The Black Faction's Actions (Second Update) / Support

Achilles clenched his right fist and swung it sharply in the air, a flash of excited light appearing in his eyes at the same time:

"Oh, oh, oh, finally it's time to fight!"

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Chapter 187. The Black Side's Actions (Second Update)

In the dead of night, all was quiet in Trifas.

The lights in every household in the city were turned off. Even the 24-hour shops on the street seemed to have sensed something and closed their doors early.

Only the streetlights along the road illuminated the night. But the light was utterly insignificant compared to the darkness of the city.

Ruler, who had hurriedly arrived in Trifas at dawn, left the church where she was staying, still feeling sleepy.

Although this was quite painful for Renesia, who led a very structured life, the Holy Grail War often took place at night, forcing her to change her daily routine to accommodate this.

The Ruler will sprinkle the holy water obtained from the church into the air. This is one of the privileges of the Ruler in this Great Holy Grail War, granting him the ability to detect the location of all the Servant the war.

The holy water in mid-air gradually outlined a three-dimensional map of the city, while Ruler, as the observer, tilted his head with a hint of confusion:

"... Red Faction Saber is in Sighisoara?"

Deploying Servant Sighisoara, which is not a battlefield, would be considered a violation in a normal Holy Grail War. However, considering the special nature of this Holy Grail War and the fact that Trifas is under the control of Yggdmillennia, this level of intervention is still within acceptable limits.

Expanding our observation further, we found six Servant gathered at the Millennia Fortress, their color being [black].

"Jack the Ripper isn't at headquarters either, is he out scouting?"

After discovering that a single Servant the Red Faction had appeared in Sighisoara, Ruler did not react excessively to the Servant's lack of a Servant from the [Black] faction.

"Huh?"

Ruler's peripheral vision suddenly caught a glimpse of the corner of the map, where Servant's reaction appeared, its color red, seemingly heading towards Sighisoara.

"Red Faction's Caster... it's Lily..."

Recalling the girl she met when she first arrived in Bucharest, Jeanne d'Arc unconsciously smiled. Although their time together was short, they had unexpectedly gotten along well.

Although he didn't know why Lily and her Master had gone to Sighisoara, Ruler still prayed for their safe journey.

Meanwhile, the [Black] faction Servant on the map suddenly became active, beginning to move towards the forest outside Trifas.

"Is today's battle going to begin there?"

Ruler muttered to himself as he turned his gaze toward the outskirts of the forest, where three Red Faction Servant moving in an attack posture.

Using half of one's own forces for a siege is, in Ruler's eyes, an utterly reckless strategy, given that he once led the France army against the English invasion. Even though the Red Faction possesses heroes capable of turning the tide of a war, the Servant of the [Black] faction are not easy opponents to defeat.

--Was there some kind of accident? Or was it just a reckless strategy?

Fortunately, both sides seem to be holding back in their approach to the battle. Otherwise, just imagining fourteen Servants acting recklessly and rampaging through the battlefield would send chills down Ruler's spine.

"Well, in short, as long as the town's residents are safe and sound, then it doesn't matter."

With that thought in mind, Ruler began to race towards the direction where the [Red] and [Black] forces were about to clash.

"Wow, this is not the type I can handle."

Looking at the smiling Berserker standing in front of him, Astolfo even subconsciously wanted to turn around and leave.

Giants are not so scary. Once, Astolfo fought against Caligorante, a giant with dozens of arms, and paraded him through the streets in triumph.

A tough man isn't scary. He treats even a furious monster with the same ease. But if this tough giant is smiling—that's... a little creepy.

Indeed, Berserker's smile was terrifying to Rider. To intrude into enemy territory while still smiling suggested either immense confidence or a madness so profound that he disregarded both benefit and harm.

Standing over two meters tall, wielding a short sword (gladius), the petite Astolfo is like an ant that can be easily crushed in front of the Red Berserker.

"Well, we have no choice but to go for it."

After all, Servant's duty is to fight. Even if the enemy in front of you is a boy who smiles when he gets hurt, you still have to face him.

Patting his cheeks, Rider rallied, a long spear appearing in his hand—a richly decorated lance for mounted combat.

"Well then... Berserker, here I come!"

After uttering the above declaration, Rider rushed towards Berserker, and then--

"Hahahahahahahahahahahaha, I've finally found the dictator's henchman!"

Berserker, who had also spotted Rider, charged toward the enemy with a laugh. His bear-like body moved with surprising speed.

"Wow!"

Tragically, the Rider was blown away by the powerful gust of wind generated by the Berserker's charge.

"Danger! Danger! I almost died!"

After brushing the dust off his clothes, he gripped the spear in his hand tightly once more.

"I can't defeat this."

As Rider said, his firepower was simply insufficient to effectively damage Berserker. Perhaps he could do so if he activated his strongest Noble Phantasm, but that was questionable. Furthermore, he didn't want to waste a large amount of mana on Noble Phantasm.

Even so, the [Black] side still resolutely sent out Rider, without providing him with any support. What was their intention...?

"Well, there's no need to defeat him. Alright, I'm going to get serious now!"

Rider charged at Berserker again, and although he wasn't on horseback, his speed was truly lightning fast. However, for Berserker, whose emotions were almost completely depleted, this attack probably brought more joy than fear.

The fiercer and more desperate the attack, the more exhilarating the reversal would be for him. Therefore, Berserker swung his sword again, but this time Rider nimbly dodged it. After dodging Berserker's attack, Rider immediately thrust out his lance.

Naturally, Berserker caught the blow with his body without any defense.

Regardless of the type of attack, Berserker's tactic is to withstand the enemy's attack before launching a counterattack.

Rider's thrust wouldn't be fatal to Berserker, but if he took a hit from Berserker, Rider's body would be cleaved in two. However, before he could savor that pleasure, Berserker noticed his vision was blurring.

"Here it comes, [Trap of Argalia of Argalia]!"

Rider called out the true name of the Noble Phantasm he held.

The Noble Phantasm Trap of Argalia of Argalia] is Noble Phantasm with a rather haphazard name, but just as its name suggests, this gun, when used on a Servant, will forcibly aspire the parts of their body below the knees.

On the battlefield, losing mobility means death.

Therefore, for Berserkers, who will accept and counter any attack with their bodies, the "Trap of Argalia" technique, which takes effect as soon as it touches them, can be considered their natural enemy.

That being said, that alone wouldn't stop the "Red" Berserker. If he still had his knees and above, he could take down his enemies even while crawling.

Even if you take away my legs, I won't stop.

They stretched out their hands and climbed towards the walled city.

"... Oh, that's really how it is. So, I'll stop you next. Alright, let's go!"

At Rider's command, the golems that had been waiting for a long time pounced on him, the more than one-ton golems trying to use their weight to stop him.

But for Berserker, this is pleasure rather than pain.

"Hahahaha, this is fantastic, this is wonderful. A massive enemy force, and I am covered in wounds. Ah, just like that! Only a triumphant song at the moment of victory has any real value!"

However, the excited shouts of the [Red] Berserker were easily drowned out by a calm yet authoritative voice, "There's no need to feel inferior, Caster. Your golem did a good job, it's just that this Berserker is beyond the realm of reason."

Then, a black figure appeared before him, carrying the aura of the target that [Red] Berserker most loathed, most hated, and wanted to surpass and ravage.

"Since this is none of my business, I'll be going now."

After confirming that the Berserker had been successfully retrieved, the idle Rider greeted Lancer and then turned to walk into the fortress.

[Well done, Rider]

Archer's voice suddenly rang in his ears. As an archer, he was responsible for rear support. Standing on high ground, he could clearly see what Rider was doing.

Hehe~

Upon hearing Archer's song about flowers, Rider smiled exceptionally happily.

[Right now, Lancer and Caster are keeping an eye on the other side of the battlefield, so--]

"Ah, Archer, you really are a great person!"

Although Rider has lost his "rationality," it hasn't affected his daily thinking. Even though Archer didn't finish his sentence, Rider still understood what he meant.

Perhaps not expecting Rider to "praise" him like that, Archer remained silent for a moment before speaking again:

[... Let's take this opportunity to send that android away.]

Please understand.

Chapter 188. Support

"We have successfully retrieved Berserker from the Red Faction. Lancer unleashed his Noble Phantasm 'Pierce' and defeated the opponent. The outcome is decided. All that remains is for Caster to complete the ritual to become the provisional master and command him."

Standing atop the high platform of the Millennia Fortress, the Chiron addressed her Master, Fiore, explaining the current situation on the battlefield.

"That's wonderful!"

Upon hearing this news, Fiore's face showed a look of "happiness." The [Black] faction was already at a disadvantage in terms of Servant numbers due to Assassin's diversion of resources. Now, with the Red Faction's Berserker "captured," the [Black] faction had completely eliminated the numerical disadvantage. As for Berserker's attitude...?

No one cares, as long as his weapon is aimed at the enemy.

"By the way, what about Saber and Berserker?"

As if remembering something, Fiore asked Archer about the situation on another battlefield. This was also the reason why their group was here.

With his "Eagle Eye," Archer can easily observe any movement within a few kilometers, which is why he didn't participate in the operation to capture Berserker, but instead served as backup to support the side in danger.

After all, in this "Great Holy Grail War," for either side, losing a Servant means losing a considerable amount of combat power.

"The situation seems to be getting out of hand..."

The message Archer sent a chill down Fiore's spine.

"Is it an enemy we didn't expect?"

"The other side appears to be two Servant acting as support for Berserker, but Berserker and Archer are currently fighting one of them."

"That means they still have one available fighter... Archer, can you find her?"

"I'm sorry... she's hiding in the forest, and I can't detect her presence."

Archer answered his Master's question with a regretful tone.

"Is that so..."

After hearing Archer's reply, Fiore lowered her head to consider her next move, but was soon interrupted by Archer's voice—

"Saber's situation is not good."

"What's wrong?"

"His armor was torn."

How could that be?

Fiore instinctively asked in return, her tone filled with astonishment.

Siegfried, although her Master Gordes was unwilling to reveal his true name, Archer used a peculiar "analysis" ability to decipher the true name of the greatsword in Saber's hand, thus determining Saber's true identity.

Siegfried is a hero from the famous Norse mythology, the Nibelungen. He accomplished many great feats, ultimately slaying the dragon Fafnir, bathing in its blood, and gaining immortality.

The armor he wore—the [Armor of Fafnir]—was a Noble Phantasm materialized from the legend of bathing in Armor of Fafnir's blood after slaying a dragon. And yet, his opponent was able to break through this Noble Phantasm...

"It seems to be a sniper shot by Atalanta."

"Is it Noble Phantasm?"

Fiore asked Archer, trying to consider things from an optimistic perspective. After all, Noble Phantasm consume a huge amount of Magic Resistance, so there's practically no possibility of them being used consecutively.

"No, it's not certain, Master. I need to go provide support. There's a possibility they might continue sniping. You should retreat first."