"Tsk! Am I short on manpower?" Semiramis bit her fingernails, watching Achilles entangled with Chiron, showing no intention of dealing with Jeanne. Because of Atalanta's capture, she didn't have many trump cards at hand. Although she had said earlier that she wouldn't make a move until the enemy approached her, it wasn't her style to just let them enter the Hanging Gardens.
"So, what should I do?" Looking at Jeanne in the projection, Semiramis narrowed her eyes. And just as she was about to use "Ten and One Black Coffins" to fire a bombardment, an alarm from the Hanging Gardens suddenly came from another side. The sudden scene made Semiramis's pupils constrict.
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Away from the main battlefield, Astolfo, riding a Hippogriff and carrying Frankenstein, was continuously approaching the Hanging Gardens. "Trying to sneak in by distracting me?" "What a foolish choice!" "But, where is that guy?" Semiramis kept scanning the surroundings, searching for the troublesome figure. But no matter how she searched, she couldn't find Shirou or Atalanta.
"Tsk! Could that guy have already snuck in?!" "No, if he came in, he wouldn't be able to hide his presence!"
"Although I still don't know where he is, eliminating Black Rider and Black Berserker first is definitely the correct choice!" Thinking this, Semiramis activated the "Ten and One Black Coffins" outside the fortress, aiming at Astolfo.
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"Discovered?" "In that case, no need to hide!" The Phantom Steed Hippogriff let out a high-pitched whinny, no less resounding than the wind. Under Astolfo's control, it continuously advanced towards the Hanging Gardens.
"I am Astolfo, one of Charlemagne's Twelve Paladins! I have come to fight!" Despite his immense volume, for a brief moment, everyone present became aware of Astolfo's presence.
Although a hero glorified in legend, he was ironically dubbed a "weak" and absurd knight. Yet, his self-introduction, though brief, contained genuine heroic spirit. He soared high and fast. The Hippogriff, a phantom beast born between a famous monstrous griffon and a mare, an impossible existence, paid no heed to the fierce winds blowing at an altitude of 7,500 meters.
With a valiant momentum, it launched an attack on the enemy fortress, the "Hanging Gardens of Babylon"!
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However, Semiramis would never easily permit an external invasion. The interception spell "Ten and One Black Coffins" had already begun to condense magical energy. These were gigantic black coffins, modeled after the eleven beasts birthed by the legendary monster Tiamat. This was Semiramis's greatest masterpiece, capable of eliminating external enemies with an A-rank magical bombardment. Semiramis calmly observed the roaring Astolfo. Indeed, Astolfo's spirit was impeccable.
To be able to rise again after a setback was probably due to his heroic nature.
"Do you think you can evade this time, foolish one? You will regret your arrogance before your skull is blown off." Semiramis chuckled, and a beam of light was instantly unleashed. In Semiramis's mind, Astolfo would surely not survive such an attack. But things did not go as she wished. In Astolfo's hand, a grimoire unfolded a barrier, repelling Semiramis's attack.
"What!" Facing this scene, Semiramis couldn't help but frown.
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"Come, come, the time is now! My heart trembles with fear on this moonless night, but I will not retreat a single step! Unleash 'La Black Luna'!" The pages of the grimoire began to scatter, fluttering in the strong wind.
The magic bombardment approached at the speed of sound, but Astolfo completely disregarded its presence, continuing to charge straight ahead. Even an A-rank magic resistance skill would usually knock Astolfo to the ground, but this time, the anti-army class magic bombardment inflicted no damage on Astolfo whatsoever. Under the effect of the grimoire, "La Black Luna," whose True Name had been released, all magic simply shattered and disappeared meaninglessly. This was Astolfo's Noble Phantasm, La Black Luna. As a permanent Noble Phantasm, even without activation, merely holding it granted A-rank magic resistance. Once activated, it could even nullify Reality Marbles or equivalent grand rituals.
"Ahahahahaha! This feels great! Fran, hold on tight! I'm going to speed up even more!"
"Ooh!"
"Target those huge black cannons! Once those are gone, Ruler and the others can reach the Gardens!"
"Ooh!" At Frankenstein's urging, Astolfo charged towards the surrounding cannon emplacements.
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"I see, so they still have a secret move." Astonishment and passion lasted only a brief moment. Semiramis had already regained her calm composure. Nevertheless, she continued to tap her elbow with her fingers, as if still feeling restless.
"However, no matter how strong, that's just enhanced defense specifically against magic, right?" Semiramis knew that there were some defensive Noble Phantasms that could deploy barriers. Legendary shields, or situations like Achilles, where the body itself becomes a defensive Noble Phantasm. However, Astolfo had no such legends.
There was no known mention of a shield, and his body was rarely mentioned in legends, let alone being categorized as weak.
So, what were those paper fragments? It seemed to be the grimoire bestowed upon Astolfo by Queen Rosestella, Semiramis estimated. She remembered that the book also had a legend of being able to break all magic. As for why it wasn't used last time?
"Is it the release of the True Name?" Perhaps he didn't release the True Name last time. Or he couldn't release it, or he chose not to. Regardless, magic was meaningless against the current Astolfo.
"In that case, I should also reveal my secret move early."
Semiramis showed a charming smile on her face and began to transmit a telepathic message: "Lancer, someone is approaching here. Shoot them down."
"Understood." With a calm reply, the strongest blade was deployed. If even Karna's attack was ineffective, then anything they did would be futile. However, Semiramis was confident that such a situation would never occur.
"Although it's too arrogant to think you've broken my magic, I'll forgive you for now if I can witness your complete destruction."
This was her only point of dissatisfaction. Nevertheless, if she could see them fall, the gloom in her heart should dissipate somewhat. Thus, Karna, as a last resort, was deployed. Karna, the great hero glorified in the oldest Indian epic, the Mahabharata, was undoubtedly one of the strongest, comparable to Red Rider Achilles.
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