That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

"Path changed".

"Complete it."

"Secondary enhancement".

"Reactivate!"

Using the power of the Mystic Eyes, she completed a grand magic trick in a very short time. The flaming sword fragments that had been cut by Jeanne d'Arc Alter floated steadily in mid-air, transforming from a broken sword into more than a dozen flying swords, which hovered in mid-air and pointed at Jeanne d'Arc Alter.

Jeanne Alter glanced at the surrounding sword formation and chuckled disdainfully: "What's the use of making more toys? Do you really think that a spell that didn't work on me the first time will work the second time? This time, I won't let you go."

Go on!

Hall's pupils contracted slightly, the flaming sword trembled slightly, and it instantly shot out from all directions, piercing towards Jeanne d'Arc Alter.

"It's all in vain!"

Holding a black flag spear, she slammed it down on her foot, unleashing a burst of purplish-black karmic fire that devoured all the incoming fiery swords. Raising the flag high, she pointed it at Hall and declared proudly, "Karmic fire is born of beasts, dragons dwell in my hands. Break the bonds, unleash calamity, tear life apart! Go, strike and kill!"

"V?lkermord Feuerdrache! (Burn away the laws of heaven, slay the dragon!)"

The banner spear frantically devoured the purplish-black flames of hatred, forming a black sphere of fire. Accompanied by the long roar of the evil dragon, the flames of hatred were given the concept of a dragon, transforming into three dragon heads that surged menacingly toward Hall.

Why is the true name of your Noble Phantasm in German, when you're a French country bumpkin? And even if it's in German, why would Jeanne d'Arc Alter, a Avenger-class Noble Phantasm, use a Berserker-class Noble Phantasm?!

"not good!"

Before Hall could even complain, he felt a chilling sense of crisis. His eyes froze, and he activated the spatial teleportation magic he had prepared beforehand. His body turned into a silvery-white light and disappeared. When he reappeared, he was already hundreds of meters away in the sky.

However, this approach is merely a futile struggle.

Targeted by the Noble Phantasm, if it cannot escape the Noble Phantasm's killing range immediately, the burning three-headed dragon will relentlessly change direction and chase after it.

"Unless I use a Command Seal, my current magical power cannot withstand the output of an A+ rank Anti-Army Noble Phantasm."

"Although it is locked on, the tracking of the target should be controlled by Jeanne Alter herself."

"That makes things easier."

In less than a moment, his rapidly working mind found a solution.

Hall's body flashed again, making spatial jumps, each teleport bringing him closer to the dark sun.

"Don't even think about escaping!"

Jeanne Alter shouted, commanding the three-headed abomination dragon to follow closely. When they approached within a certain range of the black sun, Jeanne Alter suddenly found that she had lost her connection with the abomination dragon. The three dragon heads, along with Hall's figure, were swallowed up by the dark sun.

what happened?

Jeanne Alter opened her mouth slightly, and in that moment of hesitation, she suddenly felt a sense of alarm. She grabbed the black flag spear and swung it backward with great force.

Clang!

Sparks flew as Hall, who was preparing to ambush Jeanne Alter from behind, was swept away and landed on the back of the evil dragon Fafnir.

Hall shook his aching right hand, frowning deeply. It was only thanks to the [Revelation] ability that Jeanne Alter was able to react in advance!

Ouch~

The evil dragon Fafnir roared to the sky, but was helpless against Hall who had run onto his back.

"You lied to me!" Jeanne Alter glared at Hall, her pretty face showing a cuteness she didn't usually possess when she was angry.

Hall, holding a silver longsword, calmly said, "So what? We are mortal enemies. You are also someone who fought your way out of the battlefield. You should know very well that for victory and for survival, even the most despicable means can be called justice."

Hall, who fled to the Black Sun, was a phantom created by magic to deceive Jeanne Alter. He could easily extinguish the elemental life created by the evil fire through the properties of the Black Sun.

Because of Jeanne d'Arc Alter's simple personality, neutralizing her Noble Phantasm attacks is surprisingly easy.

"So what? Only I can deceive others!" Jeanne Alter shouted a shameful slogan as she jumped onto the dragon's back, her face full of disgust.

The innocent village girl was transformed into a pathological brat, and a brat with immense power at that.

Hall dared not be careless. The magic circuits in his magic eye were activated, and he continuously cast magic to enhance his body's close combat ability. Light blue light patterns appeared on his skin, and magic power flowed into his limbs and bones. He took a deep breath to calm the surging magic power, and the True Ether Rapier in his hand emitted a hazy glow, his fighting spirit soaring.

"Finally giving up on this boring magic. Oh well, no matter what, you're courting death. I'll kill you, burn your body with flames, and boil away every last drop of your blood." Jeanne Alter stood with her hands on her hips, her attitude flippant and malicious as she chuckled.

The easiest woman to deal with in Chaldea is actually more difficult to handle when they are enemies.

Hall suddenly asked, "Joan of Arc, how about you dance with me after this battle?"

"What? It's too late for you to beg for mercy now." Jeanne Alter was baffled.

"So, will you agree?"

Jeanne Alter smiled with interest: "To suddenly say such a thing... As a French lady, I would not refuse a man's sincere invitation. If you can give me a reason that satisfies me, I don't mind fulfilling your last wish before burning you at the stake."

Hall praised earnestly, "Because you are beautiful, your charm is enough to make all men sway, including me, of course."

Upon hearing Hall's words, Jeanne Alter appeared stunned and somewhat shy, but quickly recovered, showing great satisfaction and affirmation at Hall's praise, nodding repeatedly: "Ahem... Of course, I am Saint Jeanne! Well, even death row inmates receive gentle care before their execution."

How naive she is.

One-quarter of the purpose of this conversation was to buy time, another quarter was to lower Jeanne Alter's guard, and Hall did not deny that the remaining half was to genuinely invite her to dance.

Chapter 218 The Unfinished Promise

The world completely collapsed, the earth was saturated, and the remaining fragments reached the gates of the black sun, as if entering a vast and empty black passage, with no end in sight.

As the evil dragon soared into the sky and gravity reversed, Hall stepped forward, his body disappearing from its original position as he launched the attack.

Swish!

The materialized true ethereal rapier pierced Jeanne Alter's heart with swift and ruthless speed, a feat even the speed-renowned Lancer could not achieve.

A simple sword strike, yet it contained the essence of Hall's swordsmanship honed in different worlds. The most direct trajectory was also the most ruthless strike, revealing his killing intent.

"madness."

Jeanne Alter anticipated Hall's actions, and with a cold smile, she held her spear horizontally. Every inch longer brought greater danger, and due to the narrow space on the dragon's back, if she continued, Hall's rapier would be pierced through the heart by the spear before it could even penetrate Jeanne Alter's heart, because of the weapon's distance.

Hall had no choice but to use his rapier to parry the spear and send it flying. Meanwhile, out of the corner of his eye, the Demon Eye saw Jeanne Alter draw the Saint Catherine sword from her waist.

Faster, stronger, no skill involved, but incredibly precise timing.

Jeanne Alter herself was a general who fought her way up from the battlefield.

"Go to hell!"

Jeanne Alter's lips curled up, completely certain that she would win this battle.

Caster is the class least adept at melee combat among all Servants. If other classes get close to them, they are basically doomed. Moreover, Jeanne d'Arc Alter, a member of the Avenger class, is among the top-tier Servants in terms of both stats and martial arts skills across all eras.

In Jeanne d'Arc's eyes, Hall's actions were somewhat suicidal, and he had previously given his "last words."

The silver-white magic eye shone brightly, its pupils swirling with mist, and the magic circuits inside the pupils overloaded with calculations, causing time to freeze for a moment.

Hall could clearly "see" the stopped world, the scales on the back of the evil dragon Fafnir, and the joy and pride on Jeanne d'Arc's face as she was about to win.

Listed Wadokana!

Everything is still, which is an illusion caused by accelerated thinking, and it can only last for a moment, otherwise it would put a great burden on Hall's magic circuits.

"Elemental guidance".

"Ether shaping".

“Conceptual rigidity”.

"Show yourself, elementalist's magic sword."

With a silent incantation, Hall materialized a true ether longsword in his left hand, narrowly parrying Jeanne d'Arc's sword.

Clang!

Jeanne d'Arc Alter was caught off guard as her spear and rapier were parried. She stared wide-eyed as Hall gripped his twin swords, straightened his stance, lowered his body like an animal gathering strength before a hunt, and slightly raised his head, his calm eyes brimming with chilling killing intent.

This is···

It was premeditated!?

Jeanne Alter was filled with shock and anger. Despite being a Caster, she was used to melee combat, and not only that, her skill level was comparable to that of a martial arts-oriented Servant.

Then, in this situation that was already beyond Jeanne d'Arc Alter's expectations, Hall also had this dual-sword technique to complete the final blow.

It was as if every possible scenario had been calculated from the very beginning, and every step was aimed at anticipating her reactions and leading her into a hopeless situation from which she could not retaliate.

A counterattack? Too late.

Hatred of karmic fire? Before it even ignites, her heart will be pierced by the rapier.

Hey~

In the nick of time, Jeanne Alter closed her eyes in despair, and the world suddenly trembled and tilted.

No, it should be said that the evil dragon Fafnir suddenly changed its flight direction, so much so that the two people standing on its back suddenly felt the space shift.

A momentary spatial displacement saved Jeanne Alter's life; the True Essence Rapier narrowly missed the Servant's core and pierced into her full breasts.

That damned beast!

Hall cursed under his breath and immediately let go and retreated. Although he had taken similar situations into account, his body still couldn't react in time to adjust the angle of the rapier.

Without any blood splattering, Jeanne Alter's body quickly ignited with the flames of hatred, and she trembled as she grasped the hilt of the True Ether Rapier and slowly pulled it from between her chest.

Jeanne Alter, her face contorted in pain, threw the True Aether Rapier into the lava sea below. Clutching her chest, she sensed the strange changes in her body and asked in a hoarse voice, "A curse?"

Hall stepped aside, adjusted his physical condition, and calmly explained: "It is indeed a curse for Servants. This is a weapon I created using magical concepts. As long as it injures a Servant, their body will be invaded by its magical concepts, gradually disintegrating their spirit and eroding their spirit core."

"In other words, it's a Noble Phantasm against Servants." Hall's smile grew even colder.

The reason for not drawing the True Aether Rapier during the retreat was also for this reason. The True Aether Rapier is to a Servant what the Origin Bullet is to a Magician. Not only is it incredibly powerful, but it also damages the Servant's spirit, causing them to suffer great pain and weaken their abilities.

Although it was a pity that Fafnir didn't kill him with a single blow, it could be considered a fatal blow.

Jeanne Alter's current physical condition is similar to that of Kenneth after being hit by the first Origin Bomb, losing the ability to prevent the Reality Marble [The World That Continues to Fester] from completing its convergence.

Even the situation is very similar.

Hall caught Jeanne Alter off guard with his superb swordsmanship and dual swords. There was no need to continue close combat with her. At this point, he could simply use magic to kite her slowly until he wore her down to death.

With a leap backward, Hall flew off Fafnir's back, and huge magic arrays unfolded behind him, continuously firing magic beams.

Aww~

The evil dragon Fafnir roared and howled, the green crystal on its chest glowing faintly, flowing through its body to form a huge barrier that blocked all the magical energy beams.