In Britain, the Noble Phantasm: Divine Key

“I’ve finally… found you.” Nidhogg moved lightly and rushed into Yanan’s arms. Smelling the familiar scent on him, a look of relief immediately appeared on her face.

Yanan gently stroked Nidhogg's smooth black hair, a hint of tenderness appearing in his eyes. He hadn't expected to meet Nidhogg under these circumstances.

Neither of them spoke, but they embraced each other tightly, feeling each other's heartbeats and savoring the joy and warmth of reuniting with their loved one after so long. At that moment, everything was understood without words, and neither wanted to disturb this rare and beautiful tranquility.

"Um..." Joan tilted her head, "Are you two a married couple?"

The peaceful atmosphere was broken. Nidhogg glared at the woman with the strange steel plate on her head. Did this woman not understand the atmosphere?

However, for a naive and innocent saint who has never been in a relationship and has devoted herself entirely to the Lord, judging the atmosphere is really a bit difficult for her.

“Yes, that’s right.” Yanan smiled and patted Nidhogg’s head. “Nid and I are indeed husband and wife.”

“And she’s married, too.” Nidhogg laughed smugly, as if showing off something.

Although she already had some guesses in her heart, the naive saintess was still shocked. Could a human and a dragon really become husband and wife?

High in the distant sky, the pitch-black night gradually faded like ink soaked in water, replaced by a light blue like glass. On the vast horizon, streaks of light rippled out like precious jewels, beautiful and dreamlike.

The long night is over, and dawn is coming.

Looking at the scene of devastation around her, which resembled a collision of planets and Earth, the French saint sighed wearily. If the first battle had already caused such a terrible mess, could she really stop them when both sides went all out later on?

Ultimately, did I really descend to ensure the smooth progress of this Holy Grail War?

She couldn't say for sure that it wasn't true, but she also had an ambiguous feeling that she couldn't completely believe it, as if a voice in her mind was telling her that something was wrong with this Holy Grail War.

"...Thinking about these things now is useless. In short, we can only do our best."

......

......

"Oh my, this is really quite brutal. It seems that some formidable opponents have emerged in this Holy Grail War."

On a small hill, a tall woman gazed at the distant battlefield. Although she was dressed in a standard nun's habit, she could not hide her hot and sexy figure, which only added to her allure of asceticism. Despite her gentle and virtuous demeanor, she somehow possessed a bewitching charm that made people want to pin her to the ground and ravage her.

"To be able to defeat the offspring of Surieh, it seems that the black Rider has a very unusual background."

A clear, childlike voice came from the void beside the nun. Judging from the tone of the voice, it was clearly that of a woman who was not yet an adult, but it revealed a kind of indescribable charm.

“The eight-legged winged horse, Nidhogg, and a divine spear comparable to the Undying Blade—perhaps it really is the great god Odin himself descending upon us.” A gentle smile graced the nun’s exquisite face, as if a hundred flowers were blooming in an instant.

"Impossible!" the childish voice declared resolutely. "With the strength of an ordinary spirit foundation, it's simply impossible to accommodate the arrival of a god-level being!"

"Hehe, that's hard to say. What if they just got bored and abandoned a portion of their power to force their way down?" the nun chuckled.

"..." The voice fell silent. Theoretically speaking, such a possibility does exist.

“Odin is the king of the gods in Norse mythology. If we're really comparing him to Shiva, who killed you back then,” the nun said, a pleased smile slowly curving her lips. “How about it? Just thinking about facing such a powerful opponent, don’t you immediately feel an urge to cry from fear?”

"Hmph, stop spouting nonsense, you wanton slut." A clear voice sneered, "Even if Odin really did descend, so what? This spirit origin's strength can't contain much of his power. Even if we really fought, I... I might not necessarily lose to him!"

"Hehe, alright, then let me see what kind of ridiculous script you can put on."

The nun extended her sexy red tongue and gently licked her full red lips, a seductive gesture that made her appear even more alluring and captivating.

"However, be careful. If I find an opportunity, I won't hold back at all—"

"I'll eat you up."

......

......

After many years, Nidhogg was reunited with his lover. Such a dreamlike experience should have been romantic and beautiful, but Nidhogg couldn't be happy no matter what.

It wasn't that she had any problem with Yanan; in fact, she desperately wanted to drag him into the grove right then and there for a passionate and intense exchange to vent her burning emotions, but...

"Why are you following us like this?!" Nidhogg asked, exasperated, looking at the saintess who had returned to her casual clothes.

“Because I am the supervisor of this Holy Grail War, I need to check on the situation of the Black faction,” Jeanne said earnestly.

Nidhogg turned to look at Yanan, who nodded helplessly: "She's right."

"Damn it." Nidhogg gritted his teeth angrily, then stretched out his slender, white hand and pinched Yanan's waist. "It's all your fault for being so talkative."

Yanan's face twitched slightly, and Nidhogg showed no mercy this time: "I was just doing my job, who knew she would agree so readily."

Because of Vlad III's previous instructions, before leaving, he casually asked Joan of Arc if she would like to go to the Castle of a Thousand Worlds with them. Who would have thought that this French saint would agree without hesitation!

He clearly remembered that in the original story, Joan of Arc rejected Gold's offer without hesitation, so why did it change in his case?

Joan of Arc glanced at Anaïs's retreating figure, then immediately averted her gaze guiltily. From a referee's perspective, such blatant heading towards one side's camp was indeed biased, but she couldn't resist following him anyway, because she had a feeling—

There was a power about Yanan that attracted her.

Chapter Seven: A Timely Rain After a Long Drought

“Welcome back, Rider.” Danic opened his arms and gave Yanan a sincere smile.

Half of this was due to Anahn's victory over the red Lancer, demonstrating his strength, and the other half was due to Joan of Arc standing to the side, looking around.

"However, who is this..." His gaze couldn't help but drift to the beautiful, aloof woman who was almost inseparable from Yanan, his eyes revealing obvious curiosity.

He remembered that there shouldn't have been a woman like this with Rider before, and besides, this intimate posture...

“She is my wife,” Yanan said calmly, holding Nidhogg’s small hand.

Danic was slightly taken aback. Rider's wife? What a joke! Rider was summoned alone...

Suddenly, as if a bolt of lightning had struck his mind, Danick's face froze.

His head, as if rusted parts, slowly turned towards Nidhogg, his gaze gradually sweeping over the black hair, black eyes, and black dress...

No way, no matter how you look at it, this is just too unbelievable. How could a human possibly...

Seemingly noticing Danick's gaze, the black-haired woman suddenly raised her head to look at Danick. Her black pupils, which were originally no different from those of ordinary people, instantly transformed into cold and ruthless vertical pupils, like a bottomless abyss that would devour even light.

Even as a "Grand" magician, Danic was startled by that gaze and instinctively took a step back, drawing a puzzled look from Jeanne.

"Alright, I've brought the person back to you. The rest is up to you." Yanan waved his hand, turned around, and led Nidhogg out of the audience hall.

"Oh...oh, okay." Danic stared blankly at Yanan's departing figure, and couldn't help but give him a thumbs up in his heart.

He used to think that only warriors like Saber could be called heroes, but now he finally understands that Rider is the real hero.

"Um, aren't you coming with us?" Joan of Arc asked somewhat guiltily.

“Danick is in charge here. You can ask him directly if you need anything. I have some things to take care of here,” Yanan said without turning his head.

“Oh... alright.” Joan of Arc lowered her head in frustration. For some reason, a sense of loss welled up in her heart as Anahn left.

Danic glanced thoughtfully at Joan of Arc. As a seasoned veteran nearing a hundred years old, he could naturally tell that this saintly woman clearly harbored some rather special feelings for Rider.

Perhaps we can use this as leverage to bring Ruler to our side... His eyes narrowed slightly, but a pair of cold and ruthless black vertical pupils suddenly appeared in his mind.

He shuddered slightly and quickly suppressed the thought. If that black dragon in human skin were to discover his idea, the fortress would probably be a pile of lava by tomorrow morning.

It seems I still have to rely on myself... He sighed softly to himself, a standard smile appearing on his face. He gave Joan of Arc a very gentlemanly aristocratic bow: "Please, Your Excellency Ruler, I will now personally show you around the castle. Whatever questions you may have, I will answer them to the best of my ability."

“Well then, thank you for your help, Master of Black Lancer.” Jeanne withdrew her gaze and followed behind Darnic.

“Danick is our ally, it’s not good for you to scare him like that.” Walking down the spacious corridor, Yanan gently stroked Nidhogg’s smooth black hair. How could Nidhogg’s little actions just now have escaped his notice?

Nidhogg wrinkled her delicate little nose, her face full of disdain, and said, "I just don't like that guy staring at me like that. He has absolutely no manners. I was being merciful by just scaring him. Otherwise, I would have spat a mouthful of black flame in his face."

Anan smiled helplessly. Her long experience in human society had greatly changed Nidhogg's temperament compared to before, but as a dragon comparable to the gods, her pride had not diminished.

However, she usually doesn't show this side of herself in front of people she knows well.

The crisp sound of footsteps echoed in his ears. Yanan looked up and saw a pair of familiar figures walking towards him from the opposite direction.

Saber Siegfried, and his Master Gord Mujik Yugdomirenia.

Upon seeing Anan, Gordes seemed to recall something rather unpleasant, and his face immediately turned grim, but he still involuntarily hid behind Saber.

Upon seeing Anan approaching, Saber's eyes lit up. Just as he was about to say something, a strong sense of unease and a tremor from the depths of his blood suddenly surged up again, even more rapidly than before. Faintly, he could even hear the mournful howl of the evil dragon in his ear.

Following his intuition, he subconsciously turned to look at the seemingly harmless and beautiful woman next to Rider, only to find that she was staring at him with great interest.

“That’s interesting. I heard a long time ago that the guy who guarded the Rhinegold was killed by a human, and in doing so, gained an invincible body that was impervious to blades and bullets.” Nidhogg looked Siegfried up and down. “But the curse of gold is not something that can be easily borne. Don’t you regret it?”

Siegfried was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head and said in a low voice, "This power has given me the ability to help more people."

“Help more people?” Nidhogg tilted his head. “Is it necessary? With such great power, you can do whatever you want according to your own will. Why do these thankless tasks?”

“Because this is the meaning of my existence.” Siegfried pressed his hand to his heart, his eyes revealing a resolute look. “It is also the meaning of how I obtained this power.”

"Even if it means trampling on your own dignity?" Yanan suddenly asked.

"..." Siegfried lowered his head and fell silent.

“Think about it carefully, Siegfried. Kindness itself is not wrong, but excessive kindness will only bring greater evil. If you lose even your own will, what will you have left?” Anan gave Siegfried a meaningful look. “If you don’t understand this, the curse of gold will never fade from you, and the tragedies of the past will only be repeated again and again.”

After saying that, Anan led Nidhogg past Siegfried, leaving the latter standing silently in place, like a statue.

......

......

Church of the Holy Church.

After finishing his daily prayers, Kotomine Shiro stood up and turned to look at the empty space beside him: "How is Lancer?"

Ethereal spiritual particles gathered from the void, and Assassin's figure emerged from them: "Not ideal. Although I am not seriously injured, my golden armor is severely corroded, greatly reducing its defensive capabilities. The pharaoh is assisting the witch in repairing it, which will probably take quite some time."

Kotomine Shiro frowned slightly: "Is Nidhogg really that powerful?"

It can't even withstand the divine armor bestowed by the sun god?

Assassin twirled his hair and said casually, "According to that witch, it seems that the black dragon has a concept specifically targeting [divinity]. The stronger the [divinity], the greater the damage."

Divine Special Attack... As a Ruler, Shirou Kotomine naturally knew the meaning of this phrase, and for a moment he couldn't help but feel even more troubled.

Their two exceptional Servants, Lancer Karna, son of the sun god Surya, and Rider Ramses II, the ancient Egyptian pharaoh, both possess strong divinity. When facing the mysterious Black Rider, they are at a severe disadvantage and would be completely suppressed if they were to face him.

But apart from these two Servants, it seems they don't have any other characters who can rival the Black Rider.

“Let’s try contacting Saber and Archer’s Masters,” Kotomine Shirou sighed. “Now we can only place our hopes on them.”

"What? I do have some trump cards up my sleeve, you know." Assassin glared at him in dissatisfaction. "Once the Sky Garden is completed, I can easily defeat that black dragon."

She wasn't exaggerating; the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is a top-tier Anti-World Noble Phantasm. Although its activation conditions are rather demanding, its power is astonishing once completed. While inside the garden, Semiramis's entire status is enhanced. Her fame is raised to the highest level, and her attacks receive favorable bonuses. She can even unleash magic within the magical realm.

In addition, with eleven counterattack spells capable of firing "anti-military-class" light bullets with the power of a falling meteor—TiamtumUmu—it can basically be called an "invincible" super fortress.