That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

Saber reached out and hugged Hall, responding awkwardly.

Their lips parted, their cheeks so close that they could feel each other's hot breath.

Saber smiled calmly and shyly: "Holl, now I have finally found the lost scabbard."

Chapter 222 War Imminent

The vain Sky Garden, a vast aerial fortress, flies rapidly, scattering the forests below like birds and beasts wherever it goes.

The goddess of Venus, Ishtar, sat on the railing of an open-air balcony, passing the time while watching the scenery rushing by below. A gentle breeze lifted her black hair, and even the greatest artist could not depict this breathtaking beauty.

The goddess of Venus, Ishtar, is herself a symbol of beauty.

Ishtar accepted Amakusa Shiro Tokisada's request to join him.

Of course, she had invited Hall to form an alliance beforehand, and her visit to the Vanity Sky Garden was merely to find out the location of the Red Team's stronghold and Amakusa Shiro Tokisada's action plan.

This aerial garden hides two strongholds of the Red Team. Destroying the second stronghold will greatly weaken the strength of the Red Team's Servants.

"Ah!"

Ishtar suddenly sneezed, instantly shattering her perfect image. Her face was filled with unease, and she muttered as she played with her long black hair with her right hand, "What's wrong? Why can't I calm down? Is it because of the upcoming battle? No, what's this unease? It's like something very important has been taken away."

"It's impossible for a goddess to catch a cold. Besides, sneezing is usually an ominous sign. Something must have happened that is very important to her but also very bad."

"Could it be that Shinji has left the show?"

"Unlikely. Even the King of Heroes is no match for that guy, so it's unlikely he'd lose to a mere Ruler."

Ishtar frowned, deep in thought, unable to find a solution. Sensing the Servant approaching, she turned her head to look at the dark corridor and snorted, "What is it, Rider?"

A tall, green-haired youth emerged from the shadows, arms crossed, and replied, "Assassin instructed me to inform you to meet before the throne to discuss the matter of defeating Caster of the Black Faction."

"Understood." Ishtar waved lazily in response, jumped off the railing, and walked past the young man. Before leaving, she suddenly asked, "Rider, do you agree with that guy's wish?"

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have obeyed his orders."

"Using the Third Law to save all mankind, what an arrogant fellow! This is a feat that even the gods dare not imagine. No, perhaps saving all mankind might itself be a calamity."

Agarius replied solemnly, "The Holy Grail can fulfill such an unrealistic wish. I have experienced many wars and witnessed countless separations and deaths. If we can create a world without strife, even if the chance is only one in ten thousand, I think it is worth fighting for."

Ishtar looked him over a few times and asked curiously, "What do you hope for in the Holy Grail?"

"Aside from fighting, I don't want anything. As for the Holy Grail... if you ask me if I want it, the answer is yes, but I'm not that obsessed with it. I agree with that guy's ideals, so I'll fight for him and give him the Holy Grail if necessary."

"Ugh...you're such a boring man."

······

The vain Hanging Gardens, the main hall.

The space was spacious and empty, with a red carpet in the center that extended to the steel throne.

The Iron Throne, located at the center of the main hall, is a cone-shaped structure made of giant steel blades, decorated with red drapery, and exudes a chilling sense of danger.

If you accidentally fall from the throne or the stairs, you could very well get stabbed right through the heart.

Assyrian Empress Semiramis sat on her throne, with her master Amakusa Shiro Tokisada standing beside her.

Ishtar and Agarius arrived one after the other.

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada stepped forward and loudly announced, "The black side's Caster has seized the Greater Grail, and now he has defeated Ruler and the red side's Saber. It is the perfect time to reclaim the Greater Grail."

Ishtar frowned at Semiramis on the throne, crossed her arms and said unhappily, "It doesn't matter what, but knowing that I am a goddess, she still dares to sit swaggering on a higher throne. Can I take this as a provocation against a goddess?"

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada shook his head and explained, "Archer, the throne is the control center of this sky garden. I absolutely did not mean to offend you."

Ishtar said unhappily, "Then get down from the throne. It's really unpleasant. Sitting in a position higher than the goddess is always a sign of contempt for her."

“Assassin…” Amakusa Shiro Tokisada looked helplessly at his servant.

"Hmph." Semiramis snorted coldly, stood up from her throne, walked down the steps, and said sarcastically, "There really is one, a petty goddess."

Ishtar raised an eyebrow, pointed her hand at Semiramis, and sneered, "I don't care if you're a king or anything like that, do you really want to die?"

"You're the one who's a half-baked goddess. You'd better understand that this is my territory. I stepped down from the throne because of my Master's order, not your opinion. If my Master isn't here, I wouldn't mind using your corpse to decorate the throne and show off my majesty."

Before things escalated further, Agalius quickly stepped between the two: "Now is the most crucial moment, let's both stop arguing."

"Humph!"

"Humph!"

Ishtar and Semiramis each snorted coldly, turned their faces away, and ignored each other.

The four were in the main hall. Semiramis used magic to project the location of the Radiant Ship. "The location of the Black Caster has been confirmed. We will have five minutes to make contact with the Sky Garden. Please prepare yourselves."

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada sighed regretfully: "Saber has already left the stage, and thanks to her, we have also figured out the strength of the Black Caster."

"First up is Saber from the Black Faction, the legendary King Arthur. Among the strongest Saber classes, she possesses one of the greatest strengths. Her Noble Phantasm's power is comparable to the full-force attack of the Sky Garden Automatic Defense System. You'll have to deal with her, Rider."

Agalius grinned excitedly, "To be able to fight the legendary King of Knights is something I couldn't ask for!"

"Then there's Rider from the Black side, Astolfo, one of Charlemagne's twelve warriors. He has many tricks up his sleeve and his overall strength is not low. Archer is a good toy for you."

"casual."

"The Black side's Caster is the most troublesome Servant in this Holy Grail War. His overall strength is hard to judge. He once defeated the Red side's Caster, and this time he also displayed unimaginable strength to defeat Ruler."

“He is my prey!” Semiramis sneered.

"Let's allocate them like this for now. Does anyone have any objections?"

Ishtar raised her hand, her face full of murderous intent: "The Black Faction's Caster, that guy is one of the culprits who ruined the ancient Garan's descent ritual. Before we start the war, I want to give him a proper greeting."

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada pondered for a moment and said, "Okay, just be careful not to affect the Greater Grail."

Chapter 223 Divine Grace as Vast as the Sea, Divine Might as Powerful as a Prison (Part Two)

On the desolate plains, a comfortable evening breeze blows, green grass sways, and the forest rustles.

A massive black shadow swept across the forest, blotting out the sun and startling the hibernating animals. As if witnessing a natural disaster, they fled in panic, yet curiously gazed up at the enormous fortified city in the sky, shaped like a disc, densely packed with buildings. Its size stretched for tens of kilometers, magnificent and colossal, even more awe-inspiring than the might of nature itself.

A kilometer away from this magnificent aerial fortress, a golden, radiant ship floated silently, facing each other from afar.

“It’s here! It’s always amazing to see this fortress.” Astolfo stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the huge black shadow in the distance, and exclaimed sincerely. He bent down and leaned out with a smile, revealing his tiger teeth, showing no signs of the tension before the battle: “So, Hall, what do we do next?”

"Wait, the falling stars will become the signal fire for war."

"What? A fortune teller's prophecy or something?"

Hall rolled his eyes at him: "I'm not good at astrology, it's just the literal meaning."

Saber, who was on high alert, explained: "Rider, have you forgotten that the Red Team's Archer will cooperate with us to wipe out the Red Team?"

Astolfo suddenly realized: "It seems there is such a thing."

Hall adjusted his glasses; his magical costume enhanced the far-sightedness of his Mystic Eyes, allowing him to see the Vanity Hanging Gardens halt its advance, and a dazzling golden light soared into the sky.

Ishtar and her weapon, the Heavenly Bow Maana.

She looked down at the two camps, a playful smile playing on her lips: "Pay homage to the goddess's glory."

"Jump, Maanna!"

With a confident command, Ishtar unfurled a golden vortex before her, the very gateway to the Age of Gods.

As Venus, the goddess of Venus, traversed the celestial bow, the scenery within her vision suddenly changed, and she arrived in the deep and boundless universe, where billions of stars twinkled, making one acutely aware of their own insignificance.

The closest planet to Ishtar is a golden planet, like a hellish planet before the creation of the world, with its surface burning with flames.

“This distance is just right.” Ishtar nodded to herself, already quite used to the vast and boundless universe before her.

She stretched out her right hand and placed it below Venus, making it look as if she were holding up Venus.

Ishtar's crimson eyes gradually turned gold, and she proudly declared, "Witness the majesty of the Goddess of Venus!"

Using the authority of the Venus administrator, the Venus concept is captured through a magic trick that swaps distances.

With a gentle grasp, the enormous planet that had filled the field of vision vanished, replaced by a miniature version of Venus in Ishtar's palm.

A cruel smile crept across Ishtar's lips as she drew Venus into her celestial bow and slowly drew the bowstring taut.

To shoot the strongest arrow with a planet as an arrow is an act that even the gods fear.

"An eye for an eye is my usual style. Teasing a goddess comes at a heavy price, so be prepared to be thrown into the abyss of nothingness in the underworld!"

"From the great sky to the great earth! Crusher of Mount Ebif!"

“Smash it! An Gal TāKigal Shē! (Mountains Shake the Stars)”

Stars shot out, piercing through the divine universe, and disappeared into the depths of the cosmos.

······

In the real world, all Servants sensed it.

The Glorious Ship.

Astolfo shuddered and crossed his arms. "I have a bad feeling."

Hall squinted, the faint light from his magic eye reflecting off his glasses, as he tried to analyze the concept of Venus.

Saber gazed up at the night sky, her emerald eyes rippling: "The brilliance of the stars, this is the power of the goddess of Venus. This attack is no less powerful than the Noble Phantasm of the King of Heroes."

······

A vain hanging garden.

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada lamented to himself, "It has begun, the battle horn has sounded, but victory will surely belong to us."

Agarius grinned excitedly and said, "Undoubtedly, it's the power of a god of the highest order. Interesting."

······

The dark clouds shone with a dazzling golden light, gradually becoming so bright that it was impossible to look directly at them, as if the sun had fallen.

In the vain Hanging Gardens, the Assyrian Empress Semiramis monitored the turbulent magical energy of the atmosphere, her face tense: "This is the power of a goddess. Even with possession and summoning, and her divinity severely damaged, the output of her Noble Phantasm is still greater than that of the Black Coffin of the Tenth and Oneth."

"Huh? This reaction..."

Semiramis's expression changed drastically, and the data projected in front of her turned crimson, which meant that the Hanging Gardens of Vanity was within the range of the goddess's Noble Phantasm.

What's going on?!