Buzz—!
A resonant hum rang out as emerald-green magical energy surged around Achilles.
Achilles paid no heed to Spartacus, who was on the verge of detonating himself; his gaze was fixed entirely upon Arthur, filled solely with a burning desire for combat.
Even in the face of mounting pressure, his expression remained unchanged from start to finish.
Since Arthur hadn't yet disappeared, there was only one thing Achilles needed to do now.
Here and now, remove the King of Knights from this battle!
This was the perfect opportunity—Arthur had no means of blocking the simultaneous Noble Phantasms of two Servants under Achilles' assault.
A cracking sound shattered the ground beneath him, and with speed surpassing lightning, Achilles burst forward unimpeded, green radiance streaking toward Arthur in a flawless straight line.
"[Howl of the Wounded Beast]!!"
As Spartacus's laughter came to an end, crimson flames consumed his mountainous body.
In that instant, as if plunged into the depths of water, the entire world abruptly fell silent—
As though that terrifying brilliance had never existed.
Yet this silence lasted barely a heartbeat.
BOOOOOM—!!
A wave of scorching heat erupted alongside an earth-shaking blast, pillars of smoke surging skyward from the town center like a roaring sandstorm. Scarlet flames bloomed enchantingly, each blossom vibrant and alluring like spider lilies competing in beauty.
Shockwaves from the explosion swept outward like swarms of locusts, lifting already collapsed buildings and sending shattered concrete and steel raining down like meteors.
For an instant, the pitch-black night was illuminated brilliantly by the firestorm—at the moment of Spartacus's explosion, the entire town became as dazzling as the sun itself.
Then came the scarlet rays, cascading onto the charred, ash-covered land.
The second night had finally concluded with this last deafening blast. The sun slowly rose through the clouds, illuminating what had become a ruined townscape—
—and shining upon a single white banner appearing from the west.
Gripping that banner stood a golden-haired woman with eyes of unwavering resolve.
Before her stretched a vast chasm gouged deeply into the earth, opening into an enormous, basin-like crater.
Across the entirety of the town, not a single building remained standing. Everything had turned to ashes amidst that terrible explosion.
"What… in the world happened here?"
Jeanne had never expected to witness such devastation. Had she arrived earlier, perhaps this town would not have been destroyed.
She chastised herself inwardly.
In the plains distant from the town, another fierce battle between Servants had unfolded simultaneously. Unable to be in two places at once, Jeanne had no time to intervene here.
Even knowing her limitations, Jeanne's heart overflowed with guilt. She knelt down, clasped her hands together, faced the ruins, and began to quietly pray for the lost.
---
On the plains beyond the now-demolished town, countless black stakes rose from the earth, fragments of stone and innumerable craters scarring the area.
The grasslands had been utterly consumed by intense flames, leaving behind scorched fields blackened beneath the morning sun.
Standing atop a towering steel stake, Vlad III stared gravely toward the distant sunrise.
Behind him stood Saber of Black, driving his sword into the ground and gasping for air, visibly exhausted.
Vlad had already dispatched Rider, who possessed a mount, and Archer, capable of ranged support, to rush ahead to aid the King of Knights.
He and Saber had remained behind to cut off Berserker's retreat and ensure Caster could successfully alter their contract.
Though the Red faction's position was further from the town compared to Yggdmillennia's, Achilles and Atalanta, the fastest heroes from Greek mythology, arrived simultaneously with Black's Archer and Rider.
Following the initial confrontation between Emiya Shirou, Arthur, Achilles, and Atalanta, the Master of Assassin of Red naturally did not dispatch only two Servants to assist Mordred.
Lancer of Red had joined them as well, inevitably crossing paths with Saber, Caster, and Lancer of Black.
A fierce battle erupted between these three Servants upon the plains.
Caster, knowing himself ill-suited for direct combat, took up the role of protecting Black's Masters.
Jeanne, rushing from the Red faction's position, had been forced to halt upon encountering this savage clash between the three Servants.
A distant, unknown creature's cry echoed across the sky, prompting Darnic, who rode behind Vlad III, to glance upward toward the sound.
Covered in dust from head to toe, Astolfo approached swiftly, clutching an unconscious Emiya Shirou as he came to a halt before Vlad III.
"Rider, what of the King of Knights?"
Vlad III glanced briefly at the unconscious Emiya Shirou before questioning Astolfo.
"I-I don't know—but first, can you please heal Shirou?"
Astolfo shook his head anxiously, turning toward Darnic with pleading eyes.
He refused to let Emiya Shirou die here; if that happened, the guilt would crush him.
After narrowly escaping Atalanta's Noble Phantasm with Shirou in tow, Astolfo hadn't hesitated, fleeing at full speed from the town. His only thought had been to save the still-breathing Emiya Shirou.
Shortly after, a terrifying explosion had erupted from the town, accompanied by beams of crimson descending from the heavens.
The force nearly knocked Shirou from Astolfo's grip. Suppressing his intense curiosity about what had occurred, Astolfo hurried toward Vlad III's location.
Red Faction—Berserker and Archer: Eliminated.
Black Faction—Assassin: Defected.
Arthur Pendragon—Unknown.
---
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