The underground of the Millennia Fortress.
Amakusa Shirou Tokisada and Semiramis walked down the stone steps.
The Magecraft barriers along the way lit up one after another, only to go out in the next instant.
Each barrier is a defensive fortification meticulously constructed by the Yggdmillennia family over hundreds of years, theoretically sufficient to stop the invasion of most Magecraft.
Semiramis walked ahead, her fingertips lightly touching the core spell of each layer of the barrier.
"I only know a little bit about Magecraft."
She said it casually, a purplish-black light emanating from her fingertips.
The barrier crumbled silently, like a sand wall being washed away by water.
Second layer.
The third layer.
The fourth floor.
Amakusa Shirou followed behind her, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his face expressionless.
The deeper you go, the higher the concentration of magic in the air.
At the end of the last set of steps, the two stopped.
Before us lay a massive underground cavity.
The dome is tens of meters high, and the surrounding stone walls are covered with dense engravings of Magic Circuits, which converge towards the center from all directions like blood vessels.
And right in the center of the cavity.
The Greater Grail.
A huge spherical object with a diameter of over ten meters was quietly placed in front of the two people, its surface shimmering with a faint golden light.
The magical power contained within is astonishing; simply standing in front of it, one can feel a pressure as deep as the ocean.
Amakusa Shirou looked up at the Greater Grail and remained silent for a few seconds.
He now has two paths to choose from.
"First, I'll use my Noble Phantasm to directly infiltrate the Greater Holy Grail System and fulfill my wish ahead of time."
"Secondly, take the Greater Grail with you."
He glanced at the size of the Greater Grail.
"The second option is unrealistic."
The magical power contained within the Greater Grail is immense. To move such a massive object entirely using spatial Magecraft would require an astronomical amount of magical power.
The only Red Faction team member who could possibly move the Greater Grail is Achilles, who has the highest mobility.
However, with the Greater Grail as such a huge target, Achilles would become a sitting duck for the Black Faction.
Either Heracles or Mukuro Hoshimiya could easily defeat him along with the Greater Grail.
Therefore, only the first option can be chosen.
Amakusa Shirou walked to the very bottom of the Greater Grail.
He looked up at the enormous container before him.
Then he took off his outer robe and slowly placed his arms on the surface of the Greater Grail.
Right wrist·Evil and predatory.
Left wrist·Tianhui base plate.
The universal Magecraft key can be used to start it.
The moment Amakusa Shirou's arms touched the Greater Grail, his Magic Circuits began to operate at an unprecedented speed.
The golden light on the surface of the Greater Grail suddenly fluctuated.
It was like a pebble being thrown into a calm lake.
"Let's begin."
Amakusa Shirou closed his eyes, his consciousness following the Magic Circuits extending from his arms, connecting to the internal system of the Greater Grail.
Semiramis stood three steps behind him, her hands clasped in front of her chest, and dark purple magic slowly flowed from her palms.
A thin defensive barrier unfolded around the two of them.
Her task was to protect his safety during this time.
The main battlefield on the ground.
Heracles ' axe and Karna's spear clashed once more.
Golden sparks exploded in the night sky, and the shockwave pressed the surrounding ground down another layer.
Achilles attacked from another direction, thrusting his spear straight at Heracles ' side.
The great hero dodged to the side, then swung his axe and sword in a backhand sweep, forcing Achilles back.
A two-on-one battle.
Karna and Achilles are working together more and more seamlessly, Heracles is beginning to show signs of being suppressed.
Then the change happened.
Karna suddenly paused.
He sensed it.
The nature of the magic contract has changed.
The magical energy supply that was originally obtained from Master Amakusa Shirou was suddenly grafted onto another, much larger source.
The magic of that source is almost limitless.
The Greater Grail?
Karna looked down at his hands.
Golden magical flames rose from his fingertips, more intense and pure than ever before.
"I see."
He muttered to himself.
Achilles sensed it too. He looked down at his right arm; the sealed hand was still immobile, but the magic surging within his body was completely different.
"What's going on? I feel like my whole body is bursting with energy!"
Karna did not answer.
He simply raised his spear again.
The next second, he vanished from the spot.
Heracles ' pupils contracted slightly, and he held his axe-sword horizontally in front of him to block.
The moment the spear clashed with the axe, Heracles ' arms were jolted backward.
Karna's every basic attack unleashed powerful Mana Burst, golden flames exploding with each swing of his spear, leaving scorching marks in the air with every strike.
And he's looking for an opportunity.
Between each attack, Karna was looking for an opportunity to unleash his Noble Phantasm.
Brahma, curse my body.
The red flames of the Noble Phantasm gathered at the tip of the spear, ready to be fired at any moment.
Heracles was caught between two men, dodging and blocking, and for a time he was suppressed and could only passively defend himself.
But he didn't panic.
During last night's battle, his body had developed a strong resistance to Karna's solar fire.
The burning magical attack was no longer as effective against him.
Karna seized an opening, thrusting his spear straight at Heracles' chest while simultaneously unleashing the curse, "Brahmastra Kundala at point-blank range!"
An A+ rank anti- Noble Phantasm exploded on the front of Heracles ' body.
The golden light engulfed the great hero's figure.
Achilles squinted.
The smoke and dust cleared.
Heracles stood still.
Large areas of burns and cracks appeared on the skin surface.
That's all.
There were no fatal wounds.
The God Hand ' high resistance to the sun's fire turned this Noble Phantasm, which was capable of destroying a city, into a large fireball.
Heracles raised his head.
There was no wavering in his red eyes.
His muscles bulged as he gripped the axe and sword tightly.
"Haaaaaaah!"
Nine Lives.
The axe and sword transformed into nine afterimages, sweeping towards Karna at supersonic speeds.
Karna raised his gun to parry, but was knocked away in the third afterimage, carving a long furrow in the ground.
"..."
Karna stood up from the ground and dusted himself off.
Achilles seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack from the side, his spear aimed straight for Heracles ' back.
Heracles delivered a backhand elbow strike, sending Achilles and his spear flying.
Then it activated the Nine Lives again, blasting towards Karna's direction.
Nine Lives.
Nine Lives.
Another Nine Lives.
Heracles now treats Nine Lives almost like a normal attack.
Each shot carried enough power to tear a hill apart, and the intervals between them were getting shorter and shorter.
Inside the fortress's operations room.
Darnic watched the battlefield footage, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Very good."
A Command Spell on the back of his hand glowed red.
"In the name of the Command Spell —Berserker, your power will grow ever stronger!"
The Command Spell transformed into a red light, traversing space and landing on Heracles.
The hero's attributes surged once again.
The frequency of using the Nine Lives" technique increased further, almost turning it into a machine gun firing one shot every two seconds.
Karna and Achilles were forced to switch to a full-scale defensive posture.
--
Beneath the Millennia Fortress.
Amakusa Shirou's arms remained pressed against the surface of the Greater Grail, his eyes were closed, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
He has completed the first step, grafting the mana supply contract of the Red Faction Servant the Greater Grail.
He's now working on the second step.
Infiltrated the core system of the Greater Grail.
This will take time.
Semiramis stood quietly beside him, but her thoughts were not entirely on the guard.
She raised one hand, palm up.
Dark purple magic gathered in her palm, twisted, and then split into several tiny points of light.
The specks of light landed and transformed into several magical beasts, each only the size of a kitten.
It was entirely black, had no eyes, and only a round mouth covered with fine fangs.
Semiramis created a poisonous monster using Magecraft.
"Go."
She gave the order softly.
Several magical beasts vanished silently into the darkness.
They climbed upwards along the shadows of the underground passage, through an unnoticed ventilation duct, and reached the central hall of the fortress.
In the lobby.
Darnic was sitting around the tactical table with Caules, Fiore, Celenike, and others, discussing the situation on the main battlefield.
" Heracles has the advantage, as long as he maintains the current pace."
Darnic didn't finish his sentence.
A jet-black monster fell from the shadows of the ceiling and landed directly on Darnic's shoulder.
"What?"
Darnic's reaction was incredibly fast. He almost instantly deployed several layers of Magecraft defense on his body while simultaneously reaching for the magical beast on his shoulder.
But the monster's fangs had already pierced his skin.
The deadly poison spread along the wound at an alarming rate.
Darnic felt half of his body go numb instantly.
A second monster sprang out from under the table and bit his calf.
A third one shot out from the pillar behind him and lunged at the back of his neck.
The defensive Magecraft on Darnic lit up and shattered, shattered and lit up again.
He is Grand Caster, the highest rank recognized by the Mage's Association.
His Magecraft skills are enough to rival most Servant.
But he was not facing Magecraft, nor Servant.
They are several small, stealthy, and highly venomous magical beasts created specifically for assassination.
Darnic used Magecraft to smash the three monsters.
But the venom had already spread throughout his body.
His knees buckled, and he collapsed to his knees.
"Uncle!"
Caules shouted and tried to rush over.
Fiore's wheelchair swerved abruptly as she activated her Magic Circuits in an attempt to detoxify Darnic.
But Semiramis's poison is no ordinary poison.
That was a complex poison specifically formulated to kill Servant and Master; Servant's magical power couldn't completely neutralize it, let alone a human Magecraft.
Darnic's vision began to blur, and then his body collapsed.
The hall was in chaos.
Semiramis saw all of this through vision sharing.
She stood beside the Greater Grail, a slight smile playing on her lips.
"To catch the thief, first catch the king."
She said it softly.
Amakusa Shirou kept his eyes closed, his arms pressed against the surface of the Greater Grail.
His consciousness has penetrated deep into the interior of the Greater Holy Grail System, gradually rewriting its underlying specifications.
Semiramis glanced at his retreating figure.
How much longer?
Amakusa Shirou did not open his eyes.
Give me a little more time.