire, directly beneath Fafnir, Atalanta sighed as she watched the scene of destruction unfold.
"In the end, it still came to this... Are you satisfied, Master?"
"Ah, very satisfied. I couldn't be more pleased." Jeanne Alter laughed. "It's such a pity though—inside Fafnir's flames, they must have been reduced to nothing, not even ash remaining. I would've loved to hear their screams as they slowly burned alive. Don't you agree, Gilles?"
"Yes, such a pity, such a pity... Truly, deeply tragic, Jeanne!"
Gilles de Rais, clutching Prelati's Spellbook, reacted even more intensely than Jeanne Alter. His emotions overflowed so violently that his body trembled, tears streaming from his eyes.
Her Master and the Caster beside her—both were utterly insane.
Glancing at the Berserker, who for some reason remained silent, Atalanta sighed quietly. Though this was a victory for their side, the cost had been high. They had arrived as eight—now only four remained.
After this, she could return to the Throne of Heroes. Her experience in this world had truly been unpleasant. Not only had she been forced to manifest under the curse of Mad Enhancement, but she'd also ended up with a Master like Jeanne Alter.
(I truly hope something like this never happens again in the future...)
Just as Atalanta thought this—
*WHOOSH!*
A blinding light suddenly emerged from within the sea of flames. It came from the direction where Hinako and the others had been.
Could they still be alive?
"True Name, release. I stand upon the throne of calamity—"
A deep voice echoed from within the inferno.
"It is our homeland that heals all wounds and all hatred—"
At the heart of the blazing flames, Mash raised her shield, protecting everyone before her, enduring the fire's impact as she prepared to release her Noble Phantasm.
Regarding the Servant power within her, after returning to Chaldea from Fuyuki City, Mash had actually discussed it with Naoki. To her surprise, her older brother possessed vast knowledge about Servants. Even about those he'd never seen, he could recite nearly all their details just from their True Names.
Regarding Galahad, Naoki's main explanation to Mash focused on his shield and the use of his Noble Phantasm.
Galahad's Noble Phantasm, in a certain sense, could be considered on par with Avalon—the absolute defense. But unlike Avalon, which enforced absolute non-interference, the strength of this shield depended on the wielder's will. As long as the wielder refused to surrender, the Castle of Correction it manifested would never fall.
Besides defense, the shield could also absorb incoming attacks and retaliate, or even launch attacks by hurling the manifested castle walls—though Mash had dismissed that part as one of her brother's jokes.
But now, she didn't need all those functions. All Mash needed was to manifest the very meaning of the shield.
And the meaning of a shield was protection.
To protect her Master, Akuta-senpai, Aoko-san, and Jeanne-san from the attacks of the evil dragon Fafnir—that was what she had to do now.
"Manifest..."
Following the instinct surging from her heart, Mash for the first time shouted the True Name of the shield in her hand with a loud, clear voice.
"Lord Camelot!"
*DING!*
Like the sound of a bell, a pure white castle wall instantly materialized before their eyes, with Mash—holding the Round Table shield—at its center.
If Artoria were here, she might have been overcome with emotion at the sight of this castle wall.
It was Camelot—the Castle of Correction where she once lived, filled with all her memories.
"W-what?!"
The triumphant, confident expression on Jeanne Alter's face froze instantly at the sudden appearance of the Castle of Correction. And at that same moment—just as she saw the castle wall—
"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR———!!"
The Berserker, who had been silent until now, suddenly let out a piercing roar! As if driven completely mad, he transformed into a black blur and charged at Mash, who stood at the castle gate, with incredible speed!
"Arthur—!!"
The black iron staff, already a Noble Phantasm, struck with full force amid the black knight's cry!
"—!"
As if suddenly realizing something—or as if her body moved on its own—just as the black staff was about to strike her shield, Mash abruptly raised it. Along with the shield, she lifted the entire castle wall—
*BANG!*
—and slammed it with full force into the charging black knight!
The entire land trembled from the sudden impact. And without hesitation, seizing the momentum of her victory, Mash raised the shield and the castle wall once more—
*BANG!*
—and struck him a second time!
The black knight, who had tried to rise, was driven even deeper into the ground.