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

“If it weren’t for that man! We could at least have replaced Marie Antoinette, and Sanson wouldn’t have had to leave the stage—” Black Jeanne stomped her foot indignantly, saying, “It’s all his fault, all his fault, all his fault—! He’s ruined my plans time and time again. We could have succeeded!” As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something, and a smile appeared on her lips.

"But that man was also badly injured—hmph, Fafnir's flames must have engulfed his head. He's so badly wounded, it would be better if he just left the scene."

"So that's how it is. The other side gained a new teammate at the cost of seriously injuring one person?" Jill opened and closed the parchment book in her hand, somewhat irritated.

"Although we have enough manpower to deal with them, it's still very unpleasant." With a smirk, Jeanne Alter waved her hand, commanding her familiar, "Continue searching for their whereabouts—"

"Hey, maybe it's no longer necessary." A swordsman as white as a lily suddenly appeared.

"Swordsman? Didn't I order you to be in charge of the search in the southeast?" Jeanne Alter was somewhat puzzled, feeling confused by the swordsman's sudden return.

“There’s no need for that anymore… Master. They’re heading straight for Orleans.” The swordsman leaned forward slightly, brandishing his rapier. “It seems they’re planning a decisive battle. Just as you wished, isn’t it?”

"...They're not running around anymore? That means they have a chance of winning." The man's words echoed in her mind again, and Black Jeanne shrugged irritably.

"...Maybe, the enemy has quite a few Servants too." The swordsman also analyzed seriously, which was rare for him. "Although we have dragons on our side, it will probably be a fierce battle."

"Are you looking forward to it?" Seeing the swordsman's barely suppressed smile, Jeanne Alter asked with some concern.

"Of course I'm looking forward to it, what can I do when I'm mentally unstable?" The swordsman slashed his rapier, creating streaks of light, his smile widening. "For me, destruction or being destroyed is both what I crave. Alright—give the order, Master." He looked at Jeanne Alter, who was also smiling.

"Let's prepare for the final battle." Looking at his most trusted friend, "Gil, gather the Servants and all of them here."

“Yes, sir.” Gil bowed, his enormous robes bunching up comically as he bent over. “Let us gather the dragons from all over France.”

After all this was over, Jeanne Alter looked up at the painted decorations in the palace hall.

"...Our victory will mean the destruction of the world, but even if we fail, the outcome will not change." With her hands outstretched towards the dome, Jeanne Alter said with certainty, "The world has already perished. Even if this era is restored, what awaits them is still an endless journey."

Anger and resentment resurfaced on her face as Black Jeanne clenched her fists. "Even so, even so. Do they and she still want to affirm this world? If so, then I will crush them. I will never let them maintain this world."

"This is my expectation, and also Gilles's hope." A look of confusion crossed Jeanne Alter's face. "...Yes, that should be it. This should be my expectation—"

In the vast palace, only a young girl remained, lost in a dreamlike bubble.

A soft murmur.

The silt of conspiracy surfaced.

The horns of resistance sounded, and the people of Chaldea finally ushered in the dawn of the decisive battle.

"Among us, it seems that only I... have experience in leading troops into battle." With his greatsword slung over his back, Siegfried looked at his prepared men. "That being said, I have no glorious record of conquering a country. In short, we are outnumbered by the enemy."

Siegfried held up two fingers, speaking with no small amount of confidence.

"...Fortunately, most of our enemies are much weaker than us. In this situation, we have two strategies to use."

"Either we break through head-on, or we sneak around to their rear and catch them off guard." Siegfried suddenly shook his head with a wry smile. "However, our position has already been exposed. In other words, there's no point in talking about sneaking around; we've already been discovered by the enemy. ... In conclusion, we actually only have one strategy left."

“Let’s break through head-on…” With a playful smile, Elizabeth and Kiyohime revealed the answer.

“…That’s it.” Siegfried glanced at the two spirited Servants, then quietly turned his gaze elsewhere.

"...Phew, let's break through head-on." Zhuo flexed his wrists and patted off imaginary dust from his body. "Let's plunge into the enemy's heart like a sharp blade."

“…Alright, Mr. Nianzhuo, you and Ritsuka will work together to deal with Fafnir.” The two Servants with Dragon-type abilities exchanged glances and understood each other’s meaning.

"The rest of us will be responsible for defense, preventing Servants and wyverns from interfering with us." Siegfried touched the scar on his chest that was no longer there. "The key to the success or failure of this battle lies in whether we can defeat Fafnir."

"...Understood. Although my skills are not good, I will fight with all my might for everyone!" Mash was also prepared for battle.

“Ah, manager.” Suddenly, Elizabeth looked at Nianzhuo. “There’s a guy I absolutely have to beat up.” A hint of sadness flashed in her eyes. “Could you let me focus on dealing with that guy…?”

“…I’m sorry.” The answer was different from what he expected. Zhuo touched Elizabeth’s twisted dragon horns. “It’s…Camilla, isn’t it?”

"Huh? How could you..." Elizabeth's wide eyes reflected her disbelief.

“…I’ve already defeated her.” Zhuo said somewhat apologetically, because he had forgotten about Camilla’s relationship with Elizabeth. “However, I believe in you, Elizabeth. You’re definitely not an idol who would be scared by the future.”

The girl in front of me, her face flushed, is named Elizabeth Bartoli.

She is the prototype for the vampire Carmilla, a bloodthirsty countess from a noble family that protected the Hungarian state. However, when she was summoned as a Servant, she was in her fourteen-year-old form before she committed her crimes. A confectionery-type Servant who calls herself an idol. Noble, domineering, cruel, and ruthless, but not as inhuman as portrayed in official legends.

In their brief time together, this noisy, imaginative girl Servant and the kind-hearted, sharp-tongued Kiyohime blended into the group. Even Amadeus, who constantly grumbled about disliking their voices, refused to leave.

"...Manager, aren't you afraid that my future self will be like that..." With her head bowed, Elizabeth's expression was obscured as she murmured softly, "That version of me is the true nature and end of Elizabeth Bathory, the culmination of Elizabeth Bathory's sins and a record of demonized slaughter. As that kind of anti-Heroic Spirit from the past, truly—"

A familiar feeling settled over her, just like in that empty, deep-sea paradise, where her manager had felt the same way back then—

"No one can decide their own future, Elizabeth." The familiar smile, the face of "him" in Elizabeth's memory, now completely corresponded to Zhuo.

"She is you, and you are her. There is no future if you don't acknowledge this." Suddenly, the laughter of the beast sitting on the throne of time rang in his ears, and Zhuo's expression turned serious.

“It is precisely because we want to avoid becoming that kind of person that we must prepare ourselves ‘now.’” Seeing the tears welling up in Elizabeth’s eyes, Zhuo smiled helplessly. “Elizabeth, actually—I am more afraid of the future than any of you, but that is not a reason for me to stop. As long as I still have things I want to cherish, as long as I have the ‘desire’ to keep something in my heart, I will never stop.”

"At least, this proves that I've tried my best even if I face that worst possible future." Zhuo cupped Elizabeth's small face in his hands, smiling. "Besides, I have absolutely no resistance to an idol as cute yet wicked as you~"

"Waaah... Manager..." Tears fell, making a soft pattering sound. Elizabeth rubbed her red eyes and lightly stomped on Zhuo's foot. "To make me, an idol, lose my composure like this, you're such an irresponsible manager!"

"Hey hey~ whatever you say is right." Zhuo helplessly shrugged, indicating that everything Zhuo said was correct.

"That's wonderful~" It would be even better if we ignored the sparks that flew out as Kiyohime smiled and opened her fan.

"Sigh, I never expected to see such a scene before the final battle." Amadeus closed his eyes.

"..." Mary didn't speak, her eyes flashing with an inexplicable light as she looked at Nian Zhuo over there.

Mashu's lips twitched slightly, but she didn't say anything.

Ritsuka, on the other hand, looked on with starry eyes, eagerly anticipating how the story would unfold.

"Alright~ For the sake of your agent, I'll decide to help you." With a flick of her long, rose-red hair, Elizabeth raised her microphone-like spear.

"If it were up to me, it would definitely be to deal with the 'Dragon Witch'." Joan of Arc did not hesitate for a moment; she was determined to confront her other side.

"Can we win?" Giorgios asked, somewhat uneasy.

"...Yes, I will win." Clutching the flag tightly, Joan of Arc touched the rapier at her waist with her other hand. "Even if she is the real Joan of Arc, I will still win."

"Hmm... I don't have any particular ties with anyone. I'll just lure away some wyverns, that should be fine." Amadeus indicated that he was going to slack off.

"Well then, I'll help you hold off those Servants and enemies too~" Marie waved her hand as well. For her, with so much information and her Noble Phantasm already leaked, fighting was definitely not worth it.

“Then… I’ll just breathe fire around Anchin-sama as I please~” Kiyohime hugged Nencho’s arm, her tone suddenly becoming strange. “As for who the flames will burn, that depends on what Anchin-sama does~” Kiyohime smiled as she looked at Elizabeth, who was yelling, “What are you doing?”

"After all, there's an idiom called 'moths to a flame'~ Anyone who dares to disturb my sweet talk with Lady Anzhen, I'll spit them out."

"Then let Chaldea handle the investigation of the surrounding area!" Director Mary was also full of fighting spirit, ready to end the singularity. "Everyone! Success or failure hinges on this."

"Then—let's start the war together!" Ritsuka raised her fist and shouted first.

"Oh!!" came a chorus of agreement.

They marched in a grand procession toward Orleans.

Ships sailing toward tomorrow

"...Just as I guessed. They're all wyverns," Director Mary clicked her tongue impatiently as she looked at the numerous red dots on the screen. "That being said, you can't waste your time here."

"Everyone—strive for a quick victory."

"Understood! Master, the enemy is here! Please give the order." Mash raised her shield to protect Ritsuka behind her.

The flying dragons circling in the sky formed layers of black mist that spread outwards.

Unfortunately, this dragon mist was pierced by the light.

Mary wielded a rose as translucent as a glasswork, Giorgios's Ascalon cleaved through the mist, and Siegfried gathered magic on his blade.

Azure magic converged into beams of light, piercing through the layers of gloom formed by the two-legged dragons.

But it wasn't over yet. The dragons roared and continued to swoop down, their mindless nature even bordering on suicidal attacks, attempting to exchange blows for blows. Under the dragons' relentless onslaught, the Servants sustained injuries to varying degrees.

They plunged their swords into the last struggling dragon, and looking at the scene of corpses strewn all around them, they all breathed heavily to maintain their strength.

However, when the final battle arrives, they will not have any chance to catch their breath.

Several red dots appeared on the Chaldea screen. Mary frantically turned on her communication device.

"Servants have reacted! They're heading straight in your direction. Be careful!" The red dot on the screen moved towards Chaldea and the others at an extremely fast pace.

Finally, the Servant appeared in a state where even Ritsuka and the others could see him.

"..." No further words were needed. The newcomer was a hunter dressed in beautiful emerald green. Drawing her bow, the hunter appeared extremely enraged. "...Kill them all!...May all of them die by my arrows!" Green arrows rained down like bullets, each arrow carrying immense force, seemingly not targeting any one person, or perhaps everyone was her enemy. The hunter went berserk, attacking relentlessly.

"It's an archer... and he's been forced into a berserk state!" Joan of Arc immediately recognized the archer as someone she had met once before, and gripped her weapon tightly to deflect the incoming arrows.

“She should have been the kind of Servant who wouldn’t submit to the ‘Dragon Witch’.” With his sword held high in front of his chest, Georgios seemed to see through the pain in the heart of the roaring huntress.

“She is… Atalanta, the Greek huntress.” As Zhuo spoke, the bright silver blade in his hand did not stop, slicing through the arrows as he parried and ran towards Atalanta at top speed.

“Ata…” Staring at the hunter’s contorted face, Zhuo tightened his grip on the sword. “You originally hoped the Holy Grail would grant the wish of ‘a world where all children grow up surrounded by love.’ But now you stand on the opposite side of children, of humanity. You must be in great pain.”

Closer still, even closer, Ata reacted quickly and fired another arrow at Zhuo, who was closest to him.

"Haaaaaah!" He pushed off with his feet, launching himself into the air. Facing the countless emerald green arrows flying towards him, Zhuo fixed the dial onto the Time Gunsword in his hand.

"finish time──" "zio girigiri slash──"

Instead of unleashing the silver light, it allowed it to continuously condense on the blade, becoming increasingly bright.

"Goodbye, Ta-nyan." "Ughhhhhh! Die—!" In the end, Zhuo ignored the green arrows flying towards him.

It landed in front of her. Zhuo stood up, staring at the increasingly bright green arrow in front of him, the silver blade in his hand drawing the outline of a clock.

"Farewell, kind and benevolent hunter." Engraved on Atalanta's chest.

"Ugh—pfft," Ata took a few steps back, clutching the wound on her chest, murmuring with a mixture of relief and sorrow.

"...That's good, that's good." The light in her eyes dimmed further. "Really, this was such a troublesome and unlucky job." With a wave of her hand, Atalanta used her last strength to bid farewell to everyone and offer her blessing, "Go, go and defeat that dragon. Ah, next time, I will definitely—"

Words left unsaid, regrets left undone. Thus, the huntress of Calydon departed the stage.

However, there was no time for them to reminisce and rest.

This time, Director Mary shouted out, "Hey! We've confirmed that Atalanta's spirit origin reaction has disappeared. But we've detected a reaction from a colossal life form!" She watched as the enormous red dot left the city marking Orleans and headed towards Zhuo and his group.

"Fafner has confirmed his departure from Orleans! That means... the moment of final battle has finally arrived!"

Watching the figure soar through the air, casting a shadow of death and fear upon the ground, Zhuo gripped the Ex-Aid Dragon Hunter watch face that had reappeared in his hand.

However—in a place unnoticed by everyone.

Black and red, the Other Rider Ex-Aid grinded his jagged fangs.