Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Type-Moon, inheriting the legacy of Zi-O.

This wasn't a battle; it was a crushing defeat.

"Sigh, I don't speak French, Mashu, I'll leave it to you." Standing up, Nianzhuo chose Mashu, who could speak French, to be the translator. He glanced at the soldiers fleeing in fear not far away and sighed.

"A traditional French skill..."

On the other side, Mashu was also speaking in French, "Hello, we are travelers who have wandered here and did not intend to have any conflict with you... Could you please take us to your place to rest for a while?"

Upon hearing the French, the general was taken aback, looking around at the soldiers who had fainted but were not yet dead.

"Okay..." Mashu greeted him with a smile.

"Thank you so much! Here, let me help you up." Mashu put one of the general's arms on his shoulder. Mashu stood up and beckoned the other two to come over as well.

Nian Zhuo remained in his basic armor form, and the group walked together toward the French fortress.

A village girl—and another village girl. *Coo coo coo*

"You call this a fortress?" Everyone stared blankly at the dilapidated building in front of them, finding it hard to reconcile with the image of a fortress that carried a heavy sense of pressure in their minds.

"The outside is alright, but there's varying degrees of damage all around, and the inside is a complete mess. It's hardly a fortress..." After a brief observation of the building in front of her, Director Mary's voice came through the communication device.

"What's more...it's full of wounded soldiers..." The soldiers inside the castle were almost all wrapped in bandages. Even the used bandages were left lying in a corner. No one bothered to clean them up. Overall, it resembled a fortified camp that had experienced a major battle.

“It shouldn’t be because of war…” Mashu recalled the history she had previously reviewed. “In 1431, Charles IV of France and Frederick III, who had defected to England, signed a truce. Of course, even if some minor skirmishes still existed—” Mashu glanced at the wounded soldiers around her, “it shouldn’t be on the scale of an attack on a fortress…”

Meanwhile, the less wounded soldiers were first dispatched to carry away those who had collapsed on the ground. The French commander, who returned later, looked on incredulously upon hearing the news.

"King Charles? Don't you know? The king is dead, burned to death by the witch's flames." This bombshell was dropped with a casual remark.

"Dead...dead? Burned to death by the witch's flames...?" Mashu's expression turned serious. The first error, unlike in the main canon, had appeared.

"It's Joan of Arc. That lady has been resurrected as the 'Dragon Witch.' The English army has long since retreated, so where can we escape to? This is our homeland... But we're already out of options." The officer lowered his head, his mood growing increasingly somber.

"Joan of Arc...was a witch?" Mashu, familiar with history, noticed another blind spot. "Joan of Arc, the saint who saved the country, is a world-renowned heroine. She was a woman who stood up to save France from falling during the later stages of the Hundred Years' War. She stood up for France at the young age of seventeen. She recaptured Orléans in just one year..." Mashu seemed to admire the heroine greatly. "But...afterwards, she was captured by the English army, interrogated as a heretic, and then burned at the stake..." Mashu's eyes dimmed.

“…From the time she was captured, interrogated, and burned at the stake, she endured inhumane humiliation and torture every day. The British wanted to prove that Joan of Arc was not a saint, but a heretic. They wanted to constantly torture her, forcing her to admit that she had never heard the voice of the Lord.” With a smile, Mashu’s tone became equally resolute.

"—But that woman never yielded, and even as she was burned at the stake, she never stopped praying... It wasn't until a hundred years later that her reputation was finally vindicated. Four hundred years later, she was officially recognized as a saint. She changed the entire world as a mere young girl; in this sense, Joan of Arc can be considered a Heroic Spirit of the highest rank." Before Mashu could finish explaining, the cries of soldiers suddenly echoed outside again.

Upon hearing the sound, the commander turned pale with fright. "...They're here again! Those guys are back!"

Meanwhile, Director Mary's communication arrived. "Be careful, there's a trace of magical energy reaction on your end. It's a familiar formed by injecting a small amount of magic energy into human bones... a skeleton soldier. They're not human, so don't worry about it. Go ahead! Nianzhuo and Mashu!" Mary beckoned with her finger, having complete faith in Nianzhuo and Mashu's abilities, and then closed the communication.

Nian Zhuo, his fists clasped together and still not removing his armor, had been waiting for this moment. This time, however, he stood behind Mashu.

“Mash, you’ll be the main attacker this time. I’ll take care of cleaning up any enemies you miss from behind.”

Mashu nodded and shouldered her shield.

"Mash Kyrielight, launch!"

――Battle Dividing Line――

Exhaling a breath of stale air, Mashu wiped the sweat from her forehead and returned.

"Report: All targets have been cleared."

Patting the little purple head, Nian Zhuo was also very satisfied with Mashu's performance. "Well done, Mashu."

Instead, the commander next to him was surprised. He originally thought that only the man in armor was strong among this group, but he did not expect that this little girl in front of him was also not to be underestimated.

"You guys actually managed to deal with that kind of thing..."

“I’m used to it…” Having experienced Singularity F, Mash was naturally no match for these skeleton soldiers. “However, as payment for helping you defeat these skeleton soldiers, there’s one thing I hope you can tell us from beginning to end.” She looked at the commander in front of her with a gradually serious expression.

Is it true that Joan of Arc was resurrected?

The commander nodded. "Yes, I participated in the Siege of Orleans and the ceremony. So I remember it very clearly. Although her hair and skin color were different from the previous one, there was no doubt that it was the former Saintess." With a confident tone, the commander answered Mashu's question while recalling the scene at the time. "When we heard that she had become a prisoner of the British army and was to be burned at the stake, we were all extremely angry." Suddenly, a hint of fear appeared in the commander's tone.

"But that lord has been resurrected! And he made a deal with the demon!" The fear in his voice increased, adding to the leader's credibility.

"Demons... you mean? Like those skeleton soldiers from before...?" Mash pondered what demons really were, awaiting the commander's answer.

"If it's not that, just those, we can handle them as long as we have enough numbers." The commander sighed almost imperceptibly as he looked at the unconscious soldiers behind him.

But clearly, the world wouldn't let him reveal the demon's identity.

This time, the enemy was different; it was a huge shadow cast from the sky. The commander's face grew paler and paler. "Quick, quick, quick! The dragon is coming! Prepare to fight! If we don't fight, we'll all be eaten!!" However, most of the soldiers collapsed to the ground, and those gathered together were mostly wounded.

Even Mary activated her communicator: "There's a large-scale magical reaction around you, and it's moving very fast... Be careful!"

Mashu and the soldiers stared wide-eyed at the enormous figure hurtling towards them from the sky.

"Two-legged, flying dragons..." Ritsuka observed the approaching figures. It seemed that the director's cramming had indeed improved her knowledge base.

"Yes, those are the subspecies of dragons known as wyverns. In any case, these are definitely not things that should exist in 15th-century France!"

"They're here! Nianzhuo! Be careful to protect Ritsuka and Mashu! This is not on the same level as the skeleton soldiers from before!" After instructing Nianzhuo beside him, the director immediately analyzed the wyvern.

"Oh! Watch me clear the game in one life!" Nian Zhuo summoned the Time Limit Gunsword and held it in his hand, watching the dragons fly in, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

On the other side, the pink monster inserted the Dragon Slayer's cartridge into its own chest.

"Level up!"

Such a sound was heard.

Who says blondes are necessarily aristocrats? (Seriously)

Just as Nianzhuo was about to rush forward, a strange woman suddenly rushed into the fortress, shouting loudly.

"Warriors! Splash water on yourselves! It will only be for a moment, but it will still help to block their flames!" The blonde woman, clad in gleaming silver armor, wore a gentle and warm smile.

"Huh!?" The French commander froze on the spot the moment he saw the woman.

"You lot over there!" He glanced briefly at the unconscious soldiers and wounded on the ground, then turned to Nianzhuo and Mashu. "Please come with me, come with me!"

"This person is..." Mashu asked the director in a low voice through the communication device. Almost immediately, the director's voice also came out from the communication device.

"Oh! It's a Servant! But this faint magical reaction... who exactly is she?" Before the director could finish speaking, the wyvern's attack had already arrived.

"There's no time to wait, Mashu! Take care of Ritsuka and the soldiers behind her!" With that, she gripped the Time Limit Sword. Nen Zhuo transformed into a black streak of light and charged forward.

The sharp silver blade sliced ​​through the scales, and dragon blood sprayed out. The green dragon roared in pain, turning all its attention to the small black shadow that had caused it so much suffering.

However, the dragon's bulky body became its weakness. Stepping onto the dragon's back, the figure transformed once again into a black hawk, swooping down to peck at the eye of another dragon.

If it were a true dragon, the basic form of Nian Zhuo would certainly not be able to cut through its thick scales. However, this is a subspecies of flying dragon. Both its bloodline and magic power are degraded.

So there was no need to worry. Nian Zhuo's figure flashed by, his slender sword blade slicing through the scales, and the hot dragon blood unique to dragons sprayed out, turning into blood rain.

However, as a subspecies of dragons, the flying dragons, with their high level of reflexes and intelligence, quickly found a solution.

The dragon's wings flapped, stirring up a gale. Nian Zhuo was blown off balance by the sudden gust and stumbled. How could the two-legged flying dragon let this opportunity pass? It struck down again, slamming Nian Zhuo into the ground.

Unfortunately, the power was insufficient. Although it smashed a crater in the ground, Nian Zhuo's unharmed appearance still appeared in the eyes of the two-legged wyvern.

A red light suddenly emanated from the mouths of the three bipedal dragons, a sign that they were about to unleash their breath. Nian Zhuo sensed the heavy magical power above his head, removed Zzio's watch face, and inserted it into the groove of the Limit Sword.

However, he was a step too slow; the red light emanating from the three bipedal dragons had already become quite conspicuous. Nian Zhuo, who was a beat too late in charging up his power, could only click his tongue in exasperation.

"It seems I have no choice but to withstand this attack... The attack of three wyverns is indeed enough to move me." Holding the Time Limit Sword, which was radiating an increasingly dazzling silver light, Nian Zhuo looked up at the wyverns in the sky.

However, the golden figure leaped into the air, the tip of the flag in her hand striking the jaw of a flying dragon, instantly interrupting the dragon's charge.

Seeing their companion suddenly attacked, the other two also aimed their dragon breath at the golden figure.

But after this meal, they would never be able to exhale again.

"Get out of the way!" came the voice of the man from below, and to the bewilderment of the wyverns, the blond enemy vanished.

With his power fully charged, Nian Zhuo wielded the Limit Sword, which had transformed into a silver light.

The sound effect "Zio GiLiGiLi Slash!" is activated.

A silver torrent enveloped the three dragons; in the scorching silver light, their scales shattered and their flesh was torn apart. The three bipedal dragons turned to ashes, their blood evaporated. The dragons that had once filled the French army with immense fear vanished in this single blow.

Staring blankly at this scene, the French commander looked at Nian Zhuo, who had withdrawn his magic.

"Who...who are you...?"

"Just a Kamen Rider... Traveler passing by, remember that."

I really don't have a single drop left x2

"Madam, thank you for your help earlier..." Looking at the blonde woman beside him, Nian Zhuo understood that if she hadn't intervened to interrupt the dragon's breath, the combined breaths of the three dragons would have caused him a lot of trouble.

"Beep beep—" Mashu's bracelet lit up again. "Hi, the director went to get the analysis results of the light band... Now it's Roman's turn." In a playful tone, Dr. Roman came to the control panel. "Eek, that was a close call! But everyone did a great job. I was so engrossed in watching that even my hands, which were holding the sesame bun, were slightly sweaty!"

"Hey"

Mashu smiled kindly. "Doctor, those are the steamed buns I prepared, right?"

The doctor's mumbled voice came through, apparently choking on the steamed bun he had already eaten due to the shocking truth... "Eh!? I saw the steamed bun and tea in the control room... I thought Mary had prepared them!" The doctor swallowed the last of the steamed bun with difficulty.

"That's what I prepared for when I got back after repairing this singularity! It's a reward for Mr. Nianzhuo and my senior!" Hearing Mashu's words, the doctor continued chewing, feeling 'moved'.

"Ah... Mashu... you've finally grown into a cute and sensible child... chew chew chew." After swallowing another sesame bun, the doctor changed the subject, "Hmm~ speaking of which, these buns are really delicious. If Nenjo and Ritsuka could taste them, they would definitely like them too..." It has to be admitted that the doctor's talent for being dramatic is simply off the charts.

“…Mr. Nianzhuo, I’m entrusting the task of capturing the doctor to you after we teleport back.” Mashu looked at Nianzhuo, her tone completely serious. “Also, senior, please leave enough mana for battle when you return. Because now there’s someone I want to fight with my shield back.”

The atmosphere in Chaldea was wonderful, but the French soldier beside him couldn't remain so calm. Looking at the smiling blonde woman before him, his legs began to tremble involuntarily once more.

"No way—you are…no, you are…" Then, realizing something, the commander's expression turned grave, and he turned to the soldiers behind him, shouting, "Run! Run if you don't want to be burned alive! The witch has appeared!"

"Huh?!" Mashu looked at the blonde woman beside her. Such a gentle person seemed completely out of place with the title of witch.

The woman's bright blue eyes dimmed, and she remained silent as if she had known they would react this way.

“First of all…that gentleman doesn’t need to thank me.” The blonde girl spoke softly. “Also, Arbitrator, my class is Arbitrator.”

"My real name is Joan of Arc."

One sentence—caused everyone except Nianzhuo to widen their eyes.

"Joan of Arc...didn't she become a witch?" Ritsuka whispered, looking at the girl in front of her with a gentle smile, completely unable to connect her with the dragon witch who burned the king to death.

"Well—we'll talk about that later. It's not convenient to say these things in front of them." Joan of Arc glanced at the French soldiers behind her, her smile becoming somewhat forced.

But it was only for a moment; Joan of Arc, now back to normal, invited them to step aside.

"Please come with me. I'm counting on you."