That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

Were they caught in the crossfire?

More and more projections turned crimson, warning the master of the aerial fortress.

The projected image is a 3D model of the Sky Gardens of Vanity, with red markers indicating the area affected by the Noble Phantasm.

No! This reaction is more like the Vain Hanging Gardens being the target of the Noble Phantasm attack.

"What's going on!?"

Realizing something was wrong, Semiramis's face contorted with rage as she growled, "That goddess of the coin pool! She actually did it!"

crunch~

Her fingernails scraped across the steel throne with a sharp sound. She rose from the throne, manipulated the Hanging Gardens of Vanity to activate all the defensive barriers and spells, and all the magic in her body was instantly drained.

But that's not enough!

Semiramis immediately contacted her Master, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, and decisively ordered, "Master! Give me Command Seals immediately!"

She didn't have to wait long before the power from the Command Seals replenished her magic and continued to flow into the aerial fortress.

"Not enough!"

"Not fast enough!"

"The analysis shows that all forty-four layers of magical barriers have been penetrated."

"Subspace isolation, failure."

"Spatial transfer, negation."

"The black coffin of ten and one, no, there's no time to unfold it!"

In desperation, Semiramis could only contact her Master and warn: "Leave the D3 area immediately, the sooner the better! The farther the better!"

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada uses magic to convey his question: "What happened?"

"Archer has betrayed us; her Noble Phantasm is aimed at this aerial fortress!"

Without Semiramis's prompting, Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, standing on the outskirts of the vain Hanging Gardens, opened his eyes wide in horror.

Rumble!

Light

A massive golden beam of light, seemingly capable of burning away even the eyeballs, seized the view.

Shake the mountains, destroy everything, annihilate everything.

It pierced through the sky and the earth, and at the same time pierced through the vain sky garden located between heaven and earth, instantly evaporating most of the city's buildings.

There once existed a sacred mountain in the world that even the king of gods revered: Mount Ebif.

The goddess Ishtar of Venus ventured deep into the sacred mountain simply because she "didn't like it." With each step she took, she gained more divine power until she reached the summit, trampled the sacred mountain under her feet, and plunged her spear into the heart, causing the complete collapse of the Ebif Mountains.

Ishtar's Noble Phantasm is a recreation of this legend, and its power is enough to destroy mountains and tear the earth apart.

Divine power is like a prison, divine grace is like the sea.

······

"What is this...?" Tenten-kusa Shiro Tokisada was dumbfounded.

As the last glimmer of golden light faded, just as day and night reversed, the massive aerial fortress lost power and slowly plummeted from the sky, crushing most of the forest that had turned to scorched earth and stirring up a cloud of dust.

Ishtar's figure flickered into the night sky, surveying the crumbling earth and the fallen aerial fortress. She stretched lazily and chuckled to herself, "After enduring so long, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Bliss~ Bliss~"

A projection appeared before her, displaying the image of Semiramis. The proud Assyrian empress angrily demanded, "Archer! Why did you attack the Red Team's stronghold! Have you betrayed us?!"

Ishtar scoffed, "The goddess's personality is as fickle as ever. Betrayal? You have the nerve to say that? Playing tricks on a goddess comes at a price, and you mere mortals' wisdom is no match for that."

"No matter what, you're still a Servant of the Red Team! This is utterly unreasonable!"

"I am a goddess, and I can only make the rules, not follow them."

"Does it matter if the red side loses?"

"It doesn't matter. Anyway, there won't be a normal Holy Grail War after this. If the Greater Grail falls into your hands, then there will truly be no hope of getting it back. Treat others like fools and use them. Savage woman, goodbye forever." Ishtar snapped the projection with her finger and turned to fly towards the Ark of Light.

······

"Master, it's confirmed that Archer has betrayed us! That despicable goddess of the coin pool! She's a complete barbarian!"

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada smiled bitterly: "Is this also a trial given by the heavens? [Revelation] The only thing I cannot predict is the movement of the gods. I also bear responsibility for not seeing through her thoughts. Semiramis, has the second stronghold been destroyed?"

"Yes, her target is the second stronghold in the D3 region."

"Where is the first stronghold?"

"Intact and undamaged".

"The first stronghold is also unnecessary. Destroy it to suppress Archer's strength. Also, contact the Yggdrasilia clan immediately."

"Yes."

"Rider, hold off on attacking for now and observe the situation."

······

The goddess Venus landed on the deck, covered her mouth with her delicate hand and yawned, then smiled triumphantly as she reported to Hall: "According to the covenant, my work is complete."

As she spoke, she walked toward the inner cabin of the Radiant Ship.

Astolfo asked curiously, "Hey, where are you going?"

"First, my name doesn't count as 'Hey,' so be careful not to be rude to me again and you might get cursed. Where to go? Of course, to rest. Staying up late is bad for your skin. That attack just now almost used up all my magic power, so don't expect me to be of any use for now."

Hall nodded: "Well done."

Hall's praise made Ishtar even happier, and she smiled brightly: "The rest is up to you. The Red Team's second stronghold has been destroyed, and their strength has dropped by one level. Hmm... now the first stronghold has also been destroyed, and the Red Team's Servants, including myself, have had their attributes dropped by one level. With your and Saber's strength, you can easily sweep them away."

"You will remain on the Ship of Glory and guard the Aeon Grail."

"You really know how to order people around. I'm a goddess, you know."

"I will give you satisfactory compensation."

"Knowing that I am Ishtar, you still dare to make such a promise? Let me make this clear beforehand: I have a big appetite. Can you satisfy me?"

Hall glanced at Ishtar, then jumped off the Radiant Ship without further ado. The three of them headed towards the crashed aerial fortress. Before they even arrived, a large number of Dragon Tooth soldiers surged up along the way, buying time for the Black faction.

The Dragon Tooth Soldiers and the Void Hanging Gardens were made from materials that Amakusa Shiro Tokisada found during his sixty years of travel in the Middle East, but they were nothing more than easy prey for Hall and his two companions.

Saber was alright; the beam of light from the Holy Sword annihilated the Dragon Tooth Soldiers in a straight line.

As a Caster, Hall has the strongest field-clearing ability. Wherever the Magic Eye sweeps, the magical concepts of all Dragon Tooth Soldiers are dispelled, and they lose their power and collapse on the spot.

Astolfo was not to be outdone, and he activated his Noble Phantasm, La Black Luna (The Flute That Awakens Panic), a C-rank anti-army Noble Phantasm that can awaken fear in people's hearts and can also harm weak magical creatures.

The Noble Phantasm's range and effectiveness are fine on its own, but combined with the hawk's high-speed flight, it's like a high-speed moving nuclear bomb to the enemy army, and it's still in the process of exploding.

"Master! Something's wrong. My body feels like it's under a lot of pressure and can't function properly."

While clearing out the Dragon Fang Soldiers, Hall suddenly heard Saber's report and began to think of a solution.

magic?

No, it's impossible that Hall, a magician capable of influencing Saber with A-level magic, wouldn't be unaware of it.

It can produce a similar effect, but it is not considered magic.

The answer is obvious.

The Black faction's first stronghold was destroyed, which affected Saber, one of the Three Knights.

At this point, Amakusa Shiro Tokisada has no way of sending any servants to destroy the Black Faction's stronghold.

Hall sneered inwardly: "As expected, that old codger Danic is not one to be outdone. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; and behind the oriole is a poisonous snake."

Not long after realizing this, Hall also felt his magic power rapidly draining away, and his hands and feet felt as if they were shackled.

It's not hard to deduce Danic's intentions. He simply wants Hall and Amakusa Shiro to fight to the death, preferably to the point of mutual destruction, so that he can jump out and reap the benefits.

Unfortunately, at this crucial moment, Hall was already on the verge of firing the arrow.

If we miss this golden opportunity to eliminate Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, things will only get more complicated in the future.

No one in this Holy Grail War can be underestimated; they are either cunning and shrewd or have foresight and cheating.

It's necessary to make some preparations.

With these thoughts in mind, Hall stretched out his right hand, and the five-colored elements converged, materializing into True Aether and making it substantial. Grasping the materialized True Aether, he thrust it into his heart without hesitation, while simultaneously activating a magical barrier.

"Humph!"

The excruciating pain of his heart being torn apart made Hall gasp for breath as he slowly pushed the medicine into his heart. After finishing, his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

This is a trap.

The heart is the Servant's spiritual core; generally, if the heart is shattered, the Servant will surely die.

Hall possesses an "ideal world far removed from the mundane," which is tantamount to immortality.

The materialized true ether is injected into the heart and fixed with magic. Once the heart is destroyed, the true ether stored inside will explode, which is equivalent to a trigger-activated landmine.

The inspiration comes from the necromancy of Shishi-kai-ri.

Of course, if hit by a Noble Phantasm or weapon, the materialized True Aether Trap will have no effect.

This trap only works if someone uses a part of their body to shatter Hall's heart.

Chapter 224 Playing by Unconventional Rules

After clearing out the Dragon Tooth Soldiers, the three arrived at the Vainglory Sky Garden. The walls were dozens of meters high, and they couldn't find the entrance even after circling around half of it.

The entire Vanity Sky Garden, due to its unique structure, tilted upon landing, resembling a spinning top resting on the ground.

"We can't find the entrance, should we fly in?" Astolfo suggested, looking out over the high wall.

"If you can remember the true name of the Omnipotent Book of Magic that breaks all magic, then it's not a problem," Hall glanced at him and reminded him.

Astolfo's strength wasn't that great, but the variety of his Noble Phantasms was top-notch among Servants. One of his Noble Phantasms was similar to Medea's Noble Phantasm, Rule Breaker, which grants A-rank Magic Resistance and the ability to break all magic. If he were to unleash his true name, he could even break Great Forbidden Spells at the level of Reality Marble.

Hall did know the true name of this Noble Phantasm, but there was no point in saying it. It could only be used if the conditions were met and the user could recall the true name of the Noble Phantasm.

Astolfo scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "Haha~ Regarding that book, all I remember is that it allows me to recall the real name on the night of the full moon. Didn't I lend it to you to study for a while during the day? Can't you use it now?"