Preparations for Battle / Everyone's Wishes

"Understood."

When Rider turned her attention back to the battlefield, she was surprised to find that Caster of the Red Faction and her Master had disappeared from the battlefield at some unknown time.

Where are they?

Rider blinked, then gave a happy look:

Well, at least he and the child are safe for now. Rider turned his gaze back to the android in his arms, a curious expression on his face.

"Hey, do you have a name now?"

Upon returning to the aerial fortress, Wang Xiaoming and Lily found that all the Servant had fought for Red Faction had gathered there.

What happened?

Wang Xiaoming's doubts deepened. He turned his gaze to the young man standing in the center of the hall who had called him back, wanting him to explain. However, when he turned his gaze to Shirou, the first thing the young man said was—

"Were you struck by lightning?"

It wasn't that Wang Xiaoming was making a fuss; anyone who saw Shirou's originally neat SilverAsh hair turn into an afro... just look at the expression on Achilles's face next to him, and you'd know that sometimes holding back laughter is a very painful thing.

Seeing Wang Xiaoming's astonished expression, Shirou said helplessly:

"I guess you could say I survived a disaster."

"It's good that everything's alright."

Wang Xiaoming, forcibly turning his gaze away from Shirou's striking afro, nodded, then remembered how Shirou had summoned him back through telepathy.

"Oh, right..."

Just as he was about to speak, a dazzling light suddenly shone from outside the fortress, followed by a deafening explosion.

"What happened?"

Once the intense light completely dissipated, Semiramis immediately Projection the battlefield situation, and then the hall seemed to be muted as if a mute button had been pressed.

There was no sound for a long time.

Also: Regarding Shirou's afro, the Empress's opinion is: o_O

Chapter 237. Pre-Battle Preparations

"I never expected Berserker's Noble Phantasm to be so incredibly powerful."

Standing in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, overlooking the horrific scene on the battlefield, the members of the Red Faction couldn't help but click their tongues in astonishment.

[Crying Warmonger] converts damage into magic stored within the Berserker's body, and the conversion efficiency increases as Spartacus's stamina decreases.

Then, by unleashing the magic power accumulated within the body, the goal is to "destroy everything."

Although several Red Faction Servant the battlefield had observed Berserker's battle with Saber to varying degrees, they now had a new assessment of Saber's combat prowess.

Below the Hanging Gardens of Babylon lay a burning grassland. The countless corpses and golem remains that had been there moments before were no longer visible; only a dark expanse of land stretched into the distance.

"While we didn't get rid of some of the troublesome bugs, compared to this..."

Assassin, having shifted his gaze from somewhere on the battlefield, looked towards the crumbling Millennia Fortress at the far end of his vision, a satisfied expression on his face.

"... Hmm, I was initially thinking that destroying that fortress would take some effort, but now it's much easier. After all, I thought the only way to solve this was with Lancer's Noble Phantasm..."

Assassin, maneuvering the Hanging Gardens of Babylon towards the half-collapsed Millennia Fortress, then turned to the remaining Servant of the Red Faction and said:

"You've worked hard, heroes. You may resent me for not having decisively defeated your respective enemies, but that's alright. Bear with me a little longer. The battle will begin again soon."

"I don't mind that—but what are we going to do getting close to that fortress now? Are we planning to just kill Master?"

After hearing Assassin's words, Archer asked, puzzled.

"Is that even a question? Of course, it's to retrieve the Greater Grail."

In an instant, all the Servant present fell silent. Rider and Archer exchanged bewildered glances, and even Lily tilted her head slightly, seemingly expressing her confusion.

"You mean you want them to return it? No, come to think of it... how are they supposed to return it?"

Assassin gave a haughty look but didn't elaborate.

"Just you wait and see."

Under Assassin's control, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon leisurely traversed the battlefield and came to rest above the Millennia Fortress.

A castle floating in the air is a product of fantasy, existing only in ancient stories. What would the inhabitants of Trifas think if they saw a colossal structure that could cover the moon floating in mid-air?

If that thing were to land directly above them, what would the "black" faction think? One can only imagine their panicked reaction.

"Watch closely, you shallow Magecraft. This is the true realm of Magecraft."

"Red" Assassin laughed loudly, spreading his hands to release the spell.

A thunderous roar—a strong gust of wind rose from the bottom. The gust of air, resembling a tornado, seemed to connect to the fortress like some kind of conduit.

"Hey... could it be... you really intend to take it?"

Upon hearing Rider's question, Assassin nodded.

"Of course! Because this courtyard was designed for that purpose! Alright, come out now, Greater Grail! Let me see your ugly yet beautiful form, constructed by divine Magecraft!"

The soil began to collapse and was gradually absorbed. Two-thirds of the fortress had been destroyed, and the exposed rocky ground gradually crumbled and scattered, finally revealing the true form of the Greater Grail.

"That... is it the Greater Grail...?"

Archer muttered to herself, a stunned expression on her face. With her near- Eagle Eye vision, she did indeed see the Greater Grail below. But that wasn't what truly shocked her.

Not only her, but both Lancer and Rider stared wide-eyed.

Even Lily, herself Divine Era Magus, instinctively tightened her grip on her Master's hand.

Even the Age of Gods rarely saw such a masterpiece. Lily was certain that it truly deserved to be called an all-powerful wish-granting machine.

The Greater Grail, brimming with the souls of the six Servant perished in the Holy Grail War over 60 years ago and the high-purity magical energy accumulated over 60 years, is still imbued with terrifying magical power, even though this extraordinary summoning has diminished some of it.

I suppose the magic I've accumulated now is enough to grant most wishes.

"Tsk, it seems it's completely connected to the spiritual veins. I need to concentrate on the Holy Grail. The battle is yours to handle. Don't forget, if we are defeated here, everything will be for naught."

"You don't need to tell me that, but you absolutely mustn't fail."

Without Assassin needing to remind them, everyone present noticed the change.

It will take some time to fully receive the Holy Grail into the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and during this time, the [Black] faction will definitely try to reclaim the Greater Grail. This means that the roles of offense and defense have reversed.

Even if this is Hanging Gardens of Babylon, it's gotten too close to the Millennia Fortress in order to seize the Greater Grail. With the Servant's abilities, they could easily infiltrate the garden with their physical bodies at any time.

"I won't forget what needs to be done; I don't need your instructions."

After letting out a cold snort, Assassin turned and disappeared from the hall. The remaining few exchanged glances, and Lancer broke the silence first:

"I will deal with Siegfried."

Rider and Archer, as the main fighting forces, naturally had no objections to this, and each of them also had opponents they wanted to determine who was superior.

As for Wang Xiaoming, he simply shrugged.

"Although we have no way to deal with the situation on the front lines, Caster and I will still provide support as needed."

"Ah, speaking of that!"

Upon hearing Wang Xiaoming speak, Rider suddenly stepped forward and patted him forcefully on the shoulder, his face full of admiration. "I didn't expect that you, a human who looks so frail, could actually fight so well."

After Rider finished speaking, Archer and Lancer nodded in agreement. Clearly, they had witnessed Wang Xiaoming's battle with Rider earlier, where he, as a human, suppressed Servant, leaving a deep impression on them.

Wang Xiaoming, the person involved, blinked and then said modestly.

"It's nothing special. If Rider uses his Noble Phantasm, I might lose."

After a brief, lighthearted chat, everyone left the hall to prepare for their upcoming battles.

Archer, who was the last to leave, found Wang Xiaoming and gave him some advice:

"Since you're capable of fighting, then Caster's safety is in your hands."

Wang Xiaoming's answer was

"--At least until the end of my life, you don't need to worry about this."

First of all, I wish everyone a happy National Day.

P. S.: This concludes the September bounty offer (a moment of silence for my hair).

Total blades: 2872 (already paid off; it is recommended to stop feeding blades from now on, as they will not be able to obtain Otz).

Total donations: 88,976 (Although not included in the bounty, thank you all for your support).

So September is over, and now I'm going to really slack off (just kidding).

In conclusion, thank you all for your support.

(Wishing everyone good luck with their swimsuits!)

Chapter 238. Each Other's Wishes

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon floated leisurely in mid-air, its immense size appearing exceptionally magnificent under the moonlight. Unfortunately, among the few people in the fortress at this moment, only Wang Xiaoming and Lily, "left" between the thrones, seemed to have no time to pay attention to such things.

"Those guys on the [black] side have started making their move."

Looking at the images displayed on the Projection, Wang Xiaoming muttered to himself.

Using Magecraft to observe the entire battlefield was a piece of cake for Lily. Furthermore, the barrier surrounding the [Black] faction's stronghold, the Millennia Fortress, had been completely destroyed due to Berserker's self-destruction.

Therefore, Lily and Wang Xiaoming could clearly see the movements of the [Black] faction's Servant.

"Master, can we win?"

Lily's voice reached Wang Xiaoming's ears. He turned his head and found that he met Lily's gaze—anxiety, panic, and a trace of faint fear. The impending decisive battle made these emotions gradually gather in Lily's eyes.

"Don't worry, we..."

It seemed they were about to boast that they were certain of victory, after all, their side possessed the great hero Achilles, who was [immortal]. Although he was a hot-blooded fool, he was an unbeatable trump card for the [Black] side 'Servant who did not possess "divinity".

But as soon as the words were on the tip of his tongue, he realized that this seemed to be a terrible "flag." After thinking for a moment, Wang Xiaoming reached out and ruffled Lily's hair, comforting her in a joking way:

"If Rider, Archer, and Lancer don't make it, then you'll have your chance to see Master take down all the enemies."

"Bragging~"

After hearing Wang Xiaoming's words, Lily wrinkled her nose at him to express her dissatisfaction.

While Lily was amazed that her Master had been able to suppress Rider with her physical strength and skill, she could still see the difference between top-tier Heroic Spirit like Astolfo and Siegfried.

Therefore, Lily secretly resolved that if Wang Xiaoming ever had the idea of fighting Master Heroic Spirit again, she would definitely use her wand to wake him up!

"Why does no one believe me when I tell the truth?"

Wang Xiaoming showed a helpless expression to express his grievance.

"Hmph~"

Seeing her Master's "frustrated" expression, Lily smiled happily, and her previous tension unconsciously eased.

However, looking at her Master's consistently indifferent expression, a hint of doubt suddenly crept into Lily's heart—

Since he chose to participate in the Holy Grail War, the Master must have his own wishes, but so far, he has never spoken of them or expressed his thoughts to himself.

So--

"Master, what is your wish?"

Seeing Lily's inquisitive gaze, Wang Xiaoming smiled and said, "The Holy Grail is right in front of us. If we still say we have no wishes at this point, then that would indeed be a bit unreasonable."

"In exchange, tell me your wish first, and then I'll answer you, okay?"