I'll Take Your Heart, Saber! (5K) (Continued)

Jeanne is a neutral ruler who will not provide assistance to either the Red or Black factions. However, handing over the Holy Relic through her hands is tantamount to breaking this principle.

If you were to leave the Rhinegold here and pretend you didn't see it... that would be self-deception, no different from simply handing it over to Karna.

It can only be said that when she came into contact with Rhinegold, she was already bound by invisible shackles and burdened with additional responsibilities:

She must guard this Holy Relic carefully and cannot afford to be negligent in any way.

Therefore, she proposed that she take the Rhinegold away herself, store it properly in a certain place, and let the two factions compete fairly— Karna, of course, would not agree.

Needless to say, Karna resorted to force, while Jeanne remained resolute, and the two engaged in a fierce battle of attack and defense in this desolate manor.

Well, calling it "intense" might not be the most accurate description. It was indeed a high-level battle, but Jeanne needed to protect the Rhinegold, which restricted her movements. Correspondingly, Karna probably didn't want to damage the Holy Relic, or felt that winning that way would be unfair, so he simply used his spear skills without imbuing his weapon with scorching sunfire.

It must be said that Karna truly deserves the title of a great hero. Even without using "Magecraft Release," he can suppress Jeanne with his skills, making the Saintly Maiden, who is good at defense, quite troublesome. She managed to hold on with her extraordinary physical strength and perseverance.

If nothing unexpected happens, Karna will eventually win if things continue like this. But things are always strange. At the crucial moment, Siegfried and Atalanta, while chasing and fighting each other, also entered the manor area.

The Dragon-slaying Swordsman immediately understood the current situation, chose to stand in front of Jeanne with his sword, and took Karna from her hands.

—If Jeanne is defeated and surrenders the Rhinegold, it will be difficult for Siegfried to take it from Karna and Atalanta. It would be better to cover Jeanne's escape from here and deal with it later.

When the Child of the Sun saw that his opponent had changed to Siegfried, he immediately roused his spirits and unleashed a fierce burst of flames, instantly destroying the courtyard full of weeds and turning the place into red and black scorched earth!

Jeanne gave Siegfried a grateful look, then turned and left the battle. What followed was a fierce battle between Red and Black; she had only the duty to witness, not the right to intervene. Siegfried's actions effectively freed her from an awkward situation.

But Atalanta did not let her leave so easily. The Huntress who had been in contact with the Rhinegold was able to determine, through her wild intuition, that the Holy Relic was in Jeanne's suitcase.

After their encounter, she realized that Siegfried was not an opponent who could be easily defeated. His swordsmanship and Noble Phantasm were perfectly coordinated, with no weaknesses. He could at least maintain a balance of power against any top Servant. Even if a Servant gathered and surpassed him in combat strength, it would be absolutely impossible to make him submit.

If Atalanta and Karna joined forces, they could indeed defeat Siegfried, but the Dragon Slayer hero with his unwavering physique would probably hold them back like a swamp.

The option of quickly killing Siegfried can be ruled out!

(Theoretically, Fei Ge has a weakness in his back, but with his martial arts skills, he won't allow the enemy to attack his back.)

Therefore, Atalanta has no choice but to take on the responsibility and leave the ruler here!

The process seemed lengthy, but the Huntress assessed the situation in Flash Step, decisively listing Jeanne as her next hunting target.

Almost as soon as the Saintess took her first step, she drew her bowstring and fired a powerful arrow!

Whoosh whoosh!

Jeanne dodged and parried, trying to escape Atalanta's hunting range, but she was no match for the Huntress who could catch up quickly.

"[Phoibos Catastrophe]!"

An ordinary arrow did not strike Jeanne; instead, it soared into the sky and disappeared into the night, followed by a shower of stars... No!

Those were not stars, but arrows of light falling like a torrential rain!

The rain of arrows was originally meant to engulf the entire manor, but it seemed to be drawn by some force, confined to a radius of ten meters, and concentrated on Jeanne!

Atalanta narrowed her eyes, staring intently at the center of the Light Rain. Her Noble Phantasm was a wide-area annihilation type; the power of a single arrow wasn't great, but it could adjust its range autonomously, and the more concentrated it was, the stronger its destructive power became.

In addition, under the protection of Apollo and Artemis, this Noble Phantasm also has a certain ability to locate enemies.

Even someone with excellent stats like Jeanne' Arc would not be safe from this Noble Phantasm!

Sure enough, a disheveled figure flew out from the dust, while Atalanta continued to fire arrows to block its movement—

Call!

The man suddenly turned back, not only dodging the deadly arrows, but also charging towards Atalanta!

"Oh my~" The Huntress's lips curled up. Although she was an archer, she had a record of defeating male heroes in hand-to-hand combat. If Jeanne thought she was afraid of close combat, she would be very wrong!

She fired three more arrows, instructing Jeanne to dodge as she had planned. The exceptionally agile Atalanta, like a beautiful female leopard, swiftly circled around an arc, approaching Ruler from a blind spot on the side. The arrow, held in her hand, was thrust forth like a dagger—

Puff!

The arrow successfully pierced Jeanne of Arc's ribs through the gaps in her armor.

However, before Atalanta could expand her gains, the feel of the arrowhead startled her:

Is this flesh? It's so solid, it's practically like rock!

"Drink it!"

Jeanne showed no pain, no hesitation; seemingly intending to exchange injury for injury from the very beginning, she lashed the flagpole, entwined with the Holy Banner, hard between Atalanta's shoulders and neck—

Click!

The sound of bones cracking rang out, and Archer, his face filled with shock, was sent flying.

"Cough!"

Atalanta coughed up blood as she landed on all fours to stop the momentum, and when she looked up at Jeanne again, her gaze had become strange.

From a young age, she was determined to win. Even though women faced discrimination on the battlefield, she still earned a hero's name through her superb hunting skills and refused to lose to men in any way.

Atalanta, as she was known, was called a tomboy by many, including her relatives, who believed she should have been born on the Amazon island, not in the forests of Arcadia.

She felt no shame about it; in fact, she was proud of it.

But to be fair, after seeing Jeanne today, she suddenly felt insecure about her well-trained body...

Jeanne shouldn't have had any divine enhancements; she was originally from a peasant family. Was her physical condition due to... the Blessing of Faith?

But I have faith too— Atalanta's lips twitched, not quite understanding the intensity of Jeanne's faith.

The Huntress quickly adjusted her mindset. She had seen many strong prey before; Calydonian Beasts had even rendered many Greece heroes helpless, but in the end, the hunters, including Atalanta, successfully killed them.

Victory or defeat is not determined solely by the strength of the two!

"Snort!"

With a sudden burst of power from her full, strong thighs, Atalanta pushed Jeanne away, creating some distance between them. As she retreated, she continued to fire arrows, aiming at the Saintly Maiden's eyes, throat, and other vital areas.

Jeanne dared not be careless. Her battle flag waved like the wind as she parried arrows and charged toward Atalanta —she wanted to deprive the Huntress of her ability to pursue, and then retreat calmly.

Perhaps because she had been feeling incredibly frustrated these past few days, Saintly Maiden used extra force when she made her move. Although the battle flag was merely a tool used to boost morale, in her hands its power was in no way inferior to the Noble Phantasm of the real Lancer.

Atalanta countered fiercely. Although her injured arm prevented her from exerting her full strength, her agile and nimble figure remained unaffected. She used her speed advantage to entangle with Jeanne.

As long as close combat is avoided, Jeanne, who excels at defense, doesn't have many good ways to deal with Atalanta.

Thus, the four Servant split into two groups and fought each other. On Siegfried and Karna's side, the air currents surged so powerfully that even weaker Servant would find it difficult to survive, let alone ordinary people. Meanwhile, Jeanne and Atalanta were locked in a constant struggle, neither side confident of defeating the other.

Suddenly, astonishing heat erupted from the Child of the Sun, and a massive Magecraft Release swept across everything around him. The already scorched earth even showed signs of melting. Siegfried stood ready, holding the Twilight Demon Sword in front of him to part the layers of heat waves.

The attack was extremely powerful, even affecting Atalanta and Jeanne. Amidst the wind pressure, the Saintess struggled to protect the box in her left hand.

Just then, alarm bells rang in Jeanne's mind. She instinctively pulled back her arm and tried to turn around, but it was too late. A ghostly figure emerged silently from the Shadow and flashed past her like a bullet!

Sizzle!

The suitcase was torn apart by sharp fingertips, and a lot of debris was blown away by the wind pressure. In the midst of the chaos, the other party accurately grabbed that dazzling piece of gold.

"Varied--"

Jeanne Arc's pupils contracted. In the instant she lost the gold, her keen senses returned immediately, and she recognized the attacker at a glance.

"Assassin!"

"Oh my~ I'll gladly accept this piece of gold!"

The petite figure wearing a sexy, loose-fitting kimono, who darted to the side after snatching the Holy Relic, was none other than Shuten-dōji!

Although she was an assassin, her [Presence Concealment] level wasn't very high. She used sorcery to conceal her presence and sneak here. By taking advantage of the magical fluctuations emitted during the fierce battle between the two great heroes, she managed to get close to Jeanne' Arc, a distance that was practically within reach for Servant.

Even though Jeanne's judgment and perception were hampered by the Holy Relic, Shuten-dōji could still be proud of himself for achieving this level of skill!

"The Black Faction's assassins?" Atalanta also somewhat surprised, not expecting such a surprise attack.

Jeanne gripped her battle flag tightly. "Assassin, how dare you—"

"Mind your place, ruler."

Shuten-dōji's attitude was leisurely, even somewhat condescending. "Have you been so influenced by the brilliance of gold that you have forgotten your original duties?"

If the Holy Relic were in your possession, you naturally couldn't hand them over to anyone, otherwise it would be seen as favoritism towards a particular faction. Similarly, now that the Holy Relic are in my hands, you have no reason to take them back, otherwise it would weaken us.

"Isn't that right?"

"..."

Jeanne Arc frowned. She subconsciously felt that Shuten was being sophistical, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to make sense.

After all, she had done her best to preserve the Holy Relic. As long as she didn't intentionally give it to someone else, it wouldn't be considered favoritism towards either side, and theoretically there was no problem.

But... tsk! This situation is really unpleasant!

It's all that luggage thief's fault! Why did he leave the Holy Relic here with me?!

How should such events be handled? The Rules of the Holy Grail infusion don't mention it either!

The Black Faction has seized the Greater Holy Grail, the Red Faction that is trying to assassinate the referee, and that unidentified luggage thief... they are all exploiting loopholes in the Rules!

I'm not someone to be trifled with. This isn't a normal Holy Grail War anymore; we have to strike hard!

Despite her inner rage, Jeanne couldn't bring herself to steal the Rhinegold again, so she had to swallow her anger and bear it.

She gave up, but Atalanta wouldn't just stand by and watch; she immediately turned her attention to Shuten-dōji.

However, the Holy Relic is already in the hands of the Black Faction, making it extremely difficult for the Red Faction to seize it.

Buzz!

The sword light ripped through the night at dusk, forcing Atalanta to dodge.

Siegfried took Karna's attack head-on, sacrificing a ten-centimeter-long gash on his body to protect Shuten-dōji.

Immediately afterwards, the pure magic from the Greater Holy Grail began to heal his wounds, restoring them at an almost visible speed.

The Black Faction Saber, Siegfried, is a great hero from Norse Mythology. His immortality, stronger than steel, is renowned throughout the world's mythology, not to mention his unparalleled swordsmanship and his ability to quickly escape unfavorable situations with the "Regrip Stance".

His innate Dragon attribute grants him superhuman durability and regeneration. As long as his mana supply remains constant, this hero is a human fortress, and no one can break through his defenses!

If they are held up here, once Shuten-dōji, as an assassin, enters the night, the Red Faction will forever lose Rhinegold!

The wise Karna realized this, and a flickering fire ignited in his eyes, shooting out a golden-red flame, determined to kill Shuten-dōji!

"Fantasy Greatsword: Fallen Demon!"

The Twilight Demon Sword Balmung unleashed an arc of sword pressure that clashed with the flames, resulting in a fierce collision that sent ripples of magical energy engulfing the main building of the manor.

That alone is not enough— Karna knows very well how resilient his opponent is.

He studied under Rama with Axe, learning a divine skill called "Immortal Blade," which he incorporated into his Spirit Origin as Noble Phantasm.

Those unaware of the inside story might regard the Golden Divine Spear in his hand Noble Phantasm, but in reality, the spear is just a vessel. The "Immortal Blade" can be released in any form, such as the "eye ray" just now.

(It is similar in nature to Heracles's "God Slayer Hundred Heads")

But that alone is not enough to shake Siegfried's defenses. To reclaim the Rhinegold... no, to defeat this man, Karna must go all out!

"Brahma, curse me!"

The Gou Spear, beyond human control, ignited with Crimson Lotus Fire, instantly elevating the Immortal Blade, originally classified as an "Anti-Army Noble Phantasm," to a higher level!

That was a hidden technique that imbued Karna's "fire" attribute, as the Child of the Sun, into his weapon and projected it outwards, greatly enhancing its destructive power and coverage. It was also the ultimate manifestation of his personal martial prowess!

The moment the Shinsō was fired, regardless of friend or foe, every Servant felt a tremor in their very soul:

You'll die if you don't dodge!

Whether it was the foremost Huntress of Greece or the Maid of Orleans of France, at this moment they both chose to quickly leave the battlefield.

Only one figure stood tall under the intense sunlight, casting a long shadow on the ground— Siegfried!

The Immortal Blade is not a simple straight-line shot; once locked on, it is difficult to dodge. Both he and Shuten-dōji must overcome this obstacle.

He had no desire for the Rhinegold, neither in his past life nor now, and it was not for the purpose of seizing it.

He stands here simply to obey orders as Servant and to protect his comrades as a warrior!

"Fantasy Greatsword—"

The precious jade at the hilt shone with a blue light, which was the True Aether from the Age of Gods, poured into the sword, and instantly shone with brilliance.

"The Heavenly Demon has fallen!"

--boom!!!

The Twilight's Light collided with the blazing sun, and the heatwave swept everything away, turning the surrounding land into flowing lava. Only the area where Siegfried and Shuten were located remained temporarily unharmed.

Buzz!