The Black Faction's assault was approaching. Under the cutting, icy strong winds, the Holy Banner in Jeanne's hand was fiercely fluttering. At this moment, she was not inside the plane, but standing on the outer fuselage, her upright figure could be described as majestic. It was a spectacular scene that ordinary humans could never endure, and also a hell in the sky.
Under the magical energy interference of the Hanging Gardens, the closer the planes got, the slower their speed became. As time passed, their speed had already dropped to 300 kilometers per hour. But even so, facing this speed that would easily blow away ordinary humans with the strong headwind, Jeanne, as a Servant, stood firmly on the top of the plane with her magical-energy-infused feet. At this moment, she had concentrated all her mental faculties on the phenomenon before her eyes. After all, both now and in the past, her duty was to wave the flag.
And the purpose was to draw all attacks onto herself. At the same time, she had to ensure that she would never fall. That was her contract. As long as she held this banner here, the girl would never be defeated by any hero, past or present, from east or west.
Saber.
Archer.
Lancer.
Rider.
Berserker.
Caster.
Assassin.
She did not belong to any of the seven branches, but was an absolute, solitary arbiter. Ruler, Saintess Jeanne, served as the vanguard, just as in the past. In the unimaginably high sky, the Black Faction finally caught sight of the "Hanging Gardens of Babylon."
"I see it!"
"I've already seen it!"
"Me too!"
"Whoa, Chiron and Shirou, you two both have Clairvoyance, of course you can see it!"
"That being said, no matter how many times you see it, it's still amazing, that thing!"
"Indeed!" Jeanne also agreed with Shirou's exclamation.
Semiramis's Hanging Gardens could be summarized in one sentence: a giant golden birdcage radiating golden light. The sight of such a thing flying in the sky could only be described with fantastical colors. Guarding the birdcage, in addition to the Red Faction's Servants, were pitch-black plates exceeding twenty meters in length positioned around the garden. These were the "Eleven Black Coffins" that had shot down Astolfo when he attacked the Hanging Gardens earlier. In contrast, Jeanne and her comrades, riding colossal steel birds, flew directly towards the Hanging Gardens.
Gazing at the Red Faction's fortress, Jeanne revealed a stern expression, gripping her Holy Banner with one hand, and bravely cried out: "Shirou Kotomine!"
Responding to Jeanne's roar was not Shirou Kotomine himself, but his Servant, Semiramis. "Don't yell so much, it's undignified. Master is currently busy with 'human salvation' through the Greater Grail. Come now, if you hurry, you might still make it." It was a voice transmitted directly into her mind; the forced telepathy echoed harshly in Jeanne's brain. However, more crucially, the opponent had provided important
information.
"Is he truly planning to save humanity?" To Jeanne's question, Semiramis chuckled, "Who knows, I don't care anyway. Whatever the outcome, it's not something I can interfere with. If you want to stop Master, then by all means, come after him. Of course, all of this assumes you can break through the Red Faction Servants' defenses!"
No sooner had Semiramis finished speaking than a strong light flashed from the Hanging Gardens. It was an incredibly vast torrent of magical energy; Achilles's chariot, pulled by three horses, was soaring through the air with an ear-splitting neigh.
"Come now, Black Archer! This is the promised moment.
Let's enjoy ourselves! What do you say!" Drawing a serpent-like trajectory in the dark night, Achilles charged towards Chiron.
Chiron's vision was Clairvoyance, completely unaffected by the night, allowing him to see everything. But even with such eyesight, catching up to Achilles's chariot was extremely difficult. Whether it was brute strength, skill, or speed, if a certain power in combat far surpassed common sense, it was not merely a numerical parameter but something that could be used as a pure "weapon." In this regard, the speed of Achilles's chariot was simply a weapon.
Unavoidable, undefendable, incredibly powerful, almost perfect in both offense and defense. This was the pinnacle that only a hero could achieve. Facing such a blender flying at light speed, who could possibly stop it?
Even a slight touch would instantly turn any living being into bloody pulp. And this was no exception, even when facing a massive, precise machine created by humans, like a whale.
The chariot, moving through the air, charged like a meteor towards one of the planes. There, Chiron was continuously shooting arrows at him.
"I win!!" A loud, grating sound of metal tearing echoed in the air. The colossal steel creation was no match for the legendary chariot, instantly crushed. But such an attack completely failed to harm Chiron's body.
In the moonless space, illuminated only by the faint glow of the Hanging Gardens, undetectable arrows swiftly arrived. But such attacks were equally useless against Achilles. Sensing the vortex of magical energy and the slight disturbance in the air, Achilles sharply twisted his neck. He caught the arrow shot by Chiron in his mouth.
Looking at Achilles, who displayed a fearless smile, even Chiron was somewhat speechless.
"I see, it's there!" Biting and spitting out the arrow in his mouth, Achilles once again whipped his beloved horses, and the meat-grinding chariot moved again. In a mere instant, its speed had already reached supersonic levels.
It ascended rapidly in a spiral trajectory, then descended just as rapidly. The plane Chiron was standing on was instantly totaled, as if it had been flattened by a fist descending from the heavens.
Chiron, leaping to the adjacent plane at the last possible moment, continuously drew his bow and fired arrows.
Though they were ordinary arrows, in his hands, they shot continuously like an anti-aircraft machine gun. Supersonic arrows constantly chased Achilles's figure.
But in the face of that swift chariot, they still couldn't stop Achilles's advance! Faced with the rapidly approaching chariot, Chiron could only continuously change his foothold among the planes. Thus, in this great battle between master and disciple, the Black Faction's planes were continuously being destroyed.
Under Achilles's relentless approach, Chiron narrowly made it to the side of one of the planes!
"Flip." Under Chiron's magical operation, the plane instantly flipped over, facing the approaching Achilles.
Taking advantage of the exposed underside of the
fuselage for cover, Chiron swiftly transferred to the next aircraft.
Looking at the plane pressing down on him, Achilles had no thought of dodging.
"Don't underestimate me!" Firmly stepping on the chariot, Achilles punched the side of the plane, using all his strength to actually push the 300-ton plane back. Facing this scene, even Chiron, who was already aiming at Achilles from the opposite plane, couldn't help but exclaim. If the opponent had simply pierced through the
fuselage with the chariot, he could still understand that. But Achilles actually pushed the entire fuselage over, trying to crush him, that was simply absurd to a limit!
But this was reality; the flipped fuselage was now being used by Achilles as a giant shield, attempting to crush Chiron into pulp! While instinctively leaping backward, Chiron fired a powerful arrow. The arrow, propelled towards its target by massive magical energy, shattered the shield with missile-like force. But even after shattering the fuselage, Achilles still didn't stop. He used the javelin in his hand to thrust, strike, and even kick, using the fragments in the air as throwing weapons.
Under the augmentation of his immense power, these fragments were less like flying stones and more like large missiles. Faced with such an attack, Chiron had no choice but to once again flee his foothold. In the arena, the scales of victory continuously tipped towards Achilles. Chiron had fallen into a crisis.
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