Landing (Final)

Don't worry!

At this moment, both the Atalanta, who excels at long-range sniping, and the terrifying Achilles have been restrained by Archer and Caster's Master respectively.

If he messes up the whole plan this time because of his own fault, even Rider himself will not forgive himself.

Despite the agonizing pain, Rider reached out and affectionately patted his mount's neck.

"I am Twelve Paladins of Charlemagne, Astolfo! How could such a thing trouble me?"

Alright, there are still plenty of turrets waiting for us.

Go for it, Hippogriff!

The Hippogriff rolled its eyes in a very human-like manner, but faced with its stubborn master, it couldn't find any reason to refute him.

Assassin, who also witnessed this scene, revealed a cruel smile:

"Have you already forgotten that I shot you down once? No, you haven't even remembered it. After all, a weak knight like you, devoid of reason, would never reflect on your actions, no matter the circumstances."

Under Assassin's deliberate manipulation, the turret, which should have been in a defensive posture, quietly revealed its fangs...

"Hey!"

When Rider's gaze shifted to another turret in front of him, he subconsciously sensed something was amiss. But before he could react, a calamity-inducing light burst forth from the turret's muzzle, swallowing the unsuspecting Rider whole.

Looking at Rider, whose existence had been erased, Assassin's lips curled into a smile:

"Unleashing maximum firepower, even your Rank A Magic Resistance is useless. You shall pay for the destruction of my garden with your death."

This was supposed to be a script written by Assassin, but when the "actors" on set refused to cooperate, an unexpected incident occurred.

"Ah, that was close!"

With a startled shout, Rider emerged from the dissipating pillar of light.

It seems that Assassin's script was ultimately not adopted by fate. Not only was Rider unharmed, but even his Hippogriff appeared in Assassin's sight intact.

"How is that possible?"

Assassin's astonishment reflected her inner feelings. Then she saw countless pieces of paper surrounding Rider's body. Each piece of paper contained magic power powerful enough to make even a top-tier Magecraft roll their eyes.

"Ah, so that's how it is!"

Rider, who also noticed the strangeness around his body, looked closely and then looked up as if he had just realized something.

Seeing that there was no bright moon hanging in the dark night sky as usual, Rider patted his chest with a sigh of relief.

"I never expected it to be the night of the new moon; I've been saved from death."

"A trivial skill!"

Assassin, who was watching Rider reminiscing as if no one else was there, raised his right hand again. The next second, accompanied by a roar of magic, a torrent of light once again swept towards Rider.

"Bring it on! I'm not afraid of you this time!"

Seeing the terrifying magic approaching him, Rider calmly raised a book:

"Liberate with all our might, [Declaration of Destruction of Logistilla]!"

Hateful!

Realizing that his Magecraft had no effect on the flying Astolfo, Semiramis instinctively clenched his teeth.

To be toyed with by a mere Rider filled Assassin with extreme rage. Yet, she had to admit that her attacks were currently incapable of harming him in the slightest.

Astolfo's real name is Astolfo. So it's not surprising that he carries a grimoire that can break all Magecraft as Noble Phantasm.

Astolfo, who was not known for his bravery, left behind many legends mainly because of the numerous Noble Phantasm he possessed.

While "Hippogriff" is his nickname, he also possesses a True Magic enhanced spear and a magical flute that drives away Harpies. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that he used these Noble Phantasm during the Great Holy Grail War.

Moreover, Rider is known for his many Noble Phantasm, so it's only natural that Astolfo carries a grimoire that can break all Magecraft, obtained from the Witch Logistilla.

The grimoire of destruction Magecraft granted Astolfo Magic Resistance equivalent to EX rank. Therefore, he could nullify all of the Empress's attacks.

What won't work will still work. Therefore, we should look for other attack methods.

The Semiramis shifted his gaze to the Servant who had been waiting in the hall:

"Lancer, go and take care of Rider."

However, to Assassin's surprise, Lancer, who rarely raises objections, rejected his proposal this time.

"I understand. I really wanted to say it, but it's a little late now."

"Varied--"

"Looks like you've noticed too..."

Seeing Assassin suddenly freeze in shock, Lancer said, "Because you were too focused on Rider just now, the other Servant from the [Black] faction have already started invading this courtyard."

"..."

Assassin used Magecraft to search the entire Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

As Lancer predicted, two unfamiliar presences, not belonging to the Red Faction, suddenly appeared in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. There were two of them.

'I can't believe it...' I've been outsmarted!

Empress Assassin, realizing what was happening, instinctively clenched her fists.

I never imagined that my momentary focus on Rider's wishes would allow those guys to take advantage of the situation... This is truly an unimaginable lapse in judgment!

Moreover, the defensive structures outside the courtyard were still being destroyed. Looking at Rider, whose body was covered in wounds, Assassin became increasingly puzzled. Was he planning to use his own body to destroy these defensive structures?

No, our attention shouldn't be focused on that weak Servant right now.

An airplane, appearing out of nowhere, silently approached the aerial fortress, and standing atop the airplane was a saint holding a pure white holy flag.

"Ruler..."

Chapter 281. Login (The End)

Looking at the distant battlefield, at the Astolfo unscathed from Assassin's magic cannon, Ruler, who had been on tenterhooks since the start of the war, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The Atalanta, skilled in long-range sniping, has been pinned down, and the Achilles, capable of fighting in the sky, has been drawn to a distance. Even the outer turrets of the Sky Garden, which they fear most, have been nearly half destroyed by the Astolfo.

At this point, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon's self-defense capabilities have been reduced by half.

Now it's time for my own battle.

After taking a tense breath, Ruler moved to the top of the plane, braving the strong wind pressure from the high-speed movement.

Even though he had already experienced flying at high altitudes once, Ruler, an "old-fashioned" person still bound by medieval common sense, still had a natural distrust of this iron box that could fly in the air.

But once she focused her attention on the enormous thing in front of her, the tension inexplicably disappeared.

"In the name of the Command Spell-- "

As Ruler chanted, a faint crimson light suddenly shone from her back, which was covered by armor. It was Ruler's privilege, the ability to manipulate the Command Spell of all the Servant the battle.

"Siegfried and Mordred, please leap into the enemy ranks!"

Using Command Spell to teleport Servant was a proposal that had been rejected in a previous war council meeting, naturally because the opposing side possessed the Semiramis, comparable to the "Divine Era Magus."

The Command Spell themselves are actually attached to the Greater Grail constructed by the Three Founding Families, and theoretically they still belong to modern contract Magecraft.

Although it contains immense magical power that can force Servant to obey their Master's commands, it is fundamentally Magecraft, so it is not impossible for Magecraft to interfere with it.

In fact, there are instances in the Clock Tower's records of Magecraft strengthening and modifying Command Spell before participating in the Holy Grail War.

Therefore, Amakusa Shirou, who harbors such a deep obsession with the Holy Grail, would naturally interfere with the Holy Grail and the Command Spell. Since the opponent has the potential to Command Spell, Ruler cannot afford to use the Command Spell with any hope of getting away with it at the start of the war.

However, even if such a possibility exists, it wouldn't be a problem as long as Rider can successfully hold off Semiramis.

No matter how skilled Magecraft is, it is impossible for them to realize they are using Command Spell while performing Magecraft of such a grand scale.

And so, after countless calculations, Ruler's vanguard finally succeeded in entering the battlefield.

The battle has entered its third phase.

The aerial battle has ended. The main stage has moved to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and the curtain slowly rises on the final battle to determine the Holy Grail's ownership.

The two Sabers, wielding the Dragon Slayer Greatsword and the Rebellion Demon Sword respectively, are ready to face their final opponent.

"Although I've been here once before, this place is really big."

The two Sabers, acting as the vanguard and the first to arrive at the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, were scanning their surroundings when a powerful aura of magic caught their attention—

Flaming wings, radiating magical dust, descended upon the two of them.

"Lancer..."

Upon seeing the Servant wielding a golden spear, Mordred sensed danger and instinctively raised his weapon to block.

What Mordred didn't expect was that in the few seconds it took to grab her weapon, the Siegfried standing beside her had already taken a few steps forward and blocked Mordred's path.

"Hey, Saber, you..."

"I hope you will give him to me, Saber."

Meeting the somewhat incredulous gazes of her comrades, Siegfried made her request.

"Ha?"

Mordred's gaze darted back and forth between Siegfried and Karna, as if she had discovered something. She finally sheathed her weapon, but couldn't help muttering, "I really don't understand you guys. Why didn't you just attack together?"

Thank you.

Siegfried gave a grateful look to Mordred, who understood her.

"Mordred, please wait a moment--"

Just as Mordred sheathed his weapon and prepared to leave the battlefield, Karna, who had been silent since the beginning, suddenly spoke up, "Although the timing isn't quite right, I have something I'd like to ask for your help with."

"Ask?"

Mordred instinctively asked, wondering if there was something wrong with her ears.

"Yes, I hope you can help our Master escape from here."

"Isn't your Master...?"

The current Master of the Karna should be Amakusa Shirou, who is the target they are currently searching for.

"I'm not talking about Amakusa Shirou, but the Master summoned us earlier. They're still isolated in this courtyard."

Are they still alive?

Fiore and the others had mentioned this in their strategy meeting, but most people believed they would be silenced by the Semiramis Amakusa Shirou.

Taking away the Command Spell of those Masters and then taking their lives should be an extremely simple task for an Assassin.

But Karna nodded in confirmation of Mordred's question:

"Although they have lost their five senses, they are still alive. So I hope you can at least ensure their safety in this battle."

The request of the Red Faction Karna is to protect the Master of the [Red] faction.

"We need to ask the Master about this matter."

Neither of the two Sabers could make a decision on the spot regarding Karna's request, and ultimately decided to leave the choice to their Master.

After receiving Mordred's message, Shishigou, who had been left behind in Bucharest, raised an eyebrow and then turned to look at Fiore had also been left behind:

What do you think of what Saber just said?

Here, it's necessary to mention the current communication methods between the [Black] faction's Servant and Master. Since the decisive battle has arrived, real-time intelligence exchange is essential. However, modern technology like telephones is clearly ineffective in the enemy's territory, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Therefore, at Wang Xiaoming's suggestion and with Lily's hands-on operation, a Magecraft "group chat" that included all the masters and servants of the [Black] side was created.

"Magecraft dispatched by the Mage's Association...?"

Fiore, who also received the message, fell into deep thought.

For the [Black] faction, the Magecraft dispatched by the Mage's Association are of great value. Even if they ultimately win the Great Holy Grail War, they are likely to be purged by the Mage's Association afterward, so the more materials they have to use to negotiate with the Mage's Association, the better.

As for Shishigou's side, whether the other Red Faction Master who participated in the Great Holy Grail War survive is also an important factor affecting the Mage's Association's evaluation of him.

Therefore, no one objected to Karna's request, but the problem they now faced was how to bring the Master down.

Asking the Servant is definitely impossible; apart from Rider, no one else has the ability to fly, and Rider can only carry one person at a time because she doesn't have a chariot...