Black Faction won a decisive victory in tonight's match.
At least that's how it appears on paper.
The Red Faction lost their main base, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon of Vanity, Saber Mordred, and Berserker Spartacus. The loss of two Servant and a floating fortress can only be described as catastrophic.
Black Faction lost only one horse, Vlad III Lancer.
The problem is that Vlad III was not just a single Servant.
He is the nominal leader of the Black Faction, the guardian of Romania's territory, and the banner by which the Yggdmillennia Clan displays its authority.
His departure caused a far more serious shock within the Black Faction than it appeared on the surface.
The post-war debriefing meeting was held in the main hall of the walled city.
Darnic sat in the head seat, his hands crossed on the table.
His expression remained calm and composed as always, as if what he had lost tonight was not his Servant, but an insignificant pawn.
"As you all have seen tonight's results, two Red Faction Servant have been eliminated, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon have been destroyed."
We only lost Lancer. Overall, Black Faction has gained a decisive advantage.
Darnic's voice echoed in the hall.
The Master, seated on either side of the long table, each had their own thoughts.
Gordes Musik leaned back in his chair, his thick fingers tapping idly on the table.
His gaze would occasionally sweep over Darnic, who sat in the main seat, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Vlad III died.
Darnic lost his Servant.
In the rules of the Holy Grail War, Master who loses Servant is disqualified from participating. Darnic is currently in that position not because of his strength, but because of inertia.
Gordes's fingers paused for a moment.
If Darnic loses his authority, who will take over the Black Faction's strategy?
Celenike sat on the other side of the table, her indifferent expression masking similar thoughts.
Her fingers unconsciously traced the Command Spell Seals on the back of her hand. Astolfo was still there; her Servant was still alive.
Roche huddled in a corner, his hands twisting together, his eyes darting around. Avicebron's artificial workshop was still operating, but the situation was in such chaos.
Darnic witnessed all of this.
He knew that look all too well.
The history of the Yggdmillennia Clan is as long as this kind of infighting has been played out countless times.
Every time the family faces a crisis, there will always be someone who feels that they are more suitable for the position than the current leader.
Darnic's gaze slowly swept across the hall, finally landing on Fiore and Caules.
Fiore sat in her wheelchair, her hands folded on her knees, her expression calm but slightly Pale.
The loss of Vlad III has an impact on the entire Black Faction, but her Servant Heracles is still alive and is currently the strongest fighting force on the Black Faction.
Caules sat next to his sister, glancing at Darnic every now and then, then at his sister, a hint of unease in his expression.
Darnic quickly calculated in his mind.
Heracles.
If we could get those three Command Spell...
No, it's not "if", it's "must".
As long as Heracles ' Command Spell are in his hands, he remains the de facto ruler of the Black Faction. No one will question a leader who holds control over the strongest Servant.
"That concludes tonight's discussion. Everyone, go back and rest. We'll discuss the specific strategy for pursuing the Red Faction tomorrow."
Darnic stood up.
The Master left one after another. Gordes was the slowest; he glanced back at Darnic at the door before finally walking out.
Celenike left without looking back.
Only three people remained in the hall.
Darnic, Fiore, and Caules, who was about to push his sister out.
" Fiore, stay behind."
Caules's hand stopped on the armrest of the wheelchair.
"Uncle, I..."
" Caules, you can go out now."
Darnic's tone left no room for argument.
Caules ' lips moved. He looked at Fiore, Fiore nodded slightly to him.
"It's alright, Caules. You can go back now."
Caules paused for a few seconds, then released the wheelchair, turned, and walked out of the hall.
The door closed.
Only Darnic and Fiore remained in the hall.
No one knows exactly what the two discussed next.
The next morning, when Caules saw Fiore again, he immediately noticed the change on his sister's hand.
The Command Spell are gone.
The three Command Spell of Heracles disappeared from the back of Fiore's hand.
"Sister, your Command Spell..."
"It was transferred to my uncle."
Fiore's voice was flat, as if she were talking about something trivial.
"In this situation, Uncle needs it."
Caules wanted to say something, but in the end said nothing.
On the back of Darnic's hand, six Command Spell Seals were neatly arranged. Three were left by Vlad III, and the other three were the control of Heracles that he had just acquired.
Six Command Spell in hand.
Neither Gordes nor Celenike could possibly have any ulterior motives under such circumstances.
The budding ambition was nipped in the bud.
Daytime has arrived.
Sunlight streamed through the main gate of the Millennia Fortress.
An uninvited guest stood in front of the gate of the fortress.
Her long golden hair shimmered in the sunlight, and her blue eyes were calm and resolute.
Ruler, Jeanne d'Arc.
"I want to see your Archer."
The androids guarding the city gate looked at each other, unsure of how to respond.
Darnic received the message quickly.
"Ruler?"
He frowned.
Ruler possesses special privileges in the Holy Grail War. However, Darnic is extremely unwilling to allow a third party with unclear stances to freely enter and exit his own base.
What's more, the person she wanted to see was Mukuro Hoshimiya.
Ever since Michael's name was mentioned, Mukuro Hoshimiya has become the most sensitive figure in the Black Faction. Darnic is unsure of Ruler's purpose in contacting her.
"Let's ask Archer's opinion first."
Darnic contacted Mukuro Hoshimiya through the communication technology within the fortress.
Mukuro Hoshimiya was in her room. After hearing Darnic's message, she tilted her head and thought for a moment.
"Ruler... let her come."
Are you sure?
"Yeah, there's nothing to worry about. She won't do anything here."
Darnic remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded in agreement.
"Take her to the east hall. I'll have people guarding the perimeter."
Jeanne d'Arc was led into the fortress, through several corridors, and finally arrived at the East Hall.
Mukuro Hoshimiya was already seated inside. She sat cross-legged on the windowsill, her long golden hair cascading down her sides, holding a cup of hot cocoa in her hands.
The moment Jeanne d'Arc stepped into the East Hall, her True Name Discernment skill automatically activated.
The information entered Jeanne d'Arc of Arc's consciousness.
Mukuro Hoshimiya.
It was still that name. A name she had never found in the records of any Heroic Spirit.
But this time, Jeanne d'Arc observed more carefully than before.
After the real name... there is a blurry area.
It was as if something was obscuring it. Some force was preventing the True Name Discernment from being read further.
Jeanne d'Arc d'Arc frowned slightly. She had never encountered this situation before. True Name Discernment was an inherent skill of the Ruler class, and theoretically it was effective against any Servant.
However, there was a part of the real information about the person in front of her that she couldn't see through.
Jeanne d'Arc sensed it the moment she entered the fortress.
The Revelation skill was frantically sending her messages.
It was no longer the vague, unreliable guidance of before, but a clear, almost piercing warning.
Last night, on the edge of the battlefield, Revelation was still wavering between a certain person on the Red Faction and Mukuro Hoshimiya.
It's stopped swaying now.
The target has been set.
This is the person right in front of me.
The biggest "problem" in this Great Holy Grail War has shifted from someone on the Red Faction to Archer, Mukuro Hoshimiya, on the Black Faction.
Jeanne d'Arc took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure.
"Miss Mukuro Hoshimiya. That's your real name, isn't it?"
Mukuro Hoshimiya put down the hot cocoa and blinked.
"That's right. Do you have any other questions?"
" Mukuro Hoshimiya, I possess a unique skill called Revelation."
Joan of Jeanne d'Arc's voice was steady and earnest.
"It is now guiding me to you. This situation is extremely rare."
Revelation typically only take this form when someone does something that will have a significant impact on the future.
Mukuro Hoshimiya picked up her hot cocoa and took another sip, her expression unchanged, as if she were listening to a story that had nothing to do with her.