In the chapel of the abandoned monastery, stained glass windows cut sunlight into colorful fragments.
Amakusa Shirou Tokisada stood before the altar, his back to the mural depicting the Last Judgment, his voice neither hurried nor slow.
"Archer of the Black Faction, her Noble Phantasm's true name is Michael."
Jeanne d'Arc's pupils suddenly contracted.
"Michael?"
"Yes. During the battle that night, when she unleashed Achilles ' Noble Phantasm by its True Name Release, she called out that name herself. Several of our Servant were present and witnessed it."
Amakusa Shirou paused for a moment, but the smile on his lips remained unchanged.
" Achilles ' shield remains unusable to this day, sealed away at the conceptual level. The scale and nature of that attack, I believe, are beyond the capabilities of an ordinary Heroic Spirit."
Jeanne d'Arc stood frozen in the center of the chapel.
Michael.
Michael.
The archangel, commander of the heavenly army, who leads the angelic army to fight against the dragon at the Last Judgment.
Jeanne d'Arc knew better than anyone what that name meant within the theological framework of biblical mythology. She herself was a young girl guided by the oracle of Saint Margaret and Archangel Michael, embarking on the path to save her nation.
A Noble Phantasm whose real name is "Michael".
An entity that can conceptually "shut down" even Ruler's Command Spell.
A Servant triggers a frenzy of warnings from Revelation skills.
Are you sure?
I heard it with my own ears.
There was no trace of deception in Amakusa Shirou's eyes.
Jeanne d'Arc's Revelation ability also provided confirmation at this moment, telling her that Amakusa Shirou was not lying.
"If this is true..."
If the true name of Mukuro Hoshimiya's Noble Phantasm is indeed Michael.
Now all the previous questions have been answered.
Why can't her complete information be fully read even True Name Discernment?
Why did the Revelation mark her as the biggest "problem" in this Great Holy Grail War?
Why doesn't God want her wish to come true?
Why is it that the seemingly harmless desire to "obtain a physical body" can make the warning from the Revelation so intense that it causes a headache?
Because the other person might be an angel.
Or at least, someone with an extremely close connection to Archangel Michael.
Jeanne d'Arc dared not think any further.
That was no longer an event like "a Heroic Spirit gaining a physical body"; it was a fundamental upheaval of the entire mystical order.
No wonder God wanted to stop it.
Jeanne d'Arc took a deep breath, trying to bring her chaotic thoughts back into order.
The cause and effect have been basically clarified.
There's only one thing left to do.
Do as God instructs.
Amakusa Shirou Tokisada.
Jeanne d'Arc's voice regained its composure.
I think I've already guessed your purpose.
"Yes, I can assist the Red Faction in defeating the Black Faction's Archer."
A resolute light burned in Joan of Jeanne d'Arc's blue eyes.
"But this only applies to Black Faction's Archer. I will not intervene in any other disputes between Red Faction and Black Faction."
She paused for a moment.
"This is not out of my own selfish desires, but God's will."
Amakusa Shirou Tokisada's smile deepened slightly.
That would be wonderful.
--
Millennia Fortress.
Mukuro Hoshimiya lay on the windowsill of her room, her chin resting on her folded arms, squinting at the blue sky outside.
I have a feeling that someone is plotting against me.
But there are too many possible candidates.
Jeanne d'Arc? That Ruler looked really grim when he left yesterday.
The Red Faction? They've already thrown their Hanging Garden into space; it's no wonder they want revenge.
Some people within the Black Faction? It's not impossible, after all, the name Michael has already scared half of them into quails and the other half into rabbits.
Mukuro Hoshimiya has seen far too many humans driven by fear to do foolish things.
Hmm, I can't guess.
never mind.
Mukuro Hoshimiya rolled over and lay on her back on the windowsill. Her long golden hair hung down from the edge of the windowsill, swaying gently in the breeze.
Let's wait until they make their move. Whoever comes, we can handle it ourselves.
She reached for a cookie on the small table next to her, put it in her mouth, and crunched it away.
She probably wouldn't have had this attitude in her past life.
In his previous life, or rather, the life before he became Heroic Spirit.
Mukuro Hoshimiya closed her eyes, and the cookie in her mouth slowly lost its flavor.
What kind of person was I back then?
I strive to be hardworking and conscientious, always aiming for the best in everything. I believe that hard work will be rewarded, that the world is fair, and that good deeds will be rewarded.
Then reality gave me a harsh lesson.
It was a kind of daily, mundane, and agonizing process, like being slowly cut by a dull knife.
I tried, but it was no use. I tried again, but it was still no use. Struggling desperately didn't bring success, but only deeper exhaustion.
It ended up looking like this now.
I lack enthusiasm for most things.
If you can lie down, don't sit; if you can sit, don't stand. As for fighting, the important thing is to come back and rest as soon as possible after the battle.
Mukuro Hoshimiya touched another cookie.
This kind of personality is actually quite unusual within the Black Faction faction.
Darnic is the kind of workaholic who's always strategizing and planning.
Although Vlad III has already retired, he was known for his strict self-discipline during his lifetime.
Gordes was arrogant, Celenike was aloof and haughty, Fiore was gentle and dignified; each of them had an air of "I'm very busy and important."
Only Mukuro Hoshimiya spends all day holed up on the windowsill eating snacks.
"Archer, are you there?"
Caules ' voice came from outside the door.
"Exist."
Chief Darnic says the search party has made a new discovery and he wants you to be on standby.
"Okay, I understand."
On standby, huh?
Then I'll just stay lying down.
The android search teams sent by Darnic spread out in the countryside around Trifas, gradually narrowing down the search area using a grid-like search pattern.
After suffering a defeat in the last major battle, the Red Faction completely retreated into a huddled position, showing no signs of taking the initiative to attack.
This is only natural. They have lost the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, they have lost Saber and Berserker, and facing them head-on again would only mean certain death.
But retreating doesn't mean you're safe.
As long as they remain near Trifas, the Black Faction will not give up the search.
In the afternoon, a team of androids discovered an anomaly about fifteen kilometers northwest of Trifas.
An abandoned monastery. The building itself is old, but the surrounding area shows signs of having been cleaned up.
More importantly, the android's simple detection Magecraft detected a faint barrier reaction around the monastery.
The news was quickly relayed back to the Millennia Fortress.
Upon receiving the report, Darnic immediately dispatched more androids to confirm.
Two hours later, the second wave of reports arrived.
The presence of Servant- level magical energy reactions within the monastery has been confirmed, and there are more than one such reaction.
"Found it."
Darnic stood in the operations room, pointing to the location of the monastery on the map.
" The Red Faction's stronghold is right here."
He raised his head and looked around at everyone present.
The plan is as follows.
Darnic's voice was calm and decisive.
"Send Siegfried and Astolfo as the vanguard to launch a probing attack on the stronghold."
Gordes frowned. "Why a probe? Wouldn't it be better to just send the whole army in?"
"Because we're unsure what the Red Faction has deployed there."
Darnic shook his head.
"Although the Red Faction suffered heavy losses, their main fighting force is still alive. Karna, Rider Achilles, and Archer are all formidable opponents."
"If we rashly send our entire army forward, and the enemy has already set a trap, we might find ourselves on the defensive."
He paused.
"First, use the vanguard to probe. As long as the opponent counterattacks and exposes their position, Archer can instantly send the rest of the Servant to the battlefield through the portal."
Then, with renewed vigor, completely crush the opponent.
Gordes snorted, but did not object further.
" Caules, go and inform Archer to stand by. Heracles, prepare to attack as well."
"Clear."
dusk.
Siegfried and Astolfo have arrived at the target area.
The abandoned monastery sits on the edge of a forest, its stone walls covered with ivy.
Siegfried stood a hundred meters directly in front of the monastery, holding the magic sword Balmung in his hand.
Astolfo soared above on his Hippogriff, his pink hair flying in the wind.
"Hey, Saber," Astolfo called down from the sky, "This place looks so dilapidated, is anyone actually in there?"
Siegfried did not answer.
He could sense that there was indeed a magical reaction inside the monastery, faint but present.
"I'm going to make my move."
Siegfried turned the mechanism on the hilt of his sword with his right hand.
The gem embedded in the hilt was activated, and the True Ether contained within it rushed into the sword like a flood bursting its banks.
A twilight-colored light shone on Balmung's blade.
Light seeped from every inch of the blade's metal, turning the air around Siegfried a bluish-green hue.
" Phantasmal Greatsword-- "
" The Felling of the Sky Demon!!"